June 25, 2025 • 19 mins
The sacred celebration of Pentecost invites us into a profound spiritual truth: unity isn't found in isolation but in understanding and connection. This episode explores the supernatural reality that draws us together despite our differences.
What does it mean that the Holy Spirit serves as our "advocate who will never leave you"? We unpack how this divine presence transforms loneliness into connection, offering companionship precisely when we feel most distant from God. But here's the surprising part—this Spirit doesn't demand perfect silence or elaborate rituals to manifest. Instead, it emerges most powerfully when we're serving others.
Through compelling stories, including a revealing anecdote about a pastor who created a luxurious private lounge while volunteers built genuine connections in less-than-ideal conditions backstage, we discover a powerful truth: while some seek God through separation, divine presence often manifests in the sweaty, messy work of serving together. The miracle of Pentecost wasn't just supernatural languages—it was understanding across seemingly insurmountable differences.
The most challenging yet rewarding opportunities for spiritual growth come when we encounter behaviors that confound us. Those head-shaking moments of disbelief at another's choices create the perfect laboratory for practicing unity. Instead of judgment, we're called to ask, "How can I find a space where I see them better?" This question invites transformation, helping us find connection where division seems inevitable.
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
.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm very excited to be speaking with you.
I hope you're ready for a verylong-form benediction, but I am
very excited to be able to gettogether with you, especially on
Pentecost, which the onenesswith my mother makes me shake my
fists in excitement.
Pentecost, the idea of unity.
Can you just do that?
(00:33):
Yeah, let me do this.
Yeah he's going to do that.
You guys can look at me for asecond and you can put this in
your back.
The closer button is what he'ssaying I'm going to leave,
goodbye.
I'm going to leave goodbye.
I'm a loud and audible foreverybody.
Fantastic hooray.
I love the celebration of ourpeople.
I love seeing Caroline come up.
(00:53):
I always love it when mybrother is able to share.
I love being able to see myfamily when we get to come up
here Nathaniel playing the drums, thomas, people that are my
family in the spirit.
I get to see my sister Carolineand my brother Ray come and
just give beautiful, beautifulwords and I'm very grateful to
be able to come up here and talkto you about Pentecost.
(01:13):
And the whole of it is thatPentecost is about unity.
It is about this deep,beautiful, supernatural
realization that we are one deep, beautiful, supernatural
realization that we are one andthat every single thing that
brings us closer to God is anact or a work towards unity.
If I could get, we could startup with verse 15.
(01:36):
I think it's a good idea tostart with the scripture.
All right, so if you guys wouldlike to read along with me, if
you love me, obey mycommandments and I will ask the
Father and he will give youanother advocate who will never
leave you, and then 17.
He is the Holy Spirit who leadsinto all truth.
(02:01):
The world cannot receive himbecause it is not looking for
him and does not recognize him,and so that's a beautiful thing.
I think, in that point where welook at the Holy Spirit, it is
a beautiful hope that we get tohave when we feel alone and when
(02:25):
we feel left and without, andwhen we feel like that we cannot
fully understand or fully graspthis space with God.
And the Holy Spirit is thisadvocate, is this holy space
that comes in and is with us andit's something that is made
available for you and me, and Ithink that is a beautiful thing.
(02:48):
And God recognizing ourhumanness in giving us this
companion, this spirit, thisspace for us to love and live
together.
The Holy Spirit comes to us ina very supernatural space and in
a space that is very quiet andoften for some folks unnatural
to be in, in that slow listeningspace.
(03:10):
But I think that we can findthat if we're looking for that
Holy Spirit, it's not so muchtrying to find the quietest
place to be, the quietest placeto be.
I think that we can find theHoly Spirit most often in
service and in the good works oflove.
The Holy Spirit is with us.
(03:32):
I think for me, most often whenwe are at, when we are at
outreach, when we get to cometogether and bring food to
people.
Because I speak with whatauthority I have and I can say
that it's hard to fully graspand understand and look at where
does God want me?
