Sun. Aug. 29, 2010 (Karl Brown)

Karl Brown concluded our summer series on the Book of Job. So much of this extensive poem is predicated on the theory that God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. However, God's response in the poem (chapter 38) gives another point of view, that the actions of God are far more complex than the simplistic black and white images of our theology. The poem then raises rhetorical questions which are almost sarcastic, showing how very little humans know about the most common things in nature, about animal life or life itself, let alone God the creator and sustainer. Karl then suggested five ways we might view the Book of Job: (1) it is poetry intended to be heard (PGIMF found it almost better hear Job read than be analyzed); (2) it is poetry focusing on one important part of life, suffering; (3) it is a courtroom in which God is put on trial for allowing evil to flourish; (4) it offers proof of God's existence, somewhat along the lines of the theory of Intelligent Design; (5) it is an odyssey which seeks to justify the existence of evil, though God's arguments do not address the whole question of evil other than to say that this question is beyond human comprehension. In a sense, Job is a hero in that he kept his faith, even through severe suffering. Job may have raged against God but he never rejected God. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 29th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 22, 2010 (Ruth Enns)

Ruth Enns continued our study of the book of Job with the passages spoken by the young man Elihu and how his arguments affected the tenor of the discussion between Job and his friends. Ruth pointed out how much more striking the poetry of these passages is when read aloud, particularly the paean to the Earth (Job 36:22-37:24). Ruth noted that, despite the emotion and vehemence in Elihu’s arguments, that really they were no more effective than that of Job’s friends, yet the arguments prepared the way to the last passage in which God speaks to Job and the friends of how little they know. Youth, despite the scorn often visited on it for how little it knows, here teaches more than the wisdom of the three friends; yet youth too is ultimately not wise enough either to comfort Job or describe God’s world. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 15, 2010 (Andre Pekovich)

Andre Pekovich continued our series on Job by tackling the middle 16 chapters (from 15 - 31) noting that they are largely extensions of the previous arguments made in chapters 4 - 14. Each of the friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar has three opportunities to make arguments to Job, and Job denies them all, continually noting that his real argument is not with his friends, but with God, who he cannot find to make his case to. Though the friends argue for a “cause and effect” God as most other biblical literature speaks of, Andre noted that this book seems written to counter that view. That’s not to say that Job himself does not believe in a “cause-and-effect” God; he expects that his faithfulness and righteousness will be repaid with God’s loyalty and justice. Andre introduced Martin Buber’s I - Thou distinction in our relationship with God, noting we tend to simplify the world in an I - It fashion, making other people, including God, simple machines that do work when properly requested. Buber insisted that the relationship between people or between God and man is more balanced, more I - Thou, and not based on cause and effect. This inspires humans to a deeper level of worship and faithfulness to God. Thus is God invited to return righteousness with his blessing, without expectation, always leaving room for choice and evil to deepen the bond. [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 15th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 8, 2010 (Henry Neufeld)

Henry Neufeld continued our series on Job with a vivid and entertaining summary of the dialogue of the ten chapters of Job (Chs 4 - 14). Drawing from Peterson’s The Message, Henry had four readers act the parts of Job, and his three friends, showing Job’s despair as even his friends seemed to leave him in undeserved guilt and sin. Henry noted a distinction between pain and suffering - suffering happens in the mind and the mind decides what the pain means, and whether it is deserved. Job suffers because he can make no sense of the pain he is in. Henry further noted that traditional theology falls down flat when it comes to Job - he was doing everything right when he began to suffer. What is he to do to end the suffering? Human reasoning can give no satisfactory answer to this. There are lessons for us in this story - what do we do when bad things happen to good people? Do we assume that because people we meet have had bad things happen, that they must themselves be bad? Are we fixers, looking for sufferers to fix? Or are we humans, walking alongside? [AP] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 8th, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 1, 2010 (Kevin Hiebert)

Kevin introduced our four-Sunday series on the Book of Job. This is essentially an lengthy ancient poem addressing the realities of life (e.g., good and evil, the strained relationship between humans and God). Anonymous writers provided a mythological context by composing a fascinating parable (story) to surround the various sections of the poem like bookends. Grouped with the other poetic and wisdom writings in the Old Testament, this ancient poem asks questions such as, "Why does a good God allow suffering and evil?" At the beginning of the story, Job is portrayed as being so utterly God-fearing that he even offers sacrifices and prayers on behalf of his ten children after their parties, just in case any had fleeting 'thought sins' (a concept Jesus still needed to explain centuries later). The poem then asks, if God is all-powerful, why is there suffering, even for the truly righteous? If God is all-knowing, why are we (especially the righteous) not sufficiently warned? If God is truly all-benevolent, why is there so much evil in the world? The disasters, falling one after another in a miraculous succession, provide a literary device designed to portray supernatural intervention in the story. The stage is now set for us to explore the themes of this poetry. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday, August 1st, 2010 using your browser's preferred media player.