1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:06,800 Years ago, the United States had largely an industrial economy, 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,840 manufacturing economy. We, we, we grew food, we produce 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,560 steel, we produced oil, we produce products. 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:20,040 Over the years, we transitioned into what many people call a 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,640 service economy, and that is we provided services, financial 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:28,640 services, educational services, insurance services, medical 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,040 services. We shift then into a, an 8 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,600 information economy and, and, and now we're going into 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,640 something and knowing we don't really know what it's going to 10 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,120 be. They'll we'll find out when, 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,800 when it's here. But but that, that notion of 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,000 being a service economy is, I think, a helpful way for us to 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,680 think about the Kingdom of God. That that while it is important 14 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,800 to be productive, the, the, the essence and the basis of the 15 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,080 life in the Kingdom of God is not production, it's service. 16 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,160 We're an Easter people. We gather together, We are, we 17 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,480 have an identity. We are who we are because of 18 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,160 what happened on Easter. Jesus rose again from the dead 19 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:19,320 and, and has promised that one day a resurrection will come for 20 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:22,040 all the faithful. We have that hope of the 21 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,640 resurrection. And because we have that hope of 22 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,840 the resurrection, Jesus calls us to live now like we really 23 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,720 believe that and, and to live the resurrection life, live the 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,520 Easter life now. And, and that part of that, 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:39,000 again, we saw that part of that is, is realizing that that we 26 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,560 live in a world that's turned upside down, that that 27 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:46,160 expectations and priorities and status and position all get 28 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,160 reversed in the Kingdom of heaven. 29 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,880 And today we're talking about the reality that the Easter life 30 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,680 is also a life of service. Last week, a life of faith, this 31 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,720 week, a life of service. And I want to, I want to talk 32 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,880 about this business, about the Easter life being a life of 33 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,200 service. This shouldn't have surprised 34 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,600 any of Jesus's disciples. Now we say that they've, they've 35 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,560 kept continually getting surprised by lots of things that 36 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,520 that perhaps they shouldn't have been surprised by. 37 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,240 Jesus told them repeatedly, I'm going to be betrayed. 38 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,880 I'm going to be handed over, I'm going to suffer, I'm going to 39 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,200 die, I'm going to rise again. And then they were all surprised 40 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,040 when it happened. And that's we, we can't really 41 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:28,560 judge the disciples for that because odds are we would have 42 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,480 had the same struggles in understanding and believing 43 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,640 those things that they did. But this piece of it, this piece 44 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:41,600 of it was as clear as crystal from the jump with Jesus from 45 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:46,720 the get go, that a life in the Kingdom of God, they wouldn't 46 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:48,960 have called it before Easter, the Easter life. 47 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,120 But life in the Kingdom of God, which we now know is the Easter 48 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:57,480 life is a life of service. Jesus had been modeling that and 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,160 doing that and saying that from the very beginning. 50 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,560 Grace read part of that this morning, here today. 51 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,440 Jesus said whoever wants to be first must take the last place 52 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:14,080 and be the servant of all in. In the Gospel of Luke, we see 53 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:17,000 the disciples having this argument in the upper room the 54 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,120 night before Jesus is crucified. Who's going to be the greatest? 55 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,160 In the Gospel of Mark, we see the disciples having that 56 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:25,880 argument much earlier. They're just walking through 57 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,720 whatever part of Israel they're walking through at the time, 58 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,160 doing the things that they've been doing and and having that 59 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,520 argument that human beings seem to so often love to have. 60 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,960 Which one of us is better, Which one of us is more important? 61 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:41,120 Which one of us should be in charge? 62 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:44,960 Which one of us should get the credit and the glory and get to 63 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,600 set at the, you know, the head of the table or the front of the 64 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,080 class or or have the corner office? 65 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,760 All of the which one of us should get the biggest paycheck? 66 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,840 And Jesus said you are asking all of the wrong questions. 67 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,760 That is not how my Kingdom works. 