Article 7

A Persian king decrees that the way home is open to the exiles. Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the High Priest go with the first group, and the foundation for the Temple is laid so that the house of God may be rebuilt. At an assembly of celebration, there were shouts of praise, but also tears of sorrow among those who remembered what was lost.  Enter the prophets Haggai and Zechariah who help keep the people focused on the rebuilding, and Haggai has a message particular who remember the glory days: God will again appear in the Temple. This connects us to the larger story of our salvation when God will indeed suddenly appear. 

Daniel is among the exiles in Babylon who were chosen as advisers to the king. Like his ancestor, Joseph, he stands out for the wisdom and insight God gives to him. Through Daniel and three of his fellow exiles, the kings who sit on the throne in Babylon come to understand who is real ruler who has given them their authority. God’s power is shown time and time again until the day appointed for the exile approaches and the kingdom changes hands. Daniel shows the king the writing on the wall. Through Daniel, we also may come to know and trust the God who rules over all. At the end of the podcast, stay tuned for bonus music from "Created to Worship" (C2W), the instrumental "Just A Closer Walk with Thee".   

“By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion” – Psalm 139:1 “Son of man, can these bones live?” – Ezekiel 37:3 In chapter 17 of “The Story”, the scenes shift between the prophet Jeremiah who bears witness to the last days of Jerusalem from within the city walls, and the prophet Ezekiel who is among the exiles in Babylon. Both prophets faithfully rebuke the sins of the people that brought these events about, but they also give the people hope. Ezekiel is taken to a desolate valley where bones are the only thing left of the human lives that once animated them. Can these bones live? God sends a powerful message to His people of life and hope even in the midst of death and devastation.

The Eighth Century B.C. closes with the destruction of the northern tribes at the hands of the Assyrians. The southern tribes need faithful leadership and a clear Word from God to avoid the same destruction.  Who will God send? Enter one of the greatest of the writing prophets, whose message of power and comfort to the people of Judah gave them hope for a future. And the Word that Isaiah saw is not just for that immediate future because God gives the prophet foresight to the time when God Himself will enter “The Story.”

The northern tribes have turned away from The Lord, led by a series of kings who “did evil” and aroused God’s anger. God raises two messengers, Elijah and Elisha. Through the ministry of these two prophets, God wants to turn the hearts of His people back to Him. Elijah is first, and after his time is through, he is succeeded by Elisha, who asks for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit. That happens when Elisha sees a “chariot of fire and horses of fire” as they bear his mentor away. Those chariots of fire appear again, when Elisha prays for the eyes of his servant to be opened so that servant can see how God was active and working to guide His people. Can Elisha show us how God is at work in this world, opening our eyes and revealing His presence to us?

We have read about prophets in the previous chapters of “The Story,” but going forward, they begin to play a far more central role.  When the nation of Abraham’s ancestors splits in two, the northern tribes are led into idolatry by their king. God answers by sending someone “by the Word of the Lord.” Will the Word bring people back to faith or will they drift further away from God? After the sermon, keep listening for a musical bonus from Created 2 Worship playing "Poor, Wayfaring Stranger". 

“The Lord appeared to Solomon.”  That phrase is repeated a few times through chapter 13 of "The Story". God appears to give Solomon wisdom, and then the glory of the Lord appears when the Temple in Jerusalem is dedicated. And then there is one last time as God speaks after Solomon “turns his heart” away from The Lord.  As we prepare to celebrate the revealing of God’s glory in Jesus through the festival of Epiphany, we’ll look at the life of Solomon and see how wisdom and worship point our hearts to see God’s glory in our lives.   There is also an Epiphany musical bonus in this podcast! The Bethany Singers present a nice arrangement of "O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright". 

In chapter 12 of “The Story” a king covets, and that leads to adultery and murder. Is this still the an that is after God’s own heart? Or will God turn away from David like He did King Saul? In this chapter, we discover one of the greatest gifts that we receive from God: FORGIVENESS.

God finds a new king by looking into the heart of the youngest son of Jesse, who was tending the sheep when God sent Samuel to anoint the one God would choose. This is the story of the first kings of Israel and it foreshadows God’s great plan of salvation. Last week, we read about a king who turned his heart away from God. This week, we see that God’s intention for His people is to have a king with the heart of a shepherd.

“Give us a king.” the people say. This points the way to the time when God would send the ultimate King to save His people once and for all.  It begins well with the new king able to assemble the whole nation to repel their enemies. Like some servants before, God calls the person from the smallest and least to do His will. But once this person is given the power and authority, will humble service be his story, or will insecurity and greed get the better of him? Can we learn something for our lives about God’s definition of power?

