[0:00] A Amen.
[0:45] Amen. Amen.
[1:45] Amen. Amen.
[2:45] Amen. Amen.
[3:17] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Good morning.
[3:29] Welcome to Pentecost Worship with Pendleton Center and First United Methodist Churches. It's a great day to celebrate the Holy Spirit. This is the day the Lord has made.
[3:40] We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[4:01] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.
[4:15] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day. This is the day. This is the day. That the Lord has made.
[4:29] Let us pray. Holy Spirit, you breathe within us life and love. Spark within us your fire, your power within us to sanctify us by your grace as we worship you in Jesus' name.
[4:44] Amen. And now hear these words from Acts chapter 2. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
[5:02] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
[5:17] Now they were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken.
[5:32] We hear them, declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, What does this mean?
[5:44] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Now I'd like to invite you all to stand if you're able as we sing together, O Spirit of the Living God. O Spirit of the Living God, Thou light and fire divine, Descend upon Thy church once more, and make it truly Thine.
[6:26] Fill it with love and joy and power, with righteousness and peace. Till Christ shall dwell in human hearts, that sin and sorrow cease.
[6:44] Blow wind of God with wisdom low, until our minds are free. From mists of error, clouds of doubt, which blind our eyes to Thee.
[7:01] Burn winged fire, inspire our lips, with flaming love and zeal. To preach to all thy great good news, God's glorious common we.
[7:19] Teach us to utter living words of truth, may all may hear. The language all may understand, when love speaks loud and clear.
[7:36] Till every age and raise and clime, shall blend their greed in one. And earth shall form one family, by whom thy will is done.
[7:53] So shall we know the power of Christ, who came this world to save. So shall we rise within to life, which soars beyond the grave.
[8:11] And earth shall win true holiness, which makes thy children whole. Till perfected by Thee we reach creation's glorious goal.
[8:30] The Lord be with you. With you. Please be seated. We do welcome you to worship with us this Pentecost Sunday. And we just wanted to invite you to let us know that you're here with us.
[8:43] Please take a moment and fill out the friendship card online. And if we don't have your contact information, please put that on there so we can get connected with you. We also ask that if you are experiencing some blessings in your life, that you share that.
[8:57] We'd love to celebrate that with you. And if you have any prayer concerns, also mark that so we can pray over those. We also have a children's activity bulletin available so you can download that if you have children with you.
[9:09] And if you would like to be a part of a community that is growing in their discipleship, we invite you to the PCUMC Fellowship Group on Facebook.
[9:20] And we're also trying to start some small online groups. So if you are interested in becoming part of a small group to be able to encourage one another and share with one another, I encourage you to get a part of that and to contact the office and let us know that you would like to participate.
[9:38] We do also have, as part of our worship experience, giving. And so we give as a reflection of the status of our heart, an offering from what God has already done for us.
[9:51] And God has blessed us all in many ways. And so as we give today, please take a moment to reflect on God's goodness. You can give in many ways. There is a button available if you would like to give online.
[10:03] That is an option. You can also just mail in a check or however you want to do it. We just ask that you consider giving at this time, again, as a reflection of commitment and honor to God, who has loved us and poured out blessings so richly.
[10:19] And now we'll hear an offertory piece from Susan Wisayowicz. He gives us abod on theM-Seer to love us and instead of sticking to God.
[10:39] Amen. Amen.
[11:39] Amen. Amen.
[12:39] Amen. Amen.
[13:39] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Lord, we praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for all that you are, for all the blessings that you give us, Lord Jesus.
[13:54] And we pray, Lord, that this gift of tithes and offerings will be used for your glory. Lord, for your church, Lord God, to shine. Help us to shine for you.
[14:05] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[14:16] Good morning, Junior Church. How are you today? Do you know what day it is that we're celebrating today in the church? This is the Sunday that we remember Pentecost.
[14:29] Can you say Pentecost? Ready? Try it. Pentecost. Yeah, that's pretty good. Pentecost is my favorite day on the church calendar.
[14:42] I know everybody knows about Christmas and everybody knows about Easter, but Pentecost is something that a lot of people forget about and they don't really remember exactly what it is and what it means.
