Job’s Frustration with His Friends Big Idea: Job’s adversity shapes how he views God, his friends, and himself. Understanding the Text After Eliphaz’s first speech in Job 4–5, Job responds in chapters 6 and 7. In chapter 6, Job indirectly refers in a few places to what Eliphaz has said, but he does not actually refute him point by point. Job’s speech, rather, is an emotional outburst in which he defends himself and attacks his friends. Job is clearly frustrated with his painful situation (6:1–13) and with ...
As this Advent season begins, what have you promised yourself about the holidays this year? Are you vowing to have a simpler Christmas? Planning to make time for some activity you love, or time with beloved people? What promises are ahead for your family? Do you know some kids who are waiting eagerly to see what Santa will bring? Adults who are waiting eagerly to collapse, and finally get some rest? People who find this time of year hard, and are just hoping to get through it? This is the season when we ...
Convictions and opinions are not the same, are they? Someone has said, “Opinions are many, convictions are few; opinions change often, convictions rarely do.” Opinions live on the surface; convictions go deep. Opinions thrive around the gossipy edges; convictions live near the center of life. One way to tell the difference is to ask, What would you make a sacrifice for- of real money, of significant time, of patient suffering, even of life if necessary? The more you would pay, the closer you move to the ...
I am astonished that so many people should care to hear this story over again. Indeed, this lecture has become a study in psychology; it often breaks all rules of oratory, departs from the precepts of rhetoric, and yet remains the most popular of any lecture I have delivered in the fifty-seven years of my public life. I have sometimes studied for a year upon a lecture and made careful research, and then presented the lecture just once -- never delivered it again. I put too much work on it. But this had no ...
There was no doubt in Zephaniah’s mind that God had had enough. His people bowed down to other gods and no longer turned to the Lord in prayer nor did they seek his help. They blindly walked their own selfish and greedy path and in their arrogance thought God would sit quietly by and do nothing. They were wrong! “Listen, the cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter… that day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish… (Zephaniah 1:14-15).” Our Lord Jesus in similar fashion spoke to the world of ...
Jonah 1:15 & 17 So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging ... And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. What is your very favorite place to hide in the whole world? You do have a favorite hiding place where you like to go when you want to be all alone, don't you? I can remember when I was a little boy that I liked to hide behind my garage, or beneath some steps in our basement. It ...
Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called "Ninety-Three." It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship's cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that ...
Series: Jesus said . . . What? Outrageous Teachings, No. 1 Michael Yaconelli, in his book, Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith, says that the most critical issue facing Christians is not abortion, pornography, the disintegration of the family, moral relativity, MTV, drugs, racism, sexuality, or school prayer. The critical issue today, says Yaconelli, is dullness. We have lost our astonishment. The Good News is no longer good news, it is okay news. Christianity is no longer life changing, it ...
There are some people who never let anything get them down. They are like the little boy who kept bragging to his father about what a great batter he was. Finally the father said, "All right, son, show me what you can do!" So the little boy got his softball and bat and they went out to the backyard. The father stood over to the side while the boy tossed the ball up into the air and then swung the bat with all his might. "Strike one," said the little fellow after he had missed the ball completely. "Strike ...
Marion L. Soards, Thomas B. Dozeman, Kendall McCabe
OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS The central theme of the Old Testament texts can be stated as a question: Is the Lord in our midst or not? The central motif that is used to answer the question in Exodus 17:1-7 is the miraculous gift of water in the wilderness. This motif links the Old Testament lesson and the gospel text for this Sunday. Psalm 95 provides commentary on the wilderness story from a somewhat different direction. As we will see, the account of Israel's testing God in the wilderness is not a negative story ...
The pastor was very frustrated. It was almost time for the worship service to begin and he couldn't get the microphone to work. He paced back and forth by the baptismal font and stewed and brewed. He tried everything he could think of. Finally, he said, "This blankety, blank microphone doesn't work." At that precise moment, the head usher, who had gone to the master control box for the sound system, turned the switch to "on." The pastor's words were broadcast to the people. The shocked congregation ...
How would you describe a color to someone who had been blind since birth? [This would make a great moment to walk down into the congregation and turn your “audience” into “participants,” or you can continue on probing the question yourself.] What can you say about “blue” or “red” or “green” to someone who has no concept of color, of bright, light, or dark? Well, you would almost have to use examples from the sense the blind person did have - touch, scent, sound, taste. Blue is “cold” compared to a “hot” ...
Big Idea: Job brings his most troubling thoughts and deepest pains to words and views his adversity in the light of his commitment to God. Understanding the Text Job 3 begins an extended section of poetry in which Job and his three friends speak in turn. After the prose prologue in Job 1–2, the narrator fades from view, and we hear the voices of the individual speakers. Without the narrator, the readers have no interpreter to explain what is being said, so they have to listen attentively to the threads of ...
