Be En-Couraged, with Rev. Kally Elliott.

Be En-Couraged, with Rev. Kally Elliott. Series: Re-Shaped A Spacious Christianity, First Presbyterian Church of Bend, Oregon. Scripture: Matthew 14. 22-23, Mark 6:45, John 6:17.

You’re invited to join us this Sunday as we explore Kally Elliot’s powerful message on the immediate and relentless nature of life. Through personal stories and biblical insights, she reminds us that even in our darkest moments, God’s presence and the support of community can be the miraculous lifeline we need. From facing unexpected crises to finding rest in the midst of change, this message offers hope and encouragement for navigating life’s storms. We hope you’ll join us as we reflect on the importance of reaching out and being reached for, and discover the profound truth that “Truly, this is God” working through the hands of those around us. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.

About the Series, Re-Shaped: Our brains were designed to be suspicious of change, and for good reason – homeostasis in good measure helps us thrive, protecting us from danger. But if we look closely at what the Creator set in motion, we find that change is actually the most constant part of life and necessary for animating our spirits as we find renewed purpose throughout life. Jesus advocated for changes that would keep us moving toward greater goodness!

Join us each Sunday, 10AM at bendfp.org, or 11AM KTVZ-CW Channel 612/12 in Bend.  Subscribe/Follow, and click the bell for alerts.

At First Presbyterian, you will meet people at many different places theologically and spiritually. And we love it that way. We want to be a place where our diversity brings us together and where conversation takes us all deeper in our understanding of God.

We call this kind of faith “Spacious Christianity.” We don’t ask anyone to sign creeds or statements of belief. The life of faith is about a way of being in the world and a faith that shows itself in love.

Thank you for your support of the mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Bend. Visit https://bendfp.org/giving/ for more information.

Keywords:

immediately, disciples, jesus, reaching, miracle, sinking, god, moments, feels, mom, save, brimming, cry, water, liver, galilee, life, text, hospital, storm, presbyterian, church, online worship, bend, oregon

Featuring:

Rev. Dr. Steven Koski, Rev. Kally Elliott, Tyler McQuilkin, Becca Ellis, Brave of Heart, Guests

Transcript

Whitney Higdon: 0:00

You. Welcome to worship at First Presbyterian. We, at First Presbyterian, practice a spacious Christianity, which means no matter where you are in your faith journey, you belong, and there is space for you at the table, there is space for your doubts and questions. We believe doubts and questions are a gift that invite us into deeper conversations and a more authentic faith. We believe diversity is a strength. Every story is sacred and everybody matters. We do our best to live the spacious and radical love of Jesus so that all might have a chance to flourish in this world. We are so glad to connect with you in this way. We would also love to worship with you in person if you're ever in the neighborhood on Sunday mornings at 830 or 10am and never hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about us or how we might support you. I hope you

