[0:00] Let's pray, shall we?
[0:21] Dear God, be with us and bless us in our worship and help us to experience all the wonder you can pour into this place. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[0:33] We will rejoice and be glad in it. Any of the kids who want to join me, they're welcome to come up and sing. This is the day This is the day That the Lord has made That the Lord has made Let us rejoice Let us rejoice And be glad in it And be glad in it This is the day That the Lord has made Let us rejoice And be glad in it This is the day This is the day That the Lord Has made Very good Thanks guys Welcome to Pendleton Center United Methodist Church I'm Scott Dabb 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
[1:33] Sign up for activities And for prayers and concerns Or notes for the staff Enjoy the service We are glad to have you Here with us this morning I'd like to invite you If you're able to stand As we're going to sing together We gather together To ask Use the question Will apostate O'er the deed From the nell At the centre ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Survee ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?ели ? ? ? ?" ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? wygląda ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
[2:12] We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing. He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
[2:24] The wicked oppressing now sees from distressing. Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own.
[2:38] Beside us to guide us, our God, with us joining, ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine.
[2:52] So from the beginning of the fight, we were winning. Thou, Lord, was at our side, all glory be Thine.
[3:06] We ought to extol Thee, Thou leader, triumphant. And pray that Thou still our defender wilt be.
[3:21] Let Thy congregation escape in tribulation. Thy name be and prays, O Lord, make us free.
[3:36] The Lord be with you. Take a moment, if you will, and greet your neighbor with the peace of the Spirit. I'd like to invite any of the children who want to come up and join us.
[3:49] I'd like to invite any of the children who want to come up and join us. Come on up.
[4:12] How are you all doing this morning?
[4:24] Any other kids want to come up? Come on up. You guys know what this girl's doing? What's she doing? She's praying, right?
[4:35] How do you know that? Her hands are together. She's got her eyes closed and her head bowed, right? Now, do you think that you could pray a different way?
[4:49] Do you think it would be possible to talk to God like this? Or do you think that that wouldn't be possible? We could do it, couldn't we? You know, I talk to God all the time.
[4:59] Sometimes I'm just sitting and I talk to Him. So you can talk to God, which is what prayer is, lots of different ways. But we know that when we bow our heads, hold our hands, and close our eyes, that we're going to pray, right?
[5:12] Because that's what we've been taught. There's a lot of things that we do just because it just tells us stuff. Not because of what anybody says. Simply because of how we act and how we look.
[5:24] Okay? And we call that ritual. And it's important because it makes us closer to God. Now, it tells us, it signals us, but how does it happen even to think? How many of you look both ways before you cross a road?
[5:37] Do you think about that or do you just do it? Sometimes you think about it. Yeah? I just do it. I don't even think. I just go like this.
[5:48] I actually look both ways and look back again because I just don't trust the road. It's something we do. It's partly like habit, but rituals are a little more than that. They're things that teach us to get closer to God just by the way we act.
[6:02] Okay? What are you guys thankful for this morning? You want to share something? Raise your hand. My mom.
[6:14] My family. My family. My mom and dad. Mom and dad. And the family.
[6:25] Wonderful. Okay. Let's pray, shall we? Lord, we do thank you for our family, our friends, our parents, and the blessings you give to us. Always keep us close to you in all that we do. Words in Jesus' name we pray.
[6:36] Amen. You guys go out to church school if you'd like to. Well, I'm going to invite our ladies from the motorcycle ministry to come on up and share with us this morning. Thank you for inviting us here.
[6:58] We really appreciate coming. For those that may be unfamiliar with the Christian Motorcycles Association, we are an international organization. It was formed in 1975.
[7:09] It was formed in 1975. It was formed in 1975. It was formed in 1975. And we are committed to bringing the lost, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Over the past 29 years, CMA has been able to extend our outreach to millions of people throughout the world through our annual fundraiser, which is Run for the Sun.
[7:28] And 100% of the funds raised for Run for the Sun are used for mission projects and to spread the good news here and internationally.
[7:40] 20% is used to support Open Doors, ministry which was originally founded by Brother Andrew. And this project takes Bibles into countries where other ministries will not go.
[7:53] We have provided Open Doors with 2.6 million Bibles. 20% is also donated to Missionary Ventures International, which began in 1983.
[8:06] And this project sends out mission teams as well as our missionary outreaches in 60 different countries. We have provided pastors in other countries with motorcycles, bicycles, boats, horses, horse and boggies, snowmobiles, and even a camel.
[8:26] And I've traveled to India and Mexico and Honduras. And I was there in India when a pastor received a motorcycle. Prior to receiving that, he was riding his bicycle through the mountains and the rocky roads.
