Home Campaign: Trust

Well, again, let me say good morning to all of you.

I'm delighted that we can be here together, delighted that we can gather and worship,

and in particular today, kind of remember why we're here.

You know, 14 years ago, we started this church, and when we started the church, we made a

commitment, and that commitment was to love the people in the city of Washington, D.C.

long-term, which by long-term, we mean long-term, multi-generational, right, until Jesus comes

again, as long as the Lord would have us here.

And so today, one of the things that's happening is we are relaunching the home campaign.

We feel that this is the time in the life of our church where we need to find a permanent

home so that we can make good on that long-term commitment.

And we're going to be hearing a little bit more about that later in the service, but

I just want to say this is a huge opportunity for us.

It's a huge opportunity for us.

This is the first time that our church has been through anything like this.

We've really never done anything like this before.

And as I thought about and prayed about this time in the life of our church, which I have

for many, many, many hours of time in prayer, thinking and pondering what this might be in

the life of our church, I would say this.

My greatest hope is not necessarily that we would get a building, although that's certainly

a hope of mine.

But my greatest hope is that this would be a time of tremendous spiritual growth for us,

that this would be a time where we come together as a community and we grow, and in particular,

we learn more about what it means to trust God, because it's the kind of thing that's

going to require an enormous amount of trust.

And so that's what I've really been praying, and in particular, that we would trust God when

it comes to our finances, because this is going to be the single biggest financial decision

we've ever made as a community.

So what we're going to be doing for the next few weeks in light of that and our desire to

grow through this process is to be talking a little bit about stewardship and about how

we think about our finances individually and as a community.

And it's important that we do this because, honestly, in the history of our church, we haven't

really done it all that much.

I mean, I could probably count on one hand the number of times that we have specifically

preached on this topic.

And so we're going to be focusing on that for the next few weeks.

Jesus actually talks more about wealth than almost any other topic.

Just take all the topics that, you know, the kind of more hot-button topics like sex or

heaven or hell.

Jesus talks way more about wealth than any of those other topics.

And one of the reasons, I think, is because the relationship that we have with our stuff is

kind of a spiritual barometer.

It reflects the state of our hearts.

And actually, this week in Luke chapter 2, we're going to see this encounter between

Luke 2 · chapter mention

Jesus and a man who, we might say, has a dysfunctional relationship with his stuff, with his wealth.

And so we're going to see how Jesus responds to this man and what it looks like to have a

healthy, godly relationship with our wealth.

Now, you may hear this and think, well, you know, this doesn't really apply to me because

I'm not really actually that wealthy, you know, so I'm going to kind of tune out.

But what we have to understand is Jesus is teaching a group of people who, by almost every standard,

are dirt poor.

Jesus' original audience in this text is made up mostly of people who are living hands-to-mouth,

right, who may own one additional set of clothing other than what they're wearing.

So, if this would apply to them, certainly I think it would apply to us, at least to me.

So, what we're going to see as we look at Luke chapter 2 is three things.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

We're going to see the symptoms of a dysfunctional relationship with our stuff.

How do we know?

Then we're going to see the underlying source or cause of the dysfunction.

And then finally, we're going to look at the cure, the way out, the way into a healthier

relationship with our stuff.

So, symptoms cause cure.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that You're a God who is here, who is living

inactive, who speaks to us.

And Lord, I know that when I hear a topic like this, there's a part of me that recoils.

I don't want to know.

I don't want to hear what You have to say.

And I confess that to You.

And I pray that despite that, Lord, that You would speak words of healing, words of truth,

words of goodness, words of grace, that You would invite us to open our hearts and minds

to what You have to say to us this morning.

I pray this for all of us, Lord.

We all need You this morning in one way or another.

We pray this in Your Son's name.

Amen.

So, first of all, the symptoms of a dysfunctional relationship with our stuff.

The first thing that we see as we begin to dig into this passage, beginning in verse 13,

is that a dysfunctional relationship with money often results in strained relationships.

It stresses our relationships.

It causes tension in our relationships.

