Week 2 Back to the Basics

Pastoral Welcome

Good morning and welcome on this cold Iowa day to worship.

Call to Worship

Leader:​By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation.

People:​You are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.

Leader:​By your strength you established the mountains;

People:​You are girded with might. (Psalm 62:5-6)

Pastoral Prayer

Loving God,

You are our Creator and Sustainer.

When You open Your hand,

You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

And so we look to You whenever we are in need,

trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.

As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish,

we ask that You would again fill those who are empty this day.

Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst.

We pray for those who are physically hungry—whose stomachs are empty.

We think especially of the people in Somalia and Eastern Africa

who are facing critical food shortages;

who are suffering the effects of malnutrition and starvation;

and watching helplessly as loved ones die.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for those who are empty emotionally—

who are lonely and long for companionship and love,

who are caught in the grip of depression,

or overwhelmed with grief.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for those who are spiritually empty—

who are troubled, but don’t know where to turn;

who long for purpose and meaning, but don’t know where to look;

who need You, but do not yet know You.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer

God, we praise You for Your abundant gifts in our lives.

Pour out Your Spirit on us as well.

Fill us with Your compassion and love,

so that we would willingly share some of our abundance

with those who have need.

we lift up the celebrations and laments in our own hearts to you in this time of silent prayer...

Lord, in Your mercy, Hear our Prayer

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,

who came so that all of humanity might come to know

the abundant life that comes from You.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

Amen.

Middle Section

Give an announcement about our daily devotionals as a part of the sermon series and capital campaign

If you are looking for something small every day to use as a spiritual check-in and to be grounded in what God is doing in our church community make sure you get a hold of these

Celebration - Panera Bread

Transition to respond and to MOTM

TAKE Video

Transition to Offeratory

Offeratory

Sermon

Pathways to Generosity

Going on an adventure is a story arch that we are drawn to

Hero’s journey there are all of these stages to the story

Preparing

Setting the scene

A year of Covid

Going out into nature

Starting to ask what do I actually need

Not what do I want to do on the vacation, but really what do I need

What do I need to be able to rest and to come back

Decided that there were things that I needed to pack

Food for the journey - Preparing food ahead of time

Leaving my phone at home

If I didn’t stop before my journey and ask those difficult questions I don’t think I would have had as powerful of a restful week that restored me and got pumped up for when I returned

When we go on a journey if we stop ahead of time to really reflect on what is this journey about, what do I want out of this journey and what ways do I need to prepare myself and my surroundings to experience that

Giving/Generosity

We are all at different places in our giving

Maybe you are new to giving, and haven’t considered the blessing that it is

Perhaps you have been a long-time faithful giver

And maybe this is an opportunity to get plugged back into the adventure, and the wonder that comes alongside living generously

Because truly this is an adventure. The reason I get excited when we get to talk about living generously is because it has been a source of blessing and joy for me and if is not for you already I believe that it can be.

Scripture

1 Peter 1:13–16 (NRSV)

Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

What is Holiness

I am sure I could offer you any number of definitions of what holiness is, and probably they would all bore you

Truth is that this week I was asking myself that same question, and I realized that is answered in this passage

1 Peter 1:16 NRSV

for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The easiest way to understand holiness is to study the life of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. God sent His son, Jesus, to show us exactly what holiness is like. Jesus is the full and final revelation of what God wants us to understand about holiness as it applies to humanity. Since you can’t be any more holy than Jesus, we may say that the fruit of holiness is Christlikeness.

Holiness is about the things we do both inward and outward

It is not a list of things that we shouldn’t do

It is not restrictive

This is especially the case with Generosity

It is easy to think of living generously as the things that I don’t get to do

But actually it is a complete role reversal on the ways that I relate to my own resources of time, talent, and treasure

When I give it is good for me

It is an incredible value added experience that makes me realize that I am not bound by the temptations of money, but that actually my financial resources are a good thing that is life giving and kingdom building.

“In all your conduct”

We can’t be holy unless we are connected to the one who is Holy

Our journey that we are going on is about reconnecting with God

It is

Prepare for Holiness

Holiness does not happen just because we show up

Holiness doesn’t happen just because we do the rights actions

Generosity is more than just a number on a check

Gird up the loins of your mind

It would truly be a shame to live the external parts of holiness without recognizing what a true blessing and privilege it is to be able to do that

God is Holy

God is calling us into holy living because

In order for something to be holy it has to have two things

It has to be connected to the source of all holiness

And it has to be separate from the ordinary

So in order to be holy we need those two things as well

To be connected to God

And to be distanced from the things that pull us away from God

As we enter this season....

Allow this to be an opportunity for you to see God’s Grace in a new light.

Prepare not just for the external question of generosity, but prepare for the internal work as well of holiness

Prepare to truly connect with God

Prepare to love God so much as to turn away things that get in the way for you

Loop back to my camping trip

What are the ways that you need to connect or re-connect with God?

What are some of the things that you shouldn’t pack in your backpack for the journey because you know it will get in the way?

Benediction