It is a big question that weall ask and that we all feel.
(03:55):
But I can say with whatauthority I have that God does
want you at Outreach.
God wants you feeding peopleand loving on people in a real,
in present way.
It is a space that at Outreachthat place where we just stop
and feed people, pray and listento those that are often
forgotten that the Holy Spiritcomes upon us.
(04:16):
I've had a wonderful opportunitynumerous times to be kind of
the first time chaperone forpeople that come to outreach.
It's been really reallywonderful.
Chaperone's kind of an intenseword.
I mostly just give you the lowdown and watch people kind of
come into the beauty ofChrist-like work.
But it's been beautiful becausewhat you do at outreach, if you
(04:39):
have not been, which I wouldlove to see you when we get
together on Wednesdays.
Of course, some folks have workand it's difficult to
schedulereach.
If you have not been, which Iwould love to see you when we
get together on Wednesdays.
Of course, some folks have workand it's difficult to schedule,
but if you ever have the time,please come.
It is transformative.
But at Outreach you stop, yougive the groceries to these
folks who are just filled withsuch gratefulness for it, and
(05:01):
then you stop and ask them ifyou'd like to pray.
Not everybody wants to pray,some people are just happy with
the food.
And then you stop and ask themif you'd like to pray.
Not everybody wants to pray,some people are just happy with
the food and that's the blessingyou can give them.
But we pray.
And then you know it may bethat someone asks how do you
pray?
And it is not at all any kindof particular ability or class.
You have to learn.
You open up and ask and that'swhat I've talked with people
(05:23):
about when it comes to prayingat outreach is saying Lord, come
and give us this grace, give usthis space, and that Holy
Spirit comes in and you start tounderstand and become aware of
the desires of people and theneeds of others, and when you
ask in that prayer, it isunifying in that space that we
(05:44):
get to come together with.
So I truly believe that withthis Pentecost, that this
opportunity to really understandand get into the idea of unity
is something that I would loveto get across for everybody,
because it's what Pentecost isabout.
The miracle that Ray was talkingwith us about when he was
(06:04):
reading was the fact that not somuch that the amazing thing was
the language, which was a partof the miracle, but it was the
understanding.
It was the fact that, pasteverything because in the verse
you hear them identify them fromwhere they're from and what
makes them different, andthey're dumbfounded at the idea
that they can understand.
And in that understanding thereis that unity that's created.
(06:28):
They realize that they are allservants, that they are all
under that same beautifulumbrella, and that beautiful
work of unity is that miracle.
And I hope that, with thisunderstanding of Pentecost, that
you hope and portray and givemore and more of that beautiful
(06:48):
unity and find more of thatunity, because in that finding
unity it makes for I would saythe word easier is not correct,
but a smoother and morecomfortable way of being, and I
(07:09):
think that it's very, verysimple in that space but not
easy to practice, because anygood thing is not easy.
I think that most of us whohave been around long enough
some of our members would tellyou that it's not easy to find
unity.
It's a lot of beautiful hardwork, but I think that you guys
can agree in your beautifulexperience that looking for
unity ends up making everythinga lot better.
So with that, as best I cancommunicate, I do really hope
(07:36):
because you find thoseChrist-like spaces.
Nathaniel is ready, wherever heis, for my little anecdotes.
But one time when I was workingat a church in New York, we
went to go help another churchbecause they were short on staff
and the church was separated ina way that I felt was very odd.
There were the leading members,so the pastors and the pastor's
(07:58):
assistants, and then there wereeveryone working backstage and
it was a great, big, grandchurch.
It had the kind of curtainsthat would go up the big giant
hole show shebang and we had tohelp them backstage because they
didn't have enough backstagepeople.
And I was very interestedbecause I had gone backstage and
(08:19):
found that there was a wholearea that was locked off, like
with big key cards, likesecurity, you see, in a bank,
and I was like what's that?
And uh, one of the guys thatworks there tells me it's the
pastor's lounge.
