A Deeper Understanding of Divine Favor and Love

Welcome to the First Love Church podcast.

This is a collection of Sunday teachings inspired by the revised common lectionary and recorded weekly in Ocala, florida.

So the Christ in us greets the Christ in you, and I remind you of this incredible, powerful truth that in every situation you are loved.

There is nothing that you can do to outrun God's love and His affection for you.

And so, as we gather together, we remind you that love is here, belonging is already here, peace is here with us this morning, and we're grateful that you're with us.

Amen, we missed you.

But it was sure nice to get away and it was beautiful over there.

But it's funny like it sure takes a lot of effort to go on vacation, doesn't it?

So I get the lure of staying at home, but it was packed in an airplane like a sardine for nine and a half hours.

That's tough, but it was such beautiful.

God has made such a beautiful.

He did a good job on this planet there's abundance everywhere.

When you were mentioning that, I wasn't going to start right on the trip there, but I want to tell you something that happened to us.

We had gone to this Caldy Island and it's a beautiful island that has been, since 1100, been occupied by just this small, very committed group of monks and they offer prayers every single day and they offer communion and they offer worship, and so you can physically, tangibly, kind of sense this holy that is in this place, and so it's very.

It's again.

It's an island, it's in the middle of the ocean and we're walking what felt like uphill for miles and we saw other travelers coming downhill and they were there and we're like, is there good stuff ahead?

I was hopeful, I mean, it was beautiful anyway, but I'm like, why are we hiking around this?

We've heard this like incredible stuff.

And he goes.

I don't know if you should ask me.

He goes, I'm from here, it's no big deal, nothing's a big deal.

Well, we walked about another mile and I cannot tell you, the most glorious scene appeared before us the ocean and these cliffs and the birds were there, and it was incredible.

And I started laughing and I said look at this guy.

He deserves no praise at all, because he's like I live here, nothing to see here.

And so I'm thinking how many times we do this in our lives?

Somebody comes up and says is there something good?

And we're like, nothing to see here.

I'm used to this.

And so we need each other to come and say this is what I've seen, this is what I've tasted, this is what I know, there's glory and abundance all around us, and so, as faithful testimony of what God is and what love can do and its power to restore us, and so I invite you this morning to be faithful travelers, to be pilgrims who will say there is good stuff around the bend, keep walking.

There is good things to be held, keep walking, and there's hope for us in learning that through the other, that we may see things that we forget to glory in.

There was just one spot, just where she's talking about there, and we were able to kind of walk down and the hill was kind of sloped, not too bad, and then there would be the sheer drop off of God knows how many 20, 30 stories, I don't know, and then you could still hear the ocean crashing.

And so we climbed over this grass, and this grass was the weirdest grass I've ever seen in my life, because it was like this thick and you can hardly step through.

It was like walking on your bed.

Yeah, it was like with the covers all messed up, and so we got to a spot and we just plopped down in it and just laid in this grass.

It was like God, you even made it comfortable.

It was so amazing just to sit there and drink in that beauty, and it does something to your soul to be able to look at beauty and know that God created that and it's just something.

I felt so connected, so grateful, and so I really encourage you to go.

You could drive 45 minutes from here and stare at the ocean and it is just.

It's moving what God has done and His creation, and I think we need, as humans, we need to be recharged by that from time to time, and I know that I feel that way and I believe Heather does as a result of that.

So thank you for letting us go away and keeping the place going while we were gone, and we thank you for everything you did.

Pastor Ligia, I watched your communion and it was amazing.

It was beautiful.

Thank you, what a wonderful job you did, and so I'm grateful to the band for handling and just everything that went on.

Thank you for everything you do.

We love you.

Spirit of generosity.

We come to you this morning with hearts overflowing with gratitude for your abundant creation and, as we awaken each morning, help us to remember that each day is a gift, each breath is a grace, this life a wonder, and remind us, with every flower we see, every act of kindness, every moment of connection, that there is something so much bigger than ourselves To whisper thank you, to cultivate in us a sense of awe and to trust in your lavish grace.

Let each word of thanks we utter expand our hearts and our delight as we begin to know that love is our only sustenance.

Amen.

This is a season of the beginning of autumn, and in this season we're invited into surrender but also into harvest.

And in this season of the year we recognize that winter is coming, that there is going to be a time where death meets us, not just us, but all of creation.

