Transforming Mundane Moments into Extraordinary Worship

Sermon Summary

In reflecting on the life of Nicholas Herman, known posthumously as Brother Lawrence, we uncover profound insights into what makes a life extraordinary in the eyes of God. Brother Lawrence, who lived in obscurity and poverty, found his calling not in grand achievements or public recognition but in the humble, everyday tasks of life. His story teaches us that true greatness is not measured by worldly standards but by the depth of our relationship with God and the sincerity of our worship.

Brother Lawrence's life was marked by a series of failures and setbacks. He was not successful in the military, struggled as a hermit, and even found himself clumsy in domestic service. Yet, it was in the mundane setting of a monastic kitchen that he discovered the profound practice of living in God's presence. Despite disliking his kitchen duties, he transformed them into acts of worship, offering each task to God with a childlike trust and seeking divine companionship in every moment.

This practice of "practicing the presence of God" is not about achieving perfection but about constant surrender and communication with God. Brother Lawrence's method was simple: begin each task by inviting God to be present, continue by conversing with God throughout, and conclude by reflecting on the task, offering gratitude for successes and seeking forgiveness for shortcomings. This cycle of engagement with God turns ordinary moments into extraordinary ones.

The essence of an extraordinary life, as demonstrated by Brother Lawrence, lies in the gentle humility and sincere worship that revives love in the world. It is not about being on prestigious lists or achieving fame but about living a life that is worthy of God's wonder and majesty. By continually talking to God and surrendering our inner obstacles, we can cultivate a life that is deeply connected to the divine, making our stories truly extraordinary.

Key Takeaways

1. promotion, deception, and other barriers to divine connection. [09:35]
5. Reflecting and Learning from Each Moment: After completing a task, Brother Lawrence would reflect on it, offering gratitude for successes and seeking forgiveness for shortcomings. This practice of reflection helps us learn and grow in our relationship with God.

** [09:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:59] - Introduction to Brother Lawrence
[01:29] - God's Unending Love and Mercy
[02:19] - Extraordinary People in God's Eyes
[03:10] - Worship and Humility
[04:15] - Brother Lawrence's Humble Beginnings
[05:06] - Finding God in the Kitchen
[06:04] - Practicing the Presence of God
[07:10] - The Power of Words and Actions
[08:05] - Reflecting on Our Work
[09:20] - The Challenge of Surrender
[10:03] - Cleaning the Inside of the Cup
[11:23] - Living an Extraordinary Story
[12:01] - Community and Connection
[12:42] - Closing and Invitation to Connect

Sermon Clips

"Wise books remind us the Love's welome is unending never shortened God's mercy cannot be exhausted by our needs the power of God's grace is no less strong today than at the birth of Faith since God the loving threein one mystery what a great language wanted the uninterrupted company of a Kind community of seekers." [00:01:27]

"Extraordinary worship that is worthy of Love's wonder and Majesty what a good thing it is that the gift of life has been given what extraordinary generosity must have been involved in creating a world like this and then with other people instead of focusing on myself and my agenda and my own needs to live with a kind of gentle humility." [00:03:10]

"Brother Lawrence worked most of the time in the kitchen and he did not like it and he was perhaps the greatest Exemplar of faith and work in the last thousand years it is not rocket science it does not require a complicated theological framework theology is very good but it's got to be lived to matter this was his method." [00:05:50]

"When I began my tasks I said to God with a childlike trust my God since you are with me and since you asked me to apply my mind to these external duties I beg you give me the grace to remain with you and keep you company but so my results will be better my friend work with me accept my actions and occupy all my affections." [00:06:00]

"Then during the task I continued to speak intimately with God offering them the Trinity my little services and asking for their Graces um he might be cooking a stew and there'd be a bunch of people asking for things and' be interrupted and he didn't like it very much but he would just think what might this tastes like and what might make it good." [00:07:37]

"When I finished my work I examined the way I'd done it and if I found any good in it I thank God so to examine what did I actually do what did this email look like what do the dishes look like when I finish well whatever the task is what was that meeting like when I let it if I noticed any shortcomings I asked forgiveness for these." [00:08:05]

"God is a god of comfort and a god of encouragement he's a God that will confront us but he is not the god of discouragement and without getting discouraged I redirected my mind and began a new to remain with God as if I'd never moved away oh God come right back now my friend help me that's how by getting back up after my Falls." [00:08:28]

"I think very often for me what gets in the way is not just that I will forgive it's not just simply distraction it's that talking to God honestly always requires a bit of surrender I have to say Okay God if there's self-promotion if I want to be deceptive right now if I want to be mean-spirited towards somebody else if I want to Puff myself up." [00:09:35]

"How often instead of a coffee cup you know Jesus said don't just clean the outside of the cup clean the inside of the cup how often do I not clean the inside of the cup God dearest friend is there anything inside me that would keep me from being with you today where is the spider weaving that web what's the stuff that needs to be cleaned out." [00:10:03]

"Talk to you and talk to you and talk to you and then I'm going to hit this button and turn this off and I'll just ask God was there anything good in this can I learn from it anything that I did wrong where I need help don't let me be discouraged and then in the next moment talk to God and then in the next moment talk to God." [00:11:23]

"God is Not content that extraordinary people just lived in the early days of the faith still from time to time time he raises somebody up who leads an extraordinary story not because they end up on a list of Forbes or people or time but because they offer a worship that is worthy of Love's wonder and mystery and they live with a gentle humility that revives love in our world." [00:11:23]

"Everybody has a story and everybody's story matters and we want to know about your story whether it's a story of coming to Faith or a story of spiritual growth whatever it is we're here for you you can email that to us at connectcom new.com or you can text it to us you can also sign up for daily reminders whenever we drop a new video." [00:12:42]

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?