Kally Elliot: 7:10

from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 14. Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. But by this time, the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them, and early in the morning, he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, it's a ghost, and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, Take heart. It is I don't be afraid. Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come so Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying, you of little faith. Why did you doubt? When they got into the boat, the wind ceased and those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, truly, you are the Son of God. March, 10, 2020, we were sitting in a staff meeting discussing a new but still distant virus. Most of us had heard of it, though it didn't seem that we were that worried about it, little did we know. The next day, which also happened to be my birthday, our world turned upside down. Immediately, we were told to close the church doors, to stay home with our kids, who we would now have to homeschool, to wipe down our groceries and learn how to use all the beauty filters on Zoom immediately. Life as we knew it vanished, replaced by a new, uncertain reality. Of course, this wasn't the first time life had shifted so immediately. Years earlier, on December 17, 2011 my family teetered on the edge of despair. My mother's liver was failing. Her body was shutting down. A dear friend of mine, a doctor, delivered a stark ultimatum. He said, Callie, your mom is either going to get a liver tonight or she's going to die. The weight of those words had barely settled When my aunt called her voice brimming with hope. Cal, they just took your mom back. We think there's a liver for her. In an instant, our world pivoted from despair to hope. Yet as we rejoiced, we also couldn't help but think of another family, strangers to us, who had just experienced their own life altering moment, one of profound loss. Immediately, the text says, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on to the other side while he dismissed the crowds. Immediately after, what, immediately after, he and the disciples miraculously fed. What the text says is 5000 men, besides the women and children, with five loaves and two fish reeling from the news that his dear friend, John the Baptist, the guy who'd spent his entire life hyping Jesus up had just been beheaded by Herod. Jesus and his disciples decide to hop in a boat and find a quiet spot to process this horrible loss together. But life, as it does, had other plans, and when they reached the shore, surprise, there was the crowd of 5000 men, besides women and children, all clamoring for Jesus's attention. And Jesus doesn't say, oh, sorry, folks, I'm on bereavement leave. No. He looks at his disciples, and He says to them, Hey, get to work. Feed these people. It's like the universe was saying, Oh, you thought you'd have a chance to breathe. That's cute. No, because life doesn't stop for our pain. Sometimes when we are at our lowest, that's exactly when we're called to show up for others. So after everyone had eaten their fill and the leftovers were collected immediately, immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. No time to celebrate that they just turned five loaves and two fish into enough to feed 5000 plus. Nope. No time to relax and take it all in to enjoy what just happened. No, Immediately Jesus sends the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. There was no time. There was no time to take a big sigh of relief after my mom received her new liver. Because immediate, immediately after her successful surgery, I tried to take a breath of relief, only to feel a stabbing pain in my lung. Immediately, the doctors discovered a pulmonary embolism, and I was sent to a hospital in a city 1000s of miles away from the hospital where my mom was recovering. And I forgot to mention that just days before I'd given birth to my daughter. So here I am in a hospital in Tennessee, in a postpartum hormonal haze, scared about so many things, from how will I be able to nurse my new baby to just trying to get a full breath of air while my mom is in a hospital in San Diego recovering from a life saving liver transplant. But life is like that, always changing, always testing our reflexes by throwing things at us so that we have to respond immediately. But what also happened immediately was the miracle of people, friends and family. So many people from our churches showed up surrounding us, both in Tennessee and in California, with care and food. So much food, and I am always saved by the people who immediately show up in times of crisis. We tend to gloss over this word immediately. Now, if you're familiar with the Gospels, you know that it is an important word in the Gospel of Mark, but not so much in Matthew yet, we hear this word three times in this one story, making me think it is a critical part of the story, and it is often also the way life works. We've spent at least a month, if not more, talking about and living through change reshaped being our sermon series. And I have to admit that I am so glad to be done with this series. I am tired of change. It's exhausting, and I think it's exhausting because change often comes at us before we are ready. Body like a sucker punch to the gut immediately, often leaving us gasping for air. Life is relentless sometimes, isn't it? Exhausted, emotionally and physically, Jesus tells His disciples, take the boat, go across the Sea of Galilee because he needs a minute. The text says that he then went up onto a mountain to pray. Though I'm pretty sure that I would curl up in a fetal position and have myself a good cry and then sleep, which is sometimes what prayer is. In any case, in the early morning, at dawn, Jesus notices from atop his mountain that the disciples are struggling on the water, refreshed from his night away, he decides to have a little fun with them, going for a casual stroll, you know, on the water, as one does when they're divine, and maybe a little bit of a show off. And as the wind is giving the disciples a one two punch, Jesus pretends to notice them. Oh, hey, guys, need some help with that wind. Sometimes when things are heavy, you've got to laugh or cry. The disciples are crying, sleep deprived, still grieving and literally facing their own death by drowning. Things can't