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Christ Church Contemporary Online Worship

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  1. Heat.

  2. Heat

  3. up

  4. here.

  5. Heat. Heat.

  6. Baby,

  7. Heat.

  8. You are

  9. happy.

  10. Well, good morning Christ Church. If you

  11. are here this morning, would you please

  12. rise and worship the Lord today?

  13. The dead are going to rise.

  14. The blind will see the light

  15. and all the earth will praise the Lord.

  16. The young are going to see,

  17. the old are going to dream,

  18. and all the earth will praise the Lord.

  19. Not my strength.

  20. Not my power.

  21. My spirit says the Lord.

  22. Like we never seen before.

  23. My says the Lord.

  24. Heat. Heat.

  25. The ground is going to shake.

  26. The valleys will be raised.

  27. The mighty mountains have to fall.

  28. Every knee bow

  29. and every touch

  30. confess that Jesus Christ is

  31. forever. Jesus Christ.

  32. Heat. Heat.

  33. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  34. Pour it out on us.

  35. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  36. Pour it out on us. Your spirit. Pour it

  37. out. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it

  38. out on us.

  39. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  40. Pour it out.

  41. Yeah.

  42. Heat.

  43. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  44. Not my strength.

  45. Not by power,

  46. but by my spirit says the Lord. By my

  47. spirit, says the Lord.

  48. Hey,

  49. heat.

  50. Hey.

  51. Heat up

  52. here.

  53. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  54. Pour it out on us.

  55. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  56. Pour it out on us. Your spirit. Pour it

  57. out. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it

  58. out on us.

  59. Pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out.

  60. Pour it out on us. Your spirit

  61. Lord God, we are ready to receive today.

  62. We pray that your spirit fill this place

  63. and that we can be transformed by who

  64. you are and what you've done. We pray

  65. this in your name. Amen. You may be

  66. seated.

  67. Well, welcome to Christ Church. We're so

  68. glad that you can join us to connect

  69. with the Lord this morning. if you

  70. wouldn't mind taking out your clipboard

  71. with your connection card on it and

  72. filling that out uh before the offering

  73. goes around and you can place these in

  74. the offering plate uh during that time.

  75. Uh there's a prayer request side there

  76. as well for any prayer requests that you

  77. have. Our intercessory prayer team is

  78. such a faithful team. They pray over

  79. each and every prayer that comes through

  80. these uh doors uh on these cards uh each

  81. week. Um, so we're very thankful for

  82. that. And so you can do all of that

  83. either on the card itself or you can

  84. scan that QR code that's on the back of

  85. this card or on the QR code that's on

  86. the back of the screen. If you're a

  87. firsttime guest, welcome. We're glad

  88. that you're joining us for worship this

  89. morning. Uh, as you leave this morning,

  90. whichever door you decide to go out of,

  91. there's a small devotional book there to

  92. encourage you on your faith and your

  93. walk with the Lord. Uh, again, welcome.

  94. and we're glad you're here. For those of

  95. you joining us online, welcome. Uh we're

  96. so glad that you can worship with us uh

  97. this way this morning. You can go to uh

  98. chrisumc.net or you can click on that QR

  99. code. You can fill out your attendance

  100. there. Uh you can fill out any prayer

  101. requests that you have and any gifts

  102. that you'd like to give to the

  103. ministries going on here at Christ

  104. Church. Again, we're just so thankful

  105. that we're able to do this as a church

  106. and you're able to join us in worship

  107. this morning. If you are able, why don't

  108. you uh stand, say hello to a couple

  109. wonderful people, and uh yeah, if you're

  110. online, make sure to say hello in the

  111. chat.

  112. I'm so thankful that we have a place

  113. that we can come together and we can

  114. worship together. Um, I'm sure that if

  115. we let you, you would all be talking for

  116. the next hour and be beautiful as well.