68 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,600 If you want to be first, if you really want to be first in my 69 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:09,840 Kingdom, then you need to get in last place and serve everyone 70 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:13,920 else. Now, we still struggle with that 71 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:20,480 in a in a huge way. I have yet to see the Church of 72 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:27,160 any size that that insists that their janitor be the pastor or 73 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,360 the president of the board, Right. 74 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,000 I mean, if we took Jesus literally, that's how we would 75 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,440 do things. If you want to preach, you got 76 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:41,000 to clean the toilets. By the way, it's not what I'm 77 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:48,000 asking for. You can have me clean your 78 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,720 toilets, but ask Amy. They won't. 79 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:59,880 It won't happen very often. So being out front as a status 80 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:06,000 symbol is is is a huge temptation in the church in the 81 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,560 West, even more so than in other parts of the world. 82 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,720 I think largely because for so many years, being part of a 83 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,160 church, particularly part of a reputable church had its status 84 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,840 and social advantages is a pastor. 85 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:23,080 And I've, I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite 86 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,000 pastors is out there is a fellow by the name of Francis Chan. 87 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,520 He's over on the West Coast someplace, Washington or Oregon, 88 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:31,600 one of the, the Pacific Northwest states. 89 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:36,720 And he, he's been a very good writer, a very good pastor. 90 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:41,240 He's, he started more than one church that grew phenomenally 91 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,800 and, and did amazing things as a church and, and we're what 92 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,280 typically are now called mega churches, very large churches. 93 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:53,080 And at some point a few years ago, he began to sense the God 94 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:57,080 working on his heart and saying, this is not what I'm after. 95 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:03,680 And so Chan walked away from his mega church that he started to 96 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,000 look for other ways to do and be church. 97 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,080 And in part of that, he knew that the church in the East, the 98 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,720 Far East, China and, and, and other areas in Asia had been 99 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,000 growing rapidly, even though there was significant 100 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,000 persecution. And so he went there, he went to 101 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,600 India, he went to and met with Chinese house church pastors 102 00:06:22,600 --> 00:06:25,280 and, and people from those, those countries where, where 103 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:28,960 it's not always free and not always safe and, and sometimes 104 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:31,560 never free and safe to be a follower of Jesus. 105 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,640 And he talked with folks from those churches and, and they 106 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,880 said, here's one of the big differences, Francis, between 107 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,760 between church in America and church over here. 108 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:46,960 He said, you folks in America, take your best pastors and make 109 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,000 them celebrities. They're the one that get the big 110 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,320 speaking gigs at the conferences and the higher honorariums. 111 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,280 And they're get to be on TV and they're taught the president 112 00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:00,200 calls them and talks to them. They may be invited to be part 113 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:01,880 of these big national committees. 114 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,960 They, they write the books. They, they're, they're well 115 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:06,600 known. They're recognized. 116 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:12,680 They are celebrities, he said, where we come from, our best 117 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:17,720 pastors, we hide them so they don't get put in jail. 118 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:25,920 That is as clear and stark a distinction between what Jesus 119 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:30,080 was talking about and what church so often ends up being 120 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,280 like. And, and it, it's, it even in 121 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:37,040 churches that don't have celebrity pastors and, and, and 122 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:41,000 I've, I've run into this there. And, and I, I, there, there are 123 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:46,160 some church traditions and, and some congregations that, that 124 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,960 put the pastor up on a pedestal and elevate them. 125 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:53,600 This is always a bad idea. And, and, and the pastor is 126 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,080 always first in line at, at gatherings and at meals And the 127 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:00,360 pastor gets a parking place that's close to the door and the 128 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:03,840 pastor gets all of these extra, you know, perks and special 129 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:09,040 things and, and lift that. And it's no, no, no, no, no, 130 00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:12,800 that's not the way church needs to be doing things. 131 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:18,000 We don't need our pastors. We don't need our any of our 132 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,200 leaders, whether they're pastors, whether they're 133 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,960 ordained, whether they're lay people, to be sort of held up as 134 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,280 as the the Christian Hall of Fame and the local church. 135 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,919 We need the mindset that Jesus tried to drill into his 136 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,440 disciples from day one. If you want first place, get in 137 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:42,320 the back of the line and serve everyone else. 138 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,960 And he wasn't telling a parable. He meant it literally. 