[0:00] Thank You Thank you.
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[1:30] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And we're going to rejoice and be glad in it.
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[2:12] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
[2:30] This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[2:50] Let us pray. Oh, come Holy Spirit. Fill us with your blessing. Fill us with your presence. May this service of worship be an exaltation of you in your holy name.
[3:03] May the name of Jesus Christ be praised. Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together victory in Jesus. O Lord, I have a real star.
[3:25] Amen. I heard an old, old story How the Savior came from glory How he gave his life on Calvary To save a wretch like me I heard about his groaning Of his precious blood's atoning Then I repented of my sins And won the victory All victory in Jesus My Savior forever He sought me and bought me With his redeeming blood
[4:27] In a fear I build him And all my love is to him He plunged me to victory Beneath our cleansing blood I heard about his healing Of his cleansing power revealing How he made the way to walk again And cause all blind to see And then I cried, dear Jesus Come and heal my broken spirit And somehow Jesus came and brought To me the victory Oh, victory in Jesus My Savior forever He sought me and bought me With his redeeming blood
[5:30] He loved me and loved me He loved me and knew him And all my love is to him He plunged me to victory Beneath our cleansing blood I heard about the mansion He is built for me in glory And I heard about the streets of gold Beyond the crystal sea About the angels singing And the old redemption story And some sweet day I'll sing of death The song of victory Oh, victory in Jesus My Savior forever He sought me and bought me With his redeeming blood
[6:33] He loved me and knew him And all my love is to him He plunged me to victory Beneath our cleansing blood Amen The Lord be with you The Lord be with you Please be seated I love you, I'm your child Today I am thankful For the children's ministries As well as the preschool program Here at Pendleton Center United Methodist Church Like some of you I'm a proud mom Of a Genesis graduate And a current preschooler These kids come here And they have love and support They have the love of Jesus They learn and they are doing Crafts and games and activities The Sunday school and preschool Teachers are amazing And really get to know The children to help them
[7:33] Become better individuals My daughter frequently talks About her Sunday school teachers As well as her preschool teachers Mrs. Miner, Mrs. Mieland And Mrs. Drudy I am truly thankful That she is being raised As such a loving people I am also very thankful That I get to raise my children In the same church That I was raised I love Junior Church Because I get to sing and dance And worship God As I get to play with my friends And worship God I love empty wings As a mom I've been looking for a program That helps teach my children To give back to the community While reiterating their faith in God I know about God And help other people I like to make closets For other people There are activities Such as putting together Care packages for the migrant workers Or putting together supplies For the less fortunate children Such as pencils, crayons And coloring books
[8:34] Hot chocolate with God And s'mores Is a very important part Of my children's lives I see them singing And praising Jesus And just the love Surrounding them And the support team And everyone that's there for them I love learning about God And being here with my friends And I'm looking forward To becoming a leader I like learning in my s'more group And they just love everyone And they're just It's a family It helps me get over my fear Of being in front of people And it's helped me To become a better person And to be more responsible In every way I couldn't ask for a better place For my kids to be I am thankful for The children's ministries As it can help them Learn to love others It's something fun to do It helps them make new friends And it helps them To get to know their pastors And it gives them special memories I would like to thank All the volunteers For everything they do And I would like to thank All of you For your donations And your continuous support In making this experience Such a wonderful thing For our youth I love you again We are celebrating
[9:36] Children's ministries today It is a huge ministry In this church To reach out to our children And to families And to raise our children In the love of Christ And so I'm very thankful For that ministry We do have Junior Church Going on right now Which is for any kids That are three years old Through third grade So if there's any children In here that would like To go and participate In that Pastor Tom's in the back And he can take them Over to the ark And they come back Right before communion We also have a reception Right after this service So to celebrate All of the children And I'm told That there's going to be Some really fun things For the children to do As well as for the adults To hang out And have snacks and things So I welcome you To all of that participation We have two clipboards Getting passed around They start at the front And they go to the back And the one is for fish fries And so fish fries We are thankful for everybody That's helping out With that ministry How many did we have?
