Remember and Proclaim

Friends if you are able - would you please stand for the reading of God’s word.

Hear these familiar words from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Pray with me. Please be seated.

-

Have you noticed how much kids love stories? My kids love to hear stories of Ariana and I’s wedding and look at the pictures. They love to hear about the days they were born. They love stories.

And Kids even use those stories to shape their realities. There was one time I heard a young child talking with their father, and the father was sharing a story of a place they had visited when the child was just a baby, and then he asked: “Do you remember that place or were you too young?”

And the child said quite profoundly: “I think i remember it from your stories.”

Think about that statement - I remember it from your stories.

And it’s not just children - humans are story driven and they have the power to shape culture. From novels and plays and movies, the stories can give shape to, influence, and reflect culture in quite profound ways. Perhaps because of this we need to give extra heed to what kind of things we allow our eyes to see, but I digress.

The Israelites were consistently told to remember and tell their children about the works of God. We read about this in Deuternomy 6 in the Shema - I mean listen to this

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 CSB

“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your city gates.

This was all about remembering God and teaching them to the next generation so that we won’t forget.

But we tend to be really bad at this. we move on, we get busy, we get hurried, and we forget to to slow down and tell the story so we can marvel and remember.

We Remember and we proclaim.

This type of thing shapes a culture.

I believe it was Andy Crouch who wrote that culture is shaped by the language we use, the stories we share, and the things that we celebrate.

And so today, I want to do a bit of this. I want us to remember and proclaim.

You may remember that our rhythm as a church typically is to take the first Sunday of each month to talk about our Church mission and vision. Today as we consider our Church and our mission, I want to share some stories about where we’ve been, and how God has worked, and then we will talk about where we are going from here.

I have asked a few people to share how God has work in and through the Seed. First, Jamey Strom, can you come share

Insert Jamey

Amazing. dialogue briefly here.

Invite Alec

dialogue a bit here

invite Jess

Friends these are just three small little stories. But I’m sure there are hundreds more that have taken place in our tribe over the last three years. BUt we have to remember them and then tell them. All in order to know that Jesus has worked, is working and will be working, amen?

Because our Congregation is three years old. And God has done great things. We’ve seen some saved, and baptized. We’ve prayed and laughed. We’ve grieved and wept. We’ve even argued a bit. But Community has been forming here all because JEsus has given us new life by his life death and resurrection.

So Today we want to remember.

I still marvel at how God brought my family here. share story about winding up at the seed.

But let me be very clear here - this is not the end. We are just getting started. We are dreaming big and praying that God would allow us to reap a great harvest for the kingdom.

So, as we look toward novemeber, and december and the new year: i want to share brifely about where I believe God is calling us towards engagement in this next season.

All the people of God are called to love God, Love their neighbors, and make disciples. And we as a church want to do that, and partner with GOd therefore to raise the spiriutal temperature of South Eastern South Dakota. This has been our DNA since PAstor Steve road his bike through centerville with a prayer and a dream to plant churches, and it is still our dream and prayer.

It’s not JUST about centerville. Its about parnterning with God to see his kingdom come here in our area. It’s about Irene and beresford, and wakonda, and viborg, and hurley, and lennox and vermillion, and hudson, and sioux falls. And all the many towns and people in it. IT’s a huge dream - but we want to see the culture literally change as we love God, love others, and make disciples.

Now, WE do that primarily through three ways, being

Fully Focused on God and His Word || Fully Formed by the Spirit in Community || Fully Engaged with Christ on Mission

As a local church - our first movement of partnering with God in this mission is being fully focused on God and his word. Now this happens primarily on Sunday Mornings. we come, once a week, and we worship God, and we focus on his word. We ask God to tune our hearts to sing his praise. This is a focusing time, a centering time, and a worshipful time.

This is where we come and regroup so we can get back on misssion through the week. So coming weekly maters and helps us in raising the temperature.

Then we want to be fully formed by the Spirit in Community. This is where we take our disciplship after Jesus seriously. We want to follow him together and become more like him. This happens primarily in our community groups throughout the week. Now our groups this falls are wrapping here this week and next - and we are going to launch just one through the holidays, but I would encourage you, my friend - to join a group.

And if there isn’t a time that works for your family when we start up again, a few words. First - consider hosting one yourself. All the content is done for you - so no one has to teach, just facilitate. Perhaps you host a community group and invite your friends to join you. And second - in love, friend you may have to say no to something else and it may be inconvenient but worth while to jump into these groups. But I assure you, it will be worth it. Discipleship is a long obedience in the same direction.

But that second movement is so important. it’s where we get to have more deep conversations and develop stronger friendship, and be formed by the Spirit as we practice our faith.

Those first two movements are solid, and I earnestly believe that we need to lean into them this next year. They are our bedrock for sustenance and growth.

The third movement is being Fully Engaged with Christ on Mission.

Now in the past, this has been our least defined movement. A large reason for that is this needs to be embodied and personalized for each of us. For a retired person being fully engaged on mission will look differently then a mother of three littles.

