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"Here as in Heaven."
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Welcome to Garden Church podcast. We're taking a break from our revelation series while our lead pastor Darren Roundson is on sabbatical. During this time, we're gonna continue to push into the Garden's mission of creating resilient disciples by working our way through the Sermon on the Mount. Over the next few weeks, we'll have some amazing pastors from all over the world coming to impart their wisdom and insight on what is the most influential and profound sermon ever given. Enjoy.
Ramin Razavi:Well Garden family, we are so thankful, that you are here with us today. Jesus is moving in his church. Okay. Yes, you're mildly enthused about that. Jesus is moving in his church, not just our church, but the church around the nation and around the world.
Ramin Razavi:And as our team gets together to talk about how to steward what God is doing, we use the word that we believe that we are in early seasons of revival as a church. And revival is is definitely long worship sets. It's earnestness and hunger for God, but it's also the transformation of lives by the power of the holy spirit.
Ramin Razavi:And we are seeing that in all of the environments that God has called us to steward here at Garden Church. And one of the things that we know is so important as we steward what God is doing is equally stewarding the resources he has entrusted to us. And this is Zach Ernst's. Let's give Zach Ernst some love. Does everybody know Zach Ernst?
Ramin Razavi:Zach's been a part of the garden since day one. He serves as one of our elders and on our board. And a couple weeks ago, we were together just praying, discussing what God's doing among us. And the Lord really had given him a word about how we steward what God is pouring out. And, yes, it pertains to finances, but it pertains to really the whole of our lives.
Ramin Razavi:So I just wanna allow you to share, brother, what the Lord's been speaking to you. Yeah.
Zac Ernst:Yeah. This is really more of a confession that God convicted me through a dream. Did did anybody else like to write their dreams down? You hear hear from God through dreams. So, he gave me this in a dream.
Zac Ernst:God shifted an important perspective for me. He showed me that I was operating from a scarcity mindset and believing that there wasn't enough. And so I was striving and trying to control outcomes. And he gently showed me that this isn't the way of his kingdom. The kingdom doesn't work that way.
Zac Ernst:The message of the dream boiled down to this, abundance and flow versus scarcity and striving. Some of you here today may need that encouragement. And the same reminder, the outcomes are up to God, and we don't have to worry about anything. Abundance and flow versus scarcity and striving. I have this at the top of my journal because I I have to look at it every day.
Zac Ernst:Again, this is a confession. I struggle with this all the time. I would like to try to control things and strive and struggle my way into whatever I think is right. But what it does is it reminds me that abundance and flow is God's way. It's it's the way of his kingdom.
Zac Ernst:And yet scarcity and striving is a tool of the enemy, and it keeps us stuck in fear. Jesus says in John ten ten that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give life and life abundantly. One of the greatest lies I've believed is that most things in life are scarce and limited, whether it's my finances, opportunities, or even my own personal worth or acceptance view of what other people think of me, this keeps me trapped in scarcity. And and scarcity mindset produces fear. Right?
Zac Ernst:And at least it does for me. And it makes me react in one of three ways. So one, out of fear, I'll either strive harder and I'll try to thinking it's all up to me. I become self reliant shutting God out, saying I don't need you God, I got this. Or I shrink back and I feel stuck and overwhelmed.
Zac Ernst:That's the fruit of fear. When I live from scarcity, I feel anxious, exhausted, and never enough. But now when I recognize those feelings, I know I'm running on the wrong fuel. So the invitation is abundant life in Christ. The truth is God is not limited.
Zac Ernst:His love never runs dry. His resources never run out, and his grace is always sufficient, at least according to scripture. You guys might know the CS Lewis quote. He says, God designed the human machine to run on himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, the food our spirits were designed to feed on.
Zac Ernst:There is no other. So when we align with God's abundance, we step into peace, provision, purpose, not striving, but by trusting. So when I slip into this scarcity mindset, all the fear creeps in. He's given me this picture, again, in the dream that I, I actually picture myself floating in the river of life. And the river of life is God's presence.
Zac Ernst:It's his provision. It's his power. The river is always flowing, guys. My job is not to fight the current, but to trust and let him carry me. When I surrender and step back into his flow, I find rest instead of exhaustion.
Zac Ernst:I find provision instead of striving. And I find love instead of insecurity. Jeremiah sums this up. It's Jeremiah seventeen:seven says, blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
Zac Ernst:It does not fear when heat comes. Its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Year of drought, economy, it's not scared, and it's still producing fruit. So every day we're bombarded with reasons to live in scarcity.
