Embracing Holy Love: A Call to Radical Inclusivity

### Summary

Today, we delved into the essence of Wesleyan theology, focusing on the transformative power of holy love. We began by acknowledging the imperfections in our worship and the importance of offering our best to God, despite the inevitable bumps along the way. This theme of imperfection and grace set the stage for our exploration of John Wesley's teachings on love, particularly his assertion that a Methodist's love should extend to all humankind, regardless of their actions or beliefs.

We examined the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus teaches that true love transcends social and religious boundaries. This parable challenges us to love even those we might consider enemies, reflecting the radical inclusivity of God's love. Wesley's writings reinforce this, urging us to love everyone, including those who may hate or persecute us.

Our discussion also touched on the practical aspects of living out this love. We highlighted the importance of acts of service and compassion, not just as a response to feeling love but as a means to cultivate it. This aligns with Wesley's belief that love is both a divine gift and a human responsibility. By engaging in acts of love, we open ourselves to being filled with God's love, which in turn empowers us to love others more deeply.

We concluded by reflecting on the historical roots of Methodism, emphasizing its commitment to social justice and compassion. Wesley's movement was marked by its outreach to the marginalized, a tradition we are called to continue today. Whether through supporting local ministries, engaging in community service, or simply showing kindness in our daily interactions, we are invited to embody the love of God in tangible ways.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Imperfect Worship as an Offering to God**: Our worship is not about achieving perfection but about offering our best to God despite our imperfections. This mindset helps us focus on the essence of worship—connecting with God and each other in genuine, heartfelt ways. [23:01]

2. **Radical Inclusivity of Love**: John Wesley's teachings emphasize that our love should extend to all people, regardless of their actions or beliefs. This radical inclusivity mirrors God's unconditional love for us and challenges us to love even those who may be difficult to love. [30:31]

3. **The Parable of the Good Samaritan**: This parable teaches us that true love transcends social and religious boundaries. It calls us to show compassion and mercy to everyone, including those we might consider enemies, thereby reflecting the boundless love of God. [37:04]

4. **Love as a Divine Gift and Human Responsibility**: Wesley believed that love is both a gift from God and a responsibility we must actively engage in. By performing acts of love, we open ourselves to being filled with God's love, which empowers us to love others more deeply. [42:45]

5. **Historical Roots of Methodism in Social Justice**: The early Methodists were known for their radical acts of compassion and justice, reaching out to the marginalized and oppressed. This tradition calls us to continue engaging in social justice and compassion in our communities today. [47:10]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[06:01] - Announcements and Opening Prayer
[23:01] - Imperfect Worship as an Offering
[24:56] - Wesleyan Teachings on Giving
[26:08] - Prayer and Community Support
[28:34] - Wesley's Definition of Love
[30:31] - Radical Inclusivity of Love
[32:22] - The Greatest Commandment
[34:08] - Summarizing the Law of Moses
[35:35] - Who is My Neighbor?
[37:04] - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
[39:20] - Loving the Unlovable
[41:05] - God's Example of True Love
[42:45] - Love as a Divine Gift and Human Responsibility
[45:32] - Compassion and Justice in Ministry
[47:10] - Historical Roots of Methodism
[48:56] - Invitation to Join and Baptism
[49:59] - Closing Prayer and Communion
[51:23] - Call to Action and Support
[52:16] - Confession and Communion Instructions
[54:02] - The Lord's Supper
[55:53] - Communion Service
[01:05:27] - Preteen Class Reflections
[01:06:23] - Final Blessing and Dismissal

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Luke 10:25-37** - The Parable of the Good Samaritan
2. **Matthew 22:37-40** - The Greatest Commandment
3. **1 John 4:20-21** - Loving God and Loving Others

