O God, as you know, I spent all of Saturday in a meeting working toward awareness of systemic racial injustice counseling recognition of realities I already see in the context of an organization that is already trying to make a difference.
So I find myself asking, “How long, O God? How long before talk results in action?” Because I realize it is now about 25 years since I got it that I’m white. A looong time ago, really. And I’m not sure what-all I’ve done with that knowing.
Before that I primarily identified as female, (although now I understand better that cys-female is a more complete descriptor).
And for a female growing up in the 1960s, things were just beginning to open up, as evidenced by my guidance counselor saying I could be not just a teacher or a nurse, but a guidance counselor or a physical therapist. Not, according to my youth pastor during some of those years, a pastor. Not, according to the good-old-boy network I encountered after seminary, a pastor with a church call. At least not a pastor with a full-time church call.
But there we have it. My awareness of having been discriminated against leads me to digress, O God. Falling rather easy prey once again to the siren call to center myself and my experience. Emphasizing once again my affinity with those who struggle rather than the group with privilege that, as a white woman, I am unwillingly but no longer so unwittingly a part of.
And so back to my original question, how long, O God? When do I move beyond recognition and reflection to action? I’ve been part now of an extended reflection group and then several one-shot racism awareness groups. I’ve heard–want to heed–the call to move from “not racist” to “anti-racist.” From Mary to Martha, or even Amos or Peter. But so far these gathering, these groups, don’t seem to result in action.
I know I am not such a good process person, God. I am often ready to move into action, to get going, to grow legs onto our plans so that we walk like we talk, at a pace that seems to alarm some folks. My last list of what we could do was met with stunning silence, and then a bit of buy-in for one possibility. The second meeting about that one action, which was planned for 3/4 of a year from now, was renowned for “how much we got done,” indicating such move to action is not so familiar or frequent. But we have yet to have a meeting #3.
A recent intra-church meeting of black and white churches in my town resulted in participation by 6/8 churches–much better than efforts to just gather pastors together has garnered. And we planned another meeting, less then a month away, to pray about what to do next. Help me, O God, to honor prayer and process and persons as well as–or even over–program and product, while continuing to also honor the call to action.
So here I am again-still-yet, God, asking “How long?” Maybe now is the time? Maybe enough talk, time for action? Or maybe, better yet, “How?!?”
Am I called to take the bull by the horns to make action happen? to hear someone else “into speech” and action? to keep looking for a group/sub-group ready to talk and walk at the same time?
Make me diligent in prayer–now and toward and at that next meeting, O God. Amen.
This pericope invites thinking about who is “in” and who is “out” and who decides.
Discussion of a painting of the Last Supper with odd revelers and the changing of its title to “Feast in the House of Levi” when artist confronted by the Inquisition about including strange characters in a painting of this holy, solemn occasion https://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/53387.pdf
Fullsome exploration of hospitality, including references to Peter/Cornelius in six lessons or sections with links to further resources and all that is listed above at https://www.baylor.edu/ifl/index.php?id=937688
New Yorker cartoon about hate as a family value/holding hate in common
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
Leader: We share one faith. We have one calling. We are of one soul and one mind.
People: We are one people. We have one God and Father.
Leader: We are filled with one Spirit. We are baptized with one baptism.
People: We eat of one bread and drink of one cup.
Leader: We are one people. We confess one name.
People: We are obedient to one Lord. We work for one cause.
ALL: Thanks be to God!
Prayers of the People:
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
All: We share one hope; together coming to know the height and the breadth and the depth of the love of Christ
[Prayers of thanksgiving and joy/petitions for love and hope]
All: Together we know and bear one another’s burdens, thereby fulfilling the law of Christ that we need one another and upbuild one another, admonishing and comforting one another; and that we suffer with one another for the sake of righteousness.
[Prayers for those in need]
All: Together we are built up to the stature of Christ, to the new humanity. We pray together. Together we serve God in this world. Together fight against all which may threaten or hinder this unity.
[Prayers for the Christian community to live up to its calling]
Leader: In the name of Christ Jesus, who unites us in the prayer that he taught us….
[The Lord’s Prayer]
Confession of Sin #1
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
Call to Confession: God calls the church to follow him, standing by those who suffer and are in need, so that justice may roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Let us confess the ways in which we do not follow God’s call.
Prayer:
One: O God, you bring justice to the oppressed and give bread to the hungry.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You free the prisoner and restore sight to the blind.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You support the downtrodden and protect the stranger.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You block evildoers and help orphans and widows.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You stand against injustice. You stand with the wronged.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You condemn those who seek their own interests, controlling and harming others.
All: Forgive us when we do not follow you.
One: You bring about justice and true peace among people.
All: God, forgive us when we do not follow you.
Grant us your grace. Embolden us that, as your people, we may stand where you stand.
Assurance of Forgiveness
One: God’s life-giving Word and Spirit enable us to live in a new obedience, opening new possibilities of life for society and the world. Thanks be to God for the Good News:
All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven
Prayer of Confession #2
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
Invitation:
The gift and obligation of unity is given and commanded by God for the Christian church,
yet the one worldwide community of believers is not visibly and consistently united. Let us confess our need for God’s grace.
Prayer of Confession: God, forgive us. Our communion is not always visible to the world. We allow threats to unity to enter the church, making it hard to see that we are your community. At times we act as though we do not need each other. We do not always love one another. Sometimes we do not know and bear one another’s burdens. At times we fail build each other up. We do not always give ourselves willingly and joyfully to one another. Forgive and strengthen us so that we may live in the unity that you grant us.
Assurance of Forgiveness
One: By Christ’s work, we are reconciled and united with God and with one another. Thanks be to God for the Good News: All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Amen.
Prayer of Confession #3
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
Call to Confession:
One: God has given the church the message of reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ, but we fall short of God’s call to be salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Prayer of Confession:
All: God, our fears and prejudices run deep. Sometimes we can only see our own point of view.
We stick with those who are like us, rarely venturing outside our comfort zones. We do not hear
those crying for justice and true peace. We blame those who are suffering and in need instead of standing by them. We deny the power of your gospel to unite us with those who are different from us.
Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear. Use us to open new possibilities of life for all of your people.
Assurance of Forgiveness
One: We are reconciled with God and with one another through Christ’s work. Thanks be to God
for the Good News: All: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Statements/Confessions of Faith
Confession of Faith #1 from article 1 and the beginning of Article 2 of the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
We believe in God–the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
who gathers, protects and cares for the church.
