The Danger of an Open Table: Fencing the Lord’s Supper

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] How you doing? Welcome. We're really glad that you're here this morning to worship with us. It's February. Yay! It's the month of love. What a great time to share the love of Christ with those around us and give love back to Him. Yes? Excellent.
[00:05:40] I wanted to remind you guys to fill out the attendance pads and pass those down the row so that everybody gets signed in.
[00:05:47] And also, I wanted to welcome everybody online that is joining us on the stream.
[00:05:51] We are so glad that you're here and hope that you can enjoy and participate in this worship fully.
[00:05:56] I wanted to remind you as well that they're kind of in an important season for Northwest Hills.
[00:06:02] It's February, and on February 19th, we will be having our church conference where we will vote in the matter of disaffiliation with the United Methodist Church, whether we will disaffiliate or not. It's kind of a big deal. And if you're a member, then we're asking you
[00:06:17] to participate in this vote, along with this 40 days of prayer that you're prayerfully considering where God wants us to go and how He wants us to participate in the church universal.
[00:06:28] In preparation for that, on the 19th, we will vote to disaffiliate or not disaffiliate.
[00:06:32] if we vote to disaffiliate.
[00:06:35] We will have a vote on that same day after that to decide to vote where we will affiliate.
[00:06:41] And I know that there are a lot of options out there for the Methodist church to go to or affiliate with.
[00:06:48] And we will have this Wednesday night at seven o'clock in here, we will have an information opportunity where you can ask questions about the different opportunities or places that we can affiliate with if you need that.
[00:07:00] There's information on our website that's been available all this time for you to kind of get an idea, but we're going to be doing those two votes if we need to on that one day, and everybody needs to be ready. So we encourage you
[00:07:10] to do your due diligence, and most of all, pray. Unity in Christ. Spirit will lead us where we need to go, so I encourage you to do that. And with that, are you ready to worship? That's what we're
[00:07:22] here for. With this call to worship, let us prepare our hearts. Hey, before we do that, welcome online

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:07:29] church family. I want to introduce y'all to our new pianist. This is Kara Coffey-Hall. Yeah, give her a

[00:07:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:07:36] big woo-hoo. So some people might say, why are you doing Christmas songs this late into the year?

[00:12:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:12:32] But Christmas isn't just the 25th of December. Amen, church? All year long. Why don't you take a moment and greet the people around you and try to find someone you've never met before. One was
[00:14:12] greeted well. We're going to sing a couple of hymns. The first hymn this morning is Thy Word is a Lamp. And the church, let the church say, our next song is Breathe on Me, Breath of God.
[00:16:52] Breathe on me, breath of God. Fill me with, oh shall I live with thee. You can be seated.

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:18:50] We sing of the power of the Word of God to guide us. We sing of Breathe on Me, Breath of Life.
[00:18:57] That's the Holy Spirit to guide us, telling us that God has given us all we need to get through this life.
[00:19:04] He comes to be present in our midst, and He brings the help.
[00:19:09] So that's why we come and worship, and it's why we know we can come to Him in prayer as well.
[00:19:15] So let's join together, beginning with the prayers that you find in the bulletin and on the screen.
[00:19:24] O God of all creation, you deserve our worship.
[00:19:28] We are in awe of you, the creator and sustainer of all things.
[00:19:35] You own the cattle on a thousand hills.
[00:19:38] You supplied the needs of the Hebrew people as they wandered in the wilderness for many years.
[00:19:45] You gave manna from heaven, quail on the winds, water in the desert.
[00:19:51] You have met us at our point of deepest need, setting us free from the guilt and power of sin that we can live a new life. You know the needs of your people, and you are ready to meet those
[00:20:07] needs. We owe you all that we are and all that we have, so we offer ourselves in worship.
[00:20:15] help us live every moment of every day as worship an offering that is pleasing to you lord hear our prayers lord we're here this morning because of who you are we come because we're in
[00:20:58] awe of you because we are grateful to you and because we love you and we need to express all of that to you. So I pray that our worship is acceptable in your sight. Lord, even with all of
[00:21:19] that, we still participate in a broken world and we ourselves are broken. And so we come seeking your help for ourselves and for those around us and for your creation as a whole. We ask that in
[00:21:38] every circumstance, you would be at work and we would have the eyes to see it, hearts that would leap for joy and mouths that would speak to others about what we have seen. Lord, we pray for those
[00:21:57] who struggle with mental health issues, depression, anxiety, all the rest. We lift up someone who has been found to have a brain tumor and we ask that you would give the doctors wisdom and guidance to know how to deal with this we continue to pray for
[00:22:25] Vanessa Turner who still has shingles Lord we ask that you would relieve her of the pain and irritation and restore her completely we ask your help for Janet Skinner who's dealing with multiple health issues right now for
[00:22:45] Art McNichol, who is hospitalized with multiple health issues.
