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>> First, go to our website, firstcolonychurch.org, and go there often. We have a unique page dedicated to resources for you during this season. You'll find links to our worship services, Bible study options, online giving, and our new podcast, Anchor Point.

You can also download our church app. Just search for "First Colony Church of Christ" on the App Store or Google Play. The app is a great resource where you can stay connected to First Colony Church. Anchor Point is our new podcast. We are posting a new episode every weekday. In addition to finding our podcast on our website and the church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms.

Our children's ministry is posting a weekly kids online Bible lesson. Be sure to check that out. And our student ministry is creating lots of daily content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Be sure to follow them. Thank you for joining us online today. We are glad you're here.

>> Thank you for joining us online today. We want to let you know about a few items of interest. First, go to our website, firstcolonychurch.org, and go there often. We have a unique page dedicated to resources for you during this season. You'll find links to our worship services, Bible study options, online giving, and our new podcast Anchor Point. You can also download our church app. Jerusalem search for "First Colony Church of Christ" in the App Store or on Google Play. Every link is there. The app is a great resource where you can stay connected to First Colony Church. Anchor Point is our new podcast. We are posting a new episode every weekday. In addition to finding our podcast on our website and the church app, you can find it across all podcasting platforms.

Our children's ministry is posting a weekly kids online Bible lesson. Be sure to check that out. And our student ministry is creating lots of daily content on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Be sure to follow them. Thank you for joining us online today. We are glad you're here.

>> Ronnie: Good morning, everyone! We are so very, very glad to have you with us on this Memorial Day weekend. Welcome to this live worship experience from the First Colony Church of Christ in Sugarland, Texas. And we invite you to participate. We invite you to engage. We're so glad that you're with us. Just know that we love you; we care; we're praying for all of you who are watching; and let's start our service today with prayer.

Father God, it is good to be together on these screens with these people and together, we're eager to experience You as we are united by Your Spirit. And in this time of worship, give us direction, hope, and fill us with Your peace. This we pray in Christ's Name. Amen.

("Raise a Hallelujah" playing)

>> Richard: The King is alive!

>> Richard: My weapon is a melody! We sing our way to victory.

("Reckless Love" playing)

Yea 

>> Richard: What an amazing God we serve, amen? I want to welcome to the stage Joel Smith, our Children's Minister, and Kyle Strickland.

>> Joel: Whoo-hoo! Good morning! It's so great to be with you again this morning. When I was a little kid -- actually, really young -- I was scared to death of the dark; and interestingly when I was in my room and getting ready to go to sleep, I like to stick my feet out beyond the covers and have the door open. Well, my older brother sometimes would sneak down the hall and grab my foot. I was scared to death so I would shut my door but turn on all the lights so I wouldn't be afraid. The cool thing is this was the catalyst that God brought me to Him. Many times my parents explained the process of salvation to me, and I said, "You know what? I will do that when I'm big. I will do that later."

They also explained the fact that salvation not only saves you FROM something, but it saves you TO something. They mentioned that even in darkness, just like the song said, God lights up the shadows. God is with you. God is inside of you as you turn and follow Jesus.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 5:16, which says "Let your light so shine before men in such a way they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Now, that's a cool little light. I have been inside a cave where it was SO dark -- I mean, you just put your hand out in front and you can't feel -- I mean, it's the creepiest thing ever. But the smallest light makes darkness flee. As a believer, we are to let our light shine and do good deeds. We're to do something. We want to make a bigger example of doing something.

Well, this gets kind of tiring, waving my arm and make my light a little bit bigger; but I have a cool little illustration here, exact same light, only it happens to be clicked on with some rubber bands so I can spin it around. As believers, we are to be doing something, and Kyle will help me out with some cool sounds. So check this out. Same light but look at how an example it is as it spins around and as it's doing something.

(Beatbox type music music)

We want to do things with God with your brothers and sisters and brothers, your neighbors, your relatives, whoever you're in contact with. I want to leave you with this verse, 1 Timothy 4:12. "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young but set an example for the believers." It continues on. Set an example for the believers today. God bless.

>> Richard: We want to take a few minutes right now to focus on the Lord Jesus and sacrifice He made on the cross.

