P3: Burning Hearts and Broken Bread

Sep 20, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Sunset Colors and the Sound of Teenagers Worshipping

A salty breeze carries laughter and off-key hymns. The crash of waves harmonizes with teenagers praying. This is what sacred presence feels like – not a forced ritual, but the natural overflow of hearts fully engaged. The early church discovered this rhythm: learning, eating, praying, sharing life. Their togetherness became so magnetic that outsiders couldn’t help but join. True fellowship isn’t programmed – it’s what happens when we stop performing and simply inhabit the moment God gives. [45:21]

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.”
(Acts 2:42-44 NLT)

Reflection: When did you last feel fully immersed in a moment – not thinking ahead or analyzing, just receiving it as gift? What ordinary setting (a dinner table, a walk, a chore) could become your “Rosario Beach” this week?

Day 2: Sandals Off, Face Hidden – Answering “Here I Am” in the Midst of Routine

Moses wasn’t seeking a mountaintop experience. He was doing his father-in-law’s laundry – tending smelly sheep, avoiding thorns. Holiness found him mid-chore. The burning bush wasn’t about pyrotechnics; it was God saying “I see your mundane, and I AM here.” Our most profound encounters often come not during spiritual retreats, but when we’re ankle-deep in life’s dry riverbeds. Presence begins with the courage to say “here I am” to whatever patch of ground we’re standing on. [56:52]

“One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.”
(Exodus 3:1-2 NLT)

Reflection: What repetitive task or responsibility feels like your “wilderness” right now? How might God be inviting you to remove your sandals – to get curious, not cynical – in that very space?

Day 3: Scrolling Past the Sacred – When Screens Drown Out a Baby’s Laughter

The cafe couple’s story haunts because we’ve all been both people – the one radiating joy and the one too distracted to receive it. Our devices aren’t evil, but they train us to value the curated over the concrete. The early church had no “content” except shared bread and stories of resurrection. Yet their undivided attention to real faces in real rooms changed empires. Presence is resistance – against the lie that connection happens through pixels. [01:04:59]

“The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them.’”
(Exodus 3:7-8 NLT)

Reflection: When has someone’s physical presence (a hand on your shoulder, eye contact during your story) been God’s answer to an unspoken prayer? Who needs you to “come down” from virtual spaces into their actual world today?

Day 4: Plundering Egypt Together – Fellowship as Holy Rebellion

The early Christians didn’t just share casseroles – they redistributed wealth. Their potlucks were protests against Rome’s greed. When Moses led slaves to plunder their oppressors, it wasn’t vengeance – it was restoration. True fellowship repairs broken systems by first seeing each other’s needs. Presence that doesn’t lead to sharing resources is just performance. But when we truly inhabit life together, even our leftovers become miracles. [47:04]

“They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.”
(Acts 2:45-46 NLT)

Reflection: What need in your community (loneliness, food insecurity, addiction) feels too big to address? What’s one tangible item (a bag of groceries, an hour of listening, a skill) you could “plunder” from your reserves to share?

Day 5: The Great I Am in the Smallest “I’m Here”

God’s name isn’t “I Was” or “I Will Be.” The eternal present tense pulses through creation. Moses didn’t need eloquence – just availability. The disciples didn’t need platforms – just a willingness to break bread with strangers. Our calling isn’t to manufacture mountaintops but to recognize the bush already burning in our kitchens, cubicles, and carpool lanes. The holiest work begins when we whisper, “I’m here,” and discover God already is. [01:00:08]

“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:14-15 NLT)

Reflection: Where do you feel least qualified to be God’s representative? How might your simple presence – not expertise – in that space be exactly what “I AM” wants to use today?

Sermon Summary

Luke’s picture of the early church begins with people who had been cut to the heart by Jesus, filled by the Holy Spirit, and brought into a new kind of life together. Acts 2 shows that their devotion was not just showing up once in a while. Their devotion was steadfastness, continuous commitment, and constant attention given to God and to one another. The word “to be” points toward presence itself, toward the God who names himself “I am.”