Um, and the pastors all gothere.
And to me that was foreign,because I grew up in this church
where the pastors are workingand serving the bread and going
(08:40):
and doing communion, so that tome already felt odd.
But when I was asking about it,one of the pastors was actually
behind me and said I need thatto get into my space and find my
part with God.
And I looked inside and it wasthis big, beautiful living room
that had a mini fridge and asmall little kitchen and
(09:01):
everything.
So this wild, isolated, veryclean, sterile space in which he
then went into the space and asI was sitting with the people I
was working with to make theshow of this church happen, I
couldn't help but feel badbecause when I was sitting with
the people backstage, a lot ofus were sweating.
(09:22):
It was New York in summer andif you've ever been there, it is
a level of uncomfortable heatthat sometimes matches dead
Florida heat.
It is gnarly.
So me and the other people whohelped run the show were sitting
there and I saw the pastor justsitting there in his little
lounge alone and I realized I'mlike I think in his attempts to
(09:43):
get closer to God, he separatedhimself Because God was sitting
around eating a pizza that wastoo small on little metal
folding chairs in the back.
And it was this place where werealized it made me understand
that if my ways of gettingconnected to God are involved
(10:03):
with isolation and separationand I'm not saying that you
can't go out into the woods andlisten to the trees and the land
speak to you but if you're atchurch and you need to separate
yourself from people to get withGod, then I think you miss a
lot of what God wants you to do,because Pentecost, this space,
this beauty and all throughoutthe Bible, not just this verse
(10:25):
that we're focusing on alwaysspeaks.
Everything that God wants iscloser love and that idea that
we bring together.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
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
(10:58):
firstlovechurchorg, remindingyou to like, follow and
subscribe.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Because I had a beautiful revelation.
I got to speak into someone'slife while we were sweaty behind
the stage.
It was quite beautiful, despiteeverything else about it.
If you've ever been behind thestage of a large production,
most of the machines look likethat.
They're used the other part ofthe week to bring Frankenstein
back to life.
It's not exactly a heartwarmingenvironment if you've worked
backstage, but to be able totalk and speak with people and
(11:26):
meet other people who wereserving was a beautiful thing
and something I'm grateful forand I wish that that pastor and
I'm sure that he's opened up thelounge by now I'm just
believing the Christ for that,but I wish so bad.
It's like man, this guy kind ofhe's setting himself out of
something beautiful, becausethere was that space in that, in
that wonderful humbleness thatwas practical, because there is
(11:51):
a lot that goes into the thoughtthat I think that people get
this idea that getting to God isthis very intellectual and very
arduous process.
It is work, but it's work forpeople.
It's that understanding becauseGod is in this space and in
(12:14):
that unity, everyone that youmeet.
And God can sometimes be if Iquote my mother, who quotes
other things in distressingdisguise, and sometimes it's
hard to recognize Christ inpeople and sometimes you need
someone to help you find theChrist in someone else.
I know I do.
Sometimes there are people thatare hard for me to love, but
then people in my life can lovethem incredibly.
(12:36):
Not you, robert, don't you wavewhen I say people are hard to
love.
You're one of my favorites, youhelp me make sure that everyone
can hear me and that's thebeauty, because I can do my best
to help Robert.
Remember that Robert is lovedand there's someone in your life
and you can.
I think we should take a momentin the holiness and let our
(12:56):
beautiful, holy imaginationrepeat Think of someone who
helped, inspired unity in yourlife.
Just take a moment, close youreyes, just silence for a minute.
I'm sure you had somebody,someone close, maybe more than
one person, that helped you findthat unity.
And so I hope to you that youcan, in this Pentecost,
(13:22):
remembering the beautiful words,the wonderful songs that we
preached, and I hope that I canimpart to you some kind of
wisdom from what wisdom I have,that you can remember the things
that helped bring that unityfrom that person that you love
so much, and that that memory ofthat unity is something that
can stick with you, even whenthings are difficult, because
(13:43):
unity is required when peopleare being disordered.
