Tag: Year A

October 15, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 32.1-14 — The golden calf

Psalm 106 — Praise for God’s great deeds, and confession that we have sinned. As Moses convinced God to spare the people, we seek God’s mercy.

Philippians 4.2-9 — Paul asks two women who are leaders in the church in Philippi to work together. He exhorts us to be gentle, to rejoice in all things, and to fill our consciousness with whatever is good. In this way we will know God’s peace.

Matthew 22.1-14 — The parable of the wedding feast

Preaching Thoughts

Exodus
       Moses has been up on the mountain a long time. You can understand the people’s anxiety. We’re not good at trustful waiting. We’re not good at trusting an unseen, untouched, unknowable God. We want something concrete. The temptation for us is not necessarily golden statues, but the idol of Something To Hang Onto. Especially something shiny. We’re reminded of the commandment we heard last week against graven images. We need to learn to live with mystery, with not knowing, with waiting. And we also need to let go of the idol of control, the idolatry of taking things into our own hands when it really is God’s work, not ours.
       We can assume the gold they use to make the calf is the gold they took from the Egyptians (Ex. 12.3.5). So the fruits of their liberation become the source of their new bondage to a new idol. As they’ve complained so many times, now in their minds they’ve gone back to Egypt.
      Did everybody in the camp participate? Didn’t anybody resist? Who knows. The golden calf, our golden calf, is a communal sin, a corporate wrongdoing. We are part of a culture that sins, even if we don’t like it, even if we actively resist it. We share the guilt. Racism, white supremacy, sexism, violence and consumerism are our golden calves. We have to keep confessing those sins and repenting, on behalf of the whole culture.
      God has a hissy fit—but can be talked down. We have a picture of Yahweh as a very human, moody, reactive guy (especially in J’s telling). He gets mad and breaks things. God wants to torch the people. Moses intervenes, and will many more times, as Abraham tried to intervene on behalf of Sodom (Gen. 18.23-33). God seems pretty violent. He asks the people to kill each other (Ex. 32.27). He has even tried to murder Moses (Ex. 4.24)! If your people are attentive they’ll raise the question: Does someone have to intervene every now and then to save us from a vengeful God? This is a real question for folks in both testaments: God smites people in the book of Acts, too, and of course Revelation is, literally, a bloodbath. How do you respond? Here’s a thought. These are not stories about God. God remains mystery. They are about what it’s like to live with God. Sometimes when we’ve violated the laws of God—tried to write our own—it can feel like we’re being punished. When you try to defy the law of gravity no one will punish you, but you’ll suffer for it. This picture of an angry God is a personification of the experience of fighting against reality and losing. Internally you can feel it. Sometimes when I wrong someone my regret burns in me like God’s wrath consuming me. And, by the way, sometimes we need to be in the position of Moses, advocating against the violence of our own images of God!

Philippians
       Paul was not against woman speaking, or even leading, in the church. Euodia and Syntyche are examples of many women he names who were leaders. The notion Paul wanted to silence them comes primarily from 1 Cor. 14.34—but this is Paul’s quote from the church in Corinth—lacking quotation marks! His response is in v. 36: “Did the word of God originate with you men? Or are you males the only ones it has reached?” We lack the masculine “you” here, but it’s there in Greek: Paul is scolding the males for trying to silence women. He assumes women will pray and prophesy in church (1 Cor. 11.5). Paul’s radical egalitarianism (see 1 Cor. 11.11) is dulled and even contradicted by later Deutero-Pauline writers, but don’t blame that on Paul. (See Borg and Crossan’s The First Paul.)
       As is often the case, Paul offers the seed of an entire sermon in each sentence: “Rejoice always…. Let your gentleness be known to everyone…. Do not worry but pray… The peace of God which surpasses all understanding… will guard your hearts…. Whatever is good, think about these things….” Throughout, Paul imagines not just a certain set of standards to follow but a transformed consciousness.

Matthew
       The first thing we encounter in this story is the easiest to overlook: The realm of heaven, that is life as God intends it, is a party! And not just a cocktail party, but the celebration of faithfulness: a wedding feast. Every communion is one. Every day is one. Come to the party!
       The next thing we encounter is the disdain people with power of privilege have for that feast. How do we spurn God’s invitation because we want to think we’re better than that, that we don’t need it, that we’re OK on our own? How comfortable are we when dirty losers show up in church?
       And then it’s a story about God’s radical inclusion of everyone, “both the good and the bad.” How often do we count ourselves in one group or the other, as if it matters? To God it doesn’t matter. Seriously, whether you’re good or bed doesn’t matter to God. Come to the table. Of course God prefers that you be good, but it doesn’t affect the invitation. How do we shed our attachment to our judgments of “good and bad” and just sit with everybody?
      Matthew has radically altered Jesus’ original tale. And he’s added some bizarre bits. One is the murderous response of the invitees, and the king’s retaliatory attack. Seems like a lot to get done while the caterers are standing there. I’m not sure what Matthew is getting at there other than maybe an allegory about people who reject Jesus, with reference to the sacking of Jerusalem. Not fertile preaching ground.
       The second detail is also both bizarre and deeply Matthean: the king kicks a guy out for not being dressed up—after just hauling him in off the street! This fits Matthew’s theme that the church is full of worthy and unworthy people, but God will sort them out in the end. The tag line is surely Matthew’s and not Jesus’: “Many are called but few are chosen.” Well, I’m not convinced: the people Jesus not only called but chose were not so choice… Scripture is full of stories of how God accomplishes miracles through outcasts, rejects, losers, misfits, and folks who are generally deemed “unworthy.” I don’t buy the “worthy/unworthy” dichotomy (it’s so unlike Jesus)… but. What might it mean to be properly dressed? Maybe it’s not a matter of having the right qualifications, but being prepared for a wedding party: being ready to celebrate, to honor and give thanks, to recognize God’s gift. Maybe it’s not about being right, but being joyful.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Hear ye, hear ye! God, the sovereign of the universe says,
“I proclaim my love, bound to you in faithfulness.
I proclaim the wedding of my Beloved son to the world.
Come and celebrate with me.”
All: But we are not worthy. We’re not the pious ones.
We’re not good enough. Others are the saints and heroes.
You are invited. Not the great and mighty, but you, as you are.
We come, then, to celebrate God’s love, to celebrate faithfulness.
We come, not because we are either either worthy nor unworthy,
but because we are invited.
We come to give thanks, to rejoice, and to feast on God’s grace. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Loving God, you have called us to your table, and we come to feast.
All: You have gathered us with siblings and strangers
and made us into a new community.
You have created us anew by your grace, and we thank you.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Amen.

3.
Leader: Beloved people of God, come to the wedding feast of life.
All: God has married the world in love!
Leave your labors and burdens, and come.
We come as we are, well and unwell, wounded and whole.
There is no worthiness or unworthiness, only that you are invited.
We come hungry for grace and ready to celebrate.
We come with joy to worship. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Joy of God, you call to us.
All: Faithfulness of God, you include us.
Celebration of God, lift us up!
Feast of grace, nourish us!
We are here to celebrate.
We are here to be loved.
Feed us with your presence,
that we may be joyfully loving. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for the feast of Creation, the gift of the human household, and the miracle of your grace. We thank you fort all the ways you invite us to feast, to celebrate, and to share. You welcome us to find our place among your beloved, and feast at the table of your Word. Feed us with your Spirit, and make us yours once again. We pray in the name and the company of Christ. Amen.

2.
Loving God, you invite us all to your table. There is no rank or privilege, only our hunger and your grace. Help us find our place among each other, rich and poor, confident and hesitant, those who own the place and those who feel out of place. Here we are all equally your family and your guests. You welcome us. We open our hearts tp you. Feed us with your Word. Amen.

3.
God of blessings, in our worship we feast upon your Word; and each day is a banquet of your grace. You invite us to celebrate with you, and yet we turn away. So often it seems our heart is not in it. We repent of our dull hearts, God. Transform our spirits, and invite us once again, so that all our lives may be a celebration with you. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

For your love we give thanks
For your faithfulness we celebrate.
At the table of your Word we listen,
and feast.

Prayer of confession

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 confess our sin and the sin of our world.
We confess our racism and violence as a people;
they are our golden calf.
And we confess that we do not know how to repent;
we do not know how to resist evil, injustice and oppression.
Forgive our sin, heal our souls, heal our nation,
and lead us by the grace of Christ in your Way.
      Silent prayer…. words of grace

Reading

[from Psalm 106, paraphrased]

O give thanks to the Beloved, who is good,
whose steadfast love endures forever.
Blessed are they who do justice,
whose lives are full of goodness.
O Power of Love, include me
as you set your people free.

Like our ancestors, we have done wrong;
we have strayed from your delight.
Our forbears, when they were in Egypt,
distrusted your steadfast love.
God prodded the Red Sea and it dried up;
God led them through the deep as a desert.
But they made a calf in the desert,
and worshipped an image they themselves had made.
They went along with everybody
and served the popular idols.
Save us, O God, from among those who clamor,
that we may honor you alone.

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 be 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 we give you thanks, for you call us all to your table.
We are here with those who are at home and those who are uneasy,
those who think they belong and those who think they don’t.
We are all here by your invitation.
You have declared your faithfulness to the world,
your covenant of love, and we feast at the wedding.
And with all you have gathered, rich and poor, friend and stranger alike,
we sing your praise with one voice:

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He fed the hungry and invited the poor,
he included the outcast and honored the stranger.
He transgressed all our divisions, and for that he was killed.
But he also transgressed the bonds of death, and rose again.
And still he invites us to feast on your grace.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
rejoicing in your faithful love,
and sent out into the world to gather those who have been left out,
that all may feast on your grace.
     [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.) With faithful love you have married us in Christ. You have made us all one. You have fed us with the joy of your love. You have feasted with us at the table of your delight. Send us into the world to share the food of your grace with those who are hungry, and to gather others to your table, so that we may celebrate as one at your banquet of justice and peace. We pray in the name of Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

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.”

Whatever Is Pure (Original song)

Whatever is pure, whatever is good,
whatever is honorable, think on these things.
Whatever is just, whatever is beautiful,
whatever is worthy of praise, think on these things.
Keep on doing what you have learned is good to do,
keep practicing a noble way,
and the grace of God will guard your hearts and minds,
the God of grace will be with you.

October 8, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 20.1-20 — The Ten Commandments.

Psalm 19 — All creation celebrates God’s glory. God’s Way gives life, and we seek to follow it. In

Philippians 3.4-14 — All is trash compared to the value of knowing Christ. I want to know Christ, his resurrection, and his suffering. I press on toward the goal….

Matthew 21.33-46 — The parable of the rebellious workers in the vineyard.

Preaching Thoughts

[October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. See resources here.]

Exodus
       The Ten Commandments, are not a set of universal rules, but a way of living that signifies Israel’s faithfulness to God’s Covenant. It’s like wedding vows. This is how we live out our faithfulness to God. The vows don’t apply to others. They don’t belong in public courthouses any more than your wedding vows do. The Church needs to stop imposing them on others and practice them ourselves.
       And we need to remind ourselves that merely following the rules doesn’t necessarily make you good or faithful. After all, you can follow all the commandments strictly and never love anybody, never serve God, never do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. When the rich man tells Jesus “I’ve followed all these rules,” Jesus says, “That’s not all.” In the Sermon on the Mount he says “You’ve heard it said…” He drills down into the real heart of the commandments, which is not to obey rules or avoid misdeed, but to live with love. I’ve heard people say what it means to be Christian is to follow the Ten Commandments, but technically that’s what it means to be Jewish. Christians actually only have one commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
       “I brought you up out of Egypt., out of slavery. You shall have no other gods.” I think this is not so much a prohibition against practicing a different religion but, regardless of our religion, paying attention to who we think God is. Do we worship the God who sets us free and gives us life… or a different “god”? It’s tempting to worship a God who takes care of us as the expense of others, or who comforts us but doesn’t challenge us, or forces us to fit into religious strictures but doesn’t truly set us free…. Do we worship the true God? How do we know?
       “No idols.” Well, we have plenty of them, don’t we? Money, power, winning, reputation, security, White privilege, male dominance, able-bodiedness, even good health. All things we think of as images of God. And even if we turn from those other idols and look to God alone, still we have to attend to who we think God is. Our “graven images of God include images (idols, let’s call them) of God as male, white, old, American, human…. All of these are proscribed. Ultimately this commandment is an invitation to allow God to be Mystery, beyond our capacity to picture or imagine.
      “No using God’s name in vain.” The old version was “don’t swear.” Ok. But think of the ways we use God’s “name,” the sense of authority our faith gives us. Think of the evil we do in the name of, or for the sake of, our faith, or our religion, or who we think God is. Think of the hurts we cause in defense of our ideas of God. Think of the privilege or priority or latitude we assign ourselves when we’re doing something because it’s the “Christian” thing to do, even when it hurts people or primarily serves ourselves. Maybe it this commandment even extends to our images of God, as in the previous commandment. The church haas discriminated against women, for example, “in the name of” patriarchy. That we derive from our belief in a male God, male Jesus and exclusively male disciples.
       “Observe Sabbath.” Technically that’s the seventh, day— Saturday. Jesus was raised “on the first Day of the week”—more like Monday than our Sunday. But early followers of Jesus met on Resurrection Day — a Monday night meeting—which we the day after the Sabbath, Sunday. So over time Sunday got morphed into our understanding of “sabbath.” Anyway. The point of Sabbath is not going to church, but rest. We may have grown up thinking of Sabbath is the day there’s all sorts of things you can’t do. But it’s really a day in which there’s nothing you have to do! This commandment is the only one with a rationale. Two of them actually. The version in Deuteronomy says “Because you were slaves in Egypt.” You know what it’s like to be slaves. Don’t do that. Be free. Take a day off. What a radical idea: a sit-down strike by slaves! The version here in Exodus says “Because God rested on the seventh day.” God, the Creator and sustainer of the world, God, whose love never ceases—takes a break! Rests! Lets go! Wow. Both versions see Sabbath as a time to cease striving, to stop trying to earn our keep or prove our worth, and simply be, under the grace and in the presence of God. Sabbath invites us to let go of our desire to control, trying to make things turn out the way we want, and above all let go of trying to be good enough. Sabbath is the time when we just are, and that is good enough.
      “Honor parents; no murder, adultery, stealing, lying, or coveting.” These are pretty straightforward—but remember how Jesus takes them to a higher level: Don’t just avoid murder, avoid anger. Don’t just avoid sleeping with the wrong person, be deeply faithful to your spouse. Keep going: Don’t just avoid lying, be deeply truthful. Don’t just covet or steal, actually share.

