Order, Words, & Voices

Order, Words, & Voices

09.08.24, ‘Present’, Genesis 2:4 – 3:8

Order

Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Lighting of Christ Candle/Prayer Rick

Songs 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) Lynn/Linda/Pato

Graves Into Gardens

Passage/Prayer Genesis 3:1-8 Renee

Song  In Christ Alone Lynn/Linda/Pato

Message Present Rick 

Music The Heart Of Worship Billy/Linda/{Pato)

Community Rick

Closing Peace Rick

Closing Music Cornerstone Billy/Linda/Pato

Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

• Please record message on camera memory card.
• On the message Video Leave Room above Speaker’s head for the instagram post.
• Screen Share for entire message

Lighting of Christ Candle (Slides)  Rick (Lynn softly playing)

[Slide]  Prayer: May the the light of this Candle remind us of our calling to bring light into a world of darkness and hope into a world of despair. This morning and all days to come, may the light be our reminder of true hope.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Music (Slides)      Lynn/Linda/Pato

10,000 Reasons  CCLI Song # 6016351

Chorus

Bless the Lord O my soul O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

Verse 1

The sun comes up it’s a new day dawning

It’s time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Verse 2

You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger

Your name is great and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Verse 3

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Tag

Worship Your holy name

Lord I’ll worship Your holy name

Ending

Sing like never before O my soul

I’ll worship Your holy name

Worship Your holy name

Worship Your holy name

Graves Into Gardens   CCLI Song # 7138219

Verse 1

I searched the world but it couldn’t fill me

Man’s empty praise and treasures that fade

Are never enough

Then You came along and put me back together

And every desire is now satisfied here in Your love

Chorus

Oh there’s nothing better than You

There’s nothing better than You

Lord there’s nothing

Nothing is better than You

Verse 2

I’m not afraid to show You my weakness

My failures and flaws

Lord You’ve seen them all

And You still call me friend

‘Cause the God of the mountain

Is the God of the valley

There’s not a place

Your mercy and grace won’t find me again

Bridge

You turn mourning to dancing

You give beauty for ashes

You turn shame into glory

You’re the only one who can

Bridge

You turn graves into gardens

You turn bones into armies

You turn seas into highways

You’re the only one who can

Passage (Slides)  Genesis 3:1-8  Renee

Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 

The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 

The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings.

Now they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Join me in the prayer of Jesus, 

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.

And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Music (Slides)  Lynn /Linda/Pato

In Christ Alone    CCLI Song # 3350395

Verse 1

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light my strength my song

This Cornerstone this solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love what depths of peace

When fears are stilled when strivings cease

My Comforter my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

Verse 2

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Verse 4

No guilt in life no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Impact Celebration/Prayer Rick (Slides)

[Slide] Fellowship Southwest, our impact partner on the Mexico border, has received a 1.25 Million to expand its existing immigration ministries across the next five years. Each year for the next five years, Fellowship Southwest (FSW) will be recruiting churches along the U.S.-Mexico border to develop a well-connected network of migrant ministries from the west coast to the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, each year ,FSW will onboard a new group of churches not located along the U.S.-Mexico border who commit to compassion and justice ministries around immigration. The churches will receive guidance from a program director as they design their projects as well as seed grants to support implementation. Leaders from each church will participate in learning cohorts to strengthen

their programs, share resources, and develop worship liturgies based on learnings from their experiences. By establishing relationships, learning the stories of migrants, and becoming more alert and aware to the crisis of human migration they will embody the value of Christian hospitality and solidarity.”

Immigration is a factor that shapes all of our communities for the better, not just those along the border, but it does ask more of our border churches. Currently, FSW works alongside churches and ministries along the border as they feed, shelter and support migrants who seek asylum.

[Slide] We have a coffee & learn event here tomorrow, September 9th from 9:30am to 11:00am featuring CBF field personnel Elket Rodríguez, Global Migration Advocate. This will be a great opportunity to learn about border ministry happening through Elket Rodriguez. Let Rick know this morning if you will be in attendance tomorrow.

[Slide] Prayer For  FSW

Message  Rick (Slides)

“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:17)

New Series, My eyes have seen. Jesus said these words to his disciples seeking understanding but, like other seekers, finding it difficult and exhausting  – especially if it is taking too long – confused by some of Jesus parables. And, on top of their confusion was the confusion of those who chose to not try to understand. History had, and has, and does, show that when we humans, when faced with living hopefully yet in the unknown, we often flock to those who claim to have all te answers to our confusion. We allow those claiming a false calling to influence and guide us.

30-40 years after Jesus crucifixion, the Apostle Paul spoke to the Jewish leaders in Rome (he was under house arrest) telling them, with his passion for his own Jewish brothers and sisters, about Jesus/Messiah. This was near the end of Paul’s ministry and life and he was beyond passionate that his fellow Jews would understand and at least consider. Some heard and accepted truth, others refused.

To those who turned away, Paul echoed the words of the prophet Isaiah who was also speaking to a people who gave credence to false prophets in stead of searching for truth, 

“For your hearts have grown dull, and your ears are hard of hearing, and you have shut your eyes; otherwise you might actually see with your eyes and might just hear with your ears, and, you might truly understand with you all heart and turn—and then”, God says, “I would heal you.’

Acts 27:28

The danger in refusing to listen and hear, to look and see, is that we then fall back to/on false prophets, accepting untrue truth. However, for the disciples who had Jesus in the flesh explaining the meaning, and for us with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we have the opportunity to understand and find truth as long as we choose to look and to listen.

Illustration of Hearing Aid. Sometimes we don’t want to see or hear because of whatever burden accompanies seeing and hearing.

So, we start at the beginning with a yearning to see and hear Truth and in doing so, better know and understand God…

In the beginning…God. God predates all, God creates all, God is pleased with all, God is present for all, God is present through all, God is all that is needed, and God is present for all who have need.

God places Adam in the garden with the warning to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When the serpent tempts Eve to go ahead and eat of the tree, her response is not only that they are not to eat of the tree, as God has told Adam, but she voices the added warning to not even touch the tree. The question that follows is why is there this added prohibition of touching the tree? We assume that it was Adam that told Eve of this restriction, which leaves us with a bucket of possibilities.

