Year C – Page 3 – Unfolding Light

OT 15 – Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

July 13, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Amos 7.7-17 — God’s plumb line. Doom for Israel oppressing the poor.

Psalm 82 cries out for justice for the poor and oppressed.

Colossians 1. 1-14 — The gospel has been bearing fruit among you…. May you be made strong to endure… God has rescued us from the power of darkness.

Luke 10. 25-37 —The good Samaritan.

Preaching Thoughts

Amos
      There are three parts to this passage, and three dimensions of the prophetic message.
1. God won’t be bent. We’re tempted to somehow distort God’s demand for justice to fit our desires, but the plumb line will hang true.
2. Oppressive powers, and all who participate in them, will object. That’s not just the king, or those in power; there’s a part of us that doesn’t want to disturb or sacrifice our comfort, security, power and belonging to bring about justice for the poor and rejected.
3. The prophet speaks out anyway. Jesus notes that to be a prophet isn’t just to speak for God, but to speak under threat, and often to pay a price. We should not expect differently. (Those who complain about a “war on Christianity” forget that there is always a war against truth. Those who feel entitled and aggrieved probably aren’t proclaiming God’s truth, but something more selfish.)

Colossians
         If it’s true that “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the realm of God’s Beloved” (1.13) then that whole thing about the war between good and evil, light and darkness, is baloney. It’s over. Sure, we have to wrestle with our own shadows, our selfish fears, desires and habits—but even when we fail (and often we do), we’re already, and always, in the realm of God’s light. The anxious language of a “battle” against evil only makes us more anxious and concerned with our own strength—and therefore more susceptible to evil. Instead the invitation is to live in the light, and trust the power of the light to change the darkness. Many good Christians are “worried about going to heaven,” when the promise is that we already have “redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (1.14). The challenge is not to be good enough to deserve to get into the realm of grace but to be faithful enough to look around and appreciate it, and act like it.

Luke
        The usual sermon on this text says, “The Samaritan was a good guy. Go be like him.” yes, we should be generous and compassionate, even to strangers and foreigners. But it’s easy to overlook the fact that a Samaritan was a “bad guy,” despised by Jesus’ people. There are many ways that I, a white, male, middle class, straight Christian, can’t just go and be a Samaritan, good or otherwise. I’m too privileged. That would have been true for Jesus’ audience as well. Maybe Jesus is inviting us to both acknowledge our privilege and to find ways to be in solidarity with those who are treated as second class citizens.
         We often preach about choosing between being the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan. But we are also the man in the ditch. We easily forget how broken we are, how needy we are, how dependent on others. The parable invites us to trade our smugness for gratitude. Before we decide “who is our neighbor” (as Jesus is asked) we need to realize who has been neighbor to us (as Jesus describes): who has helped us—especially those we ignore or discount, like poor laborers, immigrants, and endangered “essential workers.” We are dependent on the very Samaritans we want to exclude. Who have been those unsung helpers and heroes in your life—especially the ones you don’t want to acknowledge?
        The parable suggests that God comes to us in ways and in people we detest. This message feels uncomfortable—but it probably should be at least as hard for us to swallow as it would have for Jesus’ hearers. Even unwelcome experiences may be “Samaritan moments” for us: times when what we want to reject actually bears God’s grace for us.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy One, you provide for us in ways we never know.
All: Alleluia! We praise you!
Loving Christ, you heal us, accompany us and set us on our feet when we have fallen.
Alleluia! We thank you!
Holy Spirit, you empower us with gratitude and compassion, with humility and courage.
Alleluia! Shape us by your grace, that we may bear your love into this world.

2.
Leader: God of generosity, you provide for us abundantly.
All: We open our hearts to your presence.
Loving Christ, you grant us deep, deep mercy.
We open our hearts to your healing.
Holy Spirit, you fill us with compassion and grace.
We open our hearts to your power.
By your grace, make us grateful and merciful people. Amen.

3. (Colossians 1.9-14)
Leader: Alleluia! God has rescued us from the power of darkness
and transferred us into the Realm of the Beloved!
All: Alleluia! In Christ we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Siblings in Christ, may you be filled with the knowledge of God’s will,
in deep spiritual wisdom and understanding.
May we lead lives worthy of the Loving One, fully pleasing to God,
as we bear fruit in every good work and as we grow in the knowledge of God.
May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from God’s glorious power.
Prepare us, Beloved, to endure everything with patience,
while joyfully giving thanks to you;
for in you, with all the saints, we inherit your light. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Holy One, giver of Life, you breathe us into being.
All: With all living things we thank you. With all beings we praise you.
Living Christ, you save and heal all people alike, without distinction.
You open your heart as a safe place for us.
With all who are grateful we honor you.
With all who long for life we turn to you for blessing.
Holy Spirit, you gather us in one body and fill our hearts with joy.
With all who follow Christ we sing your praise,
and we open our hearts to you.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Loving God, amidst our evil you set a plumb line of justice.
All:We praise you.
In our brokenness you heal us.
We thank you.
You enfold us in your light.
We worship you. Fill us with your love. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, we greet you!
All: We praise you; we worship you!
You have rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the Dominion of your Beloved.
Joyfully we give you thanks, and ask your blessing.
Grant your peace to all who worship you here today.
Grant your peace to all the world,
to those in need who await your rescue.
Bless your Church, that in the Spirit of Christ
we may love our neighbors and serve them with humility and compassion.
Alleluia! Empower us in our worship to do your will. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God, in a world driven by fear and greed, you set a plumb line in the midst of your people by which you determine justice and discern what is good. Speak your Word to us, that though the world resist and our hearts grow faint we may see clearly, act justly, and live faithfully by your grace. Amen.

2.
God of love, your come to us in many ways. Open our hearts to hear and receive. Open our minds to wonder and grow. Open our souls to embrace and be changed. Speak your Word to us, and make us whole. Amen.

3.
God of grace, when our souls are bruised and weary, you come to us. When we are broken and destitute, in spirit or in flesh, you come to us, heal us, and care for us. Speak your healing word to us now, that we may be made whole by your grace, and restored to our neighbor in love, in the power of your Spirit. We listen for your Word, and we await your grace. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we pray that we may filled with the knowledge of your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that we may lead lives worthy of you, bearing fruit in every good work and growing closer to you. Bless us with open hearts and minds, that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

5.
God of truth, we wonder about the meaning of our lives, and wander about this earth searching. Set among us a plumb line, a direction, an anchoring place, a starting place. Speak your Word and give clarity to our lives. In Scripture, in prayer, in silence and the Word, show us your way. Show us our lives. Heavenly Lover, we open our hearts to you. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Holy Mystery,
we cannot know or control
how you come to us.
We open our hearts,
Samaritan God,
to heal us even when we don’t welcome you.

2.
God of healing,
more often than we admit,
we are the poor man in the ditch,
wounded, bereft, and in need.
You come to us in grace.
Heal us, revive us,
and enable us to love
without limitations.

Prayer of Confession

Holy Mystery,
we confess that we reject you
even though you come to heal us;
we ignore you even though you save us.
Samaritan God, forgive us,
overcome our smugness,
and restore in us
a spirit of gratitude and compassion.

Readings

1. (Colossians 1.1-14)
Leader: Since the day we heard of your love, we have not ceased praying for you,
that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will,
in deep spiritual wisdom and understanding.
All: May we lead lives worthy of Christ,
to God’s great delight, as we bear fruit in every good work
and as we grow in the knowledge of God.
May you be made strong with all the strength
that comes from God’s glorious power,
and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience,
joyfully giving thanks to the Holy One,
who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
God has rescued us from the power of darkness
and transferred us into the Realm of the Beloved,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Amen and alleluia!

Response / Creed / Affirmation

         We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be, Lover of the Universe, Womb of Grace.
         We follow Jesus, the Beloved, who embodied God’s love and mercy, who emptied himself and became one who was humble, poor and rejected. He taught and healed; he lived among the poor and lifted up the lowly. He proclaimed God’s prophetic call for justice, and opened our eyes to God’s presence in the neighbor, in the stranger, in the enemy. For his love he was crucified, and in love he was raised, and lives among us now, still among the poor and outcast.
         We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s love alive in us. We serve in the power of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection, the light of eternal life. In God’s Spirit we are one body, the church, sent in love for the healing of the world, in the name of Christ, who with the Spirit lives and reigns with God forever. Amen.

2.(Colossians 1.1-14)
Leader: Our Father, our Mother, we give thanks to you,
for you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and instilled in us the light that all your children receive.
All: Alleluia! God, we praise you, and we want to grow closer to you.
You have brought us into the Realm of your Beloved, who sets us free,
Christ, who forgives us and gives us life again.
Alleluia! Christ, we thank you.
Give us your strength, your patience and your wisdom.
You fill us with faith and hope and love that bears fruit among us.
Alleluia! Holy Spirit, we open our hearts to you,
that our hope may bear fruit, that we may discern what gives you delight,
and that we may live in harmony with you. Alleluia!

A prayer of Blessing

[Colossians 1.1-14. A baptismal blessing; may be adapted for leader and congregation, or the congregation in two groups speaking to each other, substituting “Beloved” for the name.]

Sponsor: (Name), we do not cease praying for you:
All: May you always discern God’s delight.
May the Spirit give you a loving vision of the world.
May you be in harmony with the Holy One,
your life a gift to God.
May you continually grow closer to God.
Your life be full of loving deeds.
God’s grace be strong in you.
May you be prepared to endure everything with patience.
May gratitude to God fill your heart:
for as with all her children, her holy ones,
the Loving One has claimed you
and given you her light.
She has rescued us
from the dark tombs that encase us
and brought us into the realm of her Beloved,
in whom we have life again,
and we are set free. Alleluia!

Eucharistic Prayer

             [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]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who held fast your plumb-line of justice:
he fed the hungry, healed the broken,
and showed us your grace among the outcast and rejected.
He proclaimed our redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He confronted the powers that oppress.
For his resistance he was crucified;
but you raised him from the dead,
and with him delivered us from the shadowy powers.

     (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:

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 we lead lives worthy of the Beloved,
fully pleasing to Christ, as we bear fruit in every good work,
growing ever nearer to you.
May we be made strong with all the strength
that comes from your glorious power,
prepared to endure everything with with patience,
joyfully giving thanks to 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

1.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You have blessed us in ways we have not expected, not even seen. Now send us out as your unnoticed angels to bless others, even our enemies, in the name and Spirit of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

2. (Colossians 1.1-14)
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. By your grace may we be filled with the knowledge of your will, in deep spiritual wisdom and understanding. May we lead lives worthy of you, fully pleasing to you, as we bear fruit in every good work and as we grow in our knowledge of you. May we be made strong with all the strength that comes from your glorious power. Prepare us, O Lord, to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to you; for in you, with all the saints, we inherit your light. Send us into the world now, not as benefactors to the poor but sisters and brothers with them, sharing your grace and love in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, though we have turned against you, you have bent over us in tender compassion and healed us. And so, grateful for your mercy and radiant with your love, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to extend compassion to our neighbor, and even to our enemy, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, and in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to proclaim your nearness, to heal the broken and cast out evil, to stand up for justice and to share your peace with all Creation, for the sake of the transformation of the world, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have come to us as one unknown; yet you have healed and nourished us. Send us now in your Spirit, guided by the light of your love and the plumb line of your justice, to love our neighbors, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Angels in Disguise (Original song)

For the angels in all disguises who have loved us in so many ways,
we have come to expect your surprises; we have come to sing your praise.
[Refrain:] God, you have loved us more than we believed.
Help us to be humble; help us to receive.