[8:41] And the joy that they have when they receive a gift from the American church. I'm going to thank you. Another 20% is donated to the Jesus Film Project, which for more than 36 years has been shown to almost 119 million people around the world.
[9:00] This is a project of Campus Crusade for Christ, which is located in Orlando, Florida. And they translate the Bible story into various languages. And through this project, 12 million people have indicated decisions for Christ.
[9:14] And the remainder 40% are used for home mission projects that CMA supports, like AmeriCade Sturgis and Daytona Bike Weeks. Funds are used to purchase Bibles, tracks, and other items used at biker events for ministry.
[9:29] We do have some information available for you. I have a brochure right here. And you will see it in your back information holder back here by the entrance.
[9:42] I don't think it's over there. Anyways, you know where it is. It has information about our local group. So if any of you are interested in checking out God's Armor Bears, we're the Buffalo chapter.
[9:55] And you do not have to ride a motorcycle, just so you know. You just have to have a heart for the lost in possibly using a motorcycle or that type of vehicle for your tool for ministry.
[10:08] So thank you very much for your support. We appreciate it. Thank you so much. And you will find an envelope for the Christian Motorcycle Association in your bulletin this morning.
[10:25] And as you continue in our worship, let's bring our gifts, tithes, and offerings before the Lord, as the Lord has called us to do. Thank you. Thank you.
[11:11] Thank you.
[11:41] Thank you. Thank you.
[12:11] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[12:43] Thank you. Just be held Lift your hands, lift your arms In the storms where you'll find me And where you are, I'll hold your heart I'll hold your heart Come to me, find your rest In the arms of a god who won't let go So when you're on your knees And answers seem so far away You're not alone Stop holding on and just be held Your world's not falling apart It's falling into place I'm on the throne Stop holding on and just be held
[13:44] Just be held Just be held Just be held Just be held Praise God from whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures in the world Praise Him above the heavenly host
[14:46] Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost Amen Dear Heavenly Father, we do give you thanks and praise for this day You have blessed us with so many abundant blessings, Lord God And you have given us gifts That we can share with the world We offer them all up to you, Lord God The financial gifts and the gifts of the Spirit that you give us Give us wisdom, Lord To know how to best use them for the furtherance of your kingdom here on earth Help us, Lord To be your disciples Bless us as we give Bless all that we give That comes from you For your glory It is in your name we pray, Jesus Amen Please be seated
[15:48] We do have so many joys In this world That we are blessed with That God has blessed us So abundantly And There are many whose hearts are troubled Today as well And I just felt led to share with you A Just a brief word From the Lord That Our Jesus words Or Our scriptures Attribute them to Jesus And say that this is what Jesus said To his disciples When they were troubled In much the same way That many of us are troubled today Two places He said In this world you will have trouble But take heart I Have overcome The world And he promised them Peace I leave with you My peace I give you I do not give As the world gives
[16:50] Do not let your hearts be troubled Do not be afraid We come into our time of prayer We have Many things that are Individual and personal That trouble us And we look at the greater world And see the trouble That's out there But we have a God Who hears and answers us We have a God As Linda was just singing about Who holds us In the midst of all trouble So as we turn to the Lord In prayer We bring some personal things That are close to us Sally Accord Is facing surgery this week We want to lift her up And her family And her family And the family of Gregory A. Leong Who is far away In Trinidad And his family Most of his family Is here And he passed away On Friday And they're here And he's there We want to lift up
[17:52] All the people Who are impacted Directly By all the violence In our world And in this nation And we want to lift up All of us As we are impacted How would God Use us In the midst of us Let's turn to the Lord In prayer Gracious Heavenly Father You are creator of all And you know what we need Before we even ask We are grateful That you call us to prayer We are grateful That you are the one Who hears us And who answers us Who is with us In everything That we go through here Be with us Lord Help us We look into the world And we see
[18:53] All of these things That happen That cause pain That cause sorrow Lord God We lift them up to you All of those people Who are sick And infirm Who are in need Of surgeries Whose lives And the lives Of their families Are disrupted Because of sickness And disease That is in this world We pray for healing Lord Not just physical healing Of the particular disease Or the particular problem But healing In our spirits And our souls As well as our bodies You bring that kind Of healing to us Lord We desire to be Opened up To receive it We desire That those we love Who are in trouble And sick
[19:54] Receive your healing touch And be made whole We pray for those Who are grieving losses Lord God It is also disruptive And hurtful When someone we care for Is no longer with us Because of death That kind of separation That isn't Temporary In terms of this world But that we know We have The hope Of eternal life With you And the restoration Of those relationships Being close up again Comfort us Lord Give us peace And not just us Here in this place Lord But all of those Who are grieving losses Because of terrible violence That has been done To them
[20:54] Their loved ones Torn away Suddenly It seems to not make sense But Lord We trust in you We believe That you are God Of all We pray Lord God This morning Rejoicing That you Are the one Who is with us Rejoicing That we are In your presence Rejoicing That you fill us With your love And your grace And your mercy And the power To reach the world For you To share Your love Wherever we go Help us Lord Teach us That that needs To be Our first priority To be with you And bring your love
[21:56] With us Wherever we go And share it Remind us To pray Lord Help us Help us not To be distracted By things That don't matter And miss the things That really do The things That draw us Closer to you And that draw Our families Our friends Our loved ones The body Of Christ Closer together Teach us By your word As we hear it This morning teach us to be the people you've called us to be in this world teach us to walk in peace anoint Pastor Tom to deliver the word of God as you've called him to do and make all of our worship pleasing to you Lord that is why we came in Jesus name we pray Amen shall we hear from the word of the Lord to hear from the Lord that is why we came we hear from the Lord amen we pray amen amen amen amen amen amen amen amen
[23:28] Good morning. Our reading this morning is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verses 16 through 27.
