WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.620 Please be seated. 00:00:11.419 --> 00:00:21.039 Did you know that in America, we spend more money on fashion accessories every year than 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:22.260 we do college tuition? 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:24.519 It's an interesting fact. 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:31.219 Did you know that in America, 40% of our food goes to waste? 00:00:31.960 --> 00:00:32.820 40%. 00:00:32.820 --> 00:00:40.679 That we waste more food than all of sub-Saharan Africa produces in a year. 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:49.299 Did you know that in America, the average U.S. household carries around $16,000 of credit 00:00:49.299 --> 00:00:49.840 card debt? 00:00:50.879 --> 00:00:54.280 Average American household, $16,000 in credit card debt. 00:00:54.520 --> 00:01:02.200 Did you know that most American households have more TVs, functioning TVs, than people 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:03.140 living in them? 00:01:03.980 --> 00:01:05.439 Interesting facts, right? 00:01:06.320 --> 00:01:10.740 It's no secret that we live in a pretty consumerist culture. 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:17.700 And yet what's interesting is that research consistently shows that all of that spending 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:24.600 doesn't actually make us happier, that it actually makes us more anxious and more depressed. 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:33.640 So a way of thinking about it is to say that consumerism is all about spending money we don't 00:01:33.640 --> 00:01:39.100 have to buy things we don't need to find happiness that's really not for sale. 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:42.519 And yet this is the culture that we live in. 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:47.859 Now why am I talking about this this morning? 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:53.780 Well it's because we've been doing a series that we started last week called Stewardship 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:55.319 as Counterculture. 00:01:56.259 --> 00:01:58.459 Stewardship as Counterculture. 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:05.039 And we're looking at this idea that we see running all through Scripture, from Genesis 00:02:05.039 --> 00:02:05.839 to Revelation. 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:12.500 This fundamental truth that the Bible says about human beings, and that is that we are created 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:13.599 to be stewards. 00:02:14.519 --> 00:02:20.079 That by design what it means to be a human being is to recognize that we are stewards in 00:02:20.079 --> 00:02:20.699 God's world. 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:23.560 Which means everything belongs to God. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:30.039 And whatever we have in our lives, those are the things that have been entrusted to us 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:31.899 to steward and to keep in trust. 00:02:33.419 --> 00:02:38.259 And what we said last week is that the more we live like stewards, because of what we just 00:02:38.259 --> 00:02:41.000 said, the more truly human we become. 00:02:41.739 --> 00:02:47.579 The less we live like stewards, the more dehumanization results. 00:02:47.580 --> 00:02:53.540 And so what we're doing each week is we're applying this general idea of stewardship in 00:02:53.540 --> 00:02:58.040 specific ways to specific areas of life. 00:02:58.700 --> 00:03:02.480 And we're asking what does it look like when we actually live this out? 00:03:02.520 --> 00:03:04.800 And what we see is that we become radically countercultural. 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:09.600 This mindset, lived out, is radically countercultural. 00:03:10.360 --> 00:03:15.240 So this week we're going to be focusing on stewardship of creation itself. 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:17.600 Of the world itself. 00:03:18.600 --> 00:03:25.520 And what I hope we'll see is that the more we live like stewards in creation, the more 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:31.960 that runs directly against and challenges and liberates us from the consumerist mindset. 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:34.280 Which really holds sway in our culture. 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:36.879 So we're going to be looking at two texts. 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:41.860 They're both brief and they both get at the same thing from slightly different angles. 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:44.720 We're going to look at Genesis 1, 26 through 28. 00:03:45.080 --> 00:03:48.920 And then we're going to look at Genesis chapter 2, verses 15 to 17. 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:53.180 Both telling us something about what it means to be stewards of creation. 00:03:53.440 --> 00:03:56.780 So what we're going to do is we're going to ask first, what does it mean to be a steward 00:03:56.780 --> 00:03:57.320 of creation? 00:03:58.760 --> 00:04:01.140 And how is that countercultural? 00:04:01.700 --> 00:04:07.260 And then we're going to begin to apply that in three specific ways in terms of what it actually 00:04:07.260 --> 00:04:09.000 looks like to take this into our lives. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.219 So let's pray as we open God's word together. 00:04:13.099 --> 00:04:18.939 Lord, we do ask that every week as we gather around your word, that your promise is to take 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:25.060 these written words and to illuminate them and empower them, to actually speak through them, 00:04:25.500 --> 00:04:30.779 to speak to our hearts, to reveal to us the living word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.500 He is the one we've come to see today, to hear from. 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:36.980 And so we pray that by your power that would happen. 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:38.720 In your son's name, amen. 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:45.020 So stewards of creation, very big concept. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:49.500 I want to try to get our teeth into this a little bit and try to figure out what that 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:50.220 actually means. 00:04:50.840 --> 00:04:56.920 Genesis 1 and 2 give us parallel accounts, if you will, of God creating human beings and 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.100 then giving us our mission statement. 00:04:59.340 --> 00:05:00.360 Why are we here? 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:02.080 What's the purpose of human life? 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:09.719 So Genesis 1 verse 28 says, after he's created Adam and Eve, it says, and God blessed them. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:14.740 And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 00:05:15.219 --> 00:05:16.860 I want human beings everywhere. 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:22.159 Fill the earth and then subdue it and have dominion over it. 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:28.900 Now some people hear those words, subdue and have dominion, and it's a little freaky. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:32.120 It feels very power hungry, very domineering. 00:05:32.760 --> 00:05:36.340 That's why it's helpful to then look at Genesis 2 verse 15. 00:05:36.520 --> 00:05:38.680 It says it in a slightly different way. 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:41.280 God restates the command to Adam. 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:47.240 It says, the Lord God took the man and put him or placed him in the Garden of Eden to work 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:48.680 and to keep it. 00:05:49.780 --> 00:05:53.079 So subdue and have dominion, work and keep. 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:56.500 This is all essentially saying the same thing. 00:05:57.259 --> 00:06:06.000 That God created a world that was good and perfect and beautiful and yet it was inherently incomplete. 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:13.960 God creates a world of raw material and that raw material needs further work done to it. 00:06:13.959 --> 00:06:17.779 Specifically, it needs the care and the attention of human beings. 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:25.299 And so it says that God creates and commands human beings to be fruitful and then to multiply. 