PASTOR'S PAGE
I looked at the calendar, and a big question mark hung over my head. SUNDAY, February 14. A Sunday to celebrate love. The thoughts began to come - love, marriage, dating (been so long, I guess that's still what they call it)? No. Something else. The sermon would be called "The Greatest Love Story". Not Romeo and Juliet. Not West Side Story. Not the movie "Love Story". (Does anybody besides me remember that movie from the 70's?)
The text would be John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world......." Is there anyone on the planet who DOESN'T know this little verse? People who watch sports on TV might remember "The Rainbow Man", a fellow who would travel from one major sports event to another, always wearing the clown wig of many colors, always holding up his sign - "John 3:16". "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
I discovered in my sermon preparation that that one PART of a verse was enough to capture an entire sermon (maybe more for those preachers who wax more eloquently than I ever will). That meant that in order to complete the sentence I needed ANOTHER sermon : "Love Story, Part Two". That sermon focuses on "Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life." That sermon reminds us that there is a place called hell that God would never chose for us (but that many chose for themselves) and a place called heaven that God has prepared for us because He loves us so much HE ALLOWED HIS SON TO DIE ON A CROSS FOR US. If that isn't love story, I don't know what is.
So make your plans for February 14. Take her out to eat. Buy her flowers. Bring her to church. And celebrate with us the love story that we'll celebrate throughout eternity.
Pastor Ted Miller
Lanier United Methodist Church
1979 Buford Highway
Cumming, GA 30041
770/887-0615
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Pastor Ted Miller
Reverend Theodore (Ted) Miller began his ministry at Lanier in July 2005. He comes from Warrenton United Methodist Church, Warrenton, Georgia, where he has served as Pastor since 1999.
Reverend Miller entered the ministry in 1990 after realizing God's call and has been an ordained deacon of the United Methodist Church since 1992. During seminary in 1990 to 1992, he served at Andrews Chapel in Newnan, Georgia. After leaving Andrews Chapel in 1992, he has served the Little River Circuit, Augusta, and Grovetown United Methoidst Church in Grovetown, Georgia and then Warreton First UMC.
Pastor Ted holds a B.S. and M.A. in Music Education from the University of Alabama. He attended seminary at Emory University's Candler School of Theology where he sang with the Choraliers.
Pastor Ted and his wife, Pat, reside in Cumming where Ted is involved in the local Kiwanis Club and is on the Board of the Forsyth County Ministerial Association. Pastor Ted is on rotation as chaplain for the Northside Hospital Forsyth.
