Emmanuel Presbyterian Church

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Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Sabbath

Luke 13:10-17  (ESV)
1 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Sermon Outline
Why do we need the Sabbath?

1. We need the Sabbath to notice things we would otherwise not notice 

• v. 10: Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

• v. 12: When Jesus saw her, he called her over

2. We need the Sabbath to remind ourselves that we are not God 

• v. 12: When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

• v. 14: But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. 

• v. 14: But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

3. We need the Sabbath to give us hope

• v. 15: “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

• Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

• John 16:33: I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Prayer of Confession
Gracious God, you have given us the Sabbath as a gift to rest, to see the world and ourselves more rightly, and to hope for the restoration of all things.  But instead of receiving the Sabbath as a gift, we receive it as a threat.  We do not want to slow down and acknowledge the broken things of the world.  We do not want to admit our limits and inabilities.  Jesus, help us to receive and follow the Sabbath as a gift and as your mercy to us.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?

2. Describe the challenges you face to follow and observe the Sabbath.

3. If the Sabbath allows us to see and notice the broken things around us, what specific things is Jesus inviting you to see?

4. In what ways do you find Jesus threatening? Are there any particular teachings that you find difficult to embrace and follow?

5. The Sabbath reminds us that we are not God. How do you see this as a threat? How might you see this as God’s mercy?

6. Have there been times when you felt nearer to Jesus when you acknowledged your limits and inabilities?

7. The Sabbath points us to a greater hope that is coming. What are you trusting Jesus for in recent times? How does the Sabbath help you to hope well?

8. What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Sabbath

Amos 8:1-14 (ESV)
1 This is what the Lord God showed me: behold, a basket of summer fruit. 2 And he said, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me,

“The end has come upon my people Israel;
    I will never again pass by them.
3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,”
declares the Lord God.
“So many dead bodies!”
“They are thrown everywhere!”
“Silence!”

4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy
    and bring the poor of the land to an end,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,
    that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
    that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
    and deal deceitfully with false balances,
6 that we may buy the poor for silver
    and the needy for a pair of sandals
    and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the land tremble on this account,
    and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
    and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”

9 “And on that day,” declares the Lord God,
    “I will make the sun go down at noon
    and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning
    and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
    and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
    and the end of it like a bitter day.

11 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
    “when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
    but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
    and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
    but they shall not find it.

13 “In that day the lovely virgins and the young men
    shall faint for thirst.
14 Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria,
    and say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan,’
and, ‘As the Way of Beersheba lives,’
    they shall fall, and never rise again.”

Sermon Outline
Is sabbath an opportunity or is it limiting?

 1. End of Relationship

• vv1-2  “a basket of summer fruit” “the end has come…”

• v5  “when will the sabbath be over?”

• v3 “the songs of the temple... wailing”

• v2 “never again pass by them”

• v11 “famine of the word of God”

 2. End of Corruption

• v5 “make the ephah small and shekel great, deal deceitfully with false balances”

• v4  “bring the poor to an end” (v6 “buy the poor”)

3. End of Misery

• v12  “seek and not find”

• v9  “I will make the sun go down at noon”

• v10 “…make it like the mourning for an only son”

• v13  “young men… faint for thirst”

• v14  “your god… shall fall… and never rise”

Prayer of Confession
Our Father, like children we depend on you for all things. We admit our sin. We have looked to you for what you can give us, failing to appreciate you, the giver. We have looked to the world thinking it can give us something better. We have experienced your ways as burdensome; we have resented your protective restraints. In greed, we have crossed lines for personal gain, causing damage and dishonoring others. We have ignored your word. We have misunderstood your patience. Through Christ, cleanse us from all sin. Open our ears to hear your gospel of grace so that everything in our lives is renewed and aligned with you. Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do you look forward to Sunday?  What is your favorite part of the day?

2. What kinds of things will you miss church for?  How do you decide (what priorities do you have and how do you weigh them)?

3. Are you eager for your work week to end (most weeks)?  Why?  Do you have a time you are committed to each week where you will not do any work?

4. What would be your response to a prophet announcing a “famine of God’s word”?  How would this effect you?  What would you be concerned about? 

5. Where do you see greed at work in your life?  How does greed effect you?

6. Why does greed within us prohibit connecting deeply with God?

7. Is there any area of your life where you are cheating, manipulating, fudging the truth or taking advantage of others?  Why?  What are you gaining?

8. How can God’s generosity change your heart?  What is so striking about Jesus giving himself so sacrificially for us?

9. Since you can now seek and find, what are you doing to seek God?

10. How can you make the most of a day for worship?  What things can you do?  What should you not do on that one day?

11. How can a day of worship refresh you for the work of the other 6 days?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Sabbath

Exodus 16:13-30 (ESV)
13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”

27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

Sermon Outline
Why should we prepare for a day to feed our souls?

