Embracing Unity: Love and Community in Christ with Pastor Amy Kiefer

Know your stories and struggles and recognize the love.

So how special the love of God is in this church family this morning.

So as you're here, don't take it for granted that you can sit next to somebody

this week, next week, that you could tell the worst thing about you.

And do you know what they would do? They wouldn't go, oh my gosh.

They'd say, well, how can I help?

Like, what can I do to help? What can I pray for? God still sees you as beautiful,

even though you're struggling with that. That's a blessing.

You don't find that everywhere. It's a gift. So thank you everyone this morning

for showing up in that way that we can travel to a funeral in another church

and still be inspired and look forward to coming home and seeing all of your beautiful faces.

So thanks, Bri. I can always count on Brian for an amen.

Some people should follow that example because it is really encouraging when

you're like me and you're like, I got the microphone in my hand and I don't

know what to do with it. All right. So why is community important?

There's something sacred about the gathered people of God.

It's so beautiful. And David is another pastor at the church in D.C.

That we were at, and he shared and he was talking about, we sang the song,

Oh, How He Loves Us. Is it me or loves us? I don't actually know.

Me? Okay, cool. Us? Okay, He Loves Us.

And if you know that chorus, it's really, really simple. Oh, how he loves us.

Really deep, meaningful word. Oh, how he loves us over and over and over again.

And it was so funny. He mentioned he had been listening to it in his office

and it just kind of went by the wayside.

But when you sing those simple, very basic words that even Georgie could explain

to you at this point in her three-year-old life, there's something about being together.

The beauty of all of us lifting up our voices and bringing our hearts and our lives surrender to God.

It can't be replicated in isolation. We can have beautiful moments of one-on-one

time with God, and we need those to be refined, to grow, to know God's voice personally.

But you can't have on your own what we have here on a Sunday morning or what

you can even have in your small group.

There's something so beautiful about the echoing of God's praises or the reflection

of God back to us as we share through and to one another. Something divine happens.

And John 13, 1, and I don't have a PowerPoint, so you guys are going to have

to either look it up on your phone, write it down, or use your paper Bible,

or don't look it up at all and be a loser that doesn't care about God's Word.

So John 13, 1, if you don't have paper, grab your phone and write it down.

John 13, 1, Sid has it. I know he does. And I'm sorry for calling you losers if you don't have it.

God loves you. I love you, but you could do better.

All right. Sorry. Yeah. Anyway.

All right. John 13, 1. It was just before the Passover festival,

and this is the Last Supper, if you don't know.

Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

And then in verse 33, it says this, my children, I will be with you only a little longer.

You will look for me. And just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now,

where I am going, you cannot come.

And then verse 34, it says, a new command I give to you, love one another as

I have loved you. So you must love one another.

By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.

And it's so beautiful and heartbreaking that this is Jesus' last meal with his

inner circle, with his people that he's been on earth with.

And when we know Jesus and we know his heart, we know that he loved each and

every one of them so dearly because Jesus is love, the embodiment of God's love for us.

And what does he say in these last few moments? Not just like me,

don't be losers, read your Bible, pray every day.

He doesn't say things like that.

God, forgive me for calling you guys losers. Now I feel bad.

What does he say? In all this, he knows where he's going. This is the end.

A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you.

So you must love one another.

By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another

three times. Love one another.

That's so encouraging and so convicting because it's so easy to not love one

another and easy to love one another.

It's easy to not love you. It's easy to not love myself sometimes.

But we need to remember that Jesus, he tells us here as his last words here

on earth, some of his last words,

that other people that don't know Jesus are going to know Jesus because of the

way we love one another, because of the way we forgive one another,

we encourage one another, we take care of one another, all those things.

It's so important. And I want to tell you this morning, I'm not telling you

this because I think it's something we need to be better at.

I'm telling you this because I think you guys are doing it so well that every

single person in this room, I can mostly see your faces.

I probably need glasses for some of you in the back row,

but I can think of each of your faces and remember a time that you said something

or we were together and had a laugh or a cry, and I felt God's love either from you or for you.

That's the beauty of this church. It's so special. And I think it's easy when

you see it every day, just like husbands and wives or kids, we take for granted

the things that are just always there, as if they will always be.

Just like the disciples, they had a plan for Jesus that he would bring the kingdom

here on earth and he would bring them to deliverance in their final place.

And it wasn't like that. Jesus wasn't always with them.

What we have is precious in one another. It's a gift.

It's something that as we come to church every Sunday or we go to small group

or as we're praying for one another, that we need to remember and express gratitude

for the specialness, the beauty that it is.

And God has just been reminding me of that this week. So I am reminding you.

Jesus didn't retreat in this difficult moment, in this time where I think if

I was facing death, I probably would want to just, I don't want to talk to anybody.

I just want to be by myself, which Jesus did do in the garden eventually. We know that.