Zac Ernst:So the news, comparing ourselves to other, fear of the future. But the enemy loves to use these things to keep us small and afraid. So today, I wanna encourage you with three invitations. Number one, will you reject the scarcity mindset that the enemy is using as a tool against you? Two, will you align with Jesus and his abundance?
Zac Ernst:And three, will you surrender control and trust his flow for your life? I just wanna bless you guys, if that's okay
Ramin Razavi:real quick. Lord, Hold on one second. If if you just sense that you need to step out of a scarcity mindset and move into abundance, would you just stand right now? If the if God's speaking to you through this, if this is resonating with you, thank you. Yeah.
Ramin Razavi:Yeah. Jesus said that he exalts the humble, so those who are standing or humbling themselves before the Lord. Anyone else? Take a take a moment. Yeah.
Ramin Razavi:If you're next to someone, just extend a hand as Zac prays and blesses. But let's just move into a new economy.
Zac Ernst:Yeah. Jesus, thank you for your life, for your abundance, for your flow. And, Lord, where the enemy has tried to weave lies of scarcity, weave lies of not being enough, not having enough, and having us think we have to do it all on our own. I break that right now in Jesus' name.
Ramin Razavi:Yes, Lord Jesus.
Zac Ernst:And I just speak your life and your freedom. So, Lord, we speak freedom over this church, and I ask for your abundance to flow, your provision, your good promises that you give, Jesus. So, bless everyone here, Lord. Move in power. Yes.
Zac Ernst:And, we just align and step into your flow of your river, and take us where you will, Lord. Jesus' name. Amen.
Ramin Razavi:Amen. Amen. Amen. So the invitation that we give every week is is to Jesus. And we believe that when we are generous, which is really what our hearts are to be, we align ourselves with the economy of abundance, the economy of God's kingdom.
Ramin Razavi:And so this is a simple giving slide. This is not a obligation. This is an invitation for us to experience the freedom Jesus gives us by laying ourselves down and offering everything we are to him. And so we just invite you to consider with the Lord being a part of the worship that is offered every Sunday through the giving of our offerings here at Garden Church. So let's thank Zach for the the word that he brought us.
Ramin Razavi:Yeah. Thank you, Lord. Bill, would you join us? I I have the honor of welcoming up pastor Bill. Let's show pastor Bill some love.
Ramin Razavi:He's got all the love he needs from Jesus, but he we wanna welcome him warmly. We're continuing in the Sermon on the Mount series, so let's extend a hand and pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for being so good to us. Thank you for your abundance. Thank you for your kindness.
Ramin Razavi:We pray now, Holy Spirit, that you would awaken our hearts to the realities of the kingdom of heaven in an ever deepening way.
Bill Dogterom:Mhmm.
Ramin Razavi:We pray, Lord, that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear what you wanna say to us today, and that we, by grace and by the empowerment of your spirit, would follow and obey because that's the way to freedom.
Bill Dogterom:Yes.
Ramin Razavi:And so bless our brother, Lord, as he shares in Jesus' name. Amen.
Bill Dogterom:Amen. Amen. Well, good morning. It's good to be with you this morning. And, in fact, I think in some ways, Zach has already preached my sermon probably better than I have, so we should just close in prayer.
Bill Dogterom:That way you can beat the Baptist to the buffet. But, I do want to, though, kind of lay a foundation even more deeply if I can for some of what Zach was calling us to and and really, I would say the holy spirit through Zach. We're in this series, Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is saying, guys, I need you to help me save the world. I'll die for it, but you need to change it from the inside out. You need to be, the kinds of people who can be absorbed into the fabric of the world, the salt and light.
Bill Dogterom:And, you're all qualified. If you're loved, if you're a loser, if you're left behind, if if you've been put out with the trash, even even you are included in the invitation to join me, he says, in becoming salt and light. But in order to do that, your righteousness has to exceed that of the most righteous people you know. Not not in in terms of public performance. The folks that we're talking about, the Pharisees, have that down pat.