But I want to have us engage this next season in a few ways.

And these are our So Whats this week

So What?

First, I want to talk about The Seed Coffeehouse and Eatery.

Friends the Coffeehouse is such an incredible outpost that God has used in so many powerful ways.

First, I want to just publically affirm and commend to you Christiana and Greg Ostrem, and their incredible children. Christiana has done an incredible job at being the excecutive director of this coffeehouse.

There are people who have heard the gospel, been prayed for, and even have come to this chruch because of that witness.

Now, let me confess something to you all - the coffeehouse and its relationship with the church has been a bit confused. We share the same name, we had the same core team - but whose is what and how and why?

I, myself, didn’t fully get it at first, and we haven’t been as clear on this as we need to be - so I Want to clear things up.

The Coffeehouse, while its own 501C3, is a ministry of The Seed Community Church. And we haven’t done the best job sharing the stories and leveraging this space as I want us to.

I really believe this next season is the time to reengage and realign the Coffeehouse and the Church. It’s our lighthouse. In many ways our front door. So when we talk about engaging with Christ on mission - why wouldn’t we start with this coffeehouse - especially when it comes to reaching Centerville. But beyond that, because we have people who come from all across SE SD to that little shop.

We want to reinvest in the shop, and also reevision what it looks liket o use it for an outpost for the kingdom.

We used to hold evanglesistic bible studies for the community at the shop - I think those need to come back this next season. Not primarily for our church, that’s what our community groups are for, but as a way to engage with others outside our community to bless others.

We ought to hold studies, youth groups, music nights, community events - whatever we can in this space to bless others.

You don’t have to work there to do God’s work there. Come pray fo rthe shop. Come grab a cup a cofee, pray for people as they come in the space. Pray for the employees.

The SEed cofeehouse team and board is looking at greater engagement, and we as a church want to reengage and realign and reevision this place for years to come.

So please pray, and engage with us here. Hug Christiana. Give Alec and conrad and mayana a high five. That coffeehouse is OUR lighthouse to our community.

I think it’s going to play a big part in our next season.

And now I want to give you two missions.

We believe prayer is the primary work of God’s people. And if we want to engage with Christ on mission - then it’s got to be first in prayer.

I want to challenge us to cover our region in prayer. I have printed maps of all the towns i believe we have people living on the back table. I want to give you a misison - take a map home, and over the next season, let’s cover all the towns in prayer. And when you walk or drive a street, pray that God would reach the lsot, that his kingdom would come, that people on that street would be transformed through salvation - color or highlight that street on your map. And perhaps if oyur in centerville, grab a wakonda map, or irene or beresford - but let’s beg and plead before the throne of God for his kingdom to Come.

Please grab a map!

And second - evangelism and mission and all these things happen best in context of relationship. Also, our culture is a christianized culture - so if you’d believe it, most people won’t be deeply offended if you invite them to church.

I saw these at another church, and got permission to steal the idea for us. I had Jamey at Grace and Piece design and print our own - but there called Sit With ME invites.

Here’s how you ought to use these. FIrst, I hope and encourage you to pray who you should be reaching out to and sharing the faith with. As your praying, perhaps a friend our aquantiance comes to mind. Well, I would encourage you to lovingly reach out to them, and invite them to church to sit with you, and give them a card.

Let’s normalize and celebrate bringing frineds and guests into this space. As I pray for the next season, I believe that hospitality is going to be a huge avenue for us to be used by God in reaching the lost.

So would you welcome your friends, have them sit with you, do life with them, and let’s pray that God would transform our area.

So that’s three ways I want to invite us to engage in this next season.

The Coffeehouse, Prayer Walking/driving, and invitations.

In all of this - it’s because we’ve seen God work and transform in our lives and in our midst, we remember and therefore we proclaim.

So firneds - I want to end, with a commission - GO. Grab cards, grab a map - Go, with Christ, and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Would you stand, and I want to prayer from St Patrick's breastplate blessing here.

WouldChrist be with you, before you, and behind you, Would Christ be in You, and beneath you and above you, Would Christ be on my right, and on my left, Would Christ be with you when you lie down, when you sit down, and when I arise, Would Christ be in the heart of every man who thinks of you, in the mouth of everyone who speaks of you, in every eye that sees you, and in every ear that hears you.

Would you arise, and GO today and love god, love others, make disciples, proclaim the gospel, and parnter with God to raise the spiritual temperature of south eastern south dakota.

Remember what he has done, in your life and in our midst, and proclaim the goodnews to everyone you know.

Lord take our church, our coffeeshouse and bless them. Increase our ministry. Use us to reach the lost.

Lord our towns, please transform them. Heal the sick, and remove the dark. Would your lordship be on the lips of all our neighbors.

And would you work in the hearts of those whom we will invite to sit with us. Would we be a hospitiaple people. Would you bring those who need to hear the word and feel love to our doors so we can tell them about you, and love them deeply.

Please be with us. Amen.