Trust

[0:00] Good morning. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Oh, oh, that's a...

[0:13] Appreciate you coming and joining us for our social distancing service this morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Amen.

[0:52] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day that the Lord has made.

[1:07] Let us pray. Lord, we come to you today to lift up your name, to praise you in worship, and we pray that in the service of worship you will be glorified. We pray that you'll come and dwell among us, fill us with your presence, and draw us closer to you in Jesus' name. Amen.

[1:25] Amen. I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together. Savior, like a shepherd, lead us. Savior, like a shepherd, lead us.

[2:00] Blessed, like a shepherd, lead us. For I use thy thoughts to prepare. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us thine we are.

[2:16] Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us thine we are.

[2:27] Thou hast promised to receive us, poor and sinful though we be. Thou hast mercy to relieve us, grace to cleanse and power to free.

[2:46] Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, we will prove in turn to thee.

[2:57] Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, we will prove in turn to thee.

[3:08] Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us, love us still. Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us, love us still.

[3:37] Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus.

[3:49] The Lord be with you. Thus, blessed Jesus, blessed God bless you. Please be seated. In your bulletin, you will see a mission moment this morning. It may seem strange to take up an offering for people hurting somewhere else.

[4:02] but sometimes the best thing we can do when we're struggling is to reach out and help someone else. And this is for our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico. We have an awful lot of damage that happened in Puerto Rico.

[4:14] Not only did we have hurricanes that went through there and ripped the place apart, but you may have read or seen that they then had earthquakes that destroyed the very homes that they were living in.

[4:24] So we're struggling with how to deal with not being out of the house very much, and they're struggling with not having houses, not having any place to lay their heads, not knowing what to do with their lives.

[4:36] And I'll remind you, these are Americans. This is part of our country. So these are some people we need to reach out to, and it just was on it. God laid it on my heart that we should do a little something for our brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico.

[4:50] So if you can help out, we do appreciate that. Just passing back some clipboards. The first one is for our fish fries. So I am very thankful about our fish fries and all the people that are coming out to help with that and serve in that ministry, and for all of the people that are coming out to partake of that.

[5:09] We actually served 650 fish fries last Friday in spite of everything. So praise God. It's going really, really well.

[5:19] So thank you to everyone for that. The other one is also for the first UMC dinner on Thursday nights. Again, we are gathering people there to serve the community, but also they're gathering for worship afterwards, and lives are being changed.

[5:34] We have some people in that congregation now talking about getting baptized and joining the church, and it's just exciting stuff going on. So we need help with that dinner as well. So check those out.

[5:45] So I'm thankful that we're able to be here today and gather in worship. Amen? The sun is shining. Life is good. I know it's a little troubling, but you know what? God is always there, and I'd love to hear from you this morning.

[5:57] What are you thankful for? What is God doing in your life? Way back there, Linda. Linda and Bob were married last night, so it is, yeah, that was very, very nice.

[6:13] Anyone else? Sarah? My grandkids are moving close to home. Grandkids moving close to home. Very good. Yes. Carol? Yeah, thanks for everyone for frying it. Good night. Right.

[6:24] Yes. Thank you for the fish fry. Oh, Larry. I have a little bit of a fish today. Psalm 91. Yes. God has given us power in the scripture.

[6:36] Psalm 91. Pray it over yourselves. Pray it over your families. Yeah. Daughter had a second granddaughter.

[6:46] And her seventh. What? Seventh. Okay, I was going to say, what? That's like generation. She's got two granddaughters now.

[6:57] Very, very nice. Everybody healthy? Yes? Yes. Good. Anyone else? Karen? Karen? My daughter has been working and for me when I'm on the green. And the doctor has been saying that's great.

[7:13] Oh, that the doctor says grace with her before they do anything. That's fabulous. Becky? There are words coming together as one.

[7:24] It's a brand new for our world to try to solve the problem. Right. Right. Right. The world pulling together as one.

[7:37] You know, a common enemy against this virus. Yes. Anyone else want to share? Yeah, Crystal? Take time. Take time to laugh. Take time.

[7:47] Take time to laugh. Take time to enjoy the sun. Take time to enjoy the many blessings. Yeah. Yeah. God is good. And no matter what's going on, you are so blessed.

[7:58] We are all just so blessed. And so as we give back to God this morning, let's reflect on just how good God is, the incredible blessings in our lives. In Jesus' name, let's return our thanks.

[8:11] God bless you.

