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June Pulpit Schedule

June 1st – Debt: Not a Good Thing – 2 Kings 4:1-7; Job 14:1-6; Acts 2:22-42

            Are we ready for déjà vu all over again? Just as was the case with Elijah, so now Elisha meets up with a widow who is in desperate straits. She has children for whom she must provide, but she also has debts for which her creditor threatens to collect payment by taking her children as slaves! As she knows all too well, debt is not a good thing. Elisha, a type of Christ, has the solution for her problem. She must believe Elisha and do as he says. The widow, of course, is a picture of us. We have a debt we cannot pay. We find ourselves in slavery–not a good thing!

June 8th – An Uncommon Trait – 2 Kings 4:8-10; Luke 8:1-3; Hebrews 13:2

            One of the more common traits of contemporary society is the absence of neighborliness. Some would suggest we suffer from a paucity of hospitality. In this week’s primary text Elisha meets a Shunammite woman who exemplifies the opposite characteristics. She is thoughtful, hospitable, inviting, generous, and willing to go out of her way to make Elisha comfortable. And it is all unrequested on his part. Along with our other texts, this will afford us the opportunity to consider if we have this uncommon trait, whether as individuals or as families or as a church.

June 15th – God Intends to Bless – 2 Kings 4:11-17; Genesis 18:1-15; Ephesians 3:14-21

            God desires to bless His people. That’s the meaning of Jesus’ incarnation. Our two OT texts display this fact in God’s dealings with the Shunammite woman and in the great patriarch Abraham. Each was content with their circumstances; they had grown accustomed to their life situations and were ready for the status quo to continue on into the future. But God, on the other hand, intended something better for them. They were not wishing for wealth or lands or possessions, but each had deep, unfulfilled desire. God, in His mercy, blesses unexpectedly.

June 22nd – But I Thought¼ – 2 Kings 4:18-37; Genesis 22:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-13

            There is a presumption that pervades the character of man: my life should go according to my preferred pattern, according to my expectations, according to what I determine is necessary and best. When, for whatever reason, God changes things up on us, our response tends to be, “But I thought¼” As we’ll see in our texts, such alterations to our expectations can be painful and frightening, indeed, even tragic. What happens then? Do we become disillusioned and abandon belief in God and His goodness? Which raises the question, “Why do we love God?”

June 29th – A Matter of Taste? – 2 Kings 4:38-41; Mark 7:14-23; Ephesians 2:1-10

            Tastes are telling. We identify foods by their taste. We even can identify cultures and nations by the tastes they prefer. How much curry you would like with your rice may well depend on your relation to Indian culture. How about jalapeña peppers? Usually we identify them with Mexican food or those who like Mexican food. Tastes also refer to more matters than food. One can have tastes in movies, music, clothing, and much else. As our texts will indicate, a most important attribute of taste is identifying that which is poisonous. Or, we need an antidote.