Call to Worship and Rite of Confession for John 3:1-23. Also hymns–a lot because we are singing only one verse in hopes people can do that without words in front of them; probably will be online only due to >30% positivity rate. This is Ordination/Installation of officers for us (postponed from 1/9).
Here’s our plan for that part: Since we’ll likely be Facebook only on 1/23, lend us a hand in support of new deacons (names given here) and freshly installed elders (names given here too). Stop by the church to make a paper handprint with your name and/or a message or mail/drop off your paper handprint to the office. You can also have us make one for you. Call or email us with your name and/or any message
HYMN #376 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
*OPENING PRAYER
We come in darkness and meet Jesus.
We come in darkness and see the Kingdom of God.
We come in darkness and are born anew.
We come in darkness and receive God’s love.
We come in darkness and leave in the light.
THANKS BE TO GOD.
HYMN #304: Jesus Loves Me
REPENTANCE and RECONCILIATION
CALL to RECONCILIATION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
O Jesus, when we think we have you all figured out, forgive us.
When we cannot see your Kingdom, forgive us.
When we think being born once is good enough, forgive us.
When we do not see where the Spirit comes from and where it goes, forgive us.
When we do not hear your testimony, forgive us.
When we find earthly things unbelievable, forgive us.
When we do not recognize you as the one from heaven, forgive us.
When we live in our own darkness instead of your light, forgive us.
~~SILENT CONFESSION~~
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS (John 3:16-17) 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Make this, your Father’s House, a place of prayer for all people. Grant us the strength and wisdom to be a people consumed with prayer and zeal for you, this day and always. Amen.
HYMN of PRAISE # 291 O God of Earth and Altar
REPENTANCE and RECONCILIATION
CALL to RECONCILIATION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION3
Jesus, cleanser of temples and souls, look deep within our hearts and our lives, and clear away all that holds us back.
When our minds, spirits and bodies are not your Temple, open to Your presence, forgive us, Lord.
When our church does not clearly demonstrate your love and care, forgive us, Lord.
When we hide, rather than proclaim, your gospel, forgive us, Lord.
When our words and our actions do not shout your love and truth, forgive us, Lord.
In this moment of silence, we name those things for which we seek your cleansing and healing, so that we may be more faithful disciples.
~~SILENT CONFESSION~~
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS John 1:19, 34 John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” [for] this is the Son of God.Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
When the world, in its sophistication and pride, made an idol of money and a marketplace of God’s temple, using God’s name to further their own interests, God sent the Son, Jesus Christ, filled with zeal for God’s honor.
He was torn down by the fury of evil and corruption, but rose again in three days, forever establishing the foolishness and weakness of God as the pathway of life and salvation.
December 19 4th Sunday of Advent: The Incarnation of Love. John 1:1-18
January 9 John the Baptist/Baptism of Jesus: I am not He. John 1:18-34
January 16 MLK Jesus Cleanses the Temple John 2:13-25 (Psalm 127:1-2)
January 23 ORDINATION/INSTALLATION Nicodemus Being born anew, God’s love for the world. John 3:1-21 (Psalm 139:13-18)
January 30 CONGREGATIONAL MEETING The Woman at the Well; living water and true worship. John 4:1-42 (Psalm 42:1-3)
February 6 COMMUNION Bread of Life discourse John 6:35-59 (Psalm 34:1-10)
February 13 Rev. David Jones preaching
February 20 PRESIDENTS’ DAY The Good Shepherd Ash Wednesday John 10:1-18 Jesus as gate and good shepherd, who lays down his life. (Psalm 23)
February 27 TRANSFIGURATION The Man Born Blind John 9:1-41 Jesus is the light of the world – brings light to the eyes of a man born blind. (Psalm 27:1-4)
Ash Wednesday?
March 6 COMMUNION/FIRST SUNDAY of LENT Jesus Washes Feet Second Sunday in Lent John 13:1-17 Footwashing as a sign of Jesus’ love and example. (Psalm 51:7-12)
March 13 SECOND SUNDAY of LENT Peter’s Denial Second Sunday in Lent John 18:12-27 Jesus’ trial before Annas,. (Psalm 17:1-7)
March 20 THIRD SUNDAY of LENT Jesus and Pilate John 18:28-40 My kingdom is not from this world. (Psalm 145:10-13)
March 27 FOURTH SUNDAY of LENT Jesus Condemned John 19:1-16a Jesus is condemned, they have no king but Caesar. (Psalm 146)
April 3 FIFTH SUNDAY of LENT Triumphal Entry John 12:12-27
April 10 SIXTH SUNDAY of LENT John 19:23-30 Woman, behold your son; I thirst; It is finished. (Psalm 26:3)
Maundy Thursday?
Good Friday?
April 17 EASTER Resurrection of Our Lord John 20:1-18 Empty tomb, Jesus calls Mary by name. (Psalm 118:21-29)
April 24 Thomas Second Sunday of Easter John 20:19-31 Jesus gives Spirit, appears to Thomas. (Psalm 145:13-21)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,[d] full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart,[f] who has made him known.
Did you know that each gospel has its own way of introducing Jesus?
Matthew does genealogy
Mark has John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness
Luke tells of angels, of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and then Joseph and Mary
And John, John goes way back
John goes way back to begin again at the very beginning
Not, like the church year, starting by leading up to the birth of the baby Jesus
But with—before!—the very beginning of the world itself
We have had a series of passages addressing God’s Word
Here we have a passage addressing Jesus as God’s Word
The efficacious Word—
the Word that does things
the Word that creates
the Word that sustains
And, John says, this Word becomes a human being
flesh
and dwells among us
This time of year, we spend time re-counting the Christmas story
Mary and Joseph and the baby born in the manger
Shepherds in the fields called by angels
Magi summoned by a star
But John takes us into the meaning of it all, into the incarnation
When I was in seminary, a prof of mine had the audacity to put on his exam a new question
Something we hadn’t studied/read about/discussed!
He said, “Most churches emphasize the incarnation, the crucifixion or the resurrection.”
It is rare for churches to place an equal emphasis on all three
What does your church emphasize?
What is least emphasized?
And what is missing because of that?
For me the answer was “incarnation”
And the question and its answer kicked off a lifelong journey to discover what this Jesus-in-the-flesh thing means
For me, for the church, and for the world
One thing it means is that Jesus gets it
He knows how it is
He knows how it feels
He lived it
And he lives it again-still-yet
dwells among us
walking with/alongside/among us
The word for “dwell”, for living among us (v.14) is the word used in the Greek translation of the OT
for God tabernacling with God’s people
As in, y’know, the tabernacle–
the place where God took up residence
where God could be found
where the people met God
And while we tend to think of a dwelling place as relatively fixed
This dwelling place was movable, portable, mobile
And so this dwelling also has the sense of “tenting” among us
of being folded up
and taken with God’s people wherever they/we go
(see last week’s sermon)
Eugene Peterson has this as “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
Note that this would be any/all neighborhoods–even “that” neighborhood
A while back there was a story in Good Housekeeping in which
the Jesus from the church’s Nativity kept going missing
and showing up in other places
the homeless shelter
the other side of the tracks
the housing for those escaping domestic violence
the prison
Showing up, y’know, where Jesus is
where Jesus calls us to be
We can be in those places because Jesus is with us;
Jesus
the life (v. 4)
the life that is the light (also v. 4)
the light that shines in the darkness and is not overcome by it (v.5)
Some of our most treasured Christmas traditions revolve around light
For me, these include
the literal wearing of a headband of candles by girls in Sweden when I was there for Santa Lucia
the lights show at Wanamaker’s (although some claim it is no longer called this…)
driving through whatever lights-in-the-park are to be found wherever I am living
and the lighting of candles during Silent Night
Verse three, when we traditionally lift our lighted candles high, emphasizes Jesus as the light
Silent night, holy night! Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
And verse two notes that “Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven above.”
Glory is one of John’s favorite themes—
(We will see this in 2022 as we take a journey through John with the Narrative Lectionary.)
And, for John, glory is entwined with
intimately connected to
sometimes almost the same as
God’s love
I’m trying to think if we conflate these two in other ways—glory and love
Do we think of someone in love as reflecting a kind of glory
Although we wouldn’t usually use the word “glory” for someone in love
We talk spark, sparkle, glow, light, so maybe we do get a glimpse of glory and love together in human love
Interestingly, the image of love in this passage of John is that of the love between parent and child
Jesus is the only one begotten/born of God (v.12)
Who is close to the Father (v.18)
“in the bosom of the Father”
“in the lap of the Father”
And Jesus makes it possible for us to also be children of God
Not born in the typical way
As Peterson puts it in The Message,
These are not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.
They are the God-begotten,
made to be their true selves
their child-of-God selves
Made so by the indwelling
tabernacling
tenting of Jesus
God with us
As children of God who have Jesus dwelling with and among us
we see Jesus’ glory
his grace and truth
we receive from his fullness
grace upon grace
The Greek word here for grace is the one applied
to gracious gifts of God in the Greek translation of the Old Testament
gifts given as a demonstration of grace
a sign of favor
from a generous and loving heart
God grant that we receive what is offered to us this Christmas
Jesus himself
In the “froggy” flesh, dwelling within and among us
John 1:19-34 NRSV19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said.
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
If you’ve gotten a chance to page through the newsletter (!)
you will notice that we are embarking on a journey through the Gospel of John (through Easter)
And if, like me, you’ve been at churches that have used the Revised Common Lectionary
This will be new to you
As that lectionary sprinkles some of John across Sundays leading up to Easter
Without providing any sustained attention or treatment to the entire Gospel
I likely have noted before that the Narrative Lectionary is intended to tell the whole story of the Gospel
By using a single focus passage from one Gospel in the early part of the year through Lent
(and from the Old Testament in the Fall of the year)
Originally intended to provide a full scope introduction to the Good News of God to those not familiar with it
The churches I have served have also appreciated the chance to hear a different set of readings
Especially as, if you’ve been in the church most of your life and you are over 60,
You’ve likely been through the usual lectionary at least 13 times!
The Gospel of John has the reputation of being more “spiritual” than the other three “Synoptic” Gospels
But of course this is an over-simplification
Certainly Matthew, Mark and Luke intend not just to tell stories of Jesus
But for those stories to impact our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit
And John contains some of the longest stories of what Jesus said and did during his ministry
Stories that we will be examining in the weeks and months ahead
Our journey meeting Jesus with and through John began the last Sunday of December 19th
When we took up the Prologue of John (1:1-14)
The Word was with God and the Word was God
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not (does not/cannot) overcome it
Today we have the rest of John 1, following up on the part of the Prologue that says
John was not the light, but he bore testimony to the light (1:8)
With John himself noting that he is not “the one”
Asked if he is the Messiah, John says he is not (v.20)
Then he is asked if he is Elijah. And he says he is not (v.21)
Then he is asked if he is “the prophet.” And he says he is not (also v. 21)
And when they ask again, “Well, then, who are you?”
He says he is the voice of one crying in the wilderness to make straight the way of the Lord
(We were just in the desert near Albuquerque where there are a huge number of petroglyphs
of course you can make a straight road there; there’s almost nothing there!)
and he points them forward (and back) to Jesus,
who baptizes not with water but with the Holy Spirit
And this is the role of all of us—to point forward and backward to Jesus
We are not “the One”
We are not the Messiah
We are not Jesus
We are not Elijah
We are not the prophet
This is why there is such a thing as a “Messiah complex”
While not found in the official book of mental illness diagnoses
(the DSM: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
This vernacular shorthand for focuses on what it means
to think I am the Messiah
to believe I am the One
the ONLY one who can do what I’m doing
When we say “Messiah complex,” usually being the Messiah means
being the most important, best-est, most put-upon, most maligned servant of all
such that all others must appreciate, be grateful for, and bow down to us
believing no one else can do what we are trying to do, or at least not as well
and presuming that there is no actual other Messiah
that God does not have this covered
that God cannot tap someone else to do whatever
or that the world will end if this particular thing does not get done
Now sometimes, of course, people err on the other side
exempting ourselves from service, especially from any kind of hard service
figuring it’s never our job to do the nasty, unappreciated grunt work that may really need to be done
In either case, rather than trying to suss out where others fall on this spectrum,
we are called to look to ourselves
and to the example of John the Baptist, who points to Jesus.
