Sunday, June 21 was Father’s day. Throughout the week I reflected on God’s grace to me by allowing me to be a dad to my kids. Undoubtedly my sermon preparation through the week was informed by the context of the day on which I would preach. When I set up my summer preaching series “A Day in the Life”, where we focused on particular days in the life of Old Testament characters, I did not know that this particular text in 1 Samuel would fall on Father’s day. I’m glad it did.
This passage (1 Samuel 7:3-14) is about the people of God setting their hearts right with God through worship together. When they came under attack God “thundered” against their attackers with a “great thunder.” God won a victory that day. Samuel recognized God’s victory and set up a monument to point to God’s help and mercy calling it “Ebenezer”, which literally means “stone of help.” This sermon was a call to recognize ebenezers in our own lives. I was hoping to encourage people to tell their stories of God’s help in the midst of their own difficult circumstances, not allowing God’s work to be reduced to human achievement. The story of my son Eben is one such story in my own life.
At the end of this sermon I brought up the stone that was rolled way from Christ’s tomb as God’s greatest ebenezer. That stone that was rolled away is a monument to Christ’s victory over sin and death. If your life lacks an ebenezer, start with that one.
Pastor Scott
Click here to hear the sermon
This passage (1 Samuel 7:3-14) is about the people of God setting their hearts right with God through worship together. When they came under attack God “thundered” against their attackers with a “great thunder.” God won a victory that day. Samuel recognized God’s victory and set up a monument to point to God’s help and mercy calling it “Ebenezer”, which literally means “stone of help.” This sermon was a call to recognize ebenezers in our own lives. I was hoping to encourage people to tell their stories of God’s help in the midst of their own difficult circumstances, not allowing God’s work to be reduced to human achievement. The story of my son Eben is one such story in my own life.
At the end of this sermon I brought up the stone that was rolled way from Christ’s tomb as God’s greatest ebenezer. That stone that was rolled away is a monument to Christ’s victory over sin and death. If your life lacks an ebenezer, start with that one.
Pastor Scott
Click here to hear the sermon
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