WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.300 Well, again, let me say good morning to you. 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:12.320 I'm thrilled to be here. 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:19.179 And I'm excited to continue in the series that we started a couple of weeks ago. 00:00:19.420 --> 00:00:24.460 We're taking time right now, just a few weeks, to talk about the DNA of our church. 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:28.539 We've been here for about 14 years, and some of you have been here for that entire journey. 00:00:28.539 --> 00:00:31.599 Some of you, this may be your first Sunday with us. 00:00:32.140 --> 00:00:37.420 And so, in the life of any church, it's very valuable to take time every now and then to 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:43.960 remember why we started the church, why we're here, most importantly, where we feel like 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:45.599 God is calling us to go. 00:00:45.739 --> 00:00:52.219 So this is really about what we feel that God has called us to be and to do in this area. 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:54.539 And so, this is week three. 00:00:54.539 --> 00:01:00.399 We're continuing to look at our statement of mission, which, Julian, if you could put 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:03.259 that up, our mission statement is essentially this. 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:08.980 We exist to do three things, to join people to God, which we talked about a couple of weeks 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:14.500 ago, to join people to one another, which we talked about last week, and then this week's 00:01:14.500 --> 00:01:21.120 topic, to join people with Christ's work of renewal in Washington, D.C. and through it, 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:21.980 the world. 00:01:22.100 --> 00:01:24.880 This is the topic that we're going to be focusing on. 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:29.400 Another way to ask the question that we're going to focus on this morning would be this. 00:01:29.820 --> 00:01:31.900 What is our salvation for? 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:35.400 Why does God establish the church? 00:01:36.100 --> 00:01:40.180 Why does God save and restore people and place them in the church? 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:45.340 What's God's desire for His church, for His people to do in the world? 00:01:45.460 --> 00:01:46.280 Why are we here? 00:01:46.280 --> 00:01:46.320 Why are we here? 00:01:47.320 --> 00:01:51.560 And what we see, and this is what the Bible does again and again, is the Bible says, if 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.579 you know who you are, if you understand your identity, then out of that, you will clearly 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:58.019 begin to understand your purpose. 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:02.319 So, if you know who you are, then you can begin to discern why you're here. 00:02:02.520 --> 00:02:08.400 And that's why we're going to look at 1 Peter 2, verses 9 through 12, because this really 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.060 speaks to those two things. 00:02:10.259 --> 00:02:13.060 It tells us first who we are and then why we're here. 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:18.099 So, we're going to look at this in two parts, the identity of the church and then the purpose 00:02:18.099 --> 00:02:19.400 of the church. 00:02:19.819 --> 00:02:22.340 So, this is our outline for this morning. 00:02:22.719 --> 00:02:27.060 So, let's take a moment and pray and ask God to guide us as we open His Word. 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:33.180 Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You that it's more than just ink and paper, 00:02:33.980 --> 00:02:39.819 that it is living, that it is active, that when You send it out, it does not return void. 00:02:39.819 --> 00:02:43.259 It accomplishes all that You intend for it to accomplish. 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:47.819 Lord, our hope is not in the Word of human beings this morning. 00:02:47.939 --> 00:02:49.819 It's in the Word of the God who made us. 00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:57.319 And we pray that even as we open Your Word, that it would become living in us, that it would 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:01.079 become flesh in us, and that through Your written Word, we would come to see Your living 00:03:01.079 --> 00:03:02.159 Word face to face. 00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:03.959 And it's in His name that we pray. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:04.699 Amen. 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:04.780 Amen. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:10.639 So, first of all, let's talk a little bit about the identity of the church. 00:03:10.799 --> 00:03:12.339 This isn't just church of the advent. 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.060 This is the church in the world. 00:03:15.819 --> 00:03:19.899 1 Peter, since we're dropping into the middle of this, just to give you a little context, 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:28.379 1 Peter is all about the fact that Jesus, through His resurrection, has raised people to a living 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:28.799 hope. 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:31.319 That's what it says in the very beginning of the book. 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.219 And what that means is this is a hope of life. 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:37.699 It's a hope that is living and active in the form of Jesus Christ. 00:03:37.879 --> 00:03:39.759 And it's a living hope for the world. 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:45.620 That God's plan isn't just to save people so that they can escape the world. 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:53.560 That God's plan is actually to resurrect and renew the world just as the body of Jesus has 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:55.539 been resurrected and renewed. 00:03:55.659 --> 00:03:57.519 So our hope is a resurrected world. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:02.800 And He raises people to begin to live out that hope here and now. 00:04:02.980 --> 00:04:09.400 And so, 1 Peter is really all about how we do that when we live in a world where people 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:14.080 believe lots of different things, a pluralistic society, and where increasingly people are 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:17.220 very hostile to the beliefs of a faith like Christianity. 00:04:18.100 --> 00:04:23.400 These people were facing hostility every bit as much as we face skepticism and hostility 00:04:23.400 --> 00:04:24.280 today. 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:28.339 And so, Peter's talking about first in the first part of the book, he's talking about 00:04:28.339 --> 00:04:29.599 the identity of the church. 00:04:29.819 --> 00:04:32.559 Who are we who have been raised to this living hope? 00:04:32.799 --> 00:04:37.159 And how do we orient ourselves to the world that we live in, the society where God has 00:04:37.159 --> 00:04:37.679 placed us? 00:04:38.059 --> 00:04:46.279 And he uses two key terms that give us a big, strong, clear sense of our place in the world. 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:50.539 And the first word that he uses, it's a key term, is the word exile. 00:04:51.500 --> 00:04:56.519 He says, to understand who you are in the world, you need to understand that now because 00:04:56.519 --> 00:04:58.719 of me, you are all exiles. 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:00.019 You're exiles. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:05.939 And he's intentionally referencing a very specific time in Israel's history. 00:05:06.099 --> 00:05:13.459 In the 6th century BC, the Babylonians conquered God's people and they took them into exile. 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:20.060 And the Babylonian strategy was that after a couple of generations, Israel would simply 00:05:20.060 --> 00:05:23.500 become assimilated into Babylonian culture. 00:05:23.659 --> 00:05:28.039 So the idea is, it's very expensive to kill all of these people. 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:30.240 It's very bloody and it's a big waste. 00:05:30.779 --> 00:05:34.859 We're going to benefit more as a society if they just assimilate and we gain their best 00:05:34.859 --> 00:05:35.279 and brightest. 00:05:35.539 --> 00:05:36.879 And so that's exactly what they did. 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:42.659 And so the hope was that Israel would simply cease to exist, right? 