Psalm
       This Psalm celebrates Creation’s wordless communication of God’s glory. We practice a pretty wordy religion, in a pretty wordy society, so it’s good to turn to a more contemplative message in which “there is no speech, nor are there words,” but the message of the glory of God is clear. Let the Psalm draw you into more contemplative awareness, to listen to the Word beyond all words. The “law“ of God is perfect, reviving the soul. It’s not a “rule,” but more like the law of gravity. It’s the way things are. And there’s God in it, if you listen.

Philippians
       We may not have the collection of religious brownie points Paul has, but we do have a sense of being “better” or “worse” at our faith. Paul dismisses them all. There are no grades or levels of disciples. We’re all beginning anew each moment. There is no such thing as deserving. Everything is a gift.
       What matters to Paul is “knowing Christ”—not just being pals, but experiencing resurrection, which also means “sharing his suffering.” Resurrection doesn’t mean bright victories. It means serious losses. Resurrection is the mystery that when we surrender our lives in love God gives us new ones. Going on this journey we walk with Jesus, we suffer with Jesus, we carry the cross with Jesus. And—wow— we are raised with Jesus.
       By “forgetting what lies behind” I don’t think Paul means not remembering, but letting go. What won’t you let go of to get closer to Jesus? (It may be material things, or bits of reputation or self-image or even religious assumptions…)
      “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Does this mean at the end of the heavenly call is am prize, or does it mean the prize is the heavenly call? Maybe the prize is not the destination but the journey.

Matthew
       This is one of those parables that resists an allegorical “this equals that” interpretation, or even maybe a “moral” at all. It’s too complicated, nuanced, and laced with political and economic implications peculiar to contemporary 1^st century Palestine. For example Jesus’ hearers assume the owner will retaliate with violence, continuing the tragic spiral. Jesus isn’t necessarily advocating a certain economic or political strategy; maybe he’s simply noting what we humans are like. I wonder in what form and what context Jesus actually told this story.
       A popular interpretation is that God is the landowner, the vineyard is maybe religion, or maybe the gospel or the church, or maybe heaven, and the son who is killed is Jesus. It’s a slam against people who reject Jesus. Well, maybe. It’s also clearly a slam against the chief priests and pharisees, religious authorities who control an oppressive system. It’s a slam against leaders who are in charge of the “vine” of Israel…. Maybe. But to what end? How does that get us closer to God? And what then? God (the landowner) will come and “put those wretches to a miserable death?” Oof. That doesn’t sound like Jesus’ Abba God to me.
       Further complicating things: Jesus’ description of the landowner planting the vine sounds like God planting the vine of Israel in Psalm 80 and Isaiah 5. However, it might ring a different bell for his hearers. In Jesus’ time creditors would foreclose on poor farmers, and wealthy people would buy up the land and plant vineyards, which the former owners would then have to work as hired hands. Vineyards were not for crops that would feed the people but for export, for profit exclusively for the landowner. It was a system that pretty heavily favored the rich and exploited the poor—not a system that either Jesus or his hearers would approve of. So Jesus’ audience might be resentful of the landowner even as the story begins. Is God like the good gardener of Psalm 80 and Isaiah 5… or the greedy landowners Jesus’ hearers knew? Hm. Be careful about allegorizing this tale.
       I’m not exactly sure what Jesus meant to get at with this story. But but I’m aware it raises some good questions. Are we good stewards of God’s grace? Do we take for ourselves the gifts God gives us to share with others? How do we rebel against God’s love, commandeer the gospel and re-shape our religion to fit our own desires and attachments? Are we working in the vineyard of our faith for God’s sake or for our own? Are we faithfully “producing the fruits of the kingdom” or just propping up our sense of being deserving? What is the “stone the builders rejected that has become the cornerstone” (quoting Psalm 118.22)?        An unavoidable aspect of this story as Matthew gives it to us is the violence. This might be a good opportunity to address our dalliance with violence, how it s our golden calf. It’s embedded in our own scripture texts and religious imagination. Christianity has not done a good job of repudiating the myth of redemptive violence—that some form of violence is needed to make peace with God or neighbors. Jesus gave his life in opposition to that myth, yet in the old idea of substitutionary atonement—that God sent Jesus to die to save us—we’ve turned his death into a validation of the need for blood. That’s not necessarily where this story is going, but Matthew casually refers to wanton violence as a natural consequence of things—and in his telling Jesus seems to be OK with that. I don’t think that should slip by unquestioned.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: It is you, God, who have created us and set us free from all that oppresses.
All: We sing your praise!
It is you, gentle Christ, who have transformed our lives with God’s love.
We declare our thanks!
It is you, Holy Spirit, who give us a new way to live.
We give to you our whole being.
May we worship you in all we do!

2.
Leader: God of all Creation, the heavens are yours; they are not ours.
All: The earth does not belong to us, nor do any living things.
Our lives are not our own; they are yours.
And yet we wish to take over the vineyard of life, and have it for ourselves.
Calm our rebellious hearts. Bring us once again under your command.
May your grace rule over us, and your love be our law.
Re-shape us by your Word, O God. We worship you. Amen.

3.
Leader: Eternal God, we praise you!
All: Your Word creates and contains all things.
Your Truth gives us life.
May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
add to your delight, O God, our earth and our heaven. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Gracious God, you love us perfectly, though our love is imperfect.
All: Fill us with your love, that we may love others as you have loved us.
May your grace command our living.
Let your love be the law in our hearts.Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mercy, God of Steadfast Love, our faithful One, you create us and make covenant with us to be our God, and you call us to be your people. Speak your Word to us, and by your Spirit in us shape us into the name and image of Christ, your living Word. Amen.

2.
God of truth, on Sinai you gave your commandments and they shaped your people. Speak to us now, and order our lives according to your delight. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, all of Creation is your Word, all that Is, is your law. The heavens are telling of your truth, and the human heart proclaims your love. Help us, now in our worship and throughout our lives, to listen to your Word and to follow your Way, so that all our living might proclaim your good news. Amen.

4.
God of love, we give thanks that we are not alone; we are all members of the Body of Christ, members of one another, united with your beloved people around the world. You extend your compassion to all people. Give us hearts of gratitude for our oneness in Christ; give us delight in the variety of people who are one with us; and give us compassion for all, especially those who are different from us. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O God,
you are Love,
and your love has brought us up out of slavery.
It is the law of the land of our hearts.
We listen,
that we may hear, and obey.

Prayer of Confession

God, we confess we have tried to make this world our own.
We have lived under the command of our own will.
Without realizing, we have submitted to the rule
of our fears and desires.
Forgive our willfulness
and return us to the guidance of your grace,
the law of your love,
Christ’s one commandment,
that we love as we have been loved.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

We are not alone,
     we live in God’s world.
 We believe in God:
     who has created and is creating,
     who has come in Jesus,
          the Word made flesh,
          to reconcile and make new,
     who works in us and others
           by the Spirit.
We are called to be the Church:
     to celebrate God’s presence,
     to live with respect in Creation,
     to love and serve others,
     to seek justice and resist evil,
     to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
          our judge and our hope.
We are not alone.
     In life, in death, in life beyond death,
     God is with us.
We trust in God. 
     Thanks be to God.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Uphold us by your Spirit in your Covenant of Grace, that we may be your faithful people, formed by your Word and given in steadfast love for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

When Fear Lives Close     
(Tune: Tallis’ Canon or 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.

October 1, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 17.1-7— The Israelites wandering in the desert complain, this time about having no water. God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and out streams water.

Psalm 78— celebrates this event and recalls God’s care for the people.

Philippians 2.1-13— An ancient hymn about Christ’s humility. Christ embodies God’s divinity, power and presence by self-emptying and being a servant for the sake of love.

Matthew 21.23-32— Some religious leaders question Jesus’ authority. He exposes their cynicism and hypocrisy with an ironic question about John’s baptism. He tells a story of a landowner who asks two children to work. One says “yes” and does nothing; the other says “no” and then obeys. “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the realm of God ahead of you.”

                    Other texts

Exodus 16.16-18 is just outside lat week’s lectionary selection. Everybody gathers just enough manna. Nobody has too much or too little. An image of our sharing in the Eucharist, and an inspiring model of how we ought to live as one human tribe on this earth.

Preaching Thoughts

Communion
       It seems paradoxical to preach that in the Eucharist we are in communion with all Christians around the world when Communion itself is among the things that divide us. I usually insist on respecting multiple interpretations and traditions, but here’s a place where I’ll step out and say the traditional Roman Catholic teaching is just plain wrong. Jesus clearly shared food with everybody—sometimes 5000 at a time—including believers and unbelievers, clean and unclean, righteous and sinners, Jews and gentiles. It’s just plain wrong to insist that one must belong to a certain sect (yes, all denominations are sects) to partake of the Eucharist. I see no biblical warrant for it, and plentiful evidence to the contrary. Paul says, “All who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” This is often interpreted to mean you’re supposed to see the physical flesh of Jesus in the bread and wine. But in the context of everything Paul is talking about, that is, the church, I think he means discerning the body of Christ—the community, the whole. The bread, and the complete self-giving it symbolizes, lead us to be mindful of the whole human community Jesus died for, including people of every tradition, denomination, sect, religion, belief system or unbelief. I think central to Jesus’ and Paul’s gospel is the radical inclusiveness of God’s love and the profound oneness of the human family.
       Jesus does something radical in his sharing of meals. He clearly—blatantly, out loud and unmistakably—demolishes the exclusions, restrictions and taboos around table fellowship of both religious laws and cultural habits. What was the one charge they brought against him at his trial that was actually true? “He eats with sinners.” You betcha. That was his ministry. Calling all of us to one table. None are insiders, none are foreigners, none are deserving or undeserving. All are simply invited. Think of how many meals and stories about meals Jesus gives us. In most of them the meal includes outsiders. He eats with pharisees and tax collectors and prostitutes. He’s eating with Simon and in comes an outsider, whom he welcomes. With Zacchaeus Jesus himself is the outsider. At the Last Supper he includes Judas (in the place of honor!) In his parables, at the king’s wedding banquet the poor and excluded are invited. Jesus enacts the line from Psalm 23: “You have prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” And Jesus invites them in! This is the community Jesus intends to create around his table. We are all one.
       The great mystery is: when we receive the Body of Christ we become the Body of Christ. We ourselves become the one loaf he is offering us. We are part of one another. Paul speaks of the one Body in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. The Eucharist is the symbol that we are indeed one body, part of one another, around the world. When we eat the bread it becomes part of our body. And we become part of one another’s bodies. We are drawn into spiritual quantum entanglement. We are one another. So we love our neighbors as ourselves, not just as much as we love ourselves, but as ourselves: as the rest of ourselves.
       Be mindful how you celebrate this feast. Be intentional about invitation and inclusion. I once attend a service in which “communion” was offered after the service: I had to fight the exiting traffic down the aisle to the railing where it was self-serve. Me and one other older woman who apparently didn’t appreciate my coming to kneel beside her. I didn’t “commune” with anybody. It was the loneliest communion I ever had. Absolute travesty. When our oldest son was about 2 or 3, we held him in our arms as we came forward to receive communion at a church that didn’t serve those who had not been confirmed. As we turned away he said, blessedly loud enough for all to hear, “Why didn’t I get any?” Good question. Of course some would argue he was too young to understand. I’d argue so are you. Who “understands” this mystery? It’s not a concept you understand. It’s a love you receive. It’s an inclusion you accept. (He did understand that!) I mean, you eat this bread—and there’s God in it! It’s not the pastor, it’s Jesus giving it to you! And you think you understand that? Ha.
       So. Make your invitation clear, especially to people who may expect there to be restrictions. I offer it to anyone who wants it. Everyone has already been invited by Christ. I’m not going to interfere! There is no prerequisite but to be hungry—for God, for interaction, for forgiveness or acceptance, for feeling like you’re part of something, even just for a snack—it’s all the Spirit’s invitation to something sacred.

Exodus 16.16-18
       Nobody has too much or too little. Think of the biology of the Body of Christ. Our bodies are so “wonderfully made” that, among so many miraculous things, various parts of the body take care of each other. Under certain circumstances blood flows to one area of the body more than others. The body regulates the distribution of sugars, oxygen, hormones and other amazing stuff so that every part gets what it needs. Some body parts let go of their resources for the well-being of other parts. When under attack, say when you’re falling, your arms and other parts take the blows to protect more vulnerable parts. They get self-sacrifice because they get their unity. Imagine a society like that.

