Deception, Danger, & Derring-Do // Rev. Matt Kennedy // Sep 14 2025

Good storytellers know that good stories are rarely a predictable series of events where a protagonist only ever makes the right decision. Good stories always have trials and setbacks where characters must fail and learn from loss. This isn't just true of fiction.This is true of life in general; especially the spiritual life. Our journey from sin to salvation is always going to be a complicated one. The Bible shows us this in the origin stories of God's people. The book of Genesis gives an account of the Hebrew patriarchs and matriarchs that is unflinchingly raw about their flaws but also keenly aware of God's ability to transform them (Genesis chapters 12-50). This fall our sermon series will look at their stories and consider how God makes them (and us) Holy people by using both trials and triumphs to see our lives as offerings unto God. We begin this Sunday with a whirlwind tour through the first few years of promises, treachery, wealth, and danger divided between a large cast of characters and we'll observe the dangers of fear, the temptations of wealth, the power of faith, and the task of holiness (Gen 12:10-14:24).