by Aubrey Botha

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven milesa]">[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

19 “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

(Transcribed by TurboScribe)

Joan and Gary, boy, it's good to see you. It's just, I'm saying to Gary, it seems that retirement kind of don't have money for her. It is so good to see you, Joan and Gary.

They're all over the place now. They're, they're, yeah, it is just so cool to see you this morning. I'm always happy to see folks.

They come back and they come visit. Did so many wonderful things with you over the years, and it's always a blessing to look up and see. As I, as I prayed in my prayer, please continue to pray for Amira and her family.

Amira was in Kuwait when the bombing started. Her sister passed away and she was there. She and her mother, they were both out, and Amira's back in Canada.

So with God's grace, we're happy about that. Got really sad news this, this week. My first colleague in my first congregation was murdered in his house this past week, and that's just horrendous.

He and the guy who worked in the garden for him seemed to have had a little moment, and the next thing his wife heard, someone yelled, and she saw the guy wash his hands and blood coming off him when she came out. Her husband was, was not there. So really sad, sad moment.

Pray for their family as well. Not, not the kind of things that we want to hear. We need to pray for, for one another.

Thank you for the amazing words that we can read together this morning and spend a few moments in. And I always pray, Lord, may we see Jesus and only Jesus, but in this one, we are really just going to see Jesus in action. And what a moment.

Thank you. We wait in expectation. In your name we pray, Lord Jesus.

Amen. Going to Luke chapter 14. And thank you, Grace, for getting those pictures on there.

Much appreciated. Luke 14, going to start verse 13. Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.

They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. But, and always this but thing, but they were kept from recognising him.

He asked them, what are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas, and we think most scholars will say that the other person that was with him was his wife, Mary. One of them, Cleopas, asked him, are you the only one visiting Jerusalem? Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? What things, Jesus asked.

About Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him.

And here's an important but, that we had hoped, we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it's the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us.

Actually, it's a very bad word that they use in Greek here, Existemi, which actually means some of the women lost their minds. Some of our women lost their minds. They went to the tomb early this morning, but they didn't find his body.

And then they came and told us that they'd seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. And then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said, but they did not see Jesus. And so the empty tomb.

He said to them, how foolish you are. How slow to believe all the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, stay with us for it's nearly evening. The day is almost over.

So he went in to stay with them. And when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him and he disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us as he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 and those with them assembled together and saying, it's true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.

And then the two told what had happened on the way and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke. What a beautiful story. So we, we meet these two followers of Jesus on their way to Emmaus, but they're not just on their way towards Emmaus.

They're also on their way away from Jerusalem. And you can hear this in their voices that they need to put this behind them and leave it there and just get away from it. Verse 21 will say it so clearly, the disappointment, the disillusionment, this, this departure away from hope when it says, but we had hoped that this Jesus was the one.

We had hoped that he was the one who was going to change everything. We had hoped, but hope has died. And so we turn our backs and we leave and we go to Emmaus.

As I read that and I was, I was writing and I'm saying, Lord, help me. How, what do I say? How do I preach such a well-known text? I'm sitting there and I wrote, it kind of makes me feel when you think of them, of this world in which we are living right now, it's a mess. You don't know what you're going to find when you wake up the next morning, whether there's another war, whether this war is going to escalate.

We don't know whether there's another tariff coming and whether the oil is going up and whether food is going to, through the roof that we cannot pay for that. We're so uncertain of ourselves. People are, are so, if you look at the world, ready, we're just ready to bite each other.

And it's kind of a scary place, but we had hoped. And I said to myself, so, so when you write that down, Aubrey, you're, you're not a negative person because I'm not. So, so what is the next thing that you write? And the next thing I wrote down is the question, so how do we, as those who follow Christ Jesus, how do we live in this kind of world? What kind of pictures do we paint with our words when we speak to each other? Because I can stand here this morning and I can send you out those doors so negative that you don't want to come back next week.

What are the kind of words that we paint? What do we paint with our words when we talk to each other, when we are there in our conversations at school, at home, at work? What pictures do we paint with our actions, the way in which we treat each other, the way in which we live in this world? What pictures do we paint for ourselves with our thoughts? No one else can see, but I can. We paint these pictures. Are there pictures of hope? Hope in this Lord Jesus that one week ago we stood in this place and we were celebrating.

Jesus Christ is risen today and you said, amen, He is risen indeed. Are there pictures of hope in that risen Lord Jesus Christ that sits on His throne and is in control of this world, even when this world sometimes, like now, feels a little out of control? Do we do the but or do we paint pictures of hope? Because there is a world out there that needs those who love Jesus Christ and know Him as their Lord and their Saviour and the King of this world and the King of their lives to say that, to live that, to show that. What pictures are we painting or are they maybe pictures of hopelessness? Let's try and answer for ourselves as we walk through scripture.

So there's a little background. Now let me take you back. So these two are walking and the next thing Jesus walks with them and here's the first little surprise.

