Transcription downloaded from https://services.pcumc.org/sermons/27464/charismatic-worship/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] Good morning. Oh, that was anemic. Good morning. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.

[0:28] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.

[0:43] Let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made.

[0:59] Hello. Welcome to Pendleton Center Church. That's Joan Kirkland, sitting where she usually sits for worship. And here she is, sitting in a completely different part of the sanctuary, so she has a chance to meet some new people that sit around her.

[1:14] She would like to invite everyone to do the same thing for the next couple of weeks, to meet some new people, and to really confuse the pastors. For first-time visitors, we hope you'll pick up one of our welcome bags at the connection site at the rear of the sanctuary or out at the welcome and information desk.

[1:33] We would like everyone to please put your name on a friendship card so we know you are here. And if you would like to receive our newsletter or need to update information, you can fill that out on the front as well.

[1:44] On the back, you can list prayer concerns, blessings, or notes to the staff. Enjoy your service. And we are glad to have you here with us this morning.

[1:55] You too could make one of those videos if you'd like. We have some opportunities for ministry on our clipboards going around the church. One is Vacation Bible School. Coming up next week, we're going to have hundreds of kids here, and we need some help.

[2:08] So if you can help with that, it'll be starting a week from Monday, so we'd love to have you join in that. The other one is that if you'd like to help with communion elements or altar flowers and sponsor those, there's one starting on this side and one starting on that side.

[2:24] So they need to go around as best we can the whole sanctuary. We do encourage and invite you to come to our Bible study this Wednesday night and any of our other activities. Let's take a minute to turn to the Lord in prayer, shall we?

[2:35] Dear God, we thank you for this morning. We thank you for the sunshine and a beautiful day. And we pray that you'd bless us, Lord, and be with us and fill this place with the power of your Holy Spirit. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

[2:48] I'd like to invite you, if you're able, to stand as we're going to sing together, Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing. My great Redeemer's praise.

[3:14] Jesus' name we pray. Jesus' name we pray. Jesus' name we pray. The glory's of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace. My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, To spread through all the earth abroad, it honors all thy name.

[3:39] Jesus' name we pray. Jesus' name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease, Tis music in the sinners' ears, tis life and health and peace.

[3:56] He speaks and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive. The mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.

[4:14] The Lord be with you. And also with you. Take a moment, if you will, and greet your neighbor with the peace of the Spirit. I'd like to invite the children to come up and join me.

[4:45] Any kids want to join me? Good morning, guys. How we doing today? Good morning.

[5:01] Any other kids want to come up? They're welcome. Come on up. Does anybody know what this is? A finger. It's a finger. I thought it was a light. Right? Because I heard a little song that I sang, This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.

[5:19] This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. You ever hear that song? Yes. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. Let it shine.

[5:29] Let it shine. Let it shine. You know the next verse? Don't let Satan get out. Yeah. Or hide it under a bushel. What do you think?

[5:41] No. Yeah, we're going to sing that at VBS. You're right. You know, one of the things that reminds me is every time I see this finger is I'm supposed to be the light of God. I'm supposed to shine with Jesus.

[5:52] And it reminds me of God. That's why we sing some of these songs to remind us of God every single day. Okay? What are you guys thankful for? You guys thankful for anything? Raise your hand. My sister.

[6:09] My dogs. Yeah. My mom and dad. Anybody else? I have a dad's a robot.

[6:22] Okay. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the blessings you give to us. And we pray that you'll pour out your spirit, that we might remember you in all that we do and all that we are.

[6:33] For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Okay. The kids can go out to church school. All the kids are welcome to go out to church school. And I'm going to invite anybody that went on the youth mission trip to come on up.

[6:43] And Ellie's going to share with us her thankful moment this morning. So if any of the people who are on the mission trip will come on down, I'd appreciate that. Thank you. All right.

[7:24] Good morning. So my name is Allison. And as you can tell by the tie-dye, we just got back from our mission trip at Gregg, New York.

[7:35] This is my fourth mission trip. But I was really nervous about going on this one because there were a lot of new youth going that I didn't know. And, you know, because there were so many of us, I didn't know if we'd all get along. But when the trip was over, though, I not only had a great time with my friends, but I met some amazing new people who I was ecstatic to work with, especially working with Emily Thompson, Sarah Kim Kvyak, and Katie Putney, all of them on their first mission trips.

[7:57] Their passion for God and completing our work at Kathy's house was so uplifting and vibrant, and I was so lucky to work with them. But I'm not only thankful for the other youth involved. The adults who go on these trips do not receive all the credit that they deserve, planning out all the little details, motivating us, and being positive role models for all the youth participating.

[8:14] We love each and every one of them and are always so grateful that they volunteer their time and energy. Plus, they drive us to the camp, which is like four hours away, so they sacrifice their potential to take a nap. Finally, I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for God giving me a wonderful, lifelong church family and the opportunity to carry out his word to the people we meet every day.

