November 26, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Ezekiel 34.11-24 — God will shepherd us, rescue the lost, and save them from the fat, oppressive sheep.

Psalm 100 — We are God’s people, and the sheep of God’s pasture.

Ephesians 1.15-23 — “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened” that you may know the greatness of God’s power, which raised Christ from the dead to be head of the church and all things. (See my paraphrase of the book of Ephesians.)

Matthew 25.31-46 — The final judgment of sheep and goats. “What you have done to the least of these…”

Preaching Thoughts

Ezekiel
       The promise of God’s grace doesn’t come in a vacuum, but in the context of a world of hurt, evil and injustice. So the tending of God’s vulnerable ones includes saving them from the ravages of the selfish ones. Viewed socially, it’s a political outlook. How do we support the weak and vulnerable, and hold the rich and powerful to account? The “Reign of Christ” isn’t just a religious idea; it’s a vision for the real world, the way God intends for us to live together. How do we shape our laws, policies, economy and social structures to reflect God’s care for the weak, the marginalized, the dehumanized, the silenced and the exploited? To fail to do this is to give license to the “fat sheep” and their various systems of privilege and exclusion, and the resulting oppression and exploitation.

Ephesians (Click here for my paraphrase of the book of Ephesians.)
       If you’re ever feeling blue, read Ephesians. It’s just one blessing after another. (One hint that it’s not Paul writing but a follower, is that it never lapses into legal arguments. Just blessings.) As is often the case, pretty much every phrase in this passage is the seed of a good sermon. Among the gems:
   • “May the eyes of your heart be enlightened.” May you see through the lens of God’s love.
   • “The hope to which God has called you.” Trust that God’s will for you is good.
   • The power God exercises toward us is the power that raised Christ from the dead. The spirit of resurrection. Strong stuff.
   • Christ is above all human hierarchies and power structures. Love is more powerful than governments.
   • Christ is the head and the Church is the body, which embodies the fullness of God’s love.

Matthew
       The kingdom of God is not the afterlife. Jesus was intently interested in this life. The Kingdom of God is the world as God intends it, and the image of Jesus as “king” or sovereign means Love reigns over this world, and is the greatest power, even as greed and fear exert their will. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God it was s a real-world alternative to the Kingdom of Herod, the Lordship of Caesar, the Empire of Rome. “Jesus is Lord” is a political statement. Reign of Christ Sunday celebrates that Christ is as Ephesians says “far above all rule and authority.” Jesus is Sovereign over a real, actual, worldly Empire of Grace, a real-world alternative—subversive, treasonous, even—to consumerism, Christian nationalism, capitalism, white supremacy, and all our hierarchies and power structures.
       The parable of the great judgment lets us glimpse something of what that Empire is about: compassion is the law of the land. In the Realm of God everybody gets what they need to thrive as members of the Body. That means special attention to the folks who are most harmed by our systems of privilege and exclusion. So God takes the side of the poor and powerless and marginalized, and commands us to do the same. Honoring Jesus as our king means committing to obeying his command to care for the poor and hurting.
       The reign of Christ means that Jesus is sovereign not only over the powers of the universe, but also over us and our own inner worlds. To claim Jesus as ruler of our lives is to make him the center of our rule of life, our intentional discipline, our way of living. A piece of paper is aligned with the use of a ruler. If Jesus rules our lives, our lives are arranged and measured with Jesus as our template, the ruler that provides straight lines of justice and righteousness. For Jesus to reign over our lives means we are willing to suffer for the sake of love and justice, to be faithful to God and in harmony with God and God’s grace, no matter what. So it’s not just Christ’s demand over us but Christ’s rule within us us that leads us to care for the poor.
       For those who believe in a literal hell, this story in Matthew is one of two stories Jesus tells specifically imagining such a thing—the other is the rich man and Lazarus. In both cases, the way you end up hell is not based on your religion, your creed, your faith, or even your prayer life, but ignoring the poor. It’s a great passage to begin with when discussing with “literalists.” Our true Sovereign is not found among the trappings of power, but among the poor. God does not just care about the poor; God is among the poor. To obey the sovereign of the Empire of Grace, we share the ruler’s passion and compassion for the poor.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, you are the light of the minds that know you.
All:You are the joy of the hearts that love you,
the strength of the wills that serve you
Grant us so to know you that we may truly love you,
And so to love you that we may gladly serve you,
now and always. Alleluia! Amen!

2.
Leader: Creator God, you reign over all the universe with love and justice.
All: Glory! We thank you with love.
Christ, you reign over all human history with mercy and grace.
Glory! We thank you with love.
Holy Spirit, you reign in our hearts with beauty and power.
Glory! We thank you with love. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: From the Spirit who was, the Rock who is,
and the Strong One yet to come, grace and peace to you!
All: To the Love that reigns over us, the love that walks beside us
and the love that guides us from within, be praise and thanksgiving!
We come before God with humble joy, that we may learn to obey
the Sovereign of Love, the Ruler of mercy.
Alleluia! Let us worship God.

4. [from Ephesians 1.15-23]
Leader: God, glorious Mother and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we praise you.
All: You raised Christ from the dead
and seated him at your right hand, at the heart of all things.
Christ is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
above any title that can be given,
not only in the world we see, but in the unseen as well.
You have made him sovereign over everything,
and made him the head of the church, which is his body.
God, we pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know you better.
Alleluia! May the eyes of our hearts be opened.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Christ, Divine presence, Living Word,
God has put you at God’s right hand,
and you rule in power above all things.
Rule over our hearts, and work your infinite power within us.
Raise us to life, and direct us by your Spirit.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do to each other, we do to you. Make us quick to help and slow to hurt, knowing that in our neighbor it is you who receive our love or our neglect. Shape us by your love, and fit us for your Realm of grace. Amen.

2.
O God of Love, you have put all things under the rule of Christ, the Lord of Love. Bring us under your sway, that we may be faithful citizens of your Empire of Grace, and obedient to the spirit of love you birth within us. Speak your Word to us, and make us yours, in the name of Christ, our friend and our Sovereign. Amen.

