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[3:30] Thank you. Good morning. Good morning.
[4:07] We're not going to have a lot of congregational singing yet, but we want you to say the words as Sue plays the organ. I'll start and you'll repeat. And let's praise God together. This is the day.
[4:26] This is the day. Would you pray with us.
[4:46] Would you pray with us. Let us rejoice and let us rejoice and be glad in it. We ask that you would come and fill us with us.
[5:20] We ask that you would come and fill us with your spirit. Let everything we do honor and glorify you, Lord. And just let this day be a blessing to all who hear. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Praise to you, Lord, we pray with us.
[5:59] Praise to you, Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation. Praise to you, Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation.
[6:11] Praise to you, Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation. Oh, my soul, praise you for he is thy health and salvation.
[6:27] All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near. Join me in glad adoration.
[6:42] Praise to the Lord for all things so wondrously reigning. There's thee our evil sins, there in his keeping may tain.
[7:01] Thou dare adornest all whose true good he upholds. Hast thou not known his first thing?
[7:16] Praise to the Lord who doth prosper thy work and defend thee. Surely his goodness and mercy dear daily attend thee.
[7:35] Hunter, I know what the Almighty can do. Who it is the doftly friendly.
[7:50] Praise to the Lord, all that not at his end we adore him. All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him.
[8:10] The plea of wrath, star from his people again. Gladly forever adore him.
[8:27] Now you may be seated. Good morning church.
[8:50] Good morning. The Lord be with you. And I also be with you. It is indeed a joy to be in God's house. To be about his praise and his worship. Because God alone is worthy. No matter how the world feels, we know that God is worthy to be praised.
[9:04] Amen? As we come today, we are celebrating so many good things that God is doing among the people. At the Niagara Falls First and Pendleton Center United Methodist Churches.
[9:15] My name is Scott. I am part of the pastoral team here. And I am starting some good news as we go through our normal greeting time. First, we have done our turkey drive and we received 60 turkeys out of people's generosity, which is a great thing.
[9:28] Praise be to God for that. Also, during our fish fries, we have also done some amazing work connecting to new people. This Friday, we sold 242 fish fries, which is exceptional and great.
[9:42] We are grateful to God for that. Remember that this Friday is the last one during this season. Make sure you place your orders online, online only, so that you continue to enjoy all the good things, and especially that particular good thing that God is doing among us.
[9:59] Everybody enjoys a good fish fry, right? So, that being said, let's also remember that we have some great opportunities to connect in faith over the coming week. We have our Sunday School, which is meeting virtually on Tuesdays.
[10:12] We are having great conversations there as we continue to dive a little deeper into the scriptures that you will be hearing about today. So, it is a great conversation. Log on. There is more information on the website.
[10:23] We also have Bible study on Wednesday night, led by Pastor Kathy. And she is currently walking through the book of Acts, which is a very exciting conversation to be had by everyone. Also, remember, if you are joining us online, please take a moment to fill out the friendship card.
[10:37] Make sure you give us that contact information so we can go deeper in the relationship with you. If you have a blessing, if you have a concern, make sure that you share that with us so it can go to our prayer team.
[10:48] We are also now coming to our time of preparing for giving. So, when you think about the ways in which God has been good to you, now is the time to be good to God as you love God's people through the ways in which you share that which God has shared with you.
[11:03] You can give online by electronic transfers. Go to Pendleton Church slash give. You can also give your gifts here in person at the church, dropping them in the box.
[11:15] And if you prefer, you can mail them in at your convenience. Let's take a moment and let's go into a prayerful space as we enjoy this time of music and we consider what God has freely given as we give back to God.
[11:29] Please do not stop here. Chicago music plays So bold, I think we must learn. To listen to all the protocene's moments, try to show them for finding. To remove God's characters.
[11:41] It is not aLove Them inwar. Watch your soul again. I am 내일 in the French spacespace. The justification of their emancipation is the in which I see all three Willow in the West's last danse.
[11:53] Escort Time. I hope this evidencia became only more informative in Hublot. Thank you.
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[14:26] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Amen.
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[15:10] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Amen. Take your seat.
[15:50] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[16:02] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[16:14] Eternal Father, we thank you for the gift that is this day. We thank you for the ability to come together and worship you. We come thanking you for who you are.
[16:29] Thanking you that you have given us each other. We thank you for the gift of the love that surrounds us in our lives. We thank you for those who lift our spirits when we are weary.
