December 27, 2025 • 26 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Pastor Dale Tunnell (00:00):
Well, how was your week?
Did you have a holly jolly happy Merry Christmas?
One of those?
And blessed.
A blessed Christmas.
Yeah, I like that one too.
Are you looking forward to a Holly Jolly Merry Blessed New Year?
(00:20):
Merry New Year?
Doesn't sound right, does it?
How come we have these things in our head that that what's supposed to happen?
I guess in the conversations you've had in the last couple of days, one of the questions you were asked was, did you get what you wanted for Christmas?
(00:42):
Some of you uh say yes.
It was quiet
Some of you say, no, I did not get the motorcycle I wanted.
Oh, I remember when that was the top of my list every year.
Mom and Dad never got that for me.
(01:03):
Some of you are saying, no, I did not get the 85-inch TV I was looking forward to.
Can you imagine what that would look like in my small apartment?
Some of you say yes, I got to spend some time with my family.
It was peaceful.
It was nice to be able to be together with children, grandchildren, great grandchildren.
(01:29):
Some of you, uh I did some reading this week, and uh one of the things I read is it is dangerous to be lonely.
And this time of year, many people experience loneliness.
What I read told me that really caught my eye here.
I mean, as Seventh-day Adventist, this really caught my eye.
(01:52):
For people to be lonely is worse for them than if they were smoking two packs of cigarettes per day.
Loneliness is more likely to lead to death, higher percentage rate, than smoking.
(02:12):
Than drinking, than being overweight.
I mean, we as Seventh-day Avenists, we have a wonderful health message.
But when I read that, I I was thinking, man, we gotta do something about loneliness.
If it is going because our health message is not just to get you healthy for the here and now, it's to get you
(02:37):
Healthy for eternity.
Loneliness, overcoming loneliness, having friends and fellowship is not just to have friends and fellowship now, but it's to have friends and fellowship.
For eternity.
Want to say thank you to many of you who gave for the the the offering, the special offering last Sabbath.
(03:03):
I heard from Heather.
She says, thank you to you.
The Pamus offering that we had last Sabbath.
Thank you for those gifts.
Thank you for the gifts that you give to the church.
Um at the conclusion of our service today, there are going to be some deacons standing at the back, and they'll be collecting an offering when we exit.
(03:25):
And we say thank you for your giving for that offering, the offering that we take up for the poor.
Thank you for the offering that you gave for the Women's Center, the Hope Women's Center.
I mean the toys, the clothes, the turkeys, the food.
(03:46):
Thank you.
And I could go even further saying thank you for those things.
But I got to thinking about why do we give these things?
What is the purpose?
Is it because that's what we were taught by our parents at Christmas time we we give and we give and we we give and we give and we give some more?
(04:12):
Is that because of what we taught we're taught in in Sabbath school?
Is that because some for some of us, I heard about in Sabbath school, we've we've been taught these things for generations.
Three generations, four generations, five generations, six generations.
We've been encouraged to live a certain kind of lifestyle.
(04:37):
But what is the purpose for why we do these things
I'd like for you to open your Bible.
I'm going to take you to the words of Jesus here in Matthew chapter 5.
Matthew chapter five.
(04:57):
Um words from the Sermon on the Mount here
While you're turning there, this is a commercial.
After our ten days of prayer, we're gonna have ten days of prayer starting in in
January 7th.
(05:19):
Then we're going to go for 10 days there.
The world church is doing that.
After those ten days of prayer in our in our
Bible study series, uh, midweek service study time.
We're going to be reading the book uh Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings.
If we could just get everybody to read that book.
(05:43):
I shouldn't say that.
If we could get everybody to just live what Jesus taught in these three chapters.
Just live what Jesus taught in these three chapters.
Forget everything else.
Just live what is taught in these three chapters.
Oh, what a difference the world would be.
What a difference our church would be.
(06:03):
Advertisement for thoughts from the Mount of Blessings.
Okay, you found Matthew 5.
You guys were turning there and I was talking.
So I'll find it here.
