WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 All right. My name is Greg Hampton. If we have 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:05.080 never met, I would love to meet you, maybe grab 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:08.380 you a coffee, some time, hear your story. We 00:00:08.380 --> 00:00:10.539 have been in a series for the last four or five 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:13.279 weeks called How To. We're trying to keep it 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:15.400 practical here for a few weeks because next week 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.320 we start a series on the Nicene Creed that will 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.699 lead us all the way to Advent. And we'll just 00:00:21.699 --> 00:00:24.059 have Advent like we do every year, talk about 00:00:24.059 --> 00:00:27.359 hope and peace and love and light. So we've talked 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:29.260 about how to pray, how to study the scriptures, 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:33.479 how to fellowship, and today I'm closing it up 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:37.439 with the message on how to serve. Now maybe some 00:00:37.439 --> 00:00:39.299 of you are thinking this must be the Sunday where 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:44.479 Greg does all the recruiting. This also, yeah, 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:46.799 yes, by the end of the day we're going to get 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:48.159 out all the lists and you're going to fill out 00:00:48.159 --> 00:00:49.539 your name on anything. We're going to lock the 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:53.759 doors. Not really, not really. But listen, serving... 00:00:54.250 --> 00:00:56.549 isn't just about what you do in a church right 00:00:56.549 --> 00:01:02.929 serving is about what you do with your life serving 00:01:02.929 --> 00:01:05.629 is about seeing how your life is connected to 00:01:05.629 --> 00:01:09.129 something that is more than just yourself you're 00:01:09.129 --> 00:01:10.650 connected to your family you're connected to 00:01:10.650 --> 00:01:13.090 god you're connected to this church but you're 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:15.670 also connected to your neighbors to your city 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:20.379 to the world Following Jesus leads us to do more 00:01:20.379 --> 00:01:23.340 than just serve in a congregation a couple times 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:28.939 a month. Jesus leads us to serve with our lives 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:33.239 wherever we are. So let's go ahead and jump into 00:01:33.239 --> 00:01:35.719 the scriptures. I'm going to read three different 00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:38.260 passages. So there's Bibles on the table, or 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:40.700 you can open up the Bible app on your phone. 00:01:40.819 --> 00:01:44.310 If you'd like, I'm going to be in John 13. 1 00:01:44.310 --> 00:01:48.069 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 2. So pick one of 00:01:48.069 --> 00:01:50.030 those if you'd like, and we can all just kind 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:52.909 of be in different places. John 13, 1 Corinthians 00:01:52.909 --> 00:01:56.849 12, and Ephesians 2. And we have a tradition 00:01:56.849 --> 00:01:59.489 around here that when the passages are read in 00:01:59.489 --> 00:02:01.590 the context of the sermon, that we give them 00:02:01.590 --> 00:02:03.349 our full attention. One of the ways you can do 00:02:03.349 --> 00:02:05.650 that is by standing with me. If you are able, 00:02:05.829 --> 00:02:09.030 you're welcome to sit if you need to. I'm going 00:02:09.030 --> 00:02:13.689 to start in John 13. Verses 3 through 5, it says 00:02:13.689 --> 00:02:16.810 this, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given 00:02:16.810 --> 00:02:19.389 all things into his hands and that he had come 00:02:19.389 --> 00:02:22.229 from God and was going to God, got up from supper, 00:02:22.370 --> 00:02:25.050 took off his outer robe and tied a towel around 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:27.949 himself. Then he poured water into a basin and 00:02:27.949 --> 00:02:30.449 began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe 00:02:30.449 --> 00:02:32.490 them with the towel that was tied around him. 00:02:33.210 --> 00:02:37.490 1 Corinthians 12, verses 14 through 16. Indeed, 00:02:37.569 --> 00:02:39.650 the body does not consist of one member, but 00:02:39.650 --> 00:02:42.530 of many. If the foot would say, because I am 00:02:42.530 --> 00:02:45.569 not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that 00:02:45.569 --> 00:02:47.650 would not make it any less a part of the body. 00:02:48.129 --> 00:02:50.310 And if the ear would say, because I am not an 00:02:50.310 --> 00:02:52.909 eye, I do not belong to the body, that would 00:02:52.909 --> 00:02:56.750 not make it any less part of the body. In Ephesians 00:02:56.750 --> 00:03:01.650 2, 8 through 10, for by grace you have been saved 00:03:01.650 --> 00:03:04.169 through faith. And this is not your own doing, 00:03:04.229 --> 00:03:07.189 it is the gift of God. not the result of works 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:10.110 so that no one may boast. For we are what he 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:14.009 has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good 00:03:14.009 --> 00:03:17.210 works, which God prepared beforehand so that 00:03:17.210 --> 00:03:22.050 we may walk in them. Let us pray. God of every 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:24.990 tribe, every tongue, every color, every nation, 00:03:25.090 --> 00:03:27.110 we thank you for the scriptures that they have 00:03:27.110 --> 00:03:29.349 persisted throughout the millennia. We still 00:03:29.349 --> 00:03:32.689 have them to learn from and to consider. Pray 00:03:32.689 --> 00:03:35.530 that whatever you have. to teach us today that 00:03:35.530 --> 00:03:37.389 it would stick, that it would become a part of 00:03:37.389 --> 00:03:41.830 the framework of our faith, that our faith would 00:03:41.830 --> 00:03:44.949 become stronger as we become more like your son, 00:03:45.009 --> 00:03:48.150 Jesus. Amen. Thanks, y 'all. You can have a seat. 00:03:48.370 --> 00:03:51.770 All right, let's start with Ephesians. Ephesians 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:55.270 tells us that God already has good works for 00:03:55.270 --> 00:03:59.150 us to do. They're already there, but let's be 00:03:59.150 --> 00:04:02.270 clear. We're not welcomed into a relationship 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:07.139 with God. If we serve. Amen? We're not welcomed 00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:10.199 into a relationship with God if we serve. And 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:13.780 we don't maintain relationship with God with 00:04:13.780 --> 00:04:18.839 the works that we do. We don't have to work to 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:23.800 keep God's love. And the same God that did the 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.879 good work of creating us, accepting us, welcoming 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:31.019 us, has also created good work for us to walk 00:04:31.019 --> 00:04:36.459 in. And if you don't know how to start walking, 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:41.060 I'll give you something simple. All right, this 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:45.399 past July, show of hands, you knew that there 00:04:45.399 --> 00:04:49.300 was a monastery in Rock Island, right? It's kind 00:04:49.300 --> 00:04:52.120 of like this little hidden gem. And a lot of 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:53.660 us know, we've mentioned it here a couple times, 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:56.019 but it's beautiful. The property is beautiful. 00:04:56.180 --> 00:04:58.740 The building is beautiful. The chapel. Everything 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:01.819 about it is really so peaceful. There's paths 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:03.860 that you can walk on. You do not need permission. 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:07.500 You can just go and you can walk around the pond 00:05:07.500 --> 00:05:10.480 and through the woods a bit. And this past July, 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:13.360 I was at the monastery for a three -day retreat. 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:16.839 And they said when we got there, you can go really 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.839 anywhere that you want. There's a library and 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:21.819 a cafeteria and this and that and the paths. 00:05:22.139 --> 00:05:24.920 And they said, but you'll probably see there's 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:28.459 one path that has a sign on it that says sisters 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:30.980 only. So anybody want to guess where I ended 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:36.540 up? All right. So I started in the library. And 00:05:36.540 --> 00:05:38.160 the library is like when you come into the property, 00:05:38.259 --> 00:05:40.620 when you come into the main building, you walk 00:05:40.620 --> 00:05:42.519 in and that's technically already the second 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:44.800 floor because it goes down to the cafeterias 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:47.060 downstairs where the path starts and the pond 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:49.399 is. And so there's a library at the end of the 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:51.379 building. And because the building is kind of 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.980 multiple tiers, right outside the library they 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:56.500 have like a rooftop patio that has like a little 00:05:56.500 --> 00:05:59.199 table and a couple chairs and flowers. And so 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:03.430 I was sitting out there reading, praying. And 00:06:03.430 --> 00:06:06.509 there's a hummingbird came up and was feeding 00:06:06.509 --> 00:06:09.250 from a flower just a couple of feet from me. 00:06:09.350 --> 00:06:13.170 But eventually, the shade that was shading the 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.589 part that I was sitting in, that had all moved. 00:06:16.170 --> 00:06:18.629 Because I sat there for quite a long time. And 00:06:18.629 --> 00:06:20.550 I was, all right, well, I'm going to go for a 00:06:20.550 --> 00:06:23.490 walk now. And so they're on the patio. At the 00:06:23.490 --> 00:06:26.180 end of the building, there's an exit. It said 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:28.319 exit, and the stairs, and so I took those stairs 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:31.139 downstairs, and it popped me outside next to 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:33.079 a trail, and I looked over to my right, and I 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:35.240 saw Sister Mary getting some stuff for her garden. 