“Finders Keepers” - Sermon for November 24, 2019

"Ignorance is bliss" may be an often-quoted proverb, but it's not in Proverbs. It definitely doesn't apply to King Josiah of the kingdom of Judah. As Rev. Tom describes, Josiah was a righteous king, but was missing out on essential information. During renovation of the Temple, the high priest Hilkiah found a book of the law of God. It didn't take Josiah long to realize that the people of Israel had strayed far from the ways of God. What is a person to do when they learn something that changes everything about them - when the foundations of their lives are pulled out from under them? Rev. Tom walks us through the actions that the wise king takes. First, Josiah repents. He hears the words of truth and recognizes the error that he and the nation of Israel have maintained. Second, he verifies the new information with another authority - the prophetess Huldah. We know almost nothing about Huldah other than she's a prophetess. But God often acts through the lowly and obscure - she can accurately hear and interpret the words of God, and that is enough. And lastly, Josiah acts. He tears down the false idols and the false ways of worship. On this Christ the King Sunday, Rev. Tom shares a story in which we see that God cannot be grasped by our own striving, but can be accepted into our hearts when all our idols and our vain efforts are set aside for the way that God knows is peace. (Bible reading - 2 Kings 22:1-20)