Adapted from “Fergus Tyson; Pastor’s Postings” As God calls us to rest, we acknowledge that true rest means seeking to provide rest for others as much as for ourselves. Deuteronomy 5:14 commands us to “observe the Sabbath day” and goes on to say “so that your male and female servant may rest as well as you.” We’ll use this litany to help us pray for true rest for us and for our neighbors in our communities and all over the world. Let’s pray: O Lord, we pray for the strength of heart and mind to look beyond ourselves and address the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world; for t ..read more

In Sunday’s sermon titled “Reconciliation”, Josh pointed out that Jacob is called Israel at the end of the text (Genesis 45:16-28). Throughout the Joseph story, Jacob has been his primary name. Why does the author shift to the name Israel here? The name Israel was given to Jacob after he wrestled with God in Genesis 32. Israel means “struggles/wrestles with God.” The story is bizarre, but it is a turning point for Jacob; the man who previously and persistently prevailed over others by deception would now prevail with God through dependence on God and His blessing. So why does the author of th ..read more

The practice of Lent is like a stool with three legs: fasting, prayer, and giving. We’ll consider each one in order over the next three weeks. First up, fasting. We live in a consumer culture, and we are deeply shaped by our habits of consumption. Consider all that you consume in a week: food, drink, news, posts, tweets, music, podcasts, TV shows, sports, shopping. The implicit assumption of our culture is that it is impossible, crazy, or even wrong to deny our appetites for these things. But the gospel tells us that unbridled consumption is at the core of our spiritual, physical, and relatio ..read more