[10:36] 713 713 dinners sold last week Thank you Thank you Wonderful ministry To the community And we appreciate All of the people Helping in that capacity The other clipboard Is for the Easter celebration And that is a wonderful ministry They started last year So instead of just An Easter egg hunt Where they go out And it's a five minute flurry Of grabbing some eggs And eating some chocolate The families are invited To come in And they have all sorts Of different activities And projects and things That teach the children About the gospel story Which is what the whole point is And so I really invite you To come to that event But also there's two pages On that clipboard One because we're asking For donations And two because We really need participation For the whole church family For this outreach To the community And I am just so thankful To be here this morning Even in spite of all That white stuff It's good to be In the house of the Lord And to be celebrating With all of you The wonderful ministries That God has placed
[11:36] On our hearts The wonderful things That God is doing In our lives I'd love to hear From you this morning What are you thankful for Judy All of you prayed For Fran to get another job He's in his 50 The company closed down In four weeks He had another job And it's just as good As the former one he had Wonderful His wife is a prayer warrior And says give it to Jesus He did Also you're praying for Fran He had a heart attack And a stroke The doctor said He might not speak He is speaking Wonderful Amen So prayers and opportunities Wonderful What else is going on What else would you like To celebrate this morning Oh Becky So in spite of all This white stuff There are flowers Peeking up And it is beautiful And it is A promise of hope The spring is coming Anyone else want to share So this is a time
[12:39] Of celebration And we give back to God Because we celebrate Who God is And what God is doing In our life And the incredible love That we've experienced And the power of God So as we participate In this offertory Please take some time To reflect on God's goodness In your life One Two Three One One One One One Two Thank you.
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[16:57] Thank you. Lord, we thank you for your goodness, for your incredible love, and we give back to you a reflection of our gratitude.
[17:08] We pray that you will bless these gifts to be a blessing in this world, to transform this world through your love. In Jesus' name, amen.
[17:19] Please be seated. Please be seated. Amen. Amen. Let's turn to the Lord. Thank you, Lord, that you pray for the Lord, that you may experience your healing.
[17:54] Protect them from the Lord, protect them from the enemy, and give them your word, your discernment, your wisdom, that they may be healed in their mind and walk in faith in you.
[18:34] We pray for our families, a blanket of our families, and we pray for your love to fill our families, that as families draw closer to you, they draw closer to one another.
[18:48] Lord, we thank you, Lord, we thank you, Lord, for what you're doing in our families, in our lives, in our workplaces. We pray for opportunities, Lord, that you open our eyes and open our hearts to see you in our midst, and give us a willingness to be bold in walking forward wherever you lead.
[19:09] Give us your faith. Give us your trust, Lord, that we may walk firmly and boldly into this world as a light in the darkness. We pray for this church that you'll continue to guide its ministries, and we pray for our country, that you'll have your word within the leaders, Lord, that people will make decisions based on what you have for your will for your people.
[19:36] We pray for peace to come upon this people. We pray for peace to dwell within us. We pray for your wisdom, and we pray that you'll continue to give us your saving grace, that we will be filled with your spirit and a blessing to others in Jesus' name.
[19:57] Amen. Now let's hear from the word of the Lord. Good morning. Today's reading is from Matthew chapter 14, verses 22 through 33. Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
[20:17] After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
[20:34] Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost, they said, and cried out in fear.
[20:48] But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage. It is I. Don't be afraid. Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water.
[21:00] Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked down the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me.
[21:14] Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why do you doubt? And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
[21:25] Then those who were in the boat worship him, saying, Truly, you are the Son of God. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
[21:35] Thank you, Judy. When I was a little boy, someone, probably teachers, parents, who knows, asked me, What do you want to be when you grow up?
[21:49] Of course, I said, I want to be a firefighter like my daddy. A lot of times when we're little, we want to grow up to be like our parents, right? Later on in life, I had other dreams.
[22:00] As a teenager, I had this idea I was going to be a psychiatrist. There's all sorts of things that go through our minds. Of what we dream to be.
