By John Goodale
First Pres Family, Our preaching team is so excited to share God’s word with you this summer. This preaching guide helps prepare you for our summer journey together through Scripture. It begins with a description of our new series, “Ancient Truths For A New Day,” and how it relates to this season in our church life. Junior McGarrahan shares wisdom on how to listen to a sermon, then the members of our preaching team share their passion for preaching God’s Word. We can’t wait to take this journey with you! Warmly in Christ,
Jennifer Holz Senior Executive Associate Pastor
2 | www.first-pres.org 5/14
Changes in leadership. Feelings of loss. A time of transition. Uncertainty about the future. Yes, the descriptions above could easily apply to our church at this time. However, they also describe the experience of God’s people at the outset of I Samuel. For this reason, our First Pres pastoral team is planning to preach through I and II Samuel in the months ahead. Our sermon series is, “Ancient Truths for a New Day.” Samuel’s stories are certainly among the best known in the Old Testament. There is God’s call of Samuel as prophet, Saul as king, then David anointed. David and Goliath. David and Bathsheba. But of even greater importance for us are the lessons we can learn from these stories during this season for our congregation. As I Samuel begins, Israel was at a different place than at any other time in its history. Its previous leadership succession of Moses, Joshua and the judges had ended. Threats and attacks from the Philistines around them created anxiety and uncertainty. The Israelites clearly faced a season of rediscovering who they were as God’s people — and learning more about the God whom they followed. By the time II Samuel draws to a close, we’ve seen numerous examples of God’s faithfulness and provision in caring for His people through their changing times. As we observe how people in Samuel’s time sought to live out their faith, we encounter numerous lessons for our current circumstances. For example:
The Israelites clearly faced a season of rediscovering who they were as God’s people— and learning more about the God whom they followed. Hannah’s prayer in chapter one is an example of what it means to be prayerful people today. God’s call to the child Samuel in chapter three points to the importance of quieting ourselves enough to recognize His still, small voice in leading us. Israel’s insistence in chapter five that its leadership look a certain way reminds us of our need to trust God for the process — and His timing — of what lies before us. Saul’s surprise at being the first king in chapters nine and 10 illustrates how God so often sees more of us than we can see about ourselves. The reference to David in chapter 13 as a man after God’s own heart offers a description of something we can aspire to, both as individuals and as a church.
David’s confidence in God when facing Goliath in chapter 17 can help shape our own confidence in our Lord in the months ahead. David’s refusal to take matters into his own hands in chapters 24 and 26 encourages us to avoid doing that ourselves, motivated by a desire to quickly “get things back to normal.” David finding strength in his God in chapter 30 when his world had been turned upside down provides an inspiring example for us when in challenging times. David FINALLY becoming king in the early chapters of II Samuel — and how his patience in waiting decades to experience what God had anointed him for can say to us about our own need for patience and trust in God’s timing. David’s acknowledgment of sin in his life in chapter 12 and the importance of us humbly doing the same, so we’ll position ourselves as individuals and as a congregation to be undeserving recipients of God’s grace. Your pastoral team is excited to preach this series, and we hope you’ll be equally excited in joining us! Not only will we mine God’s truth from these two books of the Bible, we’ll receive instruction from our Lord for how to faithfully follow Him through this season before us. John Goodale is the Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries.
