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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP221008S
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00:14 >> Welcome to Pioneer. We are so glad 00:16 you've joined us, whether it's in person or online. 00:19 And I know that none of you came to church this morning 00:24 without noticing those incredible fall colors. 00:28 It is the one time of year between summer and winter that no one regrets 00:32 living in Michigan. So enjoy this beautiful time of year and this beautiful 00:38 worship service together. Invite you to join me now as we read together 00:42 the call to worship. 01:15 Let's pray. Dearest Heavenly Father, you are the alpha and the omega, 01:22 the God of ages past. You have brought us to your holy mountain and made us joyful 01:27 in your house of prayer. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations 01:31 of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. 01:38 For your house will be called the house of prayer for all peoples. 01:43 In the name of the Son, we ask for your eternal blessing. 01:47 Amen. >> Amen. 01:54 >> Please stand with us and lift your voices in praise for our creator. 05:56 Amen. Amen. He is our hope 06:00 in life and death. And we have this assurance as we prepare our hearts 06:06 for our congregational prayer. I just invite each of you to sing from 06:10 the depths of your hearts, from the depths of your soul. Sing these promises. 11:09 >> Today, we are going to pause right here 11:11 in our worship celebration to lift up our hearts 11:15 and give glory to God for finally finishing this 11:20 project we began -- 11:23 Let's see if I get this right here. We began it the day 11:26 after graduation in May of 2019. Now, a whole lot of you weren't here the day 11:32 after graduation in May 2019. This church was empty. Nobody, of course, 11:37 on a Monday morning is here. We brought in a crew of 20. Was it 20? Was it 40? 11:42 I don't remember how many eventually assembled. And we worked from sun up 11:47 till late into the night. You know what we were doing? Stripping out the old pews, 11:52 stripping out the carpet, stripping out the linoleum under the pews all day long. 11:58 And by the time the last fatigued volunteer went home, this was just an empty cavern. 12:06 Nothing. Then, we -- we moved that very week, we moved over here to the 12:11 Howard Performing Arts Center. Month of May, month of June, month of July, month of August. 12:16 Thank you, Andrews University. Double services every Sabbath over there in the HPAC. 12:22 While crews were scrambling all over this space. And at the end of August, 12:28 we came back, and you are looking at what it is now. God has done 12:35 a wonderful work -- through you, if you were around in 2019, through you, even if you weren't 12:43 around but you became a part of the project after May of 2019 and through 12:50 a host of paid professionals, who, like -- like ants, just crawled all over this place. 12:57 Now, Pastor Jenifer, you actually did some research. You surprised me in first 13:02 church. Tell us about the number of people that were just working 13:06 while we're all over there, week after week, they're in here? 13:09 >> Yes. We had at least 40 companies and suppliers 13:14 supplying goods and services to Pioneer Memorial Church. 13:17 We had an interior designer. We had engineers, architects. 13:21 We had lighting consultants, floor consultants, we had audio consultants, 13:27 all just working to get the job done. >> Yeah. 13:29 >> And -- And as they were working, we had our people inspired by God to give, and 13:35 they were giving, and they gave and they gave and they gave. Some gave just to the carpet. 13:40 Some gave just to the roof. But most people gave just to the project called 13:44 Renovate Heart and House. And we got -- we collected donations 13:50 just over $2.9 million. >> Praise God. >> And that covered the cost. 13:54 >> Yeah. Really. Yeah, put your hands together. It's just a -- 13:57 We are rejoicing today. You're applauding for yourselves. 14:01 And, really, we're applauding God, who enabled us to do it. >> Absolutely. 14:05 >> I mean, new everything -- lights and tapestry that comes down from those boxes. 14:11 It's just -- This is our new home. And I don't mind saying to you, 14:15 when people walk into this place for the first time, they come in the middle of the week and 14:18 say, "Hey, show us your church," it's just like, "Wow!" This is not ostentatious. 14:22 We didn't spend -- Carey Carscallen, chairman of our building committee, 14:26 we didn't spend extra money just lavishly. But my, oh, my, what a 14:31 beautiful tribute to God. Thank you. House of prayer for all people. 14:36 Hey, let's burn the mortgage. Come on. Who's got the -- Hey, didn't you do a children's 14:39 story a few weeks ago with fire? Let's do another one with fire. >> Oh, I'm sorry, we can't. 14:44 >> So, Jenifer, how are we going to get rid of this mortgage? We've got to burn something, 14:48 right? >> We will burn the mortgage, and we will burn it together. 