Does Your Past Faith Matter? The Danger of Conditional Grace

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:09:02] Good morning and welcome to worship live at the sanctuary of North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church on this bright and beautiful Resurrection Sunday.
[00:09:11] It is good to be together whether you are here in these pews or tuning in from the comfort of your home.
[00:09:16] We are glad to be together today to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the risen Christ.
[00:09:23] I have just a couple of announcements for everyone this morning before we get to the joy of worship.
[00:09:29] first and foremost, we have a wonderful staff here at the church, wonderful folks who work really, really hard day in and day out, but they've worked especially hard this past week as we've made our way through Holy Week to this bright and glorious day. In that spirit,
[00:09:47] our office will be closed for tomorrow to give our staff a much-needed break and some rest and recovery time. So just to let you know that the office will be closed tomorrow. We also want to
[00:10:00] let you know that this Tuesday, just two evenings from today, 5 30 right, right through this wall down on our playground, we will gather for an Earth Day outdoor prayer service. It'll be interactive in nature. We hope that you'll come and join us for an interactive prayer service.
[00:10:19] again 5 30 in the evening and we will also dedicate our newly installed solar array at that time it is continuing to produce good clean energy to power our building here this day and of course
[00:10:34] days like this are great for for our electric bill with that for everything else i would just direct your attention to that qr code in your bulletins you can scan that with any smart device
[00:10:46] to get some information about our worship service and you'll find also a few links on that page a link to our weekly and monthly calendar a link to our online giving page if that's how you prefer
[00:10:59] to give and there's a link to our weekly newsletter as well and it's there that you'll find all sorts of information about the life and ministry of this congregation we hope that you'll read it
[00:11:11] every week. It comes out every Friday at 2 p.m. We hope that you'll click those links and sign up as you feel led. But now we are here for a particular purpose. We are here because it is
[00:11:23] the first day of the week. We are here because it is Resurrection Sunday, and we are here because God has called us and claimed us and is preparing us to go out into a world to share good news with
[00:11:36] anyone and everyone we meet. So let us take moments to center ourselves, take in a good deep breath of God's Spirit, and let us call one another to worship. People of God, we are witnesses
[00:11:52] to these things. That Christ has died hanging on a cross, that God raised him from the dead on the third day, that he is coming again in glory to reign. This is the good news we tell

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:12:10] all the world. Jesus Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. Friends, nothing can separate us from

[00:15:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:15:41] the love of God in Jesus Christ, not even death. Trusting in this good news, let us turn to God to honestly confess our sins.
[00:15:55] We'll pray together using the words printed in your bulletin, and we will also have time for silent reflection.
[00:16:03] So let's pray together.
[00:16:05] Gracious God, we have heard the good news, how on the third day Christ rose again.

[00:16:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:16:14] Still we look for the living among the dead.

[00:16:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:18] You rolled away the stone from the tomb.
[00:16:21] Still we look for the living among the dead You sent messengers to proclaim the gospel

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:16:29] Still we look for the living among the dead

[00:16:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:32] You were faithful to your promise You have done wonderful things

[00:16:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:16:39] Still we look for the living among the dead

[00:16:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:43] Forgive us, Lord, we pray Teach us to trust your promise And to believe the good news of salvation Christ is alive Jesus is risen from the dead. Hallelujah. Amen. Beloved, Christ conquered death to restore us
[00:17:27] to life. So let us assure one another. Hear what the prophets have spoken, that everyone who believes in Christ receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Friends, let us declare the good news in jesus christ our sins are forgiven thanks be to god indeed thanks be to god our sins are
[00:18:06] forgiven we have been granted peace in the certainty of god's love and the good news of that is that that peace is not just for us but it's for us to share with one another and so
[00:18:19] on this blessed day in which we celebrate the resurrection let's turn to one another now and share a sign of Christ's peace.
[00:18:28] You can do that by waving or shaking hands, fist bumping, a kind word or a hug, whatever way feels right for you.
[00:18:37] May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:18:40] And also with you.

