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Welcome to Mariners Church Weekend Message podcast. Inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Discover your purpose and get connected by visiting MarinersChurch.org or click the link in the show notes.

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Hey, welcome. You made it to church. You are in the right place. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the king of Corinth, and he was known for his cunning and deceit and he got caught giving secrets to mortals. And so the gods had to punish him and they wanted to come up with an eternal punishment. And so his punishment was that every day he, he had to roll a rock up a hill. And at the very end, just before he got there, at the end of the day, the rock would roll back down and he would have to repeat this day after day. And so for them, hell is meaningless labor that you do day after day after day. And for lots of you are going, that's my job, that's what I do. And it's like, you know, the way to torture somebody would be to put them at a desk, chain them to a desk and give them a computer. And they had to do all day long, in the last 10 minutes, the computer would crash. And so then they'd have to start all over again. So hell is a life of doing the same thing over and again without meaning. And Solomon discovers this. We're in a series in the book of Ecclesiastes to find meaning. And he goes on, he looks, goes on a quest to find meaning. He looks at wisdom and knowledge and it only brings depression. He looks to acquiring possessions, gets, you know, acquires so much things, he has to build things, build barns just to store the stuff, and it's meaningless. On top of that, he pursues pleasure. He has 700 wives, 300 concubines. He goes on a one year bender. He wakes up, you know, eyes blurry, with a headache and a hangover, and he goes, this is meaningless. And then he goes on achievement. And that's what we're going to talk about trying to accomplish. And, and he accomplishes more than any man before him. And his summary is this. Without God, life is meaningless. It's just empty. But with God, it is possible to experience the good gifts that God gives us in life. And we can have a life of meaning. So today we're going to see how to find meaning in our work and rest. Oh, excitement, bills. I'm so glad I'm here. Right? And the reason is because our work is what you spend the majority of your life doing, and you will. And so it can be in an office A job site, it can be at home or a classroom. You can be paid or not paid, it doesn't matter. It can be mental or physical work, but work is what you do to provide and to serve. And so there is an amazing amount of research that is around work, mostly because we do it for most of our life. And here's what they found. And every research just keeps finding the same thing. First, what adds? Just asks the question, what would make you more happy at your work? And the obvious answer is, more money. That's right. There you go. That's right. More money and more time off. Which is what people said, but that's not true. More pay, higher pay does not bring greater job satisfaction. If I just enjoyed what I did, that would bring greater joy, and that does not bring greater satisfaction. If I had more recognition and fame or status at my job, and that would bring more satisfaction, and it doesn't. Or achievement if I just did more. There's one thing that makes our work more enjoyable, and it is meaning. If you have a profound sense of meaning at your work that what you do you see as valuable, you will enjoy your work and your life and it'll change your view of yourself and everything else. We need a profound sense of meaning. Which then brings up the question, how do we find meaning? There's two ways. We make it up. We construct it. We say, okay, I'll find meaning. And we just try to push into our work meaning. Or we re we receive it from God as a gift and hold onto it by faith. So let's look at the two. If we try to implant meaning, we try to make up meaning at our work, this is what happens. We try to achieve it. If I can achieve, if I can just do enough, then I'll be enough. Jennifer Wallace, in her book Never Enough with the subtitle when the Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic, she does all this research, Harvard researchers, and she finds out that there is skyrocketing anxiety and depression among kids because they're trying to achieve meaning through their work and it crushes them. We can't just try to achieve it by accomplishing things. Secondly, we can say, if I get paid enough, if I just earn enough money and people get paid more and more and they can't find meaning in that through recognition and status. Again, can't find meaning in work. So it absolutely destroys us. If we try to make it up, it destroys us. Or the second way it is that we can understand that it's a gift from God. We receive meaning from God as a Gift. And we enjoy it, and we live in that. And so that today, the good news is that we're gonna look at God's word and see how God gives you meaning at your work. Oh, my gosh. The excitement builds. All right, so let's look at Ecclesiastes 4, 4, 6. Then I observed