Beloved You are the LIGHT of the world

What light are you following, and where is it taking you? We open the season after Epiphany with a clear call to let the light of Christ set our pace, then pivot toward Lent as a tender invitation to tend our broken hearts. Instead of giving up what delights us, we talk about releasing what harms us—shame, self-loathing, and the harsh inner script that keeps us small—so that fasting, prayer, and generosity become practices of freedom and solidarity.

Grounding ourselves in Micah 6:8 and Matthew 5, we walk through what justice, kindness, and humility look like in real life. Jesus names us salt and light before we do a thing, and that identity fuels action: feeding the hungry, comforting the anxious, clothing the cold, and choosing nonviolence where the world defaults to force. We share everyday stories—a lost-follow car tale, a neighbor’s horses on the Fourth of July, kids squabbling with ice cream in hand—to show how love disrupts reflexes, how creative peace wins over pride, and how small acts brighten entire rooms.

We also lean into renewed thinking. Bushel baskets often look like rigid views or self-contempt that hide our lamp. The Spirit expands our imagination to see enemies as guests at a table, neighbors as gifts, and creation as our Father’s house worth tending with care. Along the way we offer practical ways to prepare for Lent, discern when to act, and align good works so that others see and give glory to God, not us. Peace is not postponed to the afterlife; it is offered now—unforced rhythms of grace for the tired and the overburdened.

Join us as we recover a faith that does, not just knows; a love that refuses cruelty; and a hope that shines in ordinary places. If this speaks to you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with one way you plan to let your light shine this week.

Transcript

Epiphany’s Light And What Follows

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the First Love Church podcast. This is a collection of Sunday teachings inspired by the revised Common Lectionary and recorded weekly in Ocala, Florida. We're grateful to be with you this morning. Again, grateful in your presence. May the light of Christ greet you. We're in this season right now, five Sundays after Epiphany, and this is the beginning of the church calendar year. And we start with Advent and then we have Christmas and then we have Epiphany, and all of it reminds us that, beloved, we need to make sure that the light we follow is truly light. That what we are following is the light of Christ. It is this beautiful invitation for us to recognize the incarnation and then say, and then where does the light lead us? In the next few weeks, we're going to gather together on Sundays, but we're going to enter into a season that's called Lent. And it starts on February 18th with a service here called Ash Wednesday. And if you haven't been to an Ash Wednesday service, I would really, I think that you would really, it would be something. It's really beautiful and it's mystical and it's empowering. And we remind ourselves that even from ashes, even from things that look completely destroyed, that there is a promise of rebirth, of renewal, of changing of things. And so if you have ideas about Lent and maybe it's been heavy for you before, or maybe it's been oppressive, we just want to reintroduce to you this invitation. And really what Lent does for us is it allows us to deal with our broken hearts. It gives us space to be able to say, what is really troubling you? And how do we integrate it into the life that Christ has given us, this new life, this new hope? Now, in the season of Lent, there are three particular fasting practices that we do. One of them is fasting. It is when we follow Jesus. Jesus said to his disciples, when you fast, this is what it's going to look like. And so together, we choose a day, usually Wednesdays, when we fast together. We don't eat during the day if you can. There's medical reasons sometimes that you need to do that, but you take care of yourself, but you intend solidarity with those who suffer. And it reminds us that we are not alone in this world. And that what happens to our brothers and sisters everywhere happens to us, and we're aware and take care of the heartbreak. Another thing is we do the specific prayers during Lent. And so if you don't already follow us on and get our emails, we encourage you, especially during Lent, because we'll have Lenten practices and prayers that are going out there. And then during Lent we give. We give above and beyond tithes and offerings. We say this is what we do to help the poor, to help those who do not have. And so we follow those practices. But one of the things that we want to encourage you, and I'm telling you a little bit about it so you can pregame your Lent, is you ask the Holy Spirit and say, what is it that I need to give up? Now I've heard people say that they're going to give up chocolate, and I think that's the worst idea in the world. Don't give up chocolate. Don't give up coffee. Don't give up things you like. Beloved, give up things that harm you. Give up things like shame. Give up things like self-loathing. Give up things like negative talk. Give up things that harm you. God is not asking you to give up what you liked so you could learn something. God is saying, no, let me carry the burden that you're carrying and let's do something together. So you don't have to decide today what you're giving up for Lent, but I would ask you to open your heart to the Spirit and say, what is in my life now that is heavy, that is troubling, and that keeps me back from the fullness of the life that Jesus told us that He's interested in giving us. There is hope for us today, and I hope that you will join us. But before we get to Lent and before we get to the Ash Wednesdays, I just want to remind you that this is a beautiful season that we're still in of this Epiphany, this part of the ordinary time that reminds us that in our life that there is light around us. And I read to you from Micah chapter 6, verse 8. He has told you, O mortal, what is good. These verses that are given to us during Epiphany, like the reading this morning from Isaiah 58, that will become familiar to you in the next few weeks. But this idea of make sure that the light that you're living by is Christ. Make sure that the light that you're living by is this new way. He has told you, O mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. This is what the light of Christ looks like. That you would do justice, that you would love kindness. Beloved, God is not cruel, and cruelty has no part in God, and we, as followers of the light of Christ, should be able to stay and celebrate and practice kindness and to walk humbly with your God. The idea is that we are hopefully all walking with God, walking toward God. We have a good shepherd. We made a proclamation this morning while Dave was singing, lead on, good shepherd. Beyond the fact that he's an incredible singer and that's a beautiful song. But I was hoping that all of us would actually say with our own hearts intentionally, I have a good shepherd and I am being led. And there is something that is so comforting about the fact that I don't have to know every single thing. I have a good shepherd. All I have to do is keep Jesus in front of me and I am being led.

