Worship 2023: Recent Episodes
First Presbyterian Church of Marion, Illinois
Sermon: “Be Hungry” given by Deacon Clint BorckyFirst Lesson: Matthew 14:13-15Second Lesson: Matthew 14:16-21Hymns: “How Firm A Foundation,” “To God Be the Glory,” “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Sermon: What Does Sin Look Like?’ ” given by Deacon Clint BorckyFirst Lesson: Romans 6:1-14Second Lesson: 2 Timothy 2:11-13Hymns: “Baptized in Water,” “To God Be the Glory,” “Wash O God Your Sons and Daughters”
Sermon: “’Standing in the Need of Prayer” given by Rev. Dan WhitfieldFirst Lesson: Psalm 126Second Lesson: Romans 5:1-11Hymns: “Let All Things Now Living,” “God of Our Life,” and “Come Now, O Prince of Peace”
Sermon: “Who Needs a Doctor?” given by Elder Dan SelockFirst Lesson: Romans 1:1-17Second Lesson: Matthew 9:10-13Hymns: “Immortal Invisible”, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and “Hear the Good News of Salvation
Sermon: “We Are All God’s Children” given by Elder Dan SelockFirst Lesson: Acts 13:1-3Hymns: “Jesus Loves Me,” “Rain Song”
Sermon: “Acts 10” given by Rev. Dan WhitfieldFirst Lesson: Acts 10:1-48Hymns: “I Love You Lord,” “We Are Standing on Holy Ground,” “This Is Song”
Sermon: “The Four ‘Alls’ ” given by Deacon Clint BorckyFirst Lesson: Matthew 28:16-20Second Lesson: Psalm 40:9-10Hymns: “Listen God is Calling,” “We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight,” “Send Me Jesus”
Sermon: “Unbelievable Messages” given by Elder Granger OdumFirst Lesson: Psalm 118:19-24Second Lesson: Matthew 28:1-10Hymns: “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today,” “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Christ Is Alive”
Sermon: “Who Is This?” given by Elder Dan SelockFirst Lesson: Matthew 21:1-17Second Lesson: Psalm 118:25-29Hymns: “Hosanna Loud Hosanna,” “All Glory Laud and Honor,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
Sermon: “Getting to the Heart of Things” given by Rev. Dan WhitfieldFirst Lesson: Psalm 121Second Lesson: Matthew 25: 31-46Hymns: “God Is Here!,” “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant,” “Lord, I Want to Be A Christian”
Sermon: “The Ten Bridesmaids” given by Deacon Clint BorckyFirst Lesson: Matthew 25:1-7Second Lesson: Matthew 25:8-13Hymns: “Love Devine All Love’s Excelling,” “Give Me Oil In My Lamp,” “The Church Is One Foundation”
Sermon: “As Many As You May Find” given by Elder Dan SelockFirst Lesson: Matthew 22:1-14Second Lesson: Psalm 45:6-7Hymns: “God of Grace, God of Glory,” “Come Back to the Table of Grace,” “Look Who Gathers at Christ’s Table”
Sermon: “Fair Is Fair?” given by Elder Granger Odum First Lesson: Matthew 20:1-16 Second Lesson: Psalm 16:5-8 Hymns: “Fairest Lord Jesus,” “For the Fruit of All Creation,” “They’ll Know Christians By Our Love”
Matthew 16:24-17:8 Giving up has some different connotations. We give up things we want to get something else. We give things up that aren’t great for us for Lent. We give up and are derided for being quitters, by others or by ourselves. In this passage Jesus asks us to give things up and to take things up. Give up…
Matthew 13:24-43 Parables are Jesus’s way of telling us what we need to know. That doesn’t mean they are our way of hearing what we need to know. Here there are three parables and the disciples want to know the explanation. They ask after the crowds have left and Jesus has gone into the house. They don’t ask about the other…
Matthew 7:1-14, 24-29 Many of these phrases have also worked their way into our common language. Perhaps they have moved so far into our collective consciousness that they are now common sense and not just common phrases. At the same time, we can bristle at this common advice. Judge not is usually an admonishment (and a judgment). The narrow gate comes…
Matthew 6:7-21, 25-34 Here Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray. And we basically pray this prayer each and every week. Some of us say debts, and some say trespasses, some ask to be delivered from evil and others to be spared from trials. Yet we all are praying the prayer that Jesus taught. And for all that we pray it…
Matthew 5:1-20 These is a passage that people know and that they may not know they know. Parts of it have been extracted to become common sayings. Parts of it have made their way into songs. The text in this passage has become embedded in our lives and yet also disconnected from its source in Scripture and from the mouth of…