[23:45] He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.
[24:03] Unrolling it, he found a place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
[24:17] He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, and recovery of sight for the blind. To set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
[24:34] Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
[24:48] He began by saying, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. All spoke well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.
[25:03] Isn't this Joseph's son? They asked. Jesus said to them, Surely you will quote this proverb to me, Physician, heal thyself.
[25:18] And you will tell me, Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum. Truly I tell you, he continued, No prophet is accepted in his hometown.
[25:30] I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years, and there was a severe famine throughout the land.
[25:43] Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sodom. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet.
[25:58] Yet not one of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian. This is the word of the Lord. Thank you, Julene.
[26:11] And this summer we're going to talk about worship. We're going to worship too, but we're going to talk about the elements of worship. We're going to talk about communion. We're going to talk about baptism, about singing, about all the elements that go into worship, so that we can have a little better understanding of what it is we gather to do, because worship isn't one thing.
[26:31] Some people have asked, for instance, why don't we have a large group of people out if we're singing songs or for a Bible study? Well, that's just one piece of worship. Worship is really a lot more than that.
[26:42] It's something else all combined together. Today I want to talk to you about rituals, the things that we do almost automatically that can draw us closer to God.
[26:55] This is the day. See, it didn't take you any time to think about that, did it? You see, there's just things that are natural to us because ritual actually comes from the Latin word, which means to do things the right way.
[27:14] And when we come before God, we want to do things the right way. If we do, it prepares our lives for the Holy Spirit to work within us. We have rituals in all of our life, more so than just worship.
[27:28] It's all throughout our lives. My wife and I, when we go out to Silver Lake, like we did last week, when we arrive, the very first thing we do is we carry everything in the house. As soon as everything's in the house, we start doing little chores.
[27:41] Somebody blows off the porch, another one wipes down the furniture and the railings, another one mows the lawn. When that's done, we make a drink and sit on the porch and we feel relaxed.
[27:53] And you know why? Because everything's right. Everything's the way it's supposed to be. And because everything's the way it's supposed to be, it takes away the anxiety, which is what rituals do.
[28:05] They take away the anxiety. We know what we're supposed to be and do at the right time, and we forget about everything else and focus on what the rituals call us to be and to do.
[28:18] Jesus went to Nazareth, where he grew up. And he had actually done this many times. This is just the time they record it. And he went into the synagogue, which was his custom.
[28:30] And he did it on the Sabbath day, which was the day in which he went to worship God. And he stood up to read the scripture, which they did every time they met. There's something about these routine things, these normal, what seem to be everyday type of things that actually have a special effect on us.
[28:52] I grew up at a church called Christ United Methodist Church. It's over in Snyder, New York. And I have to tell you that when I go into that sanctuary, it has a different effect on me than any other sanctuary in the world.
[29:04] I walk in the door, and it immediately says, God. God. In fact, we were at a funeral, my wife and I, at Christ Church, and the pipe organ started playing.
[29:14] We don't have money for a pipe organ. It's a nice organ, but not a pipe organ. The pipe organ started to play. And we're sitting there, and I said to my wife, this is church.
[29:25] Now, it isn't any more church than what we do or anyone else does, but to me, because I grew up in that place, it was church. One time for about two or three years, they turned the color of the sanctuary from white and blue to green and orange.
[29:42] It wasn't church. It's amazing how things like that can change things for us. It's white and blue again, by the way, just in case you were wondering. You see, when we go on the right day, at the right time, to the right place, to hear the word of God and do what we're supposed to do, it creates in us an effect called hominesis.
