[0:00] We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering.
[0:16] And all the while you hear each spoken word, yet love us way too much to give us lesser things.
[0:30] What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?
[0:45] And what if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? We pray for wisdom, your voice to hear.
[1:08] And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near. We doubt your goodness.
[1:20] We doubt your love. As if every promise from your word is not enough.
[2:00] And what if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise? When friends betray us.
[2:15] When darkness seems to win, we know that pain reminds this heart that this is not, this is not our home.
[2:27] It's not our home. That lovingly, it's not our home. But enjoy. When graphics for you.
[2:41] The brook of coś for you is an aircraft of faith, you make mistakes with us. Because what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near?
[2:56] And what if the greatest disappointments are the aching of this life? Is the revealing of the greater thirst this world can satisfy?
[3:10] And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights, are your mercies in disguise?
[3:40] Thank you.
[4:10] Thank you.
[4:40] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen.
[4:52] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[5:04] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[5:16] Thank you. Thank you. but please pray for them. And the family of Robert Morrison, he had surgery. He's Ursula's son, and we're going to continue to pray for him.
[5:29] And then there's a memorial service this Saturday at 11 a.m. for Dick Roslin. So that is also, we're going to pray for the family of Dick.
[5:41] We're going to pray for little Noah today, too. We're going to pray for him again. Does anybody have anything else that they'd like to just pray? Pray for that baby that was born. What a great opportunity to just pray.
[5:53] So if anybody has anything, please let me know. Yes. Absolutely, absolutely.
[6:03] Pray for the tragedy that happened this week in Las Vegas. Well, let's bow our heads and just come before God as a congregation.
[6:35] Lord, we just thank you for the opportunity that we have to come together. Lord, I know you say when two or three are gathered in your name that you are in the midst. Lord, you are in the midst of those that are hurting.
[6:48] That's where you love to be the most, Lord God. You love to be with those that are just struggling and hurting. And Lord, I know that you're with them. And God, we just come to you right now as a congregation.
[7:01] We pray in unity, Lord God, that you would be with the people, Lord God, that are hurting. The people that are in Las Vegas right now, God, that are just struggling. The questions that they have that aren't being answered, Lord God.
[7:13] And Lord, I know that you're there. You are the answer. So God, I pray that you would just show them, Lord God, that your love and compassion. That you would touch their bodies, Lord God. The people with the bullets that are lodged in them still, Lord God.
[7:27] That you would just be with them today. God, I pray that your church would open, be open, Lord God, to bless people there, Lord Jesus. And I just pray, Lord God, that you would give us opportunities to pray for them.
[7:40] Whatever you would call us to do, Lord God, that we would be open to you. I pray for baby Noah, Lord. I pray, Lord God, that you would continue to be with him. Lord, as he's in the hospital just waiting for surgery.
[7:52] That you'd be with the family, Lord God. That you would be with the physicians. And that you would give them all wisdom on how to take care of this baby. God, I pray for the families of those that have lost loved ones this week.
[8:04] There's people in our church, Lord God, that have lost people that are very close to them. And I pray for them, Lord God. Pray, Lord God, that you would just help them. That you would give them the peace that they need.
[8:17] The strength that they need, Lord God. In this difficult time, Lord God, that you would just show them your compassion. And that you would just help them, Lord God. Help us to love them.
[8:28] And help us to be a blessing to them. God, I pray for our pastors. I pray, Lord God, that you'll be with them. The ones that are on vacation.
[8:39] The ones that are ministering in other churches. Lord, that you would just bless them today. That you would give them a refreshed, new call from you, Lord God. God, and I pray for this congregation, Lord.
[8:52] All the opportunities that we have, even this week, to serve with the fish fry and helping out with Seneca Street, Lord God. Pray, Lord God, that you would just help us. Lord God, you've called us to be a blessing to others.
[9:04] And Lord, I pray that we would continue to do that. I thank you, Lord, for the people, Lord God, that are hurting. And Lord, I pray that you would just help us. Help us to love them.
[9:16] Be with our police officers and our fire department, Lord God. That you would just bless them today. Be with our president and our Congress and our senators, our Supreme Court.
