May 21, 2025 • 59 mins
What if the triumphant entry wasn't triumphant at all? Rather, it was Jesus staging a powerful protest against the empire. While Rome paraded through Jerusalem's main gates with war horses and soldiers, Jesus deliberately chose a different path—riding a borrowed colt through the back entrance, surrounded not by military might but by ordinary people who'd witnessed his miracles.
This Holy Week, we're exploring how Jesus consistently upends our expectations of power and greatness. Through the familiar stories of Palm Sunday and the Last Supper, we discover a revolutionary message that remains radical even today: true greatness comes through service. When the disciples argue about who is greatest among them, Jesus doesn't just correct them—he completely redefines greatness itself.
Perhaps most striking is who Jesus welcomes to the first communion table. Not just the faithful, but the betrayer, the denier, the doubter. Everyone is invited—a profound challenge to our tendency to create boundaries around belonging. Even as Jesus predicts Peter's denial, he's already planning for his restoration, telling him, "when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." The spiritual journey isn't about never falling; it's about how quickly we return to love.
This teaching invites us to practice seeing others differently. When confronted with difficult people, can we move beyond judgment to compassion? Can we recognize that the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us, bringing resurrection power to whatever dead places we carry? As we approach Easter, we're reminded that God's love for us is as great as God's love for Jesus—and that truth changes everything.
Join us next Sunday for our Easter celebration, and mark your calendars for May 23rd when we'll gather for a hymn sing at First Love Church. Whatever brokenness or disappointment you carry, know that you are welcomed in the house of the Lord, just as you are.
This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church you can donate at https://www.firstlovechurch.org/giving
In the service of LOVE,
Pastors Dennis and Heather Drake
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the First Love Church Podcast.
This is a collection of Sundayteachings inspired by the
Revised Common Lectionary andrecorded weekly in Ocala,
florida.
Resurrection is coming, andthat is such good news, and so
this morning, as we're here, Iremind you of this truth
Whatever brokenness you find inyour life, whatever
(00:23):
disappointment you have, it iswelcomed in the house of the
Lord.
You are welcomed in the houseof the Lord.
Next Sunday is Easter and,spoiler alert Jesus does not
stay in the grave, but once andfor all, death is defeated.
Thank you, this idea.
He is risen.
(00:43):
He is risen indeed is our hope.
But as we enter into Holy Week,we don't rush to the
resurrection.
We don't ignore our pain, wedon't ignore our disappointment.
We actually embody it, feel it,and in the grieving and in our
heartache we are entered intothe spirit of resurrection.
The good news is this the samespirit that raised Christ from
(01:08):
the dead lives in you, beloved.
Whatever dead places are in you, look at them with hope because
of the power of theresurrection.
Next Sunday is Easter and thoughwe're present now and gathered
here, thank you for being hereBe with us next Sunday as we
celebrate the resurrection, andon your calendars Mark, may 23rd
(01:29):
.
I know it seems like a farplace away, but we're going to
have a hymn sing.
That means on a Friday nightwe're going to get together and
we're going to sing the hymnsand I'm going to be there.
So the hymns are going to besung loudly and so you should
come and you should sing loudlywith me and invite your friends,
and there'll be more details.
But on the 23rd put on yourcalendar we're going to sing the
hymns together.
Again, we're so grateful it'sgoing to be here at the house,
(01:53):
at the house.
I called this the house.
Yes, we're here at this house,god's house, our house, all of
us together here at First Loveon the 23rd of May, and we'll
have more details about that.
But when you're filling in yourcalendars, I'm grateful for
that.
I want to bless you thismorning with peace.
I want to remind you thismorning that the Spirit of God
(02:14):
is here with us.
The scripture says where two orthree are gathered in the midst
of them, when they're gatheredin Jesus's name, the presence of
love is there.
So whatever you have need ofthis morning, the presence of
God is here for you.
Dove, would you read for usthis morning?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Good morning, all right.
I'm reading about the triumphalentry from Luke 19, starting in
verse 28.
From Luke 19, starting in verse28.
After telling his story, jesuswent on toward Jerusalem,
walking ahead of his disciples.
As they came to the towns ofBethpage and Bethany on the
Mount of Olives, he sent twodisciples ahead.
(03:17):
Go into that village over there, he told them.
And as you enter it you willsee a colt tied there as has
never been ridden.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks what you aredoing, just say the Lord needs
it.
So they went and found the colt,just as Jesus had said.
(03:37):
And sure enough, as they wereuntying it, the owner asked them
why are you untying our colt?
And the disciples simplyreplied the Lord needs it.
So they brought the colt toJesus and threw their garments
over it for him to ride on.
Then the crowd spread out theircoats on the road ahead of
Jesus.
As they reached the place wherethe road started down from the
(03:59):
Mount of Olives, all hisfollowers began to shout and
sing as they walked along,praising God for all the
wonderful miracles he had seen.
Bless the king who comes in thename of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory inhighest heaven.
But some of the Pharisees amongthe crowd said Teacher, rebuke
your followers for saying thingslike that.
(04:20):
He replied.
If they kept quiet, the stonesalong the road would burst into
cheers.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Amen.
Thank you, dov.
I want to remind you where weare in the story of Jesus.
Every time we gather together,we remember Jesus.
Jesus is the way, the truth andthe life, and we come together
to hear the faithful witness ofChrist because we have been
(04:51):
people that are callingourselves followers of the way,
followers of the ancient path.
In fact, the prophet Jeremiahsays this stop, stand where you
are, stand at the crossroads andask for the ancient paths, ask
where the good ways are andfollow them, and you will find
rest for your souls.
Beloved rest for your souls isoffered in following the Jesus
(05:18):
way.
And so, as we gather together,the light of Christ in Dennis
and I salute the light of Christin you the spirit that is in us
salutes and honors the spiritof God that is in you.
And together, as we gather, thelight grows brighter, the
reflection is better.
The facets that you have seenof Christ you witness to us.
(05:39):
The facets we have seen ofChrist, we witness to you, and
the facets that come to us inthe witness of scripture are
available for all of us to allowour minds to be able to see the
testimony that is Jesus.
This morning, in this particularpart of the season where we're
entering into Holy Week.
This is the story of protest.
(06:01):
I love that sometimes in thescriptures it says a triumphal
entry, but I want to remind youthat unless you actually saw the
whole play that was beingunveiled there, you may miss it.
Because while Jesus enters inthrough a gate, he's actually
entering in through the backgate, because Rome is entering
through the front gate withgarrisons of soldiers.
(06:23):
Imagine with me the sound onthose cobbled streets of horses
and marching soldiers, and it'shot and there's glinting of
their armor.
And it's this huge show offorce, it's a huge show of
domination, it's a huge show ofsaying this is how the world is
(06:44):
run.
And the political powers ofthis day came to the town on the
same day that Jesus did everyyear, because what happened was
when the high priest would cometo offer the sacrifice, the
crowds that were usually 50,000would be about 200,000.
And so Rome would show up andsay you want to see who's mighty
(07:04):
, you want to hear about whereall your hope should come.
It comes here, from thisgovernment, and they would make
a big show and everyone wouldknow and all the people would be
by the gates to watch this showand Jesus comes through the
back door riding on a colt.
Not a war horse, not a horse,that is a big stallion that's
(07:24):
been trained to trample people,but the colt a foal.
And I love that part of thescripture, dove.
When you read it it just remindsme the Lord has need of it.
Oh, what a good password forall of us when we're looking at
things in our life going well.
Why would I give it?
The Lord has need of it, lovehas need of it, the truth has
need of it, and so I'm sograteful for this story.
(07:46):
But I remind you of this You'veread this story before.
You kind of know where this isgoing.
At the east gate, the back gate,jesus comes in, but to a
different kind of.
Caesar comes in here, jeromecomes in to a parade and Jesus
comes in here.
Hiram comes in to a parade andJesus comes in in a form of a
(08:07):
protest.
This is not going to work outthe way that you thought it was
going to, and I want to tell you, the people at the big gate, at
the front gate, would have beenall the politicians, would have
been everybody who's ineverybody, and those at the back
gate would have been people who, in the chapters before we've
been talking about them have hadtheir dead brought back to life
, have had their food given tothem, have had their sick healed
(08:27):
.
And these are Jesus' followershere who are saying no, we've
seen the king.
He looks different thanpolitical powers.
We've seen the king.
He's coming a different way.
And they began to say blessedis he who comes in the name of
the Lord.
And they began to wave palmleaves, and these palm leaves
were also a protest.
Dwayne is unhappy, but the Lordis going to bless him and he
(08:51):
has really good parents, so wecan all just we're so grateful
for the sound of babies in ourmidst, but they also were
probably protesting, and this isa beautiful way.
So they grabbed these palmbranches and 150 years before
there was an uprising theMaccabees and they defeated an
army that had come over them andthey were so excited about it
that they actually printed ontheir monies these palm branches
(09:13):
that said this is whatrevolution looks like.
And so, as they're grabbingtheir palm branches, they're
also saying we know how God isgoing to do this, we know what's
going to happen.
The scripture tells us in a fewother places when Jesus sees
this, he begins to weep forJerusalem.
He says I want to gather you,like a mother hen as she puts
(09:35):
her wings out and gatherseveryone to her.
This is what I want for you.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And God is inviting us still today to be gathered,
to be returned to love, to jointhe protest of saying this is
what love looks like you know,the followers of Jesus uh,
they're, they're, they'recelebrating, uh, but still doing
it in the form and the way thatthey've experienced in the past
(10:02):
and really kind of stilloperating in the idea of how
they think revolution shouldcome In the past.
You know, 150 years ago, whenwe defeated our enemies, this is
how we celebrated.
So you're marching in the backdoor and our idea is that you're
just going to overthrow Romeand we're going to have this
glorious time in the city, andwe're going to have this
(10:25):
glorious time in the city.
And still it was people thathave watched Jesus, his entire
ministry, do something, doeverything differently, and yet
they still have their way thatthey think God's going to do it,
and that form or that way isnot the way.
Now let's fast forward to yourlife and my life right now.
(10:49):
We never do that.
We never, you know.
Tell God this is the way youshould work in my life, or we
plan on and expect.
We never get disappointed whenit doesn't work out exactly the
way we want it to.
We never raise our fists inanger, accusing god of not being
there when he doesn't show upto perform the dance that we
(11:10):
choreographed.
Come on church.
It's still happening.
So even those that are followingstill need to understand
there's going to be a way andcan.
Can I still trust God in thatway?
Because I love the way of usjust trampling our enemies, but
(11:33):
the way of passive service andwrapping a towel around your
waist and washing feet, that'snot my idea of honor and glory.
I had a whole different picture.
Help us be able to see what Godreally wants to do in our lives
(11:53):
and in the world.
Help us not have such a strong,preconceived notion to the way
we think God ought to rule andreign that we miss the call to
wrap that towel around our waistand grab that basin and wash
the feet of those that arearound us.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I want to read to us this morning from Philippians
Let the same mind be in you thatwas in Christ Jesus Beloved.
This is enough of a challengefor us.
If we go no further, if wedon't read all the verses
planned, this is an invitationfor us.
For us, if we go no further, ifwe don't read all the verses
planned, this is an invitationfor us.
This is the repentant way.
Change your thoughts, allow Godto give you a higher thought
(12:31):
than the thoughts that you have.
But the Apostle tells us hereyou choose this.
