The Problem with Keeping Score

Sam DeSocio | 3/30/26 | Malachi 3:13-4:6

The world can feel deeply unfair. Evildoers seem to get away with everything, good people suffer, and it's easy to wonder what the point of any of it is. In this Palm Sunday message from the final chapter of Malachi, pastor Sam Erickson sits with one of the oldest complaints in the Bible: "It's futile to serve God." From child labor in the chocolate industry to broken relationships to a son who has spent his life in pain, this sermon takes the frustration seriously before pointing toward something better. The choice isn't between optimism and cynicism. It's between focusing on the problems of others and anchoring yourself to the promises of God. And those promises, Malachi insists, are worth waiting for.