[00:22:51] Lord, we pray for them and for all who are struggling and hurting that they would find and use strength that they do not have on their own.
[00:23:00] We pray for Joanne, a shut-in, who is struggling because those closest to her will not help.
[00:23:22] We pray for someone who has broken bones in her foot and in a lot of pain.
[00:23:30] Lord you know everything that anybody in this room is struggling with and anybody we know you're aware you understand it better than anybody so we lift up those with medical issues those with mental and emotional issues those who are struggling in relationships that are unhealthy
[00:24:01] those who are in financial trouble those who have spiritual problems Lord we know that all these are within your realm of interest and concern and so we ask that you'd be at work we pray for our congregation as we continue in discernment regarding our relationship with
[00:24:25] the united methodist church we ask that you would give us wisdom give us your wisdom that we wouldn't make a decision based on anything other than what you want thank you lord for hearing our
[00:24:46] prayers for what you will do. We pray with expectation of good things coming because when you were on this earth, you taught us to pray. When you taught the words, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
[00:25:05] on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
[00:25:19] for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen Well now is the time if we have any children in the room between ages of three and first grade to meet Miss Carol at the back of the room
[00:25:34] and she will take you out to children's church time and we will see you back in in time to share communion our family meal together For the rest of us, we remain in the room, continue to worship God in song.
[00:25:47] And during that time of worshiping God in song, we can also worship God with the giving of our tithes and offerings.
[00:25:54] I know some give electronically and some send it in the mail.
[00:25:57] But if you've got it with you this morning, you can bring it to the altar, lay it in one of the offering plates while we're singing together.
[00:26:04] Let's worship God.

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:26:06] Please stand.
[00:26:06] How high would I climb mountains if the mountains were where you hide?
[00:26:39] How high would I scale the valleys if you graced the other side?
[00:26:48] Oh, how long have I chased rivers from lowly seas to where they rise?
[00:26:56] Against the rush of grace descending, from the source of its supply, from heaven's hand, I would search, and know just not that, does your kindness extend the path, to where you sweep, trace my steps, through all my, walk me out, the chat, my song of the deepest of all valleys, from the power of grace, mighty will, flow,
[00:30:59] I will praise you on the mountain, and I will praise you when the mountain's in my way.
[00:31:16] You're the summit where my feet are, so I will praise you when the valleys are the same.
[00:31:25] No less God within the shadows, no less faithful when the night leads me astray.
[00:31:34] You're the heaven where my heart is The highlands and the heartache are the same

[00:31:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:31:44] You can be seated.

[00:31:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:31:50] Let's remind ourselves once again that ours is an ancient faith, going all the way back to God's acts in human history, and the person of Jesus Christ in particular.
[00:32:08] And one of the earliest creeds of the church was to help understand the nature of God, and in particular His presence in Jesus.
[00:32:16] So let's say that together in the Apostles' Creed.
[00:32:20] I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.
[00:32:38] The third day he rose from the dead.
[00:32:41] He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
[00:32:46] From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
[00:32:50] I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
[00:33:03] Amen.
[00:33:05] Well, the last few weeks I've been talking about living with faith in the midst of turmoil, and that really does, for many people, describe the times we're in, turmoil.
[00:33:14] There is no arena of life today that seems solid and established now.
[00:33:22] We're told, follow the science, but then there's arguments about what is science, and is science ever really settled, or should there be conversation?
[00:33:31] And then there's attempts to silence the voice of critics, you know, experts who dissent from what most people think.
[00:33:39] and then a suspicion that maybe we're given selective information to try to influence us.