[9:28] Lord, I pray that you would give them the direction that they need to go, Lord God. That you would help us, Lord God, to be united, Lord God. That you would help us, Lord God, to be there for people, Lord Jesus.
[9:43] And help us, Lord God, to just love you. That we would be Christians, Lord God, called by you. Thank you for today. Thank you for this service, Lord God.
[9:54] Thank you for this community. And I just pray, Lord God, that you would just help us to learn from you today. In your name I pray. Amen. Now we're going to listen to the word of the Lord.
[10:31] Good morning. Today's scripture lesson comes from the book of Acts, chapter 9, verses 36 through 42.
[10:43] In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha. In Greek, her name is Dorcas. She was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time, she became sick and died.
[10:58] And her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa. So when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, please come at once.
[11:14] Peter went with them. And when he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room. All the windows stood around him. I'm sorry. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
[11:32] Peter sent them all out of the room. Then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, Tabitha, get up. She opened her eyes.
[11:44] And seeing Peter, she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.
[11:57] This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Bill, for sharing the scripture with us this morning.
[12:15] You know, in this sermon series, we've been looking at the book of Acts, and we've been talking about some of the things we do in order to attain the great prize.
[12:28] And what is the great prize? Of course, it's salvation, and it's knowing the Lord. And there's this interesting little story in the book of Acts in chapter 9 about Tabitha.
[12:40] We see that she was one of the disciples, a woman, but that she had died. And all of her friends and all of her fellow believers were very upset and grieving.
[12:51] And generally, we tend to look at this story and focus on the fact that the apostle Peter was called to her side. And after he prays over her, she rises from death.
[13:05] An amazing miracle, certainly. And there's something very touching about the way he does it. He goes into her room all alone, and he prays for her.
[13:16] Peter doesn't want this to be a miracle that highlights himself. He doesn't want the glory. He doesn't want an audience. And he doesn't do it in his own power.
[13:27] He calls upon the power of Jesus Christ. Peter speaks to the woman by name, Tabitha, get up. And I imagine him doing this very softly, very gently, like a father would wake up their little daughter on a Sunday morning in order to get her to church on time.
[13:49] He may have said it in a commanding tone, but I just imagine this gentle calling back to life. And as she begins to revive, Peter takes her by her hand and lifts her up.
[14:01] And then he presents her to her friends, alive and well. And especially her close friends are so thrilled to come and see her. And he hands her over to their care.
[14:14] For me, the description of Tabitha is also an important part of this story. Here was this woman who did all kinds of good things for others. One translation of the Bible, the Common English Bible, says in verse 36, This was a woman whom all the believers loved and admired.
[14:43] When Peter arrived on the scene, it says the widows were weeping and showing each other articles of fine clothing that Tabitha had made. Now, the scripture doesn't say that she was beautiful or smart or wealthy.
[14:57] Finally, she was beloved because of her good works and her compassion. Have you ever known somebody like that? I think of my mother-in-law in that way.
[15:08] She's since gone home to the Lord. Her name was Violet. There's a picture of her. But I called her mom because she was like a mom to me. She wasn't the most gorgeous person in the world.
[15:20] She wasn't the most articulate conversationalist. She wasn't rich in worldly goods. But mom did have some talents.
[15:30] Cooking wasn't one of them. She wasn't a very good cook, to be honest. My husband would attest to that. But Violet had this kind and generous heart. When Bill and I were young parents, you know, sometimes there wasn't always a lot of groceries in the house.
[15:46] And if I needed something, I knew I could walk next door to my mother-in-law's house and ask her for a can of soup or a cup of milk or whatever I needed. And she'd be more than willing to give it to me.
[15:56] In fact, she would go through her cupboards and take out all the canned goods and put them in a bag. And then she'd go in the fridge and she'd take out six other things and put them in the bag and say, here. Even though I didn't ask for them, maybe didn't even really need them, she was just generous.
[16:11] That was the kind of person that she was. And Violet, my mom, reminded me of Tabitha for another reason. She liked to do needlework and she would spend hours cross-stitching things.
