[0:00] Loves meet someone. I know that I love them.
[0:16] Maith Jayaū啓 Thank you.
[0:52] Thank you.
[1:22] Please be sure to fill out the card with your address and phone number. If you'd like to receive the newsletter, we ask that you do the same. On the back, there's a section for prayer requests, blessings, or notes to the staff.
[1:37] If you'd like them to stay confidential, we can do that too. We hope that you enjoy the service and have a wonderful day. Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[1:49] We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day.
[2:02] This is the day. That the Lord has made. That the Lord has made. Let us rejoice. Let us rejoice.
[2:14] And be glad in it. And be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made. Let us rejoice.
[2:25] And be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made.
[2:37] Shall we pray together? Dear God in heaven, we pray that your blessings would be upon us. That your Holy Spirit would descend into this place. Breathe into us the breath of God.
[2:49] And fill us with your power and joy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I'd like to invite you, if you're able, to stand as we're going to sing together. Come thou almighty King.
[3:07] Help us to praise.
[3:33] Father all glorious, for all victorious. Come and be glorious, ancient of days.
[3:47] How thou incarnate world, an art by my holy sword. Our prayer attend.
[4:00] Come and thy kingdom bless. And in thy word success. Spirit of holiness, on us descend.
[4:16] Let us join together in professing the Christian faith as contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Do you believe in God the Father?
[4:28] I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under unconscious Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
[4:50] He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven. And is seated at the right hand of the Father. And will come again to judge the living and the dead.
[5:04] Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[5:19] Amen. Amen. Many. We'll be right back.
[5:54] The Lord be with you. Please be seated. They enjoy a usual evening.
[6:25] And in a usual evening, what we have is they come in. We have a devotional. Talk about why it's important to treat each other fairly. Why it's important to have love for each other.
[6:38] Why it's important to know who Jesus is. And how that can affect your life. From there, we sing some songs. And then we have some food. Bring in vegetables and a main course.
[6:51] And then we have a game where everybody gets together. We try to make it a team game. So everybody can learn to play together. Not too competitive. But still enjoy the time together.
[7:03] So in this neighborhood. And where we're pulling the youth from. That are coming to our youth group. It's usually not the best situation. So they come in. And we try to make sure that they can see what it's like to have a family atmosphere.
[7:17] And they get to see how we all interact. And how there's no yelling or anything like that. It's just treating each other with love, respect. And that helps the youth.
[7:28] We actually see them settle down. We actually see them get calmer. Some youth, when they come in for the first time, tend to be somewhat violent. By the end of being with us for a few months, they just get calmer.
[7:40] And there's a difference that's happening in their life. We really appreciate what this congregation has done for our kids. You've been very generous. You've helped a number of them go on retreats with the structure about God.
[7:53] Who God is and what God means in their lives. They can get more opportunities to be with people who care about them as people. We also appreciate how you've supported buying them food.
[8:05] Food and clothing. You've bought them a lot of clothing where they just didn't have it. It's also my hope that sometime in the future we're going to have the youth start coming to our Saturday evening service.
[8:16] And as you see them, or if we bring them in, sometimes we bring them in on Sunday morning too. And as you see them, if you would just introduce yourself and just say it's nice to see you here and it's great to have you.
[8:29] We'd really appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you.
[9:01] She's going to have that opportunity. And, um, I'd like to hear from you today. What are you all thankful for? I'm thankful that it's Confirmation Sunday and we're going to have two youth today at this service, give their lives to Christ and be baptized.
[9:19] And I'm really thankful for that. And I'm thankful for everything that God is doing in our lives and in your lives. And so as we take up our offering this morning, I pray that you'll take some time and reflect on just how God is so good to you and how grateful you are for his presence in your life.
[9:39] Let's return our gifts, tithes, and offerings to the Lord. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
[10:19] I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind, but now I see.
[10:31] My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.
[10:43] And like a flood, His mercy rains. Unending love, amazing grace.
[10:57] T'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.
[11:11] How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.
[11:23] My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.
[11:36] And like a flood, His mercy rains. Unending love, amazing grace.
[11:48] The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures.
[12:03] He will, my Lord, has ransomed me. He will, my shield and caution be. As long as life endures.
[12:17] My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.
[12:29] And like a flood, His mercy rains. And like a flood, His mercy rains. Unending love, amazing grace.
[12:42] My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior, has ransomed me.
[12:55] And like a flood, His mercy rains. Unending love, amazing grace.
[13:08] Unending love, amazing grace.