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

4.
Gentle and mighty God, we thank you, that you reign over the world with grace and compassion. You revealed your Realm in Jesus, who embodied your mercy and justice. He healed the sick, raised up the downtrodden, destroyed the powers of oppression, and proclaimed your Jubilee. In his death and resurrection you have brought us out of the realm of darkness and into the realm of your eternal light and life. Holy God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on all your church, that we may serve you faithfully in all that we do, in the name and the love of Christ. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, in this season of harvest and thanksgiving, we offer to you our gratitude and praise. For all that you have given us, we thank you. And we give you our hearts. Speak to us now, that we may hear your Word, and become your living Word by the Spirit of Christ living in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Holy Love,
you create, you rule, you give life.
Take charge of our hearts.
Bless us that we may be obedient
citizens of your Realm of Grace.

2.
God of love, Ruler of the Universe,
Gentle Christ, Sovereign of our hearts,
your love is supreme,
and we bow to your life-giving power.
May your love, and love alone,
rule our lives.

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.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you.
Though you have been our sovereign, we have not obeyed you.
We have not let you rule our hearts.
We have not let you direct our thoughts or command our actions.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
You who have power over us, forgive us.
Remake us according to your grace.
Guide us in every step we take.
May your presence be the power in our lives;
may your love control our hearts and minds.
Help us to follow your Way, in the name of Christ,
and by the power of your Spirit in us. Amen.
[Silent prayer… the word of grace ]

2.
… God of love, we bow to the power of your love.
Gentle Christ, we submit to your mercy.
May your compassion cast out our fear.
May your forgiveness overrule our guilt.
May your generosity banish our selfishness.
May your grace supplant our sin.
O Love, rule on our hearts.
Make us obedient to your love.

Readings

Ephesians 1.15-23 — a paraphrase

I pray that the God of our Sovereign Jesus Christ,
the Father and Mother of glory,
who in Jesus has embodied among us
the love that creates and orders our lives
and makes them good and beautiful,
may awaken in you deep awareness
of God’s presence and love.
With the eyes of your heart enlightened
may you have the hope God has for you;
may you live in wonder and trust
of the gifts we all receive as God’s Beloved;
may you come more deeply to trust
the immeasurable power of God’s love.
It is love that raised Christ from the dead.
Christ’s love is the power that orders the universe,
that rules over all human dominion
and all realms before and after humans,
in the visible world and the unseen.
All things are subject to the sovereignty of Love.
And we, the church, are the Body of that love,
love that fills everything, and contains everything.
Everything.
Alleluia.

[See all of Ephesians paraphrased, here.]

Poetry

                The least of these
      
         Whatever you did to the least of these
                  you did to me.
                           —Matthew 25.40


This is not a simile.
         The poor are not an allegory.
                  God is the poor.

God is not observing them, but in them,
         the lonely and the rejected.
                  God takes the lowest place.

God is the powerless one,
         the misunderstood one,
                  the crucified one.

Under the bridge,
         in the nursing home,
                  in solitary,

this is the throne of the Sovereign,
         the Ruler of the universe:
                  the cross.

Until you see the glory of the divine
         in the street gang, the wheelchair,
                  the power of the heavens in the lifer,

you do not believe.
         Don’t go elsewhere to worship in ease.
                  Bow down, and serve, and know.



         The great judgment

“Lord, when did we see you
shot dead in the street and not cry out?
When did we see you walking in the desert
and not leave water for you?
When did we see you deported
or carted off to prison and not protest?
When did we see you homeless, and not reach out?
When did we see you struggling in the ICU,
or the nursing home, or on the locked ward,
and did not come to you?”

And he will answer…


         

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We believe in God, Creator of all, who is beyond all and in all, whose love and power is unsearchable and yet mysteriously present.
       We place our trust in Jesus, and not in any earthly authority; for Jesus fully embodies the loving presence of God: he taught and healed, and performed prophetic acts of mercy and justice. In his life, death and resurrection he released God’s infinite power for life and healing: grace that is eternal, free from all human authority, power or expectation.
       We live our lives by the grace of the Holy Spirit, God’s loving presence within and among us, which makes us the church, the Body of Christ. We live by the grace of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection and the gift of eternal life. We rejoice that we are under no human authority, but under the grace of God; we are beholden to no earthly powers, but to the power of love. Therefore we devote ourselves to lives of worship through fearlessly giving the gifts God has given us, and loving and serving others in the spirit of Christ, for the sake of the blessing of the world, to the glory of God. Amen.

2. [Ephesians 1.15-23]
       We believe in God, the glorious Mother and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
       We rejoice that God has put immeasurably great power to work in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every title that can be named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. God has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of Christ who fills everything in every way.
       We pray that God may grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that we may come to know God more deeply. We pray that the eyes of our hearts may be opened, that we may know the hope to which God has called us, and that we may know the riches of God’s glorious inheritance among the saints, and the immeasurable greatness of God’s power for us who believe. As we give thanks for one another and remember each other in our prayers, may God deepen our faith, and our love for all the saints. Amen.

3. [Corinthians 15.1, 3-4, Ephesians 1.20-23]
       Leader: Sisters and brothers, remember the good news
that has been proclaimed to you, in which you stand.
       All: We gladly proclaim what we have received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
that he was buried, and that God raised him from the dead;
and God seated him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places,
above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and has put all things under his feet.
In Christ all things hold together.
God has made him the head over all things for the church,
which is his body, by which he fills everything with his presence.
We, the Body of Christ, are given the ministry of grace,
that by the power of the Holy Spirit
we may bear witness to the Reign of Christ over all things,
now and forever. Amen.

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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. By your Spirit in us form us as citizens of your Realm, obedient to your law of grace, eager to work for justice in this world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Bread and Justice (Tune: Amazing Grace)
[This can be found in Table Songs, a collection of communion songs.]

