Bible Readings for September 19, 2024

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for September 19, 2024: Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Isaiah 30:12–33:12; Galatians 5:1-12; Psalm 63:1-11; and Pr...

Witness, Share and Evangelize: Today in the Mission Yearbook - The limits of forg...

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God and His Rebellious Children: A Study of First and Second Kings (Hezekiah and Manasseh - 2 Kings 18:1–21:26)

As we enter the narrative offered in the books of the Kings, the nation of Israel is at the peak of its power and influence. By the end of the story, the children of God have become a captive people, living far from the land promised to Abraham, conquered by Joshua and ruled by David. Join us as we explore Israel’s decline and fall and God’s relationship with his rebellious children. During this series, we’ll consider the following:

• Session 1 - Solomon Takes Charge (1 Kings 1:1–2:46)
• Session 2 - Solomon the King (1 Kings 3:1–5:18)
• Session 3 - The Temple (1 Kings 6:1–8:66)
• Session 4 - The Glory and the Demise (1 Kings 9:1–11:43)
• Session 5 - A Hostile Divorce (1 Kings 12:1–14:20)
• Session 6 - Kings of Judah and Israel (1 Kings 14:21–16:34)
• Session 7 -  Elijah and the Living God (1 Kings 17:1–19:21)
• Session 8 - The End of Ahab (1 Kings 20:1–22:40)
• Session 9 - Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah and Elisha (1 Kings 22:41–2 Kings 2:25)
• Session 10 - Elisha’s Life and Ministry (2 Kings 3:1–5:27)
• Session 11 - Elisha and the King (2 Kings 6:1–8:29)
• Session 12 - Jehu and Joash (2 Kings 9:1–12:21)
• Session 13 - The Dynasty of Jehu (2 Kings 13:1–15:7)
• Session 14 - The Fall of Israel (2 Kings 15:8–17:41)
• Session 15 - Hezekiah and Manasseh (2 Kings 18:1–21:26)
• Session 16 - The Josianic Reformation (2 Kings 22:1–23:30)
• Session 17 - The End (2 Kings 23:31–25:30)

During our fourteenth session, we discussed King Hezekiah and King Manasseh (2 Kings 18:1–21:26). Below is a recording of our discussion and the passage we discussed. 

2 Kings 18:1–21:26 [New Revised Standard Version]

In the third year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, Hezekiah son of King Ahaz of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the high places, broke down the pillars, and cut down the sacred pole. He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan. He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following him but kept the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; wherever he went, he prospered. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and would not serve him. He attacked the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.

In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria came up against Samaria, besieged it, and at the end of three years, took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of Israel, Samaria was taken. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant—all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. King Hezekiah of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” The king of Assyria demanded of King Hezekiah of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king’s house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts that King Hezekiah of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria.

The king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rab-saris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. When they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder. The Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you base this confidence of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? On whom do you now rely, that you have rebelled against me? See, you are relying now on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. But if you say to me, ‘We rely on the Lord our God,’ is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’? Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the Lord that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.” Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in the Aramaic language, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the people sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?” Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die. Do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered its land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’” But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of the Rabshakeh.

When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.’”

The Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah; for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. When the king heard concerning King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, “See, he has set out to fight against you,” he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus shall you speak to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. See, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered? Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?” Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, you are God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have hurled their gods into the fire, though they were no gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone—and so they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, I pray you, from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”

Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I have heard your prayer to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. This is the word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: She despises you, she scorns you— virgin daughter Zion; she tosses her head—behind your back, daughter Jerusalem. Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon; I felled its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses; I entered its farthest retreat, its densest forest. I dug wells and drank foreign waters, I dried up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.’ Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins, while their inhabitants, shorn of strength, are dismayed and confounded; they have become like plants of the field and like tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown. “But I know your rising and your sitting, your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your arrogance has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will turn you back on the way by which you came. “And this shall be the sign for you: This year you shall eat what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that; then in the third year sow, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. The surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward; for from Jerusalem a remnant shall go out, and from Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, shoot an arrow there, come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege-ramp against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return; he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

That very night the angel of the Lord set out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; when morning dawned, they were all dead bodies. Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left, went home, and lived at Nineveh. As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword, and they escaped into the land of Ararat. His son Esar-haddon succeeded him.

