Worship Service for Sunday, August 21, 2022

 

Worship Service for August 21, 2022

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      Almighty God, shine Your light into our lives, and we will all upon Your name!

P:      Loving Christ, turn Your face toward us, that we may be saved!

L:      Sustaining Spirit, restore us in Your grace and bless us with justice.

P:      God of our Ancestors, show us the way to be faithful followers.

 

Opening Hymn – How Firm a Foundation #361/408

Prayer of Confession

Divine God, we try to grow happily, patiently, and faithfully in the soil You have prepared for us.  You feed us, shelter us, and provide for our daily needs.  Yet, we often fail to offer You the fruit of our harvest.  We act as though we were abandoned children, trying to make it on our own.  We feel forsaken, attacked by wild boars, cut down by our enemies, and neglected in the wilderness of our lives.  Yet, through it all, You remain faithful.  Renew our lives once more, so that we can call upon Your name in blessing, honor, and glory.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

Assurance of Pardon

L:      Be assured that Christ’s love is sufficient.  In the warmth of the sun, the fertility of the soil and the refreshment of life-giving water, we have been given all that we need.  God hears our cries, and comes to save us.  Through Christ we may lay aside our sins; through Christ, we know we are safe.

P:      Thanks be to God for this saving faith.  AMEN!

 

Gloria Patri

Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  AMEN

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

Eternal God, generations rise and fall before you.  Before the world even began, you were already God, and from everlasting to everlasting you will always be God.  Long ago you poured out your Spirit on the leaders of Israel, and in the days of Jesus, your Son, you promised that same Spirit to all your children.  Today we gather before you to experience your Spirit anew.

          We are choked with worry and fear some days.  Breathe your holy breath into us.  We are dried up, shriveled, half-alive, sometimes.  Anoint us with the oil of comfort and gladness.  Our hearts are frozen, stone-cold, unresponsive to the world around us at times.  Warm us with heaven’s fire.

          Sweep away every fear and sin that might come between us and you.  Claim us as your willing servants, teach us to carry your good news to the entire world, and show us how to guide others into the light of your goodness. 

          Loving God, who in Jesus Christ, taught us to ask for what we need with a simple trust, prepare our hearts to claim this blessing.  There are people in great need in the world.  There are people in great need in our community.  There are people in great need in our families, Lord.

This morning we lift up to you….

 

We have named them out loud, we have asked for your blessings upon them, but there are more concerns, Lord, that we cannot dare even speak.  In this time of silence read our hearts and fill us with your tender mercies….

 

Lord, help us to remain open to your grace and ready to experience your presence.  For you have already demonstrated your love and compassion in Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying…

 

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  AMEN.

 

Hymn –  Just As I Am

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Isaiah 5:1-7

Second Scripture Reading – Hebrews 11:29-12:2

Sermon –

The Grape

(based on Isaiah 5:1-7)

 

I really liked today’s Old Testament lesson from Isaiah because it talks about the difference between cultured grapes and wild grapes and I actually know a little bit about the difference between these two, especially now after spending some time in the wine growing region of Europe.  But even prior to taking a few tours of vineyards in Spain, Portugal, and France, I’ve tried to grow grapes of my own.  In addition, we’ve had wild grapes growing along the fence at the side of our property for years and they’ve even taken to growing over the roof of our chicken coop.  I’m sure you’ve seen wild grapes growing in the woods or along the roadway yourselves.

Let me explain what I know about these two different grapes.  The long winding branches of wild grapes are often used to make grapevine wreaths since they grow so quickly and profusely.  The leaves on the wild grape are identical to those on the cultivated varieties and in the spring can be cut and eaten for things like stuffed grape leaves in Mediterranean cooking.  The biggest difference is the size and taste of the grape itself.  Wild grapes have very small fruit which is often bitter.  In contrast the cultivated variety of grape doesn’t grow nearly as quickly, the branches are trimmed every year at the very last part of winter or the very beginning of spring.  The new growth for that years’ grapes comes from the old wood and produces heavy, large fruit very close to the ground that is quite juicy and sweet.

Although there are over 60 variety of grapes throughout the world, only a small number of them are used in today’s wine growing regions.  Each grape like the merlot, or the sauvignon grape have a distinctive flavor.  And grapes that are used for wine are often different from the grapes we use as table grapes or the kind we eat off the clustered stems.  I also know that the process for making grapes for grape juice, wine or vinegar was different, as the process either required some fermentation, or not.  Before I went to some of the wine growing regions of Europe, this was pretty much all I knew.

When I went to Bordeaux in France, I visited the Wine Museum and learned a whole lot more about grapes and the process of making wine.  You might wonder, as I had, why there are so many different wines; why nearly every vintage and bottle of wine from grapes grown and/or produced at various wineries is different, and yet how the wine at each of these remains fairly consistent from one year to the next.  For example why is a 2012 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Volair nearly identical to a 2018 bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Volair; same vineyard.  Some experts might say that the older wine is slightly better, but they have the same exact flavors.  If you are a true expert, you’ll even know that it came from this particular winery.  However, a 2012 or a 2018 bottle of same type of wine, a Sauvignon Blanc from Le Speck winery is completely different.  Both use a sauvignon grape, both use the same fermentation and bottling process.  They are nearly the same from year to year if you compare the bottles from the same vineyard, but completely different if you compare the wineries.  Why?  Any ideas?

Well, what I learned at the wine museum and what showed up consistently as I toured some of the vineyards is that what makes them nearly the same or completely different happens long before the collection of the harvest and the process of making the wine.  It’s because of the soil, what’s actually in the soil where the grapes are grown, the amount of light the grapevines get, the amount of heat or lack thereof based on where the vines are growing, and the amount of moisture the soil retains or drains out.  All of these things have a profound affect on the taste of the grape itself, but those things only manifest themselves through and at the end of the process of making wine.  So, one vine grower might be growing a Sauvignon grape in soil that has more limestone in it, while another grower might be growing the same grape in soil that has more sand.  Even if all other conditions remain identical, these two vineyard owners will produce grapes that, in the end process, have a totally different tasting wine.  Or we can pick any one of the other variables; the light, the heat, the moisture and tweak it just a little bit.  Perhaps one of the vineyards is on a hill facing the south where each and every vine gets sunlight all day, from the time the sun rises until it sets.  While another is planted on a flat land facing west, where some of the vines gets shade during part of the day.  Because of this variable, these two vineyards will produce different tasting grapes. 

One of the vineyard owners, on a tour I went on, said to us, “You don’t get to choose the wine you produce, the wine chooses you.”  

If you remember the story from the New Testament and Christ’s first miracle, you’ll recall that Jesus turned water into wine, when the wine for the wedding had run out.  When the steward tasted the wine before offering it to the guests, he praised the host for holding back on the better tasting wine, saying that normally the more expensive wine is given to guests first and when they are drunk, the less tasty and cheaper wine is given later.  So, even back 2,000 years ago, they had some level of sophistication when it came to the process of wine and what tasted better.  Some might say that they only knew about the fermentation process, letting a wine age longer and therefore making it taste more mellow, less astringent or bitter.  But, I think we have a clue in our text this morning.  It wasn’t just about the fermentation or aging process.  It was about the foundation, the soil.

The vineyard owner had a fertile field.  He cared for it deeply.  He dug into the soil and tilled it.  He cleared it of stones.  He even built a watchtower so that someone could stand guard over his precious vineyard.  Whatever it was, he took care of the vines from their very foundation – good soil that would produce an excellent crop.  And what did he get for his efforts – he got wild grapes, the kind that produce only puny, bitter fruit.

This passage from Isaiah is a warning for the people of God.  That God can create for you a foundation, a foundation whose expectations are to produce a good crop of juicy, succulent grapes that can be turned into delicious wine.  But, a foundation can only go so far.  It is the starting place, but there are also so many other variables.  As I found out in the wine museum.  There is more to it than that – there is the water and the heat and the moisture.  Each of these can change the flavor of the grape, they can affect the amount of harvest. 

