It’s easy for Christians to learn the wrong lesson when suffering comes into our lives. Perhaps it’s because we’ve heard the health-and-wealth preachers telling us that God wants us to be happy and prosperous in this life. Perhaps it’s because we’ve listened to Job’s friends, who assumed that suffering only…

In times of upheaval and turmoil, especially in the political realm, isn’t it a great comfort to gain this sort of perspective? It was God, not politicians, who created the world. It was God, not human rulers, who created all of us. It was God Who divided the land from…

There are two ways to look at the birth of Ishmael. He was the product of Abraham and Sarah’s lack of faith in God’s power, their certainty that God could not let them bear children because they were too old. As a fallback plan, Sarah told Abraham to have a…

Hosea rehearses the history of God’s people, referring to the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob, he says, was always fighting, wrestling, contending with others, even from the womb. He tricked his brother and stole his birthright. Years later, in anxiety about meeting his brother again, he wrestled with an…

We must remember that holiness, at root, means being set apart. To pursue holiness thus means to set ourselves apart from sin, from self-focus, from being too interested in the things of this world. We have Esau as a negative example of holiness, as he elevated the things of this…

We have to remember that Jacob had good reason to dread his meeting with Esau. Years before, he had cheated Esau out of his birthright, and had stolen the blessing of his father, Isaac. That’s why, when they met again, Jacob humbled himself, calling himself Esau’s servant. That’s why Jacob…

If you would like to help with Hurricane Harvey Relief, here are some options: 1. You can give to First Presbyterian Church of Port Gibson, and we will channel your donation to the EPC. 2. You can give directly to the EPC Emergency Relief fund here: https://epc.org/emergencyrelief 3. You can…

Join us for worship at Bethel Presbyterian Church in the Westside community on Palm Sunday, April 9, at 3pm.