by Fleming Island United Methodist Church on Oct 06, 2024
In today's gathering, we explored the essence of our Wesleyan heritage, focusing on the profound impact of giving and serving others. The heart of our discussion was the Wesleyan understanding of giving, which extends beyond mere financial contributions to include the sharing of our time and talents. This holistic approach to giving is a reflection of our commitment to serve others and make a tangible difference in our community. We celebrated the spirit of generosity that defines our church, acknowledging the many ways in which our collective efforts have positively impacted those around us.
We also delved into the concept of "means of grace," a foundational aspect of Methodism. John Wesley identified two types of means of grace: works of piety and works of mercy. Works of piety, such as prayer, fasting, and regular worship, are spiritual disciplines that nurture our relationship with God. Meanwhile, works of mercy, like feeding the hungry and visiting the sick, are acts of service that embody God's love in action. Wesley emphasized that these acts of mercy must be performed personally, as they cultivate humility, patience, and compassion within us.
Our reflection on Matthew 25 reminded us that serving others is a direct service to God. The passage challenges us to see Christ in those we serve, reinforcing the idea that our actions have eternal significance. This aligns with the concept of the "upside-down kingdom," where greatness is measured by our willingness to serve rather than be served. As we celebrated World Communion Sunday, we were reminded of the global unity of Christ's church, transcending denominational and cultural boundaries. This unity calls us to serve the world together, sharing the love and grace of God with all.
**Key Takeaways:**
1. **Holistic Giving:** Wesleyan giving involves more than financial contributions; it includes sharing our time and talents to benefit others. This approach reflects our commitment to serve and make a difference in our community. [23:44]
2. **Means of Grace:** John Wesley's concept of means of grace includes works of piety and works of mercy. These practices nurture our spiritual growth and embody God's love in action. [36:04]
3. **Personal Acts of Mercy:** Wesley emphasized that acts of mercy must be performed personally, as they cultivate humility, patience, and compassion within us. This personal involvement is crucial for spiritual growth. [39:44]
4. **Serving God by Serving Others:** Matthew 25 teaches us that serving others is a direct service to God. Our actions have eternal significance, and we are called to see Christ in those we serve. [34:45]
5. **Unity in Diversity:** World Communion Sunday reminds us of the global unity of Christ's church, transcending denominational and cultural boundaries. This unity calls us to serve the world together, sharing God's love and grace with all. [43:40]
**Youtube Chapters:**
- [0:00] - Welcome
- [22:21] - Gratitude and Community
- [23:44] - Wesleyan Giving
- [24:44] - Church Updates and Weather Alerts
- [25:38] - Preparing for the Storm
- [26:48] - Flood Buckets and UMCOR
- [27:43] - Prayer for Safety and Focus
- [28:55] - Wesleyan Rooted Series Recap
- [30:55] - Reading and Applying Scripture
- [32:39] - Embracing and Loving Widely
- [34:45] - Serving Impactfully
- [36:04] - Means of Grace Explained
- [39:44] - Personal Acts of Mercy
- [42:11] - The Upside-Down Kingdom
- [43:40] - World Communion Sunday Celebration
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Matthew 25:35-40
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#### Observation Questions
1. What are the two types of "means of grace" that John Wesley identified, and how do they differ? [36:04]
2. According to the sermon, why is it important for acts of mercy to be performed personally? [39:44]
3. How does the concept of the "upside-down kingdom" challenge societal norms, according to the sermon? [42:11]
4. What does Matthew 25:35-40 teach us about the relationship between serving others and serving God? [34:45]
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#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the Wesleyan approach to giving, which includes time and talents, expand the traditional understanding of generosity? [23:44]
2. In what ways do works of piety and works of mercy complement each other in nurturing spiritual growth? [36:04]
3. How does the sermon suggest that personal involvement in acts of mercy can lead to spiritual growth and transformation? [39:44]
4. What does the sermon imply about the significance of seeing Christ in those we serve, as highlighted in Matthew 25? [34:45]
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#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current approach to giving. How can you incorporate more of your time and talents into your acts of generosity? [23:44]
2. Identify a work of piety that you can commit to practicing more regularly. How might this discipline impact your spiritual life?
