Transcription downloaded from https://services.pcumc.org/sermons/27649/wake-up/.

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[0:00] Thank you.

[0:30] Thank you.

[1:00] Thank you.

[1:30] Thank you.

[1:59] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. And be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

[2:13] This is the day that the Lord has made. Amen. Amen. And so let us pray. Holy God, we come before you today to give you honor and glory and praise for this is the day that you have made.

[2:30] You have ordained this day to glorify you. And we pray that in this time of worship, we will indeed glorify you. We pray that you will fill this space with your presence, that you will open up our eyes and open up our hearts for your word.

[2:47] Speak to us boldly, Lord, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. And now I'm going to invite you all to stand if you're able. And again, with the singing, we're not singing the words, but you can meditate on the words.

[3:03] You can... On the words. You can speak the words. You can dance. We're singing Hosanna. And if you want to raise your hands up as a symbol and an embodiment of glorifying God, whatever it is that you do to glorify God.

[3:19] Hosanna. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[3:30] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[4:06] The people sing, the people sing Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest I see a generation rising up to take their place With selfless faith, with selfless faith I see a new revival Stirring as we pray and sing

[5:12] And on our knees, and on our knees Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Fill my heart and make it clear Open up my eyes to the things unseen Show me how to love my view And the way Break my life for what makes your hope

[6:16] Everything I am for your freedom's gone As I walk from earth into eternity Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest Hosanna in the highest Hosanna in the highest Hosanna in the highest

[7:18] Hosanna in the highest Hosanna in the highest Hosanna in the highest Good morning, sir. Good morning.

[7:39] It is good to see you on this beautiful day in the neighborhood. Did everybody find a coat yesterday? A sweater? How many people turned their heat on? I figured when it got to be 58 in the house it was time So we are gathered here and it is appropriate for us to begin this part of our worship service With the Lord be with you With the Lord be with you Let us give thanks to the Lord our God For our God is good always and forever We come in gratitude, gratitude for the beauty of the day Gratitude for having a place like this to come and to be in worship Gratitude for being alive Gratitude for life In all the complications, in all of the struggles and strains We give thanks for being alive And so it is that we come before God with our gifts and our offerings

[8:40] The boxes are out in the back here and out by the door as you exit You can also give online on our website or mail a check in We still take checks and cash So we invite you to be a part of that And you can see on the screen the ways to give You know what though?

[9:03] What really matters is your heart Your hands, your feet, your mind Giving of yourself to God For all that God has in mind for you So I invite you in an attitude of gratitude To hear this music as we offer ourselves up to God Thank you Thank you Amen.

[10:06] Amen. Amen.

[11:06] Amen. Lord, we thank you for your incredible blessings, for the love and grace you have filled our lives with.

[11:28] And we give back to you a reflection of our gratitude, a reflection of our praise, a reflection of our commitment. We pray that you will take these gifts and receive them in the love that it is intended and bless them to be a blessing to others, to transform this world into your kingdom for your glory.

[11:46] In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Good morning, church.

[12:00] It is indeed a joy to be gathered together in God's house and online and connected with all those who are with us. As we come, we come with hearts open and we come to have a conversation with God together.

[12:14] Let's open our hearts, discern God's movement as we go to our Lord in prayer. Gracious, loving Lord, you are indeed the God of grace.

[12:27] We, your people, know we come sometimes with our imperfections. We know we come at times when we have not walked the walk that you would have us walk.

[12:40] But you have astounded us by the depth of your love. The ways in which you will continue to reach out for us. The ways you will continue to work to find us.

[12:53] The ways, indeed, you will continue to forgive us as we come. You are indeed the God of wonder. And we come this morning thankful for your many wonders.

[13:08] As we see leaves changing colors. As we see the change of the seasons. As we see the smiles on faces of friends. As we experience the warmth that it is to laugh together.

[13:21] To love together. To worship together. To work together. You are indeed the God of wonder. As we have seen people who are ill be healed. As we have seen those who have been lost be found.

[13:36] As we have seen situations that were overwhelming be overcome. As we see the Lord. You, Lord, continue to amaze us.

[13:49] With your many wonders. And Lord God, you are indeed the God of justice. A God working to set right that which is set askew.

[14:01] So for all the ways in which our world has hurt us. For the ways in which we hurt each other. For the ways in which we may close doors. We know that you are indeed a God who is at work.

[14:14] To create beloved community among all your children. To equalize those things which are not fair. To rectify that which was made not right.

[14:27] So as we come this morning, Lord. We hear the voices and we join the struggles of those working for justice in the world. And Lord, for the many burdens that we carry on our hearts.

[14:40] For those things that weigh down our backs. For the things that lie heavy in our spirits. You already know what we carry.