[22:14] I went to see a movie a few months ago called The Greatest Showman. It's an apocryphal story about P.T. Barnum. And it talks about the idea of the dreams we can have and points out that sometimes those dreams aren't so easy to achieve that sometimes life makes it difficult.
[22:33] It's everything you ever want.
[22:44] It's everything you ever need. And it's here right in front of you. This is where you want to be. It's everything you ever want.
[22:59] It's everything you ever need. And it's here for me again. I understand.
[23:11] Yes, thank you so much, Mr. Jeffries. Thank you. You'll have the money by the end of the day. Let's go. Phineas, hurry up.
[23:21] We're going to miss the train. Stand up straight. Wipe that muck off.
[23:37] Pinky up. Arm extended. Elbow out. Sit. Never slurp. Pinky in the air.
[23:53] Arm extended. Elbow out. Gracefully. Keep your cup level. Jently lower your cup. Shall we do it again?
[24:05] Pinky in the air. Arm extended. Elbow out. Gracefully. Charity. Charity, come here.
[24:28] Your dress. Is this how we've taught you to behave? It's my fault, sir. I made her laugh. Well, thank you for your honesty.
[24:43] Stay away from my daughter. We can have dreams in life.
[24:55] And sometimes we find ourselves facing reality. Someone wakes us up. To who we are. Imagine that young boy's father standing there.
[25:09] Having to watch that happen to his son. But he was beyond his station. You know, when I was young, one of the things I never, ever, ever considered I would ever, ever, ever possibly be.
[25:27] Would be the pastor of a church. I imagine if they had a caption in the high school yearbook that said, Least likely to ever be a pastor, my name would be above it. There are a lot of reasons, but not the least of which, because this is not what the people in my world were destined to grow up and be.
[25:49] It takes four years of college and three years of a master's degree, which means not working for seven years so that you can go and get a job making not a lot of money.
[26:02] In my world, that was not possible. We dreamed of the possibility of going to college. My father was the first to graduate from high school in his generation.
[26:14] We just wanted to do something a little more. That's all our parents dreamed for us. Being a pastor was absurd. Ridiculous.
[26:26] Literally impossible. In fact, whether you're aware of it or not, 90% of the people who do become pastors are from the middle class or upper class.
[26:39] In fact, probably more than that. I got out of high school at a time when all the plants were closing. Anybody remember that? Westinghouse, Bell Aerospace, Republic Steel, Bethlehem Steel, Westinghouse.
[26:55] We lost over 100,000 jobs in like four years. All I wanted was someplace to work. And then I met a dream. And I decided I would never get lucky that way again, so I married her.
[27:11] I'm still married to her. She's still a dream. And so I went to work. And I was one of the fortunate ones back there because I actually found a job where I could earn an income to support my family.
[27:28] Because by 20 years of age, I had a family. And so I did what my father did. I put my head down. I worked hard. And I tried to make enough to pay the bills.
[27:41] Maybe buy a little house somewhere. A place like Cheektowaga. And live what we call a normal life. Oftentimes, that's all the dreams are.
[27:54] But then we read passages like this. About Peter walking on water. I mean, Jesus walking on water is nothing. The idea that God can walk on water doesn't really shock me at all, right?
[28:07] But Peter, Peter is walking on water. It's not even ice. And in the passage before this, whether you're aware of it, Jesus has just taken five loaves of bread and two fishes and given it to the disciples.
[28:25] And they've fed thousands of people. These are miracles beyond miracles. We've talked in the last couple weeks, as we're studying the life of Jesus, about how God can heal us in incredible ways.
[28:38] And God can. I've seen it. I was talking about my wife last night. Her knee was healed. The doctor said she needed surgery. She didn't. Pastor Lisa talked about some of the miraculous healing that's going on in her.
[28:50] And I know many people in this church that have seen that. And that happens. And it's amazing. But it's not like feeding 5,000 people with two loaves, two fishes and five loaves of bread.
[29:01] Or walking across the water. That's doing something that's beyond our imagination. And you see, the truth is, God expects to do more through us than we believe is possible.