Matthew 4:1-17 It changes so quickly. Fresh out of the waters, Jesus heads into the wilderness. He fasts for 40 days and 40 nights, echoing back to the exodus. Like those in the exodus, he ends up being hungry. And that is when temptation appears. Temptation appears and invites Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus resists. Temptation takes him to…
Matthew 3:1-17 John is the one who prepares the way. We’ve gotten used to the descriptions of him as a wild man, a prophet, a loud mouth, and an abrasive presence. You can certainly hear all of that in this passage. John connects the dots between what he is doing and what God is doing. John speaks in the future…
Isaiah 42:1-9 We often get very zoomed in at this time of year. We have narrowed our vision to that of a nativity set. There is a stable (or not), shepherds, animals, the holy family, maybe some magi or wise men. The Christ child takes center stage, as does Bethlehem, that small town of David. We have traditions, music, habits, food,…
Esther 4:1-17 Mordecai and Esther are the big players in this narrative. They alternate being the primary character in any given scene. Mordecai has the space outside the palace, and Esther has the space inside the palace. The news and the view aren’t the same in those two places. Mordecai hears about Haman’s actions, and Esther doesn’t seem to know.…
Habakkuk 1:1-7; 2:1-4; 3:3b-6, 17-19 Habakkuk complains about what is, as we often do. He speaks to God about it, as we often forget to do. Habakkuk commits to watching to see what God will do. And God responds with a vision, writ large and plain. What is God’s vision? What will happen next? That too, we wonder. What is God’s vision…
Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; then 2:1-4
This is a great example of what works with us as humans. Assyria comes to the gates, armed, with a history of winning, and challenges Israel. More than Israel, Assyria challenges King Hezekiah and God. Assyria challenges the faith of the people of God in the God who has delivered them in the past. Assyria is trying to make them believe that Assyria has more power than God. Assyria makes promises about how their lives won’t change…until they are moved out of the promised land to another land just like it. Assyria promises that nothing will really change, that Israel will just be under new management.
Isaiah comes back to a terrified king and asks him to believe again and anew in God. Isaiah promises that Assyria will be defeated. Another challenge to Hezekiah comes after this, and Isiah promises again what will happen. Isaiah and God end up being right (surprise, surprise!)
What challenges us to turn from God and believe nothing will change? How do respond to threats to ourselves, to our lives, to our way of being, that only ask us to give up the basic foundation of our lives? What are we willing to change to have nothing change?
Micah 1:3-5; 5:2-5a; Micah 6:6-8
We hear a transition here. We hear of God coming down, melting things. We hear of transgressions, of fire, of punishment. And then we hear of what will come out of a small place. One will come forth to rule, standing in the majesty of God, and the people shall live secure. If the enemies come, they will stand against them…
In light of that transition, we ask the question, with what do we come before the Lord? No longer is the offering system, no longer is the sense of Passover, the price of the firstborn, to be what is offered. A transition is being marked here – not immediately, but coming – and we would do well to pay attention. How much of the old way are we holding on to in our lives, and what transition is God marking for us?
2 Kings 5:1-15a Elisha heals Naaman, a foreigner and leper
We like the big names. The big names are easy to track, and it keeps our focus tight. We can track Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, some of the 12 disciples, Mary, and a small handful of other names. And often, those are the stories we tell, remember, write books about, and highlight. Some parts of the faith community get mad when we move away from the big names and even talk about some of the other players.
