Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, guys, this is Naim and you've reached the Mosaic Church Podcast. So excited that you're part of our listening community and love for you to be even more connected. So check out our website. There's more content there and there's more opportunities for you get connected in our ministries and events as well. Also, love for you to share this content if this is blessed to you. I know that God wants to use you to bless other people with it, so share this podcast you will. Lastly, would you consider supporting this ministry? This is made possible by other people's generosity, and I'd love for you to pay it forward. Join us to reclaim the message and the movement of Jesus together. So would you consider giving to this ministry? I know that God is able to do immeasurably more through us when we come together. Thank you so much. God bless you. Enjoy.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, Mosaic. Glad you guys are with us today. Glad that you are awake. I'm glad that you are here for our brand new series, which is called Creating Home. Creating Home. For the next couple weeks, we want to talk about the kind of home that we want to live in. And in order to have the kind of home that we want to live in, we're going to talk about things that we need to do or build or create to be able to have that kind of environment.
But we know that a home is more than just a location. Right? Home is also about people. Home is where the heart is. Is that right? Oh, is there any person that comes to mind when you think of home? Like, you're like, this person is just home. Oh, we've got sisters pointing at each other over here. It's so sweet. I love it. Well, I'm kind of convinced that there are two different kinds of people that live within a home. And so we'll talk about it. And then you can see which kind of person you are. So there's a person in a home that sees things, and there's a person in a home that somehow does not.
Let me explain.
Maybe in your house there's a person who sees the socks just, like, on the floor. Maybe there's a person in her house who sees the food wrappers on the counter just, like, literally, like, right. Like where the trash but, like, just didn't quite make it in there. Maybe there's the person in your house who sees, you know, the dishes right next to the sink, the dishes right next to the dishwasher, the empty dog bowl, the overflowing garbage. Anybody feel me here?
I Would tell you right now. If you're like, I don't know which one I am. If you're thinking, wow, her house must be a mess.
I guarantee you yours is the same. And now you know that you're the person that doesn't see things. Okay, My husband's sitting right there. He's like, I got a list for you, too. You don't see when the grass needs to be cut. You don't know when the bushes get trimmed.
He's like, you don't even know when the milk runs out. Because I make sure to take care of that. Thank you so much.
But it's true. It's true. We have two different kinds of people that live in a home, right? And I know that there are only two ways that these people can live together in a. A functioning home. And the first one is marital therapy or whatever kind of counseling you need for the home that you have. The other one is because someone is in that home who sees things and goes ahead to decide, I'm just gonna do this because it needs to be done.
I think the same is true in life, right? There are some people who go through life just focus on what they have next, focus on what is ahead of them, what God is calling them to. And. And they would say they're living a pretty comfortable life because someone is taking care of their needs. There are other people that go through life and they're seeing different things. Maybe they're looking around and they're seeing what should be or what could be better. And then even if it's not, if they were not the reason, maybe that that thing is the way that it is. They're like, I'm just gonna go ahead and take care of it, because it needs to be.
We know that what we see actually affects then what we do. And it's important what it is that we see because it directs our next steps. And this can be applied not just to our homes, not even just here as a church, but I think out in the world in the way that we live.
It amazes me that different people can look at the same issue or the same problem or even the same person and see two very different.
Lucky for us, there is a story in scripture that addresses why maybe this is happening. So it's a story in Matthew, and we're going to go right to it. Jesus has just left the temple. He's been teaching in the temple all day, and then going to try to find respite at the Mount of Olives in the evening. But because There are a lot of people following him. When he goes up to escape on the Mount of Olives, all of the people just kind of follow him and they're like, hey, Jesus. So, you know all those things that you just taught us in the temple, thank you. But also, we don't get it. So, like, if you could just provide a little bit of clarification, that would be great. So Jesus is like, I got you. He's a good rabbi. He's a good teacher. So he decides to tell them a story, and Jesus tells them a story about a king. Now, it's really important to know that at this time, the king power, the king's position had a lot of importance. The king was a very important person. This was a leadership role that really mattered. The king had all of the power, and the people had no power. So the people had to make sure that they kept the king happy so that their needs would continue to be met. They didn't know if the king was upset, what he might do, or how he might take it out on them. And so they had to keep the king happy in his power, in his position, and focus on his needs so that their needs could be met also.