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.” Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord: “Remember now, O Lord, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: “Turn back, and say to Hezekiah prince of my people, Thus says the Lord, the God of your ancestor David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.” Then Isaiah said, “Bring a lump of figs. Let them take it and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover.” Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the Lord on the third day?” Isaiah said, “This is the sign to you from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he has promised: the shadow has now advanced ten intervals; shall it retreat ten intervals?” Hezekiah answered, “It is normal for the shadow to lengthen ten intervals; rather let the shadow retreat ten intervals.” The prophet Isaiah cried to the Lord; and he brought the shadow back the ten intervals, by which the sun had declined on the dial of Ahaz.

At that time King Merodach-baladan son of Baladan of Babylon sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. Hezekiah welcomed them; he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses; there was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? From where did they come to you?” Hezekiah answered, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.” He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: Days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your ancestors have stored up until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. Some of your own sons who are born to you shall be taken away; they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” The rest of the deeds of Hezekiah, all his power, how he made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? Hezekiah slept with his ancestors; and his son Manasseh succeeded him.

Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign; he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the abominable practices of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he erected altars for Baal, made a sacred pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. He built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my name.” He built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. He made his son pass through fire; he practiced soothsaying and augury, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. The carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to his son Solomon, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever; I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land that I gave to their ancestors, if only they will be careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.” But they did not listen; Manasseh misled them to do more evil than the nations had done that the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

The Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because King Manasseh of Judah has committed these abominations, has done things more wicked than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has caused Judah also to sin with his idols; therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I am bringing upon Jerusalem and Judah such evil that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line for Samaria, and the plummet for the house of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will cast off the remnant of my heritage, and give them into the hand of their enemies; they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done what is evil in my sight and have provoked me to anger, since the day their ancestors came out of Egypt, even to this day.” Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides the sin that he caused Judah to sin so that they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, all that he did, and the sin that he committed, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded him.

Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He walked in all the way in which his father walked, served the idols that his father served, and worshiped them; he abandoned the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in the way of the Lord. The servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in his house. But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and the people of the land made his son Josiah king in place of him. Now the rest of the acts of Amon that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Judah? He was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza; then his son Josiah succeeded him.

Bible Readings for September 18, 2024

Study, Learn and Grow: Bible Readings for September 18, 2024: Let's read the Bible together in the next year. Today, our passages are Isaiah 28:14–30:11; Galatians 3:23–4:31; Psalm 62:1-12; and...

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Praising the Lord at Country Springs - Sunday, September 15, 2024

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Board of Deacons sponsors a worship service at the Country Springs Retirement & Assisted Living Facility. We gather for songs, prayers and praise on the first and third Sundays of each month. 

On Sunday, September 15, we gathered to sing some of the old favorites, to pray and to hear the Word of God read and proclaimed. This week, we focused on how we can be the salt for the earth. A recording of the service is below. 

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, September 15, 2024

As a denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has some guiding principles that shape our mission. They’re called The Great Ends of the Church, six statements written in the early 20th century that guide both the vision and work of the Presbyterian Church. And that’s going to be our focus during this series. You see, during the next six weeks, we’ll look at each one, seeking to understand what it means and how we can accomplish it within our community. 

• August 11 - The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity
• August 18 - The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• August 25 - The maintenance of divine worship
• September 1 - The preservation of the truth
• September 8 - The promotion of social righteousness
• September 15 - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

On Sunday, we continued the series by looking at the sixth great end of the church: Below is a recording of the service, a recording of the sermon and a copy of the bulletin. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Sunday's Message: The Great Ends of the Church - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

As a denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has some guiding principles that shape our mission. They’re called The Great Ends of the Church, six statements written in the early 20th century that guide both the vision and work of the Presbyterian Church. And that’s going to be our focus during this series. You see, during the next six weeks, we’ll look at each one, seeking to understand what it means and how we can accomplish it within our community. 

