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[0:23] Lash rewarding, generous praise to all of the nations We'll be right back.
[0:58] Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I can feel His mighty power and His grace.
[1:16] I can hear the brush of angels' wings. I see glory on each face. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
[1:34] Praise. Hi and welcome to Pendleton Center Church. We are the Chancel Choir. If you're new to our church, please pick up a welcome folder that's at the connection site or the welcome and information desk.
[1:47] We'd like to know you are here, so everyone, please put your name on the friendship card you'll find in the bulletin. If you would like to receive the church newsletter or need an update of any information, please be sure to fill out your address, email, and phone number.
[2:05] On the back, you can write prayer concerns, blessings, or notes to the staff. Please enjoy our service and have a blessed day. Good morning.
[2:16] Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Here, fun day.
[2:27] This is the day that the Lord has made.
[2:39] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[2:54] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[3:09] Shall we pray together? Dear God in heaven, we pray a special blessing that you would join with us, that you would fill us with your Holy Spirit, that you would touch us in every way, Lord, and help us to know that you are our God, because we've come here to worship you.
[3:22] It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now I invite you to stand as we sing together, Take Time to Be Holy. We're light. Take time to be holy.
[3:56] Speak up to be holy. Speak up to the Lord. Abide in Him always, and feed on His word.
[4:06] Make friends of God's children. Help those who are weak. Forgetting in nothing is blessing to seek.
[4:20] Take time to be holy. Take time to be holy. The world rushes on. Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
[4:36] By looking to be holy. And when thou shalt be. Thy friends in thy conduct.
[4:47] His likeness shall see. Take time to be holy. Let him be thy guide And run not before him Whatever be time In joy or in sorrow Still follow the Lord And looking to Jesus Still trust in his word Take time to be holy Be calm in thy soul Each thought and each quarter Beneath his control Thou split by his spirit To fountains of love Thou soon shall be hidden For service above
[5:49] The Lord be with you And also with you Please be seated A couple quick things I wanted to share First of all Starting January 27th We'll be launching Our Sunday evening youth ministry So this is for grades 7 through 12 If you happen to be one of those Or know one of those Or have one of those You're welcome to join us They're going to start off With a bowling trip So we do call that to your attention Second of all We've got these little rice bowls You'll see them on the way out of church And they're to help people That are hungry Here's more about that This is Violet And her husband Abraham And these are the children They call their own Before Violet and Abraham Took them in Many were abandoned Abused And malnourished Fighting for survival On the streets Violet saw something special in them They had so much potential
[6:51] But if she and her husband Didn't help The children might not make it So she took them in And loved them Like they've never been loved before And the children began to grow And get stronger As they grew So did their appetites Which created a big problem To make matters worse When it rained Raw sewage flooded the rooms Where the children slept They needed to move But all their money Was going towards food Fortunately Rice Bowls partners With loving Grassroots children's homes Around the world To cover 100% Of their food budgets Rice Bowls started Over 35 years ago Using a plastic piggy bank In the shape of a bowl of rice To fight world hunger Today We have even more Bite-sized opportunities
[7:51] For people like you To partner with children's homes To ensure thousands Of orphaned children Enjoy delicious Locally sourced meals Every single day By removing the financial burden On these homes You enable them to focus On loving Teaching Protecting And providing for the children In their care Every one of the kids we serve Is a hero Who has already overcome so much They have the potential To make a real difference In the world Let's give them a boost Out in the back of the sanctuary If you'd like to take one home And use one to help the people Who are hungry in the world You can do that Now who's going to count up All that change I don't know Not my problem So What joys do we have To share this morning
[8:51] Anybody have any blessings Or special joys They'd like to lift up Yes Your son is back Deployment Oh great Great That's a good thing Do we have others Yes You're going to be a grandma Wonderful Terrific Anybody else Wow Quiet group today Alright We do share In the blessings That we have from God And everything that we get And everything we receive From the Lord And so in Thanksgiving Let's return our Morning tithes And our offerings morning tithes Please Thank you Thanks Thanks Thank you Thanks anderer dumfriendly Lucia In dotWhat There's a感じ Of Material What Is Where Tales deles
[10:02] Many Are Sparks6 Mass удоб I say assurance Jesus is mine The one of four days Of glory divine There is salvation The purchase of God Born in His Spirit Washed in His blood This is my story This is my song, my song Praising my Savior All the day long This is my story This is my song, my song
[11:03] Praising my Savior All the day long Perfect love mission Perfect love mission Perfect love Perfect love Ages of rapture Perches of the time In the midst of the day This is my story Bring them above Second love mercy Bring them above This is my story This is my song, my song Praising my Savior All the day long This is my story This is my song, my song
[12:04] Praising my Savior Praising my Savior Praising my Savior Thank you A Gumanda Mineral See you Thank you.
