Black graphic with a portrait of John Calvin (1509–1564) beside a quote from The 35th Sermon of John Calvin upon Deuteronomie: “When we be at our ease, we think no more upon our human wretchedness; but rather we imagine that we be exempted, and that we be no more of the common sort. And that causeth us to forget ourselves, so that we have no compassion of our neighbors, nor of anything that they endure.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Calvin: comfort breeds a quiet arrogance. We begin to imagine ourselves exempt from common human wretchedness. That self-forgetting kills compassion—we stop noticing what our neighbors endure, let alone caring about it.
#calvinism #christian #pulpitsky #reformedtheology

Quote graphic featuring an illustration of a riverside mission building beside boats on the water. Text identifies David Sandeman (1826–1858), Memoir of the Life and Brief Ministry. The quotation condemns Britain’s involvement in the opium trade and coerced labor, expressing moral shame and warning of divine judgment for profiting from human suffering.

Scottish missionary David Sandeman, witnessing opium being forced into China under the British flag, wrote in shame: his nation defied God’s laws knowingly, poisoning both mind and body—and the coerced labor trade was equally wicked.

#missions #Presbyterian #pulpitsky

Black quote graphic featuring a gold mosaic icon of John Chrysostom on the left and a large quotation on the right. The text rebukes those who give almost nothing to others—“as a glass of water from the sea”—yet ask God for great mercy. Caption reads: “John Chrysostom (349–407), Homily XXI.”

Chrysostom sighs: we drip a thimble of kindness against an ocean of need. Some won’t even match the widow’s mite—yet plead for vast mercy from God’s endless store. We who showed none ask for all. How dare we dream of heaven’s pity, with hands so closed?

#churchfathers #mercy #pulpitsky

Black-background quote graphic featuring an engraved portrait of Thomas Boston seated with a book. White text quotes his teaching on church communion, urging generosity toward distant congregations and affirming that all churches form one body in Christ. His name, dates (1676–1732), and “On Church Communion” appear alongside the portrait.

Thomas Boston, Scottish #Presbyterian, rebuked those who begrudge aid to needy churches. Citing Romans 15:26, he says believers share one body in Christ—even faraway congregations are brethren. Why treat distant suffering as none of our concern?
#pulpitsky #synod #christian

Quote graphic on a black background. At left, a sepia-toned photographic portrait of Edward Hayes Plumptre, a 19th-century Anglican clergyman, shown from the chest up in clerical dress. Beneath the portrait are his name, dates (1821–1891), and the book title The General Epistle of St. James. At right, a long quotation reflecting on wealth stored up in the “last days” and how accumulated riches would mark their owners for loss and plunder amid social collapse.

Edward Hayes Plumptre, #Anglican dean, on James 5: those in Israel’s final days who piled up wealth were not safest but first targets in turmoil. In upheaval, riches cannot save and may invite danger. Do you trust your wallet more than wisdom?
#pulpitsky

Black quote graphic featuring an icon-style image of Cyprian of Carthage (c. 210–258) on the left. The quotation from On Works and Alms teaches that Scripture consistently urges Christians toward acts of mercy, and that those instructed in the hope of God’s kingdom are commanded to give alms and care for the needy.

Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, taught that Scripture—Old and New Testaments alike—never stops urging God’s people toward mercy and almsgiving. Hope in heaven always leads to compassion on earth. How can you encourage works of mercy today?
#pulpitsky #churchfathers #theologymatters #bible

Black quote card featuring an engraved portrait of Clement of Alexandria on the left, depicted as a bearded early Christian teacher gesturing with one hand. Text below reads: “Clement of Alexandria (150–215), The Miscellanies.” On the right, a quotation explaining how God’s law shows His righteousness and generosity, instructing harvesters not to gather what remains so that provision may be left for others, teaching piety and kindness rather than greed.

Clement praised the gleaning laws: landowners left crops for the poor and foreigners to gather, curbing greed and teaching generosity. God feeds without grudging; His law reflects His goodness. If that’s so, what would “gleaning” look like in your world today?
#pulpitsky #property

Black quote card with an oval portrait of William Gouge on the left, wearing a clerical cap and white collar. Beneath the portrait, white text reads “WILLIAM GOUGE (1578–1653)” and Of domesticall duties. On the right, a long white quotation rebukes household covetousness—describing wives who hoard goods, refuse to give to the poor, and allow food and supplies to spoil rather than be shared—concluding that such waste and neglect of the needy cry out to God for judgment.