[16:24] And I brought a tablecloth and a couple of other articles that she sewed to show you. And you can take a look at those if you want to. But you know, she spent hours working on those, but she never kept any of them for herself.
[16:37] She always made them as gifts to give to someone else. And I'm really grateful that I have these articles now to remember her by. And I will pass them on to my daughters.
[16:50] Why did my mother-in-law do these good things? I believe it was out of love. She knew the importance of taking care of her own family, the people that she loved.
[17:03] And she would give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it. Family always came first for her. She believed that we should take care of those closest to us first.
[17:16] But mom was also willing to share with those outside of the family. She and my father-in-law would plant this absolutely huge garden every single summer and then give away 95% of the produce.
[17:29] They purposely grew it too big so that they could share it with other people. And that's how they both were. I think that maybe having been raised in the time of the Great Depression had something to do with that.
[17:42] They knew what it was like to be in need. And they didn't want to see other people go through that. And so they were always, always generous. Like Tabitha, my mother-in-law also believed in Jesus.
[17:57] And she knew it was his command that we should love and care for each other. In 1 John 3, it says it this way. This is how we know what love is.
[18:08] Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
[18:25] Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth. And this is God's command. To believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he has commanded us.
[18:40] We're in the midst of football season. You can see that, right? Here in western New York, it's a wonderful sport that we all love to hear about.
[18:52] We all want the Buffalo Bills to have a winning season. And they're doing pretty well so far. Woo-hoo! So we've been looking at some of the things that football teams do in order to find success in their sport.
[19:04] They all want to make it to the Super Bowl, right? I'd like to make it to the Super Bowl and actually win it sometime, but that's another story. But in order to get there, the team needs a little bit more than just talent and luck.
[19:18] They need to, first of all, take care of themselves. And so the players work out and get healthy. But they put on protective gear in order to keep themselves safe.
[19:30] You know, the helmet, the shoulder pads, the knee pads, all that stuff. They put that on to protect their bodies and minimize the impact injuries. But, of course, probably the most important piece of gear is the helmet.
[19:43] You have to protect your head. Brain injuries are probably one of the most dangerous parts of this sport. And without a brain, the body just doesn't function very well. Now, besides protecting themselves as individuals, a good team protects each other on the playing field and off the playing field.
[20:04] When a player is injured during a game, does the team just run on past them and keep on playing? No? No would be the answer.
[20:17] Yes. No. It's either yes or no, right? No, they stop the game and they send out the medics and they come out with the stretcher and their first aid kit.
[20:29] And they take the player off the field so that he can get proper treatment. Now, shouldn't the body of believers be like that football team? When one of our members is hurting or in trouble, do we just ignore them and pass on by?
[20:45] No. Thank you. No. Right answer. Of course not. We need to stop and help them along the way. Anybody ever drink this orange stuff over here?
[20:58] I know it comes in green and blue too, but I just couldn't possibly drink something blue like that. You know what this stuff is, right? Yeah, Gatorade. They've changed the logo a little bit, but that's the stuff that the players drink.
[21:11] Why do they drink that? To replenish themselves, right? To restore the balance in their bodies.
[21:22] It provides those essential electrolytes and body salts, and it helps to keep the team player functioning properly. Now, I believe that as team players in the church, we also need to have replenishing from time to time.
[21:37] And I think that worship is very important for that, and prayer is very important, and scripture, those are probably the most essential resources that we have for replenishing ourselves.
[21:48] But I think there's one more important factor that we sometimes overlook. And I believe that is having fellow Christians to support us and encourage us along the way.
[22:00] Like the players giving each other a pat on the back after a good play, right? We all need to encourage one another. This is my favorite picture of Coach Marv Levy from the glory days.
[22:11] Bruce. I just love the way he loved his players, and they knew it. And so they would work very hard for him, because he really, really cared about them.
[22:25] Caring for others builds us up, but it also builds up the church, and it spreads the kingdom of God. Romans 6 tells us, You know, people won't really care about what we believe until they know we care about them.