We have asked for your Word’s revealing without listening to all that you say,
and the ones who would bring us your healing we have pridefully turned away.

When we dare to be unprotected from a foe of Samaritan cast
when we welcome the ones we rejected, then we meet you, God, at last.

Have we enemies? Love them dearly, for the pones we reject or despise
are the ones we will some day see clearly as your angels in disguise.

Do Justice (Original song)

Do justice, love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.
O, help us humbly live your justice,
your love, your mercy.

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.

You are the Nerve (Tune: Finlandia)

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

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

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

OT 13- Third Sunday after Pentecost

June 29, 2025

Lectionary Texts

2 Kings 2. 1-2, 6-14 — Elijah is taken up into heaven. Elisha follows and receives his prophetic spirit.

Psalm 77 — In the day of trouble I seek you. Has God forgotten to be gracious? You are the God who works wonders, as in the exodus.

Galatians 5.1, 13-25 — Christ has set us free. Stay free, but not for self-indulgence: through love become slaves of one another. Live by the Spirit, not the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit.

Luke 9.51-62 — A Samaritan village rejects Jesus. His disciples want to retaliate; Jesus won’t have it. Foxes have holes… No one puts a hand to the plow and looks back…

Preaching Thoughts

Elisha
       Elisha is deeply moved to follow his mentor Elijah to the end, despite being given permission to go home, and being warned that he’ll face deep loss. Poignantly he continues on with Elijah at every stage of the journey. Maybe you’ve seen people of faith who pursue their calling despite resistance, sacrifice and loss. God does that to us. What is it that calls you that strongly? Is there something you’ll stick with “through thick and thin?” How do you encounter God in that?

Galatians
        Flesh and spirit. What Paul means by contrasting “flesh” and “spirit” is not a contrast of “physical” and “spiritual.” They’re both physical. We are subject to the profoundly convincing illusion that we are separate individuals contained in our bodies. Paul calls this “living by the flesh.” It doesn’t mean there’s something evil about our bodies, or about sensual pleasure. It means we think we’re defined by and limited to our flesh. But in fact we—our “selves””—are not separate islands of being. We are part of one vast, immeasurable Being, in the one Spirit. We are all members of one living organism, seemingly separate but actually one being, like different fingers of the same hand, or cells of the same body, living in seemingly separate bodies but actually united in one Spirit. Mindful of our oneness, we live “in the spirit.” The contrast between flesh and spirit isn’t physical versus non-physical; it’s separate versus united. It’s the difference between living according to “I, me and Myself” and living as a member of the Body of Christ. Watch Paul’s vocabulary: pretty consistently by “flesh” he means self-centeredness; by “body” he means the body of Christ.
        Fruit of the Spirit. Here’s a pretty good snapshot of the christian life. What else might it mean to follow Jesus but to live with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Notice it’s one fruit, not a list of fruits. If you;re living by the Spirit you should experience all of these. They’re not “spiritual gifts,” which, in their various combinations, are unique to each of us. These describe the fruit we all experience from living in harmony with the Spirit. You might think of these qualities as the “vital signs” of a living faith. If you’re short on one of them, you could commit to practicing it—but it’s a symptom of living in harmony with God’s energy. Don’t try to have joy; try to live by the Spirit and you’ll receive joy. When we open ourselves to God’s love, these qualities are the natural fruit.

Luke
         Jesus is not welcomed because “he set his face toward Jerusalem.” That might be a form of regional or religious discrimination: the locals are Samaritans, who see folks from Jerusalem as categorically suspect. But it may also be because as a critic of the authoritarian powers, centered in Jerusalem, Jesus is walking toward certain death,—and nobody likes a loser. Of course the disciples want to avoid being losers, so they want to retaliate. They sound like Christians who complain about a “war on Christianity” and seem to want to call down fire on their opponents. Jesus says no. I’m sure he rebuked them partly for thinking God would want such violent behavior, and partly because Jesus is trying to teach them humility and acceptance, and to let go of their sense of superiority. And he likely also rebuked them for thinking—not only how mean, but how vain!—they they could call down fire from heaven. Before we judge them for being so arrogantly mean-spirited, we need to observe how much of our energy (fire from heaven) we spend defending ourselves and our sense of being if not superior, at least right. One thing we have to sacrifice to follow Jesus is our smugness.
         And that’s not all: you’ll surrender your sense of belonging (“nowhere to lay his head”) and be asked to tend to the work at hand. When Jesus says “Let the dead bury the dead” I don’t think he’s asking us to abandon our families. He’s inviting us to be in the present moment, not the past. To put your hand to the plow and not look back is like looking forward while you’re driving. You can’t plow straight lines if you’re not looking ahead. Again, it’s not about denying your memories, but about being in the present moment, and forging ahead even when it’s hard. (Like Elisha.)

       4^th of July. In the US there’s often an expectation that a preacher will say something patriotic the Sunday before the 4^th of July. Galatians says something about patriotism and Independence Day: our freedom is not permission to do whatever we want, but care for the community. That’s the real meaning of patriotism. Not America-first-ism, but being servants of one another—and the flip side of that is seeing to other people’s freedom, so that no one is forced into servitude. Jesus’ reaction to the disciples’ tribalism is a good corrective to the nationalism that masquerades as patriotism. Jesus resist creating any form of insider-outsider schemes. Everyone is included. Patriotism is not only loyalty to the whole nation, including those not like us, it’s also upholding a vision of a nation that’s not only there for itself but for its neighbors as well.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Spirit of Creation, you make us in your image.
All: Spirit, bear your fruit in us.
Christ, you call us to be your messengers.
Spirit, bear your fruit in us.
Holy Spirit, breathe your grace in us, that we may shine with your light,
live with your love, and give of your gifts in us.
Spirit, bear your fruit in us.
Fill us, Holy Spirit, as we worship you. Amen.

2.
Leader: “My people, I call to you.”
All: We look to the halls of power, to the weapons of the mighty, the tools of the merchants, but we do not hear your voice.
“My people, I call to you.”
We look to the confident and the secure, but we do not see your grace.
“My people, I call to you.”
We look to the poor, and you are present. We listen to the voiceless, and you speak to us. We open our broken hearts, and you enter.
“My people, I love you, and I am with you.”
We give you thanks. We give you our lives, and we worship you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
We call to mind your deeds, O God, and meditate on your ways.
Your way is holy, O God; you redeem your people with a mighty arm.
There are no distinctions or divisions;
in Christ we are all your children through faith.
Alleluia! In Christ we worship you as one.Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1. (from Psalm 77)
I will call to mind the deeds of the Holy One;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work, and ponder your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
I will listen with my heart, for you are a God who redeems. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we open our hearts to you, that your Spirit may flourish and bear fruit in us. May we be a garden of love, joy, and peace. May we blossom with patience, faithfulness and self-control. May our gentleness, kindness and generosity bear fruit in the lives of those around us. Help us set aside all that hinders us from perfect love, by the grace of your Beloved, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

God of love, we long for you, yet we are distant from you;
we know some of the things that keep us from you,
and others are hidden.
Open our hearts to see ourselves clearly,
to name what turns us from you,
and to allow you to forgive us, heal us and bring us back to you.

Reading

Galatians 5.1, 13-25 (My version)
Christ has set us truly free. Sand, firm, then, and don’t let yourself be enslaved by anything. But remember: freedom isn’t for the sake of selfishness. Freedom is the power to love each other deeply. After all, the whole law is summed up this one thing: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour one another, you’ll be eaten up by your selfishness. Live by the Spirit that makes us one. Beware of the fearful desires born of thinking you are an isolated unit contained in your flesh. That way of thinking is opposed to the Spirit. The Spirit sets you free from your solitary confinement that prevents you from living fully. If you are led by the Spirit, you are free from having to be good enough.
Now the works of our fearful, self-centered desires are obvious: using other people, clinging to possessions, making enemies, fighting over trivial things, jealousy, temper tantrums, fighting, competition, and all kinds of addictive behaviors. I’ve said before, this is not the way to experience the realm of God. But listen: when the Spirit lives in you it bears fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there? When we live in Christ we let our self-centered desires and attachments die. We live by the Spirit and the Spirit living in us guides us.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. (Ephesians 4. 1-16)

      Leader: I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
      All: There is one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to the one hope of our calling, one Chief, one faith, one baptism, one God and Parent of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
      Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Beloved of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
      We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into the one who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

2. (based on Galatians 5.22-23. I encourage silence after each response…)
Leader: God, you love us deeply.
All: Give us love.
You delight in us.
Give us joy.
You are patient with us.
Give us patience.
You are kind with us.
Give us kindness.
You are generous with us.
Give us generosity.
You are faithful to us.
Give us faithfulness.
You are gentle with us.
Give us faithfulness.
You are full of grace toward us.
Give us self-control.

Listening Prayer

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

Holy Mystery,
foxes have dens, birds have nests,
but the Beloved has no place to rest,
except in my heart.
I will be a nest for your Anointed One,
a resting place for the Beloved.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

1.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. In the power of your Spirit give us grace to follow Christ, to go with your Beloved to the broken places in this world with the news of your love and the light of your presence, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for your grace. You have made us one in Christ, gathered us as your children, and fed us with your word. Send us into the world as one, to break down the barriers that divide us, to reach out to those who are outcast, and to proclaim in word and deed the miracle of your grace for all people. Send us in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit to do your will, for your glory. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

OT 12 – Second Sunday After Pentecost

June 22, 2022

Lectionary Texts

1 Kings 19. 1-15 — Elijah flees to the wilderness. At Mt. Horeb, he encounters God in utter silence. God sends him back to Damascus to get to work.

Psalm 42 — “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul thirsts for you.” Hope in God, who gives us life.

Galatians 3.23-39 — The law was a disciplinarian, but we are justified by God’s love. In Christ you are children of God— no Jew or Greek, male or female…

Luke 8.26-39 — Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac.

Preaching Thoughts

Elijah
         Elijah has fled to the wilderness for escape, but retreat turns into encounter. Sometimes we need to “get away.” But we’re not getting away from God. No such thing. In our retreat we are given the strength, wisdom or power to return to the work of loving the world.
         None of this is Elijah’s doing. It’s all gift. He receives food for strength; he receives a vision of God; he receives instructions. So often, when we’re ready to quit, some angel says, “Here’s what you need to go on.”
         God doesn’t come to Elijah in dramatic special effects. God doesn’t speak to us in that great, booming bass voice of the movies, but in the quiet, in silence, “God’s first language.” If Elijah hears actual words we’re not told of them. Just a tiny, calm voice. God’s “Word” is presence, not words.
         The assurance Elijah might want—protection from the danger he’s in—is not given; only instructions. As if what matters is not our sense of security but our faithfulness to God’s quiet whispers in us; God will take care of our fate. And always, we are sent back into the world, into service.

