OT 31 – 24th Sunday after Pentecost

November 3, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Ruth 1. 1-18 — The set-up for Ruth’s story. Ruth says to Naomi, “where you go I will go.”

Psalm 146 —trust in God, not in worldly power. God cares for the poor and powerless, and lifts up those who are bowed down. (See a paraphrase below.)

Hebrews 9. 11-14 — Jesus the high priest (and sacrifice) purifies us with his blood..

Mark 12.28-34 — The great commandment.

Preaching Thoughts

Ruth
       
The story of Israel is peppered with the contributions of non-Israelites, including Ruth, the Moabite grandmother of king David. Here we see her Moabite roots. And we see the life of an immigrant, who leaves behind not only geography but also family and even religion, to emigrate to a new place. Even if they leave for a “better life,” immigrants and refugees have to leave behind a lot of life.
       Ruth’s pledge to Naomi is a model for faith: to say to Jesus “Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die.” (Or how you will suffer, I will suffer.) That’s what we mean by faith.


Hebrews
       Hebrews is rooted in the priestly cult of the temple, with high priests and animal sacrifices. We have to be careful translating it into our contemporary religious setting. At the beginning of this passage Jesus is the high priest, but then he becomes the sacrifice, and Hebrews goes on to focus on the cleansing power of his blood. This doesn’t mean Jesus “paid the price” for our sin. The sacrifice is not his physical blood but his willingness to love us at any cost. In Jesus’ self-giving, pouring himself out in love, even to the point of suffering and death, he conveyed God’s love to us. And that love purifies us. We stand before God justified, absolved of wrongdoing, and purified, not because we’re innocent, and not because though we’re guilty Jesus posted bail; we’re purified because God us loves us and forgives us and makes us clean. Jesus embodied that. He “offered himself to God,” that is, submitted to the demands of love, no mater the cost. In his willingness to be condemned even though innocent, “without blemish,” and by enduring the unjust judgment of humans, he destroyed that judgment: see this condemnation? It’s bogus! We’re not condemned, we’re beloved!

Mark
       
Of the hundreds of questions Jesus was asked, he answered all but three indirectly, with parables or with another question. But here he answers directly! What is the most important commandment? To love God. And it has a twin: to love your neighbor. Jesus makes it clear that they’re two sides of the same coin, to ways of looking at the same love. How we love our neighbor is how we love God. (Whatever you do to the least of these…) Some people say we ought to have the Ten Commandments posted in our courtrooms because we’re a Christian nation. Well, now, that would make us Jewish, wouldn’t it? Christians don’t have ten commandments. We have one: “Love one another as I have loved you.” God’s love for us is our love for others; and that is how we love God.
       This is what it means to be a Christian: to love like Jesus. We have a lot of garbage we carry around in our “Christian” bags that have little to do with love. We might sometimes sort of want to be loving, but not as desperately as we want to be happy, secure, accepted, or right. In our politics, our economics, and our relationships, love doesn’t always come out on top. Sometimes the issue is not that we fail be loving enough, but that we fail to renounce everything that gets in the way of our love, everything that dilutes our love, everything that comes first. We have a lot to let go of to really be faithful to the God of love.
       Notice that the shema in Dt. 6.4-5 says to love God with all your heart, soul and might. Jesus adds your mind. I think he means more than just your thoughts. He means your mindfulness, your awareness, your worldview, your consciousness. Maybe along the lines of what Paul means in Romans 12.2 about the “renewal of your mindfulness.”

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, you are the Love that gives us life.
      All: You shower us with love, and we worship you.
Loving Christ, you give us the love with which we love God.
      You fill us with love, and we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you are the Love with which we love others.
      You fill us with love, and we serve you with joy. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creator God, how you love us!
      All: Alleluia! We praise you.
Loving Christ, how you forgive us and heal us!
      Alleluia! We thank you.

Holy Spirit, how you fill us with love for God and our neighbor!
      Alleluia! God of Love, we worship you.

3.
Leader: Infinite Love, you create us.
       All: Mysterious Mercy, you claim us.
Unbounded Compassion, you adore us.
       Heaven’s Joy, you delight in us.
Loving God, you call us with your beauty.
       Holy One, we are in love.
Spirit of mercy, you fill us with your compassion.
       We breathe in your love; we inhale your Spirit,
       so we may be loving to you and to the world,
       in the name of Christ.

4.
Leader: God of love, you give us life.
       All: Holy One, we love you!
Jesus, Christ of God, you embody God’s love for us.
       Loving One, we love you!
Holy Spirit, spirit of love, you fill our hearts.
       Radiant One, we love you!
       Fill our hearts; transform our minds;
       make us vessels of your love. Amen.

Prayer

1.
God of love, you who create us in love and call us to love: we earnestly desire to love you with our whole hearts, our whole souls, our whole minds, and all our strength. Help us to love you and to love our neighbor, not by our own will but by your grace, your infinite love in us. We pray in the name of our Teacher, our Beloved, Jesus. Amen.

2.
Leader: God says, “Beloved, I give you my love!”
      All: How can we trust such good news?
Jesus says, “As God has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. “
      How can we receive such love?
We do not know how to pray, but the Spirit intercedes for us.
      Spirit of Love, enter our hearts, transform our lives,
      and fill us with you light,
      that we may truly love as we have been loved.,
      in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of love, your Jesus shows us how to be loving. As Jesus models you for us, help us to model Jesus for the world. Put our hands on his hands, our feet on his, our hearts in his, so we may become more perfectly loving, by the gift of your grace. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, in this world we are taught to acquire possessions, to seek certain character traits, and to accomplish certain things. But they are not love. We turn to you, to forgive our failure to love perfectly, to purify us of all that is not love, and to fan the flames of your love in us for you and for the world, that we may be prefect vessels of your love, by the grace of Christ, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

5.
Loving One,
you love us perfectly,
with all your heart and mind and soul and strength.
Help us receive your love,
and be filled to overflowing with your love
to bear your love into this world.

6.
Gracious God, your Word is a word of love.
We seek not merely to understand your words,
but to receive your love.
Speak to us now, that your Word may take root in our hearts,
and fill us with love for you and for our neighbors,
by the grace of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Heavenly Lover,
perfect love,
infinite Heart,
surround us, enfold us,
and fill us,
that we may become
the body of your love.

Prayer of Confession

1
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
      All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us come honestly before God.
We recall those times when we have been most in harmony with God’s love,
and we give thanks. {Silent prayer]
We recall those times when we have been most out of harmony with God’s love,
and we open our hearts to God’s mercy. [Silent prayer….]
By the grace we know in Christ Jesus, God forgives us entirely,
redeems us and sets us free to live by the power of the Spirit of love,
in the name of Christ.
      Thanks be to God.

2.
God of love,
we confess that though you ask us to be loving,
we seek to be successful, secure, and so many other things.
All that we have sought but love, we name before you.
All we have clung to, we release.
All that we have put before love, we renounce.
Cleanse us. Forgive us. Heal us of our selfishness.
Make us perfect vessels of your infinite love,
in the name ad the Spirit of Christ.

Reading

               Psalm 146 — A paraphrase

O Holy Presence, Power of Life,
       we praise you.
We praise you with our saying and doing;
        we praise you by being.

Our life doesn’t come from powerful people;
        it’s not soldiers who make us free.
What they control dies with them:
        that’s little stuff, not what’s deeply life-giving.

But unbounded life wells up in us
        when we open our hearts to your love for all,
when our hearts fall into the Heart
        who is at the heart of all things—

you— who create galaxies,
        who handmade the earth;
who filled the oceans drop by drop
        and gave them their tiny and huge creatures,

you who never give up on us,
        who liberate the oppressed,
who are food for the hungry
        and who lift those who are bowed down.

O Love, you set us free
        from whatever imprisons us;
you open our eyes when we are blind;
        and in you we discover deep love.

You are present in the stranger;
        you are the hope and dignity
of the homeless child, the single mother,
        the strength of the vulnerable ones.

Those who turn to you
        you feed with life,
but the spirit of selfishness
        you starve to death.

Holy One,
        you love the world into being.
Amazing!
        Amazing!

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
      We believe in God, who is Love, whose love is unconditional, perfect, absolute and eternal.
       We follow Jesus, the Beloved of God, who embodied God’s love. In love he taught the curious, fed the hungry and healed the broken. In love he suffered our evil, and was crucified. And in love God raised him from the dead. Christ lives among us still in the eternal power of love.
      We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love, the love of God flowing through us for the world. In that love we seek a world of justice and mercy; and we live lives of forgiveness, gratitude and courage. The Spirit of Love gives us life that is eternal, which is our power, and our hope and our joy.

2.
               A prayer for love

God. help me to love you today with all my heart.
Transform my will. May all my desires lead me toward you.
Overwhelm all my fears with love for you.

Help me to love you with all my soul.
Let the inner core of who I am be your glory,
shining toward you.

Help me to love you with all my mind.
Let my thoughts be of you, seeing you in all things,
awake and mindful.

Help me love you with all my strength,
giving deeply of myself, and of all I possess.
May every deed be an act of pure love.

And may all of my thoughts and desires,
my actions and my very being,
mirror my love for you in love for others.

I pray in the name of Christ, who has loved me
with all his heart, and all his soul,
and all his mind, and all his strength. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
In the beginning was your Word; your Word was love,
and by your Word you created all things.

You have loved us into being,
and you surround us with your love in all Creation.
Though we wander from your love, your love for us remains steadfast.

You heal us, you restore us, you set us free.
You overthrow the powers of evil and oppression,
not with violence but with love.

In Christ you have loved us with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.
Therefore with all Creation we praise you with one voice:

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodied your love.
He gave us love, so that we might love;
he loved even those who were least loved among us.
His love had the power to heal,
the power to overcome injustice and oppression.
In this meal, with grateful joy
we feast upon your love, given to us in Christ.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that as we receive the Body of Christ
we may become the Body of Christ,
the body of your love.
Feed us with love that is bold and courageous,
confident with tender hope,
and the power that changes the world.
By the power of your Spirit and the love of Christ
make us the body of your love.


     [Spoken or sung]
Amen
.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have poured into us your love. We give you our lives, that you may use them as vessels of your love, that above all else we may love, for to love our neighbors is to love you. So bless us, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs on the Music page.)

At Your Feet [Original song]

Jesus, at your feet I bow.
I am yours completely now.
By your mercy show me how
to be loving.

Jesus, Master, you who save,
you have served me as a slave.
This, the perfect gift you gave:
to be loving.

In each hurting one I meet
it is you, O Christ, I greet.
Make my faithfulness complete,
to be loving.


Eternal Life [Original song]

This is how we will know eternal life:
we will love one another.
I lay down my life, all that is mine alone,
that we may be raised together.

We are not bound by any earthy thing
when our lives we surrender to God
whose love is eternal life,
and so we will love one another.

Fill Me, Love (Tune: Lead Me, Lord)

Fill me, Love, fill me with the oil of love,
may my lamp burn, burn long and bright.
For, Love, you fill me when my heart is empty,
so I may shine through the longest night.



Fulfill Your Love In Me (Original song)

Refrain:
Fulfill your love in me, O Loving Spirit,
fulfill your love in me, O Heart of Love.

Verses:
Speak the name Beloved in my deepest soul.
Hold me in your heart, your gentle loving. (Refrain)

Heal me with your mercy and your tenderness.
Bring to life the grace in me to love you. (Refrain)

Give me grace to love my neighbor as myself,
freely, with the love with which you love me. (Refrain)



God of all Gentleness [Tune: Be Thou My Vision]

God of all gentleness, God of pure love,
you do not watch us from heights far above,
you are no tyrant, but patient and mild,
present with grace in the poor, in the child.

God of all mercy, may we be the ones
bearing your love to your daughters and sons,
not out of pity but humbly, with grace,
for in the poor we see your human face.

God of all justice, give us hearts to care,
hope to free prisoners of fear and despair,
courage to challenge the ways that oppress,
deep love to reach out to heal and to bless.

God of compassion, your Spirit now pour
into us all, for it’s we who are poor,
hungry for justice, for healing and grace,
and for full life for the whole human race.

Love Only      (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, may your deep love shine bright in my heart,
may it be always your love I impart.
In ease or conflict, your love be my stay,
as your Beloved, your love to convey.

When people scare me so I feel alone,
help me see they, too, have wounds of their own.
Help me surrender my sword and my shield,
love and love only by your grace to yield.

God, by your Spirit, fill me with your grace, to
love and to heal in each moment and place.
Love and love only, through conflict or strife,
sets us all free and gives healing and life.



Love-sowing God [Tune: “Gift of Love” – The River Is Wide]

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

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

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

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


Love Will Bear Us Over [ Tune: Holy Manna]

When our world is changing ‘round us and we long for good old days,
what that lasts will bear us over to new earth, new heaven, new ways?
Love will lead us when the path is unfamiliar, come what may:
set our heart to love our neighbors and our feet will find the way.

Christ gives us a new commandment: “Share the love that you’ve been given.”
When we do we’re resurrected, entering new earth and heaven.
When we love our neighbor more than caring for what used to be,
then our love will bear us over, then our love will set us free.

