Theological Status: THERAPEUTIC / COMPLACENT
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Laodicea
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
Why strictly "Mark & Avoid"?
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
We do not issue this rating to attack the speaker, but to protect the listener. This ministry's overall teaching trend consistently deviates from sound doctrine. As per Romans 16:17, we identify these patterns so believers can guard their hearts.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: Does God need our help to save the world, or does He call us to witness what He has already done? A critical look at the fine line between Christian service and the error of synergism.
Pastoral Analysis: While the sermon utilizes compelling illustrations regarding light and darkness, it fundamentally compromises the Gospel by teaching that human action is necessary to activate God's salvation. The message conflates spiritual redemption with social welfare, suggesting that ending poverty is a prerequisite for experiencing God's saving love. This shifts the focus from Christ's sovereign grace to human ethical activism, resulting in a theologically compromised message that undermines the sufficiency of the Cross.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Laodicea — The sermon exhibits the characteristics of the Laodicean church, marked by a therapeutic deism that conflates spiritual salvation with material well-being and social comfort. By teaching that human effort is required to 'help God' activate salvation and linking the eradication of poverty directly to the experience of grace, the message replaces the sovereign, finished work of Christ with a human-centered program of social activism and positive thinking.
Big Idea: God provides light to dispel the darkness of confusion and lostness, calling believers to be that light to the nations so that salvation may reach the ends of the earth. [00:39:20 ▶️ 📄]
🎨 The Visual Metaphor
The piercing light represents God's sovereign grace dispelling the darkness of human confusion without human intervention. The untouched, indecipherable runes emphasize that His ways are beyond human manipulation, affirming that salvation is entirely His work alone.
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Isaiah 49:1-7
- Usage Classification: Expository with Heavy Application
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ✅ PASS - The language is respectful and pastoral, though the theological content is severely flawed.
✝️ Christological Focus: Implicit/Weak
"Christ is mentioned as the source of salvation, but His specific atoning work is absent. The focus is on the believer's action ('shining') rather than Christ's finished work."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 17 | Referenced: 3 | Alluded: 2
Passages Read Aloud:
-
Psalm 40:1-10
[00:19:56 ▶️ 📄]
"I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog. He set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us. None can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell them, they would be more than can be counted. Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offerings and sin offerings you do not require. Then I said, Here I am. In the scroll of the book, it is written of me. I delight to do your will. O my God, your law is within my heart. I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation. See, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me. Let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever."
-
Isaiah 49:1-7
[00:26:53 ▶️ 📄]
"Listen to me, O coastlands. Pay attention, you peoples from far away. The Lord called me before I was born. While I was in my mother's womb, he named me. He made my youth, my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he hid me he made me a polished arrow in his quiver he hid me away and he said to me you are my servant israel in whom i will be glorified but i said i have labored in vain i have spent my strength for nothing and vanity yet surely my cause is with the lord and my reward with my God. And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord and my God has become my strength. He says, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slaves of rulers, kings shall see and stand up princes and they shall prostrate themselves because of the lord who is faithful the holy one of israel who has chosen you"
Key References: Isaiah 49:6, Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 1,537 words
📌 Key Topics Addressed
-
Confession and Absolution
[00:12:23 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor leads the congregation in a communal confession of trusting idols and institutions rather than God, followed by an assurance of forgiveness. -
Scripture Reading
[00:19:50 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor introduces and reads from Psalm 40 and Isaiah 49, focusing on God's deliverance from the 'desolate pit' and the servant's call to be a light to the nations. -
Divine Light in Darkness
[00:36:27 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the metaphor of cave darkness to explain the human condition and how God's light provides direction, clarity, and community. -
Mission to the Nations
[00:38:40 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor interprets Isaiah 49 to argue that God's light is not for the believer's exclusive benefit but is a mandate to reach 'the end of the earth.' -
Divine Light and Salvation
[00:37:51 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor describes God's historical effort to give light to humanity since the dawn of time, emphasizing that this light is for all nations, not just Israel or the gathered church. -
Prophetic Calling (Isaiah)
[00:38:40 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor cites Isaiah to argue that it is 'too light a thing' for God's people to only care for themselves; they are called to be a light to the nations. -
Hope and Spiritual Warfare
[00:41:30 ▶️ 📄]
> During the creed recitation, the topic shifts to hope as a force that plunges believers into the struggle for victory over evil and gives courage to contend against opposition. -
Social Justice and Mercy
[00:46:17 ▶️ 📄]
> In the prayers, the congregation prays for the end of poverty, asking God to create a 'web' so tight that no one falls through, and for healing for the sick and suffering.
🖼️ Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:29:12 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor recounts a family tradition of 'kidnapping' his wife Gretchen for surprise birthday trips, specifically a trip to Florida Caverns State Park where they explored underground caves. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:33:52 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor describes a specific moment in the cave tour where the lights are turned off, plunging the group into total darkness that causes disorientation and a sense of lostness, only to be resolved when the lights are turned back on, restoring clarity and direction. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:40:14 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the metaphor of 'flipping the switch' and 'turning on the lights' to describe the church's role in revealing God's salvation to the world. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:47:29 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the metaphor of a 'tight web' to describe the community's responsibility to support one another so that no one falls through the cracks into poverty or need.