#### Observation Questions
1. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, what actions did the Samaritan take to help the injured man? (Luke 10:33-35)
2. According to Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, what are the two greatest commandments?
3. How does 1 John 4:20-21 describe the relationship between loving God and loving others?
4. What did John Wesley mean by saying that a Methodist's love should extend to all humankind, even those who may hate or persecute us? [30:31]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose a Samaritan as the hero in the parable, considering the historical enmity between Jews and Samaritans? (Luke 10:33-35)
2. How does the command to love your neighbor as yourself challenge our natural inclinations and societal norms? (Matthew 22:39)
3. What does it mean to love someone who is difficult to love, and how can this reflect God's love for us? [39:20]
4. How do acts of service and compassion help cultivate love in our hearts, according to John Wesley's teachings? [42:45]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you offered your best to God despite imperfections. How did this experience impact your relationship with Him? [23:01]
2. Think of someone in your life who is difficult to love. What practical steps can you take this week to show them love and compassion? [30:31]
3. How can you incorporate acts of service into your daily routine to cultivate a deeper love for others? [42:45]
4. Identify a marginalized group in your community. What specific actions can you take to support and show compassion to them, following the example of early Methodists? [47:10]
5. How can you practice radical inclusivity in your interactions this week, especially towards those who may have different beliefs or lifestyles? [30:31]
6. Reflect on the historical roots of Methodism in social justice. How can you contribute to social justice initiatives in your community today? [47:10]
7. What are some ways you can remind yourself daily of God's unconditional love for you, and how can this awareness empower you to love others more deeply? [41:05]

Day 1: Offering Imperfect Worship to God
Description: Worship is not about achieving perfection but about offering our best to God despite our imperfections. This mindset helps us focus on the essence of worship—connecting with God and each other in genuine, heartfelt ways. When we acknowledge our imperfections, we open ourselves to God's grace, which transforms our worship into a sincere offering. This approach encourages us to be authentic in our worship, knowing that God values our honest efforts over flawless execution. [23:01]

Bible passage: "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Reflection: Think about an area in your worship where you feel inadequate. How can you offer this imperfection to God as an act of sincere worship today?


Day 2: Embracing Radical Inclusivity of Love
Description: John Wesley's teachings emphasize that our love should extend to all people, regardless of their actions or beliefs. This radical inclusivity mirrors God's unconditional love for us and challenges us to love even those who may be difficult to love. By embracing this inclusive love, we reflect the boundless love of God and break down barriers that divide us. This approach calls us to see every person as worthy of love and compassion, just as God sees us. [30:31]

Bible passage: "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45, ESV)

Reflection: Identify someone in your life who is difficult to love. How can you show them God's radical, inclusive love today?


Day 3: Transcending Boundaries with the Good Samaritan
Description: The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that true love transcends social and religious boundaries. It calls us to show compassion and mercy to everyone, including those we might consider enemies, thereby reflecting the boundless love of God. This story challenges us to look beyond our prejudices and extend kindness to all, regardless of their background or beliefs. By doing so, we embody the inclusive love that Jesus demonstrated through His life and teachings. [37:04]

Bible passage: "But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him." (Luke 10:33-34, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you hesitated to help someone because of social or religious differences. How can you overcome these barriers and show compassion today?


Day 4: Love as a Divine Gift and Human Responsibility
Description: Wesley believed that love is both a gift from God and a responsibility we must actively engage in. By performing acts of love, we open ourselves to being filled with God's love, which empowers us to love others more deeply. This dual nature of love calls us to recognize it as a divine gift while also taking responsibility to cultivate it through our actions. Engaging in acts of love not only benefits others but also transforms us, making us more receptive to God's love. [42:45]

Bible passage: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a specific act of love you can perform today. How can this act help you experience and share God's love more deeply?