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:38.040 I saw the garden, and I walked down the path, 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:41.439 and I kept walking down the path, and all the 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:43.160 way, I got all the way down here on the path, 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:46.560 and I could see a sign as I was coming, but the 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:50.000 text was the other direction. So I got past the 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:51.259 sign, and I looked back to see what the sign 00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:56.180 said. It said, Sisters Only. I had found myself 00:06:56.180 --> 00:06:58.139 somewhere that I didn't belong. And so at the 00:06:58.139 --> 00:07:02.220 next chapel, I was sat next to Sister Mary, and 00:07:02.220 --> 00:07:05.199 I apologized that I had found myself somewhere 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:09.079 that I wasn't supposed to be. And she said, the 00:07:09.079 --> 00:07:11.540 garden's beautiful, isn't it? And she's this 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:14.220 little, little lady, little, little, little lady. 00:07:14.779 --> 00:07:18.339 And I said, it is. And she said, I'm glad you 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:29.399 saw it. I work hard on it. Sister Mary is 89 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:35.459 years old. She has been a nun since she was 18. 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:45.379 And she still serves. And I'm not talking about 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:55.019 the garden. I'm talking about her kindness. The 00:07:55.019 --> 00:07:57.959 kindness that she had when... I found myself 00:07:57.959 --> 00:07:59.980 somewhere that I wasn't meant to be, and instead 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:03.839 of chiding me, she said she was glad I was there. 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:11.660 That was an act of service. So if you don't think 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:15.160 that serving is for you, or that you've done 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.740 all that you can, maybe something as simple as 00:08:18.740 --> 00:08:22.220 kindness is the good work that God has prepared 00:08:22.220 --> 00:08:25.839 for you to do, that he's asking you to walk in. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:32.080 In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that every 00:08:32.080 --> 00:08:36.299 part matters. Every Sunday, each Sunday that 00:08:36.299 --> 00:08:40.200 we take communion. And who notices what happens 00:08:40.200 --> 00:08:43.559 when we're done receiving communion? Someone 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:46.620 goes over to the door, and sure, it's probably, 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:49.899 yeah, it's there. Someone grabs the little caddy 00:08:49.899 --> 00:08:53.440 that was probably invented for silverware, but 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:57.570 we use it for... communion cups. And quite often, 00:08:57.629 --> 00:09:01.529 many of those Sundays during the summer especially, 00:09:01.850 --> 00:09:04.629 but also on Sundays like this where kids aren't 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:06.470 treehouse age are still with us in the room, 00:09:06.549 --> 00:09:09.090 often the person that's walking that caddy around 00:09:09.090 --> 00:09:17.110 is a child. It's a tiny, tiny little kid understanding 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:20.470 that they are a part. of the body, that they 00:09:20.470 --> 00:09:23.210 aren't only a recipient of the body, but they 00:09:23.210 --> 00:09:26.090 are an active part of it. And we don't schedule 00:09:26.090 --> 00:09:28.730 that. We schedule a lot of things. Who's in the 00:09:28.730 --> 00:09:30.929 band? Who's going to greet and host at the door? 00:09:31.070 --> 00:09:33.450 Who serves the kids? We don't schedule who's 00:09:33.450 --> 00:09:35.210 going to pick up the caddy and walk it around 00:09:35.210 --> 00:09:38.970 to receive all the communion cups so that we 00:09:38.970 --> 00:09:43.370 can wash them. Something about these kids, they 00:09:43.370 --> 00:09:46.309 get it. They know, oh, this is a moment for me 00:09:46.309 --> 00:09:50.659 to be a part of who we are. Because every part 00:09:50.659 --> 00:09:53.860 matters. So maybe you don't think of yourself 00:09:53.860 --> 00:09:59.000 as someone that's like the whole arm or the leg. 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:00.700 Maybe you don't think of yourself as a voice 00:10:00.700 --> 00:10:05.120 that sings or a mouth that speaks. But every 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:09.460 part matters. A body needs every single part, 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.960 big and little, seen and unseen. When I was in 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:18.299 college and my voice was changing, I... That's 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:19.600 a little joke because my voice cracked right 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:26.519 there. Me, me, me, me, me. When I was in college, 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:30.179 I took this class called Age and Aging. And I 00:10:30.179 --> 00:10:33.860 remember learning for the first time that when 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:36.220 an older person falls and breaks a bone or hip, 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:39.519 it's usually not because they were weak. It's 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:41.559 usually because they lost their flexibility. 00:10:43.659 --> 00:10:46.860 Studies show that improving flexibility can actually 00:10:46.860 --> 00:10:50.259 reduce fall -related injuries by as much as 40 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:54.419 % because flexibility is what allows you to trip 00:10:54.419 --> 00:10:59.899 but not fall. When you hit the curb or when you 00:10:59.899 --> 00:11:03.159 take two steps instead of one, flexibility is 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:04.919 what allows you to push your leg out further 00:11:04.919 --> 00:11:10.100 and land on your foot instead of going down. 