that most people are motivated to success just because they envy their neighbor. See, Achievement, success. If I do enough, if I am enough. But this too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind. Fools fold their idle hands, leading them to ruin. And yet, better to have 1 handful of quietness and rest than 2 handfuls with hard work and chasing after the wind. Solomon's saying, we need both work and. And rests, and we have to balance it. So we're gonna discover that work is a profound gift that God gives us. It's a divine calling. And here's why that's important. If God doesn't value the work that you do, which you spend most of your life doing, God doesn't value you. But if your work is absolutely a divine calling, which is what we're gonna see in God's word, that it's a divine call, you go, it's a divine call. I don't work at church. I don't work among the poor. I don't help the need. He goes, how can it be a div. I'm going to show you that your work is a divine call given to you by God. Therefore, it has profound meaning. If you can see that, then you can understand that you have profound meaning. Otherwise, it's just going to be life like Sisyphus pushing up a rock, up a hill. So the first thing that I want you to see is that in your work, you share in God's management of the world. So let's look at God's word. Let's start at the very beginning, because it's a very good place to start. All right? Genesis 1. In the beginning, what is the first thing that we learn about God? In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, and he saw that it was very good. The first thing that God reveals about himself is that he is a worker. He workers. He's a creator. Exactly right. He's a designer, an artist. He's creating. He combines astronomy, chemistry, biology, physics, botany, zoology. He's a builder, a landscape architect, a gardener, and more. And God is working. And the two components of work is providing. He's providing a home for us, and he's serving us. What are the two components of work? I'll say it again. Providing and serving. What are the two components of work? Providing and serving. And so we see God doing those two things. And when he works, he says, okay, I'll try it again. He creates the animals and the seas. And he goes, it's good. He creates the stars in the sky. And he goes. And so every day after work, you go, it's good. Really? So you go, it's good. And so they go. And he models for us how to work. He brings order out of chaos. He's creative. There's diversity. And you look in creation, you see it. He creates beauty. There's colors and designs, rivers, waterfalls, mountains. You know, God is just Creates beauty. He builds in sustainability. And his work is good, and it's providing and serving. So he does that. And so he works with his hands. God actually works with his hands. When it comes to creation, you are handcrafted by God. Then the Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground, literally handcrafted him, and then breathed the life into the man. And so God works with his hands. And so when God works, he finishes creation. Does he stop working? You don't know? Well, let's look at the Bible. Here's the answer. But Jesus replied, oh, there's the answer. My Father is always working, and so am I. So God is a worker. And he doesn't stop to work. And you love that God is working you. Cause you love that verse in Romans 8 where it says that God in all things, even in a broken world, when things are bad, God is working for you to bring about the good. And so God is working. And even more than that, Jesus is working. He comes from heaven. He takes on humanity, dies in our place to break the power of sin and darkness. And then he's resurrected, and he goes to heaven to. To work, to prepare a place for you, a home. And he goes, when it's all set, he's gonna come back and do that. So God is a worker. And we are created in the image of God. And so work is a gift given to us by God because we are created in his image. It is not a curse. The first. You believe that? No, not so much. Okay, try this one. The first command given to man, to people, humanity. What's the first command that God gives to him? To love. God to you. Playing or not? You're just. What is it? What's the first command? To love. No, the first command. Wait till you read this. Because every man. The second command that God gives to humanity is the one that every man repeats to his wife. All the time. See if you can get this. Here's the cultural mandate. First command that God ever gives. God said, let us make human beings in our own image to be like us. Now, here's your job description. They will reign over basically, creation, the fish, the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals of the earth. And then God blessed them and said, second command. Here's the one that men always say, be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. Govern it and reign over it. First command that God gives is not to worship God, not to love God. It is to reign over creation. Creation belongs to God. But now he invites humanity in, and he says, I want you to manage it. I want you to steward it on my behalf. Your job is to manage creation. That is your divine