WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.700 --> 00:00:01.800 Grace, mercy, and peace 2 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:05.100 be to you from God, our Father and from our Lord, and Savior Jesus 3 00:00:05.100 --> 00:00:05.800 Christ. 4 00:00:05.900 --> 00:00:07.200 Amen. 5 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:10.700 We begin this time together, in the name of Jesus. 6 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:14.900 The reason why we're all gathered together, and in Jesus name, I would 7 00:00:14.900 --> 00:00:18.800 like to begin with you, to just remind you of a little bit of 8 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:22.200 something that all of us have experienced. 9 00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:26.300 Maybe it looks different in your place than it looks in my place. 10 00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:30.100 Maybe it looks different in your family that it does in my family. 11 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:33.900 In my place and my family it looks a little bit like this. 12 00:00:34.300 --> 00:00:38.200 It looks like big cookout grills that are being dragged through the 13 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:40.800 middle of grass. At my place 14 00:00:40.800 --> 00:00:41.800 it looks like this. 15 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:46.200 It looks like lawn chairs that are all too heavy and all too large 16 00:00:46.200 --> 00:00:48.300 that you're dragging behind you. 17 00:00:48.400 --> 00:00:51.600 As you set multiple chairs up over time 18 00:00:51.700 --> 00:00:53.400 in one spot. In my place 19 00:00:53.400 --> 00:00:54.500 it looks like this. 20 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:59.600 It looks like an argument between gas and charcoal at my place. 21 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.800 And if you sit on the wrong side of that table, I pity you, 22 00:01:03.900 --> 00:01:06.500 I really do. At my place 23 00:01:06.500 --> 00:01:07.500 that looks like this. 24 00:01:07.600 --> 00:01:10.100 It looks like oversized t-shirts 25 00:01:10.100 --> 00:01:14.800 that are usually an obnoxious color, like red or yellow, or bright 26 00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:16.200 construction orange. 27 00:01:16.300 --> 00:01:19.400 I am talking about a family reunion. 28 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.700 Now, if you don't know what a family reunion is, it's not probably 29 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:25.500 that you've never experienced it. 30 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:28.900 It just might be that you do it in a different way than other people 31 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:30.300 do it. See for some 32 00:01:30.500 --> 00:01:34.000 people a family reunions looks like a host, buzzing around a 33 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.800 kitchen and people gathering together into the house and being 34 00:01:37.800 --> 00:01:42.000 shoulder to shoulder at the same table and and us enjoying good food. 35 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.800 And us enjoying, okay, food. And us enjoying food that needs 36 00:01:45.800 --> 00:01:50.100 improvement, together. 37 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:54.900 It looks like a holiday where everybody's packed into the house, and 38 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:58.000 it's too hot and it's too loud, but it feels like home. 39 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:00.200 There's something about 40 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:06.000 when family and friends, get together, the energy in the room together 41 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:07.000 is contagious. 42 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:11.700 There's something about that time when we're gathered, the just feels 43 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:12.800 good. 44 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:17.600 And you know what happens in times like that is that as people are 45 00:02:17.600 --> 00:02:20.700 sitting around the table or sitting on the grass, at the family 46 00:02:20.700 --> 00:02:21.400 reunion. 47 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:25.300 They're bringing their best in the conversation. 48 00:02:26.200 --> 00:02:29.300 They're talking about the boat that they just bought for them in their 49 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:30.300 family that they can't 50 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:34.300 wait for you to see. They're talking about how so-and-so just went off 51 00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:36.500 to college and and she's doing so great. 