But all of the stories aren’t about the big names. This story is moved by the no names. The big names don’t want to be part of the story. It is a slave who says there is a prophet who can heal. It is a leper who is needing to be healed. The king of Israel (unnamed) doesn’t want anything to do with the situation, even admitting that he has no real power. Elisha doesn’t even come out of the tent. A slave reminds the general of what a small thing he is being asked to do. This story of miracle isn’t moved by big names. It is moved by people who go unnamed. How often is the story of God moved not from on high?
1 Kings 3:4-28 This is probably another familiar story. It has found its way into colloquial language, when we talk about the wisdom of Solomon. So, let’s dip back into this story. Solomon starts off in a dream, conversing with God. God give Solomon a wish, a single request, and Solomon recounts what God has done for David, and then asks for…
2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9 The encounter between Nathan and David is high drama. At the same time, it is very human. Nathan is telling a story, and David is getting all animated about the injustice portrayed in the story. We can see that David doesn’t understand that he is the bad guy in the story. David can’t imagine being…
Joshua 24:1-15 [16-26] At the end of the wilderness experience God again reminds the people of Go of their history, of their story, of the narrative of the people of God and God. Joshua then presents the people with an ultimatum. Choose this day whom you will serve – Gods of the land beyond the river, Gods of the people in the…
Exodus 19:3-7, 20:1-17 We don’t get a ton of chances to make an actual fresh start in life. As much as we like to think our past doesn’t follow us, our grades, our history, our behavior, it often stays with us, even if it isn’t visible to anyone else. Here, in the wilderness, the people of God get a chance to start…
Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29 (30-31?) The sea parts, God’s deliverance We’ve moved forward generations again. We’ve moved from Joseph to Moses, to a Pharoah who did not know Joseph. And yet the people are imprisoned as Joseph was when we left him. Now they are running away, as Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife, and the authority, the Pharoah and the people of…
Genesis 39:1-23 Joseph in Prison We’ve jumped forward several (4) generations by the time we get to this story. Joseph is down In Egypt, sold by his brothers to his cousins, and then sold to Potiphar. And things seem to be turning around for Joseph. He gains respect and responsibility in the household, becoming the overseer of the house. It seems like…
Genesis 12:1-9 Call of Abraham This seems like a one on one conversation. It seems like this is just God and Abram plotting together, striking a deal and going forth. We talk about the covenant of God with Abram (or Abraham). We talk about this God being the God of Abraham, and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam being Abrahamic religions. And then verse…
Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 Noah, flood, rainbow This story is in all the children’s Bibles. We can buy carved Noah’s arks at the wood market in Lilongwe, Malawi. It is easily portrayed in art, and everyone I know gleefully smiles and points when they see a rainbow. However, this is not really a children’s story. God sees wickedness on the earth, and…
Genesis 5:1-32 Lineage How did we get here? That’s often a question in the church, in society, in our personal lives. It is a plot line feature in TV, movies, and books. The backstory sets the stage for the next chapter of the story. This backstory comes in following the narrative of Adam and Eve’s family and children, and then serves to…
John 15:12- 17, 26-27 ,21:20-25 John’s gospel starts talking about the beginning, going into the Word and light, and then John the Baptist. Jesus tells the disciples that they are to testify to him, because they have been with him from the beginning. Jesus wants us to love one another – that is to be our testimony – as he has loved…
John 15:26 -16:18 Confusion about the days after Christ Jesus is looking ahead and the disciples aren’t up to where he was, let alone where he’s going. Jesus points to the future, when he will not be present, but the Advocate (Spirit) will be. This looking ahead, this preparation, is intended to comfort the disciples, yet it doesn’t. If anything, it makes…
John 5:19-46 Very Truly We have heard from Jesus about Jesus in the “I am statements” over the past few weeks. This passage comes before those statements, and right after Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. This passage starts by Jesus connecting himself to the Father. There is love, there is life, there is judgment, there is honor, and there is…
Benjamin and Tricia share with us about the last year’s uncertainty and how they are adapting and living, growing in trusting in God on short notice.
