Tag: YEAR B

April 7, 2024

Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

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

Call to Worship

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

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

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

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

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

Collect / Prayer of the Day

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

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

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

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

Prayer of Confession

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

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

[The Blessing and Covenant…]

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
Breathe your Spirit into us, and send us in your love.
By your grace may we bear the marks of humble obedience,
suffer for the sake of love and justice,
and trust your power to raise us up in victory over all evil.
We pray in the name of the Crucified and Risen One,
Christ our victim, Christ our Savior, Christ our head.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.). We have seen with our eyes and known in our hearts, we have tasted with our tongues and known in our sols your risen presence—in this meal, in our sharing, in one another. Breathe your Spirit into us and send us now in your grace, so that through our love others may hear and see and feel your love, alive in this world. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

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

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

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


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

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

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



Christ Is now Living       (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

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

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

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


Let me Feel Your Wounds     (Original song)

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

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

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

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

New Breath (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Risen Bread (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

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

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

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

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

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

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

April 28, 2024

Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

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

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

Call to Worship

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

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

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

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

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

Collect / Prayer of the Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

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

Prayer of Confession

1.
The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of life, you are the vine, and we are your branches.
But we confess that we have tried to live separate from you.
We have not rooted ourselves in you, or opened ourselves
to your life and your spirit and your power flowing through us,
your love and your beauty blossoming in us.
Our lives become dry and fruitless.
God of life, we desire to be rooted in you, joined to you, part of you.
Return us; forgive us, fill us again with your life,
          Silent prayer… The word of grace

More Prayers

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

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

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

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

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

Poetry

Vine and Branches

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

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

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



Vine and branches

Does the branch pray to the tree?

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

I don’t know about that;
only this:

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

Response / Creed / Affirmation

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

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

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

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

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

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

Christ, you are the vine and we are your branches.
Eternal Love, we spring from you.
Nothing can separate us from your love, for we are part of you.
You hold us when we stray and when we falter.
As the scattered seeds are made into one loaf,
as the many branches grow from the one vine:
we are one with you and with all your beloved.
You set us free from all that oppresses us,
from all that diminishes love or the wholeness of life.
You prune what is unloving in us,
so that in us your love may flourish and bear fruit.
We come to this table to feast on the fruit of your love in Christ.In one voice with all Creation we sing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus your Christ;
he loved us so that we may love.He forgave us so that we may trust.
His perfect love casts out our fear.
He made us into one Vine, one Body, in your Spirit,
a community of love and forgiveness
that includes everyone of every race and nation,
every gender, every place on the journey of life.
He was crucified and buried; the vine was cut down.
But you raised him to new life, and the vine lives on in us.

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

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

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

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

_____________________

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We are one in your spirit, and one in service to the world. May your grace flow through us that we may bear the fruit of your love in this world, for the sake of the coming of your Realm, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You love us perfectly and cast out all fear. May we then love one another and all the world without fear, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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

Suggested Songs

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

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

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


Vine and Branches (Original song)

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

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

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

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

June 2,2024

Lectionary Texts

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

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

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

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

Preaching Thoughts

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

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

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

Call to Worship

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

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

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

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

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

Collect / Prayer of the Day

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

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

Listening Prayer

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

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

Prayer of Confession

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

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

Readings

2 Corinthians 4. 5-12

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

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

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

We thank you, God, for In the beginning you said “Let there be light.”
And your light shines in us.
We are wondrously made.
You know us inside and out, and are with us always.
Even in the farthest places you are with us;
even in the darkest times you are light.
You set us free from all that enslaves us,
and ask us to set one another free.
In the inner darkness of our hearts you call us by name.
And so we come to your table to be made whole,
singing your praise:

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He taught even those who threatened him;
he healed even when opposed,
he fed even when there was no food.
He loved even at the cost of his life,
and asks us to do the same.
Under an oppressive power he was crucified,
but by your infinite grace he was raised from the dead.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
By your Spirit in us may we hear your call and respond.
May we be the clay jars your light shines in.
Here we are; send us.
Send us with courage and compassion no matter the cost,
to heal and to bless,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Shine in us with your love. Send us, as beams of your light, into the world, for the sake of all Creation, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have reached out and made us whole. Your light shines in us. You have called us, not to do harm, but to do good. By your Spirit in us it is always the right time to heal. Send us, to heal, to serve, to love, in the name of Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus, My Healer      (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

Jesus, my healer, come to me and touch me;
lay your hand upon my soul.
All of my woundedness gently embrace and bless
and, though I’m broken, make me whole.

Source of our healing, God, our Re-Creator,
your deep joy is to raise and bless.
Your faithful promises and all our trusting hope
are stronger than our dark distress.

Spirit of healing, move among your people
to bear the blessing that flows from you:
with tender love to bless the world’s brokenness
and share the grace that made us new.

May 12, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Ascension Day
[Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter, is May 9.
It may be observed on Sunday the 12^th.
Make sure you use at least one of the ascension stories on Sunday!]

Luke 24.44-53 — Luke’s shorter ascension story.

Ephesians 1. 15-23 — For wisdom, “that the eyes of your heart be enlightened.” God raised Christ and seated Christ n power over all things.

Psalm 47 — Praise God for ruling over all Creation. God has “gone up with a shout.”

Acts 1.1-11 — The ascension of Christ.

7^th Sunday of Easter

Acts 1.15-17, 21-26 — The election of Matthias

Psalm 1 — Blessed are those…tree planted by streams of water

1 John 5.9-13 — Believe the testimony of eternal life

John 17.6-19 — “I have given them your Word… I’m not in the world, but they are…Not one was lost…protect them from the evil one…they don’t belong to the world …sanctify them”

Preaching Thoughts

Luke
       This is the end of Volume 1 of Luke’s gospel, Acts being volume 2. Here’s a shorter version of the story that’s repeated in Acts 1. In this version it’s late on the day of the resurrection. In Acts it’s 40 days later. Notice how Luke doesn’t mind telling two contradictory versions. They’re stories, not history.
       Jesus says scripture says the Messiah is to die and be raised. Well, Luke says it. Most scholars think Jesus never said that. But no one, Christian or Jewish, has ever been able to find scriptures that actually say that. It’s only through our Christian lens that we can overlay Jesus’ story onto Hebrew scriptures and see how they look similar. Take Isaiah’s servant songs. They’re not really about the Messiah (or even a person at all; they could be about the whole nation of Israel), and they don’t really describe resurrection. It’s not fair to pretend Isaiah had Jesus in mind in those songs. But we can see Jesus in them. The early church saw the resurrection as consonant with the way scripture shows us God, and their way of saying that was “scripture says this.” Let that be good enough.
       Jesus probably also didn’t say ”repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations.” But again it encapsulates the sense of mission of the early church. This is Luke’s version of a Great Commission, like John 20.22-23 and Matthew 28.18-20. This is what the early church believed they were about. The Jesus Seminar translates it: “All peoples will be called on to undergo a change of heart for the forgiveness of sins.” The root of this, the action we need to take, is not so much preaching but forgiving. It’s often assumed that people need to repent to be forgiven, but that’s not what forgiveness is. Forgiveness is the wounded person letting go of the hurt regardless of the hurtful person’s behavior. People will experience a change of heart when they receive forgiveness. We forgive, and that changes them; then they repent.

Ephesians
       What a rich vein. Pray your way through this slowly. Here is my paraphrase of the book of Ephesians. See also a couple readings below.
      Ephesians wasn’t written by Paul. Maybe his less anal sister. If you’re ever down, just read Ephesians., It’s stuffed with one blessing after another. The writer really cared about her congregation and believed in them.
      The prayer in this passage is for wisdom and enlightenment but it doesn’t mean being smart or knowing the right answers. It means the enlightenment of our hearts, the way our soul knows things our minds can’t comprehend. Like what it’s like to be loved. The writer wants you to hope, and to trust in the power of God, the power that raised Christ, power that is greater than any other power.

Acts
        The story of the Ascension, like that of the Transfiguration, is highly symbolic. Treating it as a historical fact that proves a certain point (like that Jesus is divine) is not as fruitful as letting it be a story that invites our wonder. The story offers layers of “meaning” and significance. 
     It’s the opener of Season Two of Luke’s series Jesus and His People. It begins as so many episodes do, with “Previously, in the Gospel of Luke,” and then does a little recap to bring us up to the present moment. (There’s also a little teaser for the next episode: “You will be baptized by the Holy Spirit not many does from now…” ) “Theophilus” could be a real person, or a symbolic name. It means “God-Lover.” Just like, yes, “Amadeus.”
      Jesus appears during 40 days, the Official Biblical Gestational Period. Scripture’s way of saying something holy is unfolding. Then the disciples want to know the old Messianic question: will you finally throw off Roman occupation and set Israel free? As usual Jesus changes the question, as if to say “My kingdom is not of this world.” Then he turns the focus from himself to the disciples: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” A foreshadowing of Pentecost. And of the work following that. The disciples (we) are to be Jesus’ witnesses, both to behold him and to “bear witness,” to show him forth in our living, in an expanding world from there in town in Jerusalem, across the country and even the “enemy country” of Samaria, and out into all the world. Jesus lays out a plan for a community that is radically expansive, not in conquest but in inclusion.
      We still cling to the ancient worldview that God is “up” (NFL players point to the sky when they score. Why not point to the ground, or their hearts?) Given that geography, for Jesus to ascend implies he’s gone ”up” to be with God on the throne—that is, to rule over all Creation. Love is actually sovereign, even if it’s unseen.
       For those concerned with the physical body of Jesus after the resurrection, this seems to present a puzzle: now where is Jesus? But he has told them: In you. In Luke 24.48-49 and Acts 1.8 Jesus has charged them to continue his ministry and promised the Spirit (in John 20.22 he has already breathed his spirit into them). So it’s not just a story about Jesus: it’s a story about us. Jesus is the spirit; they (we) are the body. On Pentecost the disciples will discover that gift with amazing power. The Ascension makes way for the community to become the physical body of the risen Christ.
       This is also a story about grief and transition: the disciples now have to live without Jesus in physical form. Kind of like the Smothers Brothers’ old “looking up in the air gag,” it evokes some awkwardness and confusion. It reflects a lot of the change, grief and uncertainty in the early church, and in the church these days. Some days it does seem like the church is just standing there in a daze, looking up into the air.
      It raises the question of how we live out our faith without the reassurance of Jesus’ physical presence with us. Much as we might wish he were ”here” in that way, we have to learn to accept his presence in a different form.
      “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Hm. Maybe that’s in reference to the scriptures depicting God coming “in the clouds” Jesus is going to come back through the sky? Or maybe it means he’ll come in a way as unexpected as this? Or maybe it simply means “You really saw him go, didn’t you? When he comes, don’t worry, you’ll see it.” Let it be a mystery.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Love has been crucified, but love has risen.
All: Love has ascended over us.
Love reigns supreme over all the world.
Love reigns in our hearts.
God of love, lead us as we worship.
Christ of love, lead us as we live.
Spirit of love, rise up; the world is yours.

2.
Leader: Christ, who was crucified, has been raised from the dead.
All: Christ is risen. Alleluia!
Christ has ascended into heaven and reigns with God over all things.
Christ is the ruler of our lives. Alleluia!
God gives us the Spirit, that we may be the risen Body of Christ.
Christ is alive in us. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Holy Mystery, beyond, we seek you.
All: Loving Presence, among, we greet you.
Shapeshifter Christ, moving, we praise you.
Transcendent Spirit, filling us, we thank you.
We do not understand you, but we love you.
We do not comprehend, but we worship,
in awe, in joy, and gratitude. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: God of infinite mystery, your love is the heart of the universe.
All: The Beloved lives among us with grace.
Your love is the great power within all things.
The Beloved rules over the universe with tender compassion and mercy.
Christ, your love, has ascended to the throne of all Creation.
There is no power greater, no authority higher, that that of your love.
Your love is your power!
Your love is your might!
Your love is your victory!
The Beloved is our heart, and we are the Body of the Beloved.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit of Love, and reign over us.
Come, beloved, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: We come to this time and place seeking God.
All: So often we are simply in a daze, looking up into the sky.
But you are not in the sky; you are in and among us.
You have transcended one time and place,
and are with us in all times and places.
We open our heart to your presence.
May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened,
that we may know the joy of your love. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Loving God, your eternal Christ once dwelt on earth, confined by time and space.
Give us faith to discern in every time and place the presence among us
of the One who is has ascended to fill all things and rule all things,
Jesus Christ the Beloved. Amen.

