“God’s Promise: I Am With You” 2 Chronicles 20:1-30; Deuteronomy 20:1-4 An imminent attack during King Jehoshaphat’s reign and a portion of Deuteronomy titled “Rules for warfare” frame our reflection. Author Amy Poling Sutherlun reflects on the battles we face against disease, sin, depression, injustice and the fights of words and wills. The conflicts of words and will may be our most common daily struggle. Disagreement and conflict are a normal part of life. The children squabble. The parents get miffed at one another. Employees work to deal with an abrasive boss. A church member annoys us and our buttons get pushed. Who among us deals openly and maturely with the inevitable clashes between people? Generally speaking, we freeze, fight, flee, ignore, placate, panic, duck, cave into the angriest voice or find allies to our cause. In times when controversy escalates, we can be unsure what to do or feel powerless to stop it. While many of us might consider conflict negative, … [Read more...]
God with us when we seek God (Horizons 4)
“God’s Promise: I Am With You” Lesson 4: 1 Chronicles 28:1-21; 1 Kings 11:1-13, 29-30 “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” was a sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1741. Edwards’ most famous sermon describes the torments of hell for those who do not repent and accept Jesus Christ. This theme has not been the tone of the churches of which I have been a part. Instead, God’s love and forgiveness was emphasized. In doing so, I wonder if we portrayed God as someone who dispenses grace like candy without our having to pay any price. In every meaningful relationship, there are sacrifices to be made and standards to be kept. When Solomon is named as King David’s successor, David says to Solomon: “And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve him with single mind and a willing heart; for the Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever” (1 Chronicles … [Read more...]
God with us in our discouragement (Horizons 3)
“God’s Promise: I Am With You” Lesson 3: Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Joshua 1:1-9; Haggai 1:1-15, 2:1-9 We all face times of discouragement. Discouragement comes from many different sources. We are flattened when we have worked long and hard on a project, and a boulder-sized obstacle arises. Then we wonder if it is worth carrying on. We are dismayed when, despite committed and loving church members, worship attendance continues to decline in our increasingly secular culture. In a new exciting job, we become cautious after experiencing that our new colleagues have far less than a team spirit. We worry and seek help when our child changes from a carefree, affectionate, 12-year-old boy into a sullen, angry person. As older people, we grieve over the loss of friends, health and mobility. We are depressed when there is conflict in our beloved church and we do not see how the breach can be fixed. Certainly, losing heart is a condition that all human beings face at some point. God has to keep … [Read more...]
Our weakness, God’s strength (Horizons 2)
“God’s Promise: I Am With You” Lesson 2: Exodus 3:1-12, Judges 6:11-27 “To recognize our weaknesses is a great blessing.” How does that statement strike you? Is it odd, a statement of fact or ridiculous? Our culture is all about strength, gifts and talents. (Indeed, if we weren’t so modest, we each could talk about our worthy abilities!) As children, youth and young adults we strive to master skills and learn what we can do well. As adults, we work out of our strengths. Thus, we tend to stay in the comfort zone of our competences. When God calls us to serve, we are summoned to move out of our comfort zones and trust God with the future. This feels awkward and threatening. In Exodus 3:1-12 and Judges 6:11-27, Moses’ and Gideon’s first reactions to God’s call mirror our own feelings about doing something we know we are ill-prepared to do. “You mean me? I am not qualified.” “Is it really you, God, talking to me?” “I am nothing special.” “I don’t speak well.” “No one will … [Read more...]
God with us wherever we are (Horizons 1)
Horizons 1 (selections from Genesis 25, 27 and 28) "God's Promise: I Am With You" You would think God would have better taste than to promise to be with Jacob. In Genesis 25:24-34 and Genesis 27, the portrait of Jacob is less than impressive. Jacob: second-born by seconds, schemer, cheat, betting he can beat Esau, his dense, hairy, impulsive twin. Sly Jacob, stirring lentil stew, simmering, swapping a steaming bowl for ravenous Esau’s birthright: the first-born’s double portion of their father’s goods. Crafty trickster, disguised Jacob taking from their blind father his brother’s blessing: “May God give you dew of heaven, fatness of the earth, grain and wine aplenty. To you I give people serving you as their master.” Agonized, bitter Esau cries, “Bless me also, my father!” A thin, ragged, skeleton of a blessing comes: “You shall serve your brother but you will break loose, breaking his yoke from your neck.” Esau hating and raging against his nasty … [Read more...]
“God’s Promise: I Am With You” (Study preview)
Horizons Bible Study 2018-2019 Think back through your life to the moments when you have known that God was with you. Usually in retrospect, we recognize where God was working in our lives. In officer training, we have asked people to write down the highs and lows of their relationship with God. Summer church camps, worship experiences, illnesses, marriages, the birth of children, divorces and the death of loved ones are often mentioned as times when people have felt that God was particularly with them. In reflecting on the times when God seemed absent, illnesses, divorces and the death of loved ones were also mentioned. People also noted times when church members acted in hurtful and closed-minded ways, causing a crisis of faith. For some, a national tragedy like September 11, 2001, brought many to question the very existence of God. It is difficult to remember that God is with us in the ordinary and tragic. Amy Poling Sutherlun, in this new Presbyterian Women/Horizons Bible … [Read more...]
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