Participants:
Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP200620S
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00:30 Sing them over again to me
00:34 Wonderful words of life 00:38 Let me more of their beauty see 00:43 Wonderful words of life 00:47 Words of life and beauty 00:51 Teach me faith and duty 00:55 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 00:59 Wonderful words of life 01:03 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 01:08 Wonderful words of life 01:14 Christ, the blessed One Gives to all 01:18 Wonderful words of life 01:22 Sinner list to the loving call 01:27 Wonderful words of life 01:31 All so freely given 01:35 Wooing us to Heaven 01:39 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 01:44 Wonderful words of life 01:48 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 01:52 Wonderful words of life 02:03 Sweetly echo the gospel call 02:07 Wonderful words of life 02:11 Offer pardon and peace to all 02:15 Wonderful words of life 02:20 Jesus only Savior 02:24 Sanctify forever 02:28 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 02:33 Wonderful words of life 02:37 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 02:41 Wonderful words of life 02:46 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 02:50 Wonderful words of life 02:54 Beautiful words, Wonderful words 02:59 Wonderful words of life. 03:09 We've all been watching 03:11 what is going on in our world today, 03:14 in the country. 03:15 And we see that there is so much tension, 03:17 not only here in the US but all over the world. 03:21 There are people who are hungry and not being fed, 03:23 there is poverty 03:25 and, you know, in this day there isn't justice and sin 03:29 seems to prevail. 03:31 But God is calling upon us, 03:33 upon you and me to stand in the gap 03:36 and help those who are in need. 03:38 Like this next song says, 03:40 God will delight 03:42 when we are creators of justice, 03:44 joy, compassion and peace. 03:47 So let us sing these words 03:49 and may they take root in our hearts. 03:56 For everyone born 04:00 A place at the table 04:04 To everyone born 04:07 Clean water and bread 04:14 A shelter, a space 04:17 A safe place for growing 04:22 For everyone born 04:25 A star over head 04:31 And God will delight 04:34 When we are creators 04:36 Of justice and joy 04:42 Compassion and peace 04:46 Yes, God will delight 04:49 When we are creators 04:52 Of justice 04:57 Justice and joy 05:07 For woman and man 05:11 A place at the table 05:15 Revising the roles 05:18 Deciding the share 05:25 With wisdom and grace 05:28 Dividing the power 05:33 For woman and man 05:36 A system that's fair 05:42 And God will delight 05:45 When we are creators 05:47 Of justice and joy 05:54 Compassion and peace 05:58 Yes, God will delight 06:01 When we are creators 06:03 Of justice 06:09 Justice and joy 06:18 For young and for old 06:22 A place at the table 06:26 A voice to be heard 06:29 A part in the song 06:36 The hand of a child 06:39 In hands that are wrinkled 06:44 For young and for old 06:47 The right to belong 06:54 And God will delight 06:57 When we are creators 06:59 Of justice and joy 07:05 Compassion and peace 07:09 Yes, God will delight 07:12 When we are creators 07:15 Of justice 07:21 Justice and joy 07:30 For just and unjust 07:34 A place at the table 07:38 Abuser, abused 07:41 With need to forgive 07:48 In anger and hurt 07:52 A mindset of mercy 07:57 For just and unjust 08:00 A new way to live 08:06 And God will delight 08:09 When we are creators 08:12 Of justice and joy 08:18 Compassion and peace 08:22 Yes, God will delight 08:25 When we are creators 08:28 Of justice 08:33 Justice and joy 08:43 For everyone born 08:47 A place at the table 08:51 To live without fear 08:55 And simply to be 09:02 To work, to speak out 09:05 To witness and worship 09:10 For everyone born 09:13 The right to be free 09:19 And God will delight 09:22 When we are creators 09:24 Of justice and joy 09:31 Compassion and peace 09:35 Yes, God will delight 09:38 When we are creators 09:41 Of justice 09:46 Justice and joy 10:18 Lord I come to You 10:21 Let my heart Be changed 10:25 Renewed 10:28 Flowing from the grace 10:31 That I found in You 10:41 And Lord I've come to know 10:45 The weaknesses I see in me 10:51 Will be stripped away 10:57 By the power of Your love 11:05 Hold me close 11:09 Let Your love 11:10 Surround me 11:16 Bring me near 11:21 Draw me to Your side 11:27 And as I wait 11:32 I'll rise up like the eagle 11:38 And I will soar with You 11:41 Your Spirit leads me on 11:44 In the power of Your love 11:52 Lord unveil my eyes 11:55 Let me see You face to face 12:01 The knowledge of Your love 12:05 As You live 12:08 In me 12:15 Lord renew my mind 12:19 As Your will unfolds in my life 12:25 In living every day 12:31 By the power of Your love 12:38 Hold me close 12:43 Let Your love 12:44 Surround me 12:50 Bring me near 12:54 Draw me to Your side 13:01 And as I wait 13:05 I'll rise up like the eagle 13:11 And I will soar with You 13:14 Your Spirit leads me on 13:17 In the power of Your love 13:23 Hold me close Me close 13:29 Let Your love 13:30 Surround me 13:36 Bring me near 13:41 Draw me to Your side 13:48 And as I wait 13:52 I'll rise up like the eagle 13:58 And I will soar with You 14:00 Your Spirit leads me on 14:03 In the power of Your love 14:09 And I will soar with You 14:12 Your Spirit leads me on 14:16 In the power of Your love. 14:33 Hi. 14:35 I'm in my yard looking for interesting things. 