Jesus does not give up on people who are hopeless doubters. And you're saying, Aubrey, it's not a surprise. We know that.

You know that, but context. Did you see what day it was? Verse 13 said, on that same day. Which was the same day? Verse 1 tells us, early on that first day of the week.

It was the Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. Wouldn't you think that He had come, He had done His work, He died on the cross, went into the grave, grave was opened, that now Jesus is in heaven with God and He's being celebrated by all His angels and they're singing and dancing and they're hallelujah and He's taking up His throne and now He's sitting there on His throne ruling this world. Wouldn't you expect that's what would have happened? Where do you find Him? He's on the road with two hopeless doubting.

That's the kind of Lord that we serve. Not the Lord that puts Himself in some throne somewhere and disappears, but the Lord who walks with hopeless doubting. As you see, here's the thing about Jesus.

He didn't just tell the stories or call them parables, whatever you want to call them. Didn't just tell the stories, He lived the stories. And He's just living one of those stories right now, Luke 15.

Who knows what that is? You can get a coffee if you can tell me what's Luke 15. My coffee's safe. What have I done in 25 years? You don't know what's in Luke 15? It's easy.

It's a story about two boys, 10 coins, and a hundred sheep. Remember the story now? And what was the story about the hundred sheep? Shepherd had a hundred sheep and one got lost. And what did he do? He left the 99 and he went for the one.

And two were walking away in hopelessness from Jerusalem to go sit in Emmaus. And Jesus goes after the two. Because you see, here's the thing about Jesus.

He does not like to see the backs of His children turned on Him. Maybe the Hebrew word for repentance is even more beautiful. The Hebrew word for repentance is shuv, which means to turn around.

And that's what Jesus wants. He does not want to see the back. He's saying, turn around.

Look at me. Look at me. I want to be there for you.

And I ask you, when you go through those difficult times and those times in your own life when you doubt, because we all end up there every now and then, when you feel like hope is kind of a distant, distant thing, when life can sometimes deal you some cards that are not the greatest cards in the world, what do you do? Don't walk away from Jerusalem because Jesus got your back. He's got your back. He's there for you.

He wants you to turn around and He wants to look into your eyes, even those eyes that are saying, I doubt right now, Lord Jesus. I'm not so sure. He wants to look right into them.

He wants to see your face, even if the tears are running down your cheeks, because how difficult and how tough it is. He wants to hold you and love you. He does not want to see your back.

He'll make time to come. He didn't just scoot off. He knew I needed to go talk to Cleopas and Mary.

I needed to be there with them. And He's going to be there with you when you walk sometimes on your own road. By the way, did you see they went back to Jerusalem? They thought they could walk away, but he doesn't.

Then the second thing happens. Let me take you back to the story. So now he starts this conversation with them.

That's how Jesus works. And as I was writing that, I thought, man, if it was me, I wouldn't have done that. These two walking away, I would have done something to get them back.

I would have walked and said, could I have the water bottle, please? And can I have a cup? And I would have poured some water in that cup. And I would have said, have a sip. And I would have done a miracle.

And they would have drank some wine. And I would have said, gotcha. Why are you doubting? Why are you not hoping? But Jesus doesn't do that, does he? What does Jesus do? He asks them, so get it out.

Talk to me about this. We hoped about Jesus. We thought he was the prophet.

We thought he was going to do all of this. And then it's a mess. The women come telling stories.

There's just an open grave. There's no Jesus there. No angels there.

No nothing there. It's all just kind of over and done with. And then Jesus doesn't do a miracle.

What does he do? He does a Bible study with them right there on the road. Verse 25, 26, 27. And Jesus said to them, man, did you get it all wrong? Didn't you read? And then he takes them back to the whole Old Testament.

Moses and the prophets. And he talks to them about them. And he says, here's the problem, guy and girl.

Here's the problem. You had this wrong. This world has it wrong.

They wanted to see a Messiah who would be a king, who would sit on a throne, who would get rid of the Romans. And then he would be king and rule over them like a king. But you didn't read the scriptures properly.

What did the scriptures say about me? Scripture says Messiah would come, but Messiah would be what? The servant of the Lord. More than that, he would be the suffering servant of the Lord. Did you ever read Isaiah? By his stripes, we are healed.

By his wounds, we are made safe. They would look at him and not want to look at him because they would hurt him so badly. That's what Messiah would come to do.

Isn't that what Messiah did? See, they didn't need a miracle. They needed the Word. Because they would have to go out into this world and answer the questions of people that would have the same questions as they had.

And the only way that they would be able to answer those questions was if they were in the Word. How you and I get through this? How do we walk and work in this world? In the Word. Psalm 119 verse 105.

What does that say? There's a coffee up again. You know it. Oh, there goes the coffee.

You got it, Dave. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. In this dark world, how do we walk? In the Word.

