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
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