WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.580 I wanted to start off today, we're talking a 00:00:02.580 --> 00:00:06.480 little bit about what it is when our faith is 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.500 giving the thankfulness in our hearts. And, you 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:13.199 know, starting off, whenever thinking of being 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:16.719 thankful, of course I have to think about driving 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.820 in Texas, mostly because of the fact that I've 00:00:19.820 --> 00:00:23.120 actually survived it for 45 years. You know, 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:27.359 driving to places like Austin and San Antonio 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:30.570 and Dallas, you know, you learn a lot about human 00:00:30.570 --> 00:00:34.469 nature. Now, I myself am a perfect driver, so 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:37.289 no worries, but I have heard that there are those 00:00:37.289 --> 00:00:40.329 who struggle with my level of sainthood when 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:44.450 driving. Now, some people, that was a joke, I 00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:46.850 promise, that was a joke. You know, some people, 00:00:46.969 --> 00:00:50.030 we're gonna call them Houston drivers, okay? 00:00:50.390 --> 00:00:54.009 They spend the whole drive wherever they're going, 00:00:54.549 --> 00:00:58.439 mad at every red light, If you did not get off 00:00:58.439 --> 00:01:01.939 your break within half a second, they're already 00:01:01.939 --> 00:01:06.060 honking at you, right? Every construction zone, 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:08.739 they're still going through 10 miles above the 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:11.500 speed limit, right? Every person has forgotten 00:01:11.500 --> 00:01:14.140 to merge. The New Yorkers are like, what in the 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:16.500 world? Houston's crazy. That's saying something. 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:20.260 They're going, but they're getting from point 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:23.810 A to point B. but they are grumbling the entire 00:01:23.810 --> 00:01:28.349 time. And if you have driven on I -10, 71, 45, 00:01:28.670 --> 00:01:31.030 many of these places lately, you know exactly 00:01:31.030 --> 00:01:33.829 what I'm talking about. There are plenty of opportunities 00:01:33.829 --> 00:01:36.609 to offer forgiveness for people that hopefully 00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:39.530 you will never have to meet. But then you've 00:01:39.530 --> 00:01:43.219 also got the diligent drivers. These are the 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:45.799 ones they've got their eyes on the road. You 00:01:45.799 --> 00:01:48.000 know, they've got a good playlist. They've got 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.480 an audiobook going, okay? They are not complaining. 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:54.920 They're just trying to get it done. They're going 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:57.299 to get from point A to point B. It is a task. 00:01:57.540 --> 00:02:01.200 It is not a trip. It is a thing to be done. They're 00:02:01.200 --> 00:02:03.859 going to get there on time, but if you ask them 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:05.439 how the trip was, they're not going to remember 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.599 anything about it. They didn't really care. But 00:02:08.599 --> 00:02:11.259 then there's the Bucky's crowd. All right, let's 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:14.800 be honest, okay? The ones that turned the whole 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:17.900 thing into an adventure, right? As soon as you 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:20.039 are five minutes outside of city limits, where's 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:22.900 the first Buc -ee's? All right, I don't even 00:02:22.900 --> 00:02:24.719 need to go to use the bathroom and I'm still 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:26.919 gonna go use the bathroom just because it's Buc 00:02:26.919 --> 00:02:29.199 -ee's, okay? All right, you're gonna take pictures 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:32.099 at every stop. You're announcing the snack that 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:35.000 you're gonna get. The beaver nuggets are really 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:37.460 good, okay? And maybe a barbecue sandwich. You're 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:39.400 gonna call your friends on the phone, you know? 