[13:01] Thank you.
[13:31] Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. Amen. Amen.
[13:43] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Maybe you'd like to see that just like cold south. I'm okay talking, it's singing those high notes.
[13:55] It's just not happening today. We also have concerns, Ron Ellman had surgery this week and he's still trying to figure that out. So if you're wondering where Ron's been, he's still trying to figure that out, issues with his heart.
[14:10] Also Dick Anderson is still in the hospital, but he's doing a lot better and we're glad for that. Trying to think who else we have. Well, there's plenty of others.
[14:20] Who are you concerned about today that you'd like to lift up and share? Twice this week, all of our youth came up in prayer for special discernment, wisdom, grace, and love on them.
[14:32] But they all came up powerfully, all of our teenagers in this church. We're lifting them up and other prayer warriors are on the church. Great, great. So we want to pray for our teenagers and for all our people for guidance from God.
[14:46] What else do we have? Way in the back. My husband is in public, and I see a couple times. He says a part of you.
[14:56] Okay. All right. So we want to keep him in our prayers. Yes. Are there others? Yes. Mike and Dave are both. Okay.
[15:07] So we want to be in prayer for Mike and Dave, whose mother passed away, and everyone who is feeling that loss. We had a foreign exchange student for a year named Liana from Costa Rica, and we were surprised to learn that she was about 53 or 54, and she passed away this week.
[15:23] So, yes. Yes. Steve? Steve? The last one. His mom has a bad way of cancer. The last one. I have a good one. Okay. So we want to pray for Steve, who's going for brain surgery and has cancer.
[15:39] Are there others? Well, as we take these and the concerns in our hearts to the Lord, let's turn our lives over to God in prayer, shall we?
[15:49] Dear God, pour into this place. Let your spirit reach into each of our hearts and touch us.
[16:01] For all the things we've mentioned, Lord, for people who are struggling with cancer, with surgeries, with health issues of their heart, for people who are struggling with issues of their heart and lives and the loss of someone they loved.
[16:21] For the people who are trying to find their direction in life, our young people and all our people, Lord, we just ask that for all of these people and the people we've brought in our hearts to share with you, that you would take a moment, Lord, and send your healing power to break through the brokenness of our lives and to give us your special touch.
[16:51] Come into this place, Lord, like a loving father and listen to all the concerns that we have as your children to share with you. Lord, listen as each of us raises our concerns, our needs for our family, for our lives, for our work, for the things we are and the things we do.
[17:10] Lord, listen as we pray. Lord, there are so many things that run through our mind when we come to you, so many concerns we carry as a burden in our lives, and we just ask that for this short period of time when we're together with you in worship, you might lift those burdens.
[17:42] Lift all our concerns and just place into our lives your love and your wonder and your power. That as we read the scriptures, we might be guided by these ancient words for our lives today.
[17:57] And that somehow, Lord, you would bring a special message, either through me or in spite of me, for what your people need to hear and know and understand this day. Be with Pastor Sherry and Pastor Lisa as they're out of the country and give them your care and bring them home safe to us.
[18:17] And bless us in all that we do and all that we are as we lift up our songs of praise, as we come to the table, as we share in the grace that you have given to us this morning.