[14:52] You already know what we say in our spirits. For the Lord, we come as church family together. Lifting up those we know who need your healing touch.

[15:06] Whether it be healing in the body. Whether it be healing in the heart or the mind. Or whether it be some broader situation. A bigger circumstance that engulfs our nation.

[15:19] Whether we see natural challenges like fires and storms. Or the ways in which we talk to one another. You are indeed the God of all things.

[15:33] And we, your people, come to you today. Knowing that you are with us. Help us to follow where you lead. And to listen for your voice.

[15:44] In the name of Jesus the Christ who makes all things possible, we pray. Amen. Amen. Good morning.

[16:20] Great Priority. I'm here to worship with you today. I'm reading from the book of Acts. Chapter 20. Verses 7 through 12. On the first day of the week we came together to bake bread.

[16:34] Paul spoke to the people. And because he intended to leave the next day. Kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

[16:49] Seated in the window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.

[17:06] Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. Don't be alarmed, he said. He's alive.

[17:18] Then he went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

[17:33] This is the word of our Lord. Thanks be to God. What a story.

[17:52] And you wonder, what is it that God has to say to us in this story? Well, maybe the message is, stay awake, people.

[18:04] All of you, stay awake. Stay awake. And you look awake, although with our masks we could be kind of dozing. So the message could be, stay awake.

[18:17] There's things to be said. There's worship to be done. There's bread to be broken. And songs to be sung. And all of that. Well, from a pastor's perspective, that seems like a good idea to tell the congregations, the people listening over the airwaves or in here to stay awake.

[18:37] But wait. But wait. Is it possible that the message is, is that the speaker, the preacher, the talker, talked too long?

[18:49] Too long. Have you ever heard a pastor go too long? I think we probably all have. And some of us have done it.

[19:04] So maybe it's about you. Maybe it's about me. But we're going to inject a little humor this morning. And I invite you to watch this video about staying awake in church.

[19:17] And I'll see you next time.

[19:47] I'll see you next time.

[20:18] Hey. Hey.ي ...

[21:00] ... ... Thank you.

[21:40] Thank you.

[22:10] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[22:22] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[22:34] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This is how you live. And how about that?

[22:46] church that where Paul was preaching. The writer of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles, is the same person who wrote down the words for the Gospel of Luke. And there are some things that go from Luke into Acts that maybe you never thought of. So I'm going to share with you a couple of facts. One is that at Pentecost, earlier in Acts 2, we have this experience where the Holy Spirit comes and the whole church, everybody gathered, they're worshiping and praising God, and wait, they speak different languages, but because the Holy Spirit, now they can understand each other. And so the church was called to worship and pray and be together and teach, and there were instructions given for what that would be like, and these are the necessary ingredients. Teach, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, and miracles done by the apostle. So if that is what worship was about, Paul was about to leave this area, and he wasn't coming back. So I guess he had quite a few sermons left in him to preach to the people who were gathered. But it was not a shock or a surprise that they were going to go through the night, and we'll get to that in a little bit. But the other thing I wanted, you want you to know, is that the miracle that we experience here, where Paul runs out to Eutychus and falls on him, wraps his arm around him, and he is healed. We often think of that as a miracle of resurrection. Did you know that there's a miracle of resuscitation? That one of the four times of four people, and one time with Jesus, there is the miracle of resuscitation. And you might say, you know, six of one, half dozen of the other, what difference does it make? Well, the miracle of resuscitation is different from resurrection, because in resurrection, the person is, and I keep thinking of the wizard of Oz and the witch, thoroughly, mostly, absolutely, indubitably dead, gone, buried in a tomb.

[25:21] There's no question. That is the miracle of resurrection, to bring someone up from the grave, like Jesus, or Lazarus, or many of the other resurrection stories. The miracle of resuscitation comes immediately upon the moment at that which that person appears in all circumstances to have died. But their bodies are still warm, and there's still life within them, even though we don't see it. That is the miracle of resuscitation. And some of you have probably witnessed resuscitations. Anybody ever witnessed a resuscitation? How about on TV? Anybody ever seen a resuscitation?

[26:07] Okay, people. Did you guys watch that? It's time to wake up. I know you've watched TV. I'm sure of it. And I am sure you've watched somebody with someone doing the chest compressions and the rescue breathing. Am I right? You've seen it. That's a resuscitation. So, and some of you may have actually had to have been resuscitated. It's quite an experience. And that's what happened with Eutychus, is that Paul rushed out and he resuscitated him. The other resuscitations that are in the Bible that Luke writes about, Jesus resuscitates the widow's son in Luke 7, verses 11 to 17.

