By Pastor Jack Hartman
Scripture:  Romans 5:1-5

​One of the arguments against Christianity is the presence of pain and suffering in our lives individually and corporately. The argument goes like this: If there is a good God, there should not be pain and suffering. If there is pain and suffering, there is no God. However, there is a major fallacy in that argument. God can be good and, at the same time, we and others can experience pain and suffering. You may ask how is that possible. That is the question I would like for us to explore today. 

By Pastor Linda Dolby
Scripture:  Psalm 42 and 1 Kings 19:1-5a

Do you remember the song from the tv show Hee-Haw? Buck Owens and Roy Clark would sing gloom, despair and agony on me.
 
“Gloom despair and agony on me
Deep dark depression, excessive misery.
If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.
Gloom, despair and agony on me.”

By Pastor Jack Hartman
Scripture:  Matthew 16:13-18

Before I read the text, I want to set it in its context. Jesus is nearing the time of his death, and he is giving instructions to his disciples. In this passage, he is talking about the future coming of the church. The church at this time is not a reality. The church does not exist. The church comes into being at what we call Pentecost when God’s spirit came upon and among the people.
 
Let’s do a timeline. Jesus is speaking with his disciples in this text about the church.  Some weeks pass, and Jesus is crucified and is resurrected from the dead. Then Jesus spends forty days in his resurrected power and at the end of those forty days ascends back into heaven. Ten days later, Pentecost happens, and the church is born.
 
Jesus – before his death and resurrection –wanted the disciples to know ahead of time about the church and what the foundation of the church would be. So hear the words of the gospel writer Matthew.