[Sunday] All things Good - 2 Kings 9-10 & Romans 8:28 - Foolish Wisdom

"All things work together for good." What does this famous promise actually mean? God brings true good, not through our overzealous striving, but through the empty tomb.

Questions for the Week: Naaman: All Things Good

1. Read Romans 8:18-39.  We often think Romans 8:28 means "everything will work out good" or "if I do good, God will bless me." How does reading this verse in the context of suffering and human failure change how you understand God's promise?

2. Read 2 Kings Chapters 9 and 10.  Jehu was incredibly proud of his violent zeal for the Lord, but it ended up destroying his own people. Where have you seen "righteous zeal" (in parenting, marriage, or politics) go too far and end up damaging relationships?

3. When Elisha's servant anointed Jehu, he added his own angry words to God's command, which fueled Jehu's rampage. How much of our own "zealous" action is actually driven by God's Word, and how much is driven by the angry, polarized voices we surround ourselves with?

4. Our human zeal is so destructive that it literally crucified Jesus. Yet, God used that exact moment of darkness to bring good to you and the world. How does knowing that God can bring life out of our worst messes give you peace in your current struggles?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Naaman, The Mighty Leper - 2 Kings 5 - Foolish Wisdom

Naaman the mighty man of war has leprosy, but his story shows us how human pride expects a show while God brings true healing through the small, ordinary, and unimpressive things.

Questions for the Week: Naaman: The Mighty Leper. 

1. Describe a time when your ego got in the way of God working.

2. Read 2 Kings 5:1-19.  Naaman scoffed at the Jordan River because it wasn't impressive enough. Why does human pride struggle so much with God using simple, ordinary things (like regular water in baptism or bread and wine) to deliver His grace?

3. Naaman tried to buy his healing with gold and political letters. Even though we know salvation is free, in what subtle ways do we still try to "pay" God for His blessings?

4. When Naaman worried about having to work in a pagan environment, Elisha didn't tell him to quit his job or start a culture war; he just said, "Go in peace." How does knowing you are a secure, new creation in Christ’s resurrection free you to calmly love and serve the people in your secular workplace or neighborhood?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] The Lord is My Shepherd - Psalm 23 - Foolish Wisdom

A more in depth look at the most popular psalm in the Bible, and also one that you have probably never heard discussed in a sermon.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Induction of Vicar Claubert June 7th 4pm[Live Stream]

Welcome & Induction of Vicar Claubert June 7th at 4:00 PM

Join us as we warmly welcome Vicar Claubert to the Port St. Lucie community and officially induct him into service at Grace Lutheran PSL.

A dessert reception will immediately follow the ceremony.

[Sunday] Through The Water - 2 Kings 2 - Foolish Wisdom

While the "glory days" of the past are tempting, Elijah passing the mantle to Elisha reminds us to put down our swords and walk forward by His Spirit.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Why Are You Here - 1 Kings 19 - Foolish Wisdom

Burnout happens when we think it's entirely up to us to fix the world. Elijah flees into the wilderness and discovers how God meets us in our exhaustion, speaking in a still small voice, and freeing us from the pressure of having to do it all.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Battle of Baal Bluff - 1 Kings 18 - Foolish Wisdom

Stop exhausting yourself trying to earn God's favor through frantic human religion, and learn from Mount Carmel what it means to simply trust in what Christ has already bought.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Blockbuster - 1 Kings 17 - Foolish Wisdom

• An AI Summery of the sermon (click to see)

  Overview

  The sermon, part of an ongoing “Foolish Wisdom” series, confronts the widespread human impulse to equate God’s power with “bigness”—grand narratives, worldly prestige, and visible dominance. Through an arc spanning Solomon, the divided kingdom, Ahab and Jezebel, and the episode of Elijah with the widow of Zarephath, the speaker argues that God’s saving work often appears in humble places among outsiders. The message culminates in Jesus’s ministry and the cross, where divine victory arrives through what the world calls weakness. The sermon maintains a strong emphasis on faithfulness to biblical texts, careful preservation of historical details, and a clear call to resist idolatry of power and status in modern life.

  The Pitfall of Pursuing Greatness

  The sermon situates itself in the “Foolish Wisdom” series, continuing a multi-year trajectory of biblical exploration. About four years ago, the community studied “Rise and Fall” (First and Second Samuel, focusing on King Saul and David). A year later, they examined Judges, noted humorously for having “nothing but cheerful stories.” This year’s focus is First and Second Kings through the lives of Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha.

  Solomon’s reign serves as the initial cautionary tale. Although he sought to honor God by building the temple, he adopted methods that mirrored Egypt—using slave labor—thereby betraying the founding identity of Israel’s God, who rescued His people out of Egypt. The speaker stresses that Solomon’s pursuit of ever-greater power marked a departure from God’s self-disclosure and intent, which prioritizes service to those under a king’s authority. The principle “Pride comes before a fall” is applied to Solomon’s trajectory and to any kingdom that exalts itself.

