it is all-star week

With all apologies to fans of the Psalter, my usual tendency is to gloss over them in my study for preaching. This week I'll do it too as the four lessons available elsewhere are just so good.

The Genesis lesson with Joseph's brothers scheming to get rid of their brother culminating in one of the most weighted sentences in all of Scripture, "And they took Joseph to Egypt."

The lesson from 1st Kings as Elijah hides from the enemies of God, and God having none of it commissions him for a great (and bloody) ministry. The imagery here is beautiful, "Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence."

The great evangelistic lesson in Paul's letter to the Romans carries a lot of excess baggage down here in the Bible Belt, but with some good exegetical study and an open heart even polite Episcopalians can wrap their minds around, "But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?"

Finally, there is a ton, A TON of ways to preach Matthew's account of Jesus, and Peter (for a short time) walking on water. In our case it is all about stepping out in faith, leaving our comfort zone, and giving it all over to God. It is about and active faith that means sleeping on an uncomfortable cot somewhere in our education building or being open to Foley's youngest and neediest residents just by showing up in their classrooms once a week or helping to re-form a men's group when you've only been coming for a few months.

So much good stuff this week. Where to focus? Hmmm, lots to do.