It's not often that you get topractice unity when things are
easy.
It's a lot of times you get topractice unity when people are
harsh and when people aredifficult and when people do
something that boggles your mind.
I think that's my hardest pointwhen someone does something
that truly makes me stop.
(14:05):
And just you know, have youever stopped at someone's
decision making and shook yourhead like this?
Not in a no, not in a okay, Ican see where they're coming
from, but just a disbelief.
And that is the place where youneed unity, because you just
have to see and say, okay, mybrother, my sister in Christ,
(14:29):
whoever it is, how, lord, can Ifind a space where I see them
better?
How, lord, can I find a spacewhere I can, in a gentle and
beautiful way, lead them moretowards love?
And I think by asking itcreates a really good space,
because sometimes we can feeloverwhelmed, because there are
people I deal with where I go.
I don't think anyone can dealwith you.
I've looked at people, I'velooked at myself sometimes to go
, what am I going to do with you?
(14:49):
I don't know sometimes if youlooked at yourself and you're
not sure exactly what to do next, but I have before.
And that unity can be with youand the Holy Spirit, and I think
that's a great place to startwhen learning that understanding
that coming together in Christ.
And we're going to pull up averse here Nathanael, would you
(15:11):
start with 25 and then we'll begoing from 25 to 27?
All right, and I'd like us toread together because I like the
way it sounds.
All right, I am telling youthese things now, while I am
still with you, but when theFather sends the advocate as my
representative, that is the HolySpirit, he will teach you
(15:31):
everything and remind you ofeverything I have told you.
I am leaving you with a giftpeace of mind and heart, and the
peace I give you is a gift theworld cannot give.
So do not be troubled or afraid.
That's a beautiful thing.
Honestly, what I could havedone is just read those lines
(15:53):
and left.
I think we would have found abeautiful space to remind you,
but I'll add my little tidbitsand my anecdotes.
The story of this comestogether and the story of
Pentecost, the story of thisunity, is the completion of an
older story.
We all understand and haveheard the story of the Tower of
(16:15):
Babel, how, so long ago, peopletried to build a tower to ascend
to heaven and they had lostthemselves and forgotten the
languages and become separate.
And in this space.
We see Pentecost as thatreunion, that turning that
beautiful bookend to the storythat had kind of just been left
out.
I think it's a wonderful thingto remember that that unity is a
(16:38):
place that is found in peopleand it's important to not look
for our unity outside orseparate of the people in our
lives.
I would like to very quicklyjust give a prayer and a
blessing.
I love giving the benedictionand I'd like to give a quickly
just give a prayer and ablessing.
I love giving the benedictionand I'd like to give a little
(16:58):
extra one here, if you would letme.
Father God, we come to you andwe ask you for the Holy Spirit
again.
We thank you that it is with us.
We ask you to open our eyes toit.
We ask you to open our hands ina beautiful, grace-like manner,
in a way that lets us lovepeople deeper.
We thank you for our ears to beopened, to listen deeper to the
(17:21):
Holy Spirit, to understand andhave a mercy that comes from the
divine.
We thank you for this holycompanion, this comforter and
this wonderful reason no longerto be afraid.
We thank you for all of this inyour name, amen.
Thank you for letting me cometogether and preach and give you
(17:44):
a moment and a gentle reminderof what you already are capable
of, that you are more than ableand more than competent enough
to be that unity and thatkindness in a place where some
people can't see it, and I thankyou for taking the time and
practicing the ability to see it.
We're going to go intocommunion here.
(18:07):
I can do my best to preach, butI think communion does the best
job.
That reminder of the table is abeautiful thing.
Before we go into communion,though, I would like to invite
my friend Kylie to come up andgive us some more beautiful
words.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
I have a Pentecost blessing for everybody.
On the day when you are wearingyour certainty like a cloak and
your sureness goes before youlike a shield or like a sword,
may the sound of God's namespill from your lips as you have
never heard it before.