2.
Eternal God, in mercy you have raised Christ from the dead; in love you have set Christ to rule over all Creation. By your Spirit raise Christ up to rule in our hearts, with your mercy and grace. Amen.

3.
God of love, may the law of your Love reign over us. May the power of your Word have authority for us. May your throne be not only in the heart of the world but in the word of our hearts. Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you have placed Christ in power over this world. By your grace, may Christ be in power over our own lives. Help us to pledge our allegiance to Christ, to give your Beloved our heart and mind and soul and strength, so that we may truly serve as your faithful witnesses in this world, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Loving Mystery,
open to me a spirit of revelation;
enlighten the eyes of my heart
to know your hope
and the power of your love.
May Christ rise over me and in me,
ruling all, filling all.

2.
God, enlighten the eyes of my heart,
that I may see clearly what is your true and beautiful will;
and even if I may not see your will,
that I may see what is true and beautiful;
and even if I may not see that,
that I may see what is.

Enlighten the eyes of my heart,
that I may be open to your light.
Amen.

Readings

1. Ephesians 1.15-23 – A paraphrase

I pray that God, the Womb of Love,
who in Jesus has embodied among us
the love that creates and orders our lives
and makes them good and beautiful,
may awaken in you deep awareness
of God’s presence and love.
With the eyes of your heart enlightened
may you have the hope God has for you;
may you live in wonder and trust
of the gifts we all receive as God’s Beloved;
may you come more deeply to trust
the immeasurable power of God’s love.

It is divine love that raised Christ from the dead,
raised Christ to rule the universe with love,
to rule over all human dominion
and all realms before and after humans,
in the visible world and the unseen.
All things are subject to the sovereignty of Love.
And we, the church, are the Body of Christ,
the body of that love,
love that fills everything, and contains everything.
Everything.
Alleluia.

2. Psalm 47 – A paraphrase

Don’t you want to dance?
         Don’t you feel the urge
         to rear back and sing real loud?
Because the Holy One, the Most,
         is so magnificent,
         and so totally has this world.
The Loving One has given us a love
         that overwhelms everything else.
Imagine this: the Infinite One
         has chosen us among all Creation,
         to love us and stay with us!

The universe is a song of praise
         to the Glorious One,
a flash of the radiance
         of God’s infinite power.
Go ahead and sing along!
         Make harmony with the heavenly song!
Sing your heart out to the Beloved!
         Let your whole life be the song!

Love is the heart of everything,
         so let love be the glory of your own heart.
—Doesn’t that make you want to sing?
         To run around shouting like a kid?—
The Loving One rules everything;
         occupies everyone’s secret place.
All of us—the whole planet—
         are God’s little ones,
         God’s dear sweeties.
What kind of a God could this be,
         but the most wonderful?

Poetry

1.
          Ascension Day Prayer

Master of Love, you have been taken from one place
and given in all places.
Released from one body, you now live in ours.
Lord of Love, you reign in my heart.
You are not absent, but within.
The power with which you create worlds,
raise the dead and heal all wounds,
the power of infinite love, lives in me.
Here in my heart, in all our hearts,
where love takes flesh as thoughts take song,
here in my heart your love sings.
Here in my heart is heaven,
and the Lord of Love,
reigning over all the universe.
I am your simple vessel, your humble home,
your sacred Body.
Together, we are your flesh.
We come into the world,
singing and dancing.

2.
          Ascension
We who loved him gawk,
amazed, at first more taken
by his going than his being gone.
But then arises in his place

an awkward, fearful silence
no one wants to break,
assurance, sealed in stark bewilderment,
that what we know is wrong,

that what we love is gone,
that how we might love well we do not know,
that love enough
we cannot summon.

The One we loved has shifted
once again, has hidden once again
somewhere— in someone? how?—
has disappeared into the very air,

or nearer still, where there is no flame yet,
but only hollow wind. How hard it is
when the Beloved slips into
a mystery we might not love.

This would be our defeat, a simple loss,
standing here, looking into air,
had not these strangers come among us,
(heaven always closer than we think),

shaking us from the sky, confusing us,
making us wonder, questioning within,
if we could trust this vanishing,
if he had really gone at all.


          Ascension Day

          I

He gave love a body,
hands and eyes and the weight of flesh;
and then gave it all away,
the love, and even the flesh.


          II

“This is my body. Take it and wear it,”
Still unaccustomed to the fit,
we look at ourselves in the mirror,
admiring our divine hand-me-downs.


          III

Having joined our flesh,
he rises, to look with love,
while life, conceived in us,
sanctifies its gathering flesh.


          IV

Lovers know what it is
to be drawn past your own skin.
Mothers know how a lover can step away
and yet grow within you.

          V

Christ has died, yet is risen;
Christ has gone, yet remains.
We clear the table after the feast.
We look up into the blossoming air.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. (Ephesians 1.17-23)
       We give our hearts to the God Christ the Beloved has revealed to us, who calls us to hope, who gives us a glorious inheritance among the saints, and who shows immeasurably great power for us who trust.
       God has shown that power in raising Christ from the dead and seating Christ beside God in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.
       God has put all things under Christ’s feet and has made Christ the head over all things for the church, which is Christ’s body, the fullness of God who fills all in all. Alleluia!


2. Adapted from Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body now but ours,
no hands, no feet on earth but ours.
Ours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world.
Ours are the feet with which he walks about to do good.
Ours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
       Christ, be with us; Christ be within us.
       Christ, hold us all in your loving 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.]

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 for the gift of Creation,
for your Covenant of love, and your steadfast presence with us.
We thank you for your great love, by which you reign over the world,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
in this age and in the age to come.
By the great power of your love you set the slaves free in Egypt,
and by that love you set us free from all that oppresses.
You gave us the gift of Jesus Christ,
who is our head, who fills everything.
Joyous to share in this meal, 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 fed the hungry, healed the broken, gathered the outcast
and proclaimed the dominion of your grace.
By the powers of injustice he was crucified.
But by the great power of your love you raised him from the dead
and seated him at your right hand and made him the head over all things,
the fullness of the One who fills all in all.
He offered to us the hope to which you have called us,
the riches of your glorious inheritance
and the immeasurable power of your grace.
In this meal he is present with us and all the church,
which is Christ’s Body, embodying your covenant of 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.
In this meal may we come to know Christ,
so that, with the eyes of our hearts enlightened,
we may trust and live and love in his Spirit.
Receiving the power of your Spirit,
may we be your witnesses in this place,
among strangers and even enemies, and to the ends of the earth.
Risen and ascended Christ, live in us,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world,
to your delight, now and always.

     [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.) Guide us by your Spirit, make us the living Body of Christ, and send us into the world in love for the sake of the healing of all Creation. 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.) In Christ you have brought heaven to earth, and in his resurrection you have brought us to heaven, and now you give us to the world. Send us into the world to be his witnesses, to embody the Risen One in our living and our loving, in the grace of your Spirit. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, Christ who was crucified you have raised from the dead.
By this meal grant that we may share in his new life.
You have enthroned Christ to reign over all Creation.
By these gifts may he reign in our hearts.
Christ has promised us his Spirit.
Through this communion may his Spirit fill us and guide us.
Christ has called us as his witnesses.
Strengthened by this food may we share your feast of grace with others,
in the name of Christ, and by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the music page)

Offering song (Tune: HOLY MANNA or Joyful, Joyful)
(Included in Offering Songs, one- or two-verse songs for dedication of offering or communion elements, set to familiar hymn tunes.)

Christ is risen, but no longer in firm flesh that we can hold.
Christ is risen far beyond our thought or power, forms of old.
As a fire can’t keep its light but shines it out; it travels on,
Christ has risen and ascended: love to rule the world has gone.

Christ is risen, and has named us witnesses to all the world.
We are now the risen Body, hands outstretched and grace unfurled.
So we bring our lives to God, that God will bless them, shining bright,
and we pray the Spirit lead us radiating love’s pure light.


Christ Has Ascended (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

Christ has ascended, dead once, yet risen,
seated with God now, sovereign above:
Jesus the healer, ruling Creation,
reigning with mercy, justice and love.

Christ has ascended, hidden in daylight,
always before you, here in plain sight.
Do not look skyward, but to your neighbor,
every face shining with God’s pure light.

Christ has ascended, so that his Spirit
is not his only, but with us all.
Still our companion, he will be with us,
no matter where we follow his call.

Christ has ascended! To his disciples
freely his Spirit Jesus imparts.
We are his Body, witnessing daily,
light of his rising clear in our hearts.

Christ, Ruler of All Things (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)

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

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

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

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

Love Is Enthroned (Tune: Finlandia)

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

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

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

O 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.


Risen Bread (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

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

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

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

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

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

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


You are the Nerve (Tune: Finlandia)

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

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

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

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.

Oh, Christ, you come, forgiving, risen from the dead,
in gracious love, that far outlives the grave.
You offer us your life in this, your humble bread,
and in this wine, your love poured out to save.
        So fill us with your peace and make us one again.
        Oh, fill us with your gentle, freeing love.
        Oh risen Christ, draw us into your rising here,
        and fill us with your light now dawning from above.

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.

May 5, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Acts 10.44-48 — Cornelius and his household receive the Holy Spirit and are baptized.

Psalm 98 — God has done a great thing. Make a joyful noise! Let all Creation praise God.

1 John 5. 1-6 — Love, that is born of God, conquers the world.

John 15.9-17 — “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you…. So my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete…. To love is to lay down your life… I call you friends, not servants… You didn’t choose me; I chose you… Go and bear fruit.”

Preaching Thoughts

Acts
       This is the “gentile Pentecost:” Cornelius was not a Jew. In Acts Luke shows us the community of followers of Jesus not just growing in numbers but expanding in inclusivity. As we saw last week, when the community of the baptized included the Ethiopian eunuch, a foreign, gender-nonconforming person of color, now it also includes people who aren’t even part of the faith community. As Mark Miller’s song says, “Draw the circle wide.”

1 John
       John’s epistle here reflects the same sentiment we see in the gospel: “Take courage, I have conquered the world!” (Jn. 16.33). Take some care to unpack what it means for love to conquer the world. It doesn’t mean hate and fear and violence are ended. It doesn’t mean injustice has been stopped. But maybe it means love is stronger than evil. That love endures, despite evil’s violence against it. That what actually matters most in the world—what matters at all— is not power or conquest or ego, but love. That even when evil appears victorious, love actually prevails. That everything, even evil, is gathered up in love. That maybe after thousands of years of human struggle our story will turn out to be one of love. So we love, knowing it won’t look like victory. Of course the real victory is that in our struggle between love and fear, no matter how it turns out, we have struggled on the right side.
        Notice how John conflates obeying, believing, and loving. It’s all one thing. You don’t believe if you don’t love, and it isn’t love if you don’t actually obey the command to love.