But there is then a promise of spring, and so, as we pay attention to the cycles that are happening in nature around us, it invites us to pay attention to the cycles that are happening in us, the interior places that we're invited into in love, and there is so much beauty and so much hope in the transforming power of Christ and in love.

But I invite you over this next few weeks.

We don't want to wait until the end of September to say let's practice gratitude, but let's find ways to be grateful, to notice small things, to call out small things and to practice this beauty of remembrance and the practice of seeing.

When we're going to get into the Advent season and it's a long way away I know we're still in ordinary time here, but Advent really calls us to see, to look, to allow our eyes to be opened, and sometimes we need the other, we need something else to come to us.

We live in a land where there's flowers all the time, and sometimes we miss them because they become so, we're so used to it.

And sometimes we miss the power of love's transformation because we've seen it or were jaded to it, and so by calling out its name, by paying attention to that, may love stir us and draw us further.

In Romans, chapter 14, the liturgy this week is really giving us some beautiful information on what it looks like to be the people of God.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

So much of the Second Testament that we read reminds us of this.

What is it like to love one another?

What is it like to give reverence to one another.

In fact, when we read the scripture this morning, there was a call for us, out of reverence for Christ, be reverent to the people around you.

Sometimes the people around you may not deserve your reverence but they do.

If you recognize what I do, I do because of reverence for Christ and what that could do to actually change us.

Romans, chapter 14,.

Romans 14 · chapter mention

Accept other believers who are weak in the faith and don't argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.

Boy beloved, we could have a whole lot of peace in the world if we would just do this one verse, if we would just remember that's not our work.

There are three types of work.

Byron Katie has beautiful information on this.

If you haven't read her book, acknowledge that it might be very helpful.

But there are only three types of work in the world my work, your work and God's work.

And much of the suffering that we encounter is because I'm busy doing your work or I'm meddling with God's work, and we have to understand.

My job is knowing what is my work, what am I to do?

And let me tell you that we have enough work ourselves.

That'll keep us busy if you stay working on yourself, and this is an invitation for us to accept other believers, to accept other people, and this is hope for us in this, for instance, I love that Paul gives this If one person believes it's all right to eat anything, but another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't, and those who don't eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

You know these verses, don't miss the importance of what God has given us today to study, because you'll find that most of the conflicts that you'll have with your spirituality will be with other Christians, because they're convinced that their way is the right way and, just out of a fear for your soul, they're gonna try to fix you, and so this is not something that just happened and we were not made prepared for it.

Like today, we can actually prepare for this and see that God has knew that this kind of thing would happen, and so he's given us some direction on this.

You know, and it's so, I don't know such a part of us, our humanity, that when we have this knowledge of what is right, we wanna just go fix other people and to have that little piece of truth in you that you know what it's not.

You know, I just checked my hands and real quick, and I've got no nail piercings.

My side is free from the spear of the guard.

I'm not Christ, and so it's not my job to save the world.

I'm just to be a witness, a light, an example of Him, and so there's a freedom there for you to not have to go correct and then understand when someone's coming to you with that, oftentimes it's just out of fear and oftentimes it's a genuine concern.

And so, even though it's a little much at times, I think sometimes we can not that it's okay for anyone to Bible beat you, you know, hit you over the head with it.

We do understand that people, their intention is for good.

So sometimes I can, you know, maybe look at that with a little bit more grace than just become so angry with how I'm being treated or my friends are being treated because of their erroneous beliefs.

Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don't, who don't eat certain foods, must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

This verse may lack some of the weight of the first century Christians, because you were known to be a Jew by what you ate, what you stayed away from, what you didn't participate in, what you didn't have on your table.

And so Paul is reminding us of what Jesus said to us A little bit later.

Paul says I'm convinced that there's nothing wrong with any food, and there are people who still want to be known by this.

But Jesus said this is how my people will be known by their love, not by what food they abstain from, not by what they do or don't do.

And there's an invitation for all of us not to look for what is right or wrong, but to look for life, to look at the tree of life where the Holy Spirit gives us this radical inclusion to say this is what it looks like to be God's family.

So there is work that has to be done if you feel like you have more liberties, and there's work that has to be done if you feel like a conviction keeps you reined in tighter.

But there's a hope in all of this and I remind you that this idea.

Sometimes we can hear Paul's words of weak or strong and say, well then, there's one category I want to be in.