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:14.379 And y 'all, flexibility... It's found on the 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:18.720 inside, isn't it? It's under the skin. Your flexibility 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.019 is hidden. It's in the ligaments. It's in the 00:11:22.019 --> 00:11:25.019 tendons. It's on everything underneath. And every 00:11:25.019 --> 00:11:27.600 church needs worship leaders. And every church 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:30.440 needs people to work with the children and host 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:32.899 people when they enter at the door. But it is 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:36.580 the invisible acts of serving. Things like giving 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:39.000 and vacuuming and inviting other people to church. 00:11:39.259 --> 00:11:45.460 Praying. Being kind to someone. When they find 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:50.000 themselves in a place they don't belong. Remembering 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:55.259 their name. These things help a church be flexible. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:02.799 Keeps the body from breaking when we trip. And 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:05.779 I'll be candid. Every church you've ever been 00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:09.360 to, every church you've ever seen, they've all 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:12.690 made mistakes. Not just as individuals, but as 00:12:12.690 --> 00:12:15.210 churches, as the body. They've made mistakes 00:12:15.210 --> 00:12:17.389 on how to handle something, how to approach something. 00:12:18.669 --> 00:12:22.889 It is the flexibility inside, underneath the 00:12:22.889 --> 00:12:25.950 outward facing thing that happened. It's the 00:12:25.950 --> 00:12:31.210 kindness. It's the acceptance. All of that invisible 00:12:31.210 --> 00:12:35.070 stuff is what helps a church, when they trip, 00:12:35.250 --> 00:12:42.720 to not fall and break. So every part needs flexibility. 00:12:44.419 --> 00:12:49.600 Finally, let's consider John 13. Hey, will you 00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:51.299 bring the water basins in for the foot washing 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:54.879 service real quick? I'm joking. There's nobody 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:58.860 there. But if we had a foot washing service right 00:12:58.860 --> 00:13:00.320 now, how many of you would want to get up and 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.559 leave? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because ain't nobody 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:04.519 need to see my feet, let alone touch my feet, 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:10.019 right? The truth is that these days, if you have 00:13:10.019 --> 00:13:12.419 a foot washing service, it's mostly symbolic. 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:16.700 The person is not washing. The Pope, every year, 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:20.679 washes the feet of people that are homeless or 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:24.240 mentally ill. Every single year, the Pope does 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.000 acts of service like that. It is mostly symbolic. 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:28.759 The person doesn't necessarily need their feet 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.360 washed. What they need is to see someone with 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:40.409 status to ignore that status. We wear shoes. 00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:44.509 We wear socks. I mean, if you're Dave Hodge, 00:13:44.590 --> 00:13:46.490 Dave isn't here today, but if you're Dave Hodge, 00:13:46.570 --> 00:13:49.070 you wear sandals year -round. If you were Greg 00:13:49.070 --> 00:13:53.710 in his 20s, I wore sandals pretty much year -round. 00:13:53.750 --> 00:13:56.740 But back then, it was a different story. They 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:58.940 wore sandals. Everybody wore sandals everywhere 00:13:58.940 --> 00:14:01.340 that they went. And everywhere that they went, 00:14:01.419 --> 00:14:04.620 they didn't have paved roads in Jerusalem. They 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:07.500 didn't have paved roads in the small towns. It 00:14:07.500 --> 00:14:10.100 was all dirt and dirt paths. And you know who 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:13.240 else was on those dirt paths? All the donkeys 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:19.659 and all the other animals. And I'm not sure that 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:21.240 they were paying a whole lot of attention to 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:22.659 make sure that they didn't step in different 00:14:22.659 --> 00:14:25.019 things. And so when you went to someone's house, 00:14:25.769 --> 00:14:32.149 You wanted to have your feet washed. But that 00:14:32.149 --> 00:14:33.870 wasn't going to happen by the head of the house. 00:14:34.350 --> 00:14:36.889 That wasn't going to happen from the rabbi that 00:14:36.889 --> 00:14:39.929 you were spending time with. Culturally speaking, 00:14:40.049 --> 00:14:42.629 that was going to happen from a servant or the 00:14:42.629 --> 00:14:48.750 lowest person on the chart of that house. It 00:14:48.750 --> 00:14:51.950 was completely unexpected for Jesus, who they 00:14:51.950 --> 00:14:55.870 looked up to and was their rabbi, for him. to 00:14:55.870 --> 00:14:59.429 wrap himself in a towel and to wash their feet. 00:15:00.490 --> 00:15:02.409 This is a lesson that he had taught them before. 