I asked one of the vintners how many bottles of wine they produce each year on average.  He said that it completely depended on conditions.  Some years they’ll produce 60,000 bottles and other years they may only produce 6,000 bottles. 

There are things that are out of control from the foundation that determine the condition of the grapes.  God is willing to only do so much.  God is willing to provide that good soil that will produce a good crop.  But, God also expects something from us, a part of the process that we need to do.  God expects from us justice.  God expects us to treat one another well, fairly and justly.  God expects from us righteousness, so that those who have no voice, have a champion that seeks what is right for them.  God expects us to care for the creation and to not exploit it.  God expects us to walk in humbleness and with joy.  God expects us to help in the process of producing a good and prosperous fruit.

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

Most praiseworthy God, thank You for the different gifts we bring into this community.  Help us find and appreciate one another’s gifts and to use them in accordance with Your will.  Take these, our tithes and offerings and multiply them for Your use in the world.  We pray this in Jesus’ name.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – God Be With You, Till We Meet Again #540/232

Benediction – Friends, God has given you a foundation upon which to build God’s Kingdom, go out into the world and be co-creators with God producing a good and heavenly fruit.  Go in peace.

Postlude

Aug 17, 2022 - Dublin, Ireland

As part of my Sabbatical leave and project was to learn about food insecurities in other countries.  I haven’t been as successful at this as I’d wanted to be - it has taken somewhat of a different direction.  In Spain, I was able to volunteer at the Madrid Food Bank and find out some statistics/practices of how Madrid handles food insecurities.  While I was in London and in a couple of places in France, I found other avenues where non-profit organizations and even businesses were dealing with homelessness, food insecurities, and general inequality in a variety of ways - from a coffee company, a number of coffeehouses and cafes, and even a food truck.  I’ll spend some time working on a whole post just about this later on.  But, in Dublin on Monday, I got a chance to volunteer at a Community Center of the Capuchin Mission.  They asked me not to take any photos inside, but one of the volunteers allowed me to photograph her from across the street as she greeted those coming inside.  It’s a little staged, but I’m glad I got at least one photo.  Most of the men and women who come to the free luncheon, served 7 days a week, is that they are both homeless and addicts of various types and in various stages of addiction.  I was told repeatedly that “We do not judge.  We simply provide food, a place of rest for a couple of hours, and when we can - help.  Sometimes that comes as just a listening ear, or finding resources for recovery, job searches, housing, etc…. We don’t force anyone to do something that they aren’t ready for.  We’re just here.  And when they’re ready, they know they can ask.”  Although I loved the sentiment of this, I wondered if, perhaps, it was too “passive”.  In my opinion, sometimes people don’t even know what to ask for, how to ask, or even where to start.  During my very short time there, I did find very compassionate hearts who were always willing to listen to some pretty corny jokes (although I didn’t get most of them - perhaps it was due to Irish or local humor) and anything else, no matter how outlandish it was.  I watched and observed one person talk to a volunteer about having wrestled a seahorse the night before.  The volunteer listened in rapped astonishment, but never once showed signs of unbelief.  

I was supposed to meet with Brother Irwin, but he only had time to introduce himself before being whisked off to deal with something else and I never saw him again that afternoon.

While I found poor people panhandling for money in nearly every city, Dublin seems to have a large portion of homeless and food insecure people.

It was rather odd to go from that experience to a Whiskey tour at Jameson’s, but that’s what I did.  I had done a Scotch Whiskey tour in Edinburgh, so this was nearly the same.  Except, I saw this near the Jameson Brewery and I’m going to put this out there in the ether… we need this on top of one of the coke chimney’s in Pittsburgh.  You might need to zoom in, but it’s an observation tower on top of the old brewery chimney.  I can just picture it down at the Waterfront on top of one of the coke chimney towers.  Wouldn’t that be cool?

After tasting some whiskey (I’m still more of a wine person, but my horizons have been expanded to ciders, beer, champagne, whiskey, scotch, and bourbon) I stopped at a local park that had a variety of interesting musical instruments that you could try.

For dinner I went to a church that had been turned into a restaurant/bar with live entertainment.

I had another serving of Irish Stew.  Sometimes, I think that is all the Irish know how to cook.  It’s always on EVERY menu.  And it’s usually rather bland - like Pot Roast in a slow cooker.

On Tuesday morning, I got up extra early and got on a tour to the Cliffs of Moher.  I was supposed to have gone way back in June when I first came to Ireland.  After visiting Killarney, I had planned to go to Galway and stay a few days with a tour of the Cliffs of Moher from there.  I fell in love with Killarney so much that I canceled my trip to Galway and therefore also my tour of the Cliffs of Moher.  However, they offered a full day trip from Dublin so I took it.

The weather was spectacular (and, if I remember, it wasn’t in early June), so I got some outstanding photos.

We stopped at the ruins of the Kilmacduagh Monastery, dating back to the 7th Century.  

When I arrived in Dublin back in the beginning of June, I had taken a walking tour of the city and it brought us to Dublin Castle and the Cathedral, but since it was just a walking tour, we didn’t get a chance to go in.  Today, I went inside.  Although the original Castle no longer exists, there is an underground excavation that’s pretty fascinating.  The chapel was only ever used by the Viceroy and on certain occasions by the masses.  It’s beautiful. 

For dinner I had made reservations at Lincoln’s Inn - a spot that I’d read served traditional Irish fare in current ways.  The meal did not live up to its expectations.  However, I’ve come full circle…I learned from my waiter that James Joyce met his wife (Nora) here on their first date in 1904 over a meal.

It doesn’t really matter how good, hip, current, or up-to-date the food is, it’s still an occasion to celebrate life, the people in it, the journey that we are on, and our relationships.

And we normally do that over a meal.  James Joyce had his first date with his wife over a meal at Lincoln’s Inn.  How many of us had our “first dates” at a restaurant, over a meal?  It’s usually where our stories begin, isn’t it?  

At the table is where we open up, slowly remove our masks, and become real with one another.  We might do it sitting on a curb sharing a biscuit, listening to music.  We might do it at a 5 course dinner with small delicious bites that tantalize our tastebuds.  We might do it on a beach or at a vineyard with friends, or at home over chicken, with strangers at a bar, or in a safe place with people who care about us, or at the same Inn (perhaps at the very same table) where an Irish novelist met his wife and they began life together.  

At the table is also the place where we are vulnerable before God in all those church pictures I’ve taken; where countless men, women, and children over the centuries have come to The Table to seek God’s forgiveness, God’s strength, God’s healing, God’s love, God’s reassurance, and God’s blessing.

At the table is where our stories begin and continue - in exotic places abroad and most especially when we get back home.

August 16, 2022 - (Covering Aug 12-14 in London) Dublin, Ireland

 On Friday I left Belgium.  Michele and Alain drove me to the Charleroi Train Station where I took the local to Brussels.  I was able to secure a ticket on the high speed Eurostar train to take me from Brussels to London with my Eurail Global Pass.  Reaching speeds in excess of 202 miles per hour, it gets to London from Brussels in an hour.  It also goes underneath the channel for about 10-15 minutes - you hardly notice.

