The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
Exodus 13:17-22main passage read aloud, the pillar of cloud and fire leading Israel through the wilderness
17 When Pharaoh had let the people go, God didn’t lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt”;
18 but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you.”
20 They took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
21 Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night:
22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, didn’t depart from before the people.
cited to show the Holy Spirit was the one leading Israel, connecting the cloud to the Spirit
11 Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, “Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among them?”
12 Who caused his glorious arm to be at Moses’ right hand? Who divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
13 Who led them through the depths, like a horse in the wilderness, so that they didn’t stumble?
14 As the livestock that go down into the valley, Yahweh’s Spirit caused them to rest. So you led your people, to make yourself a glorious name.
first mention of cloud in scripture, linked to the rainbow promise after the flood
1 God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand.
3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you.
4 But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat.
5 I will surely require your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man.
6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.
7 Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”
8 God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth.
11 I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud,
15 I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17 God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
18 The sons of Noah who went out from the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these, the whole earth was populated.
20 Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.
21 He drank of the wine and got drunk. He was uncovered within his tent.
22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.
23 Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were backwards, and they didn’t see their father’s nakedness.
24 Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
25 He said, “Canaan is cursed. He will be a servant of servants to his brothers.”
26 He said, “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth. Let him dwell in the tents of Shem. Let Canaan be his servant.”
28 Noah lived three hundred fifty years after the flood.
29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and then he died.
referenced briefly as the source of the fruit of the Spirit, including peace
1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing.
3 Yes, I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.
5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith wait for the hope of righteousness.
6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision amounts to anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith working through love.
7 You were running well! Who interfered with you that you should not obey the truth?
8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you.
9 A little yeast grows through the whole lump.
10 I have confidence toward you in the Lord that you will think no other way. But he who troubles you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
11 But I, brothers, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.
12 I wish that those who disturb you would cut themselves off.
13 For you, brothers, were called for freedom. Only don’t use your freedom for gain to the flesh, but through love be servants to one another.
14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
26 Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message, preached on the last Sunday Tribe met at the TMC, took the story of Israel being led through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire and asked what it looks like to stay under God's leadership today. Pastor Brian traced the passage through Exodus 13 and connected it to the season Tribe is walking into as the church packs up camp and moves on. The main image he kept returning to was simple: stay in the shade.
What was said
The passage in Exodus 13 describes God leading Israel out of Egypt not by the shortest route through Philistine territory, which was Gaza, but by a longer, circuitous road through the wilderness. Pastor Brian pointed out that the text is clear about who was doing the leading. It was not Moses, not a vote, not a reading of atmospheric conditions. It was the Lord. He noted that the word for leading or guiding appears at least three times in those few verses, and said the repetition is not accidental.
The congregation was invited to share what stood out to them in the passage, and several observations came out. One person noted that God took them the harder way but stayed with them. Another brought up a podcast point that Israel simply was not ready to face what the direct route required. Pastor Brian built on both of those, saying the circuitous route served three purposes: protection, development, and giving the people time to learn how to fight. He was honest that his own instinct when he senses God leading him away from where he wants to go is to throw a fit, and that the ability to say thank you for the long way around is a mark of growing maturity.
Pastor Brian then spent time on the cloud itself, asking the congregation to use their imagination about what it would have looked and felt like. The cloud provided shade in a region where there were almost no trees and where the sun was brutal. At night the pillar of fire gave warmth against the desert cold and enough light to travel safely. He noted that being under the cloud allowed Israel to do things they would never have attempted on their own, including traveling at night. The cloud made possible what seemed impossible or unnatural under their own strength and wisdom.
He then moved to the question of what we have today in place of that cloud, and the answer he was looking for from the congregation was the Holy Spirit. He read from Isaiah 63 to show that the same Spirit who was present in the wilderness is the Spirit given to believers now. The primary way that Spirit leads, he said, is through peace, not our own sense of what feels comfortable, but the peace described in Philippians 4:6, which exceeds anything we can understand. He drew a direct line between Israel staying under the cloud and believers pursuing and following God's peace. If your skin is burning, he said, you are not in the shade.
Near the end of the sermon, Pastor Brian introduced an observation from Genesis 9, where the word cloud first appears in Scripture, always linked with a rainbow and God's promise to Noah. He suggested, and was careful to call it his own sanctified imagination rather than a claim from the text, that the cloud leading Israel may have carried a rainbow within it. The image he offered was that staying in the shade of God's leadership means you can see the rainbow of his promises clearly. Step out from under it and you lose sight of them.
That thread tied directly into the announcement that this was Tribe's last Sunday at the TMC. Pastor Brian described the leadership team, the TLT, having sensed back in January that the word for 2026 was to get moving. The cloud, he said, is lifting from the TMC. Tribe will meet through August in Powderhorn Park and then begin Sunday evening services at First Baptist Church in September. He was straightforward that this feels unnerving, and he acknowledged that some people might treat the change as an off ramp from the community. But he kept returning to the same image: the cloud is moving, and the call of the people of God is to follow it, not stay at the campsite because it got comfortable.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
When you feel anxious about a decision this week, stop and honestly ask yourself whether you have the Lord's peace about it before you move forward.
Next time you see a rainbow, let it be a prompt to check in: are you following his peace right now, or have you drifted out into the sun?
If there is an area of your life where you know you are out in the shade, take one step of repentance back toward the Lord and ask him to forgive you.
If you are a college student heading into a new city, make finding and planting yourself in a local church your first-week priority, not something to get around to later.
Wherever the cloud is moving in your own life right now, resist the urge to shortcut the route God has you on, even if the destination looks like it should be a straight line from here.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
Brian talked about the circuitous route God led Israel through the wilderness, and said being able to thank God for the roundabout journey while you are still in the middle of it is a mark of growing maturity. Where are you on that right now, and what makes it hard?
Brian said God led Israel the long way around for three reasons: protection, development, and to give them time to learn how to fight. Looking back at a difficult season in your own life, can you see any of those three things at work? Which one is easiest to recognise in hindsight, and which is hardest to trust in the moment?
