At First Lutheran Community Church we are in the middle of a sermon series addressing the topic of "change" in the Bible. Our texts and themes related to change thus far:
January 10 "What's The Status Quo?" Matthew 18: 2-5 How do we navigate our status-seeking culture? Jesus calls followers to change and become like children.
January 17 "Listen. Do You Want To Know A Secret?" Matthew 21: 23-32 Reflecting on the human need to be heard. Listening (especially to God) is a key human action in living faithfully in change.
January 24 "Does God Change?" Several readings to consider including:
Numbers 23
1 Samuel 15: 24-31
Malachi 3
Exodus 32: 9-14
Jeremiah 18
Jeremiah 26
Jonah 3
January 31 "What Is Universal Health Care?" The relationship between healing and change. Isaiah 54:14-15, 18-19; Revelation 7: 16-17; Mark 10: 41-52
February 7 "Following A Lord of Discipline?" The relationship between change and discipline.
February 14 Pastor Orv Jacobson preaches a sermon related to the series theme
February 21 Sunday Lenten Series begins: "Tough Texts of the Old Testament"
My question to you as I prepare for this Sunday's sermon: does God change? To what do you attribute your response? Why is this belief important to you? If you read the aforementioned texts associated with change and God from the Old Testament, how do these Bible texts affect your thinking and understanding of God? I look forward to your responses.
I have looked at this question often and keep going back and forth. Dogma (some from interpretation of Scripture) says that God does not change, yet the passages in Genesis 18:16-33 would suggest there is a change there. Prayer intercessions are asking God to change. Now it could be a semantics game where one says that God does not change, but can change his mind, therefore it is not truly change of God, but just of thought and intention.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely though, for me, God does not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament, as I have often heard. Man's image of God has changed from the Old to the New, but not God in that instance.
I don't know if this helps, but that is my thought process.
Darth Jedi--
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I failed to put that Genesis text on this list...thanks. I think you have highlighted thoughts about nature of change. Does change of intention constitute change in God? There is at least change of intention in some of the OT texts. That is definitely helpful in my preparation. Thank you.