[18:31] For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And now shall we listen to the scripture. sermon. make 跟忘 coli mel עin Good morning.
[19:16] Today's scripture is from Luke, chapter 2, verse 41 through 52. Every year, Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. When he was 12 years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.
[19:31] After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day.
[19:45] Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days, they found him in the temple court, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
[20:02] Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us like this?
[20:15] Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you. Why were you searching for me? He asked. Didn't you know I had to be in my father's house? But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
[20:28] Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
[20:41] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you, Elizabeth. Have you ever lost a child?
[20:53] Have you ever had one go missing? A number of years ago, when my grandson was little, probably about three or so, we were at a park in Perry, New York.
[21:07] And we were talking to someone for probably all of one minute we had our eyes off him. Do you know how fast those little ones can move? And we looked up and he was gone.
[21:18] Now this is the kind of park where you can see everything. There's really no place for him to disappear to in the park. The only place possible was the men's room.
[21:28] And so I went in there and I called to him and I looked around. I didn't see him. I came out. And I have to tell you the feeling of sheer panic my wife and I had at having lost our little grandchild.
[21:43] I have to feel that in many ways that's what Mary and Joseph were feeling in this story. This is actually the only story about Jesus we have in the Bible.
[21:55] Between the ages of when he was a little babe to when he became an adult around the age of 30. All those years are missing. Now it says in here that Mary treasured this up in her heart.
[22:07] And most people believe Mary's the one who told Dr. Luke this story. So I'm sure that she told other stories about Jesus as a young boy. But this is the one that Luke gives to us.
[22:21] And so we're looking at each of these stories of Jesus to learn what we can about him. But to also learn what we can for our lives as we study his. Jesus was about 12 years old.
[22:33] In that society and culture when you reach the age of 12 you were pretty much considered an adult. I know that's not true in our culture. But in that day and age a 12 year old would have been given a lot of leeway.
[22:47] A lot of room to roam and be in different places. And they were going up to the Passover feast. They'd celebrate in the temple of God where they would come and remember the saving grace that God gave to the people of Israel.
[23:03] When he took them out of Egypt. Out through the desert and brought them to salvation. Every year it says Jesus went up to this festival. He knew where he was going. What he was doing.
[23:14] And when it was time to go back home. So his parents decided to leave. And they went with a whole caravan of folks. They had other kids. So they really figured Jesus was somewhere with the bunch of people that they were with.
[23:28] They traveled for a whole day. And then they decided at the end of the evening to go look for him. Amongst the friends and relatives. And they couldn't find him.
[23:40] That's when the panic sets in. Because now they're a day away from Jerusalem. So they've got to spend an entire day just to get back to where they were to look for Jesus.
[23:52] They frantically looked around the city of Jerusalem for three full days. Finally they went into the temple. And there's Jesus sitting in the temple.
[24:03] Talking to the teachers and the religious leaders. Asking them questions. And actually giving them answers. And acting as if nothing has happened.
[24:14] And when they said, don't you realize? You like freaked us out and put us in a panic. He says, well where else would I be but in my father's house? You want to just take that kid in.
[24:26] Well at least that's the way it feels, doesn't it? But what was Jesus trying to tell us? And why would Luke pick this one peculiar story to share with us of the entire time of Jesus when he was young?
[24:44] I think this story points to us the real question of life. Where do we look for Jesus? Where do we look for God in our lives?
[24:58] And the answer of course is we look where God is. Why would you look somewhere else? First of all, when the Passover feast ended we were at the temple.
[25:09] So why didn't you come here first? That's where he should have gone. I didn't move. I stayed where I was supposed to be. And second of all, if you're looking for Jesus, why wouldn't you look for him in the house of God?
[25:25] That's a good question, isn't it? There's a story about a guy who had a little bit too much to drink one night. And he lost his car keys. And so he's out looking for him under this street light.
[25:38] And a friend of his came out and said, what are you doing? He said, well, I'm looking for my car keys. And he says, well, where'd you lose him? I'll help you look. He said, over there. He said, well, why are you looking for him here?