Bill Dogterom:But what I need is you to have been transformed by being loved so much so that you step into the world, in in in a way that is transformative, that tamps down the anxiety and fear just by your being presence, in in in that world, and shines a light, mark marking that. He gives us then kind of three or four case studies in how our behavior, how flowing from that undivided heart, that heart upon which the word of God has been imprinted, we start to live out in relationships between men and women, and how we handle promises made and kept, and so on and so forth. Finally getting to the end of the fifth chapter where he says, at the end of this, I need you to know you will become the kind of person who will naturally and without effort love your enemies in the ways that Jesus loves you. That's where this is going. We got a week or two to accomplish that outcome, but that's you need to know that's that's where this is heading.
Bill Dogterom:That's what we mean when we pray your kingdom come. Right? And in order to do that, he said, you're gonna need some disciplines. You're gonna need some practices. You're gonna need some ways that your hearts are open.
Bill Dogterom:So so he he and he takes the three primary ways of piety, alms and, prayer that is alms not about performance, not about people noticing, prayer that is about relationship, prayer that is about conversation with the father, and then fasting that isn't about twisting God's arm, holding your breath so he gives you what you want, but a submission, and an emptying so that you can receive what God is doing and kind of start to pray into that outcome. And and and and then Jesus starts to get kind of personal. Probably should have warned you. I every time I talk about sex, we tell everybody. Right?
Bill Dogterom:Well, I'm not gonna talk about money. So you might wanna we'll close in prayer and you can sneak out. But, yeah, because it's this is delicate for us. This is delicate for us. We think Jesus is fine as long as he blesses us on Sunday, and Jesus doesn't think that's fine if it doesn't work out how you live on Monday.
Bill Dogterom:How how it doesn't affect the values, the ways in which you understand yourself in the world. If if if the revival doesn't work its way into our bank account, it's not actually revival. Does does that make sense? So so he's inviting us into this, kind of economy of the kingdom, if you will, that is in in opposition to the economy of the world, the economy of mammon, he calls it. The economy that defines value worth and significance by by the amount in your bank account, by the kind of car you drive, by the job you have, by what's printed on your business card.
Bill Dogterom:He because we live in a mammon economy that is more than about money, but it is certainly includes that, but all of the ways that we have of valuing, measuring, and and as Zach called out this comparison game and on and on the list goes. So so so when Jesus comes at this, he he he says, look. I I don't store up for yourselves treasures on the earth where moths and vermin destroy, where thieves break in and steal. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures in the heavens where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Why?
Bill Dogterom:Because where your treasure is, your heart will be there too. The eye, you see, is the lamp of the body. So if your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. And the light that is in you, if it is darkness, how great is that darkness?
Bill Dogterom:Nobody can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money or mammon. I think it's important right from the outset that we underline that Jesus is not interested in shame or condemnation. He thinks he's giving us good news here.
Bill Dogterom:He is of the opinion that people are anxious, and are being torn apart by this conflict that he addresses here. That the tension between securing ourselves to the dirt by the investment of our resources in the earth is ripping us to shreds because we're built for the heavens. And and and we are we are we have one foot nailed to the ground and wonder why we can't fly. So he is thinking, I I I've got a solution for you. Right?
Bill Dogterom:I've I've got something that you might wanna consider if you're feeling the anxiety, bubble start to to rise in your so anybody feeling that anxiety in the last couple months? Three or four. That's not bad for a congregation of this size. Yeah. Really good.
Bill Dogterom:So that means the rest of y'all can be agents of camping down the anxiety in the world because it is vibrating pretty heavily. I I don't know if if I as an old person, I look at my my four zero one k and I'm just like and if my confidence in the future was based on what's happening there, I'm getting vertigo. I don't know about the rest of y'all, but it's just kinda frustrating along the way. And by the way, I say that in a sense, in a way of humor, but it has become for me a barometer of the degree to which I don't just believe in Jesus, but I believe Jesus. Let me say that again.
Bill Dogterom:It's becoming how I respond when TIAA tells me what my future looks like, and I realized in order to survive, I gotta die sooner than I had intended. It's just like, you you you y'all know what I'm talking about. Right? And and and in that, I'm recognizing, oh, wait. I've attached my wagon to the wrong horse here.
Bill Dogterom:I'm I'm counting on something that I ought not count on. And so Jesus is saying to us here, look. Let's be clear. You you know this. All you gotta do is look around.
Bill Dogterom:You know this, that that that treasure, on earth is going to be consumed by moths, by by by rusty. Other translation says vermin, thieves are gonna break in and steal. You know this. This is the nature of treasures on earth. It is the culture of the earth.