00:15:03.029 --> 00:15:05.629 This lesson is identical to the first will be 00:15:05.629 --> 00:15:12.669 last, the last will be first. It's identical 00:15:12.669 --> 00:15:15.330 to the message that if you want to be the greatest, 00:15:15.429 --> 00:15:19.669 you must make yourself the lowest. But this time, 00:15:19.690 --> 00:15:21.929 he's not just teaching it with words, he's showing 00:15:21.929 --> 00:15:26.190 it. with his actual body, with his actual service, 00:15:26.409 --> 00:15:30.750 showing them that I don't just mean it with words. 00:15:30.809 --> 00:15:32.629 I mean it with what I will actually do with who 00:15:32.629 --> 00:15:39.669 I am, that serving ignores status. If we are 00:15:39.669 --> 00:15:43.129 following Jesus, there is no such thing as something 00:15:43.129 --> 00:15:50.330 that is beneath us. Amen? There's a show called 00:15:50.330 --> 00:15:54.490 The Bear on Hulu. I'm not saying you should watch 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:56.149 it around your kids. There is a lot of swearing 00:15:56.149 --> 00:15:59.250 in it. But other than that, it's a good show. 00:15:59.429 --> 00:16:02.830 It's about this guy that was in fine dining and 00:16:02.830 --> 00:16:04.669 worked in Michelin star restaurants. And he comes 00:16:04.669 --> 00:16:07.090 back. His brother had died. And he comes back 00:16:07.090 --> 00:16:10.809 to take over the beef restaurant in Chicago. 00:16:10.830 --> 00:16:13.220 It's an Italian beef. restaurant. They just make 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:15.659 Italian beef sandwiches, and he's trying to do 00:16:15.659 --> 00:16:17.659 things differently, and he's got a cousin who's 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:20.919 not really his cousin, but in their circles, 00:16:21.100 --> 00:16:22.639 you know, you called people that you knew your 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:25.539 whole life cousins, so his cousin Richie is upset 00:16:25.539 --> 00:16:29.159 that he's trying to change things. Richie is 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:33.120 hard -headed. He's always making himself in the 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:35.860 way because he's trying to keep things from changing 00:16:35.860 --> 00:16:38.840 the way that he thinks that they should be. What 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:43.039 happens is The tides start to change, and Carmen, 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:46.100 or Carmi, who's leading the restaurant, he gets 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:48.480 the money to reinvent this restaurant, to turn 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.960 it into something that's elevated. And everyone's 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:53.620 getting trained. Everyone's getting different 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:55.379 things that they need to learn. And he sends 00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:59.200 Richie to the best restaurant in the world, who 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.960 I think it's based off of Elenia. So Elenia is 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:04.180 actually in Chicago right now. It is a three 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:08.000 Michelin star restaurant. It was considered one 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:09.849 of the... best five restaurants in the entire 00:17:09.849 --> 00:17:12.410 world for a while. I will probably never eat 00:17:12.410 --> 00:17:14.289 there because it's a ridiculous amount of money 00:17:14.289 --> 00:17:16.609 for one person to eat at three Michelin star 00:17:16.609 --> 00:17:18.970 restaurant. But it shows him getting to go and 00:17:18.970 --> 00:17:21.210 work at this restaurant for a week. And he immediately 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:23.210 thinks that the only reason he's there is because 00:17:23.210 --> 00:17:25.230 his cousin wanted to get rid of him. He just 00:17:25.230 --> 00:17:27.009 wanted to get me out of his hair. He's tired 00:17:27.009 --> 00:17:30.829 of me giving him a hard time. And in that kind 00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:33.509 of kitchen, in that kind of restaurant culture, 00:17:33.710 --> 00:17:37.009 the thing that you do when you are on loan from 00:17:37.009 --> 00:17:39.349 somewhere else is that you clean the silverware. 00:17:40.650 --> 00:17:43.509 You don't wash the silverware. You clean the 00:17:43.509 --> 00:17:46.930 silverware. It's already been washed. You stand 00:17:46.930 --> 00:17:52.710 and you polish every fork until it is perfect. 00:17:52.750 --> 00:17:57.009 And he cannot stand it. He's bothered by it. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:17:59.779 The first half of the episode, he's clinging 00:17:59.779 --> 00:18:02.059 and he's just plunking them down, plunking them 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.519 down, plunking them down. There's this moment 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:06.839 where Garrett, the guy that works there, he's 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:08.799 not in charge of all of it, but he's in charge 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.799 of that. And he says, come on. And he takes him 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:12.740 outside and he says, listen, I don't need you 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:17.240 to like it, but I need you to respect it. He 00:18:17.240 --> 00:18:19.400 says, because this place means a lot to people. 