Author: Steve

August 6, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 32.22-31. Jacob wrestles with an angel and receives a new name, “Israel,” meaning “One who wrestles with God.”

Psalm 17. God, I call upon you. Guard me as the apple of your eye. Show your wondrous love. Deliver me from my enemies.

Romans 9. 1-5. God has given the Covenant through the Israelites.

Matthew 14. 13-21 Jesus feeds 5000 with a few fish.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
       Jacob wrestles with… God? .. his life?…his own shadow self?… Yes, all of these, and maybe also his tendency to wrestle! He faces his urge to compete, to supplant. As his spiritual descendants this is who we are: we are Israel, we are people who wrestle with God, with others and with ourselves and our own ways. Faith does not necessarily come easily. It comes with struggle, questioning, even opposing. It comes with labor pains. Faith comes from the impasse of being unable to either overcome God or flee from God.
     In his encounter Jacob receives a new name, Israel, When we really wrestle with God, when we deeply engage all of ourselves, straining shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest with Love and its mystery and its demands and its paradoxes—it changes who we are. We walk away limping, reminded of our frailty, but blessed.
     “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the cry of faith. Because all of our wrestling is with God, we know there is blessing in it. We just have to hang on till we receive it. What strength there is in facing all our struggles like that, whatever our trouble: “I will not let go until you bless me.” This doesn’t mean staying in a bad situation like an abusive relationship. It means not ignoring our pain, not dismissing or minimizing our struggles, not pretending “everything’s fine;” for our pain has something to teach us, our struggles have blessings hidden in them, even our failures impart wisdom.

Matthew
      Notice the story begins with Jesus seeking solitude. People find him, and so ends his solitude. (Ministry can be like that). Jesus responds with compassion. (Ministry should be like that, too.) But at the end of the day he goes back and gets that solitude time. (May your ministry be like that.)
     The disciples ask Jesus to send the people away, to outsource what is needed. But Jesus says, “No, you feed them.” How often do we look to God for miraculous intervention when the gifts are right here in our hands? How often do we complain about what we don’t have and overlook the miraculous power that is in the gifts that we do have?
     How to “explain” the miracle? Maybe it’s that people shared. Like stone soup: they actually had food with them, they just didn’t want others to see it….. Or maybe everybody had a tiny bit, and that was enough… But maybe Jesus actually produced food for a crowd. Singers know this: when you’re all in tune, you produce another note, a “harmonic,” that no one is actually singing. Maybe Jesus was so in tune with God that his love, in harmony with God’s, produced a new thing that wasn’t there before.
     Notice who Jesus invites to communion. No prerequisites, none, Not believing or understanding. Just hunger. That’s how we come to God—and to the communion table. Jesus surely violated cleanliness laws, and caused everyone there to do so, by eating with sinners and the unclean. What matters is the feeding of the multitude, not the cleanliness of the individual.
     “There were about 5000 men, besides women and children.” Oh, yeah, right, women and children. But we still call it the feeding of the 5000. We still have trouble counting women and children, don’t we?

Call to Worship

1. (Genesis)
Leader: In our solitude, God, you accompany us.
All: In all our struggles, it is you we wrestle with.
Holy Mystery, seize us in your grace.
Bless us, and make us new. Amen.

2. (Matthew)
Leader: God of love, we come to you hungry for your Word.
All: With the loaves and fishes of our worship, feed us.
We come to you weary and in need of renewal.
With the loaves and fishes of your grace, heal us.
We come weary from the work of love and justice.
With the loaves and fishes of your Spirit, give us strength
for the work to come. Feed us, God, for we need you.

3.
Leader: God of love, you meet us in mystery.
All: Help us to bear your grace.
God of abundance, you meet us in our need.
Help us to bear your grace.
God of power, you pour your blessing into us.
Help us to bear your grace.
Help us to worship. Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, to you alone we come for wisdom.
All: Eternal God, to you alone we give our hearts.
As you fed the multitudes upon the mountain, feed us now with your Word.
As Christ made a small offering into a great miracle,
make our lives a part of your mighty acts of salvation. Amen.

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Christ, you took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to your followers.
Alleluia! Take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world, in your name.
Come, Giver of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mystery and grace, Jacob knew you in blessing and in struggle, in daylight and in dreams. Jesus met you in hunger and in feasting, in solitude and in crowds. Our lives are dappled, light and dark, and we seek to know you in every moment. In our worship today, and in all our lives, may we know your presence and trust your grace in mystery as well as in clearness. In the arms of your wrestling angel, in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

2.
God of love, crowds came to Jesus hungry for your Word. So we come to you. Take the loaves of our prayers and the fishes of our silence, and multiply them by your Spirit to feed us with your grace. Let us hear the voice of Jesus. Amen.