  117. But, uh, let's, uh, let's go to the Lord

  118. and connect with him right now. Lord

  119. God, we thank you, um, that we can come

  120. here and that we can give up an hour of

  121. our time at the very least, Lord, uh, to

  122. to faithfully seek you and who you are

  123. and what you've done. We are grateful

  124. for the work that you have done on the

  125. cross because it's only through that

  126. work that we have any hope at all of

  127. having a relationship with you and being

  128. made right with you. Thank you for

  129. covering us with the Lord's blood and

  130. giving us the ability to come to you

  131. freely. Be in this place and Lord God

  132. bless this time of worship. We pray this

  133. in your name. Amen.

  134. There was no way until you made a one.

  135. Grace upon grace. Hallelu.

  136. Even though I don't deserve it, you did

  137. it.

  138. Even though I couldn't earn it, you give

  139. it.

  140. Who am I that you keep me on your mind?

  141. God, I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm

  142. just grateful for you.

  143. All my life, you've been right here by

  144. my side. God, I'm just grateful for you.

  145. God, I'm just grateful for you.

  146. Holy, holy,

  147. there's only one.

  148. We give you glory

  149. for all that you've done.

  150. Even though I don't deserve it, you did

  151. it.

  152. Even though I could

  153. keep it

  154. as you keep me on your mind. I'm just

  155. grateful for you. I'm just grateful for

  156. you.

  157. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  158. Heat. Heat.

  159. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  160. I'm making over my hands cuz you gave me

  161. chance after chance after chance.

  162. I'll give it all that I am.

  163. You gave me chance after chance after

  164. chance.

  165. Heat. Heat.

  166. Yeah.

  167. Heat.

  168. Heat. Heat.

  169. I'm just grateful for you. God, I'm just

  170. grateful for you.

  171. I'm all right if they say I'm out of my

  172. mind. God, I'm just grateful for you.

  173. God, I'm just grateful for you.

  174. Yes, Jesus.

  175. The Lord is my shepher

  176. and he is everything I need. So I will

  177. not worry.

  178. I will not fear the enemy. He said that

  179. he loves me. He said that he's with me

  180. even though I walk through the valley

  181. of shadow and death. And still

  182. he has good plans. He has good plans for

  183. me.

  184. Love will take heart in deserts and God

  185. is he has good plans. He has good plans

  186. for me.

  187. I know my father. I know my father.

  188. Good plans.

  189. Yes, he does.

  190. The Lord is my savior.

  191. So why should I doubt my victory?

  192. Why would I question

  193. the rod and the staff that comforts me?

  194. He quiets the waterers.

  195. He quiets the storm inside.

  196. So what could be better

  197. than walking with him when I believe he

  198. has good

  199. he has good plans for me.

  200. He has goodness.

  201. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  202. Heat. Heat.

  203. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  204. Yes.

  205. Jeremiah 29:11 says that he has good

    Jeremiah 29:11

  206. plans for us for a better tomorrow. And

  207. as we sing this out loud, God just

  208. proclaim his goodness this morning.

  209. Proclaim his faithfulness because we are

  210. here to lift him high and to glorify

  211. him. So

  212. goodness

  213. me

  214. surely

  215. goodness

  216. and mercy will follow after me. Yeah.

  217. Heat.

  218. Yeah.

  219. Heat.

  220. Heat. Heat.

  221. Heat.

  222. Yeah. Heat.

  223. Heat

  224. up

  225. here.

  226. God, you are so good. We lift you high

  227. this morning. We give you all of the

  228. glory, all of the honor, and all of the

  229. praise. We thank you for this time to

  230. just be together and worship you and

  231. lift you up. And it's in your name that

  232. we pray. Amen. May be seated.

  233. >> Good morning.

  234. Today's scriptures are from Philippians

  235. and Colossians. Philippians 2:es 1-1.

  236. Therefore, if you have any encouragement

  237. from being united with Christ, if any

  238. comfort from his love, if any common

  239. sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness

  240. and compassion, then make my joy

  241. complete by being like-minded, having

  242. the same love, being one in spirit and

  243. one of mind.

  244. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or

  245. vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value

  246. others above yourselves, not looking to

  247. your own interests, but each of you to

  248. the interests of others. In your

  249. relationships with one another, have

  250. this have the same mindset as Christ

  251. Jesus, who being in very nature God, did

  252. not consider equality with God something

  253. to be used to his own advantage. Rather,

  254. he made himself nothing by taking the

  255. very nature of a servant being made in

  256. human likeness.

