Mt. Lebanon United Presbyterian Church     
 
Kevin Storer - "The King and the Maiden"

Links:

 

Messages of Grace

(Past Recorded Sermons) 














 
This Sunday
Dec. 27, 2015



Sermon Title:
"The First Christmas Sermon"



Scripture:
     Colossians          2:9-10; 13-15  
December 23, 2015
 
Dear MLEPC Members and Friends,

In a season filled with ads that remind us of the joy of giving, traditions that refocus our attention on the value of family, and movies that draw our imaginations toward the beauty of romantic love, it is worth remembering that God's great Gift of love elevates us to share in His very nature. This outrageous truth is beautifully illustrated in a short parable by the Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard:

The King and the Maiden

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. Every statesman trembled before his power. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all opponents.

And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden who lived in a poor village in his kingdom. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist-no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know for sure? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal.

The king, convinced he could not elevate the maiden without crushing her freedom, resolved to descend to her. Clothed as a beggar, he approached her cottage with a worn cloak fluttering loose about him. This was not just a disguise - the king took on a totally new identity - He had renounced his throne to declare his love and to win hers. 
Søren Kierkegaard

Dare to love dangerously this Christmas season,
just as God has loved you!

Kevin Storer

++++ 

Having Trouble Viewing the Clip Art?

 

If you are having trouble viewing the clip art on this Pastoral E-Letter, please go to the top of the page and click where it reads "Click Here." If you have Outlook, please right click in the image block and "download pictures."