09.06.26 Sermon - Calm Sunday

0:00All right. All right, next. We're going to do a testimony time. So by again, we're just going to move the slides ahead to the next section. We're wrapping up our campaign called Teaching Moments today. We've been in this campaign all summer. So I hope that this has been just a summer where you've really not only recognized the beauty of the gospels and how Jesus leveraged so many moments throughout the gospels to just pause, just every day moments in his life and to teach some of the most profound lessons that we have on record in history. And so Jesus was so good at it. So much of his teaching wasn't in formal settings in places it was just throughout his daily life. So I hope that one you've recognized the goodness of Jesus in that. But too, I hope that you've also kind of been aware of the teaching moments that are happening all around you all the time. And again, we can't just cram for this test, right? Because you don't know when the test is.

1:00So in order to be ready for the teaching moments, you have to just be the type of person who can be calm, who can be peaceful, who can have wisdom when the moment arises. You can't just cram for this. You can't be like, I got to go prep and then come back to this moment because then the moment is lost, right? And so you just need to be that type of person and do all the things that Jesus did and live the way Jesus lived to be the type of person to be ready for the teaching moments. And also, I hope that you've learned the value of community. We tried to focus on the teachings of Jesus and how community and the church is just so valuable and so needed in our lives. And so we're going to go through a testimony time. So if you feel led to share, please share openly. The first time we did this, I was super nervous about it. I was just going to say something and I'm going to have to like, it's been great. And so I love this time to hear how God is working in your life

2:00through scripture and through these campaigns. So I feel led to share, please share. If you don't feel comfortable sharing, don't feel any pressure to share. But we would love it if you feel like God's letting you to say something, to go ahead and say something. Because your story is so helpful for others to hear about how God is working in your life. There's likely others who are experiencing the same thing that can be identified and encouraged by your story. So you guys are preaching the sermon today. All right, first question. What teaching moment from the life of Jesus challenged you or encouraged you to either cherish Jesus more or to cherish the church community more? I'll go through some of the accounts and the gospels that we went through just briefly. I'm just going to list them so that'll hopefully kind of cure your memory. And if you feel led to share, please share. One of them is when Jesus said, let the little children come

3:01to me. Remember that? Yeah, I'm not going to do this. It'll be too much if I go through all of these. We had the family moment where Jesus says that those who are doing the will of the Father, who are listening to him, like they are his mother, his brothers, and his sisters. So the church is our church family, is the idea there. We had the Sabbath moment where Jesus taught the Pharisees about religiosity and compassion and the difference between them and how we need to be compassionate to people as the man with the withered hand demonstrated. Jesus was washing his disciples' feet in John chapter 13 and what service and mutual ministry looks like. We have the authority moment where James and John, they asked to sit at the place of honor in the kingdom that Jesus is bringing. And Jesus leverages that moment to teach about authority and the church and the kingdom of God and how it's supposed to be leveraged. We have the feeding of the 5,000 that reveals that, do we just bring whatever we have

4:03and it is sufficient to accomplish the work of the kingdom that Jesus wants to do. We have the woman at the well. We have the mission moment where Jesus tells them we're going to be fishing for people. We have the Martha moment where we learn the difference between serving and presence and the value of presence. We have the 11 of the Pharisees where Jesus teaches them to be aware of the 11 of the Pharisees. So again, hopefully this is just queuing your memory from the sermons that I preached before. Generosity moment where the poor widow gives a small donation at the temple in Jesus said, she's given more than those who put a bunch in. Is that keyest moment? And then last week, the moment with a sinful woman where she is forgiven. So any of those moments stick out to you as a moment where Jesus has challenged or encouraged you to cherish him more than the church community more. Again, if you have a story, feel led to share which moment do you stick out to you and which one do you love?

5:05Kids, you guys can feel free to share too. I've got more questions too. I can just go on to the next one. But if anybody has one, all right, we've got two. Who's getting in there first? Cindy. Sorry, Dave. Cindy beat you to it. You guys can arm wrestle for it. Do you want to arm wrestle? No. I guess the first one, let the children come to me and forbid them not for such as the kingdom of God with our grandchildren. We have a book in our house called The Jesus Story Book Bible. And ever since our grandkids were little, they get to pick out, and the illustrations are wonderful. And they get to pick out the story that they want to hear about. And you can see how stories have made an impact in their life. Like our granddaughters wanted to hear about Leah, the woman who was forgotten and pushed aside.

