Worship at First Presbyterian Church of Marion, Illinois

Genesis 37:3-8, 17b-22, 26-34; 50:15-21 Biblical stories are funny things. We make heroes and we make villains. Some characters get lots of air time, and some get none. We know some stories, and we have no idea about other stories. Joseph gets a lot of air time. He’s really the connection between the line of Abraham and the story of Moses. Often…

Genesis 15:1-6 We find Abram in the middle of things. Abram has already believed God. By the time we get here, he has heard God’s promises, We should be familiar with the middle of the things. Abram has moved from Ur to Canaan, from Canaan to Egypt, and has come back out of Egypt. He…

Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-17; 3:1-8 This is the second creation story related in Genesis. We don’t read the whole thing here, but we do get most of the action. We need to unpack the baggage we have in this passage, and do some work with what’s actually in the text, not what was in our children’s story Bibles once upon a time, or…

Week 6 – The People of God in a Strange LandRevelation 21:1-8 New heaven and new earthRevelation 21:9-22:7 The new Jerusalem The end times are fascinating. All too often we get caught up in the counting and the descriptions. The animals, the scrolls, the lampstands, the bowls, the gates, the measurements of the city, the types of foundation, the layout, and the…

Week 5 – The People of God in a Strange LandActs 8:9-24 Conversion of Simon MagusActs 8:26-40 Conversion of the Ethiopian Eunuch As we’ve noted many times before, the people of God spend a lot of time waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. They don’t always wait patiently, and they often wait with desperation. In the waiting, they reach out for…

Week 1 – The People of God in a Strange LandMatthew 2:13-23 Flight to EgyptMark 6:1-16 Jesus not respected in Nazareth By the time we arrive in Matthew and Mark, the people of God havebeen awaiting the Messiah for a long time. Of course, they aren’t the onlypeople on the face of the earth. So when a Messiah shows up, and isspoken…

We hear how the 121st Psalm has gotten one of our mission co-workers, Jonathan Seitz, and his family through COVID as they live, move, and have their being in Taiwan.

A music Sunday

A Sunday with the Psalter.

Week 3 – The People of God in a Strange LandMicah 3:1-12 Destruction of JerusalemMicah 4:1-5 The New Jerusalem Micah manages to present two images of Jerusalem in these texts, the old Jerusalem, and the new Jerusalem. The old Jerusalem has issues. Micah and God use a series of contrasting and conflicting images to present a city and it’s inhabitants who think…