🚀 Calls to Action (Application)
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:40:14 ▶️ 📄]
> Shine as a light to the nations so others may experience salvation. -
Pastoral Charge
[00:40:38 ▶️ 📄]
> Begin the work of bringing God's light into dark places immediately.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Fundamentally in Error
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ❌ FAIL | The Gospel Engine is broken. The sermon replaces the monergistic work of Christ with a synergistic model where human effort ('helping God') is required to activate salvation. Furthermore, it conflates the spiritual reality of salvation with the temporal eradication of poverty, creating a 'Social Gospel' framework that denies the distinct nature of redemptive grace. |
| Soteriology | ❌ FAIL | The sermon teaches Synergism (The Error of Human Cooperation), asserting that humans must 'help God' to bring about salvation, and conflates salvation with social outcomes, denying the doctrine of Sola Gratia. |
| Bibliology | ⚠️ WEAK | While Scripture is referenced, the hermeneutic is driven by a desire for social improvement rather than the exposition of divine revelation. The text is subordinated to a humanistic agenda of ending poverty. |
| Hermeneutic | ❌ FAIL | The preacher imposes an external ideological framework (Social Gospel/Activism) onto the text, forcing Isaiah's prophetic promises of light to mean material poverty alleviation rather than spiritual illumination and redemption. |
| Theology Proper | ❌ FAIL | The sermon diminishes the sovereignty and self-sufficiency of God by suggesting He requires human assistance to 'flip the switch' on salvation, effectively making God dependent on human agency. |
| Sacramentology | ⚪ N/A | No specific sacramental errors detected, though the general theology of grace is compromised. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ FAIL | The sermon lacks depth in Christology and Atonement, focusing instead on ethical behavior and social outcomes, reflecting a shallow understanding of Reformed orthodoxy. |
⚙️ The Gospel Engine (Confessional Distinctives)
❌ The Law And Wrath: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Total Depravity And Inability: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
❌ The Cross And Atonement: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ Commendations
Illustration | Effective Use of Metaphor
The pastor effectively uses the personal anecdote of the cave tour to illustrate the concept of spiritual disorientation and the need for divine light, making the abstract concept of 'darkness' relatable to the congregation.
Structure | Clear Narrative Arc
The sermon follows a logical progression from the problem (darkness/confusion) to the solution (light/God's provision) and finally to the application (believers as light), providing a coherent structure for the listener.
⚠️ Theological Concerns
🔴 The Error of Human Cooperation (Synergism)
Root Cause: Semi-Pelagianism: The heresy that human free will plays a primary role in initiating salvation, cooperating with God's grace rather than being regenerated by it first.
"So let's help God flip the switch. Let's help God turn on the lights. Let's help God by shining so that anyone and everyone might see a different way, might see a better way to live so that anyone and everyone might experience the salvation of God." [00:40:14 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). God is the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:2).
🔴 The Error of Material Salvation (Social Gospel)
Root Cause: Liberal Theology / Social Gospel: The late 19th/early 20th-century movement that redefined Christianity as a social salvation program, denying the necessity of personal conversion and the atonement.
"We ask of god that you would use us all to bring an end to the insidious evil that is poverty we ask you to create a web in us so tight that no one would fall through it inspire us oh god to bring an end to need so that no one goes without and so that all will will experience your salvation" [00:47:15 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me (John 12:8). Salvation is a spiritual reality, not a material condition (Luke 4:18-19 contextually points to spiritual release, though physical aid is commanded).
🟠 The Error of Humanitarian Salvation
Root Cause: Pragmatism: The theological error of judging the validity of the Gospel by its social utility and tangible outcomes rather than its theological truth and spiritual efficacy.
"We pray for the world, that your saving love may reach to the ends of the earth as we serve the common good." [00:46:17 ▶️ 📄]
Correction: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). We are ambassadors for Christ, primarily as God making his appeal through us (2 Corinthians 5:20).
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:08:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:08:09] Welcome to worship here with North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church. For those of you who are in the building, you are warm because I don't know if you knew, but it is cold outside, and I hope that you all at home tuning in as well are staying safe and warm.
[00:08:24] It's good to be together this beautiful Sunday morning, and I've got a few announcements for everyone.
[00:08:30] uh our small group discussion uh we'll meet uh this afternoon 4 30 p.m down in the library downstairs uh we'll continue our discussion uh on marianne buddies how we learn to be brave uh the church during times of tumult and chaos uh church needs to be able to step up and
[00:08:54] courageously to speak powerfully into the darkness so we hope that you'll join us there is no need to have read the book just come and join the conversation 4 30 in the library i want
[00:09:06] to remind folks tomorrow in observance of the martin luther king jr memorial holiday the church office will be closed which also means that programming for tomorrow is canceled as well so there will be no second cop or committee meetings tomorrow but i hope that you'll take
[00:09:26] some time to reflect on the life and ministry of Dr. King, who himself was committed to peacemaking and justice building in his own time and place, and reminds us that we can be called and are called
[00:09:40] to do the same. May peace and justice abound because of who he was and who we are, all rooted in who God is and always will be. We hope that you'll join us this Wednesday, though, for Kirk
[00:09:55] night dinner and discussion as we continue our conversation about women in the New Testament, the life and legacy and ministry of many of the women scattered throughout the pages of the New Testament. Click the link in your newsletter and register your attendance
[00:10:12] so that we can prepare the right amount of food. We hope that you'll join us this Wednesday.
[00:10:17] and finally we are a giving people this has been a congregation committed to this community and beyond for for much longer than i've been here and there's one more opportunity an opportunity to give of ourselves for the good of others and it'll come this at the end of this month
[00:10:40] thursday january 30th as we partner with the red cross for yet another blood drive you can sign up by clicking the link in our weekly newsletter and then following the instructions. It'll take you to the Red Cross page where you will search for this church and you can sign up for a time
[00:10:59] slot there. Or you can reach out with any questions to Ellen Lipscomb as well. This is one of the easiest ways to quite literally give of ourselves, to give life to those in need. So we hope that
[00:11:14] you'll sign up and spread the word as well. For everything else, I'll direct your attention to that QR code in your bulletin. If you scan that, you'll be taken to some information about our worship service. There are some devotional readings and several links, a link to our
[00:11:32] monthly calendar, a link to our giving page if you prefer to give online. And there's a link to our weekly newsletter as well, where you can find all of the information about what's going on in
[00:11:43] the life and ministry of the church. We hope that you'll peruse that and get involved as you feel led. But you have gathered here today not only because God has asked us to be here, but we gather
[00:11:58] together to remember that God has claimed us and commissioned us for service. So let us take time to worship the God who loves us and who claims us. Let us call one another to praise. Sing a new
[00:12:13] song we sing a song of thanks and praise for god has done wondrous deeds god is beyond
[00:12:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:12:23] let us worship god jesus the lamb of god came to redeem and reconcile to take away the sins of the world and so we are invited to tell the truth about the places in our own lives and the
[00:14:26] places in the lives life of the world that are in need of healing and wholeness so let's pray together in this communal time of confession we'll use the words printed in our bulletin first followed by a silent time of prayer let's pray together saving god we confess that we often have
[00:14:49] not waited patiently for you. We have preferred to sing our own song, to go our own way, and to put our trust in idols, institutions, and individual strength, rather than trusting you. We confess that it is easier to bring you sacrifices and offerings, rather than offering our lives to you.