139 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:51,480 And part of the way we know that is that was one of the last 140 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,440 things he said to his disciples too. 141 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:57,480 There with Peter on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after the 142 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:00,160 resurrection, after Peter had denied him. 143 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,560 Peter denied knowing him three times and and three times in 144 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:05,760 response, Jesus asked him, do you love me? 145 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,240 Do you really love me? And Peter kept saying, yes, I 146 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:13,440 love you. And the measure of Peter's love 147 00:09:13,440 --> 00:09:19,680 for Jesus, according to Jesus, would be how well Peter served 148 00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:24,200 other people. If you love me, serve them. 149 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,760 If you love me, take care of them. 150 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,720 If you love me, feed them. If you love me, provide for 151 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:34,680 them. That's the measure of how much 152 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:41,080 we love God, not whether we jump and shout and, you know, on 153 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,600 Sunday mornings, not, not how many positions we've held in the 154 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:47,960 church, not whether we're ordained and not whether we have 155 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:50,040 status within the annual conference. 156 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:51,640 I didn't even have annual conferences back. 157 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:57,600 None of none of those things are measure of how much someone 158 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,600 loves Jesus. Jesus says you measure how much 159 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,440 you love me by how much you're serving others. 160 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,200 The Easter life is a life of service. 161 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:14,240 Probably Matthew 25 is is the at once most hopeful and 162 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:17,920 threatening formulation of this that Jesus ever gave when he 163 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,480 said the Kingdom of God's like this. 164 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,080 At the end, there's going to be an accounting and, and, and the 165 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,960 master's going to separate every, everybody in the world of 166 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,760 the two groups, the sheep and the goats. 167 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,360 And, and now the goats are the good things. 168 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,400 But but they weren't for Jesus's day. 169 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,560 I don't know why the goat, the goat wasn't the goat in Jesus's 170 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:40,320 day. It was just a goat. 171 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:43,600 I know that doesn't make any sense at all. 172 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:49,520 I'm going to stop. And Jesus said to the sheep, I 173 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:51,560 was hungry. You fed me, I was thirsty. 174 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:55,440 You gave me something to drink. I was naked and you clothed me. 175 00:10:55,440 --> 00:10:57,120 I was homeless and you sheltered me. 176 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,560 I was in the hospital and in prison, and you visited me. 177 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:05,200 Come and enter into my rest. And they said, Jesus, when did 178 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,320 we see you and do all of those things? 179 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,920 And Jesus said, whatever you did for the least of these brothers 180 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:14,840 and sisters of mine, you did that for me. 181 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,520 And then he turned to the goats and he said, you know what? 182 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,680 You're all out. Outer darkness forever. 183 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,400 Why? Because when I was hungry, you 184 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,440 didn't feed me. When I was thirsty, you didn't 185 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:30,960 give me anything to drink. When I was hungry or when I was 186 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,040 homeless, you didn't shelter me. When I was sick or in prison, 187 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:36,040 you didn't visit me. And they said, what? 188 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,120 Jesus, when did we? Had we seen you in that 189 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,640 situation, we would have done something. 190 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:44,920 And Jesus said what? This is tough. 191 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,280 These are tough words. I think these are the maybe some 192 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,360 of the toughest words of Jesus in the entire Bible. 193 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:55,320 And Jesus said whatever you failed to do for the least of 194 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:59,440 these brothers and sisters of mine, you failed to do for me. 195 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:03,760 The measure of our love of Jesus, the measure of our 196 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:09,520 faithfulness to God, is the extent to which we serve others. 197 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,800 That is a life of service, That is life in the Kingdom. 198 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,320 That is the Easter life to which we're called. 199 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,320 And I want to just run through real quick five characteristics. 200 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,320 I might throw in 1/6 here at the end as well, but 5 201 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:28,840 characteristics that that of a life of service to distinguish 202 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,440 it from other ways of living. 1A. 203 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,880 Life of service is a life of humility, not of glory. 204 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:39,760 So much of our culture pushes us to chase glory, to chase honor. 205 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,560 And, and, and it's good. I, I love, I love the Facebook 206 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:45,240 posts. I've done the same thing with my 207 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,200 kids. I do the same thing with, you 208 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:48,960 know, other people at other times. 209 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:51,040 When you win something, when you get an award, when you have an 210 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,360 achievement, we want to celebrate that. 211 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:57,720 That's a good thing to honor those kind of achievements. 