[30:07] That's a Greek word. Which means not just to remember, but to actually remember by reliving, re-experiencing every single time we've done that before.
[30:18] So when we sing the doxology, it doesn't just draw back the memories of the one time we sang the doxology, but the hundreds of times we've sung the doxology.
[30:30] When we come into worship and we pray, all the prayers we've ever prayed together in a sanctuary with the people of God affect us again. When we come to the table of the Lord, we don't just remember the Lord, we re-experience that time together with God again and again.
[30:51] Ritual draws us in. Just like it said happened with Jesus, they were all listening to him. And they did what they were supposed to do, reading the scripture, learning about God.
[31:04] Because just the words of the book of God can affect us. The Lord is my shepherd. Love the Lord your God with all your...
[31:18] When did you learn that? When did that first become a part of your life? You see, we don't even remember. In fact, for some of us, it was so long ago, we don't remember at all.
[31:30] The first time a child shakes my hand in the line coming out of church, most of them can't even talk. After a while, these things draw us closer to God and God's scripture, God's word, opens up our lives to experience wonderful things.
[31:48] And that's why timing matters. We worship on the Lord's Day, on a Sunday, to remember who God is and what he did for us. Our Saturday night congregation, by the way, worships on the Sabbath, which is what Saturday is.
[32:01] It's a little difference in what we do. But we're remembering every time we gather together on the resurrection day, the resurrection of God, it's like a mini Easter because even timing matters.
[32:14] This scripture says that Jesus has come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. There is a time frame, the Sabbath, the festivals, the celebrations, the holy days, where it makes a difference.
[32:32] And we have it in our lives. I can describe it for you and you'll name it for me. What day is this when we eat turkey and stuffing? Boy, I didn't even get very far on that one, did I?
[32:45] Pumpkin pie. How about hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and fireworks? Fourth of July. How about ham, potatoes, chocolate bunnies?
[32:57] It just, it's just gotta be a certain way. We don't eat ham on Thanksgiving. That's just weird.
[33:08] It would feel awkward and strange like we're not doing the right thing. Some people wonder, why do we still keep the old music in churches? Because people don't listen to them in their cars.
[33:21] Well, of course they don't. But it changes us. That music is part of church, part of who and what we are. We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing.
[33:34] So God focuses our hearts and while they were focused on Jesus and focused on God, it says they were gracious and thought well of him. Because Jesus said he came to preach the good news.
[33:48] The good news, which is the gospel of salvation of Jesus Christ because worship is supposed to be a good and wonderful and joy-filled experience.
[34:01] Amen? We're supposed to go out of worship going, wow, I feel better than before I came. Not, well, I got that over with. Worship, worship is not something we have to endure.
[34:16] It's something we look forward to and when we experience it, we're supposed to feel better. If church can't be filled with joy, then that would reflect on God.
[34:29] So we need to experience the wonder and the power of God, which is all the more reason we need to do it right. Because rituals have power. Power beyond their very words.
[34:42] You know, I deal with people in all sorts of difficult situations in life. sometimes, I'm talking to people who are halfway between here and the next world.
[34:53] Some of them can't even remember their own name. They don't even recognize their family. But when I say, let's pray, our Father, who art in heaven, they say, because the ritual draws us back to God, and then in the midst of their confusion and their struggle, they know God is still with me.
[35:20] So there's power. There's power in the words. There's power in the actions. But ritual in and of itself is not the goal. The goal is to point to Christ. That's the goal.
[35:34] How many of you saw fireworks last weekend? I know those of you in Pendleton only saw them for about three or four minutes, you know. At Silver Lake, what we do is we light up fires with flares and campfires and torches around the entire lake.
[35:51] And then a police boat goes around the lake and starts all the illegal fire display, fireworks displays. I always thought this was kind of an odd thing, you know. But it's a ritual.
[36:02] They go around the lake with their fire, with their police siren going, and everybody starts shooting illegal fireworks into the lake. And then, after the flares and the fires start burning down, the big fireworks come up.
[36:19] And we watch these amazing fireworks with this great, big ending thing, right? We call it the finale, right?
[36:30] Afterwards, of course, when they're done, all the little ones shoot up again to say, we're here, we're here, we have stuff too, you know. And we sit on the same deck, in the same chairs, with the same people.
[36:44] And then we go back to the neighbors and have a hot dog. It's just our ritual. Do you think we do that because we've never seen fireworks in our lives? Or because the fireworks are somehow going to be so fantastic this year?