14:51 Watch the screen. >> Oh, good. >> So, here we are, 14:56 Pioneer Memorial Church, just outside the church. And we're going to engage 15:01 in this token act of celebration of God's goodness. So let me share with you 15:08 the letter I received from Jermaine Jackson, the associate treasurer 15:11 of the Lake Union Conference. It reads, "Dear Pioneer Memorial Church. 15:17 Congratulations. We have processed your final payment, and 15:21 your account has been marked 'paid in full.' Enclosed is a copy of your 15:26 mortgage note for your records. Additionally, enclosed is a certificate of acknowledgment 15:33 to commemorate the tremendous blessings of God towards the payoff of this 15:39 account through the faithful giving of your church members." And he goes on to say 15:44 a few other things, signed, "Sincerely, Jermaine Jackson, Associate Treasurer." 15:49 So here is the certificate of acknowledgment. And here is the mortgage note 15:57 marked "paid in full." ♪♪ ♪♪ 16:20 So there it is. It is finished. Thank God for his faithfulness, 16:25 and thank you for your faithfulness in giving to the Pioneer Memorial Church. 16:30 Amen. >> Hallelujah. In fact, you know what we need to do? 16:35 We need to just -- come on. We've been applauding, but let's let's give credit 16:38 to where credit is due. Let's stand and sing the doxology together. 16:41 Shall we do that? Just stand to your feet. Mr. Minister of Music, 16:45 let's go. 17:31 Amen and amen. Please be seated. God is so good, which is why 17:36 we're gonna do something we have never done ever, ever, ever. 17:39 I've never seen it done. But we're going to do it right now, and that is celebrate 17:44 the end of one project and pivot immediately on our heels 17:50 to celebrate the beginning of another project. You up for this one? 17:54 You say, "Dwight, what would we need after this beautiful, beautiful sanctuary? 17:58 What could we possibly need?" I went to three of our Pioneer members. 18:01 I'm talking about Esther Tarangle, I'm talking about Charlene Starlin, 18:05 and I'm talking about Larry Habenicht. And I sat down with them 18:09 with a camera. We're talking about these -- these -- these -- 18:15 I don't want to say infamous, but these these stairs that come in right here. 18:21 Now you're going to see Esther Tarangle at the beginning, and let me just tell 18:24 you so that you get it right off the bat. What she's talking about is that 18:29 every time she comes to church and they drop her off -- she's an elderly lady -- 18:34 sits in that second row every first service. When they drop her off, 18:38 when she gets to the bottom of the stairs, she darts a prayer to heaven. 18:43 "Jesus, get me to the top." I have tripped on those stairs so many times. 18:49 I'm a blooming adolescent, I guess. It's just -- 18:53 They're too short. They're too -- They're too tall. It's just bad. 18:58 Okay, you listen to them. Three of them. Here they go on the big screen right now. 19:03 ♪♪ >> When I go in and sit 19:09 down up near the front so that I can hear, 19:15 I feel so nice inside of myself. 19:25 It's where I want to be on Sabbath morning every Sabbath morning. 19:36 Well, I feel that if we don't have spiritual help, it, uh -- it's a question mark 19:48 whether I will make it okay. I don't feel that I am so agile that I must wait -- depend 20:01 upon my own ability at my age. 20:06 >> Well, I've seen a lot of people have a struggle to get up 20:09 there. In fact, a couple of Sabbaths, 20:12 I've seen one person that had to have at least two people 20:16 helping them up, and one Sabbath, they had to have three 20:18 people. 20:19 You will have more people come if we have a dependable elevator and have it big enough 20:25 to hold the wheelchair, plus maybe a couple -- at least a couple other people. 20:32 I think there's a lot of people that aren't coming because it's so hard to get 20:35 into the sanctuary. >> I'm sitting here talking with my friend Larry Habenicht. 20:40 Everybody here knows your mom and dad. I mean, we're talking about 20:43 Harold and Donna Habenicht. 20:44 >> Yep. >> And the older you get, 20:48 the more challenging those stairs become. 20:50 Did you give your folks any counsel about the stairs or...? 20:53 I mean, what could you do? >> Well, I tried to get them to -- said, "Dad, there's a 20:56 little elevator over there. You could use that." But, uh, he tried a couple 21:02 times -- Two weeks in a row he tried, and the thing didn't work. 21:05 >> Yeah, I'm telling you. >> Dad, he couldn't put up with things that didn't work. 21:08 He says, "No, we're not trying that again." >> So, Mom and Dad are coming to 21:11 church. I'm talking about this June. And I'm up in my office, 21:15 looking down on the sidewalk. And they normally come in under the awning, which means 21:19 you got those stairs. >> Yeah. >> But I could almost see 21:22 your dad's wheels turning. And he stops, and he -- he tells Donna, 21:28 "No, we're turning around." And he turned around, and instead of coming in the awning, 21:33 I realized they're going to go down the stairs into the pit that goes into 21:37 the basement level. But halfway down, I catch up to them. 21:42 "Harold and Donna, listen, now, be very careful." I didn't want to spook them, 21:46 but these are -- these are steep stairs. "We're okay, Dwight. 