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:41.939 There's always that one person, you know, you're 00:02:41.939 --> 00:02:43.919 sitting at home and they're calling you and you're 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:46.539 like, what's going on? Oh, I'm on a drive and 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:50.979 you're like, that's great, have fun. But it's 00:02:50.979 --> 00:02:54.180 not just trying to get there, but it's about 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:56.960 enjoying the ride. Finding joy wherever they 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:00.650 can and maybe, maybe even seeing what God is 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:02.949 showing you along the way. How else are you going 00:03:02.949 --> 00:03:05.129 to see the blue bonnets when they're in bloom? 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:08.750 See, it's the same road, the same destination, 00:03:09.289 --> 00:03:12.849 but it's three very different hearts as they 00:03:12.849 --> 00:03:16.090 go along that particular trip. You know, our 00:03:16.090 --> 00:03:19.370 Gospel for today, it's showing us a lot of what's 00:03:19.370 --> 00:03:21.389 happening in our hearts today. We're looking 00:03:21.389 --> 00:03:24.650 at a story of the ten lepers. Where it's easy 00:03:24.650 --> 00:03:27.710 in our minds that we divide up the ten lepers 00:03:27.710 --> 00:03:32.419 into the nine ungrateful ones and the one grateful 00:03:32.419 --> 00:03:35.180 one, right? It's easy to look and see, well, 00:03:35.180 --> 00:03:38.259 that's the one who came back and thanked Jesus. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:41.780 But maybe it's not quite that simple, y 'all. 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.800 Maybe the story is not good guys and bad guys. 00:03:44.900 --> 00:03:48.539 Maybe it's a picture of different stages of faith 00:03:48.539 --> 00:03:51.840 and different ways that God's grace meets us 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:55.240 along the way. But before we talk about the lepers, 00:03:56.259 --> 00:03:59.319 I want us to go back to the Old Testament passage 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.939 we had. I want us to talk a little bit about 00:04:01.939 --> 00:04:04.879 Naomi's story to help us see someone who was 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:08.439 struggling with being grateful at all. Naomi's 00:04:08.439 --> 00:04:11.439 story begins in a time of famine. Everything 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.580 familiar had dried up, so she and her husband, 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:18.399 Elimelech, they left Bethlehem. The place that 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.980 was called the House of Bread didn't have any 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:24.560 bread. They went to go find food in the land 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:28.110 of Moab. And it wasn't because they were rebelling 00:04:28.110 --> 00:04:30.110 against God, they were just trying to go somewhere 00:04:30.110 --> 00:04:33.589 to survive. They did what they thought was best 00:04:33.589 --> 00:04:37.269 for the family. But while they were there, tragedy 00:04:37.269 --> 00:04:41.430 struck. Her husband died and her two sons, well 00:04:41.430 --> 00:04:43.470 they married some of the women that were nearby, 00:04:43.930 --> 00:04:47.569 Moabite women. But after several years, both 00:04:47.569 --> 00:04:51.480 of her sons died too. In a culture where sons 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:54.699 were treated as your security, your future, your 00:04:54.699 --> 00:04:58.180 legacy, Naomi suddenly had none of those things. 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:03.180 And when she finally decided to return to Bethlehem, 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:06.199 she told her daughters -in -law to stay behind. 00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:09.740 I mean, start over where they were. Her sons, 00:05:09.819 --> 00:05:12.040 their husbands, they were no longer there and 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:16.600 they never had any kids. One of them, Orpah, 00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:20.709 She did stay, even after she wanted to go with 00:05:20.709 --> 00:05:24.370 Naomi. And yes, she is the one that Oprah was 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:27.050 named after, but Oprah's grandmother apparently 00:05:27.050 --> 00:05:30.209 misspelled Orpah, so that's why we have the famous 00:05:30.209 --> 00:05:34.449 name that we have today. All right. Spelling 00:05:34.449 --> 00:05:38.949 matters. Spelling matters. You know, but Ruth, 00:05:39.269 --> 00:05:43.149 the other one, she clung to Naomi. Saying those 00:05:43.149 --> 00:05:45.860 famous words, where you go, I will go. Where 00:05:45.860 --> 00:05:49.360 you stay I will say your people will be my people 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:54.639 and your God my God So Naomi comes home not alone, 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:58.980 