3.
Loving God, the mysteries of life confound us. The challenges of life engulf us. Yet you feed us abundantly with your grace. The angels we wrestle with bless us, and we are made new. We open our hearts to your Spirit as we worship. Feed us your grace, and empower us to bear the bread of life to others in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God,
our hearts are the little loaves and fishes
of your presence in us.
By the mystery of your Spirit in us,
multiply them. Feed us with your grace.
We are hungry. We are listening.

Readings

Psalm 17, a paraphrase

God, listen to me when I cry out to you.
         Hear the honest prayer of my heart.
Let me know how blessed I am.
          Show me where you see my beauty.
You know me inside out, even in the dark of night.
         Help me to be good through and through.
         May everything I say to reflect your love.
I could choose to live another way, but I will not.
         I will avoid the ways of violence.
Keep my feet on your path.
          Help me not to slip.
I call to you, God, knowing that you will answer.
         I pray, trusting you to hear.
It is a wonder how you show your love,
         how you protect those who seek safety in you,
         and shield them from hurtful things.
Keep me as the apple of your eye
         and hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Everywhere I look I will see you.
         Everywhere I am you will be with me.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
     God, we love you and we trust you. Holy Mystery, in our loneliness you accompany us. In our struggles you struggle with us. In our hunger you feed us. Limping from our encounter with you, we are blessed and made new. We give you thanks.
     Jesus Christ, we love you and we trust you. In our wondering you teach us. In our hunger you feed us. In our fear you empower us. In our dying you die with us; in your rising you rise with us. We will not let go of you, for you will bless us. We give you our thanks.
     Holy Spirit, in the sunless places in our lives, in the night of unseeing, you are the faithful presence. In our struggles you are our foe and our friend. In our inadequacy you are the miraculous power. Restored by your presence in us, we go forth to love. Alleluia.

2.
     We believe in God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come, who is mystery, yet revealed.
     We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who gave his life for our redemption, and who was raised by God to new life. In his teaching, in his death and resurrection, and in his presence with us in all circumstances, he reveals God to us. He calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
     We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

——————   #1 ———————
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 of love, we sing your praise.
You create us, claim us, and continually set us free.
In all our difficulties you have been with us,
and our only struggle is the struggle to receive your grace.
When we are hungry you feed us,
and when much was demanded of us you empower us.
As Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes,
multiply your grace among us, that we may feast on your love.
In gratitude we sing your praise with all Creation.

            [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 taught and healed,
who fed the hungry and included the outcast.
He showed us miracles of generosity, miracles of abundance,
and called us to do such works of love.
He was crucified and raised, and the leftovers never end.
He gave the loaves and fishes of his own life,
and from them you have multiplied life for all people.

     (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.
In these gifts of food perform again a miracle of generosity;
multiply the loaves and fishes of your presence for us.
Multiply the loaves and fishes of your love in us,
that we may bear your grace to a hungry world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ, for your joy and glory.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

———— ‹2 ——————

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.

Holy Mystery, Infinite Love, we praise you.
Giver of all gifts, we thank you.
You fashion Creation like the finest bread,
and we feast upon it.
You pour out life like the best wine,
and we drink deeply of it.
You provide for us when we hunger,
and accompany us when we wander.
You confront all that oppresses us
with your grace, setting us free.
You continually work toward the wholeness of Creation,
healing, forgiving, nourishing and guiding us.
You command justice,
and call us to live toward a world of justice and peace.
You have given us the gift of Christ
and the gift of the Church, your community of grace.
Therefore we gather at your table,
with all your beloved, and all Creation, and 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.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken, and gathered the outcast.
He has taken what we have offered and multiplied it
into grace, into miracle, into life.
And he calls us to feed our neighbors,
to be life for those who hunger.
He met the forces of oppression with gentleness and healing;
though they killed him his love prevailed.
He was crucified, but you raised him from the dead,
embodying your Covenant to be with us in love always.

… 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 receiving the Body of Christ,
may we become again the Body of Christ,
taken by your Mystery,
blessed by your love,
broken by your grace,
and given, for the sake of the wholeness of the world.
Send us, God, in your love,
one with Jesus, one with all Creation,
in the name and the spirit and the company of Christ.

     [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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

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 have graced our fear and despair with abundance and power. You have fed us with your love. Send us into the world to feed the hungry, trusting in your grace, going in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
As Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his beloved, so take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world; that by your grace in us you may bless all the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

All that we hold in our hands (Original song)

What do we hold in our hearts?
The hopes of a hungering people,
longing for you, and for bread,
and to truly be free.
What can we do, who are small?
The power is not ours at all:
God, you have hidden such grace
here in our hands.

What do we hold in our hands?
Nothing we have is unworthy.
An everyday gift you can use
in miraculous ways.
All that we hold in our hands
you’ll use if we give it to you.
Use what we hold in our hands
for what you will do.