21:48 We got it." And so they go down, and I'm now needing to get -- 21:52 There are two double doors they have to go through. >> Right. 21:55 >> Not one but two. And so I get ahead them to the door. 21:58 I open that door, and then I want to get -- Larry, I want to get the second 22:01 set of doors. So I'm holding onto this while I'm reaching for the other set. 22:05 Phil Gidding sees and comes running over. And right like that, your mom 22:10 went down. She just went boom. >> And I told dad, "You know, 22:13 Dad, there's other churches in the community that don't have steps. 22:16 Let's go to some of them." "Oh, no, this is my church. This is my family. 22:20 I'm coming here." >> What's a good case for putting this elevator in? 22:24 >> Well, I think we've stated it. I mean, our church is for the 22:29 college people, but there's a lot of us retirees, a lot of older people 22:33 who come, particularly to their first service, and with the parking lot out 22:37 here on this side, we need access. >> Mm-hmm. 22:41 >> Yeah. >> We really do. And this will be the only access 22:45 from the parking lot without stairs. 22:50 It occurred to me just before that interview with Larry, 22:55 "Good night. Every entrance into the 22:58 Pioneer Memorial Church is perched atop a series of stairs, 23:02 sometimes two flights of stairs. 23:05 Every single one. Said, "Dwight, we got a ramp back there." 23:08 Oh, great. 85 years old. It's snowing out. 23:11 You get out of your car. "Well, I'll go up the ramp," so you got to walk 23:14 the whole way around the church. "Just keep walking. No, you're not there yet. 23:17 Keep coming around. And by the way, when you get to the ramp, the 23:20 emphasis is on the word steep." I mean, it is steep. And so now you're trying 23:24 to slide up the ramp into the church, and you don't want to sit in the back. 23:28 No. You want to come all the way up to the front where you always sit. 23:31 It's untenable. Unbelievable. And so Carey Carscallen, 23:37 former dean of the School of Architecture and our building chair 23:40 committee -- chair for the building committee, both projects, you assembled 23:45 your group, and you said, "We got to find a solution. Tell us about that. 23:49 >> Yes. Over the years, we've considered many 23:52 different options of how to make this work. 23:56 And we've consulted now with some architects that we feel we've come up with 24:00 the best solution that we'd like to present to you today. The architects have produced 24:05 a nice little video that we'd like to show you and walk you through 24:09 the entrance as it will be. As you see, you come in on the right, 24:14 you'll go to the elevator. This is starting at the awning entrance from the parking lot. 24:18 You'll go into the elevator there. If you don't go into 24:21 the elevator, you continue straight on as before. The old lift is gone 24:26 and new gently sloping steps go up to the sanctuary level. To the left, 24:31 you would go into the sanctuary, and to the right then would be the hallway 24:35 between the youth chapel and the elevator. Here you see people 24:40 getting on the elevator. If you turn around, coming off the elevator, to the left 24:44 would have been the sanctuary, and to the right, straight on through into the youth chapel. 24:50 As you come around into the youth chapel, you can see a new configuration. 24:56 The storage areas that we took away to make the elevator in the entrance 25:01 are now moved to the back. There's angled walls that rise up in the back, giving us 25:06 a new storage and space above. And here, you see in the front, two bump-outs, one on each side, 25:12 one for the elevator and one for the improved entrance into the youth chapel 25:18 above the new storage areas for the chapel are work areas and offices 25:24 for our media ministry. >> So, Carey, you came to the church board June 26th, 25:29 and you met with the board, made this very same presentation, we looked at all 25:33 the numbers, costs, everything. And then we said, "We're not making a decision tonight." 25:38 We will wait two months till the next board meeting, which would be the end of August, 25:41 and we will pray and ask God to reveal to us individually what we should do. 25:47 We come back together on August 27 or 28, and the consensus is 25:53 absolutely clear. God has called us to take this step of faith, 26:00 moving to what we're now calling Renovate 2.0. And I want to -- I want to draw 26:04 attention to somebody sitting right over here, because that man is a member 26:08 of our building committee, began to battle ALS. Tom McCormick is here today. 26:14 He's sitting in that wheelchair and has been a part of this conversation. 26:20 So this isn't just about elderly, elderly people. This is about everybody, 26:25 servicing the entire community. And, Tom, we're really delighted to have you this Sabbath. 26:31 God bless you. So, Pastor Jenifer, come on. This -- This is -- 26:36 This is quite a project. >> It is. It is. >> You would agree that I need 26:40 to ask Dave Nowack, the chairman of our stewardship committee, to reflect, David, 26:45 please? Look, because we know the need. I mean, we all sense it. 26:49 This kind of a no -- this is kind of a no-brainer. But how are we going to provide 26:53 for this need? What was the total cost again, for this elevator? 