[26:55] Peter resuscitation. Peter resuscitation. Peter resuscitation. Peter resuscitates Tabitha in Acts 9, and Paul resuscitates Eutychus in Acts 20. This is the story of God working in the church. This is the story of the power of God coming through with God's Holy Spirit and saying, no, this person will not die. Now, we don't sit in windowsills here to worship. Back then, they would have been in a small, crowded room up in the upper room, and there would have been people sitting in the windowsills, and there weren't windows. There weren't anything to keep them from falling.

[27:42] So it wasn't particularly a safe place. There were often people on the roof. There's another story in the Bible where someone falls through the roof, because they're there to hear what the good news is. So here we are.

[27:57] But how does that pertain to you and to me? We are at risk, any one of us and all of us. Online, in the sanctuary, we are at risk for falling asleep.

[28:17] We, as people of faith, we look around our nation and we see, what do we see? We see chaos. We see people being unkind to each other. We see people hurt. We see people sick. We see people mad about people being sick.

[28:35] We see people who have deep grief and anxiety, and it comes out as anger. Have you seen a lot of anger these days? Name-calling, criticism.

[28:47] And I'm going to invite you to say, to hear right now, that I am not advocating for anything. It doesn't matter where you stand. It matters that you're a person of faith.

[28:59] It matters that you believe in God the Father and Creator, Jesus Christ, His Son and our Savior and the Holy Spirit, who has the power to heal this land.

[29:12] But who is it that God's going to use? Who? If the people of faith have gone to sleep because they are frustrated and disappointed and exhausted and angry, because sometimes it's easier.

[29:34] Sometimes it's easier just to turn away. Some of you know that our family's been through some difficult times. Our grandson had surgery. Then three weeks later, our son had surgery in Rochester and is still in the hospital.

[29:50] In the midst of that, we are getting ready for our daughter to get married in Arizona. It's been a lot. And there have been times when I look at the news, or I hear people going at each other, and this is what I sometimes do.

[30:07] I just turn away because it's too hard. And yet, if the people of faith, if we give up, if we give out, if we give in to the temptation to be angry and bitter and unkind to each other, if we give up on what the church used to be and what it is and what it will be, then it's almost like death.

[30:40] It's almost like death. And so the call this morning is similar to a hymn that we often sing at annual conference, which is, Are We Yet Alive?

[30:57] Are We Yet Alive? Which means, Are We Yet Alive as believers? Are We Yet Alive with gifts that have been given to us by the Holy Spirit?

[31:08] Are We Yet Alive with the thought that there is always hope? There is always life to be lived. There are always people, if you look left or you look right, there are people who have fallen asleep in hopelessness and frustration and isolation and abandonment and anger.

[31:34] You see, don't mistake some of the angry voices for people who are not good or not kind. They are actually you and I.

[31:45] We are them. Because we sometimes don't know what to do with these feelings. So we might be short-tempered. We might be short-tempered at home.

[31:56] We might be short-tempered with people in our neighborhood or in our workplaces or whatever the case might be. Things that didn't used to bother us are bothering us.

[32:10] You know, there was a time when in your neighborhood or in your church family that it didn't matter. It didn't matter who somebody voted for.

[32:23] It didn't matter which side of an opinion people were on. What mattered was that there was a need. What mattered was that there was a loss.

[32:34] What mattered was that there was an illness. What mattered was there was a new baby. What mattered was a person. Not an idea.

[32:46] Not a voting booth. And I want to reinforce in saying that that we as people of faith are called to take responsibility and be participants in our society, in our country.

[33:03] But you know what? It should never stop us from waking up as the body of Christ. Waking up as the church.

[33:15] And so as we think about, you think about, well, do you look around and you see that there are empty seats? And I invite you to imagine back in the day when all the seats were here.

[33:36] Who's not here? You are here, and I thank God for that. But who's not here? And why might they not be here? And I realized there were three services.

[33:49] So everybody doesn't know everybody, but do we know where people are? Are they safer at home? Are they frustrated or angry because of this new way of life and new way of doing church, these new pastors?

[34:09] And who's looking for them? Who's reaching out? And that's one of those places where I say, wake up, church. We are the body of Christ.

[34:21] Let's look for our neighbors. Make sure they're okay. Even if they don't feel good about coming, are they okay? And what can we do? We sometimes get so stuck in the what we cannot do that we forget what we can do.

[34:37] We can always study and read the word of God. We can always love our neighbor as ourselves. We can always do things in a different way.

[34:52] I've said to people, you want to do a fundraiser? Do a fundraiser, but let's figure out how to do it differently. This is not a place of no. This is a place of different, I understand.

[35:05] But it's not a place of no. It's a place of how can we do it? How can we care for the homeless, the helpless, the hungry? How can we make a difference in places where people are so on sides that they don't even see?

[35:24] People on the ends are crushing the great majority of people because the people on the ends are loud and they're aggressive. It doesn't matter which side.

