November 13, 2022 - Show Hospitality to One Another

Getting it started now. And I forgot my Bible, so I'll be reading for my text.

No, I need to keep things mark Cuz I flip around so much. But anyway, couple weeks ago, I went to my UPS Store. The owner was there and our wives used to work in the same department at the University. So we've got a connection that we have a conversation that keeps on going in. Anyway, I was talking to him. He was asking me how I was doing and I was telling him how much I was enjoying going into other businesses and explained what I was doing. And you know what, he's like, for mental health, I got ya for mental health. And he shared with me like the, he's from China and the town that you said, the time that I was from never sleeps. But the area where we live, We know everybody in the area, we share meals together. We know each other's business, we support each other because I come to Canada. I don't know my neighbors. And I said, yeah, like I agree with him. It's it's, I told him I've gotten a friend. It from Ethiopia who, who told me it like, in Ethiopia, we don't have really easy access to doctors, or psychologists, or coaches, or anything like that. He said, but we do you have coffee. And we, we do coffee over 4 hours, so it's a 4-Hour ordeal, I've had coffee with them. It's awesome. They make the beans they roost that, you know, they show you the beans. They show you. They they roast it. They let you see the roasted Bean. We go through this whole ceremony. It's four hours long, you know. Like literally. He says, if you have a problem, you have two or three copies in the day and all your problems magically filters sold themselves because this person knows that person this person has this idea, this person has this experience and end and that's how they do life together.

Well. My friend at the UPS store and I we agreed liking it and it evident we've designed it. So we drive into our garages and we don't get to know her neighbors. And we have to create our own Community somehow.

It don't worry. I heard what he was saying and I am, that's the reason why I still have that UPS Stores. Because it when I talk

Today we're going to look at biblical hospitality and what it means what it means in scripture when it means for us today. can I can we bring

Heavenly father, I want to thank you. I Want to Thank You, Lord, For the Life in this congregation, Lord. I want to thank you for the life that we share with each other. I want to thank you for the ones who come by this. So naturally, it's just easy and floor for those that it doesn't come easy, but they still, they still want to be involved, they still want to connect, and they do what they can. And I thank you for that Lord. I pray that today would be a graceful day that gives us new ideas to be creative and loving each other Lord in your precious name. Amen.

In a world. That's so full of hate and Division, and snow and garage doors. It's important to remember what the Bible tells us about hospitality.

By being hospitable to one another. And to strangers, we can be blessed and be a blessing. We can breed be refreshed and be a refreshing. and it's important today, because There are so many people feeling lost and alone.

if you have any conversation with anyone on the bus, if you have had any conversation with someone at work, if you've talked to anybody anywhere, You know, who? The most introverted person wants to connect with people somehow.

By reaching out with warp and real friendship, we can make a difference in the lives of each other.

We need to treat strangers as family. I do Pink Floyd, a big part of the book Hospitality, but the Bible also tells us to be hospitable to one another without complaining. What is Hospitality? This is such a cool word in the Greek, the word is phileo zinaas phileos in us. You know what philio means is, right? It's that love, that we feel. It's a it's a feeling love xenos. You might have heard in words of xenophobia. You know, was in a phobia is fear of strangers. Philly hoes n Oz is love of strangers. I like this word that they use for Hospitality, it is used for Hospitality for welcoming in the stranger. It's used for Hospitality for what we do to each other. We're told to show, Hospitality to strangers. Look at this invitation, Hebrews 13, 12 to this, don't neglect to show Hospitality for by doing. So some of you will welcome, the Angels is gas without knowing it. How cool is that Philly was in office is also used to describe how we treat one. Another Romans 12:13. It says it's in their needs and pursue hospitality. Where to pursue it?

No, we live in a world where Winter roads and cold weather keeps us from naturally getting together. We've been in isolation for so long, it's strange to think about welcoming people back into your home. We don't know what people would like, or what not will kill them. Some people are vegans. Others, are vegetarian summer pescetarian some practice, paleo others have religious requirement for their food or drink pronouns. People want to be referred by, it's difficult to get together. It's not as easy as it once was.

Does it really matter? Yes, because we are living in a lonely and lost world. We are living in a place where people social structures have collapsed.

They're starting to re-emerge. But this is our opportunity now, to show love to each other and show love to those that that are

Now we've been going through these one. Another commands for some time and we've got a ways to go, but I want to let you in on a secret.