[00:15:16] We search for delight in all the wrong places.
[00:15:21] We keep quiet about the ways we have experienced your love and presence, and we fail to invite others to come and see you, the source of life and love, at work all around us.
[00:15:37] Forgive us, God.
[00:15:38] Abide in us until the new song of hope and redemption pours from our lips and your love is shared in our words and deeds.
[00:16:24] God hears us when we pray and is always faithful.
[00:16:29] The Lord puts a new song in our mouths, a song of praise of the good things that God has done.
[00:16:40] So let us assure one another.
[00:16:44] God inclines to us, rescues us, and sets us again on solid ground.
[00:16:50] God has not withheld mercy from us.
[00:16:55] We trust in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, and we know that we are forgiven.
[00:17:03] Thanks be to God.
[00:17:05] Amen. Indeed, we are forgiven, and we are free to forgive one another and to live in peace.
[00:17:12] And so let us now take a moment to share a sign of Christ's peace.
[00:17:16] I'll invite you to do so at this time in your seats by just turning and waving.
[00:17:21] You can share a peace sign or a kind word so that we can keep our germs to our self, but pass the peace far and wide.
[00:17:28] May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
[00:17:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:31] And also with you.
[00:17:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:17:33] Seated.
[00:18:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:18:48] Let's join our hearts and our voices together now as we sing our prayer of illumination.
[00:18:55] Our first lesson for today comes from Psalm 40, verses 1 through 11.
[00:19:50] So let's listen for what the Holy Spirit is telling God's people.
[00:19:56] I waited patiently for the Lord.
[00:19:59] He inclined to me and heard my cry.
[00:20:02] He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog.
[00:20:08] He set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
[00:20:14] He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
[00:20:19] Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
[00:20:24] Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
[00:20:35] You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us.
[00:20:43] None can compare with you.
[00:20:46] Were I to proclaim and tell them, they would be more than can be counted.
[00:20:54] Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear.
[00:21:02] Burnt offerings and sin offerings you do not require.
[00:21:06] Then I said, Here I am. In the scroll of the book, it is written of me.
[00:21:15] I delight to do your will. O my God, your law is within my heart.
[00:21:25] I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation.
[00:21:30] See, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
[00:21:35] I have not hidden your saving help within my heart.
[00:21:41] I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.
[00:21:45] I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
[00:21:52] Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me.
[00:21:57] Let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.
[00:22:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:22:03] holy wisdom holy word thanks be to god thanks to our choir and thanks to mike norman who is
[00:26:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:26:36] filling in for marty today while she is away at a family reunion thank you mike for being here our second lesson for this morning comes from the book of the prophet isaiah chapter 49 verses 1
[00:26:53] through seven. So listen once more for the word of God. Listen to me, O coastlands. Pay attention, you peoples from far away. The Lord called me before I was born. While I was in my mother's
[00:27:11] womb, he named me. He made my youth, my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he hid me he made me a polished arrow in his quiver he hid me away and he said to me
[00:27:29] you are my servant israel in whom i will be glorified but i said i have labored in vain i have spent my strength for nothing and vanity yet surely my cause is with the lord and my reward
[00:27:49] with my God. And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord
[00:28:05] and my God has become my strength. He says, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
[00:28:30] Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slaves of rulers, kings shall see and stand up princes and they shall prostrate themselves because of the lord
[00:28:51] who is faithful the holy one of israel who has chosen you holy wisdom holy word thanks be to god well several several years ago many many years ago probably we were living in in north florida and
[00:29:12] the Griffin boys and I started scheming. And we kidnapped Gretchen for a surprise birthday getaway. At first, to enact our devious plan, we spoke to her in vagaries so as to not spoil the surprise. In an effort to kind of stoke her imagination to the myriad possible birthday
[00:29:40] destinations, we gave her a very random packing list with a wide range of sundries that she may need to bring for this outing. And when the time came, we packed our stuff. Gretchen's bag looked
[00:29:57] much weirder than ours. Packed our stuff, we put it all in the minivan, piled in, and we started driving away from our house it was only then that we we told her what was going on that we were
[00:30:11] headed to visit with some close friends in Panama City Beach the Christie family good friends of ours and they were excited to host us for the weekend and they were more delighted to be a part
[00:30:25] of the shenanigans and the celebration of Gretchen on her special day. Apparently, just to be totally transparent, kidnapping each other for birthday celebrations is apparently what we do, the Griffins. A couple years earlier, Gretchen and the boys kidnapped me, surprisingly, to take me
[00:30:50] to an overnight stay in one of Florida's beautiful state parks. And it was actually on that my birthday kidnapping that we learned this fun fact that Florida has the most extensive system of underwater caves in the world. In the world! The park that we visited had this, it was
[00:31:13] famous for scuba diving scuba excursions through the the underground underwater caves we didn't go scuba diving but we walked the trails above and as we were walking directly above where the caves were below us just meters down and whenever we came across like a sinkhole or a little pool of
[00:31:35] water we could look down into there and we could we could see the divers kind of swimming methodically behind we could see their lights flashing underwater it was very very cool come to think of it uh it's not just kidnapping maybe that is part of our birthday celebrations but but because
[00:31:56] we because we love to adventure and on this particular adventure with the christies for gretchen's birthday we decided that we were going to go to the florida caverns state park because i guess, nothing says happy birthday like being kidnapped and taken to a complex system of dark
[00:32:18] caves in the middle of nowhere. It just seems to be a tradition for us, I guess. Florida Caverns State Parks is one of those places where they make you walk down, like down into the earth,
[00:32:31] walking down and down and more down until you seemingly can't walk anymore, into the dark and dank belly of the ground. And of course, for most of the year, the cool of the caves is a welcome
[00:32:46] escape from the heat of the hot Florida sun. But Gretchen's birthday is in January, and so we were not looking to escape the heat. Interestingly enough, when we went into the cave, it was pleasant down there, much warmer than it was even outside of in Florida in January.
