[0:00] Welcome. Thank you.
[1:00] Thank you.
[1:30] And for everyone, we would like for you to fill out a friendship card. If you would like to receive our newsletter, be sure to fill in your address. On the back, you can put down prayer concerns, blessings, or notes to the staff.
[1:45] Welcome to Pendleton Center Church, and have a good day. Good morning. Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[2:13] Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[2:23] This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[2:34] This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us pray.
[2:45] Come, Holy Spirit. Fill us with your presence. We pray that you will come and fill us up with your love and with your joy and with your peace as we exalt your name through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
[3:01] Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand, if you're able, as we sing together Forward Through the Ages. Forward Through the Ages Forward Through the Ages In unbroken light Move the faithful spirits And the call divine And the call divine Gifts in different measure Hearts of blood of good Manifold the service On the sure reward Forward Through the Ages In unbroken light Move the way Through the faithful spirits
[4:02] At the call divine Wider grows the kingdom Rain of love and light For if we must save them Till our faith is signed Prophets have proclaimed Power and zest in fight Oh, it's sung its glory Heroes for it died Forward Through the Ages In unbroken light Move the faithful spirits And the call to mine And the call to mine Not alone we conquer Not alone we fight
[5:04] In each loss of triumph Lose for triumph provoc Is only God In everything In wonderful in wall Re towards theugi in unbroken light.
[5:39] Move the faithful spirits at the glory find. The Lord be with you.
[5:50] And also with you. Please be seated. This morning I have a couple things to share. First of all, in your bulletin you'll find a mission moment envelope called the Matthew 25 Fund.
[6:00] This is from Matthew 25 where it says what we've done for the least of these, we've done for Jesus. And we take up a very generous offering and I appreciate that for our Good Samaritan Fund which is to help people within our church.
[6:12] The Matthew 25 Fund is to help people outside our church who have particular needs that they come to our church looking for help and this is where we get that help from. So if you can help your neighbors with that, that's greatly appreciated.
[6:26] Next Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Clarence United Methodist Church our bishop is going to be gathering as our church is going through some discussions and considerations of what we're going to do as a denomination around the issues of homosexuality going forward.
[6:41] And they're going to have a vote on that sometime in the beginning of next year. So if that's a concern that you have at the Clarence Church from 4 to 6 p.m. our bishop will be there to discuss that and share that with us.
[6:53] Pastor Lisa. Good morning. We have some clipboards going around for you to sign up on to promise to do some stuff like for our fish fries which are coming up starting this coming Friday.
[7:05] We need all the help we can get and it's such a fun and fellowship wonderful time that I know you all want to be involved in that in some way so please sign up. There's also another clipboard that there's only one of and it's about communion elements and other things that we need for the worship services each Sunday.
[7:24] There are still a few slots to sign up so if the Lord is moving on your heart to be a part of contributing to all of us having a wonderful worship experience please do that.
[7:34] Remember that one clipboard when it gets to the end of one section you've got to hand it over to the next section and so that it gets through the whole church. I have a couple of wonderful joys. One is have you all seen the fellowship hall in the gym?
[7:47] If you have not seen the fellowship hall in the gym do stop by after worship. It's gorgeous. It's absolutely beautiful. It looks so updated and so contemporary. I'm really, really excited about that.
[7:59] And our adult Sunday school is beginning this morning. At 10.30 we'll be starting Pathways to a Praying Church so if you're interested in being involved in Sunday school please go pick up a cup of coffee maybe some apple cider and head into the gym where you'll see some tables set up.
[8:15] Other joys we have two new babies that we know of maybe there are more two new babies Jim and Jane Rocesco have a new baby and Dave and Connie Paces are grandparents Scotty's had his son Jack Andrew who was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20.8 inches he was born on Monday so God bless those families.
[8:39] What joys do you have to share? That was enough? You're overflowing with just that, right? That's awesome if you're overflowing with just that. Kelly does.
[8:50] I am so grateful and I know the whole choir is grateful that we have Sue back with us today. Amen. Amen. What a blessing. Thank you Sue. We're so glad you're back. It is true.
