Punching Holes in the Darkness

So supposedly my picture supposed to come up here so if you are not sure what I didn't do.

Tax collector, a prostitute and a prodigals.

They all have the sum and forgiveness of Jesus. I am drawn to ghost stories in the Bible about forgiveness and Redemption grace. And mercy, I find that in my everyday life on the lease the people who are in the margins for Left Behind, when I was a little girl, my favorite story was wait for me kitten.

Number and over. Again, it was about

And eventually like a good children's book, they all come together.

From as early as I can remember.

Unable to fit in anywhere, I didn't come to know. I didn't know I could great love for me that I am forgiven because Christ died for my sins. God's grace is unmerited favor upon us is showing through the death and resurrection of Christ. Let us pray. Police and all mighty God, we come to you with Open Hearts. May you use my amazing listeners? Have a open, God, we come here today to praise you and to be reminded of how be with us as we continue this morning in Jesus name, we pray

scripture that I've chosen is red. And after Jesus has shared a meal with his disciples, he begins to wash their feet. And the verse, I've chosen, you do not realize.

How was when Simon Peter is questioning Jesus. That's why you doing this, and there's so much in this short little birds that I wanted to share. Thoughts on it. Does anyone know who Robert Louis Stevenson?

He is the author of Treasure Island. when he was a young boy he was looking out the window with his face pressed up and he was seeing a man, go from lamp, post lamp, post with a ladder and a torch

As a space was pressed up against his windows, his parents were fine. So what are you looking at?

Like a Robert, I too, I'm drawn to light in the darkness. I love to stay and look at the night sky staring up at the store. I love sitting at the beach in the early Dawn and watching the dark sky turn Life is Beautiful. But I know I would not appreciate like if I also didn't Have you ever experienced Darkness? Where you needed a Guiding Light.

Trust me, when I tell you, you did not realize now what she was just doing.

Although I have little exposure to church growing up, God has claimed me as his without my even knowing it. I had an emptiness inside that I tried to fill with many things.

And no matter how much.

I began my life, not knowing god. And now, I could just become a pastor at Salem United, Methodist Church. A friend of mine used to say, you can't get up here from there, explaining the miracle of living a life of sobriety. And for me it means living my life with Jesus, with his light, showing me the way through the darkness. How do I allow transformation to happen?

Faith that God's plan is greater than what I can do. Beethoven come easy, but over time with reading reading and listening, I've learned to believe in the grace of God. You do not realize. Now what I was doing.

This life versus been with me every step of the way, every scar, every hard, every hurt, every bit of Darkness has brought me to this moment. We may not understand the reasons for the twists and turns, but if we trust God, knowing his ways are perfect. And his grace is sufficient, we can allow the Holy Spirit to Transformer.

And they bond. Do you want to do it? She's a professor of theology is to Avail ourselves to receive everything from God in other words to come in. We are created in God's image, an image by God's grace through faith. All of this is given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are, but God gives it to me. Bernier's ever, spoke Estonian Normandy. And I was self-centered to think that my sins

The book of discipline affirms that God's grace is Manifest in all creation, even the suffering Violin Suzuki Boulevard. Rather than embracing a package, just sent by God, grace is God's presence and power to create, he'll forgive and reading Style. You do not realize now what I'm doing but later, you will understand. Unbeknownst to me, the Light of Christ has always been there. My name is, this is not to try to find blank. It's just a fact. I grew up without much knowledge of church at the age of 30.

I was still with Starbucks and was looking for an answer in retrospect. I see it as a prayer. There were moments like this but the one most life-changing was when I was 21. I was living a reckless life, finding self confidence and strength, and drinking and doing other things. And on the floor, no matter what happened.

Woke up the next day and I felt alone regretful and shame the tiny boys inside.

Never leave without the Holy Spirit. I remember one day telling a co-worker story. Laughing about it in the sky.

and it was like a slap in the face, the first time that somebody told me that my behavior

I know. Now it was God. Speaking to me through happen, it was one tiny flicker of light inside that punched a hole in my room and I will be a majority of everything was brand new. I need to learn a new way of life and my begin.

I did not know at the time that my life will change completely. You do not realize now what I'm doing but later, you will understand. Our faith in Jesus allows the Holy Spirit to bring us joy I want to live in the hope of Christ. I want the Holy Spirit to move through me and guide me to do my journey. I want a fire to burn in my soul so that each and every day I can wake up at 10.

God can do for me but I cannot do for myself. Hope encourages me to do the thing. Drawing with Mountaintop speech. On April 3rd, 1968 Doctor, Martin Luther King Junior, said, only in danger in your face. What happens everyone experienced dark moments in their lives.

There isn't something.

Isn't there something that we feel sadness or despair over don't we sometimes needs a light to guide us through the darkness. There are lines in my late twenties. Looking for love in all the wrong places. The more I try to fill myself with relationship. I realize it's empty hole inside my check wasn't going to be filled by anything. I needed God. I felt such Darkness inside and decided to call friend. The time of answering machine and I will call and called, and called and left messages. And finally, my phone rang and I can

But I can tell you that it was. You, God wanted me to talk to Her call at that very moment, was punching holes and I knew that.

It was a desperate moment, but like five for help, brought change. I began to experience the hope that God was there to care for me. It does not need to think in my despair, but I can turn to God for help. I realized I was lovable by The Greatest Love of All the love of God. I've already swept the only possible because of God's love for me. Jesus replied, you do not realize what I was doing.

We don't always know what God is doing in our lives like Simon Peter, when Jesus was washing his feet. Sometimes it takes time and distance before we understand that what God's plan is for us, but this I know, God is doing time and time again, that sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but my life will change him. Why would not have faith trust and hope that God's plan is better for me than anything I could come up with.

At the light prices Brown. Brighter than me, I wanted to share my story with others to bring them home for those in need and let them know that there is nothing they can do that. There is no sin to pray that God hasn't already forgiven. We are children of God Loved by God, may God shine through you.

For we are punching holes in the darkness. When we decided one of their life, we are punching holes in the Darkness.

we are punching holes in the darkness when we share the grace and love of

We are punching holes in the Darkness.

we are hunting holes in the darkness when we want within last, and being We are punching holes in the darkness when we as a community to save each other. My friends saying, it can't get us here from there because of my wish for you. Send me to punch holes in the darkness and allow the Glorious Life of Christ. Shine through you in the fire in your soul. And that you can realize what he is doing for you even if you don't understand. Let us pray.

Holy and almighty God. We want to thank you for this first Sunday together. To share in your great love.

For being present in our lives and we pray that we continue to look for you. And look for ways for the light to shine. be with us as we continue on our journey and that your birds will always see what leads up to tomorrow in Jesus name, we pray