6:08And how God honored her with such a blessing. And how it was more important than how people around her cared about things. It was how God cared about her that came through. And to this day, six years later, they still go back to that story. How important that is. And the little boys love Jonah being swallowed by the whale. And how God knows where you are at all times. And doesn't ever forget about you. And pursues you. And they apply that to their life every day. So it does make a difference and encourage all the story readers everywhere to keep that up. Yeah, that's so beautiful. It's filled children, it's filled your minds with the stories of the scriptures that those will sit with you and those will resonate with you throughout your life. Amen. Go ahead. All right, so I don't know if all you guys

7:11have rolling conversations with God. Like I do. But a lot of them start here at church. And so one of the prompts that caught me was when Pastor started talking about Jesus observing people and that he was really on his way to the cross in just a few days. But he took time to people watch. And that sort of stuck with me because we go through life in a sort of hurried way. And sometimes we don't slow down enough to watch people. And one day I was watching people. And God spoke to me. He said, every one of these people, yourself included, are in a spiritual place, in a spiritual condition, and in a spiritual posture. And I didn't really quite put my finger on what to do with that. I thought that was sort of on the nose. But then, like I said, it's a rambling conversation. Then I was at a men's group sometime down the road.

8:13And it came up again. And he reminded me why we pray. And men are great prayers to begin with, just FYI. We just generally solve things if we can help it. And we don't often go to the Lord with it. But he reminded me of that verse, where we are supposed to ask him how we should pray. And he said, the very opening line is that kingdom come. And that's about changing spiritual conditions, and bringing down things of heaven into our lives. And so one way I hope you guys are all watching people and letting it roll. Yeah. Amen. Thanks, Dave. Such a good reminder. To see the deeper things in life. To see the spiritual conditions. Not just the externals. I hope you guys have a teaching moment pretty much every week when you're here at church. When Jesus says the one that sticks out to me is the family moment.

9:15Where Jesus's family is looking for him. They're trying to control him in the moment. And then Jesus says, like, who are my mother, my brother, or my sister, is the one that he just points to the people sitting around him. So I hope you look around right now every Sunday and say, like, this is my family. Like this is my church family. And we can love one another, like family. And that's what we're shooting for here at Life Bridge. I have a moment right now. I'm looking out at you guys. I'm a lot of you guys. All right. Before I start crying, let's go to the next one. Share a teaching moment where God taught you something important about the church community. So throughout the summer, did you have any moments where just circumstances happened or life happened or something just kind of clicked with you? And it just showed you the value of the church community. And just how good it is to be a part of a church family. If you have any stories about that, please feel free to share them.

10:16Helen? Good morning. I'm Helen. And I think, like many people that I spoke to, the picnic that we recently had at the lake with the baptisms, I'm going to cry too. Just coming down the hill and then, again, leaving, looking back at everybody. And I felt a little sad because as I've gotten older, I can't, you know, do a lot of the things like run around with the kids or play volleyball in the sand. But I even took a golf cart ride from the parking lot down. But that really touched my heart to see because it's important to get together on Sunday to worship. But outside of church is where we deepen those bonds with each other. And, you know, we might be divided a little bit. You hang out with the people that you know. But I really saw everybody just visiting with each other and all the hands that came

11:16forward to serve and prepare for that day. It was just amazing and I was grateful to be part of that. Amen. I'll second that one. Helen, and that reminds me, like, I have a video from church camp that I'm supposed to show you. It's been two weeks. I've been supposed to put that on. And I forgot. So next week, we'll show the video of church camp. What a beautiful moment, though. Anybody else? A story from the summer that just helped you see the great value. Fox. Hi. So this isn't going to be, like, very fluent. But something God's been teaching me this summer has been to go to the brothers that he's been putting in my life for support. I've spent many years trying to do it all on my own and trying to figure things out on

12:18my own. And as I get older and keep trying to do it on my own, I realize that I can't and keep falling and I keep messing up. And it's a process. But as he's been putting people in my life, been realizing there are people who understand there are people who know like what you've been through. People who can relate, empathize, sympathize, and they want to be there for you to help you. You just have to be willing to let them into be vulnerable. So it's a process I'm still learning, but it's what he's been teaching me this summer. So yeah. Yeah. Thanks, Fox. Sure. Oh, thank you. I was quite sorry.