[9:01] Other joys? Yes, Jennifer. That is a wonderful thing to just be able to spend a time doing something relaxing.
[9:12] You didn't get like totally washed out in the rain? Awesome. Very good. Very good. Hiking with family. What a blessing. I know that your hearts are overflowing with the joy of the Lord so with that overflowing abundance of joy let's give back to the work of the Lord with our gifts, tithes and offerings.
[9:28] Thanks. Thanks. You are my strength when I am weak You are the treasure that I seek You are my all in all Seeming You as the precious tomb Lord, to give hope I be a fool You are my all in all Jesus
[10:30] Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus Lamb of God Worthy is Your name Jesus Am I proud You are my God Worthy is Your name Jesus Am I proud Worthy is Your name You are my life Jesus
[11:30] Jesus Over Genesis Ruler of All Nature O God Jesus of God and Lamb of Son.
[12:06] Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor of my soul's glory.
[12:24] Joy and crowned. Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man.
[13:01] Glory and honor, Praise and ovation, Now and forevermore, Thee will I.
[13:27] Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is your name.
[13:46] Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is your name.
[14:00] Worthy is your name. Worthy, worthy, worthy is your name.
[14:22] Amen. Praise the Lord, All blessings flow, Praise Him, all nations here below, Praise the Lord, all blessings flow, Praise Him, all nations here below, Praise Him, all nations here below, Praise Him, all love the heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and glory be most.
[15:04] Amen. Dear Heavenly Father, Give you thanks and praise for this day, And that we may worship you.
[15:18] We ask that you would bless this offering, Lord God, as you have blessed us so abundantly, That we can give just a small portion back to the work of your hands, To demonstrate our love and care of you, And all of the work that you would have us do in this earth.
[15:36] Give us wisdom to know how to use this offering well, Lord, In Jesus name. And bless those folks who will be benefiting from our offering, Especially to Mission 25 in Jesus name.
[15:50] Amen. Please be seated. We do have some concerns to bring before you this morning. Teresa Zimmerman had surgery last week, And she is home, all is well, And we pray for her continued healing.
[16:08] June Smith is home from the hospital. She has pneumonia, and we want to keep her lifted up also. We want to be praying for the Schreiber family as William passed away.
[16:22] William is Dottie Schlemmer's dad. And that service was on Wednesday. We want to keep them in our prayers as they adjust to this big change in their life. And we want to lift up the Gehrig family.
[16:35] Sandy Gehrig passed away this week. And her funeral will be on October 27th. More details about time and things to follow.
[16:46] We'll let you know when that's happening. We do want to lift up those folks. Do you have any other concerns this morning? Judy. Just for healing prayers for Samantha, Jeff, John, and Shawn.
[17:00] Healing for Samantha, Jeff, John, and Shawn. Amen. Amen. Others. Yes, Karen. The lady who's been praying for the ocean in New Jersey's name is Debbie.
[17:11] She's a very brittle diabetic and trying to save her health. But she must have been to me and left in her oxygen. She fell in both her step and her. Oh, dear.
[17:22] Right now she's in two, too. But they're still trying to save her. Right. Okay. The doctors are like emphatic about that. But Debbie really needs that. Debbie in New Jersey who is a brittle diabetic and is in need of prayer for a broken hip and some other things that are going on there trying to preserve life and limb at the moment for Debbie.
[17:44] So let's pray for her. Any others? Well, with these concerns and all of those that are on your heart, whether you join me from your seat or at the rail, let's turn to the Lord who hears and answers our prayers.
[17:58] God of grace, mercy, glorious one who is above all, we are so grateful that we have your ear.
[18:18] That when we come and humble ourselves before you and pray that you hear us. That you want to know those concerns that are on our hearts so that you may share in them and you want to know our joys.
[18:34] You share in those, too. Lord, we have concerns for those who are sick and infirm. There are people, Lord, with cancers, people with pneumonia, people with diabetes, people with all kinds of illnesses, all kinds of injuries, all kinds of things going on.
[18:58] Lord, we pray that you would touch them with your healing power. That they would be made whole from the tops of their head to the soles of their feet, in their spirits, in their souls, and in their bodies.