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:44.600 That their kids' kids wouldn't even remember Israel. 00:05:45.719 --> 00:05:50.319 And so for these Israelite exiles in Babylon, there was this big question that they were 00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:51.699 debating among themselves. 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:55.079 How do we relate to this foreign culture of Babylon? 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:57.600 And it seemed like there were only two options. 00:05:57.779 --> 00:05:59.480 Some people said we need to hunker down. 00:05:59.560 --> 00:06:01.279 It was the sort of fortification option. 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.759 Let's fortify ourselves against the Babylonian culture. 00:06:04.939 --> 00:06:08.879 Let's keep ourselves entirely separate and let's wait for God to rescue us. 00:06:09.159 --> 00:06:11.859 And there were some prophets who were saying that's going to happen very soon. 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:12.939 Just hold tight. 00:06:13.299 --> 00:06:13.959 God is coming. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:20.559 The other option that some people sort of accepted with a sense of hopeless resignation 00:06:20.559 --> 00:06:22.579 was let's just give up. 00:06:23.219 --> 00:06:25.259 Let's just allow ourselves to be assimilated. 00:06:25.379 --> 00:06:26.559 There is no hope for us. 00:06:26.859 --> 00:06:28.000 We're done as a people. 00:06:28.000 --> 00:06:31.579 And so that was really the two choices, fortification or assimilation. 00:06:32.500 --> 00:06:35.800 And God sends the prophet Jeremiah with a third option. 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:39.939 He says, I don't want you to fortify yourselves and I don't want you to allow yourselves to 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:40.540 be assimilated. 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:44.879 And the option is what we might call faithful presence. 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.139 On the one hand, he says, don't remain separate. 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:49.420 Go into Babylon. 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:50.800 Put down roots. 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:51.939 Get jobs. 00:06:52.180 --> 00:06:52.899 Have kids. 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:56.259 Commit to living there for several generations. 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:57.699 You're going to be there for a while. 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:02.819 And then on the other hand, Jeremiah says, on the one hand, don't fortify. 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.379 But on the other hand, don't allow yourselves to be assimilated. 00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:07.379 Go into the city. 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:08.199 Go into the society. 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:09.180 You know, get jobs. 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:09.819 Put down roots. 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:10.279 Get married. 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:11.279 Let your kids get married. 00:07:11.579 --> 00:07:12.500 Get to know your neighbors. 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:13.779 Invest in the community. 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:16.040 But don't be assimilated into their way of life. 00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:19.839 Stay faithful to me as my chosen people. 00:07:19.980 --> 00:07:21.800 Stay holy, which means set apart. 00:07:22.339 --> 00:07:22.939 Stay holy. 00:07:23.899 --> 00:07:28.339 And more than that, verse 7, seek the welfare of the city where I've sent you into exile. 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:30.519 And pray to the Lord on its behalf. 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:33.980 For in its welfare, you will find your welfare. 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:35.139 Right? 00:07:35.139 --> 00:07:38.919 And the word welfare can also be translated shalom or flourishing. 00:07:38.919 --> 00:07:39.199 Right? 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:44.919 And so this is the third option that exilers are called to in the world. 00:07:45.219 --> 00:07:51.219 And Peter is saying that Christians need to understand that we need to think of ourselves like exiles in Babylon. 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:58.180 So God wants the church to be present and active and engaged in every sphere of society. 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.380 God's vision is that Christians would be everywhere there are people. 00:08:02.400 --> 00:08:02.480 Right? 00:08:02.620 --> 00:08:03.340 Go everywhere. 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:04.140 In every job. 00:08:04.220 --> 00:08:04.860 In every profession. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:05.580 In every sphere. 00:08:06.460 --> 00:08:08.700 But on the other hand, don't be assimilated. 00:08:10.080 --> 00:08:10.960 Stay holy. 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:11.800 Stay separate. 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:12.960 Stay set apart. 00:08:13.180 --> 00:08:14.100 Stay faithful to me. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:15.200 Stay salty. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:15.319 Stay. 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:19.279 So it's the both and option. 00:08:19.599 --> 00:08:19.719 Right? 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:22.779 Be present but don't allow yourselves to be assimilated. 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:28.399 Instead, pray for and seek the flourishing of the society where God has put you. 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.519 So that's the first word that he uses. 00:08:30.699 --> 00:08:35.340 Think of yourselves like exiles called to have a faithful presence wherever God has put you. 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:40.819 And then he adds to that a term that would have gone way beyond anything that you would see in the Old Testament. 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:44.600 He says, not only are you exiles, but you were also a royal priesthood. 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.360 Because of Jesus, you're not just exiles. 00:08:48.780 --> 00:08:50.520 You are royal priests. 00:08:51.540 --> 00:09:00.200 Now, for the original audience, for people with a kind of a Jewish background, royalty was a kind of unimaginable privilege. 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:01.480 Right? 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:04.480 Most people didn't even know somebody who was royal. 00:09:05.140 --> 00:09:10.720 And so what they would think of would be sort of King David and the lineage of King David. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:18.300 Unless you were born into a royal family, you probably wouldn't even be in contact with anybody who was royal. 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:25.800 And priests were similar in the sense that that was this kind of unimaginable privilege that you had to be born into. 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:35.199 Because in the Old Testament, in the Old Testament priesthood, priests came from certain special families from among the nation of Israel. 00:09:35.599 --> 00:09:44.799 And they were uniquely able to enter into the holy places of God and to mediate the relationship between God and people. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:52.479 So both royalty and priests, they were privileges that you had to be born into. 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:53.839 You had to be born into the right family. 00:09:54.599 --> 00:10:00.459 So the idea that everybody would be royal priests was just unthinkable. 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:00.859 Right? 00:10:01.359 --> 00:10:03.099 Because these are massive privileges. 00:10:03.100 --> 00:10:05.879 And that's exactly what Peter is saying. 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:13.960 He's saying that every single Christian who puts their faith in Jesus Christ is born again into a royal priesthood. 00:10:14.700 --> 00:10:19.560 You're born into that chosen, set apart, privileged family. 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:26.399 And what this means is that every single Christian has all of the privileges of royalty in God's kingdom. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:27.740 Right? 00:10:27.820 --> 00:10:29.399 You have the place of honor at the table. 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:33.259 And every single Christian has direct access to God. 00:10:33.500 --> 00:10:38.240 A kind of access that the Old Testament priesthood couldn't have even imagined having. 