He didn't retreat, though he leaned in. He didn't demand comfort.

You guys need to get me this and that. This is my last few days.

I need to have the best grape juice and I need a pizza from wherever and I need

you to go get this and that and the other. He didn't demand comfort.

He offered his presence.

Sometimes, most times, that's the best thing we can do for one another is to

just be there, to listen, to pray, to support, to carry and bear one another's burdens.

In psalm 133 it says this how good and how pleasant it is when god's people live together unity,

It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron's beard, down on the collar of his robe.

In verse 3, it says, it is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion,

for there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

How good and how pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.

Unity is described as precious oil running down Aaron's beard.

It's symbolizing anointing, consecration in God's presence.

So when we're in unity, we don't have to wonder if God is going to do what he said he's going to do.

God commands a blessing on us as we gather in unity.

That's why it's so important that we honor the Sabbath Sunday morning, that we show up,

that we show up not just late or haphazardly and kind of just run in the door

after throwing on whatever we have in the closet or on the floor that morning.

Dress how you want. I'm not making judgments there. You get what I'm saying.

But that we come with intention, recognizing that we're coming to meet and hear

a word from the Lord through whoever is sharing,

that God's going to minister to us and break things off of our lives and bring

freedom as we gather on Sunday morning. It's not an if.

It's a when it happens on Sunday morning. There's blessing in our unity.

But unity takes intention.

It takes a communication. It takes an understanding and a choosing one another.

That we're choosing to walk together. Have you guys ever done a three-legged race in a field day?

I killed at the three-legged race. I don't know if my mom remembers this. It was fourth grade.

I practiced with my friend. I went down. We lived on Brotson Road.

I went to her house. We practiced the three-legged race in the yard.

I take these things seriously. If I'm given a job to do, I'm going to do it well.

So Ty, I had old pantyhose that we used as a rope so it would be a little stretchy and give.

We practiced the three-legged race like nobody's business.

My friend, it was like one, two, one, two. Did you ever do it?

One, two. It takes intention to be in a race with somebody like that.

That's what it takes for all of us. We need to be aware, watchful.

We need to be listening to the sermon so we know the direction that Pastor Josh

is leading us as God is leading our church.

We can't just kind of be out of rhythm and like, whatever, three-legged race,

you go that way, I'll go this way.

When we're in a race together, we have to be together.

We have to communicate, we have to listen.

That's what unity looks like. It takes listening. It takes intention.

So next Sunday when you come, come like you're coming to a three-legged race.

It's you. It's church. It's Jesus. We're all together, all of our family, and we're working.

We're looking for opportunities on how we can help one another run a good race.

I didn't yell at my friend. At least I don't remember it. We'd have to get her in here to ask her.

Kate dalky, if anybody's wondering, down the road.

When she fell or I fell, we just practiced some more and we got better at working together.

We can get better at this. Even though this is as amazing as I can imagine,

do you know we can get even better?

Like Pastor Josh says, he loved me more today than he did yesterday,

which is true because today he made me strawberry crepes, so I know that he loves me a lot today.

He did not do that yesterday, which

I wouldn't want him to. I would be so unhealthy if I ate that every day.

But we can grow in our love, in our relationships with one another.

Unity is not just pleasant. It's powerful. It invites the presence of God in

ways that isolation cannot.

I need you. You need me. Unfortunately, maybe you feel that way this morning.

We need each other for breakthrough and for growth.

And Matthew 18, it says, and also Matthew 18, write this down, Sid.

I'm not going to read the whole chapter. The whole chapter is great as far as

getting along, growing together, just becoming more like Jesus.

But I'm going to focus on 19 just so that I don't have to read a ton and make you guys fall asleep.

But Sid, you should read the whole chapter.

Again, truly, and this is Matthew 18, 19. Again, truly, I tell you that if two

of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them

by my Father in heaven, for where two or three gather in my name.

Sorry, guys, the cold situation is real.

Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them. What is lost?

And I'm reflecting on this myself, so this isn't me at you, this is me with you.

What opportunities have I lost because I came to church tired,

unprepared, or just like waiting for lunch while Pastor Josh was talking?

Like, what things did I miss? Because I took for granted this beautiful place,

this place of encounter that I've been coming to since I was 14,

almost 15 years old, that my life is so changed and so different from the person I was then.

Not that who I was then was bad, but that God has allowed me to grow and become.

That's what we do for one another. Where you are is where you are.

There's nothing wrong with it.

It's where God can meet you right now. He can't meet you in tomorrow or next

week. He can meet you where you are right now.

And that's where God wants to

grow us from. But what do we miss when we're late, when we're unprepared?

Some of the things that I say to myself, and I think because we're all human,

we probably say, I need to sleep in.

I just need to sleep in. Like, this is the one day.

Maybe if Sunday's the only day for you to sleep in, maybe we need to figure

out the work-life balance a little bit better.