[19:13] You know what they need, Lord. We trust you to touch each and every one of them. We pray, Lord God, for those people who are grieving losses.
[19:28] Families drawing together, sharing memories, dealing with all of the issues that go with someone leaving this life.
[19:43] We pray that you would give them peace. Bring them comfort by your Holy Spirit. Help them, Lord God. Show them the hope of eternal life that is in you.
[19:57] And let them trust and hope and pray, drawing closer to one another as they draw closer to you.
[20:09] We thank you, Lord God, for the joys of new life among us. We just ask in Jesus' name for blessings on those families of young children.
[20:21] We pray, Lord, that they would grow well. That they would be kept safe. That they would learn everything that they need to learn.
[20:33] And most especially, Lord, that they would come to know you. That they would know your love. That they would know the hope of salvation in you.
[20:47] And we pray for all of us here, Lord. We just ask in Jesus' name that you would transform us a little bit more into Christ's likeness. That we would be able to minister to those who are sick.
[20:59] That we would be able to minister to those who are grieving. That we would be able to bring up our children, the children of this congregation and in our communities, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
[21:13] We pray, Lord God, that as you walk with us through this service of worship, that you would bless each prayer, bless each song.
[21:25] Bless the reading of your word, Lord God. Bless the reading of your word, Lord God. And bless Pastor Tom as he brings the message you've given to him for us this day.
[21:40] Bless us through the sacrament of Holy Communion, Lord God. As we join with churches throughout the world, all celebrating together on this day.
[21:51] When we remember in a special way all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. Transform us, Lord God. Make us well able to be a blessing to everyone we meet.
[22:07] And make our worship this morning to be a blessing to you. For that is why we came. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we hear from the word of the Lord?
[22:27] Good morning.
[22:42] Good morning. This morning's reading comes from Exodus 4, verses 27 through 31, in chapter 5, 1 through 5.
[22:53] The Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord sent him to say.
[23:07] And also about the signs he had commanded him to perform. Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites. And Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses.
[23:19] He also performed the signs before the people and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
[23:32] Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says. Let my people go so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.
[23:43] Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go. Then they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us.
[23:56] Now let us make a three day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword. But the king of Egypt said, Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?
[24:11] Get back to your work. Then Pharaoh said, Look, the people of the land are now numerous and you are stopping them from working. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
[24:22] Thanks be to God. I do.
[24:53] Or is he just a puzzle and you're trying to make the pieces fit?
[25:07] Is he high upon a cloud or just another Grecian myth? That's what he does. Tell me what does. Tell me what does. Tell me what does. Jesus me to you.
[25:26] I listened to him when I was out in the fields of Mercer, Pennsylvania, doing the Christian version of Woodstock. We lived out there for a week praising God. I was for a short while what they would call a Jesus freak.
[25:38] I know you can imagine it, can't you? I said, What does Jesus mean to you? What's the reason you're here?
[25:49] What's his place in your world, in your life? Moses went before Pharaoh and Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord?
[26:01] Who is the Lord that I should obey him? I don't know the Lord. Who is God to you? The word they use for this actually is YHWH.
[26:18] Can you pronounce that? Some people use the word Yahweh. It actually is a word without vowels. A name without vowels. And part of what the Hebrew people believed is we're not really supposed to talk about the name of God.
[26:35] We as Christians, we hold on to the name, especially Jesus. But who is that? What it actually means is the one who always existed.
[26:46] Remember when he gave his name? He said, I am who I am. Or in other words, I've always been, I always will be. I am. That's who he is.
[26:58] But who is he in your world? Not in the cosmic scope of things, but in your life, in your world. Jeremiah chapter 29, he says, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
[27:13] Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. God has a specific plan designed for your life.
[27:25] God has a promise to prosper us. For the Israelites, it meant getting to the land of milk and honey. We picture it as a place with sunshine and butterflies, right?
[27:39] It's not so sunny right now, but it'll be there tomorrow. What is it that God wants with you? It may or may not be a place with butterflies and sunshine, but it's a place that will satisfy our soul, will give us a sense that why we exist matters.
