August 4, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 11.26-12.13 — Nathan’s parable about David’s transgression with Bathsheba.

Psalm 51 — A prayer of repentance. Have mercy… You desire inward truth… Create in me a clean heart…

Ephesians 4. 1-16 — There is one body and one Spirit… We’re given various gifts (apostles, pastors, teachers…) to equip the saints for ministry… Speaking truth in love, we grow up into Christ, in whom the whole body builds itself up in love.

John 6.24-35 — “I am the Bread of Life.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       We love some good comeuppance…as long as it’s not about us. Nathan does the prophetic thing, which is to stick his neck out and tell the truth. Part of how he gets away with it is he disguises the story so David doesn’t see himself in it till it’s too late. Sometimes that’s what we need. Our defenses are too high; we resist seeing the truth about ourselves. So we have to see it in someone else, judge it clearly—then realize it’s about us. Pray for the wisdom to see in yourself what you judge in others.

Psalm
       The focus is not on self-loathing but self-awareness, not on God’s punishment but God’s grace. The psalmist’s posture is not one of groveling but openness. Repentance is a conversation, a three-step flow between us and God: we get honest about our brokenness with openness to God (“you desire truth in the inward being… wash me “); God responds with grace (“have mercy on me… wash me…let the bones you have crushed rejoice”), and the result is transformation (“put a new and right spirit within me”). Readers of John Wesley will recognize his description of the prevenient, justifying and sanctifying nature of grace.

Ephesians
       “God is above all and through all and in all.” God is not some guy up in heaven, but the Life force, the Love force, that creates us and fills us, inside of whom we live.        One body and one Spirit. The writer (probably not Paul) picks up on Paul’s image of the Body of Christ. There’s one spirit, making us one body: all of us organically members of each other, inter-being. As in 1 Corinthians, the emphasis is on unity that is not uniformity. The various body parts are different. This passage is often adduced among others in listing “the spiritual gifts,” as if it’s the twelve day of Christmas and there are a certain number. There are infinite gifts. Some have names (even if they’re hard to define) like “apostleship.” Some don’t have such lofty titles, like a sense of humor, or a passion for justice. And some spiritual gifts are ineffable, unnameable, pure mystery, like the gift of bearing a certain peace and innocence even after suffering greatly with a kind of lightness that somehow sets us free. End the end, even being is a spiritual gift. Your being alive is a gift of the Spirit.
       The purpose of all spiritual gifts is “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.” They’re not for our own sake but for the sake of others who have a calling. Your calling is not to save the world, but to help others who are saving the world. (Don’t worry; if your calling really is to save the world, others will help you do it.) How do your gifts help “build up the body of Christ?” Many folks who are not show-offs like me need opportunities to see how their gifts build up the body. Help them see.
       We come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. This doesn’t mean we all think alike. It’s not talking about knowledge about Jesus, but knowledge of Jesus—that is, knowing Jesus, being in relationship with Jesus. Our unity is not homogeneity of belief; it’s companionship in trust of Jesus. It’s being made into one body by Jesus’ love. Unity of faith means I trust you, whose spiritual gifts, and maybe whose theology, are different from mine, but whose trust, like mine, is in Jesus and the God Jesus shows us. I rely on you and your gifts and perspectives, different from mine, the way fingers of the same hand rely on each other in their various positions to do a task.
       We come to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. Wow. The author has high expectations of us. We’re not just admirers of Jesus, we ourselves attain the full statue of Christ. All of us, together as a body, become Christ—the whole thing, the real deal. Not because we’re so great but because Christ is in us, incarnate in us, making us Christ’s body. That’s what we’re aiming for: to become as much the real live healing, miracle-producing presence as Jesus himself. And remember Christ isn’t just Jesus. It’s the cosmic Third Person of the Trinity, Embodied Love of God mystery that Jesus inhabited. We become an active part of God. (Which we always were, anyway, because the Spirit is in us.) Sheesh. What a cosmic vision! What might that look like for your congregation? What might it look like for you to attain the full stature of Christ? I dare you to think as big as Ephesians.
       The whole body…builds itself up in love. I love how visceral this is. The way we’re “joined and knit together.” The “ligaments” we have with each other. The importance that “each part is working properly.” And how we “promote the body’s growth in love.” All of us should ask ourselves : How do my faith and actions, my words, my contribution build up the church in love? What’s the difference between getting my way and building us up in love? How about not just in the church but in society? How do I use my gifts to build up the culture in love?

John
       Looking for Jesus. The Gospels often portray people “looking for Jesus.” How often do you actually seek him out—or do you just wait for him to come by on Sundays? There are ways to go looking. It might look like something else—but what would it be like to do it looking for Jesus? What if you read scripture as a way of seeking Jesus? Or pray? What about taking a walk… sitting quietly… or even people watching at the mall!? If you’re actually looking for Jesus, you’re likely to see him.
       Food that endures. The people keep getting hung up on their physical hunger, but Jesus speaks of a deeper hunger, and invites us to “believe,” that is, to open ourselves to what is given. How much spiritual junk food we gorge ourselves on! Most of us at some time to some degree are either spiritually anorexic, starving ours souls of what they need, or overindulging in self-congratulations or self-judgment—still not nourishing our souls. The food that endures to eternal life, the nourishment that connects us with the Divine flow of life, is loving presence. God gives us that love; we still need to take it in. (I love the Book of Common Prayer’s phrasing, that we might “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” God’s Word.) What feds you? What empowers you to connect with the Divine flow of life Jesus called eternal life?
       That you believe in him whom God has sent. For Jesus “believe” doesn’t mean think. It means trust or at the very least to reach out. (The word “believe” comes from Old German, belieben, to love. It means to give your heart.) Jesus invites us to open our hearts to the mystery he offers us, regardless of our religious opinions. To believe in the one God has sent is to open your heart to God’s love.
       “I am the bread of life.” One of the “I am” statements. Bold, seemingly blasphemous, certainly cocky. Skip trying to imagine if the earthly Jesus really said this and thought of himself in this way. regardless, John said it in his gospel. Let that be enough. Imagine the resurrected Jesus, the eternal Christ, saying this. Jesus, embodying God’s love, is the gift, like manna, that we survive on. Plain, simple, and everybody gets enough. No matter what we think gets us through, it’s actually Jesus’ love that sustains us. Feast on this bread and you’ll never go hungry.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
     All:  Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
     Moment by moment you create us, and give us life.
We confess that we have sought life elsewhere,
but this hunger has only fed us death.
     God of Creation, have mercy.
We confess that in our hunger we have betrayed life.
     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.
Leader: God of life, we taste your glory.
All: Alleluia! We savor your love.
Christ, our loving companion, we drink deeply of your grace.
Alleluia! We linger in your presence.
Holy Spirit, we feast on your abundance.
Alleluia! We give you thanks and we worship you. Alleluia!

3.
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!

3.
Leader: Loving God, Infinite One, you are present in all things.
All: Your truth shines in all of Creation.
We awake to your presence.
We open our eyes to your glory.
We open our hearts to your Word.
Alleluia! God of love, we worship you,
that we may be your praise. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Holy One, Fountain of Goodness, Wine of Mystery,
we thirst for your presence. Flow in us.
All: Jesus, Bread of Life, feed us with your grace.
Bread of goodness, satisfy our hunger for justice.
Bread of the earth, root us in your love.
Bread of strength, empower us.
Bread of beauty, delight us.
Bread of the table, bring us together.
Jesus, Bread of Life, risen as one with you,
we give thanks; we praise; we worship. Amen.

5.
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 love and grace.
We come to feast upon your abundance.
      We come to feast upon your grace.
      Alleluia!  We thank you.  We praise you.  We worship you. Alleluia!

Prayer

1.
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.
Christ, sign 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.

2.
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, Lord of Love, and give us the bread of life.   Amen.

