WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:05.750 Have you ever been invited to something? That 00:00:05.750 --> 00:00:08.570 you didn't feel worthy of that you didn't think 00:00:08.570 --> 00:00:11.929 that you quite fit in maybe as a dinner party 00:00:11.929 --> 00:00:16.550 a banquet or or a wedding You walk in and you 00:00:16.550 --> 00:00:19.269 wonder if the invitation was really meant for 00:00:19.269 --> 00:00:23.649 somebody else maybe it was a black tie event 00:00:23.649 --> 00:00:27.589 and you're dressed with your T -shirt and your 00:00:27.589 --> 00:00:29.870 jeans for the backyard barbecue. You thought 00:00:29.870 --> 00:00:34.109 it was going to be maybe the times whenever you're 00:00:34.109 --> 00:00:36.289 talking with people and you hear them discussing 00:00:36.289 --> 00:00:39.229 stocks and bonds and You're just talking about 00:00:39.229 --> 00:00:41.710 the four -game losing streak that the Astros 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:45.429 just had Or even the times whenever you're trying 00:00:45.429 --> 00:00:47.570 to walk in and you're just wondering whether 00:00:47.570 --> 00:00:51.509 or not anybody in there even wants you there, 00:00:51.509 --> 00:00:55.890 but the truth is Even when you walk up and you're 00:00:55.890 --> 00:01:00.289 wondering did I just double dip without meaning 00:01:00.289 --> 00:01:03.219 to right in front of the host, which by the way 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.719 is almost the unforgivable sin in my opinion. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:10.180 The truth is that you weren't meant to earn your 00:01:10.180 --> 00:01:12.760 place on that guest list. It wasn't a question 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.620 of whether you were impressive enough. It was 00:01:15.620 --> 00:01:19.560 just that the host wanted you there. And that's 00:01:19.560 --> 00:01:21.819 why you were invited. See, that's the Gospel. 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:26.239 That's grace. It's the start of the mystery of 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:29.719 who Christ is. the sort of tone that Paul is 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:33.939 striking in our Colossians reading. He's writing 00:01:33.939 --> 00:01:36.379 to a group of Christians that are trying to figure 00:01:36.379 --> 00:01:39.459 out what it even means to follow Jesus in the 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:44.000 first place. Is it about making sure that you're 00:01:44.000 --> 00:01:46.480 wise and learning some new type of knowledge 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:50.219 that not everybody has? Is it about looking more 00:01:50.219 --> 00:01:52.379 spiritual than the people that are around you? 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:55.219 It's so easy to get caught into one of these 00:01:55.219 --> 00:01:59.400 traps, right? See, they haven't just stumbled 00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:02.819 into it though. They've been brought into something 00:02:02.819 --> 00:02:08.180 that is good, mysterious, eternal, but something 00:02:08.180 --> 00:02:13.560 costly, even as it's also joyful. The mystery 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:17.479 of Christ in the midst of this party. So what 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:21.599 does this invitation look like once we're inside? 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:25.340 Let's look at someone who's at the party then. 00:02:25.580 --> 00:02:29.039 someone in the middle of the action, someone 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:33.719 named Martha. Let's be honest, Martha always 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:36.860 gets a bad rap. Isn't that the truth, right? 00:02:37.419 --> 00:02:40.319 Oh man, oh, are you being a Martha? Blah, blah, 00:02:40.460 --> 00:02:46.159 blah, blah, blah. Really? Come on. Martha was 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.699 a dedicated disciple, y 'all. She was someone, 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.180 she and her sister and her brother, they were 00:02:52.180 --> 00:02:54.800 following Jesus wholeheartedly. And in fact, 00:02:55.050 --> 00:02:59.469 John 11, when Lazarus dies, it's Martha, it's 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:03.229 not Mary, it's Martha who runs to meet Jesus 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:06.530 and makes one of the most stunning declarations 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:11.229 of faith in all the Gospels. Yes, Lord, I believe 00:03:11.229 --> 00:03:14.449 you are the Messiah, the Son of God, and she's 00:03:14.449 --> 00:03:17.310 the one who believes that there will be a resurrection. 00:03:17.569 --> 00:03:20.090 She just doesn't realize it's about to happen 00:03:20.090 --> 00:03:23.449 right there with her brother, but she believes. 00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:28.110 And when in John 12, Lazarus, he's made alive 00:03:28.110 --> 00:03:31.009 again, and Jesus is sitting at the table, guess 00:03:31.009 --> 00:03:35.449 what Martha's up to? Martha is serving everybody. 