Matthew 5, verse 16.
It says, Let your light so shine before men.
That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
(06:26):
What is the purpose for our giving to Pomas?
We we hope the Pumas can continue doing their their aviation, their medical missionary work there in the Philippines.
We hope they can continue doing that so that they can save people's lives, right?
(06:48):
That's part of it.
But why?
We keep digging down and we get to the conclusion
It is because we want those individuals whose lives are being saved at some point to come to the place to glorify the Father that is in heaven.
(07:08):
Why do we give to the women's the Hope Women shelter?
Why do we give the offering for the poor
Why do we?
And you can kind of go down the list there.
And I could go move away from Gibby.
(07:31):
Why do we come together as a community of believers every Sabbath and worship here together?
What is the purpose?
Our parents trained us.
Our grandparents trained us.
I can go again and say generation from generation has trained us.
(07:54):
I mean, you realize that here collectively we have lots of things that divide us.
I mean
Different nationalities, different countries, that's could be divisive
I have it in my notes, should I say it?
(08:16):
Different football teams.
Cardinals fans, Steelers fans, Broncos fans.
How is it that we can all come together to worship a creator God?
Do I even go further and say some of our congregation are Republicans?
And some are Democrats.
(08:42):
How is it that we can come together and worship the Creator God?
I know some of you I I saw some heads turn.
Who's a Democrat?
Who's a Republican?
I I I did Oh my.
No, I'm not gonna have you raise your hands.
(09:05):
Turn your Bibles to another text, John chapter 13, where our scripture reading was from.
John chapter 13.
Verse thirty-four
Jesus talking to his disciples there, he says, A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
(09:40):
By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.
This new commandment, love for one another.
What does love look like?
Have you ever felt loved
(10:01):
I mean really loved.
I mean maybe you've felt respected, maybe you felt uh
uh like someone uh took pity upon you.
Maybe you felt appreciated, but have you really felt loved
What does it look like if we if we were to love one another?
(10:26):
I mean, to love somebody means that you begin to make decisions.
Based on their best interest, not yours.
I mean, you remember when you fell in love with your first child?
They were little.
(10:48):
You gave up some sleep.
Why did you do that?
You sacrifice some of your time.
Why did you do that?
Because you were in love.
Something had had stolen a part of your heart, had taken possession of you, and you were willing to do anything that you could on their best interest.
(11:21):
What would happen as a church if we began to love one another the way Jesus describes it here?
For his disciples.
What would it look like if we began to do what is in the best interest of the other person?
(11:44):
You begin to think about some things, some relationships.
Husband and wife relationships.
What would husband and wife relationships look like if
We practiced doing what was in the best interest of the other person.
In the best interest of the other person.
(12:05):
Do you know young people today, they are considering, they're thinking about, they are are practicing not getting married.
Do you know why they're making the decision not to get married?
Because they have seen some of us get married, and they've seen what marriage is like.
(12:26):
And inside marriage, when you get there, we have a tendency to continue living for ourselves.
And if we continue living for ourselves inside marriage, what happens?
Yeah, some of you know.
It brings separation.
And so the young people in our day and age today are are making decisions.
(12:50):
I don't want to get married.
I'm scared to get married.
I I see what it does to people.
They change when they get married.
I mean, if if marriages begin to practice Ephesians chapter five
The description that is given there regarding marriage, I think we would have more young people saying, I want to be married.
(13:19):
I want to be like them.
We would have more marriages, make it to seventy years of marriage.
I heard an amen there.
When I heard that we had two couples here in our church, 70 years.
2025, that's that's a long time.
(13:42):
Wouldn't it be nice if we had more?
That were lasting that long.
What would happen if our young people?
I don't know what age is young anymore.
What would happen if young people began to treat elderly people with love and respect?
(14:11):
That was one of the exciting things for me about living in Asia when I was in my thirties.
My hair was almost as gray as it is now.
And they would ask me, Pastor, how old are you?
I would say I'm as old as you think I am.
(14:33):
As old as my hair says I am.