>> Gordon: Good morning. I'm Gordon Ware and my lovely wife Gretchen. We are here and thankful to have lead in the celebration of the Lord's Supper together. Please pray with me over the bread, which represents the body of Christ, given for us; and for the cup, representing the blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. Let's pray.

Father, we are indeed thankful to have this opportunity to share in this time of reflection together. Although we are not together in person, we are together in spirit; and we are together in reverence of Christ's selfless act of sacrifice which has changed and continues to changes the world and continues its change in us. We reflect on this bread that represents Christ's body, body that knew no sin; and this cup that represents His blood that was shed for us.

We reflect on Christ's sacrifice with sadness and awe of You, Lord; but we also celebrate Christ's victory over sin and death through His resurrection so that Your Power is manifest for all mankind to see and to wonder and to praise Your Name. We do praise You, O Lord of Hosts, forever and ever. Amen. Let's have communion together.

>> Gretchen: I will be reading from the first chapter of Colossians, verses 15 through 20 of the New International Version. Please read with me from the Scripture that's on the screen.

("At the Cross [Love Ran Red]" playing)

>> Ronnie: Thank you so much, Richard and team; and again, good morning, church family. Again, good morning to our church village, to all of you watching. It's been so good to share with you in communion where we recommit ourselves to the Lord. We recommit ourselves to one another and to the church in Christian fellowship, and we receive from the Lord in this time of communion a fresh sense of renewal and cleansing.

As we take our offering today, we thank you for your continued investment and what the Lord is doing here in this church family, and I ask you to continue to lean into generosity; to faith; and to participation. We appreciate it very, very much. Now, instructions on how to give online, which is both safe and secure, those instructions are on your screen now. They're also available on our website; and, again, thank you.

Let's pray together, please. Father God, we praise You and we give these offerings to You today with glad and sincere hearts, acknowledging that all things first and ultimately are Yours. With Christians around the world and with the angels in heaven, we indeed proclaim the mystery of our faith. Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ is reigning now. And Christ will come again. It's in His Name that we pray. Amen.

I'm so pleased to tell you that we are planning two weeks from today on Sunday, June 7, to reopen in-person services on a very limited scale. Now, let me be very, very clear: live, on-stream services will continue and for so many of you at home, that online option may remain the best option for you, especially if you're health-compromised in any way -- and even if the online option is just your preference now, that's great. That is fine and good.

Now, our open on June 7 will be on a limited scale. Services only -- no classes or groups for any age, no child care. We will be following state-recommended guidelines as well as some church best practices including social distancing. The details you can anticipate and expect are on our website, firstcolonychurch.org. Our Foster Creek campus will open a week later on June 14, and that campus will be receiving unique instructions later this week. We will do our best to continue to communicate with you over the next couple of weeks and update you as we go along, but together let -- these are baby steps, but let's reopen. Let's relaunch and invite the Holy Spirit to energize and touch our church family in an ongoing way.

One more thing: this is Memorial Day weekend, and Memorial Day is when our nation pauses to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to our nation. You know, the Bible says give honor to whom honor is due. Someone has said that we may not know them all, but we owe them all. At the close of our service today, we will have a special video tribute to these men and women of honor.

Now, in just a few minutes, Shane Gage will speak to us from our time-out series. But first, let's continue to worship the Lord in song.

("One Thing Remains" plays)

On and on



>> Shane: Amen! Fantastic, guys! Hello, everyone, and welcome, again, to this live broadcast from the First Colony Church of Christ. My name is Shane, campus minister of Foster Creek campus and care minister of all the campuses. It's a privilege to share from God's Word today with you so let's begin with another just quick prayer, please. Lord, may we absorb Your Truth from Your Word today, and may we be moved by Your Spirit to trust, obey, and draw near to You and to be formed to become more like Jesus today. We pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Well, life under lockdown can be a real drag, right? I mean, in any situation where we're stuck in place and limited in our movements and what we can do, that can be super, super frustrating, right? We've all experienced that, but I don't think any of us has ever experienced something like this before. I mean, yes, I've heard some stories about Ronnie's time in solitary confinement; but I don't know if they're true. You can ask him.

But, really, a great question we can ask ourselves in any situation -- including this situation -- is what can I learn from this? How can this help me to grow? So we go to God's Word and find yet another story of someone who was in an unplanned, unwanted time-out. Picture the apostle Paul, the great missionary of the early church in prison, and God sent him to go out into the whole world and preach about the Good News message of Jesus Christ.

Around A.D. 62, Paul is under house arrest in Rome for about two years and while he's on lockdown in Rome, he writes four letters to three churches. These letters are the books we have in our New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. If you consider Paul is writing while being locked down, kept from what he knew his mission was. If you think about that and knew and you see what his attitude and spirit is, it's an amazing thing.

So today we'll look at passage in the book of Colossians and there the apostle Paul from prison gives profound lockdown lessons. In the first chapter, Paul said one of his goals is to teach them with wisdom so they might become fully mature in Christ. It's like this beautiful phrase he uses, one of my favorites in his other letter in Ephesians. He said he wants us to become mature with the full measure of fullness in Christ. We will look at some of the ways God work in us, through us, and among us in this difficult season. They can bring out the best or the worst in us. Tough situations strip away securities and identities we cling to and expose our weaknesses and our brokenness and frailties and if we're willing to see it, if we're willing to own it, this can reveal the false gods we may be tempted to worship, especially the god of self.

This is a powerful false god we all need to be dethroned in our lives because don't we value our personal freedom and "Have it my way"? Don't we want to be in control? "I'll be the boss of me." During this Covid lockdown we have struggled with this, wrestling with the idol of self and maybe this is testing our way to overlook another, offenses, and forgive one another. And maybe the selfish "I want it my way" nature reared its ugly head more than we want to admit. We have to confront the fact I'm a selfish idolater and bring out the selfish me impulses. What if we consider how to use this experience to learn and grow and be shaped more to become more like Jesus, recognizing the depth of our self-idolatry that will lead us to new depths of growth in Christ and true life in Jesus?

I've got three points I want to drill into today and hope it will be a blessing to you. The first is to learn your lockdown lessons. Hard as it is, we have this opportunity here to grow and to learn so ask yourself this question: what has this experience taught me? What idols has this exposed in my heart and life? What lessons can I learn from my relationships, physical health, emotional health, spiritual life; home life; work life? Let's read today first from Colossians 2:6-8.

Now, there were people in the church that Paul was writing to that had allowed themselves to be captivated by a world view and philosophy that did not value Christ as the All-Sufficient Cornerstone and faith of their practice. They settled for a different philosophy. Can't we sometimes have a tendency to substitute something else in the place of Jesus for our greatest joy or our source of assurance or security or for our hope or for maybe the paradigm where the world view that tryst our values and our own personal operating system. It's built on one of those worldly philosophies. But Christ and His truth, grace, and receptive saving power must be the source of our lives and hope so we want to remain rooted in Him. You know, we put our hope in what we trust in. If I don't trust it, I won't put any hope in it and we will worship what we love most, and anything we love, anything we rely on, anything we put our hope in rather than the Lord will be an idol for us at some point.

Now, let's read Colossians 3:1-14.

>> Shane: What a beautiful passage, and I love how it both reminds us to center our hearts and mind on Christ to keep our identity anchored in Him but also addresses our behavior, our behavior that needs to flow out of that identity in Christ and out of a heart that belongs to God. But he doesn't shy away from addressing behavior, either. His letter to the Colossians is deeply theological and also immensely practical and teaching us how to live out our faith. I like it tells us what Christ has done FOR us but also what Christ wants to do in us and through us. It's a good list from Paul I just read.

What lessons are there for you? I reached out to some of our elders and ministers and I asked them to share just something that the Lord has been teaching them during this time. I received a lot of great replies and we can't share them all. There's not time. Here are few I really wanted to share.

First, someone said, in times of crisis we may not control the situation, but we have control over how we choose to respond and who we put our trust in. I have been reminded recently we were never really in control. This pandemic has forced to go without many of the basic things. Our attitude towards adversity and how we respond reflects who and what we value.

Another person said, I'm learning that I have limits. I do have an end of myself and my own strength so I press into God's power or I'm done. I'm learning God is my resilience and He enables my bounce-back ability. And also that I can't do this alone. I need my family, church family. I need those I serve with and also -- this one mentions "I need a good laugh."

Someone else mentioned time is a human construct that means nothing.

Someone else said puzzles are boundless sources of entertainment and of frustration.

And the same person said they have learned some people's hair grows a lot faster than others.

I'm learning how -- another person said, I'm learning how important it is to not isolate and stay connected with friends and family and my church family. And they said, I'm so thankful for Zoom and I'm a bit tired of Zoom.

(Chuckling)

Another person said, we have seen the benefits and blessings of slowing down with less busyness and less hectic scheduling in lives and though it's hard at times, our family realized what a blessing it is from God to have more time together.

Another person said, I realize now more than ever how much I depend on God.

And finally, I'm learning that merely going to church will not bring me into intimacy with God but that going to be WITH the church is a celebration that I love and to be with other people who are also walking with God throughout the week is a beautiful thing.

So what lockdown lessons have you learned?

Secondly today I want to remind you how very important it is that you transfer your hope. Transfer your hope. In the time of crisis, you know, we idolaters tend to focus on me and turn inward and how we're struggling. As followers of Christ, we're taught by Jesus Himself to look, yes, in Word for growth, repentance, shaping, and transformation into Christ-likeness; but he also encourages us to look upwards and outward. We're called to be ambassadors of truth; grace; hope; and peace who know our future is secure in Christ, no matter happens. So we lean into hope than despair and we allow Christ to transfer His joy; His hope; His grace; and love through us. We become conduits that transfer the love and joy and hope of Christ into others and doesn't the world really need it right now? More than ever. We can proclaim how we say and live. Our true hope grounded in trusting faith that neither death nor life, trouble, hardship, or worldwide pandemic can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ. At home, you can say amen to that. Amen?

>> Amen!

>> Shane: Let's look at Colossians 1:21-23 and after that read 2:13-15.

>> Shane: Friends, our hope comes from the cross and an empty tomb, and that hope is sure. It is real. It is vital. Transfer that hope to others. Be conduits of that hope and the love and the joy and the peace and the grace of Christ.

Finally, here's one last lockdown lesson I believe the Lord has for us all, and it's this: let's get ready to shift our Christian fellowship into overdrive. I think you know what I mean. Aren't you hungry for it? I know I am! Guess what? We have been able to connect. I have been amazed how we have been able to come together even when we're physically apart; even when we can't hug or high-five, we can connect and even today, even this week you can have fellowship with others.

We have a new, for example, an Online Conversations class. If you want to join a class, every Sunday at 10:00 a.m., you can join by clicking the link and then the e-mail that many of you received this past week; or go to our website and that online resources page. Look for "Online Conversations class."

Also we have some new online Connection groups. They're our small groups, and many are you -- most of you are -- if you're not, we'd love to invite you to join one of our new online Connection groups. Go to the website and that online resources page and click "Connection groups." We would love to help you get created because we're created to connect and care for one another so even now are opportunities. But like I said, of course, we're just longing for fellowship together in the same room.

And as we anticipate this day and a few weeks when we gather together, some of us here on a limited way -- and as we step in to physical fellowship, I think God wants us to think about and pray about how we can maximize our connections, shift our fellowship into overdrive.

I recently read a story about a gal who grew up in a Jewish family and when she became a follower of Jesus at age 15, her parents told her, as long as you live under our roof, you will not be permitted to attend church. In fact, they were clear. They hoped this ban on fellowshipping with other Christians would starve out her faith in Jesus the Messiah. 

For her first three years, she worshiped alone in her room, listening to preaching on the radio, and reading the Christian books she would smuggle into the house until she turned 18. 

She says, "My experience as a new believer in a home hostile to my faith was a formational experience for me. It not only shaped my expectations and hopes about being part of a local body of Christ but prepared me for a chronic illness I had later in life that sometimes kept me away from church for weeks or even months at a time; and even after a couple of toxic church experiences during which it was tempting to revert to kind of a do-it-myself or lone ranger kind of faith to protect myself from getting hurt; I never did. I always stayed connected," she said, "in Christian community, in large part because of what we learned worshiping alone in my room as a teen."