[25:49] He says, well, this is where the light is. So often we lose something and we look everywhere except for where it's supposed to be.
[26:00] Have you ever done that? And you go back to the exact place where it's supposed to be kept and there it is. If we want to find Jesus, we should look where he is.
[26:12] We should look for him along the pathways of life where God exists. There's a story Jesus tells about a man who went out to sow seed. And he was a pretty indiscriminate farmer.
[26:23] He threw the seed along the pathway. Some went into the rocks. Some went in with weeds. Some of it went in fertile soil. The seed on the pathway was taken away by birds quickly.
[26:36] The seed in the rocky soil, it grew up because it's warm and grows quickly. But then it died and wilted away because of the heat of the sun.
[26:48] The seed amongst the weeds grew, but it didn't produce anything. It was choked in its life by weeds and other entanglements.
[26:59] And the good seed landed in good soil and so it grew well. So oftentimes we look to grow in our faith with Jesus by living in the wrong soil instead of in the good soil.
[27:13] If we want to find Jesus, one of the first places to go is where we worship Jesus, which you've done today. We come to God as they did and they went to the temple to worship God.
[27:27] We come to the church where we can experience the living God, where we can come to know and understand and feel him just as they did back then. Psalm 100, which is a very short psalm.
[27:40] It says to us, Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us and we are his.
[27:52] We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name for the Lord is good and his love endures forever.
[28:04] His faithfulness continues through all generations. If we come to God, God comes to us. I've had people tell me, Well, God is everywhere so I can worship God wherever I am.
[28:17] God is even out on the golf course. I've got to tell you, I've been out on the golf course. Not that much. I don't golf too much. But I have never, any time I've ever been on a golf course, seen anybody who's praying. Unless it was to make a shot.
[28:30] Sometimes they use God's name, but it's not in a good way. Generally speaking, when we're distracted and away from God, it's so easy to lose touch with who we are and who he is.
[28:45] And so we come to the place where God is. Second of all, we see that Jesus was teaching them and asking questions. This is what God does with us.
[28:58] God asks us questions in our lives and teaches us the answers. Over the years, I've been in a lot of learning sessions. And whenever I'm in a class or anything like that, I ask questions.
[29:12] Like our confirmation class, we're always asking questions. And some people would think, well, the people who ask questions aren't very smart. But really, they're the ones who find the answers to what they need to know, right?
[29:25] So Jesus asks questions of us and expects us to find the answers in his words. And we have the word of God in the Bible. So the second place we can find Jesus is in the words that he's given to us.
[29:40] It says that they were amazed at what Jesus said. Amazed at the answers he gave. Throughout Jesus' life, they were amazed at him.
[29:51] In fact, in Mark, it says, they went to Capernaum. And when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. And the people were amazed at his teaching because he taught them as one who had authority, not as a teacher of the law.
[30:05] Well, the Bible not only shares with us the amazing grace of God, but it gives us lessons and understandings for life that can be amazing.
[30:18] I first started reading the Bible actually seriously when I was about 14. And as a young man, there was a lot of things about life I didn't know. And I found a lot of answers in the Bible.
[30:29] Like, if you go to a party, don't take the seat of honor. Because if you do, somebody more important is likely to come along. And they'll pull you out of that and put you in a bad place.
[30:40] When you go to a party, take the seat that's the lowest seat. Because then they're likely to say, oh, you don't belong there. And pull you up. I said, hey, that's smart. All right? Jesus gives us instructions for how we should live our lives in a healthy way.
[30:55] And God shares with us understanding. If we look for God where he's supposed to be, we'll likely find him there. We won't find him where he's not supposed to be.
[31:12] Excuse me. So, when I came out of the bathroom, my wife heard a car peeling out of the parking lot.
[31:24] And she panicked, as you can imagine. She said, Tom, I think that guy in the car took Landis. So I had a muscle car back then. Big old Cadillac.
[31:36] I jumped in behind my car and I took off as fast as I could go. I had a cell phone back then. And there were no laws against using it.