El pastor Brian Hunter predicó el último domingo que la congregación se reunió en el TMC, el espacio que Tribe ha ocupado por varios años. A partir de Éxodo 13:17-22, señaló que Dios no llevó a Israel por el camino más corto hacia la tierra prometida, sino por una ruta más larga, protegida por una columna de nube de día y una columna de fuego de noche. Esa nube no era decorativa: daba sombra en el calor del desierto, calor en las noches frías, y luz para caminar incluso de madrugada. La enseñanza central fue sencilla: así como Israel estaba protegido mientras permanecía bajo la nube, nosotros estamos protegidos cuando seguimos la paz del Espíritu Santo.
Pastor Brian explicó que hoy no tenemos una columna de nube visible, pero sí tenemos al Espíritu Santo como guía. Una de las formas principales en que el Espíritu nos dirige es a través de su paz, no una paz fabricada por nosotros mismos, sino la paz de Dios que supera todo entendimiento. Si alguien siente que está "quemándose bajo el sol", fuera de esa paz, el camino de regreso es tan cercano como una confesión honesta y un paso de arrepentimiento. También señaló algo en el texto sobre los huesos de José: el pueblo llevó consigo esos huesos al salir de Egipto, lo que representa que los valores y la identidad central de un pueblo deben viajar con ellos sin importar a dónde vayan.
Al final del sermón, Brian anunció que Tribe deja el TMC ese mismo día. Durante agosto se reunirán al aire libre en Powderhorn Park, y en septiembre comenzarán los servicios a las 5PM en First Baptist Church. Llamó a la congregación a no tomar este cambio como razón para alejarse, sino a seguir la nube juntos, confiando en que la misma fidelidad de Dios que los sostuvo en el TMC los sostendrá en el siguiente capítulo.
---
Pasajes bíblicos usados
Éxodo 13:17-22
Isaías 63:11-14
Filipenses 4:6
2 Tesalonicenses 3:16
Gálatas (mención a los frutos del Espíritu, sin versículo específico citado)
Cantares (referencia general, sin versículo específico citado)
Read the full transcript10,426 words
Let's stand together.
Just Spirit, invite him this morning. Fix your eyes and your heart
on him today. Begin with it, interact and meet with the living God today.
Spirit, come. Holy Spirit
Let's think about these words.
Holy Spirit, come. Oh, we need you. We need you. Oh, we need you. Sing that.
Come like a flood. Come Holy Spirit, come. Lord, we just tell
you we need you. We need you today. Oh, we need you. Would you just pray with me? Lord, we give you today.
And not just today, but every single day. Would you search our hearts this morning? We come to you this morning and we need and long and desire for a fresh new encounter with you. We admit we're needy and that's how you made this relationship that we would come fresh to you every day. It's why the manna only lasted one day.
We were never meant to feast on yesterday's, fear yesterday's, glory yesterday's time with you even, but to seek you new each day and today is a new day so we come before you and I just pray for every precious heart in this room before we continue to worship and sing. Whatever is going on in their world right now, that they would lean into you, that they would just take the circumstances, the situation, the hurts, the joys of their life, and they would just set it aside and that they would just fix their eyes on you and be content in your presence today because you're already here, your presence is here. What a bummer it would be to not encounter you at church because we're not just here to check a box, we're here to meet with you, to honor your word that says do not forsake the gathering of the saints. We come together because you long for us in this unique way to come together and worship you. So as we continue to sing, just pray for every precious heart in here that they would be able to just discipline their mind and fix their eyes and their heart on you today, Lord.
Spirit, come.
Spirit sound rushing with power of your presence pour your spirit pour your spirit spirit pour your your spirit
Sing that again. There's nothing worth more. Just declare it.
There's nothing worth more Just think about that, the glory of your goodness, God. We need it. Oh, holy spirit. You are welcome.
Just take a minute and just tell him.
All you're doing, God. Keep refining me, keep refining me,
that I would eagerly wait, Through our surrender to you is how you make us ready. Through our time spent and intimacy is where you change us. Lord, we ask that you would speak to us through your word today, that would change us, that we would be refined, we would give you permission today to change us. Because your word says that when we see you face to face we'll be like you. That means one of us has to change and it ain't you.
Perfect, sweet, powerful, wonderful Jesus. We thank you. Be in this gathering, continue to move by your spirit today. We give you permission. I thank you for everyone in this room and I thank you for this space to be able to come and worship you freely in our little living room.
Tell you we love
you Jesus. We love you, Jesus. Everybody said, amen. Turn around, say good morning, and then if there's a seat next to you in here towards the wall, maybe just scooch over a seat so someone that's crowded back there can find it. Thank you.
Here we are squeezed in. This is great. Alright. So right on the front end, I want to let you all know this is Oliver Lacks last Sunday with us before he heads off to college. That's the appropriate answer.
We also got a green girl that is headed off to college soon and an Abad girl headed off to college. When is her last Sunday? Abad. Andy. Alright.
Alright. So we'll we'll kind of we'll we'll split it up so it's not a big Band Aid rip. Spread a out the little bit. And James is headed off to college when? Twenty fourth.
Oh, this is good. It's not hard on all of our hearts right at once. But I feel like if if Corey were to what you guys don't know is part of the best one of the best parts of Sunday morning experience is being here long before anybody else arrives, and the Von Lack family is playing all of their instruments. And so, Corey, I don't know if you can strum something cool that would inspire Oliver to just really heat up the skins one last time for us before he goes off to college. But grab those drumsticks.
And he's playing it shy, but he can't wait. He's already thinking about this drumbeat that we're gonna have. And so, we're just gonna let Oliver Oh, oh, yeah. He's getting yeah. Yeah.
He's like, wait. Is this thing even on? I don't even I don't even know. But There he goes. Now he's gonna take it up a notch.
Yes? Uh-huh. Alright. Alright. Alright.
That was about a level three of 10 that that he can go for. One of my favorite memories, I have so many of Oliver Lack, is last year or maybe the year before last. So, it's not like when he was 12. It was like just recently. During the Super Bowl, we were all over at the Lack's house for the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl performance was just I I don't remember who it was, but it was terrible.
And so, mostly Amanda was like, We want our own halftime show. Oliver, give us a real halftime show. And he's like, no. No. No.
No. No. No. We're like, the halftime show in the Super Bowl is just lame. Oliver, we want a halftime show.