And the Jewish people, even though they were waiting on a new and different coming king, they still believed that the king would be coming either in royalty or as military. They still believed that the coming king would fall into this position, the role that they were used to seeing their leadership in. And so Jesus will kind of be foreshadowing in this story that he is the king. He is the king in this story who is going to come in and lead in a different way. So we'll jump right into it. In verse 31 says, when the Son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. So right away, we see a king come in, take his position of power, and the first thing that he does is he separates and he divides the people. Now, it said that it was all nations there, but it's not like he's separating them by nation. He's not sorting them into various piles of, like, people groups. No, he splits them into sheep and goats the way a shepherd would. Because this is another analogy. Remember, Jesus is telling a story. This is another analogy that people at that time would have understood if they themselves were not shepherds. It was likely that someone in their family was. And so shepherds at the time would have sheep and goats both in their flock. They would intermingle together because there were a lot of similarities in the two animals. They were raised for similar kinds of things, be it meat or milk. There were fur or their wool, sometimes even for sacrifice. They ate roughly the same things and they required similar levels of care. So they were often grouped together and raised together. But there were also differences between sheep and the goats. The sheep were usually more valuable, so they made up most of the flock. And the sheep were more obedient. The sheep are your child, maybe your first child, that, like, you just say, do a thing, and they're like, okay, those are the sheep. Okay? The sheep would listen to the shepherd. They would follow the shepherd's direction, listen to their voice. The goats are your spicy childs, okay? The goats are like, thank you so much. I'm gonna do whatever I want, actually. You want me to eat this grass? Actually, I found some garbage over here. I'm gonna pick this up off the floor of Target and I'm gonna eat this instead.
Goats did whatever they wanted. They were not known to listen to the shepherd or to follow direction. Well, it's almost like Jesus is saying to the people that are listening, hey, I know you're all here together, kind of learning from the same shepherd, taking in the same things, growing in the same place, living similar lives. And so it'd be easy for you to assume that you're all the same, but you're actually not. You're actually not. Some of you think you're one thing, but really you're something else. And so he makes it really clear by separating them into two groups. So what does he do with the two groups? It says he will place the sheep at his right and the goats at his left. Now, again, culturally, at the time, we love to read context of scripture, so we know what's happening. At the time, the right hand had a lot of importance. It was resolved for honor and for favor and for people who maybe were like the best people. They had earned this level of respect or honor to sit at the right hand. The left hand, on the other hand, sometimes was just like a little bit of a lower position. But also, when used comparatively like it is here with the right and the left together, it could also signify people who had a desire to be on the right side but hadn't quite earned it. So this is who we've got here. We've got the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. And we're going to continue on with the story. It says, then the king will say to those on his right, to the sheep come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. I was naked, weird, and you gave me clothing.
I was sick and you cared for me. I was in prison and you visited me. And I can just picture the people that are standing by being like, what?
Like, is he talking about us? I wasn't there. Were you there? We didn't do this. Remember? The king is telling them, hey, remember when you did this? I saw you do this. I think it's a very human response for them to be like, uh, rebuttal. Which is exactly what they say. Then these righteous ones will reply, uh, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you in sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to who?
To me. You were doing it to me.
The sheep were the people who lived their lives with their eyes wide open.
The sheep were the people who paid attention. The sheep were the people who saw a need and did what they could to meet it.
The question for us today is, do we?
Do we as Christians in the world who profess to live lives that point to Jesus, do we see the need in the world around us?