[8:32] Thank you.

[9:02] Thank you.

[9:32] Thank you.

[10:02] Thank you.

[10:32] Thank you.

[11:02] Thank you.

[11:32] Thank you. Thank you.

[12:32] Thank you. Thank you.

[13:04] Thank you.

[14:04] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[14:40] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[14:52] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[15:04] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[15:20] Thank you. while we were yet sinners. And this proves God's love for you and for me. So in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.

[15:33] Glory to God. Amen. And now let's hear from the word of the Lord. Good morning.

[16:10] Today's reading is Matthew 6, verses 25 through 34. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?

[16:24] Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying at a single hour to your life?

[16:38] And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

[16:50] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear?

[17:06] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

[17:18] Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. This is the word of the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen. Nationwide, there are now more than 2,000 cases of coronavirus and at least 50 deaths.

[17:37] President Trump has declared a state of emergency, and early this morning, the House passed a major spending package to help Americans impacted by the crisis. To unleash the full power of the federal government in this effort today, I am officially declaring a national emergency.

[17:53] Landlord says my rent is late. He's going to have to litigate, but don't worry, be happy.

[18:07] Is that what it is? Don't worry, be happy. I have somebody in the church have noticed that I tend to say the phrase to people a lot, it's okay. So they gave me a shirt embroidered with that.

[18:19] It's okay. It's okay. But we are worried, aren't we? We're worried about basic things, about shelter, and about how close do we get to each other.

[18:37] We're worried about whether we'll have food and simple things, just like these people were concerned. But toilet paper? Come on. I mean, really, you know? What do you got, a pile of it in the basement about 20 feet high?

[18:51] I read about some guy in the paper today who decided he was going to cash in on this, so he bought himself like 10,000 of these sanitizing little things, right?

[19:03] And he's going to sell them on eBay for like 50 bucks a piece, or Amazon it was. Amazon shut him down. Now he's stuck with them and he's trying to figure out what to do. I know what he can do, right?

[19:15] We all know what he can do. Give them away, you fool. You already made your money. Give them away. Okay. It's difficult. Don't worry.

[19:27] Jesus in another passage of Scripture says, don't be anxious about anything. We are. It's natural that we have some anxiety, and it's natural that we need to be prepared to some degree at least for today, for tomorrow, and even for eternity.

[19:48] So don't be anxious. Don't be worried. Doesn't mean don't be prepared. Don't be wise.

[20:01] I'm not taking any cruises right now, right? You may have noticed for most of you that someone opened the door. Thank you, gentlemen. That's that many less hands touching the handle coming in.

[20:14] Even though we sanitized them, you know, the first one who reaches it that's sick, right? You might notice that it's a little different in here this morning.

[20:26] Yeah. We've been asked to do this for good reason because it's smart to be prudent and be prepared.

[20:38] We've been telling parables as we talk about kingdom living, and one of the parables that I want to share with you is called the Ten Virgins. There were five virgins that brought a lamp with some extra oil and five virgins that just brought the lamps.

[20:52] They were going to a wedding banquet because they were preparing to be married to the bridegroom. Now, don't get all weird about ten women and one guy, okay? Because this is really to represent us as the church.

[21:04] We're the bride of Christ, right? And Christ. There's a lot of us. Some came prepared. Some didn't.

[21:17] So they all had a dress. They all had lamps. They all had what looked like the form that they needed, but some were missing the oil.

[21:27] The time came for the bridegroom to come through town, and the cry went out, the bridegroom is here. So they all lit their lamps. Anybody ever light a lamp without oil in it?

[21:40] It burns real good for about ten seconds, and then the wick burns out. And so they said to the other virgins, share some of yours.

[21:53] And this is where it really bothers us. They said, I can't do that. You have to go get your own. We're all like, what? But you see, the story of the passage is not about whether or not some of the virgins were greedy or not or such.

[22:09] We'll talk about that a little later. It's about the fact that some were prepared and some were not. Don't worry.

[22:21] Be prepared. It's fascinating. We actually picked this passage for today back in January. Isn't that fun? It shows up today as we're going through the Scriptures.

[22:35] What's the oil that you can't share with someone else but is essential for us as Christians when we look forward to our God coming?

[22:47] And it's the power of the Holy Spirit. It's God living in us. It's the indwelling Spirit. I can talk to you about what God has done in my life. I can talk to you about how God has changed me.

