TODAY'S WORSHIP EXPERIENCE: Love Like Jesus: On Our Knees Have you noticed, except for the most bitter cold days here in the Midwest, most of us don't wear coats anymore? On any given day in February, we move from our climate-controlled homes to our heated garages to get in our warm cars. We drive to work or school or the store, park close, and dash inside to take care of business in a comfortable setting. On the way home, we pick up dinner or the cleaning at the drive-thru and arrive back in our warm garages without having suffered more than a very few moments of the uncomfortable cold. We highly value our comfort and go to great lengths to maintain it. Jesus, on the other hand, doesn't seem the least bit concerned with his comfort - or ours. Jesus is much more concerned that everyone always knows that they are loved, welcomed, and wanted in the family of God. As we love like Jesus we will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations with uncomfortable people. But be encouraged, Jesus shows us just how to loving there, too! Click the link: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/FMfcgxwLtGlccpjCRzJlSZfXcscjwxvb?projector=1

Our lives are full - and our days and weeks even more so. Most of us are overscheduled, overcommitted, and overly distracted. Jesus led a full life, too. He came to "bring good news to the poor... proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19). That's quite a "to do" list! But Jesus also made time in his day and room in his heart to love whoever happened across his path. Because of the margin Jesus built into his days and weeks, he met, loved, and served people who would otherwise have gone unnoticed and unloved. To Love Like Jesus is to pay attention, and to love with intention... even when we don't think we have the time! Worship link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgQKObsVge4

As a child or a teen, maybe you received wisdom from adults in your life such as... - “Nothing good ever happens after midnight.” - “If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you, too?” - “When you hang out in the wrong places with the wrong people, you will soon do the wrong thing.” Thoughtful advice, especially for young people developing friendships and learning how to navigate peer pressure and complex social settings. But as maturing followers of Jesus, Jesus invites us to consider such wisdom and relationships through the lens of love. Jesus often found himself with the marginalized and the outcast. And he often paid the price for such associations. Love always costs us something, but the good news is that we don't have to count the cost. Jesus has it covered. Worship Link: https://youtu.be/yreUZtxKf0c

'Enemy' is a pretty strong word that many of us have relegated to the "not polite to use" category. We don't like to think that we have enemies. And maybe we don't have enemies in the sense of military opponents, but we are at odds with any number of people who have hurt us. We would love to just write these people off. It seems easier to let the hurt and animosity build a solid wall between us and them. And while carefully considered boundaries in one's life and relationships are healthy, we are still called to love - even and especially our 'enemies.' The good news is that we don't have to do this out of our own resources. Jesus provides the love we need to love even those who hurt us. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuc9uMfRlJE

Have you noticed, except for the most bitterly cold days here in the Midwest, most of us don't wear coats anymore? On any given day in February, we move from our climate-controlled homes to our heated garages to get in our warm cars. We drive to work or school or the store, park close, and dash inside to take care of business in a comfortable setting. On the way home, we pick up dinner or the cleaning at the drive-thru and arrive back in our warm garages without having suffered more than a very few moments of the uncomfortable cold. We highly value our comfort and go to great lengths to maintain it. Jesus, on the other hand, doesn't seem the least bit concerned with his comfort - or ours. Jesus is much more concerned that everyone always knows that they are loved, welcomed, and wanted in the family of God. As we love like Jesus we will find ourselves in uncomfortable situations with uncomfortable people. But be encouraged, Jesus shows us just how to loving there, too! Worship link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhWpUKPDXRo&feature=youtu.be

You don’t have to look very far or very long to see that the world can be a harsh place. Hatred, division, bad behavior, and violence are around every turn. The news gives us a steady diet of chaos and conflict. Popular TV shows and movies bring the worst of it right into our homes. It is so pervasive that we despair at being able to overcome any of it - with either our words or our actions. But the world that Jesus came into was just as broken as ours is today. And he came with a strategy for overcoming the hate, hurt, and dysfunction. Jesus’ plan - love. And he left that plan for his followers to carry on. Loving like Jesus is not easy, but it is pretty simple. We just need to look to Jesus himself for our example. Just as Jesus has loved us, we are called to love others. And by this, the world will know. Worship Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkrN0WY35-I&feature=youtu.be