call. And then the second command. Come on, man, what is it? Have sex. That's right, to have sex. And it's to have sex in the confines of marriage. But that's the idea. And so it's like, you know, to do that, to be fruitful and multiply. Why? To create families, to create culture. And the way families and culture are provided for is by our almost. Are there. Right. Right by our work. Now just think about. This is an amazing truth that God wants you every day to wake up and to go, I am partnering with God and what he's doing in this world to provide for the people he loves, to serve the people he loves. In Genesis 3, it talks about every day. Do you know what God did? He came down to the earth, to the garden, and he walked with our great grandparents, and he walked at the cool of the day with Adam and Eve. And what did they talk about? Work. Their fields, their orchards, the vineyards, their herds. He talked about their work, which is a profound. Because what does God want to talk to you about every day? Your work. He wants you to talk to him about your work and what you're doing. He wants you to see that it's a divine call and that it matters to him and it is really important to him. You see that? Not yet. Okay, let's try this. Here's the mind experiments, okay? And here's the purpose of it. To just show you that whatever you do, you are part of managing God's creation. All right? You are partnering with God. So let's just take the idea of creating a meal and look at how many occupations are involved in just creating a meal, which is managing God's creation. Agricultural scientists study plants to increase yield. Hardworking farmers till the soil using machines to grow crops. Machinists Design and build machines to harvest crops. Builders and developers build infrastructure and buildings and houses to house the workers. Engineers harness energy to run the machines. The transportation industry transports food that is harvested. Retailers sell the food in a grocery store. And you and your spouse or roommate combine intuition, art, knowledge of food, chemistry, and you prepare a meal. So science, technology, commerce, art, labor, transportation, all do their part in carrying out the very first command that God gives to humanity. And the second command is then to create society and culture. And so you have governments, police, courts, education, the court system, social workers, municipalities, art and technology all doing their part to carry out the first command God gives, which is to manage creation. No? Okay, so listen to all of the jobs that God is. You read through the Bible. Here's what God cares about. He cares about buying and selling, manufacturing, interest rates, recreation and rest, criminal justice, the disabled, the poor, the marginalized, family life, parenting, health, social work, homemaking, investment planning, water distribution, fair employment, public safety. God did not make you colorblind. He cares about art and beauty. God did not make you diminish. He cares about music and art. And so all of these things, our work is partnering with God as we meet the practical needs of people every day. We provide and serve. You partner with God in your work, okay? And it's critical. So God's a worker. We're creating God's image. We work. It's a divine call. So what does that all mean? It means that we should work really different than most people in the world. I'm going to read a passage of Scripture to you in Ephesians 6. And in it, it talks about slavery. And most people, when slavery comes up, it just sort of stops them and they go, and is Paul endorsing slavery? Paul is not endorsing slavery. The Bible doesn't endorse any misuse, mistreatment, or abuse of any person. In fact, when historians write about slavery, it's the people who believed in the Bible that says it must stop. But the purpose in reading this is this. We can agree that being a slave was a bad job. And if you were a slave, you had a bad boss. And so there's a lot of you that are thinking, okay, some people in here, you can see your jobs as divine, but I have a really bad job and I have a bad boss. Well, I doubt your job is worse than slavery and having a slave master. And so that's the best way to read this, to go look at what God says. So what is God going to say to you now that your work is divine? You Have a calling by God. What is God going to say you about work? You ready? Here it is. Work with enthusiasm. Woo hoo. As though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free masters. Treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them. Remember that you both have the same master in heaven and he has no favorites. What's the purpose of this? All work has dignity and every worker has dignity. God has no favorites. And so when we understand that we are part carrying out God's management of the world, whatever worker we see, whatever they're doing, we honor them and we honor their work. Because God doesn't have favorites. And we're not gonna have favorites either. It just is a different way. Look at what it says in Colossians 3. Let's read this together. Let's fill God's house with God's word. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. The master you are serving is Christ. So, so what would it look like if you showed up at your workplace and you had that mentality of I work for God. I mean, I'm not gonna be cavalier or have high handed, but the idea I work for God and this job is a divine calling. I'm partnering with God in carrying out his work in managing creation and the resources of this world. What would it look like if every day you showed up and you treated every other worker in your workplace with dignity? You honored the work that they did, you honored the worker. What would it do? How would that change your workplace? How would that change your life? And I know you think, okay, I want to think that work is valuable. I want to think that I have a divine calling. But why is it so hard? I mean, work is really hard and it feels like it's just pushing a rock up a hill. Why it's so hard? We need to understand that's not on God, that's on us. Because this is the way that it happened. When God created the world, everything was right. And we lived in a world that was perfect. We lived in loving relationship with God and with each other. And we lived in a wonderful relationship with creation. And work was a joy. We didn't have to struggle in work, but God gave us another great gift. And that gift was the gift of freedom. And so at the very center of the garden, there was a choice. You can live my way in a land of yes. Have everything you want. But there's one no. And part of that is to say, you know, if you trust me, there's life. But if you go your own way, you want to trust in yourself, it will destroy you and it will lead to death. And our great great grandparents did just what we do. And they wanted life on their own terms. And because of their selfishness, they damaged everything. They damaged our relationship with God, they damaged our relationship with each other, and they damaged our relationship with creation and work. So look at what it says in Genesis 3. And to the man, he said, the ground is cursed because of you. And all your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. So work becomes hard for a farmer because now there's weeds and there are thistles. But work becomes hard for all of us because what in our brokenness, because we live in a broken, broken world now, we try to pull out of work things that work was never supposed to give us. We try to extract our identity out of work. I am what I do, but that's not what work is supposed to do. And so it breaks us and it crushes us. Now there's pride and selfishness in work, and so there's better than. And now it's a win lose kind of a world, and we hurt each other. There's a sense of achievement. If I can achieve enough, then I'll be enough. And finally I'll be able to think of myself as enough. And so that whole sense of I'll just have enough, I'll get enough if I do out of it, or if I become a workaholic so that I'm just addicted to work, but God. So it destroys us. And we live in a broken world, but God loved us too much to leave it that way. So 2,000 years ago, God came to this earth in the person of Jesus and he went to the cross and he died in our place to break the power of sin and death to connect us back to our Heavenly Father so our relationship with God can be restored, our relationship with each other can be restored, and our relationship with work can be right. So now we can see work as a good gift given to us by God that we can enjoy as a partnership with God where we work, carrying out his purpose in the world. But we're not trying to extract from work something that it was never given us to do. We get to provide for people that we love. We get to serve the people that we love. We get to work as God's partners. So the first thing at work is, it's a partnership with God. The second thing that we get to do is we get to share God's love with the world. Look at what it says in First Peter. You are God's very own possession. As a result, you get to show others the goodness of God. Cause he called you out of darkness into light. Look around the room. Tomorrow we are going to be dispersed throughout this community. And we are gonna be in every business. We're gonna be in every office building. We're gonna be at every job site. We're gonna be at every school, education. We're gonna be in every neighborhood. And what are we there to do through our jobs? Spread through our jobs. We get to be advertisements for God's wonderful kindness and love. We get to share the story of how Jesus changed our life when we were broken and lost. He forgave us and he rescued us. And we get to show people a different way to live, that all work matters. We get to treat everyone with dignity and value because their work matters. We bring God's love to the workplace. We show God's love through our jobs. Oh, I'm. Oh, yeah. See, there's excitement. So we partner with God. We show God's love to the world. And then we share God's generosity world through our jobs. What is God's provision plan? Thank you. You got it. See, work's the answer. This isn't tricky. All right. What is God's provision plan? Work. That's right. My job. Look at how it works. And God will generously provide all you need. How does God provide all you need? He gives you life energy. He gives you a job. He gives