Carry Your Cross: Carry the Culture

Introduction

Greeting of everyone

Good Evening everyone, if your new here welcome to hybrid church and we are glad you came and joined us for the service its a honour to be sharing the word tonight,

Story my Cousin

I had a interseting week actually me and my dad drove to calgery to pick up my cousin who just moved to canada from ethiopia and its her first time here, It been fun connecting i love her observations we were walking to a restaurant in calgery and my cousin was like there so much rules and signs here. Yes we have signs when to walk, when to stop walking, we even have signs that tell people animals cross here!

Whys this topic

we also had interseting and deep conversations about the war and challenges young people face back home and how we can make in impact. One of the challenges is young people but specially those of us who come from ethipia background and are exposed to the west. We at one point have a identity crisis and many feel like the dont belong anywhere. When we feel lost we cast our thoughts to jesus who was eternal God but became jewish man. He existed as a hybrd He wasnt part of creation but he partook of creation to save creation and he is our model and i belive God will use hybrids to change this world. People in the culture but not like the culture, people like moses who was hebrew but grew up in egipt, people like joepsh, people like abhram lived on the borders of the city who wasnt like the city but on the edge. I beilive God is calling hybrid who are engaged in soceity but not like society. People who can reform culture from the inside out through love.

Transition

I want to look at the life of Jesus who were both called to imatate and follow his example and see how he impacted society for over 2000 years? jesus isnt calling us to calling us to live a life that is safe but a life that brings revolution and reform to the world.

Jesus Knew his Identity

Story my culture shock

i was 7 when i came to this country and as many immiragnts know the first few years is hard becuase you feel different, you feel like you dont belong because the culture that you come from is different then the culture you know inhabit. I remember when in grade 2 when the school announced we had pymajaia day and it was a day where all the students were encouraged to wear there pyjamiasa to school. This was new for me so i weore a oneze with no underwear with the bottoms in the back. I remember feeling so embrassed becuase the canadain culute was different then ethiopian culture that i came from.

Teaching Jesus cultural Change and identity

Consider jesus he was with God the father for eternality he lived in a perfect culture where there is no sin and dealth but peace and harmony with his father and God the father sends him as a man to the world. A world thats filled with sin and dealth and broken relationship imagine the culture shock imagine how he even felt in his earthly body now having limits that never existed beofre, imagine how he felt leaving glory to come to broken world. How did jesus navigate that, How did jesus naviagte being jewish while being The son of God?

Luke 3:21–22 NIV

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Jesus knew his father and he belong first and foremost to the father, he knew his primary identity wasnt being jewish even though he was or being a man even though he was but he belonged to the family of God and God was his personally father. In the same way your primary identity isnt your race or gender, or policial asscotion by that your belong to God through Jesus Christ. Thats why the scripture tell us you have been bought with a price the precious blood of jesus by grace through faith and you belong to God. That you are a son and daughter of God and thats our primary identity becuase all another identity are held up by this identity. Identity is what actually gives your life purpose and without the proper order of identity we actually get confused about our purpose. That why in our culture we dont know what a man or women is because all those identitys are nested in God and without God we just self label and give our own meaning but no so in christ we recieve our identity from christ and he shaped our purpose in this world as his sons and daughter.

He doenst just affirm him of his identity but affirms his love and his pleased, That in the same way God loves us and is pleased with us in christ. That we dont just have a father but we have a father who loves us and is pleased for us to be his childern.

Story

In the early years of me and faith dating i remeber faith wanted me to affirm her by telling her i love her or shes beauitful and i didnt as much and my reason was unless i chamnged my mind why do i need to constantly tell her i love her and impleased with her but we were talking to racheal and she was listening and she said why then did God the father affirm Jesus of his love and im pretty sure jesus knew God loved him. I remember just seating there mind blowed. We navigate this identity crisss by understanding first and foremost who we belong to and he loves us an dis pleased with us and that gives us the strength to confront the world and make a difference.

Application

Everyday, before you work or even do your devotions remind yourself that i belong to the family of God and im his son or daughter and he loves me.

Transition

because jesus knew his ientity it enabled his service.

Jesus lived for service

Teaching

John 13:3–5 NIV

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus knew who he belonged to and where he was Going and all power was given to him and he modeld the purpose of power and authurity which is serve. That power authority and responsiblity of any sorts its proper function is for serving people. That is how jesus transformed this world.

Story

You know the mayor of edmonton his resposniblity to manage city property things like the roads, trees and city by-laws whcih is a big responsiblity but and imagine you went into his home and his home smelled bad dirty and laundry is everywhere would you trust or elect hims as mayor of the whole city. In the same way if want to make big change we need to start with small chamges.

Application

Two practical things i think you can start doing to be a better servant is clean your room and make a schedule. Making a schedlue helps you steward your time to serve and help people and cleaning your room helps train you how to manage and order thinsg when there out of place.

Transition

Were not all called to serve in the excalt same way but we called to serve, but what movatatied Jesus service.

Jesus service was led by Love

Teaching

Jesus modeled love that all his ministry of casting out demons, healing the sick or even teaching was done becuase he loved people.

Matthew 9:35–38 NIV

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Jesus life was marked by love to the point where he begged the father for another way so that the phyical emotional and spiritual pain of the cross can pass but he choose to go through it anyway because he loved us. That In Jesus ultimate service was giving his life as a payment for many peoples sins and to offer forgive to anyone who would believe him.

Mark 10:45 NIV

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Story

I didnt live a life that clean and or good but one day at the core house i saw my need for forgiveness and my need for a new way and i extend my hand for help and jesus met me with love and God love he poured his love in my heart by his spirit and since that day i have never question in valleys or mountains if he loved me, now this love compells me daily to serve and give my life for something bigger then myself.

Application

God is calling all of us to be hybrid people of a different culture a heavenly culture who will envade earth. We all have a place to service in our familys, in our church and in the world to make a eternal differnce, To have a holy ambition movatied by love, to live for something that out lives us.

Conclusion

Some of us need to pray for God to fill us with his love.