but also not whole When her old neighbors see 00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:01.160 her they hardly recognize her they're like is 00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:06.060 this Naomi because Naomi means pleasant She replies 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:10.180 don't call me Naomi Call me Maro bitter because 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:14.399 the Lord has turned against me her faith had 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:17.120 gotten her back to Bethlehem, but her heart had 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.660 not caught up yet. She was walking the right 00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:25.160 road, but it was still heavy with loss. And that's 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.540 why her story, it fits so beautifully here, because 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:30.800 she's a picture of someone who's doing the right 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:34.439 thing. It's returning to where God's people are. 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:37.139 But she's still struggling to believe that joy 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:40.879 is possible again. Notice this though, even in 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.300 her bitterness. the grace of God was still waiting 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:47.480 for her. God was already working through Ruth, 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:50.319 through Boaz, through a baby they would have 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:52.920 named Obed, the grandfather of King David, and 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:55.300 eventually through the line of Jesus Himself. 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:00.180 Naomi's road home, it wasn't a waste. Her grief, 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:04.040 it wasn't ignored. God was writing redemption 00:07:04.040 --> 00:07:07.879 into her return long before she could see it 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:11.740 herself. You see, that's grace. The grace of 00:07:11.740 --> 00:07:14.889 God is for the one that's still hurting. The 00:07:14.889 --> 00:07:17.870 grace of God is for the one who's trying to make 00:07:17.870 --> 00:07:20.709 it home, even when they feel like they have nothing. 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:25.990 But even beyond that, now we get to our second 00:07:25.990 --> 00:07:30.209 group. The nine lepers from our gospel who asked 00:07:30.209 --> 00:07:33.850 Jesus to heal them, they received healing, and 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:37.009 then they kept walking home. Y 'all, they are 00:07:37.009 --> 00:07:40.750 not villains in our story, okay? They actually 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:44.250 are examples of obedience. Jesus said, go show 00:07:44.250 --> 00:07:47.129 yourselves to the priests to be declared cleansed, 00:07:47.129 --> 00:07:49.550 and they went. But notice, they hadn't even been 00:07:49.550 --> 00:07:53.490 cleansed yet. They trusted Jesus. They went. 00:07:54.569 --> 00:07:58.329 And Jesus healed them on the way. They obeyed. 00:07:58.329 --> 00:08:00.589 They trusted His word before they even saw the 00:08:00.589 --> 00:08:04.790 results. They were actually an example of faith. 00:08:04.970 --> 00:08:09.540 Truly. When they realized they were healed, I'm 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:12.740 sure they were thankful. They probably laughed, 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:14.939 they cried, they hugged each other. You know, 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:17.019 they ran to the priest as fast as they could, 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:20.980 I'm sure. They wanted to find the people that 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:24.639 they had missed in their life. But something 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.980 was still missing. See, gratitude that never 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:32.159 makes it back to God is not truly heading home 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:37.220 yet. Yet even there, there was grace. Jesus didn't 00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:41.730 take back their healing. He didn't revoke the 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:44.049 blessing just because they didn't come back. 00:08:44.370 --> 00:08:47.990 God's grace was reaching them as well. Grace 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:51.090 to restore them to their families. Grace to bring 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:54.850 them back into their community. But then we come 00:08:54.850 --> 00:08:58.590 to the third example that helps us to see what 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:02.870 might be