[0:01] Good morning, everyone. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[0:23] Let us rejoice. And be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[0:40] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[0:55] Welcome to Pendleton Center, United Methodist Church. I'm Scott Dab. If you are new to our church, please pick up a gift at the connection site in the back of the sanctuary after worship. And please fill out your friendship card to get on the mailing list, sign up for activities, and for prayers and concerns or notes for the staff.
[1:15] Enjoy the service. We do welcome you to Pendleton Center, United Methodist Church this morning. Just a couple of quick announcements. We're trying to put together this huge community mailing to reach out and bring others to Christ.
[1:29] And we need your help. So there are big bins full of flyers. And we need people to be willing to sign them out, take them home, or you tape them.
[1:41] You tape them. You put the labels on them, and you bring them back. So if you're willing to just sit there while you're watching TV and put some tape on some things, we'd really appreciate it. The other thing is that I'm looking for a youth ministry assistant to work with our youth throughout the season, about 15 to 20 hours a week.
[1:58] So if you know anybody who might be called to work in youth ministry, please let me know. Father, we give you thanks and praise for this day and for the opportunity to gather together to worship.
[2:11] We know, Lord God, that your word promises where two or three are gathered, you are there among them if they gather in your name. And we indeed are gathered in your name this day.
[2:23] Make our worship to be pleasing in your sight and a blessing to you. And let us come away refreshed and blessed as well. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together, Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.
[2:38] Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.
[2:51] Guide me all, thou great Jehovah Pilgrim through this barren land I am weak, but thou art mighty Hold me with my powerful hand Bread of heaven, bread of heaven Feed me till I want no more Feed me till I want no more Open now the crystal fountain Whence the healing stream doth flow Let the fire and cloudy pillar
[3:53] Lead me on my journey through Strong deliverer, strong deliverer Be thou still my strength and shield Be thou still my strength and shield When I tread the verge of Jordan In my anxious fear subside Death of death and hell's destruction Land me safe on Canaan's side Songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever give to thee I will ever give to thee If you would remain standing and please pray with me
[4:53] Psalm 119 as you'll find on your screen Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Blessed are those whose way is blameless Who walk in the law of the Lord Blessed are those who keep God's testimonies Who seek God for their whole life Who also do no wrong but walk in God's ways You have made of your footsteps You have to do it Oh that my ways may be steadfast In keeping your statutes And that I shall not be through a chain That your right eye sticks on all of you I will praise you with an upright heart When I learn your righteous ordinances I will observe your statutes Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes And I will keep it to the end Give me understanding That I may keep your law
[5:55] And observe it on the whole heart Lead me in the path of your commandments For I delight in it Turn my eyes from looking at vanities And give me life in your ways Turn away the reproach which I dread For your ordinances are good Thy word is a lamp to thy feet And a light to my path Amen The Lord be with you Will you greet one another With the peace of Christ this morning Good morning God's peace be with you You're way over here I get it Where are children?
[7:15] I know there are children here somewhere. Are they coming? Come this way. Oh, come on. I want to tell you all about stuff. Here she comes.
[7:26] There we go. Wonderful. Wonderful. You know. Yeah. Hi. How are you today?
[7:37] Is everybody good today? Yeah? All righty. Did you ever ask your mom and dad or your grandma or whoever why something had to be the way it did?
[7:51] Yeah? Do you want to know why you have to do certain things and why you can't do other things and why the sky is blue and all those kinds of things? Yeah, I know.
[8:03] People want to know why, don't they? Well, I am the kind of person that always wants to know why. And I always, I never believe that something is true just because somebody tells me it is.
[8:14] I want to check it out. I want to find out if it's true or not. Some things, though, we just believe because we believe them. Like, for example, when you sit down in a chair, do you believe it's going to hold you up when you sit down in it?
[8:31] Are you worried about it or do you just sit? You just sit, really? Yeah, me too. I usually just sit. But there was one day, not when I was in this church, but in another church where I was pastoring.
[8:44] I was getting ready for the Wednesday night Bible study. I had everything all set up on the table and it all looked real nice. And people started arriving and I pulled out the chair I was going to sit in and I sat down in the chair and do you know what happened?