1.  Bodies with Appetites

• v15 “what is it?” “it is the bread the Lord has given you”

• vv16-21 “…whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack” (v18)

• v23 “… bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil… all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning“

2.  Souls that Hunger

• v26  “on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none”

• v12 “then you shall know…”

3.  Food that Gives Life

• John 6:58 “whoever feeds on this bread will live forever”

• v23 “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord”

• v30 “so the people rested on the seventh day”

Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, you give life and all we need for life.  We confess how little of our daily dependence we understand, and how little of your provision we recognize.  We struggle with disordered appetites.  We grumble against you while we reap the consequences of own foolishness.  We have been calloused to the troubles we have caused others.  We have muted our spiritual hunger.  Rest in you has been a low priority.  Forgive every sin.  We remember Jesus, the true bread who came down from heaven; who gave his body for our bodies; who will raise up all who have received his grace.  Nourish our souls as we remember Jesus with faith.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do you ever prepare for a day off?   For vacation?  If so, how?  If not, why not?

2. What role does food preparation play in your life?  How much time is spent in attaining the means to acquire it, prepare it, consume it?  

3. What appetite do you have that is stronger or takes precedence over your appetite to eat?  What do you desire most?

4. How do you struggle with contentment?  What in your life do you feel you never have enough of? 

5. Do you have a hunger for God?  Is there a desire for more of God?  How do you know?

6. If you had a full 24 hour period to focus only on loving God and loving people – on cultivating your soul – what would you do?  What would you find difficult to do?

7. How does Jesus, the person, nourish our souls?  What does it mean to “eat his body”?  How are we to understand what he means in his call to trust him for eternal life, and to come alive and grow spiritually?

8. What can you do to free up time on Sundays for more intentional life with God?

9. What is an enjoyable thing you do to connect with God?  How can you find a time every Sunday to do it?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Sabbath

Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (ESV)
12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Sermon Outline
Be clear on what is first in your life (make sure it is God) and guard that priority with how you organize your time (v14).

1. Remember That You Were Slaves

• v15 “You shall remember that you were a slave”

2. Remember That God Brought You Out

• v15b “You shall remember that… God brought you out from there”

3. Observe and Keep a Day

• v12  “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.”

• v13  “On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant...”

Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, our great redeemer, again we need your grace. We admit our sin and failings. We remember that we have given ourselves over to what has enslaved us. We have served and devoted ourselves to people, things, institutions and ideologies. We have suffered the miseries of idolatry. We have subjected others to misery because of our corrupt stewardship of power. We have not welcomed your invitation or heeded your warning to keep you first in our lives. Forgive us. As we remember our sin and misery, we also remember you, our deliverer. Thank you for coming in glory and power to rescue us. Thank you for coming with humility and dealing with our sin with such sacrificial mercy. Free us from guilt and shame, and refresh us for our walk with you this week. Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What is your first priority in life?  Where is it in your schedule?  How have you prioritized it?

2. Why is it important to have a positive vision of work and rest?  Why is rest good, even if it doesn’t feel needed?

3. Why is it important to discern ways work gets corrupted?  What are some ways work has been or become problematic for you?

4. Why is important to see rest as a means of dealing with how work is negatively impacting you?

5. What does it mean to “remember you were a slave”?  A slave to what?  What have you experienced that touches on this theme?

6. Who do we see God to be in moments like the exodus or in Jesus going to the cross?  What do these actions display about the character of God?

7. Do you need to draw more heavily on God’s strength, as the protector who comes to deliver and defend; or on God’s kindness and compassion, who cares about you and enters your suffering?  How are both needed?

8. How can you put and keep God first in your life?  What needs to happen with your rhythms and schedule to safeguard that?

9. What can you do to make the first day of the week a day where you are connecting with God?  What do you need to be careful about?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Sabbath

Genesis 1:26-2:3; Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Sermon Outline
Take the day God has given you: rest in Him and make that the center of how you organize your time.

1. Patterns of Work and Rest

• Exodus 20:9-10  “Six days you shall labor… but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”

2. Inverted Reality

• Genesis 2:2-3  “And on the seventh day God finished his work… and he rested…”

• Genesis 1:26-27  “God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

3. A Day to Look to the Eternal God

• Exodus 20:8 “remember”

• Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11 “God blessed the seventh day and made it holy”

Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, you have made all things good and blessed us with the dignity of bearing your image.  We admit our sin and shortcomings to you.  Instead of imitating you, we have attempted to replace you.  We have not made you the center of our lives.  We have rested when we should be working, we have worked when we should be resting.  We are tired.  Forgive our disobedience.  Thank you for the work of Christ which brings rest to our weary souls.  Thank you for gifting us a day to assemble in your presence.  Cleanse us from all sin, and refresh our hearts for the work of this week.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What does time off look like for you?  How often do you take intentional breaks?  What do you do?