[00:33:06] but into the earth nonetheless we descended to see the wonder of the these layers of rocks and the shining minerals and the stalagmites and the stalactites all of it largely untouched by human hands i mean the florida caverns not unlike the linville caverns which are not too far away from
[00:33:30] us here up in Marion, North Carolina. Florida system is just bigger and it's connected to a broader system of more and more caves. And inevitably, whether it's here or in Linville, you get to this place in the tour where you're in a large-ish space, large enough to hold your
[00:33:52] tour group of 10, 15, 20 people, a place in which you can all fit. And you're in there, in this cave, and inevitably, at all these tours, the same thing happens. The tour guide decides
[00:34:07] that in dramatic faction, it's time to plunge everyone into complete and utter darkness, the darkest darkness imaginable a darkness so dark that you can't even feel that your hand is in front of your face let alone see the hand that's in front of your face you're so disoriented in
[00:34:32] that utter darkness in such darkness there is no there is no direction for anything there's no sense of direction. In this kind of darkness, there's no telling from whence you came or to where you are headed. In this type of darkness, there's no clarity. There's nothing whatsoever.
[00:34:54] There's only obscurity, only confusion, only disorientation in this kind of darkness.
[00:35:01] Even in a room that was filled, we knew they were there, filled with people on this tour.
[00:35:06] you just felt this sense of of complete lostness and aloneness and it has no end in sight no no pun intended and that's when the tour guide decides that the time is over and needs to switch
[00:35:26] the light on and light floods the caverns once more and immediately it takes away that that sense of lostness and aloneness. You see the people that you're with. It removes that sense of obscurity and confusion because you can see clearly what's going on. It reorients you with this renewed sense
[00:35:49] of direction. You can see from where you've come and to where you are going. You can see the path clearly. You can see the people that you're traveling with. It seems to me that, at least for
[00:36:03] me that's that's what our our world feels like sometimes doesn't it i mean whether you're whether you're watching or reading the news or looking outside your door or window into our community or or reflecting on the longings of our very hearts we can indeed feel as if we've been plunged into
[00:36:27] the darkness of our times. It's hard. We need light, don't we? We need light to see where we're going, and we need light to see who it is we're going there with together, that we're not alone
[00:36:44] on our journey. That's why in the fullness of time, God turned on the lights, that God flipped the switch to to reorient our lives and to show us where to go and and how to live it's why god
[00:37:02] sent the light of the world to shine for a people who were living in darkness because we need light we need the light to show us where we stumble and how we fall flat so that we stumble and fall flat
[00:37:20] no more. We need the light of Christ. So it's a good thing that we've been given the light of Christ, isn't it? Not one month ago today, we gathered together here in this place to usher in
[00:37:37] the season of Christmas. We welcomed the Christ child together at our Christmas Eve service and we celebrated the gift of light that has been given to each and every one of us, each and every
[00:37:51] one of us. The thing is, God's been trying to do this and trying to do this and trying to do this, trying to give us this light for centuries upon centuries upon centuries, millennia upon millennia
[00:38:09] upon millennia. Since the very dawn of time, God has been trying to turn the lights on.
[00:38:17] Since the very beginning, God has been speaking light into darkness. Throughout the entire biblical story, God has been gifting us with light in our darkness and reminding us that the light, it isn't meant for you or for me or even us gathered here in this place.
[00:38:40] In the words of the prophet Isaiah, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel. It is too light a thing
[00:38:56] that you should only be concerned about your own people in your own place. It is too light a thing to give you this light for yourself.
[00:39:09] Instead, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
[00:39:20] Instead, I will give you as a light so that anyone and everyone can see.
[00:39:29] Instead, I will give you as a light, a light whose reach penetrates the deepest darkness, A light whose reach shows the way forward.
[00:39:41] A light whose reach simply has no end.
[00:39:46] You know, while in the Gospels it is clear, it is clear that we are called to bear the light.
[00:39:56] In the words of the prophet Isaiah here today, we are called to be the light to anyone and everyone around.
[00:40:06] so that anyone and everyone might experience the very salvation of God.
[00:40:14] So let's help God flip the switch.
[00:40:17] Let's help God turn on the lights.
[00:40:20] Let's help God by shining so that anyone and everyone might see a different way, might see a better way to live so that anyone and everyone might experience the salvation of God.
[00:40:38] May God's light reach into every dark place, and may it begin right here, right now. Amen.
[00:40:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:40:52] With God's words still ringing in our ears and echoing in our hearts, let us affirm what we believe as the church together. Today our affirmation comes from a declaration of faith, So let's rise in body or in spirit and affirm our faith.
[00:41:30] We know our efforts cannot bring in God's kingdom, but hope plunges us into the struggle for victory over evil that are possible now in the world, the church, and our individual lives.
[00:41:48] Hope gives us courage and energy to contend against all opposition.
[00:41:53] however invincible it might seem for the new world and the new humanity that are surely coming.
[00:42:03] Jesus is Lord.
[00:42:05] He has been Lord from the beginning.
[00:42:08] He will be Lord at the end.
[00:42:11] Even now, He is Lord.
[00:42:13] Amen.