3.
Eternal God, Life-Giver, you who create all things, who establish the bounds and set the laws of all Creation, who are infinite and unknowable—yet who come among us in faithful presence: we worship you. You feed us what gives us life. Speak to us; nourish us. May we taste the flavor of your grace, and lose ourselves in your beauty. Amen.

4.
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 be changed, that we too may be bread for the world. Feed us with your grace. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we desire wisdom. Therefore we open our hearts to you in words and silence, in music and prayer, that we may hear your Word, that we may be shaped by your voice, that we may live your truth in all things. Speak to us, for we are listening. Amen.

6.
Holy God we do not always understand your call for us. We hesitate, we falter and we make mistakes. But we always know that as a child of yours we will be comforted and forgiven. Teach us. O God to trust in you, to listen to your voice and to know that your chosen path for us will always lead us to peace, joy and fulfillment. Amen.

7.
Without thinking we seek food that perishes.  But here in this silence we open ourselves to the food that endures for eternal life. There are no signs.  There are no requirements. Only this, that we entrust ourselves to you, the Bread of Life.  We come to you. Feed us, that we may never hunger for anything but you, never thirst for anything but your grace.

Listening Prayer  

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

1.     [John]
Jesus, Bread of Life,
we feast on you.
Enter us, become part of us,
that we may become part of you.

2.     [ 2 Samuel]
God of truth,
you desire truth in the inward being.
Tell us what we need to hear;
show us what we’re missing.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, we lift up all in us that is loving, and give you thanks.
We lift up all that is not loving, and ask your forgiveness.
By your grace in Christ, perfect your love in us.
….Silent prayer … the word of grace

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.
God of mercy,
we do not know the ways we have betrayed your love.
Enfold us in your faithful compassion now,
that we may see ourselves truly,
abandon what is false in us,
and return to your grace. ….Silent prayer … the word of grace

3.
Leader: God, forgive our sins as we stand before you asking to be cleansed.
All: We are not worthy of your unending grace.
We stand before you weak and empty.
Fill us, God, with your forgiveness and love.
Help us, through your love, to do your works here on earth.

Reading

                 Psalm 51 — A Paraphrase

Be gentle with me, O God,
         hold me in your constant love.
With your abundant mercy
         free me from my sins.
Wash away the grime
         that covers your image in me.
I know I don’t live the life you give me;
         you know the difference.
My love is not perfect;
         this you see.

But you lead me to live in harmony
         with my inner truth,
to be transparent
         to your presence within me.

Purge me with your love,
         that I may be pure love.
Fill me,
         that I may be pure light.

Deep within me, in your light,
          I discover joy,
gratitude even for bones broken
         to be reset.
When you look at me you don’t see sins;
         you see love.

Create me all over again, O God;
         breathe your life-giving breath in me.
Hold me close
         and give me your loving spirit.
You are the joy that sustains me;
         you give me my willing heart.
O Beloved, when I open my lips,
         my mouth will sing praise, only praise.

I can’t offer a thing to please you,
         can’t determine your love for me.
What delights you is just me,
         this broken heart,
         this true, simple heart.
Use me as I am to love the world.
         That will be gift enough for both of us.

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.  In him 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 mystery of resurrection and the gift of eternal life, 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.

2.
     We trust in God, the Creator of all things, the Divine flow of love that is our life.
     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. He invites us into the flow of God, the life that is eternal. 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, that we may be bread for the world. Amen.

3.
[from Ephesians 2.14-22; 4.11-16]
Christ is our peace.  In Christ God has made us into one flesh.  and has broken down every dividing wall between us.
     In Christ God has created one new humanity, making peace, and reconciling all to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death all hostility through it.
     Jesus came and proclaimed peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near. In Christ all of us have access in one Spirit to God.  So we are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
     In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom we are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
     God has given us various gifts to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Beloved of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
    So we  grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Eucharistic Prayer

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,
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.
Therefore 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 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.
Feed us with yourself, imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
As the grains are made one in this loaf, we are made one in your Spirit.
As Christ multiplied the loaves and fishes by the power of your Spirit,
multiply our gifts to serve you so that none may go hungry.
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.
May we be your bread of blessing in the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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* 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

God of grace, as Jesus offered himself for others as nourishing bread, we give of ourselves, that we may be bread for the world, to feed the hungry, to strengthen the weary, to gladden the hearts of the hopeless, to bring about justice and mercy in the name and the Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

                Based on John 6:

Communion Song: Bread of Life (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

Christ, you are the Bread of Life, who gives us strength and nourishes.
Here we feast on love and beauty, here your people flourishes.
In our sharing you are present, in our feast you enter in,
we become your Body, risen: we your servants, we your friends.

As you bless the bread and break it, as you give it out to share,
we are broken, blessed, and given, sharing blessing everywhere.
May we be the yeast of justice; may we be the grain of love;
that your children all be fed, that grace and mercy all may have.

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)

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.” — Chorus

                Based on 2 Samuel / Psalm 51:

God of Mercy       (Original song)

Chorus: God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.

God, heal my sin, brokenness deep within.
Too often I bear pain I make others share.
Set me free from what I have been. (Chorus)

You are gentle with me; gentle I learn to be.
You touch me and heal; deep in my soul I feel
burdens gone, and I am free. (Chorus)


God, We Are Broken      (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, we are broken, for all flesh is weak.
Grant us the healing and peace that we seek.
For all that pains us, beyond our control,
grant us your healing, our bodies made whole.

God, we are broken; our hearts are not one.
Sometimes it seems that our souls come undone.
Bring us renewal and calm in our soul.
Grant us your healing and make our hearts whole.

God, we are broken: for families and friends
suffer when love fails and faithfulness ends.
May your forgiveness and grace play its role.
Grant us your healing; make covenants whole.

God, we are broken, for many are poor,
and we ignore those who lie by our door.
God, may your justice like great rivers roll.
Grant us your healing; make all people whole.

God, we are broken for hate and all war
wound us so we are not free anymore.
Make us one people from pole to pole.
Grant us your healing, and make the world whole.


God, You Have Searched Me (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, you have searched me; you know from within
all of my beauty, my wounds and my sin.
Deep in my heart—I’ve not spoken a word—
you know my soul, and my thoughts you have heard.

You who have made me and always are near,
help me to shed my illusion and fear.
Help me be truthful, and truthfully see,
humbly transparent to your grace in me.

Your loving presence within me each day
go with me, guide me, and show me your way.
Give me the eyes of your mercy and grace,
to walk in love in each moment, each place.

July 28, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 11. 1-15 — David rapes Bathsheba and arranges her husband Uriah’s death.

Psalm 14 — People do evil, thinking that there is no God who is aware of their deeds. But God defends the poor and powerless.

Ephesians 3.14-21 —May you be strengthened in your inner being, rooted in love; may Christ live powerfully in us. God is able to do more than we ask or imagine.

John 6. 1-21 —Jesus feeds a crowd with a tiny bit of food, and then walks across the lake to the disciples in the boat. They are afraid but Jesus says, “I am. Do not be afraid.”

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       There’s no nice way to handle this story. Rape and domestic violence are ugly and brutal… and common. It’s an issue. More of the women than you expect (and maybe some men) in your congregation will have experienced rape or domestic violence. And they don’t talk about it. It’s a tough call to preach about this instead of the feeding of the multitudes, but sooner or later you need to address it. Don’t fall for the shiny happy veneer of churches as a place of nice people where domestic violence or rape couldn’t happen. It does. Deal with it.
                        (Click here for Domestic Violence worship resources.)
       This story makes it clear that rape is not really about sex. It’s sexualized—but what it is is violence. It’s about power. Conquest. Domination. (That’s why rape is often a tool of war.) The story reeks of David’s abuse of power, to take Bathsheba and to arrange for Uriah’s death, and to carry on unquestioned. It also reeks of our tolerance and even justification of domination.
       Can we dare to see ourselves in David? Can we recognize the ways power cloaks cruelty; authority can mask abuse; and our social systems, power structures and even church procedures can be used to deny the ways we hurt vulnerable people? Do we dare name the kind of power, and masculinity, that “gets what it wants,” at others’ expense? It’s important that we males, especially those of us in positions of power or authority, like pastors and preachers, acknowledge that is is our problem.
      One of the most important things about this story is what’s not in it. We never hear from Bathsheba. It’s like she’s a prop in the story but not a person. There’s not a word about Bathsheba, her experience, her side of the story. She experiences sexual assault, the murder of her husband, and being forced to marry her rapist. We hear not a word of her pain, her terror, her grief, her shame. She is silenced. So it is with so many women, with so many of the abused and powerless in scripture and in our own lives. This is the reason for the #MeToo movement. The story gives us pause to slow down and listen to the voices of those who suffer. Listen to those who cry out. Listen to those who protest. Listen to those we overlook, think of as unimportant in our own search for comfort and power and belonging.
       For silence protects violence. Victims feel forced into silence, either by the perpetrator’s threats or by the fear of shame. The rest of us keep silent out of fear—out of our own shame! We don’t talk about it… and nothing changes. So a bold act of justice, and one of the first things we can do to address sexual abuse and domestic violence, is to break the silence. Talk about it. Including in the pulpit.
       Be aware that if you open up the subject of rape or domestic violence (which sooner or later you should) it will touch a lot of nerves. You might want some pastoral resources in place—people to talk to (not just male, empowered pastors), or other ways to address the pain you’re going to touch. At the very least the worship service ought to include some gentle opportunity for honesty and healing.

Ephesians
       Oh, goodie, another blessing salad. Savor each tidbit:
       That you may be strengthened in your inner being. Faith is not just something you “have,” but who you are, in the inner core of your being.
      That Christ may dwell in your hearts. It’s not only that Jesus is your friend, just that you “have a place in your heart for him,” but that the embodied love of God is expressed in you, lives through you, wouldn’t exist in this way without you.
      You are being rooted and grounded in love. Love is what feeds you and what motivates you. It’s where you come from. Love is what steadies you and strengthens you. You sink your roots deep in the love of God, and draw from that dark, unseen blessing. Love is what you’re all about.
      That you may comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth… and to know the love of Christ. It’s infinite. Allow yourself to get lost in it. And let yourself actually know it, “in the biblical sense,” intimately, in your guts.
       That you may be filled with the fullness of God. God is not far off in “heaven,” but in you, and not just in some pious part, but in all of you, filling you. The life of faith is the process of letting all that wants to replace God drain out of us, and let God fill us entirely.
       God is able to do far more than we ask or imagine. Oh, we ask so little. Sometimes we get stuck asking for favors: fix this problem, cure that disease. But what God can do is so much greater: to bless the whole of us, disease or not, to bless the world, to change the world. We have to keep asking what we really want. What do we want more than that? And even more than that? That’s where God is at work, able to do more than we ask or imagine.

John
       Jesus knew what he was going to do. So often in our struggles we don’t know what to do but Jesus is already doing it.
       A boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Barley is the grain of the poor. They weren’t “loaves” as we see in the grocery store, but more like buns. And the fish? Little sardines. It was his lunch. And the lad offers what he has. Of course your gifts are inadequate, even if you’re a genius or a billionaire. Only in God’s hands do they become something. Take all you have and put it in God’s hands. All of it. Trust this.
       As much as they wanted. Like manna, no? We can exhaust ourselves wondering: did they all actually have bread but wouldn’t share till the pattern was set? Or did everybody decide one nibble was enough? Or is it a parable, a purely symbolic story meant to remind us of Elisha in 2 Kings 4.42-44? Or did Jesus really make 5000 lunches appear out of thin air? Doesn’t matter. It’s not a story about culinary magic. It’s about abundance. There’s more than enough. In all our worries, in all our struggles, hoping for grace, there’s more than enough. Repeatedly Jesus encourages us to forsake the blasphemy of scarcity. When we put everything in God’s hands there’s always more than enough.
       “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” Even God’s leftovers are precious. Even the crumbs that fall from the master’s table are worth something. Even our useless acts of love aren’t useless; our wasted efforts are not wasted. John repeats the theme of “nothing lost” in 17.12: “I protected them in your name that you have given me, and not one of them was lost.” Like the crumbs, we ourselves, all of us, even the most “lost” loser wasting away on drugs under a bridge somewhere, is gathered up and not lost. This is the promise. You will not be lost.
       Jesus goes up the mountain by himself. Note his consistent commitment to solitude, as we saw last week. And note how often he sends his disciples off ahead of him. Sometimes when you feel like you’re in a tough situation imagine that God has actually put you there for a reason. Sure, maybe you just got yourself into trouble for no good reason, or trouble found you. But maybe your being there is because, in some mysterious way, you’ve been sent.
       Jesus walking on the sea. Don’t trouble yourself with how literally to take this. Let it be a metaphor you trust. How do you see this in your life? What seas does Jesus walk across for you? What fears, difficulties, doubts, guilt, anger or whatever does Jesus have to walk across to get to you? Maybe the Red Sea parts and you walk on dry ground; maybe you walk over the water, but somehow God gets you through.
     “It is I; do not be afraid.” Actually in the Greek Jesus says, “I am. Don’t be afraid.” As in, I AM. This isn’t always included in the “I am” sayings in John, but there it is. God is present with us right in the most frightening situations. In fact sometimes God Godself is exactly what frightens us. God so totally exceeds our expectations and understanding that it really freaks us out. How mysteriously our fear and our salvation are wrapped up in one.
       And immediately the boat reached the land. Sometimes when we meet our fears head on, that is the only problem we needed to have solved, and we’re suddenly at our destination.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader:  God of abundance, you provide Creation, overflowing with life and beauty.
      All:  In awe we praise you.
Christ, you accompany us in our deepest struggles with infinite love and grace.
      In gratitude we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with all the gifts we need to serve you with compassion and power.
      In trust, we open ourselves to your presence.  Alleluia!

2.
Leader:  In our need and hunger, God —
      Congregation:  you feed us abundantly!
In our fears and struggles
      you bear us through the storms!
God of grace, you bring us to a place of peace.
       We thank you. We worship you.  We open our hearts to you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of grace, we praise you.
   All: God of love, we worship you.
In what we thought was barrenness you have hidden abundance.
   In the ordinary you have created the miraculous.
In what was threatening you have accompanied us.
   Your presence is astounding. You shake us up.
   And you deliver us.
   We open our hearts to you. Feed us with your grace. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Steady God, life whirls around us.  Life demands so much of us.  So we turn to you, calm and generous.  Your grace flows freely.  We open ourselves in word and silence, in prayer and song, in meal and companionship, to the overflowing abundance of your presence and your grace.  Hungry and trusting, we open ourselves toy you.  Amen.

2.
God of love, the grace that nourishes us is more abundant than we know; the mercy that bears us through our struggles is deeper than we think.  And you are more present than we suspect, here and now.  We open our hearts to your grace.  In the little loaves and fishes of this moment, multiply your grace. In the little boat of our prayer, carry us across. 

3.
Leader: Hungry for God, we gather.
But where will we find what will nourish us?
      All: We have but five little loaves, and two fish.
Jesus takes our lives, and multiplies them.
      We struggle against the wind and waves of our lives.
Jesus calms us, and brings us to a place of peace.
      Jesus, feed us.  Bear us through the storm.
      Grant us your peace.  Amen.

Listening Prayer  

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

Jesus, you take the little loaves of our faith
and multiply them with grace.
You walk across the rough seas of our fears
to be present with us.
We welcome you
into our little boat of prayer.

Healing Prayer

O Infinite Love,
we pray for all who are wounded,
who are abused or terrorized.

O Crucified Christ,
we pray for all who are made victims
by violence, by pride, by greed,
by overt acts and subtle systems.
O Holy Spirit, may those who hurt
find true freedom and joy.
For those who hearts and bodies
bear scars seen and unseen,
we pray for healing.
For spirits shadowed by fear
we pray for peace and courage.
Sustain them who must carry grief or fear,
who feel they must pretend.
Your mercy surround them,
your Spirit strengthen them,
your hope guide them.
For those among us who bear such pain
may we offer welcome, safety,
and the end of shame.
For a culture that nods at violence
we ask your forgiveness,
seek repentance,
and pray that we may become a people
of gentleness, justice and joy.
Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        God, Creator of all, we rejoice that you are a God of abundance.  In faith we pledge to live lives of abundant generosity.
        Christ, we rejoice that you are the bread of life, who accompanies us in our deepest struggles. In faith we entrust ourselves to you, even in times of struggle. You who have died and been raised rom the dead, bear us through the storms and bless us with your presence.
        Holy Spirit, we rejoice that you grant to us the power of sharing, the courage of faith, and the peace of your grace.  In faith we give ourselves to your care and guidance, that in all things we may do your will, trust your grace, and share you love, in the name 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, you create a world teeming with abundant life
in so many forms and manners.
With overflowing generosity
you nourish us with food, with love, with beauty.
With infinite compassion you heal our hurts and forgive our sins;
and you judge the forces that oppress
and set free all who long for liberty and wholeness.
Generous with your grace and your presence,
you walk with us into new life, life that is freely given.

            [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, he fed the crowds,
he loved without holding anything back.
He multiplies our gifts and makes our lives miraculous.
He shows us the abundance of grace you have given us,
not for our own sake, but for the sake of the world.
He walks across the seas of our troubles
and brings us your steadfast presence.
He passes through the waters of death itself
to bring us to a place of life.

               [The Blessing and Covenant…] *

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
Take us in your hands and multiply the grace in our hearts,
that we may be nourishment for the world.
Send us, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
overflowing with your love,
generous with our lives, for the sake 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.
You give with such infinite generosity; help us so to be grateful, trusting and generous with our love, with our time and goods, with our blessing, for the sake of the world, in the name and Spirit 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.
Source of all abundance, you have provided for us generously. Miracle of life, you have graced us more than we could ask or imagine. Multiply the faith in our hearts and the gifts of your Spirit, that those who are hungry we may nourish, those who are hurting we may comfort, and to those who seek justice we may bring hope, in the power of your Spirit and the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

          Based on John:

All that we Hold (Original song)

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

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

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

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


Five Loaves and Two Fish (Original song)

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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.”

        Based on Ephesians:


       Based on 2 Samuel:

For Households (Tune: Blest Be the Tie that Binds…
downloadable file also includes a version set to
DETRIOT, Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive.)

For homes where love is shared we give you thanks, O Lord,
where all your children hear your grace and know they are adored.

We pray for homes where fear and hurt and loneliness stay.
For those abused, unsure, not free, your blessing, God, we pray.

As when from Egypt slaves escaped and crossed the Sea,
God, make a way and go with those who are becoming free.

God, give us hearts to speak, to break the silent shield
that covers the hurt, protecting the sin: so violence may be healed.

God help your church to be a home, a healing place,
where all are free and whole and blest and honored in your grace.

When Fear Lives Close (Tune: GIFT OF LOVE / The Water Is Wide)

We pray for those who live in fear,
where secret hurt and shame live near,
that they may know your loving grace,
and find their way to freedom’s space.

And God of love, we pray for those
whose inner darkness overflows,
that those who wound, control or use
may be healed, too, their demons lose.

We pray, O God, that we may be
your gentle ones who set them free,
with deep respect, with love and prayer,
create a world of gentle care.

July 21, 2024

---

Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 7. 1-14 — David aspires to build a temple, a house for God. But God says, “No, I will live in a tent among my people as I have always done.”

Psalm 89.20-37 — God’s covenant to uphold David and his reign; “his line shall continue forever.”

Ephesians 2. 11-22 — Christ has broken down the division between Jews and Gentiles in the cross. We are all citizens, members of the household of God.

Mark 6. 30-34, 53-56 — Jesus invites the disciples to retreat to a solitary place. But they are followed by people seeking Jesus, “like sheep without a shepherd.” Here and on the other side of the lake Jesus heals and teaches.

Preaching Thoughts

Ephesians
       Christ eliminates the division between all insiders and outsiders: Jew and gentile, Christian and not, fundamentalist and progressive, black and white, red and blue. Christ is our peace. In the cross God “puts to death that hostility.” It’s significant to acknowledge that our protection of “insider” status is not just pride; it’s hostility, it’s aggression against our fellow humans. We can see that hatred in white supremacy; it’s a little better disguised, but no less judged, in our smugness that Christians are the “good guys.” We find those insidious insider-outsider dividing walls even in our churches. (we almost all have them. Where’s yours?) The cross makes us one: Jesus died for all of us as a group, not some of us. So then you are no longer strangers but members of the household of God. Sibling rivalries aside, you’re part of the family. Your ultimate belonging is not in question. You belong. Whatever you do to distance yourself from others or God, or what others do to distance you, we’re a\still all siblings in Christ.
       In Christ the whole community grows into a holy temple, a dwelling place for God. Here’s Ephesian’s response to David’s plan to build a house for God: God will live in us, not a building!

Mark
      There are two stories here. (Almost a story-within-a-story.) The first is unfinished. Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a place of solitude and rest a while.” So they went away… and then they got interrupted. Before we get to the interruption, pause at that invitation. Jesus invites us into solitude, a place where we’re a soul., that’s all—not doing but being, not producing or accomplishing but abiding. How often are our churches or you, dear pastor, too busy? Coming and going, with no leisure even to eat. Jesus invites us to come away. Yes, it’s hard to let go, sometimes because there’s so much to do and we’re falling behind, sometimes because we’re doing great stuff and don’t want to quit. (The disciples wanted to celebrate all the cool stuff they just did on their mission trips!) Drop it, Jesus says. Take some sabbath time to just be. (“Come to me, you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest…”) Sometimes churches get so wrapped up in our mission that we forget to pray, or really worship. (Some worship services can seem like a business meeting!) No, just be with Jesus. Seek solitude. Balance doing with being. Even in your worship service, balance words and silence.
       So they go—but the crowd comes and spoils it. Here’s the flip side of the story. Jesus gives up his intention for solitude and has compassion on the crowd. Sometimes churches (or individuals) are so inwardly focused that they don’t notice the people around them in need like sheep without a shepherd. Here’s call to ministry, to reaching out, to mission, to get up out of our building and serve the people around us.
       This story reminds me of parenting. Sometimes you’re tired and you want to take a break but your family is like sheep without a shepherd and you need to be a parent; you need to get to it. And sometimes your kids are rushing around doing what they do—or you yourself are rushing around, too busy— and you just need to stop and sit and be still with them. There’s no magic formula. You just have to pay attention.
       The challenge is how we balance the two, how we seek solitude and nourish our souls and also serve selflessly. We have to learn to balance the journey inward and the journey outward. It may seem heroic of Jesus to sacrifice his solitude to meet the needs of a huge crowd—but he already has achieved that balance! Immediately before this, he has sent the disciples out, while, I imagine, he remained at home, getting his solitude. He’s all rested up. When then crowds show up, he’s ready. Maybe service with others is what feeds you, or maybe you need to be fed first to serve others. There’s no right way… though it’s generally important that you “put on your own oxygen mask before helping others.” The point is, be mindful. Where is God calling you right now?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Welcome to this holy time and place. 
Bring your hearts into the presence of God.
 All: We have been busy!
Come away.
      What of our triumphs and our struggles?
Come away.
      What of our wish to know and understand?
Come away.
      Gentle Christ, we are here, with you.  It is enough for us.

2.
Leader: “Come away,” Jesus said,
“to a quiet place by yourselves, and rest a while.”
All: Jesus, we come to this quiet place to be with you.
Give us rest. Surround us with the peace in your heart.
Nourish our souls with the bread of your presence.
The needs of the world will come begging soon enough.
In this time and space, we are here. We are yours.
Accompany us as we worship.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, we wander through this life, hungry, like sheep without a shepherd.  But you have compassion on us.  And so we bring to you our hunger and our wounds.  We bring our sick souls on the mats of our prayer.  By your tender grace, touch us, change us, and make us whole.  Amen.

2.
God, you invite us to discover your presence in activity and in quiet, in word and in silence. Help us now, as your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, to pay attention, to be mindful of your presence, and to listen for your Word as you speak to us. Amen.

3.
God, sometimes the hungers of the world come rushing at us. We want peace and quiet, but people around us are in need, like sheep without a shepherd. Feed our hearts, rest our souls, nourish our spirits, and renew our compassion, that we may be ready and able to serve with joy and energy, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of love, you call us to tend to our neighbors. But we cannot feed them with what we don’t have. Nourish our souls, so that we may serve others. Heal us and feed us your grace, so that what we can offer them is not ourselves but you.

5.
Leader: Holy God, we leave behind the busyness of our lives;
      All:  we come to you.
We leave behind the noise in our lives and our minds,
      and we come to a quiet place where you are.
We come to a place of solitude, where there are no roles, no expectations:
      we are souls.  And here in this simple place, you are with us.
We let go.  We sink in.  We become present.
      We are happy to be here. 
      Blessing.  
      Alleluia.

6.
Gentle God, you draw us into the stillness of your Presence.  You breathe your breath in us, and we become more deeply aware.  We come into the quiet place in your heart    Speak your Word to us, even if it is silence, and we will listen, even if we do not understand.  Our hearts are open.  Come, Spirit of Truth, and be with us.  Amen.

7.
God, you invite us to discover your presence in activity and in quiet, in word and in silence.  Help us now, as your Scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, to pay attention, to be mindful of your presence, and to listen for your Word as you speak to us.    Amen.

Prayer of Confession:

      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, we have not always been present;
caught up in many things, we have neglected the One Thing.
We confess: renouncing all pretending,
letting go of all fear,
we bring ourselves to be with you,
in simplicity, in honesty, in silence.
Receive us as we are.
In your presence and your grace,
we are willing to become again the souls you create us to be.
Amen.

Listening Prayer

Jesus, you are our quiet place.
You are our source of rest.
You are the food that nourishes,
the breath that renews.
We come simply to be with you, that you may be in us.

Readings

                 Come away

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and stop a while.”
      — Mark 6. 30-31

Purify your doing with being.
Come away to a solitary place
where there are no others:
no one watching, judging, comparing, setting examples.
No one to impress, please, satisfy, conform to.
Just you, your body and your soul.

Go to a place where nothing matters, and nothing defines you
but being there,
where you have not achieved or failed at anything.
A stopping place, 
a place where you stop all that you do,
and discover your being,
at the center, beyond all doing.

The Holy One, who said, “I Am Being,” is there,
creating you moment by moment,
breath by breath.
Stop doing, and simply be being created.

You may find such solitude in a quiet park or in a noisy office.
For the place is nowhere out there, but within you.

Come away.
Be yourself.
Stop a while.
Such
a time and place is holy.

         A resting place

Breathe in.  Breath out.
Let go of all you have accomplished.
Step out of what you have done,
the “who” you think you are
that comes from something,
into the who that is I AM.
Be still.

Breathe in.  Breath out.
Set everything down.
The great burden of being yourself,
what everyone thinks, even you,
the work of remembering,
what you must and mustn’t,
let them all go.
Be still.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.
Come to the sabbath place
where nothing, even you,
is fashioned, everything just is.
Come into the rest that is God,
the silence from which your light pours,
the Spirit brooding over the waters.
Here where you are received,
receive yourself.
Be still.

Breathe in.   Breathe out.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
 We give our hearts to God, the Creator of all that is and all that is to come, who is present everywhere and in each moment.
 We follow Jesus, our teacher and healer, who has compassion on all people.  He leads us to seek God in activity and in quiet, in ministry and in solitude, in words and in silence—and in life and even in death.  Though Jesus was crucified, he was raised to new life, and accompanies us still in all things.
 We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in and among us, which makes us the church the Body of Christ.   The Spirit empowers us to live with forgiveness and compassion, and trust in the power of resurrection; to proclaim Christ’s way of living, and to give of ourselves in ministry, for the sake of the healing of the world.

2. [from Ephesians 2.14-22; 4.11-16]
Christ is our peace.  In Christ God has made us into one flesh.  and has broken down every dividing wall between us.
In Christ God has created one new humanity, making peace, and reconciling all to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death all hostility through it.
Jesus came and proclaimed peace to those who were far off and peace to those who were near. In Christ all of us have access in one Spirit to God.  So we are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.
In Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom we are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
God has given us various gifts to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Beloved of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
So we  grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us from the sanctuary of your heart into the sacred place of the world, bearing with us always your presence and your grace. By your Spirit we never go out from you, but only come more closely toward you, more deeply into your silent heart. By your Spirit, guide us. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

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.

With Open Hands (Tune: The Water Is Wide / Gift of Love)

O Love, 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 pours
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.

July 14, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 6.1-19 — David brings the ark into Jerusalem and dances with joy and abandon.

Psalm 24 — Who comes close to God? Those who seek truth and live truthfully. Who is the power that rules our lives? It is Yahweh.

Ephesians 1.3-14 — God has chosen us, adopted us as children, forgiven us, disclosed the mystery of God’s will to gather all in love, and given us an inheritance.

Mark 6. 6-29 —Jesus sends out the disciples two by two, while Herod kills John the Baptist.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Samuel
       We don’t know exactly what an ephod is, but it was scanty enough to offend Michal, David’s ex, and daughter of the former king. In these roles she reminds us how we bring family dynamics into church life and into theology.
       And, whether or not her indignation is righteous, among other things this story does touch on the issue that one person’s celebration is another’s disruption. Scripture seems to excuse religious ecstasy, yet would not think well of scantily clad clergy dancing around on Sunday morning. Where do we draw the line? Culture wars aside, there is a theological issue about how our public behavior may or may not convey the gospel, and how our joy may come at others’ expense. It’s not that David was wrong, or Michal was justified… but it does ask us to be aware of our audience.

Ephesians
 [Click here for a paraphrase of the whole book of Ephesians.]
       I say this often: if you’re ever down, read Ephesians. It’s just one blessing after another. You could preach whole sermons on every phrase of it. It uses a lot of language seminary graduates may take for granted but many people in the pews have little good understanding of. Unpack them a bit.
—“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before God in love.” We’re not chosen because we’re special, we’re special because we’re chosen—and everybody is chosen. God’s “plan” is for us to be perfectly loving. “Holy” doesn’t mean otherworldly or pious, or even better than anybody. It means set apart for God’s purposes. This doesn’t actually set us apart from others, since God chooses every human being for God’s purposes; but our response, our commitment to be loving, does set us apart from what the world wants of us. And, regardless of how well we do it, God hold us as “holy and blameless” no matter what. That’s been established from the beginning.
—“God destined us for adoption.” We don’t just happen to be humans inhabiting God’s Creation. God has chosen us, intentionally committed to us, and claimed us as God’s beloved, God’s children. It’s our destiny.
— “We have redemption through the blood of the Beloved, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” Contrary to popular medieval belief, Jesus’ physical blood has no magical powers. The blood doesn’t represent Jesus’ suffering, but his forgiveness in the face of our evil. Jesus is not “paying the price” for us; this is no mere transaction. In Jesus God is “lavishing” grace on us. It’s a gift! And it’s done. We don’t need to spend our lives trying to be good enough. We’re already deeply beloved. Just live like it.
— “God’s plan for the fullness of time is to gather up all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth.” Stop worrying about going to heaven. Everything will be gathered up in the incarnate love of God. Everything. All our successes and failures, our guilt and our shining, all gathered into God’s love made real.
— “We have been given an inheritance.” God’s love and our deep belonging are not conditional; we don’t have to deserve them or pay for them. We inherit them. They’re ours.
—“You also were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.” The Spirit is God’s presence in you, God’s love alive and radiating in you, connecting you with everyone else, since there’s only one Spirit in all of us. It’s a sign, God’s “seal,” promising that God is serious about this, that it’s really God at work in you. Your love is God’s “signature” in you. So live like it.

Mark
       The story of John’s death is an expose’ of the sordid debauchery of powerful people. It’s great TV material; you can just hear the trailer with the deep male voice-over: “In a world of sex, riches, power, violence and family intrigue, only one man can stand up for the truth…” The story reveals not only the tragedy of evil but also how petty and banal it is, how evil is basically just selfishness. It also paints a significant background to Jesus’ ministry, clarifying the scope and seemingly random nature of danger from political oppression. Truth-tellers like Jesus (or his disciples) could get killed. Mark is both commenting on the corruption of power, and he’s raising the level of suspense: the disciples’ mission is undertaken in the context of serious danger.
       But something else is also going on. Lectionary divisions hide it, but this is another Markan story-within-a-story. In Mark 6.7-13 (last week) Jesus sends out the disciples… in 14-29 (today) John the Baptizer is killed… and in 30 (next week) the disciples return and report their successes. Mark is saying something by sandwiching this story into the story of Jesus sending out the disciples. It’s as if Mark is saying, Yes, evil exists. But it’s surrounded by good, by the incontrovertible power of God, power for life and healing, not death. God gets the first and last word.
       Our preaching can parallel this good news. We can point out both the corruption of those in power, and also the good news that God is at work even amidst evil, violence, selfishness and injustice.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of peace, the world is troubled.
All: And you come among us with healing and grace.
God, the world is torn by evil.
And you surround us with goodness and mercy.
Your witnesses for righteousness are scorned.
But you uphold your beloved to do your will.
God of grace, we thank you, and we open our hearts to you.
Even in the shadow of injustice we worship you with joy.
Give us hearts of courageous mercy; give us the faith of Jesus.
Amen.

2.
Leader: Glorious God, as David danced before you, so we come with joy and praise.
      All: We worship you.  We praise you.  We open our hearts to you.
All Creation dances before you.  The stars and planets circle in joy and wonder.
      The seas wave and clap their hands.
The trees sway to the music of your wind.
      And our hearts sing your praise. 
      Alleluia! Glory be you to, now and forever.. Alleluia!  

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
     All:  Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
    You are holy, and we worship you.
You send us out into the world to do the work of healing.
But we have not always been healing.  Sometimes we have been hurtful.
     Holy One, have mercy.
We ourselves need healing.
     Christ, have mercy.
Give us power to face the unwholesome spirits in us and in our world.
     Holy One, have mercy.
     Grant us your Spirit, to work for justice and healing.
     Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, Life-Giver, you create all things, you establish the bounds and set the laws of all Creation, you are infinite and unknowable—yet you come among us in faithful presence.  We worship you. As David danced before the ark, our hearts rejoice in the presence of your Word.  Speak to us; sing to us.  May we hear the music of your grace, and lose ourselves in your beauty.  Amen.

2.
The human heart is a rich mystery, full of good and evil.
We bring our hearts to you, God:
heal us of our fears,
open our eyes to see ourselves as you see us,
renew your Spirit in us,
and re-create us as the image of your love.
We thank you for your love, we ask your blessing,
and we open ourselves to your grace.  Amen.

3.
Holy One, at times it seems we are surrounded by evil, but it is the other way around. There is evil in the world, but it is surrounded by good. Even the worst injustice is contained within your grace. There is more love than hate or fear. Renew your love in us, O God. Give us the eyes to see injustice, and the faith to act with mercy and grace. Give us the courage to love, and the power to heal. Amen.

4.
God of grace and truth, as David danced before the ark, we come before your Word with joy. Speak to us and let your Word move us to dance your love in all our lives, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

5.
Holy God, you are present here and now. You speak to us. The words of scripture touch your presence, stirring deep within us. You call us to life, to new life, to life in your Spirit. You call us to serve and to witness. Help us to listen, to hear and to be transformed. We open ourselves to your presence and your truth. Amen.

6.
God of grace, in this torn and troubled world you give us power to heal, to proclaim your good news, to anoint with blessing.  Open us to receive these gifts, that we may pass them on.  You send us in poverty of spirit.  Be our guide and companion, our power and our wealth, our journey and our home.

Listening Prayer  

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

Life-giving God,
you who send out healing amidst evil,
pour your power into us,
that we may be vessels of your good
even in this troubled world.

Readings

1.            Psalm 24, a paraphrase

The whole earth, end everything on it,
        belongs to the Holy One.
All Creation and all people are God’s.
        For God made it all—the deep mysteries,
         all flowing life and beauty.
How can we draw near to God?
        How does one witness God’s presence?
By having gentle hands and pure hearts.
         By honoring what is true,
         and not harboring the lies of fear.
In this way the Holy One blesses us;
         our saving God vindicates us.
This is the way of those who seek God,
         the community who seek the God of love.
O gates of life, swing wide with welcome!
         You doors to joy, open your arms:
         let the Glorious One come in and be with us.
Who is the Glorious One?
         The Beloved, gracious and loving,
         whose mercy ends all battles.
O gates of this moment, open to grace!
         You doors of attentiveness, open your arms:
         let the Glorious One come in and be with us.
Who is the Glorious One?
         The Beloved, gracious and loving.
         The Beloved is the glory of life.

2. Ephesians 1.3-14, a paraphrase
               [Click here for a paraphrase of the whole book of Ephesians.]

Blessed be God, who birthed real love among us in Christ,
and in that love has given us the blessings of heaven itself.
Since before Creation, in this love, God intended
that we would be holy, loved, and loving,
God’s own dear children.
In this love, so generously lavished on us,
we are redeemed, and all our wrongs are forgiven.
Stop and wonder at this grace, and give thanks!

May God give you the wisdom and wonder
to appreciate the mystery of God’s pleasure,
God’s design for all Creation,
which is to always be gathering everything,
seen and unseen, into the body of love.
When first heard this wonder, that you are part of the world’s salvation,
when you first opened yourself to this love,
it poured into you. God’s Spirit changed you.
Now you yourself are part of God’s promise.
The Spirit in you is the first bit of God’s redemption of the world.
That is God’s glory. Doesn’t it make you want to praise God?

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / After Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Help us to be a force for good in the world, and to join you in the work of healing and justice for the sake of the blessing of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will.  We go now into the world filled with your joy, graced with your presence and dancing in your Spirit, in the name and the love of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Send us into the world to witness for justice, to pray for peace, to work for healing, in the name and the Spirit of Christ.  Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
We go out to face the powers of injustice, sustained by the power of your love. Help us, guide us and empower us even to dance with love and joy in the face of evil, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on title to view on the Music page.)

Bread of Justice         (Tune: HOLY MANNA
…or Love Divine, All Loves Excelling…or Joyful, Joyful…
or even What a Friend We Have In Jesus)

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, to bear witness to your Reign.

Send Us, Jesus (Tune : All Through the Night)

Send us, Jesus, in your spirit, held in your love,
to this world so torn and troubled, held in your love.
When despair and pain have found us,
still your mercy wraps around us,
giving hope that may astound us,
held in your love.

Send us, Jesus, bearing witness, held in your love,
present with the poor and broken, held in your love.
Evil looms, so cruel, deceiving,
leaving victims shorn and grieving;
still we will not cease believing,
held in your love.

Send us with the power of healing, held in your love.
Give us courage, strength and wisdom, held in your love.
To the selfish powers, oppressing,
may we stand, your love expressing,
facing fear with grace and blessing,
held in your love.

Send us for the sake of living, held in your love.
Give us grace to be forgiving, held in your love.
Facing evil’s vile rejection,
fearless love is resurrection.
May we be your best reflection,
held in your love

July 7, 2024

Lectionary Texts

2 Samuel 5. 1-5, 9-10 — David is anointed king of the united northern and southern kingdoms of Israel.

Psalm 48 — The “City of God” on Mt. Zion, an image of God’s strength and glory.

2 Corinthians 12. 2-10 –— “Someone” (Paul himself?) is “caught up into heaven.” His “thorn in the flesh”… “Power is made perfect in weakness.”

Mark 6.1-13 — Jesus bombs in his home town. He sends out his disciples proclaiming, healing and blessing.

Preaching Thoughts

2 Corinthians
      We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was: a physical ailment? A mental challenge? A troubled relationship? Whatever it was, I can imagine Paul had some classic “why me?” prayers. But God’s answer: You don’t need to be otherwise than who you are to be fruitful in love. Whatever you think your ailment, shortcoming, disability or fault is, it really doesn’t matter to your love. Just love. There’s power there. Not in your comfort, abilities, or adherence to cultural expectations.
       This is one of Paul’s constant themes: that we are mere vessels for God’s power. When we can manage to get our attachment to power out of the way—the human power of control and influence, the power we imagine resides in status, success, beauty, skill and “being right”—when we can empty our hands of that false power, we become clean, empty vessels for the real, life-giving, miracle-producing power of love. Only when we are wiling to appear weak by the world’s twisted standards do we bear the strength of love.

Gospel
       Like Naaman in 2 Kings 5, sometimes we expect God’s truth to come with special effects. We’re blind to grace in ordinary, everyday things and people. It’s often said an expert is someone who comes from a distance away. And often they say what some locals have been saying all along. We especially don’t want to see or hear the good stuff coming from people we consider beneath us. And we all have folks we consider beneath us. But lo and behold, God keeps entering the world through the basement, the back door, the servants’ entrance. It’s a constant biblical theme: God hides wisdom and glory in the lowly. Get used to it. Even better, develop wonder and and open eyes for such mystery!
       By the way, the people say, “But isn’t Jesus that builder, the son of Mary?…” In Greek it doesn’t say “carpenter,” it says “builder.” Centuries ago German interpreters assumed a builder was a carpenter because their builders were carpenters, and we’ve continued the assumption ever since. But there are not wooden houses in Israel, then or now. It’s all stone. Jesus was more likely a stone mason. Make of that what you will.
       One moral of the story of Jesus in Nazareth is that cynical people don’t easily experience healing. On one hand, that’s a comfort when it seems our message is not widely received or our preaching bombs: maybe it’s not our fault. But also: we all know cynical people we’d like to point to as examples—but maybe the first thing is to check our own cynicism. Where is our awareness closed to grace; who are the people we don’t think capable of bearing divine goodness? Watch out.
       There’s an interesting theological angle to Jesus’ inability to heal the cynical people in his hometown. It seems his healing is a mutual event, requiring both his power and the person’s willingness. This is not to suggest that if people are unhealed it’s their own fault. But it does suggest that regardless of the power of God’s grace, we also have power, power to accept or deny, to receive or to turn away. It reminds me of one thing that divides those of us of a Wesleyan tradition from the Calvinists. The latter, based on Augustine, would say God’s election is all God’s and there’s nothing we can do about it; God’s grace can’t be refused. We Wesleyans, following Arminius, say God’s grace is a cooperative thing: we have power to work with it or not. Jesus’s experience would seem to justify the Wesleyans. The question of faith is not whether God’s grace is present and at work; the question is what we’re doing with it.
       As if to demonstrate the biblical theme of God’s upending of our power structures, Jesus, who can’t seem to get any healing going, sends out his ragtag disciples to heal—and they’re successful! Whoa. Especially in Mark’s telling, in which the disciples are the Twelve Stooges, we didn’t see that coming. See? There’s our own cynicism rearing its nasty head. Even the disciples—who are always at a loss, not getting it, a step behind, showing up for a baseball game with tennis raquets—they get it right! They cure the sick and cast our demons! Because the power is not theirs, but God’s. Power is made perfect in weakness.
       And there we are. There is the church, being sent out to do what Jesus can’t do, to heal and proclaim good news in our own places, in our own ways, with our own gifts, partial and sloppy though they may be. The calling is ours. But the power is God’s.

Call to Worship

1.
God, you are among us.
Open our eyes to see you.
You are doing miracles every day.
Open our hearts to receive you.
You empower us to do miracles, too.
Open our hands to serve you.
In gratitude and trust, we worship you.

2.
God of grace, you perform miracles , though we do not often see them
Help us to look and to see, to trust and to receive.
Give us faith, that we may be open to your truth and your grace;
make us worthy vessels of your love to all the world.
Our power is nothing, but your power is infinite;
our abilities come and go but your ability is eternal.
Help us to trust in your power alone, O God.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Holy God, Creator of the universe, we worship you.
All: Living Christ, Sovereign of all, we honor you.
Holy Spirit, above and within every power and people, we give thanks for you.
You alone are God, and we worship you. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, you are here today. You are not far off. You are here. In this place. This moment. This breath. We come to be present for you, you who are infinitely present for us. Open our hearts to you. Grant us a listening faith, a trusting and seeking and receiving faith. By your Spirit, open us to your grace. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, Jesus sent out his disciples to preach and to heal. We are among those whom he sends in your name, and in the power of your Spirit. But we cannot preach unless we know your good news. We cannot heal unless we know your power. Speak to us, heal our hearts, and fill us with your grace, so that we can faithfully bear witness to your Word in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Holy God, prophets may lack honor in their hometown, but we ask you to make your home in our hearts anyway. Help us to honor your Word and not take it for granted. Move us to hear the freshness of your Spirit within words that may be familiar. Help us to honor you by paying attention to how you speak to us today. Teach us to respond to your call, so that we may be ever more faithful disciples. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we remember those who received no miracles because they were not willing. We surrender our superior knowledge, and the resistance of what we know. We open ourselves to the mystery of your Word and the miracle of your grace. Speak to us, touch us, and change us. Amen.

5.
Good and life-giving God, you send us out to heal and bear light in a hurting world. Teach us in the wisdom of your Word. Shape us by your grace. Fill us with the power of your mercy. Set the match of your love to the torch of our hearts, that we may bear your light into the world. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Gentle God,
sidestep our doubts,
penetrate our disbelief,
and open our hearts to your grace.
Let your glory and wonder come to us
where we did not expect.
Even when we are not confident,
let your power flow through us for healing.
We are open.