May your knowing be undone.
(18:43):
May mystery confound yourunderstanding.
May the divine rain down instrange syllables, yet with
ancient familiarity, a knowingborn in the blood, in the ear,
the tongue, bringing the claritythat comes not in stone or in
steel, but in fire and flame.
May there come one searing word, enough to bear you to the bone
(19:07):
, enough to set your heartablaze, enough to make you whole
again.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon.
If you would like moreinformation about us, visit us
online at firstlovechurchorg.
Welcome to the First Love Church podcast.
This is a collection of Sundayteachings inspired by the
Revised Common Lectionary andrecorded weekly in Ocala Florida
.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm very excited to be speaking with you.
I hope you're ready for a verylong-form benediction, but I am
very excited to be able to gettogether with you, especially on
Pentecost, which the onenesswith my mother makes me shake my
fists in excitement.
Pentecost, the idea of unity.
Can you just do that?
(00:33):
Yeah, let me do this.
Yeah he's going to do that.
You guys can look at me for asecond and you can put this in
your back.
The closer button is what he'ssaying I'm going to leave,
goodbye.
I'm going to leave goodbye.
I'm a loud and audible foreverybody.
Fantastic hooray.
I love the celebration of ourpeople.
I love seeing Caroline come up.
(00:53):
I always love it when mybrother is able to share.
I love being able to see myfamily when we get to come up
here Nathaniel playing the drums, thomas, people that are my
family in the spirit.
I get to see my sister Carolineand my brother Ray come and
just give beautiful, beautifulwords and I'm very grateful to
be able to come up here and talkto you about Pentecost.
(01:13):
And the whole of it is thatPentecost is about unity.
It is about this deep,beautiful, supernatural
realization that we are one deep, beautiful, supernatural
realization that we are one andthat every single thing that
brings us closer to God is anact or a work towards unity.
If I could get, we could startup with verse 15.
(01:36):
I think it's a good idea tostart with the scripture.
All right, so if you guys wouldlike to read along with me, if
you love me, obey mycommandments and I will ask the
Father and he will give youanother advocate who will never
leave you, and then 17.
He is the Holy Spirit who leadsinto all truth.
(02:01):
The world cannot receive himbecause it is not looking for
him and does not recognize him,and so that's a beautiful thing.
I think, in that point where welook at the Holy Spirit, it is
a beautiful hope that we get tohave when we feel alone and when
(02:25):
we feel left and without, andwhen we feel like that we cannot
fully understand or fully graspthis space with God.
And the Holy Spirit is thisadvocate, is this holy space
that comes in and is with us andit's something that is made
available for you and me, and Ithink that is a beautiful thing.
(02:48):
And God recognizing ourhumanness in giving us this
companion, this spirit, thisspace for us to love and live
together.
The Holy Spirit comes to us ina very supernatural space and in
a space that is very quiet andoften for some folks unnatural
to be in, in that slow listeningspace.
(03:10):
But I think that we can findthat if we're looking for that
Holy Spirit, it's not so muchtrying to find the quietest
place to be, the quietest placeto be.
I think that we can find theHoly Spirit most often in
service and in the good works oflove.
The Holy Spirit is with us.
(03:32):
I think for me, most often whenwe are at, when we are at
outreach, when we get to cometogether and bring food to
people.
Because I speak with whatauthority I have and I can say
that it's hard to fully graspand understand and look at where
does God want me?
It is a big question that weall ask and that we all feel.
(03:55):
But I can say with whatauthority I have that God does
want you at Outreach.
God wants you feeding peopleand loving on people in a real,
in present way.
It is a space that at Outreachthat place where we just stop
and feed people, pray and listento those that are often
forgotten that the Holy Spiritcomes upon us.
(04:16):
I've had a wonderful opportunitynumerous times to be kind of
the first time chaperone forpeople that come to outreach.
It's been really reallywonderful.
Chaperone's kind of an intenseword.
