Online Worship Service March 6, 2022

good morning and welcome to the digital worship service of grace chapel my name is jeannette yep and i'm one of the pastors on staff overseeing our relationships with ministry partners in new england and around the globe if you're new to joining us a big welcome to you we'd love to know how you found your way here text hello to the number you see on the screen and as a thank you we'll send you a gift card for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on us and who doesn't like free right well today we're starting a new series this lenten season which is the time between now and easter the series is called changemaker we'll be exploring the events of the final week of jesus life and ministry as we consider some of the unlikely ways jesus went about changing the world you can learn more about this and other easter happenings at grace.org easter following today's sermon we'll be having communion together so please take a moment to nab some bread or crackers and juice so you can join us in celebrating the lord's life and death a little later in the service since the war in ukraine many have asked if grace chapel has any partners living in ukraine and i answered no we don't but we do have partners living and serving in moldova a small eastern european nation which shares a border with ukraine after russia attacked ukraine just over a week ago i've been corresponding with amaldovin partners to know how to pray as they respond to the flood of ukrainian refugees pastor vitali fedula of jesus savior church has found families to host refugees and has built beds provided warm bedding and repurposed his sunday school classrooms in his church building into dormitory style housing for these families gennarusu and his invest credit team drive five hours one way to the border in ukraine there they fill their vehicles and drive refugees to host homes within moldova he says the work is simply tiring emotionally draining and seems never ending estimates say that over a million people are on the move currently away from ukraine fleeing for safety ukraine is the main missionary sending country in eastern europe and central asia in europe the ukrainian church is the perhaps the strongest and doing the most for education training and the sending out of christian workers so friends let's join believers in ukraine who have asked us to pray specifically for peace in our land and in our hearts in this stress situation it's easy to lose focus on what is important join me in prayer father son and holy spirit it's our privilege to pray today for the nation and people of ukraine we pray for our brothers and sisters living in the turmoil of war as they face challenges of uncertainty fear and massive disruptions each day would you grant them the supernatural peace of god that passes all understanding we join with many around the globe praying for the military for the military action to stop for laying down of weapons and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict we pray for the world leaders who have the power to fight wars and bring peace for those who have power over life and death help them to choose life for all people life in its fullness you are a god of peace and not of war and one day you will turn our swords into plowshares we pray for those fleeing the conflict that they would find welcome and shelter in neighboring lands may believers and others offer them refuge and kindness and amidst their uncertainty help especially our partners in moldova pastor vitaly fedula and generousu to to not worry in their well-doing grant them joy as they share their homes and resources with the refugees may your church in moldova be a witness to the love of christ to the most vulnerable we pray for families who have been separated for women and children whose husbands sons and fathers are fighting in the conflict for ukrainian americans who have loved ones caught in the war grant them courage supernatural peace and discernment in their decisions and uncertainty may your everlasting arms hold them in this time of great fear would you comfort the sick and sorrowing draw near to the many who are suffering in physical pain and living with great fear we pray especially for the children who have already and maybe in the future lose parents and family members guard their hearts and minds may no additional evil come upon them we know you lord jesus you have a very special place in your heart for children orphans and widows we pray for missionaries and other humanitarian workers who have chosen to stay in ukraine caring for those at risk and in great fear the wounded the needy the elderly and the most vulnerable who are able to flee for safety would you hold them protect them bless them as they serve even as they themselves suffer we pray for pastors who have chosen to remain behind to shepherd people with their tears and fears give them a deep confidence in you and in the promises of your word protect them from harm may the pastors and church leaders may all of god's people throughout eurasia put on the full armor of god as they face the evil and pain of war we pray as well for russian people many who have friends and family in ukraine this is a tragedy for russia as well so we pray for russian brothers and sisters in the church grant them wisdom to know how to pray and respond give the russians who do not support this war courage to know what to do and how to live out their convictions protect them from harm keep them strong in their faith and above all lord we pray for peace for the people of ukraine we pray in the name of jesus the prince of peace amen [Music] are you hurting and broken within overwhelmed by the way of your sin jesus is calling [Music] have you come to the end of yourself do you thirst for a drink from the well jesus is me [Music] oh come to the altar the father's arms are open wide [Music] forgiveness was born with the precious blood of jesus christ [Music] leave behind your regrets and mistakes come today there's no reason to wait cause jesus is calling he's calling you out your sorrows and train them for joy from the ashes a new life is born cause jesus is called me come to the altar the father's arms