John
       Well, golly. There are at least half a dozen sermons in here.
       — Love. Christians don’t have Ten Commandments; that’s Jewish. We have one. Try posting that in your local courthouse! The commandment—or the Ten, for that matter—aren’t laws to be imposed on everybody. They’re the marriage vows of people who love God. They’re our feeble “I do” to God’s infinite, perfect, mind-blowing “I do” to us. We love as we have been loved. And to replicate that love we first have to receive it.
       —As I have loved you. Jesus goes above and beyond the Golden Rule. We don’t just do as we wish others would do to us: there’s no wishing here. We have been loved perfectly, and we return that love. It’s a love we couldn’t have wished for without having experienced it because it exceeds our imaginations. It’s love we didn’t even know we needed till we received it. That’s a pretty high bar. Of course we fail; and when we do, what does Jesus do? He loves us perfectly.
       — Joy. Jesus doesn’t give us commandments to make us subservient. He does so to deepen our joy. It’s all about joy. If you love of neighbor doesn’t give you deep joy you’ve got it wrong. You’re not loving as you have been loved, which is with great delight. Jesus doesn’t love us out of duty, like some bratty kid whose mom says ”Say you’re sorry” and he whines: “Sahrrry.’ No, Jesus loves us because it gives him delight. He loves to love us! Because he loves us. Julian of Norwich says Christ says to her “If I could have suffered more for you I would have.” Because he loves seeing to it that she receives love, even if it hurts him. To love our beloved gives us joy.
       — Lay down your life. You don’t have to die. But you do have to lay down your control, your agenda, your ego, your self-protection, even your success at loving. We have a lot to lay down. And when it feels like it’s just killing us… well, that’s where resurrection happens.
      — Friends. We’re familiar with language of Jesus as “Lord.” We’re a bit dubious of people who talk like Jesus is their pal, like he’s their drinking buddy. We imagine Jesus calling us, forgiving us, saving us… but do we imagine Jesus wanting to spend time with us? Jesus chooses, not just to be servants in his religious project, but to be his friends because he likes us and likes being with us— and in fact needs us. Jesus is a real friend, who knows you, sees you as you really are, and will be loyal to you without ever compromising who he is. He wants you to be OK. He’ll stand by you when the world is against you, and he’ll also disagree with you. He’ll remind you how beautiful you are and also let you know when you’re being a jerk. He’ll expect you to do better, because he sees glory in you. He “gets” you when nobody else does. He’ll listen to you when you just need to talk nonsense. He’ll be silent with you when words would wreck it. And he wants you for that kind of friend too. He wants you to stand by him, to listen to him, to care about him, to care about what he cares about. He’s a companion—that is, one who breaks bread with you, and asks you to be his companion, to be the Bread of Life with him.
      — I chose you. Take care not to become one of those people who are proud of their faith, like they’ve done this great thing in choosing Jesus. Look, he just saved your life, because he cares about you. He’s been pursuing you all your years. Don’t be taking credit for that. Be grateful. Be humble—but remember he chose you for a reason. You have something to offer. You’re worth it. You give him delight. Don’t take credit for that—it’s a gift of God—but neither forget it or cease to trust it.
     —   Go and bear fruit. This is the point, isn’t it? Not what we believe, but how that bears fruit in our lives. The whole point of an apple tree is apples. The whole point a a human life is love.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, you create us in beauty.
All: We sing your praise.
Loving Christ, you heal us and teach us and lead us with love and grace.
We sing your praise.
Holy Spirit, you live in us so we shine with your love.
We sing your praise. We worship in joy. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: O God, Energy of Love, you call us into being.All: We abide in your love, and your joy is in us.
Heart of Love, you guide us in each moment, each breath.
We abide in your love, and your joy is in us.
The world does not understand love, but your love conquers the world.
We abide in your love, and your joy is in us. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: O Mystery of Love, we turn to you.
All: O beauty of Love, we worship you.
O Christ of Love, we thank you.
O Spirit of Love, we welcome you.
Dwell in our hearts.
Share with us your delight.
Make us channels of your love.
Make us radiant with your joy.
God of love, make us people of love. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you create us each moment in tender love. Speak your Word to us in scripture, in prayer and in song. Fill us with your love, so that we may be your love song for the world, in the name and spirit of Jesus, Amen.

2.
Gracious God, your commandments are not burdensome. Help us to hear with joy, to be changed in trust, and to live in faith, bearing your love into this world in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of love, your Word is love. In the reading of your scripture and the proclaiming of your Word, may we hear your love in our hearts, and may it fill us, so that we are people of love, in your Spirit, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, in Jesus you have loved us deeply. You have shown us what love looks like, in his life and ministry, and in scripture,. Help us, as we hear the scripture read and your Word proclaimed, to know your love and receive your love, so that we might be more able to give your love to others in the name of Christ. Amen.

5.
O Christ, like sunlight poured into an open meadow,
you pour your love into our hearts.
Like the earth laid out beneath us,
you have laid down your life for us.
Pour your Word into our hearts.
Fill us with you love,
so that we may love others as you have loved us. Amen.

6.
God, in Christ you have loved us and laid down your life for us.
Live in our hearts, so that we will lay down our lives for others.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Christ our friend,
you have chosen us for your joy.
You have loved us.
You have laid down your life for us.
And you have commanded us so to love.
Friend, in the stillness
we sit with you.
Hold us in your presence,
that the warmth of your love
may radiate in us.

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, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving,
and all that is not loving.
By the grace that we know in Christ,
forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
   Silent prayer … the word of grace

Readings

1. 1 John 5.1-6

Leader: Everyone who trusts that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God.
All: Everyone who loves God loves the one who came from God.
To love God and follow God’s commandments is to love God’s children.
The love of God is this: that we follow God’s commandments.
God’s commandments are not burdensome,
for whatever is born of God conquers the world.
What is born of God conquers the world! Our trust in this is our victory.
Who is it who conquers the world? Those who trust in Jesus, the Only Begotten of God.
Thanks be to God.


2.
                       To Love

Infinite Love,
you who love me into being each moment,
let me this day flow freely with that love,
for it is not my love I give but yours.
I seek in all and above all to love,
to appreciate, to forgive,
to encourage, to comfort,
to thank, to assist, to bless.
May I choose to be loving
rather than to be right,
to be gentle rather than tough,
to be curious rather than judging,
to meet all with reverence and humility and delight.
And with those whom I cannot love easily,
let me hold and protect with all my being
room for you to love them, even through me.
O Spirit of Love, you who love me infinitely and perfectly,
breathe your love in me.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

God of love, we thank you,
for you have embodied your love
and your delight in us.
Your Creation is a gift of love.
In Christ you have laid down your life for us.
Your grace is a gift of love.
In love you set us free from all that oppresses,
and choose us to join you in working for justice,
that all your Beloved may know fullness of life.
Your love has conquered the world.
You call us to this meal, to feast on your love
and to share in your joy.
Therefore withy all Creation we praise you.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodied your love.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken, and gathered the outcast.
In Christ you befriended us, that his joy may be ours.
He laid down his life for us, a gift of love and delight;
but you raised him from the dead, for love conquers even death.

     (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.
May the love that is born of you radiate in our hearts.
May we love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength,
and love our neighbor as ourselves.
We did not choose you, but you have chosen us.
Send us to go and bear the fruit of compassion and justice,
for the healing of the world,
that your joy may be in us,
and our joy may be complete.

     [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.) Send us out, filled and changed by your love, to serve others for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the 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 chosen us; you have loved us; you have laid down your life for us; you have empowered us to go and bear fruit. How can we but shine with gratitude, radiate joy, and bear love into this world, to your deep delight? Send us, Beloved, in te name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Communion Song (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
        [Included in Easter Communion Songs,
        brief songs of invitation to communion set to familiar hymn tunes.]

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

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

Christ, as we share this meal, give to us your Spirit.
Make us your Body, your Word made clear.
In our forgiveness, in hearts of grace and peace,
the world may see you risen here.


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

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



Fulfill Your Love In Me      (Original song)

Refrain:
Fulfill your love in me, O Loving Spirit,
fulfill your love in me, O Heart of Love.

Verses:Speak the name Beloved in my deepest soul.
Hold me in your heart, your gentle loving. (Refrain)

Heal me with your mercy and your tenderness.
Bring to life the grace in me to love you. (Refrain)

Give me grace to love my neighbor as myself,
freely, with the love with which you love me. (Refrain)



O Sovereign Love     (Tune: Amazing Grace)

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

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

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

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

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



Set Me Free (To Love) (Original song)

From all that binds me, Love, set me free.
From all that binds me, Love, set me free.
Set me free, Love, set me free.
Oh Love, set me free for love.

From what I fear, O Love set me free….
From what I cling to, Love, set me free…
To live in perfect love, set me free….

February 14, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Joel 2.1-2, 12-17. — Sound the alarm: the day of the Lord is coming. “Return to me.” Rend your heart, not your clothes. Return to God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

Psalm 51 — Have mercy on me. You desire truth in the inward being. Create a clean heart in me. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a contrite heart.

2 Corinthians 5.20b – 6.10 — Be reconciled to God. For our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God. Now is the day of salvation. We are treated as nothing, but we endure.

Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21 — When you pray… when you fast… when you give alms…

Preaching Thoughts

Valentine’s Day
      Go ahead and work with it. Imagine smudges of ashes on our foreheads, not in the shape of the cross, but a heart. What might that mean? In a way Ash Wednesday is God’s Valentine card to us, God’s way of saying “Won’t you be mine?”

Joel
      The prophet imagines the judgment God will pronounce (and enact) on Israel will be harsh, because of our sin. But. God is, after all, “ gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (a creed repeated often in the Hebrew Bible—for instance Ex. 34.6; Num. 14.18; Neh. 9.17; Ps. 86.15, 103.8, 145.8…) The point of repentance is not to feel bad, but to open our hearts to God’s grace, which changes us. Repentance is a transformation that requires our both openness (“return to God”), and God’s grace (“God will leave a blessing”).

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

2 Corinthians
     Sloppy theology says Jesus’ Jesus’ sacrifice changes God’s mind about us: that because of the cross God decides to forgive us after all. But Paul doesn’t say God is reconciled to us; it’s the other way around: we are reconciled to God. Paul urges us to choose to enter into that relationship.
        The thing is, there are two religions in the world: the religion of being right and the religion of being in love. Our sin is that we don’t trust God’s love, and think instead that we have to be good enough to deserve God’s favor. The religion of our sin is the religion of being right. The crucifixion embodies our judgment that Jesus didn’t “get it right.” And God’s judgment is to have mercy on one who didn’t “get it right,” because God’s way is to be loving, not to be right, or to demand that we get it right. In fact God’s mercy points out that our judgment is wrong. Jesus did “get it right.” We’re the ones who messed up. God’s mercy overturns our judgment. God is reconciled with Jesus despite our judgment otherwise—and God is reconciled with us in the same way. Christ crucified embodies both us and God: we see our sin and its effects, and God’s grace, both at the same time in the same person. Jesus bears the suffering caused by our sin, and yet forgives us.
       Even though we are out of harmony with God, we are given the gift of a harmonious relationship with God, which we call “righteousness.” It’s not our accomplishment, but God’s gift. When we assent to that grace, when we allow ourselves to “be reconciled to God,” we become God’s faithfulness. In that sense Jesus takes on our sin so that we can take on his righteousness.

Matthew
        Here, as part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us in the traditional penitential disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (which is not just charitable giving but also working for justice). Jesus tells us to focus not on outer appearances but our inner relationship with God. He echoes Joel (“Rend your hearts, not your clothing”) and Psalm 51 (“you desire truth in the inward being”). In all these spiritual practices the emphasis is not on our (outward) performance but our inner relationship with God. Repentance isn’t a gloomy thing, but a joyful, hopeful, grateful reliance on God’s love and mercy.

Ashes
       “God formed a human from the dust of the ground, and breathed into their nostrils the breath of life; and the human became a living being” (Gen. 2.7). The ashes remind us that we are both dust and also Spirit. We are mortal; we have a finite time in this life to do what we’re here to do and live the lives we’re meant to live—and then it’s too late. So start now. Ashes also remind us we’re not just dust: we’re dust plus Spirit. Lent invites us to ponder both our mortality, our bodies and our createdness, and also the Spirit that makes us alive, that makes us more than just dirt. The ashes on our foreheads invite us to open ourselves to the Spirit.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: The grace of the Beloved, Jesus Christ, be with you.
All: And also with you.
Bless the Holy One who forgives all our sins.
God’s mercy endures forever.

