Today, we gathered to explore the theme of walking, both physically and spiritually, as a metaphor for our journey with God. In the midst of the darkness that many of us feel, whether due to the weather, personal struggles, or global concerns, God offers us light and guidance. Our readings from Deuteronomy and Psalm 119 remind us of the blessings that come from walking in God's ways. Deuteronomy emphasizes the importance of obeying God's commandments, which leads to a life of abundance and blessing. Psalm 119 echoes this sentiment, highlighting the happiness of those who walk blamelessly in the law of the Lord.

Reflecting on personal milestones, such as baptism and first steps, we recognize the significance of walking as a defining human trait. Walking is not just a physical activity but a spiritual practice that connects us to God and each other. It is a journey that requires guidance, much like the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, where they learned leadership, new skills, and their identity as God's people.

The story of a scouting trip gone awry serves as a reminder of the unpredictability of our journeys and the importance of being prepared. It also illustrates how our prayer life can deepen in times of uncertainty. Walking with God is not about rigid adherence to rules but about finding freedom and joy in following God's path. Jesus taught us to prioritize grace over strict rule-following, emphasizing love, justice, and mercy.

Walking is a spiritual practice that benefits our body, mind, and spirit. Despite the barriers we may face, Jesus provides us with the Holy Spirit and the church as support systems. Our faith community is a source of encouragement, helping us to walk with Jesus and support one another in our spiritual journeys. As we walk, whether physically or metaphorically, we are reminded of God's presence and the joy that comes from walking in His ways.

**Key Takeaways:**

1. **Walking as a Spiritual Practice:** Walking is more than a physical activity; it is a spiritual practice that connects us to God and each other. It symbolizes our journey with God, where we learn, grow, and find joy in His presence. Walking in God's ways brings light into our lives, even amidst darkness. [02:04]

2. **The Importance of Community:** Our faith community, the church, is a vital support system in our spiritual journey. It provides encouragement, accountability, and companionship, helping us to walk with Jesus and support one another. The church is a place where we can share our struggles and celebrate our victories together. [17:41]

3. **Grace Over Rules:** Jesus taught us to prioritize grace over strict adherence to rules. The rules are meant to build community and show love, justice, and mercy. When rules become burdensome, we are called to extend grace, just as Jesus did when He healed on the Sabbath. [13:37]

4. **Learning Through Wilderness:** The Israelites' journey through the wilderness was a time of learning and growth. They developed leadership skills, learned new ways to worship, and discovered their identity as God's people. Similarly, our own wilderness experiences can be opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper reliance on God. [10:22]

5. **Joy in Walking with God:** Walking in God's ways brings happiness and fulfillment. It is not about rigid rule-following but about finding freedom and joy in following God's path. As we walk with Jesus, we experience His grace and bring that grace to those around us. [19:38]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:04] - Opening Prayer and Scripture Reading
- [02:04] - Reflections on Baptism and Walking
- [03:36] - The Significance of Walking
- [05:17] - Stories of Falling and Getting Up
- [06:22] - Celebrating Scout Sunday
- [08:06] - A Scouting Adventure
- [08:53] - Lessons from the Wilderness
- [10:22] - Learning Leadership and Worship
- [13:37] - Grace Over Rules
- [16:26] - Walking as a Spiritual Practice
- [17:41] - The Church as a Support System
- [19:38] - Joy in Walking with God
- [21:00] - Closing Thoughts and Benediction