After arriving in London that evening, I was searching for any possible ticket available to Stonehenge and was able to secure a tour from Bath.  The only problem with this was that the local trains were on strike for the day.  After quite a lot of searching I was able to find a bus that would get me to Bath in time to get the tour.  But I wasn’t exactly sure what time the tour to Stonehenge would get me back in Bath to catch another bus back to London.  I reviewed all the possibilities, just in case.  I arrived early in Bath and sat in a town square listening to two different street musicians.  One of them played the trumpet and another played the violin.  I chatted with the woman who was sitting next to me on the sidewalk curb.  Her name was Penny and she told me that she was from Marlborough.  She was very upset that I was only there for the hour and would miss seeing more of Bath.  “Oh, you must come back as soon as you can,” she said.  She told me that she comes there often on weekends to shop and walk around.  “I love Bath!” she said quite loudly as she raised her arms and looked up at the very large tree in front of us.  Putting her hand to her mouth, she giggled and looked around.  I laughed with her.  She offered me a biscuit (a cookie for my American friends) from her bag.  We ate together and listened to music.  Whenever I’m in Marlborough I’m to look her up.  She said, “just ask anyone about for batty old Penny and they’ll know exactly who you’re talking about” and she giggled again.  Honestly, she was a pure delight!  And just because of that - I want to visit Marlborough!

For those of you who don’t know, Stonehenge is just one of many henges and standing stones throughout England and Scotland; created about 5,000 years ago.  But, it is probably the most famous due to its compact and dramatic design.  Evidently, building these things were “all the rage” for a while during a 1,000 year period, and then they simply weren’t built anymore.  Stonehenge was built in stages over that time period with stones being added, taken away, and rearranged. Most archaeologists believe that they were created to track the stars, perhaps for a primitive type of worship, perhaps for community gatherings, etc…. But, we still don’t know the full story about them.  Nor do archaeologists fully know how they got such large stones to where they currently rest.  Interestingly, National Geographic dedicated this month’s publication to Stonehenge, as it is the 100th anniversary of the date when they first reported on it.

I got back to London quite late, but needed to be up early Sunday for a long day of travel to Dublin.  The strike was expected to only last a day, but I wasn’t sure if the trains would be running or not.  I was packed and out the door by 7am, took the Tube to the Euston Station, found out the trains were running, so got on the train for Crewe where I was to get on a second train to Holyhead.  There, I could catch the 3+ hour ferry to Dublin, which only goes 4 times a day.  When I arrived in Crewe, they announced that, due to a number of issues, the connection to Holyhead had been canceled.  I asked the train conductor how I could get to Holyhead.  He told me that I could get the 12:04 connection to Chester and then take another train from there to Holyhead.  So, I got on the train to Chester.  Chester station is very small, but there was a scheduled connection to Holyhead when I arrived that was scheduled to leave at 1:20.  As I waited on the platform, more and more trains arrived leaving off their passengers also wishing to go to Holyhead.  When the Holyhead train arrived, it was already full of passengers, but there was an announcement saying that additional cars would be added that we could get on.  Within ten minutes two more cars were added to the Holyhead train.  Thankfully, the door to one of the cars stopped exactly in front of me and I was nearly first on.  In 2 minutes it was standing room only.  For the next hour and a half, the train struggled as we passed through the countryside of Wales.  At each stop, new people tried to get on while few got off.  Most were told that there was no more room.  At one stop, after being told by the train conductor that a passenger wouldn’t be able to get on, he tried to force himself on anyway and a skirmish broke out.  Thankfully, it ended quickly and the train sluggishly left the station, taking a full ten - fifteen minutes to get up to speed.  We arrived in Holyhead at 3:00.  I had planned to be on the 2:10 ferry to Dublin, but looked like I’d have to hope to be able to get on the last ferry out at 3:45.  It was a blessing that everyone who’d arrived in Holyhead was able to get on this ferry, but it, too, was quite full.  And I was unfortunate enough to only find a seat at a table near the children’s play area.  Normally, I wouldn’t mind.  But for almost 4 hours, it grew wearisome to hear 50 children screaming at the top of their lungs.  You know those piercing toddler screams?  I think we were all cranky.  Nonetheless, we arrived in Dublin and I was situated in my last AirBnB by 8:30pm.  Flopping myself on the bed, I was so happy that I had made the decision to splurge a little on my last accommodation.  The stays in Dublin are expensive and when I’d arrived back in June had limited myself to a hostel.   It had not been a great experience.  Paying nearly 5 times more per night, but still cheaper than a hotel room, I am blessed to be staying here.