WEBVTT 00:00:00.270 --> 00:00:06.209 Good work, young man. All right. Good morning. 00:00:07.150 --> 00:00:09.150 Welcome to the house. My name is Greg. I'm one 00:00:09.150 --> 00:00:11.710 of the pastors here. If we've never met, I would 00:00:11.710 --> 00:00:14.789 love to meet you. I'll buy you a coffee, soda, 00:00:15.009 --> 00:00:17.870 something. Especially if you want to talk about 00:00:17.870 --> 00:00:20.870 Jesus. I like to talk about Jesus. But we can 00:00:20.870 --> 00:00:23.510 talk about anything that is important to you. 00:00:23.730 --> 00:00:26.129 Today we're kicking off a series that is called 00:00:26.129 --> 00:00:31.769 But Then Jesus. And this is one of my favorite 00:00:31.769 --> 00:00:36.229 ideas because life will be happening. A story 00:00:36.229 --> 00:00:42.210 is going in one direction, but then Jesus. Now, 00:00:42.310 --> 00:00:45.009 that exact phrase is not found in the Bible. 00:00:45.250 --> 00:00:47.509 If you open up the New Testament and you search, 00:00:47.909 --> 00:00:49.869 do you want to use chat CPT? Say, oh, does this 00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:51.890 ever show up? You can go to Accordance or the 00:00:51.890 --> 00:00:54.049 Logos Bible software. You're not going to find, 00:00:54.170 --> 00:00:56.030 but then Jesus, those three words right next 00:00:56.030 --> 00:00:59.840 to each other. Then Jesus and but Jesus are found 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:03.179 in the NLT, the New Living Translation, 215 times 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:06.959 throughout just the Gospels. And together, those 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.920 two phrases together in the same story or the 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:14.900 same paragraph are found between 25 and 30 times. 00:01:15.159 --> 00:01:21.540 But then Jesus. Marissa shared during worship, 00:01:21.819 --> 00:01:25.819 some of us have a but then Jesus moment. Something 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:29.969 is happening in but. but then Jesus. Y 'all over 00:01:29.969 --> 00:01:32.109 here can't see it, but there's a sign up here 00:01:32.109 --> 00:01:34.409 that says, but then Jesus. I've had it in my 00:01:34.409 --> 00:01:37.469 office for the last seven years because it is 00:01:37.469 --> 00:01:42.170 one of my favorite ideas. And even though some 00:01:42.170 --> 00:01:45.510 of us already have, but then Jesus stories, maybe 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:48.530 some of us are waiting for our very first, but 00:01:48.530 --> 00:01:52.450 then Jesus stories. I was actually at Starbucks 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:55.590 the other day, and one of the baristas there, 00:01:56.269 --> 00:01:58.370 I was sitting at a table on our break, and I 00:01:58.370 --> 00:02:00.250 heard she was singing, and she had a really nice 00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:03.450 voice. And I said, oh, do you sing? And we were 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:04.670 at the tables next to her. She said, yeah, yeah, 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:07.090 yeah. I go, oh, do you? I said, oh, you know 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:09.590 I'm a pastor. She said, yeah, yeah. And I go, 00:02:09.629 --> 00:02:11.610 oh, do you have any, like, you ever sung in a 00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:13.689 church? And she said, you know what? I don't 00:02:13.689 --> 00:02:18.330 really, I wish I had faith. So I just, you know, 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:20.370 it's just never, I've never felt, I've never 00:02:20.370 --> 00:02:22.330 felt the need for that or the desire for that. 00:02:22.830 --> 00:02:24.949 And in my head, I'm preparing for this sermon. 00:02:25.009 --> 00:02:27.990 So in my head, I'm thinking, I pray that she 00:02:27.990 --> 00:02:32.409 has her but then Jesus moment. So let's open 00:02:32.409 --> 00:02:35.849 up the Bible and see one of these moments. We're 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:39.370 going to be in Luke 18. If you have a Bible, 00:02:39.469 --> 00:02:42.030 it goes Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. So if you 00:02:42.030 --> 00:02:43.330 see any of those, you know you're in the right 00:02:43.330 --> 00:02:45.069 neighborhood. We're going to be in Luke chapter 00:02:45.069 --> 00:02:48.699 18. If you don't have one, you can download a 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:50.620 digital version or you can grab one of those 00:02:50.620 --> 00:02:53.360 blue Bibles off of the tables and flip to Luke. 