[13:20] Unending love, amazing grace, Maying Ha cyber, peace support for us and 울es.
[13:43] Lord, I thank you for your goodness.
[14:10] I thank you for your grace, your amazing grace. And I thank you for the many blessings in our lives. Lord, we pray that you will take these gifts, the reflection of our love for you, our gratitude toward you, and bless them to be a blessing in the world, that this world may be transformed by your grace.
[14:30] For it's in your name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We have a few prayer concerns to share with you.
[14:42] I also wanted to mention that those clipboards that are being passed around, they're for the chicken barbecue that's coming up for the youth mission trip. And it says on there that we would like all the donations by next weekend.
[14:55] And the reason is because, you know, we need to make sure we have everything and then we'll create another list if we need anything else. But we don't want to be chasing it all at the last minute. So if you could be mindful of that, we really appreciate your support on that.
[15:07] We have some prayer concerns to share. Lauren Earl is having surgery tomorrow. So please keep him in prayer. And then we have a couple of families in mourning.
[15:21] Please pray for the Daigler family. Dave Daigler's mom, Claudia Daigler, passed away on Tuesday. And also pray for the family of Ron Huntington.
[15:31] And this is Celeste Whipple Huntington's husband who passed away on Thursday. So we have some family that needs some prayer.
[15:42] Do you have anything you'd like to have lifted up today in prayer? Yeah, Judy. Two families. Tommy B. is going to be a medical treatment. And then all the new praise for a young man named Peter who lost his arm.
[15:55] He was in a violent accident. He made it through fine, but now it's a physical emotional healing. So whole family is getting impacted. So if you can look to hear that, that would be great.
[16:05] So Tommy and Peter, please continue to pray. Thank you. Anyone else? Pastor Tom? Several families are struggling with cancer. Yes, cancer.
[16:22] Karen? His name is Frank.
[17:01] Frank. Okay, so please pray for Frank. Anyone else? Yeah, Dave. Pray for Dave's brother who's going through cancer.
[17:15] What's his name? Doug. Please pray for Doug. And a brother-in-law who's in hospice. So pray for the family as well.
[17:25] Yes. Yes, Louie. Pray for the Boudreaux family.
[17:39] The young man that was killed in the fishing boat accident was Bonnie's nephew. Anyone else? Let's pray.
[17:51] Gracious and loving Lord, we come to you this day praising your name, knowing you are mighty and powerful. And we pray, Lord, that you will take the things in our heart, things in our mind, and you will receive them and accept them as we lay our yokes on you.
[18:09] We pray that you will take any burdens and bind them up and cast them out and relieve any anxiety and fear and depression. That we may be encouraged in our faith and in this life.
[18:22] We pray for those who are struggling with their bodies, Lord, whether it be cancer or pain or any of the things, Lord. We pray for healing. May your hand be upon people who are struggling physically, that they may be whole and well.
[18:39] Bind up anything that is broken, anything that is hurting, anything that is diseased. Lord, we pray that you take the disease and you bind it up and you cast it out in Jesus' name and through Jesus' blood, that there may be healing in his name.
[18:55] We pray for our families in mourning. Lord, we pray for people's hearts that are broken. We pray that you will send your comforter, that they will experience your peace and your presence and your comfort in difficult times.
[19:10] And may we as a community support and love and share with people in need. We pray for our families, Lord, that your hand will be upon us.
[19:23] That you'll open us up to one another and fill our families with your love. Lord, we pray for this nation.
[19:35] That this nation will go in a direction that you lead. We pray that you will be with our leaders and give them your discernment and your wisdom and your will. We pray for a healing of our nation.
[19:49] Help us to see what is positive and loving in one another. And take away the negativity and bitterness. Lord, we pray for healing in all your people, in all the nations.
[20:03] We pray for healing. And we thank you for what you're doing in our lives and the lives of those we love. We pray that you will make those who don't know you yet.
[20:15] That you will create in them fertile ground. They will open themselves up to experience you. Help them respond to your provenient grace. And for those who have drifted, Lord, we pray that they will have an encounter with you that draws them back into your presence.
[20:34] Thank you, Lord, for what you're doing in our lives. Thank you, Lord, for what you're doing in your healing. Thank you, Lord, for your goodness. For it's in your name we pray.
[20:45] Amen. Amen. Now let's hear from the word of the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:24] Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Our scripture reading this morning is from the book of Acts, chapter 2, verses 1 through 4, and then 16 through 21.