[27:58] Who we are makes some kind of a difference. In this vast world with so many people in it. God has something planned for each of us. And there are things that keep us from getting to what God plans for us that are like a barrier that stop us from getting to where we need to go.
[28:17] And each week we're talking about some of those barriers. And today I want to talk about pride. Pride blinds us to the truth about God. It handicaps our lives. Pharaoh says, Who is the Lord? I don't know Him.
[28:33] I don't even see a need for Him. Pharaoh is king. He's the most powerful man on the face of the earth when this is written. What do I need God for?
[28:46] I don't know Him. I have soldiers. I have power. I have connections. I have people to work for me. I have a fortune. What would I need God for?
[29:01] In Proverbs it tells us to trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. But you see pride causes us to think that what we think and what we believe and what we are is really the most important thing there is.
[29:17] In fact, we've come to the point where we tend to think that God doesn't even exist if we don't believe in Him. I do believe in God. I do. I do. I do believe in God. I do believe. Like something out of a fairy tale.
[29:31] Who is God? In our culture that is so prosperous, do we really even teach our children about God or what is the primary thing we tell them? Most people tell their kids get a good education, get a good job, to make a lot of money and you will be happy.
[29:50] You will be living in a land of butterflies and sunshine. Until you discover that even if you get a good education, even if you get a good job, even if you have a fair amount of money, it doesn't really satisfy the soul.
[30:03] It doesn't change who we are in this life. It doesn't help us to feel that what we are about matters more than our mere existence.
[30:16] It doesn't raise us above the level of animals. Just living for pleasure. We are still worried. We still struggle.
[30:29] Even Pharaoh was worried. People aren't working. You got to get them back to work. I have got a whole enterprise here. I have to keep going. It all depends on me. What are you doing, Moses?
[30:43] Keeping the people from their work. Ecclesiastes says, I have seen all the things done under the sun. All of them are meaningless.
[30:55] A chasing after the wind. You can discover that accumulating everything you ever thought would give you the desires of your heart can feel like it's just never satisfied us.
[31:10] It's never enough. It never quite fulfills that need inside us to be something. Something more than just people who exist.
[31:21] People who exist. So in life, we really need a change. We call it repenting as Christians. To turn around. To move in a different direction. Because when we believe in God.
[31:35] When we live for God. When we know God. It changes our very destiny. It says in verse 31 that the people believed. The people believed and it turned their perspective on life completely around.
[31:50] Because God intends for our lives to move in his direction. But the problem is, is we've got in mind what we're going to do. And sometimes we don't want to hear from God.
[32:03] In the Bible it talks about how we need to put ourselves in a place before God where we recognize who we are.
[32:15] The word we use to overcome pride is humility. It says in James, humble yourselves before the Lord.
[32:26] And he'll do what? He'll lift you up. Now we think of people who are humble as people we can step on and squash and kick around, right? But humility actually gives us the power of God to be lifted up.
[32:42] Because the truth is, is most pride. Most pride really comes from an insecurity deep within where we don't feel strongly enough about ourselves. Good enough about ourselves, so we feel we have to puff and huff and.
[32:55] And make ourselves look better and bigger than we are. Like the creatures that blow themselves up to frighten away somebody they're frightened of. It's based in fear.
[33:10] That somehow we're going to lose something. Somehow we're going to find ourselves broken. Pharaoh is afraid of the Israelites. He's already said it. He's afraid he's going to lose his throne.
[33:21] He's afraid that he's going to fall from power. And Moses said, if you don't listen to God, he's going to send plagues and war. You're going to get the very thing you're trying to avoid by turning away from God.
[33:38] When we turn from God, we turn from his blessings to his curses. From his blessings to his curses. You see, we have a bunch of people in our culture, particularly our Western culture, that believe that there's some sort of neutral.
[33:54] They've even come up with a term for it, secular. But in life, there's only blessed or cursed. There's only with God or away from God.
[34:06] There's only holy or profane. And so we either live into what God wants to bless and we live into the promises of God and we live into the life of God or we live into his curses.
[34:20] His brokenness. People wonder sometimes why they don't find satisfaction in their life, in their soul, in their relationships. But they've turned away from God's blessing.