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:56.580 It's probably like 80 % towards the back in those. 00:02:56.759 --> 00:02:58.379 And if you don't have one, you want one there, 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:00.840 you can take those blue Bibles home. Those are 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.419 free for you. OK, so we're going to be in Luke 00:03:03.419 --> 00:03:06.479 chapter 18, starting in verse 15. And we have 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:09.080 a tradition. Just giving the scripture our full 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:11.259 attention when we read it in the context of a 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:13.580 sermon. And so you can do that any way that makes 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:15.020 sense to you. But if you'd like to stand with 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:17.800 me, you're also welcome to do that. Luke 18, 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:23.099 starting in verse 15, says this. People were 00:03:23.099 --> 00:03:27.500 bringing even infants to Jesus that he might 00:03:27.500 --> 00:03:31.659 touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:35.030 sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus 00:03:35.030 --> 00:03:37.210 called for them and said, let the children come 00:03:37.210 --> 00:03:41.590 to me and do not stop them. For it is to such 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:46.650 as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly, 00:03:46.770 --> 00:03:48.870 I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom 00:03:48.870 --> 00:03:51.650 of God as a little child will never enter it. 00:03:52.050 --> 00:03:56.090 Let us pray. God of every tribe, every tongue, 00:03:56.229 --> 00:04:00.110 every color, every age, every nation. We thank 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.169 you for the scriptures that we have them to consider. 00:04:02.270 --> 00:04:04.270 They have persisted throughout the millennia. 00:04:05.169 --> 00:04:07.229 And whatever you have for us to learn today, 00:04:07.349 --> 00:04:09.909 I pray that it would stick, that it would make 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:12.830 our faith stronger as we become more like your 00:04:12.830 --> 00:04:16.449 son, Jesus. Amen. Amen. Y 'all can have a seat. 00:04:16.470 --> 00:04:25.569 Thank you. If you zoom out in this chapter, so 00:04:25.569 --> 00:04:27.389 I mean, I just read you three verses right in 00:04:27.389 --> 00:04:29.930 the middle. of a chapter, but if you zoom out, 00:04:30.029 --> 00:04:32.550 you'll see that this little story about kids 00:04:32.550 --> 00:04:35.790 is actually squeezed into an interesting spot. 00:04:36.069 --> 00:04:40.430 See, Luke is what is called a synoptic gospel. 00:04:41.050 --> 00:04:45.410 Anyone heard that word before? Synoptic gospel. 00:04:45.670 --> 00:04:48.829 It's Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the three synoptic 00:04:48.829 --> 00:04:51.470 gospels. They're called synoptic because they 00:04:51.470 --> 00:04:54.529 are in sync in a lot of ways. They share a lot 00:04:54.529 --> 00:04:59.560 of the same Bible verses. 97 % of the gospel 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:03.680 of Mark can be found either in Matthew or Luke. 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:05.879 So yes, in other words, Matthew and Luke just 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:09.220 copied and cheated off of Mark's homework. And 00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:14.759 this story about kids and Jesus is found in all 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:17.839 three of the synoptic gospels. It started in 00:05:17.839 --> 00:05:21.079 Mark, and then Matthew used it in his. But when 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:24.069 Luke came along, Luke decided to put it... in 00:05:24.069 --> 00:05:27.649 a different spot. In Matthew and in Mark, this 00:05:27.649 --> 00:05:30.490 story comes right after Jesus is talking about 00:05:30.490 --> 00:05:32.990 divorce. And it makes sense. I'm going to talk 00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:34.730 to you about your kids right after talking about 00:05:34.730 --> 00:05:38.310 divorce because divorce impacts kids. The relationship 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:41.310 between partners and spouses can affect kids. 00:05:41.649 --> 00:05:47.569 But Luke, he moves it to a different spot. He 00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:50.709 bunches it together with some stories about who 00:05:50.709 --> 00:05:54.459 is seen and who thinks. they should be seen. 