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Hendersonville Seventh-day Adventist Church, NC

David Wright

The Ministry Of Showing Up

Well this morning I want to talk about the ministry of showing up.

That's right, you can read there in the balcony, that's good.

This is not intended to be a guilt trip by any means, but I do think that there is a sermon here for all of us, for me included, what does it mean to show up?

And how does that impact the event itself or the thing that we're showing up to?

Let me ask you, for those of you that are sports enthusiasts, this looks like a sporting event that's pretty big.

And when you show up to something like this, there's police officers out there, I mean, probably hundreds of them, directing traffic, making sure everything is organized, and you feel at that moment that I am some place that must be pretty important because there's a lot of people here.

However, maybe you've gone to a ballgame and look more like this.

And you find yourself looking at your watch, do I have the time right?

Looking at the ticket, is this actually when the sporting event's supposed to take place?

And you look around thinking, yeah, I bought the seat up here, but I guess we can sit anywhere we want to.

And there's a sense that you feel like, well, maybe there's something else going on somewhere else that's a bigger and better, more important something, and I'm missing out.

I have my 20th year high school reunion coming up next spring.

I mean, that's kind of the point, isn't it?

I mean if you go to a class reunion and it's just you and maybe 1 other person that you don't even remember graduating with.

And so a lot of times people call or they Facebook or they text, are you going?

And everybody wants to be non-committal, right?

I don't know whose family this is, but they're being showcased in the Hendersonville Church this morning.

But even family reunions, you want everybody to be there, don't you?

If everybody's not there, something is missing or left out.

Now some families here, your kids have grown up, they've gone away to college, and there's something missing for you on a Friday night or a Saturday afternoon around the kitchen table if you're not all there.

But if everybody is there, now this is a big deal.

It's a promise, because somebody on the other end, it could be somebody you love, it could be your mother, it could be whoever, but they want to know, will you be home?

It won't be the same if you're not there.

If dad is in the stands or not, or mom or whoever, it makes a difference, doesn't it?

And let me just say, for some of you parents whose kids are getting a little bit older and they kind of think, oh, we don't need you there, oh no, just stay home, whatever, they still, they notice when you're there.

And they may not even recognize the fact that you were there, because they're too cool at that point.

To see them round third and come home for a point, a run.

How about just those smaller appointments, but really pretty big appointments.

Just showing up to read a book to your little girl, your little boy.

Helping them with homework can also be a big deal.

To be there when you say you're gonna be there.

This isn't quite what our church looks like, but I thought it was a nice picture.

Is there anything in scripture that tells us that we need to show up?

I mean, we have the fourth commandment, we know it well.

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

6 days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God, and that you shall do no work, okay, I got that part, you nor your son or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, your cattle and your strangers went in your gates, for in 6 days the Lord made heavens, earth, sea, and all that's in them and rested the seventh day, therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and went to church.

I didn't see it, and hallowed it, but it's not there.

So where do we get this idea that we need to attend?

Does it just put us on a naughty list if we don't?

Because we don't see there any place where it says we have to go to church.

I want to look at another verse here in Leviticus chapter 23 verse 3.

It says 6 days your work shall be done but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy what?

Now that spells it out a little bit more, a holy convocation.

It's where the whole assembly comes together.

And it could be for political purposes, it could be for legal purposes, but no, this is not either of those.

In fact, I think I have the definition here, if you can read it, a large formal assembly of people, but this is a holy convocation.

This is the same 6 days you do your work, but on the Sabbath, I want you to come together It's important to do that to come together Now a lot of times I'll hear people say well, you know I've had a rough week And I just I get more blessing out of just being out by a creek somewhere or enjoying the view or overlooking a lake and all those kinds of things.

But that's kind of a me-centered idea too because I'm not worried about anybody else.

I'm just worried about me and what I need Other people will say well I get my church on 3abn The sermons are better.

I don't even know what I was talking about.

You know that's nice, but how much interaction do you get with people on 3ABN?

Did anybody notice if you didn't turn on 3ABN today?

And If somebody passes away in your home, or there's some major crisis in your life, will 3ABN come?

Now I'm not saying 3ABN's a bad thing, it's a wonderful thing, it's a blessing to many people, and there are such things as shut-ins and all that, I get that.

But if I am able to take part in a holy convocation.

Shouldn't I make a good effort to do that?

To be able to minister to other people, to be blessed, but also to be a blessing.

Other people say, well, we were on vacation.

It's an interesting thing to say, because it's almost like, well, we were on a vacation from going to church, we were on a vacation from religious things, I mean, it's just such a burden.

Now sometimes you're far away, you can't find a church and all those types of things.

But now with technology, it's easier to find an Adventist church than ever, isn't it?

And yes, you may go to a church that's not exactly your style or your taste or whatever it might be, but maybe you could be a blessing to somebody else.

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The Ministry Of Showing Up

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