14:38 You know, God made some amazing things 14:41 and some of them are very small, 14:44 and you have to very patient 14:46 and look carefully to find them. 14:48 Have you ever had to be patient? 14:52 When I was looking by my house, 14:54 I found a creature 14:56 that was living next to my house. 14:59 And this creature is a good example 15:01 of something that is very patient. 15:05 Come on. Let's go take a look. 15:07 Do you see this little round funnel shaped circle 15:13 in the sand. 15:15 That's a clue that tells me 15:16 that a really interesting 15:18 kind of insect is in there. 15:24 That's what his home looks like. 15:27 You can see there's a couple others, 15:28 there's one here right there. 15:35 And there's another one over there. 15:37 Do you see this little guy right here? 15:40 That's the animal 15:42 that lives in those little circular homes. 15:47 He's called an antlion. 15:51 I want to be able to show you an antlion of course. 15:54 And so I have one here in this bin of sand. 15:58 This is the antlion that lives by my house. 16:03 God has given him a lot of special tools 16:06 to use to survive in his burrow 16:09 and to be able to eat its food. 16:12 You can see 16:14 that the backend of him is pointed. 16:16 That helps him dig, he digs backwards. 16:20 You'll also see that he's covered 16:21 with lots of little hairs. 16:24 Those hairs help him sense his environment 16:27 and be able to tell when insects are coming. 16:30 They also help him to kind of stick in the sand. 16:35 He has six legs, 16:36 but you could only see two in this picture. 16:39 They're sticking straight out from its sides. 16:42 Those legs sleep backwards to help push sand 16:46 and to help push him along. 16:49 You'll see that his head is really flat, 16:51 it kind of looks like a shovel, 16:53 and that's what he uses it for. 16:55 He puts his head on to the sand 16:57 and he flicks it really hard and fast 17:00 and the sand goes flying up and out of his burrow. 17:04 And last you can see 17:05 those big mandibles by his mouth, 17:10 his big jaws. 17:12 Those help him catch pray, 17:15 so that he can eat and grow, 17:17 and he's build his own little home 17:19 right in this box. 17:22 He's even eaten some things. 17:25 It took him a while to build that home. 17:27 I had to be really patient. 17:29 Sometimes I wish he would hurry up. 17:32 Sometimes we have to wait for things, don't we? 17:35 We have to wait for Jesus to come. 17:39 We had to wait 17:40 to be able to get out of our house 17:42 and do stuff because of COVID. 17:46 Maybe you're waiting to do something 17:48 but you're too little 17:50 or it's the wrong time of year, 17:53 and so you have to wait. 17:55 When we wait it takes patience. 17:58 Being patient 18:00 is a really important skill for us to learn. 18:04 And the antlion is really patient. 18:08 He's patient when he builds his home. 18:11 He has to clean all the big rocks out 18:14 and move any stuff that falls in. 18:17 He works really hard. 18:20 Then he has to wait 18:22 because this home is really a trap. 18:25 It's built just right 18:27 so that when little things come along, 18:28 like ants, 18:30 they slide down 18:31 and they can't crawl back out again. 18:34 And then he gets to have a little meal. 18:37 You know, this antlion is just a larva. 18:39 That means 18:41 it's not all grown up yet either. 18:43 But it still has a job to do. 18:46 And it has to wait, waits for its food. 18:49 It waits to grow. 18:51 But you know, when it grows, it gets wings. 18:55 It turns into something 18:56 that looks totally different from this creature. 19:02 Turns into a beautiful adult 19:06 and it can fly. 19:10 The antlion story 19:12 is a good reminder that we can be patient 19:16 and that when we're patient, 19:19 we can still be doing things. 19:22 We can be doing things to help people around our house. 19:26 We can be doing things to tell people about Jesus. 19:31 You know, this antlion while it's waiting 19:34 while it's being patient, it does stuff. 19:39 It keeps its home clean. 19:42 It keeps it built properly. 19:45 It works. 19:47 Making sure 19:48 everything is just right every day. 19:50 The Bible says in James 5:8, 19:53 "You too, be patient and stand firm, 19:57 because the Lord's coming is near." 20:00 The next time you have to wait for something, 20:03 remember, Jesus can help you to be patient, 20:07 just like the antlion. 20:11 Let us pray. 20:13 Dear, Jesus, thank You for this day. 20:17 Thank You for this wonderful Sabbath. 20:20 Today that You help us to help patients. 20:24 Help us to live according to Your will 20:29 and in Jesus we pray, amen. 20:32 Amen. 21:05 Another rainy day 21:11 I can't recall 21:13 Having sunshine on my face 21:18 And all I feel is pain 21:24 And all I wanna do 21:27 Is walk out of this place 21:30 But when I am stuck 21:32 And I can't move 21:34 And I don't know What I should do 21:37 And I wonder 21:38 If I'll ever make it through 21:46 I gotta keep singing 21:49 I gotta keep praising Your name 21:54 You're the one 21:55 That's keeping my heart beating 21:59 I gotta keep singing 22:03 I gotta keep praising Your name 22:07 That's the only way That I'll find healing 22:13 Can I climb up in Your lap 22:16 I don't want to leave 22:20 Jesus sing over me 22:26 I gotta keep singing 22:39 Can I climb up in Your lap 22:43 I don't want to leave 22:46 Jesus 22:48 Sing over me 22:53 Oh You're everything I need 22:59 So I gotta keep singing. 23:29 Oh, that was so beautiful, 23:31 I got to keep singing. 23:33 I gotta keep singing. 23:34 It's the perfect song 23:37 for a generation alive today getting ready, 23:41 globally, nationally and locally, 23:44 getting ready to emerge into a brave new world. 