May 2022 – Page 2 – Unfolding Light

No running

           The sick man answered him,
           “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
           when the water is stirred up;
           and while I am making my way,
           someone else steps down ahead of me.”
           Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.”
                           —John 5.7-8

Around the angels and the waters
Jesus skirts,
far from the pool of your will,
your ability, your resolve, your place,
the dice of who is next,
while those who know
trouble the waters of opinion.
The healer knows more of sickness
than the sick.
Never mind the clamor as the air stirs.
Beneath the crowd of noises within
he says quietly, whispers even,
like ripples of troubled waters,
what echoes so quietly, echoes
in the little portico of your heart,
beyond all desiring or deserving
and all that isn’t healed:

Stand up, take your mat, and walk.
No running by the pool.

_________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
ww.unfoldinglight.net

Do you want to be healed?

           Knowing he had been there a long time,
           Jesus said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
                           —John 5.6

      Perhaps it was a challenge:
Do you want to be healed,
or are you too used to it
to want to leave that life behind?
Have you grown fond of complaining,
accustomed to lying here,
unwilling to be changed?

      To which the answer may have been:
You can only obsess with what you want
for so long. After 38 years I am at peace with what is.
But, yes. I would rather be well.

      But maybe it was just an invitation,
      a way of saying, “May I?”

When I come to my prayers,
do I want to be transformed?
Do I realize I need to be healed?
Or do I think that’s Jesus’ job, to notice?
Do I know my sin makes me sick,
my fears and desires paralyze me?
How often do I ask for stuff
but forget to open myself
to being made new?

Yes, Beloved, yes.
I want to be made well.

______________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

OT 14 — Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

July 7, 2025

Lectionary Texts

2 Kings 5.1-14 — Elisha heals Naaman of leprosy.

Psalm 30 —I cried for help and you restored me. You have turned my mourning into joy, my sackcloth into am party dress.

Galatians 6.1-16 — Bear one another’s burdens. Test your own work, not someone else’s. … Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!

Luke 10.1-11, 16-20 — Jesus sends out the 72. Travel light, spread peace, and take nothing personally.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Kings
       Jesus preaches a sermon on this text, in Luke 4, about the inclusiveness of God’s love. It nearly gets him killed. When wee don’t actually trust God’s grace we are fearful we are of sharing it, as if there’s a finite amount. We feel the need to be better, in some way, than others; we want to be “first.” (Remember last week when the disciples wanted to call down fire on some Samaritans for not accepting Jesus?)
       Naaman expects some fancy rigamarole for his healing, and is disappointed by the simplicity and banality of Jesus’ instructions. Sometimes we have some fancy expectations of religion—complicated beliefs, strenuous disciplines—when in fact we can seek wholeness in ordinary, everyday activities. God is accessible not only through esoteric means; God is available in our ordinary experiences.

Galatians
      Sin is distrust of God: we think we need to be good enough—that God’s approval is an earned wage, not a free gift. So we turn our desire for God’s grace into a competition. We think we have to be better than others, so we judge and compare. Paul corrects that illusion. The point of our faith is not to be good enough, but to love. The point of God’s law is not for some people to be righteous, but for everybody to live together. So when people err we don’t judge them, we don’t punish them: we love them. Despite other texts that seem to encourage us to exclude “sinners” (as if we can judge), Paul says “whenever we have the opportunity let us work for the good of all.”
       It might sound contradictory for Paul to say both “Bear one another’s burdens” in verse 2 and “All must carry their own loads” in verse 5. But what he means is your relationship with God is “your own load,” not comparable to anyone else’s; but you can help others in their struggles, and “bear one another’s burdens.” Pay attention to your own behavior instead of criticizing others or comparing yourselves to them. Rather than judging those who are having a hard time, help them! And, seriously, mind the log in your own eye…
       Paul’s audience in Galatia is questioning whether Gentile converts have to adhere to Jewish laws to follow Jesus. Although circumcision isn’t relevant for us, Paul’s points are: one is that our actual relationship with Jesus and therefore with others is more important than external indications of “being a Christian.” like, say wearing a cross or having a fish sticker on your car; yet, if our own faith is authentic we won’t judge other people for how they show their faith, but help them be loving.

Luke
      Jesus doesn’t keep the work of ministry to himself. He asks 72 others (that’s us) to join in. The tasks he assigns are to share christ’s peace, to offer healing, and to proclaim the presence of God’s Reign. He invites us to travel light, trusting that we need no more than love to be effective. And even when our message is rejected, we still offer peace and healing; we still include the very people who reject us in our vision of God’s Realm. And when people reject that message we don’t take it personally, or judge either them or ourselves. We “shake the dust from our shoes” and go on. We can’t do everything.
       Imagine this is what you are sent into your daily life to do: to heal, to spread peace, to reveal God’s grace. And to take yourself lightly.
       Jesus sends us out as “lambs in the midst of wolves.” We are not expected to be wolves. We won’t be manipulative or coercive. We won’t expect to get our way, or assume our ways should dominate. In our gentleness and nonviolence we will be vulnerable. We may not prevail. Wolves may still be wolves. But we will not follow their ways. We will bear witness, extend healing, and work for justice.
And when we enjoy success, Jesus reminds us: the real joy is our relationship with God.
       The Reign (“Kingdom”) of God. Jesus sends us out to proclaim that God’s Reign is near. I think what he meant is the absolute rule of God’s love: unconditional, universal and inclusive, as absolute as gravity. It’s three-dimensional. One dimension is God’s absolute sovereignty over all of life whether we accept it or not. This world is not ours, and not anyone else’s, no matter how powerful. It’s God’s. The Empire of God is a direct antithesis to the Empire of Rome. Whereas Rome oversees an Empire of domination and submission, a system of power, privilege and exclusion, God’s Empire is an Empire of Grace, in which everyone is beloved, and everyone belongs. The Empire of God contradicts all our human empires of domination, obligation, deserving and comparison, all our systems of privilege and exclusion. So of course worldly empires will fight back, especially by trying to create insiders and outsiders, and restrict God’s grace to the insiders. But Jesus says to hell with that. God’s love is for everybody, period. God’s Imperial Rule of grace is absolute. The Reign of God is eternal.
       And there’s also a dimension in the present moment. When we choose to accept the absolute sovereignty of God’s grace we find deep peace and a sense of belonging and trust, and empowerment to live in harmony with God’s reign. We “enter into it”—we live in harmony with it. It’s like being in a marriage. The point of marriage is not merely to have said “I do” but to actually be faithful and loving and present for our partner. Jesus invites us to live as if God’s Reign is present, to live in harmony with God’s infinite grace and love for all people. It’s a way of seeing the world and living in it shaped by love, trust, forgiveness, healing, gratitude, generosity and justice. Moment by moment we tend to slip in and out of the Reign of God. Jesus invites us to keep returning, and renewing our faithfulness.
       Because we’re not done yet—nor is God. The third dimension is still in the future, the “age to come.” Jesus imagines God’s ultimate hope for humanity, a world of justice and peace, that is still unfolding, that God is still working on—and that we are asked to help work toward. This is not the same as the afterlife. It’s this life, transformed. It’s the process, still in process, envisioned in Rev. 11.15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord.”
       So to “proclaim the Kingdom of God” is to live in a way that makes all this stuff real: to live in trust and gratitude, to offer healing and forgiveness, to work for justice and reconciliation, to include those who have been excluded, and in the words of the United Methodist baptismal rite to “accept the power God gives us resist evil and injustice in whatever forms they present themselves.”