This whole scene is set off when a man comes up to Jesus while he's in the middle of teaching

and he interrupts him.

And he says in verse 13,

Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.

Now, you can understand, you know, Jesus is teaching and this man is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay,

you can do that later.

This is more important.

I want you to tell my brother to give me what he owes me.

So, this guy's father has probably recently died and instead of grieving,

he's fighting with his siblings over the inheritance.

And, you know, I've known a number of families who have gone through this very thing.

Some sort of wealthy, older, previous generation person passes away

and the entire focus isn't on grieving the death and the loss and coming together in that.

The entire focus is who's going to get what, you know?

And sometimes it's not just a big inheritance.

Sometimes it's like who's going to get that antique armoire?

You know, grandma always said that I was her favorite and I was going to get the antique dining room set

and now you get it, right?

This happens all the time.

And so, it strains our relationships.

You know, money is the number one issue that married couples fight about.

It's probably not a surprise to most of you.

It's definitely been an issue in our marriage

as two people come together and try to figure out how to share expenses

and how to combine accounts and how to prioritize spending

and how to save and where to invest.

And it causes lots of tension.

I've also seen money come between roommates.

When, you know, there's bills aren't getting paid

and you got one person who's super responsible

and they're always on top of paying the bills

and the other person's, you know, always supposed to Venmo their share

but they never do it.

You know, and you have to remind them like 15 times.

It comes between friendships, right?

I see it dividing friends when some start to make more than others.

You know, you graduate from college and you're all kind of at the same level

and then after graduation over the next like 10, 15, 20 years

like some people go into investment banking

and other people go into like non-profit work, you know?

And there starts to be this divide

and then you've got some friends who were like

they go out to eat like six nights a week

and they're always going to like the new place in town.

And you got the other person who's like barely able to pay their bills, you know?

And they want to hang out but they just can't

because they start moving in different circles, right?

Because of that income split, right?

So it causes tension in friendships.

And, you know, dysfunctional relationships with wealth

lead to all kinds of injustice

and much of that we see right here in our city.

You know, a lot of the wealth disparity is very clearly,

you can draw lines on the DC map, right?

Between wealthy and poor depending on where people live

and those lines are there for a reason, right?

There are systemic causes for that disparity.

It also leads to overconsumption and waste

so it hurts our relationship with the world itself.

Our dysfunctional relationship with wealth

causes all kinds of relational tension.

So if that's true for you, if you're like,

man, this has caused stress in some of my relationships,

maybe you have a dysfunctional relationship with your wealth.

So that's the first thing, strained relationships.

The second thing we see is down in verse 22.

Another symptom, excessive anxiety.

Excessive anxiety.

Verse 22, Jesus says,

therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.

Why does he say that?

Because most of us are anxious about our lives.

He says, don't be anxious about what you're going to eat.

About your body.

What you'll put on.

How much time do you spend worrying about your finances?

It's a good question to reflect on.

How much time do you spend worrying about financial security?

Let me put it another way.

How much does the desire for financial security and stability

drive your decision making?

You know, and if you're hearing this and you're like,

I don't really spend all that much time worrying about my money.

Let me put it yet another way.

Do your financial priorities reflect God's heart

or do they reflect a desire for financial security?

Right?

At the end of the day,

if a friend that you knew and you were close to

was in dire financial need,

would you dip into your retirement account

to help them out?

Right?

Where are your priorities?

Right?

It's something we're thinking.

I don't think I worry about that that much.

Maybe not, but maybe, yeah, maybe you do.

So, excessive anxiety.

Number three, another symptom is what we might think of

as a scarcity mentality.

Scarcity mentality.

We live with a scarcity mentality.

Verse 29,

And do not seek what you are to eat

and what you are to drink, nor be worried.

For all the nations of the world seek after these things.

And we need to understand the phrase seek after

means a kind of single-minded pursuit.

What Jesus is saying is,

don't focus exclusively on worrying

whether or not you're going to have enough.

And that's a scarcity mentality.

A scarcity mentality means we get so focused

on what we don't have

that we begin to lose sight of what we do have.