[36:58] We do it because that experience draws us closer to each other. as we re-experience all the times we've gone through that before. Hamanesis, reliving, re-experiencing the memories together.
[37:14] And especially important is re-experiencing God. Fireworks on 4th of July are great as they draw our family together. They help us to focus on the blessing of our country.
[37:28] But the rituals we do in church are about pointing to and reminding us of God. Jesus says, today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
[37:42] You see, the whole point of scripture is to point to Jesus. The whole book is his autobiography. It says that he's come to preach recovery of sight to the blind, to open up our eyes and our minds and our hearts to God.
[38:02] They handed him a scroll. It happened to be from the book of Isaiah. I have to tell you what, they could have handed Jesus any book from the Bible and he would have found himself in there.
[38:16] Because the whole book points to Jesus one way or another. and all of what we do needs to point to Jesus. Real worship is worship that makes God alive in us.
[38:31] The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me. You know, worship that just goes through the form, that just goes through the patterns, that just goes through the motions and doesn't bring the spirit of God into our midst is worship without power.
[38:59] In fact, it's worship without purpose. Because if worship doesn't bring us closer to God, we're not doing what God would have us do.
[39:11] John chapter 4 verse 23 says to us, The time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for they're the kind of worshipers that God sees.
[39:24] God is spirit. His worshipers must worship in the spirit and in truth. Without it, it becomes empty. Simply actions we go through missing the power to heal.
[39:41] in this case, they looked to Jesus and they wanted him to do the miracles he was doing all across the countryside. But it tells us in another gospel, few if any miracles actually were occurring.
[39:58] You see, the problem is that things aren't done right. Rituals can even become harmful. Sometimes things aren't done right.
[40:09] sometimes it's just that, well, we kind of mess up a little bit. This morning as I'm singing the opening hymn, I see two young ladies putting on acolyte robes and a fellow standing in the middle of them with a lighter and I go, oh, we forgot to light the candles.
[40:26] God bless them. They remember. They looked and said, something's not right. One of the most difficult things I have as a pastor is to go to other churches and go there and shut off my pastor mind and become a person just there to worship because typically I'll say, oh, they didn't do that right.
[40:45] Well, that wasn't right. They didn't do that the way they should. That wasn't proper. They should have done this. And you see, there's the problem is sometimes we think if people don't do the rituals our way, somehow they've failed.
[41:02] They can cause us to think that we're right when we're even wrong. the people of Nazareth believed they deserved a miracle. And sometimes we're guilty of this too.
[41:13] As Christians and as people in this country, we somehow think just for some reason we have a right to God doing miracles. Jesus said to them in the time of Elijah and Elisha, there were a lot of Jewish people that wanted a miracle to happen, but it didn't happen.
[41:33] It only happened to a widow who wasn't Jewish. It only happened to a Syrian who didn't belong to the faith. You guys aren't doing it right.
[41:46] That's what he was saying. See, rituals can draw us together. They can help us feel connected like we're part of something bigger. Or they can make us feel excluded.
[41:59] Even in churches, we don't know when to stand, we don't know when to sit, we don't know what we should do, how should we wear, how should we walk, what kind of signs do we make? In our church, we kind of sort of practice so many rituals that people get confused.
[42:15] Some people are making the sign of the cross, some aren't. Is it right? Is it wrong? It's whatever God moves us to do. But if the rituals exclude, they become hurtful.
[42:28] we have many rituals as a nation. I pledge allegiance really to a flag? To a flag?
[42:40] I pledge allegiance sometimes to a country, but to a flag? A piece of cloth? But we say it, you know why we say it? Because when we were little kids, we said it every single day of our lives.
[42:51] Most of us as adults hardly say it at all, but we remember every word of that, don't we? And the pledge isn't evil or anything like that. But what do we use it for?
[43:03] To include or to exclude? America, love it, or where did you hear that? If that was true, all of us would have to leave it at some point.
[43:16] Pretty much all of us have a time where we don't love what's going on. There's something that upsets us or bothers us, or our candidate didn't get elected, or we don't like the way something's going, so everybody should get out, amen?
[43:28] Well, don't say amen to that. Right? Or even worse, my country, right or now. My country, if it does it the right way.
[43:44] See, we get confused and we start to think that it's the rituals, it's the actions, when it's really, what are we doing with these things? What's the idea, the belief behind it?
[44:01] Faith sets miracles in motions, not rituals, not our ancestry, not our religion, only our faith.
[44:15] Ephesians, Paul writes to us, it's by grace you've been saved through faith. faith. This is not from yourselves, it's a gift of God. Liturgy, the word actually means the work of the people.
[44:27] It's what we do for the one audience that matters in church, which is God. The rest of us are all part of the action.
