Blue Ocean Church Ann Arbor Sunday Sermons

Ezekiel, the traumatized prophet who became a mystic and saw very weird things, brought great comfort to others in similar straits. We close out our Advent sermon series on the Monsters of the Bible by looking at the fiery cherubim who appear at the beginning of the Book of Ezekiel. 

Giants in the Bible occupy a position between the historical and the mythical. The most famous giant is Goliath. He reveals the dynamics of our fearful responses to bullying powers, David’s willingness to embrace his own, vulnerability—refusing Saul’s armor—turned out to be his secret super power. This is the fourth sermon in our Advent series: Monsters of the Bible.

In the Bible Leviathan is a living, breathing creature that personifies systemic evil. It’s often seen as an embodiment of empires gone bad. While Scripture tells us we can’t defeat Leviathan without the God-Who-Is-Love, we’re not absolved from opposing the Leviathans of the world. This is the third sermon in our Advent series: Monsters of the Bible.

Satan is the mother (or father) of all monsters in the Bible. In Hebrew, satan, is not a Proper Name for a spirit being so much as a function-role that plays human society, especially scapegoating: accusation. This is the second sermon in our Advent series: Monsters of the Bible.

The demon Rabisu, the crouching vampire predator, holds no power over us because we can face our demons without fear of separation from God. This is the first sermon in our Advent series: Monsters of the Bible.