First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL

Hebrews 11:29-12:2 August 28 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry Hebrews 11:29-12:2 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and e...

Job 42:7-17 August 21, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry Today we come to the end of the book of Job. I’ve enjoyed this series, and I’m also glad it’s over! You too? You have been great to walk through this difficult book of the Bible together. The ending of Job is both satisfying and troubling. The satisfying part is that it ends with this kind of “happy ever after” and the troubling part is that it ends with this “happy ever after.” God has spoken to Job at last, and pointed out that Job’s understanding of God is as limited and finite as God is unlimited and infinite. Job agrees, and as he has throughout the story, trusts in God’s promise. Then, the friends come back into the picture, and everything Job has lost is restored to him. At first reading, we tend to say, “Oh, look, it all worked out okay.” But then on reflection we might say, “What? What kind of story is this?” Let’s listen and be satisfied and troubled by God’s word for us today in Job:42-7-...

Book of Job, Chapters 38-42 August 14, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry You heard last week some of the 38th chapter of Job, when God answered Job out of the whirlwind. God’s beautiful, powerful and poetic speech goes on for three more chapters. I want us to overhear some of conversation between God and Job. Then we’ll hear what Job finally says in response. I hope you’ll take some time to read this entire section – it is beautiful. Just a side note here – you’ll hear in this reading about “leviathan” and if you do some reading on your own, you’ll run into the “behemoth” too. Depending on the translation you use, those may be translated as names of familiar animals. Creationists sometimes claim they are biblical terms for dinosaurs. These are primordial, mythological beasts – the behemoth some kind of land animal, and Leviathan some kind of huge, fire breathing sea serpent - think of the ancient maps that say:”here there be dragons.” They are meant to b...

Job 14:7-15; Job 19: 23-27 July 31, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry We’ve come to our third installment of our series on Job. We’ll just do a brief recap of the story so far. This is an ancient folk tale, a story about suffering. The story opens in a kind of courtroom drama, with God and the adversary debating whether Job will keep the faith, even in the event of unspeakable suffering. Within the first two chapters, Job loses everything except his wife and his life. All of his livestock been killed, and a house has fallen on all of his children. Only his wife survives, and her suggestion is that he “curse God and die.” Job’s friends show up, and first they sit with him in silent empathy. Then they open their mouths, and nothing they say is helpful. They suggest that he somehow deserves this suffering, or that he needs to just suck it up and deal with it. Job does not care for their answers and neither does God. Finally, Job himself speaks to God, demanding...

suffering - Paula Smith Heffel Job 3:1-10, 4:1-9, 8:1-6, 11:1-6, 14-17 July 17, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Last week we heard the opening two chapters of Job, in which the writer imagines God and “ha-shatan” – the adversary, debating whether Job would stay faithful in the face of unspeakable suffering. It is worthwhile to emphasize a few important points as we explore this story. First, it is widely recognized to be a story – a parable, not a literal account. Second, the character we would call “Satan” is not a being whose name is “Satan” or “Lucifer.” We get the term “Satan” from the Hebrew words “ha shatan” which means “the adversary” or “the accuser.” The term is used to designate the character’s role in the story, not a name. So “Satan” is not a name of an individual any more than “politician” or “banker” or “arguer” or “liar” is a name. Third, like all folk tales or parables, this story is purposeful –the characters and the story line are draw...

This is the first sermon in a series on the Book of Job. Job 1-2 July 10, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry Every story that begins with “once upon a time” can be expected to end with, “and they lived happily ever after.” The story of Job is no exception. But what happens in between those two phrases is not a child’s storybook tale. The book of Job is an ancient folk tale, a compelling tale that tells us something important about suffering. The theological term for that is “theodicy,” the attempt to defend God’s goodness in the face of evil. Theodicy is an effort to sort how a benevolent God can cause or permit evil and suffering in a world that God loves. Job does not give us any easy answers. In fact, the story is a complicated, difficult tale, and sometimes it sounds like two people trying to tell the same story. That may be a result of multiple authors working on the story over time – we just are not sure about that – but it can be confusing. For tod...

Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16, Luke 10:1-11, 16 July 3, 2016 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry This reading marks the final week in our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In his closing words, Paul tries to deal with practical issues with advice on how to challenge and forgive members of the flock, and with some general comments on good works. We should be advised not to take the sowing and reaping metaphor too literally. Doing so could give people the idea that sickness is God's punishment, an idea challenged in Job and contradicted by Jesus. As we begin a study of Job next week, we’ll get some perspective on that. Meanwhile, in Galatians, Paul puts the emphasis on working for the good of all, coming back, as Paul always does, to the centrality of the cross of Christ. Let's listen as for God’s gracious word to us in Galatians 6: (1-6) 7 – 16 1 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a o...