[34:33] And this is what they receive in return. God changes us. When we turn to God, he gives us hope. Anybody remember that old Beatles song?
[34:47] All we need is love. Right? All we need is somebody to care. In fact, that's what it says. It says in verse 31, When they heard, the Israelites heard, that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, then they bowed down and worshipped.
[35:07] They just needed to know somebody cared. You know, people are so concerned about having someone that cares for them that they go out and buy animals and accumulate them around them so they feel loved.
[35:20] How many of you own a pet? I'm not counting goldfish. You really can't get a whole lot of love from goldfish. But animals at least make us feel like we matter.
[35:34] Make somebody cares. Because you see, when we feel alone, it's a struggle. We got a teeter-totter.
[35:46] Have you ever gone to a playground and sat on a teeter-totter by yourself? Come on, honestly, anybody ever do that? It is the most pathetic sight on the playground, isn't it? Somebody sitting on a playground on one side going, Please, please, somebody like me, somebody play with me.
[36:02] Right? All we need is one person. And the teeter-totter does what it's supposed to do. But when we're all alone, we feel no one cares.
[36:16] Life loses its meaning. It feels more like a struggle. My wife and I, we own a cottage out at Silver Lake. I've told you about that before.
[36:28] And we always like to do our projects out there in the spring. Now, it wasn't because we were trying to avoid the heat of the summer or not bother anybody, because we're not really that concerned about what the other people think.
[36:42] We should be, I guess. But the real reason we did it is because my parents would come up to Silver Lake around the end of May. And we'd want to have something done. So when they'd show up, we could go, See what we did?
[36:56] And they'd go, Oh, isn't that wonderful? Isn't that what we kind of like basically live for in life? Is to have somebody that when we've done this project and things look really great, we don't care who it is, we'll take the dog out there and say, Look, isn't it great?
[37:11] Just because we want somebody to say, You did good, right? You did something that really matters. You did something I'm proud of you for. Because really, in life, it's about these relationships that we get to feel our life has purpose.
[37:35] When they heard that God cared, they worshiped Him, and they bowed down in humility. They were willing to recognize God is God. If God cares for me, then I care for God.
[37:48] That might sound a little strange, but there's a lot of people out there that the reason why Jesus doesn't mean anything to them is because they think God doesn't care. They believe God is just out there somewhere floating around on a planet, resting on the seventh day, and doesn't care anything about them.
[38:04] And the reason they feel that way, by the way, is because God's people aren't showing they care very much. We took up a fund for Matthew 25 today. Why?
[38:16] Because you're really good, and I mean this, and I appreciate it, for caring for the people in our church. But really what the world needs to see is that we just care because we're God's.
[38:29] And we want to do something to make this world a little bit better. We're not just here so we can have a good time ourselves. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
[38:46] Because you see, knowing God, humility changes us. We don't just turn around to God and change something around us.
[38:58] It actually changes who we are. Belief, knowing God, it changes our actions. Pharaoh says, who is the Lord that I should obey Him? We follow God because we love God, we know God, we believe in God.
[39:14] I find it kind of fascinating that Christians want people who are not Christians to follow Christian rules. Do you see how much that makes no sense? Why would they do that? I was talking to a fellow just the other day, and he told me, you know, before I started coming to church, I used to, and I won't tell you what he did, but he used to rip off restaurants in little ways.
[39:34] And he said, you know, ever since I started coming to church and believing in God, I just don't feel right doing that anymore. Good, good, good. And we asked, well, why wouldn't you feel bad doing it before?
[39:47] Well, because who cares? What makes my world goes? If the whole center of the universe is me, it's all that matters. We change our actions, we change what we do based on our belief in God.
[40:02] It changes who we are. Because we start to realize that it's not all about us. Humility towards God also teaches us how to love.
[40:16] How to love and care for other people. How many of you own a cat? Well, you might not like me after this sermon.
[40:28] Here's a cat video for you. How are you? Okay, you can pet my belly now, please. Thank you. No, you're doing it wrong. You're petting my belly wrong.