[8:58] Oh, I landed right on the floor. It just completely collapsed and I went, boom. From then on, I always check to see if the chair I'm going to sit in is going to really hold me up.
[9:10] I don't just believe it, okay? Yeah. Most chairs are pretty good, though, right? Well, I have another question for you. Thinking about how we always have to check stuff out and learn about stuff, right?
[9:23] Why do we believe in Jesus? Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.
[9:36] I believe in Jesus for a bunch of reasons. But the most important reason I believe in Jesus is that when I prayed to him and asked him to come into my heart, I knew that he did.
[9:53] I knew at that moment that the Spirit of God had come into my heart. So I know that I can believe in Jesus just like I know you and you and you.
[10:06] And Pastor Sherry. I know them because I know you, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I know I can believe in Jesus because I know Jesus the same way I know you guys and that I know Pastor Sherry and that I know all the folks out there.
[10:21] So I know why I can believe in Jesus. That's important. It's not enough to just believe. We have to know why we believe, right? Otherwise, we might sit on the chair and it'll just collapse.
[10:34] Right? Do you have anything to be thankful for that you want to share? Share it. My mom and dad. My mommy and dad. Yeah. All right.
[10:45] Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time we have to share. We thank you for the children, all of them, Lord. We thank you that you have provided a place in this church and wonderful people to teach our children why they should believe the things that we want them to believe.
[11:02] We ask you to help them to grow. We ask you to bless their families. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. I think you can go to Bible school now. Right? And we're inviting forward from Lockport Care Net Pregnancy Center, Sindra and Zinna, who's going to come up and share with us about that important ministry in our community.
[11:27] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. I apologize.
[11:39] I have a little bit of a cold, so if my voice goes out, God has let me keep my voice this long, so hopefully. Thirty years ago, in June of 1985, Lockport Crisis Pregnancy Center began.
[11:52] More and more women were choosing to end their pregnancies and abortion, and a small group of people got together and decided that they needed to find a Christian way to solve this problem.
[12:06] So with just a telephone line in the small office that first year, they saw 39 clients who came in for free pregnancy tests, counsel, and post-abortion support. So the word got around, and we were seeing more clients each year.
[12:20] In 2001, we affiliated with the National Care Net and Heartbeat Affiliation and became Lockport Care Net Pregnancy Center. So after that, we began our Learning for Life program, which is an Earn While You Learn program.
[12:36] They're not just keeping their babies. They're learning how to become better parents. And in doing that, they come and they form relationships with our staff, and hopefully we lead them to a life in Christ.
[12:48] We pray with them at every session. We talk about Christ at every session. They walk away with hopefully a changed attitude and a brand new pack and play or a stroller that they earn themselves.
[13:03] As the needs of the community grew, so did we grow. And recently, in 2011, we moved into our current facility, which we've had to renovate twice because of the changes that have been occurring.
[13:16] With this being our 30th anniversary, we're growing even larger. We prayed last year that we felt that the Lord was leading us to become a medical facility. And in January of this year, we were donated a 4D ultrasound machine.
[13:31] So we are in the process of filing paperwork, which is a lot of paperwork, and training to be able to open up as a medical facility. And when these girls come in that are thinking about terminating their pregnancy, we can show them this is a baby.
[13:47] So we're kind of excited about that. A little nerve wracking, but kind of excited as well. And today, we're not just reaching more and more women. We're reaching men as well. In 2014, we had 132 female clients and 36 male clients.
[14:02] In September of this year, we are bringing training to our area from the National Abstinence Education Association. Our center and other centers on the East Coast can become certified sexual risk avoidance specialists.
[14:16] And with the certification, we'll be able to go into the schools and talk about abstinence and show them the virtues of waiting to have sex until they're married. In all that we do, the foundation of Lockport Care Net is the hope of Jesus Christ.
[14:31] Whether through a parenting class, pregnancy test, or material aid, our desire is to share the love and the hope of Jesus Christ. The future keeps getting brighter at Lockport Care Net as lives are touched and lives are saved one at a time.