  The narrative proceeds to Solomon’s death and the ascent of Rehoboam, who is offered the chance to be a servant king. He refuses, choosing deeper oppression, triggering the split of the kingdom—likened to the social backlash epitomized by the “let them eat cake” moment in the French Revolution. Following the split, the nation endures “nothing but warfare at bad times.” This downward spiral sets the stage for King Ahab, a ruler described in Scripture as doing “more evil than all of the kings before him,” notably through instituting the worship of Baal.

  The speaker observes that stories of Elijah (including the widow of Zarephath) function like “blockbuster stories” in the biblical imagination—well-known and grand—yet emphasizes that their true weight lies not in spectacle but in the people through whom God works. Ahab, married to Jezebel of Sidon, aligns Israel with Baal worship. Baal—correctly pronounced “Baal”—was a fertility deity associated with fruitfulness and rain, not the devil as sometimes assumed. Elijah’s announcement that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would halt the rain directly confronts Ahab’s reliance on Baal. Against this backdrop of murderous royal power, God’s action begins to reposition the story away from “bigness.”

  God’s Counterintuitive Salvation for Outsiders

  After Elijah confronts Ahab, God instructs him to hide. Provision comes first through a small brook and ravens delivering food; when the brook dries up, the word of the Lord sends Elijah “at once” to Zarephath in Sidon—Jezebel’s homeland. The speaker notes that a Jewish reader would “clutch their pearls” at this instruction, because Zarephath sits at the heart of foreign, Baal-oriented territory and outside of Israel’s covenant community.

  There Elijah meets a widow—the “poor of the poor”—who, amid the drought and famine, has only enough flour and oil to make one small cake for herself and her son before expecting death. Elijah asks for water and bread and declares God’s promise that the flour and oil will not run out. The famine continues, yet her supplies never fail, day after day, by God’s provision.

  Tragedy strikes when the widow’s son falls ill and dies. In anguish, she confronts Elijah, asking, “What do you have against me, man of God?”—a phrase the speaker interprets as possibly sarcastic in her grief. Elijah carries the child to his room, prays, and stretches himself upon the boy three times. God hears the prayer: the child breathes again; his life is restored. This miracle—occurring in an outsider’s home, far from Israel’s centers of power—confirms God’s pattern of working where human expectations least anticipate it. The sermon underscores that during the famine God did not turn to Ahab’s palace and power, but to a foreign widow in Jezebel’s town, providing both food and life.

  This narrative establishes the sermon's thesis: God does not require anyone to be a “big blockbuster Christian” with a massive spiritual résumé, perfect family, or worldly power. He loves and saves without regard to prestige or lineage. Evil manipulates anxieties and imperfections, tempting people to believe that being part of a “grand story” or the “right family” is necessary for divine notice. The widow’s story refutes that lie.

  Jesus’s Affirmation of the “Small Way”

  The sermon connects Elijah’s episode to Jesus’s ministry. In the gospel reading, Jesus references the widow of Zarephath while in his hometown (described colloquially as “the sticks”), where familiarity breeds skepticism. He reads from Isaiah: “I’ve come to proclaim liberty to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind,” identifying himself as the fulfillment—“Today all of this has been fulfilled in your ears.” The hometown crowd, who knew his family and upbringing, struggle with his claim, expecting a Messiah of royal grandeur, triumph, and conspicuous power through the line of David.

  Jesus underscores God’s counterintuitive pattern: “There were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time when the sky was shut… for three and a half years… yet Elijah was not sent to any of them but to the widow in Zarephath”—Jezebel’s region. This statement challenges local expectations, signaling that God’s salvation reaches outsiders and the marginalized rather than confirming human ambitions for civic or national glory. The sermon emphasizes that this moment exposes the crowd’s bias toward “big” messianic acts while Jesus claims the small way—bringing good news in humility, not domination.

  Embracing “Foolish Wisdom” in Modern Faith

  Applying these truths today, the sermon warns against “worshipping bigness”—substituting money, power, prestige, and greatness for trust in God. The modern idolatry of control promises that if we achieve enough, the drought of the soul will end. Yet this fixation enslaves us to anxieties and imperfections, rendering hidden struggles controlling forces rather than places where grace meets us. God does not save because we belong to the right people group, hail from the right land, or bear an impeccable pedigree. He saves.