Because the Word will give you light, will walk you where Jesus wants to walk with you, will protect you. Because it is His Word. It is alive and well and living.

And that's why He doesn't just say, guys, here's a miracle. Boom, it's me, Jesus. He takes them to the Word because the Word is what they would need to continue living in this world.

Second Timothy 3.16. And there's no coffee in this one. And I'll be broke by the end of the day because I know Dave will know this one too. Second Timothy 3.16. What does that say? The whole Scripture is, sorry, God breathed the Greek word so beautiful, theopneistos, theos, God, pneuma, the Spirit of God.

The whole Spirit was breathed by God and fulfilled with the Spirit. And then listen how He says it in the New Living Translation. And it is useful to teach us what is true, to make us realise what is wrong in our lives.

It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. Why does He do the Bible study with Him? Because that Scripture will improve our lives, will help our lives, will help us to walk through the doubt and the hopelessness and the difficult and the upside down days, because this does not change as much as our Lord and our God do not change. The Scripture is what we need to do every day of our lives.

It will bring the light that we need. Let me end. One more little surprise.

So they get to where they need to turn off to Emmaus and Jesus pretends to be going the other way. I love how cool He does this whole story, right? And of course, Cleopas and Mary say, come with us. Come, come, stay with us.

Spend the night. It's dark. He goes in and spends time with them.

Did you notice something strange in that text? Who's the guest? Jesus. Who breaks the bread? Would you expect that from the guest? We should always watch those little things, right? Don't miss, because that's where the surprise lies. Because they sit there and instead of them taking that bread and breaking the bread and passing it to Jesus, Jesus breaks the bread, passes the bread to them.

And in that moment, they realise it's the Lord. In the moment that Jesus shows them who He is again, the servant in serving, in giving, the miracle happens of them seeing the Lord Jesus. Jesus becomes visible in this world when the children of the Lord serve like the Lord served.

Yes, we can have arguments and words, but people see the Lord at their best, and we become servants. When we have crucified hands like Jesus, hands that will give freely, hands that touch gently, hands that are open and do not point, judging, but give loving hands and hold. Jesus becomes visible in this world when our feet are crucified, and they walk where Jesus would walk, into all those places that are dark and difficult and hard, where the world is not one to go.

When maybe, and I hook on, and this wasn't written in the sermon, but I was just thinking of you, when we go and we serve downtown and we pick up some junk, we see Jesus, because those feet are crucified and they walk, because that's where He would have been, and His hands would pick them up, because that's so Jesus. I started the question, how do we live in this world? What kind of pictures do we paint? I'm sure we paint those pictures of hope, because we know there isn't more. Amen.

Take a few moments of silent prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for always looking for us. That one little sheep that would walk off, or that one coin that would fall and go into the dark place, and actually two boys, not just one, who were lost, and you always stand looking, waiting, searching, and that's what you do.

Thank you that we have been found. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your Holy Spirit.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being the servant of the Lord. May we serve, because in serving, you might be saved. In your precious name, we pray.

Amen.

by Aubrey Botha

21 From then on Jesusa]">[a] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand himb]">[b] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?c]">[c] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

(Transcribed by TurboScribe)

Palm Sunday begins on a road leading to Jerusalem. A king enters the city, not with armour, not with force, but on a donkey. Palms wave in the air like declarations of victory.

Voices cry, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They were celebrating a king, but didn't understand the kind of king he was. Because this celebration is moving somewhere.

The cheers of Sunday are already casting the shadow of Friday. This same road leads to a cross. Palms will give way to thorns.

Shouts will fall silent beneath the weight of nails. Yet this is not a story of loss. It's a story of love.

Because the cross was never the end. It was the doorway. Palm Sunday leans toward an empty tomb.

Toward a morning where death is defeated and hope rises with the sun. The king who came in humility will rise again in victory. Good morning.

It's good to see so many of you and to see your faces on this Palm Sunday. Alexander just said he forgot to remind you that there is a Maundy Thursday service, but it's online only. So if you go to the website, it will be online and you can watch the Manndy Thursday service online.

Father God, thank you for these moments, moments in your holy presence. We'll hear your words again this morning, Lord Jesus, as you remind us why you came into this world. Help us then to see you and honour you.

In your holy name we pray. Amen. I'm sure you'll agree with me if I say that this amazing life that God gives us, with all of its joy and happiness and also sometimes with a struggle, isn't always easy and sometimes really painful.

There's many reasons for that. We suffer loss. We struggle.

We fail. We get angry. We get frustrated.

All of these things and it causes pain. But maybe the most difficult of all of these challenges is the pain of surrender. That moment that I stand before God and I look God in the eye and I say, Lord, here's my everything, my whole life, and I want to give that to you in a surrender.

And from now on, Lord, you lead and I will follow. Because just think, most of us like to lead. Most of us like to make the decisions.

