1. "But the most amazing thing was it felt like such a place of home. And I think that's because wherever I go, I carry the spirit of Epworth with me. You all make us feel at home, and so then we can feel at home wherever we go. So I thank God for the gift of you." [08:10] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "When we grow, we have to break open something. Something has to change, doesn't it? Sometimes we have to give up old ways of thinking. Sometimes we have to give up old shoes. And Bree, if you outgrow those shoes, I'll take them. You know where to donate them. Right? So when we grow, we have to change and then we give away our old things and we put on new things." [16:02] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "Jesus loves you too. Yes, exactly. Even if you're afraid to come up, Jesus still loves you. Jesus loves all of us. Jesus loves all of them too. And so that never changes. No matter how big we get, no matter how many pairs of really cool shoes you donate to me, Bree, Jesus' love never changes." [17:27] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "And so when we do allow ourselves to enter this struggle, we get a new perspective. And this perspective can be a fresh perspective or it can be a perspective from above. I love to think about how does God see this situation? You know, it's a wonderful way for us to get a deeper perspective, a broader perspective, a more inclusive perspective that draws that circle wide because God loves me as much as God loves the person I might be in conflict with or the person who's ignoring me." [45:22] (39 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "And so when you are entering into that struggle, it may not be a struggle you want to enter into. And yet there's a promise there. There's a promise that you can live through that and get to a place on the other side. But it's a process. And I guarantee you it will not just happen once in your life. It will happen multiple times. Now not all of them will be as traumatic. Some of them may be very traumatic." [47:22] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "And so it's all about that encounter with Jesus that leaves us changed. That reminds us that no, we may not be able to believe all of the things that we used to believe. And yet, God's love does not ever let us go. And so Nicodemus experienced that. How do we know that? Well because the last part of what Ruthanne read to us today was from after Jesus was crucified." [48:22] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "And so when we have that encounter with the living water who is Jesus Christ then we become part of that flow. And everything we touch Jesus can use and work through us to help others thrive. And so we become a part of that story. And so this coming year we're going to look at hospitality and that's what it means to be hospitable. It means to become a part of God's story so that everyone we encounter experiences that sense of welcome. And that does change the world." [51:52] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "And so she's created this beautiful community. And she talked about one woman whose son had been murdered. Who said, I have lost my son, but I do not want to lose a sense of justice. And she said, I was afraid to speak up and I was alone. And so I was out there by myself one day when along comes this deaconess. And she said people would ask me why don't you go to church? And she said I didn't go to church. The church came to me." [54:25] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "And so I invite you wherever you are in this process whether you are in a place of order or disorder or reorder to know that you are part of God's beautiful story. And that God invites you to know that you are loved. Not just for yourself to show and share that love with other people. One of the things about planting a seed is that when it grows up it gives off more seeds. We are called to be those plants that plant seeds of God's love everywhere. Just like Nicodemus did." [55:55] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "And so before Jesus shared this meal with his disciples he took a moment to pause and to thank God. And we go and do the same. Let us pray. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. And a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you gracious and loving God. You who created us in your image. And you whose love will never let us go." [01:00:31] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Beautiful people, thank you! It is so wonderful to be with you all again here in this beautiful place where we explore faith and embrace community by drawing that circle wide.

I was at the World Methodist Conference in Sweden, and we drew the circle very, very wide there. It's a gathering of people from over 80 United Methodist families. So that's like the Zambia United Methodist Church. Here's an interesting one: Underground Methodist Church of China meeting in Australia. But there were all kinds. And then, of course, from the United States, it wasn't just us; it was the AME Church, which is African Methodist Episcopal, AMEZ, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, CME, which used to stand for Colored Methodist Episcopal Church, but now they call it Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. So the Wesleyan Church, the Nazarene, it means there were people from all over. So we drew that circle really, really wide.

But the most amazing thing was it felt like such a place of home. And I think that's because wherever I go, I carry the spirit of Epworth with me. You all make us feel at home, and so then we can feel at home wherever we go. So I thank God for the gift of you.

If you're joining us online, a special welcome to you today, or whenever you're joining us. And I invite you to sign in in the chat and let us know that you're here. And if you're joining us in person, I invite you to sign in on one of the connection pads. This is a way that we say to you, we want to call you by name, because God calls you by name. But it's also a way for you to say to us, I want to be part of that movement that draws the circle wide.

So I invite you after worship to take a look around and speak to someone you don't know so that everyone here feels encouraged. I invite you now as we transition into worship to rise in body or in spirit and join us in song.

You may be seated, and I'd like to invite our youngest disciples to come up and join me. Hopefully Joy, if she gets here. Hey, Xavier. Good morning, good morning.