Following The Right Guide

SPEAKER_00 5:58

You know, you talked to us about making sure that we uh are following uh correctly the the the right light. And uh last week you shared about how you and I were traveling uh years before there were cell phones and pagers and stuff, and uh you uh uh were uh encouraged to stay behind me as I was driving.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Beloved.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

And I, you know, years ago maybe didn't have the same grace and wisdom that I walk in today, and so I was making choices that were causing Heather in a minivan to be very afraid with tiny children strapped in there. So at some point we were driving across country and we talked about this last Sunday, and uh uh Heather thought she was following my vehicle, and then she realized after three or four turns that that wasn't me driving that vehicle at all, and she was nowhere near behind me. And so you talk about the what that what that's like when it turns up you're not following uh who and where you thought you were following. And so we went on um and finished the message last week, and I got a bunch of people coming up to me throughout the week, calling and texting and talking. Well, what happened? Uh uh so uh obviously we got reconnected. But uh I thought maybe you could explain uh what happened and then how that applies to what we're talking about today.

Lost On The Road: A Parable

SPEAKER_01 7:40

For all of us, the invitation is to make sure that we're actually following Jesus, what Jesus looked like. Because there's many, and Jesus even said this, there'll be many people who will say to you, I am the Christ. And it is not. If it does not look like Jesus, it is not the way of Jesus. God is love, and again, in Isaiah, in the prophecy about who Jesus would be, this is what the kingdom is gonna look like, this is what the Messiah is gonna look like. The poor are going to be spoken for. The hungry are going to be fed, those without clothes will be given it. And what does that look like? That looks like kindness, that looks like compassion. One of the times where Jesus is in his ministry time here on the earth and he comes up to a man who is so tormented and is in all aspects with extreme mental illness. And Jesus heals the man and he's back in his right mind. And the man says, Please let me go with you, please let me go and follow you. And Jesus says to him, No, go home to your people and tell them that I am kind, that God is kind. Sometimes, especially when we find ourselves fraught with anxiety or with worry or with a mental load that is heavy, we need to remind ourselves about the kindness of our God. And so to bring ourselves back into the light that is Christ, Jesus is the light. And then in today's message, spoiler alert, because we're already here and we're gonna be talking about it, Jesus then turns to us and says, You are the light. You, how you live, is the light for other people to see, to see how Jesus looks and what he does. And so we pick up this reason.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

So you're just not gonna tell them how you got.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Well, I felt like I did.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

No, we still don't know how you ended up here.

