1/11/26

You make it easy.

Okay.

Couple real quick announcement. I want to call your attention to me.

I get trapped behind there so I won't, I won't do you got, you got the okay, is it, is it coming across? Am I using my indoor voice? Now it's just come and good. Good. Wasn't coming across on the microphone before. Good morning. It is good to be here with you all. I'm pray with me, please.

Gracious. Heavenly Father, we give you. Thanks this, we come into this place but above all. We want to hear your word. We want to feel your presence, Lord be present with us. Now, I'll take the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts and make them acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, our strength and Our Redeemer. I'm in Pastor rusty said and he he said how much of a good friend I have been nothing compared to the good friend that that Rusty has been to me along the way. It's been. It's been a really blessed journey and being in that moment when we stood there and I Can't Tell You Why to this day, I just knew is something. God, was was working that in some way and and it's it's incredible to see where that's come. I got a chance this weekend to spend some really good time with your your little church. The little church on the lane be with the little church on the lane board and it was it was a real honour and blessing you're going to be really excited about. I think what's coming and and where this board is, is going to be leaving. This is a very special time when we when we first gathered. This weekend, we gathered at the culinary school to have a really wonderful meal and I know Rusty has connected that here with little church and peace but I remember sitting with piece as as we were figuring out what the Verve was going to be and the verb was the verb and noun was to nourish God's community and to see that word pop up again in that connection and see how that shared is so neat to see that that connection and consistency. But we gather there at the culinary school and we had a wonderful meal and then we share some fun facts. I won't tell you all the fun fact, we shared there is confidentiality. And if some of those things that we had that the story should I just can't, I can't tell you all of those, but we had a great time. Lot of laughter. And then we went into, we began looking from the perspective of Revelation, The Book of Revelation. And in the very beginning of the book of Revelation, God is identified. Jesus is identified as the one, who who was who is and is to come. It's it's actually kind of flipped a little bit. It is, who is who was, and who is the, it really doesn't matter because what it basically says is, there's a consistency. The same God who has been before, is the same God, who is now in that great to know the same God, it is the same. God that's important to recognize, we don't see a new God. Now there's lots of one's trying to claim to be God but there is but one God and we focused in and shared stories of experiences with that God, where have you is what we ask. I hope you will consider this Where have you experienced the presence of God when you go back and you think about those moments, those times? Pastor, Rusty, shared that, you know, he's not had a really good good time of it since Christmas. He had, he had a little girl with not being able to breathe. And while he was in there, the words Stella came to mind. Now, sell, if you've ever seen or looked in the, in the storms, like, Psalm 46, or they will have this moment, this break in the reading where it will go fella. And you look at it, you got us, right? That's odd Sela. We don't know what that really means. But what it means is pause take a breath in the middle of all those things.

Stop take a breath and I and I said to rest, I said it's kind of powerful that you came to that word in a moment when you were having incredible trouble breathing. And then and then began to think about where the relationship with peace and little church began in terms are came together and sharing with Rusty was during covid. Now, what was covid? But it does ease of being able to breathe right moments. We often times skip over that. When we read those psalms we skip over those moments when we're coming through the scriptures and we don't