3. Think of a specific act of mercy you can perform personally this week. How can this experience cultivate humility and compassion in you? [39:44]
4. How can you actively participate in the "upside-down kingdom" by prioritizing service over seeking recognition or status? [42:11]
5. Consider a time when you served someone in need. How did that experience help you see Christ in them, and how did it affect your faith? [34:45]
6. As we celebrate World Communion Sunday, how can you contribute to the unity of Christ's church in your local community? [43:40]
7. What steps can you take to ensure that your acts of service are not just about fulfilling obligations but are genuine expressions of God's love and grace?
Day 1: Holistic Giving as a Reflection of Commitment
In the Wesleyan tradition, giving is not limited to financial contributions but encompasses the sharing of time and talents. This holistic approach to giving is a testament to one's commitment to serving others and making a tangible difference in the community. By engaging in acts of service, individuals embody the spirit of generosity that defines the church. This form of giving is a reflection of a deeper spiritual commitment to live out one's faith in practical ways, impacting those around us positively. [23:44]
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a talent or skill you possess. How can you use it this week to serve someone in your community?
Day 2: Embracing the Means of Grace
John Wesley's concept of the means of grace includes both works of piety and works of mercy. Works of piety, such as prayer and fasting, nurture one's relationship with God, while works of mercy, like feeding the hungry, embody God's love in action. These practices are essential for spiritual growth, as they help individuals to live out their faith in tangible ways. Engaging in these means of grace allows believers to experience God's presence and love more fully, both in their personal lives and in their interactions with others. [36:04]
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)
Reflection: What is one work of piety and one work of mercy you can commit to this week to deepen your spiritual journey?
Day 3: The Importance of Personal Acts of Mercy
Wesley emphasized that acts of mercy must be performed personally, as they cultivate humility, patience, and compassion within individuals. Personal involvement in acts of service is crucial for spiritual growth, as it allows individuals to develop a deeper understanding of God's love and grace. By engaging in personal acts of mercy, believers can experience the transformative power of serving others, which in turn nurtures their own spiritual development and strengthens their relationship with God. [39:44]
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a specific person in need whom you can help this week. How can you personally extend mercy to them in a meaningful way?
Day 4: Serving God by Serving Others
Matthew 25 teaches that serving others is a direct service to God, and our actions have eternal significance. This passage challenges believers to see Christ in those they serve, reinforcing the idea that acts of service are not just good deeds but are integral to one's spiritual journey. By serving others, individuals are participating in God's work and demonstrating His love to the world. This understanding of service as worship calls believers to be intentional in their actions, recognizing the eternal impact of their service. [34:45]
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Matthew 25:35, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a recent act of service you performed. How did it change your perspective on seeing Christ in others?
Day 5: Unity in Diversity through World Communion
World Communion Sunday reminds believers of the global unity of Christ's church, transcending denominational and cultural boundaries. This unity calls individuals to serve the world together, sharing God's love and grace with all. By embracing this diversity, believers can experience the richness of the global church and be inspired to work collaboratively in serving others. This celebration of unity encourages individuals to look beyond their immediate context and recognize the interconnectedness of the body of Christ worldwide. [43:40]
"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV)
Reflection: How can you contribute to fostering unity within your local church community and beyond, embracing diversity as a strength?
For the record, I do love notes. I do actually really enjoy notes. I have a basket. I'm not one that keeps a lot of things. I do keep all the notes that are written to me because I enjoy looking back at them. I just don't like having to stand here and be the center of attention of things like this. I know that sounds like a really ironic thing for a pastor to say. But when I stand up here and I talk about the church or I talk about the Word of God, it's not actually about me. It's about God, and I don't have any issue talking about God all day long or our history or any of those things. I just don't like personally being the center of attention.
So thank you, Julie. We're waiting until I got up here to say that. And I also want to thank you all for the church that you are because you are an amazing church. I love serving you, and you have been wonderful for my family. I also want to say thank you because every year, multiple of you write notes to my family, and I think this has probably been the church that has done that the most, and that means a lot to them. So thank you for that.
Okay. Now that you all have officially started off my space with embarrassment, I'm going to invite the children that are going to be in Kids Club to go ahead and head to Kids Club. Y'all have fun.