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Deuteronomy 30:16** - "If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today by loving the Lord your God, walking in God's ways and observing God's commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess."
2. **Psalm 119:1-3** - "Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Deuteronomy 30:16 suggest about the relationship between obedience to God's commandments and receiving blessings? [01:04]
2. According to Psalm 119, what are the characteristics of those who are happy in their walk with God? [02:04]
3. How does the pastor describe the significance of walking as a defining human trait and spiritual practice? [03:36]
4. What role does the faith community play in supporting our spiritual journey, according to the sermon? [17:41]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How might the Israelites' journey through the wilderness serve as a metaphor for personal spiritual growth and learning? [10:22]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that walking with God is about finding freedom and joy rather than rigid rule-following? [19:38]
3. How does the pastor illustrate the importance of grace over strict adherence to rules through the example of Jesus healing on the Sabbath? [13:37]
4. What are some ways the church can act as a support system for individuals facing barriers in their spiritual walk? [17:41]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt lost in your spiritual journey. How did you find your way back, and what role did prayer play in that process? [08:53]
2. Consider the barriers you face in your spiritual walk. What practical steps can you take to overcome these obstacles with the help of your faith community? [16:26]
3. How can you prioritize grace in your interactions with others, especially when rules or expectations become burdensome? [13:37]
4. Identify a personal milestone in your spiritual journey, such as baptism or a significant moment of growth. How does this milestone continue to influence your walk with God? [03:36]
5. In what ways can you actively contribute to your faith community to support others in their spiritual journeys? [17:41]
6. How can you incorporate walking, both physically and spiritually, into your daily routine to enhance your connection with God? [19:38]
7. Think about a time when you experienced joy in following God's path. How can you cultivate more of these moments in your life? [19:38]

Day 1: Walking as a Journey of Connection
Walking is more than a physical activity; it is a spiritual practice that connects us to God and each other. It symbolizes our journey with God, where we learn, grow, and find joy in His presence. Walking in God's ways brings light into our lives, even amidst darkness. As we walk, we are reminded of the blessings that come from following God's commandments, as emphasized in Deuteronomy and Psalm 119. These scriptures highlight the happiness and abundance that result from walking blamelessly in the law of the Lord. Walking is a defining human trait, and it serves as a metaphor for our spiritual journey, where we are guided by God's light and presence. [02:04]

Isaiah 30:21 (ESV): "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."

Reflection: Consider a time when you felt disconnected from God or others. How can you use walking, either physically or metaphorically, to reconnect with God and those around you today?


Day 2: Community as a Source of Strength
Our faith community, the church, is a vital support system in our spiritual journey. It provides encouragement, accountability, and companionship, helping us to walk with Jesus and support one another. The church is a place where we can share our struggles and celebrate our victories together. In times of uncertainty, our community can be a source of strength and guidance, reminding us of God's presence and the joy that comes from walking in His ways. The church is not just a building but a living body of believers who walk together in faith, supporting and uplifting one another. [17:41]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: Think of someone in your church community who might need encouragement. How can you reach out to them today to offer support and companionship?


Day 3: Embracing Grace Over Rules
Jesus taught us to prioritize grace over strict adherence to rules. The rules are meant to build community and show love, justice, and mercy. When rules become burdensome, we are called to extend grace, just as Jesus did when He healed on the Sabbath. Walking with God is not about rigid rule-following but about finding freedom and joy in following God's path. Jesus' teachings remind us that grace should be at the forefront of our interactions with others, allowing us to experience and share God's love in a meaningful way. [13:37]

Matthew 12:7 (ESV): "And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."

Reflection: Reflect on a rule or expectation in your life that feels burdensome. How can you approach it with grace and prioritize love and mercy instead?


Day 4: Learning and Growing Through Wilderness
The Israelites' journey through the wilderness was a time of learning and growth. They developed leadership skills, learned new ways to worship, and discovered their identity as God's people. Similarly, our own wilderness experiences can be opportunities for spiritual growth and deeper reliance on God. These times of uncertainty and challenge can teach us valuable lessons and help us to develop a stronger faith. Embracing the wilderness as a place of learning allows us to grow closer to God and understand our purpose in His plan. [10:22]

Deuteronomy 8:2 (ESV): "And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not."

Reflection: Identify a current challenge or "wilderness" experience in your life. What lessons might God be teaching you through this experience, and how can you embrace it as an opportunity for growth?


Day 5: Finding Joy in Walking with God
Walking in God's ways brings happiness and fulfillment. It is not about rigid rule-following but about finding freedom and joy in following God's path. As we walk with Jesus, we experience His grace and bring that grace to those around us. The journey with God is one of joy and discovery, where we learn to trust in His guidance and find contentment in His presence. Walking with God allows us to experience the fullness of life and share His love with others, bringing light and joy into the world. [19:38]

Psalm 16:11 (ESV): "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent moment when you felt joy in your walk with God. How can you cultivate more of these moments in your daily life and share that joy with others?