[14:55] Pentecost is the day that we remember that the Holy Spirit came down to where the disciples were in the room where they were waiting because Jesus told them to wait.
[15:08] And the Holy Spirit filled them up, filled them up with God's love. So they went running out into the streets to tell people about Jesus because they got so excited because the Holy Spirit brings the power of God into us in a very, very special way.
[15:28] One of the things that the Holy Spirit does in us is to help us to pray the Lord's prayer. Now, when we, the Holy Spirit is in us, the Holy Spirit helps us to know about a part of that prayer even more than the other parts that isn't actually on the prayer that the hands are showing and that the book is showing.
[15:54] It's a part that is in another place in the Bible that we pray with the Lord's prayer. You know this part, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
[16:12] Yes, I heard you saying that with me, some of you who know it real well, and I know others of you tried. But when the Holy Spirit lives in us, we can really show people what the kingdom of God is like.
[16:27] The kingdom of God is filled with God's love, just like we are filled with love when the Holy Spirit fills us up. And the Holy Spirit is at work with us and in us all the time.
[16:42] Even if we don't know Jesus yet, did you know that? The Holy Spirit even works with people who don't know Jesus yet so that their hearts will want to come to know Jesus.
[16:57] And once we know who Jesus is, we can start growing in him and show people what God's kingdom looks like. A kingdom full of God's love.
[17:08] Because we know that when God's love, that's right, is in our hearts, that's right, we can love everybody.
[17:20] That's right. And when we feel like there's no love in us at all, and we get all empty and feeling like we haven't got any love to share, by the Holy Spirit, God fills us up and fills us up and fills us up and fills us up until we overflow.
[17:44] That's right. We overflow with God's love. And then we can say, are you ready to say it with me? All together now. When God's love is in my heart, I can love everybody.
[18:01] And just like the disciples did on the day that God filled them up with the Holy Spirit, and they went running out into the street to tell people about Jesus and how much he loves them.
[18:16] We want to show Jesus to all of the people. Show him Jesus' love and show them how much we have to give away to all of them.
[18:29] So now we're going to sing that song about giving God's love away. And I hope you enjoy the day of Pentecost. I'm feeling good, good, good in a crazy way.
[18:43] God's love changed me more than I can say. Can't keep this in, gotta let it out. Gonna tell the whole world that your love is spinning me round and round.
[18:57] Yeah, it's turning me upside down. I can't believe the way you love me more than I can contain. I'm gonna turn around and give in.
[19:08] Give it away. I'm gonna give it away I'm gonna give it away I want the world to know just how I feel They gotta know, know, know your love is real You love me just the way I am Gonna tell the whole world that Your love is spinning me round and round Yeah, you're turning me upside down I can't believe the way you love me more than I can contain I'm gonna turn around and give it Give it away Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I'm gonna give it away Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh З Istτο
[20:13] Yeah, you're turning me upside down I can't believe the way you love me more than I can contain I'm gonna turn around and give, give Your love is spinning me round and round Yeah, it's turning me upside down I can't believe the way you love me more than I can contain I'm gonna turn around and give in, give it away.
[20:39] Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm gonna give it away. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
[20:50] Oh, oh, oh, oh, I'm gonna give it away. Hi, I'm in the Hospital Chapel today.
[21:01] and I wanted to share a scripture passage with you that has meant so much to me and to so many people throughout the years. It's a passage that I have shared at memorial services, in tragedies, and even in places like this pandemic, when we really don't understand.
[21:22] So hear these words from Romans 8, 37 to 39. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
[21:34] For I am convinced, and I am, that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[21:54] I believe it. I believe that in our separations, in our distancing, the one thing that I know for sure we can count on is that nothing will separate us from the love of God made known through Christ Jesus.
[22:13] Take care, and may the peace of Christ be with you. This week for our ongoing prayer vigil, our prayer team asks that we all continue in prayer for our churches and pastors as we are in transition.