[22:58] I can talk to you about how God has changed others. I can share with you all sorts of stories. but I can't put the Holy Spirit in your heart.

[23:11] I can't share that oil, that power. You have to make that decision for yourself.

[23:24] The kingdom of God is like ten virgins who went out and some were prepared and some were not. In this passage in verse 33 it says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and the rest of life will take care of itself.

[23:46] Because life is more than just clothes and food. And God knows we need those. But life is more than just surviving or just existing.

[24:01] We inherited a double Y trailer from my in-laws down in Florida. Anybody ever been to one of those retirement communities in Florida? This is how a segment of them, not all of them, but a segment of them live.

[24:13] They get up in the morning and they spend about an hour drinking coffee while they think about what they're going to eat for breakfast. Then they eat breakfast and they do the dishes and they figure out how they're going to waste another hour or two before the mail comes because that is the highlight of the day.

[24:32] When the mail comes, they all go running through the park, the mail is here, the mail is here. It's really freaky, but that's what they do. Okay? These people go nuts about the mail. They get the mail and now they just don't know what to do at all.

[24:45] So they sit and they watch golf or soap opera or something while they're waiting for four o'clock. Because at four o'clock they start drinking. And they start drinking and they drink until about seven when they pass out and get up the next day and do it again.

[25:02] There's a whole bunch of people that that's what they do with their lives. That's surviving. That's not living. Now some of you might say that sounds like a pretty cool day.

[25:16] It might be a cool day. It might even be a cool week. But it's not a cool life. Because life is more than just existing.

[25:28] They're like the virgins who had lamps but they had no oil. They didn't have the power in their lives that made all the difference.

[25:42] People chase after things. Jesus says it this way. The pagans run after these things. Your heavenly father knows you need them.

[25:55] Or in other words people who have no God in their lives. They don't have any of that sense of the Holy Spirit of God. All they do is spend their time chasing like hamsters on a wheel after the things they are certain they have to have.

[26:14] There was a question about should we close church today? I have to tell you that's something that I consider in prayer. And I'd like all your opinions and all your ideas and I want to hear them.

[26:28] Because it's not a decision that you make lightly to shut down the opportunity for people to worship God. And it's not a consideration you make lightly to question whether you put people at risk.

[26:42] Do you follow? So we pray about that. We have to consider that. But you see worship is an important piece of who we are.

[26:57] The very act of worship means that we have come here because we believe there's something more in life than just existing. Amen? Because if all we want to do is just exist just survive another day just go on a little bit longer why would we go to worship at all?

[27:17] What would be the point? We come to worship because we believe that God has a dream for us that is greater than just being alive.

[27:29] In fact we believe that we're not even alive if we don't have that dream. People chase after these things and we all need these basic things.

[27:40] God knows that. but what inspires our lives to dream to reach for something that's greater than just getting through the day till four o'clock so that we can anesthetize ourselves for the rest of the evening.

[28:05] And God says that there is a dream like that. I can't imagine being the president of the United States right now. Could you? Who would ever want this job?

[28:17] I am totally astounded anybody wants to be president. Really. I don't ever want to be president. I wouldn't even want to think about such a thing. I wouldn't want to have to make a decision for the entire nation.

[28:32] It's a struggle making a decision for all of you. But we're going to have to select a president, right? We're going to have an election where we will choose who will be our leader.

[28:46] We've been talking about how kingdom living is not American living. And one of the difficulties we have when we are told that we need to enter into the kingdom of God, we need to seek after the kingdom of God, is we've been told as a culture kings are bad.

[29:02] We reject kings. We want nothing to do with that whole way of life. And yet God tells us we need to strive for that. Makes a confusion for us, doesn't it?

[29:14] Because kings are not elected. Kings are not elected, they're selected. And you know who selects kings?

[29:26] It's not the people. There was a story in the Bible about a time when God felt the nation of Israel needed a new king because he didn't really particularly care for the king that was there at the time, a guy by the name of Saul.

[29:40] So he said to Samuel, the great prophet, go down and anoint a king from the family of Jesse. So he went down and he saw in Jesse's family, he was a big, tall, strong-looking guy, the oldest one, he said, that's got to be the guy.

[29:52] And God said, no, that's not the guy. And he went down all the sons that Jesse had. And God said, nope, nope, nope, nope. And Samuel said, is there any more?

[30:05] And I said, well, yeah, there's the runt who's out in the field watching the sheep, but he's the runt. You don't want him. Bring him in, let's see. And he came in and God said, that's the one, a man after my own heart.