Make Us Merciful (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Merciful parent, God, prodigal with grace and love,
welcoming children through your pain,
gently receive us all, break down our shame’s dark wall,
that we may never leave again.

Gentle and gracious God, you who love your children,
you take us in though we turn away.
Fold us in your embrace; fill us with peace and grace,
that we may live your gentle way.

God, give us spacious hearts, generous and kind and wide,
no matter what hurtful things folks do.
Help us to love and bless, steadfast in gentleness.
Lord, make us merciful as you.

O Christ, My Way    (Tune: The River Is Wide)

O Christ, my truth, my life, my way,
I give my heart to you this day.
I give myself, yes all of me,
that where you are I too may be.

O Christ, my way, the path I take
is love alone, for your love’s sake.
O be my heart, my strength and nerve,
that I may love and bless and serve.

O Christ, my truth, in you I see
the God who dwells in you and me.
But God remains yet far above
until I live in humble love.

O Christ, my life, I give my heart,
for when in you I take my part
and share your love, your work and strife,
I share in full your risen life.

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.



Open My Heart [ Tune: Open My Eyes]

Open my eyes that I may see everyone ‘round me lovingly,
shedding my labels, habits and fear, see with a heart that’s true and clear.
Patiently, God, may I behold each blessed life as it unfolds.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my ears and let me hear unspoken stories, unshed tears.
Help me to hear with love shining through stories that no one’s listened to.
Tenderly, God, help me to hold what is within each person’s soul.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine.

Open my heart and grant me love, mercy for those I’m heedless of.
Help me to know each person I face as one you bless with gentle grace
Lovingly, God, please make me more mindful of those whom we ignore.
Open my heart, illumine me, spirit divine.


Set Me Free (to Love) [Original song]

From all that binds me, Love, set me free.
From all that binds me, Love, set me free.
Set me free, Love, set me free.
Oh Love, set me free to love.

From what I fear, O Love set me free….
From what I cling to, Love, set me free…
To live in perfect love, set me free….

All Saints Day

November 1 or November 3, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Isaiah 25.6-9 — On this mountain God will make a feast… and swallow up death.. and wipe away tears

Psalm 24 —The earth is God’s… The king of glory enters!

Revelation 21.1-6 — The new heaven and new earth. Death will be no more. “Behold, I make all things new.”

John 11. 32-44 —Jesus raises Lazarus.

Preaching Thoughts

Isaiah
       
The prophet foresees the coming war, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dominance of ruthless people—and yet beyond that, a great feast symbolizing God’s establishment of a new reality that will “swallow up” death and destruction — not just for Israel but for all the world, as one community. It’s a defiant vision of hope in the face of calamity and the threat of despair. Isaiah refuses to despair. We can see this as a vision of a possible future outcome of human history.. but it can also be a vision of the deeper reality that we are part of even now, though we can’t see it. Despite our wars and violence, despite our ravaging the earth and abusing and exploiting people, God prepares a feast of Life for us; God frees us from the shroud of our fear and selfishness; God removes our disgrace; God wipes away our tears. Even death itself is swallowed up in God’s love. Imagine that this is happening, not just in the future, but now, in a dimension we can’t comprehend.

Revelation
       John foresees a new reality—not just among human nations, but the entire cosmos: a new Creation. It is symbolized, as in Isaiah, by the city of Jerusalem, the intimate presence of God, and the end of death and sorrow. The “water from the springs of the water of life” remind me of Jesus’ promise in John 3: “The water I give will become in them a spring of living water gushing up to eternal life.” As with Isiah’s vision, we can see this as a future prediction, or a description of the afterlife, but it might also be a vision about the grace of God that is with us always. Maybe the “new heaven and earth” are wheat we experience with the renewal of our consciousness, a new way of seeing reality, when we re in Christ. Somehow, in inexpressible ways, at the heart of existence is this shining love, this tender compassion, this loving presence. “Heaven” is not “up” but in. At the center of our lives God is present, making all things new, wiping away our tears, gathering up our suffering and our failure in God’s mysterious grace, continually giving us the water of life. Maybe in ways beyond our comprehending, “It is done!”

John
       I assume this passage was chosen for the lectionary for All Saints Day because, like the other readings, it gives us hope that people we love who have died still have a bright future, and that maybe we will get to see them again. That’s OK with me. Maybe All Saints Day needs to be sort of a general funeral for everybody we have loved and lost. If your people need to hear that, go there.
       But this story doesn’t take me to the afterlife. It brings me face to face with mortality and grief. Maybe the significant thing about this story for All Saints is not that Lazarus (and also your dear grandmother) will be raised to life again at some point, and there will be death no more—but that the saints of God are those who live life in the face of death and who love even in times of grief.
       “Jesus wept” —because he loved Lazarus, and loved Mary, and being deeply and profoundly human, his heart was broken. Here’s a picture of God with us: not magically fixing thing, but broken-hearted, standing beside us, weeping with us at our losses. People complain about that: “Couldn’t he have kept him from dying?” And Jesus’ tears seem to silently answer: “No. I can’t keep anyone from dying. I can’t prevent you from suffering. I can’t fix things like you want. But I can love you and be with you.” As much as we fight it, this is God’s word to us. God doesn’t seem to prevent tragedy; it keeps right on happening. But God is with us, and God’s heart breaks with us. Isn’t this some of the message of the cross? That God shares our pain, endures our losses, knows our suffering? The saints of God are the ones who trust this and carry on, even when loss is huge and grief is heavy. They don’t try to “be strong.” They are real. They grieve. They show love. They don’t try to “make sense” of loss and suffering (remember Job?); they simply trust that life is good even when it hurts.
       The good news, the healing, the miracles even, only come after the grieving. When Martha hesitates about opening the tomb because it will stink she touches that fear we have that grief is bottomless. If we face it, it will hurt too much. “Don’t get me started, “ we say, “or I’ll cry and never be able to stop.” We’re afraid of making a big stink. But Jesus assures us that this grieving, this work of facing our losses, staring into the grave, opening up our wounds, leads to glory. The saints of God are those who face mortality and live radiantly.
       … And the dead man came out. Clearly, not actually dead, at least not any more. Maybe the saints of God are those who have heard the voice of Christ calling them out of their dead places, calling to something in them that has died, something that maybe they feel they have lost, but that God treasures. Maybe the saints are those who come out of old dead places, who leave lifeless things behind, who allow themselves to be unbound snd set free. Maybe what it means to be one of the saints of God is to allow God, with great love and a broken heart, to call us out of old lives into something new and unprecedented… and we come: awkward, still bound up in the rags of death, but willing, and alive in a new way.

Call to Worship

1.
For all the saints who have led us through the ages, we praise you.
      For all the saints in our own lives
      who have loved us and shown us your grace, we thank you.
With all the communion of saints, we glorify you.
      Alleluia! God of all the saints, transform us by your grace. Alleluia!
2.
Leader: God, you have sent us saints who have guided and inspired us; and we thank you.
      All: You have given us saints who have loved and us and transformed us. We praise you.
May we be your saints, shining with your light, radiant with your love.
      Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God, you call us from death to life.
      All: We hear your voice, and something in us wakens.
You call us out of lifeless places, into the light of your grace.
      We hear your voice, and something in us rises.
You call us to be unbound, to be free, to be new.
      We hear your voice,
      and something in us enters into your new day.
      We praise you. We worship you. We give you thanks. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, we give thanks for the saints who have gone before us: people of all ages, even children, who have shined a light on the way with their love. Make us holy with the same love they had. Help us to hear your Word and to be changed by your Spirit in us, sanctified for your purposes, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of love, in the company of your saints, we are lifted by their faith. With them we are warmed by your grace and led by your Spirit. Sanctify us with them: restore in us our true, holy calling as your beloved people. May love be our worship; love be our lives. Amen.

3.
Beautiful God, we are brought together in your grace. We are blessed in one another’s company. We are transformed by your Word. Speak to us, and help us listen with our deepest hearts, so that we may become more and more ourselves, more true to the glory you have planted within and among us, and more faithful to one another. In your embodied Word, Christ living among us, come, Lord, and speak. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving Christ,
broken-hearted Christ,
peering into our tombs,
you speak,
and something in us hears.
The Lazarus in us listens.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

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 have surrounded us with saints,
women, children and men who have rejoiced in your grace,
shared in your work of redemption,
and shined with your love and lit the way for us.
They have worked for justice; they have offered healing;
they have been examples of mercy, faith and love.

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,
who gather with us art this table,

and in union with all Creation, we sing your praise:


            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who showed us the way of love,
and who died for us in love,
so that as your saints we might live in love.
He preached good news to the poor,
he lifted up the downtrodden and gathered the outcast,
and recognized what in us was holy
and worthy of following in the way of compassion and joy.
Worthy is Christ, who by his grace has gathered for you
saints from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have called us to share in the inheritance
of the saints in the light,
and in the dominion of your beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …] *

In this meal Christ sanctifies us once again,
offering us love, calling us to love,
and inviting us into Christ’s death and resurrection.
In Christ’s dying and rising
you have sealed the lives of your saints.
In thanksgiving we proclaim the mystery of our faith:


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

Pour out your 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 as the Body of Christ we may embody your love.
Raise us to new life, sanctify us by your grace,
and make us perfect vessels of your love..
In communion with Christ and all the saints,
we offer our lives as a living sacrifice,
that we may uplift one another in the ministry of the gospel
and fulfill the sacred purpose
for which you have sent us in your name.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have raised us to new life in the death and resurrection of Christ; you have made us whole in your love, united us as one body in your grace, and sanctified us by your Spirit. Together with all your saints, send us out to love, to serve, to live in the new world of your grace, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs and hear audio clips on the Music page.)

Blessed [Original tune. Includes 4-part version for choir]

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.

Refrain: 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. Refrain

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. Refrain


Eternal Life [Original tune. Includes 4-part version for choir.]

This is how we will know eternal life:
we will love one another.
I lay down my life, all that is mine alone,
that we may be raised together.

We are not bound by any earthy thing
when our lives we surrender to God
whose love is eternal life,
and so we will love one another.


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.





Reign of Christ Sunday

November 24, 2024

Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 23.1-7 — David’s last words: a just ruler is like the dawn.. God’s covenant… the godless are like thorns.

Psalm 132 — God will place one of David’s descendants on the throne.

Revelation 1.4b-8 —Christ our ruler has freed us and made us into a new commonwealth.

John 18.33-37 —“My kingdom is not from this world.”

Preaching Thoughts

       “My kingdom is not from this world.” What does it mean for us to claim Jesus as “king,” or to proclaim “Jesus Christ is lord?” (I have mixed feelings about the word “lord.” It adequately expresses honor, power and authority, but it also reeks of sexism, being exclusively masculine, as in “lords and ladies.” So I go with “Chief.”) You can understand Pilate’s confusion: is Jesus really a king or not? Jesus points out how inapt the title of “king” is for him: he has no jurisdiction over an area of land, and has no political or military power. His is a different kind of realm. For one thing, he has’t conquered a certain existing place and its people; he created the nation: he “freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom” (Rev. 1.5-6). Jesus’ realm is not a political one but a spiritual one. Jesus is our “higher power.”
       Historically a person usually became king by conquering a territory. Jesus has not conquered any territory, but he has conquered the interlocking powers that enslave us: the grip of sin, the headlock of our ego, and our deep distrust of God; our fears, desires and attachments; the pull of social pressures, political allegiances and economic pressures and the domination of the world’s way of thinking. In pouring himself out in love, even to death, and forgiving us even as we murdered him, Jesus has conveyed to us the perfect, bottomless love of God, rescued us from the hand of all those oppressive powers, and delivered us into a new world ruled by grace. The superior power of Jesus’ love has done this.
       And Jesus doesn’t just have personal power. An earthly king has power over us that we don’t have. A political king rules over people but not in them. But Jesus’ power is in us: it’s a power he gives us. Jesus is not just an authority in the sense of a rule-maker. Jesus as “Lord” or “sovereign” is the template for our lives. We don’t just venerate Jesus, we emulate him. And he gives us the power to do that. As subservient to Christ’s love we love. Our lives are cruciform as his was: we pour out ourselves in love for others, no matter the cost. To claim Jesus as ruler of our lives is to make him the center of our rule of life, our intentional discipline, our way of living. It means we are wiling to suffer for the sake of love, to be faithful to God and in harmony with God and God’s grace, no matter what.
       Living that way in our culture is like living in a parallel universe. It’s a realm that’s “not from this world.” We don’t obey the command of any ruler or the demands of any legal code: we are faithful to Christ and Christ alone. Most of the time we also obey the laws of the nation where we live—but not necessarily. When they are in conflict “we obey God and not any human authority” (Act 5.29). Christ, and the love that Christ embodies, is our highest loyalty. We pledge allegiance to Christ, and no flag or nation. Yes, that sounds radical and even subversive. So it is. That’s why Jesus got crucified, and Christians got persecuted, and Civil Rights marchers got jailed. To claim Christ as Lord is serious business. It means death and resurrection.
And because Jesus is the ruler of our resurrection we trust Jesus as the ruler of our crucifixion.
       “Jesus Christ, ruler of the kings of the earth” (Rev. 1.5). Doesn’t seem like it, does it? It’s easy to say Jesus is my Lord, but is Jesus sovereign over all human history? In the symbolic imagery of the Bible does Jesus really sit at the right hand of God ruling over the universe? Because, seriously, it does not look remotely like that, does it? How can Jesus be sovereign over a world that’s as messed up as we are? We’re led astray by our notion of what it means to “rule.” Remember just a couple weeks ago in our readings Jesus says of the secular world, “their rulers it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant” (Mk. 10.42-43). Christ’s superiority is not in making people do what he wants them to do, but in serving people with love. He leaves us free to use, ignore or abuse that gift. And yet love remains the basic, fundamental force, and strongest power in the universe. It’s like gravity. You can’t escape it. It doesn’t “make stuff happen” by manipulate anything, but it influences everything, and makes some things possible and other things impossible. Love, embodied by Christ, the Chief of Love, rules everything. When we tap into that love it’s like connecting with an electrical current, or entering into an energy field: we have power greater than our own, and greater than any one person’s power, even an earthly ruler. Christ, crucified, seemingly powerless, is the power of heaven at work. Think of it. Love came up against worldly power: Jesus vs. Caesar. How did that turn out? Jesus changed the world and Caesar… got a salad named after him.
       In the cross and resurrection we see the mystery that love is the greatest force in the universe, more powerful than rulers and armies and even death. And Jesus is the Chief, which is to say, the Head Servant, of Love. So it is him, and that love, we follow. The Reign of Love, the Empire of Grace, may not be apparent in the news. But it will be radiant in the hearts and lives of the followers of Jesus.