What I found is every single one of these, loving, the other commands become really easy. When we consider the other person, a friend, when it's done out of friendship, we naturally fulfill every single one of the one another commands, it's just a natural response to do. Assuming someone to friend and act like they're afraid. It's especially true when we talked about hospitality. How do you practice biblical Hospitality while I got a tool for that and the word I'm using to help us remember, is befriend. Befriend.

That means that we're going to be intentional. We're going to embrace generosity F. We're going to fall compassion. Are we're going to remember to be positive? That's important. I were going to invest in order. You were going to race strangers, this family, and we're going to nourish friendship by accepting hospitality. And do you were going to deep in Greece? So, let's get into that. He is being intentional. Biblical Hospitality needs to come from love. Okay, I think I change that up there. Yeah, it needs to come from love 1st, Peter, 4 8, and 9 says above all, maintain and intense love for each other. Since love covers, a multitude of sins, be hospitable without complaining. The love here in 1st. Peter is not phileo. It's a copy of. Remember what Agape? Love is a doppio. Love is the decision to love. I decide to love and therefore, I can have an intense love for each other. It's a decision. We make We make the mistake of thinking that hospitality is a gift. It's not a gift. It's mentioned quite a bit around where the gifts are mentioned, but it's never mentioned as a gift in the Bible. We say that person has a gift of hospitality. It's not a gift of hospitality. It's a personality trait. Some of us need to have people around us. All of us need that people around us with some of his more so and we know it. So we welcome people in way more easily. It's not a spiritual gift if it's a spiritual gift that we can excuse ourselves from doing it. If I don't have the gift,

yeah, the Bible doesn't give us that but also I couldn't find everywhere anywhere. And I looked I looked for this cuz I figured it was going to be in there somewhere. It's not the Bible. Never uses the words in of Philly was in us as a command. It's never an imperative. It's used as an adjectives and used as a noun, a noun describes that person who is hospitable and adjectives describes, what you're doing. That's describes what the noun is doing, right? It's an invitation to be hospitable. I mean, I thought about it that makes more sense. If God said be hospitable, That's kind of defeating the point is we treat each other as friends and we have each other over and we meet the needs of each other and we bless others and be blasted. We're Fruit. Refresh others. And we were refreshed.

Hospitality is not a gift in scripture. It's assumed that we would be hospitable because it comes from the love that oil bubbles up inside of us. The chip I have for you here is the biblical Hospitality needs to be intentional Hospitality, it needs to be intentional intentionally. Hospitality is kind and sensitive to other people's needs it focuses on what the guests want. So that they feel at home rather than just providing them a space. I ate welcome to guests into your space and welcomes them into your life. Being intentional with your gas creates an atmosphere that will nurture your guests and make them feel like they belong. Question, we can ask ourselves is do. I intentionally practice biblical hospitality. I have an impact of biblical hospitality is, but that's a good question to keep in mind here.

So that's that's the bbee is you need to embrace generosity biblical generosity? A Biblical hospitality is an attitude of generosity. Proverbs 11:25 says the generous will prosper and those who refreshes others, will they themselves? Be refreshed. We need to decide how generous we're going to be. Let me give you an example.

What if you don't drink alcohol, but the person you're inviting over likes to have a little wine.

You need to know where to draw that line.

We invited our neighbors over. I knew that, he enjoyed wine, guess what? We served wine for him. The downside is, I have no idea how that wine tastes cuz I don't drink it but I mean it kind of becomes fun that way, right?

You need to know like how do you? Welcome guests. If they're vegan, I don't my daughter is vegan, we're having her over this afternoon, we're having a vegan soup and buns and stuff. I'm okay with that. But sometimes the tofu I don't like them. Anyway.

Tip is biblical Hospitality doesn't need to be elaborate to be effective, but it does need to be generous. We do need to be generous with our time. We need to be generous with our attention.

Question we can ask ourselves is it might being generous with my time in my home?

The effing befriend reminds us to follow compassion.