[00:42:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:42:15] Go to God in prayer,
[00:45:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:36] asking God's light to shine forth and reminding each other that that is our responsibility. Let us pray. God of steadfast love and light, you raise us up when we fall and you place our feet on steady ground. So strengthened by your faithfulness, we offer our
[00:46:00] prayers now in thanksgiving for the grace that is ours in Jesus the Christ. So we pray. We pray for the mission of your church, that we may proclaim the good news of the age as we put our trust in
[00:46:17] you. And we pray for the world, that your saving love may reach to the ends of the earth as we serve the common good. May your light and love shine forth, and may it begin with us here this
[00:46:32] day. May it begin with other Christ followers, wherever they might be, so that there is no place around this globe that is untouched by your love and light god we pray for all those who suffer
[00:46:47] we pray that we may heed their cry as we share in your steadfast mercy for people and places in our community that are suffering people without home those without jobs or meaningful work those who need a little extra food or income to make ends meet for those and for the agencies
[00:47:15] with whom we partner we ask of god that you would use us all to bring an end to the insidious evil that is poverty we ask you to create a web in us so tight that no one would fall through it
[00:47:29] inspire us oh god to bring an end to need so that no one goes without and so that all will will experience your salvation and for those who are sick or suffering in body in mind or in spirit
[00:47:46] we pray we ask you to bring about your healing touch through your very hands through doctors and nurses and therapists caretakers even through our phone calls and cards and visits we ask oh god that it would all be good for bringing healing and wholeness to those in need
[00:48:08] We lift up especially this day those close to us.
[00:48:13] We name them aloud now.
[00:48:15] We pray for Anna Jo, Karen, Chris, Susan, Martha, Kathy, Evelyn, Meredith, Laura, Angela, William, Cade, Richard, Michael, William, Betty, Debbie, Joelle, Barbara, Cole, Leslie, and others, O God, others in the backs of our minds and the depths of our hearts,
[00:48:53] and those in our community and beyond that have no one to pray for them.
[00:48:58] please oh god bring about your healing and wholeness make your presence known to these and others as together we provide comfort and care we pray oh god for your very creation that we may safeguard her well-being as we labor together for redemption inspire us to take good
[00:49:22] care of her so that she might take good care of us may we learn the error of our ways we remember before you, O God, those who have died, and we pray for those who will die soon. We pray that
[00:49:40] they may know your peace and know it well. We lift up especially the family of Lucille Johnson, sister of our own Gerald Langford. We ask that you would surround their entire family with your love
[00:49:56] and care, and that you would use us to reach out with compassion and support. May your peace abound this day. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
[00:50:12] honor are yours, Almighty God, now and forevermore. To that end, O God, we join our voices with Christ followers all around this globe, praying together the words that Jesus himself taught us all to pray,
[00:50:30] saying our Father who art in heaven hallowed 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
[00:50:54] but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
[00:51:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:51:12] God does not require our sacrifices or our offerings, but God does desire us to be partners in the work of redeeming and reconciling the world on earth. We have been given all that we need to
[00:51:30] fulfill that calling, and we are invited to give of what God has given us for that service.
[00:51:38] Maybe you would like to give by placing something in the offering plate or the little white church in the narthex as you leave. Maybe you want to scan the QR code and give online or drop by the
[00:51:49] church office during the week when we're open. But we also know that you have been given so much more than whatever is in your bank account or your purse, and so maybe you'd like to give in
[00:52:01] other ways. You can bring in some goodies for our Valentine's Day boxes that will go to our college kids so that we can surround them with our love even though they are far away. Maybe you'd like
[00:52:13] to give the gift of filling hungry bellies by bringing in food items to go in our free little pantry or by making bagged lunches for Wilkes Ministry of Hope. Maybe you want to learn about
[00:52:27] our earth care team and find out how you can get involved. Maybe you want to commit your time to joining one of our small groups, our Peace and Justice Book Club, or coming to Kirk Night so
[00:52:40] that you can learn and then turn that learning into action in the world. There are so many ways for us to partner with God for the work of redeeming and reconciliation. In this time of reflection, let us each commit our offerings to God, and then we will dedicate them in prayer.
[00:53:00] Friends, freely we have received. Now freely let us give and offer the gifts of our lives to God.
[00:56:41] Holy God, we are not lacking in any gift, and we give you thanks and praise.
[00:56:48] receive the gifts of our hearts and lives not as vain sacrifice but as a joyful response for your steadfast love use what you have given us to your glory in every place transform our gifts to become a beacon of hope a word of life and a balm of healing for all creation
[00:57:15] Amen.
[00:57:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:57:17] In the light of God, out into the world that God so dearly loves, we are going to bring the light, and so I beg you to shine it wherever you go, to anyone and everyone you meet.
[01:00:20] And as we go to do this together, I pray we go with God's blessing.
[01:00:24] 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 go with you and with me and with us together this day and forevermore.
[01:00:42] Alleluia. Amen.
[00:08:09] Welcome to worship here with North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church. For those of you who are in the building, you are warm because I don't know if you knew, but it is cold outside, and I hope that you all at home tuning in as well are staying safe and warm.
[00:08:24] It's good to be together this beautiful Sunday morning, and I've got a few announcements for everyone.
[00:08:30] uh our small group discussion uh we'll meet uh this afternoon 4 30 p.m down in the library downstairs uh we'll continue our discussion uh on marianne buddies how we learn to be brave uh the church during times of tumult and chaos uh church needs to be able to step up and
[00:08:54] courageously to speak powerfully into the darkness so we hope that you'll join us there is no need to have read the book just come and join the conversation 4 30 in the library i want
[00:09:06] to remind folks tomorrow in observance of the martin luther king jr memorial holiday the church office will be closed which also means that programming for tomorrow is canceled as well so there will be no second cop or committee meetings tomorrow but i hope that you'll take
[00:09:26] some time to reflect on the life and ministry of Dr. King, who himself was committed to peacemaking and justice building in his own time and place, and reminds us that we can be called and are called
[00:09:40] to do the same. May peace and justice abound because of who he was and who we are, all rooted in who God is and always will be. We hope that you'll join us this Wednesday, though, for Kirk
[00:09:55] night dinner and discussion as we continue our conversation about women in the New Testament, the life and legacy and ministry of many of the women scattered throughout the pages of the New Testament. Click the link in your newsletter and register your attendance
[00:10:12] so that we can prepare the right amount of food. We hope that you'll join us this Wednesday.
