Embracing Faith, Unity, and Gratitude in Community
Summary
### Summary
This morning, we gathered to bring our prayers and thanksgiving before God, reflecting on the psalmist's words about entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. We expressed gratitude for the gift of life, eternal life in Christ, our church family, and our personal families and friends. We also acknowledged God's presence in both the high and low moments of life, recognizing that He is with us through it all. We celebrated the success of our annual school supply drive and prayed for the peace and safety of our nation, especially in light of recent tragic events.
Our focus this month is on faith. We explored the idea that faith is both a race and a walk, requiring us to pause, reflect, and walk gently with God. As a community of faith, we are diverse in backgrounds, theologies, and worldviews, but we are united by what brings us together: our shared faith, hope, and love. We emphasized the importance of humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love, as Paul urged the Ephesian church.
We also reflected on our baptismal covenant, which calls us to renounce evil and embrace the freedom and power God gives us. This covenant reminds us that Christ is open to all people, regardless of age, nation, or race. We are called to live lives worthy of our calling, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
We celebrated the beauty of diversity within our congregation, likening it to a quilt made of different pieces coming together to create something beautiful. This diversity is a strength that binds us together, allowing us to support and uplift one another.
Finally, we prayed for our children as they return to school, asking for God's protection, wisdom, and blessings over them. We concluded with a call to give generously, recognizing that our giving is an exercise of our faith, and we sang our closing hymn, reaffirming our unity as the body of Christ.
### Key Takeaways
1. Gratitude in All Circumstances: We are called to enter God's presence with thanksgiving, recognizing His blessings in every aspect of our lives. Whether we are in moments of joy or facing the shadows of death, God is with us. This gratitude transforms our perspective and deepens our relationship with Him. [08:59]
2. Faith as a Journey: Faith is both a race and a walk. While the race requires endurance and focus, the walk allows for reflection and gentleness. This duality teaches us to balance striving towards our spiritual goals with moments of pause and contemplation, ensuring a holistic spiritual journey. [19:28]
3. Unity in Diversity: Our community of faith is diverse in many ways, but what unites us is stronger than what divides us. By focusing on our shared faith, hope, and love, we can overcome differences and build a stronger, more compassionate community. This unity is a testament to the power of God's love working through us. [22:05]
4. Living Worthy of Our Calling: Each of us is called by God, and we are urged to live lives worthy of this calling. This involves humility, gentleness, patience, and love. By embodying these virtues, we reflect Christ's character and strengthen the bonds within our community, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. [26:04]
5. The Power of Faith, Hope, and Love: These three virtues are the currency of our community. Faith in God, hope in His promises, and love for one another are what sustain us and enable us to face life's challenges. They are contagious and transformative, shaping our interactions and our collective strength as the body of Christ. [37:17]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[08:59] - Entering with Thanksgiving
[10:38] - Praying for the Nation
[12:04] - Peace and Grace
[13:04] - The Lord's Prayer
[16:51] - Welcome and Announcements
[19:28] - Faith as a Race and a Walk
[20:31] - Community of Faith
[22:05] - Unity in Diversity
[25:04] - Paul's Message to the Ephesians
[26:04] - Living Worthy of Our Calling
[28:10] - Unity of the Spirit
[30:18] - The Hope of the Cross
[32:33] - Baptismal Covenant
[35:05] - Community as a Workshop for Holiness
[37:17] - The Currency of Faith
[40:14] - Faith is Contagious
[41:18] - The Quilt of Diversity
[44:26] - Building Our Faith
[45:01] - Closing Prayer
[50:47] - Blessing the Children
[52:40] - Prayer for the School Year
[01:03:03] - Announcements and Offering
[01:10:28] - Closing Hymn and Benediction
[01:11:25] - Dismissal and Picnic Invitation
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Psalm 100:4 - "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."