  The pattern of Jesus’s life displays this truth. He enters the world through humble circumstances—born to a young woman under social suspicion, announced among shepherds (outcasts at that time), raised in Nazareth (“the stick”). When the time came to save, he did not summon a grand army; he allowed himself to be stripped, beaten, and nailed to wood. For Rome, the cross functioned like the guillotine of the French Revolution—an instrument of routine execution, a small, ignominious end for “getting rid of somebody.” In the “foolish” smallness of the cross, God crushed the head of Satan, defeated evil, paid the price for everyone, and brought people from death to life—echoing the resurrection of the widow’s son.

  The sermon invites believers to discern God’s glory in the ordinary—a grass blade, even unwanted weeds among flowers—the Creator bringing unexpected life where we assumed only death. It urges the community to renounce the search for worldly greatness and serve the people God saves, near and far, through humble means that reflect the wisdom of the cross.

God doesn’t need you to be a blockbuster Christian. The big story of Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath shows we don't need a massive spiritual resume for God to love and rescue us.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Rey and Jerry 1 Kings 11-13 - Foolish Wisdom

When the kingdom splits, Kings Rehoboam and Jeroboam desperately grasp for power and control, but God uses Elijah, a nobody from the sticks, to show us that true freedom comes not from controlling our circumstances but from trusting the King who went to the cross for us.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Christmas Boxes - Soccer Balls!

Soccer Balls for the Month of May!

We are wanting to bless even more children in Hait this Christmas. We are doubling our goal to 400 gift boxes!

Let’s start early so we can meet this awesome goal.

Each month we will focus on a type of a gift, but feel free to bless the children with whatever gift will fit in a plastic shoebox. OR—each box costs about $25.00, so if you would like to donate money, we will use it to purchase items for you.

We will start by collecting soccer balls (deflated, with a hand pump) in May-so start shopping. There will be many more items in future months.

Amazon has many gift ideas and are more reasonable when you put the word “bulk” in the search line, such as “Soccer balls bulk”.

We are shooting for 200 soccer balls, primarily for the boys. They need to be deflated to fit in the box and a hand pump is also very helpful.

Here are the goals for the next 7 months:

• May - Soccer balls

• June - Baby dolls (8” or under), necklaces & bracelets

• July - Backpacks

• August - Pencil cases, toothbrushes, toothpaste

• September - Bar soap, hairbrushes, double ball hair ties

• October - Toys-card games, jump ropes, little cars, coloring books (without words), etc., hard candy

• November - Anything goes that fits in the box!

PACKING DAY NOVEMBER 21ST

[Sunday] Loud Lips & Far Hearts - Foolish Wisdom

• AI Summery of Sermon (click to see)

  Series Context

  • Sermon series: “Foolish Wisdom,” walking through First and Second Kings by focusing on Solomon, Elijah, and Elisha.

  • Narrative arc:

    • Solomon: precipitates the kingdom’s downfall.

    • Elijah: ministers as the kingdom collapses.

    • Elisha: serves among the ashes after the fall.

  • Aim: To expose “foolish wisdom”—the contrast between human displays of power and God’s way of humble service.

  Opening Illustration: LCMS History and Power

  • LCMS congregational identity noted; origin story used as a parallel to Solomon’s trajectory.

  • Martin Stephan:

    • Charismatic leader in Germany amid 19th-century nationalization.

    • Organized migration to America in 1838 on five ships; declared himself bishop en route.

    • Settled in St. Louis, then directed many settlers to Perry County, MO, to maintain control.

    • Reports of exploitation emerged—“honoring with lips while heart is far”—used as a modern example of the temptation to power.

  • Theme introduced: When leaders seek control, honor God outwardly but their hearts drift toward self-glory and domination.

  Main Texts and Biblical Context

  • Focus: Solomon’s fall as the pattern of choosing empire power over covenant faithfulness.

  1. Solomon’s Forced Labor

  • Scripture: First Kings 9:14 (NIV paraphrase noted)

    • “Here is the account of the forced labor Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple…”

  • Context and emphasis:

    • “Forced labor” exposes slavery-like practices reminiscent of Egypt.

    • God’s identity statement to Israel: “I am the God who brought you out of Egypt”—don’t return to Egypt’s ways.

    • The author subtly critiques Solomon’s “Egypt-like” rule even while praising his grandeur.

  2. Solomon’s Wealth and Throne

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:14

    • “The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents…”

  • Number significance:

    • “6” symbolizes incompleteness; “666” evokes anti-God patterns of power (cf. Revelation).

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:18–20

    • Solomon’s throne: ivory and gold, six steps, twelve lions—hyperbolic claims of unmatched greatness.

  • Historical illustration:

    • King Tut’s throne (c. 300 years earlier) shows Solomon is emulating Egyptian grandeur; the “nothing like it” boast mirrors despot rhetoric.

  • Scripture: First Kings 10:27–29

    • “Silver as common as stones… Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt… chariots from Egypt for six hundred shekels…”

  • Application:

    • The repeated “Egypt” connection highlights Solomon’s desire to be Pharaoh—a pursuit of power antithetical to God’s covenant call.