• Adam, and/or Even, had already come to an understanding of what it is, and what it feels like to be human – the propensity, when you have free will, to push the limits, to put yourself into a  condition of vulnerability, the probability to do exactly what you know you should not do. Our human propensity in the face of this concern is to take away choice, to make the restriction not just a removal of the option. So, now the command becomes, ‘don’t get anywhere near the tree.’ Some Jewish tradition has Adam and Eve, or just one of them, actually building a fence around the are of the tree. This is what humans will do later when God gives them the Law that is to serve as their guide to proper relations with creation, other humans as well as self, and with God – they added to the law, giving limits of what was rest and what was not ‘rest’ on the Sabbath…etc. 
• It is also possible that Adam added this because he assumed superiority over the woman and felt that she was unable to obey God’s command and would surely grab and eat a fruit from the tree.
• Or, another possibility is that Eve felt superior over the serpent and assumed was too weak to understand God’s set boundaries.
• Or, it is in this one simple addition to God’s instruction, we see the state of Adam and Eve. A state of immaturity, a state of imagination, exaggeration, a state of childhood innocence, a state of dependence as is the state of any child. 

What if Adam and Eve’s choice was not really about disobedience or obedience? A choice to follow and trust God’s wisdom as to what we do and what we do not do? What if the actual choice is, and was between remaining in fully trusting fully following God, a state of allowing God to tell us what to do and not do? A state of learning that takes advantage of the different education moments to learn and understand the why – the reason why we should say ‘no’ of the choices as they come along.  What if that is what the Garden was meant to be, a safe place where we are kept safe in making those choices, all the while God grows us as fully faithful followers, let. 

What if learning to differentiate the difference between good and evil, was about understanding the reason things were evil and therefore we should stay away from those things.

Like a parent teaching a child touch a hot iron when they are first faced with the temptation instead of when they have never encountered a hot iron?

What if the choice, that was so blatantly given was not so much about disobedience, but, instead a choice to depend on God as a child?  What if the choice was to stay in the garden as innocents or to live outside of the garden under a pile of ‘do not touch the iron’?

What if, instead of the dialogue with the serpent, Eve had instead asked the question of God, ‘Will I surely die?’ What if she had told God of her dilemma she found herself in with the serpent in order to seek God’s guidance, to gain God’s wisdom, instead of accepting and acting on the words of this false prophet, this serpent? What if this had been permitted to be a learning moment where God was could allow her to progressively understand what is evil one evil at a time. 

OT Scholar Hermann Gunkel describes our natural progressive human growth as being “from a childlikeness toward maturity in which we see as the human eyes are gradually opened. Instead, in verse 3:7, we see these formerly unknowing children instantaneously become adult and, by choice, are accountable to that knowledge.”

Hermann Gunkel, Genesis, trans. Mark E. Biddle (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1997), 17.

Now they knew good from bad, now they were responsible for those choices.

Coloin Cornell says, ‘Genesis 2 and 3 provide the tragic narrative catalyst for all the events that follow: The calling of Abraham to an unidentified land, the faithful then unfaithful character of the Israelites, the necessity of the arrival and sacrifice of God’s Son – all these roll out the dire effects of the first humans’ choice. Interpreting chapters 2-3 as Creation and Fall means explaining default human experiences: mutual fear between humans and animals, difficulty in childbearing, alienation between sexes, and demanding agricultural labor. 

(Collin Cornell, Fuller Theological Seminary)

This is the curse that God spoke of, this was the unneeded and unintended impact of the choice. As children in the garden there was not the intimacy of procreation, there was not birth. Now, that they are very unprepared humans, not ready for adulthood, they were not ready for the experience of childbirth, the coming pain of their own abuse of creation, the inability to live with others, and to cooperatively provide for each other. They had chosen emancipation from God yet they were not ready to be on their own.

In the garden there was only blessing, outside of the garden, as we make ourself our own God, in the state of the natural consequences of our choice, there we fail to see blessing, we assume that blessing is not a constant. In this state, it is the of recognition of blessing that is not a constant.

Genesis ends with the ‘Joseph Story’, a description of how our growth to adulthood was meant to take place. “The Joseph story concludes the book of Genesis, with the narration of Joseph’s maturation from a tactless 17-year-old boy to a powerful and self-disciplined man. He refuses a sexual liaison and, when he could have retaliated against his brothers, he acts to save their lives and the lives of all in Egypt. To his brothers he says, “Do not be distressed because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life”. Joseph’s example instructs us to choose life. He also shows a discerning trust in God’s purpose, even in and through hardship, which stands in counterpoint to the suspicion of the snake in Genesis 3.

(Collin Cornell, Fuller Theological Seminary)

Closing Point – God was present, in garden, in exit from garden (skin protection), God was present in the death of Able, God was present in the birth of Seth. God is present.

Even though the choice belonged to humans, God did not abandon humans when we chose to walk away from God.

Music (Slides)      Lynn /Linda/Pato

The Heart Of Worship  CCLI Song # 2296522

Verse 1

When the music fades all is stripped away

And I simply come

Longing just to bring something that’s of worth

That will bless Your heart

Pre-Chorus

I’ll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the way things appear

You’re looking into my heart

Chorus

I’m coming back to the heart of worship

And it’s all about You all about You Jesus

I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it

When it’s all about You all about You Jesus

Verse 2

King of endless worth no one could express

How much You deserve

Though I’m weak and poor all I have is Yours

Ev’ry single breath

Community (Slides) Rick

• Fall-Advent Sermon Series, ‘My Eyes Have Seen”, – Next Sunday- Impossible X2, 09.15.24 Genesis 15:1-6; Abraham,
• CC Crop Walk, Sunday, October 20,  2:00pm, Ruby Grant Park (register for team Grace Fellowship on Web page)
• Instagram, GF link on website (follow  @gracefellowshipnorman)

Closing Peace (Slides) Rick

Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.

Response: And also with you.

Closing Music Lynn/Linda/Pato

Cornerstone   CCLI Song # 6158927

Verse 1

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name

Chorus

Christ alone cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love

Through the storm He is Lord

Lord of all

Verse 2

When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

Chorus

Christ alone cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love

Through the storm He is Lord

Lord of all

Order, Words, & Voices

09.01.24, Eutychus, Acts 20:1-12

Order

Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Introduction/Lighting of Christ Candle Rick

Songs Living Hope Bily/Linda

My Hope Is You

Passage/Prayer Acts 20:1-12 Renee

Song  In Christ Alone Bily/Linda

Message Eutychus Rick 

Music Goodness of God Billy/Linda

Community Rick

Closing Peace Rick

Closing Music Cornerstone Billy/Linda

Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Lighting of Christ Candle (Slides)  Rick (Billy softly playing)

[Slide]  Introduction: Center of Room, center of us, reminder that Jesus is our center, our core, not our politics, not wars, not conspiracies, not our bank account, not our past, not our future, not anything except our deliverer. 

