Sermon | "The Cost and Opportunity of Painful Decisions" | | Rev Dr Tim Moore | June 28, 2026

Preaching | Rev. Dr. Tim Moore Sermon | "The Cost and Opportunity of Painful Decisions" Scripture | Genesis 22:1-18 Worship Guide | https://bit.ly/Worship_Guide_06-28-2026 Life is full of painful decisions. Some are shaped by circumstance, competing priorities, uncertainty, or fear. We wrestle with what is right, what is necessary, and where God might be present in the middle of it all. People are often shocked when they read the story of Isaac’s (almost) sacrifice. But Abraham has already sacrificed one son—Ishmael—what’s the big deal about sacrificing a second? We should read the story in its pre-scientific context, not flatly in our post-modern world or we will never get past the shock of the story. And let’s be honest for a bit. There are many parents, spouses that sacrifice their children and/or spouse on the altar of a career. A little less barbaric, maybe, but no less damaging. Life is full of painful decisions. Decisions forced upon us by circumstance, or aging, or the odds of competing interests—decisions that often are depicted as win-lose, or the least of two evils. We agonize over such decisions as Abraham agonized over the decision about Isaac. We wonder what God’s will is in such decisions? What is the right choice, the best choice? In such decisions—for our lives and in this church—there are costs, even as there are opportunities. Where is God working as we navigate such decisions? This Sunday, Rev. Dr. Tim Moore reflects on Abraham and Isaac’s difficult story and what it reveals about the cost, complexity, and possibility found within life’s hardest decisions.