Worship at First Presbyterian Church of Marion, Illinois

Genesis 39:1-23 Joseph in Prison We’ve jumped forward several (4) generations by the time we get to this story. Joseph is down In Egypt, sold by his brothers to his cousins, and then sold to Potiphar. And things seem to be turning around for Joseph. He gains respect and responsibility in the household, becoming the overseer of the house. It seems like…

Genesis 12:1-9 Call of Abraham This seems like a one on one conversation. It seems like this is just God and Abram plotting together, striking a deal and going forth. We talk about the covenant of God with Abram (or Abraham). We talk about this God being the God of Abraham, and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam being Abrahamic religions. And then verse…

Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 Noah, flood, rainbow This story is in all the children’s Bibles. We can buy carved Noah’s arks at the wood market in Lilongwe, Malawi. It is easily portrayed in art, and everyone I know gleefully smiles and points when they see a rainbow. However, this is not really a children’s story.  God sees wickedness on the earth, and…

Genesis 5:1-32 Lineage How did we get here? That’s often a question in the church, in society, in our personal lives. It is a plot line feature in TV, movies, and books. The backstory sets the stage for the next chapter of the story. This backstory comes in following the narrative of Adam and Eve’s family and children, and then serves to…

John 15:12- 17, 26-27 ,21:20-25 John’s gospel starts talking about the beginning, going into the Word and light, and then  John the Baptist. Jesus tells the disciples that they are to testify to him, because they have been with him from the beginning. Jesus wants us to love one another – that is to be our testimony – as he has loved…

John 15:26 -16:18 Confusion about the days after Christ Jesus is looking ahead and the disciples aren’t up to where he was, let alone where he’s going. Jesus points to the future, when he will not be present, but the Advocate (Spirit) will be. This looking ahead, this preparation, is intended to comfort the disciples, yet it doesn’t. If anything, it makes…

John 5:19-46 Very Truly We have heard from Jesus about Jesus in the “I am statements” over the past few weeks. This passage comes before those statements, and right after Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. This passage starts by Jesus connecting himself to the Father. There is love, there is life, there is judgment, there is honor, and there is…

John 11:14-27, Mark 12:18-27

Exodus 3:1-14, John 14:1-14

Benjamin and Tricia share with us about the last year’s uncertainty and how they are adapting and living, growing in trusting in God on short notice.