Today's Worship Service - Sunday, November 26, 2023 Christ the King Sunday

 

Worship Service for November 26, 2023

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      Long ago God spoke to our ancestors many times and in various ways through the prophets.

P:      But in these last days God has spoken to us through His Son, through whom He created the worlds.

L:      He is the one God and has been appointed heir of all things.

P:      He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of God’s own being.  He sustains all things by His powerful word.

L:      When He had made purification for the sins of all, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High.

P:      He was made greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than theirs.

L:      To Him, and to God, the Father, by the power of God the Holy Spirit, belong all our worship and our praise.

 

Opening Hymn –  Lead On, O King Eternal                               #447/724

 

Prayer of Confession

We praise you God for the gift of your Son.  But even as we express our appreciation for His Lordship, we also admit our independence often makes us ignore His authority over our lives.  Forgive us when we live as if we are subject to no one but ourselves, as if judgment is the only authority that matters, our desires the only ones that count.  Forgive us for how we ignore Your word and neglect Your law.  Forgive us for how we blind ourselves to the demands of Your holy will, for how we fail to do that which has been commanded by You.  Grant us mercy, O God and mold us in the image of Christ.  Help us to be your obedient servants.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

Assurance of Pardon

L:      In deepest mercy, God has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  Sisters and Brothers, our sins are forgiven, live in peace.

P:      Alleluia and 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

Almighty God, you are the great I AM, the beginning, the middle, and the end of all that was and is and ever will be.  We praise you for being our all-in-all, our model for perfection, our source of all creative endeavors, the fulfillment of all longing, the hope for lasting peace.  

          In our prayers today, we lift up to you…

         

As we bid farewell to another church year, we thank you most especially for Jesus, your Son.

          In his conception, the womb became a sacred space.

          In his birth, the dark world was enlightened.

          In his dedication, the temple was blessed anew.

          In his early life, childhood and youth were honored as a time for preparation and growth in wisdom and knowledge of You, our One and Only Lord.

          In his ministry, the world was set on its ear.  The old became new, the outcasts were welcomed, the sick were healed, the ignorant were informed, the innocent were protected from harm.  And all who could hear, received good news.

          In his death – cruel as it was – sin’s back was broken and the fissure between God and humanity was perfectly repaired.

          In his resurrection and ascension, believers received the promise of eternal life, a life of glory lived in your presence.

          In this moment of silence, we offer up to you our most sacred, quiet truths…Hear us, as we pray…

 

          Today we embrace Christ once again, the one who loves us, frees us, and commissions us to do your work on earth.  We give thanks for the reign of Jesus Christ, in whose perfect name we 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 –  Be Still My Soul                                           Hymn #712 Brown

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Ezekiel 34:11-16

Second Scripture Reading – Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon –  “Conviction – Becoming a Matthew 25 Church”

There are always two different kinds of people in the world.  There are cat people and then there are dog people.  There are tennis people and then there are football people.  Some people like to sleep with the windows open and some people prefer to sleep with the windows closed.  There are morning people who wake at the crack of dawn and then there are night owls who can stay up past midnight.  There are type A personality people who are ambitious, hardworking, competitive, and have a sense of urgency when it comes to deadlines and then there are type B people who are easygoing, laid-back, and have a more “go with the flow” attitude about life.  There are Tigger people, who bounce and flounce and think everything is fun, fun, fun and then there are Eyore people who are generally sad, and can feel depressed about life.  There are blue sky optimist people and there are chicken little - sky falling down pessimistic people.  When it comes to finances, some are cheque book people who record every transaction, and some are cash people who sort of keep a close proximity of money balances in their heads.  There are Tiffany people and then there are Ollie’s people.  There are Whole Food shoppers and Aldi shoppers.  Two different kinds of people.  And you probably known just from those descriptions, which ones you are.