Most of us like to be in control. And all we want of God is to follow behind and clean up the messes. So the question we're going to ask this morning, and each of us has to answer that for themselves, is the question in my life, who leads and who follows? It's a little bit of the question of Palm Sunday.

Because for Jesus to get to that open grave, he had to surrender. And it started on Palm Sunday. So read with me Matthew 16.

That was interesting. When I saw this, my last sermon here before I went off was from Mark, and it was the same passage, not the same sermon. So Caesarea Philippi is where they are.

You'll remember that, where Jesus asked the question, who do you say I am? And then we go in Matthew from verse 21, and I'm reading from the New Living Translation. From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders. Presbyterians, you know that.

The word for elder in Greek is presbyteros. He didn't suffer by the presbyterians. By the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law.

He would be killed, but, and that is a big biblical but. He would be killed, but on the third day, he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.

Heaven forbid, Lord, he said, this will never happen to you. Jesus turned to Peter and said, get away from me, Satan. You're a dangerous trap to me.

You're seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's. And then Jesus said to his disciples, who wants to lead, who wants to follow? If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own ways. Take up your cross and follow me.

For if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. So what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but you lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their beliefs.

And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His glory. So here we have Jesus in this discussion with His disciples, telling them what's waiting for them as they journey to Jerusalem. For what they'll see in a moment is they'll go in there and they'll hear the Hoshana, save us, Lord.

They'll hear what we just sang. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. They're going to hear all of this, and they're going to see this King. And Jesus says, stop.

Let me tell you what's really going to happen when you see all this. I'm going to Jerusalem because I am surrendering to the plan of God. I'm going there, and they will take me prisoner, and they are going to torture me, and I am going to suffer, and they are going to nail me to a cross, and I am going to die.

But on the third day, God is going to let me walk out that tomb. And when you read this, and when you go read it again, you'll see that when Jesus says this, you cannot feel in the language that there's regret or a heaviness or, oh, my Holy Moses, why am I having to go and do this? Yes, He says, it's going to be hard. Yes, it's going to be difficult.

I am going to suffer. I am going to be nailed to a cross. I am going to die.

But, and there's that big biblical but, on that third day, God is going to show up, and I am going to walk right out of that grave. Can you hear that, my friends? What He's saying is this, if I am prepared to surrender and give it up to God, God will show up on the third day. Sometimes the third day is longer than three days.

Sometimes the third day feels like it's never going to happen. And Satan will stand, as he did outside the tomb of Jesus, and he was celebrating because he's gone and dead. And on that third day, God says, arise, my love, arise, my love.

Death no longer has a hold on you. And Jesus says to you and me, if you surrender your life to me, and you give it up, and I lead, and you follow, whatever it might be, there is a third day, and on the third day, God shows up. Is there any Baptist in this church that can say amen? Because that God that shows up is a good God, and a loving God, and a caring God, a God who knows me, and a God who gave His only Son for me.

If I surrender, God shows up. Always. And this is not a biblical, well maybe it is, biblical, but this is one of ours.

It's a causal relationship. Jesus, being obedient and going to the cross, causes God to show up and open that grave. If Jesus did not go to the grave and give it all up, there would be no third day.

Not for Him, not for me, not for you, and not for anyone. When I surrender, God shows up. Didn't sit well with Peter.

By now we should know that. And Peter has a word to say. In that beautiful verse 22, Peter took him aside and said, Heaven forbid, Lord, that would never happen to you.

Now, if it wasn't so serious, we could have a little chuckle out of this. Because just think about it. Here's Peter looking at the Son of God, trying to stop the Son of God from doing what the Son of God had come to do in this world from the beginning.

The irony is also a little sad. Peter, in doing this and just being so in a hurry, he misses, doesn't see what it means for God to show up. Because Peter's doing the Peter thing and the us thing.

Peter's looking out for Peter's own interests. He's thinking, Jesus, we've got a good thing going. Look at all the people with us.

They're just coming. We're going to Jerusalem. It's the feast.

Do you know how we can build that congregation? Do you know how we can build this movement? We've got a good thing going. Don't you talk about dying and stuff like that. Because here's the thing.

Peter's looking out for Peter's best interest. And the problem is so many of us fall into that same trap. And we think, if I lead, if I do the things, if I stay in command, if I do, then I'll be fine.

Because it's for my best interest. How sad the answer that Jesus gives him. And no wonder Jesus is a little sharp in his answer.

Because in doing what Peter is doing, he's violating the most fundamental characteristic of God. Of who God is. Of who God works.

Of how God functions in this world. And that is that God is always looking out for the best interest of others. When this world was messed up, he called the Noah.

And he started over. When he needed to start out new, he called the man Abraham from Ur. And brought him all to the promised land.

When things were not good, he sent a young man called Joseph. And three days was a little longer for him. But that was in preparation for him to show up when they needed him.

Took a little baby and put him in the River Nile. Because God did show up for our best interest. He called prophet after prophet.