are open wide forgiveness was born with the precious blood i'll come to the altar oh come to the altar the father's arms are open wide forgiveness was born with the precious blood of jesus christ jesus christ [Music] isn't he wonderful sing hallelujah christ bow down is him bow down before him for he is love go ball sing hallelujah christ is risen what a savior oh what a savior [Applause] isn't he wonderful to sing hallelujah the christ is risen bow [Music] [Music] is christ is risen oh come [Music] the altar the father's arms are open wide forgiveness was bought with the precious blood of jesus christ oh come oh come to the altar the father's arms are up and wide forgiveness was born with the precious blood of jesus christ jesus christ [Music] bear your cross as you wait for the crown down the world of the treasure you find [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] so hey everyone my name is adam and i'm the pastor at our lexington campus and in the spring of 2017 i found myself in a situation that i think you know countless other people have been in and some of you might even be in it right now i i found myself waiting for my life to change you see our first child was due at any moment and as the due date approached i experienced something that at least to me was very surprising it was it was the first time in my life that i saw a huge life-altering change coming but i didn't know exactly when it would happen you know we knew it was me soon but but you couldn't actually put a date on it and i couldn't actually do anything about it either so i found myself you know spending a lot of time wondering what would this new life be like i'd heard so much about parenthood but i had never lived it myself would it be wonderful would it be miserable what would the lack of sleep be like and i found myself planning you know we bought the car seats we put them in the car we built the crib we packed our hospital bags and then we just found ourselves waiting you know have you ever found yourself wondering about planning for or waiting on change i bet you have and i bet the topic of change is on a lot of our minds these days because so much of our current cultural discussion is around the idea of change now some of us we love change my wife is a very future oriented entrepreneurial type she loves new challenges and she eagerly accepts change me on the other hand not so much i've never really liked change in fact when i was in college i used to go through a short period of depression about a month into the school year every single year and it wasn't until my senior year that i finally kind of put it together and figured out what it was i was struggling with how much change had occurred old friends were graduated and gone new people abounded everyone had moved around into different rooms into different buildings and i struggled with that now for those of you who like change that might seem ridiculous but i bet you there's others out there like me who dislike change and have never once in their entire life walked into their room and thought you know i should rearrange the furniture today so however you respond to change we've all been through change and while looking at the world around us we often think change is needed but why you know why do we feel the need for change and how do we go about working for change well whatever you may think about jesus he changed the world jesus was a change maker this term changemaker has a long history in our culture to quote one organization called the shaka which has been focused on this topic since the 80s a change maker is someone who is taking creative action to solve a social problem in other words anyone can be a change change-maker the only qualification is that you see an issue and you're willing to work towards solving it the question is always though is how so for the next eight weeks we're going to look at a specific time in the life of jesus a time he'd wondered about planned towards and waited for a time of monumental change in both jesus life and through him the rest of the world we're going to look at holy week or passion week the last week of jesus life before his death on the cross and in doing so we're going to ask ourselves how it was that jesus actually brought about change because in examining the events of holy week we have this beautiful condensed playbook of jesus life now how did he treat people how did he take care of himself what did he prioritize how did he spend his time or respond to conflict and most of the point you know how did he affect change in the world around him and in examining those stories you know i think what we're going to find is that his ways are unexpected they're surprising and they're satisfying so weekly as we do this our question is going to be this how can the life and death of jesus change us and change our approach to making you know change happen in the world around us so with all that said let's jump into this story at a critical moment what we're going to do is we're going to kind of start near the end we will ask a critical question and then we will go back to the beginning and look for answers to that question as we journey through the rest of the events of holy week so today if you want you can follow along with the story in the book of john chapter 13. john says this it was just before the passover festival jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave the world and go to the father having loved his own who were there in the world he loved them to the end so john's biography about the life of jesus covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time the first 12 chapters covered three years of jesus life but then here in this chapter he slows way down in chapter 13. the next six chapters only cover one night an incredibly important night that the other biographers of jesus matthew mark and luke referred to as the last supper this last meal together before jesus death was a passover seder meal one of the most important moments in the year in jewish culture this was the night when jews were counted and remembered how god rescued them from slavery in egypt every one of the disciples would have known this meal well both the foods