Sermons & Articles

There your heart will be also

pastor@popmc.org (John David E. Thacker) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000

We need food and clothing and homes and all the "stuff" of life. But when do we stop owning our possessions and they start "owning" us? Money should serve US, but Jesus warns against the possibility that money can become our master, not our servant. Are we so attached to material possessions that they limit our lives through the fear of losing them or the anxiety caused by debt? Attachment to possessions and wealth can become a form of bondage. Jesus offers the freedom of simplicity and breaks our bondage to "stuff."

"Seek first the Kingdom of God^* and his^* righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"

You have striven with God and with humans

pastor@popmc.org (John David E. Thacker) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:43:44 +0000

Download mp3 | Other audio formatsText: Genesis 32:22-31

God promised Jacob land, descendants and blessings. He also promised that he would keep Jacob safe and bring him back to the land he had fled nearly 20 years ago. Now that promise will be put to the test. Tomorrow morning, Jacob will meet his brother Esau, who had sworn to kill him, prompting Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban. Esau is coming to meet Jacob with 400 men.

And the Lord stood beside him

pastor@popmc.org (John David E. Thacker) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:26:21 +0000

Download mp3 | Other audio formatsText: Genesis 28:10-19

Jacob encounters God in an unexpected place--the middle of nowhere--at an unexpected time--he is a fugitive, sleeping on the ground in his flight from his vengeful brother. Jacob's life was defined by conflict with God and people, especially his family. When he dreams of a stairway to heaven, he witnesses the messengers of God going about their business on earth, and he comes face to face with God. Jacob encounters a God who is actively involved in the lives of humans. He is so impressed that he names the place Bethel, which means "House of God."

God makes to Jacob the same promise God made to Abraham and Isaac. He promises land, descendants, and blessings. He also promises this quarrelsome runaway that he will protect him and bring him back to the land he is fleeing.

What shall your wage be?

pastor@popmc.org (John David E. Thacker) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:22:40 +0000

Download mp3 | Other audio formats Text: Genesis 29:15-28

The storytellers and scribes who preserved and passed on the stories of the Patriarchs faithfully resisted the temptation to portray their ancestors as heroic figures full of virtue and moral perfection. Jacob, Laban, Leah and Rachel are all presented to us as real human beings. They consistently treat one another as objects to be bartered. They deceive one another. They feud incessantly. They are at times spiteful and unloving.

Yet God loves and cares for them. God's faithfulness is not dependent on the faithfulness of humans. In spite of their frailty, Jacob and Leah and Rachel became the parents of the tribes of Israel and can count Jesus of Nazareth as their descendant. And they probably weren't all bad either. At times they were probably kind and loving, faithful and trustworthy. Like us. Sometimes we give freely to the outcast, and sometimes we act selfishly. Sometimes we act with courage and sometimes we look the other way. Sometimes we love one another as brothers and sisters and sometimes we fight like, well, brothers and sisters. The good news is that God loves his disfunctional family. God does not abandon us and look for better children. The spirit of God brings us to wholeness, but perfection is not a prerequisite for love.