[8:35] And to anyone even considering joining our group for the mission trip next year, just go for it. Take that week off of work or from your summer schedule, and I promise that you will have an unforgettable experience and meet so many people with kind hearts and open arms.

[8:47] Thank you all for supporting us, and we all appreciate you very, very much. And I really hope that we can add some more new faces to our group next year. Thank you. Thank you, Allie. We did have a great mission trip.

[9:03] There were some people that were concerned because a prayer request went out about a person who was hurt. They weren't people from our group on the mission trip. It was one of the neighbors of one of the houses where we worked. So we do thank you for praying for them, but people were concerned it was one of our young people, and it wasn't.

[9:19] We do thank you for all the support you give to the youth mission trip. And we thank you for giving us your young people and trusting them with us to do some amazing things out in the world. It was a great trip, and I thank God for it.

[9:29] And as we thank God for all the great blessings he gives to us, let's return our Thanksgiving with our morning tithes and our offerings. Amen.

[9:42] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[10:43] Amen. Amen.

[11:43] Amen. Amen.

[12:15] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[12:27] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Dear Lord in heaven, we thank you for the blessings you give to us.

[12:42] They've been such a gracious and wonderful blessing. Receive these gifts, Lord, as our thanksgiving, and use them for the wonderful work that you want to do in this world. We thank you, Lord, for all that you give.

[12:54] Help us to give in return. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. Good morning.

[13:12] Brothers and sisters in Christ, we celebrate the new birth by water and the Spirit through the sacrament of baptism as we become members of Christ's Holy Church. On behalf of the church, I present Eleora Jade Smith for baptism.

[13:32] I'd like to invite the family and sponsors to come forward.

[13:46] These questions are for the parents. Do you reject the evil powers of this world, repent of your sin, and accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist Satan? If so, answer, I do.

[13:57] Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and promise to serve as Christ's representative through faithful participation in his church? If so, answer, I do.

[14:08] Will you nurture this child in Christ's Holy Church and by teaching an example, lead her to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior? If so, answer, I will. And for the sponsor.

[14:19] Will you nurture this child in Christ's Holy Church and by teaching an example, lead her to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior? If so, answer, I will. And will you, the congregation, do all in your power to support this child and encourage her in her Christian faith?

[14:37] If so, answer, we will. Shall we pray?

[14:51] Lord, bless this water as a symbol of your sanctifying and renewing grace. As you have used water to bless the saints of history, let it now bless your child.

[15:02] Pour out your Holy Spirit on this gift of water to bless this child with your grace that leads to eternal life. Help us to know that as we die to this world, we become alive to Christ and share in his final victory over sin and death.

[15:16] Amen. Oh, darling. Our land. Our land. That's a joy of God. Eleora Jade Smith.

[15:28] I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Where the Lord bless you and keep you and give you his grace.

[15:40] Amen. Brothers and sisters, shall we greet our newest member into the family of God? Such a good girl you are. Yes, very good.

[15:51] Very good. This is for you. And this is for her. Okay?

[16:02] All right. All right. It is a great joy to share in the blessing of Holy Baptism and bringing a new person into the family of God.

[16:15] We also share in other blessings. Brad Griffiths shared with us that his wife Kathy came through surgery very well, and we do want to share in that. We also had a joy that Topaz Varney had a little baby, but it is also a concern.

[16:29] She's only two pounds, and so she's in Children's Hospital, and we want to keep her in our prayers and our thoughts as well. If we have other thoughts and concerns that we want to share, let's take a moment in silent prayer to lift them before the Lord.

[16:47] God of power and strength and blessing, we ask that in all that you can do, you will pour out your Holy Spirit on us.

[17:07] Gather in this place, Lord, to touch the hearts and souls of all those who have come to worship you. Put away from our minds and our thoughts and our hearts the things that cause us trouble.

[17:22] We pray to you, Lord, with our difficulties. We need healing in our bodies and our minds and our souls. We need you to be with us, Lord, and we pray for those who are recovering from surgery like Kathy or for little babies that are struggling in life.

[17:39] We ask, dear Lord, that you would take these concerns and hear them. Bless them. Be with those who have needs in their finances or concerns in their relationships.

[17:55] Be with all those who have heavy hearts and struggle with difficulties and worries and things that seem to break us.

[18:07] Bless us, Lord. Pull away from us these concerns. Take them from our minds for this short time that we might just live in the blessing that you can provide us as we come to worship you.

[18:22] Touch us. Let the Holy Spirit fill us this morning. Let the Spirit be upon the Word of God that as these ancient words are read, we might be inspired by the Word you give us.

[18:35] Hold us, Lord. And lift up our hearts and fill our spirit as we've come to worship you. Bless this church and all her people.