23:47 Our theme for the next few Sabbaths, 23:50 a brave new world. 23:53 Got to keep singing. Want to pray. 23:55 Jesus, we got to keep singing. 23:58 You give the song we sing in. 24:01 Grant us the hope, we live it. 24:05 Give us the courage, 24:08 we will abide by that courage. 24:12 Gotta keep singing. 24:14 Bless these moments in your word. 24:16 We humbly pray, in your name. 24:19 Amen. 24:21 All right, getting ready to read something to you. 24:24 But the crew reminded me, 24:26 "Hey, Dwight, you're supposed to throw to us 24:29 when you were standing up there for the first time 24:31 in front of these empty pews." 24:32 And so their cameras are all set up 24:33 and I'm not going to waste that shot. 24:35 And so, 24:36 they're going to throw it right now 24:38 so that you know that you can figure out exactly 24:40 where we are in this empty church. 24:42 So I'm what? 24:43 One, two, three, four, five pews 24:45 from the front row, you see that. 24:49 Legit, I admit, guilty as charged. 24:54 You may be guilty as charged as well. 24:55 What are you talking about, Dwight? 24:57 I'm talking about Wall Street Journal 24:58 12 days ago. 25:00 On the technology page, they came out with this. 25:06 This personal technology as they're calling this column, 25:10 a piece written by Nicole Nguyen. 25:12 All right. 25:13 Thanks to my friend Don Wilson, 25:15 I have it right here in my hands. 25:16 So I'm gonna read a few lines, guilty as charge maybe you. 25:19 Let's find out. 25:21 She writes, "I fixated on the glow in my hand, okay, 25:24 lighting up an otherwise dark bedroom." 25:27 You know what that glow is in her hand. 25:30 "In the past few months, 25:31 after-hours screen time has become a ritual. 25:34 Last night and the night before, 25:36 and the night before that, 25:37 I stayed up thumbing through tweets, 25:38 grainy phone-captured videos, 25:40 posts that gave me hope and posts that made me enraged. 25:44 I felt like I needed to see it. 25:47 All of it. 25:49 I was "doomscrolling." 25:53 This means 25:55 spending inordinate amounts of time 25:56 on devices poring over grim news 25:58 and I can't seem to stop. 26:00 Doomscrolling, 26:01 it's become a part of our vocabulary 26:04 in this culture now, doomscrolling. 26:06 In fact, Merriam Webster, the great dictionary, 26:09 they now have doomscrolling on their words to watch list. 26:16 We're all doing it. 26:18 The next bad news, what is it? 26:20 Doomscrolling. Doomscrolling. 26:22 We do it. 26:24 What say the authorities? 26:25 So here's Mary McNaughton-Cassill. 26:28 She is professor of Clinical Psychology 26:30 at the University of Texas at San Antonio. 26:33 She says, "That's why we seem predisposed 26:35 to pay more attention 26:37 to negative than positive things." 26:40 Doomscrolling. 26:41 She goes on. 26:43 "That's why I always recommend 26:45 that people consciously regulate their media intake." 26:48 A little bit of counsel for you and me 26:50 in this time of doom. 26:51 "You can't save other people from drowning 26:54 if you're having trouble swimming yourself." 26:56 Well, she's right. Doomscrolling. 26:59 We all do it. 27:00 And why wouldn't we do it? 27:01 Look at the world. 27:03 Look at this brave new world that we're about to emerge into 27:05 over the next few days. 27:06 Doomscrolling. Are you kidding? 27:08 Pandemic, COVID-19, global, local. 27:12 Anybody know, is this thing? 27:14 Is this thing going up? Is it going down? 27:16 Nobody knows. 27:17 Doomscrolling. 27:18 Talk about our economy, the chaos of a rollercoaster. 27:23 Nobody knows. 27:25 I wanna talk about this ratio fracture 27:26 that grows wider by the day and night. 27:30 Doomscrolling. 27:33 You know what? 27:34 I'll betcha 27:36 that if they had Wi-Fi on the ark, 27:38 Noah and the family 27:39 would have been doing doomscrolling 27:41 because that's all it was, bad news back then. 27:43 I'm gonna go to that story. 27:44 Everybody loves the story of Noah and the ark. 27:46 Let's go there. I'm grabbing my Bible. 27:47 You've got your Bible 27:49 not too far from this live screen. 27:52 Live stream screen. 27:54 So find Genesis, Genesis Chapter 8, 27:57 and I'll be back 27:58 in my New International Version. 28:00 Come on, follow along, just spend a few minutes 28:02 here in this very familiar story. 28:04 We're going to go right to the middle, 28:05 the very middle of the flood. 28:07 Yep. 28:09 intriguing line. Here we go. 28:10 Genesis Chapter 8, we'll pick it up in verse 1, 28:12 "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals 28:18 and the livestock 28:20 that were with him in the ark, 28:22 and he sent a wind over the earth, 28:24 and the waters receded." 28:27 Wow. I love that line. 28:30 God remembered Noah, 28:33 just when you're convinced He's forgotten you, 28:36 God says, "No, I remember you." 28:39 In fact, this word. 28:41 The Hebrew word here 28:42 is used a little later in the Bible. 28:44 Go Genesis, Exodus, you go to Exodus Chapter 2. 28:46 It's used right there at the end of Chapter 2 28:48 where it says. 28:49 Let me read it to you here. 28:52 I got scribbled down here and God heard their groaning. 28:54 Okay, so the children of Israel, 28:55 they're enslaved now. 28:56 And God heard their groaning, 28:58 in the King James it reads 28:59 and God heard their cries 29:01 and he remembered them, same word. 29:05 But God remembered Noah. 29:07 But God remembered the children of Israel. 29:09 But God remembers you. 29:11 But God remembers me. 29:13 Did you think He was going to forget? 