BROADCASTS.com

b'TEXT: Psalm 150; John 1.1-4; Matthew 5.17; Jeremiah 29.11; Luke 4.18-21; Ephesians 4.1-6FULL SERVICE VIDEO w/sharing time (LINK)\\n\\n\\n\\nI want to do something different this morning for the sermon. I decided that I wanted to reflect on what I\\u2019ve seen God do at and through all of you during my time here. I want to remind you of your story, at least as seen from my vantage point. And ultimately I want to tell God\\u2019s story as I\\u2019ve been blessed to witness it. So I\\u2019ve chosen a number of scriptures this morning because each of them reminds me of chapters of that story in this place.\\n\\n\\n\\nJesus and Scripture (Jn 1:1-4; Mt 5:17)\\n\\n\\n\\nBack in the late Fall of 2001 three men showed up to worship at First Presbyterian Church in Lenoir, NC. That wasn\\u2019t suspicious at all, nor was the one who kept saying \\u201cAmen\\u201d loudly during the service. That was George Houston, David Butler (Matt\\u2019s dad), and Melvin Graham (Billy\\u2019s brother). Long story short, we talked and they invited me to visit Charlotte to talk to the search committee that included Angela Hinton and the chair, Quay Youngblood.\\n\\n\\n\\nI only start this far back in the story because my conversations with them highlight a foundational truth about Good Shepherd that was what drew me here in the first place. It became clear that they loved Jesus and God\\u2019s Word and they wanted a pastor who did too. I asked them if that described the elders and the congregation of the church and they assured me, yes, it did. I asked about some of my interests around music and worship and they said as long as I taught and followed the scriptures and served Jesus I could do whatever I wanted and the congregation would enthusiastically participate. It seemed too good to be true, but I believed them and trusted the Lord\\u2019s leading, and it indeed did prove to be true then and on through to today.\\n\\n\\n\\nThe beginning of the Gospel of John calls Jesus the Word of God and makes it clear that the Incarnate Word that is testified to in the written Word bring light and life to the World. Later, once Jesus began teaching, he made it clear that he wasn\\u2019t doing away with the Hebrew scripture, but was in fact fulfilling and explaining it to us. This is our core and it at the heart of God\\u2019s story: the Word made flesh, come to dwell among us in grace and truth.\\n\\n\\n\\nWorship and Music (Psalm 150)\\n\\n\\n\\nWorship and Music were at the front of my mind and heart when I first came to Good Shepherd. They still are, but it was one of the places I first focused. We introduced a praise team and hired Cathy Youngblood a few months later. I was also in the middle of my studies on worship and music and developed an approach to worship that used all the musical tools available us to proclaim God\\u2019s worth and explicate the scriptures I was preaching on. We\\u2019ve continued and expanded that approach on through to the music ministry under Eric VanderHeide today.\\n\\n\\n\\nWhile there are many, many scriptures that relate to this, I can\\u2019t think of a clearer one than Psalm 150 which we used for our Call to Worship today. The Psalm exhorts us to praise God everywhere, with every instrument, with all our life and breath. And as I think back on those first five years or so I see us diving deep into worship and music in a way that has continued to blossom in our worship life together.\\n\\n\\n\\nSo many talented musicians \\u2013 and other kinds of artists \\u2013 have found a home here, whether short-term or long-term. It has truly been glorious to see the range of ways people have offered artistic gifts to the Lord and blessed all of us in leading us into worship in so many different ways.\\n\\n\\n\\nPeople marvel that a church our size generates so much artistic worship and witness. But it is never a \\u201clook at us\\u201d kind of thing, but a \\u201clook at God\\u201d kind of thing. That brings me such joy as I know it does the Lord.\\n\\n\\n\\nLighthouse and Searchlight (Jeremiah 29)\\n\\n\\n\\nAs I reflect back on it, I believe all that heartfelt and intentional focus on worship led us out into the world. We were focused on God and God\\u2019s h'