But I remind you that the trouble that Jesus got into over and over again was he was eating with the wrong people.

He invited the wrong people to his table and he went to the wrong people's table, and so if we're really going to be followers of Jesus, it's going to look like saying we understand that love is the rule, that grace is what allows us to be together and there's hope for us in that.

Who are you to condemn someone else's servants?

Who am I to condemn someone else's servants?

You remember Jesus who said do not judge.

And he said this is why take the plank out of your own eye first before you start doing surgery on the sliver in your brother's eye.

You allow love to transform you.

Their master will judge whether they stand or fall and with the Lord's help they will stand and receive his approval.

I loved that part of that verse that let God decide whether someone's gonna stand or fall, but with the Lord's help they will stand In the same way.

Some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think that every day is alike.

You should each be fully convinced that whatever day you choose is acceptable.

What here's the hope for us?

Can I just use a different mic?

That'd be great.

I would love that All right, I don't wanna distract everyone.

Can I use this?

You know, while you're doing that, I was just it's white at the bottom.

Oh sure, that's good.

Well now you did it so quick.

I can't do my thing, you can't do your thing.

No, it's okay, I can't fight us with you.

I can't remember what it was.

I was waiting so long.

In the same day in the same way.

Some think one day is more holy than another, While everyone think each day is alike.

You should each be fully convinced that whatever day you choose is acceptable.

There's a lot of choice here.

This is what it's like to follow spirit.

We have choices beloved.

It is not a one and done kind of thing, it's a now you're part of the family.

Let's act like love.

Let's learn this beautiful act of transformational love and allow people to experience their journey and their Christ, just as you have been allowed.

You know, I think too it affects us with our focus, because if your focus is on not eating certain things, then once we've accomplished that, we feel like we've accomplished our spirituality.

So that becomes the goal, the focus, the attention, when really it's the love of God that draws men to repentance.

It was the love of God that you were void of, that you were desperate of that you were lacking.

That is really making the difference in your relationship, not whether you ate shellfish or not, it's that love, you know.

So if you can maybe go ahead and have a bacon sandwich once in a while, If your heart tells you that to be yeah and because bacon's so good.

How can it be wrong?

I'll tell you, let's start the talk, but here's the thing you know we could focus.

Well, you know, I denied myself these things, but we missed the kindness that we could bring to someone else.

So you follow what I'm saying.

Maybe you know, don't allow yourself, with your Christian walk, to get so focused on these rules.

And that's what happens.

And I think we set around and, with good intention, we read scriptures and oh, you know, I see that there and we start piling these doctrines on people, you know.

So we have to be real careful to understand that those are created by man, Doctrines are from man and so, fundamentally, there's likely to be corruption in them, misunderstanding, and so what we wanna do is kind of strip that stuff back and find out what is the simple path, and it's gonna be to be kind, to be loving, to be generous.

Amen, Thank you.

And those are the things that if we could focus our emphasis on, that, it's gonna make a difference, or we're gonna be distracted by, you know, how we cut our hair, or where we kneel and pray, what direction and what time of the day.

Reading an autobiography of Ruth Graham Bell and in part of it they were explaining this event that happened, and Ruth Graham Bell is the wife of Billy Graham, thank you.

And so there is this.

She has quite a bit of in their heyday, quite a bit of celebrity, or people wanted to get with her.

So they had all these women from another country be able to have a lunch, all these pastors' wives, and they got Ruth there and these other pastors from Germany and from other places were there and they sat around a table to eat together.

And the pastors there from Germany were so offended at Ruth because she had very fashionable clothes on and had mascara and had makeup on, and these women were so upset, so upset that they were visibly crying into their beers.

And Ruth was upset because there's Christian women and they were there drinking beer, and so it depends, you know.

So there's.

I just I laughed so hard when I was reading this, like I'm offended at your mascara and now I'm offended at your beer that you're weeping over because you feel so bad for me.

And so there's a hope for this.

You know, enjoy your mascara and your beer and whatever you have like.

Let's celebrate the presence of unity, and there's grace for us in hearing this truth that Paul is saying.

Listen, I know we used to be known by what divides us, but, beloved unity is what unites us, and what unites us is love.

That love has come for us and Jesus tells us how to live.

And here's for many of us.

We're looking for certainty because we want safety.

So much of our life has turmoil and pain and we want to know what is right, because we want to be safe but beloved.