2. Which is more difficult for you: resting or working?  Why?

3. What is good about setting aside one day in seven for rest and worship?  What are some benefits?

4. What makes taking a whole day off hard?

5. What has misplaced God in your life?  What corrupted thoughts keep you from enjoying God?  Imitating God?  Trusting God?

6. Why is it impossible for our work to ever be good enough?  How can you cease when it feels like more needs to be done?  What do you need to remember?

7. How does Jesus completing the work of redemption free those who trust him?  What does his work on the cross free you from?

8. How is sabbath a gift? 

9. What is helpful to remember on the sabbath?

10. How can make Sunday a special day?  What would make it joyful?  What can be part of your weekly routine to connect with God on the first day of the week?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series:

Micah 6:6-8 (ESV)
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Sermon Outline
Walking with God is the key ingredient missing in most efforts for a good life.

1. Wholeness for a Good Life

• v8 “do justice… love kindness… walk humbly with your God”

2.  Weariness as a Symptom

• v3  “In what have I wearied you?”

• vv6-8  “With what shall I come before the Lord…?”

3. Walking Humbly With God

• v7   “Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression?”

• v8 “humbly with”

• v8 “he has told you what is good… what does the Lord require…?”

Prayer of Confession
Our just and merciful God, we are present with you but have little to offer.  We have not done enough to earn your favor.  What we have done should provoke your anger.  You are so kind and patient with us, but we are harsh and selfish towards one another.  You invite us to walk with you, but we go astray.  Forgive us our sins.  Were it not for your compassion, and for what Jesus has done on our behalf, we would have no hope.  Thank you for showing us what is good.  Thank you for giving so generously and sacrificially to us.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What do you most gravitate towards: doing justice, loving kindness, or walking with God?  Why?  What does this look like in your life?

2. Can you live justly if you are not walking with God?  How does walking with God help one realize a truly upright life?

3. Why do Christians wind up legalistic?  Why can Christians tend towards an emotionalism?   What is needed to hold together the fulness of the Christian life?

4. Do you find walking with God energizing and strengthening?  When do you find the Christian life wearying?  What do you think is causing any current weariness?

5. What in how you relate to God betrays problematic assumptions about who God is?  What religious habits in your life point you to areas where you are not relating well to God?

6. What keeps you from seeing the good God shows you?  What hinders you from hearing the good God speaks to you?  What can you do to be more open to receiving from God?

7. How are you walking with God in daily life?  What are next steps for you to live life more fully with God?  Where in your life are you least mindful of God?

Speaker: Rev. Charles Drew
Sermon Series: Politics

Psalm 97  (ESV)
1 The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;
    let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
    righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
    and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.

6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    who make their boast in worthless idols;
    worship him, all you gods!

8 Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
    He preserves the lives of his saints;
    he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown [dawns] for the righteous,
    and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
    and give thanks to his holy name!

Sermon Outline Slides

Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we have sinned against you and against our neighbors, in thought, word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Psalm 77 - With God in the Dark

Psalm 77  (ESV)
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Sermon Outline
How do you reorient with God when you feel lost? (v15)

1. Remember the Redeemer

• v10  “Then I said, ‘I will appeal to… the years of the right hand of the Most High’”

• vv11-I4  “will remember the deeds…  your wonders of old…Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?”

2. Let the Redeemer Lead the Way

• v16  “When the waters saw you, they were afraid”

• v19  “Your way was through the sea… yet your footprints were unseen”

• v20  “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron”

Prayer of Confession
Our mighty Redeemer, you have made us, and you provide daily for us.  Instead of eagerly drawing near to you, we continually wander away.  We don’t follow your lead.  We take so much for granted.  We lose sight of you as we foolishly set our eyes and hopes on other things.  We act in ways that are contrary to yours.  We are left with troubled souls.  Without your gracious intervention we would have no hope.  Thank you for paying the debt of our sin and for granting us forgiveness in such a costly way.  In the name of Jesus our redeemer, show us mercy.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What do you do when you feel lost or in the dark?  What works or helps?  What does not?

2. Why is it hard to see God or connect with God when you are in a difficult time?  Is it harder for you to connect with God in difficult times, or when things are going well?