[44:38] Do what we do please God. Does it show our faith? Does it show that we see everything, every miracle that comes as a gift from God, not something we deserve, not something we have a right to, not something that we can cause to happen by our rituals or our actions?
[44:57] What we deserve. Every one of us deserves to go to hell for the brokenness we've caused in this world and before God. Every one of us. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
[45:09] And the Bible says the penalty of sin is death in this life and the one to come. But God offers us grace, grace and mercy as a wonderful gift.
[45:24] And when we live in that faith, then the miracles pour out. You know, it worries me because as a nation, we have all the wealth. We have tremendous power and ability.
[45:37] But when I read about churches in other parts of the world where they're desperately poor, where they're struggling and where they've got all kinds of deficiencies as far as we would be concerned, miracles are breaking out because they have faith.
[45:53] We count on all the stuff to somehow do what we want to have happen. Jesus said that he has come to set the oppressed free.
[46:09] And sometimes, sometimes, we're the oppressed and sometimes, we're the oppressors.
[46:20] We need to be freed from the opinions of the world that bind us and take us away from our God. If it doesn't point to God, it's wrong.
[46:32] There is no such thing as a secular world. There is only a sacred world and a profane world, a world for God or a world against God. Romans chapter 12 says to us, do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
[46:50] Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing, perfect will. What is right is defined by God.
[47:02] And we're to be, as the Bible says, ambassadors for Christ in this world, living the grace of God into the world. Not bringing condemnation or anger or frustration to the world, but bringing joy and peace and love and hope.
[47:20] The line I love in the Pledge of Allegiance is it says, one nation, you realize if we were under God, we would be one nation.
[47:32] If you look at all the pains and all the brokenness, all the hurt and all the hatred that occurs in our country, it's when people turn from God.
[47:44] One nation under God. In Acts chapter 4, it says, you spoke by the Holy Spirit through David. Why do the nations rage and the people blot in vain?
[47:58] Do you wonder why everybody is so angry? Because the kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord, against Jesus, his anointed one. Why do we have this anger and pain?
[48:11] Because we get off mission. We start to think it's about us. And I get it. I understand it. They sold my seminary. I got to tell you, I went to a seminary that looked like Hogwarts.
[48:24] For those of you who don't know what that means. It's this like castle like beautiful, gorgeous school. It was built by John D. Rockefeller. We had unlimited money.
[48:34] And he built us the most beautiful, most incredible, inspiring school that ever existed. And I have wonderful memories of spending time with people over lunch or discussing something theological or going to classes or being in the chapel to worship or even playing racquetball with the...
[48:52] But the campus was designed for 300 students. I have to tell you, when I heard the news, my first reaction was, I will never support them again. They're not getting any of my money.
[49:03] They sold my school. They actually sold the building. And the reason they sold the building is because there's only like 20 people going to it anymore.
[49:15] Ask Pastor Sherry and Pastor Lisa. All seminary now is online. What they've decided is they could do this in a little, tiny building. Not so fancy.
[49:26] Spend the money on training people to learn about God instead of on a fancy building. They're right. I don't like it. But they're right.
[49:40] You see, sometimes rituals can cause us to turn away from the very thing that God is trying to do. God is trying to do the right thing.
[49:52] rituals help us to see past our prejudices, past our struggles amongst each other, and see on the God.
[50:05] And it's so easy to judge people by how they look or what they do. My neighbors at Silver Lake have known me for years, and for the longest time, they knew I was a pastor, but they never really got it.
[50:20] You know, so when we'd talk, they were kind of like, yeah, yeah, you're sort of a pastor. They were Roman Catholic, but you know, really, we weren't real pastors, because they'd see me and I'd be dressed like a bum, working on a project somewhere on the cottage, sitting on the front porch.
[50:34] One day, my brother wanted to get married on the front porch of our cottage. So, my wife and I walk out the door of our cottage onto the front porch, wearing our full robes and stoles, and they looked at us and said, oh my gosh, it's true.
[50:55] Total shift in attitude. They talk to us about God all the time. They're always asking about church and everything else, only because we changed our clothes. You get it?
[51:07] Amazing. Amazing. But the right rituals can change things. He has come to preach the good news, even to the poor, because worship is for everyone.
[51:20] It doesn't discriminate. It's intended to draw us close to God. And it can do that if we do it right, or it can keep us from God if we do it wrong. And sometimes, even when we don't mean to, it can go wrong.
[51:37] Why we don't baptize them that way? Why we don't baptize them that way? Why we don't baptize them that way?
[51:51] Why we don't baptize them that way?