29:14 Forget us? 29:16 Never. 29:18 Although you gotta admit, for some of you, 29:21 this pandemic could not have come 29:24 at a worse time. 29:25 You were just rounding the curve. 29:27 It looked like 29:29 everything is going to be fine at last, 29:31 boom, the bottom drops out. 29:34 The truth of the matter is, 29:37 some of you have had a battle on your hands. 29:41 You're warring against an enemy. 29:45 Let's talk about COVID-19 for a moment 29:46 and I hope I'm not misunderstood 29:49 when I say this. 29:52 We really have been blessed. 29:53 I'm talking about our little community 29:55 right here. 29:56 We've been blessed by somehow dodging 30:01 as it were the COVID-19 bullet. 30:03 I'm not saying nobody's been touched by it. 30:05 But relatively speaking, 30:07 you look at our little community. 30:10 We can commiserate, 30:12 and we do with those who suffer, 30:14 and they still do. 30:16 But we're quietly under our breath 30:18 praising God saying thank you. 30:20 We think we got through. 30:22 And, of course, the big uncertainty is 30:24 nobody knows is it coming back again. 30:28 But we tend to forget 30:29 that COVID-19 is not the only killer disease 30:33 that stocks the land. 30:35 Some of you just thought of you a moment ago, 30:39 some of you have been battling that enemy, 30:41 or whatever the name that enemy has, 30:44 you're battling for your life. 30:46 Nothing's changed. 30:48 Brave new world you've been living in it. 30:50 But for some of you, I suppose it is excusable, 30:53 indeed to come to that moment, 30:56 in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day 30:58 when you say, "My Lord, You have forgot me. 31:00 Look what's going on in my life. 31:01 Where have You been? 31:03 Don't you remember me?" 31:05 Now we need this line. 31:07 We need Genesis 8:1. 31:09 It's in the middle of the flood. 31:11 And the word reads. 31:13 "But God remembered Noah." 31:15 He remembers you. 31:17 He remembers me. 31:22 Read it again. 31:23 "But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals 31:25 and the livestock that were with him in the ark, 31:27 and he sent a wind over the earth, 31:30 and the waters receded." 31:32 Now get this. 31:33 There are still 150 more days to go, 31:38 plus another 40, 31:40 plus another seven, plus another seven. 31:43 Noah is halfway through the flood. 31:45 It's not like it's just, 31:46 they're getting ready to throw the doors open. 31:48 No, he's still locked down. 31:50 How many days has it been for you and me? 31:52 Well, here's what we know. 31:53 We know that on March 15, the students left this campus. 31:58 They had big chapel on Thursday. 32:00 Friday, 32:01 everybody's gone just like that. 32:02 We're in this church, March 16, empty church. 32:07 And here we are, how many days later? 32:08 Here we are 96 days and nights later. 32:12 We'll go 21 more days, 32:14 three weeks from today until July 11. 32:16 So you had 96 and 21. 32:18 Still looks like Noah has us beat. 32:21 You knows a little bit. 32:23 He knows a little something about being locked down. 32:25 And then the door is open to a brave new world. 32:29 Because when they emerge 32:30 as we are going to have to emerge, 32:32 we cannot stay locked up forever. 32:35 When they emerged, as we are beginning to emerge, 32:39 it is a brave new world that greets their eyes. 32:44 Not unlike ours. 32:46 So I had this bulletin, it's called a bulletin. 32:50 I don't know how it came to our house. 32:51 I mean, look at this AARP. 32:52 AARP bulletin. 32:54 Must be a gift of subscription that somebody gave to us. 32:57 Why would it be coming to our house? 32:59 Anyway, so long as I have it, I might as well talk about it. 33:01 This is the latest issue, June 2020. 33:05 And... 33:07 Oh, phew, 33:09 there's somebody else's name on this. 33:11 That had me worried that somebody else. 33:13 Who lives in that house? 33:15 I'm not gonna give her name. 33:16 I have to be very nice because after this live stream, 33:18 I have to go home 33:19 and get in the house for dinner. 33:21 So anyway, I'll show it to you 33:23 a reader right off the screen, 33:24 "The New Normal." 33:26 You see that there? 33:27 How the Coronavirus is redefining life 33:30 for older Americans. 33:32 This is not a magazine for children. 33:35 It's for older Americans. 33:37 American Association of Retired People. 33:39 All right, so they have this little spread here. 33:42 What comes next? 33:44 And I'm not gonna read all these bullet points, 33:46 but they're just a few that we just remind ourselves. 33:48 This is a brave new world we're heading into. 33:50 Indeed. 33:51 "Americans will be increasingly fixated 33:53 on washing away deadly germs. 33:56 If sneezing into your elbow took some adjustment, 33:59 brace for what's on the hygiene horizon. 34:02 Especially for older people," 34:03 quoting a physician Johns Hopkins, 34:06 "especially for older people, 34:07 hand scrubbing, mask wearing 34:09 and hyper attention to surface disinfection 34:12 will be the norm at every turn." 34:13 What we're going to be doing here 34:15 between services beginning July 11. 34:17 We're having to do that. 34:18 Everybody's having to do that all day long. 34:21 I was speaking of elbows, did you, 34:22 I saw this little cartoon about a mother. 34:24 So she's sitting down with her children, 34:25 she says, "All right, boys and girls, 34:27 we're going to have supper now. 34:28 Has everybody washed their elbows?" 