[Slide]  Prayer: May the the light of this Candle remind us of our calling to bring light into a world of darkness and hope into a world of despair. This morning and all days to come, may the light be our reminder of true hope.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Music (Slides)      Bily/Linda

Living Hope  CCLI Song # 7106807

Verse 1

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished the end is written

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 2

Who could imagine so great a mercy

What heart could fathom such boundless grace

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken I am forgiven

The King of kings calls me His own

Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever

Jesus Christ my living hope

Chorus

Hallelujah praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There’s salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 3

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence the Roaring Lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me (REPEAT)

Jesus Yours is the victory

Jesus Christ my living hope

Oh God You are my living hope

My Hope Is You   CCLI Song # 2373672

Verse 1

To You oh Lord I lift my soul

In You oh God I place my trust

And do not let me be put to shame

Don’t let my enemies

Triumph over me

Chorus

My hope is You

Show me Your ways

Guide me in truth

In all my days

My hope is You

Verse 2

I am oh Lord filled with Your love

You are oh God my salvation

Well guard my life and rescue me

My broken spirit shouts

My mended heart cries out

Chorus

My hope is You

Show me Your ways

Guide me in truth

In all my days

My hope is You

Passage (Slides)  Acts 20:7-12  Renee

On the first day of the week Paul, his companions, and a handful of other believers, gathered together to break bread, Paul began teaching and soon others joined and were listening. 

They were leaving early the next morning so Paul did not intend to preach a long sermon, but he did.

As Paul spoke, darkness set in, thankfully there were many lamps in the third floor room where the crowd listened to Paul. 

Among the listeners there was a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill. Paul spoke for a long time and around midnight Eutychus fell asleep. 

While Paul was preaching, the sleeping Eutychus fell out the third floor window and died. 

Paul ran down and embraced the young man and said to the others, “Do not be troubled, for there is still life in him.” Paul spread himself over Eutychus.

Eutychus opened his eyes and everyone went back up to the room where Paul had been preaching. They broke bread and ate as Paul continued to preach until daybreak. 

Finally, as the crowd dispersed to go home, they took the boy to his house fully alive, and everyone was greatly comforted and encouraged.

Join me in the prayer of Jesus, 

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.

And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Music (Slides)  Billy /Linda

In Christ Alone    CCLI Song # 3350395

Verse 1

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light my strength my song

This Cornerstone this solid Ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love what depths of peace

When fears are stilled when strivings cease

My Comforter my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

Verse 2

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

Verse 4

No guilt in life no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell no scheme of man

Can ever pluck me from His hand

Till He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Message Rick (Slides)

 Impact Celebration/Prayer  {Slides}

[Slide] Gennady Podgaisky (back of picture), CBF Kraków, Poland Field Personnel, shares: “These young men and women came to Montreat College in Black Forest, NC, from several different countries last year to study while their parents searched for refuge after fleeing from the war in Ukraine. The youngest one was just 17 years old and has never lived apart from his family. These students are missing their homes, parents, siblings and familiar environment. On our first evening with them we ate Borscht, talked, ate more, talked more, sang more, worshipped more, and ate more. By living close to them in Black Mountain, and helping them to adjust to life in America and to life in college, we are fulfilling our God-given call to be His hands and His feet wherever we are. This works pretty well over a plate of borscht, or two, or for some students even three plates.”

[Slide] Prayer Requests

Pray…

Pray for the Podgiasky family as they transition to work among the Ukrainian refugees in eastern Poland. 

Pray for an end to the war in Ukraine. 

Pray for displaced Ukrainians around the world as they seek to study, work, and make a life for themselves and their families.

 Messageh  

An older teen, or young twenty-something, named Eutychus, which by the way means ‘fortunate’, climbs three flights of stairs to a room filled to the brim with kind of weathered, but mostly new, followers of Jesus. They are there to hear from a Jesus follower who had met, in the flesh, Jesus. 

These new and old followers wanted to hear as much about Jesus as possible, and hearing it from a genuine and first person eyewitness. They were intrigued about Jesus’ life, but even more, they were amazed at the change Paul’s encounter with Jesus had transformed his own life. 

Oddly, this was a risky gathering, Jesus’ followers were persecuted and hated. The act of gathering was an act of defiance, and for them it was a stance they were willing to make.

Eutychus arrived just in time for dinner, but not in time to claim a preferred seat. He ended up sitting in a window. During the dinner, Paul ate but he also reminded them to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection as they ate.

Then, Paul began to speak, he began to preach, his sermon would go on through the night until the sunrise, and he would only end then because he was set to travel. 

The crowd of listeners were riveted by the words coming from Paul’s mouth and the first hand passion in his presence as he spoke. They were so transfixed on Paul’s personal testimony of his own transformation that no one noticed that Eutychus had fallen asleep and was about to fall from the windowsill.

By the time the crowd noticed, there was nothing they could do as his body fell to the ground except to run down the stairs to see the lifeless body.  Eutychus was declared dead, but Paul pushed his way through the crowd to see the lifeless body.

“There is still life in him,” Paul proclaimed as he stretched his own body over the body of Eutychus. Soon, the young man’s eyes opened and it was obvious that he was now alive.

Then, everyone got up, went back up to the third floor, and Paul continued to preach. As the sun rose and Paul said ‘Amen’ the crowds exited the building and walked Eutychus home celebrating his miracle of life and life in general.

That’s it. Seven verses. Except for the speculations of some religious traditions, we hear nothing else of Eutychus. We do not know if he went on to great things or discarded the miracle as an outlandish dream. 

This is a passage that has thrown me, not because Eutychus is raised from the dead. Nor is it because Luke, a physician, declares that the young man was dead, but Jesus declares he still has life in him. It doesn’t bother me that a large group would gather in such a public setting where they, a persecuted people, would be easily seen and identified. 