And we become so focused on what we're afraid

of lacking in the future

that we're oblivious to all of the abundance around us.

And one of the key ways that you know

that you have a scarcity mentality

is that all of your life is lived on zero-sum terms.

You know, your loss is my gain.

My loss is your gain.

That's a scarcity mentality.

So, people with a scarcity mentality

tend to compare themselves to other people constantly.

You know, your friend gets promoted.

And you feel threatened by that.

And so, you have to mentally tear them down

or undercut them in order to feel less threatened by that.

Well, they only got that because they're the favorite.

They only got that because they're constantly kissing up.

Or, you know, they didn't earn it.

You know, if it had been me, I would have deserved it.

That's scarcity mentality.

People with a scarcity mentality

tend to hoard their possessions.

They tend to, not like the show hoarders,

but just kind of, you know, but maybe.

But they tend to kind of hold on to their stuff.

They tend to be stingy.

You know, people with a scarcity mentality

tend to be stingy with their money,

with their stuff, with their time.

People with a scarcity mentality

tend to struggle with perpetual discontentment

because you're always focusing on what you lack

and what other people have.

And if it just had this or that or this or that,

then, right, that's a scarcity mentality.

And Jesus says, you know,

this is the way of the nations.

And what he's saying is, you know,

this is how most people live.

And guess what?

When he says the nations,

he's talking about people who don't believe in God.

So another way of saying it is,

he says, this is how atheists live.

This is how agnostics live.

You know, this is how people

who completely reject the idea of God,

this is how they live.

And his point is, and you believe in God,

you have a special relationship with God,

and yet you're living the same way.

Right?

That's an interesting point Jesus is making.

It probably stung for them to hear that.

Right?

So just to kind of pull this together,

if money has ever put strain or stress

on any of your relationships,

friends, family, roommates, spouse,

if money leads to excessive anxiety

and you begin to realize,

I actually prioritize my financial decisions

to gain stability rather than to reflect

what God might be calling me to do,

if money tends to drive you to live

with a scarcity mentality,

perpetual discontentment,

constant comparison, zero-sum mentality,

chances are you have a dysfunctional relationship

with your stuff.

Now, what's the cause of this dysfunction?

Where is it rooted?

Jesus responds to the man in the crowd

by saying this,

man, who made me a judge over you?

And I love that because it's kind of ironic.

In one sense, Jesus is the judge over him.

He's the judge over all creation.

But what he's saying is,

you want me to adjudicate, right,

this conflict in your life,

but that's not what you really need.

And Jesus, as always,

is after this man's heart.

He's like, what you think you need

is your share of the inheritance.

But then he goes for the heart.

Says in verse 15,

take care and be on your guard

against all,

which means every form of,

all covetousness.

For one's life does not consist

in the abundance of his possessions.

And here's where we see the root of this, right?

What's the root cause of dysfunction

when it comes to the relationship

we have with our stuff?

Jesus names it.

It's what the Bible calls covetousness.

And he says,

be on guard against every form of covetousness.

So what this man really needs

is not more money,

it's a different relationship with money.

He needs the entire dynamic changed.

The cause of his dysfunction

is covetousness, as we said,

which is essentially

an inordinate desire

for material things.

Or, put it another way,

an inordinate focus on material things.

Now, sometimes that takes the form of greed.

You know, often you hear the word covetous

and you think of a greedy person.

Now, sometimes that's true.

Sometimes it's, you know,

wanting more money or nicer things.

Sometimes, though,

covetousness takes the form of envy.

It's not so much that I want, like,

you know, this much more money in my account.

I just want more money than him.

You know?

I want a better job than her.

You know, I want a nicer car than those people.

You know, I want a nicer house.

You know, you get your house

and you love your house

and then you go have dinner

at your friend's house.

And then you're like,

I don't like my house anymore.

I need a better house.

Right?

And this is how it works.

Sometimes covetousness takes the form of fear.

Right?

Covetousness can manifest as a constant fear

of not having enough,

a fear of running out.