  3. Solomon’s Loves and Idolatry

  • Scripture: First Kings 11:1–2

    • “King Solomon… loved many foreign women… [from nations] about which the Lord told the Israelites ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’”

  • Correction of common misreading:

    • The sermon challenges the tendency to blame the women.

    • Deeper cause: Solomon’s heart already set on empire power—wives were a symptom, not the core problem.

  • Pastoral application:

    • We scapegoat “weak” or obvious targets to avoid confronting our own worship of power.

    • Lip-service to God can mask a heart enthralled by glory, dominance, and self-justification.

  4. God’s Judgment on Solomon

  • Scripture: First Kings 11:9–11

    • “The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away… ‘Since this is your attitude… I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.’”

  • Theological point:

    • God judges covenant unfaithfulness, especially when leaders reinstate bondage God already broke.

    • Solomon’s attempt to be Pharaoh leads to loss—God resists proud rulers and defends the oppressed.

  LCMS Case Study Continued: Accountability over Personality

  • St. Louis pastors feared confronting Stephan; chose the youngest pastor, C. F. W. Walther, to investigate.

  • Walther:

    • Rode to Perry County, verified abuses.

    • Removed Stephan, sent him across the Mississippi.

    • Established lasting accountability: “No bishops”; authority in the Word and local congregations; pastors accountable to congregation and district president.

    • Became first LCMS president, seminary professor, and championed “sola deo gloria” (Glory to God alone).

  • Fruit of humble leadership:

    • LCMS helped found a historically Black university during Reconstruction to uplift those oppressed by “pharaohs.”

    • Note of lament: the university closed five years ago; a call to recover mission focus.

  Jesus: The Greater-than-Solomon Way

  • Scripture: Matthew 12 (Queen of the South/Sheba and judgment)

    • “The queen of the south… will rise at the judgment… for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to all of Solomon’s wisdom; and now one greater than Solomon is here.”

  • Interpretation:

    • Jesus contrasts with Solomon’s power model.

    • Pharisees with long robes and devouring of widows exemplify self-glorification; Jesus confronts them.

  • Temptation narrative:

    • The devil offered Jesus “all power, gold, wisdom, greatness”; Jesus refused, embracing humility.

  • Pastoral assurance:

    • If salvation were based on our daily performance, we’d be lost.

    • Jesus “went to the bottom”—His cross and self-emptying place salvation under us, sustaining us amid doubt and failure.

  Christ’s Humble Exaltation

  • Scripture: Philippians 2:5–11 (paraphrased in sermon)

    • Jesus emptied Himself, became a servant unto death on a cross; therefore God exalted Him, so every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ is Lord—to the glory of God the Father.

  • Revelation image:

    • In the throne room, John hears glory and power—but when he looks, he sees “a Lamb that is slain.”

    • God’s throne is the crucified Lamb—power expressed as sacrificial love so God is never out of our grasp.

  Who God Is, Who You Are, and How to Live

  • Who God is:

    • The Redeemer who brings His people out of Egypt; He opposes oppressive power and judges idolatry.

    • He exalts the humble Christ, whose throne is the slain Lamb—power as self-giving love.

  • Who God says you are:

    • Beloved, upheld by Christ’s salvation “underneath” you; not defined by performance but by grace.

    • Called away from empire-seeking identity to servant-hearted, covenant faithfulness.

  • How to live:

    • Renounce pursuits of power and self-glory; embrace accountability and humble service.

    • Guard against honoring God with lips while hearts chase influence and status.

    • Refuse scapegoating; examine the heart’s idols—especially the idol of power.

    • Live “sola deo gloria”—direct all glory to God alone; organize church life around the Word, communal accountability, and care for the marginalized.

  Application and Examples

  • Biblical application:

    • Resist building “Egypt” in our homes, churches, and institutions: avoid systems that exploit or dehumanize.

    • Read First and Second Kings with an eye for the authors’ “truth bombs”—praise of grandeur paired with subtle critiques.

  • LCMS application:

    • Build structures that check charismatic personality power.

    • Recover missional commitments to uplift those historically oppressed.

  • Personal spiritual practice:

    • Regularly ask: Are my fruits revealing a heart seeking power?

    • In seasons of doubt and failure, remember Christ’s salvation is beneath you, ready to lift you.

    • Pursue servant leadership; seek accountability; give glory to God alone.

  Key Points

  1. God rescued Israel from Egypt so His people would not imitate empire power; Solomon tragically re-imported “Egypt” through slavery, wealth, and military alliances.

  2. Blaming “foreign wives” misses the deeper issue: Solomon’s heart loved power and self-glory, turning from God.

  3. God resists proud rulers and tears down oppressive structures; He calls His people to humble accountability.

  4. Jesus is greater than Solomon: He rejected worldly power, embraced the cross, and reigns as the slain Lamb—God’s true throne of love.