And also, 10 o'clock is not that early.

And if y'all haven't noticed, we're starting to slide into a 1030 slot with the church time.

So I don't know what's going on, but please, Jesus, help us. I need more me time.

And sometimes that's true. But me time, this is the best place for you to bring

your me if you're tired, if you're in need of healing or encouragement.

You're not going to get it on your own. You might get like some good junk food

and junk TV that makes you feel relaxed, but it actually doesn't give you energy. Do you know that?

Watching TV, all these things that we do to numb the feelings that we don't

want to hear or feel, they will numb them for a while.

Substances can do this as well, but it doesn't actually bring healing or energy.

In the end, it takes from us.

I can guarantee you that if you come every Sunday and if you wanted to come

a little early and pray or just get in your right headspace,

grab a coffee from the back, maybe come and see if somebody else is here early

and looks like they're having a bad day and you could pray for them,

I guarantee you, you will get more than you give.

Okay, just a little side note. Also, another thing that we sometimes say that

robs us in situations like this is, I don't like that.

I don't really enjoy that worship song. Guess what? The worship song wasn't

for you. It was for Jesus.

I don't really like how they do this. I don't like that. I don't like fog.

I don't like lights. I don't like stained glass on windows. I don't like the chairs.

I don't like Pastor Amy because she's kind of hard sometimes,

but she smiles like it's nice and she's saying hard things. I don't know what to do.

All these things, our preferences, our preferences have to be let go for true

unity to be embodied. We all have them.

I like certain colors. If you ask Georgie, she asks, like, what's your favorite

color? It's black and it's green. And she asked me, like, it's going to change.

Like, I don't know if you have a little kid in your life. They ask you the same

question a million times.

I have heard why in the last several

months more times than I have thought possible. Why, why, why, why, why?

But our preferences, our whys don't matter when it comes to Jesus.

He is our why. Just like I said earlier, motherhood is a great and beautiful

calling, but following Jesus is the greatest.

And I can let my preferences go. You know, actually, the song this morning that

you sung, He's Faithful, I've hated that song.

For as long as they've sung it, I've hated that song. But here's the thing.

I actually have grown to like the song because they keep singing it.

And then I keep listening to the words and I'm like, why do I hate that? He's faithful?

Like, that's horrible. What kind of person hates that song?

And then the more I listen to it, I'm like, they're right. It's a good song.

I was wrong. I love that song now.

Do you see how our preference, it doesn't really matter. It's where we choose

to rest our hearts and our attention and our focus.

And because I love Lexi, even when I hated the song, I never ask her.

She wouldn't remember that I gave her a dirty look or like sat down during the song.

I still am in it to win it because we're a team.

I want you to encounter God every Sunday morning.

So every Sunday morning, I get up and I'm here most times early because a lot

of times I'm playing piano.

So if anybody has a gift of piano and wants to play more, like that'd be cool too.

Any of those things, guitar, drums, singers, sound people. There's a lot of

areas that you could serve in.

I don't know what else my mind just liked.

But you know what? When I get discouraged and I'm like, oh my God,

I just need to sleep in on a Sunday.

I see everybody else is getting here at 1030. I'd just like to sleep in once in a while.

I think, you know what? But it's a blessing to get to serve in God's house.

That David said, better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to

dwell in the tents of the wicked.

That I get to do this. That I get to be a part, a small part of your life,

of your relationship with Jesus, of seeing you grow and change and become more

and more. That's a blessing.

That's not just for me. That's not just for Pastor Josh or Pastors Bill and

Elaine who started the church or the elders or whoever's leading on a Sunday. That's for all of us.

We can be invested in each other that your success is my success,

that your failures and heartaches are mine.

It's so worthwhile to live that way. My world is so much bigger because do you know what?

When I'm having a bad day and you're having a good day, I can glory in God's

goodness in your life and the faithfulness that I see of God there that I know

you had bad days before too.

That's what we can do for one another over and over and over again.

Community and Pastor David, I actually don't know his last name.

He's at the New Song Church that I referenced earlier. He's a really,

really cool young guy, originally from Kenya.

And he said this, Community is the death of our personal dreams,

but the birthplace of God's greater dream.

And he's awesome. I don't know if they have a Facebook page that you guys can go back and listen to.

Like, just go listen to all the churches and our friends that you guys hear

us talking about over the years. If you're having a bad week,

go listen to all their sermons. They're so good.

And what's really cool is at their church, I guarantee if you go and listen,

it sounds the same thing as it does here.

All the sermons, it's like God is actually speaking to everyone everywhere all the time.

Like, what? That's so cool. All right. What does true community look like?

And Ephesians 4 is a great one for this.

And we're going to be Sid 4, 1 through 16.

And you guys are seeing me at my very ugliest where I have to wipe my nose over

and over again as a girl. This is just like not the look that you want to have on a Sunday morning.