[14:46] I ask that you would please pray for our ministry, pray for our clients, pray for our staff, and our board of directors. And most of all, pray for our volunteers who are on the front lines dealing with our clients one-on-one.
[14:58] And maybe the Lord is touching one of your hearts today to maybe join us in volunteering at the center where we're seeing miracles happen on a daily basis. Thank you for having me here this morning.
[15:09] Thank you, Lord, for leaving my voice here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And God bless. As we take up our offering, if we can, let us give a little of ourselves and a little of our finances to Care Net.
[15:30] Let us also remember all those, I don't know if this mic is on or off. It's on. I don't know how I turn it.
[15:42] There we go. Okay? Let us remember all those babies and children and mothers and fathers-to-be that need assistance, that need our love, and need God's guidance.
[15:55] So let us take up our tithes and offerings. Let us圓 with none and for those babies and children and mothers and moms.
[16:11] And and of course, certainly the children and тех pastors weAD tradition happens. They weren't able to change. But we'll start the wholeели won the votes And that need our Lord's Laughes or Le遊戲. So we're Kev Green��. And we'll see you next time.
[16:22] beautifully, Love you brought some of the oceans the voices they deserve. Thank you.
[16:57] Thank you.
[17:27] Thank you.
[17:57] Thank you.
[18:27] Thank you. Dear Father in heaven, we bring you these gifts, some of which are designated to educate young women and men in the birth of their children.
[18:42] Some of it to reach out to others in the world who do not yet know you and to those in our own community who need your guidance in their life.
[18:55] In your holy name we pray, amen. You can be seated. You can be seated. I love Methodist, you know, you got to tell them when to sing, you got to tell them when to sit down.
[19:10] I guess that's where our word comes from, Methodist. We have a method. To our madness. To our madness. Some joys and concern. Jan Gertz is in the hospital with severe back pain.
[19:24] Judith Nichol has a new granddaughter, Lily Lane. She was born Thursday, 10 pounds, 2 ounces. Dorothy Wendland, mother of Debbie Ray, cast away Friday.
[19:39] For those of you that are interested, calling hours are Sunday, 1 to 4 at Fruden and Grant in Lockport. The funeral is Monday, 11 o'clock at the First Presbyterian Church in Lockport.
[19:54] So let us go to the Lord with our desires, our prayers, our concerns. Dear Heavenly Father, we lift up before you these joys.
[20:08] We lift up the concerns that we have mentioned. We also bring to you those joys and concerns that are in our hearts. Every day, one of us has something.
[20:22] Something that may happen that gives us concern. That worries us. Ease our brow with your loving hands. And tell us that it will be alright.
[20:36] Because God does take care of us. Sometimes it's not when we want it or when we expect it.
[20:47] As we know, it's in God's time. He has a plan for us. And we need to be open to the Holy Spirit. Follow God's plan.
[20:57] Amen. We are grateful for our youth and pastors and parents. We have returned safely from mission. We are grateful for the staff and the pastors in this church.
[21:11] We are grateful for all those who attend regularly. And to reach out to others. To let them know the joy of knowing you.
[21:24] We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. We will now have our scripture. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:35] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:59] Good morning. Our scripture reading is taken from the book of Matthew, chapter 14, verses 13 to 21.
[22:17] Hear these words of the Lord. When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
[22:31] When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As the evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.
[22:45] Send the crowds away so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food. Jesus replied, They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.
[22:56] We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, they answered. Bring them here to me, he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.
[23:13] Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
[23:26] The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Sounds like the circus is coming to town.
[23:55] There's always all kinds of fun things to do during the summer. Aren't there places to go and activities to enjoy? How many of you have been to Darien Lake so far this summer?
[24:08] Come on. No, a couple of people. Yeah, I bet some of you are out for Kingdom Bound. Yeah, Kingdom Bound was finished up last night. When I was a kid, one day every summer, my mother packed a cooler full of food and drinks, and our family headed over the Grand Island Bridge, which was an adventure in itself for us when we were little, to Fantasy Island.