  5. Our identity and endurance rest in Christ’s self-emptying grace, not in our performance; therefore, we live “sola deo gloria,” serving rather than dominating.

  Scriptures Referenced

  • First Kings 9:14

  • First Kings 10:14, 18–20, 27–29

  • First Kings 11:1–2, 9–11

  • Matthew 12 (Queen of the South/Sheba and judgment)

  • Philippians 2:5–11

  • Revelation (Lamb that is slain in the throne room)

  Closing Exhortation

  • Pursuits of power are frivolous; Christ alone brings you near.

  • Embrace “foolish wisdom”: humble service, accountability, and glory to God alone.

We look at Solomon's tragic fall into pride and power, reminding us that true wisdom isn't found in building our own empires, but in the self-emptying love of Jesus.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Temple Traps - Foolish Wisdom

It’s easy to get distracted by building grand things, forgetting that God's true work is simply rescuing broken people right where they are.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Psalm 1 - The Man

The Bible is full of opposites: light/dark, good/evil, life/death, and on and on. To that list we can add saint/sinner. Psalm 1 deals with both the saint and the sinner in each of us while also laying a solid foundation for the entire Psalter. It also introduces us to our Savior.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Creation Day 8 - Rest The Week

When the joy of Easter meets the chaos of daily life, we don't need to panic. Jesus, the true Creator-Gardener, has secured our future, which frees us to plant seeds of hope right in the middle of the mess.

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Questions for the Week: Creation Day 8: Plant

1. Read John 20:11-18.  Where in your life is it currently difficult to see Jesus at work, and how does remembering He is the "Gardener" (gently cultivating and bringing life back to His creation) change your perspective?

2. Read Revelation 21:1-6.  When the "sea" is raging (stress, illness, conflict), we are sometimes tempted to try and save ourselves by taking control, which only creates more chaos. Jesus has handled the sea and saved you by his grace. How does resting in this grace give you peace?

3. Read Jeremeiah 29:4-14. It’s been said by the church, sometimes attributed to Martin Luther, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” What is one specific “apple tree” you can plant for someone this week?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Easter] Creation Day 7 - Rest The Week

Jesus' cry of "It is finished" echoes God's seventh-day rest. Because the tomb is empty, the work of putting the world back together is complete. You can stop trying to fix your own brokenness and rest.

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Questions for the Week: The Week: Day 7 Rest

1. What is an "unfinished project" (literal or figurative) in your life right now that is robbing you of your peace and rest?

2. Read Luke 23:50-24:12. The women at the tomb were so focused on their grief and their incomplete tasks that they initially missed the miracle in front of them. The angel asked, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" How do we sometimes act like those women, focusing only on the dark, broken parts of life instead of the hope of Jesus?

3. It is powerful to realize that Jesus' final cry on the cross uses the same word as God finishing the six days of creation. How does knowing that the work of your salvation is 100% "finished" change the way you view your own daily striving and spiritual performance?

4. The world says we can only rest when everything is fixed, but the resurrection means we can rest right in the middle of our mess. How can you practically "breathe and rest" this week, even with unresolved circumstances?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Good Friday] Tohu Vavohu The Week

Good Friday
Noon & 7PM
Noon Live Stream

in the crucifixion of our lord its as if the creation itself is rolled back to the beginning.

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Creation Day 6 - Image of God, The Week

We shattered God's image by trying to be our own gods. But on the cross, Jesus took our brokenness upon Himself, dying and rising to restore the true image of God within us.

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Questions for the Week: The Week: Day 6 Image of God

1. We shatter God's image when we try to be our own gods by serving our own desires rather than reflecting His love. In what areas of your life (work, relationships, finances) are you most tempted to act as your own god?

2. Read Matthew 27:45-54.  On Palm Sunday, Jesus said if the people were silent, the stones would cry out. On Good Friday, as the Creator died, the earth quaked, and the rocks literally split. How does viewing the crucifixion as a cosmic, creation-shaking event change the way you read the Good Friday story?

3. Read Genesis 1:24-31.  God gave mankind dominion on Day 6, but we abused it. Jesus, the true image of God, showed that real divine dominion looks like taking the posture of a servant. How does Jesus' example on the cross challenge the world's definition of power and success?