Jesus says that ultimately, there are only two kinds of people - the sheep people and the goat people.  Do you know which you are?  To be perfectly honest, I’ve never liked the distinction that Jesus makes here because I would have separated them differently.  While my friend Howard would have been right there with Jesus.  For those of you who know me well know how much I love goats.  I think they are the best things ever.  While my friend Howard is completely terrified of the little beasts and think they came directly from hell. 

For those of you who have heard the story before know about my experience visiting a farm for the first time when I was quite young and seeing all the sheep.  I had always loved sheep, too, as I had made wonderfully soft sheep pictures in Sunday School with cotton balls and anticipated cuddling up to that soft fur at the farm for the very first time – only to be tricked and treated to a very different experience of sticky, oily, scratchy wool.  This cemented my love of goats and my dislike of sheep, bringing me to think quite differently about how these two creatures are separated in Jesus’ parable.

         However, Jesus uses sheep and goats in this parable to talk about the behavior of those who truly follow Christ and those who just give it a bunch of lip service.  I am not saying we are saved solely by good works. But our behavior does a great deal to demonstrate our inner hearts and the beliefs that we hold dear. 

Ken Blanchard wrote the book, the One Minute Manager.  He is probably one of the finest thinkers on motivation and leadership.  At the university, he took an unusual approach to education. 

On the first day of the new academic year he gave out the exam paper he would set at the end of the year.  Then during the year, he taught his students how to answer the questions.  If they wanted to pass, they attended and took careful notes.  He wanted every student to reach their full potential and get straight A’s.  Why not?  Jesus feels the same about us.  He wants us to get straight A’s on the final exam.  He wants us to succeed.   How we treat others reveals a good deal about how we’ve been paying attention to his lessons. 

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’…⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36 & 42-43)

The test question on the exam is this:  When you see another person in need, do you treat them as if they were Christ?  Jesus already answered the question about who is my neighbor or who are my mother and my brothers?  His answer has been pretty consistent and clear throughout the teaching of the gospels.

          Jesus expects us to show compassion toward whoever we encounter in need.  That person becomes our neighbor.  That person is my mother, father, brother, sister.  And how we treat them, may, by God’s grace, lead them also into a fellowship and relationship with Christ.

1 John 4:19-21 says this, ^“We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother or sister, he or she is a liar.  For anyone who does not love his brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And Christ has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother or sister.”

          When we are in a good relationship with God serving God’s just causes, we will be unaware that our goodness, our kindness, our faithfulness, or gentleness toward others is anything other than natural. Showing compassion and mercy toward the stranger, toward the sick, toward the prisoner, is a natural act for all those who are following Christ.  It will seem like a burden, a chore, an out of the ordinary act for those who do not follow Christ, who do not know the mercy of God and who only think of themselves.

Ultimately, however, what this parable reveals is that how we treat others is the way we will be treated at the final exam.  Like Ken Blanchard, Jesus has given us the final exam at the beginning of the course, throughout the journey, Christ has given us many lessons to be learned, many stories to understand, many life-affirming good news take-aways for us to ponder and live by.  And at the final exam, he is going to separate the world into two groups – the sheep people and the goat people.

          A few years ago, I was convicted of my own misbehavior during the reading of the story in the Old Testament one Sunday when I was out of town.  One Sunday, attending another church while I was on vacation, I heard the story of Joseph and his many brothers.  They were sick of him.  He was always going on and on about how great he was and how he had been chosen for a higher calling than being a simple shepherd like the rest of them.  He was favored by their father and they simply had had enough of him.  So, they plotted and planned to kill him.  When their oldest brother heard what the rest of them were about to do, he wanted to spare his younger brother’s life and eventually restore him to their father, so he convinced the brothers to just throw him into a pit.  But when a different opportunity presented itself, to make some money and sell Joseph off as a slave, Reuben went along with the idea.