And I would tell some of them that, knowing that they were older than me.
I told Cheryl, I Cheryl says, What are you doing?
Are you lying to them?
I said, No, I'm they can think what they want.
I said, This is the only way I get the respect I deserve.
(14:56):
Yeah, I was selfish.
So I began to tell them how old I was.
And they said, oh, you need to be respecting me.
What would happen if we treated one another with the respect that other people deserve simply because they are created in the image of God?
(15:21):
They're a child of the King.
What would happen if we we loved the way Jesus loved
Verse thirty-five tells us the end result.
(15:46):
Says, by this all will know that you are my disciples.
All will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.
It's interesting.
He didn't say, all will know you're my disciples if you are vegetarian.
(16:07):
Vegans.
All will know that you are my disciples if you keep the Sabbath correctly.
All will know that you are my disciples if you have the proper understanding of the Trinity.
All will know that you are my disciples if you live a lifestyle that I have given you example of living.
(16:30):
All will know you are my disciples if you love one another.
What would it look like if we loved one another the way Jesus loved his disciples?
And he shows us there in the context of John 13.
(16:52):
It tells us they came together to celebrate the Passover.
Everything had been prepared for the Passover.
They come together, they they they eat the meal together.
And then Jesus stands up after the meal, and he girds himself with a garment, a towel, and he begins to wash the disciples' feet.
(17:22):
What is happening here?
He's the rabbi.
He's the teacher.
He shouldn't be John.
You should have done this.
You're the youngest
John, why aren't you doing this?
You can't let him do this.
Take the towel from him.
(17:45):
Jesus continues and he takes the basin, he takes the pitcher, he pours the water.
They are appalled at what is happening, but they don't know how to stop it.
Finally, he gets to Peter, and Peter knows how to stop it.
He says, Master, no, you cannot wash my feet.
And Jesus says, If I don't wash you, you have no part with me.
(18:10):
Peter wanted to have partner with Jesus, and he says, oh Master, not just my feet, but my my hands and my head also.
Jesus told him, you only need your feet to be washed.
(18:37):
Chapter thirteen there of John
Verse ten says, He said, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not all of you.
Friends, this this footwashing service that we as Seventh Day Avenue participate in, that we hold together, this is a a way of showing our love for one another.
(19:09):
This is a way of showing that we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, but it's only a partial way.
When people see you, when they see me washing each other's feet, that's not going to make them think we love one another.
(19:33):
But that's the beginning.
That's a first step.
That's the way to get started
That's the way of saying I do in a marriage
A symbol of of of showing that we we were in this together.
(19:55):
Chapter thirteen there, we keep reading verse twelve.
So when he had washed their feet
Taking his garments and sat down again he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you?
You call me teacher and lord, and you say well, for so I am.
But if I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet,
You also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you
(20:25):
Most assuredly I say to you
If you know these things,
Blessed are you if you do them.
(20:55):
Part one committing ourselves to the Lord
Part two, following his example, doing what he says to do.
Part three, let that seed grow in us, that that love for one another, let that continue to grow so that.
All may know that we are his disciples.
(21:22):
I mean, I love that that little phrase there.
All will know.
That you are my disciples if you love one another.
Do we want the world to know we are a disciple of Jesus Christ?
It starts with love.
(21:46):
Today we are are our are
Continuing that process to follow in the in the footsteps of our Sabbath school lesson.
Today we're doing the recommitment.
We're doing what we what Joshua describes there.
We're having that recommitment service.
We're saying, I'm still a child of the Lord.
(22:07):
I still believe his word.
I'm still practicing.
I still love my community of Jesus.
I'm still his disciple.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Practice what we call an open communion.
(22:31):
That means you do not have to be a Seventh-day Adventist in order to participate in the communion service
If you love Jesus Christ, if you've accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, if you have a relationship with Him, we invite you to join with us as Adventists and participate in this service.
Now there are not a lot of other denominations that do the footwashing service.
(22:57):
And some of the others that do the footwashing service only do it maybe once a year, or maybe once every five years, or maybe once every whenever the pastor gets a whim to do it.
