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[Music] [choir singing] ♪ The King, Lord of Kings, rose ♪ ♪ With high a hand of mercy ♪

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♪ Made each one in accord of need ♪ ♪ Till my bounty comes ♪ ♪ Take my bill, Lord, and come ♪ ♪ I will never leave you ♪

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♪ This we will say now ♪ ♪ Make me holy now ♪ ♪ Glory to the new born King ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪

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♪ Come, Thine holy day, come ♪ ♪ Rain, bread from heaven ♪ ♪ Let Thy love over us ♪ [Music]

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[Music] [Music] As we continue our sermon series based on the Book of Psalms, we come to Psalm 84. We shall read the first five verses.

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"Our amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts; my soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house and the swallower nest for herself, where she may

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lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. They will be still praising thee, blessed is the man whose strength is in thee,

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in whose heart are the ways of them." This subject of the message, at home, away from home. To be at home is to be where one ought to be.

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To be at home is to be rightly related to one's roots. To be at home is for the finite to be blended with the infinite. Home is where time joins hands with the eternal.

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joins hands with the eternal. Much of human existence is spent away from home. When away from home, the words are often addressed to us,

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"Make yourself at home." It's a rather significant adjustment to make when one is away from home to feel at home. It's a significant relationship to be at home away from home. Well this is a human expectation.

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It's a divine gift. When we are away from home, it's often difficult to make the necessary adjustment because we find ourselves in a different scene, a different place, different room, a different bed, often on different food, different people,

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different circumstances. Some people, when they're away from home, they act as if they're accustomed to all the things that they do not have at home.

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I noticed that in entertaining some of the meetings that many of the guests who have to have this who have to have that, don't really have those things at home,

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but when they get away from home, they have to have it. They want the air conditioning on all the time, and when you go to their home, the air conditioning is off.

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We had one guest in our home some time ago, and he was asked whether he wanted coffee. said yes, asked if he wanted milk he said yes, asked if he wanted juice he said yes, he wanted all those things and his wife came while he was still there and she

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reminded him honey you don't have all those things at home. Psalm 84 was written by a pilgrim in a strange land, far from home, in a distant land, there is a longing for the familiar courts of the temple. Pilgrim is in exile, away from home, a prisoner of hostile forces, a victim of conditions and circumstances

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over which he has no control, this pilgrim suffers the anguish of exile. He longs for home. As a devout lover of the temple, he has the longing in his heart to be within the sacred precincts of the Lord's house. So what we have here is a call to worship in his soul. He remembers the gladness in his heart when it was

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said to him let us go to the house of the Lord. He remembers the grace and glory of divine worship with its resources of joy and fellowship and enrichment. In exile, far from home in a strange land, he has a longing to worship. He does celebrate the presence of God to be at home, away from home. Worship

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involves celebration. It is enjoying God. It's delighting in the Lord. We celebrate together in worship by sharing a common memory. It is the common memory of meaningful experience with the divine. Although Jerusalem, the holy city where the temple is beautifully situated is many miles away. This pilgrim takes a

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journey down memories lane and exclaims, "Oh how lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord." He expresses his profound delight over the magnificent temple with its great attractions, beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, Mount Zion, God's dwelling place. You know most people make the journey to church

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each week. We're devout worshippers. It's a physical journey. It may be a certain number of city blocks or it may be a journey of miles. But it's an experience that is faced with anticipation, a sense of expectation and satisfaction. Here the Jew in genta, the Jew rather in exile could not go over the hills and plains

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and valleys of Palestine to Jerusalem until the journey was completed there and to worship within the hallowed walls of the temple. In exile he could only pray with his face turned toward Jerusalem. But here is a pilgrim who knows what it means to be at home away from home. He practices the presence of

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God. He imagines himself in the midst of the throng of pilgrims who make their way over the long route to the place of worship. They travel together in the companionship of one another going from strength to strength until they stand in the presence of God in Zion. The journey is made through the desert places. He

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thinks of the worship experience as a journey through the Valley of Baca. He says as you travel through the valley of Baca make it a well. Here is a pilgrim that does not lose heart no matter what life brings. There is the will to recreate circumstances and to make them a joyous experience in song, to

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turn tears into smiles, sobs into songs, to make the dull, drab desert blossom like a rose. That's what it means to be at home, away from home. What is life doing to you?

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In a sense, all of us are exiles. We're away from home. away from where we would like to be in so many ways, away from our goals, away from our hopes, away from our aspirations. We have not achieved the things that we

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would like to achieve. We are still pilgrims on a journey and when we look at life in the midst of all of the many experiences and consider what life may bring. We may encounter disease, we may encounter temptations, we may encounter disasters, we may encounter disappointments, we may encounter heartaches,

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but the significant thing is what happens to us when we encounter all of these things. How do we react in the midst of this pilgrimage on which all of us are engaged. Can we somehow in the midst of our journey recognizing the fact that we are away from home still have a feeling of being at home? Away

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from home? The psalmist goes on to say the temple is a place where the sparrow has found a home. That as he thinks of the temple even though he's far from home he envisions the fact that even there as he thinks of the gorgeous temple that the sparrow has found a home there. And he visualizes the birds around the temple

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And he also says that the swallow has found a nest. And if the sparrow and the swallow are somewhat at home at the temple, how much so is God concerned about every one of his creatures? See the birds have a natural instinct.

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They know their home. They know where they belong. I understand that many pigeons were released the other day in connection with the celebration of the Statue of Liberty, Lady Liberty. But all of those pigeons, and many of them, thousands of them released, will somehow find their way home.

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And we talk about the swallows coming back to Capistrano. They know their home. But has in the celebration of our history and in the rededication of our lives How wonderful it is for one to make His nest to find a place of rest and satisfaction for his soul's yearning

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in God's dwelling place a Nest to find a nest in the Spirit of God God, to find rest in the love of God, a nest in the peace of God, and rest in the justice of God. And so what do you really have here as we look at Psalm 84 is

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three ways or we may say what we have we have three Beatitudes related to the Zion pilgrimage. First of all he's saying to us happy are those who dwell in the house of God. In other words the Psalmist's father lifts us to a higher level. He can't be there at the temple. He's probably in Babylon, he's in exile. But he can still be at home with God. He still knows what it is to have a dwelling place in God and he knows that God is with him and he dwells with God even though he's a away from home he still can have a feeling of home. You know it's a

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wonderful thing to come to the church and this church has existed over a hundred years, 111 years of this community. Many people identify with the building and when we've given a great deal of work and sacrifice to to the building. But there are many times when you can't get to the building. And so your religion

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doesn't need to be confined to this building. It's a wonderful thing that to have such thoughts and such experiences when we gather in this building as the people of God, that when we are away from this building, from this dwelling place, that God is with us. And that and we know that he somehow blesses us and that when we are in our homes and on our jobs and

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facing strange circumstances that we have a sense of being at home even when we are away from home. And how happy, how delightful is it with those who dwell in the house of God, who dwell where God dwells, whose spirit is indwelling in their lives. happy are they? Secondly, how happy are the pilgrims in root to God, in root to

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Zion, in root to God's dwelling place. Not only is there happiness when you get there, but there's happiness while you're on your way there, while you're on the journey. There were many of them in Palestine who left their humble villages and made that pilgrimage to Jerusalem and they had to go over the hills, they

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often traveled on the level places and they passed through valleys, over hills, through valleys, on level places, a long tedious journey but how happy are they as they make this journey. Sometimes with weary feet, tired, weary warm, but they're happy as they make the journey. I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights

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I'm gaining every day still praying as I onward bound Lord plant my feet On higher ground we say that We are marching to Zion

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May have difficulties along the way But we are marching to Zion How happy are the pilgrims in route to Zion

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How happy Rightly related to God, but delighting in his presence, no matter what may happen, there are some hills in the way, but to approach the hills with delight,

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because we're traveling to Zion. Well, the psalmist goes on to say, happy are those who trust in the Lord. Those who know what it is,

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who have an experience of God's dwelling place, who are in route to Zion and who have a sense of being at home away from home, these are they who know what it is, who have the happiness that comes through trust in the Lord because, He says, "They pass through the Valley of Baker and they make it a well."

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The Valley of Baker. The Valley of Baker may be for us, some of us, or even all of us. It may be some experience with sickness. The Valley of Baker.

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to pass through that Valley of Baker and make it away. Valley of Baker was a desert place, it was dry, it was a dull, lonely experience. It was nothing that one should should seek after. We don't seek to be ill. It's the Valley of Baker. It's something you'd like to get away from, but it's in your path. But if you're

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gonna make it to Zion. That somehow we've got to go through the valley of Baker, through some dull desolate desert where there's no sign of water there. We've got to go through it. How happy are those who trusted the Lord, who come through the valley of Baker and there in the valley of Baker where it's dry, desolate, lonely, and yet

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somehow come through that valley and when you get in that valley you make a well. No water but you make a well. Don't make a well, make a well. In the midst of all of you, Sarah, to somehow use that as an enriching experience for your life in the Valley of Baking. Not only not only you come to the valley but what he says

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you go through the valley you go through it you make it a whale whale make it a whale Kyle Yates tells the story of of a runner Cunningham fast runner he was involved in a serious accident

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and he was told that he would never be able to walk again, but through painstaking efforts, he just kept practicing and practicing and practicing. Later he gained the reputation of being one of the fastest runners in the world. So he passed through the Valley of Bacon.