Now, this story gives us plenty of examples, and we're actually gonna walk through every single one of them to go, what does this really mean and how does it apply to us right now? So the first one says, I was hungry and you fed me. This is a basic need, right? Hunger is a basic need. Food is needed for survival. So do we see the unhoused person on the side of the road who does not have shelter or a coat in order to keep them cold and protected from the weather?
Do we see the kids in our own neighborhoods who only have meals provided to them when they go to school, but on a snow day or a weekend or other times that school's not in session, they may not have those meals to rely on?
Do we see the people in western North Carolina who are still rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Helene? Do we see the people in Los Angeles who had all of Their basic needs wiped out by wildfires?
Are we expanding our vision to see people's needs for survival?
The next one says, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. Water is another one of those things that is needed for survival, but in a different way than food. Water. Have you ever noticed, like, when you take a drink of water, it's refreshing like nothing else? Even though I try to convince myself that coffee does the same, it does not. Nothing else refreshes the way water does. Nothing else quenches our thirst. Do we see people whose souls are depleted, whose souls are wrung out and they're dry or empty? Do we see people who are nervous to come to church with us because they've been hurt by the church, even though they still very much want to be connected to Jesus and need the hope of his gospel?
Do we see the people who are scared right now of what their future holds because their very existence is reliant upon things that are going to happen in the next days, weeks, or years?
Do we see their fear? Do we see how real this is for them? How are we helping to refresh their spirits?
The next one says, I was a stranger and you invited me into your home. And this is probably the one that I think about the most.
There is a difference between inviting someone in and just letting them in. And for the sake of knowing what we're talking about, there's two different ways that we can look at or talk about a stranger here. Okay, A stranger can be someone that you're not familiar with, someone that you don't know. Or a stranger can be someone who is not known in a particular place. So a stranger can be someone that is not known in a place that you know what's going on, but they don't. And so I wonder, when we look at the stranger, do we grant them admission to be in our spaces? Like, we're handing out, like, day passes to Carowinds? Marilla, you can be in our church, you can be in our school, you can be in our grocery store, in our library. Do we just give them permission to come in, or do we invite them in with welcome where they get to actually belong?
We have probably all been in a situation, a party, a social gathering, something where you were invited and you showed up and then no one talked to you and you super stood out and you were like, I thought I was supposed to be here.
And we all know that that does not feel inviting or welcoming.
When we see a stranger and we look them in the face, do we see people that we're not familiar with? Do we see people that we don't understand?
Or do we see Jesus? Do we see the imago DEI in every single stranger's face, which scripture tells us is the idea that every single person that was created by God is a child of his, that every single person has a reflection of God in them?
Do we see that? Do we see their inherent value just as much as we see our own? Or do we hold them at arm's length because they're not us or our group?
Here's an easy one that you can do that. I think a lot of times people don't even realize that our language and our words can meet needs or they can actually make things worse. Here's one. When we're talking about strangers, do we use inviting language? When we're talking about other people? Words like friend, brother, sister, child, migrant, refugee?
Or do we use dehumanizing language and just blanket an entire group of people with words like illegals, aliens, criminals, Things that don't exactly convey invitation? If those were words that were presented to us now, it'd be easy to brush by this next one, because I don't think a lot of us encounter naked people when we're walking around. And really, I love that for all of us. Like, I hope that that's true, but it's in here, so we're gonna talk about it. So next one says, I was naked and you gave me clothing. Have you ever borrowed something from someone? Like, maybe you were at their house and you showed up and either you're not prepared for an event or you're cold or you spilled on yourself or whatever it may be, right? And someone gives you their coat or their emotional support hoodie, and they let you wear it around?
I know for me, it does a lot more than just meet the need of me not being comfortable or feeling out of place. It makes me feel special.
The whole time I have that on, I just walk around with the awareness of, like, this person is, like, on me right now. This person almost is putting their stamp of approval on me by saying, here is a thing that I love and I want back. Kristen, please. I want it back. But here is a thing that I love, and I'm gonna let you borrow it. I'm going to cover you with this.