I mostly just give you the lowdown and watch people kind of
come into the beauty ofChrist-like work.
But it's been beautiful becausewhat you do at outreach, if you
(04:39):
have not been, which I wouldlove to see you when we get
together on Wednesdays.
Of course, some folks have workand it's difficult to
schedulereach.
If you have not been, which Iwould love to see you when we
get together on Wednesdays.
Of course, some folks have workand it's difficult to schedule,
but if you ever have the time,please come.
It is transformative.
But at Outreach you stop, yougive the groceries to these
folks who are just filled withsuch gratefulness for it, and
(05:01):
then you stop and ask them ifyou'd like to pray.
Not everybody wants to pray,some people are just happy with
the food.
And then you stop and ask themif you'd like to pray.
Not everybody wants to pray,some people are just happy with
the food and that's the blessingyou can give them.
But we pray.
And then you know it may bethat someone asks how do you
pray?
And it is not at all any kindof particular ability or class.
You have to learn.
You open up and ask and that'swhat I've talked with people
(05:23):
about when it comes to prayingat outreach is saying Lord, come
and give us this grace, give usthis space, and that Holy
Spirit comes in and you start tounderstand and become aware of
the desires of people and theneeds of others, and when you
ask in that prayer, it isunifying in that space that we
(05:44):
get to come together with.
So I truly believe that withthis Pentecost, that this
opportunity to really understandand get into the idea of unity
is something that I would loveto get across for everybody,
because it's what Pentecost isabout.
The miracle that Ray was talkingwith us about when he was
(06:04):
reading was the fact that not somuch that the amazing thing was
the language, which was a partof the miracle, but it was the
understanding.
It was the fact that, pasteverything because in the verse
you hear them identify them fromwhere they're from and what
makes them different, andthey're dumbfounded at the idea
that they can understand.
And in that understanding thereis that unity that's created.
(06:28):
They realize that they are allservants, that they are all
under that same beautifulumbrella, and that beautiful
work of unity is that miracle.
And I hope that, with thisunderstanding of Pentecost, that
you hope and portray and givemore and more of that beautiful
(06:48):
unity and find more of thatunity, because in that finding
unity it makes for I would saythe word easier is not correct,
but a smoother and morecomfortable way of being, and I
(07:09):
think that it's very, verysimple in that space but not
easy to practice, because anygood thing is not easy.
I think that most of us whohave been around long enough
some of our members would tellyou that it's not easy to find
unity.
It's a lot of beautiful hardwork, but I think that you guys
can agree in your beautifulexperience that looking for
unity ends up making everythinga lot better.
So with that, as best I cancommunicate, I do really hope
(07:36):
because you find thoseChrist-like spaces.
Nathaniel is ready, wherever heis, for my little anecdotes.
But one time when I was workingat a church in New York, we
went to go help another churchbecause they were short on staff
and the church was separated ina way that I felt was very odd.
There were the leading members,so the pastors and the pastor's
(07:58):
assistants, and then there wereeveryone working backstage and
it was a great, big, grandchurch.
It had the kind of curtainsthat would go up the big giant
hole show shebang and we had tohelp them backstage because they
didn't have enough backstagepeople.
And I was very interestedbecause I had gone backstage and
(08:19):
found that there was a wholearea that was locked off, like
with big key cards, likesecurity, you see, in a bank,
and I was like what's that?
And uh, one of the guys thatworks there tells me it's the
pastor's lounge.
Um, and the pastors all gothere.
And to me that was foreign,because I grew up in this church
where the pastors are workingand serving the bread and going
(08:40):
and doing communion, so that tome already felt odd.
But when I was asking about it,one of the pastors was actually
behind me and said I need thatto get into my space and find my
part with God.
And I looked inside and it wasthis big, beautiful living room
that had a mini fridge and asmall little kitchen and
(09:01):
everything.