All right. So this series, since we've been talking about our Wesleyan heritage, we've been talking also about some of the ways John Wesley talked about giving. One of those is that he also talked that giving includes more than just products of our labor. We're actually going to talk a little more about that in the message today. But because we're about to pray for our tithes and offerings, I just wanted to focus on this concept, which is that giving in the Wesleyan tradition is about sharing the fruits of our labor so that we may benefit other people, and that we may also give our time in that giving to benefit other people.
And I am so thankful for this church because y'all do so much good. If y'all have not subscribed to the e-news, I hope you will. We share so many stories of how your gifts that support the ministries of this church do amazing good things in our community. I'm so blessed to be a part of a church that cares about the community around us. And so that is one of the foundational pieces of what it means to be Methodist.
So thank you for your continued giving. If you like to support these ministries that go to support others, you can do so by giving your tithes and offerings to keep our church moving in the direction that it is going right now. You can give at the time of offering. You can give online. You'll see on the screen in just a bit how to do so.
I do want to give a couple important updates, though. First being, because there's another storm coming. I know you're all aware of this. If you're watching online, I hope that you're having a great morning this morning. I want to give all of you a couple updates. First, you will see on the home page and in the e-news any events for this week that are changed or office changes. There are weather alerts on Facebook for any event changes and on the home page of the website. I got a little block that just says weather alerts. So if you want to know what's happening and schedule changes, know that that is a thing.
One of those schedule changes is for today. We had planned to set up the pumpkin patch. We are not going to set the whole pumpkin patch today because we don't want things to be damaged and have to reset them. That being said, there is one desperate need that we need to do before the storm hits, and that is those high piles of pallets. We need to not make them high piles. I want to say a big thanks to Pat's Nursery, who every year moves the pallets for us from the back of the property to the front. It's a huge saving of time. But we just need to spread the pallets on the ground so they don't become projectiles in the storm that's supposed to get windy here by Tuesday.
So if you have a time after worship just to help us put the pallets spread out, that would be fantastic so we don't damage any of our church property. That also being said, you might have seen on some of the podcasts, I've made that we are putting together flood buckets. This has been a request of UMCOR, so United Methodist Committee on Relief. These flood buckets are being assembled by churches all over the state of Florida and all over the nation.
But on Thursday, as of right now, on Thursday, I'm supposed to go down south for our conference training, and they've asked us to bring those buckets with us. That is probably subject to change, but we're acting as if it's happening. And so to make it easier to assemble the buckets, I've put together an Amazon list so that we can all join together to assemble them. If we buy the whole list, then we have assembled six buckets. So those things will ship directly to me so I can assemble them for us.
We do need them to be purchased like today, tomorrow at the latest, if the supplies were to arrive for me to assemble by Thursday, assuming that I am going to my training on Thursday. All right. If you have questions, talk to me at the end. And if you'd like to donate money to assemble the flood buckets, you need to mark that donation as for flood buckets. If you give a gift for UMCOR, it will just be directly to UMCOR.
Now, those ways to give to the church are on the screen before you now. And, of course, if you'd like to give to UMCOR, 100% of those gifts will go to relief victims, and you can do that through the church's website and just mark it for UMCOR.
So would you go with me now to the Lord in prayer?
Almighty God, I want to thank you for this day. Father, we bring so many things with us into this. We not only bring the people, but we bring all of the things that are on our minds, like the fact that we prepare once more for a storm, and we haven't recovered from that last one. So, Lord, we ask that you clear our minds of distractions, but also, Lord, that you make everyone that's in the path of this next storm safe. Those that need to make preparations will make them. Those that need to move where they are to safe spaces, they will do so.
We pray for the men and women. We pray for the men and women that are preparing as first responders to keep us safe, that they will be out of harm's way. And, Lord, now as we turn to your scriptures in this space and in our children's, I ask that you open our hearts, open our minds, open our ears, so that we may hear your words through the scriptures this morning. We pray this in your holy and powerful name. Amen.