Day 5: Continuing the Methodist Tradition of Social Justice
Description: The early Methodists were known for their radical acts of compassion and justice, reaching out to the marginalized and oppressed. This tradition calls us to continue engaging in social justice and compassion in our communities today. Whether through supporting local ministries, engaging in community service, or simply showing kindness in our daily interactions, we are invited to embody the love of God in tangible ways. This commitment to social justice reflects the heart of Methodism and its dedication to making a positive impact in the world. [47:10]

Bible passage: "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" (Isaiah 58:6-7, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a social justice issue in your community. How can you take a concrete step to address this issue and show God's love to those affected?

Good morning.

It's nothing like remembering that you're up first. Sorry, I had to run, and now I've got to think and all those things. I am Faith, the pastor here at Fleming Island United Methodist, and I'm glad to be with all of you this morning. If you're worshiping with us for the first time, we're just so glad that you're here. And we would like to say welcome to you; it is a pleasure to be here. You can find information about our church online, but we would love to know that you are here. So introduce yourselves if you are online by saying hi and where you're worshiping from.

So we are in a series right now where we have been learning about the Wesleyan faith. And so we are joining with churches all over the conference and doing the same kind of thing.

So in just a second, we're going to join together in prayer. But before that, I just want to remind you of two things. This is a fifth Sunday month, which means we are supporting the Methodist Children's Home called Residing Hope. You're welcome to give online or drop that in the offering basket if you would like to support them. There's also a list in the back of supplies they're collecting. And our food drive will be on the 28th, which is this coming Saturday. And if you can't be here in person for that, you can bring that food to the church.

All right. I'd like to invite everyone, if you would please stand with me. We're going to open in prayer together today.

Your steadfast love, O Lord, is better than life. For you have been our help. Amen.

Amen. Y'all, can we just take a moment and give thanks to our volunteers that make worship happen? You know, there's a lot that goes into Sunday, and there is a hundred percent always, always, always something that does not go according to plan. Never fails.

And I try to make this point that we are not seeking perfection, right? Because this, friends, church is not a production; it is our offering to God. And we can't be perfect; that's not who we are. We are imperfect people that are just trying to give God our very best.

So I just want to say thanks to all the worship team, to our people in the back that are in the booth, that are just here to offer what they can. And I'm going to thank you for rolling with the punches because sometimes things don't go exactly as they do, and it's about us being right. Yeah, so thanks to those online as well.

So, I'm a firm believer that, as a fellow pastor friend of mine said, when the angels fell from heaven, they fell into the technology. And I can laugh at that, but I also believe that when things get bumpy on Sunday, it's because God has something He wants to do, and He wants to distract us.

So, we'll see what God has to do for us today because, like I said, I'm a firm believer that when things get bumpy on Sunday, I do believe that He's wanting to distract us for some things because you haven't even seen all the bumps that the rest of us have seen.

So let's invite our friends that are going to go to Kids Club to go ahead and head to your space. Y'all have fun.

And as we've been learning about our Wesleyan roots, we've been looking at some of John Wesley's specific teachings about giving. Giving was a big thing for him, and one of the things he taught is that giving is rooted in God's very being. Therefore, when we give, we are doing so because God first gave to us. He gave the gift that is unearned, which is the gift of grace and the love of God. Therefore, we do so in return; we give back to God simply because it is our love in return.

So I want to thank everyone who continues to support the ministries of our church. I want to thank everyone who supported the barbecue fundraiser. Those who've picked up your pork, it's a good thing. I want to thank everyone who supported the barbecue fundraiser. So glad you enjoyed it.

The man who volunteered, friends, volunteered his time to run around town with me picking up all that pork, to spend his time smoking it all night long and bring it out to us. He asked one thing of us, and that was just simply to like his Facebook page. So if you enjoyed it, if you would like his Facebook page, it would mean a lot to him. I tagged it on our Facebook, but it was Wheeler's Barbecue that supported our church by smoking all of that, and I am so happy that we did not have to sit at a smoker all night long. Amen?