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:22.140 You should see the look on people's faces when 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:24.460 they get to come here, the experience that they've 00:18:24.460 --> 00:18:26.420 been looking forward to, what we're trying to 00:18:26.420 --> 00:18:28.579 provide for them. He says, every day is like 00:18:28.579 --> 00:18:31.180 the Super Bowl here of what we're trying to create 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:35.500 for people. He says, so you don't have to like 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:37.059 it, you have to respect it. And Richie says, 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:39.940 okay, I can do respect. He starts to get better. 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:42.059 He starts to see the point. He starts to see 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:44.700 why things are done a certain way. But he's still 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.720 convinced that Carmi sent him there to get him 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:52.960 out of his hair. He's looking for polish to polish 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:58.160 the forks. And he runs into the head chef, Terry. 00:18:58.900 --> 00:19:02.180 She is just standing there peeling mushrooms. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:09.339 And he stands and he says, oh, can I learn how 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:13.740 to do that? And she shows him how to peel these 00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:18.259 mushrooms. And he says to her, well, don't you 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:21.410 have? Somebody that can do this for you? You 00:19:21.410 --> 00:19:25.490 own the place. And she says, I like starting 00:19:25.490 --> 00:19:29.650 the day with this. It feels like respect. It 00:19:29.650 --> 00:19:34.690 feels attached. I think that it's time well spent. 00:19:35.589 --> 00:19:37.670 And then she explains that when she was younger, 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:41.029 that she had all the accolades. That she had 00:19:41.029 --> 00:19:43.190 a restaurant that was doing really well and all 00:19:43.190 --> 00:19:45.170 the awards and all the articles being written 00:19:45.170 --> 00:19:47.349 about her. And then everything came crashing 00:19:47.349 --> 00:19:49.549 down and she spent a lot of time blaming everybody 00:19:49.549 --> 00:19:52.930 else that she had been at the top and now she 00:19:52.930 --> 00:19:56.470 was at the bottom. She was doing this because 00:19:56.470 --> 00:19:58.609 it kept her grounded, because it reminded her 00:19:58.609 --> 00:20:02.569 that there was nothing that was beneath her. 00:20:04.410 --> 00:20:07.509 And after this little teachable moment, she says, 00:20:07.529 --> 00:20:11.140 you know, I know your cousin. And he goes, yeah, 00:20:11.160 --> 00:20:13.079 I'm sorry that he pulled a favor. And she goes, 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:18.900 no, I don't do favors like that. She said, well, 00:20:18.920 --> 00:20:22.980 let me just say what he said. She said, he believes 00:20:22.980 --> 00:20:26.500 in you, you know. And Richie says, what makes 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:34.460 you say that? She says, because he told me. He 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:37.759 said, you're good with people. And he's not wrong. 00:20:41.420 --> 00:20:44.720 I don't know why this episode, it makes me cry. 00:20:45.559 --> 00:20:48.220 I've watched it three, four times. I was reviewing 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:49.819 it again because I knew I wanted to tell this 00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:54.519 story. But as I was thinking about why does this 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:59.519 make me so emotional? I think it's maybe because 00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:01.480 we all want someone that we think is important 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:09.400 to tell us that they believe in us. Someone that 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:12.009 we think... is at the top to tell us that we 00:21:12.009 --> 00:21:16.250 matter. Someone that in the structure of life 00:21:16.250 --> 00:21:18.670 has no reason to have to show us kindness to 00:21:18.670 --> 00:21:26.869 show us a kindness. We all need someone to help 00:21:26.869 --> 00:21:31.309 us figure out exactly who we are. Sometimes we 00:21:31.309 --> 00:21:34.609 need someone to tell us that the person that 00:21:34.609 --> 00:21:37.710 sent you to do this thing didn't do it to get 00:21:37.710 --> 00:21:44.150 you out of their hair. They did it because they 00:21:44.150 --> 00:21:50.549 believe in you. Let me just say, wherever you 00:21:50.549 --> 00:21:52.470 are, wherever God has you, he didn't send you 00:21:52.470 --> 00:21:57.869 there to get you out of his hair. He didn't send 00:21:57.869 --> 00:21:59.450 you there because you couldn't cause any more 00:21:59.450 --> 00:22:03.910 problems there. He sent you to that spot because 00:22:03.910 --> 00:22:09.430 he believes in you. If you have kids, he gave 00:22:09.430 --> 00:22:13.359 you those kids because he believes in you. If 00:22:13.359 --> 00:22:15.579 he gave you a spouse, he gave you that spouse 00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:19.559 because he believes in you. If he gave you a 00:22:19.559 --> 00:22:22.519 rec center or a job at a bank that you never 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:24.900 thought you'd have, he gave that to you because 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:27.400 he believes in you, not because he's trying to 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:32.140 occupy you with something else. He's doing it 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:34.680 on purpose because he has put these good works 00:22:34.680 --> 00:22:41.579 out ahead of us for us to walk in. And I personally 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:45.390 believe That Jesus is the top of the universal 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:50.569 org chart. But he's the one that is washing our 00:22:50.569 --> 00:22:53.009 feet. He's the one that's forgiving our sins. 00:22:54.769 --> 00:22:58.430 He's the one inviting us to sit at his table. 