13:28I'm Becky Melby. This is my husband, Bill. We've had a rough summer. Bill's had some real serious health issues and he was in the hospital up in Milwaukee at St. Luke's for two weeks. And I'm going to cry. We could not have gotten through this without our church family. Pastor John came all the way up to pray over us. Our small group has just been there. People have brought meals every day. He's checking up on us. Cards and prayers and just incredible support. I don't know how people do this without a church family. So we're just very grateful for all of you. Thanks, Becky. Yeah. Michelle, right up here.

14:30So public speaking is not my thing. But it feels really compelous here. Just being able to come to see people in this church and not feel that you're going to be convicted and that we are all sinners in that. My son is no bigger than someone else's and just to feel that love that I can share and be honest with somebody and not feel that I'm going to be judged. And my community still loves me just the same. And there's just been so encouraging to feel the feel that love. And I know that like during construction, just little things like people carrying water up for me because the long hike and you couldn't park and all that stuff. But just the way this church comes together is just so amazing. Yeah, beautiful. Thanks, Michelle. All right.

15:31Oh, get on more. Hey, Johnny. This summer I just at church camp, I realized how close I am with all the people. I grew up with here and how like I don't know where I'd be without this church. I think it'd be a lot darker place. And I just I think every single one of you guys here for just being here for all of us. And again, I don't know what I'd be without this. This has been kind of a rough summer, but it'd be a lot rougher without you guys. Yeah. Thanks, Johnny. Yeah. All right. Next one. Share any teaching moment that you took advantage of this summer. So moment where perhaps you recognized that you were in a moment that you could teach something about the kingdom of God and point somebody towards Jesus or a moment where God was really

16:32kind of teaching you something. And you recognized it. And you started to grasp a little bit more about what God was trying to teach you in the moment. One last question. One last question. This is our last one. Any other stories and how you took advantage of a moment this summer? Andy. Yeah. Morning. My name is Andy. God used the sermon for the woman at the well to kind of teach me something. I had interactions with and conversations with someone who it became really evident that we didn't have the same beliefs and their practices and bordering on possibly spirituality that is not of God. And I was thinking, do I just, I would have the opportunity to stop interacting with them or should I talk to them about it? And as I was thinking about that, you preached the sermon about the woman at the well and God. And Jesus specifically went to talk to the woman at the well.

17:34That was his purpose to go. I thought God was encouraging me to do that. So I did it. Next time I had an interaction, I had a conversation with this person. And it didn't go exactly how I'd hoped, but I felt that I did what God had wanted me to do to speak truth to them and share my beliefs and my convictions. So yeah, that was God's teaching moment to me. Yeah. Amen. Beautiful. Thanks, Andy. All right. Do we have one more? All right. Then, it's the worship team in here. I'm not seeing them. Yeah. Would you mind going to grab them? Yeah. So again, let's wrap this. Unless there's one more while we're doing this or otherwise I'll just wrap it up. Okay. Andy, I'm ready. Cool.

18:34Time will stand right next to you. Wait for me to raise my hand. Here you go. This summer we had a chance to visit my family twice down in St. Louis area. And on the way back, both times we had a crazy storm where we needed to take shelter on the way back. And the first time on our way, we were driving in Christen God on YouTube and it was like, okay, where's the storm going to be? We were watching storm chasers and stuff. We were stressed out. We were looking for shelter and it was just a moment of tension. And I'm not going to tell the whole story now, but afterwards I didn't realize it until probably we got home. I was like, I didn't even pray in the middle of that. And I was like, oh, and it was similar to what Dave was talking about. I'm going to solve this problem. I'm a man. I could figure this out. But we were terrified. And I was scared. But Christen also, I think she's normally the calm headed person in our relationship. And she was feeling it. And I felt bad for not leading her in the way that I should.