4. Because of the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus has breathed His Spirit into us, restoring the image of God in us. What are practical ways you can actively reflect the restored image of God to someone in your life this week?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

Job | Lent Wednesday Services

Wednesday Lent Services
5:30 Dinner
6:30pm Service & Stream

March 25th

Click the Image to Watch Live Stream

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Reading Plan

• February 25th | Job Chapter 2

• March 4th | Job Chapter 3

• March 11th | Job Chapter 19

• March 18th | Job Chapter 38

• March 25th | Job Chapter 42

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March 18th
Job Chapter 38

March 11th
Job Chapter 19

March 4th
Job Chapter 3

Feb 25th
Job Chapters 1-2

[Sunday] Creation Day 5 - Washing Fish, The Week

• Sermon AI Summery (click to expand)

  Main Theme:

  The central theme of the sermon, delivered on March 22, 2026, is that God does not run from chaos but enters into it to bring life, order, and love. Using the fifth day of creation as a framework, the speaker illustrates how God fills the chaotic seas with life (fish) and the sky above it with creatures that soar on His Spirit (birds). This act of creation is presented as a pattern for God's redemptive work, culminating in Jesus, who enters the chaos of human sin and suffering to bring forgiveness and peace.

  Key Biblical Passages:

  • Genesis 1:20-23: This is the core text, describing the fifth day of creation. God commands the waters to "teem with living creatures" and the sky to be filled with birds. This act is seen as God speaking life directly into the chaos (symbolized by the sea).

  • John 13:1-5, 34-35: This passage details Jesus washing his disciples' feet during the Last Supper. Its relevance is in showing Jesus entering into a chaotic situation—knowing his betrayal and death are imminent—and responding not with power, but with servanthood and love. He uses water, the symbol of chaos, to cleanse and serve. He then commands his followers to love one another, filling the chaos with a new purpose.

  • John 20: The speaker references Jesus appearing to the disciples in the upper room after the resurrection. He appears with his scars (the marks of chaos) still visible and breathes peace on them, connecting to the "breath" or "spirit" that keeps the birds aloft.

  • Exodus 19:4: "I carried you on eagle's wings..." This verse is used to illustrate how God lifts His people above chaos. The speaker humorously clarifies that the original word likely refers to a vulture or buzzard, emphasizing the point that God uses what is present to elevate His people on the "wind of the spirit."

  Main Ideas:

  • Creation as a Redemptive Pattern: The sermon series, "The Weak," frames the creation story as a pattern for God's salvation. It begins with darkness and chaos (the unbound sea), which God systematically orders (Day 1: light, Day 2: sky, Day 3: land).

  • The Sea as a Symbol of Chaos: In the ancient Hebrew mindset, the sea represented chaos, danger, and disorder. Therefore, God's actions toward the sea symbolize His power over all that is broken and fearful in the world.

  • Day 5: Life in the Midst of Chaos: Unlike the first three days which bound the chaos, Day 5 shows God filling the chaos with life. He creates fish and great sea creatures within the chaotic waters, demonstrating that He works from the inside out, bringing fruitfulness even in difficult places.

  • Jesus Embodies the Day 5 Principle: Jesus is the ultimate example of God entering chaos. He doesn't avoid the pain and betrayal of Holy Week. Instead, He steps into it to serve, wash feet, and establish a meal of forgiveness (the Lord's Supper) right in the face of his impending death.

  • Two Responses to Chaos (Birds and Fish):

    • The Fish: Represent God speaking life into the very heart of our struggles, creating something good and fruitful where it seems impossible.

    • The Birds: Represent God lifting us above the churning waters of chaos, giving us peace and a new perspective as we are carried by the "wind" or "breath" of His Spirit.

  Illustrations or Examples:

  • Avoiding Someone in Walmart: The speaker illustrates our natural human tendency to avoid chaos by describing seeing someone you're in an argument with at the store and immediately turning down another aisle (e.g., the bread aisle) to hide. This contrasts with Jesus, who moves toward the chaos.

  • Passover and the Red Sea: The sermon connects the Last Supper to the Passover festival, reminding the audience that Passover itself celebrates God rescuing His people from the chaos of slavery in Egypt and parting the chaotic waters of the Red Sea.

  • Looking Back on Life's Struggles: The speaker shares a personal reflection that while it's hard to see God's work during a chaotic time, looking back reveals how God placed life and fruitfulness within those past struggles, much like finding fish in the sea.

  Call to Action/Practical Application:

  The primary call to action is to emulate Jesus's response to chaos by filling it with love. Instead of running from difficult situations, we are called to enter into them with a spirit of service and forgiveness.

  • Receive God's Peace: Recognize that Jesus meets us in the middle of our personal chaos (anxiety, financial stress, family issues) to offer forgiveness and peace, just as He did for the disciples in the upper room.

  • Participate in the "Feast of Forgiveness": The Lord's Supper is presented as a tangible, physical reminder that Jesus prepares a feast for us in the presence of our enemies and offers forgiveness in the midst of our sin.

  • Love One Another: The new command to "love one another" is the way we continue to "fill out creation." When we face chaos in our lives and relationships, our mission is to bring love and forgiveness into that space, showing the world that we belong to Jesus. We are sent out to be agents of love in the midst of the world's deep hurts.