[22:29] The writer of Proverbs 15, 13 tells us that a glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
[22:40] Both the pastors who are leaving us and those who are coming in are in the midst of changes God has called each of them to. And this week, may we pray with glad hearts filled with cheer for the blessings God is granting us by bringing us Pastor Kathy Stengel and Pastor Scott Johnson to our Joshua Connection.
[23:02] Pray that our pastor's preparations are led by the Holy Spirit and God's peace. And Pastor Kathy has asked that we keep her in prayer with these requests.
[23:12] She writes, Please pray that the Holy Spirit might strengthen me for this transition and all that it includes. Pray for strength and endurance in this season of goodbye and hello, for the packing and moving, the leaving and arriving.
[23:31] And for my family, please pray for our grandson, that he will be safely delivered into this world whenever he decides to come out. And for our son, Jordan, and his wife, Sarah, who will be new parents.
[23:46] What a joy that is. And so we will continue in prayer for our pastors and for Pastor Kathy's family in this season. And since the recording of this service, much has also happened in our nation.
[23:59] And for this, too, we are called to prayer. We pray against all forms of injustice, oppression, hatred, and violence. We are reminded that all people are made in the image of God and are of sacred worth.
[24:16] We, as the people of faith, carry the light and love of Christ into the darkness. And we pray that through the power of the Holy Spirit, people's hearts and minds will be transformed as we continue to pray for the healing of our nation.
[24:36] Shall we pray together? Dear God in heaven, we just pray that you'd gather into this place, that you'd pour your Holy Spirit upon us, that in the midst of our struggles and our difficulties, you would be with us.
[24:49] Lord, some of us are hurting because we're feeling physical ailments, pains, and struggles. We know people who are struggling with the virus.
[25:01] We know people who are struggling with mental health issues and people who are just feeling the oppressiveness of these days. Some people are struggling with finances.
[25:13] Some people are out of work. Dear God, we just know that there's a lot of stress and strain on us right now. And we pray that you'd pour your Holy Spirit into our hearts to lift us from our brokenness, that we might feel your healing touch.
[25:32] For those who are struggling with serious illness, Lord, lift that illness from them. For those who are missing someone who has died and gone on to glory, Lord, we pray that you'll send a comforting touch.
[25:46] For all the needs of our hearts, Lord, listen as each of us offers our own prayers to you. And now, Lord, we pray that you will lift from us the burdens, that you will lift from us the scourge of this virus.
[26:13] Take it away, Lord. Push it completely out of our midst. Heal those who are hurting and broken. And take away from us our worries and our troubles this morning, Lord, as we come to you in worship.
[26:30] Bless the scripture reading, Lord, that it might enlighten our minds and illuminate your words. Let the sermon be a message from your heart to our heart and pour out your hand on Pastor Lisa as she offers a word from your heart to us.
[26:48] Bless us in all that we do, Lord, and help us to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart and in our lives as we come to be your people gathered in this place.
[27:00] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[27:41] Amen. Amen. Amen.
[28:12] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. mobility amount Our scripture lesson this morning comes to us from 2 Thessalonians 2.
[28:26] But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, by the loving Lord. because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
[28:40] He called you to this through our gospel that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
[28:54] May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
[29:07] This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Good morning, church. I hope and I pray each of you and all those that you love are well this day.
[29:20] You've been in my prayers all these weeks. We're in the middle of troubles in our world, and we're in a big transition right now for both Niagara Falls First and Pendleton Center churches.
[29:34] Who knew that we'd be at this point on May 31st? I found an unexpected laugh on Facebook not too long ago, and it came from a friend of mine, so it was particularly funny to me.
[29:50] I hope it might grab you a little bit, too. It said on this little meme posted up there, so in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to the question, where do you see yourself five years from now?
[30:13] Yeah. I've never been much for five-year plans myself. In fact, well, it's not that I don't plan. I do plan. For example, I planned my wedding, right?
[30:25] You always plan a wedding. When it's time to get married, you think about how you want things to look. You think about how you want the people to be dressed. You think about what food you want at the reception. All those things, right?
[30:36] But there was one thing about our wedding that Romney reminded me of not long ago and that people asked him about. And what that was was that our wedding was planned for a park at Niagara Falls.