[16:44] We thank you for those who carry us when we are tired. We thank you for those who give so freely when we are in need. We thank you for those who touch our hearts with joy and laughter in our circumstances.
[17:02] Lord, of course, all of this flows from you because we know you do all of those things for us in ways that we can never do for one another. You care for our hearts and souls and spirits because you know us better than we know ourselves.
[17:19] And as we come this morning, Lord, those things that we carry, whether it's a need for healing in the body. Lord, you know the places where we are not at our best.
[17:33] You know the places where we carry those pains even if the world does not. You also know those names on our hearts, people that we are worried about because they are fighting for their health.
[17:46] Lord, you also know that we all are sitting in the midst of this pandemic, this public health crisis like many of us have never seen.
[17:58] Lord, we are praying for you to move mightily in all that we have named, praying to see your hand work in ways that we need.
[18:10] Lord, we ask, and it feels like we ask for so much sometimes. But Lord, we know nothing is bigger or beyond you. And so whatever your will would be in these situations, help us to understand how you are moving and working and to trust your perfect plan.
[18:31] Lord, we also pray for our national conversation, the ways in which we may not be connecting with one another, the ways in which our discourse and the ways in which our behavior has not lifted up and loved our neighbor.
[18:46] For those fighting for justice, for those seeking to connect with truth, for those working on behalf of those who are in need.
[18:58] Lord, help us to indeed be salt and light for this world that is hurting in so many ways. Help us to speak your truth, to share your love, and be the body of Christ for this broken and hurting world.
[19:19] And Lord, as we gather today, we know that there is so much among us that goes unspoken. Lord, and even if we do not name the things that are hurting our hearts, we know that you are already aware.
[19:38] And as we pray for one another, as we pray for our nation and our world, Lord, we come knowing that you are leading us to the place you would have us go, that you are already at work in ways we may not understand or see.
[19:58] But open our eyes, that we might indeed be your people at this time, that we might live lives that testify that you have indeed saved, you have indeed healed, you have indeed touched, you have indeed edified, you have indeed empowered, and most important, you have indeed loved all your children.
[20:29] This we ask in the name of the one who makes all things possible, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[20:40] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[21:04] Amen. Amen. Amen. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. You know, in addition to the Bible studies that Pastor Scott mentioned earlier, Tucker Smith and I are going to be starting a men's Bible study.
[21:22] And I just wanted to mention that, in case any of the men were interested, here or at home, get a hold of somebody in the office and just tell them that you have an interest in the men's Bible study, and I'll get back to you and give you more information.
[21:37] It'll probably be starting in two or three weeks, something like that. And the study is called Disciple One, which is an excellent study to learn more about God.
[21:49] So this morning's reading, there's two sections. There's Hebrews 12, verses 1 through 3. There's a section from Isaiah in between, and I just want to mention that as we read through this, the first section in Hebrews and the second section, the follow-up section in Hebrews, are both the same sections of the Bible.
[22:11] They're just different. They come from different interpretations of the Bible. One is common English Bible, and the other is from the message.
[22:22] So the first section starts out Hebrews 12, 1 through 3. So then, with endurance, let's also run the race that is laid out in front of us.
[22:33] Since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let's throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith's pioneer and perfecter.
[22:48] He endured the cross, ignoring the shame for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God's throne.
[23:00] From Isaiah 40, chapter 40, verse 31. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
[23:12] They will fly upon wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be weary. And back again to Hebrews 12.
[23:25] Do you see what this means? All these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on, it means we'd better get on with it.
[23:37] Strip down, start running, and never quit. No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished the race we're in.
[23:52] Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed, that exhilarating finish in and with God, he could put up with anything along the way.
[24:06] Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through.
[24:28] That will shoot adrenaline into your souls. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Good morning.
[24:52] Good morning. What a day it is to be here together. And the call is to run the race with perseverance. To run the race looking at our cloud of witnesses and with Jesus as our example.
[25:07] And so it feels very appropriate to pray. And our opening prayer for this part comes from the great spiritual piece, order my steps.
[25:19] Order my steps in your word, dear Lord. Lead me. Guide me every day. Send your anointing. Father, I pray, order my steps in your word.
[25:33] Please order my steps in your word. Amen. You know, running the race. And the scriptures tell us, run with perseverance.
[25:45] And Isaiah says, you will not be weary. You will not be tired. Can I just say that I know a lot of people are tired? And no matter whether the Bible says, don't worry.
