Have you ever seen the movie or the play “The Music Man?” In that story a quiet and peaceful little town has a visit from a stranger who at first seems very friendly and nice, but brings something to the little town it had never had before: the game of pool. And with pool came gambling, and with gambling came that dreaded “T” word, trouble. The story is told as a musical and the signature line of the theme song goes like this,
“You got trouble, folks, right here in River City, trouble with a capital ‘T’ and that rhymes with ‘P’ and that stands for pool.”
The music man brought trouble to River City, and it was never the same. Our text this Sunday shows us that there is not only trouble in River City, there is trouble in this world. The passage context is the night before the crucifixion and that would bring a whole new level of trouble for the disciples. In the backdrop of that impending trouble, Jesus promises that trouble will be turned to joy. And we know that was true for the disciples. The passion of Christ was full of trouble, but just a few days later it all turned to incredible, indescribable joy because of the resurrection. As long as we live in this world we will have trouble, but that trouble is the catalyst that brings people to the cross of Jesus where that trouble can be turned into great joy.
Do you have trouble in your life? You are not alone. Join me this Sunday as we examine how Jesus brings peace over trouble.

Out of sight – out of mind. Have you ever been guilty of that? I know I have. It is easy to stay focused on the things we experience with our senses of sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. The things beyond the natural senses are a little more difficult to focus on. I think that is what often happens with the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Because we can’t see the Holy Spirit, and He is the third person of the Trinity, we tend not to think about the Holy Spirit to the same level we do the Father and the Son.
In our text this week Jesus tells us the vital role of the Holy Spirit in the time following His death, resurrection and ascension . . . the time we now are living in. Jesus goes on to say that it is actually a good thing that He (Jesus) was leaving because His departure would be the catalyst to send the Holy Spirit from heaven. Jesus thought the work of the Holy Spirit was so important for us that He said His own death and departure was good because it would bring the benefit of the Holy Spirit to you and me. Unfortunately for most Christians, the Holy Spirit remains out of our minds because He is out of our sight. Join me this Sunday as we consider the dynamic and powerful work of the Holy Spirit in our world today.

You may remember 25 years ago a book that was published titled “Everything I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” In that book, the author looks back over his life and discovers that as educated as he thinks he is, what he really needed to know for living life he learned in kindergarten. That got me thinking about my spiritual journey and the things I learned over the years of college and seminary. As great as those years of education have been, I believe that what I really need to know for living the spiritual life I learned when I was a child going to Sunday School. I would like to say I learned a lot of great facts and profound truths while I was in Sunday School, but I honestly can’t recall a single one. What I do remember about my days in Sunday School as a child are the people who taught me. This Sunday I want to share a testament of sorts about how God used my various teachers throughout my life to help me grow in my spiritual journey to be the person I am today.
From my personal experience in Sunday School,l I want to make two applications for all of us. 1) Teaching the next generation the eternal truths of scripture is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a Christian. We need teachers for our children’s classes, and I pray God will use my experience to stir some new teachers to help with this important ministry. 2) We all have the need to be influenced by other Christians to help us grow in Christ. At our church we do that through our community groups, and I will challenge you to join one of our Community Groups or Adult Discipleship Classes so you can grow in Christ through interaction with other believers. Join me this Sunday as we consider the importance of Christian education and discipleship in our church.