[30:23] And he anointed King David with oil. Because not only did God choose David, he then inspired David, put the power of the Holy Spirit so that David had all the gifts that a leader of a nation needed to have.

[30:45] Because when God chooses someone for a purpose, he gives them every attribute needed to accomplish that purpose. Boy, what would it look like if God chose our president?

[31:03] I like to believe when you go in to pull that lever, you don't think, what does my party say, or even what does my mind say, but what does my God want me to do? I hope you pray before you go to vote, and you should all go vote.

[31:16] That's our system. And then maybe we can believe that God works through the hearts and minds and souls of all the people of this country to choose a leader, I don't know. I really kind of like the idea of knowing my leader was anointed, chosen, selected, empowered, and gifted by God.

[31:38] Wouldn't that be wonderful to actually believe that? That's what the kingdom living is about. That's what the people who lived in the kingdom believed. and that's what we're asked to do with God.

[31:53] Because it's not just about kings. It's about what did God create you and I for? I had a young woman who graduated recently, she was talking to me, and she told me what her degree was in.

[32:08] And I thought, good luck getting a job. I know that, I have a history degree. You know what a history degree will get you a job in? I worked in lawn care. Yeah.

[32:19] It doesn't get you anything. It was actually pretty good for a pastor, but I didn't know about that or think about that at the time. And she was feeling discouraged, I could tell.

[32:29] She said she was looking for a job. Now you know what a job is. Most of you have probably worked one. A job is this. You go out and you do something for money. So if somebody gave you like three million dollars, you would be like walking away and not even calling the boss to let them know you're not coming in.

[32:45] You know what I'm talking about? That's a job. Anybody here ever work a job? I worked a job. I worked a lot of jobs. All right? When God gives us and God calls us for something, it's entirely different.

[33:00] Because now he has decided that he has already put in you the exact things you need to be empowered with to make that happen.

[33:12] God created you for a purpose. Before you were even born, I don't think anybody ever said that to her.

[33:23] I said, before you were even born, God looked at you and said he had a purpose for your life. She's young. You people who are young, not old like me.

[33:37] Even if you're old like me. Remember Moses, 80 years old? God has reason, a purpose for you. And it's not what will pay the most money.

[33:48] It's not what will make everybody around us happy. It's about what will make our lives worth living.

[34:00] Because we're not here that long. Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness. righteousness. And all of these things will be added to you. So a number of years ago, when God was pestering me about being a pastor, which I thought was a totally ridiculous idea, by the way.

[34:19] I thought that was absurd. I said, you know who you're talking to? I am not pastor material. I knew that. But for some reason, he continued. So finally, I made the decision.

[34:30] And so one of the things I did to prepare for going into the ministry is I took my wife out to the Adams Mark Hotel restaurant. Anybody ever been to Adams Mark? It was great. I mean, we had a gift certificate for $100, which in 1985 was real money.

[34:45] Okay? And we spent $130. We had a heck of a meal. Then we went, I said, let's take a walk. So we walked outside the hotel and there was a carriage waiting there.

[34:57] And I said, hey Jackie, let's get in the carriage and take a ride. She said, no, no, no, Tom, that's for somebody special. The guy came around and said, Mr. and Mrs. Kraft, that's for somebody special. And we rode around downtown a little bit and I pulled out some ruby earrings.

[35:12] My wife has told me I've got a proclivity for ruby earrings. But anyways, I pulled out some ruby earrings and gave them to her. And she said, why are you doing this? I said, because we are going to be dirt poor for the rest of our lives.

[35:23] And we will never, ever, ever do anything like this again. Because God wants me to be a pastor and I know pastors are dirt poor. So I just want you to be prepared.

[35:36] This is the last time we're ever going to do anything nice. It's a funny thing, isn't it? When we live into God's dream, we are absolutely convinced it can't work.

[35:49] We're going to be poor. Things aren't going to be right. everybody won't be happy. I couldn't even imagine anybody would even come to hear me talk. Why would the, I was just a kid from Cheektowaga.

[36:04] What do I know about anything? But if you seek first the kingdom of God, living into what God has created you for, so that you will be anointed, you will be empowered for what it is that God made you for, everything else will fall in line.

[36:20] Does that mean you won't have any problems? Of course not. When he says don't worry about tomorrow, do you think that means everything will be fine? When I say it's okay, I'm not saying everything will be perfect.

