WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.160 Well, again, let me welcome you to the Brooklyn Parish. 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:10.460 If this is your first time with us, if you're normally a part of Columbia Heights, welcome. 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:14.800 If this is your first time with Advent, especially we'd like to welcome you. 00:00:15.580 --> 00:00:18.699 Every now and then we get an opportunity to gather all together. 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:23.940 It's always very exciting to be in one space together for worship. 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:30.280 I want to ask you a question that may sound a bit unique. 00:00:30.400 --> 00:00:34.740 A lot of times we ask, where are you right now? 00:00:34.900 --> 00:00:36.340 What are you doing? 00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:41.320 Or you might be on the phone with somebody and you ask, so where are you at this moment as we're talking? 00:00:41.939 --> 00:00:43.659 But I want to ask a slightly different question. 00:00:44.180 --> 00:00:47.240 I want to ask, when are you right now? 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:49.380 When are you? 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:52.820 Are you here? 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:55.339 You can be honest. 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:58.699 Are you here, fully present in this moment? 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:05.179 Or are you maybe still stuck somewhere in the past? 00:01:06.819 --> 00:01:15.700 When I have hard conversations, sometimes I will rehearse and rehearse and rehearse and rehearse and perseverate and perseverate on those conversations. 00:01:15.700 --> 00:01:23.240 So, are you still stuck in an argument you had a week ago or maybe this morning on the way to church rather than here? 00:01:25.140 --> 00:01:29.560 Are you dwelling somewhere in a hypothetical future? 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:37.879 Are you anticipating all of the logistical challenges of the Thanksgiving week? 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:41.339 Are you thinking about tomorrow morning? 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:44.799 If you have a lot of work waiting for you that you have to get done? 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:48.060 Are you stuck somewhere in some hypothetical future? 00:01:48.199 --> 00:01:53.780 Some people live 10, 15 years down the road in the hypothetical world where all of their worst fears have come true. 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:57.340 So, when are you right now? 00:01:57.340 --> 00:02:05.439 I think if you're anything like me, you often feel not fully present here and now, but you rather feel like Bilbo Baggins who said, 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:11.400 I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter spread over too much bread. 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:29.259 Are you open to the possibility that the reason we feel this way, the reason that we so often feel tired and overcommitted and overwhelmed and stressed out 00:02:29.259 --> 00:02:32.680 is because we have a very dysfunctional relationship with time? 00:02:35.420 --> 00:02:38.439 We're in a series called Stewardship as Counterculture. 00:02:38.439 --> 00:02:43.759 And that's based on the truth that God owns everything and we are made to be stewards. 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:55.139 And what we're seeing every week is that when we live like owners, that results in dysfunctional relationships with God and with the people around us. 00:02:56.120 --> 00:03:05.599 And that when we live in a way that honors God as being God, when we live like stewards, we experience freedom and healing and wholeness. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:14.079 So, the question that we want to consider this morning for a little while is how can we cultivate a healthy stewardship of time, 00:03:14.579 --> 00:03:17.759 a relationship with the time that God has given us. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:25.599 And we're going to be looking at Ecclesiastes 3, 1 through 15 and Matthew 11, 25 through 30. 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:27.400 And we're going to see three things. 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:35.900 It's stewardship of time requires that we relinquish our control to God, that we rest in the Son of God, 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.240 and that we then restructure our lives around God. 00:03:40.379 --> 00:03:47.159 So, relinquish control, rest in the Son of God, and then restructure our lives around God. 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:47.960 Let's pray. 00:03:50.340 --> 00:03:53.360 Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for your word. 00:03:53.719 --> 00:03:56.120 We thank you for the freedom to gather around it. 00:03:56.120 --> 00:04:04.039 We pray that as we open your written word, that you would, in the power of your Spirit, reveal to us the living word, Jesus Christ. 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:07.980 Help us make good use of this time for your glory. 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:09.560 In your Son's name, amen. 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:20.319 So, the first thing we want to talk about is that stewardship of time cannot happen unless we relinquish control to God. 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:23.899 Ecclesiastes is a fascinating book. 00:04:23.899 --> 00:04:28.639 If you haven't spent much time in it, it's a cynical book. 00:04:29.179 --> 00:04:32.079 It's a book that very much fits with our modern culture. 00:04:32.779 --> 00:04:37.019 It's essentially about the secular humanist search for meaning. 00:04:38.159 --> 00:04:43.699 And it's written around a central character called the teacher, although he's much more like a seeker. 00:04:43.699 --> 00:04:53.599 Because throughout the book, he's seeking the meaning of life, but he's doing it by looking only at what is under the sun. 00:04:54.620 --> 00:05:01.639 That is to say, he's looking for the meaning of life apart from relationship with a personal God. 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:04.680 He's only considering what is under the sun. 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:12.199 And as you come to chapter 3, he's reflecting on the timing of different things that happen in our lives. 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:16.199 So, in verses 1 through 8, we have all of these word pairs. 00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:19.620 And you think of the song from the birds, you know. 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:23.879 There's a time for birth and a time for death. 00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:27.040 There's a time for planting and a time for plucking up. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.040 There's a time for weeping and a time for laughter. 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:31.360 Everything has its time. 00:05:31.360 --> 00:05:37.080 And in Hebrew poetry, this is a literary device that is meant to convey totality. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:38.560 Right? 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:42.939 So, he's saying there's a time for everything that encompasses human life. 00:05:43.020 --> 00:05:44.480 It all has a time. 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.120 And, you know, for years I read these verses. 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:58.060 And for years I thought that this was encouraging us that we needed to recognize that it is sometimes appropriate to weep. 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:04.500 That it's sometimes appropriate to laugh or to dance or to plant or to pull up and so on and so forth. 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:06.019 But that's not actually what it's saying. 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:09.959 I had a kind of insight when I was looking at this again. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:11.019 That's not what it's saying. 00:06:11.079 --> 00:06:13.040 I was inserting those words. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:18.920 What it's actually literally saying is the time comes for these things. 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.480 Whether we like it or not. 00:06:23.140 --> 00:06:27.660 The time comes when these things happen to us. 00:06:28.259 --> 00:06:31.980 And the point of these first eight verses is simply this. 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:36.700 Life happens to us and we cannot control the timing. 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:39.000 Things happen. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:44.500 So, you didn't get any say in when you were born. 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:46.879 It happened to you. 00:06:48.339 --> 00:06:51.839 Likewise, you will not really get any say in when you die. 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:54.579 It will happen to you. 00:06:55.019 --> 00:06:55.220 Right? 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.839 We don't get a say in when we weep. 00:07:00.500 --> 00:07:02.040 Things happen and we weep. 00:07:02.040 --> 00:07:07.920 We don't know the next time that we will be free to laugh. 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:10.540 Because we may be weeping. 00:07:11.700 --> 00:07:12.160 Right? 00:07:12.220 --> 00:07:16.520 It's like that old quote, life is what happens to us while we're making other plans. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:18.200 Right? 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:22.939 We can plan the perfect wedding but then a breakup happens. 00:07:24.080 --> 00:07:24.920 Didn't see it coming. 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:34.120 We can plan a great career path but then a pregnancy happens. 00:07:34.980 --> 00:07:36.759 And you got to make hard choices. 00:07:37.500 --> 00:07:37.620 Right? 00:07:37.700 --> 00:07:40.600 We can plan to have kids but then infertility happens. 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:46.379 We can plan to go to grad school but then a rejection letter happens. 00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:48.319 And now what do I do? 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:53.660 We can plan all kinds of things but then life happens to us regardless. 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:59.500 And then what's more, verse 11 says that God has made us so that we cannot comprehend 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:02.740 or understand all of his actions throughout history. 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:08.360 So it's saying in other words, we're never fully going to see the big picture of how it 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:09.300 all fits together. 00:08:09.460 --> 00:08:13.120 How God weaves all of these things together for his purposes. 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:15.700 It's saying clearly we're never going to get that big picture. 00:08:16.100 --> 00:08:16.820 This side of heaven. 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:21.340 So this is the first thing that we need to realize when it comes to time. 00:08:21.339 --> 00:08:24.439 That we are not in control of it. 00:08:24.619 --> 00:08:29.479 We don't control the times or the timing of our lives. 00:08:30.979 --> 00:08:35.600 So the question then becomes, do you trust God? 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.519 Do you trust him enough to relinquish control of time to him? 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:46.399 Knowing that you're going to be working with limited information. 00:08:47.079 --> 00:08:48.220 Do you trust him? 00:08:49.319 --> 00:08:56.179 There was a play on Broadway some years ago called The Search for Intelligent Life. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:08:58.399 And it starred Lily Tomlin. 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:00.679 If you know Lily Tomlin, phenomenally talented. 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:04.519 And it's a brilliantly written one-woman play. 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:11.500 And the opening monologue is Lily Tomlin plays this bag lady named Trudy. 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:13.259 And it's hysterical. 00:09:13.939 --> 00:09:18.699 And Trudy goes on this whole riff about all, she says, you know, I think you should know 00:09:18.699 --> 00:09:19.519 I worry a lot. 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:22.539 And I worry about this and I worry about that. 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:27.720 You know, she says, you know, if peanut oil comes from peanuts and coconut oil comes from 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:29.620 coconuts, then where does baby oil come from? 00:09:29.620 --> 00:09:32.799 And she just goes on and on about all the things she worries about. 00:09:33.980 --> 00:09:38.519 And at the end of this kind of, you know, list of all of her anxiety, she sort of stops 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:45.679 and she looks up and she says, I worry where today fits in the cosmic scheme of things. 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:53.500 And then she says, I wonder, I worry that there is no cosmic scheme of things. 00:09:54.100 --> 00:09:57.240 And that seems to be the pinnacle of her anxiety. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:09:59.639 And I think it's brilliant because it's right on. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:05.320 That question really lies at the heart of most of the anxiety we feel. 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:09.899 Is there a great cosmic scheme of things? 00:10:10.539 --> 00:10:16.159 Is there a God out there orchestrating all of this in some way that makes sense? 00:10:16.340 --> 00:10:19.180 Or is it all just random and meaningless? 00:10:19.659 --> 00:10:24.320 As Ecclesiastes would say, emptiness, emptiness, all is emptiness. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:28.100 Is there a great scheme of things? 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:30.379 Is there a God in control? 00:10:30.520 --> 00:10:31.920 And can we trust that God? 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:35.120 That's a foundational question. 00:10:37.620 --> 00:10:42.300 So in other words, when you look at your life, do you trust God's timing or not? 00:10:42.420 --> 00:10:43.280 You know what that means. 00:10:43.520 --> 00:10:49.080 If you trust God's timing, it means that you thank him and you praise him even when things 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:50.020 are not going your way. 00:10:50.019 --> 00:10:53.159 Because you trust his timing more than your own. 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:59.439 It means, as the serenity prayer goes, having the courage to accept the things we cannot change. 00:10:59.860 --> 00:11:00.899 Because we trust God. 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:05.480 So this is the first thing we need to understand when it comes to the stewardship of time. 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:08.279 We have to relinquish control of time to God. 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:15.379 The next thing we have to do is we need to begin to learn how to rest in the Son of God. 00:11:15.459 --> 00:11:17.120 To rest in the Son of God. 00:11:18.579 --> 00:11:23.519 Now the reason we need to rest, the reason that you need to think more about rest in your life 00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:27.639 is not just because you're tired or overcommitted or overwhelmed. 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:33.079 Underneath all of that, we need to rest because we are restless. 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:36.419 Human beings are inherently restless. 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:39.339 Think about your life for a second. 00:11:39.479 --> 00:11:45.339 Think about the stress, the urgency that you constantly feel, that sense of the tyranny 00:11:45.339 --> 00:11:51.779 of time always marching on, always being 10 minutes behind the next thing you need to 00:11:51.779 --> 00:11:52.240 get to. 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:55.719 What are the reasons for that? 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:01.299 You know, you ask people and some people say, well, we live in a society that overvalues 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:03.699 productivity and that's why we're all stressed out. 00:12:03.819 --> 00:12:04.719 Yeah, that's probably true. 00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:10.660 Other people would say, well, our society rewards overachievement and so our bosses and 00:12:10.660 --> 00:12:14.200 our employers, they expect more and more and more from us and if I don't want to do it, 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:19.160 there are 100 people behind me who would gladly take my job and that's why we are so stressed 00:12:19.160 --> 00:12:19.440 out. 00:12:20.160 --> 00:12:21.360 That's probably partly true. 00:12:23.060 --> 00:12:25.560 Also, I think if we're honest, it has something to do with ego. 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:31.340 You know, being busy conveys something about you and your importance. 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:35.720 There was an interesting article from Michael Blandon in Forbes earlier this year. 00:12:36.180 --> 00:12:39.220 Having no life is the new aspirational lifestyle. 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:41.980 I think he's on to something. 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:47.980 He says that displaying one's busyness operates as a visible signal of status in the eyes of 00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:48.300 others. 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:49.620 Right? 00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:51.800 So status symbols are all about scarcity. 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:55.939 You know, I show you my diamond because it's a scarce stone. 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.120 It shows my status because I have one. 00:12:58.319 --> 00:13:01.799 Or I have a rare car that only wealthy people can afford. 00:13:01.879 --> 00:13:02.740 It's all about scarcity. 00:13:02.839 --> 00:13:03.539 That shows my status. 00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:04.379 He says, no, no, no. 00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:07.639 Now, the scarcity, the scarce resource is me. 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:10.559 I'm scarce. 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:14.939 My unavailability is a symbol of my status. 00:13:14.940 --> 00:13:17.720 So I think it has something to do with ego. 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:24.500 But there's another reason why we are so profoundly restless. 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:27.320 And you see it in verse 11 of Ecclesiastes 3. 00:13:28.640 --> 00:13:30.220 Just listen to these words. 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:34.720 God has put eternity into man's heart. 00:13:35.780 --> 00:13:37.380 I love that verse. 00:13:38.340 --> 00:13:41.800 God has put eternity into man's heart. 00:13:42.020 --> 00:13:44.480 So it's saying we may not be able to comprehend it. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.700 We may not be able to understand eternity. 00:13:46.820 --> 00:13:52.200 If you try to explain it or map it out, it's beyond what our minds can get around. 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:54.779 And yet we long for it. 00:13:55.720 --> 00:13:57.100 We long for it. 00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:02.820 There's a deep yearning for something greater, something beyond all this, what you might call 00:14:02.820 --> 00:14:06.779 an inconsolable longing for the eternal. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:14.080 I've used this example before, but there was on NPR's Fresh Air, Terry Gross. 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:18.139 One time interviewed the children's book writer, Maurice Sendak. 00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:24.460 And Sendak is talking about getting old and all that's changing, all that he's thinking about. 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:27.539 And then he's talking about how he's mourning the death of his brother. 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:31.620 And he sort of reflects on that. 00:14:31.699 --> 00:14:38.319 And then he says this, I don't believe in an afterlife, but I still fully expect to see my brother again. 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:40.000 Isn't that interesting? 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.399 I don't believe in an afterlife, but I still fully expect to see my brother again. 00:14:45.179 --> 00:14:46.539 And you see it right there. 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:56.899 He may not believe in eternity in his mind, but his heart still yearns for it because God has put eternity into his heart. 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:05.139 You know, Louis C.K. has made the news this week for doing some pretty awful things to women. 00:15:05.139 --> 00:15:09.980 And he's sort of the latest in a string of kind of horrible revelations. 00:15:11.740 --> 00:15:17.319 But if you look at Louis C.K. years ago, there was this one time when he was on the Conan O'Brien show. 00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:26.220 And he said, underneath everything in your life, there's that thing, that forever empty. 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.779 He talked about that forever empty. 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:36.120 And, you know, I think about him saying that and the level of insight and self-awareness that he had. 00:15:36.180 --> 00:15:40.740 And I look at what he has done and all these things that are coming out. 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:44.720 And I wonder maybe that's part of why he did what he did. 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:51.360 Because the truth is that deep, inconsolable longing will gnaw at you and gnaw at you and gnaw at you. 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:57.300 And some people will do just about anything to escape it for just a few moments. 00:15:58.680 --> 00:16:02.480 You know, Bruce Marshall wrote, this is often misattributed to Chesterton. 00:16:02.820 --> 00:16:04.620 It was actually Bruce Marshall who wrote, 00:16:05.060 --> 00:16:09.440 The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God. 00:16:11.700 --> 00:16:14.860 Ringing the bell at the brothel, but actually looking for God. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:20.820 So the question becomes, what do we do with this inconsolable longing for eternity? 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:25.560 And the teacher in Ecclesiastes, this is by the way why you have to know your context. 00:16:27.480 --> 00:16:29.960 Ecclesiastes is not meant to be prescriptive. 00:16:31.000 --> 00:16:31.960 He's a cynic. 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:34.140 He's essentially a secular humanist. 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:38.480 The teacher in Ecclesiastes disregards God. 00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:45.260 And so he says, well, the best we can do is to just get the most out of this life while we can. 00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:48.920 Let's live like there's no tomorrow. 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:53.240 Let's do what good we can, enjoy what pleasure we can, because this is it. 00:16:54.059 --> 00:16:55.219 Live your best life now. 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:58.959 And many people in our culture, I think, would agree. 00:17:00.479 --> 00:17:04.659 You know, one of the reasons I think that we are so overwhelmed, let's just be honest for a second. 00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:13.480 I think one of the reasons that we're so overwhelmed is because we believe that it's possible to have it all in this life. 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:26.539 We want an amazing job, a great marriage, thriving kids, a healthy body, a rich spiritual life, great friends, financial security, and a sense of meaning. 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:29.159 In one lifetime. 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.579 And listen, we are all fighting for that. 00:17:33.859 --> 00:17:36.299 We're all striving to have all of those things. 00:17:36.379 --> 00:17:37.980 And we feel entitled to those things. 00:17:38.359 --> 00:17:44.879 And if we're deficient in any of those categories, which, by the way, we all are, we feel like we're failing. 00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:48.500 That we're not living the fullest life we can. 00:17:48.580 --> 00:17:50.760 And listen, the jig is up. 00:17:51.940 --> 00:17:53.500 That list is utterly impossible. 00:17:55.180 --> 00:17:57.000 Something has to go off that list. 00:17:58.020 --> 00:18:05.160 You cannot have a great marriage, thriving kids, a healthy body, an amazing career, a rich spiritual life, great friends, financial security, and a sense of meaning. 00:18:05.280 --> 00:18:06.320 You can't have all that. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:07.780 Too many lifetimes. 00:18:07.779 --> 00:18:13.539 But I think that we are convinced that this is it. 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.059 Get the most we can out of life. 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:17.500 Do it all. 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:18.599 Maximize our time. 00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.259 We also, I think, perpetually distract ourselves. 00:18:24.180 --> 00:18:27.839 We fill up our times with smartphones and with social media. 00:18:29.420 --> 00:18:32.899 I just want to give you one illustration of how much time we spend. 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:39.240 And there's this interesting piece written by a guy named Charles Chu on what it takes to read 200 books a year. 00:18:39.860 --> 00:18:42.460 He says that he started reading 200 books a year. 00:18:42.580 --> 00:18:43.400 It's changed his life. 00:18:44.980 --> 00:18:48.160 How many hours do you think it takes, on average, to read 200 books? 00:18:48.780 --> 00:18:51.940 Well, he calculated it 417 hours. 00:18:53.140 --> 00:19:01.540 Now, if you're anything like me, you think about that and you're like, where in the world am I going to get 417 hours in a year to read 200 books? 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:02.399 There's no way. 00:19:02.460 --> 00:19:03.379 I'm way too busy. 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:09.899 And then he says, well, average Americans actually spend 608 hours on social media. 00:19:11.500 --> 00:19:13.480 So you wouldn't even need to give it up entirely. 00:19:13.639 --> 00:19:18.259 You could just reduce the amount of time by a little over 400 hours. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:23.940 You could read 200 books and still have 200 hours left over for Facebook and Instagram. 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:26.059 That's how long it takes. 00:19:26.879 --> 00:19:30.740 He says we watch 1,642 hours of TV a year. 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:39.019 So if you total all that up, social media and television, that's 2,250 hours that we spend doing those kinds of things. 00:19:39.319 --> 00:19:44.779 And if we applied all of those hours to reading instead, you could read 1,000 books a year. 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.839 If you gave up TV and social media and spent all that time reading. 00:19:50.740 --> 00:19:54.700 And by the way, reading is, I would strongly encourage that to you. 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:56.220 This is beside the point. 00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:58.799 But I would strongly encourage you read. 00:19:58.900 --> 00:20:04.500 And I know that sounds funny, but fewer and fewer people are reading long format anything anymore. 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:07.259 And we're forgetting, I think, how to think. 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.100 And we're forgetting and we're losing the ability to have sustained attention. 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:17.379 The only way I'm able to read anything is to put books everywhere. 00:20:17.379 --> 00:20:23.000 I have books in my bag, in my office, next to my bed, in the bathroom. 00:20:23.459 --> 00:20:27.579 I have books in my car for when I'm just sitting in the car, not while I'm driving. 00:20:27.939 --> 00:20:31.279 But like if I'm waiting to pick our kids up at school, I have books in the car. 00:20:31.419 --> 00:20:33.240 And I'm constantly listening to audio books. 00:20:33.699 --> 00:20:34.859 You know, podcasts are great. 00:20:34.859 --> 00:20:38.539 But there's something different about a long format book. 00:20:39.279 --> 00:20:40.879 I would strongly encourage that. 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:43.899 But it requires rethinking how we use our time. 00:20:44.819 --> 00:20:48.399 So no matter how much we try, though, if we come back to our question, 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.459 none of these things, distracting ourselves, trying to have it all, 00:20:51.699 --> 00:20:57.500 they're not actually going to satisfy that inconsolable longing for eternity. 00:20:58.319 --> 00:20:59.519 And the reason is simple. 00:21:00.679 --> 00:21:04.179 Our hearts have the capacity to fit eternity. 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:07.240 Physically, it's small. 00:21:07.419 --> 00:21:08.899 But spiritually, it's vast. 00:21:09.959 --> 00:21:12.240 And if it has the capacity to fit eternity, 00:21:12.379 --> 00:21:15.299 the only thing that will fill it is something that is eternal, 00:21:15.699 --> 00:21:17.500 something that is infinite. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:22.439 In Matthew 11, Jesus issues his famous invitation. 00:21:22.439 --> 00:21:26.319 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, 00:21:26.740 --> 00:21:28.519 and I will give you rest. 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:31.579 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 00:21:31.659 --> 00:21:33.439 for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.000 and you will find rest for your souls. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:39.180 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 00:21:40.620 --> 00:21:43.820 You've got to understand, he's talking to Greeks who are exhausted 00:21:43.820 --> 00:21:48.279 over their endless search for philosophical truth 00:21:48.279 --> 00:21:51.700 that had gone on for years and years and years without resolution. 00:21:51.700 --> 00:21:56.860 And then the Jews, their religion had become this endless effort 00:21:56.860 --> 00:22:01.039 to live up to innumerable regulations and standards. 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.059 And then you have us. 00:22:04.519 --> 00:22:09.600 We live in a culture where it's an endless race to fill that void within. 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:13.200 And to all of us, Jesus offers the same invitation. 00:22:13.600 --> 00:22:16.000 Come to me and I will give you rest. 00:22:16.559 --> 00:22:17.460 I will give you rest. 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:22.039 Through his death on the cross, Jesus makes it possible to give us 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:24.259 what we cannot find on our own because of sin, 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:27.259 which is a relationship with the infinite God of the universe, 00:22:27.980 --> 00:22:30.360 the one for whom our hearts were made. 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.880 But here's something I want to point out. 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:36.500 A lot of times we read that verse and we say, 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:38.279 come to Jesus, pray the sinner's prayer, 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:40.640 and I will give you rest. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:44.759 And you pray, Jesus, please forgive me. 00:22:44.860 --> 00:22:45.600 I want to be a Christian. 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.840 And then no rest. 00:22:49.960 --> 00:22:50.660 And sort of wait. 00:22:51.560 --> 00:22:54.259 Because we think it maybe is some kind of divine peace 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:56.300 that should just settle into our hearts. 00:22:57.140 --> 00:22:58.860 And that's not, in fact, what he's saying. 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:01.120 He's not saying, come to me, and the minute you believe in me, 00:23:01.360 --> 00:23:02.940 bam, rest, you're never going to be stressed again. 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:06.040 He says, come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:08.240 and I will give you rest. 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:10.180 And then he goes on. 00:23:11.139 --> 00:23:14.420 He says, the rest comes when we take on his yoke 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:16.420 and when we learn from him. 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:18.879 So in other words, he says, when we follow him 00:23:18.879 --> 00:23:22.740 and emulate him and allow his teachings to shape our lives, 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:26.339 that is what will begin to enable us to experience 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:28.599 the rest that he offers. 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:31.039 So the rest is something that has to be learned. 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:33.180 It has to be worked into our lives. 00:23:33.180 --> 00:23:37.279 It has to be, it's the fruit of obedience and following Jesus. 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:41.340 So this brings us to the third and final point. 00:23:42.320 --> 00:23:45.200 Stewardship of time means relinquishing control. 00:23:45.980 --> 00:23:48.039 It means resting in the Son of God. 00:23:48.320 --> 00:23:51.860 And finally, it means restructuring our lives around God. 00:23:53.460 --> 00:23:57.080 So following Jesus is much bigger than our time, 00:23:57.539 --> 00:24:00.180 but it involves and includes rethinking 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:02.000 how we use all of our time 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.279 so that our lives revolve around God. 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:09.559 And we see this modeled in the way Jesus lived his life. 00:24:09.619 --> 00:24:11.940 And I just want to give you three quick examples 00:24:11.940 --> 00:24:15.460 of how we see Jesus showing us 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:18.279 how to steward our time better. 00:24:19.660 --> 00:24:22.619 The first thing we see is the most crucial one. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:25.660 Jesus kept the Sabbath. 00:24:26.960 --> 00:24:28.099 He kept the Sabbath. 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:31.980 I mean, he declared in the passage that we read, 00:24:32.319 --> 00:24:34.379 Jesus declared that he was Lord of the Sabbath. 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:37.359 And he soundly rejected 00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:41.179 all of the regulations around Sabbath keeping. 00:24:42.199 --> 00:24:43.319 And yet at the same time, 00:24:43.379 --> 00:24:45.799 he taught that the Sabbath was made by God 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.579 to bless human beings for our benefit. 00:24:48.719 --> 00:24:49.500 It's meant to be a blessing. 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:52.500 And I'll tell you this right now, 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:54.019 just even from my own experience. 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.240 When it comes to the stewardship of time, 00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:01.960 the single most important decision 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.559 that you can make in your life 00:25:03.559 --> 00:25:08.720 is to begin keeping a 24-hour Sabbath every week. 00:25:09.579 --> 00:25:11.660 It's the most important thing that you can do. 00:25:12.619 --> 00:25:16.160 By Sabbath, I literally mean a 24-hour period, 00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.800 not because you have to, Jesus has fulfilled the law, 00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:20.019 but because this is a blessing. 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:23.660 And we've seen God's people do it over the centuries. 00:25:23.840 --> 00:25:26.200 Even Jesus honored and kept the Sabbath, 00:25:26.320 --> 00:25:28.820 went to synagogue to worship and to teach. 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:32.620 If you can't do a full 24-hour day, 00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:35.340 figure out some way to break it up in half. 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:37.600 Half a day here, half a day there. 00:25:37.700 --> 00:25:40.160 I don't think that it has to be on Sunday or Saturday. 00:25:41.320 --> 00:25:43.040 Ours, mine is sometimes on a Saturday, 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:44.759 and it's sometimes on a Monday, 00:25:44.899 --> 00:25:46.879 depending on how the week is going. 00:25:48.639 --> 00:25:51.480 But by Sabbath, I mean it's a time to focus 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:52.920 on your relationship with God, 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:55.159 on your friends, on your family, 00:25:55.619 --> 00:25:58.619 on recreation, on creativity, on rest, 00:25:58.759 --> 00:25:59.960 whatever rejuvenates you. 00:26:01.180 --> 00:26:02.599 If you have young kids, 00:26:03.399 --> 00:26:04.460 it's not going to be perfect. 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:08.079 You have to get creative. 00:26:09.119 --> 00:26:10.279 Do the best that you can. 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:12.180 I'll tell you this. 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:14.319 I mean, when we're able to keep our Sabbath, 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:15.799 which begins on Friday night, 00:26:16.639 --> 00:26:18.099 begins Friday night. 00:26:18.299 --> 00:26:18.639 Whoa. 00:26:19.960 --> 00:26:20.819 Sorry about that. 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:22.259 Begins Friday night, 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:24.180 and it begins with family movie night. 00:26:25.240 --> 00:26:27.139 And we sit down, we order pizza, 00:26:27.259 --> 00:26:28.839 get something that's totally easy to eat, 00:26:29.299 --> 00:26:32.339 and it requires no preparation on our part. 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:35.180 And then we pick out some movie 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:35.960 that our kids can watch, 00:26:36.019 --> 00:26:37.660 and our kids love it. 00:26:37.660 --> 00:26:38.740 And then we go to bed, 00:26:38.800 --> 00:26:40.779 and we sleep in as much as we can. 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:42.580 Normally, the boys let us sleep in 00:26:42.580 --> 00:26:43.460 until about 7.15. 00:26:43.759 --> 00:26:44.759 And we sleep in, 00:26:45.220 --> 00:26:46.320 and then we get up, 00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:47.340 and we make pancakes, 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:49.220 and we have kind of a long, 00:26:49.360 --> 00:26:50.100 leisurely breakfast. 00:26:50.360 --> 00:26:52.080 And then we try to go and do something together 00:26:52.080 --> 00:26:52.720 as a family. 00:26:53.880 --> 00:26:55.700 And, you know, something outside, 00:26:55.900 --> 00:26:56.700 something away from the house, 00:26:56.779 --> 00:26:58.360 something away from our devices. 00:26:59.080 --> 00:27:00.460 I would strongly encourage you, 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:01.120 if you keep a Sabbath, 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:04.340 to rigorously enforce a no-device rule. 00:27:04.339 --> 00:27:05.619 And I say rigorously, 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:07.039 because from my own experience, 00:27:07.139 --> 00:27:09.139 it's incredibly difficult to do. 00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:11.720 No devices on the Sabbath. 00:27:12.419 --> 00:27:15.199 Make it a time for human connection and interaction. 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:17.779 And what you'll find that, 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:20.439 if you make Sabbath a non-negotiable thing, 00:27:20.899 --> 00:27:22.659 that actually requires you to rethink 00:27:22.659 --> 00:27:24.779 and restructure all of the rest of your week. 00:27:25.159 --> 00:27:26.439 You have to rethink everything 00:27:26.439 --> 00:27:28.059 about how you spend all of your time 00:27:28.059 --> 00:27:29.319 to make Sabbath possible. 00:27:29.459 --> 00:27:30.639 Because everything you've got to get done, 00:27:30.699 --> 00:27:31.779 you've got to get done in six days. 00:27:31.779 --> 00:27:34.019 So that's the first thing. 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:35.579 Keeping the Sabbath. 00:27:36.139 --> 00:27:36.859 Stewardship of time. 00:27:36.940 --> 00:27:39.279 It's the cornerstone of good stewardship of time, 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:39.799 in my opinion. 00:27:40.759 --> 00:27:42.660 The next thing we see in Jesus' life 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:46.259 is a regular rhythm of engagement and withdrawal. 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:49.240 Engagement and withdrawal. 00:27:49.379 --> 00:27:50.259 If you read the Gospels, 00:27:50.379 --> 00:27:51.599 they show this clear pattern 00:27:51.599 --> 00:27:54.420 that Jesus would be fully engaged 00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:56.879 with the needs and the demands around him. 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:58.759 But then regularly, periodically, 00:27:58.899 --> 00:28:00.039 he would fully withdraw. 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:02.779 And he would go away to be by himself, 00:28:02.899 --> 00:28:04.859 to pray, to spend time with his father, 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:07.159 to get re-centered in his identity in the father. 00:28:07.659 --> 00:28:08.839 And then he would engage. 00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:09.980 And then he would withdraw. 00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:12.819 And sometimes he did it at very inconvenient times. 00:28:13.259 --> 00:28:14.659 But it was a priority for him. 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:17.059 I think the problem for us 00:28:17.059 --> 00:28:20.200 is that we never fully engage 00:28:20.200 --> 00:28:22.859 because we never fully withdraw. 00:28:23.819 --> 00:28:25.899 In other words, the boundaries are so blurred. 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:28.960 And smartphones and devices make this way harder. 00:28:28.960 --> 00:28:32.140 You know, even when I'm disengaged, 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:33.220 I'm still connected. 00:28:33.720 --> 00:28:35.000 I never fully disconnect. 00:28:35.539 --> 00:28:36.819 And so I never fully engage. 00:28:37.120 --> 00:28:39.559 We always kind of live partially distracted. 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:41.600 Never fully off, but never fully on. 00:28:43.120 --> 00:28:45.160 And that wears you down over time. 00:28:46.680 --> 00:28:48.259 So I would strongly encourage you 00:28:48.259 --> 00:28:49.940 to think of the stewardship of time 00:28:49.940 --> 00:28:55.059 as by prioritizing setting rhythms 00:28:55.059 --> 00:28:56.900 of engagement and withdrawal. 00:28:56.900 --> 00:28:59.460 Clear boundaries so when you're at work, 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:01.640 you're fully there. 00:29:01.740 --> 00:29:03.519 When you're with your kids, you're fully there. 00:29:04.380 --> 00:29:06.220 But also take time to regularly withdraw 00:29:06.220 --> 00:29:07.740 and re-center yourself 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:10.180 in the gospel rest of Jesus Christ. 00:29:11.320 --> 00:29:13.240 Fully engage, fully withdraw. 00:29:14.060 --> 00:29:15.040 You know, Mother Teresa, 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:16.400 people ask, you know, 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:18.580 how did this, you know, white girl spend, 00:29:18.800 --> 00:29:20.160 you know, survive all those years 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:21.780 in this, you know, 00:29:21.820 --> 00:29:23.019 dealing with the kinds of issues 00:29:23.019 --> 00:29:24.060 that she dealt with 00:29:24.060 --> 00:29:25.320 given where she was from? 00:29:25.319 --> 00:29:26.379 And how's that possible? 00:29:28.339 --> 00:29:29.559 Well, it's because of her rhythm 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:31.519 of withdrawal and engagement. 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:34.000 You know, she says she would take, 00:29:34.059 --> 00:29:34.679 she and her team, 00:29:34.740 --> 00:29:36.059 they would take a day every week 00:29:36.059 --> 00:29:37.119 to totally withdraw. 00:29:38.139 --> 00:29:40.740 They would take a week every month. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:44.119 And then they would take a month every year. 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:46.439 And that enabled them, 00:29:46.639 --> 00:29:47.480 when they did engage, 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:48.399 to be fully there. 00:29:49.179 --> 00:29:50.359 So engagement withdrawal. 00:29:50.359 --> 00:29:52.619 And the last thing, 00:29:52.719 --> 00:29:55.059 the last aspect of stewardship of time 00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:56.719 that I think we see in Jesus' life 00:29:56.719 --> 00:29:59.059 is clarity of purpose. 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:01.000 Clarity of purpose. 00:30:01.639 --> 00:30:02.979 I've always been fascinated 00:30:02.979 --> 00:30:04.299 with the end of Mark 1 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:05.899 when Simon comes 00:30:05.899 --> 00:30:08.679 and he finds Jesus praying by himself 00:30:08.679 --> 00:30:09.899 and he says to Jesus, 00:30:10.159 --> 00:30:11.179 Jesus, you gotta come back. 00:30:11.259 --> 00:30:12.039 There are all these people, 00:30:12.159 --> 00:30:12.500 they're sick, 00:30:12.579 --> 00:30:13.199 they're demon-possessed. 00:30:13.399 --> 00:30:14.299 All these people are waiting, 00:30:14.379 --> 00:30:15.319 they've been waiting for hours. 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:16.059 Where are you? 00:30:16.159 --> 00:30:16.679 Come on back. 00:30:16.859 --> 00:30:17.619 You got work to do. 00:30:18.479 --> 00:30:19.459 And what does Jesus say? 00:30:20.419 --> 00:30:21.239 He says, no. 00:30:22.539 --> 00:30:24.199 No, we gotta go to the next town 00:30:24.199 --> 00:30:26.279 because I need to go there 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:27.359 and preach the gospel 00:30:27.359 --> 00:30:29.799 because that's the reason that I came. 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:32.459 And you can imagine Simon saying, 00:30:32.539 --> 00:30:33.339 well, you got all these people, 00:30:33.439 --> 00:30:33.939 all these needs, 00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:34.979 everybody wants to see you. 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:35.659 And Jesus says, no. 00:30:36.439 --> 00:30:37.779 This is my purpose. 00:30:38.739 --> 00:30:40.799 He has a strong clarity of purpose. 00:30:41.459 --> 00:30:43.179 He knows what God has called him to do. 00:30:43.179 --> 00:30:45.079 He knows what his priorities are. 00:30:45.079 --> 00:30:47.839 And he doesn't waver from them. 00:30:48.139 --> 00:30:50.079 He sticks to that clarity of purpose. 00:30:50.659 --> 00:30:51.279 And this is the key, 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:53.220 even if it means disappointing people. 00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:56.279 If you're honest 00:30:56.279 --> 00:30:57.199 and you think about your own life, 00:30:57.439 --> 00:30:59.220 how much of the chaos in our lives, 00:30:59.399 --> 00:31:00.199 the overcommitment, 00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:00.839 the exhaustion, 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:02.879 is the direct result 00:31:02.879 --> 00:31:03.679 of our attempts 00:31:03.679 --> 00:31:05.539 to keep everybody happy, 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:07.939 to do everything 00:31:07.939 --> 00:31:09.259 that is expected of us, 00:31:10.099 --> 00:31:12.779 to be unwilling to disappoint 00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:13.799 or let people down, 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:17.680 almost every day of your life, 00:31:18.099 --> 00:31:19.339 if you are being clear 00:31:19.339 --> 00:31:21.240 and focused 00:31:21.240 --> 00:31:22.099 on what you believe 00:31:22.099 --> 00:31:23.119 God has called you to do, 00:31:23.919 --> 00:31:25.440 you will disappoint somebody. 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:27.319 So you might as well 00:31:27.319 --> 00:31:28.019 get up in the morning, 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:29.039 look in the mirror 00:31:29.039 --> 00:31:31.419 and say some advice 00:31:31.419 --> 00:31:32.539 that I was given years ago. 00:31:33.659 --> 00:31:34.279 Look in the mirror 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:34.559 and you say, 00:31:34.639 --> 00:31:35.759 who am I going to disappoint today? 00:31:38.299 --> 00:31:39.019 Who's it going to be? 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:40.919 And that you pray 00:31:40.919 --> 00:31:41.680 that when you do it, 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:42.560 you do it with grace 00:31:42.560 --> 00:31:44.100 and gentleness 00:31:44.100 --> 00:31:45.400 and humility, 00:31:46.100 --> 00:31:46.860 trusting in the Lord 00:31:46.860 --> 00:31:48.820 because it's going to happen. 00:31:49.820 --> 00:31:51.120 And if you live your life 00:31:51.120 --> 00:31:52.220 trying to prevent that 00:31:52.220 --> 00:31:52.759 from happening, 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:54.680 you're going to be 00:31:54.680 --> 00:31:55.299 a nervous wreck. 00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:58.140 So learning to steward 00:31:58.140 --> 00:31:58.900 our time well, 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:01.299 learning to rest 00:32:01.299 --> 00:32:01.860 in a culture 00:32:01.860 --> 00:32:03.200 that rushes continually, 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:04.680 I think is among 00:32:04.680 --> 00:32:06.860 the most countercultural things 00:32:06.860 --> 00:32:07.640 that we can do 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:08.640 as a community. 00:32:09.080 --> 00:32:09.220 You know, 00:32:09.220 --> 00:32:10.160 last week we talked about 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:11.620 our bodies and sex and gender. 00:32:12.100 --> 00:32:12.779 If there's anything 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:14.180 that is more countercultural 00:32:14.180 --> 00:32:15.300 than the Christian view 00:32:15.300 --> 00:32:15.940 of sexuality, 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:17.540 it's the Christian view of time. 00:32:18.600 --> 00:32:19.440 I think it's among 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:20.920 the most countercultural things 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:22.259 that we have to offer 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:22.900 this world 00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:25.040 because it says loudly 00:32:25.040 --> 00:32:25.620 and clearly 00:32:25.620 --> 00:32:27.140 that we are not bound 00:32:27.140 --> 00:32:28.240 and enslaved 00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:30.000 to the tyranny of time 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:32.160 because we actually serve 00:32:32.160 --> 00:32:33.259 the Lord of time, 00:32:33.820 --> 00:32:34.779 the Lord of Sabbath, 00:32:35.320 --> 00:32:36.380 the Lord of rest, 00:32:36.920 --> 00:32:37.980 the God who was 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:39.740 and is and is to come. 00:32:40.860 --> 00:32:41.500 Let's pray. 00:32:43.700 --> 00:32:44.319 Our Father, 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:45.700 we thank you for your word 00:32:45.700 --> 00:32:46.620 and we thank you 00:32:46.620 --> 00:32:48.420 for the fact 00:32:48.420 --> 00:32:49.039 that you not only 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:50.039 created time 00:32:50.039 --> 00:32:51.059 and established 00:32:51.059 --> 00:32:51.860 the rhythms 00:32:51.860 --> 00:32:52.759 of day and night, 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:54.839 the revolutions 00:32:54.839 --> 00:32:55.559 of the planets, 00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:58.200 but rather, Lord, 00:32:58.339 --> 00:32:59.819 you also give us 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:00.880 a way to steward 00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:01.400 that time, 00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:02.000 to recognize 00:33:02.000 --> 00:33:03.180 that it is all a gift 00:33:03.180 --> 00:33:05.099 and you show us 00:33:05.099 --> 00:33:06.000 in Jesus Christ 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:07.759 how to live our lives 00:33:07.759 --> 00:33:09.099 and structure our time 00:33:09.099 --> 00:33:10.980 in ways that are centered 00:33:10.980 --> 00:33:11.599 on you, 00:33:11.900 --> 00:33:12.700 that make you 00:33:12.700 --> 00:33:14.339 the priority 00:33:14.339 --> 00:33:15.279 and the object 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:17.240 of our lives. 00:33:17.819 --> 00:33:18.740 We pray that you would 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:19.460 instill this truth 00:33:19.460 --> 00:33:20.200 deeply in us, 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:21.240 that we would be enabled 00:33:21.240 --> 00:33:22.500 and free to be 00:33:22.500 --> 00:33:23.240 such a community. 00:33:24.099 --> 00:33:25.000 We pray this in your 00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:25.720 son's holy name. 00:33:25.920 --> 00:33:26.099 Amen. 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:26.220 Amen. 00:33:26.220 --> 00:33:26.259 Amen. 00:33:26.259 --> 00:33:26.279 Amen. 00:33:26.279 --> 00:33:26.299 Amen. 00:33:26.299 --> 00:33:26.319 Amen. 00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:26.339 Amen. 00:33:26.339 --> 00:33:26.359 Amen. 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:28.259 Amen. 00:33:28.259 --> 00:33:28.299 Amen. 00:33:28.299 --> 00:33:28.359 Amen. 00:33:28.359 --> 00:33:28.380 Amen. 00:33:28.380 --> 00:33:28.400 Amen. 00:33:28.400 --> 00:33:28.420 Amen. 00:33:28.420 --> 00:33:28.440 Amen. 00:33:28.440 --> 00:33:28.460 Amen.