Biblical. Hospitality means we follow where our compassion takes us. Look at Matthew 9:36. 2:38 Jesus says it says, when he saw the crowds this is Jesus, he felt compassion for them because they were weary and worn out like a sheep without a shepherd and he said to his disciples, the Abundant Harvest is abundant. But the workers are few there for pray to the Lord of harvest to send out workers into his Harvest. The next verse, he appoints his 12 and then sends them out into the Harvest. Jesus, let compassion lead him in order to know when to send out the 12. when we let compassion lead us, when we were rooted in love and we let compassion lead us. That is is it's critical in understanding hospitality. Because Hospitality can come up late, come from a place of guilt or shame. It can come and play from a place of I'm going to show off.

It can't be a, you know it's coming from a place of shame or guilt. Like, I'm guilted into having someone over to my house now cuz I heard this message. If you do that, you're going to feel busy when you're doing that, that the consequence of guilt and shame is to feel dizzy.

What's a whole bunch of other things, but that's the one I remember.

When you when you're led by compassion, what bubbles up in you is that love that you're rooted in. And it is about the other person. It isn't. It's about. We don't do this anymore, but the slides from our vacation trip,

Yeah. Oh my goodness. Some of you were too young to know but think the people would take thousands of pictures and convert them into slides and you got to see all the cool things that they saw on their slideshow. And most people didn't know how to make a slideshow entertaining. Let me tell you, the temperature should be led by compassion, not guilt or shame. And that's the difference shame you led by shame, you're going to be feeling busy compassion. Fills you. With love question we can ask ourselves is have I turned off my compassion, where am I live by it?

We can turn off our compassion. Don't ever turn off your compassion. It's, it's how we should be led.

Brnb friend is to remember to be positive. Yeah. The book, the hospitality. Build each other up. It's got to Paul wrote to the Romans in Romans, 1:11 to 12 and he says, for I long to visit you so I can bring you up some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. But when we get together, I want to encourage you in your face but I also want to be encouraged by you. That's biblical hospitality.

Have you ever experienced? Untouchable, hospitality. It's the sideshows Untouchable. We Define as inaccessible unapproachable, inconvenient unattainable, unavailable and unreachable. Let me give you some examples. Have you ever been for coffee and the person you're with coffee with is always checking his phone.

Have you ever gone over to someone's plays right? When they're in a middle of a fight?

Have you ever been somewhere and you just knew you were putting the other person out for you to be there? That's untouchable right now. I seem to be in more of those situations in the average person and I've come up with a plan. Is is when I come into an awkward situation. I remember I came I saw I made it more Awkward. If it's an awkward situation, I will make it more Awkward because I will ask that question. Do you want me here, or you going to check that phone all day? You know I will I will ask like I've done it's you should we start some marital counseling right now cuz this is not going to work for me you make it more Awkward. because sometimes, Every time I mean it more Awkward, he gets better. Every time you have the guts to ask those tough questions, it is it. Real issues, get it done with, okay?

when you've had that happen to you, you want to make sure it never happens when your Being hospitable to somebody else. You never want them to feel like they're a third wheel or they're in the way or there, you never want that.

We can't be that way when we practice biblical. Hospitality Ephesians, 4:29 says, let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Is, is remember.

I don't refresh others so that I get refreshed. I refresh others for their sake. The bonus is I get refreshed? I don't encourage others to be encouraged but I know that if I encourage them I get encouraged. It's a supernatural exchange that God gives to us. And, and keep it when your hospitable, you keep it on the other person.

Question you can ask is that a my building others up? Am I building others up? The others up.

I have a friend, I want you to remember to invest in order.

Biblical Hospitality creates safe space for others to be themselves.

Now in my other work, I get to, when I get to tell people is I provide safe space for you to self, express your thoughts, feelings, and emotions without judgement criticism of condemnation. And sometimes if I say that at the wrong time, it makes people really uncomfortable because they've never had this before. And what do you mean? You're not going to judge me if I say something, but other times, it's a good reminder. Cuz you people don't get that in real life like in in life. Yeah, it's it's tough. You don't get that in your toast, but you might get that in your close friends, you're rarely get that in a marriage relationship. You really get that in in a work relationship. It's it's a pretty impressive thing. If you can let people be themselves and not correct them or judge them or make sure they're theologically correct.

You just let him do that. And you're there to encourage you there to build up your there, to connect them with Jesus and some way.

4 tips to show. Hospitality, I've got for you for tips. Get to know them before they come into your door as much as you can. This way, you have something to talk about when they come. It, it also saves you from being blindsided.

For most of my life, I had a policy that if anyone wanted to go for coffee and go for coffee.