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:59.839 So this is just your gentle Bible reminder that 00:05:59.839 --> 00:06:03.620 not everything that you read in the Gospels happened 00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:07.980 in the order that you're reading it. Okay? Why? 00:06:08.339 --> 00:06:11.060 Because when someone like Luke is writing this 00:06:11.060 --> 00:06:13.819 stuff down, he's not trying to tell a historically 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:16.560 accurate timeline events. He's trying to paint 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.639 the bigger picture about Jesus. And so for Luke, 00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:23.019 what he's doing is, oh, here's the color that 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:25.399 I want to paint with. What stories about Jesus 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:27.959 are in that color that I can bunch together to 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:36.480 try and get the idea across? And the theme that 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:39.079 Luke continually works on throughout his gospel, 00:06:39.139 --> 00:06:42.000 and especially in this chapter, is the theme 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:46.800 of how Jesus sees the outsider. Chapter 18 begins 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:51.319 with a parable about praying, but it's not actually 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.540 a parable about praying. Praying is just something 00:06:54.540 --> 00:06:56.680 that he's saying, all right, let me give you 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.279 a lesson about praying. But this is what actually 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.379 happens. Jesus says that a widow is going to 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:05.180 an unjust judge over and over and over again, 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.819 trying to get justice. And eventually the judge 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:13.740 gives in. And Jesus says, if an unjust judge 00:07:13.740 --> 00:07:17.240 can do the right thing, how much more will your 00:07:17.240 --> 00:07:22.819 Father in heaven do what is right? Jesus uses 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.199 a story about praying and judges and justice 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:29.000 to show us who is worthy of being seen by God. 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.279 And then in verse 9. He tells a parable about 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:36.899 two people praying in public. But again, it's 00:07:36.899 --> 00:07:39.240 not actually about praying in public. It's about 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:43.279 who wants to be seen when praying and who they 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:48.240 want to be seen by. The first person wants to 00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:52.500 make sure that everyone sees just how great they 00:07:52.500 --> 00:07:55.939 are. He says, God, I thank you that I am not 00:07:55.939 --> 00:08:00.000 like other people, like the thieves, like the 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.230 adulterers, like... That tax collector over there. 00:08:05.089 --> 00:08:08.269 And then says that the tax collector over there 00:08:08.269 --> 00:08:13.629 prays and beating his chest. Jesus is the only 00:08:13.629 --> 00:08:17.730 one that hears him. He prays quietly, God, be 00:08:17.730 --> 00:08:22.170 merciful to me, a sinner. Jesus says that it's 00:08:22.170 --> 00:08:25.990 the tax man that is seen. It is the tax man that 00:08:25.990 --> 00:08:33.360 walks away justified and is seen. By God. And 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:37.139 then the parents bring their kids to Jesus. Actually, 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:42.360 in Matthew and Mark, it just says kids. But Luke 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:45.220 wants to emphasize the idea that these kids don't 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:48.440 have anything to offer you. And so he says, infants. 