[31:47] So I'm talking to my wife as I'm driving probably over 100 miles an hour down these back roads. And she had called 911. And the sheriff said, well, tell your husband to keep chasing the car.
[31:58] I'm thinking, this doesn't make sense. You come chase the car. I'm not. So I kept chasing a car I didn't see. He was so far ahead of me or maybe went down a different road.
[32:10] I didn't know where he was. I'm just going as fast as I can down a road chasing after a phantom car. Looking for my grandson where he wasn't.
[32:24] We do the same thing with God. There's a kingdom which we call the kingdom of God. And then there's the kingdoms we have in this world. Where we're concerned about what the world tells us we have to have.
[32:41] My grandson and I, when we go out to get a meal at a restaurant. Whenever the waitress comes over and says, is there anything you need? He always says the same thing.
[32:52] How about a million dollars? And the waitress usually says, yeah, I'd like that too. Because we all believe if I had a million dollars, right?
[33:04] We'd be rich and we would have everything we'd need. And there'd be no more worries or troubles in our lives. Life would be good. The richest man in the world just found himself in a divorce with his wife of over 20 years.
[33:22] There's a lot of things money doesn't answer. And it certainly doesn't answer our needs with God. There's a story about Jesus and a very rich man.
[33:34] It goes something like this. Jesus started on his way. And a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. He said, good teacher. What must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, why do you call me good?
[33:47] No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony. You shall not defraud.
[33:57] Honor your mother and father. All these are the commandments that have to do with people. I'm going to talk about the commandments with our confirmation class today, in fact. He says, teacher, all of these I've kept since I was a boy.
[34:11] I don't really want you to raise your hand. But how many of you could say you've kept all of these since you were a boy? I know I can. Jesus looked at him and loved him. And he said, one thing you lack.
[34:22] Go and sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then you'll have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me. At this, the man's face fell and he went away sad because he had great wealth.
[34:34] The problem is we look for Jesus where Jesus isn't. And we don't find the answers we want in our lives. Jesus said it's harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.
[34:52] His followers said to him, then how can any of us possibly get into the kingdom of God? And Jesus said what's impossible with people is possible with God. God can do what we can't do.
[35:06] And the truth of the matter is no one, no one can gain eternal life on their own. We all need the power of God to do it. And yet we look for everything else.
[35:17] Mary said, weren't you concerned about our feelings? Do you realize what you put us through, young man?
[35:28] Well, that's not exactly the way it sounds, but I'm sure that's what we would have said. I don't know. Is God concerned about what we want?
[35:42] Or does God want us to be concerned about what he wants? Remember, some of the seed fell amongst the weeds. It grew.
[35:54] It actually came to life. If we were to talk about people, these are the people that actually have a faith in God. But their faith in God produces no fruit because they have so many distractions and problems and difficulties and worries and concerns.
[36:13] But they're not living as God would have them live. We live in probably the most distracted culture that's ever existed. We have all sorts of things to keep us busy.
[36:28] Constantly. Nowadays, a lot of young people play these video games. I tried. I went into a GameStop and I actually tried to play them.
[36:40] I can't figure them out. I don't know what that says about me. I guess in many ways I'm glad. Because I have a feeling it would just be one more way for me to be distracted in life.
[36:51] And I already have all sorts of things. You put it on the computer and it sends you off in a hundred places. And an hour later you go, what happened to my time? You watch a television show and the program distracts you continuously.
[37:07] We're distracted by sports. We're distracted by... And none of these things are bad. They're not evil or anything like that. But they become like weeds. Growing up where they don't belong.
[37:19] Choking out our faith. And we expect Jesus to somehow step into the midst of this. Even though we're not looking for him there.
[37:32] Jesus, why weren't you with us? And the real answer is, why aren't we with Jesus? Part of the reason we come to worship is to remember who God is.
[37:44] We're not God. We come here to worship God and remind ourselves of that. We find Jesus when we look for him where he is. And when we do what he wants.
