Pastor’s Page | May 21st, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Ezekeil 4)
We all have different ways to learn. Some people are really good at learning from lectures. I myself am a lecture learner. I like it when a professor is up in front of the classroom and opens a book and just lectures. I used to despise it when we had to sit at tables and talk to the people around us or do a group project (Yuck!). I know of some who can’t stand lectures. They are visual learners. I have had people ask me when I was going to use my daughter again as a sermon illustration because they understand the point more so when we do it that way (In other words, my preaching is boring until I bring her up on the stage). Sometimes when a point needs to be made, you need to be more emphatic about things. So, the visual illustrations become all the more dramatic. For example, a police officer can talk until he is blue in the face about the dangers of texting and driving and kids will not listen. Yet, take the kids to the scene of an accident where there is a bunch of mangled metal with ambulances and paramedics running around trying to save their friends’ life after she had wrecked her car while texting and driving and they might just be willing to listen to the message.
When God used a prophet in the Old Testament, his job was to proclaim the message that God had gave him. Yet, many times that message would fall on deaf ears. People didn’t take it seriously, or they just didn’t want to listen. So, God would have to take drastic means to get the people to listen. When you read Ezekiel chapter 4, this may seem very odd. Why would God have His prophet lay on the ground and play with toys? Why have him lay on the ground for 390 days? It is because it would get people’s attention. God has a way of reaching us in a way that would cause us to wake up and pay attention to His message. What seems crazy to us is basically God screaming at us to pay attention. This past week in our devotional readings, we have seen the many ways that God has done this through His prophets. Some crazy examples in the bible include Jeremiah wearing an ox yoke (Jer 27), smashing a potter’s clay (Jer 19), and the craziest for him was hiding his undergarments by the Euphrates river (Jer 13). Poor Hosea had to marry a prostitute who would be unfaithful (Hos 1) and then name his kids some crazy names (Hos 1), followed by then having to show his love to her again (Hos 3). The prophet Isaiah had to walk around naked and barefoot for nearly 3 years (Isa 20). There are more examples, but poor Ezekiel takes the cake. Not only do we have the examples here in Ezekiel 4, but elsewhere he has to shave his head and beard with a sword (Ezk 5), when his wife dies, he is forbidden to mourn her (Ezk 24). All these are crazy things but God was using these men as walking visual illustrations of His message.
As you prepare for this Sunday’s message, think about the ways that God has used to get your attention. Was it a preacher who used a crazy illustration to make a point? Was it some life event that grabbed your attention? Think about of all the ways that God could have made atonement for our sins, why the cross? How loud is the message that the cross proclaims?
March Sermon Series
“Crazy Times and a Steady God”
05/24 - Preaching Vividly - Ezekiel 4-5
05/31 - Preaching through Calamity - Ezekiel 6-7
Devotional Daily Reading Plan
Updates, Thoughts and More
Summer is upon us and that means a few things. First, Vacation Bible School will be here before you know it. VBS is scheduled from June 15 th to 18 th from 10 am to 12:30 pm. Registration is open and you can point families to our website or have them call the church office to register. Also, we need volunteers. We will announce on Sunday when the volunteer meetings will be, so be watching and listening for the updates.
The second big thing happening this summer is our Acton Celebrates America. Rawlianne is working hard to get things ready, and since this is the 250th year celebration of America, this year’s ACA will be even bigger than normal (which is always big). The choir and practicing on Wednesday nights and we will need lots of volunteers to help make this a success. More information will be coming out in the coming weeks on how you can help.
This upcoming Wednesday will be our last Table Talk before our summer break. I have really enjoyed this series of the difficult questions that people have about the faith. Just because Table Talk has ended, it doesn’t mean you can’t still ask these questions. I want to invite you to come on Wednesday mornings at 10 am to our “Sip and Share” where we ask questions like these (some are deep and serious, others are silly and fun) but we always have a great discussion about numerous things. We meet in the room adjacent to the CLC.
Okay…this Spurs and Thunder series is amazing! I haven’t been this excited about the NBA in a long time. I know we have a lot of Spurs fans and a lot of Thunder fans in the church (and I would like to point out that both teams have players who played for the University of Kentucky). Wemby may possibly go down as the best basketball player to ever play the game. He has a long way to go, but he is a genetic freak when it comes to basketball. I hope this series goes 7 games.
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (05/24)
Worship — 9am & 10:30am
Monday (05/25) - Office Closed
Stitching Angels — 1:30pm
Tuesday (05/26)
Men’s Prayer Breakfast — 7:30am
Wednesday (05/27)
Prayer Warriors — 9:00am
Sip And Share — 10:00am
Youth and Kids — 5:00pm
Table Talk (Last One Before Summer Break) — 5:00pm
Choir — 7:00pm
Joke of the Week
Which prophet was the easiest prophet to kill? Ezekiel (Get it…Easy Kill)
Memory Verse of the Week
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
~Romans 5:8 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“These object lessons were pictures for the people of the dire circumstances that were yet to come to the nation. They reveal to us that God wants us to know His Word. He wants us to know His warnings. He wants us to know the consequences of sinful living. For these reasons He makes His message simple and clear.”
~Rod Matton