So this wild, isolated, veryclean, sterile space in which he
then went into the space and asI was sitting with the people I
was working with to make theshow of this church happen, I
couldn't help but feel badbecause when I was sitting with
the people backstage, a lot ofus were sweating.
(09:22):
It was New York in summer andif you've ever been there, it is
a level of uncomfortable heatthat sometimes matches dead
Florida heat.
It is gnarly.
So me and the other people whohelped run the show were sitting
there and I saw the pastor justsitting there in his little
lounge alone and I realized I'mlike I think in his attempts to
(09:43):
get closer to God, he separatedhimself Because God was sitting
around eating a pizza that wastoo small on little metal
folding chairs in the back.
And it was this place where werealized it made me understand
that if my ways of gettingconnected to God are involved
(10:03):
with isolation and separationand I'm not saying that you
can't go out into the woods andlisten to the trees and the land
speak to you but if you're atchurch and you need to separate
yourself from people to get withGod, then I think you miss a
lot of what God wants you to do,because Pentecost, this space,
this beauty and all throughoutthe Bible, not just this verse
(10:25):
that we're focusing on alwaysspeaks.
Everything that God wants iscloser love and that idea that
we bring together.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
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
(10:58):
firstlovechurchorg, remindingyou to like, follow and
subscribe.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Because I had a beautiful revelation.
I got to speak into someone'slife while we were sweaty behind
the stage.
It was quite beautiful, despiteeverything else about it.
If you've ever been behind thestage of a large production,
most of the machines look likethat.
They're used the other part ofthe week to bring Frankenstein
back to life.
It's not exactly a heartwarmingenvironment if you've worked
backstage, but to be able totalk and speak with people and
(11:26):
meet other people who wereserving was a beautiful thing
and something I'm grateful forand I wish that that pastor and
I'm sure that he's opened up thelounge by now I'm just
believing the Christ for that,but I wish so bad.
It's like man, this guy kind ofhe's setting himself out of
something beautiful, becausethere was that space in that, in
that wonderful humbleness thatwas practical, because there is
(11:51):
a lot that goes into the thoughtthat I think that people get
this idea that getting to God isthis very intellectual and very
arduous process.
It is work, but it's work forpeople.
It's that understanding becauseGod is in this space and in
(12:14):
that unity, everyone that youmeet.
And God can sometimes be if Iquote my mother, who quotes
other things in distressingdisguise, and sometimes it's
hard to recognize Christ inpeople and sometimes you need
someone to help you find theChrist in someone else.
I know I do.
Sometimes there are people thatare hard for me to love, but
then people in my life can lovethem incredibly.
(12:36):
Not you, robert, don't you wavewhen I say people are hard to
love.
You're one of my favorites, youhelp me make sure that everyone
can hear me and that's thebeauty, because I can do my best
to help Robert.
Remember that Robert is lovedand there's someone in your life
and you can.
I think we should take a momentin the holiness and let our
(12:56):
beautiful, holy imaginationrepeat Think of someone who
helped, inspired unity in yourlife.
Just take a moment, close youreyes, just silence for a minute.
I'm sure you had somebody,someone close, maybe more than
one person, that helped you findthat unity.
And so I hope to you that youcan, in this Pentecost,
(13:22):
remembering the beautiful words,the wonderful songs that we
preached, and I hope that I canimpart to you some kind of
wisdom from what wisdom I have,that you can remember the things
that helped bring that unityfrom that person that you love
so much, and that that memory ofthat unity is something that
can stick with you, even whenthings are difficult, because
(13:43):
unity is required when peopleare being disordered.
It's not often that you get topractice unity when things are
easy.
It's a lot of times you get topractice unity when people are
harsh and when people aredifficult and when people do
something that boggles your mind.
I think that's my hardest pointwhen someone does something
that truly makes me stop.
(14:05):
And just you know, have youever stopped at someone's
decision making and shook yourhead like this?
Not in a no, not in a okay, Ican see where they're coming
from, but just a disbelief.