#Puritan minister William Gouge warns that some guard full pantries yet begrudge crumbs to the poor—then calmly throw spoiled food away. He says both the wasted food and the hungry will cry out before God. What does faithful stewardship look like in your kitchen?
#charitybeginsathome #pulpitsky

Black quote card with an engraved portrait of Richard Bernard holding a book on the left. Beneath the image, white text reads “RICHARD BERNARD (1568–1641)” and A ready way to good works. On the right, a long white quotation argues that giving to the poor should be done willingly and without resentment, warning that money grudgingly forced from “glewy fingers” is a compulsory payment, not a true act of mercy or charity.

Richard Bernard, #Puritan minister, warns that charity wrung from unwilling hands profits the soul nothing. Writing on taxes for the poor, he says resentment and resistance empty the gift of spiritual good. The issue isn’t payment alone—but the heart that pays.
#christianity #pulpitsky #taxes #poor

Black quote graphic with these words by a 17thc Scottish Presbyterian GEORGE HUTCHESON (1615-1674) An exposition of the book of Job "It is a mercy to parents to get leave to enjoy their own children, and a sad affliction to be robbed of them; As here it is a great tryal that they pluck the fatherless from the breast. Which, as it condemns the barbarous cruelty, of those Nations who pull away Infants, that they may sell them to others, or make Slaves of them themselves...

George Hutcheson, a Scottish Presbyterian, reads Job 24 and does something awkward: he agrees with Job’s moral outrage. He praises mercy in letting fathers keep their children—and calls tearing kids away for debt or raids a barbarity. Funny how some still defend that.
#christianity #pulpitsky

Photograph of the cover page of a book containing essays on the Divine Outlook on Man by Henry Kingman (1863–1921), showing signs of age and a library stamp. The image includes a quotation stating that God regards every human life as sacred and of absolute worth, a principle often ignored or dismissed by the world.

Henry Kingman, a #Congregationalist missionary in China, said God treats every human life as sacred and absolute in worth—a claim the world mostly ignores. That’s awkward when our politics excuse harm we like, or our piety ignores suffering. What would change if Kingman were right?
#pulpitsky

Finally making the move to Bluesky as EyesForUnseen. 🕊️
I'm here to share unseen truths of Scripture, explore stranger theology, and find beauty in the daily walk with the Lord.
Looking forward to deep dives into the Word with you all!
#TheologySky #StrangerTheology #PulpitSky #BibleStudy #FaithSky

PETER TAYLOR FORSYTH (1848-1921) Positive Preaching and Modern Mind "We may believe that, by the will of Christ, it is only through a real Church, truly Christianized, that Humanity can be served and saved for the Kingdom. We may feel that the love of Humanity could not survive apart from not only our love of Christ, but also from the personal communion with Christ in a Church which feeds that love."

P.T. Forsyth, a Scottish #Congregational minister, said a real church must both serve and save—only if it’s soaked in Christ, not slogans. We now sneer at saving, or use it to dodge serving. Forsyth’s irritation lands here: neither works without real communion with Christ.
#pulpitsky

Sermon: Full Circle First Presbyterian Church, East Moline, IL November 23, 2025, Reign of Christ Jeremiah 23:1-6 ; Colossians 1:11-20 ; Luke 1:68-79   Full Cir...

“Even God isn't all that fond of human kings, it turns out.” #SermonSky #PulpitSky #PreacherSky
notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/11/serm...

RICHARD WARD (1601-1684) Theologicall questions, dogmaticall observations, ... St. Matthew “... obedience indeed doth include these three, Faith, Hope, and Love; but the Scripture usually doth insist principally upon Love unto our neighbours, because therein we most commonly fail, and in the other are hypocritically false."

Richard Ward notes that Jesus presses the rich young ruler (Matt 19:18) on laws about your neighbor. Its the obedience we usually fail at.

Are we failing here? Then our theologies of repentance and “be killing sin” need a major rewrite.

How can you love your neighbors?
#christian #pulpitsky

Sermon: Who Tells Your Story? First Presbyterian Church. East Moline, IL September 14, 2025, Pentecost 15C 1 Timothy 1:12-17   Who Tells Your Story?     The groundbreak...