[21:35] When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
[21:48] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in the Bible. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
[22:01] This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
[22:13] Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days and they will prophesy.
[22:24] I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
[22:39] And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Jan. So, we're concluding a sermon series on the Apostles' Creed.
[22:54] And how fitting on Pentecost Sunday that we're talking about the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Spirit is what we say in the Creed. But what is the Holy Spirit?
[23:08] And actually, more to the point, who is the Holy Spirit? Because part of our problem as Christians and as a church is that we tend to think of the Holy Spirit as an it when it's a who.
[23:19] We think of it as something to believe in, not something that we experience. It's the third person of the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It's not God who created the whole world and holds it in the palm of his hand.
[23:34] That's God the Father. It's not God the Son, Jesus Christ, reaching out to us with the word. It's God with us. God interacting with us.
[23:47] God being with us. It says in this passage that a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
[24:01] Sometimes in the Scripture we use the word, the breath of God. Sometimes we use the wind of God. That's why we've got breath over there. See? We've still got our letters.
[24:13] Sometimes it's God breathing. Sometimes it's God as a mighty wind. Sometimes it's spirit. It's actually the same word in the Scripture.
[24:23] In Greek it's pneuma. And in Hebrew it's ruchah. But it's more than just something we believe in. It's what makes Christianity completely different than other world religions.
[24:35] Because we don't just believe in a God that's out there. We believe in a God that's here with us. That we can experience. It's the breath of life.
[24:48] One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three, four, five. We've all seen some scene like that.
[25:08] I've actually seen it in real life. In fact, it happened here in our church one time. We had a woman who basically died. Was brought back to life by a doctor in our congregation.
[25:21] The breath of life. What animates us. What gives us the ability to actually get up and move and do something. The breath of God. The Holy Spirit.
[25:32] The Holy Spirit is not just an it. The Holy Spirit is something we experience. We encounter. We have too many. What I would call agnostics in our churches.
[25:45] Agnostics believe there is a God. But they don't have any experience of that God. And without that experience. All we have is a moral philosophy. Or a theological idea.
[25:57] And if that were all we had. It probably would have died out a couple thousand years ago. This isn't a moral philosophy that we get involved in.
[26:07] This isn't an idea of religion. This isn't something that's a philosophy of life. This is actually the living, breathing God. We did not come here to learn about God.
[26:19] Although I hope you do. We did not come here to sing about God. We came here to experience God. Amen. The living, breathing God that changes us.
[26:36] When I was young I went to church. I went to Sunday school. I learned about God. I learned all my lessons. My parents took me every week. We knew who God was. We knew about God.
[26:48] But it wasn't until I turned about 14. I was actually on a church retreat at a place called Camp Cherry Creek. I don't know if anybody remembers that place. And at that place somewhere all of a sudden God went from being an idea to being present in my life.
[27:08] And it changed who I was. Because you know I had a. I had kind of a strange experience. I was the middle child in our family. There were five. I was right in the middle.
[27:20] My older sister and my youngest brother were very popular. I wasn't very popular. My younger brother was very smart. Compared to him I wasn't very smart.
[27:32] My older brother was very athletic. I was so so athletic. Everything I did I was. How do the kids say it today? Meh.
[27:43] That's what I was. I was meh. I wasn't bad. I wasn't bad. I just wasn't good. I wasn't amazing at anything. And because of it it caused frustration.
[27:57] We caused that in the lives of our young people. Because we put expectations on them. That they have to accomplish something that the world around us tells us is essential. And so we drive them to succeed.
[28:11] In ways in which we probably couldn't when we were young ourselves. And that's why sometimes they get frustrated. Sometimes they get angry. Sometimes they get disappointed. Sometimes they get discouraged.
[28:21] And I was that person. I was an angry young man. I'd rather hurt people around me. Than do anything kind.
[28:33] Or even productive. Was who I was. I was considered. Bad seed. And then God touched my heart.
[28:44] Touched my soul. And transformed my life. Because I wasn't alone anymore. Because he gave me a whole different perspective about life.
[28:55] Because God changes our lives. Through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit actually changes who we are. The first thing it does is it brings our faith to life.
[29:08] It takes it from a head thing to a heart thing. The Holy Spirit it says. Came down in verse 2 if you have your Bibles. And it breathed.
[29:19] Breathed. A mighty wind that filled up the people. And filled up the place. And filled them up individually. So that each and every one of them. Had some special unique experience of the Holy Spirit.
[29:32] To show them what God intended them to be. Because really that's the question of life. What am I doing here? What am I supposed to be? And God wants to breathe that into each one of us.