34:31 Come on. 34:32 That's a brave new world we're in 34:34 so they said yeah, 34:35 hygiene is going to be what we're living with. 34:37 Here's another one. 34:38 Oh, the mall, the morning newspaper, dinner, 34:40 a night on the town, 34:42 COVID-19 is put them all on the endangered list 34:43 but guess what? 34:44 They're expecting 15,000 more stores to close, 34:47 major chains have already shut down 34:49 as you and I know. 34:50 A brave new world. 34:52 It won't be the same. No, no, no. 34:53 Here's another one. 34:54 Take me out to the crowd not now. 34:57 Quoting the executive director 34:59 and publisher of Sports Business Journal. 35:03 "I don't see any timeline 35:04 where athletic events have fans packing the stands." 35:08 Not, it's not gonna happen, 35:09 maybe 25% in those massive stadiums, 35:12 maybe up to 30%. 35:13 That's it. That's the brave new world now. 35:16 Ridership and public transportation down, 35:19 93% down on the subway riding in New York City. 35:22 Well, we don't worry about subways here. 35:24 I understand that. 35:25 They're more, but that's enough. 35:27 What's the point, Dwight? 35:29 The point is, 35:30 we too like Noah and his family, 35:32 we too are going to emerge into a brave new world 35:34 that is irrevocably changed. 35:36 You know that, I know that. 35:38 There's one little point 35:40 that this AARP bulletin left out. 35:43 And I understand why they did 35:44 because they don't have children, 35:46 children, they're in school, 35:47 but the issue of education. 35:50 That's a huge issue right now. 35:51 In fact, in my blog, it came out Wednesday night, 35:54 you get our e-letter. 35:57 And in the blog, if you read it, 35:58 you know that I made this statement. 36:01 I am convinced 36:03 that our educational leaders in America probably globally, 36:08 our educational leaders 36:09 are facing the most daunting challenge 36:11 of all across this nation and right here at home. 36:15 They're facing a challenge nobody else is facing. 36:17 It's not the same. 36:19 You can't say, well, it's just like the hospital. 36:20 No, it's not the same. 36:21 It's different. 36:23 You want, 36:24 you think about the anxious concerns they have. 36:25 And by the way, 36:27 we have three educational institutions 36:28 in this little parish. 36:30 Think about our administrators, our faculty and staff, 36:32 what are they worried about? 36:33 Number one, here are the questions. 36:35 Will the students come back? 36:36 That's a huge question. 36:37 Number two. 36:39 Will our safety protocol work? 36:40 Big deal. 36:41 Number three. Will our income hold? 36:43 Everybody's wondering. 36:45 And number four. 36:46 Will the pandemic recede our search? 36:49 Our educators are living with a very brave new world 36:52 and you know what? 36:54 We need to be praying for him? 36:56 Absolutely. 36:57 We need to be praying for them by name. 37:01 Interceding for divine wisdom 37:04 to guide the decisions 37:05 that they're going to on the spot 37:07 be having to make 37:08 as students come back, August 24. 37:11 It's coming fast. 37:13 Yeah, we need to pray for them by name. 37:15 We have principal Savory. 37:16 She's over here with Murdoch Elementary School. 37:19 I've got principal Leiterman. 37:20 She's over here at Andrews Academy. 37:22 We have principal, yeah, she was a principal, 37:24 once in noble cause, 37:25 but she's president Andrea Luxton 37:27 here at the university. 37:29 And they all have teams, 37:31 and they all have faculty and staff. 37:32 We need to pray for all of them. 37:34 So it was for Noah and his family of seven, 37:38 as they emerged into that bright sunlight 37:40 of a broken and devastated horizon. 37:44 Oh, what was the look on their faces? 37:46 They have not seen this bigger view 37:49 for over a year. 37:51 Okay, let's read it. 37:52 Drop down to verse 15. 37:56 Then God said to Noah, it's Chapter 8 of Genesis. 37:59 Then God said to Noah, 38:02 'Come, come out of the ark, 38:05 you and your wife, and your sons and their wives, 38:07 bring out every kind of living creature 38:08 that is with you, 38:10 the birds, the animals and all the creatures 38:11 that move along the ground there." 38:12 Rosemary Bailey just told us about. 38:14 "So that they can multiply on the earth 38:16 and be fruitful and increase in number upon the earth." 38:21 So Noah comes out, 38:23 together with his sons and his wife, 38:25 and his sons' wives. 38:27 And it's impossible for you and me 38:29 to comprehend the shock 38:32 once their senses adjust, they're grateful to be alive, 38:36 but of course, but the shock. 38:38 Have you ever seen a bummed out landscape? 38:41 I was born in Japan 38:42 after the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. 38:47 But I've seen those black and white photos 38:48 that my dad took. 38:49 We're talking about an inorganic, 38:53 naked skeleton of an infrastructure. 38:56 That's it. Just a few... 39:01 Listen, I don't have to make this stuff up, 39:03 Patriarchs and Prophets. 39:04 One terse sets 39:06 describing what greeted their eyes. 39:07 Here it is. 39:08 "The earth presented 39:10 an appearance of confusion and desolation, 39:13 impossible to describe." 39:16 Confusion, chaos questions to the max, 39:21 a brave new world, 39:23 but you have no choice. 39:26 And what does Noah do? 39:29 He's on his face, not weeping, he's worshiping. 39:34 He is worshiping his Creator and Savior. 39:38 If he had known the words of Job 39:39 that would come after him, 39:41 it would probably would be words 39:42 that he would be quoting as he worships, 39:45 "Naked came I from my mother's womb, 39:47 naked shall I return? 