[25:58] Don't be afraid. Do not be tired. You'll be, if you're on eagle's wings, it'll be okay. We're humans. And we get tired. Amen.
[26:10] Amen. And we sometimes, in seasons like this, we become afraid, again, of what is around us, what we can't see. So I thought I would talk to my beloved, who is my husband, about running.
[26:29] Running the race. What can that teach us from a cross-country runner from a very long time ago? So I asked him, what keeps a cross-country runner going?
[26:41] What are the things that excite the runner's body to keep going on through this race? And what's really hard?
[26:52] Where are the places that it's really hard, which I'll share in a bit. The first part is the gun out of the starting gate. The sound, the whistle, the horn, whatever it is that they use to tell the runners it's go time.
[27:07] A shot of adrenaline comes from within and shoots right down to people's legs, and out of the starting gate they go. That provides energy and excitement to run the race.
[27:21] There comes a place, maybe halfway through the race, where there's a sense that your body's warmed up.
[27:32] You found your rhythm. You found the pace. And there's a sense where both your body and your mind are saying, I can do this. I can do this.
[27:43] Everything is aligned for me to achieve this race. Those are good things. And we in our own lives can look back and say, well, in my journey of life and faith, where have been the guns out of the starting gate?
[28:01] Where have been the times when our spirits have been shot through with adrenaline around our faith, our careers, our courage, our sense of where God is in the world?
[28:15] Where are those places? And I invite you to think, have there been those places? When we say that we experience some of those things, where do we experience some of those?
[28:31] So I want to talk about perseverance. Now, I looked up a definition of perseverance. Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or disappointments.
[28:50] These runners that you see on the screen are runners that persevered. Not only did they persevere, they are starting gates for some of us in terms of, well, for me, in terms of faith.
[29:04] Why? Because I think both of these pictures are examples of who and what our faith is called to look like, who and what we are called to be as people who follow Jesus.
[29:18] Both of these pictures demonstrate runners running a race. And runners running a race, as they approach the finish line, and they notice that one of the other runners, not their team, is failing, and is tripping, and is going to go down.
[29:40] And what do these runners do? They go back and get them. Oh, Lord, order my steps. That I may look around and see. That I may have a sense that there is that starting line that comes when I look around and see, even in these times of pandemic, and see who among us has fallen.
[30:08] And what matters the most? Does it matter as a follower of Jesus for me to get there first? What good is that? Maybe in your learning about leadership, you might have learned or heard that the best leaders are not so far out in front that the people following cannot see them.
[30:34] Jesus did not lead that way. Jesus did not lead that way. He took the people with him right to the cross. And when he was resurrected, he was resurrected with people who saw him and came to know who he was.
[30:56] There is no place in this faith journey for people who find themselves in a tunnel or in a silo or in a place where they are blocked from the people around them.
[31:12] It's easy in this time of pandemic to stay home and to be sort of about ourselves and our environment and our fear and our sadness and our loneliness and all the changes in the world.
[31:28] And there are things we do not have control over. I don't have control of this virus. I don't have control over politics and people in places that are far beyond me.
[31:45] What do I have control over? I have control over just me. But that doesn't mean that it's just me. That means that like these runners that regardless of win or lose that I'm willing to stop and see around me who are the fallen ones and you as well.
[32:07] You may hear it by phone. You may see it online. You may see someone saying, please pray for me. So how is it in a time of pandemic that we, people of faith, look around and try to find those who have fallen?
[32:23] It's a new day and it's a new way, friends, but our eyes can still be open to those who are around us. Run the race with perseverance.
[32:36] Now, how is it that we do that? We have lit these candles for All Saints Day. Now, this is the third Sunday in a row. First Sunday is when we read the list and named the names.
[32:51] The second Sunday, we lit them again as we looked at this scripture passage and now today they are lit again. running the race with perseverance.
[33:06] I don't know about you, but when I look at this display of candles, there was nobody in my family on that list when we read the names.
[33:21] Maybe there was no one on your family who was on the list. But, oh, Lord, we have such a great cloud of witnesses and I brought mine with me today.
[33:33] I wear on my lapel here a pin that comes from my mother when she graduated from BOCES licensed practical nursing program.
[33:45] my mother never graduated from high school. She didn't even finish the 10th grade. And she married into a college educated family and while no one ever said a word to her, she carried the shame of someone who had not finished the race, who had not persevered for a variety of circumstances.