19:36So God gave us a second opportunity on the trip down again to St. Louis. We came back and we were about in Papa, Illinois, which is a bunch of windmills that are spinning around. And we got a notification on my phone. There's a tornado warning, seek shelter. And I'm like, these are going to fly off and hit our car. And we're getting paled by a 400-yard long windmill blade, whatever. But in that moment, I was like, OK, here's a do over. Had a chance to our Lord, would you be there? I'm holding on to the steering wheel tight. And I had to make a decision, prayed for wisdom, prayed for him to be with us. And he was with us both times. He was faithful even when we weren't when I wasn't. But it was just such a difference and opportunity to say, OK, Lord, would you be with us? And it reminded me of this discernment of Peter when Jesus says, like, I've got a better way. He put your net on this side of the boat. And Peter, as John preached, he could have just said, hey, I'll deal with you can help me with the spiritual stuff. But I'm a fisherman. And I just didn't think, OK, let me invite Jesus to be part of each part of that.

20:38And I just made all the difference. So we're sharing. Yeah. Beautiful. Thanks, Andy. Hello, my name is Denise. And I've always been a Martha going, doing constantly. And lately, I became a Mary slowing down, getting closer to the Lord, reading my word. And so that really helped me. Beautiful. Thanks, Denise. Yeah. Amen. We got a lot of Martha's in the room. I want to ask you to put your hands up. It's a lot of us. All right. Anybody else? Yeah, Eric. My name is Eric. If you don't know me, I'm a little new here. But I loved it how when Pastor John was talking about the woman and the well.

21:40Obviously, I'm not a woman. But I just loved it how Jesus knew her. And I know I knew at that moment she didn't know him, but he knew her. And he's asking if you would drink the water I drink, you would not thirst again. So basically, he's asking for a relationship with him and not that I don't. I do. But I just love that because it really made me think how much Jesus really loves us. And how much you want to be a part of our lives. And I was an implant in this at all. But I just love that how much Jesus loves us. Not just the cliche Jesus loves you. He truly, truly loves us. But that's what I got to say. Thank you. Amen. Thanks, Eric. Anybody else?

22:41I'll teach you a moment from the life of Jesus. I'm just stuck with you. All right, we're going to the next one. All right. Share a teaching moment with God to taught you something important about the church community. So if you listen to the devotional, that's kind of what folks have been sharing in the devotional this week. But if you have one specifically where you had a moment where it just reminded you of the value of the church community and how what a blessing church is and how important it is to be a part of a family to have people around you supporting you, encouraging you and your walk with Christ and even challenging you to draw closer to Jesus. So if you have any teaching moments, ideally from the summer, it doesn't have to be from the summer, where you were just reminded like, I need church. I need to invest in community. Anyone have one? Angela, you're right there.

23:42Let's go Angela first. So the baptism was my first time coming to the lake where the people got baptized Saturday and for me, that was the most beautiful experience, especially to hear the young people give their testimony. It touched my heart so much and I kept saying, Father, thank you for this church family. Thank you. I've only been to two churches in my whole Christian walk, which I think is amazing. I found the church body that I loved in each time I got plugged in, but I'm going to say this and this is the honest truth. This church has so much love in it and the community is just so beautiful. Every time I leave here in my husband, I'm like, God, you've exceeded my expectations

24:45when you brought us here and you put us in this church. So I know you guys know this, but we have an awesome church. We have awesome churches. And then thanks Angela. Agreed. Allison. Mine's a lot like hers too. I feel like church camp was like, it's one thing to come to Sunday, just come to church and hear a passage and then leave. But then at church camp waking up and then seeing a bunch of people that really care about you and the love you and just having this great thing with them, it's really beautiful and at the baptisms, it was really nice to have like, my guess is like 100 people. Just they're supporting everyone that's making this choice. That's like super powerful. And yeah, I loved it. Beautiful. Thanks, Sally. Sally.

25:45I just like, I came to church one day and I was talking with all these different people. And I realized that like a couple of weeks ago before that I, it was very awkward talking to a bunch of these different people because I hadn't really like spent any time with them. And that day I realized that I wasn't like shy with them and I was actually having a conversation and it was really nice. So yeah. Yeah, beautiful. Yeah, it's so beautiful about church as we spend time together. We just become comfortable with one another like family and we see all of our flaws and we still know that we love each other. That's the beauty of church that we're accepted, right? All right. Yeah, more? Becca. I'm kind of going back to the other question, the first one.