26:56 >> This? >> The elevator, the new one. It's gonna be $1,000,000. 26:59 >> About $1,000,000. >> About $1,000,000. >> About $1,000,000. 27:02 We're hoping less, but we've targeted $1,000,000. >> Okay. 27:06 >> The good news is, Dwight -- the good news is that God has 27:09 already put in motion the means to complete this project. 27:12 >> Hallelujah. 27:14 >> The fundamental means that God put in place is the congregation 27:20 at Pioneer Memorial Church. >> Us. >> Us. 27:23 Pioneer Memorial Church is among the most generous and forward-thinking 27:28 congregations in this area. >> Yeah. In the world. >> In the world. 27:34 And when they see a need, they step up. That's just it. 27:38 God has caused them to be that kind of people. And when they see that need, 27:43 they will respond. I'm looking forward to hearing all the many ways that they'll 27:47 respond in that way. But also, in addition, individuals have already 27:52 seen the need. They've seen the need and anticipated 27:56 through God's influence, supporting that -- the elevator. There was a generous 28:03 matching gift challenge of $100,000 already in place, that once we raise $100,000, 28:11 that will meet that and match it. And that person 28:15 anticipated the need and knew it his coming and placed that gift ready for this 28:21 need. >> Yeah. >> And, finally, we're going 28:24 to try to manage the -- the cost of this -- this project through donations, of course, 28:32 that are coming in. But, you know, sometimes the cost of construction 28:37 exceeds the donations that are there for -- It's a timing issue. 28:40 And so the finance committee has put into place an agreement that if we need -- 28:45 and hopefully won't, pray that we don't -- if we need, we have a loan from 28:49 the revolving fund that'll be ready to step in and support the cash-flow needs 28:54 of this particular project. God has put into place those things necessary 29:00 to complete this project in a timely manner. >> We can do what God can do. 29:04 >> We can do. >> Yeah. You know, Jesus -- Jesus spoke a 29:07 line, and everybody knows this line, but it seems to apply to our two projects. 29:12 Jesus said -- you remember this -- "This ought you to have done..." and now what? -- "Leave 29:19 the other undone." And, really, we're simply finishing what we began. 29:24 It wasn't finished. We loved it, but we loved people more than finishing a project. 29:30 And we're doing this for Jesus, for them. God bless all of you 29:35 for your part in it. Pastor Jenifer, a prayer, please. 29:40 >> Will you join me? Will you stand with me as we pray? 29:48 Let's pray. Oh, Lord God, we thank and praise you today 29:54 for your faithfulness. We thank you, God, that there is no God in heaven 30:00 above or in the earth below who is like you, keeping your covenant of mercy 30:05 to your servants. Thank you for the ways in which you inspired 30:10 and blessed your people to give to the Renovate project. Over 15,000-plus donations. 30:19 Thank you so much. May your glory fill this place, as it covered the tabernacle 30:28 in the wilderness, as it filled the temple in Jerusalem. 30:35 And, God, as the reality of your presence transforms your people 30:40 in this house of prayer. May all people who worship here learn to love you, Lord God, 30:48 with all our heart and mind and soul and strength and each other as ourselves. 30:58 As we move forward together in your will into the future, unite us 31:04 in this house of prayer. Help us to give you all that we are 31:12 and all that we have -- our minds, our gifts, our resources, or influence. 31:22 Please accept our Thanksgiving today. May our prayers, our thanks, 31:26 our whole selves, our whole lives ascend to your throne like sweet incense. 31:33 For you are worthy, Lord. To receive blessing and honor and glory 31:39 and power, forever and ever. Amen. 31:47 >> Oh, God, that's our prayer. We need you. There's not a time when we do 31:52 not need you. There's not a place where we will not need you. 31:58 We need you every hour right here, right now, in Jesus' name. 32:03 Amen. 32:05 Question. Does Jesus have a parable 32:08 that ends with the word -- words, "The kingdom of heaven 32:12 is like unto an elevator"? Answer -- not as far as I know. 32:19 Question number two -- Did Jesus ever deal with elder care? 32:23 Are you kidding? It's beautiful. 32:25 You got to look at words you never knew. 32:27 We're talking about elder care. Open your Bible, please, 32:29 to John 21. Let's go. John 21. 32:33 Everybody loves a story, and this one begins with a -- one of those -- 32:36 one of our favorite stories, of course. The disciples have spent the 32:39 whole night fishin' and didn't catch one bloomin' fish. Early in the morning, some 32:45 stranger on the shore calls out, "Hey! Throw your net on the other side, and you'll catch all 32:50 the fish you need." And, boom, their net is bursting with shiny silverbacks. 