Galatians
       It’s hard for us to trust that God really, really doesn’t “judge” us. God’s judgment is that we need more love—all of us. No one is actually “better” than anyone else in God’s eyes. Oh, we so desperately want to be better than somebody… Thank God for Hitler—at least we can say God loves us more than him, right? Well, no. God does not love him any less than anybody. We’re all God’s children. We are not “justified” by our goodness, but by God’s. Paul invites us to stop comparing and just receive God’s grace and be grateful. So there are no distinctions: Jew or Greek, Christian or atheist, red or blue, straight or queer.

The Gerasene demoniac
         What a rich story. Jesus has brought the disciples to the “other side”—of the lake… of the tracks… of the border wall…of the aisle… of our consciousness…. This is gentile territory. When we confront our shadow side, the parts of ourselves we can’t see or won’t look at, we encounter the demonic—but also healing and miracles!
         The demon recognizes Jesus for who he really is: not just a healer but a destroyer of evil forces. Jesus’ healing isn’t just the cure of individuals: he’s assaulting the cosmic power of evil itself. He demon’s name is “Legion”— not only meaning many, but specifically a platoon of the Roman Army. In the demon Jesus is also confronting the evil of Roman occupation. A large herd of swine would be unlikely to belong to anyone but a large organization to feed lots of people—like the Roman army. When the swine drown in the lake it’s an image of the power of evil being sent back to the waters of the chaos of Creation, back to square one. Jesus has performed a cosmic healing.
         When the locals see the formerly tormented man “sitting at the feet of Jesus” (that is, learning from him), clothed and in his right mind, they are afraid. They want him to leave. We’re threatened when people we’re accustomed to labeling as unfit, unworthy or deserving to be excluded turn out to be real people. As is often the case, we’re not always comfortable with miracles and healings, both because it disturbs our sense of “everything the way it is,” and also because, like people working for the Roman army, we derive some benefit from our collusion with the structures of oppression. We hate to surrender that benefit, even for the good of others. The demon lives in all of us.
       Jesus’ instructions to the man to go home is itself a great healing: Jesus restores him to his community, to being accepted and respected. Sometimes our greatest call is to go home.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, by your Word you create us.
All: Give us grace to listen to your creating Word.
Loving Christ, you speak your Word and we are healed.
Give us grace to listen to your loving Word.
Holy Spirit, you speak in our hearts in the sound of sheer silence.
Give us grace to listen to your silent Word.
We open the ears of our hearts; and we worship you.

2.
Leader: Holy One, you your Spirit breathes in us.
All: The heart of your love beats in our hearts.
We breathe in the pain of the world.
We breathe out your mercy.
We breathe in the sorrow of the world.
We breathe out your mercy.
You breathe your mercy in us.
Your deep mercy we breathe for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

3.
Leader: The thunder of daily news crashes about us.
All: But God, you speak in a still, small voice.
The earthquakes of our lives rattle us.
But your quiet, persistent whisper stays with us us.
The fire of our fears and desires roars within us.
But your gentle silence invites us in.
We still ourselves, that in the quiet we may hear.

4. ( Based on Psalm 42)
Leader: Living God, as the deer longs for flowing water,
so our souls thirst for you.
All: Fountain of life, well up in us and overflow with your grace.
Risen Christ, when shall we come and behold your face?
Here and now, for you are among us!
Holy Spirit, by day you pour out your steadfast love,
and at night your song is with us.
Alleluia! Come, Holy One, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
Mystery of Love, we worship you.
God, you do not speak to us in earthquake, wind or fire,
but in a still, small voice that whispers.
Help us to listen in stillness.
You are unchanging, but you transform our lives.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
You heal us of our brokenness and restore us to full living.
You rescue us from our isolation and restore us to community.
You overpower the forces of evil, and establish your dominion on the earth.
Alleluia! We gladly tell of the wondrous things you have done! Alleluia!

7.
Leader: People of God, awaken!
All: We awaken to you, O God, and open our hearts to your presence.
Beloved of God, come!
We gather in your spirit, O Christ, and open our hearts to your love.
Body of Christ, arise!
We cross the threshold into your Realm, O Spirit, and open our hearts to your Word.
Draw us into your mystery, nourish our souls, and send us out again
to be and to proclaim your grace for the world. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God, your Spirit murmurs in our hearts, low and quiet.
Help us listen, beneath the noise of this world,
to hear the still, small voice of your presence. Amen.

2.
Loving and gentle God, amid the shouts in the streets and the voices in our heads, we want to hear your still, calm voice. Speak to us, heal us with your Word, and call us to new life in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
God of truth, from you no secrets are hid. You hear what is on our minds; you know what is deep within us. We long to know your Word, to hear your voice, to feel your presence. We long to know you as you know us. As we wait in your presence now, speak to us— in scripture, in words, in silence, in song. May your whispering voice come to us and touch our hearts. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we long for your peace. Voices of power shout at us with words of fear. But in your silent, whispering voice you speak your peace to us. You calm our fears. You heal our wounds. You overcome our demons. Help us to listen in hope, to receive in trust, and to live in faith, by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

5.
God of Truth, the prophet Elijah on the mountain beheld a great wind, and an earthquake, and fire, and finally a soft, murmuring sound. We turn from the rush and roar of the world to listen in the silence for your gentle voice. Open our hearts, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
God, from the raging noises of this world
call us forth to listen
to your still, small voice.
From the voices of the demons in our own heads
shield us, that we may hear
your perfect, loving silence.
Whisper to us, God.
In the silence, be with us.

2.
God of love,
     we come to listen for your voice,
not the voice of power,
     but the voice of love,
not the voice of fear,
     but the voice of love.
In your, small, still voice, speak.

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 need you. This world needs you. We are broken.
Spirits of hate and fear haunt us.
Demons of violence and injustice possess us.
We are part of a hurting and hurtful world.
We are horrified by evil and yet we contribute to it,
though we know not how.
Forgive us, for we know not what we do.
Forgive us, heal us and grant us your mercy,
in the name and the Spirit of the crucified and risen Christ.

2.
God of Love,
from our demons deliver us.
From our fear of our demons rescue us.
From the armies of oppression
and the powers of injustice save us.
Restore us to the beloved people you create us to be,
and to the beloved community.
Jesus, we cry out to you.
Heal us, and set us free.

3.
God, you know the difference between my demons and my soul.
Help me see the demons, the selfish fears,
the attachments and desires that drain life away.
Help me face them, name them, and allow you to transform them.
Though I am beset by faults and brokenness,
help me treasure my soul as you do, and set it free.
Forgive me, heal me, and create me anew.
I open myself to your grace. Amen.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
         We entrust ourselves to God, maker of all that is and all that shall be, Divine Mystery, Heavenly Lover, Eternal Presence.
         We follow Christ, the Word of God made flesh, the Silence of God made real.
In love he taught and healed, cast out demons, and acted with justice and mercy.
He has undermined the power of evil, for he loved in the face of violence; he was crucified by the powers of injustice, and on the third day rose from the dead, and still lives among us, blessing us and calling us to follow.
         We live in the Holy Spirit, God’s love at work in us for others, the Spirit that makes us one Body: one in forgiveness, one in faith, one in ministry to the world.
We go, therefore, nourished by God’s grace, to serve the world in the name of Christ.

2.
       We believe in God, Creator of all, who is not in earthquake, wind or fire, but who is Mystery.
       We trust in Jesus, who is the Christ, who is Love. He taught and healed; he cast out evil and saved the wretched. He heard your word in the poor and the powerless, and in the ordinary things of life. By the forces of violence and oppression he was killed; by God’s grace he was raised again, and lives among us, healing, blessing and speaking God’s Word of love to us.
       We listen to the Holy Spirit, God’s presence in us, who guides and sustains us, who makes of us one body, the Body of Christ. In the power of this Spirit, trusting in the reality of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life, we forgive one another, embrace the outcast, resist evil, listen devoutly for God’s quiet grace, and bless all Creation, for the glory of God. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

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

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who loved and taught and fed the hungry.
He confronted the powers of evil,
both within us and in our systems and structures.
Those powers killed him, but you raised him from the dead,
confirming his covenant to be with us in blessing always.

     (The Blessing and Covenant) *

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

[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

1.
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Send us into the world, attentive to your voice, listening for your will, ready to serve for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us out into the world to tell people the wonderful things you have done. Send us out into the hurting places to heal, into the lonely places to bring love. Send us out into the world of war and violence to enact your Reign of gentle peace. Make us one in Christ, and one in ministry to this broken world, in the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have healed us with your miraculous grace; you have spoken to us in your loving whisper; you have fed us for the journey. Send us now in the peace and the power of your love to aid you in the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Listen (Elijah Version) (Tune: The water Is Wide / Gift of Love)

“Not in the earthquake, fire or wind
will you find me, your faithful friend;
but in the silence is my Word:
it is not spoken, but is heard.

“For when you listen and attend
in silence deep, you meet your Friend,
whose voice no words can catch or hold,
and yet whose love is clearly told.

“And listen well with love’s deep art,
to what is in your neighbor’s heart,
for there I dwell, and there I speak;
and there I hide, for you to seek.

“My glory shines in every face
of my beloved human race.
So listen well with wond’ring care:
behold my glory shining there.

OT 11

Lectionary Texts

In 1 Kings 21. 1-21 King Ahab wants Naboth’s vineyard, his ancestral inheritance, for himself. Ahab’s wife Jezebel gets Naboth killed so that Ahab can take the vineyard. The prophet Elijah confronts Ahab about his evil.

Psalm 5. 1-8 is a lament, crying out to God for justice and protection against the malice and deceit of enemies.

In Galatians 2. 15-21 Paul says we are saved not by our fulfillment of the law, but by God’s grace, which we trust because of Christ. We have “died to the law,” that is, we do not seek life from our efforts to fulfill the law. Instead we live to God: our life comes from God loving in us. So “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” InLuke 7.36 – 8.3 a woman who is a “sinner” anoints Jesus’ feet inappropriately, but Jesus accepts her gift and tells his dinner host a parable about forgiveness. Since she has been forgiven of much, she loves much. Subsequently many women join his ministry.

Preaching Thoughts

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: O God, in your infinite grace, you forgive us perfectly.
All: God of grace, we praise you.
O Christ, in your deep love, you receive our gifts.
Loving Christ, we thank you.
O Holy Spirit, you give us new life.
Spirit of God, fill our hearts with the power of your love,
that with gratitude, humility and compassion
we may welcome, forgive and bless others
as we have been so blessed, in the name of Christ, to your glory. Amen.