What bothers me is that Luke, the author of the book of Acts, felt that this short story needed to be in his documentation of the early church? 

We’ve already seen lives restored in the time since the cross, we’ve seen bravery prevail over risks and threats. 

We’ve seen crowds clamoring to hear truth, to see a miracle, to be fed and encouraged, so why this small story filled with repeats of stories we already know? 

Why is this story even told?

I think one of the greatest threats to truth is when we do disregard stories that don’t seem to be needed. Or, when we cannot understand why a story is in the bible, or when a story does not make sense or seem to have any purpose of salvation or encouragement.  In those moments we let someone interpret the story or we allow someone else to turn the page to a ‘better’ story.

The threat is when we let someone else spoon feed truth to us through their own filters, traditions and history;  when we speed through a passage refusing to consider the need to sink our roots in and search – not giving up until we understand and profit from the truth gifted, we miss truth.

I want to share three major theories of ‘why’ this story is included in scripture.

I think there are three primary theories about this passage as well as the reasoning for its inclusion in Luke’s writing. 

First – A lesson of warning found in the first example of youth ministry and the first epic fail in the history of ministry to young people.

Reverend JD Walt uses this story to call out the unchanging nature of ministry to youth and young adults in churches. The strategy of ‘group’ mentality where all in this age group need to be isolated and protected from the outside world when the outside world has changed in recent decades.

• The refusal of churches to be willing to make sacrifices and changes of preferred practices and traditions.
• The judgment and condemnation of new societal norms, trends, and behaviors.
• The idea that we can squeeze an old way of teaching into brains that learn and respond in different ways.
• And…that preachers need to talk less and listen more.
• Walt goes on to site a Pinetops Foundation research that has concluded that by the year 2050 the church will have lost 40 million who were raised in the church. Walt refers to this as the ‘Euytchus Crisis’ while Treetops calls it the ‘Great Opportunity’.

A Second theory comes from the Meno Kalisher, pastor of the Jerusalem Assembly in Jerusalem, Israel. Reverend Meon feels that this passage is included by Luke into the story of the New testament church because it is a needed tie to Elijah and Elisha. Both were prophets proclaiming God’s truth and both were used to raise a young man from the dead by ‘spreading’ themself on the body of the deceased. By providing a thread between these two Old Testament prophets and the Apostle Paul, Kalisher says that the power and authority given by God to Elijah and Elisha has also been given to Paul.

The Third theory comes from Dr. H Steven Sims.

• Sims ties the Eutychus in with the plight of marginalized people. 
• Eutychus was young and therefore dismissed. 
• The ‘church’ wanted him there but they also wanted him to stay in the background and be silent.
• Sims, who is part of a marginalized group himself says, “The chosen leaders may talk incessantly and drive us to death, but they are likely to continue with organizational momentum and keep us (the marginalized) at the margins.
• Sims refers to Pastor Otis Moss’ sermon on Eutychus in which he said that, in our churches, even today,  the marginalized are “relegated to the window on the third floor in a room with many candles and consequent heat.”

I have a fourth theory. 

• I get this theory from the impact that came out of this moment from the history of the New Testament Church, therefore, our history.
• Acts 20:12 – “The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”
• Notice, they are not comforted by the meal, the remembrance, or even Paul’s enlightening message. They are comforted and moved by what took place, that a young man that they knew has been transformed from death to life. They were struck with life.
• Listen to how Eugene Petersen interprets this passage in the Message, “When Paul was finished talking, they all left—Paul went one way, the congregation went another way, they led the boy off alive, and they were also full of life themselves.”

This is our challenge, to watch for life, to celebrate life. To not get stuck in death, to not be defeated in death, to not give up when everything reeks of death. This is the purpose of being church.

Music (Slides)      Billy /Linda/Pato

Goodness Of God   CCLI Song # 7117726

Verse 1

I love You Lord

Oh Your mercy never fails me

All my days

I’ve been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

I will sing of the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Verse 2

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

In darkest night

You are close like no other

I’ve known You as a father

I’ve known You as a friend

I have lived in the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Community (Slides) Rick

• Fall-Advent Sermon Series, ‘My Eyes Have Seen”, “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” – Our privilege of seeing and hearing, series will go through Advent, passages on web site, link-‘passages’, Next Sunday- 09.08.24, Present, Genesis 2:4 – 3:8
• CC Crop Walk, Sunday, October 20,  2:00pm, Ruby Grant Park (register for team Grace Fellowship on Web page)
• Instagram, GF link on website (follow  @gracefellowshipnorman)

Closing Peace (Slides) Rick

Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.

Response: And also with you.

Closing Music Billy/Linda/Pato

Cornerstone   CCLI Song # 6158927

Verse 1

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name

(REPEAT)

Chorus

Christ alone cornerstone

Weak made strong in the Saviour’s love

Through the storm He is Lord

Lord of all

Verse 2

When darkness seems to hide His face

I rest on His unchanging grace

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil

My anchor holds within the veil

Interlude

He is Lord Lord of all

Verse 3

When He shall come with trumpet sound

Oh may I then in Him be found

Dressed in His righteousness alone

Faultless stand before the throne

Order, Words, & Voices

08.25.24, Lydia, Acts 16:11-15

Order

Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Songs Living Hope Lynn/Linda

Lord I Need You

Passage/Prayer Acts 16:11-15, 39 Pettys

Song  Goodness of God Lynn/Linda

Message Lydia Rick 

Music Living Hope Lynn/Linda

Community/Benediction Rick

Hope Moment & Closing Peace Rick

Closing Music Sweet Sweet, Spirit Lynn/Linda

Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

• Please record message on camera memory card.
• On the message Video Leave Room above Speaker’s head for the instagram post.
• Screen Share for entire message

Music (Slides)      Billy/Linda

Living Hope  CCLI Song # 7106807

Verse 1

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished the end is written

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 2

Who could imagine so great a mercy

What heart could fathom such boundless grace

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken I am forgiven

The King of kings calls me His own

Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever

Jesus Christ my living hope

Chorus

Hallelujah praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There’s salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 3

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence the Roaring Lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

(REPEAT)

Jesus Yours is the victory

Ending

Jesus Christ my living hope

Oh God You are my living hope

Lord I Need You   CCLI Song # 5925687

Verse 1

Lord I come I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

And without You I fall apart

You’re the one that guides my heart

Chorus 1

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev’ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Verse 2

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Chorus 2

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev’ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Passage (Slides)  Acts 16:13-18 from the Complete Jewish Bible

On Shabbat, while Paul, Timothy, and Silas were in Philippi of Macedonia, the three went outside the city gate to the riverside, where they understood a minyan met. 