          His ultimate inaction to preserve the life of his younger brother convicted my heart.  Sometimes I still struggle with this.  How many times had I wanted to do the right thing, had made plans in my heart for doing the right thing, and maybe had even spoken out about the wrong thing and yet, in the end did nothing?  Reuben was a reminder to me about my own behavior like the goats in Jesus’ parable.  It convicted my heart that sometimes I still don’t do the right thing.  Sometimes I don’t feed the hungry, or quench the thirst of those who need something to drink, or clothe the naked, or visit the prisoner and those who are sick. 

          A few years ago, our denomination set out to be a Matthew 25 Church.  A church that separates itself along the same lines – so that we will be with the sheep on Christ’s right hand when the time comes.  To act more in feeding the hungry, quenching the thirst of those who are thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the prisoners and seeing to the needs of the sick.  So that we are not a church that just gives lip-service to these things, but is actually a church that is engaged in these activities on a regular basis as the core of who we are and the foundation by which we look at the world around us.  Basically, what is the need in the world around us and how are we treating them, as if that person in need were Christ himself.

          The story about Joseph and his eldest brother Reuben from our well known Old Testament stories and today’s story reminds me that I still have much to learn in my Christian growth, but that I’ve still got time to get it right for the final exam.  But, how much more time?  And what about you?

          May today’s story empower you to be more like the sheep than the goats in your service to the needs of the world.

AMEN. 

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

Holy God, who has given us so many blessed days, we give you thanks that we may gather ourselves to share the life you have given to us through your beloved Son.  We offer to you our gratitude and pray that you would bless these simple gifts that they may reach all your children who are in need.  May they be blessed as we have been blessed.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – Come, Thou Almighty King                  Hymn #139/8

Benediction –

          Hear the cries of those in need!  Go into God’s world, enabled by Christ to be in ministries of compassion for all God’s people.  Love this world as God has loved you.  Go and faithfully serve in the name of Christ.  AMEN.

Postlude

Today's Worship Service - Sunday, November 19, 2023

 

Worship Service for November 19, 2023

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      O Sing to the Lord a new song for He has done marvelous things.

P:      His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him victory.

L:      Let the sea roar and all that fills it;

P:      The world and those who live in it.

L:      Let the floods clap their hands;

P:      Let the hills sing together for joy.

L:      For the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

P:      He will judge the world with righteousness, and the people with equity.

L:      O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.

 

Opening Hymn –  Come, Ye Thankful People, Come      #551/797

 

Prayer of Confession

Father, we thank You for the promise of a new heaven and a new earth.  We praise You for the wonders You have declared You will perform.  As we wait, O Lord, we ask that You cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Forgive us, Lord, for the times when we doubt; when we let our hands lie idle and our hearts focus on the wrong things.  Forgive us, Lord for the times when we have sinned, for when we have deliberately ignored and broken Your law, or turned away from You due to ignorance and neglect.  Help us, Lord, to overcome the evil one as we wait for Your revealing.  Put within us a new spirit of commitment, dedication, and joy.  Touch us and make us whole.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

Assurance of Pardon

L:      If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  All this is from God to whom we have been reconciled by Christ.

P:      Thanks be to God!

 

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

Gracious and loving God, we lift to you our prayers and praises for all of your people.  You alone are Lord over all the earth.  The nations are in your hands, under your judgment, at your mercy.  For the whole creation, and all who dwell within it, we pray.

          Care for those who are ill, for those who suffer at the whim of disease, for any whose bodies are weakened by illness, for all those who face surgery and its recovery.  As we pray for those who are ill, we also keep in prayer those who care for them.  Give them strength Lord in their caregiving…

We especially pray for….

 

          O God, we pray for the nations of the earth and for their leaders.  Come to them in the midst of their leadership, their power, their opportunities for change.  Show them the things that make for peace.  Grant those same blessings, we pray, to the leaders of all the institutions of the world, in the realms of business and education and service.  Grant that those who labor in those organizations that they may be just, honorable and respectful.

          Hear the inner groanings of our spirit as it reaches out to listen to Your Spirit that dwells within us and hear our silent prayers this morning.