Right. If you'd like to follow along with the scriptures or the quotations I will use today, you can find those inside the sermon notes. Now, this is the last week. This is the last week of our sermon series, Wesleyan Rooted. So I thought we might take a moment and review where we have been.
The first week, we looked at the idea of what it means to grow deeply. That being what it looks like for to say God loves us enough to meet us exactly where we are and loves us too much to leave us in that place. We have a responsibility, though, to take ownership over our spiritual growth, to pray, put some effort into it, it doesn't come magically, but that we grow in God's grace, which is a lifelong journey. Not a moment, but a journey.
And then we looked at what it meant to read faithfully, especially in regards to the Holy Scriptures. That our Wesleyan roots give us the best way to read and apply the Bible, especially through the lens of love and grace. That we allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us through the Scriptures. We're not looking for things to affirm our personal agendas or to affirm what it is we want. We're asking for God to transform us and to continue to grow us.
Then week three, we looked at the concept of what it means to love actively. Love is not passive, but it is active. It's the primary biblical root of all things. It's a verb before it's a noun. We first love something as an action before we feel it. Meaning, if I want to love a person, but I don't know if I do, I need to act as if I do, and I will eventually love them.
And then last week, last week, we talked about what it meant to embrace widely. About how important it is to reinforce constantly in our life the lens of love and grace. And as we keep looking for love and grace, we will see it in our world. That we are an all-embracing, non-exclusive. That everyone is welcome, including those who are different from us. Those who are difficult to love. And do we remember that some are difficult to love? We did. We had some names come to our mind.
We had some names come to our mind. We had some names come to our mind. We had some names come to our mind. But that the core foundation of Methodism is that we do not exclude anyone. And that brings us to the end of the themes. And they build into this, friends, where we say this week that we serve impactfully. Each of these prior themes lead into this, because when we serve others, we impact the world. God's grace is this lifelong journey. And because we serve others, we impact the world. Because love is a verb, we should be sharing with all people the love of God. Experience the grace as we share it. To equip ourselves and others with the love and grace of God. Impacting others and making a difference in the world. This is the action that comes with the experiencing of love and grace. Because we have God's love and grace, we are motivated to serve others.
So let's look at our scripture this morning. We're looking in the book of Matthew, chapter 25, starting in verse 35.
Then these righteous ones will reply, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink, or a stranger and show you hospitality, or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the king will say, "I tell you the truth, when you did it for me, I did it for you. I did it for you. I did it for you. I did it for you. When you did it for me, I..."
I want to talk with you about something called the means of grace. See, this is one of those phrases that we pastors in the Methodist Church, we love it because we had to write about it. We had to study it. It was in the papers that we wrote to become a pastor. And some of you may have heard of it. See, a means of grace is anything or any act that helps us understand and experience God's grace in our life. That seems pretty simple, right?
We say grace is the foundation of Methodism, and a means of grace means something that helps us understand grace. And for John Wesley, he said that the means of grace could be two different types of things. We have, first, works of piety. Now, we don't like that word today. Piety makes us sound all uppity, right? Anyone want to be pious? Anybody? I don't see any hands. Nobody? No, we don't want to be pious. That makes us feel like we're one of those Christians, right?
But really, in Old English, piety just meant habits that were good and holy. So listen to these and tell me if these are things you feel like are good to do. Because for John Wesley, works of piety were these things: reading the Scriptures, meditating on the Scriptures, and studying the Scriptures. Are those good? Okay. We're on the same page so far.
A praying. Y'all like that one? Okay. A fasting. Anybody like fasting? Yeah, we're not too sure about that one right now, are we? That's a hard one in modern society. But he was very dedicated. He believed you should fast two days a week. I'm not... We have a hard time in modern society. But there is a lot of truth to what it means to fast and pray together. But that was one of his works of piety.
Attending worship regularly. That was one of them. The reason for the worship regularly. Wesley had a phrase. He called it... He used to say, "There is no religion that's not a social religion." Meaning you can't be Christian if you're not doing it with other people. Y'all can debate that one over lunch. But I want to give you a thought over this. And that is, we say the greatest commandment we talked about a couple weeks is to love God and what?