So Ephesians 4, 1 through 16. And we're going to find out here in this passage

that unity and another little thing go together really, really well.

Do you want to know what it is? Maturity.

It's a really tough one though. It's really hard to be mature all the time.

And I don't think being mature means not having fun or being silly.

That's not what I'm talking about. Like turning into monks and nuns and we walk

around doing our fathers and like life sucks and we just like, just are very pious.

I don't mean maturity in that sense. So if you connect maturity with no fun,

not smiling, eating rice and beans every day, That's not maturity,

okay? You can still be you and be mature.

All right, verse one. As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a

life worthy of the calling you have received.

And each of us has a calling and a gift from God. That's not just for pastors or grownups.

That's for Sid and Scarlett, Olivia. She's in the back with the kids. I love her.

It's for all of us. We all have a calling. Verse two, be completely humble and gentle.

Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort, every effort. That means everything that you could possibly do.

Every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body in one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you

were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

Verse 7, but to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

And then we're going to skip down to verse 11.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,

the pastors, and the teachers to equip his people for works of service so that

the body of Christ may be built up,

verse 13, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the

Son of God and become mature,

attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Sorry for the sniffing, guys. I really do apologize. I know how annoying it

is. If you guys would truly pray for my nose to stop running, that would be great.

Then verse 14, then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the

waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning

and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Verse 15, instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every

respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is Christ.

From him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament

grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.

Every single one of us here has been given a gift.

Your life is a gift that God has given it to us to use it,

to spend it wisely, that someday all of us, just like Pastor David Dillon or

my dad or anybody that you've sat with on their deathbed, they're not thinking

about, God, I wish I had more money right now.

I wish that I was more successful.

They're grateful for their family, for their friends, for God that knows them

and loves them in their beginning and in their endings.

They're grateful for one moment, for one breath.

We need perspective so that we can run a good race, so that we can recognize

that the life that we're living, even if it's not your ideal life right now,

even if you're disappointed and hurt,

even if there's brokenness,

that this life is a gift and we get one.

There's not a do-over after this. This is it.

This is my 49th year.

I don't get year 49. You don't like repeat it if you didn't like it and try harder.

We get this Sunday, May, whatever it is. Sorry, I'm not the dates person,

if you guys aren't recognizing that already.

We get this one Sunday, May 11th of 2025. Got that one.

We don't get it again. This is your one opportunity.

Whoever you're sitting by this morning, look around the room.

These are your people that are here for us, that we're all here because we want

to know God and grow more in Him. This is our moment.

Let's not waste it with cheap living, with showing up unprepared.

Let's not waste it being condemned and not willing to show up as our whole self like Jesus.

He was present in hard moments.

He still chose to be present in his weakness, that we can present even that,

that we don't have to be phony or false in the face that we bring on a Sunday

morning, that we can bring our struggles,

our shame, our sickness,

our disappointments, and our joys and our triumphs to encourage one another—all of those things.

And one thing I love about this passage, all of the traits that are listed here,

there's seven of them, and Josh Racine would love this from the Bible podcast, people.

It's in Hebrew, the whole seven thing is like a really big deal.

So all of the traits, which Paul lists are seven, are communal in the way that they're lived.

And I'm going to go through them. There's one body.

There's one spirit. There's one new creation, one Lord, one confession,

one baptism, one God and Father of all.

That's what we're all a part of. Something that from the beginning of time,

from Jesus's time, that there's centuries of Christians,

that there's people that pastors Bill and Elaine know right now in Africa that

are worshiping Jesus and preaching some sort of sermon in some similar fashion,

hopefully without the runny nose.

And I have friends that I know are doing the same thing, that God's church is

so big and it's so beautiful, and we get to be a part of it.

This isn't a have to. This is a get to. We get to do this.

There was a time when I was really, really sick, and I had a doctor's appointment

right before we were going down to Virginia. Actually, it was, is it Amago Day?

Amago Day. I can never say the Latin stuff. Sorry, guys. I can barely speak English.

Amago Day was this conference that we were going to. It was a worship conference,

and Pastor Josh was sharing there, and I don't think I was doing anything.

I think I just had to like play piano, sing, and like wear cute clothes.

That was my job. Anyway, so I have to have this doctor's appointment.

I think it was like the day before we left, right?

And it was a really, really bad doctor's appointment. In retrospect,

the doctor did a really bad job communicating with me.

But basically, I had been going through a lot of ongoing health issues trying

to figure out what was going on.

And she did some tests and brought me in. And she's like, I just want to tell

you right now, your life, it's not going to be the same.

Like things aren't going to be the same. We don't know what it's going to look like for you.

And like kind of implying like possibility of death was on the table.

And it was like, what are we doing here?

Like, I thought this was like you have answers. I came with questions.

