Today’s sermon opened a new series from the prophetic narrative of Joel, one of the Minor Prophets, on the theme “Awaken”. The book of Joel is a prophetic text that addresses a crisis in Judah—an invasion of locusts that devastates the land. The locust plague serves as a metaphor for a deeper spiritual crisis. Joel calls the people to repentance and emphasizes the importance of communal and intergenerational response to God’s judgments.
The sermon challenges us to be attentive to God’s Word – so that we are changed by it and pass it on; recognize the signs of spiritual desolation – given that such dryness affects our relationship with God and others, hindering our worship and service; and cultivate a heart of repentance – as a daily practice of turning toward God, and not only in response to crises.