you work. And then you will always have everything you need and pledge plenty left over to share with others. As the scriptures say, they shared freely and gave generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer. See? He's the one who causes crops to grow. He's the one who gives rain. He's the one who gives sunlight and then bread to eat. And in the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. God gives to you not just enough for you to take care of yourself, but to provide for your family. And not just enough to provide for your family, but so that you can be generous with the poor and needy. And not for that, but so that God's work in the world can be advanced and move forward. Everything that God wants to do in the world today is right here in this room. It's right here. And God has provided it to you because of his generosity. And why did he do it that way? Because he wants you to partner. And so as you experience his generosity, then you get to be generous and you get to give. And in that way, we show God's generosity to a world that just doesn't even begin to understand it. And so we partner with God in the management of the world. We offer God's love to the world. We show God's generosity to the world. And the last one is, we offer God's rest to the world. See, you won't whoop this one because we don't know how to rest in Orange County. If you want to rest, you go to Wisconsin. We know how to work. We live with two hands at work. So here's what it is. In the Old Testament, God wanted to teach us how to live. And so he gave ten commandments. And you remember that the fourth commandment is this. Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day, you are too. And that day is holy unto the Lord. Just as a side note, what's the first thing I've given you? The answer. The first thing that God calls holy in the Bible? Rest. It's a day of rest. The first thing that he calls holy is a day of rest. So God says, I want you to work. Get all the work that you need to do. Work at your home, take care of your family. Everything you need to do. Six days. On the seventh day, I want you to rest. The Old Testament was really strict. You had to live your life in a cycle of seven. You didn't get to work for 14 days and take off two or work 21 days and take off three. You worked six days and you took off one. And why was that so important to God? And why did he call it holy? Because what he wanted you to understand, he wanted everyone to look at God's people and to see. Look at those people. They trust God and God provides for them and protects them and blesses them, and they only work six days. They don't have to work all of the time. And God watches over his people and takes care of it. And so in the Old Testament, there's this profound sense of a day of rest. But it was a picture of what would happen in the New Testament because we needed a spiritual rest and a physical rest. And so we needed a spiritual rest. And so in the New Testament, Jesus comes. And Jesus is identified as our Sabbath rest, and he comes. And so spiritually we don't have to work we don't try to earn it. We don't deserve it. He dies in our place for our sin so that we can be connected to our Father spiritually. We rest in God's grace. We don't have to work. We don't have to earn it. We don't have to perform for it. We earn it. But we also have rest in our job. Look at what it says in Hebrews 4. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God, for all who have entered into God's rest. Receiving Jesus as your Savior, have rested from their labors. So he mixes the two ideas. Just as God did after creating the world, so let us do our best to enter that rest. So we are called to be people who rest in Jesus and rest in his grace. But we are called to live a life of rest so that it limits, you know, we limit the days that we work. We limit the hours that we work. We limit how much time we're on screens. Because what we're doing is we're resting in Jesus. We rest spiritually in him, but we rest in our lifestyle. So we're not anxious and we are not worried. A life that has no rest in it, but only work. Two hands of work that ultimately defines us. Work defines us. And when without rest, work drives us, and without rest, work, dreams destroys us. So here's my question. If we just had you, and we got your five closest friends up here, and they just ask you, and we ask, and they say, do you think that person lives at rest spiritually? They give us one answer. Do they live a lifestyle of rest just the way that they live their life? Do they limit the hours they work? Do they limit, you know, the stress in their life? Do they have a time of resting with God? And what would your five friends say? Anybody want to raise their hand and say, oh, my five friends would say rest. Because we'll call you a liar right now. All right? Because again, because it's not. There's very few examples in society. We don't see it, but really, it's what we are called to. And we are called to be examples of people at rest. And do you know how we learn to rest? We learn to work and rest best in community. And that's what Solomon says. Look at what he Sundays. In Ecclesiastes 4, I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, and yet he works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, who am I working for and why am I giving up so much pleasure now it is all so meaningless and depressing. He gives a picture of a person who just has two hands full of work. He works hard to get all of his money. See, if I have enough, I'll be enough, I'll achieve enough. And he goes, what value is that? It's meaningless. You just die. And it goes to people you don't even know. He goes, it's full. But people who work and rest in community, it's way better. And then this next passage of scripture is actually one of the most famous in the whole book of Ecclesiastes. You've probably heard it read in weddings. And it's basically talking about the advantages of being in community. Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer three. Or even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken. And then he gives an illustration I'll come back to. It is better to be poor but wise youth than it is to be old and a foolish king who refuses all advice. So this is all meaningless, like chasing the wind. Look at the advantages. Two can accomplish more. Two can. In a time of crisis, you can help. If you're alone, you're just in trouble. Two, you know, community helps you stay warm. You can defeat when you're, you know, you're more protected. And then he talks to people that are in my generation and he says, so if you're in my generation, watch, watch, watch. Listen, listen, listen, boys and girls. He says, life for old people tends to isolate you. And he used the idea of a king. You become more powerful, you get more wealthy. You know, when you're young, you, your kids kind of force you in community. But as you get older, it's easy to isolate and become more alone. He says it's way better to be poor, young and connected than it is to be a king and have everything and be isolated. So the question is, in your life, how would people identify you? Would they say, oh, you're connected and you're in community and you're safe and there's people who love you, you've got a life group and, you know, connect? Or would they say, no, you're kind of drifting you're out there alone. You come by yourself, you leave by yourself. Solomon is saying, it's just work and rest works best in community. And then he gives this final illustration that I just love in chapter five. He goes, as you enter the house of God, which I love, did y' all enter the house of God today? Yeah. You're in the church, so he's gonna tell you what you should do. So as you enter the house of God, what should you do? Keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Okay. Why? Why, why? Watch this. This is so good. It's evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don't make rash promises and don't be hasty about bringing matters to God. See that? That's what we do. We make promises. He goes, after all, God is in heaven, you're on earth. You mean he sees it all. Let your words be few. Too much activity gives you restless dreams. Too many words makes you a foolish talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. What Solomon says is the most important thing in life is to learn to rest in God. And so he says, don't do this. And this is what most of us do. We come to church and you hear God's word and you go, okay, God, I see that my job matters to you. So this week I'm going to treat my job as a gift from you. I'm not going to complain about it. I'm not going to whine. I'm gonna go. It's a gift given to me from God. And I get this wonderful opportunity to share God's love to the world. And that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna share with the clowns that I work with, that, you know what? Your work matters. And I love you. I'm gonna be better. God, I'm gonna promise I'm gonna be better. I don't even like those people, but I'm gonna be better. I'm gonna do it, and I'm gonna be generous. I'm gonna start giving. I don't wanna give. I'm gonna hold. But I'm gonna give. I'm gonna give. I'm gonna give. And so we make all these promises, right? That's what you do. You're in church. You're right in your brain, right? Haven't you made all these promises? That's what we do, okay? He goes, don't do that. It's mindless, idiotic. Don't do it. Because here's what's going to happen. You're going to get up after the service. You're going to start walking out. You're going to be bumped and jostled. You're going to. What are you doing? Clowning? You're going to be ticked and going, what are these people here? And then you're going to start seeing people who have what you don't have. And then you're going to want it. You're going to see that car or those clothes. You're going, God, I don't have what they want. Why do they have. And then you're going to be discontented. And then your mind's to going. Going to start to wander and you're going to go places that it shouldn't go. And you're going to be resentful and be frustrated. And then you're going to have shame and guilt that just sort of overwhelms you. And you haven't even left the parking lot yet. Right, exactly. And so look at what Solomon says. Don't do that, don't do that. But instead, rest in God. Rest in Jesus. What does that mean? There's a book