[00:10:17] and finally we are a giving people this has been a congregation committed to this community and beyond for for much longer than i've been here and there's one more opportunity an opportunity to give of ourselves for the good of others and it'll come this at the end of this month
[00:10:40] thursday january 30th as we partner with the red cross for yet another blood drive you can sign up by clicking the link in our weekly newsletter and then following the instructions. It'll take you to the Red Cross page where you will search for this church and you can sign up for a time
[00:10:59] slot there. Or you can reach out with any questions to Ellen Lipscomb as well. This is one of the easiest ways to quite literally give of ourselves, to give life to those in need. So we hope that
[00:11:14] you'll sign up and spread the word as well. For everything else, I'll direct your attention to that QR code in your bulletin. If you scan that, you'll be taken to some information about our worship service. There are some devotional readings and several links, a link to our
[00:11:32] monthly calendar, a link to our giving page if you prefer to give online. And there's a link to our weekly newsletter as well, where you can find all of the information about what's going on in
[00:11:43] the life and ministry of the church. We hope that you'll peruse that and get involved as you feel led. But you have gathered here today not only because God has asked us to be here, but we gather
[00:11:58] together to remember that God has claimed us and commissioned us for service. So let us take time to worship the God who loves us and who claims us. Let us call one another to praise. Sing a new
[00:12:13] song we sing a song of thanks and praise for god has done wondrous deeds god is beyond
[00:12:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:12:23] let us worship god jesus the lamb of god came to redeem and reconcile to take away the sins of the world and so we are invited to tell the truth about the places in our own lives and the
[00:14:26] places in the lives life of the world that are in need of healing and wholeness so let's pray together in this communal time of confession we'll use the words printed in our bulletin first followed by a silent time of prayer let's pray together saving god we confess that we often have
[00:14:49] not waited patiently for you. We have preferred to sing our own song, to go our own way, and to put our trust in idols, institutions, and individual strength, rather than trusting you. We confess that it is easier to bring you sacrifices and offerings, rather than offering our lives to you.
[00:15:16] We search for delight in all the wrong places.
[00:15:21] We keep quiet about the ways we have experienced your love and presence, and we fail to invite others to come and see you, the source of life and love, at work all around us.
[00:15:37] Forgive us, God.
[00:15:38] Abide in us until the new song of hope and redemption pours from our lips and your love is shared in our words and deeds.
[00:16:24] God hears us when we pray and is always faithful.
[00:16:29] The Lord puts a new song in our mouths, a song of praise of the good things that God has done.
[00:16:40] So let us assure one another.
[00:16:44] God inclines to us, rescues us, and sets us again on solid ground.
[00:16:50] God has not withheld mercy from us.
[00:16:55] We trust in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God, and we know that we are forgiven.
[00:17:03] Thanks be to God.
[00:17:05] Amen. Indeed, we are forgiven, and we are free to forgive one another and to live in peace.
[00:17:12] And so let us now take a moment to share a sign of Christ's peace.
[00:17:16] I'll invite you to do so at this time in your seats by just turning and waving.
[00:17:21] You can share a peace sign or a kind word so that we can keep our germs to our self, but pass the peace far and wide.
[00:17:28] May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
[00:17:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:17:31] And also with you.
[00:17:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:17:33] Seated.
[00:18:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:18:48] Let's join our hearts and our voices together now as we sing our prayer of illumination.
[00:18:55] Our first lesson for today comes from Psalm 40, verses 1 through 11.
[00:19:50] So let's listen for what the Holy Spirit is telling God's people.
[00:19:56] I waited patiently for the Lord.
[00:19:59] He inclined to me and heard my cry.
[00:20:02] He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog.
[00:20:08] He set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
[00:20:14] He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
[00:20:19] Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.
[00:20:24] Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
[00:20:35] You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us.
[00:20:43] None can compare with you.
[00:20:46] Were I to proclaim and tell them, they would be more than can be counted.
[00:20:54] Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear.
[00:21:02] Burnt offerings and sin offerings you do not require.
[00:21:06] Then I said, Here I am. In the scroll of the book, it is written of me.
[00:21:15] I delight to do your will. O my God, your law is within my heart.
[00:21:25] I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation.
[00:21:30] See, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
[00:21:35] I have not hidden your saving help within my heart.
[00:21:41] I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation.
[00:21:45] I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
[00:21:52] Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me.
[00:21:57] Let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.