Jesus’ Kindness And Our Anxiety

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Oh, we we'd never okay. So sometimes I mean you want to know, right? It was horrible. I just don't know. I was actually very like all of the feelings, and I do want to remind us, beloved church, family, people online, your feelings are all valid because they make you a human. You get to feel everything. I was afraid, and I was also angry, and I was also perturbed, and I was also irritated, and I was also angry, and again, all of the feelings, and then I was also scared, and I was afraid, and I was all of these things while I'm driving 75 miles an hour with little people in the back who need people as well. So I just want to tell you what kind of state I found myself in. And there was no phone, and we didn't have a meet, and I obviously I could have kept driving, and I would I know where my home is. We were out yesterday, and there was a kid, and he was screaming, and he just kept saying, put me down. He was on his dad's shoulders, and he was just screaming, put me down. And the dad was talking super kindly to him, he's like holding his feet right here. He's like, dude, you don't know where you're going. You don't even know how to get home. You don't know anything. And I was thinking, sometimes we're like that. Like we don't know what we want, we just want away from what's happening. Or we want, I think he wanted to get in with the alligators, and I'm sure that's why that I was like, no, you're not getting down, and you're not getting in there. You don't know your way home. Now, here I will tell you, I was driving the van and I did know my way home, so that's good. At some point, I mean, we were across country, and this was the time where you had atlases, and I knew there was one in the back, and I could have pulled over and found the atlas, and you know, we can do these kind of things. We can do hard things, beloved, but all these feelings. But what I realized was I do have some power. I am driving the van, I can pull over. So after the the next stop that I found that we were, I called my mom. I got out and used a payphone to call my mother and say, if you hear from Dennis, please let him know that I am lost. And um, this is what we will do. Because back then you had to rely on other people to make phone calls for you. And then I got back in the van and I headed a couple more hours to a stop that we had decided that we were going to stop at. I wasn't sure that he was paying attention. I don't know if that happens to you. Sometimes when you talk, other people don't pay attention. We did make mention that this is where we were headed, but nobody had a sticky note and nobody had a text that reminded them. So I was like, well, it's a good shot. We did talk about it. And so I pulled off from the expressway, um, just where you know begin to see hotels and other things, and I put my silver minivan, which of course is a very distinct car, silver minivan, right there, and hoping that he would see my silver minivan with our children in it. And actually, when I pulled up there, I wasn't the first one there, I actually saw his car. He was waiting. And and so the idea for all of us are and I was hopeful in the in sharing of that was sometimes when you're following someone, sometimes when you're following a path or a way, it turns out to be not what you thought it was going to be. And beloved, one of the beauties that we have in our humanity is we can change our minds. We can begin to think differently. You can see a situation and you can only see the negative and you can only see bad, and all you need is a change in perspective. Somebody can bring another way to see it, and then all of a sudden the horror is gone from it. Now, sometimes it's terrible, and sometimes you're agreeing with terrible things, and somebody you need another perspective, and they're like, get out of that. That is a wreck. And so there's an invitation, not just that you would have different ideas and you would stay the same, but that you would examine for yourself: is the light that I'm following the light of Christ? Is the path that I'm following one that is bringing me to care for the poor, to speak up for those who have no voice? To clothe the naked? Is what I am being asked to do look like Jesus did when Jesus was here?

SPEAKER_00 14:12

I saw a shirt a couple days ago and I wanted to get it for Dave. It was a big wizard, and he said, I'm all out of spell spells, but I still have some shells. And he had a shotgun. I just thought it was silly.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Lord in your mercy.

You Are Salt And Light

SPEAKER_00 14:27

But a wizard's not going to use a gun. He's a wizard. He does way cooler stuff than just resort to violence with a gun, right? And for us as followers of Christ, I think it's funny when people have this idea that Jesus is uh, I literally heard someone say this to me one time. Uh he'll defend his home with all his weapons, and uh and after he shoots somebody, he'll play pray with them in their front room while they bleed out. He'll lead them to Christ as they bleed out. And that was their Christian belief. And if you need to defend your home with weapons, you don't know who Christ is. Christ is love, and love does not need to have shells when you run out of spells. But it's it's just a cultural thing where maybe in America we just think, you know, that's just how you do it. And so then we cram Jesus into that idea. When when I'm telling you, what God is offering is this light is for us to see completely different. That we don't need to you know carry weapons to defend ourselves. As followers of Christ, we lay down those things. We're believing that God is intending to you know bend those things and melt those things down and turn them into harvesting equipment that we just are are reaching the lost and sharing the goodness. There's a change that happens in the hearts of man. That's what we're about. But if we don't even allow that within ourselves, we don't really understand what light we're following.