[37:57] It was interesting in the story that a couple times it talked about how Jesus did what he was supposed to do. First of all, he went to the Passover feast every year. That was an unusual thing for people that time and era.
[38:11] It was very expensive. It took a lot of time. It was a lot of effort for that family to go to Passover. And at the same point in time, when they came home from Passover, it says that he was obedient to them.
[38:24] Did he have to be? By this time, he apparently realizes he's the son of God. And yet he did what was the right thing. Because when we do the right thing, it not only draws us closer to God, but it helps us to be the people we need to be in this culture we live in amongst the weeds.
[38:44] Galatians says to us, Let's not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
[39:02] So the seed in the good soil, the seed where it was supposed to be doing what it was supposed to do, produced great fruit and became close to God.
[39:16] I think one of the biggest problems we have is that we're like Mary and Joseph on the road. Somehow, they forgot about Jesus.
[39:28] It's not hard to do. We were at this park in Perry, and we forgot about our grandson. It was only one minute. But that's all it took.
[39:41] It was one minute to take our eyes off of him, and he disappeared. Jesus was forgotten for a whole day.
[39:52] They didn't even notice he wasn't there. It's so easy to forget, isn't it? Christmas is over. Remember Christmas?
[40:05] Christmas was a special time. We had the candlelight service Christmas Eve, remember? We all had the candles, and there's that moment where we raise them up in the air, and our hearts go, this is Christmas.
[40:19] And then we go home, and we settle into a good night's sleep. We wake up, and we give gifts to each other. Some are received well. Some people say, what's this? That's okay still. And we have a meal together, and then we take down the tree.
[40:35] We put away the lights. We forget about Christmas. We even change the music. Now, there's a song at Christmas that seemed to come up all the time.
[40:50] Pastor Sherry said she couldn't stand this song. She thought that it was too negative, too depressing for Christmas, but it's because it has this catchy little beat. It goes like this.
[41:03] Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I give it to someone special.
[41:21] Disco duck. I remember that. Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. The very next day, you tore it apart. Pastor Bill said something to me last night.
[41:35] He said, I always thought, this is pretty profound, that that song was about how the Jewish people had rejected Jesus at Christmas. Wow, that's pretty powerful.
[41:45] I don't think the guy writing it thought that, but maybe he did. Wow, I'm impressed. But, but you know, there's the whole issue. we dismiss the incarnation so quickly.
[42:02] We forget Jesus. Do you remember in the recesses of your heart the day that God first touched your life?
[42:15] Do you remember the time that God just came into your world in such a way that it was overwhelming and amazing and transformational? Maybe it happened here.
[42:28] Maybe you were away at a retreat or something. Maybe there was some special conference. I don't know. Maybe you're just quietly in prayer with God. But do you remember?
[42:40] People have been talking to me lately about hearing from God. They're surprised. God spoke to me. I usually say, yeah, what'd he say?
[42:51] I think they're expecting me to say, oh, you're nuts. And maybe we are. Nuts means never underestimate the spirit, by the way. Right?
[43:02] This is the nut house. I'm the chief nut for mixed nuts. You know, different sermon, different message. But, but we do hear from God. We do experience God.
[43:15] Some in words, some in thoughts, some in just a feeling, some in just the amazing experience experience that we are with God. Maybe it's sometimes like Christmas Eve.
[43:27] Maybe it's some other special times. But do you remember? they were astonished. It says that their parents were astonished about Jesus.
[43:42] That he would say, why didn't you expect me to be in my father's house? Did they forget the angels? Did they forget the day the shepherds came to the, to the stable?
[43:58] Did they forget when Gabriel came and said, you will have a child and it will be the son of God? Did they forget who Jesus was? Do we forget?
[44:12] Do we forget? Who Jesus is? And get so caught up with so many other things and distractions that we get so far away from God.
[44:24] We don't even remember he's not there. I haven't met very many people. There are a few who, who turn away from God on purpose. I find that the vast majority of people just drift away.
[44:41] Just somehow forget. Somehow get distracted. Somehow get focused on something else and just don't remember that God's not there. It's astonishing, actually.