So we have a couple of new people with us today. I want you all to meet Victoria. And Victoria, this is Kayden and Bree and Xavier. And then we have two other new people. I don't know your name. What's your name?

Olivia and?

Eli.

Eli. Olivia and Eli. How awesome is that? It is so good to have you guys here today.

Today we're talking about somebody going to Jesus in the dark. Can you close your eyes for me? What's that feel like? How many fingers am I holding up? Kind of hard to see, isn't it? If you're closing your eyes, right? So why would Jesus go to somebody in the dark? And what does that have to do with us?

Well, he went to Jesus in the dark because he was afraid. And because he didn't understand yet. So I want to tell you a story. It's kind of a parable about three seeds.

So there were three seeds and they were buried in the dirt. What do you think it looks like buried in the dirt? Can you see anything? No, it's dark. Victoria closed her eyes again. Exactly. It's dark in the dirt. Right? So one of them was down there and he's like, this is really comfortable being here in the dirt. And you know, this seed was invited to grow but it didn't want to. It was really scared. So it stayed there in the dirt.

And even though everything started changing and the earth started getting warmer, it was very, very afraid and so it stayed in the dirt. And then there was another seed and that seed also felt the warmth and so it started putting its, what happens first? Do you remember from science? Putting its roots down, right? It starts putting its roots down. And when it puts its roots down, it gets more water and it gets more sunshine and it starts feeling warmer and it gets more nutrients and then it starts putting its little sprout up and then it can get sun.

But he had to break through that shell first, didn't he? Have you ever dug up something that has just sprouted out of its seed and you see that it had to break open its shell, didn't it? Well, you know, when we grow, we have to break open something. Something has to change, doesn't it? Sometimes we have to give up old ways of thinking. Sometimes we have to give up old shoes. And Bree, if you outgrow those shoes, I'll take them. You know where to donate them, right?

So when we grow, we have to change and then we give away our old things and we put on new things. Well, that's what happened to Nicodemus. He was really afraid and so he went to Jesus in the dark but then he encountered somebody who loved him so much that he was no longer afraid. And so he could put his roots down in that love and he could start sprouting and experiencing the warmth of God's love. And because of that, he was changed.

So you guys are getting ready to start school if you haven't started school already, aren't you? How many of you started already? Oh, a couple of you. How many of you are getting ready to start? Oh, a couple more, right? And so you're getting ready to start school and you're going to learn a whole bunch of new things this year. And maybe it's going to change the way you view the world.

But you know what's never, ever, ever going to change? Something that Nicodemus learned is that Jesus will always, always love you and you and you and nothing will take that love away, ever. And so Nicodemus experienced that love. And I hope that you guys know that you're loved too because we're all here and you know what? Jesus loves you too. Yes, exactly. Even if you're afraid to come up, Jesus still loves you. Jesus loves all of us. Jesus loves all of them too. And so that never changes.

No matter how big we get, no matter how many pairs of really cool shoes you donate to me, Bree, Jesus' love never changes. So if you guys get scared to go to a new school or if you get scared in your classes or if you're learning something that feels like, oh my gosh, it's just so much, I want you to remember that you can do everything because Jesus is always with you. Okay? Can you remember that for me?

All right, let's pray.

Dear God, thank you so much for your love for every single one of us. Thank you for inviting us to break out of our old ways and to learn something new. But thank you especially that your love never leaves us. Help each one of these beautiful children know just how special they are to you, just how much you love every single one of them, and that you will never, ever, ever leave them alone. Amen.

At this World Methodist Council and Conference, which was in Sweden, we had council meetings before and after, and then there was a conference in the middle where we learned from each other.

Now at the council meeting, we made a couple of decisions. We made a statement about peace and justice in Ukraine. Not just peace but peace and justice. We made a statement about peace and justice in Gaza and trying to encourage the world to really work towards justice and what that means.

But the best part came when our youth representatives challenged us to start a World Methodist Council School of Peace. They said how are we going to learn peace if we don't learn it when we're young? And if we learn peace when we're young, can we continue to spread that peace and to teach others how to live into that peace?

And so we approved a task force that will figure out what this is going to look like and how all the details will work. But it gave me great hope to think about these young adults gathering and longing for peace. They came from Ukraine, from Gaza, from Israel, from Chile, from the Democratic Republic of Congo; they came from all over the world, but especially those places that are struggling for peace right now. And you could hear in their hearts this longing for peace.

