First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest Debuts 'Race of a Lifetime' Sermon Series and Study Guide

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Sept. 8, 2014 - PRLog -- This fall, First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest aims to help people explore the “race” of faith with a new sermon series and accompanying study guide titled, The Race of a Lifetime. This free booklet contains studies that match each week’s sermon topic. The guide can be used for personal study or in small group discussions, to dig deeper into each week’s theme. The sermon series starts Sept. 7 and goes through Nov. 2.

“We invite all members of the community—both familiar and unfamiliar with church—to join us on Sundays at 9 or 11a.m., or 5 p.m., to learn how scripture can coach us to run this race called life,” says senior pastor, Rev. Dr. Christine Chakoian. “We also encourage people to pick up a study guide to help them further examine each week’s theme and how it fits in with their lives.”

Each Sunday sermon will focus on a different theme.

·      Sept. 7 - Running the Race of Life: The life of faith is less like a sprint than a marathon. Different segments demand different things. Each has its challenges. How do we train for it? Scripture provides our training manual for running the race well – because we’re hardly the first to run it!

·      Sept. 14 - When I Don’t Know: When life changes, for good or bad—graduation, marriage, career shifts and losses—we’re called to start a new “race.” We may not know where we’re heading, and we’re prone to fears and errors. The story of Abraham and Sarah trains us for TRUST.

·      Sept. 21 - When I’m Betrayed: When things are going well, sometimes it feels like we’re invincible. The reality is that we’re not—and we are vulnerable to betrayal by our own pride or the hatred of others. The story of Joseph trains us to practice FAITHFULNESS.

·      Sept. 28 - When I Have to Lead: When we’re blessed with particular gifts—whether education, relationships, wealth or influence—we’re called to use them for God’s agenda. Sometimes that presses us into roles we feel ill-equipped to take. The story of Moses trains us for COURAGE.

      Oct. 5 - When I Think I’m Exceptional: When we have power and authority, we’re vulnerable to imagine we’re exceptional—that the rules don’t apply to us. If we give in to it, the consequences impact everyone around us. Yet God can use even our failures. The story of David trains us to ACCEPT CORRECTION.

·      Oct. 12 - When I Can Make a Difference: When we are put in a position of making a difference, such as having the ear of those in power, we find ourselves in the awkward situation of not wanting to offend. But our greater responsibility is to speak up for the downtrodden. The story of Esther trains us for SELF-SACRIFICE.

·      Oct. 19 - When I’m Wrong More than Right: When we are trying our best to be faithful, we can still get it wrong more often than not. Too frequently we’re not even aware of our errors. But God doesn’t give up on us and needs us to keep going. The story of Peter trains us to practice HUMILITY.

·      Oct. 26 - When God Calls Me in Spite of My Sins: When we come face-to-face with our failures, we wonder how on earth God can use us. But God can use everything we’ve been—even our worst selves—to advance the Kingdom’s goals. The story of Paul trains us to BE OPEN.

·      Nov. 2 (All Saints’ Day) - The Race of a Faithful Life: The race of a faithful life is not easy, but we do not run alone.  We are surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses” whose stories train us for our own.

Copies of the study guide can be picked up at the church, 700 N Sheridan Road in Lake Forest, or downloaded from First Presbyterian’s website: www.firstchurchlf.org. All are invited to attend Sunday worship services held at 9 and 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. starting Sept. 7. For more information about the study guide, contact Rev. Dr. Dave Bianchin at dbianchin@firstchurchlf.org.

About First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest

First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest strives to send people out into the world who live our core values: to worship, learn, connect, serve, and invite. Worship is at the heart of our organization and our mission outreach, study groups, faith formation programs and fellowship opportunities grow out of the desire to love and serve God together. Since our founding in 1859, we continue to live together as a community dedicated to Christian life and service through faith formation and mission, while growing with the needs of our congregation. For more information, visit our website at www.firstchurchlf.org or call us at (847) 234-6250.