[00:22:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:22:03] holy wisdom holy word thanks be to god thanks to our choir and thanks to mike norman who is
[00:26:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:26:36] filling in for marty today while she is away at a family reunion thank you mike for being here our second lesson for this morning comes from the book of the prophet isaiah chapter 49 verses 1
[00:26:53] through seven. So listen once more for the word of God. Listen to me, O coastlands. Pay attention, you peoples from far away. The Lord called me before I was born. While I was in my mother's
[00:27:11] womb, he named me. He made my youth, my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of his hand, he hid me he made me a polished arrow in his quiver he hid me away and he said to me
[00:27:29] you are my servant israel in whom i will be glorified but i said i have labored in vain i have spent my strength for nothing and vanity yet surely my cause is with the lord and my reward
[00:27:49] with my God. And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him and that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord
[00:28:05] and my God has become my strength. He says, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
[00:28:30] Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slaves of rulers, kings shall see and stand up princes and they shall prostrate themselves because of the lord
[00:28:51] who is faithful the holy one of israel who has chosen you holy wisdom holy word thanks be to god well several several years ago many many years ago probably we were living in in north florida and
[00:29:12] the Griffin boys and I started scheming. And we kidnapped Gretchen for a surprise birthday getaway. At first, to enact our devious plan, we spoke to her in vagaries so as to not spoil the surprise. In an effort to kind of stoke her imagination to the myriad possible birthday
[00:29:40] destinations, we gave her a very random packing list with a wide range of sundries that she may need to bring for this outing. And when the time came, we packed our stuff. Gretchen's bag looked
[00:29:57] much weirder than ours. Packed our stuff, we put it all in the minivan, piled in, and we started driving away from our house it was only then that we we told her what was going on that we were
[00:30:11] headed to visit with some close friends in Panama City Beach the Christie family good friends of ours and they were excited to host us for the weekend and they were more delighted to be a part
[00:30:25] of the shenanigans and the celebration of Gretchen on her special day. Apparently, just to be totally transparent, kidnapping each other for birthday celebrations is apparently what we do, the Griffins. A couple years earlier, Gretchen and the boys kidnapped me, surprisingly, to take me
[00:30:50] to an overnight stay in one of Florida's beautiful state parks. And it was actually on that my birthday kidnapping that we learned this fun fact that Florida has the most extensive system of underwater caves in the world. In the world! The park that we visited had this, it was
[00:31:13] famous for scuba diving scuba excursions through the the underground underwater caves we didn't go scuba diving but we walked the trails above and as we were walking directly above where the caves were below us just meters down and whenever we came across like a sinkhole or a little pool of
[00:31:35] water we could look down into there and we could we could see the divers kind of swimming methodically behind we could see their lights flashing underwater it was very very cool come to think of it uh it's not just kidnapping maybe that is part of our birthday celebrations but but because
[00:31:56] we because we love to adventure and on this particular adventure with the christies for gretchen's birthday we decided that we were going to go to the florida caverns state park because i guess, nothing says happy birthday like being kidnapped and taken to a complex system of dark
[00:32:18] caves in the middle of nowhere. It just seems to be a tradition for us, I guess. Florida Caverns State Parks is one of those places where they make you walk down, like down into the earth,
[00:32:31] walking down and down and more down until you seemingly can't walk anymore, into the dark and dank belly of the ground. And of course, for most of the year, the cool of the caves is a welcome
[00:32:46] escape from the heat of the hot Florida sun. But Gretchen's birthday is in January, and so we were not looking to escape the heat. Interestingly enough, when we went into the cave, it was pleasant down there, much warmer than it was even outside of in Florida in January.
[00:33:06] but into the earth nonetheless we descended to see the wonder of the these layers of rocks and the shining minerals and the stalagmites and the stalactites all of it largely untouched by human hands i mean the florida caverns not unlike the linville caverns which are not too far away from
[00:33:30] us here up in Marion, North Carolina. Florida system is just bigger and it's connected to a broader system of more and more caves. And inevitably, whether it's here or in Linville, you get to this place in the tour where you're in a large-ish space, large enough to hold your
[00:33:52] tour group of 10, 15, 20 people, a place in which you can all fit. And you're in there, in this cave, and inevitably, at all these tours, the same thing happens. The tour guide decides
[00:34:07] that in dramatic faction, it's time to plunge everyone into complete and utter darkness, the darkest darkness imaginable a darkness so dark that you can't even feel that your hand is in front of your face let alone see the hand that's in front of your face you're so disoriented in
[00:34:32] that utter darkness in such darkness there is no there is no direction for anything there's no sense of direction. In this kind of darkness, there's no telling from whence you came or to where you are headed. In this type of darkness, there's no clarity. There's nothing whatsoever.
[00:34:54] There's only obscurity, only confusion, only disorientation in this kind of darkness.
[00:35:01] Even in a room that was filled, we knew they were there, filled with people on this tour.
[00:35:06] you just felt this sense of of complete lostness and aloneness and it has no end in sight no no pun intended and that's when the tour guide decides that the time is over and needs to switch
[00:35:26] the light on and light floods the caverns once more and immediately it takes away that that sense of lostness and aloneness. You see the people that you're with. It removes that sense of obscurity and confusion because you can see clearly what's going on. It reorients you with this renewed sense
[00:35:49] of direction. You can see from where you've come and to where you are going. You can see the path clearly. You can see the people that you're traveling with. It seems to me that, at least for
[00:36:03] me that's that's what our our world feels like sometimes doesn't it i mean whether you're whether you're watching or reading the news or looking outside your door or window into our community or or reflecting on the longings of our very hearts we can indeed feel as if we've been plunged into
[00:36:27] the darkness of our times. It's hard. We need light, don't we? We need light to see where we're going, and we need light to see who it is we're going there with together, that we're not alone
[00:36:44] on our journey. That's why in the fullness of time, God turned on the lights, that God flipped the switch to to reorient our lives and to show us where to go and and how to live it's why god
[00:37:02] sent the light of the world to shine for a people who were living in darkness because we need light we need the light to show us where we stumble and how we fall flat so that we stumble and fall flat
[00:37:20] no more. We need the light of Christ. So it's a good thing that we've been given the light of Christ, isn't it? Not one month ago today, we gathered together here in this place to usher in
[00:37:37] the season of Christmas. We welcomed the Christ child together at our Christmas Eve service and we celebrated the gift of light that has been given to each and every one of us, each and every
[00:37:51] one of us. The thing is, God's been trying to do this and trying to do this and trying to do this, trying to give us this light for centuries upon centuries upon centuries, millennia upon millennia
[00:38:09] upon millennia. Since the very dawn of time, God has been trying to turn the lights on.
[00:38:17] Since the very beginning, God has been speaking light into darkness. Throughout the entire biblical story, God has been gifting us with light in our darkness and reminding us that the light, it isn't meant for you or for me or even us gathered here in this place.
[00:38:40] In the words of the prophet Isaiah, it is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel. It is too light a thing
[00:38:56] that you should only be concerned about your own people in your own place. It is too light a thing to give you this light for yourself.
[00:39:09] Instead, I will give you as a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
[00:39:20] Instead, I will give you as a light so that anyone and everyone can see.
[00:39:29] Instead, I will give you as a light, a light whose reach penetrates the deepest darkness, A light whose reach shows the way forward.
[00:39:41] A light whose reach simply has no end.
[00:39:46] You know, while in the Gospels it is clear, it is clear that we are called to bear the light.
[00:39:56] In the words of the prophet Isaiah here today, we are called to be the light to anyone and everyone around.
[00:40:06] so that anyone and everyone might experience the very salvation of God.