[00:33:45] We try to wade through what is information and misinformation and disinformation and news and fake news and fact-checkers and people fact-checking fact-checkers and what's really true and real anymore. We don't know. Violence on the rise from street riots to storming the
[00:34:08] capital to violent crime rates in our big city. Even the media that we used to think was safe for children like Disney and Nickelodeon, sometimes you can't really just turn them loose because sometimes they appear to be trying to influence children on social issues, maybe in ways that you
[00:34:26] might not agree with. Everywhere you look today, there is division, there is friction, there's frustration. There's anger and fear. That's the world we're living in. There's a lot of free floating anxiety out there, anxiety that's not necessarily attached to any particular thing,
[00:34:47] and it goes into anger or into depression, and especially after our times of isolation during the pandemic. And then there is plenty of anxiety that is clearly directed at certain things, like financial concerns. With the stock market down significantly from what it was a couple
[00:35:09] of years ago and bouncing back and forth several hundred points at a day, those of us nearing retirement or those who are retired are watching our investments and wondering what's coming.
[00:35:23] With inflation what it is, even though it seems to have moderated some, paycheck just doesn't go as far as it used to. And if you're living on Social Security alone, well, that's tough.
[00:35:37] Eggs cost twice what they did a year and a half ago. Gas is going up and down, but never down to where it was. Don't even think about buying a car right now, although that seems to be moderating a
[00:35:52] little bit, but it's still not great. Nobody's getting a raise that matches inflation. People with modest incomes are worried, and if you're poor, you're just out of luck. Jesus spoke to people who were concerned about money. His usual audience was people of modest means, fishermen,
[00:36:16] carpenters, farmers, goat herders, shepherds, and such. They had no bank accounts. They lived pretty much day to day. A few days of illness or a few days of bad weather when you could not work
[00:36:28] might mean a day or two when you did not eat.
[00:36:32] So money was a live issue for them, much more than anybody in this room can imagine.
[00:36:40] And so Jesus addressed that, and he didn't beat around the bush.
[00:36:43] He went directly to the issue.
[00:36:45] We'll read out of Matthew's Gospel, chapter 6, and we'll be beginning at verse 19.
[00:36:54] He said, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal.
[00:37:01] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[00:37:16] He's saying while money is significant, there are more important things, things that cannot be lost, stolen, worn out, or depleted, things Jesus called treasures in heaven. And he was really kind of pressing them with a question that wasn't stated,
[00:37:35] but it was there. Are you invested in the kingdom of God? Are you as concerned about the kingdom of God as you are about the kingdom of money? Now, the last verse in that, verse 21, has always
[00:37:52] kind of fascinated me. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Now, typically, when we talk about people giving, what we say is if they love Jesus, they'll give to Him and His work. And there's truth in that. But Jesus suggests that this can work the other way around
[00:38:13] as well. If people will give to His work, they will be more concerned with Him. They'll draw closer to him. And here's how that works. If two people say they're going to go to a movie in the
[00:38:31] afternoon, but only one of them goes online in the morning and buys their ticket ahead of time, which one do you know is going to actually show up at the movie? The one who bought the ticket
[00:38:44] already, already spent their money. Where your treasure is, there you go. If we invest in kingdom work, we're likely to get closer to the king. Giving your money to God is also a way of explicitly
[00:39:08] saying, God is more important to me, so I sacrifice to him that which is less important to me, my money. And Jesus suggests that done with the right frame of mind, financial giving can actually
[00:39:28] function as a spiritual discipline, like Bible study or prayer, because done with the right frame of mind, it can draw us closer to God. Now, Jesus was talking to people of very modest means, people who might have a truly legitimate reason for being worried about their situation.
[00:39:49] And you would think he would say to them, hang on to every penny, and by the way, I'll send more, right but jesus was not a prosperity preacher he wasn't into health and wealth he says if you give
[00:40:06] some of your meager resources towards god's work you will come to care more about god and his work than you care about money a challenge skipping down to verse 24 he said no one can serve two masters for a slave will either hate the one and love the other
[00:40:32] or be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve God and wealth he's saying every one of us has to choose what is most important in our lives we have to set our priority now as a
[00:40:52] matter of history when the word priority first started being used in the English language it was always in the singular. One priority, one most important thing. There were no priorities, plural. It was one. But when life started getting more complex, the word priorities
[00:41:17] found its way in, plural. And life got more complicated, messier, because now we've got priorities. God and work and family and money and friends and hobbies and all these things, and how do I make all of this work together? Because we have priorities. Jesus brings it all
[00:41:40] back to the point of simplicity. One singular priority, one master in your life. You can't serve two. He says, sooner or later, they're going to come in conflict with each other, and you'll be forced to choose
[00:41:58] and it'll be really uncomfortable.
[00:42:03] Do I give this to God's work or do I keep it for me?
[00:42:06] Do I give this time to serve God or do I do something else with this to go out and have fun?
[00:42:12] You're here this morning because you set a priority for how you would spend your Sunday morning.
