Category: Worship Resources

November 23, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 23. 1-6 — God laments leaders who have abused people, and promises a new order: God will gather God’s people like sheep and provide good shepherds to protect them.

Luke 1. 68-79 — The Benedictus. God has raised up a savior, according to God’s promise. And you, child, will give knowledge of salvation through forgiveness. The dawn from on high will break upon us, guiding our feet into the way of peace.

Colossians 1. 11-20 — God has delivered us into the realm of God’s Beloved. … Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, reconciling all things reconciled to God.

Luke 23.33-43 — The crucifixion

Preaching Thoughts

       The Christian liturgical year is patterned after the life of Jesus: his coming, ministry, death and resurrection, and his life through the Spirit in his followers. The cycle ends with the Reign of Christ Sunday, focusing not on the earthly ministry of Jesus, but on Christ as a cosmic figure, sovereign over all Creation.

Jeremiah
        The prophet criticizes political leaders who promote policies that hurt the poor. God promises to provide a gentle shepherd who will actually care for the people. Jeremiah has in mind a king over Israel. We Christians see in his promise an image of Christ’s gentle, life-giving reign over us.

Luke 1
       Zechariah’s song is one of Luke’s two great psalms (the other is Mary’s Magnificat). The first half celebrates God saving us from all that diminishes life. The second half, addressed to “you, child,” is about the newborn John, who will become the Baptizer, and also, of course, about us. This is our calling: to go before God, paving the way by spreading forgiveness. The beautiful promise of the dawn of new peace doesn’t just descend out of the sky; it is born of God’s grace and forgiveness flowing through us.

Colossians
       Paul describes the Cosmic Christ: the whole being of God, the visible presence of the invisible God, supreme and eternal, in whom and for whom everything exists. Paul wrote this before the idea of the Trinity existed, but he sure describes Christ as the Second Person of the Trinity. Christ is the head of the church, and also reigns over all human power systems, dominions and empires.

Luke 23
       King of the Jews. Jesus displays God’s disturbingly counter-cultural kind of sovereignty: not in domination and invulnerability, but in love, sharing our suffering and offering forgiveness. The fatal torture of a helpless criminal is not most people’s idea of a coronation ceremony. But we worship a pretty unorthodox sovereign. Jesus is a “king” not because he’s tougher than others, not because he exerts dominion, but precisely because he doesn’t. He rules in love, and love doesn’t coerce, manipulate, threaten or control. It doesn’t “insist on it’s own way,” as Paul says. So of course Jesus, who saved others, will not save himself. The power of love is to help others, not to escape suffering.Jesus is sovereign because he will not avoid entering into human suffering. His crown is a crown of thorns. Despite people’s cynicism, Love is the supreme power in the universe. Love reigns, even while evil and injustice abound. The world’s “power” is really just the power to destroy or threaten to hurt. The power of love is the opposite: is the power to heal, to create, to liberate, to give gifts. World power is power over; the power of love is power with, and even power beneath to lift, to raise. Caesar’s power is to extract people’s loyalty to the Empire. Jesus’ power is the power to promise paradise. Caesar’s power is to kill. God’s power is to raise. Though we’re pretty taken by worldly power, here we have the sum of it: Jesus’ love changes the world, and Caesar… well, he gets a salad named after him.
       Today you will be with me in paradise. Jesus isn’t just promising the thief a happy afterlife. He’s saying today, right now, even in suffering, you belong to God and God’s delight. In the same way Jesus actually is the Son of God, even though people don’t believe it, the thief—and each of us—actually is in paradise, even though we don’t believe it. We are in God’s care, part of God’s royal family, and a source of God’s delight. This isn’t just a promise for the future; Jesus is actually, right now, even in his agony, extending love to this guy. Even as he’s being tortured he’s praying for the forgiveness of his torturers. Despite the onslaught of pain and shame in his torture, Jesus is still loving. Nothing can stop love. Nothing, not pain, not violence, not all the power in the world, not even death. Love wins. Love is sovereign over all the world. Christ reigns.

Call to Worship

1. (Colossians 1.15-20)
Leader: Alleluia! Christ is the image of the invisible God.
All: In Christ all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.
In Christ all things in heaven and on earth were created;
Christ reigns over thrones and dominions and rulers and powers.
Christ is the head of the Body, the church.
Through Christ all things are reconciled to God, making peace by his love on the cross.
This is the love we adore, the love we worship, the love we serve. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: In thanksgiving we gather to praise you, O God!
All: For all of your abundant blessings we thank you, O God.
For the love of Christ, who reveals your presence to us, we praise you.
For your grace and your love, and for the reign of Christ, we thank you, O God.
For your call to serve you, your cry for mercy and justice
that raises us to action, we thank you.
In the power of your Spirit alive in us, shining with your light, we worship you.

3.
Leader: Christ our Savior and our Sovereign,
All: you wear a crown of thorns.
O Crucified and Risen One,
you reign in mercy, with a crown of thorns.
O Prince of Peace, you rule our hearts.
We surrender to your grace, your crown of thorns.
Grant us your peace, that we may be your loyal subjects.
Grant us, Christ, your reign of mercy, crown of thorns,
to serve you faithfully throughout this wounded world. Amen.

4. (Luke 1.68-7)
Leader: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
       for God has visited us and redeemed us.
All: God has raised up for us
       a mighty savior from the family of David.
God spoke through the mouth of the holy prophets from of old:
       to save us from our enemies
       from every power that would destroy us.
God has shown mercy to our ancestors,
       and has remembered the holy covenant.
This was the oath that God swore to our ancestors Abraham and Sarah:
to set us free from the powers of our enemies,
       free to serve God without fear,
holy and righteous in God’s sight,
       all the days of our lives.
Alleluia! God, you who are sovereign over all things, we praise you.
Christ, you who have conquered the world with your grace, we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you who rule in our hearts with love, we bow to you. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of power and might, we profess that Christ, your love embodied, rules over all Creation. Grant that Christ may rule over our own hearts: that we may belong to you alone, that our trust be in you, that our will be subservient to yours, that our lives are wholly in your service. God of grace, we pledge allegiance to you and to your Christ. Speak your Word to us and order our lives by your grace. Amen.

2.
So many forces work woe in this world. So many powers vie for control. But you rule above all others. Save us, O God! So many leaders would claim our loyalty. So many voices would speak for our souls. Overrule them, O God! Take up your power and reign in our hearts. Call us and equip us to serve you for the sake of your Reign of Grace. Speak to us now that we may hear your word, be awakened and changed, and follow. Amen.

3.
Eternal God, you have set Christ to rule over all the earth. He reigns with mercy and grace. Under his glorious and gentle rule, help us as we hear your scriptures read and good news proclaimed, to listen with humble hearts and to devote our lives to your service. We pray in the name of Christ, our sovereign. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Love,
you who create,
who rule the world,
rule in my heart.
Shepherd the flock of my soul.
Reign in my life.

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.
God of love, you are our Sovereign.
Forgiveness is your law, and mercy is your demand.
But we confess that we have not obeyed your law,
nor allowed ourselves to fully receive your blessing.
We bow to you.
Forgive us, transform us,
and write your law of grace in our hearts.
We pray in the name of Christ, the King of Mercy.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

Readings

(Colossians 2.11-20)
Leader: I pray that you will lead lives worthy of the Beloved,
fully pleasing to God,
that you will bear fruit in every good work
and grow in knowing God.
All: May we be made strong with all the strength
           that comes from God’s glorious power,
           which prepares us to endure everything with patience.
Joyfully give thanks to the Holy One,
who has enabled you to shine with the light
all God’s beloved ones inherit.
God has rescued us from the power of darkness
           and transferred us into the realm of the Beloved,
           in whom our sins are forgiven
           and our lives are made complete.
Christ is the visible appearance of the invisible God,
the beloved older brother 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 is completely present.
Through Christ God reconciles us to God—
          all of us, and everything on earth and in heaven:
            making peace in dying on the cross.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. 1. Luke 1.68-79 may be read as an affirmation

2.
                   (Colossians 1. 11-20)
Leader: Let us give thanks to God,
the Life-Giver, our Mother, our Father,
who gives us, with all the saints, the gift of God’s light.
All: God has rescued us from the power of darkness
and transferred us into the Realm of God’s beloved Son.
Christ has set us free, pronouncing the forgiveness of our sin.
       Christ is the visible image of the invisible God,
the oldest sibling of all creation.
All things in heaven and on earth were created in Christ:
everything visible and invisible,
including nations and dominions and rulers and powers—
all things have been created through him and for him.
Christ before all things, and in Christ everything holds together.
       Christ is the head of the body, the church;
Christ is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
and is at the heart of everything.
God was pleased to live completely in Christ.
Christ brings everything into harmony with God—
everything on earth and in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of the cross.
Leader: May God’s glorious power make you strong.
May you be prepared to endure everything with patience,
the whole time joyfully giving thanks to God.
All: Amen.

3. (from Colossians 1.13-20)
       We give thanks to God, who has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the dominion of God’s beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin.
       We believe in Christ, who shows us God, since God lives fully in Christ. Christ is the elder sibling of all Creation. Everything in the universe was created through and for Christ, who has dominion over all power structures, all authorities, all visible and invisible forces. Christ provides the way we make sense of the world, for everything holds together in Love. Through Christ God has brought everyone and everything back into relationship, creating peace where there was bloodshed.
       We belong to the Church, which is Christ’s body; and Christ is our head. Love leads us in everything in life, and even in death and resurrection. Thanks be to God!