[18:50] Bless the people of our families and our friends. Bless our community. Bless this nation and this world. Be with all the troubled places and fill them with your power and spirit.

[19:03] And gather, Lord, your nations that we might worship you and that we might bring peace. For we pray this all in the powerful name of Jesus Christ.

[19:15] Amen. And now shall we listen to the Word of God? Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[19:32] Amen. Amen. Amen.

[19:42] Amen. Amen. Good morning. Today's scripture reading is Ephesians 5, 13 through 20.

[19:55] But everything exposed by light becomes visible, and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said, Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

[20:08] Be very careful, then, how you live. Not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what is the Lord's will.

[20:23] Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking with one another with psalms, hymns, and songs of the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.

[20:39] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the word of the Lord. Thank you, Jennifer. This week, this series of sermons, we're looking at what makes United Methodists different.

[20:54] What makes them different from other faiths, other religions, other denominations. And we're going to start out with a quiz. So if you've got your little piece of paper you got as you came into the sanctuary, or if you want to take a piece of your bulletin and tear it off, or if you know how to do Adrian's really cool technological thing that I don't understand, answer this question.

[21:14] What is a glorious day? Is it A, the day the Bills win the Super Bowl? Is it B, a song we sing in church?

[21:27] Is it C, the day a person retires from working? Or is it D, the day our sins are forgiven? A, B, C, or D. Very simple.

[21:37] Just put a letter on that. That's all you got to do. And Adrian and Julie are going to come around with a basket and pick up your answers. So feel free to turn them into the center aisles, or outside aisles, or whatever aisle strikes your fancy.

[21:51] And we'll give you the results of that in a little while. In this passage, in verse 19, from Ephesians chapter 5, it says, Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, songs from the Spirit.

[22:06] Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord. Do you know that we sing a lot as Methodists? Some of you that come from other churches are like, Oh my gosh, they sing a lot in this church.

[22:19] Methodists have always sung a lot. One of the co-founders of the United Methodist Church was Charles Wesley, John's brother. He wrote 5,000 songs.

[22:32] I would be amazed if somebody wrote 500 songs. He wrote 5,000 songs. And they sang them all the time as Methodists.

[22:46] From the earliest days, we not only had a hymnal, we had a songbook as well. On the way to the mission trip, up in the Adirondacks, I rode with some young people in my car.

[22:59] And because I was a driver, I chose the music. And we listened to music from the 1960s. Talking about my generation.

[23:10] People try to put us down. And I had explained to them about the changes that went on in music from the love songs of the early 1960s.

[23:23] I wish they all could be California girls. To the protest culture of the late 1960s.

[23:37] Come gather around people wherever you roam and admit that the waters around us have grown. Somehow, that music made me feel good.

[23:49] Have you ever noticed that? We even turned the dial back when the guy on the 60s channel talked too much. To the 1950s. And we got Sinatra. And we got Dino Martin.

[24:01] Everybody loves somebody. Sometimes. Something calming and soothing about that. And the reason was not because it took me back to a gentler, easier time in the life of our nation.

[24:15] If you lived through those days, you remember that they used to take us as small children. And have us sit under desks or put our heads up against lockers. Because they might drop a nuclear bomb on us.

[24:27] That's what they told us when we were five or six years old. Not exactly a time of ease and calm. But I didn't care and I didn't worry about it because that was a time when I knew I was taken care of and loved.

[24:40] By my mom, my dad. The people, the grown-ups took care of it. And sometimes I just want to escape to that kind of life.

[24:51] In verse 16, it talks about the days that are evil. The days that are evil. And sometimes it feels like we're living in troubled, evil days.

[25:06] So it's not surprising that people want to escape from it. It's not surprising that we have people who are taking chemicals and drugs and drinking too much so that they don't have to think about this world.

[25:18] We want to escape these evil days. But Paul tells us, do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.

[25:29] Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Now, having a drink occasionally is not going to hurt anyone. But getting drunk leads to trouble, leads to difficulty, leads to behaviors that are not what we would normally do if we weren't so incapacitated.

[25:47] Paul knows that. He knows our desire, our temptation to escape. And we all have it. We just want to forget the world for a little while.

[26:01] No phone, no lights, no motor car, not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, as primitive as can be. That's what it's like when we go on a mission trip.

[26:13] The fun part, probably what I like the most about the mission trip, is I don't hear what's going on in the rest of the world. I have no idea what our president has said.

[26:24] I have no idea what's going on in the lives of everybody. I don't have Facebook I'm watching or anything else. Unfortunately, I do have a cell phone in case somebody calls me in the marriage. I say, ah!

[26:34] Ah! But for a short time, I can just forget the concerns and troubles of the world. We sit around a campfire, we sing songs, and we pretend the rest of the world and all its troubles are not there.