52 00:02:36.500 --> 00:02:40.100 The semester was full of A's. They're talking about this house 53 00:02:40.100 --> 00:02:41.500 they just bought her. This car 54 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:44.700 they just upgraded to. They're talking about stories and goals and 55 00:02:44.700 --> 00:02:48.700 accomplishments and bringing the very best to the table and to the 56 00:02:48.700 --> 00:02:49.600 reunion. 57 00:02:51.200 --> 00:02:55.300 And you know as Christians we have to ask ourselves in that time 58 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:59.800 together when we're gathered shoulder-to-shoulder and we're bringing 59 00:03:00.100 --> 00:03:01.600 best in a reunion. 60 00:03:02.300 --> 00:03:06.500 Are we bringing our honesty as well? 61 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:11.800 Because it's easy to talk about the boat that so-and-so just bought, 62 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:17.300 but it's hard to talk about the depression that is facing that family 63 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:18.300 or that person. 64 00:03:18.300 --> 00:03:22.300 And the reason why they buy things is because they don't have people 65 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.400 around them to support them. 66 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:29.800 It's easy to talk about the straight A semester at college, but it's 67 00:03:29.800 --> 00:03:34.200 harder to talk about the night, sitting alone in one's room, where 68 00:03:34.200 --> 00:03:37.200 sins of this world have wrapped its arms 69 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:40.800 around that individual and they're clicking on web pages 70 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.500 they know they don't belong on. It's easy to talk about the good 71 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:47.800 stuff, the houses and the cars and the memories and the 72 00:03:47.800 --> 00:03:48.600 accomplishments. 73 00:03:48.600 --> 00:03:50.500 What about the times that I failed? 74 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:54.700 What about the times that I did not do the right thing? 75 00:03:54.700 --> 00:03:59.600 And I know, I know what I deserve isn't what I'm gonna get. 76 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:04.300 You see when it comes to the family reunion the family gathered 77 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:04.900 together. 78 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:07.700 Are we bringing our honesty 79 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:11.900 at those times too? Our scripture reading for today 80 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:17.300 says and I looked and I saw around the throne, every living creature 81 00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.700 and the elders and the voices of many angels numbering. 82 00:04:20.700 --> 00:04:24.100 Myriad's, and myriad's, thousands of thousands with a loud voice 83 00:04:24.100 --> 00:04:27.400 saying, Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain to receive power, and 84 00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:30.400 wealth, and wisdom, and might and honor and glory and blessing. 85 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:35.400 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth 86 00:04:35.700 --> 00:04:40.000 and in the sea and all of them saying to Him who sits on the throne 87 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:45.500 and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory, and might forever 88 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:48.700 and ever, and the four living creatures, said, let's say it together. 89 00:04:49.100 --> 00:04:50.000 Amen. 90 00:04:51.700 --> 00:04:58.400 It was a family reunion, a reunion, that looked a little different 91 00:04:58.600 --> 00:05:03.200 than everybody's reunion, all around this room. Because it wasn't just 92 00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:04.900 everybody that could come 93 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:12.100 it was everybody that came. Every single person on the earth under the 94 00:05:12.100 --> 00:05:15.000 Earth, the fishes in the sea, the four living creatures. 95 00:05:15.200 --> 00:05:19.700 Everything was gathered together in this reunion, and they weren't 96 00:05:19.700 --> 00:05:21.000 gathered there for food. 97 00:05:22.500 --> 00:05:25.400 They weren't gathered there for conversation. 98 00:05:25.900 --> 00:05:29.300 They weren't gathered there to share accomplishments. 99 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:33.700 They were gathered there for worship. 100 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:46.100 And worship of one living thing, Jesus. Of one singular thing 101 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:52.000 our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The one who sits on the 102 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:58.500 throne up high, but who came down low to do what he needed to do to 103 00:05:58.500 --> 00:05:59.700 make our family 104 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:00.700 complete. 