This sermon probably shouldn’t have been written or preached, and I should probably never speak of it again, but today it’s what I had and I’m sticking by it. notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/09/serm... #SermonSky #PreacherSky #PulpitSky

DAVID JAMES BURRELL (1844-1926) IN THE PORCHES OF BETHESDA "Then observe, in the second place, that Jesus looked on the sufferers. He sought them out, and looked on them. ... There are multitudes of good people who are willing to help, but they do not want to look on suffering. ... O, the quackery of such charity as that! Go, look on the suffering ! Look on it ! See the shame and the hunger, the crime, the pain, the anguish ! See it with your own eyes if you want to help it."

David James Burrell, #Reformed Dutch pastor, says some would help but don’t want to look at suffering people. He calls this “quackery”! Go look upon people in shame and #hunger. See crime and anguish. See it with your own eyes if you want to help it.

How can you seek out sufferers? #pulpitsky

Sermon: In Praise of Martha. Yes, Martha. First Presbyterian Church July 20, 2025, Pentecost 6C Genesis 18:1-10a ; Luke 10:38-42   In Praise of Martha. Yes, Martha.   Hot on the heel...

“Honestly, we live in a world that needs a whole lot of Martha-ing. Need and suffering are endemic, and when people are calling empathy a sin, compassion and basic human decency are in seriously short order.” notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/07/serm... #PulpitSky #SermonSky

JAMES HAMILTON (1814-1867) Royal Preacher: Lectures on Ecclesiastes "Very ghastly is the picture which our world presents when we look at it as the scene of injustice and cruelty; and very painful is the view it gives us of our arbitrary and oppressive human nature. Could we only see what God is daily seeing, and hear what God is daily hearing, we would be apt to join with Solomon in praising the dead who are already dead, and who are past our pain or danger."

James Hamilton, Scottish #Presbyterian minster, comments on Ecclesiastes 4:3. The world is full of injustice and cruelty. We’d be tempted to praise the dead if we could see all as God does.

We see each other’s causes as injustices, and vice versa.

Could some see cruelty in your causes? #pulpitsky

Do any Black Preachers use #PulpitSky?

Sermon: New Things First Presbyterian Church April 6, 2025, Lent 5C Isaiah 43:16-21 ; John 12:1-8   New Things     “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs...

“Well, if the ‘new thing’ seems in fact rather comfortable and easy to accept, then it probably is wishful thinking. If it’s discomfiting and upsets the seeming order of things … maybe we’d better pay attention.” #SermonSky #PulpitSky #PreacherSky notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/04/serm...

One:
Words of Love
for God’s Beloved

ALL:
Thanks be to God

#SermonSky #PreacherSky #PulpitSky #Christian #Christianity #Worship

#pulpitsky ^

Sermon: The More Excellent Way First Presbyterian Church February 2, 2025, Epiphany 4C 1 Corinthians 13:1-14:1   The More Excellent Way     One of the challenges of preach...

'Our stories of love will not necessarily be showy or dramatic. They will be heartbreaking at times. They will try our patience or our virtue. We may stumble in grief and leap for joy at the same time because of that love.” #SermonSky #PulpitSky
notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/02/serm...

Sermon: We're All In This Together First Presbyterian Church January 26, 2025, Epiphany 3C 1 Corinthians 12:12-31   We’re All in This Together     It was a nearly unavoidable ...

Here’s today’s sermon. It had its moments, but apparently the congregation got jolted by the liturgy before we got there. #SermonSky #PulpitSky #PreacherSky notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/01/serm...

Sermon: Just As the Spirit Chooses First Presbyterian Church January 19, 2025, Epiphany 2C 1 Corinthians 12:1-11   Just As the Spirit Chooses     A few years ago the internet ...

“If everybody in a congregation is determined that because their gift isn’t for preaching or prophecy it isn’t important, the church misses out on those less flashy gifts like faith or discernment and suffers for it.” #SermonSky #PulpitSky #PreacherSky
notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/01/serm...

Sermon: Star-Struck First Presbyterian Church January 12, 2025, Epiphany C Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Matthew 2:1-12   Star-Struck     Having passed through all of A...

With a weather interruption last week and Christmas decorations still all over the sanctuary, those magi who don’t belong in that manger scene got their day after all. #PreacherSky #PulpitSky #SermonSky notesonfoolserrand.blogspot.com/2025/01/serm...

Hey Preachers, what is the Spirit stirring up in you? #SermonSky #PulpitSky #PreacherSky https://bit.ly/3DQKOlg

Hey preachers, how'd it go today?

#pulpitsky #sermonsky #pcusa #umc #ucc #elca #episcopal
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Hey preachers what is The Spirit churning up for this Sunday?

#pulpitsky
#sermonsky
#preachersky

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