that they eat and the recitation of their shared cultural story they would have known this meal you know as well as many of us know our thanksgiving tradition although for them it meant significantly more and jesus knowing that it was his last meal with them has one last chance to share his heart and his vision for change so having loved his own the disciples he now loves them to the very end of his life and this is how john records it he says this the evening meal was in progress and the devil had already prompted judas the son of simon iscariot to betray jesus jesus knew that the father had put all things under his power and that he had come from god and was returning to god so he got up from the meal took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist after that he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples feet drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him so here's what's interesting foot washing is a common custom in jesus day you know people traveled mostly by foot wearing open toed sandals their feet would get dirty and upon entering a home hospitality would dictate that the host offered them a way to wash their feet or to have you know somebody wash their feet for them so what jesus is doing here it's not surprising because of the act itself i mean this was a common part of the first century what is surprising and shocking actually is who is acting foot washing was a subservient task students might watch their teachers feet but this you know to understand the gravity of what's happening you have to understand the respect with which a rabbi was held in jesus day jesus followers his disciples were committed not just to following him you know i'll go on a journey with you but to emulating him they had signed this relational contract with him in which they committed to doing their best to be just like him so for them this act wasn't just unexpected it felt almost a little shameful you know a rabbi does not lower himself to foot washing keep in mind that in the first century in jewish culture a jewish man does not even run that's why in the parable of the prodigal son at the end when the father runs to the sun it's so surprising because a jewish man has decorum you know he doesn't wash feet others wash his feet so the disciples they're shocked and they're confused you know it's hard to come up with a modern parallel but you know imagine imagine you invited your boss or your teacher over for dinner and they show up nicely dressed and you've got this beautiful meal laid out but then before you know what's happening they end up in your bathroom on their hands and feet or on their knees like cleaning your toilet that you haven't cleaned in weeks i think you find yourself feeling surprised confused and you might even feel a little ashamed as the disciples were that night and before we judge too quickly let me ask you this how comfortable would you be with the person right next to you touching your feet right now and what if you've been walking around in sandals down dusty animal dung covered roads all day so for them to be a disciple who is suddenly asked to have their rabbi their teacher and their lord wash their feet it's not just surprising it's distinctly uncomfortable john records it this way it says he jesus came to simon peter who said to him simon says lord are you going to wash my feet and jesus replies you do not realize what i am doing but later you will understand so peter says no you shall never wash my feet peter wants nothing to do with this this is a change for him i mean it it's a little hard for us to wrap our mind around but for him this is an upheaval of his entire cultural understanding of life the societal roles that he lived with unquestioningly were being turned upside down in this moment by jesus and jesus says to him he says unless i wash you you have no part with me so simon says this then lord not just my feet but my hands and my head as well peter confused and reeling from what's being asked with him you know he takes that pendulum and he swings it hard doesn't he you know if this is what you require then then why not wash everything so now jesus response here is i think critical for understanding what he is trying to teach his disciples the custom of the day was that if you bathe you only need to wash your feet upon entering a house so jesus wasn't inventing some sort of new hospitality or health practice he was using a common practice to upend a common cultural expectation this wasn't about foot washing itself this was about service now jesus says this he says those who have had a bath need only wash their feet their whole body is clean and you are clean though not every one of you for he knew who was going to betray him and that was why he said not everyone was clean so don't miss the fact do not miss the fact that jesus washes everyone's feet knowing that judas was going to betray him you know more than that peter himself the focus of this moment would deny jesus within hours of this happening the rest of the disciples they would all run abandoning jesus at the lowest point of his whole life this whole group would fail jesus and yet he still lowers himself to the ground he still serves them he still affirms their dignity as human beings and he does the same thing for all of us later during holy week on the cross jesus serves those who love him as well as those who hate him and we shouldn't forget that john keeps going and he says this when he'd finished washing their feet he put on his clothes and returned to his place do you understand what i've done for you he asked them you call me teacher and lord and rightly so for that is what i am now i your lord and teacher have washed your feet you also should wash one another's feet i have set an example that you should do as i have done for you very truly i tell you no servant is greater than his master nor is a messenger greater than the one who has sent him now you will know these things oh now that you know these things you will be blessed if you do them so this this moment is a huge change for the disciples i mean literally on the way to this meal the disciples are arguing amongst themselves about who will be the greatest in