[29:47] So that we know. Otherwise it's just a frustrating experience. It says that it was like a fire. The fire didn't consume them or burn them.
[29:58] It empowered them. You ever hear that? I got a fire in my stomach. I got a fire that burns within me. The flame came into the room. And then spread out to each one.
[30:09] To empower each one with what they were supposed to be. John the Baptist talked about that fire. He said I baptize you with water. For repentance. And baptism by water is kind of an amazing experience.
[30:22] Today we're going to baptize two young people by immersion. All the way under. It's a great experience. It's an experience of recognizing that God's going to do some powerful things.
[30:35] But the water doesn't have the power. It's the Holy Spirit that comes from God in that baptism. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I am.
[30:46] Whose sandals I'm not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It will put a power in your life. And the Holy Spirit empowers us.
[31:00] It also brings us together. It was interesting that in the Old Testament. Basically the Holy Spirit came on a couple individuals here and there. It wasn't for everybody.
[31:12] In the Old Testament. Occasionally a person would receive the power of the Holy Spirit. But it says in the latter days. Which are the days after Christ. It says in the latter days. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
[31:26] Everyone. We all have the ability to experience the same living. Empowering. God. And it brought them together.
[31:38] It says that there were people there. I didn't make Jan read this. There were people there from Parthians. There were Parthians, Medes, Elamites.
[31:49] Residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Bigria, Pamphylia, Egypt. Parts of Cyrene and Rome. Jews. Converts to Judaism. Cretans and Arabs.
[31:59] You're welcome, Jan. There were people who spoke all sorts of different languages. And they came together and they heard God.
[32:11] I don't know if it was a common language. Or if God empowered the apostles to speak languages they didn't really know. We don't really know. This wasn't the speaking in tongues that they talk about in the book of Corinthians.
[32:25] Glacilia. A language between us and God. This was just the opposite. A language everyone could understand. I think it's the undoing of the Tower of Babel. But God brought back that language we all know.
[32:39] You think that there's a language we all could understand? Even if people were speaking other languages, would we know what they're saying? Let's see. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[32:52] Venga a nosotros tu reino. Hagase tu voluntad en la tierra como en el cielo. Hammari dinbar ki roti haj hamide. Or jese ham apne riunon ko kasma karte haj.
[33:06] Dese hamari riunon ko kasma kare. Mettiam i nostri pittori no cintura in tentazione, ma lebara ci dal male cosi sia. Amen. All those different languages from people in our own congregation.
[33:25] And you understood what they said, right? Of course, subtitles helped, didn't they? Yeah. But God gives us the ability to draw together and doesn't really make the separations we do.
[33:38] It says in verse 17 and 18, you could be rich or poor. You could be somebody who works for a living or somebody who tells people what to do. You could be someone who's smart or someone who's not so smart.
[33:51] You could be someone who's young or you could be someone who's old. You could be a woman. You could be a man. It doesn't matter. God calls all the people to the same power. The Holy Spirit draws us together.
[34:06] And the Holy Spirit transforms who we are. Breath. See how quick I can do this. Breath. Breath. If you add an E.
[34:21] Becomes breathe. Breathe on me. Breath of God. Breath is just something out there. Breathe is something we experience. Something that changes us.
[34:32] Something that animates us and transforms us. All who call on the name of the Lord, it says in verse 20, will be saved. Spirit. Not what we do, but what God will do in us to transform us, to change us, to empower us.
[34:48] More than just eternal life, but a purpose. A fire that causes us to feel as if we know that we know God and we know what God wants our lives to be.
[35:04] What do you want to be when you grow up? What do you want to do with your life that will make a difference, that will change and transform things? God wants to give you that power and enable it.
[35:16] And he reveals it to us. He gives us wisdom. And wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Wisdom is what God can share with us.
[35:27] And it doesn't matter how much education you have. And it doesn't matter what your background is. God can give it to everyone. I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.
[35:39] And I will change things. The Holy Spirit changes things. It changes our very perspective. The breath came from heaven. God opened the gates of heaven and breathed out his power into our lives.
[35:57] And it's a disruptive power. It was startling. It filled everything. It changed everything. It transformed the way they even saw the world. He released languages that other people understood.
[36:10] He brought people together instead of tearing them apart. It says the young men will have vision. And the old men will dream dreams. Vision can mean a number of things.
[36:23] But what it means in this passage is the ability to see what others generally don't see. Kind of having an understanding about life so that you know what to expect.