We believe the church is one worldwide communion of saints,
called from the entire human family.
We believe the church is the single community of believers,
reconciled with God and with one another.
We believe that through the working of God’s Spirit,
unity is a binding force and also that we must seek this unity,
which must become visible to the world. We believe that the sin of division, separation and hatred between people and groups has been conquered by Christ.
We commit ourselves to protecting the unity of the church universal.
We pledge to make this unity active in all of our words, thoughts and deeds.
Confession of Faith #2
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
It is through Christ’s reconciling work that we are the church united to God and to other believes.
As the church, we are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world.
We are entrusted with the message of reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ.
As the church, we are witnesses by both word and deed.
We proclaim the new heaven and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
As the church, we proclaim that God’s life-giving Word and Spirit has conquered sin and death.
God conquers irreconciliation, hatred and bitterness.
As the church, God’s life-giving Word and Spirit enable us to live in a new obedience,
God opens new possibilities of life for society and the world.
We declared ourselves ready to venture out on the road of obedience and reconciliation,
servants of God, who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people.
Confession of Faith #3/Litany
Developed from the Belhar Confession Please include these words if using/adapting:
“By Barbara Hedges-Goettl.
Permission given to use or adapt for use in faith communities”
The three parts of this litany may be used separately or in flexible combinations.
a.
One: We believe that unity is both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ.
Many: Through the work of God’s Spirit, unity is a binding force.
One: At the same time, unity must also be earnestly pursued and sought.
Many: We must be continually built up to attain this unity.
One: Our unity must become visible to the world.
Many: Separation and hatred between people and groups is sin, already conquered by Christ.
One: Anything threatening our unity has no place in the church.
Many: We commit ourselves to resisting anything that threatens our unity.
One: The unity of the people of God is active and made manifest.
All: Thanks be to God.
b. (Here it works well for the two groups to make the proclamations below to each other.)
Group One: The communion of saints called from the entire human family is united by God.
Group Two: As the people of God, we love one another.
Group One: We experience, practice, and pursue community with one another.
Group Two: We give ourselves willingly and joyfully to one another.
Group One: We are a benefit and blessing to one another.
Group Two: We share one faith and have one calling.
Group One: We are one body, and are of one soul and mind.
Group Two: We have one God and Father.
Group One: We are filled with one Spirit.
Group Two: We are baptized with one baptism.
Group One: We eat of one bread and drink of one cup.
Group Two: We confess one name and are obedient to one Lord.
Group One: We work for one cause and share one hope.
All: Thanks be to God.
c.
All: Together we confess that God unites us in faith.
Together we come to know the height, and the breadth, and the depth of the love of Christ.
Together we are built up to the full stature of Christ.
Together we know and bear one another’s burdens.
We admonish one another. We comfort one another. We suffer with one another.
We need one another and we build up one another.
Together we pray. Together we serve God in this world.
Together we fight against all which may threaten or hinder this unity.
Thanks be to God for drawing and keeping us together.
Eucharistic Resources from The Confession of Belhar by Catherine J. Purves
Invitation to the Lord’s Table (See Luke 13: 29)
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God! They will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God. All will be together there at the table; all will be reconciled. God’s justice will be established, and we will be at peace in Christ.
This is the Lord’s table. Our Savior invites all those who trust in him to share the feast which he has prepared.
Invitation to the Lord’s Table (See Ephesians 4: 4-5)
This is the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here the community of faith gathers. United in baptism, we eat of one bread and drink of one cup, we confess one name, are obedient to one Lord, and share one hope. Come to the table where our unity in Christ becomes visible, and where the triune God gathers, protects, and cares for the church.
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. We praise you O Living God, by whose purpose and will all things came into being. In a gracious act of love you formed a people, gathering, protecting and caring for them through Word and Spirit. You called us to be the light of the world, a reflection of your glory and compassion, your justice and your love. When we allowed prejudice, fear, selfishness, and unbelief to lead us from the path of obedient faithfulness, again and again you sent prophets who called for justice and reconciliation. When our need was greatest, you did not abandon us, but sent us your Son, our Lord and Savior, so that we might be reconciled with you and with one another, one church, united in worship with all the faithful of every time and place singing forever to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
We praise you, O God, for your grace embodied in Jesus Christ. In him, humanity has been restored and we are a new community. In him, the powers of separation and division and hatred have been defeated. In him, the reign of righteousness and truth, freedom and justice has drawn near.
Through his life and ministry, his death and resurrection, his ascension and his lordship, we are now certain of our hope and live in anticipation of his kingdom of peace and justice. Remembering all that you have done for us, and knowing that you are still at work in the world, we take this bread and we share this cup, giving thanks for our redemption and reconciliation now complete in Jesus Christ. And we offer up our lives as a proclamation of his lordship, celebrating his promises of unity, reconciliation, justice and peace. Praise to you, Lord Jesus:
Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. Come, Holy Spirit.
Let these gifts of bread and wine be for us the body and blood of Christ. In this sharing may we be united with him and with one another. Reconciled, forgiven, united, and fed, send us out to live in obedience and sacrifice, until that day when all will gather at your table in glory, proclaiming: Jesus is Lord! Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, in the holy church, all glory and honor are yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer After Communion
Holy and just God, at this our Lord’s table we have known the power of your promises and the mystery of his presence. We have seen that we are one in him, reconciled with our sisters and brothers, united in praise and in service. Being fed and fortified, lead us now into the world to proclaim your justice and to work for your peace, that all would come to see and know that Jesus is Lord and Savior. To himbe honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Hymns Related to the Themes of the Belhar Confession
Taken from The Presbyterian Hymnal, Glory to God
Unity
“In Christ There Is No East or West” # 317, # 318
“The Church’s One Foundation” # 321
“What Does the Lord Require of You?” # 70
“We Are One in the Spirit” # 300
“We Are One in Christ Jesus” # 322 (Latin American tune) *
“Help Us Accept Each Other” # 754
“Come! Live in the Light!” # 749 (Micah 6: 8)
“Called as Partners in Christ’s Service” # 761
“Faith Begins by Letting Go” # 684 (familiar tune)
“Let Us Build a House: All Are Welcome” # 301 *
“O Christ, the Great Foundation” # 361
“O for a World” # 372
“O God, We Bear the Imprint” # 759
“We Gather Here in Jesus’ Name” # 501 (Communion) *
“We Shall Overcome” # 379
Reconciliation
“Come Now, O Prince of Peace” # 103 (Korean)
“Dream On, Dream On” # 383 (Korean – difficult tune, good words)
“Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive” # 444 *
“I Come with Joy” # 515 (Communion)
“O Day of Peace” # 373 (tune: Jerusalem)
“When God Restored Our Common Life” # 74 (not completely sure about this one)
Offering prayer from Sunday by Sunday, on the Lutheran Church of Australia website.