Philippians 2.1-13
       This ancient hymn leads us to ponder what it means to follow Christ. It means radical self-emptying and humility, perhaps including the humility to believe that we’re not necessarily the only ones who have it “right,” but we need to cooperate with other Christian traditions. And, more fundamentally, it focuses on a relationship with God and not on doctrinal stuff and denominational quirks that more often than not distract us from God, and certainly do nothing to unite us.

Matthew 21.23-32
        We put a lot of stock in “authority” but not much in evaluating where that authority comes from. For Jesus it comes from God, not from any religious structure. What is of God is good; what gets in the way of that is not so good. So Jesus praises the faith of a (pagan) centurion and offers grace to lots of folks outside the Jewish circle of “eligible receivers, and pretty much ignores religious boundaries regarding who’s “in” and who’d “out.” “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the realm of God ahead of you.” The worldwide Body of Christ is built on love, not doctrine. What makes us one is not our faith but God’s grace.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, Mother and Father of us all, your children worship you.
All: People of every tribe, nation, language and culture praise you!
Risen Christ, your sisters and brothers around the world give thanks to you.
People of every kind and status, in every hut and cathedral sing to you!
Holy Spirit, you make us one, the Body of Christ, throughout the World.
Loving Christ, we come to your table to be together with our siblings.
May there be unity among us. May we be one in the love and faith of Christ,
one in the Spirit, and one in ministry to all the world, to the glory of God. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creator of the universe,
All: you bring forth all Creation, and we belong.
You give birth to all peoples;
you create one human family, and we belong.
You feed us with your love;
you make of us one Body in your Spirit, and we belong.
So we come, people of every race and nation and tribe and people,
to worship together and to feast on your love. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator of all things,
       All: we praise!
For earth and sky, the seas and stars, and all living beings,
       we praise!
Loving Mother and Father of all people, nations and races,
       we adore!
You whose arms hold Koreans and Bolivians, Rwandans and Inuit,
       we adore!
For Baptist and Orthodox, Methodist and Moravian, Congregational and Coptic,
       we give thanks!
With all your Beloved we gather at your table to feast with our siblings in Christ,
one in the Body of Christ, one in your love.
       We worship, we receive your grace, and we give of ourselves,
       for the sake of the world. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
All: Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
You have saved the people of all nations and races!
People of every color and heritage praise you in every language.
Gather us as one family at your table, Love;
in your Spirit, make us one.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
You gather us as one people around the world:
one in Christ, one in your Spirit,
and one in our worship of you.
We give thanks for the gathered community,
and for your presence among us!
Alleluia! Make us one, God! Make us one! Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, maker of all people,
you gather your children on this day, around this table,
to praise you in unity and harmony.
All: We sing your praise in many languages,
together with people of many cultures and countries.
We gather around this table, made one by your love,
one in your holy family, one in Christ’s body.
May our harmony be your praise.
Alleluia! May our unity be your delight. Alleluia!

7.
Leader: Creator God, you who give us birth, we worship you.
All: We return to you.
From all parts of the earth, all races and nations:
we return to you.
Gathering at your table as one family,
sharing the bread as we ourselves are made one loaf:
we return to you.
Emerging from behind our walls of separation
of race and clan, nation and loyalties:
we return you.
Even as you send us out to serve our neighbors,
because you are among them:
we return to you.
God of us all, as one body around the world,
we worship you in humility, wonder and gratitude.

8.
Leader: One bread.
All: One Body.
One Spirit.
One people.
One Earth.
One symphony of praise:
many voices, many parts,
in one song of joy,
one in Christ,
giving thanks. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, as we gather on this day we are one with all your children in Christ around the world. In Asia and Australia and Pacific Islands, in Africa and Europe and South America, throughout North America and even at the poles, we are one body in Christ. We give thanks and we open our hearts to your Word, the Word of Love that comes to us in every language and tradition and community. Speak to us and bring us closer to your heart, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of love, you gather your children from every land and nation, from every tribe and people, our siblings, with whom we are one Body in your Spirit. They are with us now in our worship, and we give you thanks and ask your blessing. Let us breathe with their breath; let our hearts beat with their blood. We do not seek your presence with us apart from all your beloved; we do not pray for our own blessing apart from theirs. Help us, now in our worship and always, to behold your face in our sisters and brothers, and to know your Spirit in our connectedness. Speak to us in many tongues, that we may hear your Word. We pray in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of love, like a loving mother who has prepared a wonderful meal, you call all of your children to your table, to share together, to be at peace with each other, to tell our stories, to nourish one another, and most of all to feast on your grace. Feed us with your Word, that we may truly be children of God. Amen.

4.
God of all Creation, we gather at your table with your children of every nation. We thank you for your loving presence, for your Church across the globe and for the Spirit that unites us. As we listen, our sisters and brothers around the world are listening in uncounted languages. May we all hear your Word, hear your love, in the Spirit of Christ. Make us one, Love; make us one. Amen.

5.
God of love, like a loving mother who has prepared a wonderful meal, you call all of your children to your table, to share together, to be at peace with each other, to tell our stories, to nourish one another, and most of all to feast on your grace. Feed us with your Word, that we may truly be children of God. Amen.6.
God of love, your children around the world are listening to you now in many languages. Speak to us in truth that is deeper than words, in presence that is deeper than what can be seen, in love that is deeper than understanding. In scripture, in proclamation, in prayer—speak to us as you do to all your Beloved, from within Amen.

7.
Gracious God, at this moment, Christians around the world are gathered at this very table. We are among siblings in every land. Open our hearts and minds to your presence in the Body of Christ around the world. Help us to hear, to belong, and to gather others to your table. Speak to us: we are your children, and we are listening. Amen.

8.
Holy God, Faithful One, you have given us life and set us free. Teach us, then, how to live freely. You have vowed your faithfulness to us. Show us, then, how to be faithful. You have promised us your love, and you have been steadfast. Fill us with your Spirit, so that we might love others with your love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Out of the rock
streams your miraculous Spirit.
Together with all those around the world
who thirst for you,
we drink of your presence,
your mystery,
your grace.

Prayer of Confession

God of all people, we confess we have separated ourselves.
We have divided the Body of Christ.
In our fear, heal us.
For our “othering” of those not like us, forgive us.
Receive our repentance, not in words alone
but in reconciliation with our companions in Christ.
Make us One, Love, make us one.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

       We love and trust you, God, creator of all that is, source of life and blessings, loving parent of all people.
       We love and trust you, Jesus, Christ of God, who showed God’s love to all people and made of us all one family, without division or deserving. He was crucified by the powers of privilege and exclusion, but in rising disarmed those powers. In Christ we are one Body, united in your Spirit, made one by your love.
       We love and trust you, Holy Spirit. By your grace we reach out in love to others for they too are part of our Body. We love our neighbors as part of ourselves. We pledge ourselves to a world of love and justice, in your power, and 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. To embody the sense that we’re part of a very diverse Body I encourage you to divide the lines not just between leader and congregation but maybe split the congregation up by reasonable and workable divisions: by age, gender, etc. or one side of the room and the other…. ]

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

We thank you, God, for you create all things out of your own being.
In you all things are One.
You create us in the image of your love, and call us as your beloved community.
You judge the forces of oppression and rescue us from all that enslaves us.
You make us one with all people, and break down the dividing walls we build.
You strike the rock of this world and out flows grace and blessing.
We feast in gratitude and awe.
You gather us at your table as the Body of Christ,
one in the love and Spirit of Christ, around the world, one with all Creation.
We feast in unity and love.
Therefore with all your Beloved around the world 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 is the one who comes in your love, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught and healed, fed the hungry, and gathered a community of love
that crossed all our barriers and divisions and included the outcast and forgotten.
For his radical welcome Jesus was crucified;but you raised Christ from the dead, and living eternally, Christ invites us to this table of infinite love and reconciliation
together with all people, friends and strangers and foreigners and enemies alike,
in the grace of your self-giving 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 Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one Body: one in your Spirit, one with all the people of the world,
one in ministry for the sake of all Creation.

     [Spoken or sung]
           Amen.

___________________
2.
God be 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 of love, in the beginning you created us in your image.
Male and female, differently abled, gay, straight and queer,
trans and non-binary, you created us in your image.
Black and pink, brown and yellow, you created us in your image.
You made covenant to be our God and claimed us as your people.
You judged the forces of oppression and led us from captivity to freedom.
Therefore with people of every tribe and language, every people and nation,
we sing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He spread your love to rich and poor, sick and healthy, young and old.
He created a community of saints and sinners, natives and aliens, insiders and outsiders.
He offered reconciliation to all people, but was resisted by the forces of privilege and power.He was condemned by the forces of exclusion
and empire; he was crucified and died.
But Christ was raised by your glory, and still offers life to all people.
In this meal Christ offers us your Spirit, your grace, your eternal life.

[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,
that they may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one with you, one with each other, and one with all the world.
May we reach out with the love of Christ
to all who are excluded, and bring them to their place at the table.
Give us the Spirit of Christ, to confront the power of rank and privilege,
to give our lives to your love and faithfulness
that overcomes all injustice and oppression.
All glory and honor is yours, loving God, now and forever.

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

On the night in which he gave himself for us
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.) As you have made the scattered grain into one loaf, so in your love you have made all followers of Jesus around the world into one Body. Send us into the world in love, for the sake of the healing of all Creation, 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.) You have also given yourself to all your beloved people, those who are welcomed and those who are excluded. Send us into the world to widen the circle, to bring all to your table of grace, that we may truly be one, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


All Are One (Original song)

“Come and follow me,” Jesus calls beside the sea,
‘Come along the way of life ad healing.”
many ways we come, many races, many tongues,
but one single truth we are revealing,
that we all are one, every daughter, every son,
for we all are children of one mother.
There are many ways to live our lives of praise,
but we’re one in loving one another.

See the Spirit give many gifts by which to live,
many faithful ways to follow Jesus.
When of Jesus’ mind we can never be confined.
When we’re lone and bound the spirit frees us,
’till we all are one, every daughter, every son,
for we all are children of one mother.
There are many ways to live our lives of praise,
but we’re one in loving one another.

“If you live in me my disciples you will be.
My commandment is tol ove each other.
By my power and grace you will recognize the face
of each one as sister and as brother,
for we all are one, every daughter, every son,
for we all are children of one mother.
There are many ways to live our lives of praise,
but we’re one in loving one another.


Children of the Heavenly Mother (Tune: Children of the Heavenly Father)

Children of the Heavenly Mother,
gather gladly with each other,
for you call us to your table
bringing gifts as we are able.

You have held us and caressed us,
washed and taught us, healed and blessed us;
now you cherish and adore us
and you set this table for us

You have birthed us, and have freed us;
with your body now you feed us.
In this grace, O loving mother,
we are one with one another.

So we praise you, heavenly Mother,
Holy Spirit, Christ our brother,
All Creation sings together
honor, thanks and praise for ever.

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)

O Faithful God [Tune: Finlandia]

O faithful God, whose steadfast love is sure,
O Loving Father, Mother kind and strong:
your Covenant forever will endure;
you bind us to your heart our whole life long.
No matter how rebellious is your child,
in you we are brought home and reconciled

You hold us, God, in kinship with each other.
We have been loved and held when we would run.
We all are siblings, all born of one Mother;
though we would flee, you join us all as one.
Our deepest wounds come from our deepest love,
and so our highest hope for life above

So teach us God, to bravely love each other,
for all belong within your house of grace,
to give our enemy, who is our brother,
our steadfast mercy, and a wide embrace;
for in our love, though we be right or wrong,
we know the grace to which we all belong.


One Loaf      (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Like wheat that’s made into one loaf of bread,
we are one Body with Christ as our head,
grateful for grace guiding us from above,
we are one people, one Spirit, one love.

Spirit, you live in us, in each and in all,
giving us each gifts to answer your call.
Your gift is in every soul, every heart,
each of us needed to offer our part.

Give us the faith, God, to go where you lead,
act as your loving and kind mustard seeds.
Send us in love to this world so in need,
spreading your good news in word and in deed.


The Church’s One Foundation (Tune: AURELIA)

The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ alone,
the rock of our salvation, our only cornerstone.
By grace we are created, by Spirit given birth,
in loving bonds related, Christ’s Body here on earth.

Called forth from every nation, of every tribe and race,
we all are one creation, one vessel of God’s grace.
Though some are treated poorly, those silenced and oppressed,
we all are chosen surely, and all are surely blessed.

Christ, give to us your daring inclusion of us all,
embodying your sharing with those beyond our walls,
to boldly act for justice for all, not just for some,
that by your Holy Spirit we truly may be One

Your Hands and Your Face (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

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 do not fear loss,
sealed with your Spirit and marked with your cross.

Blest and 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.


Your Holy Feast     (Tune: Londonderry Air: Oh Danny Boy)

Oh healing Christ, you bring us to your table here,
to share with you, and all the ones you love.
We come as one, alike forgiven, healed and dear.
Oh come and bless us, Spirit, tender Dove.
Oh, make us yours, your servants and your lovers.
Oh, make us one, united here in you.
Oh, make us new: the Red Sea lead us over,
and set us free to walk in harmony with you.