Amen. And everyone told me it was delicious. My family loved it; everybody loved it. So if you bought something and you enjoyed it, please just say thank you to this wonderful godly man who supported us in this way. And he's not even a part of our church; he's just a part of the community and wants to support the community. So that would mean a lot.

But if you would like to support the church in other ways, like the children's home or continue to support our ministries, you can do so by coming to the offering baskets at the time of communion or giving online. You'll see the ways to do that on the screen.

So I'd like to go to the Lord in prayer now. If you do have ways that we can pray for you, please let us know. Would you pray with me?

Almighty God, I believe you've got a word for all of us. I ask, Father, that the preparations for today be transformed, what you are seeking for our children, for us in this room, for me, and that you free us from any distractions. You not allow the evil one to keep us from hearing what you want us to hear as we study your word. We continue to learn what it means to be United Methodist, to be a Wesleyan, that you bring us deeper into our roots of discipleship. Help us to love as you want us to love and for our walk with you to be a little leading to holiness of heart and life, active love of God and neighbor.

If you'd like to see the quotes and scriptures I'll use today, you can find those inside the church app and take notes as well.

But as we continue this series, we are looking today at what it means to love faithfully. This is the third in our Wesleyan sermon series, and love is really what we call the lens of Wesleyan theology, meaning everything we do is formed by love and grace. But not just love; we call it holy love—love that transforms, love that deepens, love that brings us closer to God.

So I want to start with a quote that was in the book "The Character of a Methodist," which John Wesley originally wrote. I want to start with a quote, and it has been updated to modern English by David Wentz. So I want you to hear these words:

"A Methodist always exercises his love to God by praying without ceasing, rejoicing always, and giving thanks in everything. But at the same time, this commandment is written on his heart: to the one who loves God loves his brother or sister also. So he loves his neighbor as himself. He loves every person as his own soul. His heart is full of love to all humankind, to every child of the Father, of the spirit of all flesh. Nothing stops his love, no matter whether he doesn't know the person or he knows the person is not the kind he approves of. Even if the person is one who repays his hatred for his goodwill, he loves his enemies. He even loves the enemies of God, the evil and unthankful. And even if he is unable to physically do good to those who hate him, he never ceases to pray for them, even if they continue to spurn his love and wrong him in their presence."

That's one of those quotes, those passages that you could sit and unpack for days. But when you think about what it means to love like a Methodist, John Wesley was really clear in this passage when he defined what a Methodist is. I mean, he's saying here when we ask the question, "Who do we love?" he's saying everyone. Everyone is a child of God.

He says it doesn't matter if you know a person or if you don't. It doesn't matter if that person is kind or unkind. It doesn't matter if they hate you or if they're good or if they're going to be hateful towards you. It doesn't matter if they are an enemy of God. That's a strong phrase right there. That one hit me right in the gut—an enemy of God. It doesn't matter if that person is evil or unthankful, someone who may do wrong or even persecute us; we are to love everyone.

So our passage for today is out of the book of Luke. And thinking about this for these words from John Wesley, he's pulled it all out of Scripture. And Jesus, in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is asked the question, "What is the greatest commandment?" I'm sure many of you know this passage, so let's read it out of the book of Luke.

One day, an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question. I just want to pause here for a second because has anybody ever known people, maybe a group that went every week to get coffee together, and they had the great philosophical question, "Who was the greatest coach of all time?" Anybody? Or maybe you know, "Who was the greatest golfer of all time?" Pick anything, right? And as one of those, they never come to a conclusion, right? Especially if they're of different teams.

Okay, remember I'm from Alabama, and so there are a lot of serious sports affiliations there. If you try to ask an Alabama and Auburn fan who's the greatest coach of all time, you're never going to come to a consensus, are you?

This is what the religious leaders of the day were like when they were debating which of the laws were the greatest of all time. They never came to a conclusion, but they came every day and they debated it. So here's Jesus, supposed to be this great wise teacher, and they think they're going to bring him into this lifelong debate that no one can possibly win. That's our setting of this question.