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:42.220 So he says you're exiles and you are royal priests. 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:43.480 Every single one of you. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:50.899 And this is extremely important for understanding the identity of the church in the world today. 00:10:50.899 --> 00:10:55.519 Because, you know, when we use the word priest, we can easily get confused. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:59.279 Because in the church today, we use the word priest in a couple of different ways. 00:10:59.959 --> 00:11:04.240 In one sense, we use the word priest to describe an office in the church. 00:11:04.740 --> 00:11:06.019 Somebody who wears a collar. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:06.939 Somebody like me. 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:11.340 And we say, well, some churches have priests in them. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:17.120 And that word comes from the Greek word presbyteros, which essentially means elder. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:28.539 And what we see is that since the very beginning of the church, the apostles set aside certain people to serve the church as presbyteros, as priests, as elders. 00:11:28.959 --> 00:11:35.139 People to sort of oversee and manage the affairs of the church and God's people. 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:36.639 And so that's what I do. 00:11:36.699 --> 00:11:38.819 That's what a very small number of people do. 00:11:38.899 --> 00:11:40.159 We have that job in the church. 00:11:40.219 --> 00:11:40.779 It's an office. 00:11:40.779 --> 00:11:43.879 But here's the thing I want you to understand. 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:50.500 Our job and the reason that this office even exists is to serve you, the royal priesthood. 00:11:51.620 --> 00:12:00.759 So we are sort of priests who serve all of the other priests in God's family, in God's temple. 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:09.799 And so as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4, the job of people like me is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:15.939 Our job is to equip the royal priesthood to be a royal priesthood in the world. 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.899 And so our contract is essentially this. 00:12:19.179 --> 00:12:28.360 I keep you well fed so that you can go out and do all of the things, do all of the ministry that God has given you to do. 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.279 And that's how the relationship works. 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:35.019 And one of the biggest threats to the mission of the church is what we might call clericalism, 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:42.639 which is the mistaken belief that the clergy are the ones doing the real work of ministry on the front lines 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:47.179 and that it's the job of the church to support the kind of ordained people. 00:12:47.839 --> 00:12:52.720 You know, the pastors and the missionaries and the monks and the nuns, they're the real Christians. 00:12:52.959 --> 00:12:54.579 They're doing the real work of ministry. 00:12:55.259 --> 00:12:58.699 And everybody else's job in the congregation is to support what they do. 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:02.080 And what we need to emphasize here is we can't really emphasize this enough. 00:13:02.340 --> 00:13:08.080 That's the exact opposite of the way God, I believe, intended his church to function. 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:12.259 I mean, I stand up here for an hour and a half roughly every week. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:18.320 And you all are the ones sitting in the pews because this is the time for you to be fed. 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:23.120 This is the time for you to come together and to be fed and to be nourished. 00:13:23.320 --> 00:13:27.400 And we all sort of come together in prayer and around the word of God and around the table. 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:33.100 And so you need to be fed by word and by sacrament, right, for all that God has called you to do. 00:13:33.180 --> 00:13:35.120 So this is the time for you to sit in the pews. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.800 But that's about an hour and a half a week, give or take. 00:13:37.799 --> 00:13:46.219 For the remaining roughly 166 and a half hours of the week, you are the ones on the front lines and I'm the one behind the scenes. 00:13:47.199 --> 00:13:52.579 And you are the ones on the front lines doing the work of royal priests in the world. 00:13:53.159 --> 00:13:55.099 And I mean that in its fullest sense. 00:13:55.319 --> 00:13:59.620 Everywhere you go, you bring the presence of God with you. 00:13:59.620 --> 00:14:06.299 You have an ability to do what no Old Testament priest ever could have done because you don't need to go to the temple. 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:10.600 You don't need to go into the holy of holies in the temple. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.419 Wherever you go. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:17.379 And it might sound ridiculous to say, you know, when you go to Costco and you're standing in line, 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:23.779 you have with you, in you, the presence of the God who made the universe. 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.000 You're a royal priest. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:34.799 So when you walk into a room, people may not know it, but you are the single most important person they could possibly talk to. 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:36.620 Right? 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:42.639 If they really knew what they were doing in terms of networking, everybody would line up to talk to you. 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:50.940 Because you are the one with a royal priestly authority to bring them into the presence of the God of the universe. 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:58.880 One conversation with you, and they have a chance to actually know and be reconciled to the God who made them. 00:14:59.900 --> 00:15:01.580 Because you're a royal priest. 00:15:01.580 --> 00:15:13.080 And if we understand the identity of the church as exiles and royal priests, I think that begins to shape our sense of why we're here. 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:13.980 Our purpose. 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:18.420 We're exiles called to seek the welfare of the society where we've been sent. 00:15:18.780 --> 00:15:22.139 To be present everywhere, but not to be assimilated. 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:32.620 And we are royal priests who bring with us the authority of the kingdom of God and the presence of that God wherever we go. 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:35.360 Now just let that sink in. 00:15:36.819 --> 00:15:43.519 And so the job of the people up here, the job of the people who work for a church, is to make sure you have everything you need to do that. 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:45.840 It's to make sure you're well fed. 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:48.139 It's to pray for you. 00:15:48.820 --> 00:15:50.639 It's to do all we can to equip you. 00:15:51.720 --> 00:15:57.860 And then when you go out and you fight on the front lines, and you get beat up and you get wounded and you get tired and you get hungry, 00:15:58.040 --> 00:16:00.360 you come back and we patch you up here on Sunday. 00:16:00.920 --> 00:16:03.280 And then we send you back out to the front lines. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:04.620 And that's how it works. 00:16:05.639 --> 00:16:06.639 So we're exiles. 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:07.840 We're royal priests. 00:16:08.300 --> 00:16:13.600 That leads us into the second part, which is understanding the purpose of the church. 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:15.560 The purpose of the church. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:16.720 He says, 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:22.040 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:30.259 that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:32.460 To proclaim God's excellence. 00:16:33.300 --> 00:16:35.139 That's essentially our purpose. 00:16:35.399 --> 00:16:37.960 To proclaim God's excellence. 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:41.420 And that means to make it known far and wide. 