God fills the chaotic seas with life and still comes in the midst of chaos to bring life and love.

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Questions for the Week: The Week: Day 5 Washing Fish

1. When have you assumed a situation, a ministry, or a relationship was "too messy" to get involved with, but God ended up doing something beautiful when you finally stepped in?

2. Read John 13:1-25. In the Upper Room, Jesus and the disciples were celebrating the Passover, specifically remembering how God rescued their ancestors by parting the chaotic waters of the Red Sea. Why is it so important for us to intentionally remember and talk about God’s past rescues when we are staring down a new wave of chaos today?

3. Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, a feast of forgiveness, at the exact moment humanity was plotting to murder Him, Judas was betraying Him, and His closest friends were bickering over who was the greatest. How does Jesus' ability to offer grace before anyone even apologized challenge the way you handle grudges or conflict in your own relationships?

4. Jesus gives us a new commandment (to love one another). What is one practical way you can bring a sense of love into a chaotic environment (like a stressful workplace, a tense family text thread, or your neighborhood) this week?

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What Had happened at Grace this week. 

[Sunday] Creation Day 4 - Day or Hour, The Week

God created the Sun, Moon, and Stars on Day 4 to bring order. But the sun went dark as the Creator took our chaos. You don't have to fix your life in the dark; the Lamb is your light.

• Summery of Sermon (AI Generated)

  Sermon Series: The Week

  Content Creation Date

  • March 15, 2026, 10:43:18

  Sermon Context

  • Series concept: Interweaving Holy Week with the seven days of Creation to reveal God’s redemptive arc in the Old Testament and its fulfillment in Jesus.

  • This sermon focuses on Day Four of Creation and its resonance with Jesus’ apocalyptic teachings in Matthew 22–25, the cross, and the hope of new creation.

  Opening Prayer

  • Gratitude for God’s goodness, holiness, and presence amid chaos and distress.

  • Request that the sermon reflect God’s will for His people.

  Review of Previous Weeks: Days 1–3 of Creation

  • God’s creative acts counter the “tohu vavohu” (formless and void; wild and waste) by bringing order and life.

  • Connections to Holy Week:

    • Day 1: “Let there be light” corresponds to Jesus’ entry into dark Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

    • Day 2: Separation of waters corresponds to Jesus overturning the tables, opening the temple to the blind, hurting, and outsiders.

    • Day 3: Emergence of dry ground and fruitfulness corresponds to the fig tree incident, revealing the danger of appearing healthy without true fruit.

  Day Four of Creation: Filling the Order with Lights

  • Scripture: Genesis Day Four.

    • “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them serve as signs to mark the sacred times, days, and years…’” — Highlighting cosmic order and governance by sun, moon, and stars.

  • Theological observation:

    • Days 4–6 “fill” the form placed in Days 1–3. Day Four “fills” Day One’s light with governing lights that establish order and sacred times.

    • These lights provide rhythm, breathability, and stability to human life.

  The Question of Disorder: When Governance Breaks Down

  • Pastoral application:

    • Even small disruptions (e.g., time change) can unsettle us; how much more when cosmic order collapses?

    • Cultural anecdote: Floridians’ dependence on sunlight; Seattle’s low-light environment as an example of emotional impact.

  • Spiritual implication:

    • The apocalyptic teachings of Jesus in Matthew 22–25 warn of times when the cosmic order fails and chaos returns.

  Jesus’ Apocalyptic Teaching: Matthew 22–25

  • Scripture: Matthew 24:29–31.

    • “Immediately after the distress of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky… Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man… and he will send his angels… and they will gather his elect…”

  • Key points:

    1. The language of cosmic collapse echoes the creation themes and signals profound judgment and transition.

    2. Jesus situates Himself within the prophetic tradition, not inventing apocalyptic imagery but fulfilling it.

  Prophetic Background: Amos and the Day of the Lord

  • Scripture: Amos 8:9–10.

    • “‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight… I will turn your religious festivals into mourning… like mourning for an only son.’”

  • Interpretation:

    • Amos frames darkness as judgment tied to sin and rebellion. The “Day of the Lord” is a reversal of Day Four’s order—lights fail, sacred times turn to mourning.

  Historical Fulfillment: The Temple and Judgment

  • Jesus’ fig tree teaching and mountain/temple saying:

    • “If you have faith… you can say to this mountain… be thrown into the sea.” Interpreted as a prophetic sign regarding the temple’s fate.

  • Historical note:

    • The destruction of the temple (c. AD 70) occurred within a generation of Jesus’ words.

    • For the Jewish people, this felt like cosmic darkness—the collapse of the center of worship and order.

  Personal Chaos: Modern Applications

  • Examples:

    • Medical diagnoses that plunge us into fear.