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, we confess that our hearts have been closed to you.
We have judged one another, and so we have not been able to hear your truth.
Holy One, have mercy.
We have been absorbed in our expectations instead of your grace,
and so we have not witnessed your miracles.
Christ, have mercy.
We have not loved our neighbors and so we have not received love.
Holy One, have mercy.
Forgive us, heal us, and create us anew. Amen.
            Silent prayer… The word of grace

2.
Gracious God, our sins nag at us.
Our faults and failures haunt us.
What we are afraid to see, shamed to name,
and even unable to look at clearly,
we lay at your feet.
Know us… Forgive us… Make us new.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, who is creating in each moment. We open our hearts and minds to God’s grace and presence in all things.
       We follow Jesus, our teacher and healer. We are open to God’s grace and power in him. For he was open to God’s leading, and so he gave himself in love. He was killed by fear but raised by love, and still is present with power and truth.
       We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in us and an all things: the power that unites us as the Church, the Body of Christ, and that enables us to trust resurrection and to live with mindfulness and forgiveness, and to serve God in love for the sake of the healing of the world. We trust that this power in us is made perfect in our weakness: not in our own strength or ability, but in our reliance upon God’s grace. It is God’s Spirit, not our wisdom, that enables us to discern truthfully. For these blessings we give God thanks, and we devote our lives.

2.
      We trust in God, Creator of all things,
who is pure compassion,
who loves us unconditionally,
who is present with us in good times and bad,
who is our salvation.
      We trust in Christ, the embodiment of God’s love,
the love and healer of our sols,
who saves us, forgiving our failures,
washing away our betrayals,
who teaches us life’s deepest things:
how to pray, how to love,
how to be gentle with each other.
       We trust in the Holy Spirit, God’s power flowing in us,
that comforts the faithful,
empowers us to love as we have been loved,
and joins us together as the Body of Christ.
We believe we are sent in that Spirit
to heal, to forgive, to do justice,
to radiate the love of God, in the name 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, you create all things, and nothing is beyond your power.
You form all people in your image, and no one is beyond your love.
You judge the forces of oppression and set us free,
and no force or nation can overpower your grace.
You make us your people, and no boundaries can divide us.
You gather us to your table, not by our deserving but by your grace,
and no one is unworthy; no one is excluded.
Therefore with people in every nation, in every language,
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, who work for justice,
who pray for healing, who proclaim your grace.
Blessed is Jesus, who embodied your love.
He taught and healed;
and he gathered a community that crossed all boundaries.
For his witness he was opposed; he was convicted and executed.
But in the power of your grace he rose again.
He has set us free, and so we give you thanks.

      … 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.
Send us out as agents of healing,
as bearers of good news.
May your power be made perfect in our weakness,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

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 gather us into your Empire of Grace, uniting us with all people Send us into the world to bear witness to our unity, to work for justice, to embody your grace, in the name and the Spirit of Christ, who with you reigns over all nations forever. Amen.

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

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Bless us that we might serve you faithfully, not because of our great powers or abilities, but by our openness to your grace. Use your power through us, so that by our ministry you might transform the world into your blessed Realm. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Be the Living Word (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

As you go to serve Creation bear the Word of God with you,
Word that brings forth light now dwelling in your heart and shining through.
Do not merely say the words: become the Word. Embody grace.
Be the living Word and give the love of God a human face.

To the poor in spirit go, and give them bread for which they long.
Nourish them for love and justice. Feed their souls and make them strong.
Be the hearty bread that’s taken, blest and broken day by day.
Be the bread of love made real, bread that Jesus gives away.

Do not try to serve with only your own passion to impart.
Let the love of God flow through you from the Source, from Heaven’s Heart.
Pass along God’s deep forgiveness, flowing freely from the Lord.
Be the wine of God’s great feast, the wine so generously poured.

By the Spirit living in you, be the hope you hope to preach;
be the peace you long to witness; be the truth you want to teach.
Let your living be the Word that words alone cannot convey.
Be the Word of love embodied; be the flesh of Christ today.

Before My Eyes        (Tune: For the Beauty of the Earth)

Prophets plainly speak your Word, but are silenced and not heard.
Miracles will pass us by, hidden by the jaundiced eye.
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Acts of courage, though unseen; in forgiveness hearts washed clean;
deeds of love, though they are small: most miraculous of all!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

How the outcast choose to live, how the poor in spirit give,
how the ones we ostracize give gifts we don’t recognize!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Letting expectations go, humbly knowing I don’t know,
blessing what the moment brings, finding grace in humble things:
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Help me seek the truth today, set aside what others say,
speak your Word and trust your grace— miracles will then take place!
Spirit, help me realize: you are here before my eyes.

Bread of Justice (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

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, to bear witness to your Reign.


Send Us In Love (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God in your mercy you are forgiving.
Now in our living we give you praise,
bearing your grace that blesses and frees us,
following Jesus all of our days.

Christ, your good news we share in thanksgiving,
gratefully living as you have done.
Make us your Body, faithfully sharing,
loving and caring, serving as one.

Send us in love now, Great Holy Spirit.
All we inherit is ours to give.
Set us to healing, humbly expressing
your gracious blessing that makes us live.

Send Us, Jesus (Tune: All Through the Night)

Send us, Jesus, in your spirit, held in your love,
to this torn and troubled world, still held in your love.
When despair and pain have found us,
still your mercy wraps around us,
giving hope that may astound us,
held in your love.

Send us, Jesus, bearing witness, held in your love,
present with the poor and broken, held in your love.
Evil looms, so cruel, deceiving,
leaving victims shorn and grieving;
still we will not cease believing,
held in your love.

Send us with the power of healing, held in your love.
Give us courage, strength and wisdom, held in your love.
To the selfish powers, oppressing,
may we stand, your love expressing,
facing fear with grace and blessing,
held in your love.

Send us for the sake of living, held in your love.
Give us grace to be forgiving, held in your love.
Facing evil’s vile rejection,
fearless love is resurrection.
May we be your best reflection,
held in your love.


You Are the Nerve (Tune: Finlandia)

O God, your Christ is risen in your people.
On earth Christ has no body now but ours.
We are the flesh and blood of your compassion
:moved by your Spirit, with its loving powers.
God be our heart, and we will be your Body,
serving in love in all our days and hours.

We are your feet, that go with joy to others
to share your love, the gospel we confess.
We are your eyes that see what is and may be,
that see each person’s need and loveliness.
We are your hands, that work with strength for justice,
your hands that shelter, heal and feed and bless.

Love, move in me, and guide me by your Spirit,
even when I don’t see or understand.
My life is yours, to be your living Body,
that I may love and serve at your command.
This is my life, my purpose and my power:
you are the nerve, and I your willing hand.

June 23, 2024

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Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Call to Worship

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

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

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

Prayer

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

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

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

Readings

(For two readers.)

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

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

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

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

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

Response / Creed / Affirmation

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

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

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

2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will.  Send us into the world with trust in your presence and courage in our hearts and hands, to go where you lead us, to love as you enable us, to serve as you command us. In the name of Christ, our Safety and our Peace, bless us.  Amen.

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

Suggested Songs

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

In the Boat (Original song)

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

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

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

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

June 106, 2024

Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

Call to Worship

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

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

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

Prayer

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

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

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

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

Readings

1.   Psalm 20, a paraphrase

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Abridged from Psalm 20, a paraphrase

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we give you our gifts as symbols of our lives.  Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will.  May your grace grow and bear fruit in our lives by the power of your Spirit in us, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

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

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view on the Music page)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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



You are the soil (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

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

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

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

November 17, 2024

Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Call to Worship

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

2.
Leader: Eternal God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, we praise you.
       All: Risen Christ, you who hold the door open for us
       into this world, and into the next,
       we greet you, and we listen for your voice.
Holy Spirit, you who transform all things, we open our hearts to your presence.
        Holy One, Breath of Life, Flesh of Love and Bone of Faithfulness,
        we thank you.
        You are the turning of the world;
        you are the Mysterious Unfolding within us.
We come to you to worship, to be blessed, to be changed.
        Alleluia! Come, Spirit of Grace,
        and transform us according to your will. Alleluia!

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

Collect / Prayer of the Day

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

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

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

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

Prayer of Confession

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

Reading

When the towers fell

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


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

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

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

Response / Creed / Affirmation

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

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

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

Suggested Songs

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Love Will Bear Us Over (Tune : Holy Manna)

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

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