That's why we go to the doctor.

You can give me a medicine. We fix. We move on. And that was not my doctor's

appointment at all. And it was super scary.

And from that, we drive to Virginia. And when you go to guest speak at a conference,

I don't think they really most times want you to come and say,

like, our life is in the crapper.

Like, you know, they kind of want you to tell them, like, how to do life, not say you don't know.

It's not really, like, number one criteria as a guest speaker.

So Pastor Josh and I, I think we're in the parking lot or driving there.

I'm not sure which. He's better with details.

And he said, I don't know. I don't want to do this.

I don't want to go in there. I don't want to go in there and talk about God.

And I don't even know like what's happening.

And I was like, hon, you know what? We get to do this. We get to.

That even when things are bad or look bad or uncertain, we get to. We get to be with Jesus.

And that's such a beautiful thing that we take for granted both in our personal

lives and in this setting. We get to be with Jesus.

We get to talk about Jesus. We get to share Jesus. He's not something that is

a book that should be placed on a shelf and thought of fondly.

Like if anybody has those songs that are like core memory songs that every once

in a while you think of them and you're like, oh my gosh, I'm there. I'm 13 again.

That's not how Jesus is supposed to be. Every once in a while we remember him,

we're like, oh, he's awesome.

Jesus is a part of our daily minute by minute,

second by second, hour by hour, day by day living, to know Jesus and to make

him known, the greatest gift,

the living out in difficulty with others while realizing I am the difficult as well.

If we keep in mind that we are the difficult,

that we are the sometimes challenging, that I am the person that sometimes shoots

it too straight right to your face and you're like holy crap she said that and

then i look at your face and i'm like so sorry you're really good it's okay

i recognize that about myself i'm the difficult,

when we recognize that sometimes we don't get it right that even this morning

as i'm sharing i'm not hitting all of my points that even i laid out for myself

that i'm missing things but i'm doing my best.

But when we recognize that I'm the difficult, it makes it a lot easier to love the difficult in you.

I can be a lot more charitable when I recognize how awful I can sometimes be.

Be completely humble and gentle. This is verse 2.

Be patient, bearing with one another. Verse 3.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit, sorry for the sniffing,

through the bond of peace.

Every effort. everything that you can do.

I want to confess this morning that I sometimes haven't made every effort when you think of it.

And this isn't my words. This is just me telling you the scripture.

I wish he said, make a good effort. That would have been a little easier. Make your best effort.

Make every effort. Do all that you can to live in unity with one another.

And I was listening to this guy. I forget who it was.

I think it was Tim Mackey in Bible Project, because I did like a ton of studying

and like downloading and listening and trying to prepare myself as best I could.

And he was talking about aspen trees.

I did not know this, and I love trees. I'm a very nature-y person, outdoorsy.

Aspen trees all come from the same mother root ball. Like genetically, they're identical.

Every single one of them. Is that not amazing? So when you see a whole forest

of aspen trees together, they're literally genetically the exact same.

Now, they're not uniform because life happens to aspen trees just like it does

to us. So one tree might get hit with more wind.

One tree might get more sun or more water. So they grow differently.

But they're completely in unity. And I love that picture of the body of Christ.

We don't all look the same. We're not uniform. We're not robots.

God functions differently in each and every one of us, but we're from the same root ball.

We're from the same Jesus, that genetically, we are all brothers and sisters.

That's such a beautiful thought, and it makes it a lot easier for me to love

you and appreciate the differences that are in you that complement the differences that are on me.

I saw this. This is random, but I saw a reel. I think it was on Facebook.

Jesus can talk to you for reals. So anyway, it was this lady singing the song,

is it Yellow, right, by Coldplay?

She did a totally different rendition. This lady was like a music teacher and

she was on, I forget what show to do her voice thing.

But she was there and her story was so cool because she had been singing,

she said, for forever with her family and just never thought she was good enough to sing for herself.

So she did the next best thing, which people say, if you can't do, you go and you teach.

So she taught music to kids and gave voice lessons and helped them.

And she would always tell them, she said, get out of your comfort zone,

take risks, do hard things, try. You never know what can happen.

And she said one day she realized, like, I need to take my own advice.

I never try hard things. I teach because I felt like I couldn't do.

I didn't have the confidence.

So she goes on the show. And this is not me telling you, like, go on reality shows.

Like, that's not the point of this. If that's what you're getting,

like, pray about it. Seek God first. Talk to your parents or an elder or somebody.

But she goes on the show and she sings this version of the song Yellow.

If you've heard it, it's a very specific song.

It's like a stylized song, the way it's presented. As all of us as creators

of art do, we present our music in a way that suits our style or our voice.

She sang it completely different.

And I loved it. Like I watched The Real Back so many times.

It was so unique and beautiful that I don't even know that you would recognize

the other song if you just heard it being played.