[23:03] So how do we care? Of course, it begins with an attitude of the heart. Caring for others begins in knowing that God cares for us, even when we don't deserve it.
[23:17] And that enables us to open up our hearts towards others. I always like to look to children for a purer understanding of God things.
[23:28] I think they're closer to the source. They still have this breath of heaven upon them. And so I wanted to look at this video and see what it says, what children have to say about loving with open hearts.
[23:41] Jay, take one. You should be kind like always.
[23:58] You'll take new people, new friends into your life, and you'll welcome them. Being kind to people. Help the person with a disability.
[24:08] The same thing as what she said. It's like a caring person. You're open to love anybody that needs it. Because a lot of people in this world need to be loved.
[24:20] That's how we really have an open heart to people, because we show so much love. What would a Christian be without love and kindness? And what would you do with that love?
[24:31] I think you should share it with others. That really should be how we all live. We should have open hearts and love everyone. It's when you feel connected to God and you're open, and so open your heart to God.
[24:43] So having open hearts is about being connected and loving others who may have disabilities and loving all of those in need, because there are so many who are in need, and making everyone your friend.
[25:08] What would a Christian be without love? The little girl asked that question, and I would add, what would our world be if there were no Christians in it? When I look at all the tragedies that have happened over the last few weeks, I can't help but think how much people need loving Christian people right now.
[25:30] We're the people that can offer hope and healing to those who are devastated by loss. We're the people who can bring God's peace and wholeness to a broken world.
[25:41] You know, yesterday I was looking on Facebook, and I was reading some of the stories of the people who were in the midst of that tragedy out in Las Vegas, and I was especially touched by this one family.
[25:55] There was a mom and a teenage daughter, and the teenage daughter had been going through chemo treatments for cancer. She had no hair left. She didn't always feel very well, but she loved country music, and so her mom scrimped and saved and bought them each a ticket and took her out to that country music festival out in Las Vegas.
[26:15] And they had an absolutely wonderful three days. They found that so many people came up to this young girl and said, I know what you're going through.
[26:28] I've been there myself. I had cancer, and I fought it, and I won, and you can do that too. And the mother was so touched by all of these kind people who would encourage her daughter along the way.
[26:41] And then tragedy struck, and bullets were raining down out of the sky, and people were screaming and running and falling to the ground. And the mother called up her husband, who is a police officer of some sort, and she said, What should we do?
[26:58] And he said, The best thing to do is run. Get away from there as fast as you can. So she took her daughter by the hand, and they dove through some kind of a pretzel stand or something and got to the other side beyond the crowd and started to run.
[27:11] But there were people all over going in all different directions, and it was hard to get there. But along the way, there were kind people who saw their plight and took the girl by the hand and helped her and took the mother and pointed her in the right direction.
[27:25] And when the girl fell down in the street behind a car in total exhaustion, along came a couple, and one of them picked her up and put her on their back and carried that girl out to safety.
[27:37] And this mother was so touched that so many different people would stop and help them along the way when everyone was in danger and everyone was frightened.
[27:49] There were people who were still kind. And so she put out a plea. There was this one guy. He was kind of a cowboy type.
[27:59] And he was dancing without a shirt on. But he came up to the girl during the festival and said, Would you please dance with me, lovely lady? And he danced with her.
[28:10] And afterwards, the mom wondered whether this guy got out safely or not. She really didn't know. And so she put his picture on Facebook, and it went all over the world. And she found the fellow.
[28:21] He did get out safely. And so she was able to thank him for being so kind to her daughter. And I thought, Boy, these are good people. There are good people in the world, lots of them.
[28:34] You are some of them. You know, in loving other people, I think it's important sometimes to remember where we came from.
[28:44] We read in Titus chapter 3. At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
[28:56] We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God, our Savior, appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.
[29:10] This scripture reminds us. We may have come from a not-so-loving background, but now God has brought us by his mercy into some place where we're able to do some good.
[29:25] We're not saved by those good works. We're saved by God's mercy, so that we in turn can do good works for others as a response of gratitude to God's mercy.
[29:38] The reason for doing good and caring for others always springs from the love of God. But what are some practical ways of showing that we care?