[52:04] There is a joy to... It's not going to cry, It's not going to... It's not how we don't baptize them So long be the day But if it's 같이 If it's not the day It's not the day So long, why we don't baptize them See, it matters that we do it right, because if not, we lose the moment.
[52:45] It might be funny, it might create a memory, but it's not the right memory. It didn't draw us closer to God. People argue about what songs to sing, what rituals to include, how long should something go.
[52:58] And I try my best to do it right. I've worked hard at it, because I know how much it matters. I've seen people, when the funerals haven't been done in the correct way, where they don't let go of their family, and they actually have ghosts in their lives.
[53:13] It matters what we do. But sometimes God intends something different. And Jesus came in to proclaim to them something new, and they got angry, because it wasn't what they thought.
[53:25] Who does he think he is? This is Joseph's so-called son. We know who he is. We're not going to put up with this. It says they got angry with him, and they dragged him out to the edge of town, where there was a cliff, and they were going to throw him off.
[53:43] But sometimes God is doing something new. In fact, God is the God of new things. In the book of Revelations, it says, the one that was sitting on the throne said, behold, I make all things new.
[53:55] We don't want to miss what God is doing new. Maybe more to the point, we don't want to miss out on Jesus.
[54:07] You know, I think the words that we say over the table are so important. They seep into our lives. And having just the right words makes this table come alive, that we can forget what we're doing and just experience God.
[54:20] And so we try to use just the right words, the ones taken right out of the words of Jesus. And he took the bread, and he broke it, and he gave thanks to God, and he gave it to his disciples.
[54:32] He said, take it, eat. I've been to churches, I'll tell you, where sometimes they do it wrong. They're trying to be so clever that they make stuff up that isn't the right words.
[54:45] I've even gotten to the point where sometimes when they do that, I'll sit in my seat and say, get it wrong. That's not really communion. I'm not going to go.
[54:56] Take it. Now, here's the fascinating thing. This is the truth. I've done this. Who do you think loses? Do you think they sit there and go, oh, Tom didn't come up.
[55:11] My world will end because Tom didn't come up. Oh, really, who do I think I am? I'm the one who loses. Jesus, it says, walked away.
[55:27] We're amazed that he walked through the crowd, which he shouldn't be. People with confidence can walk through any crowd. He walked away. He walked away from the people who were empty, who were counting on religion, who were angry.
[55:39] We have to be careful that God isn't going to walk away from us because our focus is so much on us and what we think and what we have to have that we miss out on Jesus himself.
[55:54] James, the brother of Jesus, wrote these words. Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
[56:08] Don't be double-minded. Draw near to God. He'll draw near to you. The Lord be with you. God is good. And all the time.
[56:20] The ritual draws us closer to God. Who does Jesus think he is? I'll tell you who he is. He is God. He is God.
[56:31] He is God. God is created by human hands.
[56:52] You're not a God defender on any mortal man. You're not a God in need of anything we can give by your plan.
[57:06] That's just the way it is We aim by human hand You're not a God he can do Anymore than man You're not a God he can do Anything we can do by your plan That's just the way it is You are God alone From the full time he gave You are on your throne You are God alone And right now In the good times and bad You are on your throne You are God alone You're the only God who's power
[58:12] None can condemn You're the only God who's name and Praise will never end You're the only God who's worthy Everything we can give You are God You are God That's just the way it is You are God alone From the full time began You are on your throne You are God alone And right now And right now In the good times and bad You are on your throne You are God alone You're unchained for You're unchained for You're unstoppable That's what you are
[59:15] You are unchained for You're unchained for You're unstoppable That's what you are You are God alone From the full time began You are on your throne You are God alone You are God alone You are God alone You are God alone And right now In the good times and bad You are on your throne You are God alone You're unchanged for You're unshapeable You're unstoppable That's what you are Thank you
[60:53] When I surveyed the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory died My righteous king I count but lost And bore contempt on all my pride See from His head, His hand Sings me Sorrow and love Flow mingled down
[61:57] Dear, there's such love And sorrow me On thorns come close So rich a crown Oh, the wonderful cross Oh, the wonderful cross Here's me come and die And find that I'm meant to be there Oh, the wonderful cross Oh, the wonderful cross All who gather here Thy grace from here And bless your name When the whole realm of nature
[63:04] My That were an offering A offering Far To So So Amazing So Divine Demand My soul My life My own My own My own I feel My own My own My own My own My own .
[63:57] .
[64:10] Princes and daughters, sons and daughters, He left the throne of praise. Princes and daughters, saints and sinners, One day we'll see His face, And we'll all bow down.
[64:36] Things will surrender their ground, And worship in Jesus, for He is the love, Unfailing love of He is the love of God.