We come to eat the bread of peace you offer us.
We come to drink your resurrecting wine.
We come to feast upon your presence here with us,
and so become your Body as we dine.
So make us whole again, and be our living breath.
Make us your hands, and you will be our nerve.
Oh, risen Christ, we join you, rising up from death,
and by your side we’ll go, made new, to love and serve.

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

October 1, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 17.1-7 — The Israelites wandering in the desert complain, this time about having no water. God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and out streams water.

Psalm 78 celebrates the exodus and recalls God’s care for the people despite their unfaithfulness. (It’s long. See a brief excerpt, adapted, below.)

Philippians 2.1-13 — An ancient hymn about Christ’s humility. Christ embodies God’s divinity, power and presence by self-emptying and being a servant for the sake of love.

Matthew 21.23-32— Jesus’ question about John’s baptism. The parable of the two sons, one says “Yes” but the other actually obeys.

Preaching Thoughts

[Oct. 1 is World Communion Sunday. See resources here.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. See worship resources here.]

Genesis
     Again the Israelites complain. Again God miraculously, compassionately provides, despite their annoying, whining lack of faith. When will we learn to trust?
     Imagine Moses, commanded to strike the rock. He has no reason to think there’s water there. He doesn’t know how to strike the rock. Never done this before. Not a great golfer. Big potential for humiliation in front of everybody. Oh, well. He strikes the rock. An act of faith.

Philippians
       Because this is about Christ, it’s about God. The scandal of our faith is that even God doesn’t play God. God is not merely the Almighty but also the All-Vulnerable. Jesus’ suffering on the cross is not for the sake of some “deal” by which God might forgive us; it’s Jesus’ and God’s willingness to be hurt by our sin and still forgive us and love us. God is radically open. God makes room, even in God’s very being, for our brokenness. God’s character is one of self-emptying. God, who is infinite, empties out Godself to make room for Creation. Though this poem, which likely predates Paul, knows nothing of the language of the Holy Trinity, it describes the perichoresis of the Trinity: the “dancing around,” the making room for one another. The Father makes room for the Son; this self-emptying is the movement of the Spirit. God empties Godself for us as we approach God, so there is room for us not just close to God but in God. (“In my Mother’s house there are many mansions.”) We want so much to be able to rely on God as a higher power, but God’s real saving grace is God’s higher vulnerability. It’s God being open to our sin and suffering—sharing it with us, even—that truly saves us. The Creator of the universe gets right down in our wound and even our grave with us, and rises up from there with us in tow, held close, beloved all the way.
       This is not just a hymn of praise for Jesus. It’s a model for Christian living: a deeply trusting humility in which we know that we’re just the wire; God is the electricity. It’s all about self-emptying. We don’t get rid of ourselves, or personality, our worth, or our gifts. We let go of our status, our sense that our worth is attached to some particular quality of ours. No, our worth is absolute, not dependent on or arising from anything other than that God has created us worthy. We can afford to let go of power, status, security and belonging because we know we are God’s. We let our egoic self-centered desires, attachments and identity go, and in that self-emptying there’s room for God to flow through us.

Matthew
       Some religious leaders question Jesus’ authority. He exposes their cynicism and hypocrisy with an ironic question about John’s baptism. Jesus, as usual, traps his interrogators in their own trap. “You’re too chicken to admit you think John’s baptism is a fraud, in front of all these people who believe in it? Well, then you’re not able to talk honestly about authority, are you” Jesus’ authority comes from his honesty, his integrity in standing by his words, rather than playing the crowd with what they want to hear. For Jesus “authority” isn’t so much about power as authenticity.
       The parable of the two sons asks: What’s better, to profess faith and do nothing, or say nothing but live faithfully? What does it really mean to serve God? Are we open to people who don’t use the language or profess the faith we do, yet in their actions fulfill the will of God? They will be known, Jesus says elsewhere, by their fruits. With open minds we might find faith in unexpected people, grace in unexpected places. “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the realm of God ahead of you.” Water from the rock.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: River of life, flowing through all Creation,
All: river of mercy, flowing through our hearts,
river of love, flowing out into the city,
we rejoice in awe and gratitude.
Spirit of life, breath of God, river of love,
fill us to overflowing with your grace,
and flow through us out into all the world. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Loving God, Eternal Presence, you surround us with your Being.
All: Faithful One, you enfold us in your love.
Tender One, you dwell within us with healing and beauty.
We thank you. We praise you. We worship you.
We open our hearts to your presence,
that we may become more deeply present for you.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit of Love, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God, this world can be a desert wilderness.
All: We come thirsty for your presence.
Our lives can seem like dry stones.
We come thirsty for your love.
Yet you strike the rock of our lives,
and your grace flows freely.
We thank you, and we drink deeply of this mystery.
Refresh us, that our lives may flow with your grace. Amen.

4.
Leader: In a dry and weary land we don’t expect your grace.
All: Water from the rock.
A teacher, whom authorities try to silence, speaks the truth.
Water from the rock.
Ou prayers seem dry and powerless, but you move in them.
Water from the rock.
Our own ordinary lives, and our loving service, are your praise.
Water from the rock.
Our worship rises from us not by our power
but by the grace of your Spirit.
Water from the rock. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Abundant One, in the dry lands of our daily lives we come, thirsty for your grace, to drink from the springs of your Word. Fill us with wisdom, compassion and trust. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, you who are ever present, who accompany us in love, who surround us with your glory, we too often forget; we do not see. Speak to us, whose hearts are thirsty for water but sometimes feel dry as stone. Open our hearts now to your truth, to your presence, to your faithfulness. May we drink deeply of your love. Amen.

3.
God of power and mystery, as you brought forth water from the rock for Moses and the Israelites, now let mercy and justice flow from your church. Let your praise flow from us in our worship. May love flow from us in our daily lives bringing life and joy to all in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
Loving One, beneath all we profess is our need for you. Beyond all creeds and proclamations is your steadfast mercy. May your love flow in us like a spring of water so our words may match our deeds, and our lives be faithful to our love for you. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
In what is dry and parched,
strike the rock,
that grace may flow.
In what is hard and unmoving,
strike the rock,
that grace may flow.

2.
Holy One,
you empty yourself
and make room for me.
In my empty places,
my wounds and losses,
you become obedient even to death,
and you rise with me.
I open myself to you.

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

Gracious God, maker of all, fountain of life, we trust you.
We drink deeply from the river of your grace.
Crucified and risen Christ, from whom flows the water of healing for all Creation,
for the love that flows from you we thank you, and we follow you.
Holy Spirit, love of God flowing through us, we open our hearts to you.
Bear us onward, carry us by your mercy, and fill us with your grace. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for the mystery that you give yourself to us. Strike the rock of our hearts with your grace, that mercy and justice may flow through us out into the desert, into the city, into the whole world, for the sake of the redemption 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)


The River of God (Psalm 65) (Original song)

Refrain: The river of God is full of water. Praise to you, O God.

Praise is due to you, God, our beloved. To you alone we devote our lives.
O you who answer prayer, to you all flesh shall come.

By mighty deeds your deliver us. You are the hope of all people on earth.
Morning and evening resound with joy. We are listening in awe.

You bless the earth and water it, granting the blessing of beautiful growth.
Meadows and wilderness overflow, wearing their finest in joy.

When the depth of our sin overwhelms us, you forgive all our transgressions.
How blessed we are, O God, that you hold us in your heart.

We Feast On Your Love (Original song)

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

We reach for the hem of your garment,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

You gather us; none are unworthy;
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

September 24, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 16.2-15 — God provides manna for Israel in the wilderness.

Psalm 105. 1-6, 37-45 — Thank God for God’s abundant providence, especially in the miracles in the desert.
     or—
Psalm 78 — A long recitation of the wilderness wanderings, the people’s unfaithfulness, but God’s faithful care. See below for an excerpted adaptation.

Philippians 1.21-30 — “Living is Christ and dying is gain”—Paul would just as soon die and be with Jesus. But the important thing is to “live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel.” Even our struggles (“the privilege of suffering for Christ”) are a gift from God. In

Matthew 20.1-16 — The parable of workers who are all paid the same amount regardless of how long they’ve worked.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
       In Hebrew “manna” sounds like “Whatsit?”—or, actually, “Whosit?” it’s a mystery. It will sustain the people throughout their entire 40 years in the wilderness. What sustains us is always beyond our comprehension, not to mention our control.
       It’s a lesson in trust. Also patience. Everybody got a day’s worth of bread, not a weeks’ worth, except on the eve of the Sabbath, when they got two days’ worth. Daily bread. We do not pray for a lifetime supply of bread, but our daily bread, bread for this day, one day at a time. Grace comes to us one breath at a time. Learn to trust it.
       I always include verses 16-18, immediately beyond the lectionary passage: no matter how much people gather, everyone ends up with exactly what they need. It’s a model of justice. In God’s realm justice isn’t that everyone gets what they deserve (since there’s no such thing), but that everyone gets what they need. (It also pairs nicely with Jesus’ parable.) This may be a relevant scripture to ponder on World Communion Sunday next week, offering a vision of a world in which everyone has what they need, without hoarding or want, a world in which everyone is included and worthy and blessed.

Romans
       Paul would just as soon die and be with Jesus. But the important thing is for all of us to “live your life in a manner worthy of the Gospel.” Even our struggles (“the privilege of suffering for Christ”) are a gift from God.

Matthew
       An employer hires workers in early morning, midday, afternoon, and at the end of the day—and then pays them all exactly the same amount—a day’s living wage— no matter how long they worked. Bitterness ensues. Much like the manna in Gen. 16.16-18, everybody gets what they need, not what they want or expect or what (somebody thinks) they “deserve.” perhaps this is an image of God’s equal love for everyone, no mater how righteous or unrighteous they are. There is no earning, only gift.
       Jesus’ parables often involve wages, savings, stewardship of finances, poverty and riches, managers and employees, landowners and servants, and so on. Whatever else they are about, when Jesus tells stories about economics, we can’t pretend they’re not also about economics. In this story might Jesus be critiquing a system that pits workers against each other? The manager highlights his “generosity” toward the latecomers, but neglects to mention his lack of generosity toward those who worked all day.
      Maybe Jesus is highlighting the way we tend to be jealous of other people’s good fortune—like those who object to college loan forgiveness: “Because I paid mine; they should pay theirs, too,” even though their good fortune doesn’t cost me anything.
       By the way, modern folks sometimes criticize the workers standing around waiting for work to come to them, rather than going out and seeking it. But in Jesus’ culture (and still in many parts of modern US!) that’s how it’s done. Day laborers (especially immigrants) can’t always just go out and “get a job.” They have to wait for employers to hire them, utterly dependent on the employer’s whims.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy One, Creator of life, your sacred gift, we thank you!
All: Alleluia!
Loving Christ, offering of mercy, we praise you!
Alleluia!
Holy Spirit, energy of grace, you make us vessels of your gift.
Alleluia! We worship with full hearts. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creating God, you have made us in your image.
All: You have fed us with your blessing.
You have led us through our challenges.
You have granted us grace when we least expected it.
You are the fountain of blessing, the source of unending goodness.
Alleluia! We turn to you. We thank you. We worship you.
Come, Generous Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Amazing God, we praise you!You have fed us in the wilderness.
All: You have given us life when we thought all was lost.
Feed us with your Spirit now, and strengthen us for your service.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Gracious Creator, you shower us with life, anew each day.
All: Risen Christ, your love beckons us to become your people.
Holy Spirit, you call us forth to shine with your light.
Alleluia! We worship as we live, in gratitude and praise! Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Loving Creator, we praise you!
All: Infinite Fountain of Life, we thank you!
Though we wandered hungry in the wilderness, you fed us.
Though our hopes are often dashed, still your loving grace is faithful.
We turn to you again in gratitude and trust.
Feed us again as we worship with joy. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Merciful God, the world often seems unfair, confusing or threatening You are our solid ground, our mercy, our hope. Speak to us your peace. We open our hearts to your grace. Fill us with your Spirit, in the presence and love of Christ. Amen.2.Gracious and generous God, you provided manna for the Israelites in the desert. You sent Christ for our hungry souls. Feed us now with your Word: nourish us with your Spirit and delight us with the taste of your grace. As your scripture are read and your Word proclaimed, feed our hungry souls. Amen.

3.
God of Mercy, Hand of Love, you have led us through the wilderness and fed us miraculously. Lead us now by your Spirit. Feed us with your wisdom and your truth. May our souls drink deeply of your grace and your presence. Speak to us, for we are listening with hungry hearts. Amen.

4.
Holy One, in your grace you give us all that we need, each moment, each day, to live as your beloved ones. Grant that we may always be mindful of your Spirit, alive in us and in all. Amen.

5.
God of love, in the wonders of Creation
you feed our souls.
In the gifts of community, and those we love,
you feed our souls.
In your forgiveness, and the nourishment of your grace,
you feed our souls.
Through the gifts of prayer and scripture and worship
you feed our souls.
God, we thank you and turn to you again.
Help us be thankful and attentive and to trust that always,
no matter how bleak it may seem,
you feed our souls.

6.
Loving God, many voices outside us tell us what is worthy, and voices within us name what is desirable. But knowing you is our only treasure. Only love is worthy of our lives. Open our eyes to your truth; open our ears to your beckoning; open our hearts to your voice calling to us now in scripture, so that we might die to old lives, and rise in new life, the life that you give us. In the arms of Christ, bear us near to you. Amen.

