Rev. Andrew's Adventures

Community UMC, Quincy “For the Love of God and Neighbor” Pastor Andrew Davis October 29, 2017 Matthew 22: 34-46 Back in the 1990’s, one of my favorite television shows was ABC’s Home Improvement, starring Tim Allen, Richard Karn, and Patricia Richardson.  Home Improvement centered around the Taylor Family, particularly Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, who portrayed a handyman with a home improvement television show called “Tool Time” which was kind of like Hometime or This Old House.  One of the more hilarious parts was his rivalry with former This Old House host Bob Villa, possibly a way of how not to love your neighbor.  Many of my classmates also watched the show and we’d often talk about the previous night’s episode at school, plus Tim’s kids in the show were around our age at the time, so many of us could relate.  One of the subplots of Home Improvement was Tim’s relationship with his next-door neighbor, Wilson, played by the late Earl Hindman.  Wils...

Community UMC, Quincy “The Idols We Make” Pastor Andrew Davis October 22, 2017 Exodus 32: 1-14             Although the television set has come a long, long way since its inception in the 1930 ’s, 40’s, and 50’s, it has been a fixture in many American living rooms ever since.  When HBO was doing one of their free preview weeks some twenty-ish years ago, I came across Barry Leavinson’s 1990 film Avalon, which is part of his “Baltimore Films” about a Russian/Jewish immigrant family and is set in the 1940’s and 50’s, although ends in the 1970’s or 80’s.  One particular scene that comes to mind is when the main characters, the Krichinsky Family gets their first television set and the way the entire family reacts to seeing it work for the first time, particularly the children.  Almost hypnotically.  In fact, one electronics company used the same scene, but imposed a modern television set into the picture....

Community UMC, Quincy “Give to God What is God’s” Pastor Andrew Davis October 15, 2017 Matthew 22: 15-22              Back when I was in Sunday school at Rio Linda UMC, all of us children and adults would gather in the sanctuary for a time of “morning sing” before we headed off to our respective classes.  Besides some of the usual Sunday School songs like “Arky, Arky (aka “Rise & Shine”), “I am the Light of the World,” “Morning Has Broken,” or “The Community Song,” one song that would come up here and there was called “The Magic Penny:” If you know it, feel free to sing along: Love is something if you give it away, give it away, give it away. Love is something if you give it away, you end up having more for, It’s just like a magic penny; hold it tight and you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it, and you’ll have so many, they roll all over the floor for Love is something if you give it away, give it...

Community UMC, Quincy “God’s Provisions” Pastor Andrew Davis October 1, 2017 Exodus 17: 1-7             Some weeks, you think that you have a good sermon based on the text of the week, yet after chewing on the text and when it comes time to sit down and write, nothing happens.  I have to be honest that it’s been that kind of a week for me, one of those where I really need to rely on the Holy Spirit more than ever.  Then again, it might be God’s way of saying that my sermons of late have been too long, so today is more like a Communion meditation. However, it seems appropriate on this World Communion Sunday, as we join in celebrating Holy Communion with churches around the world that we talk about the ways in which God provides for us.  Just looking at our altar display this morning, we see breads represented from around the world, in which you will be welcome to take some home after worship during coffe...