First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL

The Book of Habakkuk September 30, 2018 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry The book of Habakkuk is the third in our series on the minor prophets. The book consists mainly of a dialogue between the prophet and God. Habakkuk begins with a lament, and then a complaint. God replies, but Habakkuk is not satisfied, and he continues to debate. The issue at hand is that of unexplained human suffering. Habakkuk asks God “why?” and “how long?” Why do the poor and lowly experience so much injustice and oppression? How long will the righteous suffer? Why isn’t God doing something to stop it, to change things, to bring justice? In the midst of the debate, in chapter 2, there is a section that focuses on those who are causing such suffering. They plunder the poor and weak, and carry their wealth away. Their towns and homes are built on bloodshed; they encourage others to drunkenness and then take advantage of them. The third chapter is a poetic hymn, a descr...

The Book of Micah September 23, 2018 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Our scripture readings today are selections from the book of Micah. We’ve been looking at the minor prophets, those shorter books in the Old Testament that are so often overlooked. Since the lectionary includes only a few verses from the book every three years, most of us are unfamiliar with the themes of Micah. Here’s how one commentary describes the themes: “The situation of ordinary citizens was of great concern to Micah. He felt compassion for the poor and dispossessed, and held the leaders responsible for their suffering. We can learn something about the people’s social and economic situation from Micah’s condemnation of their rulers, merchants, and prophets. Similar words from Micah’s contemporary, Isaiah, add to our picture of a society where the rich and powerful used their influence to exploit the vulnerable and to create even greater inequalities of wealth and...

The Book of Jonah September 16, 2018 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Our reading today is an abridged, condensed version of the book of Jonah. You can find the entire story, which is much better, in your Bible. Jonah appears amid the minor prophets, a book of only four chapters. We know little about Jonah, whose name means “dove,” apart from this story from about 500 years before Christ. Interestingly, the book is about him, not a prophecy from him. It’s generally agreed that this story is more parable than history, but it is rich with truths about God, people, and the nature of our relationship. Let’s listen for God’s word to us in this story of Jonah: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” But Jonah went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a might...

1 Kings 8:1,6,10-11, 22-30, 41-43 September 2, 2018 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Today is the third and final sermon in our series on King Solomon, whose story is told in the books of history in the Bible. The books of history in the Old Testament recount in detail the most crucial stories of God’s people during the era in which Israel was ruled by kings. Kings were selected by God at first, and anointed by the prophet. But as the house of David was established, kings were born into the role – descendants of the previous king were assumed to be the rightful heirs to the throne. No longer were kings chosen and anointed in the same way. The results were mixed. But King David’s son Solomon was a very good king in many ways. The book of First Kings describes his rule, and the building of the temple. The eighth chapter describes in detail how Solomon dedicated the temple to the glory of God. Let’s listen to that history in excerpts from the eight ch...