2. (Based on Psalm 5)Leader: O Heart of Heaven, Listening One, hear our cry!
All: Through the abundance of your love we enter your house.
Facing your holy presence we worship you in awe.
O Righteous One, you destroy all falsehood, but you bless those who turn to you.
Lead us in your righteousness. Make your path clear before us.
In the morning we bring our praise to you, and we listen for you.
Alleluia! You cover us with favor as with a shield.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

3.Leader:Creator God, we praise you!
People: Risen Christ, we greet you!
In mercy you bestow your forgiveness upon all people;
all humanity is one in our sin and one in your grace.
May the earth be filled with your peace
Alleluia! God of forgiveness, may we worship you always
by being forgiving, in the name of Christ Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, you come to us and make your home with us in all our joys and sorrows. You are present, in love and mercy. We open our hearts to you, to listen for your voice, to receive your grace, to become your people. Only say the word, and we shall be healed. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, a woman anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. We bring to you our sorrow and our gratitude, our amazement and our joy. And you receive us with grace and love. Still and silent at your feet, we open our hearts to your Word. Speak, and call us to new life.

3.
God of grace, we do not live our lives by ourselves: you live in us. Arise now from within and among us, and give voice to our worship. Give ear to our prayers. And give flesh to the Gospel of your grace, so that we might hear your Word and be changed. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.

Congregation: And also with you.

Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.

God of love, for all that is broken in us,

forgive us;

open our hearts to your grace,

that we may forgive as we have been forgiven.

2.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.

All: And also with you.

Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.

Gracious God, we confess our sin: we have not loved you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. Have mercy upon us: forgive our sin, heal our hearts, and renew your Holy Spirit within us, that being born anew by your grace, we may live in the light of your love, in the name of Christ.

Silent prayers of Confession…

RESPONSE

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The lord does not deal with us according to our sins,

nor repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s love for us.

As far as the east is from the west, so far does God remove our transgressions from us.

We thank you, O God!

Show us your ways and teach us your paths,
that we may live in the light of your grace. Amen.

Readings

Psalm 5 — My parpahrase

let the sigh of my heart lie against your chest.
Hold my cry like your child—
you who are Life and all Being,
the One to whom my prayers belong.
You hear me before my day dawns;
in the morning I put my desire in your hands
and I wait.

Evil is like darkness in your light;
in you my deadliness dies.
The closer I draw to you
the farther behind I leave my falsehood.

You see through our arrogance like glass,
and like glass you shatter our wrongdoing.
Your grace destroys our lies,
and our deceit evaporates in your truth.

Your mercy draws me into you;
your presence awes and awakens me.
Lead me, O Love, in your way of blessing,
despite those who would pull me elsewhere:
maintain the path so I don’t miss it.

There are those who are gushers of lies,
deep wells of hurt and destruction.
Their greed is a grave;
their fear is disguised as power.

Don’t let me fall for their deceit.
Let their disguises unravel about them.
Strip them naked of their lies
so that I can stay true to your grace.

Those who nest in you are safe forever;
our lives are songs of joy.
Surround us in your presence,
set free our joy in your embrace.
Your blessing is our inescapable gravity.
You hold us to you with love
as the earth holds us
and the air gives us breath.

Poetry by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
God of love, Creator of all that is and that shall be, we trust in you. You are our Life and our Being, our Source and our End. For your people you have overthrown the powers of injustice, set us free, and given us a place of belonging in this world.

Christ, we follow you. Living Word, embodying God’s love, you taught and healed and performed prophetic acts of justice and mercy. You embraced the outcast, forgave sinners, freed us from all condemnation, and created among us a community of grace and kinship. Dying and being raised, you sowed the Reign of God, and you live among us still, calling us to lives of humble service.

Holy Spirit, beauty of God in us, you open to us the depth of eternal life, the power of forgiveness, and the mystery of resurrection. Making us one as the Body of Christ, you empower us to give of our gifts, to love all people, to forgive, and to serve you in lives of hope and joy, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

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.

     (Sanctus)

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,

     (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)

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,
(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

Gracious God, in thanksgiving for your mercy, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. As Jesus has accepted us and blessed the gifts that we have offered, send us into the world in a ministry of acceptance: to honor people as they are, to appreciate and bless their gifts, and to support them in the ministry to which you call them. We pray as we live, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.

Suggested Songs

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

OT 10

Lectionary Texts

In 1 Kings 17.8-24 the prophet Elijah is staying with a widow and her son. The child becomes ill and dies, and Elijah brings him back to life.

Psalm 146 is a song of praise to God, who made all Creation, and who sets prisoners free, brings justice for the oppressed, and lifts up the downtrodden.

In Galatians 1.11-24 Paul describes his life after experiencing his call from God. He declares that the good news he preaches is not of human origin, but revealed by God.

Luke 7. 11-17, with striking similarities with the story of Elijah reviving the widow’s son, tells of Jesus reviving the dead son of a widow in the town of Nain.

In 1 Kings 17.8-16 Elijah visits a poor widow who is starving during a severe famine. He asks her to share her last bit of meal and oil, which she does. Yet by God’s grace her oil and meal never run out.

Preaching Thoughts

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of wonder, we are amazed.
All: You create this world in which we delight, and we praise you.
God of mystery, we are blessed.
You heal us and restore us, and we thank you.
God of grace, we are touched.
You accompany us in our sorrows, and we turn to you.
God of power, we are changed.
You stir in us, and we worship you.
Revive our hearts, and we shall be your praise. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

Prayer of Confession

Readings

Psalm 146 — My paraphrase

O Holy Presence, Power of Life,
we praise you.
We praise you with our saying and doing;
we praise you by being.

Our life doesn’t come from powerful people;
it’s not soldiers who make us free.
What they control dies with them:
thatt’s little stuff, not what’s deeply life-giving.

But unbounded life wells up in us
when we open our hearts to your love for all,
when our hearts fall into the Heart
who is at the heart of all things—

you— who create galaxies,
who handmade the earth;
who filled the oceans drop by drop
and gave them their tiny and huge creatures,

you who never give up on us,
who liberate the oppressed,
who are food for the hungry
and who lift those who are bowed down.

O Love, you set us free
from whatever imprisons us;
you open our eyes when we are blind;
and in you we discover deep love.

You are present in the stranger;
you are the hope and dignity
of the homeless child, the single mother,
the strength of the vulnerable ones.

Those who turn to you
you feed with life,
but the spirit of selfishness
you starve to death.

Holy One,
you love the world into being.
Amazing!
Amazing!

Poetry by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Response / Creed / Affirmation

Listening Prayer

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

Eucharistic Prayer

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.

Suggested Songs

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

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.

OT 9

Lectionary Texts

In 1 Kings 18.20-39, a scene with a good deal of satire, Elijah stages a showdown between Yahweh and the god Baal. Two sacrifices are prepared, one for each god. The real God will be the one who comes down and lights the fire under their sacrifice. Of course, Yahweh comes through, big time. Final score: Yahweh 1, Baal 0… or maybe even less than zero.

Psalm 96 is a song of praise to God and God’s righteous reign. All nations, and all Creation, join in praising God.

In Galatians 1.1-12 Paul begins his letter by scolding the church in Galatia for listening to people with a message that is not really the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Luke 7. 1-10 Jesus heals the beloved servant of a Roman soldier, who understands that Jesus has authority over the spirits just like he, the centurion, has authority over the soldiers he commands.

Preaching Thoughts

Call to Worship

Collect / Prayer of the Day

Prayer of Confession

Readings

Poetry by Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Response / Creed / Affirmation

Listening Prayer

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

Eucharistic Prayer

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.

Suggested Songs

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

Trinity Sunday

June 15, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Proverbs 8 —Wisdom cries out for us to live by her truth.

Psalm 8 —When I look at the heavens, what are humans, that you are mindful of them? How majestic is your name!

Romans 5.1-5 — Justified by faith, we have peace. Suffering… produces hope, because the Spirit pours God’s love into us.

John 16.12-15 — Jesus: “The Spirit will guide you in truth. All that God has is mine. The Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Preaching Thoughts

Proverbs
         Hebrew Wisdom Literature images God’s creative force as Sophia, the Spirit of Wisdom. From the beginning she helped in Creation, working “beside God like a master worker,” both giving and receiving delight in Creation. Don’t co-opt ancient Hebrew theology and portray Sophia as the Third Person of the Trinity. Our two faiths have two different ways of imagining it… but there’s only one Spirit. We can affirm that God’s spirit moves, creates, guides, and accompanies us.

The Trinity
         Following last week’s story of Pentecost and the disciple’s experience of the Holy Spirit, we celebrate the mystery of God as expressed in the image of the Holy Trinity: God as Creator (or “Father”) Son, and Holy Spirit, and celebrate the work of the Spirit among us. The Trinity is not a doctrine, a logical proposition you can either “agree” or “disagree” with. It’s an image, an icon, a symbol. It’s not two men and a bird; it’s about our three-dimensional experience of God. It’s a picture of God as Lover, Beloved and the Love that Flows Between—or Lover, Love, and Loveliness. It’s sort of like E=mc² in three dimensions. It’s an image of the whole world as a “thin place,” where the boundary is thin and porous between physical and spiritual, seen and unseen, finite and infinite.
         God is Love. God is Mother, Heavenly Lover, source of all Being: “Father.” God’s love is infinite and eternal. When God’s love exists as pure energy we call it “Spirit.” When God’s love is embodied, made finite and mortal, we call it “Christ,” God’s energy appearing as matter, Word made flesh. Jesus fully embodied the Christ, or embodied love, of God. He was not just Jesus of Nazareth, he was Jesus of Christ. He was Christ appearing as Jesus. We too are finite instances of the infinite love of God, just as Jesus was. God’s spirit, which we see in him, is in all of us.
         The Trinity reminds us God is more than we think. It’s a way to keep our images of God slippery so we can’t have just one image. God is This and the Opposite of This and None of the above: God is infinite and also embodied; divine and also human; Father also Son, and also Mother.
       The Trinity is an image of God’s three-dimensionality. God is the Eternal Creator, Infinite Source, Reality Itself, Ground of Being, beyond all knowing or understanding. Yet God also comes to us in real, revealed, embodied form, in spoken Word, as God does in Jesus. And God also is within and among us, neither beyond us nor coming to us but arising from within us as Spirit: whenever we love—that’s God.
         The Trinity is an image of God as relationship. And it’s also an image of God as unity. Even though there seem to be three persons, they are One. And we’re part of that One. “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn. 14.20). And it’s an image of God as energy. With God one plus one equals three, because you also count the “plus.” God is the “proceeding” of Son from Father, and Spirit from both of them. (There’s a big controversy about whether the Spirit proceeds “from the Father” or “from the father and the Son.” The very nature of the Trinity is that they can’t be separated or distinguished. The Spirit proceeds from their relationship.) The Trinity is not a static organizational chart but an electric field, a living process, a loving flow, a divine dance. The Greek word for it is perichoresis (from peri, which means “around,” and chorein, which means “to give way” or “to make room”). The Trinity is God’s dancing-to-make-room-for-the-other.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Loving Father, Strong Mother, Infinite Creator,
you breathe us into life; you call us to wakefulness.
All: Holy One, Holy Three, you call us to worship.
Beloved Son, you walk with us, you heal us, you die and rise with us.
All: Holy One, Holy Three, you call us to worship.
Holy Spirit, you move in us and sing with love in us.
All: Holy One, Holy Three, you call us to worship.
You dance the dance of love, and we enter your dance with love. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Eternal Creator, you create us in the image of your love.
All: In awe and humility, we praise you.
Living Christ, you bear God’s love to us.
In gratitude and love, we thank you, and we follow you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your love into our hearts.
By your grace, we bear your love to all people,
in the name of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Creator God, Source and Mystery, beyond all knowing or understanding,
All: we praise you. We worship you. We glorify you.
Crucified and Risen Christ, Companion and savior, bearer of love and grace,
we thank you. We rejoice in you. We follow you
Holy Spirit; Divine Presence within; power of love, forgiveness and justice,
we open our hearts to you. We listen for you. We sing of you.
Holy Mystery, Three in one, we greet you.
Beloved God, Blessed Trinity, we give you ourselves. Re-create us in love. Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, you who create galaxies and have handmade the earth,
you who filled the seas drop by drop, and gave them their huge and tiny creatures,
All: we praise you with words and deeds.
Our very being is your praise.
You who keep faith forever, who bring justice for the abused,
you who set us free from all that oppresses us and open our eyes when we are blind,
we trust you, and rest all our hope in you.
You who watch over the widow and the orphan, the traveler and the alien,
you who faithfully pour love out to those who turn to you,
we look to you alone for our joy, for our life, for our very being.
Come, Holy One, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
We open our hearts to you, Holy Spirit,
that you may come and live in us.
Eternal God, Three in One, we praise you.
We are in awe at the mystery of your being,
the glory of your presence.
you who died in love for us, and who raised Christ from death,
and who live in us with gentle power,
receive us now in our worship.
Alleluia! Eternal Triune God, bless us
and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
People: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
Great Three-in One, you are holy—
you are our wholeness—and we worship you.
Eternal God, Holy Trinity,
we thank you that you invite us into your love
and we become part of your embrace.
Mother-Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
infinitely giving and receiving love in blessed communion,
may your love flow perfectly in us and among us