[36:36] Young people don't have that. Apologies to young people. But you don't. Older people have it. You know why? They've lived long enough to see a whole lot of stuff. You follow?
[36:48] If you've lived long enough, you go, oh, I've seen this before. Let me tell you what's coming. All right? Young people haven't had that experience. So they don't see it.
[36:58] And so they feel sometimes like they're going through life almost with blindfold on, trying to figure out what's happening. Older people try to tell them what to do.
[37:10] Because they've seen it. And they're just trying to keep young people from falling off the edge somewhere. It says the old people will dream dreams.
[37:23] Dreams. This doesn't mean the dreams you have at night. We'll talk about that another time. And by the way, the whole summer we're going to talk about the Holy Spirit. We're going to spend an entire three months talking about the Holy Spirit.
[37:34] Understanding, learning, discerning. So that we can experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our church and in our lives. But young people dream dreams.
[37:44] Do you know why? They've got a whole life to live in. And even if they mess up one dream, you know what? They've still got a whole life to live in. And even if they mess up that life, they've still got a whole life to live in.
[37:57] Amen? Amen? Well, it's true. So we dream this dream. And then we dream this dream. And then we dream this dream. And because we don't have vision, we're just sort of kind of like wandering around trying to find the right one for us.
[38:10] That's what young people do. Old people don't dream dreams. Do you know why? There's not enough time. We don't have time to dream. We've just got a little short window here.
[38:22] There isn't much time left. So we just live life. Kind of wandering along trying to see what we can do. But there's not enough time to dream a dream. But in this passage it says, young people will actually have vision.
[38:34] And you know why? Because God gives you vision. You don't have to depend on what you learn in a book. You don't even have to depend on what you see. You don't even have to depend on somebody else's advice. God himself will show you what you need to know.
[38:46] Because God reveals a knowledge. And the knowledge God reveals is amazing and transforming. If we open up our ears to listen. If in our prayers we stop talking to God and start listening to God.
[38:59] If we take time to block out all the other stuff. God will reveal wisdom. And you know why older people can dream dreams? You know why? Because you're going to live forever.
[39:11] You get it? You don't have a short life left. You have forever left. So it transforms who we are. We have the ability to do things we didn't think we'd have time for.
[39:24] And by the way, you do have time. You know how old Colonel Sanders was when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken? 65. You know how old Moses was when he went out into the desert.
[39:35] And led the children of Israel around? 80 years old. You know how old Sarah was when she had her first baby? Oh, I'm sorry. We won't go there, ladies. That's not the dream we're looking for, Pastor.
[39:51] The point is God turns everything upside down. Changes it. Transforms who we are. And God turned my life around.
[40:04] 360. I was headed straight for prison. I was headed for total failure. I'm not even supposed to tell young people how bad I was, but I was not a good kid.
[40:19] I was going to be expelled from school. God turned my life in a whole different direction and opened up possibilities for me I never could have imagined.
[40:31] Sometimes when I'm up here speaking to you all, I remember that I'm still that kid from Chetewaga and it feels so strange that I'm here. Because people like me aren't supposed to get here.
[40:45] But it's not me. It's God in me. And you can have that experience of the Holy Spirit too. You can have that transforming power of God.
[40:57] And the way we do it is really almost a mirroring of what God does in us. We need to want God. We need to want to experience, be open to getting to know God.
[41:11] Everyone has the ability to experience God. Everyone does. But we have to want to seek it and know who God is. We had a confirmation class today.
[41:23] We're going to confirm our young people, which means they're going to confirm the vows their parents made for them at baptism. I've known most of these kids for a long time.
[41:34] They were just kids running around. Please don't take this too far. But a lot of the kids in this church, I shouldn't say this, but they're buddy, pal, sweetheart, and honey. Because there's so many.
[41:47] That I really don't have the ability to get to know everybody in our church. But I try. In confirmation, they become names. They become Ava and Nick and Connor and Vincent.
[42:01] They become Nancy and Katie. And they become people in my life. Fascinating group of people. I'd go to teach them a lesson, and I wouldn't get five minutes in, and they'd be filled with questions.
[42:17] I don't even think I got half my lessons taught. But I got to know who they were. And that's what God wants us to do, too, is to seek out knowing who we are.
[42:32] And we know who he is. Romans chapter 8 says it this way. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
[42:46] The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. If we seek God, God will. Will become part of our lives and transform us.
[42:58] Will change us. But the second piece of that said that we need to be people of peace. God is one who brings people together, not tears people apart.