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.


Blessed are you, Holy One God of Israel,
for you have looked favorably on your people and redeemed us.
You have raised up a mighty savior for us
in the house of your servant David,
as you spoke through the mouth of your holy prophets from of old.
You granted that we would be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all that diminishes life.
You have set us free to serve you without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before you all our days.
You have rescued us from the power of darkness
and delivered us into the Realm of your beloved son.
Therefore with all Creation we sing your praise.
     (Sanctus)

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
in whom you were pleased to dwell fully.
Jesus embodied your visible image, before all things,
creating all things, ruling over all things,
in whom all Creation holds together.
In Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
Through them you have reconciled everything to yourself,
making peace by their blood on the cross.

     (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.
And you, children, will be called the prophets of the Most High;
for you will go before God to prepare the way,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us.
O God, give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and guide our feet into the way of peace.
     (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

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have fed us with the the power that raised Christ from the dead. Send us to love, with trust and gratitude, to proclaim forgiveness, to serve as loyal subjects in the Realm of Love, in the name and the Spirit and the company of Jesus. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

1.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You reign in love over all the world. Reign over our own hearts; fill us with your light; and send us out to work, to risk and to witness for the realm of justice and mercy you desire for all 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 with Christ reigning in our hearts. May your love rule over us, your generosity lead us forward, and your Spirit strengthen us to serve you in all that we do, to your glory, in the name of Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Benediction

Luke 1.76-79
Leader: You, children, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for God,
to give knowledge of salvation to all people by enacting the forgiveness of their sins.
All: By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Suggested Songs

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

Christ, Ruler of All Things (Tune: ST. ELIZABETH – Fairest Lord Jesus)

Christ, Ruler of all things, what is seen and unseen,
your love reigns; your grace is sure.
Beneath our fear and strife, death fails to conquer life:
your tender mercy still endures.

Christ, Ruler of our hearts, come and reign within us.
Make us comrades, siblings, friends.
Your love be our life, our only power,
that gives us life that never ends.

Christ, Ruler of the earth, bring your gentle justice:
your Realm come, your will be done.
Heal all oppression; fill us with mercy,
as faithful as the rising sun.

Christ, Ruler of all things, of what is and is to come,
Risen One, our song we raise.
Rule in our living; guide us with tender love.
Your grace in us will be your praise.


Love Is Enthroned (Tune: Finlandia)

O, risen Christ, who once appeared among us,
you have ascended! Loud we sing your praise.
Though we may see no shadow of your nearness,
you have not gone; your loving presence stays.
You are no longer in one time or place,
but in all things, to radiate your grace.

Christ has ascended, reigning now above.
Love is enthroned at the Creator’s side.
All powers on earth are subject to Christ’s love,
who is our history’s unseen, gentle guide.
Though evil try to make this world its home,
Love is its Lord, and love shall overcome.

Go in the peace of Christ who is our Lord,
and gently heal, amid the fear and strife.
For we who eat and drink the living Word
are now Christ’s Body, and Christ’s earthly life.
We may not see the journey or the end,
but Christ still reigns, our ruler and our friend.


O Jesus, Wounded Sovereign (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

Dear Jesus, you who suffer and walk among the poor
whose hearts and lives are broken, whose faith is still unsure:
despised, accused and battered, you do not say a word.
So powerless, yet loving!— you are my Sovereign Lord.

You bear no arms but loving, no threats nor flags unfurled.
You wear no kingly robes, but the sorrows of the world.
Yet your forgiveness conquers each worldly rule and reign,
and rises, whole, undaunted, from evil, death and pain.

While emperors abuse you, and people shrug or stare,
and dark injustice troubles the ones for whom you care,
your mighty grace arises, and hidden from our sight,
enfolds all living beings in your triumphant light.

O Jesus, wounded Sovereign, I pray, give me the nerve
without this world’s armor to love and bless and serve.
My master and companion, rule all eternity
with grace and deep compassion, and, Love, begin with me.


O Sovereign Love     (Tune: Amazing Grace)

Beloved, you who guard and guide and give for every need,
reign in my heart, O Sovereign Christ; direct each thought and deed.

O Sovereign Love, my root, my sun, my purpose and my peace,
I spurn the world’s vain, anxious rule, and trust your Law of Grace.

The Empire of your justice, God, with mercy’s clear command
shall be my home; my loyalty is to no lesser land.

In humble and obedient thanks I pledge my life to you,
to join your work of justice, God, to make the world anew.

Reign in my heart, O Christ, my Rule. In faith I am compelled
to serve you, who by love alone have conquered all the world.

November 16, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Isaiah 65. 17-25 — An new heavens and a new earth. People shall live in peace, the wolf and the lamb together. They hall not hurt or destroy.

Isaiah 12 — God is my salvation. God has done gloriously.
        or
Psalm 118 God’s steadfast love endures forever. Take refuge in God, not humans. I shall not die, but I shall live. Open the gates of righteousness. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone! This is the day God has made; let us rejoice in it.

2 Thessalonians 3. 6-13 — Labor for your bread.

Luke 21. 5-19 —The temple will be destroyed. There will be chaos. You will be betrayed, arrested. Testify. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Preaching Thoughts

The New Creation
       Jesus had an apocalyptic outlook: that God would radically transform the human story by intervening in our history, taking apart the world we have built and creating a new one, a new Creation. It’s tempting to want to know when and how this would happen. When Jesus was asked he said “It’s not for you to know the times or the seasons.” This may be not just because we don’t know the day, but because there isn’t a “day.” It’s all the time. God is always transforming the world.

First comes the end
       People who take apocalyptic images literally always seem to end up with pretty violent theologies and narratives with beasts and firestorms and raptures that leave most people abandoned by God and a lot of them dead. Nonsense. Some misguided folks in both fiction and real life think they can “bring about the apocalypse,” or at least bring about the conditions that trigger it, as if they can speed up the timetable. Again: nonsense. The transformation of the world is God’s work, not ours, and it is pure hubris, folly and downright evil to pretend we have that power. In fact the methods of such folks always seem to include the very violence, domination, fear and demagoguery that God condemns. Jesus’ advice is not to go on some rapture-happy rampage, or to nudge global warming to trigger the end times. It’s to love. Jesus does not want us to abandon what he’s been teaching us all along about forgiveness, nonviolence, loving enemies, offering healing and living in gentle trust and joy. It will be harder to stay faithful to lives of mercy when the world is getting rougher, but that’s exactly what Jesus is training us for.

The beginning of the end
       Until recently I avoided literal talk about the “end of the world,” focusing on God’s continual re-creation. But these days, as we face climate change, war, the loss of species, the violent persistence of white supremacy, and other dangers—well, these are unprecedented, and I can imagine the collapse of civilization as we know it. We may or may not escape any of those threats. (The “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves” in v. 25, just beyond today’s reading, is a pretty straightforward description of climate change.)

Getting honest
       I know, it’s scary to talk about the actual end times. But let’s get realistic. As pastors and prophets we can talk about the possibility of the collapse of human culture, for the same reason Jesus and Paul did: we need to face reality and make faithful choices. This means:      
—Accept the possibility of great loss. God will not swoop in and rescue us any more than they did for Jesus. God accompanies us, blesses us and redeems us, but does not manipulate human history. We may not be able to escape our own destructiveness, and pretending won’t help, so we’d best get honest about that..
—Embrace our grief and fear, and honestly lament. In Lament we give voice to our sadness, remember our trust in God’s grace, place our grief and despair in God’s hands, and braid our sorrow with hope. (see my comments on lament on OT
—Acknowledge our choices and make our commitments. We don’t have to fall in line behind the false saviors (v.8). We can “bear witness” (v. 13) and “make up our minds” how to (v. 14). Maybe major collapse is coming. If so, we need the spirituality of the Beatitudes more than ever. In times of loss and chaos, love is the only hope.

By your endurance
       Now is the time for preachers to start talking about the end times. We need to be realistic about the future. We need to be motivated to work for justice and healing while there’s time—so maybe it won’t be the end! We need to be prepared. And we need to be faithful. If indeed we are facing the possibility of chaos and collapse, what better way to address it does God have but to send out people full of love, courage, hope and gentleness? Whether we have 5000 years to go or 50, we can be loving to the last sad day. If it is indeed the last day we and those around us will need love, lots of courageous love. “By your endurance you will gain your lives.”

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy One, we come into your house with joy.
All: Beloved, we live in your presence with awe.
In the shelter of your temple we find rest.
In the beauty of your presence we find grace.
We seek your blessing, your Word, your fire.
We bless you. We love you. We worship you.

2. (From Isaiah 12)
Leader: O God, we thank you:
for though you were angry with us,
your anger turned away, and you comforted us.
All: Surely God is our salvation;
we will trust, and will not be afraid,
for God is our strength and our might;
God has become our salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Holy One.
Call on God’s name; make known God’s deeds among the nations;
proclaim the exalted name of the Righteous One.
Sing praises to God, who has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of peace and beauty, in the midst of the world’s chaos we turn to you. With anxiety all around us we open our hearts to your grace. Beneath the noise of this world, speak your quiet, steady Word to us. Even in the tumult, we are listening.

2.
Eternal God, in the chaos of this world we seek your steadfastness and listen for your unchanging grace. Speak to us, and call us forth into your new creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of Peace,
when all about us is chaos
we root ourselves in your peace.
We fill ourselves with your love.

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.
Beloved, we come into the temple of your grace
and offer you our lives as a sacrifice.
In the name of Christ, our Savior,
forgive us our sins, remove from us
everything that diminishes life and love,
and perfect us in love,
that we may be a perfect offering for you.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

Response / Creed / Affirmation

       Gracious God, we are your creation, made in your image. We belong to you. We give you our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will.
       Loving Christ, you healed and taught; you fed and forgave. You gathered a community of justice and radical hospitality. For your justice you were crucified, but by the grace of God you were raised from the dead. We offer ourselves to die and rise with you, to live and work for healing and justice in your name. We commit our lives and our gifts to your service.
      Holy Spirit, you give us life. In gratitude we give our lives to you. Fill us with your courage and compassion. Grant to each of us the gifts we need, each in our own way to bear witness to your love in this troubled world, for the sake of the wholeness of all Creation, in the name and the spirit of Christ.
       Bless your church, that by your loving presence in us we may faithfully proclaim your gospel in all we do. We consecrate our gifts to your purposes, and commit ourselves to you and to one another for the sake of your ministry in and through us. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


All Through Your Life      (Tune: AR HYD Y NOS – All Through the Night )

Dear Beloved, God will bless you all through your life,
Love’s own gentle hand caress you, all through you life.
You are made by God’s designing, with the holy Presence shining.
Grace will be your silver lining all through your life.

Journey hand in hand with Jesus all through your life.
Walk with him who heals and frees us all through your life.
Like him may you be forgiving, generous and freely giving.
Risen, new, receive your living, all through your life.

May the Holy Spirit lead you all through your life,
guide, protect, renew and feed you all through your life.
In the light of our redeeming, with divine compassion gleaming,
be a light for others, beaming all through your life.


Savior, in this Holy Darkness (Tune: PICARDY, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence)

Savior, in our longing darkness,
waiting in our deepest night,
come and grace our hunger and yearnings;
for we live by hope, not sight.
Christ, we long for you. Come bless us.
Help us all to walk in the light.

Savior, in our lonely darkness
come to us who inwardly mourn.
Raise the love that lies a captive;
mend the cloth that has been torn.
Come to us, O God, with holy love:
wake us with the light of morn.

Savior, in our wounded darkness,
shadowed by our evil ways,
fear and anger and injustice,
violence that shutters our praise,
come, O Christ, and heal our broken lives
with love’s gentle, dawning rays.

Savior, in this deepening darkness,
how we long to see your face!
Yet you move, unseen among us
with your mercy and your grace.
Give us eyes of faith to see you,
hidden in each time and place.

Savior, in this holy darkness,
no one sees the flight of the dove.
No one hears the song of the angels.
Yet there shines a lone star above.
Grant this joy, to know your presence here.
Come and fill our hearts with your love.


When darkness and unknowing      (Tune: O Sacred Head)

When darkness and unknowing weigh down our hearts with fear,
oh, loving gentle Jesus, you draw your dear ones near.
You feed us with yourself, Love, and dwelling in our soul
you lead us by your light, though we cannot see the goal.

When evil and oppression make threat to bend your will,
you gather your beloved in peace and gentle still.
You feed us with compassion: your very life you give,
so gentleness will also become the way we live.

Despite our fear and violence the gentleness you’ve shown,
your mercy in the darkness, becomes our hope alone.
You feed us with your loving, and ban the evil powers,
and give us your compassion, so your peace may be ours.

November 9, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Haggai 2.1-9 — God will help rebuild the temple: “The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former.”

Psalm 145 — God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, with compassion for all Creation. God upholds those who are falling, provides for life, and hears those who cry out.

2 Thessalonians 2.1-5, 13-17 — The lawless one will be revealed before the coming of Christ. Stand firm.

Luke 20. 27-38 — In the resurrection there is no marriage. God is the God of the living, not the dead.

Preaching Thoughts

End times
       New Beginnings As we approach the end of the church year the scriptures begin to focus more on the End Times. Some of it is generically “teleological,” that is, focused on where we’re going. Some of it is specifically apocalyptic, that is, focused on a particular narrative about the end times: that at some point in time there is some great conflict in human culture, the culmination of human history, and God intervenes and reveals (the meaning of the word “apocalypse”) God’s true intent for human life. God takes apart all the legos of the universe and rebuilds a new earth and a new heaven. Most apocalyptic literature, both ancient and modern, seems to focus more on the taking apart of the legos (“the end of the world!”) rather than the New Creation. In the Book of Revelation the demolition takes up 15 chapters, the New Jerusalem 2. Maybe that’s just because when you feel like you’re in the early stages of the Apocalypse that stuff feels cathartic. But despite all the impressive monsters, explosions and special effects, the emphasis is on the New Creation. But it’s hard to get past the distractions to focus on the New Creation, the Realm of God.
       Resurrection One hurdle to overcome, made worse, not better, by the lectionary, as in today’s Gospel reading, is our conflation of the Reign of God with the afterlife. When Jesus talks about the Reign of God he’s not talking about being dead. He’s talking about abundant life. He’s talking about living in harmony with God’s loving sovereignty. To make matter more confusing there’s the mystery of resurrection. When either Jesus or Paul talk about dying and rising they mean surrendering our lives to God in this life, who gives us new ones in this life. Jesus, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12.2).: Paul: “We have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6.4). But today’s reading takes us off track, and on a day emphasizing the New Creation, points resurrection not toward new living but toward being dead, toward the afterlife. … sigh… OK, we’ll go there. But Jesus will jerk us right back into this life.
       The afterlife… and before Some doctrinal snipers try to trap Jesus with a trick question, and of course he dismantles the trap. In the afterlife, which man is the husband of a woman married more than once? None of the above. They don’t marry. The premise of the question is flawed, because they’re not really dead. “They cannot die any more” (v. 36) because they’re been resurrected, because God is the God of the living, not the dead—speaking of which, how are you living? Wow. Slick. See? Jesus takes their question (and the lectionary’s misdirection) about the afterlife and slips out of the afterlife right back into the beforelife, into right now and how we are living newly created lives lives today.
       The Coming of Christ    Paul tries to do the same. He wants to dissuade the folks in Thessalonika from speculating too much about the future (oh, boy, here comes Hollywood and their special effects again). This is partly borne by disappointment that Jesus hasn’t come already… and it will only get worse. Paul’s image of the lawless One doesn’t seem too farfetched in our political world, does it?) His argument is: don’t worry, the day of Christ’s coming will be obvious. You’ll know it when you see it. Meanwhile, how are you living? He goes on to talk about living the life of faith—this life—not the future. We have hope in a future blessing that we can’t imagine. Rather than obsess with trying to get a sneak preview, Paul says, just live faithfully. That is you sneak preview. The promise is enough for us to go on, to live faithfully right now, even facing challenges.
       The end…now    “Today” is the key word. Paul and Jesus both direct our hope in future blessing as energy to motivate us to live the New Life right now. The New Creation is unfolding among us this moment. It’s not something we have to die to see. When we give our lives to God (and sometimes when they’re jerked out of our hands) God gives us new lives.The “end of the world as we know it” is simply the turn of the page from one chapter to the next. God is already creating the world new. Christ comes all the time. Christ enters our life and changes it, brings about the end of that life, at least that aspect of it, as we knew it, and we start a new way of living. Over and over. This dying-and-rising is the gospel’s constant promise and invitation for each of us. And for our churches. And for The Church.
       Now…the end. Of course there’s also the other dimension: the actual end of human civilization as we know it. It’s strange to even name it, but this becomes a more real possibility the more we fail to address violence, poverty, climate change, war, the loss of species, the violent persistence of white supremacy, and other dangers. For more on that see my comments next week’s texts (OT 33, Nov.16, 2025).

Call to Worship

1. [from Psalm 145]
Leader: Great is the Holy One, and greatly to be praised; God’s greatness is unsearchable.
All: The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
O God, you are good to all, and compassionate toward all your creatures.
All your creatures will praise you, Beloved, and all your faithful shall bless you.
God, you are faithful in words, and gracious in deeds.
You lift up those who are falling, and raise up those who are oppressed.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
We thank you! We praise you! We worship you!

2.
Leader: Loving God, you create us in love
and you re-create us moment by moment.
All: You love us in this world and in the next.
Holy One, transform us by your grace.
Resurrect us to new life,
now and always life, by your grace.

3.
Leader: Loving Creator, you fashion us in beauty.
All: We are in awe of you.
Beautiful Healer, you transform us with light.
We praise you.
Abiding Mystery, you raise us daily to new life.
We give you our thanks, and we worship you.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

God of grace,we do not know what awaits us in the future. But we know it is in your hands, and we trust you. We open our hearts to your presence as we worship, that you may receive us with grace, transform us by your Spirit, and raise us to new life, this and every day, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Beloved,
you are married to us in this life,
and married to us in the next.
We give you our hearts,
as they are now and as they shall become,
that you may raise us up
to new life in Christ.

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 God, we confess our need for your saving, life-giving grace.
What is broken, heal.
What is sinful, forgive.
What is distorted, redeem.
Renew us and accompany us,
and make us once again your own. Amen.
…Silent prayer… the word of grace

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Loving One, all of our loyalties and all of our loves are gathered into you. You are our Love, our Spouse, our hope. Be with us now and always, that we may be faithful to you, and live in love, by the grace of your Spirit in us. Amen.