This is discipleship, following Jesus and pointing others to do the same
(One theologian referred to it as a beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.)
And this is church leadership, following Jesus and pointing others to do the same.
This means the ultimate arbiter of decisions for the church is God.
Hence the every-meeting-must-open-and-close-in-prayer practice.
In fact, our polity even explicitly notes that elected officers do not represent their constituencies
Instead, our deacons and elders are to vote their conscience, their understanding of God’s leading
And we are counseled to trust God to work in and through this process
And as officers promise in our ordination and installation services to serve God
The congregants promise to support them, pray for them, and abide by their decisions
Now of course this means that we still go to bat for what we believe God is calling us to be/do
While hearing from our fellow travelers what they hear/see/experience and believe
Holding our opinions (and theirs) with an open hand
This means that we do not say “My way or the highway,” as though we have a corner on God’s will
In fact, what we believe to be God’s will must be confirmed by others
(That’s why we have a “three-part” call system
A candidate for pastor or for an office must hear the call themselves
And the church itself must also hear that call for them
And, for pastors, the presbytery also must confirm that call)
Because we understand that if it’s God will, more than one person should hear it
Otherwise the body is not going to go in that direction.
At times, the lone voice crying in the wilderness turns out, in retrospect, to have been right
But that doesn’t give anyone, the person crying out or those disagreeing,
permission to act in ways that are hateful or disrespectful
Instead, we are called to love, perseverance, and listening
And, if things do not go the way we think that they should,
we are called to view those on the other side as still children of God
to recognize that we ourselves could be wrong
and to discern what to do next
God does not give up on us when we are sure we are right
God does not give up on us when we are wrong
God does not give up on us when we are not sure
God does not give up on us
Sometimes, as humans,
there are times when we are called upon to walk away
but sometimes we are called upon to trust that God is at work
even if we don’t get it, we don’t agree, we wish it could be some other way
And of course, this is not so different from the whole Christian life
A life in which we trust that God is at work
That the straight way that runs through the desert will get us to where God wants us to go
That even when we can’t see around the next bend, God is still with us every step of the way
Where, even if we (or they) make a wrong choice, God can cover that
Because even the Herods of this world cannot overcome the revelation of God’s love and grace in Jesus
Because the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it
Because God’s love is at work among and through and despite us
Because the Lamb of God comes to take away the sins of the world
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Let us pray (prayer from katyandtheword.com by our daughter, Rev. Katy Stenta)
For us, this begins our journey through John. It is also the day we plan to ordain/install officers; hence, the focuse on we are not the Messiah!
Photo credit: santatizing.wordpress.com
Call to Worship (Isaiah 40:3-5)
One: A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, Many: Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together,
ALL: FOR THE MOUTH OF THE LORD HAS SPOKEN.”
HYMN of PRAISE # 420 God of Grace and God of Glory
REPENTANCE and RECONCILIATION
CALL to RECONCILIATION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God, you call us to look beyond ourselves to point to you.
Sometimes we say to the world, “Look! Look at me!” instead.
Forgive us when we do not point to you.
God, you call us to look beyond what is around is to point to you.
Sometimes we look around us and sink into frustration and despair.
Forgive us when we do not point to you.
God, you call us to direct others to you, all of us in need helping each other find the way to you. Sometimes we try to solve others’ problems ourselves, or ignore their needs since we do not see how we can help.
Forgive us when we do not point to you.
~~SILENT CONFESSION~~
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS John 1:19, 34 John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” [for] this is the Son of God.Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
HYMN # 426 Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak
SERMON I Am Not He
*CLOSING HYMN #425 Lord of Light, Your Name Outshining
We are entering into a 6 week series based upon two books "The Art of Gathering" by Priya Parker and "Unbinding the Gospel" by Martha Grace Reese.
Our Purpose: To Gather to experience God’s Presence, and to Invite others to the do the same.