[24:30] We sometimes went to Crystal Beach, too. But there, it was always a matter, at least I thought, of keeping track of the tickets that you had to have to get on the rides and to go in the fun house.
[24:47] And you had to plan for everything that you wanted to do, or you might not get to do it all because you'd run out of tickets. No matter how much I liked to ride the Comet, it seemed like an awful lot of work just to have fun.
[25:03] The fun was limited by the tickets. Fantasy Island. You could ride the rides and see the shows over and over again. Isn't that what the advertising said?
[25:16] I love the Western shootout and the show in the saloon and Jim Menke's puppet shows. You know, Jim was from Kenmore, and I knew that from the time I was a little kid.
[25:28] He was from Kenmore, too. When my sisters and I were small, we all had to stay together with our mom and dad and everybody together. But when we got older, my next younger sister and I were allowed to run around the whole park and go wherever we wanted to go, as long as we returned to the designated meeting spot by lunchtime.
[25:49] No worries about whether there were enough tickets. We didn't have to be responsible for anything. We could ride the rides and see the shows over and over again.
[26:04] But you can't live at Fantasy Island, even in the summer, right? There was that matter of the admission price.
[26:16] That's one of the main reasons our family only went to Fantasy Island once a year. It was a special treat. Like going to Darien Lake or the county fair, it wasn't a place to spend all your time.
[26:30] Too much time at a place like that would keep us from being able to take care of the things that we needed to be responsible for. Thank you.
[27:10] The story from Matthew's Gospel that Lori just read for us always reminds me of some kind of an air-free summer festival.
[27:24] I am way too young to have been at Woodstock, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, but I was eight years old. And I remember listening to the disc jockeys on the radio that weekend in 1969 when it was happening.
[27:40] They were talking about the thousands and thousands of people who were there. And the thousands and thousands of people who were clogging up that thruway on the way, trying to get to Max Jager's farm in Bethel, New York, to hear and be part of the message of their generation.
[28:04] It was supposed to be three days of peace and music, and it has forever been romanticized as having been just that. But from what I've heard of the rest of the story, it was also three days of rain and mud and not enough water or food or toilets for the more than 400,000 people who showed up.
[28:38] When Jesus withdrew to that solitary place, the crowds heard about him, and they followed him. What were they seeing?
[28:53] They left their towns, their work, their responsibilities, and they went after him on foot, anticipating the place where the boat he was in would land.
[29:04] And when he saw them gathered there, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Two weeks ago, we talked about indifference.
[29:17] And that when the church is indifferent to God's call to be Jesus' hands and feet and mouth, to bring the message of Jesus' love and forgiveness of sin, then the members of the church, the members themselves, make up the wall that keeps people from coming in.
[29:44] Compassion is the opposite of indifference. Jesus had compassion on the people and healed their sick, even though he had just heard about the execution of his cousin, John the Baptist.
[30:05] Remember, the scripture reading began, when Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Well, that's what had happened.
[30:15] hearing that terrible news had precipitated his going off by himself in the boat. But the people, they either didn't know or they didn't care.
[30:30] And they followed him. What did they want? And besides the healings that they got, I mean, because you notice that they didn't just go home after Jesus had healed those who were in need of healing.
[30:50] They hung around for a really long time. I think they wanted to hear more stories. I think they wanted to sit around on the grass and watch their kids run around and listen to the stories that Jesus was telling them.
[31:09] That is a big part of what Jesus did during his time here, isn't it? He told stories. Stories that sparked their interest and made them think and talk among themselves.
[31:20] Stories that challenged the authorities under which they felt oppressed. Stories that energized them with hope for a new future. Hope for change that would matter.
[31:36] They enjoyed the energy of Jesus' presence. They were attracted to it. To him. To the spirit that was upon him.
[31:48] So they followed him around. Partly because they just enjoyed doing it. Jesus was lighting a kind of fire in their hearts.
[32:03] They didn't know what to do with it at that point. But it was there and they were experiencing it. Much like the people at Woodstock, though, they hadn't planned very well for their time away from home.
