Sun. Jan. 11, 2009 (Steve Berg)

Steve Berg (Conference Pastor of the BC MB Conference) spoke on a number of texts, starting with the famous passage in Isaiah 55.1-3 which invites all who "hunger and thirst" for that which has lasting value. By inviting Israel to feast and dine, without paying, Isaiah recalls celebrations in antiquity sponsored by monarchs at the beginning of their reigns. Jesus offers a similar call, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness", and Psalm 42:1 set a similar idea to music ("As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God"). People universally have voids in their lives which need satisfying. To this, Jesus adds the concept of seeking "righteousness" in ways that only a spiritual community can satisfy. Jesus' teachings show that the spiritual life is similar to eating and drinking, for in both cases we must eventually return for more. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday Jan. 11th, 2009 using your browser's preferred media player.