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:18:42] You may be seated.

[00:21:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:21:44] It is always good when there feels like there's more peace to go around than we have time to share it.
[00:21:50] So the good news is you have more time after this to share the peace of Christ with one another.
[00:21:55] For now, let us quiet our hearts and pray for God's guidance.
[00:22:05] Savior God, we need your good news.
[00:22:08] We need the challenge of your Holy Spirit.
[00:22:12] We need this time of word and worship.
[00:22:17] Help us to tune our hearts and minds to your will and your way as we approach the scriptures today.
[00:22:25] Amen.
[00:22:26] Our first lesson for this morning comes from Isaiah 65, verses 17 through 25.
[00:22:35] So listen for what the Holy Spirit is telling God's people.
[00:22:42] For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.
[00:22:48] The former things shall not be remembered or come to mind, But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating.
[00:22:59] For I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy and its people as a delight.
[00:23:06] I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people.
[00:23:12] No more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress.
[00:23:18] No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days Or an old person who does not live out a lifetime For one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth
[00:23:37] And one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed You shall build houses and inhabit them They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit They shall not build and another inhabit They shall not plant and another eat
[00:23:57] For like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be And my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity
[00:24:15] for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord and their descendants as well before they call I will answer while they are yet speaking I will hear the wolf and the lamb shall feed together
[00:24:34] the lion shall eat straw like the ox but the serpent its food shall be dust they shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord. Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God.

[00:24:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:24:56] You aren't woken up yet. There's nothing more we can do for you. They work really hard at their