  257. and being found in appearance as a man,

  258. he humbled himself by becoming obedient

  259. to death, even death on a cross.

  260. Therefore, God exalted him to the

  261. highest place, and gave him the name

  262. that is above every name, that at the

  263. name of Jesus, every knee should bow in

  264. heaven and on earth and under the earth,

  265. and every tongue acknowledged that Jesus

  266. Christ is Lord to glory of God the

  267. Father.

  268. Colossians 3:es 12-14

  269. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy

  270. and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with

  271. compassion, kindness, humility,

  272. gentleness, and patience. Bear with each

  273. other and forgive one another. If any of

  274. you has a grievance against someone,

  275. forgive as the Lord forgave you. And

  276. over all these virtues, put on love,

  277. which binds them all together in perfect

  278. unity. hear what the spirit saying to

  279. the church.

  280. >> Thanks be to God. Thanks, Aaron. Well,

  281. good morning everybody.

  282. >> Morning.

  283. >> So, we've spent the last several weeks

  284. talking about real relationships. I

  285. mean, from all walks of life, from

  286. marriage to parent child to friendships

  287. to work relationships, even

  288. relationships we have in the church. And

  289. we've learned that real relationships

  290. are not always ideal. I mean, they're

  291. just not the kind that just happen when

  292. everything or everyone is is calm and is

  293. rested and is getting their way. Real

  294. relationships take work. And we've been

  295. honest about what people experience in

  296. real relationships that they don't

  297. necessarily always talk about. You know,

  298. when you're in real relationships, they

  299. include tension and misunderstanding and

  300. disappointment and conflict and moments

  301. where love maybe feels more costly than

  302. it does convenient. And we've talked

  303. about how we are built for connection

  304. and we're looking for a love that lasts.

  305. And we've learned how to fight right.

  306. And on this Valentine's Day weekend, as

  307. we close our real relationship series,

  308. we ask one final question. Not just how

  309. relationships work, but what are they

  310. meant to reflect? Because relationships

  311. are never neutral. Relationships are

  312. always forming us into something. And as

  313. Christians, that vision of a real

  314. relationship means that our

  315. relationships will reflect Jesus. Not

  316. perfectly, but visibly, not flawlessly,

  317. but faithfully. Because if Christ is in

  318. us, it changes how we relate to others.

  319. Amen. I mean, that's what it's all

  320. about. Paul opens Philippians 2 with a

  321. series of statements that sound almost

  322. conditional, but they're actually not

  323. conditions at all. They're actually

  324. assumptions. Paul says, "If you have any

  325. encouragement from being united with

  326. Christ, if any comfort from his love, if

  327. any common sharing in the spirit, if any

  328. tenderness and compassion." Paul is not

  329. wondering if these things are true for

  330. the church. He is assuming that they are

  331. true for the church. This is his way of

  332. saying that if Christ really lives in

  333. us, if the spirit of God is actually

  334. shaping us, if the love of God has

  335. actually reached our heart, then

  336. something has to look different in the

  337. way we relate to other people. You see,

  338. Christian faith was never meant to stop

  339. at our private belief or our internal

  340. comfort. It was never just to be about

  341. what we think in our mind or feel in our

  342. heart. From the very beginning, faith in

  343. Christ is meant to spill outward into

  344. our tone, into our posture, into our

  345. patience, in how we treat one another,

  346. especially when relationships get

  347. strained. Now, Paul's logic is simple,

  348. but it's pretty piercing. He says we

  349. can't claim to say that Christ lives in

  350. us and leave our relationships

  351. untouched.

  352. So he goes on to say, 'Then my make my

  353. joy complete by being like-minded,

  354. having the same love, being one in

  355. spirit and of one mind. Now that line

  356. can sound a little overwhelming if we

  357. misunderstand it. Paul is not calling

  358. for uniformity here. He's not demanding

  359. that everyone think the same thoughts or

  360. vote the same way or see every issue

  361. from the same angle. And he's certainly

  362. not asking us as a church to avoid

  363. conflict or to suppress disagreement.