2.
Leader: O God, we come.
All: We are ashes, crying out.
We come, broken and in need.
We come, trusting and open-hearted,
We come, forgiven and welcome.
We come to be honest, to confess, to be ourselves.
We come to be received, to be blessed, to be anointed;
in the name and the mercy of Christ, we come.

3.Leader: Beloved in Christ, we come at the invitation of the Gentle One.
All: And we are loved, and received with joy.
We come, broken and in need.
And we are healed.
We come, dust and ashes.
And we are filled with the Breath of Life.
God of grace, receive us, bless us,
and renew in us the gift of life. Amen.

4.
Leader: In the beginning, God, you took up dust from the earth…
All: and your breathed into it the breath of life
and it became a living human.
We are dust and Spirit, bone and breath.
O God, renew in us your Spirit,
that in this time of our flesh,
before we return to dust,
we may be the people you create us to be.
Your grace is eternal; your mercy is sure; your love is perfect.
We worship in humility, gratitude and trust.
Heal us, forgive us, and create us anew.

Prayers

1.
Gentle God,
you created us in love and for love.
We are the pure light of your love, given flesh.
Your Spirit is our life; your breath is our breath.
Your love shines in us, the image of Christ,
and we are all being transformed into this image,
from one degree of glory to another.
But we deny your light and obscure your image.
Help us to see all that impedes your perfect love in us,
and to remove it, so that we may truly shine with your light.
In this Lenten season, help us to see, to repent,
and to be perfected in love,
in the grace of Jesus Christ. Amen.

2.
God, we turn to you, we who are made of the dust of the earth.
Receive us in our brokenness.
We turn to you, we who are made of the dust of stars.
Breathe your light into us once again.
Create in us a new heart, O God,
and put a new and right Spirit within us. Amen.

3.
Creator God, from stardust you have made us
and from the dust of death you raise us.
Your spirit alone breathes life in us.
Create new hearts in us, O God,
and put a new spirit within us,
that we may repent of our sin, be made new,
and live lives in harmony with your delight,
through Jesus Christ, the Beloved. Amen.

4.
God of love,
Jesus calls us to lives of love, trust, justice and compassion.
We want to be faithful, but our fears and desires interfere.

We want to trust in you, to rely wholly on your grace.
We want to be whole, to be true to the people you create us to be.
We want to be a healing presence and a source of grace.
But our fears and desires interfere.

We want to be kind to all, including our enemies.
We want to reach out to those who are in need,
and heal those who are hurting.
We want to be bold in doing justice.
We want to pass on to those who struggle
the way of living Jesus taught.
But our fears and desires interfere.

Forgive us. Heal our fears, re-direct our desires,
and give us the courage and compassion of your Spirit.

Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within us. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, you made us from the dust of the earth,
and breathed your Spirit into us to give us life.
The dust is the dust of stars.
You have made us from light,
and your Spirit blazes within us; your glory shines in us.
But we have veiled your glory, and lost sight of your light.
We have clung to the dust,
but not the light, the Spirit, the Life.
Renew your light in us this Lenten season.
May we again become true earthlings, pure stardust, living light.
Renew your Spirit within us, that we may live.
Amen.

6.
Most holy and merciful God,
to you and to one another we confess our sin. We have sinned in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven as you have forgiven us.
We have been untrue to the spirit of Christ. We have grieved you, and we are sorrowful.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Our unfaithfulness to you, our distrust, our neglect of your faithful grace, our failure to live wholly for you,
we confess to you, God.
Our unfaithfulness in prayer and worship, our failure to nurture the faith that is in us, our negligence of the Holy Spirit,
we confess to you, God.
Our self-indulgence and exploitation of others, our participation in injustice and oppression, and our failure to act or speak out, our love of worldly goods and comforts, our defense of our privilege, our pride and impatience, our envy and our quickness to judge and not to heal,
we confess to you, God.
Our waste and pollution of your creation, our blindness to the awe and beauty which you have given us,
we confess to you, God.
Accept our repentance, God, for the wrongs we have done. For our blindness to human need and suffering, and to your presence in the poor, for our indifference to injustice and cruelty, for our failure to love courageously,
accept our repentance, God.
For our judgments, fear, anger and all uncharitable thoughts toward others, for our prejudice and contempt of those who differ from us, for all that is hurtful that we have done,
accept our repentance, God.
Restore us, gracious God, for your mercy is great.
Hear us, O God,
for your grace is the source of our life. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

God of grace,
my life is ashes.
Breathe your breath into that dust,
that I may be created anew,
and live by the grace
of your Spirit alone.

Reading

Psalm 51, a paraphrase

Be gentle with me, O God,

         hold me in your constant love.

With your abundant mercy

         free me from my sins.

Wash away the grime 

         that covers your image in me.
I know I don’t live the life you give me;

         you know the difference.

My love is not perfect;

         this you see.



But you lead me to live in harmony

         with my inner truth,

to be transparent

         to your presence within me.


Purge me with your love,

         that I may be pure love.

Fill me,

         that I may be pure light.


Deep within me, in your light,

         I discover joy,

gratitude even for bones broken

         to be reset.

When you look at me you don’t see sins;

         you see love.



Create me all over again, O God;

         breathe your life-giving breath in me.

Hold me close 

         and give me your loving spirit.

You are the joy that sustains me;

         you give me my willing heart.

O Beloved, when I open my lips,

         my mouth will sing praise, only praise. 



I can’t offer a thing to please you,

         can’t determine your love for me.

What delights you is just me,

         this broken heart,

         this true, simple heart.

Use me as I am to love the world.

         That will be gift enough for both of us.

Suggested Songs

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

Brief (repeatable) prayer songs:
Use any one of Kyrie, Six Versions.
       Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.

Behold the Lamb of God (Original song)
       Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
       Come, let us follow the lamb of God
       who takes away the sin of the world.

The Jesus Prayer (Original song)
      Jesus, Beloved of God, have mercy on me, for I need you.


See all songs with tags for Confession or Repentance; especially these:

Darkness (Tune: Tallis’ Canon or CONDITOR ALME)

The darkness is a coveringto hide the questions that I bring.God bless me even in the nightto bring my love into the light. The darkness is where fears may hide,but help me, God, to look inside.Give me the courage, Love,
to face my demons with your saving grace.

The darkness is a mystery,
the way that is unclear to me.
Yet God, you lead me by the hand
to journey toward a promised land.

The darkness is a place of rest,
where I may sleep and be your guest
until the rising of the sun.
I rest in you, O Loving One


God of Mercy (Original Song)

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

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

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

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

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


God, we are broken       (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

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

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

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

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

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



God, you have searched me     (Tune Be Thou My Vision)

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

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

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


Into the Darkness       (Original tune)

Only the seed that has died and is buried
lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying,
so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires,
all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried.
Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth and have mercy and wash me
deep in the dark of my being,
a spirit like bread that is taken and broken:
this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart pure in spirit,
willing and steadfast and made new.
My life I lose; let your cross lift me up now.
One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


Into the Light        (Original tune)

God, I come into the light of your mercy and grace:
may I receive your forgiveness, your loving embrace.
You know my brokenness better than I, and my sin.
You love me perfectly, setting me free once again.

All of myself I now humbly bring into your light:
wash me, renew me, forgive me and set me aright.
God, I surrender myself to your life-giving love:
may I be born by your Spirit, anew, from above.

God, you have loved us so much that you even would give
Jesus, your Son, the Beloved, so that we would live.
Help us to live so we bring your good news into sight.
Help us to trust in your grace and come into the light.


Return, My Soul (Tune: Finlandia)

Return, my soul, from all your hungry wandering,your fearful search for comfort and control.Let go my grasp of things apart from God,for God alone can heal and hold my soul.Return to God, for God alone will love me,and give me life, and bless and make me whole.

Return, my soul, from all the things that dull me,that soothe my sense, but leave my sin in place.My broken heart, return from tricks and bargains;turn to the One who meets me face to face.Return to God. Each moment turn again;receive unending love and life and grace.

I turn, O God, to you who love with patience.You walk beside me, though I cannot see.You are my life in dry and weary deserts,my spring of life that flows eternally.I turn to you, from false desire and grasping,and letting go, I find that you hold me.


Our Living Breath (Tune: Londonderry Air: “Oh Danny Boy”)

O Holy One, Creator of the stars of night,
whose dust we are, created with your light,
now breathe your spirit into us and give us life;
give us new hearts that beat with your delight.
Our dust and ashes, Lord, we give in faith to you.
Receive our lives, our sin, our wounds, our death;
and raise us up with Christ from death to life by grace.
Lord, may we be your love and you our living breath.


Set Me Free (Red Sea) (original song)

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

2. From anger and resentment, set me free… Refrain
3. From blaming and from judgment, set me free… Refrain
4. To be completely loving,set me free… Refrain

March 10, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Numbers 21. 4-9. The Israelites who are escaping from Egypt complain about their suffering. To give them some perspective, God sends poisonous snakes, but also provides a means of healing, in the form of a curative bronze serpent.

Psalm 107. Thanks to God for leading the people through the desert, and feeding and healing them, with special care for the hungry, the powerless and the needy.

Ephesians 2. 1-10. You were dead through sins but God made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

John 3. 14-21. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…. For God so loved the world that they gave their only Son…. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world…

Preaching Thoughts

Numbers
       The story is rooted in an image of a God who, like an abusive human being, asserts control, demands loyalty, rejects criticism, prohibits disobedience and punishes it. And God doesn’t even punish people for misdeeds, but simply “speaking against the Lord.” They’re punished for feeling bad! Taking this story literally leaves us with a testy, hurtful, vindictive God. Sure, God gives the Israelites an escape, in the form of magic. But the hurt can’t be undone. Further, for God to offer a way to counteract God’s own punishment is both logically and spiritually silly. Instead, let’s find some morsel of grace in this story. Maybe God doesn’t “send” poisonous snakes. Maybe the consequences of our choices bite us. God invites us to examine our choices —to “look upon the snake.” God invites us into the painful but curative work of self-awareness.

Ephesians
       Here’s the gospel in a nutshell. Out of harmony with God, we’re subject to the chaotic pushing and pulling of our fears and desires. Believing ourselves to be separate from God, we cut ourselves off from life, like an astronaut cutting their lifeline to the spaceship. We’re as good as dead. But even in that mess God loves us, sets us free and gives us new life, as dramatically and miraculously and profoundly as God raises Jesus. Now we can be the true, good selves God creates us to be, and live in love. This is all God’s gift, not our doing.