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He made it a whale. We know the story of Jesse Owens. He was involved in the Olympics in Germany in the midst of all of the hostility,

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the bigotry, and the cold treatment that he received from Hitler, that he ran and he won that race and faced it all in a strange land in Germany with all of the race hatred that was evident there. Here this man ran and Hitler refused to shake his hand

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but he passed through the Valley of Binger and he made it away. That's what we've got to do. There's some circumstances in our lives, there's some values in our lives, there's some disappointments that we've got to face There's sickness somehow that we've got to encounter There are disasters along the way, but passing through the valley of faker make it a well

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Make it a well Make it a well John Bunyan Was put in Bedford's prison

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That's a dreadful place to be, but he's put there because of his witness for the Christian faith. And what does John Bunyan do? He doesn't harbor bitterness, you don't find him condemning his enemies and all of that, but while he is in Bedford's jail, he writes Pilgrim's Progress and we all remember John

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Bunyan because somehow when he was passing through the Valley of Baker he made it a well. He turned what we would consider tears into smiles and he turns sobs into songs passing through the valley of Baker, make it a well. Paul says I had a dreadful affliction, a thorn in the flesh and I besought the

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Lord three times that he would remove it, but the Lord said no, my grace is sufficient for you. Paul is talking about what it means to pass through the valley of Baker and to make it a well. We see this in the life of Jesus Christ, he passed through the Valley of Baker. We see him while he is being ridiculed

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on the cross, he's being cursed so to speak, he's in the Valley of Baker, it's a dark desolate valley that he passes through, he's crucified on the cross and he's put in a grave, he's left there for three days, he passes through the Valley of Baker because on the first day of the week he got up, he passed through that

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valley, he got up. All power is in my hand, he passed through the Valley of Baker so somehow ready to be able to feel at home away from home is to have the joy bells to ring in your soul no matter what life may bring. Have the joy bells to ring.

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Blessed are they who dwell in thy house. They shall walk through life's dark lonesome valley in peace. They shall have joy bells ring in their soul when the world is silent, when insults are hurled in their faces, because they are at home with God.

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We're exiled now. We're on our journey. We're on our journey to Mount Zion. We've got to pass through some valleys now, but thanks be to God for that experience of knowing what it is to be at home, away from home. How lovely are thy dwelling places, O Lord. Happy are those who dwell in the house of the Lord.

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Happy are the pilgrims on their way to Zion. Happy are those who trust in the Lord. We come now to extend the invitation. It's an invitation to Christian discipleship.

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Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling. He's calling us home, calling us to our roots, calling us to the source of our being. We invite you to come and unite with the people of God accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, come home. Unite with this church by letter of my Christian experience, come home.

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[ Music ] Strongly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and I here. See, oh how our cult is waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me.

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Come home, come home, ♪ He who hath willed the Lord ♪ ♪ Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling ♪ ♪ All ye folks in the heart of God ♪

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Why should we tarry when Jesus is near, weeping for you and for him? Why should we linger and heed not His mercies? Mercies for you and for me. ♪ Come home, come home, hear you all hear me, come home ♪

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♪ Harvest sweet and velvety, Jesus is calling ♪ ♪ Holy, holy Lord ♪ ♪ Our Lord ♪ - At home, the table is set.

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All of the arrangements is made for the feast. For one to engage in the banquet of life. It is a table that is prepared by the Father himself. It is provided for all of the people of God who trust in Him.

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Everyone who has been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ and who expresses faith in Him is invited to commune at the table. Jesus says, "And as often as you do it in remembrance of me, you show forth my death and my suffering."

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So as we come to this table, every person committed to Jesus Christ, committed to that freedom which is in him, we invite you now to bow your heads, to ask for that forgiveness, that divine forgiveness which God gives to the world through Jesus Christ, forgiveness of our sins. "For he who eats and drinks unworthily,"

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said the Apostle Paul, eats and drinks damnation to his own soul. So God has to cleanse us and to make us fit subjects to sit at his table, not ours, but his, the Lord's table. Let us pray. Lord we have come now to celebrate your presence in in our lives and your power.

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We've come to commune at your table. We've come to express our thanks to you for the gift of Jesus Christ and his presence in our lives. Forgive us of our sins and grant that this shall be a time

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of holy communion with each other and with you. Bless all of us as we gather around your table And send us forth with great determination to do your will we pray in Jesus name. Amen [inaudible]

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Frankie Oliver. [Bell rings] (eerie music) (eerie music)

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(eerie music) (eerie music) (eerie music) (eerie music)

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(eerie music) (eerie music) (eerie music) (eerie music)

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(eerie music) (ominous music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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[Music] (ominous music) [Music] (dramatic music)

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[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]

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[Music] [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]