[26:53] Back in the early days of Methodism, there weren't enough pastors. So they really only saw their pastor once every three months.

[27:10] Once every three months, they'd get together for something called quarterly conference, and their pastor would show up. Before then, most of the churches were served by lay pastors who couldn't do the sacraments, no baptisms, no communion.

[27:27] So they'd gather four times a year for a celebration of the faith. Well, after a while, they wanted to keep it going, so they started bringing meals, and they started bringing overnight accommodations.

[27:39] And little by little, some of these quarterly conferences turned into something we called camp meetings, where people would go out in the wilderness, and sit around campfires and camp out in tents and listen all day to preachers and sing all night about God.

[27:57] They had rudimentary accompaniments at first, maybe a little box for a couple of preachers to sing from. Mostly they stayed in tents and lived out off the land.

[28:10] After a while, they built something maybe a little bit more accommodable. Is that a word? I don't know. It doesn't matter. And after a while, camp meetings became a big thing.

[28:27] And they went on for over 100 years. People would gather for days upon days upon days. And here's the interesting thing. I read about them. They said nobody that preached expected anybody to convert to Jesus or be particularly moved on the first day.

[28:43] That stuff had to wait for three or four days of God germinating in a person's life. It took three or four days to get rid of all the other stuff, all the other garbage in life, to let God's power sink into you.

[29:00] Have you ever gone away with God for three or four days? It's an amazing experience. Yes, on mission trips, we help people. We build houses. And we talk to people about Jesus.

[29:11] But I think it's a time around the campfire when we share the God moments of the day. And the first day, hardly anybody shares. There's a couple people that have been on trips for years, but really, not too many speak up.

[29:22] But by the time you get to about the third, fourth, or fifth day, everybody's sharing something that God has done in their life. It's an amazing experience. I was talking to the people in my car who were tortured by the music from the 1960s.

[29:37] And the song came on. By the time we got to Woodstock, they were half a million strong. Anybody here go to Woodstock?

[29:48] I don't want to know. I don't want to know. I went to the Jesus version of Woodstock. It was 1975. We went out to a farm in Mercer, Pennsylvania. And for a week, we just worshiped Jesus.

[30:02] We sang songs. We prayed. We listened to speakers. I have no idea where we got our food from because to this day, I don't remember eating. We did not take baths. If the rain rained on us, that was our bath.

[30:15] By the time we were done with that week, we looked pretty scary. That's another story. But we are pretty filled with Jesus. It's good to get away, to have our life inspired.

[30:30] I'll fly away, oh glory. I'll fly away. When I die, hallelujah, bye and bye. That was anemic.

[30:44] Really? You guys are already asleep? Come on. Come on. You got to work with me here. You see, we need to focus our life on Christ. When we come to worship every week, it's an opportunity for a mini retreat.

[31:00] For a short little period of time, we can forget everything that goes on outside these walls and just live in the glory and the wonder of God.

[31:11] A mini retreat, a get away with God in worship. God's Holy Spirit inspires us, fills us, moves us with the renewing power of God.

[31:21] In verse 13, it says, everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.

[31:35] This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.

[31:46] Let it shine. Tell me you don't like that next verse. Don't let Satan get out. Oh, I love that, don't you? I'm going to let it shine. Filled with the power that only God can give to us.

[31:59] Last week, I was talking to Dick Anderson. We've been praying for him for a couple of months to recover from a fall. And unbeknownst to me, he came to church last Sunday. He was here in church.

[32:10] He said, I was doing real good until that hymn. They started singing that hymn. Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.

[32:22] He said, it just got me like this right in my heart. Have you ever noticed that about music? Music can do something to us. It can transform us. It can change us.

[32:32] Someone said it's like praying twice, once with the words and once with the music. It touches our very soul. God calls us to come together, to lift up our hearts and our souls and our songs before God.

[32:46] Now, that doesn't mean we don't need it in our daily life, because we do too. We need to fill every day with God. It says in verse 19, speak to each other in psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.

[33:04] Is that what you do? I have to admit to you that the songs that we were singing in the car were not from the Christian radio station, as much as it should have been with a pastor on a retreat with his teenagers.

[33:16] Yes, I was listening to 60s music. What songs do we have on our iPad? What songs do we sing in the shower when nobody's home?

[33:29] What songs fill our lives, and what do we do with that? And do we even know Christian music, and do we know how to sing it? John Wesley actually gave us instructions for singing in the front of the Methodist hymnal.

[33:42] Now, I'm not going to read you all of this, but I think it's great. Good instruction. It says, Learn these tunes before you learn any others. Afterward, learn as many as you please.

[33:53] Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all. And if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn them as soon as you can. Sing lustily with good courage.

[34:06] Beware of singing as if you are half dead or half asleep. But lift up your voice with strength. However, sing modestly. Do not bawl so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you might destroy the harmony.