Dear Jesus, when we break our bread
with those who are in need,
we then by grace commune with God,
and it is you we feed.

When we sit down and eat with those
who hunger and who thirst,
we know that we are also poor,
and you have fed us first.

So call us to your table, Lord,
your grateful children, call:
where we receive your grace, unearned,
and turn to share with all.

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

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

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

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

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

Love Is Enthroned     (Tune: Finlandia)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


O Sovereign Love
(Tune: O God, Our Help In Ages Past, or Amazing Grace)

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

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

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

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

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

November 19, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Judges 4. 1-7 — Deborah, a judge of Israel, gives advice to Barak, a local military leader, about a conflict.

Psalm 123 —We look to God like a maid watches the hand of her mistress.
—or—
Psalm 76 — God overwhelms for forces of war and saves the oppressed.

1 Thessalonians 5.1-11 — Stay awake and be alert for the coming of Christ.

Matthew 25.14-30 — The parable of the talents.

Preaching Thoughts

Judges
       This is a glimpse into the period of the Judges before Israel was really a “nation” yet. But a pretty tiny glimpse. And it’s a paltry attempt to include a little (token?) spotlight on a woman in the history of Israel. It’s not very illuminating. I’d rather offer folks a fuller picture of woman’s leadership than this little snippet of Deborah’s military advice. Why not Tamar, or Rahab? Yes, those stories are “adult content,” but they show women as resourceful, wise, courageous and definitely part of God’s care for Israel.

1 Thessalonians
       As we ramp up toward the big climax of the liturgical year on Reign of Christ Sunday, we hear again about the Second Coming. Whether or not we anticipate an actual incident in our future we can label as the “Second Coming,” it’s clear that in this world torn by greed, violence, hate and oppression, we are clearly in need of divine intervention. As alarming as the images of “sudden destruction” are, that’s not the heart of Paul’s message. (After all, maybe the Second Coming is really gradual!) The message is twofold: the promise that the God of love and grace is not done with us yet, and the importance of “belonging to the day” instead of the night. When we focus on the image destruction our image of God’s judgment becomes destructive. But Paul is clear: “God has destined us for salvation.” The point is to live with God’s light, now, in this long night of evil and injustice. The point is not to separate ourselves into the saved and unsaved, but to “encourage one another and build up each other.”

Matthew
       It’s hard for us in our capitalist society to grasp the truth that nothing is ours, and hard to let go of the idol of personal possessions. The framers of the Declaration of Independence, perhaps influenced by John Locke, considered naming our inalienable rights as “life, liberty and property.” (Other contemporary declarations do.) Jesus knew better. This story suggests that everything that we think of as “ours”—our whole life— is actually God’s, given to us to steward. No matter how hard you think you worked for it, it’s not yours. (Besides, there’s always someone who’s worked harder than you, and they don’t have what you do.) Think of your whole life—your health, your skills and abilities, your possessions, your time, your income, your loves and cares and prayers, all of it—and imagine it’s a plate of fine food the chef has given you, as a waiter, to serve to some customers. It’s not yours, and not for you! It’s for you to share, to act as a steward. How would God spend your life? How might God want you to give away your time, your skills, your resources? A talent is a measure of weight (it works out to about 15 years’ wages), so even one talent, not even two or five, is what we might call “a ton of money.” So the one-talent worker doesn’t have much to complain about. “I was only given a measly million dollars to invest. Poor me.” How much do we have—what spiritual gifts—that we dismiss because others have more skill, fame, talent, charm or luck than we do? It’s all good. How do you focus on what you do have, not what you don’t, and share those gifts?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Loving God, you create us in your image and claim us as your children.
All: We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise!
You give us gifts, each different, and bless us with your grace.
We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise!
Fill us with your Spirit, that we may serve you with love and joy.
We give you our lives in thanksgiving and praise! Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Joy of heaven, you shower us with gifts!
All: Fountain of life, you bless us.
Spirit of abundance, you flower in us.
God of grace, we thank you. We worship you.
We give our lives to you in gratitude and praise. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: What light God has given us,
that we might shine in the world’s darkness!
All: What love Christ has give us,
that we might love with his love!
What gifts the Spirit has given us,
that we might be for the world the good news of God’s grace.
Alleluia! Come, Love, and inspire us
to be your gifts for the world. Amen.

4.
Leader: Creator God, eternal Love, we praise you!
All: You bless us with good things.
You surround us with Creation, and bless us with human community.
You give us your presence in Jesus.
You forgive our faults and encourage us in our weakness.
You give us spiritual gifts, and your grace shines in us. Why then would we not trust you? Why would we not be generous, as you are generous?
Alleluia! Fill us with your spirit of giving.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Abundant God, you have given us every good thing, and so we thank you.
All: Enrich in us our spirit of generosity.
You provide for us, so that we may share abundantly in every good work.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you love this world, and you choose to accomplish that love through us. You have given us gifts with which to bless this world, to heal the hurting, to feed, the needy to encourage the downtrodden. Stir up those gifts in us, and give us love and courage to share them, by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit and the presence of your loving Jesus. Amen.

2.
God of abundant blessings, you give us the gift of Creation; you give us the gift of life; you give us the gifts of all that we possess. Everything is a gift from you. We turn to you now to receive the gift of your Word, so that we might be transformed by your grace and filled with your spirit of abundance. We listen for your Word, and we open our hearts to your presence. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, unending source of blessing, unceasing well of grace, we thank you for the abundance of your good gifts. You have laid the treasures of your goodness in our hands. Stir up your grace in us so that we may bear your love and trust gladly into the world, by the power of your Spirit working in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Generous God,
you have invested your prayers in us
for the sake of your gospel.
Let your prayers multiply in us
for the sake of the healing of the world.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we confess our sin to God with one another.
God have mercy.
We recall those times when we have invested what you have given to us
in love of others, and we give thanks for your grace.… Silent prayer …
We recall those times when we have kept your riches to ourselves,
and we give thanks for your grace. … Silent prayer …
God, we have seen your love in Jesus Christ.
We give thanks for your mercy.
People of God, by the grace we have seen in Christ we are assured
that our sin is forgiven entirely.
We are forgiven, and set free to live by the power of the Holy Spirit,
to the glory of God. Amen.