7.
Faithful God, our lives are so full of our own expectations, our minds so occupied by our plans, that we often do not hear you. Free us from our attachments and empty us of our desires, so that we might be ready and wiling to hear your Word, and to live it, by the grace of your Spirit. Speak to us now, God, for your servants are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

In the desert a subtle mystery:
manna for nourishment.
In the wilderness of our prayer
we gather the manna we find,
and share with you
in this feast of attentiveness.

Prayer of Confession

God of mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you.
We have distrusted your providence
and sought life elsewhere when we should have turned to you.
We have feared for ourselves and held onto things
when we should have shared.
And now the fruit of our fear has rotted in our hearts.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear, and wash us clean.
Start us anew: remade by your grace, hungry for you alone,
and ready to receive and to share your love
in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Poetry

      Manna

What gets you through the desert?
What gets you through?
What gets you through the chemo,
the healing from abuse, the bad marriage,
what gets you through
the job that tries to kill you,
the dark alley of the shadow of death,
the rotten places, the placeless places,
the evil you fear, the evil you’ve done,
what gets you through?

Some will call it courage or stamina,
luck or faith or reaching down deep.
But you know it’s not you, not yours.
It’s given. To you. For you.
From the Holy One.

You find it anywhere—
the usual, the impossible.
You learn to recognize it.
You learn to receive it.
That grace that gets you through,
you learn to say thank you.

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.
       Creator God, we trust in you, maker of all, source of all life, giver of all blessings. You are the water of life flowing from the rock of all things.
       Loving Christ, we follow you: embodying God’s love, you healed the broken, taught those who were open, and fed the hungry. You blessed and raised up all who were faltering. You walked with us in our struggles and even our death, crucified on a cross. But God raised you from death, for yours and ours is a story of grace.
       Holy Spirit, we live by your grace. By your light in us we trust in God for life, for guidance, for power to serve in love. You make us vessels of your mercy and hope. Help us, God, to trust you and to serve you with our whole lives, with gratitude, courage and love, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
       We believe in God, Creator of all that is and all that is to come. I believe God has provided for me abundantly, and for all God’s creatures, so that all have enough.
       We follow Jesus, who showered God’s abundant grace upon us, bringing healing to the sick, forgiveness to the guilty and food when there was none, bringing hope to the hopeless and life even to the dead. He was crucified and raised again, and lives among us, still showering us with abundant grace and infinite life.
       We live by the Spirit, together with all followers as the Body of Christ, proclaiming the good news and spreading the grace of God to all people. We trust in the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life. We devote ourselves to the sharing of earth’s goods and God’s blessings, so that all may have enough, to the glory and delight of God. Amen.

3.
       We believe in God, who creates us, who sustains us each moment, who is our life and our breath.
       We follow Christ, who showed us God. He received and shared God’s grace. He trusted God in everything. He let go of things so that he might cling to Life. He let go of life, so that he might hold onto Love. He gave of himself, even his very life, for the sake of the healing of the world. And though he was killed, God have him life again; and he rose and is still among us in a new way.
       We live by the Holy Spirit, which alone gives us life. We rejoice in the church, the Body of Christ, and in the oneness of all life, the gift of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, and the mystery of eternal life. By the power of that Holy Spirit, and in the name of Christ, we devote ourselves to give generously of all that we receive, for the sake of the healing of the world, and the eternal glory of God. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
Out of chaos you made a world, unprecedented, and full of blessing.
and though we imagine other worlds, worlds of despair,
you surprise us with this one.
You defy our expectations and confound our understanding:
when we wander in the wilderness, you give us manna;
you feed us, and we are saved.
In the depth of our dismay, you send us Jesus.
And so, with the people on earth and all the company of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

            [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 healed the sick, and raised the dead,
who ate with the poor and the outcast,
and fed the multitudes when they were hungry.
who taught us to trust your grace.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
As your children gathered manna in the wilderness,
may we gather your grace from this feast.
By your grace may this bread become
imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
God, you provide for us in all circumstances.
Bless us that we may share your grace with all the world,
in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit.
All glory and honor is yours, almighty God, now and forever.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

On the night in which he gave himself for us
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 feed us with the mystery of your grace. It sustains us every day. You who fill us with love, fill us also with trust and gratitude, that we may live in peace, serve with joy, and share with the confidence of your children, in the name of Christ ans the power of your Spirit, Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have provided for us in unexpected ways; help us to trust your providence, to receive your gifts, and to share willingly with others for the sake of the healing of the world. We give you thanks, and pray that we may be your living manna for the world, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Every Moment Is Manna      (Original song)

God of love, you have given to me
all I needed, abundantly
I was afraid, but you have made a feast for me.
Every moment is manna! By your grace I live.
So I sing Hosanna! I will abundantly give.

Turn my thanks for what comes to me
into deep generosity.
I will not cling, but everything I give with joy.
Every moment is manna! By your grace I live.
So I sing Hosanna! I will abundantly give.

I will not be afraid to part
with what’s in my hands or heart,
for I believe I will receive your grace again.
Every moment is manna! By your grace I live.
So I sing Hosanna! I will abundantly give.

Manna (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, in our wandering, when least we could see,
all you provide, and you set us all free.
God, in your mercy you open your hands,
granting us manna we don’t understand.

We are the captives whom you have released.
We are the poor you have brought to your feast.
So by your bidding we come to this place, in
awe and thanksgiving for your saving grace.

God, like the manna that we did not earn,
here are our lives that we give in return.
Make us ourselves like the manna you give:
given to others so that they, too, may live.

September 17, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 14.19-31— Israel crosses the Red Sea and escapes from Egypt.

Exodus 15.1b-11, 20-21— On the far shore, Moses and the prophet Miriam lead the people in singing: “Sing to the Holy One, for God has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider God has thrown into the sea.”

Romans 14.1-12— Don’t judge people’s religious practice as if they are accountable to us. They are not. It is we who are accountable to God. We are not even our own masters, let alone theirs. “Whether we live or we die, we are the Lord’s.” (I like to add verse 13, a summary against judging.)

Matthew 18.21-35— Forgive not once, not seven, but seven times 70 times. The parable of the two debtors, one owing 100 denarii and the other 10,000 talents.

Preaching Thoughts

September is recognized as the Season of Creation.
Click here for Creation Centered worship resources.

Exodus
      Some translators call it the Reed Sea, or even Weed Sea, as if it were really just a shallow swamp, since obviously no one could cross an actual ocean. But elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible the Yam Suph is seen as not just a body of water but the Water of Chaos present at Creation. Israel didn’t just cross some water: they left a whole world behind and entered a new Creation. The Red Sea was a birth canal. It deepens the waters of baptism, doesn’t it?
      This won’t bear much on preaching, but it’s interesting stuff: The story as we have it is a stitching together of two stories, one from J and one from E & P. The two stories were cut-and pasted together into one, and you can literally cut them apart with scissors and restore two complete, though differing, stories of the crossing of the Red Sea. (Here it is.) One difference between the two stories is that in J God parts the water with a strong wind and it lies flat. In E/P it’s Moses raising his staff (looking like a priest, no?) and the water piles up. One might attribute God’s working to natural phenomena such as a strong east wind, or to more direct intervention, such as a priest’s action, but either way, God gets it done. Like all biblical stories this one begs the question of God’s intervention. Does God actually “cause” specific things to happen, or is God (Love) a basic force of the universe like gravity that influences everything but doesn’t intervene or control anything? Maybe, like the wind and Moses’ staff, we work together.

Matthew
       A talent was a measure of weight, about 60 lbs. So the first debtor owes something like 300 tons of silver. At today’s rate that would be about $230 million. (Yeah, Jesus likes to exaggerate.) The second owes something like a thousand bucks. How much more we are forgiven than we are owed! Really, in the end, forgiving and being forgiven are one and the same. Once we know how forgiven we are, how can we not forgive?
      Speaking of math, different versions have Jesus saying we must forgive 70 times, or 77 times, or 70 times 7 (that’s 490). Given Jesus’ penchant for exaggeration I’ll go with 70×7. Besides, the reality is that forgiveness isn’t just a one time thing. Sometimes our sense of loss, betrayal, or violation lingers or re-surfaces and we have to keep on forgiving; we have to sustain forgiveness. It’s ongoing. So maybe even 230 million is a good number.
       To forgive is not to forget, or to excuse or even to tolerate. To forgive someone doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt you, and it doesn’t mean you trust them. It means you accept the hurt as part of “what is.” It means letting go of feeling something needs to happen for you to be OK—usually that they need to repent, or apologize, or learn from their error, or pay you back, or suffer some consequences, or even just suffer. Forgiveness means you carry no unfinished business. They might indeed need to learn, or repent, or suffer consequences, but you don’t need for them to. You are whole as you are. When you refuse to forgive you carry the hurt with you; you’re still hurting—they’re still hurting you. When you forgive you accept yourself as hurt but still whole. So really forgiving someone for hurting you means forgiving yourself for being hurt, and trusting that you are both wounded and also beautiful at the same time. This is how God forgives. There’s no “deserving,” no prerequisite of repentance, no score. No payback, not even Jesus dying on the cross. Just love. It’s a free gift. “God forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us” (Colossians 2.13-14).

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of grace, we are a broken people, but you love us.
All: We will bear your mercy. Alleluia!
Christ our redeemer, you forgive us and make us new.
We will bear your mercy. Alleluia!
Holy Spirit, you fill us with love even for those who hurt us.
We will bear your mercy. Alleluia!
God of mercy, we worship you. We serve you. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Creator God, you alone give us life!
All: We praise you. We thank you. We worship you.
Crucified and risen Christ, you show us the way of life.
We hear you. We love you. We follow you.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with life, and call us to honor life.
We receive you. We breathe you. We bear you into the world.
Teach us your ways. Change our hearts. Re-create us again.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit of life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Generous God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you.
You have led us across the Read Sea.
You have set us free from all that enslaves us.
You have forgiven us all alike. Set us free again, Beloved.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Holy One, God of powerful love,
you have brought us thorough the Red Sea of all that diminishes us
into the wide freedom of your grace.
All: You have brought us into the land of your deep forgiveness.
You have given us outrageous hope.
You surround us with huge love and confident peace.
We thank you. We worship you. We listen for your Word. Alleluia.

5.
Leader: God, you have created us in your image: free and beautiful.
All: But we are oppressed by systems and judgments,
powers and expectations.
And so in love you have set us free from all that oppresses us.
You have led us out through the Red Sea of fear
into the dominion of your grace.
Help us remember that we are not subject to the old pharaoh,
but we are free with you.
Help us to become free as we worship you with gratitude and joy. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mercy, we are held in slavery to our resentments and judgments. We are burdened by our wounds and fears. Speak to us, call us to you, and lead us through the sea of our hurts to freedom in you. God of love, we are hungry for your Word. We open our hearts to hear. In your mercy, speak to us. Amen.

2.
God of grace, God of mercy and justice, you have come to set us free from all that diminishes life, that enslaves our hearts, that imprisons our spirits, that constricts our love. Come to us and speak your liberating Word to us. Set us free and bring us on your Way through the Red Sea. Amen.

3.
God of truth, you led your children out of Egypt into a new life, and a new world. Jesus shows us a new way to live. We open ourselves to your Word, and pray that you lead us into newness of life, by the grace of your Spirit, always present within and among us. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you have set us free from all that enslaves us and brought us through the Red Sea to freedom. Your Christ forgave those who harmed him, and taught us to forgive. You forgive us and call us continually to live new lives. O God, call us out of Egypt once again, into a land of freedom and forgiveness. Speak your Word to us lead us into the Promised Land of your grace. Amen.

5.
God of grace, it is your will and your glory to forgive. In the cross of Christ you have set us free from the power of sin and death. In awe and gratitude we worship you, and pray that by your Holy Spirit you might always set us free to worship and to serve, to love and forgive, in the name of Christ. Amen.

6.
Eternal One, you led the children of Israel through the Red Sea to freedom. You accompany all who are becoming free. We pray for all who are becoming free, from personal demons, guilt or shame, abusive relationships, coercive situations or slavery of any kind. Give them strength, hope and courage. And give us the faith to go with them, for by your grace we too are becoming free. We pray in the name of Jesus, who forgives, who liberates, who redeems, who sets us free like no other. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Out of the Egypt of our anxieties,
through the Red Sea of our doubt,
you bring us to this place of peace
where we are free with you.
We come to you. We sit with you.
We are here.

Prayer of Confession

Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God have mercy.
God of love, we bring to mind those ways we have not followed your will,
those ways we have been enslaved by our fears and desires,
and we ask your forgiveness.
God, have mercy.
      … Silent prayer …
God of love, we bring to mind those whom we ourselves need to forgive.
We confess our bitterness and ask your forgiveness,
and we ask you to help us forgive those whom we have not yet forgiven.
God have mercy.
      [Silent prayer … The word of grace]

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Holy God, we thank you, for in love you Create us, you claim us,
and you commit to being present for us in all things.
You condemn the forces of injustice and all that diminishes life,
and you set us free.
You accompany all who are escaping slavery of any kind,
and you go with us in our journeys of recovery and liberation.
You bring us through the Red Sea of all our doubts and anxieties,
to a place of freedom.
You forgive us perfectly and completely; your grace is infinite.
We are free with you, and we thank you.
Therefore together with all those who love you
we sing your praise with one voice.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who fed the hungry and healed the broken.
He showed us forgiveness, so that we might be forgiving.
He set us free to be ourselves with you and with others.
By the forces of oppression he was crucified,
and by the power of your grace he was led
through the great Red Sea of the grave, to new life.
To those who had betrayed and denied him he came in forgiveness.
And to us he comes, repeating your promise to be with us always in love.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
full of your forgiveness,
walking with all who are becoming free,
in the name and the company of Jesus,
for the sake of the healing of the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
           Amen.

____________________
2.
God be 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 of Creation, God of Covenant,
you who brought light out of darkness, life out of chaos,
we praise you.
Through the struggle of birth you give life.
Through the labor of liberation you make us whole.
From slavery to others or to ourselves, you grant us Exodus.
You defeat every Pharaoh and break every chain of oppression.
You make a way through the wilderness,
through seas of chaos and fear,
through deserts of exile and separation.
Even when, as hard-hearted Pharaohs
we trap ourselves in ways of violence,
or deny in ourselves the power of your Spirit,
Gracious God, you redeem us.
You free us and empower us and make us whole.
You have brought us out to share in your Covenant.
Therefore with all your Creation we praise you with on voice.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who in the midst of our oppression revealed to us our redemption:
good news to the poor, release to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind.
In Christ the broken are healed, the estranged embraced.
The bent over are raised, the paralyzed are empowered,
the oblivious are awakened, the trapped are freed.
Offering the blood of the paschal lamb,
suffering the death of the firstborn, Christ proclaims to us our Passover.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)

Crossing the sea of suffering and being raised from death,
Christ proclaims to us our Exodus:

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
In the sharing of this meal, God,
grant us ransom for our captors and strength for the journey.
We repent of all the chains we place on ourselves and others.
Together with all your beloved, bring us out of bondage.
Free us from our violence and our dependence on injustice.
Grant that we may share your liberating power with all people,
to your eternal glory.

     [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.) In gratitude 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. Go with us toward the pain of the world with healing. Go with us toward our own darkness with trust and humility. Go with us toward the unknown with hope, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
… Send us into the world, fed by your grace, to be gentle in the midst of violence, to love in the face of fear, to live deeply, even in the shadow of death. By your Spirit within us, make us vessels of your grace in the healing of the world, in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Keep On Walking

In the beginning, water and the Spirit:
“Let the light shine through.”
Always a beginning, Spirit and the water, :
God makes all things new.
     Refrain: Keep on walking, step into the water,
     God will bring us over with an outstretched hand.
     Remember our history: through the pain and mystery
     leads the way to the Promised Land.

We have been walking, waking through the water,
walking through the great Red Sea.
Pharaoh once bound us; chaos now surrounds us:
that’s how God sets us free. —Refrain

We have been walking, walking on the water,
walking on the storm-tossed sea.
“I will give you power to live,”
to do great things. Follow me. —Refrain

We have been walking, walking by the water,
baptized in God’s name.
Died in the water, born in the water,
we will never be the same. —Refrain.


Set Me Free (Red Sea)     (Original song)

Forgive me, God of mercy, set me free. (Repeat)
Refrain: From slavery to the past, through the deep Red Sea,
lead me God of love. Set me free.

From anger and resentment…
From blaming and from judgment…
To be completely loving…


Your Holy Feast     (Tune: Londonderry Air —“Oh Danny Boy”)

Oh healing Christ, you bring us to your table here,
to share with you, and all the ones you love.
We come as one, alike forgiven, healed and dear.
Oh come and bless us, Spirit, tender Dove.
Oh, make us yours, your servants and your lovers.
Oh, make us one, united here in you.
Oh, make us new: the Red Sea lead us over,
and set us free to walk in harmony with you.

We come to eat the bread of peace you offer us.
We come to drink your resurrecting wine.
We come to feast upon your presence here with us,
and so become your Body as we dine.
So make us whole again, and be our living breath.
Make us your hands, and you will be our nerve.
Oh, risen Christ, we join you, rising up from death,
and by your side we’ll go, made new, to love and serve.

September 10, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 12.1-14 — Directions for the celebration of Israel’s liberation in the Passover meal.

Psalm 148 — A song of praise to God, sung by all of Creation as a single community.

Romans 13.8-14 — Love alone is the law of the Christian community. This requires radical forgiveness: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.”

Matthew 18.15-20 — If someone sins against you, talk to them. Work it out in community. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

Preaching Thoughts

The month of September is recognized as the Season of Creation. Click here for Creation Centered worship resources.

       The lectionary texts are all about community. Exodus portrays us a community that remembers God’s grace in our lives. The Psalm sees us as a community that celebrates. Paul says we’re a community of love. Jesus says it’s in community that we work out our conflicts.
       Jesus’ outline for conflict resolution is mostly about listening. If you’re in conflict with someone who won’t listen, the witnesses you engage should not be to bolster your side or intimidate the other, but to help the other one hear, and maybe even more to help you listen for what you might be missing.
      “Let them be as a Gentile or a tax collector.” It sounds like an excuse to reject them—but how did Jesus treat them? By welcoming them, reaching out to them.
      “What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.” Jesus isn’t giving us cosmic powers, but he is saying our judgments and attachments, our forgiveness and healing, have cosmic consequences. The resentments or forgiveness you enact you will carry around in your heart forever. So be forgiving.
      “Where two are three are, there I am.” Jesus doesn’t need a big church; a little one will do. Even more to the point: Jesus is in relationships.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of love, we come not by our initiative but by your invitation.
All: Together we worship, together we grow.
Loving Christ, in your grace you gather us into your Body.
Together we worship, together we grow.
Holy Spirit, you make us one with you, one with Christ,
and one in ministry to the world.
Together we worship, together we grow.
Together we praise you in harmony. Alleluia!

2. [Exodus]
Leader: God of Justice, you have set us free.
All: Alleluia! We thank you, and we worship you.
God of Justice, not all your people are free.
Lord, have mercy. We pray for them, and we turn to you.
God of Justice, you call us to set your people free.
Come, Holy Spirit; inflame us with gratitude and courage,
that we may resist evil, injustice and oppression,
and work to set all people free, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Leader: Eternal God, you call us into being!
All: Risen Christ, you draw us up into life!
Holy Spirit, you radiate your grace in us.
We worship you. We praise you. We love you.
You make your church as one Being, a community of blessing, the Body of Christ.
Alleluia! Come, spirit of grace, and make us one;
in love and delight, make us yours. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Christ, you have promised
that where two or three are gathered, you are among us.
All: We gather in your name, and in your presence.
Sit with us, pray with us, sing with us.
Listen to us, speak to us, worship with us.

5.
Leader: God of love, we are a community
that remembers your grace among us.
All: With gratitude ew thank you, that you have brought us through.
We are part of the whole community of Creation.
With all living things we praise you, that you make us one.
We are a community that learns together.
With humility we listen for your Word.
May we learn from one another,
and grow deepen in our love,
in the name and spirit of Christ, Amen.

6.
Leader: Loving God, you welcome us into the home of your heart.
All: We gladly enter your house, together with all your Beloved.
We find shelter in your love, and we feast upon your Word.
May we always know our true food and rest to be in you.
Bless us, that as we gather with one another, with all who follow Christ,
and with all who suffer, we may be inspired and strengthened
to offer your hospitality to others in your name.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of all Creation, you gather us here in your Spirit as the Body of Christ. You call us to grow in love and faith. Open our ears to hear your Word. Open our eyes to see the path you call us to. Open our hearts to be changed and to grow, to blossom and to bear fruit, in the name of Christ. Speak, Holy One, for we are listening. Amen.

2.
God of gentle grace, we are caught up in nets of guilt and shame, traps of duty and obligation, and bondage to our fears and desires. Come to us, speak your liberating word to us, and set us free, with the Spirit and presence of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of grace, you have given us the gift of community. Bless us with humility, that we may receive the gifts of community. Bless us with open hearts, that we may receive your gifts through one another, and through your Word. By the grace of Christ’s presence with us, may we hear, and may we live, your Good News. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, source of all truth and wisdom, you have taught your community how to live. Speak your Word to us now, that we might grow in love and in faith, not just as individuals but as a community. Gather us and reshape us by your Word. We pray in the name of Christ, your Word made flesh. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O Christ,
where two or three are,
you are here.
In the being here,
in the love,
is your being here,
is your love.
We are present together
for each other.

Readings

      [Matthew 18.15-20, a paraphrase]

If someone in your community hurts you,
go to them and name the hurt.
If they hear you, you’ve restored the relationship.
If they can’t hear, take one or two others along
so more listeners can draw out the truth.
If they still won’t hear,
discern among the whole community.
And if they refuse to listen,
care for them as one who is just beginning.

What you bind will really be bound;
what you set loose will really be loosened.

If two of you are in one spirit in seeking something,
God will tend to it.
wherever two or three are gathered in my love,
there am I, in their love.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. An affirmation of community
[Jn. 15.5; Eph. 4.4-16, 2.19-22; 1 Cor. 12.21,27; Mt. 18.20; Heb. 10.24-25]

      Leader: Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”
      All: Apart from the vine, we can do nothing.
      There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Savior, one faith, one baptism, one God and Life-Giver of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
      Speaking the truth in love, we must 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.
      We are no longer strangers and aliens, but citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. 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.
      We are the body of Christ and individually members of it. There are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
      “Wherever two or three are gathered in my mercy, “ Jesus said, “there I am among them.”
      So let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another.

2.
God of love, we pray for our life as a community.
We pray for the gift of forgiveness.
We pray for the gift of discernment,
of deep listening for you among each other.
We pray that we may live in your peace,
bonded together in your grace,
for the sake of your love.
Jesus promises to be among us;
grant that we may trust him and seek him,
that we may listen for him and follow.
These things we ask in the name of Jesus
and the power of your Spirit. 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.]

1. [Community]
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, we give you thanks, for you create this world
as one living being, a community of life and beauty.
You set us free from what imprisons us.
You make us a community, siblings in your care,
neighbors in your realm of mercy.
You give us freedom, and invite us to this table as one,
a community of love, all redeemed by your grace.
Therefore with one voice with all Creation we sing your praise.
            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught, he healed the broken and lifted up the lowly.
He confronted our divisions and gathered the outcast;
he created a community of freedom and love.
Even when we fell into conflict, even when we failed him,
he gathered us as a family, and invited us to eat together.
He gave us this meal as a sign of your faithfulness and our unity,
as a sign that whenever we gather he is here among us.

[ …The Blessing and Covenant…]

Therefore in remembrance of 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]

God of love, pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of our Beloved Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
listening with grace, forgiving with love,
and working for healing and reconciliation.
We are one with each other, one with you,
and one in ministry to all the world.
May we truly love one another as you have loved us,
and love our neighbor as ourselves,
by the grace of the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
             [Spoken or sung:]
                  Amen.

_______________

2. [Exodus, justice]

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 of love, Creator of all that is, and all that shall be,
we give you thanks, for in the beginning you brought light out of darkness.
You created us in your image and made covenant with us
to be our God, and called us as your people.
When we were slaves in Egypt you set us free;
death and oppression passed over us.
You established this feast for us to remember our freedom,
and to pray for those who still long to be set free.
When we were dead in our sin you came to us with love in Christ and set us free.
You established this feast for us to enter into our freedom,
and to break bread with all who long for freedom.
Therefore with all Creation we sing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught, he healed the broken and lifted up the lowly.
He confronted our divisions and gathered the outcast;
he created a community of freedom and love.

[ …The Blessing and Covenant…]

Therefore in remembrance of 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]

God of love, pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
At this table may we know our unity
with all who are free and all who are under oppression.
Grateful for our freedom in Christ,
may we resist evil, injustice and oppression.
In gratitude, we remember your grace for all people. Amen.
In solidarity, we pray for healing for the world. Amen.
In humility, we offer ourselves to your call. Amen.
In freedom, we work for reconciliation and peace,
looking for your Realm of mercy and justice,
according to your promise.
                        [Spoken or sung:]
            Amen.
____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) By your grace we have passed through many troubles; in your suffering you have accompanied us and saved us. Lead us now into lives of glad obedience for the sake of all those who are not yet free, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
… You have given us the gift of one another, your beloved community, in which to serve, to grow, and to learn the grace of forgiveness. Bless us that we may bear your good news to one another and to all the world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Freedom Feast (Tune: Let Us Break Bread Together)

God, we thank you, for you have set us free. (2x)
When we come to this feast, from the greatest to the least,
Oh, God, you set your people free.

God, where there is injustice, set them free. (2x)
When we come to this feast, from the greatest to the least,
Oh, God, you set your people free.

God, now use us to set your people free. (2x)
When we come to this feast, from the greatest to the least,
Oh, God, you set your people free.

June 25, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 21.8-21. Abraham and Sarah, unable to conceive an heir, have used Sarah’s servant Hagar as a concubine to produce a child, a son named Ishmael. But once Sarah has a son of her own she comes to resent Hagar and Ishmael, and has Abraham send them away. But God promises to care for them.

Psalm 86. We rejoice in God’s steadfast love and pray for an “undivided heart:” for singular mindfulness of God’s presence, undistracted by other things, and we seek to walk in God’s ways.
     —or: Psalm 17. The psalm cries out, as Hagar might have, for God’s compassion.

Romans 6.1-11. We die with Christ, leaving behind our self-centered lives, and we are raised with Christ to a new kind of living that is free from the powers that used to control us. We are “dead to sin and alive to God.”