212 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,600 But that's not what life in the Kingdom is like. 213 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,480 Life in the Kingdom is not about a pursuit of glory. 214 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:08,960 The risk of those is of those things, and it's good that we do 215 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:10,800 them. The risk is that we train our 216 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,560 children to seek glory and praise and affirmation as the 217 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:19,040 measure of how high a quality of life that they have. 218 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,200 Are you getting glory? Are you getting praise? 219 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,280 Are you getting affirmation for what you're doing? 220 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,520 And that's a trap when we come to measure the quality of our 221 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,320 life and the value of our life by the honors, accolades and 222 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,240 glory that we receive. Because a life of service is not 223 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:37,840 glory. It's not about a life of glory, 224 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:42,000 it's about a life of humility. When Jesus said servant of all, 225 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:46,680 he meant servant of all serving everyone. 226 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:50,480 He modeled it himself when he took on the role of the lowest 227 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,800 slave in the household, got down on his hands and knees and 228 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:59,360 washed his disciples feet. A life of service is not a glory 229 00:13:59,360 --> 00:14:02,960 seeking life. A life of service is a life that 230 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:07,360 is content and seeking humility. Humility. 231 00:14:08,080 --> 00:14:11,080 A life of service is a life filled with following orders, 232 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:15,680 not giving orders. It's a hard one for me since 233 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:19,560 since I was very young. My definition of growing up was 234 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:21,680 then I get to do what I want to do. 235 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:24,520 I I get to be in charge. I get to tell. 236 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,520 I thought it was going to be cool having kids because then I 237 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:34,680 could tell them what to do. Yeah, you can tell them, but 238 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:41,000 they got a mind of their own. A life of service is a life of 239 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:47,720 following orders, of taking directions, of having to do what 240 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,960 you're told. That's, that's what servants do. 241 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,520 The, the servants are, are the, the low people in the 242 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,120 organization. They're the low people. 243 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,560 They're the ones that everyone gets to give instructions to. 244 00:15:01,800 --> 00:15:03,840 You know, you go to a restaurant, you don't, your 245 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,280 server doesn't come and demand things of you. 246 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:09,800 You ask you, you go, hey, I need another. 247 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,680 I've dropped my stuff all the time. 248 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:13,800 I need a fresh napkin. I need a fresh fork. 249 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,680 I need a fresh spoon. I I know now. 250 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:18,920 No. Pick up the fork off the floor 251 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,680 and use it on the food. I've learned that I don't need 252 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:26,960 to be corrected on that anymore. You got a you got a server 253 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:28,920 there. Who, when you say can you bring 254 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:30,520 me a fork, would you bring me a fork? 255 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:32,360 They'll bring you a fork. Bring me some soup. 256 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,080 They'll bring you soup. Tell me where the restrooms are. 257 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,360 They'll tell you where the restrooms are. 258 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:38,800 Refill my Coke. They'll refill your Coke. 259 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:42,920 You're giving orders. They're taking orders. 260 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,160 Even if we're polite about it, that's still the arrangement. 261 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:51,480 That's life in the Kingdom and that's a life of service that 262 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,280 we're not the ones given the orders. 263 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:55,360 We're the ones taking the orders. 264 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,520 We're not the ones in charge. We're the ones with someone in 265 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,160 charge of us, and we volunteer for that. 266 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,600 We don't do it because we have to. 267 00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:09,720 We voluntarily accept that role in this life. 268 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,600 That's what it means to live a life of service in the Kingdom 269 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,360 of God. Jesus said it this way to Peter. 270 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:21,640 When you were younger, you dressed yourself, you went where 271 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,200 you wanted. But when you're old, you will 272 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,360 stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and 273 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,760 lead you where you do not want to go. 274 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,400 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter 275 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,760 would glorify God. Peter would glorify God not by 276 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,000 being in charge, but by following orders. 277 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:47,000 And and Jesus makes it clear from this context is that 278 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,000 sometimes following orders means following the orders of people 279 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,160 who do not have your best interests at heart. 