00:06:25.639 --> 00:06:25.859 Why? 00:06:27.479 --> 00:06:35.500 Because he wants every corner of creation to have someone to steward it. 00:06:36.419 --> 00:06:42.639 Everything that he's created, he wants there to be a human being who can create and cultivate 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:47.899 and care for, to work and to keep the stuff that he has made. 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.539 And this is the point of human life. 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:54.579 When we do that, we are inherently glorifying God. 00:06:55.639 --> 00:06:58.779 And so the point is that human beings are called to be stewards of God's world. 00:06:59.219 --> 00:07:05.560 And I just want to point out, as I said a moment ago, this runs completely against the consumerist mindset. 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:15.360 Because a consumerist mindset, which again I think holds sway in our culture, tends to see things in terms of goods and services. 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:21.060 It tends to turn everything into a commodity that can be bought or sold. 00:07:21.259 --> 00:07:29.139 And more fundamentally, a consumerist mindset tends to see everything in terms of the way it may or may not meet my needs. 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:32.979 It's the job of the world to meet my needs. 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:37.819 It's the job of everything around me to satisfy my longings. 00:07:37.919 --> 00:07:40.060 That's the heart of a consumerist mindset. 00:07:40.539 --> 00:07:42.800 And then stewardship runs directly against that. 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:51.439 Because the stewardship mindset means understanding that we have a responsibility to the world that we live in. 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:56.180 And more specifically, we have a responsibility to our corner of creation. 00:07:56.180 --> 00:08:02.500 Wherever God has put us, that the relationship is meant to be symbiotic. 00:08:03.540 --> 00:08:03.639 Right? 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:10.060 So another way of thinking about this is to say that consumers take, stewards cultivate. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:16.660 So it's a matter of taking versus cultivating in the world that we live in. 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:22.180 So the question that we ask is, are we fundamentally living as takers or cultivators? 00:08:22.180 --> 00:08:30.439 And so what I want to do is to just think about this as we push in more specifically to our lives here in D.C. 00:08:31.319 --> 00:08:34.580 What does it mean to be a cultivator versus a taker? 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:40.139 Well, when we talk about stewardship of creation, the first thing that we have to talk about is the environment. 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:43.279 And our relationship with the physical world around us. 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:44.860 And our natural resources and energy. 00:08:45.180 --> 00:08:46.180 And all of those things. 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:54.419 When it comes to the environment, the question that we should be asking as Christians is, am I a taker or am I a cultivator? 00:08:55.219 --> 00:08:58.379 Now, I know that climate change is a highly controversial topic. 00:08:58.500 --> 00:09:06.679 I didn't realize until this past week I had lunch with somebody who told me that research shows that climate change is actually more controversial now than abortion. 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:08.639 Which shocked me. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:11.080 I had no idea it was that controversial in our society. 00:09:11.220 --> 00:09:12.120 But it really is. 00:09:12.279 --> 00:09:13.379 So it's highly controversial. 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:19.159 But it's a simple fact that consumerism drives environmental degradation. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.500 That's really not, I don't think, too controversial. 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:24.000 It's measurable. 00:09:24.199 --> 00:09:25.019 You see that happening. 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:29.139 So if Christians are called to be cultivators instead of takers, 00:09:29.139 --> 00:09:44.899 I think there's no reason that Christians should not care about and invest their time and energy into the caring and stewarding and conservation and beautification of the world that we live in. 00:09:46.179 --> 00:09:50.519 I simply think that it's a part of what it means to follow Christ faithfully. 00:09:50.519 --> 00:09:58.539 You know, it makes you wonder, what if Christians, you know, as much as we're known for being vocal about certain issues, 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:06.740 what if Christians were known as being on the leading edge of advocacy for environmental stewardship? 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:10.819 What if that was synonymous with what it meant to be a Christian in our society? 00:10:11.819 --> 00:10:15.299 You know, centuries ago, Christians were on the leading edge. 00:10:15.980 --> 00:10:18.579 We were the leading voices to abolish slavery. 00:10:18.580 --> 00:10:19.220 Right? 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.120 I mean, you know, you look everywhere. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:24.740 And the abolitionist movement was driven by Christians. 00:10:25.180 --> 00:10:25.300 Right? 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:30.360 What if environmental stewardship became such an issue where we could unite around it? 00:10:31.040 --> 00:10:38.520 I think one of the reasons that this is hard for us to grasp and get our mind around is because we're afraid of getting too political. 00:10:38.800 --> 00:10:42.000 And it may sound like I'm getting political right now. 00:10:42.420 --> 00:10:42.700 Right? 00:10:42.800 --> 00:10:46.100 I mean, I think most of us in this room care about the environment. 00:10:46.100 --> 00:10:48.420 I'm not telling you anything that you don't believe. 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:50.740 I think most of us recycle. 00:10:51.400 --> 00:10:55.960 I think most of us, and if we don't recycle, when people come over and they ask, where's the recycling? 00:10:56.040 --> 00:11:00.940 We just make something up so that they'll think, oh, it's that bag over there. 00:11:01.300 --> 00:11:02.920 Oh, it's just that pile in the corner. 00:11:03.060 --> 00:11:03.720 Just put it there. 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:06.480 That's our system because we have one, you know? 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:10.000 So we at least pretend that we recycle, you know? 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:15.019 I think people, you know, most of us are thinking about our energy use. 00:11:15.800 --> 00:11:22.139 You know, we have Nest thermostats and we like the idea of driving a Prius even if we can't afford it just yet. 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:23.899 We would like to one day. 00:11:23.899 --> 00:11:33.120 Yeah, I think most of us, actually a lot of people are thinking very intelligently about this on a policy level, which is great in terms of who we vote for and what kind of policies we advocate for. 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:36.240 And some of us actually work professionally in this sphere, right? 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.360 So this is something that we're already thinking about. 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:45.100 The point I want to make is that at Christians, as a Christian community, it actually matters why we care. 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:49.720 Not just that we care, but our motivations actually matter just as much. 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:52.100 And I want to make this very clear. 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:54.039 This is not about political alignment. 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:59.519 This is not about our church being a more liberal or a more conservative church. 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:01.500 That shouldn't even enter the conversation. 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:07.159 As Christians, we care about the environment because we care about following Jesus faithfully. 00:12:07.620 --> 00:12:09.200 That's why we care about the environment. 