We are not invited into certainty.

We're invited into mystery.

We're invited into the life of God's own spirit.

We're invited to come and hang out around the tree of life, life that is good and full of abundance and invites us to enjoy the harvest of surrender.

There is hope for us this morning in allowing the spirit to give correction to us in how we would live for each other.

Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him.

Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating.

And those who refuse to eat certain food also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God, for we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves Beloved.

This is the mark of community.

It is not about us, it is about we.

It is about who we are together as the body of Christ.

You know, I got to go to Switzerland, I think in 15 or 16, and I was hosted by this church and we went to several different churches over there in Switzerland and it was just a really amazing because all the mission trips I'd ever went on were kind of like the third world and real poor and so this country's way richer than we are and so to be.

It was just a mind-blowing experience.

But then the churches were real sparse and real dry and it was just amazing the reception that I got in the ministry and I was there like 15 or 16 days and I remember the day before the end there I said to one of the guys that was taking me around I said I notice that every time we go eat and we go out places that you don't have a pint, and I was heard over here people drink and he goes.

Well, knowing the American Christian Church, I've, you know, abstained and I said so you would have wanted a drink with dinner.

And he goes oh, absolutely, I have a beer with every meal, you know.

And so I said, well, you know the meal's not over, order yourself a pint.

And he goes, well, you have one and I really, you know.

So, all right, fine, I did, because I mean, for me it's like the beer is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

It's not desirable to me, but he wanted me to, so I did.

And you know that, that act, that willingness for me to come off my high horse and for him to be able to just enjoy.

You know, we began to talk about things and really the truth is in that country there's far less alcoholism than there is in America, percentage-wise.

And I think it is oftentimes when we make such a big deal about stuff that this thing, whatever it is, that you can't get near, everybody's curious about getting near.

And when you know the children just have a drink or whatever, and then they're taught the responsibility and the respect.

And so you know, and it's funny too when I was over there in Switzerland, if you see a chubby person, they're from America.

You can just go talk to them.

They're gonna be able to.

You know, everyone there is very thin and I think it's because McDonald's like a quarter pounder or whatever they call it, a Royal, which is like $26 for a meal.

You know the burger.

So apparently they're not eating the junk food.

But I digress, but it was just very interesting that I honestly in that last few moments got deeper and closer with that person in a spiritual connection, by something very, very carnal, but to not make that the emphasis like somehow God's gonna be pleased if we never do that and we miss the heart and the relationship and the connection that we could have with other people that are different from us.

Christ died and rose again for this very purpose to be the Lord of both the living and the dead.

So why do you condemn another believer?

Why do you look down on another believer?

Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, of God, for the scriptures say as surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bend to me and every tongue will declare allegiance, praise to God.

In another translation you might be used to it being said that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess to the glory of God, the Father.

I was thinking about that the other day and also thinking about being in love.

And then I was thinking about the fact that maybe when we meet God, truly meet Him, truly see Him, that our knees will buckle in love, that it won't be an authoritarian, you must bow.

It would be overwhelmed by love that much.

And then, from that place of overwhelm, we would joyfully declare Jesus is Lord.

Our allegiance goes to God, our good Father.

But there's an invitation for all of us and how we view the command.

Yes, one day every knee will bow, but I am prone to believe that it will be out of love.

When we see how we are loved by love itself.

There will be a humbling for us.

Each of us will give a personal account to God.

Thank you, I like this.

It's comforting to me.

Beloved, there will be justice.

Beloved, not everyone gets away with everything.

That's not what we're talking about.

But we're talking about a face-to-face encounter with love and allowing Jesus, who is God, who sits at the right hand of the Father, ever making intercession for us to sort it out, because have you ever hurt someone unintentionally?

I have, I have, and not everyone's intentions are personal toward us, and there is grace, but there is an accountability and we're going to let Jesus sort all of that out.

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You know, in that personal Verse 12, that's talking about that personal account is really important for us to connect with.

You know.

Well, I did what my parents said to do, or I did what the pastor recommended, because there's really an importance of your personal convictions and not somebody else's.

We talked about the person that would have a beer or whatever.

Now, if you know that alcoholism runs in your family and you've had years of addiction that caused you to go to dark places and now you're free from that, well then obviously in that place for you there's a personal conviction, there's a personal direction that God has given you.