Do we see the people that are exposed and vulnerable and the people that stand out? Do we see the people that are uncomfortable because they don't have whatever it is that's expected in that given situation, Be it the right clothes, the Right religious symbols, the right language, or the right labels?
Do we cover them and their discomfort by being a safe person that can introduce them to a safe God? Do we see their fear and cover them?
The next one is, I was sick and you cared for me. Now, this can be physical wellness, caring for the ill or the elderly or the injured, but there are a lot of other ways that people can be unhealthy. Do we see people that are unsafe or being harmed in a relationship, maybe even in a relationship with us?
Do we see what our words are doing when we are giving them out to other people? Are our words healing or are they hurting? In conversation, in relationship, on the Internet, are our words causing harm or are they leading to care?
People need healing from all kinds of toxic upbringings and things that have messed with their identities and damaged the way that they believe that God sees them. They need healing from shame and oppression and from neglect.
When people tell us that they are not doing well mentally with their mental health, do we tell them to just be stronger and get over it? Or do we spiritually bypass them and say, you just need to pray more?
Or do we believe them and do we listen and do what we can to care for them by helping them heal?
The last one says, I was in prison and you visited me. And as I was prepping for this, I realized there's a phrase that I've come to really not love, which is the idea that everyone's a sinner. And while I get the intent behind platitudes like that, I also think that there's this, like, invisible line underneath of, like, everyone's a sinner. But still, there are certain lines that we can cross, and there are other lines that we can't cross. Like, it's okay to be a sinner if you do these things and you cross these lines, but if you're a sinner, that crosses that line. There's still a difference. So what I actually hear, when I hear things like, everyone is a sinner, is, sure, I'm a sinner too. But, like the forgivable kind, there are a lot of people in the world, maybe in your life, who have messed up in a big way, and they are longing for entrance back into society.
They need help after incarceration or addiction or rehabilitation. Do we see Jesus in them, or do we just look at them and see them based off of what they did instead of who they are?
There are other people in our lives. And if I'm being honest, and I will, even though I don't want to this is the hardest one for me. I'll go ahead and raise my hand now, before I tell you what it is, there are other people in our lives who have messed up only according to our own expectations.
I'm going to personalize this one. There are people in my life who have messed up in a big way only according to my expectations, because they let me down by not upholding the rules and the values that I consider to be right.
When we think of these people, when we're willing to call them by name in our minds and bring them to light, when we think of these people, are we cutting them off or canceling them or punishing them by removing ourselves and distancing ourselves from them? Or are we providing the same grace that Jesus offers us? Are we providing the same forgiveness? Do we treat them according to who they are or what they've done?
In Jesus example, the king is saying to the sheep here, there are so many needs. We just went through all of them. There are so many needs and you didn't turn away. He says, you did what you could. You saw people, you saw their needs and you did what you could to meet them. Not just for the people that you love, but for the people that you really struggle to. And because of that, you will inherit the kingdom of God.
Now remember, the whole time that he's doing this whole story with the sheep, there's a whole other group of people over here. Who is it? You remember the goats? Not the greatest of all time goats. No, no, the left hand goats. Okay, so we've got the goats over here. And the king basically turns to them and says to them, like, away from me because you did nothing to meet my needs. And the goats protest, which of course they do. I would too. And they're like, my guy, hello. Hi. When did we see you with a need? And the king responded, I tell you the truth, when you what, Refused to help the least of these.
My brothers and sisters. My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. The king says, you're right, you're right, you never saw me. You never saw me. Even though you were right there with the sheep all mixed together in the same place where the needs are. You never saw me. And maybe, maybe the goats were just looking at the wrong thing. Maybe they were focused on earning their right to be connected to the person in the high position of power. Maybe they were only looking to make sure that they stayed connected to that power so that their needs would be met.
Maybe instead of seeing the world around them and seeing the people in the world around them, they were actually more concerned about how the people of the world saw them doing all of the right things to prove their alliance to the king.
But Jesus is like, what you didn't realize is that I'm not that kind of king that relies on position or power.
I am the king that resides within the people.
I am the king that resides within the people. So he says, when you didn't see them, you didn't see me. I am in all of those people that you did not help. And until you get that, until you see them and show them mercy, your religion has missed the point completely.
This is a hard message.
It's a hard message to hear. It was a hard message to give. I actually got really emotional during worship in the first service, and I had to turn around and grab Meredith Miller and say, please come and pray for me. Because I just have so many words that I need to say, and there's so many words that I wanna make sure don't actually come out of my mouth.
It worked the first service. Let's see if it keeps going.
That's what community is. That's seeing needs, that's creating an environment of home where I know I could turn around to her with no notice, with nothing else, and that she would see what I needed and she would meet that need. I didn't have to ask her, hey, can you help me? I literally just was like, come here. And she followed, and she came and she helped me. I tell you that to say, we all have blind spots. If there is a particular need that touched your heart or you're feeling convicted or tender about, can I please encourage you? That is a good thing. That is a good thing. It means you're paying attention. It means you're listening to Holy Spirit stirring in your spirit. It means you are seeing people, and you are seeing the needs.
At Mosaic, we want to be people who see the needs. We want to be people who see the needs of everyone who walks into our doors. And we would love for you to join us. We try to make it pretty simple. There are no required classes. There's no membership that you have to transfer. Honestly, you don't even have to believe at a certain level of faith. We're just glad you're here. The only unwritten rule that we have is that you can't be mean. And it's not even because we're going to kick you out. It's because you just won't last long here. No one's going to be mean with you, we would love for you to join us. And a need that we have right now is for people to join our volunteer teams. So I know you probably have this menu in front of you of all of our volunteer teams. And basically what this does and the reason that we have forms and QR cards is just because it gives a little bit of purpose and a little bit of organization to how it is that we can meet the needs of the people that walk in our doors.
The need that we have right now is for more of you. And in a couple minutes, I'm going to give you time to do this. You can look over at all the different teams. Hospitality, worship facilities, production, creative arts. There's so many things that are on here. But I also wanna address one more thing, which is that when you walked in this morning, you might be looking around and you're like, I don't see a need. There's no need. There's people everywhere. And that is kind of on us.
We try really hard to make sure that we fill all of the available positions. But let me go ahead and give you a little, like, peek behind the curtain and tell you the things that you don't see.
What you don't see is that some of the volunteers that were greeting you or getting you coffee actually did it during service as well. But they just stayed and kind of sacrificed part of their worship experience for this service because there was no one there to fill their position and they didn't want to just leave it empty, so they kind of doubled up. What you don't see is actually Ashley in her seat right here where she normally sits, because she's teaching our middle school class today because there weren't any volunteers to do it. A couple weeks ago, I taught preschool, which is fantastic, except that if that had happened today, they would be up here with me, I guess. I don't know. Like, you don't see the conversations that we have as a staff where we are wrestling through the realities of, like, do we have to cancel our middle school class and only offer m kids at one of our services because we just don't have enough teachers in the rooms. It's just not sustainable to go on the way that we've been doing. And so that's why this is a real need, and that's why we are asking you to join us. We want you to serve and we want you to be served. We don't want you to have to sacrifice your needs or add to burnout by showing up to meet the needs of others that's why we have a system in place where most of our teams serve only every other week for one service. The goal is that you get to serve one and attend one, and you can attend every single Sunday if you want to. And while there are a few opportunities on here that are for midweek or able to do from home, while we would all love to volunteer from the warmth of our beds on Sunday mornings, we actually created these positions specifically for people who no longer are in Charlotte. So we have Marge, for example, who used to be part of us here in Charlotte, and she moved to Chicago, and now she hosts our livestream service. Our friend Lalz, who lives in Malaysia, also hosts our livestream service. She has never been in this building. She has never met any of us in person, but she wanted to be part of what Mosaic is doing, and so she serves. So our ask is that we kind of keep those reserved for our people who can't be here, because this is where the need is, where the majority of our people gather. This is where we need more hands. So in a couple minutes, I will give you the opportunity to fill this card out, circle a couple of options of things you're interested in, and we would be happy to call you and talk about what the best fit is for you. We want this to be something that showcases your skills and your giftings and is something that you enjoy if you're new. Also, if it's your first time. No pressure whatsoever. We're so glad that you're here. Hopefully this gives you a little picture into what we're about. If you've checked us out a couple times, but you're like, I don't know if I'm ready to commit. I'm still not sure I can make it really easy for you, for you to know whether or not we're the church for you. Come and hang out with our people.
