April 7, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Acts 4. 32-35— The disciples held possessions in common… There was not a needy person among them.

Psalm 133— How good it is when we live in unity!

1 John 1.1 – 2.2— We have seen eternal life in Jesus. … We are sinful, but forgiven…. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the whole world.

John 20.19-31— Jesus appears to the disciples, breathes on them, sends them.. Thomas questions, then experiences Jesus in the flesh.

Preaching Thoughts

Acts
       Resurrection isn’t just a thing we believe; it’s a way of living. Raised from our self-centered lives, we are part of the Body of Christ. We belong to each other. We don’t need to defend and provide for ourselves alone; our lives are in community. Self-giving will not deplete us. All of our needs will be met.

1 John
      Watch out for the old substitutionary way of thinking about an “atoning sacrifice.” Jesus’s sacrifice, his profound self-giving, is simply his love, not playing a part in a divinely concocted transaction. He isn’t “offered up” as a sacrifice; he offers himself. He’s not sacrificed to God; he sacrifices himself to our sin, evil and violence. And his self-giving love is “atoning” not because it “pays for” our sin, but because it makes us “at one” with God.” Jesus inhabits our sin and pain and alienation and right there extends God’s love to us. Nothing, not our sin or our death or our loneliness or our disbelief in God, not even our worst evil, can separate us from God’s love. Jesus’ self-giving love brings us back into harmony with God.

John
        The Gospel reading comprises two scenes. The first is John’s Pentecost. Jesus breathes the Spirit on his followers. This is what Jesus has returned for: not to prove anything, not to exalt in his victory over death, but to breathe his living spirit into the disciples. Now they are his risen body.
       Thomas (the “Twin”) says he won’t believe unless he touches the wounds. Maybe that’s doubt. But maybe he’s saying, on behalf of all of us, that resurrection isn’t something you just think is true because someone said so; you believe it because you’ve experienced it. We don’t want to hear beliefs about resurrection; we want to see evidence of resurrection. When he does see Jesus, what convinces him is not the wounds (John doesn’t say he touches them) but simply the overwhelming (and I assume loving) presence of Jesus. Thomas represents all those to whom we want to proclaim resurrection. Words alone won’t suffice.
        We love happy endings. But Thomas is holding resurrection to a higher standard: resurrection is not just bouncing back; it’s radical transformation from something that is truly dead—you can see the wounds—to something that is truly alive. Thomas wants to see and touch the wounds. He wants to know not just that Jesus is OK after all, but that the one who is alive and whole is indeed the one who suffered and died. That the one who stands before him with forgiveness is the very one he denied and abandoned. (Remember when Jesus set out to Lazarus’ tomb, despite a contract out on him, and Thomas said “Let us go die with him.” But Thomas didn’t die with him. He ran away.) Now, in the wounds, and the Living One who bears them, he needs to see his own sin forgiven. As do we. Thomas is our twin.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed!
The Crucified One has been raised from the dead.
The victim of our cruelty and injustice has been given eternal life.
Life has conquered death! Justice has triumphed over oppression!
Forgiveness has wiped away sin! Love has overcome evil!
Alleluia! We thank you, God,with hearts, like graves, newly opened.
Alleluia! We worship you, God, with lives made new. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of love and miracle, you have raised Christ from the dead!
All: We thank you. We praise you. We worship you.
And yet we long to see Christ in the flesh
We long to touch his wounded, healing hands.
We wait for you.
We reach for you.
And yet even in our not seeing, not knowing, you are here.
We thank you. We praise you. We worship you.

3.
Leader: God, Life-Giver, we praise you.
All: You who set us free, we thank you!
Risen One, we greet you.
Beloved, we open our arms to you.
Breath of life, you fill us, and we sing your praise.
Alleluia! Holy Spirit, live in us, and make us your Body. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
We have seen your love among us.
We have touched your grace.
You are alive among us!
We open our hearts to your risen presence.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed.
Alleluia! We are baptized into Christ’s death,
so that as Christ was raised by your glory,
we too may walk in newness of life.
Alleluia! Raise us up, O God,
from cynicism to trust, from fear to love,
from death to life.
Raise us up, O risen Christ! Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, we come to you thankful for the miracle of Christ’s resurrection, and yet confessing our doubt and self-protection, and the harm that we do in our fear. Heal the wounds of our fear, set us free from the armor of our fear, and redeem us from the habits of fear. Speak your Word to us. We reach out for your hand. Come to us, in the risen Christ. We are open. Amen.

2.
God of Resurrection, receive our past, gather it into your grace, and usher us into your new future. We who seek Jesus wait with eager hope. We search with earnest hearts. We reach out with trembling hands. May Christ come to us, that we may see anew, and live in faith. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, Thomas wanted to see and touch the risen Christ. We too want to see you and hear you, and feel your presence. By your grace you are present here, speaking to us, reaching out to us and in us. Help us to listen for your voice and to open our hearts to your real presence as we read your scriptures, proclaim your Word and share in your feast. Amen.
4.
God of life, in the beginning you breathed your breath into the dust of the earth and it became a living human. Breathe your life-giving breathe into us once again, that we may become new beings in you. Fill us with your Spirit, and send us into the world to love, in the name of Christ, whose rising is the dawn of our new life. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Risen Christ,
I cannot always feel you,
I don’t always see you before me,
but I don’t seek feelings.
I seek you.
And you come through the locked door of my heart
and are present with me,
my Chief, and my God.

2.
Risen Christ,
come breathe your spirit into us,
breathe into us new life,
fill us with your love,
resurrect us in your Spirit.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: Loving God, we profess resurrection and yet we have lived as if it is not true. We have not trusted you completely, received life from you fully, or given of ourselves freely. We have not loved as you have asked us to.
All:God, have mercy.
Forgive our sin. Reach out and touch the wounds of our hearts, and heal them.
God, have mercy.
From the grave of our sin, raise us up to new life. Restore our faith, renew our love, and grant us once again your deepest joy.
All: God of all mercy, by the mystery of your grace,
raise us up to new life with the Risen Christ.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

We delight to praise and thank you, God, and we share this meal in celebration.
For you create us in love and make Covenant to be our God.
You expose the crucifying nails we hold and hammers we wield,
and you judge the forces of oppression.
In love you overcome the power of evil,
and set us free, oppressor and oppressed alike.
In Christ you receive our evil and transform it by your grace;
you raise Christ from the dead, and you raise us with Christ, to new lives.
So we come to this feast, singing your praise with all Creation.

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

Blessed are all who come in the power of your love,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed with love; he gathered the broken and the outcast.
He faced our violence with non-violence and our betrayal with forgiveness.
He bore the marks of our cruelty, and died at the hands of our injustice;
but you raised him from the dead. Your love in him prevailed over sin and death.

[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 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.
Breathe your Spirit into us, and send us in your love.
By your grace may we bear the marks of humble obedience,
suffer for the sake of love and justice,
and trust your power to raise us up in victory over all evil.
We pray in the name of the Crucified and Risen One,
Christ our victim, Christ our Savior, Christ our head.

     [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.). We have seen with our eyes and known in our hearts, we have tasted with our tongues and known in our sols your risen presence—in this meal, in our sharing, in one another. Breathe your Spirit into us and send us now in your grace, so that through our love others may hear and see and feel your love, alive in this world. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Easter Eucharistic Responses Nine sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to familiar hymn tunes appropriate for the Easter season.

See Easter Communion Songs, nine songs of invitation and preparation for communion set to familiar hymn tunes.
             Sample:
We Have Hungered (Tune: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,
HOLY MANNA or Joyful, Joyful )
We have hungered, we have longed to reach and touch you in the flesh.
Now you show yourself in glory, risen and made new and fresh.
Though we turn away, you hold us. We who once were dead now live.
Blest, received, adored, forgiven, now in gratitude we give.

God, we bring our gifts, rejoicing in your love, your love so great!
For you call us to your table, all as one, to celebrate.
Here we see and touch and taste you in the wine and in the bread:
in the loving, in the sharing you are risen from the dead.


Offering Songs,
Brief songs for dedication of offering or communion gifts,
set to familiar hymn tunes.
        Sample:
(Tune: The River Is Wide / Gift of Love)

O risen Christ, O Living One,
we greet you fresh in morning sun.
And as you rise you hold us, too,
that we may be raised up with you.

Christ, as you bear our lives into
this day of God, created new,
we give them back for you to take
and use with love, for blessing’s sake.



Christ Is now Living       (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

Christ is now living, who was once buried,
lovingly giving life to us all.
Deep in the grave he bore all our sorrow;
risen to save, he utters his call.

Christ has arisen! My heart is singing:
God, you have given life that is new,
endlessly giving, blossoming deeply.
So I am giving my heart to you.

Siblings of Jesus, let us go on now,
one with each other in this new light,
serving and loving; so by our giving
others may meet Christ in their own sight.


Let me Feel Your Wounds     (Original song)

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the heart of the one whom I have crucified.
May I feel your forgiving and begin brand new living.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the hands of the lonely and despairing ones.
May I love with your caring. May I hope with your daring.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the feet of the poor and homeless wandering.
May I weep with their weeping. May I give without keeping.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the marks of our violence upon the world.
May I bless and heal. May your peace be my seal.
May I know your rising there.

New Breath (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

Christ, we are baptized into your dying,
and like the sunrise, we are made new,
given new breath, to live every moment,
for out of death comes new life in you

Great Holy Spirit, breathe in us daily,
set free from fear that once bound us in,
free now to love our neighbors with courage,
rising above our death and our sin..

Blessed and forgiven and resurrected,
set free for living by grace alone,
may we live lives of gentle compassion,
with the same light that in Jesus shone.

Risen (A communion song) (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
[This song may be found in Table Songs,
a collection of communion songs to familiar tunes.]

Blessed Lord Jesus, you laid down your life for us.
Risen from death, now you bid us dine.
Grateful, we bring our gifts, as we receive from you
your love poured out in bread and wine.

Risen Lord Jesus, make your presence known to us;
come in flesh we can see and feel.
In bread and wine and prayer, in those with whom we share,
be present in this holy meal.

Now as we share this meal give to us your Spirit.
Make us your Body, your living Word.
In our forgiveness, in lives that heal and bless
may this world know our risen Lord.

Risen Bread (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

You laid your life down like sowing a seed;
once dead and buried, from death you are freed,
rising like wheat in the warmth of the sun!
Christ you are risen! New life has begun!

Christ, you are risen, but not far above:
you live among us in each act of love,
in every deed of compassion you rise,
living in flesh we can see with our eyes.

Christ, we are blest as we gather to dine,
strengthened for love by the bread and the wine.
This is your Body, now entering ours,
strong with your loving, miraculous powers.

Gathered like wheat from the fields in the sun,
once we were scattered but raised we are one.
We are the body of your love and grace,
your blest community, your real human face.

Jesus, you feed us, then bid us to leave,
sharing with others the love we receive.
We are your Body, sent by your command,
making love real as the bread in our hands.

         Note:
         Third verse may be omitted if there is no communion.
         Final verse may be included with previous verses
                  or as a blessing at the end of the service.

April 28, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Acts 8. 26-40 — Phillip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch

Psalm 22. 25-31 — Praise… “The poor shall eat and be satisfied. … Dominion belongs to the Lord.”

1 John 4. 7-21 — God is love. … There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear… We love because God first loved us.

John 15. 1-11 “I am the vine; you are the branches.”

Preaching Thoughts

Acts
       Here we have a perfect example of the Body of Christ’s inclusivity: the Spirit leads Phillip to reach out to a foreign, non-gender conforming person of color. Work with that.

Psalm
       This is the other half of “My God my God, why have you forsaken me?” It’s the trust that God actually hasn’t forsaken me. I just felt like it. As with all of the laments (but one), the cry of despair works into a cry of hope, thanksgiving and praise.

1 John
       Again, the gospel in a nugget. We love because God first loved us.
       I take John’s theology literally: God is love, and love is God. As the ancient saying goes, “Ubi caritas et amor, ibi Deus est:” wherever there is love and compassion, there is God. God is not just some loving guy up in heaven; God is love itself, the love that begets the world and saturates the world, and begets us, and holds us and lives in us. Whenever we love, that is God being God.
      “God sent God’s Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” Be careful with this. Maybe John really means God intends for Jesus to be slaughtered like a lamb to make up for our sins. I choose to see it differently: love motivates Jesus to sacrifice his own life, so we might experience deep trust in God. God is not someone who orders Jesus around, but love propels him into action. What atones for our sins is not that Jesus pays in punishment for them, but that his self-giving outweighs our alienation from God and allows us to be at one with God. Jesus occupies the place of condemnation, and suffers our worst evil, and God still loves him, and still loves and forgives us. Experiencing this love (in Jesus’ sacrifice), we can let go of the fear that makes us distrust God (our sin), and we can trust God (be “at-oned”).

John
       Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” He also says “I am in God, and you are in me, and I am in you” (Jn. 14.20) Paul says “We are members of the Body of Christ.” John says “God lives in us.” I think we are all one Being. Righteousness is participating. Sin is thinking (and acting as if) we’re separate. We are not separate from Christ, but a part of Christ, and part of one another. Everybody is part of everybody. And by God’s love living in us we bear the fruit of that love in our own lives. We falter in our trust that we’re part of Christ, part of the embodiment of God’s love. That’s our sin. God’s response is purely to give us more love, to bring us back into harmony with God. The life of faith is one of continual mindfulness of coming back into harmony with the love that is at the heart of our being, and bearing the fruit of that love in our lives.
       “God removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit God prunes to make it bear more fruit.” We prefer to hear about God tending us, feeding us, being gentle with us. It’s a little harder to realize God also prunes us. Whatever is not fruitful is removed for the health of what is fruitful. In a dying vine even the smallest tender shoot is the deepest hope of the vinegrower. Even if most of a tree is dead, it is pruned to save what is living, what is kind and hopeful and giving. If we are willing, God lovingly removes what is unkind, unloving, selfish and fearful in us. It’s not an easy little snip-snip. We have to willingly let go, over and over. But God works in us to prune what is not loving for the health of what is loving. The vinedresser tends each branch within you, the part in each of us that is unloving, ungiving, whatever is attached to what is dead. The death of what is unkind in us is the pruning by which the resurrection of love may come forth, small and green.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Living God, Root of Life, we grow and blossom from your heart.
All: You are the river; we are your flowing.
Loving Christ, Flowering of Love, we give thanks for the beauty of your grace.
You are the vine; we are your branches.
Holy Spirit, Fire of God, your love burns in us, and shines into the world.
We are your candle; you are the flame.
We belong to you; we worship you; we serve you. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Christ, you are the vine and we are your branches.
All: Our life flows from you, and we give you thanks.
You are the vine and we are your branches.
Your love flows through us, and we praise you.
You are the vine and we are your branches.
We are one in you, and as one we worship you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator God, Tree of Life, Root of Love, we live in you.
All: We grow from you; we are rooted in you; we live within you.
Christ, our Vine, your life flows in us, your strength upholds us.
Our blossoming is your praise; our beauty is your glory.
Holy Spirit, love of God unfolding within us, you give us life.
Your presence swells our hearts, and your grace ripens within us.
Alleluia! Living Vine, fill us with your grace,
that we may bear fruit in your name, to your delight,
for the blessing of all the world. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Tree of Life, we belong to you; we are part of you.
Vine of Love, we need you. You nourish us.
May we be deeply rooted in you,
your spirit flowing through us.
Abide in us, that we may bear the fruit of your love.
May your perfect love cast out our fear.
By your grace prune what is not loving in us.
Come, holy vinedresser, and renew your life in us.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5. [From 1 John 4.7-13]
Leader: Beloved, what love the father has given us, that we should be called children of God.
All: God, we thank you.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent the Beloved into the world so that we might live through Christ
Christ, we greet you.
By this we know that we abide in God and God in us because God has given us of God’s spirit.
Holy Spirit, we are alive by your power.
We worship by your grace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Christ, you are the living vine. May your presence give us life, your Word give us wisdom, and your grace flow through us that we may bear fruit in the Spirit of your love. Amen.

2.
God of love, we give thanks for our unity in you. In one Spirit, by your one grace, we worship, we pray, and we listen for your Word. Make us one in your love, one in Christ, and one in service to the world, through your one Spirit. Amen.

3.
God of love,
may the flower of your delight
and the fruit of your compassion
grow in us as we hear your Word.
Amen.

4.
Loving God, you are the vine and we are your branches. Our life flows from you. Our very being is yours. By your Spirit in us, we root ourselves deeply in your presence, and receive your Word. Bless us that your grace may flow through us, that we may bear the fruits of your Spirit. We pray in the name of Christ, in the Presence of Christ, as the Body of Christ. Amen.

5.
Faithful God, you bring us forth into life and nourish us like a mother. You give us the gift of Jesus, who tends us like a gentle shepherd. You fill us with your Spirit, so that we live in you and love with your love. We thank you for your grace, and pray that in hearing your Word we may be drawn more deeply from death into life eternal. We pray in the name of Christ, who is with us now. Amen.

6.
God of Truth, you are the vine and we are your branches. Root us in your Word, so that our life flows from you. Prune the branches in us that do not bear fruit, and nourish the fruit we bear, so that we may be faithful to your love. May your love flow through us, so that we may bear the fruits of your grace, in the name of Christ. Amen.

7.
O God, you are the vine and we are your branches. Our life springs from you. Our souls are rooted in you; our bodies rise from your heart. Your Spirit flows through us, and our lives are part of you. As our lives fill with your love and our spirits swell with your blessing, we bear fruit. We blossom with joy, and bear the fruit of love in your world. We celebrate, O God, and we open our hearts that by your grace we may receive and give your love more freely. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving One
you are the vine;
we your branches.
Your Spirit flows through us,
your Word lives in us.
We open the veins of our souls
that your grace may flow freely.
May your grace bear fruit in us.

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.
God of life, you are the vine, and we are your branches.
But we confess that we have tried to live separate from you.
We have not rooted ourselves in you, or opened ourselves
to your life and your spirit and your power flowing through us,
your love and your beauty blossoming in us.
Our lives become dry and fruitless.
God of life, we desire to be rooted in you, joined to you, part of you.
Return us; forgive us, fill us again with your life,
          Silent prayer… The word of grace

More Prayers

1.
Christ, living vine,
    be my life.
Let my life flow from you,
     from your heart to mine.
My soul is rooted in you;
     my very being is your being.
I am rooted in your love;
     your love alone gives me life.
Let my love be your love,
     flowing through me.
Let my life be the fruit of your presence,
     my thoughts the vessels of your grace,
     my deeds the movements of your spirit.
Let me receive the life that is rooted
     with all others in you.
Prune all of me that does not bear your fruit;
     though I cry out, I willingly surrender it.
My life is in you,
     and your life is in me.
Christ, living vine, be my life,
     and I will be your living branch,
     your life-giving fruit.
Amen.

2.
God, this is love,: that you first loved us.
      We receive your love.
            Silence…

If we love one another, God lives in us,
and God’s love is perfected in us.
      Dwell in us God,
      and perfect your love in us.
            Silence…

Beloved, since God so loves us
we ought to love one another.
      Your love flows out through us
      to all the world.
            Silence…

There is no fear in love,
but perfect love casts out fear.
      By your love cast out our fear
      and perfect your love in us.
            Silence…

Poetry

Vine and Branches

Holy One, you are the living vine
and every creature is a branch of you.
All whom I see are branches of you.
We are all one living being. One.

I am your branch.
Beyond believing, un-understandably,
I belong to you.
I live in you.
I grow from you.
Your life flows through me.
I bear your fruit.
Your juices run in me.
I bear you forth in the scent of my blossoms.
You are beautiful in me.

Mmmm, what beauty!
Ah! What wonder.
My, what a gift.



Vine and branches

Does the branch pray to the tree?

Does the little limb think
of the great root buried in its grave,
the wine poured up
through the sturdy chalice of the trunk?
Does the leaf seek the will
of the seed, or contemplate
the shape of the body,
the arms spread out over the earth?
Does the bud seek guidance
or understand its place
in the miracles and teachings of the seasons?

I don’t know about that;
only this:

in the branch the leaf opens,
the blossom unfolds,
the fruit swells.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. From 1 John 4.7-21
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.
Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
You can’t know God without being loving, because love is God.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way:
God sent God’s Only Begotten into the world
so that we might live through Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God
but that God loved us
and sent the Only Begotten to heal our alienation from God.
Since God loves us so much, we also love one another.

No one has ever seen God;
if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we abide in God and God in us:
because God has given us of God’s Spirit.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear;
for fear has to do with coercion,
and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars;
for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen,
cannot love God whom they have not seen.
We love because God first loved us.
The commandment we have from God is this:
we who love God must love our brothers and sisters also.

2.
       O God, Creator and Source of all, you are the Tree of Life. We live in you, and we desire always to be in communion with you, deeply rooted in you, flourishing in your grace.
       O Christ, you are the vine and we are your branches. One with God and one with us, you are our Root, our Savior, our Life. In your life and ministry and your death and resurrection you bear the fruit of God in perfect love. In your grace you cast out our fear. You gather us in communion with God and one another, transform us by your Spirit flowing through us, and send us into the world in service for the sake of love and justice.
       O Holy Spirit, Life of God in us, we live by your power and beauty. We blossom with your grace. You make us the Body of Christ, one with you and with all Creation, one in resurrection, one in forgiveness, one in the mystery of eternal life. Therefore we devote ourselves to you, that bearing the fruit of your love, we may glorify you, so that your joy may be in us, and our joy may be complete. Amen.

3.
        We believe in God, the Root of all living, Creator of all things.
        We live in Christ Jesus, God’s Son, who loved all people and who makes us one in his love. He suffered and died, and was raised on the third day. In his death and resurrection we are also raised to new life. Christ is our Vine and we are his branches, and without him we cannot live.
      We live by the Holy Spirit, flowing through us so that we may bear fruit for God, the fruit of love, the fruit of justice, beauty and joy. In the Spirit we are one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all 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.

Christ, you are the vine and we are your branches.
Eternal Love, we spring from you.
Nothing can separate us from your love, for we are part of you.
You hold us when we stray and when we falter.
As the scattered seeds are made into one loaf,
as the many branches grow from the one vine:
we are one with you and with all your beloved.
You set us free from all that oppresses us,
from all that diminishes love or the wholeness of life.
You prune what is unloving in us,
so that in us your love may flourish and bear fruit.
We come to this table to feast on the fruit of your love in Christ.In one voice 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 loved us so that we may love.He forgave us so that we may trust.
His perfect love casts out our fear.
He made us into one Vine, one Body, in your Spirit,
a community of love and forgiveness
that includes everyone of every race and nation,
every gender, every place on the journey of life.
He was crucified and buried; the vine was cut down.
But you raised him to new life, and the vine lives on in us.

     (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, O God,
that they may be for us the Body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be renewed as your people,
the Vine of your Love, the Body of Christ.
You are the vine and we are your fruit.
May your spirit flow through us as sap through the vine,
that we may bear the fruit of your love in this world.
By your Spirit in us may we be perfected in your love.
Make us one with you, one with each other and one with all Creation,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

_____________________

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We are one in your spirit, and one in service to the world. May your grace flow through us that we may bear the fruit of your love in this world, for the sake of the coming of your Realm, 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 love us perfectly and cast out all fear. May we then love one another and all the world without fear, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) May your love flow through us, and your beauty blossom in us. By your Spirit may we bear your fruit in this world, and offer your love to all in the name and the Sprit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Offering Song (Tune: This Is my Father’s World)
[Included in Offering Songs,a collection of one-verse songs to familiar hymn tunes.]

We give our gifts, O God, as branches of your vine.
The lives we live, the gifts we give spring from your grace divine.
So may we do your will, in all we say and do,
the fruit we bear, the love we share, flow from our life in you.


Vine and Branches (Original song)

You are the vine and we are your branches,
one with your life and rooted in your heart.
Flowing with grace, with life you fill us,
strengthened that nothing can break us apart.

You are the vine and we are your branches.
Deep in our hearts your life is flowing through.
Rooted in you, we grow and flourish.
You live within us, and we live in you.

You are the vine and we are your branches.
One common blood flows through all of our veins.
We all are part of one another.
We all are branches of one living vine.

You are the vine and we are your branches,
flowing with power greater than our own,
bearing your fruit to all Creation,
till all the seeds of your love have been sown.

June 2,2024

Lectionary Texts

1 Samuel 3.1-20 — God calls Samuel in the temple.

Psalm 139 — You know me from the inside.
          See two paraphrases of Psalm 139 here and here, and a meditation on it here.

2 Corinthians 4.5-12 — God’s light shines in us, but we have this treasure in earthen jars. We are afflicted but not crushed…

Mark 2.23 – 3.6 — David and the bread of presence. “Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath.” Jesus heals the man with the withered hand.

Preaching Thoughts

1 Samuel
       It’s usually only afterward that we realize it has been God talking to us. Especially if that voice is a call— a vocation—to some kind of service or self-giving. Even if that work is our love and passion, we often doubt it meets God’s delight. Until we answer the call…

2 Corinthians
       I love the paradox of Paul’s image that we are simple clay jars—cheap, imperfect and fragile, even—filled with incredibly precious and eternal stuff. The light of God shines in us; it’s the light, not the jar, that matters. But we take care of that breakable jar, for the sake of the light. It’s typical for people to doubt themselves as bearers of God’s light, and to judge others for being inadequate; but the good news is that the light is always carried in cracked, imperfect jars. Yes, your jar is flawed. Of course. But the light in you is holy. It’s there because God says “Let there be light.” And that light created in you is as real and powerful as the Big Bang. Let it shine. And don’t mind those people who are so afraid of their own light, and afraid of their own cracks and imperfections, that they project their fear onto you and belittle you. Never mind them. You have the Light. Shine it.

Mark
       The legalists fault Jesus for playing loose with the law of God. But That’s not what Jesus is doing. It’s not just that he tends to the spirit, not the letter of the law; in fact he takes the law to a higher level. About healing on the sabbath the Pharisees ask “Is it legal or not?” But Jesus asks What’s the sabbath for? ”Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?” It’s about surrendering to the power of God, right? Therefore it’s about healing, isn’t it? Well, then, this is lawful. (He does the same thing with the bent over woman in Luke 13. The sabbath is about liberation, right? Well, then the sabbath is the perfect time to liberate this woman.) Jesus invites us not just to “obey” the laws of God but to think through what those laws are for. They’re for healing and liberation. The way to follow God’s commandments is to heal and liberate, no matter what the “rules” say.

Call to Worship

1. [2 Corinthians]
Leader: In the beginning was the Word,
All: and the word was love.
God said “Let there be light,
and all things came from the light of love.
We are created in the light of your love,
and it shines in us.
God of mercy, we open our hearts to your light.
May the sun of your love rise in us and shine in us always. Amen.

2. [1 Samuel]
Leader: God of truth, in darkness and unknowing, you call us.
All: Here we are; we are listening.
God of love, you call us by name.
Here we are. Speak to us.
God of justice, you call us to your work.
Here we are. Send us.
God of mercy, re-form us by your Word.
Gracious God, we worship you with open hearts.

3. [Mark]
Leader: God of love, we are broken people.
All: You reach out to us in love.
We have doubts and expectations; we put limits on your love.
Yet you reach out to us in love.
Touch our brokenness; heal our wounds.
Gracious God, restore our wholeness.
We open ourselves to you.

4. [Psalm 139. Also appropriate for a response/affirmation. ]
Leader: O God, you have searched us and known us.
All: Where could we flee from your presence?
Even at the farthest ends of the world, you are there.
Even in darkness your light shines.
You have formed us; you know us from the inside.
How unimaginable are your thoughts, O God.
Search us, O God, and know our hearts.
Lead us in the way everlasting.

5.
Leader: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was the light of life.
All: O God, let your light shine in us.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world;
let your light so shine that others may see and glorify God.”
O God, let your light shine in us.
Sleeper, awake, and rise from the dead, and God will shine upon you.
O God, let your light shine in us.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy Mystery, you fashion us out of love; you create us with your grace. We shine with the light of your presence. Strengthen the clay pots of our faith, that we may hold your light faithfully and share it lovingly in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of grace, we are broken people; only you can heal us. Yet we are held back by our own doubts and fears, our judgments and expectations. Set us free from the imprisonment of our own minds, to trust your grace, to stretch out our hands to you and be made well. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Holy Mystery,
in the darkness and silence of our prayer
you call to us.
Help us to listen and to hear.
Help us to respond.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we open ourselves in honesty to God.

God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see what in us is loving,
and what is not loving.
God, we recall when we have been in harmony with you, or with life, and we give thanks. [silent prayer…]
We recall when we have been out of harmony, and we seek your grace. [silent prayer…]
God of mercy, in Christ you have shown us your grace.
Forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us. [silent prayer…]

Readings

2 Corinthians 4. 5-12

Leader: We do not proclaim ourselves.
We proclaim Jesus Christ as our Sovereign.
We are one another’s servants for Jesus’ sake.
All: For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”
has shone in our hearts also
so the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ
will shine in our own faces as well.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be clear
that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
we have difficulties, but we do not despair;
we are opposed but not abandoned;
we are struck down, but not destroyed.
We bear in our bodies the death of Jesus,
so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may also be clear.

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

We thank you, God, for In the beginning you said “Let there be light.”
And your light shines in us.
We are wondrously made.
You know us inside and out, and are with us always.
Even in the farthest places you are with us;
even in the darkest times you are light.
You set us free from all that enslaves us,
and ask us to set one another free.
In the inner darkness of our hearts you call us by name.
And so we come to your table to be made whole,
singing 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 even those who threatened him;
he healed even when opposed,
he fed even when there was no food.
He loved even at the cost of his life,
and asks us to do the same.
Under an oppressive power he was crucified,
but by your infinite grace he was raised from the dead.

     (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.
By your Spirit in us may we hear your call and respond.
May we be the clay jars your light shines in.
Here we are; send us.
Send us with courage and compassion no matter the cost,
to heal and to bless,
for the sake of the wholeness 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.) Shine in us with your love. Send us, as beams of your light, into the world, for the sake of all Creation, 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 reached out and made us whole. Your light shines in us. You have called us, not to do harm, but to do good. By your Spirit in us it is always the right time to heal. Send us, to heal, to serve, to love, in the name of Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Christ Our Healer
(Tune: Joyful, Joyful…
or HOLY MANNA … or BEECHER (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)

Christ, our healer, you have touched us, reaching through the dark divide,
healing broken hearts and bodies, casting death’s old shroud aside:
raised us from our bed of sorrows, put your arm around our pain,
raising us to new tomorrows, bringing us to life again.

Christ, our teacher, in our healing you have given us your gift:
grace to bless, your love revealing, pow’r to heal and hope to lift.
In your Spirit, your forgiveness, your compassion we embrace
ev’ry wounded, shamed or silenced child of God with gentle grace.

Christ, our savior, you are going on to every town and field,
on to every land and people, on until the world is healed.
Use us in the whole world’s mending, use us as your healing hands,
’till as one the world, made whole, takes up its mat with joy and stands.

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.