John
       This is clearly John talking, not Jesus. In John’s gospel Jesus talks a lot about himself— in pretty high terms. In real life I bet Jesus talked about God’s love, not about himself. John really wants people to believe that Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus really wants people to love each other. This doesn’t mean we should discount these words, but be aware of the Johanine context. In John’s gospel we need to look behind the doctrinal assertion that Jesus is God’s Son to what such a belief means for our lives, our trust, and our choices. It’s not what we think, but what we do, that matters. John says in love God gives us Christ, who is like Moses’ bronze serpent: a source of healing and hope, a cure for what ails us. What ailed the Israelites in the wilderness was lack of trust in God. For John it’s lack of belief in Jesus. Publicly good old John 3.16 is used more often as a coercion to get people to be among a select group of “those who believe in him” than a promise that God loves the whole world. The implication is that God’s grace comes to us only if we “believe,” while “those who do not believe are condemned.” But a “grace” that conditional isn’t really grace, which makes it even harder to trust! I don’t trust myself to believe enough, nor God to accept me when my belief falters. And the fragility of our trust is the issue. Because we are self-aware we see ourselves as “selves,” separate from God and others. It leads us to distrust God. (This is sin: not that we’re bad people but that we are alienated from God. It’s inherent in human nature; in that way—not because Adam did it first— it is indeed “original.”)
       When we distrust God it’s not God who condemns us, but our own distrust: we cut ourselves off from God, and doom ourselves to selfishness and anxiety. What saves us from our deep, inherent distrust? A love that reaches across our distrust, that loves us precisely when we don’t trust. Like for instance when we see Jesus “lifted up”—not glorified and exalted, but lifted up on a cross: condemned, despised, abused, and still loving and forgiving us. We behold a love we can trust even when we can’t trust our own hearts. When we see Jesus “lifted up,”crucified and yet forgiving, it’s like the poisoned Israelites looking at the bronze serpent: it heals our fear and overcomes our distrust. It saves us. There is no condemnation, only salvation. We come to trust God’s love. That trust is actually what we mean by “believing.” John 3.16 means God so loves the world that God embodies God’s love, and whoever trusts it connects with real life and won’t die of loneliness, selfishness and anxiety.
       There is no condemnation, only salvation. God’s judgment is not condemnation, but light. God doesn’t issue an opinion about our lives, but simply shines the light of truth on them and reveals them as they are. Then we can see clearly and live lives of love instead of hiding in delusion and falsehood. John’s words about darkness and light are rally about delusion and self-awareness:
“This is the judgment, that the truth has come into the world. We love delusion rather than self-awareness because our deeds are evil. For when we do evil we hate self-awareness and do not come to it, so that our deeds may not be exposed. But when we do what is true we live in awareness, so that it may be clearly seen that our deeds have been done in God.”

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, in the beginning you said, “Let there be light.”
All: We come into the light of your glory.
Loving Christ, your judgment is the light of mercy and grace.
We come into the light of your love.
Holy Spirit, by your grace in us we are light for the world.
We come into the light of your presence.
Fill us, that we may always live in your light. Amen.

2.
Leader: God of all being, in the beginning — Light!
All: In your light is the life of all. Praise!
The light was coming into the world.
And we have beheld his grace. Grateful thanks!
Out of hiddenness we come into the clarity of day.
You fill us with your radiance. Blessing!
We open our hearts to your grace.
Fill us with your Spirit. Make us yours once again. Amen.

3.
Leader: God, you so love the world that you give your Beloved,
that in giving our hearts to him we might find eternal life.
All: Great is your mercy, God! By your grace we are saved.
Come, shed your light upon us, so that we may live in you.

4.
Leader: God, you love the world so much!
You give us your deep, embodied love.
All: Help us to trust, to break free of our fears,
and receive life that can’t be taken from us.
You shine the light of your mercy in our lives,
so that we may see and live truthfully.
Help us walk in your light.
Shine your Word upon us.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Divine Beloved, you shine in all Creation, with the light of your love. Your Word shines in scripture and song. We open the windows of our hearts, to let your light stream in and change us. Fill us with the light of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of love, we have been lost in the chaos of fears and desires, wrapped in death in our self-defined selves. But you have saved us by your grace; this is your doing, not ours. We want the faith to trust this grace. So we open our hearts to you, to hear your Word, to be filled with your light, to breathe in your Spirit. You who are eternally present within us, we give you our hearts, our minds, our souls, our bodies. In your light, we are listening. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, you so love the world that you gave your Only Begotten, so that whoever will give their heart to him will know eternal life. And so we give our hearts to your living Christ now, to hear your Word, to be freed from all that destroys life, and to know life that is deep and holy, blessed and infinite. Bring us into the light of your truth, and give us life. Amen.

4.
God of gentle mercy, your light has come into the world. By your Word spoken among us, and your grace working within us, bring us into your light. May it fill us, transform us, delight us, and guide us. We pray in the name of Christ, our light, who gave himself for us so that we might know your love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
God of grace,
what is in darkness is not bad,
but only hidden.
Shine your light into our hearts’ dark places
so that we may see in the light of your grace,
both the tragedy and treasure there.
Shine the light of your mercy,
so that we may see ourselves clearly. Amen.

2.
Loving God, we want to know your truth;
we want to trust your love.
By your grace in Christ Jesus,
shine your light on us.
Remind us of your love.
Deepen our trust.
Amen.

3.
Light of God,
shine in my heart
and transfigure my darkness,
that I may become your light,
radiant with your presence.
Amen

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Loving God, in your light is the life of all beings;
your judgment is light.
Out of the shadows, from dark, unseen places within us,
we come into your light.
We open our hearts, to let in your light.
Help us see what has been hidden,
the good and the bad,
and shine your mercy upon it.
May your light embrace us, forgive us, heal us,
and show us the way. Amen.
       Silent prayer… the word of grace
       Response

2.
Gracious god,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide, and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts no longer can bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past we cannot change;
open us to a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace
to grow more and more into your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

3.
Holy and loving God,
you have created me to live in harmony with you and with all Creation;
but I have not always lived in harmony.
Some of my sin I can see; but some only you know.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask you to forgive my disharmony,
and deliver me from the forces that distort my life;
heal the fear that leads me away from you.
and change my heart,
so that I may truly live in harmony with you and all Creation,
in the love of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

4.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Dear friends, the sin in our hearts hides in the darkness of unseen places.But by the grace of Christ we may let them open to the light of God’s mercy, confessing our sin before God and one another.
Eternal God, we confess that we do not love you perfectly, nor do we love our neighbors as ourselves. We confess that our sin is hidden from us, and that only by your grace do we see truly. Forgive our sin, heal our hearts, and bring us into the light of your Spirit, that by your grace we may see ourselves clearly and live honestly, so that we may be light for the world in the name of Christ.

         Silence for reflection and self-examination… The Word of Grace

Readings

Ephesians 2.1-10. A paraphrase.
        [Click here for a paraphrase of the entire book,
        including an alternative of this passage.]

Once you were drowning in a chaos of fear and desire
that sucked all the life out of you.
You were tyrannized by voices outside of you,
enslaved by the Prince of Expectations,
indebted to The Corporation,
obediently oblivious.
All of us have been there,
slaves to our ego’s fearful desires,
children of anxiety, shards of ourselves,
desperate for our own lives.
But the Loving One, who is pure tenderness,
with this huge, heartbreaking love
gets beneath us in our mass graves
and rises to life in us,
and pushes us out and makes us alive,
arm in arm with Christ,
restoring our belonging at the heart of life
us as part of God’s great, holy presence on earth.
By pure gift—no reason but love!—you’ve been salvaged,
pulled right out of the wreckage of your life.

God’s gentle kindness—you get a taste of it in Jesus—
blossoms within us with blessings beyond our knowing,
blessings that outlast everything you see.
God has saved your life—trust it.
And be grateful, not smug:
this is not your doing, but God’s.
It’s pure gift, unconditional and absolute;
nothing you do can influence it.

God created you good, and nothing can undo that.
You are part of God’s love made real in this life:
that’s your true self.
Who you are, and the reason you exist,
is beautiful love.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. [Ephesians 2.1-10, a paraphrase]

We were dead in our sin, cut off from life
by the tangle of fears and desires and forces that strangle everyone.
But God, rich in mercy, out of the great love with which God loves us,
even when we were dead in our sin, made us alive together with Christ.
By grace we have been saved!
God raised us up so our lives shine with power and purpose alongside God.
We are a part of Christ Jesus!
This will be evident forever: the immeasurable riches of God’s grace
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
By grace we have been saved, through faith!
This is not the result of our doing or believing; it is simply a gift from God.
We are who God made us, not who we make ourselves out to be:
we are created in Christ, for lives of love,
which God laid out like clothes for us to step into, all our lives.
Come, let us live in the light!

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.

Creating God, in the beginning you said, “Let there be light.”
And still your light shines in us.
You are present in the darkness of the unknown,
a pillar of fire in the night of our wandering.
You come among us in Jesus, light of the world, to illumine our darkness.
In this meal we take your light into ourselves,
that we may shine with your love.
We come, singing your praise.

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodied your love.
He brought not condemnation but salvation.
The people who had been pushed into the shadows
he brought into the light.
The thoughts of people’s hearts he exposed with his truth.
When he was crucified, still he forgave us
with your infinite love.
When we look upon him we are healed of our fear.
The light of his love is our truth;
the light of his grace is our judgment.
In this meal we come again to receive your grace
and renew our trust in your Covenant of love.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ—
your Beloved, the light of the world,
in whom we see our salvation.
In this meal Jesus draws all people to himself.
In this meal love casts out the powers of the world.
In this meal Jesus brings to light the grace that is hidden in our lives.
In this meal Jesus heals and teaches us,
feeds the hungry and lifts up the heartbroken.
In this meal we remember Jesus’ life and ministry,
his self-giving love, and his death.
And in this meal Christ is raised from the dead in us.
So we proclaim this mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
Eating this bread we enter into the darkness of death;
drinking this cup your light is poured out into us.
This is your judgment: that your light has come into our hearts.
Bless us that we may live in your light,
and all our deeds be done in you.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have filled us with your light. Send us into the world to live truthfully, to see clearly, to bear your light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 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.) We have looked upon the miracle of your love, and it has broken the fever of our fear. We have seen the light of your mercy, and it has given us new life. Send us out into the world in trust and gratitude, to walk in your light, to live with your mercy, to love in the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Grant that in our hearts we may always feast upon your immeasurable kindness toward us. Send us into the world in the power of your Spirit, to live lives of grace reflecting your love, to share your good news with others, and to be people of healing in a world that yearns for redemption. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of love, bless us that we may live with the love of Christ, so that those who look upon us may be healed of their fear. Bless us that we may live with such light that others may see and rejoice. E pray for the sake of your delight and the healing of the world in the name and the Spirit and the company of Christ. Amen.

5.
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 filled us with your light. Send us into the world to live truthfully, to see clearly, to bear your light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Kyrie, Six Versions (Six original versions. Some are part of Eucharistic settings.)
Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
(Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.)


In Your Light       (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This

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

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

O, Savior, let us live in your light, in your light,
your mercy’s gentle light from above.
May we live by such light that we give others sight
to see your wondrous love for the world, for the world,
to trust with deep delight your great love.


Into the Light      (Original song)

God, I come into the light of your mercy and grace:
may I receive your forgiveness, your loving embrace.
You know my brokenness better than I, and my sin.
You love me perfectly, setting me free once again.

All of myself I now humbly bring into your light:
wash me, renew me, forgive me and set me aright.
God, I surrender myself to your life-giving love:
may I be born by your Spirit, anew, from above.

God, you have loved us so much that you even would give
Jesus, your Son, the Beloved, so that we would live.
Help us to live so we bring your good news into sight.
Help us to trust in your grace and come into the light.


Shine In Me      (Tune: Breathe on Me Breath of God)

Shine in me, light of God: into my shadows shine,
all that is dark and hidden, show; reveal with your light divine.

Open the window, Love, into my heart’s abyss:
fears and desires, all wants and wounds bring into your light and bless.

What is unseen reveal; give me the gift of sight,
lighten the shadows deep within and, Love, make my darkness light.

Shine in me, light of God, your mercy gleaming bright.
I am the lantern, you the flame. Love, let me live in your light.

Wake Us From Our Sleep (Original song)

God of mercy, wake us with your light.
Rouse our sleeping hearts and give us sight.
Raise us up from death; fill us with your breath.
Wake us from our sleep to live new lives in you.

Life comes only from the Word you give.
You alone have power to make us live.
Seeking what is True, Love, we turn to you:
springs of living water flow, and so we live.

Christ, you touch our hearts and heal our fear.
Even in our pain your grace is near.
Spirit, you who save, raise us from our grave.
Born again, dry bones who rise, we live in you.

Christ, light of the world, your radiance bright
wakens us to day out of our night:
shining in, it heals; shining out, reveals.
Help us all to live as children of the light.

March 17, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Jeremiah 31. 31-34. “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…. I will write it on their hearts…. I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”

Psalm 51. You desire truth in the inward being…. Create in me a new heart…. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a contrite heart.