But as an Adventist church, we traditionally do it every quarter.
Because we know we need that reminder to love one another.
(23:20):
And so we're going to separate and we're going to go to rooms and we're going to two by two practice what Jesus did with his disciples.
There may be somebody in church that you need to say, I'm sorry.
I've hurt you.
I apologize.
You need to make things right.
(23:40):
Now's a good time to
go to them and to to wash their feet.
We have a room that's available if you go out the doors here and turn to the right and go over here to the fellowship hall.
Uh the ladies are going to meet over in that space and they're going to to wash one another's feet.
If you go out the door and go to the left, and the men, there's a door all the way at the end of the hall.
(24:05):
for the men that they can have a room and they can two by two wash one another's feet.
There's also a room for families.
If you go out as a family and you you you're you and your spouse or you and your children or or
You go out the door and turn left.
There's a room there on the side, not all the way at the end, but on the side down here, where you can go as a family and you can wash one another's feet.
(24:32):
Like I said, this is planting the seed.
This is reminding.
This is renewing that commitment that we are all in this relationship with Jesus Christ.
After we wash one another's feet, we're going to come back here into this room.
And we're going to partake of the bread and the grape juice representing Jesus' body and Jesus' blood.
(25:00):
And while we have been cleansed, we want to ask Jesus to come into our heart, into our life, and to live from within us.
And so we want to partake of his body and his blood that was shed for us
I pray that this service will draw us together as a church family.
(25:27):
I pray that others will see us.
And will glorify our Father in heaven, that others will see us and know that we are his disciples.
Our gracious Heavenly Father, we say thank you for this service that you have given to us.
(25:51):
As we separate to various rooms at this point in time, Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit continue to go with us and would renew our relationships.
As feet are washed, Lord, I pray that you would do your cleansing.
As we come back and partake of the bread and the grape juice, Lord, I pray that you would fill us.
(26:14):
And that the world would know that we love you and we are living according to your will.
I ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let us separate at this time for the footwashing service
Well, how was your week?
Did you have a holly jolly happy Merry Christmas?
One of those?
And blessed.
A blessed Christmas.
Yeah, I like that one too.
Are you looking forward to a Holly Jolly Merry Blessed New Year?
(00:20):
Merry New Year?
Doesn't sound right, does it?
How come we have these things in our head that that what's supposed to happen?
I guess in the conversations you've had in the last couple of days, one of the questions you were asked was, did you get what you wanted for Christmas?
(00:42):
Some of you uh say yes.
It was quiet
Some of you say, no, I did not get the motorcycle I wanted.
Oh, I remember when that was the top of my list every year.
Mom and Dad never got that for me.
(01:03):
Some of you are saying, no, I did not get the 85-inch TV I was looking forward to.
Can you imagine what that would look like in my small apartment?
Some of you say yes, I got to spend some time with my family.
It was peaceful.
It was nice to be able to be together with children, grandchildren, great grandchildren.
(01:29):
Some of you, uh I did some reading this week, and uh one of the things I read is it is dangerous to be lonely.
And this time of year, many people experience loneliness.
What I read told me that really caught my eye here.
I mean, as Seventh-day Adventist, this really caught my eye.
(01:52):
For people to be lonely is worse for them than if they were smoking two packs of cigarettes per day.
Loneliness is more likely to lead to death, higher percentage rate, than smoking.
(02:12):
Than drinking, than being overweight.
I mean, we as Seventh-day Avenists, we have a wonderful health message.
But when I read that, I I was thinking, man, we gotta do something about loneliness.
If it is going because our health message is not just to get you healthy for the here and now, it's to get you
(02:37):
Healthy for eternity.
Loneliness, overcoming loneliness, having friends and fellowship is not just to have friends and fellowship now, but it's to have friends and fellowship.
For eternity.
Want to say thank you to many of you who gave for the the the offering, the special offering last Sabbath.
(03:03):
I heard from Heather.
She says, thank you to you.
The Pamus offering that we had last Sabbath.
