One of the most obscure kings of Judah, Jotham’s example presents a very practical lesson for our lives. Most of us will live in obscurity in the wider sweep of history. How do we ensure that our lives have meaning? In this sermon, Father John points to Jotham’s task of building and fighting as a template for living a meaningful life for God in this world. Listen and be encouraged to examine what you are building in your life right now, and what God is calling you to fight for in this world.

It is just as important to seek God during times of prosperity and abundance as it is in times of trouble. But success has a way of causing many to drift away from God – when things are going good, sometimes people lose their spiritual focus. In this sermon, Father John looks at the life of King Uzziah, whose many successes led to his proud assertion that he could offer sacrifices in the Temple without the priests – resulting in him being struck with leprosy, and living in isolation for the rest of his life.

What motivates us to follow Jesus? Continuing our exploration of the “inferior kings of Judah and Israel” in II Chronicles 25, this sermon examines the choices of a king who gets frustrated at God. So, turning to other gods, Amaziah ends up abandoning his devotion to the Lord of Israel, and in the process ends up decimating his armies and destroying Jerusalem and the Temple in war. What happens when we are asked to follow the will of God when we may not want to? How does a person stay faithful to God throughout their life, even during the difficult […]

Today we encounter some of the most sordid stories contained in the entire book of II Chronicles (chapters 21-24), which detail incident after incident of people striving to out-maneuver one another, machinations, and intrigue. The royal family of Judah was acting as if they were all at the center of the universe. Sometimes we are tempted to do the same, expecting everything and everyone to revolve around us. In this sermon, Father John asks: What makes the difference between a life well-lived and a life wasted? With plenty of humor, this sermon calls us to find that place God has […]

Rather than focusing on a mistake, this sermon notes how King Jehoshaphat (II Chronicles 20) turned to God in a time of great distress. Our sermon today explores how the people of Judah and their King provide an important example when we find ourselves in circumstances that create great fear within us. Starting with crying out to God, Father John looks at three additional steps we can take in securing ourselves when our world seems to get turned upside down.

Who do you listen to for guidance in life? Continuing our sermon series on the Inferior Kings of Israel, this sermon looks at an instance in the life of King Jehoshaphat where he gave in to peer pressure and the voice of the crowd rather than listen to the voice of God’s Spirit in his life. The results were disastrous for him and his people, as they are for us when we fail to seek to listen to God for guidance in our own lives. How can we surround ourselves with people who will not just tell us what is […]

Does life ever seem overwhelming? Sometimes circumstances conspire to threaten our sense of peace, and may even lead us to feel like life is “too much to handle.” How does a person of faith respond when they feel this way? Continuing the sermon series on the “Inferior Kings of Israel,” Father John looks at a situation in the life of King Asa which called for desperate measures – but instead of trusting God and seeing divine help, Asa sells out the Temple and relies on foreign powers for defense. By way of contrast, this sermon points to our need to […]

Are all religions created equal? How do we handle religious differences, and even religious conflict when we encounter it? Father John explores these two questions with the life of King Asa as the backdrop of this sermon. Asa was commended for his zero-tolerance program regarding any competing religions (primarily worship of Baal and Ashera) throughout the land of Judah. He and his followers went so far as to make a pact to only worship Yahweh, with failure to do so ending in people’s execution. Is this how God wanted King Asa to treat people of other faiths? In a pluralistic […]

How do you handle conflict? Instead of Israel becoming a “blessing to all the earth,” as was its destiny promised to Abraham and Sarah – it turns on itself and decides to engage in fratricide. As we explore II Chronicles  11-13, we see how Rehoboam and his son, Abijah, get caught up in conflict with the north of Israel – and the impact and loss this inflicts upon all the people. Father John explores questions about how we handle anger and conflict in our lives, and examines the lessons we can learn from the examples of these two kings of […]

Today Father John begins a new sermon series looking at the lives of the “inferior” kings of Israel – those leaders who made serious mistakes and poor decisions that led to the weakening of Israel as a people, and eventually to their exile. It may surprise you how practical the lessons we find here are for our lives today! This sermon starts with II Chronicles 10, the story of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and his decision to listen to bad advise from his younger advisers. It’s a cautionary tale of the negative power of defensiveness in our lives.