00:22:59.410 --> 00:23:02.829 Because serving ignores status. Everyone matters. 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:08.390 And there is good for us to do. So then we ought 00:23:08.390 --> 00:23:14.759 to ask, where is God inviting us? To serve. Maybe 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:18.079 it's here. The truth is that Robin would like 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:20.700 two more people on the Treehouse team. Two more 00:23:20.700 --> 00:23:25.380 people to help serve the kids. But maybe, even 00:23:25.380 --> 00:23:29.119 more likely, it's outside the walls of this church. 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:33.160 It's in your neighborhood. It's in your workplace. 00:23:33.319 --> 00:23:35.920 It's in your school. Next week on Thursday, October 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:40.890 23rd, the house is going to be recognized. with 00:23:40.890 --> 00:23:43.990 a Hero Award by the Community Caring Conference 00:23:43.990 --> 00:23:46.710 here in Rock Island. And I want to tell you something. 00:23:46.910 --> 00:23:50.849 I know that we're not being honored or acknowledged 00:23:50.849 --> 00:23:53.089 in that way because of all the programs that 00:23:53.089 --> 00:23:56.869 we have at this church. I think that they are 00:23:56.869 --> 00:24:02.150 offering that honor to us because of all the 00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:04.029 serving that the people of this congregation 00:24:04.029 --> 00:24:10.880 do in our cities. Closet to closet. is a clothing 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:13.339 provider for children in the foster system. And 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.000 what some of you might not know is, well, it's 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.099 right here in our building. I'm sure some of 00:24:18.099 --> 00:24:20.200 you knew that. But some of you might not have 00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:22.200 known is that last year they were thinking about 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:26.079 closing their doors. The kids that had been based 00:24:26.079 --> 00:24:28.779 on and founded upon and were leading it, they're 00:24:28.779 --> 00:24:31.880 all grown. They're married or they're going off 00:24:31.880 --> 00:24:35.460 to school. And it's like, okay, maybe it's time 00:24:35.460 --> 00:24:42.559 to be done. Instead, Tashiana McConnell, right 00:24:42.559 --> 00:24:45.640 over here, she said, yes, I'll take up that mantle. 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:50.220 I'll take up that important thing. I'll lead 00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:54.759 that into the next season. But not just her. 00:24:55.210 --> 00:24:57.670 She's not alone. Scott, her husband, is on the 00:24:57.670 --> 00:25:01.069 board. And so is Josh Fowler, who goes to this 00:25:01.069 --> 00:25:03.630 church, and Alex North, who's here today. They're 00:25:03.630 --> 00:25:07.710 making sure that kids in the foster system have 00:25:07.710 --> 00:25:11.289 the clothing that they need. And listen, that 00:25:11.289 --> 00:25:15.789 is not our church's ministry. But people from 00:25:15.789 --> 00:25:20.710 this church do ministry. Or think about the teachers 00:25:20.710 --> 00:25:24.359 in our schools. Think about Joe Woods. Think 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:26.700 about Chris Britton. Think about Jake Van Dam. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:30.539 Lena and Matt Armstrong. Brian McConnell. Cindy 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:33.359 Hampton. Kathy Webb. Kristen Kosky. I'm sure 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:37.279 I'm leaving somebody out. But think about the 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:40.000 impact that they get to have on all of the students 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:43.000 that they touch and come into contact with every 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:45.819 day because they're doing it with kindness, because 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:48.960 they are walking in the path that Jesus has given 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:51.980 them to walk. They're offering kindness and patience 00:25:51.980 --> 00:25:55.670 and goodness. They're dedicating themselves to 00:25:55.670 --> 00:25:58.690 the development of children that are not their 00:25:58.690 --> 00:26:01.309 own. Think of all the benefits that that has 00:26:01.309 --> 00:26:05.369 on your city long term. And then not just as 00:26:05.369 --> 00:26:09.109 teachers. Kristen Kosky, in addition to being 00:26:09.109 --> 00:26:11.150 a teacher at Moline High School, she serves on 00:26:11.150 --> 00:26:13.910 the board for a new org called The Third Place 00:26:13.910 --> 00:26:17.099 that's in downtown. Rock Island. It's a drop 00:26:17.099 --> 00:26:19.539 -in shelter. It's a daytime drop -in spot for 00:26:19.539 --> 00:26:22.240 people that don't have a home, that may be experiencing 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:24.759 poverty, that don't have a phone of their own. 