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Scout Sunday: Building Faith One Step at a Time · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

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  If you're just getting here, welcome to First Reformed Church.
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  Today is truly a blessing to be in the presence of the Scouts,
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  especially as we celebrate Scout Sunday with our Scouts, our leaders,
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  and families joining us for worship.
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  We're grateful for your service, your integrity, and you are an example to many of us.
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  You remind us of what it means to live with honor, to serve others,
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  and to lead with purpose.
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  All things that align beautifully with the faith that we hold in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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  Now, real quick, I just wanna be honest with the scouts that are here today.
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  I tried to join the Cub Scouts. I know that's not the same thing,
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  but I did try to join the scouts.
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  And I will tell you, I did not make it past that knot tying phase.
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  So I think the only badge that I earned was most likely to get tangled.
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  So I apologize for not making it as far as all of you, But
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  I did later in the 80s now i'm dating myself join the lions club and after Some
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  interesting meetings and uniforms and all the rules about being prepared At
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  that point I realized something wasn't probably in it for me Maybe it was the
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  fact that I wasn't built for badges.
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  I'll be honest, but I was built to follow direction So together As we honor
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  you honor the lord It's really interesting to say that we both have faith.
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  We have faith in the scouting, the scouting community, following directions.
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  Trusting on the path before you is leading somewhere good, even if you don't
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  see the whole path in front of you yet.
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  So we welcome each and every one of you today to officially the Scout Sunday.
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  And as we bring in the light of Christ this morning, I wanna remind each and every one of you,
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  When we bring the light of Christ inside the church, that is because Christ
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  is outside of this church just as much as he's inside this church.
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  Bringing the light of Christ into the church is allowing the Holy Spirit to
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  take over all of us, to remind you that he is here in his presence.
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  So as you watch these gentlemen bring the light of Christ in,
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  I want you to take it in because Christ is joining us here today.
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  Doing the children's message. Would you pray with me?
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  Heavenly Father, this message that I'm about to give has been extremely difficult for me.
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  So much that I get a little emotional because I have had a very difficult month.
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  But one thing that has never, ever stopped me was my faith.
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  And as many times as so many things have tried to enter into my home,
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  into my heart, that tells me that I can't give this message today,
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  tells me that this message needs to be given.
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  In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  So let's talk about today's message.
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  Building on faith. We just heard from Proverbs 3, which reminds us,
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  trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
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  In all your ways, submit to him and he will make your paths straight.
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  Well, faith is a lot like hiking.
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  It's a lot like hiking with a compass. You don't always see the destination,
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  but your trust and your guide does.
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  But you know who guides you? Our Heavenly Father. You check your direction,
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  stay the course, and follow the one who knows the way.
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  Proverbs reminds us of that. It says, trust in the Lord with all your heart
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  and lean not in your own understanding.
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  Sometimes, I would think the scouts understand this, sometimes the trails get
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  rocky. Sometimes the weather turns.
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  Sometimes we think we found a shortcut. But God says, trust me, keep walking.
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  That's what it means to build on faith, to stay steady.
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  Even when life twists through all of us, whether it's in our hearts,
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  whether it's our daily life, things we don't understand, faith builds.
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  Jesus said, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
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  is like the wise man who built his house on the rock.
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  Notice, he doesn't just say who hears,
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  but who puts them into practice faith
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  isn't built in comfort it's built
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  in consistency and just like the scouts who earn badges through practice faith
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  is strengthening through the daily habits of prayer kindness forgiveness and
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  trust we all know that it's like when a storm comes,
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  the winds of worry, the rain of disappointment, the floor of uncertainty.
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  But in our life, our life is built on Christ, the rock.
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  You may shake, but guess what? It won't crumble.
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  Let me share something with you. A few weeks ago, my mother and I, we went to Walmart.
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  We're waiting at a customer service because I wanted to pick up one of these.
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  Now these, you can't buy a gift card without having to go through customer service
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  with all the fraud. So they make you go to customer service and we're waiting on line.
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  And all of a sudden, as we were about to go up next, this troubled man who seemed very worried.
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  You can tell, you can see the desperation in his eyes, walked up and clearly
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  said, I'm sorry, I've got to ask this lady a question. Go ahead.
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  Have you seen a pair of keys? I have been looking for them for three days.
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  Please, have you seen a pair of keys? He told the woman, and without even flinching,
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  the woman said, let me take a look.
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  She reached into the drawer, held up a pair of keys, and said, are these them?
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  When he saw his keys, he shouted, oh, God is good. God is so good.
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  Then he started to talk to us, because we just happened to be next in line.
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  And he said, I don't know what I was going to do. I was so stressed out.
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  I had no idea what to do. I couldn't find the keys. I was thinking I had to
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  get all these spares remade.
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  And at that moment, I said, three days, huh? You've been looking for them for
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  three days. He says, yes.
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  So I smiled and I said, well, maybe God didn't want you to be on the road for those three days.
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  Maybe that's why you weren't meant to be on the road for those three days.
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  He paused and something struck him. And then he looked back at me and he said, you know what?
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  You're right. I should listen more Things happen for a reason That moment then
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  struck me Because how many times have we've all been there?
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  Frustrated Waiting Wondering Why did something Happen to me?