And in between these two bookends of meetings, there was a conference which was a time of learning and growing together. And so one of the presentations that I attended was with a pastor who had been born in Russia but was part of the underground church in Russia. He was not part of the Russian Orthodox Church. And he said he has early memories of he and his family going deep into the forest in order to be able to worship. And everyone headed into the forest from different places so that they would not be seen or caught. And they would worship in this place.

But then as his family got older and the pressure got worse, they emigrated from there to the Ukraine to the area of Crimea. Hmm, what happened in Crimea? Well, the Russians invaded Crimea and overtook it. So they fled. He then was an adult and so he fled from Crimea and moved to Bakhmut, which was one of the cities that was completely destroyed. It's not on the border with Russia. So people don't completely understand why it was so important for Russia to attack it. But it was a beautiful city, one of the oldest in Ukraine and one that had the most cultural significance. And yet it was bombed, and he said they went from over 700,000 people to 517 people left in that city. Many of them were killed; many of them fled.

He was one, he and his wife decided to flee to Kyiv where he started teaching in a seminary. He said he grew up being a pacifist. You know, he grew up believing that Jesus called us to pacifism. He said but living through war has caused a struggle for him. He said war is just pure evil. And until you've lived through it, you have no idea. And he said so in the last month he had buried 17 of his seminary students. 17.

And he said I'm struggling because Jesus invites us to love our enemy and Jesus invites us to love our neighbor. How do we love our neighbor and our enemy at the same time? And so he said I'm really wrestling with God right now because the ways that I understood how God worked and how I understood God aren't working for me anymore. And he said the best I can do right now is that I understand that this is a time of lament where we are grieving the atrocities of war.

And he said there will come a time when hopefully this war has ended and there is justice and we will then work towards reconciliation. He said the best I can do right now in my struggle to love my enemy is to encourage all of us not to demonize the individuals, soldiers who are Russian. And he said it's really made me struggle to understand what it means to be the church in a situation like this.

He said I have realized because I'm teaching in seminary that the church is offering answers to questions that people are no longer asking. Because in the midst of trying to survive, they don't care about trying to love their enemy. They're trying to survive. And so he was coming up with this clash and he talked about having to renegotiate his relationship with God.

Well, believe it or not, that's what we read about this morning. This passage is so familiar to us that I think we often overlook just what a radical issue it was for Nicodemus. Nicodemus loved God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength and loved his neighbor as himself because those were the laws and that's how Pharisees lived. They taught the law. They lived the law. They wanted everyone to follow the law because they believed that it was through the law that we found salvation.

And then he hears about this Jesus guy. This Jesus who does signs and he's smart enough to realize that you don't perform signs without the presence of God. And yet he's still afraid; he's still confused. And so he goes to see Jesus in the night where he won't be observed by other people and talked about. But also in the Gospel of John, do you remember in the prologue it talks about Jesus as the light and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it.

And so darkness is an absence of light. And so Nicodemus was coming to Jesus in this absence of understanding, this absence of light. He is confused. He's trying to renegotiate to re-understand his relationship with God and so he comes to Jesus. And Jesus, of course, gives this very clear understanding that you must be born from above or anew or again. The word in Greek is "anothen," and it can be translated above, again, or anew.

And so Nicodemus takes it literally. You must be born again. Well, how can this happen? And Jesus is like, you know, you have to be born of the water and the spirit. That's the baptismal image, by the way. You have to be born from above. You have to get a different perspective. Are you not a teacher of the law? Do you not understand these things? And he talks about the wind flowing where it will.

And so it's a wonderful invitation for Nicodemus to understand what happens when we have to renegotiate our relationship with God. Because when we do, it's a new birth. And I can tell you as one who has given birth, it is very painful. It is a struggle. It's a struggle for the mama. It's a struggle for the baby. The baby who is warm and toasty and is dark in there and is constantly connected to the mama has to now be born and be disconnected from the mama and experience cold and hunger and all those other things, right?

And it's a struggle for the mama. And so this sense of renegotiating our relationship with God is an invitation to a struggle. And I think some of us are so afraid to enter that struggle that we would just rather, like that seed that I talked to the kids about, remain underground. But then we're in the darkness. And we don't experience the light of God's love in Jesus.

And so when we do allow ourselves to enter this struggle, we get a new perspective. And this perspective can be a fresh perspective or it can be a perspective from above. I love to think about how does God see this situation? You know, it's a wonderful way for us to get a deeper perspective, a broader perspective, a more inclusive perspective that draws that circle wide because God loves me as much as God loves the person I might be in conflict with or the person who's ignoring me or the person who, you know, I feel like disrespects me or whatever. God loves every single one of us.