That's the beauty of each of us, of God working in and through each of our lives,

that it's the same song, but the expression of it through you,

through me, the things that God maybe has done in your life that are different

strengths from mine, it's so beautiful and unique.

But just like this lady, it requires risk. It requires courage to step out.

It requires commitment.

I'm getting close to closing, just so you guys know, and if you're getting nervous,

I don't know what time it is, but we're okay.

I know most of your stories this morning.

Not all, but most, or at least some of them. The joys, the sorrows.

And that means when I hear you sing songs like the goodness of God all my life,

He has been faithful, and I see you show up, I know the cost of that praise.

I know the cost of your life being lived 100% for Jesus, and that makes it all the more beautiful.

This morning, I encourage you, if you don't know everybody in the room,

or you don't know the people that are missing from the room this morning, maybe take a minute.

Your small group this week, take a minute.

Remember and recognize the beauty of God's story that's being lived out so courageously

around each and every one of us.

Echoes and echoes and echoes of God's faithfulness and goodness over and over and over again.

Community begins with humility. In Philippians 2, Sid,

verse 1, it says this, Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united

with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit,

if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded.

Having the same love, I might need a glass of water or a cough drop or something.

I can feel my throat being weird. Sorry.

Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,

being one in spirit and of one mind.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Dude, you know I love you.

Hold on, Sid, come back. Give me a hug, dude. This kid, if you don't know Sid and his story, the best.

He's the best. Thank you for that. Do you ever have that happen where you have

a cold in your throat literally just like goes like this and you're like, oh my God. Okay.

Sorry. Now you get the distinct pleasure of hearing me snip and roll a cough drop in my mouth.

You guys, I'm a hot mess. Sorry.

Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,

being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in other words, this is what you should do. In humility,

value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests,

thank you, but each of you to the interests of the others.

And your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus,

who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to

be used to his own advantage.

He didn't manipulate people. He didn't show up high king of heaven and say,

everybody give me this, bow down now, right? He served.

Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

Verse 8, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming

obedient to death, even death on a cross.

True community and unity, church, begins and ends here.

Verse 3, and humility, value others above yourselves.

Not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of other words.

In other words, your good is my good.

Your sorrow, it's my sorrow. Your success, it's my success. Your failure, it's my failure.

That we own and love one another in that way.

In Acts 2.42, I'm just going to give you a few practical things here.

In humility, we break bread together daily.

Not just Sunday mornings, daily life together. Small groups,

that's why we have them, to remember, to grow, to grow in relationship with

each other and in our relationship with God.

In Proverbs 27, 17, in humility, we allow iron to sharpen iron.

It says, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Sharpening can create sparks, but that's what makes us stronger.

The rubbing of the rough edges so that we are effective.

It's hard when somebody rubs up against us or maybe I'm saying something this

morning and I'm offending you and I apologize.

That is not my intention if I have done that. I really want to see you grow.

But sometimes that's painful. But in the right environment, in a loving environment,

we can grow because of it.

Then in humility, we bring our generosity, recognizing that everything we have is from God.

Do you know that there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal with the

topics of money, wealth, giving, generosity, possessions, and stewardship?

It makes it one of the most frequently addressed topics in the Bible,

more than heaven or hell combined.

You know the scripture where your money is, there your heart is.

They're kind of linked, not kind of, they're linked together.

And I'm not just talking about money even when I talk about generosity. It's time.

It's resources. Maybe you have knowledge here that somebody else could use or a skill set.

Maybe it's the gift of your presence.

Sometimes we tend to, we can tend to hoard our time because it feels like we

don't have enough of it. It's like, I can't go there. I can't do that.

I need more time. I need more. I got to rest.

But really, that's not what God calls us to live like. He calls us to live generously for one another.

Finally, Jesus is the ultimate example of we.

Sometimes the most Christ-like thing that you can do is simply show up fully

and faithfully in every moment, and it makes a difference.

I can tell you from the point of view of Sister Lexi on the praise team,

or Isabel, or Genevieve, or whoever's up here, given they're all,

got here early on a Sunday morning, when they come out and they have prayed, they have practiced,

taken their time, they're not headlining like a thousand-seat church here and

getting opportunities to tour the world from doing this right now anyway.

They're serving us. They're ministering to us.

And when that's your seat on the bus, that went up here every Sunday,

and you're doing that, and you come out, and please, I don't have one person in mind.

I just know that it seems like all of you are never here.

And that's really discouraging when you're giving your all.

Like, these guys are laying it out there, and honestly, it's humbling when you're

giving your all. You're so on fire for God, and you look out and you just see this.

Like, it's really discouraging.

I don't look at you guys anymore because I get so discouraged.

I just look at Jesus and I look at the leader. But I hear from the leaders what you guys look like.

And if that's you, remember when you come next Sunday that you're coming to

offer a living sacrifice, that this is what you got to offer Jesus.