I have some interesting stories from that policy, if it was just a guy, I would go to for coffee And there's some really fun stories there. If it was a couple, I would invite them over for coffee. And usually, at some point before the evening began, Karen would ask, why are these people coming over? And if my responses, I don't know. We know there's trouble.

probably should have performed Deliverance before the end of the evening one time but it it's simply it, it's like

I'd still have people wanting to go for coffee and careful. Ask me what will what you know, what do you want? And if I don't have an answer I text them again and say whatever you want to meet and it's just it, it's so I I get prepared, right? It's so I'm prepared when I meet with you, that I know what you're talkin about a week and we can go from there. I don't. Need specifics. but, It's a good tip. Like why why are we getting together? Second tip, as you make your welcoming welcoming place to sit and talk. And welcome them, like learn their family members names, like learn use their family members names when you're talking. I free you talk about them more than you talk to yourself. You ask questions. Don't be drilling them with little, be drilling them with your questions, but you have to learn about your guests, who is so funny. It was actually amazing. We got invited over to some neighbors, and they are so good at this and they were drawing us out and we knew what they were doing and we are trying not to let them know that we're Christians because they might not be Christians and what, you know, like it's going to get awkward here if they find out whatever but they drew is right out. And then we found out that they were Christians. After I let it slip that I was it used to be a pastor and it we had a great conversation but it was just funny cuz they were they were just doing this every day. And what did you do before that? And why are you doing that? And how did that happen? I know what you're doing, but it's good, it's it's nice when people do that.

Number for you, find out ahead of time what food item that they love and try to have it repaired for them. Like Karen is awesome at this. She has a whole list. Like, are you allergic to anything? Is there anything you can't eat? Is there something that you would like? Is there she go? Just goes to visit if she's having someone over she goes through. All these questions that I don't even think of like it's kind of like yeah, sure. Coming over.

Question, you can ask yourself is a my honoring. The ones I'm showing Hospitality to I'm not doing a favor to have them come over. I want to honor them when they come over.

You need to embrace.

Strangers is family.

Biblical Hospitality treat. Strangers is family. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 14 12 to 14. He also said to the one who invited him. When you give a lunch or dinner, don't invite your friends, your brothers are relatives, or you're rich neighbors because they might invite you back and that would be repaid on the contrary, when you host a banquet invite, those who are for maimed, lame and blind, and you'll be blessed because you cannot, they cannot repay you for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Have you ever been invited to be part of someone's family? You know what? That feels like right, I guess, just awesome. I've got two Muslim guys that I get to talk to you in one of the places I go to hit a few weeks ago, maybe a month ago. They started calling me my friend, they went. When I would come in, they would say hello, my friend, and I was kind of, like, yeah, you just forgot my name right. And but it was so I didn't know how significant it was because two weeks ago, I came in and said my friend, then we have the conversation and then went at the end of the conversation. They said, my brother. Thanks for coming. and it's like,

As you get it so hard to draw. These guys out, I'm seeing guys cuz they work with truckers in. The truckers are hard people to get talking but most of them. If you guys are just talked, but anyway. It's awesome. When you get when you, when you feel that, you want that to be felt, and I got to say, if I'm going to point anyone out, it's my mom when she she has people to call her mom that are living in all different parts of the world because they came here and they were loved on and they felt part of Mom's family and It's awesome. It's awesome.