Poetry

             One talent

Sunrise and its gold,
a single kiss,

the sea that never tires
throwing its beauty at you,

trees scattering jewels,
stars saying their prayers

by candlelight
in their little houses—

such loveliness,
such precious coins.

You can’t say what they’re worth,
there is no measuring them

any more than the one you are,
little star among millions,

generous, infinite Talent
unburied,

mere single radiant
sun.

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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You have given us each gifts with which to live your gospel and share your grace. Send us, each with our own way of blessing, and together as the Body of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

2.
…. Having received abundantly, we offer ourselves abundantly. Send us into the world, transformed by your spirit of generosity, to invest ourselves in the mending of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

All of the Gifts I Have (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

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

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

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


All That We Hold in Our Hands (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.

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.


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

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

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

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


The Giving Song (Tune: DOVE OF PEACE — I Come with Joy)

God, send me out into the world to share all I possess.
My generosity shall be the faith that I confess,
the faith that I confess

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

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

My life will not be known by what I have, but how I share,
courageously, with trust in you, with love and joy and care,
with love and joy and care.


God, We Give You All Our Gifts
(Tune: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, or Come Thou Long Expected Jesus)

God, we give you all our gifts, for they have come by grace from you.
Take them, bless them, use them for the work that you intend to do.
We are grateful for your blessings, grace you give a million ways.
May our gratitude resound through all our lives with joyous praise.

All that you entrust to us is meant for all the world to share;
we are stewards of your grace to scatter wide your loving care.
All our gifts are yours, not ours, and meant for us to humbly bear
to the world, in trust that in our grateful giving you are there.

Take our treasure, all our earnings, all our silver and our gold;
take in grace the things we cling to, those possessions that we hold.
In our giving may we find release from fear and trust in thee,
love for all, not just ourselves, for all the whole community.

Take our prayers, our loving presence; let compassion be our creed;
help us be there for each other and for those in greater need.
Take our many, varied, gifts, our works and service, God, employ;
let our lives bear witness to your grace, with thanks and boundless joy.


The Harvest of Your Grace (Original Song)
[2 Corinthians 9.6-15]

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

I Belong to You (Tune: Water is Wide / Gift of Love)

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

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

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

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

November 12, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Joshua 24. 1-25 — Joshua recites the story of the exodus and invites the people to renew their commitment to God. “As for me and my household, we will serve the Holy One.”

Psalm 78 — recalls that history, giving thanks that although the people were rebellious, God still forgives and provides. (It’s long see an excerpt, adapted, below.)

1 Thessalonians 4. 13-18 — proclaims that at the final coming of Christ, those who have died will be raised to new life and join the living, to be with Christ.

Matthew 25. 1-13 —The parable of ten wedding attendants.

Preaching Thoughts

Joshua
       At Schechem Joshua gathers the people who have recently come into the Promised Land from their wilderness wanderings. His telling of the exodus story is a tale of God’s gracious and consistent care. But it’s couched in an ancient image of God that’s basically a great big human being, with human intentions, actions and feelings. You might want to help folks find a way to appreciate this image of God’s interventions (“I gave them over to you…It was not by your sword or by your bow”) as an expression of God’s faithfulness to us—without taking literally its more destructive dimensions (“I destroyed them before you…”). I hope we have grown beyond the archaic notion of God being “for us” by being against others, whoever they may be. Ancient Israelites saw both their victories and defeats as God’a actions. Maybe we can see that those military actions were human acts, not God’s, but God was present in all of it.
       What follows is an invitation to the renewal of the Covenant that’s rooted in Joshua’s own life. “You can do what you want, but as for me and my household…” That’s a pretty solid evangelistic approach. Don’t coerce people, just show them how it works. Joshua offers something that feels more like a final exam than an evangelistic pitch. “Are you sure you wan to do this?” Joshua asks, “because this is going to be really hard.” What if instead of proselytizing we warned people that obeying the Spirit is hard work, that following Jesus doesn’t always make your life easier or maybe even “better”—just more true and purposeful? Joshua’s “examination” of the people isn’t necessarily a deterrent to faith, but a warning that living a life of love and justice is hard, and it’s going to take commitment and discipline. And we’re going to need God, and each other.
       
1 Thessalonians
       As the flight attendants say, “We have begun our initial descent into the Reign of Christ.” The lectionary begins to point toward the coming of Christ. As it winds up the story of the escape from Egypt and entry into the Promised Land, it anticipates our entry into a different kind of Promised land at the second coming of Christ. But note: if you’re going to read a scripture like this in worship, sooner or later you need to talk about it. We don’t need to take the imagery literally—fodder for all those hokey “Rapture” movies in which people literally float up into the sky… and then what? Live where, the upper mesosphere? Maybe all the way out to the exosphere, dodging communication satellites? Our out in deep space? Let that go.
       Paul is using poetic imagery to suggest that we are liberated from the physical bounds we now know, not that we physically “meet the Lord in the air.” But with or without the part about being “caught up in the clouds,” the notion of an afterlife in which we get to meet loved ones who have died is truly comforting for a lot of people. So be careful how you deconstruct it. I think it’s important to be honest with your people: we actually don’t know anything about the afterlife, other than that it’s in God’s hands. So it’s got to be good. Even if we discard all our specific ideas about the afterlife, at the very least we can affirm that we are part of something greater than ourselves that even death can’t cancel. Our faith in resurrection isn’t certainty about what we, or life, will be like after we die, but that all of life, and even death, in in God’s loving hands. True faith is not having lots of comforting ideas about the future; it’s trusting God especially when the future is completely unknown.
        By the way, if you give yourself permission to fiddle with the lectionary, and you want to preach on the parable of the wedding attendants, you might pair it with next week’s Epistle reading, 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11, about belonging to the day instead of the night.