[00:42:22] We can see how all this plays out as we consider our future as a congregation.
[00:42:28] Now the worry sometimes comes up If we make this decision or we make that decision, what is so-and-so going to think of us?
[00:42:36] But the only real question ought to be, what will God think of us?
[00:42:42] The one priority.
[00:42:46] It's better that we get it sorted out before we get into the conflict.
[00:42:53] So what is your one singular priority in life?
[00:42:58] Who or what is your master?
[00:43:04] Jesus talking to the crowd pressed it.
[00:43:07] is it God or money and stuff? He presses the issue because really getting this sorted out is one of the keys to conquering fear in our lives, particularly the fear of not having enough.
[00:43:23] And that's exactly where he goes next with verse 25 and following. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear? Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds
[00:43:44] of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. And are you not of more value than they? And can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to
[00:43:59] your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
[00:44:19] which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, what will we eat or what will we drink
[00:44:32] or what will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.
[00:44:46] He keeps repeating that all the way through. Some translations, it's don't be anxious, don't be fearful. Don't be fearful that you won't have enough. Do not fear. And that kind of morphs into one of the most common commandments in Scripture, do not fear. And the question,
[00:45:08] of course, is why? Why should I not fear in these circumstances? Jesus provides several answers.
[00:45:16] First of all, life is more important than food and clothing. So don't get all wrapped up in the things that are less important. Focus on your priority. Second reason, he says, God takes care are the birds, and you're certainly more important to God than the birds. God has you as his priority.
[00:45:44] Reason number three, worrying won't make you live any longer. Worry never solved anything. In fact, worry can cloud your thinking. It can mess up your day, and medical science suggests it could shorten your life, not lengthen it. So now you can worry about worrying too much.
[00:46:04] The fourth reason, God takes care of the flowers, and you're more important to God than the flowers.
[00:46:13] God has you as a priority. And finally, he says, pagans, that is, unbelievers, worry about all these things. You should be different because God knows what you need.
[00:46:32] because you are God's priority. Notice the theme running through there, do not worry because God.
[00:46:43] Do not worry because God. And then he draws the discussion to a close with the last two verses, 33 and 34. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
[00:46:58] will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. Set your priority and make it God. Seek first His
[00:47:18] kingdom. Do not worry because God. Do not fear because God. And that runs throughout the entire Bible, Old Testament and New. The most frequent command, do not fear, do not be anxious, do not worry. And most of the time, most of the time, the reason given is God. God will provide. God
[00:47:47] will protect. God will fight for you. God will act. Do not fear because God. It seems the Bible sets up fear and faith as if they're polar opposites, suggesting that faith is the antidote to fear. But let's just, you and me, be real honest about this. This is not easy, is it?
[00:48:19] It's a struggle. It's one thing to say, fear not. It's something else to actually not fear.
[00:48:27] It just doesn't come naturally. And the problem may be located, at least in part, in human biology.
[00:48:33] A Nobel Prize-winning behavioral psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, wrote, Organisms that treat threats as more urgent than opportunities have a better chance to survive and reproduce.
[00:49:00] The way they explain this is that our brains have limited bandwidth for processing information.
[00:49:09] We have to focus to prioritize some information over other information.
[00:49:16] And most of this information is filtered through a part of the brain called the amygdala, that part that is responsible for primal emotions, including fear, including fear.
[00:49:31] The amygdala is always looking for something to fear, something to try to avoid or escape.
[00:49:41] It's sometimes called the reptilian brain because it is present in very similar form in all kinds of animals, including reptiles.
[00:49:50] So if this is built into our biology, what can we do?
[00:49:54] Are we helplessly stuck with worry and fear?
[00:49:59] Do we just surrender?
[00:50:00] There's nothing we can do about that?
[00:50:04] Well, let me ask a parallel question, because sometimes we get, you know, the message that biology determines it, and that's it.
[00:50:14] Many biologists insist that males, men, are biologically tuned to be attracted to many females, just like a dog or a deer or a cow or any kind of animal out there, because it leads to the propagation of the specie built into our biology.
[00:50:30] Shall we then say that we are helplessly stuck with men being philanderers?
[00:50:35] Now, some of you are kind of pondering that, not sure where you're going to go with it.
[00:50:44] I hope you'll say no, because the Bible says that is not inevitable for us.
[00:50:53] We have choices to be made.
[00:50:56] We have the ability to make moral choices, to make logical choices, to make relational choices.