[34:24] But unite your voices together. Sing in time. Sing. Above all, sing spiritually. Words from John Wesley that just say that part of what we're supposed to do is to come together and praise God.

[34:40] And with songs. The Bible tells us to sing a new song before the Lord. It doesn't matter if we've got the words down right or if we've got the best voice in the world.

[34:51] We can blend our voices in. So there we were and we were talking about the parable of the sheep in the dining hall. And, you know, you could see the kids were kind of smiling.

[35:03] And right after that it was like, I just want to be a sheep, ba, ba, ba, ba. I just want to be a sheep, ba, ba, ba, ba. I pray the Lord my soul. In the meantime, there was another group there kind of going, what?

[35:17] What are they doing? I just want to be a sheep. We learn it in Sunday school. We learn it in VBS. I don't want to be a Pharisee.

[35:27] I don't want to be a Pharisee. I don't want to be a goat. Nope. And it teaches us daily.

[35:38] Because God wants us to be wise. In verse 15, Paul says, be careful, very careful how you live. Not as unwise, but as wise people. Wise. The word is actually sophisticated.

[35:51] That's the word we have in English. And it's actually a name. Sophie. It's the wisdom of God. It's the feminine aspect of God, which is wisdom.

[36:03] And ladies, you can do whatever you want with that. But the aspect of God that is wise, that has understanding, that sees around itself, and knows what needs to be, comes from God.

[36:15] Deuteronomy tells us these words. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds. Tie them as symbols on your hands. Bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.

[36:31] Write them on the door frames of your houses and your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give to you and his ancestors. God wants to bless us as we fill our hearts with the word of God.

[36:48] It says to us we need to learn from each other. Do not be foolish, but understand what is the Lord's will. Don't look for what everybody else is saying. Look for what God is saying to you.

[37:00] And finally it says, always give thanks to God. Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done.

[37:10] Right? Count your blessings. Remember that even though these are evil days and it seems as if brokenness is all around us, the truth is you have incredible blessings from God.

[37:23] We are so quick to point to the negatives in our lives. We are so quick to see all the things we don't have. We are so quick to see that the neighbors got something we didn't get. We are so quick to point out about our problems or our aches or our pains, not recognizing that every single morning we get up and take breath as a miracle from God.

[37:41] Amen? That God blesses us, fills us, moves us, gives us people that love us and people that we can love. Oh, it's so easy to get distracted from a life with God.

[37:54] It's easy to lose our way. That's why Paul says we need to be very careful. Not a little careful, but very careful.

[38:05] We need to think before we act. Is what we're doing going to honor God? In the military, my wife talks all the time about situational awareness.

[38:21] Being aware of the world around you. Knowing what's going on and what you're seeing and what people are seeing. Because people see God through us and what we do.

[38:34] You know, in the early days, United Methodists, well, they were Methodists at the time is what they were called, and they were called enthusiasts. Enthusiasts. And it was not a compliment. They said Methodists were too enthusiastic about worship.

[38:50] They would literally shout. Can you imagine such a thing? Say hallelujah. Hallelujah. They would actually sing and dance.

[39:00] Yes, Methodists were not in favor of dancing, but in the Methodist rules it said, dancing should not happen except in worship, where if God moves you to dance, get up and dance. It's okay. Methodists would express the power of God when they felt the Holy Spirit come on them.

[39:16] They wanted everybody to know. And so they called them enthusiasts. They said they were too emotional. And over the course of time, a lot of things changed.

[39:30] Even the camp meetings changed. They replaced the tents with cabins. Just kind of modest things. A place where you could stay and have a safe roof over your house and you could go back to it the next year.

[39:42] But little by little, they decided they needed better accommodations when the speaker was speaking, too. So they built big halls, very, very well appointed, usually air conditioned. You know the kind I'm talking about.

[39:53] And eventually even the houses turned into something more like that. Silver Lake, where I own a summer home, was originally a camp meeting ground with tents.

[40:05] And people gathered out in the woods to praise God. Now we have beautiful houses. We have wonderful grounds. And only occasionally do we even hear the name of God.

[40:19] All the spirit, all the power has disappeared. Our spirit and our mind and our heart and our soul need to work together.

[40:32] It's not one or the other. It's not an academic thing we do when we come together before God or a spirit-filled thing. It's not a place where we show love for one another or we do great things to show our love for God.

[40:51] One of the greatest struggles for the church, all churches, not just Methodist churches, is we've lost our zeal. We've lost our passion. We've lost our excitement.

[41:02] We've lost our sense of who and what we are. This church grew and thrived and was formed on the powerful spirit of the Holy Spirit.