missing here. The Samaritan, the tenth 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:07.820 leper, the outsider. The one who didn't have 00:09:07.820 --> 00:09:10.840 a priest waiting in Jerusalem, didn't have a 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.159 community among Jesus' people to welcome him 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:17.279 back, didn't have a place with the others to 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:21.539 belong to. We don't actually know for sure that 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:24.320 the other lepers were not Samaritans. We don't 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:26.659 actually know that for sure, but we get that 00:09:26.659 --> 00:09:29.200 impression from the way they describe the tenth 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:34.580 one. Maybe because he was different. Maybe because 00:09:34.580 --> 00:09:38.539 he was separate. Maybe because his life didn't 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.440 fit what was going to fit everyone else's. Maybe 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:45.299 he felt the freedom to do something that the 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:49.120 others didn't. He felt the freedom to go back. 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:54.179 He wasn't just grateful for the gift. He wanted 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:59.139 the giver. He didn't just want the gift. He wanted 00:09:59.139 --> 00:10:02.519 the giver. He wanted connection. He wanted relationship. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:07.600 He wanted to be with Jesus. Even without belonging 00:10:07.600 --> 00:10:11.500 to that same community. You see, here is something 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:16.759 to know. By Jesus' time, the divide between the 00:10:16.759 --> 00:10:19.720 Jews and the Samaritans, it ran centuries deep. 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:22.679 Centuries earlier, the Assyrians, they had conquered 00:10:22.679 --> 00:10:25.860 the northern kingdom of Israel. They resettled. 00:10:25.929 --> 00:10:29.549 Assyrian foreigners to live there. And so over 00:10:29.549 --> 00:10:31.429 time, people married each other and developed 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.929 their own version of faith centered on Mount 00:10:34.929 --> 00:10:38.149 Gerizan. The Jews, they had their centered on 00:10:38.149 --> 00:10:43.730 Jerusalem, Mount Zion. But the Samaritans, no 00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:46.850 longer worshipping in Jerusalem, began to focus 00:10:46.850 --> 00:10:49.690 on a different mountain. The mountain where they 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:53.110 believed that Moses had been given the Torah. 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.960 They believed in only the first five books of 00:10:56.960 --> 00:11:00.399 Moses, their own version of the Torah. They rejected 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.799 all the rest of what we would call the Old Testament 00:11:02.799 --> 00:11:07.679 because they saw it as Jewish attempts to make 00:11:07.679 --> 00:11:09.899 themselves out to be better than the Samaritans. 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.440 See, the Jews saw the Samaritans as heretics. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:18.340 The Samaritans saw themselves as the true people 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:24.470 of Moses, not the people of David. And that's 00:11:24.470 --> 00:11:27.129 what makes Jesus' choice of Samaritans in His 00:11:27.129 --> 00:11:30.429 stories so radical. The Good Samaritan and the 00:11:30.429 --> 00:11:32.809 Grateful Leper, they both show us that God's 00:11:32.809 --> 00:11:35.070 grace, it's not about the borders that we've 00:11:35.070 --> 00:11:38.090 drawn between ourselves, even where people may 00:11:38.090 --> 00:11:41.470 be labeled as villainous, even though they see 00:11:41.470 --> 00:11:46.250 themselves as the heroes of the story. So when 00:11:46.250 --> 00:11:48.710 this Samaritan turns back to thank Jesus, it's 00:11:48.710 --> 00:11:52.899 not just polite, it's revolutionary. He's crossing 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:55.919 lines that divide people and Jesus meets him 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:59.679 there. See, faith is not just about moving forward. 