Call to Worship

1.
(Revelation 1.4-8)
Leader:
Grace to you and peace
from the one who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before the throne,
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead, and sovereign of the rulers of the earth.
      All: To Christ, who loves us
       and whose blood was shed in freeing us from our sins,
       and who has made us to be a nation of priests
       serving our God and Life-Giver,
       to Christ be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! Christ is coming with the clouds,
for every eye to see,
even those who pierced Jesus—
on whose account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
       So it is to be. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says God the Holy One,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
       Alleluia! With humble gratitude, we worship!

2.
Leader: Glorious God, mighty and eternal,
you have conquered all the powers of this world.
All: But you have done it not with force or domination;
you have done it in the love of the crucified and risen Christ.
God of perfect love and boundless grace, you are our sovereign.
Christ, you are the Chief and ruler of our lives.
We thank you; we honor you; we seek to emulate you.

We worship in humble gratitude, with open hearts.
By your Spirit, may Love rule in our lives.

3.
Leader: Infinite God, Heavenly Lover, we are your loyal subjects.
All: Gentle Christ, whose throne is the cross,
we are your loyal subjects.
Spirit of Grace, your are the great power in our living.
Renouncing all other allegiances, we bow to you.
We give you the gifts of our lives.
We worship you. Bless us that we may faithfully serve you,
by the grace of Christ, in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, Creator and Sovereign of the Universe, you have established Christ as the ruler of all Creation. The world of human power and empire is an illusion. The real world is your Empire of Grace, ruled over by Christ, the living embodiment of your love. We come to align ourselves once again to your reign of grace. Speak your Word to us as citizens of heaven, that we may be loyal to you alone. We pledge allegiance to you and to no other, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Eternal God, though we are beset by many powers, forces and authorities, we have only one God, who is you. We have only one Superior, who is Christ. Our highest allegiance is to you, and our greatest loyalty. Christ, you who are the Way and the Truth and the Life, speak to us now. May we hear with joy what you are saying, and may your Word have authority for us. We are the citizens of your realm; speak to us, beloved Sovereign, for we are listening. Amen.

3.
God of love, you have established Jesus Christ as sovereign of the world. Help us to renounce all other loyalties. O Gentle Christ, bless us that your love may rule over our lives. Fill us with the power of your grace and the authority of your mercy. Give us the humility to receive your gifts and the strength to serve you faithfully. Rule over us, that our lives may be in harmony with yours, by the gift of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

4.
Holy God, you love us into being. You are the Breath of our life. You are the heartbeat of our body and soul. Your Christ, poured out in love, crucified in powerlessness and raised in glory, is our one Protector and Provider. We bow to you. We submit our hearts ad our minds and our lives to you. Be the ruler, the power, the measure of our lives. Christ, our Chief, our sovereign, and our model, reign in our hearts. Make us vassals of your mercy, vessels of your grace, emissaries of your perfect love, by the gift of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of the wholeness of the world, and your abiding glory. Amen.


Listening Prayer

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

God of love,
over the many voices in my head
impose your calm and quiet.
Conquer the warring energies in my heart
with your pure love.
God, may you be the one voice
I listen to and obey.


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.
      Gentle God, we confess that we have not allowed you to rule our lives.
      We have strained against your grace,
      and sought our own ways,
      and obeyed impulses not of your Spirit.
      Forgive us, and return us,
      so that your grace may rule in our lives.
      Sovereign God, your will be done. Amen.
SILENT PRAYERTHE WORD OF GRACE

Readings


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

2.
Philippians 2.5-11
Leader: Beloved, be of the mind of Christ
       All: who was divine
       and yet who did not cling to equality with God
,
but became utterly empty,
       born a human,
       choosing the place of a slave.
In complete humility
       Christ was obedient to death,
       even death on a cross
.Therefore God exalted Christ with a name above every name
       so that at the name of Jesus
       every knee should bend
       in heaven, on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess
       that Jesus Christ is Sovereign,
       to the glory of God the Giver of Life.


Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We trust in God, creator of all that is and that shall be, the One in whom all things exist, the Love who orders all of life.
       We follow Jesus Christ, who fully embodies God’s love and grace. Jesus taught and healed, suffered and shared, and gathered a community of blessing, inclusion and transformation. He proclaimed a Realm of grace counter to the ways of the world. He was crucified by the powers of violence and Empire; but by the power of your grace you raised Christ from the dead, and Christ lives and reigns among us as our savior, our servant and our superior.
       We live in the Holy Spirit, God’s presence within and among us, whose grace and power orders our lives. By that Spirit we devote ourselves to serve Christ as faithful subjects and companions, willingly foregoing power, security and esteem for the sake of enfleshing God’s love for the world, to the glory of God. Amen.

2.
       We give our hearts to You, God, eternal creator and ruler of all that is and all that is to come, whose power and grace is unsearchable yet evident in the world around us, hidden in the ordinary, present in all things.
       We follow you, Christ, our Superior and Sovereign, who appeared in Jesus among the poor, teaching, healing and doing miracles, gathering a community, and proclaiming your Realm of Grace. In your death and resurrection you have overthrown the powers of this world and established your Realm among us. The Risen Christ lives and reigns; Christ prevails even amidst all evil, suffering and injustice; Christ directs our lives and confirms our hopes. Hidden in your humble appearance, vulnerability and powerlessness, you are our Sovereign, and the ruler of all Creation.
       We live by your Holy Spirit within and among us, the power of your reign in our hearts that guides and strengthens us to do respond to your desire, to live in love, and to work as the Body of Christ for your realm of mercy and justice. We renounce worldly powers and values, and pledge allegiance to your love and grace, which redeems the world and grants the gift of eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Blessed God, Creator of all that is and that is to come,
ruler of the universe and sovereign of our hearts, we praise you.
You claim us as your people and make Covenant to be our God.
You deliver us from the tyranny of the powers that enslave us.
You rescue us from the domination of the empires of this world
and set us free to live in the Empire of your grace.
You have given us Jesus Christ, who rules our hearts in love,
who commands this meal for our blessing and our delight.
Therefore with all Creation we bow in gratitude and sing your praise.

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
ruler of our hearts.
He conquered the powers of selfishness and fear,
not with force but with love and mercy.

He resisted the powers of oppression and injustice,
not with might but in humility and powerlessness.
He was crucified by powers that claimed authority
but you raised him with the power of your grace.
The power with which he reigns, the power of love,
is not his alone; he gives it to us.
In this meal we receive his power,
that we too may endure with him in humility and love.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
ruled by his love, conformed to his grace,
and confident in the everlasting power of his blessing.

To Christ alone we give our thanks and our loyalty.
Blessed by these gifts may we serve faithfully,
for the sake of the world,
in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.


     [Spoken or sung]
Amen
.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
The power that raised Christ from the dead, the power by which Christ rules the world, is your love, love which you give us freely and deeply. May we serve Christ as our Chief and our model, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs 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.

Though Caesar cannot see you, and empires stumble, blind,
your Reign of love, triumphant, rules all of humankind.
The power of Creation, that showers us with grace,
is hidden in your weak hands, and in your trembling face.

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, Lord, 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.

OT 25 – 18th Sunday after Pentecost

September 22, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Proverbs 31.10-31 — A capable wife

Psalm 1 — Those who follow God’s ways are like trees growing near water, bearing fruit and never failing.

James 3.13-4.3, 7-8a — Contrasting selfish desire with “gentleness born of wisdom.” Conflicting desires within us cause the conflicts between us.

Mark 9.30-37 — The first must be last; the greatest must be a servant. Welcome the child.

Preaching Thoughts

Proverbs
       Clearly the passage celebrates the wisdom, strength and industry of a woman who manages the estate and runs the family business and is not just a “helpmate.” Her attention is not on her own well-being alone, but that of her whole household. Given this woman’s energy, initiative and command, it’s clear that when a stay-at-home mom is asked if she works the answer is Yes. The description is a healthy corrective to our socially rehearsed images of a wife (and women in general) as subservient, passive and powerless.

Psalm
       The image of the life of the wicked is of one’s life efforts being chaff that are blown away by the wind. The image of righteousness is being deeply rooted in the continual grace and life-force of God. The former experience life-fruits being taken, blown away, while the latter experience grace being given, flowing toward them. Dwell on this image of being deeply rooted, nourished by the stream of God’s grace that continually flows and feeds your soul, unseen, underground….
       I see the psalm has built an opposing team of the wicked, sinners, and… scoffers. Hm. It seems scoffing has become a major political movement these days…. But as I imagine those scoffers I find myself sitting there scoffing at them. Oops. Busted. Maybe we’re being invited to be less judgmental, even of the wicked.
       Our typical dualistic way of thought is to imagine that we are among the righteous, while the wicked—“those people”—sit in the seat of scoffers, and are are hauled off to perdition by God’s police/angels. But what if the poem is all about us? I delight in God’s word, and I also follow the path of wickedness. Maybe the psalm isn’t about God sweeping away those sinners like chaff in the wind, but God removing my sin, getting rid of my own faults—and they disappear like chaff blown away in the wind! Even when the judgment is about me, it’s all grace!

James
       Here’s another word of warning to the scoffers. Just being “right” doesn’t count for anything. There is a kind of fake wisdom that sounds smart but is motivated by selfish ambition. Real wisdom is about relationship. Whoever is wise is gentle and respectful. If political discourse has given way to a whole lot of scoffing, James’ antidote is being “peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” How’s that for a debate strategy?
       “Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind…. You want something and can’t obtain it, so you engage in conflicts.” Social disorder comes from inner disorder. This doesn’t mean that social movements can’t cause upheaval and even “disorder.” If the established order is unjust, God would have us disorder it, like Jesus upending the dealers’ tables. But we have to do it out of gentleness born of wisdom, not selfish ambition.
       “Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you.” If you preach on this be mindful of those who’ve been trying to draw near to God for a long time and don’t feel God drawing anywhere near them. God is near to us, but we actually seldom feel it. Sometimes our discouragement comes from our wanting the feeling more than trusting the presence. Even when you feel God is absent, God is there. In fact that discomfort you feel is God in you, reaching out for relationship. Our feelings, including the sense that God is near or far, are fleeting, imperfect, and conditioned by our whole life history. Don’t count on them to have the whole picture. When Jesus quotes Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” he hasn’t been forsaken: God is as near to him as ever, right in him. When you draw near to God, in whatever way you’re given to do so, God does draw near to you, even if you can’t tell.

Mark
       We are quick to jump on the disciples for being so dense, arguing about who’s the greatest. But of course we do it all the time. We’re not necessarily vying for 1st place, but we’re comparing ourselves, measuring ourselves on some scale, judging according to some binary spectrum of good and bad, worthy and unworthy. Jesus upends the spectrum: top must be bottom; first must be last and servant of all. See if you can get to that lowest spot, lower than drug dealers and terrorists, lower than Jesus. Then Jesus does away with the scale altogether. “Welcome a child.” So, maybe: be less”great” than the child, be servant of the child, be less important, less powerful than the child. Be here for the child’s sake, not your own. Be vulnerable, powerless, receptive, without status—and welcoming to all those who are like that. Greatest? Not even close. Off the charts. Jesus does away with the chart. Trashes the measuring tape. And that, children, is truly great.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you
          All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
        Blessed are those whose delight is in the Word of God.
        They are like trees planted by streams of water,
        who bear fruit in season, and whose leaves do not wither.
Grant us the gift of gentleness born of wisdom.
        God, we draw near to you, who draw hear to us.
        We root ourselves in you. We submit ourselves to you. We worship you.


2.
Leader: Abba God, loving father, we are your trusting children.
        All: Hold us in your love.
Amma God, loving mother, you give us life.
        Raise us up with courage.
Living Spirit, Holy One, you breathe into us your beauty and wisdom.
        Send us into this world with your love.
        We seek you. We fall into your arms. We worship.

3.
Leader: Loving God, heart of our being, you encompass us in grace.
All: Praise be to you! Alleluia!
Loving Christ, you embrace us in love and forgiveness.
Praise be to you! Alleluia!
Holy Spirit, you fill us with your humility, compassion and self-giving.
May our whole lives be praise to you. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Creator God, mighty and powerful, we praise you.
All: You reign over us in love.
Crucified and risen Christ, tender and powerless, we thank you.
You reach out to us in love.
Holy Spirit, divine energy within and among us, we worship you.
You fill us with your love.
May we be present to you in our worship now, and in all our lives. Amen.


5.
Leader: Creator God,
All: you are enough.
Loving Christ,
we need no other.
Breath of Life,
you satisfy us. We rest in you.
We worship you with praise and gratitude. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
Loving, steadfast God, the world is large and brutal. We feel like children, small and vulnerable. Hold us in your steady arms like a strong mother. Guide us like a wise father. Speak to us and raise us up as your wise, loving, gentle children. We pray in the presence and power of our brother Jesus. Amen.

2.
Leader: God of grace, Holy Child, you come among us small and tender.
        All: Open our hearts to welcome the child that is your Word.
Your voice is small, easily drowned out by those who would be great.
        Open our ears to hear your Word.
We so easily betray and deny you, and turn from you, hidden in the “little people.”
        Open our hands, to serve you in humble love.
        Grant us your wisdom, that we may live in faith, through Christ. Amen.


3.
God of peace, still our anxious hearts. Calm our wandering minds. Relax our tense hands. Open our waiting souls. Speak to us your Word of Life, and give us your Spirit. Amen.

4.
God, you welcome the child within us,
the tender, the unsure,
the still small voice.
You welcome the child among us,
the vulnerable, the overlooked,
the silent.
By your grace, help us
to attend to your children around us,
and to honor the child within us,
in the spirit of Christ,
who welcomes us as his own children. Amen.

5.
God, we want to follow powerful leaders, but you call us to follow the Crucified One. We want to be great but you invite us to be children. We want easy lives, but you shepherd us into dying and rising. Give us courage. Give us faith, Give us the gentleness born of wisdom. Speak to us and renew us as your trusting children. We pray in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Gentle One,
you welcome the child within us,
hungering, wondering,
longing for your lap.
Humble One,
you receive us,
and we abide in your embrace.

Reading

1.               Psalm 1 – Paraphrase A

There is a quieter voice
       than that of your appetite;
a deeper way
        than getting what you want;
greater wisdom
        than your cynicism.
Follow the deeper way
        and you’ll discover happiness:
find delight in each moment
        as a word spoken by God.
Be mindful of the simple path;
        every breath, be mindful.
You will be like a tree
        rooted near flowing streams.
Your fruitful life will nourish the world;
        your leaves will never wither;
        your living will be always rich.
The oblivious heart does not survive;
        it is chaff blown away in the wind.
It cannot stand up to scrutiny.
        Its babbling is silenced
        in the congregation of your heart.
God is your path. Stay on it.
        Any other gradually fades
        and goes nowhere.



2.              Psalm 1 – Paraphrase B

Deep joy is yours.
        Don’t ask anyone else for it.
No one can lead you to it.
        You don’t have more than anyone else.
Find your delight in God’s grace.
        Be mindful of it each moment.
Then you are like a tree
        rooted near life-giving streams
that bears fruit in its season
        whose leaves are always vibrant with life.

When you’re wrapped up in your own desires
        it doesn’t turn out this way.
You’re like a leaf that’s already fallen off,
        blown away.
Folks like that resist the truth.
        Their lives are never accompanied.
Let God be your eye, your compassion.
        Let the other ones go their way.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: God of mercy, trusting in your grace, we confess our sin to you and to another.
        All: You come among us in the small and vulnerable,
        but we have turned away from them for more important things.
        Your Spirit speaks within us, a tender child,
        but we ignore you for louder voices.
        You ask us to be as a child, small, receiving, and vulnerable;
        but we have sought dominance and strength.
        Forgive our sin, heal our fear, and make us once again
        the trusting children of God.
[Silent prayer … Words of grace….]

2.
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 love, we confess we have wanted to be “great,”
        to better than others, superior, and safer.
        Give us trust in your grace, to be “least,”
        to be humble, trusting and loving.
        Give us faith not to control, but to receive.
        Forgive our sin and renew our hearts.
[Silent prayer….]
Children of God, hear the good news that we know in Christ:
that your sins are forgiven entirely,
and you are set free to live by the Holy Spirit as a child of God,
now and always, in the name of Christ. Thanks be to God.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. [Philippians 2.5-11]
Leader: Have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though divine,
did not cling to equality with God.
        All: Christ became utterly empty,
        born a human, choosing the place of a slave.
        In complete humility Christ became obedient to death,
        even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted Christ
with a name that is above every name,
        so that at the name of Jesus
        every knee should bend,
        in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

        and every tongue confess
        that Jesus Christ is Lord,
        to the glory of God, the Giver of Life.


Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

God, you who are mighty and infinite,
and yet who serve us humbly, we praise you.
You who create the universe create us in love;
you give us your Spirit.
You come among us as a child,
and yet with the power to save us.
You set us free from oppression,
and call us to humbly serve the lowly and the outcast.
When we sin your forgive us,
and humbly offer us new life.
You come among us in Christ, not as a ruler but a servant.
And so in humble gratitude, together with all Creation,
we give you thanks and sing your praise.

_____________________

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved, he taught, he fed, he healed,
he embraced the lowly and the outcast.
He offered his Realm not to the powerful but to children.
Though of divine nature he did not cling to status
but emptied himself and became a servant.

He became vulnerable to death, even death on a cross.
But you raised him from the dead,
and by your glory the One who was last became the First.


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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
rooted by the streams of your love and bearing fruit,
humbly welcoming and serving all,
with the gentleness born of wisdom,
guided and upheld by your Spirit,
for the sake of the healing of the world.


     [Spoken or sung]
Amen
.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / After Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
… By your Spirit in us may we be deeply welcoming of all, especially the most vulnerable, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
… We open our arms to you to come among us as a child. By your Spirit in us may we humbly welcome and serve all people, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
…Receive us with love, bless us with grace and use us according to your will. Help us by your Spirit to let go of our desires and attachments and live in gratitude and generosity for the sake of your desire for the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
… You who have welcomed us, bless us with your grace that we may welcome the vulnerable, serve the lowly, and work for healing and justice alongside Jesus, who finds the lowest place, and blesses it. May our lives be praise to you Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs on the Music page.)

I Take Up my Cross
(Dialogue between soloist & congregation)

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

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


We Welcome the Child [Original song]

We welcome the child among us.
We welcome the tender ones.
In our embrace we meet your grace,
your gentle love divine.

Welcome to those who are fragile, a safe healing place to belong,
a shelter from harm, a comforting arm, a refuge where you may grow strong.
We welcome…

Welcome the child within us, the small, timid voice in the night,
her wonder and fear at the world so near, the child of your love and delight.
We welcome…

God, you are a child among us, no power or might or control.
By your gentle part you soften my heart and make me a more loving soul.
We welcome…


OT 32 – 25th Sunday after Pentecost

November 10, 2024

Lectionary Texts


Ruth 3. 1-5; 4.13-17 — Ruth goes to the threshing floor… and marries Boaz.

Psalm 127 —Unless God builds the house the builders work in vain.

Hebrews 9. 24-28
— Christ’s sacrifice is once for all, to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself

Mark 12.38- 13.2 —Three scenes: Beware the scribes’ hypocrisy…. The widow’s mite…. Regarding the temple: “This all will be thrown down.”

Preaching Thoughts

Ruth
       This selection skips most of the story except for the bare basics: Ruth goes to the threshing floor—and marries Boaz! We don’t hear about the deviations and deviousness that gets from A to B. The focus of what we’re left with in the story is pretty much a foreigner becoming the great grandmother of the great King David himself.

Psalm
       It’s not our effort but God who assures our security. It’s not worldly power but love that makes our lives worthwhile. [See two paraphrases below.]

Hebrews
       As we’ve been seeing, Hebrews sees Christ’s sacrifice in light of the temple sacrifices of animals. Little of this resonates with us, who have no connection with animal sacrifices. But note this: “Christ appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Animal sacrifices were for maintaining our relationship with God, in an ongoing way, as a sinful people. But Jesus’ sacrifice didn’t atone for our sin, it removed it. It was “the end of the age.” Now we don’t need atonement. We’re already atoned, once and for all, permanently. So we can get over the whole anxiety about “being saved” and get down to living loving lives.

Mark
       
Jesus’ critique of the hypocrisy of religious power-holders is no surprise. Note that he’s criticizing them not because he disagrees with them but because they abuse their power and exploit the poor. (The temple system and its taxation was closely tied with Roman occupation, full of abuse, corruption and exploitation.)
       In this context of economic injustice, a widow gives all she has to the temple fund, doing what she can for others, even, probably, knowing how it will be misused. She gives as a spiritual discipline regardless of what others may do with her gift. Despite Jesus’ praise she acts predictably: the poorer people are, the greater portion of their resources they share. The more wealthy people are, though they can clearly afford it more, the less they give. Our wealth tends to reflect our attachment to wealth. The trick is to move beyond congratulating her to emulating her.
       The poor widow sets the bar for us: not just tithing a mere ten percent, but giving “all we have.” She calls into question our flimsy excuses about what we think we can “afford “ to give. His applies to everything, not just money—but don’t skip over the money part. Money is where we are most deeply addicted, most resistant to letting go, most highly practiced in excuses, dodges and denials. Like a drunk, we say, “Oh, I’m not attached to money. I could give it away if I really needed to.” Oh, and, “Besides, you don’t want me to give away so much I become poor and a burden, do you?” Right. Most of us are nowhere near poverty, and certainly nowhere near giving away enough to approach it. Face it. We are addicted to money, and any addict will tell you the only way to stop is to stop. Just let go. Just give it away. Force yourself to trust God, and see what happens.
       Jesus prophesies that the temple—not just the building, but the system that scorns justice— is doomed. This may be Mark’s comment, since he’s probably writing around the time of the fall of the temple; but it might be Jesus’ own condemnation of unjust systems. It’s also a foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Jesus will be “thrown down,” too. If the temple falls, if what you rely on as a religious structure collapses, then what? Where do you turn? In some ways the temple is falling these days, as the church’s historic role in public life in Western culture is waning. What we contend with in the aftermath is what the disciples faced, both after Jesus’ death and after the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70. How do we engage in a living faith no matter what structures come or go?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, you who are more vast than the universe,
we come with our tiny words of praise,
       All: and you receive them with love and delight.
Loving Jesus, we give to you our small and broken lives,
       and you receive them with love and delight.
Holy Spirit, we bear the gifts you have given us out into the world, each in our own way,
       and you receive them with love and delight.
       We worship you, and give thanks for your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of abundance, you provide every need.
       All: We give you thanks.
Generous Love, you shower us with grace.
       We worship you.
Spirit of giving, you move in us.
       We offer you our lives. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of love, you are present.
       All: We are present for you.
You give us the gift of Creation,
the gift of life, the gift of your Spirit.
       We come with rejoicing,
       to offer you the gifts you have given us.
You shower us with love.
       We return your love in worship and praise.
       Alleluia! All glory and honor is yours. Alleluia!


4.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
       All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
       You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
       Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
For all that you have given us, we thank you.
       All that is in our hands and our hearts is yours, and we offer it to you.
Fill us with your Spirit and strengthen us,
that we may live with gratitude, courage and generosity all our days.
       Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Generous God, you pour yourself out for us and for the world.
All: We thank you for your generosity.
Jesus, you invited friends and strangers alike to celebrate with you.
We rejoice to celebrate with you.
Bountiful Spirit, you are always with us, even when we are unaware.
Call us forth from the protective shields we build around ourselves
and lead us in service an generosity.
We worship you with our whole lives. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Generous God, Holy Abundance,
you give us yourself, and we praise you.
All: Living Christ, you give us all of yourself, even your life and death,
and we thank you.

You hold nothing of your mercy back, and we receive it with awe.
You fill the purses of our hearts with the gold of you love;
we are rich beyond measure.
We worship you in awe and gratitude.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God, a poor widow offered two tiny coins to you. We come to offer ourselves to you. Set us free from judging ourselves or our gifts, and enable us freely to give, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Generous God, you give us all of Creation; you give us the gift of life; you give us the gift of your mercy and the mystery of eternal life. In Christ you give yourself to us. Our thanks is but small; yet we open our hearts to you now, that as we hear your Word we may receive the love you give us and our gratitude and generosity may increase. Amen.

3..
Faithful God, in fear we cling to our lives. But your steadfast love saves us and sets us free. So we listen now to hear your Word, to receive your love, to be set free, and to become generous with your love, by the power of your Spirit, in the name of your Christ. Amen.

4.
Eternal God, a poor widow put her copper coins in the treasury, and it has blessed us for generations. Bless us now, that this moment may be for us such an offering: as your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, may the gift of your Word, given from your very heart, enrich us; and may we give to you ourselves, poor in spirit but rich in your grace. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, in Christ you have poured out your life for us, withholding nothing. Grant that our hearts may open to receive what you give us, and to release it as well, that we may continue to receive. Bless us with your word, your grace, and your generosity. Amen.

Listening prayer

Generous God,
you give away your whole Word,
all the love you have,
holding nothing back.
Help us receive
as generously as you give.

Prayer of Confession

1.
The grace of God be with you.
       And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
       Gentle God, we thank you for all you have given us,
       and we confess that we have held onto it in fear.
       We have belittled your grace,
       forgotten the needy,
       and cut ourselves off from you and from our sisters and brothers.
       In the name of Christ, who embodies your mercy,
       forgive us for our grasping;
       heal us of our fear;
       and lead us into lives of trust, gratitude and generosity
       for your sake, and the sake of your Realm of mercy and justice. Amen.
SILENT PRAYERTHE WORD OF GRACE

2.
God, trusting in your mercy, we confess that at times
we judge the gifts of others,
withhold our own gifts,
or belittle the value of our God-given gifts.
Forgive our clinging,
heal our fear,
and deepen our faith in the generosity of your Spirit,
that we ourselves may be your gift for the world,
in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
Pastor: The grace of God be 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 love, you are infinitely generous with us.
We confess that we are not always generous with your grace.
There have been times our hearts were open,
when your love was flowing through us freely, and we thank you.
     …silent reflection…
There have been times when we held back,
when our hands or hearts were closed;
we confess, and we welcome your grace and forgiveness.
     …silent reflection…
Dearly beloved, God does not hold back,
but gives all they have in grace and mercy.
You are forgiven entirely, and set free to live by the Spirit of God.
You are forgiven, and set free.
Together, we are stewards of the abundance of God’s love. Amen.

Readings

1.
            Psalm 127 – Paraphrase A

Only if God is at the center of your work
       does it achieve anything.
Only if God is your security
      are you truly secure.

You work so hard, up early, up late,
       surviving on the junk food of busyness,
       all for nothing.
Beloved, you can’t earn your worth.
      God gives you the gift of rest.

The love you issue into the world
       is a gift from God to you, and to the world.
The people you have loved—
       there’s your reward.
Happy the one whose life is full of them.
       It’s what puts to rest all your failures.


2.
      Psalm 127 – Paraphrase B

Unless the Holy One builds the house
        the carpenters are hammering illusions.
Unless the Beloved holds the city
         the guards are all asleep.
You get up early and stay up late for nothing,
         chomping down your anxiety bars.

The Beloved blesses you
         in your sleep.

The love you generate
         is God overflowing.
The love with which you surround yourself
         is God’s gift to you.
Like flowers in a bride’s bouquet
         your love makes your life more beautiful.
Happy is the one
         whose arms are full of them.
You will hold your own
         in this busy, warlike world.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We trust in God, Creator of all, who gives us every good thing.
       We follow Jesus Christ, the Loving One, who showed us God’s abundant love, and God’s unfolding plan to create the world anew in justice and peace. Jesus gave of his heart and his being, giving even his life. Though he was crucified by our fear and our clinging, yet God raised him from the dead, and he lives among us still, calling us to lives of gracious love.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to live lives of justice, forgiveness and generosity, sharing God’s grace with all Creation. The Spirit gives us each gifts that are worthy. We pray that always the Spirit of God’s love may lead us, give us courage, and enable us to be the Body of Christ for the world. Amen.

2.
       We live by the grace of God, who creates all things, who provides all things, who orders all things, and who is creating a new heaven and earth, a realm of mercy and justice.
       We live by the love of Jesus, God’s Christ, who embodied God’s love in teaching and healing, in providing for the hungry and in offering hospitality to the outcast. He was crucified, but though he died alone and rejected, he was raised in power and glory, and is present with us still, to guide and encourage, to bless and to sanctify us and our work for mercy and justice.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God within and among us, energizing us to give freely, to serve humbly, to act boldly, to trust deeply, and to love gently, for the sake of God’s Reign of mercy and justice. We are One, the Body of Christ, and together with the communion of saints we trust in the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, and the mystery of eternal life. By God’s grace, we devote ourselves to lives of love and courage in the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
You have created this world, full of abundant beauty.
You have provided for us: food and family, love and leading.
In your grace you have given us Christ,
who carries in his heart your overflowing love.

Your mercy is abundant; your forgiveness unending,
your love for us is endless and infinite.
Therefore with all Creation we sing your praise with one voice.

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who overflowed with the generosity of your love.
Trusting in your grace, depending on your providence,
he shared the riches of your blessing with all,
and invited the poor to feast upon your gifts.
He ate with sinners, fed the multitudes,
and led them to find abundance in their midst.
In his trusting and generous spirit,
he gave of all he had, even his life, in love for us.
In the abundant generosity of your grace
your raised him from the dead.
He is for us the living proclamation of your Covenant
to be with us in blessing
abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.


     (The Blessing and Covenant) *

In Christ you have given us blessing that even life cannot contain.
and promised us life that even death cannot diminish.
Therefore in union with Christ’s generosity
we offer ourselves to you,
proclaiming the mystery of our faith:


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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
In this feast teach us to trust in your abundance,
and to share your riches with all who hunger and thirst.
Let us be the coins you spend
for the sake of the healing of the world,
in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen
.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You are infinitely generous with your love, with the gifs of Creation, and the mystery of life. Fill us with your spirit, that we too may be abundantly, fearlessly generous with all that is in our hearts and in our hands, in the name of Christ, for the sake of the wholeness of the world. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we seek to live lives of committed generosity. Bless us in our giving, that we might glorify you in all we do. In gratitude for your grace, we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to give freely, knowing that the storehouse of your grace is inexhaustible. We pray, as we live, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
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 who have given us everything, we give ourselves to you, that you may give us to the world. We give of our hearts and our will, our time and attention, our passions and possessions, in your Holy Spirit of generosity, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs on the Music page.)


All of the Gifts I Have
[Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus]

All of the gifts I have, all that is within me,
you give to me, O God, with care;
all of my prayers and skills, passions and energies
you grant to me to freely share.

Here are my hopes and dreams, attitudes and deepest loves,
all of the treasure to which I cling.
I will not hold them in, stilling my ardent song,
but serving you I’ll freely sing.

In all I keep or give, may I do my very best
in everything I say and do,
in harmony with you, only to love and bless,
with joy, to serve and honor you.

Giving Heart (Tune: Water is Wide- Gift of Love)

O God of grace, you set us free
and feed us all abundantly,
so help me trust the gifts you give,
with giving heart and hands to live.

Come, Spirit, come, and set me free
from all I cling to fearfully.
Come heal my heart, my fears relieve,
so I may give as I receive.

Your Bread of Life transforms us, Lord,
so we become your living Word.
Our lives no more are ours to hold,
but yours to share with all the world.


The Giving Song [Tune: DOVE OF PEACE (I Come with Joy)]
God, 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

For you have given me such gifts, grace infinite and deep,
that I can only share them all. There’s nothing I will keep,
there’s nothing I will keep..

And let my giving change me, Lord, to make me more like you:
to let your blessing flow through me, creating me anew,
creating me anew.

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,
with love and joy and care.


Giving Thanks
[Original Song]

We are a grateful people giving thanks to you.
We are a blessed people singing praise to you.
We are a gifted people spreading love for you.
We are a thankful people spreading love for you.

Grateful Hearts      (Tune: This is My father’s World)

Our life is yours, O God, a gift of love from you.
We pray that we may faithfully serve you in all we do.
O give us grateful hearts, for blessings still unknown,
as stewards of your gracious love, your gifts we do not own.

God, all that we possess—the pow’r for what we do,
our goods, our skill, our kind good will— is all a gift from you.
Since all we have is yours, and bears deep grace from you,
Bless us with care to gladly share your love as you would do.




Harvest of your grace [Original Song; dialogue between soloist & congregation]

God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
      Alleluia! O God,we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
How blessed the poor, and all those that mourn. “You do to me as to them.”
      Alleluia! We offer our gifts for the harvest of your grace.
Now come to the Feast. Our cups overflow. With grateful hearts we remember.
      Alleluia! We come now to work in the harvest of your grace.
God’s grace will abound, in seed and in bread. In joy then sow as you reap.
      Alleluia! God, gather from us the harvest of your grace.
You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
      Alleluia! God send us to share the harvest of your grace.


I Belong to You [Tune: Water is Wide / Gift of Love]

Beloved, I belong to you.
You give me birth; you make me new,
your image formed, by Spirit stirred.
You are the Song; I am your Word.

Whatever pains I may endure,
I still belong. Your love is sure.
Since I am yours, your will I do.
I trust and give myself to you.

I am your coin to richly spend,
so spend me, God, as you intend.
You bless my end; you hold my worth;
send me to love throughout the earth.

Beloved, I belong to you.
Do with me what your love will do.
Bear me, and I, through ease or strife
will find in you eternal life.




OT 33 – 26th Sunday after Pentecost

November 17, 2024

Lectionary Texts

1 Samuel 1. 4-20 — Hannah’s prayer … which in due time is answered.

1 Samuel 2.1-10
— Hannah’s prayer of thanks. There is no Rock like our God. God brings low, and also exalts. God raises up the poor from the dust

Hebrews 10.11-25 —
that through Jesus’ sacrifice our sins have been removed once for all. Therefore rather than worry about our forgiveness, our faith can focus on bearing witness, doing good, and encouraging one another.

In Mark 13. 1-8 Jesus warns that the temple will be destroyed, frightening changes will occur and his followers will be persecuted. But he describes this not as the end of the world, but as “birthpangs.”

Preaching Thoughts

1 Samuel 1
       
Hannah is not exactly one of those Hebrew “uppity women,” but she is belittled as if she were, and she stands firm against the priest’s ill treatment and justifies herself and shows herself to be a woman of great faith.

1 Samuel 2
      
 The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1 is a clear parallel to Hanna’s story, and here Hannah prays in a way that will be echoed by Mary’s Magnificat. The heart of it is the great biblical theme of God raising up the lowly and bringing down the rich and powerful.

Hebrews
     
  This passage repeats last week’s theme, that in Christ we know we are forgiven, absolutely and permanently. It’s hard for folks to trust this. I still hear people worry whether God will accept them, forgive them, love them deeply. Yes. We can’t say this enough. So rather than worry about our forgiveness, our faith can focus on bearing witness, doing good, and encouraging one another.

Mark
       
As we move toward the culmination of the church year on Christ the Sovereign Sunday, our scriptures begin to look toward the end of things as they are, and God’s new Creation. In these and following verses Jesus warns that the temple will be destroyed, frightening changes will occur and his followers will be persecuted. With only a little modification, his words sound a lot like climate change; the collapse of the church’s influence and centrality in Western culture in the 21st Century; and the rise of political powers that support White supremacy, environmental abuse, nationalism, militarism, and a whole lot of stuff Jesus preached against. Jesus’ words may sound a bit extreme, but he wasn’t exaggerating.
       Back in the 70’s some people stirred up a lot of angst (and made a lot of money) fretting about “end times.” There was some “Left Behind” panic, and little cults expecting the imminent end of the world. We’ve outgrown that… but meanwhile the actual end of human history is more conceivable now. Any one of many real dangers could spell, if not the end of civilization as we know it, at least radical crises—climate change, micro-plastic pollution, nuclear war, water shortages, threats to democracy… The threats are real.
       So how do people of faith deal with that? The answer isn’t in this reading. It’s spread throughout the Gospel. But this passage makes it clear that we will carry out God’s call to compassion, healing, peace, justice and nonviolence in the face of opposition, violence, greed and fear. We will go through rough times. But God will sustain us. “Do not be alarmed.” Part of what sustains us is the trust that God and God’s will and God’s Creative Energy are not only greater than we imagine, they’re greater than we can imagine. Jesus describes these awful visions not as the end, but as “birthpangs.” God is at work in ways we can’t know. The Life Force is strong, and Peace may find a way even when human intelligence can’t. Grace may prevail even in the face of profound disaster. Our hope is not wishing that things will turn out OK, but trust that Grace happens no matter how things turn out, that Love is already at work, as surely as gravity, influencing everything. Even the worst case scenario is labor pains. God will bring forth something new. Resurrection will happen. God has the power to turn death into life, despair into joy. Life will go on. Love will not end.
       So we learn to trust the mystery of Resurrection. We keep the faith. This was the way of Jesus toward the cross. This was the way of the first disciples, who experienced the murder of Jesus, the weight of religious persecution, the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the crushing power of Roman oppression. We know how to do this. So we live our lives with gentle faith in the face of violence and greed. We live with forgiveness in the face of cruelty. We live with love in the face of fear. We live with hope even in the face of doom itself. It will all be thrown down. But love will not. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can’t overcome it.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, we praise you!
       All: Amidst all that changes, you are present.
You have been here forever, waiting for us.
       We are here, to be present for you.
Let all that is passing fall away.
        With open hands, we let go of all but you.
        Alleluia! Spirit of Life, transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Eternal God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, we praise you.
       All: Risen Christ, you who hold the door open for us
       into this world, and into the next,
       we greet you, and we listen for your voice.
Holy Spirit, you who transform all things, we open our hearts to your presence.
        Holy One, Breath of Life, Flesh of Love and Bone of Faithfulness,
        we thank you.
        You are the turning of the world;

        you are the Mysterious Unfolding within us.
We come to you to worship, to be blessed, to be changed.
        Alleluia! Come, Spirit of Grace,
        and transform us according to your will. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of grace,
so much changes, so much fails,
so much confuses and confounds us.
     All: But your love continuously unfolds,
     your grace works its mysterious power.
We are afraid for things that will not last.
     But your mercy lasts forever;
     your tender love for us holds steadfast.
So we worship you in awe and gratitude.
    We open our hearts to your grace,
 
    that your hope for the world
     will find a home in us. Amen.


Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, so much changes around us. So much is passing. So much is frightening. But you are present with us, steadfast and solid in your love. We open our hearts to your presence, to your Word, to your Spirit living in us. Help us to hear, to be healed, and to be made new. We pray in the spirit of Christ, who has died and is risen and is with us always. Amen.

2.
Holy God, you make this world, and remake it according to your grace. You move this world toward your will. Help us to move with you. Speak to us, and strengthen our hearts, so that we can be faithful to you always. Amen.

3.
God of love, this word sometimes seems to be walking toward its own destruction. But Jesus walked resolutely toward the cross, trusting your grace. Give us trust. Give us hope. Give us courage. Give us Jesus. Amen.

4.
God of Patience, bear with us humans while we try to figure out how to live. God of Forgiveness, be gentle with those who destroy life and promote injustice, and those who don’t know how to resist them. God of Resurrection, you hold this struggling world in your hands. Bring forth new birth—in the world and in us. God of the Crucified and Risen Christ, give us faith to live with grace, with love and mercy, unswayed by the troubles of the world. By your Holy Spirit, lead us in the ways of Peace. Amen.

5.
Eternal God, World-Maker, Change-Maker, Birth-Maker,
all things come and go… but you.
Loving Christ, Burgeoning Mercy, Healing Unfolding,
fear may conquer many… but not you.
Holy Spirit, Transforming Fire, Energy of Creation,
so much slips through our fingers… but not yours.
Holy One, as worlds change your love remains steadfast.
You work your Creating power faithfully, making all things new.
God of love, deepen our trust. Strengthen our faith.
Encourage our love, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)
O constant God,
when all is thrown down,
your love is not.
We turn to you,
we rely upon you.
Pour yourself into us
that we may be constant in you.


Prayer of Confession

The grace of God be with you.
        And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
        Gentle God, we confess that we have left your ways
        and followed the ways of the world
        ways that will fail and not endure.
        We have fit in with the culture
        rather than staying true to your Spirit in us.
        Forgive us; re-root us in your Spirit,
        and remake us in the image of Christ. Amen.
SILENT PRAYERTHE WORD OF GRACE

Reading

When the towers fell

         “Do you see these great buildings?
         Not one stone will be left here upon another.”
                   —Mark 13.2


When the towers fell
it seemed the center of the world had vanished,
but the center, it turns out, is elsewhere.
When the towers fell
it seemed the end of the world,
but wars and rumors
have come and gone, and here we are.
They said everything changed
but nothing changed.
Empires come, and pass. Stones fall.
Hate and anger are still unable to build, but only destroy.
Still some people harm; some bless.
We seek stones unfallen, but stones still fall.
Even stones are made of smoke.

Listen. Things happen, things pass;
but they don’t express God’s love for you.
That’s constant. And so is God’s invitation.

Now—before the tower of this moment falls—
is the time to decide whether to be kind and how,
whether to show mercy.
This is the moment—unchanging—
and always has been, the moment
to love.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        Holy God, we know you as the Creator of all that is and all that is to come, who makes and remakes the world in love and wisdom. You are moving this world toward perfect love, transforming all Creation by grace.
        We look to Jesus, your Christ, the embodiment of your presence among us. He taught and healed, proclaimed your Word, gathered a community, and announced the coming of your Realm of Grace. In his death and resurrection you have shown us the end of the world to which we cling and the coming of a new heaven and earth. He lives among us, accompanying us in faithful living and prophetic witness.
        We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, your transforming energy within and among us. As one church, the Body of Christ, we bear witness to your grace, practice your forgiveness, work for justice, rely on your promise of resurrection, and see all things in light of the eternity of all that is rooted in you. We devote ourselves to proclaiming your good news to all peoples, for the sake of the transformation of the world. Amen.


Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Blessed God, we praise you.
Creator of all that is and is to come, we thank you.
You create us, claim us, and accompany us.
From the interlocking powers that entrap us
you set us free.
You invite us into your Realm of Grace
that is free from the world’s fear and hostility.
You have given us Jesus, who showed us how to resist evil.
In the face of his death he ate with his friends,
a feast of hope and liberation.
You have set a table before us in the presence of our enemies;
and we come, all of us siblings in your love,
to feast on your mercy and to sing your praise.


            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodied your love.
In the face of brokenness he healed people,
in the face of hunger he fed people,
in the face of our sin he forgave.
He was crucified, and with him the hopes of a people.
And yet you raised him from the dead,
and with him the hope of a people.
This is a feast of death and resurrection
in the arms of Christ,
a feast of hope and trust.


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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
As worlds change around us, your love remains steady,
and yet by it we are transformed.
You feed us with the mystery of your grace,
that we may share in the courageous love of Christ,
and the peace of your Holy Spirit,
for the sake of the redemption of the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen
.

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

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


Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Amid the changing of worlds your love is steadfast. You have drawn us into the Realm of your Grace that is eternal. Send us out into the world, unwavering in bearing the steadfast love of Christ, at peace in the grace of your Holy Spirit, for the sake of the world you love. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view songs on the Music page.)


God of the Future
    [Tune: SLANE – Be Thou My Vision]
God of our dark night, and God of our day,
God of our journey, whose will is our way,
when our path dims and the future’s unknown,
still you walk with us; we’re never alone.

Though the familiar should fade and turn strange,
your steady love for us never will change.
So when we worry and can’t see the way
Love, still your grace is enough for today.

All that is taken and all that we lose,
all of the cost of the path that we choose
never compares with the grace you impart:
faithful and gracious, you give us your heart.

Bless all the journeys we still are to make.
May they shed mercy and light for your sake
Lead us with courage on journeys unknown,
walking in blessing, and never alone.

Be our companion, our courage, our nerve,
You, the heart in us, to love and to serve.
Blessings you promise, whatever befall.
Still you walk with us, O lover of all.

In All that Changes (Tune: Breathe on Me, Breath of God)

In all that changes, God, all that will fail or fall,
your loving presence still abides, and will not fade at all.

In all that changes, God, your love is strong and sure.
Therefore we give in thanks for grace, and trust it will endure.

Through raging storm and sea, you are the rock that stands.
Free from all else, we give ourselves into your loving hands.


Love Will Bear Us Over (Tune : Holy Manna)

When our world is changing ‘round us and we long for good old days,
what that lasts will bear us over to new earth, new heaven, new ways?
Love will lead us when the path is unfamiliar, come what may:
set our heart to love our neighbors and our feet will find the way.

Christ gives us a new commandment: “Share the love that you’ve been given.”
When we do we’re resurrected, entering new earth and heaven.
When we love our neighbor more than caring for what used to be,
then our love will bear us over, then our love will set us free.

“Messiah?”

         He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”
         Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”
                   —Mark 8.29

Really? To Peter?
Wisdom Teacher maybe; friend, commander, co-conspirator,
confounder, eye-opener, spiritual director, divine prodder,
midwife of the New Life—but not a Christological assertion.

The Messiah was a mighty warrior who would liberate Israel
from Roman oppression. A kind of Superhero.
Jesus might have quoted Princess Bride:
“You keep saying that word, but I do not think it means
what you think it means.”

To Jesus being God’s anointed (“Messiah”)
meant giving oneself over to the power of God’s grace alone;
being vulnerable, even powerless.
Liberating us not from a political situation
but from sin, from death, fear, addiction and delusion—
freeing us from what traps us away from God.
It wasn’t about conquering but standing with the oppressed,
embodying the prophetic call for justice
by embodying the suffering of God in the poor.
It meant the cross. Triumph hidden in defeat.
Losing one’s life, trusting resurrection.

So Jesus tells the disciples to avoid that Messiah talk.
Can we do that? Set aside being on the winning side,
being “saved?” Can we stand instead with the oppressed,
let the blessing of the poor in spirit be our only blessing?
Let the grace of God be our only power?
“If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me….”

Jesus says “Get behind me.” And he starts walking.

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

September 10, 2021

OT 11 – Pe +4

June 106, 2024

Lectionary Texts

1 Samuel 15.34 – 16.13 — Samuel anoints David as king of Israel. (God tends to the inner reality, not the outward appearance.)

Psalm 20 — May God answer you, and fulfill your desires…. Some take pride in chariots; but our hope is in God.

2 Corinthians 5. 6-10, (11-13)14-17 — We walk by faith, not sight…. Christ’s love urges us on… Christ died for all so that we might live for him…. If anyone is in Christ there is a new Creation.

Mark 4.26-34 — The parable of the seed growing secretly, and the mustard seed.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Corinthians
        “While we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord” implies that in this life we’re not as close to Jesus as we will be in the afterlife. Maybe. But thinking of Paul’s image of living “according to the flesh” and “according to the Spirit,” the former means living under the delusion that I am contained in and limited to my flesh, my body. But in fact I’m part of a greater whole, the Body of Christ; living “according to the Spirit” is living in in harmony with this truth. So one can interpret “being in the body” as being obsessed with the protection of my little ego-defined, body-contained self rather than the well-being of the whole Body of Christ. In this sense when I am “in the body” I’m not so close to Jesus. I don’t actually think this is what Paul means here, but it’s consistent with his theology and it works for me.
        “One has died for all; therefore all have died.” Again, to understand this we have to abandon the thought that we’re individuals, and accept the idea of being all members of one Body. In light of this we “live for him.”
        “We no longer we regard anyone from a human point of view.” That is. We know they’re not just individual beings; they’re part of the whole Body of Christ. So “when anyone is in Christ, there is a new Creation”—not just they they’re a new creation, but that Creation is new. The whole world is changed! Everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” If one member of a choir changes the note they’re singing, it changes the whole chord. This is how we change the world.

Mark
        The growing seed is a beautiful icon, a Christian koan. You can take this many ways. A few:
   • God’s grace is sown in our lives and we don’t know how it works but it does, and it bears fruit, gradually, over time, and we need to receive its gifts.
   • Life is a crop that grows and bears fruit without our knowing how; but when it does the thing to do is to receive it!
   • Your life is a gift, sown in the world. You have gifts of the Spirit that sprout and grow and bear fruit, without your knowing how. It happens while you “sleep and rise”— when you pay attention and when you don’t. And then you harvest those gifts that are in you and offer them to the world.
   • God’s grace grows within you and you “sleep and rise;” in self-surrender you die and are raised to new life, over and over. In this process new life grows, gradually, but when the harvest is ready (to “give way,” says the Greek—again, an act of self-surrender)‚ you “send” in the sickle (yes, the word “sent” is “apostled”).
   • The realm of God is a world of justice. It is growing even now, unseen—yet there are signs of its gradual emergence. Look for them: the small green shoots of healing, the tender stalks of courage and compassion, and even every once in a while the full grain of peace, freedom and justice.
   • The work of justice has gone on mostly without your seeing or knowing; but when the time is right, get in there!
       Similarly the mustard seed is an image that shines light in many different directions. A few:
  • God’s grace is alike a small seed in you: it grows into something that changes your life.
   • Our faith seems like a small thing given the scope of the world’s needs and the power of evil; but God’s grace can lead to enormous changes.
  • Even small acts of love are powerful.
  • Faith can’t be measured. God’s grace is so powerful that even a little trust in it can produce great results.
  • Don’t judge anyone’s faith, not even you own. You can’t tell what mighty power lies in a mustard seed of faith. You can’t tell what great things will arise from small beginnings.
  • We’re often tempted to judge our spiritual gifts, lamenting that we don;t have the gifts that someone else has.. never mind that. What may seem like a small little gift in you—your sense of humor, or your delight in beauty, or your ability to appreciate people—may have tremendous impact.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  Eternal Mystery, Sun of Life , you create all things.
 
All:    Your glory shines in every living being.
Living Christ, Divine Presence, you plant the seed of your love in us.
 Your beauty, your grace are hidden in our hearts.
Spirit of Love, you call forth our compassion.
 By your growth in us, we flower with the fruit of your grace.
 We thank you.  We worship you.  We give ourselves to you.  Alleluia!

2.
Leader:  Creator God, you scatter the seed of your grace in this world.
      All:    It produces blessing, though we know not how.
You scatter the seed of your love in us.
       It sprouts and grows, though we do not know how.
When the time is ripe you gather your harvest.
      We offer our love to you, for the harvest is yours.

3.
Leader: Creator God, Source of Life, we praise you!
All: You plant the seed of your grace in us,
and Creation begins anew.
The mystery of your presence grows within us; we know not how.
The tree of Christ flourishes among us, bearing fruit.
The vine of your Spirit connects us all, and we thank you.
We are seeds of your promise, saplings of your Realm.
Alleluia! Spirit of Life, grow within us,
and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of grace, you plant the mustard seed of your love in us.  May it flourish and grow by your grace. May the sun of your Word shine upon us; the water of your grace nourish us; the warm earth of Christ hold us and bless us to bring forth life in your name.  Amen.


3.
God of all goodness, you are working your healing and justice in the world, though we do not see the whole of it. Nourish the seed of trust in our hearts. Open the eyes of our hearts to see the green blades of your work in the world. Prepare us to know when the harvest needs us,. By your Spirit make us ready to be sent into the harvest of justice and peace. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, as plants in a garden root themselves in rich soil, and open themselves to the rain and sun, so we root ourselves in your Presence.  We open ourselves to your Word.  And we await the working of your Spirit within us, so that what you have planted in us may bear fruit.  We pray in the name of Christ.  Amen.

3.
God of all goodness, you are working your healing and justice in the world, though we do not see the whole of it. Nourish the seed of trust in our hearts. Open the eyes of our hearts to see the green blades of your work in the world. Prepare us to know when the harvest needs us,. By your Spirit make us ready to be sent into the harvest of justice and peace. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of life,
we are the soil
where you scatter the seed of your Word.
May it take root in us,
grow mightily, and bear good fruit.
Amen.

Readings

1.   Psalm 20, a paraphrase

The Holy One gives herself to you in your day of trouble.
        The Divine Presence wraps you in protective arms.
May the Beloved give you life from the heart of Being,
         and heaven itself accompany you.

God treasures all that you are
         and honors all that you offer.
God grants you your deepest desires.
         Your becoming is God’s greatest pleasure.

All Creation sings with joy over you
         and Spirit dances to the music of your soul.
The Holy One gives all your hopes
         the power of becoming.

I know this: God chooses you to be who you are,
         talks to your soul like an old friend,
         brings to fruit every seed within you.

Watch out for the temptation to manipulate
         what others think of you.
God already knows who you are,
         and loves it.
Those illusions all crumble like ashes,
         but your Being rises and stands, solid and beautiful.
What happens to you is ephemeral;
         but who you are is sacred.

Holy One, give blessing to your Beloved.
         Opening our hears to you, we meet you.


2. Abridged from Psalm 20, a paraphrase

May the Holy One be with you in all your struggles.
        May God treasure your gifts with delight.
May God grant your deepest desires
       and bring to fruition the seeds of grace in you.
We rejoice at one another’s giftedness;
       we celebrate what God is doing in you.
God will always be present with God’s Beloved.
       God responds with love and blessing.
Some trust in power and accomplishments,
       but our trust is in God,
       in God’s amazing glory unfolding in each of us.

Help us to trust this vision, O God.
       Be our hope and our trust.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

1.
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.  May your grace grow and bear fruit in our lives by the power of your Spirit in us, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) As the seed sprouts and grows, we know not how, so in the mystery of this meal your grace grows in us without our understanding.  May it bear fruit in us, for the sake of the mending of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view on the Music page)

Abounding Harvest
(Tune: KREMSER –We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing)

O God, you have scattered your gifts and your blessings,
the bread that gives life and the seed that grows.
Your grace is astounding, the harvest is abounding.
You give to the poor, and our cup overflows!

We come to the banquet, as each one is able,
rejoicing and voicing our thanks and our praise.
While singing we’re bringing our gifts to your table,
that we may serve you through all of our days.

As you have enriched us, so may we be giving,
and sow as we’ve reaped, in abundance and trust:
now gratefully giving through all of our living
the grace that you offer; for share it we must.

Our God who has planted and nurtured now harvests,
and so we surrender our lives to God’s use.
With Christ as our Vine, we are branches in his spirit,
all bearing fruit in love, and made one in God’s Peace.

       The following verse may be included with previous verses,
       or used as a sending song at the end of worship:


We go now, confessing our love and our blessing
for each, our companions in service and grace.
We’ll nourish each other as sister and brother,
to serve as God’s Bread for the whole human race.


The Harvest of Your Grace (Original song)
      (Including Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
      [2 Corinthians 9.6-15]
      A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Response: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
Cantor
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things.
2. How blessed the poor, and all those that mourn. “You do to me as to them.”
3. Now come to the Feast. Our cups overflow. With grateful hearts we remember.
4. God’s grace will abound, in seed and in bread. In joy then sow as you reap.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.


Love-Sowing God (Tune: The river Is Wide)

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

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

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

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



Seeds of Light (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
(Communion Hymn: may either be used as a free-standing song
or as Eucharistic Prayer responses.)

(Sanctus)
Holy and Loving One, thank you for your love and grace
from the beginning, throughout our days.
With every living thing in grateful joy we sing,
and lift to you our song of praise.

(Memorial)
Dying, Christ died with us. Rising, Christ has raised us up.
Christ will come in love to reign.
May we be seeds of light, shining with mercy bright,
that death itself cannot contain.

(Amen)
Pour out your Spirit now on these gifts and us as well:
make us the body of Christ again.
Send us in love and grace, serving in joy and peace.
All praise to you! Amen. Amen.


The Tree of Life

(Tune: The Water Is Wide or O Love, How Deep)

O God, you plant deep in each soul
the tree of life that makes us whole,
whose leaves can heal and set us free,
whose fruit will feed abundantly.

The seed is small; the tree is great.
We cannot know what gifts await.
We only tend our plot with care,
in loving deed and listening prayer.

Teach me to trust, my soil to till,
to plant and water, and be still.
The seed will swell, and crack and grow,
though how this is I cannot know.

And I will die, and I will rise,
each day a birth, a new surprise.
And you will give life to the tree,
and I behold your mystery.



You are the soil (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

God, Holy Presence, source of life and blessing,
you are the soil and we the seed.
By your indwelling grace, we die in your embrace;
you raise us up and we are freed.

Jesus, Beloved One, healer, teacher, guide and friend,
in you we come to die and rise:
buried like seeds in earth, given new, gracious birth,
with your love shining in our eyes.

Spirit, breathe into us. Fill us with your loveliness.
Flourish in us with your new green shoots.
May your life freely flow, swelling our hearts to grow,
that we may bear love’s finest fruits.

OT 12 – Pe + 5

June 23, 2024


Lectionary Texts

1 Samuel 17. 1-49 — David and Goliath.

Psalm 9. 11-20 God hears the poor and the afflicted. God remembers the needy.

2 Corinthians 6. 1-13 — Now is the day of salvation. … We have endured hardships, treated as being poor but having everything… Open wide your hearts.

Mark 4. 35-41 — Jesus calms the storm at sea.

Preaching Thoughts

1 Samuel
       
The story has become a euphemism for “underdog vs. Big Guy.” But the story is really about force vs. grace. It’s not just that David is small but scrappy; it’s that he trusts in God, and God’s grace, not his good shot with a sling, that saves him. Likewise Jesus is victorious over the power of evil not because he’s small but scrappy, but because the love of God that is alive in him is stronger than the power of evil—and he trusts that.

1 Corinthians
       Now is the day of salvation. Today is judgment day, and God’s judgment is mercy. This moment is when God showers you with grace. You don’t have to wait till you die. You’re already saved. So get on with living a holy life.
       As with the story of David, and Goliath, Paul’s point about enduring hardship is not just that we’re stronger than we look but that God sustains us when human powers, structures an values don’t. In fact we don’t have any power at all—but God has power through us. We have “the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left,” which means we don’t have regular human weapons or powers.
       Of course all this is in the context of Paul trying to justify himself to readers who are a little put out with him because he challenges them. (How heroically he struggles!) But the real issue isn’t Paul’s authority. It’s God’s grace, and the power of relying on that grace instead of human values, judgments, or power structures. It’s not just to Paul, but to God, that he encourages them to open wide their hearts.

Mark
       Jesus says “Let us go across to the other side.” Sit with that a moment. The other side… of the lake, into Gentile territory… The other side of the Red Sea (often the role of the sea of Galilee in the gospels)…The other side of the tracks… The other side of the aisle….. The other side of the parable, another way to look at it (Mark was just saying how Jesus taught in parables)… The other side of the veil between the seen and the unseen worlds… The other side, the shadow side of your psyche… Jesus is always leading us to the other side….

       Imagine your worst nightmare. Call to mind your most troubling fears. Your deepest terror. Imagine it as a small boat in a big storm. Get in the boat with the disciples. Feel it. Now imagine this: in this moment of terror and despair, Jesus is… asleep in the stern of the boat. Snoozing as if he’s being rocked in the cradle. Talk about a non-anxious presence. Because he’s not afraid. Jesus is with you. Jesus grants you peace, not from far above your troubles, but from right in the midst of them. Either you’re going to be just fine, because Jesus will not abandon you but is with you with his miraculous powers even in the worst of life’s storms—or you’ll die with Jesus, which is what we’re all baptized to do anyway. So you can’t lose. This is faith: not to have some beliefs about Jesus but to trust him when it’s scary.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of love, you hear the cry of those who suffer.
All: We cry out with all who are in anguish.
Gentle Christ, you walk with those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.
We walk with you among those who suffer.
Holy Spirit, we often despair as we face the troubles of the world.
We open ourselves to your presence, so we need not fear.
Calm our hearts, and give us courage to serve with you.

2.
Leader: God of Creation, we are in awe of your work.
All: Thanks, we cry, and adoration!
God of mystery, our fears swirl about us.
Save us, we cry. Have mercy!
God of grace, your healing sustains us.
Bless you, we pray, and we worship you.

3.
Leader: Creator God, the sea is so wide and my boat is so small!
All: Be good to us.
Loving Christ, the storms are great and our hearts are weak.
Be with us.
Holy Spirit, you are the wind and you are the waves.
Give us courage.
God of life, bring us through the storm.
Give us faith.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia.

Prayer

1.
God of love, the storms of life frighten us.  But you are in the boat of our lives with us. Speak to us and give us peace.  Call to us, and give us courage.  Awaken us with your Word, so we may serve you without fear. Amen.

2.
God of mercy, your Word alone has power to create, power to save, power to heal.  Amidst the howling storm of society’s anxieties and the cries of our inner fears your voice comes to us, soft and steady.  Help us to listen and be still, to trust with all our hearts.  Speak to us, God of life.  Amen.

3.
God of all Creation, sometimes the storms frighten us and we cry to you.  Sometimes our challenges are great and we tremble.  Sometimes the storms are around us, and sometimes they are within. Speak your word of peace to us, so that we may endure our storms and face our difficulties with peace and faith.  We open our hearts to your grace.  Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of Peace, your Word calms storms.
You are our peace, even in chaotic times.
Though we are afraid, Jesus is at rest
in the little boat of our hearts.
Speak your Word now. We will be still, and at peace.

Readings

(For two readers.)

Reader 1: Jesus says: Let us go over to the other side.
       Reader 2: The other side… of what? The tracks?… The argument?
       
       The unseen? The shadow side of myself?
Follow me.
[….silence…]

       The rowing is hard. I am tired.
Come, to me, you who are weary, and I will give you rest.
[….silence…]

       The wind is against me, and I am afraid.
The wind blows where it will. So it is with those who are born of the Spirit. [….silence…]

       The waves are high. How can you be asleep?
Peace, be still.        
[….silence…]
Follow me.
       Do you not care that we are perishing?
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains a single grain.
But if it dies it bears much fruit.
[…silence…]

      We have gone down into the deep baptismal waters
       and now we are born again.
       Even the wind and the seas obey the Beloved. We too shall follow.
   

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
  We trust in you, God of Mystery, Creator of all that is and all that is to come.
   We follow you, O Christ, voice of God, Word made flesh, love embodied.  Your love and healing cast out demons and called forth justice.   You died in and rose in the peace of God.  Your mercy calms the storms in our hearts and calls us into a new community of hope.
    We live by your grace, Holy Spirit, your life in us that is not afraid, but at peace with all that is. Trusting in the gift of forgiveness, the power of resurrection, the mystery of eternal life and the gift of our unity with all living beings as the Body of Christ, we live in peace and nonviolence; we work for justice; we fearlessly share your love with all.  In your Peace, Holy One, we live as disciples of Christ for the healing of the world.  Amen.