You allow the spirit to changeyour thinking.
The same mind that was in ChristJesus.
Though he was in the form ofGod, did not regard equality
with God as something to beexploited, but emptied himself,
(12:52):
taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness and
being found in human form.
He humbled himself and becameobedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Jesus' way, love's way ishumility, is laying down life,
is saying.
This is the sacrificial way.
(13:13):
Therefore, god has also highlyexalted him and given him the
name that is above every name.
So, at the name of Jesus, everyknee should bend in heaven and
on earth and under the earth andevery tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, tothe glory of God, the Father.
(13:33):
Beloved, this is like us takinga periscope or a telescope or a
James Webb telescope and sayingthis is what the future looks
like.
This is what it looks like whenevery consciousness, when every
person is aware of the Lordshipof Jesus Christ, when every
person surrenders and returns tolove.
This is the hope for us.
(13:53):
So, beloved, let this mind bein you, the same mind that was
in Christ Jesus, who gave upeverything and said God's way of
doing things is the best way ofdoing things.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know, I'm sure many of you have gotten angry
and given people a piece of yourmind and it's never really
helped the situation, has it.
Maybe you felt good for aminute and then you had to pick
up all of the broken pieces andwe have our thoughts and our
ways of doing things and we allcan agree that if we can follow
(14:28):
that path and find that place ofdoing it the way christ would
have us do it, we would benefitand, and so there is really then
that struggle of why do wecontinually uh, walk away from
that plan, you know, and it's uh, and and I walk away.
And that plan, you know, andit's and I walk away.
And the scripture says you know, you walk away from that mirror
(14:50):
and you forget what manner ofperson that you are.
You know we walk away from himand we walk away from that.
There needs to be for us Idon't know maybe something in
every service where we could dothings in remembrance of him,
maybe some way that we couldbring ourselves back to
(15:12):
reminding and understanding howimportant it is.
I work in the wood shop a lotand I do that because I was
taught by my brother and my dad.
I've made every cabinet doorthat's in my house and in other
people's bathrooms and housesand stuff around Marion County,
but I use three differentrouters and with a style and a
(15:34):
rail bit and then a raised panelbit and I was over at my dad's
wood shop with my brother and heshowed me how to set it and how
to do that.
And then when I came home andmy brother's gone my dad's not
there and there's a house fullof cabinets with no doors.
I looked at this pile of woodand said now how did he show me
(16:01):
to do this?
Did he show me to do this?
And it was so important that Iremembered the words that my
brother showed me, that he spoketo me in the way that he showed
me and I carefully consideredthat way.
As I'm operating with machinesthat could take my fingers off,
(16:22):
I need those for other things,and so the importance when I
recognize the words that werespoken to me are life.
They're valuable, I need them.
Do we see how important thewords of Christ are and how much
of a natural ability we have toforget them?
(16:49):
How quickly and easily weforget which one of those router
bits go where and at whatheight in order to make that
whole door function correctly.
And so it's not difficultfunction correctly.
(17:09):
And so it's not difficult, itjust requires consistency and an
effort for us to remember.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Amen, beloved, remember this morning that you
are made from God and of God,that the spirit of God is here
with us Even now.
Everything that you have madeof is love.
God is love, and our returningto love, our returning our minds
to the idea that love is themost powerful force that we
(17:33):
could ever, ever imagine, thatradical love is the way of
Christ and it is an invitationto us into a knowing, into
something more to us, into aknowing, into something more.
Hear the fullness this morningof Zechariah's prophecy Lo, your
king comes to you triumphantand victorious, humble and
(17:57):
riding on a donkey, on a colt,on a foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariotfrom Ephraim and the war horse
from Jerusalem and the battlebow will be cut off and he will
command peace to the nations andhis dominion will be from sea
to sea and from the river to theends of the earth.
Peace, this is the good news,beloved, the Jesus way that
(18:19):
loves way.
Though it often looks likeprotest to the world's way of
doing things or to empires wayof doing things, jesus is saying
this is God's way.
Jesus showed us what it is liketo be fully human and to be
able to fully embody hishumanity but live a life that is
abundant with God.
(18:41):
In fact, jesus said to us Ihave come that you would have
life and have it to the full.
The Jesus way for us isunderstanding the fullness of
life that is coming to us.
I read to us this morning fromLuke's gospel, chapter 22.
Now the festival of unleavenedbread arrived when the Passover
(19:01):
lamb is sacrificed, and Jesussent Peter and John ahead and
said go and prepare the Passovermeal so we can eat it together.
Where do you want us to prepareit?
They asked him, and he repliedas soon as you enter Jerusalem,
a man carrying a pitcher ofwater will meet you.
Follow him at the house that heenters and say to the owner I
(19:25):
mean, think about that as thestory.
I mean, masterful storyteller,you're going to see a man
carrying a pitcher of water,follow that guy.
I'm unhappy following the GPS.
I just want to tell you thatbecause I'm constantly
questioning the authority.
Do they even know where I am?
How can they dare tell me?
And they don't give you thewords, they give you symbols.
Now it's like we're returningto hieroglyphs.
(19:45):
I don't want that.
Let me line up the words.
So Jesus is here and he'stelling them you're going to
follow this guy, you're going toenter in and you're going to go
to the owner.
And the teacher asks where isthe guest room where I can eat
the Passover meal with mydisciples, and will take you
(20:06):
upstairs to a large room that isalready set up.
That's where you should prepareour meal.
I want to stop here just for amoment.
They already set up forsomebody to come there.
I just want you to think for aminute with your holy
imagination.
Sometimes the things that God isasking you to do are set a
table because you have no ideawho's coming.
It might be Jesus, it might besomeone who needs to eat at that
table, because what drives usto the table?
(20:27):
Beloved Hunger, and at thetable we come and we can take
our masks off and we canacknowledge our hunger and we
can be fed and nourished.
That is where you shouldprepare our meal.
And they went off to the cityand they found everything, just
as Jesus had said.
Here is another testimony orwitness that you can trust the
(20:50):
words of Jesus.
And they prepared the Passovermeal there and at the time Jesus
and the apostles sat downtogether at the table and Jesus
said I have been very eager toeat this Passover meal with you
before my suffering begins.
Eager to eat this Passover mealwith you before my suffering
begins, for I tell you now thatI will not eat this meal again
until its meaning is fulfilledin the kingdom of God.
(21:10):
And then he took a cup of wineand he gave thanks to God for it
.
And then he said take this andshare it among yourselves, for I
will not drink wine again untilthe kingdom of God has come.
And he took some bread and gavethanks to God for it and he
broke it into pieces and he gaveit to the disciples, saying
this is my body which is givenfor you.
(21:32):
Do this in remembrance of me.
And after supper he tookanother cup of wine and said
this cup is the new covenantbetween God and his people, an
agreement confirmed with myblood which is poured out for
you as a sacrifice.
But here at this table, sittingamong us as a friend, is the man
(21:53):
who will betray me.
For it has been determined thatthe son of man must die.
But what sorrow awaits the onewho betrays him?
And the disciples begin to askeach other?
Which of them would ever dosuch a thing?
And then they begin to argueamong themselves about who would
be the greatest among them.
(22:14):
I do not want us to miss thismaster class in missing the
point.
If you think anything aboutthis story, pay attention to
Jesus saying I'm going to dieand I'm going to suffer, and one
of us here will betray me.
And this gets into a matchbetween who is the best, who is
(22:35):
the greatest.
Here we see divine love.
Here we see an invitation intomystery, into awe, that Jesus is
preparing a banquet for themand they're going to eat
together.
And then ego gets involved.
And then we miss the words ofJesus and start trying to figure
(22:57):
out who among us is greaterthan the other.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I think that we really do need to see how that
can play out in our everydaylife too.
The missing of the point, whenwe start to worry about those
wrong things, the things thatdon't really matter At this
point, at the meal did it matterwho was the best?
And just the very fact thatyou're you're thinking about
(23:24):
that thing kind of puts you atthe back of the line on that
whole humble deal.
Anyway, I suppose.
But uh, I I like for us to seea point that is uh often forgot
in our church doctrine, and Imean church worldwide, and it's
the idea that uh, uh, I have anight vacation and always when
(23:45):
it's Sunday, we find some churchto go to, and more times than
not, we're not welcomed at thechurch that we visit to partake
in communion.
They'll say, you know thateither we're not part of their
denomination or we're notmembers of that church or, for
whatever reason, they have rulesthat say that you can't partake
(24:07):
in communion, you know, and andit always, always is a little
sad for us because we're maybein some other country, in some
beautiful um building that wasbuilt to honor god, to make you
look up and see these, thebeautiful stained glass and the
spiral and just the glory inthat, and then just to kind of
(24:29):
be not welcome because somehowsomebody decided we didn't make
the cut, we didn't have what ittakes, you know, for whatever
reason, and uh, and then, uh, I,I sell that to say, uh, let's
think about the guest list atthis first communion table,
we've got the 12 disciples.
(24:50):
Now, of those 12 disciples hecalls out, yeah, just one of you
that just finished eating isgoing to betray me, so it.
But yet the betrayer waswelcome at the table, but we're
not unless we've signed somedocuments at certain places.
Who else was at that?
Well, there's a Some peopledon't like the nickname Doubting
(25:16):
Thomas, but he seems to havethat through some people.
So the doubter can come to thetable.
Wow, so the betrayer and thedoubter can come.
Well, let's see who else isthere.
Well, we have a denier too, onethat won't even you know, and
(25:39):
I'm sure you can go on and findother.
The egomaniacs were also alsowelcome, and so I I just I can
say that finding ourselves inthe middle of this, uh, it's,
it's just more of an example ofwhy he's made a way and that we
are welcome than us as people,which is our tendency to get off
(26:04):
track here in the middle of ofhim talking.
We're trying to figure outwho's the greatest and who's the
most worthy of sitting at thetable, instead of us recognizing
that God has made any of usworthy.
And so I wonder if that canhelp you in how you see yourself
at the table and how you maybeoffer that and present that to
others table, and how you maybeoffer that and present that to
(26:29):
others, because we tend to bepeople that are that try to find
a way to exclude.
So I'm supposed to love myneighbor, yeah, but is that
everybody, including that oneguy that acts weird and does
that stuff and he doesn't seemto really be following christ
right now.
So I don't know if I shouldreally have to.
You know, know, and we're, Ithink, challenged here to find
that way of acceptance and thatway of including folks versus
(26:53):
just trying to decide.
Is there a people group?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
I'm better than let's all Lord have mercy, christ
have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
When we're aware of ourthoughts that are different from
the thoughts of God, wesurrender them, we repent and we
say give me a higher way.
When you find yourself harsh orangry, a prayer offered to you
(27:17):
is Lord, by the Holy Spirit,allow gentleness to be who I am,
finding ways to acknowledge orbe aware of our thoughts and
then be able to surrender themto the way of Jesus.
This is for us, a hope of thenew way.
They begin to argue amongthemselves about who would be
the greatest among them, andJesus told them.
(27:38):
In this world, the kings andgreat men lord it over people,
and yet they are called thefriends of the people.
In fact, jesus is calling intoquestion your idea of greatness,
my idea of greatness.
He's calling into question ourdescriptors and our definitions.
Do friends of the people behavelike this?
(27:58):
Jesus is asking us, inviting usquestion these things.
But among you it will bedifferent.
That's good news beloved.
Among you it will be different.
As followers of Jesus, we followthe way of Jesus.
We follow the Holy Spirit whohas led Jesus and also leads us.
(28:21):
Those who are the greatestamong you should take the lowest
rank and the leader should belike the servant Beloved.
This is the Jesus way.
If you want to be great inGod's kingdom, you become the
servant of all.
This is what greatness lookslike.
Again, we just read inPhilippians and we're reminded
God is Jesus and Jesus shows usthe way back to God in this
(28:45):
beautiful returning.
And Jesus said humility is theway Jesus begins to demonstrate
to them, to rehearse in front ofthem, to put on this beautiful
way of remembering.
In fact, just last week and wewere reminded of this in the
scripture that we read Marywashes the feet of Jesus,
anoints them.
I'm reminding you of theoriginal prophecy in Genesis,
(29:11):
where it says that one day theseed of the woman will crush the
head of the serpent, will crushdeath.
Mary anoints his feet, anointshis heel, and said this is going
to be the one.
Jesus' feet are washed.
And then, at this same thing,jesus now goes and washes the
feet of the disciples and washesthem and brings them to the
(29:34):
table and says whatever kept youfrom coming to the table, I'm
removing it.
Whatever keeps you from comingto receive all of what God is,
jesus removes it for us.
Those of you who are thegreatest should take the lowest
rank, and the leader should belike a servant.
We pause here for a moment tothank you for joining us today.
(29:57):
If you're finding this episodemeaningful, would you take a
moment to share it with a friend?
This podcast is made possiblethanks to the generosity of
people just like you.
If you would like to supportthe ongoing work of First Love
Church and the continued work ofour podcast, visit us online at
firstlovechurchorg, remindingyou to like, follow and
(30:20):
subscribe.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
And I just want to remind you like when I was
talking about, you know, tryingto remember the words that my
brother gave me so that I makesure that I'm making those doors
correctly that you know howmuch of a of a you know kind of
an example for us is that inthis life, that that Jesus gives
us this way of living, but itis so easy and we are quick to
forget, and so we, we, we, youknow must make some kind of plan
(30:45):
or purpose.
Yeah, the communion table is toto remind me.
You know, the scriptures saythat, for what mary did will
always be remembered, you know,and and is it just oh yeah, that
was that chick that did that?
Or is it really like this saint, this amazing woman of god, who
(31:05):
was able to recognize, in themidst of what was going on, what
everyone else missed, that wecan, can serve and honor Jesus
in this way, and how beautifulthat is.
But that's so easy to forget,it's so easy to miss, and that
how I serve Jesus today isserving the least among us.
(31:25):
I've been around in places andmet people, and I was so excited
to meet them in the churchworld, people that maybe had
written books and stuff that Ihad admired and gotten, and I
wanted to go tell them oh, yourbook meant something to me.
And I just saw them lookingover my head because I meant
nothing, because I had nothingto offer them.
(31:46):
I didn't offer them a pulpitthat they could come preach in
or whatever.
And the next guy came up and Iwas brushed off, you know, and
so much of the time that wecould, by ministering to the
people who are in front of us,change lives and really be
Christ.
And that's the thing.
I wonder if you and I realizethat Christ is born again every
(32:10):
time you make that choice.
That's good To bring God intoyour life, into your daily
activity, when you're kind tothose people, when you make a
choice.
What a power, a keg that we'resetting on, what the glory of
God that's transmitted and we'relooking for, maybe some
(32:32):
position, and we missed thatwe're setting on.
What a glory of God that'stransmitted and we're looking
for maybe, some position, and wemissed that we were at the
front gate.
We should have been at the backgate the whole time, learning
the ways of the master who showsus to serve.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
But among you it will be different.
Those who are greatest amongyou should take the lowest rank.
Please recognize it is for us achoice.
You take the privilege and thepower that you have been given
and you surrender it for theleast of these.
This is the Jesus way.
This is the way to includeothers into the kingdom and at
(33:06):
the table, and the leader shouldbe like a servant.
Who is is more important?
The one who sits at the tableor the one who serves?
Again, jesus is asking us toreconsider our definitions, to
reconsider a society, toreconsider how we rank people.
Who is more important, the onewho is sitting or the one who
(33:26):
serves?
The one who sits at the table,of course, but not here, beloved
, not here, for I am among youas the one who serves.
Jesus comes and takes and putson a towel and offers a basin
(33:47):
and serves the bread and giveshis life and says this is the
way to live, to reallyexperience your humanity, to
really understand what it's like, to savor every moment that you
are here in this present body,for you to experience all the
things that God has for us.
Do it through service, lovethrough service.
(34:10):
We see the Jesus way.
You have stayed with me in mytime of trial and, just as my
father has granted me a kingdom,I now grant you the right to
eat and drink at my table in thekingdom.
That's where we should havebeen shouting.
Beloved Jesus said I now grantyou this kingdom, all of us, we
(34:31):
are granted the kingdom we aregranted to come and to sit at
this kingdom.
It's this next one To eat anddrink at my table in my kingdom
and you will sit on thronesjudging the 12 tribes of Israel.
And then he looks at his friend, simon, peter.
(34:56):
He goes.
Satan has asked to sift each ofyou like wheat, but I have
pleaded in prayer for you, simon, that your faith should not
fail.
Simon, that your faith shouldnot fail.
Pay attention to how wedescribe failing faith, for your
(35:20):
own life as well.
Jesus prays for him.
Stay the course, peter.
Remember what love looks like.
Give up all the things that youthought were the way.
Give that up.
And then we see Peter Spoileralert.
Peter is a real person wholoves Jesus and is really afraid
(35:44):
.
Peter is a real person who,when standing and having to make
a choice.
Maybe he wasn't ready to die,maybe he was afraid of the
political sphere, but he deniesJesus you know this part of the
story and offers a great shameto himself and guilt that he
cannot get over.
(36:04):
Jesus says I'm praying for you.
I love this for Peter, but Ilove this for me.
Especially in times of weaknesswhere I do not feel I can pray
for myself, I am confident thatJesus is interceding for me.
The scripture tells me thatthat is the hope.
Jesus is praying for us.
In fact, jesus prays for thewhole world In John, chapter 17,
(36:26):
.
Jesus says to the Father Lord,make them one, just as you and I
are one.
Make them one and let them knowthat you love them as much as
you love me.
Beloved, if you do not rememberanything today, remember that
God loves you as much as Godloves Jesus.
This is the prayer of Jesus,simon that your faith should not
(36:48):
fail.
So when you have repented andreturned to me again, strengthen
your brothers, beloved.
This is the Jesus way.
When we have a thought andwe've gone down a wrong trail,
when we come back to ourselves,when we repent and turn around
the other way, strengthensomeone else with the fact that
love is a turnaround, that loveallows us to behave differently
(37:09):
and love allows us to come backto love and be restored to our
sanity.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
I don't want you to miss the way of looking at
failure and sin in this verse,because it's so contrary to the
typical way that most peopledeal with it and really how
religion kind of sets us up forit and really how religion kind
of sets us up for it, and it'sreally like you know, how dare
(37:34):
you have sinned when God hasdone so much for you?
And if someone hasn't said thatto you, you've said it to
yourself, or we carry this kindof weight.
And so he's saying you know, Idon't want your fate to fail you
.
And yet we know he doubted.
Jesus knew he was going todoubt.
That's why he's addressing himin this situation.
So for us and for Peter, Ithink, if we would ask him, how
(37:58):
would you have written the story?
The story would have went well.
I was getting ready to doubt andall of a sudden the spirit of
God rose up at me as I was atthat fire and I felt the glory
of God and I said to that girl Ifollow him and I'll follow him
all the days of my life and myfaith was strong.
And and everybody at the trashcan got saved.
(38:19):
And when it doesn't happen thatway, we're so ashamed and we
feel like that at that point ourfaith has failed us.
But I just love how the key tothis verse is written right in
there and when it says therethat so when you have repented,
(38:41):
it's already factored in, it'salready built in your way of
escape.
Mine is it's a foregoneconclusion that you and I are
not going to work things outperfectly, and so what makes our
faith great is the fact that wecan pick ourselves up from that
shame.
We can say there is a way past,how I'm feeling right now, that
(39:05):
this darkness, this gutter,this hopelessness does not have
to be my story, that I put myfaith in his ability to
transform me.
And when I call on God's nameand I receive the gift that is
repentance, and I shake that off, not only will my faith restore
(39:26):
me, but I will then beinfluencing everyone around me.
Amen, that's what's the gloryof your faith the fact that you
were in that place and youdidn't stay there.
Not that the testimony is oh, Inever messed around with that.
The testimony is I got out ofthat.
Look at God.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
And how do you get out?
You return to love.
You return, get out, you returnto love you return to love you
return to love.
The scripture tells us, jesustells us the story of a man who
has two sons and the one sonleaves, decides he doesn't want
any part, participates in anillusion of separation.
Whether he is geographicallythere or not, he is his father's
(40:12):
son.
Nothing changes that.
You are a child of the livingGod.
You are loved by God.
And Jesus tells the story of aGod who comes for him.
And it says that when the manis eating pig slop he comes to
his senses.
We shake off the illusion andcome back to the sanity of going
(40:33):
.
I am loved, I am made of love,god loves me.
I am coming back to love whenyou have turned to me again and
again and again and again andagain.
The way of following Jesus isthe way of turning back to the
Father, turning back to God andsaying I trust you, I trust you
(40:55):
Humbly.
I give up my way.
Jesus showed us what love lookslike.
Love looks likecruciform-shaped love looks like
service to others, looks likegiving up of power, looks like
laying down of self.
Love serves, and this is theway of Jesus.
And then he says strengthenyour brothers.
He reminds him of family.
(41:16):
You are part of God's family.
You are welcomed into God'sfamily.
There is a place for you inGod's family.
You are not out of bounds.
You may be a brother in anillusion, eating pig slop, but
you are a brother and there is aplace for you at the table of
the lord I'd like to piggybackon what heather said, just in
(41:36):
this thing that heather and Italk a lot about, you know well.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Then, where is the maturity of a christian in
something like this?
You know, because I think,ultimately, our idea is that we
would get to the place where nomore sin, and since we keep sin
and we're just falling short allthe time.
But but she said something andand I I wonder if it's, if it's
foreign to our ears so much thatwe don't don't receive it
because it's, it's food to oursouls and it's returned to love
(42:01):
when she said that my heart'sleaping in my chest because, um,
we talk about that is the placeof maturity.
How long between my amnesia,forgetting who I am, and living
in the illusion of this world,do I come to my senses and
(42:22):
remember the table and rememberwhose I am and return to love?
The distance between that timeindicates my maturity.
Not that I never go there,because you and I both know the
kind of shame that is associatedwith sinning the same sin over
(42:46):
and over again, like why do Ieven apologize?
I'm just going to do this again.
Or how dare I repent and mockthe blood of Christ with my
continual sin.
I'm so ashamed of myself and webeat ourselves up and or we
keep outside.
Well, I can't go back to church.
There's people a lot of timesyou know I'll see them for the
first couple of weeks in Januarybecause they've made their New
(43:09):
Year's pledge, they're going tobe a part of church and then
they had some bad thoughts or abad week or they said something
and now they can't even bear todrag themselves into church.
I couldn't face you, pastor,after what I did.
Well, what happened was weforgot because of our behavior.
We forgot who we were and whosewe were.
Because I don't face you and noone faces me in their own
(43:34):
strength.
Because I don't face you and noone faces me in their own
strength, but in the power ofthe living God and the way has
been made for you.
So welcome home.
But it's when we forget that wehide and we stay in that
illusion.
And so the maturity and thething that my goal is how
quickly can I return back tolove?
(43:57):
Sometimes in mid-sentence,lately, I'll go whoo.
That don't sound like god, thatdon't sound like love, that
don't sound like jesus.
Sorry everybody, that wasembarrassing.
What was that from the pastor,the one who should know better,
how dare, and then you or youcan just go.
No, oh, I return to the, thegrace and the forgiveness that's
(44:23):
given to me.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
I return to love in the story that Jesus tells you
know this part where the fathergoes out to the older brother
and says come on into joy, comeon into the party.
And the brother's like no,because you're inviting him.
Beloved, the spirit of God iscalling all of us to come into
the party, to come into joy, toforgive our brothers and say
(44:47):
let's all come to the table ofGod, let's change the way that
we think by the power of theHoly Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the thoughtadjuster and if you find
yourself in a perpetual sin, indoing the same thing over again,
stop, beloved, and ask the HolySpirit to change the way that
you're thinking about that.
Instead of dealing with thesymptom, deal with the cause,
(45:09):
the thoughts that we have.
Allow God's own spirit tochange the way that we think.
Peter says Jesus says this isgoing to be difficult, peter, so
bad that I'm praying for you.
And Peter says I don't know whyyou do that, because I'm ready
to go to prison for you, I amready to die with you.
And I believe Peter was tellingthe truth In that moment,
(45:35):
standing next to Jesus, seeinghim with only other believers,
with only other people who hadfollowed.
He was ready when fear did nottake a place in him.
He was ready A few minuteslater.
He's not.
I think it was hours, butthat's beyond the point.
I'm ready to go to prison andeven to die with you.
(45:56):
And Jesus said Peter, let metell you something Before the
rooster crows tomorrow morning,you'll deny three times that you
even know me.
And Peter is not a failure.
Peter is not a denier.
Peter is a friend of God.
Peter is not a failure, Peteris not a denier.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
Peter is a friend of God.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Peter is someone who said you are the Christ, the son
of the living God.
He may have heard it from Mary,who first confessed this, but
he knew it to be true.
And he said this is who you areand I'm ready to die with you.
And Jesus says it's okay.
Peter, you're going to deny me.
(46:36):
I love this part of the story.
We don't get to it.
I don't think this year in thetext I haven't gone that far
ahead, but if we don't, youshould read it yourself.
Peter goes back to fishing,because that's what Peter knows
how to do.
He has so much guilt and somuch shame and he can't bear to
follow anymore.
He goes back to fishing andJesus appears to him, the
resurrected Christ, and makeshim breakfast on the beach.
(47:02):
And so I just remind youwherever you find yourself
failing.
Maybe you need to eat breakfaston the beach and maybe you need
to invite the presence of Godto come and remind you that you
are loved and that God loves you.
The invitation here is torelationship, is to changing the
way we think.
And as we go into this portion,it's 2,000 years later in
(47:25):
history and we're behaving thesame way.
The word of Jesus is still trueto us, the same as still as
important, maybe even nowimportant, more important in
this present moment.
Come home, return to love.
This is the hope of the world.
This is what the angels sangpeace, good news to all people.
Love has come and the returnhas been guaranteed.
(47:48):
We are sons and daughters ofGod and allowing the thoughts of
Christ, allowing whatPhilippians tells us when, let
this mind be in you, the samemind that was in Christ Jesus,
who humbles himself, takes onthe form of a servant and tells
us the way to life is lovethrough service.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
You know, I wanted to talk about one other thing and
you and I were talking aboutthis, I think, yesterday when we
were traveling and there'ssomebody in our life that's been
causing us pain.
Maybe you can or cannot relateto what I'm talking about here,
(48:41):
but when we read the words ofJesus concerning Peter, can you
relate to Peter?
He's trying, but can you relateto that, and I think it's
important that we do.
But here's the thing thatHeather and I were having this
discussion in the car, thisperson that is causing this pain
(49:02):
, because I consider myself onewith Peter in his struggles.
But when Heather and I weretalking about this individual
and the amount of destructionthat they're doing
single-handedly, it just risesup anger and frustration.
And Heather said help me seehow I'm one with them.
Speaker 1 (49:28):
Don't ask that question.
If you're not interested in theLord changing your mind, like
if you're sure how somethingshould be, don't invite the Holy
Spirit into that, because itturns out the Holy Spirit will
show you.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
But I want us to talk about that because in having
our mind changed, there'ssomething that Jesus has been
offering make them one.
Yes, that's his prayer for you.
You know that we'd learn how torepent and that we would become
one, and yet we continuallyfind lines that we draw and
(50:01):
you're over there and I'm overhere, and with people's
struggles and the tapping intograce, oh, I want to be one with
Peter there.
But can you see how you mightbe one with your brother or your
sister, that is?
You know, how am I?
Because first I looked at thatselfish behavior that this
(50:22):
individual is doing and theninstantly I said well, how am I
one?
How am I selfish?
How am I still?
And am I selfish?
How am I still?
And those are the kind ofquestions, because how does that
jerk continue to act like that?
How has that question beenhelping you over the years?
What has it produced in youother than maybe to provoke
(50:44):
someone else too?
But asking the question, how amI like them?
How am I?
And then Heather and I began toask the question.
I want you to tell the story.
If you don't mind, I will.
I'll tell your story, we knowthis.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Brothers and sisters, pray with me here.
Lord, have mercy.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Christ, have mercy, but we're like you know.
Help me see this individualdifferently.
And then you began to see themand it was, I don't know, maybe
a little bit cheeky.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
I think the Holy Spirit's always a little cheeky,
I think you know just payingattention to that, and
uncomfortable and wonderful allat the same time.
But I asked the question.
I said please help me see themdifferently.
And I did see them differentlyand a little bit like how I
suspected.
I love my own children and Ilove all children and I just
think children are wonderful.
(51:37):
I think that we should allconsider that, thinking of the
importance and preciousness ofall children.
But I considered this person andhad the thought that this is
like a precious child who's abiter.
Have you ever met preciouschildren who are biters?
They're still precious.
You just can't let them aroundthe other children, and at least
not unsupervised.
(51:57):
And you may have to have a lotof lessons with the biters and
they may have to eat dinner, butat the other table.
You know like this is the idea.
And so sometimes and so mycompassion grew Do you know why
children bite?
I mean most children becausethey're angry and frustrated and
sometimes they're afraid andthey don't have words to express
that, and so, out of theirfrustration, they lash out and
(52:21):
they bite.
Now, as an adult, we know thisand that's why we have
compassion on them, we teachthem to live differently, we
protect the other children, butwe still love the biters Beloved
.
Consider this there might bebiters in your life Now.
We don't tolerate this in oursociety as adults, like on a
regular, no one is coming intoany situation and biting other
(52:44):
people.
I mean, thank the Lord, ourconsciousness has been raised to
such a place that we are likeno on the biting.
I mean, we've done a lot ofthings to people but we're just
not biting them.
Okay, because we have thisconsciousness and this is a
maturity and Jesus is offeringto us.
Sometimes, when people comeinto our lives and they are
difficult, you might just havecompassion on them.
(53:05):
They're just a biter, that'swhat they are, and they're angry
and frustrated and maybe thepeace of Christ in you could be
offered to them.
Maybe the love of Christ in youcould be offered to them.
Now keep your small people awayfrom the biters just out there.
But here's the truth of it.
The invitation is to allowcompassion to grow up in you and
(53:25):
then to find a path, a way outof that negative thinking.
Speaker 3 (53:31):
Now I hope that you're not missing the point.
It's a funny story, but theidea is that really, god helped
me see these people that are myenemy in my judgment as one, and
helped me see them the way thatyou see them, and there is a
higher thought than my thoughtto just go choke them out.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (53:48):
There's a higher thought to mine to want to just
punch them in the throat there.
There needs to be the power ofgod to come in and bring
transformation, or we'llcontinually just do the same
things we've always done and getthe results that we've always
got.
God wants to do something greatin your life, and so help me
see things differently.
And it helps me approach thatperson differently too, because
(54:09):
Heather and I can go uh-oh, herecomes the biter.
And in the past, here comes thebiter.
I'm going to get away from thisone as quick as possible.
I wonder how much damagethey're going to do.
Or we can go.
How can we see past their pain?
How can we help?
And Heather and I have reallybeen doing this practice.
(54:31):
She probably will havecommunicated a lot more
eloquently than I do.
But when you walk up into asituation and you know, help me
see this person's belovedness,because somebody held that
(54:52):
person in their lap and was gladthat they were born, help me
see their belovedness, becauseright now I'm just seeing a
biter.
Help me.
And then, absolutely with thatwalking, hey, good to see you.
You're a pain, so I'm going topray Jesus over you before we
talk.
I mean way to start the thingoff on a.
You're going to have to climbup out of that one, but what if,
(55:12):
inside my spirit, before I everwalk up, I go oh, the love of
Christ, I just I bring itbetween you and I, and that it
would manifest.
I say that between Sarah,because who has ever had a
crossword with Sarah?
And the beautiful thing is thatyou and I have that power, as
(55:38):
if we would just remember.
Speaker 1 (55:41):
We see this in the way of Jesus, who practiced
beloved innocence, that each oneof us are beloved innocence.
We see this Jesus on the crosswho says Father, forgive them,
because they don't know whatthey're doing.
Each one of us has the power offorgiveness.
The scripture tells us you goahead and forgive the sins.
You go ahead and releasesomeone of their amnesia.
(56:02):
You remind them of theironeness.
This is the hope of Christ.
This is how we come to Jesus.
This is the path practicing ourown, but the world's beloved
innocence through the way ofJesus.
And Jesus is showing us how todo that.
He's showing us a new way ofliving and that we can return to
love.
And this is the hope for theworld.
Beloved Hosanna in the storyturns very quickly to crucify
(56:28):
him in the story turns veryquickly to crucify him.
The same people shouting outhe's the king, he's the way we
want to go very quickly, turninto the mob, turn into another
way of thinking.
But these are also the peoplewho end up by the grave and have
(56:49):
watched their beloved, theirfriend, their Messiah, be
crucified.
And so we have so muchcompassion on this story of
humanity and there's hope for usin remembering who we are and
what we are called to do.
In just a moment, we are goingto go and participate in Holy
Communion, in a remembrance, ina returning to love, in an
(57:13):
enactment, an embodiment of whatit means to come to the table
of the Lord with nothing tooffer except open hands,
sometimes an empty belly,sometimes a great thirst brings
us to the table.
Thirst brings us to the table.
(57:34):
We come to the table of theLord and we take our masks off
and we say I am here to eat, Iam here to receive forgiveness,
I am here to receive healingfrom my amnesia, I am here to
return to love, I am here to befilled with God.
And so I ask that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you would
turn your thoughts, you wouldbreathe in the peace of Christ
(58:01):
and you would exhale the anxietythat you have been carrying
with you all week.
You are loved, you are seen andyou are held at the table of
the Lord.
Caroline is going to offer ablessing to us and then we will
receive holy communion.
Speaker 4 (58:23):
Good morning.
I'm going to read a blessing ofPsalms by Jane Richardson.
This blessing can be heardcoming from a long way off.
This blessing is making itssteady way up the road toward
you.
This blessing blooms in thethroats of women, springs from
(58:44):
the hearts of men and tumblesout of the mouths of children.
This blessing is stitched intothe seams of the cloaks that
line the road, etched into thebranches that trace the path,
echoes in the breathing of thewilling colt, the click of the
donkey's hoof against the stones.
Something is rising beneaththis blessing.
(59:07):
Something will try to dry itout.
But this blessing cannot beturned back, cannot be made to
still.
Its voice cannot cease to singits praise of the one who comes
along the way it makes.
Speaker 1 (59:22):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon.
If you would like moreinformation about us, visit us
online at firstlovechurchorg.
Welcome to the First Love Church Podcast.
This is a collection of Sundayteachings inspired by the
Revised Common Lectionary andrecorded weekly in Ocala,
florida.
Resurrection is coming, andthat is such good news, and so
this morning, as we're here, Iremind you of this truth
Whatever brokenness you find inyour life, whatever
(00:23):
disappointment you have, it iswelcomed in the house of the
Lord.
You are welcomed in the houseof the Lord.
Next Sunday is Easter and,spoiler alert Jesus does not
stay in the grave, but once andfor all, death is defeated.
Thank you, this idea.
He is risen.
(00:43):
He is risen indeed is our hope.
But as we enter into Holy Week,we don't rush to the
resurrection.
We don't ignore our pain, wedon't ignore our disappointment.
We actually embody it, feel it,and in the grieving and in our
heartache we are entered intothe spirit of resurrection.
The good news is this the samespirit that raised Christ from
(01:08):
the dead lives in you, beloved.
Whatever dead places are in you, look at them with hope because
of the power of theresurrection.
Next Sunday is Easter and thoughwe're present now and gathered
here, thank you for being hereBe with us next Sunday as we
celebrate the resurrection, andon your calendars Mark, may 23rd
(01:29):
.
I know it seems like a farplace away, but we're going to
have a hymn sing.
That means on a Friday nightwe're going to get together and
we're going to sing the hymnsand I'm going to be there.
So the hymns are going to besung loudly and so you should
come and you should sing loudlywith me and invite your friends,
and there'll be more details.
But on the 23rd put on yourcalendar we're going to sing the
hymns together.
Again, we're so grateful it'sgoing to be here at the house,
(01:53):
at the house.
I called this the house.
Yes, we're here at this house,god's house, our house, all of
us together here at First Loveon the 23rd of May, and we'll
have more details about that.
But when you're filling in yourcalendars, I'm grateful for
that.
I want to bless you thismorning with peace.
I want to remind you thismorning that the Spirit of God
(02:14):
is here with us.
The scripture says where two orthree are gathered in the midst
of them, when they're gatheredin Jesus's name, the presence of
love is there.
So whatever you have need ofthis morning, the presence of
God is here for you.
Dove, would you read for usthis morning?
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Good morning, all right.
I'm reading about the triumphalentry from Luke 19, starting in
verse 28.
From Luke 19, starting in verse28.
After telling his story, jesuswent on toward Jerusalem,
walking ahead of his disciples.
As they came to the towns ofBethpage and Bethany on the
Mount of Olives, he sent twodisciples ahead.
(03:17):
Go into that village over there, he told them.
And as you enter it you willsee a colt tied there as has
never been ridden.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone asks what you aredoing, just say the Lord needs
it.
So they went and found the colt,just as Jesus had said.
(03:37):
And sure enough, as they wereuntying it, the owner asked them
why are you untying our colt?
And the disciples simplyreplied the Lord needs it.
So they brought the colt toJesus and threw their garments
over it for him to ride on.
Then the crowd spread out theircoats on the road ahead of
Jesus.
As they reached the place wherethe road started down from the
(03:59):
Mount of Olives, all hisfollowers began to shout and
sing as they walked along,praising God for all the
wonderful miracles he had seen.
Bless the king who comes in thename of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory inhighest heaven.
But some of the Pharisees amongthe crowd said Teacher, rebuke
your followers for saying thingslike that.
(04:20):
He replied.
If they kept quiet, the stonesalong the road would burst into
cheers.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Amen.
Thank you, dov.
I want to remind you where weare in the story of Jesus.
Every time we gather together,we remember Jesus.
Jesus is the way, the truth andthe life, and we come together
to hear the faithful witness ofChrist because we have been
(04:51):
people that are callingourselves followers of the way,
followers of the ancient path.
In fact, the prophet Jeremiahsays this stop, stand where you
are, stand at the crossroads andask for the ancient paths, ask
where the good ways are andfollow them, and you will find
rest for your souls.
Beloved rest for your souls isoffered in following the Jesus
(05:18):
way.
And so, as we gather together,the light of Christ in Dennis
and I salute the light of Christin you the spirit that is in us
salutes and honors the spiritof God that is in you.
And together, as we gather, thelight grows brighter, the
reflection is better.
The facets that you have seenof Christ you witness to us.
(05:39):
The facets we have seen ofChrist, we witness to you, and
the facets that come to us inthe witness of scripture are
available for all of us to allowour minds to be able to see the
testimony that is Jesus.
This morning, in this particularpart of the season where we're
entering into Holy Week.
This is the story of protest.
(06:01):
I love that sometimes in thescriptures it says a triumphal
entry, but I want to remind youthat unless you actually saw the
whole play that was beingunveiled there, you may miss it.
Because while Jesus enters inthrough a gate, he's actually
entering in through the backgate, because Rome is entering
through the front gate withgarrisons of soldiers.
(06:23):
Imagine with me the sound onthose cobbled streets of horses
and marching soldiers, and it'shot and there's glinting of
their armor.
And it's this huge show offorce, it's a huge show of
domination, it's a huge show ofsaying this is how the world is
(06:44):
run.
And the political powers ofthis day came to the town on the
same day that Jesus did everyyear, because what happened was
when the high priest would cometo offer the sacrifice, the
crowds that were usually 50,000would be about 200,000.
And so Rome would show up andsay you want to see who's mighty
(07:04):
, you want to hear about whereall your hope should come.
It comes here, from thisgovernment, and they would make
a big show and everyone wouldknow and all the people would be
by the gates to watch this showand Jesus comes through the
back door riding on a colt.
Not a war horse, not a horse,that is a big stallion that's
(07:24):
been trained to trample people,but the colt a foal.
And I love that part of thescripture, dove.
When you read it it just remindsme the Lord has need of it.
Oh, what a good password forall of us when we're looking at
things in our life going well.
Why would I give it?
The Lord has need of it, lovehas need of it, the truth has
need of it, and so I'm sograteful for this story.
(07:46):
But I remind you of this You'veread this story before.
You kind of know where this isgoing.
At the east gate, the back gate,jesus comes in, but to a
different kind of.
Caesar comes in here, jeromecomes in to a parade and Jesus
comes in here.
Hiram comes in to a parade andJesus comes in in a form of a
(08:07):
protest.
This is not going to work outthe way that you thought it was
going to, and I want to tell you, the people at the big gate, at
the front gate, would have beenall the politicians, would have
been everybody who's ineverybody, and those at the back
gate would have been people who, in the chapters before we've
been talking about them have hadtheir dead brought back to life
, have had their food given tothem, have had their sick healed
(08:27):
.
And these are Jesus' followershere who are saying no, we've
seen the king.
He looks different thanpolitical powers.
We've seen the king.
He's coming a different way.
And they began to say blessedis he who comes in the name of
the Lord.
And they began to wave palmleaves, and these palm leaves
were also a protest.
Dwayne is unhappy, but the Lordis going to bless him and he
(08:51):
has really good parents, so wecan all just we're so grateful
for the sound of babies in ourmidst, but they also were
probably protesting, and this isa beautiful way.
So they grabbed these palmbranches and 150 years before
there was an uprising theMaccabees and they defeated an
army that had come over them andthey were so excited about it
that they actually printed ontheir monies these palm branches
(09:13):
that said this is whatrevolution looks like.
And so, as they're grabbingtheir palm branches, they're
also saying we know how God isgoing to do this, we know what's
going to happen.
The scripture tells us in a fewother places when Jesus sees
this, he begins to weep forJerusalem.
He says I want to gather you,like a mother hen as she puts
(09:35):
her wings out and gatherseveryone to her.
This is what I want for you.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
And God is inviting us still today to be gathered,
to be returned to love, to jointhe protest of saying this is
what love looks like you know,the followers of Jesus uh,
they're, they're, they'recelebrating, uh, but still doing
it in the form and the way thatthey've experienced in the past
(10:02):
and really kind of stilloperating in the idea of how
they think revolution shouldcome In the past.
You know, 150 years ago, whenwe defeated our enemies, this is
how we celebrated.
So you're marching in the backdoor and our idea is that you're
just going to overthrow Romeand we're going to have this
glorious time in the city, andwe're going to have this
(10:25):
glorious time in the city.
And still it was people thathave watched Jesus, his entire
ministry, do something, doeverything differently, and yet
they still have their way thatthey think God's going to do it,
and that form or that way isnot the way.
Now let's fast forward to yourlife and my life right now.
(10:49):
We never do that.
We never, you know.
Tell God this is the way youshould work in my life, or we
plan on and expect.
We never get disappointed whenit doesn't work out exactly the
way we want it to.
We never raise our fists inanger, accusing god of not being
there when he doesn't show upto perform the dance that we
(11:10):
choreographed.
Come on church.
It's still happening.
So even those that are followingstill need to understand
there's going to be a way andcan.
Can I still trust God in thatway?
Because I love the way of usjust trampling our enemies, but
(11:33):
the way of passive service andwrapping a towel around your
waist and washing feet, that'snot my idea of honor and glory.
I had a whole different picture.
Help us be able to see what Godreally wants to do in our lives
(11:53):
and in the world.
Help us not have such a strong,preconceived notion to the way
we think God ought to rule andreign that we miss the call to
wrap that towel around our waistand grab that basin and wash
the feet of those that arearound us.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I want to read to us this morning from Philippians
Let the same mind be in you thatwas in Christ Jesus Beloved.
This is enough of a challengefor us.
If we go no further, if wedon't read all the verses
planned, this is an invitationfor us.
For us, if we go no further, ifwe don't read all the verses
planned, this is an invitationfor us.
This is the repentant way.
Change your thoughts, allow Godto give you a higher thought
(12:31):
than the thoughts that you have.
But the Apostle tells us hereyou choose this.
You allow the spirit to changeyour thinking.
The same mind that was in ChristJesus.
Though he was in the form ofGod, did not regard equality
with God as something to beexploited, but emptied himself,
(12:52):
taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness and
being found in human form.
He humbled himself and becameobedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Jesus' way, love's way ishumility, is laying down life,
is saying.
This is the sacrificial way.
(13:13):
Therefore, god has also highlyexalted him and given him the
name that is above every name.
So, at the name of Jesus, everyknee should bend in heaven and
on earth and under the earth andevery tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, tothe glory of God, the Father.
(13:33):
Beloved, this is like us takinga periscope or a telescope or a
James Webb telescope and sayingthis is what the future looks
like.
This is what it looks like whenevery consciousness, when every
person is aware of the Lordshipof Jesus Christ, when every
person surrenders and returns tolove.
This is the hope for us.
(13:53):
So, beloved, let this mind bein you, the same mind that was
in Christ Jesus, who gave upeverything and said God's way of
doing things is the best way ofdoing things.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know, I'm sure many of you have gotten angry
and given people a piece of yourmind and it's never really
helped the situation, has it.
Maybe you felt good for aminute and then you had to pick
up all of the broken pieces andwe have our thoughts and our
ways of doing things and we allcan agree that if we can follow
(14:28):
that path and find that place ofdoing it the way christ would
have us do it, we would benefitand, and so there is really then
that struggle of why do wecontinually uh, walk away from
that plan, you know, and it's uh, and and I walk away.
And that plan, you know, andit's and I walk away.
And the scripture says you know, you walk away from that mirror
(14:50):
and you forget what manner ofperson that you are.
You know we walk away from himand we walk away from that.
There needs to be for us Idon't know maybe something in
every service where we could dothings in remembrance of him,
maybe some way that we couldbring ourselves back to
(15:12):
reminding and understanding howimportant it is.
I work in the wood shop a lotand I do that because I was
taught by my brother and my dad.
I've made every cabinet doorthat's in my house and in other
people's bathrooms and housesand stuff around Marion County,
but I use three differentrouters and with a style and a
(15:34):
rail bit and then a raised panelbit and I was over at my dad's
wood shop with my brother and heshowed me how to set it and how
to do that.
And then when I came home andmy brother's gone my dad's not
there and there's a house fullof cabinets with no doors.
I looked at this pile of woodand said now how did he show me
(16:01):
to do this?
Did he show me to do this?
And it was so important that Iremembered the words that my
brother showed me, that he spoketo me in the way that he showed
me and I carefully consideredthat way.
As I'm operating with machinesthat could take my fingers off,
(16:22):
I need those for other things,and so the importance when I
recognize the words that werespoken to me are life.
They're valuable, I need them.
Do we see how important thewords of Christ are and how much
of a natural ability we have toforget them?
(16:49):
How quickly and easily weforget which one of those router
bits go where and at whatheight in order to make that
whole door function correctly.
And so it's not difficultfunction correctly.
(17:09):
And so it's not difficult, itjust requires consistency and an
effort for us to remember.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Amen, beloved, remember this morning that you
are made from God and of God,that the spirit of God is here
with us Even now.
Everything that you have madeof is love.
God is love, and our returningto love, our returning our minds
to the idea that love is themost powerful force that we
(17:33):
could ever, ever imagine, thatradical love is the way of
Christ and it is an invitationto us into a knowing, into
something more to us, into aknowing, into something more.
Hear the fullness this morningof Zechariah's prophecy Lo, your
king comes to you triumphantand victorious, humble and
(17:57):
riding on a donkey, on a colt,on a foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariotfrom Ephraim and the war horse
from Jerusalem and the battlebow will be cut off and he will
command peace to the nations andhis dominion will be from sea
to sea and from the river to theends of the earth.
Peace, this is the good news,beloved, the Jesus way that
(18:19):
loves way.
Though it often looks likeprotest to the world's way of
doing things or to empires wayof doing things, jesus is saying
this is God's way.
Jesus showed us what it is liketo be fully human and to be
able to fully embody hishumanity but live a life that is
abundant with God.
(18:41):
In fact, jesus said to us Ihave come that you would have
life and have it to the full.
The Jesus way for us isunderstanding the fullness of
life that is coming to us.
I read to us this morning fromLuke's gospel, chapter 22.
Now the festival of unleavenedbread arrived when the Passover
(19:01):
lamb is sacrificed, and Jesussent Peter and John ahead and
said go and prepare the Passovermeal so we can eat it together.
Where do you want us to prepareit?
They asked him, and he repliedas soon as you enter Jerusalem,
a man carrying a pitcher ofwater will meet you.
Follow him at the house that heenters and say to the owner I
(19:25):
mean, think about that as thestory.
I mean, masterful storyteller,you're going to see a man
carrying a pitcher of water,follow that guy.
I'm unhappy following the GPS.
I just want to tell you thatbecause I'm constantly
questioning the authority.
Do they even know where I am?
How can they dare tell me?
And they don't give you thewords, they give you symbols.
Now it's like we're returningto hieroglyphs.
(19:45):
I don't want that.
Let me line up the words.
So Jesus is here and he'stelling them you're going to
follow this guy, you're going toenter in and you're going to go
to the owner.
And the teacher asks where isthe guest room where I can eat
the Passover meal with mydisciples, and will take you
(20:06):
upstairs to a large room that isalready set up.
That's where you should prepareour meal.
I want to stop here just for amoment.
They already set up forsomebody to come there.
I just want you to think for aminute with your holy
imagination.
Sometimes the things that God isasking you to do are set a
table because you have no ideawho's coming.
It might be Jesus, it might besomeone who needs to eat at that
table, because what drives usto the table?
(20:27):
Beloved Hunger, and at thetable we come and we can take
our masks off and we canacknowledge our hunger and we
can be fed and nourished.
That is where you shouldprepare our meal.
And they went off to the cityand they found everything, just
as Jesus had said.
Here is another testimony orwitness that you can trust the
(20:50):
words of Jesus.
And they prepared the Passovermeal there and at the time Jesus
and the apostles sat downtogether at the table and Jesus
said I have been very eager toeat this Passover meal with you
before my suffering begins.
Eager to eat this Passover mealwith you before my suffering
begins, for I tell you now thatI will not eat this meal again
until its meaning is fulfilledin the kingdom of God.
(21:10):
And then he took a cup of wineand he gave thanks to God for it
.
And then he said take this andshare it among yourselves, for I
will not drink wine again untilthe kingdom of God has come.
And he took some bread and gavethanks to God for it and he
broke it into pieces and he gaveit to the disciples, saying
this is my body which is givenfor you.
(21:32):
Do this in remembrance of me.
And after supper he tookanother cup of wine and said
this cup is the new covenantbetween God and his people, an
agreement confirmed with myblood which is poured out for
you as a sacrifice.
But here at this table, sittingamong us as a friend, is the man
(21:53):
who will betray me.
For it has been determined thatthe son of man must die.
But what sorrow awaits the onewho betrays him?
And the disciples begin to askeach other?
Which of them would ever dosuch a thing?
And then they begin to argueamong themselves about who would
be the greatest among them.
(22:14):
I do not want us to miss thismaster class in missing the
point.
If you think anything aboutthis story, pay attention to
Jesus saying I'm going to dieand I'm going to suffer, and one
of us here will betray me.
And this gets into a matchbetween who is the best, who is
(22:35):
the greatest.
Here we see divine love.
Here we see an invitation intomystery, into awe, that Jesus is
preparing a banquet for themand they're going to eat
together.
And then ego gets involved.
And then we miss the words ofJesus and start trying to figure
(22:57):
out who among us is greaterthan the other.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
I think that we really do need to see how that
can play out in our everydaylife too.
The missing of the point, whenwe start to worry about those
wrong things, the things thatdon't really matter At this
point, at the meal did it matterwho was the best?
And just the very fact thatyou're you're thinking about
(23:24):
that thing kind of puts you atthe back of the line on that
whole humble deal.
Anyway, I suppose.
But uh, I I like for us to seea point that is uh often forgot
in our church doctrine, and Imean church worldwide, and it's
the idea that uh, uh, I have anight vacation and always when
(23:45):
it's Sunday, we find some churchto go to, and more times than
not, we're not welcomed at thechurch that we visit to partake
in communion.
They'll say, you know thateither we're not part of their
denomination or we're notmembers of that church or, for
whatever reason, they have rulesthat say that you can't partake
(24:07):
in communion, you know, and andit always, always is a little
sad for us because we're maybein some other country, in some
beautiful um building that wasbuilt to honor god, to make you
look up and see these, thebeautiful stained glass and the
spiral and just the glory inthat, and then just to kind of
(24:29):
be not welcome because somehowsomebody decided we didn't make
the cut, we didn't have what ittakes, you know, for whatever
reason, and uh, and then, uh, I,I sell that to say, uh, let's
think about the guest list atthis first communion table,
we've got the 12 disciples.
(24:50):
Now, of those 12 disciples hecalls out, yeah, just one of you
that just finished eating isgoing to betray me, so it.
But yet the betrayer waswelcome at the table, but we're
not unless we've signed somedocuments at certain places.
Who else was at that?
Well, there's a Some peopledon't like the nickname Doubting
(25:16):
Thomas, but he seems to havethat through some people.
So the doubter can come to thetable.
Wow, so the betrayer and thedoubter can come.
Well, let's see who else isthere.
Well, we have a denier too, onethat won't even you know, and
(25:39):
I'm sure you can go on and findother.
The egomaniacs were also alsowelcome, and so I I just I can
say that finding ourselves inthe middle of this, uh, it's,
it's just more of an example ofwhy he's made a way and that we
are welcome than us as people,which is our tendency to get off
(26:04):
track here in the middle of ofhim talking.
We're trying to figure outwho's the greatest and who's the
most worthy of sitting at thetable, instead of us recognizing
that God has made any of usworthy.
And so I wonder if that canhelp you in how you see yourself
at the table and how you maybeoffer that and present that to
others table, and how you maybeoffer that and present that to
(26:29):
others, because we tend to bepeople that are that try to find
a way to exclude.
So I'm supposed to love myneighbor, yeah, but is that
everybody, including that oneguy that acts weird and does
that stuff and he doesn't seemto really be following christ
right now.
So I don't know if I shouldreally have to.
You know, know, and we're, Ithink, challenged here to find
that way of acceptance and thatway of including folks versus
(26:53):
just trying to decide.
Is there a people group?
Speaker 1 (26:56):
I'm better than let's all Lord have mercy, christ
have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
When we're aware of ourthoughts that are different from
the thoughts of God, wesurrender them, we repent and we
say give me a higher way.
When you find yourself harsh orangry, a prayer offered to you
(27:17):
is Lord, by the Holy Spirit,allow gentleness to be who I am,
finding ways to acknowledge orbe aware of our thoughts and
then be able to surrender themto the way of Jesus.
This is for us, a hope of thenew way.
They begin to argue amongthemselves about who would be
the greatest among them, andJesus told them.
(27:38):
In this world, the kings andgreat men lord it over people,
and yet they are called thefriends of the people.
In fact, jesus is calling intoquestion your idea of greatness,
my idea of greatness.
He's calling into question ourdescriptors and our definitions.
Do friends of the people behavelike this?
(27:58):
Jesus is asking us, inviting usquestion these things.
But among you it will bedifferent.
That's good news beloved.
Among you it will be different.
As followers of Jesus, we followthe way of Jesus.
We follow the Holy Spirit whohas led Jesus and also leads us.
(28:21):
Those who are the greatestamong you should take the lowest
rank and the leader should belike the servant Beloved.
This is the Jesus way.
If you want to be great inGod's kingdom, you become the
servant of all.
This is what greatness lookslike.
Again, we just read inPhilippians and we're reminded
God is Jesus and Jesus shows usthe way back to God in this
(28:45):
beautiful returning.
And Jesus said humility is theway Jesus begins to demonstrate
to them, to rehearse in front ofthem, to put on this beautiful
way of remembering.
In fact, just last week and wewere reminded of this in the
scripture that we read Marywashes the feet of Jesus,
anoints them.
I'm reminding you of theoriginal prophecy in Genesis,
(29:11):
where it says that one day theseed of the woman will crush the
head of the serpent, will crushdeath.
Mary anoints his feet, anointshis heel, and said this is going
to be the one.
Jesus' feet are washed.
And then, at this same thing,jesus now goes and washes the
feet of the disciples and washesthem and brings them to the
(29:34):
table and says whatever kept youfrom coming to the table, I'm
removing it.
Whatever keeps you from comingto receive all of what God is,
jesus removes it for us.
Those of you who are thegreatest should take the lowest
rank, and the leader should belike a servant.
We pause here for a moment tothank you for joining us today.
(29:57):
If you're finding this episodemeaningful, would you take a
moment to share it with a friend?
This podcast is made possiblethanks to the generosity of
people just like you.
If you would like to supportthe ongoing work of First Love
Church and the continued work ofour podcast, visit us online at
firstlovechurchorg, remindingyou to like, follow and
(30:20):
subscribe.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
And I just want to remind you like when I was
talking about, you know, tryingto remember the words that my
brother gave me so that I makesure that I'm making those doors
correctly that you know howmuch of a of a you know kind of
an example for us is that inthis life, that that Jesus gives
us this way of living, but itis so easy and we are quick to
forget, and so we, we, we, youknow must make some kind of plan
(30:45):
or purpose.
Yeah, the communion table is toto remind me.
You know, the scriptures saythat, for what mary did will
always be remembered, you know,and and is it just oh yeah, that
was that chick that did that?
Or is it really like this saint, this amazing woman of god, who
(31:05):
was able to recognize, in themidst of what was going on, what
everyone else missed, that wecan, can serve and honor Jesus
in this way, and how beautifulthat is.
But that's so easy to forget,it's so easy to miss, and that
how I serve Jesus today isserving the least among us.
(31:25):
I've been around in places andmet people, and I was so excited
to meet them in the churchworld, people that maybe had
written books and stuff that Ihad admired and gotten, and I
wanted to go tell them oh, yourbook meant something to me.
And I just saw them lookingover my head because I meant
nothing, because I had nothingto offer them.
(31:46):
I didn't offer them a pulpitthat they could come preach in
or whatever.
And the next guy came up and Iwas brushed off, you know, and
so much of the time that wecould, by ministering to the
people who are in front of us,change lives and really be
Christ.
And that's the thing.
I wonder if you and I realizethat Christ is born again every
(32:10):
time you make that choice.
That's good To bring God intoyour life, into your daily
activity, when you're kind tothose people, when you make a
choice.
What a power, a keg that we'resetting on, what the glory of
God that's transmitted and we'relooking for, maybe some
(32:32):
position, and we missed thatwe're setting on.
What a glory of God that'stransmitted and we're looking
for maybe, some position, and wemissed that we were at the
front gate.
We should have been at the backgate the whole time, learning
the ways of the master who showsus to serve.
Speaker 1 (32:45):
But among you it will be different.
Those who are greatest amongyou should take the lowest rank.
Please recognize it is for us achoice.
You take the privilege and thepower that you have been given
and you surrender it for theleast of these.
This is the Jesus way.
This is the way to includeothers into the kingdom and at
(33:06):
the table, and the leader shouldbe like a servant.
Who is is more important?
The one who sits at the tableor the one who serves?
Again, jesus is asking us toreconsider our definitions, to
reconsider a society, toreconsider how we rank people.
Who is more important, the onewho is sitting or the one who
(33:26):
serves?
The one who sits at the table,of course, but not here, beloved
, not here, for I am among youas the one who serves.
Jesus comes and takes and putson a towel and offers a basin
(33:47):
and serves the bread and giveshis life and says this is the
way to live, to reallyexperience your humanity, to
really understand what it's like, to savor every moment that you
are here in this present body,for you to experience all the
things that God has for us.
Do it through service, lovethrough service.
(34:10):
We see the Jesus way.
You have stayed with me in mytime of trial and, just as my
father has granted me a kingdom,I now grant you the right to
eat and drink at my table in thekingdom.
That's where we should havebeen shouting.
Beloved Jesus said I now grantyou this kingdom, all of us, we
(34:31):
are granted the kingdom we aregranted to come and to sit at
this kingdom.
It's this next one To eat anddrink at my table in my kingdom
and you will sit on thronesjudging the 12 tribes of Israel.
And then he looks at his friend, simon, peter.
(34:56):
He goes.
Satan has asked to sift each ofyou like wheat, but I have
pleaded in prayer for you, simon, that your faith should not
fail.
Simon, that your faith shouldnot fail.
Pay attention to how wedescribe failing faith, for your
(35:20):
own life as well.
Jesus prays for him.
Stay the course, peter.
Remember what love looks like.
Give up all the things that youthought were the way.
Give that up.
And then we see Peter Spoileralert.
Peter is a real person wholoves Jesus and is really afraid
(35:44):
.
Peter is a real person who,when standing and having to make
a choice.
Maybe he wasn't ready to die,maybe he was afraid of the
political sphere, but he deniesJesus you know this part of the
story and offers a great shameto himself and guilt that he
cannot get over.
(36:04):
Jesus says I'm praying for you.
I love this for Peter, but Ilove this for me.
Especially in times of weaknesswhere I do not feel I can pray
for myself, I am confident thatJesus is interceding for me.
The scripture tells me thatthat is the hope.
Jesus is praying for us.
In fact, jesus prays for thewhole world In John, chapter 17,
(36:26):
.
Jesus says to the Father Lord,make them one, just as you and I
are one.
Make them one and let them knowthat you love them as much as
you love me.
Beloved, if you do not rememberanything today, remember that
God loves you as much as Godloves Jesus.
This is the prayer of Jesus,simon that your faith should not
(36:48):
fail.
So when you have repented andreturned to me again, strengthen
your brothers, beloved.
This is the Jesus way.
When we have a thought andwe've gone down a wrong trail,
when we come back to ourselves,when we repent and turn around
the other way, strengthensomeone else with the fact that
love is a turnaround, that loveallows us to behave differently
(37:09):
and love allows us to come backto love and be restored to our
sanity.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
I don't want you to miss the way of looking at
failure and sin in this verse,because it's so contrary to the
typical way that most peopledeal with it and really how
religion kind of sets us up forit and really how religion kind
of sets us up for it, and it'sreally like you know, how dare
(37:34):
you have sinned when God hasdone so much for you?
And if someone hasn't said thatto you, you've said it to
yourself, or we carry this kindof weight.
And so he's saying you know, Idon't want your fate to fail you
.
And yet we know he doubted.
Jesus knew he was going todoubt.
That's why he's addressing himin this situation.
So for us and for Peter, Ithink, if we would ask him, how
(37:58):
would you have written the story?
The story would have went well.
I was getting ready to doubt andall of a sudden the spirit of
God rose up at me as I was atthat fire and I felt the glory
of God and I said to that girl Ifollow him and I'll follow him
all the days of my life and myfaith was strong.
And and everybody at the trashcan got saved.
(38:19):
And when it doesn't happen thatway, we're so ashamed and we
feel like that at that point ourfaith has failed us.
But I just love how the key tothis verse is written right in
there and when it says therethat so when you have repented,
(38:41):
it's already factored in, it'salready built in your way of
escape.
Mine is it's a foregoneconclusion that you and I are
not going to work things outperfectly, and so what makes our
faith great is the fact that wecan pick ourselves up from that
shame.
We can say there is a way past,how I'm feeling right now, that
(39:05):
this darkness, this gutter,this hopelessness does not have
to be my story, that I put myfaith in his ability to
transform me.
And when I call on God's nameand I receive the gift that is
repentance, and I shake that off, not only will my faith restore
(39:26):
me, but I will then beinfluencing everyone around me.
Amen, that's what's the gloryof your faith the fact that you
were in that place and youdidn't stay there.
Not that the testimony is oh, Inever messed around with that.
The testimony is I got out ofthat.
Look at God.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
And how do you get out?
You return to love.
You return, get out, you returnto love you return to love you
return to love.
The scripture tells us, jesustells us the story of a man who
has two sons and the one sonleaves, decides he doesn't want
any part, participates in anillusion of separation.
Whether he is geographicallythere or not, he is his father's
(40:12):
son.
Nothing changes that.
You are a child of the livingGod.
You are loved by God.
And Jesus tells the story of aGod who comes for him.
And it says that when the manis eating pig slop he comes to
his senses.
We shake off the illusion andcome back to the sanity of going
(40:33):
.
I am loved, I am made of love,god loves me.
I am coming back to love whenyou have turned to me again and
again and again and again andagain.
The way of following Jesus isthe way of turning back to the
Father, turning back to God andsaying I trust you, I trust you
(40:55):
Humbly.
I give up my way.
Jesus showed us what love lookslike.
Love looks likecruciform-shaped love looks like
service to others, looks likegiving up of power, looks like
laying down of self.
Love serves, and this is theway of Jesus.
And then he says strengthenyour brothers.
He reminds him of family.
(41:16):
You are part of God's family.
You are welcomed into God'sfamily.
There is a place for you inGod's family.
You are not out of bounds.
You may be a brother in anillusion, eating pig slop, but
you are a brother and there is aplace for you at the table of
the lord I'd like to piggybackon what heather said, just in
(41:36):
this thing that heather and Italk a lot about, you know well.
Speaker 3 (41:38):
Then, where is the maturity of a christian in
something like this?
You know, because I think,ultimately, our idea is that we
would get to the place where nomore sin, and since we keep sin
and we're just falling short allthe time.
But but she said something andand I I wonder if it's, if it's
foreign to our ears so much thatwe don't don't receive it
because it's, it's food to oursouls and it's returned to love
(42:01):
when she said that my heart'sleaping in my chest because, um,
we talk about that is the placeof maturity.
How long between my amnesia,forgetting who I am, and living
in the illusion of this world,do I come to my senses and
(42:22):
remember the table and rememberwhose I am and return to love?
The distance between that timeindicates my maturity.
Not that I never go there,because you and I both know the
kind of shame that is associatedwith sinning the same sin over
(42:46):
and over again, like why do Ieven apologize?
I'm just going to do this again.
Or how dare I repent and mockthe blood of Christ with my
continual sin.
I'm so ashamed of myself and webeat ourselves up and or we
keep outside.
Well, I can't go back to church.
There's people a lot of timesyou know I'll see them for the
first couple of weeks in Januarybecause they've made their New
(43:09):
Year's pledge, they're going tobe a part of church and then
they had some bad thoughts or abad week or they said something
and now they can't even bear todrag themselves into church.
I couldn't face you, pastor,after what I did.
Well, what happened was weforgot because of our behavior.
We forgot who we were and whosewe were.
Because I don't face you and noone faces me in their own
(43:34):
strength.
Because I don't face you and noone faces me in their own
strength, but in the power ofthe living God and the way has
been made for you.
So welcome home.
But it's when we forget that wehide and we stay in that
illusion.
And so the maturity and thething that my goal is how
quickly can I return back tolove?
(43:57):
Sometimes in mid-sentence,lately, I'll go whoo.
That don't sound like god, thatdon't sound like love, that
don't sound like jesus.
Sorry everybody, that wasembarrassing.
What was that from the pastor,the one who should know better,
how dare, and then you or youcan just go.
No, oh, I return to the, thegrace and the forgiveness that's
(44:23):
given to me.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
I return to love in the story that Jesus tells you
know this part where the fathergoes out to the older brother
and says come on into joy, comeon into the party.
And the brother's like no,because you're inviting him.
Beloved, the spirit of God iscalling all of us to come into
the party, to come into joy, toforgive our brothers and say
(44:47):
let's all come to the table ofGod, let's change the way that
we think by the power of theHoly Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the thoughtadjuster and if you find
yourself in a perpetual sin, indoing the same thing over again,
stop, beloved, and ask the HolySpirit to change the way that
you're thinking about that.
Instead of dealing with thesymptom, deal with the cause,
(45:09):
the thoughts that we have.
Allow God's own spirit tochange the way that we think.
Peter says Jesus says this isgoing to be difficult, peter, so
bad that I'm praying for you.
And Peter says I don't know whyyou do that, because I'm ready
to go to prison for you, I amready to die with you.
And I believe Peter was tellingthe truth In that moment,
(45:35):
standing next to Jesus, seeinghim with only other believers,
with only other people who hadfollowed.
He was ready when fear did nottake a place in him.
He was ready A few minuteslater.
He's not.
I think it was hours, butthat's beyond the point.
I'm ready to go to prison andeven to die with you.
(45:56):
And Jesus said Peter, let metell you something Before the
rooster crows tomorrow morning,you'll deny three times that you
even know me.
And Peter is not a failure.
Peter is not a denier.
Peter is a friend of God.
Peter is not a failure, Peteris not a denier.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
Peter is a friend of God.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Peter is someone who said you are the Christ, the son
of the living God.
He may have heard it from Mary,who first confessed this, but
he knew it to be true.
And he said this is who you areand I'm ready to die with you.
And Jesus says it's okay.
Peter, you're going to deny me.
(46:36):
I love this part of the story.
We don't get to it.
I don't think this year in thetext I haven't gone that far
ahead, but if we don't, youshould read it yourself.
Peter goes back to fishing,because that's what Peter knows
how to do.
He has so much guilt and somuch shame and he can't bear to
follow anymore.
He goes back to fishing andJesus appears to him, the
resurrected Christ, and makeshim breakfast on the beach.
(47:02):
And so I just remind youwherever you find yourself
failing.
Maybe you need to eat breakfaston the beach and maybe you need
to invite the presence of Godto come and remind you that you
are loved and that God loves you.
The invitation here is torelationship, is to changing the
way we think.
And as we go into this portion,it's 2,000 years later in
(47:25):
history and we're behaving thesame way.
The word of Jesus is still trueto us, the same as still as
important, maybe even nowimportant, more important in
this present moment.
Come home, return to love.
This is the hope of the world.
This is what the angels sangpeace, good news to all people.
Love has come and the returnhas been guaranteed.
(47:48):
We are sons and daughters ofGod and allowing the thoughts of
Christ, allowing whatPhilippians tells us when, let
this mind be in you, the samemind that was in Christ Jesus,
who humbles himself, takes onthe form of a servant and tells
us the way to life is lovethrough service.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
You know, I wanted to talk about one other thing and
you and I were talking aboutthis, I think, yesterday when we
were traveling and there'ssomebody in our life that's been
causing us pain.
Maybe you can or cannot relateto what I'm talking about here,
(48:41):
but when we read the words ofJesus concerning Peter, can you
relate to Peter?
He's trying, but can you relateto that, and I think it's
important that we do.
But here's the thing thatHeather and I were having this
discussion in the car, thisperson that is causing this pain
(49:02):
, because I consider myself onewith Peter in his struggles.
But when Heather and I weretalking about this individual
and the amount of destructionthat they're doing
single-handedly, it just risesup anger and frustration.
And Heather said help me seehow I'm one with them.
Speaker 1 (49:28):
Don't ask that question.
If you're not interested in theLord changing your mind, like
if you're sure how somethingshould be, don't invite the Holy
Spirit into that, because itturns out the Holy Spirit will
show you.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
But I want us to talk about that because in having
our mind changed, there'ssomething that Jesus has been
offering make them one.
Yes, that's his prayer for you.
You know that we'd learn how torepent and that we would become
one, and yet we continuallyfind lines that we draw and
(50:01):
you're over there and I'm overhere, and with people's
struggles and the tapping intograce, oh, I want to be one with
Peter there.
But can you see how you mightbe one with your brother or your
sister, that is?
You know, how am I?
Because first I looked at thatselfish behavior that this
(50:22):
individual is doing and theninstantly I said well, how am I
one?
How am I selfish?
How am I still?
And am I selfish?
How am I still?
And those are the kind ofquestions, because how does that
jerk continue to act like that?
How has that question beenhelping you over the years?
What has it produced in youother than maybe to provoke
(50:44):
someone else too?
But asking the question, how amI like them?
How am I?
And then Heather and I began toask the question.
I want you to tell the story.
If you don't mind, I will.
I'll tell your story, we knowthis.
Speaker 1 (50:59):
Brothers and sisters, pray with me here.
Lord, have mercy.
Speaker 3 (51:02):
Christ, have mercy, but we're like you know.
Help me see this individualdifferently.
And then you began to see themand it was, I don't know, maybe
a little bit cheeky.
Speaker 1 (51:16):
I think the Holy Spirit's always a little cheeky,
I think you know just payingattention to that, and
uncomfortable and wonderful allat the same time.
But I asked the question.
I said please help me see themdifferently.
And I did see them differentlyand a little bit like how I
suspected.
I love my own children and Ilove all children and I just
think children are wonderful.
(51:37):
I think that we should allconsider that, thinking of the
importance and preciousness ofall children.
But I considered this person andhad the thought that this is
like a precious child who's abiter.
Have you ever met preciouschildren who are biters?
They're still precious.
You just can't let them aroundthe other children, and at least
not unsupervised.
(51:57):
And you may have to have a lotof lessons with the biters and
they may have to eat dinner, butat the other table.
You know like this is the idea.
And so sometimes and so mycompassion grew Do you know why
children bite?
I mean most children becausethey're angry and frustrated and
sometimes they're afraid andthey don't have words to express
that, and so, out of theirfrustration, they lash out and
(52:21):
they bite.
Now, as an adult, we know thisand that's why we have
compassion on them, we teachthem to live differently, we
protect the other children, butwe still love the biters Beloved
.
Consider this there might bebiters in your life Now.
We don't tolerate this in oursociety as adults, like on a
regular, no one is coming intoany situation and biting other
(52:44):
people.
I mean, thank the Lord, ourconsciousness has been raised to
such a place that we are likeno on the biting.
I mean, we've done a lot ofthings to people but we're just
not biting them.
Okay, because we have thisconsciousness and this is a
maturity and Jesus is offeringto us.
Sometimes, when people comeinto our lives and they are
difficult, you might just havecompassion on them.
(53:05):
They're just a biter, that'swhat they are, and they're angry
and frustrated and maybe thepeace of Christ in you could be
offered to them.
Maybe the love of Christ in youcould be offered to them.
Now keep your small people awayfrom the biters just out there.
But here's the truth of it.
The invitation is to allowcompassion to grow up in you and
(53:25):
then to find a path, a way outof that negative thinking.
Speaker 3 (53:31):
Now I hope that you're not missing the point.
It's a funny story, but theidea is that really, god helped
me see these people that are myenemy in my judgment as one, and
helped me see them the way thatyou see them, and there is a
higher thought than my thoughtto just go choke them out.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (53:48):
There's a higher thought to mine to want to just
punch them in the throat there.
There needs to be the power ofgod to come in and bring
transformation, or we'llcontinually just do the same
things we've always done and getthe results that we've always
got.
God wants to do something greatin your life, and so help me
see things differently.
And it helps me approach thatperson differently too, because
(54:09):
Heather and I can go uh-oh, herecomes the biter.
And in the past, here comes thebiter.
I'm going to get away from thisone as quick as possible.
I wonder how much damagethey're going to do.
Or we can go.
How can we see past their pain?
How can we help?
And Heather and I have reallybeen doing this practice.
(54:31):
She probably will havecommunicated a lot more
eloquently than I do.
But when you walk up into asituation and you know, help me
see this person's belovedness,because somebody held that
(54:52):
person in their lap and was gladthat they were born, help me
see their belovedness, becauseright now I'm just seeing a
biter.
Help me.
And then, absolutely with thatwalking, hey, good to see you.
You're a pain, so I'm going topray Jesus over you before we
talk.
I mean way to start the thingoff on a.
You're going to have to climbup out of that one, but what if,
(55:12):
inside my spirit, before I everwalk up, I go oh, the love of
Christ, I just I bring itbetween you and I, and that it
would manifest.
I say that between Sarah,because who has ever had a
crossword with Sarah?
And the beautiful thing is thatyou and I have that power, as
(55:38):
if we would just remember.
Speaker 1 (55:41):
We see this in the way of Jesus, who practiced
beloved innocence, that each oneof us are beloved innocence.
We see this Jesus on the crosswho says Father, forgive them,
because they don't know whatthey're doing.
Each one of us has the power offorgiveness.
The scripture tells us you goahead and forgive the sins.
You go ahead and releasesomeone of their amnesia.
(56:02):
You remind them of theironeness.
This is the hope of Christ.
This is how we come to Jesus.
This is the path practicing ourown, but the world's beloved
innocence through the way ofJesus.
And Jesus is showing us how todo that.
He's showing us a new way ofliving and that we can return to
love.
And this is the hope for theworld.
Beloved Hosanna in the storyturns very quickly to crucify
(56:28):
him in the story turns veryquickly to crucify him.
The same people shouting outhe's the king, he's the way we
want to go very quickly, turninto the mob, turn into another
way of thinking.
But these are also the peoplewho end up by the grave and have
(56:49):
watched their beloved, theirfriend, their Messiah, be
crucified.
And so we have so muchcompassion on this story of
humanity and there's hope for usin remembering who we are and
what we are called to do.
In just a moment, we are goingto go and participate in Holy
Communion, in a remembrance, ina returning to love, in an
(57:13):
enactment, an embodiment of whatit means to come to the table
of the Lord with nothing tooffer except open hands,
sometimes an empty belly,sometimes a great thirst brings
us to the table.
Thirst brings us to the table.
(57:34):
We come to the table of theLord and we take our masks off
and we say I am here to eat, Iam here to receive forgiveness,
I am here to receive healingfrom my amnesia, I am here to
return to love, I am here to befilled with God.
And so I ask that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you would
turn your thoughts, you wouldbreathe in the peace of Christ
(58:01):
and you would exhale the anxietythat you have been carrying
with you all week.
You are loved, you are seen andyou are held at the table of
the Lord.
Caroline is going to offer ablessing to us and then we will
receive holy communion.
Speaker 4 (58:23):
Good morning.
I'm going to read a blessing ofPsalms by Jane Richardson.
This blessing can be heardcoming from a long way off.
This blessing is making itssteady way up the road toward
you.
This blessing blooms in thethroats of women, springs from
(58:44):
the hearts of men and tumblesout of the mouths of children.
This blessing is stitched intothe seams of the cloaks that
line the road, etched into thebranches that trace the path,
echoes in the breathing of thewilling colt, the click of the
donkey's hoof against the stones.
Something is rising beneaththis blessing.
(59:07):
Something will try to dry itout.
But this blessing cannot beturned back, cannot be made to
still.
Its voice cannot cease to singits praise of the one who comes
along the way it makes.
Speaker 1 (59:22):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon.
If you would like moreinformation about us, visit us
online at firstlovechurchorg.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!