280 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:01,960 We don't have 100% verifiable historical records about Jesus's 281 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,800 death, but tradition tells us that he was crucified and that 282 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,680 because he didn't feel like he was worthy of dying in the same 283 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,079 way his savior did, He asked to be crucified upside down. 284 00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:20,319 He didn't volunteer to be crucified, but he willingly 285 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:27,079 went. He willingly went because that 286 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:32,000 was what he was ordered to do. That's what God, it's where God 287 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,600 led him through the voices of the people around him who had 288 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:42,040 charge of his life. A life of service is not about 289 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,840 being in charge. It's not about being in control. 290 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:47,680 Control's an illusion anyway, right? 291 00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:53,080 I we can agree on that. Control in our lives is, is 292 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:57,080 largely an illusion. We can control a little bit 293 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:02,520 sometimes, but you know, there's so many things in this world, 294 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:07,160 whether it's health or economic conditions or wars and political 295 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,400 conditions, all of these things around us that we have so little 296 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,200 control over. And life just happens to us and 297 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,120 we have to figure out how to respond to it. 298 00:18:16,360 --> 00:18:19,920 And, and the control that we crave is ultimately an illusion 299 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,560 anyway. And Jesus says, if you want to 300 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,320 live the Easter life, live a life in my Kingdom, then then 301 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:29,040 you need to acknowledge that control is not only an illusion, 302 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,040 but it's something you're not after anyway. 303 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:37,120 To be a servant of others, taking orders rather than giving 304 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:39,800 orders. Number 3A, life of service is a 305 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:43,320 life of being powerless rather than powerful. 306 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,000 Power is another thing that we're taught and trained from a 307 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:49,080 very young age to seek in this world. 308 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:53,320 Power for self determination, power to control your own 309 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:57,600 destiny power to make sure that that you're the one that that 310 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,080 can direct others rather than the one of the one of the crowd 311 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,360 being directed by someone else. Power. 312 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:08,280 Now I I distinguish between power and empowerment. 313 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,840 I don't think it's ever wrong for human beings to seek 314 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:16,800 empowerment, which is to say that that that there are, have 315 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:21,080 been and, and it changes over time and it changes from place 316 00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,720 to place, groups of people, that other groups of people have 317 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:27,880 their boots on their necks. And, and whether it's because of 318 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,800 their gender, the color of their skin, their nationality, their 319 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,160 religion, whatever it is that, that they're, they are in 320 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,720 society with other people's boots on their necks. 321 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:44,480 And, and they are, are, are kept, whether it's in slavery 322 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,640 or, or intimidation or fear, whatever it is. 323 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:50,920 And for folks to want to get out from under those boots, I don't 324 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,320 think there's anything wrong with that. 325 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:57,800 That's empowerment. Power. 326 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:03,360 Seeking power means I want to have my boot on their neck 327 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,400 instead. That's seeking power. 328 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:13,440 It's one thing to seek to be free of of dominating and abuse 329 00:20:13,440 --> 00:20:16,440 of power of others. It's another thing to seek that 330 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:21,560 power over others life in the Kingdom, life as servant is a 331 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:27,400 it's a life of being powerless. Jesus was not a victim, but he 332 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:32,320 did not exercise his power over pilot, over Herod, over the 333 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:37,280 chief priests. Peter was at one point rested 334 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:42,080 and and God broke him out of jail and he walked free in the 335 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,040 middle of the night, just walked out. 336 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,920 But when God didn't do that, Peter willingly went to the 337 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,520 cross. Peter knew it wasn't about 338 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,920 getting that power to do whatever I want. 339 00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,960 It's about allowing myself to be powerless. 340 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,080 And at times, that means being at the mercy of other people. 341 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,720 That's a life of service. A life of service is a life of 342 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:15,560 helping more than being helped. I'm not sure that even needs 343 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:21,120 much more explanation. But in a group be looking 344 00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:24,000 around, who needs help? Who can I reach out to? 345 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:25,520 Who's struggling? Who? 346 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:26,800 Who needs a hand? Who needs a word of 347 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,800 encouragement? Who, who needs, you know, maybe 348 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:34,680 a cut in front of line to, to get their seconds even before 349 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:37,640 I've had my first because they're they're hungry or who's 350 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,080 struggling with the math or who's struggling with the 351 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:45,440 assignment at work and the the response, who can I help rather 352 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:50,560 than seeking to be helped? Again, that's the role of the 353 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,760 servant and a household and a business anywhere is to look 354 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,640 around and see what needs done that's not being done so I can 355 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,520 do it. What's been forgotten? 