[34:13] And so when we came to be that teenage time when we were more self-reliant, she got herself out of the house, went to school, got her GED and then went to nursing school.
[34:28] Not only did she go to nursing school, but an LPN is not allowed to pass medications. So she went to more school. And for those of you who are familiar with the nursing world, learning the medications that you have to learn and memorize in order to pass medications is huge for someone who hadn't been in school for so very long.
[34:54] She ran the race and persevered. It just took time for her to realize. And how did she realize that? She realized it through the footprints prayer, which we shared even at her death, that it is not up to you, not by yourself, to get through this muck and mess of a world that we're in.
[35:17] It's this cloud of witnesses, it's this cloud of witnesses when we say, order my steps, Lord, order my steps. I have a necklace wrapped around my wrist, did belong to my grandmother.
[35:38] A feisty woman. Maybe she got to five feet, five feet one, maybe. And she wasn't your ordinary grandmother, let me just say. I'm much more of an ordinary grandmother.
[35:51] Let's bake, let's make things, let's play with the toys, let's do puzzles, let's color, let's run around outside and explore things. My grandmother was the kind of grandmother who said, you get that stinky old chicken and you bring it down to the dock with me and you're going to wire that bait right onto these crab traps.
[36:09] I don't care how stinky it is, you're going to do it, I'm going to show you how to do it. And we wired that slimy, awful mess onto crab traps and then she taught us how to lower the crab traps into the Patuxent River by the Chesapeake Bay where we would catch crabs.
[36:27] And she taught us, these little kids lined up on the dock, don't let too much of yourself be hanging over the side because the crabs, they see your shadow and they will not come.
[36:39] If you're moving, that was the kind of grandmother I had. I had the kind of grandmother who took the crabs and I don't, have any of you ever caught crabs?
[36:50] Anybody have experience catching crabs? Well, there's a size of crabs that tells you whether you can keep the crab or whether you have to put it back. Now, there are a lot of ways to measure a crab, but here's what my grandmother taught us.
[37:06] If the crab is the length of a beer can, then you can keep it. Now, let me say, she did not have us drinking beer, but it did mean that there were beer cans around to measure.
[37:20] Although my grandmother was always with us, we never really had to measure. But she taught us how to navigate catching crabs in traps.
[37:32] Traps are the kind where the sides go down and you yank it up hoping that the crab is in there eating the bait. It didn't, wasn't until long after that that we learned about crab pots, which are all boxed in and the crabs get in but they can't get out.
[37:50] That's not, she didn't consider that really catching crabs. And then, the master of catching crabs was not tying a piece of stinky chicken onto a trap, but tying it onto the end of a piece of string.
[38:08] And you lower the string down into the water and don't dare be hanging over the side of the dock and you have a net over here already in the water and as soon as you feel something, you scoop that net right over there to get that trap, that crab.
[38:24] That's the kind of grandmother I had. The kind of grandmother who had her first child at 14, who made a career and a path and a journey for herself so that she could support those children until she married my step-grandfather and together they created a home that was home.
[38:45] They were the best grandparents a person could ask and they are a part of my cloud of witnesses. We do not get here by ourselves.
[38:59] The song, order, my steps, how do we do this? How do we do this? None of us gets through this race by ourselves.
[39:11] That's not how Jesus intended it. And so, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And what does it mean to run the race with perseverance?
[39:25] Sometimes, friends, it means admitting, I'm afraid or I feel alone or I don't like this world that we're living in right now.
[39:36] And sometimes we need to just say it, that we're tired, worn out, fatigued by rules and regulations and isolation and distance.
[39:49] How many of you are missing hugs from people you love? Thanksgiving will look different for many people.
[40:01] Christmas will be different. But is that a reason to stop running the race? To bury ourselves in sadness and depression and isolation?
[40:13] No. It's a time for people to reach across the gaps and help each other remember, you're here with that cloud of witnesses. You are not by yourself.
[40:24] So there are some ways in which I consider myself called to keep on the faith.
[40:35] First of all, as the Bible tells us, gather with people of faith. Maybe you can't come to church right now for our friends who are walking, watching us online.
[40:45] Maybe you can't come and be in this place on Saturday or Sunday. But oh my goodness, stay with us from wherever you're watching. Gather.
[40:56] That's part of my need to persevere is to gather with people of faith. The Bible teaches us to give. So that means getting my checkbook out and giving in the ways that I can wherever I can.