[36:38] I see more people die than most of you have ever even imagined. I see more people get sick and talk to more people who are sick than anybody except for those who work in the healthcare industry.

[36:50] But if we get our priorities on God, the anxiety, the worry can and will diminish.

[37:03] I love this last verse in the passage. I think it's the best part of this passage really. He says don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Which sounds great, right?

[37:14] But then he adds in each day has enough trouble of its own. Why did you say that? Oh my gosh. You see, when we worry about tomorrow, what we're doing is we're borrowing problems from tomorrow that may not even happen.

[37:30] Do you follow? We're creating anxieties about something that hasn't even happened and may not. How many of you have spent anxious moments worried about something that never, ever, ever happens?

[37:45] And all you did is expend tremendous energies on nothing. You're going to have enough toilet paper.

[37:57] Relax. If you don't, I'll give you a roll. Really. And some people here got enough to last forever. We're going to do a toilet paper drive for the poor in about three months, man.

[38:11] The place will be packed with toilet paper. It's not helpful to borrow problems from tomorrow because we have real problems today. That's what he's telling us.

[38:24] He's not saying there aren't problems and he's not even saying there won't be problems tomorrow. He's saying we have real problems today. Are we going to have a fish fry next week? I don't know. Is the church going to have to close down?

[38:37] I don't know. Somebody asked me, well then what about the people that work here? I said, well they might not get paid. I don't know. We don't get unemployment. We're not eligible.

[38:48] Some are. Most of us aren't. I don't know. I can spend my hours in agony about tomorrow. Or I can just live into today.

[39:03] Because today has real concerns. I had an older woman in our church who has health issues and she said to me that the person who runs her building said she's not allowed to go to church.

[39:15] And I said to her, well he can't tell you you can't go to church. He can't do that. I said, but you know, you probably shouldn't. Okay? She's got health concerns.

[39:28] She has issues that could cause, not the coronavirus, but any illness could cause her a serious problem. Maybe it's not so good.

[39:41] Or maybe, you know, if she comes, she ought to sit way in the back, back there, like some of you are doing and that's okay. Right? I thought about putting a couple single chairs out just, you know, people could sit completely like, you know.

[39:55] I get it. We have enough real problems today that we don't want to get paralyzed and stuck because we add in the anxieties about tomorrow that will freeze us.

[40:06] We want to be clear-minded and prepared. Like the five virgins who prepared by having the oil in their lamps, but not so anxious that we lose all sense of what life is about.

[40:30] The coronavirus reminds us that we're fragile. It reminds us that we're mortal. I mean, we really are.

[40:42] You know, I don't know about you. Well, I do know about you. We all risk our lives every day. Do you know how many people were killed in an automobile accident last year in America?

[40:54] 40,000 people. How many of you drove here today? Yeah. You risked your life. Literally. Risked your life. When I find myself going to a hospital and as I go to visit somebody who is really looking for me to come, some of them waiting for me to come to pray before their surgery, and they say I've got to put on gloves and a mask and a gown.

[41:17] And I know that might be to protect them, but it sure feels like it's because they got something I don't want to get. You know what I mean? I was in an isolation room once. Everybody comes in dressed like an astronaut.

[41:30] You kind of wonder what's going on. But you go in the room because that's what you need to do. If somebody is just shut in and stuck at home and can't get out and needs some food, you don't say, sorry, I might get coronavirus for you.

[41:45] Go and get them some food. Amen? We take care of them. We look after each other. We need to live our lives, and we are going to risk our lives every day. And the coronavirus reminds us we're fragile.

[41:57] And so we need to be prepared. We need the essentials. And yes, we need food. And yes, we need water. And yes, we probably even need some toilet paper.

[42:11] Okay? But we also need the essential that not only guides and gets us through this life, but gets us to the next one. Because the purpose of this life is to get to the next, right?

[42:25] So we need to be prepared as the five virgins were, because our king knows what we need, and he's working on it. But this is a broken world, and things will happen to all of us somewhere along the line.

[42:45] But in the midst of our worries and our troubles and even our fears, we need to trust in God. Now, I looked up a song because I thought this song fits so perfect for my sermon. And I was just going to play one verse of it because it sounded so neat, right?

[42:59] But have you ever read the little comments on these things? I don't do that very often, but, you know, after a verse of it, I scrolled down as I was listening. This is a song, and the woman singing it, her name is Melinda Hill.