[00:27:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:27:33] craft. We appreciate their gifts of song. Thank you to our choir. Our second lesson this morning comes from the gospel according to Luke chapter 24 verses 1 through 12. So listen once more for the word of God. But on the first day of the week at early dawn they went to the tomb taking the
[00:27:57] spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their
[00:28:17] faces to the ground. But the men said to them, why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of
[00:28:35] sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again? Then they remembered his words. And returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women who were with
[00:28:58] them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen
[00:29:14] cloths by themselves. Then he went home, amazed at what had happened. Holy wisdom, holy word.
[00:29:27] Thanks be to God. Well, I remember a lot of things about my faith journey, starting from a very young age. I remember my baptism. It was a long time ago, I know. I don't remember every single detail,
[00:29:47] but I do remember my baptism. I was a toddler, not an infant and not a youth or adult, of course, but I certainly wasn't old enough to make my own decisions, my own choices. But I do remember my
[00:30:03] baptism, I remember having water sprinkled on my head. Not sprinkled like lightly, but a healthy dousing of water, enough to make my hair wet for quite a while. And I remember returning to my pew
[00:30:21] after the deed was done, and I, my brother and I, chuckled lightly as we headed back, because we didn't know what was going on. And it's a strange sort of ritual if you don't really know what's
[00:30:34] going on. But I remember at the same time, I remember that I felt that I sensed that it was significant for some reason. I remember that it seemed like everyone who was there in the sanctuary
[00:30:48] was there on my side. They were supporting me, pulling for me and my siblings. And I remember thinking that even though it felt weird to be wet in church, that it also seemed important for some reason. It was significant, that particular moment. And I remember going to
[00:31:10] church regularly as a child with my mom and my brothers, my sister, not only on Sunday mornings or for Sunday school and for worship, but I remember going there on Wednesday afternoons for our after-school children's fellowship programming,
[00:31:27] and I remember summertime vacation Bible schools.
[00:31:31] Maybe you do as well.
[00:31:33] I remember learning all of those important Bible stories that maybe you too are sitting there remembering that you've learned throughout your years as well.
[00:31:43] I remember the loving kindness that all of those teachers lavished upon me and my friends, my siblings.
[00:31:52] I remember feeling this deep sense of belonging that I belonged in the church in that particular church Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Southern California and I may not feel the same way about that place today if I were to go back but but I know growing up it was my home it was
[00:32:13] my family of faith as a child and I'm still as a connectional person and as a connectional denomination, I'm still connected to them to some degree, as are you, whether you know it or not
[00:32:27] here. I remember growing up and growing into my middle school years as well. Good Shepherd was large enough to have a dedicated youth director and ministry team for middle schoolers, and then another one dedicated youth director and ministry team for high schoolers as well. I remember Kathy
[00:32:50] and her team of middle school advisors who just lavished unabashed love on us.
[00:32:59] It takes a special kind of person to unabashedly love middle schoolers.
[00:33:05] I remember the joy of being together with my friends in the faith.
[00:33:10] I remember youth group activities and camps and retreats, the whole works.
[00:33:15] There was something about it that, all of that stuff, that just made my faith come alive and seem very real to me.
[00:33:23] I loved being there. I loved the sense of belonging that I felt in the life of the church.
[00:33:31] I remember those same sorts of feelings grew as I made my way into my high school years, always feeling connected to this family of faith, this community of belief.
[00:33:43] I remember Greg, our youth pastor, and Terry, our Sunday school teacher.
[00:33:51] I remember Pete and Tom and Kay and Megan, so many others who nurtured faith in me, whether it be in small group times or on mission trips or even just in everyday benign conversations as we passed each other in the hallways.
[00:34:09] I just remember feeling like there was there was always something I was supposed to learn always something that I was taking in about God about my peers about my community even about myself and my own sense of my own faith I remember how strange it was to go off to college
[00:34:32] I was seemingly firm in my faith yet I was also disconnected from the place and the people that it helped shape me to become the person that I was becoming over the years. But I found newness,
[00:34:49] new folks, new sets of connections at Fresno Pacific University, new faith-filled friends, new mentors in the faculty and staff of the university, new opportunities to live and love and learn and make my faith my faith.