What do we hold in our hands?
In it you’ve hidden the wondrous,
fishes and loaves you can use
to feed thousands with love.
All that we hold in our hands
we give in the name of your Son:
more than we ask or imagine,
may your will be done.

What do we hold in our hands?
Grace is abundant, not lacking.
Look now and see what we have
and find power and life.
All that we hold in our hands,
all that we have or can do,
all that we are by your grace
we give now to you.



Five Loaves and Two Fish       (Original song)

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The gifts that you have are enough
to shine with the glory of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The love that you have is enough
to offer the healing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The courage you have is enough
to work for the justice of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.
See what you have. See what you have.


Story of Grace (Original song)

Chorus:
Though we can’t see at the time,
God is here in this place.
No matter the mountain we climb,
this is a story of grace.

Verses:
Jacob must wrestle his angel,
be brought to the end of his powers,
to know what our suffering teaches us:
the power that saves us is God’s, not ours.

Disciples are weary and overwhelmed
by crowds that need to be fed.
But Jesus welcomes them, trusting God,
who brings forth a miracle: boundless bread!

What are the angels you wrestle with?
Powerless fear, doubt or pain?
There in the struggle it’s God you meet,
blessing you, giving you life again.

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.”

July 23, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 28. 10-19. Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven. When he awakes he says, “Surely God was in this place and I—I did not know.”

Psalm 139. God is present everywhere and aware of us and participating in our lives, no matter where we are or in what condition.

Romans 8.12-25. It is the Spirit that enables us to connect with God. All creation waits for redemption, longing for our connection as God’s children.

Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43. The parable of weeds among wheat, and an explanation.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
 As is typical in the Bible, Jacob’s revelation comes in a dream. I don’t think this is about nighttime dreams alone. Our communication with God is not in a rational state of thought, but a different realm of consciousness, in fact largely what we might think of as the unconscious. As The Could of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. Or Martin Buber: “God can only properly be addressed, but not expressed.” It’s when we stop trying to understand God that we connect with God.
        Interestingly, the angels are “ascending and descending.” One might think that since angels are from heaven they’d be be descending to earth and ascending… but, nope. Hm. Maybe angels’ some base is here, not there. In any case, this world and the unseen one are tightly braided together. There’s more passing back and forth than we think.
        In the dream God promises four things to Jacob. We usually notice the first two, the usual stuff: land and descendants. But God also repeats the promise of blessing made to Abraham: “All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.” God’s election isn’t about us being special, nor just about our having a special protected place, or being able to prevail. It’s not about us, really. It’s about us having a calling to share God’s blessing with the whole world. Sort of like being baptized. And fourthly God also promises what God always promises; “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” It’s a good promise for Jacob to hear because he always gets himself in a lot of trouble.
        One of the sentences in the Bible that always hangs in the darkness and shines like a neon light for me is “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I—I did not know it!” We always apprehend God right after the moment—like astronomers seeing the light of stars from the past. I think that’s what it means when Moses wants to see God and God says “I’ll cover you and pass by and as I recede I’ll uncover you so you can see.” Not that we never get to see God’s face (everything is God’s face), not exactly that we only get to see God’s backside, but that we see after the fact. We seldom realize in the moment that what we’re seeing is God. Which suggests that our experience of God’s absence is a sign of God’s presence. Our longing is God, and that sense that there’s an emptiness is, metaphorically, God’s hand covering us. Our feeling that God isn’t there might be disappointing, but it’s a reminder that God’s isn’t a feeling, and that what we want is not the feeling of God, but God. Jacob’s awareness of God is not in his sleep, but in his awakening, his trust that God is there when we don’t know it. He’s aware that God is not to be found in warm fuzzy feelings but in trust.
        In Hebrew Jacob repeats the “I”: literally “and-I not I-knew.” As if there are two I’s: there’s the rational, intellectual self—essentially the ego— that can’t sense God’s presence, and the spiritual self, the soul, that knows that, that is aware of his own ignorance, that lets go of his ego. It’s the soul, not the mind, that connects with God. God can be lived but not thought. “God can properly only be addressed, not expressed.”