[00:51:03] and frankly there are things we can do to train ourselves to respond differently to our world if we don't have to be philanderers we don't have to be fearful we can make choices and the idea is
[00:51:21] that with regular training the human spirit can overrule that reptilian brain and i would suggest intentional training is crucial because trying harder will only get you so far.
[00:51:39] Well, today there is the San Marcos half marathon being run. Now, let's imagine that nine months ago you decided you were going to run the marathon, 13.1 miles. Now, I know some of you are thinking,
[00:51:52] why would you run when you can drive, right? I'm with you. But just imagine, just imagine.
[00:52:01] You buy new running shoes, and then you wait.
[00:52:07] And you know when the day comes you're just determined that you're going to try hard, right?
[00:52:13] The big day comes, you put on those new tennis shoes, and you try really hard.
[00:52:20] And how are you going to do?
[00:52:23] Unless you're a regular runner anyway, it ain't going to be pretty.
[00:52:28] Another person made the same decision nine months ago, the same day as a matter of fact, And they set out a training schedule.
[00:52:37] Run this distance every day for this many weeks.
[00:52:40] You schedule your days of rest in between.
[00:52:43] Then you up your distance to this much and this many weeks, and you schedule your days of rest.
[00:52:48] And alter your diet because you're really concerned and focused on this.
[00:52:52] You want to balance protein and carbs with special attention to those final days leading up to the race.
[00:52:59] now who do you think between those two is going to do better on race day the one who's trying really hard or the one who trained the one who trained the one who trained the same is true
[00:53:16] of our spiritual life in matters of the spirit we can accomplish a little by trying harder but so much more is possible if we train and i want to talk about what we can do to train
[00:53:32] ourselves away from fear and toward faith. And let me say right up front that none of this is going to be accomplished just because we work hard. All this training is to open ourselves up
[00:53:45] to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, because the Holy Spirit is the one who brings the growth. The first thing you can do is consciously stop negative thoughts and start your day by offering it up to God. When you get up in the morning, first thing, take time to give
[00:54:09] thanks to God for this new day. And any time during the day when you realize you're kind of veering off into anxiousness or fearfulness, catch yourself consciously and say, no, I'm not going that way. Take it as time to talk to God again, to praise Him for who He is, to thank Him for all
[00:54:31] that he's done to deliberately ask him to make your day what he wants it to be and ask the Holy Spirit in that moment to turn your heart and mind away from those negative thoughts and back toward
[00:54:45] God, not dwell on the turmoil that's going on around us. A second thing that we all ought to be doing anyway is regularly, daily read biblical stories of God's faithfulness. Pay special attention to those stories in the Bible where it points out God overcoming obstacles and defying
[00:55:09] the odds, keeping His promises, bringing good out of even the worst of circumstances.
[00:55:17] Now, you go to a story like Jesus feeding the multitudes. They had thousands of people there, and His disciples said, they're hungry. We've got to send them back home. And Jesus sees this as an opportunity, not an obstacle. He takes a few loaves, a few fishes,
[00:55:30] breaks them, gives them, and they all ate and were satisfied. Or a larger overarching story of how God took a torturous, humiliating death and turned it into salvation for all who would come in faith, and then overcome that death with a resurrection. With God working in that way,
[00:56:01] where's there room for fear? Read and reread the stories of God's goodness overcoming.
[00:56:11] Read it every single day, just a little bit. Third thing you can do is control your tongue.
[00:56:20] No matter what you might think or feel, do not constantly give voice to worry and fear, because not only are you saying it, but you're hearing it and you're reinforcing it.
[00:56:31] You're rehearsing it.
[00:56:33] You're meditating on it when you do that.
[00:56:36] Now, it is important that we're able to be honest with ourselves and with a Christian confidant about our fears and worries, but don't let your talk dwell there.
[00:56:47] When you find yourself going there, again, make that conscious decision, I'm not going to live in that land.
[00:56:53] The letter of James says, if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
[00:57:05] We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.
[00:57:12] Now, think about that.
[00:57:15] That seems like such a simple thing, something we take for granted.
[00:57:19] The bit is a small piece of metal shaped in a certain way, set on the harness, that goes in the horse's mouth.