32:59 And, of course, the disciples instantly know, "This is our beloved master Jesus. 33:05 This is our now resurrected Lord Jesus himself." And leave it to Jesus. 33:11 He already has a campfire going. Breakfast is ready to to be devoured. 33:16 And they drag that heavy load in, they jump out of the boat, and they start eating 33:21 with Christ. And somewhere in the middle of that breakfast, Jesus stops, 33:26 and he says, "Yo, Peter. Hey, Simon, son of John. Do you love me more 33:34 then all of these?" And Peter immediately averts his gaze. 33:40 He stares into the flames. Not sure if he's going to cry or not. 33:48 He says, "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you." 33:56 And he resumed the breakfast and it goes on for a few moments, and scene one is repeated 34:00 as scene two -- "Peter, Simon, son of John. Do you love me more than these?" 34:10 "Lord, you know everything. You know I love you." And the breakfast goes on, 34:17 and the conversation continues and, boom -- you got it -- third time. 34:22 I want to pick it up right here. Number three. In the gospel of John 21. 34:27 Here we go -- verse 17. "And the third time, Jesus said to Peter, 'Simon, son of John, 34:33 do you love me?'" Three times you spit on my name and you swore you didn't even -- 34:40 had no idea who I was -- in public! So three times in public, 34:48 I'm asking you to testify, do you love me?'" Peter was hurt because 34:56 Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" "And he said, 'Lord, 35:01 you know all things. You know that I love you.'" And for the third time, 35:09 Jesus says, "Good. Feed my sheep." Now here comes this beautiful 35:16 elder-care moment. You've read it so many times. With new eyes, we read it now, 35:21 verse 18. Let's go. Very truly. That's a literary device 35:25 that only John uses. It's a double amen. "Amen, amen." 35:30 Whenever John says it, he says, "Reader, stop, slow down. This is big." 35:33 So we're slowing down. "Amen, amen, I tell you. When you were younger, 35:39 you dressed yourself and you went where you wanted, but when you are old, 35:44 you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not 35:48 want to go." I remember preaching on this passage 35:51 when my dad was in the audience out in California. And the moment I read 35:58 those words, it suddenly hit me as I'm standing there. My dad, who my mother has been 36:07 worried. He's experiencing the onset of -- early onset of dementia. 36:15 Four months after that moment, Dad went into a nursing home from which he never left 36:23 until he died. And I remember coming to those words, "Someone else 36:29 is going to dress you," and I thought about my dad, "and someone else is going to 36:33 lead you where you don't want to go." It's a story of a nursing home. 36:38 Elder care. Wow. Craig Keener in his wonderful 36:45 commentary on the gospel of John, Keener writing, "Diogenes the Cynic reportedly 36:54 told a man whose servant was putting on his shoes that he would ultimately have 36:58 to depend on that servant to wipe his nose, as well." You're going to get older, 37:02 and he's going to be wiping your nose one day. You mark my words. 37:08 Keener goes on, "The description of dependance here in verse 18 could apply simply to old age." 37:15 Elder care. "Oh, but the language of 'stretching out the hands' 37:20 probably suggests more than merely the dependance of old age." 37:23 And John makes sure that we get the double meaning by putting in verse 19, 37:28 "Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. 37:32 And then he says to Peter, 'Follow me!'" "One day, you'll stretch out 37:36 your arms. You'll be crucified. You said you wanted to die for 37:40 me, didn't you, the other night? You will be crucified." And the tradition tells us, 37:46 at his request, upside down. 37:52 But before we dismiss verse 18, "Well, that's not really elder care," come on, come on, 37:56 come on. I want you to think. Think, think, think. 37:58 Who's the man that spoke those words? Who's this God who spoke those 38:01 words just two weeks earlier? Also, red-letter words. The same person 38:07 from the cross gives us the -- the supreme demonstration of elder care. 38:12 Watch this. Two weeks earlier, John 19, Friday afternoon, "When Jesus saw his mother 38:18 there --" he's hanging on Calvary -- "and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 38:23 he said to her, 'Woman, here is your son.'" He couldn't point. 38:29 He's nailed. "And then he says to the disciple, 'Here's your mother.' 38:36 And from that time on, this disciple took her into his home." 38:40 Talking about elder care. It doesn't get -- it doesn't get any more poignant than what we 38:45 just witnessed in that split second. "Desire of Ages" agrees. 38:50 "Desire of Ages" comes along, "The perfect example of Christ filial." 38:54 The word "filial" means the love of a child for his or her parent. 38:58 Christ -- "The perfect example of Christ's love for his mother shines forth 39:03 with undimmed luster from the mist of ages. For nearly 30 years, 39:08 Jesus, by his daily toil, had helped bear the burdens of the home. 39:12 And now, even in his last agony, he remembers to provide for his sorrowing, widowed mother. 