December 11, 2022 – Sermon Transcript

Pastor Mike (00:00):

It’s not something that, that you have done, you have earned that you worked hard or, or you reached some kind of status. But no, it is part of God’s grace. It is given to you, and it’s not dependent on all the other things that you feel and see it is produced inside of you.

Hannah Hunter (00:17):

Hey, beautiful people. Welcome back to Sundays with The Gathering. I’m Hannah Hunter, the director of Digital Reach here at The Gathering Place in Palm Beach Gardens. As we enter the third week of Advent, pastor Mike brings us a message on Joy, what it is, what it isn’t, and how we find it.

Pastor Mike (00:31):

Well, I’ll tell you, it is great to be with all of you today, and I’m expecting that God is gonna do something new. You know, advent is this season of waiting and desiring, and it’s a hope-filled longing as we invite Christ to come again into our lives and into our beautiful but broken world. So today, as we listen to the scripture and the message, I want you to just speak out to those that are listening right now that feel like that what’s going on in their world. That there are places that are out of order, that are, are a total mess, okay? So whether maybe it’s a family situation, maybe it’s a work situation, maybe you’re, you’re thinking about someone that’s very close to you. Maybe it’s one of your children or a close friend that is, is going through hell right now, and you don’t see the, the victory as we just sang about how this is a house of miracles and that we believe that when we bring everything to Jesus, miracles happen.

(01:40):

So, my prom, my prayer for us today is that we will experience the promise of joy. Hear me, joy, cuz that’s what we need. We need an overflowing joy. A as we hear the promises of God proclaim through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and one of the promises that, that God gives us that we need to be holding onto. And I, and I want, someone needs to hear this. I don’t know whether it’s gonna be on the podcast or someone right now that’s in, in person, but you need to hear this. When you’re looking at what you are facing. Can you hear the promise of God, God saying, I am making everything new, because that’s what we have to claim in advent. That is what you and I are called to live into an advent to say, no, my circumstances, they’re, they’re not the end all.

(02:34):

What I am feeling is, is, is is not total reality because God is working in the midst of this. And God is making everything new. Let’s listen to the words of Isaiah chapter 35, verse one through 10. The desert and the parched land will be glad. The wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. It will burst into bloom. It will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon, they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give away. Say to those with fearful hearts. Be strong. Do not fear your God will come. He will come with vengeance, with divine retribution. He will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstop, then the lane leap like a d like a dear, and the mute tongue shout for joy.

(04:04):

Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground, bubbling springs in the haunts where jackals once lay grass and reads and papyrus will, will grow and a highway will be there. It’ll be called the way of holiness. It’ll be for those who walk on that way. The unclean will not journey on it. Wicked fools will not go about it. No lion will be there. No rav ravenous beast. They will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there. And those the Lord has rescued will return, they will enter Zion with singing. Everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them and sorrow and Zion will flee away.

(05:03):

Sometimes it’s hard for us to grasp the, the meaning of the scripture when we, when we hear these words about, you know, the, the wilderness, for example. And, and until you actually walk on the holy land and see that this wilderness is actually just this desolate desert place, it really doesn’t make sense. But today, um, these words that Isaiah wrote, whereas given to a people that had lost all hope, the enemy had overran their territory. They were taken captive. They weren’t led to other lands, they were slaves. And it’s easy when we become slaves or overran to say, to just give up to acquiesce our authority, to acquiesce. You know, those promises that God is good to, to say, well this is how life is.

(05:56):

I need to just accept it. When we do that, when we just accept, we forget about the promises of God, we forget about the, the call of God on our lives. And we say, and we start looking around and we look at ourselves and we look at what we don’t have and we look at what others people have and we think, you know, if I could just be like them, everything will be okay. I will, I will feel different if, if I can, you know, have the family that looks like that family that, that I watch on the Hallmark channels,

(06:41):

You know, maybe I I’ll, I’ll be happy. Maybe I’ll, I’ll be able to smile. You, you know, you’re, you’re driving in your car and, and you remember that car you were so happy to get, and now it’s kind of just feeling old and you’re seeing all these cool latest models coming up or, or you have a friend that you went to school with and you’re seeing that maybe they live in a different place and you’re like, you know, if I can just do have that be like them, then I’ll be happy. You see the problem, why there’s a big disconnect with what I just read in Isaiah and what, what God, what we experienced today is because when, when we hear the word joy, we tie it so much to our present circumstances.