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.580 Looks like I want to make it perfectly obvious 00:08:53.580 --> 00:08:56.740 that these kids have very little to offer. So 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:59.610 he says, they start bringing. They're infants. 00:09:00.970 --> 00:09:04.429 Now, there's been this idea that gets kicked 00:09:04.429 --> 00:09:07.230 around, and I understand why the kids were worthless 00:09:07.230 --> 00:09:09.549 in first century. Well, they're not old enough. 00:09:10.289 --> 00:09:13.210 It's not that they're worthless. It's that they 00:09:13.210 --> 00:09:16.830 had no value when it came to being able to fight 00:09:16.830 --> 00:09:20.970 in a rebellion. The disciples weren't interested 00:09:20.970 --> 00:09:23.789 in Jesus giving time to children because in the 00:09:23.789 --> 00:09:25.669 disciples' minds, they're thinking this is moving 00:09:25.669 --> 00:09:28.440 towards rebellion. All right, he's talking about 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:30.779 kingdom now. This is exciting. That's the stuff 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:33.320 that we want. We want a new kingdom. We want 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:36.080 to overthrow the empire. Don't waste time with 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:37.919 little kids. They can't wield swords, Jesus. 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:45.179 But Jesus says, you have to find the kingdom 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:52.899 like a kid. And then verse 18. A rich young ruler 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:55.980 comes along and has everything that the disciples 00:09:55.980 --> 00:10:00.080 are looking for. He's a landowner. He's wealthy. 00:10:00.279 --> 00:10:04.460 He's the right age for fighting. As far as the 00:10:04.460 --> 00:10:06.580 disciples are concerned, this guy is the cream 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:11.259 of the crop. Anyone is worthy of Jesus' time. 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:15.450 Worthy of being seen, it would be this guy. But 00:10:15.450 --> 00:10:18.149 Jesus isn't looking at the outside. Jesus sees 00:10:18.149 --> 00:10:24.149 someone that has never been on the outside. This 00:10:24.149 --> 00:10:29.049 guy's never been an outsider. So Jesus says, 00:10:29.129 --> 00:10:32.710 give up everything you have, sell it, and give 00:10:32.710 --> 00:10:40.269 the money to the outsiders. And then come follow 00:10:40.269 --> 00:10:44.909 me. And the scripture says, when he heard this, 00:10:44.909 --> 00:10:51.889 he was sad for he was very rich. So Jesus turns 00:10:51.889 --> 00:10:54.830 to his disciples and what happens next is says 00:10:54.830 --> 00:11:00.909 that he predicts his own death. Not only to contrast 00:11:00.909 --> 00:11:03.549 his own willingness to give everything when the 00:11:03.549 --> 00:11:07.690 young ruler would not give anything, but to further 00:11:07.690 --> 00:11:11.850 subvert for his disciples. that their desire 00:11:11.850 --> 00:11:18.429 for rebellion was misplaced. But then Jesus. 00:11:18.789 --> 00:11:27.970 But then Jesus. But then Jesus. Now, any of these 00:11:27.970 --> 00:11:29.730 stories could have a sermon all by themselves. 00:11:30.990 --> 00:11:32.669 We could have gone like, you know, all right, 00:11:32.669 --> 00:11:34.649 we're going to have five weeks just about these 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:38.190 five things. But what I want to focus on, what 00:11:38.190 --> 00:11:41.470 I want to go back to, is the story about the 00:11:41.470 --> 00:11:44.850 kids. Why? Because in that story, it's not a 00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:48.669 judge or pride or Pharisees or money that's getting 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:51.409 in the way of someone worthy of being seen being 00:11:51.409 --> 00:11:55.690 seen. Who gets in the way between Jesus and the 00:11:55.690 --> 00:12:05.129 kids? Yeah, the disciples. I'm a disciple. If 00:12:05.129 --> 00:12:07.350 you follow Jesus and you believe in Jesus, you're 00:12:07.350 --> 00:12:10.250 a disciple. You've probably heard the idea that 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:12.330 when you read a parable or a