[29:17] God has a special purpose for us. God has a dream for you and for your life. In the book of Jeremiah, in chapter 29, it says, I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
[29:30] Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. God has a dream, an incredible dream, that he plans to live through your life. And he shows it in this story.
[29:45] Jesus sent them out across the lake. To a place where people needed to hear about God. And they were rowing against the waves.
[29:56] And in the middle of the night, Jesus came walking across the water. A miracle. For the disciples of God. To transform the world around them.
[30:10] We talked about that the last couple of weeks. Jesus calls us to be disciples for the transformation of the world. How do we do that?
[30:21] How do we get into that miracle living of God? Start to live to the impossible dream that God plans to live through us. First of all, we need to spend serious time with Jesus. I read a statistic that people who attend church, only one out of 20 of them have ever read the Bible.
[30:40] I read the Bible when I was 14. All the way through. Cover to cover. And I've read it again and again and again and again. And every time I read it, I find something else. Jesus went to be alone with God.
[30:54] To pray. Now for most of us, the idea of being alone with God to pray is like about five minutes at the most. If the prayer goes too long in church, we're all like, Oh, come on.
[31:04] When is it going to end? I've got a cold. I can't keep my head down like this. Right? He prayed for hours and hours and hours and hours into the night.
[31:14] Prayer, prayer, prayer. For 2 Thessalonians says to us, With this in mind, we constantly pray for you. That our God may make you worthy of his calling.
[31:26] That by his power, he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness. And your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him according to the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
[31:44] God works through us when we are in conversation with him. When I was young, I read a book by Napoleon Hill called Think and Grow Rich. It's a very fascinating little book, short book.
[31:56] I'll tell you the whole book and what it's about. It's as simple as this. It says, if all you do is spend your entire life thinking about money, every waking moment thinking about money, you'll have more. That makes sense, doesn't it?
[32:09] You'll have more than you would have if you didn't think about money all the time. It's the same with God. If you spend time with God, if you take serious time with God, if you let God walk into your life, you'll find the miracle powers of God.
[32:27] And it'll change the way you see all the storms and dangers of life. It says he climbed into the boat and all the winds and waves and storms settled down because Jesus was with him.
[32:45] If we want to live in the miracle dream of God, we need to live with time spent with God. We also need to be patient. See, the purpose that God calls us to isn't always obvious and isn't always easy.
[33:01] They're going exactly where Jesus told them, right? They're going across the sea where they're planning to go and it says the wind is against them. So they couldn't put up the sail.
[33:12] This isn't what they call smooth sailing, right? They have to row and they're rowing and they're rowing and they've been rowing since the middle of the day into the night and they're still rowing to go where God wants them to go.
[33:29] And he let them struggle. He let them struggle. I was reading about bulldozer parents. We moved from helicopter parents to bulldozer parents.
[33:43] Bulldozer parents, they tell me, are parents that make sure that something like the scene we saw here could never happen. They make sure that all obstacle, all pain, all difficulties, any troubles, anything will be removed from the pathway of their children.
[34:01] I understand that. It's very hard for us to see our children struggle, right? It's very hard to see our children have a difficult time. And we want to take what God has given to us and resources and make it easy for them.
[34:18] Sometimes, the best way to make it easy for them is to teach them how to overcome struggles. We're studying about Jesus to learn what we can know about Him and about us.
[34:30] And one of the things we learn about Jesus is that Jesus allows us to struggle. Jesus lets us go through the difficulties of life. Jesus doesn't take away all the obstacles.
[34:41] Jesus doesn't consider miracle living to mean you have no problems or difficulties and everything's easy. I sometimes tell you about my life, but I don't tell you about the real things that cause me pain and hurt and suffering and struggle.
[34:55] They're too close to my heart to do that. Sometimes we need to be patient and learn that God's purpose will come, but it might take some time.
[35:06] It might take some work. It might take some effort. And God might even put obstacles in the way to make us stronger. That doesn't mean we should be afraid to ask Jesus.
[35:20] I love Peter. Peter's like my favorite guy in the whole Bible. Because Peter says all the things we are like thinking we should never ask, right? He sees Jesus walking on the water.