Changing Minds And Renewed Thinking

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Jesus invites us as people to allow our minds to be expanded in the fact that there is a way to resolve conflict without violence. There is a way to heal the world that we live in so that love is truly the light for every single person. We were with a lot of people yesterday because we went to Gatorland in Florida for Silas's birthday. Gatorland, I don't know if you've ever been, it's a lot like Silver Springs, but there are piles and piles of Gator, and there's also piles and piles of people. And there were a lot of people, and so it's difficult, especially for children, with a lot of people in their behaviors. And again, everyone wants to keep everyone safe. And they were little people, and the dad was telling them not to squabble. And he was upset because of the squabbling. Now, I also want to remind you, beloved, children are going to squabble. We have to have, you know, some kind of ideas that we allow them to figure things out for themselves. But the dad wasn't having it, he didn't want this. I don't know how long it had gone on. Maybe this is a week-long fight. I don't know. They were very little, they were still in one of those wagons, so little people, and they were fighting, and the dad, and then the fighting got physical. And then the dad hit the kid in the head and said, Stop hitting your brother. And I thought to myself, huh? Okay, but that's not my place, you know, like, but I was thinking we do that as people. We inflict harm and then tell our other people not to harm. And so there has to be a more creative way that we think about things. And I think this is what Jesus is telling us when he says, I'm your good shepherd, and I'm gonna set a table, and I'm gonna invite even the enemies to the table, and they're gonna be at peace with you. And there's creative ways for us to be able to engage in conflict that is necessary and to be able to be at peace. And so the way of Christ is to reimagine our humanity, not to despise any of it, but to reimagine it with the light that is given to us by the Holy Spirit. And so Jesus is telling us, you we read the scriptures from Matthew this morning, and he's saying, I want to turn the whole world upside down. We're not, he didn't come and change the the Herod that was there. He didn't change the empire. He said, I'm gonna change everything, but it's gonna start at the bottom. It's gonna start with everyone becoming the servant of all. It's gonna start with love. Love is the way. And Jesus is telling, Blessed are the poor, for they have God with them. Blessed are those who mourn, for they'll be comforted. Blessed are the merciful, for they will get mercy. You know, this place. And so I'm sure that somebody asked a question. I know that the text doesn't say it does, but I'm confident. Because this is response. This is the next thing that Jesus says. He said, Listen, you're blessed when people treat you poorly because they have other ideas. The prophets were treated the same way. I don't know what their question was, but this was Jesus' response. You are the salt of the earth. And if the salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It's no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. Beloved, good news this morning. You are the light that the world needs. I know it's easy to look around at people and in situations and circumstances and go, oh, there is such darkness. Yes, and you're the light. You are the light, beloved. People do not light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket. Rather, they put it on a lampstand and it gives light to all who are in the house. I want to talk just for a minute about a bushel basket over a light. It doesn't distinguish the light, it just hides it. And many of us maybe have forgotten or maybe you didn't know that the light inside of you is Christ. You are full of God's own spirit. You are made in the image of Christ. Beloved, you know what love looks like and how love behaves because it is already written in you, already written in your heart. You can trust yourself when you realize, oh no, that's not right. Beloved, maybe someone has told you you have to have this lamp over you, this basket over your lamp. You do not. You are the light of the world. How we change things, beloved, is through kindness, is through love, is through allowing the light that we are to shine brightly.

