Message from Bob Henderson                        Friday, June 16, 2017
 
Dear friends:

Strewn across the surface of this world are numerous testaments to military history: Normandy, Gettysburg, Ground Zero, Pearl Harbor and many others. Among the most astonishing is a place called Masada in southern Israel/Palestine.
 
Originally constructed by Alexander Janneus and then expanded by Herod the Great, a builder, ruler, and military leader, as a safe-house in case of revolt (summer residence? Retreat? Etc...) it, like so many weapons of war, was used for alternative purposes. When Herod's own Rome decided to quash a Jewish uprising, Roman troops descended on Jerusalem's temple, laid fire to it and smoked the insurrectionists out through Jerusalem's extensive tunnel system to go south, where they occupied Herod's Masada and made preparation for a long siege.
  
The Jewish historian Josephus says the Tenth Roman Legion marched down to this desolate retreat in the hottest place on earth (just a few miles from the Dead Sea) to vanquish the remaining few but found it harder than they thought. The insurrectionists had huge store-rooms filled with food, secret aqueducts to replenish their water supply, and messaging systems with nomads in the desert.
  
With all this, along with the tremendously imposing fortress, the Jewish revolutionaries thought they were safe. Some historians suggest they even taunted the Romans, pouring precious water over their ramparts to thirsty Roman soldiers waiting below.
 
Yet, if military history suggests anything, it is that no Masada Fortress, no Golden Dome, no Anti-Ballistic Missile System is ever completely safe. And, as you would expect, eventually the Romans forced slaves and family members of those inside the fortress to build a ramp up to the door, which they then used to overtake and kill the militants.
 
It begs the question of where we look for safety and security in an oft-violent and unpredictable world. When life is difficult, insecure, not at all how we planned, to whom or what do we look for security and strength.
 
We'll explore the topic this weekend by considering this Psalm. Heidi Biermann, our talented seminary intern from Princeton, will preach in the Chapel and I will be in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall services. We'll hear about the good work Freedom School Partners is doing this summer and learn of opportunities to join them in making a difference in children's lives.
 
It promises to be a good morning. Come, and bring a friend,
 

Warmly,
   
 

 

Bob Henderson, senior minister 

Worship Services this Sunday (click for bulletins)
Traditional 
Contemporary
Heidi Biermann 
preaching
  Bob Henderson
 preaching 
Bob Henderson preaching
Bob Henderson
 preaching



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