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Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Where can I find God? In the midst of his distrees and trial, Job confesses "I do not see him. But he knows the way thast I take: when he has tried me I shall come out as gold.

Click to watch Blaming the victim can be our own defense mechanism to shield ourselves from the threat of pain or injustice. When Job feels abandoned by friends and family, his heart yearns to see God. He voices confidence that God himself will come as his kinsman redeemer.

Click to watch Job longs for God to be his advocate, his intercessor, his defender.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Job's three friends are full of advice, none of it worth while for Job. Job replies to each in turn and then asks God, "What is man that you make so much of him"

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Job shatters the silence by crying out to God in his distress. Here is the path for us to follow. As Psalm 120:1 records, "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me."

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript The main character Job, despite being identified repeatedly as a man who is “blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil,” goes through intense suffering and loss. The book of Job is filled with questions, but it also generates many questions in the mind of the reader. Is life unfair? Where do I find hope when life hurts? Where is God in the midst of my suffering? How can I best support those who are hurting around me? Job is included in the Bible for important reasons. It is placed among the books of wisdom.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript The four Hebrew consonants in “Yahweh” are pronounced with the vowels of the noun Adonai meaning “Lord.” Whenever this occurs in the text, the English Bible translators honor this tradition and read LORD. We learn here to love God’s personal name, to treat God’s name as holy, and to anticipate that one day “all the peoples of the earth may know that  the LORD is God; there is no other.” (1 Kings 8:60).

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript The central confession of our faith is to believe that Jesus is the Christ. When we name Jesus as Christ, we believe that he is God’s anointed Messiah, our Savior. We believe that Jesus is our disciple maker. He is our teacher and Lord. We derive our name from him as “Christians” and are recognized in the world by our love and dedication to him. As his disciples, we are committed followers of him alone.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Humility is a uniquely Christian virtue. This word never appears on any of the virtue lists of the ancient world. ). For disciple makers, humility means having the mind of Christ, thinking of others more highly than ourselves, and serving others from the abundance of who we are in Christ.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript In John 3, we discover that the world is the object of God’s redeeming love: “God so loved  the world,   that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not  perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). For Christians, the world becomes the place of our earthly pilgrimage and the people with whom we share Christ in humility.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Holy, holy, holy Holy describes the reflection of God’s infinite perfection and glory. To be holy means to be set apart for God’s use in the world. In Isaiah 6, we see a vision of the Lord. We learn here that holy means belonging to God, dedicated for his purpose and use, and designed to reflect his character and bring him glory in the world.

Click to watch - Click to view manuscript Covenant describes a binding relationship of reciprocal love and commitment. A covenant reflects a relationship. A contract can end. A covenant is meant to last. A covenant relationship with God means that God is for us and we are for God.

Click to watch - Click to view Manuscript We discover that love is God’s tender affection for his people and steadfast commitment to our good; love is our pleasing response to God in praise and our reflection of his character in how we live.

Click to Watch - Click to view manuscript The word this week is Hope. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is confidence in the unchanging character and goodness of God. Hope emerges most brightly during our darkest times.

Click to Watch We discover that grace is God’s unmerited favor for all who believe providing forgiveness of sins through the cross and causing us to hope in the glory of God.