[41:12] However God calls me to do that and to not stop doing that and to glorify. To glorify the God who brought us to this place, who breathed life into us and whose word says, I have created you.
[41:31] I have a plan for you. Order my steps. Oh Lord, give me a path. And God said, look for me. I send you my Holy Spirit to guide you.
[41:47] Look and listen and gather and give. One great man who describes what it's like to stand in such a great cloud of witnesses.
[42:09] Hear these words of prayer and then I will share with you his story. order my steps, oh Lord, order my steps in your word.
[42:19] Please order my steps in your word. I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill. When we are afraid and failing, falling short, when we are disappointed or lost, hear these words from the late John Lewis as he tells the story about how to answer this call to follow, to run with perseverance, to run, stand, walk, be bound together.
[42:52] John Lewis was a member of the House of Representatives in the state of Georgia. He was in office there from the 80s until 2020, earlier this year when he died.
[43:08] He was a statesman. He was a civil rights advocate. But this story is from when he was a child. He said, we gathered, we, maybe 15 of us, cousins, friends, we're all playing and we're all playing at my Aunt Severna's house.
[43:26] We're playing there out in the dirt and running around and screaming and yelling and all kinds of chaos because we were kids. And then the sky turned black and the wind started to blow and we stopped our playing and we looked around and we were no longer yelling or screaming or playing.
[43:45] We were terrified. And we looked to Aunt Severna and her face told us that she was also terrified. So she took all 15 of us, not her kids, into her little house to be in a space where we could be safe.
[44:06] 15 kids in Aunt Severna, that was a lot of people in that house, little house, just for my Aunt Severna, not for all of us. And the sky turned blacker still and the wind ripped and rolled around us and the tin on the top of the house was thrumming, vibrating, and the windows were flapping and we were afraid.
[44:35] And then as we were in the house, one of the corners of this house that had no foundation lifted up off the ground. The house lifted up off the ground.
[44:48] Now this was not the Wizard of Oz, this was not a movie, this was real. And so Aunt Severna said, alright, everybody hold hands, everybody hold hands.
[44:59] And she walked us to the corner that was lifting up. And she had us stand there, those 15 little bodies, to keep that corner of the house down.
[45:11] And then as the wind ripped and rolled, we'd go to another corner that was lifting up off the ground and we would stand there, these little kids keeping this house from flying off the ground.
[45:25] He went on to write, the storm settled, the house had not blown away, and everyone in the house was okay.
[45:37] But he writes that this is the example of what our life is like. The wind blows and it feels like our lives lift up at the corner, maybe it's a medical crisis, an emotional crisis, a job crisis, a financial crisis, a relationship crisis, a COVID crisis.
[45:59] And the house might feel like it's rising off the ground, and we might cry out, order my steps, Lord, order my steps, help me to find my way.
[46:11] And from John Lewis' example, get your friends, even if it's metaphorically, and hold hands, and go to the place that needs the prayer and help to hold the house down.
[46:27] And when you need friends, you call them. And maybe they're on the phone, maybe they're on Zoom. Can I just tell you that when I was a chaplain out in Denver, we had families on FaceTime, me sitting by their loved one who was dying, and they were on FaceTime on iPads, and together we were the cloud of witnesses who helped their family member go home to Jesus.
[46:57] We can do this with the cloud of witnesses, with the words to order my steps, dear Lord.
[47:11] Order my steps. Bridle my tongue, let my words edify, let the words of my mouth be acceptable in thy sight. Take charge of my thoughts, both day and night.
[47:24] Order my steps in your word. Please order my steps in your word. I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill. And so it says in Isaiah, those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
[47:42] They will fly up on wings like eagles. They will run and not be tired. They will walk and not be weird. The wings of eagles, we do not have to lift ourselves up.
[47:57] We do not have to lift ourselves up. Let us use the word of God. Let us use our brothers and sisters. Let us use our great cloud of witnesses to say, we can do this.
[48:11] I will make it with your help and you may be with mine. But let us find our way together. Reminded, God did not call us this far to leave us behind.
[48:34] Lord, order our steps. Guide us and show us and help us to know your way. let us turn to your word.
[48:48] Let us turn to one another. Let us turn in prayer and praise and not succumb to the abandonment of this world.
[49:01] Oh, Lord, remind us that you are that which we can hold on to like nothing else in this world. In all the sinking sand and winds and storms, oh, Lord, you are our anchor, our foundation, our home, and our way.