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:13.580 Because we believe that's part of what our role is here in God's world. 00:12:14.460 --> 00:12:20.759 And, you know, as we seek to follow Jesus faithfully, sometimes that brings us into seeming alignment with the left. 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:26.379 Sometimes it brings us into seeming alignment with the right, right? 00:12:26.419 --> 00:12:27.759 This is a series on stewardship. 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:29.440 We're talking about stewardship of creation. 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:33.260 Not too long from now, we're going to be talking about stewardship of our bodies. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:39.360 And we're going to sound politically probably very different on that Sunday than we do now. 00:12:39.800 --> 00:12:43.100 So it brings us into seeming alignment with the right and the left. 00:12:43.380 --> 00:12:51.940 But the fact is that following Jesus faithfully takes us all directions across all lines of political division. 00:12:52.100 --> 00:12:54.340 Christians don't fit in politically. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:55.680 We're politically homeless. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:59.879 Our king doesn't make a very good Republican or Democrat. 00:13:01.739 --> 00:13:09.479 But the truth is, if we're talking about being a church, as our mission statement says, that seeks the flourishing of Washington, D.C., 00:13:09.479 --> 00:13:15.439 that needs to include the environment and on a local level, not just a policy level. 00:13:16.199 --> 00:13:19.839 But being in a city means that we share a lot of common space. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:25.100 I mean, we have a lot of people packed together who share and experience the same common space. 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:38.040 So thinking about environmental stewardship means that we should be doing all we can to enhance and to beautify the immediate space that we live in. 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:44.779 And a lot of people in our community, some people, you know, actually work on that on a local level. 00:13:45.839 --> 00:13:49.019 And a lot of people care about this. 00:13:49.579 --> 00:13:54.759 Planting gardens, beautifying the common neighborhood spaces, advocating for more green space. 00:13:54.819 --> 00:13:56.759 These are all things that a lot of you are already doing. 00:13:57.099 --> 00:14:00.919 I just want to let you know that, you know, our core group structure now is pretty flexible. 00:14:01.099 --> 00:14:03.620 It allows for different kinds of groups with different emphases. 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:11.720 And if there's anybody out there who would like to be a part of a group that is focused around these issues and going deeper into the theology of it, 00:14:11.779 --> 00:14:18.659 but also what it looks like to actually serve the people of D.C. by doing this kind of work, please let me know. 00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:21.080 And I would love to see if we can make that happen. 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:22.799 We've had such things in the past. 00:14:23.259 --> 00:14:28.340 And I'd be very open to seeing that as a part of what our ministry in the city looks like. 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:29.419 So let me know. 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:32.639 So that's stewardship of the environment, right? 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:37.220 What does it mean to be a cultivator versus a taker when it comes to the world that we live in? 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:42.159 Now I want to bring this in a little closer to home and to talk about place. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:45.919 Because stewards of creation don't just think about the environment. 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:48.679 We think about the place that we live in. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:52.539 In other words, to God, place matters a great deal. 00:14:53.179 --> 00:14:59.799 And this is also countercultural because we live in a world that increasingly place and space, they don't matter. 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:02.699 We can fly anywhere in a day. 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:06.479 We can talk to anybody or read the news from any part of the world. 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:09.399 And more and more and more it feels that the world is getting smaller. 00:15:09.559 --> 00:15:11.639 And so we can forget about the importance of place. 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:16.659 And yet Christians think very deeply about the place where God puts us. 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:22.839 You know, Genesis 2.15 says that God placed or put Adam in the garden. 00:15:22.840 --> 00:15:27.560 He places him in this particular place to fulfill his purpose there. 00:15:28.300 --> 00:15:41.379 And then of course the Gospels talk to us about God placing his son into time and history and flesh in a specific sociocultural context. 00:15:42.060 --> 00:15:45.800 To fulfill his purposes for the world right there. 00:15:46.560 --> 00:15:48.900 Time and place matter a great deal to God. 00:15:48.899 --> 00:15:52.600 And in the same way, I want to suggest that God has placed you here. 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:55.720 It's true. 00:15:57.340 --> 00:16:00.039 God has placed you here. 00:16:00.699 --> 00:16:02.559 Right in here and right now. 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:07.059 You know, one of my favorite verses to come back to is Proverbs 16.9. 00:16:07.199 --> 00:16:12.179 Which says, man may plot his course in his heart, but the Lord determines his steps. 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:14.340 You know, we plot our course. 00:16:14.620 --> 00:16:17.679 And yet God actually determines the steps that we take. 00:16:17.679 --> 00:16:23.059 And I know that's relevant to many of you because a lot of you, you had a completely different plan. 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.679 You know, you plotted some amazing course. 00:16:27.099 --> 00:16:30.599 You know, where you're, you know, getting all these degrees and retiring by 30. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:31.819 And I don't know what your plan was. 00:16:32.959 --> 00:16:41.000 But for all of us, myself included, the course that we plotted and where we actually ended up, two completely different places. 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:44.179 And so you're sort of looking around blinking, how in the heck did I get here? 00:16:44.179 --> 00:16:47.120 That's what Proverbs 16.9 means. 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:49.259 That God had a hand in that. 00:16:50.179 --> 00:16:53.939 So when it comes to your life here in D.C., how do you think about this time? 00:16:54.159 --> 00:16:56.679 Is this an aberration or a pit stop on your plan? 00:16:58.279 --> 00:17:03.699 Or did God actually bring you here for a purpose only he knows? 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:07.519 A purpose that is now unfolding in your life. 00:17:08.139 --> 00:17:09.099 Why are you here? 00:17:10.180 --> 00:17:16.319 More to the point, when you think about your life in D.C., are you primarily a taker or a cultivator? 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:20.240 You know, I once had a conversation with a guy who had lived here his whole life. 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:22.639 And we were talking about how much D.C. had changed. 00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:24.519 You know, one of the common conversations that we have. 00:17:24.539 --> 00:17:27.680 And I said, well, in your experience, what's been the biggest change? 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:28.859 And he said, well, I can tell you right now. 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:32.160 D.C. has become a playground for young white professionals. 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:34.340 That's how it's changed. 00:17:35.440 --> 00:17:39.940 And as a young white professional, I sort of meekly said, yeah, I guess you're right. 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:41.560 And it's true. 00:17:43.019 --> 00:17:47.940 But our vision as a church community is to seek the flourishing of this city. 00:17:47.940 --> 00:17:51.920 Because we believe that's part of what it means to love and serve God. 00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:57.620 That we can't glorify God if we're not loving and serving and seeking the flourishing of our neighbors. 