But what oftentimes then people do is they go dump that on everyone else.

You know, because I can't ever have a drink again, I want to make sure this is a dry church, you know what I mean, and so and carry that into so many different places where people struggle.

You know, and I've had people say things and meddle in areas that they do not belong, and God never intended to use scriptures taken out of context, bent and manipulated, to try to enforce the most cockamamie things in people's lives.

And yeah, maybe for you there, you know, for me, I don't know why over the past six months, god has completely taken away the desire for me to watch any TV.

I just kept shortening my cable or the dish thing until now.

I just don't want it.

But if I would ever stand in this pulpit saying, you know how you become more godly or, god forbid, more like me, this is what you need to do.

That's the beauty of a relationship with God.

Like you know, for me, I just, I loved, loved, loved watching sports.

And now the idea of just somebody's kid going out there and straining his muscles and going in the limp in the rest of his life, just so I could be entertained, just isn't attractive to me.

And I don't want to rain on anyone's parade.

If you want to go watch the Green Bay, then God bless you, you know, but that's the thing that we have to be able to have.

How can we then have?

Can Paschalee and I have community anymore?

Yes, absolutely.

His wife said yes Before.

His wife just said yes, that's how we're doing it, and so just see that that there might be a thing that God's showing you or somebody else, and if they're trying to heap that on you, you know you can listen with grace.

Oh, that's great for you, buddy, but I'm going to go home and you know exactly, and to God be the glory, you know.

So see that in this, that that's really what it inspires a personal connection where, where you were for you, it's probably best that you would do these things, and so God leads us in a direction or for a season, you know.

I think one of the things that we're also reminded of is we're invited into personal relationship, but personal relationship has effect on the people around us.

What I personally do, or what I personally partake in or don't partake in, can be unloving to the people around us.

So this scripture reminds us that we are to be sensitive, we are to cultivate an awareness.

How is how I'm living hurting a brother or a sister?

How is what I'm doing actually bringing someone closer to love and to the Holy Spirit?

That is inviting us to learn how to listen to rhythms that maybe we are uncomfortable with.

I know and am convinced that, on the authority of Jesus, please remind yourself for a minute that Paul considered himself a Pharisee of the Pharisees.

He was trained in Judaism, he knew what foods to abstain from, he knew how not to become defiled, and now here he's reminding these people.

I know, and I'm convinced, on the authority of the Lord Jesus, now, listen, that was different than the authority of the First Testament, of the Torah, that he studied and knew.

That Testament told him that it was very important not to eat certain foods.

And now Paul is saying listen, I'm convinced, on the authority of our Lord Jesus, that no food in and of itself is wrong to eat, but if someone believes it's wrong, then for that person it is wrong.

And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it.

Do not take your vegan friends to the barbecue to talk about Jesus.

Find another place and you can go to the barbecue.

But I mean there's going to be a fight going on.

If you have some vegan friends because they are passionate, god bless them.

God bless them and may it all work out for them and for the earth.

But there's a hope for us.

It's the practical thing of saying what does it look like for a community to stay together but to honor each other's differences, for us to honor the way that someone else is following God?

You know, there's such a blessing in this Because, you know, my daughter, for really health reasons, is a vegetarian, and so oftentimes she has to, kind of like, have the salad when we have the meals or whatever.

And so when we go out I always ask her what place she would like to go, because she has places that she can get wonderful meals, and one of her favorite places to go is the Indian restaurant here in town, and so when she was here and she wanted to go out to eat, that's where her and I would go, and then I would always go.

You order for us and just order everything that you want, and I'll try the different things.

And so for me, you know, being a meditarian or whatever, you know, to imagine just the idea of not having a meal with me just was just weird to me before, you know, and going out with her, I've experienced the most wonderful flavors and experiences, you know, and it's different from me, and so it expands me, it expands my heart and it's all for me, motivated just 100% out of love, not out of my stomach, because my stomach wanted to go to the barbecue, and so you, by making those this is just kind of a metaphor, isn't it?

And it's really kind of like of making that sacrifice for people and you'll find wonderful flavors and you'll find blessing in there you did not know existed, because we kind of have this track of the way that we're going to do things and so allowing God to show us how to love different the different is a beautiful move of God in your life.

And this portion of text is important for us to remember because very often we come and we're saying now we're part of God's family, but we've grown up.