The story of Ruth is both simple and complicated at the same time. It is a simple story about a bond of love that brought a foreign woman into the tribe of Judah. But it is also covers some complicated points of the covenant law during a time when fidelity to God was hard to find. But through one family’s faithfulness, we get a great foreshadowing of God’s great plan of salvation as Ruth and Naomi find a redeemer who will save them from poverty even as their future descendant will redeem us from our sin. 

Samson’s last words make for a fitting title to this week’s chapter of “The Story”. In this chapter, the people of Israel time and time again forget the covenant God had made with them so that they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy people. Foreign powers invade and only then do to the tribes remember that they have sinned and need God’s help. God remembers His mercy and remembers His covenant and remembers His promises even when the people forget time and time again. What comfort do we have today because God remembers us?

As a promise passed on through centuries, the land that God showed to Abraham is now before the tribes of Israel. After the previous generation dies in the wilderness and Moses says his final words, it is time for Joshua and the Israelites to inherit that land. As they enter, God repeats His promises to Joshua, saying “I will never leave you or forsake you.” God is faithful and keeps every promise, going before Joshua’s armies and giving them the victory. The promises and victory that guide this journey lead us to know better the ultimate battle that was fought for our salvation. How can knowing that victory help us against spiritual enemies, today? What promises of God can we cling to? There is a musical bonus after the sermon from Bethany's Created 2 Worship group as they sing the spiritual, "Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho." 

We begin on Mt. Sinai where God thunders on the mountain and the people shrink back in fear. No one can approach God’s terrible power and the radiance of His glory, except for Moses, who was chosen to receive the words God sends to His people. But on the mountain God calls His people a “kingdom of priests” and a “holy nation” and gives instructions to Moses to build a structure where, God says, “I will dwell among them.” However, it does not take long for the people to turn away from God’s ways. But following this story again sets up a pattern of sin, forgiveness and worship that is still part of the fabric of our story, today. In this podcast, you will hear the sermon preached on Reformation Sunday at Bethany Lutheran in Alexandria, Virginia. As a musical bonus, you will also hear "One Faith, One Hope, One Lord" by Courtney offered by the Bethany Singers and Brass.   

After Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you would expect the rest of “The Story” to unfold in the land God promised to them and their descendants. But, in chapter three, we go from Caanan to Egypt and the road there is filled with a series of misfortunes for Jacob’s son, Joseph. But because God’s hand is in all of Joseph’s life, there can be a reconciliation at the end of this chapter that foreshadows how God will bring all people into His family. 

Abraham and Sarah journey from their home to the place that God promises to them and to their descendants. It is a journey of faith, both because of the physical travel involved, and also because of the way God keeps them on the right spiritual path. Many centuries later, the Apostle Paul writes, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations.” How can you be against all hope and also in hope? Abraham, Sarah and later Isaac learn that this is a God thing. And when a child is born, Abraham and Isaac foreshadow how God is going to save His people through the nation built by Abraham’s descendants. God will provide the sacrifice!  

At Bethany's Rally Day service for 2019, we introduced "The Story" - a program to read through the Bible. In the book of Genesis, we see the phrase "these are the generations" repeated. This connects well to our dedication to read and pass on God's Word so that "One generation" can "commend your works to another, and ...declare your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:4)

“Who are you people?” God’s people were meant to be a nation built on love toward God and one another. Kindness and mercy  was built into the fabric of their lives by the covenant God gave through Moses. But through the centuries, sinful greed and selfishness permeated the nation. The society that Amos of Tekoa was sent to preach to was apparently nothing like what it should be. Amos promises that a day of judgment is coming for those who allow injustice to prosper in the nation of Israel.   Being a consecrated steward means not only being generous toward God, but having an open and giving heart toward the people around us. After all, what we do to the least of these, we do also to the Lord and the King is coming for an account (Matthew 25:40). God’s Kingdom is coming, but it is also here and now wherever there is mercy and grace. Our giving supports this kingdom building so that it can continue from one generation to the next until the King comes back.

In the second of three "Kingdom Talks", I preach about “Kingdom Glory” based on 1 Timothy 1:12-17. God has acted in Paul’s life, so as he writes to his former travel partner, he expresses with joy how God has given him strength and has given so much grace that it has overflowed into his life. That leads to an expression of praise, similar to when David expressed his joy at the offerings people gave to build the first Temple in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 29:11). Our giving is also in response to the great strength and overflowing grace God gives to us!

Church budgets are based on faith and the work of the Holy Spirit as much as they are on math and organizational objectives. That adds a certain supernatural element to church budgeting that drives most pastors and volunteers absolutely nuts while God and His angels (I’m sure) smile at us. In Luke 14:28 Jesus says to the great crowds who are following him that they must “count the cost.” Now here, I don’t think this is divine instruction for how to do a church budget. This is addressing something we do before we do any church budgeting or any work for the Lord. This cost has to do with our heart and our dedication to God as we work in His Kingdom.