10-24-21 “THE Reformation vs. a reformation”

Scripture    2 Kings 22-23

THE REFORMATION

          THE Reformation began 504 years ago today Oct 31, 1517 when Martin Luther wrote 95 statements about corrections that should be made within the Catholic Church and he posted (or nailed them) to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

          It's fascinating that what eventually took pace was called the Protestant Reformation, which was his intent, but a reformation never happened. He wanted to reform the Catholic church, primarily in regard to the selling of indulgences - preying on people's ignorance to give money to the church. Previous reformers stood against something they saw as wrong but Luther instead wanted change for what was right - key to Luther’s intended reform of the church: Scripture alone is authoritative (sola scriptura) and justification is by faith (sola fide), not by works. Instead of reform, Luther was excommunicated, and the Lutheran Church was born. In the same time period were other reformers; John Calvin (Presbyterian) Menno Simons (Mennonite Church) Jacob Hutter (Hutterites - like the Amish) and Conrad Grebel (called an anabaptists becoming the forerunner of the Baptists)

          Because what took place was so widespread and changed the face of Christianity  forever, it is easy to see why this event (and all that took place after) is known as THE Reformation.

 a reformation

Unlike the long lasting "THE" reformation, there have been many reformations that have had great impact but where a beginning and ending are more visible.

1)    John the Baptist - Prepare a way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

2)    Jehu - Under false pretenses, assembled all those who worshipped Baal then had them all slaughtered and had the beams of the house of Ball turned into an outhouse.

3)    Jacob - So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments

4)    Josiah is HIStory for us to primarily see today.

When Josiah became king, Israel was at it's worse ever. It could be compared to the people of Israel when Moses came down from the mountain and the people had so easily stopped following the one true God to make a calf out of gold to worship. Only now it was way worse, and Josiah is considered the second Moses. Josiah reigned for 31 years, from 640 to 609 BC - After He became king when he was 8 years old when his father, King Amon died. His father and grandfather King Manasseh both did evil in the eyes of the Lord and left the worship of the one true God of their fathers and practiced idol worship.

2 Kings 22-23 - Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, not turning aside to the right or to the left. When he was 26, King Josiah began repairs on the temple. The High Priest discovered the book of the law in the temple and had it read to Josiah.

When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes. Great is the Lord's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."

23 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the Lord with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets — all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord-to follow the Lord and keep his commands, with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. Hence, "a reformation" began.

4 The king ordered the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel. He did away with the pagan priests. He took the Asherah pole from the temple of the Lord to the Kidron Valley and burned it there. He ground it to powder and scattered the dust over the graves of the common people. He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the Lord and where women did weaving for Asherah.

Josiah broke down the shrines at the gates.

He desecrated Topheth, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech. He removed the horses and burned the chariots that kings had dedicated to the sun.

He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had erected and smashed them to pieces in the Kidron Valley. The king also desecrated the high places that were built for Ashtoreth the vile goddess of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the vile god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the people of Ammon.  Josiah smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles and covered the sites with human bones.

Josiah had the bones removed from tombs and burned on the altar to defile it.

The king asked, "What is that tombstone I see?"

The men of the city said, "It marks the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced against the altar of Bethel the very things you have done to it."

"Leave it alone," he said. "Don't let anyone disturb his bones."

Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed and defiled all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria that had provoked the Lord to anger. 20 Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. Then he went back to Jerusalem.

The king gave this order to all the people: "Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant." Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

24 Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did — with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.

A reformation was short lived, and God still brought destruction on Judah, but Josiah remained faithful till he was killed in battle.

31 Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his grandfathers had done. Pharaoh Neco put him in chains and made Eliakim (renamed Jehoiakim) son of Josiah king.  Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned 11 years. And he did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as his grandfather's had done.

Was Josiah's hard work worth it? YES YES YES! He was faithful to the Lord through prayer and by the book of the law. In the midst of all the evil done by God's people, there was a moment of reformation.

In the bible there are many times of reformation and throughout church history, not only THE reformation of the 16^th century but "The Great Awakenings" of the 18^th century and the Jesus Movement in from the late 60's to the early 80's.

          The great Awakenings were a response to declining church attendance, apathy, and secular thoughts replacing those of the church. Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield are the great preachers of the 1^st great Awakening - whitefield preaching with a tremble and volume.