[35:32] Everybody else is going, it's a ghost. Peter says, hey, can I do that too? I love it, don't you? Can I do that, Jesus? And Jesus said, sure.
[35:46] Come on out. And so we have this picture of Jesus walking on the water. It reminds me of, you know, the Roadrunner cartoons where the Roadrunner is, you know, that coyote.
[35:58] He's running off the cliff and he's running along real fine until he realizes where he is. That's what happened with Peter. He actually was walking on water.
[36:09] He wasn't afraid. Even though the rest of them were all afraid. He was afraid. And we have fear. You know, we prefer homeostasis.
[36:21] We prefer things to stay the same. We don't want disruption. Sometimes we will accept the demons we know compared to the promises of God.
[36:33] We don't know. Sometimes we need to step out beyond where we're comfortable to where God is leading us.
[36:44] For some reason, God started telling me that he wanted me to be a pastor. And I told him he was crazy. Because that's not the kind of stuff guys like me did.
[36:58] I'm not pastor material, God. In fact, when I talked to my wife, she said, you're not good enough to be a pastor, Tom. That's my wife. That's the truth.
[37:09] And she was right. She was right. And I knew it wasn't something that I could afford to do. So I talked to the people in the church because I thought maybe I could find a job or some way that I could, you know, work my way through.
[37:26] I mean, that's a lot more school to go through. And they told me, nope, we've got nothing like that for you. Oh, great. So we made a plan.
[37:37] And we sold our little house in Chikawaga. I quit my job. And we decided I was going to school. For some reason, at that point, the church decided I was serious.
[37:50] So they took me out to these little churches in Wyoming and they said, you can be a pastor to these two little churches. We expect both of them to die before you're gone anyway. So go ahead and do whatever you want with them. Really?
[38:02] Is that mean, to two churches? You want to die? What are you doing, God? Change is hard. And stepping out of the boat and walking on water was not an easy thing.
[38:17] It doesn't say all 12 of them started trooping across the water. Only Peter had the courage to step out in faith. It's fascinating that in this passage, in verse 27, Jesus says, seize courage.
[38:33] Take it. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to live into the dream that God has for you. Don't be afraid to be the person God intends you to be.
[38:49] Don't be afraid to dream even what seems impossible. little boy in our story wasn't afraid to dream.
[39:01] I don't know what my future will be. I do. I close my eyes and I can see a world that's waiting up for me that I call my own.
[39:20] through the dark through the door through where no one's been before but it feels like home I can say they can say it all sounds crazy they can say they can say I've lost my mind I don't care I don't care so call me crazy we can live in a world that we desire every night I lie in bed if the brightest colors fill my head a million dreams are keeping me away I think of what the world could be a vision of the world I see a million dreams is all it's gonna take a million dreams are the world we're gonna make sounds crazy and yet God intends a dream that you might think is impossible for your life so the other thing we have to do is trust God we have to trust and believe in the dream
[40:51] God can give us because that's when the miracle living starts happening the disciples struggled with this they had just seen Jesus feed thousands of people through their own hands they saw the winds and the waves come down Peter had gotten out of the boat and walked on water and yet it says when he saw the wind and the waves he was afraid and he began to sink and he cried out God save me Jesus reached out his hand and took him in and he said you of little faith why do you doubt when we take our eyes off Jesus we sink into our fears we sink into our inadequacies we sink into the possibilities that only we can do we can do a lot of things through God and what he made us to be but if you want to see the miracles of God that's living into the things that are impossible for you and me and that takes believing not having doubts when they got into the boat it says they worshiped
[42:07] Jesus Luke chapter 4 says worship God and him alone and yet they worshiped Jesus they worshiped Jesus he was now God to them they had made him into what he was supposed to be for all of us accepting Jesus as the one who directs our life who guides our living who does through us what only God can do we don't have a claim on the miracle power of God but we can live a life expecting it we can live a life expecting miracles and maybe not the ones that we want but certainly the ones that God wants to do through us the people that they were going to it says they got to the other shore and the people there who really had no faith in God heard that Jesus was there and it said they started bringing people from all around to him that were sick and they begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak and all who touched it were healed they believed