  364. What Paul is calling what Paul is

  365. calling for here is something way more

  366. deeper than agreement. He's actually

  367. calling for alignment. This is not about

  368. sameness. This is not about agreeing on

  369. every issue. This is not about

  370. pretending that tension doesn't exist.

  371. This is about a shared direction. Paul

  372. is saying if Christ truly lives in us,

  373. then even when we see things

  374. differently, we are moving toward the

  375. same center. Right? That center is not

  376. comfort. That center is not control.

  377. That center is not about winning the

  378. argument. That center is Christ. To be

  379. likeminded does not mean we think the

  380. same way. It means we let the mind of

  381. Christ shape how we see others. It means

  382. that before we speak, before we react,

  383. before we withdraw, before we defend

  384. ourselves, we ask a deeper question.

  385. What does faithfulness in Christ look

  386. like in this moment? That's why Paul

  387. pairs likeminded with having the same

  388. love. He doesn't say the same opinion.

  389. He doesn't say the same preferences. He

  390. says the same love. Because love that is

  391. patient is the love we should have when

  392. we would rather be short with somebody.

  393. Love that stays engaged when it would be

  394. simpler to just pull away. Love that

  395. listens before it speaks. Love that

  396. seeks understanding instead of leverage.

  397. And then Paul says being of being one in

  398. spirit and of one mind. That phrase does

  399. not erase the differences. It actually

  400. redeems them. He said, 'We may not

  401. always agree, but we are committed to

  402. the same spirit. We are committed to the

  403. same Lord. We are committed to the same

  404. story that God is writing amongst all of

  405. us. Which means there are some lines

  406. that we just refuse to cross when it

  407. comes to relating with to others. Number

  408. one, we don't weaponize words.

  409. Number two, we do not reduce people to

  410. positions.

  411. Three, we do not treat disagreement as

  412. betrayal.

  413. And four, we don't let the frustration

  414. that we feel give us permission to not

  415. loving somebody else well. Because if

  416. Christ is truly at the center, the goal

  417. is no longer being right. The goal is

  418. being faithful. And faithfulness often

  419. looks like staying at the table longer

  420. than we would want to. It means

  421. listening more than defending. It means

  422. choosing humility when pride feels

  423. justified.

  424. Paul is inviting the church into a

  425. shared commitment that says even when

  426. this is hard, even when we misunderstand

  427. each other, even when emotions are

  428. riding high, Christ is still the center.

  429. Not our comfort, not our ego, not our

  430. need to win, Christ. And when Christ is

  431. at the center, relationships stop being

  432. places where we have to prove ourselves.

  433. And they start being places where Christ

  434. is revealed. Because if Christ is in us,

  435. it doesn't just change what we believe.

  436. It changes how we relate to others. We

  437. experience a relational shift from self

  438. to others. Listen to what Paul says. Do

  439. nothing out of selfish ambition or vain

  440. conceit. Rather, in humility, value

  441. others above yourself.

  442. That sentence goes against everything

  443. our culture teaches us about

  444. relationships. I mean, we are trained

  445. without even realizing it, to protect

  446. ourselves, to keep score, to win

  447. arguments, to make sure that we we're

  448. not giving more than we're getting. And

  449. Paul doesn't deny that we have needs,

  450. but he refuses to let our self-interest

  451. be the organizing principles for our

  452. relationships. He says, literally, not

  453. looking to your own interest, but each

  454. of you looking to the interest of

  455. others.

  456. Now, this is not about becoming a

  457. doormat. It's not about doing things for

  458. others that harm you. It's about

  459. becoming Christshaped.

  460. You see, humility is not thinking less

  461. of yourself. It is actually thinking of

  462. yourself less. And when humility enters

  463. a relationship, everything changes. How

  464. we listen, how we speak, how we

  465. disagree, how we forgive. And the model

  466. for all of that is Jesus. Paul knows

  467. this kind of love can sound idealistic,

  468. even unrealistic,

  469. especially when we're in relationships

  470. that feel strained or or places where

  471. trust feels wounded. So he doesn't leave

  472. us as a church with just a theory. He

  473. grounds everything in an actual person.