00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:02.840 It's about looking for the one when you realize 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:06.519 who made the journey possible. And there's grace 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:10.419 here for the outsider. Grace that meets him in 00:12:10.419 --> 00:12:12.779 person. Grace that not only heals his body, but 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:17.159 restores his soul. The same Savior who sent the 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:22.169 others to the priests, He has now become His 00:12:22.169 --> 00:12:25.769 priest, declaring Him whole inside and out. And 00:12:25.769 --> 00:12:29.029 that's what real gratitude looks like. It's not 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:31.129 just saying thank you for what God has done, 00:12:31.649 --> 00:12:35.409 but wanting to stay close, to walk with Him, 00:12:35.789 --> 00:12:38.470 to know Him more. So when we look at the three 00:12:38.470 --> 00:12:40.870 groups, we see Naomi, we see the Nine, and we 00:12:40.870 --> 00:12:44.789 see the Samaritan. We don't see worthy and unworthy. 00:12:45.690 --> 00:12:48.950 We see three ways that grace is reaching us. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:53.139 Grace that meets us when we're bitter and barely 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:56.899 hanging on. Grace that meets us when we're obedient 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:00.580 but still somehow distracted. Grace that invites 00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:04.120 us to go deeper, to come back, to worship, to 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:06.360 walk in relationship because no matter where 00:13:06.360 --> 00:13:08.919 you may be on that road, and let's be honest, 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:14.159 we've taken turns at every stage, rumbling, grateful, 00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:17.919 or joyful. God's grace has already gone before 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:21.399 you. We can all find ourselves in those places, 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:25.240 walking faithfully but bitter, walking obediently 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:28.139 but distracted, or turning in love to the One 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:31.519 who gave us life. See, Naomi was not wrong to 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:34.299 go home. She was doing the right thing. She had 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:37.879 a heavy heart while she did it. And the nine 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:40.379 lepers, they weren't wrong either. They listened 00:13:40.379 --> 00:13:43.080 to Jesus. They believed His Word to go before 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:45.039 they even saw the healing. And that's faith. 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:49.429 But when the miracle came, They just kept walking. 00:13:50.590 --> 00:13:54.529 Grateful but unchanged. And then there's the 00:13:54.529 --> 00:13:57.190 Samaritan. He didn't fit in with the others. 00:13:57.529 --> 00:13:59.809 Maybe going to the priest wasn't even an option 00:13:59.809 --> 00:14:04.090 for him. But what he did have was joy. And that 00:14:04.090 --> 00:14:07.429 joy pulled him back to Jesus. Gratitude drew 00:14:07.429 --> 00:14:09.690 him into relationship. He didn't just want the 00:14:09.690 --> 00:14:14.110 healing. He wanted Him. That's where obedience 00:14:14.110 --> 00:14:16.769 becomes relationship. That's where faith becomes 00:14:16.769 --> 00:14:20.629 worship And that's when we look to the one example 00:14:20.629 --> 00:14:25.110 that truly helps us understand Jesus the church 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:29.769 potluck Isn't it though isn't there something 00:14:29.769 --> 00:14:32.149 that we can all understand the church potluck 00:14:32.149 --> 00:14:35.129 I'm saying okay, but let's think about this for 00:14:35.129 --> 00:14:38.559 a moment all right We get an announcement All 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.539 right, there's going to be a meal for everyone 00:14:40.539 --> 00:14:42.379 and all of you are supposed to bring something 00:14:42.379 --> 00:14:45.039 right and how many times it's like, you know, 00:14:45.039 --> 00:14:47.340 you're gonna you're gonna bring a dish but you're 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:50.220 like you're feeling guilty okay you don't really 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:52.360 want to do it but you know you need to do it 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:55.059 because if you're going to eat one person's fried 00:14:55.059 --> 00:14:57.019 chicken then you better have something that you 00:14:57.019 --> 00:14:59.220 brought yourself you know those times where it's 00:14:59.220 --> 00:15:01.480 like you know i wish they would have told us 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:04.419 sooner or man why'd they have to do it the same 00:15:04.419 --> 00:15:07.159 weekend as the kids games and everything and 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.679 you know you're you go over and you're probably 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:12.179 going to go to Kroger and get one of those ready 00:15:12.179 --> 00:15:14.639 -made trays and everything like that the fruit 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:17.370 tray maybe the veggie tray which i think I think 00:15:17.370 --> 00:15:20.090 some of that is made out of wax. I've never done 00:15:20.090 --> 00:15:23.049 that. I'm sure none of you know the feeling. 