Preacher Paul's Blogs

  This Sunday, we will consider what it takes to sustain a church. The churches we worship in today are here because generations before us gave of themselves to make sure their ministry continued, and now that responsibility has been entrusted to us. In 1 Corinthians 3:9–11, Paul reminds us that we are “God’s servants, working together” and that Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which the church is built. Sustaining that church takes three things from us: our time, our talents, and our treasure.  As you read 1 Corinthians 3:9–11 this week, consider:  What are you giving of yourself to help sustain the church today?  And what are we doing together to ensure that its ministry continues for those who will come after us?

Monday is Labor Day, a day set aside to recognize the value of work, but perhaps it is also a good time to remember the importance of rest. This Sunday, we will look at God’s command to observe the Sabbath and what that command meant to people who had once been slaves, whose lives had been measured by how many bricks they could produce.  In “Brick, Brake, and Break,” we will consider why God calls us to put on the brakes, take a real break, and make time not only to rest our bodies, but also to reconnect with God.  As you read Deuteronomy 5:12–15 this week, consider these questions:  When was the last time you truly took a Sabbath?  What might you need to put down in order to stop, rest, and make room for God?

  This Sunday we will reflect on Hebrews 11:1, where we are told that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith does not mean having all the answers, knowing how the story will end, or believing that everything will always work out the way we want. Sometimes faith means standing at a place in life where we cannot see what comes next and choosing to trust God anyway. Hebrews reminds us that our faith is grounded in the God who has been faithful before, the God we have come to know in Jesus Christ, and the God who remains with us even when the way ahead is hidden from view.  As you prepare for worship this week, consider:  Where in your life are you being asked to trust God without knowing what comes next?  What has God done in the past that gives you reason to trust God today?

What comes to mind when you hear the word holy? For many of us, holiness may sound like something reserved for saints, monks, or Mother Teresa.  Those who seem to have everything figured out. Yet in 1 Peter 1:14–16, the call to “be holy” is given to ordinary followers of Christ trying to live faithfully in an ordinary and sometimes difficult world. This Sunday, we will consider what Peter means by holiness and what that calling might mean for the way we live today.  As you read 1 Peter 1:14–16 this week, consider:  What does it mean for you to be holy,  and what difference should that make in your everyday life?

  This Sunday we will turn to Lamentations 3:22-23 and one of Scripture’s hopeful promises: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  What makes these words so powerful is that they were not born out of an easy season, but out of devastation and loss. Yet even among the ruins, the writer of Lamentations could still see that God was not finished. Every morning brings new mercy, but it also brings a day we have never lived before, with new people to meet, new opportunities to serve, new blessings to receive, and new work God may be calling us to do.  As you read Lamentations 3:22-23 this week, consider these questions:  What new mercy might God be placing before you today?  What might change if you began each morning believing that some of God’s best gifts for your life may still be ahead of you?

This Sunday we will revisit the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden from Genesis 3:8–13. While we often think of this passage as being only about the first sin, it is also about the first excuse. Instead of accepting responsibility, Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, and the blame game begins.  We'll explore what this story reveals about our own lives, why confession is so much more powerful than excuses, and how God's grace meets us when we honestly admit our need for forgiveness.  As you prepare for worship, read Genesis 3:8–13 and ask yourself:  When am I tempted to blame others instead of taking responsibility for my own actions?   What might change in my relationship with God if I replaced excuses with honest confession?