Presby-Musings

Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you. - Zechariah 9:12 The above verse from the ancient Hebrew prophet Zechariah is taken from the same passage that is typically read on Palm Sunday---a prophecy about God rescuing God's people.   The phrase that struck me this morning from Zechariah's prophecy was this one:   "...you prisoners of hope."  There's something incredibly beautiful about that, isn't there?  Prisoners of hope.    The idea that I could be held by God as a prisoner of hope is one that fills me with a strange sense of peace.  But try as I might, that sense of peace is slippery and elusive.   You see we've been conditioned by our culture to be afraid to hope.  Nothing seems all that permanent.  Politicians aren't trustworthy.  The institutions that used to harbor our hope are flawed and crumbling.   And still, we f...

This week we are beginning a brand new sermon series entitled "Small Things Big Difference."  It's been a long time since I was this excited about a sermon series--at least since the last sermon series! Before we begin, though, I have a question:  Have you ever felt a little stuck?  Like you're in a rut of some kind, and can't seem to find your way out of it?  And maybe you're stuck to the point where you think it's going to take far too much effort to get out of your rut--more effort than you are willing to give. Maybe you've felt stuck when it comes to your health. You know you should lose weight, eat better, get more exercise---but you think about what it will take to get you to where you want to be, and you feel overwhelmed. So you go to Donut King and get that maple bacon donut instead... Yeah, that was a bit close to home.  Perhaps you feel like you are trapped in a dead end job--or you are stuck in a career that leaves you unfulfilled....