26:47And it's about Jesus washing other people's feet. But when we are anxious in life we tend to turn inward and it can a lot of times reveal our idols. And we think about how everything is affecting me or us. I realized one of the best weapons against anxiety is to turn outward and how can I serve others and how I can love others and what you focus on will continue to grow. Amen. Amen. Thanks, Becca. Dennis, anybody else? John. It is summer. A bunch of us got together to work on some scripture resources for the church. And what was so cool was as we worked on those different people showed me their different little systems for memorizing scripture. And I got to see everyone's different way of doing it. And it was so cool to see how not everyone's brain works the same. And not everyone figures out how to memorize or remember scripture the same.

27:49But everyone finds a way to do it that works for them. And the body is full of people who are developing those kind of skills and abilities and then sharing them. And it's one of the really, really rich things about church. Amen. Amen. Thanks, John. One more. Remove it. Yeah, Rachel. Okay. So God has really been teaching me what church community really looks like. And I'm realizing so many things that I found out through life bridge that are things I didn't even know that I needed until I got here. So my experience with church hasn't always been really easy when I was young. I remember they asked in Sunday school if I believed in God.

28:51And I didn't raise my hand like the other children did because I truly didn't know. And instead of it being a teaching moment and learning about God, it was a moment of shame where I felt like I had done something wrong. She had said something to the fact that like, well, you're supposed to kind of thing rather than giving me, you know, so I love that we learn about God here. And then that kind of changed how I was in community because I gave people what they wanted to hear rather than being vulnerable and honest like I've learned to do now. So God also used those circumstances to help me be more sensitive to vulnerable people as well, especially children and really be careful of how I speak.

29:58And then in high school, we stopped going to church because they wanted more money and so we stopped going. And I didn't go back to church until my late 30s when my son was born. And I experienced some church hurt as an adult as well. Sometimes I didn't feel very seen and part of the community was a really big church. Eventually I became part of a church plant and that was going really well. It became a place where I found a sense of belonging. But when the church closed, I was devastated. And God used that loss to show me that I had allowed my identity to become wrapped up in the church and a place. And the people in places can change. So God is constant and he doesn't change.

30:59And then God brought me to life bridge. And then looking back now, I can see that I knew that he knew this was exactly what I needed. When I first started coming almost every week, someone came up to me and introduced themselves. And I noticed it because it was just refreshingly different. And it wasn't just greeting. People actually wanted to get to do me. And women's ministry has taken it even further. I intentionally set where I don't know. Where I know the fused amount of people. And it's scary. It makes me a little nervous. But the ladies have never disappointed me. I meet new people, hear new stories. I learn things about them and I leave inspired every month. So I'm learning that biblical community isn't just about being friendly person who walks through the door. First Corinthians 12 tells us that we are one body and we actually need each other.

32:06And Pastor John has done a really great job preaching. For me to see that, I really did lose a lot of my progress or maybe just not doing the same things when our church closed. And I ended up spending a couple of years searching. And even not really quite sure I wanted to trust another church and kind of worn out from the church build and things like that. So I feel like I'm in a good place now. And I love watching the body of Christ at work here. I see so many gifts and talents being used to hear stories of people stepping out when the church needs them. And it just is importantly, people willing to step down or rust when that's the healthiest thing for them or the church to do. And something else God is changing in me as my understanding of a place in a church

33:06community. I thought I have often approached community thinking that was what I was responsible to do, how I can serve or what I can give. And like, just teaching me that community isn't only a community, I'm responsible to serve but also a family that I'm allowed to receive from. I can let other people encourage me, teach me, pray for me, use their gifts for me and spiritually lead me. I don't have to earn my place in God's family by being useful. Like Jesus taught about receiving the kingdom like a child. Sometimes they simply have to receive what he's given me. I also think that's why I emphasize the emphasis of rust or checking on intentions has affected me so much. At first, some of the teachings can almost seem contradictory, serve sacrificially but

34:07rust, put others first, but recognize your limitations, take responsibility, but surrender the outcome. Step up when you're needed, but be willing to step down when that's what's best for the body. But I've been getting to see that these things aren't contradictory at all. They're common thread of trust. I can serve because I trust God. I can rest because I trust God. I can receive grace because I trust God. I can surrender the outcome because I trust God doesn't need me to control it. And that's very different from performing for God. So there's intentionality here in checking not only what we're doing but also why we're doing it. And at the same time, we're definitely not being encouraged to stay comfortable. I love that John continually gently pushes us towards becoming more like Jesus rather