(07:31):

What I wear, what’s in my belly, where I live, who sees me, who takes an interest and notices me. You know, we, we, we tie it to our present, uh, circumstances. And we think that joy, and even when we think about advent, which is a calling upon you and I to say, to live in the God’s promises. Now we think that when we get these things or reach a certain level of life, then I’ll have joy. But is that really joy? You see throughout the scripture, the joy that God promises is an everlasting joy that is not dependent on your current circumstances. And also, hear me on this one, it’s not dependent on what you do. You don’t earn God’s joy. You don’t do a, a little dance or, or, or, or, or give some special offerings. This is somehow God’s like, okay, you’ve groveled enough.

(08:39):

Now I’m gonna give you joy. It is a gift from God. But so many, even like during this Christmas season, you know, so many of our, our Christmas stories that, that we really love and enjoy, they send us a different message. You know, one story that has probably like no religious meaning to it really is the, um, I think the Christmas story, you know, um, and golly, you know, I’m, I’ve already watched it several times already during Advent, you know, and, um, but, but it’s funny because the Christmas story is about Ralphie’s series of diff of, of disappointments. You know, we, we know the big overarching story, right? You know, that that little boy wants that red rider BB gun and, and his mom and all the people that have some common sense are like, no kid, you’ll shoot your eye out. Right? But, but, but there, but there’s a lot of other, you know, messages there.

(09:30):

Do you remember the story? I mean, this part I think was just so funny cuz I can relate to this, you know, um, you know, Ralphie wanted to have that, that orphan Annie decoder device so that he can, so he can listen to the message on the radio and find out what she meant. And, and I don’t know about you, but do you remember as a kid, just like collecting stuff whether to, to bug your parents to buy that brand of cereal so that you could get enough coupons or if you would, or if you could go to a certain store even as adults, you know, like, um, I mean, almost every chain restaurant right now has some kind of program that if you come there regularly, and if you put in that survey, that boy, you get entered into that. I remember there was, there was one restaurant and, and my hometown of Bradenton.

(10:12):

Um, and, and, and basically if you came there enough times, you’d be entered into a cruise and then it was not a, a cruise that you would, uh, just be on a drawing. You would get a cruise. And I had some relatives that actually they took this seriously. And guess what happened? Um, when they got enough points for the cruise, RJ Gators closed <laugh>. So what happens though is I, again, I think about little Ralphie, and you remember him when he, when he, when he finally got the decoder, the, the coder ring. And he’s listening to the radio, the radio, and he’s, and he’s listening to the message and he’s decoding, and he, and remember, he locks, he locks himself into this bathroom when his, when his little brother really has to go. And we’ve all been in those situations where, where we really gotta go to the bathroom, but somebody’s just taking their good old time in there.

(10:57):

And, and, but Ralphie’s just like, no man, I gotta get this message. I gotta hear this. And all of a sudden, at the end of it, it’s what, you know, uh, remember to drink your oval tea <laugh>, he got caught up into a gimmick. And sometimes you and I, we have displaced joy or displaced feelings of joy. And we think that if we pursue or achieve something that we’re, once we get it, that, that everything’s gonna be okay. But actually we get caught up into this, this gimmicks that this world offers us. There’s some things that, that are good, you know, like, okay, hitting our goal weight. But there are other things that, you know, we think that if my family achieves a certain status, if my kids go to a school or enter a certain type of profession, or if I’m in a certain type of profession, if I, you know, if I finally hit that place in my career or maybe I, I I, I make this contribution to society that everybody sees that, that I am worth something.

(11:58):

Maybe it’s okay. You know, I, I, I li I got that home in that neighborhood that I always wanted. Maybe sometimes it’s things of like, you know what, I’m finally able to, to drive my dream car. And what, what, what, where, where are your places that you’re trying to attach joy to? I remember, you know, sometimes with the way technology is, you know, um, I’ve almost given up, but there was a, it was a period of my life where I thought if I just had the newest device or the newest thing that I would, you know, if I’d get that and be like everyone else, I would reach some kind of a status level. But man, they come out like every six months or so. But, but I remember, and I know this dates me, but I don’t really care. Um, but I remember there was a time when, you know, I was reluctant to get a cell phone, and then I finally get a cell phone, and it was just like one of the little block cell phones that had minimal stuff to do that could do with it.