REI. Slow down pause, but we did that. We did that this weekend as board, didn't we, we took time to breathe and to reflect and to share. Where have you seen this? God? Now, when you here in this first reading, that was from Isaiah, God says in there, I am, I am this, I am God, I was the one who created you. I was from the very beginning this same. God speak to those people speaking and saying that God that you knew way back. When is the same God? That is today. God has not been changed, which led to a word called Sovereign. God is Sovereign. You know what? That really means God is not changed by you. We are changed by God that God is Not, is not changed by what we do. God is not changed by the changes in the world. God has not changed by what you have faith. God is not changed. We are changed in that relationship with God, Sovereign, that's what it means, the goddess separate from us, that's pretty good news. Sometimes I'll raise the question. There's a lot of fear and anxiety right now in the world, isn't there? Lot of anxiety about where that's going to go, what's going to happen where my lot of fear and anxiety. Often will raise this question. Do you want to have a god? That is afraid of what you're afraid of. Do you want a God? Who is scared of that? Because often times when we approach God we approach from our fear. We approach from our anger, we approach, from all the insecurities that we may have, we approach God that way and then sometimes imposed that limitation on God that somehow God is afraid of God is feeling these things. But Revelation does not show that God is not afraid of what we're afraid of. Isn't that a wonderful gift? And this God, who is Sovereign loves us so much that he sent his only son to be with us. We gather to remember the wonderful gift of that suffering servant that you hear the wonderful gift of who God is, who loves so much that he wants to extend this throughout the whole world. And it will take more time and you and I have, but don't worry because God's Got A Plan. God is working that beyond what you can see, you are not called to be afraid of what, God, what what the world is afraid of. Instead call to a relationship. So we gathered and remembered the god. Who is, who was and who is to come is the same Sovereign God and I'm sharing those stories, then we began till this stuff, word words and things that that reflected those experiences commonalities. What did you hear as we've shared with the board? What we're commonalities and we had a list of words that came through it. And then from those words, we identified Three core values. These are the values that hold us steady. That remind us that the same God even when words pushed around, when were knocked all over the place that this same God is with us that this same. God has not changed by that. And so we, we shared those, those three. And then you going to love this with the help of Janice, it was Janice right. I get the name, I believe chat, gpt's, the other name, that's the part. We actually took all those words and helped create sentences. Chat GPT. You got to love it. It's a new one for me, the first time I ever experienced that, but it was still really good stuff. So we began to identify these three core values want to share them with you. The first is to listen for and Faithfully respond to God's call. That's the short 11 here with Jen said, it's with the other words to respond to God's call embracing our identity. As children of God showing Christ, love to all remaining Discerning and open to the spirit sleeting and trusting in The Sovereign God hear that again. Sovereign God who was, who is And who is to come really good right to listen for, and Faithfully. Respond to God's call is a core value of this congregation. I think that reflects, doesn't it? Listen for, and faithful to respond to God's call. Now, remember, you got to dig deeper into what Janice also helped us put together in that sentence that you have to remember, you're not just worshiping any God are you? You're not just following any God because trust me there are a lot of ones out there that I can one claim to be God, they're going to want to claim to speak for that. They're going to want to overpower you. They're going to want to stay up all kind, they're going to want to Define you. I shared this and I know the peaceful snow this well, along the way as I've as I've shared it. My son is now a pastor in Salisbury North Carolina but when he was little, he had to not her because she wasn't in the picture at the first. Now she had, he had a really good pair of when she came into my life, but he had really too screwed up Paris. So, every time I dropped him off for school, I would ask him this question. Joshua, who are you? And he knew to respond. I'm a Child of God. I'm a child of God and then I would look at him and say this act like it. Live like it, right? That's who I wanted him to be. That's the God. I wanted him to know. First and foremost, I didn't want him to listen to every guy. That was out there every voice, every other, but to listen, for the voice of God. That's a first core value that your board identified. It was really wonderful how it came to be. Because when they were identifying it, when they came to that, that the first, it wasn't the first thing that was up, there was it But it came and said, I feel the spirit was said, I feel the spirit saying this is important and then I watched how the Spirit Led them to start with that. That if you are not listening for God's voice and learning to Faithfully respond, and what's it all about,