39:49 The Lord gives and the Lord takes, 39:50 blessed be the name of the Lord. 39:52 A family of eight, they are down and worshiping. 39:56 I mean, what else can you do in a brave new world, 40:00 but worship the one who got you to it, 40:03 and who now 40:04 will have to get you through it. 40:07 Let's read it, verse 20. 40:09 Worship, 40:10 "Then Noah built an altar to the Lord 40:13 and taking some of all the clean animals 40:16 and clean birds. 40:18 He sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 40:20 And the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma" 40:23 because it's a sign of Calvary. 40:24 It's a sign that God Himself 40:26 will pay the price for a rebel human race. 40:30 "Pleasing aroma to Him, 40:31 the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma 40:33 and he said in his heart: 40:34 'Never again will I curse the ground 40:36 because of humans, 40:37 even though every inclination of the human heart 40:39 is evil from childhood." 40:41 So soon, yeah, 40:42 don't miss next Sabbath so soon. 40:45 "And never again will I destroy all living creatures, 40:48 as I have done. 40:49 As long as the earth endures. 40:51 Seedtime and harvest, 40:52 cold and heat, summer and winter, 40:53 day and night will never cease." 40:56 A brave new world. 41:01 That's the world we live in now. 41:02 We're happy to be in the summer of that prediction. 41:05 We're in the summer, but we know winter's coming. 41:09 Yeah. 41:11 Welcome to our brave new world. 41:14 It's the new normal of sheer uncertainty. 41:20 It's always been that way for Jesus' friends, 41:24 sheer uncertainty. 41:26 I'm talking about the intrepid Paul, 41:28 the missionary. 41:29 He's been arrested in Jerusalem. 41:32 Uncertainty, uncertainty. 41:33 On the one hand, 41:34 he knows he does not want to be left 41:36 in the hands of Jewish jurisprudence 41:39 and jurisdiction 41:40 because they've already declared 41:42 they will have him executed. 41:44 But on the other hand, oh, on the other hand, 41:46 if he appeals to Roman jurisdiction, 41:49 what will that look like 41:50 in the hands of the corrupt leader, 41:53 Emperor Nero. 41:56 A brave new world of sheer uncertainty, 41:59 was that way for Paul. 42:00 It was that way for the Lord Jesus Himself 42:02 in Gethsemane. 42:03 Talking about a new normal that He cannot decipher, 42:06 does it go this way, does it go that way, 42:08 in the anguish of His praying. 42:10 On the one hand, Jesus knows, 42:12 of course, He knows 42:13 that His mission is to save humanity at any cost 42:16 to Himself. 42:17 But on the other hand, 42:20 there is a realization 42:21 as being must resist the thought 42:23 that that salvation will come at the price of annihilation 42:26 of Himself forever and ever. 42:30 The brave new world of sheer uncertainty. 42:33 God's friends have always lived with it. 42:35 How about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Germany? 42:39 Some kind soul gave me 42:42 the biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer 42:45 titled Strange Glory written by Charles Marsh. 42:50 I read all kinds, 42:52 I've read all kinds of Bonhoeffer biographies, 42:55 but this one has to rank as the best. 42:58 So there is young Dietrich. 43:00 There he is, 43:01 he's having to measure the calculus 43:04 between his own nation 43:06 plunging into despotism with Hitler 43:09 on the one hand, 43:10 and on the other hand, 43:12 the untenable choice of standing by 43:13 and doing nothing, 43:15 as Jews are slaughtered in racial hatred. 43:22 The brave new world of sheer uncertainty. 43:26 And what about America right now? 43:29 How is a godly Americans 43:32 supposed to be thinking and living right now? 43:35 I was visiting 43:36 with a physician friend of mine, 43:38 not a member of this faith community. 43:39 We've known each other for a few years. 43:41 He was right here this week. 43:46 Very active in his own church. 43:48 And we're talking, 43:51 what are the options 43:53 at this crisis moment in American history? 43:56 On the one hand, 43:57 shall we disengage with society and culture 44:00 and embrace a quietism 44:03 that cast our fate to the winds. 44:04 We'll do nothing whatever, what will be the case, 44:07 I'll say, what will be will be? 44:08 Shall we do that or on the other hand, 44:10 does the ratio 44:12 fracturing this generation as inherited? 44:15 Become a pox on our collective soul, 44:16 a plague 44:18 that we proactively seek to eradicate? 44:23 Will we work as hard to get rid of racism 2020 44:27 as we are working to get rid of COVID-19? 44:34 A brave new world of sheer uncertainty. 44:37 Look it. 44:38 Nobody's exempt. 44:40 We face the choices. 44:43 The choices for America. 44:45 You know what they used to call America? 44:47 They called it the new world. 44:48 Oh, the new world. 44:50 They move to the new world. 44:52 And now along comes Antonin Dvorak. 44:55 Oh, there isn't a heart 44:56 that doesn't thrill with that soaring, 45:00 that the soaring high heights of this patriotic promise. 45:05 He's writing about America. 45:08 And everybody of course loves the Largo. 45:10 That's our favorite part. We whistle it, we know it. 45:14 What's happened? 45:16 Don't you wish that optimism of a century ago? 45:19 We're still true today. 45:21 Yeah, brave new world. 45:24 We face a nation. 45:26 We face a world now 45:27 where moral courage and ethical bravery 45:29 are the last resort of its citizens. 45:31 They are the last resort of the followers of Jesus. 45:35 But be warned if you are a follower of Jesus. 