3/29/2020

Her friends before we get started with the scripture in the message today. Just wanted to have this screen up for you. And it's the first time doing this it is what are giving envelope looks like now. So this is a picture of the inside and you can see that it has options of if you want to give electronically how you can do that and then section for your name and address and your gift Etc. The great thing about this is it's an envelope and most of you should have received one or maybe two in the mail in recent weeks. And so if you want to give by check, you can just slip your check right into an envelope seal. It shut preferably with a glue stick or Moist sponge do not lick the envelopes, please and put them in the mail put a stamp on it and send it on its way and we will get it at the PO box. That's a great way to still give to help give to God really through. Hope you can do this online as well. If you go to our website Hastings. Hope umc.org there is a giving tab on there or a linked and you can go right in there and you'll see the same options to give that way. But if you'd rather have us set it up for you, please send this envelope back and we will get that set up for you. If you do not have an envelope to or if you want more envelopes, please also let us know that and we will get some up. So thanks for your attention and away we go.

so this week we are in Mark 16 16 through 20 and they are the slight they're scrolling through there really quick, but I'm going to go ahead and just read from those verses and that was Mark 16 16 through 20

and please excuse my fumbling. I had my Bible in itself through 20. XM going to start at 14 14 through 20 later. He appeared to the 11 themselves as they were sitting at the table and he upgraded them for their lack of faith and stubbornness because they had not believe those who saw him after he had risen and he said to them go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved but the one who does not believe will be condemned and these signs will accompany those who believe by using my name. They will cast out demons. They will speak in new tongues. They will pick up snakes in their hands and if they drink any deadly thing it will not hurt them. They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover. So then the Lord Jesus after he had spoken to them was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, and they went out and proclaim the good news everywhere while the Lord work with them and confirm the message. Are the signs that accompanied it?

So thank you to those who joined us on Facebook live this morning. And if you weren't able to join us and you have Facebook the live video will remain available on the church's Facebook page Hastings. Hope you and see it was wonderful to be together with you and that space and in the future will do some Gathering Sia video conference call. You don't need a computer to do that just the phone and not even a smartphone is you can participate with voice only. I really felt like we needed that time this morning time to just be in connection with each other. It was wonderful to just be in prayer together. Thank you to those that submitted prayer request. If you would like to send a prayer request privately, please don't hesitate to message the church or me personally through Facebook or through email. Is a reference when we were on Facebook at today's scripture reading comes from what is called the longer ending of Mark as noted in the Wesley Study Bible. I use it says this the second century editor has added a series of appearance narratives and an episode relating the Ascension. These passages are also found in the other gospels Indian axe. Jesus commissions the disciples to proclaim the good news and make Converse as in Matthew 28 16 through 20 and Acts 1:8. So even though it feels like we're getting ahead of ourselves by talking about the post crucifixion Ascension. This wraps up our March emphasis on scattering seeds tending the soil of our soul messages rather. Well, or does it need this passage of scripture and in the source material from other books of the Bible that we get the Great Commission go into all the world and proclaim the good news. We aren't to just be disciples. We're commanded to go out in the world and make disciples by proclaiming the good news. We have a real opportunity in these days to truly be the church during this time when we're stripped of all that is extraneous in our lives. We have no excuse to not be about God's business. We have been commanded to love God with all of our heart soul and mind. It's a love our neighbor as ourselves. We live out these Commandments by taking seriously this Great Commission and being God's Witnesses wherever we are. So what does that look like in these days of physical distancing? It's not like we should be out amongst the people unless we're picking up needed supplies are on our way to our job as an essential employee. This is the time where we can focus on our gifts. It might not seem like making phone calls as a gift, but let me assure you it is making phone calls is not my gift, but Hope Church is blessed to have people for whom it is you're currently for women making phone calls to their list of people every week and passing on those prayer request to me. There are men and women on our prayer change passing those Trail request to each other. We have people sending out cards and sharing Facebook posts and keeping in touch by email. So we're taking care of each other as we should. But we also need to be looking at ways. We can live out the commission and these days of being apart. How can we use our individual gifts to reach out reach those outside of our church outside of this community that were caring for so well. We started this year with the series growing young based on the book of the same name by Kara Powell Jake Mulder and Brad Griffin the book detailed the six essential strategies to help young people discover and love your church in the coming weeks while we can't gather together physically. How are some ways we can live into these six commitments to reach young people for Jesus Christ. Let's go through them one by one. The first one we talked about was unlocked keychain leadership and what that means means giving the keys to the ministry to the young people. So in the coming days, I'm going to turn over the keys to our social media sites to our current young people and ask them to create and post content that is relevant to them. When you see this content, please encourage them by liking it sharing and subscribing to it. Hope to see videos and singing and all of the gifts that our young people has and I hope to see them on our Facebook page and Instagram did you know we have an Instagram page we do.