They sat down and began speaking to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in fine purple cloth. 

Lydia was already a “God-fearer,” and the Lord opened up her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 

After she and the members of her household had been immersed, she gave the three visitors this invitation: “If you consider me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house.” And she insisted till we went.

When Paul, Silas, andTimothy were going to the place where the minyan gathered, they were met by a slave girl who had in her a snake-spirit that enabled her to predict the future. Whe earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes. 

This girl followed behind Paul and the the others and kept screaming, “These men are servants of God Ha‘Elyon! They’re telling you how to be saved!” 

She kept this up day after day, until Paul, greatly disturbed, turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, I order you to come out of her!” And the spirit did come out, at that very moment.

Join me in the prayer of Jesus, 

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.

And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Music (Slides)  Billy/Linda

Goodness Of God   CCLI Song # 7117726

Verse 1

I love You Lord

Oh Your mercy never fails me

All my days

I’ve been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

I will sing of the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Verse 2

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

In darkest night

You are close like no other

I’ve known You as a father

I’ve known You as a friend

I have lived in the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Message Rick (Slides)

[Title slide] As an adult, Jesus came on the scene in the narrative of his baptism, it is there that God declared ‘this is my son in whom I am well pleased.’ From that declaration Jesus went to the desert for prayer, then temptation. Then Jesus spent some time in his own home region where he recruited most of his disciples, introduced himself to the local religious leaders, and, along the way, ruffled some feathers. During this time Jesus chose his inner circle of disciples and, there were a series of healings which caused word about Jesus to spread.

Then he gave his first actual sermon to a huge public crowd most of whom did not know him, but, because of the healings he had already performed, and the word about Jesus that had already spread, most of the crowd knew OF Jesus. Which, quite honestly, is where many people then got stuck, and now we people get stuck, when then and now, people tend to stop at just knowing OF God.

It was in this moment that Jesus not only introduced himself, but, he also presented a basic syllabus of the truth that would motivate his actions and his ultimate sacrifice.

What is really interesting is the relational dynamic of Jesus and his disciples present at this sermon. In the gospel of  Luke, we see that Jesus, with the crowd pressing in around him, intentionally aimed his eyes over the crowd to give him a face to face connection. In Matthew, we see the disciples push through the crowd in order to have face to face seats for what they probably expected to be a monumental, and illuminating, outline of their new teacher’s agenda.

Jesus, in choosing his disciples and others close followers, intentionally chose seekers, those looking for the promised Messiah, those not content to just know OF God, but rather, they were determined to know God. 

This first sermon was intentionally focused on Jesus’ inner circle of followers who, eventually, would be the ones who would be leaders and teachers of this movement. In this sermon, the foundation of Jesus life and words would be named. The accepted core of the lives of the follower would be defined.

First, these followers had to recognize that Jesus’ empowerment was not going to be a simple continuation of the religion and practices of their upbringing. It was not always going to be in step where the faith practices and understanding of the promise to Abraham and Sarah. 

For the disciples to fully understand this new season of their faith, they would have to understand the heart and mind of Jesus – this was the purpose of this sermon. They would be called to a new perception of truth change as well as a redefined life philosophy. This was not a new path, it was a new understanding and the same path. 

This was going to be a transition from Knowing OF God and going through the practices of religion, to a vibrant and growing walk that immersed every aspect of life and reality. This new understanding would expand their vision, enlarge the width of their path, and engage a world that had been rejected by many people of faith.

It was going to stretch them, it was going to challenge them, it was going to empower them, it was going to change the world. 

Jesus was saying to the listeners, ‘This is not an act of building a bigger table for a more diverse collection of people, this is going to have to be an entirely new table using the same legs for support.’

Grasp the architectural plan for this new table top as Jesus explains. Note that with each statement, Jesus names the present reality of each people group and then Jesus voices the future encouragement. 

[Slide] Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

[Slide] Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

[Slide] Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

[Slide] Blessed are those who are persecuted, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3-10, NRSV

[Slide] I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 

[Slide] To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 

Luke 6:27-2, RSV

[Title Slide] Jesus is calling his new followers to stay on the same path they have been on – the path of the promise to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. However, now they would look and perceive it in a different way. God was calling them/is calling us to look at the other travelers on this path, as well as those stepping onto this path, in a welcoming and embracing manner. While the existing institution of religion of that time had become jaded, like much of the Christian Institution today, Jesus was calling these followers, and us, to see God’s creation, and God’s created, through new eyes and a new filter.

Jesus begins with these rookie disciples where they were, but now Jesus is revealing to them where they will be. This is their reality and ahead is their destination.  He is NOT changing their path, he IS altering the way they see, interpret, and travel their path.

Mary Magdalene and the other women, following the crucifixion, did not know what they were to do except for what they had done up to now, so they remained on the path with their legitimate questions. This was the path they had been on for much of their lives. Now they were going beyond merely knowing OF God and moved to KNOWING God. They had met God in and through the person of Jesus. 

That brings us to another God seeker, a woman named Lydia. Long after the crucifixion and resurrection. Long after the the arrival of God the Spirit, a woman, a very rational and devoted woman was looking for God. She was on the path, she wanted to more than to know OF God, she wanted to know God.

[Slide] She was a business woman whose clientele was high end.

[Slide] She was probably a single mother.

[Slide] She was a Gentile who was disillusioned with the false gods of the Romans

[Slide] She was a Seeker who had stepped onto the Abrahamic path, striving to know more than just Knowing OF God. 

[Slide] She embraced the faith practices of the Jews even though she was not a Jew. 

[Slide] She faithfully followed the practice of the Shabbat and respected the rules of Minyan – even though she really didn’t have to

[Slide] She was a dedicated to following Ha‘Elyon, wanting to know God

[Title Slide] Paul, Silas, Timothy, made a brief stop in Philippi where they met Lydia. On the Shabbat (the Sabbath), since there was not a Synagogue in the city due to an insufficient number of  men to hold a legal minyan (a gathering),  the apostles joined a group of women who worshiped and prayed just outside of the city gates to maintain the religious laws. Paul was invited to speak and he did. Lydia, a Gentile who was devoted to the Jewish practice of worship but was not a Jew listens intently to the words of Good News, her heart expanded with every word, and after, she chose to fully commit to this God – to the Messiah Jesus. She, along with her family were baptized and she invited the apostles to stay in her house which later became the gathering place for a growing Christian community in Philippi.