39:19 The same spirit will be seen in every disciple of our Lord." Wow. Suddenly now 39:24 a little shift of the paradigm, and it's talking about you and me. 39:27 The same spirit will be seen in you and me. "Those who follow Christ 39:31 will feel that it is a part of their religion to respect and provide for their elders." 39:37 Leave the word "parents" out. To some -- To -- "To respect and provide for their elders," 39:43 the aged in our midst. That's no leap. "From the heart, where his love 39:49 is cherished, father and mother will never fail of receiving thoughtful care and tender 39:55 sympathy," in the Pioneer Memorial Church. We'll never turn down a need 40:03 that will minister to these that God has preserved in their lives as a witness to His faithfulness 40:09 in our midst. Wow. That's pretty clear. 40:14 Which is why, by the way, the preincarnate Christ makes sure that the 40:19 Old Testament is saturated with elder care. Watch this. I'm going to just 40:23 fly these by you so fast, you're going to miss them. But that's okay. 40:26 Just listen. Leviticus 19:32, preincarnate Christ speaking -- "Stand up in 40:33 the presence of the aged, people. Show respect for the elderly 40:36 and revere your God. I am the Lord." Psalm 92:12, 14. 40:43 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. They will grow like a cedar 40:47 of Lebanon. They will still bear fruit in old age. 40:51 They will stay fresh and green." 40:53 And I think of one of our Pioneer members 40:55 who, two weeks ago, turned 108. Anne Bower. 41:01 She is precious to her family. 41:04 She is precious to her Lord. And she's precious to this family. 41:08 Wow! 108? Proverbs 16:31 -- "Gray hair is a crown of splendor. 41:17 It is attained in the way of righteousness." Proverbs 20:29 -- "The glory of 41:21 young men is their strength. Gray hair is the splendor of the old." 41:26 Isaiah 46:4, God himself speaking now -- "Even to your old age and gray hairs, 41:33 I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you, 41:38 and I will carry you. I will sustain you, and I will rescue you." 41:42 "You never have to worry about elder care with me 41:46 because I'm your father in heaven, 41:48 and I will care for you until you breathe your last breath." 41:53 And if he's made that commitment, 41:56 why wouldn't we make the same? And does it change 42:00 in the New Testament? 42:01 Hardly. Look at this -- 1 Timothy 5, to his young protégé, 42:06 the Apostle Paul is writing, verses 3 and 5 -- "Give proper recognition to those widows who 42:11 are really in need, for the widow who is really in need and left all alone --" 42:16 and we had many of them sitting in church today, first church, and some are 42:22 sitting right now besides you, and you don't even know it. "For the widow who is really in 42:28 need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day 42:32 to pray and ask God for help." Shall we answer that prayer? Or shall we say, "No. 42:39 We got what we wanted. Nice. Too bad for you folks"? 42:46 Of course not. One more line from Paul, 1 Corinthians 12: 24-26 -- 42:52 "But God has put the body together --" speaking of the church -- "so that there should 42:56 be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 43:02 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, 43:06 every part rejoices with it." Isn't that the meaning of the church? 43:10 Aren't we a community? Love -- Love on the move? Isn't that what we say around 43:13 here? We say, "Well, that's Pioneer's mission -- love on the move." 43:16 Yeah, it sure is. Love on the move. That's not based on numbers, 43:20 not based on income, not based on age, not based on education, 43:24 not based on profession. Love on the move is Pioneer's mission to every breathing human 43:30 being on this planet. It's our mission. Love on the move. 43:35 'Course we step forward. Elder care. Beautifully models the truth 43:41 about the church as the body of Christ so that its parts that its parts 43:49 have equal concern for each other -- "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. 43:54 If one part is honored, every part says, 'Wow! Celebrate! High five!'" 44:03 I remember watching John Paul II. You remember him. 44:07 Struggle with his Parkinson's disease. And I never could figure out, 44:11 "Why do you do this on camera?" His -- His voice became garbled. Speech modulation 44:23 not quite right. Drooling, the head at an angle that he couldn't correct. 44:31 And then I came to realize how intent -- how intentional he was that his own struggle 44:38 to live and move remind us all that the weak must be able to depend on the strong 44:45 to carry them through. And it's no different here in Pioneer. 44:53 Harold and Donna Habenicht, we just talked about them. They died five weeks apart this 44:56 summer. Buried them both. Esther Tarangle, here. 45:05 The elderly do not attend this church because they're trying to teach us a lesson. 