So they ask him, "Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?" He responds, "What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?" The man answered, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself."

"Right," Jesus said, "do this and you will live."

Now in Luke's telling, Jesus is having a conversation with one man, and in the other two tellings, he's having a conversation with all the religious leaders. And this is just important because it's probably more than one time he's had this conversation. But the reason I point to Luke is because we're going to take it just a second a little farther.

But we summarize the entire law of Moses because of this passage with Jesus. That Jesus said, the whole law is all summarized by two things: we love God, and we love others. Right? Are we thankful for that? Yes, right? Y'all are thankful that we don't have to follow the whole Levitical law, aren't you? You don't have to memorize all of them. Did you do too much work on the Sabbath today? Y'all don't have to worry about that, do you? No, you didn't have to walk to church, right? Y'all happy about that? Yes, right?

Okay. I wanted to make sure you're happy. You didn't have to walk to church because in the Levitical law, driving your car is against the law of the Sabbath. There's a lot of laws. We don't have to follow all those. We got the two: you love God, you love others. As long as in your heart you have not violated those, every law can be summed, right? These are the two.

And if you remember from our Old Testament teaching over the summer, the law of Moses covers most all of the time period of the Old Testament. This was the root of what they believed.

So, Jesus and this man, though, and Luke, they go on a little farther because he's asking more than the teachers of the temple. He wants to know how he can go to heaven. So, we pick back up. The man wants to justify his actions. That's important, right? He wants to know that what he's doing is right. So, he wants to justify his actions. So, he asks Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

And then we get the famous parable, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus replied with a story. A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes and beat him up and left him half dead beside the road.

By chance, a priest came along, but when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side of the road.

Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to the inn, where he took care of him.

Then the next day, he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, "Take care of this man. If the bill runs higher than this, I will pay you the next time I am here."

Now, which of the three would you say was a neighbor to the man? Which of the three was a neighbor to the man? The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." And Jesus says, "Yes, yes, now go and do the same."

When you hear this story and you think of what John Wesley said, it makes you think of the story of the man who showed him mercy. And he said, "Who comes to mind that is like a Samaritan to you?" Because the reality is, friends, the Jews and the Samaritans, their hatred for each other was so extreme.

And many times we, as humans, can't—not humans—we just as people, as people who don't want to be too judgmental of ourselves, we don't think often of the fact that we can. Can you mute me for a second? Sorry, I didn't want to cough into my microphone.

We don't want to think of ourselves as people who feel hatred towards other people, especially as Christians, right? We would not want to think that we do that. But we all have people that rise feelings within us. It may be the people of other political parties. Let's just name and claim it. The political season right now is frustrating. Turning on the news, being on Facebook, all the things right now is frustrating because it's polarizing.

I think, can you grab me some water from the kitchen, please? I'm telling y'all, it's after us today.

Okay. We don't always realize, and we see people who are different from us, that we are standoffish. But the intention of this story from Jesus is that the person that we would not want to help, because they are the people that we cringe when we see, is the person we are supposed to love.

And if you look back to that quote I started with, with John Wesley, we are supposed to love the ones that are less likely to be loved. I don't know about you, but when I read that quote again this week, it just hit me. Because the person who does evil, the person who is against God, the person who persecutes me, it's a heart—it hits me right here in the gut.

So, I just want to think for a second. We love because, friends, God demonstrated true love for us through Jesus. Nobody has been a better example of love than our Lord God. Amen?

Think about it. A world that—well, I don't know—a world that wasn't going to accept him, wasn't going to understand him, was going to persecute him, was going to judge him, was going to exile his people. God came, loved them, forgave them, broke down the walls between humanity and God. He did all of that through Jesus, knowing how long it was going to take for the world to see Jesus for who he was.

He did everything for his creation, knowing he would be rejected. If that's not love of those who hate you, I don't know what is.