The major themes are still vital today:

All people are born sinners

Sin without salvation will send a person to hell

All people can be saved if they confess their sins to God, seek forgiveness & accept God’s grace

All people can have a direct and emotional connection with God

Religion shouldn’t be formal and institutionalized, but rather casual and personal

          The Jesus movement is the era when I came to faith in Christ. The Jesus movement was a mainstream alternative to the charismatic movement. It's entire focus was about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Being during the babyboom era the youth culture in churches was vibrant with mission trips, street evangelism, outdoor week long concerts and busting at the seems church camps.

          Why would God want a new reformation, great awakening, or Jesus movement to begin? Because for too many years, the world has seen the church and Christians in general as a group of people shooting blanks - overpromising and underdelivering.  How can that change, with individuals who are willing to get serious about prayer and living (first Studying) God's Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and our mission.

ILLUSTRATION:     Roy Robertson was a soldier at Pearl Harbor in 1941: 'My ship, the West Virginia, docked at Pearl Harbor on the evening of December 6, 1941. A couple of the fellows and I left the ship that night and attended a Bible study. About fifteen sailors sat in a circle on the floor. The leader asked us to each recite our favorite Scripture verse. In turn each sailor shared a verse and briefly commented on it.

I sat there in terror. I couldn't recall a single verse. I grew up in a Christian home, went to church three times a week, but ... I couldn't recall a single verse. Finally, I remembered one verse - John 3:16. I silently rehearsed it in my mind. The spotlight of attention grew closer as each sailor took his turn. It was up to the fellow next to me. He recited John 3:16. He took my verse! As he commented on it I sat there in stunned humiliation. In a few moments everyone would know that I could not recall from memory even a single verse. Later that night I went to bed thinking, "Robertson, you're a fake."

At 7:55 the next morning I was awakened by the ship alarm ordering us to battle stations. 360 planes of the Japanese Imperial Fleet were attacking our ship and the other military installations. My crew and I raced to our machine gun emplacement, but all we had was practice ammunition. So for the first fifteen minutes of the two-hour battle, we only fired blanks hoping to scare the Japanese airplanes.

As I stood there firing fake ammunition I thought, "Robertson, this is how your whole life has been - firing blanks for Christ." I made up my mind as Japanese bullets slammed into our ship, "If I escape with my life, I will get serious about following Jesus."

Roy Robertson did get serious. He became the first missionary of "The Navigators" and did a lot of work with Billy Graham as well.

CONCLUSION:     A reformation in the world begins with a reformation in America which begins with a reformation in the churches which begins with a reformation in your church which begins with a reformation in your family which begins with a reformation in YOU!

Joshua 24:14-16  "Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

          16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods!           Every reformation, including THE Reformation begin with two essential ingredients, the Bible and prayer.

Romans 12:1-2 (MSG) So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed (reformed) maturity in you.

10-24-21 “The widow's (mite) might”

Scripture     Mark 12:37-44

INTRODUCTION

          The stain glass window at first Baptist Urbana (describe it) 2 slides Stained Glass 1 & 2

Jesus…After commending one specific teacher of the law, then denounces the religious leaders as a class of people who like to walk around in flowing robes. What they wore was not as important as why they wore them. They used them to flaunt their education, their financial and their religious status as being above everyone else. The robe was their visible sign of authority to teach others - It showed they were right about the law and you receive what they say is right. (This was nothing new - Joseph and his multi color coat said he was above his brothers) On the other hand, Jesus' teaching was his authority. [Luke 4:31-32  Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath began to teach the people. They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.  Matt 7:28-29  When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.]

Jesus denounced their desire to show off by their clothing; but they also made a show before man & God in the synagogue taking the best seats and seeking the place of honor at banquets. [Jesus another time said: Luke 14:8-11 When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.]  Worse than all that, these teachers of the law he is addressing on this day had a total disregard for the poor and outcast - the lowest of whom would be older women who were widows. "They devour widow's houses." [Isaiah 10:1-2  "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless."]

Finally, he condemns them for their long prayers that are for show, not to communicate with a holy God.

(Does any of this happen today? Phil Driscoll & Mars Hill 10 year rise and fall  ///  Like Leroy Jenkins who used to fill arena's and live in mansions and sell healing water - ended up destitute living in a motor home and half filling a 500-seat hotel ballroom. The state said his water would not heal but would give you diaria. His lowest move was marrying an old widow who hit a $6,000,000.00 lottery shortly after her husband died. The family got that marriage annulled because she was incompetent to make her own decisions.)

