Alex Stone - October 3, 2021
To and Fro on the Earth
Care needs to be taken as we launch into this series. If ever there was a time where the worship team needs to take the congregation by the hand and walk them through the expectations of worship, it is in this series.
From Series: "Born to Trouble"
In the month of October, the rhythms are well established, small groups are engaged in fellowship and study, mission outreach is connecting with the wider community, the high holy seasons are just about to appear on the horizon but not yet consuming the work of the church, and everything is running smoothly. Well, okay. But even if not, why would anyone want to take a risk on a four-week series on Job, for heaven’s sake? The book of Job is usually placed among the wisdom literature of the Bible, and that is probably where it best fits. Yet, it is not at all like Proverbs with its aphoristic approach to advice and suggestion. It is not like the Psalms or Song of Songs with their poetic praise and petition and passion, though you can find some of the most soaring poetry of the Bible in the pages of this book. So, what is it? Job starts like a fairy tale but reads like a documentary. Did this all really happen? Does it matter? What’s going on here in this odd, somewhat tedious, kinda confusing book? And why, we ask again, would anyone want a worship series on this book? Well, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a complete answer to that question. But it is our contention that the book of Job deals with some profoundly difficult questions in the life of faith, and it does so without easy answers or simplistic cliches. In fact, Job takes on those cliches with some painful truths about life in the real world. Let’s be honest: Job isn’t really for those for whom everything is great, and all their choices come up smelling like roses. It is a book for those who have questions, those who are struggling or suffering, or feeling like there is no one listening, no one out there at all. If this is you, or anyone you know, then the book of Job is the place for you. The human condition seems rife with difficulty from birth to death. We are, as “Comforter” Eliphaz declares in a rare moment of clarity, born to trouble as the sparks fly upward (Job 5:7). What word can we bring to those who know the depth of this experience? Join us for our worship series “Born to Trouble.”
