Blue Christmas

For some, Christmas is a mixed blessing, evoking grief over the death of loved ones, or other sorrows. A Blue Christmas service is a serve of hope and healing that is more quiet and reflective than exuberant. It may speak not only to those who bear personal sorrows but also those who lament injustice and broken relationships in their communities or the world. If you offer a Blue Christmas service it’s helpful to have present not only those who are “blue” themselves, but those who would support them. You may want to have people on hand who are trained in listening (like Stephen Ministers), or prepared for healing, praying or other ministries.


Some Suggested Scriptures

(Italicized scriptures are included in various year’s lectionary readings.)
Isaiah 12.2-6 (Year C, week 3) —You will draw water from the wells of salvation
Isaiah 35.1-10 (A: 3) —The desert shall blossom. Renewal, return of exiles.
Isaiah 40.1-11 (B:2) — Comfort my people; the people fade like grass
      but God’s Word is forever; God will carry the sheep in their arms
Isaiah 61.1-11 (B 2)— The Spirit of God is upon me to bind up the brokenhearted
Zephaniah 3.14-20 ( C:3) — God will rejoice over you
Psalm 13 —A lament: I bear pain in my soul
Psalm 122 (A:1) — Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
Psalm 126 — May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy
Romans 5.1-5 —Suffering leads to hope…
Philippians 4.4-7 (C:3)— Rejoice always… be gentle… peace will guard your hearts
Hebrews 4.14-16 — Christ sympathizes with us:
      he’s been through what we’ve been through
Revelation 21.1-4 (The new heaven and new earth)
Luke 1.39-45 ( B:4) Mary visits Elizabeth
Luke 1.47-55 (A:3, C:4) The Magnificat. You have remembered me
      in my low estate)
Luke 1.68-79, especially 76-79 (C:2) Part of Zechariah’s song:
      light for those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.)

Opening Prayer

1.
Gracious God, Creator of all, you who make the snow of winter and the darkness of night, the day is yours, and also the night; summer and winter are yours.
      The darkness is yours, and in it we seek your blessing.
Christ, Companion of all who sit in darkness, you came to us on that night long ago, and warmed our night with your presence.
      In the darkness of this night we wait for your coming again.
Holy Spirit, we open our hearts to your light, and our lives to your presence.
      O Come, O come! God, be with us, dwell in our hearts,
      and let your dawn break upon us, and on all who dwell in darkness. Amen.


2.
In this season as we prepare for the coming of Christ
we sing of joy, yet we also bear pain and grief.
      Come, dear Jesus, and be with us in our pain.
In this season we sing of peace, yet we also know anxiety.
     Come, dear Jesus, and be with us in our struggle.
In this season we sing of light, yet we are also in the dark,
unknowing and uncertain.
      Come, dear Jesus, and be our light in the night,
      our trust in the mystery, our way in the dark.
In this season we wait for your coming, yet you are also already here.
      We thank you for your presence,
      listen for your Word, and open our hearts to your love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

1.
Gentle God, from the beginning you promised to be our God, and to be with us always. In Christ you come to share our darkness, to bless our days and our nights, our joy and our sorrow, our living and our dying. Come, O gentle Savior, be with us, show us the way, and embrace us with your Spirit. Amen.

2.
Creator God, from the beginning of time, when only chaos and darkness existed, you have been with us. In the fullness of time, you sent your light into the world as Christ, to bless our days and our nights, our joys and our sorrows, our living and our dying. Come now, enter into our hearts, anoint us with your Spirit, and comfort us with your healing love. Amen.

Bidding Prayer

Loving God, we thank you for the many blessings you have given us. We remember with grateful hearts our loved ones, and all who have blessed us through our years.
     God of grace, we give you thanks.
We hold in your light what is no longer ours: loves and dreams that have passed, friends and hopes that have died. We hold in your light our struggles, our darkness, our emptiness.
     God of grace, be with us in the night.
O come to us, God, and walk with us. Grant us your consolation, strength and renewal. Enter into the rough stable of our lives so that here, by your presence, there is healing, and hope, and joy.
    God of grace, grant us light.
Gentle God, for all who suffer we ask your blessing. For all who are lonely we ask your presence. For all who struggle we ask your Spirit. Come to us, receive our wounds, dwell with us, and strengthen us by your spirit.
     God of grace, grant us your peace.
God of mercy, we mourn the world’s injustice, and pray in hope. Bless those who suffer oppression. Bless those who work for justice. Bless us, that with hope and courage we may shine with your light even in the darkest night.
     God of grace, grant us your hope.
Spirit of healing, fill us with your grace that we may shine with your light in the darkness, that we may bear your healing to others, that we may be living signs of your coming.
    God of grace, grant us your peace. Amen.

A Litany of Remembrance

Leader: As we near the longest night of the year, we light this advent candle of hope. We pray for all those who suffer—mentally, physically, emotionally, and ask your blessing upon them. Open our eyes to those who are lonely, afraid, and forgotten, that we might be to them a comforting and hopeful presence.
All: As the candle shines through darkness,
may we be your light to those in need of hope.
       Response— O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, verse 1

As we light this advent candle of love, we remember with grateful hearts all those who have blessed our lives with love. We pray for our loved ones who are no longer here with us. We remember their names, their voices, their lives. God, may your eternal light surround them.
As the candle shines through darkness,
may we be your light to those in need of love.
       Response— O Come, Come, Emmanuel, verse 2

As we remember that dawn defeats darkness, God, we light this advent candle of joy. As we experience times of loss—the loss of our health, our jobs, our relationships, our hopes and dreams, God promises to be with us and to lead us into a deeper joy.
As the candle shines through darkness,
may we be your light to those in need of joy.
       Response— O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, verse 3

Though we live in times of conflict and division, we light this advent candle of peace. In a world of unspeakable violence, you came to us as a baby—vulnerable, precious, and pure, offering to us the gift of your love. May your peace, which surpasses all human understanding, fill our hearts, and heal our world.
As the candle shines through darkness,
may we be your light to a world in need of peace.
       Response— O Come, O Come, Emmanuel ,verse 4
Silence

Psalm Meditation

(Psalm 85, paraphrased)

Leader: God of life, the land has blossomed with your favor.
You have restored your people;
you have forgiven us,
all of our brokenness a thing of the past.
In our suffering there was your grace,
your fierce protection.
     All: We listen for your voice, O God,
     for your compassion draws near. …

Restore us again, O God of our salvation.
Heal our fear of you.
How long will we go on distrusting of you,
keeping our distance for generations?
Awaken us from our bad dreams
and renew our joy.
Show us your steadfast love,
and grant us whole and vibrant life.
     We listen for your voice, O God,
     for your compassion draws near. …

We listen for your voice,
for you speak peace.
We turn to you in our hearts.
Even in the darkness, unseen, you are near.
     We listen for your voice, O God,
     for your compassion draws near. …

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
justice and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up like green plants;
solidarity with one another
will spread over us like the sky.
God will give what is good,
and the earth bloom with joy.
Compassion will walk through the world
and make a way for God to enter.
     We listen for your voice, O God,
     for your compassion draws near. …

Suggested songs

(Available on the music page. Click on titles to view songs, or hear audio samples.)

Come Again, Poor Jesus
(Tune: In the Bleak Midwinter)

When our souls are wintry, when our hearts are cold,
come to us, dear Jesus, as you did of old.
When our hearts, unsheltered, feel the winds above,
come to us and warm us with your gentle love.

In the dark we wander, searching for our way,
waiting, lost, and longing for the light of day.
Dawn upon your children; fold us in your grace.
Child, be born among us. Show to us your face.

Shepherds on the hillside, poor, without a friend,
kept their watch in silence, vigil without end.
But then in the darkness, angels brought the word:
“God has not forgotten, and your prayers are heard.”

To the simple, poor ones, Jesus came that night.
Come again, poor Jesus. Bless us with your light.
Lamb of God, be with us in our joy and pain,
and companion us, Love, to new life again.


Come, Gentle Jesus
(Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Come, gentle Jesus. Come, to be here with us.
Come, be the light in our darkest night.
Show where we’ve gone astray; come, be our blessed Day.
Come, change us with your healing light.

Come, mighty Jesus. Come, and work your will in us.
Bring forth our gold with refining fire.
Make our hearts pure and clear; come, set us free from fear,
to sing your praise with heaven’s choir.

Come, blessed Jesus. Come and live your life in us.
Let us be your manger here.
Come, be born in us, flowing with love through us.
Oh, savior of the world, draw near!


Drawn by your light

(Tune: Away in a Manger)

In darkness we gather, God, drawn by your light,
your glorious presence that blesses the night,
the light and the deep peace that Jesus imparts,
the Spirit’s bright radiance that burns in our hearts.

The light of Creation that made the first dawn,
the pillar of fire that led Israel on,
the star that led magi to where Jesus was
now draws us to worship with alleluias.

Your light shines so even the darkness is blessed
this night as we wait for the coming of Christ.
God, shine your light warmly in us by your grace,
that we may bear healing and justice and peace.

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

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

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

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

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

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


Advent 4

December 22, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Micah 5.2-5 — Bethlehem, from you shall come a ruler who will feed the people and reign in peace.

Luke 1.46-55 — The Magnificat.

Hebrews 10.5-10 — Quoting Psalm 40 as the voice of Christ: “Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire, but to do your will. See, I have come to do your will.”

Luke 1.39-45 —Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, Elizabeth’s song: “Blessed are you….

Preaching Thoughts

Luke 1.46-55
       The Magnificat is another song in Luke’s great musical. Mary repeats the common biblical theme that God lifts the lowly and lowers the powerful. That second half is often overlooked, because it’s the traumatic one. We don’t mind the lowly being raised, but for the powerful to come down, well… let’s face it: that threatens us, because in wordily terms most of us are among the powerful. For true justice to come about we ourselves will have to let go of power and privilege, or at least be better stewards of them. We’re more attached to social stratification than we like to think. In society at large and even in our little personal cliques and social networks, consciously or unconsciously. we believe some folks are “beneath us.” There are ways we believe we should have control of things that others shouldn’t have. We deserve certain goods, positions or opportunities that others don’t deserve. We might not profess it, but unconsciously we believe in high and low, superior and inferior, deserving and undeserving. God will not have that.

Luke 1.39-45
       And Elizabeth gets to sing a song. The first verse affirms Mary and her gifts, and all those who follow in her footsteps. “Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Elizabeth isn’t just talking about biology. Maybe your “womb” is whatever in you creates new life or gives birth. Of course the fruit of Mary’s womb was Jesus. So your “womb” is also whatever ways God is alive in you. Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your heart, the fruit of your love, the fruit of your faith, the fruit of God alive in you.
       Then Elizabeth sings the bridge, in which “as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” She turns momentarily from blessing Mary to blessing herself. There is something in you that responds to divine presence, even beneath the awareness of your rational mind. Something deep in you knows, and leaps for joy. Sometimes prayer is simply holding still and letting that inner presence in us respond to the presence of God.
       Then Elizabeth returns to the blessing theme of the opening verse. “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what God has spoken.” Again, a blessing for all who follow in Mary’s footsteps of trusting God’s promises in them, trusting the mystery of God at work in them. Part of our Advent anticipation is that while we wait with Joseph and Mary for the birth of their baby, we also tend to how God takes on new life in us. “Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.”

Call to Worship / Lighting the Advent Candle

[See Advent Resources for Advent Candle prayers, Advent Wreath prayers and music, including eucharistic prayers and responses, and weekly litanies.]

1. [Also may be used as a response/ affirmation.]
Leader: O people of God, rejoice, for God is among you.
All: We give thanks, God, and welcome your presence.
Blessed are you, and blessed is the fruit of your faith,
for God is alive in you.
As we hear the Word
something deep within us leaps for joy,
for God within us rejoices.
Blessed are you who believe that there will be a fulfillment
of what God has spoken.
God, you are coming into our lives in new ways.
In trust, we open the womb of our hearts to you.
Come, God of love, be born in us today.

2.
              READING [Luke 1.26-38 (The Annunciation)]
              RESPONSE
Leader: The Advent candle shines with light,
        All: the same light that shines in us, the light of your love.
On the darkest day of the year, the longest night, your light shines into the world.
        And it shines in our hearts. Bring to life your holy presence in us
        as we worship now and as we live each moment.
        Christ, be born in us, now and always. Amen.

3.
READING (John 1.1-5, 9)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through the Word, without whom not one thing came into being. What has come into being in the Word was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, is coming into the world.
RESPONSE
Leader: These candles we light shine with the light that comes into the world.
       All: Your presence and your love shine upon us.
Like a child to be born, your light awaits, the light of life.
      Your presence and your love shine within us.
May we await your coming in hope and joy,
and prepare for your life among us in love.
      Your presence and your love shine out from us.
May your love grow in us, shine upon the world,
and bring life to all people.
      Come, O Christ, and shine in us with your grace!

4.
READING (Luke 1.26-38, the Annunciation)
Leader: God of grace, as we light these candles, we remember your promise.
      All: Your light shines within us.
You have chosen us to bear your love into the world.
      Your presence grows within us.
We await the coming of Christ.
      Your Spirit moves within us.
We prepare for your coming in joy and simplicity.
     Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Now you, O Bethlehem of Ephratha, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth from me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
      All: You have promised a ruler, O God,
     to feed your flock and guide us to live in peace.
      May your peace come to all the earth.
O God, you have scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
You have brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
You have filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty..
      As we light these Advent candles, O God,
      kindle in us your spirit of justice.
      As we prepare for your coming may your love grow in our hearts,
      that by our faithful living
      we may bring peace to all the world. Amen.


6.
We praise you, O God, for this victory wreath
that marks our days of preparation for Christ’s advent.
      As we light these candles on the wreath,
      awaken our hearts to your light growing about us
     and within us, as our Savior draws near.
Enlighten us with your grace,
and prepare our hearts to welcome you with joy.
      Kindle within us the gift of love through Christ the Beloved,
     whose coming is certain and whose day draws near. Amen
.

7.
READING (from Micah 5.2-5)
Now you, O Bethlehem, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. God’s chosen one shall stand and feed God’s flock in the strength of God, in the majesty of the name of the Holy One our God. And the people shall live secure, for their ruler shall be great to the ends of the earth, the one of peace.
RESPONSE
Leader: God of love, you promise our salvation, coming from among us.
      All: Grace stirs within us. Love lives among us.
Christ is near. We waken to the light of your presence.
      We rise in the dawning of the mystery of love made flesh.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you promise your presence, and you pledge to us your mercy and grace. Open our eyes to see the dawning of your light within us and among us. Open our hearts to your Word, that we might trust in what you have spoken to us. Speak to us again, that we may live in the light of your coming. Amen.

2.
God of love, your presence grows within us. Open our hearts to receive, to honor and to nourish the holy child, that Christ may be born in us by your grace. Amen.

3.
Holy One, Promise of Life, Mystery of light, your grace comes to us; your Word grows within us. In the stillness of the morning we open our hearts to you, to receive your Word, to embrace your love, that your grace may be conceived in us and among us. May it be for us according to your Word. Amen.

4.
God of love, as your Word came to Mary long ago, it comes to us nows. You are present for us, and we have only to listen with our hearts to know your desire for us. We want to be open to your Word. We want to hear your promises. May it be for us according to your Word. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, your angel spoke to Mary long ago, calling her your Beloved, and showing her your blessing that grew within her. Speak to us now; call us as your Beloved, and help us see the blessing that grows within us. Grant us open hearts and minds, that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of life,
something in us leaps for joy
when we sense you near.
Blessed are we, and blessed is the fruit of our hearts
when we listen.
In the silence, and in the Word, speak to us.
Come to us.
Be born in us.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God, we confess our sin, and what diminishes life in us.
And we confess the life within us yet to be born,
the holy presence yet to be affirmed,
the divine presence in us that leaps with joy.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear,
and bring to life the light within.
Give us the courage of Mary and Elizabeth
to believe you will fulfill what you have spoken.
Amen.

2.
God of love, you who are born in us, we thank you.
And we confess the times
we leave no room in the inn of our hearts
for you to be born in us.
Forgive our being closed off to your gift of Life;
grant us open minds and spacious hearts,
that your love may find new life in our lives.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

How blessed we are that our life-giver and savior has come to us!
      Our hearts within us leap for joy at the sound of your voice.
We praise you, God, for you birth us in love.
     You promise yourself to us, and you are faithfully present.
You defeat the forces of oppression, set us free,
and call us to join you in building a world of mercy and justice.      
      You leave the rich wanting and feed the hungry with good things.
      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:i
      in him you were incarnate among us and live with us always.
He taught and healed, he embodied forgiveness and reconciliation;
      he recognized the divine in each of us and called it to life.

                  […The Blessing and Covenant…] *

Whenever we break this bread and share this cup we remember his incarnation,
his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
       Remembering your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
       we offer ourselves, with praise and thanksgiving,
       as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
       as we proclaim the mystery at the heart 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,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the Holy One Jesus Christ.
       Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
       that we may trust what you have spoken to us,
       and conceive in our souls
       and bring forth your love made flesh,
      that by the grace of your Spirit in us
      may we be for the world the Body 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 after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In your Spirit you live within us; your presence accompanies us; your love flows from us. May Christ be born in us in this holy season and all the days of our lives, by your grace, to your eternal glory. Amen

Suggested Songs

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

Blessed Child of Bethlehem      (Original song)

Blessed child of Bethlehem, waiting to be born,
some will bring you incense, and some a crown of thorns.
Yet you bear so gently all our joys and harms.
How I long to greet you, and hold you in my arms!

Blessed child of heaven, waiting to be born,
joy of all Creation, delight of those who mourn:
teach us how to worship, teach us how to love,
living in the presence of angels from above.

Blessed child among us, waiting to be born,
in whom we are healed and all our sorrows borne:
help us live with love, in peace and reconciled.
By your birth in us, everyone’s a holy child.

Blessed child within me, waiting to be born,
bringing gifts and wonders with the light of morn,
heaven springing in me, new life yet to grow:
child of holy promise, oh how I love you so!



Magnificat (Tune: Greensleeves- What Child Is This)

My soul sings out in joy to God, who’s favored me, so lowly.
The Mighty One has kindly done great things, for God is holy.
This, this is grace outlaid, God’s mercy in the promise made,
Praise, praise, the Faithful One, and magnify our savior!

God brings the powerful down from thrones while lifting up the lowly.
God feeds the poor, and the rich no more receive, but the hungry solely.
Praise! Praise the Mighty one for all the things that God has done
Love, love will honor God, who promises mercy forever.



Advent 3

December 15, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Zephaniah 3. 14-20 — Rejoice! God is in your midst, rejoicing over you. “I will bring you home.”

Isaiah 12.2-6 — God, you were angry, but you comforted me. We will draw water from the well of salvation.

Philippians 4.4-7 — Rejoice always. Let your gentleness show. Don’t worry, but pray. The peace of God will guard your hearts.

Luke 3. 7-18 John the Baptist: Bear fruits worthy of repentance…. The ax at the root of the trees…. Advice to live justly… One is coming, winnowing fork in his hand

Preaching Thoughts

Zephaniah
       
The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally “joy” Sunday. Here’s your joy. We rejoice in God—who rejoices in us! The reason for joy is that exiles are being promised freedom from oppression, freedom to go home. The promise is to us as well. We are oppressed by a complex of powers that enslave us: the grip of our ego, the power of our sin, inner powers of fear, guilt, shame, despair, and our addictions and attachments, and external forces of cultural, economic, racial, political and even religious manipulation and control. And we are in exile, alienated from our true lives, our true selves, and distanced from God. The good news Christ brings us is that God sets us free from all that and brings us “home“ to God, home to ourselves. So, yeah, we have reason to rejoice.


Isaiah
       
This is a pretty huge turnaround, an amazing unexpected gift, in fourteen words: “Though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me.” Wow. There’s some cause for joy.
       “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” We get our sustenance from God’s love. Our prayer, our faith, our life, is water from the well of God’s grace. Go back to that well. Over and over, go there. The more you draw, the purer the water gets.

Philippians
        Notice how joy, gentleness and prayer are intertwined. We rejoice in God’s grace. And because we trust that grace, instead of worrying we pray. We are not troubled. And because we trust God’s grace, we don’t gel selfish, defensive, competitive or manipulative. We can dare to be gentle because God has been gentle with us.

Luke
       
The tradition is “joy” this Sunday, but this passage doesn’t seem very happy. It’s all about repentance, axes and broods of vipers and unquenchable fire. Yikes. John really knows how to party, huh? But maybe the problem is that we’re so afraid repentance is difficult, unpleasant and gloomy. Actually repentance is joyful. If we really trust God’s grace, if we really rejoice because God has turned anger at us into comfort for us, then repentance is a joyful return from exile, a return to God, return to our true, deep selves. It isn’t gruesome for a gardener to trim flowers, for an orchardist to prune trees to bear greater fruit. Repentance is pruning—or rather allowing God to prune— the dead stuff in our lives, the unfruitful things that inhibit our bearing the fruit of love. Pruning our sin liberates us. We become more truly ourselves by letting God take away fear, shame, desire for power, and all that stuff. So the ax at the root of the trees is welcome. The unquenchable fire is a gift. God brings us to the threshing floor and gathers our grain into God’s grace, and the chaff of our lives God burns away. It is indeed “good news.”
       People question John about what they should do, and John is clear: it’s not about piety. It’s not ”just between me and God.” It has everything to do with how we treat other people, especially the poor and people with less power than we have. Preparing for the Coming One is about justice.
       “I baptize you with water… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” In Advent we’re not awaiting a cute little baby. We’re awaiting someone who will upend our lives and set our hearts on fire. Advent is a season of transformation. Which is also what repentance is. While we are crying with the prophet to prepare the way in the wilderness, God’s is preparing a way in us.

Call to Worship / Lighting the Advent Candle

See Advent Resources for Advent Candle prayers, Advent wreath prayers, and music, including Eucharistic prayers and responses and weekly litanies.

1.
Leader: Eternal God, Timeless One, come into this time.
All: Loving Christ, you who are coming,
enter in with your grace.
Holy Spirit, Flame of Life, baptize us in your mystery.
Burn in us with love and justice.
Prepare your way in us. Amen.


2.
Reader: Reads Philippians 4.4-7
Leader: We pray that this Advent candle may shine in our hearts with joy.
         All: Even in the darkness we shine with joy, for the Light is coming.
Even in the cold our hearts are warm with joy, for you are with us.
          Even amidst evil and cruelty we bear joy and not despair into the world.
         God, we open our hearts to your grace. Fill us with the light of your joy.


3. [Philippians 4.4-7]
Reader: Loving God, we light this candle as a prayer of hope in your coming.
         All: Kindle your spirit in us, that we may always be prayerful.
We light this candle as an invitation to the Prince of Peace.
         Kindle your grace in us, that we may always be gentle.
We light this candle in joy for your coming among us.
         Kindle your love in us, that we may always be joyful.
         Come, O Sovereign of Joy, and rejoice with us!


4.
READING [from Zephaniah 3.14-18]
Rejoice, O Israel! Do not fear,
God, the Holy One is in your midst.
God says, “I will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in my love;
I will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.”
    RESPONSE
Leader: We light a candle of joy in this wreath of life,
as a sign of God’s joy in us, and our hope in God.
      All: With joy and hope we await the coming of Christ.
The prophet calls us to repentance as we prepare.
      We gladly repent, that like this candle
      we may be baptized with the Holy Sprit, and with fire.


5.
READING [from Zephaniah 3.14-18]
Rejoice, O Israel! Do not fear,
God, the Holy One is in your midst.
God says, “I will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in my love;
I will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.”
    RESPONSE
Leader:, As you look upon us, God, kindle in us the light of your love.
      All: As we await the coming of Christ open our hearts to your joy.
Grant us a spirit of repentance, that we may prepare in faith and confidence.
      As we await the coming of the light,
      kindle in us the courage to be transformed by hope and joy
.
      We worship with gladness in the light of your coming.

6. [Philippians 4.4-7]
READING: Rejoice in God always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Beloved is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
    RESPONSE
Leader: Kindle your joy in us, O God.
       All: By the grace of your nearness, instill your gentleness in us.
Heal our worries, lift our hopes, and hear our prayers.
       Receive our thanksgiving, and our silent supplications.
Friends, in the light of the One who is coming,
may the peace that passes all understanding
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love and abundance, you come to us so that your joy may be in us, and our joy may be full. Fill us with your Spirit, that we may know your delight and rejoice in your presence and your grace. Speak your Word to us and bless us that we may always be joyful, gentle and prayerful, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious and ever-present God, we await the coming of your Anointed One, and we worship in the company of the One who is always with us. We await your Word, and yet your Word is within us. We long for your Realm of Grace, and yet even now it is hidden among us. Open our hearts to your Word, to your grace, to your Presence. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, John the Baptist calls us to repentance in preparation for the coming of your Messiah. As the people came to hear him, so we come now to hear your Word. Bless us with open hearts and minds, that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

4.
God of love, prepare your way in us. You set us free from all that enslaves us; help us to claim our freedom. You who bring back exiles, return us to our true live sin you. You who call us to bear fruit, prune away whatever is fruitless in us, whatever inhibits our love. God, you who delight in us, set free our joy. God of love, prepare your way in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Among the weeds and brambles of our thoughts
is the fruit of your truth.
Clear away what is not life-giving,
that we may hear.
Prepare your way into our hearts.

2.
Surely God is our salvation.
      We will trust and not be afraid.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
      With joy we come to the well.
      Thirsting for your grace, we lower our prayers
      into the deep, clear waters of your Word.

Sing for joy, for God is in your midst.
      We come with joy to the well.

Prayer of Confession

1.
The grace of God is with you.
      And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
      Gracious God,
      We confess the the dead and fruitless branches in our lives,
      shriveled by the wintery storms of our fears and desires.
      Prune the branches of our hearts,
      that we may bear fruit in your Spirit.
      Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
      and be born in us again,
      that by your grace we may bear your light.
      O come to us, Beloved, and save us! Amen.
SILENT PRAYERTHE WORD OF GRACE

2.
[May be read responsively or by the pastor alone:]
Dearly Beloved, the ax lying at the root of the trees
is not for punishment, but pruning.
Therefore, trusting in God’s tender mercy, we examine ourselves,
that we may see ourselves clearly through the eyes of love.

Grateful for your goodness, we reflect on those parts of our lives
that bear good fruit, and we give thanks.
Silent reflection…
Trusting in your mercy, we reflect on the dead branches of our lives,
the barren or hurtful parts, the parts that do not bear good fruit,
and we seek your grace.
Silent reflection…
O God, prune the branches of our hearts according to your grace,
that we may flourish in doing your will.
Draw from the well of our salvation and water the trees of our souls,
that we may faithfully bear fruit,
and delight in your love, in the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen
.

Reading

[Isaiah 12. 2-6]
Leader: Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid.
      All: For God, the Holy One, is my strength and my might;
       God has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day:
       Give thanks to the Holy One, call on God’s name
       make known God’s deeds among the nations;
       proclaim that God’s name is exalted.
Sing praises to God, for God has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
       Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion
       for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

Leader: God of justice, we await your coming.
All: Prepare your way in us.Prepare a way of justice.
Prepare a way of love.Prune what is fruitless, burn away what is dead.
Thresh what is unneeded out of our souls.
Lay your ax at the root of all that enslaves us.
Set us free to hope boldly, to serve faithfully, to love deeply.
Set free our souls. Set free our joy.
Come, cleansing fire of God,
and prepare your way in us. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

Gracious God, we rejoice, for you are in our midst.
     You rejoice over us with gladness and renew us in your love.
By your Covenant you have taken us as your own.
     You set us free and ask us to put the axe to the roots
     of all oppression and injustice.

You have prepared the way for us in Jesus, your Christ.
     Therefore at his invitation we come to this feast
     to draw water from the well of our salvation,
     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 your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who loved and taught, who fed the hungry and healed the broken.
      His gentleness was known to everyone,
      and he granted to us a peace that surpasses understanding.

For his prophetic love he was crucified,
but you raised him from the dead,
and he comes among us and invites us to this feast of joy.

           [The Blessing and Covenant] *

As long was 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 joy, in union with his offering for us,
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 Holy Spirit on us,
      that we may be the Body of Christ for the world,
      fearless in repentance, and courageous in justice.
      Baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire,
      that we may bear fruit, the fruit of your love and joy in us,
      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 or after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have filled us with the joy of your love, the taste of your delight in us. Send us into the world to share your joy, to serve you in love for one another, and to wait for your coming in gentleness, confidence, patience and joy, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Even as we await your coming, you have fed us with your presence. Send us into the world, confident to live in your promised Realm until it is fulfilled, as signs of your coming, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3. (Benediction- Philippians 4.)
Beloved, rejoice in the Beloved always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Drink from the Wells (Original song)
[May be used as a repeating chant.]

Drink with joy from the wells of salvation.
Trust and do not be afraid.
God, your strength, has become your salvation.
Trust, and do not be afraid.


Prepare Your Way in Me (Original song)

Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me.
Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me, my Love.

1. Make my rough places smooth, the crooked make straight, my Love.
2. Lay your hand at my root, that I may bear fruit, my Love.
3. Come and empty my heart of all things but you, my Love.
4. Guide my feet in your way; fill me with your peace, my Love.

Advent 2

December 8, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Malachi 3. 1-4 — I am sending my messenger, like a refiner’s fire.

Luke 1. 68-79
— Zechariah’s song. God has raised up a savior…that we might serve God without fear… and you, child, shall be a prophet, preparing a way… God’s dawn will break upon us, leading us into peace

Philippians 1.3-11 — The One who began a good work in you will bring it to completion… May your love overflow…

Luke 3.1-6 — John the Baptist: “Prepare the way.” The crooked made straight, the rough made smooth.

Preaching Thoughts

Malachi
       
The fire of God is never a destroying fire, but a refining fire. Even the “consuming flames” we most fear consume only what we need to be rid of but can’t let go of ourselves. It sounds awful, but it’s a gift. We don’t have to be “pure” to be acceptable to God: God purifies us! So much of the spiritual life is not about achieving anything or attaining or acquiring anything, but letting go. Shedding. Allowing all that is not the pure gold of our souls to be burned away. Letting go can be painful, but the freedom it affords is worth it.

Luke 1

       Sometimes I think Luke is a musical. He’s got songs in every scene, often in the style of those good old Broadway shows—that is, the Hebrew Bible. Here’s Zechariah’s song at the birth of John, in the style of the prophets. It’s sort of an overture, introducing all the themes Luke will hit in his Gospel. The first is that God has sent salvation, as promised in the Covenant, to rescue us from our enemies. We might think of our enemies as political enemies; Luke and his audience surely thought of Roman occupation. But I think of our enemies as whatever diminishes life. We are oppressed by a web of interlocking powers that enslave us, powers that include inner forces of guilt, shame, fear, attachments and desires, as well as all kinds of political, cultural and even religious forces that manipulate us, that inhibit our love and freedom, that diminish the life of Spirit in us, and that keep us from God. It’s these enemies that Jesus comes to save us from. In his loving self-giving, in his forgiveness and healing, we see God’s love poured out for us, that sets us free from all that crap that oppresses us. Salvation is a living relationship with God that sets us free, free to trust God and love profoundly like Jesus. Luke never defines salvation, but he’ll sing about it here, and at the nativity, and then not mention it again until we’ve seen it in action, and Jesus will proclaim that “salvation has come to this house” with Zacchaeus (Lk. 19.9). The point of salvation is not to get our sins “paid for” or to go to heaven but to “serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before God all our days” (1.75). This is the life Jesus makes possible and invites us into. That’s what we anticipate in Advent: the coming of the One who can set us free.
       The second part of Zechariah’s song is addressed to John—and us: Prepare a way for God by showing people forgiveness. The dawn of God’s grace is coming, to save those who live in the shadow of death, and to guide us in the way of peace. Zechariah sings for us the promise of Advent.

Philippians
       Some people talk about having “been saved,” as if it happened one day. But salvation is a life-long relationship. It’s something that God has already begun in us, but is still being brought to completion. The hope of Advent is looking toward this ongoing process, the unknown but reliable future that awaits us because God is at work in us and for us. Our love will increasingly overflow (1.9), and this will not only prepare us for the day of the coming of Christ—the overflowing of our love is the coming of Christ into the world.

Luke 3
       Luke takes pains to identify the political power structure of Judea and Galilee and then makes it clear: the Word of God came to someone outside that power structure, a nobody in the wilderness. Luke sets the scene in his musical, and then lets loose with another song: Isaiah steps on stage and sings his “Prepare the Way” song. That song has a theme Mary will repeat in her song: that God raises the lowly and brings down the powerful, that the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth. The message in Isaiah was a word of hope to people who were in exile: a broad, smooth road through the wilderness, on which God would come to bring them home! It’s a lovely image for travelers who welcome road improvements, but like any highway project, there’s a mess first. It’s disrupting work for the crooked to be made straight. There’s a lot of demo involved before the remodel. It’s a mess to interrupt unjust systems and replace them with justice. It’s disrupting for us to go through repentance and make our lives straight when we’ve gone crooked. For all those rough places in the world to be smoothed out, there will be a lot of upheaval, resistance, conflict, and letting go. Crisis, even. But that’s the world-changing promise we hold in our hearts in Advent: that God will change things, including us. The change, as hard as it may be, will give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guide our feet into the way of peace. That’s the welcome, awful, awesome, death-and-resurrection change that we anticipate and prepare for in Advent.

Call to Worship

Click here for Advent Resources: Advent Candle Lighting prayers (two series), Advent Wreath prayers, and music including Eucharistic prayers & responses, weekly litanies and more.

1. [from Malachi 3.1-4]
Reading: “See, I will send my messenger,
who will prepare the way before me.
Then suddenly the One you are seeking will come to the temple;
the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,”
says God Almighty.
But who can endure the day of that coming?
Who can stand when the Messenger appears?
For God’s chosen will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap,
and will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
and will purify the people and refine them like gold and silver.
RESPONSE
Leader: God of love, purify us in the refining fire of your Spirit.
       All: Set us free from all that does not help us serve you.
       Remove from us all that is not love.
       By your Spirit living in us, help us prepare a way for your coming.

       Alleluia! Come, O Jesus, come!

2. [Philippians 1.6, 9-11]
Reading: I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
+
CANDLE SONG The Promises of God (2 Peter 1.19)

RESPONSE
Leader: Holy One, light of our peace, this Advent candle shines to prepare your way.
       All: Prepare a way to come to us; redeem us in our darkness.
Prepare your way around us, that the crooked be made straight.
       Prepare your way within us, that our rough places be made smooth.
       God of grace and love, may all flesh see your salvation. Alleluia!


3.
READING: [Luke 1.78-79]
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
RESPONSE
Leader: God of mercy, your light dawns upon us.
       All: We open our hearts in joy.
Your grace gives light in our darkness.
       We rise from the shadow of death.
You lead us into a new day.
      Guide us into the way of peace.


4.
Leader: God of promise, God of Mystery,
you have sent a messenger to awaken us.
      All: May the promise of your dawn awaken our hearts and minds.
      May the light of your promise guide our steps and lead us toward you.
      May the joy of your coming sustain us and uplift us.
God of Love, God of Presence,
you have given us a message for the world.
      May the light of your coming shine within us.
      May your Spirit, alive in us, make us signs of your coming.
      O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and dawn within and among us now.


5.
Leader: We light this candle as an act of hope.
All: In the darkness and gloom the light of your coming rises.
Even in the mysterious darkness,
the light of your healing moves along roads and rivers and nerves,
deep within silent places.
In the darkness you are here.
Come, O Light, and make us whole.
Dear Child, prophet of the most high, grant us healing and forgiveness.
By your tender mercy, may your dawn from on high break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
As we prepare our homes for the holidays let us also prepare our hearts. Let every decoration, card and cookie be an act of readiness for your coming. God of love, help us prepare a room for Christ to be born in us this holy season. Speak the Word to us that will make room in our hearts for love. Amen.

2.
God of love, your prophet cries to prepare a way for you. In the wilderness of our hearts, in the rough places of our society, prepare your way with your life-changing Word. Speak to us, and make the crooked straight, for the sake of your mercy. Amen.

3.
God of life, the prophet cries that a way be made for the coming of the Holy One. Make a way into our hearts. Speak to us and re-create us. We throw open the windows of our souls, that we may hear you, that the light of your dawning may flood our hearts. O come, thou Dayspring, enlighten us, who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

4.
Holy One, you send your prophets among us to speak to us. You send messengers to awaken us, to alert us, to attract us to your light. In Scripture now you speak to us, and call us to new lives. Help us to listen and hear, to receive and be transformed. This is the news we have been waiting for. Speak to us; we want to hear. Amen.

5.
Stir up our hearts, O God, and prepare us for your coming. May the mountains and valleys of our hearts be leveled out, the rough places be made smooth by the healing power of your Word in us. Speak your Word, and we shall be healed. Amen.

6.
Gracious God, through all our doubt and despair prepare a way for hope.
Through our selfishness and fear, prepare a way for love.
Through our resistance and control, prepare a way for grace.
Through our anger and enmity, prepare a way for peace.
O You Who Are Coming, prepare your way in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Creator God, World-Maker,
World-Changer, Heart-Changer,
prepare your way in me.
Make the crooked straight,
the rough places smooth.
Prepare your way in me.

2.
God, we are in exile
from peace, from justice,
from our hope, from our true selves.
Prepare a way for our return.
Bring to completion what you have begun in us.
Prepare your way into us;
enter our hearts, and refine them,
that our love may overflow.
Guide our feet into the way of peace.

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.
       Gracious God,
       we confess the darkness and cold in our lives.
       We have not lived at peace with you, with our neighbors,
       or even with our own souls.
       Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
       and grant us your peace.
       Be born in us again,
       that by your grace we may live in your light.
       O come to us, Beloved, and save us! Amen.

Reading


CANTICLE (Luke 1. 68-79)

Sung Response: O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.

Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
who has visited us as God’s own people, and redeemed us.
        God has raised up a mighty savior fur us
        in the house of God’s servant David.
So God spoke through the holy prophets from of old,
that we would be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of those who hate us.
       Thus God has shown the mercy
        that God promised to our ancestors.
God has remembered God’s holy Covenant,
the promise God made to Abraham:
        that being rescued from the powers that destroy us,
        we might serve God without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness,
        in God’s presence all our days.
              
Response

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high:
you will go before the Holy One to prepare God’s ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
        By the tender mercy of God,
        the dawn from on high will break upon us
        to give light to those who sit in darkness
        and in the shadow of death,
        to guide our feet into the way of peace.
              
Response

Eucharistic Prayer

Note: Even though it’s Advent people are eager to jump ahead and sing Christmas Carols. I’ve addressed this with Advent service music to familiar carol tunes: Advent Table Songs (invitation to communion) four whole Eucharistic Prayers and 24 sets of Eucharistic Responses (Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen).

1.
Beloved, God is with you.
       And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
      We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Faithful One, our God.
      It is good to give God thanks and praise.

We thank you, God, for in the beginning in the darkness and void,
you brought forth light. You prepared Creation for us.
      With the light of love, in the image of love, you created us.
In the darkness and chaos of our brokenness you have sent us a savior
who has set us free from all that diminishes life.
      You judge the forces of oppression and set all your beloved free.
      You level the ridges and fill in the canyons,
      and make a way smooth for your people.
You prepare for us a way toward justice,
and walk with us on that path, and guide our feet in the way of peace.
      We long for such peace in our lives.
      So at your invitation we come to this table you have prepared for us
      to feast in celebration of our freedom, and to sing your praise:
                  [Sanctus]

Blessed is the one who comes in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, who embodied your love.
      He made room for the poor and outcast,
      and held a sacred space for those who were broken.
He died and rose again,
and promised to prepare a place for us.       
      In his love he showed us how to live, and prepared a way for us to follow.               [The Blessing and Covenant…]

Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
      Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
      we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
      as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
      as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
               [Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of 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.
In this meal prepare in us a place for your love,
that we may go before you, proclaiming forgiveness,
and bearing your light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death.      
       In this meal, may your mercy dawn upon us,
      and lead us in the way of peace.
                         [Amen]

                         _______________

2.
May God be with you.
      And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
      We lift them up to the Beloved.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One our God.
      It is good to give God thanks and praise.

We thank you, God, for you create us in the image of your love.
      You make Covenant with us to be our God,
      and to set us free from oppression.
You guide us in creating a new realm of justice and mercy.
      You give us Jesus: to proclaim our forgiveness,
      to change our hearts, to guide our feet in the way of peace,
      to give us your Spirit, to heal your world.
Therefore with all creation we sing your praise.            
                       [Sanctus]

We thank you for the gift of Jesus, your Christ, who came among us in your love.
      He loved and healed, he taught with prophetic power.
He was crucified, but you raised him from the dead.
      He lives among us, refining our hearts,
      that our love may overflow..

         […The Blessing and Covenant…]

With gratitude we remember your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
      In praise and thanksgiving we offer ourselves
      as a living and holy sacrifice,
      in union with Christ’s gift for us.
We proclaim with joy the mystery at the heart of our faith.
                [Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
      Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be the Body of Christ,
      refined by the fire of your grace, overflowing with your love,
      and joining you in smoothing out the rough places in this world.
      By your Spirit in us, prepare the way of justice and peace.
                            [Amen]
                         _______________
3.
Blessed be God, the God of Israel,
who has visited us and redeemed us.
       God spoke through the holy prophets from of old,
       that we would be saved from our enemies,
       and from the hand of those who hate us.
Thus God has shown the mercy
that God promised to our ancestors.
       God has remembered God’s holy Covenant,
       the promise God made to Abraham.
        Therefore with one voice we sing God’s praise.
                       [Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in God’s name,
and blessed is Jesus, who enfleshed God’s Covenant with us.
        God has raised up a mighty savior fur us
        in the house of God’s servant David.

        that being rescued from the powers that destroy us,
        we might serve God without fear,
        in holiness and righteousness,
        in God’s presence all our days.


                     [The Blessing sand Covenant]

Remembering your mighty acts in Jesus,
we offer ourselves as we proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith:
                     [Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the Body of Christ.
       Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
       that we may be the Body of Christ for the world.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the most high:
you will go before the Holy One to prepare God’s ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to God’s people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
        By the tender mercy of God,
        the dawn from on high will break upon us
        to give light to those who sit in darkness
        and in the shadow of death,
        to guide our feet into the way of peace.
              
[Amen]
              ————————————

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

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

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have visited and redeemed us, according to your promise in Christ. You have saved us from all that would diminish our lives, so that we may serve you without fear, in holiness, in your presence, all our days. Send us into the world now to go before you to prepare your ways. By your tender mercy, may your dawn break upon us and within us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Amen.

2.
Leader: We bless you, God, for you have visited and redeemed your people.
     You have raised up a savior for us,
     and saved us from all that diminishes life,
     so that we may serve you in holiness without fear.

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

Benediction

[Luke 1.78-79]
Leader: By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
All: to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Suggested Songs

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

All songs with “Advent” tag, especially:

Benedictus (Song of Zechariah) [Luke 1.68-79]
        (Tune Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us)

Bles-sed be the God of Is-ra-el! You
came among us to redeem.
You have raised a mighty savior for us,
as the prophets used to dream.
As you promised, you have saved us,
so that we may serve with grace,
unafraid, with holy spirits,
in your presence all our days.

You, child, go before our God as prophet:
show the people mercy’s way,
so they know they are forgiven, saved and
brought into a brand new day.
Day is dawning—tender mercy!
Grace and light of God, increase!
Come to those in death and shadows.
Guide us in the ways of peace.


Blessed Be Our God
[Luke 1.68-79] (Original song)

Blessed be our God, who’s come to us,
raising a mighty savior for us,
as of old God promised,
to save us from the enemies of life,
freeing us to serve in holiness.

Serve, child as a prophet of our God,
going before to make a way:
go to all the people;
show them their salvation from God,
show them the forgiveness of their sin.

By the tender mercy of our God,
dawn from on high will break upon us,
giving light to people
who sit in darkness and the shade of death,
guiding us into the way of peace.


Prepare Your Way in Me   [Luke 3.1-6]   (Original song)

Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me.
Prepare your way in me, Love, prepare your way in me, my Love.

1. Make my rough places smooth, the crooked make straight, my Love.
2. Lay your hand at my root, that I may bear fruit, my Love.
3. Come and empty my heart of all things but you, my Love.
4. Guide my feet in your way; fill me with your peace, my Love.



The Promises of God [1 Peter 1.19] (Original song)

Pay attention my friends, to the promises of God,
like a candle shining in a dark place,
’till the morning star rises brightly in your hearts,
so that even in the darkness you may walk in the light of God.

Advent 1

December 1, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 33.14-16 — A righteous branch

Psalm 25.1-10 — Teach me your paths… do not remember the sins of my youth…consider my troubles ad deliver me

1 Thessalonians 3.9-13 — May God strengthen your love, for the coming of Christ.

Luke 21.25-36 — Signs in the heavens… as with the fig tree you know: the Coming is near. Be alert.

Preaching Thoughts

       Popular culture thinks Christmas is the weekend after Thanksgiving till Dec. 25. So it’s jarring for people steeped in that culture to hear on this Sunday scriptures so un-Christmas-like. But jarring is what we need. Our longing for a sentimental Christmas, saturated with tradition and pleasant memories of the past, masks our deeper yearning for a new world. In a world of war and violence, suffering and injustice, climate change and environmental suicide, we long for God to break in and change things. Jarring indeed.
       Jesus was talking about our own times. “Signs in the heavens and the roaring of the waves” sounds a lot like climate change. This is a time of “fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world.” People may whine about it some, but we tend to bury our deepest dread for the world and not talk about it. Well, Advent is a time to talk about it. Bring our fears out and put them on the table. In the light of our unacknowledged thoughts about the future, we need Jesus and his strange predictions. Because he’s not talking about some dramatic Hollywood Second Coming loaded with CGI special effects. He’s talking about the radical change love can bring about in the world, if we let it. Advent is a time to be honest about “the hopes and fears of all the years,” and allow for the possibility of God’s grace breaking in on that and changing it. It’s a time to practice hope.
       We’re accustomed to thinking of hope as wanting something. We hope our team wins. We hope it doesn’t rain. But true hope isn’t wanting something that isn’t there, it’s trusting in something that is here, right now, thought mostly unseen, something whose outcome is not yet seeable. So I hope the sun will rise. People say to me, “What do you mean you hope? Of course the sun will rise.” Exactly. That’s what hope is. Trust in what is at work unseen. Sure, I also have wishes on top of my hope. I wish for a sunny day. But I hope in the coming of day. We wish for world peace, but our hope is in the power of peace that is already at work in the world. To sustain our hope we just have to keep our eyes open to watch for signs. So hope is less about dreaming than about paying attention.
       That’s what Jesus is talking about. An as alternative to the world’s despair at the storms of life and our power struggles— “signs in the heavens”— Jesus commends a spirit of inner watchfulness, being alert for signs of God’s presence like we watch for spring. Be alert. You know that the realm of God is near. So watch for it. Watch for little signs, like tiny spring leaves of the fig tree. Little outbursts of love and peace, of healing and justice, of courage and beauty. There is evidence of the grace of God, the power of love, the basic energy of unity and peace that holds the universe together. It’s our confidence in these things that helps us “escape all these things that will take place.” It’s the knowledge that God is already here that gives us hope that God is yet coming in new ways. Stay open. Be alert. God is not done with us yet. So we enter into Advent watching, waiting, expecting, preparing.

              Click here for Advent Candle lighting prayers, Advent Wreath prayers,                and music including Eucharist and other resources.

Call to Worship / Lighting the Advent Candle

Note: For musical responses to the lighting of the Advent candle see The Promises of God and Sleeper, Awake, Advent Blessing Songs and Awaken Us, a collection of responsorial verses. (Click on titles to view the songs.)

1.
SCRIPTURE (Jeremiah 33.14-16)
The days are surely coming, says the Holy One, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up from David’s line; a ruler who shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “God is our justice.”
SONG The Promises of God
RESPONSE
Leader: A new world is coming, according to the promises of God.
The time is coming.
        All: We light a candle in hope, watching the clock.
We cannot hasten the future. But we wait with intention.
        Deepen our longing, God, and bless our waiting.


2.
[Luke 21.29-31; 1 Thessalonians 3.12-13]
Leader: Look to the leaves of the fig tree. When they sprout and begin to grow,
you know that summer is already near.
       This Advent wreath is a sign of hope for us, O God,
       For like a tree that is bare in winter, we await the coming of your grace.
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all,
and strengthen your hearts that you may be confident at the coming of our Lord.
       As we light this candle, kindle in our hearts the hope in your coming
       that bears fruit in love and joy.
       Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.


3.
Leader: A righteous branch will spring up from David,
a ruler who will bring justice and peace to God’s people.
       All: We await your peace, O God, according to the promise of your prophets.
       May the peace of Christ transform our hearts,
       as we prepare for his coming.
T
he peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
       As we light these Advent candles, Lord,
       kindle in us your spirit of peace.
       Grant that we may prepare for his coming
       in simplicity and joy,
       in peace and reconciliation with all. Amen.

4. (Jeremiah 29.11-14)
Reader: Surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile

Leader: Gracious God, hope of the world, as we light this Advent candle,
waken our minds to your Word.
      All: Waken our hearts to your promise.
Open our eyes to your coming.
      Open our arms to your presence.
      O come, O Come, Emmanuel. Alleluia!



5. (Revelation 21.22-24, 22.5, 7a)
Reader: I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Holy One, God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the rulers of the earth will bring their glory into it. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. And he said to me, “See, I am coming soon!”

Leader:
God of light, as we light this candle in this season of darkness,
our hearts ache for your presence.
     All: Dawn upon us and be our light.
Spirit of hope, in this season of waiting we turn to you.
     Bless us with your patience, and grant us your hope.
O Loving Christ, we pray for one another, for your church, and for all Creation.
     Come, Lord Jesus, come, and grant us your love. Amen.

6.
We praise you, O God, for this circle of light
that marks our days of preparation for Christ’s advent.
     As we light the first candle on the wreath,
     rouse us from sleep, that we may be ready to greet our Christ
     coming like spring with hands of healing.
Enlighten us with your grace,
and prepare our hearts to welcome Christ with joy.
     Kindle within us the gift of hope through Christ our Beloved,
     whose coming is certain and whose day draws near. Amen.


Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of light, in the darkness of this world your dawn is rising. Your love is at work. Waken our hearts. Keep us ready to see you. Open the ears of our hearts, ready to hear you. Speak, for in the dark, we are watching. We are listening. Amen.

2.
In this dark time of year, God, we long for your coming. When darkness falls upon the world, we long for your peace. For healing, we wait. For justice, we hope. Strengthen our hearts, that we may be steadfast in faith, constant in love, and radiant with hope even when times are dark. In the name of Christ, who is coming, and who is always with us, we pray. Amen.

3.
Loving God, you promise more than we see. You intend more than we know. You lead us more than we trust. Awaken our hearts with your Word. Stir up your Spirit in us to wait for the dawning of your delight among us with grace and faith. Amen.

4.
Holy One, we come to you full of hopes and fears. We bear in our hearts deep longing for you, that you would come and be with us. We ask your blessing on our deepest yearnings that are not even known to us, but only faint stirrings in the darkness. Loving God, we are homesick for you. Come to us; speak to us; bring us into the light and warmth of the home that is your Word. Amen.

5.
Stir up your power, O Christ, and come. By your merciful grace, may the light of your presence dawn upon us, that we may see the signs of your coming, and live in hope; for you live and reign with the Creator and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Holy Mystery,
You who are coming and yet here,
You who are our hope,
longed for yet unimaginable,
waken us.
Open our hearts to hold space for you
to hope in us.
We are alert; we are waiting.

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.
       Gracious God,
       We confess the darkness and cold in our lives.
       Like barren trees in winter,
       we do not bear the fruits of love
       as you would have us.
       Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
       and be born in us again,
       that by your grace we may bear your light.
       O come to us, Lord, and save us! Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

Note: Even though it’s Advent people are eager to jump ahead and sing Christmas Carols. I’ve addressed this by putting four whole Eucharistic Prayers and 24 Eucharistic Prayer responses to familiar carol tunes. See also Advent Table Songs for invitation to communion. (Click on titles to view them).

1.
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
Beloved, God is with you.
       And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
       We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Faithful One, our God.
       It is good to give God thanks and praise.

We thank you, God, for you create us in your image.
You judge the forces of evil and set us free from all that oppresses,
calling us to justice and freedom.
       You promise a new world, dawning just beyond our imagination.
You walk with us through the dark toward the light;
and we rejoice that your presence is the light.
       Therefore we sing your praise with all Creation:
                      [Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, who embodied among us the Realm to Come.
       The light of that Realm began to dawn in his teaching and healing,
       in his witness for justice, in the community he gathered,
       in his death and resurrection.

                  [The Blessing and Covenant…]*

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
       Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
       we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
       as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
       as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
                    [Memorial Acclamation]

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of 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,
       in our speaking and praying and acting, living signs of Christ’s coming.


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

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

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have placed within us the sign of your coming, your covenant to be with us in faithful love. Send us into the world to live and to serve as those who believe in your coming, that in our transformation others may see signs of the transformation of the world, for the sake of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
In the Word, the bread, and the community we have seen signs of your presence. Guide and sustain us by these gifts that we may always live in hope of your coming, and confidence in your presence. Send us into the world, increasing and abounding in love for one another and for all, that they may see in us signs of your coming. Amen

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view and hear audio samples on the music page.)

        All songs with “Advent” tags, especially:

Child of Promise (Original song)

Child of promise, oh, child of hope, prophets spoke of you:
visions treasured but unfulfilled. Shall our dreams come true?
Help us wait for you.

Child of woman, oh, child of God, birthing us anew,
make a room, oh, make a womb, in our hearts for you.
Help us wait for you.

Child of patience, oh, child of pain, suffering ills we do,
heal, forgive and help us be gentle child, like you.
Help us wait for you.

Child of wonder, oh, child of joy, you make all things new.
Re-create us, come again like the morning dew.
Help us wait for you.


Psalm 25.1-10 (Tune: What Child Is This)

To you, O God, I lift my soul; in you, my trust abiding.
O lead my feet with mercy sweet: my only path your guiding.
Love, make me know your ways, that I may follow all my days.
You, you will save me, God. For you my heart is waiting.

Be mindful of your mercy, God, your love, here from the beginning.
Now set me free and deliver me from wayward fear and sinning.
Love, make me know your ways, that I may follow all my days.
You, you will save me, God. For you my heart is waiting.

How loving and how good you are: you teach the humble and feed them,
and turn their face with steadfast grace toward life, and faithfully lead them.
Love, make me know your ways, that I may follow all my days.
You, you will save me, God. For you my heart is waiting.


         Songs with weekly responses through Advent:

God, We Are Waiting (Original song)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Congregation:
God, we are waiting, watching and hoping.
Come to us and save us and bring us peace.

Cantor, Week 1:
In the face of fear and the world’s distress
look for signs that God is here to bless.
Let your heart not be weighed down with fear:
your redemption’s drawing near.


Tree of Life (Original song)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Week 1:
Look to the leaves of the fig tree:
when they bud, you know summer is near.
So take heart, the Beloved is coming,
healing our sin and our fear.

Tree of life in winter,
stir our hearts with cheer.
The healing of the nations comes.
The one who is coming, coming, is near.

Like a tree in the dead of winter
whose life is a secret within,
God’s hidden grace will appear
to save us from death and sin.

Advent Blessing Songs are ideal for the closing of worship, for the congregation to sing to each other.

For the Hanging of the Greens, Adorning Your House.

OT 23 – 16th Sunday After Pentecost

September 8, 2024


Lectionary Texts

Proverbs 22. 1-2, 8-9, 22-23 — God is maker of both rich and poor. Condemns injustice. Care for the poor.

Psalm 124 God’s grace alone has saved us when we were in danger.

James 2. 1-17 — Do not favor the rich over the poor…. Don’t judge one another…. Mercy triumphs over judgment…. Faith without works is dead.

Mark 7.24-37 Jesus and the Syrophonecian woman. He cures a deaf man.

Preaching Thoughts

The Syrophonecian woman
       Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there to see just how Jesus said that line? “It’s not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” Maybe he said it teasingly, highlighting the rejection she would expect. Maybe he said it as a test, hoping she would push back. Maybe he said it almost as a question: he thought his mission was to Israel, but here this Gentile was asking for healing. Hm…
       But maybe he said it straight: it reflected the deep inherent bias he grew up with, that Gentiles were undeserving outsiders. “Dogs,” of course, was a racial slur. But her rejoinder is gutsy and persistent. She doesn’t back down. She jousts with him like a rabbi would: not just arguing, but using wordplay, and besting him at it. She takes his slur and turns it into a parable! All of these are qualities Jesus would appreciate. He basically says, “You win.” But most significantly, it’s not her cleverness that changes Jesus’ mind: it’s that she awakens him to the fact that she’s a person, not a stereotype. He recognizes his inherent bias and chooses otherwise. This is the work of anti-racism. This is the process we go through in overcoming bias around race, gender identity, poverty, mental illness and other forms of discrimination. We recognize our inherent bias, acknowledge how it hurts others and choose otherwise.
       The unnamed Syrophonecian woman is one of a whole cast of gutsy, “uppity women” who model true faith—faith not as religious certainty, but as tenaciously hanging on to life, healing, truth and justice. They love at great cost. They don’t give in. Patriarchal as scripture is, it can’t hide the long train of those women whose guts and faith enrich our lives, from Eve, Tamar, Rahab and Esther to the unnamed woman who anoints Jesus’ feet, the widow and her mite, the woman with the flow of blood, and Mary Magdalene. These are our confident sisters. Thank God for them.

The deaf man
       Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened!” Was Jesus asking for the man’s ears to be opened? Or heaven? Or the well of his healing powers? Or the hearts of the onlookers? Or our own hearts? Or the possibilities of the future? In so many ways these words are at the heart of Jesus’ message. He’s inviting us to open our ears (“Those who have ears to hear, listen…”) He’s inviting our open-mindedness. He’s asking us to open our hearts. He’s opening the grace of heaven to us. He’s opening up the future. Maybe Jesus would not define faith as certainty but openness.
      As always in stories about healing, watch out for implying that one’s disease, mental illness or disability is something that needs to be fixed. Some conditions are curable; some are not. Some arise from personal choices; most do not. Some people want their condition to change; others don’t. When you preach about a healing, be aware there are people in your congregation who are not healed—though they may want and even pray to be—and may have some feelings about that. And there may be some who are fine with their condition, and don’t need to hear about how they ought to be fixed. Take care not to imply that there’s something wrong with people as they are.
       And be careful about ableism. We can use “deaf” as a pejorative judgment, as in “she turned a deaf ear…” There’s nothing wrong with being deaf, and deaf people need to hear that. Yes, hear. There’s more than one kind of deafness, more than one kind of hearing. When we label people whose ears work as “deaf” what do we actually mean? Inattentive? Callous? Self-absorbed? Then say that. If you mean “turn away from” or “was unwilling to hear” then say that. Don’t lump defensive people in with people who have a hearing disability. A person can’t “turn a deaf ear” to something: that’s a choice. Deafness is not. And deaf people hear a lot, just not through sound waves. After all, what does it mean to “hear?” Attend… obey… receive…. Deaf people do hear in those ways.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of ancient truth, our ancestors lead us to this place.
     All:  We open our minds to your Word.
Gentle Christ, your loving community gathers us here to be changed by your grace.
     We open our hearts to your love.
Holy Spirit, our thirst for you has brought us to worship.
     We open our lives to your power,
     and we open our arms to one another,
     that we may open ourselves to the world, in the love of Christ. Amen.

2.
Leader:  Infinite God, Heart of Being, you draw us near.
     All: Open our lips to sing your praise.
Loving Christ, beloved Friend, you lay your healing hands upon us.
     Open our eyes and ears to see and hear your presence.
Holy Spirit, Word of new Creation. you burn within us.
     Open our hearts and minds to live in new ways.
     Your will be done. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Your Word creates the heavens and the earth, O God;
therefore we listen with open ears.
     All:  Your love gives us life; therefore we open our lips to praise you.
You give us your Christ who heals us, teaches us and calls us.
     With gratitude we receive him with open arms.
You give us your Spirit, that guides us in the wisdom of your love.
     We open our hearts to your presence and your grace.
Open our ears to hear you, God, and our hands to serve you.
     Alleluia!  Arise in us, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: God of love, open our eyes to your glory.         
          All: Open our hearts to your grace.
Open our arms to your beloved children.
          Open the door and enter our lives
          as we worship you in gratitude and wonder.   Alleluia!

5.
Leader: God of Life,
    All: you are as near to us as our breath.
Touch our eyes,
    that we may see you in one another.
Open our ears,
    that we may hear your voice in the cries of the oppressed.
Enter our hearts,
    that we may be filled with your love toward all people.
Come, O God of life and breath and wholeness.
    Be with us now. Show us the way to new life
    and grant us the courage to be people of your Way.


6.
Leader: Loving God, you have opened our hearts by your grace;
All: open our minds with your Word.
You have opened heaven to us in the presence of Christ.
You have opened our graves by his resurrection,
so that death can no longer hold us
Come now, and open our eyes to your presence;
open our hearts to your grace.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your power. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Spirit of Love, when we can’t hear your Word, or see your Way, we feel deaf and blind.  When we can’t sing your praise we feel mute.  Heal us.  Open our hearts, and set us on a path of endless learning and growing in the Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

2.
Gentle God, we come to you seeking healing, wisdom and life.  Bless us with your love, your Word, your touch.  Only say the word and we shall be made whole.  Have mercy, O Lord, and bless us.  Amen.

3.
Eternal God, you who have created the heavens and the earth, create us anew in the power of your Spirit.  You opened up the space of the heavens, and set therein stars like eyes to shine on us.  Open our own eyes, that we may behold your glory and worship you.  In Jesus Christ you healed people’s bodies and hearts.  Open our hearts to your grace, that we may made new in the image of Christ. Your Spirit opened the lips of the mute and gave them good news to tell.  O Lord, open our lips, and our mouths shall declare your praise.  Amen.

4.
Eternal God, your Word creates us; your grace orders our lives; your love guides and sustains us. Yet we lose sight of your presence; we grow deaf to your voice; we forget your promise. Open the eyes of our hearts, that we may receive and share your grace, for the sake of the world, in the name and Spirit of Christ.

5.
Gentle God, we often hear voices telling us we are not worthy of your love, voices around us and within us. But your Spirit intercedes for us, and pleads for our wholeness. And in your grace, you open yourself to us. Give us faith to receive your grace, to allow ourselves to be healed, and to be made new in the power of your love. We pray in the ever-faithful name of Jesus. Amen.

6.
God, I throw open the window of my heart.
Let the light of your grace flood my house.
Let the breeze of your Spirit freshen my air.
Let your love kindle the fire at my heart,
that I may live by your warmth and light all my days,
in the name and the company of Christ. Amen.

7.
Healing God, you sent Christ to heal all people. Send your Living Word now to make us whole, to make us new, to make us yours. We listen with open hearts as your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, so that we may hear what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer  

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

1.
God of love, you want to open our eyes.
You speak deep within us.
Give us grace to listen, to hear, and to be changed
by your loving presence, your living Word. Amen.

2.
Jesus, Life-Giver, Whole-Maker,
healer of my soul,
you lay your hands on my heart
and pray “Be opened.”
My heart is open;
your heart is open;
all of heaven is open.
Let your grace pour in.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of wholeness,
we confess our ears are closed to your Word;
our eyes are closed to your wonder.
Our hearts are closed up, afraid of the pain.
Open us.
Heal us, forgive us, and give us a tongue of love,
by the mercy we know in Christ.


2.
God of truth,
help us to acknowledge our inherent biases,
our judgments against those we think of as “other.”
Forgive us, and heal us.
Help us to see our biases,
to name them and repent of them,
and act in new ways.
Help us to see others, even those very different from us,
as persons, as your beloved.
Remove all in us that inhibits our perfect love,
which is our perfect loveliness.
We pray in the name of Christ,
who was radically open to your grace.
Amen.

3.
Gentle God,
the wounds we have suffered have closed over,
but they have not healed.
Like clutching fists, our spirits have closed around our fears.
We have closed our minds to your truth;
we have closed our hearts to your grace;
and we have closed off our lives from others.
Forgive us, God.
Heal us, and open us to your presence and your grace;
open our hearts to one another.


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 the Holy One.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One our God.
    It is good to give God thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, O God, for you create all things in love.
   You make us in your image and call us your Beloved,
   and continually re-create us by your grace.
   You know our struggles and bear our suffering.
   You judge the forces of oppression and set us free.
You guide us into a new world of mercy and justice;
   you heal the splinterings of race and clan, creed and status.
You draw us into the Empire of Grace
   in the company of Jesus your Christ.

            [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 loved all people,
   calling us to repentance and offering new life.

  
He defied barriers and created a new community
   of love, justice and inclusiveness.
He opened heaven to us, that we might commune with God.
For his resistance to injustice he was crucified,
but you raised him from the dead.

   
[… The Blessing and Covenant…] *

With gratitude we remember your mighty acts in Jesus Christ.
    Therefore we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
    as a living 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]

As the dogs that eat the crumbs that fall from the table,
we come not because we are worthy but because you invite us.
No one is turned away.
     We thank you for these gifts
     that unite us with all who hunger for your grace.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
     Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
     that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
     Open us to your grace and to the new life you offer us;
     make us vessels of your love.
     Open us to one another; make us one in your Spirit.

Open us to the suffering of the world,
and to your healing flowing through us.
    By your grace in this meal
    prepare us to work for  healing and justice
    for the sake of your delight.
All glory and honor is yours,
faithful and loving God, now and forever.

     [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,
he 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,
shed for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.  You have opened our hearts to your grace.  Now open our hands to do the work you give us, to work for justice and healing for the sake of the wholeness of all Creation, in the name and Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

I Am Open (Original song)

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

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

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

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



Open Me Original song)
A dialogue between soloist and congregation.
Refrain may be used as a repeating chant.


Solo:
Ears are stopped. Not listening.
Eyes of my heart don’t see a thing.
I need you.
Touch me and heal me and open my life with your love.

All, Refrain: Open me. Open me. Open me. Open me.

Mind is closed. Much to learn.
Love, how I need to change and turn.
So teach me.
Open my mind to the new and the whole and to you.
Refrain…

Hands are closed. Hearts are hard.
The Circle of Life is torn and scarred.
So heal us.
Open our hearts to each other so blessing may flow.
Refrain….

Love is here. Grace abounds.
Heaven itself is all around.
Enlarge me.
Open the doors of my soul and let light shine within.
Refrain…

With Open Hands   (Tune: The Water Is Wide)

O Lord, we come with open hands for grace we do not understand.
We simply take, and we are blessed that you receive us as your guest.

We open all our treasure stores in gratitude that freely pour
from open hearts that you have healed, so in our love yours is revealed.
         
You open wide great heaven’s doors; your love includes, heals and restores.
We share your feast, and we are called with open arms to all the world.



OT 22 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost

September 1, 2024


Lectionary Texts

Song of Solomon 2.8-13 —The voice of my beloved! “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

Psalm 45 — A wedding ode to a prince marrying a foreign princess, extolling both his personal loveliness and his nobility as a ruler.
Alternate: Psalm 72 — God guide the king, that he may defend the cause of the poor, and that he may prevail over the enemies of justice.

James 1. 17-27 — • Everything is a gift from God. • We are children of God’s truth, and clear expressions of God’s creativity. • Be quick to listen and slow to speak, and slow to anger. • We do not just hear the Word of God; we do it. • Religion is to care for the needy and stay “unstained from the world.”

Mark 7. 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 — “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” … “It’s nothing outside you, but what comes from within, that defiles you.”

Preaching Thoughts

Song of Solomon
       Oh, we’ve tried so hard to make this a theological allegory, but face it: it’s ancient Near Eastern erotic poetry. Check out 7.7-8: “ You are stately as a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its branches.” Allegorize that all you want. It’s still erotic poetry. Let it be that! For one thing, let it celebrate the joy and mystery of erotic love, of romance between two people. That experience is not devoid of God. Find the divine there!
       And, just to get theological: no matter how you allegorize or assign parts, this makes it clear that God’s love for us is erotic love: God’s desires us, because we’re beautiful to God. God wants us. Whatever we think of as erotic love, as physical as it gets, is how God loves us. God wants physical intimacy with us just as deeply as two human lovers do. What might that mean? Maybe finding God in our bodies… in our relationships… in all forms of love… in forms of body-prayer… in embodying God’s love in whatever ways we are given to do so…And maybe we discover the erotic love of God: loving God simply because God is desirable, beautiful, attractive, and dear to us. The Song of Solomon lets our full passion flower: God is our Heavenly Lover.

James
       Preaching on James, you have to pick a verse or two; there are several topics in a small basket.
A parallel between James, the song of Solomon and the Gospel is the connection between inner and outer. Real faith is both inward and outward: both the passion of love and its embodiment, both hearing and doing the word, both inner and outer “cleansing,”? both prayer and justice. It means both being quick to listen and also caring for the orphan and widow, that is, the needy.
      To “remain unstained by the world” doesn’t mean to avoid getting our hands dirty. It means to avoid letting the values of the world determine who we are and how we live. It means even when we’re immersed in a culture of consumerism, capitalism, violence, selfishness and all that, it doesn’t stick to us: we’re moved by compassion, trust, the presence of Christ, and the energy of the Holy Spirit.

Mark
   
    In Jesus’s culture cleanliness really was “next-to-Godliness.” Jesus’ critique isn’t to diminish ritual cleanliness, but to attach it to its deeper meaning: outer cleanliness should reflect inner commitment, and inner commitment should bear fruit in outward actions. All our “bad stuff,” our theft, murder, adultery, slander and so on, come from within. How does what you do reflect what’s in you? Whatever is in your heart—joy or anger, resentment or mercy, fear or love, meanness or loveliness—that’s what will spill out onto others. No matter how you try to disguise it, your heart will make itself known. So work on what’s in our heart, and work on harmonizing your outward words and actions with what you really believe in.
       It’s what comes out of our mouth that defiles us. How much of our public discourse and private conversations are laced with trash talk, meanness and judgmentalism! As much as it makes us feel superior to judge others, Jesus says it defiles us. Watch out.
       Whatever is in you is what spills out to others. Imagine the incense of your heart burning all the time. Whatever it is will suffuse the air around you. If what’s in your heart is the burning tires of anger and resentment, your neighbors will smell it. If it’s the jasmine of forgiveness and mercy, they’ll know. Attend to what is within, for it will come out.
       It’s not what comes from outside us that defiles us. Boy, do we need to hear that. There’s a part of us that has a hard time trusting that. When bad stuff happens we think, “What have I done to deserve this?” We’re not much more enlightened than believers in Bronze age superstitions when we think God punishes bad behavior with bad experiences, when we think what happens to us reflects who we are. Sure, sometimes we bring consequences on ourselves. But there’s a difference between natural consequences and divine punishment. Victims of abuse or relationship violence need to hear this over and over. What somebody else does to you does not defile you. Think of Jesus on the cross: treated as less than human, scorned, rejected, condemned—but none of that diminished his loveliness, his goodness, his dignity. One reflection of Jame’s statement that true religion is to care for the needy and “remain unstained by the world” is to keep our gentleness and generosity intact even when those around us accuse us, judge us and even despise us, to remain humble and compassionate even when others encourage us to be resentful, vengeful or defensive. We don’t let others decide how we’re going to live.

Call to Worship

1.            [Song of Solomon 2.10-13]
Leader: Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
All: O Beloved, we hear your voice, and awaken.
For now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.
God of love, our souls, enclosed, emerge
to you like small green things in spring, seeking your light.

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come.
O Beautiful One, our spirits sing love songs to you.
The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
You whom we desire above all, our hearts join all Creation in praise.
The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
O Lovely One, we open to the sunlight of your grace,
that we may bear the fruit of love.

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Yes! We love you. We come—to be with you,
to worship, to revel in your love.
Heavenly Lover, we are yours.

2.
Leader: A Mystery Beyond us calls to us.
All: A Beauty from deep within beckons.
Our busy minds can’t perceive it.
Our human traditions can’t contain it.
But it calls to us and we must answer.
It rises in us like a song, and we must sing.
So, Holy One, we gather to worship you.
We gather to listen and wonder
and blossom with your grace. Amen.

3.
Leader:  Muddy water swirls, clouded and opaque.
     All:  Still water settles out, and becomes clear.
God has called us to this time and place to be still in God’s grace.
     We come to rest in God’s presence, that what is within may become clear.
God desires truth in the inward being.
     Holy Spirit, clarify our souls, cleanse our hearts,
     and renew within us the desire to do your will,
     in the name and grace of Christ.

Prayer

1.
God of grace, you give us your law not to restrict us but to set us free.  Help us by your grace to hear and understand, to listen and discern; to know and choose wisely.  By your Holy Spirit, your Word in Christ, alive in us, guide us in the way of your Wisdom.  Amen.

2.
God of truth and power, we observe many traditions, we meet many expectations, we follow many habits. But now in this moment, free of past or future, there is no one to judge us or to compare; there is only you, hidden in your Word. Help us to listen for your presence, to hear what is True, to be changed by your Word. Our hearts are open vessels. Pour yourself in, and we will receive you. Amen.

3.
Eternal God, we are hungry for your truth. Feed us with your Word. Clear our minds; open our hearts; ready our hands: to receive your Word and to digest it, to hear your Word and to do it, to love your Christ and to follow in the deep joy and compassion of the life you give. Speak, for our hearts are listening. Amen.

4.
God of love, we acknowledge the selfishness and fear that come from within us, the things that hinder our perfect love. Heal our wounds and fears; wash us clean of our faults, so that what comes from us offers love to all, in the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor:  Friends in Christ, we desire to be in harmony with God,
who desires truth in the inward being.
     All: We confess what is within us is a mix of love and fear.
God, open to us our inward lives, that we may see clearly, and be made new.
     Help us see clearly what within us is born of love,
     and what is born of our wants and fears.

     By your grace transform our inner desires,
     that what flows from our hearts may be love and healing,
     and the grace of Christ.
[Silent prayer  …   Words of grace]
    
2.
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, You who are truth,
You who dwell within me:
You see me as I am; and you receive me as I am.
Help me to shed all attachment to outward appearances,
to see myself truthfully,
and to let myself be filled from the inside out
with your grace, your forgiveness,
your blessing, your love.

[Silent prayer   ..   The Word of Grace]

Listening Prayer

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

We look within,
to what is deeper than we can see,
deepest in our hearts,
where only you can perceive,
and where you bless.
There in the darkness,
heal us; wash us;
love us; hold us.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.         [James 1.17-27]
   With gratitude we affirm that every good thing is a gift of God, the Mother of stars, the Father of lights, whose love is not shadowed or changing.
   We give thanks that Christ, the Word of God, the word of truth, has given us birth so that the wonder of Creation might blossom in us.
    By the Holy Spirit we seek to be doers of the word, not hearers only, to live by the perfect law, the law of liberty. We seek to rid ourselves of selfish desires, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save our souls.  By the Spirit’s grace we seek to persevere, to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. We devote ourselves to care for those who are vulnerable, to do justice and act mercifully, and to serve God in all we do, in the name of Christ.  Amen.

2.
        We trust in God, whose Word creates all that is, whose Wisdom is life itself.
        We follow Jesus, God’s Word made flesh, who taught and healed, who loved and liberated, and who continually renews in us the ways of God’s love. In love he gave himself and was crucified; in love he was raised from the dead. Christ will come again and again to give us wisdom and guide us in the ways of God.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s loving Wisdom alive in us. By God’s Spirit, as the Body of Christ, we live in the way of Jesus, choosing love and forgiveness, healing and justice. To this we give our lives, praying that always God will unite us, redeem us, guide us and empower us 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.

God, Beloved, we thank you. We love you. We desire you.
We gather at your table, drawn by your love and your beauty.
In your grace and mercy you are like a gazelle,
leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.
You create us as the image of your love.
You claim us as your Beloved.
You set us free from all that oppresses us.
You Spirit calls to us, “Arise, my love, and come away.”
We leave all our worries and judgments, and come to you.
We come in thanksgiving. We come because we love you.
Our Heavenly Lover, you are beautiful, and we desire you.
So we come to feast on your presence,
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 your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
the body of your loveliness.
He is our Beloved, who does not merely speak of you;
he draws us into delight in you.

In him we fall in love with you.
In Christ we taste of your goodness;
we die for love of you and rise in the ecstasy of faith.


     (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,
wildly in love with you, and with your world.
In these gifts of bread and cup, and the gift of this gathered community,
we draw near to you.
Arise, Love, and fill us with your beauty,
that we may go into the world radiant with your Spirit,
in the name 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.]
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 may the grace that is in our hearts shine out through our words and actions and all our choices. Send us into the world to share your love for the sake of the redemption of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Song

(Click on title to see on the music page.)

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

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

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

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



OT 21 – 14th Sunday after Pentecost

August 25, 2024


Lectionary Texts

1 Kings 8.(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 — The Ark is brought into the newly built temple. Solomon’s prayer.

Psalm 84 — “How lovely is your dwelling place … even the sparrow finds a home.”

Ephesians 6. 10-20 — We are not struggling against other people, but against the power of evil. “Put on the armor of God.”

John 6. 56-69 — Again, Jesus as the bread of life: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.” Some followers quit. “Do you, too, want to leave?” “To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Preaching Thoughts

1 Kings
 
      Thick darkness. When the Ark is brought into the temple God comes in, cloaked in a dark cloud. The lectionary cuts v. 12, where Solomon says “The Holy One has said that they would dwell in thick darkness.” I usually include it. Here’s a contrasting image to all the light we get in scripture. Turns out God is both light and dark. It’s a corrective for our dualistic judgment that light is good and dark is bad. (As in “this present darkness” in Ephesians) Sometimes there’s such a thing as too much light (think of sunglasses, sunscreen, overexposed photos, highway glare, a winter whiteout…) And our deep racism lets us think of dark skin as inferior to light skin. So here’s a welcome balance: God dwells in darkness. Even “the glory of God” is dark! Darkness doesn’t always signify gloom or doom; sometimes it means richness (coffee, chocolate) or mystery (The Cloud of Unknowing, being “in the dark”). Explore all the ways we might discover God in darkness.
       “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Even heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, much less this house that I have built!” Yes, God will be present, but not just, or even primarily, in one place. God will be everywhere. God is greater than all of Creation. God is infinite and there is nothing beyond or outside God; and the universe is finite… so all of Creation exists inside God. The temple is not the unique locus of God, but the locus of our prayers.
       “When a foreigner prayers toward this house…” Solomon’s prayer is all-inclusive: for all who enter or “pray toward” the temple, even foreigners. God is accessible to everybody. The conviction is repeated in the prophets: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isa. 56.7).

Psalm
    
“Your dwelling place” is not just the temple; it’s wherever God is, which is everywhere. It’s God’s presence with us. The song invites us to live in God’s presence, in God’s “house.” All of us, even wild creatures as insignificant as sparrows, are at home in God.

Ephesians
       “Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh…” This is the heart of nonviolent resistance. We are not against people who do injustice; we are against the injustice. The people themselves we bless and pray for. After all they too are caught up in the evil of the system, the “cosmic powers of this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” The heavenly places are both in our hearts and in the political, economic, cultural and even religious systems we create and sustain. Though there are individuals who employ power in evil ways, the “enemy” is beyond any one person. This doesn’t let tyrants off the hook— justice demands that tyrants be removed- but it reminds us that getting rid of the tyrant doesn’t solve the problem. The evil lies deeper and broader than in any one person. It’s hard to keep in our minds and hearts in a fraught political climate, but essential for justice.electing the good one instead of the bad one is only a small step in the struggle against evil.
       The armor of God. It’s sad how often in our sinful anxiety we take this lovely image and turn it backwards and weaponize our faith. To put on the armor of God is to renounce the usual ways we protect ourselves—through violence, coercion, defensiveness and assertion—and instead entrust ourselves in vulnerable nonviolence to love, faith and the grace of God. Instead of shielding yourself with defensiveness, take up the shield of trust. Instead of domination, take the sword of the Spirit. It’s specifically non-violent.

John
       “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” Yeah, by now we’re with the disciples: enough of this gory talk about eating your flesh, Jesus! And for that matter enough of these teachings that are just plain too hard—either too hard to understand or, worse, the ones we do understand and they’re too hard to follow. Se can understand the people who quit. But don’t we all? Now and then, or a little bit all the time? We don’t really, fully follow Jesus 24/7. We’re continually asking for the strength and trust to hang in there. Not just to remain “good Christians,” but to keep on with the work of healing and justice, to stay non-violent in a hostile atmosphere, to get free of the grip of an addiction, to keep forgiving our enemies, to know the right thing to do in an abusive relationship, to continue to care for Creation in the face of climate change and corporate destructiveness—to keep going when it would be such a relief to just quit. We are all at times asking, hungry, even desperate, for the faith to continue.
       And what gives us the faith to continue? Divine Presence. The life-giving grace of God. Jesus hanging in there with us even when we falter. The Bread of Life, offered to us when we’re hungry. Eat and be satisfied. Our preaching needs to point people toward the hope they’re searching for, the trust and courage they need to keep on.
      “Do you also wish to go away?” Jesus is the Bread of Life. He’s also the Truly Human Human Being being human. As people drop away, Jesus turns to his beloved and asks—not just as as a theological challenge or a test of discipleship, but as a guy who doesn’t like to feel lonely or like a failure: “Do you also wish to go away?” So human, so personal, so poignant. It reminds us we have a choice to make, and that Jesus cares about that choice. It also suggests that Jesus wants you. He needs you. He wants you by his side. He’s counting on you when things get tough—for him. As in Gethsemane, it’s not a demand for our faith, it’s a personal request: Jesus asks us to be with him. Maybe that;’s most of what faith is not necessarily strong conviction but simply hanging in there with Jesus so we’re there when he needs us.
       “To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Peter’s response to Jesus is equally poignant. There’s almost a sense of homelessness, of being refugees. Where else can we go? When life in the church gets nasty, when the institution seems to embody the “rulers and authorities and the cosmic powers of evil,” we may be tempted to jump ship. But where else to we receive life like we do from Jesus? This may be not just about leaving or staying with the church, but about what we let go of and what we hang onto, about the ongoing process of refining our faith, letting go of old, non-life-giving stuff and seeing things in a new way. Sometimes we do need to “go away,” at least from certain beliefs, habits or practices. And we need to stay true to where we hear the words of eternal life, where we are deeply connected with the Divine in a life-giving way.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of love, we are hungry for your grace.
        
All:  You feed us the bread of life, and we thank you.
We are thirsty for your presence.
         You give us drink from the well of eternal life, and we rejoice.
We hunger and thirst for true love.
           We feast on your grace, and we worship you.  Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creator God, many voices in this world would claim our attention.
 All:  But to whom can we turn?  You have the words of eternal life.
Y
ou form us in your image.
 We are in awe.  We worship you.
You beckon us like a loving parent.
 We are in love, and we come to you.
You enfold us in your grace and fill us with your transforming Spirit.
 Alleluia!  Receive us, Heavenly Lover!
 Heal us, Risen Brother!
 Make us new, Spirit of Life!  Alleluia!

3.
Leader:  God’s love is made known to us in Christ.
 All: We come to hear the good news.
We are hungry for God’s grace.
 We come not merely to listen to Jesus,
 but to consume him: to “inwardly digest,”
 to make his love part of who we are.
In that holy hunger, we praise, we pray, we worship.
 Alleluia!  Come, Christ, and feed our souls.  Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Creator God, you speak to us the words of eternal life.
All: Loving Christ, you are the Bread of Life.
And yet, God, your Word disturbs us.
O Christ, your wisdom challenges us.
And yet here we are.
And yet we choose to follow you.
Speak to us then, and change our hearts.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
          All: You alone are holy, and we worship you.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Holy One!
Even the sparrow finds a home in you.
          We come to you, and pour ourselves out to you;
          for you have the words of eternal life.
New every morning is your love, God of life,
and you are working for good throughout the day.
            Alleluia!  Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, how lovely is your dwelling among us!
How desirable is your presence with us.
How deeply we are attracted to be with you in intimacy and safety.
Alleluia!  Holy Spirit, you invite us to take your grace into ourselves,
and so we come to you.
Fill us, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

7.
Leader: In this quiet hour may our spirits be renewed.
All: May there be joy in our coming together this day.
Let there be truth in the words we speak and the thoughts we hear.
May there be help and healing for our disharmony and despair.

May there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.
May there be joy in our coming together,
for you are at our center.


8.
Leader: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Holy One.
All: Our souls long for your presence.
Even the sparrow finds a home in your shelter.
Joy is ours, to dwell in your grace.
God of love, you bring us into your presence.
We come in song and silence,
into the dark mystery and the warm light,
into the sanctuary of your grace.
Loving Mystery, bless us.
Faithful Lover, hold us, as we worship you in praise, in thanksgiving, in awe.
Alleluia!


9.
Leader: God of Mystery, you call us. We come.
All: God of Darkness, you surround us. We attend to you.
God of Grace, you hear our prayers. We cry out to you.
God of Silence, you enfold us. We wait for you.
God of Eternity, we are always with you and within you.
Open our hearts to be aware of your loving presence.
God of love, you hear the silent prayers of all peoples.
In gratitude, we listen for your grace. Amen.

10.
Leader: Sweetness of Heaven, all around!
All: Honor and beauty before us!
We are silent in wonder and humility.
We praise you in gratitude and joy.
We who hunger for life come with trembling lips and open hands.
Bread of Life, you feed us. Fountain of healing, you renew us.
!Bread of Life, we feast upon your grace
Alleluia! We worship you. We consume you. We become you. Alleluia!

11.
Leader: Generous God, you have provided shelter for us in your love,
and a sanctuary in your arms.
All: As we enter your house we give thanks for your grace,
and pray that we may always be at home in your love.
A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Alleluia! Happy are those who trust in you. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of life, we hunger for your love, and you give us Christ, the bread of Life.  So we come to feast on your Word, to listen and “inwardly digest,” and to be changed, that we too may be bread for the world.  Feed us with your grace.  Amen

2.
Gracious God, we have been promised that no one will be turned away who comes to Christ.  We come to you now, to know your presence, to hear your Word, to be transformed by your grace.  Speak to us, touch us, and take our lives as your own.  We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

3.
God of Silence, God of the Word, your Christ, Jesus, has the words of eternal life. They are challenging words, sometimes frightening.  We sometimes want to go away.  Help us now to stay near, to listen with courage and with open hearts, so that your Word may live in our souls and transform us by your grace.     Amen.

4.
Leader: God of Mystery, you call us. We come.
All: God of Darkness, you surround us. We attend to you.
God of Grace, you hear our prayers. We cry out to you.
God of Silence, you enfold us. We wait for you.
God of Eternity, we are always with you and within you.
Open our hearts to be aware of your loving presence.
God of love, you hear the silent prayers of all peoples.
In gratitude, we listen for your grace. Amen.

5.
Eternal God, we are hungry for your truth. Feed us with your Word. Clear our minds; open our hearts; ready our hands: to receive your Word and to digest it, to hear your Word and to do it, to love your Christ and to follow him in the deep joy and compassion of the life you give. Speak, for our hearts are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O mysterious darkness,
open yourself to us.
O sacred silence, speak.
O Word of God, disturb us.
O broken heart of heaven,
invite us in.
Feed us the words of eternal life.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of mercy, we confess to you
that we have struggled against other people—
     but we have ignored the struggle against our own evil.
We confess that we have taken on the armor of this world:
     we confess our domination and defensiveness,
     our willingness for others to be hurt to protect our comfort.

We confess that we have closed ourselves off from you:
     we confess the armor of our ego,
     our apathy and our distrust.
     Closed off, we have failed to love you with all we are,
     and to love our neighbor as you have loved us.
We open our hearts to you,
that we may undefended from your grace.
     Forgive us, heal us, and grant us the spirit of your mercy.
    Clothe us with the armor of your love.
[Silent prayer…]

Beloved of God, receive the good news gladly:
that in Christ we know that all our sin is forgiven entirely
and we are set free to live by the Spirit of God, in faith and love.  Amen.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is 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, for all that we have done that diminishes life,
     that separates us from you and from others,
     we are sorrowful.
     We give to you our broken hearts.
     Receive us, bless us, and heal us.
     Forgive our sin, and restore in us
     the image of Christ.
[Silent prayer    …    the Word of grace….]   

3.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
      All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
     Gentle, healing God:
     for all that is not well in us we seek your healing;
     for all that is in disharmony with your grace
     we seek your transformation;
     from all that is a burden in us we seek relief;
     for all that is broken between us and you, and others,
     we seek your forgiveness, your healing grace,
     and a new way of living.
    Accepting what is. God, we open ourselves in your grace
    to what may be.
[Silent prayer    …    the Word of grace….]   
   

A Prayer for the Sanctuary

God, you who are our dwelling place, we ask your blessing on this Sanctuary.
May it glorify you; may it point us toward you; may it serve you.
May it beckon all who seek you, and welcome all who draw near.
May our worship in this place bring us deeper into your heart.
As we gather in this place may we know your presence with us,
and the presence of all your Beloved on earth and in heaven.
In this place may we love one another, and be strengthened to serve the poor.
Gracious God, hear the prayers of all who pray here.
Bless all those who have worked in this place, and who ever draw near.
May your house be a place of safety, healing and blessing,
a refuge of grace in this world.
God, you who are our dwelling place, we ask your blessing on this Sanctuary.
Amen.

Reading

Psalm 84 – a paraphrase

O God, you who are All and Infinite,
how lovely it is to sit in the living room of your presence.

This yearning I feel, this hunger,
is to be close to you.
Will I listen to my heart cry out,
and my body tremble
to feel you, alive, beside me?

Even the sparrow finds a home,
a swallow finds a place of belonging
to nestle her tender young
near your altar,
O God, Provider of all things.

Blessed are they who live in your house;
their very living is praise to you.
Blessed are they who have no power
except your breathing in them.
Their lives are continual movement toward you.
As they pass through tearful valleys
they make them places of springs,
lush with pools from autumn rains.
They become more and more themselves
until they are wholly present, with you.

I am simply here, God.
Listen to the silence of my heart.
See me as I rest here
in the blessing of your grace.

In this moment, mindful of your presence,
I have nowhere else to be.
I would rather be with you in simplicity
than elsewhere, seeking power.

You are the Source of all light. You bestow favor and honor.
You are generous with good things
to those who open to you.
Lord, Spirit of all life,
happy are those who trust in you.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
            We trust in God, creator of all that is, provider of every good thing to eat.
            We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, who embodied God’s love, made grace available to all, and gave himself in love for us.  He was crucified and died, and was raised from the dead.  We feast on his grace, and his love becomes the substance of our lives. In Christ we are all made one, as grains united in one loaf.
            We live by the Holy Spirit, the Yeast of God in us, who unites us, nourishes us and gives us strength to love our neighbors.  Graced by the power of forgiveness, the promise of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life; protected only by the armor of God’s grace; we serve in the name of Christ for the sake of others, that in the power of the Holy Spirit we may be bread for the world. Amen.

2.
            We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, and all that is to come, who is revealed in Word and deed, in light and in darkness, and who is yet mystery; yet whom we know as love and the source of life.
            We follow Jesus, though his teachings upset our ways and his miracles upend our world, for his words are the words of life and his love is the light of life.  He was crucified and was raised, and lives among us still, speaking to us, present with us, drawing us to him with alluring power.
            We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s power within and among us, which enables us to follow Jesus, to live lives of love, forgiveness, justice and healing, trusting in the power of grace and the mystery of eternal life.  In the unity of the Spirit we live as one Body, the Body of Christ, devoted to self-giving service to the world in the name of Christ. 

3.
            Creator God, how lovely is the dwelling you have made for us!  You who create all things, we gladly awaken in your presence.  You are our maker, our host, and our home.
            Risen Christ, how lovely is your dwelling with us!  You invite us to feast at your table: to be nourished by your wisdom, to be healed by your grace, and to share in this banquet of life with all the other poor sinners of this world.  You who taught and healed, you who died and were raised, you who are the Bread of Life, feed us with your presence, fill us with your spirit, and lead us by your Word. We desire with all our heart and mind and strength to die and live with you in the mystery of eternal life.
            Holy Spirit, love of God, how lovely is your dwelling within us!  Sophia, Wisdom of God, how gracious is your invitation to feast at your table. You make of us one body, the Body of Christ.  We give our hearts to you, that by your grace we may devote ourselves to lives of compassion, justice and joy, for the sake of the transformation of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
       We live in God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be: all of Creation is within God, who is infinite: there is nothing beyond God.
        We follow Jesus, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed and proclaimed a new vision for the world. God was in his life and ministry, and even in his death. Therefore he was raised from the dead, and lives among us still, awakening us to the indwelling presence of God.
        We give thanks for the Holy Spirit, God living within and among us. We trust in the grace of God, the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, the gift of eternal life, and our unity in the Body of Christ. We devote ourselves to lives of compassion for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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.

O Sacred Mystery, O gleaming darkness,
you who we can only love but not comprehend,
we praise you.
O Loving Presence, Heart of Heaven,
you who comfort and disturb, who invite us in,
we thank you.
You create us; you hold us; you free us.
You call us your own; you feed us the words of infinite life.
We gather at your table to feast on the presence of Christ,
the Bread of life.
In harmony with all Creation, we thank you 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, the Bread of Life.
We give thanks that he taught the curious, fed the hungry,
healed the broken and loved the unlovely.

He disturbed the comfortable with words of death and resurrection.
And he offered himself in a life of death and resurrection.
Though his teachings unsettle us, we do not leave him,
but we stay to feast on the words of eternal life.

     (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.
Having been fed the words of eternal life,
may we become bread for the hungry.
May we remain with Jesus, at his side, in his healing work,
doing justice, enacting kindness, embodying resurrection,
in his name and by the power of your Spirit.,
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.
May we continually feed on your presence and become bread for the world. Send us in Jesus’ name to serve and to love, to bless and to heal, in the power of your Spirit, to the ends of the earth. 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 fed us the Bread of life, the words of eternal life. Send us now, unafraid to follow Jesus, into the dark and unknown places, into disturbing places, knowing you dwell in the darkness, knowing you offer, always, the mystery of eternal life. Amen.

3.
… Bless us by these gifts that we might always shelter your love in our hearts, and bear it into the world with gratitude, trust and compassion. We pray as we are devoted to live: in the name and the Spirit of the risen Christ, who is always with us. Amen.

4.
… Bless us with grace and use us according to your will, so that we may serve you more faithfully. May our lives praise you with their beauty. May our actions serve you, for the sake of the healing of the world. We pray, as we give you ourselves, in the name of Christ and in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

A Safe, Healing Place (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God of all living, we truly are blessed:
you are our home and our soul’s gentle nest.
Even the swallows shall find in your arms
safety and beauty and rest from all harm.

As you have welcomed us into this space,
help us find others who long for your grace,
those who seek shelter and all those who roam.
Make of our living a warm, welcome home

You have forgiven and blessed us today,
healed us and raised us to go on our way:
send us in courage with trust in your grace,
to make of this world a safe, healing place.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.


All: (Chorus)Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)


The Heart of Heaven         (Original song)

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

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

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

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

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



How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place
  [Psalm 84]   (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

Congregation:
How lovely is your dwelling place.
We find a home in you, O God.
Even the sparrow finds a place
in the perfect sanctuary of your grace.

Cantor:
1. My soul cries out to be with you.
My heart and flesh sing out to you. Our love is in you.

2. Blessed are they who live in you,
who put their trust in you alone. Our hope is in you.

3. You bless your pilgrims on their way.
You turn our hearts to living springs. Our strength is in you.

4. A day within your house, O God,
is better than a year without. Our joy is in you.

5. I’ll be a servant in your house,
rather than riches on my own. Our heart is in you.

6. There’s nothing good that you withhold
from those who live each day in you. Our home is in you.

Sanctuary (Original song)

Arms of healing, hands of peace, be my sanctuary.
Heal me, bless me with your grace, in your sanctuary.

All are welcome, all are safe, in your sanctuary.
All are given blessed life in your sanctuary.

May we offer, by your grace, holy sanctuary,
be your loving hands and face, be your sanctuary.

OT 20 – 13th Sunday after Pentecost

August 18, 2024


Lectionary Texts

1 Kings 3. 3-14 — Solomon asks for wisdom.

Psalm 111 — Praise! God provides food…shows power… The fear of the Holy One is the beginning of wisdom.

Ephesians 5. 15-20 — Make the most of the time… discern God’s will…. be filled with the Spirit… make melody to God in yo0r hearts….

John 6. 51-58 — “I am the living bread. Eat my flesh; drink my blood.. and live forever.”

Preaching Thoughts

1 Kings
       
Solomon asks to be able to govern well and discern right from wrong. God, pleased that Solomon has not asked for riches or long life or power, promises to give Solomon riches and honor anyway. Don’t let the “happily ever after” ending of this tale distract you from the real point, which is to seek wisdom and not expect reward at all. Wisdom is its own reward.

John
      “Eat my flesh.” Did Jesus really say this? Probably not. This is really John talking. But take it seriously. John invites us not simply to have opinions about Jesus, but to “eat his flesh,” to let him get into our insides and become a vital part of who we are. In this way we know real life, life that is connected to God, which Jesus calls eternal life. Explore what it might mean to “eat his flesh.” Certainly there are eucharistic layers of meaning. What else? ..To absorb his presence… to imagine his suffering as part of you, and his healing power as part of you, too… to “take in“ his forgiveness and his life-giving energy… to let him live in your actions and words…. I don’t think it’s off point to think of a mother saying to her beloved toddler, “Oh, I love you so much I could eat you.” Whatever that means, it’s what Jesus has in mind.
       Exactly what Jesus (or at least John) means by his “flesh” is open to interpretation. He probably doesn’t mean his physical body. So then what? Maybe the embodiment of his love. Maybe his real presence. Paul talks about the Body of Christ. And for Paul the Body of Christ isn’t Jesus’ physical body, it’s the community. We are all members of the Body of Christ. John, writing his gospel, may or may not be thinking of Paul’s language, but maybe he’s making the same point. Maybe by “my flesh” Jesus means his love, enlivened by his Spirit, embodied in the community. Jesus’ love for us is not abstract. It’s embodied among us. In our lives, in our community, we can actually taste and touch Jesus—not in his physical flesh and blood but in the flesh and blood his love has moved into, in the experiences in our lives in which Christ is really, physically present.
      “Those who eat my flesh live forever.” I don’t think Jesus means living an infinitely long time. I think he means living as part of something that never dies. When we’re deeply connected with God we participate in the eternal life of God. It’s not the perpetuation of our ego, our own individual self, but our oneness with the Infinite Mystery of Love that is God. It’s love, not your individuality, that is eternal.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Gracious God, we are hungry for life.
All:  You are the Bread of Life.
We are thirsty for love.
You are the fountain of grace.
We come to feast upon your abundance.
We come to drink of your wisdom.
Alleluia!  We thank you.  We praise you.  We worship you. Alleluia
!

2.
Leader: God, Creator of life, bless us.
All: Christ, bread of life, feed us.
Holy Spirit, breath of life, give us new birth.
Christ, bread of life, the aroma of your love draws us in.

The sweetness of your mercy fills us.
The hearty goodness of your presence is our hope.
We worship you, hungry for your grace.
We worship you, to feast on your love.

3.
Leader: God of our Life, we come to you!
All: Christ, the Bread of God, we hunger for you.
We come to feast on your presence.
We come to feast on your grace.

You offer yourself, and we take you in.
Feed our spirits; nourish our souls.
With the sweetness of your love on our tongues,
we praise you. We thank you. We worship you.

4.
Leader: Sweetness of Heaven, all around!
All: Honor and beauty before us!
We are silent in wonder and humility.
We praise you in gratitude and joy.
We who hunger for life come with trembling lips and open hands.
Bread of Life, you feed us. Fountain of healing, you renew us.
Bread of Life, we feast upon your grace
Alleluia! We worship you. We consume you. We become you. Alleluia!


Prayer

1.
God of abundance and grace, we are hungry for life and love, but we divert our desires to other things.  Redirect our hunger, O God, and transform our desires. Stir up our deep hunger for you, our thirst for truth, our deep desire for wisdom and compassion.  Our mouths water for your Word.  Speak to us, God of Love, and give us the bread of life.   Amen.

2.
O God, like the aroma of baking bread, the love of Christ draws us to you.  Like the nourishment of a hearty loaf, the love of Christ strengthens us.  Like the sharing of delicious bread, your Word brings us together.  God, your grace feeds the deepest hunger of our souls. We come to the table of your wisdom, the feast of your love.  Feed us your grace, O God.  Amen.  

3.
God of love, we do not ask you for riches or honor; we seek your wisdom, the wisdom of compassion and grace.  Feed us with the wisdom of Christ, the Bread of life,  that we may feast on your grace and serve you in faith, for the sake of all who are hungry for life.  Amen.

4.
God of life, we are hungry for life.
Feed us the bread of life.
Spirit of breath, we live by each breath.
Help us to breathe deeply of you.
Love of God, we release our desires for comfort and ease;
we pray for your wisdom alone.
Christ, presence of God among us, we give our hearts to you.
Help us to listen, to feast upon your presence, and to enter into eternal life.   
Amen.

5.
Wisdom of God, we come to you. You have spread your table for us; grant us now to sit at the feast of your grace and nourish our souls. O Christ, bread of life, we open our hearts to you. Enter us, become us, and transform us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Christ, Bread of Life,
we reach out for you;
we take the bread of your Word
and break it open, hungry for you.
We taste of your grace.
Nourish us; become us.
Bread of life, feed us with your love.

Reading

Psalm 111 – a paraphrase

God! You! Glory!

I thank you in my deepest guts,
         echoed by the whole tribe of God!

Your magic amazes me,
         confounds anyone who tries to understand.
Your miracles, brilliant and vast,
         come from such tender, loving hands!
The universe shimmers with grace,
         glows with your gentle mercy.

We are in awe: you feed us;
         you are steadfastly thoughtful toward us.
We see your grace in all that you do,
         mighty Creator, tender nursemaid.

Your love and justice sing through the world.
         When we hear it we know how to dance.
The song is eternal.
         To live is to sing it, sing it out loud,
         with eyes closed.

The bound ones you set free;
         the abandoned ones you marry.
This is your holiness,
         what sets you apart.

(Wisdom is rooted in awestruck wonder,
         overwhelmed by God.
Practice wonder,
         and you will know what you need to know.)

Lovely One, the universe is your praise.
         Infinite Beauty!
         Infinite Glory!

Prayer of Confession

1.
Leader: Creator God, we confess that we have turned from you.
All: You offer us life; but we have sought life elsewhere.
In our hunger we have been fearful and greedy,
selfish and and hurtful; and we have turned away from you.
God of love, have mercy.
Our hunger has only fed us death.
God of grace, forgive us.
Teach us that our hunger and thirst is for you alone.
Teach us to turn to you and receive life in each moment.
God of life, have mercy.
Christ, you are the Bread of Life.  Come and feed our hearts and souls.
Alleluia!  Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Gracious God,
you are the flower I have walked upon,
for I was in a hurry;
you are the ripe berries I have eaten without gratitude or wonder,
for I was hungry;
you are the stranger I did not help,
for I was afraid.
For all the sins that I know and that I do not know,
forgive me, God.
Heal me, make me new,
and help me, by your Spirit, to walk in your ways. Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        We trust in God, the Creator of all things, our Heavenly Parent.
        We follow Jesus, who loved and healed, who offered himself for the sake of others. He was crucified, but God raised him from the dead.  Risen, he is the food of our souls.   We feast on him as the Bread of Life.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, the energy of Christ in our bodies and souls. Each moment, each breath, we commune with God in Christ.  We desire always to draw closer to Christ, and to be more loving in the Spirit of God, trusting in the power of forgiveness and the mystery of resurrection, so that we ourselves are the Body of Christ, his flesh and blood.  God help us to more freely, deeply and boldly be your people.  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.

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
We thank you, God, for you have fed us in many and miraculous ways.
You give us every good plant for food.
You fed our ancestors in the wilderness,
when you delivered them from slavery.
You have sustained us on every journey,
whether or not we knew it was you.
And so we come to feast on your love,
giving thanks with all your Beloved.


            [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 said, “Those who eat my flesh
and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”
We come to be part of his life.
We partake of his mercy;
we take into ourselves his healing grace.

He said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”
Therefore we are one with his love, and even his suffering.
For as he was crucified yet raised,
we too are raised with him by your grace.


     (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,
Jesus said, “Just as God sent me, and I live because of God,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.”
As we consume this bread, enter into us;
strengthen your life in us, that we may live in you,
and live for you, for the sake 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

1.
God of love, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.  You feed us with your Word and strengthen us with your grace.  Deepen our hunger for you, and grant us faith to feast richly on the grace of Christ. Offer us now as bread for the world, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. In the bread, in the Word, in our prayer, and in one another, we have feasted on your presence here. And we know your presence in every act of love in our lives. Keep our hunger for your love keen, our taste for grace always on the tip of our tongues. God of abundant love, every moment we thank you with our mouths full. Send us out into the world feasted, strengthened, and generous in love, as the Body of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

          Based on 1 Kings:

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

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

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

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


Wisdom (original song)

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

               Based on John 6:


By your grace       (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This)

What wondrous love is this O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
That you so freely give the bread by which we live,
that you revive our soul, by your Word, by your Word,
and by your life in us make us whole.

Our lives we give to you, by your grace, by your grace,
our lives we give to you, by your grace.
Lord, use the gifts we give to help your children live,
that all may come and feast by your grace, by your grace,
the greatest and the least, by your grace.

God, help us die and rise, by your grace, by your grace,
by Christ alive in us, die and rise;
for when we finally do surrender all to you,
you give us life anew, by your grace, by your grace
you give eternal life, by your grace.

Food for the Body (Original song)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus):

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus):

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)



The Harvest of Your Grace (Original song.
Includes Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Leader:
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
     All: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
      Alleluia! God send us to share in the harvest of your grace.


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.



We Feast On Your Love        (Original song)

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

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

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

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


You Feed Us, Gentle Savior   (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.

You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.

You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.





OT 19 — 12th Sunday after Pentecost

August 11, 2024


Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 18.5-33 — Absalom’s rebellion and death.

Psalm 130 —“Out of the depths I cry to you.” We wait for God’s grace.

Ephesians 4.25 – 5.2 — Speak the truth, be angry but do not sin, share with the needy, speak only what builds up, be kind: imitate God.

John 6. 35, 41-47 —People resist Jesus’ self-description as the bread of life. He says, “Stop criticizing. No one comes to me unless God draws them.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel 18.5-33
       
A tragic scene worthy of Shakespeare. Absalom is not just a rebellious kid. David has played a part in the conflict, too. Now David is perhaps beginning to see his folly, but it’s too late. The poignancy of his sorrow is full of such mixed feelings— love and grief and anger and regret and self-reproach. What a tellingly human portrait: “Oh, Absalom, my son!” The scene speaks to those who regret their hurtful actions, especially who have hurt their loved ones. It speaks to parents who maybe don’t feel like they’ve been good parents, or who have lost a child in any way. It speaks to all of us who feel both complicit and powerless in things like racism or climate change, and who long for another way forward.

Psalm
    
   If you use the Psalm, give folks a way to really dwell on it—in it. Go slow. Read it responsively, with the reader pausing significantly between lines. Let it be a prayer of confession.

Ephesians
       
Lessons on how to live in community. A huge part of it is loving truth-telling. Even when we’re angry, we can speak the truth in love. It takes forgiveness, both to set aside what keeps us from loving the other and also to accept what is painful in ourselves, including accepting our having been hurt or wronged without needing for it to be “fixed” or atoned for. That’s what forgiveness is: not condoning the hurtful act, but letting go of it needing to be fixed. We can be loving toward ourselves and the other; it may not diminish our hurt or anger but we hold those things in the context of love. What a lovely image: like Jesus, be a “fragrant offering” for God.

John 6. 35, 41-47
       “I am the bread of life.” Jesus was pretty provocative about God, but it’s hard to know if he was really this provocative abut himself. Just a few verses previously he avoided people who wanted to make him king. So now he’s making bold claims about himself? (Next week, in verses 53-55 he’ll push it farther: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.) Did he really say that? Well, that’s not what matters. Regardless of whether he actually said stuff like this, Jesus is saying this to us, now. Work with this. What does this mean? “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” What might it mean to feed on Jesus, to be nourished by him? To feast on his love? To let his being become part of you like bread that you digest and it becomes part of your body? Of course you can save this question for next week when Jesus is even more pointed about it.
       Unfortunately the lectionary skips v. 37, which you might want to include: “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.” There’s a mic drop for you.
       “No one can come to me unless drawn by me.” This isn’t about predestination. It means that God is in us, drawing us, even before we know it. Even our doubts, our hesitations, our un-faith, is the Spirit moving in us. Trust it. It also means we can’t judge another person’s faith. God is moving them in their own way, in their own direction, at their own speed. You not only shouldn’t judge, you can’t. You can’t see into that mystery.
       “I will raise that person up on the last day.” Well, there are shades of the rapture here, but more significantly, “the last day” isn’t just some date on the future calendar when all the special effects kick in. It’s “in the end,” or “when all is said and done,” in other wards, ultimately. Regardless of our judgments, Jesus’ judgment is to raise people up. To honor their worth and dignity, and to draw them closer to God, no matter what.
       “Whoever believes has eternal life.” Eternal life isn’t a (future) reward for getting the answer right. It’s the infinite life God gives us right now, life that can’t be taken from us, that we tap into simply by trusting—which is what John means by “believing.” Whoever trusts the love of God has that infinite love flowing through them, filing them with God’s infinite life. In v. 51 he says, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” This doesn’t mean people won’t die, obviously. I also don’t think it means we’ll live for billions of years. (Whew.) I think it means when we love we become part of something eternal. It’s not about our own little selves (how arrogant and selfish!). It’s about participating in the infinite life of God.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of stillness, we come from busy lives, and surrender them to your grace.
    All:  You are the home of our hearts.
We come with all our memories and feelings, alliances and attachments.
    You are the home of our hearts.
We come amidst all our swirling desires and emotions to find ourselves.
    You are the home of our hearts.
Here we find ourselves in you, every part of us, and all of us together.
    You give yourself to us, and we give ourselves to you.
    In joy we worship you.  Alleluia!


2.
God, we did not come here on our own.  You have drawn us us.
    We come led by the hunger of our hearts.
Jesus, Bread of Life, you offer yourself.
    You feed the hunger of our hearts.
Bread of Heaven, nourish us, that we may serve you.
    All hearts are hungry for you.
    Fill us with yourself, that we may be bread for the world.

3.
God of Grace, you have drawn us from nothingness into life.
    We praise you.
You have drawn us to this day, in this place.
    We thank you.
You draw us ever deeper into your love.
     Alleluia.  Draw us deeper, God of life.

4.
Leader: Creator God, you form us in your image.
All: We are in awe, and we worship you.
You beckon us like a loving parent.
We are in love, and we come to you.
You enfold us in your grace and fill us with your transforming Spirit.
Alleluia! Receive us, Heavenly Lover!
Heal us, Risen Brother!
Make us new, Spirit of Life!
Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Christ, Bread of life, we come, hungry for your presence.
All: Feed us with your grace, and strengthen us with your Word.
May your love nourish us and become part of us
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
God of grace, we hunger for the bread of life that is Jesus.  Feed us with your grace.  Nourish your Holy Spirit in us, that through deep trust, we may enter into the life of your Beloved, Jesus, who promises to raise us up on the last day. Amen.

2.
Jesus, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
    Jesus, we hunger for you.
“No one can come to me unless drawn by God.”
    Jesus, you draw us in.
“Whoever trusts has eternal life.”
    Jesus, help us trust, and enter into the life of God.
    Amen.

3.
Gracious God, though we hunger for many things, they do not give us life.  You alone are the bread of life.  Help us to turn from these things and to seek you alone: to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Grant us that holy hunger, so that as your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we will listen to your Word and trust it with faith.  Amen.

4.
Gentle God, we bring you all that is in our hearts: our feelings and memories, our hopes and fears and desires. You receive each of us in our wholeness. Speak your Word; bless our hearts and all that is in them; and in your love transform us more fully into the image of your love. We open our hearts to the grace of your Spirit, in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.

5. [John 6.37]
Gracious God, Christ has promised that anyone who comes to him he will not turn away. We come to you now, to know your presence, to hear your Word, to be transformed by your grace. Speak to us, touch us, and take our lives as your own. We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

6.
Gracious God, though we often hunger for many things, you alone are the bread of life. Grant us a holy hunger, to turn from things that do not give us life, and to seek you alone. Help us to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Amen.

7.
Christ, Bread of life, we feast on your grace. The sun of the fields warms us from within. The rain of your grace falls upon us and nourishes our growth. We surrender to the swing of the scythe, our willingness to be given over for you. As grain is gathered into one loaf, you make us one. You draw us to your heart like the warm aroma of bread baking. The sweet taste of your mercy fills our mouths and awakens our senses. You fill us, that we may become life-giving bread for others. Break open the bread of life, God, and let us feast. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of life, you draw us toward you, and toward life.
But we pull away.
Many fears and desires tug at us,
and we distance ourselves from you, and from life.
Draw us into your heart now by your grace.
Forgive us, heal us, and make us new.
Help us always to surrender to the flow of your grace in us,
and to fall always, gently, into your arms.
    …   [silent prayer] …
People of God, by the grace we know in Christ, I proclaim to you
that all our sins are forgiven entirely, and we are set free
to live by the love and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is 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, for all that we have done that diminishes life,
that separates us from you and from others,
we are sorrowful.
We give to you our broken hearts.
Receive us, bless us, and heal us.
Forgive our sin, and restore in us
the image of Christ.

3.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us open our hearts to God with one another.
Gentle God, ever present and loving,
here are the times I have been close to you,

And here are the times I have been distant.
Here are my moments and my days.
I offer them all to you.
Help me to remember those moments of intimacy, and return.
Forgive the times I have spurned your invitation to come closer.
Help me to be mindful, to draw ever nearer to you and to life,
to feast on your grace at your table, in the home of your heart
      
Silent prayer… The word of grace

Listening Prayer  

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

Bread of Life, feed our souls. 
River of God, ease our thirst. 
Bread of Heaven, enter us;
fill us with eternal life.
Amen.

Readings

1.    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.

2.

                 Jesus

I am hungry for God.
Jesus makes my mouth water.

Jesus is my rabbi, my lover, my wonder, my dawn.
Jesus is not mine.   I am his.
He is the one who points out the bird I did not see.
He opens my eyes, opens my heart.
He accompanies me; he precedes me.
Jesus is the one with whom I sit in any silence.
He comes to others in ways I will never recognize.
I want him to be my clothes, by body, my breath,
the thought of my words,
the nerve of my muscle.

He is a trickster,
fooling me into salvation against my will
again and again.
He has grabbed me by the heart
and hauled me into myself.
I am the grave he has died in,
I am the life he rises in.

I follow him.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

 1.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
        We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us.  His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us.  The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way.  In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.

2.
       We give our lives to God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who relents from punishing and who receives all her children.
       We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, full of God’s Spirit, born of Mary, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed and forgave, and whose dying revealed God’s perfect and infinite grace. He was raised from the dead and lives among us still, calling us to come to him, and to follow him.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s love living in us, that empowers us to imitate Christ, to love with courage, and to live in deep gratitude and trust for the gift of eternal life, the power of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection, and the unity of the Body of Christ. We devote ourselves to live each moment as an act of worship, for the sake of of healing and justice, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
       God, Creator of all, we entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love may hold us always.
       Christ, Bread of Life, you have fed the hungry, healed the broken, and given life where there was despair. We entrust ourselves to you and feast on your grace, that your infinite love may become part of us.
      Holy Spirit, rising of God within us, as there is one loaf you make of us one body. You empower us to be bread for the world. We entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love my flow through us for the sake of the wholeness of the world, in the name of Christ/ Amen.

4.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
        We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us. His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
        We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us. The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way. In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

We thank you, Holy One,
for you have created this good earth, and all living things.
You have made sun and rain to fall upon us,
and given us every good thing to eat.

We gather around this bread, the body of your grace.
The warmth of the sun gathers here,
and we are washed in the blessing of the rain.
As the scythe harvests the grain, so we are taken up into your love.
As many grains are made into one loaf,
you make us one in your love.

Your grace is as real as bread; it gives us life that can’t be taken away.
You feed your people; you strengthen the poor.
You judge the forces of oppression and call us to share the bread of justice.
So we gather at your table to feast on the Bread of Life,
giving thanks with all of Creation:


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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, the Bread of Life.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken,
nourished the weak and forgave the mistaken.
He taught with words and deeds of life-giving power,
with love that nourished souls and strengthened hearts.
Crucified on account of his love, he was raised in love,
and he made himself known in the breaking of bread.


     (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,
bread for the hungry and a feast for those who thirst for justice.
May your eternal life flow always through us, by the grace of Christ,
in the power of your Holy Spirit.

                      [Spoken or sung]
        Amen
.

______________

2..
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
You have made the earth and all that fills it;
you have given us every good thing to eat.

When we wandered in the wilderness you fed us.
When we hunger for your grace you bring us to the feast,
the feast of grace in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.

By your mighty judgment you have overthrown the powers of evil;
and you have set us free.
The rich go away empty, but the hungry you fill with good things.
You provide manna in the wilderness, bread for the people;
you open your hand and feed every living thing.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as 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, the Bread of Life,
who strengthens our bodies and nourishes our souls;
who ate with the poor and the outcast,
and fed the multitudes by the power of your Spirit.

As Jesus shared the loaves and fishes, trusting you to provide,
so we feast with faith in the abundance of your Spirit and your grace.

(… The Blessing and Covenant …) *

Christ is our Passover from want to abundance,
from powerlessness to victory, from death to life.
             [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,
imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
gathered in your Spirit and brought forth in your love,
as bread for the hungry.

As the grains are made one in this loaf, we are made one in your Spirit.
Raised by the yeast of your love, we give thanks.

We offer ourselves in union with Christ’s sacrifice for us,
so that, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
we may give freely, serve boldly, and love abundantly.
Oh bread of life: take, bless, break, and give us,
as your bread of blessing in 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.
You have fed us the Bread of Life. You nourish us in the grace of Christ. You make of us one Body. You fill us with the mystery of your eternal life. Send us now, a fragrant offering for you, as bread for the hungry, in the power of your Spirit, and in the love and generosity 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.
Bless us that we may always hunger for the true bread of life, and never work for what does not lead us to eternal life.  Send us into the world to be bread for others, so that all of your children might taste the bread of life.  We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Bread of Justice
      Tune: HOLY MANNA
          Alt. Tunes:
       BEECHER (“Love Divine all Loves Excelling”)
       CONVERSE (“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”)
       ODE TO JOY (“Joyful, Joyful”)

God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us. May your loving will be done.

Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.

Feed us, God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, bearing witness to your Reign.


By Your Grace (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This)

What wondrous love is this O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
That you so freely give the bread by which we live,
that you revive our soul, by your Word, by your Word,
and by your life in us make us whole.

Our lives we give to you, by your grace, by your grace,
our lives we give to you, by your grace.
Lord, use the gifts we give to help your children live,
that all may come and feast by your grace, by your grace,
the greatest and the least, by your grace.

God, help us die and rise, by your grace, by your grace,
by Christ alive in us, die and rise;
for when we finally do surrender all to you,
you give us life anew, by your grace, by your grace
you give eternal life, by your grace.


Drawing Me (Original song) (John 6.44)

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

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


Food for the Body (Original song.)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.

All: (Chorus)
Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.

Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus)

2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus)

3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)

The Harvest of Your Grace
(Original song. Includes Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.

Leader:
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
     All: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
    Alleluia! God send us to share in the harvest of your grace.

 

Out of the Deepest Depths [Psalm 130]
(Original song. Includes version for choir)

Out of the deepest depths I cry to you, O God.
O listen with your heart, and hear my pleading voice.
If you counted sins, then no one could stand with you;
but God, you forgive.

I wait for you, O God, for in your word I hope.
I wait for you, Love, more than those who wait for dawn,
yes, more than those who watch for the morning light
I wait for you.

O Hope, O Israel, O hope in the Lord.
For with our God is love, God’s steadfast, faithful love,
and power to redeem; for God is the one
who will redeem us from sin.


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.


We Feast On Your Love (Original song)

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

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

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

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


You Feed Us, Gentle Savior   (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.

You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.

You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.

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