Now, I just preached on this. We said love God and love others. Thank you. I know you... Let me know you're awake. I know it's raining outside, but you need more coffee. Y'all okay? Okay. Bring the coffee cart around. Okay. Love God and love others. You can't love God without loving others, according to the commandment. So if you're not in community with other people, you can't love them. You got the logic on that?
So if you're not loving other people, then you can't actually fully love God. There is no religion except social religion. So then he goes on to say, healthy living was a work of piety. We struggle with this one. Definitely in America. Then sharing our faith with others and being in Christian community. Now, those all sound like good things, don't they? And things we probably ascribe to want to do.
But he's got a whole nother piece. I want you to hear this quote from him. He says this: "Surely there are works of mercy as well as works of piety, which are real means of grace." Now, this comes from the sermon that it's the last in the packet. If you wanted to read the John Wesley sermons, there's still some copies in the pack. But we just talked about the works of piety. So what's a work of mercy?
Well, the works of mercy are the things we do to serve other people. And he's saying that a work of mercy is just as much a means of grace as all of those holy habits. Doing good things for others, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, serving those who have less than we do. But he goes. He goes on in describing this in his sermon when he says this: "But these things you must do in your own person," meaning you yourself have to go do them.
You see, they cannot be done by proxy. Or suppose you could give the same relief to the sick by another. You could not reap the same advantage to yourself. You could not gain that increase in lowliness and patience and tender of spirit and sympathy with the afflicted, which you might have. You could not have gained if you had assisted them in person. Neither would you receive the same recompense in the resurrection of the just, when every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
Wesley's saying here, you can't just write a check and let somebody else go do the service to other people. This is what I love about our missions committee. They made a point to make all of our missions things that we actively go and do. Yes, we give money. But almost every mission project we have is a hands-on project. That we are doing something.
Because see, friends, Jesus was a servant to others. He invites us to that same life of service. The only time in scripture we see other people serving Jesus is when it was important for the person who was doing that act of service. Jesus didn't want to be served. Take for example, when he had his feet washed by the woman crying. He knew how important it was for her to show her love and respect for Jesus. Not because he needed that honor. But she needed to show her love for him.
See, these are the types of examples we see of Jesus being served. There are more examples of him serving. There are more examples of him serving others. Like the times when he washed all the disciples' feet. Or the time when he served other people with food. Or the time he went and knelt down and spoke to those who were the outcasts. Because we are called, friends, to be a servant in what we call the upside-down kingdom.
And this is very opposite of our society. And it was the opposite of the society then, too. There is a story in the New Testament when the two brothers that were disciples were walking with Jesus and they were arguing on who was going to sit on Jesus' left and who was going to sit on his right. When Jesus came into power, they still didn't get it. And Jesus responds, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first."
You see, we are not supposed to be the ones who get all the honor. We are supposed to serve God. We are supposed to serve those who cannot return the favor. It's a hard thing. But for those who have gone to our mission projects, who have gone and fed those in our community, who have gone and served at the food kitchen, who have gone and given blessings to Bannerman, you have seen the rewards when you do your service. Amen?
These are the rewards that our Lord talks about. Not getting big shows of thank you from people. We do get thank yous. But not to the extent of things we've put in. The Upside Down Kingdom is about the transformation of the heart.
This morning, we're celebrating what's called World Communion Sunday. And part of this Sunday is the remembrance that Christ's church, not the United Methodist Church, Christ's church stretches across the world of all languages, of all races. We are not divided. But we are not divided. By denomination. And we are not divided in any way.
And the Lord's table, we can picture it, is a table that is as long as it can be. And as we prepare for this meal, I want you to imagine all of the tables connecting one another. With different tablecloths. Or different forms of wood. And different decorations. And some of the cultures, they're going to have bright colors all over their communion tables. And that in this, Christ unites us as his Christians.
And it's in this united body of Christ that we serve the world together, who desperately need to know love and grace. And what it means to experience those things. As we prepare for the table, I have a video for you this morning.
Luke chapter 2, verse 19 and 20. He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." After supper he took another cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you."
World Communion Sunday has been celebrated for many generations across many denominations. So as we come together this morning, the requirement of this table is that we confess our sins together. So I invite you now, friends. And if you're online, I invite you to take something so that you may celebrate communion with me. Would you join me as we confess our sins together?
