If you look closely, you’ll notice that I missed my sermon post last Sunday. That’s because my congregation was joining with the local Methodist and Presbyterian churches for our second annual “Faith in Action” Day. The first time around, we actually ‘canceled’ our worship services to worship through service in the community. This year, we did our community ministry on Saturday and then shared worship together on Sunday for World Communion Sunday. Either way, it was a great opportunity to celebrate our Christian unity and to make a difference for Christ in our small town.
With “Faith in Action” Day behind us, my congregation and I started a new sermon series this Sunday, this one focusing on the theme: Where Is God When It Hurts? This is a particularly timely topic for us right now. Begin a small church, we’ve had what feels like more than our fair share of difficult illnesses and injuries as of late. But–as I say in this message–I hope that the next several weeks can give us some biblical perspective on ‘the problem of pain,’ even if they can’t answer all our questions.
This week’s message invited hearers to put the whole issue in a larger context by considering The Up-Side of Suffering