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:44.500 So the word proclaim here is not just speaking. 00:16:45.659 --> 00:16:46.740 It's also living. 00:16:46.939 --> 00:16:49.019 I make God's excellence known in what I say. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.059 I make God's excellence known in what I do and how I live. 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.500 That's what a royal priest does. 00:16:54.579 --> 00:16:55.939 That's the job of a royal priest. 00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:58.400 So what does it look like to do this? 00:16:58.440 --> 00:16:59.660 I wanted to give you a few examples. 00:16:59.780 --> 00:17:01.680 You see them up on the screen right now. 00:17:01.760 --> 00:17:05.920 A few specific examples of ways we as a church proclaim God's excellence. 00:17:07.000 --> 00:17:08.700 The first example is simply this. 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:10.380 Through evangelism. 00:17:10.600 --> 00:17:14.240 That's the most obvious example of proclaiming God's excellence. 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.920 And evangelism is something that every Christian is called to do. 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:23.480 It's a part of how we respond to Jesus. 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.620 You see at the end of Matthew, that passage that I just read, 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:33.700 that Jesus gives that commandment, go and make disciples of all the nations, 00:17:34.539 --> 00:17:36.259 to his apostles. 00:17:36.259 --> 00:17:41.779 And then he tells them, go and tell everyone you know, everyone you meet, 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:45.619 everyone who becomes a disciple, to observe all that I've commanded you, 00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:48.440 including the commandment to go and make disciples. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:49.059 Right? 00:17:49.599 --> 00:17:51.819 And so this is something that applies to every Christian. 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:54.920 And it's a quintessential job of a royal priest, 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.480 is to make the presence and the glory of God known to people who need to know him. 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:05.039 And honestly, at its core, evangelism is simply proclaiming God's excellence. 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:13.839 Ideally, evangelism starts simply by telling people stories of how God has worked in your life. 00:18:14.879 --> 00:18:18.220 That's where evangelism really, I think, should begin. 00:18:19.180 --> 00:18:22.059 You know, this past week I was in Oregon, 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:29.079 and I found myself one night sitting at a table with just the most random mishmash of people. 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.420 And we're sitting there, and earlier in the trip, 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:36.120 somebody had asked what we all did, and it got to me. 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:39.740 And I said, you know, well, I'm a pastor back in D.C. 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:41.120 I'm a priest of an Anglican church. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:45.380 And I could tell that that was sort of an unexpected answer. 00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:48.840 You know, it's like doctor, lawyer, lawyer, doctor, priest. 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:51.060 And they're like, okay. 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:53.980 And so another day goes by, 00:18:54.100 --> 00:18:56.460 and then the third night we're all together at dinner, 00:18:56.460 --> 00:18:58.100 and somebody brings it back up and says, 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:00.840 well, how does somebody, none of these people were Christians. 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:04.059 And they say, well, how does somebody get into that kind of work, you know? 00:19:04.559 --> 00:19:08.700 And I said, well, honestly, I don't think it's going to make much sense to you 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:11.240 unless I tell you the story of how I came to faith. 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:13.460 Would you be interested in hearing that story? 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:16.660 And everybody at the table said, absolutely, we'd love to hear that story. 00:19:17.319 --> 00:19:19.039 And I'm inside thinking, really? 00:19:19.259 --> 00:19:20.200 You really want to hear? 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:22.279 Not many people, okay. 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:25.879 And so I just begin to tell the story of how I came to faith. 00:19:26.680 --> 00:19:28.500 And I get done with the story. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:32.299 And then somebody asks a question about Jesus, 00:19:32.480 --> 00:19:33.799 and somebody asks a question about the gospel. 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:36.720 And next thing I know, the entire dinner conversation, 00:19:37.399 --> 00:19:39.899 until the end of the night, we're talking about the gospel. 00:19:40.279 --> 00:19:41.319 And we're talking about Jesus. 00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:42.420 And we're talking about grace. 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:43.980 And we're talking about idolatry. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:46.839 And we're talking about how nothing that we put our hope in 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:48.279 is ever going to last and deliver. 00:19:48.399 --> 00:19:50.259 And we're talking about how Jesus is the only thing, 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:52.099 the only one that we're ever meant to know and follow. 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:55.440 But it all launched out of just an opportunity to tell my story. 00:19:56.879 --> 00:20:01.599 And it was fascinating to me to realize that I'm not gifted in evangelism. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:04.619 If you know Lisa, our deacon, she's very gifted in evangelism. 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:06.240 I don't have the spiritual gift. 00:20:06.579 --> 00:20:08.779 But as a Christian, I know that I'm called to do it. 00:20:09.220 --> 00:20:11.759 And what you realize is that very often, you know, 00:20:11.799 --> 00:20:15.000 I didn't go in there with any kind of strategy, any kind of game plan, 00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:17.160 any kind of approach that I was going to take. 00:20:17.799 --> 00:20:19.460 I was just showing up and eating dinner. 00:20:20.460 --> 00:20:21.980 And God created the opportunity. 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:24.420 And that when God creates that opportunity, 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:28.079 all we have to do is respond with the truth. 00:20:28.859 --> 00:20:31.079 Well, here's how I've experienced God in my life. 00:20:31.500 --> 00:20:32.740 Here's what God's done for me. 00:20:32.879 --> 00:20:35.279 We are proclaiming God's excellence when we do that. 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:38.299 And then when people want to know more and they want to know more 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:38.920 and they want to know more, 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:40.799 all of a sudden you find yourself laying out 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.119 all of the core aspects of our faith 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:47.879 and why we put our hope in Jesus above anyone else. 00:20:49.079 --> 00:20:51.099 And I think that's where good evangelism starts. 00:20:52.159 --> 00:20:53.659 And, you know, we live in a culture 00:20:53.659 --> 00:20:57.899 that I think increasingly rejects the idea of organized religion, 00:20:57.900 --> 00:21:00.980 but story has a real power. 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:04.019 People really put value on stories. 00:21:05.320 --> 00:21:07.759 And it's interesting how when you begin to tell your story, 00:21:07.840 --> 00:21:10.040 how people begin to rethink and question their own story 00:21:10.040 --> 00:21:13.780 in ways that I think God can use. 00:21:14.440 --> 00:21:16.539 So this is something that every single one of us can do. 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:18.940 So this is one of the ways that we proclaim God's excellence 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:20.480 through evangelism. 00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:23.339 Another way that we as a community 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:25.460 proclaim God's excellence in the world 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:28.980 is through ministries of justice and mercy. 00:21:29.420 --> 00:21:31.420 You know, unfortunately, you don't often see churches 00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:35.099 that emphasize both evangelism and justice and mercy. 00:21:35.259 --> 00:21:37.660 Typically, you have churches that emphasize evangelism, 00:21:37.740 --> 00:21:39.539 but they don't talk a lot about justice and vice versa. 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:42.639 But I think if you read Scripture thoroughly, 00:21:42.980 --> 00:21:45.839 it shows you pretty clearly how much God cares 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:49.279 about justice and mercy right alongside evangelism. 00:21:49.899 --> 00:21:51.940 You know, you read places like Isaiah 58 00:21:51.940 --> 00:21:53.579 where God says to His people, 00:21:54.019 --> 00:21:56.079 is not this the fast that I choose? 00:21:56.159 --> 00:21:58.159 In other words, do you really want to prove 00:21:58.159 --> 00:21:59.339 that you're my people? 00:21:59.619 --> 00:22:01.619 Do you really want to glorify my name? 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:03.579 Do you really want to show your devotion to me? 00:22:04.700 --> 00:22:06.779 Well, loose the bonds of wickedness. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.899 Undo the straps of the yoke. 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:10.820 Let the oppressed go free. 00:22:11.340 --> 00:22:12.519 Break every yoke. 00:22:13.019 --> 00:22:15.019 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry 00:22:15.019 --> 00:22:17.120 and bring the homeless poor into your house 00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:19.660 when you see the naked to cover him, right? 00:22:19.780 --> 00:22:20.759 This is God saying, 00:22:21.100 --> 00:22:23.400 if you want to glorify my name and proclaim my excellence, 00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:25.120 then you need to care about what I care about, 00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:30.500 to care the people that I want to care for, right? 00:22:30.540 --> 00:22:31.519 And then in Luke 11, 00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:36.080 Jesus actually accuses the Pharisees of hypocrisy. 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:38.039 And what he's talking about there is, 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:38.639 he says, 00:22:38.740 --> 00:22:42.559 you're overemphasizing certain forms of holiness and piety. 00:22:43.159 --> 00:22:45.079 You're tithing so meticulously 00:22:45.740 --> 00:22:49.079 that you're even tithing your herbs in your garden. 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:51.279 You're tithing your mint and your cumin. 00:22:52.579 --> 00:22:52.980 And he says, 00:22:53.059 --> 00:22:54.720 and yet you're neglecting the people 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:56.159 who are right in front of you, 00:22:56.740 --> 00:22:59.279 who are victims of poverty and injustice. 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:00.460 He says, 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:01.839 you're neglecting justice. 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:02.379 And he says, 00:23:02.439 --> 00:23:03.839 this is a form of hypocrisy. 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:04.199 He says, 00:23:04.379 --> 00:23:05.079 woe to you. 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:07.179 Woe to you, 00:23:07.279 --> 00:23:07.839 Pharisees. 00:23:08.899 --> 00:23:09.240 Right? 00:23:09.339 --> 00:23:11.000 And so the Bible again and again says 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:12.299 that some of the clearest evidence 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:13.579 of genuine Christian faith 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:15.579 is whether or not we care about justice and mercy 00:23:15.579 --> 00:23:17.720 for those who are vulnerable. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:19.139 And the Bible again and again and again 00:23:19.139 --> 00:23:20.899 has what many people have called 00:23:20.899 --> 00:23:22.199 the quartet of the vulnerable. 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:23.519 Again and again and again, 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:24.259 you see the widow, 00:23:24.459 --> 00:23:24.879 the orphan, 00:23:25.019 --> 00:23:25.399 the immigrant, 00:23:25.559 --> 00:23:26.019 and the poor. 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:27.039 The widow, 00:23:27.199 --> 00:23:27.579 the orphan, 00:23:27.699 --> 00:23:28.079 the immigrant, 00:23:28.179 --> 00:23:28.579 and the poor. 00:23:28.579 --> 00:23:31.500 These are the most vulnerable people in society. 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:32.740 And God says, 00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:33.539 if you care about me, 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:34.599 then you've got to care about them. 00:23:35.639 --> 00:23:37.879 And the best evidence that you care about me 00:23:37.879 --> 00:23:39.039 is that you care about them. 00:23:41.539 --> 00:23:41.960 Right? 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:44.079 So when we do the work of justice and mercy, 00:23:44.199 --> 00:23:45.699 we proclaim God's excellence 00:23:45.699 --> 00:23:47.099 because we're showing the world 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:48.339 what God cares about, 00:23:49.159 --> 00:23:50.359 who God cares about, 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:53.119 and we're giving people a preview 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:54.619 of the kind of world, 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:55.779 the kind of society 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:57.059 that God is establishing 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:57.859 through his kingdom. 00:23:58.579 --> 00:23:58.899 Right? 00:23:58.939 --> 00:23:59.299 We're saying, 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:00.500 see this here. 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:01.159 It's the same thing 00:24:01.159 --> 00:24:02.339 that Jesus did with his miracles. 00:24:03.299 --> 00:24:03.419 Right? 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:05.079 Why does Jesus heal the blind 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:05.919 and heal the lame 00:24:05.919 --> 00:24:09.179 and raise people from death? 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:09.980 Why does Jesus do that? 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.599 There are previews. 00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:13.899 There are ways for Jesus to say, 00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:14.839 one day when the kingdom 00:24:14.839 --> 00:24:15.679 is fully established, 00:24:15.919 --> 00:24:17.019 this is what everything 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:18.000 is going to be like. 00:24:18.259 --> 00:24:19.220 And that's what we do 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:20.519 when we do justice and mercy work. 00:24:20.599 --> 00:24:20.960 We're saying, 00:24:21.179 --> 00:24:21.359 you know, 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.720 this is the kind of world 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:23.639 that God is building, 00:24:23.879 --> 00:24:25.079 a kind of world 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:26.759 where this is true for everybody. 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:30.180 So this is why our church 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:31.440 places a high value 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.559 on supporting ministries 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.339 like Little Lights 00:24:33.339 --> 00:24:34.420 and the mentoring work 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:34.940 that they do. 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:37.039 Or ministries like DZ 127 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:38.279 and the foster care 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:39.640 and adoption work 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:40.279 that they do. 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:41.019 Right? 00:24:41.079 --> 00:24:42.460 This is why we prioritize 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:44.019 ministries that help us 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:45.339 show the world 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:46.400 the heart of God. 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:48.019 It's why we have new ministries 00:24:48.019 --> 00:24:49.940 like the Antioch ministry 00:24:49.940 --> 00:24:50.859 that's devoted 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:52.039 to building cross-cultural 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:52.659 relationships 00:24:52.659 --> 00:24:53.440 with other churches 00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:54.659 in the city. 00:24:55.379 --> 00:24:56.319 It's the same reason. 00:24:56.700 --> 00:24:57.879 This shows the heart 00:24:57.879 --> 00:24:58.559 of God to the world. 00:24:58.659 --> 00:24:59.859 This proclaims His excellence. 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.559 So we have evangelism, 00:25:02.859 --> 00:25:03.519 we have ministries 00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:04.399 of justice and mercy, 00:25:04.519 --> 00:25:05.240 and then finally, 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.019 we have vocational ministry. 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:09.619 And there's a reason 00:25:09.619 --> 00:25:10.779 that I wanted to end on this. 00:25:11.779 --> 00:25:12.559 Here's the reason. 00:25:13.480 --> 00:25:13.879 Evangelism, 00:25:14.099 --> 00:25:14.819 centrally important. 00:25:14.960 --> 00:25:15.559 Justice and mercy, 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:16.399 centrally important. 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.880 But when people ask, 00:25:19.180 --> 00:25:20.880 what ministries do you have 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:21.740 at Church of the Advent? 00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:23.000 Get asked that a lot. 00:25:23.960 --> 00:25:24.820 What ministries, 00:25:25.040 --> 00:25:25.900 what are you guys doing? 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:28.140 I say, you know, 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:29.000 my first answer 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.860 is pretty simple. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:30.840 I say, you want to know 00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:31.780 our primary ministry? 00:25:32.360 --> 00:25:33.259 It's our people. 00:25:34.620 --> 00:25:35.320 It's our people. 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:38.780 You are our primary ministry 00:25:38.780 --> 00:25:41.220 through your vocation, 00:25:42.380 --> 00:25:43.340 through what God 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:44.340 has called you to do 00:25:44.340 --> 00:25:45.280 and equipped you to do 00:25:45.280 --> 00:25:46.120 in the world. 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:47.379 And the word vocation 00:25:47.379 --> 00:25:48.919 simply means calling. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.979 All Christians have 00:25:51.979 --> 00:25:52.919 two vocations. 00:25:53.919 --> 00:25:54.479 This is the way 00:25:54.479 --> 00:25:55.159 the Puritans used 00:25:55.159 --> 00:25:55.819 to break it down. 00:25:56.399 --> 00:25:56.679 They would say, 00:25:56.759 --> 00:25:57.559 all Christians have 00:25:57.559 --> 00:25:58.359 two vocations. 00:25:58.679 --> 00:26:00.099 You have a general calling 00:26:00.099 --> 00:26:01.039 and you have 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:02.139 a particular calling. 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:04.119 Your general calling 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:05.059 is everything that we've 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:05.599 been talking about 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:06.279 up to this point. 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:07.139 You are called 00:26:07.139 --> 00:26:07.839 to follow Jesus. 00:26:08.219 --> 00:26:09.539 You're called to evangelism, 00:26:09.619 --> 00:26:10.359 to share the gospel. 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:11.539 You're called to do 00:26:11.539 --> 00:26:12.299 the work of justice 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:12.799 and mercy. 00:26:13.259 --> 00:26:13.859 Everything that we've 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:14.339 been talking about, 00:26:14.539 --> 00:26:15.259 that's all your 00:26:15.259 --> 00:26:16.019 general calling. 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:16.839 All Christians are 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:17.419 called to do those 00:26:17.419 --> 00:26:17.739 things. 00:26:18.739 --> 00:26:20.279 But you also have 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:21.639 a particular calling. 00:26:22.479 --> 00:26:23.579 This is a specific 00:26:23.579 --> 00:26:25.119 occupation that God 00:26:25.119 --> 00:26:26.439 has called you to 00:26:26.439 --> 00:26:28.319 that uses your gifts 00:26:28.319 --> 00:26:29.000 and that it uses 00:26:29.000 --> 00:26:29.919 your talents 00:26:29.919 --> 00:26:31.500 and uses your aptitudes 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:32.859 and uses your passions 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:34.419 to do things 00:26:34.419 --> 00:26:35.279 that other Christians 00:26:35.279 --> 00:26:36.479 may not necessarily 00:26:36.479 --> 00:26:37.339 be called to do. 00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:39.199 right? 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:40.619 So whether you build 00:26:40.619 --> 00:26:41.740 or you cook 00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:43.099 or you raise children 00:26:43.099 --> 00:26:44.000 or you paint 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:45.119 or you organize 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.139 or you clean 00:26:46.139 --> 00:26:47.279 or you lead 00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:48.259 or administrate 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:49.000 or sell 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.799 or manage 00:26:49.799 --> 00:26:50.500 or counsel 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:51.379 or support 00:26:51.379 --> 00:26:52.220 or advise 00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:52.839 or oversee 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:53.839 or inspire 00:26:53.839 --> 00:26:54.779 or teach, 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:57.299 there are certain 00:26:57.299 --> 00:26:58.439 roles that God 00:26:58.439 --> 00:26:59.159 has designed 00:26:59.159 --> 00:27:00.059 and equipped you 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:01.220 to fill 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:04.279 roles that you 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:05.120 play in his kingdom. 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:07.640 And I'm not 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:08.960 talking only about 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:09.960 you doing those 00:27:09.960 --> 00:27:11.660 things in the church. 00:27:12.240 --> 00:27:13.240 I'm talking about 00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:13.860 you doing those 00:27:13.860 --> 00:27:15.660 things as the church 00:27:15.660 --> 00:27:17.819 in all of the world, 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:18.839 wherever God 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:19.380 puts you. 00:27:19.380 --> 00:27:21.640 And the thing is, 00:27:21.700 --> 00:27:22.240 if you imagine 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:23.800 two overlapping circles 00:27:23.800 --> 00:27:24.900 like a Venn diagram, 00:27:25.300 --> 00:27:26.380 your vocation 00:27:26.380 --> 00:27:28.340 may not necessarily 00:27:28.340 --> 00:27:28.980 line up 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:29.940 with your current job 00:27:29.940 --> 00:27:30.500 or career. 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:31.640 Right? 00:27:31.740 --> 00:27:32.180 Ideally, 00:27:32.320 --> 00:27:33.260 your vocation 00:27:33.260 --> 00:27:34.660 and your job 00:27:34.660 --> 00:27:35.420 or your career 00:27:35.420 --> 00:27:36.140 that there's 00:27:36.140 --> 00:27:36.840 some overlap. 00:27:37.780 --> 00:27:38.460 Some of us, 00:27:38.520 --> 00:27:39.300 it may be like this. 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:41.000 You gotta make money, 00:27:41.260 --> 00:27:41.960 but this is really 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:42.460 your calling. 00:27:43.280 --> 00:27:43.740 Ideally, 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:44.720 there's some overlap 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:45.340 and ideally, 00:27:45.540 --> 00:27:46.160 over time, 00:27:46.280 --> 00:27:47.560 part of your Christian maturity, 00:27:47.740 --> 00:27:48.960 part of your discipleship, 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:50.259 is getting more 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:50.900 and more clear 00:27:50.900 --> 00:27:52.759 on what your vocation is 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:54.860 so that you can spend 00:27:54.860 --> 00:27:55.840 more and more 00:27:55.840 --> 00:27:57.019 and more of your time 00:27:57.019 --> 00:27:58.880 pulling those things together. 00:28:01.079 --> 00:28:01.559 And, you know, 00:28:01.620 --> 00:28:02.279 Amy Sherman 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:03.079 writes about this 00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:03.600 and she says 00:28:03.600 --> 00:28:04.400 that our vocation 00:28:04.400 --> 00:28:05.319 is typically found 00:28:05.319 --> 00:28:06.079 at the intersection 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:07.000 of three things. 00:28:08.059 --> 00:28:09.059 God's priorities, 00:28:10.279 --> 00:28:11.279 your gifts, 00:28:11.500 --> 00:28:11.860 talents, 00:28:12.059 --> 00:28:12.420 passions, 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:13.380 interests, 00:28:13.700 --> 00:28:14.240 aptitudes, 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:16.620 and then the world's needs. 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:18.979 You pull all 00:28:18.979 --> 00:28:19.919 of those things together 00:28:19.919 --> 00:28:21.939 and you will find 00:28:21.939 --> 00:28:22.959 where those things 00:28:22.959 --> 00:28:23.979 intersect for you 00:28:23.979 --> 00:28:26.019 a sense of vocation. 00:28:27.059 --> 00:28:28.039 And it's the work 00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:28.539 of the church 00:28:28.539 --> 00:28:29.259 to help you 00:28:29.259 --> 00:28:30.099 figure that out. 00:28:30.879 --> 00:28:31.839 That's part of how 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:33.099 we equip you 00:28:33.099 --> 00:28:33.759 for the work 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:34.179 of ministry 00:28:34.179 --> 00:28:34.719 in the world. 00:28:36.299 --> 00:28:37.399 That's our responsibility 00:28:37.399 --> 00:28:38.159 as a community. 00:28:39.639 --> 00:28:40.659 And so what I want you 00:28:40.659 --> 00:28:41.359 to take from this 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:42.099 is that the work 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:42.899 that you do 00:28:42.899 --> 00:28:43.899 day in and day out, 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:45.940 that work matters 00:28:45.940 --> 00:28:46.360 to God 00:28:46.360 --> 00:28:46.800 more than you 00:28:46.800 --> 00:28:47.780 can possibly imagine. 00:28:48.620 --> 00:28:49.700 It is one 00:28:49.700 --> 00:28:50.660 of the ways, 00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:51.519 and I would say 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:52.220 as a church, 00:28:52.780 --> 00:28:54.060 a central way 00:28:54.060 --> 00:28:55.620 that God uses you 00:28:55.620 --> 00:28:56.259 to accomplish 00:28:56.259 --> 00:28:56.940 his purposes 00:28:56.940 --> 00:28:58.180 in the world. 00:28:58.300 --> 00:28:58.660 And Julian, 00:28:58.740 --> 00:28:59.240 if we could put 00:28:59.240 --> 00:28:59.780 this quote up 00:28:59.780 --> 00:29:00.300 on the screen, 00:29:01.040 --> 00:29:01.940 I want you to see this, 00:29:01.980 --> 00:29:02.540 I want you to hear it, 00:29:02.540 --> 00:29:03.380 I want you to remember it. 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:04.660 N.T. Wright says this 00:29:04.660 --> 00:29:05.040 in his book 00:29:05.040 --> 00:29:05.940 Surprised by Hope. 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:07.240 What you do 00:29:07.240 --> 00:29:07.980 in the present 00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:08.900 by painting, 00:29:09.180 --> 00:29:09.460 preaching, 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:09.960 singing, 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:10.420 sewing, 00:29:10.660 --> 00:29:10.920 praying, 00:29:11.160 --> 00:29:11.500 teaching, 00:29:11.900 --> 00:29:12.620 building hospitals, 00:29:12.780 --> 00:29:13.300 digging wells, 00:29:13.299 --> 00:29:14.319 campaigning for justice, 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:15.079 writing poems, 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:16.000 caring for the needy, 00:29:16.299 --> 00:29:16.839 loving your neighbor 00:29:16.839 --> 00:29:17.399 as yourself. 00:29:18.299 --> 00:29:19.099 And you can add 00:29:19.099 --> 00:29:19.779 into that list 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:20.339 however, 00:29:20.579 --> 00:29:21.200 whatever you feel 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:21.839 called to do 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:22.599 in the world. 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:24.399 Whatever you do 00:29:24.399 --> 00:29:25.500 will last 00:29:25.500 --> 00:29:26.359 into God's future. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:27.599 These activities 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:29.099 are not simply ways 00:29:29.099 --> 00:29:30.440 of making the present life 00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:31.700 a little less beastly, 00:29:32.039 --> 00:29:33.039 a little more bearable, 00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:33.980 until the day 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:34.960 when we leave it behind 00:29:34.960 --> 00:29:35.539 altogether. 00:29:36.740 --> 00:29:37.379 Last sentence. 00:29:38.099 --> 00:29:38.680 Listen to this. 00:29:39.099 --> 00:29:39.720 They are part 00:29:39.720 --> 00:29:40.899 of what we may call 00:29:40.899 --> 00:29:41.960 God built, 00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:43.160 what we may call 00:29:43.160 --> 00:29:44.579 building for God's kingdom. 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:47.059 That when you do 00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:47.819 the work that God 00:29:47.819 --> 00:29:48.779 has called you to do, 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:49.759 that is a part 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:50.420 of building 00:29:50.420 --> 00:29:51.360 for God's kingdom. 00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:53.559 It's building 00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:54.279 for God's kingdom. 00:29:55.319 --> 00:29:56.960 So our primary ministry 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:57.799 at Church of the Advent 00:29:57.799 --> 00:29:58.400 is you. 00:29:59.180 --> 00:30:00.340 Doing the work, 00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:01.980 doing your job, 00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:04.160 doing your vocation 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:05.559 with excellence, 00:30:05.740 --> 00:30:07.180 with excellence 00:30:07.180 --> 00:30:08.000 for God's glory. 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:09.860 Right? 00:30:09.859 --> 00:30:11.779 So when I see you 00:30:11.779 --> 00:30:12.359 doing something 00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:13.519 that you're phenomenally 00:30:13.519 --> 00:30:14.000 good at 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:14.359 and something 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:15.459 that you love to do, 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:16.559 when I see your heart 00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:17.559 singing 00:30:17.559 --> 00:30:19.339 because you are 00:30:19.339 --> 00:30:20.139 doing the thing 00:30:20.139 --> 00:30:20.979 that God has put you 00:30:20.979 --> 00:30:21.639 here to do, 00:30:22.740 --> 00:30:24.139 that is proclaiming 00:30:24.139 --> 00:30:24.799 God's excellence. 00:30:26.019 --> 00:30:27.139 The world looks at that 00:30:27.139 --> 00:30:27.459 and says, 00:30:27.539 --> 00:30:28.179 and this is what Paul 00:30:28.179 --> 00:30:29.039 says in Colossians, 00:30:29.379 --> 00:30:30.219 do everything, 00:30:30.399 --> 00:30:31.099 work hard, 00:30:31.199 --> 00:30:31.759 work earnestly, 00:30:31.879 --> 00:30:32.759 work with all your heart 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:33.319 as though you were 00:30:33.319 --> 00:30:34.000 working for Christ 00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:34.740 because that's exactly 00:30:34.740 --> 00:30:35.279 what you're doing. 00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:38.200 So you're our 00:30:38.200 --> 00:30:38.899 primary ministry. 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:39.960 You royal priests, 00:30:40.139 --> 00:30:40.839 you exiles, 00:30:41.180 --> 00:30:42.420 you who are called 00:30:42.420 --> 00:30:43.519 not only to generally 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:44.359 follow Jesus 00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:45.440 but to the specific 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:46.139 things that God 00:30:46.139 --> 00:30:47.019 has put you here to do. 00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:49.680 So bringing all of this 00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:50.440 back to the mission 00:30:50.440 --> 00:30:50.960 of our church, 00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:52.460 we exist to join people 00:30:52.460 --> 00:30:53.619 to Christ's work 00:30:53.619 --> 00:30:54.539 of renewal 00:30:54.539 --> 00:30:56.000 in all of the ways 00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:57.180 that I've just described. 00:30:57.559 --> 00:30:58.399 Jesus has risen 00:30:58.399 --> 00:30:59.139 from the grave. 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:00.220 One day Jesus 00:31:00.220 --> 00:31:01.019 will resurrect 00:31:01.019 --> 00:31:02.339 and restore this world. 00:31:03.220 --> 00:31:04.220 And because of the cross, 00:31:04.220 --> 00:31:05.039 we who were once 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:06.120 caught off from God 00:31:06.120 --> 00:31:07.539 because of sin 00:31:07.539 --> 00:31:08.680 are not only reconciled 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:08.980 to Him 00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:09.819 but we gain the 00:31:09.819 --> 00:31:10.920 unimaginable privilege 00:31:10.920 --> 00:31:11.880 of joining in 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:13.700 the work of renewal. 00:31:14.000 --> 00:31:14.860 And so part of what 00:31:14.860 --> 00:31:15.519 we do as a church 00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:17.539 is to join people 00:31:17.539 --> 00:31:18.539 into the work 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:19.480 that Christ is already 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:20.420 doing in the world. 00:31:22.120 --> 00:31:22.740 And this means 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:23.880 supporting and equipping 00:31:23.880 --> 00:31:25.000 you in your general 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:25.660 vocation 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:26.660 to follow Jesus 00:31:26.660 --> 00:31:27.160 faithfully 00:31:27.160 --> 00:31:27.799 and be holy 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:28.480 and set apart, 00:31:29.059 --> 00:31:30.059 to share the gospel, 00:31:30.500 --> 00:31:31.079 to do the work 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:32.000 of justice and mercy, 00:31:32.660 --> 00:31:33.720 and also supporting 00:31:33.720 --> 00:31:34.400 and equipping you 00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:35.240 for your particular 00:31:35.240 --> 00:31:35.880 vocation, 00:31:36.259 --> 00:31:37.079 helping you discern 00:31:37.079 --> 00:31:37.799 what has God 00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:38.839 called you to do, 00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:40.980 how do you integrate 00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:41.660 your faith 00:31:41.660 --> 00:31:42.720 into your work, 00:31:43.539 --> 00:31:45.000 and making sure 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:45.819 you understand 00:31:45.819 --> 00:31:46.559 the importance 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:47.279 of your work 00:31:47.279 --> 00:31:48.299 for God's kingdom. 00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:50.500 Because God 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:51.519 has made you 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:52.660 for His purposes 00:31:52.660 --> 00:31:54.519 and until you 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:55.519 understand that, 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:56.920 your life is never 00:31:56.920 --> 00:31:57.819 going to make sense. 00:31:58.860 --> 00:31:59.700 Let's pray. 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:04.220 Lord, we thank you 00:32:04.220 --> 00:32:06.200 for your ministry 00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:06.720 in the world. 00:32:07.580 --> 00:32:08.279 All we do 00:32:08.279 --> 00:32:08.860 is a response 00:32:08.860 --> 00:32:09.740 to your ministry 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:10.259 in the world. 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:12.299 The fact is, 00:32:12.340 --> 00:32:13.200 as your word says, 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:14.080 once we were not 00:32:14.080 --> 00:32:14.500 a people, 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:16.340 once we were cut off 00:32:16.340 --> 00:32:17.000 and alienated, 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:18.620 but now because of you 00:32:18.620 --> 00:32:19.460 we are a people. 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:21.460 We thank you 00:32:21.460 --> 00:32:21.980 for your ministry 00:32:21.980 --> 00:32:22.740 and we thank you 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:23.400 for the honor 00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:24.080 and the privilege 00:32:24.080 --> 00:32:25.120 of not just sitting 00:32:25.120 --> 00:32:25.880 on the sidelines 00:32:25.880 --> 00:32:26.519 and watching you 00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:27.160 do your thing, 00:32:27.380 --> 00:32:28.000 but the fact that you 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:29.960 call us into your ministry. 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:30.779 You call us 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:31.859 to partner with you, 00:32:32.700 --> 00:32:34.079 to join with you 00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:35.140 in your work of renewal 00:32:35.140 --> 00:32:36.220 in this world, Lord. 00:32:36.740 --> 00:32:37.579 I thank you 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:38.940 for calling us, Lord, 00:32:38.980 --> 00:32:39.299 in the ways 00:32:39.299 --> 00:32:40.200 that we're all called 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:41.839 to tell people about you 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:44.299 and to show your heart 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:45.519 to the world 00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:46.859 and those we care for. 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:48.140 And Lord, 00:32:48.200 --> 00:32:49.039 I also thank you 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:49.740 for the particular 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:50.619 colleagues that you've 00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:51.400 given each one of us 00:32:51.400 --> 00:32:52.299 and I pray that 00:32:52.299 --> 00:32:53.839 you would give us 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:54.460 through the power 00:32:54.460 --> 00:32:55.160 of your Holy Spirit 00:32:55.160 --> 00:32:56.440 greater and greater clarity 00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:57.420 over what that is 00:32:57.420 --> 00:32:58.820 and that, Lord, 00:32:58.920 --> 00:33:00.340 you would inspire us, 00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:02.200 that you would give us 00:33:02.200 --> 00:33:02.759 the boldness 00:33:02.759 --> 00:33:03.160 and the freedom 00:33:03.160 --> 00:33:03.720 as a community 00:33:03.720 --> 00:33:04.480 to speak truth 00:33:04.480 --> 00:33:05.080 to one another 00:33:05.080 --> 00:33:06.580 in our discernment, 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:07.920 that when we see 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:08.820 things happening, 00:33:09.240 --> 00:33:09.779 Lord, 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:11.340 that remind us of you, 00:33:11.420 --> 00:33:12.080 that put your glory 00:33:12.080 --> 00:33:12.500 on display, 00:33:12.600 --> 00:33:13.600 that we would speak up, 00:33:14.100 --> 00:33:14.779 that we would affirm 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:15.620 that in one another. 00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:16.440 Lord, 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:17.440 I pray that in all 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:18.180 that we're called to do, 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:18.800 all of the work 00:33:18.800 --> 00:33:19.660 that we're called to do, 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:20.640 no matter how menial, 00:33:20.740 --> 00:33:21.920 no matter how unimportant 00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:22.580 it might feel, 00:33:22.759 --> 00:33:24.060 that we would do all of it 00:33:24.060 --> 00:33:26.519 with our eyes fixed on you, 00:33:26.519 --> 00:33:27.740 Lord, 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:28.920 in the light of your pleasure, 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:30.779 seeking only to bring you 00:33:30.779 --> 00:33:31.319 more glory 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:33.019 and proclaim your excellence 00:33:33.019 --> 00:33:33.559 to the world. 00:33:34.200 --> 00:33:34.859 We pray this in your 00:33:34.859 --> 00:33:35.599 Son's holy name. 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.259 Amen.