And so when we have that perspective, it helps us to see things differently. It helps us to understand. Just like as a mother who has children who are different and so she can see them fighting and she says, you know, wait guys, you love each other. You're both very gifted. We can figure this out. That's what God says to us and gives us that fresh perspective.

But finally, it's something that's going to happen whether we know it or not. The wind blows where it will. The wind is also spirit. The Greek word is "pneuma," from which we get pneumatic, right? So it can mean air, breath, spirit, wind. And so the spirit blows where it will, which means you may be forced into that new birth before you're ready for it. It's not necessarily something we choose. A baby comes when the baby's ready, not necessarily on your timetable.

And so when you are entering into that struggle, it may not be a struggle you want to enter into. And yet there's a promise there. There's a promise that you can live through that and get to a place on the other side. But it's a process. And I guarantee you it will not just happen once in your life. It will happen multiple times. Now not all of them will be as traumatic. Some of them may be very traumatic.

I remember renegotiating my relationship with God after the death of my son Elijah. I still to this day do not relate to God as almighty and cannot use that word when I pray. And yet I know that God's love has never, ever left me. Ever. And so I may still have so many questions, but what I don't question is the ever-present faithful love that God has.

And so it's all about that encounter with Jesus that leaves us changed. That reminds us that no, we may not be able to believe all of the things that we used to believe. And yet, God's love does not ever let us go. And so Nicodemus experienced that. How do we know that? Well, because the last part of what Ruthanne read to us today was from after Jesus was crucified. And now he goes in the open with Joseph of Arimathea to Pilate to ask for the body.

What more public statement could he make? And here's the thing, we always think, you know, 100 pounds of spices, whatever. You know? All of those things have a purpose. They're in there for a reason. 100 pounds of spices is an awful lot of spice to anoint a body. That wasn't what they normally used. But you know who they used it for? Royalty.

And so Nicodemus had changed his mind from Jesus as some stranger in the night that could perform signs to Jesus who was royalty. Who was indeed the very Son of God. And so he was changed by his encounter with Jesus.

And we are invited to have that same encounter. And all of us may be in different places and you may not be going through a struggle right now to be reborn. And yet, we either grow or we die, right? And so we're constantly growing. Walter Brueggemann, who is a wonderful theologian, talks about the fact that our faith goes through these cycles of order where we think everything is perfect, to disorder where suddenly things don't make sense, to reorder where we can put things back into a different place and make something new out of it.

And so all of us are in some part of that process. And yet what God wants for us is for us to thrive. We are ending this series on our whole year on thriving and this series on thriving. But God wants us to thrive. And thrive is more than just surviving. It's living. It's having hope. It's being full of possibility. It's not just going along. It's growing. It's changing.

And so Nicodemus was thriving by the end of this story. And he was thriving and we know that because he joined the story of God. And so when we have experienced that change, we also join God's story. If you remember a long time ago when we started this series, we talked about this beautiful passage from Ezekiel where there is a temple and out of the temple was this water that flowed and the water wherever it flowed, everything it touched thrived.

And when we have that encounter with the living water who is Jesus Christ, then we become part of that flow. And everything we touch Jesus can use and work through us to help others thrive. And so we become a part of that story.

And so this coming year we're going to look at hospitality and that's what it means to be hospitable. It means to become a part of God's story so that everyone we encounter experiences that sense of welcome. And that does change the world.

So one of the sessions that I almost skipped and I'm so glad I didn't, it was the first night or it was the morning after the first night I'd been there. I was tired; there were missed flights, cancelled flights, all kinds of fun stuff getting there. But anyway, it was a Peace Award. The World Methodist Council Peace Award. Almost skipped it, so glad I didn't.

The Peace Award went to a woman named Deaconess Norma DeLaga. And she's a United Methodist in the Philippines. And she's been working for the last 20 years to help people who are victims of the Filipino government's war on drugs. Because the war on drugs has become a war on people who are impoverished. And so they go into poor neighborhoods where they suspect that there might be drugs. And there are people on motorcycles in the night and they just shoot people down.

And so then the people who try to rise up and comfort them are also harassed by the government. She has been so harassed by the government. But she will not step down because she's encountered Christ. And so she's becoming a part of that living flow to help others thrive.

And so she started this movement called Rise Up that not only seeks justice for these people, for the survivors of these terrible murders, but she also offers comfort to them. She reminds them that they are not alone and she has created this beautiful community of people that are now not afraid to share their story. Because they know that they are not alone. That the government's not going to come in to a group of hundreds of people. They might shoot down one or two who are on the side, but when they're gathered together, they will not tear them down.