SPEAKER_00 21:14

You know, and what is that bushel basket? Um, I really would ask you to consider if maybe it's the way that you think. Heather said earlier that one of the greatest things about being human is that we can change our mind. Um but first you need to realize that you need to, or that you may have to, or there may there may be a way of thinking that I that I need that I just didn't, you know, haven't come up with yet. And it's why I'm struggling. And so that way of thinking is keeping the light hidden. And so if if somehow how how can I see myself differently? Well, I I begin to trust the words of God, you know. Well, I begin to do the practices, even though maybe I'm not seeing. What results they're going to bring, that I realize that as I surrender to these areas, then I can become the light. That you you will actually be the light if you begin to see yourself that way, surrender that, and begin to live in a different way. So I do need to be open to my mind being changed about a lot of things.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

We pause here for a moment to thank you for joining us today. If you're finding this episode meaningful, would you take a moment to share it with a friend? This podcast is made possible thanks to the generosity of people just like you. If you would like to support the ongoing work of First Love Church and the continued work of our podcast, visit us online at firstlovechurch.org, reminding you to like, follow, and subscribe. Jesus offered to people, he said, Are you worn out? Are you tired? Are you tired of religion that puts heavy things on you? Jesus said, Come to me and I will show you how to live freely and lightly. I will show you the unforced rhythms of grace. I will not put anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. So there is a time that we should do some inventory and go, what is in my life, in my thoughts, that feels heavy or ill-fitting? That feels not constructive. And sometimes you can come up with answers yourself. Sometimes you should read a book because there are many good books. There's also other books that are not so great. So let the spirit discern you. But also, get a therapist, get somebody who can help you sort out some of the things and make decisions that are different. And there's so much hope and so much power in what we already have. I was sitting with this and thinking, you know, what is it like to think that I am the light of the world? And then I thought of all the things that I do that are not light. And I disqualified myself instantly. But beloved, who are we? Of course we're the light of the world. We are God's children. Who are you not to be beautiful and fabulous and full of grace and kindness and love to absolutely everyone you meet and welcoming? Beloved, the gospel is about hospitality. And not always setting an actual table, but what do you do to be a person who is welcoming to all people, to be able to say, what is it like for me to find my humanity in my brother, in my sister, in these kids that are squabbling in a cart as they're being dragged through an amusement park by their family? And how am I just like them? Instead of enjoying the beauty that is around them, they had, first of all, let me judge these children harshly, and you will, I think you would have done it too, and the Lord help us, because we're not going to get to judging. But both of these children had ice cream cones in their hands while they were fighting. They had ice cream cones, they were in a cart, there was someone dragging them, and they were fighting. Now, again, I don't know when the fight started. Maybe it was last week, maybe there was something tragic done. But I was thinking to myself, if you could see how incredible it is from the outside to watch somebody enjoying ice cream. It was warm yesterday, and they had ice cream and they were watching alligators, and I was like, there's so much good. Don't fight with your brother. You know, and and but we do that too. We miss the generosity of God around us. We miss the abundance. We miss the fact that there will only be a short time that you'll be in that thing with your brother. And then our lives will happen and we don't have those experiences anymore. Now, once it got violent, I do appreciate that somebody stepped in. But the invitation for us is to see the abundance in the world around us. The invitation for us is to appreciate the good ways and then be a light. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Jesus is saying, You're the light of the world, and because you're the light of the world, you are going to be doing good works. And let other people see them. Let it benefit the world around you. Let it benefit the people that you shop with, the people that you are neighbors with. Let it benefit everyone. And then it says they're going to give glory to God, which is disappointing if you wanted to get the glory, because the glory is not going to come from you or to you. The glory is going to be the oh, look at God in the transformation of this person. In the same way, let your light shine before others.

Squabbling Kids And Missed Abundance

SPEAKER_00 26:38

You know, I I watch those two little kids uh uh get corrected by their father as uh as they're being toted around like the Queen of Sheba in the little cart. The cart's giant these days, too. It was like the size of a small uh vehicle, and uh and it's going through there. And uh and then it wasn't very long after that I saw a a really old guy, and he didn't look like he was too long for this world, and he was being pushed around Gatorland by a family member. And I thought, well, you know, it's just a blink of an eye when you're riding around with your little brother, and then one day you'll be riding in that wheelchair if you even make it that long. And so what makes a difference is that time that we have between being towed around in that cart or being pushed around in that chair, and that's when we can make a difference. We can make choices, you know. And I think it's so easy to say, you know, it's for somebody else to do good. You know, God wants you use, or God, why don't you bless the world? Why don't you, you know, and God's saying, yes, yes, through you, let's do that. And we're like, but but not me. And we so we disqualify ourselves and we look down instead of changing our mind. You are son and daughter of the living God. You are Christ's reflection on this earth. You have the transformative power, you have resurrection power on the inside of you. So it's really for us to begin to or continue to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Amen.

