Whole New World, Same Old Purpose (1 Samuel 12)

We're back together in the building, after 10 months of online church!  To celebrate, Chris uses the story of Solomon dedicating the Temple to reflect on the idea of sacred spaces and holy ground.  What makes a place sacred?  What makes the ground holy?  And does our humble little church building qualify?

It sure is good to be back together!

The King is returning to his throne!  In a reverse of the processional he had taken in chapters 15-17, David will once again encounter several people he had met earlier, in a completely different set of circumstances.  How will David respond to these men in this new context?  And more importantly for us: how will they respond to the King's return to glory?  How these men respond to the king may be instructive for how we too can respond to our King's mercy.

Plus: will the two year old live to tell the tale of her encounter with the dinosaur??  Will Abe live to tell the tale of his encounter with doppelganger Chris Lantz??\

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Features a portion of "Seek Ye First", played by Angie Lantz
By Karen Lafferty
CCLI Song # 1352
© 1972 CCCM Music (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)
Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

Clyde Christian Bible Church does not own the rights to the song featured in this podcast, nor are we profiting off its use.  It is included in support of the message, for the purpose of congregational worship.

The battle between David and Absalom will conclude when the rebellious son meets his fateful end.  David's emotional response is a devastating reflection of how our King responds to lost rebels as well.

Stay tuned for an extra large blooper segment, because you CCBC'ers are hilarious.

Absalom has to choose between the advice of Ahithophel, or the advice of Hushai.  One is wisdom, and the other is foolishness; one would lead to victory, one to a crushing downfall.  Wisdom can be tough to discern for us as well.  Which piece of wisdom will Absalom choose: human wisdom, or God's will?  Which wisdom will we pursue: human wisdom, or the upside-down "foolishness" of the Kingdom of God?  Everything depends on our answer.

Also features an adorable sing-along, a confession from a wise church leader, and a shocking revelation from the pages of Scripture for the Ford family!

Last week we discussed David's long, sad processional out from Jerusalem towards the borders of Israel, showing kindness and humility and trust in God's will along the way.  Today we connect David's journey to Jesus, Who took a reverse long, sad procession towards Jerusalem.  Jesus' journey is beautiful and powerful enough to change outsiders to insiders, as He marches towards the difficult will of His Father.

Also, since this is a shorter sermon, and because CCBC is full of hilarious people, we've added some extra bonus material, including a communion meditation and portion of a song that both connect with the sermon, a Scripture reading from a special young lady, Chris getting a whistle blown on him for preaching too long, and Abe making a very hilarious PG-13 confession!

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Features a portion of "Blessed Be Your Name"
By Beth Redman & Matt Redman
CCLI Song # 3798438
© 2002 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Clyde Christian Bible Church does not own the rights to the song featured in this podcast, nor are we profiting off its use.  It is included in support of the message, for the purpose of congregational worship.

Absalom's rebellion is in full swing, and King David must flee.  But his royal procession away from Jerusalem gives him many opportunities to meet various people with varying degrees of loyalty, and to formulate a plan for reinstatement.  Along the way, he will learn (and hopefully we will learn) valuable lessons on humility, faith, and submission.

And it's such a long journey, it makes for a long sermon... will Chris reach the end?!

Absalom is a greedy, selfish, deceitful taker who seduces God's people away from their King.  The same is true of sin.  Here, Chris gives an emotional demonstration of how sin works like Absalom, and how God's children can always return to their Father.

Features a clip from one of the greatest animated films of all time, "The Emperor's New Groove", by Disney (2000).  Clyde Christian Bible Church does not own the rights to the film, which is included for the purpose of illustration and education.

Click here to rent The Emperor's New Groove.

Happy Father's Day, from Clyde Christian Bible Church!  David hasn't proven himself to be a very good dad.  But today's story of David and his estranged son Absalom reminds us of a couple stories about our heavenly Father, Who longs for reconciliation rather than wrath, and Who protects every hair on our head.

Try not to get to distracted by the description of Absalom.  Or our friend Jelle.

Our dear friends had a wedding (actually, second wedding), so Chris brings his wedding sermon to Sunday morning.  Using CS Lewis' "The Four Loves", Chris examines love of all kinds, before we discuss the greatest of all loves, made visible in marriage, church communities, and (most of all) Jesus Christ.

Also included: Andrew Hoetmer's heartfelt communion message, which beautifully sets the stage for the message that follows.

Having a tough conversation about Canada's Residential School system, a recent form of genocide against Indigenous peoples.  What does the horrible history mean for the church today?  More importantly, how can we help bring about healing?