God promises blessing and renewal. So where is all that? How do we live in the tension between the promise and the reality? New Sermon on Psalm 130 below!
An Ordinary God in the Squares of Savannah
When we come into God’s presence, we expect something huge. Spectacular. Extraordinary. But what if this expectation says more about us than it does about God? What if God is primarily concerned with our ordinary lives?
People come from all over the world to visit Savannah. But they don’t come for the spectacular- the Civic Center, the hotels, or anything else. No, they come to see the squares- rows of “tithing blocks” full of houses, and “trust blocks,” full of churches, businesses, and public meeting places where people have lived out ordinary lives for centuries now. This is why the squares of Savannah and the cross of Christ are linked together in the logo of Christ the King… because its God working in ordinary places that is extraordinary. Sermon below!
Joy and the Christian life
When an explosion crippled the Apollo 13 spacecraft, there was only one way for the crew to find enough power to get home- they would have to slingshot around the moon. In order to get home, they would have to travel farther from earth than any human being had ever gone before.
Joy is like that. On the pilgrimage of the Christian life, joy is only attainable insofar as we are willing to stare into the darkness and pain in our lives. But when we stare into that darkness, we get a surprise- there is someone out there with us. And this person, Jesus, is transforming our darkness and pain into something beautiful. Something joyous. Check out our full sermon on Psalm 126 below!
Prayer: An Explosion of Dissatisfaction
Every road trip starts with an explosion- gas hits the starter, and a little bomb goes off in your engine. But thats not the only kind of explosion; the energy to move anywhere is begun by an explosion (however small) of dissatisfaction about where you are.
The psalms of ascent follow the rules of the road trip. They begin with an explosion. But the destination of the journey is radically different. The journey ends in Jerusalem, at the presence of God. Listen to the sermon below: