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Worship
Service for February 5, 2023
Prelude
Announcements:
Call to Worship
L: We are people created to sing praise to
God!
P: We praise God who gives rivers in the
desert.
L: We worship God who has said, “Yes!” to
humanity in Jesus Christ.
P: We give thanks to God who give the Spirit
in our hearts.
L: Glory be to God -
P: Creator, Christ, and Spirit, Giver of all
good gifts.
Opening Hymn – Great is Thy Faithfulness Hymn
#276/139
Prayer of Confession
All too often, O God, we have
not recognized the mission You have committed to us – transforming the world,
or at least our small portion of it, in the name of Christ. We have trusted in our ability to get things
done rather than in Your power. We have
trusted in our wisdom instead of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. May we always seek Your will above our own
wills. May we always pray for Your
strength and aid in all we do. Turn our
hearts, minds, and wills completely to You that we may serve You at all times
and in all places. (Silent
prayers are offered) AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon
L: Friends, hear the Good News! We are saved by the gospel!
P: We are saved by the gospel and we hold
firmly to it.
L: Friends, believe in the Good News!
P: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven! 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
Holy God, through our
prayers, we gain strength to do your work.
Through our prayers, we serve as channels for your grace to this
troubled world. Through our prayers, we
share in the restoration of all things in Christ, that your reign may
come. Teach us, Lord, to pray and to do
your work. Give us the strength to do
whatever you would have us do. We
recognize that without the help of your Spirit we cannot even say, “Jesus is
Lord,” much less bring others into your kingdom. Let our common prayer today bring us uncommon
faith and a willingness to do whatever you ask us to do. May the power of your Spirit guide our every
word and action. Fill us with your
Spirit, that our prayers and works may proclaim your glory and work to the
coming of your reign.
Heal us, O God, of all
our afflictions. Heal our bruised
hearts, our aching bones, our tired minds, and our shriveled spirits. Heal our diseases and anxieties, heal our
loved ones and neighbors far and wide.
Today, we especially lift up to you….
Hear our prayers, O
Lord, those that we have given voice to and those that we now pray to you in
silence.
Gracious God, lead us
by your Holy Spirit and guide us each and every day. May the prayer of your son not only reach
your ears as we pray them together, but may they also teach us more and more
how to be obedient to you...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 – God
of Grace and God of Glory Hymn #420/435 4 vs.
Scripture Reading(s):
First Scripture Reading – Isaiah
58:1-12
Second Scripture Reading – Matthew
5:13-20
Sermon – “You Are…”
I don’t remember where I got this story
from…it’s one of those stories in my endless files of sermon research and
unfortunately, I never marked where I got it from. But, hear this story:
A quiet forest dweller lived high above an
Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps. The old gentleman had been hired many years
ago by a young town council to clear away the debris from the pools of water up
in the mountain crevices that fed the lovely spring flowing through their town.
With faithful, silent regularity, he
patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt
that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water. By and by, the village became a popular
attraction for vacationers. Swans
floated along the crystal clear spring, mill wheels of various businesses
located along the water, farmlands were naturally irrigated, and the view from
restaurants was picturesque beyond description.
Years passed. One evening the town council met for its
semiannual meeting. As they reviewed the
budget, one man's eye caught the salary figure being paid the obscure keeper of
the spring. Said the keeper of the
purse, "Who is the old man? Why do we keep him on year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know the strange ranger of the
hills is doing us no good. He isn't
necessary any longer!" By a
unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man's services.
For several weeks nothing changed. By early autumn the trees began to shed their
leaves. Small branches snapped off and
fell into the pools, hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. One afternoon someone noticed a slight
yellowish-brown tint in the spring. A
couple of days later the water was much darker. Within another week, a slimy film covered
sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The
mill wheels moved slower, some finally ground to a halt. Swans left, as did the tourists due to the
foul odor of the town. Clammy fingers of
disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
Quickly, the embarrassed council called a
special meeting. Realizing their gross
error in judgment, they hired back the old keeper of the spring. Within a few
weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up. The wheels started to turn, and new life
returned to the hamlet in the Alps once again.
This story is more than an idle tale. It carries with it a vivid relevant analogy
directly related to the times in which we live. What the keeper of the springs meant to the
Swiss village, Christians mean to the world. We Christians may seem feeble, needless,
unimportant, and small to the vast world, but our influence, as we act like Christ
in the world around us, serves a very important purpose.
We, who are Christ's ambassadors, are assigned
the position of influencing and impacting our world not unlike the old
gentleman in the Alps.
Nowhere in the gospels or the epistle writings
do we get the impression that Jesus wanted us to live in isolation, separated
from the world. We are called to make a
difference by influencing and impacting the world around us.
The number one problem of the church isn’t
apathy, or its declining membership, or the resurgence of a secular world. These things are the result of the number one
problem of the church and that is; irrelevance.
We’ve lost our influence in the community. The church has lost its influence because
Christians have neglected their responsibility to be the very things that
Christ told us to be: salt and light to the world. As we have neglected to be what God has called
us to be, the world has decided to ignore us, but when Christians decide to be
salt and light, the world pays close attention to what we say and do. Let me say it as simply as I can: When we are
salt and light, the world listens to us. When we aren't, they don't bother.
Here is how Eugene Peterson's The Message paraphrases
these passages that we read this morning:
Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings
out the God-flavors of this earth. If
you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in
the garbage.
Here's another way to put it: You're here to
be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going
public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think
I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a
light stand-shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people
to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven (Matt. 5:13-16 The
Message).
I think the reason Jesus chose these two
metaphors - salt and light - is because of their unique qualities. Both carry enormous influence, have immediate
impact, are noticed instantly, and are difficult to veil.
Salt was one of the most common substances in
the ancient world. Roman soldiers were paid in salt and would revolt if they
didn't get their ration. Indeed, our
English word "salary" comes from the Latin salarium, which literally
means "salt-money." I’m sure
you’ve heard the expression, "That person is not worth their salt". It’s a reminder of the high value that salt had
in biblical times. So, what are its
uses?
In the ancient world the primary function of
salt was as a preservative. It retards
spoilage. Likewise, Christians are
supposed to act like a preservative in the world. As we share the Good News with the world around
us, we help protect society from itself.
We help balance the rights and the wrongs of each day’s culture.
Or used in seasoning. I never liked salt very much when it comes to
eating, in fact, I used to use very little of it in cooking. If I eat a pretzel, I rub all the salt off of
it. However, a decade or two ago, I
started watching some cooking shows on television and was shocked at how much
salt they always use in their recipes.
They put salt on everything. So,
one day, I gave in and decided I’d season whatever it was that I was making
with a little salt. And wow! Did that ever make a huge difference! Now, I’m careful with the amount that I use,
but just a little bit brings out so much of the flavors of whatever it is you
are cooking. In a similar fashion,
Christianity brings spice and zest to life. The Christian is the personification of how
life is supposed to be lived.
Or used in healing. Cleaning out a wound with salt was very effective
in fighting infection and quickens the healing process. Christians have a responsibility of not only
pointing out sin, but also offering healing and help. By exerting our influence
we can help heal the world of things like injustice, inequality, homelessness,
and hunger, as well as so many other social ills.
It has been said that you can lead a horse to
water but you can't make him drink. But,
did you know that the rest of the saying goes; you can give him a salt tablet
and make him thirsty? As Jesus made
people thirsty for God, Christians are to make people thirsty for the Good News
found in Christ.
Jesus not only says that we are the salt of
the earth, he also says we are the light of the world. The dictionary defines light as a "source
of illumination."
Christians, reflecting the light of Christ, dispel
darkness. The progress may seem slow,
but the results are apparent.
When you walked into a darkened room you don’t
know what is there? Then the light is
switched on and suddenly the contents of the room are revealed. As Christ's presence today, we are to be the
light of the world, awakening society to the presence of God, revealing truth
and dispensing darkness.
In order to have an influence, we must be
influenced by Christ on a daily basis, not just a weekly contact, where we come
inside these walls to pray, sing, and listen to a sermon. But daily contact, on a regular basis. We must be influenced by Christ on a daily
basis, spend time reading the word of God, be in communication with God through
everyday prayers.
"A city on a hill cannot be hidden".
Our influences, however small or great,
will be seen. Salt can be tasted. Light can be seen. Great effort has to be made to cover up
either.
Our Christianity should be vibrant and
visible. We aren't called to save the world. But we are called to make a difference. We can't do everything. But we can do
something. And what we can do, we ought
to do.
Christ’s words were not a suggestion, but a
command. With urgency in his voice,
Jesus says, "If you are salt, then season!" "If you are light,
then shine!" "You are the salt
of the earth . . . You are the light of the world".
Offertory –
Doxology –
Prayer of Dedication –
O
gracious God of hope, bless these gifts today, use them for Your will to
further Your kingdom. May they represent
an outpouring of our love and dedication to You. In Your name we pray. Amen.
Closing
Hymn – O Jesus, I Have Promised Hymn #388/676
Benediction –
Go, as a forgiven and
holy people, to do the will of the one who loves us
unconditionally.
Postlude
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