He sent a man called John the Baptizer. And he sent his son. Problem is, when we start looking out only for our own interest.

When we try and do things for ourselves and just manipulate and make them work as we think they should be working. Oftentimes we end up living in the wrong stories. And I think I'm great.

And when I'm not doing great, I'm kind of angry at God. Why? Because I'm living in the wrong story. I've told you this story before, but it's a really good illustration of this.

There's a story of the couple who were married 60 years. They decided to downsize. And as they were going through the house, the husband discovers this little box.

Way back in the cupboard. Opens the box. There's two beautiful crochet dolls in the box.

And then there's also this envelope with $90,000 in it. And he's kind of stunned. So he walks in.

He says, look what I discovered. Do you know anything about this? He says, yeah. It's all me.

He says, tell the story. He says, well, when we got married, my grandmother called me. And she said, I want to give you some advice for your marriage.

When you get into a fight, don't fight. Go to your room. Go calm down and crochet a doll.

And just put it away. Put all the anger away with the doll. And he looked at this box.

And he thought, wow. In 60 years. He says, that's good.

But what about the $90,000? She said, well, after the second doll, I didn't have any more room for the dolls I crocheted. So I took them to the craft store and sold them for $5. He was living in the wrong story.

And sometimes we live in the wrong story. So I ask myself, what if I'm living in the wrong story? What if I'm living in the wrong story when I'm trying to take control and I'm not waiting for God to show up on that third day? What if I'm running after this world because the world says, this is what you should be doing. This is what you should be running after.

You want it all. You want it now. And if you don't get it now, then fine with you.

I'm going to do my own thing. What if Jesus says, verse 25, if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you follow me and you give up your life for my sake, you will save the world.

Why? Why should I give up my life? Because in that moment that I surrender is when God shows up. God's power is not seen by our control in our lives. God did not raise Jesus because Jesus shied away from the cross.

God raised Jesus from the dead because Jesus was obedient and went to the cross. And on that third day, God showed up and Jesus walked. My question in the beginning was, who lives, who falls in my life? Can we just for a moment look at our own lives and ask the question in my life, have I surrendered? Who's in control when I get angry? Who's in control of my finances? Who's in control of my relationships? Who's in control of the emotions? Who's in control when I feel this world is overwhelming? Who lives? When you've answered that and when I've answered that, because remember what I've always said, every sermon I write is written for this person.

And then I come share it with you on my own life. So I ask these questions of myself. So here's my challenge for me, for us this morning.

Will you surrender? Will you take all of the things in your life, also the control, also the things that you're afraid of, also the things that you're not sure that you can let go, can you take those? And can we put them in the hands of our Father? The one who sent His Son into this world. The one who turned His back when His Son cried out, my God. And then the one who showed up on that third day and He opened that door.

Can we place it in the hands of the Lord and surrender? There's a song that we sing, I surrender all. I surrender all, all to Jesus. Will you take that? I'm going to give you a moment before I pray with you, just to think about what in my life is there that might, instead of helping me because I'm trying to control it, it's hurting me.

What is there in my life that this morning I can come and lay at the feet of Jesus and say, I surrender. You lead, I follow. I'm scared because it might lead to Jerusalem and there might be an angry mob and there might be the cross, but on the other side there's an open grave.

This is my Lord, I surrender. Take a moment and be quiet with the Lord and then I'll pray with you. Lord Jesus, when you invite us, your promises are never empty.

You've kept them all and you've fulfilled them all, more than we could ever think. And if you, if you come and you say, this is what I call you, surrender. Use your life, follow me.

I have more than you could ever think. We trust you. And you heard our hearts this morning.

As we just surrender, Lord, what needs to go to you. Thank you that you lead. Thank you that we may follow.

Sorry that sometimes we stumble and we take our own road and kind of want to do the Peter thing for a moment. Thank you that you are gracious because that is who you are. Thank you for the blessing of this morning.

Thank you for this blessing of this day. All these things we pray in the name of him who came in the name of the Lord, the one who can and did save us. Jesus, our Lord, our Saviour.

Amen.

by Rev. Mark Gaskin

37 1-2 God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun.

3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Master God, only you know that.”

4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!’”

5-6 God, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am God!”

7-8 I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.

9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”

10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

11 Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’

12-14 “Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says: I’ll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I’ll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you’ll realize that I am God. I’ll breathe my life into you and you’ll live. Then I’ll lead you straight back to your land and you’ll realize that I am God. I’ve said it and I’ll do it. God’s Decree.’”

38 Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. 42 I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me.”

43 Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”

by Rev. Mark Gaskin

8 At one time you were in the dark. But now you are in the light because of what the Lord has done. Live like children of the light. 9 The light produces what is completely good, right and true. 10 Find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the acts of darkness. They don’t produce anything good. Show what they are really like. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what people who don’t obey do in secret. 13 But everything the light shines on can be seen. And everything that the light shines on becomes a light. 14 That is why it is said,

“Wake up, sleeper.
    Rise from the dead.
    Then Christ will shine on you.”