We have families of origin that told us different ways of living, and when we get together we remind ourselves as God's family.

We don't do things that offend or hurt or ostracize anyone else.

Don't let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

You have this liberty.

Enjoy it, honor it, but don't make someone else pay for it.

That's what this is saying.

You take your things, your work that you and Jesus need to figure out, and allow Jesus to figure out those things with them.

Then you will not be criticized for doing something that you believe is good.

He didn't say that is good.

He didn't make a big thing.

This is your belief.

Do it, follow spirit, but do not put that on someone else.

Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.

And that's the thing, that, why we have to kind of look at, sometimes, family of origin.

If our families have brought us up in a spiritual path or their version of a spiritual path, that we do have to observe whether or not maybe some of their ideas are put in there.

And I could tell you honestly that I wouldn't say that to criticize your parents.

It's amazing to me how my kids come to Heather and I and confront some things that we do within this church and they don't do it in a rebellious, mean way, but just in a kind way or just even in asking of questions.

You know why would we do it?

And it's forced, Heather and I, to go back to the drawing board in some areas and go.

Why did that get handed to us?

We never considered it.

And so a lot of times we do that with things about our family.

I mean, I remember the time when I started youth pastoring.

Man, it was a thing if a boy came into a church service and had a hat on, people were losing their minds.

I mean it was like shut down the whole thing, you know.

And even recently Thomas was in Bible school.

I don't know recently, it's been like 10 years or something, but we were over there in Tulsa.

It's relative, it's relative I brought him there like the first and like we're in church, and somebody walked up to Thomas like so you're going to be, do you have no other clothes besides those jeans?

And he's like wait, wait, yeah, what?

Well, because, yeah, next week we don't expect.

And they weren't like people.

This is some random person that walked up and decided to tell Tom that I'm not getting the story perfectly right, but basically what happened?

No, yes, it was weird.

Yeah, and that person I mean just, you know, for whatever reason they were raised that man.

That's how you honor God and we're just so offended at you not honoring God because, you know, look at Pastor Lee over there and his rebellious attitude with or he's just keeping his head warm you know, but.

But you know, those things have obviously ran their course, maybe in the church, over the past 30 years or whatever.

But what else are we still maybe hanging on to?

That is just that same way where we're offended at someone else or we're holding ourselves to something, that is just a thing.

That's good.

They're good for nothing.

But you thought it was good.

For the kid.

I think that ultimately, that probably started out of respect.

People tip that war hats and tipped their hats or took their hat off of respect, and so it was almost a demand for respect.

But again I remind you, beloved, that in the presence of love, respect looks very different for many people.

Can I interject that you and I were at St David's Church in Wales last Sunday?

His, no, the cathedral.

That's important.

This place was unbelievable.

But the most disrespectful thing was the women with their giant hats, so I couldn't see.

And I'm tall, that's not true.

What?

was disrespectful is we had already been walking and I had running shoes on and this cathedral was amazing and these people were dressed beyond the nines.

It was unbelievable.

What is the thing?

It was tips and tails, tops and tails, tops and tails, not boots and buttons.

They were the one guy looked like Napoleon.

The usher's wore tails.

They were ushing you in and they had full tails on and they had the hat like from the Civil War or something you know, the trike.

They did.

It looked like a pirate and we're in here, like you know, jeans and ooh, we had been walking and we had been, but we came with intention, but you couldn't see from the giant hats though.

We were walking with intention to worship, and to worship together with other believers, and so I think this is what Paul is asking us Pay attention to your freedom and how it inspires freedom for other people as well, for the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Come on.

The realm of love invites us to hang very loosely to rules that we have and say what is the realm of love asking us to return to goodness?

Peace, joy, this hope this is what it looks like to be part of the family of God.

How are you inviting someone into joy?

How are you inviting someone into peace?

How are you living in goodness in these practices?

And I want to interject because I've been given Pashley a hard time about his hat wearing football heathen ways.

Honestly, there's never really been a rule that Pashley and Carol have handed to me that's helped me, but what has changed my life is watching their life of hospitality.

They've opened their homes, since I've known them, to countless people that lived in their home, and the way that they've joyfully flowed in that place of sharing Christ is just been a lifelong beacon to me of how to live.

And so isn't it interesting that I haven't been.

He hasn't set me down and taught me all the rules that I need to follow.