But however it manifests itself,

the lie under all forms of covetousness is this.

Here's the lie of covetousness.

If I just had more,

then I would arrive.

It's like just over the horizon is satisfaction.

And I'm almost there.

It's like a carrot.

And if I could just get a little more,

if I could just have a little more,

then I will arrive.

Then I'll be okay.

Then I'll be content.

Then I won't want anymore.

If I could just get to here,

then I'll be okay.

That's kind of the lie.

And it just, like a carrot,

it just keeps us going and going and going and going.

You know?

It's like when you're hiking

and you think you get to the top of the mountain

and you come over that hill

and then there's just more trail and more hill.

And you're like, oh.

And then you just keep going, right?

And every time you think you're at the top,

it's like, nah, man, you're just getting started.

Keep climbing.

And that's what covetousness says.

Keep climbing.

You're almost there.

Keep climbing, baby.

You're almost there.

Right?

So this is the source.

So then the question becomes,

what do we do about it?

You know, because we could be idealistic

and say get rid of everything,

but the truth is we need some stuff.

We need some stuff.

We value hospitality.

It's nice to have a home to invite people into

if you value hospitality.

We need a place to live.

We need food.

We need clothing.

Most of you couldn't do your jobs.

I probably couldn't do my job

without a computer and a phone of some kind.

So we need some stuff.

So how do we deal with this?

You can't live in the world without any possessions.

And I would argue that I don't think

there's anywhere in Scripture

that tells us to live in the world

without any possessions.

So what we need is what this man needs.

We need a different relationship with our stuff.

So the cure for our dysfunction

is as we look at this text,

we begin to see where Jesus is pointing our hearts.

And it's essentially this,

that we have to find a way

to change the relationship that we have with our stuff.

And in this passage,

that means at least three things.

Number one,

we have to begin to recognize the truth about our wealth,

recognize the truth about our stuff.

This man who has interrupted Jesus,

who wants his inheritance,

he believes that if he gets more of that inheritance,

then he's going to arrive and be satisfied.

He'll be at the top of the wealth mountain,

and he won't need any more.

And so Jesus responds to this man

by telling a parable about another man

who finally does arrive.

He's like,

let me tell you about a guy

who got where you want to get.

He finally arrived.

Rich man had a great year.

This is the parable.

He ends up with more than he ever knew what to do with.

You can imagine the guy with the inheritance

being like,

that would be so amazing.

I want to be that guy, right?

And so what does this man in the parable decide to do?

Well, he decides to build bigger barns.

He essentially adds to his already bulging retirement account.

He just adds to it.

And he decides that when he looks at his retirement account,

when he looks at the stock market

and everything's trending in the right direction,

he's like,

I can retire early.

And so that's what he does.

And listen to how this man perceives all of his stuff.

In verse 17,

and he thought to himself,

what shall I do?

For I have nowhere to store my crops.

And he said,

I will do this.

I will tear down my barns and build larger ones.

And there I will store all my grain and my goods.

And I will say to my soul,

soul,

you have ample goods laid up for many years.

Relax,

eat,

drink,

be merry.

And you can see the emphasis that Luke is putting in that passage.

Me,

me,

me,

my,

my,

my,

my.

Have you ever seen Brian Regan,

the me monster?

Just Google it.

He's a comedian.

It's hysterical.

Me,

me,

me,

me.

This,

this is that guy.

It's me.

It's mine.

My barns,

my stuff.

And,

you know,

we laugh.

And I love that,

that bit from Brian Regan.

I think it's funny.

And,

and you kind of can sneer at this guy a bit.

But how many of us see our stuff that way?

I mean,

you know,

if I'm totally honest,

I know I do.

And this is really a seed of covetousness,

and this is what Jesus is getting at.

The seed of covetousness is,

this is,

you're living under the illusion that all this stuff belongs to you.

And this parable shatters that illusion like a hammer striking a glass table.

Just bam.

Because God says,

fool.

God says that to you.

It's,

it's not good news.

Fool.

This night,

your soul will be required of you.