2. Ephesians 4:1-3 - "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
3. Hebrews 12:1-2 - "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."
### Observation Questions
1. According to Psalm 100:4, how are we instructed to enter God's presence? What are the specific actions mentioned? [08:59]
2. In Ephesians 4:1-3, what virtues does Paul urge believers to embody? How do these virtues contribute to unity? [26:04]
3. Hebrews 12:1-2 describes faith as a race. What are believers encouraged to do in order to run this race effectively? [19:28]
4. How did the sermon describe the importance of gratitude in both high and low moments of life? [08:59]
### Interpretation Questions
1. Why is it significant that we enter God's presence with thanksgiving, as mentioned in Psalm 100:4? How does this practice affect our relationship with God? [08:59]
2. How do humility, gentleness, and patience, as described in Ephesians 4:1-3, help maintain the unity of the Spirit? What challenges might arise in practicing these virtues? [26:04]
3. The sermon mentioned faith as both a race and a walk. How do these metaphors complement each other in describing the Christian journey? [19:28]
4. Reflecting on the sermon, how does the concept of unity in diversity strengthen a faith community? What are some practical ways to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us? [22:05]
### Application Questions
1. Think about a recent situation where you faced a challenge. How did you express gratitude to God in that moment? If you didn't, how might you approach a similar situation differently in the future? [08:59]
2. Identify a specific area in your life where you can practice more humility, gentleness, or patience. What steps can you take this week to embody these virtues in your interactions with others? [26:04]
3. The sermon emphasized the importance of pausing and reflecting in our walk of faith. How can you incorporate moments of pause and contemplation into your daily routine to enhance your spiritual journey? [19:28]
4. In what ways can you contribute to the unity of your faith community? Are there specific actions you can take to bridge gaps and build stronger relationships within your church? [22:05]
5. Reflect on your baptismal covenant. How does renouncing evil and embracing the freedom and power God gives you influence your daily decisions and actions? [32:33]
6. The sermon likened the congregation to a quilt made of diverse pieces. How can you celebrate and support the diversity within your church community? What practical steps can you take to appreciate and uplift others? [42:19]
7. As we prayed for the children returning to school, what specific prayers or actions can you take to support the younger members of your community in their faith journey? [50:47]
Devotional
Day 1: Gratitude in All Circumstances
Gratitude is a powerful practice that transforms our perspective and deepens our relationship with God. It is not just about being thankful for the good times but also recognizing God's presence in the challenging moments. When we enter God's presence with thanksgiving, we acknowledge His blessings in every aspect of our lives, whether we are experiencing joy or walking through the shadows of death. This practice of gratitude helps us to see God's hand at work in all situations, reminding us that He is always with us, guiding and sustaining us. [08:59]
Psalm 100:4-5 (ESV): "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
Reflection: Think of a recent challenging situation you faced. How can you see God's presence and blessings in that situation? Take a moment to thank Him for being with you through it all.
Day 2: Faith as a Journey
Faith is both a race and a walk, requiring endurance and reflection. The race aspect of faith calls for focus and perseverance as we strive towards our spiritual goals. However, the walk aspect allows us to pause, reflect, and walk gently with God. This duality teaches us to balance our efforts to grow spiritually with moments of contemplation and gentleness. By embracing both aspects, we ensure a holistic spiritual journey that nurtures our relationship with God and helps us grow in faith. [19:28]
Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV): "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Reflection: Reflect on your spiritual journey. Are there areas where you need to focus more on endurance, and others where you need to allow for more reflection and gentleness? How can you create a balance in your faith journey today?
Day 3: Unity in Diversity
Our community of faith is diverse in backgrounds, theologies, and worldviews, but we are united by our shared faith, hope, and love. This unity in diversity is a testament to the power of God's love working through us. By focusing on what unites us rather than what divides us, we can build a stronger, more compassionate community. Embracing our differences and supporting one another allows us to create a beautiful tapestry of faith that reflects God's inclusive love. [22:05]
Ephesians 4:3-6 (ESV): "Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Reflection: Think of someone in your faith community who has a different background or perspective than you. How can you reach out to them and build a stronger connection based on your shared faith, hope, and love?
Day 4: Living Worthy of Our Calling
Each of us is called by God to live a life worthy of our calling. This involves embodying virtues such as humility, gentleness, patience, and love. By living out these virtues, we reflect Christ's character and strengthen the bonds within our community. Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace is essential in our walk with God. Our baptismal covenant reminds us that Christ is open to all people, and we are called to embrace this inclusivity in our daily lives. [26:04]
Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."
Reflection: Reflect on your daily interactions. Are there areas where you can practice more humility, gentleness, patience, or love? How can you make a conscious effort to live out these virtues today?
Day 5: The Power of Faith, Hope, and Love
Faith, hope, and love are the foundational virtues that sustain our community. Faith in God, hope in His promises, and love for one another enable us to face life's challenges with strength and resilience. These virtues are contagious and transformative, shaping our interactions and our collective strength as the body of Christ. By nurturing these virtues in our lives, we contribute to a community that reflects God's love and grace to the world. [37:17]
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (ESV): "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."