 

          Hear our prayers this day O Lord, for it is in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, that we pray 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 –  We Gather Together      Hymn #559/790

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Psalm 123

Second Scripture Reading – 1 Thessalonians 5:11-28

Sermon –  

          As we approach the end of the Christian year and start a new one on December 3 with the first Sunday of Advent, we’ve recently covered a lot of passages on the purpose of Church, the outward example of being a Christian, and the role we play in society.  A large variety of those passages have come from 1 Thessalonians.  This morning we finish with the last chapter and final verses in the first letter Paul wrote to the new church in Thessalonica.

          As I was going through some of my reference material for this letter, I reached for my sister’s Bible.  I remember when she bought it.  She was so excited.  She bought it in 2019, a year before she was diagnosed with cancer.  She called me and said, “I just bought a new Bible today.  Did you know that they have a Study Bible out there that explains all the cultural significance surrounding the passages?  It makes everything make so much more sense when you put it into context of when it was written.”  I told her that I actually didn’t know that there was a Study Bible out there for that specific purpose, but knew that it is always important to put context to the passages that we read from the Bible. 

Having always been a cultural and history buff, I knew this kind of thing would reinvigorate my sister’s reading of scripture, so I was very happy that she’d found it.  It’s put out by Zondervan and is called the NRSV (which stands for the New Revised Standard Version) Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.

          Hearing anew her excitement in my head, I picked up her Bible and went to the first letter Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica.  It is believed that this was nearly the first if not the very first letter Paul wrote to one of his churches, perhaps written as early as 50 CE (the Common Era - which is the more generic term for what we used to call AD, Anno Domini.  In other words, this letter was written roughly 20 years after Christ’s death.

So, to put that into context, we have the events of Pentecost shortly after Jesus ascends to heaven.  The first disciples begin a new movement within Judaism following the teachings of Christ.  This movement starts to receive unwanted attention by the Roman government and Saul, a Jewish Pharisee, did not want the Roman government to come after Israel, Judea or Jerusalem in oppression or subjugation any more than was necessary, as a province of Rome.  So, Saul began to persecute the followers of Christ, putting them in jail and probably having many of them killed as blasphemers and insurrectionists.  A few years now have passed since Christ’s resurrection, Ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the persecution of Christ’s followers and then Saul of Tarsus receiving a vision; a conversion experience that changes his life.  He is now called Paul and after a year or more of study with the disciples, he becomes the movement’s most prominent missionary/evangelist.

          Historically, the Imperial Roman Empire lasted for about 500 years.  It was nearly at its peak during Paul’s lifetime.  Its empire spanned three continents; Asia Minor, Northern Africa, and most of Europe.  Because of this vast empire, the Romans built a network of roads in order to connect all of its kingdoms from east to west and north to south.  Major arteries, such as the Via Engatia which passed through Thessalonica, conveyed enormous amounts of traffic.  Cities along the routes of these roads became prosperous and cosmopolitan because they brought Roman military units and provided safe trading.  The mobility made possible by these excellent roadways (many still in use today – 2,000 years later) contributed greatly to the spread of Christianity as well.

          From the journeys recorded in the book of Acts, scholars estimate that Paul must have covered over 10,000 miles during his missionary career, bringing the message of Christ’s gospel or the Good News in person to people in every city along the way.  Thessalonica was one of them.  He then spent time writing letters to those newly established churches roughly 5-15 years after his own conversion to following Christ.

          Due to the time period in history, the expanse of the Roman empire, the network of easily traveled roads, and safer sea voyages (although Paul still experienced three shipwrecks), the message spread quickly and a whole new church movement, one separate from Judaism, began.  I write all of this because we have at our disposal another, new network available for spreading the message of Jesus Christ.  Paul and the early Christian believers had the vast Roman roads to go to places all over three continents.  It was the first time in history that information, goods and services, and people could travel so easily and so readily.  Together, we have the internet that can do the same.  For the first time in history, people can avail themselves of our information that we also send out into the world, at the click of a button.  However, as Christians, what information are we sending out?

          Here in this closing part of the Thessalonica letter, Paul lays out what being a Christian means.

1.   Encourage one another – One young boy said to his father, “Let’s play darts.  I’ll throw and you say, ‘Wonderful!’  Did you also know that it is a medical fact that hearing and receiving words of encouragement can actually make someone feel better physically?  You are 9/10’s more likely to get better or have a more rapid recovery rate if, when you are ill, a doctor spends time with you giving you encouraging words.  So, we as Christians should use soothing and encouraging words with one another.  The next suggestion Paul makes takes that encouragement one step further.

2.   Build each other up – Building each other up isn’t just about saying encouraging words, it goes one step further.  Years ago, a young man named Johnny Agar made the news.  Johnny had cerebral palsy, which makes physical activity difficult.  But he and his dad, Jeff, had teamed up to compete many 5K races – Dad pushing and Johnny riding.  But one day, Johnny wanted to complete the race by himself.  Halfway through the race, his dad took him out of his modified wheelchair, helped him to his walker, and assisted Johnny as he completed the race on his own two feet.  Building each other up is a habit of encouragement that leads to people accomplishing things they’d never even attempt on their own because there are people behind them rooting for them, encouraging them and supporting them, even if they should fail.

3.   Respect those who work among you – I heard a line once in a movie, can’t remember what movie it was, but it was a dad talking to his son after an incident had occurred.  The dad told the son that he was to live his life giving the same respect to the janitor as he’d give to the superintendent.  There might be a difference in pay scale, they might circulate in different levels of society, but each person warrants the same respect, no matter their pay, level of education, color of their skin, or even gender.  Each person, and every person on the planet, should receive respect.

4.   Be at peace among yourselves – This can sometimes be difficult.  As a culture we haven’t been taught well how to dialogue and debate without feeling personally attacked.  Social media has only made it worse.  In spite of our differences, we need to find a level of decorum that allows us to live peaceably with others.  At the Parliament of the World’s Religions I learned that this doesn’t mean we give up on our own core values for those of others, but instead we seek to understand, find common ground, respect one another, and eventually that peace comes.

5.   Admonish the idlers – admonish can mean to reprimand someone firmly, but it can also mean to advise or urge someone.  Since the Bible passage in this case would seem to warrant a positive approach, I’d say that the second definition is more in line with what Paul was trying to convey.  To urge someone who has lost their spirit and unwilling to do something, someone who has become habitually lazy.  Paul isn’t seeking retribution against laziness.  He is trying to say, first use words of encouragement, build them up with your support, show everyone respect, and be at peace with them.  Finally, if someone is still “not pulling their weight” so to speak – urge them to break such a bad habit and join the team in making something great together.

6.   Encourage the fainthearted, Help the weak, Be patient with all of them, all of these just take the previous suggestions to new levels for those whom we’d do well to act with generosity – the fainthearted, the weak, giving them our patience.

7.   Do not repay evil for evil, but instead seek to do good – one of my favorite Dr Suess books is the Butter Battle Book.  How those on either side of the wall looked at those on the other side of the wall with suspicion and they began to fight, repaying each round of fighting with a worse round of fighting until the ultimate nihilation was considered.  That certainly is not what God’s wants.  Do good to one another.

8.   Rejoice always – I find it interesting that the two shortest verses in Scripture are; “Jesus wept” John 11:35 and “Rejoice always” in 1 Thessalonians 5:16.  They seem so diabolically opposed.  However, Paul often uses the word, “to rejoice” when it comes to a greeting or an ending in his letters.  He is happy for people and their circumstances.  He is happy to greet them again.  He is encouraged that they are trying to live their lives by following Christ.  His is happy to be in contact with them and to send this letter on its way for more teaching.  It is because of this that he asks the people of Thessalonica to “rejoice always”.

9.   Pray without ceasing – the only way we become close to understanding God’s will and lean on the courage, support and strength that God gives us is by praying and to do it “without ceasing” and finally,

10.                Give thanks in all circumstances – regardless of what is happening to us or around us, we know that God is in control and knows everything that is happening.  For that we can give thanks. 