• August 11 - The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity
• August 18 - The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• August 25 - The maintenance of divine worship
• September 1 - The preservation of the truth
• September 8 - The promotion of social righteousness
• September 15 - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

On Sunday, we continued the series by looking at the sixth great end of the church: The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

Well, here we are, about to finish up this series we started a little over a month ago dealing with what the Presbyterian Church (USA) calls The Great Ends of the Church. And over the last five weeks, we’ve talked about the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity and the shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God. We’ve looked at the maintenance of divine worship and the preservation of the truth. And last week, our topic was the promotion of social righteousness. And as I hope y’all recall, for each one, we discussed what it meant and why it’s important and how it might be done. And like I said in the first message, I think this is really something pretty important for us to know, especially since these six ideas have been part of The Book of Order since 1910.

And this morning, we’re going to look at Great End number six: The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world. And I’ll tell you, even though I didn’t plan it this way, I think we got an excellent example of what this exhibition business is all about this past week. Of course, just to be clear, I’m not talking about the debate, something that at times looked more like a skit on Saturday Night Live than a calm and rational discussion of issues so the American electorate might make an informed choice on November 5th. But I will tell you that since Tuesday, Coco Chanel has a whole new appreciation for living in Pennsylvania and not Ohio. No, that embarrassing and often weird exhibition is definitely not the example about which I’m talking. 

Instead, it was what happened the very next day in New York City. You see, as we were remembering 9/11 and all those men and women who died either in the attack itself or trying to rescue others, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance appeared at the same place, at the same time. And they didn’t attack one another or call one another names or act like a bunch of children. Instead, they shook hands in a way that wasn’t awkward and stood together as the prayers were offered and the silence observed. And I’ll tell you, as I was watching, I remembered what it felt like on 9/11 and 9/12 and 9/13, 2001,  you know, when it seemed as though we were ready to put aside all those things that separate individuals from one another and to come together as a people, united by shared values and a common focus. Now that’s what I remember when I was teaching World History in Buckingham County High School back in 2001. And you know, when I saw those four people together, man, I thought that was a wonderful exhibition of the kind of unity that we had twenty-three years ago but we’ve sort of lost over the last two decades. 

And you know, that’s pretty much what we’re going to be talking about this morning. You see, we’re going to tie up this series by focusing on the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world, in other words, the church’s responsibility to demonstrate the rule of God within a world where a whole lot of folks don’t have a clue. And as we’ve done in the past, we’re going to start by spending a little time talking about what the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven actually means. And then we’ll look at why this is something important for the church to do. And then we’ll explore how we might actually do it, both as individuals and a congregation. And hopefully, by the end, we’ll be ready to show what the Kingdom of Heaven, in other words, the rule of God is all about.

But of course, we can’t consider the “how” until we nail down the “what,” what does the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven actually mean? In other words, what does it mean to say that we’re called to be exhibitionists? I mean, what does it mean to take the values inherent and implicit in God’s rule and then to present them to the world around us? What does that mean? Now I think that’s a great question. And in my opinion, I think we can get a pretty good answer by looking at something Jesus said to his disciples early in his ministry. You see, when they were up there on the Mount and as he was teaching them about what they should do and expect, Jesus said this,

You are the salt for everyone on earth. But if salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it make food salty? All it is good for is to be thrown out and walked on.

You are the light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one lights a lamp and puts it under a clay pot. Instead, it is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:13-16, CEV]

Now that’s what he said.