Let Good Works Point To God

Doing The Commandments, Not Just Knowing

SPEAKER_01 28:21

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of the letter will pass from the law until it is all accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. I remind you what the commandments of Jesus are. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. And I appreciate the text includes the guy who goes, but who is my neighbor? Who can I exclude? The answer is no one. Everyone is your neighbor. Everyone is your neighbor. But whoever does them. I don't know if you know this about Jesus, but maybe I would give you some insight. Jesus is a lot about doing. Jesus doesn't just see a sick person and feel bad for them. Jesus sees the sick person and heals them. Jesus doesn't see a hungry family and do nothing. Jesus feeds them. Jesus tells us this is what it looks like. And then you might say to me, Well, I don't have all of the power in the world, beloved, but you do have some power. Whatever power is in your hand, that is the beauty of the story of the loaves and fishes. Whatever you have, we offer it. What kindness do you have that you can offer to someone else? What peace do you have that you can offer to someone else? But whoever does the commandments, Jesus talks about this a lot. It's not good enough to know them, but how are you doing them? How are you sharing light with someone? How are you bringing hope to someone? But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. I want to read this part to you in another translation. Your light lives up to the world. Let others see the light from a distance. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? And that it's placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don't hide your light. Let it shine brightly before others, so the commendable things that you do will shine light upon them. I think this is essential. It doesn't say the light that you have, you will go and berate someone else with the way that you believe or the way that you think. Just be the light, beloved. Just be loving. Just walk the way that God asks you to walk. And then it says that it will shine upon them. You be generous. You be merciful. You offer comfort. It doesn't say that you have to ask anyone to believe like you. You just be the light and let the light come upon them, and they will give their praise to your Father in heaven. If you think I've come to set aside the law of Moses and the writings of the prophet, you're mistaken. I've come to fulfill and bring perfection to all that has been written. And indeed, I assure you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not the smallest detail of the law will be done away with until its purpose is complete. Whoever violates even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be the least esteemed in the realm of heaven's kingdom. But whoever obeys them and teaches their truth to others will be greatly esteemed in the realm of heaven's kingdom. For I tell you, unless your lives are more pure and full of integrity than the religious scholars and the Pharisees, you will never experience the realm of heaven's kingdom. There is a realm of heaven's kingdom that is available to you even right now. Jesus said the kingdom is so close it's even in your mouth. This is not about an ideology that says in the sweet by and by, when you die and go to heaven, then you can have the peace. Beloved, peace is available to you right now. Hope is available to you right now, right in the kingdom. And when the rest of the world is full of unrest, beloved, we can have peace because we remember who we are. We are the light of the world. We are ones deeply loved by God. Our belovedness anchors us in truth and in goodness.

