Abraham and the Justice of God: Abraham intercedes for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18) The 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis tells the remarkable story of Father Abraham, pleading on behalf of two violent and corrupt cities (Sodom and Gomorrah) that God intends to destroy. Among the many remarkable aspects of this story is this: Abraham dares to stand before God- the Creator of the Universe- and call Him to a higher standard of justice. "Will you sweep away the just with the wicked?" Abraham asks. "Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:22-25. Abraham's bold intercession before the presence of God has a lot to teach us about: (1) What divine justice looks like, (2) what it means to stand under God's judgement and (3) what it means to plead for divine mercy.

​Whilst staying in the home of a certain Simon the Tanner in Joppa, Saint Peter has a vision of a large sheet being lowered from the heavens.  In this sheet are all kinds of unclean animals (i.e., animals which the Jews are forbidden by the Law of Moses to eat). Peter hears the voice of the Lord saying, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat." Peter, however, refuses, protesting that the animals are unclean. The voice then replies by saying, "What God has made clean, do not call unclean." This happens 2 more times before the vision is removed from Peter's eyes.

The vision reaffirms a truth asserted by Jesus himself during his earthly ministry; namely, that it is not what goes into a person but what comes out (i.e., from the heart) that makes a person unclean.  However, this vision is more than just about food. It is about PEOPLE.

In the same way that Peter was taught to believe certain foods are unclean, he was also taught to believe that certain PEOPLE (among them, the gentiles) are unclean. Peter, however, has now learned something new; namely, that God shows no partiality. Having learned this profound truth, Peter is then led to the home of Cornelius (a Roman Centurion) where he preaches his first sermon to a gentile audience. In today's sermon, we take a closer look at what Peter says to Cornelius and what that means for us.

Since being sold into slavery in Egypt by his ten older brothers, Joseph's life has been filled with hardships.  Falsely accused by his master's wife and thrown into prison unjustly, Joseph has truly experienced his fair share of suffering.  However, Joseph's God-given, prophetic vision eventually enables him to rise to the highest political position in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.  

The adult Joseph whom we encounter in today's reading is a far cry from the naive young shepherd boy whom we met in the beginning of this story.  Having lived most of his life in Egypt, Joseph has even begun to forget about his old life in Canaan.  However, in the beginning of today's reading, Joseph will be reminded of his past in a rather striking and unexpected manner.  Driven to find food in the midst of a devastating famine, Joseph's brothers travel all the way to Egypt in order to buy grain.  Their journey brings them to their long lost brother, Joseph himself.  

How does Joseph treat his brothers? How does he feel about seeing them again after so many years?  We'll explore this in today's Bible Study.

After a long imprisonment, Joseph's luck finally begins to turn.  He's summoned to the court of Pharaoh and asked to interpret two mysterious dreams experienced by the ruler of Egypt himself.  Although the wisest men in Pharaoh's court fail, Joseph manages to interpret the dream to Pharaoh's liking.  As a result Joseph becomes the most powerful man in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

What does Joseph and his rise to power have to teach us?  We'll explore this and other questions in today's Bible study.

​After being falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, Joseph, son of Jacob, is thrown into prison. Whilst in jail, Joseph proves himself to be the model inmate, rising to a level of prominence and authority within the prison hierarchy. During his time in jail, Joseph meets two people who will have a very important role to play in his life; namely, Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and chief baker, both of whom have wound up in jail due to their having offended their master. Both of these men have strange dreams- dreams that only Jospeh can interpret. Eventually, through Joseph's successful interpretation of these dreams, his life will be changed forever.

Is addiction a matter of moral responsibility or is it a disease? Although the disease model of addiction certainly has its merits, the important role of forgiveness in the recovery process is undeniable. In the story of the healing of the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12), Jesus heals a man of his physical illness. However, he doesn't stop there. Jesus also offers forgiveness. The message here is clear: Healing and forgiveness go hand-in-hand. In this sermon, we'll examine how this principle applies to addictions recovery.

​In last week's Bible Study, we talked about how Joseph- one of the youngest sons of the Jewish patriarch, Jacob- is sold into slavery by his brothers. Taken by Ishmaelite traders to the land of Egypt, Joseph finds himself in the service of Potiphar- a high ranking official in the court of Pharaoh. For a while, Joseph prospers. His loyalty and competence earns him the trust of his master and, as a result, Joseph is given complete control over the entire household. However, Joseph's luck doesn't hold out. Once again, he is betrayed- falsely accused by Potiphar's wife of trying to assault her. Today, we take a closer look at this story of betrayal.

The Death of the Dreamer and the End of the Dream: Joseph is Sold into Slavery by His Brothers This marks the second Bible Study in a series centred around Joseph- the 11th son of the great Jewish patriarch, Jacob. Joseph is often called "the dreamer" because he is a man whom God has given special vision and insight. Joseph's dreams, however, often get him into trouble. Indeed, Joseph has at least two dreams where his family members (his eleven brothers, mother and father) all bow down to him. Naturally, his family is threatened by this dream- especially his older brothers who most certainly DON'T want to bow down to young Joseph. So, in order to eliminate the threat of this dream, Joseph's brothers decide to eliminate the dreamer himself - Joseph.

This talk marks the second in a sermon series on the vision statement of Stone Church: "The heart of Christ in the heart of the city."

Today, we focus on the issue of "generational poverty"- a term which is used to describe the pattern on successive generations of the same family dealing with the same problems (abuse, unemployment, addiction, mental health issues, etc.).  Is someone who is born into a situation of instability destined to struggle with the same issues as his or her parents?  Or can the pattern be broken?  That's the question that we'll be exploring in our sermon today as we take a closer look at Ezekiel 18.

Here, the prophet Ezekiel addresses a common proverb of the day: "The parents have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on edge."  Ezekiel isn't particularly fond of this saying, for reasons that will be made clear in the sermon.