[64:58] . Summer and winter, the mountains and rivers, Whisper the Savior's day.
[65:18] Awesome and holy, a friend to the lonely, Forever needs more. We'll reign and we all bow down.
[65:35] Things will surrender their ground, And worship in Jesus, for He is the love, Unfailing love of He is the love of God.
[65:57] He's the light of the world, And Lord of the cross.
[66:14] And we'll all bow down. Kings will surrender their ground, And worship in Jesus, Worship in Jesus, Worship in Jesus, For He is the love, Unveiling love, For He is the love of God.
[66:54] . Please be seated. None of us gets it right.
[67:06] None of us do the right thing, Do the right thing, It's the best we try. But ultimately we all fail. And praise be to God, That we have grace that has set us free.
[67:17] Amen? And so we go before God, To remember who's we are, What we are, What we're not. And to pray for God, To fix the things that are broken. Let's pray, shall we?
[67:28] Dear God in heaven, Dear God in heaven, I have sinned. I have sinned. You know what I've done wrong. You know what I've done wrong. And I do too. Forgive me, Lord.
[67:40] Forgive me, Lord. Teach me to do the right thing. Teach me to do the right thing. Teach me to point to you. Make me an ambassador for Christ. That I might please you.
[67:54] In Jesus name we pray. Amen. You know, to me in some ways, This is probably the most important part of the whole service.
[68:05] We say the same words. I say them to you, And believe it or not, You're saying it to me. Which is so important to me. And those words are so simple. But seen so much. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your sins are forgiven.
[68:20] In the name of Jesus Christ, Your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen. Amen. .
[68:41] . . . I'll live on my knees in worship Giving all I am to sing your face Lord, all I am is yours I hope I finally sing your hand God of mercy, humble, I bow down In your presence and your throne I called, you answered And you came to my rescue
[69:46] And I wanted me where you are My whole life I've placed in your hands God of mercy, humble, I bow down In your presence and control I called, you answered And you came to my rescue and I I wanted me where you are
[70:50] My life, be lifted high in our world Be lifted high in our love Be lifted high in our love Be lifted high in our love Be lifted high in our love I called, you answered And you came to my rescue and I
[71:51] I wanted me where you are Throughout the history of the world The scriptures that we see people Crying out to God Crying out to God When God, when are you coming?
[72:22] And here at the table Is the answer Jesus came He came to our rescue He suffered and died For our sins And we are welcome at the table We're welcome to join him We're welcome to come Everyone If you love God Repent of your sin And seek to live in peace As a disciple of Jesus Christ You are welcome at the table This morning Whether you're here for the first time Never been here before Never been in any church before If you are seeking To be with God And to follow Jesus Come to the table this morning And celebrate The way we celebrate And remember Who God is Every week The Lord be with you
[73:24] Lift up your hearts Lift up your hearts Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks To the Lord our God It is right And a good And joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth 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 You delivered us From captivity Made covenant To be our sovereign God And spoke to us Through your prophets Who looked for that day When justice shall roll down Like waters And righteousness Like an ever-flowing stream When nations shall not Lift up sword against nation Neither shall they learn war Anymore And so with your people on earth And all the company of heaven We praise your name And join their unending hymn
[74:25] Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and earth Are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest 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 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 On that night In which he gave himself Up for us He took bread And he gave thanks to you He broke the bread
[75:26] And gave it to his disciples Saying take and eat This is my body Which is given for you Do this In remembrance of me And when the supper Was over He took the cup And gave you Thanks and praise And he gave it To his disciples Saying drink from this All of you This is the cup Of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you It is poured out for many For the forgiveness Of sin Do this As often as you Drink it In remembrance of me 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 Christ has died
[76:28] Christ is risen Christ will come again Pour out your holy spirit On us gathered here And on these gifts Of bread and wine Make them be for us The body and blood Of Christ That we may be For the world The body of Christ Redeemed by his 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 final victory And we feast At his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit In your holy church All honor and glory Is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together With the confidence Of children of God The prayer Of Jesus Christ Our Father Who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done On earth as it is in heaven Give us this day
[77:29] 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 For thine is the kingdom And the power And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those serving Please come forward To happen Amen Amen Amen Amen
[78:29] Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen Thank you.
[79:12] Thank you.
[79:42] Thank you.
[80:12] Thank you.
[80:42] Thank you.
[81:12] Thank you.
[81:42] Thank you.
[82:12] Thank you.
[82:42] Thank you.
[83:12] Thank you.
[83:42] Thank you.
[84:12] Thank you.
[84:42] And may God cause miracles to pour out throughout our nation, throughout our community, throughout your lives. And bless you today and always. Amen.