I want to read a story that I found back and I think it was 20 2017. It's entitled biblical Hospitality what happened when our Christian family stopped inviting our church friends for dinner. It's quite fascinating. The author is Sarah Barton, and she writes us several years ago. My husband asked me a simple life changing question who eats at our table. In other words, to whom are, we hospitable? The answer to that question was simple, the people who hated our table were primarily our church friends, they were people who tend to see life the way we do the same religion, the same Christian denomination. The same economic Class C meducation Level the same, the same the same, the same as us. I was clearly our practice even though the Bible, you read a very different story about hospitality. Even though Jesus gave us a very different example. Once you start looking, Brad is everywhere and God story. In the iconic story of Ruth and Naomi and Ruth. There's bread as the two hungry widows make their way in the Newtown. The story centers on the green, they need to make bread. So I kind man tells his workers to leave extra green for roof. The hero of this particular story. On another occasion, he invites her to dip her bread into this oil today, we may call that a pickup line. and when Ruth later approaches him to confirm his interest in her, it's on the threshing, floor with a green is capped Here's the detail. The original readers would not have missed Ruth. A moabite was an outsider, she was not the same same same as everyone else in the story. We get a giant hint that got invites people that we don't expect to the table. Later, we read about another Widow who had only a tiny bit of meal and oil to make a last piece of bread for herself and her son. And in that story, God sends a miracle worker to stay at her house and with his presents the meal and oil are replenished providing survival Again, here's the thing. We might not notice about the story. The Widow was a from a place called 05 is an outsider to the central character of the story. Original readers would have realized that the table in the story was not a table of people who are the same. They would have seen a giant hint in the story that God's at God's table, all are welcome. It's like God wants to show us to follow these breadcrumbs strewn throughout the Hebrew and Christian scriptures from man in the wilderness to the Last Supper. We're supposed to understand that God's that, that God's kind of table breaking bread, sharing life, building Community across boundaries that human erect. It's a non-negotiable for God's people. When our family made it our goal to practice, biblical Hospitality in this sense, we joyfully found it required learning to cook vegan and Halal and kosher and paleo and gluten-free. And in the process of shopping in the organic section, we detecting the kosher symbol on canned foods and Googling Halal recipes. We entered into new worlds that are very neighbor's internet. Very neighborhood that were previously unknown to us and threw it all got taught us new things. We learned that eating kosher and Halal required. Spiritual disciplines that we admire. We learned that eating local sustainable food. Was it justice issue? We started to see agrarian ecologically themes in the Bible that we never noticed. Before we learn the food that we eat with people and with whom we eat all week is long mysteriously connected to the Sacramento meal of bread and wine that we you to church on Sundays. We learned that saying grace, before a meal is more than we ever thought I could imagine before. Of course, we still invite her church friends, over for dinner, but now we can introduce them to our other friends, too. The people around her table are no longer. Predictably the same same same as us. And in turn, we have been the guest of tables and generous new friends of all kinds and it all we experience of precious moments of human solidarity. With all the problems in the world, it might not seem like inviting people over to dinner or breakfast or lunch or coffee will make much of a difference. I like the boy in the Mark's gospel. You simply offer, but we have a little lunch, a little bread. I guess you could say we believe in miracles that God still brings people together today to the breaking of bread. Even if it's gluten-free.

Pick up for you today is do all things in love. Don't do it to look good. Don't do it. Have read stories. You do it in love.

Question we can ask ourselves is what I'm doing rooted in love, for God, and for others.

The nnb Friend helps us to remember. Gender is friendship by accepting hospitality. Biblical Hospitality allows others to serve us.

Mark 215. Well, this is Jesus while he was reclining at the tables of a table in Levis house. Many tax collectors and sinners were also guess was Jesus and his disciples because they were many following him.

When Jesus sent his disciples into the towns of Judea, he basically told them go find a person of peace and let them serve you eat whatever they place in front of you. It was a strategy to reach those who are in our judia. Those who we would like if we get to know.

and we know it's well no, it's it's easier to give than to receive and often the most awkward thing to do is to accept an invite into the unknown Especially if you have to eat paleo, or can you feel your butt, lutein, free, or, or you got some dietary requirements, your humbling yourself to accept somebody else. Invitation.

The tip I have for you today is you don't expect the person to be the perfect host. But try to be the perfect guest.

How do you do that? You talk more about them than you talk about yourself? And if they're good at this, it gets tough, but you can do it.

How do we graciously receive hospitality?

In the New Testament. Jesus practice Hospitality when he fed the 5000 if you fed the 7000. He received Hospitality when he eat with Sinners and tax collectors.

Accepting their Hospitality wasn't just about sharing a meal. It was a way of identifying them with them and making them part of his community. And it's a point that the Pharisees understood and reviled.

Am I accepting Hospitality offered to me?

Someone asks you out for coffee? Try to make it happen.

Might not work that day, but how about this?

The D in friendship or befriend I should say reminds us that biblical Hospitality builds trust and breaks down walls.

1st Peter 4, 10 to 12 says, based on the gift, each one has received. Use it to serve others as good managers of the very grace of God. If anyone speaks it should be as one who speaks the words of God. If anyone serves it should be from the strength that God provides. So that God may be glorified through Jesus and everything to him, be the glory and the power forever.