[29:51] You know, one of my main jobs here as a pastor, both at Pendleton Center and at Niagara Falls First in our Joshua connection, is to coordinate a team of folks that are doing pastoral care for people, people helping people.
[30:08] And so I think a lot about what we can or what we already do in the caregiving ministries. And these are some of the things I came up with, and you might think about doing some of these things if you're interested in helping others.
[30:24] First of all, there's visitation. We can go out and visit people who are in the hospital or those who are homebound or in nursing homes, can't get to church. We can visit other church members and get to know them better, especially people who are newer.
[30:38] You can go and explain what a wonderful church this is and how folks can get connected into it. And with special training, some people take communion out to our shut-ins.
[30:49] They take the consecrated elements from the table on Sunday morning and they go out to visit the shut-ins and serve them communion. And that extends the Lord's table out into the community so that people who can't get here know that they're still loved and cared for by their church.
[31:08] You can help with funeral luncheons. As you heard, we've got two of them coming up this Saturday. We need help with donations of food, and we need help with setting up the dining area and prepping the food and serving and cleaning up afterwards.
[31:21] Or you can just come and be a friendly face. Show that you care about the person who's grieving. We have a group that we call the Helping Hands, and these folks sometimes make meals for persons that are in short-term crisis situations.
[31:37] Maybe they've just come home from the hospital. Maybe they've been in an accident. They can't do things, and so we make a few meals and take them in. You can give rides to doctor's appointments or pick up prescriptions or a few groceries or even maybe do some small repairs around a home just to help out.
[31:56] We have people who do sunshine. You know the sunshine person. They write cards and notes, or maybe they make a phone call to somebody who's sick or shut in. And maybe they call somebody that they haven't seen in church in a little while and say, Are you okay?
[32:10] I've been thinking about you. I've been praying for you. You know, let us know how you're doing. We have a prayer chain. We receive prayers. We receive them on your friendship cards or by email.
[32:24] We send those out to the people on the prayer chain if you want us to so that others can pray for the situations that you have. We have a prayer team. You see Marsha in the back there.
[32:36] She's captain of our prayer police. She's back there most every Sunday waiting for people to come by who need prayer. Our prayer team sets up prayer vigils. We do other things to try to increase the prayer life of the church.
[32:49] If you're interested in that team, let me know. There are one-on-one conversations. Maybe you've been through something difficult. Maybe you've experienced a job loss or an illness.
[33:00] Maybe you've lost a loved one, and you know what it's like to go through that. And you can offer encouragement to the person who's going through it now. Who better to talk to than somebody who's been through what you're going through?
[33:15] We have support groups. We have grief support groups. We have Alcoholics Anonymous up at the Niagara Falls Church. We have other support ministries for folks that are going through divorce and other types of crises.
[33:29] We have a clothing closet. You can bring new or gently used items, and we'll make sure they're given to somebody who needs them. You can come and help with a community dinner, either in Niagara Falls or down at Seneca Street.
[33:42] In Niagara Falls on Thursday night, we feed 80 people. Some of them are off the street, and that's the only warm meal they get all week long. There are so many other things that you can do to show that you care for others.
[33:58] We need to start with the people in our own church family. We need to start with each other, caring for each other, knowing each other. I'd love to hear whatever ideas you might have about caregiving.
[34:10] In fact, we're having a meeting today after the late service for anybody who's interested in caregiving. And there are sign-up sheets against the back wall in the back of the sanctuary where you can sign up to take part in some of these different ministries if you'd like to.
[34:24] And I encourage you to take advantage of those opportunities. And we'll give training and teach you how to do things if you want to know. There's a quotation that's been attributed to John Wesley.
[34:38] He was the founding father of the Methodist movement. I'm not sure if he actually said this, but it sounds like his theology. It sounds like his way of living out his faith in real life.
[34:51] And this is what it says. Do all the good you can by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, as long as ever you can.
[35:06] Sometimes we think we're too young to do something good. You're not too young. I can find you something to do that'll be caregiving. Sometimes we think we're too old to do caregiving ministries. I can find you things to do right from your home.