[40:40] Can you please just... Okay, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. Why are you so bad at this? I just don't know what she's thinking with the dry food. I know, I know, it's crazy. I mean, okay, like, I like dry food, but I'm not gonna just go for dry food every day.
[40:55] No, yes, exactly, it's ridiculous. It's just... Oh, it's her, it's her. Shut up, shut up, shut up. Hey, what's up? Hey, dude, it's like 5am and you haven't fed me yet.
[41:07] Are you gonna wake up and do that? Oh, so dead birds aren't good enough for you. Do you know how hard I work to bring dead birds home for this family? You don't appreciate me and I don't know how much longer I can stand this.
[41:22] Yes, I want a tuna treat! Uh, dude, I don't want to come off, like, overly critical or anything and, like, don't take this, like, personally, but, uh, you're not very good at, like, feeding me, so you probably should, like, work on that.
[41:36] Dude, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. The Egyptians loved cats. They kind of liked them. They put them in all their pictures. They thought of themselves like cats.
[41:49] Cats! Cats think they're much better than you. You do know that, right? They think you work for them. You exist to serve them. And cat people do the same thing.
[42:03] They think it's all about them, who they are and what they're doing. But when we learn to have a humble attitude towards God, it doesn't just change our relationship with God. It helps us in our relationship with other people.
[42:17] Because we start to realize that, that sometimes in this world, it's good to be with other people. We learn how to love. We learn how to care for each other.
[42:28] We learn how to care for each other. We learn how to have hope. We learn how to have hope. And a different sense of what life's about. Pharaoh complained twice in this short little passage, because the Israelites had stopped making their bricks.
[42:43] I just want you to picture that job. They make bricks. Every day. Day in, day out. Morning to night, they make bricks. Bricks.
[42:54] Doesn't that sound like something you want to do for the rest of your life? Can you imagine, out in the sun, making bricks every day? Bricks can be useful. But bricks are not all that much fun.
[43:08] Right now, my wife and I are laying down a bunch of pavers behind our cottage. They're not only not fun, they're heavy. And they're a lot of work. And they got to the point where they really didn't even know why they were doing it anymore.
[43:23] And Moses told them, there's a different life. There's a place where you can live a real life. Where you can not only enjoy the world around you, but you can have a reason, a purpose for existing.
[43:35] We need to get out of this life. And the people said, yeah! And they started making their plans for a new life. Instead of living in the broken one.
[43:47] They had hope. And they started working together. We call it synergy. That the efforts of two people together are better than the efforts of two people apart.
[44:01] Moses was wandering through the wilderness and God sent him Aaron. Aaron was his brother. Aaron heard from God. God spoke to Aaron and he went out into the desert so that they could be partners.
[44:18] Because we need partners. To paraphrase the scripture in the Bible, all of you are dysfunctional and fall short of the glory of God. You're all messed up.
[44:30] Every one of you. Me too, by the way. Don't take me out of the picture. There's something wrong with us. Did you know that? Every one of us has something where we're deficient.
[44:42] We try our hardest to do things, but there's sometimes we just don't do it right. And the reason is, God made you deficient. Take that off the concern list. God made you so that you couldn't possibly do all the things that needed to be done so that you would need other people in your lives.
[45:05] Like a teeter-totter. Can you imagine a teeter-totter with one person? It's useless. But with two people, it does amazing things. Up and down. I know that's not amazing, but it was when I was a kid.
[45:22] God puts us together in teams so we can work together. So that we can start to see that it's not all about us, but it's about how we can be more together.
[45:33] Humble yourself before the Lord, James says, and he will lift you up. So Aaron went out in the desert to meet his brother.
[45:45] And the two of them started working together. Started helping each other. Aaron could speak better. Moses, he could do kind of these tricks things that God had taught him.
[45:57] You know? And they made a difference together. Out at the lake, it's fascinating because my wife and I work on a lot of projects together.
[46:08] And people come around and talk about how I've done these great projects. You know? As if she wasn't even there sometimes. We're putting down pavers. I say we're putting down pavers because we're doing it together.
[46:21] My job is to go to collect these heavy stones. In a wheelbarrow. Wheel them up a hill. And then I get down on my hands and knees and I put them in the ground. Okay?