[44:56] This passage has other little interesting things in there. Of all the festivals that Jesus is participating in, and it's the Passover, which of course we know is the feast that they celebrated when Jesus died on the cross and became our Paschal Lamb, our Lamb of God to save us.
[45:15] So even in the midst of this story about Jesus as a little boy, we have the shadows of the cross. And how many days did they look for Jesus in Jerusalem? Three days.
[45:27] Some of you caught that, right? And what did the angels say to the women when they came to the tomb? Why do you look for the living among the dead?
[45:39] He's not here. He is risen. How can you expect to find Jesus when you're not really looking for him?
[45:50] Five days. Until they finally were reunited with Jesus. My grandson, it turns out, was in that men's room.
[46:03] You know, the one I went into and I called out his name? The one I looked through to check for him? But he was little. They can hide behind a toilet. They can go anywhere. They're amazing. They're little. They squeeze into...
[46:14] They're like a mouse. They squeeze into these little spots that you can't imagine. And he was in there. Even though I'd gone in and looked in every spot, he was still in there. And he came out with a big grin on his face.
[46:28] Yeah, you... As if we should have known he was there all along. We don't always know where our children might be hiding.
[46:41] I encourage you to keep an eye on them. But we know where Jesus is. We can find him in the words that he gives to us.
[46:52] We can find him in the temple where we worship God. We find him in the blessing he gives to us every single day.
[47:04] That's where we find Jesus if we're looking for him. Jesus had a brother named James. James wrote these words to us. He said, Submit yourselves then to God.
[47:17] Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
[47:31] Come near to Jesus and he will come near to you. if we please stand up for you. Amen. Certainly. Naught up if you take a place with unto you.
[47:41] Lord God and all5 Bible hymn and all5 new come near to you. you live in Christ and all9 new God тоже Wounded sinner Lost and left to die Raise your hand For love is passing by Come to Jesus Come to Jesus Come to Jesus Lost and live Now your burdens lifted And carried far away And precious blood has lost
[48:44] To lay the same So sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus Sing to Jesus And live Like a newborn baby Don't be afraid to go And remember that you are Sometimes you fall So fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus Fall on Jesus And live And live Sometimes the way is lonely
[49:49] And steep and filled with pain So if your stride is dark Can force the rain And break in force the rain Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Cry to Jesus Jesus And live When the law Stills over And music Fills the night And then you Can contain Your joy inside And dance For Jesus Dance for Jesus Dance for Jesus
[50:53] And live With your final Heartbeat Kiss the world Goodbye Go in peace And laugh On glory's side Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus Fly to Jesus And live Come to Jesus Dance for Jesus Fly to Jesus And live
[51:53] My life is an empty cup Here's my heart Would you fill me up I'm faced to the ground Forsaking my pride Leaving my will My burden Divine All I want All I need Is just to be with you Just to be with you Here I am At your feet Just to be with you Just to be with you I have come to the end of me
[53:00] And there's nothing I have to bring That you said That you said I belong You said I am yours Nothing compares to knowing you All I want All I need Is just to be with you Just to be with you Here I am Here I am At your feet Just to be with you Just to be with you You made a way for me Oh, Savior I'm yours forever You made a way for me Oh, Savior I'm yours forever I'm yours forever
[54:01] I'm yours forever I'm yours forever All I want All I need Is just to be with you Just to be with you Just to be with you Just to be with you You know, sometimes when we think about how do we get our relationship right with God, we think about sin and we think about the things we've done wrong.
[55:09] And so we come to God and we confess our sins and that's a good thing and we need to do that. But sometimes it's not the sins of commission but the sins of omission that can be the worst. Not the things we do wrong but the things we don't do right.
[55:25] The places we don't take time for God, the places where we don't look for Jesus, the places where we get so distracted, we forget about what really, really matters.