(12:54):

And everyone around me was like, the blackberry, the blackberry, the blackberry is it? And then finally, when I break down and get a blackberry, less than six months later, like blackberries like obsolete <laugh>. That’s, that’s exactly what happens to me. But, but here’s the thing. When have, have you ever felt this when you are trying to pursue these things and, and, and, and, and there’s a point in our lives where we cross the line, and when I say you cross the line, it’s like, you want it too bad and you’ll do it, get it at any cost. But then when you get it, you ever have it where that buyer’s remorse kind of sets in and you’re like, now that I got it, this, this is it. It could be really disappointing. Last story I’ll tell you that was as kind of ridiculous is that, so when my, my son William right now is three years old.

(13:46):

And so when he was about a year and a half, um, you know, I, I’m a big, big heavy guy, you know, and I don’t like rolling on the floor and stuff. I mean, it’s just, it’s just, it’s just hard. Get on the floor and then get up. It’s just, I mean, I mean, that’s why I gotta get in shape. Um, and I’m working on it. But anyways, I had this idea. I was like, you know what? I wanna play with my son. I wanna get a beanbag. And so like me, when I get into things, I start like looking into all these different bean bags and all this stuff. And then somehow, like in my searches, like other beanbag started coming up into my profile. So there was one particular beanbag that I really liked, and I thought if I had this beanbag, I could get on the floor easy and play with William and then get up and everything will be great.

(14:27):

But somehow another beanbag got in my focus and, and I was in a hurry. Like, I gotta get this beanbag. And then they start putting the pressure, like, you gotta get this beanbag now, and all that stuff. And I, and I didn’t pay attention to the, to the details <laugh> and on impulse, I ordered the beanbag and I got the sorrys beanbag. You can imagine this beanbag, first of all like was like the size of a big pillow, okay? Kid size. Yeah. It was a kid’s size and there was nothing in it. So I just got like the, I just got the, the bag without any beans, without any like, and, and, and, and, and so I’m like, what am I gonna do with this? So I’ll try to like stuff like William’s old, like, like plush toys in there and all that. And I look at the bag and, and I’m, I’m telling you, it’s like the, the size of a, of a medicine ball, basically that the gym, you know, and I sit my big butt on it and it’s just like, flattens down and it’s worse than, you know, what it was before.

(15:31):

And I’m like, what the heck is going on <laugh>? And, and, and so I had tremendous buyer remorse. I couldn’t get a refund. It was just some, I mean, I, I mean, I, I just got hooked line and sinker into this, this gimmick. And when I think about those examples, I say to myself, there has to be something more like joy has got to be something more than just getting this stuff so that other people think I’m cool. Now, I’ve seen examples of the joy that Isaiah talks about, that, that joy that says that, you know what, even though you are in the desert place, even though you know, I mean, you don’t see the greenery and everything is just like crud around you, that it’s gonna break forth. And you can, and you can have this real joy and, and real purpose. And I’ve, I’ve seen it.

(16:16):

And I’ll tell you the first place I saw it, it was in my, uh, medical mission that I went to in cu um, Guatemala and Guatemala. I, I got to stay in the homes of people who didn’t even have their floors were dirt floors. And yet those were like some of the cleanest dirt floors I’ve ever seen because they swept them and they, and they kept their house in such order. And, and when they talked about life and they talked about Jesus, it was different than the way I talked about life and the way I talked about Jesus. They had something, they had a joy, they had a experience of God that was way different than what my American understanding of what, of what joy and fulfillment can be. And then when they had the opportunity to praise God, it was very different because they weren’t like, a little bit worried about like, okay, if I raise my hands, what’s the person next to me gonna think about?

(17:16):

Or if I break out into a dance and the music moves me, what’s the person gonna think about if the, if the service goes late and everything goes late in Guatemala, nobody cares because they’re like, you know what, it’s about God, it’s about Jesus. And they just let this, this joyous overflow. I saw the same type of joy when I was in, was in Cuba. And if anybody has ever visited one of our sister churches in Cuba, I mean, it is contagious. And everyone who I talked to that had ever been on a mission trip there, they all, they all say the same thing. I, I, I feel like I’ve been received so much more than what I could possibly give them. So what Isaiah’s talking about, it’s more than a piece or contentment, but it’s this contagious joy. I think, you know, toward the end of Christmas story, remember Ralphie, he finally gets it when they, you know, when they have the erect Thanksgiving dinner, right?

