Sermonstudio

Object: salt and pepper shakers


Good morning, boys and girls. Today we are going to talk about some really good friends. They have been partners for a long time. I am sure that many of you have seen them together, as a matter of fact, you have probably never seen one without the other. In case you have not met them, I want to be the first to introduce the great partnership of salt and pepper. Day after day they do a job on my food. In the morning I eat eggs, and the first thing I do is put a little salt and some pepper on them. At noon I like to eat a salad, and I immediately reach for the partners - salt and pepper. Then at night when it is time for dinner, and I sit down to my vegetables and potatoes, I have, of course, the all--time favorite, salt and pepper. They work so well together. You can always count on them to add a little spice to your life. Salt and pepper, a great partnership and one that I would not be without.

There are lots of partnerships, some just as good as salt and pepper and some not so good. One of the best partnerships that I heard about was between the Apostle Paul and the people at Philippi. The people of Philippi were always helpful to Paul when he carried his message of Jesus to the world. They supported him with gifts and prayers, and they welcomed him to their city when he was in the area. They loved Paul because of his ministry and the way that he shared his knowledge of Jesus. He could sit there for hours and tell them the Good News that Jesus brought to them, and how Jesus loved them so much that he even died for them. They also were glad to take Jesus' teachings and share them with other people in other cities. It was a wonderful partnership that Paul had with the people of Philippi. Once, when the Romans put Paul in prison for teaching about Jesus as God, the people of Philippi came to defend him and support him. They knew that Paul had not done anything wrong, and they were willing to stand by him with their love. It was as Paul said, a great partnership, and I know that you would have been just as glad to have friends like the Philippians as Paul was.

The next time you hear of a partnership, you can think of Paul and the people in Philippi. Perhaps you will think of him this noon when you eat lunch and you look at the table and see that great partnership of salt and pepper. If you do see it, think about the time that Paul's partners, the Philippians, stood by him when he was in trouble. Will you do that? That's wonderful.