35:07than a version of Christianity shaped by the world once the gospel to say the gospel doesn't need to be tweaked. To please everyone, it's unchanged. Jesus stays at the center and we leave spiritually fed. I've left churches before frustrated because it was more about the Easter Bunny than Easter in here. I leave each week on my mind with something I need to carry into my week. And then the devotional is especially, keep me focused on Sunday's teaching as well. Is not just hearing it on Sunday and then we're forgotten by Tuesday. And then the inventory questions that he brought up as well, like what made me angry this week? Did you reflect the heart of Jesus?

36:08What is my heart towards vulnerable people? Am I approaching others from a posture of blessing or judgment? I'm learning not just to read those questions like a checklist, like I'm doing that, right? But even see the area where God has grown me and asked, okay, God, what do you want me to do now? Which is why I'm doing this today. And then sweating profusely. So, but yeah, I also like keeping the inventory because I've been able to see patterns since I started doing this where God's changed me and celebrate those, but also recognize things that I need to change and just keeps me intentional and keeps me moving forward. So, it's definitely something I want to continue. And yeah, and I think this testimony Sunday obviously does that as well and binds us together as a community.

37:11So, yeah, I really wrote a lot you guys. So I'm going to be done now because this is long and I never read it out loud so I didn't realize how into this I was, but just know that I'm just incredibly thankful for life bridge and all the teachings and intentionality and I just love you all. Thanks, Rachel. We love you too, Rachel. I'm going to bless you. Beautiful. All right. One more question. Share a teaching moment that you took advantage of this summer. Maybe one of which got taught you something new or one of which you had the opportunity to point somebody towards Jesus where you recognize the moment and you taught or you just point someone towards the kingdom or you just recognized, all right, God, this is a teaching moment whether it's something challenging, something good and we can recognize what God is trying to teach us in that moment.

38:13Yeah, yeah, let's go Laney first and then Coup your next bud. Some of you may know that my, our granddaughter Evelyn has been sick this summer in the hospital. I said severe stomach problems eating. She has, she had a feeding tube and they were going to switch the nostril that the feeding tube was in but she couldn't handle it. So she now has a tube in the side of her stomach and she's, she's a herding cowboy. Cowgirl, I should say. She is really not started to eat. She's in a lot of pain and discomfort and her stomach is still hurting and they really

39:15don't know what's wrong with her. She's 10 and she is so affectionate. She has to hug us repeatedly when we leave or we arrive and she just is just a general soul and it's been hard but I also know that the great physician. Is in charge. And so you know, he'd like to give Evelyn to Jesus. He knows what her future is and we rely so much on other people and on institutions and we shouldn't. I mean, yes in certain aspects but the one thing I've learned is that pray and trust

40:21and hope for resolution but in God's will that this will be the path that he wants her to take and the pressure that's been on the family, our parents and our siblings. And I think they're doing pretty well but they're still wobbling and they're still confused I think it's been hard. We thank so many of you, so many of you that have stepped out and helped them. I mean, Jamie, she's in here, she and over and cleaned every square inch of the house, tried to organize. You know, it's like amazing and the meals that people show up and she's just got a wonderful network of loving Christian sisters and that's what it's all about.

41:26Loving Christian people around you that hold your hand through the rain, the storms, whatever it is. Just keep on having faith and trust and not every day is going to be bright. But every circumstance in your life is going to be, hey, this is so cool, you know, just joyful. And I have to say, I love the children in this church. They are just a blessing to me in so many ways and children always have been extremely special to me. So thank you kids for reaching out to me and talking to me and some of them hug me and I feel like I'm back in school with my students, which is wonderful. Thank you and thank you so much for your prayers for them and especially for Annelland. Yeah. Keep praying for us.

42:28All right. Cooper. As many of you know, I was baptized at church camp this year and I got to tell people what baptism was and I took it off of Pastor John's shoulders so he didn't have to. Yeah. Just a moment for me. That's good. Thanks, Kurt. All right. One more and then we're going to worship or we'll just transition right into worship. Cooper Storiel being the podcast on Friday, by the way, if you guys want to hear it. All right. Third day. It's going to be third day. Yeah.