He simply lived a way that I have watched and desired, longed for, made me hungry for, you know, and so I want you to see that.

That.

What a life living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

That is the witness.

You know we think it's learning the Romans road and going out and beating someone over the head with the Bible, but I'm going to tell you something that I'm sure Pashley shared some cool scriptures with me, but I don't remember that in the way I've watched him be kind to Carol and serve her.

Those are the witnesses that you have the power to change lives, amen.

And that's why it's so important that together we gather at the table, because we can see the light in someone else, we can see the peace that they have.

We can allow this love to govern the good for all of us.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and of peace and of joy in the Holy Spirit.

We're invited into spirit, we're invited into hope.

We're gonna practice in a moment because we're gonna just prepare our hearts for Holy Communion.

But years ago we understood communion differently and it had a lot of rules with it, and the churches that we grew up in celebrated it like once a month.

And I can remember one time Lee and Kear were so gentle with us and they were like could there be more?

Is it possible that there's more?

And it wasn't a.

You know what?

You're really dumb because you don't understand the fullness of what it is.

Like me.

That is not how it was, but I'm wondering how many other things if our curiosity and our vulnerability could be gifted to someone, is it possible that there's more love?

Is it possible that we could expand our understanding of the realm of love that we're invited into?

And as I look around this morning, I am so grateful to be gathered in this place with believers who have gone down that road a long way, who have been faithful followers, but I'm also so full of joy for the young people that are gathered going.

Yes, this is a road we wanna travel, and here is what it looks like for us to be the family of God, where we remember it's not how we're different, but it is the same Lord.

It is Jesus who loves us and unites us.

And this call into real love, maybe if there's something that you have experienced, maybe if there's something delicious that you have tasted, instead of telling someone they shouldn't eat that or do that, maybe you could invite them into the symbolism that there's so much more, that there is this returning to the good, there is this expansion of our mind, so that we can say this is what Jesus meant when he said every time you do this, do this in remembrance of me.

So I will share one particular point of our travels that we were at.

I'm gonna go to the next verse first.

If you serve Christ with this attitude, what attitude?

It's none of your business.

Beloved is the attitude.

Jesus already said this to one of the disciples.

I'm not being crass.

Peter said Jesus was telling the disciples what was gonna be the end of them.

And Jesus said to Peter you're gonna go where you don't wanna go.

They're gonna take you by your hands.

It's gonna be bad.

And Peter looks to John and go.

What about John?

Is something bad gonna happen to him?

Cause I need to know that and you know what Jesus told him.

Don't worry about John.

In fact, don't worry if I let John live forever.

And I'm telling you beloved, this is the word of the Lord for all of us.

Don't worry about that.

Let them walk their walk.

You walk yours and you will be whatever light and truth and invitation to love.

If you serve Christ with this attitude, this is the attitude beloved, it's humility.

The attitude is humility.

The attitude is we don't judge somebody else's servant.

You will please God and others will approve of you too.

Love will be seen and there is hope for us in this good truth.

One of the days that we were there, we got to go to an abbey that was in absolute ruins but may have been the most majestic Just the ruins of this place had so much majesty, it was unbelievable.

And we were done and we had walked and hiked and spoken beautiful prayers so many of the times when we were away, beloved.

We sat in ancient churches and we sat in ruins and we sat on the edge of cliffs and we prayed for you and we remembered your names out loud in these places where people have been praying for thousands of years and there is hope in that itself.

But we got outside and we were walking back to the car and I became very cynical and I mocked and let me tell you, beloved, the Lord is dealing with me about that.

But there was a sign and the sign said we have luxury ice cream and I got cynical and I was like luxury ice cream?

Now, let me just tell you, I think ice cream itself is luxury.

So calling a luxury a luxury felt redundant and I was judging.

Now let me tell you what this place actually was.

It was a dairy owned by these particular people and they made ice cream with the cream from the cows, not the milk, and they didn't use any sugar, they used only local honey.

And then they took bits of the honeycomb and they mixed it in, so there were tiny bits of frozen honeycomb in this.

So let me just tell you that I judged incorrectly and I stand before the Lord and everyone else and say that I was wrong.

It was called, it was called.

It was called Welsh Gold and it was like we were eating and going Wait, don't go to, we did eat.

We did eat here, let me.

I want to tell you just my horror.

It gets worse.

It gets worse Because then I, dennis, was going to order and he goes what do you want us to?