[43:12] Melinda Hill sang this song after she had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and told she had seven months to live.

[43:25] And yet she sang this song. song, and the woman song, and the woman song, and the woman song, and the woman I don't know about tomorrow.

[43:39] I just live from day to day. I don't borrow from its sunshine, for its skies may turn to gray.

[43:58] I don't worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said.

[44:11] And today I won't be beside him, for he knows what is ahead.

[44:24] Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand, but I know who holds my hand.

[44:45] And I know who holds my hand. I don't know about tomorrow. It may bring me poverty, but the world is the one who feeds the sparrow, is the one who stands by me.

[45:16] And the path that be my portion, may be through the flame or flood.

[45:29] God, his presence goes before me, and I'm covered with his blood.

[45:42] Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow.

[46:03] And I know who holds my hand. I was only going to play one verse, and then I read that story about her, and I thought, if a woman facing terminal cancer knowing, knowing, not fearful, knowing she only has a handful of months to live, and have that kind of faith.

[46:29] That's a message for all of us. Are we prepared? Do we have the power of God?

[46:41] Do we have the living Holy Spirit welling up inside us to show us who to be, what to do, where to go, how to live, empowering us for life?

[46:54] Have we taken care of simple issues? Yes, have a little food in the house. Get a few rolls of toilet paper. I don't want to deliver it to you.

[47:06] But then go out and live. Some of the virgins make it to eternity, and some didn't. The biggest issue is not, are you ready for the next five weeks?

[47:22] Are you ready for eternity? Are you ready? Because the coronavirus reminds us, our time here is limited.

[47:35] Risk my life every day. In lots of ways I don't even think about. And yes, the virus will come.

[47:49] Even the government doesn't have any delusions about that. They're not trying to stop it. They're just trying to slow it down. So it doesn't overwhelm things.

[48:00] Because some people are going to get sick. Most, according to what they say, will recover. Just like the flu. The economy will come back at some point.

[48:15] The experts are telling us, be clean. So we're wiping stuff down. I brought some of my wife's secret stash Lysol wipes from home.

[48:28] For you! I had to sneak them out of the house. No, I didn't. That's only a joke. She has plenty. Be careful.

[48:40] Don't be foolish. Wise as serpents, gentle as doves. Be prepared. And you know, if you're vulnerable, then maybe you need to stay home a little more.

[48:52] But then live. Because if we seek the kingdom of God, God will take care of the rest of these things.

[49:04] It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. I know you're a little worried, but it's okay. It's okay.

[49:15] It's okay. It's okay. Even those way in the back. It's okay. It's okay. God still has you in the palm of His hand.

[49:32] It's okay. It's okay. Thank you. It's okay. You are my strength when I am weak You are the treasure that I seek You are my all in all Seeking you as a precious tool For to give up by me a fool You are my all in all Taking my sin, my cross, my shame

[50:32] Rising up and I bless your name You are my all in all When I fall down, you make me up When I am dry, you fill my door You are my all in all Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is your name Jesus, Lamb of God Worthy is your name

[51:36] You are my all in all You are my all in all You are my all in all Seeking you as a precious tool All in all.

[52:21] All in all.

[52:51] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[53:02] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[53:14] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[53:26] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[53:38] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[53:50] All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all. All in all.

[54:02] All in all. All in all. All in all.

[54:34] All in all. You are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my very presence, you are my shield, my strength, my portion, deliverer, my shelter, strong tower, my very present helping time of need, my very present helping time of need, my very present helping time of need.

[55:46] Praise God. God's grace is covering all of us. God is present here with us. And as we prepare for a table of grace where we receive even more, we're going to greet one another with the peace of the Holy Spirit without touching one another.

[56:02] So we can do a chicken dance, we can wave, we can do whatever because the peace can still be shared. Peace, brother.

[56:14] I think we're done.

[56:24] So to Ogiesi , let's talk to him in中.

[56:43] Paul — what just— Amen. Amen.

[57:44] Amen. The table of the Lord is open to all those who seek after Christ.

[58:07] You don't need to be a member of our church. You just simply need to want Jesus in your life, and you're welcome at the table. We take communion by intinction, which means we ask that you take the bread and dip it into the cup.

[58:21] I was in a theological discussion with one of my colleagues the other day online, because they were saying that it isn't communion if you don't take one and the other.

[58:32] And he was talking about Article 19 of the United Methodist Articles of Faith. You probably don't even know what I'm talking about. But in Article 19, it says that we will offer both elements.

