Our next stop on the journey through the Bible: the prophet Joel. We will focus on Joel 2:12-17, so please read that section in advance, but you will be well served to read this short book as a whole to get a sense of its overarching themes - and perhaps recognize some of its verses which appear in the New Testament pages. Although the exact date of the book is debated, Joel's prophecy clearly finds its immediate fulfillment in the Babylonian judgment which Jeremiah and Ezekiel detail, and in light of that reality he makes a straightforward appeal to the people, saying effectively: It is time to get real with God! What does that look like? According to our text it begins with "Repentance from the Heart."

In Ezekiel 37:1-14, the prophet has a striking vision of dry, dead bones. It is a picture, we are told, of the house of Israel in exilic disarray and seemingly at an end. Without hope. Lifeless. Dead. God asks him, "Can these bones live?" We know the answer, don't we? No way. Impossible. Dead things cannot give life to living things. But if you have read the passage, you know what happens next: God himself assembles the bones, puts on tendons and flesh and summons a vast army from the rubble. God breathes life into the lifeless. Consider that statement again: God breathes life into the lifeless. We'll explore the vast implications of this remarkable reality together in this sermon, "God Breathes Life Into the Lifeless."

The book of Lamentations is a heavy one. It records the tragic state of those left behind in Jerusalem after the siege of the Babylonians. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) entitles this book, "Wailings." Brokenness and sorrow are the dominant themes - not exactly popular material, especially in the American church! Yet we will spend some time with the book's author Jeremiah in the ashes of Lamentations 3:19-26 and hopefully learn a bit about how to lament, as well as discover that embracing such suffering is often the only pathway to genuine and lasting hope.

In this sermon, we look at the words of Habakkuk, a prophet about whom little is known except that he questioned. For those who struggle with putting things together in their minds about how God works, this will be a refreshing book. Typically, prophets speak words to the people from God; in Habakkuk's case, he is asking questions to God from the people. Questions like, "Are you really listening to me?" "Have you forgotten me?" "Why do you put up with injustice?" If you are curious about God's response, and how this shapes the prophet's perspective on life, listen now!

This sermon looks at Jeremiah 29:1-14, which records a letter that the prophet writes to his people who have been carted from Jerusalem to Babylon. After all the warnings, after all the attempts to draw the people of God back to their only true hope, it ends in exile. But it isn't really the end. An end of one thing is the start of another, and even in exile, there is guidance. So what are they to do? What are *we* to do, if it feels like we are in a barren land, outcast, desolate? I hope the words of the ancient prophet will resonate with contemporary relevance as we listen to these timeless words.

In Jeremiah 2:1-13, we turn the page into a new section of redemptive history: The people of God are headed toward exile. The Promised Land to which Moses led them will soon be in the rearview mirror. Sorrow, grief, pain, and loss are the dominant notes of the prophets who write to a people whose bondage is of their own doing--and Jeremiah, known as "the weeping prophet"--lives and preaches during that transition phase when God is raising up Babylon as an instrument of his just judgment. We could easily spin into absolute despair if it were not for the rays of grace that shine even more clearly in the darkness. Certainly, we need to feel the deep sting of the idolatry that leads to exile, but we also need to pray desperately that it drives us to the arms of a merciful God. Otherwise, we will be busy building cisterns that cannot hold water: a futile, hopeless task. May we hear and heed the call of Jeremiah and the voice of God say, "Return to Me."

Our reading for this week takes us into the prophetic words Nahum, a short book with a hard but straightforward message: God judges sin. In fact, not just individual sin, but an entire city! In this case, He is holding the city of Nineveh accountable for its notable atrocities. You may connect that city with another prophet, Jonah. He and Nahum carried the same message, but with some observable differences: For one, we know a lot more about Jonah's back story: He was not willing to preach repentance for fear that the city would respond. He hated them. Second, we actually have a record of the city's response in Jonah 3. What it was, and how we learn from it, are the subject of Sunday's message: "The God of Second Chances."

When we are weary, afraid or lacking purpose, where ought we turn? The temptation is to turn to countless alternatives, but if we look to the book of Isaiah, we will find that the answer is to turn to the Incomparable One during those times of need. Guest speaker and our very own Redeemer member David Zimmerman shares insights from our readings in Isaiah (Isaiah 40: 25-26; 43:10-13; 45:5-7; 46:9-10) and what these mean for us, today, in his sermon, "No Comparison."

What is the kind of justice that God seeks? Pastor Marc Champagne looks at what the pages of Amos (specifically chapters 1, 2, and 5) tells us and what that means for our lives today in this pre-recorded video while he finishes up his annual summer break.

Pastor Brandon Woodard of Reconcile Community Church was guest pastor at Redeemer this week and preached on Luke 15:11-24.

One of the hardest things for many of us to comprehend is God the Father’s love towards us. Ask yourself this question, “If you were standing in front of God, what would be His reaction towards you?” If you answered anything other than pleased, then listen now to find out more about the Father’s reaction to folks like you and I!

Please note: The microphone malfunctioned around the 25-minute marker but is fixed a couple of minutes later, so please bear with the fuzzy quality during that brief window.