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:26.660 They need a place to store something during the 00:26:26.660 --> 00:26:29.259 day so that they can go try and get a job or 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:31.380 they need some connection to social services. 00:26:31.619 --> 00:26:36.319 She's on the board for that. I think about Destiny. 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:40.150 She works with the project. The project offers 00:26:40.150 --> 00:26:43.690 HIV prevention services, counseling, harm reduction, 00:26:44.109 --> 00:26:47.890 LGBTQ health care. Think about Andy Boswell. 00:26:48.029 --> 00:26:50.690 He's a probation officer, but he's a different 00:26:50.690 --> 00:26:54.650 kind of probation officer. He is constantly trying 00:26:54.650 --> 00:26:58.470 to find paths for people back to healthy lives. 00:27:00.170 --> 00:27:04.430 About Bruce Peterson. He's on the board for the 00:27:04.430 --> 00:27:07.450 Christian Care Center. A men's shelter here in 00:27:07.450 --> 00:27:09.650 Rock Island. Or Marissa has worked for the Center 00:27:09.650 --> 00:27:12.049 for Independent Living, working with people with 00:27:12.049 --> 00:27:13.869 disabilities and educating about disabilities 00:27:13.869 --> 00:27:16.289 for 20 years. Corey Holloway works in the Rock 00:27:16.289 --> 00:27:19.049 Island School District as well, but he also serves 00:27:19.049 --> 00:27:22.230 on the board for Narratives QC, which serves 00:27:22.230 --> 00:27:25.029 people that are 18 to 24, just trying to get 00:27:25.029 --> 00:27:28.009 their feet under them, trying to figure out what 00:27:28.009 --> 00:27:32.250 their path is supposed to be. And when the city 00:27:32.250 --> 00:27:35.059 of Rock Island introduced... a moratorium against 00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:36.980 any new prophet starting for a certain amount 00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:40.059 of time, at least 12 different people that call 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:42.299 this church their home were there that night. 00:27:42.380 --> 00:27:44.599 Not because we sent out an email and said, everybody 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:46.880 needs to show up. They showed up because they're 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:49.000 connected to all the things that happen in this 00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:54.019 city. And they care what happens on the streets 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:58.480 of our town. That is what it looks like when 00:27:58.480 --> 00:28:03.740 the church moves beyond the walls. Serving isn't 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:08.079 just about what you do in a church. Serving is 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:13.440 about what you do with your life. Serving here, 00:28:13.559 --> 00:28:17.559 it's beautiful. It's necessary. It's wonderful. 00:28:17.819 --> 00:28:20.140 We want you to serve the kids. We want you to 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:22.900 greet and host people at the door and use your 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:26.019 voices in worship because transformation happens 00:28:26.019 --> 00:28:29.220 here. People learn to rest, to live in Christ, 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:31.920 and then they find out what their work is too. 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:37.799 But the kind of serving that Jesus modeled is 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:44.640 not confined to one spot on a map. So here's 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:47.359 the challenge this week. Ask God to show you 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:50.940 how to serve. This will be my third time mentioning 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:53.220 it. Treehouse needs a couple people to join the 00:28:53.220 --> 00:28:57.380 team. That is true. And if that's you, that would 00:28:57.380 --> 00:29:02.059 be great. Please do that. If you don't already 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:04.720 give back to God through the local church, Pray 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:07.339 about that. Consider that. After service today, 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:09.799 Jake is going to be leading a prayer walk through 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:12.420 the Greenbush neighborhood. What a great opportunity 00:29:12.420 --> 00:29:15.000 for you to do a simple act of service by just 00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:16.980 walking through part of the neighborhood and 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:21.059 praying for the neighborhood. Do not reserve 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:24.940 all of your serving for this spot on the map. 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:30.000 Because most of our serving should happen somewhere 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:33.460 else because most of our time is spent somewhere. 00:29:36.399 --> 00:29:41.640 else. Amen? Let's pray. Father, we thank you 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:43.839 for every opportunity to serve that you have 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:48.799 already put out ahead of us. Like little breadcrumbs 00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:52.700 leading us in the right direction. Pray that 00:29:52.700 --> 00:29:55.160 you would help us to listen with the Spirit, 00:29:55.380 --> 00:30:00.740 to pay attention, and then to step into the little 00:30:00.740 --> 00:30:03.500 acts of service, whether it's kindness, showing 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:06.759 up to a city council meeting, or giving more 00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:09.400 hours of our time to serving someone that's in 00:30:09.400 --> 00:30:11.839 need. Amen? Amen.