But God has given us light in our life. And we have been talking each week about spiritual practices that can help us connect to God and bring light into our life no matter what form of darkness we are feeling. Today, I would like to open with a prayer and a couple of our Bible verses for today. [00:00:43] (21 seconds) Edit Clip


And here in chapter 30, Moses is saying, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today by loving the Lord your God, walking in God's ways and observing God's commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous. [00:01:30] (19 seconds) Edit Clip


Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways. Here ends our reading. [00:02:14] (12 seconds) Edit Clip


Now, once we start walking, though, walking, walking really is one of the things that defines us as humans. There's really no other animals that walk the way that we walk. If you look at the fitness apps that many people have on their smartphones and their smartwatches these days, one of the things they measure is not just how many steps have you taken and how far you have walked in a day, but some of them even check the gait. Like, are your steps even? Are they consistent? [00:04:48] (30 seconds) Edit Clip


Now that was a walk that was not what was planned. It was not entirely pleasant, but I will say my prayer life got much stronger on that walk as I was praying a mantra, God help me now, to make sure that all of us could get back to the cabin safely. [00:08:53] (21 seconds) Edit Clip


And I think in many ways this is what God was doing with the wilderness time for the Israelites. They were learning leadership. Moses was learning how to be a leader. Moses was told to recruit judges and other leaders to help lead the people. God raised up Joshua and Caleb. [00:10:34] (18 seconds) Edit Clip


I want us to remember that following God's path is not about rigidly adhering to rules. But following in the God's path is a way to find freedom. It is a way to have a better life. The rules that God has given us are the guidance of how we live. Live together in community. They're guidance of how we make time for God in our life. So that we are healthy both emotionally and physically. Mentally and spiritually. [00:13:07] (29 seconds) Edit Clip


Walking is just an integral part of who we are. And our researchers are finding that walking does more and more and more for our body, our mind, our spirit than we ever realized before. But it is hard to make ourselves go walking every day. Some of us have jobs where we don't move a whole lot. We have cars to get a lot of places. Sometimes we just don't feel like walking. And some of us have some major mental health struggles which make getting out of bed, much less going for a walk, a really hard thing. [00:15:54] (32 seconds) Edit Clip


And so Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is walking with us every day. We can get up and we can go because Jesus is giving us the strength and guidance. The other gift that Jesus gave us is the church. Jesus gave us a faith family, a group of people that also are on a journey with Jesus, who also know what it's like to have a faith family. And so Jesus gave us a faith family, a group of tough days, dark days, days when it is hard to get going, where we can each fill in for each other. We can each get together and say, hey, have you taken a walk today? Let's go grab your dog. Let's get a walk in today. [00:17:04] (37 seconds) Edit Clip


Our reading from Deuteronomy reminds us that there is joy in the journey, that we are stronger and life is better when we are walking with Jesus. The psalm reminds us that there is happiness in walking in the way of the Lord. There is happiness of being connected to Jesus. [00:17:58] (19 seconds) Edit Clip

Hello and welcome to worship today, February 9th, 2025. My name is Annalisa Hunter, and I serve here as pastor.

We have been talking about the darkness many of us feel these days. There are many sources of it. Sometimes it's just the weather. It is January and February in Wisconsin. The nights are long, and often the days are filled with gray skies that make it hard to see the sun.

But some of us have other darkness in our life. Maybe we have difficult relationships, or maybe our job's not going well. Maybe we're struggling with mental health issues. Maybe we're just worried about the state of the world, and we won't even go into the list of all the things that can cause us anxiety and depression when we look around the world today.

But God has given us light in our life. And we have been talking each week about spiritual practices that can help us connect to God and bring light into our life, no matter what form of darkness we are feeling.

Today, I would like to open with a prayer and a couple of our Bible verses for today.

Holy God, show us your ways. Teach us your paths. Guide us in your truth, for you are God, our Savior, and our hope is in you all day long. Amen.

Our first reading for today comes from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30. Deuteronomy is like one giant sermon that Moses was giving the people of Israel before he died and they entered the promised land. So it's kind of a rehash of a lot of things that you may have read in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, but it kind of pulls everything together.

And here in chapter 30, Moses is saying, "If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today by loving the Lord your God, walking in God's ways, and observing God's commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous. And the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess."

