Sermons from August 2018
Participation Value
One of our Family Values at PBCC is Participation In God’s Work. Key components of this value are that God invites us to participate in what He’s already doing and that it is indeed ultimately God’s work (and not ours). Ministry Fair is a great opportunity to see the many ways that God is already at work and to consider where God might be inviting you to participate. Lest you begin to feel pressure, participation is not limited to signing up to serve with a ministry, it’s also prayer support and hearing testimonies of what God has done. So come worship together, then enjoy some snacks as you ‘participate’ in our Ministry Fair and find out what God is doing through the various ministries at PBCC!
Extravagant Mercy
Luke 18:9-14
“Two men walked into a church…” This is the case in this week’s parable. One man will look at the other and see a joke of a man. The other, looking in the mirror, would agree. He had nothing to bring into the house of God that would be of any value. So, that’s what he brings…nothing! And the joke ends up being on the first guy! He gets rejected and the joke of a man is accepted! The lenses God uses to read the applications and resumes of humans for entry into His Kingdom is vastly different than the lenses used on us as we apply for schools and jobs. Come this Sunday as we will celebrate that the resume God receives and stamps-“righteous”- is the one from the person who recognizes his or her own sinfulness!
A Faith That Prays
Luke 18:1-8 “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Our parable this week ends with this question. The first part is a guarantee: Jesus will return. The second, “will he find faith on earth,” is not a guarantee. This is intended to make Jesus’ first hearers, and us today, Luke’s readers, feel a bit unsettled. This Sunday we will follow Jesus in the telling of a usual story of a widow and a judge, through the unexpected twist and turns between the two, ultimately being left with the unsettling question: “will he find faith on earth.” What is potentially more unsettling? Jesus is wondering if he will find those whose faith is characterized by persistent prayer. Be praying now that the Lord will give you eyes to see and ears to hear how the Lord wants to draw you nearer to him in your faith as one who prays!
How Does the Kingdom Grow?
Mark 4:26-34 As we continue in our summer studies in the parables, Jesus gives two more parables setting forth the mysterious ways the kingdom of God grows in “good soil.” Both set forth God’s extravagant grace. The first speaks of a harvest that requires “sleep,” rather than human toil or understanding to achieve it. The second stretches our imagination beyond the limits and “warns us against underestimating the significance of the proclamation of the kingdom of God, however unimpressive its initial impact may seem.” (R. T. France) It will be nothing less than a New Creation.