[43:16] I always find it fascinating that people outside the church sometimes believe in God better than people in the church God has an amazing plan for you and for me whether whether we're five years old or we're 85 years old God still has an amazing plan whether we're as young as Jeremiah as a child was when God talked to him or we're as old as Moses was at 80 and led the children of Israel out of Egypt God has an amazing life plan for us can we see the miracles in our lives do we leave them when we see them Jesus was walking on the water and they said it must be a ghost I am a pastor now for some of you that's not surprising you've seen me here 30 years and you go well of course you are you've been here 30 years for me it's an impossible thing every time
[44:30] I get up here I wonder what are you doing here what am I doing here I'm a kid from Cheektowaga I grew up in a firefighter's house I'm not the person that anybody would want to come and hear and that's absolutely true because it's not what I accomplished I accomplished nothing it's what God does through us Paul says it's the miracles that God does through our lives and God has a plan to make miracles happen for you thousands were fed thousands were fed but it wasn't that Jesus was handing out all the food he gave it to the disciples I want you to picture this he gave them the seven loaves of bread and the two fish and they kept reaching in the basket and pulling out more this is so cool right can you picture it every time we reach in there's more in here just wild and then it says at the end there were like 12 baskets of leftovers they're like this is so cool right
[45:47] God did the miracles through the disciples hands God wants to do miracles through all of us that's the other thing we learn about Jesus is Jesus doesn't want to just do miracles he wants to work the miracles through us the greatest joy for a parent is not when they see all the obstacles taken out of their child's life it's when they see their children bulldoze through those obstacles and launch that we know that we can believe in what they're going to become the greatest joy for God is to watch us Jesus said to Peter come on out it's fun out here right and Peter stepped out of the boat started walking across the water they can say they can say it all sounds crazy they can say they can say
[47:00] I've lost my mind I don't care I don't care if they call me crazy we can live in a world that God designs created because every night I lie in bed the brightest colors fill my head a million dreams are keeping me awake I think of what the world could be a vision of the one I see a million dreams this is all it's gonna take a million dreams for the world that God creates at this point in my life I wonder you know what's he still planning for me I know that God isn't done what's on the horizon it's easy at this age to get fearful it's easy to notice the aches and pains it's easy to wonder whether we'll have the resources it's easy to think it's a place for the younger people to do something but God isn't finished with me and God isn't finished with you in the book of Acts in chapter one it says you will receive power when the
[48:29] Holy Spirit comes on you you will receive power when you let God pour into your life when you let the Holy Spirit come upon you you will receive power you will receive miracles you will receive dreams that you can't even imagine what amazing things God can accomplish if we spend time with him if we're patient with him and if we have faith and we don't doubt God can do more than we understand God dreamed and the universe came into existence stars and the moon and the planets God dreams and crocuses come up I know you can't see them but they're out there they're growing God dreams and a young man from Cheektowaga can become something he didn't even know was his dream
[49:30] God dreams and each one of you can do something so unbelievable that he could transform your life not through what you're capable of but through the amazing power of God for those who believe for those who step out in faith and trust what God's going to do sometimes you just have to reach down and plug it in I've lost my way still lost my way call me out upon the waters pray unknown my feet may play and there
[50:53] I find you in the mystery in oceans deep my name will stand and I will call upon your name keep my eyes above the waves when oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace for I am yours and you are mine mine to embrace the mountains deep as waters your sovereign hand will be my guide where feet may fail and fear surrounds me never fail and you won't start out and I will call upon your name keep my eyes above the waves when oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace for I am yours you are mine spirit lead me where my trust is without borders let me walk among the waters wherever you would call me take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my savior spirit lead me where my trust is without borders and me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith would be made stronger in the presence of my savior ground called
[54:15] I will call upon your name Keep my eyes above the waves My emotions rise My soul will rest To your embrace For I am yours And you are mine I will bless the Lord forever
[55:33] I will trust Him at all times He has delivered me from all fear He has set my feet upon a rock I will not be whole And I'll say, oh God He will my shield My strength My portion He will love My shelter Strong tower My very messenger
[56:36] In time of peace Who had I in heaven but you?