Call to Worship uses categories derived from a prayer by John Birch, and posted on his Faith and Worship website
CALL TO WORSHIP
ALL: O God, by your word and by our worship,
shine through us as your light in the darkness.
By your word and by our worship,
speak through us as your voice in the wilderness.
By your word and by our worship,
embolden us to be your hope in the face of hopelessness.
By your word and by our worship,
strengthen us in our weakness, and fill us with your peace.
Through your word and through our worship,
make us more and more your resurrection people. Amen.
*HYMN #107 Celebrate with Joy and Singing
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
O God, you call us to be your voices in this world and we stay silent. You call us to be your hands in this world and we keep them hidden.
You call us to be your feet in this world and we go our own way.
When we meet those who are doubting and we say nothing, forgive us.
When we meet those who need your touch and we do nothing, forgive us. When we are called to take up your cross, and we carry our own baggage instead, forgive us.
~~SILENT CONFESSION~~
ASSURANCE of FORGIVENESS (Romans 12:2 New Living Bible )God transforms us into new people by changing the way we think. Then we learn to know God’s will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
*GLORIA PATRI #579
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATIONPat Hudson
GOSPEL LESSON Matt. 28:16-20NRSV pp. 806/NIV p. 1550
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
HYMN #371 Lift High the Cross
SERMON Our Resurrection Responsibility
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Confession of Belhar)
We believe that God has revealed God’s self as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people. We believe that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged. We believe that God calls the church to follow God; bringing justice to the oppressed and giving bread to the hungry; freeing the prisoner and restoring sight to the blind; supporting the downtrodden, protecting the stranger, helping orphans and widows and blocking the path of the ungodly. We believe the church must stand by people in any form of suffering and need, which implies, among other things, that the church must witness against and strive against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
*CLOSING HYMN #429 Lord, You Give the Great Commission
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. Were you there?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until 3 in the after- noon. And about 3:00 Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. Were you there?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the son refused to shine? (Were you there?)
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Were you there?
Were you there when he rose up from the grave? (Were you there?)
Were you there when he rose up from the grave? (Were you there?)
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when he rose up from the grave? (Were you there?)
ANTHEM Up from the Grave He ArosePickup choir
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
Lord Jesus Christ, the light of your love shines on! Your light has come into the world, And neither darkness, nor evil, nor even death itself can overcome it. Help us confess our weakness and sin assured that you will overcome it.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry and pass by those who mourn. We are deaf to the cries of the
oppressed and indifferent to calls for peace. We despise the weak and abuse the earth you made. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant, given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.
~~SILENT CONFESSION~~
ASSURANCE of FORGIVENESS
(moment of silent personal confession) Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
How much does God love us? Enough to send the divine heart, hope, and spirit to us, not to condemn us, but to save us. Not by our speaking or doing, but by God’s good and precious grace, we are saved.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
*GLORIA PATRI #579
OBJECT LESSON
PRAYER for ILLUMINATIONJennifer Ryman GOSPEL LESSON Matt. 28:1-11NRSV p. 806/NIV pp. 1549-50
EPISTLE LESSON I Cor. 15:19-26NRSV p. 932/NIV p. 1790
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
HYMN of PRAISE #119 The Strife is O’er
SERMON He Is Going Ahead Rev. Barb Hedges-Goettl
WE RESPOND TO GOD
MUSICAL RESPONSE In the Garden
After the instruments play this through once, please join in singing:
I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses.
Chorus: And he walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice Is so sweet the birds hush their
singing; And the melody that He gave to me Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him Tho’ the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go thru the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.
AFFIRMATION of FAITH (from the Brief Statement of Faith)
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
INVITATION to THE LORD’S TABLE
PRAYER of GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
…who forever sing the glory of your name:
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!
… Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again.
WORDS of INSTITUTION (Matthew 26:26-30)
PARTAKING of the BREAD and CUP
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
OFFERING *Doxology Hymnal #592 *Prayer of Dedication
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE/THE LORD’S PRAYER (traditional) Hymnal p.16
Open our ears and hearts to respond to your invitation.
Disrupt our busy-ness with your joyful feast.
Enable us to put away our old clothes of sin and sadness
Clothe us in the wedding clothes of your Kingdom.
Keep us from doing the same thing over and over
while expecting different results.
Replace our everyday meals with your festive feast.
Throw wide open our tables, our hearts, our arms
that all may be invite, and welcome at the feast of your love.
–Silent Confession–
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS (Psalm 36:7-9 NIV)
How priceless is God’s unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of God’s wings. We feast on the abundance of God’s house;
God gives us drink from God’s river of delights.For with God is the fountain of life; in God’s light we see light.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Isaiah 25:6-10NRSV p. 565 /NIV 1095-6
GOSPEL READING Matthew 22:1-14 NRSV p.797-8/NIV pp. 1534-5
HYMN #333 Seek Ye First
SERMON You’re Invited
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Confession of 1967)
We believe in the Kingdom of God: the heavenly city, the household of God, a new heaven and earth, an unending day, and the marriage feast. In the Kingdom, God triumphs over all that resists the divine will and disrupts God’s creation. The Kingdom is already present as ferment in the world, stirring hope in all people and preparing the world to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption. Therefore, we the church apply ourselves to our present tasks, striving for a better world. We do not identify limited progress with the Kingdom of God on earth. We do not despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. No, in steadfast hope, we look beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God.
*CLOSING HYMN #510 Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
One: God calls all the laborers– All: The laborers who woke early.
The laborers who came late. The laborers who feel wronged.
The laborers who feel overlooked
The laborers who can’t feed their children on their wages
The laborers who use their wage to serve you..
God calls us all to do God’s work, and to praise & worship God.
*HYMN #467 How Great Thou Art
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
God of Grace, you call us to be different from the world.
But the world is seductive, and we need your strength and grace.
God of Vision, you hold before us an alternate way of life:
different priorities, different loyalties, different values.
But the world is powerful, drawing us to follow its priorities,
accept its values, and show loyalty to its gods.
Forgive us when we misunderstand our role in the world.
Forgive us when we lose sight of the work you call us to do.
Forgive us, and remake us to be more and more your people.
–Silent Confession–
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS (Romans 10:11-13)
No one who believes in him will be put to shame…The Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Deuteronomy 24:14-15
GOSPEL READING: Matthew 20:1-16
EPISTLE READINGEphesians 3:14-22
SERMON Not What We DeserveRev. Barb Hedges-Goettl
HYMN ##366 Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Scots Confession)
Our faith and its assurance do not proceed from flesh and blood. Our faith and its assurance do not come from natural powers within us. Instead, our faith and its assurance are the inspiration of the Holy Ghost…who brings us into all truth by his own working. Without the Holy Spirit, we should remain forever enemies to God and ignorant of his Son, Christ Jesus. By nature we are dead, blind, and perverse without the Spirit. We cannot feel when we are pricked. We cannot see the light when it shines. We cannot assent to the will of God when it is revealed. The Spirit quickens that which is dead. The Spirit removes the darkness from our minds. The Spirit bendsour stubborn hearts to the obedience of God’s blessed will.
God the Father created us before the beginning of life. God’s Son our Lord Jesus redeemed us when we were enemies to him. And without respect to any merit proceeding from us–before or after our regeneration–the Holy Spirit sanctifies and regenerates us. So we disclaim any honor and glory for our own creation. We disclaim any credit for our redemption. We disclaim any honor and glory for our regeneration and sanctification. By ourselves we are not capable of thinking one good thought. But God, who has begun his work in us, continues that work in us, to the praise and glory of his undeserved grace. Thanks be to God.
*CLOSING HYMN #101 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
One: First light of all creation, ALL: reveal yourself to us.
Transfusing and transforming light, reveal yourself to us.
Light of all peoples from the very beginning, reveal yourself to us.
Light that the darkness cannot comprehend or overcome,
reveal yourself to us.
Divine light flooding out the shadows, reveal yourself to us.
Light of the world, light of life, reveal yourself to us.
Light that turns us into lanterns, reveal yourself to us.
*HYMN #138 Holy, Holy, Holy
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
All-gracious God, you promise that your light drowns out darkness, yet the darkness is so persistent and familiar. Instead of living as people changed by your power, we fall back into old habits and ways of being. Instead of getting close enough to you to see your glory, we find other things to glory in. Forgive us and transform with your light.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS (I John 1:7 NIV)
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
MUSICAL MEDITATION O Wondrous Sight, O Vision Fair Pickup Choir
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The Nicene Creed (ecumenical) Hymnal p.15
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
Eucharistic Preface
(Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36)
Let us lift up our hearts. ….We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. ….It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right to give you our thanks and praise, O God, for your transfiguring light has overcome us and is restoring within us the image of your glory.
When you created the universe you said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” and the heavens lit up in testimony to your justice. Through the law and prophets your light has shone forth, and your Word has never fallen silent.
On a high mountain you pulled back the veil of heaven and, as Moses and Elijah passed on their mantles to the one in whom your saving Word is fulfilled, you allowed the incomparable glory of your Son to be seen by his terrified disciples. He was killed by those who would not listen to you, but after you raised him from the dead, you sent the winds of heaven upon us with an extravagant outpouring of your Holy Spirit.
One: God, my God, how great you are! beautifully, gloriously robed,
Many: O my soul, bless God!
Dressed up in sunshine, and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
O my soul, bless God!
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
O my soul, bless God!
You made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
O my soul, bless God!
You commandeered winds as messengers,
O my soul, bless God!
You appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
O my soul, bless God!
You set earth on a firm foundation so that nothing can shake it, ever.
O my soul, bless God!
You blanketed earth with ocean, covered the mountains with deep waters.
AND SO WE PRAISE AND THANK YOU, O GOD.
*HYMN #473 For the Beauty of the Earth
CALL TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
O God, we confess we focus on the weeds in our lives, in our lawns, and in our neighbors’ lives. We search them out, tugging relentlessly, and in so doing we damage the good that was growing there. Give us the courage and grace to let go, to see the beauty that is present, if not planned. Give us the restraint to sow only love and compassion in others, and to cultivate it in ourselves, leaving the rest in your discerning hands.
–SILENT PRAYER–
ASSURANCE FROM GOD (Isaiah 12:2-3) The LORD, the LORD himself, is our strength and our defense. He has become my salvation.” With joy we draw water from the wells of salvation.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
NEW TESTAMENT READING Matthew 13:24-33 NRSV p.789/NIV p.1518
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
OBJECT LESSON #304 Jesus Loves Me
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Confession of 1967)
We believe that God created the peoples of the earth to be one universal family. God breaks down every form of discrimination based on racial or ethnic or other difference, real or imaginary. Congregations, individuals, or groups of Christians who exclude, dominate, or patronize others, however subtly, resist the Spirit of God and bring contempt on the faith which they profess.
As the church, we are called to bring all people to receive and uphold one another as persons in all relationships of life: in employment, housing, education, leisure, marriage, family, church, and the exercise of political rights. Therefore, as the church we labor for the abolition of all racial and other discrimination and minister to those injured by it for, in reconciling love, God overcomes all barriers between us.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
For all the blessings of this life, we give thanks to You, Creator God. For families, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers,
who nurture us, that your love grows within.
that your Word, like a seed,
grows to produce in us, good fruit,
we pray, O God:
Make the seed of your love take root and grow strong.
For the leaders of various nations and cities,
for the leaders of the churches around the world,
for the leaders of the PC(USA) and of its churches,
for you to empower them with strong hearts and gentle hands and generous spirits,
engendering in them compassion and mercy, with wisdom and grace. guiding all their actions and decisions to reflect thy will. we pray, O God:
Make the seed of your love take root and grow strong.
For those who serve in harm’s way, those who live in dangerous places, those who live in areas of war and strife, those who live in fear,
those who worry about employment, bills, food,
and struggle just to find dignity in life.,
that you grace will fall upon them in peace and safety we pray, O God:
Make the seed of your love take root and grow strong.
For those who suffer from any illness or dis-ease—of mind, body, or spirit. that you will restore them to fullness of health— health as only you, O God, can bring. for your mercy to shower us all with healing and love
we pray, O God:
Make the seed of your love take root and grow strong.
For those who are dying,
for those who have died.
and for those who mourn,
that you will send forth your comforting love,
giving solace and consolation.
Surround us with your grace
like a mantle upon our heads, a shawl upon our shoulders, a hand, to hold our hand. we pray, O God:
Make the seed of your love take root and grow strong.
Call to worship adapted from a prayer written by Katherine Hawker, 2003. Posted on Liturgies Outside. http://liturgyoutside.net/
*CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather together for God’s healing
like the slave girl, the army commander, the religious zealot, the servants.
We gather together for God’s healing–
differences suspended, doubt superseded.
We gather together for God’s healing
through ordinary water and a cube of bread.
We gather together for God’s healing
through simple ritual and extraordinary presence
We gather together for God’s healing
across the power lines that divide us.
We gather together for God’s healing
acknowledging our need for help and direction.
O LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYE
*HYMN #372 Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (by request)
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
When we let fear and favor take the place of love and justice,
heal us, O God.
When we wish for retaliation rather than reconciliation,
heal us, O God.
When we forget that the “other side” is made up of people who are all made in your image, heal us. O God.
When we allow our differences to divide us from each other,
heal us, O God.
When we do not tap in to your power to love, heal, and forgive,
heal us O God.
–SILENT CONFESSION–
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS (concepts from 2 Kings 5:14)
God washes us clean, healing us inside and out. We become good as new, spanking new, soft and clean and sweet as a just-washed newborn baby. Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
As we continue on our way through some of the highlights of the OT via the Narrative Lectionary
we come today to the wisdom of Solomon
the best-known story having to do with Solomon
emphasizing his desire to be a good leader
despite the political intrigues that led to him becoming king
and the excesses that will subsequently characterize his kingship
The passages we have read this fall could serve as a litmus test for leadership—
an important question as we prayerfully approach voting in the mid-term elections
because, while we live in a nation of many religions (and no religion at all)
the question of what candidates represent the values of God’s kingdom is still of import
And while the church cannot be partisan, the church is called to address
Power—and therefore politics
Ethics–that is, right and wrong
and the well-being of all people
For the Gospel calls on us, in all we do,
to be representatives of Jesus
to stand for what is right
and for the good of all people
and to be the people of God in all we say and do
So we are called on to ask similar questions of our leaders
Going beyond any religious claims made by candidates
to discern what—and who—potential leaders represent
what—and who—they stand for
and who they are
And while we can also see that the biblical leaders are far from perfect
And that their wrongdoings have consequences both for them
and for the people they lead
At their best, they not only seek, trust and obey God, but provide biblical examples of
the use of power and blessing to serve the people, all nations
from God’s proclamation to Abra(ha)m that he is blessed to be a blessing
to Solomon’s motivation in seeking wisdom, which is to govern God’s people well
transformative leadership in tough circumstances leading to salvation/new life
Noah in the time of the Flood
Joseph unjustly imprisoned
Moses in slavery and in the wilderness
and just last week we saw David taking responsibility/being held accountable—and repenting
Now, if you find yourself less-than-hopeful
cynical about our leaders and our elections
uncertain that there is much a regular citizen can do
let me point you to something else found in this passage—and those preceding it
That is, throughout these stories that we’ve read, (not just in Joshua as highlighted by Cindy)
the focus is actually on God and God’s actions
–and this is where we find hope
In the Flood narrative, we talked about turning the picture upside-down
seeing things from God’s perspective
participating in God’s hope
God’s transformative action
In the promise made to Abram, it is God who swears to use Abra(ha)m’s leadership
the blessing of Abram and his family
to bless all people
In the story of the crossing of the Re(e)d Sea,
God acts to free the Hebrew people
acting on the behalf of the oppressed
against the oppressor
through Moses
In the giving of the manna in the wilderness, we ask with the Hebrews, “What is it?”
“What is God doing?
and “How can we become a part of what God is doing?”
In Joshua, we heard the litany of what God did for the people
culminating in the question of who the people will serve
And it is God who made it possible for Nathan to call David to account
In today’s passage, although it begins by talking of Solomon
of his sacrifices and burnt offerings
in short order, God takes center stage
Moving the narrative focus from what Solomon is doing
to what God does
Making the story less about what Solomon does for God
and more about what God does for, and through, Solomon
This is the question we, as individuals and as the church, are called back to over and over again
What is God doing?
Where are we called to participate in what God is doing?
And while, for me, the most current, loudest application of this call is the upcoming election,
when Len read this sermon, he heard a call to the people of the church he is working with
to the hard work of truth and reconciliation.
The reality is that the call to find and join what God is doing is a larger lifelong call
A call that is both gift and obligation
(as the South African Belhar Confession puts it with regard to the call to unity)
a call to join God’s work that is made alive in us by the Holy Spirit
“yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought:
one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain—”
a building up that we seek to do as we gather together each week
When we gather, we proclaim and celebrate that
God never leaves us
never forsakes us
comes alongside us
and is ever-present with us and among us
But the Christian life is not just about God being with us
It is about us being with and following God
saying, in answer to Joshua’s question to the Hebrew people, we will serve God
vowing, in front of witnesses, to serve and obey God
have no other gods
Joining with God means taking up the cause of God’s kingdom
A Kingdom where the rich and powerful serve the poor and the powerless
where every gift and advantage that we have is used to serve all people
where wisdom means hearing the grievances of those who are often unheard
Can you imagine a king hearing the case of two prostitutes?
Talk about hearing from the voiceless, the powerless, those who are looked down on!
Who is denied a hearing today?
Who do we cut off from discourse?
silence?
The lack of listening has reached epic proportions today
Making us forget that others are people
their experiences have shaped them
just as our experiences have shaped us
And that we are, all of us—leaders and ordinary citizens, us and them—are both
made in God’s image—and flawed
And none of us can see the whole picture
So that we need community
to hear from, to listen to, one another
And not just from those who are suffering here in the U.S. (I’m sure you can make a list…)
but those who are unheard throughout the world, in places and spaces where the US continues to have an effect, an influence—sometimes by our lack of attention to their plight
So we’re talking not just about the big ones that we are aware of—
Great Britain and Ukraine and Iran
But ones that are in our news for just a brief moment, for example:
Pakistanis suffering severe floods
Yemeni people experiencing war
Somalians threatened with starvation
Haitians at the mercy of gangs that have taken over
Today we have come, like Solomon before God
Offering our sacrifice of praise and worship
Reviewing what God has done for us
God’s great and steadfast love to us as God’s servants
Making us part of God’s kingdom
people
family
What do we ask for God to give to us?
Solomon sought a discerning heart/an understanding mind
the ability to distinguish right from wrong
good from bad, from evil
We seem to have lost a national consensus regarding the questions of right and wrong
We no longer agree as to what behavior has occurred
much less what is wrong
and how to respond to it
And while it is tempting to point fingers of blame as to why that is—or who is responsible
As Christians we are in a position to ask God for a discerning heart/an understanding mind
to know good from evil
and what it is we are to do
and who we are called to be
To not only see the good, but to do it
To not only recognize evil, but to resist it
To take responsibility for ourselves
And to practice holding ourselves—and others—accountable. Let us pray…
Feel free to use/adapt with credit to Barb Hedges-Goettl
CALL TO WORSHIP (from Colossians 2:2)
People of God, we are encouraged in heart and united in love and so
we sing God’s praises.
God give you the full riches of complete understanding,
in order that you may know the mystery of God and so that
we sing God’s praises.
In Christ, the mystery of God, are hidden all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge, given to you, so that
we sing God’s praises.
With those who listen and understand,
with those who seek a discerning mind,
we sing God’s praises.
*HYMN insert My Life Flows On
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
When we do not discern your ways and paths for our lives,
forgive us, O God.
When we do not ask for your discernment in order to understand and love others, forgive us, O God.
When we do not treat all human beings as made by–and loved by–you, forgive us, O God.
When we practice judgment and condemnation rather than love and compassion, forgive us, O God.
When we let fear and favor take the place of faith in your faithfulness, forgive us, O God.
When we do not have faith that you will use our small actions for great good, forgive us, O God.
–Silent Confession–
Assurance of forgiveness (1 Corinthians 1:30 NRSVUE)
Because of God we are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
SCRIPTURE READING 1 Kings 3:4-28
HYMN #327 O Word of God Incarnate
SERMON Discernment
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (Proverbs 2:6-12) The Lord gives wisdom. From God’s mouth come knowledge and understanding. God stores up sound wisdom for the upright. God is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of God’s faithful ones. Then we will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. Wisdom will come into my heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to my soul. Prudence will watch over us. Understanding will guard you. It will save us from the way of evil. Thanks be to God.
Like the crossing of the Re(e)d Sea, this story has been the subject of several movies
In the 1951 Gregory Peck/Susan Hayward film,
Bathsheba and David have a consensual adulterous affair
In the 1985 Richard Gere King David film,
Bathsheba appears before King David in court claiming abuse by Uriah before becoming involved with him
Interesting how neither film wants to tell the biblical version of the story
Preferring to tell of an illicit and steamy romance
Do you remember the rest of the story?
That David’s response to Bathsheba’s pregnancy
is to bring her husband Uriah home from the front so the baby will be seen as legitimately his
but Uriah will not go home to sleep with his wife while his men are in the field
and so David sends a message with Uriah himself
to direct David’s commander to put Uriah at the front of the line
and then withdraw, so that Uriah will be killed by the Ammonites.
Of course others with Uriah are killed as well, but David brushes this away as the cost of the plan
And then, after her period of mourning, David marries Bathsheba.
And although later in the story of King David,
Bathsheba will stand up for their second son, Solomon, in his successful bid to become the next king
In this part of the biblical story, the only recorded words of Bathsheba are “I am pregnant.”
And, indeed, it hardly matters what she said or thought
The king sent for her and took her, and that was that
Meaning that, although the NRSV(UE) entitles this story “David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba,”
The story is really that of the abuse of power, of “Me Too,” of rape
David’s abuse of power more than fulfills Samuel’s prediction of how the Israelite king will act (I Sam. 8:10-17)
In fact, Samuel stops short of naming such sexual taking of women
While noting that the king the Israelites request will
take their sons and daughters to serve him in war and in agriculture and in his household
demand their labor and commandeer their lands
and make them serve him
And of course we still see this behavior among those with power today
Those who abuse their positions in a variety of ways
Hiring friends and cronies and family
Showing favoritism to those who can benefit them
To the detriment of those they are sworn to serve
And those who use their positions to force themselves on others sexually
From movie moguls to politicians to bosses
But instead of everyone turning a blind eye to this abuse of power, David has someone who holds to account
Of course the wily Nathan tells the story in a way that David can hear
Asking him to apply ethical principles to the behaviors of others
Which he readily does—apparently even without any prompting
He is outraged by the way the rich man exercised power over the poor man and his lamb
Taking the sheep (just as David took Bathsheba) and killing it for his own benefit
How often have we heard leaders apply ethical principles to those whom they consider their “enemies”
But changing their tune when asked to apply those same principles to themselves?
But here, in this passage, David actually listens to Nathan
Not excusing his own misconduct by somehow claiming that the rules are/should be different for him
Instead, David recognizes what he has done
Confessing and repenting of his sin
Both in our passage
And likely also in Psalm 51, used in our Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession
Perhaps Nathan had the king’s ear because he had been on the scene earlier in the account of King David’s rule
Responding to David’s desire to build a house for God
With the promise that God will build a house, that is a dynasty, for David
A dynasty that stretches so far forward
that “the wife of Uriah the Hittite” is named in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew
alongside other suffering women whose are listed in the lineage of the One
who himself would suffer and die and then rise again
A dynasty that goes forward, but is disrupted and dysfunctional after David’s actions
For, despite his confession and repentance, Nathan tells David his actions still have consequences (v.10-12)
“The sword will never depart from your house.”
Your wives will sleep with those who are close to you “in broad daylight.”
And the child you conceived with Bathsheba will die.
As we wish for more Nathans
And have the opportunity to use elections as a way to hold our leaders accountable
to elect leaders who can recognize their own faults as well as those of others
We are also called upon to do the same—
Not only to hold others responsible, but to be accountable ourselves
There’s this challenging little thing called “agency”
A fancy way of saying that we are actors in our own stories
That being responsible for what we do means that we are in charge of our own changing
That we are called by God, with God’s help, to be the subjects of our own lives and actions
Were you taught in English class to avoid write in active, rather than passive, tense?
While we may have learned this about grammar, we sometime miss it in regular life
If we say, “The glass broke,” we avoid the reality that someone (likely the speaker!) broke it
I was talking to Len about this sermon and noted that this was something my mother tended to do
He pointed out that was an understatement!
Good, bad or indifferent, she had a hard time making “I” statements
Instead, the world revolved around what others did
and what had somehow just happened
The newspaper article about the pickup truck that landed in our side yard was masterful in this
Beginning with police finding the driver about 500 feet from the crashed vehicle
And saying things like “The crash happened” about 2:30 pm
And “two homes were evacuated.”
But there were agents for all these action—
There was a driver to whom one could say, “You are the man”
A driver who was no longer with the truck when it crashed
But who is not thereby absolved of any responsibility for what happened
We are called on to take the log out of own eyes before we take the speck from our neighbor’s eye (Mt 7:5)
Where is it that we might be blind to our own actions?
power?
bias?
part in the problem?
Where can we take responsibility
action
be accountable
Makemie is a “Matthew 25” congregation
This PCUSA initiative focuses has three foci:
Building congregational vitality by deepening and energizing our faith and growing as joyful leaders and disciples actively engaged with our community as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed
Eradicating systemic poverty by acting on our beliefs and working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor
Dismantling structural racism by fearlessly applying our faith to advocate and break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color
Now the first response to the question of racism is frequently to state that one is not a racist
And, while this can be a great starting place, our Matthew 25 commitment means this is not enough
Matthew 25—the initiative and the Scripture itself asks for greater action than not being racist
Matthew 25—the gospel overall, asks us to take action for those who are hungry
thirsty
strangers
naked
sick
imprisoned
Meaning that it’s not enough to refrain from being racist
Calling us to go beyond that to be anti-racist
To take actions, to be active, in combatting racism
I’m taking a class on combating racism sponsored by the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice
Last week a new person showed up to our class
And it turned out he was there to see if we were the real deal or if we were full of [fill-in-the-blank]
He himself was full of examples in his own life where he had gotten along fine with black people
And didn’t buy that there was racism in the world, much less in him
But this is as if David held the parable of the sheep at arm’s length
Blaming the problem on that rich man
Demanding justice for that situation
But not seeing the parallel to his own situation
This kind of attitude belies the Christian gospel, which is predicated on the understanding we are sinners
So that we are asked to see our own part in it all
Do we hear those crying out for justice?
Do we see how our lives have been easier because of who we are
And harder for others because of who they are?
And how are we working to change this?
Because, when it comes to change, we are the ones God works through to make a change
A change that can then radiate beyond us to our church
Make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Set me to singing.
Breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!
Set me to singing.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. I’ll let loose with your praise. COME, LET US SING TOGETHER TO GOD.
*HYMN Purple Hymnal #821 My Life Flows On
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (Psalm 51, The Message)
Generous in love—God, give grace!
My sins are staring me down. I know I’ve fallen short.
You’re the One I’ve violated. You’ve seen it all.
You have all the facts before you–how I’ve been out of step with you. Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt. Soak out my sins in your laundry.
My sins are staring me down. I know I’ve fallen short.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then. Conceive a new, true life in me.
–Silent Confession–
Assurance of forgiveness God soaks us and we come out clean. God scrubs and cleanses us. God gives us a clean bill of health. God commutes our death sentence, and grants us salvation.
Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
SCRIPTURE READING 2 Samuel 11:1-5, 12:1-7
HYMN #361 How Firm a Foundation
SERMON You are the man!
WE RESPOND TO GOD
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Confession of 1967 9.25, 9.31)
As the church, we are emissaries of peace. We seek the good of all in cooperation with powers and authorities in politics, culture, and economics. But we have to fight against pretensions and injustices when these same powers endanger human welfare. Our strength is in our confidence that God’s purpose rather than human schemes will finally prevail.
To be reconciled to God is to be sent into the world as God’s reconciling community. Our community, the church universal, is entrusted with God’s message of reconciliation. We share God’s labor of healing the enmities which separate people from God and from each other. Christ calls us as the church to this mission. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. We maintain continuity with the apostles and with Israel by faithful obedience to this call of God. Thanks be to God.
I will sing unto the Lord, for God has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and rider God has thrown into the sea.
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
In steadfast love you led the people.
You brought them and planted them on your own mountain.
You made your home with them,
Your people are your sanctuary.
The Lord will reign forever and ever.
*HYMN #281 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (by Barb Hedges-Goettl)
God, sometimes we would rather go backward than forward.
Forgive us, O God.
We would rather stick with the known instead of pursuing the new.
Forgive us, O God.
We are not sure we can trust and fully rely on you.
Forgive us, O God.
We would prefer not to have our lives wholly transformed.
Forgive us, O God.
We want the world as it has always been instead of converted by you.
Forgive us, O God.
We worry and fear and flail and resist.
Forgive us, O God.
–Silent Confession–
Assurance of forgiveness (Exodus 14:13-14 Good News Translation) “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today…The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still.” Thanks be to God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
SCRIPTURE READING Exodus 14:5-29
HYMN #334 When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land
SERMON Different Kinds of Resurrection
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Scots Confession)
As God’s chosen people, we receive the Spirit of the Lord Jesus by true faith. Once received, this Spirit moves into each of our hearts, regenerating and renewing us. The result is that what was previously loved is now hated. What was previously hated now begins to be loved. This is the source of that constant battle between natural impulses
and the Spirit in the children of God. Human nature and reason yearn for personal pleasure and delights. We do things like complain in adversity, be arrogant in prosperity, and cause offense to God’s majesty. However, the Spirit of God bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God. The Spirit causes us to resist base pleasures. The Spirit causes us–in awareness of God– to long for release from this bondage of decay. The Spirit eventually conquers sin to prevent it from triumphing over our mortal bodies. Thanks be to God.
God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
You are with me whatever I do.
I’m an open book to you; even from a distance,
you know what I’m thinking. You are with me whatever I do.
You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight.
You are with me whatever I do.
You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.
You are with me whatever I do.
I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
You are with me whatever I do.