  474. He says, "In your relationships with one

  475. another, have the same mindset as Jesus

  476. Christ." Now, that sentence is doing a

  477. lot of work. Paul doesn't say try harder

  478. to be nice. He doesn't say avoid

  479. conflict at all costs. He doesn't even

  480. say we should love people in a general

  481. way. He says think the way Jesus thinks

  482. when you're with each other. So if we

  483. want to know what relationships shaped

  484. by Christ actually look like, we don't

  485. start with techniques. We don't start

  486. with rules. We look to Jesus. And then

  487. Paul pulls back the curtain on who Jesus

  488. is and how he chose to relate. Paul says

  489. who being in very nature God did not

  490. consider equality with God something to

  491. be used to his own advantage. I mean

  492. Jesus had power but he didn't cling to

  493. that power. He had authority but he

  494. didn't leverage it to protect himself.

  495. He had status but he refused to use his

  496. status as a shield or as a weapon. Jesus

  497. never asked what can I get away with or

  498. how do I maintain control here or how do

  499. I make sure I end up on top. Instead

  500. Paul says rather he made himself nothing

  501. taking the very nature of a servant. Now

  502. that does not mean that Jesus became

  503. weak or insignificant.

  504. It means that he chose downward

  505. mobility. He willingly stepped out of

  506. privilege in heaven and into proximity

  507. with us. He moved towards people instead

  508. of standing above them. Jesus did not

  509. enter a relationship asking what am I

  510. owed or what do I deserve after

  511. everything I have done or who needs to

  512. acknowledge my authority. He entered

  513. saying how can I love? How can I serve?

  514. How can I bring life here? And then Paul

  515. takes it all the way to the cross.

  516. He continued by saying he humbled

  517. himself by becoming obedient to death,

  518. even death on a cross.

  519. That is not symbolic humility. That is

  520. costly obedience. That is a love that

  521. absorbs pain instead of passing the pain

  522. along. You see, the cross is the

  523. clearest picture of what love looks like

  524. when Jesus is at the center. Not

  525. dominance, not control, not emotional

  526. withdrawal, not quiet resentment.

  527. Self-giving love that chooses

  528. faithfulness even if it costs us deeply.

  529. Remember we never look at a person who

  530. Jesus didn't die for and that is what it

  531. means to love like Jesus.

  532. Question is do we love like that?

  533. Because if that's the mindset of Christ

  534. then relationships shaped by Christ will

  535. often feel like surrender before they

  536. feel like victory. They will involve

  537. letting go of the need to win. They will

  538. require laying down the right to be

  539. understood first. They will ask us to

  540. trust God with outcomes that are out of

  541. our control.

  542. But the cross also reminds us that

  543. surrender

  544. when we surrender to Christ, it's never

  545. wasted. Because the same Jesus that

  546. humbled himself was also the one that

  547. God lifted up. Because love that looks

  548. like Jesus may feel costly in the

  549. moment, but it's that same love that God

  550. uses to bring resurrection, to bring

  551. healing, and to bring new life into

  552. those situations.

  553. That's the model we're called to follow.

  554. So why is it so difficult for us? Well,

  555. because that love is beautiful, but that

  556. love is also extremely difficult.

  557. Because patience, man, that sometimes

  558. wears thin. kindness runs out.

  559. Forgiveness feels unfair. Humility feels

  560. risky. Which is why Paul doesn't just

  561. give us a vision. Paul gives us daily

  562. practices that we can do to put on a

  563. Christlike character. In Colossians 3,

  564. Paul shifts his language. He says,

  565. "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy

  566. and dearly loved." Sometimes we read

  567. over that phrase to get to the next

  568. verse. But that phrase is important

  569. because it tells us before we receive

  570. any instruction. We are actually given

  571. our identity. So we don't love like

  572. Jesus to earn God's love. We love like

  573. Jesus because we already have God's

  574. love. And Paul goes on to tell us to

  575. clothe ourselves with compassion,

  576. kindness, humility, gentleness, and

  577. patience. That word clothe means these

  578. are not feelings we wait for. These are

  579. choices that we make. How many of you

  580. know sometimes compassion comes easily,

  581. right? It's easy to show compassion

  582. sometimes. How many of you know other

  583. days it's like putting on a stiff

  584. jacket, but we still choose to put it on

  585. because we know it's important to do.