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Eternal God, Mother, Son and Holy Spirit, you are beyond our understanding, yet you come to us in the Word that blesses us. You live in us in the Spirit that renews us. In your grace you invite us into the dance of your love. Speak to us now, that our hearts may dance with yours, in the name of Christ and the grace of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

2.
Eternal God, Living Christ and Holy Spirit, Holy Three and Holy One, we praise you. We are in awe of your mystery, and grateful for your love, and we open our hearts to your grace, that we may be changed, so that we may bear your love into the world in the name of your Christ and the power of your Spirit. Amen.3.Beloved Mystery, Holy Three-In One, God of grace and beauty, You who are unknowable and yet revealed, infinite and yet within us: we strain to name you, to point to you, to understand your glory. But in tender love you reveal yourself in Christ, your Living Word, and in your Spirit in us. By your Spirit may we hear your Word now. Re-create us in your love, in the image of Christ, for the sake of the world. Amen.

4.
We come now to hear your Word, God. Still our minds. Center our hearts. Draw us into your Presence. Open an empty place in time this morning, where we may stop and listen to you. Create a clear space in the center of our hearts, where you may speak your Word to us. In stillness and openness, we await the Risen Christ, your Living Word, the hand of your blessing, the melody of your voice. We are listening. Amen.

5.
Eternal God, you are Mystery; you are Love; you are the Spirit of Life. We worship you in awe. We receive your Word with gratitude. We open our hearts to your life within us. Blessed God, Holy Trinity, surround us in your worship. Be the womb in which we receive life; be the companion who shows us how to live life; be the breath that gives us life. Speak to us, God, for your children are listening. Amen.

6.
Eternal God, spring of life in us and in all Creation, we open our hearts to your grace. As spring turns to summer and life burgeons around us, so may the sap of your love run in us, your love blossom in us. We listen for your living Word. Speak to us and awaken your Spirit in us. Amen.

7.
God, in the beginning was the Word, and all things were created through your Word. Create us anew through your Word. Speak to us in the voice of Christ, that we may hear. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may be your Word, living and faithful, for the sake of the blessing of all Creation. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Holy Mystery, Three In One,
you are more than we can imagine;
you are in us and we are in you.
By your Holy Spirit
pour your love into our hearts.

2.
Eternal One, Holy Oneness,
we belong to you.
Loving Christ, Divine Companion,
listen for you.
Holy Spirit, Breath of God in us,
we open ourselves to your flow
into us and through us to the world.
Holy Three, Holy One,
you live in us, and we in you.
We offer ourselves in love.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
      We give our hearts to you, God, Creator and Ruler of the world, Heart of all things, Heavenly Mother and Father of us all, who calls us into being and surrounds us with grace.
      We give our hearts to you, Jesus, embodiment of love. In you the worlds, both visible and unseen, infinite and particular, mortal and divine, are one. Crucified and risen, you come to us in many ways; you call us by name; you touch us and transform us; you call us to follow you in love.
      Holy Spirit, we live by your grace: we breathe your love, and shine with your gifts. You unite us in the Body of Christ, and empower us to trust grace, to practice love and forgiveness, to seek justice, and to radiate hope as we join in the work of the healing of the world. Blessed God; Three In One; Mother, Son and Holy Spirit; Lover, Beloved and the Love that Flows Between, we give our hearts to you, that you may live in us. Amen.

2.
       We love and trust in God, Eternal Source and Creator of all that is and all that is to come, beyond our naming or understanding, the infinite many and yet the Holy One.
       We love and trust in God revealed in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, divine love made real among us. He taught and healed, cast out evil and performed miracles; he died and was raised to life again, and makes his home among us still, drawing us close to God.
       We love and trust in God, Holy Spirit, breath of life and energy of love within and among us, who gives us grace to forgive, to heal, and to work for justice for the sake of all living beings. In the One Spirit we are one Body, the Church: one in Christ, one in love, one in ministry to the world. In the name of the Holy Mystery, the Blessed Trinity, Mother, Son and Holy Spirit, we live as God’s praise, now and in eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively or by the presiding leader(s) alone.]

1.
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.

Eternal and Infinite One,
you are beyond all things, greater than all time and space;
you are the Loving Mystery that brings all things into being,
earth and stars, family and song, beauty and grace.
You create us as the image of your love, and claim us as your Beloved.
You defeat the powers of injustice and set us free from all that oppresses,
and feed us so we have life, and have it abundantly.
You invite us to your table to celebrate, to feast, and to share.
Therefore as one voice with all Creation we sing your praise.

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, your Beloved,
your Word made flesh, your grace embodied,
in whom your Love flowed, and in whom we might love you.
By your presence in him he taught and healed,;
he fed and guided your people.
He was opposed by human powers, and crucified,
but being the embodiment of your infinite love,
the grave could not hold him.
You raised him from the dead; and we celebrate his life among 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:

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 you may live and breathe in us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one in your Spirit, embodying your love
for the sake of the healing of the world.

[Spoken or sung]
Amen.

2.
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.

Blessed are you, O God, Eternal Source,
Infinite Fountain of Life, whose Word creates all things.
Your Spirit of wisdom, Spirit of love and truth,
has set her table; she calls out to us.
Though you are unsearchable,
you invite us to this meal where we may know you.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as one voice:

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He called you Father, embodied your Word and lived by your Spirit.
He was killed by the forces of evil and injustice,
but in the power of love and grace you raised him from the dead.
He revealed you as Holy Communion, the sharing of life,
and who taught us to share life, so that we might be one with you.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …] *

Christ is one with our human life,
so that we may be one with your divine life.
Dying, Christ destroys our death.
Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ shall come again in glory.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gift of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and blood of Christ.
that we may be the Body of Christ,
one with you, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.
May all of life be Holy Communion for us:
the sharing of love in community,
in your life and grace, Eternal God, Blessed Trinity,
Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit.
God of all Creation,
may your Word be made flesh
by all your holy Church
in the love of Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Prayer after Communion

1.
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have filled us with your Spirit, given us gifts, and kindled within us the fire of your Word, burning in us with the passion to share your love with all the world. Send us in the power of your Spirit to give, to serve, to love, and to rejoice in the name and in the company of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, you who are Three In One, you who are the very sharing of life, you have included us in your sharing. Send us into the world to share life in your Spirit, in the company of Christ, according to your loving will. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

God Beyond, Within, Among (Tune: For the Beauty of the Earth)

Holy God, great Trinity, source of all things good and true,
Gracious, Blessed Mystery, now we come to worship you.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.

God, Creator, Womb of Life, whose eternal love and power
gather Earth and bring forth light, re-create us in this hour.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.

Christ, our, brother, meet us here; touch our wounded hearts and heal.
Word of God, made close and clear, in your grace your truth reveal.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.

Holy Spirit, Breath within, Wind of Heaven, gentle Dove,
make us holy, save from sin, fill our hearts with perfect love.
God beyond, within, among: hear us sing our thankful song.

Blessed, Holy Trinity, in your image and your power
we are your community; re-create us in this hour.
Holy God, we worship you! Take our lives and make them new.

God Eternal. Holy Trinity (Tune: Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus)

God Eternal, Holy Trinity, Father-Mother, Spirit, Son,
Gracious Mystery, Loving Family, you have baptized us as one.
Sharing life at your kitchen table, feeding us with generous grace,
send us now into the world, one with all the human race.

Christ, our Brother, Guide and Teacher, Savior, Healer, Living Word:
we are baptized in your dying, in your rising, love out-poured.
You have fed us with the outcast, raised us to new life in you;
send us now to love our neighbors, with your Presence in all we do.

Holy Spirit, Bright Companion, Breath of Life that lives in us,
we are baptized in your power, grace to share your love and peace.
Send us now as your living Body, radiant with your infinite grace.
Lead us, guide us, bless and sustain us. May our living be your praise!

God of Creation, Birthing us Daily (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God of Creation, birthing us daily,
granting salvation, making things new,
thanks for your blessing gladly we give you,
freely confessing our love for you.

Healing, forgiving, Jesus you touch us.
Bless all our living; grant us delight.
Jesus our brother, help us live gently,
love one another, trust in God’s light.

Grant us our living, great Holy Spirit,
faithfully giving hearts made of praise:
baptized in glory, servants of Jesus,
living your story all of our days.

God our Creator, You Gather Us Here (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God our Creator, you gather us here,
you who release us from bondage and fear,
you who make all things, and make all things new,
gladly we sing our thanksgiving to you.

Light of the world, Christ, you healed the blind,
freed us from chains of oppression that bind,
died with our dying! Our life is in you:

Spirit, unite us, and make our hearts new.
Help us by grace to live lives that are true,
touch with your healing and see with your sight,
live in your pure love and shine with your light.

(Communion verse:)
Christ, by your Body and Blood, present here,
make of one Body your people so dear,
taken, blessed, broken and given, all free,
so all may have life, and abundantly.