Bill Dogterom:It is the culture of mammon. It is deceptive. It is a a Ponzi scheme that you have bought into thinking that your future will be secured by more and more and more stuff that is going to burn. Not in the future, it's already starting to smoke. So so when you have attached your your your well-being, your sense of self, your value, your worth, significance, to that kind of thing, you're not living in the reality of the prayer you're praying, your kingdom come, your will be done, that reality, the reality of that kingdom marks us in a different way.
Bill Dogterom:He knows the tension of these competing realities, and this is really hard. In an economy in which job layoffs and and, all of the things are are vibrating all the way through this through through through the system. We read that twenty third Psalm, and we just think it must be for somebody else. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not lack.
Bill Dogterom:Doesn't mean I'll always have green pastures and still waters. In fact, in the Psalm itself, It tells us there are times when you will be in the valley of the shadow and you think you're gonna die When you don't have enough when you feel like there's more month than money But because you have the Lord, you shall not lack. That's hard for us. Even even the way that landed is like, oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Bill Dogterom:Wait a minute. And Jesus is saying to us, he's inviting us into this cognitive conscious awareness that we ought not devote our time and effort and energy to systems that are failing. And he's not just talking about money, but that's the easiest catchphrase here. We'll use the language of mammon, the the career and all of the things that we've talked about because this reality will not last. It will not be able to sustain the value that's placed in it.
Bill Dogterom:It is going to, fragment and fail. He uses the the metaphor of treasure to to focus on that because the mammon economy seeks to secure our future in the dirt. And, the outcome, that's all we'll ever have. On the other hand, instead of the destruction, decay, loss through other means, the treasure doesn't last and will be lost. Instead, if we use our resources, he says to invest, to reflect, to pursue, to seek after the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, that is what we will have.
Bill Dogterom:And Going forward what we have because He says where your treasure is There your heart is also We have heard this, and I think we can probably say it's true that he's talking about treasure in the future. Invest your your your life wisely and well in the kingdom of the heavens here and now. And when you get to heaven, whatever that might look like for you, there will be a a an an outcome that flows from this level of investment. And while I think Jesus might be saying that, it's not all that he's saying. Notice the language.
Bill Dogterom:This is not treasure in the future. This is heart position now. And and and this this is the challenge because where your treasure is, whether in the dirt or in the kingdom of the heavens, that's where your heart is. It's a it like I said, that that it's a barometer. It's a measure of where I find myself in the moment.
Bill Dogterom:And this is very challenging for us because, it it's it you can tell in a heartbeat where your heart is. What what happens to me when the when the thing starts to vibrate? What happens to me when when the when the stock market starts to starts to crash or when we see the world economy beginning to to vibrate, or we see, that the house that we spent so much for and interest rates, and so now all of a sudden we're upside down. That has happened before, and it will probably happen again. What do we do?
Bill Dogterom:What do
Intro/Outro:we do? What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? What do we do?
Intro/Outro:What do we do? What do we do?
Bill Dogterom:And Jesus said, well, it's fairly straightforward. You you didn't tie your heart to the anchor that's sinking faster than did you? And we look at him kind of sheepish he pushes in gently but certainly This isn't about some reward some point in the future. It's about how you live now There is one way to reduce your anxiety about money. Anxiety, you know, we've talked about this, comes it's a Latin root, and it comes it means to tear, And it comes from a time in ancient history in the Colosseum where an individual would be tied each of four extremities to four different horses who would be sent off into four different directions to tear the person apart for the entertainment of the crowd.
Bill Dogterom:That's the root of our understanding of anxiety. And Jesus says, that's what you've done, guys. You've attached yourselves to horses that are heading in two different directions, and you're wondering why you're being torn apart. You're wondering why your your your heart is fragmented. You're wondering why you're you're being shredded, every time you you hear the news.
Bill Dogterom:And and and and and and here's here's the thing, get off one of the horses. You you you it's easy. Just choose one. And and I will recommend, Jesus says, the one you choose because if you choose the the the one that's going to death and damage and destruction, guess where you're gonna end up? You you you gotta be careful because if you're not careful, you will end up where you're going.
Bill Dogterom:If you don't wanna go to Chula Vista, go north on the 405 it's not rocket science don't tell me you want to go to Seattle within sight of the promised land Sorry. My Canadianism coming up. I if you turn south on the 405, and if you get to Pendleton and don't repent, it doesn't matter what you say you want. You can't held in two whole can't go in two different directions at this. And so he says this.