Exodus 3 gives that presence a face. Moses notices a burning bush, hears God call his name, and makes space to listen even though he is afraid. God does not first hand Moses a detailed strategy or promise an easy road. God tells Moses, “I will be with you.” The great I Am meets Moses in that moment and promises to remain present through every moment that follows.

Luke’s language about signs and wonders reaches back to Moses because God’s wonders have always been connected to liberation. Moses receives a call to help free people from slavery, and the disciples receive power to tell people about Jesus in languages they can understand. God’s presence moves people toward justice, mercy, worship, and fellowship. Fellowship becomes more than being friendly. Fellowship becomes shared life, shared ownership, and making sure that no one is left alone in need.

The table in Acts 2 becomes a place where believers pray, eat, learn, worship, give, and live together with glad and generous hearts. God’s devotion comes first, because God is already present before anyone turns toward him. Presence with God then makes possible presence with people. Justice and mercy cannot stay abstract when someone actually listens long enough to recognize the needs sitting right in front of them.

The contrast with life on a phone is sharp. Screens can offer a quick rush, a distraction from pain, or even a substitute for real relationship, but they cannot replace the kind of attention that lets a person feel seen. The person in front of someone at the table needs more than divided attention. The person suffering quietly needs more than a quick scroll past their pain.

God’s call to devotion is simple, but it is not shallow: be present. Gratitude makes a meal sweeter. Shared attention makes ordinary moments richer. The great I Am invites people to be with him, then sends them to help others experience justice, mercy, community, and the love of God.

Key Takeaways

1. Devotion means choosing to be present [53:41] Devotion is not merely intense religious effort or keeping up appearances. God’s call is to give steady attention to his presence, even when fear, distraction, or discomfort pulls the heart elsewhere. Moses becomes available for God’s work when he stops, notices, and listens. Presence is often the first act of obedience. [53:41]
2. God’s name promises abiding presence [01:00:27] The great I Am does not send Moses into Egypt with bare instructions and no companionship. God grounds Moses’ calling in the promise, “I will be with you.” Fear may still be real, but abandonment is not the final truth. God’s presence reaches into both the wounds of the past and the uncertainty of what comes next. [60:27]
3. Fellowship is shared life in God [01:02:18] Fellowship is more than enjoying a room full of people or exchanging polite conversation. The early believers shared meals, resources, prayers, worship, and responsibility for one another’s needs. God’s people become a community when belonging takes visible shape. Shared life means that another person’s lack cannot remain someone else’s problem. [62:18]
4. Presence becomes justice and mercy [01:08:44] Justice begins with seeing people clearly enough to recognize what is hurting them. Moses could not confront Pharaoh without first hearing the cries of enslaved people, and disciples could not proclaim Christ without speaking in languages people understood. Attention creates the space for mercy to become concrete. A listening heart can become part of God’s freeing work. [68:44]
5. The table calls for grateful attention [01:10:37] The table can become a place of consumption without gratitude, or it can become a place of communion. God makes ordinary food, conversation, and shared time richer when people receive them as gifts. A grateful person notices both the meal and the hands that prepared it. Presence turns an ordinary moment into a place where God’s goodness can be known.

## [70:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[42:46] - Happy Sabbath and Being Present
[44:02] - Finding Presence at Connect Retreat
[46:15] - Being Present at the Table
[47:04] - The Early Church in Acts 2
[48:11] - Pentecost and the Holy Spirit
[51:15] - Repent, Be Baptized, Receive the Spirit
[52:42] - Devoted to Teaching, Fellowship, and Prayer
[53:22] - What Devotion and Fellowship Mean
[55:40] - Signs and Wonders Point to Exodus
[56:14] - Moses Meets God at the Burning Bush
[58:21] - God Calls Moses to Liberation
[60:27] - The Great I Am Is Present
[63:31] - Fellowship, Justice, and Shared Life
[64:01] - The Danger of Distracted Living
[66:34] - God Invites People to the Table
[68:44] - Presence as Justice and Mercy
[70:37] - Gratitude Makes Life Richer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Acts 2:42-47

42. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. [47:13]

43. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [47:21]

44. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [47:27]

45. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [47:36]

46. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— [47:41]

47. all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. [47:51]

Exodus 3:1-15

1. One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. [56:19]

2. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. [56:36]

3. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” [56:36]

4. When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. [56:44]

5. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.” [56:49]

6. “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. [56:57]

7. Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering.” [57:43]

8. “So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.” [57:43]

9. “Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them.” [57:57]

10. “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” [58:03]

11. But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” [58:09]

12. God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” [58:22]

13. But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” [59:13]

14. God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” [59:34]

15. God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” [01:00:01]

Acts 1:8

8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to

Sermon Clips

46s

#PresentTogether

“How much sweeter is the time that we spend doing something we love when we do it with someone else? How much richer is life when we choose to not only be present in ourselves, but invite someone else to be present in that moment with us? Family, the devotion God calls for is simply to be present. I challenge you, as I challenge myself, what's one thing that we can do this week? To be present in the moment with him. And one thing we can do to help someone else be present and experience what it's like to be with the great I am.”

39s

#PresenceAndJustice

“The very first definition that God gives himself for the title he has is literally presence. when we choose to be present with the people around us, we are doing an act of justice and mercy. Because being present with the person in front of you, whether you ask them how they're doing, whether you listen to them, you develop a relationship and the ability to recognize the needs of that person. Justice and mercy cannot be done unless you understand the needs of the people in front of you.”

30s

#ListenForGod

“Being devoted means being present so that you can hear God's voice calling out to you. Moses was afraid of God. The text makes it very clear, but he still recognized that someone was calling out to him, and he listened. It's okay that he was afraid. He just made the space in his day, in his mind, to let God speak to him.”

44s

#FaithAtTheTable

“Being present with god at the table, it means praying. It means leading others and helping others through the struggle. Being present with god at the table leads to a stronger community through justice. You might I know that's a loaded word. But in the original context, in Exodus, justice literally meant Moses going out and freeing people from slavery. For the disciples, it was taking the message that they and the experiences they had with Jesus and sharing it with others in a way that they understood even though they spoke a completely different language.”

38s

#GratitudeInAction

“It's really easy to show up at the table and eat the food, but not really be grateful. know I do this sometimes. I show up, I'm super hungry, I start eating. And I don't say thank you to the person who made it. I try to do my best at connect because all my days, the women who were in charge of cooking the food, you blessed me. I felt like I was in heaven. It was so good. how much sweeter is that meal when we're grateful for it?”

34s

#FeelYourFeelings

“This doesn't just happen, in parents. We see this in our kids too. I mean, I see it in myself. It's so much easier to scroll on this and to get the rush of dopamine or to look at a funny reel than to actually sit in our emotions, to feel the pain of what's going on in the world or to recognize when we feel uncomfortable. It's easier to scroll on one of these than to deal with what's going on inside our hearts.”

41s

#FaithfulFellowship

“Moses was called to be devoted to God, just like the disciples were devoted. When both responded to choose to be to choose to be present with God, that is when both were ready to move forward to do the signs and wonders, to do the justice and the mercy. And because Moses and the disciples were devoted to God, they were able to bring people together through eating, learning, worshiping, living as one. Again, we call that fellowship. It's living together.”

43s

#GodIsPresent

“This word is super important because the wonder that God would perform started out not in the mighty act. It just started out with Moses recognizing that God was present. God made it very clear to Moses that, by definition, his very character is just being present. is the great presence. So Moses did not have to be afraid that he wouldn't be with him in his future or that he was gonna leave him to deal with the effects of his past.”

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