And all this stuff,

whose will it be then?

Right?

The truth is,

we're never going to arrive

because none of this stuff belongs to us.

We don't even own our own soul.

Everything,

even your body,

your soul,

belongs to God.

And ultimately,

He has the final word

in what we have

and receive

and what is ultimately taken away from us.

We don't have that kind of say.

And that's a hard truth to swallow,

but it can set us free.

Right?

So this is the first way to begin to gain,

come out of the dysfunction.

We begin to recognize the truth about our stuff.

It doesn't belong to us.

We're never going to arrive.

The second thing

is we begin to learn

how to rest

in God's abundant generosity.

We begin to rest

in God's abundant generosity.

This is where Jesus begins to say,

consider the ravens.

You know,

they're sitting there

and there are ravens,

probably,

and Jesus is pointing to them.

Consider the ravens over there.

They don't plant at all,

and yet God provides for them.

And then He says,

consider the lilies.

They neither toil nor spin,

and yet I tell you,

even Solomon in all His glory

was not arrayed like one of these.

They're more beautiful,

these lilies,

than Solomon ever was.

Now, why the reference to Solomon?

You know, that's interesting.

For a long time,

I didn't pick up

on the significance of that.

But it's actually not by accident.

Solomon spent,

anybody remember,

how many years did Solomon spend

building the temple for God,

the dwelling place

for the Lord to honor God?

How long did he spend

building the temple?

It was seven years.

How long did Solomon spend

building his own house?

Thirteen years.

So how much more time

and energy and sweat

and money

do we pour into

our own security?

Do we pour into

our own lifestyle?

Over and above

the things that we pour

into what God is calling us

to be a part of.

Right?

So this reference

is very deliberate.

And Jesus is saying,

Solomon spent 13 years

building his house.

He only spent seven

building the Lord's house,

and yet,

this lily

growing here in the ground

on the side of the road

is more beautiful

than anything Solomon

ever did.

A scarcity mentality

focuses on what we don't have.

Jesus invites us

into an abundance mindset

where instead of focusing

on what we lack

or think we lack,

we focus on God's

abundant generosity

all around us.

Right?

We begin to notice

and to see the things

that God is doing

in our lives

and the ways He's blessing us

rather than the things

that we think we lack.

And when we begin

to do that,

we begin to understand

how worthy

and valuable

we are to Him.

Right?

So we begin to rest

in God's abundant generosity.

Number three,

way to kind of begin

to right this

dysfunctional relationship

with wealth

is that we begin

to actively cultivate

a lifestyle

of generosity.

Jesus says in verse 33,

sell your possessions,

give to the needy,

provide yourselves

with money bags

that do not grow old

with a treasure

in the heavens

that does not fail.

So He's saying

invest in things

that will last for eternity

rather than ending up

in a trash dump.

Right?

Invest in things

that are meant to last.

You know,

we live in a world

full of things

that have a kind of

engineered obsolescence.

You know,

they're made to break,

they're made to wear out.

Now,

Jesus says a lot of things

in the world are like this,

but not everything.

And in fact,

a lot of this world

is going to be remade.

It's going to be recreated.

And there are many things

in this world

that are meant

to last for eternity.

First and foremost,

human beings.

You're going to last forever.

The people around you

are going to last forever.

These bodies

were made for eternity.

Invest in things

that last.

Invest in things

that will extend

beyond a couple of years

before they become

obsolete.

What we begin to see

is that generosity,

the active aspect

of generosity,

not just thinking

I want to be generous,

but the act

of being generous,

begins to cure

covetousness

in our hearts

because generosity

and covetousness

can't coexist

in the heart.

Every time

you give something away,

it reminds you

that it was never yours

to begin with.

And over time,

those acts of giving

chip away.

They chip away

at that illusion

and that lie.

Right?

So it takes

this kind of active,

repetitive,

habitual generosity.

I know I've told

this story before,

but I've got to tell you

again,

this, you know,

Bill and Aida Spencer,

two of my professors

in seminary

and kind of,

you know,

they were sort of,

I really looked up

to them

as a young Christian

and I remember

this was in Massachusetts

and, you know,

we think it's cold here.