Matthew
       The usual interpretation of this story is: “Be prepared. Jesus is coming any minute, so be ready for the rapture.” So the theme is waiting, being ready. But wait. How does one prepare for the rapture? I can’t think of what that means, other than living your life the way God wants you to, whether the rapture is tomorrow or in the year 4046. (It seems just as likely that we should have to wait 2,023 years as the writers of the New testament should.) Liturgically it makes sense to focus on the imminent coming of Christ, since we’re we’re approaching Reign of Christ Sunday, and Advent. Jesus is coming. Be ready. So come to the marriage feast of the Lamb….
       But all of this is post-Jesus interpretation, arising in a community that had expected Jesus’ return, but after 50 years he still hadn’t. There was some anxiety about how long they had to wait. That’s Matthew’s concern, but not Jesus’. I don’t think he told parables about himself. Besides, if Jesus is the groom, we are not wedding attendants. We are the bride. So let’s find another angle to this story.
       Maybe it’s about how it’s easy to say you believe in God, but more important to actually live as if God is a part of your life. The foolish guests act like they don’t really expect the critical moment to come. How differently would we live if we actually expected Jesus to show up in our living room tomorrow?
       Maybe it’s saying: “Have faith, and keep the oil in your lamp of faith burning. (Again. How do you just up and “have faith?” Easier said than done. And, wait. If you are the light of the world, then you don’t need oil. You already shine. So what’s with that?) So maybe putting oil in your lamp is about feeding your soul. What do you need to do to fill your lamp? What helps you grow spiritually? What strengthens your love? That’s the oil. Maybe the story is saying: “Practice spiritual discipline so when you really need spiritual strength you have it.”
        Maybe it’s about the light we bring to the world instead of expecting the world to give us light. Maybe it’s about how your relationship with God isn’t dependent on anybody else’s. You can’t just borrow some faith from your neighbor like oil. You have to develop your own.
       If you want a “moral of the story” there are ideas like that. But there’s way more than that going on here. The parable isn’t just a fable, “a story with a moral.” It’s an experience in many dimensions with multiple layers, that can open our eyes or raise questions in many ways. Maybe it’s not trying to “tell” us anything, but inviting us to experience something that gives us a new perspective. For instance, this story ends up pretty sadly—the foolish ones being left out in the cold. Matthew would have been happy to make the story end like this: he thinks there are people in the church who should, at least in the Final Judgment, get kicked out. But that doesn’t sound like Jesus, who believed in radical inclusion. If “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Mt. 21.32) then maybe foolish people are, too. Maybe Jesus isn’t telling us an idea, but inviting us to wonder. Maybe at the end of the story we sit with the foolish ones in the dark and wonder how our friends could be so cruel as not to share. And what about the partygoers inside? Are they really happy with half the guests missing? Maybe not. And the groom, saying “I don’t know you” to half of his friends? Just because they’re late—after making them wait all night!? Our sadness or disappointment, maybe even loneliness, might teach us something: I don’t like it like this. I would rather have all of us together. What if the “wise” ones had been wise enough to be prepared to share? That’s a story I’d like to be part of. I don’t need oil just for my lamp—I need oil for my neighbor’s lamp. Maybe Matthew thinks of it as a story about making sure we’re included, even if others are excluded, but Jesus uses it as motivation to share, and to include everybody. …. Or maybe this story evokes something else for you. Play with it.
       It’s easy to imagine the story is about certain people, or groups of people. But maybe all ten of the wedding attendants are me. Some of me is wise, some foolish. What are the foolish parts of me that get left out because I don’t admit the light of God? What are the parts of me that are prepared to welcome God into my consciousness, prepared to celebrate?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of love, we come with our hearts lit to meet you.
All: We rejoice at your love and faithfulness.
Loving Christ, we come to be part of your celebration.
We want to be part of your community of joy.
Holy Spirit, we want to reflect the radiance of your love.
May the light of your joy and love shine in us, in all we do. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
All: The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!”
Let everyone who hears say, “Come!”
Let all who are thirsty come, for Christ will turn none away.
We come, O Love, to worship in your light, to feast upon your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of love, we long for you. We search for you. We wait for you.
All: Light the lamps of our hope, so we may wait and watch with patience.
The world is often dark, and it feels late.
Light the lamps of our faith, so we may shine with your light.
There are still those who wait in darkness.
Light the lamps of our love, sp we may share your light with others.
God, we open the vessels of our hearts to you;
we hold the wick of our hearts to the flame of your love.
Fill us with your light. Amen.

4.
Leader: God of love, you provide everything for us.
All:Life is a banquet of beauty. We come to the feast!
God, you are faithful; your love is steadfast.
You have married the world. We come to celebrate!
And what of those who don’t have enough light?
We will share our light, so that all may come.
Fill our lamps with the oil of your love, God,
fill them to overflowing,
so that we may share your light with others. Amen.

5.
Leader: Light of our night, you rise among us.
Congregation: We waken to your glory, and we praise you.
Light of our lives, you illumine our way.
We follow your radiance, and we thank you.
Light of our souls, you shine within us.
Alleluia! We open our hearts to your presence, and we turn to you,
that we may follow your light, and walk in your way.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of faithful love, all of life is your wedding feast, celebrating your Covenant with us. We want to be part of your joy. Proclaim your love to us again, in word and in silence. Declare your faithfulness. We will be present for you, and listen in trust and enter into your joy. Let our whole lives be your praise. Amen.2.God of love, we wait for your coming; we long for your presence. We trim our lamps with the oil of hope, eager to celebrate with you. Come, O Lord; speak to us who wait; in your Word invite us into the hall of your light and warmth. Amen.

3.
Loving God, we look for you. We wait for you. Fill us with the oil of hope and attentiveness so that we may see you when you are near, and see to enter into your presence. Amen.