jesus coming kingdom you know and who can blame them right this this is how people thought in their culture it's still how we often think today you know to bring about change i need influence and power and and once i have those things once i have the status that those bring then i'll be able to bring about real change but jesus takes it he flips the script on them right he makes it all about sacrificial service john the one recording the story for us he would spend the rest of his life processing and teaching about this moment peter who is so you know flummoxed about jesus actions writing later in his own life would summarize this new way of thinking this way he said all of you clothe yourselves in humility towards one another because god opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble humble yourselves therefore under god's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time now by this point jesus or in peter's life when he's writing this he's figured out that this wasn't about foot washing in particular this was about humble service this was about jesus putting aside his status as teacher and lord and taking on the humble attitude of a servant even the apostle paul writing to the church in philippi would tell them to have the same mindset as jesus he says this who being in very nature god did not consider equality with god something to be used to his own advantage rather he made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross so this moment here it changes everything for jesus followers you have 11 young men who hadn't made the cut to become other more established rabbis disciples part of an oppressed culture under foreign occupation and they would go on to change the world 300 years after this meal the whole roman world would at least know the name of jesus and these disciples would change the world by following the example of their teacher and lord they would humble themselves taking on the very nature of servants and or 10 out of the 11 remaining disciples would humble themselves unto death for the name of jesus church tradition records that every disciple other than john would be killed for their faith so this way of thinking and of living it changed everything for them and it can change everything for us today i just think you know too often we look at the way of jesus and we say something like this you know yeah i know that's how jesus did it but that was a long time ago clearly we have to do things differently today well you know i understand that type of thinking but if i can be clear it's nonsense jesus modeled a way of thinking and living that still must define his followers today and the thing is you've got opportunities to live this way every single day you know it may not involve actual foot washing in our in our culture today with closed toed shoes and socks this practice is not our norm but the opportunity to express the attitude behind it can be found anywhere you can take on menial tasks or accept lower roles you can focus on meeting the needs of others before meeting your own you can take on roles or jobs that no one else wants to do you could serve without thanks and offer that anonymous service to god now any time you put down your own status and serve you are modeling the attitude of jesus christ becoming a parent as i talked about at the beginning has taught me more about this topic than anything else i've ever done we have three beautiful little selfish monsters in our house right now the baby she screams the second she needs or wants anything and she keeps screaming until you finally figure out exactly what it is that she's she needs or wants the two-year-old and the four-year-old they alternate between loving each other and playing so well together and fighting often over imaginary nonsense dozens of times every single day a few months ago as i was wrestling with our four-year-old son in the few minutes before bedtime he surprised me by jumping up into the air and smashing his head into my nose accidentally i both felt and heard a crack i yelped in pain i fell to the ground and i found my hand coming away from my face bloody so a few minutes later i'm holding a wet and cold paper towel to my face in the kitchen to staunch the blood truman enters the kitchen and with complete sincerity tells me that i am wasting his time you know he felt like he only had a few minutes to wrestle and here i was apparently wasting his time trying to stop myself from bleeding but this is kids right they're developmentally self-centered and one of our jobs as parents is to help them see the needs of others and care for those needs but what has surprised me you know as an adult as somebody who who would have said i was very mature before i had kids is just how hard it is for me to continue serving and serving and serving them all without almost any gratitude now putting others first especially when they don't appreciate it is very difficult and yet it's the way of jesus the way of jesus you know it can be very difficult but but it is so good this way of serving was brought to me in startling clarity in a viral photo that was taken in the early hours of january 7th 2021. in the aftermath of the capital riot new jersey representative andy kim was photographed on his hand and hands and knees in a suit and tie picking up trash by hand in the rotunda of the capitol building and there's just something about this picture that i find so powerful i mean when you think about it there's numerous reasons why andy kim could have just left this job to somebody else he's an elected official he's got other more important things to do he's not dressed for a job like this he's been through something traumatic i bet you he was exhausted but instead he saw a problem he lowered himself and he took actions to solve it he was acting in humility as a change maker and his service through this picture impacted me i've never actually forgotten it now jesus journey to the cross it changed the world and it can change your life because here during the last supper we see jesus pointing us from status to service so where will you lay down your status this week where will you take on the very nature of a servant and humble yourself what