It gets pretty cold

in Massachusetts as well,

sometimes a little colder

than it was this morning.

And imagine living

in weather like this

and the long winters

up there,

living in a house

that's only heated

by a wood stove.

They lived in a house

together,

a tiny little house

that was only heated

by a wood stove.

They've both written books

and all this stuff,

conferences,

that's where they live.

And part of the reason

they lived that way

is because they had committed

when they first got married

to giving as sacrificially

as they could.

And when they started out,

they were students

and they couldn't do much

and so they'd try to give,

you know,

I don't know,

you know,

maybe six,

seven percent of,

because most of what

they were spending

was kind of borrowed

or whatever.

But slowly over time,

they began to increase it.

And when I met them

and was known to them,

they were at a point

where they were giving away

50 percent of everything

they brought in.

You know,

so their whole way

of thinking about tithing,

right,

was how can we increase?

How can we increase?

How can we increase?

And so they're living

in a house

as heated by a wood stove

in Massachusetts

because their goal,

their main priority

is to give away

50 percent of everything.

And they were saying,

hopefully in the next few years

we can get that up to 55 percent.

And I just remember thinking

as kind of a young student

living off loans

and couldn't even imagine

that kind of thing,

just being floored by that.

Generosity cures covetousness.

So,

for all of us

who have a dysfunctional

relationship

with our stuff,

and I would definitely

put myself in that camp,

we have to do

something

to right that dysfunction.

And Jesus says,

recognize that nothing

that you have

belongs to you.

It's all God's.

Rest in God's

abundant generosity,

which we see

all around us,

and cultivate a lifestyle

of generosity.

Convert that

into action,

right?

But there's still

something missing.

All of this requires

trust.

At the end of the day,

the real

$64,000 question,

do you trust God enough

to live this way?

Do you trust God enough

to be the owner

of your stuff?

Do you trust God enough

to begin to cultivate

a lifestyle of generosity,

giving things away

that you may never get back?

All of this boils down

to this question,

do I trust God?

Verse 32,

we begin to see

this answer

to this fundamental question

of how do I know

I can trust God?

How do I know?

He says,

fear not,

little flock,

for it is your Father's

good pleasure

to give you

the kingdom.

Now,

earlier he said,

seek the kingdom.

Now he's saying,

but don't worry,

God,

God,

it's his great delight

to give you the kingdom.

Now,

what's that pointing us to?

How could God

take people like us

who have a dysfunctional

relationship with wealth,

who don't trust him,

who live with a scarcity

mentality,

who constantly envy

one another

and compare ourselves

and live this kind of

discontented,

anxious,

fearful lifestyle?

How could God

take people like that

and say,

here's the kingdom,

it's all yours?

Jesus Christ,

to whom

all things belong,

Jesus Christ,

who is the owner

of all things,

willingly gave it all up

and died on the cross

so that God

could give us a place

in his kingdom.

And this right here

is the greatest act

of generosity

in history.

It's not something

that we do for God.

The ultimate act

of generosity

is something that God

has already done

for us

on the cross.

And what this does

in your heart

is this,

if God has freely

and joyfully

given his son,

and if he has freely

and joyfully given

everything necessary

to invite us in

so that we can live

with him

for all of eternity,

how can we not

trust him

to give us

what we need

in this life?

Right?

If he's given us

everything for eternity,

how can I not trust

that he's going to

take care of me

over the next few weeks?

It's all about trust.

You know,

my oldest son

is a great swimmer now,

but I remember

teaching him how to swim.

And we did it in a lake.

And I remember

I was in the water

and there was this dock

and I remember him

coming out on the dock

in his little bathing suit

and he's there,

you know,

kind of shivering

on the dock.

And I held out my arms

and I said,

okay, now I'm going

to count to three

and I want you to jump

and I'm going to catch you.

And he's like,

okay.

And I go,

okay, one, two, three.

And he just stands there

and I say,

I say,

okay,

let's try that again.