4.
Eternal God, we are like bridesmaids waiting for the groom to appear. Give us oil in our lamps, that we may be ready. Give us hope in our hearts, that we may be awake. Give us your Word, so that we might bear your love into the world, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
There is a wedding,
and the joy of love and faithfulness.
There is an invitation to enter,
to share in delight.
And there is oil in our lamps,
to see and to celebrate.
Love of God, welcome us in
and fill us with the light of your joy.

2.
God may the oil of your love
fill the lamp of my heart,
that I may share your light with joy.

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 set before you all that we are,
all we have done, and all we have not done.
By your grace given to us in Christ,
we come to make peace with ourselves
and with you,
you who grant us your forgiveness and your peace.
       [Silent prayer … the word of grace]

2.
… Loving God, you call us to life,
but we have not fully entered in.
You shine your light in our lives,
but we have lived in darkness.
Open our eyes, forgive us,
and return us to the way of life. Amen.

Reading

     [from Psalm 78, adapted. Stanza breaks are appropriate places for sung responses.]

Listen, O people, to this teaching;
pay attention to these words of truth!
         We will tell a story that is rich with meaning,
         and utter sayings with truth hidden in them,
an ancient story that we have heard,
because it is a story about us.
         We will not hide these stories from our children,
         but tell them to the next generation:
         the glorious deeds of God, and God’s power,
         and the wonders that God has wrought.
God made this promise to us,
         so we would never forget God’s grace.

In the sight of our ancestors—
in your own memory—God worked miracles in Egypt.
         God divided the sea and led them through it,
         making the waters to stand like a heap.
God led them by a cloud in the daytime,
and all the night with a fiery light.
         God split the rocks in the wilderness,
         and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep,
         made streams to come out of the rock,
         and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Yet they tested God in their hearts,
by demanding the food that they craved.
They spoke against God, saying:
         “Yes, God, you struck the rock
         so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed.
         But can you spread a table in the wilderness?
         Can you give bread, and provide meat for your people?”
Yet God commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven;
God rained down on them manna to eat,
and gave them the grain of heaven.
         With upright heart God tended them,
         and guided them with skillful hand.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
Jesus Christ, light of God, shine in us.
May the oil of your peace fill our hearts.
May the lamp of your grace lead our steps.
May the light of your love shine in our lives.
May we be a source of light for others
who wait for you in the dark.

2.
       We believe in God, maker of all that is and all that is to come.
       We follow Christ, the Light of God, who as our Bridegroom pledged God’s faithful love to us, who died and rose, and who leads us in grace into the celebration of life.
      We live by the grace of the Holy Spirit, God’s loving flame within us, whose warmth gives us life and whose light guides us. In prayerful listening we open ourselves to that inner guidance, in union with all the saints; that we might bear witness to God’s faithful love and the forgiveness of sin, and to the present reality of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life. By God’s grace, in the name of Christ, we vow to walk in the way of love.

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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Light the lamp of your love in us, and guide and sustain us in shining your light in the world, for the sake of the healing of all Creation, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

2.
… Send us out into the darkness to share your light. Strengthen us by your grace to share all that we have for the sake of the healing of the world, to increase your joy, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
… Gratefully 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. Guide us by your light, shape us by your Word, and send us into the world to serve others for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


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

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

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

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


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

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


Sharing the Light (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Bridegroom, Beloved, all life is your bride.
We come to celebrate here at your side.
Feasting and dancing long brighten the night.
Grateful we are for your love and your light.

See, though, beyond our small circle of light
those who are longing still, out in the night,
those who though seeking have no lamp or oil:
see how the bridegroom still loves them as well.

God who has loved us and filled us with grace
sends us in love to go out from this place,
sharing our own lamps, to bless and invite,
sharing our wealth, our abundance, our light.

This is the true feast, the love of our Lord:
sharing grace widely, for all are adored.
Sharing is how we will find true delight,
sharing the feast and the joy and the light.

Sleeper, Awake [Ephesians 5.14] (Original song)

Sleeper, awake,
come rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine upon you.

November 5, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Joshua 3.7-17 — The Israelites cross the Jordan river into the promised land.

Psalm 107 — God cares for the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, and for all the poor and hungry.

1 Thessalonians 2.9-13 — Paul defends his ministry, and commends the people for receiving his teaching.

Matthew 23. 1-12 — Jesus criticizes hypocritical religious authorities. “Do what the scribes say, but not what they do.” All who exalt themselves will be humbled and vice versa.

Preaching Thoughts

Joshua
       In an echo of the Red Sea crossing, the waters of the river are parted. Despite all obstacles, God accompanies the community and enables them to go on to a new life. Of course some faith is required of us: the waters don’t part for us until we step in.

Matthew
       Jesus is not only criticizing religious authorities, he’s criticizing the idea of authority as superior power. For Jesus authority is rooted in authenticity, not power. He cautions against religious teaching that is based on guilt or detached from action. He’s also cautioning us against the thought that there might be experts in the faith. No one has “arrived;” we’re all beginners. We are all students, and God is our constant teacher. Faith requires humility. No human has more authority than another; God alone is our superior.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Love of God,
All: enfold us.
Delight of God,
draw us in.
Wisdom of God,
lead us.
Spirit of God,
make us yours.
Shape us by your love,
in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Leader: As the birds know to trust the air,
All: give us your wisdom, God.
As the rivers flow with your beauty,
give us your Spirit, God.
As the winds blow and embrace the earth,
guide us by your love, not our knowledge.
We are beginners God, learners in the school of love.
We wold not be masters of love,
but only its obedient servants.
Teach us and we will listen.
Show us, and we will follow. Amen.