00:17:57.619 --> 00:18:06.739 So maybe you came here, like a lot of us, thinking that you were only going to be in D.C. for a year or two. 00:18:06.939 --> 00:18:08.139 You know, maybe you're here. 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:25.279 But you know, as soon as my internship is done, as soon as my contract is up, as soon as I graduate, as soon as I get married, as soon as I have kids, as soon as my kids reach school age, as soon as we have our second kid, whatever it is, 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:31.139 you have this kind of mental cutoff where you're like, that's when we're going to really reevaluate and probably going to move away. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.019 And it's okay if you're thinking that way. 00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:36.940 I mean, it's technically okay if you're thinking that way. 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:41.180 You're going to turn it. 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:46.819 But I just, what I want to do here is just to provoke you to think a little more. 00:18:46.879 --> 00:18:49.200 Because I think a lot of us have these kind of mental cutoffs. 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:54.740 And we say, well, you know, because I know I'm leaving in a year or two, it's not really worth it to invest. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.640 You know, find a good church to plug into. 00:18:58.880 --> 00:19:01.700 Find some, you know, just kind of make life work. 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:05.160 But we're going to be out of here soon, so why invest? 00:19:05.259 --> 00:19:07.700 We're going to move somewhere and then we're really going to put down roots there. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:10.740 And I just want to ask maybe the opposite question. 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:15.000 If you only plan to be here a year or two, why not invest? 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:17.120 Why wouldn't you invest? 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:21.919 You've only got a year or two to have an impact on this place. 00:19:22.779 --> 00:19:23.959 You've got to get to it. 00:19:24.979 --> 00:19:25.579 Why not? 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:31.939 Pour your time and energy while you're here into the people and the places around you. 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:34.039 What do you have to lose by doing that? 00:19:35.079 --> 00:19:37.959 You know, for right now, for whatever reason only he knows, 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:47.019 God has entrusted your home and your neighborhood and your coworkers and your neighbors to your care. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:52.299 Now, why did God determine your steps to lead you here? 00:19:52.419 --> 00:19:53.319 I have no idea. 00:19:53.719 --> 00:19:54.919 You probably have no idea. 00:19:55.439 --> 00:19:56.879 But the fact is, he's done it. 00:19:57.939 --> 00:20:01.359 And he may have specific purposes for you that you don't even know. 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:06.559 And here, maybe you will leave in a year and maybe you won't. 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:11.079 Do you know how many people have been here for 10 plus years, myself included, 00:20:11.399 --> 00:20:13.679 who at one time said, I'll probably only be here a year or two? 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:19.460 Or three or four or five, eight, ten. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:20.279 It just keeps going. 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:21.319 Why? 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:24.799 God's not done with you in this place. 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:26.919 Maybe you're ready to leave. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:28.360 He might not be ready for you to leave. 00:20:29.560 --> 00:20:30.460 Are you a taker? 00:20:30.620 --> 00:20:31.420 Are you a cultivator? 00:20:32.440 --> 00:20:34.259 Maybe you should consider staying longer. 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.740 Maybe you should give it three more years. 00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:41.380 I want to give you two practical, I'm going to stop twisting the knife, 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:45.500 and I'm just going to ask you to consider two practical things that you can do, 00:20:45.580 --> 00:20:46.940 whether you're leaving next week or not. 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:52.279 Here's two things you can do right now to shift out of that taker mentality 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:54.060 and to begin to live more like a cultivator. 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:57.859 Okay, first thing you want to do, consider doing. 00:20:58.159 --> 00:21:01.720 I talk about this at least twice a year because I think we just need to keep asking. 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:05.179 So you've seen this before, but the first thing I want to do is to encourage you 00:21:05.179 --> 00:21:07.419 to just simply learn the names of your neighbors. 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:09.859 And Emily, if you can put this up on the screen. 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:10.759 You've seen this before. 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:14.399 It should be in your bulletin, but I think it's an incredibly helpful tool. 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:15.799 It's a neighbor map. 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:19.700 And all I'm asking you to do is to think about where you live. 00:21:20.099 --> 00:21:21.220 You live here. 00:21:21.220 --> 00:21:26.400 And I want you to think about all of the living spaces immediately around you, 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:29.279 whether it's apartments or condos or houses or wherever you live, 00:21:29.620 --> 00:21:30.660 and all of those people. 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:33.279 And what I'd like for you to do, and some of you have done this, 00:21:33.360 --> 00:21:34.319 take this map. 00:21:34.579 --> 00:21:35.839 You should have gotten a printed out version. 00:21:35.900 --> 00:21:37.000 If you didn't, we can send it to you. 00:21:37.660 --> 00:21:38.180 Print it out. 00:21:38.259 --> 00:21:39.000 Put it on your fridge. 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:43.299 And then fill in the names of your neighbors. 00:21:43.460 --> 00:21:45.119 If you don't want to put it on your fridge, put it in your bedroom, 00:21:45.200 --> 00:21:46.240 wherever you're going to look at it. 00:21:47.099 --> 00:21:48.180 And fill in those names. 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:51.960 You know, some of our neighbors, some people in this church, 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:54.279 they organize an annual block party. 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:56.539 And they block off the street, and everybody comes. 00:21:56.619 --> 00:21:57.200 It's in the fall. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:58.119 We just had it yesterday. 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:03.200 And it's amazing to see the impact of having something once a year 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:04.940 where neighbors come out of their homes, 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:07.640 and they meet each other, and they start to learn each other's names. 00:22:07.640 --> 00:22:11.940 That transforms the feel of the entire block 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:14.600 when those people come, and they see each other, and they know each other. 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:18.320 So all I'm saying is, learn the names of the people who live around you. 00:22:18.360 --> 00:22:21.000 And then the next time you see those people, use them. 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:25.320 Instead of doing what I do, hey, man, hey, dude, hey, bro, what's happening? 00:22:27.540 --> 00:22:29.060 We should not be talking like that. 00:22:29.100 --> 00:22:29.620 I'm 40. 00:22:29.680 --> 00:22:31.120 I should not use any of those words. 00:22:32.840 --> 00:22:36.280 None of them should count anymore. 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:38.660 And yet there are ways of getting around. 