The grace of God, empowers us to accomplish the things we can't do on our own. It's when our strength wears out or the, his grace abounds.

So, What I'm challenging you with is to look past all the excuses, you might have to inviting people into your home. Inviting people from the church into your home, inviting strangers into your home. Or if you can't do it at your own, go look for coffee. Or if you don't drink coffee or tea house is available. Or if you don't do coffee or tea, go for dim sum or go for tacos or just do something. Like be the cat will be the host like them out.

When you invite people into your space, you build trust and respect and you break down walls. It's a kind of vulnerability that paves the way for lasting Community. One, tiny stepping stone in Earth time. Remember the he empowers you to accomplish every good work that you prompts you to do Sophie's prompting you to make that call or extend that invitation. He's going to give you the strength and the ability and the time and maybe even the finances to do it.

if is to know how your practicing biblical hospitality,

how do you practice Pitbull? How do you know you're showing biblical Hospitality one big tip is you do it without complaining.

How do I know this? Because Peter told his people Be hospitable to one another without complaining 1st, Peter 4 9.

It's so easy for us. To be guilted in to being inviting people over.

Some seasons of life. We can do it. It becomes, I can't do it. Some seasons in life, it becomes more difficult to do.

Some. Becomes impossible during covid or vice a lesion whatever we want to call it now.

But now that we're out of that, how are we going to be hospitable to one another?

We're going to have a potluck here in a couple of weeks. Next week. Next week, we're having a potluck. Should have preached this next week.

Do people in The Sting. Actually I appreciate it's good. We're preaching at this week cuz if you're encouraged to bring something

Question we can ask herself, is it my doing this on my own strength or relying on God's empowerment? Don't do it on your own strength.

Practice, biblical hospitality. You need to be intentional because biblical Hospitality comes from a lot of question. You ask yourself is do. I intentionally practice biblical Hospitality, you embraced generosity because biblical hospitality is an attitude of generosity. Am I being generous with my time? And with my home? If you follow your compassion, biblical Hospitality means we follow where our compassion takes us have. I turned off my compassion or am I led by it? Are remember to be positive biblical Hospitality build each other up. Question. We asked you a my building others up. Why we invest in honor because biblical, Hospitality Creek safespace Brothers to be themselves. And my honoring the ones I show Hospitality to he again, we Embrace strangers as family because biblical Hospitality treat strangers is family, it might doing what I'm doing, it is what I'm doing rooted in love, for God, and love for others.

And we nourish friendship by accepting our Hospitality because biblical Hospitality allows us others to serve us.

Question is, am I accepting the hospitality offered me? India's with Ethan, I think I change it to depend on Grace, that makes more sense depend on grades.

Because biblical Hospitality builds trust and breaks down walls. Am I doing this on my own strength or relying on God's power?

It's an awesome thought for us to remember that, God has placed each of us in this body just as he wants us to be.

And it means when sometimes when someone is down, someone else can be there to meet encouragement. To lift them up.

It means that.

We put ourselves out.

To connect into love and do to be God's hands and feet to each other.

I think it's awesome to think about.

What God might be doing in our midst, what? God might be doing through us.

And I know some of you are extroverts and you come by this easy, and it just means something that's naturally. Flows and others are introverts, and it's it takes intention to do it. And Hospitality can look different for different people. Cuz I don't have the space so we can go for coffee or if I don't you know I've got the space come over for lunch.

The creative. In honoring each other, be creative and loving on each other. Be creative.

Can you stand with me, please?

Heavenly father, I want to thank you.

I want to thank you for the love that. People have felt in this congregation in through this congregation for so many years or Cod. I want to thank you that this is not something that Adam is ever going to go away. I want to thank you, Lord, that you're stirring. Some people up. To be more intentional because we need a kick-start After. And isolated for so long and we know it's not going to naturally happen in winter, unless we intentionally do it.

So Lord, I pray that there would be seasons and Times of refreshing come as we refresh each other and then be seasons and Times of encouragement, as we encourage each other.

Lord brings to people's minds who that they can connect with, whether it's someone in the church or someone in their neighborhood or someone in their apartment block, or someone down the street or someone in their workplace. I pray Lord God that you would provide that opportunity and you would provide those times of connection that we can simply show your love to each other and to others. We thank you for this for God in your holy and precious name. Amen. You may be seated.