3.
Leader: Creator God, you call us to cross the River Jordan
and enter into your Realm of Grace.
All: Grant us faith to step into the waters, trusting your mighty power.
We are not experts; we are only following those who love.
Teach us, and we will serve with joy.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4. [Ps. 107]
Leader: Creator God, maker of all Creation, we praise you!
All: You satisfy those who are thirsty, and fill the hungry with good things.
You turn deserts into pools of water, and parched land into flowing springs.
When we hunger, you feed us. When we are brought low, you raise us up.
So we want to draw close to you, not in words alone,
but in our hearts and in our lives.
Alleluia! Fill us with your spirit of life.
Come, Spirit of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal One, you who guide us in the ways of love, come and speak to us. No empty words, no hollow doctrines. Give us Jesus and his love. Give us light for the road. Give us courage and wisdom to serve this world with love and justice. We open ourselves to your Word, in the company of your Christ and the grace of your Spirit. Amen.

2.
God of love, we want to understand love. We want to master the faith. But love is beyond our grasping. So receive us as those who are growing. By your Spirit give us humility to learn of love, and to practice love, all our days, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, you led your people out of slavery, and they crossed the Red Sea. You led them into your Promised Land, and they crossed the Jordan River. Help us to cross over all the barriers that keep us from being free, that prevent us from proclaiming your love and establishing your justice in the world. Open our hearts to receive your grace and grow in trust. As the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, bless us that we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Holy stillness, hold us.
Unspeakable beauty, cherish us.
Unfailing love, live in us.
In your grace we are not wise or foolish,
we are only beloved.
Grace of God, live in us.

2.
God of love, we do not know
how to pray as we ought.
We hunger and thirst for righteousness.
We are only beginning.
Help us to learn, to grow, to be changed.
Lead us, for we are your children.

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.
Gracious God, we confess our sin.
We are not conscious of your presence with perfect openness;
we are not mindful of one another with perfect love.
In our obliviousness we betray you, and we hurt one another.
We are sorry, and we turn to you.
Forgive us, heal us, and awaken us.
By the power of your Spirit present in us,
grant that we may be
deeply, courageously and lovingly present to the world
as the crucified and risen Body of Christ
for the sake of your healing of all Creation. Amen.
       [Silent prayer… The word of grace]

2.
God of love, we confess that we subject your love to human standards.
We think of faith as a human achievement.
We measure one against another
and think of ourselves as “better” or “not as good” as Christians.
Yet faith is a gift, and each moment we are receiving and learning.
Forgive our waywardness. Heal our fear.
Restore in us your humble desire to serve one another,
in the Spirit of Christ.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

       We believe in God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come, whose power is over all Creation and all human structures and systems.
       We trust in Jesus, the Light of the world and the pioneer of our faith, who shows us how to love, and who by his death and resurrection leads us out of slavery to sin and death, into the Realm of God.
       We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the grace of God’s holy Community, the Body of Christ. None of us is an expert: we are all learning to love. We believe the Spirit gives each of us gifts that we are called to share for the sake of the healing of the world. Knowing we are forgiven, with humility we forgive. Trusting the the power of resurrection, with humility we serve, by the power of the Spirit, in the name of Christ, and the joy of God. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

God, I Surrender (Original song)

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
All my desires I give to you.
Take them from me and make me new.

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
Trusting you wholly I follow you
Take my life and make me new.

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
I am a seed that has died in you.
Raise me to serve and make me new.

I Am Open (Original song)

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

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

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

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

I Wait for Your Will (Original song)
{May be a dialogue between soloist and congregation;
or the congregation may sing all of it.]

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

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

Your Will Be Done. (Original song)

Father, take my willfulness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Mother, be my willingness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Jesus, take my brokenness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Jesus, heal my brokenness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Spirit, take my empty hands.
I surrender them to you grace alone.
Spirit, with my empty hands
I can only ask: Your will be done.

November 1 or 5, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Revelation 7.9-17— People from every nation and culture praise God., thankful for God’s presence, healing and providence.

Psalm 34 — “God has delivered me from all my fears.” God provides for all God’s beloved people. “O taste and see that the Lord is good!”

1 John 3.1-3— “See how much God loves us, that God calls us God’s own children!”

Matthew 5.1-12 — The Beatitudes

Preaching Thoughts

Revelation
       The communion of saints that surrounds us includes not just those who have gone before but people in the present world, too. We are sustained in our faith by people of every tribe and nation and language. Our prayers are strengthened and our praise harmonized by people around the world that we know nothing of… but they’re there, serving and loving and praying and praising.
       “The lamb will be the shepherd.” Here’s the mystery of God’s radical divine humility. We are led by the lamb who has been subject to us and our will and even our violence. Now that’s reconciliation.
       “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” We look forward to that, but it better not just be for ourselves. We might pray for the tears of those who suffer way more than we do.

1 John
       Here is the heart of Christian faith: not that we hold certain orthodox opinions about God but that with God’s spirit working in us we seek to be perfectly loving like God. It is our hope that people say of us, “Yes, you have your Mother’s eyes.”

Matthew
       This is what it is to be like Christ. The beatitudes are blessings that describe a spirituality of trust in God’s grace. Even when we are without worldly power, goods, or happiness, when we are gentle and devoted to God, God attends to us in love, and God’s infinite power and life flows through us for the healing of the world.
       For more thoughts and resources on the Beatitudes see Year A, Fourth Sunday in Epiphany.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Loving God, the saints through all the ages praise you.
All: Your glory shines. Alleluia!
The saints in our lives have borne witness to you grace.
Your mercy raises us to new life. Alleluia!
Fill us with your spirit, that we may be your saints,
shining with your light in the darkness.
Your love shines in us; and we praise you and serve you. Alleluia!

2. [1 John 3.1-3 ]    [Suitable also for the scripture reading, or an affirmation]
Leader: See what love Abba God has given us, that we should be children of God.
All: We are children of God. What we will be in the future has not yet been revealed.
But we know that when all is revealed, we will be like God, for we will see God as God truly is.
All who have this hope in God purify themselves, just as God is pure.
Loving One, in the companionship of Christ, by your Spirit in us, make us holy.
Make us loving. Make us pure, for your sake. Amen.