And that is the place where youneed unity, because you just
have to see and say, okay, mybrother, my sister in Christ,
(14:29):
whoever it is, how, lord, can Ifind a space where I see them
better?
How, lord, can I find a spacewhere I can, in a gentle and
beautiful way, lead them moretowards love?
And I think by asking itcreates a really good space,
because sometimes we can feeloverwhelmed, because there are
people I deal with where I go.
I don't think anyone can dealwith you.
I've looked at people, I'velooked at myself sometimes to go
, what am I going to do with you?
(14:49):
I don't know sometimes if youlooked at yourself and you're
not sure exactly what to do next, but I have before.
And that unity can be with youand the Holy Spirit, and I think
that's a great place to startwhen learning that understanding
that coming together in Christ.
And we're going to pull up averse here Nathanael, would you
(15:11):
start with 25 and then we'll begoing from 25 to 27?
All right, and I'd like us toread together because I like the
way it sounds.
All right, I am telling youthese things now, while I am
still with you, but when theFather sends the advocate as my
representative, that is the HolySpirit, he will teach you
(15:31):
everything and remind you ofeverything I have told you.
I am leaving you with a giftpeace of mind and heart, and the
peace I give you is a gift theworld cannot give.
So do not be troubled or afraid.
That's a beautiful thing.
Honestly, what I could havedone is just read those lines
(15:53):
and left.
I think we would have found abeautiful space to remind you,
but I'll add my little tidbitsand my anecdotes.
The story of this comestogether and the story of
Pentecost, the story of thisunity, is the completion of an
older story.
We all understand and haveheard the story of the Tower of
(16:15):
Babel, how, so long ago, peopletried to build a tower to ascend
to heaven and they had lostthemselves and forgotten the
languages and become separate.
And in this space.
We see Pentecost as thatreunion, that turning that
beautiful bookend to the storythat had kind of just been left
out.
I think it's a wonderful thingto remember that that unity is a
(16:38):
place that is found in peopleand it's important to not look
for our unity outside orseparate of the people in our
lives.
I would like to very quicklyjust give a prayer and a
blessing.
I love giving the benedictionand I'd like to give a quickly
just give a prayer and ablessing.
I love giving the benedictionand I'd like to give a little
(16:58):
extra one here, if you would letme.
Father God, we come to you andwe ask you for the Holy Spirit
again.
We thank you that it is with us.
We ask you to open our eyes toit.
We ask you to open our hands ina beautiful, grace-like manner,
in a way that lets us lovepeople deeper.
We thank you for our ears to beopened, to listen deeper to the
(17:21):
Holy Spirit, to understand andhave a mercy that comes from the
divine.
We thank you for this holycompanion, this comforter and
this wonderful reason no longerto be afraid.
We thank you for all of this inyour name, amen.
Thank you for letting me cometogether and preach and give you
(17:44):
a moment and a gentle reminderof what you already are capable
of, that you are more than ableand more than competent enough
to be that unity and thatkindness in a place where some
people can't see it, and I thankyou for taking the time and
practicing the ability to see it.
We're going to go intocommunion here.
(18:07):
I can do my best to preach, butI think communion does the best
job.
That reminder of the table is abeautiful thing.
Before we go into communion,though, I would like to invite
my friend Kylie to come up andgive us some more beautiful
words.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
I have a Pentecost blessing for everybody.
On the day when you are wearingyour certainty like a cloak and
your sureness goes before youlike a shield or like a sword,
may the sound of God's namespill from your lips as you have
never heard it before.
May your knowing be undone.
(18:43):
May mystery confound yourunderstanding.
May the divine rain down instrange syllables, yet with
ancient familiarity, a knowingborn in the blood, in the ear,
the tongue, bringing the claritythat comes not in stone or in
steel, but in fire and flame.
May there come one searing word, enough to bear you to the bone
(19:07):
, enough to set your heartablaze, enough to make you whole
again.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon.
If you would like moreinformation about us, visit us
online at firstlovechurchorg.
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!