Tag: Colorado

Luke: Exit Stage Left | 2-5-2023

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 10/12/2024

Sermon Prep

After a month of being at this new job, I was getting the swing of things. It was a lot of work. In hindsight, I never truly felt I got it when it came to this job.

The knowledge-base required was a lot and I just never figured it out to be frank. At the time, I really liked my job but with self-reflection I’ve come to see how much my pride to provide for my family in the midst of a company acquisition had a grip on me. That fearful, fight-flight-freeze framework where I just went after the highest paying job and not what God wanted me to do in my career.

It’s one of those seasons where I don’t know if it was sin, but it was stupid to chase money to provide for my family and save for a house one day. In this season, I was preaching to myself through this series because I was center stage. My efforts and works to will life into a more controlled state versus what it was just a month ago desperately job-hunting afraid of getting fired or let go.

The godly and right thing to do is to step aside and be humble in the presence of Jesus. I don’t have any control of my life. I don’t dictate what happens to my family. And yet, God is always there for us and he will always give us a second chance when we approach him with complete surrender. He makes all things new. With that, here’s the notes for this message.

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Rush at Red Rocks
    • What’s your favorite concert?
    • Who was the opener? The first act?

Intro

  • John the Baptist was the opening act.
    • Jesus was the headliner.
    • Setting the stage for the savior.
  • Exit Stage Left
    • An orderly and uneventful departure, timed so as not to detract or distract.

Transition To Main Point

  • John the Baptist exited stage left, so that Jesus could take center stage.

Main Point

  • Luke 3:1 | Shows Theophilus when this all took place in history (i.e. AD 26-29).
  • Luke 3:2 | The inciting incident
    • Like Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist wandered in the wilderness waiting for the next word of God.
      • See Exodus 3 and 1 Kings 17
  • Luke 3:3-6 | Old Testament fulfillment and symbolism
    • Jordan River = entry to Promised Land
    • Baptism = temple practice of full immersion that took someone from impurity to purity.
    • Taken together, John invites the Hebrews to renew their vows to God as the New Covenant people under grace, not law.
    • This revival set the stage for Jesus.
      • “See the salvation” -> See Jesus
        • Jesus translates to Yahweh saves.
  • Luke 3:7-14 | The Message
    • Salvation is from the shed blood of Jesus, not the sacred blood of Abraham.
      • True repentance is a public confession followed by continued trust in God.
    • Salvation is always belief before behavior.
  • Luke 3:15-17 | The Messiah
    • Mistaken for messiah like Judah the Hammer.
    • Purify the impure that repent of sin.
    • Judge all, but separating people by those who accept grace and those who reject it.
      • Political undertones here too.
  • Luke 3:18-20 | Setting the Stage
    • This was over a good span of time.
    • Herod puts John the Baptist in prison for calling out his divorce to marry his daughter-in-law and Josephus wrote “the great influence John had over the people.”

Why This Matters

  • John exited stage left story-wise, so that Jesus could take center stage next.
    • He’s rarely mentioned after this chapter.
  • Back then like now, the world’s broken.
    • The arrival of Jesus introduces us to a permanent and restorative justice.
  • The topic of baptism invites us to the idea of restarting and having a new beginning.

Final Thoughts

I loved preaching this message and the reason being is that I love John the Baptist! He’s one of the most interesting figures in all of history. Last prophet of the Old Covenant, best friends with Jesus and yet baptizes him, along with being a precursor to the Desert Fathers who would arrive later on in history. I could go on and on about John the Baptist because he just brings a unique insight to both life right before Jesus and right after when Jesus arrives on the scene.

The execution of this message benefitted from my zeal for this topic too. My enthusiasm just beamed from my sermon delivery this Sunday and I remember one of our members mentioning that after the service. Personally, I was also just in a great emotional mood with my Dad flying into town the Thursday after this teaching to spend the weekend with the Colorado family. Anyways, this was one of the good ones. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Reunion Church

Ecclesiastes: Money is Meaningless | 10-30-2022

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 2/19/2024

Sermon Prep

My Glory admiring God’s creation in Winter Park, CO.

As alluded to in the previous Ecclesiastes sermon reviews, work was beginning to get tense. To get away from both my work and other frustrations in life, my wife Glory and I went on an impromptu weekend trip to Winter Park, CO the weekend before I shared this sermon. That getaway was huge in resetting ourselves from the hurry of life.

What made the trip even better was how empty the town was because ski season hadn’t started yet, so it was fairly vacant the whole trip. Since the honeymoon it was our first getaway too, which also made it special for us. Overall, leaving the hustle of the everyday and just running off to the mountains is a fantastic way to care for your soul.

On this message, the actual prep I think was better with a clearer mind. Throughout this whole holiday season work was a major stressor, but there were times when it winded down a tad. This week of prep was one of them and that was very beneficial. With that, here’s the notes for this sermon:

Sermon Notes

Opening Line

  • Disney day with Glory (i.e. Princess and the Frog)
  • Tales of the Jedi was so dope
  • Tiana = waitress saving for restaurant
  • Prince Naveen = cut off from fortune
  • Get married and open restaurant
  • Money motivates a lot of our life.

Intro

  • Read Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, 5:10-6:12

Transition To Main Point

  • Money is meaningless without Jesus.

