Fairplain Presbyterian Church

07/30/2024

II Samuel 7 reads like propaganda to prop up the Davidic monarchy. Find out how this propaganda brought hope to billions of people for centuries even when nobody from David’s family was anywhere near the throne of Israel.

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/propaganda-as-the-word-of-god/

07/30/2024

If the divinely-inspired human writers of Scripture included parts of their national story that made their heroes look bad, and it could be profitable (2 Timothy 3:16), surely America can leave in parts of our history that make our national forefathers look bad.

Read the rest of Pastor David's The Herald-Palladium article from last Saturday:

The Bible tells stories that make people uncomfortable because they portray “heroes of the faith” like King David in a bad light.

07/15/2024

Pastor David's prayer Sunday:

God in your mercy, we pray that our nation will not succumb to the temptations of violence, that we will not succumb to the temptation of the belief that if we just manage to do violence against the right person, things will be better.

Because we have enough history to know that that's not how it works; that violence done leads to more violence done, leads to more violence which leads to more violence.

We pray your justice comes, we pray your kingdom come, in the words of Jesus, who taught us to pray saying,

Our Father,
who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done
On earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.

07/15/2024

Many of us believe God loves us – or at least tolerates us – but struggle to believe God delights in us. In this sermon, Pastor David Schell invites you to believe in God’s delight in you.

Many of us believe God loves us – or at least tolerates us – but struggle to believe God delights in us. In this sermon, Pastor David Schell invites you to believe in God’s delight in you.

07/10/2024

Sometimes trying to do the hard thing stops you from doing the easy thing.

When Jesus is rejected in his hometown, he doesn't double down; he just... leaves. He doesn't waste time fighting big battles trying to convince people who are vehemently opposed to him. He walks off to do his work somewhere it is better received, and he tells his disciples to do the same thing.

Modern peace and justice movements have learned this lesson and do something similar, with an idea that has been named "The Spectrum of Allies."

Hear Sunday's sermon and find links to references 👇

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/shake-off-the-dust/

07/08/2024

The story of the woman with the issue of blood "sandwiched" inside the story of Jesus healing Jairus' daughter is very intentional, and it has SO MUCH to teach us today about how the church is called to engage with younger generations.

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/jesus-has-to-stop-the-bleeding-first/

06/24/2024

It’s much easier to believe God only works behind the scenes in subtle ways in people’s hearts, but every now and again, a shepherd defeats a giant, and every now and then, there’s Jesus, standing in a storm and speaking to the wind like it’s a petulant child.

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/sometimes-amazing-things-happen/

06/24/2024

*** SCAM WARNING ***
The county has received many complaints over the last week for Law Enforcement Warrant and Jury Duty Warrant SCAMS. These are very convincing because the SCAMMERS take the time to look up local names and spoof phone numbers to make the SCAM appear more realistic in our area. The county will not call and let you know you have a WARRANT and/or WANTED. We don't take payment over the phone or in the form of cryptocurrency or cash apps. Please hang up and contact local authorities and/or contact the company/service provider/family member the scammer is pretending to be and let them know. (Look up the number don't use the number they provide you with) Most of the time they already know these SCAMS are going on and can give you a warning it is a SCAM. If you understand this SCAM please share it with family and friends especially older individuals who can get quickly confused or scared when these SCAMMERS call.
Thank you & STAY SAFE!

06/19/2024

Liberating God,
we give thanks for the Juneteenth holiday
our country celebrates today,
for when the news reached
the last area
where Black people were enslaved
that they were
finally
free.

We have not fully lived into this yet:
there are places and circumstances
in which slavery is still
practiced
and legal,

and our country has yet to compensate
those enslaved people
and their descendants
for the labor
and life
that was stolen;

God, we pray that our country
will live into
the promise of Juneteenth
and gather the courage
to do what is necessary
to make things right.

-Rev. David Schell

06/18/2024

Sermon Podcast: A NEW CREATION

"If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation." Is this a one-time thing? You are in Christ, then instantly that one person becomes a new creation? Or is Paul talking about something else, something more beautiful and slow?

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/a-new-creation/

06/18/2024

GOD AND GOVERNMENT (from June 9)

The biblical story of the anointing of Saul as king reminds us of our true allegiance to God and our calling to love our neighbors, above governments, even when those governments are elected by us, and even (maybe especially!) when we voted for the leaders in office.

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/god-and-government/

06/04/2024

Sometimes we are tempted to compare ourselves to others, who we might think are better people, but Paul’s words in II Corinthians 4 teach us that the light of God’s love shines through us regular folks, too.

https://www.fairplainpc.com/podcast/earthen-vessels/