Shine Without Berating Others

SPEAKER_00 33:02

You know, we we had always had little houses and neighborhoods until we had finally built the house that we're at now, which is several acres and it's kind of out in the country. And so uh over a couple years of Fourth of July, we started just bringing, you know, buying little firecrackers and doing stuff, and then all of a sudden it became this thing where all these friends were coming over bringing stuff, and we were having like 4th of July party putting a my brother comes from Chicago, brings his kids, and my friend Wade was coming from uh where he was down south at the time, and so we had all these people over and and lighting off these bottle rockets and stuff, and uh all of a sudden uh there's a guy at the party, and I don't know who he is, you know, and everybody's my family and friends. And this guy comes up and he's like, Hey, you need to stop this. And I'm like, why? What who are you? And he goes, Well, I'm your neighbor. And I said, Well, I mean, you know, everybody's lighting fireworks, I don't understand, you know. And he goes, Well, it's scaring my horses. And I thought, well, I mean, I didn't invent 4th of July. And he goes, you know, I mean, it's like, you know, you know, and then and then the part of me starts thinking, this guy's coming on my property telling me, I mean, he didn't pay the mortgage. You know? And and it's like, but I just remember thinking, you know, and he was kind of being aggressive, like I did, you know, like somehow I should know that his horses don't like fireworks or whatever. But, you know, and there's all these reasons why I could really get offended, but I'm like, you know what? You're right. I I mean, you know, or you know, we'll stop. And so I told everybody, you know, they well, we got all these fireworks. Well, you know, it's bothering the neighbor, we're gonna stop, you know, and and I and I was I was kind of ticked, you know what I mean? And I didn't I didn't feel good about the whole interaction. In fact, I mean, probably even for weeks later, I'm like, you know, who's who's that guy telling me I can't on my own property, you know? And then I thought, well, next year I'm gonna put a big sign a week before. We're gonna have fireworks, better put up your horses. You know, I mean, I was thinking all this stuff I would do. And finally I just kind of let that whole thing dissolve. You know, we'd quit having fireworks over at the house or whatever. And fast forward a couple years later, uh, we had a big storm, and uh one of my giant, giant trees was laying in the yard. And I get out there with my kids, and they're like, no, no, Dad. Oh, we're gonna have to tackle this. So I get right in the middle of that tree and I work for like an hour, and my chainsaw's cutting out and quitting, and finally cut through that tree and got that giant tree in two pieces. I'm like, how am I gonna cut this up? It's size for my kids to roll it onto the fire. We're gonna be here the rest of my life. And all of a sudden, a tractor pulls in my driveway. And it's my neighbor. And he goes, I saw you had a down tree. All of a sudden I didn't mind him being on my property now. I'm like, what are you gonna do with that tractor in this giant tree? And he goes, Well, I think I can get it. And so he positioned it in a way where he swung it because it was too big to even go through my fence, you know what I mean, right by my opening. He get that out and he plopped it out in the road so that the city come pick it already count, you know, when they do that thing. And I and I thought to myself, man, it's like I don't have to do good to the whole world, just to the people that are in my life, when it pops up for me, you know, I don't have to like make sure I perfect all, but but when I get a chance and you hear the Spirit of the Lord, just say yes, okay, I'll quit lighting the fireworks, even though I could have every reason, you know what I mean? Just when God gives you those opportunities and you know they're got opportunities. What's going on here? Well, something greater than you realize. And then watch when a neighbor has then what's in their hand to share with you, because I had within my hand to share with him the ability to not make these horses afraid. I had that ability. I could justify why I didn't do it, and he could have justified why it was okay for him to stay at his house and clean up his mess. But he decided to use what he had for me. I don't believe it was a tit for tat. I believe it was a great way to show how we just use what it is that we have. He did not clean up Marion County's tree that were down from the hurricane. He went over to his neighbors and moved one tree. You don't have to do, you don't have to solve all the world's problems, but you do need to respond when the Spirit of the Lord shows right in front of you. And we do need to develop the discerning to know the difference. Because how many times did you, at the end, do you realize, oh, I really missed that one up? Oof. You know what we do when that happens? Don't get down on yourself, don't get shameful, say, okay, help me learn, Lord, so that next time I won't miss those opportunities to share your light with the people that are around me, share my resources with the people that are my neighbors.