Thank you for those gifts.
Thank you for the gifts that you give to the church.
Um at the conclusion of our service today, there are going to be some deacons standing at the back, and they'll be collecting an offering when we exit.
(03:25):
And we say thank you for your giving for that offering, the offering that we take up for the poor.
Thank you for the offering that you gave for the Women's Center, the Hope Women's Center.
I mean the toys, the clothes, the turkeys, the food.
(03:46):
Thank you.
And I could go even further saying thank you for those things.
But I got to thinking about why do we give these things?
What is the purpose?
Is it because that's what we were taught by our parents at Christmas time we we give and we give and we we give and we give and we give some more?
(04:12):
Is that because of what we taught we're taught in in Sabbath school?
Is that because some for some of us, I heard about in Sabbath school, we've we've been taught these things for generations.
Three generations, four generations, five generations, six generations.
We've been encouraged to live a certain kind of lifestyle.
(04:37):
But what is the purpose for why we do these things
I'd like for you to open your Bible.
I'm going to take you to the words of Jesus here in Matthew chapter 5.
Matthew chapter five.
(04:57):
Um words from the Sermon on the Mount here
While you're turning there, this is a commercial.
After our ten days of prayer, we're gonna have ten days of prayer starting in in
January 7th.
(05:19):
Then we're going to go for 10 days there.
The world church is doing that.
After those ten days of prayer in our in our
Bible study series, uh, midweek service study time.
We're going to be reading the book uh Thoughts from the Mount of Blessings.
If we could just get everybody to read that book.
(05:43):
I shouldn't say that.
If we could get everybody to just live what Jesus taught in these three chapters.
Just live what Jesus taught in these three chapters.
Forget everything else.
Just live what is taught in these three chapters.
Oh, what a difference the world would be.
What a difference our church would be.
(06:03):
Advertisement for thoughts from the Mount of Blessings.
Okay, you found Matthew 5.
You guys were turning there and I was talking.
So I'll find it here.
Matthew 5, verse 16.
It says, Let your light so shine before men.
That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
(06:26):
What is the purpose for our giving to Pomas?
We we hope the Pumas can continue doing their their aviation, their medical missionary work there in the Philippines.
We hope they can continue doing that so that they can save people's lives, right?
(06:48):
That's part of it.
But why?
We keep digging down and we get to the conclusion
It is because we want those individuals whose lives are being saved at some point to come to the place to glorify the Father that is in heaven.
(07:08):
Why do we give to the women's the Hope Women shelter?
Why do we give the offering for the poor
Why do we?
And you can kind of go down the list there.
And I could go move away from Gibby.
(07:31):
Why do we come together as a community of believers every Sabbath and worship here together?
What is the purpose?
Our parents trained us.
Our grandparents trained us.
I can go again and say generation from generation has trained us.
(07:54):
I mean, you realize that here collectively we have lots of things that divide us.
I mean
Different nationalities, different countries, that's could be divisive
I have it in my notes, should I say it?
(08:16):
Different football teams.
Cardinals fans, Steelers fans, Broncos fans.
How is it that we can all come together to worship a creator God?
Do I even go further and say some of our congregation are Republicans?
And some are Democrats.
(08:42):
How is it that we can come together and worship the Creator God?
I know some of you I I saw some heads turn.
Who's a Democrat?
Who's a Republican?
I I I did Oh my.
No, I'm not gonna have you raise your hands.
(09:05):
Turn your Bibles to another text, John chapter 13, where our scripture reading was from.
John chapter 13.
Verse thirty-four
Jesus talking to his disciples there, he says, A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
(09:40):
By this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.
This new commandment, love for one another.
What does love look like?
Have you ever felt loved
(10:01):
I mean really loved.
I mean maybe you've felt respected, maybe you felt uh
uh like someone uh took pity upon you.
Maybe you felt appreciated, but have you really felt loved
What does it look like if we if we were to love one another?
(10:26):
I mean, to love somebody means that you begin to make decisions.
Based on their best interest, not yours.