[32:16] Well, when evening approached, Jesus' disciples wanted him to send the crowd away because soon it would be too late for them to go buy the food they need to eat.
[32:28] And Jesus said, They don't need to go away. You give them something to eat. Can you imagine?
[32:41] Having Jesus say something like that to you? There you are at the festival. Whatever the festival is. And everybody's hungry and thirsty. And the guy in charge looks at you.
[32:56] And your, you know, five or six or seven buddies and says, See all these people? You. You feed them. Jesus was making his disciples responsible for feeding the crowd.
[33:12] And they had no idea what to do. I don't think the disciples really were very much different than the folks in the crowd. I think they enjoyed just hanging around with Jesus, too.
[33:27] Enjoying the day. Feeling like they were at a festival. Hearing the story. Getting hungry. They were concerned about the people in the crowd.
[33:39] Concerned enough to say, Jesus, it's time to just say goodbye and let him go now. But they didn't want to be responsible for them. They must have wondered why Jesus expected them to be responsible for feeding those 5,000 men plus women and children.
[33:56] But what was Jesus really asking of them? Remember, he was always challenging their faith. This time, he was asking them to give up all the food they had.
[34:14] All of it. To feed the others. He knew, as well as they did, that there wasn't enough. I think Jesus was using this situation to teach the disciples how to deal with the responsibilities that go with discipleship.
[34:32] There was no way, by natural means, that they could feed all those people. And yet, God required it. It wasn't about the bread and fish.
[34:44] It was about knowing what God was asking them to do. And trusting God enough to say yes and mean it.
[34:55] To be responsible for fulfilling the call to draw people to Jesus. To draw people to the church.
[35:07] And feed them. So that they would grow to become willing disciples, too. Give up what you have. What you are counting on for yourself.
[35:21] What you knew in your natural self would sustain you. Give it up. And be responsible for giving it away to others who need it.
[35:35] Because when we act according to God's leading. And by God's power. Wait. Here's what happens. Our giving will be blessed.
[35:46] And the blessing will be multiplied beyond anything we can imagine. And there will wind up being more than enough for us, too. We know this. We know this as Christians.
[36:00] Because of the light of the word of God. That teaches us how to follow Jesus. And give what we know of God. So that others may come to God, too.
[36:12] For the church. This cannot be an additional thing we do. When it's convenient or we want to or we feel comfortable.
[36:23] And it cannot be something that we leave to the professional Christians. Because we feel inadequate to the task.
[36:34] Jesus' disciples felt outrageously inadequate to feed that entire crowd with the loaves and fishes that they had.
[36:45] They had no way of providing food for all those people. They had no choice but to rely on God to accomplish what God had told them they had to do.
[36:58] And so do we. We aren't adequate either. Each of us has a responsibility to follow Jesus along the path God has laid out for us.
[37:13] And to share the light God has blessed us with. A little while ago, we learned about that light and spoke about that light with Psalm 119. When we said, thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
[37:30] Our responsibility as the church is to bring people out of the darkness of sin and into the light of God's grace. But why should they believe us?
[37:46] You know from what I said to the children earlier that I tend not to believe something I'm told is true. Just because someone says it is. I've always been that way. A bit of a skeptic.
[37:56] And I always try to remember to check things out. Remember the chair I told the kids about. I should have checked that one out. I believe God loves all people.
[38:12] And created all things. And sent Jesus to save us from our sins because we couldn't save ourselves and we needed saving badly. And we Christians can receive and count on the power of the Holy Spirit to know God's will for our lives and trust that God will accomplish through us all that God has called us to do.
[38:37] I believe it. I know most of you believe it too. We're Christians. But why should anybody who doesn't believe this decide to change their mind?
[38:56] Now wait a minute. The first thing, the first answer we come up with is because the Bible says so. Well, no. That's not a good reason.
[39:13] Christians are taught from the time they're babies that the Bible is God's holy word and that we can trust what it says and know God through it.
[39:24] But that's what Jewish people are taught. Jewish kids. About the portion of the Bible that we call the Old Testament.