[00:35:07] And while I had been a dedicated student over the years, I found this deep love for studying the history and the texts of our faith tradition, a love that would eventually propel me to Florida State's doctoral program in religion.
[00:35:25] And, you know, I remember graduating and moving across the country and taking a position as a campus minister.
[00:35:31] remember all of the fear and anxiety of the total newness of anything and everything that I would encounter it would all be new yet at the same time I was eager and excited about the possibilities of
[00:35:46] of serving students in northwest Pennsylvania I continued to make connections with people I continued to learn and grow in my faith I can I continued to find ways to to love and serve those around me, and I found this new joy of establishing ecumenical partnerships, especially with my
[00:36:07] colleagues in the campus ministry office at Gannon University. It was a Catholic university, and we sought to nurture the faith of students across denominational lines. We were Catholics and Protestants working together to love and serve our students. In the process, in the process of loving
[00:36:28] and serving different sorts of students, we too grew along the way. We too learned how to live and love more faithfully together as campus ministers. I remember meeting Gretchen and growing in our relationship and getting married. I remember when Jude and Asher and Amos came into
[00:36:50] the mix. And I remember how we all had to learn new things. We had to learn how to love and to be loved in return in a way that was totally new, totally different from anything we had ever done
[00:37:06] before. Of course, for you all who have your own children, you know all too well that at every stage of their development as they grow and become youth and young adults and adults, you know that
[00:37:21] every stage of development brings new lessons for you to learn, new lessons of love as you learn over and over and over again how to love one another and how to be loved by one another.
[00:37:37] I remember throughout my life as a child, as a youth, as a college student, as a campus minister, as a husband, as a father, I remember feeling this deep sense that God could use even someone like
[00:37:52] me in the life of the church. I remember sitting down one afternoon with Pastor Dale to chat about my own sense of where God might be calling me. And I remember sitting down with the
[00:38:07] session at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant one evening at a session meeting.
[00:38:12] and I remember sitting down with the committee on preparation for ministry the presbytery of Lake Erie and together we all covenanted with one another to do our very best and our most faithful to prepare me for the possibility of pastoral service as a minister of word and sacrament
[00:38:34] and I remember heading to Columbia Theological Seminary and immersing myself in the joy of seminary life. I remember finding a real true and deep sense of wonder there, a true and deep sense of home. And after graduation, I remember accepting my first call with the people of First Presbyterian
[00:39:01] Church of Monticello. If any of you are watching, I think about you often. And I remember coming here several years later to be with you here in Wilkes County as well. I remember a lot of things.
[00:39:16] I remember a lot of things, and this surely is not an exhaustive list about all the things that I remember about my life of faith and my personal growth. We would be here for far, far, far too
[00:39:29] long for me to share all the memories, and on an Easter Sunday, let's be honest, ain't nobody got time for that but I tell you these things I tell you about my memories not to prove how spiritually mature I am you know me much better than that I'm not
[00:39:52] telling you these things to show you how theologically prepared I am to stand before you I'm not telling you these things to show you how faithful I am or have been throughout my life. That's not my point. I remember a lot of things about my life of faith,
[00:40:11] but I'm here to tell you that none of it matters. None of it matters. Not a single memory about my life of faith matters one iota unless it propels me to move forward to do the next thing that God
[00:40:33] is calling me to do, to be the person that God is calling me to be. Why do you look for the living among the dead? These two men said to those women on that first, first day of the week.
[00:40:50] He's not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee that the son of man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day
[00:41:05] rise again remember then they remembered his words and returning from the tomb they told all this to the 11 and to all the rest then they remembered and they went out and they did what they were
[00:41:30] called to do. So what do you remember? What do you remember about your faith throughout your years, young and old alike? What do you remember about how God has impacted your life throughout your time here on this earth? What do you remember about the call that Christ has placed upon you,
[00:41:54] a call that you and you alone can live out what do you remember but maybe more importantly