And I think this really points to what exhibiting the Kingdom of Heaven actually means. You see, as Jesus reminds us, God has given us both an ability and an opportunity. I mean, think about it; he’s made us the salt for the earth and the light for the world, and as such we have the ability and opportunity to do something we’d never be able to do on our own. For example, as salt, we can actually change the world around us by challenging folks to take a look at what they value and by encouraging them to reconsider all those things and people they’ve decided to trust. This we can do because we’re like salt for the earth. But that’s not all we are; we’re also light. And because we’re light, light for the whole world, man, we can do the same sort of thing Jesus did when he entered our time and space and cut through our own darkness. You see, we can help people confront all the stuff they’d prefer to keep hidden while at the same time, we can show through our own example that the light isn’t anything to fear. As a matter of fact, it offers warmth when the world feels cold and comfort when life seems harsh and direction when choices are difficult. You see, we are the salt for the earth and we are the light for the world. And when we take God’s truth out into our families and communities, for me, that’s what it means to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven.

And why is this important? Why is it important for us to be salt and light? I mean, why is it important for us to challenge and to encourage as well as to help and to show? Why is this important for us to do? Well, for me, I think it really comes down to a conversation Jesus had with some teachers of the Law. I mean, just listen to what Mark wrote:

One of the teachers of the Law of Moses came up while Jesus and the Sadducees were arguing. When he heard Jesus give a good answer, he asked him, “What is the most important commandment?”

Jesus answered, “The most important one says: ‘People of Israel, you have only one Lord and God. You must love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.’ The second most important commandment says: ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’ No other commandment is more important than these.”

The man replied, “Teacher, you are certainly right to say there is only one God. It is also true that we must love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and that we must love others as much as we love ourselves. These commandments are more important than all the sacrifices and offerings that we could possibly make.”

When Jesus saw that the man had given a sensible answer, he told him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” After this, no one dared ask Jesus any more questions. [Mark 12:28-34, CEV]

Now that’s what Mark wrote. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s also why it’s so important for us to show the world around us what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. You see, on one hand, I think it certainly shows our love for God. I mean, when we decide that we’re going to step out and be the kind of people God has called and created us to be, namely salt and light, we’re certainly showing our dedication to God, showing him that he really is at the center of our focus and that we’re willing to offer him everything we have, and I’m talking about our hearts and souls and minds and strength, to do what he’s called us to do and to be what he created us to become. On one hand, I think we show our love for God by exhibiting his Kingdom. But on the other hand, I also believe that, when we’re doing this, we’re also showing our love for others. I mean, by living as salt for the earth and light for the world, we may be bringing something new and different into the lives of folks with whom we’re close as well as those men and women we’ve never met. My gosh, we’re offering them a new source of truth they may never have heard and a new source of confidence they may never have appreciated and a new source of unconditional love and undeserved grace they may never have felt. You see, we’re offering them the opportunity to trust that, by his action, they’ve been made the children of God. And I’ll tell you, if that doesn’t show love for others, I don’t know what does. And so along with giving us the chance to show our love and devotion to God, for me, that’s why exhibiting God’s Kingdom is important. 

Which leaves us with how; how might we do it? In other words, how might we live as the salt for the earth and the light for the world? And how might we, right here and right now, demonstrate our love for both God and others? I mean, how might we take those values and principles inherent and implicit in God’s rule and then present them to the world around us? How can we do it? Now, for me, that’s a pretty important question. And as to the answer, well, I think we can get a lot of insight from what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians. You see, as he was showing them how they could live as recipients of undeserved grace, he wrote this:

If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.

People’s desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God’s kingdom.

God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. But don’t be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are. [Galatians 5:16-26, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote to the Galatians.

And even though, for me, it really sounds pretty complicated, when you cut through all the words, I think the actual lesson is really simple. You see, in my opinion, he was telling them and us to do two things, you know, if we’re serious about being salt and light and showing love to God and neighbor. I mean, first, we’re going to have to make the conscious and intentional decision to stop looking back, to stop looking back to the good old days when our value as a person was based on what we had and when it was perfectly alright for us to do whatever it took to get what we wanted, in other words, to stop looking back to that time when all we cared about was self and our desires, because that attitude, that perspective led to a selfish, conceited arrogance that was just about as far from the rule of God as you could get. If we want to exhibit the Kingdom of Heaven, first, we’ve got to stop looking back. And I’ll tell you, that just makes sense, because to do what we’ve been called and created to do, second, we must move forward. We must move forward as men and women guided by the Holy Spirit rather than our own selfish desires. And we must move forward as brothers and sisters who are working together to cultivate in one another those qualities that the Spirit has already planted in our lives, because, as Paul wrote, “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled.” [Galatians 5:22-23a, CEV] You see, we’ve got to be willing to leave the past behind so that, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can move forward. And if we’re dedicated to exhibiting the Kingdom of God to the world around us, that’s exactly how we can do it.