John 6:1-15 Feeding of the 5000 This is a story that has a central role in the teachings of Jesus and about Jesus. The feeding of the 5000 appears in all 4 Gospels. It is not the same in each, and we probably know the synoptic version better. Let’s listen to John tell it. Jesus crosses the sea of Galilee, and the…
John 11:7-16, John 13:31-14:7, John 20:19-28 We get really stuck on doubting Thomas, so let’s look at the three times he appears in the Gospel of John and try to get a fuller view. Thomas enters the Gospel with an assured statement that he is willing to die with Christ, and he tries to rally (and does) the disciples to go with…
John 3:1-9, John 7:37-52, John 19:38 -42 Nicodemus is a religious authority. He enters this story in the middle of the night. He is curious about Jesus, and recognizes something in Jesus that draws him in. And yet, Nicodemus doesn’t get it after the first encounter. Something changes, and Nicodemus becomes brave enough to go against his peers, in the light of…
John 1:35-42, John 6:1-10, John 12:16-26 We will continue looking at threes and disciples for a couple of weeks. This week is Andrew. There is a pattern of his behavior in the Gospel of John, in which Andrew consistently helps guide people to Jesus. He doesn’t get a whole lot of attention, but appears and guides people to Jesus. He takes his…
John 18:15-27 and John 21:1-19 We talk about things coming in threes. Often deaths, or bad things, and infrequently good things do we mentioning coming in threes. Then, of course, there is the Trinity. These two passages have some threes in them, and some of the same characters and setting pieces, There’s Peter, there’s Jesus, there’s a charcoal fire, and some questions…
Acts 2:1-21; Gift of the Spirit as miracle of communication John 14:25-27; The peace of Christ Dr. Rebecca Blair leads worship on the Sunday of Pentecost.
Philippians 2:1-13 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who became obedient to death. Paul reminds the church at Philippi and the church at 1200 S Carbon what it is we are to be about. You’d think we wouldn’t forget – we’re supposed to worship weekly, and pray more often than that, but sometimes we do forget. Paul…
Philippians 1:1-18a Paul in prison, thankful for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. This the start of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. It shows an interesting side of Paul. Paul writes to them out of the beginning of the history of the Church. These letters are going to end up being foundational to the character of the Church, and I think…
Acts 17:16-31 Sermon at Athens: What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you. Paul is safely in Athens while fleeing from Thessalonica. Paul is here in safety, awaiting the arrival of Silas and Timothy. Paul is in the synagogue and in the marketplace, preaching, evangelizing, arguing, and debating. He isn’t completely successful –Acts tells us they called him a babbler. So, they…
Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi, jailor and his family are baptized Paul is on the road here. He has moved from being Saul to being Paul, and from persecuting followers of the Way to being a follower of the Way. Along with Timothy, he is traveling and evangelizing, when the come to Philippi, where a family is converted…
Acts 9:1-19a Paul and Ananias, each called into Christ’s service Saul is in a rage. Those Christians really tick him off. Blasphemous, heretical, unholy, spreading lies, and Saul is going to get them and get them good. Saul collects his letters and his authority and heads towards Damascus to look for followers of the Way. Then he has a ‘come to Jesus’…
John 20:19-31 Jesus gives Spirit, appears to Thomas. It’s still Easter. John makes sure we know that as we start this passage. It is a good reminder for an Easter people, who gather on the first day of the week to celebrate resurrection. It is still Easter when Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room. Thomas wasn’t there. He doesn’t…
John 19:16b-22 Sign above the cross proclaims the crucified king. John 12:12-27 Triumphal Entry Jesus comes in and goes out of Jerusalem in today’s two lessons. They happen about a week apart, and they show a dramatic shift in the attitudes of the people of Jerusalem about Jesus. What stays the same is the title that Jesus is given. As he comes…
John 19:1-16a Jesus is condemned, they have no king but Caesar. Pilate does odd things to start this passage. Jesus is brought out with no grounds for a charge, but after being whipped and dressed in a purple robe, crowned by thorns. That doesn’t feel right for how we should dismiss someone who has no charges against them, who is innocent. Pilate…
