First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL

Isaiah 58: 6- 12 August 25, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry The book of Isaiah is among better known books of the Old Testament. Isaiah, a prophetic book, might actually be better thought of as two or three books. It was written over a period of about 400 years or more, starting sometime in the 8th century BCE and ending around 400 BCE. The first half of Isaiah sets out the God of the covenant, who is judge, ruler, sovereign and savior. As we move into the second half of Isaiah, often called Isaiah two, we see the call of the prophet to obey the covenant: specifically, to be faithful in the practice of justice, righteousness, sabbath, and worship. Let’s read this scripture together responsively as we listen for God’s word to us in Isaiah 58:6-12. Leader: Isn’t this the fast I choose: releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke, setting free the mistreated, and breaking every yoke? People: Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hung...

Genesis 1: 1-5; 14-19 August 18, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry In this season of celebration of our 175th anniversary as a church, we are continuing with the theme of “light.” We are called by Jesus to let our light shine before others, so that they may see what we do and give glory to God. Today, we are going to think a bit about the source of that light: God our creator, who brings order from chaos. In the ancient world, the understanding of God’s work in creation was that before God spoke, there was nothing but watery chaos. It was murky darkness, swirling shadows; the King James Bible says “the earth was void, and without form.” Just as we humans turn on a light in a dark room so that we can find our way and see what we could not see, God began by bringing light into the misty obscurity of chaos. The bringing of light begins the ordering of all things. Let’s listen for God’s creating word in Genesis 1: 1-5; 14-19: In the beginning when God created ...

175th Anniversary Celebration Matthew 5:13-16 August 4, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Rev. Christina Berry When the town of Sterling began in 1838, its citizens immediately organized Sunday worship services. They met initially in the home of Hezekiah Brink, and later, they gathered wherever there was sufficient space. John Galt’s sister, Mary Wallace, had come to the area in 1837; she persuaded her brother to come and bring his family. The Galts of Lancaster County were staunch Presbyterians. Thomas Galt, the father of John and Mary, was an abolitionist and a conductor on the underground railroad. He founded two churches in Illinois. So what happened that night in 1844 is understandable. That night, the Christians of the town had gathered for worship. Each one had brought a candle to light their way to the gathering, and to light the room where they met. When the visiting Universalist preacher “happened to make a statement that went against the grain with [Galt], he ...

Deuteronomy 30:9-14; Luke 10:25-37 July 14, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry The reading from the Hebrew scriptures today comes from the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of Torah. This book is set in the plains of the land of Moab as the Israelites are preparing to enter the promised land. The setting and the scene afford Moses an opportunity for a second giving of the law – remembering and renewing it’s promise. Moses makes speeches throughout Deuteronomy, in between laws. He knows that he will not enter the promised land, and he wants to ensure that the people remember their past: how they were not faithful, but God was. In this section, in the middle of his farewell address, Moses assures the people what God will do, and what they must do. God will bless them, and all their works. And they must obey God’s law with heart and soul. Moreover, Moses wants to make them understand that following the law is NOT beyond their ability, NOT too hard fo...

Proverbs 8 June 16, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling IL Christina Berry Our scripture reading today is from the Book of Proverbs, a selection from the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Scriptures that reminds us of the wonder and mystery that is God. Today is Trinity Sunday in the church year, but I’m not preaching on the Trinity. I’m preaching on wisdom, an attribute of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Wisdom as a woman, Sophia, in the Greek, is often considered to be an expression of God, of the Holy Spirit. The scripture we’ll read today is poetry, and as such, needs to be heard and perceived like poetry. Images and metaphors do more than “just say exactly what you mean.” Poetry asks something more of us, the willingness to let the images be, to see them and delight in them, and to let their truth come to us as if we are hearing a song from a very distant place. Let’s open our hearts to God’s wisdom in Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31: Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding...

Acts 2: 1-21; John 14:8-17, 25-27 June 9, 2019 Pentecost Sunday First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL The scripture for Pentecost is always from the second chapter of Acts. That’s the scripture you heard at the beginning of worship, the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit. The gospel reading that is paired with it is a kind of prequel, a story from John’s gospel in which Jesus predicts and promises that the Holy Spirit will come as a sign of God’s presence. The Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us, the love of God that comes as near as the air we breathe, the breath of God that sets our hearts on fire, the fire of God that kindles our souls to loving action. Let’s listen for the promise of the Spirit, fulfilled at Pentecost, in John 14: 8-17, 25-27 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you ...

John 13:31-35 May 19, 2019 First Presbyterian Church, Sterling, IL Christina Berry Often for confirmation, we choose a focus scripture, rather than what is in the Revised Common Lectionary. But this time, the Lectionary accommodates us with the perfect gospel choice in John 13:31-35. The gospel of John asks lot of its readers. John’s gospel does not always have a story line like the other gospels. Sometimes it sounds more like a poem than a narrative; most of the time it is concerned with symbols and signs. In the thirteenth chapter, though, we do enter into the part of the story that is about to conclude with Jesus’ crucifixion. The chapter begins: “Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Jesus is gathered with his friends in an upper room in Jerusalem, where they have come for the feast of the Passover. To their surprise, he tak...