This week we come to a long question, but a powerful and important one posed by Jesus Himself. He was having a turning point conversation with His disciples in the Gospel of Mark. He was asking what people were saying about Him and then He made it personal. He asked them: “who do you say that I am?” Another important question, but we are focusing on one that comes later. Peter answers correctly and is the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah; the Son of God. But then what we will think about today is Jesus telling them what that really means. Being the Messiah does not look like the Warrior King overthrowing the occupying powers the way they had imagined, but instead it looks like vulnerability, pain, suffering and rejection! How can it be? It is hard for the disciples to accept this, and then Jesus calls them to deeper discipleship. He calls them to follow Him and trust Him even on this hard path. And then this amazing question: what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Let’s think about this together as a community, as we all seek to follow Jesus with more integrity.

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This week in our summer sermon series, we come to a haunting question in the book of the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel has a vision where God takes him to a desolate place where there has been mass destruction and death; where all seems lost and hopeless; a valley of dry bones. And once again in this series, we find that God asks US the great question. God asks: “can these bones live?” Is there hope? Is there a way forward? Is there a way through even this? It is a question and also a call. We will explore this story and this deep, piercing question together as a church, and we hope you will prayerfully join us in that exploration.

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This week in our summer sermon series (“Great Questions of the Bible”), we come to another resounding question from God to human beings throughout generations of faith. WHOM SHALL I SEND? We are God’s hands and feet AND voice in the world as people who believe, not just in church but also in our circles and spheres of influence. And so God asks with each new day who will respond to the call. It will not always be successful. It will not always be glorious and grand. It may involve conflict and struggle. But part of our faith is how we respond when God looks for a volunteer. Will we avoid and hide in our comfort or will we say, like Isaiah, “here I am! Send me!”

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This week in our series (Great Questions of the Bible), we come to another question that God asks of us. It is found in the book of Job; a foundational scripture book for the age-old struggle humankind has with suffering. Job was a righteous man, and yet experienced great loss. Why do bad things happen to good people? That is a question asked all over the Bible, but what is so interesting is that God answers that resounding question with another question. God responds by describing the wonders of creation, and reminding us of the much bigger story. Let’s go deeper in this exploration together. The answer to this question truly affects us all.

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In this second week of our summer sermon series (Great Questions of the Bible), we turn from a question that God asks us to a question that we ask God. It is a pivotal question that every one of us faces multiple times on our journey, particularly in times of struggle. IS THE LORD AMONG US OR NOT?

Is God really present? Does God care? What is God doing in my life? These are all ways of asking the same thing: where is God in all of this? Times of waiting or sadness or fear or dryness can all provoke such questions. What do we do with this question, and how does God respond to it? Using the story of Israel wandering in the wilderness, we will explore this question and its power in our lives.

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