1200 South Carbon Street · Marion, Illinois
Faith Development – 9:00 AM * Worship Service – 10:30 AM

Episode (Page 4)

October 16, 2022 – Choose Again – The 19th Sunday After Pentecost

Joshua 24:1-15 [16-26] At the end of the wilderness experience God again reminds the people of Go of their history, of their story, of the narrative of the people of God and God. Joshua then presents the people with an ultimatum. Choose this day whom you will serve – Gods of the land beyond the river, Gods of the people in the…

October 9, 2022 – Start Over – The 18th Sunday After Pentecost

Exodus 19:3-7, 20:1-17 We don’t get a ton of chances to make an actual fresh start in life. As much as we like to think our past doesn’t follow us, our grades, our history, our behavior, it often stays with us, even if it isn’t visible to anyone else. Here, in the wilderness, the people of God get a chance to start…

October 2, 2022 – Keep Still – The 17th Sunday After Pentecost

Exodus 14:5-7, 10-14, 21-29 (30-31?) The sea parts, God’s deliverance We’ve moved forward generations again. We’ve moved from Joseph to Moses, to a Pharoah who did not know Joseph. And yet the people are imprisoned as Joseph was when we left him. Now they are running away, as Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife, and the authority, the Pharoah and the people of…

September 18, 2022 – Not Just You – The 15th Sunday After Pentecost

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…

September 11, 2022 – Not the Whole Story – The 14th Sunday After Pentecost

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…

August 28, 2022 – From the Beginning – 12th Sunday after Pentecost

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…

August 21, 2022 – We’d Rather Not Know – 11th Sunday after Pentecost

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…

August 14, 2022 – Jesus on Jesus – 10th Sunday after Pentecost

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…