[39:37] They haven't been taught to accept the New Testament teachings as true. Muslim kids. They are brought up believing that the Koran is the holy book of God.
[39:49] Their entire life revolves around trusting in what the Koran teaches. Why should they believe us when we tell them that their book is wrong and our book is right?
[40:06] Hmm. As Christians, we look to our traditions to support us. To support what we read in our holy book about what God expects us to do.
[40:21] Right? So do they. We look to logical thinking, reasoning out how to apply the teachings of our holy book to the circumstances of our life and to understanding our relationship to God and to each other.
[40:40] So do they. Look to their holy book and their traditions and their logical thinking and reasoning.
[40:51] Even their experiences in their communities reinforce their faith. Just like ours do for our faith. Our religious system teaches us that our way is right.
[41:04] Just like their religious systems teach them that their way is right. Church, their moms and dads and preachers and teachers and friends and neighbors and ceremonies and rituals all work together to culminate in a life experience full of faith in the God that they have been taught to worship.
[41:27] Oh, and those folks without any faith in God or faith in supernatural stuff or natural stuff or whatever stuff, the isms, you know, all the isms that are out there.
[41:41] well, their life experiences and their rituals and living within the context of whatever they believe to be good and right, those things provide them with a sense of well-being and hope in something.
[42:01] Hmm. The prophet Ezekiel heard this word that we're about to hear from God about how irresponsible God's people were with the light they had been given for the world.
[42:19] As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses saying to each other, but come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.
[42:33] My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words. They do not put them into practice.
[42:46] With their mouths they express devotion, but to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well.
[42:57] For they hear your words, but do not put them into practice. What can I tell you to do about this?
[43:12] Isn't that what I'm supposed to do right now? Well, I don't have anything to tell you about what to do about that.
[43:28] A weekly worship service, like the one we're at right now, and we come to every week, is where we come to offer ourselves. We offer ourselves to God in all kinds of ways.
[43:43] We offer ourselves to God through singing and praying and experiencing God's presence with our brothers and sisters here together. And that's a good thing.
[43:54] And when we're here, we often receive from God a refreshing, we receive a word, we receive a reassurance of God's presence with us, and that God is with us and will be with us wherever we go.
[44:10] But there isn't time to dig in. Not very far. Time to dig in and learn what we need to know to tell people the reason why.
[44:26] Why we believe what we believe. We must become responsible for taking time to explore and reflect on not just what we believe and experience how wonderful it is for us, but why we believe it.
[44:48] Oh, we can get bits and pieces of this kind of understanding from weekly sermons. We really can. But if we're going to be the people God has called us to be out there in the world, we must be responsible for growing in our faith as well as in our understanding of our faith so we can give that understanding to others.
[45:13] Isn't that what had to happen for Jesus' disciples? They didn't understand how giving away what they had would be sufficient for thousands and thousands of people.
[45:27] But they learned from Jesus where to find sufficiency. They learned it was through faith in him. Hebrews 12 tells us this.
[45:43] But you, church, have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
[46:01] You have come to God, the judge of all people, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word.
[46:19] We learn from the light of God's word so we can put what we learn into practice among the people of the world so we can be light for them so they will come to believe.
[46:38] We need to know why we believe what we believe so that we can share it convincingly, persuasively, with those who believe differently, whose faith may be sustaining them through this life.
[46:59] But here this church has no power to assure that they will be with God in eternal life. Do we care enough to be responsible to know what we need to know to share with them?
[47:20] God loves you and wants to forgive your sins. That's the message we had two weeks ago. And everybody who was here was supposed to, you know, if the Lord put someone on your heart or you ran into somebody during that week, you were supposed to share that message with them.
[47:37] Did you? Did you go to somebody you knew needed to hear it and just share that simple basic message? God loves you and wants to forgive your sins.
[47:53] That is the most basic message. But we have to go farther, church. For the people who already have some kind of faith in some kind of God, we need to give them more.
[48:05] We need to give them something to chew on, something to feed them, to persuade them. This coming fall, there are going to be opportunities for you to learn and grow so that you can give an answer for the hope of Jesus Christ that is in you.