The Reverend Lisle Garrity 

Lydia moved from Knowing OF God to a life time pursuit of Knowing God. This is our calling as well, to go beyond knowing OF to Knowing.

Impact on Others when we are on Lifelong path of Knowing God

Lydia

Slave Girl

We see the hand of God, We build our own faith

Richard Dawkins vs beauty of a shell

Closing Challenge to walk on path of knowing God

Music (Slides)      Lynn/Linda

Living Hope  CCLI Song # 7106807

Verse 1

How great the chasm that lay between us

How high the mountain I could not climb

In desperation I turned to heaven

And spoke Your name into the night

Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness

Tore through the shadows of my soul

The work is finished the end is written

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 2

Who could imagine so great a mercy

What heart could fathom such boundless grace

The God of ages stepped down from glory

To wear my sin and bear my shame

The cross has spoken I am forgiven

The King of kings calls me His own

Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever

Jesus Christ my living hope

Chorus

Hallelujah praise the One who set me free

Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me

You have broken every chain

There’s salvation in Your name

Jesus Christ my living hope

Verse 3

Then came the morning that sealed the promise

Your buried body began to breathe

Out of the silence the Roaring Lion

Declared the grave has no claim on me

(REPEAT)

Jesus Yours is the victory whoa

Ending

Jesus Christ my living hope

Oh God You are my living hope

Community (Slides) Rick

• 09.01.24, Eutychus, Acts 20:1-12 (Link on webpage)
• Welcome Back Students
• Fall-Advent Sermon Series, ‘My Eyes Have Seen”, seeing God through the Works and Actions of God – will go through Advent, beginning September 8, passage on web site, ‘passages’
• CC Crop Walk, Sunday, October 20,  2:00pm, Ruby Grant Park (register for team Grace Fellowship on Web page)
• Instagram, GF link on website (follow  @gracefellowshipnorman)
• SF Refugees Backpack Impact, Impact Partners Rick and Lita Sample

Hope On  (Slides) Prayer – Rick

Father God, with gratitude for our lives we praise you for your abundant mercy and grace extended to all who choose to receive. We thank you for your persistent faithfulness towards us even as our faithfulness consistently pales.

Jesus, although we are undeserving, we ask for the presence of your peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We ask you to give us loving strength to face those persons or moments that are causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives.

Spirit, please guide us on your path through life while, at the same time, we timidly and hesitantly, pray that same peace for those who stand against us. 

God, may we walk with you as we seek to clear the path so that all people have a clear view of you.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Closing Peace (Slides) Rick

Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.

Response: And also with you.

Closing Music Billy/Linda

Sweet Sweet Spirit   CCLI Song # 18204

Verse 1

There’s a sweet sweet Spirit 

in this place

And I know that it’s the 

Spirit of the Lord

There are sweet expressions 

on each face

And I know they feel 

the presence of the Lord

Chorus

Sweet Holy Spirit

Sweet heavenly Dove

Stay right here with us

Filling us with Your love

And for these blessings

We lift our hearts in praise

Without a doubt we’ll know

That we have been revived

When we shall leave this place

Order, Words, & Voices

08.18.24, Ethiopian Eunuch, Acts 8:26-39

Order

Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Songs Lord I Need You Billy/Linda

Because He Lives

Passage/Prayer Acts 8:26-39 Pettys

Song  The Goodness of God Billy/Linda

Message Ethiopian Eunuch Rick 

Music Goodness of God Billy/Linda

Community/Benediction Rick

Hope Moment & Closing Peace Rick

Closing Music Sweet Sweet, Spirit Billy/Linda

Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

• Please record message on camera memory card.
• On the message Video Leave Room above Speaker’s head for the instagram post.
• Screen Share for entire message

Music (Slides)      Billy/Linda

Lord I Need You  CCLI Song # 5925687

Verse 1

Lord I come I confess

Bowing here I find my rest

And without You I fall apart

You’re the one that guides my heart

Chorus 1

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev’ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Verse 2

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more

Where grace is found is where You are

And where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Where You are Lord I am free

Holiness is Christ in me

Chorus 2

Lord I need You oh I need You

Ev’ry hour I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

My one defense my righteousness

Oh God how I need You

Because He Lives  CCLI Song # 16880

Verse 1

God sent His Son they called Him Jesus

He came to love heal and forgive

He bled and died to buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove

My Savior lives

Chorus

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives

Verse 2

And then one day I’ll cross that river

I’ll fight life’s final war with pain

And then as death gives way to vict’ry

I’ll see the lights of glory

And I’ll know He reigns

Chorus

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives

Passage (Slides)  Acts 8:26-39, Ethiopian Eunuch

The angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south, to the wilderness road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  Philip went. 

Now there was a eunuch who was the official in Ethiopian Queen Candace’ court who was in charge of the entire treasury of the Ethiopians. 

The Eunuch had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home. He was seated in his chariot and reading from the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 

So Philip ran up to the chariot and asked the man, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  The Eunuch replied, “How can I unless someone guides me?” The eunuch invited Philip to get into the chariot beside him. 

The scripture said, “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.  In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Who is Isaiah talking about? Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 

As they were going along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 

He commanded the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing.

Join me in the prayer of Jesus, 

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.

And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Music (Slides)  Billy/Linda

Goodness Of God   CCLI Song # 7117726

Verse 1

I love You Lord

Oh Your mercy never fails me

All my days

I’ve been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

I will sing of the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Verse 2

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

In darkest night

You are close like no other

I’ve known You as a father

I’ve known You as a friend

I have lived in the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Message Rick (Slides)

[S] [Title Slide on Screen Share throughout message]

The angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south, to the wilderness road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  Philip went. 