story in the scriptures 00:12:12.330 --> 00:12:14.110 that you're supposed to put yourself in it and 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:18.090 go, who am I in this story today? Well, I'm a 00:12:18.090 --> 00:12:24.509 disciple. So I put myself in their shoes, and 00:12:24.509 --> 00:12:27.350 I ask myself the question, what makes us think 00:12:27.350 --> 00:12:31.710 we are not just as likely to get in the way as 00:12:31.710 --> 00:12:36.429 they were? What makes us think that we are not 00:12:36.429 --> 00:12:39.889 just as likely to get between Jesus and kids 00:12:39.889 --> 00:12:44.950 as they were? Because Jesus said, let the children 00:12:44.950 --> 00:12:50.210 come to me and do not stop them. Kids belong 00:12:50.210 --> 00:12:56.509 in the middle of everything. Kids belong in the 00:12:56.509 --> 00:13:03.120 middle of everything. Us well -meaning adult 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:06.840 disciples should never be what gets in the way. 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:14.320 You guys okay if I brag on another church for 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:17.759 a minute? Is that acceptable inside of a church 00:13:17.759 --> 00:13:19.720 where you talk about how awesome another church 00:13:19.720 --> 00:13:24.820 was? Liam, put this up on the screen. I saw this 00:13:24.820 --> 00:13:27.519 online this week. Bendorf Presbyterian Church 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.919 right across the river. This is their loud children 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:34.039 policy. They're playing into the idea that, oh, 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:35.620 this looks like a negative thing, but when you 00:13:35.620 --> 00:13:39.100 read it, it's nothing but positive. So it gets 00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:41.440 effective immediately. If a family is considering 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.659 visiting Bretton North Presbyterian Church and 00:13:43.659 --> 00:13:45.179 they have a loud child, the following options 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:49.159 are available. Number one, please, Liam. The 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:53.600 family should bring the child. Number two, please, 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:55.919 Liam. The family should make sure they bring 00:13:55.919 --> 00:14:00.990 the child. Number three. The family should ensure 00:14:00.990 --> 00:14:05.990 the child comes to church. Number four, the family 00:14:05.990 --> 00:14:07.789 is to see that the child is brought to church. 00:14:08.529 --> 00:14:12.029 You guys are seeing the theme here? Number five, 00:14:12.029 --> 00:14:20.649 please. The child is absolutely welcome. The 00:14:20.649 --> 00:14:23.629 only thing that I would add is a quote that says, 00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:26.490 and everyone in attendance will joyfully accept 00:14:26.490 --> 00:14:31.250 your child no matter what. And everyone in attendance 00:14:31.250 --> 00:14:35.389 will joyfully accept your child no matter what. 00:14:36.210 --> 00:14:38.490 Because it says here at the bottom, if your child 00:14:38.490 --> 00:14:43.789 makes noise, you are not bothering us. You are 00:14:43.789 --> 00:14:47.830 blessing us. Jesus said, let them come to me. 00:14:48.149 --> 00:14:51.289 They're not in the way. They don't need to wield 00:14:51.289 --> 00:14:58.230 swords or give money. They are for you, the image. 00:14:58.750 --> 00:15:05.690 of how to accept the kingdom of God. And so what 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:07.009 I thought I would do here just for a minute, 00:15:07.169 --> 00:15:10.429 I'm going to walk around with this microphone, 00:15:10.509 --> 00:15:13.629 and I want to ask some kids some questions. Okay? 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.769 I want to give the kids some attention today. 00:15:18.789 --> 00:15:21.149 And you don't have to answer if you don't want 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:23.090 to, but I was wondering if some of you guys would 00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:26.509 just tell all us adults, what is something you 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:29.840 like? about coming to church with everybody. 00:15:30.039 --> 00:15:33.460 Anyone? You want to? I like seeing my friends. 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:38.879 Yeah. Archer? Anything you like? No? All right. 