[00:57:26] And with that in place, a 110-pound woman can guide a 900-pound horse to where they want it to go. If we could control our tongue, willfully stop ourselves from talking over and over about our worries and fears,
[00:57:47] we can begin to alter the way we think and feel. And finally, share with a Christian friend what you are doing to minimize the worry and fear in your life. Ask them to be your accountability
[00:58:05] partner in this. Ask them to pray for you. Give them permission to periodically check in and see how the Holy Spirit is working in your life. God designed us to do life together. The Bible says
[00:58:19] a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a cord of three strands is not easily broken. We need each other for this. We need each other for all kinds of ventures in life. Very few people become
[00:58:40] excellent at something all by themselves. They need a supporting community. Any good musician has some experience in a supporting, nurturing, musical community. Show me an athlete who achieves real excellence all by themselves, apart from any athletic community. Excellence requires
[00:59:06] participation in and support of a community of like-minded people. And likewise with the church.
[00:59:18] Very few people achieve Christian maturity all by themselves. Seldom is the Bible diligently studied without the aids of teachers, books that were written by scholars. There's community behind that. Rarely do people get led into generosity by their own impulses, and people do not get past
[00:59:44] their fears except with the encouragement of brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider that word encourage, to put courage in. That's what it's about. We need each other, and with each other, we can overcome fear. In an old Peanuts cartoon, Lucy comes into the living room and finds Linus
[01:00:15] in control of the TV, and she demands that he change the channel. Linus asks, what makes you think you can walk in here and take over? And she says, these five fingers. Individually, they're nothing. But when I curl them together into a single unit, they form a weapon that is
[01:00:38] fearful to behold. And Linus says, which channel do you want? And then turning away, he looks at his fingers and he says, why can't you guys get together like that? We can accomplish all kinds
[01:00:59] of things if we're together. If you're wrestling with fear or anxiety in this chaotic world, invite another believer to walk the path with you because that's what the church is supposed to be let's pray oh lord as always we stand in awe of you and we are forever grateful to you
[01:01:29] because it is from you from your spirit that we can gain courage lord i pray that you would fill us anew and help us be a witness to your goodness in a crazy world where people
[01:01:50] are looking for someplace solid to stand. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
[01:01:57] One of the ways in which we can feed on and be encouraged by Christ and the Spirit is by sharing in a meal that he left behind for his friends before he was taken away. The last night that
[01:02:11] he spent with his friends, they were celebrating the Passover, Jewish Passover, and retelling the story of how God had set the slaves free from Egypt. In the midst of that meal, Jesus began to tell another story about a new act of liberation that was about to come. In the midst of that meal,
[01:02:30] he took bread, and he gave thanks to the Father. And he broke the bread, and he gave it to his friends. And he said to them, this is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance
[01:02:42] of me. Likewise, after the supper, he took the cup and he gave thanks to the father and he gave it to them. And he said, this is my cup, a cup of the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out
[01:02:56] for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. Let us pray. O Lord, we ask that you would send your Holy Spirit on us and on the bread and
[01:03:13] cup, that they would be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we might be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood and filled with the Spirit, living out his life now. We thank you
[01:03:26] and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Will the servers come forward, please? The ushers will guide you forward to receive communion. When you come to the front, you receive a piece of bread and eat it. Afterwards, you'll be given a cup of juice, which you can then drink. Afterwards,
[01:03:46] we do have wastebaskets at the front corners of the diagonal aisles where you can dispose of those cups. After you have shared in the meal, if you'd like to kneel at the rail to pray, you're welcome
[01:03:57] to do so. I would remind you, this is not a Methodist table, but the table of Christ Himself.
[01:04:04] and so any and all who seek to be in fellowship with him and with his people are welcome to participate in this meal.
[01:04:11] Finally, if anyone would prefer gluten-free elements or some of the sealed elements, we have them available at the table over on the right-hand side of the room.

[01:12:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:12:38] We applaud you, Father, because you allow us to experience your presence in the midst of communion and worship through music and through prayer time and through our attentiveness to your word.
[01:13:23] Father, thank you for this day.
[01:13:30] Thank you for giving us a chance to draw close to you.
[01:13:34] In all those different elements, you let us draw close to you because your desire is to draw close to us.
[01:13:46] We love you and we pray this all in the name of Jesus.
[01:13:51] By the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God, and for the sake of the church and the world.
[01:13:56] Amen.
[01:13:57] To Calvary, where Jesus bled and died for me, I see his wounds, his hands, his feet.
[01:14:53] In Joseph's tomb, the entrance sealed by heavy stone.
[01:15:02] Go from this place to remember the one who goes with you,

[01:19:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:19:15] the one who makes you his priority.
[01:19:18] So fear not. Amen.