[35:19] Right wherever you are, I can find you things that will help show other people that the love of God is here. And when we do this both inside our church and outside, it shows that we're all on the same team, that we're all on God's team together.
[35:37] And it gives us a chance to show people what the love of God is about. That leads to trust and might lead to an opportunity to share the message of God's salvation in Jesus Christ.
[35:51] And all of this helps a lot more people to successfully attain the prize that we're all striving for, to have a life that's abundant now with God's goodness and eternal life in God's glorious presence.
[36:07] There is one more thing that the team does with Gatorade. They have a big jug of it and they take drinks of it. And, you know, the people on the sidelines hand cups to the players. But there's one more thing they do at the end of the game.
[36:20] Do you know what that is? They take that big jug of Kool-Aid, Gatorade, whatever's left, and they dump it over the head of the coach when they have a winning game.
[36:32] Boy, I hope we use up a lot of Gatorade this year. And I hope that the Super Bowl is ready for us and has a big pitcher of Gatorade there. It's a rite of passage.
[36:43] It's a celebration, isn't it? It's to show the coach how much the team cares about him and loves him and appreciates him. And I believe that at the end of the age, we'll all be at that great celebration.
[36:58] We won't pour Gatorade over the head of Jesus, but we will pour praises over the head of Jesus, won't we? Yes, that's what it's about. Everybody should want to be on the team that brings people to that victory celebration.
[37:14] There's so many hurting people in this world. Until we get there, we need to do a lot of caring. And so I invite you to join me in that work. It's part of what we're called to do as Christians.
[37:28] And this morning, I invite you to join me in praising Jesus with your songs. Come and fill our homes with your presence.
[37:57] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[38:24] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[38:54] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[39:07] We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord.
[39:18] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[39:48] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord.
[40:02] We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord.
[40:14] We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[40:31] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[40:43] We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house.
[40:58] We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord as for me and my house. We are Christians by our love.
[41:10] We will walk with each other. We will walk hand in hand. We will walk with each other. We will walk hand in hand.
[41:23] And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land. And I'll know we are Christians by our love.
[41:34] By our love. Yes, I'll know we are Christians by our love. We will work with each other.
[41:45] We will work side by side. We will work with each other. We will work side by side. And we'll find each one's dignity.
[41:57] And save each one's pride. And we'll know we are Christians by our love. By our love. Yes, we'll know we are Christians by our love.
[42:12] All praise to the Father from whom all things come. And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
[42:24] And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one. And they'll know we are Christians by our love.
[42:35] By our love. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love. They'll know we're Christians by our love.
[42:47] That's the way it's supposed to be. Right? Unfortunately, Christians have a really bad reputation of not being loving. And it's because we're human.
[42:59] I mean, so we come to worship every week to get filled up again with God's love. So that we can be forgiven and go back out and spread God's love. But if you really were to examine your week, I would suspect that every moment of every day this past week, you have not been entirely loving and caring and giving and thoughtful.
[43:18] So we're going to say a prayer of confession. Because as we come to the table of grace, we want to come with a clean heart. Won't you pray with me? Lord, I am a sinner.
[43:31] And I need your forgiveness. I need your grace. I've not always been loving. I've not always been caring. I've not always been thoughtful.
[43:43] I've not always been thoughtful. Heal me, Lord. Heal me, Lord. Fill me with your love. Fill me with your love. That I may be a blessing to others. That I may be a blessing to others.
[43:55] That people will know you through me. And people will know you through me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. It's in your name we pray. It's in your name we pray. Amen.
[44:06] Amen. Hear the good news. Jesus Christ died for us while we were still sinners. And this proves God's love for you and for me. So I can say, in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
[44:21] In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Glory to God. Amen. Amen. You know, right now is the time where traditionally in the church, we share the peace of the Spirit with one another.
[44:34] And the reason for that is because we make ourselves right with God, but we also make ourselves right with one another. We come as a body of believers to the table. And so I invite you this day to share the peace of the Spirit with one another.