get worse for the disciples, and then they do. They think they see a ghost, maybe even the ghost of John the Baptist, walking toward them on the water, and terrified, they cry out in fear. Immediately, the text says, Jesus realizes his little joke might not be as funny as he intended. Guys. Guys, it's me, Jesus, do not be afraid. It's a simple command, but it carries the weight of his presence, this same Jesus who has been with them through every storm, every miracle, every moment of doubt. Here he is walking toward them in their greatest hour of need, maybe right now you can see yourself as one of those in the boat, caught in life storms, battered by circumstances beyond your control, everything seemingly working against you. Perhaps life has been immediate and relentless, and you find yourself needing a full night of rest, time to catch your breath, yet sleep will not come. You wake at 3am and toss and turn too early to get up too late to waste time not sleeping. It's maddening and panic inducing, or maybe you're like Peter, the testosterone laden teen that he probably is full of bravado, ready to take on the world, or at least to walk on water. And you find yourself saying, Hey, if you're really God, show me. Invite me to take the first step, and then I will follow. And you do, you experience the thrill of stepping into the unknown, a new relationship, a new job, a move to a new city, and the first few steps are, okay, exciting, maybe, but then it gets scary. Maybe you feel like you're sinking, or you love someone who feels this way, sinking in debt that feels insurmountable, sinking in a depression that seems bottomless, or maybe just sinking, because what you managed to handle last week now feels utterly impossible. Maybe you feel that you're at the end of your rope. All your efforts have come up short, and you find yourself crying out, desperate for God to save you, and in that moment of utter despair. Have you felt it that lifeline, the hand reaching out the hand of Jesus reaching down to catch you. Now I'm a sinfully practical person, meaning I bet I miss real God made miracles all the time because I'm too practical or too busy or too caught up in my own stuff to notice, but I've been that person sinking knowing that I can't do this anymore. But it's in those very moments when the literal hands of you and of others reaching. Out to hold me and sending me an encouraging text, or bringing me food after surgery, or praying for my kids when two of them get injured and on the same day, within 10 minutes of each other, become the miraculous hands of Jesus. I'm not saying that God can't work actual inexplicable miracles. God is God, and can do whatever God wants to do. But for me personally, it's usually the hands of the people around me that have been the miracle, the hands of Christ. So if this story of miracles, of walking on water, of Jesus reaching out his hand to save a drowning disciple is a bit too out there. I wonder if you've also experienced the miracle of people around you reaching out their hands being Jesus to you, and maybe in those moments, you can't help but whisper in awe, Truly, this is God. At different times in my life, I've been every single one of those people we all have, haven't we? We've all experienced those moments of sinking and of clinging, of witnessing something beyond our understanding. But here's the truth. Through it all, God's hand is there. It's reaching out and pulling us up and inviting us to see and to believe, no matter where you find yourself this morning, sinking or saved or in awe of God's presence. God's presence is immediate. Ready to meet you right where you are. I hear this story often told as a lesson about having enough faith to walk on water towards Jesus. But let's be real. The truth here is that Jesus is the one doing the walking towards us, always towards us. My own journey has taught me that whether I am brimming with faith or scraping the bottom of the barrel, it doesn't change God's desire to draw near even when I'm scared out of my mind, barely able to whisper, Lord to save me, God's hands somehow find me in the darkest waters. Friends, life is immediate and relentless, and storms are brewing over every horizon, or at least it often feels that way, and many come at us before we've had a chance to gather supplies and batten down the hatches. But if there's a lesson we can learn from the story, it's that it's okay, necessary, even to cry out, to ask for help when we're sinking, or better yet, before we start to sink, and that we are part of the God given miracle of community. We are part of a body that reaches out to catch us before we drown. So reach out, because chances are there's someone right next to you who has been through their own storm and is ready to reach out their hand to you. That's the miracle of being human together. We're all just trying to stay afloat, but we're doing it side by side, and in those moments of connection, of reaching out and being reached for we, like the disciples, can say, in awe, Truly, this is God. Truly, this is the body of Christ. Amen. Friends, let us remember that our fears do not have the final word in the moments when life feels uncertain and we feel we are drowning in worry. God is there not as a distant observer, but as an intimate companion, when anxiety creeps in, may you feel the gentle whisper of grace reminding you that you are held in love and your joys and in your sorrows, in your certainties and in your doubts. God is there immediate, intimate and infinitely loving? May you rest in this truth today and always, amen.

Whitney Higdon: 28:59

Thank you so much for joining us, and we hope you enjoyed this worship service. If you would like to make a donation helping make these podcasts possible, or support the many ways, first, Presbyterian seeks to serve our community, you can make a financial gift online at bend fp.org, every week, we hear from someone thanking us for the gift of these broadcasts, and what a difference they make. Your support makes that possible. Our church is committed to reach beyond our walls, bringing hope where there is despair and love where it is needed the most. Your generous support helps us to be generous in love. Go to our website, bend fp.org, and click on the link. Give online. Your support is really appreciated and makes a difference in people's lives. Thanks again. I hope to see you next week. You.