[48:25] Church, I don't know what else to say. You need to be there. You need to pick a class. You need to pick some kind of a time when you can come and experience learning learning what it is that makes you believe what you believe.
[48:47] God hasn't called the church to a blind, mindless faith. God has called the church to a faith illuminated by love and power and wisdom, the wisdom of God.
[49:01] In the miracle of the loaves and fishes, we learn that in the Father, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, we have the fullness of the expression of God that is necessary for salvation.
[49:18] Let's break down the wall by being responsible to know God's word and be able to explain the reasons for our Christian faith so that many will want to come in.
[49:34] I can't take that down. I can't. You have to make the decision in your own heart that you want to be responsible to be the people of God that God's called you to be.
[49:54] You have to take it down. There's a lot of it do you notice there's a whole layer above the level of the wall that's irresponsibility.
[50:05] It's all got to come down. We're going to sing thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And while we're singing, if you're feeling God tugging on your heart and you want to do something tangible that's a symbol of you committing yourself to being responsible before God, you're welcome to come up and take down one of those grips.
[50:31] Get them all down by the time we're done pushing God. Thy word is a lamp to my feet The Word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path The Word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path When I feel afraid Think I've lost my way Still you're there right beside me And nothing will I fear
[51:33] As long as you are near Please be near me to the end Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Now I will not forget Your love for me and yet My heart forever is wandering Jesus be my guide And hold me to your side And I will love you to the end Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
[52:34] And a light unto my path Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path Christ is the light coming down into the darkness The light of the world The light in our hearts And we are called To be the light of this world And in His name Worshiping the light That only God can bring The light of this world I love the world You set down into darkness Open my eyes Let me see Beauty that in His heart I adore you Hope of a life
[53:35] Sled with you So here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You're my God You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me King of all days So so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above Humbly to the earth You've created All for love All for love Sled with you All for love All for love All for love All for love All for love All for love So here I am to worship
[54:36] Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You're my God You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me And I'll never know How much it cost To see my sin Upon that cross I'll never know How much it cost To see my sin Upon that cross Here I am to worship Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You're my God You're altogether lovely
[55:38] Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me Here I am to worship Here I am to worship Here I am to worship Here I am to worship Please be seated Amen Know what it cost You know what it cost The disciples Cost them every fish And every loaf of bread They had They had to turn it over To Jesus They couldn't keep it For themselves They had to give it to Jesus All of it All of it That wall came down Real quick Can you see all the light?
[56:27] Light in there We want people to come Into the light Amen Amen When you come forward To receive Holy Communion In a little bit You're welcome To make that commitment Before Christ That you will be someone Who's able to go out Into the world And share Everything you've got By the power of God Let's pray Heavenly Father Heavenly Father I have sinned I have sinned I have kept your word For myself And I have enjoyed Being with you But I have not Shared it with everyone I know In a way They can understand Forgive me Lord Help me to be responsible To know why
[57:29] I believe what I believe To give it all up to you And let you Work amazing miracles Through me In Jesus name I pray Amen When we confess our sin When we repent And turn And go the other way When we take up The call that God Has put on our lives And are faithful To fulfill it Forgives us He knew we needed this Before we needed it Ourself right Right So he did it In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven In the name of Jesus Christ Your sins are forgiven Glory to God Amen Now let's give ourselves Over to Jesus Once and for all Everything that we are
[58:32] People are forgiven Beautiful Lord Wonderfulving Savior, I know for sure.
[58:55] All of my days are held in your hand, crafted into your perfect plan.
[59:09] You turn me, call me into your presence, guiding me by. Your Holy Spirit, teach me, dear Lord, to live all my life through your eyes.
[59:30] I'm not the right, the holy dollar set me apart. I know you're trying to sell me.
[59:42] Leave me alone, I pray. Take me, hold me, use me, fill me.
[59:59] I give my life to the God of death. Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me.
[60:21] I give my life to the God of death. You gently call me into your presence, guiding me by.
[60:39] Your Holy Spirit, teach me, dear Lord, to live all my life through your eyes.