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:43.160 And so what if you say, hey, Bill, hey, Janet, how are you? 00:22:43.339 --> 00:22:43.980 How are you today? 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:45.799 Do you know the difference that makes? 00:22:47.059 --> 00:22:50.399 Being missional starts with just learning the names of the people who live right around you. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:52.379 That's one thing that you can do. 00:22:53.980 --> 00:22:55.500 Second thing I want to encourage you to do 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:59.759 is to commit yourself to building a culture, 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:03.880 to cultivating a culture of hospitality where you live. 00:23:04.500 --> 00:23:08.880 Now, I know that there are tons of things that make this hard. 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:11.480 I know that we all work crazy hours. 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:12.119 Most of us do. 00:23:12.119 --> 00:23:15.479 I know that a lot of us here in this room, we have young kids. 00:23:15.959 --> 00:23:18.759 I know that if you don't or you're not married, 00:23:18.899 --> 00:23:20.839 that maybe you live and you have lots of roommates. 00:23:21.399 --> 00:23:23.419 Or maybe the place that you live in is really tiny 00:23:23.419 --> 00:23:25.500 and you just don't feel like you can fit anybody in it. 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:29.359 And I know, honestly, I know that for all of us in this room, 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:30.319 because I know most of you, 00:23:32.140 --> 00:23:34.200 I know that when we talk about hospitality, 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:37.420 we are 100% in agreement and we love the idea of hospitality. 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:39.119 But let's just be totally honest. 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:40.519 And I'm including myself in this. 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:45.220 The idea of cleaning our house, 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:49.920 getting all the kids dealt with in bed or something, 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:55.880 shopping, cooking a halfway decent meal, 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:59.140 hosting, which is the thing we actually want to do, 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:01.240 and then after everybody leaves, 00:24:01.320 --> 00:24:03.519 spending maybe two hours cleaning again, 00:24:04.080 --> 00:24:05.460 that is just overwhelming. 00:24:06.320 --> 00:24:08.820 Honestly, when you add all of the things 00:24:08.820 --> 00:24:10.519 that we have to do in D.C. already 00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:11.700 and then you add that to it, 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:13.220 it's just exhausting to think about. 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:17.100 So we end up not doing it. 00:24:17.860 --> 00:24:19.460 You meet somebody that you don't know 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:20.100 and you say, 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:23.079 hey, it's great to meet you. 00:24:23.259 --> 00:24:24.480 And in your mind, you're thinking, 00:24:24.600 --> 00:24:26.079 I should really invite this person to dinner, 00:24:26.299 --> 00:24:27.640 but then you're thinking about all that. 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:29.019 Then I've got to shop and I've got to clean, 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:29.759 I've got to deal with the kids, 00:24:29.819 --> 00:24:30.539 and I've got to clean again, 00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:31.019 and blah, blah, blah, 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:32.279 and all the energy and time, 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:33.059 and I don't have to give it. 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:35.360 And you say, well, maybe we'll see each other around. 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:38.000 Or you say, we should really do dinner. 00:24:38.980 --> 00:24:41.779 And then you, you know, 00:24:41.819 --> 00:24:43.259 you just kind of leave it open, you know? 00:24:45.100 --> 00:24:46.039 So I'm with you. 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:47.640 So I want to propose a solution. 00:24:48.620 --> 00:24:49.520 Here's a solution. 00:24:50.200 --> 00:24:51.660 We need to set some ground rules 00:24:51.660 --> 00:24:52.900 for the Advent dinner party. 00:24:54.360 --> 00:24:56.160 We need to set some new ground rules. 00:24:56.880 --> 00:24:58.400 We need to get all of the stuff 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:01.100 that really doesn't matter out of the way, 00:25:01.600 --> 00:25:03.660 and we need to focus on what actually matters, 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:04.700 the point of hospitality, 00:25:04.880 --> 00:25:07.100 which is deep and meaningful relationships 00:25:07.100 --> 00:25:10.380 being formed in homes around the city. 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:12.140 So here's my proposal. 00:25:12.280 --> 00:25:13.200 Let's put it up on the screen, Emily. 00:25:14.600 --> 00:25:18.680 You know, you know, 00:25:18.860 --> 00:25:20.520 you know I like acrostics? 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:23.420 Here we go. 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:27.700 So the new standards for the Advent dinner party. 00:25:27.760 --> 00:25:28.000 You ready? 00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:32.360 A stands for ask people to share a meal. 00:25:32.540 --> 00:25:33.180 It's pretty simple. 00:25:33.460 --> 00:25:34.460 This is how it works, okay? 00:25:34.600 --> 00:25:36.940 Step one, you simply have to ask people. 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:38.259 It can be dinner. 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:39.220 It can be brunch. 00:25:39.320 --> 00:25:40.000 It can be lunch. 00:25:40.180 --> 00:25:41.019 It can be any meal, 00:25:41.080 --> 00:25:42.100 but I think a meal is important. 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:43.519 So ask people to share a meal. 00:25:43.840 --> 00:25:44.860 Not just your friends, 00:25:45.580 --> 00:25:46.620 people you don't know. 00:25:46.680 --> 00:25:47.940 There are people in this room right now 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:48.519 who are new, 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:50.299 and they don't know many people here. 00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:51.960 Find them. 00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:54.160 Ask them to a meal. 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:55.580 So ask people to share a meal. 00:25:55.700 --> 00:25:56.320 That's step one. 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:56.900 Step two, 00:25:58.180 --> 00:25:59.620 this is important. 00:25:59.720 --> 00:25:59.920 Okay? 00:25:59.920 --> 00:26:04.039 You're not allowed to clean anything. 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.039 If there's a pile of laundry on the couch, 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:09.599 if there's a mountain of toys in front of your door, 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:10.960 they have to stay, 00:26:11.159 --> 00:26:12.799 or it's not an Advent dinner party. 00:26:14.460 --> 00:26:15.940 Leave everything as is. 00:26:16.039 --> 00:26:17.899 Pile of dirty dishes in the sink, 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:18.500 that's great. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:20.099 Just leave them right there. 00:26:20.159 --> 00:26:21.539 It's part of the ambiance, okay? 00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:25.259 And you cannot shop, okay? 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:27.359 So you may not have much in your house, 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:29.980 but you have to use what you have in the house. 00:26:30.740 --> 00:26:33.440 And if the people that are coming to eat with you 00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:34.360 want to bring stuff, 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:36.099 tell them to bring stuff. 00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:37.920 You look in your pantry, 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:39.360 or none of us have pantries, 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:40.599 you look in your... 00:26:40.599 --> 00:26:43.759 You look in the food pile 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:46.480 in your kitchen on the floor 00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:49.019 and figure out what hasn't expired, 00:26:49.380 --> 00:26:50.960 and we'll do the same, 00:26:51.240 --> 00:26:52.680 and then we're just going to pile it all together. 