2.
       Creator God, you are the sea and the wind; you are our boat, you are the mysterious depths and the far shore. We give ourselves to you.
        Loving Christ, you are the peaceful presence, you are the calming voice, you are the One who is in the boat with us always.  We trust you, and we turn to you.
        Holy Spirit, you are the wind that carries us onward, even when we are afraid.  You are the power that raised Jesus from the grave, and that rouses us from death.  You make us one Body; you give us trust in your grace; you give us courage in all things.  Grant us the faith to continue in our journey with Christ, to love and serve the world, trusting in the power of forgiveness and resurrection and the present reality of eternal life. Amen.

3.
         We give our hearts to God, Creator of all, whose Spirit is in the wind and in the calm, in our little boats and in the seas about us.
        We follow Christ, who is with us in the storms of life; who holds the power of all Creation in his hands; and who gives us peace by his resurrected presence. He bids us to trust, to love and to wonder in his name.
       We live by the power of the Spirit, who gives us peace in all our difficulties and courage in all our endeavors.  Since even the wind and the seas obey, we too obey God, the Holy One. We devote ourselves to accept the grace of God, to minister with Christ, to live resurrection, and to serve in love, for the sake of the healing of all Creation, in the name of Christ.  Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will.  Trusting your saving presence and the peace of your grace, we go into the world to heal, to do justice and to proclaim your good news, for the sake of the wholeness of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
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.  Send us into the world with trust in your presence and courage in our hearts and hands, to go where you lead us, to love as you enable us, to serve as you command us. In the name of Christ, our Safety and our Peace, bless us.  Amen.

3.
Eternal God we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives.  Take them and do your will with them.  Through our giving and our service, reach out to those who struggle through the storms of life and offer rest and safety to them.  Help us to be a source of peace, present to them so that they may know your love.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on title to view and hear audio clip on the Music page.)

In the Boat (Original song)

(Refrain) I am at peace because Jesus is in the boat.
I am in the boat with Jesus.

Sometimes my Savior says, “Peace, be still,”
and with a word he calms the sea.
Sometimes my Savior says, “Peace, be still,”
and I know that Jesus is talking to me. (Refrain)

Jesus says, “Please help me spread my love.
It will he hard along the way.
But though the waves pound you from above
I always will save you so you can obey.” (Refrain)

When I am sinking or feel afraid
I see him sleeping peacefully.
If I am here because I have obeyed
then how could I sink with my Jesus with me? (Refrain)

OT 13 — 6th Sunday after Pentecost

June 30, 2024

Lectionary Texts

In 2 Samuel 1.17-27 — David’s song honoring Saul and Jonathan. “How the mighty have fallen.”

Psalm 130 — Out of the depths I cry to you… There is forgiveness with you…. My soul waits for you, more than those who watch for the morning… With God there is steadfast love.

2 Corinthians 8. 7-15 — Paul encourages generosity… so there is “a balance between your abundance and their need.”

Mark 5.21-43 — Jesus heals the woman with the low of blood and Jairus’ daughter.

Preaching Thoughts

Psalm
       Faith is not all happiness and warm fuzzy feelings. Here’s a Psalm that speaks to that, one of those Psalms that are laments, that arise out of the gloomy, broken, brokenhearted places in our lives—with trust in God. Such poignant faith lives in that sweet line, “My soul waits for you, more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.”

2 Corinthians
         We all have gifts to offer and we need others’ gifts. The batter and the pitcher both need each other to play. We also need other people’s needs. There is no “donor” or “recipient,” but various parts of a body working together sharing needs and resources. The heart needs the lungs, and the lungs need a place to put all that oxygen. How can we love without someone who needs our love? Jesus wouldn’t feel “power flow out of him” if it weren’t for the need of the woman who touched him. Other people’s “needs” are not lack, but the opportunity for connection.

Mark
        Again a story within a story, this one with some real tension between the stories. Jesus is on the way to an emergency—and stops to have a conversation with the woman. She tells him her story. He listens. The clock is ticking. We hear the ambulance siren in the background… and Jesus just stands there listening and talking. Again, what a supreme non-anxious presence.
       He asks “Who touched me?” Sensibly, his disciples remind him that pretty much everybody has been touching him. But Jesus has a particular kind of attentiveness, a sensitivity to where it hurts, to who is hurting. He’s not just speaking of physical touch but spiritual connection. Even in a thronging crowd he can tell when someone “touches” him, when someone opens up to him, when the possibility of mercy emerges. Pray for this kind of awareness.
       The woman reaches for the hem of Jesus’ garment. That would be the prayer tassels that hang from the edges of his tallit, his prayer shawl. What she accesses for healing is the power of his prayer. Marks says he feels power flowing through him. Imagine that prayer—yours as well as Jesus’—is a way of tapping into God’s miraculous, life-giving power, like plugging into an electrical grid. Prayerful living is that in which God’s power for life flows through us, even beyond our conscious intention.
       Jesus says “Your faith has made you well.” He knows little of her religious conviction; only her willingness to reach out. Faith is not certainty, but reaching out. Even in the gloomy places like those of Psalm 130, we reach out, waiting for God more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who wait for the dawn; and that reaching out is faith.
       The woman has surely been isolated from others and from the synagogue because of her “uncleanness.” Think of how many kids of healing she experiences: in her body, her relationships, her self-image, her spirituality, her relationship with God… The healing Jesus offers isn’t just medical cure; it’s wholeness. Even when the wounds and weakness of of our bodies aren’t cured we can still be made whole.
       Maybe Jesus knows, by some omniscient sense, that Jairus’ daughter isn’t dead. But maybe he’s just aware that with God all things are possible.
       When he says she’s not dead the mourners laugh at him. These are folks who are paid to mourn, and here they are chuckling on the job! Sound improbable, but we do laugh at those who offer us hope in the face of despair. We make fun of the too-hopeful, as a way of dismissing them. But often the joke in on us.
       Usually Jesus speaks in riddles, parables and questions. He seldom commands. But when he does, it’s usually to heal. “Little girl, get up!” “Be opened!” “Peace, be still!” “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus’ teaching is invitation, not commandments. His command is life.
       Both the duration of the woman’s disease and the girls age are given as twelve years. Hm. Is there something wrong with the Twelve Tribes? Is our religion sick? Maybe dying, needing to be revived?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of life and wholeness, we come to you broken, in a broken world.
All: We reach out for the hem of your garment.
We come to you longing for healing.
We open ourselves to your mercy.
You come among us full of grace.
We feel your spirit move in us, and we are healed.
And so we bow before you, and in gratitude, humility and wonder
we tell the story of your grace.

2.
Leader: Living One, you are the blood that flows in us.
All: You are the power of birthing.
When the flow of life is not well in us, we turn to you.
We reach out for the hem of your garment.
The power of life flows through you, and we are made whole.
We thank you. We praise you. We worship you.

3.
Leader: Creator, Mystery, we are in awe.
All: Our hearts unfold like flowers before you.
Christ, Love, we rejoice.
Our hearts fill like rivers with your presence.
Holy Spirit, truth of life, we come with brokenness and joy, with despair and hope.
Our hearts are wrenched open and we hold them in stillness for you.
Enter, and give us new life.


4.
Leader: Creator of all things, you who have made us in your image:
All: Heal us and make us whole.
You who call the Church into being, you our Spirit:
Heal us and make us yours.
You who are the mother of all peoples, and who watch over the nations:
Heal us, and make us one.
God, you are our healing and our hope. We wait for you.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, even as the world presses in on you with all its wants and demands, you walk among us in peace. You radiate your mercy and grace. We open ourselves to your love. We listen for your Word to enter us and change us. We reach for the hem of your garment. Enter our longing, and heal us. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, Jesus went among the people healing them. We too have been touched by his grace. We give you thanks and open our hearts to you. Bless us in our worship that by your grace we may reach out and touch the hem of your garment and be made new by the power of your spirit. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gentle God, we come before you with every kind of wound and brokenness, with illness and sadness, struggle, guilt and weakness. We reach out to touch the hem of Christ’s garment. May the power of your Holy Spirit flow forth and heal us, bless us, make us whole, and draw us together as one body. By your Spirit in us, may your will be done, and your grace be praised. Amen.

4.
God, Spirit of Creation, Spirit of Healing, we open our hearts to you. Your Word is near to us, within us and among us. We listen for your voice, for your healing power, calling us to wholeness, calling us to life. In the silence in our hearts, speak to us. Amen.

5.
Gentle, life-giving God, we have been unwell and you have healed us. We have been broken and you have made us whole. Yet at times we don’t know it was you who touched us. Now we reach for the hem of your garment. Let your power of life flow; let our powers of life be restored; call us back to life in your Spirit, in the healing presence of Christ. Amen..

Readings

1. From Psalm 130, abridged, paraphrased

Out of the deepest places in our hearts we cry to you, O Lord.
Hear the silent cries of our souls.
God, if you kept track our sin, who could survive? But you forgive abundantly, and we are deeply grateful.
I wait for you, Holy One. My soul waits. In your Word is my only hope.
My soul aches for you,
more than one in a long night awaiting morning,
more than one awaiting morning.
O people, hope in God, for with God there is steadfast love,
and with God there is power to redeem.
God will redeem us from all our unfaithfulness.


2. Psalm 130, a paraphrase

Out of my sea depths
         a cry, a wordless noise.
You hear, like a sound through the earth,
         Like my spine hears me.

If you measured, I would disappear.
         All of us would be too small.
But you allow us to fill you.
         So we fill you.


I hold open a space for you,
         emptiness in me that widens
like sky waiting for dawn,
         like the whole sky waiting,
and the dawn, rising,
filling the whole sky.

We, your people, of your making,
         even, even in our clutter,
we are your open space
         where your light appears.
In your spaciousness
          we become new.

Listening Prayer

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

We need not understand… only touch the hem of your garment.
Your power moves in ways we do not know.
Your wholeness flows into our hearts.
You touch us, and raise us to new life.
We await your touch.

Prayer of Confession

The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gentle God, we confess that we are in need of your healing and your forgiveness.
For all that is broken in our minds and bodies, we ask your healing.
For all that is amiss in our choices and our relationships, we ask your forgiveness.
For all that works against life and blessing in our hearts, and in the world,
we open ourselves to your transforming grace.
Heal us, forgive us, and make us new. Amen.
Silent prayer… the word of grace

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
        We give our hearts to God, creator of all, the Holy Beloved, who makes everything whole, and whose only will for all creation is healing and redemption.
        We follow Jesus, who embodied God’s transforming power among us in his love, his teaching and his healing. In his death and resurrection we witness God’s healing and redeeming power over all brokenness, even sin and death. The Risen Christ lives among us still with power to heal and bless and raise all people to new life.
        We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s creating power in us. As the Church, the Body of Christ, we are called to be a healing presence in the world for individuals, groups and all humankind. We trust the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection; and we devote ourselves to lives of healing, justice and reconciliation in the name of Christ, for the sake of the redemption of the world and the coming of the Reign of God.

2.
        e give our hearts to you, O God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come: you make all people in your image and clam us as your people.
        We trust you, O Christ, who walked among us in Jesus: healing, teaching, setting us free. You created a new community of love, reconciliation and justice. You were crucified and died; and you are crucified in all who suffer injustice. Yet you rose again, and all who suffer rise with you. By your living presence among us you lead us in your way of peace.
        We follow you, Holy Spirit, for you guide us in the way of love, courage and beauty. In you we live in unity with all living beings and extend your compassion to everyone, especially the marginalized and oppressed. We accept the power you give us to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. Trusting the power of forgiveness and the mystery of resurrection, we participate in the Empire of Love that Jesus opened to all people, that we may know eternal life now and always. O God, we are your people. Fashion us in your image. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

God of love, we give thanks,
for you create the world as a flowering of your goodness.
You set free all your children who are detained and imprisoned.
You walk with us in new directions, healed, made new, and full of your light.
Your mercy flows freely, and we open ourselves to its light.
We hunger for your grace, and feast on your generosity.
Therefore with all Creation we sing your praise.

         [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed, and made his grace available to all.
He reached out to those who were excluded,
and to those who were denied mercy he offered mercy.
For assailing the structures of injustice he was crucified.
But in love you raised him from the dead,
and he lives among us and his love and presence guides us.


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

Pour out your holy Spirit on these gifts of 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,
healed and restored to life,
and radiant with you grace
for the sake of others who reach out for mercy and healing.
In our compassion may your glory shine.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / After Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
As Jesus, hurrying to an important mission, paused to attend to a woman in need, so fill us with your Spirit that we may pause and tend to those around us. May your power flow through us, not by our effort but by your grace. May we be attentive in the midst of chaos, confident in the face of death, and healing in the midst of anguish, by the working of your love, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have healed us. You have raised us from the dead. Send us into the world, not in our own power but in yours, with your grace in our hands and hearts, empowered to offer your grace to all who hunger for it, especially those who are denied mercy in this world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on title to view on the Music page)

Jesus, My Healer
(Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Jesus, my healer, come to me and touch me;
lay your hand upon my soul.
All of my woundedness gently embrace and bless
and, though I’m broken, make me whole.

Source of our healing, God, our Re-Creator,
your deep joy is to raise and bless.
Your faithful promises and all our trusting hope
are stronger than our dark distress.

Spirit of healing, move among your people
to bear the blessing that flows from you:
with tender love to bless the world’s brokenness
and share the grace that made us new.

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