I mean, you remember when you fell in love with your first child?
They were little.
(10:48):
You gave up some sleep.
Why did you do that?
You sacrifice some of your time.
Why did you do that?
Because you were in love.
Something had had stolen a part of your heart, had taken possession of you, and you were willing to do anything that you could on their best interest.
(11:21):
What would happen as a church if we began to love one another the way Jesus describes it here?
For his disciples.
What would it look like if we began to do what is in the best interest of the other person?
(11:44):
You begin to think about some things, some relationships.
Husband and wife relationships.
What would husband and wife relationships look like if
We practiced doing what was in the best interest of the other person.
In the best interest of the other person.
(12:05):
Do you know young people today, they are considering, they're thinking about, they are are practicing not getting married.
Do you know why they're making the decision not to get married?
Because they have seen some of us get married, and they've seen what marriage is like.
(12:26):
And inside marriage, when you get there, we have a tendency to continue living for ourselves.
And if we continue living for ourselves inside marriage, what happens?
Yeah, some of you know.
It brings separation.
And so the young people in our day and age today are are making decisions.
(12:50):
I don't want to get married.
I'm scared to get married.
I I see what it does to people.
They change when they get married.
I mean, if if marriages begin to practice Ephesians chapter five
The description that is given there regarding marriage, I think we would have more young people saying, I want to be married.
(13:19):
I want to be like them.
We would have more marriages, make it to seventy years of marriage.
I heard an amen there.
When I heard that we had two couples here in our church, 70 years.
2025, that's that's a long time.
(13:42):
Wouldn't it be nice if we had more?
That were lasting that long.
What would happen if our young people?
I don't know what age is young anymore.
What would happen if young people began to treat elderly people with love and respect?
(14:11):
That was one of the exciting things for me about living in Asia when I was in my thirties.
My hair was almost as gray as it is now.
And they would ask me, Pastor, how old are you?
I would say I'm as old as you think I am.
(14:33):
As old as my hair says I am.
And I would tell some of them that, knowing that they were older than me.
I told Cheryl, I Cheryl says, What are you doing?
Are you lying to them?
I said, No, I'm they can think what they want.
I said, This is the only way I get the respect I deserve.
(14:56):
Yeah, I was selfish.
So I began to tell them how old I was.
And they said, oh, you need to be respecting me.
What would happen if we treated one another with the respect that other people deserve simply because they are created in the image of God?
(15:21):
They're a child of the King.
What would happen if we we loved the way Jesus loved
Verse thirty-five tells us the end result.
(15:46):
Says, by this all will know that you are my disciples.
All will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.
It's interesting.
He didn't say, all will know you're my disciples if you are vegetarian.
(16:07):
Vegans.
All will know that you are my disciples if you keep the Sabbath correctly.
All will know that you are my disciples if you have the proper understanding of the Trinity.
All will know that you are my disciples if you live a lifestyle that I have given you example of living.
(16:30):
All will know you are my disciples if you love one another.
What would it look like if we loved one another the way Jesus loved his disciples?
And he shows us there in the context of John 13.
(16:52):
It tells us they came together to celebrate the Passover.
Everything had been prepared for the Passover.
They come together, they they they eat the meal together.
And then Jesus stands up after the meal, and he girds himself with a garment, a towel, and he begins to wash the disciples' feet.
(17:22):
What is happening here?
He's the rabbi.
He's the teacher.
He shouldn't be John.
You should have done this.
You're the youngest
John, why aren't you doing this?
You can't let him do this.
Take the towel from him.
(17:45):
Jesus continues and he takes the basin, he takes the pitcher, he pours the water.
They are appalled at what is happening, but they don't know how to stop it.
Finally, he gets to Peter, and Peter knows how to stop it.
He says, Master, no, you cannot wash my feet.
And Jesus says, If I don't wash you, you have no part with me.
(18:10):
Peter wanted to have partner with Jesus, and he says, oh Master, not just my feet, but my my hands and my head also.
Jesus told him, you only need your feet to be washed.
