Call to worship:

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.
Psalm 84:1-2

Gathering Video

Questions for reflection:

How does Jeremiah 29:11-13 reframe our perspective on prosperity?

How does this shape our understanding of long term suffering?

Corporate Prayer:

Our Father in Heaven,

Make us understand the way of your precepts, and we will meditate on your wondrous works. Grant us vision to see your Son and the grand work of redemption yesterday, today, and forever. Give us ears to hear and a heart to obey all that the Spirit would will for our lives.

May you increase as we decrease.

In Christ we pray.

Amen.

Notes//Quotes//Slides:

Jeremiah 29:11-13

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

Psalm 53:1

“Now, this does not negate the fact that God might choose to bless us with a great paying job, a beautiful family, and a healthy life on account of his grace. But the bottom line is we should never expect those things to happen or seek to appeal to the promise of Jeremiah 29:11–13 in order to substantiate our expectations. We have no right to hold God hostage to a promise that we have misunderstood.”

Eric J. Bargerhuff