This is a summary of the sermon I gave at the Red Bank Ministerial Alliance’s annual Watch Night service. The text was Luke 18:9-14, and the title was “How are you getting home?”—which seemed appropriate for a New Year’s Eve service.

Because our last Advent service was snowed out, we looked at Isaiah 9:6 this week:

For unto us a Child is born
Unto us a Son is given
And the government will be upon His shoulder
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

...that the woman who knocked down the Pope would be Swiss.  Those ladies just have this overwhelming, uncontrollable attraction to the Church's most significant leaders!

Some of us went out carolling tonight.  We were walking by a music shop and noticed these drummers jamming, so we went inside -- and this was the result:
 

This week, we looked at this well-known passage from John 4:

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Today was my Father’s 86^th birthday. My wife and I drove out to my
sister’s place in Brooklyn in one vehicle, while our two sons drove out
in other—since they wanted some independence of movement
following the festivities. It was nice to have the whole family together
in one room for the first time since Passover.

Lord, be my Source
Give me of You
My life is Yours
Fill me anew

Everything is from You
Everything is to You
Everything is of You

Living water, living water
Living water, flow

Great meeting today. We patted ourselves on the backs for The Prodigal God and shared our plans for feeding people on Christmas. We also agreed to a shared prayer program for Lent 2010. I am excited about possibly getting as many as two dozen congregations to particpate.

Our discussion topice was "The Word." Father Tony knocked my first question -- which was about how we reconcile our understandinf of "Word" as scripture, Christ, and the presently active voice of God -- out of the park. Then we talked about our various approaches to helping people in our congregations come to more of a Psalm 119, "Your Word in my heart" way of being. Finally, I asked the assembled pastors what steps they took to ensure that they properly interpret scripture -- rather than just using it to say what they want it to say. It was interesting to me how much talk there was about relying on divine inspiration.

First Baptist hosted spectacularly, as usual, with a beautifully set table and delicious turkey tetrazzini

In attendance were:

Rev. Tony Carotenuto, St. Anthony's
Rev. Ty Choate, First Baptist
Rev. Henry Davis, St. Paul's Baptist
Rev. Scott Hinkle, Jersey Light
Rev. Scott Hoffman, Ocean Grove CMA
Rev. Thomas Johnson, FIsk AME
Rev. Lenny Liebmann, RBCC
Rev. Ronald McDougal, Shrewsbury Ave. AME Zion
Eugene Montagna, Gideons
Rev. Bernard Oates, Union Baptist
Rev. Frank Pina, In His Hands
Rev. Vincent Rife, Grace Christian
Rev. Charles Rix, Monmouth Church of Christ
Rev. Kevin Weston, Fort Monmouth

Both of my boys are jumping on planes today. Asa is heading to Florida because he just feels like it. Lief is flying to Paris for a gig. Their independence and proclivity towards action, rather than mere idle speech, does this father's heart good.

I am going to try and emulate their example by heading into the city today to likewise pursue whatever opportunities may be there for the taking.

But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Last Sunday, we looked at a rather obscure verse:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” –Matthew 26:27-28

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” –Matthew 23:37