Peace Now And Nearness Of The Kingdom

Neighbor Story: Fireworks And Horses

SPEAKER_01 37:45

I want to, just a side note for you, in case you didn't know, but animals are also our neighbors. We need to be mindful of the fact that we live in the earth that God made and that God made all creatures. And how we live needs to be respectful of all creatures. And as much as we can do, we are to live at peace with everything. There are times when it's not possible, but at times I struggle with the insects. I struggle with them. When other creatures come into my house, in my mind there's a hierarchy. I the bugs and the snakes, I just the Lord is changing me, beloved, and I'm sure that I will get there. But like a bird flew in our house the other day because I had the doors open and the windows open. And oh, I was so careful to get everyone's help to get the bird out gently with no problem. And then there was a little um we brought in plants because it was gonna be cold, and then when I brought in plants, there were tree frogs on the plants, and now they were in the house. And Blessed Caroline was helping me to get, and we were both, oh, because it was coming at us, and we were using other tools to because we wanted to be so careful, you know, in getting this. And there was a huge bug in the other house the other day, and my first thought was, How can I kill this? And then I thought to myself, does it need to be killed because it's in my house, or is there a way for me to get it out without being killed? So I'm just saying, I'm growing too, because there are things that I deem are not appropriate. And now it wasn't gonna harm me, but I just didn't like it. And so the idea is can we allow the spirit to expand our mind? Are there places in us that do need to grow? But in the in all of that light, we need to be reminded that we are part of God's creation, and the way that we care for animals and the world is also a part of how we join all of God's goodness that He's doing. We are salt and we are light. We, as followers of Jesus, should be so concerned with this is our father's world, beloved. My children were little at one point, and they had little friends over, and the friends started jumping. Like these were the jumpers. I didn't realize it when we invited them over. They were jumping on every single piece of furniture. And one of my other kids walked in and goes, Hey, this is my dad's house. And they just stopped it. And I thought to myself, well, I just go out to the world and tell everybody, hey, this is our father's house. We cannot be tearing this up. This is not, we're only here for a moment. There's gonna be people here after us, hopefully, prayerfully. There's gonna be other uh communities and things, and so we need to be mindful as the people of God, we need to be so mindful that the light that we share with all creatures, with all people, with all things, this is what we are being asked to do. That we are to be salt and we are to be light. I remind you that when you put good salt in something, it only brings the other flavors out. If you just taste the salt, it's been too much. But really, salt in something magnifies the other flavors. Light, we don't typically look at the light itself. We just use the light to look at something else. The light is by which we see everything else. So when we're saying you are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth, these are the words of Jesus. It's not that you are going to fix everything, but in your following of salt and light, in your following of Jesus, people are going to be able to see another way.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

You know, you kind of fast forward to there was a point when I wanted to light those fireworks off at the house, and then we got our dog, and it scared our dog when people, and so then every fourth time I'm like, why those people gotta be doing that in the neighborhood? What happened was You had something that you loved? I I changed the way that I thought because I had something else that I cared about more than just my entertainment. Watching stuff blow up is cool. But if it hurts someone that I loved, then all of a sudden that's not even an option. So what happened is my thinking changed, and I and I just I tell you, there is a higher way for us than way that we've been thinking about certain things, maybe things that you don't even realize. And so that's where we ask, Holy Spirit, help me see. I I made the dangerous prayer. Help me see what I don't see.

Discernment And Everyday Mercy

SPEAKER_01 42:17

You have to be really courageous to pray that prayer. But it is with full trust that the Holy Spirit will show you another way, not in a way that is condemning, not in a way that is judgmental, but in a way to say there's another way to see. In just a moment, we are going to celebrate Holy Communion together. But I want to pray a blessing over us, a blessing over the people within the sound of this of this particular voice, but also a blessing for us because in a time that we live, we need a blessing. So after we have a blessing, we will enter into the season of holy communion, into this moment where we gather and embody the story and we enter into the mystery. You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. Matthew chapter 5. By the time you come to the end of this blessing, the words will be barely enough to fit in the palm of your hand. But fold your fingers around them and take this blessing as an offering, a sacrament, a sign. Touch the words to your tongue and taste how they have traveled through the marrow and bone to reach you, how they have passed through each chamber of your heart, and how they have come through the layers that make up your soul, the strata of stories and questions and longings and dreams. Savor the way the words are not mere residue or dross, the bitter leavings from the refining, but by their taste you will know instead they are essence. They are core. They are what has to come through the burning. Holding still the memory of the fire and the imprint of light, holding the clarity that comes when all that is not needful passes away. Take these words as a blessing, touch them to your mouth, may you taste, your eyes, may you see, your ears, may you hear, and then let them go, let them fall to the earth where all salt finally returns. See the path they make for you, the path that blazes inside of you, lighting the way ahead of you that only you can go. A blessing of salt, the blessing of light. Beloved, you are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world. We hope you've enjoyed this week's sermon. If you would like more information about us, visit us online at firstlovechurch.org.