Bill Dogterom:Look. The the eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your body will be full of darkness. If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?
Bill Dogterom:It's a it's an image that his audience would have understood. They they had an understanding that the eyes were the windows of the soul. They let light in that illumined the interior of the of the being. Right? And and so Jesus is it's as long as the eyes are aligned, then light flows into the system and illuminates the interior.
Bill Dogterom:But if the lights are eyes are lights are windows are misaligned, if you're looking in two different directions at the same time, no light gets in. It's dark in there. And what's really problematic is you think because you're capable of multitasking, doing both things at the same time, looking in two different directions, heading both North and South at once, if you think you can do that, how great is the darkness? Because you think it's not dark. You think you've gained the system, that you figured it out, that you've outsmarted the reality at the core of the universe.
Bill Dogterom:And as a result, there's no hope or help for you because you won't acknowledge your need of it. It's like I didn't come for the healthy or more specifically those who think they're healthy, but for the sick, the ones who get the degree of sickness they have. And so this is this is his image. He he uses this idea. If that light is is is actually darkness, it doesn't get any darker than that.
Bill Dogterom:Here's here's this poor poor rich young ruler. Notice the oxymoron. He comes to Jesus. What do I have to do to receive eternal life? Notice the language.
Bill Dogterom:Very care. To inherit, he says. Eternal life. And Jesus says to him, I've got some investment advice for you, bro. Sell everything you've got.
Bill Dogterom:Give it to the poor then come and follow me and The outcome that you say you desire will be yours It's not in the selling of the stuff Jesus doesn't mind the stuff He doesn't care if you've got stuff. He's really cares if stuff's got you. If it has got its claws in your soul, which is one of the producers of that anxiety. Yeah. But but but and here's this.
Bill Dogterom:We've used here's this poor guy, poor guy who goes away sad because he has much wealth. Can you imagine anybody on MSNBC saying that? Sad because he has much wealth. That's what Jesus is talking about. He's trying to game the system.
Bill Dogterom:How can I get the kingdom and maintain the grip of the world on my soul that I think I'm in charge of? And Jesus just says, you can't. You just can't. Good news. There's a solution.
Bill Dogterom:Bad news. You can't get there from here if you don't let go of what's got a hold of you. So so this this invitation, he says, you can't serve two masters. Either you're gonna hate the one and love the other or or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and money, mammon.
Bill Dogterom:You you you you're gonna hand end up heading in in in the in in different directions. Because the truth about treasure is that they don't serve you. Your treasures don't serve you. You serve them. And notice what he's saying.
Bill Dogterom:You serve them where where your treasure is. That's where your heart is. That's where your service is devoted. That's where your attention is devoted. That's where that's where you you you measure your value.
Bill Dogterom:So if you choose the kingdom of God, if he's next week, he's gonna suggest that you seek the kingdom of God in all and everything. And if you do that, if you serve the kingdom of God, if your heart is set on the kingdom's coming more than just the prayer you pray, but the way that you live, You can be a transformative presence in a world that is sad because it has much wealth, but doesn't even know enough to be sad at the way that they have anchored their lives in the dirt. And this is this is this is challenging for us. At least it is for me. Yeah.
Bill Dogterom:Anybody? How y'all doing there? Is everybody okay? It'll be over in a couple minutes. It'll be be fine.
Bill Dogterom:So what do we do with this? What are the what are the breadcrumbs of obedience that will set the stage for us, that will help us to find our way home? I'm gonna suggest the very first one is that you start to tithe. I know that's a typical pastor thing to say, but when you understand what tithing is about, I think you'll understand why Jesus suggests that it's a good idea. Tithing, you old old and new testament is is a statement that that first showings of the crop that comes out of the ground, I recognize as a gift from God.
Bill Dogterom:And so I return it to him as an indicator, a, that I've received it as a gift, and b, that the rest of the crop is also his. That's what tithing ultimately says. When I don't tithe, I said I did it myself, and therefore, I'm I'm responsible for the outcomes. So so oh oh, and then here's what he does with that. When you when you step into this, when you step into what he does is, I want you to take that money, that 10%, that first fruits, whatever it is, and I want you to give it to roughly 10% of your people.