  586. Paul continues and says, "Bear with each

  587. other and forgive one another. If any of

  588. you have a has a grievance against

  589. someone, to bear with someone means

  590. staying present. It means refusing to

  591. reduce that person to their worst moment

  592. and choosing faithfulness over

  593. frustration.

  594. And then the standard that we all strive

  595. for, forgive as the Lord forgave you.

  596. Not because the other person deserves

  597. it. We didn't deserve it. But because we

  598. have received it already from God, we

  599. should pass it on to others. And then

  600. Paul says, "Over all these virtues, put

  601. on love, which binds them together in

  602. perfect unity." Love is kind of the coat

  603. that goes over everything else. Because

  604. without love, patience just becomes

  605. tolerance.

  606. Without love, humility becomes

  607. indifference. Without love, forgiveness

  608. becomes avoidance.

  609. But with love, relationships begin to

  610. reflect Jesus. So what does that look

  611. like for us in real life? Because that

  612. kind of love was not meant to be lived

  613. out in theory. It shouldn't only stay in

  614. sermons or Bible studies or in our

  615. thought process. It needs to meet us in

  616. those ordinary moments, in those

  617. conversations that catch us offguard, in

  618. those disagreements that really hit a

  619. nerve, in relationships where the old

  620. pattern is easy and the new one, well,

  621. we don't really want to do that because

  622. it's really pretty costly.

  623. It looks like listening when everything

  624. inside us wants to interrupt. Not

  625. because we don't have a point, but

  626. because the other person is more

  627. important than us proving our point. It

  628. looks like staying curious instead of

  629. defensive. Asking a question like, "Help

  630. me understand

  631. what you're feeling. Instead of trying

  632. to immediately explain while we are

  633. right." It looks like telling the truth

  634. without trying to wound. Speaking

  635. honestly without using words as weapons,

  636. speaking truth without cruelty. Choosing

  637. faithfulness over force. It looks like

  638. choosing repair instead of being right.

  639. Letting go of the satisfaction of

  640. winning the argument in order to protect

  641. the relationship. Recognizing that being

  642. right can still cost us something that

  643. we were actually never meant to lose.

  644. And then the big one, it looks like

  645. absorbing the pain instead of passing it

  646. on. Interrupting the cycle where hurt

  647. creates more hurt. deciding that the

  648. pain stops with us, even if that feels

  649. unfair. And in those moments, it often

  650. comes down to one quiet, spiritually led

  651. question that we ask ourselves in real

  652. time.

  653. How can I reflect Jesus in that moment?

  654. Not how do I protect myself, not how do

  655. I make them understand, not how do I

  656. come out looking good, but how do I

  657. remain faithful in that moment? Because

  658. following Jesus does not mean that we

  659. avoid tension. It means we face tension

  660. differently. It means we show up slower

  661. and softer and more intentional. We

  662. choose humility when pride feels

  663. justified. We choose grace when distance

  664. feels easier. And most of the time, no

  665. one's going to applaud us. There's not

  666. going to be some dramatic moment or

  667. instant resolution. But over time, that

  668. kind of love does something extremely

  669. powerful.

  670. It builds trust. It creates safety. It

  671. keeps relationships open when they could

  672. easily close. And that's what it looks

  673. like when Christ is not just believed

  674. in, but when it's also lived out. You

  675. see, at Christ Church, our mission is

  676. building inclusive community sharing

  677. Christ transforming love. That mission

  678. does not rise and fall on our programs.

  679. That mission does not rise and fall on

  680. our branding. That mission does not rise

  681. and fall on our schedules. That mission

  682. rises and falls on our relationships.

  683. Because the clearest picture that most

  684. people will have of who Jesus is is how

  685. we as Christians treat one another,

  686. especially when life gets hard. So, as

  687. we close up this whole series, here's

  688. the challenge. Who is God inviting us to

  689. see again in a new way? Not as a problem

  690. to fix, but as a person to love.

  691. Where is the spirit asking us to put on

  692. compassion and patience and humility,

  693. even if it feels unnatural and unfair?