And our second reading comes from Psalm 119. "Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways." Here ends our reading.

This weekend was the anniversary of my baptism. I was baptized on February 8th, exactly one month after I was born on January 8th. So I was 30 days old, one month old when I was baptized as a child, surrounded by my family and godparents at my family's church.

Now, I realize that most people don't remember the day of their baptism. There are some Christian traditions where the day of your baptism is a huge deal and is an anniversary that is often celebrated. For a lot of us, I guess if I asked around, I would guess at least 90% of the people I know wouldn't be able to tell you the day they were baptized.

But there are other things that we do know. For example, we all know our birthday, and we all expect a celebration. We all plan for celebrations. We even do something nice for ourselves, if nothing else. We all know our birthdays. And I suspect that most of us have a story about what we do when we started to walk.

I remember hearing from my parents that I walked at nine months, but I never crawled. Now, my daughter carried on this tradition. My daughter loved to have her legs perfectly straight, so she didn't like sitting in her car seat. And she was a wall walker long before she did any walking out in the room, but she could scoot around things for hours.

My son was a super fast crawler, and we were so excited since my daughter didn't crawl. It was great to see our son crawling. And my guess is you have a story that someone has told you about when you started walking, because I think for most of us, after the story of our birth, the story of our first steps is a huge deal. Many parents try to capture it on video once video cameras became a thing. People will call each other over, "Come look, look, come look, I think he's going to do it, I think she's going to do it. She's about to start walking."

So feel free to pause for a moment and share with those around you a story that you know about yourself walking or your kids or grandkids walking, and what a special moment that is.

Now, once we start walking, though, walking really is one of the things that defines us as humans. There's really no other animals that walk the way that we walk. If you look at the fitness apps that many people have on their smartphones and their smartwatches these days, one of the things they measure is not just how many steps have you taken and how far you have walked in a day, but some of them even check the gait. Like, are your steps even? Are they consistent?

And they can give you a warning that they think you might need to go talk to your doctor; something might be off because your steps are not as even as they used to be.

Yesterday, while it was snowing, I looked out my window and I saw one of my neighbors doing the penguin walk on the snow, and they still fell down. And they quickly bounced back up.

But we often, here in Wisconsin, when it's snowing and icing, we kind of do a little penguin walk with really short steps, and we keep our arms ready to catch us if we fall.

But we also know that falls, especially as we age, are one of the indications that our bodies are aging and there might be something wrong with us. How we walk is a critical part of who we are. Our lives revolve around us being able to walk. In fact, we have to make special building codes. We have to have special places to live for people who can no longer walk on their own.

Now, my guess is most of us have a story about a time that we fell. Maybe it was ice and snow. Maybe it was some other reason. Why don't you pause for a minute and share with the people around you a story of a time when you fell?

Now, today here at church, it is Scout Sunday, and we are celebrating the scout troops that use our building every week during the school year and sometimes during the summer. And we have a story about a time when we fell.

And the scouts are a wonderful program where kids are learning outdoor skills, but they're also learning leadership skills. It is a fun, wonderful thing, and I helped with scout troops as my kids were growing up. So I definitely think that Scout Sunday is a wonderful Sunday to celebrate, and I'm delighted that the Scouts are here today.

Because it's Scout Sunday, I have a story about scouting. One year in March, I went on a winter retreat with my daughter's venture crew. This is before girls were allowed into Scouts, into the regular Scout troops. And we went up to the UP of Michigan, and we were staying at a camp up there, a Scout camp.

And one day we were going snowshoeing. We put on our snowshoes. There was a little pond right outside in front of the cabin we were staying in; we were going to do like a half-hour walk around the pond. Well, as we got going, some of the kids were excited, and they're like, "Hey, let us break the trail." And the Scoutmaster's like, "Sure."

And pretty quickly, we lost sight of the pond. Well, the Scoutmaster had been here a number of times. This is my first time there. It was my first time snowshoeing. It was the first time snowshoeing for any of the three kids that were with us.

And after a while... After about an hour, I'm like, "I think something's wrong here, and we need to turn around. I don't know where we are." And the Scoutmaster's, "No, no, no, no. We've got... Everything's fine."

When we hit two hours, I made the Scoutmaster turn around and go back. Now, it was March. It was cold. The sun, though, was starting to melt the top layer of snow.