356 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,200 Who's struggling? Where can I step in? 357 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:07,320 Where can I help? That's a significant enough 358 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,280 thing that that Paul even identifies it as a spiritual 359 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:16,200 gift, right up there with prophecy and and healing is is 360 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:21,000 helping. Being helpful to other people is 361 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,840 part of a life of service, and a life of service is about 362 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:28,200 serving. Even when leading, because we 363 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:31,560 find ourselves in positions of authority, we find ourselves in 364 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,720 positions of power. We find ourselves in roles where 365 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,360 we have responsibility not just for others, but over others. 366 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,120 And we see that throughout the Scripture as well. 367 00:22:42,120 --> 00:22:44,520 We're going to look at Joseph in a little more detail. 368 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,880 Ended up being second in command in Egypt, the most powerful 369 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:50,920 nation in the world. Daniel ended up being second in 370 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,600 command in Babylon, at that time the most powerful empire in the 371 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,880 world. And we see kings, we see all 372 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:02,000 sorts of people and in God's Kingdom throughout history who 373 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,080 were in positions of power and positions of authority. 374 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,760 Whether they sought those things or not, they were there. 375 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:14,120 Well, once they were there. The question is, how will I be a 376 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:17,400 leader? How will I be an authority? 377 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:22,280 Will I use that role and that opportunity to put my boot on 378 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:26,560 the neck of others and make sure I get my perks and my privileges 379 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,160 that come with my position? Or will I say, how will I use my 380 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:34,640 power and my position to serve as many people as possible, to 381 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,200 care for as many people as possible, to lift up as many as 382 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:42,400 people as possible? Because again, sometimes we find 383 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:46,280 ourselves in the spot where we've got we've got power over 384 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:47,760 others. We are the leader. 385 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:50,560 We're a part of a group of leaders. 386 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,720 Do we use that position and that power and that leadership to 387 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,040 serve ourselves or to serve others? 388 00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:59,320 Now I want to give you an example. 389 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:05,000 It's a lot of, you know, just theory and stuff words here 390 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,440 today, but I want to give you a real concrete example. 391 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:12,600 A fellow by the name of Peter Mutabazi, who, who has an 392 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,400 extraordinary story. He first started telling his 393 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,720 story a few years ago. I just heard about it this week. 394 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:20,840 I, I, no, actually it was last week. 395 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,400 An amazing guy. He's got a couple of books out 396 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:26,920 there. One of them, well, I can't 397 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,400 remember that I should have put the book titles up there, but I 398 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,000 can. I'll put them with the when I 399 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:35,560 post the sermons tomorrow. And and Peter grew up in about 400 00:24:35,560 --> 00:24:39,720 as bad a situation as you could grow up in, impoverished in 401 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:44,480 Uganda. His mother was a drug addict and 402 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:49,440 I believe a prostitute. His father was physically and 403 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:54,640 verbally abusive. At age 5 or 6 years old, Peter 404 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:59,520 fled his home, explicitly with this in mind, he said. 405 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:02,320 He said if I'm going to be killed, I want to be killed by a 406 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:07,720 stranger, not by my father. And he grew up in the homeless 407 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:13,480 on the streets in Uganda until he encountered some people that 408 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:18,760 treated him like a human being and helped him improve his life 409 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,240 and see a different way of living and being. 410 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,160 He was helped by them, eventually moved to the United 411 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:31,000 States, went to university and got a job for Compassion 412 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,640 International doing mission work in Uganda. 413 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,040 That's cool. Compassion, one of the if you're 414 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,040 looking for a good organization to support that helps folks 415 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,840 around the world, particularly children, Compassion's a great 416 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,400 one. They're, they are very, very 417 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,880 credible organization that when you give your money, you know 418 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,480 it's going for what you're giving it for and not just 419 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,520 making someone's boat payment someplace. 420 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,160 And, and Muta Bazi was a manager and he led trips of people he 421 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:05,400 took, he took white people to villages in Uganda where white 422 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,320 people had never been seen before. 