[44:48] And if there's anyone in this room that you have anything in conflict with, seek them out and repair that. Share the peace of the Spirit with one another, won't you? Jade?
[45:02] Peace be with you. Yeah. That's perfect. That's perfect. Hey, peace. Yeah, that works.
[45:32] It is easy. It is easy. It is easy. It is easy.
[45:43] It is easy. It is easy. We're gathered here in Jesus' name. His love is burning in our hearts like living things.
[45:57] Oh, the loving Son, the Father makes us one. Come take the bread. Come drink the wine. Come drink the wine.
[46:07] Come share the Lord. No one is a stranger near.
[46:18] Everyone belongs. He'll join us here. He'll join us here. He breaks the bread.
[46:29] The Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead.
[46:48] The one will love the most. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us here in Jesus' name.
[47:00] He'll join us here in Jesus' name. He'll join us, verb, and His name. Master's name is shout-on,自由, and to-fire, and to-fire, and to-fire.
[47:14] � We'll sing.
[47:34] We'll sing the glory of our Lord. And we'll sing. The riches of hate. The wish for which we wait.
[47:47] Come take the bread. Come drink the wine. We'll share the love. Sharing the Lord.
[47:57] The love of God. The grace of God with one another. This is the table of forgiveness. And anyone. Everyone is welcome. Doesn't matter if it's your first time here.
[48:10] Or you've been here all along. If you're seeking God. If you're seeking to be in right relationship with God. You are welcome at the table. To celebrate with us. The Lord be with you.
[48:22] Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right. And a good and joyful thing.
[48:33] 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.
[48:43] The breath of life. When we turned away. And our love failed. Your love remained steadfast. You delivered us from captivity.
[48:55] Made covenant to be our sovereign God. And spoke to us through the prophets. And so with your people on earth. And all the company of heaven. We praise your name.
[49:06] And join their unending hymn. Holy, holy, holy Lord. God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
[49:18] 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.
[49:30] 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.
[49:41] And to announce that the time had come. When you would save your people. He healed the sick. Fed with hungry. And ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection.
[49:55] 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.
[50:06] 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 Jesus gave himself up for us.
[50:17] He took the bread. He gave thanks to you, Father Almighty. And he broke the bread. And he said, This is my body. Which is given for you.
[50:31] Eat of this often. Remembering me. And so in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
[51:01] Christ, we offer ourselves. As a holy and living sacrifice. In union with Christ's offering for us. As we proclaim the mystery of faith.
[51:13] 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. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ.
[51:26] 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.
[51:38] 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.
[51:50] Almighty Father. Now and forever. Amen. And now won't you join me in praying the way Jesus taught us to pray. Our Father who art in heaven.
[52:02] Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.
[52:13] And forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.
[52:25] For thine is the kingdom. And the power. And the glory forever and ever. Amen. Will those who are serving please come forward?.
[53:03] Amen. Amen.
[54:03] Amen. And now we invite you to come to the table to experience God's grace and love and to recommit.
[55:03] Amen. Amen.
[56:03] Amen. Amen.
[57:03] Amen. Amen.
[58:03] Amen. Amen.
[59:03] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[59:14] I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able. As we sing together, blessed be the tie that binds. Amen. Amen.
[59:25] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[59:36] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[59:47] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[59:58] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. We pour our ardent prayers Our fears, our hopes, our aims are won Our comforts and our cares We share each other's woes Our mutual burdens bear And often for each other flows A sympathizing tear When we asunder part It gives us inward pain But we shall still be joined in heart
[61:01] And hope to meet again As I was thinking about that young woman from Las Vegas I kept wondering Why did God send all those people in her path?
[61:18] We don't know whether God has a great plan for that young girl We hope and pray that she'll survive cancer And be cured in this lifetime But if not, we know that she'll find wholeness in the presence of God We never know how we will affect other people when we help them We know that we can help draw them closer to God By the kindness and the compassion that we share in Jesus' name Go out this day knowing the love of God that surrounds you The grace of Jesus Christ that cleanses you And the power of the Holy Spirit Which will make you able to do all things that God has called you to do Go in his name, amen Go in his name, amen