[46:33] Her job is to sometimes hand me some of these stones, which is heavy work in and of itself. But even more important is to tell me when I've done it wrong. Now I know that sounds like I'm complaining.
[46:46] I'm not. Because you've got to realize I'm down on my hands and knees and all I see is a stone in front of me. I don't see the whole picture. She sees how they line up with all the other ones.
[46:59] And sure, when she points out that I've done one wrong, I'm like... Right? But I fix it. I fix it. The other day it was getting dark and she was cleaning up and I was doing it on my own.
[47:12] And so I came around to take a look at my work and there it was going south off on a path. I'm going to have to take it all apart. I had to do a whole other section all over because I did it by myself. Together we can do a better job.
[47:26] We have different perspectives, different ways of looking at it, different gifts, different talents, different abilities. And God gives us each other. He gave Aaron to Moses.
[47:41] We never talk about Aaron. We all talk about Moses. Oh great Moses. But poor Aaron, he did just as much work. Somehow he gets left out of the discussion.
[47:54] Remember that song? Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're the wind beneath my wings. Aaron was the wind beneath Moses' wings and made things happen.
[48:07] And together, together, they were changed by God. And they did incredible things to lead people to the promised land. In fact, they even went to the elders because they needed everybody.
[48:23] Just like we do as a church. Some people think churches are built by a couple of people or the talents of somebody. When the truth is, there's all sorts of people that do all sorts of things.
[48:34] If you have been brought by God to this church, you have been brought by God to do something this church needs that you do. And without you, we're incomplete. I don't know what it is, but we're going to work on trying to find out what it is because it's your purpose.
[48:50] In this church, it may be your purpose in life. How do you fit together here? Together, we can become more of what God wants.
[49:02] Did you imagine what would have happened if Pharaoh and Moses would have become partners? If Pharaoh would have led the Egyptians and the Israelites would have been led by Moses and they would have said, Let's partner together.
[49:13] We can rule the world and do everything God would ever want. Instead, his pride made them enemies. When humility could have made him friends.
[49:29] David was friends with Jonathan and it was a wonderful relationship. But he struggled with his wife, Michal. And it wasn't so good. Cain had a problem with Abel.
[49:42] And it ended in death. But Paul found Barnabas, the son of encouragement. And it made his world work. In the Bible, there's bad peers, there's good peers, there's all kinds of different people.
[49:54] The people that lift us up and help us out and that we can lift up and help out. They're like messengers from God. By the way, what's God spelled backwards?
[50:07] How many of you have on a dog? I got one of those too for you. MalYN Thank you.
[50:50] Thank you.
[51:20] Thank you.
[51:50] See, humility teaches us to see God in each other. Even when the faces change, even when the situation seems different, we know that God is there.
[52:04] Who is the Lord? Who is Jesus to you? Philippians chapter 2 tells us, God gave his life for us. He was willing to be made low for us. He was willing to be made less for us, to die for us so that we could be lifted up.
[52:52] Because God doesn't want to rule over us. He wants to be partners in this life with us. James says to us, Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
[53:10] When I obey the Congress, Christ, When I obey the Congress, Christ, When I obey the Congress, Christ, When I obey the Congress, Christ, When I obey the Congress, Christ, The Congress, Christ, On the Congress, Christ, On which the Prince of glory died, Thy wishes, Christ, Thy wishes, Thy night, Thy God, The Lord, The Lord, And for contempt, Thy love, Thy love, Thy love, Thy love, Thy im
[54:24] Thy === Thy fill And sorrow be For Lord's no hope So rich a crown Oh, the wonderful cross Oh, the wonderful cross It's become and I can find That I am made to believe Oh, the wonderful cross Oh, the wonderful cross All who gather here By grace for near and bless your name Were the whole realm
[55:29] Of nature mine That were an offering But too small Love so amazing So divine Demands my soul My life My all He became sin Who knew no sin That he might become His righteousness He humbled himself And carried the cross Love so amazing
[56:33] Love so amazing Love so amazing He taught your Zion Name above all names Blessed Redeemer And your way Rescued our sinners Or ransomed from heaven Jesus, Messiah God Those, Noah His body 전 He checked the sun In the veil of storm
[57:34] Love so amazing Love so amazing Jesus Messiah Name of all things Blessed Redeemer Emmanuel The rest of my sinners The rest of my sinners Jesus Messiah All our hope is in you All our hope is in you All our glory to you, God
[58:37] The light of the world Jesus Messiah Name above all names Blessed Redeemer Jesus Messiah Jesus Messiah Lord of all Jesus Messiah Lord of all Jesus Messiah Lord of all Lord of all Lord of all Lord of all Lord of all Lord of all Lord of all
[59:39] Lord of all Love so amazing Lord of all Lord of all men Lord, I am a sinner.