9 As Jesus went along, he saw a man who was blind. He had been blind since he was born. 2 Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned? Was this man born blind because he sinned? Or did his parents sin?”

3 “It isn’t because this man sinned,” said Jesus. “It isn’t because his parents sinned. He was born blind so that God’s power could be shown by what’s going to happen. 4 While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After he said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud with the spit. Then he put the mud on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him. “Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam means Sent. So the man went and washed. And he came home able to see.

8 His neighbors and people who had seen him earlier begging asked questions. “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” they asked. 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No. He only looks like him.”

But the man who had been blind kept saying, “I am the man.”

10 “Then how were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. Then I could see.”

12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 The day Jesus made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. 15 So the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied. “Then I washed. And now I can see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “Jesus has not come from God. He does not keep the Sabbath day.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner do such signs?” So the Pharisees did not agree with one another.

17 Then they turned again to the blind man. “What do you have to say about him?” they asked. “It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

18 They still did not believe that the man had been blind and now could see. So they sent for his parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered. “And we know he was born blind. 21 But we don’t know how he can now see. And we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is an adult. He can speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already made this decision about Jesus. Anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why the man’s parents said, “He is an adult. Ask him.”

24 Again the Pharisees called the man who had been blind to come to them. “Give glory to God by telling the truth!” they said. “We know that the man who healed you is a sinner.”

25 He replied, “I don’t know if he is a sinner or not. I do know one thing. I was blind, but now I can see!”

26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 He answered, “I have already told you. But you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they began to attack him with their words. “You are this fellow’s disciple!” they said. “We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this fellow comes from.”

30 The man answered, “That is really surprising! You don’t know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does what he wants them to do. 32 Nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man had not come from God, he could do nothing.”

34 Then the Pharisees replied, “When you were born, you were already deep in sin. How dare you talk like that to us!” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

35 Jesus heard that the Pharisees had thrown the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me, so I can believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge it. I have come so that people who are blind will see. I have come so that people who can see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you remain guilty.

by Jim Hetherington

7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

by Jim Hetherington

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”a]">[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.b]">[b]”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

by Aubrey Botha

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

by Aubrey Botha

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

4 (Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth,a]" style="font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline; color: #000000; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">[a] who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child’s nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.)

9 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.

“Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.

3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”

Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”

4 “Where is he?” the king asked.

“In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.”

5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. 6 His name was Mephiboshetha]" style="font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline;">[a]; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.”

Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.”

7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”

8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

11 Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table,c]" style="font-size: 0.625em; line-height: normal; position: relative; vertical-align: text-top; top: auto; display: inline; color: #000000; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: #ffffff; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">[c] like one of the king’s own sons.

by Aubrey Botha

3 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the mana]">[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

(Transcribed by TurboScribe.)

Lord, thank you for your words. Thank you that in these moments we may ask you to take everything away from us that would prevent us from allowing your spirit to move in our lives, from not allowing us to hear what you are speaking into our lives. Forgive your servant, Lord, for his sins are many.

And help us to see Jesus, only Jesus. Scott, this thing is making shhhh all the time. I don't know what it is.

Ah, see, I couldn't speak, it's saying shhhh, shhhh, shhhh. I don't know what that is, but it's all good. You're a blessing.

You'll come give me a hard time after the service. I'm going to read from the book of Genesis. Those who don't know where that is, that's the first book of the Bible.

Genesis chapter 3, verses 1 to 9, and I'm reading from the New Living Translation. That's the beauty of having a screen as well, is we can use so many different translations, because sometimes it just reads better in a different translation. You know, they're all different, because when we translate, and I had the privilege of translating, you know, that 13 of the Old Testament books into a modern-day Afrikaans translation when I was still back in South Africa.

The thing they taught us immediately is, remember, the moment you translate, you actually put on your own glasses, and you translate through those glasses when you read the Hebrew or the Aramaic or the Greek. So, there's a little bit of something of the person who translated that in that, and that's why these translations are sometimes a little different, despite the fact that we look at the same word, but we translate it differently, because those, we call them hermeneutic glasses that you put on there, and it just changes a little bit. So, that's why I use different translations every now and then, just those glasses that change.

Genesis 3. Let me talk about glasses. I print the stuff in 22 points, and then I still can't read it. The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made.

One day he asked the woman, did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, the woman replied. It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, you must not eat it or even touch it.

If you do, you will die. You won't die, the serpent replied to the woman. God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So, she took some of the fruit and ate it.

And then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too. Just by the way, did you notice that? Adam was right there. He wasn't hanging around somewhere else.

Dude was standing right there. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fake leaves together to cover themselves.

It was a Tommy Hilfiger that they did. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord walking about in the garden, and so they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to them, where are you? So, the story of Adam and Eve that we know so well, but in a sense, Adam and Eve represents each one of us in this world.