Main Point

  • Pursuing purpose in money is meaningless.
  • You’ll never have enough (Ecc. 5:10)
  • You’ll attract freeloaders (Ecc. 5:11)
  • You won’t sleep well (Ecc. 5:12)
  • You’ll hurt yourself (Ecc. 5:13)
  • You’ll never be totally secure (Ecc. 5:14)
  • You’ll leave it all behind (Ecc. 5:15-16)
  • You’ll be a miserable person (Ecc. 5:17)

Why It Matters

  • Meaningful relationships (Ecc. 4:7-12)
  • Friends (Ecc. 4:9-10)
  • Family (Ecc. 4:11)
  • Co-workers (Ecc. 4:12)
  • Contentment and joy in God’s gifts (Ecc. 5:18-6:9)
  • Knowing Jesus (Ecc. 6:10-12)
  • Money only has meaning when we invest in those things that have eternal significance.

Final Thoughts

Of the 5 sermons I did in this series on Ecclesiastes, this is my favorite. I think it went the best out of this batch. The structure is a bit odd, but pretty decent message that is conveyed well throughout. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. John Musker & Ron Clements. 2009. The Princess and the Frog. Walt Disney Productions.

A Hidden Life

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Photo Cred: (1) | Updated: 5/28/2023

I wrote this poem last night after my wife and I finished watching the film A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick. Was obviously inspired by that, George Eliot’s famous quote (2), along with feelings I’ve had as of late about moving away from my current home in Colorado. With that, here’s the poem:

–

All I want is a hidden life.

A home among the wildlife.

With children and my lovely wife.

Free of the world’s own sin and strife.

–

Somewhere with oaks, redwoods, and willows.

In the mountains with rustling wind that billows.

A secluded solitude surrounded by all that grows.

Saturated by lakes and rivers where clearwater flows.

–

Populated with human souls, but not too many.

A quiet community that’s far away from the big city.

A rugged and serene terrain that’s both pretty and gritty.

Taken care of and tended to by a people gentle and lowly.

–

This is the life of my dreams.

A consistent desire and theme.

To be with the trees downstream.

Something similar to Eden it seems.

–

But I’m content with what God’s given to me.

Living for today and the tomorrow I cannot see.

Knowing that one day I’ll be as free as the open sea.

Whenever that may be, I know that Jesus is with thee.

–

If it wasn’t abundantly clear, I love and resonate with Terrence Malick as an artist. Him along with a variety of other filmmakers inspire me a lot with how I convey my ideas on the page. Using the communicative channel of story to share my thoughts. Also, cannot recommend his work enough.

In regards to myself, I’m battling my own calling and dreams. I’m called to be a bridge to differing groups of people. Not just the secular engaging with the sacred, but also the far off prodigal saints and those at the feet of Jesus. But I also have a desire to move elsewhere becoming a fulltime writer of fiction stories and non-fiction works. But contentment is the key when God’s answer isn’t no or yes, but wait. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.

Footnotes

  1. Free stock photos · Pexels
  2. “..for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” ― George Eliot, Middlemarch

Who Is Chris Cribari?

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Photo Cred: Nathan Cribari | Updated: 2/19/2023

For those of you that are new to this blog, I figured it might be time to reintroduce myself. I grew up in Southern California for the first 10 years of my life and then my family moved to Colorado in July 2007 for my Dad’s job where I have lived ever since. I was raised by my parents in the Calvary Chapel Movement, along with my four siblings.

I came to faith in Christ when I was 9 in the summer of 2006 and have been a Christian since then. My parents strong belief in Christianity had a great impact on my path towards the Christian faith, but the decision was all my own. I privately accepted Christ walking home from my friend David’s house where we were watching Playboy DVD’s after school. I publicly came to Christ at Calvary Chapel Oxnard’s VBS summer camp a few weeks later. My group leader explained the Gospel to me after I questioned him on whether or not it was true.

I am an avid storyteller, along with an active listener to people’s stories. I started writing my first stories in either 2nd or 3rd grade and continue to write to this day. At home, I have stacks of partially-written novels, poems, sermon ideas, and short stories either on flash-drives or busting out of years-old binders. Writing allows my soul to speak truthfully, even when my high-spectrum autism disorder gets in the way.

Because I love stories, I also love watching movies! When Blockbuster was a thing, my siblings and I would watch our VHS movie collection to death. This collection that we had contained the original Star Wars trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Wallace & Gromit series, a pair of Jurassic Park movies, a few Val Kilmer movies from the 90s, and a dozen other odd films.

When we got a little older, we boys got the privilege of watching my Dad’s infamous movie collection that holds some of the best films I’ve ever seen. This collection consisted of mostly war movies like Braveheart, Gladiator, and Saving Private Ryan. It also had other genre movies like A Beautiful Mind, Equilibrium, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, The Matrix, and the Phantom of the Opera (2004). It might just be a box of DVD’s, but it holds some of my favorite memories with my Dad.

I occasionally compete in Strongman too. I have competed several times and I am preparing for future competitions as well. My favorite Strongman lifts are atlas stones, deadlift, and log press.

In faith I am largely influenced by C.S. Lewis, James White, Norman Geisler, Peter Kreeft, R. C. Sproul, and William Lane Craig. Other inspirations include Brian Jacques, George Lucas, and Michelangelo. There’s so many more, but there’s not enough time to mention the rest.

I attended the Colorado Film School and have an education in screenwriting, along with directing for the screen. I’m in the process of writing two books. The first book is a fictional novel that focuses on a married couple grieving a stillborn birth and the problem of suffering. The other book is like Mere Christianity, but better and for the modern world. My dream is to be a published writer.

I started this blog because it gave me the opportunity to speak freely about whatever is on my mind. People have also asked and encouraged me to write as well. Most importantly, I believe God put me on this planet to write for him and I will continue that pursuit in showing people what it means to be known by God.

This blog started in June of 2015 and will continue to go on as long as God wills. I’m Chris Cribari and this is just a frame of my life. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless!