Episode 196: September 1, 2024 - The Mission Of God - Part 1

Eternity Church PodCast

A Sunday sermon by Pastor Brett Deal. My first memories are from Costa Rica. I remember eating Maria cookies in preschool while my parents learned Spanish. I remember our little apartment and some of the faces of neighbors. I remember walking the plank to get into church during rainy season when the rains were so heavy a muddy moat separated the door from the road. I remember drinking Coca Cola from a plastic bag on the roadside between endless fields of bananas. I remember my birthday cake, which the pastor’s wife made look like a train engine. Those memories are few but vibrantly colored. My dad tells one his memories from those early months in San José. He and mom were doing their best to learn the language and engage in life around them. One day at church, as he was struggling to discern the words of the song we were singing, he looked down to see that I was singing my heart out. Amusingly, his first response was mild annoyance! Here this little kid was seemingly making no effort to learn the language but singing with ease, while he stretched and strained for every sentence and structure! That story is meaningful to me, not only because it resonates deeply with anyone who has tried to learn a new language as an adult, but also because it reveals a valuable kingdom truth: we are God’s global people! What a gift to be raised in the embrace of the nations! In this way we are the sons and daughters of Abram, who are raised as blessing bearers for all nations (Genesis 12.1-3)! As we move through this month, look for ways to worship as God’s global people. For example, check out Layık Tanrı, a beautiful Turkish worship song composed in Latin America. Below are lyrics translated to English. For His Name’s Sake, Brett O God, make Christ known to us more deeply Let us see the richness of your glory Illuminate our eyes with your light God, show your eyes that shine like fire And your face shines like the sun Show the incomparable beauty of Jesus, Worthy God Lord, show your mighty floating voice And the holiness you wear Reveal the awesome beauty of Jesus, Worthy God