Years ago John Phillip Newell was preaching at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Standing in the pulpit that hugs one of the massive, thousand-year old pillars of the church, Rev. Newell began his sermon with these words: “There will be a time when this building…will be no more. There will be a time when our Scriptures…will be no more. And there will be a time when Christianity…will be no more.” At this point a woman in the congregation yelled at the top of her lungs, “Heresy!” Ever had a Sunday like that? Amy Starr Redwine, Pastor of Richmond’s First Presbyterian Church, preaches the Palm Sunday text from Matthew 21:1-11 and reflects on how it’s a little too easy to appropriate for ourselves the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory that belong only to God. When we do someone (else) should probably shout “Heresy!” and we should remember the part of the Lord’s Prayer that says, “Thine,” not “Mine.”
Manuscript available: click HERE