This is too much, too wonderful—I can’t take it all in!
You are with me whatever I do.
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight?
You are with me whatever I do.
If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there!
You are with me whatever I do.
If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting!
You are with me whatever I do.
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I’m immersed in the light!”
You are with me whatever I do.
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.
You are with me whatever I do.
*HYMN #457 I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (categories from the Gen. 39 Joseph story)
God, at times it is hard to believe that you are with us.
When all is well, we can forget that we are still dependent on you.
Forgive us, O God.
When others seek to do us harm, we may lose faith.
Forgive us, O God.
When we our fortunes drastically change, and we doubt your presence. Forgive us, O God.
When we are captive to our circumstances and do not believe you free us, Forgive us, O God.
When we are falsely accused and we question your righteousness,
Forgive us, O God.
When we prosper and forget that all we have and are is yours,
Forgive us, O God.
–Silent Confession–
Words of forgiveness (Romans 8:38-39) God is always with us. Nothing fazes us because Jesus loves us and nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
SCRIPTURE READING Genesis 39:1-23
HYMN # 179 God Is My Strong Salvation
SERMON Wherever You May BePastor Barb Hedges-Goettl
WE RESPOND TO GOD
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Confession of Belhar)
We believe God has revealed God’s self as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people. In a world full of injustice and enmity, we believe God is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged. We believeGod calls the church to follow God in this: to bring justice to the oppressed and give bread to the hungry; to free the prisoner and restore sight to the blind; to support the downtrodden, protect the stranger, help orphans and widows and block the path of the ungodly. We believe that, for God, pure and undefiled religion is to visit the orphans and the widows in their suffering. We believe God wishes to teach the church to do what is good and to seek the right. Therefore, we musttand by people in any form of suffering and need, which implies, among other things, that the church must witness against and strive against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness!
Let the whole world know what he does.
Sing praise to him.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
Praise God’s holy name!
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice.
Search for the Lord and for his strength;
look for signs of His presence at all times.
All you children of Abraham, his servant,
remember the wonderful things he does,
all his marvelous work,
and the justice he demonstrates.
*HYMN # 26 Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim
INVITATION TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison)
We own our humanness, O God. We know that there have been many moments when we have failed to be true to the hope of your reign and the unity we know is found in you. We have not always received the gifts which lie within our differing human journeys or in the insights which we could share. We have been tempted by the power and realities of our own stories rather than the wonder of new life with each other. Forgive us, loving God, and call us on to truly walk with you. –Silent Confession–
Words of forgiveness
God, in Christ Jesus, holds us in love and will lead us into a new journey together and a future filled with hope. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
*GLORIA PATRI
SCRIPTURE READING Genesis 12:1-9
HYMN # 54 My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
SERMON Being Great Barb Hedges-Goettl
WE RESPOND TO GOD
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the Brief Statement of Faith)
We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God’s image, male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God’s commandments. we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God’s condemnation. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. In everlasting love, the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people to bless all families of the earth. Hearing their cry, God delivered the children of Israel from the house of bondage. Loving us still, God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant. Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child, like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home, God is faithful still.
The cover picture is a real, unedited photo. All of its parts are real.
The stone is real. The trees are real. The soil is real. The sky is real.
The only thing you have to do is change your point of view.
Look at the photo upside down!
*CALL TO WORSHIP
As in days of old, Creator God,
we come to look for signs of covenant promises.
Like the rainbow days of Noah, we see and know your signs
and hear your voice again, directing us to the place of preparation
and transformation in our lives and in our world.
Thank you, O God, for your covenant signs. Amen.
*HYMN # 276 Great Is Thy Faithfulness
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God, we confess that sometimes it is hard to hope for rainbows.
We do not believe that every storm will run out of rain.
When people who call themselves Christians scream hate, we have trouble remembering that you are the God of love.
Stop the hate–theirs and ours.
Protect us, and help us to see the rainbow we pray. Amen.
–Silent Confession–
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE
Nothing can separate you from the Love of Christ: Not height nor depth nor floods nor hate. Know the truth and affirm it to one another: In Jesus Christ we are always beloved and always forgiven. Thanks be to God, Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING Genesis 6:11-22, 8:6-12, 9:8-17
SERMON A Rainbow Perspective Barb Hedges-Goettl
MUSICAL MEDITATION
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (from the 2nd Helvetic Confession)
To be baptized in the name of Christ is to be enrolled, entered, and received into the covenant and family. Through the water, we have entered into the inheritance of the children of God, and so in this life we are to be called after the name of God. We are called children of God. We are cleansed also from the filthiness of sins. We are granted the manifold grace of God, in order to lead a new and innocent life. Passing through the water in Baptism, therefore, calls to mind and renews the great favor God has shown to the race of mortals. For we are all born in the pollution of sin and are the children of wrath. But God, who is rich in mercy, freely cleanses us from our sins by the blood of his Son, Jesus, in whom God adopts us to be God’s own children. By a holy covenant God joins us to himself, and enriches us with various gifts, that we might live a new life. All these things are assured by our passing through the waters in baptism. For inwardly we are regenerated, purified, renewed by God through the Holy Spirit; and outwardly we receive the assurance of the greatest gifts. These great benefits are represented to us as we pass through the water, as Noah did, and so they are set before our eyes to behold.
*HYMN # 388 O Jesus, I Have Promised
Call to Worship from from Prayers for the Journey: Service Prayers for the First Sunday of Lent, written by the Rev. Rosemary McCombs Maxey from the United Church of Christ’s Worship Worship Ways website.
Photo Armenian Azerbaijan War Memorial by Barb Hedges-Goettl, taken August 2021 (before the more recent war)
O God, on this Memorial Day, free us to practice remembrance.
Free us from the illusion that this weekend is just the start of summer, a time for family and friends, for barbecues and beaches.
Remind us that liberty and freedom are not free. Open our eyes to the continuing battles for freedom not just for some, but for all.
Free us from assuming sacrifice is someone else’s job. Inspire us beyond words to actions, dying to old ways to live lives of resurrection.
Remind us that you are not just our God, and that we are not your only people. Open our hearts and arms wide to your whole wide world.
Free us from the myth that freedom is only for us. Embolden us to defend the rights of others: to speak their truth and be heard, and to be who they are.
O God, on this Memorial Day, remind us to practice freedom.
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