And so she's created this beautiful community. And she talked about one woman whose son had been murdered who said, I have lost my son, but I do not want to lose a sense of justice. And she said, I was afraid to speak up and I was alone. And so I was out by myself one day when along comes this deaconess. And she said people would ask me why don't you go to church? And she said I didn't go to church. The church came to me.

And this deaconess was the church for her. And she connected her with other survivors so that she knew she wasn't alone. She empowered her to tell her story and gave her a platform where she could do it. And together they are seeking justice. She became a part of that beautiful stream, that flow of God's story.

And that's what we are all invited to do. To yes, be patient through that struggle, through that new birth, and then to allow ourselves to become this beautiful part of God's story. And so I invite you, wherever you are in this process, whether you are in a place of order or disorder or reorder, to know that you are part of God's beautiful story.

And that God invites you to know that you are loved. Not just for yourself, but to show and share that love with other people. One of the things about planting a seed is that when it grows up, it gives off more seeds. We are called to be those plants that plant seeds of God's love everywhere, just like Nicodemus did.

And so I invite you, don't be afraid. Take up your place in that story and allow yourself to thrive so that you can offer that love to others. Amen.

This wonderful invitation to this table. This table where the Lord is present. Where God will meet us here no matter where we are in our journey. And where God will continue to love us through every step of the way.

And so before we come to this table, we recognize where we need God. We call that confession. It's an acknowledgment that we can't live long without that water of God's amazing love. So let us go to God in prayer.

God, we confess to you that sometimes it's easier to remain in the dark than it is to take that risk. To break through old patterns and old habits. To trust enough to put our roots down into that love. And to be willing to grow.

God, we know that it is painful. And yet know that it is life-giving. That it is life-changing. Life-affirming. That it is a beautiful gift. And that you will never leave us alone.

So God, hear us as we confess to you where we are and where we need your amazing life-giving love. Hear us as we confess in silence.

I invite you to hear the good news. Jesus' love embraces us and has forgiven us long before we even ask for it. In the name of Jesus Christ, all of us are forgiven and set free to continue to thrive in love. Amen.

And so before Jesus shared this meal with his disciples, he took a moment to pause and to thank God. And we go and do the same.

Let us pray.

The Lord be with you.

Lift up your hearts.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

And a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you, gracious and loving God. You who created us in your image. And you whose love will never let us go. You created this world and you rested, reminding us of these beautiful rhythms of work and of rest.

You created us with special gifts that only each of us can offer so that we know each of us has a role in your story. You have given us the courage to follow you even when we are afraid. And so when the time was right, you sent Jesus into this world to show us the face of your love. A love that never lets us go. A love that welcomes us in the darkness and in the light. A love that says you are mine. I delight in you.

And so we remember that amazing grace and we join the hymn of all of the company of heaven and the people on earth.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are those who come in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

You are blessed God, and we are so grateful for your love for us in Jesus. He welcomed sinners. He imagined a world where everyone could come to the table, where we would see each other as siblings, where the wolf and the lion and the lamb and the goat would lie down together and where a little child would lead them.

And so he shared this meal with his disciples and that's what he was to offer his life as a promise and as a sacrifice to bring about that peaceable kingdom. And there while he was at the table, he took bread and he gave thanks to you and he broke it and he gave it to his disciples and he said take and eat; this is my body which I give for you. Do this in remembrance of what I have done.

He gave thanks to you once again and he gave it to his disciples and said drink from this, all of you; this is my life blood poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.

And so in remembrance of you, of your love, of your sacrifice, we offer ourselves in response to be a part of your story, to join in your thriving and to allow ourselves to touch others so that they too may experience the loving and healing forgiveness of God.

And so in union with Christ's offering for us, together we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Pour out your spirit on all of us gathered here and on these gifts of bread. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ offering the love and his life blood to all that we encounter.

By your spirit make us one, one with you, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until one day the day will finally come where there will be no more war, where we will all gather around this table and sing your praises forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The table is set; we invite everyone to come. Everyone is welcome to God's table. And now I invite those who are going to serve to come forward to your stations and we will bring the bread to you. We want you to know that all of our bread is gluten-free, so you do not need to go to a special station. All of the cup is juice. You have a choice; you can go to a station and take a piece of bread and dip it into the cup or if you would prefer a small cup, you can come down the center aisle, receive a piece of bread and receive a small cup so that you can drink that yourself.

We invite you now to taste and to see the amazing goodness of God. Friends, I pray you know just how loved you are.

And I want to share with you this poem that was one of my father's favorites. We started with a circle; we're ending with a circle, and it goes like this:

He drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win and took him in.

I pray that you will not only experience that encircling love of God but that you too will participate in God's story and draw that circle wide.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the sweet Holy Spirit be with you now and forever. Amen.