00:15:38.960 --> 00:15:40.820 You'll tell us later if you want. Anyone over 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:45.559 here? Anyone? No? All right. I'll come back if 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:52.480 you want. Anyone? Sweetie, high five. Do you 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:54.039 have anything you like about church you want 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:56.200 to say on the microphone? Milo has something. 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:07.769 On the count of three, everyone answer it. How 00:16:07.769 --> 00:16:09.769 do you have fun with other people? Ready? One, 00:16:09.909 --> 00:16:13.830 two, three. You can ask them all individually 00:16:13.830 --> 00:16:17.669 in a little bit if you want. What about anyone 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:22.149 at this table? You like something about church? 00:16:24.090 --> 00:16:27.950 You just like it? Wallace, anything? I'm going 00:16:27.950 --> 00:16:29.570 to go with Connor, and I'm going to say the people. 00:16:29.789 --> 00:16:35.019 The people. Armstrong kids? Luca? Anything you 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:38.320 like about church? Nathan? What do you like? 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:41.700 What do you like about church? I like to come 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:45.000 to church and see everybody every Sunday. Love 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:58.820 it. Yep. Yep. Perfect. Perfect. Now. Oh, okay. 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.640 What do you like about church? are coming here? 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:10.400 Water, hot chocolate. Yeah, hot chocolate. Ooh, 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.480 hot chocolate, hot. Now, all the kids, this question 00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:15.940 is for you kids. I'm going to put this down. 00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:18.779 All the kids, answer this question at the same 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:22.859 time. Ready? Kids, look at me. Answer this question 00:17:22.859 --> 00:17:24.660 at the same time. It's a yes or no question. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:28.119 Can you get here to church without your parents? 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:34.410 No. Oh, oh. Oh, Nathan says yes. He's like, I 00:17:34.410 --> 00:17:37.769 know how to use the buses, man. He's like, I 00:17:37.769 --> 00:17:43.890 can call myself an Uber. It's all good. Now, 00:17:43.970 --> 00:17:46.049 parents, I want you to dial into what I'm about 00:17:46.049 --> 00:17:49.509 to say. If a kid is lucky from the time that 00:17:49.509 --> 00:17:51.769 they can remember their lives around the age 00:17:51.769 --> 00:17:55.849 of three, they get 15 years of Sundays until 00:17:55.849 --> 00:18:02.640 they're on their own. 15 years. of Sundays until 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.799 they're on their own. That is 780 Sundays. If 00:18:05.799 --> 00:18:08.720 you account for rest Sundays, for traveling, 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:11.579 for vacation, things like that, let's just round 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:15.259 it down to 750 Sundays between the ages of three 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:19.319 and the ages of 18. If they're here for an hour 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:22.940 and 15 minutes, that comes out to around 900 00:18:22.940 --> 00:18:29.490 hours from the time they're three to 15. If that 00:18:29.490 --> 00:18:33.089 same child goes to in -person school, a single 00:18:33.089 --> 00:18:37.529 year of in -person school will be 1 ,000 hours. 00:18:38.950 --> 00:18:43.410 One year of in -person school is more than a 00:18:43.410 --> 00:18:53.390 lifetime of Sundays. Every hour matters. Every 00:18:53.390 --> 00:18:56.670 Sunday. counts. Now, someone might say, well, 00:18:56.670 --> 00:18:59.450 why does that matter? Jesus is at home. And of 00:18:59.450 --> 00:19:04.230 course, Jesus is at home. Of course, a thousand 00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:07.569 percent, Jesus is at home. Jesus is everywhere. 