And Adam and Eve's story is our story every day of our lives too. So, God puts them in this amazing garden, and He says, it's all yours. And there He provides for them food to eat, air to breathe, work to do, relationship with one another, relationship with this beautiful creation, and with God walking with them, coming for tea.

Every afternoon, three o'clock, God was there having a cup of tea with Adam and Eve. Provides all of us. God says, it's all yours.

In Hebrew, He actually uses a beautiful word. He uses the word shamar, which means to protect. He says, protect this garden with all that is in you.

He wasn't protecting from enemies because they weren't enemies. Protect this garden in what I have given you for in all of its beauty. Protect yourself.

And then God says, just one little thing. You're not ready for the tree in the middle of the garden yet. You still have to learn a lot before you can eat that.

So, leave that now. If you eat it, it will cause you to die. And boy, did it ever do that.

Don't eat that. Adam and Eve, in their wisdom, decide that they knew better than God, and they didn't acknowledge God for who God was and they knew. Somehow, I think, in a sense, that's the defining pathology of our day as well.

Not allowing God to be God, not acknowledging God for who God is. And just think about it. If you think about the chaos and the messes and the hurt and the heartache and the pain that's going on in the world, how much of that can be brought right back to the fact that we do not acknowledge God for who God is.

We do not allow God to be God in the way that He is God. We do our own thing. And did you notice, I'm not telling you anything that you don't know, that in the moment Adam and Eve decide to play God and not to let God be who God is, in that moment they mess up.

And what's the first thing they do? They hide. And everything is broken. That beautiful relationship with this wonderful garden is going to be broken in the next moment because this garden that gave everything, now God takes them out and puts them outside and it's thorns and thistles and pain and struggle.

There's nothing there. It breaks the relationship between Adam and Eve. All of a sudden they look at each other and it's like, phew, you're not wearing clothes.

It didn't matter until that moment they took over and it's gone. It will get worse because when God talks to them, remember Adam, the first thing he did when he woke up and he saw Eve, what did he do? Sang a love song. Holy smokes, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, come give me a hug, I love you.

What's the first words he says to God? It's that woman that you gave me. See the relationship? That beautiful relationship with God where God would come visit every afternoon and I was joking about a cup of tea but that's kind of what it was. God came to hang out with Adam and Eve every day.

Imagine that. And all of a sudden it's like, we better hide because it's time for God to come around. That's the first thing that happens when you do not acknowledge God.

You start hiding away from God. And then that beautiful moment, God comes to visit, saw all of this, knew all of this. They're hanging out behind a bush as if God did not know behind which bush they were.

Then those words, in Hebrew it's one word, ayeka. Well, it's not a word of judgement. It's not a word of anger.

It's actually an invitation. An invitation to stop and reflect. Where are you? Where are you? A moment to just take a break because here's the problem.

We have this horrible saying. The kids have this thing about six seven which means nothing. But we have the other saying which is even worse than that.

24 seven. We run 24 seven. Everything has to be open 24 seven because if I want a burger two o'clock in the morning, why? I don't know.

It has to be open so I can get one. I have to have fast food, fast cars, fast everything. And it never stops.

We sing a song about the Lord. He never stops. He never stops working.

We never stop. We never stop working. We just go, go, go, go, go.

And we don't know why we're burned out. Why are we depressed? Why we cannot handle things anymore. I'll tell you why.

Because we do not do what God told us to do. We don't take a rest. Remember I said that three weeks ago, God made the rhythm work, work, work, work, work, work, rest.

We just go, go, go, go, go, go, go, rest. And then we wonder why? Why? What's going on? Why am I sick? Who are you? It's an invitation. Stop.

Reflect. And I ask you, where are you in your relationship with God? Do you take time every day to be in the presence of the Lord? Nothing else? Just you and God and His Word? Before you start running? Before you hit the road? Do you make time to be quiet in the presence of your Holy God? Before I can go out there and say, Lord, that's a wild world. Will you go with me? You just be with me.

So pray. And you know part of prayer, and I'm going to do a series for you on prayer two weeks after Easter, starting a series on prayer four weeks. But do you, do you make time in that prayer time just to be quiet? Because I think we get prayer wrong.

Sometimes we want to talk so much. Sometimes prayer is not saying a single word and allowing God to speak into one and ask, where are you? Just be quiet. Where are you in your thoughts? Because that's what got them, right? That's what gets us every time.

The Hebrew, if you read this again, it's so interesting how he plays with the word see and eyes, which sound the same, very much the same in the Hebrew. The seeing and the eyes and the seeing and the eyes and then seeing it's good and wanting to see it's good. Oh, and I see it's good.

And when she sees it's good, she takes it. Because where does it all start? And then it goes there. And then it goes there.