Holy Mystery (Tune Of the Father’s Love Begotten)

Holy Mystery, we worship you, Holy Three in One,
God beyond our understanding, Mother, Spirit and the Son,
Holy Love, Beloved, and the flowing Love between,
never ending or begun.

God, our infinite Creator, Source of all and ending too,
Holy Lover eternal, all around and in and through,
Love that flows in us, and in whom we all are one:
we find ourselves in you.

Infinite, eternal Love unseen, Love made flesh on earth,
Love that burns within our hearts, in whom all have infinite worth,
Mother, Son and Holy Spirit: we worship y0u in awe,
and receive new birth. Amen.

O Holy Trinity (Tune: Finlandia)

O Holy One, O Mystery beyond us,
We praise you, Lord, O Grace without a name.
Creator of the universe within you,
Source of our life, Thou Infinite Divine,
Unseen, unknown, we cannot frame or bind you,
Only our wonder and our praise proclaim.

O Loving One, O Love who made the heavens,
You choose to come among us as our own,
The Living Word, in flesh revealed, Companion,
Stranger and Friend, whose suff’ring is your throne.
Eternal One who humbly dies among us,
Your tender mystery in love is known.

O Living One, O Grace who lives in our life,
We can’t contain you, but we can adore.
Spirit of Love beyond, beside, within us,
Into our hearts your healing presence pour.
Many and One, O Mystery, Christ and Spirit,
We sing, we live your praise forevermore.

Pentecost

June 8, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Acts 2.1-21 —The Pentecost story.

Psalm 104 — God creates all things through God’s Spirit, and that the Spirit gives living beings their life.

Romans 8.14-17 — All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

John 14. 8-17, 25-27 — “I am in God, and God in me.”… The promise of the Advocate. “Peace I leave with you.”

Preaching Thoughts

Speaking in tongues
        I’m intrigued that the Pentecost story of “speaking in tongues” is about communication—the disciples speaking in other people’s languages (“tongues”) to communicate the gospel they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to communicate—and yet within twenty years “speaking in tongues” was understood not as speaking in known languages for the purpose of communication, but in ecstatic utterances that were meaningless, even to the speaker, without interpretation. I wonder how that reversal came about? I think the pentecostal challenge is not to experience ecstasy but to communicate the good news in ways people understand—which is not in our religious language, or even in words, but in love and justice.
        That involves more listening than talking: paying attention to people and their lives, their context, their needs, and listening to them, to what they experience and need and ask for—what I call “listening in tongues.” It’s listening for people’s “love language.” Pentecost invites us to check our desire that others “speak our language,” our temptation to impose our own values on them. Sometimes the most pentecostal thing we can do is affirm people as they are, rather than ask them to conform to our standards and expectations. Pentecost invites us to assume God has been with them in their journey, even if it’s very different from ours.

The Holy Spirit
        It’s helpful for us to personify the Spirit, to imagine the Holy Spirit as, well, a spirit—a sort of invisible “someone” who comes to us and acts upon us. That’s cool, as long as we remember we’re anthropomorphizing a member of the Holy Trinity, that is, God, who is not a god, but beyond all gods—the Mystery of Love that is Being itself. The Holy Spirit is not some ghost, but God in us. In both Greek and Hebrew the word for wind, spirit and breath (and hence life) is the same: ruach in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek. The Holy Spirit is the living energy of God (which is love) in us. When we love, that’s God doing God’s thing.
        Jesus says “I am in God, and you in me, and I in you (Jn. 14.20). Sounds a little spacey, but it’s literally true. God is infinite; we are within God. The Holy Spirit is our inter-penetration, our inter-being. Jesus was both human and divine; so are we.
       We speak of the disciples “receiving “ the Spirit at Pentecost, but they already had it. They were born with it. (Joel says the Spirit is poured out on all flesh.) And just to make sure, Jesus has breathed on them in John 20. But Pentecost is the moment when the spark catches fire and they burn with it, overcoming their fear and grief. Acting in the power of the Holy Spirit isn’t some ecstatic experience, but simply being a vessel for love. It’s not our love, our effort, but God’s. We let the Spirit, God’s love in us, do its thing. That’s what enables us to do things that seem beyond our capacity or expectations—like communicating love in languages we haven’t studied.

Baptism
        (See here for a more extended reflection on baptism.)
        Pentecost is a great day for baptisms, baptismal renewal, Confirmation, and receiving new members. (See a service of Baptism/ Baptismal Renewal/ Confirmation here.) People often conflate baptism and confirmation. Those who believe in “adult baptism” see it as a way to affirm one’s faith. But baptism, like birth, isn’t something you do; it’s something you receive. Baptism is a symbol of God’s unconditional love of the person being baptized—whether or not they like it, or understand it, or even know it. (That’s why we baptize babies.) Confirmation is the act in which we respond—we confirm our baptism; we accept our divine belovedness and vow to live in harmony with it. We can only be baptized once, since our belovedness is permanent, eternal and unchanging, and isn’t dependent on the pastor or church or denomination that pours the water, nor on the person receiving it. But we do need to continually re-affirm our baptism, to re-commit ourselves to the vows that were made at our baptism.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God, in the beginning your Spirit
brooded over the water and you created everything.
All: By your Spirit you create us anew, and we praise you.
Loving Christ, when you rose from the dead you breathed your Spirit into us.
By your Spirit you raise us up from death, and we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your love into us and give us your beauty and your courage.
In your Spirit you make us one body, the Body of Christ, the Body of Love.
In your Spirit we bear your love to the world.
We love you; we worship you; we serve you. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Holy Spirit, you breathed over the waters and brought forth Creation.
All: You create us anew each day, each breath.
Holy Spirit, you live and move in all of us.
You make us one, your living body
Holy Spirit, you enflame us with your love.
We are the love song you sing to the world.
And so we sing our love to you. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: Spirit of God, you breathe life into us.
All: Breath of Life, you fill us with glory.
Glory of God, you call us to your love.
Fire of Love, we burn with your presence.
Wind of Compassion, blow through us to all the world.
Word of God, live in us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Spirit of Life, you create all things.All: Alleluia! We praise you for your great love!
Leader: Spirit of Christ, you join us in one body.
All: Alleluia! We thank you for your great love!
Leader: Spirit of love, you fill us so we are able to love others.
All: Alleluia! We ask you for your great love!
Help us to become more loving,
to continually receive and give your love in Jesus’ name. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: You have promised to pour out your Spirit on all flesh,
on male and female, young and old, rich and poor alike.
All: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may proclaim your great works and live by your great love.
Help us, by the power of your Spirit, to prophecy in your name.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
Light our hearts on fire with your love.
Alleluia! Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us! Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of our living breath, you poured out your Spirit on Jesus’ followers long ago, and created the church. Pour out your Spirit on us now, and make us once again the Body of Christ, breathing your love, on fire with your courage, carried on the winds of your joy. Speak your Word to us, and set our heart aflame with your love. Amen.

2.
God of Creation, in the beginning your Spirit breathed over the waters and you brought forth life. Re-create us by your Word. Baptize us in your grace. Bring us to new life, and kindle in us your love for all your people, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
Holy Spirit, Spirit of love, you live in us and give us life. Help us to listen to you now. Help us to take in your word like breath and let it give us life. Help us to take in your word like food and let it give us strength. Help us to take in your love so that we can give your love to others. We pray in the name and in the presence of Jesus. Amen.

5.
Holy Spirit, we breathe in, and you enter us. You fill us. You give us life and energy. We breathe out and you give us voice and song, and we speak your truth. Breath of God, breathe in us now. Speak to us, and in us, and through us. Amen.

6.
Eternal God, spring of life in us and in all Creation, we open our hearts to your grace. As spring turns to summer and life burgeons around us, so may the sap of your love run in us, your love blossom in us. We listen for your living Word. Speak to us and awaken your Spirit in us. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Spirit of Love,
we breathe deeply of your grace.
Your breath fills us;
your Word gives us life;
your light creates us;
your breath transforms our bodies
into the Body of Christ.
As we open our lungs,
we open our hearts to you.

2.
Great Living Spirit,
breathe in us.
Give our lives
the language of love.
May the Wind of your Spirit
carry us where you desire.

Prayer of Confession

Spirit of God, you breathe your love in us.
We give thanks for those times
when we have lived by your love, your Spirit in us….
(Silence…)
Spirit of God, you breathe your love in us.
We confess those times
when we have lived by fear or selfishness, not by your Spirit,
and we open ourselves to your grace…
(Silence…)
We breathe in your grace.. and we breathe out your grace.
Thanks be to you, God of our breath.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. (Romans 8. 11-14 ; Galatians 5.22-26)
We give thanks, for the Spirit of God lives in us. Since the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to our mortal bodies also, through that Spirit that lives in us. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. And the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Since we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Amen.

2.
We believe in God, Creator of all,
whose Spirit in the beginning breathed over the waters of chaos.
We believe in Jesus Christ, son of God,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and to whom the Spirit gave power to teach and to heal,
to make known God’s infinite love.
He was crucified, gave up his Spirit, and died;
yet he was raised from the dead,
and breathed his spirit into us,
and lives and reigns forever with God.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, God’s presence within and among us,
by whose power we, the Church, are made the Body of Christ,
one with one another and one with Christ,
empowered to love and to bless, to do the very deeds of Christ.
We believe in the love of God and neighbor,
the forgiveness of sin, the life of death and resurrection,
and the reality of eternal life. Amen.

Reading

Psalm 104. 1, 24-35 My paraphrase

O God, I bless you!
May my soul be my blessing and thanks,
for you are infinitely good;
you are the perfect heart of all things.

Your working unfolds richly with grace
and layers upon layers of your poetry.
Earth abounds with your presence—
all these living things, your creatures!

Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
teeming with innumerable beings,
small and great in the hidden waters.
Beneath our confident ships, deeper
than our understanding, swims
a great secret creature whom you made,
at home in the depths.

Your creatures live in faith,
looking to you for their sustenance
from moment to moment.
So simple, the way of life!:
you provide, and they gather.
You open your hand
and fill them with good things.
These “dumb creatures” who do not understand
cannot imagine life without you.

When you withhold their breath, they are once again only dust.
You give of your Spirit,
and create them anew with each breath.
In each breath of every creature
you make a new Creation altogether.

This glory is eternal!
God, may it give you joy,
you whose mere look trembles the earth,
whose simple touch ignites mountains!

Let this awe fill me as long as I live.
Let this song be the breath of my being.
May my mindfulness delight you
as much as you delight me.

Let all that is sinful in me be consumed;
let all my evil be no more,
so that all of me is a blessing to you,
so that I may be your Alleluia!

Eucharistic Prayer

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
At his baptism your Spirit descended on him as a dove.
He embodied your love, he breathed your grace.
By your Spirit he healed and taught and nourished your people.
The powers of evil opposed him and crucified him;
but the Spirit of Life raised him.
Risen from the dead, he came to us and breathed his spirit into us,
his promise to be with us always.

