(We recorded this at our kitchen table because church was cancelled today. We hope you will take time to listen to the recording. Jane even chimes in a couple of times. It is a good sermon!)

A lot of us might be feeling like we are alone in the darkness right now. 

"Who among you fears the Lord
    and obeys the word of his servant?
Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God." Isaiah 50:10

"I will give you hidden treasures,
    riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:3

It's more important to be with Him in the darkness than to try and figure it out.

We live by promises, not by explanations.

How to navigate through the darkness:

1. Rely on God.
It isn't about reasons. It is more important to say "Here I am, God" rather than, "Why, God?"

God gets a lot of work done in the valleys.

This blessing of being challenged in the dark -- God is using it as a tool. God uses it. God gives examples in nature on how to deal with dark times, with "winter." 

(Here, Jane talks about decidious trees and how the process of dropping their leaves in the fall protects them for the winter. Also why evergreen trees bend their branches downward is mentioned -- really, listen to the recording -- you'll be glad you did). 

God's producing steadfastness in us. Challenges were necessary to prepare you for bigger challenges. The more challenges we get the more we rely on Him.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a]whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." James 1:2-3

Clay and pot process:

baptism in water first step.

Kneading -- second step. Clay has to surrender to potter's hand, get maleable. 

Being thrown and shaped on wheel is third step. Here the clay gets its permanent shape.

It looks done but it needs to be fired and glazed and fired again. Fire finishes us. Sometimes the object will be fired a third time -- the firing solidifies and brings out the beauty and its usefulness. 

A great example in scripture of God's children not waiting on Him, trying to get out of the darkness quicker is Abraham and Sarah getting a child by Hagar. They ran out of patience. We need to be careful about doing it ourselves -- getting ahead of God. We can really make a mess of things for us and others.

We seek for reasons. Instead, seek God. 

3. God uses trials to prepare us to work with others. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountainin the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."1 Kings 19:11-12

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:7-10

God is love. God came first. God's love is there no matter what we've done. He loves us. We are His. God loves us anyway. He loves everybody whether they love Him or not.

"We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sisteris a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister." 1 John 4:19-21

"Deep inside of everyone is a feeling is a desire to be lovable." Fred Rogers

Love is an action.

"Love is like infinity . . . Infinity just is. That is what I think love is." Fred Rogers

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Just accept God's love. Sometimes there's a tendency to give love out in little teaspoons. That isn't how God loves. That isn't how we ought to love either. 

Satan can't stop God's love. The world can't stop God's love. Nothing can stop us from expressing God's love -- no one or nothing.

The world's concept of love is the romantic kind --the Valentine's Day kind. God's love is so much bigger than this little bit. 

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

The world gives "conditional Love." This isn't love at all really. It is the attitude, "How can I give to get?"

Everything God does -- He lays out an example. We were created to be more than we are by ourselves.

The world is starving for love. It is looking for it -- doesn't even know what it is looking for. People are so hungry for love. There is a worldwide poverty of love. We are here to share our endless supply of love with all around us.

"For this reason I kneel before the Father,15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your heartsthrough faith. And I pray that you, being rootedand established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

Be "rooted and established in love."

This love is power. It's a weapon against the world and against Satan. There is no end to God's love. 

What did Jesus say about love?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," Matthew 5:43-44

Jesus died for us whether we accept Him or not.

"“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]" Matthew 22:36-39

When I am loving my neighbor I am loving God. Radical love. There's no one God doesn't love. There should be no one I don't love. 

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b]10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Romans 13:8-10

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18

This is our challenge!

Father loves the Son. Therefore, Father loves us through the Son. Therefore, We should love each other in the way of the Son.

He loved us enough to tell us about the Father.

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”" John 21:15-16

God sends us to share His love. Jesus asks each of us, "Do you love Me?"