          All of this is setting up a short 4 sentence story that is one of the biggest parts of HIStory in all of the Bible.

Mark 12:37-44     Luke 20:45-21:4  (less detail)

The large crowd listened to Jesus with delight.

38 As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

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          Widow's Mite 1 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

          43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Widow's Mite 2  this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on."

13 chests in the temple treasury in the court of the women all shaped like a trumpet - 9 were for the receipt of what was legally due by worshippers (Half shekel tax, Temple tax, purification offering - sin offering - trespass offering, etc.); the other 4 were free-will offerings.

The rich used these to show off - taking larger, heavier coins and "throwing" them in to make noise - like sounding a trumpet. They were made of metal and made noise. The less valuable a coin - the less metal it was made from and the less noise it would make - a mite was the smallest of all coins.

She didn't have to give it. Why did she?

Do you have money, or does money have you?

I can’t help at church because I don’t have enough time. Or does time have you?

Give the rest of your life to God - when I go to work, the quality I give is to be more like you. With my family, I give you my best. With my neighbor and the stranger, I give myself totally to God.

When people have hard times they often pull away from God and His church. This widow is the opposite - she was going through hard times - a widow in 1^st century Israel had it difficult - she gave ALL she had - she had it rough, but she still gave all she had.

The widow's might was not in her pocketbook, it was in her heart. Her devotion was to the God she loved. (Like the unnamed woman of St. Luke Presbyterian Church) She gave, not a piece of herself, she gave ALL of herself - everything she had and did it voluntarily - not for show, but in confident humility.

CONCLUSION

The Apostle Paul's Thesis

Phil 3:7-14

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

          Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

John the Baptist's Thesis

John 3:30

He must become greater; I must become less.

INVITATION

Remember HIStory is not just about you and your response - though that is a part of it - but it is about showing who God is - One verse shows who God is and how much He notices and affirms us when we give our all to him:

Mark 12:44 (The MSG)  "All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford — she gave her all."

Matt 25:21  Jesus will say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your savior's happiness!'

YOUR RESPONSE REVEALS YOUR HEART OF WORSHIP

King of endless worth - No one could express - How much You deserve

Though I'm weak and poor - All I have is Yours - Every single breath
I'll bring You more than a song - For a song in itself - Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within - Through the way things appear - You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship - And it's all about You - It's all about You, Jesus 

Sing Song: The Heart of Worship

10-10-21 “How do you respond when you hear a rattling sound?”

Scripture    Ezekiel 37:1-14
 
Vast army - pressed uniforms, shiny buttons, chariots in mint condition attached to grand stallions, weapons at the ready, the greatest army ever known on earth with regimental banners unfurled across the valley where the staccato sound of marching feet echoed through the surrounding hills. As they chanted the military cadence call, you could hear their in sync breathing between the phrases.

Ezek 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
          I said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."
          4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'"
          7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
          9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.
          11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.'"
 
Art imitates the Bible - the bones come to life and form skin, etc. back to life.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Undead skeletons could only live again if all Aztec gold coins were returned with the blood of those who took it, and the final blood offering could only happen through the only son of the last pirate - Will Turner.
Synopsis
God explains that these are the bones of the House of Israel. The people believe that their fate is sealed and that there'll be no restoration of their kingdom and their land. But there will, and this is the meaning of the dry bones coming to life.
 
GOD'S BREATH GIVES LIFE
Genesis 2:7
The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
ABSENCE OF BREATH MEANS DEATH
Genesis 25:8
Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.
Psalm 104:29-30
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
Luke 23:44-46
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.
John 20:19-22
JESUS' LAST BREATH REACHED THE DEAD AND BROUGHT THEM BACK TO LIFE
Matthew 27:50-53
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
THE RESUREECTED JESUS HAS AN ETERNAL BREATH TO OFFER
John 20:19-22
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"  After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
 
SONG: "GLORIOUS DAY" "You called my name and I ran out of that grave"
 
 
WORSHIP
Ps 150
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,
praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.

10-03-21 “Wash up before dinner”

Scripture       John 13:1-34

Pastor washes feet while the scripture is read with music underneath.