[43:09] We've got lots of people trying to rip people apart today. God wants to draw us together and create a bond of peace. In the Bible it says, blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.
[43:25] You want to be a child of God? You want to experience the living God? Be a person who's at peace with the people created in his image. Don't be the person out there trying to create conflict.
[43:35] Be the person trying to bring peace. In this series we've also talked about things that make us different in western New York. One of the things that makes us different is, we love festivals.
[43:48] Taste of Buffalo is a popular food festival. The two-day event takes place in downtown Buffalo and is full of entertainment and, of course, food. Also held in July is the Buffalo Book Fair.
[44:00] This festival supports local and national authors and features a number of interesting activities. A festival that promotes Puerto Rican heritage, July's Grease Pole Festival features music, food and fun.
[44:12] Buffalo's oldest ethnic festival, the event culminates in the Grease Pole competition, where participants try to scale a pole that has been covered in grease. Another summer festival in Buffalo is Jazz at the Albright Knox.
[44:24] Held in Delaware Park, on the steps of the Albright Knox Art Gallery, admission to the event is free. With concerts taking place on summer Sunday afternoons, this is another great family excursion in the city.
[44:35] Another festival held in Delaware Park is the city's Shakespeare Festival. Bringing in roughly 50,000 visitors each year, this festival has showcased the Bard's work since 1976. It is one of the United States' biggest and most successful outdoor Shakespeare festivals and is free of charge for patrons interested in taking in some theatre in a beautiful environment.
[44:56] Also started in 1976 was Buffalo's Juneteenth Festival. This event celebrates African-American culture and commemorates the end of slavery. And it could go on and on and on.
[45:06] You know, I was going to make a list of festivals and I looked them up online. The festivals just in this area. And my gosh, there's like eight festivals every single day. It's insane. You know, we've got festivals for chicken wings, for goodness sakes.
[45:20] We've got Irish festivals. We've got Polish festivals. We've got Italian festivals, Greek festivals. You know what's amazing about it? You don't have to be part of that heritage.
[45:32] You don't have to be part of that ethnic community to go and celebrate. We celebrate the uniqueness of each person together in our community. When it's St. Patrick's Day, everybody's wearing green.
[45:47] Not because we think we're Irish, but because we're celebrating with the Irish and what's unique about them. When it's time for Dingus Day, we're all wearing red and white, right? Because for that day we become people who are celebrating Polish heritage.
[46:03] You could go try to climb that pole. That would be kind of fun, wouldn't it? The point is, is that one of the unique things about this community is we have all these things that draw us together in crowds of diverse people like this church is.
[46:21] People from all sorts of backgrounds and places where we can celebrate what's uniquely individual about each other together. Which is what the Holy Spirit wants to do with us.
[46:33] It says that they were all together in one place. That sounds redundant. All together in one place. Isn't that the same thing? No, they were of one mind, one heart, one belief, one goal.
[46:47] But they were separate people who had gathered together. Just like we do at the festivals. We gather together as separate people from separate cultures to celebrate your heritage today.
[47:00] And God wants us to do the same thing. Be people who draw the world together. The peacemakers. We also have to be people who are open to something new.
[47:13] In the book of Revelations in chapter 21, the voice of the one sitting on the throne, God himself says, behold, I make all things new. The Holy Spirit is not interested in yesterday.
[47:25] It's interested in tomorrow. The Holy Spirit doesn't want to dwell on what's broken from yesterday. It wants to tell you what the promise is of tomorrow. The Holy Spirit isn't mired in failure.
[47:35] It's about the dreams and the vision that can happen in our lives. God is available to all people. Doesn't care what other people say about you.
[47:47] In this passage, it says women will preach. It says men will preach. Old people, young people, poor people, rich people. Everybody brought together to do the amazing things of God.
[48:01] And when God comes, he brings salvation to all of us. Last week, my wife and I were driving home from Milwaukee. We went out to Milwaukee to do a wedding.
[48:13] Milwaukee is sort of like a weird buffalo out on the other end of the lakes. Looked just like buffalo. But it's not. And as we're riding home in the car, 10 hours.
[48:24] 10 hours gives you time to talk. Even if you go through the cell phone a few times, it still gives you time to talk. So we started talking. And you know, she's retiring from the Air Force and trying to discern what God wants her to do with her life.
[48:38] And so we're talking about a lot of things. At my point in life, we stop accumulating things and try to figure out how to get rid of stuff. Amen? So we talk about that. All the stuff we thought was so important doesn't matter anymore.