Romans
           Any sentence in this dense passage is worthy of a sermon.
     • “If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The “deeds of the body” are ways we act as if we are contained and defined by our bodies: our pwn private physical survival. This doesn’t mean we should think poorly of our bodies or be cruel to them. It means we are truly alive only when we honor our deep interconnection to all other people and beings in the Spirit.
     • “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” We aren’t people on trial before a demanding judge; we’re children of a loving parent.
     • “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.” Ours is not a fear-based religion. Fear is precisely what we’re set free from.
     • “We are joint heirs with Christ—if we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We don’t earn anything. We inherit it. Faith is a mixed bag, neither all glory and privilege nor all suffering, but accompanying Christ in the fullness of life.
     • “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed.” This isn’t pie in the sky. The glory is not in the future, but right now; it’s just that we can’t see it yet. We’re one little bit of the great picture of God’s story. Only afterward will we be able to see the whole thing and how we fit in.
     • “Creation has been groaning in labor pains.” God’s work is to bring abundant life and wholeness—including everything, even all Creation. Creation shares our longing for wholeness. (Notice how Paul uses many metaphors for faith, including being born, giving birth, and being adopted.)
     • “We wait for adoption.” I think we’re already adopted. There’s nothing unfinished in God’s claim of us as God’s beloved. But maybe Paul is thinking of a future time “when all things are revealed,” when later on we come to see everything more clearly. Maybe it’s like we’ve already been adopted, but the paperwork hasn’t arrived yet? So we hope. As in:
     • “We hope for what we do not see; we wait for it with patience.” Hope is not wishing about the future but trust in what is already present even though we can’t see it. I hope the sun will rise tomorrow because I know it’s already rising.

Matthew
        Again, be wary of an “explanation” of a parable. A parable isn’t just a rebus with a certain picture standing in for a particular idea. It’s a mystery, open to many ways and angles of interpretation. Maybe this one is about how we shouldn’t judge people but let God sort it out later. Maybe it’s about how we shouldn’t judge our own lives and how mixed they are. Maybe it’s about how God will not destroy us even when there’s evil in our lives. Maybe it’s about how the evil in our lives isn’t solely our own fault—an enemy has done this! After all, we’re subject to the wounds and attitudes we were given as children. Maybe it’s about not judging things in our lives that we don’t like: maybe they’re more mixed, with some valuable aspects, than we realize at the time. It’s definitely about not judging other people. The “weeds” and “wheat” are not necessarily other individuals, but both are the fruitful and unfruitful aspects of my own life. And, who knows? Sometimes what we think of as bad may actually be fruitful in God’s eyes. Notice that what’s thrown in the furnace of fire (v. 41) are the causes of sin.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, you are in this place.
All: God of light and dark, God of word and Silence, you are in this place.
Saving God, guiding God, you are in this place.
God within us, you are in this place.
We greet you! We thank you.
We worship you. Open our hearts to your presence, now and always.

2.
Leader: Loving God, Infinite parent, you birth us and claim us.
All: We are in awe, and we praise you.
Gentle Christ, you love us and walk beside us.
We are made new, and we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your life into us and re-create us each moment.
We are your children, and we live in your love.
We worship with praise and thanksgiving.

3.
Leader: Gracious God, you are present in this place, in this time.
All: You are present in our lives, in every moment.
Open our eyes to be present to you,
to be mindful in this and every moment
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 139. 7-12]
Leader: O God, where could we go from your Spirit?
All: Where could we escape your presence?
If we rise above the earth, there you are!
If we make my bed in the grave, there you are!
If we take the wings of the morning and fly to the farthest sea,
even there your hand will lead us, and in your gentle arms you will hold us.
We could say, “Let the night cover us, and everything about us be total darkness,”
but even the darkness is not dark to you: the night is bright like the day,
and with you even the darkness is light.
In your light, Lord, we turn to you.
In your presence, we worship.

5.
Leader: God of All, your Creation groans in childbirth, the labor pains of life.
All: Life groans in us, yearning for wholeness.
We come to listen to the moans of the world.
We come to give voice to the yearning of your Spirit.
Even now you pray in us, God.
We will hold the silence and the space.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, surely you are in this place. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts. As we breathe in and out, you are around and within us. Open the depths of our souls. May we be present to you, who are so infinitely present for us. Amen.

2.
God of glory, Lord of Mystery, Jacob dreamed of the angelic ladder bridging heaven and earth. We stand upon that ladder now, your Presence ascending and descending as we hear your Word and respond. Bless us, who stand always at the gate of heaven, that we may be mindful, and grateful. Speak to us, God, your living Word. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, in our lives we hear so much chatter, so many voices. Help us to winnow out the good wheat from the weeds, the truth from the noise. Grant us your Spirit, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with gladness what you are saying to us today. Amen.

4.
Holy God, Infinite Love, Intimate Lover, Faithful One, we come from you. We rest in you. We listen for you. Open our hearts to your presence. Open our ears to your Word. Open our arms to your children. Open our future to your grace. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God, we are not dreaming.
You are in this place.
Your grace passes between this world
and your heart.
We open ourselves to the mystery of your presence.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of love, you have been present for us
and we did not know it;
we did not act as if you were there,
as if you loved us, as if we cared.
By the grace we know in Christ,
awaken us, forgive us, heal our fear,
and renew your Spirit in us. Amen.