And I’ll tell you, I think we can believe this is possible because of something I saw this past week. But like I said, it sure wasn’t the debate. Good night nurse, that just reminded me of how  our country is really divided, and how far we’ve fallen. My gosh, since the rules of civility have sort of broken down and the nature of truth is a lot more, let’s just say, flexible, people can now get away with saying just about anything they want without worrying about showing respect or even making sense. That seems to be where we are, God help us. But then, every now-and-then, well, we can see some sign that we can do better, sort of like what I saw on Wednesday, when those four rivals seemed to demonstrate that something Abraham Lincoln said in his first inaugural address in 1861 as he was looking at the coming Civil War is also true in 2024. He said,

The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely, they will be, by the better angels of our nature. [Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861]

I’ll tell you, I think Joe and Kamala and Donald and J.D. must have been touched by the better angels of their natures, because they exhibited a spirit of unity during that 9/11 service that I hadn’t seen in twenty-three years. Of course, sadly, we were back to normal the next day.

But as Christians, that doesn’t have to apply to us. You see, we can accept that we’ve been called and created to be the salt for the earth and the light for the world. And we can recognize that, in this way, we’re able to show our love for God and for others. And right here and now, we can decide to do it by not looking back so that we can move forward. And I’ll tell you, if we do, I think we’ll be taking seriously the last great end of the church, and I’m talking about the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world.

Bible Readings for September 17, 2024

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Prayer Requests to be shared during Sunday’s service

On Sunday, September 15, Sligo Presbyterian Church will lift to God the following needs:

• Amy 
• Arnold Bowser
• Barbara Yarchuk
• Betty Milanovich
• Betty Phillips
• Betty Terwint
• Bill Wingard
• Bob Shook 
• Bob Varner
• Bus Clark
• Butch, Betsy's brother
• Butch, Cass's brother
• Charles Truitt
• Chris Sibert
• Corbin
• Dan Kemp
• David Glatt
• Denny Myers
• Duane Quinn
• Eddy Connor
• Elaine Shadiow
• Erik
• Francis Maines
• Gabe
• Jane
• Jason
• Jeb Rapp
• Jerry Shook
• Jim Mahle
• Jim Mason
• Joann Klamer
• Joanne Over
• Joe Amato
• Justi Smith
• Lana Todd
• Landon & Ezra
• Levi Jack
• Lori Myers
• Margie Henry
• Mary Lou McCormack
• Mason Martin
• Matt
• Michael Curran
• Nick Shoup
• Patty Divins
• Patty Selle
• Rick Shadiow
• Robb Summerville
• Roberta Fetterman
• Ron & Shelly Haines
• Ron Lerch
• Rose
• Rowan Pinson
• Ryan Cornecki & Family
• Tadd French
• Van Watkins
• Velma Stewart
• Wes Summerville
• Zach Schieberl

The Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, September 15, 2024

As a denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has some guiding principles that shape our mission. They’re called The Great Ends of the Church, six statements written in the early 20th century that guide both the vision and work of the Presbyterian Church. And that’s going to be our focus during this series. You see, during the next six weeks, we’ll look at each one, seeking to understand what it means and how we can accomplish it within our community. 

• August 11 - The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humanity
• August 18 - The shelter, nurture and spiritual fellowship of the children of God
• August 25 - The maintenance of divine worship
• September 1 - The preservation of the truth
• September 8 - The promotion of social righteousness
• September 15 - The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world

On Sunday, we’ll continue the series by looking at the sixth great end of the church: the exhibition of the kingdom of heaven to the world. Below is the bulletin for the service. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.