And there's this wonderful theme through the writings of Wesley, which is that we love first because we are loved. And then once we do so, we start to feel love. Meaning, you don't wait until you feel like you love someone. I show love to someone, and as I continue to do acts of love, I do feel love for them. That goes a long way in all relationships.

If I don't feel love for someone in my family, then I need to show love so that I can feel that I love them. Sometimes, acts of service remind us what it means to love. There's a reality in our world today that love is what we value. We feel because other people have done things for us. But sometimes, love is because we need to do other things for other people.

It's not just about what we receive from people; it's about what we give. We show love so that we may be filled with God's love. Love is not about our own power being filled; it's about giving so that God may fill us.

And if we don't know if we love others, we don't know if we love others. And we have to do the acts of love so that God may flow through us. The foundation of our theology is that God is love. Therefore, when we act in love, God fills every ounce of who we are to give us the power that we need to love others.

See, love includes all acts of compassion. It transplaces hatred. It transmutes love. These are not real words. I'm sorry. Sometimes that happens. You all know I'm dyslexic.

The acts of compassion and justice, they're hard things. And I want to be honest with you all. When I became a pastor and they told me I needed to have justice in my ministry, I'm like, "That is not me. I'm not a justice pastor."

But what I realized is I believed being a pastor of justice meant I had to go march in parades. But the fact that we as a church have been rising up to speak for children who have special needs and are on the spectrum, friends, that is justice and compassion.

The fact that we have made a point so that when families walk in the door, they know that their child was created in the image of God, which bubbled out of our own church's experiences, that's compassion and justice. Sometimes those things don't have to mean we're down on the streets going to rallies. Sometimes it's little things.

And the longer I've been in ministry, the more I've realized I am a pastor that believes in compassion and justice, just not in the big, flashy ways we see on the news. And our Lord Jesus was a pastor of compassion and justice. He spoke to the outcast. He spoke to the ignored. He spoke to those on the fringe.

He spoke to those on the fringe of society. He touched the people who had not been touched in years and years, like the lepers. That's compassion and justice.

And the reason for that, friends, is because loving others transforms not just us, but the people that we love. It transforms our relationship with God. Because the more we love like God, the more we receive and understand how God loves us.

And I hate to break it to you, that doesn't happen by just sitting and worship. If there's any of you that feel like you haven't moved in your Christian discipleship, it may be because you're not getting the acts of service where they need to be. Or you're not putting yourself in situations to push this.

The early Methodists did this in radical, radical ways. This is how we made our name for ourselves. Friends, John Wesley started the Wesleyan movement because the Anglicans at the time believed some people were just too sinful to be in church. They're not worth the time because they never were going to get where they needed to be.

And John Wesley said that was ludicrous. He didn't use that word; he used some old English word, but I'm going to say it was ludicrous. And every person had a place. And every person deserved God's love.

And they went. They went to the jails. They went to the poorhouses. They went to the gallows. They went to the streets. They went every place a person needed them. And they didn't wait for people to come. They went out. They fed people. They clothed them. They did radical things. People said the Methodists were crazy. And they said, "Bring it on."

My question is, do we believe that we are truly Methodist? Do you? Are we okay to say that we are willing to go where we need to love people? Because that's what it means to be Methodist—to the people in the world that need to experience the love of God.

I was in the jail a couple of months ago speaking to a woman who desperately just needed someone to tell her that God loved her and someone to hear her story and to encourage her in her spiritual journey. This is what we've done from the beginning.

There's so many in our world that are in places in their life that just need people to journey with them. I hope you'll pray about how God can use you. This is what we've been talking about. Things like our history is what we've been talking about in our Wednesday night studies.

Friends, we want to be a church that is about transforming us and our community. I hope you're excited about that. But if you haven't tried the Wednesday night study, please come. I don't hear but just a glimmer of the end of the conversation. But the parts I hear, they're having great conversations in the adult study. The kids are having great conversations. We're having great conversation in the students' group.