2.
Pastor: God of love, in our lives there is wheat,
beautiful and blessed, and a gift from you.
We recall those moments when your grace was fruitful
in our lives and we give thanks as we hold them before you.
    [Silence…]
In our lives there are also weeds, ugly and unfruitful,
that choke out the goodness.
Trusting your grace, we recall those moments,
and we hold them before you.
     [Silence…]
God of grace, gather in your harvest,
separate out what is good in us and what is not,
that our lives may bear fruit
for you and for the world.
All: In the grace we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, heal us,
and renew your Spirit in us
as your beloved children. Amen.

Readings

Psalm 139 — a paraphrase

O Holy One, you see me from the inside out.
         You know me better than I do.
You take every step with me;
       you have already walked all my journeys.
Even before I speak
         you know my thoughts.
You are around me and within me;
         I feel your hand on my back.
I can’t imagine the greatness of your love;
         I can only trust it.
                                            God, for your love, I pray…
Where could I go from your presence?
         In outer space, at the core of the earth—there you are.
If I ran away to the farthest place,
         you would be with me all the way.
I could try to hide in perfect darkness
         but to you the darkness is light.
                                            God, for your light, I pray…
You formed me before I was born;
         you made me by hand in secret.
I praise you, for you are wonderful!
         For I am wonderfully, awesomely made.
How amazing is your wisdom, O God,
         how infinite your presence.
When I try to comprehend, you are beyond my understanding.
         But when I simply become aware—here you are.
Search through me, O God, and know my heart.
         Root out what is unloving, and lead me in your life-giving way.
                                            God, for your way, I pray…

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        We love you, God, infinite creator of all that is, and we rejoice that we are your children. We come from you; we are born of your love. You create us as living images of you and your grace.
        We follow you, Jesus, Christ of God, Word made flesh, love made real. You healed and taught. You welcomed and blessed all God’s children. You included all people as siblings. You included the outcast, the wounded, the children. For your love and courage you were crucified; but in love God raised you from the dead. You live among us, calling, guiding, blessing.
         Holy Spirit, we live by your grace. Born of God, adopted by God, blessed by God, we live by your life and power in us. You lead us to live lives of love and courage, to bless all our siblings, to live together as children of God in harmony and joy,
        We give thanks to you, O God, and promise to live as children of your love. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Child of God (Original song)

I’m a child, a child of God,
God’s beloved in whom God is pleased.
I will live in the peace of God.

You’re a child…

July 16, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 25.19-35. The rivalry of Jacob and Esau; Esau sells his birthright.

Psalm 25. A prayer for God’s support, guidance, forgiveness and love.

Romans 8.1-11. Life in the flesh, and life in the Spirit.

Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23. The parable of the sower.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesi
       People who want to get “back to the Biblical ideal of family” need to read the Bible. Most families in the Bible are dysfunctional, and Jacob’s is blatantly so. In this story, and following tales we’ll see conflict, distrust, deception and betrayal. And grace. It seems the biblical idea is that family is where we work out our crap. Or, as Robert Frost says, “Family is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you.”
       Esau doesn’t seem to value his birthright. Well, same with us. In what ways do we deny who we are, repudiate our belovedness, abandon our place of belonging in God’s family? What stresses and anxieties lead us to betray our divine birthright?
       It’s easy to judge Esau, but maybe he wasn’t just hungry one afternoon. Maybe he was actually, as he says, starving. We can imagine the brother’s conflicts were long and deep, to the point that Esau is actually driven into deep poverty. In that state, he’s right: what good is a future legal matter when he’s about to die? I think of how readily we judge the poor for how they spend their money, and how unaware we are of the pressures on poor people for day to day survival.
       But notice who we tend to criticize in this story, and who we let off the hook. The worst travesty is the obvious— that Jacob doesn’t care for his brother, but is willing to cheat him out of his inheritance. And we are heirs of that injustice. We Americans live on stolen land, in a nation built by slaves, with an economy supported by the labor of the poor, fueled by oil that spills on somebody else’s land. It would seem our moral compass isn’t worth a bowl of stew. Boy, do we ever need to pray for God’s guidance. Hence Psalm 25.