00:26:52.819 --> 00:26:54.819 This is why Jane Olson calls this kind of thing 00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:55.920 the scrounge and serve, 00:26:56.319 --> 00:26:58.059 because you're scrounging, okay? 00:26:58.059 --> 00:27:00.700 Figure out, get some ramen noodles, 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:01.799 get some Cheerios, 00:27:01.940 --> 00:27:03.539 get some, you know, whatever you have, 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:06.259 as long as it's not too far past the expiration date, 00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:08.259 and you figure out, 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:09.960 okay, we're going to cobble together some food, 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:11.240 and then somebody comes over 00:27:11.240 --> 00:27:12.539 to somebody else's house, okay? 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.399 No cleaning or shopping, very important. 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.480 The V stands for virtually no prep. 00:27:17.720 --> 00:27:19.179 The less, the better, okay? 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.099 The less, the better. 00:27:20.879 --> 00:27:22.619 Just roll with it, okay? 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:24.399 So choose food items 00:27:24.399 --> 00:27:26.019 that don't require a whole lot of cooking. 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:28.500 Instant food is really great for that, right? 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:29.680 Virtually no prep. 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:31.579 E, everybody helps. 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:32.839 Also very important. 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.139 Everybody helps cook. 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.319 Everybody helps clean. 00:27:35.680 --> 00:27:36.680 If one person is cooking, 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:37.859 the other person's holding the baby. 00:27:38.220 --> 00:27:39.180 Everybody has a role. 00:27:39.460 --> 00:27:40.059 Everybody helps. 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:44.539 The N stands for no apologizing. 00:27:45.660 --> 00:27:47.059 You're not allowed to apologize 00:27:47.059 --> 00:27:48.379 for the state of your home. 00:27:49.079 --> 00:27:50.099 You're not allowed to say, 00:27:50.519 --> 00:27:51.759 it's normally cleaner than this, 00:27:51.839 --> 00:27:52.859 because that's a total lie. 00:27:52.859 --> 00:27:53.159 Don't lie. 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:56.479 And we're Christians. 00:27:56.859 --> 00:27:57.500 Don't lie. 00:27:58.759 --> 00:28:01.259 God knows the state of your home 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:01.899 and your heart. 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:04.199 No apologizing. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:06.559 Don't apologize that you're eating mac and cheese. 00:28:06.740 --> 00:28:08.459 Don't apologize that you're eating, 00:28:08.519 --> 00:28:09.519 you know, leftover lasagna 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:10.819 from two days ago. 00:28:10.919 --> 00:28:12.219 No apologizing, right? 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:13.899 You can compliment all you want 00:28:13.899 --> 00:28:16.039 as far as ramen noodles goes. 00:28:16.839 --> 00:28:18.519 This is some of the best I've ever had. 00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:19.599 You can say stuff like that, 00:28:19.699 --> 00:28:21.759 but no apologizing. 00:28:21.759 --> 00:28:22.500 You're not allowed to do it. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:24.000 And then lastly, the T. 00:28:25.420 --> 00:28:27.480 Talk about deep and meaningful things. 00:28:28.259 --> 00:28:29.299 That's the whole point. 00:28:29.619 --> 00:28:31.519 That's the only reason hospitality matters. 00:28:31.900 --> 00:28:32.839 It's not about your food. 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:33.759 It's not about your decor. 00:28:33.940 --> 00:28:34.839 It's not about your ambiance. 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:35.599 It's not about the music. 00:28:35.920 --> 00:28:37.039 All of that is performance. 00:28:37.539 --> 00:28:39.339 All of that is the fruit of a consumerist culture. 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:40.879 Now here's the thing. 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:45.420 If you can buy and prepare amazing food 00:28:45.420 --> 00:28:46.220 and clean your home 00:28:46.220 --> 00:28:47.259 and lay out candles 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:48.480 and have music and all of that, 00:28:48.740 --> 00:28:49.900 by all means do it. 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:50.460 Absolutely. 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:52.300 Christians should be amazing 00:28:52.300 --> 00:28:53.860 at throwing beautiful dinner parties. 00:28:54.560 --> 00:28:55.700 My point is, 00:28:55.800 --> 00:28:56.759 not to knock that. 00:28:56.840 --> 00:28:57.519 That's great. 00:28:58.100 --> 00:28:59.019 My point is to say, 00:28:59.280 --> 00:29:02.560 if our inability to live up to those standards 00:29:02.560 --> 00:29:05.560 is keeping us from spending meaningful time together, 00:29:05.840 --> 00:29:07.019 then we need to reevaluate. 00:29:08.200 --> 00:29:09.160 So from here on out, 00:29:10.140 --> 00:29:11.019 from here on out, 00:29:11.580 --> 00:29:13.560 the new standards of the Advent dinner party, 00:29:13.940 --> 00:29:14.420 right here. 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:16.200 And if you need a copy for your fridge, 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:17.440 we'll send it to you. 00:29:17.440 --> 00:29:19.080 You can also just write it down. 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:19.960 But from here on out, 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:21.019 these are the new expectations. 00:29:21.420 --> 00:29:22.580 So let's start hanging out 00:29:22.580 --> 00:29:25.140 and having deep and meaningful conversations. 00:29:25.799 --> 00:29:27.200 If you're eating beef bourguignon, great. 00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:29.600 But sometimes you just need to sit 00:29:29.600 --> 00:29:30.600 on a pile of dirty laundry, 00:29:31.340 --> 00:29:32.240 eat some ramen noodles, 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:33.279 and talk about life. 00:29:34.519 --> 00:29:35.539 So hospitality, 00:29:36.180 --> 00:29:37.360 learning the names of our neighbors, 00:29:37.840 --> 00:29:39.660 these are ways that I want to begin 00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:42.920 to think about a stewardship of place. 00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:45.000 Why God has us where he has us. 00:29:45.380 --> 00:29:46.059 What's it all about? 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:48.000 Last thing I want to hit briefly 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.680 is the church. 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:52.420 As we think about our relationship with the church, 00:29:52.539 --> 00:29:54.519 God determined your steps to this city. 00:29:54.740 --> 00:29:56.019 He also, praise Jesus, 00:29:56.200 --> 00:29:58.299 brought you here to our church. 00:29:59.579 --> 00:30:00.259 Now right now, 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:01.579 I just want to focus on people 00:30:01.579 --> 00:30:02.900 who are members and regular attenders. 00:30:03.019 --> 00:30:03.880 If you're new or visiting, 00:30:04.700 --> 00:30:05.079 you don't need, 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:06.180 this doesn't apply to you yet. 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:08.039 It applies to those of us 00:30:08.039 --> 00:30:09.720 who really would consider this church 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:10.539 to be our church home. 00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:11.759 And I think from time to time, 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:12.740 we have to, as Christians, 00:30:12.859 --> 00:30:14.680 ask, am I thinking about my church 00:30:14.680 --> 00:30:16.119 from a taking standpoint 00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:17.519 or from a cultivating standpoint? 00:30:17.819 --> 00:30:20.379 What's my orientation to the church, right? 