that's a classic. It's called Practicing the Presence of God. It was written by a called Brother Lawrence, long time ago. And it's. I read it as a student and it changed my life. And it's this idea of resting in Jesus. And not only did it change my life, it's changed a lot of people's lives because it's a classic. But this is what he says, what I love. When you get in that situation where you've made these promises and you want to be a better person, but then you're anxious and you're angry and you're resentful and your mind is where it shouldn't be. He says, don't try to fight it. Cause it doesn't work. Right? We all know, can I have a witness? Yeah, I know that doesn't work. And he goes, but instead, just confess it. Just go to your heavenly Father and confess what's going on in your mind. You know what? I'm resentful. I want what I shouldn't have. My mind's going where it shouldn't. Got. This is what's going on. This is who I am. You just confess it. And then the second thing, which is just genius, he says, and then in that moment, just be mindful of God's presence with you. Be mindful of his love. Be mindful that he's not walking away. He's not judging you. He's not Saying, look it when you can. Get it together. I'll be back, but get your act together. He doesn't do that. He loves you. He's with you. And he understands. Jesus goes, look at I came from heaven to earth. And I understand. In fact, the term, the English term mindfulness comes out of this book to fill your mind, to fill your mind with a sense, be mindful of God's presence. And here's what I know because I've done this for years. When I'm just mindful, I don't try to change my mind. I just go, God, here's who I am. And then I'm mindful of his love for me. I am more loved than I could ever imagine. My mind wanders less. There is less anxiety and fear in my life, and shame and guilt diminishes. And I'm reminded that God isn't interested in perfection. He just wants progress. And I rest. I rest in his presence. And Jesus thought it was so important. He gave us a way to remind ourselves or to be mindful of the most important things. And it's communion. And so we're gonna take communion together. I'm gonna walk you through it. If you don't have a cup, ushers will bring you one. But first of all, I want you to get the bread. Just peel off the top and get the bread. And I want you to hold the bread because there's two different ingredients in the Lord's supper. And I want you to understand because they're profoundly different. First of all, Jesus took bread and he says, this bread is a picture of my body which is given for you. So what is it that he wants us to be mindful of? Watch this. Watch. He wants us to be mindful of his understanding love. What is the bread? Understanding love is what you're supposed to say. What does he want you to be mindful of when you hold the bread? The understanding love of God. How does that work? Because Jesus is saying, I was God in heaven, but I didn't stay there. I came to this earth, I stepped down and I became like you to be with you. So I understand. I know what it's like to grow up. I know what it's like to lose a loved one. I know what it's like to be betrayed. I know the pain of this broken world. And when we are not mindful that Jesus was like us, we get into part in to these moments in our life where we're hurt and we're overwhelmed and there's disease or cancer, we find ourself in a hospital, or we find ourself in a place where a friend has betrayed us. And we think about crying out to God. And our mind goes, but God, you can't understand. You don't know what it's like to go through what I'm going through. But see, when we're mindful of who Jesus was, we're mindful that he came to this world and he was like us, to be with us. And he understands. He understands the understanding, love of God. And he says, I want that to fill your mind. I want it to be a part of who you are. So take and eat the bread. And then he took the cup and he says, this cup is a new covenant in my blood for the forgiveness of sins. And so he wants us to be mindful that when Jesus went to the cross, he died in our place for our sins. And you see, when we're not mindful of that, when we forget what happens? Well, we do something wrong, we're not who we want to be. Our mind wanders. And what do we do? We do what Solomon says. We make promises, okay, I'll be better. I'll try harder. I'll do it. But you see, that's not being mindful of what the cup says. Jesus paid it all. He paid for all of our sin, all of our brokenness. There's nothing that we can do to add to it. And so when we take the cup, it's the sacrificial love of God. Sacrificial love of God is what you're supposed to say. What is the cup? It's the sacrificial love of God. And when I'm mindful of that, I'm God. I am more loved than I could ever imagine. I am forgiven. I'm accepted. And there's nothing that I do that pushes you away from me. I am more loved than I could ever understand. Take and drink the cup. And so we are sent out into a world where we get to partner with God in the jobs that we do. We get to share God's love. We get to be generous, and we get to model God's rest. Let's stand together and rest in Jesus as we worship him.