[55:35] So I invite you if you're willing to take time for God. Dear God in heaven I have sinned You know the things I've done wrong But I'm not even sure what I haven't done right Open up my heart, Lord And open up my mind That I might experience Jesus That I might draw close to you That I might see you And feel you And be with you Forgive my sins And bless me To be a blessing In Jesus' name we pray Amen God is more faithful than we are Isn't that a good thing?
[56:33] And so even in the midst of our brokenness God makes a place for us A way for us Jesus received his parents He went home with them And he receives you this morning too And he'll go home with you Who make room for him 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 shall we take a moment And share the peace of the spirit With one another And also Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Thank you
[57:41] Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Good morning Just as I am without one free, But that thy blood was shed for me, And that thou bidst me home to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
[58:39] Just as I am, thou've tossed about, With many a conflict, many a doubt, By dreams and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
[59:14] Just as I am, thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, heart, and friends relieve, Because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
[59:52] The Lord Jesus Christ invites you all, You do not have to be a member of this church, Or even United Methodist, To come to God's table.
[60:05] It is Jesus Christ that invites you to his table. Will you please join me in the great thanksgiving? The Lord be with you. And also with you.
[60:16] Lift up your hearts. 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.
[60:34] 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.
[60:52] 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.
[61:10] 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.
[61:22] Your Spirit anointed to 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.
[61:39] He healed the sick, He 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 in the Spirit.
[61:57] When the Lord Jesus ascended, He promised to be with us always, In the power of your word and Holy Spirit. On the night in which he gave himself up for us, He took bread.
[62:10] He gave thanks to you, And he broke the bread, And he gave it to his disciples, And said, Take, eat, This is my body, Which is given for you.
[62:22] Do this in remembrance of me. When the supper was over, He took the cup, And again, He gave thanks to his Father in Heaven, And he gave it to his disciples, And said, Drink from this, all of you.
[62:52] This is the blood of the new covenant, Pour it out for you, And for many, For the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it, In remembrance of me.
[63:06] And so in remembrance of these, Your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, We offer ourselves, In praise and thanksgiving, As a holy and living sacrifice, In union with Christ's offering for us, As we proclaim the mystery of faith.
[63:23] Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit, On us gathered here, And on these gifts of bread and wine, Make them be for us, The body and blood of Christ, 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 this heavenly banquet, Through your son, Jesus Christ, With the Holy Spirit, And holy church, All honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, Now and forever, Amen.
[64:07] Now as God's confident children, Let us boldly pray, The Lord's prayer together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom, And the power, And the glory forever and ever, Amen.
[64:43] The body of Christ, The bread of heaven, Broken, Your sins are forgiven, In Jesus' name. The body of Christ, The bread of heaven, Broken, For all of us, For the forgiveness of sins, The body of Christ, The blood of Christ, The cup of salvation, Shed for you and for me, For the forgiveness of our sins, Glory be to God.
[65:15] For those who are serving, If you would please come forward at this time, And there will be a gluten-free station over here. On this way, Besides, On this way, Our sin is thick with theumping, To run with our sin, faith with the robić to États-Cous orbit, Onghtira Μασ S simil In faith, On this one has been For the forgiveness of yours, Which is gezeg capacitor, Thank you.
[66:17] Thank you.
[66:47] Thank you.
[67:17] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come and feast at the Lord's table and we'll save my husband's voice. Amen. Amen.
[67:27] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[67:43] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[68:46] Amen. Amen.
[69:46] Amen. Amen.
[70:46] Amen. Amen.
[71:46] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. The mysterious pastor is, that's my wife, the Rev. Jackie Ann Rosecraft, who thankfully helped me this morning so I could save my voice for a moment or two so that we could sing together Jesus Calls Me.
[72:10] Shall we stand and sing to the Lord? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[73:15] So you have come into the temple of God to experience Jesus.
[73:28] Now do as Mary and Joseph did. Take him home with you. Take him back to your life, to your world, to who and what you are. Don't make him obedient to you. Be obedient to him that you might be blessed by the presence of God to transform and change your life, as Dr. Luke would want you to do.
[73:49] Go with Jesus, and may he go with you. Amen.