[30:52] And the park that we were going to be at at the falls had no shelters, had nothing but open air and trees. And someone asked, what are you going to do if it rains?
[31:05] I had not planned for that. When I was pregnant the first time with my daughter Bonnie, people wanted to know, well, how are you going to know? Are you going to paint the nursery blue or pink?
[31:16] What are you going to do with that? I said, I don't know. I don't know if the baby's going to be a girl or a boy. So I painted the nursery orange, a light kind of a shade of orange, and I put a border up on the wall that was all fun, cute little circus animals.
[31:31] I thought, boy or girl, orange with circus animals. You can't go wrong. Kind of planning, but not really planning for the perfect event.
[31:43] Of course, there's always the process I'm in right now, becoming ordained. This has taken a huge amount of planning. I've had to go to seminary.
[31:53] I had to go to undergrad school before that even. And now I have lots more that I have to do to continue to get ready before they're going to allow me to go through the process of being ordained.
[32:06] And one step, each step along the way, is kind of requiring that I do some planning. But the ultimate down-the-road plan, five years from now plan, I have no idea.
[32:22] Just like the people in 2015 had no idea where they were going to be. I am much more interested in being led by the Holy Spirit as God sees fit to lead me.
[32:35] But even in the midst of that day-by-day, moment-by-moment, event-by-event, spirit leading, there's an overarching, long-term plan that God has for all of us as Christians.
[32:49] And I do follow that plan. Here it is. Ready? Just keep telling people about Jesus and help them to grow in their faith.
[33:02] That's the plan. Now, Paul wrote this letter to the church, the Thessalonians, and I want to read this portion of you, to you.
[33:15] He said, Stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word or letter.
[33:30] May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and every word.
[33:41] Paul was writing to a church that was in the midst of a time of terrible oppression from people on the outside, from confusion about what was going to happen next.
[33:58] Now, their confusion was about the end times. Was Jesus coming back? When was Jesus coming back? We have a different kind of confusion right now, but we still have confusion, don't we?
[34:11] And they were experiencing all kind of trouble in their own world, their own world of the church. And right now, church, we are kind of experiencing some troubles in that way.
[34:23] Open the church. Keep the church closed. Don't let people in. Gotta let people in. How do we know which one to do? Paul's addressing the church sounds very familiar when it says, stand firm and hold to the teachings.
[34:44] Stand firm and be strong in the Lord in every good word, in every deed that you do. The church is able to stand firm and be encouraged because God has poured out the Holy Spirit into us.
[35:05] Today, we celebrate Pentecost. We celebrate a particular Pentecost, the one that followed Jesus' death and resurrection 50 days later.
[35:22] We celebrate this because we consider it to be the day that the church was born. This is the day that Jesus told his disciples to wait for.
[35:34] The last encounter Jesus' disciples had with Jesus in person on the earth is recorded in Acts chapter 1.
[35:46] And we're going to go there right now and take a look at what was said. Jesus said, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised, which you have heard me speak about, for John baptized with water.
[36:07] But in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So, when they met together, they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?
[36:20] He said to them, It is not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
[36:45] To the ends of the earth. And this was the last time they saw Jesus on earth. they did what Jesus told them to do.
[36:59] They returned to Jerusalem and they waited. The scripture tells us they all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.
[37:16] brothers, what were they waiting for? What were they praying for? Well, church, what are you waiting for?
[37:32] People are talking today about all of the things that they've been missing out on. There's a lot of grieving going on too.
[37:43] we grieve over the fact that we can't be together. We miss it very, very much. We grieve over the birthday parties that aren't happening, over the graduations that can't be celebrated the way we would ordinarily do that.
[37:59] Dance recitals, oh my gosh. We're trying really, really hard over there in North Buffalo to do this via Zoom. We're trying to put together a virtual kind of a dance presentation for the end of the year, but boy, it's a lot of work and it just isn't the same.
[38:20] But beyond things like that, we also have people living in fear. In fear of catching a disease that could make them very, very sick.