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  Why something didn't go our way?
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  Maybe the keys were never lost Maybe God was just protecting us from a road
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  A road where we weren't meant to travel.
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  Sometimes, faith means trusting that the delays are divine, that even when we
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  feel stuck, God is still steering.
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  So how does faith serve us? Well, I can tell you one thing. The scouts have a motto, be prepared.
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  And in many ways, that's what Christian life is about too. That's what people of God is about.
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  Being prepared to serve, to help, to love, and to forgive.
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  Both the scouts and the church live by a code.
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  Honor God, respect others, serve with kindness, and stand firm in what is right.
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  When we live that way we build
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  on a foundation of love trust and obedience Our
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  lives become testimonies Testimonies of faith and inaction We become examples
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  of what it means to be More godly like We become examples of what it means to
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  build on something that lasts So whether you're young Older I won't say old.
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  Scout or not, remember this. God is always calling us to build,
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  to build faith, to build character, to build bridges of compassion,
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  to build life that stands on a rock. So how do we build together?
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  Faith, like scouting, isn't a solo adventure.
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  It's about building together, helping others find their way,
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  lifting each other up and serving side by side.
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  And that's where we as a church come in We are called to build on faith Not
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  just for ourselves But for the next generation So this week I have a challenge
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  for every single one of you,
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  Do one random act of kindness Be a scout,
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  Not just for a day But for every day Someone who brings light Respect.
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  Compassion into this world Be a scout Go out and shine in the way that Christ wants you to shine.
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  Be prepared. Be prepared to lift someone up, to offer a hand,
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  to forgive, to serve, to share in love, to offer kindness, and lift others the way Christ lifts you.
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  Because faith at its core is meant to be lived, not just believed.
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  Because faith isn't built on the same way that we saw others do things.
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  It's built on the way that we do.
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  And remember, faith isn't made of wood or stone.
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  Faith isn't made of love by itself.
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  It's made of love and how much Jesus loves you.
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  Jesus believes in you. Jesus trusts in you. And Jesus never will ever leave
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  your side. So let me conclude with this.
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  Just recently, I get a call from my local school district and they tell me that
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  my daughter is having trouble again with being bullied.
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  I shared with you a couple of weeks ago, a couple of months ago,
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  that my daughter decided to befriend her bully and things had stopped only to start up again.
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  As a father, as a man who is trying to invest everything he has to learn what
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  forgiveness is all about, it was very difficult.
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  For me to balance the difference between being more pastor-like and being more papa-like.
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  And I don't have to tell you what was going through my mind what I wanted to do. But then it hit me.
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  As Jesus stuck up on that cross and they mocked him, they spit on him.
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  They made fun of him with every ounce of energy he had in him.
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  He said, Lord, forgive them for they not know what they do.
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  When I ask you to do one random act of kindness I'm asking you to be more patient,
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  Be more courteous This past month My son was being driven by his mother-in-law
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  And they ran into a car And they got into a car accident As I'm dealing with
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  one child's issue I deal with another.
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  Forgiveness Patience Patience in prayer Patience in faith things that the scouts
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  have been already trained to do. But you know what's beautiful about being a scout?
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  They can't truly train you to be what you already are and that you are all a gift from God.
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  It is your actions. It is your random act of kindness that reminds each and
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  every one of us that we should be a scout.
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  So what is built on faith? So many of us here have enjoyed our moment with the
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  scouts being here as a guest.
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  So maybe I wasn't a scout, right? I said that earlier. I didn't become a scout.
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  Maybe I did not earn a badge or made it long enough through the Lions Club or
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  the Boy Scouts or the scouts.
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  But I've learned that faithful scouts, faithful scouts like each and every one
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  of us and you, just like faithful believers follow the same path.
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  And that path is of honor, path of the Holy Spirit, path of Jesus who calls us to follow.
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  And that path is made of faith, built of trust, and guided by the root and the
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  body of Christ, which is surrounded by love. Amen.
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  Heavenly Father, thank you for the scouts, for their leaders,
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  for the spirit of service that fills the sanctuary today.
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  Help us to build our faith like they build their skills, strong, steady, and ready.
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  May your spirit guide our steps and remind us that every act of kindness is
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  a step toward your kingdom.
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  In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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  Our time of worship is now concluded. We brought the light of Christ in to begin our Sunday.
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  We will take the Christ light out into the world.
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  Every one of you have been challenged with one random act of kindness.
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  I'd love to hear your story. Love to hear what you've done. And I look forward
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  to seeing you when I return.
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  And everyone that has joined us here today, whether you're a scout or not,
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  welcome to First Reformed Church, the home, the light on the hill in Walden.
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  Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday for those of you rooting for whatever team you're
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  rooting for best of luck as a jets fan slash,
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  patriots fan slash i'm a bandwagon fan let's put
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  it that way i always win so i'm happy
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  enjoy your time with your family because that's really what it's all about is
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  getting together and enjoying that moment laugh cry if your team loses but more
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  importantly be with yourselves and your family and your friends and loved ones
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  enjoy the Lord and receive the benediction.
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  May the Holy Father just be with each and every one of you. May he bless you.
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  May he keep you. May he guide you on your path toward righteousness.
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  May he give you that gift of patience, compassion in Jesus' holy name, amen.