[56:55] There is none There is none I desire Beside you You have made me glad And I'll say, oh Lord You are my shield My strength My portion He will love My shelter Strong tower My very presence You are my shield He will love My strength My strength My portion He will love My shelter Strong tower My very presence And help In time of peace My very presence And help In time of peace
[57:56] My very presence In time of peace My very presence And help In time of peace My very presence And help In time of peace My very presence And help In time of peace As we're singing that song As we were singing that song, I just felt the serious Holy Spirit conviction because far too often, I'm looking at the waves.
[58:35] I got to confess, I look at the waves and I allow it to just say, whoa, I'm going to go down. I can't do this. I'm not capable. And the truth is, I'm not capable on my own.
[58:47] I'm not equipped on my own. I don't do this on my own. So the thing is to go and say, stop looking at those waves. Look up. Look up for God who does give us the power to walk on that water no matter what.
[59:03] And it's hard. It's hard. So I don't know about you, but as we come to a table of grace where God says, you know, you are loved and I am here for you no matter what, I'm called to a prayer of confession to turn away from that and point toward Christ.
[59:22] Won't you join me in a prayer of confession? Lord, I'm a sinner. I need your forgiveness. I need your forgiveness. Take away my fear.
[59:33] Take away my fear. Set me on your path. Set me on your path. Build my trust. Build my faith. Build my faith. Build my faith. That I can walk firmly in you.
[59:45] I can walk firmly in you. In your will. In your will. In your love. In your love. Through your power. Through your power. In victory. In victory.
[59:56] In Jesus' name we pray. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So hear the good news. No matter what the waves are, Christ died for us while we were yet sinners and this proves God's love for you and for me.
[60:10] So 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 a forgiven body of Christ, let's greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit.
[60:24] Glory to God.
[60:54] Thank you.
[61:24] I'm leaving my last behind Setting my heart in my love on you Jesus I'm reaching my hand to your Leaving there so much more Knowing that I'm longing round and strong For me it's good It's good Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it And I won't worry about tomorrow I'm trusting in what you say Today is the day Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I'm putting my fears aside
[62:24] I'm leaving my doubts behind I'm giving my hopes and dreams to you To Jesus I'm reaching my hand to yours Leaving there so much more Knowing that all you have in store for me is good It's good Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it And I won't worry about tomorrow I'm trusting in what you say Today is the day I will stand upon you I will stand upon your truth
[63:27] I will stand upon your truth In all my days I'll live for you And all my days I'll live for you I will stand upon your truth I will stand upon your truth And all my days I'll live for you And all my days I'll live Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it Today is the day you have made I will rejoice and be glad in it And I won't worry about tomorrow I'm giving you my fears and sorrows Will you lead me? I will follow I'm trusting in what you say Today is the day Today is the day
[64:29] Today is the day Today is the day Praise God Glory to God For all that he has done for us For all that he has given us For all that he has promised us Amen?
[64:55] Amen We are going to come to the table of the Lord Not because we have to Because we want to Because we're invited by the King of Kings And Lord of Lords Amen? We have been invited And God is good And God has done everything that needs to be done So that we can have fellowship with him So that we can be filled with his spirit So that we can be led by the Holy Spirit To accomplish all those things That God has called us to do So you come to the table this morning And you come expecting Come expecting to meet Jesus Come expecting that God has all kinds of things in store for you Because God has made a way That we just need to follow Amen?