00:15:23.990 --> 00:15:27.289 But then there are the ones where they bring 00:15:27.289 --> 00:15:32.009 a dish and they enjoy helping. They love the 00:15:32.009 --> 00:15:35.769 church. They love serving. They even clean up 00:15:35.769 --> 00:15:39.029 with a smile. Aren't those weird people? Oh my 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:41.450 word, what kind of crazy people are those? We 00:15:41.450 --> 00:15:43.509 do have plenty of those crazy people though. 00:15:43.830 --> 00:15:46.149 We have them. We see that the event is a good 00:15:46.149 --> 00:15:48.360 event. and they're going to do what is needed 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:52.279 because it's important. But you can see how many 00:15:52.279 --> 00:15:56.059 times people don't really want to go beyond bringing 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:59.700 the food. They want to drop it off. They forget 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:02.299 that the whole point of the event is to be there, 00:16:02.779 --> 00:16:05.539 to connect with people, to share time together, 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:08.399 to show the love of Christ in what they say and 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.279 do. They don't go any further. They just don't 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.659 have it in them at that time. But then there's 00:16:14.659 --> 00:16:18.750 that third kind, those buckies people again. 00:16:19.950 --> 00:16:22.610 The ones who bring the food, and they use it 00:16:22.610 --> 00:16:26.210 as a bridge. They sit with someone new. They 00:16:26.210 --> 00:16:28.590 learn their story. Maybe they invite them to 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:31.629 something later in the week. They're not just 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:33.649 feeding people, they're building relationships 00:16:33.649 --> 00:16:36.750 with them. Because they've found the joy of being 00:16:36.750 --> 00:16:39.590 part of what God is doing together. And because 00:16:39.590 --> 00:16:46.220 of this, they do more because they can. And that's 00:16:46.220 --> 00:16:50.539 often what we risk seeing in the church. There 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:53.860 are times when people are frustrated at the work 00:16:53.860 --> 00:16:56.620 to be done and there's plenty of work to be done. 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:00.240 Anytime things are not convenient or someone 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:04.460 asks for a change or a revision and someone may 00:17:04.460 --> 00:17:08.519 be upset or bitter, maybe treat people and opportunities 00:17:08.519 --> 00:17:12.789 for growth as just a nuisance. Or more than that, 00:17:12.829 --> 00:17:15.250 maybe they take on the task that might be difficult 00:17:15.250 --> 00:17:19.329 and they then think later, I'm never doing that 00:17:19.329 --> 00:17:23.109 again. And then find out how many people are 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:25.589 afraid to volunteer for something going forward. 00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:29.769 But then you might see the people who do the 00:17:29.769 --> 00:17:31.950 work that is needed and they are tackling the 00:17:31.950 --> 00:17:36.390 task with gusto, with fervor. They take on positions, 00:17:36.490 --> 00:17:38.730 they take on tasks, they make the list, they 00:17:38.730 --> 00:17:43.240 check them twice. Many of us naughty, not sure 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.920 how many are nice. But then you find that those 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.359 people are no longer wanting to be in Bible study. 00:17:50.380 --> 00:17:53.799 They seem distracted during worship. The servant 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.660 heart is struggling against being cold and hard. 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:01.059 They got the work of the church done, sure, but 00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:05.759 where is the relationship with Christ? But then 00:18:05.759 --> 00:18:08.720 you meet some people. And I'm going to have to 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:12.069 give a shout out. We've got a new admin bookkeeper, 00:18:12.309 --> 00:18:16.509 okay? Her name's Shelly. And I am stunned at 00:18:16.509 --> 00:18:18.549 the number of times that she doesn't just do 00:18:18.549 --> 00:18:21.630 the things that are required, okay? Going above, 00:18:21.730 --> 00:18:24.230 going beyond, caring about people, not just the 00:18:24.230 --> 00:18:28.269 tasks. I was asking for some help to do something 00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:30.670 on the bulletins, and then I found out she was 00:18:30.670 --> 00:18:33.029 already doing it, and doing it even better than 00:18:33.029 --> 00:18:36.109 I was gonna be doing it. And I'm like, ah, nobody 00:18:36.109 --> 00:18:42.650 even asked. I know. Thank you. But not being 00:18:42.650 --> 00:18:45.470 upset about it, then went back and turned on 00:18:45.470 --> 00:18:47.789 one of her playlists again. She's got gospel 00:18:47.789 --> 00:18:50.829 playlists, country playlists, and 80s music playlists. 