Stones of Remembrance #1 - Stones at Bethel

In Genesis 28, as Jacob left home for fear of his life, God encountered him at Bethel. There, God assured Jacob that he was still his God, despite his sin, and would bring him back. Jacob set up a stone of remembrance there to remember and recall God's faithfulness. 

On Pentecost, God, the Holy Spirit, came to the disciples just as Jesus had promised. On this festival day, we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples by setting up a stone of remembrance to the God who still comes to meet us. Genesis 28:10-22

Up from the Ashes #8 - Child-like Job

This Sunday, June 1, we conclude our series on Job with a look at Job 42. After wrestling with suffering and questioning God's justice, Job responds in humility and renewed faith. “I had heard of you,” he says, “but now my eyes have seen you.” Through suffering, Job moves from secondhand knowledge of God to personal encounter.

God responds with grace, calling Job “my servant” again and again—a powerful sign of forgiveness and restoration. Job is not only restored in his life but also in his relationship with God. He even forgives his friends and intercedes for them, becoming a Christ-like figure who prays on behalf of those who wronged him.

Job’s story reminds us that suffering isn’t wasted. It can draw us closer to God, deepen our faith, and reveal his grace in powerful ways. Join us as we reflect on the God who meets us in the ashes.

Up from the Ashes #7 - One Little Word

This Sunday at Mount Lebanon Church, we’re diving into Job 41 —God’s thunderous description of Leviathan, the untamable beast no human can defeat. But God? He isn’t threatened. He rules over Leviathan. This terrifying creature—symbol of chaos, evil, even the devil himself—may be too much for us, but not for God. Evil is not His rival. It is His servant. With a word, He can fell it. Whatever Leviathan looks like in your life—fear, sin, injustice— God has the final word. And that word brings not only power, but vindication for His people. A sermon on Job 41.

Up from the Ashes #6 - Redemption Songs

In Job 40, God speaks again—not to explain, but to reveal. He points Job to Behemoth, a creature so powerful that no human can control it. And yet, God does. This moment isn’t about answers—it’s about awe. Through His words, God shows Job that His authority extends over everything, even what we cannot understand or manage.

Behemoth stands as a reminder: what is impossible for us is fully governed by God. In our suffering, when life feels chaotic or out of control, we are invited to trust the One who holds even Behemoth in His hand. God doesn’t diminish Job—He draws him into wonder. And He does the same for us. The wild is not wild to God. He reigns over it all.

Up from the Ashes #5 - Creation Songs

This sermon centers on the powerful moment when God answers Job—not with explanations, but with questions that reveal His greatness and Job’s smallness. Speaking from the storm, God draws Job into awe, not to belittle him, but to lift his eyes to the majesty of the Creator. As God recounts the wonders of creation, Job realizes that the Almighty who commands the cosmos also cares deeply for him. Job’s suffering is not meaningless—it’s refining. “When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold,” he declares. This same truth applies to us. God teaches, tests, and treasures His people. We are not forgotten. We are His masterpiece, His chosen ones, precious in His sight. In God’s vast universe, we are deeply known and infinitely valued. A sermon on Job 38-39.

Up from the Ashes #4 - What can you know?

In the span of a few days, Job lost everything. His prosperity was stolen from him and destroyed. His children lay buried in the dust. His own health was so destroyed that his friends could barely recognize him when they came to console him. But they were little help. Zophar was one of the worst. He came to Job in his grief and said to him, “You deserved this. In fact, it could have been worse. God has even forgotten some of your sin” (11:6). Some friends!

Yet, Zophar wasn’t all wrong. He asked a fundamental question of Job. “What can you know?” The wisdom, the mysteries, and the limits of God are all beyond our knowing. It is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

Yet, there Zophar sat, daring to uncover the hidden mysteries of heaven to Job. Isn’t that what we try to do when we try to explain how God is working all things together for good (cf. Romans 8:28)? We say that and then we try to explain it. We sit with those who are suffering and try to explain to them how its good. We sit with our thoughts and try to reason out the things beyond our understanding.

We are better off if we stick with what we know. And what was it that Job knew, even in the dust and ashes? He knew that his Redeemer lived. He knew that he would live with him, too. Ah, how sweet this sentence is: I know that my Redeemer lives! Indeed, this is what we know.  Job 11:7-9; Job 19:23-27