[38:32] People who are grieving for those who've died. from being infected by COVID-19. But there are also people, too, who are grieving the loss of loved ones from all kinds of other things that they couldn't be with.
[38:52] Those folks they couldn't say goodbye to. We're waiting for a time when we will be free from the restrictions that have been placed on us, when we will be able to be free from fear.
[39:10] Jesus' disciples were probably afraid, too. And it hadn't been that long since Jesus had died. Now, he rose from the dead and went and met with them over 40 days.
[39:27] And then he ascended and he was gone. But he said, wait, wait and stay in Jerusalem. Wait for me to send the Holy Spirit.
[39:41] Still, I can't imagine that there wasn't some part of them that was wondering, that was maybe grieving a little bit about those things that should have been, those things that could have been.
[39:55] and if Jesus was with us after the resurrection, why couldn't he just have stayed? They were in Jerusalem.
[40:07] That was where Jesus had died. That was where he had been tried for his crimes, where he had been beaten and hung up on the cross. And they were there, his disciples and his family, they were in danger, potentially.
[40:21] There were officials who might have thought that they would cause the same kinds of trouble that Jesus did, that they would have caused uprisings and caused the people to get very, very excited about things that they feared.
[40:36] Yet, Jesus told them, stay there and wait. He said, wait to receive power, to be witnesses for him, witnesses to the whole world when the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
[41:02] That's what's going to happen. Jesus made that promise. I wonder if they even knew what that meant. I wonder if that might have been part of their fear.
[41:17] the first, most important plan for a Christian to follow is to keep telling people about Jesus and help them grow in their faith.
[41:33] Pentecost came while the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem. Now, Pentecost wasn't something new to the church. It wasn't something that the church invented. Pentecost was a Jewish celebration, a Jewish festival called the Feast of Weeks.
[41:50] In fact, it was one of three pilgrimage festivals. That meant that people would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate. And what were they celebrating seven weeks after the Passover?
[42:06] They were celebrating two things. First, they were celebrating the harvest of wheat in Israel. Israel. This was a first fruits celebration.
[42:20] The first harvest of the year would have been of those grains and that wheat, and they would have come to celebrate that God had blessed them, and they would come to offer those first fruits to God.
[42:35] It also commemorates the day that God gave the people of Israel the Torah, or the law of God. Remember the story Mount Sinai with Moses and he comes down with the tablets and the law.
[42:53] Jesus' disciples were there in Jerusalem while all kinds of Jewish folks from all over the place had made pilgrimage to come for the festival.
[43:08] Let's see what that says. I know we have it here in Acts chapter 2. It tells us, now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven, and when they heard the sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
[43:40] Now, Pastor Sherry shared the scripture earlier in the service today about exactly what happened to the disciples that day when the Holy Spirit came on them as tongues of fire and filled them and they began to speak in other tongues.
[43:58] They became so excited for God that they burst out. They burst out of that place where they were staying and went into the marketplace where people from every nation under heaven had gathered for the celebration.
[44:16] And they began to hear these people speak. What did they hear? What were the disciples who had just been filled with the Holy Spirit telling those God-fearing Jews?
[44:32] Well, they were telling their story, story, the story of what God was doing in their lives right then and there, the story of Jesus who came and taught and did miracles and signs and wonders so that it would be known God was among them.
[44:52] Jesus, who by God's set purpose was put to death on a cross and was raised from the dead by God.
[45:04] Jesus was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.
[45:20] God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of that fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
[45:39] Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus both Lord and Christ.
[45:53] This Jesus, this Jesus who was crucified is Jesus who rose from the dead, has become Lord, has become Christ.
[46:05] What's the plan, church? What's the plan about all this? Just what it was that the disciples did. Just keep telling people about Jesus and help them grow in their faith.
[46:18] It's the plan that Paul gave the Thessalonian church. stand firm. Hold on to the teachings that we have passed on to you.
[46:31] God will encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed. Pentecost is the festival of the first fruits.
[46:44] Some translations of Paul's letter call the people of that church first fruits. in verse 13 of chapter 2, but we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you as his first fruits through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and belief in the truth.