00:19:07.750 --> 00:19:10.849 But you know who's not at home? Levon Williams 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:15.569 and Rosalie Stare. Let me tell you about that. 00:19:16.650 --> 00:19:20.109 When I was a kid, I didn't always want to go 00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:27.539 to church. In my church environment, my sister 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:31.000 and I were the only kids that didn't have their 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:34.099 mom and their dad at church because my dad wasn't 00:19:34.099 --> 00:19:42.099 a Christian yet. Joey, Chris, Don, Nathan, Matthew, 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:45.700 Christian, Nick, and John, David, Andrea, Lindsay, 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:48.880 Lisa, Christine, Stephanie, and Keith, Peter, 00:19:49.019 --> 00:19:52.299 Katie, Aubrey, Heidi, Don, Dan. I can go on. 00:19:52.809 --> 00:19:56.630 They all had their mom and their dad at church 00:19:56.630 --> 00:19:59.049 every Sunday. And so I didn't always want to 00:19:59.049 --> 00:20:03.589 be there. I was different. I was an outsider. 00:20:05.069 --> 00:20:07.529 The church that we were a part sometimes made 00:20:07.529 --> 00:20:09.849 sure that my mom and my sister and I felt like 00:20:09.849 --> 00:20:15.430 it. But she felt committed. She needed to have 00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:19.069 us in a place that we would hear about. Jesus, 00:20:19.089 --> 00:20:21.329 I did not want to always be there. I definitely 00:20:21.329 --> 00:20:23.410 wasn't there for the sermons. I wasn't always 00:20:23.410 --> 00:20:25.769 there for Jesus, but I was there for the hugs 00:20:25.769 --> 00:20:31.369 because I had a standing appointment every Sunday, 00:20:31.470 --> 00:20:42.109 second row, center aisle, old lady hugs. Rosalie 00:20:42.109 --> 00:20:45.869 would wrap me up like I was one of her own. LaVon 00:20:45.869 --> 00:20:48.089 would hug me like I was one of her grandkids. 00:20:50.130 --> 00:20:54.970 I believe in Jesus now, in part, because those 00:20:54.970 --> 00:20:59.470 hugs were my sanctuary. And LaVon was not in 00:20:59.470 --> 00:21:06.109 my house. Rosalie was not in my yard. I needed 00:21:06.109 --> 00:21:12.609 more than my mom. And our kids, my kids, My kids 00:21:12.609 --> 00:21:15.589 need more than seeing me and Cindy believe in 00:21:15.589 --> 00:21:21.269 Jesus at home. They need you. They need hugs 00:21:21.269 --> 00:21:26.529 from Africa and from Jen and from Eric. They 00:21:26.529 --> 00:21:29.289 need to see Kelsey and Alex the way that they 00:21:29.289 --> 00:21:31.829 care for their kids do, the way that Leah cares 00:21:31.829 --> 00:21:35.109 for sweetie. They need to see Daryl, a grandfather, 00:21:35.269 --> 00:21:40.069 the way that he treats them. My kids, your kids. 00:21:42.190 --> 00:21:48.650 We need the whole family. And between 3 and 18, 00:21:48.970 --> 00:21:54.890 they only get 900 hours. And so this is my exhortation. 00:21:55.910 --> 00:21:59.869 This is my encouragement. Bring your kids to 00:21:59.869 --> 00:22:03.509 church. Call your friends that have kids and 00:22:03.509 --> 00:22:05.450 say, even if you don't want to go to church, 00:22:05.529 --> 00:22:12.269 I will bring your kids. Because there is something 00:22:12.269 --> 00:22:16.170 about kids seeing a family that is kind to each 00:22:16.170 --> 00:22:21.849 other, that loves each other, that will stick 00:22:21.849 --> 00:22:27.849 with them for the rest of their lives. Amen? 00:22:30.349 --> 00:22:37.450 Amen. Let's pray. Father God, we thank you for 00:22:37.450 --> 00:22:42.319 the mystery that you sent your son. That the 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:48.599 whole world might know that they are loved. I 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:52.660 pray that your spirit talks to the little kid 00:22:52.660 --> 00:22:56.099 inside of each of us today. Reminds the little 00:22:56.099 --> 00:22:59.960 kid in each of us that we're loved. And then 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:03.799 reminds, if we're an adult, reminds the adult 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:08.440 part of us to not get in the way. But to make 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:12.460 the way. To set the path. to drive the car, to 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:17.220 open the door, to stretch your arms wide and 00:23:17.220 --> 00:23:19.839 hug someone because you might be their sanctuary. 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:24.500 In the name of Jesus, amen.