And so as we were coming back, in the open areas, we started having a problem because we started losing the trail. The trail that we had blazed with our snowshoes... we started getting nervous because we were not prepared for a multi-hour trek.

We can go into a whole discussion about being prepared with scouts and the different elements that we did not take with ourselves because we thought we were going for a 30-minute hike around a pond within view of our cabin.

After three and a half hours, we finally saw our cabin again. Now that was a walk that was not what was planned. It was not entirely pleasant, but I will say my prayer life got much stronger on that walk as I was praying a mantra, "God help me now," to make sure that all of us could get back to the cabin safely.

Why don't you take a moment and share with one another, has there ever been a time when you have been lost when you have gone walking?

Now Deuteronomy really comes at the end of the story of a long walk. The Israelites had been in Egypt. They went there because they were starving, and Egypt had lots of extra grain thanks to Joseph storing up because of a dream that Pharaoh had had and that Joseph had interpreted for Pharaoh.

So lots of people from the whole region came to Egypt to survive the famine. But eventually, the Hebrews became oppressed, and they were put to work in ways that they didn't want to be working. Perhaps they were helping build some of the temples that the Egyptians are so famous for.

Eventually, God sent Moses to release the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, and they walked out of Egypt. They walked across the floor of the Dead Sea as the waters were parted. And then they spent 40 years walking, wandering in the wilderness all around the Sinai Peninsula.

Now scouts often go to the wilderness just like the Israelites did. And scouts go to the wilderness to learn skills, to learn leadership, and to learn something about themselves.

And I think in many ways this is what God was doing with the wilderness time for the Israelites. They were learning leadership. Moses was learning how to be a leader. Moses was told to recruit judges and other leaders to help lead the people. God raised up Joshua and Caleb to be new leaders while they were in the wilderness.

They learned new skills. God wanted them to put aside the religious practices of the Egyptians, which for many of them was mostly what they knew, and to learn new skills of how to worship God.

There's lots of lists in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus about how to worship God, how to bring offerings, how to build a tabernacle, a tent of meeting to gather for worshiping God. They also learned about themselves. They learned who they were as a people. They learned who they were as tribes and as God's people, separate from the Pharaoh, separate from the Egyptians, separate from the Canaanites and all the people in the land that they were eventually going to go live in.

God repeatedly gave them instructions about how to worship God and how not to get involved with the different religious practices of the Egyptians and how to worship God and how not to get involved with the practices of the countries of the neighbors that they were going to be living next to.

God did not like what they were doing, and God made sure that the Israelites had a different way of staying connected to God.

Now in our psalm today, we hear about how happy the people are who are blameless, who are walking in the way of the Lord, who are following God's instructions. Some people call the first five books of the Hebrew Bible the books of law, but they could also be interpreted in the Hebrew as the books of instruction, the books of guidance.

This is like a parent teaching a child how to live. So don't think strict, rigid, harsh law. Think parental loving guidance and instructions for life. And the psalm reminds us how happy we are when we follow in the way that God has laid before us. When we walk the path that God wants us to walk.

Our first song that we sing in worship right now is "Thy Word." "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet." Our final benediction reminds us that God is lighting our path every step we take.

Now, our reading from Deuteronomy... I want us to remember that following God's path is not about rigidly adhering to rules. But following in God's path is a way to find freedom. It is a way to have a better life. The rules that God has given us are the guidance of how we live together in community. They're guidance on how we make time for God in our life so that we are healthy both emotionally and physically, mentally and spiritually.

Now, this last week I was at a meeting with our new bishop, Dan Schwerin. And we were doing a Bible study on the book of Philemon. And he spoke about one of the times that he was being reviewed as part of his own journey to becoming a pastor. And he was asked the question, "When you screw up, when you make a mistake, do you make a mistake on the side of the Bible of law, or do you make a mistake on the side of grace?"

Because we know that God has given us law or instructions on how we are to live, but God has also given us grace. And in Jesus Christ, we often see this. Jesus was often arguing with the Pharisees, who were trying so hard to live perfectly according to the instructions in Deuteronomy and the Hebrew Bible.