And he's like, no. No. No. And then he disappears. Only to reemerge five minutes later with a full wardrobe change, a fake mic, and it was literally the best halftime show in all of America.
That's that. So I do want to say a couple of serious things about Oliver really quickly. Few, few people in the history of Tribe, we're about to celebrate our tenth birthday this fall. Few people in the history of Tribe have been as faithful as this young man, Oliver Lack. Now all of you that call Tribe home, I love each and every one of you, and you've all made your wonderful, unique contribution, and you all have a special place in my heart.
However, there's something to be said about unwavering, stalwart, faithful dedication to the ministry of Tribe at such a young age, and that is Oliver Leck. So there is there's a a story a storyline of a guy in the life and ministry of Paul the apostle as he is in prison and in jail and and is mentioned in multiple different letters and his last Paul's last mention of this come alongside helper of Paul in ministry, he says, and give my love to the to the house of Onesiphorus which could indicate that Onesiphorus had passed away But up until he left the story arc of Paul's life, Paul refers to Onesiphorus as as faithful, as an encouragement in ministry, and his name Onesiphorus even means one who brings profit. And I think that each and every single one of us have profited from Oliver's ministry on the worship team and faithfulness to tribe, right? So, one word of admonishment as you get ready to head off to school. I know that your faith is your own, but your own faith and dedication will be tested week one of you living in Tulsa.
Right? So, you've had mom and dad, older brothers. Older brother. Older. Well, you kind of have a lot of older brothers here at Tribe.
Jay's back there like, I'm here. Colson's here. So when you go to Tulsa, mom's not going to be there to wake you up with kisses and belly rubs. You can't. You can't.
Dad's not going to be there till after the third time mom has come in to give you belly rubs to wake up and using his dad voice, inflict the lights on and open up the shades. That's not going to happen as you go to to Tulsa. I am confident that that your mom and dad have planted seeds in you that will begin to bear fruit as you go to Tulsa but when you step foot in Tulsa, as you go to college, even though you're going to be living with extended family, which I think is great, that's where the rubber is going to meet the road. And I implore you to find a church that is as close to as cool as this family is. It's going to be hard, I know, in Tulsa, but that you would find a church that you would plug in.
The Bible says, those who are planted as in seek deep, sink deep roots into the house of the lord, our god will flourish. You have flourished here at Tribe and I look forward to seeing the church that you sink roots into and are planted in and thrive and grow and bless the church that you're a part of in Tulsa the same way that we have been blessed here at Tribe by You. Yeah? So, mom and dad, put a hand on his shoulder. I'll I'll pray for him real quick.
I'm going to be still for just a moment. Wait, before I pray, just look at me one more time. You can look with one eye if you want. You know that, like, he never played the drums before, but we needed a drummer. And you should see him on the keyboard, and you should see him on saxophone, the xylophone, the melodica, and like, yeah.
Yeah, seriously. So, that leads me into prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for the gifts and the talent that you have placed in Oliver Lagg. Thank you for the great blessing that he has been to his family, to the Hunter family, and to our greater tribe family. God, we command a blessing over his life.
As he starts this next chapter, moving to Tulsa and going to school down there. God, I pray that you would bring wonderful, godly influences into his life. I pray that you would protect his innocence, that you would help him to guard his heart. You would you would lead him clearly in the church that you're calling him to serve in and that he would thrive and that he would flourish and that he would take real genuine ownership of his own faith and relationship with you. Thank you for loaning Oliver Lack to us and lord bless the church that he goes to because they're going to get a great, wonderful asset.
We love you, Jesus and we love you, Oliver. We pray these things in Jesus name and everybody said, amen. Amen and you might have to all of you sit there for church today. So, so what what do you need to do? Go ahead and do what you need to do.
For the rest of you, if you have your Bible, let's turn to Exodus chapter 13. Exodus chapter 13. We're going to read verses 17 through 22. If it's been a while since you've been to church with us here at the TMC or you are brand new, one of the unique distinctives about our particular venue is since we're so small and cozy, instead of just me doing this all by myself, I really enjoy it when we get to go on a journey together. And that means reading together, discussing together, considering together.
And so to prime the pump, I always like to invite someone to read the main passage that we're going to be having our discussion in. So, anybody who has Exodus chapter 13, would you please read out loud verses 17 through 22? Who would oh, and Lyssa has the mic in the room for all of our families that are watching the livestream. So, just raise your hand. We'll get you the mic.
Alright. Thanks, Aaron. And would you read Exodus 13 verses 17 through 22?
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.
For Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear saying, God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones with you from here. And they moved on from Sukoth and encamped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
So good. If you're taking notes this morning, you can write the title of the conversation that we're gonna have at the top of your notes. The title of the conversation this morning is Stay in the Shade. Stay in the shade. Which is also some really good practical advice for the summer that we're having here in Jackson.
It has been blazing hot. But what I love about the summer here is no matter how hot it is out in the sun, if you just step in the shade, it's so much nicer. But this summer has been a real scorcher. What I'd like us to do is go on a journey through these passages, taking note of several key observations that I would like us to make, and then consider how this passage impacts our lives personally and how this passage is very apropos to where we are as a church family. But first, I'd love to hear from you.
So as you look at this passage, I invite you to consider what we just read and see if there's any details that stand out to you as interesting or noteworthy or maybe even confusing. Like, I have a question about this. I'd love to see what sort of details you notice about this passage. And don't worry, you don't necessarily need to make like a deep spiritual connection. We're going to unpack those levels in a little bit.
But first, I'd love to see what stands out to you. If you have an observation, just raise your hand and we'll get the mic to you. What do you see? Oh, right next to each other. Hello.
Microphone buddies.
Well, it's interesting that rather than choosing the easy path, the shorter path, he took them a much harder route. But he stayed with them.
So there is a What you doing babe?
I'm just sending more shit. Sorry. Couldn't even hear
Might as well give me a
hug while you're here. Welcome to our living room.
Oh yeah, that's my husband.
Scandalous.
Okay. So the observation that Nancy made is the route by which the Lord led them. Anybody in here ever felt like the leadership of the Lord has been less of a straight line and more of a circuitous route? And how many of you have really enjoyed that? Exactly.
Why he do that? Why he do that? We'll talk more about that, but that is a fantastic observation. Yeah, what do you got?