[60:52] I'm not your light, the holy calling. Set me apart. I know you're trying to sell me below, I pray.
[61:09] Take me, hold me, use me, fill me.
[61:22] I give my life to the Father of death. You call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me.
[61:43] And give my life to the Father of death. Amen.
[61:56] The Lord be with you.
[62:11] Also with you. Lift up your hearts. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. In the Lord to give our thanks and praise. It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
[62:31] You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
[62:43] You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God and spoke to us through your prophets. And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
[62:58] Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
[63:09] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy are you. And blessed is your son, Jesus Christ. Your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.
[63:37] He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the spirit.
[63:57] When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always in the power of your word and Holy Spirit. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, and he gave thanks to you, and he broke the bread.
[64:19] He gave it to his disciples and said, Take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
[64:35] And when the supper was over, he took the cup, and he gave thanks to God, and he said, Drink from this, all of you.
[64:47] This is the blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
[64:58] Do this often in remembrance of me. And so, in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ's offering for us as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
[65:25] Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.
[65:36] Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by this blood. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in his final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
[65:57] through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit and your Holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever.
[66:09] Amen. And now let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[66:25] Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
[66:39] For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Will those who are serving, please come forward. Amen. Amen.
[67:41] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[68:00] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[68:10] Amen. Amen. Thank you.
[68:41] Come, worship God. Everyone is welcome in the United Methodist Church. If you love God, earnestly repent of your sin, and seek to live in peace as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you are welcome to come to the table and receive what God has for you.
[68:58] As you come, devote yourself to God. Allow God to work in you all that God has called you to become. Amen. And sing our closing hymn, Wonderful Words of Life.
[69:14] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Sing them over again to me, Wonderful Words of Life.
[69:42] Let me more of their beauty see Wonderful words of life Words of life and beauty Teach me faith and duty With wonderful words, wonderful words Wonderful words of life Beautiful words, wonderful words Wonderful words of life Christ the blessed one gives to all Wonderful words of life Sinnerless to the loving call Wonderful words of life All so freely given Wooing us to heaven With beautiful words Wonderful words, wonderful words
[70:42] Wonderful words, wonderful words Wonderful words of life Sweetly echo the gospel call Wonderful words of life Offer pardon and peace to all Wonderful words of life Jesus only Savior Jesus only Savior Sanctified forever Beautiful words, wonderful words Wonderful words of life Beautiful words, wonderful words Wonderful words of life You know, earlier on During the sermon I said that there was Nothing I could tell you to do right now Well, there is Something you can do right now
[71:43] There's a whole bunch of things You can do right now One of the things you can do Is Read your Bible Yeah, I say that all the time Whenever I get up here This is my favorite thing to say Read your Bible You know, if you're not doing The Bible challenge already You could start The New Testament And probably finish it By the end of the year If you started now And you can find All those readings And all those Those helpful hints And helpful reflection questions On the website And what else can you do?
[72:17] You could pray Daily Even more than once a day What a concept You could pray That God will give you the words That God will give you the understanding That God will give you the reason why That you need For that person That you're running into And God will And we have some cards In the back for you If you didn't pick one up On the way in Pick one up on the way out I mean, you know There's a bunch of them there Take two, they're free You know, just like The other ones we had The other week There are pens out there too They say PCUMC.org So the person you give it to Because these are not for you I'm sorry You know These are not for you These are to give away Okay PCUMC.org So that they can get a hold of us And under that it says miracles The greatest miracle God did Was to make a way For us To be saved To come to Christ And to be set free from our sins
[73:18] Amen That's what we're going to be talking about In this church That's what we're talking about today It's what we're going to be talking about For weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks The miracles of God And how they're worked in us And through us As we have God's power in us Amen So grab hold of those things And give them out to people Leave them in the doctor's office Leave them in the grocery store Whatever you want to do with them But get the word out As you go May the Lord bless you And keep you And make his face to shine upon you May the Lord be gracious unto you And lift up his countenance upon you May the Lord grant you Love and joy And a peace That passes all understanding So you can share it With others Go in peace Amen