Following a morning as guest preacher at a large suburban church, I was approached by a member whom I had spotted during the second morning service. He had been sitting on the very front pew. A large man, he left hardly any room for other persons on the short pew near the chancel. He was not poorly dressed but did present a generally disheveled look, as if appearance were at the bottom of his list of personal priorities. All smiles, he approached me with a hug and the following greeting: "Hey brother! All ...
We Americans have long had a love affair with winners. Successful undertakings of nearly every sort quickly receive the admiration of those around us. As a group, we take great delight in banquets and other ceremonies at which honors are distributed. People who come in second are rarely remembered in our culture. The runner-up usually receives a brief word of recognition and then is quickly forgotten. If you happen to be a sports enthusiast, you'll remember the poor old Buffalo Bills of the NFL. Never mind ...
There is an old black gospel song from the American South, most often sung to the driving beat of a blues guitar, which includes the following lyrics: There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He took my father's name,And he left my heart in pain. There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He took my mother's name,And he left my heart in pain. There's a man going around taking names. There's a man going around taking names. He ...
THEOLOGICAL CLUE Compared with the traditional calendar of the church, the revised titles of the Sundays in the church year give only general clues to the theology of worship and preaching on the Sundays of Easter. At least, that is what is assumed to be true. Misericordia domini was the title of the Second Sunday after Easter - "Mercy Sunday" - which is now the Third Sunday of Easter. It was also Good Shepherd Sunday, because the traditional Gospel for the Day was John 10:11-16. That gospel and the name ...
The Order Of Worship We approach the worship of God this evening with a hushed awareness of Christ's presence in our midst. God again breaks through the calm and darkness to reveal himself to us in the stillness of our hearts. Let the praises of your heart and the songs of your voice be "joyful yet restrained" that we might be sensitive to the quiet indwelling of his Spirit. Organ And Piano Prelude: "And He Shall Feed His Flock"Handel Introit: "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"The Chancel Choir The Call ...
These are very exciting times in which to live. Eastern Europeans in communist countries are enjoying freedoms they have waited for, for 30 years. Nelson Mandela is free after 27 years of being in prison in South Africa. Perhaps it's hard for us to comprehend the faith and the hope which sustained these people for so long. Why didn't they give up sooner? Why not just accept failure, quit, drop out, transfer somewhere else, hang it up? One of my joys in life was visiting the famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam ...
Setting Near Golgotha, but far enough away from the three crosses that there are few people. The background may show the three crosses and some observers, if you want to paint a backdrop. Cast and Costumes Centurion: knee-length white or tan robe; at the bottom of the robe is a four-inch decorative hem of bright colors. He carries a small sword, sheathed at his left side. Sandals. If available, he also wears a Roman helmet. If a Roman soldier’s outfit is available from a costumer, it would be ideal. Peter ...
The story of the wedding at Cana is one of the most famous stories in the Bible. It has been the basis of many sermons and numerous misinterpretations. In fact, there are so many good misinterpretations of the text, I am not sure which misinterpretation I like the best. I recall hearing a sermon based on this text. The preacher said, “In Cana, everybody was having a good time at the wedding banquet. There was a lot of music and dancing. It was a hot day. People got thirsty. They ran out of wine. Everybody ...
In 1930 a movie was made about World War I called "All Quiet on the Western Front." In one scene some American "doughboys" were talking. A comic character asked, "Where do wars come from anyway?" Another replied, "Well, one country gets mad at another country, and they start fighting." The first soldier asked, "Do you mean that one piece of land gets mad at another piece of land?" "No," the other replied. "The PEOPLE of one country get mad at the PEOPLE of the other." The first soldier picked up his rifle ...
It has never been easy to be a prophet. Prophets speak for God. Since the things God would say to us, if we gave God a chance, are often not things we would want to hear, true prophets of the Lord have never been very popular. A soldier was trying to get a check cashed in the small town near the base to which he had been assigned. "I'm sorry," said the merchant who was waiting on him, "but I can't cash your check without some kind of identification. Haven't you got any friends at the base who could vouch ...
There is an old saying that “To the victor belongs the spoils.” Nowhere is that more evident than the period following a presidential election. That is the time when the new president-elect begins to divvy up the various cabinet positions and political plums and reward those who helped him get to that exalted position. I.SOMETHING LIKE THAT FORMS THE BACKGROUND FOR TODAY’S SCRIPTURE LESSON. Jesus had just told the twelve that the road they are traveling will ultimately end in his trial, torture, and death ...
You can never tell what people are going to do. I was reading recently about some of the wacky moments on the popular TV game show “The Price Is Right.” The wackiest moments were not scripted. They came as a total surprise. One time, a model was sitting at the wheel of a car being offered as a prize. Since the car was inside, on the production set, crew members were to manually push it to where it would be displayed for the winner. Unfortunately, as the crew pushed it from behind, the car smashed through ...