45:40 John Howard Yoder in that book of his, 45:43 The Politics of Jesus, 45:44 Mennonite ethicist, 45:46 I'm reading the book through again right now. 45:49 It makes the point, 45:50 if you're going to follow Jesus, 45:52 you need to know where his social ethic ends. 45:56 It ends on a cross. 45:58 Weight it carefully that decision. 46:01 I'm quoting him now, just one line. 46:02 Here it is. 46:04 I'm quoting, "Only at one point, 46:06 only on one subject, 46:08 but then consistently, 46:10 universally is Jesus our example 46:14 in His cross." 46:18 I'm gonna talk about moral courage. 46:21 I'm gonna talk about ethical bravery 46:23 as a follower of Christ, 46:25 and you have to talk about the cross of Jesus. 46:27 You can't factor that out. 46:29 You have to reject. 46:30 We have to reject political machinations, 46:33 backroom power grabs and deals and no, no, no, no. 46:38 That's not the social ethic that Jesus lived. 46:41 Jesus embraced social nonconformity 46:43 and non violence. 46:45 It is absolutely clear and it took Him to the cross. 46:49 You ready to end up on a cross? 46:54 Moral courage, yeah. 46:56 That's the only way it's going to be 46:58 in this brave new world 47:00 if we're going to get through, 47:01 moral courage, ethical bravery. 47:03 Thomas Paine, the American philosopher, 47:05 the early American writer. 47:07 You remember these words? 47:09 These are the times to try men's souls. 47:14 You got that right, bro. 47:17 A brave new world of sheer uncertainty, 47:20 but there's hope. 47:22 There's hope. 47:23 God, there is hope in a sign 47:24 that God gave to Noah and you and me. 47:28 Come on, let's go. 47:30 Genesis Chapter 9. 47:31 Okay, so we finished 8, we're in 9 now, 47:33 dropped down to verse 12. 47:35 "And God said, 47:36 'This is the sign of the covenant 47:38 I am making between me and you 47:41 and every living creature with you, 47:42 a covenant for all generations to come.'" 47:44 So it's good for you and me. 47:47 "I have set my rainbow in the clouds." 47:50 Verse 13. 47:51 "And it will be the sign of the covenant 47:54 between me and the earth." 47:57 Oh, man, when we were kids in Sabbath School. 47:59 I bet that they still teach this 48:01 as a memory verse. 48:02 That was from the Old King James back then 48:04 and it went like this. 48:05 I do set my bow in the cloud. 48:07 You remember that line? 48:09 I've never forgotten it. 48:10 I do set my bow in the cloud. 48:12 God bless our Sabbath school teachers 48:14 who insist that our little cherubs 48:16 learn their memory verses. 48:18 Those would be them, be with them for life. 48:21 Don't dismiss it, Mom and Dad, when you have family worship. 48:23 Well, you know, 48:24 you don't have to memorize this anymore, 48:26 no. 48:27 No! Yes! 48:30 I do set my bow in the cloud. 48:35 When I was wrapping up the eight night series 48:38 from our living room to New York City. 48:39 You remember we talked about that 48:41 back in May? 48:42 Eight nights in a row. 48:44 The last night is a Saturday night. 48:45 This is the wrap up night. 48:47 Just before going on air, 48:48 I get a text from Claudia Sowler, 48:50 my executive assistant, 48:52 and it says, "Did you know 48:54 that we're under a tornado watch 48:55 until 10 o'clock tonight?" 48:58 Oh, I didn't know that. 48:59 What we gonna do? 49:01 So we went on and sure enough, boom, man, 49:03 the thunderstorms rumbled over head. 49:06 Fortunately, no tornado. 49:09 When I finally signed off for the last time, 49:11 Karen goes out onto our deck behind the house and said, 49:14 "Dwight, you gotta come here, come here." 49:16 I hurry out there, what she's seen. 49:19 And then, in all its resplendent glory, 49:26 I saw what Janna Quetz took a picture of, 49:31 and I'm going to show it to you right now on the screen. 49:35 Look at that. 49:37 That was that night. 49:40 In the distance, 49:41 the gray on roaming thunderstorm, 49:46 behind us, the sun, 49:47 refracting in the raindrops still in the air. 49:51 And there is that beautiful, beautiful rainbow. 49:54 You know what, 49:55 every time you see one of those, 49:57 and we're blessed to see them. 49:58 God says, "I want you to remember, 50:00 I do set my bow in the cloud." 50:06 Wow! 50:08 Makes you wonder, doesn't it? 50:10 Maybe God has set a bow in your cloud. 50:14 You say, "Dwight, 50:16 what cloud are you talking about?" 50:17 I'm talking about the cloud 50:18 that's hanging over you right now. 50:20 That's the cloud I'm speaking of. 50:21 Seems like that cloud has stalled over your life, 50:23 and you're being drenched. 50:25 Right? 50:27 Could it be God has installed His bow, 50:31 I do set my bow in the cloud, your cloud. 50:37 This doesn't feel like the good news 50:38 it needs to feel like 50:40 until we get one more verse and then I'm sitting down, 50:42 but I need you to look this up. 50:43 I never knew that Isaiah talked about Noah, 50:45 and the flood, and the rainbow, but you're gonna see, 50:48 I just learned it this week. 50:50 And I got to share it with you before I sit down, come on. 50:52 This is Isaiah Chapter 54. 50:54 Isaiah 54. 50:56 God is speaking through Isaiah. 50:58 Okay, so drop down to verse 9. 51:00 You want to know 51:01 what that rainbow is all about now. 51:02 Here we go. 51:04 Verse 9, "To me, God is speaking to Israel, 51:06 "this is like the days of Noah, 51:09 when I swore that the waters of Noah 51:11 would never again cover the earth." 51:13 Well, we just read that little story. 51:15 And we know that, he said, I'm putting a rainbow 51:16 just to prove to you 51:18 that we're never going to destroy 51:19 the planet. 