00:03:36.469 --> 00:03:40.789 Martha shows up. Martha opens her home. She's 00:03:40.789 --> 00:03:43.210 the one that tends to the people that are gathered 00:03:43.210 --> 00:03:46.710 around Jesus. I mean, Martha's the one who gets 00:03:46.710 --> 00:03:50.389 things done, and typically she's just doing it 00:03:50.389 --> 00:03:52.949 because she cares. She serves the meal, she sets 00:03:52.949 --> 00:03:57.979 the table. And we even see her work so hard that 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:01.900 she gets overwhelmed. And there was her sister 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:07.319 looking like she's doing nothing. Jesus, could 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:12.699 you just get her to do something? She's worried 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:15.199 and distracted by many things. You know that 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:20.000 moment. You've been doing well 99 .9 % of the 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:21.899 time and you just have that one part when it 00:04:21.899 --> 00:04:25.870 just comes out. and it was just a little too 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:28.269 much. Sorry, that's just me. None of you have 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:32.490 ever done that before, I'm sure. The emotions 00:04:32.490 --> 00:04:35.370 are just too strong, and one of the disciples 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:38.430 just happened to be writing it down for the next 00:04:38.430 --> 00:04:42.290 2 ,000 years of people to know about. I'm really 00:04:42.290 --> 00:04:46.189 glad nobody records all of my stuff. But Jesus 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:49.870 says that Mary has chosen the better part, that 00:04:49.870 --> 00:04:52.990 being with Him matters more than performing. 00:04:53.240 --> 00:04:58.899 for him. Martha is us. How often do we get so 00:04:58.899 --> 00:05:02.259 caught up in doing more or trying harder to make 00:05:02.259 --> 00:05:04.899 everything better because we somehow think it's 00:05:04.899 --> 00:05:08.120 more about our efforts than it is about Christ 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:10.160 and the relationships that we're meant to celebrate. 00:05:10.939 --> 00:05:13.759 We want the appetizer spread to be better so 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:15.920 we leave everybody and get in the kitchen and 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:19.620 start cooking again. We want to see games being 00:05:19.620 --> 00:05:21.759 played, so we interrupt everyone's conversation 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.519 to make sure that a game of Settlers of Catan 00:05:24.519 --> 00:05:28.720 gets started up. I've never done that. Sure. 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:33.500 Martha is all of us who are trying to be faithful 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:36.800 in the details while wrestling with the tension 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:42.579 between doing more, being more. Sometimes miss 00:05:42.579 --> 00:05:44.740 the moment because we're working so hard to make 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:49.230 it happen. But Jesus... doesn't dismiss Martha. 00:05:49.389 --> 00:05:51.689 We need to realize that's not what's happening 00:05:51.689 --> 00:05:56.129 here. He loves her. And Paul says that in Christ, 00:05:56.350 --> 00:05:59.550 even people like us, the worried people, the 00:05:59.550 --> 00:06:03.290 distracted people, the imperfect people, are 00:06:03.290 --> 00:06:07.350 holy in His sight without blemish and free from 00:06:07.350 --> 00:06:10.750 accusation. You see, the party of faith, this 00:06:10.750 --> 00:06:13.529 life of faith, it's different from other things. 00:06:13.980 --> 00:06:17.540 Not every moment in the party is frivolous or 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:22.399 easy. Sometimes the music fades and we find ourselves 00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:26.480 face to face with conflict, with struggle, or 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:28.680 sometimes the pain that we were hoping that the 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:34.199 music would just play over. But you see, suffering 00:06:34.199 --> 00:06:38.100 is sometimes a part of the party. See, Paul says 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:41.720 that he rejoices in what he is suffering for 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.589 them. for the Colossians and that he fills up 00:06:44.589 --> 00:06:47.550 in his flesh what is still lacking in regard 00:06:47.550 --> 00:06:51.649 to Christ's afflictions. What a strange thing 00:06:51.649 --> 00:06:55.730 to say that Paul is somehow filling what is lacking 00:06:55.730 --> 00:07:00.149 in Christ's afflictions. But it's meant in a 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:03.930 very profound way, even as Christians suffer 00:07:03.930 --> 00:07:08.629 in so many ways. See, suffering, it's not an 00:07:08.629 --> 00:07:11.550 interruption to the Christian life. When you're 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:15.660 suffering, This is not somehow causing a gap 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:19.120 in your Christian existence. It's part of the 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.579 pattern that Jesus modeled for us. It's not because 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:27.839 God somehow delights in our pain, but because 00:07:27.839 --> 00:07:33.379 we follow a Savior who suffered in love and we're 00:07:33.379 --> 00:07:40.459 being made like Him. The way of life includes 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:43.519 the suffering. And in many ways, the suffering 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:46.879 makes it more real. See, as we listen to Paul, 00:07:47.160 --> 00:07:50.240 there are three types of struggle that we can 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.600 