SPEAKER_00: We study through books of the Bible here at the village chapel.
SPEAKER_00: And if you'd like a paper copy to follow along with, just raise your hand and someone will joyfully hand one to you.
SPEAKER_00: And today's going to be a little bit different, just with all the craziness of the weather, we decided we're we're not going to study out of Acts this morning.
SPEAKER_00: We'll wait and pick that up again next Sunday.
SPEAKER_00: We would like to welcome our online friends as we always do.
SPEAKER_00: Glad you are with us.
SPEAKER_00: And recently we have been joined by people from Maidon, Maidon City in North Sumatra, Indonesia, from McKinney, Texas, near Dallas, from Brisbane, which is Queensland, Australia, and from Dublin, Ireland.
SPEAKER_00: So thank you, friends, for joining us.
SPEAKER_00: Let me pray for us, church.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, this morning, many of us come to you just absolutely worn out.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us come to you numb, still living in dark houses and cold conditions.
SPEAKER_00: Others come thankful to finally be warm again.
SPEAKER_00: Still others are humbled and amazed at the kindness of neighbors, even of strangers.
SPEAKER_00: But Lord, we are all here.
SPEAKER_00: We come to worship you and to fellowship with one another, to be together as a family.
SPEAKER_00: Pastor Tommy said to remind each other of what is real and true and timeless.
SPEAKER_00: Walk among his Holy Spirit, bringing us what we need.
SPEAKER_00: We are here.
SPEAKER_00: We love you.
SPEAKER_00: And in your name we lift this up.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Well, what a week it's been.
SPEAKER_00: A week and a half ago, um, when the weather forecasters started predicting this massive historic snowfall we were gonna get.
SPEAKER_00: I had this romanticized version of how things were gonna go.
SPEAKER_00: We we got all prepped with our groceries early in the week, and you know, we were gonna get snowed in.
SPEAKER_00: We'd have lots of time to go sledding and make snow ice cream and watch TV and just be together, read books, all of those things.
SPEAKER_00: It was gonna be just amazing.
SPEAKER_00: And then that all came to a screeching halt, didn't it?
SPEAKER_00: All of the trees early Sunday that sounded like fireworks or thunderclaps as they were falling, that just kind of woke us up to the icy reality that was disappointing, disorienting, and disruptive.
SPEAKER_00: Our homes were getting colder, our refrigerators were getting warmer.
SPEAKER_00: So much of what we take for granted: warm houses, hot coffee, lights, cell phone service, all of that interrupted, disrupted, and cut off.
SPEAKER_00: And it's helpful to be open about the fact that we are not in a normal situation right now.
SPEAKER_00: We may be headed back towards normally normalcy, but this is not normal.
SPEAKER_00: It's really hard.
SPEAKER_00: A small number of us maybe might not have been affected at all, but for most of us, many of us, this week has all been about survival.
SPEAKER_00: Many are still without power, homes not warm, not habitable, no reliable heat or food resources.
SPEAKER_00: And so as we dig out and wait for warmer weather and power to fully be restored, we're in a marathon, a marathon of recovery.
SPEAKER_00: Some of us have lived here in Nashville long enough to remember this similar event that we had in 1994, 32 years ago.
SPEAKER_00: It was really bad, just like things are right now, and everything is disrupted.
SPEAKER_00: Kristen coined a phrase this week, she could uh mental mileage, you know, just the heavy load of mental effort to just keep track of everything and do the most basic tasks, like, gosh, the power's out.
SPEAKER_00: Did I turn the burners off?
SPEAKER_00: Is the power gonna come back on while we're asleep and burn the house down because we left the burners on?
SPEAKER_00: Is it safe to drink the milk?
SPEAKER_00: Are the pipes about to freeze and burst?
SPEAKER_00: Can we get to the car safely without a tree falling on us?
SPEAKER_00: And back late Sunday and into Monday, every gust of wind was that gonna knock down the power lines and leave us with that power again.
SPEAKER_00: In addition to all of the physical hardships that we have been faced with this week, the mental and emotional wear and tear is just exhausting.
SPEAKER_00: But in the midst of the disruption and disorientation, God is near.
SPEAKER_00: He is present, he is good, he is sovereign.
SPEAKER_00: There has not been a single moment of these past days where any of us has been outside of God's view and care.
SPEAKER_00: Not once.
SPEAKER_00: Two things I'd like us to lean into this morning: the character of God, who God is, and the community of God, who we are.
SPEAKER_00: And the homily is entitled The Communion of Saints from the Apostles' Creed.
SPEAKER_00: And as we've been studying the Apostles' Creed this past year, isn't it sweet to see how building and building and building, God has been preparing us for an experience like this past week, equipping us to be in communion with the saints?
SPEAKER_00: And what I pray that we're enjoying this togetherness and this fellowship this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Would you read these verses that you'll see up on the screen from Isaiah chapter 43 with me?
SPEAKER_00: Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.
SPEAKER_00: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.
SPEAKER_00: When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flames shall not consume you.
SPEAKER_00: For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: One thing I appreciate about the Bible, about the gospel, is its honesty.
SPEAKER_00: God never promises that this life will be free from trouble.
SPEAKER_00: In the passage that we just read, God doesn't say if you pass through the waters, if you walk through fire.
SPEAKER_00: No, he says when.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not as a prediction of hard times, but an honest acknowledgement that this life will be filled.
SPEAKER_00: At times we will experience difficulty.
SPEAKER_00: But before he makes those statements of when this and when that, what does he say?
SPEAKER_00: The first thing he tells us in this verse is do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Fear not.
SPEAKER_00: Before anything else in this life, we are his.
SPEAKER_00: We are known.
SPEAKER_00: We are loved.
SPEAKER_00: From the very first half awake, half asleep moments you have in the morning, before everything else of your day intrudes and makes demands on you, you are his.
SPEAKER_00: Before all that may happen to any of us throughout each day, we belong to him.
SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the day, when we're in the last half awake, half asleep moments, no matter what has happened to us that day, we are still first and foremost created, redeemed, known, we belong, and we are loved.
SPEAKER_00: So how can God make those promises?
SPEAKER_00: The last sentence of the passage tells us, because he says, For I am, I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
SPEAKER_00: And again, I'll say, in the face of all that has happened in the past week, God is near.
SPEAKER_00: He is present, he is good, and he is sovereign.
SPEAKER_00: This past Monday morning, in the midst of all this stuff that we have been going through and that many of us are still going through, it had been so windy and cold and gray on Sunday.
SPEAKER_00: Well, Monday morning, I stepped out the front door and I was greeted by this glittering light show of all the ice in the trees outside our front door, some of which were a lot closer to the front door than before the storm.
SPEAKER_00: But it was stunning.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you had the same experience.
SPEAKER_00: I was caught off guard by the holiness of the moment, the quietness, this blaze of light that was reflected off the trees, the bright blue sky, the brilliant sunshine, all of this breathtaking beauty juxtaposed against all the damage from the storm.
SPEAKER_00: And I was shocked at the beauty.
SPEAKER_00: I had been so anxious and focused in trying to prepare for the storm.
SPEAKER_00: And I had been so anxious and filled with tension in dealing with the aftermath of the storm that I had not been living in the reality of the verse that we just read out of Isaiah.
SPEAKER_00: Not living in the reality that, in spite of all this, God is good and near and present and sovereign.
SPEAKER_00: And boy, that moment, it was a good reminder to me of our memory verse from last week and how Holy Spirit-led it was that Pastor Jim chose that verse for last week back a few months ago when he was assembling all of these verses together.
SPEAKER_00: So feel free to read this with me.
SPEAKER_00: I think we're gonna, yeah, here we got it.
SPEAKER_00: Read this with me, would you please?
SPEAKER_00: But let all who take refuge in you be glad.
SPEAKER_00: Let them ever sing for joy, and may you shelter them that those who love your name may exult in you.
SPEAKER_00: Friends, we can be glad even when we're taking refuge in the storm.
SPEAKER_00: Our second theme is the community of God.
SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to read one of, I was just talking about the Apostles' Creed, I'd like to read one of the questions and answers of the Apostles' Creed from our confession of faith that we've been studying this past year.
SPEAKER_00: And I'd ask you to read the answer with me.
SPEAKER_00: And here's the question: How do you participate in the communion of the saints?
SPEAKER_00: I live as a member of the communion of saints through faith in Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit by gathering to worship God with my fellow Christians, by praying for and encouraging one another, and by coming to one another's aid in times of trouble, sickness, or grief.
SPEAKER_00: We have lived that this week, haven't we?
SPEAKER_00: So what does the communion of saints really look like?
SPEAKER_00: Because back to my little analogy of the light show out in front of the ice in the trees, there's there's there's even more beauty to be found of a deeper kind that we see in contrast to this storm damage, and that is the beauty of the community of God, the communion of saints.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm amazed at the beauty of the body of Christ that has been on display this week by our staff and our congregation, just as beautiful as those diamond-studded tree branches that I was just referring to.
SPEAKER_00: And I would specifically like to start with a shout out to Jeremy Martin, Morgan Castillo, and our facilities team because they have worked tirelessly this week to clear the parking lot, the road, all around the church to get the heat turned back on, to fix broken burst pipes.
SPEAKER_00: Can we just give them a hand, a round of applause?
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
SPEAKER_00: The work that they do is about 95% unseen and 100% felt and experienced, and uh really grateful for them.
SPEAKER_00: But but in addition, this this communion of saints, every single member of our staff has worked so very hard this week to care for others while they have been tending to their own issues of no power, no water, no internet, limited cell phone service.
SPEAKER_00: Hosting the warmth and Wi-Fi event that we had the last two or three days, it's just been amazing to open the church doors to whoever would come in and just be together.
SPEAKER_00: Every small group leader that I've talked with this week, they knew exactly what was going on with their group members.
SPEAKER_00: And these groups were taking such good care of each other.
SPEAKER_00: People were getting and giving rides, they were inviting others to stay with them, making sure everybody that was without power had somewhere to go, caring for each other in every way imaginable.
SPEAKER_00: It's just been a feast of the hands and feet of Jesus caring for one another.
SPEAKER_00: And there's a joy that comes from serving others that is not replicable in any other way.
SPEAKER_00: And I've just got to say that many of us have experienced that joy this week.
SPEAKER_00: It's almost a giddiness because there is such delight to be found in serving others.
SPEAKER_00: And it's not only limited to churches.
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we've seen amazing things done in our community.
SPEAKER_00: Bridgestone Arena, Geotas Park, Vanderbilt have all opened their doors for people to come in to get warm, to charge their devices, to have some food, play some games, have community.
SPEAKER_00: Edley's Barbecue was giving away free sandwiches last week, especially to utilities workers working the line.
SPEAKER_00: So we've seen this amazing outpouring of the community.
SPEAKER_00: But then the communion of saints is not just that.
SPEAKER_00: It's more than that.
SPEAKER_00: Because what about those who have been hanging on by a thread this week, who have been all of their effort focused on just surviving, those who would feel like they have nothing to give.
SPEAKER_00: Do you remember a minute ago where I just said, uh talked about the joy to be found in serving?
SPEAKER_00: Well, how does that fit with someone who's just had needs all week long and hasn't been able to serve?
SPEAKER_00: Well, consider this.
SPEAKER_00: If you've been hanging on by a thread this week and you've needed help rather than being able to give help, consider the joy that you are giving someone else by allowing others to serve you, to help you.
SPEAKER_00: You're actually being a blessing and bringing joy to them by allowing someone to serve you.
SPEAKER_00: It's an amazing little circle of delight and joy in the giving and taking.
SPEAKER_00: We are rejoicing with those who rejoice, and we're praying for those in need.
SPEAKER_00: God knows all of this ahead of time, and he prepares us.
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes he prepares us through suffering that we endure.
SPEAKER_00: Look at me with with uh how Paul writes about this in 2 Corinthians chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted.
SPEAKER_00: The Father of all mercies, the God of all comfort.
SPEAKER_00: God comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may comfort others in any affliction.
SPEAKER_00: Through these experiences that we're having right now, God is building a treasure chest, a storehouse of comfort, of healing, of wisdom, being building all of this up, storing it up for us in us for the future, so that we can love and care for others the way that we have been loved and cared for this week.
SPEAKER_00: It gives us an opportunity to put our faith into action and to see God in his faithfulness.
SPEAKER_00: Paul exhorts us in Galatians to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And friends, this week has been a week of marvelously watching us bear one another's burdens.
SPEAKER_00: And I would encourage us, because the the process is not over.
SPEAKER_00: I encourage us to continue to do just that.
SPEAKER_00: Well, God is not surprised by the weather.
SPEAKER_00: He is our guide, he's our good shepherd, he's our companion, he is walking alongside us on the path that each one of us is traversing right now.
SPEAKER_00: In all that has happened this week that has been really hard, Jesus has been present.
SPEAKER_00: We are not alone.
SPEAKER_00: You are created, redeemed, known and named.
SPEAKER_00: You belong and you are loved in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And I'll close with this quote from David Gibson from his book, The Lord of Psalm 23.
SPEAKER_00: At this very moment, you might feel more lost than ever, in deepest darkness like a shroud, but your Lord Jesus is not standing there beside you, lost or scratching his head, wondering what to do.
SPEAKER_00: Your valley right now, however its oppressive walls are formed, is not the destination, but the journey.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is not up ahead asking for directions.
SPEAKER_00: He is not lost.
SPEAKER_00: He knows where he is leading you.
SPEAKER_00: He knows there is a way through it and out of it, because that was his own experience of the valley.
SPEAKER_00: He has been there ahead of you and for you.
SPEAKER_00: Man, let's pray, church.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, thank you that you are accessible, that you encourage us to come to you when we are at the end of ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for encouraging us to lament, to cry out to you when all is not well in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for giving us the body of Christ, the communion of saints, the fellowship of believers who are there to surround us, to help carry us.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for calling us to be part of that body.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, you are near.
SPEAKER_00: You are sovereign.
SPEAKER_00: You are in control and you are good.
SPEAKER_00: Give us stout hearts to bear our own burdens.
SPEAKER_00: Give us willing hearts to bear the burdens of others.
SPEAKER_00: Give us believing hearts to cast all our burdens upon you.
SPEAKER_00: In your name we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.