Where are you in your thoughts, in the things that you think, in the things that you think that become the things that you do? Where are you in those relationships that are so important? I just saw you this morning, Gary, when you were getting those little buddy boys there and he's writing their little names and he's putting their little name tags. And I thought, how cool is that? Here's a dad giving his little kitty cats their names as well. Not saying, ah, they don't have to worry about your names.

Yes, they do. We need to know his name is Ben. It's important.

Where are you in those relationships that are so important in your lives? Those loved ones that God gave you, who are yours? Do I make time for them? In my 24-7 life, I've said this a million times in this church, and I'll say it until the day I'm not here anymore. The problem is we fall into a groove, but the only difference between a groove and a grave is the depth. Maybe it's time to get out of the groove and start something new, go down a new path.

Where are you is also an invitation to come out of hiding. What's the first thing they do when they mess up? They go hide. Because isn't that what we do with our hurt and our pain and our struggles and stuff like that? We hide.

But when God says, where are you? It's an invitation to come into that place of openness and honesty and transparency. Because in that moment, when I can be honest about my pain or my struggles or the messes I've made, and I can be transparent that I can stand before God, that's when change can happen. I hide it.

I'm stuck. I carry this burden with me all the time. Boy, are we good at hiding.

So many ways in which we hide. Sometimes we hide in our busyness, because I'll just keep making myself busy. I'm busy with work.

Guys, I have to work so hard because I have to provide for you, and I'm going to be at work. I'm so busy that I'm actually hiding behind that, because I'm not taking that other responsibility that God is putting on me. I can hide behind this other little thing.

Where does that leave me? What does that do for me? We're good at hiding behind our masks. There's a story about this man who came to the dock, and he said, doc, I'm depressed, and I'm just down, and I don't know what to do. And the doc said, you know, there's a guy in town.

He's a comedian. He makes himself up like a clown. His name is Grimaldi.

You go sit there once or twice a week. Just listen to him. He'll make you split your sides.

He's just such an amazing guy. Go there. The guy looked at me and said, well, doc, here's the problem.

I'm Grimaldi. We're good at hiding behind those masks. But walk in and say, how are you doing? Oh, I'm fine.

You're lying through your teeth, because you know you're not fine. Those who know me right now know that I'm not feeling great, and my health is not that great. But when you ask me how I'm doing, I've never said to him, okay.

I've said to you every time, I'm not doing okay. Because why does it help me to lie in behind the mask? But if I say I'm not okay, I know that you're going to pray for me, and I give you an opportunity to pray for me, right? But when we hide, we're lost. That's why God says, where are you? Come out of hiding.

We play happy families, and we're not. Don't do that. Then go ask for help.

It is also an invitation to walk into the seeking heart of God, because that's what God does when he asks this question. When God says, where are you? He says, I want to find you. He knew exactly where they were, and he wanted to find them, and take care of them.

He took those silly old fig leaves, and he gave them proper trouble sleep. That's God's doing. He's still taking care.

He's seeking you and me, and his heart is open, and it's that invitation to walk into that heart. One of the best examples of that is an old guy called Peter the Rock, on which the church would be built. He messed it up so badly.

Denied him three times where Jesus was standing. Peter runs away, and he starts fishing again, and what does Jesus do? He looks him up, that seeking heart of God. Where are you? Where are you? You're not supposed to be fishing anymore, Peter.

You're supposed to be bringing the gospel. You can't hide, but I messed up. That's okay.

He's still loving you. That's how it is. Remember the most beautiful story that Jesus tells? There's a shepherd who has a hundred sheep.

One is lost. Goes looking for it. Widow has ten coins.

One is lost. She goes looking for it. Father has two sons.

They're actually both lost. Father goes looking for it, because that's our Father. Even when we mess up, even when we fail, his question is, where are you? I want to find you.

So, where are you? Amen. Take a few moments of silence. So, Lord, sorry that we often hide.

Thank you that even when we hide, you don't. You come looking, even if we're covered in mud, in messiness. We thank you that we know that you are always looking for us.

Not to condemn or judge or make fun, but to lift us up and to hold us and to protect us, like you protected Adam and Eve from themselves by taking them out of their car. You protect us. Thank you for coming and looking for us.

Thank you. Thank you for asking that question. So, can we answer that question today, Lord? Here I am.

Here I am, Lord. Warts and mud and good things and everything in my life, just here I am. And can I just be that clay, Lord? Can you be the potter? Can you make this clay pot into what you need it to be, please? And then help me to be obedient, to listen, to allow you to be God in my life.

Help me to show your love to those that you have placed in my care, my loved ones, my family, these amazing people that you put in this church. Be obedient to show your love, your grace, your care. Help, Lord, for me to stop and just rest in you.

Can we pray that? Maybe just rest in you, for you are an amazing God. You make a way. You change our lives.

And above all, you love us. Compassionate. Thank you for your words.

Thank you for the invitation. In Jesus' name we pray. And all God's people said, Amen.