Mine was actually based off of that. I was just listening to a podcast this week about this passage and how he takes them around because they weren't ready
Yes.
To face what they needed to for the direct route. And they needed to be taken around so that way they could then face that or be in the right space for that?
Yes. Has anybody ever this is a mark of maturity. If you wanna evaluate where you are in your relationship with the Lord, you can always think about either a difficult circumstance that you're in where you know the the the outcome or what God's gonna do or how this is all going to play out but right now, you're in the midst of something and it feels like you're maybe even going in the complete opposite direction of where god has has for you But in the midst of that, do you say, Lord Jesus, thank you so much for this roundabout journey that you're taking me on? If you say if you can say that, you are growing in maturity as a Christian. If after you've reached the destination of whatever trial or season or difficulty that you're going through and you look back and you see that the Lord took you on a circuitous route that you can say, Lord, thank you so much for all the extra miles I had to do to get me there.
You might be a mature Christian. You're growing in maturity. Because the tendency, let's I'll just be honest. Because the tendency is when I'm going being led this way and I know that the destination is this way. I tend to throw a fit.
I tend to stick my lower lip out and I stomp or pitch a fit and scream around on the ground. So I have some growing to do. And then when it's all done, I'm like, oh, thank you, Lord. And God's like See?
You're do that again.
Yeah. Let's try it again.
So there's a a scripture. I forget where it is. All I know is it it's meant a lot to me. And it says, who can straighten out what God has made crooked? Don't fight against God.
Get in line and keep going. That's kind of my own version, but that's what it says. That
works. Imagine imagine being like, well, okay, if the destination is here and you're leading me this way and you're like, well, I'm just going to make a beeline for it here. You're going to short circuit god's plan for what he has. How about the how about that guy that had the FKT on the grand? Maybe a very few of you know about that.
Fastest known time for the grand. But what did he do? Oh, he cut he shortcutted cut shorted? Wait. Shortcutted.
Shortcutted. Shortcutted. Yes. One switchback and has gotten himself into all kinds of hot water because of that. So, if you're going for an FKT, Fastest Known Time, on God's plan for your life, don't cut the switchbacks.
That was a good sermon right there for all the mountain athletes. So I want to draw your attention to a couple of observations that I've made and steer us in a direction where I feel like the lord wants us to take the conversation today. So if you look at verse 21, it says this, when pharaoh finally, do I have the whole passage up there? Verse 21, do I have that up there? I'm I might not.
The lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud and provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night And here's the first observation that I'd like you to take note of, aside from the great contributions that we've already had. Who guided them during the day and then during the night? Who?
The lord. This was not the leadership of Moses. This was not the leadership of atmospheric weather patterns, just chasing clouds. This was not a democracy where Moses said, Hey, where do you guys think we should go next? The Bible's super clear about who was the leader of the nation of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness.
It was the lord leading them. So, I think that's that's it seems very obvious but it's really important. Imagine up to a million people or more that have come out of bondage and slavery in Egypt and have spent time at the base of Mount Sinai and are now traveling through the wilderness on their way to the promised land. The leadership was clearly in the hands of the lord and why this seems obvious is because if any of you are human in this room and I don't want to assume your nature is for you to decide what's best and for you to be the leader of your own life. And you may get it right every now and then, even a broken clock is correct twice a day.
But more than likely, how many times have you followed your own leadership and wound up in the ditch? Let By show of the record show in the livestream, all hands were raised except for the liars. If you look at that passage, one of the things, one of the ways you can study the Bible is to do a word count. Is there a word or a phrase that is repeated? And the word leader or leadership or guide, all meaning the same thing, is mentioned at least three different times in those few verses.
So, one other observation, if you look at verse 17, maybe I have verse 17 in there. Verse 17, it says, when pharaoh finally let the people go, god did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory. That is Gaza today. Even though that was the shortest route to the promised land, God said, if the people are faced with the battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. God knows you better than you know yourself.
That that was a little free nugget. But why did he lead them along the way? In a circuitous route. If you find yourself feels like you're just doing loop de loops in the wilderness, god's up to something. He's leading you in the direction that he is leading you currently for three reasons.
Number one, for your protection. Number two, for your development. He is building things in you right now that will best prepare you for the destination that he has for you. Meaning, you ain't ready yet, but you're gonna be. And then number three, to give them time to learn how to fight.
Because even though it is a partnership and under his leadership, you must learn how to fight. Alright, this is a bonus one. I feel like there have been a lot of bonus things, but there's another bonus one. It's kind of weird that they're like, bring Moses' bones. I mean, Joseph's bones.
Don't forget my bones when you leave. Okay. They're like packing up and they're like, where are Joseph's bones? Like, what what who has em? What duffel bag are they in?
Okay, you can't forget Joseph's bones and you're bringing him along. There's there's a whole another sermon that we could take time to unpack and have a conversation about the rich depth of the meaning. But for now, suffice to say, the Hebrew understanding of the word of bones not only were like your skeletal system as we know of scientifically today, but they represent the core, you could even say values and ideals of a person. What gave a person strength? What allowed them to stand?
Their skeletal structure, we know in our scientific mind, but the Hebrew idea, understanding behind the bones, a person's bones is what gave them their strength and their strength was related to their core values and what they stood for. And what's really cool is even though they were leaving Egypt behind, we're going to take these core values with us. Don't forget Joseph's bones. Now, let's talk about what I really want to talk about, the cloud and I'm not talking about Apple storage. Thank you, Christian.
The cloud Let's use our sanctified holy imagination and think about what that cloud was like. When you picture Israel being led by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night, I would love to hear what comes to your imagination about that pillar of fire or that pillar of cloud. And this question is not just for those of us in this room, but also for all of you in the VIP section. Don't think that you're going to get off the hook just because you're back there. In fact, this is the last Sunday you get to hide back there, so enjoy it.
But what comes to your mind when you think of the cloud? What picture do you see? Kai?
I think of, like, the alien movie Arrival with like that giant spaceship that's like kind of in the fog like kind of ominous but like still like very clear. I kind of picture like that visual representation of just something so massive that like kind of you can't deny that it's like something greater. So that's kind of what I thought of.
More than just a puffy cloud? Yeah. Okay. Okay. Alright.
What else do you see in your mind's eye with that with that cloud? Tornado. Oh, a tornado. Oh, a tornado is like touching down? It's all the way up.
And swirling? Oh.
That's exactly what I was gonna say.
Well Greta say it, Nancy short circuited you. Let's turn the Woah.
But then like when it starts to move you're like oh guys we gotta back up like
it's moving we gotta follow it.
It's like, oh, it moves, we move. It stops, we stop.
Yeah. I hadn't thought of, like, a tornado. Okay. Okay.
I picture a like, when you're trying to stay in the shade. I was painting a house and I was so aware of where the clouds were and every time the cloud would move, I would move in the sky so that I could stay in the shade while I was painting. And I thought, oh, I bet this is like when you're actually looking at where the cloud is, you're so aware of when you're in the shade, when you really need it.
Yes.
Because the sun done burnt you.
So, have you don't need to answer out loud, but are any of you in a season right now where you can feel the sun actively burning your skin? You are not in the shade. And when your skin blisters from not following the leadership of the lord, you can try but it doesn't work very well for you to blame the lord for your sunburn. That hard to swallow? You need to hear it.
Here's some really cool attributes about the cloud. Had to be massive. I I like what Kai was saying. Like, there are clouds and then there's the cloud. The cloud that led them during the day it provided shade which is important.
Lisa and I have been to Saudi Arabia. We have been at the base of Mount Sinai. We have been on the top of Mount Sinai. We have been in that region and it was October or November. As it's getting cooler and cooler.
They were there. Israelites were there more or less during the summer and while we were there, while it was still cool, you were just like like anything you could do to be out of the sun because it was an order of magnitude more intense than what we experienced here in Jackson.
Also remember we commented there were like no big trees? Yes. In all the land? We were like, how would you get in the shade anywhere?
Like maybe you could like crawl under like like a scraggly little thorn bush thing and that was pathetic at best. Not only did the cloud provide shade during the day, but the Bible is really clear that the cloud provided radiant warmth at night because the when the desert does not hold any kind of heat, and you can experience up to 40 degree temperature fluctuation between the daytime temperature and the nighttime temperature. At night, in the desert, it is freezing. Like, snuggle up with your camel, cold. But with that massive cloud, it provided a nice little night light because the wilderness desert is scary and god knows that you get scared and he's going to give you a night light and the radiant heat I would imagine from that light would give a nice, warm, comfortable temperature for the nation of Israel as they traveled through the wilderness?
And, what would that be like to be camped underneath a cloud that provided an amount of heat and some light so that you didn't stub your toe on a tent peg on your way to the bathroom at night. What was that like for the nation of Israel? That light at night also allowed for them to travel at night if needed. Now, in our own understanding, we tend to operate if we're not under the leadership of the lord. We tend to operate under our own leadership either by what feels good or what we think we want or or what we've been told to follow and get in line with what the world tells us.
And there are times when we would say under our own effort, energy, wisdom, and strength, oh, I I can't do that. In the same way that Israel would never ever think or consider to travel at night. You just don't travel at night. Unless you're under the cloud. If you're in the shade of the lord's wisdom and guidance, he could have you move in a direction that doesn't seem natural or make sense and the timing of the lord allowing because of his protection and provision, he allowed them to travel at a time when nobody else was traveling and moving.
The cloud really was pretty amazing that they had for leadership and for guidance back in those days. How many of you wish that you had your own personal cloud pillar of cloud of leadership from the Lord that all you had to do was just follow that cloud. Yes. Wouldn't that be great? And it's a big, puffy capital A so that Amanda would know, Oh, that's my cloud of leadership.
So, Oh, I'm Amanda. Okay, I followed that cloud. Wouldn't that just be awesome and great? We don't have that same cloud leading us today, but that doesn't mean that we are not without leadership and guidance. Israel had the cloud.
What do we have today? The Holy Spirit. Want me to show you how you're right? It's always nice to be right and biblically accurate. Isaiah chapter 63 verse 11 through 14.
Just jot it down and then you can come back to it. Then they remembered those days of long ago when Moses led his people out of Egypt. There where is the one who brought Israel through the sea with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his what? Holy Spirit to be among his people.
Where is the one whose power was displayed when Moses lifted up his hand? The one who divided the sea before him, making himself famous forever? Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling. What a great compliment.
If anybody calls you a fine stallion, just say thank you. As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the spirit of the lord gave them rest. You led your people, Lord, and gained a magnificent reputation. Today, we don't have a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. But we can still stay in the shade by following the leadership of God's Holy Spirit.
How does God's Holy Spirit what is one of, and I may even suggest one of the primary ways that God's Holy Spirit leads us today. I am looking for a specific answer. God's hope who said it? Jamie. His peace.
This is a world full of either no peace or false peace, which is really just anesthetizing the reality that a person, a culture, and a country has no real genuine peace. One of the primary ways that the Holy Spirit leads his people today is by his peace. This is not a raise your hand question but have you ever experienced the peace of the Holy Spirit? Are you do you find yourself in a situation today looking for answers, looking for direction in the midst of a choice that you've made, but if you were to get really real with yourself, you actually don't feel the Lord's peace about it. We don't have the pillar of fire, we don't have the cloud, but we do have his holy spirit.
His holy spirit leads us. And for all of you who were raised in a particular denominational tradition, yes, yes, yes, yes, of course, of course, of course he leads us with this. Of course, yes, yes. But, this will not tell you that you should go to this particular school compared to this particular school. This book is full of the general revelation of the Lord for your life.
If you have a question, should I rob this bank or not? You're going to find some really good scripture to guide you. Okay? But if you look, should I should I marry this girl or should I marry this girl? You're going to find some good basic information but you're not find a scripture that says, and Jacob lovely okay, well, well, maybe you will.
But like you're not going to find specific for you kind of information in there. That's where you need the specific revelation of the Lord. And in that regard, one of the primary ways that the Lord leads his people is through his peace, not your peace. Remember, it was not a democracy. It was not under Moses' leadership.
It was the Lord's leadership. His peace is given to us to help lead us and guide us. Remember in Galatians, it's one of the fruits of the spirit that he gives to us. This verse, I know that you you many of you are familiar with. Philippians chapter four verse six.
Don't worry about anything. I think he wants me to say that again. Don't worry about anything Instead, pray about everything. Tell god what you need and thank him for what he has already done. And then what will happen?
Then you will experience, encounter, come underneath the shade of God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. I mean, how many oh, the hyperlinks in my brain between just this passage alone and what we read in Exodus, which exceeds anything we can understand. You never travel at night unless you're following his peace. His peace will guard, gospel according to Brian, and guide your hearts and minds as you live, stay in the shade of Christ Jesus. Stay in the shade.
How do I know if I'm in the shade or not? Is your skin burning? Meaning, what you're doing, do you find yourself just slamming against a brick wall? Do you find yourself spinning your wheels? Are you frustrated?
Are you upset? Are you overly distracted? Are you depressed? Are you up to your eyeballs in sin? You're out in the burning sun.
Get in the shade. One more. Yes.
This is coming up for me, so I thought I should share in case someone else could learn from it too. I can think of two very specific situations where I needed to stay in the peace, and both times I didn't feel peace. And I had to ask, do I not have peace because I'm trying to do something in my own strength and I'm trying to do it the wrong way? And then he said, yeah, I got you and gave me that peace. And so then it was like I knew to go forward even though I didn't want to.
My flesh wanted to run. And then a different situation, I felt that feeling of like anxiety and things. And it was like, okay. And I didn't ask him why, but I didn't go forward with whatever the thing was because I was like, oh, that's weird. And then come to find out, I needed to stay in this I needed to not do that thing.
And so it was like so so just convicting for me of like when you feel at peace or not asking like what which direction should I move to get back into the shade.
Here's what's great. Thank you for your honesty and your transparency and your vulnerability. Here's what's great about the shade of the Lord. At any time, you can always step into the shade. The shade of god's protection and provision and being under the leadership of the Holy Spirit experiencing his peace.
Is a step away. That old dirty devil would try to tell you what he told the young woman in the book of Song of Solomon. Dark am I because I've been out in the sun. My skin is sunburned and dark like the tents of Kendahar. But the young man still was madly in love with her.
Go back and read Song of Solomon on your way back into the shade. That old dirty devil would try to tell you, oh, the cloud's gone on. It's missed you. Here you are. Dried up and wrinkled from the sun and the cloud has passed you by and that's it.
You can never step back into the shade because you've missed it and you've blown it. Let me tell you that is a lie of the devil. Stepping back into the shade of being under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is as close to you as one confession of being out in the sun and one step of repentance back into the shade. And he's like, come on. Let's get you some aloe vera.
Second Thessalonians three sixteen. Now may the Lord of what? Peace. The Lord that was in the cloud give you whose peace? His peace.
Only when you're being a good Christian. Is that what it says? No. At all times and in every situation. The cloud was sufficient for all of Israel's needs, Daytime or nighttime.
Hilly terrain, flat level terrain. Near springs of water and out in barren deserts. So, here's the main takeaway for for today. I'll put this up on the screen. In the same way, Israel was protected by staying under the cloud.
We are protected when we pursue his peace. Yeah? That's worth writing down. In the same way, Israel was protected by staying under the cloud, we are protected as we pursue his peace. This morning, we're going to take communion.
I'm still trying to figure out how we do that. With these, come, Lord will give me his peace about how we do that here when we actually get there but we're going to we're going to celebrate communion together this morning but I wanted to give you a thought about that cloud And Kai actually telegraphed that message, that that idea earlier when he talked about that cloud being unique and distinct from all other clouds. There could there probably atmospherically, there had to have been other clouds in the area. But that cloud of the lord's presence was different and here is a thought from pastor Brian that is un verified in the text, to be clear. This is Brian's sanctified imagination.
Eric's like when you look at that word cloud, the first remember a tool for studying the Bible is the principle of first mention. So, if you come across a word or a phrase or a concept, if you want to see how the Bible defines itself. So, if you go back to the first mention of that person's name or that concept or even that word, there's strong significance of how that word will carry on throughout other mentions in the Bible. The first time that cloud is mentioned is in Genesis chapter nine and it's after the flood. Noah comes out of the ark and god makes a special cloud in the sky that is a promise to Noah and for all future generations that he'll never destroy the world again by flood.
And what was his promise? A rainbow. Every time the word cloud is mentioned in association in Genesis chapter nine, it is always in conjunction linked with a rainbow. The very next time that a cloud is mentioned is in the passage that we just read in Exodus chapter 13. Everybody take your left hand, go like this and put it right here on your chin and do this.
What if? What if that cloud was unique and distinct? Because it had a shimmering rainbow in that cloud. Now, to help your imaginations a little bit, I went way deep into Moses's socials and I found a picture of him being led by that cloud. Hashtag freedom, hashtag manna, hashtag look at me, mom.
What
if? What if there was a rainbow in the cloud that led Israel through the wilderness and when Israel stayed in the shade, they could see clearly the rainbow of god's promises over their life and over their future. Today, we don't have that cloud. We still have rainbows. And when you next time you see a rainbow, I want you to think, stay in the shade.
Am I currently being led not by a cloud but by his peace? That's what the lord is going to do for us as a tribe family as we stay in the shade of his peace. As we have as we have mentioned and and went out in the text blast, this is the last Sunday that we're meeting here at the TMC. Thank you so much for for setting aside whatever else you were going to do this weekend to be a part of this special tribe service because it's our last tribe service here in the TMC because we feel as though we have the lord's peace that the cloud is moving from the TMC. We are next week, we're we're starting what we're calling outdoor August.
We're going to be meeting in Powderhorn Park. All of you guys love Powderhorn Park meeting there. It's really fun for all of you except for me because there's just, in my mind, so many distractions out there in the park.
You gotta stay in
the shade, honey.
But I'm gonna stay in the shade. I'm gonna stay in the shade, and we're gonna be meeting for several weeks at Powderhorn Park. It's great. Let's take advantage of this incredible, beautiful weather that we're having. We'll tell you more about it in the in the weeks to come.
But beyond Powderhorn Park, as we have mentioned before, our incredible extended family has said, Y'all come y'all come bring your tribe to our camp. And so in September, we're going to start having services at First Baptist Church, which is amazing that their whole team and their whole First Bee family would welcome us in. We are gonna have to shift to 5PM service. But when we stay in the shade, we can travel by day or by night. And we, as we go to Powderhorn Park, as we pick up camp that we're doing today, and we're going to pack our little backpacks, pack our burrows, and we're gonna be traveling to Powderhorn Park as a tribe family, a couple of things to remember.
God leads us with his peace, and he is leading us out of the TMC. We've been here safe and comfortable and crowded and cozy for how many years? Five years or more? The longest time that we've been in any one place since we've been at church?
With seasons of the Virginian in between.
With a few seasons of the Virginian in between. And while as we pack up camp and leave the TMC, we're going to and we've mentioned this before, we are going to be listing the TMC for sale so that when it sells quickly for a full price cash offer, no contingencies, amen, that we'll be able to take the the have that asset of the TMC liquid in the form of cash that if we have something to go into right away, great. If not, we'll be able to invest that and get a greater return than what we would get just the natural appreciation of real estate here in the valley. Whether you care about that or or or concerned with that at all but it's just worth sharing. So, we're packing up camp today.
And we're unless the lord leads us here back here. We're not coming back. So, there's a personal application for you today to stay in this shape and I am thoroughly convinced that the Holy Spirit has been speaking to you about if there's any area of your life or heart that is out in the sun getting burned to a crisp. Get back in the shade. For us as a tribe family, we as a leadership team, the TLT tribe leadership team which consists of staff, which consists of the board of trustees, and pastors council, or like the elders of the church.
We have all felt the call of the lord back in January to get moving. That was the word for us as a leadership team back at the beginning of twenty twenty six. In times past, he's talked about clarity in the midst of confusion. He's talked to us about stay close. The word for 2026 is get moving.
And we're like, okay. Like, where where? Who? What? Where?
Just look for the cloud. The cloud is leaving the TMC. Cloud's gonna rest over Powderhorn Park for a couple of weeks, but we're gonna have great weather. And then the cloud's going to rest at first b where we'll be beyond that. We just have to apply Philippians four six.
Don't worry about anything. Pray about everything. And we're going to follow the shade of his peace while we stand on the rainbow of his promises of what he has for us as a tribe family. So, as we pack up camp today to leave the TMC, I thought with the minute few minutes that we have left that we would share in communion together. For some of you, this could be your very first communion at the TMC.
Great Sunday for this to be your first communion at the TMC. For others of you, for the rest of you, call Tribune. This is going to be your last communion here at the TMC. And as we go to the table of communion this morning, I would invite you to think about and consider the rainbow of promises that God has had over your life, his protection, and his provision, and his guidance. Consider back the rainbow of protection and provision that god has had over us as a tribe family.
How he will continue to lead, guide, and bless us, and it's alright for you to be sentimental and think about times that we've had here. Maybe your first Sunday was like a Tuesday, Wasn't even a Sunday, but it was a Tuesday evening with young adults. Maybe you set foot in here for the first time and were come caught completely off guard. What is this? Why is there a refrigerator in the sanctuary?
Maybe you felt when you stepped foot in here, maybe you've instantly felt like this place was home. That was the lord leading you. Maybe you came to the TMC and to tribe and for many Sundays, it just felt like once again, old PB was rubbing you the wrong way with what we were talking about, what we were, what was being discussed, but as you submitted to the Lord, you turned your cat around, and you're like, oh, this this is what the Lord had for me. I was trying to be petted the wrong way. I just turned my cat around, and now, ah, I see what the Lord is doing.
In the same way that he was good to us here at the TMC, he's going to be good to us as we continue on. So, let's prepare our hearts as we come to the table of communion, okay? So the bible says that as the disciples were gathered in the upper room on the night that Jesus was betrayed, they shared a meal together. And during the meal, Jesus took bread and he broke it. He blessed it, gave it to his disciples, and said, take and eat, for this is my body which has been given for you.
After the meal, Jesus took a cup The Bible says, another cup because there were multiple cups of wine that were drank in from during Passover meal. But this cup was the cup of betrothal. He said, take and drink for this cup represents my life's blood which is poured out for you, and it ratifies or confirms a new covenant I am making with you tonight in my life's blood. Behold the cup of redemption, the cup of salvation, the cup of eternal life, the cup of the Lord. He says, as long as you partake of this meal, you remember my death, burial, and resurrection until you seek me again.
And then he said this, I'll not drink again of this fruit of the vine until I drink it anew with you on our wedding day. Oh, there's gonna be a wedding someday. We're in the betrothal phase right now. So, Lord, I pray over these elements of communion, and I ask that here and now, you would perform a miracle. You would transform these simple common elements into a sacrament, which is simply a means of grace where we can touch you by faith.
That as we partake of the mystery of this meal together this morning, that we would encounter your presence in our life, that we would encounter the cloud of your blessing, of your protection, of your leadership, your provision over our lives, and that it would be manifest in the form of a deep abiding peace in our heart. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen. Now this is not my meal that I'm inviting you to. This is not tribe's meal that we are inviting you to. The Bible's super clear that this is Jesus' meal.
And his meal is open to anyone who calls upon him as the leader of their life and their savior. Communion is for people who have invited Jesus into their heart, made him the leader of their life. This meal is not open to others. There's one other exclusion for this meal. Jesus says, Paul says, that if there's unconfessed sin or unforgiveness in your heart, if you partake of communion, that judgment that landed on Jesus actually comes upon you.
You don't want that. So, two, really, two exclusions, one remedy for them both. Just ask Jesus to forgive you. If there's, if you have an unsettled account with him, just ask him to forgive you And if you haven't invited Jesus into your heart, made him the leader of your life, you can do that real quick in honest conversation with him, and then you get to participate in this meal. And so what I think we'll do is I'm gonna invite Lee who is on our pastor's council.
He's one of our elders. He's gonna help me serve communion this morning. And even though it's gonna take a little bit of time, let's just go ahead and embrace the coziness of the TMC and we're gonna have to like say, pardon me, excuse me, pardon me, and shuffle around each other. But let's start at the front and as you feel like you can stand up and or I'll come to you and receive communion and then we'll work our way back and we'll work our way back to the TMC and the way that we partake of communion here at Tribe is to receive the bread and then take the bread and dip it into the cup and for anybody that that chooses not to participate in communion for your own reasons this morning, that's for you and the lord. So, no worries, okay?