Hebrews 5. 5-10. Jesus offered up prayers to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. He learned obedience through what he suffered; and became the source of salvation, a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

John 12.20-33. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life….Should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour … Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

Preaching Thoughts

Jeremiah
       The new covenant God offers is written on our hearts: not something we “ought” to do, but as a part of who we are. It’s a covenant of love, not obligation. I don’t care for my wife because I’m supposed to. I care for her becauseI want to, because I love her, because treating her well gives me delight. Such is the Covenant God offers us: one not of duty but delight, not of laws and punishments but of desire and gratitude.
       “I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” See how different this is from “I will remember their sin and demand payment for it and send someone who will sacrifice himself so that then I can let go of their sin”? Totally different.

Hebrews
        Note that although Jesus prayed to the one who could save him from death, he wasn’t saved from death. As Jesus says in John his prayer wasn’t “Save me from this,” but something else. It’s worthy to wonder what. Maybe “Help be stay faithful.” Or “Not my will but yours.” What do you think Jesus prayed? Ponder that. Hebrews seems to say that since Jesus was faithful to God, even through suffering, he paves the way for us to do the same.
       Hebrews doesn’t say what it means for Jesus to be a priest according to the order of Melchizedek. “Today I have begotten you” quotes Psalm 2, with its heavy messianic overtones. The Melchizedek bit (which runs through Hebrews) quotes Psalm 110, which also says nothing about what that means. It’s a reference to Genesis 14, which also doesn’t explain what it means other than that there was this guy who was a priest of El Olium,“God Supreme.” He blessed Abram, and brought him bread and wine. Yeah, that sounds like Jesus.

John
       Here’s Jesus’ gospel in a nutshell: when you give your life away in love, God gives you a new one. This is death and resurrection: not going to heaven, but receiving new life after surrendering your old one. We’re comfortable with Jesus’ parables about seeds growing secretly and seeds yielding a hundred fold and sixty and thirty… but we’re not as at ease with the reality that to sprout a seed has to die. It has to be thrown away and be buried and fall apart and break open and cease to be a seed. In the delusion of our sin we believe we’re whole, self-contained units and we need to protect ourselves to live. But in fact we can truly live only when new allow ourselves to be part of an ecosystem of soil and rain and sun. Unless we’re part of the whole workings of Life we’re just a little unit, but not bearing fruit, not truly and deeply fulfilling the call of life. The way to live your life fully is to be embedded I God, to give your life over to God in loving service, like seeds that “die” and then bear fruit. Think of yourself as a seed and God as good soil.
       “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” This is not a before-and-after distinction. Eternal life isn’t just dying and going to heaven. The reason it’s “eternal” isn’t because it’s interminably long. That’s not actually what we want. (Are you kidding? Your people don’t even like it when worship goes 10 minutes over, and they think they want to live for 14 billion years?!? Fat chance.) No, eternal life isn’t infinitely long; it’s infinitely deep and wide. It’s life that’s infinite, in this life here and now, life that’s connected with God, with all other life, with the Real Purpose of Life, which is Love. It’s life that’s infinite because it can’t be depleted, can’t be diminished, can’t be taken from you. The distinction is between clinging to life in terms the world values—personal survival, comfort, power and esteem—or being connected to the heart of what it is to really live. You can have one or the other, Jesus says, not both. To have either you have to let go of the other. Sometimes letting go of “life in this world” is easy; sometimes it costs you dearly. But every moment, you’re choosing.
       Jesus says “the ruler of this world will be driven out.” He (or John) may have in mind an apocalyptic event of God’s final victory over human evil and injustice… or he may be saying

Love is more powerful than anything. Love wins, even when evil powers stay in place. Even in this messed-up world, right now, love is still victorious. Love is still the dominant power and the ultimate reality. Love casts out the powers of this world— hate, fear, greed and violence—and replaces them with healing, trust and generosity. The question is not whether it will succeed but which side we’re on.
       “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” We could interpret this doctrinally, that every earthling will become Christian. Or we can see it symbolically: that love includes everybody. Love, lifted up on a cross of self-giving, draws all people into its care. No one is left out. Christ, crucified and risen, loves all people.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy God, you are the soil of heaven.
All: We are your seeds of life. We fall into you.
We are buried in you, and we live.
Holy God, you sow us in the soil of the world.
We are your seeds of love.
We let go of ourselves, and we bear fruit.
May your Spirit live in us, your Christ blossom in us,
your love bear fruit in us. Amen.

2.
Leader: Eternal Mystery, Ground of our being,
you are the soil from which we grow.
Risen Christ, Loving Presence,
you are the courage with which we die.
Holy Spirit, Radiant Oneness,
you are the joy with which we are raised.
In mercy, receive our praise, our prayers and our lives,
and transform us in the spirit of compassion. Amen.

3. [Ps. 51]
Leader:Holy One, open our lips
All: and our mouths shall show forth your praise.
Behold, you desire truthfulness in our inner lives.
Therefore give us grace to see ourselves clearly.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and faithful spirit within us.
Have mercy on us, according to your steadfast love.
We worship you with open hearts. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy One, speak your Word to us, and write your love on our hearts. 
Holy One, speak your truth to us, and write your love on our hearts.
Holy One, speak your grace to us, and write your love on our hearts. Amen.

2.Loving God, we do not ask for your Word carved on tablets or inscribed on scrolls. Write your grace on our hearts, that we may always bear it with us, listen to its music, and follow its ways, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
Leader: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,”
Jesus said, “it remains just a single grain.”
All: But if it dies, it bears much fruit.
God of love, we come to worship,
that we may bear the fruit of love in our lives.
Therefore we come to die and be buried in Christ.
“Those who love their life lose it,” Jesus said,
“and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
We come to let go of our desires and attachments,
to let go of the life of appearances,
so that with empty hands
we may receive the infinite life you give us.
We worship that your grace may flourish in us.
We worship that we may bear the fruit of your love. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

I will be your seed, O God;
for you are my soil.
Let me fall into you.
Let me be buried in you.
May your love break me open and rise in me,
that I may bear the fruits of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God, we confess that we cling to the things of this world;
our hands are too full to receive your grace.
Help us let go of all but you,
to lose our life,
to receive your life.
Help us to die and rise
with Christ,
who is our Beloved, our promise,
our courage.
         Silent prayer … The Word of Grace

2.
O God, you desire truth in the inward being;
teach us to see ourselves clearly.
Your mercy is abundant, O God;
wash us clean of our sin.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within us.

3.
Eternal Creator, steadfast in grace,
I who am inconstant in love turn to you.
Write your Word upon my heart.
Root your grace in me, that I may be faithful in all things
in the spirit of your compassion.

4.
Eternal God, we confess our sin, that we have not loved you perfectly, nor loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have clung to our lives rather than surrender them to you. Forgive our sin, heal our fear, and transform our desires, that we may trust you wholly and serve you heartily, in the Spirit of Christ.

Readings

1.
Because you are God’s child, you are like God.
You have God’s Spirit.
You are filled with God’s gifts.
Though you may feel inadequate,
the gifts God has given you are holy, beautiful, and powerful.
But they are not for you. They are for the world.
If you hold onto them, they have no beauty, purpose or power.
Only when you let them go, give them away, do they become true gifts.
Like a seed, your gifts will only become apparent if you “die,”
if you give of yourself. Then beautiful things will happen.
The only reason we withhold our gifts,
our time and talent, our money or our passion,
is that we are afraid.
But since we are God’s and God’s Spirit is in us,
we are not afraid. We are free.
So we give generously. We give our best.
We give joyfully.
In this way we fulfill the purpose of our lives,
glorify God, and participate in the healing of the world.


2. Psalm 51, a paraphrase

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

But you lead me to live in harmony
         with my inner truth,
to be transparent
         to your presence within me.
Purge me with your love,
         that I may be pure love.
Fill me,
         that I may be pure light.
Deep within me, in your light,
         I discover joy,
gratitude even for bones broken
         to be reset.
When you look at me you don’t see sins;
         you see love.

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

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

Eucharistic Prayer

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

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

God of love, we praise you,
for in the deep soil of this world you have sown yourself,
where you grow and flourish with beauty and grace,
bearing the fruit of life.
You have planted yourself in us and made us in your image.
You have claimed us as your own and made covenant to love us.
You have condemned the forces of oppression and you walk with us to freedom.
In the fullness of time you came to us in Jesus,
who died in love for us, that your love might bear fruit in us.
Therefore we come to Christ’s table, hungry for life.
We come singing your praise, with all Creation:

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
In this meal he draws all people to himself.
In this meal love casts out the powers of the world.
In this meal Jesus nourishes the grace that is hidden in our lives.
In this meal Jesus heals and teaches us,
feeds the hungry and lifts up the heartbroken.
In this meal we remember Jesus’ life and ministry,
his self-giving love, and his death,
For he flung himself like a seed of God into the world,
and was crucified and buried.
But in his dying there is life; in his rising your love bears fruit.[The Blessing and Covenant…]

Remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving,as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

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

Pour out your holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
transformed by your mercy, dying and rising with Christ.May your love bear fruit in us,for the healing of the world, 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.) We are the seeds of your love. Sow us in the soil of this world, that your grace in us may bear fruit. 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.) In the death and resurrection of Jesus you give us courage to die and rise with him, to surrender ourselves to lives of love and self-giving. May the seed of your grace flourish in us, that we may bear the fruits of your Spirit, for the sake of the wholeness 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)

God, I Surrender       (Original song)

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
All my desires I give to you.
Take them from me and make me new.
   
God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
Trusting you wholly I follow you
Take my life and make me new.
  
God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
I am a seed that has died in you.
Raise me to serve and make me new.

God, you have searched me    (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)
                   [ Psalm 139, Psalm 51]

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

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

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


Into the Darkness (Original song)

Only the seed that has died and is buried
lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying,
so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires,
all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried.
Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth and have mercy and wash me
deep in the dark of my being.
A spirit like bread that is taken and broken:
this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart poor in spirit,
willing and steadfast and made new,
my life I lose; let your cross lift me up now.
One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


Seeds of Light     (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
       [May be used as an invitation to communion,
       or the three verses used as Eucharistic Prayer responses.]

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

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

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


Shine In Me       (Tune: Breathe on Me, Breath of God)

Shine in me, light of God: into my shadows shine,
all that is dark and hidden, show; reveal with your light divine.

Open the window, Love, into my heart’s abyss:
fears and desires, all wants and wounds bring into your light and bless.

What is unseen reveal; give me the gift of sight,
lighten the shadows deep within and, Love, make my darkness light.

Shine in me, light of God, your mercy gleaming bright.
I am the lantern, you the flame. Love, let me live in your light.


You are the soil (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
      [The verses of this song could also be used as Eucharistic Prayer Responses]

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

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

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

March 3, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Exodus 20. 1-17. The Ten Commandments.

Psalm 19. The heavens are telling the glory of God. The law of God is perfect. Clear me from hidden faults. Let my words and thoughts be acceptable to you.

1 Corinthians 1. 18-25 The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but we proclaim Christ crucified.

John 2 .13-22 Jesus “cleanses” the temple.

Preaching Thoughts

Today’s’ scriptures invite us to trust and be faithful to God’s Covenant not in order to be saved, but because we already are.

Exodus
        See Ten Commandments: Variations and Meditations for further reflections and some paraphrases.
       The Ten Commandments do not belong in courthouses. (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me?” Are you kidding? The way we idolize money, violence, military power, popularity, nationalism and white supremacy? Our courts would be a mess! And, golly, this country’s economy is built on coveting.) The “commandments” are not rules God imposes on the world. They’re a religious practice. They’re spiritual disciplines. They’re the vows Israel takes to be faithful to God’s covenant—Israel’s marriage vows to God. They’re our reciprocation of God’s love, rising out of our love of God—not out of moral obligation. And they’re ours—as personal as wedding vows. They’re not for others. They’re a picture of what it looks like to love God and love your neighbor.
      God’s laws are not hoops to jump through, as if God is testing our loyalty by making us do certain tricks. They’re how we affirm and support life. “Because God says so” is not a valid rationale for religious laws. There’s a reason God says so: pay attention to the reason—the spirit of the law, not just the letter. Though most of them are stated in the negative—“Thou shalt not…”— they’re ways of living positively, ways of honoring and serving life. Think of them as positives: Trust God, receive grace, be faithful, be gentle, share generously…
       The Sabbath commandment is the only one with a rationale attached, both here and in the other version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5.6-21. And since it’s Jewish, if there are two versions of the Ten Commandments, there will be two different rationales for the Sabbath commandment. In Exodus it’s because God rested on the seventh day. It suggests that beyond our doing there is holiness in our being. In Deuteronomy it’s that you were slaves in Egypt but God set you free: you are not going back to that! Your worth is not measured by your productivity but simply because you are God’s. Again, our value is in our being rather than our doing. (This understanding places a healthy corrective on God’s laws: even when we don’t obey them God still loves us, because our value is in our being, not our doing!)

Psalm
       If our eyes are open we see the Word of God in all Creation. The “law of God” is not a requirement, but simply what is True. God’s law is not an order like a civil “law” but the way it is, like the law of gravity, or the laws of nature. God’s law is love. It’s the way God works, and the way we live in harmony with God’s will.
       And of course, like singers who don’t know they’re out of tune, we’re out of tune with God most of the time. So we listen, and we pray for wisdom to discern our “hidden faults” so as to be faithful to God’s way.

1 Corinthians
      “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.” God is not a “thing,” even a “person,” we can actually talk about; words are useless. God’s grace is not an idea we can agree with or disagree with. It’s not a rational entity at all. The great paradox is that, as The Cloud of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. Or as Martin Buber says, “God can properly only be addressed, but not expressed.” The reality of God is beyond rational understanding, and God’s grace does not fit in any intellectual or emotional frames. So the cross—the story of Jesus’ self-sacrificing love—doesn’t make “sense” as Greek philosophers sought, or seem like a sign of God’s power as Paul’s fellow Jews expected. But it gives us life. We’re still stuck on wanting it to either make sense or display power. But God’s wisdom and power don’t fit our categories or expectations. You can’t comprehend God’s truth through rational thought any more than you can smell a symphony. Love operates in a different field of energy. And love seldom appears powerful. It often looks like loss, weakness or surrender. But there is life in it. Primarily the way we come to see that is not through signs or explanations but through experience. People will not come to love God through having things explained to them, or seeing some wondrous sign; they’ll come to love by being loved.

John
      Jesus’ argument with temple commerce is not that people are overcharging or that money is filthy. He’s shutting down the possibility of sacrifices. It’s as if he’s saying “Don’t give God coins or animals, give God yourself.” Give to God what is God’s. (And stop making others—even animals—pay for you.) Jesus is actually deeply faithful to the temple—he goes there to pray and to teach. But he’s against a religious system that emphasizes pious acts over actual love. His action in the temple echoes what he says when he quotes Hosea 6.6 (twice! Mt 9.13 and12.7): God says, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He echoes the frequent critiques of the prophets against religious sacrifices as a substitute for justice. (“I hate your feasts and festivals…”) Part of his thinking may also be that the temple taxes and offerings put an inordinate burden on the poor. By prohibiting sacrifices (that some could not afford) Jesus puts everyone on equal footing before God.
      Be careful not to fall into the trap of presenting Jesus’ action as against Judaism. I sometimes hear Jewish faith portrayed as offering sacrifices to appease or please God, as if to earn God’s favor, in contrast with Christianity that has faith in God’s grace. Sacrifices weren’t meant to curry God’s favor. They were spiritual practices of commitment and gratitude, ways not so much to show God how faithful you were but to remind yourself to be faithful, to actually practice the generosity God empowers you to do. Jesus’ actions aren’t drawing a line between Jewish and Christian worship, but between mere religious devotion and actively loving. He’s forcing us to give our sacrifices to other people instead of—or rather as a way of—giving them to God. Remember how he complained (Mark 7.9-13) about people giving their offerings to God instead of to their elders?
      In what ways is Jesus symbolically “cleansing” the structures of your religious beliefs and practice? How might he be challenging “good deeds” you do that shield you from actually loving? (“I gave at church… so I don’t have to actually go to the homeless shelter…”) In what ways does Jesus challenge your sense of spiritual entitlement—that you’ve made the right sacrifice, so God “ought” to help you—rather than receiving grace as pure gift?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: We stand in the temple of the universe, the holy place where God dwells.
All: We worship in awe and gratitude.
We gather in the temple of the Body of Christ, where God is lovingly present for us.
We worship in love and peace.
Our own bodies are temples of God, where the Spirit works miracles.
We worship in humility, with open hearts.
Grant us forgiveness and life, and receive our gifts.

2.
Leader: Galaxies, spinning, cry: Glory!
All: God’s Word enters us and cries, Life!
Loving God, receive us; receive our prayers; receive our praise.
Gracious God, guide us now, that we may embrace you and your love.

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you.
All: Source of life, we return to you.
Christ, light of God’s forgiveness, we thank you.
Brother and healer, we open our hearts to you.
Holy Spirit, new life of God, you rise in us.
You make us holy, and make our lives a sacred offering,
We give them to you, in the name of your love. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy One, we come into your presence to offer that most precious of gifts to you: our open, listening hearts. We lay aside our pride and certainty, and come humbly seeking your grace. Speak to us and let your Word transform us into your offering for the sake of your will for the blessing of all people, for healing and justice, for the completion of Creation. Amen.

2.
Cleanse the temple of our hearts, O God, of all that would distance us from you. Bring us close and hold us near in your loving grace. Speak your Word to us, that we may be made whole. Amen.

3.
Gracious and faithful God, all Creation sings with your love. You speak your Word in all things, your Law in each moment. Help us to hear now, so that we may see your way more clearly and love you more deeply, and serve you more fully, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you have established your Covenant with us, promising to be our God and calling us to be your people. Calm our anxious hearts and order our scattered lives by writing your Word on our hearts. Instill your ways in us, and restore in us the grace of your Covenant, so that we might worthily worship you by serving you, now and always, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Gentle God
whose only law is love,
cleanse the temple of my heart
of all I think I must do
for you to love me,
and of all that keeps me
from loving freely.
May the thoughts of my mind
and the prayers of my heart
feast on your delight. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
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 of love, we confess our need for your grace.
In the temple of our hearts,
receive our gifts,
forgive our sin, and set us free.
We offer up to you all in us that you would transform by your grace.
                  Silent prayer … the word of grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, we bring our whole lives into the light of God’s grace.
For those times we have been most in harmony with you, O God, we give thanks.
          …Silent reflection…
God of grace, we thank you,
for your mercy is great.
For those times we have been most out of harmony with you, O God,
we ask your forgiveness and healing.
          …Silent reflection…
God of grace, we thank you,
for your mercy is great.
Siblings in Christ, in the love of God and the grace of our Beloved Jesus Christ
your sins are entirely forgiven, and you are set free
to live by the power of God’s Spirit alone, now, to eternal life.
Thanks be to God.
         … Passing the peace

3.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Loving God, we are nothing without you.
We confess our need for your saving, life-giving grace.
We turn from our self-saving, and rely upon you wholly.
In the grace which we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, and renew us. Amen.

4.
Holy and loving God,
you have created us to live in harmony with you and with all Creation;
but I have not always lived in harmony.
Some of my sin I can see; but some only you know.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask you to forgive my disharmony,
and deliver me from the forces that distort my life
Heal the fear that leads me away from you.
and change my heart,
so that I may truly live in harmony with you and all Creation,
in the love of Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Readings

1.
Click here for Psalm 19, a paraphrase.


2.
1 Corinthians 1.18-25. A parpahrase

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who don’t mind throwing their lives away, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
       “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
      and the discernment of the discerning
            I will thwart.”

Show me one who is wise. Show me a scholar. Show me a debater of this age. When it comes to understanding God, all their worldly wisdom is completely foolish. Reason doesn’t work to come to know God. So God uses this news about the cross, and even though it sounds foolish, it saves those who trust it.

Jews demand to see signs from God, and Greeks want to figure everything out. But we are proclaiming Christ crucified, which sounds awful to the Jews and makes no sense to the Greeks. But to those whom God calls, both Jews and gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.
The devout want lofty feelings and the cynical want proof,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a challenge to head and heart alike;
but in this mystery we find the power of God and the wisdom of God.
God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom,
and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
God’s love is greater than any law.
It is that love we cherish, honor, and obey. Alleluia.

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 we give you thanks, for you create us out of your love.
We who are the image of your love return to you with love.
You make covenant to be our God, and you set us free from all that oppresses us.
You have set us free from all demands, free to be your beloved community.
You walk with us toward new life, giving us Jesus to show us the way.
We turn to you in gratitude, to offer our gifts and sing your praise,
joining with one voice 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 love, and blessed is Jesus, your Anointed One.
He taught and healed, he lifted up the poor and received their gifts,
he confronted the injustice of the demands of the powerful,
and established a new Realm in which love is the only currency.
He cherished your love in the temple of his body,
and for his rebellion against the Empire they destroyed his body.
He was crucified; but you raised him from the dead.
He is your living law, and he is our 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 of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be the Body of Christ for the world.
For you desire mercy, not sacrifice:
you call us to love, freed from the fear of inadequacy,
filled with your Spirit, our bodies temples of your grace.
All glory and honor is yours, loving God, now and forever.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

We thank you, God: for you created us in your image
and made Covenant to be our God—grace for which we cannot repay!
You have brought us out of slavery and gave us a place of belonging—
blessing without price!
You have walked with us in Christ, who shares our suffering
and gives himself to us in love—a gift we cannot match!
Therefore we come to his table singing your praise with all Creation:

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught; he gathered the outcast; he confronted injustice.
He occupied our violence, to awaken us and lead us to a new Way.
He showed us how to love you in each other,
and embodied your commandments as one:
to love one another as you have loved us.

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts 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,
transformed by your grace and forgiveness.
May our love be our sacrifice.
May our offering be our service for healing and justice,
that we may bring your love to all Creation in the name of Christ.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

————— #3 —————
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

In the beginning, you created us in love.
You made Covenant with us to be in love always;
and when we have broken that Covenant
you have come to us in love.
You have judged the forces of oppression, set us free,
and given us a place of belonging in your house.
You have spoken to us your Word, showed us your Way,
and given us love we could not earn.
Therefore with all your Beloved people,
with all of Creation, and the communion of the saints,
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 loved and taught; he gathered the outcast; he confronted injustice.
As threats mounted and his death drew near
he chose, instead of making a sacrifice, to be a sacrifice.
He has given us faith that lives in acts of compassion,
that fulfills your commandments in love of each other,
love that he has given us.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as our 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,
asking no one to sacrifice for us,
but giving of ourselves in love/
for the sake of the healing of the world,
in the name and Spirit of Christ.
     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have not given us worldly riches or power; you have given us your priceless love and your mighty grace. Send us into the world as your humble, confident servants, for the sake of the good news of your Realm of grace, in the name of Jesus. 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.) Send us into the world to obey and to embody your commandment to love, in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Eucharistic Responses : Eleven sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to familiar hymn tunes appropriate for Lent. Two of them also include “table songs” of invitation/preparation for communion.

Table Song: Feed Us Your Grace (Tune: Finlandia)
(Among Table Songs, one- and two-verse songs of invitation and preparation for communion set to familiar hymn tunes.)

You call us, Christ, to take our cross and follow,
but first you bring us here to feast with you.
Our gifts we bring, to celebrate your loving.
Our lives we give, to die and rise anew.
Feed us your grace, your spirit of compassion;
make us your body now, your will to do.

February 25, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 17. 1-7, 15-16 — God makes a covenant with Abram and Sarai, a promise of offspring and land.