[41:15] Not our ideas, not our work, not our actions, but God himself coming in this place. So people said, wow, when I went to worship, I felt God. Amen? When I came to worship, I felt lifted up as if the Holy Spirit had come right down into this place and I could say hallelujah.

[41:34] A couple of you said it anyway. Somebody's waking up. Could you imagine if we sang like they sang? If we celebrated like they celebrated?

[41:46] In 1 Thessalonians, it says to us, rejoice. When? Always. Even when you're having problems, pray. Continually. Give thanks in all circumstances.

[41:57] Don't complain. Don't be miserable. Don't be down all the time. Give thanks in all circumstances. This is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. And if you don't do it, you're going to quench the spirit.

[42:09] Don't quench the spirit of God. Could you imagine if we were as excited about God in church as people are at a football game?

[42:19] You're going to quench the spirit of God.

[42:49] We have to go. We have to go. We have to go. We have to go. We have to go. We have to go. We have to go.

[43:00] We have to go. More people would become more involved. The world would be a better place.

[43:12] God would smile. More people would go to heaven. That would be awesome. It would change the world. It would spark a revolution. Jesus party.

[43:23] It would be really cool. Lives have been changed. It would be a whole world of happiness and joy and God-loving people. It would be cool. It would be a revolution.

[43:35] Everyone would be in church. And there'd be no way to help people. Jesus makes me want to shout. Kick my heels up and shout. Kick my hands up and shout.

[43:46] Do the wave. Ready? Here you go. Okay, give it back to them. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. I don't think they even do the wave anymore in stadiums.

[43:57] But we can do it in church. Let's see what your quiz results are like. 21 believe that the glorious day would be when the Bills win the Super Bowl. Not truly surprised.

[44:09] Nine say it's a song we sing in church. Six said it's a day a person retires from working. Somebody's looking forward to that. 77 said it's a day our sins are forgiven. And 4 said all the above, even though it wasn't the answer.

[44:23] I can imagine why you'd see any of these as a glorious day. The real answer to the question for today is B. It's a song we sing in church. You'd know that if you listened to the songs we sing in church.

[44:36] We sang it on Easter, you would think. You'd know it from Easter. God wants us to have a glorious day. Every day.

[44:47] And particularly every day we gather to worship Him. During evil days. During evil days. We need at least one glorious day a week.

[45:00] To change our lives. Change our direction. Change our hearts. Change the way we look at things. Amen? Amen? Ah, you're not shouting Methodist, but you're getting there.

[45:11] Joshua chapter 1 says to us, Have I not commanded you? Be strong. Be courageous. Don't be afraid of what people will say about you. Do not be discouraged.

[45:23] For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. And it can be discouraging. I sat around the campfire.

[45:36] I think it was Friday night, but it doesn't really matter. And I picked up my guitar and I started playing songs. I started playing songs and I thought maybe some of the kids would sing with me. One or two did.

[45:47] I started at the A's in this book. You see how big this book is? I started in the A's and I sang different songs. I even switched over to the VBS songbook thinking that got me one or two.

[45:59] And finally, somewhere along the line, Josh came and joined me with his bass because he was just so excited about the possibility of playing music with somebody. So it's the two of us jamming away.

[46:09] Once in a while somebody would come and sing. We got to the Y's. A song called, Lord, You Are Good. That's in the Y's. There aren't many songs after that.

[46:20] X and Z. Not many songs named that, right? And so there's a part in the song where you're supposed to go acapella. And we said, no, we're just going to end.

[46:32] We looked at each other and just, you are good. And we ended and we're going to quit. And all of a sudden we see people on the other side of the campfire going, All the time, all the time.

[46:44] You are good. You are good. All the time. And we're like, what? They didn't sing for all that. We're going to quit. With a song we're going to quit on. And they start singing.

[46:57] And we just went back to singing. And praising God. Because God calls us to encourage each other. To share with each other.

[47:08] To lift each other up. God is good. And all the time. In Revelations chapter 2.

[47:19] Jesus wrote a letter to the Ephesians. I hold this against you. You've forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen. You used to be so filled with God.

[47:30] You used to be on fire for God. And now it's just something you do. Repent. Turn around. Do the things you did at first.

[47:40] If you don't repent. I'll come and remove. Your light. From you. Folks.

[47:54] We need to change. We need to change. Not just in our church. We need to change. The church. Have you ever heard of something called the burned out district?

[48:05] The burned out district is the place where the greatest revival happened in America. And it didn't happen when you went to church and it looked like this.

[48:16] The burned out district.

[48:41] thought That ever happen to you?

[49:17] It's happened to me in church, let me tell you. I hope it hasn't happened here, but it happens. God says we need to change. Verse 14 says, wake up. Wake up, sleeper.

[49:28] Rise from the dead. Christ will shine on you. We need to wake up.

[49:39] Be revived. A revival. The burned out district, the most powerful religious experience that ever happened in the continent of the Americas started right here.