Isn't that amazing? What did she learn in lockdown? Many interesting and good things she learned but mainly, if I summarized it down and boiled to one phrase, it would be "Don't play church." Don't play church. Don't take for granted the opportunities afforded to us when we gather together, right? Don't take for granted the wonderful blessing of, yes, worshiping together, but also so much more -- praying together; encouraging one another; connecting over God's Word; serving in some way; reaching to others; looking for ministry opportunities as the Holy Spirit leads us.

Christian fellowship is SO much more than good church attendance. Christian fellowship is more than gathering for holy busy work. Christian fellowship is more than checking off a theological check box, and Christian fellowship is more than being religious consumers, just watching and consuming religious goods and services. God wants us to connect, and God wants us to go deep into that and to be intentional. And I'm ready for more. How about you? Whatever my context -- you know, Paul the apostle may say, whether you're under Covid-19 lockdown or not, be intentional and connect.

Now I want to be real clear and careful to have say -- in the next few weeks, we want to follow the guidelines Ronnie and the Board work with out and ease into this carefully because we want to do this well, okay? Personally, the idea of having to wear a mask to church and talk to you and fellowship at 6 feet doesn't sound too fun; but you know what? If that's the step that helps us get to where we can get together again, I'm in. Sign me up. I'll do it. I'll take that because it's the step we can take to get more into fellowship and community and to love one another well. So sign me up. Because we can do it with presence, purpose, and with the power of the Holy Spirit. We can do this.

Let's look at our final passage in Colossians, 3:15-17.

>> Shane: You know, this is not some guilt trip or legalistic-based rule but your invitation. It's our invitation to experience more of what God wants for us; for what God intends for you as part of His forever family. So as we pursue meaningful expressions of fellowship whenever we gather, God has a way of doing some amazing things; and as we share together and worship in prayer and fellowship and communion and service, the Holy Spirit is at work among us -- whether it's an auditorium with a thousand people, an auditorium with 10 people, or in a Connection group in our living room or in the phone with a dear friend. The Holy Spirit works when we connect with intentionality. So let's be intentional. Now during this difficult season, but let's also get ready to the day when we can shift our shared Christian community to be together more. But let's let God prepare us and let's think about how we can be intentional and creative about that.

Back to Michelle Van Lund, the lady whose parents kept her from church. She ended her story with Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was put in prison and in concentration camps. He was executed by the Nazis in 1945. His words from his book "Life Together" may be a good challenge for us and shape us now together in this time when we've been kind of doing life apart. So listen to what he says about life together.

>> Shane: As I close with this challenge for us today, let's just think act it one more time: are we learning the lessons of lockdown the Lord wants to teach us? Are we centering our hope on Christ and are we ready to transfer that hope to a lost and hurting world? Are we ready to move in radical grace, radical love, radical mission, radical service; radical one-anothering as we share life and community together?

Let's not go to church ever again. Let's be the church.

Yeah. Covid may have put worshiping together in person on pause for a little time, but church is never on pause; and we have to learn that because we don't go to church. We ARE the church and is not a pithy saying. It's what God is calling us to be, to be His people in community to bless our community. Let's not "play" church but be intentional, proactive with presence, purpose; and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be released into mission and radical one-anothering and we're so ready for that, I know.

Well, we're in this together. We love you. We're praying for you. Let's get ready for what God wants to do next. Please pray with me. God, help us to be ready. Help us to learn the lessons You want to teach us even now. God, help us to fully receive Your Grace and Your Love and receive our hope and joy from You alone. God, also may You move through us to be channels of Your hope and joy; love; peace; and grace. And Father, in this difficult season, but also in whatever comes next, whatever You call us to, Lord, may You bind us together in unity. The enemy wants to come and divide us and to steal and destroy, and he wants to tear us apart. God, by Your Spirit may we be one. May we shift into high gear, radical one-anothering by the Power of Your Spirit for the sake of Your Glory; and in the Name of Your Son Jesus we pray, amen.

Like Ronnie said, this is Memorial Day weekend and would like to honor those who have given the last full measure of devotion, laying down their live in the service of others. So let us remember and let us honor them as we close with this video. May God's blessing be on you all.

(Bugle playing "Taps")