John 18:28-40 My kingdom is not from this world. Last week, Jesus was brought before the Jewish leaders for accusation and trial. This week the Jewish leaders have brought him to the Roman authorities. The leaders won’t go in to the palace, as that would make them ritually unclean. They have no such concerns about Jesus. Pilate isn’t particularly interested in taking…
John 18:12-27 Jesus’ trial before Annas, Peter’s denial. There is a contrast between Peter and Jesus here, or between disciples and the Messiah. Both are questioned about who they are and what they have been doing. Jesus essentially answers the charges by telling the chief priest to listen to what is being said about him. Jesus has been in ministry in public,…
John 13:1-17 Footwashing as a sign of Jesus’ love and example. John again centers us on Passover as we begin this passage. Jesus and the disciples are preparing for the celebration. In chapter 12, they have come into Jerusalem, and Hosannas have been shouted, welcoming Jesus. John tells this story looking back in time, describing…
John 11:1-44 Raising Lazarus, Jesus as the resurrection and life. This passage is all about life and death. John is the only one who tells this story. As we hear this story, we may hear tales of another death and resurrection. This story does some things out of order – Mary is identified as the one who washes Jesus’s feet, but that…
John 9:1-41 This healing happens. It is an oddly messy type of healing, from the spit and the mud on the eyes to the fallout in the community. His parents don’t want anything to do with exploring why this happened with the temple leaders, and the man who is healed doesn’t know who Jesus is. There’s this odd conversation between…
John 7:37-52 One of the oddities of the people of God is what we get stuck on. In this passage, the people of God are more stuck on the idea that the Messiah, the prophet, is from Galilee, than the proclamation that those who come to Jesus shall have their thirst met, and that out of them will flow streams of…
John 6:35-59 Jesus is again challenged for what he says. It seems impossible that this man, the son of the carpenter, could be or should be talking about being the bread of life, being a gift of God, being a miracle of God like the manna in the wilderness. While the people in this passage take Jesus literally, and get confused…
John 4:46-54 [5:1-18] These two passages speak to each other. They are perhaps more powerful together than apart because of the contrast in the two stories. The first story has an official of the empire who comes to Jesus to heal his son. This time, I saw that it was the next day when the servants came to tell the official…
John 4:1-42 There is a huge tension at the start of this passage that resumes at the end of the passage. Jesus and the Samaritan woman- Jesus and the woman he is not related to – Jesus and the Samaritan. Why does Jesus talk to her? Why does Jesus make a request of her?…
John 3:1-21 Our connotation of sneaking isn’t positive. That’s something dishonest people do, people who are trying to hide something, people who are ashamed of what they are doing. That’s a lot of baggage that we bring to the first part of this passage. Nicodemus comes under cover of darkness, to check Jesus out. Perhaps it makes him more anonymous,…
John 2: 13-25 Not long after turning water into wine at Cana, Jesus heads to Jerusalem ahead of the Passover. When Jesus gets to the temple, he finds the ‘lobby’ full of vendors. There’s a coffee bar, an ATM with high service charges, a t-shirt vendor, someone selling snowglobes, and a couple of food vendors. Jesus doesn’t like this. He clears…
In John’s gospel, Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding. We talk about Cana, we use the passage to reflect the snark of Jesus addressing his mother, the oddity of having Christians make teetotalling a doctrine of faithfulness, and the amazed wonder of the steward about the quality of the wine. What happens in Jesus’ first miracle is the…
John 1:35-51 John is gathered with his own disciples. He’s sort of successful. He’s well known, sometimes too well known, and has people who follow him. When Jesus walks by, John points him out, “Here is the Lamb of God!” which his disciples hear, and then go follow Jesus. Jesus invites them to come and see what he is all about.…
John 1:1-18 The first three weeks of Advent had us moving from exile to the valley of dry bones, and then to Isaiah’s language of seeking God. The people are the ones moving in all these passages. God moves the people around, trying to get them to be more faithful, to be better followers, to be more closely the people of…
Ezekiel 37:1-14 Many times, we want God to bring us out of the place where we are to a better place, often a much better place. We don’t ask to be moved from the frying pan into the fire. We ask to be taken from the bad into the good. With that in mind, let’s look at this passage from Ezekiel.…