[49:52] In western New York. And it turned the whole nation on fire for God. And I believe we can start it up again. If we'll go to the power of God.

[50:06] Not worrying about escaping by getting drunk or high or just ignoring the world with some video game. But living the glory, the power of God.

[50:17] In Psalm 98 it says, shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Burst in a jubilant song with music. Make music to the Lord with the harp.

[50:29] The harp, the sound of singing with trumpets. And the blast of ram's horn. Shout for joy before the Lord, the King. Shout to the Lord. God calls us to lift up our voices as excited as we would at a football game.

[50:46] Say amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You feel like dancing. You can get up. It's okay. Let me give you a little song. This is from the Methodist songbook in the 1800s.

[50:58] You're going to enjoy this. The world, the devil, and Tom Paine have tried their force but all in vain. They can't prevail.

[51:09] The reason is the Lord defends the Methodist. They pray. They sing. They preach the best. And do the devil most molest. If Satan had his vicious way, he'd kill and damn them all today.

[51:23] They are despised by Satan's train because they shout and preach so plain. I'm bound to march in endless bliss and die a shouting Methodist.

[51:37] Amen. I, Jesus, I save you.

[52:08] For there is one like you. All of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love.

[52:23] My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength. Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you.

[52:44] Shout to the Lord, all the ungrannessing, power and majesty, praise to the King.

[52:56] Mountains bow down at the seas, the war at the sound of your name. I sing the joy at the work of your hand. Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand.

[53:17] Nothing compares to the promise I have in you. My Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like you.

[53:37] All of my days, I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love.

[53:48] My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength.

[53:58] Let every breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you.

[54:09] Shout to the Lord, all the ungrannessing, power and majesty, praise to the King.

[54:21] Fountains bow down at the seas, the war at the sound of your name. Fountains bow down at the seas, the war at the sound of your name.

[55:00] Fountains bow down at the seas, the war at the seas, the war at the seas.

[55:30] Fountains bow down at the seas, the war at the seas, the war at the seas, the war at the seas. Fountains bow down at the seas, the war at the seas, the war at the seas, the war at the seas. Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin. Dwells among men, my example is He.

[55:44] His blood became flesh and the blood became flesh and the light shined upon us. His glory revealed. Living He loved me, He loved me, dying He saved me, Buried me, carrying my sins far away.

[56:04] Rising be justified, freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day, O glorious day.

[56:19] One day they led Him of Calvary's mountain. One day they nailed Him to die on a tree.

[56:33] Suffering anguish, despised and rejected, bearing our sins, my redeemer is He.

[56:44] And many nations stretched out on a tree and took hail from me. Living He loved me, dying He saved me, Buried me, carrying my sins far away.

[57:03] Rising be justified, freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day, O glorious day.

[57:22] One day the grave could conceal Him no longer. One day the storm rolled away from the door.

[57:33] Then He arose over death He had conquered. Now is ascended, my Lord evermore. Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him.

[57:49] I'm rising again. Living He loved me, dying He saved me, Buried He carried, my sins far away.

[58:02] Rising be justified, freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day, O glorious day.

[58:18] Glorious day. Glorious day. Glorious day. Glorious day. One day the trumpet will sound for His coming.

[58:31] One day the skies with His glory still shine. Wonderful day my beloved, my friend, me. My Savior, my Savior, my Savior.

[58:42] My Savior, my Savior, He's mine. My Savior, my Savior, Jesus is mine. Living He loved me, dying He saved me. Dying He saved me, buried He carried, my sins far away.

[58:56] My sins far away. Rising He justified, freely forever. One day He's coming, O glorious day.

[59:09] O glorious day. Glorious day. Glorious day. Glorious day. Glorious day.

[59:38] Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever. Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever.

[59:55] People from every nation and time, from generation to generation, we worship you.

[60:06] Hallelujah, hallelujah, we worship you for who you are. We worship you.

[60:23] Hallelujah, hallelujah, we worship you for who you are. Lord, you are good.

[60:43] You are good and your mercy endureth forever. Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever.

[60:56] Lord, you are good and your mercy endureth forever. People from every nation and time, from generation to generation, we worship you.

[61:10] Hallelujah, hallelujah, we worship you for who you are. We worship you for who you are.

[61:24] We worship you for who you are. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, we worship you for who you are.

[61:35] You are good all the time. All the time. You are good.

[61:46] You are good. You are good. All the time.