Psalm 22. 23-31 — God tended to me in my affliction. The poor shall eat and be satisfied.

Romans 4. 13-25 —Abraham was considered “righteous” by trusting the promise. Our righteousness is a gift of God’s grace; we see it in the resurrection.

Mark 8. 31-38 — Jesus predicts he will be killed, and Peter objects. “Take up your cross and follow. Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose it will save it.”

Preaching Thoughts

Today’s scriptures continue the theme of trusting in God’s promises.

Genesis
       God’s covenant makes Abram and Sarai new people, so they receive new names: Abraham and Sarah. Repentance isn’t just shedding bad habits. It’s opening ourselves to God’s promises, which changes our lives as much as having a baby does. Repentance isn’t as much like becoming a new person as it is discovering the real person that’s inside of us already—like a miraculous child within Sarai.

Psalm
       “Dominion belongs to God. To God, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down” (v. 29). You can take this in a triumphalist way: everybody on earth will convert to our religion. Or you can take it in a more inclusive way: everyone in the world belongs to God and receives God’s blessings.

Romans
      Abraham was considered “righteous” not by being law-abiding, but simply by trusting God’s promise. Our righteousness is not a matter of believing the right things or being theologically or morally correct, but trusting in God’s grace. It’s not about us being good, it’s about surrendering our lives to God’s goodness.

Mark
       Jesus’s “passion prediction” isn’t necessarily knowing the future. Jesus knows how things work, how power represses resistance, how evil fights back against good. He sees who has power, who’s threatened, who is against him. It doesn’t take a seer to know what’s happening.
    Jesus’ rebuke of Peter isn’t merely that Peter is disagreeing with Jesus, or contradicting “God’s plan,” but that Peter is thinking life is something we cling to rather than something we give away. “Divine things” is not God’s intent to get Jesus killed. It’s grace. It’s the miraculous gospel that when we give our lives away in love God gives us new life. You ”lose” your self-centered, self-enclosed life, and are given life as a part of God’s infinite life, what Paul will come to call the Body of Christ. The little, ego-driven self thinks of it as loss… but the result is life—“and abundantly.”
      What Jesus means by taking up our cross is being willing to suffer for the sake of love. It’s not a nuisance. It’s not all about unpleasantness. We trivialize it when we treat it like that: enduring an unpleasant uncle is “your cross to bear.” Bearing the cross certainly involves suffering, but it’s not just taking on suffering for the sake of being miserable or winning piety points. It’s entering into the suffering of others for the sake of healing, justice reconciliation, or even simply accompaniment. And because it’s an act of love it is therefore a joy. Because, remember it’s not really your cross: it’s Jesus’, and he’s carrying it with you. What better thing, even if it’s painful, than to be side by side with Jesus? “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus says to Julian of Norwich, “Lo, how I loved thee!… And now is all my bitter pain and all my hard travail turned to endless joy and bliss to me and to thee…. If I might suffer more, I would suffer more.” To avoid pain and suffering is the task of what Jesus says to Peter is “human things,” what Paul calls “life according to the flesh.” To love, even at the cost of pain, is what Jesus calls “divine things,” what Paul calls “living in the Spirit.” Death on the cross of love is the doorway to the resurrection to Real Life, infinite life, eternal life. So even the suffering of the cross is joy.
      Ponder “gaining the world and forfeiting your life.” How do we trade away life in God for the sake of worldly “profit?” When do we choose reputation over love, or comfort over justice, or riches over relationship? Life is more than financial security or even biological survival. It’s relationship with others and with God.
      Jesus comment about the Son of Man being ashamed of those who are ashamed of him sounds like a writer’s addition to Jesus’ words. Jesus did not trade in shame. He also seemed to be OK with people not agreeing with him, not following him, not seeing things his way. I don’t think Jesus was preparing to judge humankind. I think he was just trying to teach people to trust God and love.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of mercy, you hear the cries of the afflicted.
All: God of love, you hear the voice of our pain.
You save us, and we praise you.
You bless us, and we worship you.
By the mystery of the cross you are with us in our suffering.
Redeem us, and bring us to life.

2.
Leader: God of infinite love, you have suffered in Christ for our sake.
All: This is a mystery!
You have suffered because you love us.
This is a gift!
You call us to take up our cross and follow Jesus,
to enter into the suffering of the world.
This is our calling!
But to follow, we need you.
So we come to you, to give thanks,
to pray, and to worship. Bless us with your grace. Amen.

3.
Leader: We are gathered in the grace of God.
All: Holy One, hold us in your love.
We journey with Jesus toward the cross.
Beloved, sustain us with your love.
We lay down our lives and follow.
Holy Spirit, fill us with your love. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gracious and loving God, we want to follow Jesus. So we open our hearts to your living Word, that it will bless us and change us, and draw us closer to you, to our neighbors, and to all Creation. We pray in the name and the company of Jesus. Amen.

2.
Loving God, your passion for the world is infinite. Jesus bore the cross in the power of your love, and calls us to do the same. Be our faith and courage; be our love. Speak to us, we who cling to life, and call us to life. Amen.

3.
Gentle God, Christ did not cling to his status, but emptied himself and became humbly obedient, even to the point of death on a cross, so that we might have life. Therefore you have highly exalted him, that everyone should honor him. Grant that in gratitude for his grace we may humble ourselves, become obedient, and take up our cross for your sake and for the sake of the Good News, to your glory. Amen.

4.
God of our lives, we are hungry for your Word. We cling to many things that do not give us life. Feed us the Word that gives us life. Help us to follow Jesus. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Christ, you who bear the cross,
you share our suffering in love.
You draw near to us in our struggles.
We open our hearts to you,
that your love may become ours.
Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of love, in the mercy of Christ, who dies on the cross of our sin, yet forgives,you receive our whole lives with grace.Forgive what is hurtful, heal what is fearful,and redeem us in the power of your Spirit.

2.
Gracious God
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide, and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips tremble to name,
what our hearts no longer can bear,
and what has become for us
a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past we cannot change;
open us to a future in which we can be changed;
and grant us grace to grow more and more
into your likeness and image;
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

3.
Gentle God, we confess that we have not loved you wholly, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We confess our lack of compassion, our assent to violence and injustice, as individuals and as a nation, and we humbly repent. For our rebelliousness and our pride we ask your forgiveness. Forgive our sin, O God, change our hearts, and renew us in your Spirit, to live in the spirit of your love alone.

4.
The grace of God is with you.And
also with you.
Christ bids us to take up our cross and follow him. Yet we assert our own will, and go our own way. In the Spirit of Christ, we return to God, confess our sin, and open our hearts to be transformed, that we may follow Christ in the Way of the Cross.
God of mercy, we confess that we have not loved you out of our whole heart and soul, our understanding and our actions. Nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. Heal our broken hearts, forgive our sin, and make us new, so that we might do your will alone.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

Leader: Eternal and almighty God, creator of the universe, we worship you.
All: You are infinite in Being. Your glory is beyond our words.
Yet in Christ you have come to us in love, as a humble servant.
In tender compassion, you have suffered for us. We thank you.
In Christ you have called us to follow, in love for one another.
Grant us your Spirit, that with Christ
we may truly love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength,
and love our neighbors as ourselves.
May we serve you with courage, trust and hope.
Spirit of life, transform us by your grace. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

1.
In your Love, a song, below, may serve as a musical Eucharistic Prayer.

2.
[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

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

We thank you, God, for you create life,
life that is not mere existence, but life in you.
You create us in your image and put your Spirit within us.
By the power of life-over-against-death
you confront the powers of evil, and set us free.
Because we betray our true life in you
you send us Jesus, to show us your love.
So in gratitude we sing with all of Creation:
            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught, he created a community of the outcast,
and he touched those who were in pain.
He shared our suffering so that we might share in your grace.
He called us to take up our cross,
to be willing to suffer for love.
In this meal we behold the mystery of the gospel:
when we surrender our lives in love you give us new lives.
In this meal Jesus gives himself for us,
and in that love, though he died, he lives on.

[ 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 our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, that we may be the Body of Christ,
broken for the world in love.
Give us courage to enter the suffering of the world with Christ,
trusting in your Resurrection.
By your grace may we lose our lives in love,
serving the world in the name of Christ, and receive eternal life
in the power of your Spirit, 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.) Our lives are taken up into the life of Christ, crucified and risen. No longer alone, no longer afraid, we are one in Christ. May we take up our cross and follow, for the healing of the world. 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 filled us with the love by which Jesus bore the cross. Send us into the world with your compassion for those who suffer, in the name of Christ and the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) In laying down his life, Christ has given us life. Filled now with his spirit, may we go forth to lay down our lives for the sake of your good news, so that, dying and rising with him, we may know eternal life. For the sake of the redemption of the world, send us forth in the name of Christ, and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have poured out your life for us, and we have received. Grant that we may pour out our lives for the world, knowing by your grace we will receive life. Send us, accompany us and guide us, in the name of Christ and the life-giving power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

                               Brief (repeatable) prayer songs

Kyrie, Six Versions (All original tunes. Some are part of Eucharistic settings.)
     Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
          (Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.)

The Jesus Prayer     (Original song)
       Jesus, Beloved of God, have mercy on me, for I need you.

God, Be Merciful to Me (Original song)
        God, be merciful to me.
        With empty hands and open
        I turn to you for mercy.

Eucharistic Responses
(Eleven sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to the tunes of familiar hymns appropriate for Lent. Two of them also include “table songs” of invitation/preparation for communion.)


Table Song: Feed Us Your Grace (Tune: Finlandia)
          (Can be found in Table Songs, songs of invitation and preparation for Communion.)

You call us, Christ, to take our cross and follow,
but first you bring us here to feast with you.
Our gifts we bring, to celebrate your loving.
Our lives we give, to die and rise anew.
Feed us your grace, your spirit of compassion;
make us your body now, your will to do.

                                  Regular Songs

Christ in Your Pain (Original song)

Christ, in your pain for the world, we are healed.
       May our hearts be yours.
Christ, in our pain for the world, we are one.
       Grant your Spirit, Lord.
Christ, in your pain for the world we are saved.
       May your heart be ours.


I Take Up My Cross (Original song)

Congregation:
Letting go, I am held. I take up my cross and follow.

Cantor
1. Jesus, you call to me, and draw me into your life.
2. Christ, I leave all behind, to follow you in love.
3. I yield my life to you, for you alone are God.
4. Loved with your costly love, I’ll suffer for the sake of love.
5. Christ, make my one desire to be to serve you in love.


In Your Love        (Tune: What Wondrous Love)
[May serve as a Eucharistic prayer]

Our thanks we give to you, holy God, Loving One.
All earth and heaven shine with your love.
You form us wonderfully, and love us faithfully,
and come and set us free by your love, by your love.
Hosanna, God on high, Loving One!

How blest is Christ, who comes in your name, in your love,
who blessed and taught and healed in your love.
In love your Christ has died, is risen at our side,
and still will come again in your love, in your love,
and Christ will come again in your love.

Pour out your Spirit, God, on this bread, on this wine:
for they are Christ made real in your love.
Make us the Body, too, of Christ, now sent from you,
that we your will may do in your love, in your love.
We offer you our lives in your love.


Into the Darkness (Original song)

Only the seed that has died and is buried
lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying,
so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires,
all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried.
Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth and have mercy and wash me
deep in the dark of my being,
a spirit like bread that is taken and broken:
this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart pure in spirit,
willing and steadfast and made new.
My life I lose; let your cross lift me up now.
One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


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

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

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

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

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


Your Healing Cross       (Tune: The River Is Wide)

Dear gentle Christ, in love you died;
for us you wept, were crucified.
and, through your pain, the blood they drew,
we see the love that carried you.

And so for you, we gladly live,
our love, our hearts we freely give.
We neither fear despair nor death,
but trust your grace in every breath.

As one with you who died and rose,
we give our hearts and hands to those
who suffer need, or pain or loss;
in love we bear your healing cross.