God of mercy, we confess that we have not loved you with our all being. We have done things which we ought not to have done. We have left things undone which ought to have been done. We have built walls between neighbors and between countries, and we have ignored the cries of those in need. Forgive us and set us free, that we may live into the hope of your calling, that your reign may come on earth as it is in heaven. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Friends, thanks be to God that Jesus died for our sins and we are forgiven. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
God of all nations, you created every person in your image and called us by your Holy Spirit to become one in Christ Jesus through baptism and through faith. In Jesus Christ, you showed us the way to go with unique gifts and particularities, yet in harmony with you and with each other. You, O God, are indeed above all and through all and in all.
So today we join with voices throughout the earth and in heaven, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."
Holy are you and blessed is your child, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived among us to show us your love, caring enough to feed hungry persons, stopping to touch persons in need of healing, reaching out to those not like himself, those like a Samaritan woman at a well, lepers from another country, those tortured by demons, a father pleading for his daughter, a woman from Syria, Zacchaeus, a tax collector, a rich young ruler, and a humble fisherman.
When people gathered to hear his teachings, Jesus took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them to eat so they might be fed. When Jesus ate with his disciples for the final meal on earth, they remembered his blessing on the multitude and listened as he told them, "Take, eat, this is my body given for you." They watched as Jesus took the cup and blessed it and said, "Take, drink, this is my blood of the new covenant poured out for you and for the whole world for the forgiveness of sins."
After his death and resurrection, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples told others through this meal that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God for all of humankind. Remember now as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Now be careful, friends, it's different. As we proclaim the mystery of faith, "Christ, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world."
Pour your Holy Spirit on this table and spread this day around the globe and here spread with bread from around the world. May all who partake wherever they live know the reconciling love of Jesus Christ. May your church go forth with communion with you to be one in Christ and one in witness to all the world. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
The body of Christ broken for the people of Christ and the blood of Christ shed for the people of Christ.
Now, friends, as God's redeemed church, children, we say the words that Jesus taught us to pray together. Would you pray with me?
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 and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
If those who are going to help me with communion would come forward, as they come a word of instruction, you'll get a small piece of bread to dip into the cup and as you come, if you would prefer for your bread and juice not to be handled by other people, we will have prepackaged communion here in the center along with gluten-free bread as well.
After I've served my helpers, I'll invite everyone to come forward. Friends, we now invite all forward. If you're in the back, we'll start there and come up the center. And if you're online, we invite you now to please take whatever you have with you so we may extend our table to you.
Oh, y'all, that statement, let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, that's a heavy statement. We sing that, we pray that. You got to be ready for it to happen because there's a big toll to take on. That's one of those you can contemplate for a while. That's a big prayer.
So I hope you're ready if God asks you to do that. I'm ready. Y'all ready? Okay. We got some kingdom works going to happen next week. Y'all, I'm excited. And we going to pray that a hurricane not mess that up.
Hey, I got a baptism. I confirmate, confirm and getting confirmed. I got at least five families joining the church next week, friends. I mean, if that's not going to be a fun thing to celebrate and we're going to eat. And that's not the most Methodist thing to do, I don't know what is.
So I hope you come ready to celebrate. If you have been thinking about you wanted to join or reaffirm your baptism or any of those things, Miss Val is in the back. I think. I can't see that far back. I think she is. She's waving at me. Okay. Or that's not Val. That's Chip. We're waving at me. That's the thing. That's too tall to be Val. There she is. Okay.
But if you still, if you were still considering Val is in the back, she'll be happy to talk and take. And she's got physical form. Some of you didn't want to fill out form online. Anyway, go talk to her because it's going to be a fun day. And it'd be one of those that it'd be great if you're not going to be here. I've had some of you go, "I'm not going to be here on the 13th." Great. We'll take care of another day. The church family includes all people. Amen. Amen.
All right. Other thing. If you missed the pumpkin sign up when you walked in or you're online, you can do that online too. Pumpkin patch friends. Pumpkins come a week from yesterday. Who's ready for pumpkins? It's pumpkin time. It's a lot of fun. Pumpkin patch is so much fun. If you've never worked the pumpkin patch, take a shift. It is so much fun. People come by and talk to you. They take pictures. They take pictures with the pumpkins.