          You have just heard the beginning of the book of glory. John 13 and following compared to John 1-12 takes a monumental shift much like the OT to the NT. The hour of Christ glorification has been pointed to through Jesus public ministry in John 1-12. 18-21 is his final glorification and 13-17 is the most intimate section of scripture recorded. It is Jesus alone with his disciples. The closest thing to compare this to would be Adam and Eve in the garden with God before the fall.

          In this intimate setting Jesus makes it even more so by beginning with something that was so intimate it shocked Peter. Foot washing was common. People wore sandals and walked on dirt roads. Coming to a formal sacred meal like Passover, it would have been customary for the servant, even the slave, to wash everyone's feet. It was considered the lowest task for the servant with the least seniority.

          Why then, did Jesus wash his disciple's feet? We know it was as an example for them to go and do likewise. But it was so much more than that. It was a picture of the crucifixion he was about to face. Let's consider this when we look at the exchange with Peter.

Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. Jesus poured out what was needed for cleaning feet. On the cross Jesus poured out his blood, which is the only thing that will cleanse us of sin.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus knows he is the only one who can wash away sins and he must do it or people will remain unclean.

Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

"No, you shall never wash my feet."

Peter had the right idea from a human (lower story) point of view that the master should not stoop below the student. From God's point of view, the student is unable to wash himself - never has been able and never will.

"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

"Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

Again, peter has the right idea from his perspective but not from God's.

Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his 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.

Because Peter already believed Jesus to be the messiah, he was clean. Jesus knew that even before morning, Peter would sin 3 times, even denying that he knows Jesus and that his feet (his mouth) can only truly be cleansed by the ultimate eternal sacrifice of Christ himself. And to confirm this, after his resurrection, Jesus commissions Peter to carry on the ministry not one, but 3 times. Remember, Peter has difficulty understanding forgiveness. He once asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone. This foot cleansing ceremony is to help them understand the eternal cleansing that will take place shorty on the cross.

Even before that exchange with Peter, it says - he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Jesus got up from his heavenly table, took off his heavenly clothing and put on the clothing of humanity. Phil 2:5-8 Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!           THEN:

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place.

When Jesus was crucified and risen, he put back on his heavenly clothing and returned to his place to continue being a servant and prepare that place for our arrival, while we are to be washing feet on his behalf.

If the foot washing is a picture of what the crucifixion will be, this adds to why people see the crucifixion as Christ's darkest hour. Not so, both reveal his glory. This is why he came. The crucifixion was not a failure, it was God's moment of triumph over sin and death that plagued the world since the garden of Eden. People saw it from and earthly perspective, Jesus saw it from a God perspective. Much like the scene in Apollo 13.

JUDAS

The story of Peter and the foot washing & last supper show us what it means to receive forgiveness and salvation in light of the cross, then the story of Judas and the foot washing and last supper show us what it means to miss forgiveness and salvation in light of the cross.

Jesus knew Judas would betray him but had him come to the last supper anyway. The one who would seal his fate also had Jesus kneeling before him, washing his feet, just hours before he would betray him. And the saddest picture of all is that Judas was sitting close to Jesus - close enough to receive a piece of bread directly from him. Elsewhere, Jesus and Judas share a bowl into which the dip their bread. John points out that Jesus dipped the bread and gave it to Judas. During the sedar (Passover) meal, the hosts dips the bread and gives it to someone he loves - someone who is the honored guest at the table. No one could be closer to God on earth than that moment when Jesus honors Judas and hands him the bread. Immediately after receiving it, it says the devil entered him - had full control - brought him over to the dark aide - literally. It says, when he left it was night - dark. This act is the antithesis of Jesus who is the light of the world.

Are you more like Peter or Judas in this story? Jesus tells us we should be more like him. We are given a new command to love one another. In this moment he is only talking about us loving those who are part of his body - the church. That love should look like one person humbling themselves for another by washing their feet. When a person walks into a church, they should see people who deeply love one another - not just their friends - but everyone who is there.

Simultaneously while we are growing in our actionable love for one another, we are going into all the world to invite people to the great wedding feast of Jesus! COMMUNION PREP>>>

(GIDEON STORY)

Gretchen said, We were all having a rough morning, I was having a rough morning, I was sitting with Gemma trying to help us all calm down and Gideon went upstairs.

He came back down and scooted a toy bin over and asked me to put my feet in it.  I was confused and then I saw two little towels on his shoulder and he began washing my feet.  What a beautiful moment of grace and reminder of God's love.