Romans
       “There is no condemnation; we are set free from the law of sin and death.” Our attempts to be good people, to live “by the law,” can’t actually heal our relationship with God or others, but God’s grace does. God comes and lives among us as one of us and so overcomes our separation from God—which is our sin. Instead of judging us for our sin God “condemns sin,” that is, does away with our separation from God. God fulfills the law for us!“
       According to the flesh… according to the Spirit.” We’ve interpreted this notion dualistically, as if there’s physical and there’s spiritual, and physical is bad and spiritual is good. That’s not what Paul means. There’s nothing bad or sinful about your body or its needs and desires. But here’s the thing. We have this very strong illusion that we’re separate, unrelated individuals, and our “self” is contained in, limited to and defined by our bodies. Pointing to my body I think this 163-lb sack of flesh and bones is “me,” and everything else is “you, “ or at least not me. But that’s not true. We are actually all fingers of the same hand, members of the Body of Christ, all one in the Spirit of God, all of us cells of one living organism. None of us is “alive” separate from the whole body, any more than one of your cells or tissues could be “alive” separate from your body. We are one in the Spirit, even though we seem to have separate bodies.
        What Paul calls life “in the flesh” is self-centered life, life controlled by our egos, controlled by our our self-serving anxieties and desires. Life “in the Spirit” is life as one with the whole Body of Christ, one in the Spirit, led and sustained by God. Paul is not contrasting flesh and spirit. He’s contrasting individualistic life and connected life. (Notice that when Paul talks about our individualistic ego-defined self he usually calls it “flesh.” When he talks about our oneness in a single life he usually calls it “body.”)
       And the cool thing is that since we are one with Christ, Christ’s resurrection is also ours. We are raised up out of our own death, out of the sinful control of our egos, by being part of the Body of Christ. Paul says “the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Righteousness doesn’t mean religious correctness, it means relatedness. We’re in relationship with God because (in Christ) God relates to us. Because we participate in Christ’s life we participate in Christ’s resurrection. So all our attempts to fulfill the law are for naught. By being in us, God fulfills the law in us.

Matthew
       Beware of any “explanation” of a parable—even Jesus’. No good comedian explains their jokes. No good storyteller explains their stories. The explanation was likely added, maybe by Matthew, and is unlikely to have come from Jesus. His parables are not allegories, in which each part “equals” some particular thing. They’re way more open to various interpretations. Maybe the seed is the Word planted in us. Maybe it’s us planted in the world. Maybe it’s about our love planted in the lives of others…. This is a story about receptivity and resistance. It’s about patience (failure, failure, failure, success…) It’s about acceptance (Of course so much of the seed is wasted. That’s how you plant a field.) … It’s about the triumph of grace over everything..

Call to Worship

1. (Matthew)
Leader: God of truth, sow the seed of your Word in our hearts.
All: We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts.
Loving Christ, sow the seeds of healing and growth in our bodies and souls.
We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts.
Holy Spirit, sow the seeds of your love in our lives.
We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts. Alleluia!

2. (Genesis)
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
You gather us into a family of grace, a household of love.
You make Covenant to be our God, and call us to be your people.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1. (Matthew)
God of truth, you sow the seed of your Word among us. Soften the soil of our hearts to receive your grace, that it may flourish in us. Amen.

2. (Matthew)
O good and generous God, you have sown the seed of your Word in our hearts. Nourish that Word by our worship today, so that it may grow and flourish in us, and so that in all our lives we may bear the fruit of your love. Amen.

3. (Genesis)
God of love, we are siblings to Jacob and Esau, caught up in their rivalry, ready to compete. But we are all your children, all of us beloved family. Remind us who and whose we are. Speak to us anew of our inheritance from you, of grace and belovedness. In the spirit of Christ, we are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O Sower of Love,
we are ready soil.
Plant your word in us;
nourish it in the sun of your grace
and the rain of your love.
May it bear fruit
by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Most merciful God, we confess
that we have separated ourselves from you,
that we have not been mindful of your presence
or lived in your Spirit;
and in our isolation we have lived hurtfully.
We are sorry, and we repent.
Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
and restore us in your grace. Amen.

2.
Loving God,we confess
we have lived wrapped up inside ourselves,
not joined with you, led by your Spirit.
Rejoin us to you.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear,
and renew in us your spirit of love. Amen.

Readings

1.
Romans 8.1-11 —a paraphrase
         God has no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the controlling power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the controlling power of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, in the hands of our weak flesh, could not do: the Only Begotten took on sinful flesh, eliminating our sin, our separation from God. By being in us God fulfilled the just requirement of the law in us. So we walk not as if we are contained and defined by our individual flesh but knowing we are defined by the one Spirit. For those who see themselves as isolated individuals set their minds on self-centered anxieties, but those who know they are part of God’s Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
          To set the mind on the isolated self is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the individual self is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s will—indeed it cannot; and those who are absorbed in self cannot please God. But you are not an isolated individual; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.
          Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, though your isolated body is dead, being disconnected from God, the Spirit is life because of the gift of God’s presence. If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through God’s Spirit that dwells in you.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
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.) May the seeds of grace you have planted in our hearts bear fruit in love and faith and service, for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we give you our gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to share your love with all people, to extend the kinship of your grace even in conflict, to meet even our enemies as siblings, and above all to hold all in the light of your grace, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Loving and generous God, you have sown your grace in our hearts. We thank you for your blessings, and in gratitude we offer to you our gifts, and our very lives. Bless us that we may be your fruitful wheat planted by your hand, bread for the world in the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Love-Sowing God (Tune: Gift of Love / The Water Is Wide)

Love-sowing God, sow love in me,
your seeds of grace abundantly.
My soul be soil where love may root
and grow and bear your precious fruit.

Where habit’s feet and wheels have tracked,
my anxious work the soil has packed,
soften my soul with bliss or pain,
so love may enter in again.

My angry thorns, my selfish weeds,
God, clear away, and sow your seeds.
Despite the hungry, wanting bird,
Love, plant in me your living Word.

Love-sowing God, your labors done,
help me to trust the rain and sun,
receive your grace and faithfully
bear forth your love that grows in me.


O Faithful God       (Tune: Finlandia)

O faithful God, whose steadfast love is sure,
O Loving Father, Mother kind and strong:
your Covenant forever will endure;
you bind us to your heart our whole life long.
No matter how rebellious is your child,
in you we are brought home and reconciled.

We have been loved and held when we would run.
We are to all a sister or a brother;
though we would flee, you join us all as one.
Our deepest wounds come from our deepest love,
and so our highest hope for life above

So teach us God, to bravely love each other,
for all belong within your house of grace,
to give our enemy, who is our brother,
our steadfast mercy, and a wide embrace;
for in our love, though we be right or wrong,
we know the grace to which we all belong.

July 9, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 24.34-38, 42-49, 58-67. Abraham’s servant goes back to their home country seeking a wife for Isaac. He finds Rebecca, and with her family’s blessing, the servant takes her back to Isaac, and they are married.

Psalm 45. A royal wedding psalm, blessing the couple.

Romans 7. 14-25. Paul describes the human experience of sin: I do not do the thing I want, but the very thing I hate. It’s as if sin lives in me and makes choices for me.

Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30. Jesus says people criticize him for eating and drinking, yet, criticize John the Baptist for fasting. Sheesh. He says, “Come to me, you who are weary, take my yoke…”

Preaching Thoughts

Romans
       The tricky thing about sin is that we’re trying not to sin. In the battle between good and evil we think we’re on the right side, but it doesn’t seem to help. We can never actually be good enough. We mean to be playing for the right team but we keep accidentally scoring for the opposition. Sin seems to be more than our own choice. It’s as if sin lives in us and makes choices for us. Trying harder does not free us from this battle; only God’s grace does. Rather then help us be good enough God removes us from the battle. There’s no such thing as “good enough!” We’re just loved.
       This matches our experience of addiction. Paul pretty clearly anticipates the Twelve Steps: “1. We admitted we were powerless over [sin]— that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.”

Matthew
       “We piped and you didn’t dance; we wailed and you didn’t mourn.” Some people won’t answer God’s call no matter how it comes. What are the ways we resist God’s grace, avoid God’s call, refuse God’s gifts?
       This passage is what I think it means to “believe in Jesus.” It’s not about your doctrinal opinion. It’s about being in a trusting, intimate, sharing relationship with Jesus. When we share in his compassion for the world, we are yoked with him—like married partners. But this is not a burden; it is rest for our souls. The paradox is that to come to Jesus is to receive both rest and also work: a yoke. I like to take full advantage of the quirk in English that “my burden is light” can mean both “the load is not heavy” and also “what I bear is pure light.” Light, it turns out, is not heavy. What an easy burden, to bear the light of God!

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy One, Heart of Heaven, you create us; you call to us.
All: In love we come. In love we come.
Loving Christ, Hands of Heaven, you hold a place for us.
In love we come. In love we come.
Holy Spirit, Breath of Heaven, you move in us to labor with you.
In love we come. In love we come. In love we are here.

2..
Leader: Loving God, we come to you because you invite us.
All: Gentle God, we come to you weary.
We are carrying heavy burdens— of work and family,
of world news and a struggling planet.
Jesus, give us rest.
You are gentle and humble in heart.
In you we find rest for our souls.
Set your yoke of love upon us, Jesus.
Yoke us to your heart, for your yoke is easy,
and your burden is light. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy Mystery, there are empty spaces in our hearts that only you can fill; there is a longing that is only for you. And you long for us. Speak to us and let us hear your voice, the voice of love that speaks our name. Let us hear your call, and come. Amen.

2.
God of love, as you provided Rebecca as a wife for Isaac, so you provide love for us. You include us in the household of your grace. You invite us to come; and you offer rest for our souls. And so we come. Give us your holy rest, that we may go forth yoked with Christ in love. Amen.

3.
God of grace, Jesus calls us to take on his yoke. Bless us that we may find rest for our souls as we worship. Yoke us together in companionship with Christ and each other. Lay upon us the yoke of ministry to all for the sake of your Good News, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of grace, God of mystery, there is so much of our lives, so much in the world, that we do not know, that is beyond our understanding. We come to you in humility and trust, surrendering our desire to judge and to control. Bless us that now in our worship, and in all our lives, we may devote ourselves to your will and your wisdom alone. We pray in the name and the spirit of Jesus. Amen.