To Create a Space for this we will: Ask you to Pray in Church and at Home; for the Church and for all those we meet Creative Worship: Engage with the differences with worship creatively, remember its only 6 weeks. Spend some time Reflecting on Questions to ourselves in an act of Confession Pray Some More, Lean on God, Trust God wants this to be done Participate in a Community Creating Activity during Worship Study a Verse at Home: Read it, Journal it, Draw it, Memorize it, Engage in a way that works for you! Do some Homework to continue your journey
This sermon/worship series is found at https://sanctifiedart.org/ive-been-meaning-to-ask-worship-series. Please do not use these materials, which are based on their materials by Rev. Sarah Are, unless you have purchased the original material from them. You can buy just the Worship Words portion for a small fee.
We are from small apartments and expansive houses.
We are from big families and dinners made for one.
We are from stages of grief and stages of love.
We are from rainy days and sunny days.
We are from new places, new spaces, and the making of new memories.
We are from kitchens with passed down recipes, and front porches with old, familiar swings.
We are from the dust of the earth and the stars of the sky.
We are from a lot of places, but today we are here.
Today we are together.
ALL: HOLY GOD, GATHER US IN.
Call to Confession1
In this moment for truth telling, for reflection and honesty, to be honest about the places we want to grow and the way we need God’s help, let us pray together.
Prayer of Confession was taken directly from Worship Words from A Sanctified Art for this series
Assurance of Forgiveness1
If you ever ask yourself, “Can anything good come from this messy and human life of mine?” remember God always answers, “Yes.” You were created in the image of God. Your origin story is one of goodness and love from the very beginning. So hear and believe the good news of the gospel: God is here. God is at work among us. Thanks be to God for the Good News of God’s love: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Prayer for Illumination1
O God, where we come from there are so many distractions. Where we come from there is so much noise. Where we come from there is too much silence. Where we come from there is too much emptiness. Find us. Hold us. Be in these words. Help us hear. Amen.
Old Testament Scripture: Genesis 2:4b-15
New Testament Scripture: John 1:35-51
COMMUNION1
INVITATION to THE LORD’S TABLE
The Creator of North, South, East, and West, invites us to come and see—
P: Lift up your hearts. C: We lift them up to the Lord
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. C: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O God, open our lips and fill our hearts to say thank you.
Thank you for scooping up the dirt and breathing life into it.
Thank you for forming this body and this life.
Thank you for creating this world and these people.
Thank you for drawing us in, for holding us up.
Weave us together with all people from all times and places
who forever sing the glory of your name
All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; heaven
and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!
When people ask, “Where are you from?” we speak of geography—
yet we must also always sing your name.
for you are our past, our present, and our future.
Great is this mystery of faith:
Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again.
As we lift this bread and cup before you, lift us up.
Scoop us up like you scooped up that dirt on that first day.
As you breathed life into the first human being,
breathe upon us and fill us with your Spirit.
Feed us that we may be full.
Nourish us as only you can
and make us at home in you. Amen.
Confession of Faith (adapted from the Heidelberg Catechism Questions 26-28 )
God created us good and in his own image. God created us in true righteousness and holiness. God created us that we might truly know God our creator. God created us to love God with all their heart. God created us to live with God in eternal happiness, and to praise and glorify God. God out of nothing created heaven and earth and everything in them. God still upholds and rules them by his eternal counsel and providence. God is my God and Father because of Christ the Son.
God will provide whatever I need for body and soul. God will turn to my good whatever adversity befalls me. God is able to do this because he is almighty God. God desires to do this because he is a faithful Father. We can be patient when things go against us. We can be thankful when things go well. We can have good confidence for the future that nothing in creation will separate us from his love. Thanks be to God.
Benediction1
Family of faith, God stir you up with the curiosity to counter assumptions. God beget in you the vulnerability to befriend. God excite in you the bravery to speak your truth. God develop in you the wisdom to listen. God engender in you the strength to ask for help. God give rise to the resiliency that makes you able to choose love. In the name of the One who made you, the One who redeems you, and the One who accompanies you. Amen.
[1] Adapted from a prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
bjhlog 
