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In 1 Kings 18, Ahab, a notoriously terrible king, has lead the people of Israel into idolatry. It’s not that they stopped ‘worshipping’ the LORD. They still show up for sacrifices to the LORD, but they have added other gods to their worship rotation, including Baal, the Canaanite god of fertility and weather.
One of God’s prophets, Elijah, challenges the prophets of Baal to an epic showdown. Two sacrifices will be prepared, but not set on fire. Instead, the prophets of Baal will pray and ask Baal to answer by setting their sacrifice on fire and Elijah will pray and ask the LORD to set his sacrifice on fire. The one who answers will prove himself to be the one, true God.

The books of Proverbs is a collection of principles intended to help us live wisely in God’s world. Our phones, tables, and web browsers constantly flood our brains with an abundance information. In fact, we consume more information a day than most people a few centuries ago did in a lifetime.
Yet, this abundance of information has not helped us grow in wisdom. We still struggle with navigating the world, our relationships with others, and being at peace with ourselves. We need, what people for generations have needed, wisdom.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been introduced to David, the shepherd boy who became king over all of Israel. David is described as a man after God’s own heart. He becomes the standard by which all future kings of Israel will be judged. Yet, 2 Samuel 11-12 describes a major moral failure by David. He commits adultery with Bathsheba, covers it up by having her husband moved to the front lines of battle to ensure his death, and then marries her. Wow! That’s a man after God’s own heart? He violated the trust of people in his care as the king and committed an egregious sin against God.
While we may not have sinned in the same way that David did, all of us have felt the weight of our sin. We’ve seen the pain we’ve caused others. We’ve felt the separation that sin causes in our relationship with God. The question is what do we do when we massively fall short? In Psalm 51, David writes a deeply personal and brutally honest prayer of repentance. This Sunday we’re turn to Psalm 51 to help us understand how we can walk in repentance regardless of what we’ve done.

Election season is heating up again in America. Debates are raging from news outlets to social media pages. Lines are being drawn, and protestors are already organizing. Many seem to believe, or at least act like they do,  that the very fate of the world will be decided in 2024. The truth of the matter is, no matter who wins at the polls this year, they are all finite people who will create finite policies. One thing that binds every county, nation, kingdom, or people group together is the fact that none of it will last forever.
There is a kingdom that transcends the bounds of this world though. One not shaken by war or the uncertainty of election season.  A forever kingdom with a forever king on a forever throne.

Join us as we dive into 1 Samuel 17

In Samuel 16, God sends the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint the future king of Israel. The first candidate seems like the perfect choice to Samuel, but God has other plans. He famously tells Samuel, “…man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Instead of what seemed to be the obvious choice, God chooses David, the smallest of all his brothers, as the future king of Israel.
This week, we’re going to explore how this story helps us understand the bigger story God is telling and how this story helps us navigate our daily lives.