[60:22] I need your grace. Forgive my sins. Show me your love. Show me where I need to change. Show me where to repair broken relationships.
[60:39] Show me where to reach out. Give me your strength and your power, your glory, and your love, that I may be a witness.
[60:54] In Jesus' name, amen. Hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and this proves God's love for you and for me.
[61:06] In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God, amen. And now, as confident children of God, let's greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit.
[61:22] Amen. Amen.
[61:32] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you.
[62:11] Thank you.
[62:41] Thank you. Thank you.
[63:41] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[64:17] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[64:29] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[64:41] Thank you. Thank you. You are God alone. You're unshakable. You're unshakable.
[64:54] You're unstoppable. That's what you are. You are welcome to the table of grace, a table set in love.
[65:10] If you desire to have God in your heart, in your life, and have repented of your sins. The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts.
[65:21] Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks to the Lord. It is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
[65:36] 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 the prophets.
[65:54] And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
[66:09] 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.
[66:21] 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.
[66:37] He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
[66:55] When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took the bread.
[67:07] He gave thanks to you. He broke the bread. And gave it to his disciples, saying, Take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you.
[67:28] Do this often in remembrance of me. And when the supper was over, he took the cup. He gave thanks to you.
[67:38] He gave it to his disciples and said, This is the blood, my blood, of the new covenant, poured out for you, poured out for many, for the forgiveness of sins.
[67:56] Drink of this often, remembering me. And so, in remembrance of these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us.
[68:17] As we proclaim the mystery of faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine.
[68:32] 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.
[68:53] 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.
[69:06] And now let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.
[69:18] 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.
[69:30] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever now.
[69:41] Amen. Those who are serving, please come forward. Ssang For starter prayer, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[69:51] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[70:14] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[71:15] Amen. He's the one who invites you to the table to come and make him present in your life.
[71:42] You're all welcome to the table. At the rail for prayers for healing or to make a commitment to light a candle, come and join us with God. Amen. Amen.
[71:53] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[72:04] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[72:14] Amen. Amen.
[73:14] Amen. Amen.
[74:14] Amen. Amen.
[75:14] Amen. Amen.
[76:14] Amen. Amen.
[76:46] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. I'm going to invite you to stand as we're going to sing together, How Great Thou Art.
[76:59] Get the right song out. Oh, Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy hands have laid.
[77:31] I see the stars, I hear the falling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displays.
[77:47] Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great the world, How great the world.
[78:03] How great the world, How great the world.
[78:20] And when I think that God, His Son, not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it.
[78:35] That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.
[78:49] Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
[79:03] Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
[79:18] I hope you get a great education, get a great job and make a lot of money. That would be my hope for you. But more than that, I hope you have Jesus. Because Jesus is the whole reason we exist.
[79:31] He was here before us, He'll be here after us. And we want to be part of that great and glorious happening. Amen? That was using a 70s word in case you didn't pick that up.
[79:43] May God bless you. May God be with you. May God give you His grace, His power, His plan, His understanding. May God lift you up today and always. Lift us to theist.
[79:54] Will help you eat, How true prayers, God. May God lift you up today and always. The person who. Are you okay and always. You are not человека, that is He. Only chickens tell us. Amen. Your朋友 will give us all the Kings. May God lift you up today, in Israel.
[80:05] And you finally come up. I love your friends if you is in the grave. I love you all how will it war. Well we look. Amen.