But I'm excited about what God's been doing here in our church. We have people planning on joining on October 13th. I am so excited for that Sunday. We've got people looking at getting baptized. If y'all aren't excited about that, I don't know what I can do.

But if you would like to join the church, if you would like to be baptized or reaffirm your baptism, please contact me. It's going to be a fantastic day. I'd love to invite you to stay after and have just a meal together and celebrate what God's been doing in the congregation. Because it has been something that has been moving that we can't see.

And this is the foundation of what it means to be Methodist. You have the power—the power to transform our community through love.

Would you pray with me?

Almighty God, I am so thankful that you loved enough to come down for us, to not stay in your comfortable place, but to be incarnate and to suffer. And in that, Lord, in all things, you set the example of what sacrifice and actions behind words look like for us.

So as we come to this place, God, I ask that you show us what we can do in our lives here and how we can love you deeper by loving others. I pray this in your holy and powerful name. Amen.

If there's some way that I can help support you or answer questions for you, please let me know. Because friends, our world desperately needs to experience the love of God. And I mean that in one-on-one interactions with people. They don't need just TV evangelists; they need us.

So I hope you'll be willing to step into something new. But if I can support you, please reach out to me. That's my role, is to guide you in whatever places you need so that you can be the person God wants you to be.

You can fill out the cards in the back of your seats and drop them in the offering basket. You can reach out to me directly. But this is your time now to respond to God by coming to His table, receiving His grace, and putting anything at His feet in prayer that you need to.

God's table is open to all people. If you're watching online, you may go into your kitchen, grab whatever you need to come to this space so that you may join us for communion.

So I invite you all now, we're going to confess our sins together so that we may come to the Lord's presence by that confession. Would you join me?

Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will. We have broken your law. We have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors, and we have not heard the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friends, hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God's love towards us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Glory to God. Amen.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach the good news to the poor and proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind. Yet at liberty those who were oppressed and announced that the time had come when you would save your people.

Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.

When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always and in the power of your word and the Holy Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took the bread, he gave thanks for it, and he said, "This is my body, which has been broken for you. Eat this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over, he took the cup and he gave thanks, and he said, "This is the blood of the new covenant poured out for the sins of many. Drink just as often as you eat in remembrance of me."

And so in these remembrance of mighty acts of Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ, offering for us as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here and on these gifts of bread and juice, and make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit and your Holy Church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.

Those who are going to help me with communion can come forward. As they come, just a word of instruction: we will give a small piece of bread for you to dip into the cup. If you would like your bread not to be touched by anyone, you can find prepackaged communion here in the center, along with gluten-free bread.

After I serve my helpers, I will invite everyone forward. The Lord's table is prepared, and you're all invited to come. We'll start in the back, up the center, and out the outsides. And of course, the rails are open if you would like to pray.

Amen.

Oh, y'all, so the part of this series is the preteens are watching us, and they're watching the sermon back there and taking notes, and then I go back and they ask me questions. And man, they have some good questions. I'm like this through blown away at their questions.

Yeah, one of their questions was, "Why is love so powerful?" What's going on? I have to go like, "I'm going to give, you know, a very brief answer, but I'm going to go contemplate that one."

So awesome. They are still watching. Awesome, guys. Job, guys, on the preteen class.

So I just want to remind everybody, please put October 13th on your calendar because I know it's going to be a wonderful day. We have a student going through confirmation, which is a really big time. It's going to be a fantastic day.

So I hope you'll save that so we can celebrate all that's happening in our church's life.

So let me say this prayer as you leave.

Almighty God, thank you for the love that you created us with. Thank you for helping us to share it with others. As we go this week, show us places that we can be loving. Convict us, God. Convict us of the places that we don't realize we hold our love back so that we can be better filled by your love.

We pray this in your holy and powerful name.

