April 14, 2012 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "Running Part 1: Jonah: When God Expands Your World" - Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Shirley Ponder

Alumni Welcome: Marilyn Herrmann, SN ’80

Alumni Interview: Joan Loveless Harding, SN ’52

Baptism: Montra Se-yin Suprono - Randy Roberts
Abigail Amjad Waryam - Z. M. Zubaid
Alexandra Chrysanthemum Baroya, Jason Webster - Rob Mohr

Children’s Feature: Genevieve Koh Isidro

Meditation:

God doesn’t call people who are qualified. He calls people who are willing, and then He qualifies them. – Richard Parker
 
The responsible person seeks to make his or her whole life a response to the question and call of God. – Deitrich Bonhoeffer

Scripture Reading: Jonah 1:1–3, TNIV - Beverly Webster, Ferreiro, SN ’62-1st service
Arlene Parrish Blix, SN ’62-2nd service

Sermon Notes: 

Today we begin a five-part sermon series on the Old Testament book of the prophet Jonah.
Without doubt, the most recognizable feature of Jonah’s story is a whale! (Although the book
never says it was a whale; just that it was a “great fish”). It is a most unusual book when
compared with other prophets from his world. In some ways it seems very foreign to and
removed from our world. Yet, in other ways, you may discover—as have I—how absolutely
contemporary and relevant the story is for us.

If there is one theme, one phrase, that I would encourage you to remember as we move
through this study together, it is the theme which I have chosen as the title for this series,
when God expands your world. You just might discover, as I have, that you cannot study
Jonah’s story without the Spirit of God broadening (sometimes painfully) the boundaries of
your safe and comfortable world.

Keep us all in your prayers as we study this book together.

Note: Child dedications and baptisms are in the extras section of the DVD