  694. What would it look like to release

  695. control, let go of the need to win, and

  696. trust God with the outcome? Because real

  697. relationships that reflect Jesus are not

  698. built by perfect people. Real

  699. relationships that reflect Jesus are

  700. built by people who keep choosing love

  701. again and again and again and again.

  702. Let's pray. Lord, we are so grateful

  703. that you show us a kind of love that is

  704. like nothing we have ever seen or

  705. experienced or shown in our life

  706. as we receive that kind of love from

  707. you. May we be able to show that kind of

  708. love to others in the way that we

  709. relate. Whether it's in a marriage or in

  710. a parent child or in a work relationship

  711. or a friendship or relationships we have

  712. at church. When life throws curveballs,

  713. may we continue to show your love, not

  714. because we're perfect, but because we're

  715. showing what you've already shown to us.

  716. Thank you for loving us and thank you

  717. for giving us what we need to love

  718. others. We ask all this in your son's

  719. name. And everyone said, "Amen."

  720. Amen. As we move into a time of prayer

  721. in our worship service, I remind you uh

  722. what Matt mentioned earlier with the uh

  723. connect cards is that you have an

  724. opportunity through those to connect

  725. with our intercessory prayer team. If

  726. you're worshiping here uh in person, you

  727. can come up uh during the next song and

  728. deposit those in the bowls up here or

  729. return them in the when the ushers pass

  730. the um the plates in just a few moments.

  731. Um or at any time you can scan the QR

  732. code uh either on the back of the card

  733. or on the screen and you can connect and

  734. submit a prayer that way. um know that

  735. your prayers are cared for, your prayers

  736. are lifted up, your prayers um are

  737. prayed on your behalf to God.

  738. Let us go to God in prayer.

  739. Holy God, we thank you for this time of

  740. worship and this opportunity to come

  741. together to open our hearts to your love

  742. that in receiving we might share

  743. that in hearing your words

  744. and in hearing a message

  745. that we might receive that

  746. transformation. we might receive a

  747. moment and movement of your grace,

  748. God, in all of our relationships

  749. in every moment that we have the

  750. opportunity to.

  751. Let us share the love of Jesus Christ

  752. with those around us.

  753. Let us be transformed so that through us

  754. you might transform the world around us.

  755. And God, as we come to worship today,

  756. we bring prayer concerns. We bring

  757. situations on our hearts, in our

  758. families, in our communities

  759. that we ask your presence and your grace

  760. to be known.

  761. God, hear the names that we submit on

  762. our prayer cons our prayer cards

  763. that we hold in our hearts,

  764. the situations that we know are in need

  765. of transforming grace.

  766. And God, as we worship together, we join

  767. in prayer using the words that Jesus

  768. taught us to pray when we say, "Our

  769. Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be

  770. thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be

  771. done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give

  772. us this day our daily bread. And forgive

  773. us our trespasses as we forgive those

  774. who trespass against us. And lead us not

  775. into temptation, but deliver us from

  776. evil. For thine is the kingdom and the

  777. power and the glory forever. Amen.

  778. Well, as we continue in worship and as

  779. our ushers are preparing to receive our

  780. tithes and offerings, I just want to

  781. share some exciting things going on. If

  782. you haven't yet gotten your pancake

  783. breakfast uh tickets for the Bethl Park

  784. Upper Slair Rotary uh fundraiser that

  785. benefits our prime time adult daycare,

  786. you can do so in the community square

  787. following worship this week. This

  788. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. It's hard to

  789. believe that we are already coming into

  790. Lent. Uh we will be offering communion

  791. and ashes uh throughout the day from

  792. 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the sanctuary.

  793. You can just drop by and you can receive

  794. both of those uh things. And then we

  795. have a service at 7:00 where you can

  796. also receive communion and ashes as

  797. well. We still have our Wednesday night

  798. dinner. Um that happens from 5 until

  799. 6:30. It's a waffle bar this week. So

  800. you can sign up for the dinner and you

  801. can also sign your kids up for an

  802. awesome class called What is Lent? They

  803. can go to the class while you go to the

  804. service. It's an awesome opportunity for

  805. them to learn what Lent is all about. I

  806. invite you to uh look at everything we

  807. have going on at christumc.net/news

  808. /news and sign up for what you need to

  809. sign up for. As we tell you every week,

  810. we are grateful for your generosity.