1. "We are imperfect people that are just trying to give God our very best so I just want to say thanks to all worship team to our people in the back that are in the booth that are just here to offer what they can and I'm gonna thank you for rolling with the punches because sometimes things don't go exactly as they do and it's about us being right yeah so thanks to those online as well." [23:01] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




2. "Giving is rooted into God's very being therefore when we give we are doing so because God first gave to us he gave the gift that is unearned which is the gift of grace and the love of God therefore we do so in return we give back to God just simply because it is our love in return so I want to thank everyone who continues to support our ministries." [24:56] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




3. "When we ask the question who do we love he's saying everyone everyone is a child of God he says it doesn't matter if you know a person or if you don't it doesn't matter if that person is kind or unkind it doesn't matter if they hate you or if they're good or if they're going to be hateful towards you it doesn't matter if they are an enemy of God that's a strong phrase right there that one hit me right in the gut an enemy of God he doesn't matter if that person is evil or unthankful someone who may do wrong or even persecute us we are to love everyone." [30:31] (49 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




4. "We summarize the entire law of Moses because of this passage with Jesus. That Jesus said, the whole law is all summarized by two things. We love God. We love others. Right? Are we thankful for that? Yes, right? Y'all are thankful that we don't have to follow the whole Levitical law, aren't you? You don't have to memorize all of them. Did you do too much work on the Sabbath today? Y'all don't have to worry about that, do you? No, you didn't have to walk to church, right? Y'all happy about that? Yes, right? Okay. I wanted to make sure you're happy." [34:08] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




5. "The intention of this story from Jesus, is that the person that we would not want to help, because they are the people that we cringe when we see, is the person we are supposed to love. And if you look back to that quote I started with, with John Wesley, we are supposed to love the ones that are less likely to be loved. I don't know about you, but when I read that quote again this week, it just hit me. Because the person who does evil, the person who is against God, the person who persecutes me. It's a heart, it hits me right here in the gut." [39:20] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




6. "We love because, friends, God demonstrated true love for us through Jesus. nobody has been a better example of love than our Lord God. Amen? Think about it. A world that, well, I don't know. A world that wasn't going to accept him, wasn't going to understand him, was going to persecute him, was going to judge him, was going to exile his people. God came, loved them, forgave them, broke down the walls between humanity and God. He did all of that through Jesus. Knowing, knowing how long it was going to take for the world to see Jesus for who he was. He did everything for his creation, knowing he would be rejected. If that's not love of those who hate you, I don't know what is." [41:05] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




7. "The foundation of our theology is that God is love. Therefore, when we act in love, God fills every ounce of who we are to give us the power that we need to love others. See, love includes all acts of compassion. It transplaces hatred. It transmutes love. These are not real words. I'm sorry." [43:58] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




8. "The fact that we as a church have been rising up to speak for children who have special needs and are on the spectrum, friends, that is justice and compassion. The fact that we have made a point so that when families walk in the door, they know that their child was created in the image of God, which bubbled out of our own church's experiences, that's compassion and justice. Sometimes those things don't have to mean we're down on the streets going to rallies. Sometimes it's little things." [45:32] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




9. "Loving others transforms not just us, but the people that we love. It transforms our relationship with God. Because the more we love like God, the more we receive and understand how God loves us. And I hate to break it to you, that doesn't happen by just sitting and worship. If there's any of you that feel like you haven't moved in your Christian discipleship, it may be because you're not getting the acts of service where they need to be. Or you're not putting yourself in situations to push this." [47:10] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)




10. "You have the power. The power to transform our community through the love. Would you pray with me? Almighty God, I am so thankful that you loved enough to come down for us. To not stay in your comfortable place, but to be incarnate and to suffer. And in that, Lord, in all things, you set the example of what sacrifice and actions behind words look like for us. So as we come to this place, God, I ask that you show us what we can do in our lives here and how we can love you deeper by loving others. I pray this in your holy and powerful name. Amen." [51:23] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)