3. What is most helpful to you: God as creator, as redeemer, or as sustainer? (the creator who wisely makes, orders and gives life; the redeemer who lovingly, courageously, and sacrificially comes and rescues; the sustainer who daily provides)

4. What are the most helpful things to bring to mind and meditate on regarding who God is, what God has done, or what God says?  Is there anything you avoid?  Anything that other Christians find helpful that you don’t?  Why?

5. How is Jesus as a redeemer a unique help to those who feel lost, overwhelmed, hopeless, or unworthy? 

6. How can connecting with Jesus be a step towards seeing/appreciating the greatness of the Creator?  How can connecting with Jesus be a step towards seeing/appreciating the kind, responsible provision of the sustainer?

7. What does Jesus going into darkness on the cross reveal about God?  How is this a help to people who are fearful or skeptical yet have a longing to draw near to God?

8. Why do you find it hard to fully receive from God?  What keeps you from resting in Him?  What would happen if you ceased striving for a period?

9. What is one thing that roots you in God’s goodness that you can think about this week?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Psalm 77 - With God in the Dark

Psalm 77  (ESV)
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Sermon Outline
Difficult periods that require adaptation and patience also expose our weakness and immaturity - we can deepen and grow while going through these periods if we stay with Jesus.

 1.  The Struggle of Change

• v4 “You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”

• vv5-6 “I consider the days of old… ‘Let me remember’”

2.  Hard Questions

• v6 “Then my spirit made a diligent search”

• vv7-9  “Will the Lord… never again… forever ceased… an end for all time?”  Has God forgotten…? 

3.  A Good Shepherd

• v10  “I will appeal to… the right hand of the Most High.”

Prayer of Confession
Our good Shepherd, we have wandered and strayed.  We have resisted the path of growth.  We have stubbornly refused change.  In our efforts to force you into our desires and understandings, we have erred in many ways.  We are guilty of false accusations against you.  When we have needed you most we pushed you away.  Forgive every sin.  We are guilty too in what we have thought of others and how we have treated them.  We confess we are helpless apart from you.  Forgive our unbelief.  We appeal to you, asking for your continued oversight, and praying for mercy as we return to walk with you.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. What fears arise when you are in periods of change?

2. What assumptions do you have, or what judgements are you quick to make regarding God or what you think God is doing, when in difficult periods? 

3. Are there certain questions you are continually asking God?  Why?

4. What are strategies for staying with God when you don’t have answers to your questions?

5. How can you discern each next faithful step?  What are things you can do while you can’t grasp how it all fits together to take one action at a time that is faithfully on the path of Christ?

6. Is there anything God is teaching you now?  What is happening in your life and how can you move deeper and into greater maturity as you navigate it?

7. What makes Jesus the good shepherd?  What do you see in Jesus or what Jesus offers that is still desirable?

8. How are you being called to trust God in this season?  What need or limitation requires that you rest in Him and wait on Him?

Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Psalm 77 - With God in the Dark

Psalm 77  (ESV)
To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Sermon Outline
There will be difficult stretches on the path of following Jesus where you will need to seek God while having the impression God is not with you.

 1.  Staying With God

• v1 “I cry aloud to God… he will hear me”

 2.  Painful Remembering

• v3 “When I remember God, I moan…”

 3.  Seeking Comfort In God

• v2 “In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord… my soul refuses to be comforted”

Prayer of Confession
We cry aloud to you, O God.  Help us!  We are weak and weary.  We admit our unsteady faith, and the guilt of our sin.  We give up too quickly.  We are too desperate for comfort.  In our confusion, we assume the worst of you.  Forgive every sin in every area of our lives.  Thank you for Jesus, who entered our misery, yet without sin.  We appeal to you in his name, who made provision for our forgiveness, and through his suffering reconciled us.  We remember you and we humbly acknowledge your mercy.  Amen.

Questions for Reflection

1. Do you ever have the sense that God is with you?  What is that experience like?  Is it sufficient for strength and encouragement to keep going in most circumstances?

2. What questions arise in your mind regarding God when you are suffering?  What are your fears?  What makes you angry?  What do you stay confused about?

3. What does it look like to “walk with God”?  In daily life, what is it like to navigate decisions with the intention to go through life with God?

4. What does it look like to walk with God when you are of the impression God is not with/for you?  How do you navigate that?  What temptations do you need to be watchful for?

5. What are appropriate things to do when you feel you need God but aren’t discerning God is present or helping you?  What can you do with your anger?  With your fear?  With your confusion?  In particular, what are ways to bring these things to God or work them out with God?

6. Should you keep attending church or stay engaged in Christian community during these periods?  What should you do if contact with the church feels alienating or painful?

7. Why do we have to be careful about where we go for comfort?

8. How does the suffering of Jesus help sufferers?  What truth does the gospel convey to help you seek and rest in God during confusing periods where you don’t have the sense God is with you?