[48:52] And it starts to change your perspective as the Holy Spirit does. What really matters? What really matters? A long time ago, I was a 14-year-old boy.
[49:08] I made a decision to let God change my life. And that was the decision that defined who I was. Changed everything.
[49:23] Allowing the Holy Spirit to do what the Holy Spirit wants to do. Let God pour out from heaven. His incredible power.
[49:37] We've got to allow God to do that. We've got to start throwing away the things that really don't matter. I've got a house full of them. Anybody my age does. Amen?
[49:48] All kinds of stuff we need to get rid of. And our problem right now is we're worried about how are we going to find the time to get rid of all this stuff we've been accumulating for 40 or 50 years.
[50:00] But we do it as people, too. We start worrying about things that don't matter. There's a passage in the book of Malachi, which is kind of interesting. And usually they talk about it in churches when they're looking for money.
[50:11] But this isn't really about money. It says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. The tithe is 10% of your income. It says, bring it into the storehouse that there might be food in my house. In other words, so that people can be fed.
[50:22] So we can help people. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty. And see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will be not enough room to store it.
[50:34] This isn't about money. Although that might be your problem. I don't know. It could be time. It could be family. It could be health. It could be your work. It could be all that junk you've got stored all over the world.
[50:49] Whatever it is that's getting in the way of that decision to let the Holy Spirit of God loosen your life. That's what God is calling you to do today.
[51:04] Open up your hearts. And see if God doesn't open the floodgates of heaven to pour into you something so amazing that will change your life forever.
[51:20] You're not too young. You're not too old. You're not too rich. You're not too poor. God wants to transform you. Together.
[51:32] Together. I invite you today if you'd like to join us in a prayer of confession. And a prayer of commitment to God as we give over our lives to the Lord. Will you pray with me?
[51:43] Dear God in heaven. I have sinned. I brought brokenness into my life. That keeps me from you.
[51:55] Give me vision. To know what will draw me to you. Open my heart, Lord. Forgive me.
[52:07] And help me to experience you. Pour into me. The Holy Spirit. And blessings upon blessings.
[52:19] That I might be a blessing to the world. Teach me to live into tomorrow. In Jesus' name we pray.
[52:31] Amen. There's great good news in the Bible. It says that if you confess your sins and repent of your sins, God will forgive your sins. And so, in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
[52:45] In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[52:57] Amen. Amen. I long for your embrace every single day.
[53:14] To meet you in this place And see you face to face Will you show me?
[53:29] Reveal yourself to me Because of your mercy I fall down on my knees And I can feel your presence here with me Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty Caught up in the wonder of your touch Here in this moment I surrender to your love You're everywhere I go I am God alone You call me as your own To know you and me, God You are holy
[54:31] And I fall down on my knees And I can feel your presence here with me Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty Caught up in the wonder of your touch Here in this moment I surrender to your love I surrender to your grace I surrender to the one who took my place And I can feel your presence here with me Suddenly I'm lost within your beauty Caught up in the wonder of your touch
[55:33] Here in this moment I surrender to your love Amen God's presence, God's spirit Filling us up Dwelling among us as a community of forgiven people Led by the Holy Spirit As we prepare for the table of grace Let's greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit Good morning, sir Good morning, sir
[56:39] Thank you, sir Good morning, sir Good morning, sir Good morning, sir This is my desire To follow you Lord, with all my heart Worship you All I have within me
[57:47] I give you praise All that I adore Is in you Lord, I give you my heart I give you my soul I live for you Oh Lord, every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord, have your way Lord, I give you my heart I give you my soul I live for you Oh Lord, every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord, have your way Lord, have your way
[58:47] Lord, I give you my heart I give you my soul I live for you Lord, every breath that I take Every moment I'm awake Lord, have your way I give you my heart Good morning Brothers and sisters in Christ We celebrate the new birth by water And the spirit through the sacrament of baptism
[59:48] As we become members of Christ's holy church On behalf of the church I present Alexis Jada Timrowski And Connor Charles Jackman for baptism Shall we pray Lord, bless this water As a symbol of sanctifying, renewing grace As you have used water to bless the saints of history Let it now bless your child Pour out your Holy Spirit on this gift of water To bless these children with your grace That leads to eternal life Help us to know that as we die to this world We become alive to Christ And share in his final victory Over sin and death
[60:50] Amen Wait, stand up for a second Alexis Jada Timrowski Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
[61:08] Would you like to be baptized As a commitment to follow Jesus the rest of your life? Ready?