5/14 | www.first-pres.org | 3
How to listen to a sermon By Eunice McGarrahan
I
am a preacher’s kid. I grew up watching my father write sermons and I listened to his sermons intently. No, really, I did. And now one of my treasured legacies from my dad is the memory of his pulpit, in which he permanently tacked a card saying, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Now I am a preacher, thankful for the influence of my father. I, too, want the congregation to “see Jesus” as the Word is being proclaimed. To that end, like most every pastor I know, I spend a great deal of time in study, thinking and writing in order to prepare to preach. When it comes to preaching there is no lack of instruction for the preacher. What is in short supply, however, are resources that prepare a worshiper to hear a sermon. It’s easy to assume that listening to a sermon is perhaps like listening to a lecture. But what if a sermon is something more than a lecture? How, then, do we listen to a sermon? First of all, we need to understand what preaching is. In our Reformed tradition, we have a startling view of the sermon: preaching the Word of God is the Word of God.1 This is not saying that a sermon is on a par with Scripture, but it is saying that when the Word of God is preached, it is the Word of God, not a human word or mere opinion. Let’s unpack that a bit. On the face of it, preaching is an almost impossible task. When pastors get up to preach, they are speaking to perhaps hundreds of people, each of whom is hungry to connect with God. How can preachers meet the very personal and unique needs of all? The simple, and only, answer is the preacher cannot. The situation is further complicated by the fact that the listeners may think they know what they need, but as both Jeremiah2 and Jesus3 tell us, we are incapable of knowing what we need. Only God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can enable us
4 | www.first-pres.org 5/14
to understand our own hearts and to hear His Word. In fact, the Holy Spirit’s work in the listener’s heart is not limited to what the preacher says. It is not uncommon for someone to tell her pastor after a sermon, “You spoke right to me today when you said such and such.” The preacher never uttered such and such, but the Holy Spirit took the words that were spoken and transformed them for the hearer’s spiritual benefit.
Only God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, can enable us to understand our own hearts and to hear His Word. But that doesn’t mean that we are passive recipients in this process. We know that the Berean church (Acts 17:11) was commended because it engaged its preacher and the Word. The result was growth. Are there things we can do as listeners that will prepare us to hear a sermon? Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, says that worshippers need to come with a soul that is prepared, a mind that is alert, a Bible that is open, a heart that is receptive and a life ready to spring into action.4 Ryken’s list describes the attitudes for
listening. There are some actions that we can take in order to nurture those attitudes: (1) pray for the preacher, pray for yourself and all who will hear during the course of the week; (2) find the Biblical text for the sermon on the Website and read it meditatively each day; (3) arrive in worship early, if possible, and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through all the elements of the service, but especially in the sermon; and (4) in the paraphrased words of that Great Awakening preacher, George Whitefield, “Don’t think more or less of the preacher than you ought.” We should all be praying to see Jesus. In the British documentary How Long is a Piece of String? a mathematician explains that a nine-inch string is made up of many strands with similar edges which have length themselves and that repeat infinitely.5 The string is actually immeasurable. He tells the person with the string, “You’ve been carrying infinity in your pocket and you didn’t know it.” What does this have to do with listening to a sermon? Scripture speaks to us in our personal reading, but also in our sustained listening. One sermon or one sermon series may impact our lives, but the Word is like that infinite string, touching us in fresh ways all the time. We encounter the eternal God each week in His word and sometimes we don’t know it. So, let’s listen. Eunice McGarrahan is the Lead Parish Associate at First Pres. The Book of Confessions, Second Helvetic Confession, 5.004 2 Jeremiah 19: 9-10 3 John 16: 8-15 4 www.reformation21.org/articles/how-to-listen-to-asermon.php, accessed April 20, 2013 5 Fractal theory 1
5/14 | www.first-pres.org | 5