Hope to see you there. We have a YouTube channel subscribe to it. And I hope to have some videos on their created by our young people with pictures of what has happened in our church and what we hope to have happened there. So subscribe to our YouTube channel when you go to watch videos there. Secondly, we talked about emphasizing with young people are young people need our empathy now more than ever. This quarantine is hard and yes, they may be used to connecting digitally, but we all need that human connection and it's missing the little things like being able to get together with their friends at school that is hard that is hard in these days. And so we really need to take to heart distemper empathizing with young people and meeting them where they are.

Next we talked about taking Jesus's message seriously, and we've talked last week and this week about the two greatest Commandments. What did Jesus say was the two greatest Commandments love the Lord God with all your heart soul and mind and your neighbor as yourself. And then what did Jesus tell us to do with these Commandments? He commissioned us to go forth and tell the world if we're to take Jesus's message. Seriously. We need to obey those Commandments and live out the commission. Forced commitment is fuel a warm Community with Hope Church is a wonderful wonderfully warm Community. But how can we feel that when we're not together we can still keep in touch. We can call a young person and check-in we can send a funny card. We can embrace them in our love and our concern from afar.

It's just those little things.

This we need to prioritize young people and their families everywhere because remember those young people have parents laws on the parents. This is not an easy time for them either. And if you are one of those parents reach out to be honest about what would help want someone to read your kid a story over the phone so you can get dinner made tell us we'd love to help. Reading a story of the phone is a wonderful way to be in contact perhaps, you know of a young person that is struggling with a subject at school that they're trying to keep up on you can talk them through it over the phone.

Let's prioritize young people and that will help this quarantine time go faster as well if we're looking outside ourselves and how each generation can help the other in these times. In the last commitment was be the best Neighbors. And these days were in were made for that commitment now is the time to show this community how we can be the church not just go to the church on Sundays because we can't do that right now, but we can be the church. We can be the church from our homes. How are we going to do with how are we going to live out these six commitments in the coming days and live out this Great Commission to be the church to spread the word. We have a great opportunity right now to really be the church where we are to show the world that we don't need a building. to be a Christian so that is your challenge for this week. How can you unlock keychain leadership empathize with young people take Jesus his message. Seriously, you will a warm Community prioritize young people and families everywhere and be the best neighbor from your house and I look forward to hearing the stories of how those commitments were carried out in the coming days.

So before we go to work closing song, which should record I hope. if not, I will post it in the playlist on YouTube, but

The song is we are the body and if we truly are the body of Christ, we need to be reaching out. We need to be Christ's hands feet and voice in this world now more than ever. So it's closed with a prayer for our world which are red this morning. It came from the Bible app and it is a prayer for these days a prayer for our world. God you alone are worthy of honor glory and praise with you. We can overcome every storm including the global impact of covid-19. Right. Now we are asking you God to heal those who are sick and protect those who are not we ask you to give our leaders extra wisdom as they navigate this pandemic and economic uncertainty. We asked you to strengthen your Global Church reveal to us how we can partner together to reach the needs of those of us around us. Call Marcia ears. Fill us with your hope your joy in your peace as we continue to trust in you. Use this panda make to pave the way for Spiritual renewal. We want your glory power and healing to be on display come Lord. Jesus come in Jesus's name.