Prophets: God May Not Be Who You Think She Is
Sept. 8-Oct. 27, 2019

This is a study of the Prophets. Sometimes the Prophets critique those who do not trust in God, but usually, they are correcting (or reminding) people’s confused understandings of God. That’s something all of us suffer from at times. Our understanding of God is never stagnant, or at least it shouldn’t be. The prophets try, often unsuccessfully, to push God’s people toward greater faithfulness.

Sept. 8	Fire Shut Up In My Bones	Rev. Tom Are
Sept. 15	This is Real Life	Rev. Tom Are
Sept. 22	We Have Been Here Before	Rev. Tom Are
Sept. 29	Isn’t God Supposed to Bless Me?	Rev. Tom Are
World Communion Sunday, Oct. 6	A Light Unto the Nations	Rev. Tom Are
Oct. 13	What Does God Expect From Us?	Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka
Oct. 20	Someone’s Crying, Lord	Rev. Tom Are
Oct. 27	I Don’t Care What Other People Think…Too Bad	Rev. Tom Are

I Don’t Care What Other People Think…Too Bad
Oct. 27, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

Rev. Tom Are concludes the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” with a few words from Ezekiel. Ezekiel declares God will restore Israel, but not because Israel deserves it, but because God’s reputation is on the line. As Christians, we have a name to live up to. How we live reflects on how others understand our faith. Our scripture reading is Ezekiel 36:22-30.

Bulletin 10-27-19
Sermon Transcript 10-27-19

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Someone’s Crying, Lord
Oct. 20, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the seventh sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are turns to Jeremiah and to the text that the spiritual “There is a Balm in Gilead” references. Jeremiah speaks of God’s judgment of God’s people. We might think that God’s judgment is an expression of anger, but the deeper basis of judgment is not anger, but grief. Jeremiah says that people have broken God’s heart. Our scripture reading is Jeremiah 8:18-9:3.

Bulletin 10-20-19
Sermon Transcript 10-20-19

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What Does God Expect from Us?
Oct. 13, 2019 - Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka

In the sixth sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka turns to the prophet Micah, who teaches us that God has requirements: to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Dr. Nishioka preaches about what it means to live out these virtues in our lives. Our scripture reading is Micah 6:1-8.

Bulletin 10-13-19
Sermon Transcript 10-13-19

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A Light Unto the Nations
World Communion Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the fifth sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are's message focuses on one of the phrases that lives in the theological imagination of the prophets declaring that God’s children are to be a “light unto the nations.” Rev. Are lifts up the work of grace that happens through this church family and reaches around the globe. Our scripture reading is Isaiah 42:1-7.

Bulletin 10-6-19

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Isn’t God Supposed to Bless Me?
Sept. 29, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the fourth sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are turns to Amos who lifts up the theme of poverty. For the prophets, poverty is a sign that the community has failed. So, Amos speaks to those who are not poor and invites them to see themselves not as blessed or fortunate or self-made, but as called to rebuild the community. Our scripture reading is Amos 6:4-7.

Bulletin 9-29-19
Sermon Transcript 9-29-19

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We Have Been Here Before
Sept. 22, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the third sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are turns to Daniel, a preacher to folks who were facing difficult things. He had a simple but important message: we have been here before. The people of God through the ages have often faced hard times. There is something about God’s faithfulness that we never learn until we have to endure the hard times. Our scripture reading is Daniel 6:14-24.

Bulletin 9-22-19
Sermon Transcript 9-22-19

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This is Real Life
Sept. 15, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the second sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are preaches about one of the more surprising messages from the prophets: sometimes God wishes to be anywhere but in worship. According to the prophets, it is not only what happens in worship that matters, but what happens when we leave worship. Our scripture reading is Amos 5:21-24.

Bulletin 9-15-19
Sermon Transcript 9-15-19

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Fire Shut Up In My Bones
Sept. 8, 2019 - Rev. Tom Are

In the first sermon of the series about the prophets, “God May Not Be Who You Think She Is,” Rev. Tom Are looks at Jeremiah and the passage where he admits that if it were possible to be anything other than a prophet, he would. It’s not a job he wants. But it is a job he must do. Our scripture reading is Jeremiah 20:7-13.

Bulletin 9-8-19
Sermon Transcript 9-8-19

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