Why I love to preach I love the time spent in preparation for preaching, immersing oneself into a Biblical text, and seeing the world around me — movies, conversations, books, current events — through the lens of the Scripture passage, then asking God what are you saying to me? What are you saying to us? One of my favorite places to work on a sermon is my car as I drive. It has been a sacred space to ponder and pray and even practice my sermon — the people next to me at the stoplight probably think I am crazy! It is a humbling privilege and an honor to preach the Word of God. Katie Dayton, Associate Pastor for Missional Strategies II Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture is Godbreathed! The Word of God is living and active! It is deeply humbling to be allowed the privilege of preaching God’s Word. Only in listening for God’s voice, through His Holy Spirit, and asking Him to glorify Himself through our worship does it seem even possible. The prayer of my heart for preaching is well-captured in the old hymn, “Lord, speak to me, that I may speak in living echoes of your tone.” Preaching the Good News of Jesus, founded on deep immersion into His Word, is the most exciting privilege I can imagine! Jim DeJarnette, Minister of Music
6 | www.first-pres.org 5/14
Preaching is a humbling honor, to present the message of God to the people of God for the glory of God. It is equally frightening and thrilling. I once told my congregation that it is my role to point you to the Lord and get out of the way. Rick Funk, Parish Associate Preaching is always a sacred faith journey for me; God leads me from no initial thoughts about a text to gradually understanding what He wants to say to His people. May we never take for granted His faithfulness and desire to speak to us as a congregation; that He does this every week regardless of who is preaching! John Goodale, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries I consider it a true privilege and honor to be a part of the preaching team here at First Pres! When it comes to preaching and teaching, I’m a ‘rookie!’ I am not only looking forward to gleaning from the wells of knowledge and experience that is with other pastors here, but also discovering how the Lord will teach me and use me in this new chapter of ministry. My prayer is that the Word of God may “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16) as we journey together in faith as a body of believers. Matt Holtzman, Minister for Young Families and Pastoral Care
I love communicating the Word in a way that engages the mind and heart and helps us to not only see the Scripture in new ways but challenges our daily assumptions and allegiances. The preparation process of walking in the text and walking in our world is an enjoyable one, and my prayer is that we would be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) as we hear the Word of God. Jennifer Oraker Holz, Senior Associate Executive Pastor I love to open the Word of God and ask the Lord what word He has in store for His people. God is alive; His Word is alive. I love to be used by Jesus to bring His Word to His people. What an honor, what a privilege and what an adventure! Dan Jessup, Parish Associate I really believe that God’s Word is ‘alive and active,’ and that we meet Jesus Christ, the Living Word, in Scripture. It is both a joy and a daunting task to share God’s Word with God’s people. So, my motivation in preaching, in reliance on the Holy Spirit, is to make it possible for us to see Jesus as we hear His Word to us. Eunice McGarrahan, Lead Parish Associate
Preaching is a ministry of exceptional joy! In few other settings am I entrusted with the task of speaking the words that we most urgently and desperately need to hear — the good news of God’s redemption through Jesus Christ. My story and struggles, hopes and fears are gathered up in the sermon as I tell this grand narrative, and then it intersects with your stories. These are our stories of God at work in powerful ways, shaping us more and more into the likeness of Christ. So this is my constant prayer as we meet together week in and week out as the people of God in worship – that we would be transformed because the living Word seeps into our lives, wraps around our pain, awakens us to joy and calls us to a new way of being. Thank you, dear friends, for the privilege of partnering in ministry with you! Amber Odvody, Associate Pastor for Small Communities I think preaching is supposed to do something. God’s Word has the power. The Word can heal hearts, give purpose to our lives and, hopefully, start a movement in our church community that will impact our neighborhoods and the world for the glory of Christ. Nate Stratman, Assistant Pastor of Family Ministries
5/14 | www.first-pres.org | 7
Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Colo. Spgs. CO Permit No. 419
Upcoming Sermon Schedule May 11 I Sam. 1-2:11 A Praying Woman (Mother’s Day) May 18 I Sam. 2:12-3:21 The Potential of a Child (Compassion Sunday) May 25 I Sam. 4:1-22 God in a Box (Memorial Day weekend) June 1 I Sam. 5:1-7:1 Serving a Big God (Communion Sunday) June 8 I Sam. 7:2-8:21 Our Desires vs. God’s Purpose (Pentecost Sunday) June 15 I Sam. 9:1-12:25 Called to Something Bigger Than Ourselves June 22 I Sam. 13:1-15:35 Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands June 29 I Sam. 16 Heart After God July 6 I Sam. 17 God’s Sufficiency (July 4 weekend)
Aug. 3 I Sam. 29-30 Finding Strength in God (Communion Sunday) Aug. 10 II Sam. 1-5 King at Last! Aug. 17 II Sam. 9 Grace Received, Grace Given Aug. 24 II Sam. 11-12 Sin—and Forgiveness
8 | www.first-pres.org 5/14
SERVICE
July 27 I Sam. 24, 26 God’s Holiness
address
July 20 I Sam. 18-19, 21-23 When Life Turns Sour
REQUESTED
July 13 I Sam. 18:1-4; 20:1-42 Friendship