Reflection: Consider how faith, hope, and love are evident in your life. How can you intentionally nurture these virtues in your daily interactions and contribute to the strength and unity of your faith community?
Quotes
1. "The way we enter into the throne room of God is through thanksgiving. And so we want to look around us, look at yourself. Every day above the ground is a good day. We want to give thanks to God for the gift of life. We want to thank God for the gifts of eternal life that we have in Christ Jesus. We want to thank God for the gifts of the church family. For the church. We want to thank God for our families. We want to thank God for our friends." [08:59] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The God of the mountains is still the God of the valleys. So let us bring our prayers, our thanksgiving to God this morning. As we lift up our praise to him. Knowing that he is the God of gods and the king of kings. We also want to thank God that as a church, we were able to come together and do our work." [10:38] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "Faith is a race. We are called to run. Run the race of faith, run the race of faith. But in our text today, we will see very soon that faith is also not just a race, but it's a walk, it's a walk. And I love the metaphor for walking also, because when you walk, you pause. One of the, you know, practices, spiritual practice practices that I have is to take a walk and walk around. And as you walk, you pray, you pause, you look around, you see what is going." [19:28] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "We are a community of faith. Everybody say we are a community of faith. So that means that it can be challenging sometimes because we come together as a people of faith with diverse, diverse backgrounds. We have diverse theologies. We have diverse upbringing. You know, we have diverse ways, culturally ways of thinking. We have diverse ways of understanding. We have diverse. even in our worldviews how we see things we have diversity in our worldviews and what i celebrate about the gift of diversity is that rather than looking at what divides us the scripture calls us as a community of faith to focus on the things that brings us together right the things that brings us together is more important than the things that divides us." [20:31] (76 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Paul writes to us this morning that as a prisoner of the Lord, he was in prison, yet he was struggling to send the message to God's people. As at the time, the Ephesian church was in division. Some say, I'm for Paul. Some say, I'm for Apollos. They were, you know, just trying to follow humans. And they were trying to keep things together. And, you know, they were divided by theological things like, you know, like speaking in tongues and different kinds of, there are different kind of theological issues. You know, whether you need to be circumcised before you become a child of God. They had all these questions." [25:04] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "Each of us has been called. Sometimes we think it's only pastors that have been called. I always correct the chair. I say, no, no. Each of us has been called. God has called each and every one of us. There is a calling that is worthy. You have been called. Whether he called you the night in the morning, the day, whether he called you earlier in your years or later, whether he called you when you were ready or not, you are here as a sign of the calling of God that is on your life. Each of us has been called." [27:08] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "We have one Holy Spirit. The oneness of our hope. Yesterday, Son and I, we were teaching, training some church leaders, and one of the things I said, as we teach them for preaching, I said, every message that we speak to the congregation ends with hope. Because last week, we saw that the symbol of our faith is what? The cross. Right? The symbol of our faith is the cross. But the cross is both a sign of suffering, but, and also a sign of hope. When we look at the cross, we know that Friday is not the end." [29:18] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "You can lose everything in your life, but don't lose your hope. Because the hope, it's what makes you to stand up in the morning and rise up again and go out there and face the challenges of life. But there is hope in Christ Jesus. Christ in me, the hope of glory. Do I have witness at all this morning? The hope of glory is what we have. He said, these are the things that brings us together. We have hope. One hope in God. When we look at the cross, we see hope. We see a resurrected Jesus. We see that God has a plan for his people." [30:48] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
9. "We deal in faith. We deal in hope. We deal in love. Those are the currency that is running through us. And when we lose, we lose our faith. The Bible says without faith, Hebrews, it is impossible to please God. Oh my God, the church will continue to march forward. Don't let anybody tell you the church is dying. The church will continue to march forward because we are a people of faith. We have faith in God. We have the faith in the God of creation. We have the faith in God who created all things." [39:04] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
10. "Faith is contagious. Hope is contagious. If you are living a life of faith, if somebody is living the life of hope, if somebody is living the life of love, when we see each other, it is contagious. It is contagious. The same way, division is contagious. It's the same way that faith in God is contagious. It moves from one person to the other. It challenges one person to the other. That in this season, we live a life of faith. I came to remind us that by faith, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." [40:14] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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