  811. This week, I want to share with you what

  812. your generosity has done when it comes

  813. to the Wade in the Water Capital

  814. campaign. We kicked that off in July.

  815. Our goal was to pay off our line of

  816. credit, pay off the loan that we owe as

  817. fast as we can before they refinance it

  818. in the middle of February, which we are

  819. at right now, and then build a

  820. contingency fund for things that are

  821. going on in the church as it continues

  822. to age. I want to share with you that

  823. because of your generosity, we have been

  824. able to pay off $187,000

  825. line of credit and we've been able to

  826. pay off almost $422,000

  827. to our principal beyond what we've been

  828. paying in interest and all of that as

  829. well for a total of about $69,000

  830. to put us on the right track to get paid

  831. off of everything that we owe. It's

  832. awesome. Thank you for your generosity.

  833. uh keep it coming because we want to get

  834. rid of that debt and build our

  835. contingency fund. But without your

  836. generosity, we could not do what God has

  837. called us to do. And for that, I say

  838. thank you and I invite you to join me as

  839. we pray for our offering this morning.

  840. Lord, we are so grateful for all that

  841. you have given to us. And now, as we

  842. give back to you a portion of what you

  843. have given to us, we ask that you would

  844. take it and use it and multiply it for

  845. the work that needs to continue in this

  846. world. We ask all of this in your son's

  847. name. Amen. Ushers, would you come

  848. Narrow as the road may seem,

  849. I'll follow where your spirit leads,

  850. broken as my life may be.

  851. I will give you every peace.

  852. I hear

  853. you call.

  854. I am

  855. available.

  856. I say

  857. yes Lord

  858. I am

  859. available.

  860. Here I am with open hands

  861. counting on your grace again.

  862. Less of me and more of you.

  863. I just want to see you move.

  864. I hear

  865. you call.

  866. I am

  867. the

  868. Lord.

  869. I say

  870. yes Lord.

  871. I am

  872. the will of all.

  873. I hear

  874. you.

  875. I am

  876. the

  877. world.

  878. I say

  879. yes Lord

  880. I am

  881. Here

  882. I am.

  883. Here I am.

  884. You can have it all. You can have it

  885. all. Here I am.

  886. Here I am.

  887. You can have it all. You can have it

  888. all. Here I am.

  889. Here I am.

  890. You can have it all. You can have it

  891. all. Here I am.

  892. Here I am.

  893. You can have it all. Yeah. Heat.

  894. Yeah. Heat.

  895. Yeah.

  896. Heat.

  897. You're the one who gave me life.

  898. Nothing is a sacrifice.

  899. Use me how you want to, God.

  900. Have you thrown within my heart?

  901. I hear

  902. you call.

  903. I am

  904. available.

  905. I say

  906. yes Lord

  907. I am

  908. available.

  909. Heat. Heat.

  910. For I spoke of you singing over me.

  911. You've been so so good to me

  912. before I took a breath. You breathe your

  913. life in me.

  914. You've been so so kind

  915. to me.

  916. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  917. How's your f still your love for me?

  918. You been so so close to me.

  919. Heat. Heat.

  920. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  921. Yeah.

  922. Heat.

  923. Heat. Heat.

  924. Yeah.

  925. Heat.

  926. There's no shadow you won't light up.

  927. Mountain you won't climb up. Coming

  928. after me.

  929. There's no wall you won't kick down.

  930. Light you won't tear down. Coming after

  931. me.

  932. So sh

  933. me

  934. Yeah. Heat.

  935. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  936. We are the overwhelming

  937. neverending

  938. reckless

  939. he

  940. Please

  941. As we go from this place, may we receive

  942. that reckless love that God offers to us

  943. and then may we show that same kind of

  944. love in the relationships we have in our

  945. life. Amen. Go in God's love.

  946. Heat. Heat. Heat.

  947. Heat. Heat.

  948. Oh,

  949. heat.