5.
2. [Mt. 11.28-30]
Leader: Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary…”
All: We are tired. We bring our weariness.
“You who are carrying heavy burdens…”
Here, we lay our burdens down, lay them down.
“I will give you rest.”
We rest in you. We are not striving, but simply being here.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;.”
We would learn your ways, learn to trust and love and live.
“For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
For your gentleness we give thanks.
For our rest we give you ourselves.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Set your yoke of love upon us, O Christ,
and give us the burden of your light.

Listening Prayer

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

God, we come to you, weary.
We lay down our heavy burdens.
You who are gentle and humble in heart,
give us rest for our souls.
Yoke our hearts to Jesus,
that we may learn the ways of love,
that we may live with courage and peace. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Most merciful God, we confess
that we have separated ourselves from you,
that we have not been mindful of your presence
or lived in your Spirit;
and in our isolation we have lived hurtfully.
We are sorry, and we repent.
Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
and restore us in your grace. Amen.

Readings

Romans 7.14-25, a paraphrase

God, you love me purely, but I don’t trust that.
I’ve been brainwashed by self-centered fear.
It’s an instinct, a reflex, an addiction. I can’t stop it.
I act in ways I don’t understand.
I believe the right things, but I don’t live them.
I don’t do the good I mean to; I do the evil I hate.
I’m not even choosing; my fear is.
I’m on the right side in good versus evil,
but I keep scoring for the other team!
In my mind I think I’m faithful to your love,
but in reality I’m being controlled by my sin.
I’ve been kidnapped. My heart has been hijacked.
I can’t get out of this. Trying harder doesn’t work.
I’m trapped. I’m doomed.
What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me? 

Thanks be to God: it’s the Beloved, Jesus Christ.

Poetry

           Ox

If I were an ox
and You my driver,
would I mind?

If love were my yoke,
would I balk?
If I walked a path
whose way I could not see,
whose end I could not know,
would I complain?

If I pulled a cart laden
with riches beyond my knowing,
bound for strangers,
would I refuse?

Oh, Driver, Brother, You
who set me free,
crack your whip of light.
Let’s walk this joyful road.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
We love and trust you, God, eternal creator,
present in all times and places.

We come to you, Christ, for you are here beside us.
We are weary and carrying heavy burdens.
Give us your rest.
Place your yoke upon us, that we may learn from you;
for you are humble and gentle,
and you give us rest for our souls.
We follow you, Christ, for your yoke is easy,
and your burden is light.

We rely upon you, holy Spirit of God.
By your presence within us
keep us, guide us and sustain us
in lives of love for the sake of the world. Amen.

2.
Leader: Jesus, we hear you call, and we answer:
All: Christ, we are weary and carrying heavy loads.
we come to you,
We lay down our burdens, and empty our hands.
We take your yoke upon us: your love,
your oneness with all beings, your call to justice.
We learn from you: the grace of God,
the Way of Love, life in your Spirit.
We take your yoke upon us.
You are gentle, and humble in heart, and we find rest and life in you.
We thank you, and we join with you.
Your yoke is easy. Your burden is light.
We accept your yoke. We bear your light into the world.
You will be with us.
Jesus, Living Love, we yoke our hearts to yours. [ Silence….]

3.
God, we admit we are powerless over sin.
Our lives have become unmanageable.
But we believe that you can restore us to wellness.
And so by the grace of your Spirit in us
we turn our will and our lives over to your care.
Set your yoke upon us, give us rest for our souls,
and let us learn from you.
        [Silence…]

Eucharistic Prayer

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the 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 thank you God, for your grace.
You create us, claim us, and continually set us free.
In our struggles and our weariness you accompany us in Jesus,
saying, “Come to me, you who are weary,
and I will give you rest for your souls.”
We come, and lay down our burdens, and we are renewed.
In humble gratitude we sing your praise with all Creation.

            [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, the Lamb of God.
He taught and healed, he included the outcast,
he fed the hungry and forgave the guilty.
He was gentle and humble in heart, and we learned from him.
We come to him weary, and he lays his yoke of love upon us,
and we find rest for our souls and strength for the labors of 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, 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,
yoked with Jesus, bearing the burden of light
for the sake of 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 / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
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.) In gratitude we give you our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Yoke us together with Christ in love and service for the sake of the healing of the world, in the power of your Holy Spirit.
2.
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 have given us a sign of your faithfulness and yoked us together as the Body of Christ. Send us into the world to serve others on behalf of Christ, and to give rest to those who are weary with heavy burdens, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Drawing Me         (Original song)

Holy One, Mystery, how will you keep drawing me
nearer to the heart within the heart?
Nearer still falling in, closer to the heart within,
draw me God. I fall into your love.

Holy One, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.

Deep in me there’s a voice, there’s a hunger, there’s a choice,
seeking something vital that is you.
By your grace drawing me, may I fall eternally,
nearer to my center deep in you.

Holy One, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.