(The Blessing and Covenant)

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

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

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one in your Spirit, breathing deeply of your grace,
on fire with your love, for the healing of the world.

              [Spoken or sung]
       Amen.

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

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

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

1.
Gracious God, we give you our gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Anoint us with your Spirit, unite us with all who love you, give us the language of grace, and send us into the world aflame with your love, in the name of Christ, for the sake of the blessing of the world. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and on these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. In your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with all who follow Christ, and one with all whom we serve in your name. Send us into the world, bright with the spirit of your love, alive, even to eternal life, with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have created us by your Spirit, you have made us one in your Spirit, you have filled us with your Spirit, and now you send us into the world in the power of your Spirit, to show forth your love and grace to those who are hungry to hear and see. Bless us, that we may continually do your will. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Bearers of Light (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God, how you love us, hold us and bless us,
reign from above us, lead us by hand
Call us to healing, bound by your Promise,
your Word revealing, by your command.

Great holy giver of life and wonder,
deep like a river your blessings flow.
Gladly we give you praise and thanksgiving:
gifts we will give wherever we go.

Baptized, anointed, filled with your Spirit,
we are appointed bearers of light:
for liberation, servants of justice,
bringing the nations joy and delight.

Breath of God (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, Love, 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.
God, may we be your love and you our living breath.

Breathe into us the breath of your compassion, God,
the breath to sing your praise in all we do,
the breath to run the race of justice, long and far.
Breathe, holy breath: empower and renew.
O be the grace that fills our lungs, reviving us;
O be the wind on which our hearts can soar;
O be our life, our beauty and our living breath.
O Spirit, come breathe in us now and evermore.

Fire of Love (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

Holy Spirit, you have gathered us as on that Pentecost
when you gathered Christ’s disciples and their fears and doubts were lost:
breathing life into their souls, and shining out of every face,
you sent them into the streets to tell of God’s amazing grace.

Each aflame with your compassion, eager that your praise be sung,
fearlessly they filled the streets to tell your news in every tongue.
So we ask you, by your life within us, giving us new birth,
send us out to spread God’s love in Jesus’ name to all the earth.

Holy Spirit, you have granted gifts to each, in our own way,
so that we might serve you as we live and work and share and pray.
By your pow’r we love our neighbors, work for justice, act with peace,
reach the lost and serve the lowly: so your work will never cease.

Holy Spirit, energy of God that links us soul to soul,
by your grace we are the Body of the risen Christ, made whole.
Be the breath that lifts our singing; be the wind that fills our sails;
be the fire of love among us ‘till the Reign of God prevails.

Holy Spirit, Burn Within Us (Tune: BEECHER, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)

Holy Spirit, Sun of Heaven, source of light and warmth and power,
fill us and transform us like a seed that turns into a flower.
Kindle in your willing people joy’s bright spark, compassion’s flame.
Set us all afire to bear your loving light in Jesus’ name.

Holy Spirit, burn within us, radiant with your healing grace.
Give us brand new ways to meet and love the stranger face to face.
Help us find new ways of caring. Help us set new, daring goals.
Give us brand new languages to speak your love to seeking souls.

Holy Spirit, let your fire consume us, changing us at last.
Let us rise like light emerging from the embers of the past.
May the star of pure compassion shine within and set us free.
Holy Spirit, make us all your flame that burns eternally.

Holy Spirit, Wind of Heaven (Tune: Joyful, Joyful)

Holy Spirit, Wind of Heaven, Breath of Life, our warmth and light,
Power of Creation, bringing hopeful dawn from darkest night:
you have birthed us, you have borne us; you have blessed us all our days,
now you fill our lungs with singing; how you fill our hearts with praise!

Holy Spirit, flame of passion, you who brought your Church to be,
re-create us as your Body, holy in our unity.
Fill us with your fierce compassion, gentle courage, trust and peace.
Lead us all to love each other; make our sad divisions cease.

Holy Spirit, Dove descending, mind of Christ within us all,
speak your wisdom, move among us, help us hear your inner call.
Be the only pow’r that moves us; be our life, O singing Dove!
Holy Spirit, come, revive us! Fill us with your heart of love!

Spirit of God (Original song)

Spirit of God, bright Wind, breath that bids life begin,
blow as you always do; create us anew.
Give us the breath to sing, lifted on soaring wing,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Dove, grant us your peace and love,
healing upon your wings for all living things.
For when we live your peace captives will find release,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Hands, even in far-off lands
you hold all the human race in one warm embrace.
No matter where we go you hold us together so,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…

Spirit of God, bright Flame, send us in your holy name,
with power to heal, to share your love everywhere.
We cannot fail or fall or know defeat at all,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…

Spirit of God in all, we gladly hear your call,
the life in our hands that sings, the power of your wings.
Born of your grace we rise, love shining in our eyes,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…

7th Sunday of Easter / Ascension Sunday

Thursday, May 29 – or Sunday, June 1, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Ascension Day

Acts 1. 1-11 — The ascension.

Psalm 47 — God has gone up with a shout.

Ephesians 1. 15-23 — May God give you a spirit of wisdom… with the eyes of your heart enlightened… the immeasurable greatness of God’s power, by which God raised Christ from the dead

Luke 24.44-53 — Jesus’ final instructions. Proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins. The ascension.

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 16. 16-34 —Paul and Silas choose not to escape from prison, and convert the jailer.

Psalm 97 — God rules the world… light dawns for the righteous.

Revelation 22.12-14, 16-17, 20-21 — “I am coming…. I am the Alpha and Omega”…. let everyone who is thirsty come…

John 17. 20-26 — Jesus prays “that they all be one.” “May the love with which you loved me be in them.”

Preaching Thoughts

Acts
       The story of the Ascension, like that of the Transfiguration, is highly and purely 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). And in John 17 he prays “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” So it’s not just a story about Jesus: it’s a story about us. Jesus is the spirit; 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 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.” As usual,. There’s no one right interpretation of this saying. Let it entice you.
       This is also a story about grief and transition: the disciples now have to live without Jesus in separate physical form. It reflects a lot of the change, grief and uncertainty in the early church, and in the church these days.
       And 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.

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.

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.

John
       Jesus’ prayer that we all be one is almost laughable, except that it’s so sad that we aren’t. How hypocritical is it of us to keep repeating his prayer when we’re also busy separating, dividing, leaving denominations, and continuing our polarization? Well, I think it is hypocritical. Clearly what Jesus meant was not that we all think alike, or worship alike or have the same doctrine or politics. What he was praying about is that same thing his whole ministry was about: love for everybody, without exception. His prayer is that we all love one another, regardless of our religion or politics, and that we be engaged in loving our neighbors, especially those who are most un-loved. He prayed “that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Christ is in us all, and loving through us, equally and alike, no matter what our style, doctrine, practices or structures are. We are one in Christ’s love. In everything else we’re doomed to fracture into ever more microscopic splinters. It’s God’s love, not anything we believe, hold or practice, that makes us one.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Eternal God, you have raised Christ to rule over the universe!
All: We sing your praise in awe and wonder. Alleluia!
You have raised Christ to reign over all human history.
All is taken up in the grace and Christ. Alleluia!
You have raised up Christ to rule over our hearts and our lives.
We bow in humility and gratitude,
and give our lives to serve in love and wonder. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Christ, crucified and risen, you come to us in love.
All: We welcome you with gratitude, and we give you our thanks.
Christ, eternal Word of God made flesh, you ascend to rule the universe.
We worship you with awe, and we give you our obedience.
Living Christ, you breathe your Spirit into us.
We receive you with open hearts, and we give you our love. Alleluia!

3. [from Revelation 22.12-21]
Leader: Christ says, “See, I am coming soon!
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
All: Blessed are those who wash their robes,
who are given access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
Let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.
Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, Heart of Heaven, your grace enfolds us.
Your Word creates us, and we rejoice in you.
You are in us, and we are in you.
Risen Christ, you have been raised to rule all things.
You reign over us in love, and with grace you embrace us.
You are in us, and we are in you.
Holy Spirit, you live in each of us, giving us one shared life.
With your people in all nations and traditions, languages and lifestyles,
we are one. And we praise you as one people.
Alleluia! You are in us, and we are in you.
Come, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5.
Leader: We gather from many different lives and places.
All: But, God, we are one in you.
We have many different hopes and beliefs.
But, Jesus, we are one in your love.
We have many different gifts.
But God, in your Holy Spirit, we are one body.
Your love is supreme over all the world.
We worship you, to be claimed by your love,
transformed by your love, and sent in your love
for the healing of the world,
and the name, and the Spirit, and the love of Christ. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Infinite God, the Christ who has walked among us you have raised up from death. The love Jesus embodied you have set on the throne of the world. In humility we open our hearts to your Word. Speak to us and re-point the very compass of our hearts, that they may point to you alone, and to your love. We pray in the name of the crucified and risen and exalted Christ. Amen.

2.
Eternal God, you sent us Christ who lived among us, located in time and space. Give us faith to behold in every time and place Christ, whose love raises us from death, whose presence gives us life. Resurrecting God, lead us onward. Amen.

3.
God of mystery, Christ cannot be contained—by a grave, or by a body. Love is above all things, all desires and all powers. Christ risen and ascended, reigns from the throne of our hearts. We give you our thanks and pledge allegiance to your Reign, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Risen Christ,
you are no longer in one time or place,
but in every time and place.
You are here. You are in us.
We are in you.
We open our hearts to your loving presence.

Prayer of Confession

God of grace, we confess how small we imagine you;
yet you are infinite, your presence mysterious.
We confess we pretend to understand Jesus;
yet he exceeds our grasp.
We confess we want Jesus for ourselves;
yet he has ascended, enlarged beyond our time and place.
We confess how small our faith is.
Open our hearts, God, to your infinite greatness, and your mystery.
We repent of our certainty. Give us faith instead.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1. ( Ephesians 1.17-23)
Leader: We pray that the God of the beloved, Jesus Christ, the God of glory, may give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know the Creator so that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened.
All: We give our hearts to God, 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. (Ephesians 1. 15-23)

Leader: O God, God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of Life and Father of glory, All: Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know you.
May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened.
May we know the hope to which you have called us.
May we behold the riches of your glorious inheritance among the saints.
May we know the immeasurable greatness of your power for us who believe.
Your great power is at work in us, the same power you put to work in raising Christ
Christ is 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.
You have put all things under his feet
and have made him the head over all things for the church.
We, the church, are his Body, his real Presence,
through which he fills the world.
Bless us that we may be filled with Christ,
and fill the world with his love. Amen.

