Posts by Bob Rhodes (Page 2)

Introduction As we continue our worship series Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, we turn to a question many of us struggle with: What happens when we die? Popular images of heaven—clouds, harps, angels in white—sometimes feel more like cartoons than images of hope. And when loss and grief hit close, when someone we love is gone, the questions become more urgent: Will I see them again? Is there something beyond this life, or is death simply the end? This week…

Introduction As we continue our worship series Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, we turn to a question that underscores a lot of other questions: How do we approach the Bible? For some, scripture has been a source of comfort and clarity. For others, it has felt confusing, internally conflicted, or even used to keep score. And when that happens, it can be hard to know what to do with the Bible. This week we are exploring our sacred text critically…

Introduction As we begin this five-week series based on Adam Hamilton’s book Wrestling with Doubt, Finding Faith, we start with the question that grounds all the others: Does God exist? Most of us have carried this question at some point—when prayers seem unanswered, when tragedy strikes, when the world feels too broken. This series empowers us to bring our hard questions out into the open and to wrestle honestly with what we believe and why. This week, we explore the…

Introduction As we continue our Advent series based on Adam Hamilton’s The Journey, we follow Mary and Joseph along the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem. What might sound like a simple line in the story—”they went… to Bethlehem”—was in reality a demanding trip over rugged terrain, taken late in pregnancy, under the pressure of an imperial decree. The journey is marked by weariness, risk, and uncertainty as they press forward under impossible conditions. By the time they arrive, there is…

Introduction As we continue our Advent series based on Adam Hamilton’s The Journey, we follow Mary from Nazareth into the hill country of Judea. She arrives at Elizabeth’s home carrying both the weight and wonder of news she can barely comprehend. The distance she travels is more than geographical—it marks a search for understanding, safety, and a trusted family member who can help her sort through the challenges ahead. What happens in that household is immediate and joyful: Elizabeth responds…

Introduction As we continue our Advent series based on Adam Hamilton’s The Journey, we turn from Nazareth to a moment of personal crisis for Joseph. His world has been quietly unraveling—an engagement upended, a future he had planned suddenly uncertain, and a choice thrust upon him that carries tangible cost. This week’s Gospel passage gives us a picture of someone trying to do the right thing with limited information, guided only by his character and compassion. Into this mix of…

Introduction As we begin our Advent series based on Adam Hamilton’s book The Journey, we start with a story set in an overlooked village in Galilee. Nazareth is not a town with status or influence, yet this is where God’s messenger steps into an ordinary day with news that changes Mary’s world forever. The moment is both unexpected and intimate. Mary asks practical questions, faces a future she doesn’t fully grasp, and then responds with openness and courage to God’s…

Introduction This Sunday we conclude The Days are Surely Coming with Week Three: Anticipation. Jeremiah points toward a promised shepherd-king who will lead with wisdom, gather the scattered, and make daily life secure. This is anticipation with substance—rooted in God’s commitment to justice and the care of people who have been harmed by poor leadership. It honors the ache of the present and leans into God’s promised future, trusting that righteousness belongs in public life as much as in prayer.…

Introduction This Sunday we continue our series, The Days are Surely Coming with Celebration. In our reading this week, Isaiah sketches joy that is more than a mood: it is a community where tears are quieted, houses are built and lived in, gardens feed their planters, children start strong, and elders finish well. This is celebration that carries significance—tied to workbenches and dinner tables, neighborhoods and long-term commitments. It is celebration that acknowledges pain, and trusts that God is bringing…

Introduction This Sunday we begin a new three-week series, The Days are Surely Coming. We’re starting with Nostalgia, that pull toward the way things used to be—family traditions, music, sanctuaries, even church calendars that feel like home. Nostalgia can comfort and connect us, and it can also make the present feel smaller than it really is. In Haggai’s day, a community stood in the rubble of yesterday’s glory and wondered whether anything new could possibly measure up. We carry similar…

Introduction As we conclude our stewardship series Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, we meet two more unnamed figures—a tax collector who prays for mercy and a woman who anoints Jesus with oil. As unnamed characters, we might expect them to have minimal influence, to be nearly forgettable. Instead, these two leave behind profound teaching. Looking back over this series, anonymous figures have illustrated the nature of complete faith. An unnamed disciple asked for greater faith. An unnamed Samaritan turned…