Rev. Jody Clegg, preaching Scripture: Psalm 51:1-12 (CEB), 2 Samuel 11:26 thru12:13 Title: “A Song of Confession, Lyrics of Brokenness” Our readings today give us both a song and the “story behind the song.” Psalm 51 is David’s well-known psalm of confession written following the events described in our Old Testament reading (his affair […]
Title The Hero and the Human: Abuse of Power Summary of Theme We often read this story as an account of David’s infidelity and God’s forgiveness. However, the story also shows David’s abuse of power and its consequences on others, which is even more relevant in light of #metoo. When we only see the story […]
Rev. Jody Clegg, preaching Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-14, Ephesians 2:17-22 Title: “The Hero and the Human: Power and Ambition” The reading from 2 Samuel 7 presents a tension between David’s ambition and God’s vision foe David’s reign and Israel’s role. Even if David has the most sincere motives for wanting to build a place […]
Pat Jackson, preaching Scripture: Psalm 24 Title: “Keep Your Head Up” Entrance into the Temple Of David. A Psalm. 1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; 2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the […]
Rev. Jody Clegg, preaching Scripture: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Title: The Hero and the Human: Power and Servanthood David is not merely crowned king, but “anointed” of God, which calls for a different kind of authority over the people- not for David’s benefit, or Israel’s superiority over the nations, but care […]
Rev. Jody Clegg, preaching Scripture: 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27; Psalm 30 Title: The Hero and the Human: Power and Vulnerability David begins his reign over Israel at a time of grief, for himself and the nation. He grieves the death of Saul and Jonathan (personal) and the state of affairs in the war-torn and […]
June 24, 2018 Mark 4:35-41 “Why Are You Afraid (No, really, why?)? Imagine a wind so strong that it makes waves big enough to scare commercial fishermen. Mark says that they thought they were dying. To make matters worse, Jesus seems unaware or unconcerned. How about our lives? Have you ever been in a situation […]
June 17, 2018 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 “See, Everything Has Become New!” Somehow things are all upside down. I don’t know exactly when, how, or even why it happened, but we’ve commodified God’s grace, and we’ve spiritualized our materialism. Paul and Timothy’s statement here in second Corinthians illustrates this. To hear them tell it, you’d think […]
June 10, 2018 1 Samuel 8:4-17 “The Dangers of Rejecting God as Sovereign” This text is part of an overarching argument in the Samuel literature that seems to say, “Be careful what you wish for.” The Elders of Israel ask Samuel for a king so they can be like other nations. Samuel took this as […]
“We Believe and So We Speak” (Jeff Moore, preaching) 2 Corinthians 4:5-15 The writer of 2 Corinthians suggests that Paul and Timothy seemed to be mightily aware of their “clay jars.” As Paul mentions in other places, his apostolic ministry was no cakewalk. According to this text, Paul and Timothy were “afflicted,” “perplexed,” […]