Call to Worship

1. (from Psalm 30)
Leader: O Holy One my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
All: Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
So my soul will praise you and not be silent.
O Holy One my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

2. (from Psalm 30)
Leader: We praise you, O God, for you have lifted us up.
All: We cried to you for help, and you healed us.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes in the morning.
You have turned our sorrow into dancing.
You have beautified us with joy.
We thank you. We praise you! We worship you!

3.
Leader: Holy One, giver of life,
All: we praise you!
Loving Christ, healer of our souls,
we thank you!
Holy Spirit, flame of love in our hearts,
we open ourselves to you.
We thank you for your love, we ask your blessing, and we trust your grace
as we worship you. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Holy Mystery, you hold this world in your hands.
All: The people, the places, are all in your heart.
We are your beloved, and we give you thanks.
The wholeness you wish for us you wish for all people.
We open our hearts to you as we worship.
Fill us with your love, that we may spread your love,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, you have poured the clear water of your grace
into the pitcher of our lives.
Our cup overflows.
Stir up your spirit in us, that we may hear your Word
and be changed,
and bear your grace into this thirsty world. Amen.

2.
God of love, you establish your Realm of mercy and justice, your Empire of Grace. Speak your Word to us now, that we may be formed in the image of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gentle God, as your Christ gathered disciples together as a community, so you invite us to live in community with one another. Teach us how to love each other. Show us your way. Give us your Spirit, that the love we have for one another and for all the world may be your love alive in us: powerful, pure and infinite. We open our hearts to your grace. Speak, and we will listen. Amen.

4.
God of healing and wholeness, we are broken people in a broken world. Give us the spirit of your healing, to be whole and to make whole this wounded world. Nourish in us the power to heal, to enact goodness, to do justice and love mercy. Jesus, walk with us as we go into this world to share your love. Amen.

Listening prayer

1.
Jesus, you have a mission for us.
You empower us to accomplish it.
Let us see your vision,
receive your power,
accept your guidance,
and trust your company.

2.
Christ,
you have a vision for our lives.
Let us see with your eyes,
live with your Spirit,
and trust in your grace.
We await your Word.

2.
God of love,
Jesus sends us out to proclaim your Reign of Grace.
May your Spirit rule our hearts,
that we may travel light,
bear your love,
and release all but your grace.
Empower us, and send us, in your Spirit.

Prayer of Confession

God of grace, we confess we are in need of healing.
Immerse us in your grace.
We are in need of forgiveness.
Immerse us in your grace.
We are in need of the faith to heal and to bless.
Immerse us in your grace.
Heal our hearts, forgive our sin,
and empower us to live the fullness of your love,
in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Readings

1. Galatians 6.1-10. My paraphrase

My friends, if you see someone do wrong,
     by the Spirit you’ve received
     restore them with gentleness.
Help them out of that pit;
     don’t climb into it yourself.
Bear one another’s burdens:
     this is what the law is really about.
Don’t embarrass yourself
      thinking you’re better than others.
Do work you yourself are proud of;
      don’t fuss about your neighbor’s.
Live your life, not somebody else’s.

Those who are learning in the Word
      should share with their teachers.
You might be deceived but God’s isn’t:
      you reap what you sow.
If you sow desire you will reap more desires.
      If you sow the Spirit, you will reap the Spirit,
      and its eternal life.
So don’t grow weary of doing good;
      don’t give up: the harvest is coming.
Whenever you have an opportunity
      work for the good of all,
      especially those in the family of faith.

2.
Psalm 5 — My Paraphrase

O Listening Grace, hear me;
        let the sigh of my heart lie against your chest.
Hold my cry like your child—
        you who are Life and all Being,
the One to whom my prayers belong.
        You hear me before my day dawns;
in the morning I put my desire in your hands
        and I wait.

Evil is like darkness in your light;
        in you my deadliness dies.
The closer I draw to you
        the farther behind I leave my falsehood.

You see through our arrogance like glass,
        and like glass you shatter our wrongdoing.
Your grace destroys our lies,
        and our deceit evaporates in your truth.

Your mercy draws me into you;
        your presence awes and awakens me.
Lead me, O Love, in your way of blessing,
        despite those who would pull me elsewhere:
        maintain the path so I don’t miss it.

There are those who are gushers of lies,
        deep wells of hurt and destruction.
Their greed is a grave;
        their fear is disguised as power.

Don’t let me fall for their deceit.
        Let their disguises unravel about them.
Strip them naked of their lies
        so that I can stay true to your grace.

Those who nest in you are safe forever;
        our lives are songs of joy.
Surround us in your presence,
        set free our joy in your embrace.
Your blessing is our inescapable gravity.
        You hold us to you with love
as the earth holds us
        and the air gives us breath.

Response / Affirmation / Creed

      We trust in God, Creator of all things,
who is pure compassion,
who loves us unconditionally,
who is present with us in good times and bad,
who is our salvation.
      We trust in Christ, the embodiment of God’s love,
the love and healer of our sols,
who saves us, forgiving our failures,
washing away our betrayals,
who teaches us life’s deepest things:
how to pray, how to love,
how to be gentle with each other.
       We trust in the Holy Spirit, God’s power flowing in us,
that comforts the faithful,
empowers us to love as we have been loved,
and joins us together as the Body of Christ.
We believe we are sent in that Spirit
to heal, to forgive, to do justice,
to radiate the love of God, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, 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 God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He healed the sick and cast out demons
and enacted the Reign of your Grace.
He drew us into a community of humility and compassion,
in which we feed one another, forgive each other,
and bear one another’s burdens.
He was crucified by the power of domination,
but you raised him from the dead,
faithful to your covenant to be with us always in love.

     (The Blessing and Covenant) *

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
(Memorial Acclamation)

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
healed by your grace, reconciled with you and one another,
and sent into the world to heal, to bless,
to cast out the powers of evil and injustice,
and to enact your Realm of Love,
in the name of Christ, for the healing of the world.