[35:35] The people of God are not called to live on the sides. They're called to live awake and alert for fellow human beings, for the good of the land, for the good of our community.

[35:53] We have to be able to wake up and not be in a place where we are sleeping and slumbering because we're tired of it.

[36:07] Because you know what? I'm sometimes so tired of it. And so it's easier to hide out at home or fake something or go somewhere.

[36:19] And rest and renewal is good. But brothers and sisters, let us not fall dead asleep as individuals, people of faith, as a church, as a community.

[36:34] Let us rise up. You see, up here, the people who came to that upper room, they came with lanterns because they were looking to hear about the light of the world.

[36:55] They came and lit their lanterns because they were prepared to stay all night through all the darkness. And they came with their lanterns so that when they left, oh my goodness, they took the light of the world with them.

[37:12] The light of the world will never go out. The love of God and love your neighbor will never expire. The call of the church to love you and to love me is so constant.

[37:30] And the call of the church to love those that we cannot see. To love the ones who feel invisible. To love the ones who wonder if they're even seen by anybody in the world.

[37:48] The ones who don't have the courage to say, I'm lonely or I'm sick or I need help. God has gifted us with eyes.

[38:01] And the fall of Eutychus out the window is an invitation and a challenge for us to rise up and be awake.

[38:14] To take turns being awake while others rest. To never, ever forget we are the body of Christ.

[38:25] We are the hands and the feet of Christ. We are people who want to follow Jesus. We have the power to change our environment.

[38:40] I'd like to challenge you as you go through this week. I would like to challenge you and I'm going to challenge myself. Don't engage in public criticism of human beings.

[38:56] Don't condemn people simply because they believe or vote differently. Don't engage in things that hurt people in thought and word.

[39:10] I'm just going to invite you to practice. You still get to hold on to everything you believe. Everything. Nobody wants to take that away from you. And yet, could we practice?

[39:25] Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength. Love your neighbor and love yourself as you have been loved. love the Lord your God.

[39:35] So, maybe let the Pastor Kathy voice be your little alarm clock this week. And when you feel yourself leaning in and you're going in, oh, maybe I don't have to share that.

[39:51] Maybe I don't have to point. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe, in my own way, I can change the world because I am awake to the power of God through the Holy Spirit.

[40:08] Please, oh God, let it be so. Let the people of God all over this land rise up and care for one another because we are the body of Christ and then look around and care for every other.

[40:26] I pray it will be so. In Jesus' name, Amen. The table of the Lord is open.

[40:57] It means it's offered to everyone just as God's grace is offered to everyone. So, if this is your first time here, you've been here all along, if you're seeking Christ in your life, you'd like to receive more of that grace, you are welcome at the table.

[41:14] We'll be receiving, actually, the elements as we walk out into the world. A gift of God's grace, a gift of God's love as we go out into the world, into the mission field.

[41:28] A reminder of how we can spread and share that love and grace with others. The Lord be with you. And with us, lift up your hearts. Lift up your hearts.

[41:39] Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. We give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

[41:53] 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.

[42:04] You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our sovereign God, and spoke to us through your prophets. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.

[42:19] Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

[42:30] Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. holy are you and blessed is your son, Jesus Christ.

[42:41] Your spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

[43:01] 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 the Spirit.

[43:21] On the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread and he gave thanks to God and he broke the bread and he gave it to his disciples. And he said, take and eat.

[43:32] This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And when the supper was over, he took the cup and he gave thanks to you. And he said, this is the blood of the new covenant, my blood poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

[43:50] Drink of this, often remembering 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.

[44:08] As we proclaim the mystery of faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and on these gifts of bread and wine.

[44:23] Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood. By your spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

[44:48] Through your son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. Amen. And now let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

[45:07] 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.

[45:22] 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.

[45:34] Amen. And now I invite you all to stand if you're able because we're going to worship with a song. 좋은ения of faith How can we name our love That wickets heart and mind In dwelling all we know or think Or do or seek or find Within our daily world In every human face Love's echo sound and God is found

[46:35] In a common place If we awoke to life Built on a rock of care That as no great reward But firm assured was simply there We can with parents' names Describe and thus adore Love and then find a father kind A mother strong and sure So live a hundred names Each day we all can meet The presence sent and shown at work At home or in the street Yet the remade we see

[47:38] Shines in the brighter sun In Christ alone is love full grown And life and hope begun As we go from this place May the light and love of God Lead you May you look for light and hope And comfort And may you find it And may you go through this week May you go through this week In the coming days Being able to answer the question If I were to say And are you yet alive?

[48:26] Yes indeed we are So go in peace Spread peace And may the love of Christ surround you Amen Please be seated Alright Thank you.

[49:07] Thank you.

[49:37] Thank you.

[50:07] Thank you.

[50:37] Thank you.