00:18:51.029 --> 00:18:53.490 I prefer when she plays the 80s music playlists. 00:18:53.670 --> 00:18:55.470 Hey, you got to sing with Journey sometimes, 00:18:55.630 --> 00:18:58.950 right? I'm just saying. But to go back to singing 00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:02.170 after going above and beyond, see, that's what 00:19:02.170 --> 00:19:05.410 ministry looks like when we turn it into calling 00:19:05.410 --> 00:19:09.920 instead of just checklist. See, today, we get 00:19:09.920 --> 00:19:12.200 to welcome several new members into our church 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:15.099 family. For some reason, they like hanging out 00:19:15.099 --> 00:19:18.500 with us crazy people. But that's something that 00:19:18.500 --> 00:19:22.299 we celebrate. Every person who joins is not just 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:25.420 another name on a list. It's another story. It's 00:19:25.420 --> 00:19:29.220 another life that God is weaving into ours. But 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:32.480 it gives us a moment that we pause and ask, what 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:36.579 kind of people are we going to be? Are we going 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:40.779 to be like Naomi? We're faithful, but the bitterness 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:45.059 is hard to let go of. Are we going to be the 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:47.980 nine? We are thankful, but we're so distracted 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:50.880 with what there is to be done that we're missing 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:56.500 something. Or are we the tenth? Grateful, joyful, 00:19:57.259 --> 00:19:59.400 and drawn into a relationship with the one who 00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:02.339 has healed us. Because gratitude? is what builds 00:20:02.339 --> 00:20:05.299 relationships. Gratitude is what keeps the church 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:08.819 alive. Gratitude turns ministry from a list of 00:20:08.819 --> 00:20:12.400 tasks that we have to do into a movement of joy. 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.359 As we welcome our brothers and sisters today, 00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:20.339 it's our chance to be that kind of church. One 00:20:20.339 --> 00:20:22.440 that doesn't just show up, but shows gratitude. 00:20:22.579 --> 00:20:26.099 One that doesn't just do what's expected, but 00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:29.759 goes the extra mile. to love, to connect, to 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:33.980 draw others closer to Jesus. Maybe it means that 00:20:33.980 --> 00:20:37.460 you join a ministry team. Maybe help to run the 00:20:37.460 --> 00:20:39.940 AV equipment. Help us try to figure out why that 00:20:39.940 --> 00:20:41.880 symbol keeps showing up on the screen today. 00:20:44.680 --> 00:20:48.440 Did it happen before today, everybody? Maybe 00:20:48.440 --> 00:20:51.960 it means we sit with somebody new at lunch. Maybe 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:54.900 we write a note of thanks to someone who's blessed 00:20:54.900 --> 00:20:57.839 us. Or we just pause to thank God for how far 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:00.500 He's been bringing us. But whatever it looks 00:21:00.500 --> 00:21:03.660 like, the call is the same. Don't just walk the 00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:07.880 road. Turn to the one who gave it to you. Let 00:21:07.880 --> 00:21:10.779 that relationship change you. Because that's 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:13.500 where joy is found. That's where relationship 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:16.619 grows. That's where gratitude is connected to 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:19.960 grace. Because that's where it truly comes from. 00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:23.480 So may the God who met Naomi and her bitterness 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:27.619 who healed the ten and welcomed the one who returned, 00:21:28.279 --> 00:21:31.819 meet you on your journey this week. May He give 00:21:31.819 --> 00:21:35.599 you eyes to see His mercy, a heart that turns 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:39.759 back in gratitude, and joy that flows into every 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:44.779 road that you travel. In the name of Jesus, Amen.