And I mean, Jesus is not going to deny your sacrifice, but I think you might

be able to do a little better.

Am I like stepping on a lot of toes right now? Am I okay? I feel really bad

if anybody's feeling hurt because I don't want you to feel embarrassed.

I know we all have those Sundays where we come in and we're like,

Jesus, all I could do is be here. That's all I got.

If that's you, that's okay. I've been there too.

All I could do is be here. I showed up, Lord, have your way.

You got to do something because my heart is like real rough place right now.

Sometimes that's all of us, and that's okay.

But on the general, I would suggest everyone go home and play your favorite

worship song, stand in front of your mirror, and look at your face,

and then come back next Sunday.

So Jesus, He didn't cling to His comfort or His, you know, time, His energy.

Thank you for laughing at that because I felt really uncomfortable saying that to you guys.

You guys are the best. Just work on your faces and your praise and your timetables

and all those things, okay?

All right. So, Jesus, he sat at tables with sinners.

Did you know that? If you read your Bible, if you've been here a while and you

listen when you come, he sat at tables with sinners, like the nastiest of them,

like the really gross ones that all of us, like when you see people like that

on the street, you're like, oh my God.

I have a story, but I'm not going to tell it. If somebody wants to know it afterwards,

it's not church appropriate, but it was horrific restroom experience for me on the way home. So bad.

Anyway, I can't mentally get the picture out of my head right now.

But Jesus sat with those people that none of you know what I'm talking about.

But let me tell you, the blood could hardly cover it. It was so gross.

He washed 30 feet. He wept with the broken.

He bore the weight of our sin. He forgives our sin and heals our brokenness.

To follow Jesus is to stop being consumed with our own interests.

And we're gonna go back to Psalm 133. I'm almost done, so you don't have to

feel uncomfortable anymore.

How good and how pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.

Actually, y'all can come sing something nice because that'll cover some of my

sniffing and all that I got going on.

How good and how pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity.

It is like precious oil, for there the Lord commands his blessing, even life forevermore.

Unity, again, I've said it, it's not just pleasant, it's powerful.

It's not just cozy, it's anointed. It's life-changing.

And I have a few challenges for you today. Who likes a challenge?

I do. I'm not kidding in school. I wouldn't raise my hand because I was too

shy, but I really like a challenge.

So we're going to practice what we talked about this morning, working on our faces.

Who likes a challenge? And now, even if you don't, you're just going to raise

your hand to be participating in unity with the rest of the body, okay?

So this is like a group activity for next week. I'm going to get you warmed

up. So I'm going to say, who likes a challenge?

Woo! I love a challenge. Okay, wait. Okay, we're going to try again.

We're going to try again.

Maybe we're going to have to do two hands. I don't know. Like, all right, ready?

So who likes a challenge? Woo! Okay. So I got a whole bunch for you today.

You guys can thank all the churches I visited that my brain is so full of challenges

and missions and so excited about church.

If you want to complain or thank, I can tell you the people to send your messages to.

Okay. your challenge today or my challenge today. Where have I been when holding

myself from the we? Where am I holding back?

What part of me, my time, my gift, my presence, have I been protecting instead of giving?

Who is waiting on me to show up so they can have their breakthrough?

Where do I need breakthrough and healing?

Jesus didn't retreat. He leaned in. He didn't demand comfort.

He offered presence. There is no we without you.

I'm going to share something with you that's, I mean, it's very vulnerable, I guess.

So we've been going through a lot personally. There's been a lot going on in our family.

And just really praying about it and asking God for wisdom and grace.

And more wisdom and more grace. And I know this is a lie, and I was struggling,

and I would ask Pastor Josh, do you think there's something wrong with me?

Is there something in me that's sinful that is creating some sort of ripple

effect in the world around me?

I would rather you tell me and it hurt my feelings a little bit and be able

to go to God and get it right than keep living if there's something wrong in

my heart that is maybe causing some sort of chaos.

I recognize I'm not big enough, smart enough.

That's an element of pride in my life that I can't control everything.

I understand that in my head.

But in my heart, I kept going back to it like, is there something wrong?

Is there some sin? Is there something not good inside of me that is creating

some sort of chaos or sinfulness or place for the devil to be in my life,

in my family, in my church.

And I've wrestled with it a lot, just thinking on it and knowing in my head, like, no, there's not.

Like, you're transparent, you're open, you're available, you're asking,

you're praying the Psalms, search me, O God, know my heart.

Try me, O God, and know my anxiety. See if there be any wicked way in me and

lead me in the way everlasting.

See, I prayed a lot. like is there

something going on here that maybe

is a root that God needs to like weed out of me and that's

like causing bad fruit and around me so I've you know wrestled with that like

I said talked to Pastor Josh about it I think I talked to a couple other people

in here about it and um we went on our trip and I actually had the opportunity

to go to this ladies retreat which was super cool, very different, but really cool.