    • Relationship trauma that reawakens pain.

  • Temptations:

    • To fight in our strength (“war paint”).

    • To mislabel darkness as light—especially in politicized or militarized narratives.

  Pastoral Warning on Calling Darkness Light

  • Contemporary note:

    • Social media giddiness about war or temple-related geopolitics as “signals” for Jesus’ return.

  • Caution:

    • We do not know the day or hour; beware of voices that monetize apocalyptic predictions.

    • Do not baptize destruction as light; remain grounded in the Gospel’s true hope.

  The Cross as the Great and Glorious Day of the Lord

  • Scripture: Matthew 27:45; Psalm 22:1 (echoed by Jesus).

    • “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.”

    • “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

  • Theological claim:

    • On the cross, creation “rolls back” into “tohu vavohu”—the lights fail, the clock stops.

    • Yet God the Father is not far from the Son. Jesus embraces chaos, dies for us, and descends into the darkness.

  Resurrection: “Let There Be Lights” Again

  • Creation echoes:

    • The Spirit still hovers; the Father’s call renews the light.

    • Easter is the new dawn—Jesus rises as the true Light, reestablishing order and peace.

  • Identity and calling:

    • Who God is: Holy, present, sovereign over chaos, faithful to redeem.

    • Who you are: Beloved, carried by God’s Spirit, called to trust and be prepared.

    • How to live: Breathe, do not manufacture light, wait on God’s governance and grace.

  Parable of the Ten Maidens: Preparedness in Darkness

  • Scripture: Matthew 25:1–13.

    • Ten maidens await the bridegroom; five wise bring oil and are ready for the delay and the night, five foolish assume perpetual daylight and are unprepared.

  • Clarification:

    • “Virgin” as a translation of “young maiden.”

  • Application:

    • Wisdom is readiness for darkness—trusting God’s provision when rhythms fail.

    • Foolishness is presuming endless daylight—neglecting serious engagement with faith and discipleship.

  Final Hope: New Creation and the Seventh Day

  • Scripture: Revelation 21:22–23.

    • “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon… for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

  • Eschatological vision:

    • The temple is fulfilled in God and the Lamb.

    • Sun and moon become unnecessary—Jesus is the Light, establishing eternal order and peace.

  Applications for Today

  • When your life feels like “tohu vavohu”:

    • Breathe. God’s Spirit gives breath.

    • Do not try to manufacture your own light or baptize darkness as light.

    • Prepare your faith-life for seasons of darkness—practice trust, prayer, community, and Scripture now.

    • Remember: Jesus took the chaos upon Himself and rose to govern your days with His peace.

  Key Points

  1. God’s creation brings ordered light into chaos; Day Four fills Day One’s light with governing lights and sacred rhythms.

  2. Jesus’ apocalyptic teaching echoes the prophets: the Day of the Lord is a reversal of created order, revealing judgment and the need to be ready.

  3. The cross is the great Day of the Lord: darkness at noon signifies creation’s rollback; yet God remains faithful, and resurrection renews light.

  4. Do not call darkness light—avoid apocalyptic speculation and politicized “giddiness” over conflict; cling to the true Light, Jesus.

  5. Wisdom is preparedness: like the five maidens with oil, cultivate a faith that can endure the night, trusting God to say again, “Let there be lights.”

  6. Our identity and hope: We are carried by the Spirit, governed by the Lamb’s light, and destined for a new creation where Jesus Himself is our lamp.

  Closing Exhortation and Prayer

  • Exhortation:

    • “Breathe; He will carry you through. Everything’s going to be okay, even when it doesn’t seem like it is. Just breathe because He will say, ‘Let there be lights.’”

  • Prayer:

    • Thanksgiving for God’s abiding presence.

    • Petition for readiness in darkness and trust that God will lead us through by His light.

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Questions for the Week: The Week: The Week: Day 4 - Day or Hour

1. A one-hour time change at Daylight Savings Time throws us off. Why do you think human beings are so deeply dependent on rhythm, routine, and the "governors" of our time to feel at peace?

2. Read Matthew 24:29-31.  Jesus warned of a time when the sun and moon would go dark, times when life feels completely chaotic and time seems to stand still. Can you share a time in your life (like a sudden phone call or crisis) when it felt like the "clocks stopped" and everything went dark?

3. When we hit times of darkness, our temptation is to try and "fix it" by finding or creating our own light, which often just brings more chaos. What does "manufacturing your own light" look like in your life when you are stressed or afraid?

4. On the cross, Jesus took the total darkness of our sin upon Himself (Matthew 27:45) so that He could be our eternal light (Revelation 21:22-27). How does knowing that Jesus has already conquered the ultimate darkness change how you handle the "dark days" in your current life?

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What Had happened at Grace this week.