Bill Dogterom:We'll call them the Levites just for sake of identification. And those people are gonna write songs that make much of me. Those people are gonna construct liturgies that lift your soul when you're heartbroken and sad. Those people are gonna create they're gonna build the furniture and and build the tapestries and carry the tent from place to place so you recognize you always have a place to connect with me. They're they're gonna lead you in the liturgies of worship and celebration Right?
Bill Dogterom:And and and so so tithing tithing is Right? And and and so so tithing tithing is just pure genius as as a pushback to the kingdom of mammon, to a mammon economy. It just is a defiant shaking of the fist at the system of the world that says I'm defined by my stuff. And, and and then and then as we come into this, then then then the next piece of this. Right?
Bill Dogterom:Because it's a mark of stewardship. We tithe as a as a way of anchoring our souls in the kingdom of the heavens, and then that that, I'm not giving God 10%. He's given me 90. Yeah. Because it's all his.
Bill Dogterom:He's trusting me with the balance and wants to be included as a senior partner in this business, in the decisions that get get get made heretofore. Does that make sense? So he invites us into this because because once once you have gotten this, I love I we we talk about a culture of generosity here at Gartner, and and and well, we should but let's be clear. If if it it it you're not being generous. You're being smart.
Bill Dogterom:If you step into this economy now if you're in a mammon economy, generosity okay. Fine. That's all you're gonna get. But if you stand in the economy of the kingdom of the heavens, you realize it's just it's God's money I'm giving away. I love to give away other people's money, don't you?
Bill Dogterom:I I that's a that's a such a cool thing, to recognize that he has blessed me, because God will do that. If you're faithful in the little stuff, you can you can be trusted with more stuff. He doesn't always do it that way, but sometimes he does it that way. And and and and, boy, I I I I I want I I wanna be able to give a hundred bucks to the guy at the end of the freeway off ramp without a moment's thought as to what he's gonna do with it. You know why?
Bill Dogterom:Because it's not my business. I get to be an ignorant blesser as a way of pushing back against the economy of mammon. That's just not good stewardship. Oh, really? What are you gonna do with it?
Bill Dogterom:Do do do do you see? And and and this is y'all okay? Yeah. K. But what if the church I give it to isn't responsible?
Bill Dogterom:None of your business. Seriously. If if we can't be trusted with your soul, God's sake, don't give us your money. Go away. Go someplace else that you can trust with your soul and your money.
Bill Dogterom:Okay. That's why they only have me here once a month or so. It's just not not a good thing. But but but, I'm seriously, seriously, and then and then but tithing is so law. Do you think grace is less generous than law?
Bill Dogterom:Grace begins at 11% and goes up from there. What is economy do you want? Oh, yeah. It's I it's just it's I gotta keep the rules. And and by the way, Jesus is really frustrated.
Bill Dogterom:Back on the other question about whether they we can be trusted, whether the church can be trusted. He's really concerned about this himself. He he is aware that there are systems that will impoverish and punish people, and he is opposed to those systems. In fact, he's gonna take them down. Remember that little story that we love to tell about the widow with the two mites Put it in its context, and you will discover that Jesus is not celebrating her generosity He is angry at a system that tells her she has to give it Jesus will take care of the community that isn't responsible with the money that people have given.
Bill Dogterom:It's an invitation, isn't it? To start to take seriously the stuff that's in our hands and use it for the great greater good. The the the the the releasing of anxiety about money. Are you in? We'll see.
Bill Dogterom:Let's pray. Oh Lord I just thank you for putting the cookies on the bottom shelf for this one because knowing my own heart I'm gonna try and find a a a way out. I'm gonna find try to do an end run around what you're saying. And Jesus, I don't wanna be, just believing in you. I don't wanna just believe things about you.
Bill Dogterom:I actually want to believe you. And to put into practice the strategies you have provided for us to become less and less and less anxious. I pray that you would teach us in in in the wise as serpents, humble as doves, innocent as doves model to be appropriately anxious. In a world that is chaotic and confusing and challenging, you don't tell us not to think about the future, not to plan for the future, just not to be anxious about it. And we're not good at that.
Bill Dogterom:So I pray that we would step in whether by obedience in in in starting to tithe or by, consulting you more consistently, and even if I can say it this way religiously about what to do with the balance that is available to us, recognizing, oh, Lord, that you've you do all things well. You've got us in your hand. And because you are our shepherd, we shall not lack. We count on you, Lord, and thank you. Amen.
Intro/Outro:Thank you for listening. For more information, please visit us at garden.church.