[61:20] Alexis Jada Timrowski I baptize you in the name of the Father The Son and the Holy Spirit Amen Now let us greet our newest member Into the faith Got it?
[61:42] Got it? We'll wait on this for later I commend it, Mom Connor Ready?
[62:01] Ready? It's going to be cold Connor You accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior You wish to be baptized Connor Charles Jackman I baptize you in the name of the Father And the Son And the Holy Spirit Amen Let us greet our newest brother In the community of faith Honey, would you take the certificate?
[62:37] My hands are cold Take a certificate Get my arrow away As it has been from the beginning of the church in very, very early times when new converts to Christ had been baptized, it was the first time that they were invited to celebrate at the table with the church.
[63:17] We do it a little bit differently here in the United Methodist Church. I will bet you those children who were just baptized have celebrated communion with us many, many, many times because in the United Methodist Church, everyone is welcome to come to the table.
[63:31] We are invited by Jesus Christ. John Wesley considered this to be what he called a means of grace. What that means, means of grace, is that it's something very special and very supernatural that allows us to connect with God by the Holy Spirit through simple things of the earth like bread and juice.
[63:56] Simple things. Christ comes into us in a unique and amazing way through the sacrament of Holy Communion, through the sacrament of baptism. So you are invited to come to the table.
[64:09] If you love God, repent of your sin, and seek to live in peace as disciples of Jesus Christ, you may come to the table, even if it's your first time ever in any church.
[64:20] If you are feeling the presence of God and that tug to come forward and to join what God has established as part of the church, you are welcome to the table.
[64:33] The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift up the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. We just give our thanks and praise.
[64:44] It is right. And a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. In the beginning, your spirit moved over the face of the waters.
[64:56] 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. Your spirit came upon prophets and teachers, anointing them to speak your word.
[65:11] And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join there in ending hymn. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
[65:27] 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.
[65:38] At his baptism in the Jordan, your spirit descended upon him and declared him your beloved son. With your spirit upon him, he turned away the temptation of sin.
[65:51] 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.
[66:06] 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.
[66:22] When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, baptizing us with the Holy Spirit and with fire, as on the day of Pentecost.
[66:34] On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread and he gave thanks to you. He broke the bread and gave it to his disciples. He said, Take and eat.
[66:47] This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
[67:04] When the supper was over, he took the cup. He gave you thanks and praise and gave it to his disciples. He said, Drink from this, all of you. This is the blood of the new covenant, the cup of life poured out for you, for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sin.
[67:22] Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. On the day you raised him from the dead, he was recognized by his disciples in the breaking of the bread.
[67:37] And in the power of your Holy Spirit, your church has continued in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup. 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.
[67:56] As we proclaim the mystery of faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here.
[68:08] 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 and empowered by the gifts of the Spirit.
[68:24] By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, showing forth the fruit of the Spirit until Christ comes in final victory.
[68:36] 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.
[68:48] Amen. Shall we pray together with the confidence of children of God, the prayer Jesus taught us? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[69:00] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
[69:16] 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.
[69:27] Amen. Will those who are serving please come forward. Amen. Amen.
[70:22] Amen. Amen.
[71:22] l command the Lord Amen.
[71:37] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[71:48] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[72:51] Amen. Amen.
[73:51] Amen. Amen.
[74:51] Amen. Amen.
[75:51] Amen. Amen. Amen. The song, the song that speaks about the Holy Spirit, a vital part of our faith, an important vital part of who God is.
[76:21] So I invite you to stand as we sing the rest of the thing. Amen.
[76:50] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. In this plan hour, Thou who almighty art, Thou rule in every heart, and ever from us depart, Spirit of love.
[77:10] To Thee, Great One in Thee, Eternal praises be, and evermore, Thy sovereign majesty, may we in glory see, and to eternity, love and adore.
[77:35] For too many years, the church has only sang the first two verses of that song. We praise God the Father, we cherish Jesus who sends us salvation through His Word.
[77:48] As right we should, but we need to turn loose the Holy Spirit in our churches, in our lives. We need to break through all the barriers to the promises God has for us.
[78:01] May God pour out His vision on you. May God pour out His dreams upon you. May God open the floodgates of heaven and breathe into you the power of His amazing Spirit.
[78:14] That your faith might be a living faith, might be an empowered faith, might be a faith to take you through all the darkness to bring light. Go and be the people of God to the world, as God calls you.
[78:29] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[78:39] Thank you.