• Our passage for today is a very timely passage. Go to the wilderness road that goes down, away, from Jerusalem, the road that goes to Gaza.
• And, this is a dangerous time time for a followers of Jesus to go to Gaza. It was a Roman provence, for a follower of Jesus, is akin to jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. It was a time of persecution (Stephen) of Followers of Jesus, who still considered themselves Jews, but were now outcasts.
• Wilderness road, Jerusalem to Gaza and eventually to Ethiopia.  Dangerous road for Philip but went even though he surely had a questions, much like the women headed to the tomb after the resurrection, his questions did not hinder him from trusting God.
• God’s calling is on Philip, not apostles, not one of the powerful. Philip is a leader not because of his resume of position and power. He was a leader because of the fact that Jesus was visible all over his life. Folks, the institution of the church is in trouble because we have enthroned position, celebrity, and power all the while, God needs servants who are following the Jesus of Matthew 5. It is servants that God uses to change lives, changed lives change the world.

The Spirit is/has been working in the  Eunuch’s heart and mind due to the openness of the Eunuch’s heart and mind to God.  

The Eunuch was a seeker, attempting to know the one true God. He was rejected by the religious in Jeruusalem becaue he was a Eunuch which made him rejected, unholy, and unclean, Yet, now, on the way back home he continued to seek God.

Philip may have noticed the Eunuch was a Eunuch, – Philip surely recognized the nationality, power, wealth, and position of the man but to not the fact that the man was a Eunuch. Such a recognition would have led most followers of Jesus, including the Apostles, to avoid a Eunuch, to dismiss him, to see him as unclean, consider him unworthy  – a servant, however would not, a servant, immersed in the regardless faith and embrace of Jesus, would climb into the chariot with this negatively labeled human.   

The Eunuch, this seeker of God, had been excluded from participation in Temple rituals and from full admittance, to the Jewish faith.  He was ritually or religiously ‘far off’ (remember Jesus saying to the Penitent thief, ‘you are not far off’).  Therefore, as a Eunuch he was dismissed by the people of the very faith he was drawn to by the Spirit. 

This is why it had to be a servant that met the Eunuch on the wilderness road. It had to be a follower of Jesus who had fully recognized God in the actions, compassion, and mercy of Jesus, Only a person who had intentionally sought to be like Jesus. For being a servant is not a characteristic given by the Spirit, it a lifestyle that is intentionally nurtured in a person. Only a servant could be called to this calling because only a servant would fail to give credence to a label and, instead, climb into the chariot with one considered unclean and unholy.

What is especially interesting about the Eunuch was that, even after the rejection he suffered in Jerusalem, he was still a seeker of the one true God. He was found by Philip reading from the scroll of Isaiah’s prophecies. He refused to let feelings of bitter rejection and disillusionment be tools to stop him on his path to knowing God, he was still searching. Because,  the Eunuch understood that God is the ultimate object of our faith not humans. 

As Philip explained the words of Isaiah, the Eunuch still had questions but his heart had already decided. Answers to his questions would come and  more questions would follow. Questions have to continue for his faith to grow, and so that he can become as passionate in his mind as he is in his heart. The questions do not, however, hinder his seeking, nor do they hinder his request to be baptized, to be a follower of Jesus.

Even as Philip is explaining the words of Isaiah, the Eunuch asks,  ‘What keeps me from being a follower of Jesus?’

• This story is about Philip, it is a call to all followers of Jesus.
• We are called to serve God outside of our familiarity, we are called to not be restricted by the prejudice and biases of our own people.
• We must clear the way of the barriers that religion had thrown into the path of the Eunuch. Prejudice, hatred,…

Making Way

• Illustration – Lily on trip to Chicago, crowd making way
• Because Philip was already an servant, it was a no brainer to go to Philip and share. Philip was able to not be hindered by labels or prejudice of humans.

A moment ago I said, ‘The institution of the church is in trouble because we have enthroned position, celebrity, and power all the while, God needs servants.’ It is servants that God uses to change lives, changed lives change the world. It is servants that will clear the path of our religiosity and self-righteousness to allow a world that needs Jesus to run to Jesus. We must be followers that are not tied to our judgments and condemnation, or the judgments and condemnation of other people, instead we must be followers that are immersed in the Jesus of Matthew 5, the Jesus who commands that we love God and love all others.

Music (Slides)      Billy/Linda

Goodness Of God   CCLI Song # 7117726

Verse 1

I love You Lord

Oh Your mercy never fails me

All my days

I’ve been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

I will sing of the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Verse 2

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

In darkest night

You are close like no other

I’ve known You as a father

I’ve known You as a friend

I have lived in the goodness of God

Chorus

All my life You have been faithful

All my life You have been so so good

With every breath that I am able

I will sing of the goodness of God

Community (Slides) Rick

• 08.25.24, Lydia, Acts 16:11-15 & v 39
• Welcome Back Students
• CC Crop Walk, Sunday, October 20,  2:00pm, Ruby Grant Park

Holding On To Hope  (Slides) Rick

Psalm 118:8 – It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals.

Romans 5:5 – Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

Closing Peace (Slides) Rick

Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.

Response: And also with you.

Closing Music Billy/Linda

Sweet Sweet Spirit   CCLI Song # 18204

Verse 1

There’s a sweet sweet Spirit 

in this place

And I know that it’s the 

Spirit of the Lord

There are sweet expressions 

on each face

And I know they feel 

the presence of the Lord

Chorus

Sweet Holy Spirit

Sweet heavenly Dove

Stay right here with us

Filling us with Your love

And for these blessings

We lift our hearts in praise

Without a doubt we’ll know

That we have been revived

When we shall leave this place

Order, Words, & Voices

08.04.24, Faces, Joseph of Arimathea, Luke 23:59-56

Order

Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

Songs Holy Spirit Pato/Linda

How He Loves Me

Passage/Prayer Luke 23:50-56 Pettys

Songs   Because He Lives (Amen) Pato/Linda

Message Joseph of Arimathea Rick 

Music Because He Lives (Amen) Pato/Linda

Community/Benediction Rick

Hope Moment & Closing Peace Rick

Closing Music Sweet Sweet, Spirit Pato/Linda

Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close

• Please record message on camera memory card.
• On the message Video Leave Room above Speaker’s head for the instagram post.
• Screen Share for entire message

Music (Slides)      Pato/Linda

Holy Spirit  CCLI Song # 6087919

Verse 1

There’s nothing worth more that will ever come close

No thing can compare You’re our living hope

Your Presence

Verse 2

I’ve tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone

In Your Presence Lord

Chorus

Holy Spirit You are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

To be overcome by Your Presence Lord

Interlude

Your Presence Lord

Interlude

Your Presence Lord

Your Presence

Oh God how we love Your Presence Lord

Bridge

Let us become more aware of Your Presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness (Lord)

How He Loves Me   CCLI Song #5032549

Verse 1

He is jealous for me loves like a hurricane

I am a tree bending beneath

The weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden I am unaware of

These afflictions eclipsed by glory

I realize just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me

Pre-Chorus

Oh how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us so

Chorus

He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves

Verse 2

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking

So Heaven meets earth

Like a sloppy wet unforeseen kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way that

Pre-Chorus

Oh how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us so

Chorus

He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves

Passage (Slides)  Joseph of Arimathea  Luke 23:50-56

Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph who, though a member of the council, had not agreed to the council’s  plan and actions to get rid of Jesus. 