3.
            We trust in God, the Source of all being, sovereign of all Creation, who in love continually creates all that is and all that is to come
            We follow Jesus, God’s Anointed One, who embodied God’s love in word and deed, giving his life in love. Christ was crucified and yet raised to new life, and ascended to reign over all Creatgion. Christ, the flesh of God’s love, walks among us, accompanying us toward God’s reign of peace and justice. Christ, the love of God, rules over our world, occupies all places and times, and leads us toward God’s New Creation.
            We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s love in us, and open our hearts to her guiding. We trust in the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection, the unity of the Body of Christ, and the mystery of eternal life. We devote our lives to love, mercy and justice in the name and Spirit of Christ, our ruler and our companion. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who embodied your love for us:
in his teaching and healing he made whole
bodies that were sick, families that were broken,
communities that were divided.
He gathered all around one table—
the powerful and the outcast, the esteemed and the condemned,
and fed us from one loaf.

[Blessing and Covenant]

Jesus invited us to share in the baptism of his death and resurrection.
Crucified and risen, he ascended from one time and place
into all times and places.
He gave us all his Spirit, making us one body in him,
promising that we would be in him, and he in us,
so that we would be one in you.
Whenever 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:

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,
redeemed by his blood and made one in his Spirit.
Christ is no longer in the body of a Galilean peasant
but, through his Spirit, in his community.
Receiving the Body of Christ, we become again the Body of Christ,
one with Christ, one with each other,
and one in ministry to all the world.
Through your son Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit in your holy church,
all glory and honor is yours,
eternal and loving God.

[Spoken or sung]
Amen.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You are our sovereign; your love, embodied in Christ, reigns over all the world. Send us in humility and awe, in love and courage, to serve you, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Prayer after Communion

God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. As wheat is gathered and made into one loaf, so we have been made on in Christ’s love. As bread rises, Christ has risen into a new form, and is alive in us. Send us now as the Body of Christ, moved by the Spirit of Christ, to join in the loving work of Christ, for the healing of the world. Amen.

Songs

(Click on titles to view 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, you have gone now into all Being,
into all people, all time and space.
Open our eyes, then, that we may see you
risen and living, shining with grace.

Christ you have changed now, hidden in daylight,
always before us, here in plain sight.
We look not skyward, but to our neighbor,
every face shining with God’s pure light.

Christ, you expanded, so that your Spirit
is not yours only, but with us all.
Still our companion, you will be with us,
no matter where we follow your call.

Christ, in your love you rule all creation;
justice and mercy shine as you rise.
We are your Body, breathing your Spirit,
light of your rising clear in our eyes.

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,
that I may love and serve at your command.
This is my life, my purpose and my power:
you are the nerve, and I your willing hand.

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.

6th Sunday of Easter

May 25, 2025

Lectionary Texts

Acts 16. 9-15 — Paul’s vision—“come to Macedonia”—and his visit to Philippi. Lydia takes them in.

Psalm 67 — God be gracious to us and shine their face upon us.

Revelation 21.22 – 22.5 — The new Jerusalem. The river of the water of life. The tree of life for the healing of the nations. God is their light.

John 14.23-29 — “Those who love me keep my word…. Abba God and I will come to them and make our home with them. …The Advocate will teach you everything… Peace I give you…. I am going away, and I am coming to you…”

Preaching Thoughts

Acts
        In his dream Paul is beckoned to Macedonia by a man; but it is a woman who greets him and his crew, and joins in their ministry.Knowing they are on the road, she welcomes them to stay in her home. Hospitality is a work of the Spirit. And here’s another of many glimpses of the importance of women in Jesus’ ministry, and in the early church.

Revelation
       The new Jerusalem is not a vision of the triumph of Christ or Christianity over the world: it’s a vision of healing. The river of the water of life and the tree of life are for everybody, for the healing of the world. This is our vision: not an escape to a nicely furnished heaven, not the spreading of our religion or the success of our church, but the healing of the world.

John
        Jesus offers an image of God not as a king on a far-off throne, but as a homemaker. God comes and “makes a home” with us. In fact God is our home: in v. 20 Jesus says “I am in God and you in me, and I in you.” (Here’s the organic material that becomes the Trinity. And according to Jesus, we are the fourth member of the Trinity.)
       Judas (the other one) asks “How is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus’ answer is indirect (no surprise there) but he says: “Those who love me will keep my word.” When we love, we will see Jesus. Whoever does not love Jesus, that is, love their neighbor, won’t see. You won’t see Jesus through intelligence or skepticism, through religious fervor or pious intent. You’ll see Jesus when you love.
       Jesus promises “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. The word in Greek is paraclete. It’s a technical term for someone who would advocate for you in court, essentially a defense attorney. We think of God as our judge, but Jesus sees God as our defense attorney, advocating for us against the judgments of the world.
       It’s to people who may well actually be headed into court, people who are being persecuted, or at least meeting resistance from the culture, to whom Jesus says “My peace I give to you.” Take this with you as you work for justice, and confront the powers of fear, greed and control in the world. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: From the noise and demands of the world,
All: we come to be made alive in God,
to be rooted and built up in Christ,
to be nourished and held together in the Spirit,
united in Christ’s body, the Church,
abounding in gratitude and love.

2.
Leader: Holy One, praise for you rises in our hearts like spring flowers.
All: We sing with gratitude, with awe and joy.
Loving Christ, our hearts bow in thanks; they dance with delight.
Our faithful companion, we open our hearts to your blessing.
Holy Spirit, power of grace in us, we proclaim your mercy; we shine with your beauty.
We worship you. We serve you. We live by your grace. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: God of Love, you come to us.
All: Giver of life, you make your home with us.
Spirit of God, you teach us your truth.
Defender of our Souls, you remind us of all we have heard.
Risen Christ, you give us your Peace.
We receive you. We worship you. We give you thanks. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: This is the day that God has made.
All: We will rejoice, and be glad in it!
God, as the earth blossoms with colors, and the scents of new life,
our spirits show forth the glory of your grace.
For in raising Christ from death you have given new life to us all.
You have brought us to life with one Spirit breathing in us all.
You have brought us out of our solitary tombs,
and made us alive in one body.
You have given us your love,
and with Christ you have come and made your home with us.
Alleluia! Awaken us to your presence, God,
and to Christ who is among us, and the Spirit within us;
transform us by your grace, that we may serve you faithfully
as the Body of your Risen Christ.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you have promised to be with us always, and that your Spirit will live within and among us. We open our hearts to be mindful of your presence, to listen for your Word, and to allow you to lead us by your grace. Come and fill us, Spirit of love. Amen.

2.
Life-Giving God, you have planted the Tree of Life in our midst. We are your leaves, bearing our various fruits, each in our season. May your Spirit flow through us, that we may be filled with your love and strengthened for service, and bear the fruits of your love to the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
God, you sent Jesus to be our way, our truth, our life. Help us to listen to him now, to be united in his Word, and to be empowered by his Spirit. He made promises to us. Help us to listen, so that we may treasure them in our hearts, and see their fulfillment in our lives. Gracious God, renew us by your Word. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, Jesus promised that when we love, he and you come to us and dwell with us, along with the Holy Spirit. Come to us now, and prepare a place of love in our hearts. Bless us, that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Loving God,
you are our heart, our home.
Your Christ is in us;
and we are in you.
We make a home for you here
in hearts that are still.
Come, be with us
in love.

2.
Christ of love,
we love you, and want to keep your word.
Come to us,
and make your home in us.
Give us your peace.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

      We believe in God, whom Jesus called Father,
Creator of all things, infinite in wisdom, power and love,
who prepares for a place for us to live,
and whose will for us is love and blessing.
       We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son,
who lives with us in love, who heals and redeems us,
who dies in love and is raised to new life in love.
       We trust in the Holy Spirit, the divine presence in our lives,
who moves us to love in the name of Christ.
We devote ourselves to lives of faith,
serving the world in compassion and humility.
We belong to the Body of Christ;
we seek God’s peace, justice;
we trust in the power of forgiveness and mercy;
and we live by the promise of Resurrection. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[The body of the prayer may be read responsively by leader(s) and congregation or by the leader(s) alone.]

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.

God of all Being, God of our life, we thank you.
We live within you; you birth us breath by breath.
You make your home with us, present in all our moments.
You overcome oppression and set us free.
You are our safe space, our living room,
our place of intimacy and celebration.
You are our kitchen, our place of nourishment and joy.
Therefore we gather at your table, with al Creation,
singing your praise:
[Sanctus]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He embodied your love; he made your home among us.
He fed the hungry and healed the broken;
he taught those who hungered for mercy and justice.
He opened the door to a new world, the Ream of God among us.
     (The Blessing and Covenant)

He was crucified by the powers of injustice and oppression;
but he was raised by the power of your love.
He gave us your Spirit, and he lives in us:
he is in you and you are in us, and we in you.
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember Christ’s 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)

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
As we receive thee gifts may they fill us with you,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
Christ alive in us, and us in you,
for the sake of the wholeness of the world, to your glory.
     (Amen.)

Prayer of Dedication / Sending

Gracious God, when we are loving, we become your dwelling place. We seek to become more deeply and freely loving. Therefore we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Through our generosity, by your grace, make your home with us, now and always. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Communion Songs for Easter set to familiar tunes
Eight songs of invitation to the table, set to these melodies:
All Creatures of Our God and King,
Infant Holy, Be Thou My Vision,
The Gift of Love / Water Is Wide,
Morning Has Broken, Fairest Lord Jesus.

Easter Eucharistic Responses
Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to:
All Things Bright and Beautiful (Includes Preface)
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
Fairest Lord Jesus
Morning Has Broken
Now the Green Blade Rises

Always New (Tune: Gift of Love (“Water Is Wide”)
or Tallis’ Canon)

O God, you make me always new.
Each breath I breathe is life from you,
a gift of love that sets me free.
Beloved, breathe new life in me.

O Christ, you call me to new birth
like God’s creation of the earth,
to leave the things I’m fastened on
and walk into the rising dawn.

O loving Spirit, live in me.
Forgive my sin and set me free.
Give me new birth, life from above,
that I may live in your deep love.

Christ, You have Gathered Your Children
(Tune: SLANE- Be Thou My Vision)

Christ, you have gathered your children in peace
here at the table of your loving grace,
just as a mother hen gathers her brood,
giving us shelter and your holy food.

Christ, while dark shadows of death yet draw near,
you go on doing your healing work here.
So the good news of your love cannot fail:*
though evil still abounds, your grace will prevail.

Christ, dead and risen, you gather us in,
so that the great Feast of Life may begin.
Spirit, the gifts that you give us we bring,
sharing with joy as your praises we sing.

God, may we dwell in your house all our days,
sharing our gifts as our offering of praise,
humbly beholding your beauty and grace,
and walking with you and learning your ways.

* For communion substitute “So the good news of this feast cannot fail.”

Sanctuary (Original song)

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

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

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

Song of Healing (Tune: Finlandia)

O God of love, O God of grace unending,
come heal your people, body, mind and soul:
those who know grief, whom sorrow is befriending,
the sick and struggling, who know sorrow’s role.
Heal those whose backs beneath their loads are bending;
come set them free. Come heal and make them whole.

Use us, O God: complete the nations’ mending:
make us your hands; show us our healing role;
make us your eyes, your light in all defending;
let healing flow; O, let your justice roll.
Help us, O God, your Holy Spirit lending,
to heal and bless, to make the dear world whole.