45:09 Mnh-mnh. But because they are trying -- they are trying to demonstrate 45:14 that they are drawn to this sacred house that has been their spiritual 45:18 home for decades and decades. "And as long as I can navigate the journey, I'll be here." 45:26 Oh, I'm so proud of them. Some of us still haven't come back from the pandemic 45:32 because it's just, you know, it's too hard. "We'll just stay home and do 45:37 it." And they're negotiating these torturous stairs 45:42 just to be here. Wow. The onset of physical and mental 45:48 struggles that we face are not reason to stay away but reason to find 45:52 in the community, the church, in the body of Christ, our Lord, the emotional compassion 45:57 and personal sustenance we need, we crave, and we must have. And I go and greet them 46:02 every Sabbath they're here. I'm talking about Bruce and Judy Zimmerman. 46:07 They're in here right now. This is their church. It's not easy to come to church, 46:16 but they're here. God bless you. Every stage of life is precious 46:23 to God and beautiful to us. That means that when a newborn lustily cries out 46:29 for mother's attention in the middle of a quiet moment in worship, we smile. 46:33 We do not grumble. "Why doesn't our mother do something? 46:36 This is bad. Just get that kid out of here." No, we smile! 46:39 I'm so glad that child is here! And if we got a problem with noise in the balcony, 46:43 I'm so glad the teens are here. We don't say, "No, if you can't conform to us, you just stay 46:48 away." No, you -- you -- you keep coming. 46:52 This is your church. It's not my church. It's your church. 46:56 All of us. No matter what it costs when that elder member stumbles 47:02 or trips, we rush to their aid and do all in our power to prevent that from happening 47:06 again. And that's what this Renovate 2.0 is all about. 47:10 That's it, in a nutshell. Let's be clear. This new elevator is not for you 47:15 and is not for me -- not for most of us -- but it is a gift from all of us, 47:20 young and aged alike, for those who need it most. A love gift to these who are a 47:27 testimony to God's goodness. Strength. So today we celebrate 47:33 a very tangible way that we can show them we love on them. And by the way, 47:36 it's not just for the aged. It's not just for the aged. My friend Tom, wheelchair. 47:43 You already know the routine. You can't get up to this floor without going through stairs. 47:49 Impossible. He said, "Dwight, the ramp, don't ever bring that ramp up 47:53 again." [ Laughter ] "That ramp is not sufficient." 47:59 You circle the church like Joshua going around Jericho just to get in it. 48:06 I'm not dissing on our forefathers and our foremothers who built this beautiful 48:10 sanctuary in 1959. But, ladies and gentlemen, the Americans with Disability 48:14 Act requires every community to be on the lookout for ease of access, including churches. 48:20 We don't need the law to tell us what to do. We do it because we -- we have 48:24 elder care, we have elder love. And that's why we do it. Nobody's asked you 48:30 to pledge anything. You're not going to get a pledge card in the mail. 48:34 This will be done by you because you believe it's important for them. 48:40 Out of love for them, you will do this. You got one letter from me this 48:44 week, and that's it. 48:46 It's very right for this -- this campus congregation, 48:50 surrounded by young adults -- I love it -- 48:52 surrounded by young adults, but we cannot forget these 48:55 who -- who are the one demographic slice that gives 48:59 the most to this church. 49:01 By age and per capita, they give more than everybody else. When they get old, 49:06 they just say, "Count me in." Percentage-wise, out-giving you and me. 49:13 No, we got to do it. There was nothing for them in the first one. 49:17 We're going to finish the project right for them. 49:21 Oh, and by the way, as -- as Dave just shared with us 49:24 a moment ago, we do have a member of this church. 49:27 She, a member of this church, has written and said, 49:31 "I'll give $100,000 if you guys will match it." 49:34 Well, that's not hard, $100,000. 49:36 Means we'll get $200,000 just like that. And that's what she wants. 49:40 Isn't that wonderful? She's not wealthy. She said, "I just -- I just want 49:45 to do this for the church." I got a letter this week, a card from somebody on 49:50 the other side of the country. Been a Christian for 14 years. Two years ago, was watching 49:56 Hope TV, met Pioneer, and has been watching ever since. 50:01 She just wanted to write and say, "Thanks so much for everything. 50:04 And we have a little something to help with the -- with -- with just -- 50:09 It's a love gift. Receive it, please." I looked at the check. 50:12 $100,000. She's not even a member of our community or faith. 50:20 "I just want to help you." Don't you ever tell me that God cannot finish this project. 50:26 He has a thousand ways of which we know not a single one. That woman stepped forward, 50:32 I talked to her on the phone this week. Wow. 50:37 Praise God. We can do because God can do. And he's the greatest can-do God 50:46 I have ever met in my life. 50:54 Time's up. I want to sing a song with you. But first, I want to put 50:58 the Connect Card up. Please. Type the word -- 51:01 Put the word, type the word "Renovate" to -- Here's the number you're familiar with -- 51:06 269-281-2345. Everybody knows that number now. Visitors don't. 51:10 So visitors do this, please, and there'll be something for you here, as well. 51:13 Just text "Renovate" to that number. 