Matthew 10.24-39. Jesus warns us that since people criticize him, they will also criticize us who follow him: “How much more will they malign those of his household.” But he reassures us that God, who cares for even the birds, will watch over us.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis        
       From a self-serving stance we might claim this is a story about God continuing to preserve Abraham’s genetic line—but that’s exactly the sin we should confess: pretending that God wills other people’s suffering for our sake. Here’s the ugly side of our culture and even of our faith: we use and discard people for our own benefit, and attribute it to God, or at least to “the way it ought to be.” We perpetuate a triple evil: we use people selfishly, we exclude them and cause them suffering, and we blame it all on them as if it is all their choice, their wrongdoing. It’s the shadow side of the notion of “election,” that God has chosen Israel for a specific purpose in human history. “Election” is not “preference.” Israel is not chosen because they’re better or more important than other nations but because God has a specific task for them, which is for the world to be blessed by them (Genesis 12.3). Our error—our temptation—is to believe our mission or survival is more important to the world and to God than other people’s. It taps into the basic human sin of “pride”— thinking it’s all about us. It gives rise to unjust systems of privilege and exclusion. It’s the thinking that justifies slavery and war and rape and unfettered capitalism and all kids of evil.
        Delores Williams points out in her book Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk that Hagar’s experience matches that of black enslaved women in America. She writes, “Hagar’s predicament involved slavery, poverty, ethnicity, sexual and economic exploitation, surrogacy, rape, domestic violence, homelessness, motherhood, single-parenting and radical encounters with God” (p.4). Of course such experiences are familiar to contemporary Black women in America. More broadly, Hagar is everyone who is used and abused, who is discarded, judged, excluded or looked down upon, who is blamed for her troubles: victims of domestic abuse, the working poor, immigrants and refugees…. It takes some moral numbness to avoid seeing the image of Hagar and Ishmael wasting away in the desert trying to cross the US border. Where are the Hagars in your world?
      From Sarah’s perspective the story ends with Hagar and Ishmael disappearing into the desert. But that’s not how the story ends, does it? God accompanies them, hears them, tends to them, and promises the same thing that God promises Abraham: to make a great nation of them. As Delores Williams points out, God does not enact liberation for Hagar, but God does offer survival and quality of life. How might God be calling us to join in God’s promise and help care for the Hagars and Ishmaels of our world, to accompany the desert wanderers, to be the ones who hear and have compassion, who encourage and equip people to become great?
      This story isn’t exactly about domestic violence but it brings it up. It’s a story about a household that is not safe. It’s about one person’s will dominating another’s well-being.
       Click here for Domestic Violence worship resources.

Romans
      “Should we continue to sin?” I’ve actually been asked, “Since everybody is saved, why be good?” Seriously? Why be bad? The thing is, God’s love changes us. When we know how deeply we are loved we don’t want to sin. God’s grace is so life-giving we want to live in harmony with it. We want to be loving.
       Baptism is an invitation to that change. Baptism doesn’t magically change us, but it reminds us of God’s promise to give us new life when we give God our old ones. Baptism symbolizes the life-cycle of faith: our little self-enclosed self drowns in God’s love, and God gives us a new self made out of pure love. Resurrection isn’t just the after-life, it’s the now-life: when we surrender our lives to God in love, God gives them back to us as a gift. This death-and-resurrection cycle isn’t a one-time thing: we go through it every day, every moment, continually giving our life to God and receiving life anew. Like breathing. (This doesn’t call for re-baptism, but renewal of our baptismal vows. God has already claimed us. We’re the ones who need to renew our faithfulness, breath by breath.)

Matthew
      In the context of sending out the 12 apostles, Jesus warns us, as servants of Jesus, that since people criticize him, they will also criticize us: “How much more will they malign those of his household.” Our faithfulness will be controversial: he brings not peace but a sword. The sword Jesus speaks of certainly isn’t advocating physical violence: he’s talking about controversy, opposition, the “sword” that divides. Think of Hebrews 4.12: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart..” That’s the sword Jesus brings.
       So we should expect opposition. But God, who cares for even the birds, will watch over us. So don’t worry about people who threaten you physically. Worry about what can bring death to your soul. If we are willing to let go of our place in society—if we take up our cross—we will find deep life. Having died and risen, as Paul suggests, we are free from fear for our physical well being, and have the courage to do justice, love radically, and serve boldly.

Call to Worship

1. [Matthew]
Leader: In this world of struggle and conflict we turn to God.
All: God of love, we need you.
Friends, not a sparrow suffers without God knowing,
and you, beloved, are worth more than many sparrows.
God of love, we trust you.
Those who cling to their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for Christ’s sake will find it.
God of love, we give ourselves to you.
Receive us, transform us, and fit us for your service,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2. [Genesis]
Leader: Glory be to you, God of all people,
you who have made us as siblings in one family.
All: Thanks be to you, Christ of compassion:
when we were lonely and cast out, you claimed us as your own.
Praise be to you, Spirit, for when we were in danger you saved us.
Come again, and make us your own.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3. [Matthew]
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
Alleluia! Christ, you call us to follow,
through difficult times and choices.
Grant us faith and courage. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 86]
Leader: Listen, O God, for we are poor and needy.
All: Save us, for we rely on you.
We open our souls to you. Give us joy.
For you are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who turn to you.
Be gracious to us and give us your strength.
For you are merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Alleluia.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious God, giver of life , lover of all beings, we live within your embrace, and our hearts are filled with wonder at your presence. We set aside this gentle time to listen to you, and to rest in your care. Speak to us, and shape our hearts by the power of your Word. Amen.

2.
Loving God, you have baptized us into Christ’s death and resurrection, so that we may live new lives. Death no longer has dominion over us. Remind us again. As we tell the story of your love, let us die to sin so that we may freely and fully live for your sake, not for our own ease. As we worship, speak your good news to us, so that we may follow Jesus with faith and courage, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

3.
God of love, may your grace give us faithfulness.
Christ, may your love give us courage.
Holy Spirit, may your presence give us trust.
Loving God, in a world that is afraid of love,
help us to be loving. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Like Hagar under a tree in the wilderness,
in solitude and need,
I sit with the infant of my hopes.
Hear the voice of my heart
and speak to me.
Lead me to the well of your love.

Prayer of Confession

Most merciful God, we confess our sin
we have not been the people you created us to be.
We have suppressed wonder and gratitude;
we have withheld love;
we have lived by fear.
Receive us, forgive us, and heal us,
that we may truly be your children,
and truly be sisters and brothers of all people,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ.
Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
       We trust in God, the maker of all things, source of all life and Mother of all children. Our life is in God, and in God we are one with all beings.
        We follow Jesus, the Christ, the Revealer of God, who taught us to love, who gave us courage to trust God’s grace, and who bid us to take up our cross and follow him. In his life and ministry and his death and resurrection, he has shown us that in losing our lives we find them. He who was crucified is the Ruler of the Universe.
        We rely upon the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, the communion of saints, the unity of the church, the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body, and the reality of eternal life.
        Therefore we devote ourselves to disciplined practice of the Way of Jesus in our daily lives, so that we may grow in faithfulness, and serve God in humble, confident love for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

2.
         We love and trust God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come.
        We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who chose to die rather than kill for the sake of the healing of all Creation, and who was raised by God to new life. We believe that he calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
        We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

             Songs addressing domestic violence:

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.

August 6, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 32.22-31. Jacob wrestles with an angel and receives a new name, “Israel,” meaning “One who wrestles with God.”

Psalm 17. God, I call upon you. Guard me as the apple of your eye. Show your wondrous love. Deliver me from my enemies.

Romans 9. 1-5. God has given the Covenant through the Israelites.

Matthew 14. 13-21 Jesus feeds 5000 with a few fish.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
       Jacob wrestles with… God? .. his life?…his own shadow self?… Yes, all of these, and maybe also his tendency to wrestle! He faces his urge to compete, to supplant. As his spiritual descendants this is who we are: we are Israel, we are people who wrestle with God, with others and with ourselves and our own ways. Faith does not necessarily come easily. It comes with struggle, questioning, even opposing. It comes with labor pains. Faith comes from the impasse of being unable to either overcome God or flee from God.
     In his encounter Jacob receives a new name, Israel, When we really wrestle with God, when we deeply engage all of ourselves, straining shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest with Love and its mystery and its demands and its paradoxes—it changes who we are. We walk away limping, reminded of our frailty, but blessed.
     “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the cry of faith. Because all of our wrestling is with God, we know there is blessing in it. We just have to hang on till we receive it. What strength there is in facing all our struggles like that, whatever our trouble: “I will not let go until you bless me.” This doesn’t mean staying in a bad situation like an abusive relationship. It means not ignoring our pain, not dismissing or minimizing our struggles, not pretending “everything’s fine;” for our pain has something to teach us, our struggles have blessings hidden in them, even our failures impart wisdom.

Matthew
      Notice the story begins with Jesus seeking solitude. People find him, and so ends his solitude. (Ministry can be like that). Jesus responds with compassion. (Ministry should be like that, too.) But at the end of the day he goes back and gets that solitude time. (May your ministry be like that.)
     The disciples ask Jesus to send the people away, to outsource what is needed. But Jesus says, “No, you feed them.” How often do we look to God for miraculous intervention when the gifts are right here in our hands? How often do we complain about what we don’t have and overlook the miraculous power that is in the gifts that we do have?
     How to “explain” the miracle? Maybe it’s that people shared. Like stone soup: they actually had food with them, they just didn’t want others to see it….. Or maybe everybody had a tiny bit, and that was enough… But maybe Jesus actually produced food for a crowd. Singers know this: when you’re all in tune, you produce another note, a “harmonic,” that no one is actually singing. Maybe Jesus was so in tune with God that his love, in harmony with God’s, produced a new thing that wasn’t there before.
     Notice who Jesus invites to communion. No prerequisites, none, Not believing or understanding. Just hunger. That’s how we come to God—and to the communion table. Jesus surely violated cleanliness laws, and caused everyone there to do so, by eating with sinners and the unclean. What matters is the feeding of the multitude, not the cleanliness of the individual.
     “There were about 5000 men, besides women and children.” Oh, yeah, right, women and children. But we still call it the feeding of the 5000. We still have trouble counting women and children, don’t we?

Call to Worship

1. (Genesis)
Leader: In our solitude, God, you accompany us.
All: In all our struggles, it is you we wrestle with.
Holy Mystery, seize us in your grace.
Bless us, and make us new. Amen.

2. (Matthew)
Leader: God of love, we come to you hungry for your Word.
All: With the loaves and fishes of our worship, feed us.
We come to you weary and in need of renewal.
With the loaves and fishes of your grace, heal us.
We come weary from the work of love and justice.
With the loaves and fishes of your Spirit, give us strength
for the work to come. Feed us, God, for we need you.

3.
Leader: God of love, you meet us in mystery.
All: Help us to bear your grace.
God of abundance, you meet us in our need.
Help us to bear your grace.
God of power, you pour your blessing into us.
Help us to bear your grace.
Help us to worship. Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, to you alone we come for wisdom.
All: Eternal God, to you alone we give our hearts.
As you fed the multitudes upon the mountain, feed us now with your Word.
As Christ made a small offering into a great miracle,
make our lives a part of your mighty acts of salvation. Amen.

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Christ, you took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to your followers.
Alleluia! Take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world, in your name.
Come, Giver of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mystery and grace, Jacob knew you in blessing and in struggle, in daylight and in dreams. Jesus met you in hunger and in feasting, in solitude and in crowds. Our lives are dappled, light and dark, and we seek to know you in every moment. In our worship today, and in all our lives, may we know your presence and trust your grace in mystery as well as in clearness. In the arms of your wrestling angel, in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

2.
God of love, crowds came to Jesus hungry for your Word. So we come to you. Take the loaves of our prayers and the fishes of our silence, and multiply them by your Spirit to feed us with your grace. Let us hear the voice of Jesus. Amen.

3.
Loving God, the mysteries of life confound us. The challenges of life engulf us. Yet you feed us abundantly with your grace. The angels we wrestle with bless us, and we are made new. We open our hearts to your Spirit as we worship. Feed us your grace, and empower us to bear the bread of life to others in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God,
our hearts are the little loaves and fishes
of your presence in us.
By the mystery of your Spirit in us,
multiply them. Feed us with your grace.
We are hungry. We are listening.

Readings

Psalm 17, a paraphrase

God, listen to me when I cry out to you.
         Hear the honest prayer of my heart.
Let me know how blessed I am.
          Show me where you see my beauty.
You know me inside out, even in the dark of night.
         Help me to be good through and through.
         May everything I say to reflect your love.
I could choose to live another way, but I will not.
         I will avoid the ways of violence.
Keep my feet on your path.
          Help me not to slip.
I call to you, God, knowing that you will answer.
         I pray, trusting you to hear.
It is a wonder how you show your love,
         how you protect those who seek safety in you,
         and shield them from hurtful things.
Keep me as the apple of your eye
         and hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Everywhere I look I will see you.
         Everywhere I am you will be with me.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
     God, we love you and we trust you. Holy Mystery, in our loneliness you accompany us. In our struggles you struggle with us. In our hunger you feed us. Limping from our encounter with you, we are blessed and made new. We give you thanks.
     Jesus Christ, we love you and we trust you. In our wondering you teach us. In our hunger you feed us. In our fear you empower us. In our dying you die with us; in your rising you rise with us. We will not let go of you, for you will bless us. We give you our thanks.
     Holy Spirit, in the sunless places in our lives, in the night of unseeing, you are the faithful presence. In our struggles you are our foe and our friend. In our inadequacy you are the miraculous power. Restored by your presence in us, we go forth to love. Alleluia.