November 1 or 2, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Daniel 7. 1-3, 15-18 — A vision of four beasts representing four oppressive kings. The kingdom won’t be given to them, but to God’s “holy ones.”

Psalm 149 — Praise God! May the faithful vanquish oppressive kings.
     —or—
Psalm 150 —A song of praise to God, for all God’s mighty deeds, calling for joyful music with every kind of instrument.

Ephesians 1. 11-23 — We have an inheritance, marked with the Holy Spirit. God give you wisdom and revelation as the eyes of your hearts are enlightened, so that you know the hope God offers us, and the riches of God’s gift, and the greatness of God’s power, which raised Christ and placed him in authority over all things.

Luke 6.20-31 — The Beatitudes. Blessings and woes. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek, give to all. God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Preaching Thoughts

All Saints
       In the Roman Catholic tradition each of the saints of the church has their feast day. We protestants know a few of them: St. Valentine on Feb. 14, St. Patrick Mar. 15, St. Nicholas Dec. 6. (Wait. Then who’s on Dec. 25? St. Stephen.) On All Saints Day, Nov. 1, we remember all the saints. On Nov. 2, All Souls Day, we pray for the faithful departed—those who have died, especially in the past year. In Protestant churches we typically combine both: on All Saints Day we remember all the saints of the church and of our own lives, those who have died, especially those who have helped shape our life and faith. We honor them so we may be drawn into their numbers, so we may be sanctified, made saints, by love. So the lectionary scriptures refer to “all the saints,” “God’s holy ones,” the “assembly of the faithful,” inviting us to join them in living faithfully.

Daniel
       The rich and powerful think they own the land but it doesn’t actually belong to them. It belongs to the earth. The rich and powerful think they own the Empire but they don’t. They think they own the world but they don’t. They may own things, objects, real estate. But they don’t own life. In his desert temptations Jesus confronts the attractive illusion of “ruling the world,” and rejects it. It’s an illusion. What’s actually real can’t be owned or controlled. God invites us to abandon the illusory world of control and dominion and instead to be present to this real life, in this present moment. Because here, in this moment, all of life—infinite and eternal—is gathered and shines. No one can own that. But to those who are open, it is given. Not to own but to belong to. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the entire Empire of God.

Psalm
      The lectionary for All Saints Day includes Psalm 149 probably because of its reference to the “assembly of the faithful.” But the praise in vv. 1-5 degenerates (as our own behavior does, often) into a call for executing judgments in vv. 6-9. It may mean overthrowing unjust tyrants, as in the Daniel vision—which will require some explaining, since it reeks of violence, vengeance and retribution. Alternatively there’s the pure praise of Psalm 150.

Ephesians
       Read Ephesians slowly. Every phrase is a gem. For me Ephesians is the Psalms of the New Testament. Every sentence deserves a sermon. And almost every paragraph can be made into a prayer, or a affirmation, or a litany of praise.

(Click here for a downloadable copy of my paraphrase of the Letter to the Ephesians.)

Luke
      The Beatitudes are the snapshot of what it means to be a Christian. The energy in each of these teachings is the grace of God that flows through us and defines us, empowers us and makes us blessed. It displaces our obsession with ourselves, our powers, our accomplishments, our social standing, and our deserving. It is not any of these things, but God’s grace alone, that is the true meaning, power and worth of our lives. This is a spirituality that renounces the ego’s fixation on power, security and belonging (reflected in Jesus’ temptations). All of these come from God as gifts, and can’t be earned or hoarded. There is a resurrectional energy to the beatitudes: a flowing upward from poverty to the empire of God, from weeping to laughter, from rejection to affirmation, from vulnerability to power. To be a “saint” is not to be an exceptionally good person (though that is good). It’s to live by the resurrecting grace of God, to live the Beatitudes.
      Matthew’s Beatitudes are part of the Sermon on the Mount, a sort of visual parallel to Moses on the mountain with the tablets. Luke has Jesus on a plain, a low place, down with the ordinary people. Matthew’s Jesus says “Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn.” Luke’s says “Blessed are you who are poor, you who weep....” It’s more personal. And while Luke’s Jesus blesses the poor, in Matthew it’s the poor in spirit. Matthew’s allows for a lot of interpretation of what “poor in spirit” means, but it sidestep, or at least softens the issue of actual poverty. Luke nails it. Luke’s audience may be more lower class than Matthew’s. I think Jesus would be OK with either version, and may have preached both in various settings. The point is the same: reliance on our own wealth is hollow; reliance on God’s grace is life-giving.
      Luke has only three beatitudes, not Matthew’s eight—accompanied by three woes. The woes remind us that God’s justice is not all loveliness and light. As in the Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55) not only are the lowly raised up but also the mighty are brought down (1.52). True justice requires reparations, both take and also give. The rich are going to have to share. The woes are not curses or God’s punishment or retribution, they’re just observations of the way things work. Woe to the rich not because they’re evil, but because they have already received the consolation they’ve sought. When life gets tough all they’ll have is the money they cling to—not God’s love. This doesn’t mean they can’t have God’s love, just that it’s not what they’ve sought. Woe to you who laugh or are full, not because it’s bad to be happy, but because life will turn; it always does. And when it does, you’ll need to know and trust that blessed are you who weep or hunger. And woe to you when everyone speaks well of you. If you haven’t worked for justice hard enough to make some enemies, get to work.
      The Sermon on the Plain/Mount is Jesus’ clarion call to a spirituality of radical dependence on God’s grace. It’s also a clear call to nonviolence. It’s not passiveness (turning the other cheek, as is well known, was a powerful and even potentially disruptive act of resistance), nor is it just being nice. It’s radical trust that God’s grace works beyond our own powers. It’s also tied to his call to love radically. Even as we resist injustice we love the people caught up in it, perpetrators and victims alike. (As we do we discover that we’re all victims.) Our “enemy” is actually not the other person, but the system of domination.
      “God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” There’s Jesus’ theology in a nutshell. Does God only love the people that love God? Heck, no; even gangsters to do the same. God loves their enemies, even the most evil. We receive that love, trust that love, and pass on that love. Be merciful, just as your Abba-Amma God is merciful.

Call to Worship

1. [Ephesians 1.11-14]
God’s will, which is always fulfilled,
is that that we, who began by hoping in the Love that Fills the World,
would ourselves live lives that radiate that love.
When you first heard this wonder—
your wholeness that you see given to you in Christ—
and when you first trusted this love and opened yourself to it,
it poured into you. God’s Spirit changed you.
Now you yourself are part of God’s promise.
The Spirit in you is the first bit of God’s redemption of the world.
That is God’s glory, God’s praise.
In gratitude, then, let us worship.

2.
Leader: Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the realm of God.”
All: We give thanks for your grace in all our circumstances.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.”
We open our hearts to your spirit, that you may fill us with your love.
“Love your enemies, and pray for those who abuse you.”
Change our hearts, O God, and by your grace in us
help us become the saints you create us to be.

3.
Leader: God of love, we gather surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.
All: Blessed and upheld with all the saints, we praise you.
We come at Christ’s invitation, with the poor and the outcast.
Healed and made new with all the saints, we thank you.
We shine with the gifts of your Spirit.
Gifted and anointed with all the saints, we serve you.
In gratitude and joy, with all the saints, we worship you!

4.
Leader: God of all the saints, you surround us with a cloud of witnesses.
All: We give you thanks. May your Holy Spirit sanctify us and perfect us in love.
Risen Christ, you come to us in the humble and the rejected.
We give you thanks. May your Holy Spirit sanctify us and perfect us in love.
Holy Spirit, you live and breathe in us,
so that we too may be your saints for the sake of the world.
We give you thanks. Holy Spirit, sanctify us and perfect us in love,
in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Loving God, we thank you for the saints who have gone before us, who have shown us the way of love. May we learn from them, and by your grace in us shine with the light of your glory. Speak to us, and sanctify our lives for your purposes, that we too may be your saints, now and in eternal life. Amen.

2.
God of grace and mercy, we give thanks for all the saints who have gone before us. We open our hearts that you may fill us with the light that filled them, that we may live with the love they lived with, that we may take our place among the communion of saints who serve you, blessed and led by your Word in Christ. Amen.3.Eternal God, we give thanks for those you have guided by your Spirit, who have been teachers, lovers and healers in our lives. We open our hearts and minds to your Spirit, that we too may be perfected in love by your Word of grace, the presence of Christ, and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of infinite love,
we are poor in Spirit,
but your Realm of love is ours.
Make us holy
in the opening of our hearts
to your grace.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God, we confess we often act only on our own behalf,
not as agents of your holy purposes for love, healing and justice.
Forgive our selfishness, heal our fears,
sanctify us for the work of love,
and renew in us the holy light of your spirit,
that with the eyes of our hearts enlightened
we may fulfill your delight,
according to the mystery of your power in us.

2.
God of love,
we pray for our enemies,
for those who oppose or disturb us,
for enemies of justice, enemies of you.
We pray for your blessing for them,
and when it is hard to pray thus, for us.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear,
and bless us that we may love our enemies,
do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return.
You who are merciful, make us merciful.

Readings

1. Ephesians 1.11-23, my paraphrase

This is our destiny, God’s will, which is always fulfilled:
that we, who began by hoping in the Love that Fills the World,
would ourselves live lives that radiate that love.

1.13-14
When you first heard this wonder—
the good news of your life made whole in Christ—
and you entrusted yourself to it, the Holy Spirit changed you.
So now you know that God’s hopes for you will be fulfilled,
since you have already been turned into holy people.
You belong to God.
You are God’s “Alleluia!”

15-16
Friends, I have heard of your deep trust in Jesus,
the Beloved, the Anointed of God,
and of your love for all the saints,
so I never cease giving thanks for you
as I remember you in my prayers.

1.17-23
I pray that God—
the God the Beloved, Jesus Christ, showed us,
God our beautiful Life-Giver—
may give you a spirit of mindfulness and wisdom
as you deepen your openness to God,
so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened,
you will have the hope God has for you.
May you live in wonder and trust
of the gifts we all receive as God’s Beloved.
May you feel in your bones
the immeasurable greatness
of the power of love when we trust it.
This is God’s power in us.
Love is the power that raised Christ from the dead,
the power that orders the universe,
the power above all human systems,
every rule and authority and dominion,
and above every seen or unseen power,
force or value you could imagine.
God subjects everything to love.
And we—we are the embodiment of that love,
which conquers everything, and fills everything,
and completes everything.
We are the body,
and Love is what makes us alive.

(Click here for a downloadable copy of my paraphrase of the entire Letter to the Ephesians.)

2. (Based on Luke 6.20-27)
Leader: Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.”
All: We release all that we possess,
that we may have you alone.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “
We hunger for justice,
and trust that one day we shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
Knowing all shall be made well,
we weep with all who mourn,
especially victims of Covid, racism, war, and gun violence.
“Blessed are you when people hate you, and exclude you.”
God grant us courage even when reviled to resist injustice,
to stand with the marginalized, and to trust your blessing.
“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”
God grant us love and courage to be merciful,
just as you are merciful,
in the spirit and the company of Christ.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. [Ephesians 1.11-14]
We give thanks for we have been given an inheritance,
destined by God’s will, which is always fulfilled,
so that we trust in the Love that Fills the World,
and that we live lives that radiate that love.
We behold the wonder of our wholeness, given to us in Christ;
and we trust this love and we open ourselves to it,;
and it pours into us. God’s Spirit changes us.
We are part of God’s promise.
The Spirit in us is the first bit of God’s redemption of the world.
This is God’s glory, and God’s praise. Alleluia.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

1.
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.

We thank you, God, for you create us in your image,
make covenant to be our God, and set us free from all that oppresses.
You give us a world, an empire of grace,
to which we belong, that this world can’t take from us.
You call us as your saints, and show us the way in Jesus.
You have given us saints, young and old, women and men,
who shine for us with the way of love, who in your Spirit gather with us now.
Therefore we sing with all the saints, with every living being and all Creation.
[Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name,and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed, he fed people and set them free.
He gathered a community of those who desire to live by your grace,
who would sanctify themselves for the work of love.
He sought justice, and for that he was crucified,
but you raised him from the dead,
that he might continually embody for us
your Covenant to be with us in love eternally.

[The Blessing and Covenant…]

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
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 food,
that those who receive them may experience your love and grace.
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 Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
though poor in spirit, blessed by your grace;
though ordinary people, sanctified for lives of love,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ,
[Amen]

____________________

2.
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.

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all and all that is to come.
By your grace you have given us life and made us a people.
You rescue us from all that enslaves us,
judge the forces of oppression, and offer freedom to all people;
and you sanctify us for the work of bringing justice to all people.
You have surrounded us with saints,
women, children and men who have rejoiced in your grace,
shared in your work of redemption,
and shined as teachers and examples in the way of faith.
You have gathered us into the community of the redeemed,
and given us as a light to the nations.
Therefore together with the whole communion of saints,
and in union with all Creation, we sing your praise:

[Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who brought good news to the poor,
who lifted up the downtrodden and gathered the outcast,
and who called disciples to follow
in the holy way of compassion and joy.
Even in death his gift was love and light.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …]

The crucified Christ you have raised to life,
so that we might walk in newness of life.
In his dying and rising
you have sealed the lives of your saints.
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.
Gather us in unity of heart,
sanctify us for the work of justice and healing,
and send us in the power of your Spirit,
poor in spirit and rich in your grace,
loving our enemies,
for the sake of the healing of the world.
(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 love, you create us in your image, claim us as your beloved, sanctify us as your witnesses, and include us in the great communion of saints. Send us into the world as agents of your love, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the spirit and the company of Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Together with all whom you have made holy by your grace, send us into the world to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you. May we shine with the light of your grace now and in eternal life. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In your Spirit you have bound us together with all your saints as one body in Christ. You have sanctified us, set us apart for the sacred work of the healing of the world. Send us out in love, for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In the mystery of this meal, by your presence within and among us, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, we are made holy, one Body, with all the communion of saints. May this gift work within us, that by your grace we may be perfected in love and live as your saints, for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Benediction

(Ephesians 1.17-22)
I pray that the God Jesus reveals to us, the glorious Giver of Life,
will give you a spirit of wisdom and perceptiveness,
so you may know God more deeply.
I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened,
so the hope God offers us will fill your hearts.
May you know the riches that God’s beloved ones inherit
and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for us who trust,
the very power by which God raised Jesus from the dead,
and seated Christ at God’s right hand in the realm of the infinite.

Suggested Songs

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

Blessed       (Original song)

Dear God, receive me anew, mourning and poor in my soul,
hungry for what makes me whole.
Bless me by making me simple like you.
Blessed are the ones who have nothing but God,
for God and God alone shall fill their lives.

Mercy please grant me anew. Make my heart pure by your grace,
humble, that I may see your face.
Bless me by making me gentle like you.
Blessed are the ones who have nothing but God,
for God and God alone shall fill their lives.

Courage please give me anew, peace in the world to make,
and to suffer for your Gospel’s sake.
Bless me by making me faithful to you.
Blessed are the ones who have nothing but God,
for God and God alone shall fill their lives.


For Your Saints        (Tune: Joyful, Joyful)

God, we thank you for your saints and for their time among us here,
In their faith, their service and their ready smile we’ve felt you near.
In their steadfast love of others and their persevering grace,
we have known your living presence; we have seen your human face.

God, we thank you for the faith that lifts our hearts and lights our way,
for your hidden, healing presence walking with us day by day.
As we face death’s shadows, still we walk with courage and with love,
persevering in the faith that you have granted from above.

“Children, I will never leave you or forsake you,” you have said.
You have been our helper, God, so there is nothing that we dread.
By your grace that never fails us, guide, sustain and lead us on,
‘till we step with grateful hearts into the light of heaven’s dawn.


God Bless the Saints (Tune: Blest Be the Tie that Binds)

God bless the saints we’ve known,
who loved us through the years,
who shared our struggles and cherished our joys
and held us and wiped our tears.

God bless the teachers and guides
whose wisdom brightens our days,
whose courage lifts our struggling hearts,
and shines your light on our ways.

God bless the quiet ones
who serve in humble ways
without their seeing the fruit of their faith,
yet live in prayerful praise.

God, help us be your saints
who trust your loving grace,
that we may be a holy blessing
in our own time and place.


Heart of Heaven (Original song)

There’s a heart in heaven that knows you,
and speaks your name in love from heaven’s throne,
that has laughed and labored here beside you,
and says, “I know your journey as my own.”

There are eyes in heaven that adore you,
and weep with joy at the beauty of your soul,
for they see the courage of your living,
and share your deepest yearnings to be whole.

There’s a tear in heaven that remembers,
there’s a deep, weary sigh that understands;
there are gentle, wounded hands that know the struggle
to do the work of God with human hands.

There’s a voice from heaven within you,
a spring of life-giving water flowing free.
Let it flow, let grace and peace shine in you
with heaven’s loveliness for all to see.

Oh, the heart of heaven is within you,
the universe embraces you in love,
for the humble One who walks beside you
is the One who rules the sun and stars above.

We Are Your Body (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)
[Matthew 5.3-12]

God of all holiness, baptized in you,
we are your Body: your presence shines through.
We, poor in spirit, are blessed with your own.
May our lives shine forth with your grace alone

We who with Jesus do mourn with the world
shall see your banners of deep joy unfurled.
We who are hungry for love freely shared
feast at the banquet that you have prepared

May we be merciful and pure in heart,
your gentle peacemakers, doing our part.
Dying and rising, we fear no great loss,
sealed with your Spirit and marked with your cross.

Bles-sed, beloved and baptized to serve,
we are your Body and you are our nerve.
Not by our effort, but by your pure grace,
may we be your hands and your human face

October 19, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 31.27-34 — Restoration after the calamity of exile. No longer shall the children’s teeth be on edge when the parents eat sour grapes. … I will write my law on their hearts. I will forgive them.

Psalm 119. 97-104 Celebrates God’s Word and its life-giving power for us. Each line uses a different image for God’s Word: law, statutes, precepts, etc., but they are not “rules:” they are God’s promises.
   —Or—
Psalm 19 — The heavens are telling the glory of God. The way (“law”) of God is perfect. Clear me from hidden faults.

2 Timothy 3.14 – 4.5 — Scripture is inspired, equipping us for every good work.. Persist in proclaiming God’s message.

Luke 18.1-8 — The persistent widow.

Preaching Thoughts

Jeremiah
     Here is the real meaning, if not the origin of the phrase, of “learning by heart.” Our Covenant with God isn’t a set of rules, it’s a faithful relationship.There are no commandments you can post on the Courthouse wall, just a commitment in our hearts. Like a marriage. It’s hard for some folks to imagine God not actually having any laws. No rewards and punishments. No judgment, no heaven or hell as payback. Just love. Somebody actually said to me once, “Then why be good?” I asked him about his marriage.

Psalm 119
     Each of all 176 verses of this psalm refers to God’s Word, with a dozen different expressions: commandments, teachings, ways, precepts, promise, statues… It’s tempting to think of legal “laws,” but again God’s “laws” aren’t rules to be followed. They’re eternal and absolute principles that exist, like the law of gravity. God’s laws are things like love, justice, unity, forgiveness, giving-and-receiving, wholeness and healing, and so on. To really get the sense of the psalm, substitute “love” for each occurrence of the euphemism for “law.” That’s what it’s getting at. “Obeying” God’s laws doesn’t mean being subservient to some demand, expectation or requirement; it means living in harmony with God’s grace. This psalm is a prayer seeking to be in harmony with God, living in the way of love.

Psalm 19
     The heavens are telling the glory of God. All of Creation is expresses God’s Word. Not words, but Word—Truth. Every created thing, even the passage of time from night to day, is God speaking.
     The law of God is perfect. Again, as in Psalm 119, God’s “laws” aren’t requirements; they’re the basic and absolute principles of life as God creates it. They don’t constrict life; they create it, bless it, and empower it.
     Who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. When we define “sin” as knowingly breaking God’s commandments we make two mistakes. One is that God’s laws can’t actually be broken. You can’t break the law of gravity. You can ignore or abuse God’s grace but you can’t get around it. The other is that we can follow all the rules and still never actually love God perfectly or love our neighbor as ourselves. We have no idea the ways in which we fail to love perfectly and live in perfect harmony with God’s grace. No idea. I treasure the wisdom of this prayer. I know I’ve missed the mark a million times. Forgive me for the ways I’ve sinned I don’t even know. And help me see better.
     Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you. This is not a request for God to be lenient but for us to be faithful. The hope is to effect our faithfulness, which is fickle, not God’s acceptance, which is absolute. Many preachers say these words before they begin a sermon. My hope is that they’ve said them, continually, while they wrote the sermon. The beast way to pray this prayer is in silence, letting God offer the words and meditations.

2 Timothy
     Continue in what you have learned… Give thanks for what you have been taught, and “from whom you learned it,” some of whom signed up for it and some of whom never knew they were teaching you. And give thanks for “how from childhood you have known….” Whether or not you’ve known them from childhood, none of us ever becomes a full-blown Christians all by ourselves. We’ve been taught, led, accompanied. Give thanks for that community! Give thanks for that odd old Sunday School teacher who told you strange stories when you were a kid, and maybe got it all wrong, even the stern teacher who practically scared you away from Jesus for life. They were part of the gang, part of the gift. And give thanks for the “sacred writings,” some of which were pure truth and some of which were one generation’s bad attempt to reach God. They’re all part of the gift.
     All scripture is inspired. It doesn’t mean it was dictated by God. Doesn’t even guarantee it’s the truth. It just means the Holy Spirit was active in its writing. It’s part of Holy Spirit’s story. I think of scripture as the community’s shared reflection on what it means to be God’s people. It includes lots of perspectives —it was written by dozens of people over hundreds of years. Some of the community’s reflections turn out to be inadequate or even wrong. Many of them contradict each other. But they’re all part of the journey, al part of the community (including us) engaged in actively discerning God in the world and how to live in harmony with God. And the point, note, is not so that we believe the right stuff, but that we love, that we are “equipped for every good work.”

Luke
     A parable about their need to pray always. And by praying we usually mean asking for stuff. So, yeah, if even the mean-hearted judge acquiesces, won’t God? Yes. But. Who is who in this story? Who, though told “do not judge,” judges anyway? We do. Who cares for neither God not humans? That would be us. And who continually pleads for justice? That would be God. The judge does not represent God in this story; the widow does. Prayer is not making demands: it’s listening. God has to come to us again and again pleading for justice, in humble, powerless form, in the poor , in the sick and rejected, in the orphan and the widow, in the peasant hung on a cross. And still we don’t listen. But God will wear us down with her insistent coming, until we relent. O we need to prayer—listen—always and not lose heart, that is, not lose our love, our willingness to listen.
    Funny how the role reversal tricks us, huh? Judge? Must be God. Poor widow? Can’t be God. Check that every time you read the Bible. Or the news.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of justice, you brought us up out of slavery into a place of freedom.
All: We thank you and we praise you.
God of mercy, you have given us your law;
you have given us gifts of wisdom and power to order our world according to your grace.
We bow to you, and pray that we may so order our lives.
God of truth, you speak your Word to us; you raise your voice in our inner hearts.
Help us to listen.
Speak to us now, and shape us by your love, that we may do your will. Amen.

2.
Leader: Creating God, by your Word you bring all things into being.
All: Speak, for all the universe listens.
In Christ you have spoken your love to us.
Speak, for your people are listening.
Holy Spirit, your Word unfolds in us, and gives light.
Speak in us, for we are listening.

3. [from Psalm 19]
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God! Holy One, all Creation speaks your Word.
All: There is no human speech, yet the whole universe proclaims you.
God, your truth is perfect, reviving the soul.
We desire your Word more than gold.
But who can detect their errors?
Clear us from hidden faults, and do not let selfish ways have dominion over us.
Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
be the kind that are delightful to you,
O Love, our rock and our redeemer.

4.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
The turning leaves remind us of your glory;
they sing of the beauty of your love.
Help us to turn to you, God,
and so reveal our deepest beauty.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, in this world of hurt we cry to you: hear our prayer.
God of love, speak to us, and give us grace to listen.
God of truth, help us to hear the truth, and to live accordingly. Amen.

2.
God of patient love, we confess that we often lose heart, and forget to pray. Speak to us in scripture, in our hearts and in one another, for we are hungry for your Word. Amen.

3.
God of grace and truth, your Spirit breathes in scripture, so that it is fruitful for teaching, for training in love, for equipping us for every work of love. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts to see your presence and hear your Word, so that we may do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Eternal God, all Creation sings your praise. Every day is a word from you. You speak to us in quiet, even silent ways. Help us to listen with the ears of our hearts; help us to hear and be created again. We pray in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we bring our many prayers to you, and cry out for you to hear us. But first, we will listen to you. As your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, help us to listen and to hear. Speak, Lord, for your children are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God, Patient One,
we set aside our judging,
knowing with such certainty;
instead we listen for your presence,
your humble, unassuming, quiet voice
that never gives up on us.
By your grace, we listen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of gentle mercy,
we confess our sin;
for our brokenness,
known to us and unknown,
keeps us from loving perfectly.
Receive us, forgive us,
transform us,
and set us free to live by your grace alone. Amen.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

2.
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 God, your Word is our life.
But we have not listened;
we have not given attention to your voice;
we have not followed your will or answered your promptings.
Forgive us, change our hearts,
and help us to listen. Amen.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

3.
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.
God of truth,
you have spoken your Word to us and in us
but we have not listened to you.
We have not been mindful of your presence,
or attentive to your voice.
Forgive the hardness of our hearts.
Have mercy on us, heal us, and create us anew,
that we might live by the power of your Word
and in the light of your grace.
We open our hearts to you, God.
Come, and be present.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
Leader: We hear your voice, O God, calling us to justice and compassion.
All: You will not give up on us. We are listening.
We hear your voice, O Christ, calling out to us among the poor and the rejected.
You are continually coming to us. We are listening.
We hear your voice, Holy Spirit, deep within us.
You give us hearts of compassion that we do not want to lose.
Help us to do justice, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with you. By your grace, God, we are listening.

2.
Leader: Eternal God, all of Creation sings your praise.
All: Every day is your Word, and every night discloses your truth.
Creation does not use words, but it reveals your grace.
Your truth is our very being; your Word gives us life.
Your promises are more precious than anything in our lives.
Your Covenant is our life itself.
Help us, then, to pay attention.
Give us grace to let go of everything and listen.
Help us to attend to what is hidden, to hear what is silent.
For in the voices that are silenced, in quiet pleadings,
you speak your truth and you lead us to justice.
God, if we listen humbly and faithfully, we hear your voice.
Alleluia! Living Christ, speak to us,
and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
We trust in God, Spirit of life, Creator of all that is and all that is to come; who surrounds us and fills us; who speaks the Word of life in us; and so we listen. We listen to Jesus, Revealer of God, our brother and teacher; who lived in prayer, and in love. Listening to God’s voice and doing God’s will, he gave his life in love; therefore God raised him to life that is eternal; and so we follow him. We follow in the power of Holy Spirit, God alive in us, for the sake of the healing of the world. We trust in the power of love, the call to forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, the gift of the universal Church as the body of Christ, and the mystery of eternal life. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Help us to listen for your voice, to hear your cry for justice, to discern your Word, and to humbly follow, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

I Wait for Your Will      (Original song)

I wait for your will.
I wait for your will, O God,
for your loving will,
your life-giving will.
I wait for your will, O God.

1. All I desire to control
I let go and place into your hands, my God.
2. Heal and protect and provide.
Hear me and stay by my side.
3. You are my wisdom and strength.
I will do your will alone, my God.
4. Help me to listen and wait,
trusting your Spirit to move, my God.


Listen       (Original song)

(verse 1, Transfiguration version)
“This is my dear Beloved Son,
the Light of Life, my Chosen One.
And so I ask by grace, by choice,
you listen for his gentle voice.
/
(verse 1, Elijah version)
“Not in the earthquake, fire or wind
will you find me, your faithful friend;
but in the silence is my Word:
it is not spoken, but is heard.
/
“For when you listen and attend
in silence deep, you meet your Friend,
whose voice no words can catch or hold,
and yet whose love is clearly told.

“And listen well with love’s deep art,
to what is in your neighbor’s heart,
for there I dwell, and there I speak;
and there I hide, for you to seek.

“My glory shines in every face
of my beloved human race.
So listen well with wond’ring care:
behold my glory shining there.”

My Heart Is Open      (Original song)

I listen for your Word. My heart is open.

I hunger for your Word. I listen for your voice.
I hold the silence, Love, so you may gently speak to me.

Show me your ways, O God, teach me, O Holy One,
and lead me in your path. For you I listen all day long.

I listen for you, Love, and in your Word I hope.
More than the watchers wait for morning, God, I wait for you.

I listen for your Word. My Heart is open, open.

October 26, 2025

Lectionary Texts

I

Joel 2.23-32 — Rain and abundant crops following years of locust infestations show God’s forgiving and renewing grace. “I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.”

Psalm 65 — You answer us with deliverance. You visit the earth and water it. The meadows shout for joy.

2 Timothy 4.6-18 — I am being poured out ass a libation. I have fought the good fight. God will rescue me.

In Luke 18. 9-14 —The pharisee and the tax collector.

Preaching Thoughts

Joel
     I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Note the inclusiveness: not just Christians: everybody, male and female, old and young, rich and poor. Despite our past sins, God pours out God’s spirit on everybody alike—without exception. What might it mean in your context to “dream dreams… see visions… prophesy?”

2 Timothy
     I have fought the good fight. An old pastor, a follower of Paul, reflects back on the lonely struggles of their ministry, and what it means to keep on doing God’s work even when other people abandon or resist you. It might be stated in less combative terms: “I have stayed in the struggle.” It’s not over, of course. The “fight” or “race” is not some campaign, but simply the long, hard work of staying faithfully loving and working for justice in a world that resists those things. Being kind in a rough world. Staying hopeful when things are bleak. We don’t need great accomplishments to know that we’ve lived good lives. We just need to “keep the faith”—stay loving, no matter what. The author knows it’s not his own merit that enabled him to persevere: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” When we live in harmony with God, in all our struggles God stays with us and takes care of us. Our confidence is not in our own faith but in God’s guidance and protection.

Luke
     Tax collectors worked for the Romans, were usually corrupt, and were looked down on. Although we have come to think of Pharisees as “bad guys” because of their opposition to Jesus, they were actually well-respected, deeply devout, obedient believers. Jesus himself may have been a Pharisee. Who’s closer to God? Surprise!
      This story includes a prayer that is like actual prayers that are preserved from Jesus’ time. One said, “I thank you, God that you have not made me a sinner, or a slave, or a woman.” It’s true that all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. But humility doesn’t mean thinking of ourselves as less than others. It means avoiding comparing ourselves at all, trusting that everyone is equally worthy and beloved. Humility means being human, knowing we belong in humanity, neither better nor worse than others, but simply a member. Humility doesn’t require us to be self-denigrating; it means being honest about our gifts and our flaws, without needed to compare ourselves.
     The Pharisee’s prayer is entirely self-centered. The tax collector goes home “justified” not necessarily because their prayer is more humble, but because it’s an opening to God, a desire for relationship—and maybe even change. Again we’re challenged to move our prayer from asking for things to being present for God and listening.
    The tax collector prays “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” In Mk. 10.47 Bartimaeus cries, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” Rooted in both these prayers is the Jesus Prayer which is widely known in the Orthodox tradition: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” For those who have a hard time with doctrinal terminology, I like “Jesus, Beloved, have mercy on me, for I need you.” Either way it’s a great prayer for repeating like a mantra.

Call to Worship

1. (from Ephesians 2.4-10)
Leader: God, you are rich in mercy.
All: With great love you have loved us.
Though we were dead in our sins
you have made us alive together with Christ.
By grace we have been saved.
We are what you have made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which you prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God, not by our strength,
All: but by your grace we come.
Not because of our righteousness,
but in your grace, you love us.
Not by our effort,
but by your Spirit in us, our praise overflows.
We thank you. We bless you. We worship you.

3. [from Psalm 65]
Leader: Loving God, by awesome deeds you have delivered us.
All: O you who answer prayer! To you all hearts shall turn.
Hope of the ends of the earth, you have established the mountains.
O you who answer prayer! To you all hearts shall turn.
You visit the earth and water it. The river of God is full of water.
O you who answer prayer! To you all hearts shall turn.
Your footsteps overflow with richness. All Creation sings for joy.
O you who answer prayer! To you all hearts shall turn.

4.
Leader: Eternal God, you who create the universe by your Word, we praise you.
All: You who fashion the world with your hands, we thank you.
You who shape the world by your love, we greet you.
You have made all things wonderful,
and you have made us, your beloved,
truly wonderful.
How can we not then fall in love with you?
Though our hearts get mangled and our lives get twisted ,
still we are your wondrous creatures, and you love us.
Alleluia! Come, Holy One.
Claim us and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: The river of God is full of water.
Awaken our hearts, and open them as vessels to your grace.
We drink deeply of your love.
May the river of life flow through us;
may we send forth streams of mercy.
Alleluia! Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, O God,
and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: O God, you who speak to us in prayer, we turn to you.
All: We still or hearts, that we may hear.
We open the window of our spirits
that your light may flood in.
We open the door of our hearts,
that we may receive you and attend to you
with all our powers of adoration and love.
Speak to us, for your servants are listening.
Alleluia! Make us yours forever. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mercy, we come before you with all our sin, and all our beauty. You receive us with such deep love. We open our heart to you now. Speak your Word to us and transform us by your grace. We pray in the name and the company of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of all creation, you visit the earth and water it, and make it glorious by your grace. We thank you for your love, and we open our hearts to your grace, that by your Spirit alive in us we may live lives of humble praise. Amen.
3.
God, you have promised through your prophet that you would pour out your Spirit on all living beings. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us now that in hearing and proclaiming your Word, in prayer and song, word and silence, we may hear your voice, receive your Spirit, and be changed into the image of Christ. God, be merciful to us, and grant us your grace. Amen.

4.
Loving God, we do not pretend to know your will, nor do we seek to understand your mysteries. We only want to draw nearer to you. Be present with us, and let us receive new life. Speak to us, and let us hear. Touch us, and let us fall in love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Jesus, Beloved,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.
Jesus, Beloved,
have mercy on me,
a sinner.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we open ourselves in honesty to God.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving,
and all that is not loving.
By the grace you show us in Christ,
forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
Leader: Rejoice, for God has mercy upon us in our sin, and holds us close to God’s heart.
All: O you who answer prayer! To you we turn our hearts.
Now we are the Body of Christ, and each of us is a member of it.
It is no longer we, but Christ who lives in us. To you we surrender our lives.
God has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us.
God of love, we receive your Spirit and its gifts, for the sake of the world.
There is one Spirit but many gifts, many ways in which we are precious to God.
Beloved, by your Spirit in us, help us to forget ourselves and look to your grace,
to see and to put into service your gifts in us, for service to the world,
in the name and the grace and the companionship of Christ. Amen.

2.
      We give our hearts to you, O God, creator of all that is and all that is to come. You made all things by your Word, and declared them good. You breathed your Spirit into all humans and declared them very good.
     We give our hearts to you, O Christ, Living Word of God, love made flesh. You taught and healed, and brought people out of the prisons of judgment into the mystery of love. You announced the Reign of God among us, and you gave your life in compassion and forgiveness. God raised you from the dead, and you live among us still, awakening us, calling us to love.
      We give our hearts to you, O Holy Spirit: you make us one body in Christ, your Church. You give each of us gifts which are precious for the mending of the world. We serve by your grace, trusting in the power of love. We open our hearts to your grace to transform us. We devote our lives to you, that we may continually love you and love our neighbors more deeply, in the name of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. You have poured your Holy Spirit into us; now pour us out into the world as the embodiment of your love. We pray, as we serve, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


God, Be Merciful to Me (Original song)

God, be merciful to me.
With empty hands and open,
I turn to you for mercy.


Heart of Heaven (Original song)

There’s a heart in heaven that knows you,
and speaks your name in love from heaven’s throne,
that has laughed and labored here beside you,
and says, “I know your journey as my own.”

There are eyes in heaven that adore you,
and weep with joy at the beauty of your soul,
for they see the courage of your living,
and share your deepest yearnings to be whole.

There’s a tear in heaven that remembers,
there’s a deep, weary sigh that understands;
there are gentle, wounded hands that know the struggle
to do the work of God with human hands.

There’s a voice from heaven within you,
a spring of life-giving water flowing free.
Let it flow, let grace and peace shine in you
with heaven’s loveliness for all to see.

Oh, the heart of heaven is within you,
the universe embraces you in love,
for the humble One who walks beside you
is the One who rules the sun and stars above.

The River of God (Psalm 65)        (Original song)
Dialogue between soloist and congregation.

Cantor:
Praise is due to you, O God, our Beloved.
To you alone we devote our lives.
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.

Congregation (Refrain):
The river of God is full of water.
Praise to you, O God!