really hear that resonate in us. One of them 00:07:54.600 --> 00:07:58.779 is when the world pushes back on us. The times 00:07:58.779 --> 00:08:02.800 whenever we feel that the world is out to get 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:06.160 us. This is the one that we often focus on. Whenever 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.699 we're hearing about Paul speaking about suffering, 00:08:10.009 --> 00:08:12.750 Oftentimes Christians will talk about this idea 00:08:12.750 --> 00:08:16.550 that living out our faith in a culture that doesn't 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:19.709 always understand it can lead to resistance, 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:23.730 rejection, even ridicule. And it happens. It 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:27.750 does. Sometimes, sometimes the world pushes back 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:30.949 simply because you showed up to the party. You 00:08:30.949 --> 00:08:33.629 brought your faith to work, to school, to public 00:08:33.629 --> 00:08:37.070 life, and someone told you it doesn't belong 00:08:37.070 --> 00:08:41.820 here. You don't belong here. That kind of suffering 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:44.399 can feel like being the only one at a costume 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:49.460 party who actually wore a costume. Been there, 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.279 done that. It was still a good costume though. 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:57.399 You see, you stand out, but it's not in a comfortable 00:08:57.399 --> 00:09:01.519 way. This is the one that we often see in the 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:04.559 world as Christians, whether it's true or not. 00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:07.980 But you see, there's a second type of struggle, 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:11.129 a second type of suffering. It's when the world 00:09:11.129 --> 00:09:14.250 weighs heavy. It's not that the world is always 00:09:14.250 --> 00:09:17.669 pushing at us Sometimes the world is just heavy 00:09:17.669 --> 00:09:21.289 just because it is Sometimes we struggle in the 00:09:21.289 --> 00:09:24.450 world just because we exist, you know being God's 00:09:24.450 --> 00:09:28.470 children Even with no one and nothing pushing 00:09:28.470 --> 00:09:32.110 us at all We see injustice. We see brokenness 00:09:32.110 --> 00:09:37.440 and war poverty racism our hearts ache To love 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:43.320 like Christ means to hurt like Christ. There 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:46.139 are times when it's not about persecution. No 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:49.440 one's persecuting us. But the pressure is still 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:54.740 there. Life itself is just heavy. Grief, illness, 00:09:55.059 --> 00:09:58.059 exhaustion, anxiety. These are things that weigh 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:01.690 us down even when no one is targeting us. Being 00:10:01.690 --> 00:10:03.970 at the party doesn't always mean that the music 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:08.070 is too loud because they want to annoy you Sometimes 00:10:08.070 --> 00:10:10.590 you just need to sit quietly and try to hold 00:10:10.590 --> 00:10:12.669 it together because frankly you've just had a 00:10:12.669 --> 00:10:18.870 long week And no one can read your mind But third 00:10:18.870 --> 00:10:24.309 sometimes my soul just weighs heavy sometimes 00:10:24.590 --> 00:10:26.889 The hardest struggles are what's happening in 00:10:26.889 --> 00:10:30.210 the inside. The doubt, the depression, the anxiety, 00:10:30.409 --> 00:10:34.230 the loneliness, the anger, even the feeling of 00:10:34.230 --> 00:10:36.649 failure when we realize that maybe we missed 00:10:36.649 --> 00:10:40.409 the point today, and maybe we even missed Christ 00:10:40.409 --> 00:10:47.909 right there. But even then, Christ is with us. 00:10:48.850 --> 00:10:52.460 See, this is the internal struggle. When you 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:55.240 realize the real burden, it's not just outside, 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:58.620 it's also in you. The times when you want control, 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:01.200 the times when you want to be right, the times 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:04.100 when you want to be the host for what you think 00:11:04.100 --> 00:11:07.580 God is going to do in the world and in your life. 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:12.100 But the Spirit keeps pulling you back and reminding 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:15.639 you that this party isn't about you and your 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:21.000 power. It's about surrender. It's the maturity. 00:11:21.230 --> 00:11:24.470 where we're seeking in Christ that involves allowing 00:11:24.470 --> 00:11:29.889 ourselves to break in a holy and refining way, 00:11:30.450 --> 00:11:35.250 because it is actually a good thing, not self 00:11:35.250 --> 00:11:38.690 -destruction, but self -surrender, to let the 00:11:38.690 --> 00:11:42.769 brokenness happen inside, because God is speaking 00:11:42.769 --> 00:11:46.090 something new into your life. See, Paul isn't 00:11:46.090 --> 00:11:48.610 glorifying suffering for its own sake. It's always 00:11:48.610 --> 00:11:50.970 weird when we hear these parts from Paul, right? 