And when we were there, I got to talking with one of my good friends,

Danielle, like who I referenced before already.

And we did, I forget what they called it, but basically you're like walking

and talking with God or one another. They had a word for it that was really cool.

And she said, well, I just want to make sure that you know that I'm here for

you in this moment for anything you need.

And I said, well, I just feel like God wants me to be really vulnerable and transparent with you.

This is what I'm struggling with. And if you see anything in me, I want you to tell me.

Like, I don't want to be something in me that's secret or hidden that is in

essence enabling bad things around me and sin in other people's lives.

And I'm already through this, just so you know, I'm not like crying because I think that.

I'm like, so I just really, you know, if you could pray for me about that or

offer insight, or if there is something like ask God for wisdom,

you know, if there's something I need to repent of or I could do differently,

like I'd really be grateful for that because I just keep wrestling with this.

And she did. She's so sweet. Like, I wish you guys could all hang out with her.

And she just prayed a minute and she's like, no, like that's not,

That's just a lie that you're wrestling with. That's not you.

There's nothing that you're doing. You're not the source of evil in the world.

That's somewhere else that comes from.

And I was reminded of that. I read this quote this week by Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

and it's a little heavy, but I think it's so appropriate in healing, and it is this.

Why is it that it is often easier for us to confess our sins,

our weaknesses, our failures, our fears to God than to a brother?

God is holy and sinless. He is a just judge of evil and the enemy of all disobedience.

But a brother is as sinful as we are. He knows from his own experience the dark

night of secret sin. Why should we not find it easier to go to a brother than to the holy God?

But if we do, we must ask ourselves whether we have not been often deceiving

ourselves with our confession of sin to God, whether we have not rather been

confessing our sins to ourselves and also granting ourselves absolution.

Who can give us certainty that in the confession and the forgiveness of our

sins, sorry guys, we are not dealing with ourselves, but with a living God.

God gives us this certainty through our brother.

Our brother breaks the circle of self-deception.

A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no

longer alone with himself.

He experiences the presence of God and the reality of the other person.

This wasn't necessarily a sin that I was confessing, but it was a great fear.

It was something that I was wrestling with. And why is it sometimes just like

this says so beautifully and so harshly in a way that it's so easy that we go to God,

but it was in my conversation with somebody else with another face other than

the ones that I'd already talked to,

that God confirmed, like, you're okay.

Like, this is just something that you're dealing with, wrestling with.

It's a fear that's not founded. You can let it go.

And in that confession, in that place of safety, God brought healing to my heart and to my mind.

And I want to encourage you this morning that if you're wrestling with things

that seem dark or shameful or just seem scary, things that you aren't sure about and need answers on,

that you don't only have God, but you have one another.

We have each other, a place of safety, a place of joy, a place where we can

get healing and hope and rest.

So finally, our mission statement of the church, and if you don't know it,

it is this, we exist to lead people to purpose and belonging through a genuine

relationship with Jesus.

Here's my questions for you for this week. Who are you leading?

Who are you praying for? Who are you inviting to your small group?

Who are you texting, calling, encouraging? what gift

has God placed in you to share what change needs

to happen in your life to bring you closer to Jesus his

community and your

calling let's just

be a church that doesn't just show up but we show up committed to one another

and committed to the mission that God has for us here that all of us together

it's like if I tried to lift a car I can't do it But do you know if every single

one of us went out around a car, probably a small one,

we could lift it.

That together we can do so much more.

That God speaks to me through you and vice versa. That's such a beautiful thing

that God does in and through our lives.

If you would stand this morning.

Lord, we just present our hearts, our minds, our lives to you.

We thank you, God, for your goodness, for your faithfulness,

for your love, that Jesus, that you came and you died on the cross for our sins, for my sin.

We thank you, God, for your presence that we feel here today as we stand in unity before you.

We ask you, God, to increase our depth, our height, the breadth of our love for one another.

Lord, help us. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, mouths to speak.

Lord, let our hearts be courageous to live the gift of life that you've given us.

God, help us to not take every moment, especially this one, for granted.

I thank you for every person here this morning, God. I ask you to touch every single heart and mind.

Wherever we're at, God, whatever we're going through, I thank you that you are

with us, that you are for us, that your goodness, like we sang this morning, is following after us.

I ask you, God, to reveal yourself to us in a deeper, more meaningful way,

that your presence would be with us in this place, and that as we leave,

it would go with us as we celebrate Mother's Day.

I ask you, God, this week that as we gather in small groups,

as we text one another, as we message one another, as we pray for one another,

as we make the invitation to people that don't know Jesus to come into our family,

God, that you would be with us,

that you would prompt us, that you would give us wisdom and understanding.

I thank you, God, that in all of these things, through all of our lives,

that you are being glorified.

I thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.