(18:06):

And he realizes that even though he got his toy and got all that, all these things got the decoder ring. You know, what really matters is, you know, there, there’s, there’s something more to life. And I think that’s what we’re trying to understand today, because feelings of intense happiness or this like euphoria kind of thing is not what you’re called to pursue. And so what I want us to think about today is to understand that happiness does not equate to joy. Joy is something more. And so we’re gonna take some time and just keep that, that scriptures of Isaiah in the background. And let’s look at kind of the DNA of joy. The difference between happiness and joy. If you’re taking notes, this might be helpful for you just to follow along. The first thing we have to understand about joy is that joy is produced in you and happiness is what happens to you.

(19:03):

So happiness is more of a cause and effect kind of thing. You know, I work really hard. I set my goal. I, I get this and, and everything just kind, I’ve comes together. But, but the joy that is promised in scripture, the joy that Jesus says that I will give you is way more permanence. That’s why we, we see, like in Philippians, like we’re called to rejoicing God always because it’s inside of us. It, it’s, it’s implanted in us. It’s not something that, that you have done, you have earned that you worked hard or, or you reached some kind of status. But no, it is part of God’s grace. It is given to you. And it’s not dependent on all the other things that you feel and see. It is, it is implanted in you. It is something that is produced inside of you.

(19:52):

And see when things are inside of you, that means that the things that are on the outside have very little bearing of what’s going on. So that means that if it’s raining outside, you’re not gonna melt cuz you’re not made of sugar. Okay? If the, if the weather is good, maybe you’ll get a sunburn, but you’ll still live, you’ll still be okay because a, what inside of you is so much more than what is on the outside. The other thing number two is that joy is confident and happiness is insecure. Happiness is like very unstable because you know what the thing about the happiness is? That happiness is usually based on lists that we create. You know, we create these ideas, we create these standards that most humans can’t even live up to. And, and, and we, and, and what happens with these lists that we create, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the list keeps on growing.

(20:57):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, it’s like once you achieve it, once you hit it, it keeps on growing. It’s like, no, no, no, no. Now you got it. You gotta go a little bit further. Now you gotta gotta go a little bit further. But, but joy is something so different. In fact, one of the cautions that we see in about, I think about this, this happiness list is it’s, it is the words of wisdom in proverb 27 verse 20 where it says death in destruction are never satisfied. Hmm. And neither are human eyes, human eyes. We have this problem is that it’s never satisfied. We always want more.

(21:39):

There’s a saying, I, I came across, and I don’t know who said it at the moment, but it’s, um, today’s contentment, it’s tomorrow’s so source of complaint. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, have you ever been there? That thing that, you know, you said, God, if I just hit that and, and I’ll just be grateful. All of a sudden now we’re complaining about it. Do you see the difference between what this, this happiness, this insecure happiness brings us? Happiness focuses on what will make me happy. And it’s a temporary happiness. And here’s the thing that I want you to get ahold of, is that joy focuses on eternal things that will honor God and will cultivate this sustainable joy. You see, Jesus said it like this, I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. So one of the things when we, we forget is that this joy is already inside of us as a, a follower of Jesus Christ.

(22:46):

It’s, it’s inside of us as part, it’s implanted in us, but we don’t give a lot of attention to it. We don’t, we don’t focus on it. And if you find that you’re a person right now, that that is just, you know, you’re okay, like I said, we move that, let’s, let’s move the happiness discussion to the side here. Let’s talk about joy. But if you really listen, deepen your soul and you’re like, you know what? I’m not joyful. I don’t have this, this sustained joy that you’re talking about is, I, I just, I don’t feel it. I want you to know that just because you don’t feel it and just because your circumstances don’t tell you you have it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. And so what what I, what I find helpful for, for my journey is that when I claim my life and, and I claim my identity and say, okay, I am, this is who I am in Jesus.