[47:17] it is these first fruits that Paul told to stand firm in their faith.
[47:30] You know, theologian Raymond E. Brown summed up the Apostle Paul's life and ministry as calling people, first and foremost, to experience the all encompassing love of Christ.
[47:49] The goal to which Paul devoted his every waking hour. To experience the all encompassing love of Christ.
[48:03] This is what Jesus' disciples began to do on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled them. They couldn't help it. And what was the response they received?
[48:17] What happened with the people that they went out and shared the love of God with? Well, in Acts it tells us, when they heard all that God had done, the people were cut to the heart and said to Peter, and all the other apostles, what then shall we do?
[48:42] And Peter replied, change your hearts and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the promises for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.
[49:08] And with many other words, Peter warned them and he pleaded with them, be saved from this corrupt generation.
[49:20] Those who were accepted his message were baptized and about 3,000 were added to their number that day and these people devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer and everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
[49:44] All the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
[49:57] They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts praising God and encouraging the favor of all the people.
[50:08] And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. This is what the power of the Holy Spirit will do in our lives.
[50:21] Whether we're gathered in a church, in a building, or whether we're in our homes. If we will allow God to give us words to speak and deeds to do that are witnesses of God's work in our lives, we will be doing the work of standing firm.
[50:45] We will be doing the work of good words and good deeds that Paul said, keep doing what we've taught you to do. What are you doing in this time of waiting?
[51:01] What are you waiting for? Churches and other places in our world all need a plan to reopen. But the greatest plan of all is just to keep telling people about Jesus and help them grow in their faith.
[51:22] And church, we can do that from anywhere. What are you waiting for? What are you hungry for in the depth of your soul?
[51:35] Sometimes, church, we need to remember that whatever there is in this world that we long for, the only one who can truly satisfy us is God.
[51:47] God has given us so much and God has given it to us freely. We have all the strength and encouragement we need to be who God has called us to be.
[52:02] But are we offering ourselves to God? What are we offering of the Spirit of God that is in us to our world now?
[52:19] Even in the midst of so much uncertainty, we can walk closer with God and we can bless others if we humble ourselves before God and let him give us everything we need so that we can have the power to be his witnesses, to keep telling the people about Jesus and helping them grow in their faith.
[52:54] Will you pray with me? Feeling like we need to just get on our faces before God to let God help us with changed hearts to be able to serve him better from where we are right now during this waiting time.
[53:15] Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I have sinned. I have not loved you with my whole heart, not completely Lord, nor my neighbor as myself.
[53:38] Father God, during this time of waiting, help me to realize the things that really don't matter.
[53:52] Help me to know what God wants me to do. Help me to know Lord what you want to do in me and through me.
[54:08] help me Lord to put my hope in your plan, not my own plan.
[54:24] Help me Lord to put my hope in what you have done for me in Christ and what you continue to do in me by your Holy Spirit.
[54:38] help me Lord to be part of your church and help us, the church together to do what you have called us to do so that many will come to salvation.
[55:00] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. I'm hungry, I'm home to you, for I know I'm satisfied.
[55:26] I'm empty, but I know you're not just not unright. So I wait for you, so I wait for you.
[55:46] I'm falling on my knees, offering all of me. Jesus, your heart, his heart is living for.
[56:03] Oh, my God. I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I'm hungry.
[56:17] I'm hungry, I'm hungry. Your heart restores my life.
[56:31] So I wait for you, so I wait for you. I'm falling on my knees, offering all of me.
[56:51] Jesus, your heart, his heart is living for. I'm falling on my knees, offering all of me.
[57:11] Jesus, your heart, his heart is living for. Oh, my God.
[57:31] Jesus, your heart, his heart is living for. Jesus, your heart is living for.
[57:51] He's living for. Jesus, your heart is living for. Oh, my God. I'm fasting. I'm fasting. His righteousness, He humbled itself And carried the cross Love so amazing Love so amazing Jesus Messiah Name of the Lord Amen Bless and Redeemer Emmanuel The rescue of sinners The ransom from heaven Jesus Messiah Lord of all
[58:54] His heart came away His heart came away From the end for him All for him The Lord of all And the name was God Love so amazing God so amazing God so amazing Jesus Messiah God so amazing Jesus Messiah Take 10 Amen Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel.
