2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Life is messy, and as people of faith, we try to make sense of this messiness by seeking God’s guidance and wisdom. When we come to share in worship, we give thanks to God for being present with us through life’s ups and downs. Even when we’re not sure how God is present, we know in our hearts that God is with us. This may be the 4th of July weekend, but the message of Christmas in July is that Emmanuel – God with us – has come in the person of Jesus, so that we might experience that presence anew. Our journey through 1 and 2 Samuel had brought us to a turning point in the history of Israel. The civil war that had engulfed David’s supporters and those who had gathered around Saul’s son Ishbotheth, had come to an end, and David was the last man standing. The elders of Israel gathered at Hebron, and anointed David as their shepherd and ruler. As Eugene Peterson puts it: “The shepherd boy of Bethlehem becomes the shepherd king of Israel.”...
Sermons of a Disciples Preacher Ministering in Troy, Michigan