Sunday I’ll start a new teaching series at the Maryville Vineyard. It’s called The Deliverers. In 8 weeks we’ll look at 5 of the 12 jacked up heroes whom God chose to make Judges.
- Ehud
- Deborah
- Gideon
- Jephthah
- Samson
Here are a few of the reasons I’m so excited about it
(in no particular order)
- Gratuitous violence. Some people talk about finding their inner-child; I’m busy trying to keep mine at bay. The middle schooler in me gets a kick out of the violent, the bizarre, and the flat out disgusting stuff that’s found throughout the book of Judges.
- Old Testament narrative. In 7+ years of pastoring, I’ve never taught through one of the Old Testament’s historical books. It’s a new genre and a new challenge. I’m a bit nervous about it, but really excited!
- The artwork. There’s a curiously talented artist in our church named Larry May. He’s creating original artwork for the series, and for the each week in the series. It’s gritty and jarring and truthful and better than what I was hoping for.
- Jacked up heroes. Despite all the blood and guts, Judges is a collection of stories about restoration. It’s about the boundless mercy of God to not only continue redeeming Israel, but to do it through some of the most profoundly flawed individuals you could imagine.
- The long wait. I’ve been scheming about this sermon series for three years, but only now feel right about pulling the trigger. I’m not sure what God’s going to do, but I think the timing is right.
Which of the Judges intrigue you the most?
What book of the Bible would you like to us cover next?
As a woman, Deborah intrigues me the most because it shows that God chooses to work through women as well, even if they are a minority conduit in the Bible. As far as a personal topic I would like to see covered: creation. Sometimes it is difficult for Christians to present an intelligent argument for creation; when backing up our claim that God is the Creator, we need to be able to say something other than “because the Bible says so.” Whatever topic you choose, I appreciate the balance in which you deliver a message; it’s neither too emotional, nor too intellectual.
Shannon, thanks for the feedback! I can’t wait to teach about Deborah’s story! And it does indeed show what you’ve pointed out: he can do whatever he wants through whomever he chooses!
it’s a great suggestion to discuss the creation narrative from a more scientific perspective (although I wouldn’t make the short list of people best qualified to address it). There are some great resources out there on that subject. Check out carm.org…also there’s a really interesting book written by a non-Christian (I think) called “The Genesis Enigma”. I picked it up while in the UK so it might be tough to find, but definitely worth the read!