[Spoken or sung]
Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

God of grace, you have healed us with your Word. Now you send your disciples out, with the grace to heal, to bless, to spread your love. Give us faith to go, to trust, and to serve. In all we do, may your peace prevail, and peace be upon all whom we meet. We pray, and we go, in your name, in your company, and in your spirit. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In this meal Jesus has modeled for us your Empire of Grace. Send us out into the world to share your love, to break down the barriers and boundaries that divide your beloved children, to work for peace and justice in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You companion us in our journeys and feed our souls with your presence and your grace. Send us out, nourished and accompanied, in your name, to love all people, to bear pone another’s burdens, to provide for healing, to proclaim your Reign, and to bring peace to every place you send us. We pray, and we live, in the power and the presence of your loving Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

One Tribe (Tune: Tallis’ Canon or The Water Is Wide/ Gift of Love)

We come with thanks, God, at your call,
to share our gifts in love with all;
for what to us you have supplied
is meant for all both far and wide.

The bread and cup from Jesus’ hand
exceeds the bounds of every land.
Your saving love, surpassing worth,
we share with every soul on earth.

Here at this feast we are, by grace,
one nation now, one tribe, one race.
All our divisions are erased.
We all are kin in every place.

The Table of your Grace (Tune: Channel of Peace)

This is the table of your grace.
We set it with the gifts that you have given.
You call us, one and all, to share your grace,
that in this meal we know your love.

You grant your presence in this meal.
Your blood and body, given for our sake.,
your humble, suff’ring service and your love,
that we may be your Body now.

The bread you give is not for us alone;
the cup is meant for us to take and share. So you
send us out, to a hungry world.
We rely on your grace to bear us on.

You send us in the Spirit’s power.
You give us strength to take the journey on,
to go and serve and heal and to proclaim
this Realm of Love in Jesus’ name.

The Parable of the Coins

It is as if an old woman in the train station
should look around and smiling slightly
reach into her bag and pull out
a kerchief tied around ancient, valuable coins,
cry “Oh dear!“
and the coins slip out of the kerchief
and fall on the floor,
seemingly multiplying as they land
in a fountain of coins,
clinking and clattering and rolling,
and rolling, some quite far.
And some people ignore the scene and walk on,
and some people stop and pocket a few coins.
But some people stoop and gather coins,
fetching them from under benches and planters,
and return them to the woman,
who blesses each one of them,
smiling, eye to eye,
and they walk away so much richer.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

A Prayer for healing

God of mercy,
our hearts are broken
for the violence that surrounds us,
the violence that is within us.
Heal our rage;
mold it like a potter
into wisdom and courage.
But to not unbreak our hearts.
Let them remain shattered
for those who grieve—
for we are all one family—
and for our own part
in a nation of violence.
Mold our sorrow
with your strong and steady hands
into wisdom and courage,
that we may speak and act
to assist in the mending of this world,
in the strength of your gentleness,
the might of your mercy,
the power of your love.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Fragrance

Sit a moment under this blossoming tree.
                        Take in its sweet fragrance.

What does it matter what you believe? There are no words.
                         You do not reason; you inhale.

A bee buzzes about your head, and you let him.
                         He is not after you, but the flowers.

Close your eyes in prayer. Let your mind buzz and hum
                         while you inhale the fragrance of God

A path to yourself

When your path diverges, wonder this:
which way leads to myself?

Is my name on this path or someone else’s,
their expectations, their images?

Does this path lead to my truest, deepest self,
or merely satisfy an anxiety?

On this path would I walk
the way I want to walk?

Can I walk this path with gratitude,
trusting blessing to abound?

Will this path separate me,
or lead me to connect more deeply with all creation?

Can I imagine God unfolding in me
on this path?

The path that invites you to be authentic
is for you. Travel it with confidence.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

OT 24 – 17th Sunday after Pentecost

September 15, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Proverbs 1.20-33 —Sophia, the Wisdom of God, calls out to us to listen.

Psalm 19 — The heavens are telling the glory of God…. God’s law is perfect, reviving the soul…. Clear me from hidden faults…. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you.

James 3.1-12 — The difficulty, and importance, of taming the tongue.

Mark 8. 27-38 — “Who do you say I am?” …”The Human One must suffer, be killed, and rise…” “Take up your cross and follow me.”

Preaching Thoughts

Proverbs 1.20-33
       Sophia, the Wisdom of God, a feminine character, is an eternal companion of God, and also a self-expression of God. Not unlike how we Christians speak of the Holy spirit, or how John says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So Sophia is really God calling to us.
       The image of Sophia calling out to us to listen is not dividing us into those who are “right” and “wrong.” She’s just trying to help us live. I think of watching a young girl, maybe 7 years old, who wanted to go on the bumper cars. Her dad said “let’s go,” but she insisted on going by herself, and bolted ahead. Her parents shouted some instructions to her but she wasn’t listening. When the cars started up hers just sat there. She didn’t know that she had to press the button on the floor to make it go. She sat there, fuming, the whole time. Behold the tragic perplexity of those who ignore God. Sophia is calling out to us with truth about how to live. It is to our own detriment that we don’t listen.

Psalm 19
       All Creation is God’s self-expression. We say we “see God in nature,” but we seldom take ourselves seriously: that “Nature” isn’t just God’s creation, but God’s own being made real, God’s presence incarnate—the Body of Christ. Part of our deep sin as that we think of “Nature” as “out there,” when in fact we ourselves are also Nature. We are creatures—mammals, to be specific—who exist in a complex ecology, even if we’re in what must seem to wild animals to be the solitary confinement of buildings in cities. The blood flowing in our veins, the air exchanging in our lungs, our incredible microbiome—it’s all nature.
       “There are no words, but their voice goes out…” Creation “speaks” to us but not in words, ideas or fodder for dualistic thinking. God communicates in Creation as a lover communicates in a kiss. Creation communicates divine presence, and the grace of the Life Force that blesses everything, moves everything, raises every living thing. Life will live. This is the grace of God. Beauty, wordless and mysterious, surrounds us. This is the grace of God. Whales accompany us, crows learn from us, trees know things and communicate with each other. This is the grace of God. The mycelium beneath the trees, the mycorrhizal network of fungi and roots and bacteria, praise God in their sacred, life-giving interweaving.
       This Life Force, this unending process of grace, this is the “law” of God. God’s law isn’t a rule we’re supposed to follow; it’s The Way Things Are, like the “law” of gravity, the laws of nature. The Life Force, the persistence of grace, is the law that is perfect, reviving the soul.
       “But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.” Sin isn’t just willfully breaking a rule. It’s being our of harmony with God. And that happens all the time. A person sings out of tune precisely because they can’t hear how out of tune they are. Ask any musician: you constantly have to be listening and tuning up, and following the beat. Sometimes you don’t realize you’ve hurt someone until they tell you. We industrialized humans may not have known (well, a lot of us did) how we were offending against the laws of nature until things like pollution and climate change confronted us. So we continually pray to become aware of “hidden faults.”

James
       Imagine being of such kindness and integrity that you never said anything false or mean. Imagine that all that ever came out of your mouth was gentle, true and respectful. Would there be any reason not to live like that, or to aspire to? Would that be possible? So we pray to learn to tame our tongues.

Mark
       Who do you say I am? — Jesus asks two radically different questions. First, “Who do people say I am?” Mark sets this in the context of their being in Caesarea Philippi, a crossroads of many religions, cults and beliefs. So we’re ready for a wide range of what folks think. Who others say Jesus is includes rumor, gossip, and speculation. It also includes doctrine and all the teachings of the church. That Jesus is “the Son of God” or a savior or anything else—even Peter’s “right answer” that Jesus is the Messiah—that’s what other people say. Jesus asks the second, very different question. “Who do you say I am?” Jesus is not asking for hearsay, or conjecture, but relationship: “Who am I to you?” Who is Jesus to you? How do you experience Jesus? What’s your relationship like? How does Jesus enter into your life, your awareness? What’s he like for you? Jesus is great enough that we experience him in many, many different ways, even seemingly contradictory. (Sometimes Jesus is a teacher and sometimes he’s just silent. Sometimes he knows it all and sometimes he shares my not knowing. Jesus laughs at my foibles—but he never laughs at me. He asks hard questions. He’s a trickster. He holds me when I’m disgusting. He believes in me when I’m a failure. He’s a mirror, and also an icon. He shows me what God is like, and also what I can be like. He carries me in his heart. He gets a kick out of me. He wants me to take all of his love, drain him dry, and spill it out into the world.) OK, that is a little tiny bit of who Jesus is to me. How about you? Preach on that.
      Messiah — Jesus sternly orders them not to say he is the Messiah—for at least three reasons. For one, in that charged atmosphere of political repression, if Pilate or Herod heard it, it could get him killed. (Sure enough, he was right about that.) And also because in their context “Messiah” meant “liberating warrior,” and that wasn’t what Jesus had in mind. But they wouldn’t know that until after the cross and resurrection, so now was not the time to use that kind of language.
       Petros — And maybe also Jesus wanted people to answer his question for themselves, who Jesus was for them, rather than just conform their ideas to what the disciples said about him. (Do not be conformed, but be transformed….) Even Peter’s “right” answer could be wrong. In fact in the very next moment Jesus says he’ll be crucified and rise again, Peter says “God forbid!” and Jesus says “Get out of my way, you satan.” The name Peter means “Rocky,” as in “On this rock the church is built.” But when we become attached to our “right” answers Petros becomes Petrified and we’re unable to move, unable to accept new realities, unable to be transformed. So Jesus discourages labels or titles for himself. Let people come to it on their own.
       Vulnerability — Jesus pivots from Peter’s high-falutin’ label of Jesus as Messiah to Jesus’ own image of his calling: that we will suffer and die at the hands of political power. This is how Jesus sees God’s, power in the world: not through combat and domination but in vulnerability, shared suffering and profound forgiveness.
       Son of man — Jesus names the one who is rejected as the “Son of Man,” the usual way he speaks of himself in the third person. It’s a loaded metaphor. It means an ordinary person— a human child. But as Jesus embodies what it means to be human, he reveals humanity at our best, so it really means “The Truly Human Person.” Jesus shows us a new way of being human, free from old bondage: so it also means “The New Human.” And on top of all that it has messianic overtones as one who will rule all people, in Daniel 7.13. And yet at root the “Son of Man” is still just an ordinary person… which means whenever Jesus talks about the Son of Man he doesn’t just mean himself; he means us also. So even as he says he’s the one who will suffer, die and rise, he seems to be including us in that story. And then, sure enough, he does: “Take up your cross and follow me.” We can’t hold beliefs about Jesus without implicating ourselves in his life ad ministry.
       Take up your cross — Clearly to take up your cross doesn’t mean to have a certain belief, which means no more than wearing a cross-shaped piece of jewelry. Nor does it mean to endure an inconvenience, as in “that’s your cross to bear.” No, it means our willingness to suffer for the sake of love. It’s tragic how unclear we are about this. The cross we “take up” is a symbol of nonviolence in the face of empire, forgiveness in the face of evil, and willingness to suffer for the sake of love. To take up our cross means to submit our lives to the demands of love, whatever the cost. It means to enter into the suffering of Jesus, which means to enter into the suffering of the world. So it also means to enter into the death-and-resurrection of Jesus.
       Loose your life to save it _ Jesus talks about “life” and “death” on two levels. The surface level is the life of our physical and social survival: our security, image and comfort. But there’s another level: our spiritual well-being, our connection with God. We have to let go of the things of the surface level to experience the life of the deeper level. (Paul speaks of this as living according to the spirit instead of the flesh.) So much of our culture is driven by pursuit of power, security, esteem and approval, requiring us to abandon what really makes us alive: humbly, gratefully, trustingly receiving the grace of God. To willingly forfeit the treasures of the ego seems like “death” to us, but beyond it is the mystery of life that is “eternal,” that is, given by God, absolute, and infinite. We lose our life to save it.
       Gain the world, lose your life Think of the times we choose to “gain the world,” and forfeit the chance to revive our souls. Think of the many ways we pursue false life, cling to artificial substitutes, settle for cheap imitations, instead of living real life. “Real life” isn’t just “living it up,” it’s not just having a good time, it’s not just “life the way we want it.” It’s life in relationship with God. (What else do we think heaven is?) We have to lose the world, and all its flimsy attractions, to tend to our soul. What we truly are is our soul—not our possessions, our experiences, or our memories, but our being in God. There’s nothing you can give in exchange for that. There’s no way you can pay for that. You can only receive it, and receive it from God, and receive it in empty hands.

Worship Note

Consider using Psalm 19.1-6 as a call to worship, verses 7-10 as a Response to the Hebrew Bible reading, and verses 11-14 as a prayer of confession:

Call to worship:
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
     All: Day to day pours forth truth,
     and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
     yet their truth goes out through all the earth,
     and their words to the end of the world.
In the heavens God has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
     Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
     and its circuit to the end of them;
     and nothing is hid from its heat.

Hebrew Bible Reading Proverbs 1. 20-33

Psalm (Psalm 19.7-10)

Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
     the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
     the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever;
     the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;
     sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Response…

Prayer of Confession (Psalm 19.11-14)

Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Your truth guides your servant;
     in observing it there is great reward.
But who can detect their errors?
     Clear me from hidden faults.
Save me from insolence;
     do not let it have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
     and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
     be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
                 … Silent prayer… The word of grace

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Jesus, we come to you in need.
All: We reach out in brokenness, and you heal us.
We stay with you in love.
You are the fountain of life, and you give us your spirit.
We follow you in service.
In gratitude we offer ourselves in openness and anticipation,
that you will shape us by your Word and send us in your love.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, come. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of life, we praise you!
All: God of all Creation, we are in wonder!
Mother of all people, Father of the poor, all humanity is your praise.
In the Spirit of Christ, who calls us, we honor you.
In the name of all who love you, we thank you.
In the company of all who all who long for life, we worship you.
Your Christ calls us to life, calls us to compassion, calls us to follow.
Alleluia! Rise in us, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God!
All: The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul.
Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”
We come, O Christ, to lay down our lives,
to take up our cross, and to follow you.
Lead us, Lord, to abundant life.
May the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts
be delightful to you, O giver of Life. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 19.1-6]
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
All: Day to day pours forth truth;
night to night reveals wisdom.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
no voice is heard.
Yet their truth goes out through all the earth,
and their message to the end of the world.
In the heavens God has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and nothing is hid from its heat.
We join all creation in praising God!
We join in harmony to worship our God!

5.
Leader: Jesus, we come because you have called us.
All: We offer ourselves to you in service.
We come because you have healed us.
We offer ourselves in gratitude.
We come because yougive us your spirit, and we need it.
We offer ourselves to you in openness and anticipation.
We worship God, in the name and the Spirit of Jesus. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
Spirit of mercy, though you are infinite, you come to us, embodied, near, and intimate. We thank you for the presence of Jesus; he is a mystery to us, and yet we love him. Open our hearts so we may behold him among us: teaching, healing, loving, setting us free. We pray in the grace and power of your Spirit. Amen.

2.
God of all life, God of new life,
let your wakening Word come to us like morning
and call us up out of our little selves
to become your people, great with love.
Call us, revive us, and make us new,
in the grace of Christ. Amen.

3.
God, you have given us the world, but it will not profit us to gain the world but lose our life. There is nothing we can give in exchange for life. Therefore we come to you, to hear your Word, to be changed into the likeness of Christ, so that we make truly take up our cross and follow Jesus. We pray in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you reveal yourself to us in word and silence, in clarity and mystery, in the song of our souls and the work of our hearts. Source of all compassion, you call us to receive your love, and to become your love in this world. We open our hearts to your presence. We open our spirits to your will. We open our souls to your Word. In your presence for us, may we be present for you, for the sake of the world. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we proclaim Jesus as the Messiah but we still want to know what that means. We need to hear his word to us, to see what it is to follow him. May your Spirit move us closer to him, that we may follow him more faithfully. Amen.

6.
Gracious God, Jesus calls us to let go of our attachments and to follow him. We confess that we cling to the things of this world; forgive us, and heal our hearts, so that we may faithfully let go and follow freely. Speak your Word to us again; bless us now, that as scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening prayer

Beloved, you ask us
to lose our life in order to save it.
Empty-handed, we turn to you.
We let go of all,
all,
to receive you.

Reading

1. Adapted from Psalm 19

All Creation expresses God’s nature.
It silently speaks a deep wisdom.
There are no words; our reason cannot grasp it.
But God’s will is in it, infinite in wisdom.
What God has in mind is a Truth that gives life.
To understand this is wisdom;
to see this clearly is deep joy.
To know God’s will is life’s deepest treasure.
But how can we know?
How can I see myself accurately?
God forgive me for all the faults
I don’t see in myself.
Grant me your wisdom, and show me your ways.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart
be in harmony with your grace,
O God, our rock and out redeemer.

2.
Psalm 19 – A paraphrase

Creation sings the glory of God;
            the galaxies utter their prayers daily.
Each day is a word of God’s story;
             each night discloses the truth.
Oh, they don’t talk with words,
             their only language is silence.
But their message saturates the world,
             and sings out to the edge of the universe.

God has set the sun at home in this world,
             and every day it comes to marry us,
             comes to dance with vigor and grace.
It comes to our world from another,
             and fills the earth with its light,
no one is left out
             from its divine, life-giving warmth.

God’s love is all that we need;
             it restarts our hearts.
God’s wisdom is as sure as gravity;
             it sustains even the unwise.
God’s ways are pure beauty,
             delighting the soul.
God’s desire allures us,
             enlightens our eyes.

Live in wonder and awe and you become holy;
             you slip into the eternal.
The voice of God is What Is;
             pay attention and you truly live.
Throw away money for this kind of wisdom,
             even what you actually need.
Abandon all your loves for this Love,
             your favorite things, your most precious.

God, your love portrays me better than I;
             when I listen I become myself.
But who can see themselves clearly?
             Save me from my hidden faults.
Cut me loose from my attachment to myself.
             Set me free from my fears.
Help me live as a servant to life,
             not hurting or destroying.

God, may all my thoughts and words and actions
             be in harmony with your delight—
my Lifeboat, my Lover,
             my Life.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of grace, we come to you in humble honesty.
Who can detect their errors?
Clear us from hidden faults.
Forgive the sins we know and those we don’t.
Transform our desires,
so that in all we do our thoughts and words and actions
may be pleasing to you.

2.
Gracious God, Jesus calls us to let go of our attachments and to follow him. We confess that we cling to the things of this world. Forgive us, and heal our hearts, so that we may faithfully let go and follow freely. Speak your Word to us; bless us now, that we may clearly see our hidden faults, that our hearts may be changed, and that we may trust your grace. Amen.

3. [Psalm 19.11-14]
Pastor: Trusting in God’s tender mercy,
let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of mercy, your truth guides your servant;
in observing it there is great reward.
All: But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
Save me from insolence;
do not let it have dominion over me.
Then we shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer.
[Silent prayer… Words of grace]

4.
Gracious God,
you are One; you are the source and the unity of all things.
But in our fear we have broken away;
Each of us has gone our own way.
Separate from you,
we have hurt ourselves and one another.
Faithful God, we, your creatures, are broken.
Receive us as we are; take us in your gentle arms.
Heal our wounds, forgive our sin,
and root us again in your grace,
that we may live in unity with you and with others.Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. [ Col. 1.15-20, 26]
Christ is the visible appearance of the invisible God,
the beloved older sibling of all creation.
All things in heaven and on earth were created in Christ,
everything visible and invisible,
rulers and powers and systems and empires—
everything was created through Christ and for Christ.
Christ came before anything,
and in Christ everything holds together.
Christ is the head and the church is the body.
Christ is the Source of life, and has turned even death into a birth:
so Christ is first in every way.
In Christ God lives completely.
Through Christ we are reconciled to God—
all of us, and everything on earth and in heaven:
in dying on the cross, Christ brought God and humanity together.
This is the mystery, hidden for ages but now revealed:
that Christ is alive in us. Alleluia!

2.
      We give our hearts to you, O God,
Creator of all that is, and all that is to come.
      We follow Jesus, your Word made flesh, who loved without limits.
For his love he was crucified; but in love you raised him from the dead.
He calls us to follow him, and so we pray that you enlarge our lives
and set us free from ourselves, that with his Spirit alive in us
we may love without limit, take up our cross, and join him.
      We trust your Spirit in us to give us this life of love,
to lead us in forgiveness and healing,
to enter into the mystery of eternal life
in the name and the company of Christ. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

We praise you, God: the heavens are telling of your glory;
all Creation is your praise.
We turn to you, God, at your invitation,
for Wisdom cries out; she has set her table,
and we come to feast.
Your ways are perfect, reviving the soul;
and so we come, that you may bring us to life again.
When we are lost you show us the way.
When we are imprisoned you set us free.
The very lives we cling to hold us back;
but we let them go; we turn to you;
we lose our lives so we may receive life from you.
And so we come to this table, the Feast of Life, with joy.
With the heavens that sing your glory,
and all Creation that praises you, we too sing your praise.

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, 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 God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodies your love.
He is our teacher, our healer, our companion,
our priest, our chief, our savior.
He was rejected by the powers;
he suffered and died in love;
and he was raised, calling us
to let go of the lives we cling to
and receive life from you alone.

     (The Blessing and Covenant) *
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
willing to suffer for the sake of love,
unwilling to gain the word and lose our lives,
ready to take up our cross and follow Christ
for the sake of the healing of the world,
in the power of your Spirit
and the light of your grace.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. …

….You bless us that in our giving is our receiving; in our searching is our finding; in our living for you we find your purpose for us. God of love, send us out in ministry for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
… We thank you that you come among us in the person of Jesus. Give us faith to receive him, to follow him, and to serve with him in healing the world, in the light of his name, and in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

3.
… By your Spirit in us may we take up our cross and follow Jesus, willing to suffer for the sake of love. May we transcend our selves and become one with Christ, infinite in love, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

4.
… By your grace may we take up our cross and follow Jesus into the streets and homes, into the prisons and shelters, to the hurting and also the powerful, in the name and the Spirit of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

5.
…. Free us from our clinging and our fear. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we might follow Jesus with all our hearts, and so find life that is eternal in you. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

Be Thou My Wisdom (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Be thou my Wisdom and grant me your sight.
Help me to see by your love’s perfect light.
Love, be my compass, my balance, my Way:
guide from within what I choose day by day.

Grant me the wisdom to seek and to learn, to
pray for your leading and wait and discern.
Help me to listen with all of my heart,
listen for all of the Truth you impart.

Grant me your Wisdom: a heart that’s made pure,
courage to follow a love that is sure.
Led by your Spirit, listening still,
help me to know and to follow your will.

I Take Up My Cross (Original song)
[Dialogue between soloist & Congregation.]

Lyrics:
Congregational Refrain: : Letting go, I am held. I take up my cross and follow.
Solo:
1. Jesus, you call to me, and draw me into your life. (Refrain…)
2. Christ, I leave all behind, to follow you in love. “
3. I yield my life to you, for you alone are God. “
4. Loved with your costly love, I’ll suffer for the sake of love. “
5. Christ, make my one desire to be to serve you in love. “

Wisdom (Original song)
[Prov. 7.4, 3.13-18; Ps. 25.4]

Wisdom, you are my sister;
let us talk together hand in hand.
Teach me the ways of your heart;
help me to understand.

OT 24

Lectionary Texts

In Jeremiah 18. 1-11 God says, “You are the clay and I am the potter. I reshape you as I see fit.”

Psalm 139 prays, “God, you created me.” (Knitted and woven, specifically, which were women’s work). “You know me; you are always with me. Help me to avoid doing evil.”

Philemon was apparently indebted to Paul, and owned a slave, Onesimus, who had possibly run away to work with Paul. In this letter Paul returns Onesimus and asks Philemon to set him free, not as an obligation, which Paul could have demanded, but in love, asking Philemon to see Onesimus not as an inferior but as a brother.

In Luke 14. 25-33 Jesus invites us to love at all costs. And he gets honest about that cost. If you’re building a tower you first count the cost to make sure you can finish. To truly follow Jesus is to carry the cross, letting go of all that we cling to and our loyalty to everything and everyone but God—even our own loved ones. Don’t lose your saltiness, Jesus says.

Preaching Thoughts

Luke
     “Hate father and mother..” — Strong language, typical of Jesus. Obviously he doesn’t mean dislike, enmity or mistreatment. (Notice how he defends “honor your father and mother” in Mark 7.11). He means honoring your discipleship even above family loyalty. We easily surrender our beliefs or our integrity to avoid upsetting people we care about (well, yeah, and even strangers). We “go along to get along.” This can be hardest in families or bonds of significant friendship. How many folks don”t talk politics” with family members? Jesus invites us to stand for who we are, even when the resistance is costly. That’s when we really become ourselves. Of course, the point is not to start family arguments; some disagreements are best left untested. But not arguing about our beliefs is one thing; staying true to them is another. That’s what counts.
     “Carry the cross.” — A “cross to bear” is not an annoyance. It’s our willingness to suffer for the sake of loving others. And love requires suffering. Mayne not much, but always at least a little. Sometimes a lot. Every parent knows your heart will be broken a thousand times. But you do it, because the cost is actually a good deal. Love is worth it. But don’t think it won’t hurt. “Count the cost.” — I think people need help discerning the difference between the authentic cost of discipleship and unrelated struggle or suffering. Not every “thorn in the flesh” is a result of our love, forgiveness, generosity or work for justice. “Stuff happens.” On the other hand, we often minimize just how much we have to let go of to really live lives of love, forgiveness, humility, vulnerability, reconciliation, healing and justice. Each of us needs to discern: What do I need to let go of to be perfectly loving? What are the things I cling to that are likely to hold me back from loving deeply, forgiving entirely, or risking for the sake of others?
     “Salt is good.” — What a cryptic, evocative image. Be salt. There’s not much correct doctrine to it, nor any clear senses of definition. In the context of carrying the cross, it seems to mean “be loving.” Its ambiguity invites us to ponder: What feels like “salty” living to you? Loving? Kind? Authentic? Simple? Bringing out other people’s beauty, as salt brings out other flavors? It certainly seems to describe behavior, not belief. Who has “salted” your life? What do you value in that? The image of salt invites a lot of play, imagination and storytelling.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, divine artist, you fashion the universe with skill and beauty.
All: We praise you!
Jesus the builder has shaped our hearts with loving hands and a steady eye.
We thank you!
Holy Spirit, breath of new creation, you continually fashion us anew.
We worship you. We open our hearts to you.
We surrender ourselves to your shaping hands. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God, you have searched us and known us.

All: Holy Mystery, we wonder; and we praise you.

Where could we escape your presence? Even in the farthest desolation, you are there.

Loving Presence, you accompany us; you sustain us, and we thank you.

You have formed our inner nature; you create us by your grace.

How vast is your love! We praise you,

for we are astoundingly and wonderfully made.

Search us, and remove whatever is evil in us,

and lead us in the way everlasting.

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!

All: We thank you and we worship you.

God, you search us and know us;

you are all about us, within us and among us.

Your presence is everywhere; help us to be aware.

Come be with us now, God, and help us in our worship.

Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Creator God, you are the potter; we are the clay.
All: Shape us by your Word.
By your grace help us to turn from the things we possess

and worship you with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.
By your grace help us to take up our cross and follow.

Savior of the world, we devote our hearts to you. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Potter God, shape us by your Word. Fashion us with your divine skill. In your grace re-make us in your image. Speak to us, and your Word will call us to new life. Amen.

2.
God of love, Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him. But we confess that we hold back; we cling to many things. Grant us the faith to trust your grace, to let go of all that burdens us, and to take up Christ’s love for the world and follow him in faith and service. Speak your Word to us, call to us in our fear, and give us courage to follow. Amen.

3.
God, we want to worship you. Christ, we want to follow you. Living within us, you know better than we what holds us back. Spirit, rise up in us now, and bend us toward you. You are the potter; we are the clay. Shape us by your Word. With your steady hands upon us, change us from one degree of glory to another, and form us into your delight. You are the weaver. Weave the threads of our hearts into the tapestry of your image, the Body of Christ, our Savior and our brother. Amen.

4.
Gentle God, you know that we cling to many things in this life. Help us now to let go of them all, and to open ourselves to your presence and your Word. As your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, help us to hear your voice, and to allow ourselves to be changed, in the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

5.
God of love, Jesus called his hearers to leave behind their worldly attachments and follow him. Lead us by your grace to let go of everything to which we cling, so that we can be open to your Word. Open our hearts, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Great Potter God,
we confess we have had a mind of our own,
and shaped our lives as we have chosen,

not as you have hoped for us.
In stillness we repent.
Lay your strong and gentle hands upon us,
and reshape us according to your delight.
Forgive our sin, heal our wounds,
and shape us by your grace,
as vessels of your light.

Readings

Poetry by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       Loving God, you are our creator. You create all things in your love; you create us as an image of your love. You are the potter; we are the clay. We submit ourselves to your shaping hands.
       Loving Christ, you who perfectly embodied God’s love, who taught and healed, who fed the hungry and gathered the outcast: you call us to follow you. You were willing to pay the cost for your radical faithfulness to God: you were crucified. But God raised you from the dead. The way of the cross is not the way of death, but the way of Life! Christ, you call us to surrender all and follow you. We submit ourselves to your life-giving Way.
       Loving Spirit, it is by your power alone that we are faithful, You breathe in us; you give us grace to take up our cross and follow. Make us people of trust and forgiveness, people of prayer, people of resurrection. You are the potter and we are the clay: mold us and shape us according to your will. Amen.2.
Leader: God, like a thoughtful grandmother you knit each of us a life.

All: Like a weaver at her loom of beauty you weave us together.

Like an artful potter you shape us for your purposes.

And when we are distorted you re-shape us again.

You are the beauty that draws us toward life.

You are the love that beckons us out of self-centeredness

and toward our sisters and brothers in compassion and gratitude.

You are the treasure that is worth the greatest cost.

Alleluia! We gladly give up everything and turn to you.

Bless us, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

     (Sanctus)

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,

     (The Blessing and Covenant)
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
     (Memorial Acclamation)

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
(Amen.)

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have shaped us by your Word; now send us into the world to embody that Word, forsaking all our possessions, our habits and attachments, to follow Christ with courage, to heal the broken and set free the oppressed with compassion, and to praise you in all things, by the grace and power of your Holy Spirit in us. We pray, as we live, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

I Am Open (Original song)

Dear gentle Jesus, I open to you
the deepest secrets of my soul.
My heart is open, wounded and broken.
Heal and forgive and make me whole.
Open, I am open, open to your grace.

Beloved Jesus, my eyes are open;
your healing touch restores my sight.
Like open windows, they shine, and in flows
your glory filling me with light.
Open, I am open, open to your grace.

My wounded Jesus. Your arms are open,
our hurt and dying to embrace.
When I would close them, hold my arms open,
to be so loving by your grace.
Open, I am open, open to your grace.

Now risen Jesus, my life is open,
a flower unfolding in the sun:
by your light growing, and boldly showing
the love of God, as you have done.
Open, I am open, open to your grace.

I Take Up My Cross (Original song)

Congregation:
Letting go, I am held. I take up my cross and follow.

Cantor
1. Jesus, you call to me, and draw me into your life.
2. Christ, I leave all behind, to follow you in love.
3. I yield my life to you, for you alone are God.
4. Loved with your costly love, I’ll suffer for the sake of love.
5. Christ, make my one desire to be to serve you in love.

OT 22 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost

August 31, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 2. 4-13 — “What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me? … Those who handle the law do not know me… You have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug leaky cisterns that hold no water.”

Psalm 81 —“I relieved your shoulder of the burden. .. Open your mouth and I will fill it. But you won’t listen to me. If you did I would satisfy you.

Hebrews 13. 1-8, 15-16 — Show love, and hospitality to strangers (some have entertained angels without knowing it). Care for those in prison, exercise fidelity in relationships, and and be free of the love of money. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Do not neglect to do good and share.

Luke 14. 7-14 — Choose the humblest seat… Invite those who cannot repay the favor.

Preaching Thoughts

Jeremiah
      The prophet offers us a lovey image. His criticism is not just that we’re disobedient to God’s command to love our neighbor. When we go our own way and turn from God we abandon the fountain of life Then we become desperate for life, clinging and competing, fighting against each other and withholding life from others. You can see the consequences today: racism, poverty, hate, violence, suspicion of immigrants, mass incarceration…. These are not just political problems. They’re symptoms of our life-denying ways. Using Jeremiah’s image, imagine if we drank deeply of the waters of life. That life would flow through s naturally. We would be moved to share, to love our neighbor, to do justice.