51:20 So we have the rainbow now, we have Noah and the flood, 51:22 but keep reading. 51:23 It's verse 10, 51:25 "Though the mountains be shaken 51:27 and the hills be removed," 51:29 you want to get a feel for a brave new world, 51:31 you just read it. 51:32 "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills removed" 51:34 because that's what greeted their eyes 51:35 as they step out into that blinding sunlight. 51:38 It's been devastated. 51:40 "But though the mountains be shaken 51:43 and the hills be removed in your brave new world, 51:46 yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken." 51:52 Wow! 51:54 Every time you say I do set my bow in the cloud. 51:57 Every time you see that rainbow, 51:59 I want you to know. 52:01 Though your mountains and the hills 52:03 had been shaken and moved, 52:05 and though this is a brave new world 52:07 for you as you emerge from this lockdown 52:08 into the life that you got to keep living. 52:11 I want you to know 52:13 that my unfailing love for you 52:16 will not be shaken 52:18 like those mountains won't be shaken. 52:21 I'm gonna surround you. 52:23 My love will hold you. 52:26 Are you an administrator 52:29 wrestling over what it's gonna look like this 52:31 brave new world of a new year that's just weeks away now? 52:35 God speaking to you. 52:36 Get My love, 52:38 My unfailing love for you will not be shaken. 52:44 Are you someone who battles a battle 52:47 that you and God know about? 52:49 And you wonder if you will survive this yet. 52:52 Though the mountains are moved and the hills are shaken, 52:57 My unfailing love for you will not be shaken. 53:02 Wow! 53:05 That's what the rainbow means. 53:07 That's what the rainbow means for all of us 53:12 who like Noah and his family 53:14 have to walk through these doors 53:17 and back out into a world, 53:19 a brave new world that's waiting for us. 53:22 So you don't have to be afraid. 53:25 You got companionship. 53:26 Oh, yes, you do. 53:28 Look, when I was a boy, I grew up with a song. 53:32 I think it was in happy songs. 53:33 I should have checked it this week, but I didn't. 53:37 A song that I learned I would whistle it. 53:39 You've probably heard it. 53:41 It goes like, something like this, 53:42 anywhere with Jesus, 53:45 I can safely... 53:47 How's it go? 53:49 Anywhere with Jesus, 53:50 I can safely go anywhere He leads me. 53:53 Now listen to this, 53:54 anywhere He leads me in this brave new world below. 53:59 Yep. 54:00 Anywhere without Him dearest joys would fade. 54:05 Anywhere with Jesus, I am not, what's the word? 54:08 What's the word that rhymes with fade? 54:10 I am not a fade. 54:14 I'm not afraid. 54:17 Stick to your text, Dwight, quit looking in my face. 54:21 No, I have to. 54:22 I have to look in your face. 54:24 I have to hold your eyes this time. 54:26 I'm not afraid 54:27 anywhere, anywhere, fear I cannot know. 54:29 Anywhere with Jesus, I can safely go. 54:33 That's the good news. 54:35 It's a brave new world. Of course, it is. 54:37 I have no idea what's out there. 54:38 I have no idea at all. 54:40 I just know that you and I are going together, 54:42 will stay together. 54:44 And with Jesus, 54:45 if we're with Jesus, we can safely go. 54:49 Come on, let's sing it. Let's sing it right now. 54:51 The ladies are going to sing for us, 54:52 Sinegugu and Lyndon, 54:54 they're going to sing for us right now. 54:55 But you sing along. 54:57 Don't worry about, 54:58 is my aerosol getting on anybody. 54:59 You can sing your heart out there at home 55:02 and let's sing together. 55:19 Anywhere with Jesus 55:21 I can safely go 55:25 Anywhere He leads me 55:28 In this world below 55:32 Anywhere without Him 55:35 Dearest joys would fade 55:39 Anywhere with Jesus 55:41 I am not afraid 55:46 Anywhere! Anywhere! 55:50 Fear I cannot know 55:54 Anywhere with Jesus 55:57 I can safely go. 56:05 Oh, Father, 56:06 that's such a beautiful assurance 56:10 anywhere, anywhere with Jesus, 56:15 we can safely go. 56:17 We have no idea. 56:19 Talking about sheer uncertainty. 56:21 It's what we live with. 56:22 We have no idea what lies ahead. 56:26 But we know that with Jesus, 56:28 we can emerge into that brave new world 56:34 and in the shelter of your love, 56:36 my unfailing love for you that will not be shaken. 56:41 In the shelter of that rainbow love of yours, 56:46 we can go forth. 56:50 And now, 56:52 may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 56:55 and the love of God 56:57 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 56:59 be with you all. 57:02 Amen. 57:06 We've been really blessed by the financial support 57:08 that comes from our viewers, 57:10 and we've made a conscious decision 57:11 not to continually appeal to you 57:14 for that support. 57:15 The fact is, as everyone in the industry 57:17 will tell you, 57:18 we're needing to make constant upgrades 57:19 to our technology. 57:21 So if God has blessed you 57:22 and you'd like to further the work of this ministry, 57:25 we invite you to partner with us. 57:26 Not a single penny of your donation will go to me. 57:29 Every bit of your gift goes to the mission 57:31 of blessing your community and our world. 57:34 You can donate on our website, newperceptions.TV. 57:37 Or call the number. 57:38 You know the number, 877-HIS-WILL. 57:41 Again, that number is 877, 57:43 the two words HIS-WILL. 57:45 And may the God 57:46 who has blessed to continue to pour into your life 57:49 the gifts of His joy and His hope. 57:51 Thank you. 57:53 And I'm looking forward to seeing you right here, 57:55 again, next time. |
Revised 2020-09-04