00:11:51.590 --> 00:11:54.610 You're like, man, Paul, you are not quite the 00:11:54.610 --> 00:11:56.350 upbeat person we needed at this party. You're 00:11:56.350 --> 00:11:59.990 kind of a downer, buddy. But you see, he's reframing 00:11:59.990 --> 00:12:03.129 the suffering as something that can refine us 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:05.990 or be used as God's purposes. He's saying that 00:12:05.990 --> 00:12:10.090 the party that we've been invited to, it's not 00:12:10.090 --> 00:12:14.820 about shining. It's about growing. And growth 00:12:14.820 --> 00:12:18.759 often comes through the struggle. And yet, even 00:12:18.759 --> 00:12:21.659 in the struggling, the suffering, something deeper 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:26.340 is happening. Something mysterious. And now we 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:29.019 begin to see who's really hosting this gathering. 00:12:29.879 --> 00:12:33.980 Because the mystery of Christ in us, everything 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:38.799 in the party gets flipped. See, this is where 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:41.919 we truly see what God is doing. See, we thought 00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:44.460 we were the ones throwing a party for Jesus. 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:49.240 Man, I'm really glad I set my life aside for 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.039 God and for Jesus to really speak. I'm glad I 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.940 have this ready for Him. We built the space. 00:12:56.019 --> 00:12:59.460 We sent the invites. We set the table. But the 00:12:59.460 --> 00:13:04.299 mystery is, He's still the host. He always has 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:07.820 been. He always will be. He always should be. 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:12.419 Christ in you. The hope of glory. That's the 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:16.139 mystery. That this whole thing isn't about us 00:13:16.139 --> 00:13:20.019 inviting Him into our lives. It's about Him inviting 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:24.519 us into His. Into His life. Into His suffering. 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:30.340 His joy. His resurrection. See, everything you 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:34.120 thought you brought to the table, He already 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:37.039 prepared it. I've been the guy who had to go 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.240 to the party with the Kroger bought potato salad, 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:42.019 alright? I know what it's like when you realize 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:44.980 you don't have it. You had someone else make 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:48.279 it for you. Or every story that you thought you 00:13:48.279 --> 00:13:50.879 owned and you realize that God's been writing 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:53.559 it. Yeah, I've been at the party before where 00:13:53.559 --> 00:13:55.419 I was telling the story and then realized everybody 00:13:55.419 --> 00:13:58.639 around me knew it better than I did. But you 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:01.259 see the real celebration, it's not about what 00:14:01.259 --> 00:14:04.779 you've done for Him. It's what He has done for 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:10.070 you. See this section it opens not just the identity 00:14:10.070 --> 00:14:15.549 of Jesus, but the scale of what He's doing. He's 00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:18.629 not just a teacher, a miracle worker, or some 00:14:18.629 --> 00:14:21.370 abstract idea of salvation that anybody and everybody 00:14:21.370 --> 00:14:25.110 is okay with. He's the living presence of God 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:29.950 who has taken you into Himself. And that's what 00:14:29.950 --> 00:14:35.370 Mary knew. See, Mary, she wasn't just contemplative. 00:14:37.040 --> 00:14:42.000 She received the mystery revealed. She received 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:47.659 Christ Himself. You see, the Gospel is not some 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:52.659 spiritual idea or a motivational framework that 00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:55.379 you can internalize with a self -help audio book 00:14:55.379 --> 00:14:57.539 in the few minutes that you have with Christ 00:14:57.539 --> 00:15:00.340 before your Cheerios, which frankly should be 00:15:00.340 --> 00:15:04.879 honey nut. But rather, the Gospel is Christ in 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:08.419 you. the hope of glory in the midst of suffering 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:12.639 each and every day each and every hour of the 00:15:12.639 --> 00:15:16.539 day we don't grow by fixing our mindset or out 00:15:16.539 --> 00:15:20.460 thinking our anxiety somehow we grow by receiving 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:25.980 Christ in our mess and in our struggles Mary 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:28.320 received this mystery not because she figured 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:31.960 it out like some Zen master but because she sat 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:35.950 and let Jesus reveal it Mary didn't do anything. 