Today we continue our worship series titled, “What Is God Like?” It’s inspired by the children’s book of the same title, written by Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner. Today we are reminded that God is like an artist, creative and unpredictable, always busy making and remaking everything brilliant and new.

Our new worship series, What Is God Like? challenges us to think about how we’ve come to understand God. This week, we will explore the ways that God is Like a River, with special guest preacher, Rev. Dr. David J. Tennant. Sunday's scripture is Psalm 1:1-3

"God is like a river, constant and life giving. When you grow near God, you'll sprout up strong as a tree."

In today's scripture, we learn that God is the creator of everything we see and know. God gives us everything we have, down to our life’s breath. God created everything from nothing, ordering everything, and enabling us to seek after God and find God. It is in God that we live and move and have our being. God is our Parent; we are God’s offspring. God is like these things and many, many more, because all throughout our holy scriptures we see descriptions and stories of who God is.

Kids have fantastic imaginations. They look at a room and they don’t just see a few pillows and blankets tossed on the floor. They see boulders and pillars they can use to help them get across the bubbling lava floor. They can look at the same world we see and rather than dwell on the hurt and anguish, they are open to the awe and wonder of the world God has gifted us with. Our challenge is to learn from our children, and open our imagination to the ways God is changing the world right now.

When Peter and Cornelius meet in response to their visions, they help build a bridge to a changed future—one where vastly different people become family through the transforming love of Jesus.

God’s Holy Spirit seeks to connect—not separate.

Many of us lament as we look to the world around us—we see the fear, hatred, anger, and abuse of each other and the natural world, and we think, “When will it end?” But what we forget is, “we are the ones we’re waiting for.” As followers of Jesus, we are called to ask the hard questions, work together to solve problems, care for all people, reach across differences, and imagine—and work towards—a new world.

Today we’re continuing with our series, Changemakers. This series goes along with our vacation bible school theme for this year, which is called “Changemakers Lab.” At VBS, the kids are going to spend a week learning that everyone can make a difference in the world! They’ll hear bible stories that explore examples of people who experienced and brought about change in the world around them.

And this is something that as adults, we need to remember: we can make a difference in the world!

Rev. Gregory Kendrick, Jr. reminds us that change makers take initiative; change makers are inquisitive; and change makers ask questions.

Today we conclude our three-week series titled Abide. We have been looking at the analogy Jesus uses in the Gospel of John of the vine and branches. This analogy puts into simple terms how we are to live—by abiding in God: resting in God, trusting in the Lord, and sustained by the Spirit.

A day of rest each week is one of the ten commandments. Do we sometimes think it's optional? Why does God ask us to set a day aside?