But Jesus is like, "You know, these rules were given to you to build community, to show grace and love and justice and mercy to each other. The rules are not here for us to obey. The rules are here for us to love God. And if the rules get in the way in a particular situation, we need to turn to grace."

So, for example, he healed someone on the Sabbath. Well, the rules say you can't work on the Sabbath. Is healing someone work? And Jesus is like, "I think you lost the spirit of the rules. The point is to make my neighbor better. I am here today. He is here today. I can heal him today. His life can start being better today." That is grace.

So when we look to the rules of the Old Testament, the point is not to feel burdened and that we have a duty and obligation to follow over 600 rules. And we can get to how Jesus set some of those rules aside later. But the point here is that God has given us instructions, and Jesus built on those instructions so that we may live in grace with God.

And that by walking with Jesus in grace, we bring grace to every person around us.

So our spiritual practice today that we're going to talk about is walking. Walking is just an integral part of who we are. And our researchers are finding that walking does more and more and more for our body, our mind, our spirit than we ever realized before.

But it is hard to make ourselves go walking every day. Some of us have jobs where we don't move a whole lot. We have cars to get a lot of places. Sometimes we just don't feel like walking. And some of us have some major mental health struggles which make getting out of bed, much less going for a walk, a really hard thing.

So we know that walking can help us, but we also sometimes don't feel like walking. We have barriers that make it hard to go for a walk. So sometimes we need help. Sometimes we need doctors and therapists, and sometimes we need medication.

But Jesus, even before we had a medical system, Jesus gave us two things to help us go for a walk every day. The first thing he said was, "I will be with you till the end of the age, and once I leave and return to heaven, I am sending an advocate, a counselor," which we know is the Holy Spirit, "to be with us every day."

And so Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is walking with us every day. We can get up and we can go because Jesus is giving us the strength and guidance.

The other gift that Jesus gave us is the church. Jesus gave us a faith family, a group of people that also are on a journey with Jesus, who also know what it's like to have a faith family. And so Jesus gave us a faith family, a group of tough days, dark days, days when it is hard to get going, where we can each fill in for each other.

We can each get together and say, "Hey, have you taken a walk today? Let's go grab your dog. Let's get a walk in today." The church is a support group.

You know, these days, a lot of people find support at recovery groups, Weight Watchers, different sporting groups. But long before any of that was around, we had the church as the ultimate support group.

Our reading from Deuteronomy reminds us that there is joy in the journey, that we are stronger and life is better when we are walking with Jesus. The psalm reminds us that there is happiness in walking in the way of the Lord. There is happiness in being connected to Jesus.

This is why one of the core values of our church that our council identified in the last year is "journey with Jesus." Every one of us here is on a journey with Jesus. And we are all here. We are building a church to be able to support each other in our journeys with Jesus.

We try through our ministries to provide opportunities that every person, no matter what their age is, from the youngest to the oldest among us, that there is an opportunity for everyone to walk with Jesus.

Today, we heard our children sing. That is part of the way that we help our young people journey with Jesus. Some of our members are part of the scout troop. And the reverence of that is one of the core values of scouts, is one of the ways that youth grow in their spiritual journey.

And starting in a couple of weeks, we will be adding a new Bible study group, a midweek study on Thursday mornings that I will be leading. We'll be starting by looking at the book of the Gospel of John. And we invite older people that don't have a support group at church who would like to have conversation and coffee over Bible readings and share the ups and downs of their lives together, I invite you to join us.

We are trying to grow and provide opportunities that each one of us can continue in the journey with Jesus.

So today I want you to think about the times you are walking. Maybe you're just walking around the house. Maybe you go to the mall to walk where it's dry and there's no ice that you can slip and fall on. Maybe you're outside enjoying this. I'm going to try and do some snowshoeing after church today at Barkhausen.

But as you're walking this week, think about Jesus walking with you. See those moments when you can see God in the panorama around you. Maybe you see God in the people around you. Maybe you just feel blessed that you have a warm house that you can pace in right now during this weather.

But let us all remember that walking is not a chore. Following God's way is a blessing. It brings happiness and joy to our lives. Walking does great things for our body, our mind, and our spirit. And Jesus has given us this gift so that we can grow with God and bring grace to everyone around us.

Have fun walking this week. We'll see you next time. Amen.