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for your guidance. Thank you, Lord, for your provision. Thank you, Lord, for this season at the TMC. Prayer meetings, counseling, opened up to the community parachurch organizations meeting here, lock ins, dance parties, Good Friday services, so many multiple church services meals that were had here.
This has been an awesome campsite for our tribe family, Lord. It may not be the campsite that you would traditionally think of. It may not be the campsite that we would have picked, but in your wisdom and in your sovereignty and in your goodness, this is the campsite that you have had us at for years now. Admittedly, it's a little unnerving to see the cloud depart and to hear the invitation to pack up camp and to move on but greater than our sentimentality, greater than our fear of change is our great love for you and fear of you. We trust you.
And as the cloud moves on, let us be a community of people who will be brave enough to follow you. As we move to Powderhorn Park and then to 1st B, I understand that there are natural unspiritual work challenges, work schedule challenges that you may have, but God is good. He'll sort out your schedule for you. And Lord, I pray for anybody that has called Tribe home, that as we make this move for whatever reason, even though you're still calling them to be a part of our Tribe family, for whatever reason, they think of this change as an off ramp. For being connected into this body.
Lord, I pray for them that you would be tender with them and that you would, and I don't mean this in a condemning way, but you would deal with them appropriately. Just That's really hard for that not to sound bad, but I don't care. Lord, be with us as we move on. Take just a moment. Thank him in your own heart for the season that you have enjoyed the goodness of God here at this TMC.
And here's what's really cool, guys. We're gonna take Joseph's bones with us. The core of who we are is not gonna change. Colson, would you share just a couple of important announcements? I think I might have even already touched on them but lead us in offering and announcements and then we'll get out of here.
Well, as Brian was saying, tribe has changed over the years. Been in different buildings and parks and bars and all sorts of things, But three things have always stayed the same, and that's that we worship the Lord in three separate but equal ways with worship and singing songs that glorify him and coming together as a community through the reading, listening, and teaching of his word from our very own pastor Brian and sometimes others that drop in. And the last way that we do that is through our tithes and offerings. It was through the people of tribes, tithes, and offerings that we were even able to purchase the TMC in the first place. And so just being in this room is a testament to that and that faithfulness of the people in this room.
I remember the first time I came to the TMC. I'd only ever been to the Virginian, and I thought, oh, wow. How funny and weird that we meet at a bar, you can hear the slushie machines churning in the background. And I went from that to this little room, something I'd never experienced before. And I first week, I sat in the back, and I was I had to pee so bad, and I was too nervous to make a noise opening the door to disrupt disrupt the service or get up and grab a sparkling water or whatever it is.
But the magic of the TMC is that But you stay. Is that it sucks you in and you get comfortable really quick. And so we're just so thankful that we've gotten to be in this space for so many years and fill this I mean, who would have thought you could fit this many people in a little living room? Right? It's so amazing to see from this perspective.
So as tribe follows the cloud and some changes are coming our way, good things, different things, whatever the Lord has in store for us, tithes and offerings, help make that cloud Help us follow that cloud. Yes. So
I'm
just gonna pray over the tithes and offerings really quickly. Jesus, thank you so much just for all your blessings, for the safety and convenience of this space, for the people that call this space their home, for the loud icemaker in the fridge and all the things that warm us up to new things and fun environments, Jesus. We just pray that whatever tithes and offerings are brought today, that they aren't for the betterment of tribe or for Brian or for whoever else or whatever else, Jesus, but they add to the your will in the town of Jackson, making your name loud and clear. Jesus, we trust you, and we know that whatever you choose to do with our tithes and offerings will be good. Thank you again for the offerings that have brought us to where we are today and for the hope of where they'll bring us into the future.
We're just so thankful, Jesus. It's in your son's name I pray. Amen. That being said, the changes start now. Enjoy your last time in the TMC, unless you're a young adult.
In that case, TBD, we will still be in the TMC until further notice. Sorry, all of you old adults. This will be your last time at the TMC. Us young adults are camping out for a little while longer.
I never thought young adults and old adults
Well, you know, it's just the opposite. Right?
We could just be adults.
Sure. Well, then what made more than that takes away from our adulthood. Anyway, we're very excited for our outdoor August. I I know Brian thinks it's weird and distracting, but I think, man, we live in Jackson Hole.
That's right.
Well, how how could we not go outside and worship Jesus out there? And also, very welcoming space to anybody walking by or walking their dog or driving to softball practice to just stop on in and hear what God has to tell them. So we're super excited for outdoor August. And, you know, it might be a change of scenery, but we're very excited for first b. I remember when I heard it was gonna be at 5PM.
I'm like, dang. You know? That's like in the middle of my day and all this stuff. And then I went and then I was like, well, but I can ski before then, and I can do all these things. 5PM rocks.
So we're super blessed and excited for that and welcoming of all the changes that Tribe will be going through in the near future. Thank you all for being here. Enjoy your last Sunday at Tribe. Hang out. And as a ceremonial practice, may maybe that's not the right way to say it, we're gonna if in your chair, everybody has one because this room is full, you're gonna stand up, fold it up, and on your way out, leave it downstairs or outside while we pack up the TMC today and do some cleaning and getting it ready for the next owners that are coming soon.
If you know of anybody who would like to live in
this Yeah. This is a lovely space. Anyways, I'm gonna invite pastor Brian back up here to pray us out. Thank you all for being here. What an awesome day.
Colson, everybody.
Stand up. Let me pray for you. Lord Jesus, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for being so good to us each and every turn of the journey.
As we look back and see your miraculous hand of provision over our lives and over this church family, Lord, with great faith, we look not to the past but to the future for what incredible, amazing things you have in store for our tribe family and for how you will use our lives to make your name famous here in Jackson Hole, the surrounding region, and to the uttermost bounds of the earth. I command a blessing over each and every person here this morning. Lord, if we've been out in the sun, may we feel the invitation of your holy spirit that your kindness would lead us to repentance. And if we're in the shade right now, help us to stay in the shade. We pray these things.
In Jesus name, the strong son of God. And everybody said, amen. I love you guys so very much. Have a great week. And remember, you got this.