I don't know.

I'm just going to go inside and find us a table, because I don't buy into their luxury ice cream.

It just seemed offensive and no one should be offended by ice cream we just got to get.

I mean, I have to get down of my whorehouse enough to not be offended by how you want to market your ice cream.

Call it luxury, whatever, go on with it.

This is a lesson for me.

So I'm sitting at a table, it's outside and there is a giant of a man and it seems to me that the people, particularly the men in Wales, are either my height or giants.

And I want to tell you this was one of the giants and he had a voice that was so booming.

I was uninterested in his conversation.

I mean, it's nice to hear in the background the Welsh language and all that stuff, but I was there, in my judgment, in this ridiculous luxury ice cream place, and it was outside and there were birds, beautiful birds everywhere, and I'm listening to this man talk, not because I intend to, but his voice is big and it's outside and he is eating ice cream, this luxury ice cream, with this woman that he is with.

And although this is not a picture, because I couldn't take a picture, I was at present.

In the moment I bring to you this little bird, is a European Robin and it is no bigger than my thumb and I cannot figure out how those legs hold up that little, tiny, fluffy bird.

But it is the tiniest little thing.

It almost looks like a bug.

I mean, it's not the size of a palmetto bug.

The palmetto bugs here are bigger than this bird, this tiny bird.

So I'm sitting looking outside in my again, my judgment and in my high horse-ness, you know, ridiculous the way people are marketing things and it's gross.

I see it and I repent of it.

But this man is sitting back and this tiny little bird hops onto their table and the woman says out loud, bold, bird, and the man pushes his chair back and he goes nah, she's loved.

She comes to this table expecting every good thing to be shared with her.

And then I repented, beloved, and then I recognized the horror and the sin of my ways and I thought here we are having communion.

Here is the man with the most incredible communion service I've ever heard, eating, enjoying an ice cream, and he said she comes to the table because she knows she's loved and she fully expects every good thing to be shared with her.

Beloved for whatever reason, if people have called you things or told you you don't belong at the communion table, you are loved and every good thing will be shared with you at this table.

So when Dennis came out with his ice cream there I am crying in repentance for my horror and I was thinking how often I miss good things.

And we did taste that ice cream and it was luxury.

It absolutely was.

There is no other words to say it.

Can I tell my side of the story?

Yes.

And it is that I said do you sure you don't want any ice cream?

And she says I don't want any luxury ice cream.

And then she had the move of God and I brought my ice cream out and I had to give her half of it.

Sometimes that happens at the communion table we share with each other.

We say taste and see that the Lord is good.

Sometimes it might cost you half of your Welsh gold.

But I remind all of us beloved, this is the spirit working among us.

And you come to this table because you're loved, because love heaped up a feast, because the spirit woos you, because your heart is broken, because our hearts are broken, because the world around us is broken, because we feel frail, we feel horrified at the things that happen around us, and sometimes the table is the only thing that unites us, this understanding.

We come not because we've earned it or because we have some kind of entitlement.

We come like this tiny bird, because we know we're loved and we know that every good thing will be shared with us.

This is the table of hospitality, this is the table of the Lord, this is the table of hope.

And so, before we go to the table this morning, I want to read to you the Beatitudes given to us from a pastor in Leeds, as he rewrote them for us and has.

Sometimes it's really important, in my opinion, to read things in a different translation that you normally read them in, so that you stop, maybe in different places.

And so these are the words of Jesus when liberator looked at the crowd, he went up to a mountain and sat down to encourage the people, and he opened his mouth to his followers and he said divine favor is on those who are battered and bruised by the storms of life.

To them belong the rule and reign of my Father.

Divine favor rests upon those whose trauma erupts into tears or disassociation, for they will know healing and comfort in the spirit.

Divine favor rests on those gentle wounded souls, for they will inherit a world of wonder.

Divine favor rests on those whose hearts burn for justice, for the world to be stripped of injustice, oppression and domination.

They will be filled, satisfied and made whole.

Divine favor rests on those filled with mercy and those who walk the path of righteousness, for they will behold the beauty of God.

Divine favor rests on those who seek to bring peace in a world of conflict.

They are the sons and the daughters that the Father always wanted.

Divine favor rests on those who seek to walk in kindness but are bullied, abused or mistreated.

To them belong the rule and the reign of my Father.

We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon.

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