[58:48] Now, do I think that you're going to get sick from dipping bread into a cup? No. But if you're concerned, it has historically been understood that to take communion in either form is to take communion.

[59:00] So do as you feel your conscience leads you to today. We do invite you, we do encourage you to come and experience the grace of Jesus Christ, which is provided for you today at the table of the Lord.

[59:14] The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift up the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks to Jesus Christ.

[59:24] It is right. It's a good thing, a joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to God, because he's the one who has provided us with everything we have and all that we are and all that we will be.

[59:39] And so with all the people on earth and all the angels in heaven, we praise his name and join together in their unending hymn saying, Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

[59:53] Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Holy are you. Blessed is your son, Jesus Christ, who is willing to die that we might live.

[60:11] He not only faced death, he experienced that. For us. And the night in which he was betrayed, he gave us this meal to remember him by.

[60:24] He took the bread and he gave thanks to God and he broke the bread. He gave it to his disciples and he said, take and eat. This is my body, which is broken for you for the forgiveness of sin.

[60:35] Eat of this, remembering me. When the supper was over, he took the cup and he gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples and he said, drink from this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant.

[60:47] It's poured out for you and for many with the forgiveness of sin. Drink of this, remembering me. And so, in remembrance of these mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ offering for us.

[61:09] As we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. Pour out your holy spirit on us, Lord. Fill us with your presence.

[61:21] Let your anointing touch be upon each and every one of us, Lord. Bless us and fill us that we might be faithfully prepared for you. Let your anointing be upon this bread and cup that it might be the body and blood of Christ.

[61:34] If we might be for the world, the body of Christ going out to help redeem, heal, save, and bless the world around us. Be with us, Lord.

[61:45] Grant us your peace. Help us to experience your wonder. The peace which passes all understanding that comes from your spirit.

[61:55] For we pray this all in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. And now as Jesus has taught his disciples to pray, let us join together in saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

[62:11] 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.

[62:25] 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. For those who are assisting at the table, come forward at this time, please.

[62:38] God bless you. Amen. Meine Jesus. Amen. Amen. меня Thank you.

[63:14] Thank you.

[63:44] Thank you.

[64:14] Thank you.

[64:44] We are in essence praying. It's not only our words that we're saying, but the music is speaking as well. And so we're going to sing this powerful prayer. Today is the day you have made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

[64:58] I'm casting my cares aside.

[65:16] I'm leaving my past behind. I'm setting my heart and mind on you, Jesus. I'm reaching my hand to yours.

[65:31] We're leaving it so much more. Knowing that all you have is good. Today is the day you have made.

[65:47] I will rejoice and be glad in it. Today is the day you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

[65:59] And now I'm worried about tomorrow. I'm trusting in what you say. Today is the day. Today is the day.

[66:10] Today is the day. Today is the day. Today is the day. Oh, oh, oh, oh. I'm putting my fears aside. I'm leaving my doubts behind.

[66:22] I'm giving my hopes and dreams to you, Jesus. I'm reaching my hand to yours.

[66:34] We're leaving it so much more. Knowing that all you have in store for me is good.

[66:45] 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.

[66:58] I will rejoice and be glad in it. And I won't worry about tomorrow. I'm trusting in what you say.

[67:10] Today is the day. Today is the day you have made.

[67:22] I will stand upon your truth. All my days I'll live for you. All my days I'll live for you.

[67:34] I will stand upon your truth. I will stand upon your truth. All my days I'll live for you.

[67:46] All my days I'll live. Today is the day you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

[67:57] Today is the day you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. And I won't worry about tomorrow.

[68:09] I'm giving you my fears and sorrow. Where you lead me I will follow. I'm trusting in what you say.

[68:20] Today is the day. Oh, oh, oh. Today is the day. Oh, oh, oh. Today is the day.

[68:32] Today is the day. Today is the day. Today is the day. Today is the day. Today is the day. It really is okay. I want you to be safe.

[68:44] I want you to be smart. And I want you to live. As God designed you to live. Linda told me she brought extra toilet paper. So if you're out, she's got some in the back for you.

[68:56] People think of everything at church, right? God is still holding us. God is still with us.

[69:07] Not just now. But right on riding into eternity. So live. And live wise. In the power and wonder of Jesus Christ. Go in his peace. Amen.

[69:18] Amen. A promise. Amen.

[69:36] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.