423 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,560 But then he started seeing in his own neighborhood back in the 424 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,320 States. He lived in Oklahoma, still 425 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:18,320 lives in Oklahoma, children in need. 426 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:27,280 And God started working on his heart and, and saying, I want 427 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:31,400 you to do something that you haven't done yet. 428 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:36,920 He's a single man, an immigrant from Africa, living in Oklahoma. 429 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,160 And God started calling him to be a foster parent. 430 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:46,720 And to do that, Peter had to change everything in his life. 431 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:50,840 He was living very simply in a small apartment. 432 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,040 He's like, I, it's not big enough. 433 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:59,000 I got to buy a house if I'm going to be a parent, he said. 434 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:05,600 I, I spend, you know, 6-9 weeks at a time, traveling multiple 435 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,800 times a year. I can't be a parent, single 436 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:12,160 parent and do that. So we had to get a new job. 437 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,840 Friend of his had a, a real estate business there. 438 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:19,280 They, they bought houses and repaired him and flipped him. 439 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:21,280 And he started doing that with his friend. 440 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:26,080 He changed his home, he changed his career. 441 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,840 He changed everything about how he was doing his life except for 442 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,920 his faith and a very real sense in order to be a foster dad. 443 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,520 There's a part of a news report, this is from a few years ago 444 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,800 that I want to play and then we'll talk a little bit more 445 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,160 about Peter Mutabazi tonight. We have an update on a story 446 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,000 about a Charlotte man who is once again making national 447 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,720 headlines for spreading awareness about foster care. 448 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:53,160 After three years of fighting, he just adopted 2 more kids. 449 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:55,320 Wow. WCC Charlotte's reporter 450 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,880 Michelle Bowden shows us how he's seeking solutions and 451 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:02,120 growing his family. Hanging out with the newest 452 00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:06,000 Mutabazi kids is both heart warming and heartbreaking. 453 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:12,480 My parents used to be mean to me and hurt me and now I have a 454 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,400 family that doesn't hurt me or hit me. 455 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,320 After three years of fostering, Luke and his older sister Peter 456 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,120 Mutavazzi was finally allowed to formally adopt them. 457 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:25,080 It means like you're forever home. 458 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,600 Finally, I got a phone call saying finally I can adopt them. 459 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,080 And I was like thrilled and excited. 460 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,840 And so they've been asking, you know, when can we be adopted? 461 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:36,160 You know, when can we have your last name? 462 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,680 And I'm like, you don't want to give false promises we had. 463 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:43,040 To go to the social worker and sign the paper, then we never 464 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:45,440 have to have a social worker anymore. 465 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,040 That means like he's my permanent dad. 466 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:50,920 The. 8 year old knows what she wants, including changing her 467 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:52,960 name. It's going to be Isabella 468 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,440 Evigale with Tbazi. What? 469 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,040 Does that feel like to say your new name? 470 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,960 Oh great, adoption's like special school so I changed my 471 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,560 last name to it, which buys you good. 472 00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,520 Job it. Is particularly special for 473 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:09,640 their dad He too, fled an abusive home as a child, growing 474 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,880 up in Africa and landing in the US for college. 475 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:13,360 What's? This one as. 476 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:16,840 An adult, he's fostered 36 kids. He adopted his oldest son, 477 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:20,200 Anthony, in 2019 and says even with Isabella and Luke, he still 478 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,240 has room for more. Wow, I mean, you get to love 479 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,120 these kids. You get to, you know, prepare 480 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:27,520 them. You want the best for them. 481 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:29,680 And you've seen me grow and overcoming the trauma they've 482 00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:31,520 gone through. And so you're hoping the best. 483 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,480 So when it's actually natural for them to say, hey, now it's 484 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,440 for the rest of your life. You, you really know. 485 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:38,320 OK, now I can truly be their dad. 486 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,640 The family celebrated at home the day they became official so. 487 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:43,400 Finally, I was able to say, you know what? 488 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:45,520 You know, I'm going to be your dad. 489 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:47,560 And they were thrilled. You know, they've been kind of 490 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,240 wanting that and looking for that as well. 491 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,120 So to me, it was truly, truly a joy. 492 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:52,760 And does this feel like. This is your family? 