(18:37):
Chapter thirteen there of John
Verse ten says, He said, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not all of you.
Friends, this this footwashing service that we as Seventh Day Avenue participate in, that we hold together, this is a a way of showing our love for one another.
(19:09):
This is a way of showing that we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, but it's only a partial way.
When people see you, when they see me washing each other's feet, that's not going to make them think we love one another.
(19:33):
But that's the beginning.
That's a first step.
That's the way to get started
That's the way of saying I do in a marriage
A symbol of of of showing that we we were in this together.
(19:55):
Chapter thirteen there, we keep reading verse twelve.
So when he had washed their feet
Taking his garments and sat down again he said to them, Do you know what I have done to you?
You call me teacher and lord, and you say well, for so I am.
But if I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet,
You also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you
(20:25):
Most assuredly I say to you
If you know these things,
Blessed are you if you do them.
(20:55):
Part one committing ourselves to the Lord
Part two, following his example, doing what he says to do.
Part three, let that seed grow in us, that that love for one another, let that continue to grow so that.
All may know that we are his disciples.
(21:22):
I mean, I love that that little phrase there.
All will know.
That you are my disciples if you love one another.
Do we want the world to know we are a disciple of Jesus Christ?
It starts with love.
(21:46):
Today we are are our are
Continuing that process to follow in the in the footsteps of our Sabbath school lesson.
Today we're doing the recommitment.
We're doing what we what Joshua describes there.
We're having that recommitment service.
We're saying, I'm still a child of the Lord.
(22:07):
I still believe his word.
I'm still practicing.
I still love my community of Jesus.
I'm still his disciple.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Practice what we call an open communion.
(22:31):
That means you do not have to be a Seventh-day Adventist in order to participate in the communion service
If you love Jesus Christ, if you've accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, if you have a relationship with Him, we invite you to join with us as Adventists and participate in this service.
Now there are not a lot of other denominations that do the footwashing service.
(22:57):
And some of the others that do the footwashing service only do it maybe once a year, or maybe once every five years, or maybe once every whenever the pastor gets a whim to do it.
But as an Adventist church, we traditionally do it every quarter.
Because we know we need that reminder to love one another.
(23:20):
And so we're going to separate and we're going to go to rooms and we're going to two by two practice what Jesus did with his disciples.
There may be somebody in church that you need to say, I'm sorry.
I've hurt you.
I apologize.
You need to make things right.
(23:40):
Now's a good time to
go to them and to to wash their feet.
We have a room that's available if you go out the doors here and turn to the right and go over here to the fellowship hall.
Uh the ladies are going to meet over in that space and they're going to to wash one another's feet.
If you go out the door and go to the left, and the men, there's a door all the way at the end of the hall.
(24:05):
for the men that they can have a room and they can two by two wash one another's feet.
There's also a room for families.
If you go out as a family and you you you're you and your spouse or you and your children or or
You go out the door and turn left.
There's a room there on the side, not all the way at the end, but on the side down here, where you can go as a family and you can wash one another's feet.
(24:32):
Like I said, this is planting the seed.
This is reminding.
This is renewing that commitment that we are all in this relationship with Jesus Christ.
After we wash one another's feet, we're going to come back here into this room.
And we're going to partake of the bread and the grape juice representing Jesus' body and Jesus' blood.
(25:00):
And while we have been cleansed, we want to ask Jesus to come into our heart, into our life, and to live from within us.
And so we want to partake of his body and his blood that was shed for us
I pray that this service will draw us together as a church family.
(25:27):
I pray that others will see us.
And will glorify our Father in heaven, that others will see us and know that we are his disciples.
Our gracious Heavenly Father, we say thank you for this service that you have given to us.
(25:51):
As we separate to various rooms at this point in time, Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit continue to go with us and would renew our relationships.
As feet are washed, Lord, I pray that you would do your cleansing.
As we come back and partake of the bread and the grape juice, Lord, I pray that you would fill us.
(26:14):
And that the world would know that we love you and we are living according to your will.
I ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let us separate at this time for the footwashing service
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