105 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.200 It's a reunions where we don't talk about our accomplishments and what 106 00:06:05.200 --> 00:06:09.000 we've done because nothing we could do could get us out of our 107 00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:10.000 situation. 108 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:15.000 It's a reunion where doesn't matter what the food tastes like. 109 00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:23.000 Because God your Father is setting the table and he serving the meal 110 00:06:23.700 --> 00:06:24.600 himself. 111 00:06:25.700 --> 00:06:29.700 It's a reunion where differences between us and language and skin 112 00:06:29.700 --> 00:06:30.100 color. 113 00:06:30.100 --> 00:06:34.100 And the way this person does this and that cultural group does that, 114 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:37.100 it's a reunions where it all makes sense, even though it doesn't 115 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:40.000 always make sense here on Earth. 116 00:06:40.800 --> 00:06:43.900 It's our family reunion. 117 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:49.100 And this family is not a family that we were born into. 118 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:54.400 A family were we can trace our lineage back to this or that person. 119 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:59.600 This family is a family that we were birthed into in 120 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:06.900 Baptism. In that same name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 121 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:12.200 And as brothers and as sisters, who have things that have been high 122 00:07:12.200 --> 00:07:16.700 highs in our life. Who have Ministries that have experienced high 123 00:07:16.700 --> 00:07:19.800 highs and great successes, and great joys. 124 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:23.200 We also can bring the lowest of lows as well. 125 00:07:24.300 --> 00:07:26.600 We can bring the things that broke us. 126 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:28.900 We can bring the hurts 127 00:07:28.900 --> 00:07:30.300 that keep us up at night. 128 00:07:31.100 --> 00:07:35.700 We can bring our failures to the reunion. 129 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:39.400 And Jesus looks out at the table ahead of Him 130 00:07:40.700 --> 00:07:46.100 and he says let's worship together as one family. 131 00:07:46.500 --> 00:07:47.900 Just as you are. 132 00:07:48.500 --> 00:07:49.800 I'll do the rest. 133 00:07:50.700 --> 00:07:54.700 There's something beautiful in that church of worshiping together 134 00:07:54.700 --> 00:07:58.600 being on bended knee and having a worship that's for real because it's 135 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:03.300 not just pretend of how I could look or seem, but instead exactly how 136 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:04.600 Jesus sees me. 137 00:08:06.400 --> 00:08:08.600 Which I often don't see myself as. 138 00:08:09.900 --> 00:08:11.400 It's a beautiful worship. 139 00:08:12.500 --> 00:08:17.000 And lastly, it's a reuniting worship. 140 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:20.700 Earlier this year at our church at our spot. 141 00:08:20.700 --> 00:08:26.000 We had a little boy named Keelan who is in our after school programs 142 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:31.100 and was involved in our church Ministries, who is in a car with his 143 00:08:31.100 --> 00:08:35.500 uncle and two other cousins and they got into a rollover car accident. 144 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:39.900 And everybody was okay except Keelan has lost his life immediately in 145 00:08:39.900 --> 00:08:40.900 that accident. 146 00:08:42.400 --> 00:08:48.100 And we know this. We know that even though, there are so many things 147 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:49.000 that are unknown. 148 00:08:49.800 --> 00:08:51.900 We know, Keelan new Jesus. 149 00:08:53.300 --> 00:08:58.200 So at the family reunion, when we're all gathered together, and we're 150 00:08:58.200 --> 00:08:59.400 all around the table. 151 00:09:00.400 --> 00:09:03.300 We know Keelan is right there with us. 152 00:09:04.700 --> 00:09:10.100 Not because of what we've done or the words that we speak but because 153 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:11.400 of this Jesus. 154 00:09:12.600 --> 00:09:17.700 Who had his name every knee bows and everyone worships. 155 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:24.800 And everyone says worthy is this King to him be honor and blessing and 156 00:09:24.800 --> 00:09:26.300 glory forever and ever. 157 00:09:26.500 --> 00:09:30.300 And in our family reunion with our loudest voices 158 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:34.400 we say. Amen. 159 00:09:36.100 --> 00:09:39.400 Welcome to the family, reunion. 160 00:09:40.300 --> 00:09:45.300 It is good to be here together in Jesus name. 161 00:09:45.900 --> 00:09:46.500 Amen.