[00:40:14] So let's help God flip the switch.
[00:40:17] Let's help God turn on the lights.
[00:40:20] Let's help God by shining so that anyone and everyone might see a different way, might see a better way to live so that anyone and everyone might experience the salvation of God.
[00:40:38] May God's light reach into every dark place, and may it begin right here, right now. Amen.
[00:40:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:40:52] With God's words still ringing in our ears and echoing in our hearts, let us affirm what we believe as the church together. Today our affirmation comes from a declaration of faith, So let's rise in body or in spirit and affirm our faith.
[00:41:30] We know our efforts cannot bring in God's kingdom, but hope plunges us into the struggle for victory over evil that are possible now in the world, the church, and our individual lives.
[00:41:48] Hope gives us courage and energy to contend against all opposition.
[00:41:53] however invincible it might seem for the new world and the new humanity that are surely coming.
[00:42:03] Jesus is Lord.
[00:42:05] He has been Lord from the beginning.
[00:42:08] He will be Lord at the end.
[00:42:11] Even now, He is Lord.
[00:42:13] Amen.
[00:42:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:42:15] Go to God in prayer,
[00:45:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:45:36] asking God's light to shine forth and reminding each other that that is our responsibility. Let us pray. God of steadfast love and light, you raise us up when we fall and you place our feet on steady ground. So strengthened by your faithfulness, we offer our
[00:46:00] prayers now in thanksgiving for the grace that is ours in Jesus the Christ. So we pray. We pray for the mission of your church, that we may proclaim the good news of the age as we put our trust in
[00:46:17] you. And we pray for the world, that your saving love may reach to the ends of the earth as we serve the common good. May your light and love shine forth, and may it begin with us here this
[00:46:32] day. May it begin with other Christ followers, wherever they might be, so that there is no place around this globe that is untouched by your love and light god we pray for all those who suffer
[00:46:47] we pray that we may heed their cry as we share in your steadfast mercy for people and places in our community that are suffering people without home those without jobs or meaningful work those who need a little extra food or income to make ends meet for those and for the agencies
[00:47:15] with whom we partner we ask of god that you would use us all to bring an end to the insidious evil that is poverty we ask you to create a web in us so tight that no one would fall through it
[00:47:29] inspire us oh god to bring an end to need so that no one goes without and so that all will will experience your salvation and for those who are sick or suffering in body in mind or in spirit
[00:47:46] we pray we ask you to bring about your healing touch through your very hands through doctors and nurses and therapists caretakers even through our phone calls and cards and visits we ask oh god that it would all be good for bringing healing and wholeness to those in need
[00:48:08] We lift up especially this day those close to us.
[00:48:13] We name them aloud now.
[00:48:15] We pray for Anna Jo, Karen, Chris, Susan, Martha, Kathy, Evelyn, Meredith, Laura, Angela, William, Cade, Richard, Michael, William, Betty, Debbie, Joelle, Barbara, Cole, Leslie, and others, O God, others in the backs of our minds and the depths of our hearts,
[00:48:53] and those in our community and beyond that have no one to pray for them.
[00:48:58] please oh god bring about your healing and wholeness make your presence known to these and others as together we provide comfort and care we pray oh god for your very creation that we may safeguard her well-being as we labor together for redemption inspire us to take good
[00:49:22] care of her so that she might take good care of us may we learn the error of our ways we remember before you, O God, those who have died, and we pray for those who will die soon. We pray that
[00:49:40] they may know your peace and know it well. We lift up especially the family of Lucille Johnson, sister of our own Gerald Langford. We ask that you would surround their entire family with your love
[00:49:56] and care, and that you would use us to reach out with compassion and support. May your peace abound this day. Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
[00:50:12] honor are yours, Almighty God, now and forevermore. To that end, O God, we join our voices with Christ followers all around this globe, praying together the words that Jesus himself taught us all to pray,
[00:50:30] saying our Father who art in heaven hallowed 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
[00:50:54] but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
[00:51:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:51:12] God does not require our sacrifices or our offerings, but God does desire us to be partners in the work of redeeming and reconciling the world on earth. We have been given all that we need to
[00:51:30] fulfill that calling, and we are invited to give of what God has given us for that service.
[00:51:38] Maybe you would like to give by placing something in the offering plate or the little white church in the narthex as you leave. Maybe you want to scan the QR code and give online or drop by the
[00:51:49] church office during the week when we're open. But we also know that you have been given so much more than whatever is in your bank account or your purse, and so maybe you'd like to give in
[00:52:01] other ways. You can bring in some goodies for our Valentine's Day boxes that will go to our college kids so that we can surround them with our love even though they are far away. Maybe you'd like
[00:52:13] to give the gift of filling hungry bellies by bringing in food items to go in our free little pantry or by making bagged lunches for Wilkes Ministry of Hope. Maybe you want to learn about
[00:52:27] our earth care team and find out how you can get involved. Maybe you want to commit your time to joining one of our small groups, our Peace and Justice Book Club, or coming to Kirk Night so
[00:52:40] that you can learn and then turn that learning into action in the world. There are so many ways for us to partner with God for the work of redeeming and reconciliation. In this time of reflection, let us each commit our offerings to God, and then we will dedicate them in prayer.
[00:53:00] Friends, freely we have received. Now freely let us give and offer the gifts of our lives to God.
[00:56:41] Holy God, we are not lacking in any gift, and we give you thanks and praise.
[00:56:48] receive the gifts of our hearts and lives not as vain sacrifice but as a joyful response for your steadfast love use what you have given us to your glory in every place transform our gifts to become a beacon of hope a word of life and a balm of healing for all creation
[00:57:15] Amen.
[00:57:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:57:17] In the light of God, out into the world that God so dearly loves, we are going to bring the light, and so I beg you to shine it wherever you go, to anyone and everyone you meet.
[01:00:20] And as we go to do this together, I pray we go with God's blessing.
[01:00:24] 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 go with you and with me and with us together this day and forevermore.
[01:00:42] Alleluia. Amen.