00:30:21.180 --> 00:30:24.279 So just to focus on this community right here, 00:30:24.859 --> 00:30:25.720 most of you know, 00:30:25.819 --> 00:30:27.420 we started the Brooklyn Parish. 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:28.319 We did this whole thing 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:29.319 that we did a year ago 00:30:29.319 --> 00:30:31.420 because there were more and more people 00:30:31.420 --> 00:30:32.399 moving into the neighborhood 00:30:32.399 --> 00:30:35.639 with a missional vision for Northeast. 00:30:36.220 --> 00:30:36.879 People who said, 00:30:36.980 --> 00:30:37.899 I want to plant a church here. 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:39.140 I want to serve this area. 00:30:39.460 --> 00:30:40.380 There's so much potential 00:30:40.380 --> 00:30:41.220 for what we can do 00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:42.120 in these neighborhoods. 00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:43.519 And I fully agree. 00:30:43.620 --> 00:30:44.360 That's why we did it. 00:30:45.100 --> 00:30:46.060 You may also remember 00:30:46.060 --> 00:30:47.780 that the launch was a difficult process. 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:49.759 It took us over two years to find space. 00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:52.140 There were several false starts. 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:54.840 There was a lot of waiting and uncertainty. 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:56.340 And then once we started, 00:30:56.640 --> 00:30:58.500 we've had to spend a lot of time and energy 00:30:58.500 --> 00:31:00.480 making Sunday work. 00:31:01.360 --> 00:31:02.740 Just getting enough people 00:31:02.740 --> 00:31:04.600 to serve in all the ways 00:31:04.600 --> 00:31:07.080 that an Anglican worship gathering requires. 00:31:07.900 --> 00:31:09.380 And that's been difficult. 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:11.540 My fear is this, 00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:14.340 is that slowly but surely 00:31:14.340 --> 00:31:15.680 we have begun to turn inward. 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:18.759 And this is just me as a pastor speaking. 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:20.700 I think, you know, 00:31:21.140 --> 00:31:22.400 Augustine has this phrase, 00:31:22.560 --> 00:31:23.519 in cravata sin se, 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:25.320 that sin turns us inward. 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:26.960 And I think that that can happen 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:28.080 on a community level too. 00:31:28.140 --> 00:31:29.120 I think if we're not careful, 00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:31.440 the path of least resistance 00:31:31.440 --> 00:31:32.259 in a church community 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:33.040 is to turn inward. 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:35.420 That's, if you do nothing, 00:31:35.880 --> 00:31:36.660 that's what you get. 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:39.279 The only way to not turn inward 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:40.900 is to continually push 00:31:40.900 --> 00:31:42.759 with all of your might outward. 00:31:43.500 --> 00:31:45.259 For us to continually come together 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:45.980 in rooms like this 00:31:45.980 --> 00:31:46.740 and remind ourselves 00:31:46.740 --> 00:31:47.880 the church exists 00:31:47.880 --> 00:31:49.620 not for the sake of the members alone, 00:31:49.779 --> 00:31:50.940 but for the sake of the world. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:52.980 This is why we're here. 00:31:53.600 --> 00:31:54.620 We exist for the sake 00:31:54.620 --> 00:31:55.920 of every man, woman, and child 00:31:55.920 --> 00:31:57.180 who lives in Northeast DC. 00:31:57.420 --> 00:31:58.000 That's why we're here. 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:01.420 And we need to remind ourselves of that 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:03.519 because if we forget it 00:32:03.519 --> 00:32:04.799 and we go too long, 00:32:05.059 --> 00:32:05.980 we will die. 00:32:07.500 --> 00:32:08.759 We won't matter 00:32:08.759 --> 00:32:12.380 to anyone outside of ourselves. 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:14.460 And when that happens, 00:32:15.079 --> 00:32:15.700 churches die. 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:18.160 So it's okay. 00:32:18.440 --> 00:32:20.019 I mean, it is perfectly okay 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:22.839 if one of the reasons that you come 00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:24.660 is because it's closer to your house 00:32:24.660 --> 00:32:27.240 or because it's a morning service 00:32:27.240 --> 00:32:28.620 and that works well for your kids. 00:32:28.700 --> 00:32:29.980 I mean, our kids come here 00:32:29.980 --> 00:32:30.800 for that reason. 00:32:31.340 --> 00:32:32.360 It's perfectly okay 00:32:32.360 --> 00:32:33.920 if you come for those kinds of reasons. 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:36.040 The only point I want to make is 00:32:36.040 --> 00:32:37.340 if that's the only reason, 00:32:37.640 --> 00:32:38.960 if that's the only reason you're here, 00:32:39.600 --> 00:32:41.160 then you are thinking like a taker. 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:43.840 And I want to encourage you 00:32:43.840 --> 00:32:45.420 to shift on that 00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:45.940 because, listen, 00:32:45.940 --> 00:32:47.640 we need cultivators. 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:50.200 This may not feel like a church plant 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:52.640 because it's a parish of Advent 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:54.160 and so there's a lot about it 00:32:54.160 --> 00:32:56.120 that we had already established, 00:32:56.660 --> 00:32:58.580 but it is a church plant. 00:32:59.259 --> 00:33:02.600 And we need every single person involved. 00:33:02.740 --> 00:33:04.300 Church plants are all hands on deck. 00:33:05.100 --> 00:33:06.040 All hands on deck. 00:33:06.940 --> 00:33:08.759 And so unless every single person 00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:10.480 who's actually would call this 00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:11.980 their church home is involved, 00:33:12.680 --> 00:33:13.700 we're not going to make it. 00:33:14.440 --> 00:33:15.720 Our key volunteers 00:33:15.720 --> 00:33:17.700 who show up to set up 00:33:17.700 --> 00:33:19.380 and to set up our hospitality stuff 00:33:19.380 --> 00:33:20.480 and to set up for kids 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:21.620 and to run sound 00:33:21.620 --> 00:33:22.960 and to set up and break down equipment 00:33:22.960 --> 00:33:24.500 and all of those key volunteers, 00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:26.680 it's been mostly the same volunteers 00:33:26.680 --> 00:33:28.539 since we launched in April of 2016 00:33:28.539 --> 00:33:29.680 and they're tired. 00:33:30.380 --> 00:33:31.620 And they're serving joyfully 00:33:31.620 --> 00:33:33.059 and they're not complaining 00:33:33.059 --> 00:33:34.680 and yet they're exhausted. 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:35.880 And you can see it in their eyes 00:33:35.880 --> 00:33:36.700 and they need a break. 00:33:37.740 --> 00:33:39.700 So we need every single person 00:33:39.700 --> 00:33:40.680 to go home, 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:41.200 to pray, 00:33:41.299 --> 00:33:41.940 to think about 00:33:41.940 --> 00:33:43.200 why has God determined 00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:44.339 your steps into this church? 00:33:44.339 --> 00:33:46.199 And to think about your time 00:33:46.199 --> 00:33:46.819 and your energy 00:33:46.819 --> 00:33:47.399 and your gifts 00:33:47.399 --> 00:33:48.139 and your resources 00:33:48.139 --> 00:33:49.379 and to think about 00:33:49.379 --> 00:33:50.859 is there anything that you can give 00:33:50.859 --> 00:33:52.279 to contribute 00:33:52.279 --> 00:33:53.480 to the cultivation 00:33:53.480 --> 00:33:54.259 and the growth 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:55.359 of this community 00:33:55.359 --> 00:33:56.220 and our desire 00:33:56.220 --> 00:33:57.919 to be a blessing 00:33:57.919 --> 00:33:58.559 to the neighborhoods. 