That's the Focus, right? You have to start and focus on that relationship Faithfully respond. The second was to cultivate life-giving relationships, cultivate life-giving relationships. Listen to God. Identify, but how do you also hear God? But in relationship has to come and relationship-building life-giving cultivating, life-giving relationships. Now, this is where Janice added to it. These other words that were part deeply connected to God and one another so important expressing visible love within and beyond our wall. So it wasn't just inside but in and beyond our walls growing together through Sharing. Kindness patience and selfless service. And this is where the word peace, folks that nourishes and moves us forward in faith in our Lord. Wow, that's a great core values. In it first to listen and Faithfully respond to God. Sovereign, God the God who was, who is who is the comp s cultivate relationships. It means, it's not just about doing things. It means, cultivating relationships with each other, with god, with the community, all of those things, so much apart of it. The third core value is to invite faithful involvement. It means that you all can try and sit in the Pew and not do anything, but that's not what it's all about. Is it, it's also not about simply trying to find you a job. Something you can do, it's not complaining. You know what, we can't get anybody to do anything. No, the board talked about that very carefully. And really said, these this work, this involvement is a part of relationship, is part of how you grow together. It should be joyful energetic, fun growing. It's where we experience that relationship. If it moves us out into the world, to cult to invite people involvement sharing our own journeys of Faith, with openness and Grace. We shared about how some of the stories you all have some of the stories that have been shared a people of Faith who have gotten up and share their testimony share their experiences with God pointed to that we're probably some of the most powerful we pointed out that that listing for God's call was not just rusty, not just the office of Pastor but the board and everybody else that God speaks to all of us week. We talked about the fact that in that involvement in that space for involvement, we are to share our own journeys of Faith with openness and Grace bearing witness to God's transforming work. So you got to know where God was have you seen God working? Sometimes we can see what's broken. We can see other things that seem so powerful, but if you look deeply, you can find God working and you can be part of God working. When you step in and get involved, walking alongside others in intentional, discipleship, that nurtures belonging spiritual growth and deeper Fellowship in Christ. Those three to listen for and faithful respond to God's call. Small Sea. By the way, again, not big see, the call to the pastor, but the call of God to all of us number to to cultivate life-giving relationships and number three to invite faithful. Involvement. Your board has dedicated themselves this year to working on that. What it means is they're not just going to get lost in the day today. How do we keep this building running? What do we do to to make all that? All those those are important decision but they're going to look at how this church is structured so that it will invite involvement in connection. It will give everybody an opportunity to participate in these three core values. It will invite that connection. So it will go forward. They're going to look at how that is. They're going to talk about how they can grow that relationship even deeper with peace. So that that relationship becomes a part. So it becomes a part of where it goes to take that Stella breath, paused and looked forward and say, what can we do? How can we serve? Where is God in all of this? That's what the board is. Dedicating themselves to their also going to talk about ways, what kind of staffing needs are needed here. Now, where do you need what, what kind of help? It's not just do we get rusty, some help. Right? But where does that fit into all of these core values? And how can it be the most effective way to bring people closer in these values? Everything will be measured by that. That's what your board has dedicated themselves to does that sound pretty good to you. That sound exciting to look forward to 2026. I hope it does cuz it sure was exciting to be a part of and I hope you will listen and participate and pray and watch four ways that you can make that connection as well. Finally with Genesis help, it was Jenna, she helped to but we can't, we pulled the words together. We had to take the prayer from five pages to I'll give you the paragraph one. I won't read the five-page one but it was shorter but it's a beautiful prayer and I want invite you into that. But before I do, I want to connect you to that baptism of Our Lord. And remember, and I hope you can see how these three core values are actually reflected in that lesson. Because Jesus Came From Galilee where he was right. He was he was in and he was not known, except probably by John. He was not known and yet he showed up at that spot. Why? Because God called him. God told him to come to that spot. And when he came he didn't just Stand up aloof and away and tell everybody what they're supposed to do, what did he do? He got wet. He went into the water, just like you and just like me. You see? The real gift is not and we unfortunately have been have had this promoted in so many ways that we think it's all about how we get to heaven. Puts a lot of pressure on done that. How you going to get to God? How you going to get to heaven? That is not what the scripture says that is not what this message about this message, this grace that we have celebrated in the season, when the word became flesh is not that we get to God. But this God who was, who is and who is to come the same God of love, who goes all the way back has chosen to overcome our sin and Brokenness and to engage the world to enter the world to build relationship in the world through his son. Jesus Christ, just show us the way. It's supposed to be to invite us to receive that call to make that connection because he's not dead anymore. Is he he's alive? And because of that because of that Spirit it is never lost. The good news is not that we get to heaven. Is that heaven has come to us and continues to come in us and continues to dwell in us. And we are invited to hear that call. To engage in relationship that supports that and then to be involved in spreading that to all the world, we are invited to that. Jesus came and he got wet t-shirt that John said it'd be better if you didn't do that, right? Don't don't do that. He said, why? Because he knew he knew this gift that was in front but Jesus said, no, I'm going to get involved. I'm going to be involved entered into that religious practice right now. Remember John separated himself out? People were coming to him in the wilderness for that. Baptism. Were they not? Hear Jesus, invites and brings it all the way in, right into the heart of Jerusalem when he ultimately dies and Rises and enters into the phone and said that he doesn't deny the religious practices. What he invites you to do is see the presence of God to be changed, to be converted to see the world in a different new way. He comes up out of the water. And God says this is my son my beloved with him. I am well pleased and then guess what happens? He has driven into the Wilderness to be tempted by Satan immediately. He goes right out into that very area to be apart. You here the three You hear the three? And yet, in all of it, listen to God's call. Listen to God's call. God is calling each and everyone of us, God is present, God is here not distant, listen for where God is, not where God is not, listen deeper look deeper, learn deeper, that's what this church is going to dedicate itself. And as you do, the next thing is build relationships on that, build your life on that. Build a relationship with God and each other on that. And then finally get involved, get involved in taking this. Good news out. Yes. It's entering out into temptation but God has already led the way even there. I hope you're excited about 2026 cuz I certainly was from being with you all here. In this time you got a lot of things to address a lot of things that you're going to engage do it together. It was God first remember the same God who was that? That threat right? Pause. But then get ready cuz God's leading the way into a new day and he is called you and said my beloved, you are my people with you? I am well pleased before you do anything else and then he leads us out from there, may God bless the way.