June 23, 2025 • 56 mins
What does it truly mean to be one with God and with each other? In this deeply moving exploration of Jesus's prayer in John 17, we discover the radical nature of unity that transcends mere agreement or conformity.
The journey begins with a fresh perspective on resurrection—not just as a historical event, but as an everyday reality we witness in healing, transformed thinking, and nature itself. Like Florida's resurrection ferns that appear dead until rain brings them vibrantly back to life, we too experience restoration through the Spirit's renewing power. This perspective shifts how we see seemingly hopeless situations in our lives and the world around us.
At the heart of the message is Jesus's extraordinary prayer that we would be one as He and the Father are one. This sacred unity doesn't erase our beautiful differences but celebrates them within a deeper connection. We're invited to recognize that God's plan includes diversity by design—diverse people worshipping with one voice. This unity requires us to lay down our hierarchies, privileges, and labels to embrace our true shared identity as beloved children.
Perhaps most challenging is the call to become "agents of change" rather than bystanders. Through vulnerable stories of missed opportunities and holy discomfort, we discover that transformation often happens when we're willing to step into difficult situations with love. Rather than just praying "fix it, Jesus," we're reminded that we are Christ's hands and feet—the embodiment of divine love in a hurting world.
The message offers particular grace around worry, distinguishing between helpful planning and harmful anxiety. Instead of feeling shame about natural human concerns, we're encouraged to consciously redirect our thoughts toward trust: "I choose to remind myself that God is going to take care of me." This practice doesn't deny life's difficulties but transforms how we face them.
Most powerfully, we're reminded that we are loved by God exactly as Jesus is loved—a truth that revolutionizes how we see ourselves and others. This love becomes the foundation for authentic service and unity. As we close with communion, we witness this truth embodied: at Christ's table, all are welcomed equally to receive unmerited grace.
How might your life change if you truly believed that nothing—not fear, failure, or even death itself—could separate you from this perfect love? Join us as we explore what it means to live as one with God and each other in a divided world.
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.
This is the seventh Sunday ofEaster and so, as we celebrate
together the power ofresurrection, somebody asked me
the other day do you stillbelieve in resurrection?
And I said yes, I see it allthe time.
(00:22):
I really do, and I hope thatyou do too.
I see it in the resurrection ofmy friend who had a surgery, and
I'm so grateful for thebrilliant surgeons that attended
to her.
But the work that it took forher to get back her strength,
the time that she spent inphysical therapy, the time, the
work that she's in now and walksbeloved, that's resurrection.
(00:42):
My friend here, our brother,who told me the other day I
changed the way I thought, thinkabout this, that's resurrection
, brother.
This is for all of us.
When we allow the Holy Spiritto change us, to transform us,
when we become the love ofChrist, when we acknowledge and
accept that we are the light ofthe world, because Jesus said we
(01:03):
are the light of the world,because Jesus said we are the
light of the world, there is forus a newness, and so it is with
joy I practice resurrectionwith you.
This is the seventh Sunday, andso that means next week we
change in the church calendarand we go into the series of
Pentecost.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
You know, I want to talk about resurrection too,
Because I moved down here toFlorida and I saw all these dead
ferns in people's trees and I'mlike, what are you going to
have to do?
Dig that out and they go?
No, that's resurrection fern.
You know about this.
Maybe some of you peoplewatching this online don't know
what we got going on down herein Florida, but it ain't all
crazy People doing stuff.
(01:41):
Hey, look at this, we're doingsome powerful resurrection
around here too, and one of thethings that just blew me away
was just wait around until therain.
And when the rain comes, thoseferns are glorious, beautiful
and lush, like nothing everhappened, and they were withered
before that rain.
Amen.
And some of you might feelweathered and dead, but wait
(02:04):
until the Spirit washes over you.
The.
Some of you might feelweathered and dead, but wait
until the spirit washes over you.
The water of the, of the spiritof God, watch you come to life,
and I would I just encourageyou not to lose that hope for
family members and for things inyour life that seem dead and
seem hopeless.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
We just need the Holy Spirit to hover over that
formless void and uh and letcreation uh, resurrect something
amazing out of that death, amenthis is for us an invitation
into hope, it's an invitationinto greater love, it's an
invitation into allowing theholy spirit to resurrect the
(02:46):
good and the great that is amongus, the kingdom that's so close
that Jesus said it's so closeto you, it's in your mouth, it's
breathing with you.
And so, as we celebrate thislast Sunday of Easter, next
Sunday is Pentecost, and aswonderful as resurrection is
beloved, the spirit living anddwelling in us, oh, that's even
(03:08):
better.
And then what happens is whatwe have ordinary time, and I
kind of feel like it's a littlebit of a letdown.
But from Advent all the waytill right now, we tell the
story of Jesus, and then we'dhave Pentecost, and then it's
considered the story of man.
It becomes the practice Nowthat you've seen Jesus do these
things.
Now here's your turn.
Here's the summer of love forus beloved.
(03:30):
How do we serve the world?
How do we receive the love ofChrist?
How do we stay in the frequencyof the Holy Spirit so that we
are about our Father's businessthe same way that Jesus does?
How do we receive the witnessof Jesus who said I am the way,
I am the truth, I am the life.
Jesus, fully man, fully human.
Who said this is what it lookslike when God shows up on the
(03:53):
earth the hungry are fed, thosewho are disenfranchised are
welcomed to the table, those whoare inherently pushed down by
patriarchy and by hierarchiesand by anything that keeps them
down.
Jesus is the great equalizerand he says love is the new way.
Love has always been the way,but you got a little confused,
(04:15):
beloved, that's okay.
Love is still the way, and thisexcellent good news of the Holy
Spirit with us.
We do get to read today in theGospel of John, and the witness
there is so beautiful and I wasthinking well, we started in 17
and there's a certain amount ofverses I'm like, but we should
go back to, and by the time Igot back, I was like John 1.
We can't read from John 1 to 17while we're here together, but
(04:36):
you can, and so I encourage youduring this time to reread those
things and particularly hangout in the 17.
The whole thing is what Jesusis praying for us.
I'm excited to talk with youabout this this morning.
I don't know if you could tellI have been all week, but the
truth of it is there is grace,there is so much goodness, and
I'm glad you're here thismorning.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Amen.
I wanted to kind of piggybackon what Heather and Thomas said
about that holy discomfort andbecause we all want the Holy
Spirit to move.
But I think it's kind of like adeal where I pray God you fix
that mess, and we forget that weare going to be involved in
(05:18):
that holy discomfort of Godmoving in that mess, that you
got to get your hands in thereand a little bit you got to be
involved.
Yesterday I went over to servesomebody and it was an old lady.
But at this old lady's housewas this uh guy and he
immediately got on my nerves.
Uh, he didn't know me fromanyone, but he felt very
comfortable to run down the oldlady I was there to try to serve
(05:40):
.
Uh, run down, the run down, theneighbors run down, uh, and in
a matter of minutes it doesn'twork.
And he almost pulled a ladder ahundred pound ladder down on my
head and so I was not in aservice mood.
I was here to serve the ladythat I felt like deserved and
needed to help, and this guy.
(06:00):
I tell you what I had a ought Ididn't want to hear him talk
anymore.
I didn't want to hear thenegativity.
It took me out of my spiritualmood to come serve and help.
And I got to tell you, I droveoff.
And as I got some quiet timeand Silas was with me and Silas
was like this is sketch we gotto get out of here.
And it was, you know.
(06:22):
And so we did.
We got out of there, but when Igot alone I'm driving I said God
, what was the deal with that?
What was that?
And God said you missed thechance to love me.
You missed your brother in pain.
He was running his yapper and Iwanted just to shut him up.
(06:44):
And my best way to shut him upwas just get out of there.
Now, if I would have joined inwith his reindeer games, it
would have been better if I gotout of there.
But do you understand, we areagents of the Holy Spirit.
We're not thermometers, we'rethermostats.
We're the ones that go in andchange.
And I missed the opportunityjust to say you know, I can tell
(07:07):
you're tormented, I can tellyou're struggling and just bring
the Holy Spirit.
And what would have happened iseither transformation or he
would have ran out there like Ispread him with a can of Raid
like a scorched roach orsomething.
But either way I could havechanged the atmosphere versus
letting that drive me out.
And so today, as we're lookingat these things, please don't
look at them as something thatyou just kind of well, I'm going
(07:29):
to request the Holy Spirit,just give me a mulligan on this
and a do-over and you fix this.
But how can I be involved intransformation and that there is
resurrection power flowingthrough me?
It is available for us, it isliterally all around us.
And church, we're missing itbecause we're hoping in the
sweet by and by.
(07:49):
One day it will all be fixed.
One day he will fix all.
When we are agents of change,church, somebody look at your
neighbor and say you're an agentof change.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
You're an agent of change and you might have to
look in the mirror and remindyourself of that too.
You have the capacity fortransformation because the Holy
Spirit lives in you.
Thank you, sue, from someoneelse who's looking at this
transformation, you said fix it,jesus.
(08:20):
There was one time Sister Motes, which was an elderly sister in
our church, was watchingsomebody do something foolish
and she said, ooh, fix it, jesus.
There was one time Sister Motes, which was an elderly sister in
our church, was watchingsomebody who do something
foolish and she said, oh, fix it, jesus, like that.
And my grandmother got out ofher seat and the eyebrows went
up.
And my grandmother said youprayed and I am Jesus in this
place.
And she fixed it For so many ofus.
(08:41):
Are we waiting for the skies topart, if Jesus is here, if we
see this needs to be fixed?
And I'm not talking about fixit in ourselves.
She literally was saying weneed Jesus, we need another.
Jesus is another way, not theway that we're all going to fix
it now.
We're just going to, you know,make this guy stop talking, this
irritating person or thisbeloved brother who is in pain,
(09:01):
and the invitation is to centerourselves because we are always
in Christ and to say Jesus, whatdo you want done here, right
now?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yes, that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And how are my hands and my feet?
We are the body of Christbeloved.
One of the things we do isreceive communion every time
we're here, and we aretransformed by this renewal, by
this beautiful mystery, by thisinvitation to the table of the
Eucharist, where we all cometogether, but that there is for
us a spiritual changing, thereis for us an invitation into
(09:35):
more, and so when we you know,when you talk about the table
and remembering what are weremembering?
Jesus.
Yes, thank you Of recognitionand remember.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, he rose from the grave.
There's resurrection.
So, in our remembrance.
Let's remember the right things.
I'm supposed to eat bread.
Is that what you're supposed toremember?
Are you supposed to rememberwhat he did and what that table
represents, that you get yourdaily bread?
Oh, wait a minute.
I have what I need to face thisproblem tomorrow, because some
of you might have some stuffgoing on this week.
Maybe not everybody just has aperfect life.
(10:07):
Maybe somebody's got somefamily members that are giving
them a hard time or a job thatseems to be too difficult or
whatever.
Do you remember that when youreceive the table, that we're
receiving the resurrected Christto come into our lives and
straighten out those things?
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And this is what fixing it.
Jesus looked like in that time,in that particular moment,
right before he said it, he tookhis shirt off and he grabbed a
towel and a basin and he beganto serve people.
So when we pray and we say,lord, fix this.
Or look at the world around us,it's broken and how do we
revive it, or how do we breathereal life into this chaos?
(10:48):
It is through loving acts ofservice.
It is through following theJesus way.
Jesus wiped the feet of thesedisciples, washed them, told
them to come to the table andthen broke bread and then gave
them.
Jesus began the job of serving,which is really unbelievable to
people around him, because youare the Christ, you are God
(11:09):
among us and you are going toserve, because this is the way
to greatness.
The scripture tells us this Ifyou want to be great in God's
kingdom, become the servant ofall.
There is for us anunderstanding, a transformation
that our service is service forChrist, not service because I
don't want you to do thatanymore.
Service because this is whatJesus would do here in this
(11:31):
place.
But I am excited today, in Johnchapter 17, to remind ourselves
, to remind you, that this is aprayer that somebody I don't
think that there was astenographer at that very time,
but this made such an impact onthem that years later they
rehearsed it and they remindedeach other of it.
(11:52):
And this is in the Gospel ofJohn.
And John tells us in the verybeginning John's Gospel.
He reminds us of thisincredible cosmology.
This is about the world.
This is an invitation, aboutthis incredible creator who
invites us home, back toourselves, and Jesus is the word
made flesh.
(12:13):
That's what John's gospel tellsus.
We had this idea of God andJesus came and Jesus was the
manifestation of God.
Here Jesus is God made flesh,jesus is God.
Before we didn't know what Godlooked like.
Now we do.
It looks like Jesus.
It looks like the lover of theentire world.
And so here we come, in thisparticular portion During my
(12:36):
time.
Here, jesus is praying out loudand praying so that other
people can hear.
This is different than whenJesus told us that, as disciples
, go home and pray in yourcloset.
He's doing this for instruction, right before he leaves.
There was so much.
This is in the farewelldiscourse and Jesus really wants
to, right before he leaves,make an impact on his followers.
(12:58):
So he's praying and we'reoverhearing this.
During my time here, I protectedthem by the power of the name
that you gave me and I guardedthem so that not one was lost,
except the one headed fordestruction, as the scripture
foretold.
And now I'm coming to you and Itold them many things while I
was with them in this world sothey would be filled with my joy
(13:19):
, and I have given them yourword.
Now I want to remind you aboutthat because Jesus is saying I
have given them your word.
Now I want to remind you aboutthat because Jesus is saying I
have given them myself.
Jesus is the word, jesus isGod's word, and anytime there is
a question, the written wordmust bow to the living word.
Jesus is the way.
The world hates them becausethey do not belong to the world,
(13:41):
just as I do not belong to theworld.
And I'm not asking you to takethem out of the world.
Well, some days I feel like Iwish he would have, I wish you
would have, just.
And again, I don't know theplan and I am not very
interested in beinguncomfortable, and so there is a
holy discomfort that we're allinvited into, but to keep them
(14:03):
safe from the evil one MotherTeresa was tending to the lepers
one time and someone was withher and at this one particular
time he said when he lifted,when she lifted someone up to
receive a cool glass of water,part of their body stayed on the
ground.
And the person that was with hersaid they were horrified at
what they experienced.
(14:24):
And they said all they saw fromMother Teresa was that she was
so unbelievably tender and kind.
And they asked her later.
They said how come you didn'tlook away?
How come you weren't revulsedby what you experienced?
And she said everyone I look at, I see as Jesus in distressing
disguise.
Everyone I look at, I see asJesus in distressing disguise.
(14:49):
What if we could all receivethat kind of healing?
And look at everyone as Jesusin distressing disguise?
This is Jesus, how we areattending to the light of the
world.
They do not belong to thisworld any more than I do.
Make them holy by your truth.
Teach them your word, which istruth, beloved.
(15:11):
This is what Jesus is prayingfor you.
This is good news.
If you don't know how to prayfor yourself, john 17 reminds
you that Jesus is ourintercessor and he is praying
this for you.
Just as you sent me into theworld.
I am sending them into theworld and I give myself as a
holy.
I love this verse.
Jesus thought of you and hethought of me, and he's thinking
(15:45):
of people that are coming evenafter us, and he's praying for
us.
I am praying not only for thesedisciples, but for all who will
ever believe in me throughtheir message.
I pray that they will all beone, just as you and I are one,
as you are in me, father, and Iam in you, and may they be in us
(16:07):
, so the world will believe thatyou sent me.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I accidentally fell into something with God.
On this journey I'm on, I beganto recognize that my driving
terrified my wife, and I meanliterally.
She was scared, she had a fakebrake that she would step on and
(16:33):
she would be crying out toJesus, and it would almost make
me mad, like you don't trust me.
But I realized instead ofmaking it about me, I am what
happened was I went to Europewith my friend Jerry and I rode
in the passenger side ofsomebody that's never driven on
the wrong side of the road, onthe wrong side.
And so I realized that for twoweeks I was forced to drive in
(16:55):
what I call the seat ofvulnerability, and that's the
seat that has to see everythingbut has no control over it.
I don't have a steering wheeland I don't have a brake see
everything but has no controlover it.
I don't have a steering wheeland I don't have a brake.
And as I came back, I realizedthat what I was doing is saying
to that person I love you andwill protect you and will be
your spouse and your partner forlife.
(17:16):
But for life, she was signed upto a terrifying thrill ride, an
amusement park that she didn'twant to go to and and, plus, it
was risking her life and herchildren.
And and I began to to realizethat there's something wrong
with the way I drive, with theanger and the competitiveness,
and and God began to show methat you know, start looking at
(17:37):
these drivers and I've sharedthis story with you a bunch of
times how I'm going through thisjourney of of seeing those,
those people that want to driveall the way up when you clearly
see that lane is ending and theydrive up, and then they want to
cut over in front of you at thelast minute.
And instead of looking at thoseas the idiots that need to
learn a lesson, I began to lookat them as my brother, danny,
(17:59):
who just made a mistake or justwas in a hurry or just needed my
mercy and I'm always going tolet Danny and he's my brother.
And so I realized that, um,that through that accidental
decision to begin to work onthat, that everybody's my
brother, everybody's my sister,god is saying that we're one.
(18:22):
Do you realize the differencewhen you stop competing with
people, including the people inyour home, when you stop trying
to win and you realize that ifI'm one with this person, I want
them to win.
I want you know.
And we begin to see Jesusunderstood this and he said I
pray that they would know thatyou're one, the way you and I
(18:45):
are one.
They, the father and Jesus,worked in such a symbiotic way
and such a free and natural wayand such a way where nothing one
had that the other didn't have,and there's such freedom in
that.
But yet in our way of competingand struggling and fighting and
trying to say we're better thansomeone else or that person's
different because of their lifechoices or their behavior,
(19:06):
instead we begin to allow God tomanifest what he has been
praying for 2,000 years over youand I that we would become one.
And then we would begin to seethe people in our lives not as
burdens that we have to takecare of, but people that we can
freely bless and give to.
And when we start seeing ourfamily that way, we start seeing
our family grow out into ourneighbors and into our world.
(19:29):
And then all of a sudden werealize even people that look so
different from us, soethnically different, so even
faith-based different, that theyare still my brother.
And if I can allow God to helpme learn that oneness.
But we're like no, not for thosepeople that stepped on my foot.
I will not allow that and I'mgoing to go step on there and we
(19:52):
want to be the vengeance of Godwhen he didn't say I fill you
with my vengeance on that day ofPentecost, I fill you with my
anger and my wrath, no, oh, butI want to fill you with my
spirit, the spirit of unity, ofoneness, of love, and what
(20:18):
overtakes any kind of anger andwrath and judgment is God's love
.
So I want a double dose of that.
And you know what we may justdo.
We may just name the churchFirst Love and we may just
preach it every time we gettogether, and we may just
realize that, no matter how manytimes we hear it, we need it
more and we need to learn tosurrender more.
And there's still areas of ourlife that are in such darkness
and we are on our own.
(20:38):
When God's invited us to thisplace of family and unity, of
oneness, of peace and joy, oh,don't you want in, or do you
want to keep the struggle up,keep fighting somehow that we
can win in our individuality andin our way of separation, or
can we surrender daily to theway, god would have us be one.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I love the ideas that you're reminding us of this
oneness, and I remind you thatit is not conformity that God is
looking for, but oneness.
There is unity, there is for us, a acceptance and a delight in
the difference that God has madefor us, for us, and so we won't
all have the exact sameexpression, we won't all have
(21:23):
the exact same way of doingsomething, but that is part of
God's plan.
God's plan includes thediversity, and if you want to
know where this, I get this ideaas you can, it's in the book of
Revelation, and I saw them asone group of people worshiping
around the throne.
This is Revelation, said, and Iheard them with one voice,
thousands upon thousands uponthousands, from every tribe,
(21:43):
every tongue, every nation.
Them with one voice, thousandsupon thousands upon thousands,
from every tribe, every tongue,every nation, and with one voice
they declared worthy is theLamb.
God is not asking forconformity.
God is saying that love bringsus together and that unity is
again.
In the Old Testament, or theFirst Testament, it said that
the blessing of the Lord hasalready been spoken there.
(22:04):
Jesus is praying for our unity.
I have given them the glorythat you have given me so that
they may be one as we are one.
We use a lot of language inchurch settings, things like
glory Show us your glory, andwhat does glory actually mean?
And where is the glory of God?
And Jesus tells us where it isright.
(22:25):
Here it's in actual, in thedoing.
I have given them the glorythat you gave me, so they may be
one as we are one.
He said I have received yourglory, I've received this
invitation into doing, intobeing your light in the world,
your goodness, the manifestatorof this incredible miracles.
I am in them and you are in me,beloved.
(22:51):
That's just a whole lot of hope, christ in us, the hope of
glory.
Jesus said I am in them and youare in me.
May they experience suchperfect unity that the world
will know that you sent me andthat you love them as much as
you love me.
Together in God's house, inthis sacred space, I'm going to
(23:16):
ask that you would take a momentwith us, all of us together,
and consider that God loves usas much as he loves Jesus.
You are loved by God as much asGod loves Jesus.
Not when you get together, notwhen you stop doing that thing.
(23:39):
You are loved right now as muchas God loves Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
You know, one of the greatest ways, I think, that
this can become real to you isallowing yourself to love what
you would consider as theunlovable.
Because I had this, this personthat came around the house and
and just because of theirbehavior they, they really
(24:11):
seemed kind of almost to be likea trouble for our family, just
kind of a burden and a struggleall the time, and, and so they
seem to be around more than I.
I was really thrilled for themto be around the house.
And one day this person had todo something for school, and so
(24:33):
they said you know, as anatheist, we're trying to do a
class to you know, and so I wantto interview some pastors.
And so we said okay, you can dothat, we'll sit down.
And so Heather and I did, andthis person began to talk to us,
and as they talked I began tosee where that combativeness
(24:59):
came from.
That always seemed to be a realstruggle for me, because this
person, in their asking usquestions, began to reveal some
things about themselves, andthis person was really, really
wounded and really authenticallyjust way unnecessarily
mistreated, and it was by churchpeople.
(25:20):
So then I thought how odd it isthat they even would come by a
church people, and I almostwonder if that little provoking
was just to see who are thesepeople real or?
But as they, as this person,began to share, I just began to
weep and weep and fall in lovewith this person, to the point
(25:43):
that this is how hypocritical Iwas.
People love with this person tothe point that this is how
hypocritical I was.
People would call this personirritating and I'd say stop,
don't talk about my friend thatway.
Don't say that I love thatperson, don't talk bad about him
.
That's my friend.
Because something happened to methat I began to see, with a
(26:08):
love that wasn't my own and myboundaries that I had were
expanded by God, and thatstarted to open up an
understanding in me.
Maybe I could be loved by Godeven more than I could imagine,
(26:30):
even more than I could believethat I am loved that way,
because I feel like thatrejected person, that person who
deserves just to be cast out.
Maybe, in the same way that Godgave me the ability to love,
god already has that kind oflove towards me.
Do you see what I'm saying?
That you expanding your heartwill help you understand the
(26:55):
love by which you are loved andcared for, and without that
understanding, we stay on theoutside, we stay wounded, we
stay wounded, we stay broken.
It's that love that bringshealing, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (27:10):
We pause here for a moment to thank you for joining
us today.
If you're finding this episodemeaningful, would you take a
moment to share it with a friend?
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(27:33):
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And I think that it is the HolySpirit that we need to lean into
or pay attention to or ask tohelp us to see things
differently, to see people inanother way, to see ourselves in
(27:53):
another way One of the jobsthat the Holy Spirit who is
given to us.
I want to remind you too.
When Jesus shows up andbreathes on the disciples after
the resurrection and says I'mgiving you the Holy Spirit, he
also says peace, and so when youfind yourself in anxiety, when
you find yourself in worry and Isay this as a recovering
(28:16):
worrier and I feel like if therewas an Olympic team for
worrying, I think I could havemade the team I could do it.
I can worry over anything and Icould worry even at night when
I slept.
I could turn the pillow over toget it cool, and then I could
also worry at that point too,and beloved, that is not
something that actually in anyway goes with the love of Christ
(28:39):
.
That love is the opposite offear, and when we experience
fear, when we experience worry,what we're doing is we're
thinking about another reality.
It's a very arrogant thing tosay I know what's going to
happen.
We don't, and Jesus tells ushere in the prayer I am with
them.
Beloved, we have Christ with us, there is joy with us, there is
(29:01):
hope with us.
Now, do worrying thoughts stillcome to me?
Yes, but I do not entertainthem because I remember and I
remind myself, and we have thispractice of going.
I know what to do.
Worrying produces nothing, jesuseven told us that which one of
you can change how tall you areby tomorrow by worrying about
how short you are now?
The answer is none of us.
How can you worry aboutsomething and change it?
(29:23):
But by manifesting the love,but by being the light, but by
tuning into the Spirit of Godthat is with us, we can have
this peace.
But it says I want them and youwill love them as much as you
love me, Father.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I want these whom you've given to me to like,
follow and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I also find a lot of good news in that little bit.
The Father loves Jesus and Ithink the Father gives Jesus
what Jesus wants.
I think Jesus gets what Jesusprays for, and he wants me to be
with him, and he wants mybabies to be with him, and he
wants all the people that I loveto be with him and he wants the
(30:09):
people that I don't love to bewith him too.
In John, chapter 3, it says ForGod so loved the world, the
whole thing, that he gave hisone and only son that whoever
believed would not perish buthave eternal life.
Because God did not send Jesushere to condemn the world, so
beloved.
If Jesus is not condemning theworld, then that is none of our
(30:30):
business to do it either.
If Jesus is not condemning you,then you need to not condemn
you.
If Jesus is the compassionatewitness for your pain when you
struggle, if Jesus is there, notpoking his finger at you or
saying no, no, no or bringingshame, if Jesus is there as the
compassionate witness, then thatis what we need to do toward
ourselves when we find ourselvesfalling short of the grace or
(30:53):
the love that is there.
Jesus says I want them to bewhere I am.
I don't know if you worry aboutanyone After I just said it's
just opposite of love.
But I don't know if you do itanyway, because sometimes I do.
But there is nothing that Icould want more for anyone I
(31:14):
love than to be in the presenceof Jesus.
Anyone I love.
If I want anything for them,it's the presence of loving
Jesus, and Jesus said he wantsthat.
So good for me that Jesus wantsit and good to get in this idea
.
This is the hope for all of us.
This is the way we're changed.
We begin to give our thoughtsover and join the thoughts that
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God has with us.
When you are self-reflecting, Iinvite you only to stand in the
presence of loving Jesus andsay Jesus, what is God thinking
about me right now?
Not your list of things whereyou didn't measure up, not your
list of ways that you'reseparate, but this beautiful
invitation to live outside ofthe illusion of separateness and
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say Jesus is praying thatwherever he is, I am, Jesus is
praying and asking God that wewould have unity.
I can have confidence belovedthat that is going to happen,
that there is an invitation intothis.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
You know, I want to talk for a minute about worry,
because we all do it and then weall feel at certain times, at
certain levels of shame fordoing it.
We feel like, how dare youworry?
And feel bad for worrying.
And I want you to knowsomething that I really beat
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myself up spiritually because Ithought that worry was this
thing that I did and I waschoosing to do it and God is
just mad at me for doing it,because there's all this
instruction to tell us about notworrying.
And I want you to think aboutsomething your mind, it's just a
computer that God made and itruns and it does runs programs
(33:01):
and one of the things it does isit worries.
And part of the evolutionarysuccess of human beings is that
we've worried and thought ofthings that could come up and we
made plans of how we couldsurvive that thing that comes up
.
I mean it was a good thing thatpeople worried, wonder if we're
going to have enough food forwinter.
The first people to make itthrough the winter probably
(33:24):
worried that summer.
The first people to make itthrough the winter probably
worried that summer now.
So so I'm saying that maybe wemistake what is worry and what
is planning.
You know there's things therethat you should think about your
future.
You should consider thesethings, but the bible says don't
worry about your future, trustgod.
You.
You understand that, that weknow when you get into the the
(33:44):
bad place with that.
And what we do is, and what Ithink is, instead of us feeling
shame for having those naturalthoughts that the computer just
does, but it's what you do withthem, I choose now I have these
worried thoughts, I choose toremind myself that God's going
to take care of me, and that'swhat I do.
I remind myself of God's goingto take care of me, and that's
(34:04):
what I do.
I remind myself of God'spromises that he's made me one.
I don't have to be afraid.
And see, I begin to handlethings differently, you know.
And so I departmentalize worrywhere it is.
Well, you know that's excessand stress.
I'm not going to do that, but Ithank God that he's given me
(34:24):
the ability to, to consider andto plan on things.
I mean it's smart to put awayprojectiles during a hurricane,
you know it just keeps them frombusting out your windows or
your neighbors.
You know what I mean.
So, but but if I sit aroundevery day and go.
I can't have lawn furniturebecause one day it's going to
blow away in a hurricane.
Then I have a problem.
(34:45):
And so allow God to help youunderstand the difference
between that constantprofessional what Heather talks
about Olympic level.
Worry that some of you are incompetition in to a place of.
Can I just trust God?
Yeah, he was giving me thisgift, but I've abused it to a
place of.
Can I just trust God?
Yeah, he was giving me thisgift, but I've abused it.
(35:06):
I have this gift to be able tofigure things out, and I should
figure out things that you knowthat are coming up against my
life, but I have to ultimatelytrust that God's going to give
me that wisdom and that there'sgoing to be a peace that I'm led
by.
And so anytime I think the keyfor Heather and I we've learned
once it steps out of any kind ofpeace, then we know we've
(35:27):
missed it, we've missed the HolySpirit.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
The Spirit of God is wisdom, and you can even look in
the First Testament.
It's beautiful.
From the very beginning, wisdomhas been the Spirit of God and
this understanding that when wehave anxiety or when we have
things that we're worried about,we need to remind ourselves
what is the spirit of God sayingabout this?
For those of you who have hadchildren, and even if you didn't
(35:52):
have children, but you've seenchildren, even if they're not
yours- Even if you yourself wereonce a child.
Well, I don't know, sometimes wejust don't have the awareness
then.
But when Thomas first startedwalking, level up on a new fear.
I just want to tell you that,because when your babies are
held, you can control wherethey're going.
Once they start walking bythemselves, again new fear is
unlocked, like they can just getall over and then you can
(36:15):
decide well, I'm just nevergoing to put them down because I
don't want them to walk.
And then eventually they'retaller than you and that's
ridiculous.
But there's this idea of we haveto learn to walk together with
them, and that's the piece To beable to say.
One of the beauties of trainingchildren and nurturing them is
teaching them to trust the HolySpirit for yourself.
And so one of the things that Iwould ask my little people all
(36:37):
the time is what would wisdomtell you to do about this?
Let wisdom guide you, becausesometimes they would say you
don't do it because you'reafraid, so I'm going to do it.
I'm like don't just do thingsjust because I wouldn't.
That's not a wisdom either.
Do things that wisdom wouldtell you to do, and this is the
spirit.
The spirit of God is wisdom.
So check in with yourselves andsay what would I do instead?
Then I want to tell you so Ifelt like I was going really
(36:59):
great and had a bunch of kidsand we all got past the walk-in
thing and I was able to justwalk with them, teach them,
guide them with them.
And then they started drivingcars, beloved, new fear,
unlocked, new anxiety, worriedabout, because not only them,
it's somebody else.
Do you know what I mean?
As we progress in life, it'snot like we're going to have
less concern, we actually havemore.
But then how do we livedifferently?
(37:19):
How do we live in trust?
Every time, a thought comes tome Thomas leaves super early in
the morning and we have a littledoor and it goes deet, deet,
deet, lets you know the door hasbeen locked.
So at 4.30 in the morning, inthe complete dark, I hear it.
I know he's left New fear,unlocked Every morning, 4.30.
It's dark outside, some peopleare driving.
What are they doing?
They're not going to Starbucksin the store, you know, like
(37:40):
they're up, maybe they've beenup from the night before.
Or I can say I thank you,father, that you love my family,
that you love Thomas and thatyou're with him, and that he has
wisdom and that wisdom leadshim and that becomes the
practice for us.
Not that I'm not aware that mychildren now he drives, and has
driven for a very long time.
(38:01):
And then Catherine starteddriving in foreign countries.
A new fear unlocked because youknow like, here's your baby,
she's in a weird car, she's arental car in Tuscany, and you
know like.
So we can live our lives trappedby thoughts, or we can live our
lives transcendent, because weare in the frequency of the Holy
Spirit and saying this is whathas happened.
(38:22):
So it's not that we pushthoughts out of our head and say
there's nothing to worry about.
Beloved, there is you and Iboth.
I mean, if we exchanged worries, I could probably look at you
and go yep, I'd worry about thattoo.
Excellent, good job on you,except for the fact that we're
not to trade worries, we're totrade peace, we're to look at
that and go.
I see that that you areconcerned with, and I bring the
(38:43):
thoughts of Christ to it.
I bring the peace of God to it.
I ask for mercy, one of myfavorite prayers, and it has
been the prayers of thousandsfor millennia.
Lord Jesus Christ, son of theliving God, have mercy on me,
have mercy on my children, havemercy on this world, this
invitation, and so one of thethings that Jesus is praying
(39:03):
first of all, I mean take a naptoday.
It's just well, that's aglorious thing, that's a
spiritual practice, in case youdidn't know it, but legitimately
, take a nap because Jesus ispraying for you.
You know all of the things thatyou are worried about,
concerned about all of thethings that you are frustrated
with.
Jesus has got it.
He is praying for you that youwould be one with the Father,
(39:25):
that we would all be in unity.
Oh, righteous Father, the worlddoesn't know you.
I think that's very interestingbecause the people around him
would have said oh yes, we knowGod, we know all the rules.
We've been doing this for avery long time.
You're very young, we're old,we know God.
And Jesus said oh, righteousFather, this world does not know
you.
We know God.
(39:47):
And Jesus said oh, righteousfather, this world does not know
you, but I do.
And these disciples know thatyou sent me and I have revealed
you to them and I will continueto do so.
Beloved, this is hope for us,that this continued revelation
of who Jesus is will happen withus our entire life, the more
that we walk with Jesus, themore that we will be revealed in
(40:09):
this beauty that God is saying.
This is what it looks like tobe fully human, to be fully
divine, to step into the powerof the Holy Spirit, to allow the
Spirit to transform us.
Then your love for me will bein them.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I want to talk to you just for this moment about this
unity and this love.
You know, heather and I, wewere sitting in Chicago and we
said let's start a church.
And we were all humble backthen, hoping God would just
bless it.
So we said, hey, god, we'lltake all the people other
(40:57):
churches don't want.
We'll take the ones because alot of churches they want the
rich people but they kind ofchunk the ordinary.
They like the people that arereally good at whatever skills
they need, but the people thatare aging out of that department
(41:17):
and can't do this, you knowthey don't want them.
And we were over there sayingwe wanted all of you misfits.
And then look what happened hegave us the misfits and then we
started to renegotiate with God.
No second thought, can we havethose?
(41:38):
And then some tithers Not thatyou're not, but big tithers.
You know, god, we want to liveon easy street here and
obviously you're giving becausewe're still in existence.
I digest, but I want you tounderstand that we stumbled on
something.
You know what we're not goingto be.
You know, we were at a few bigchurches on TV doing all kinds
(42:00):
of stuff and all of a suddenHeather and I were just stuck in
this obscure little place inOcala with this sometimes 100
people, sometimes 50 people, andwe got up every Sunday morning,
as we did this morning, and wegive 150%, we give everything
and we give like we're preachingto 1,000 people, but we're not
(42:24):
looking over your head andwondering where they are.
We're preaching to the peoplepeople but we're not looking
over your head wondering wherethey are.
We're preaching to the peoplethat God sent us and what we've
realized is that God rewardswhen you just serve and love,
when you're not in it for somescam or some way to level up or
some way to get something better, you know.
And so what happened is westumbled on something as a
(42:47):
family.
You know what We'd be in thecar and kids would be, you know,
hurt about somebody, saidsomething at church or did
something, and we all look ateach other and it doesn't come
from Heather and I all the time,sometimes other kids.
Well, let's just love and serve, let's just go there and be
nice and be kind and see whatGod does.
(43:07):
And year after year we've beendoing that and year after year,
somehow our bills are paidSomehow people do give.
And when they don't give.
Sometimes we'll go to themailbox on a Monday morning and
there'll be a weird tithe checkfrom someone we don't know and
God is taking.
And it turns out oh, so youmean you can just give and you
(43:28):
don't get the return from thepeople you're given.
You get the return from God.
Oh, that's a better deal.
And so we started to, as afamily, just double down on it.
We're going to love and we'regoing to get in unity and as a
family.
And I'm asking you, come on thisjourney with us, because what
I'm seeing now I'm old enough,now that it's been quite a few
(43:52):
years and somehow those kidsthey've forgiven me for all the
pain I've caused them and theylove Heather and I and they show
up because they don't have to.
Not one of them's getting paidLook at them over there and they
serve and I get to play musicwith my drummer, son, and my
(44:15):
keyboard player and sometimesbass player, son, and we get to
and I'm trying to articulate thejoy that we've stumbled in by
these principles and it'sovertaken the sorrow of what
I've done in the past and it'sovertaken the fear of will there
(44:36):
be something for us tomorrow,because I realize if you'll just
serve.
God will put someone in yourpath today and tomorrow and if
he finds one that's willing justto love, he's gonna love
through you.
And I gotta tell you that allthe accolades you can get and
all the things that you couldacquire will not put
(44:57):
satisfaction in your life likeit will to be one with God.
I've pursued my whole lifemusic, and one after one I hear
the stories about those greatmusicians who succeeded great
things but died with a gunbarrel in their mouth Because
that success that does notprovide what God is offering
through the spirit of oneness,that you can lay your head down
(45:20):
unafraid at night, that youdon't have to worry, that you
can have peace.
And I'm telling you what it issomething that you grow in Our
heart expands our understandingof God learning that frequency,
learning that song and learningto harmonize with that song and
sing along with it and recognizewhen it comes.
I missed it yesterday big time,but I'm not going to sit in
(45:43):
sorrow and moping.
I'm going to use it as anopportunity to teach all of us.
We're probably all missingopportunities, but let's get in
tune, let's get on board.
I'm inviting you to come onthis journey with us where we
would be one with God and wewould love like God and we would
make a difference in the worldtoday and people say, oh, it's
growing darker.
(46:03):
But I say to you, the lightwill shine more brightly, be
more easily seen and recognizedin you and I when we let it
shine.
Come on church.
Somebody say amen, amen.
We might just preach Ed.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (46:21):
I just want to remind all of us.
I have revealed you to them andwill continue to do so.
We can all expect to see moreof God than we ever did before.
We can expect to have ourcapacity to understand and to
walk in the Spirit expanded.
This is the life that has beengifted to us, and then your love
(46:43):
for me will be in them and Iwill be in them.
I want all the love that Godhas for me.
I don't want to push any of itaside, and I want all the love
that God has for the whole worldand I want to see it and I want
to be a part of it.
I want to be a part of thistranscendent.
I want to be.
(47:03):
This is the invitation of Jesus.
It was really important in theat the time of the writing of
the text.
Meals were a really big dealeating together, and I still
think they have a lot ofimportance, but there wasn't
(47:25):
like a drive-through falafelplace at the time of Jesus, and
so I just want us to rememberthat, like if you ate something,
you were really aware thatsomebody served it.
I mean, now we get ourdrive-through, you don't have to
see the person who's sweatingto do that.
But in that time I mean you sawthe man who brought the crops
in.
You saw the man who took careof the livestock and then
(47:47):
butchered it.
I mean you were aware of thework that went into even
enjoying a meal together.
And it is essential that we, aspeople who follow Jesus,
remember that Jesus ate witheveryone.
There was no one that wasdisqualified from the table that
(48:09):
Jesus ate at and in that timethat wasn't so.
There were tables for differentpeople based on your hierarchy
or how you got there.
And one of the beauties of thelove of Jesus Christ is we get
to lay all of our name badgesdown by the door and just come
into the table of the Lord.
It is not everything thatanyone said of you, or even that
(48:31):
you say of yourself.
You are loved by God, the sameway that Jesus is loved by God,
and you are welcomed to thetable by eating with Jesus.
What we do is give up all ofthe name tags, we give up all of
the things that separate us, wegive up all of the hierarchy,
(48:51):
we give up all of the privilegeand we receive this unmerited
grace we receive our true selves, that we are loved by God, who
is love and the hope of evenpracticing communion, but
recognizing.
We get to come in together andsay what do we have?
(49:13):
What can I give, what can I bepart of?
We've had people come in andthey're like we're very confused
because no one has a name tagon, and I think that name tags
limit us.
That's your one job.
We are loving people and wewhatever the need is.
How do we best fill it?
If you're looking to getsomething off a really high
(49:35):
shelf, I'm not your girl, butthere are other people that are,
and so the invitation for us isto say what's in my hands?
What can I give?
What can I give?
How can I serve?
How am I aware that the love inme gives me strength to be able
to serve?
Lets me see what needs to bedone.
(49:57):
And it reminds us.
The love in me is to saysomebody else come to this table
.
There's plenty of room for youhere, no matter who you are, no
matter what table you've beendisqualified from.
Come to the table of the Lord,because there's room for you
here.
There's always a chair for youat the table of the Lord.
There is for us an invitationto even allow all the parts of
(50:20):
us.
I just want to remind you thatholiness is wholeness, that
there is for us this practice ofbringing every part of us into
the house of the Lord.
Don't leave any parts ofyourself at home, that you're
loved, every bit of you in thehouse of God, at the table of
the Lord.
And there is for us anunderstanding, a practice.
(50:42):
Whatever it is that you have,how can you serve you know, and
we do that in practical ways.
We do that in giving our tithesand offerings.
We do that in paying attention,listening to the people around
us.
Is there a need that I can meet?
Or even just bringing your holypresence?
You are the light of the world,beloved, and you came today.
And as we gather, the lightgets bigger.
(51:04):
As we gather together, the loveof Christ is reflected.
There is hope for us in thegathering and in the renewing.
Speaker 2 (51:14):
I worked at a big church once and I had my name on
the curb.
I had it Church.
I had the name tag.
You were there, you saw it, itwas pretty awesome.
My curb Not too Church.
I had the name tag.
You were there, you saw that itwas pretty awesome.
My curb Not too similar to atombstone actually.
It's interesting and I thinkpeople have asked me from time
(51:39):
to time am I going to put a nametag here on my parking spot?
And what I say is no, because Iget here before everybody else
and I get that spot and thenusually Dave or Ryan gets here
first and they just don't takeit.
But if you want a good spot,you see, this is not complicated
(52:04):
.
You show up early and you serve.
You know, you know, and it'sreally that's what that's.
We wait around for a name tagwhen you go find your curb and
you pull up to it early, youknow, and you just find it and
you serve and and that's what,that's what we see in the
(52:25):
example of Christ.
You know not that he was thereto.
In fact he said it.
I'm not here to be served, butto serve.
And Heather talks about, youknow, here he is on the, you
know, with the guy sitting outhere.
All right, I've gathered youtogether.
Let me tell you how great I am.
Instead, he, he takes the therobe off and and gets a towel
(52:49):
and kneels down and washes thefeet of the disciples the ones
that would causing problems andand go the wrong direction and
ask the wrong questions and andjust showed the love and serving
that, uh, that God, that Godoffers you and I, and so we're
getting ready to go intocommunion now, and so I want to
(53:09):
remind you of that table andwhat it does.
It transforms you and I fromthose people, those tombstone
people that have our names onthe curves, to those living
people that are just showing upand serving, and it doesn't
matter if anyone sees, becauseyou can give a cup of cool water
in private and God will seethat thing.
(53:33):
There's not anything you coulddo in that place of loving and
serving your family, yourfriends, your job, what seems to
be so unnoticed, god sees andrewards openly for that.
So if you're watching us online, we want you to partake in
communion.
If you're here, we practiceintinction, so we're going to
(53:53):
invite you up and have thecommunion elements here.
But if you're watching usonline, gather your elements up
now so that you can partake withus, because we want you all to
receive, and all are welcome.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
From Romans, chapter 8.
All creation anticipates theday when it will join God's
children in glorious freedomover death and decay, and we, as
Christians, although we havethe Holy Spirit within us, a
foretaste of future glory, alsogrown to be released from
suffering.
(54:28):
We, too, wait anxiously for theday when God will give us our
full rights as his children,including new bodies that he has
promised us, and now that weare saved, we look eagerly
toward this freedom, and theHoly Spirit helps us in our
distress, for we do not evenknow what we should pray or how
(54:49):
we should pray, but the HolySpirit prays with us in
groanings that cannot beexpressed in words, and the
Father, who knows all hearts,knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads forbelievers to be in harmony with
God's own will, and we know thatGod causes everything to work
together for the good of thosewho love God and who are called
(55:12):
according to his purpose.
What can we say, then, aboutsuch wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who couldever be against us?
Since God did not spare evenhis own son, but gave him up for
us, won't God, who gave usChrist, also give us everything
else?
Who dares accuse us to whom Godhas chosen for his own?
(55:35):
Will God?
Absolutely not.
No, he is the one who has givenus right, standing with himself
.
Who will condemn us?
Will Jesus?
No, for he is the one who diedfor us and was raised to life
for us and is sitting at thehighest place of honor next to
God praying for us.
(55:56):
Can anything separate us fromChrist's love?
Does it mean we no longer areloved if we have trouble or
calamity, if we are hungry orcold, if we are in danger or in
death?
No, despite all of these things, overwhelming victory is ours
through Christ, who loves us,and I am convinced that nothing,
(56:17):
absolutely nothing, canseparate us from the love of
Christ.
Death can't, life can't, angelscan't, demons can't.
Our fears for today and ourworries about tomorrow, and even
the power of hell, cannot keepGod's love from us.
Whether we are high above thesky or in the deepest ocean,
(56:40):
nothing will ever be able toseparate us from the love of God
that is revealed in ChristJesus, our Lord.
We hope you've enjoyed thisweek'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.
This is the seventh Sunday ofEaster and so, as we celebrate
together the power ofresurrection, somebody asked me
the other day do you stillbelieve in resurrection?
And I said yes, I see it allthe time.
(00:22):
I really do, and I hope thatyou do too.
I see it in the resurrection ofmy friend who had a surgery, and
I'm so grateful for thebrilliant surgeons that attended
to her.
But the work that it took forher to get back her strength,
the time that she spent inphysical therapy, the time, the
work that she's in now and walksbeloved, that's resurrection.
(00:42):
My friend here, our brother,who told me the other day I
changed the way I thought, thinkabout this, that's resurrection
, brother.
This is for all of us.
When we allow the Holy Spiritto change us, to transform us,
when we become the love ofChrist, when we acknowledge and
accept that we are the light ofthe world, because Jesus said we
(01:03):
are the light of the world,because Jesus said we are the
light of the world, there is forus a newness, and so it is with
joy I practice resurrectionwith you.
This is the seventh Sunday, andso that means next week we
change in the church calendarand we go into the series of
Pentecost.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
You know, I want to talk about resurrection too,
Because I moved down here toFlorida and I saw all these dead
ferns in people's trees and I'mlike, what are you going to
have to do?
Dig that out and they go?
No, that's resurrection fern.
You know about this.
Maybe some of you peoplewatching this online don't know
what we got going on down herein Florida, but it ain't all
crazy People doing stuff.
(01:41):
Hey, look at this, we're doingsome powerful resurrection
around here too, and one of thethings that just blew me away
was just wait around until therain.
And when the rain comes, thoseferns are glorious, beautiful
and lush, like nothing everhappened, and they were withered
before that rain.
Amen.
And some of you might feelweathered and dead, but wait
(02:04):
until the Spirit washes over you.
The.
Some of you might feelweathered and dead, but wait
until the spirit washes over you.
The water of the, of the spiritof God, watch you come to life,
and I would I just encourageyou not to lose that hope for
family members and for things inyour life that seem dead and
seem hopeless.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
We just need the Holy Spirit to hover over that
formless void and uh and letcreation uh, resurrect something
amazing out of that death, amenthis is for us an invitation
into hope, it's an invitationinto greater love, it's an
invitation into allowing theholy spirit to resurrect the
(02:46):
good and the great that is amongus, the kingdom that's so close
that Jesus said it's so closeto you, it's in your mouth, it's
breathing with you.
And so, as we celebrate thislast Sunday of Easter, next
Sunday is Pentecost, and aswonderful as resurrection is
beloved, the spirit living anddwelling in us, oh, that's even
(03:08):
better.
And then what happens is whatwe have ordinary time, and I
kind of feel like it's a littlebit of a letdown.
But from Advent all the waytill right now, we tell the
story of Jesus, and then we'dhave Pentecost, and then it's
considered the story of man.
It becomes the practice Nowthat you've seen Jesus do these
things.
Now here's your turn.
Here's the summer of love forus beloved.
(03:30):
How do we serve the world?
How do we receive the love ofChrist?
How do we stay in the frequencyof the Holy Spirit so that we
are about our Father's businessthe same way that Jesus does?
How do we receive the witnessof Jesus who said I am the way,
I am the truth, I am the life.
Jesus, fully man, fully human.
Who said this is what it lookslike when God shows up on the
(03:53):
earth the hungry are fed, thosewho are disenfranchised are
welcomed to the table, those whoare inherently pushed down by
patriarchy and by hierarchiesand by anything that keeps them
down.
Jesus is the great equalizerand he says love is the new way.
Love has always been the way,but you got a little confused,
(04:15):
beloved, that's okay.
Love is still the way, and thisexcellent good news of the Holy
Spirit with us.
We do get to read today in theGospel of John, and the witness
there is so beautiful and I wasthinking well, we started in 17
and there's a certain amount ofverses I'm like, but we should
go back to, and by the time Igot back, I was like John 1.
We can't read from John 1 to 17while we're here together, but
(04:36):
you can, and so I encourage youduring this time to reread those
things and particularly hangout in the 17.
The whole thing is what Jesusis praying for us.
I'm excited to talk with youabout this this morning.
I don't know if you could tellI have been all week, but the
truth of it is there is grace,there is so much goodness, and
I'm glad you're here thismorning.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
Amen.
I wanted to kind of piggybackon what Heather and Thomas said
about that holy discomfort andbecause we all want the Holy
Spirit to move.
But I think it's kind of like adeal where I pray God you fix
that mess, and we forget that weare going to be involved in
(05:18):
that holy discomfort of Godmoving in that mess, that you
got to get your hands in thereand a little bit you got to be
involved.
Yesterday I went over to servesomebody and it was an old lady.
But at this old lady's housewas this uh guy and he
immediately got on my nerves.
Uh, he didn't know me fromanyone, but he felt very
comfortable to run down the oldlady I was there to try to serve
(05:40):
.
Uh, run down, the run down, theneighbors run down, uh, and in
a matter of minutes it doesn'twork.
And he almost pulled a ladder ahundred pound ladder down on my
head and so I was not in aservice mood.
I was here to serve the ladythat I felt like deserved and
needed to help, and this guy.
(06:00):
I tell you what I had a ought Ididn't want to hear him talk
anymore.
I didn't want to hear thenegativity.
It took me out of my spiritualmood to come serve and help.
And I got to tell you, I droveoff.
And as I got some quiet timeand Silas was with me and Silas
was like this is sketch we gotto get out of here.
And it was, you know.
(06:22):
And so we did.
We got out of there, but when Igot alone I'm driving I said God
, what was the deal with that?
What was that?
And God said you missed thechance to love me.
You missed your brother in pain.
He was running his yapper and Iwanted just to shut him up.
(06:44):
And my best way to shut him upwas just get out of there.
Now, if I would have joined inwith his reindeer games, it
would have been better if I gotout of there.
But do you understand, we areagents of the Holy Spirit.
We're not thermometers, we'rethermostats.
We're the ones that go in andchange.
And I missed the opportunityjust to say you know, I can tell
(07:07):
you're tormented, I can tellyou're struggling and just bring
the Holy Spirit.
And what would have happened iseither transformation or he
would have ran out there like Ispread him with a can of Raid
like a scorched roach orsomething.
But either way I could havechanged the atmosphere versus
letting that drive me out.
And so today, as we're lookingat these things, please don't
look at them as something thatyou just kind of well, I'm going
(07:29):
to request the Holy Spirit,just give me a mulligan on this
and a do-over and you fix this.
But how can I be involved intransformation and that there is
resurrection power flowingthrough me?
It is available for us, it isliterally all around us.
And church, we're missing itbecause we're hoping in the
sweet by and by.
(07:49):
One day it will all be fixed.
One day he will fix all.
When we are agents of change,church, somebody look at your
neighbor and say you're an agentof change.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
You're an agent of change and you might have to
look in the mirror and remindyourself of that too.
You have the capacity fortransformation because the Holy
Spirit lives in you.
Thank you, sue, from someoneelse who's looking at this
transformation, you said fix it,jesus.
(08:20):
There was one time Sister Motes, which was an elderly sister in
our church, was watchingsomebody do something foolish
and she said, ooh, fix it, jesus.
There was one time Sister Motes, which was an elderly sister in
our church, was watchingsomebody who do something
foolish and she said, oh, fix it, jesus, like that.
And my grandmother got out ofher seat and the eyebrows went
up.
And my grandmother said youprayed and I am Jesus in this
place.
And she fixed it For so many ofus.
(08:41):
Are we waiting for the skies topart, if Jesus is here, if we
see this needs to be fixed?
And I'm not talking about fixit in ourselves.
She literally was saying weneed Jesus, we need another.
Jesus is another way, not theway that we're all going to fix
it now.
We're just going to, you know,make this guy stop talking, this
irritating person or thisbeloved brother who is in pain,
(09:01):
and the invitation is to centerourselves because we are always
in Christ and to say Jesus, whatdo you want done here, right
now?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yes, that's it.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
And how are my hands and my feet?
We are the body of Christbeloved.
One of the things we do isreceive communion every time
we're here, and we aretransformed by this renewal, by
this beautiful mystery, by thisinvitation to the table of the
Eucharist, where we all cometogether, but that there is for
us a spiritual changing, thereis for us an invitation into
(09:35):
more, and so when we you know,when you talk about the table
and remembering what are weremembering?
Jesus.
Yes, thank you Of recognitionand remember.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, he rose from the grave.
There's resurrection.
So, in our remembrance.
Let's remember the right things.
I'm supposed to eat bread.
Is that what you're supposed toremember?
Are you supposed to rememberwhat he did and what that table
represents, that you get yourdaily bread?
Oh, wait a minute.
I have what I need to face thisproblem tomorrow, because some
of you might have some stuffgoing on this week.
Maybe not everybody just has aperfect life.
(10:07):
Maybe somebody's got somefamily members that are giving
them a hard time or a job thatseems to be too difficult or
whatever.
Do you remember that when youreceive the table, that we're
receiving the resurrected Christto come into our lives and
straighten out those things?
Speaker 1 (10:25):
And this is what fixing it.
Jesus looked like in that time,in that particular moment,
right before he said it, he tookhis shirt off and he grabbed a
towel and a basin and he beganto serve people.
So when we pray and we say,lord, fix this.
Or look at the world around us,it's broken and how do we
revive it, or how do we breathereal life into this chaos?
(10:48):
It is through loving acts ofservice.
It is through following theJesus way.
Jesus wiped the feet of thesedisciples, washed them, told
them to come to the table andthen broke bread and then gave
them.
Jesus began the job of serving,which is really unbelievable to
people around him, because youare the Christ, you are God
(11:09):
among us and you are going toserve, because this is the way
to greatness.
The scripture tells us this Ifyou want to be great in God's
kingdom, become the servant ofall.
There is for us anunderstanding, a transformation
that our service is service forChrist, not service because I
don't want you to do thatanymore.
Service because this is whatJesus would do here in this
(11:31):
place.
But I am excited today, in Johnchapter 17, to remind ourselves
, to remind you, that this is aprayer that somebody I don't
think that there was astenographer at that very time,
but this made such an impact onthem that years later they
rehearsed it and they remindedeach other of it.
(11:52):
And this is in the Gospel ofJohn.
And John tells us in the verybeginning John's Gospel.
He reminds us of thisincredible cosmology.
This is about the world.
This is an invitation, aboutthis incredible creator who
invites us home, back toourselves, and Jesus is the word
made flesh.
(12:13):
That's what John's gospel tellsus.
We had this idea of God andJesus came and Jesus was the
manifestation of God.
Here Jesus is God made flesh,jesus is God.
Before we didn't know what Godlooked like.
Now we do.
It looks like Jesus.
It looks like the lover of theentire world.
And so here we come, in thisparticular portion During my
(12:36):
time.
Here, jesus is praying out loudand praying so that other
people can hear.
This is different than whenJesus told us that, as disciples
, go home and pray in yourcloset.
He's doing this for instruction, right before he leaves.
There was so much.
This is in the farewelldiscourse and Jesus really wants
to, right before he leaves,make an impact on his followers.
(12:58):
So he's praying and we'reoverhearing this.
During my time here, I protectedthem by the power of the name
that you gave me and I guardedthem so that not one was lost,
except the one headed fordestruction, as the scripture
foretold.
And now I'm coming to you and Itold them many things while I
was with them in this world sothey would be filled with my joy
(13:19):
, and I have given them yourword.
Now I want to remind you aboutthat because Jesus is saying I
have given them your word.
Now I want to remind you aboutthat because Jesus is saying I
have given them myself.
Jesus is the word, jesus isGod's word, and anytime there is
a question, the written wordmust bow to the living word.
Jesus is the way.
The world hates them becausethey do not belong to the world,
(13:41):
just as I do not belong to theworld.
And I'm not asking you to takethem out of the world.
Well, some days I feel like Iwish he would have, I wish you
would have, just.
And again, I don't know theplan and I am not very
interested in beinguncomfortable, and so there is a
holy discomfort that we're allinvited into, but to keep them
(14:03):
safe from the evil one MotherTeresa was tending to the lepers
one time and someone was withher and at this one particular
time he said when he lifted,when she lifted someone up to
receive a cool glass of water,part of their body stayed on the
ground.
And the person that was with hersaid they were horrified at
what they experienced.
(14:24):
And they said all they saw fromMother Teresa was that she was
so unbelievably tender and kind.
And they asked her later.
They said how come you didn'tlook away?
How come you weren't revulsedby what you experienced?
And she said everyone I look at, I see as Jesus in distressing
disguise.
Everyone I look at, I see asJesus in distressing disguise.
(14:49):
What if we could all receivethat kind of healing?
And look at everyone as Jesusin distressing disguise?
This is Jesus, how we areattending to the light of the
world.
They do not belong to thisworld any more than I do.
Make them holy by your truth.
Teach them your word, which istruth, beloved.
(15:11):
This is what Jesus is prayingfor you.
This is good news.
If you don't know how to prayfor yourself, john 17 reminds
you that Jesus is ourintercessor and he is praying
this for you.
Just as you sent me into theworld.
I am sending them into theworld and I give myself as a
holy.
I love this verse.
Jesus thought of you and hethought of me, and he's thinking
(15:45):
of people that are coming evenafter us, and he's praying for
us.
I am praying not only for thesedisciples, but for all who will
ever believe in me throughtheir message.
I pray that they will all beone, just as you and I are one,
as you are in me, father, and Iam in you, and may they be in us
(16:07):
, so the world will believe thatyou sent me.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
I accidentally fell into something with God.
On this journey I'm on, I beganto recognize that my driving
terrified my wife, and I meanliterally.
She was scared, she had a fakebrake that she would step on and
(16:33):
she would be crying out toJesus, and it would almost make
me mad, like you don't trust me.
But I realized instead ofmaking it about me, I am what
happened was I went to Europewith my friend Jerry and I rode
in the passenger side ofsomebody that's never driven on
the wrong side of the road, onthe wrong side.
And so I realized that for twoweeks I was forced to drive in
(16:55):
what I call the seat ofvulnerability, and that's the
seat that has to see everythingbut has no control over it.
I don't have a steering wheeland I don't have a brake see
everything but has no controlover it.
I don't have a steering wheeland I don't have a brake.
And as I came back, I realizedthat what I was doing is saying
to that person I love you andwill protect you and will be
your spouse and your partner forlife.
(17:16):
But for life, she was signed upto a terrifying thrill ride, an
amusement park that she didn'twant to go to and and, plus, it
was risking her life and herchildren.
And and I began to to realizethat there's something wrong
with the way I drive, with theanger and the competitiveness,
and and God began to show methat you know, start looking at
(17:37):
these drivers and I've sharedthis story with you a bunch of
times how I'm going through thisjourney of of seeing those,
those people that want to driveall the way up when you clearly
see that lane is ending and theydrive up, and then they want to
cut over in front of you at thelast minute.
And instead of looking at thoseas the idiots that need to
learn a lesson, I began to lookat them as my brother, danny,
(17:59):
who just made a mistake or justwas in a hurry or just needed my
mercy and I'm always going tolet Danny and he's my brother.
And so I realized that, um,that through that accidental
decision to begin to work onthat, that everybody's my
brother, everybody's my sister,god is saying that we're one.
(18:22):
Do you realize the differencewhen you stop competing with
people, including the people inyour home, when you stop trying
to win and you realize that ifI'm one with this person, I want
them to win.
I want you know.
And we begin to see Jesusunderstood this and he said I
pray that they would know thatyou're one, the way you and I
(18:45):
are one.
They, the father and Jesus,worked in such a symbiotic way
and such a free and natural wayand such a way where nothing one
had that the other didn't have,and there's such freedom in
that.
But yet in our way of competingand struggling and fighting and
trying to say we're better thansomeone else or that person's
different because of their lifechoices or their behavior,
(19:06):
instead we begin to allow God tomanifest what he has been
praying for 2,000 years over youand I that we would become one.
And then we would begin to seethe people in our lives not as
burdens that we have to takecare of, but people that we can
freely bless and give to.
And when we start seeing ourfamily that way, we start seeing
our family grow out into ourneighbors and into our world.
(19:29):
And then all of a sudden werealize even people that look so
different from us, soethnically different, so even
faith-based different, that theyare still my brother.
And if I can allow God to helpme learn that oneness.
But we're like no, not for thosepeople that stepped on my foot.
I will not allow that and I'mgoing to go step on there and we
(19:52):
want to be the vengeance of Godwhen he didn't say I fill you
with my vengeance on that day ofPentecost, I fill you with my
anger and my wrath, no, oh, butI want to fill you with my
spirit, the spirit of unity, ofoneness, of love, and what
(20:18):
overtakes any kind of anger andwrath and judgment is God's love
.
So I want a double dose of that.
And you know what we may justdo.
We may just name the churchFirst Love and we may just
preach it every time we gettogether, and we may just
realize that, no matter how manytimes we hear it, we need it
more and we need to learn tosurrender more.
And there's still areas of ourlife that are in such darkness
and we are on our own.
(20:38):
When God's invited us to thisplace of family and unity, of
oneness, of peace and joy, oh,don't you want in, or do you
want to keep the struggle up,keep fighting somehow that we
can win in our individuality andin our way of separation, or
can we surrender daily to theway, god would have us be one.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
I love the ideas that you're reminding us of this
oneness, and I remind you thatit is not conformity that God is
looking for, but oneness.
There is unity, there is for us, a acceptance and a delight in
the difference that God has madefor us, for us, and so we won't
all have the exact sameexpression, we won't all have
(21:23):
the exact same way of doingsomething, but that is part of
God's plan.
God's plan includes thediversity, and if you want to
know where this, I get this ideaas you can, it's in the book of
Revelation, and I saw them asone group of people worshiping
around the throne.
This is Revelation, said, and Iheard them with one voice,
thousands upon thousands uponthousands, from every tribe,
(21:43):
every tongue, every nation.
Them with one voice, thousandsupon thousands upon thousands,
from every tribe, every tongue,every nation, and with one voice
they declared worthy is theLamb.
God is not asking forconformity.
God is saying that love bringsus together and that unity is
again.
In the Old Testament, or theFirst Testament, it said that
the blessing of the Lord hasalready been spoken there.
(22:04):
Jesus is praying for our unity.
I have given them the glorythat you have given me so that
they may be one as we are one.
We use a lot of language inchurch settings, things like
glory Show us your glory, andwhat does glory actually mean?
And where is the glory of God?
And Jesus tells us where it isright.
(22:25):
Here it's in actual, in thedoing.
I have given them the glorythat you gave me, so they may be
one as we are one.
He said I have received yourglory, I've received this
invitation into doing, intobeing your light in the world,
your goodness, the manifestatorof this incredible miracles.
I am in them and you are in me,beloved.
(22:51):
That's just a whole lot of hope, christ in us, the hope of
glory.
Jesus said I am in them and youare in me.
May they experience suchperfect unity that the world
will know that you sent me andthat you love them as much as
you love me.
Together in God's house, inthis sacred space, I'm going to
(23:16):
ask that you would take a momentwith us, all of us together,
and consider that God loves usas much as he loves Jesus.
You are loved by God as much asGod loves Jesus.
Not when you get together, notwhen you stop doing that thing.
(23:39):
You are loved right now as muchas God loves Jesus.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
You know, one of the greatest ways, I think, that
this can become real to you isallowing yourself to love what
you would consider as theunlovable.
Because I had this, this personthat came around the house and
and just because of theirbehavior they, they really
(24:11):
seemed kind of almost to be likea trouble for our family, just
kind of a burden and a struggleall the time, and, and so they
seem to be around more than I.
I was really thrilled for themto be around the house.
And one day this person had todo something for school, and so
(24:33):
they said you know, as anatheist, we're trying to do a
class to you know, and so I wantto interview some pastors.
And so we said okay, you can dothat, we'll sit down.
And so Heather and I did, andthis person began to talk to us,
and as they talked I began tosee where that combativeness
(24:59):
came from.
That always seemed to be a realstruggle for me, because this
person, in their asking usquestions, began to reveal some
things about themselves, andthis person was really, really
wounded and really authenticallyjust way unnecessarily
mistreated, and it was by churchpeople.
(25:20):
So then I thought how odd it isthat they even would come by a
church people, and I almostwonder if that little provoking
was just to see who are thesepeople real or?
But as they, as this person,began to share, I just began to
weep and weep and fall in lovewith this person, to the point
(25:43):
that this is how hypocritical Iwas.
People love with this person tothe point that this is how
hypocritical I was.
People would call this personirritating and I'd say stop,
don't talk about my friend thatway.
Don't say that I love thatperson, don't talk bad about him
.
That's my friend.
Because something happened to methat I began to see, with a
(26:08):
love that wasn't my own and myboundaries that I had were
expanded by God, and thatstarted to open up an
understanding in me.
Maybe I could be loved by Godeven more than I could imagine,
(26:30):
even more than I could believethat I am loved that way,
because I feel like thatrejected person, that person who
deserves just to be cast out.
Maybe, in the same way that Godgave me the ability to love,
god already has that kind oflove towards me.
Do you see what I'm saying?
That you expanding your heartwill help you understand the
(26:55):
love by which you are loved andcared for, and without that
understanding, we stay on theoutside, we stay wounded, we
stay wounded, we stay broken.
It's that love that bringshealing, doesn't it?
Speaker 1 (27:10):
We pause here for a moment to thank you for joining
us today.
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
(27:33):
firstlovechurchorg, remindingyou to like, follow and
subscribe.
And I think that it is the HolySpirit that we need to lean into
or pay attention to or ask tohelp us to see things
differently, to see people inanother way, to see ourselves in
(27:53):
another way One of the jobsthat the Holy Spirit who is
given to us.
I want to remind you too.
When Jesus shows up andbreathes on the disciples after
the resurrection and says I'mgiving you the Holy Spirit, he
also says peace, and so when youfind yourself in anxiety, when
you find yourself in worry and Isay this as a recovering
(28:16):
worrier and I feel like if therewas an Olympic team for
worrying, I think I could havemade the team I could do it.
I can worry over anything and Icould worry even at night when
I slept.
I could turn the pillow over toget it cool, and then I could
also worry at that point too,and beloved, that is not
something that actually in anyway goes with the love of Christ
(28:39):
.
That love is the opposite offear, and when we experience
fear, when we experience worry,what we're doing is we're
thinking about another reality.
It's a very arrogant thing tosay I know what's going to
happen.
We don't, and Jesus tells ushere in the prayer I am with
them.
Beloved, we have Christ with us, there is joy with us, there is
(29:01):
hope with us.
Now, do worrying thoughts stillcome to me?
Yes, but I do not entertainthem because I remember and I
remind myself, and we have thispractice of going.
I know what to do.
Worrying produces nothing, jesuseven told us that which one of
you can change how tall you areby tomorrow by worrying about
how short you are now?
The answer is none of us.
How can you worry aboutsomething and change it?
(29:23):
But by manifesting the love,but by being the light, but by
tuning into the Spirit of Godthat is with us, we can have
this peace.
But it says I want them and youwill love them as much as you
love me, Father.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I want these whom you've given to me to like,
follow and subscribe.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
I also find a lot of good news in that little bit.
The Father loves Jesus and Ithink the Father gives Jesus
what Jesus wants.
I think Jesus gets what Jesusprays for, and he wants me to be
with him, and he wants mybabies to be with him, and he
wants all the people that I loveto be with him and he wants the
(30:09):
people that I don't love to bewith him too.
In John, chapter 3, it says ForGod so loved the world, the
whole thing, that he gave hisone and only son that whoever
believed would not perish buthave eternal life.
Because God did not send Jesushere to condemn the world, so
beloved.
If Jesus is not condemning theworld, then that is none of our
(30:30):
business to do it either.
If Jesus is not condemning you,then you need to not condemn
you.
If Jesus is the compassionatewitness for your pain when you
struggle, if Jesus is there, notpoking his finger at you or
saying no, no, no or bringingshame, if Jesus is there as the
compassionate witness, then thatis what we need to do toward
ourselves when we find ourselvesfalling short of the grace or
(30:53):
the love that is there.
Jesus says I want them to bewhere I am.
I don't know if you worry aboutanyone After I just said it's
just opposite of love.
But I don't know if you do itanyway, because sometimes I do.
But there is nothing that Icould want more for anyone I
(31:14):
love than to be in the presenceof Jesus.
Anyone I love.
If I want anything for them,it's the presence of loving
Jesus, and Jesus said he wantsthat.
So good for me that Jesus wantsit and good to get in this idea
.
This is the hope for all of us.
This is the way we're changed.
We begin to give our thoughtsover and join the thoughts that
(31:36):
God has with us.
When you are self-reflecting, Iinvite you only to stand in the
presence of loving Jesus andsay Jesus, what is God thinking
about me right now?
Not your list of things whereyou didn't measure up, not your
list of ways that you'reseparate, but this beautiful
invitation to live outside ofthe illusion of separateness and
(31:57):
say Jesus is praying thatwherever he is, I am, Jesus is
praying and asking God that wewould have unity.
I can have confidence belovedthat that is going to happen,
that there is an invitation intothis.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
You know, I want to talk for a minute about worry,
because we all do it and then weall feel at certain times, at
certain levels of shame fordoing it.
We feel like, how dare youworry?
And feel bad for worrying.
And I want you to knowsomething that I really beat
(32:37):
myself up spiritually because Ithought that worry was this
thing that I did and I waschoosing to do it and God is
just mad at me for doing it,because there's all this
instruction to tell us about notworrying.
And I want you to think aboutsomething your mind, it's just a
computer that God made and itruns and it does runs programs
(33:01):
and one of the things it does isit worries.
And part of the evolutionarysuccess of human beings is that
we've worried and thought ofthings that could come up and we
made plans of how we couldsurvive that thing that comes up
.
I mean it was a good thing thatpeople worried, wonder if we're
going to have enough food forwinter.
The first people to make itthrough the winter probably
(33:24):
worried that summer.
The first people to make itthrough the winter probably
worried that summer now.
So so I'm saying that maybe wemistake what is worry and what
is planning.
You know there's things therethat you should think about your
future.
You should consider thesethings, but the bible says don't
worry about your future, trustgod.
You.
You understand that, that weknow when you get into the the
(33:44):
bad place with that.
And what we do is, and what Ithink is, instead of us feeling
shame for having those naturalthoughts that the computer just
does, but it's what you do withthem, I choose now I have these
worried thoughts, I choose toremind myself that God's going
to take care of me, and that'swhat I do.
I remind myself of God's goingto take care of me, and that's
(34:04):
what I do.
I remind myself of God'spromises that he's made me one.
I don't have to be afraid.
And see, I begin to handlethings differently, you know.
And so I departmentalize worrywhere it is.
Well, you know that's excessand stress.
I'm not going to do that, but Ithank God that he's given me
(34:24):
the ability to, to consider andto plan on things.
I mean it's smart to put awayprojectiles during a hurricane,
you know it just keeps them frombusting out your windows or
your neighbors.
You know what I mean.
So, but but if I sit aroundevery day and go.
I can't have lawn furniturebecause one day it's going to
blow away in a hurricane.
Then I have a problem.
(34:45):
And so allow God to help youunderstand the difference
between that constantprofessional what Heather talks
about Olympic level.
Worry that some of you are incompetition in to a place of.
Can I just trust God?
Yeah, he was giving me thisgift, but I've abused it to a
place of.
Can I just trust God?
Yeah, he was giving me thisgift, but I've abused it.
(35:06):
I have this gift to be able tofigure things out, and I should
figure out things that you knowthat are coming up against my
life, but I have to ultimatelytrust that God's going to give
me that wisdom and that there'sgoing to be a peace that I'm led
by.
And so anytime I think the keyfor Heather and I we've learned
once it steps out of any kind ofpeace, then we know we've
(35:27):
missed it, we've missed the HolySpirit.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
The Spirit of God is wisdom, and you can even look in
the First Testament.
It's beautiful.
From the very beginning, wisdomhas been the Spirit of God and
this understanding that when wehave anxiety or when we have
things that we're worried about,we need to remind ourselves
what is the spirit of God sayingabout this?
For those of you who have hadchildren, and even if you didn't
(35:52):
have children, but you've seenchildren, even if they're not
yours- Even if you yourself wereonce a child.
Well, I don't know, sometimes wejust don't have the awareness
then.
But when Thomas first startedwalking, level up on a new fear.
I just want to tell you that,because when your babies are
held, you can control wherethey're going.
Once they start walking bythemselves, again new fear is
unlocked, like they can just getall over and then you can
(36:15):
decide well, I'm just nevergoing to put them down because I
don't want them to walk.
And then eventually they'retaller than you and that's
ridiculous.
But there's this idea of we haveto learn to walk together with
them, and that's the piece To beable to say.
One of the beauties of trainingchildren and nurturing them is
teaching them to trust the HolySpirit for yourself.
And so one of the things that Iwould ask my little people all
(36:37):
the time is what would wisdomtell you to do about this?
Let wisdom guide you, becausesometimes they would say you
don't do it because you'reafraid, so I'm going to do it.
I'm like don't just do thingsjust because I wouldn't.
That's not a wisdom either.
Do things that wisdom wouldtell you to do, and this is the
spirit.
The spirit of God is wisdom.
So check in with yourselves andsay what would I do instead?
Then I want to tell you so Ifelt like I was going really
(36:59):
great and had a bunch of kidsand we all got past the walk-in
thing and I was able to justwalk with them, teach them,
guide them with them.
And then they started drivingcars, beloved, new fear,
unlocked, new anxiety, worriedabout, because not only them,
it's somebody else.
Do you know what I mean?
As we progress in life, it'snot like we're going to have
less concern, we actually havemore.
But then how do we livedifferently?
(37:19):
How do we live in trust?
Every time, a thought comes tome Thomas leaves super early in
the morning and we have a littledoor and it goes deet, deet,
deet, lets you know the door hasbeen locked.
So at 4.30 in the morning, inthe complete dark, I hear it.
I know he's left New fear,unlocked Every morning, 4.30.
It's dark outside, some peopleare driving.
What are they doing?
They're not going to Starbucksin the store, you know, like
(37:40):
they're up, maybe they've beenup from the night before.
Or I can say I thank you,father, that you love my family,
that you love Thomas and thatyou're with him, and that he has
wisdom and that wisdom leadshim and that becomes the
practice for us.
Not that I'm not aware that mychildren now he drives, and has
driven for a very long time.
(38:01):
And then Catherine starteddriving in foreign countries.
A new fear unlocked because youknow like, here's your baby,
she's in a weird car, she's arental car in Tuscany, and you
know like.
So we can live our lives trappedby thoughts, or we can live our
lives transcendent, because weare in the frequency of the Holy
Spirit and saying this is whathas happened.
(38:22):
So it's not that we pushthoughts out of our head and say
there's nothing to worry about.
Beloved, there is you and Iboth.
I mean, if we exchanged worries, I could probably look at you
and go yep, I'd worry about thattoo.
Excellent, good job on you,except for the fact that we're
not to trade worries, we're totrade peace, we're to look at
that and go.
I see that that you areconcerned with, and I bring the
(38:43):
thoughts of Christ to it.
I bring the peace of God to it.
I ask for mercy, one of myfavorite prayers, and it has
been the prayers of thousandsfor millennia.
Lord Jesus Christ, son of theliving God, have mercy on me,
have mercy on my children, havemercy on this world, this
invitation, and so one of thethings that Jesus is praying
(39:03):
first of all, I mean take a naptoday.
It's just well, that's aglorious thing, that's a
spiritual practice, in case youdidn't know it, but legitimately
, take a nap because Jesus ispraying for you.
You know all of the things thatyou are worried about,
concerned about all of thethings that you are frustrated
with.
Jesus has got it.
He is praying for you that youwould be one with the Father,
(39:25):
that we would all be in unity.
Oh, righteous Father, the worlddoesn't know you.
I think that's very interestingbecause the people around him
would have said oh yes, we knowGod, we know all the rules.
We've been doing this for avery long time.
You're very young, we're old,we know God.
And Jesus said oh, righteousFather, this world does not know
you.
We know God.
(39:47):
And Jesus said oh, righteousfather, this world does not know
you, but I do.
And these disciples know thatyou sent me and I have revealed
you to them and I will continueto do so.
Beloved, this is hope for us,that this continued revelation
of who Jesus is will happen withus our entire life, the more
that we walk with Jesus, themore that we will be revealed in
(40:09):
this beauty that God is saying.
This is what it looks like tobe fully human, to be fully
divine, to step into the powerof the Holy Spirit, to allow the
Spirit to transform us.
Then your love for me will bein them.
Speaker 2 (40:35):
I want to talk to you just for this moment about this
unity and this love.
You know, heather and I, wewere sitting in Chicago and we
said let's start a church.
And we were all humble backthen, hoping God would just
bless it.
So we said, hey, god, we'lltake all the people other
(40:57):
churches don't want.
We'll take the ones because alot of churches they want the
rich people but they kind ofchunk the ordinary.
They like the people that arereally good at whatever skills
they need, but the people thatare aging out of that department
(41:17):
and can't do this, you knowthey don't want them.
And we were over there sayingwe wanted all of you misfits.
And then look what happened hegave us the misfits and then we
started to renegotiate with God.
No second thought, can we havethose?
(41:38):
And then some tithers Not thatyou're not, but big tithers.
You know, god, we want to liveon easy street here and
obviously you're giving becausewe're still in existence.
I digest, but I want you tounderstand that we stumbled on
something.
You know what we're not goingto be.
You know, we were at a few bigchurches on TV doing all kinds
(42:00):
of stuff and all of a suddenHeather and I were just stuck in
this obscure little place inOcala with this sometimes 100
people, sometimes 50 people, andwe got up every Sunday morning,
as we did this morning, and wegive 150%, we give everything
and we give like we're preachingto 1,000 people, but we're not
(42:24):
looking over your head andwondering where they are.
We're preaching to the peoplepeople but we're not looking
over your head wondering wherethey are.
We're preaching to the peoplethat God sent us and what we've
realized is that God rewardswhen you just serve and love,
when you're not in it for somescam or some way to level up or
some way to get something better, you know.
And so what happened is westumbled on something as a
(42:47):
family.
You know what We'd be in thecar and kids would be, you know,
hurt about somebody, saidsomething at church or did
something, and we all look ateach other and it doesn't come
from Heather and I all the time,sometimes other kids.
Well, let's just love and serve, let's just go there and be
nice and be kind and see whatGod does.
(43:07):
And year after year we've beendoing that and year after year,
somehow our bills are paidSomehow people do give.
And when they don't give.
Sometimes we'll go to themailbox on a Monday morning and
there'll be a weird tithe checkfrom someone we don't know and
God is taking.
And it turns out oh, so youmean you can just give and you
(43:28):
don't get the return from thepeople you're given.
You get the return from God.
Oh, that's a better deal.
And so we started to, as afamily, just double down on it.
We're going to love and we'regoing to get in unity and as a
family.
And I'm asking you, come on thisjourney with us, because what
I'm seeing now I'm old enough,now that it's been quite a few
(43:52):
years and somehow those kidsthey've forgiven me for all the
pain I've caused them and theylove Heather and I and they show
up because they don't have to.
Not one of them's getting paidLook at them over there and they
serve and I get to play musicwith my drummer, son, and my
(44:15):
keyboard player and sometimesbass player, son, and we get to
and I'm trying to articulate thejoy that we've stumbled in by
these principles and it'sovertaken the sorrow of what
I've done in the past and it'sovertaken the fear of will there
(44:36):
be something for us tomorrow,because I realize if you'll just
serve.
God will put someone in yourpath today and tomorrow and if
he finds one that's willing justto love, he's gonna love
through you.
And I gotta tell you that allthe accolades you can get and
all the things that you couldacquire will not put
(44:57):
satisfaction in your life likeit will to be one with God.
I've pursued my whole lifemusic, and one after one I hear
the stories about those greatmusicians who succeeded great
things but died with a gunbarrel in their mouth Because
that success that does notprovide what God is offering
through the spirit of oneness,that you can lay your head down
(45:20):
unafraid at night, that youdon't have to worry, that you
can have peace.
And I'm telling you what it issomething that you grow in Our
heart expands our understandingof God learning that frequency,
learning that song and learningto harmonize with that song and
sing along with it and recognizewhen it comes.
I missed it yesterday big time,but I'm not going to sit in
(45:43):
sorrow and moping.
I'm going to use it as anopportunity to teach all of us.
We're probably all missingopportunities, but let's get in
tune, let's get on board.
I'm inviting you to come onthis journey with us where we
would be one with God and wewould love like God and we would
make a difference in the worldtoday and people say, oh, it's
growing darker.
(46:03):
But I say to you, the lightwill shine more brightly, be
more easily seen and recognizedin you and I when we let it
shine.
Come on church.
Somebody say amen, amen.
We might just preach Ed.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (46:21):
I just want to remind all of us.
I have revealed you to them andwill continue to do so.
We can all expect to see moreof God than we ever did before.
We can expect to have ourcapacity to understand and to
walk in the Spirit expanded.
This is the life that has beengifted to us, and then your love
(46:43):
for me will be in them and Iwill be in them.
I want all the love that Godhas for me.
I don't want to push any of itaside, and I want all the love
that God has for the whole worldand I want to see it and I want
to be a part of it.
I want to be a part of thistranscendent.
I want to be.
(47:03):
This is the invitation of Jesus.
It was really important in theat the time of the writing of
the text.
Meals were a really big dealeating together, and I still
think they have a lot ofimportance, but there wasn't
(47:25):
like a drive-through falafelplace at the time of Jesus, and
so I just want us to rememberthat, like if you ate something,
you were really aware thatsomebody served it.
I mean, now we get ourdrive-through, you don't have to
see the person who's sweatingto do that.
But in that time I mean you sawthe man who brought the crops
in.
You saw the man who took careof the livestock and then
(47:47):
butchered it.
I mean you were aware of thework that went into even
enjoying a meal together.
And it is essential that we, aspeople who follow Jesus,
remember that Jesus ate witheveryone.
There was no one that wasdisqualified from the table that
(48:09):
Jesus ate at and in that timethat wasn't so.
There were tables for differentpeople based on your hierarchy
or how you got there.
And one of the beauties of thelove of Jesus Christ is we get
to lay all of our name badgesdown by the door and just come
into the table of the Lord.
It is not everything thatanyone said of you, or even that
(48:31):
you say of yourself.
You are loved by God, the sameway that Jesus is loved by God,
and you are welcomed to thetable by eating with Jesus.
What we do is give up all ofthe name tags, we give up all of
the things that separate us, wegive up all of the hierarchy,
(48:51):
we give up all of the privilegeand we receive this unmerited
grace we receive our true selves, that we are loved by God, who
is love and the hope of evenpracticing communion, but
recognizing.
We get to come in together andsay what do we have?
(49:13):
What can I give, what can I bepart of?
We've had people come in andthey're like we're very confused
because no one has a name tagon, and I think that name tags
limit us.
That's your one job.
We are loving people and wewhatever the need is.
How do we best fill it?
If you're looking to getsomething off a really high
(49:35):
shelf, I'm not your girl, butthere are other people that are,
and so the invitation for us isto say what's in my hands?
What can I give?
What can I give?
How can I serve?
How am I aware that the love inme gives me strength to be able
to serve?
Lets me see what needs to bedone.
(49:57):
And it reminds us.
The love in me is to saysomebody else come to this table
.
There's plenty of room for youhere, no matter who you are, no
matter what table you've beendisqualified from.
Come to the table of the Lord,because there's room for you
here.
There's always a chair for youat the table of the Lord.
There is for us an invitationto even allow all the parts of
(50:20):
us.
I just want to remind you thatholiness is wholeness, that
there is for us this practice ofbringing every part of us into
the house of the Lord.
Don't leave any parts ofyourself at home, that you're
loved, every bit of you in thehouse of God, at the table of
the Lord.
And there is for us anunderstanding, a practice.
(50:42):
Whatever it is that you have,how can you serve you know, and
we do that in practical ways.
We do that in giving our tithesand offerings.
We do that in paying attention,listening to the people around
us.
Is there a need that I can meet?
Or even just bringing your holypresence?
You are the light of the world,beloved, and you came today.
And as we gather, the lightgets bigger.
(51:04):
As we gather together, the loveof Christ is reflected.
There is hope for us in thegathering and in the renewing.
Speaker 2 (51:14):
I worked at a big church once and I had my name on
the curb.
I had it Church.
I had the name tag.
You were there, you saw it, itwas pretty awesome.
My curb Not too Church.
I had the name tag.
You were there, you saw that itwas pretty awesome.
My curb Not too similar to atombstone actually.
It's interesting and I thinkpeople have asked me from time
(51:39):
to time am I going to put a nametag here on my parking spot?
And what I say is no, because Iget here before everybody else
and I get that spot and thenusually Dave or Ryan gets here
first and they just don't takeit.
But if you want a good spot,you see, this is not complicated
(52:04):
.
You show up early and you serve.
You know, you know, and it'sreally that's what that's.
We wait around for a name tagwhen you go find your curb and
you pull up to it early, youknow, and you just find it and
you serve and and that's what,that's what we see in the
(52:25):
example of Christ.
You know not that he was thereto.
In fact he said it.
I'm not here to be served, butto serve.
And Heather talks about, youknow, here he is on the, you
know, with the guy sitting outhere.
All right, I've gathered youtogether.
Let me tell you how great I am.
Instead, he, he takes the therobe off and and gets a towel
(52:49):
and kneels down and washes thefeet of the disciples the ones
that would causing problems andand go the wrong direction and
ask the wrong questions and andjust showed the love and serving
that, uh, that God, that Godoffers you and I, and so we're
getting ready to go intocommunion now, and so I want to
(53:09):
remind you of that table andwhat it does.
It transforms you and I fromthose people, those tombstone
people that have our names onthe curves, to those living
people that are just showing upand serving, and it doesn't
matter if anyone sees, becauseyou can give a cup of cool water
in private and God will seethat thing.
(53:33):
There's not anything you coulddo in that place of loving and
serving your family, yourfriends, your job, what seems to
be so unnoticed, god sees andrewards openly for that.
So if you're watching us online, we want you to partake in
communion.
If you're here, we practiceintinction, so we're going to
(53:53):
invite you up and have thecommunion elements here.
But if you're watching usonline, gather your elements up
now so that you can partake withus, because we want you all to
receive, and all are welcome.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
From Romans, chapter 8.
All creation anticipates theday when it will join God's
children in glorious freedomover death and decay, and we, as
Christians, although we havethe Holy Spirit within us, a
foretaste of future glory, alsogrown to be released from
suffering.
(54:28):
We, too, wait anxiously for theday when God will give us our
full rights as his children,including new bodies that he has
promised us, and now that weare saved, we look eagerly
toward this freedom, and theHoly Spirit helps us in our
distress, for we do not evenknow what we should pray or how
(54:49):
we should pray, but the HolySpirit prays with us in
groanings that cannot beexpressed in words, and the
Father, who knows all hearts,knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads forbelievers to be in harmony with
God's own will, and we know thatGod causes everything to work
together for the good of thosewho love God and who are called
(55:12):
according to his purpose.
What can we say, then, aboutsuch wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who couldever be against us?
Since God did not spare evenhis own son, but gave him up for
us, won't God, who gave usChrist, also give us everything
else?
Who dares accuse us to whom Godhas chosen for his own?
(55:35):
Will God?
Absolutely not.
No, he is the one who has givenus right, standing with himself
.
Who will condemn us?
Will Jesus?
No, for he is the one who diedfor us and was raised to life
for us and is sitting at thehighest place of honor next to
God praying for us.
(55:56):
Can anything separate us fromChrist's love?
Does it mean we no longer areloved if we have trouble or
calamity, if we are hungry orcold, if we are in danger or in
death?
No, despite all of these things, overwhelming victory is ours
through Christ, who loves us,and I am convinced that nothing,
(56:17):
absolutely nothing, canseparate us from the love of
Christ.
Death can't, life can't, angelscan't, demons can't.
Our fears for today and ourworries about tomorrow, and even
the power of hell, cannot keepGod's love from us.
Whether we are high above thesky or in the deepest ocean,
(56:40):
nothing will ever be able toseparate us from the love of God
that is revealed in ChristJesus, our Lord.
We hope you've enjoyed thisweek's sermon.
If you would like moreinformation about us, visit us
online at firstlovechurchorg.
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