Earlier in the Old Testament, we read about Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons who was sold into slavery (by his own brothers!) and became a prisoner in a foreign land. Far from home, with no one he knew that would see or critique him, Joseph led a life of staggering integrity. Fast forward to Daniel and three other young men from Judah who have been exiled in the capital city of their sworn enemies and captors. They were in a place where “no one was looking.” They could compromise and cut corners and no one would ever know … except God. Our culture invites and encourages us to compromise too, but like Daniel living in exile, we live by a higher authority.

What if the U.S.A. had kings instead of presidents? Some suggest that George Washington was asked to be a kind of “king” of America following the Revolutionary War. He, however, rejected the offer following a popular sentiment and motto among colonists, “No king but King Jesus.” God’s people in Israel should have had a motto like that: “No king but King God.” They however, wanted human kings – who got the nation into a heap of trouble. The nation split into two smaller, weaker nations, and during the time of the divided kingdom there were 38 kings in all. All but a handful of those kings were wicked and did evil in the sight of the Lord. They failed to lead their subjects to honor the One True God, and because of it the nation suffered.

Every culture in our world has an overarching "cultural narrative." This means that people groups of all time and places seek to answer some of the most important questions about life. They strive to describe how and where we can find meaning, purpose, and value in our lives. A large part of any culture is the "narrative," or the answers to questions like, "Why are we here?" "Why do bad things happen?" "What is truth?" and "What will happen when I die?" In popular new movies like "Interstellar," Hollywood seeks to enter this narrative. Filmmakers postulate in a manner of speaking answers to these questions. Movies, however, are so advanced and convincing today that it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. We must remember that these are stories based on imagination. Yet, in reality, these questions still remain. So how can we find answers to these meaningful questions of life with any confidence and hope?

Today as we celebrate our nation's freedom and independence, we recognize that our freedom comes at a cost. Many fought ... and now still do fight ... to protect the freedom with which we are so accustomed. But what is freedom for? We could contend that the greatest cause for freedom is to allow the unfettered spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, that is perhaps the foundational freedom on which our country was built! But what about today? What can we as the Church do to use our freedoms in a God pleasing way?

Today as we kick off our “God on Film” message series, we delve right in to a very serious topic – revenge. Revenge is serious, because in reality, it represents a failure to forgive. In view of Scripture’s teaching concerning forgiveness it seems that the stubborn, persistent refusal to forgive others is evidence of a blind and hardened heart which lacks a real understanding of and faith in God’s forgiveness in Christ (from the LCMS.org FAQ’s). For us to understand revenge then, we must understand forgiveness. As we prepare ourselves for worship today, may we ask God to prepare our hearts to understand the depth and breadth of His forgiveness for us in Christ – and to receive that forgiveness of sins in our sharing of the Lord’s Supper today.

The King Who Had It All learned that nothing of this world could fulfill God’s role in his life. Don’t you often wonder what life would be like if you had more? “More what,” you ask? More ANYTHING! For some it’s more money … for others more time … for others more prestige or influence. You name it, and we think it will make us happy –even content. But one man who had all of those – literally – discovered that they each were their own dead end. He learned that nothing in this world can satisfy the longings of the heart. He also learned that nothing in this world is as important as what we do to bring God glory. To do that, however, requires that we surrender ourselves to His will.

What is your concept of God? This is important because your concept of God determines everything. What many of us do is make a box for God, maybe without even realizing it. We’ve created a box that is manageable, a box that isn't too big for us to get our arms around, and that's where we’ve put God. We want a box that we can carry comfortably, a box that fits where we need it to fit. And we've said, God, here's the space we've made for You, so you’re going to need to fit in here. But if your God fits in a box, then your God is too small. This week we are in chapter 11 of The Story, "From Shepherd to King", and we read about the life of David before he becomes King David. As we study this together You will see some things that will likely “blow up” your box!