(23:38):

This is my identity and joy is a part of me. And I start choosing to live counter culturally and say, you know what? I’m gonna value the things that really matter and I’m gonna invest my time and my focus, my energy, my, my, I’m gonna try to lift up those things that really matter what happens. And is all of a sudden I get a reorientation and, and I, and I and I get more oriented on what God is doing inside of me. And, and then all of a sudden I realized that wow, it’s there. It’s always been there and God hasn’t left me or abandoned me. It’s just, I wasn’t even looking at it. And so one of the things that we need to start doing if we want to be a person of joy and to claim joy in this advent season and live into the promise before, is to make a decision to say God, it’s there. And, and choose to reject the laundry list of happiness. That, that, that, that is good. And I mean, and, and, and it does bring some happiness, but just know that happiness is always temporary. It’s always insecure, but joy is confident. Another thing that we need to claim is that joy is defined by truth and happiness is defined by facts.

(24:54):

So I’m gonna teach you a little bit of Russian today, you know, and, and the, and the Russian language, they have two words for truth. [inaudible]. So be almost a, it will almost be equivalent who are, um, understanding of truth and facts. Pravda would probably be closer to the facts kind of thing. You know, it’s, it’s circumstantial facts. So in other words, it’s like, do I have enough money? Do am I a healthy person? Do I have good health? You know, um, is my family in perfect order? Um, but you gotta understand that those facts don’t always convey truth because those facts sometimes are just based on what is circumstantial, what is there, you know, you’re, you’re measuring things, but, but they don’t tell you that the whole picture. And so, like in Russian language, it’s very easy to distinguish this because we have two words for truth, Pravda, which is bit more fact-based.

(26:00):

And then we have this word called easten, which I guess in, in English would be truth with a capital T another words, no matter what the weather is, no matter what the news says, no matter, um, how you are feeling, it does not change the truth. It’s almost like the truth of the, the law of gravity. And, and, and here on earth, it just, it does not change no matter what you deny, no matter what you argue, no matter what you’re going after. Um, it now, now my my eye eye watch is looking up truth. Um, <laugh> <laugh>, my eye found is said it found truth, uh, sorry for the interruption. So for us then, if we’re not called to be looking at the, these kind of facts, then, then what are we, the truth that you and I need to hold onto are the promises of God.

(26:52):

And that promise of God is, is is an invitation for you to take hold of the joy that God has for you. And so I guess that is the, the question that we need to ask ourselves during this time of advent. Because joy must and is a part of your life. It’s part of the Christian experience, it’s part of your identity as a, as a child of God. And if you are lacking it or you are or are missing this and you don’t, you know, you don’t, it, it just, it feels like there’s something, like there’s a disconnect between what I’m saying and, and, and what you are experiencing. Then the question I have to ask you is what are you pursuing? What are you really pursuing in this life?

(27:37):

And that’s where we need that, that reorientation, the scripture gives us what to pursue. And when you pursue those things, it helps us to, to let go of the things that we’re holding that are really not necessary and embrace what God has for us. So here’s, here’s what I mean. I wanna invite you to put your attention and your focus on things that actually have eternal con consequences. Things that actually matter beyond this month, this year. Things that like, that are true wherever you go, whatever country you go to, wherever you are, the things that do not change. And once you start going after these things and, and saying it’s not going after like you had, cause you already have it, but it’s a decision to say, you know what? Now I’m gonna claim it for me. I’m gonna live into this. I’m, I’m, I’m not gonna, I’m not gonna play the popularity contest game. You know, I don’t care if I’m not in, in, in the, in the first page of the yearbook anymore, okay? Cuz I’ve met some adults that never made it in that page of the yearbook, and yet they’re still trying to earn the title and they’re still trying to prove themselves at every high school reunion.

(28:58):

Do you hear what I’m saying? You are enough. God has already claimed you. God has already done it. God has already redeemed you. So then what are you supposed to do? Let’s go back to Isaiah and I’m just gonna read these things and this, just listen to this, okay? So when you’re securing your own identity of who you are as a follower of Jesus, here are some things that then you’re able to do. And this just reminds you of that joy that’s already inside of you. Isaiah spoke to a people that were, that lived a cruddy life. I mean, it was cruddy by our standards. It was cruddy by the ancient standards. It was bad. They were a marginalized people that had everything taken from them. And here’s what the call was. Now listen to this. Because if they were called and they lived into it, that means that whatever stinky situation you’re in, you could do it too.