[65:38] Amen Everyone is welcome at the table If you love God Repent of your sin And seek to live in peace As a disciple of Jesus Christ You are welcome to come this morning Come and receive Trust that God will meet you here The Lord be with you Lift up your hearts Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right And a good and joyful thing Always and everywhere To give thanks to you Father Almighty Creator of heaven and earth You brought all things into being And called them good From the dust of the earth You formed us into your image And breathed into us The breath of life When we turned away And our love failed Your love remained steadfast When rain fell upon the earth Forty days and forty nights You bore up the ark on the waters Saved Noah and his family And made covenant With every living creature on earth
[66:38] When you led your people To Mount Sinai For forty days and forty nights You gave us your commandments And made us your covenant people When your people Forsook your covenant Your prophet Elijah Fasted for forty days and forty nights And on your holy mountain He heard your still small voice 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 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 When you gave him To save us from our sin Your spirit led him into the wilderness Where he fasted forty days And forty nights To prepare for his ministry When he suffered and died
[67:38] On a cross for our sin You raised him to life Presented him alive To the apostles During forty days And exalted him At your right hand 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 And now when we Your people Prepare for the yearly feast Of Easter You lead us to repentance For sin And cleansing of our hearts That during these forty days Of Lent We may be gifted and graced To reaffirm the covenant You made with us Through Christ On the night in which He gave himself up for us Jesus took bread And he gave thanks to you He broke the bread And gave it to his disciples He said take and eat This is my body Which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me
[68:42] And when the supper was over He took the cup Again he gave you thanks And praise And gave it to his disciples He said drink from this All of you This is the cup Of my blood The blood of the new covenant Poured out for you And for many For the forgiveness of sin Do this as often As you drink it In remembrance of 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 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 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
[69:43] By your spirit Make us one with Christ One with each other And one in ministry To all the world Until Christ comes In final victory And we feast At his heavenly banquet Through your son Jesus Christ With the Holy Spirit In your holy church All honor and glory Is yours Almighty Father Now and forever Amen Shall we pray together With the confidence Of dearly beloved Children of God The prayer Jesus Has taught us 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
[70:44] And the glory Forever and ever Amen Will those who are serving Please come forward Amen Amen Amen.
[71:40] Amen. Amen.
[72:40] Amen. Amen.
[73:40] Amen. Amen. Amen. Now I'm going to invite you to stand because we're singing Standing on the Promises. Hard to do when you're sitting on the premises. Amen. Amen.
[73:51] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[74:02] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[74:14] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[74:29] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[74:40] Theyry in the Highest labную thanks to whom we Perfectly you can give us games. Standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior. Standing, standing.
[74:54] I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises that cannot fail.
[75:04] When the howling storms of doubt and fear are set. By the living word of God I shall prevail. Standing on the promises of God.
[75:20] Standing, standing. Standing on the promises of God, my Savior. Standing, standing.
[75:34] I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I cannot fall.
[75:47] Listening every moment to the Spirit's call. Resting in my Savior as my all in all. Standing on the promises of God.
[76:02] Standing, standing. Standing on the promises of God, my Savior.
[76:12] Standing, standing. I'm standing on the promises of God.
[76:22] I'm standing on the promises of God.
[76:35] Like most teenagers, I also had a dream that I thought someday I could actually be, you know, the kind of guy who would be singing in front of crowds like, you know, Dino Martin, right?
[76:46] Everybody loves them. Well, you know, God has a funny sense of humor, doesn't he? Because he can inflict our dreams on you. God does amazing things.
[77:00] Outstanding things. Impossible things. Through the dreams that he wants to do in you. So open up your hearts. Spend some time with God. Listen to what he has to say.
[77:12] Be patient. And let him pour his dreams in you. And don't doubt. God's still doing wonderful miracles. And he's doing them for you. Go in his peace. And may God bless you this day and always.
[77:24] It's party time. It's party time. Father of all of you.
[77:55] Who know you feel? Yea such... I know you had anotherятся. Good before you tell me. I love you. I love you, too. Let yourself be with us. I love you, too. You will be an all- tö national, too. I dreamt not even a rile, too, too. I love you, too. You will be a my friend, too. You will be an all- sam만, too. You will be an all-therin. Maybe you will be a guest or you, too.
[78:06] Nothing. I love you, too, too. I give you a�ho meiner Popeасi, too. Judy shows me a day, too.
[78:17] Thank you.
[78:47] Thank you.