[49:23] And we give you thanks in Jesus' name. having heard such a powerful word from the Lord this morning, let us ready ourselves to receive the sacrament of communion.
[49:57] If you have your communion cup with you, I would invite you to have it close. And if you need some, perhaps you could notify the ushers to be sure that one is brought to you. As we come to the Lord's table, we want to be at our very best.
[50:13] And so to help us get our hearts and our souls into the right space, let us take a moment to offer a brief prayer of confession. Would you pray with me? loving God, we know that there are many ways in which we have fallen short, many ways in which we have not lived up to the expectations, ways in which we have done the things you told us not to do and not done the things you commanded us to do.
[50:46] As we come, we just lay down those things now in a brief moment of silent prayer. Hear the good news.
[51:13] Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. And that proves God's love for us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
[51:28] Glory to God. Amen. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
[51:39] It is right and a good and joyful thing. Always and everywhere to give thanks to you, almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
[51:55] You formed us in your image and breathed into us the breath of life. When we turned away and our love failed, your love remained steadfast.
[52:06] You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God and spoke to us through your prophets who look for that day when justice shall roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
[52:25] When nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. And so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
[52:43] Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, that the earth are full of your glory, hold on and the highest. Blessed is you who come to the name of the Lord, hold on and the highest.
[53:00] Holy are you and blessed is your son, Jesus Christ. Your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim the release of the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.
[53:22] He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and spirit.
[53:44] At his ascension, you exalted him to sit and reign with you at your right hand. And on the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, he broke that bread, and he gave it to his disciples and said, take and eat.
[54:01] this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, and he gave it to his disciples and said, drink from this, all of it, for this is my blood, the new covenant, poured out for the forgiveness of sin, for you and for many.
[54:29] 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.
[54:54] Christ is died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and on these gifts of bread and cup.
[55:07] May they be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.
[55:19] 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.
[55:32] Through your son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours. Almighty God, now and forever.
[55:45] Amen. Now with the confidence of the redeemed children of God, let us pray together the prayer that Christ taught us to pray. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[55:58] 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.
[56:13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. So now with your communion cup, we want to make sure that we are doing our best to keep one another safe.
[56:31] So I invite you to keep your mask on while you open the side that has the wafer on it. And then briefly, lower your mask, take your wafer.
[56:47] this is the body of Christ, which is given for you. Take now and eat. And as you prepare to open the other side, this is the blood of Christ, which is shed for you.
[57:12] Take now and receive. And let's pray together.
[57:26] Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have revealed yourself to us. Be now with us in a way that only you can understand.
[57:38] In Jesus' name we pray and ask. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[57:57] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[58:07] Amen. Sing and coming along or singing. Fall like fire, soak like rain.
[58:51] Flow like mighty waters again and again. Sweep away the darkness, burn away the child.
[59:04] And let a flavor to glorify your name. There are hard lines, there are deeper scenes.
[59:20] Whatever you need to do, Lord, do in me. Glory of God fills my life.
[59:34] And I will never be saved again. Fall like fire, soak like rain.
[59:49] Flow like mighty waters again and again. Sweep away the darkness, burn away the child.
[60:03] And let a flavor to glorify your name. I will never be the same again.
[60:18] I will never be the same again. I will never be the same again.
[60:35] I will never be the same again. And I will never be the same again.
[60:47] One of the races, they say, is the hardest, the most challenging, is the relay race.
[61:03] Because not only do you have to run the race, but you have to carry a baton. And then when the time is come, you pass it to the person behind you.
[61:15] And the person behind you must be running at a rate that they can catch up to you, catch the baton, and then go on ahead of you and run and finish their part of the race.
[61:27] What you have received is what you take. You have been fed in the true life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
[61:41] May you run the race with perseverance. May you know that you are a part of the great cloud of witnesses.
[61:51] And you are a product of the great cloud of witnesses. Let us give praise and thanks and always know that we are loved in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[62:06] Amen. May you continue to contribute to the Great Fellowship.
[62:28] Amen. See you compared to me when you are a part of the great deuwdity. Thanks for being with еncelling and to see you, jangan d lorsqu Hausz and hai-t- based ixt ix-san there. Amen. Come with me, l touub差不多.
[62:41] Thank you.
[63:11] Thank you.
[63:41] Thank you.
[64:11] Thank you.
[64:41] Thank you.
[65:11] Thank you.