(29:52):

The call was to strengthen feeble hands. How can I strengthen feeble heads when I have my own problems, when I’m barely making ends meet? When you have that joy to know that God has your back and that God is right there working with you, you know what? You don’t have to worry about defending yourself. You don’t have to play the defensive game anymore. You can get on the offense and say, okay, when I see people that are, that are shaking and that are, and and that are, that are concerned and, and their and their hands are tired because they’ve just been working so hard and working to the bone that’s trying to, to just to just live, you are able to say, you know what? I can do something to lighten their load. I can come alongside them and, and and, and help them out steady the knees that give away, that means walking with people.

(30:49):

And I, and I hate to say this, but the modern Western church, we have a hard time walking with people. We like to direct people, you know, we like to accuse people. We’re really good at judging people. But the call that Isaiah says is to actually walk with them. In other words, come alongside them on their journey. And even though it’s a place that might be foreign to you, may it’s a place that is very uncomfortable cause you just don’t, like maybe you, you left that place and you are like, I don’t wanna go back to that. But you’re calling when you, when you know who you are in God is to steady those needs that give away. And now listen to this, okay? Say to those with fearful hearts, be strong.

(31:40):

Do not fear. Maybe you need to hear that today. Maybe that’s what God’s speaking to you today, because you need to, you need to hear that word. Be strong and do not fear why? Because Jesus is with us. And I think one of the biggest lies out there that, that, that, that just needs to be confronted with truth is that God is for you and not against you. And so if you had a horrible week or it’s been a horrible month, or maybe you’re looking back and say, man, it’s a horrible year, I want you to know, do not be afraid. Be strong. Do not fear because Jesus is with you. God is for you and not against you. And what we are called to do, we are in call to, to walk on the path of the, of the redeems Isaiah, he calls it the holy way to me. I, I I see it’s a way of, of people who have experienced God’s redeeming love. And now what they’re doing is they’re extending this redeeming love to others. So how do we experience this is first of all, we gotta come to Jesus ourselves and have, you’ve been, have you’ve been holding onto the counterfeit and allowing things, circumstances, people to define you and you and you and you, and you made the mistake that all of us do. And that is that you supplanted happiness for joy. It’s time to get real joy today.

(33:05):

And it’s just to believe the promise that God hasn’t given up on you, that God sees you. He sees those, those times that you are alone and you’ve just been asking those questions of the soul. He sees them and he says, I’m with you. And right now Jesus says, turn it over to me. Trust me. I know you screwed it up. You screwed it up big. And I don’t care because I love you anyways. And I will make it right. I Jesus will make it right. Just follow me. So let’s pray right now. Dear Lord. Some of us, even, even those of us who’ve been a Christian for a long time, we have forgotten this path.

(33:56):

And today, oh Lord, we ask, oh God, that we stop, stop striving. Stop trying to earn approval of people who don’t even really care or matter. But Lord, help us to receive you your approval, your validation where you are. Pray this with me. Jesus. I need you. And Jesus I have messed everything up when I try to do it myself. I ask you to forgive me for everything that I’ve done said how I’ve broken your eternal laws, your eternal truth, and how I’ve hurt people around me. I believe that because you came on this earth and died on the cross and rose again that you’ve paid the price for my sin. And today I receive you a fresh and a new in my soul. And I believe that I am your child. I’m a child of God, and I belong to you.

(35:14):

And Lord, I ask that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit and lead me starting today and into next week to be very deliberate, to extend your redeeming love to go where Jesus is today. God, I answer the call to strengthen the feeble hands, to steady the knees that give away and to say to those with fearful hearts, be strong and do not fear in Jesus name, I proclaim that you are with us. So God and you’ll never leave me. And God thank you that you are with me and that you are not against me. I belong to you. Amen.

Hannah Hunter (35:57):

Hey beautiful people. This is Hannah Hunter. I’m the director of Digital Reach here at the Gathering Place in Palm Beach Gardens. Thank you for joining us this week. We love getting to share our journey in Christ and community with you. And if you’re in the Palm Beach area, we’d love to get to connect with you in person at our Sunday Worship service at 1115. For more information about our community in faith, check out our website at the gathering place fl org. Thanks for listening.