[59:39] Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel. The rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven.
[59:52] Jesus Messiah, Lord of all. All our hope is in You.
[60:07] All our hope is in You. All our glory to You, God.
[60:18] The light of the world. Jesus Messiah. Name above all names.
[60:34] Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel. The rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven.
[60:53] Jesus Messiah, Lord of all. Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.
[61:12] Lord of all. Lord of all. We have said our prayer of confession, acknowledging who God is and who we are, and that we are in need of His saving grace all throughout our lives.
[61:38] We have sung songs of praise, humbling ourselves before God, letting God know how much we love Him. And God has made a way.
[61:50] We remember that when we come to the table and celebrate with thanksgiving, the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup, as members of the body of Christ.
[62:02] We can't do that right now. Because we're not here together with the bread and the cup. But we can't do that right now. But we can't do that right now. But we can't do that right now.
[62:13] We can't do that right now. We can't do that right now. Knowing what God has done for us. Knowing the salvation that has come to us because of what this meal represents. Before we even knew that we were in need of saving, God sent Jesus, proving His love for us.
[62:35] And we can say to one another, in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Glory to God. Amen.
[62:46] All our hope is in Christ. We're reminded of that when we partake in the sacrament. Right now we can offer thanks to God, even if we can't have the bread and the juice.
[63:02] You know, my favorite part, and those of you who know me will remember this, my very, very favorite part of the communion liturgy always is, pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here.
[63:15] And we can pour out. We can ask God to pour out God's Holy Spirit on us wherever we are. In the book of Acts, it's recorded that people received the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in all kinds of places.
[63:29] And we can trust that that promise is true for us today. If you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, as we pray, lift your hands and ask God, pour it out on me, Lord.
[63:46] Pour out more so that I can be filled to overflowing and continue to share your love and grow in your grace. And if you've never known Jesus before, if this idea of church and this idea of a Savior who died on the cross is something that's new to you or something you've not understood, and you're sensing the Holy Spirit in your heart drawing you towards him, ask him to show you.
[64:15] And God will meet you right where you are and allow you to see who he is. So we're going to pray together.
[64:27] 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 a holy thing always to give thanks to God.
[64:45] For all God has done for us and for who God is. And so now we pray together. Pour out your Holy Spirit on all of us, Lord.
[64:57] Even though we're gathered online, fill us with your power wherever we are. And let us know your love for us.
[65:09] Help us walk closer with you than we've ever walked before. And help us share your love with others wherever we are. Help us to help them to grow in their faith, even as you continue to help us to grow in ours.
[65:29] By your Spirit, make us one with Christ and one with each other. And one in ministry to all the world.
[65:40] Showing forth the fruit of the Spirit until Christ comes in final victory. When we will feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit and your Holy Church, all honor and glory is yours.
[65:57] Almighty God, now and forever. Amen. I trust God has touched your heart. And so let's pray together now.
[66:11] Gathered together. In hearts and minds and spirits, the prayer Jesus taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[66:25] 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.
[66:42] 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.
[66:56] Amen. I am weak, but thou art strong.
[67:25] Jesus, keep me from all wrong. Thou be satisfied as long.
[67:38] As I walk, dear Lord, close to thee. Just a closer walk with thee.
[67:51] Granted, Jesus is my plea. Daily walking close to thee. Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
[68:09] Through this world of toils and snares, if I fall to the Lord who cares, whom with me might burn and share, none but thee.
[68:26] None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee. Just a closer walk with thee.
[68:37] Grant it, Jesus is my plea. Grant it, Jesus is my plea. Daily walking close to thee.
[68:49] Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. And now, friends, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, be strengthened and encouraged as you wait in God's presence and hope for all that God has promised us, eternal life in Christ.
[69:15] Continue on as the church, telling people about Jesus and helping them grow in your faith, even as you continue to grow in your faith.
[69:27] Be well. Be at peace. Be blessed. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.