[00:42:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:42:03] what are you going to do next what are you going to do about it alleluia amen friends the words of god still ringing and ringing in our hearts let us respond by affirming our faith today our
[00:42:45] affirmation comes from Romans 8. It's an adaptation. So let us now rise in body or in spirit and say what we believe together. We believe there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ
[00:43:07] Jesus. For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose, we are convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else
[00:43:34] in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

[00:43:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:43:44] we recognize that the world out there and the world in here needs the light and love of christ so let us go to god in prayer asking god to do god's work in the world and reminding us
[00:46:41] calling us to help along the way let us pray before we call oh god you answer before we speak you know our words. Yet we go to you in prayer, trusting that you are listening, ready to hear,
[00:47:00] ready to respond, ready to hear the cries of our hearts. So God, let there be joy. Let there be joy in Jerusalem, and let there be peace among all nations. We desperately need your peace these days
[00:47:16] as tensions escalate on our city streets around the world as well we pray especially for places that are war-torn where violence has escalated and anger persists hatred and malice abide we ask oh god for you to quell violence we ask oh god for you to raise up peacemakers
[00:47:41] we ask oh god for an end to bombs and guns and to a recommitment to nurturing goodness that this world has to offer so we pray we pray for the people of ukraine and russia
[00:47:57] people of syria and afghanistan iran and iraq people of sudan people even on our own city streets, as yet another mass shooting perpetuated this past week at Florida State University, we ask, O God, for its end. We ask for your peace. Let the sounds of weeping and the cries of
[00:48:24] distress turn into shouts of joy and laughter as we celebrate with one another together your goodness and grace but for those who who cry out in pain in sickness or in sorrow we pray we lift up to you especially those we hold dear we place them before you and ask you to
[00:48:48] bring about your healing and wholeness we lift up to you anna joe karen chris susan martha sam Ted, Christine, Heather, Margie, Richard, Evelyn, Linda, Debbie, Charlotte, Joelle, Betty, Phil, Barbara, Cole, and Leslie, and others, O God, others in the depths of our hearts, and those who have no one to pray for them,
[00:49:29] we offer prayers on their behalf. God, for those who have lost friend or family, we pray.
[00:49:39] We pray that you might surround them with your comfort and care. We pray that you might use our phone calls and our cards, our visits and our hugs to bring about your healing grace.
[00:49:53] Pray especially for the family of Jeff Jordan, the family of Janie Jenkins. Surround them with your care and use us to do the same oh god let infants grow and thrive let the old dance like
[00:50:10] children let every person find a home and every person enjoy the fruit of their labor we pray oh god for the people of this community those who feel like they are falling through the cracks
[00:50:24] particularly at a time where where it's hard to make ends meet and god we pray for our many ministry partners around this community, those who are working to eradicate poverty, those who are working to walk with those on their road to recovery, those who are there to help along the
[00:50:44] way with your grace. Whether it be Wilkes Community Partnership for Children, Wilkes Ministry of Hope, Wilkes Recovery Revolution, Our House Child Abuse Prevention Team, or any of the other ministry partners with whom we are connected, we ask that you would bless them and those they serve
[00:51:03] so that no one would fall through the cracks here in this community because of your abundant grace. God, let the wolf and the lamb live together in peace. Let no one hurt or destroy one another. Show us, oh God, show us the holy mountain that you have prepared. Show us the new
[00:51:26] heaven and the new earth that you have promised make it be so here and now so that we may be glad and rejoice in your presence now and forevermore through jesus the christ our risen lord to that
[00:51:42] end oh god we join our voices together crying out with disciples all around the globe as we pray together the words that jesus taught us all to pray saying our father who art in heaven hallowed
[00:51:58] be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors lead us not into temptation
[00:52:16] but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

[00:52:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:52:26] The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. That is right. Friends, he is risen indeed, and that is good news worth sharing, both in word and in deed. And so we give of ourselves,
[00:52:58] we give of our time, of our talent, and our treasure so that we may proclaim that good news.
[00:53:06] God keeps God's promises. The powers of the world that offer fear and hatred and enmity, They have no power over us because the tomb is empty.
[00:53:23] Love is resurrected.
[00:53:25] And when we give of ourselves, we proclaim that far and wide.
[00:53:31] The good news is that the gifts we offer, they don't stand on their own.
[00:53:37] God gathers them in and uses them all as a witness to God's love and work in the world.
[00:53:46] You may give by placing something in the offering plate or putting something in the little white church in the Northex or by giving online, but you also might give of your own passions and skills,
[00:54:01] your own willingness to engage hard topics and ask big questions, to get your hands dirty in the work of serving and loving others.
[00:54:12] there are so many ways that we can proclaim the good news love is resurrected here and now in a moment we will offer all of our gifts together but at this time i invite us all
[00:54:28] every one of us to commit our gifts to god let's offer the gifts of our lives to god We praise you, O God, and give you thanks that you have given us such joy, such grace, and such hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
[00:59:49] Let our lives be proof of that good news.
[00:59:54] Let all our words and actions, our love and service, bear witness to our resurrection power.
[01:00:02] for the sake of our living Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[01:00:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:00:09] Friends, now we go.

[01:02:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:02:31] We go out from this place into the world that God so dearly and deeply loves.
[01:02:36] We go as people who remember, who remember who we were, who remember who we are, who remember who God has created us to be.
[01:02:45] But do not let it in there. Do not let it in there.
[01:02:48] go go and be the people of Christ that you were meant to be go and do what's next that God has in store for you go and love and serve God and God's people here and there and everywhere
[01:03:02] and go with this blessing may the grace of our Lord Jesus the Christ may the love of God our creator and may the partnership of the Holy Spirit the Lord and giver of life may that God
[01:03:15] go with you and with me and with us together this day and forevermore. Alleluia. Amen.