By mighty deeds you deliver us.
You are the hope of all people on earth. …Refrain

Morning and evening resound with joy.
We are silent in awe. —Refrain

You bless the earth and water it,
granting the blessing of bountiful growth. …Refrain

Meadows and wilderness overflow,
wearing their finest in joy. …Refrain

When the depth of our sin overwhelms us,
you forgive all our transgressions.
How blessed we are, O God,
that you hold us near your heart. …Refrain

November 2, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Habakkuk 1.1-4, 2.1-4 — “Why do you make me see wrongdoing? Destruction is before me”… There is still a vision; wait for it.

Psalm 119. 137-144 — God’s wisdom gives us joy and guides our lives.

2 Thessalonians 1.1-4, 11-12 — We pray for you.,. That you will be worthy of the call.

Luke 19.1-10 — Jesus and Zacchaeus.

Preaching Thoughts

Habakkuk
       There is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. Why doesn’t it get any better? Amid news of war, racism, climate change, MAGA, the loss of species and so many other threats we can feel the prophet’s despair. “Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble?” Habakkuk’s promise might seem to be that everything will turn out OK, but it’s not that simple. Everything may Not turn out OK. (It didn’t for Habakkuk’s folks: he may said these things as Babylon was advancing on Jerusalem.) The prophet’s message seems deeper: even if things don’t turn out all right, everything will be all right.
       The righteous live by their faith. Habakkuk invites us to dig deeper for the foundation of our faith: not just that things will eventually be as we want them to be, but that God is present and active in the world no matter what. It’s so easy to latch onto a false hope that God will “make things right” in the end. But that may not happen, at least not in our limited vision and time frame. What will happen is that God’s vision for the world will still guide us and give meaning to our lives. Gods vision extends beyond human history, and it is on that scale that the ultimate reconciliation will happen—and is now happening. Hope for the future is not wishful thinking but trust in what God is already doing, unseen. And faith is living according to that hope, living out love and justice, healing and joy, no matter what. We’re invited to trust God’s grace even in the gloomiest of times, and shine with God’s light even in the thickest night. That’s how the righteous live by their faith.

Luke
      Jesus doesn’t seem to be “passing by.” He might even be seeking Zacchaeus out. He invites himself to Zacchaeus’ house. Sometimes we think we’re seeking God, trying to get a glimpse of God, when it’s actually God who is seeking us. How does Jesus invite himself into your life? Why do you think Jesus does that? How does he enter into your living, your home, your heart? When he enters, what happens?
      Zacchaeus’ story is about how Jesus changes lives. And it portrays Jesus’ radical acceptance of everybody, without judgment—even despised tax collectors. His mission to “seek out and to save the lost” is not about religious conversion but inclusion: establishing kinship even with enemies.
      Jesus’ relationship with Zacchaeus is enough to discomfort everybody. To righteous Jews camaraderie with a tax collector is grumble-worthy. To those of us who take comfort in Jesus’ attention to the poor, we’d rather see him visit the poor widow. And to most of us we’d rather not talk about giving away our money. (Ever notice this? Almost all our pictures and images of Zacchaeus are of the little guy up in the tree. Not the guy giving away his money. We’ll go for cute above challenging any day.) Jesus seems to see the goodness in Zacchaeus before any of us do. In this story Zacchaeus subverts everything we think we know about rich people in the Gospels. He is eager to see Jesus, quickly and willingly invites Jesus to his home, and offers generous repayment to the poor. It might be that though he was despised Zacchaeus never was a bad or selfish guy. That’s our judgment. (Technically in the Greek Zacchaeus doesn’t say “I will” give that money, but “I am” giving. As if he’s been that generous all along!) If I start this story by thinking nothing good can come of Zacchaeus till Jesus gets hold of him, I am the one whom stands guilty of sin. Maybe I need to be as generous with my forgiveness and acceptance from the beginning as Jesus is.
      The outcome of Jesus inviting himself to Zachaeus’ house is deep generosity and justice. Is that the outcome of our encounter with Jesus? What holds us back?
      We marvel at the apparent change that comes over Zacchaeus. How does this come about? What might it have felt like for Zachaeus, climbing up the tree? Climbing down the tree? Walking with Jesus? Maybe this is a story of a greedy person who becomes generous because first it is a story of a lonely person who is befriended.
      This is the first time since chapter 2 that Luke talks about “salvation,” after talking about it so much in the first two chapters. He apparently wanted to show us salvation as God’s free and unwarranted gift of love, forgiveness, healing and inclusion in the divine circle—first, for 17 chapters, before we get ideas about right belief and “getting saved.” Now he can use the word without losing us. Salvation comes because Zacchaeus is a son of Abraham, a recipient of grace, not because he’s a good person. It’s the lost who are saved.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, for life and beauty we praise you.
All: Joy and gratitude!
Loving Christ, for grace and mercy, we thank you.
Joy and gratitude!
Holy Spirit, in your life-changing power we worship you.
Joy and gratitude! Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Eternal God, like Zacchaeus we are too small to see you.
All: But we want to see you. We want to greet you!
So you come to us, and invite us into your presence.
You come to us in Christ, and you call our names.
You come to us in scripture and in prayer, and you change our lives.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Loving God, as Jesus came to Zacchaeus’ house, you come to us; you bless us; you change us. We open the homes of our hearts to you and we welcome your gracious presence. Speak to us, and transform us by your Spirit. Amen.

2.
Spirit of Life, Jesus came to Zacchaeus and called his name. You are present with us now. Call to us, draw us closer to you, and change our hearts, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, like Zacchaeus we long to see you, but many things get in our way. Help us now to set them aside, to look past all the obstructions and distractions, and look only to you, and listen to you. As your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, open the eyes of our hearts and the ears of our souls, so that we might hear your Word, and be changed. Amen.

4.
Holy One, we are bound up by our fear and self-centeredness. But Like Zacchaeus we want to see you, so we draw near, each in our own way. And you receive us. Invite us, Lord. Spend time with us, speak to us and change our hearts with your Spirit. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)
1.
Holy One, your vision is true,
your will is certain, your delight is sure;
but it comes about slowly.
Open our hearts to trust, to listen,
and to live in faithful love.

2.
Generous Jesus,
you invite yourself into our lives.
We climb down from our plans.
We invite you in.
You bless us, and change us.

Prayer of Confession

1.
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.
God of gentle mercy,
we confess our sin,
for it has become a burden to us
that we cannot bear.
Receive us, forgive us,
relieve us of our burdens,
and set us free. Amen.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

2.
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.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
Gather us in your loving arms;
have mercy on us and forgive us,
that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways,
by the grace of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
[Silent prayer … The Word of Grace]

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
We believe in God, maker of all things, provider of all things, who loves all people. We follow Jesus, in whom salvation has come to us: he sees us for who we are, heals the wounds of our hearts, and makes us new. In his death and resurrection we see the deepest truth of life. We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, that empowers us for self-giving love. We give thanks for the Church, the Body of Christ; and for the gift of forgiveness, the power of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life. Amen.

2. (based on Habakkuk 1, 2)
Leader: O God, destruction and violence are before us;
strife and contention arise.
All: Why do we keep seeing wrong-doing?
Why doesn’t justice prevail?
There is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
Give us hope, for you are at work.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
Give us faith to endure, and to face toward that day.
Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith.
Give us love, to live by our trust in you.

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.

Generous God, we thank you for your grace.
You are not merely passing by. You seek us out.
You have invited yourself to our home, entered into our lives.
You come with grace and forgiveness, with blessing and joy.
Our lives are changed, and we celebrate.
We feast on the generosity of your heart,
and sing your praise with all Creation.
     (Sanctus)

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He enters into the lives of the poor and the lonely.
In our awkwardness and loneliness he befriends us.
In our greed and selfishness he changes us.
In our sin he saves us.
In his dying and rising he invites us to become new 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.
By your grace salvation has come to this house.
Therefore, remembering 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.
In gratitude we give of ourselves and our goods;
we give of our lives, for the sake of the mending of the world,
in the name and the company of Jesus.
     (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

1.
Gracious God, in gratitude for all you have given us, and in faithful stewardship of what you have placed in our hands to share with the world, 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. You have received us into your love; now send us out as changed people to serve you for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, you have given us rich gifts: the grace of your forgiveness, the blessing of your presence, the treasure of your abiding Spirit. 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, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You enter our lives with grace. May we enter this world with love, with humility, gratitude and generosity, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


Setting the Table        (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Christ, you have seen us and called us with grace, and
come to feast with us in our earthly place.
You eat with sinners! We welcome you here,
grateful for love so abounding, so clear

God, you have saved us so that we may live
new lives of grace; so now grateful, we give
freely our treasure and gladly our hearts,
with generosity that your love imparts

Spirit, you bless us with infinite gifts:
healing that frees us and power that uplifts.
Grateful, we give you our hearts and our gold;
Lord, there is nothing that we would withhold

Lord, you forgive us our fear and our greed, and
free us to share with all others in need.
We set this table with joy and with care,
saved, blessed and grateful, and happy to share.


Zacchaeus’ Song (Tune: I Come with Joy)

1. Lord, send me out into the world to share all I possess.
My generosity shall be— the faith that I confess, the faith that I confess.
2. For you have given me such gifts, grace infinite and deep,
that I can only share them all. — There’s nothing I will keep.
3. And let my giving change me, Lord, to make me more like you:
to let your blessing flow through me, — creating me anew.
4. My life will not be known by what I have, but how I share,
courageously, with trust in you,— with love and joy and care.