51:15 Here's what you're going to get. my next steps. 51:16 So here they are. "I want to be part of the 51:18 Renovate 2.0 project to bring Jesus' elder care to our most 51:22 needy members and visitors." Yeah, me too. 51:25 If you put a checkmark there, that's not 51:27 committing you to anything but to be a part of the project. 51:30 And just seeing that, "Oh, she put it down? 51:33 Did he check that? Wow! I'm so grateful." 51:36 You're not committing to anything except be a part of the 51:38 project. Put a checkmark there. 51:42 It'll bless my soul. Box number two, "For more 51:44 details regarding the project, go to pmchurch.org/renovate. 51:47 Some of you watching live right now. 51:50 You go there. Three major documents 51:53 with all -- more details than you ever wanted to know 51:57 are on that site. You get a feel for the project. 52:00 Go to it -- pmchurch.org/renovate. 52:03 Oh, box number three. "I want to be part of the 52:05 Pure Desire Conference," coming in two weeks. 52:08 "Please send me information on how to sign up." 52:11 I can't believe all the people that are signing up already. 52:14 We're pushing this really hard, as you know, because 52:16 of our series this semester, looking at 52:19 Blessed are the Pure in Heart: Sexual Purity." 52:22 It's an important time because we're not just about the aged. 52:26 We have the young that we've been sent to mission to, 52:28 and sexual purity is a huge deal right now for that generation, 52:33 and for you and for me, all of us. 52:36 You want to be a part of the Pure Desire Conference, 52:38 put a checkmark there. You'll get all the information 52:40 you want. And by the way, we're going 52:43 to -- we're subsidizing the costs -- it's $100 to get 52:45 in, but we're going to subsidize it, Pioneer, so that, for $25, 52:49 you can get in. I'm going to be there. 52:52 You don't go there because you're telling everybody, 52:55 "Please pray for me." Now there will be people 52:58 there saying, "Please pray for me," I suppose. 53:02 But this is so that we can be more effective 53:04 in relating to one another in the area of sexual purity. 53:08 So come on, sign up. It's not going to cost you a 53:10 thing. And we'll send you 53:12 all the information you need. 53:14 Oh, there's a beautiful -- there's a beautiful little course right at the -- 53:17 right at the end of the hymnal. And it's "We Give Thee All Thine Own"? 53:24 Is that it? "But Thine Own"? Yeah, Chuck -- Chuck and Julie, 53:28 come here. I want to pray first before you lead us. 53:31 It's such a beautiful little piece. I want you to stand 53:33 because we'll close by singing this very short -- it's so short that we're gonna 53:37 sing it several times, but... it's a beautiful prayer. "O God, we give you what is 53:43 already yours." Dear Jesus, Holy Father, and Blessed Spirit. 53:49 Elder care came from your heart. And elder care is in our hearts. We want to do it right. 53:57 So take our humble, humble commitment. Whatever we give, it's yours 54:02 in the first place. It's all yours. Others have gone before us 54:06 in some significant ways. We thank you for their example, but we cheerfully 54:11 want to do our part. Fill us with the elder care that is in the heart 54:18 of the God of the universe right now. In Jesus' name. 54:23 Let's sing together. 55:11 >> Ladies sing. Men, let's join together. 55:58 One more time together. 56:28 >> Thank you again for joining us here at Pioneer. And remember, 56:32 as you are leaving, there's opportunities to give today. 56:37 Let us pray. Dearest Heavenly Father, sustain 56:41 us and keep us close to your heart. 56:43 Keep us until the day when death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. 56:50 The one who has testified of these things says, "Surely I'm coming soon." 56:55 Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus 56:59 be with all the saints. Amen. >> Amen. 57:07 >> Think of the last time someone said, "I'm praying for 57:10 you." Didn't it give you a sense of 57:12 peace and reassurance that "somebody cares for me"? 57:15 I know how I feel when I get an e-mail from one of our viewers 57:17 saying, "Yo, Dwight, I've been praying for you lately." 57:20 There's nothing like knowing someone is praying for you. 57:22 So I want to offer you an opportunity to partner. 57:25 Let me, let us partner with you in prayer. 57:27 If you have a special prayer request or a praise of 57:29 thanksgiving you'd like to share with us, I'm inviting you to 57:32 contact one of our friendly chaplains. 57:34 It's simple to do. You can call our toll-free 57:36 number, 877-HIS-WILL. 877-HIS-WILL. 57:42 That friendly voice that answers? 57:43 You tell him, you tell her what your prayer need is. 57:46 We'll join with you in that petition. 57:49 And may the God who answers this prayer journey with you these 57:52 next few days, until we're right back here together again next 57:54 time. 57:59 ♪♪ ♪♪ 58:19 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-10-18