00:15:36.809 --> 00:15:39.509 That's the whole point. That's why Martha was 00:15:39.509 --> 00:15:43.070 so upset. But you see, Paul calls it a mystery 00:15:43.070 --> 00:15:45.769 that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, 00:15:46.549 --> 00:15:49.789 but is now disclosed to the Lord's people, which 00:15:49.789 --> 00:15:54.129 is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And that's 00:15:54.129 --> 00:15:57.509 the center of the party. Not your derves, not 00:15:57.509 --> 00:16:01.090 the games. That's the thing that changes everything. 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:03.919 Not that we've shown up to do something good, 00:16:03.960 --> 00:16:08.360 but that someone great has shown up in us. Someone 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:13.360 who brings a struggle because of what he's doing 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:17.980 in our lives. The mystery isn't that we found 00:16:17.980 --> 00:16:20.539 Christ, it's that Christ found us. It's that 00:16:20.539 --> 00:16:25.220 Christ is throwing the party. And the guest list 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:30.779 includes us. That's the mystery. Not because 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:33.519 of our resume, but because of his grace. We're 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:36.279 there at the watch party for the championship 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:40.460 game Realizing that we get to cheer on for our 00:16:40.460 --> 00:16:43.399 team even though we're doing nothing We have 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:46.679 the jersey on The ring is going to belong to 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:50.679 us The victory is ours, but we didn't earn it 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:54.480 Because the one who did has made room for us 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:58.840 So now at the end of the night what's left a 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:02.379 bunch of take -home leftovers, and maybe that 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:06.160 one song that got stuck in your head. What do 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:09.180 we carry out with us after everything we've experienced 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:13.779 in this party of God's grace? See, that's the 00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:18.180 thing is that maturity happens as we grow in 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:22.920 Christ. Paul says he is the one we proclaim admonishing 00:17:22.920 --> 00:17:26.079 and teaching everyone with all wisdom so that 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:28.980 we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 00:17:29.319 --> 00:17:33.279 To this end, I strenuously contend with all the 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:38.400 energy Christ so powerfully works in me. What 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:41.279 is the maturity that we're looking for? It's 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:44.519 not having all the answers. It's not conquering 00:17:44.519 --> 00:17:47.460 every emotion or distraction that ever grabs 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:51.839 us. It's knowing who the host is. It's being 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:53.759 able to sit down at the table without thinking 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:57.390 you have to earn the spot. It's not earning the 00:17:57.390 --> 00:17:59.529 spot to be at the table, but by being at the 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:05.190 table, we are changed forever. And frankly, maturity 00:18:05.190 --> 00:18:09.150 doesn't mean perfection. This isn't trying to 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:11.369 figure out which of you here in this place has 00:18:11.369 --> 00:18:15.569 somehow attained the right level. It means becoming 00:18:15.569 --> 00:18:18.789 who you were meant to be. It means knowing where 00:18:18.789 --> 00:18:21.730 your home is. It means living with gratitude 00:18:21.730 --> 00:18:26.059 and courage and trust. Not just because you've 00:18:26.059 --> 00:18:29.299 been to the party, but because you now know the 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:35.039 host. Maturity is gratitude. Maturity is humility. 00:18:36.119 --> 00:18:38.619 Maturity is confidence that grows not because 00:18:38.619 --> 00:18:42.059 you figured it all out, but because you stayed 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:45.839 and accepted the mystery of Christ. Because you 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:47.839 learned how to dance even when the music didn't 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:51.119 make sense. Because you kept coming back to the 00:18:51.119 --> 00:18:54.779 table because the food is delicious. The invitation 00:18:54.779 --> 00:18:58.839 is still open. The doors are still wide. The 00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:02.460 mystery still holds Christ in you, Christ in 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:06.740 me. The hope of glory is not your deviled eggs. 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:12.099 The hope of glory is the mystery of Christ. And 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:15.759 that you didn't throw this party. But you, by 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:19.259 the grace of God, are in the middle of it. And 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:24.859 the host is so glad that you're here. Thanks 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:25.299 be to God.