1. "Anyone who is seeking the God of love should be given a warm and rousing welcome. His social status, his economic position, his color, his former creed should make no difference. If he comes hungry for the God of love, we should open our doors and our hearts and let him in. This has always been our legacy." - 01:08:21

2. "We all have a holy calling to this daily dependence to follow God. The greatest thing that you will do in your life is to pursue Jesus because of what he's doing in you. That every place you show up, every relationship that you're in, the greater and greater your daily dependency on Jesus is, the better you'll show up." - 56:31

3. "We are not a museum for saints. We know that life is messy. If you came in and you said I'm imperfect, good news, that's the prerequisite for the gospel. We all assume and acknowledge that we can't do this on our own, that we need help, that we need the loving grace of God in our life." - 56:31

4. "No matter where you believe your strength comes from today, the only real enduring strength is God himself. Maybe you can relate to a life that has a different trajectory because you set it on a different trajectory with Jesus. I hope that either that is a difference you've made or one you're thinking about making." - 01:05:41

5. "Today marks a new beginning. We say thank you to God for his faithfulness in this place. We are imperfect, flawed, and broken people. That's why we need Jesus. And that doesn't change the moment you become a Christian. You're not living morally perfect. The only real enduring strength is God himself." - 01:05:41

As we reflect on the past 150 years of joy, pain, steadiness, and change, we look forward in excitement to the coming of the next 150 years here at Menlo Church.

[Applause]

Oh, 150 years is a lot to celebrate, and it's great we're all here in this space. We're going to get to practice the long-honored tradition of the Menlo scoot, where if you have space in the middle of your aisle or the middle of your bleacher, kind of scoot a little closer. I'm told we've got about 100 people still coming in that are going to be looking for seats. So if you can kind of just get to know your neighbors and make some new friends and make a little space on the edges, thank you so much.

Well, 150 years means thousands of stories. There are thousands of stories of people who have found hope for all eternity, people who have received help, who've found healing in their hearts and in relationships. And 150 years of stories of God at work.

And that also means there are 150 years of thousands of stories of people who helped, who gave sometimes sacrificially, who prayed, who served, who volunteered, who invested in the lives of others, all in the name of Jesus. And we're here because of all of those stories.

This event is not so much a celebration of an organization or an institution; this is a celebration of God's faithfulness year after year after year. And this is a celebration of you. This is a celebration of you who have given generously, who have prayed faithfully, who have served time and time again, and participated in the work of Christ in the peninsula, and that has stretched literally all around the world.

So first of all, give yourselves a big hand for being a part of God's work here. We get to be a part of what God is doing, and part of the way we do that is when we give. If you give online, which is how our family gives, if you write a check, whatever that is, we don't have the little offering boxes here at the school campus. You could throw money to the swimming pool and make it like a wishing well kind of thing, but that would be kind of hard and weird.

But if you can give online, great! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the ways that you have invested over the years, weeks, days, whatever it's been, and the way that you are participating in Christ's work here.

Will you pray with me?

Father, we thank you that we've been a part of this expression of your faithfulness, of your work in the world in this part of your creation. God, we thank you that there have been so many people whose names we don't even know who have prayed for this church, who have given, who have served, who've been elders and Sunday school teachers, and invested in youth and served in mission and outreach over many, many, many years.

And God, we are the recipients of what they have done, of their legacy. And God, now we get to carry that on and be part of it. And so God, in this world where we celebrate what you've done here, we know there is still more brokenness and hurt and injustice and war than we can even fathom, which tells us, God, that your work is not yet done.

But we know that you will be faithful to complete it in the day of Jesus Christ. And until that day, God, empower us to be instruments and vessels of your grace, of your justice, of your mercy, of your healing, of your presence in this world that brings hope to all people and to all nations.

God, thank you for this moment where we get to celebrate together and mark what you have done and God, what you will continue to do in our lives in this community for the sake of Jesus, our Savior.

And God's people said, "Amen."

Would you stand with me as we continue to respond in worship to God's goodness and his greatness this morning?

I love you, Lord. Oh, your mercy never fails me. All my days I've been held in your hands. From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head, oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

Let's lift this up together.

And all my life you have been faithful. And all my life you have been so, so