Hebrews
       Hebrews provides the antidote to the sickness Jeremiah has diagnosed: share! Do good, show hospitality, avoid love of money. Hebrews offers us bracing medicine for our legal system. “Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those who are being tortured as though you yourselves were being tortured.” (This is a good time to stop pretending torture—including solitary confinement, beatings and other methods—doesn’t happen, even in our American prisons.) This good advice for all our acts of mercy: avoid playing the role of the gifted savior; be in solidarity; take on the suffering of others as your own. That is the most radical kind of sharing and hospitality. If we are afraid to get close to that suffering.. maybe we’ve not drunk deeply enough of the fountain of life.

Luke
     Jesus is not a fan of social status. He says of social capital the same as he does of financial capital: sell everything and give to the poor. Stop seeking status. Practice humility. It doesn’t mean you think poorly of yourself; it means you stop striving to appear better than others.
     Back in the 1970’s I worked with adolescent girls involved in prostitution. In their world everything, not just sex, was an exchange. You didn’t give something without getting something. Honor, shame, debt and obligation were finely calibrated. Everybody knew who owed exactly what to whom. Jesus’ culture was more like that than ours, but we all fall into that. If someone has done you a favor you owe them, right? If they’ve wronged you they owe you. But Jesus believes in a world in which everything is a gift. Nobody owes anybody anything. (“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”) So, Jesus says, practice giving stuff away. Have a dinner for folks who can’t repay you. Not because you want them to feel indebted, or so you can appear oh-so-generous (oops! there goes your humility!), but because God’s grace is free and your gifts are like that. Because generosity is a way to drink of the fountain of life.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, Holy of Holies, Great Mystery, Generous Love,
All: we worship you.
Jesus Christ, Humble Savior, Embodied Love, Faithful One,
we thank you.
Holy Spirit, Divine Presence, Flowing Love,
we praise you. We open our hearts to you. We sing of your glory. Alleluia!

2. [May also be a response, prayer of confession, or invitation to communion.]
from Psalm 81
Leader: I hear a voice I had not known: “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder.”
All: O God, you have saved us; you have blessed us. We praise you!
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
O Christ, you invite us to your table. We come with joy, and we thank you!
“But you have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for yourselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.”
O Spirit, we confess that we have turned from you. Forgive us, renew us and give us life. We open ourselves to your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator God, you are the fountain of life.
We turn to you. We drink from you. We rejoice in you.
Risen Christ, our loving brother, you set us free.
You feed us at the banquet of you grace. We give thanks to you.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with humility, generosity and compassion.
Alleluia! We open our hearts to you. Come and fill us.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Generous God, we praise you!
All: Humble Christ, we greet you!
We are poor, and you have invited us to your feast.
We are unable to repay you, and you have brought us to your table.
We are beneath you, and yet you humbly serve us,
and lavish upon us great gifts.
Alleluia! We thank you for your mercies. Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, you give yourself to us, humbly, with delight, mostly invisibly. We receive you with gratitude. We enter into your heart. We welcome you into ours. We open the doors of our minds, that you may enter. We open the windows of our hearts, that your light may shine in. Welcome. Amen.2.
God of love, you speak softly in our hearts. You call us into this world with your love. Speak to us now; awaken us with your grace, shape us by your Word, and lead us into lives of compassion, courage and beauty. Amen.

3.
God of abundance, you make this life a wedding party, and invite us to your banquet of grace. We come now to celebrate your faithful love, to feast on your Word, and to be made new by your grace. We open our hearts wide: fill us with your Spirit, in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, our pride means nothing before you. You bless the humble and feed the poor. Like beggars we come to you. Like children we open our hands to your grace. Give us the humility of Christ, that we may embody his generosity and hospitality, in the power of your Spirit. Come to us, God; speak to us, and feed our souls. Amen.

5.
God of truth, you spread the banquet of life before us. We feast upon your Word. We come in hunger to hear and understand, to know your love and to shine with your Spirit. Open our hearts, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

1.
God of abundance,
you have invited us to your table.
Humbly we come.
We cannot repay your grace.
But we can rejoice in one another,
and in each other’s company
feast on your Word.

2.
God, you are the fountain of life.
We turn to you,
and drink deeply
of the flowing waters
of your grace.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Loving and faithful God,
you are the fountain of our life,
yet we have turned away,
seeking life elsewhere.
We have cut ourselves off from life’s deep abundance,
shriveled our own glory,
and strangled our compassion.
Forgive us,
bring us back,
and change our hearts,
so that we might drink deeply from your grace. Amen.
[Silent prayer… The Word of Grace]

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
Leader: God of love, you create us in your image and call us in your grace.
All: We are your Beloved, special in your eyes and chosen for great tasks.
Christ, you come to us in lowly form. You heal us and lift us up and give us our lives.
We are your companions: nothing special, but blessed by your love.
Holy Spirit, you live in us and move us by your will.
We are your earthen vessels, holy in our ordinary lives, powerful in your hands.
Speak to us, lead us, and use us according to your delight. Amen.

2.
      We believe in God, creator of all things, the fountain of life, who provides for us with grace and abundance.
      We trust in Jesus Christ, who made God manifest among us. He healed the sick, raised up the downtrodden, ate with sinners, and spoke the Word of God. He died in love for all people, and none are undeserving. Crucified by the powers of oppression, he was raised by the power of love, and lives among us now, inviting all to the feast of God’s love and generosity.
      We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of trust and hospitality. As the Body of Christ, in unity with the whole universal church, we devote ourselves to live in love in the name and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Alleluia!

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

God you are the fountain of life.
We turn to you,
and drink deeply
of the flowing waters
of your grace.

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

God, we thank you, for you invite us to your table.
You put us in the place of honor.
You set the finest table, and serve us.
You offer us love we can’t return.
You give us Creation; you give us your delight.
You are the fountain of life,
and we drink deeply of your flowing grace.
In thanksgiving, in the company of all who are grateful,
we sing your praise.

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He fed the hungry and healed the sick.
He took the lowest place, and served us.
He served in humility, suffering death,
yet you raised him in glory.

(The Blessing and Covenant) *

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
humble in spirit, generous of heart,
aware that in our hospitality
we may welcome angels unawares.
All glory be to you, loving God.

[Spoken or sung]
Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In your Spirit may we give ourselves to others. By the grace you give us may we honor the angels we entertain. Send us out now to serve, to give without expecting return from any but your grace, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Send us, strengthened by gifts beyond our comprehending, into the world, to share your love in humility and generosity, and to invite others to your table, that the day may come when we feast with all Creation in harmony at your table of grace. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In our hunger you have fed us the finest food; in our poverty you have served us as royalty. Send us into the world with the humility of Christ, to serve those whom the world rejects, to give to those who cannot repay, to honor those whom the world thinks unworthy. Send us to share your feast of life with all, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on title to view on the Music page.)

We Feast On Your Love (Original song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”