Date Posted: 2024-08-19 05:12:08 | Video Duration: 01:11:31
Welcome to Highland Park Presbyterian Church, where the doors are always open, and the message is always profound. This week, we embarked on a new sermon series titled “Welcome Home,” which delves into the elements that define us as a community of faith. The sermon, led by Pastor Callum, explored the power of prayer and the extraordinary acts that God can accomplish through our faith.
In a world where the familiar can sometimes become mundane, Pastor Callum reminded us of the wonder and awe we experienced when we first encountered God’s love. Using a personal anecdote of his first airplane journey as a child immigrating from South Korea to Dallas, he illustrated how the excitement can fade over time. Just as he once found joy in the novelty of an airport’s baggage carousel, we too can lose sight of the marvel that is our faith.
The sermon took us to the Old Testament, Joshua 10:7-14, where Joshua, a leader chosen by Moses, faced an epic battle against the Amorite kings. As Joshua prepared, God assured him in the present perfect tense, “I have given them into your hand” (Joshua 10:8), highlighting that God fights battles for us, often before we even realize we’re in one.
Pastor Callum emphasized that while Joshua had a well-trained army, the true victory came from God. The passage describes how God intervened with a hailstorm, causing more enemy casualties than Joshua’s army could. This moment of divine intervention reminded us that God is capable of doing more in a moment than we can achieve through all our planning and strategizing.
Joshua’s bold prayer for the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12) was a testament to his faith. It demonstrated the power of praying boldly, even when it seems impossible. Pastor Callum urged us to reclaim the audacity of our prayers, to trust that God can turn our mistakes into miracles, and to remember that our God doesn’t demand perfection in our prayers, only authenticity and a heart that longs for Him.
This message of faith was tied to the greater narrative of God’s grace. Just as God allowed the sun to stand still for Joshua, He allowed His Son, Jesus, to stand still on the cross for us. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have the light of life, a victory secured by God’s love.
As we reflect on this sermon, Pastor Callum encouraged us to consider areas where we need to trust God more deeply. What impossible prayers do we need to bring before Him? How can we lean into our faith, even when circumstances seem insurmountable? By doing so, we return to our spiritual home, a place where we belong and thrive as God’s people.
Let us carry this message into our daily lives, bringing the light of faith into our communities. Whether through acts of service or deeper reflection, may we continue to seek God’s presence and trust in His plans for us. As Pastor Callum concluded, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Amen.
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