I saw a really funny comedian joke talking about why we take pictures with vegetables. It was so cute. But people have fun with it. And it's just enjoyable to sit out there. You only do it for a couple hours. So consider working a shift. And it's a great time for us to connect with the community and talk to people.
So all right. Let me send this blessing. Please be safe and let us know if something happens and you need support after the storm, okay?
Almighty God, send us from this place with eyes open. Eyes of love and grace and hands of love and grace and hearts of love and grace. Because we want to be the people you want us to be. We want to bring your kingdom here. But we have to do that. We got to be the hands and feet, be in kingdom people.
So help us be kingdom people. Help us do the work of the church. Help us to be lovers of all that we can continue to bring the kingdom everywhere we go. We ask, Lord, you keep us safe and to do all the things you need us to do. We pray this year.
1) "This series, since we've been talking about our Wesleyan heritage, we've been talking also about some of the ways John Wesley talked about giving. One of those is that he also talked that giving includes more than just products of our labor. We're actually going to talk a little more about that in the message today. But because we're about to pray for our tithes and offerings, I just wanted to focus on this concept, which is that giving in the Wesleyan tradition is about sharing the fruits of our labor so that we may benefit other people, and that we may also give our time in that giving to benefit other people. And I am so thankful for this church because y'all do so much good." [23:44] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2) "The first week, we looked at the idea of what it means to grow deeply. That being what it looks like for to say God loves us enough to meet us exactly where we are and loves us too much to leave us in that place. We have a responsibility, though, to take ownership over our spiritual growth, to pray, put some effort into it, it doesn't come magically, but that we grow in God's grace, which is a lifelong journey. Not a moment, but a journey. And then we looked at what it meant to read faithfully, especially in regards to the Holy Scriptures. That our Wesleyan roots give us the best way to read and apply the Bible, especially through the lens of love and grace." [30:55] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3) "Love is not passive, but it is active. It's the primary biblical root of Of all things. It's a verb before it's a noun. We first love something as an action before we feel it. Meaning, if I want to love a person, but I don't know if I do, I need to act as if I do, and I will eventually love them. And then last week, last week, we talked about what it meant to embrace widely. About how important it is to reinforce constantly in our life the lens of love and grace. And as we keep looking for love and grace, we will see it in our world." [32:39] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4) "Because of love is a verb, we should be sharing with all people the love of God. Experience the grace as we share it. To equip ourselves and others with the love and grace of God. Impacting others and making a difference in the world. This is the action that comes with the experiencing of love and grace. Because we have God's love and grace, we are motivated to serve others." [34:45] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5) "See, a means of is anything or any act that helps us understand and experience God's grace in our life. That seems pretty simple, right? We say grace is the foundation of Methodism, and a means of grace means something that helps us understand grace. And for John Wesley, he said that the means of grace could be two different types of things. We have, first, works of piety. Now, we don't like that word today. Piety makes us sound all uppity, right? Anyone want to be pious? Anybody? I don't see any hands. Nobody? No, we don't want to be pious. That makes us feel like we're one of those Christians, right? But really, in Old English, piety just meant habits that were good and holy." [36:04] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6) "Wesley's saying here, you can't just write a check and let somebody else go do the service to other people. This is what I love about our missions committee. They made a point to make all of our missions. Things that we actively go and do. Yes, we give money. But almost every mission project we have is a hands-on project. That we are doing something. Because see friends, Jesus was a servant to others. He invites us to that same life of service. The only time in scripture we see other people serving Jesus is when it was important for the person who was doing that act of service." [40:53] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7) "The Upside Down Kingdom is about the transformation of the heart. This morning, we're celebrating what's called World Communion Sunday. And part of this Sunday is the remembrance that Christ's church, not the United Methodist Church, Christ's church stretches across the world of all languages, of all races. We are not divided. But we are not divided. By denomination. And we are not divided in any way. And the Lord's table, we can picture it, is a table that is as long as it can be. And as we prepare for this meal, I want you to imagine all of the tables connecting one another." [43:40] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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