One, two, three.

And he's just,

and I said,

hey man,

you know,

you want to jump in?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Do you trust me?

Oh yeah, yeah.

You trust that I'm going

to catch you?

Yeah, dad,

I trust you, dad.

You sure?

So when you jump,

you know that I'm going

to, as soon as you hit

the water,

your head's not even

going to go

and I'm going to grab you.

Yeah, dad,

I trust you,

I trust you.

Are you ready to jump?

And he's like,

nah,

I don't think so.

Right?

And there's that gap

between saying

you trust somebody

and actually coming

off the dot.

And I would say,

I think trust

doesn't really become

trust until you let

go of the dot.

At some point,

you can say it

all you want,

but at some point

you've got to let go.

And then you're

going to find out.

Then you're going

to find out,

is he going to catch

me or not?

That's when

it becomes trust.

And I think a lot

of us are like that

in our lives.

I've been reflecting

on this.

And,

you know,

I wonder how much

of my life

I am clinging

to the dot.

You know,

and God is sort

of sitting there

in this ocean

of blessing

saying,

come on,

I got you.

And I'm clinging

to the dot.

And I'm praying,

I trust you,

I trust you,

I trust you,

but I'm not

really letting

go.

You know,

I think we want

to trust God,

we love the idea

of trusting God,

but at some point

we've got to let go.

And,

you know,

as we,

I think,

think about this

home campaign,

this image has been

coming into my mind

because I think

in many ways

our church is sort

of standing

on the dock

right now.

You know,

we're like,

man,

we have never

done anything

like this,

we've never

taken a risk

like this,

we've never

made a financial

decision even

close to this.

We've got to

figure out

how long

we're going to

stand on the dock

and at one point

are we going to

let go as a community

and trust that God's

got us,

that He's going to

continue to provide

for us the way He

has for 14 years

since we started

in a living room.

And you know,

14 years ago,

as I said at the

beginning,

we made this

commitment to love

the people of D.C.

long term

for multiple

generations.

and what I've

been amazed at

is to see how

many people

over those 14

years came to

D.C.,

started coming

to Advent

and they thought,

you know,

maybe I'll be

in D.C.

for two,

three,

four years

until the end

of my internship

or the end of,

you know,

the next administration

or something like

that and then

they end up

changing their

plans,

they end up

passing up

job opportunities

to stay

because they feel

God calling them

to make that

commitment.

And I've been

amazed and humbled

by that.

And so,

those people

have decided,

many people

over the years

have decided

to put down

roots.

Now it's time

for our church

to put down

roots.

Now it's time

for us to find

a permanent

home,

which means a

space that we

don't only use

on Sundays

for worship,

but a space

that we use

seven days a

week,

right,

for ministry

to serve

the community

around us,

for discipleship

and formation,

a space that

not only meets

our needs,

but a space

that can be used

to serve

the surrounding

community in

all kinds of

ways.

You know,

as I said,

it's going to be

the biggest

financial decision

we've ever made,

and now we're

sort of standing

on the dock,

and we're looking

at this God

who has provided

for us faithfully

for 14 years,

and we have to

decide,

are we going to

keep clinging

to the dock,

or are we going

to trust God,

let go,

and dive in?

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank

you for your word,

and we thank you

for your provision,

and we thank you

ultimately for the

cross.

And Lord,

as we look to

the cross,

we see not some

requirement that we

have to meet,

not some standard

that we have to

live up to,

Lord,

not some amount

that we have to be

willing to sacrifice

for you.

We see an

unfathomable,

incalculable sacrifice

that you made for us.

Lord,

and I pray that

whatever we do,

and however we move

forward from this day,

I pray that the

wellspring of our

generosity would be

the cross.

I pray that would

be the place where

that living water

pours into us,

and soothes our

fear and anxiety,

and fills us with

trust.

And I pray that

every time we're

tempted to doubt

you, you would

turn our eyes to

the cross and

remind us again

what kind of God

you really are.

We pray this in

your Son's holy name.

Amen.

Amen.