Sermons on I Kings
Reflecting Faithfully on the Violence Between the Israelis and Palestinians
Pastor Tom reflects on how we might respond faithfully to news about the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. He discuss how violence escalates into oppression when one power dominates another. Biblically we find God consistenly siding with the oppressed in the Exodus and in the person and teaching of Jesus. Yet, even more importantly, we must always turn our critque of this kind of violence back on ourselves. What can we do to respond to all kinds of oppressing whether…
Commitments vs. Callings
When King Solomon was offered anything from God, he asked for a discerning mind. We are called to discern how we are called by God to engage with the world. We are called to discern when we are called to move from hearing a calling to making a commitment.
Being a Good Ancestor and not a Better Ancestor
Elijah wanted to be better than his ancestors and failed. He wanted to be more righteous, more zealous, more faithful. Then, over the course of his 40 days journey he discovered all he could do was do the best he could and focus not on generations past but on generations in the future. He could only try to be a good ancestor, not a better ancestor.
Maybe God Is Like That Too
Generations of human beings have experienced God. Metaphors of God abound in scripture, from inanimate objects such as rocks, to the mysterious presence. In the children’s book, “Maybe God Is Like That Too,” Jennifer Grant and Benjamin Schipper explore some of the many metaphors for God. The message on Sunday will encourage us to ponder the many ways we experience and know God in our lives.