00:33:59.199 --> 00:33:59.919 And by the way, 00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:01.079 that's the other piece of this. 00:34:01.459 --> 00:34:02.099 The parish council 00:34:02.099 --> 00:34:03.919 is going to be retreating 00:34:03.919 --> 00:34:05.599 in around January, 00:34:05.740 --> 00:34:06.599 February of next year. 00:34:06.899 --> 00:34:08.480 And the purpose is largely 00:34:08.480 --> 00:34:09.980 to prayerfully discern 00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:11.599 what are the most meaningful ways 00:34:11.599 --> 00:34:14.819 that Advent can reassert 00:34:14.819 --> 00:34:16.699 our commitment 00:34:16.699 --> 00:34:17.739 to be outward facing 00:34:17.739 --> 00:34:19.880 and to serve 00:34:19.880 --> 00:34:22.619 and to benefit 00:34:22.619 --> 00:34:25.420 in a common grace kind of way 00:34:25.420 --> 00:34:26.619 the neighborhoods 00:34:26.619 --> 00:34:28.940 where our parishes reside. 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:30.360 And so if the Lord 00:34:30.360 --> 00:34:31.659 is laying anything on your heart 00:34:31.659 --> 00:34:32.380 as you think about 00:34:32.380 --> 00:34:33.739 the needs that you see 00:34:33.739 --> 00:34:34.360 or the opportunities 00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:35.119 that you see 00:34:35.119 --> 00:34:36.380 in these neighborhoods 00:34:36.380 --> 00:34:37.059 where we live, 00:34:37.619 --> 00:34:39.059 I want you to tell us, 00:34:39.219 --> 00:34:39.759 tell somebody 00:34:39.760 --> 00:34:40.320 on the parish council, 00:34:40.440 --> 00:34:40.900 tell me, 00:34:41.160 --> 00:34:42.160 because we are right now 00:34:42.160 --> 00:34:43.180 praying and seeking 00:34:43.180 --> 00:34:43.980 the Lord's will 00:34:43.980 --> 00:34:45.000 for how we can serve 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:45.780 these neighborhoods better. 00:34:46.420 --> 00:34:47.300 We're asking the question, 00:34:47.420 --> 00:34:48.140 if we were to cease 00:34:48.140 --> 00:34:48.920 to exist tomorrow, 00:34:49.120 --> 00:34:50.600 would anybody miss us? 00:34:52.820 --> 00:34:54.020 I don't know right now. 00:34:55.300 --> 00:34:56.480 I want to encourage 00:34:56.480 --> 00:34:57.700 everyone to pray 00:34:57.700 --> 00:35:00.320 that God would lead us 00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:01.600 and show us ways 00:35:01.600 --> 00:35:02.160 that we might have 00:35:02.160 --> 00:35:03.360 a meaningful impact 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:04.080 on the flourishing 00:35:04.080 --> 00:35:05.160 of the places 00:35:05.160 --> 00:35:06.060 where he has sent us. 00:35:07.320 --> 00:35:09.000 So this is the kind of thing 00:35:09.000 --> 00:35:09.840 I'm talking about 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:11.219 when we think holistically 00:35:11.219 --> 00:35:11.980 about what it means 00:35:11.980 --> 00:35:13.199 to be a steward of creation, 00:35:14.079 --> 00:35:14.980 what it means to be 00:35:14.980 --> 00:35:16.340 a cultivator instead of a taker. 00:35:17.000 --> 00:35:17.980 I don't want you to think 00:35:17.980 --> 00:35:19.179 that this is just a to-do list 00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:19.820 that you need to leave 00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:20.440 feeling guilty 00:35:20.440 --> 00:35:21.519 and here's all these other things 00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:22.239 that we have to do. 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:23.500 Many of you, in fact, 00:35:23.519 --> 00:35:25.420 are already doing amazing things. 00:35:26.000 --> 00:35:27.219 You're living like stewards. 00:35:27.639 --> 00:35:29.119 You're pouring yourselves out. 00:35:29.579 --> 00:35:30.820 You're taking responsibility 00:35:30.820 --> 00:35:31.940 for where God has you. 00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:33.400 So you're already doing this 00:35:33.400 --> 00:35:34.760 in many amazing ways. 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:36.000 This is simply a call 00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:37.480 to more. 00:35:37.480 --> 00:35:38.559 And for those of you 00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:39.079 who are not, 00:35:39.179 --> 00:35:40.119 to reevaluate 00:35:40.119 --> 00:35:41.360 some of your motivations 00:35:41.360 --> 00:35:42.639 and some of your intentions 00:35:42.639 --> 00:35:43.460 and your priorities. 00:35:45.619 --> 00:35:46.699 Christians need 00:35:46.699 --> 00:35:48.219 to continually remind ourselves 00:35:48.219 --> 00:35:49.960 what our salvation is for. 00:35:51.240 --> 00:35:51.840 You know, 00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:52.960 we're stewards of creation. 00:35:53.119 --> 00:35:53.340 Why? 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:54.199 Well, ultimately, 00:35:54.380 --> 00:35:55.480 because God loves 00:35:55.480 --> 00:35:56.760 each blade of grass 00:35:56.760 --> 00:35:58.400 and each pebble 00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:01.460 more than we will ever love 00:36:01.460 --> 00:36:03.059 anything in our lives. 00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:05.039 And if that's true 00:36:05.039 --> 00:36:06.280 about a blade of grass, 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:07.240 how much more 00:36:07.240 --> 00:36:08.000 is it true of us? 00:36:09.820 --> 00:36:11.260 It's because of God's love 00:36:11.260 --> 00:36:12.540 that we're talking 00:36:12.540 --> 00:36:13.320 about all of this. 00:36:14.120 --> 00:36:15.160 And Jesus gave his life 00:36:15.160 --> 00:36:16.240 not just to save us 00:36:16.240 --> 00:36:17.480 from sin privately, 00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:18.780 but to enable us 00:36:18.780 --> 00:36:19.380 to take part 00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:20.200 in his renewal 00:36:20.200 --> 00:36:21.380 of this world. 00:36:22.420 --> 00:36:23.200 So as we do 00:36:23.200 --> 00:36:25.180 the work of cultivation 00:36:25.180 --> 00:36:26.460 in our small corner 00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:27.220 of creation, 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:28.420 we're participating 00:36:28.420 --> 00:36:29.820 in that renewal 00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:31.080 of all things. 00:36:31.460 --> 00:36:32.380 That's our calling 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:33.700 as stewards of creation. 00:36:34.200 --> 00:36:34.620 Let's pray. 00:36:34.619 --> 00:36:38.980 Father, 00:36:39.119 --> 00:36:39.599 you love 00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:40.539 each of us 00:36:40.539 --> 00:36:41.839 more than we 00:36:41.839 --> 00:36:43.199 would ever dare imagine. 00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:45.500 You sent your son 00:36:45.500 --> 00:36:46.440 to die for us 00:36:46.440 --> 00:36:47.799 to enable us 00:36:47.799 --> 00:36:48.500 to take part 00:36:48.500 --> 00:36:49.420 in this great 00:36:49.420 --> 00:36:50.579 renewing work. 00:36:51.339 --> 00:36:52.079 I pray 00:36:52.079 --> 00:36:53.480 and we all pray 00:36:53.480 --> 00:36:54.960 that your spirit 00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:55.819 would give us 00:36:55.819 --> 00:36:56.819 a passionate, 00:36:57.400 --> 00:36:58.259 unified vision 00:36:58.259 --> 00:36:59.639 for what that looks like 00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:01.079 in these neighborhoods 00:37:01.079 --> 00:37:02.079 where you've called us. 00:37:02.079 --> 00:37:03.799 that we would be passionate 00:37:03.799 --> 00:37:05.639 about the conservation 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:06.719 and beautification 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:07.539 of our world, 00:37:07.799 --> 00:37:09.099 that we would understand 00:37:09.099 --> 00:37:09.840 the purposes 00:37:09.840 --> 00:37:11.579 behind why you've placed us 00:37:11.579 --> 00:37:12.519 where you've placed us, 00:37:13.000 --> 00:37:13.880 and that we would 00:37:13.880 --> 00:37:15.559 pour our lives 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:17.099 into this church community 00:37:17.099 --> 00:37:18.199 even as this community 00:37:18.199 --> 00:37:19.559 seeks to pour its life 00:37:19.559 --> 00:37:21.539 into the surrounding communities 00:37:21.539 --> 00:37:23.139 of Northeast DC. 00:37:23.139 --> 00:37:24.519 We thank you 00:37:24.519 --> 00:37:25.119 and we praise you, 00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:25.319 Lord, 00:37:25.359 --> 00:37:26.079 in your son's name. 00:37:26.259 --> 00:37:26.480 Amen. 00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:26.559 Amen. 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:26.639 Amen. 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:26.659 Amen. 00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:26.679 Amen. 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:27.159 Amen.