needs changing in the world around you and how might you attempt to bring about change by the simple act of service now let me suggest two possible first steps this season the first is just to commit to spending time with jesus i mean think about it the only way really to understand how jesus brought about change is we have to actually slow down long enough to hear about it so we're releasing a weekly tool called still meditations for lent and each week a meditation is going to help us put ourselves on the edge of a crowd or in a nighttime garden or around a fire with jesus and as we linger on jesus words and actions and our own responses to him these scenes will come alive as we remember the message of jesus christ changemaker we actually have two versions one for kids and another for students and adults and you can find these meditations each monday starting tomorrow on our youtube page our app and at grace.org easter the second way to help move yourself from status to service is to participate in one of our community engagement efforts every single campus is working with a local organization and these local organizations are working for the betterment of our communities so there's a there's a bunch of different ways you can serve your community in humility through these efforts we talked about this in length last week so check out last week's online worship service for more info or just go to grace.org community engagement with all one word we bring about true lasting change by taking on the mindset of jesus who being in very nature god did not consider equality with god something to be used to his own advantage rather he made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross so now that we've gotten our journey started and been introduced to jesus radical approach to change next sunday we're going to look back at the beginning of holy week and we're going to learn more about what this looks like but jesus journey you know it took him from here to the ultimate symbol of service his death on the cross for you and me jesus through his death and his life exemplified a life of humble service for the sake of others may we do the same in our own lives for the good of the world in the name and the power of jesus let's pray lord god we thank you for this time we thank you for the way that you have served us and the way that your service encourages us to serve others we thank you for the way that service is the way that we can actually go about making change in the world change that's last change that lasts change that is good for people change that is good for the world change that is good for us so we ask would you use us to be your hands and feet this week in the power in the name of jesus amen [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] i belong to you [Music] you promise me you never leave you promise me i'm never forsaken i believe your goodness and mercy will follow me surrounding me where i go [Music] i belong i belong to you everywhere [Music] you promise me you never leave you promise me i'm never forsaken i believe you could do so much she will follow me surrounding me where i go everywhere that i go [Music] pastor adam helped us think today about jesus the change maker whose journey to the cross changed the world and can change our lives as well his example of moving from status to service from being the king and lord of the universe to be willing to die for you and me on the cross reminds us all that we too can be humble change makers serving our neighbors and our hurting world well this morning at this table we remember the gift of jesus sacrifice on our behalf christians all around the globe practice celebrating this commemorative meal some are meeting in secret some gather in large and small church buildings some celebrate this meal outdoors in open fields and even under bridges but we are all united in this practice we all remember what jesus did for us so that we might have life anyone who's made a personal decision to follow jesus is welcome to join us in celebrating communion today the lord jesus on the night he was betrayed took a loaf of bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and he said this is my body which is broken for you do this in remembrance of me in the same way after supper he said this cup is the new covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you eat this bread and you drink this cup you proclaim the lord's death until he comes the bread represents christ's body broken for you and me the cup represents christ's blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins every time we share in this meal we proclaim the saving death and life of the risen lord until he comes again so let's eat this bread and drink the wine together remembering what jesus has accomplished for us [Music] this wednesday was ash wednesday and it marked the beginning of the 40 days between now and easter christians call lent may i invite you to consider something different and a change to your normal way of life this lenten season maybe maybe this is the year for you to consider joining a lent group these are short-term groups and they meet both online and in person check out the option at grace.org groups and during lent we'll have a meditation for you to listen to each week it'll be available each monday on our youtube page or at grace.org easter and please join us for that and finally the gathering our sunday evening service is launching this sunday at 5 p.m at our wilmington campus and it will meet on the first three sundays of each month the service offers a space for open thinking and prayerful worship and embraces a diversity of ideas and voices and life experiences we won't be offering child care or nursery care at this time but all are welcome thanks so much for joining us in worship receive this benediction as you continue your activities this day take us and use us to love and serve you and all people and we pray this in the power of your spirit and in the name of your son jesus christ our lord amen go in peace [Music] you

Channel: Grace Chapel

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Length: 42min 8sec (2528 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 06 2022