Come and hang out with our people. Join a volunteer team. Let them into your life just a little bit. And after you serve with them for a couple weeks, you're gonna know pretty quickly. I love these people and their vibe. Or like, yeah, no, this is not the place for me. And if that's the case, that is okay. But we would love for you to find out for sure. I wanna end with one more quick story. It's another story of Jesus talking to a different group of people. And this time, this group of people are talking to Jesus. He's the one listening, and they're telling Jesus why they're so much better than all of the other Holy people, they're telling Jesus why they're better than them because they uphold the laws and the rules and all of the traditions of their ancestors. And they're telling Jesus all the things that they do that signify being a really good, faithful disciple. And Jesus interrupts them and he goes, hey, you have a clever way of rejecting God's law in order to uphold your own teaching.
When we pick and choose which commands of God we want to uphold, either because they're the easiest for us, or because they keep us comfortable, or maybe even because they elevate us above some other people, we're not living out God's heart. We are only living out a human man made situation.
When this is what happens, we have created a checklist of so many extra things that Jesus himself does not require for salvation or for a relationship with him.
This verse reminds me that God is like, hey, you have a clever way of rejecting my law in order to uphold your own teaching as in your own version of of Christianity. He's like, that's not what it's about.
Belief in God alone does not make us look like Jesus.
It's how we live it out, how we live out those beliefs that allows us to bring Jesus into the world that needs him so desperately.
I don't know about you, but I do not want to be someone that rejects God's law in order to uphold my own own righteousness.
Let's not be those people. Let's not be believers by title only. Let's not add to the stereotype of hypocritical Christians by professing a love that we then keep back from particular groups of people.
Let's not be people whose strong personal belief causes us to miss the invitation that Jesus is extending to us to join him in living out love and grace and mercy and forgiveness for every single person in this world.
May our adoration and our alliance be for King Jesus alone. And may we honor him by seeing him in other people and following his model to do whatever we can to meet those people's needs. I'm going to pray that over us. God, we thank you for who you are. God, we thank you for Jesus and the example that you have given us in his life.
Lord, I pray for any places in our heart, God, that are calloused that we are trying to hide behind a wall. God, that maybe feel bitter or defensive right now.
Lord, I pray against pride and that God, in humility we would hear where it is that you are speaking to us.
Help us to see the people, God that we do not see reflective of you, that we have decided God don't reflect you. God, help us to see the needs in the world around us and to break through whatever fear or limitation or excuse or justification that we have for letting someone else handle it instead of stepping in to do what we can.
God help us to be a true reflection of you in this world. And thank you for a community like this, God, that is truly reflective of a home and a family where we can meet each other's needs. God whether it's coffee or watching our kids, God, or praying for a friend who is upset.
God, would your presence be so clear here? God and we pray that you would bring in the right people, God, not only to join the team, but also to find Mosaic God. People who are looking for a different kind of church, a different version of you, God, and a gospel that truly reflects the words of Jesus.
Not because we're perfect God, but because we are focused on seeing you first in Jesus name. Amen. Thanks for listening to this message from Mosaic church in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more audio and video content, visit us at MosaicChurch TV.