3. Revelation 7.9-17 [See below for a more extended reading]
Leader: I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice:
All: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures,
and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God:
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Loving God, we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, saints through the ages who have shone your light on our way. We are surrounded by saints who have gone before us in death, who have borne your grace in our lives. We are surrounded by the saints among us, who bless us, sustain us, teach us and pray for us. Speak your Word to us and sanctify us, that we may be made holy by your Spirit of love in us, through the grace of Jesus Christ, our Beloved, our Savior, and our hope. Amen.

2.
God of grace and mercy, we thank you for the saints who have accompanied us in this life, and gone on into the next. We listen for your Word, that we too may be made loving by your Spirit in us, that we may be your saints for those who follow. We pray in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious and tender God, we than you, that you have given us your saints who have shown us your love and taught us your ways, who have shone with your grace and radiated your presence. We open our hearts to your Word, that your light may fill us and your grace transform us, so that we, too, may be your saints, humble vessels of your grace in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
Eternal God, we give thanks for those who have gone before us, who have passed on the faith, who have sustained the community of the Beloved. Bless us with your Word, that we too may be made holy by your grace, and put to your purposes by your Spirit, and that we may pass on your grace to generations, and to all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1. [Matthew 5.3-6]
Loving One, poor in spirit, we open to your grace.
Brokenhearted, we open to your healing.
In gentleness, we open to your strength.
Hungering and thirsting, we open to your love.

2. [1 John 3.1-3]
God, what love you have given us,
that we are your children!
Reveal your love to us,
That we may be like you.

Reading

          Psalm 34.1-8, A paraphrase

Beloved, my heart pours into yours,
       and every word I say is your praise.
You are the song, and I am your singing.
        You are the hope of a heart stripped bare.
Our lives are a love song to you;
       our love is your glory let loose.

I opened myself to you
        and you received me.
You came between me and my fear.
        I wonder, with grateful awareness:
        how you radiate in me!
Mindful of you,
        I am free from shame.

My smallest voice cried out
        and you heard from within.
In my deepest trouble
        you held me.
The arms of your presence enfold me;
        they make my world.
O Beloved, all that I taste or see
        is your goodness.
Living in you
        is deep joy.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

      [Revelation 7.9-17 — Suitable also for the scripture reading, or an affirmation]

Leader: I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice:
All: Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures,
and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God:
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving
and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.
Then one of the elders addressed me:
Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?
Sir, you are the one that knows.
These are they who have come out of the great ordeal;
they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship God day and night within God’s temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat;  for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd,
and will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

1. [Matthew 5.1-12]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Realm of God.
We are poor beggars, O God. Feed us with your grace.

Blessed are the broken-hearted, for God holds them close.
In this broken bread, hold us and comfort us.

Blessed are the gentle, for you give them all of Life.
Nourish us with Christ’s tender love, that we, too may be gentle.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for deeper love.
Satisfy us with your love; and deepen our hunger and thirst for you.

Blessed are they who are merciful, for you shower them with mercy.
We give thanks for your mercy, that we too may live lives of mercy.

Blessed are those who are pure in love, for they shall see God.
In this meal fill us with the love of Christ for all the world.

Blessed are those who bring reconciliation, for they are God’s beloved children.
In this meal we are one, all of us saints and sinners,
at peace with you and with one another.

Blessed are those whom the world scorns, for God is present with them.
Sharing this meal, we are one with the outcast of this world,
as Jesus was an outcast.
Strengthen us with courage to bear witness to love and to work for justice,
to devote our lives to nonviolence and the mending of the world,
despite the world’s resistance, to be your saints in the name of Christ.

          [The Blessing and Covenant…]

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,
blessed to be a blessing by your Spirit in us,
in the name and the company of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.
___________________

2.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
We thank you God, for your infinite love.
You have created us in your image, called us as your Beloved children,
and made Covenant to be our God.
You have judged the forces of oppression and injustice,
and set us free from all that diminishes life.
You have sent us your saints, women and children and men rooted in your grace,
who have shone the light of your love in our world.
And you have sent us Christ, who gathers us at your table.
We come in joy and thanksgiving, and with all your saints we sing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
Jesus lived in your love, trusted your grace, and flowed freely with your mercy;
he gathered a community built on your grace, open to all.

[The Blessing and Covenant…]

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
made holy by your grace, and made witnesses to that grace
by your Spirit in us, in the name and the company of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

__________________

3.
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, what love you have given us!
For we are your children.
You create us in love, claim us with delight,
and Covenant with us in faithful compassion.
You guide us, accompany us, and bless us.
Even when we sin you respond with love,
and surround us with loving people to show us the way.
So we gather with the communion of saints 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.
Jesus lived your love, showed us how to love,
and created a community of love.
The world did not know him, because it did not know love.
He died in love for us, and you raised him in love.

[The Blessing and Covenant…]

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
What shall be has not yet been revealed, but when all is revealed
we will see you as you are, and be like you.
Purify in us this hope, as you are pure love.
Purify our love, that we may be more like you.

     [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.) Sanctify us by your grace in us, that we may shine with the light of your grace, for the sake of the world, in the name and the company of Christ, to your glory. Amen.

2.
… You have made us your saints, set apart for your purposes, holy and radiant with your presence. Send us into the world to humbly serve, trusting in your grace, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
… Sanctify us by your Spirit and send us into the world as representatives of Christ, to love, to serve, and to show others the Way of Life. May we be your saints in this life until we join the communion of saints in the next life, by your grace. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Blessed          (Original song)

Dear God, receive me anew, mourning and poor in my soul,
hungry for what makes me whole.
Bless me by making me simple like you.

Refrain: Blessed are the ones who have nothing but God,
for God and God alone shall fill their lives.

Mercy please grant me anew. Make my heart pure by your grace,
humble, that I may see your face.
Bless me by making me gentle like you.    Refrain

Courage please give me anew, peace in the world to make,
and to suffer for your Gospel’s sake.
Bless me by making me faithful to you.     Refrain

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

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

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

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

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