Joseph came from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was faithful before God and expectantly waiting for the kingdom of God. 

As Jesus’ death was confirmed, Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body.

With Pilate’s approval, Joseph took Jesus’ body from the cross. He wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no other body had ever been laid. 

This was the day of Preparation, the day before the Sabbath. 

This was also the day before the Passover. The season when the Israelites recognized God’s deliverance from slavery and death.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph at a distance to see the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

On the Sabbath they rested in accordance with the law.

Join me in the prayer of Jesus, 

Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be your name.

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.

And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Music (Slides  Pato/Linda

Because He Lives (Amen) CCLI Song # 7027887

Verse 1

I believe in the Son

I believe in the Risen One

I believe I overcome

By the power of His blood

Chorus

Amen amen

I’m alive I’m alive because He lives

Amen amen

Let my song join the one that never ends

(Because He lives)

Verse 2

I was dead in the grave

I was covered in sin and shame

I heard mercy call my name

He rolled the stone away

Bridge

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives ev’ry fear is gone

I know He holds my life

My future in His hand

Ending

Because He lives

Message Rick (Slides)

[S] [Title Slide on Screen Share throughout message]

Olympic Torch Relay

• 2024 details – Singular focus
• Prometheus – Fire (Nudge)
• Let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who has endured such hostility against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1b-3

Joseph of Arimathea – a man of faith who landed in season of turmoil.

• Unexpected knottiness 
• Uunity/disagreement/brotherhood/rejection/hostility
• Faith restricted, times when religion insisted he ‘BE something else’ 
• Joseph appears cowardly
• God’s time – Joseph uses voice to disagree
•  In right time, Joseph steps in – God’s timing (NC Youth)
• Coward? Staying on destination that now looks different than brothers
• True faith – Waiting, Walking, Speaking, Stepping up and into
• Needed hero, no one else was ready/willing to do this. His Destination.

Called by God

• We are not all called to the same journey, but we are all called to the same destination.
• We are not called to the same path, but we are all called to the same love.
• We are not all called to the same steps, but we are all called to the same unity.
• We are not all called to the same practices, but, we are called to the same motivation and purpose.

In 1884 during unsure times, British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon spoke to his church about Joseph of Arimethia, ending his message with these words of encouragement

Let this be remembered in the cloudy and dark days. If you live in any place where the faithful have fallen, do not wring your hands in grief and sit down in despair, as though it was all over with the cause you love. The Lord liveth, and the Lord will yet keep a faithful seed alive in the earth. 

Another Joseph of Arimathæa will come forward at the desperate moment: just when we cannot do without that Joseph, when we most need that Joseph this Joseph will step up. 

There was a Joseph for Israel in Egypt, and there was a Joseph for Jesus on the cross. A Joseph played the father’s roll at Jesus’ birth, and another Joseph arranged for Jesus’ burial. The Lord shall not be left without friends, God will always give us a Joseph 

When the eyes of God’s servant Eli failed and his sons made themselves vile, a mother, a Joseph, brought a little boy, a Joseph, to serve in the sanctuary of God. A child who became a man named Samuel who brought the people through deliverance from oppression.

God hath to-day somewhere, in yon obscure cottage of an English village, or in a log-hut far away in the backwoods of America, or in the slums of our back streets, or in our palaces, a person, a Joseph, who the Lord is making ready, and when the time shall come, when the hour shall want, shall need, this person, that Joseph shall be found. A Joseph of Arimathæa arrives at exactly the needed time, a well of consolation for all who have the cause of God laid upon their hearts.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Preached July 6, 1884, London Metropolitan Tabernacle,  Pulpit Vol 30, adapted

Music (Slides)      Pato/Linda

Because He Lives (Amen) CCLI Song # 7027887

Verse 1

I believe in the Son

I believe in the Risen One

I believe I overcome

By the power of His blood

Chorus

Amen amen

I’m alive I’m alive because He lives

Amen amen

Let my song join the one that never ends

(Because He lives)

Verse 2

I was dead in the grave

I was covered in sin and shame

I heard mercy call my name

He rolled the stone away

Bridge

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives ev’ry fear is gone

I know He holds my life

My future in His hand

Ending

Because He lives

Community (Slides) Rick

• 08.11.24, Mary Magdalene, Mark 16:1-11
• Welcome Students, Pizza Lunch following morning worship

Holding On To Hope  (Slides) Rick

Source

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Calling to Be Avenue of  Hope

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just choose to please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for our neighbors’ good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The taunts of those who taunt You have fallen on Me.” 

For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another, according to Christ Jesus, so that with one purpose and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:1-6

Daily Prayer for Hope

God, may I, minute by minute, grasp the truth that you alone are my hope.

Lord, may my actions, step by step, be proof of that truth revealed to the world.

Spirit, may I walk, run, wait, stand, play, and even rest according to your leading.  Amen.

Closing Peace (Slides) Rick

Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.

Response: And also with you.

Closing Music Pato/Linda

Sweet Sweet Spirit   CCLI Song # 18204

Verse 1

There’s a sweet sweet Spirit 

in this place

And I know that it’s the 

Spirit of the Lord

There are sweet expressions 

on each face

And I know they feel 

the presence of the Lord

Chorus

Sweet Holy Spirit

Sweet heavenly Dove

Stay right here with us

Filling us with Your love

And for these blessings

We lift our hearts in praise

Without a doubt we’ll know

That we have been revived

When we shall leave this place