[61:58] You are good. All the time. You are good. All the time. All the time. all the time God is good and all the time please be seated and unfortunately we're not we really aren't it's no surprise that we give in to temptation it's no surprise that we get worried about what other people are going to say and think it's no surprise that we sometimes lose our zeal first one to start clapping that I saw was somebody who's quite old didn't care what anybody else thought

[63:10] I'm just going to clap young people are like no I can do it I'll do it at the campfire past time I can do it here no no no somebody will see me clapping I might miss a beat you know we all clap different God wants us to change our lives repent turn it around turn it around it's not just a few actions which we do need to get right but it's also an attitude a new attitude a new way of looking at life it's not about brokenness pain and what we don't have but about what God has already given to us let's pray together dear God in heaven I'm sorry I've done things wrong I've done things wrong I've acted wrong I've worried wrong forgive me Lord put your Holy Spirit in my heart take away the brokenness take away the focus on what's wrong help me to count my blessings and live as a servant of God for it's in Jesus name we pray amen this is the good news

[64:25] Jesus has already decided to forgive you before you even asked all he wanted to do was see that you want to turn so change your life and God will change your life in ways you can't even imagine in the name of Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven in the name of Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven glory to God amen amen glorify my heart let me be as gold and precious silver glorify my heart let me be as gold pure gold we find a spark my heart's one desire is to be holy set apart for you Lord my choose to be holy set apart for you my master ready to do your will you know it's a subject for another sermon but in the early Methodist church they were Anglicans and they were used to celebrating communion every week like we do but in the early days of Methodism there simply were not enough pastors to go around so the people called Methodists only received communion once every three months some of you think that that made it special from the days of old but imagine you just can't do it can't even come to the table so the highlight of the camp meetings was when they opened up the table and invited people to come not just people that were Methodists but people they had brought with them people that weren't even sure if they were Christians people who just said

[66:55] I want Jesus because the table was the way they did the altar call you're all welcome to come to the table you're all welcome to receive the table of God it's God's grace for you it's where we meet God it's where we receive God the Lord be with you lift up your hearts let us give thanks to the Lord our God it's right it's a good thing always and everywhere to give thanks to God not focus on all the negative not focus on what's wrong or what we don't have but give thanks to God for the incredible amount of blessings he's given to us and so with all the people on earth and all the angels in heaven we praise his name and we join there in him saying holy holy holy Lord God of power and might heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord

[67:56] Hosanna in the highest holy are you blessed is your son Jesus Christ he was willing to come down into our darkness our brokenness the mess and the confusion he left glory above for us he died on a cross was taken down so we could be lifted up on the night in which he was betrayed he took the bread and gave thanks to God he broke the bread and he gave it to his disciples he said take and eat this is my body it's broken for you for the forgiveness of sin eat of this remembering me when the supper was over he took the cup he gave thanks to God and then he gave it to his disciples and he said drink from this all of you this is my blood of the new covenant it's poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin drink of this remembering me and so in remembrance of these mighty acts in Jesus Christ we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ offering for us as we proclaim the mystery of faith

[69:07] Christ has died Christ has risen Christ will come again pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup and pour out your Spirit upon your church Lord fill us electrify us transform us make us into the people of God so excited about our faith that we can't contain it and the light shines to all the world to see bless us Lord make us your strength and your glory and do all that you can to lift us up that we might lift you higher for you are our God and we've come to give ourselves to you and we pray in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit amen Jesus taught his disciples a simple prayer let's share it together our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever amen for those who are assisting at the table come forward at this time please amen to are and there are the

[70:51] Thank you.

[71:21] Thank you.

[71:51] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. God is calling you today to let him enter into your life in a powerful way.

[72:14] Come to the table, not as you've come before, but come expecting to receive the very essence of God, which is what you get at the table today. You're welcome at the rail for prayers for anointing or healing or to light a candle.

[72:28] Come and join us with the Lord. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[72:39] Amen. Amen. Thank you.

[73:12] Thank you.

[73:42] Thank you.

[74:12] Thank you.

[74:42] Thank you.

[75:12] Thank you.

[75:42] Thank you.

[76:12] We'll invite you to stand if you're able as we sing together. God be with you till we meet again. God be with you till we meet again.

[76:38] By his counsels guide upon you. With his sheep securely.

[76:49] God be with you till we meet again. Till we meet.

[77:02] At Jesus' feet at Jesus' feet. God be with you till we meet again. God be with you till we meet again. God be with you till we meet again.

[77:42] Till we meet till he can't until we meet till we meet. till we meet till we meet.

[77:54] Till we meet God be with you till we meet again. It's a song with a surprise, isn't it?

[78:06] We think it's sort of just one of those quiet church songs and then it bursts out with this incredible stanza which you can picture thousands of people in the wilderness singing to each other, till we meet, till we meet, till we meet at Jesus' feet.

[78:24] May God surprise you with glory this week. May God startle you with his Holy Spirit. And may God break into the places where you feel the most broken and cleanse it out with the light of God so that it bursts out of you in glory and wonder and your light shines before God.

[78:45] May the Lord bless you and be with you now and forever. Amen. Amen. Amen.

[79:07]  Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.