493 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,800 Yeah. Forever, forever, forever home. 494 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:01,080 I just think that's such a beautiful story and and it's 495 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:03,880 such a picture. And again, not everyone is 496 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:09,520 called to be a foster parent, but Peter's attitude towards 497 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:13,040 serving others is something that all followers of Jesus are 498 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:16,080 called to a willingness to change, a willing. 499 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:18,520 And this was the final characteristic thing I'm going 500 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:21,680 to add because this is the way Peter describes it. 501 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:26,000 Is, is their sacrifice in order to serve. 502 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,000 He talks in his book, and I looked up the name of the book 503 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,960 while the video was going, and now I am known is the name of 504 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:33,840 the book. Now I'm known. 505 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:36,800 And he's got a second book called Love Does Not Conquer 506 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:41,120 All, where he's saying it takes more than just a compassionate 507 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:43,160 heart. You need skills in order to care 508 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,760 for people and meaningfully and effectively. 509 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:48,720 But he talked about as he was first becoming a foster parent, 510 00:30:48,720 --> 00:30:50,080 all of these changes he had to make. 511 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,600 Then he goes in, he takes a, he takes a 5 month training program 512 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,600 to be a foster parent. And then when he finally gets a 513 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,720 certificate, the, the the director said you can expect to 514 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:06,160 call in about 30 minutes. And he waited for her to laugh 515 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:12,840 and he was like, she's like, yeah, we got a backlog, every 516 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,440 available person. And, and within 30 minutes, he 517 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:21,480 got a call to bring the first child into his house, was a 5 518 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:26,800 year old little boy who was Native American and ethnicity 519 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,840 who'd been living in his grandmother's ramshackle mobile 520 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:36,680 home with 10 other kids. And Peter brought him in and he 521 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,920 said, said for two days he was an Angel. 522 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:46,760 He said there was the the at the end of the second day, a little 523 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:49,720 boy about 5 years old again was, was playing with his tablet. 524 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,600 And Peter said tablet time's over, boy didn't respond. 525 00:31:55,040 --> 00:31:57,640 Tablet time's over, boy. Didn't respond. 526 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,040 Tablet time's over, boy. He walked up and he took the 527 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,720 tablet out of the boy's hands. And the boy screamed and he 528 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,160 arched his back and he put his head through the window that was 529 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,320 behind him. And he screamed. 530 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,880 And he screamed and he screamed. And Peter, he screamed while 531 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:18,800 Peter was tending his wound and bandaging him up. 532 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:24,560 And for two hours, Peter said he screamed without stopping. 533 00:32:25,960 --> 00:32:29,080 And he said those fits would come on him, this boy, 534 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:31,720 periodically. Sometimes it was in a store, 535 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:34,480 sometimes it was in public, sometimes it was in the home. 536 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,200 And just absolutely inconsolable, uncomfortable, 537 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,320 screaming at the top of his lungs. 538 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:46,040 Peter said after two hours, he walked up to him. 539 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:49,240 The little boy walked up to Peter and said, will you hold me 540 00:32:50,120 --> 00:32:54,680 and can I have a glass of milk? And Peter held him. 541 00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:58,560 It's not one of the boys he ended up adopting. 542 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,160 That was never an option with that particular child. 543 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:08,480 But that level of sacrifice, that level of service, which 544 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:13,600 says my life is not about my comfort, it's not about my 545 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,000 glory, It's not about my position and my prestige. 546 00:33:18,120 --> 00:33:22,080 My life is about this other human being or these other human 547 00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:25,040 beings that news reports a few years old at this point. 548 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:28,680 The most recent numbers is Peter has now fostered more than 40 549 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:36,520 kids in his house in Oklahoma, mostly white kids, which I think 550 00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:40,760 it's just a fabulous statement for the world in America right 551 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:46,600 now then. And, and he's adopted 3 And you 552 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:49,480 saw the picture of his older son there too, who had been 553 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:54,480 abandoned by his parents. And Peter adopted him to serve, 554 00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:59,520 to love, to care for them, to give these children something he 555 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:03,360 did not have when he was a child until much later. 556 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:07,240 Someone in their lives who who would see them, who would really 557 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,600 know them for who they are and to love them. 558 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:15,440 That's a life of service. That's the life that Jesus calls 559 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,760 us to live, that feeding sheep and caring for lambs is 560 00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:23,840 beautiful language that for Peter gets translated into 561 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:27,560 fostering children, and for you will get translated in other 562 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,560 ways. But it needs to be translated in 563 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:35,120 some way that means meaningfully serving other human beings in 564 00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:36,840 the name of Jesus. Amen. 565 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:37,679 Amen.