2.
     We believe in God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come, who is mystery, yet revealed.
     We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who gave his life for our redemption, and who was raised by God to new life. In his teaching, in his death and resurrection, and in his presence with us in all circumstances, he reveals God to us. He calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
     We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

God of love, we sing your praise.
You create us, claim us, and continually set us free.
In all our difficulties you have been with us,
and our only struggle is the struggle to receive your grace.
When we are hungry you feed us,
and when much was demanded of us you empower us.
As Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes,
multiply your grace among us, that we may feast on your love.
In gratitude we sing your praise with all Creation.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who taught and healed,
who fed the hungry and included the outcast.
He showed us miracles of generosity, miracles of abundance,
and called us to do such works of love.
He was crucified and raised, and the leftovers never end.
He gave the loaves and fishes of his own life,
and from them you have multiplied life for all people.

     (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.
In these gifts of food perform again a miracle of generosity;
multiply the loaves and fishes of your presence for us.
Multiply the loaves and fishes of your love in us,
that we may bear your grace to a hungry world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ, for your joy and glory.

     [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.

Holy Mystery, Infinite Love, we praise you.
Giver of all gifts, we thank you.
You fashion Creation like the finest bread,
and we feast upon it.
You pour out life like the best wine,
and we drink deeply of it.
You provide for us when we hunger,
and accompany us when we wander.
You confront all that oppresses us
with your grace, setting us free.
You continually work toward the wholeness of Creation,
healing, forgiving, nourishing and guiding us.
You command justice,
and call us to live toward a world of justice and peace.
You have given us the gift of Christ
and the gift of the Church, your community of grace.
Therefore we gather at your table,
with all your beloved, and all Creation, and sing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken, and gathered the outcast.
He has taken what we have offered and multiplied it
into grace, into miracle, into life.
And he calls us to feed our neighbors,
to be life for those who hunger.
He met the forces of oppression with gentleness and healing;
though they killed him his love prevailed.
He was crucified, but you raised him from the dead,
embodying your Covenant to be with us in love always.

… 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 receiving the Body of Christ,
may we become again the Body of Christ,
taken by your Mystery,
blessed by your love,
broken by your grace,
and given, for the sake of the wholeness of the world.
Send us, God, in your love,
one with Jesus, one with all Creation,
in the name and the spirit and the company of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have graced our fear and despair with abundance and power. You have fed us with your love. Send us into the world to feed the hungry, trusting in your grace, going in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. 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.

Suggested Songs

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

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.



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.


Story of Grace (Original song)

Chorus:
Though we can’t see at the time,
God is here in this place.
No matter the mountain we climb,
this is a story of grace.

Verses:
Jacob must wrestle his angel,
be brought to the end of his powers,
to know what our suffering teaches us:
the power that saves us is God’s, not ours.

Disciples are weary and overwhelmed
by crowds that need to be fed.
But Jesus welcomes them, trusting God,
who brings forth a miracle: boundless bread!

What are the angels you wrestle with?
Powerless fear, doubt or pain?
There in the struggle it’s God you meet,
blessing you, giving you life again.

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.”

July 23, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 28. 10-19. Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven. When he awakes he says, “Surely God was in this place and I—I did not know.”

Psalm 139. God is present everywhere and aware of us and participating in our lives, no matter where we are or in what condition.

Romans 8.12-25. It is the Spirit that enables us to connect with God. All creation waits for redemption, longing for our connection as God’s children.

Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43. The parable of weeds among wheat, and an explanation.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
 As is typical in the Bible, Jacob’s revelation comes in a dream. I don’t think this is about nighttime dreams alone. Our communication with God is not in a rational state of thought, but a different realm of consciousness, in fact largely what we might think of as the unconscious. As The Could of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. Or Martin Buber: “God can only properly be addressed, but not expressed.” It’s when we stop trying to understand God that we connect with God.
        Interestingly, the angels are “ascending and descending.” One might think that since angels are from heaven they’d be be descending to earth and ascending… but, nope. Hm. Maybe angels’ some base is here, not there. In any case, this world and the unseen one are tightly braided together. There’s more passing back and forth than we think.
        In the dream God promises four things to Jacob. We usually notice the first two, the usual stuff: land and descendants. But God also repeats the promise of blessing made to Abraham: “All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.” God’s election isn’t about us being special, nor just about our having a special protected place, or being able to prevail. It’s not about us, really. It’s about us having a calling to share God’s blessing with the whole world. Sort of like being baptized. And fourthly God also promises what God always promises; “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” It’s a good promise for Jacob to hear because he always gets himself in a lot of trouble.
        One of the sentences in the Bible that always hangs in the darkness and shines like a neon light for me is “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I—I did not know it!” We always apprehend God right after the moment—like astronomers seeing the light of stars from the past. I think that’s what it means when Moses wants to see God and God says “I’ll cover you and pass by and as I recede I’ll uncover you so you can see.” Not that we never get to see God’s face (everything is God’s face), not exactly that we only get to see God’s backside, but that we see after the fact. We seldom realize in the moment that what we’re seeing is God. Which suggests that our experience of God’s absence is a sign of God’s presence. Our longing is God, and that sense that there’s an emptiness is, metaphorically, God’s hand covering us. Our feeling that God isn’t there might be disappointing, but it’s a reminder that God’s isn’t a feeling, and that what we want is not the feeling of God, but God. Jacob’s awareness of God is not in his sleep, but in his awakening, his trust that God is there when we don’t know it. He’s aware that God is not to be found in warm fuzzy feelings but in trust.
        In Hebrew Jacob repeats the “I”: literally “and-I not I-knew.” As if there are two I’s: there’s the rational, intellectual self—essentially the ego— that can’t sense God’s presence, and the spiritual self, the soul, that knows that, that is aware of his own ignorance, that lets go of his ego. It’s the soul, not the mind, that connects with God. God can be lived but not thought. “God can properly only be addressed, not expressed.”

Romans
           Any sentence in this dense passage is worthy of a sermon.
     • “If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The “deeds of the body” are ways we act as if we are contained and defined by our bodies: our pwn private physical survival. This doesn’t mean we should think poorly of our bodies or be cruel to them. It means we are truly alive only when we honor our deep interconnection to all other people and beings in the Spirit.
     • “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” We aren’t people on trial before a demanding judge; we’re children of a loving parent.
     • “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.” Ours is not a fear-based religion. Fear is precisely what we’re set free from.
     • “We are joint heirs with Christ—if we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We don’t earn anything. We inherit it. Faith is a mixed bag, neither all glory and privilege nor all suffering, but accompanying Christ in the fullness of life.
     • “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed.” This isn’t pie in the sky. The glory is not in the future, but right now; it’s just that we can’t see it yet. We’re one little bit of the great picture of God’s story. Only afterward will we be able to see the whole thing and how we fit in.
     • “Creation has been groaning in labor pains.” God’s work is to bring abundant life and wholeness—including everything, even all Creation. Creation shares our longing for wholeness. (Notice how Paul uses many metaphors for faith, including being born, giving birth, and being adopted.)
     • “We wait for adoption.” I think we’re already adopted. There’s nothing unfinished in God’s claim of us as God’s beloved. But maybe Paul is thinking of a future time “when all things are revealed,” when later on we come to see everything more clearly. Maybe it’s like we’ve already been adopted, but the paperwork hasn’t arrived yet? So we hope. As in:
     • “We hope for what we do not see; we wait for it with patience.” Hope is not wishing about the future but trust in what is already present even though we can’t see it. I hope the sun will rise tomorrow because I know it’s already rising.

Matthew
        Again, be wary of an “explanation” of a parable. A parable isn’t just a rebus with a certain picture standing in for a particular idea. It’s a mystery, open to many ways and angles of interpretation. Maybe this one is about how we shouldn’t judge people but let God sort it out later. Maybe it’s about how we shouldn’t judge our own lives and how mixed they are. Maybe it’s about how God will not destroy us even when there’s evil in our lives. Maybe it’s about how the evil in our lives isn’t solely our own fault—an enemy has done this! After all, we’re subject to the wounds and attitudes we were given as children. Maybe it’s about not judging things in our lives that we don’t like: maybe they’re more mixed, with some valuable aspects, than we realize at the time. It’s definitely about not judging other people. The “weeds” and “wheat” are not necessarily other individuals, but both are the fruitful and unfruitful aspects of my own life. And, who knows? Sometimes what we think of as bad may actually be fruitful in God’s eyes. Notice that what’s thrown in the furnace of fire (v. 41) are the causes of sin.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, you are in this place.
All: God of light and dark, God of word and Silence, you are in this place.
Saving God, guiding God, you are in this place.
God within us, you are in this place.
We greet you! We thank you.
We worship you. Open our hearts to your presence, now and always.

2.
Leader: Loving God, Infinite parent, you birth us and claim us.
All: We are in awe, and we praise you.
Gentle Christ, you love us and walk beside us.
We are made new, and we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your life into us and re-create us each moment.
We are your children, and we live in your love.
We worship with praise and thanksgiving.

3.
Leader: Gracious God, you are present in this place, in this time.
All: You are present in our lives, in every moment.
Open our eyes to be present to you,
to be mindful in this and every moment
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 139. 7-12]
Leader: O God, where could we go from your Spirit?
All: Where could we escape your presence?
If we rise above the earth, there you are!
If we make my bed in the grave, there you are!
If we take the wings of the morning and fly to the farthest sea,
even there your hand will lead us, and in your gentle arms you will hold us.
We could say, “Let the night cover us, and everything about us be total darkness,”
but even the darkness is not dark to you: the night is bright like the day,
and with you even the darkness is light.
In your light, Lord, we turn to you.
In your presence, we worship.

5.
Leader: God of All, your Creation groans in childbirth, the labor pains of life.
All: Life groans in us, yearning for wholeness.
We come to listen to the moans of the world.
We come to give voice to the yearning of your Spirit.
Even now you pray in us, God.
We will hold the silence and the space.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, surely you are in this place. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts. As we breathe in and out, you are around and within us. Open the depths of our souls. May we be present to you, who are so infinitely present for us. Amen.

2.
God of glory, Lord of Mystery, Jacob dreamed of the angelic ladder bridging heaven and earth. We stand upon that ladder now, your Presence ascending and descending as we hear your Word and respond. Bless us, who stand always at the gate of heaven, that we may be mindful, and grateful. Speak to us, God, your living Word. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, in our lives we hear so much chatter, so many voices. Help us to winnow out the good wheat from the weeds, the truth from the noise. Grant us your Spirit, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with gladness what you are saying to us today. Amen.

4.
Holy God, Infinite Love, Intimate Lover, Faithful One, we come from you. We rest in you. We listen for you. Open our hearts to your presence. Open our ears to your Word. Open our arms to your children. Open our future to your grace. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God, we are not dreaming.
You are in this place.
Your grace passes between this world
and your heart.
We open ourselves to the mystery of your presence.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of love, you have been present for us
and we did not know it;
we did not act as if you were there,
as if you loved us, as if we cared.
By the grace we know in Christ,
awaken us, forgive us, heal our fear,
and renew your Spirit in us. Amen.

2.
Pastor: God of love, in our lives there is wheat,
beautiful and blessed, and a gift from you.
We recall those moments when your grace was fruitful
in our lives and we give thanks as we hold them before you.
    [Silence…]
In our lives there are also weeds, ugly and unfruitful,
that choke out the goodness.
Trusting your grace, we recall those moments,
and we hold them before you.
     [Silence…]
God of grace, gather in your harvest,
separate out what is good in us and what is not,
that our lives may bear fruit
for you and for the world.
All: In the grace we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, heal us,
and renew your Spirit in us
as your beloved children. Amen.

Readings

Psalm 139 — a paraphrase

O Holy One, you see me from the inside out.
         You know me better than I do.
You take every step with me;
       you have already walked all my journeys.
Even before I speak
         you know my thoughts.
You are around me and within me;
         I feel your hand on my back.
I can’t imagine the greatness of your love;
         I can only trust it.
                                            God, for your love, I pray…
Where could I go from your presence?
         In outer space, at the core of the earth—there you are.
If I ran away to the farthest place,
         you would be with me all the way.
I could try to hide in perfect darkness
         but to you the darkness is light.
                                            God, for your light, I pray…
You formed me before I was born;
         you made me by hand in secret.
I praise you, for you are wonderful!
         For I am wonderfully, awesomely made.
How amazing is your wisdom, O God,
         how infinite your presence.
When I try to comprehend, you are beyond my understanding.
         But when I simply become aware—here you are.
Search through me, O God, and know my heart.
         Root out what is unloving, and lead me in your life-giving way.
                                            God, for your way, I pray…

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        We love you, God, infinite creator of all that is, and we rejoice that we are your children. We come from you; we are born of your love. You create us as living images of you and your grace.
        We follow you, Jesus, Christ of God, Word made flesh, love made real. You healed and taught. You welcomed and blessed all God’s children. You included all people as siblings. You included the outcast, the wounded, the children. For your love and courage you were crucified; but in love God raised you from the dead. You live among us, calling, guiding, blessing.
         Holy Spirit, we live by your grace. Born of God, adopted by God, blessed by God, we live by your life and power in us. You lead us to live lives of love and courage, to bless all our siblings, to live together as children of God in harmony and joy,
        We give thanks to you, O God, and promise to live as children of your love. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Child of God (Original song)

I’m a child, a child of God,
God’s beloved in whom God is pleased.
I will live in the peace of God.

You’re a child…