Dear Friends, in this season of Thanksgiving know that you rest in the very palm of God’s hand.  Thanks be to God.  AMEN.

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

There are no limits to the gifts You have given us, gracious Lord.  Now we return our thanks to You for these gifts and we bring these tokens to you, asking for Your blessing on givers and gifts.  Help these gifts and givers to be Your witnesses throughout the world.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – Now Thank We All Our God        Hymn #555/788

Benediction –

          As you have been blessed, now go to be a blessing to others.  Go, bringing the news of peace and hope, of healing and love.  Go and the God of peace will always go with you.  AMEN.

Postlude

Today's Worship Service - Sunday, November 12, 2023

 

Worship Service for November 12, 2023

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      On this new morning and in every moment of our lives, gracious God,

P:      From generation to generation, we praise Your holy name.

L:      Like our ancestors before us, we proclaim Your greatness to our children,

P:      For we have seen Your deeds of power and witnessed Your goodness in our lives.

L:      As You have opened Your hand to all, satisfying the desire of every living thing,

P:      Open our heart so that we might share the gifts we have received from You.

L:      Let us worship God in gratitude and joy!

 

Opening Hymn –  His Eye is on the Sparrow      Hymn #624 Brown

 

Prayer of Confession

Faithful God, we come before You with many concerns on our hearts.  We get frustrated and angry at the way things are going in the world.  We want Your immediate intervention; and when we don’t see things happening the way we think they should be, we are quick to dismiss You and any thought of Your presence.  Help us stop our selfishness and our quick anger.  Remind us that You will work with us and through us for peace and hope.  Release us from the traps of quick tests of Your faithfulness and help us see the “big picture” of Your awesome love that spans all of time.  Forgive us for our pettiness and our stubbornness.  Bring us back to You, O Lord.  Help us shout Your praises and live lives of joyful service.  For we ask these things in Jesus’ name.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

Assurance of Pardon

L:      Even though we get frustrated and angry, God still loves us and seeks to heal us.  Open your hearts to receive God’s blessings and to feel God’s healing power in your lives.

P:      Thanks be to God.  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

As we gather in prayer this day as a community of your people, O God, we pray for thankful hearts for the goodness of your creation, for the signs of your loving care of all things we see around us daily, and for the calling into a community of the followers of your son, Jesus Christ.  We give you thanks for his teachings, his compassionate words of care, his challenges to all the ways we focus on self-centeredness and self-sufficiency, for his healing presence and for his courageous witness against the powers of this world that focus on destruction, hatred, and death.

Creator God, you draw all people into one body so that we may learn the precious connectedness of your universe.  You invite us to nurture each other, to trust each other, to empower each other, to unbind each other, to encourage one another, so that together we will be a strong and healthy body. 

          Holy Lord, empower us to be more faithful and diligent in spreading your good news of peace, love, hope, and grace in our world.  Give us boldness and courage to speak and act against the principalities and powers of this age that fill the world with injustice and acts of violence.

          You also taught us, Lord, to pray for those who persecute us.  Though it is difficult to voice kind words about those who perpetuate evil, we pray for those who find anger in their hearts, for those who want to do violence against another human being.  We pray also for those who lost their lives in events around the globe.  Cover your creation, Lord, with compassion and care.  We especially pray this day for Israel and Palestine, for those living in Gaza.  We pray for Ukraine and Russia.   We pray for a change of heart, for people to find better ways to communicate their frustration, for increased understanding, for Your holy sense of mercy to pervade minds and spirits. 

          We also pray for our own loved ones….

 

          O Lord, hear the words of our mouths and now in silence hear also the words of our hearts.

 

          We pray all these things 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 –  A Mighty Fortress           Hymn #260/151

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Joel 2:12-28

Second Scripture Reading – Matthew 16:13-19

Sermon –  “I Dream a Church”

About halfway through his ministry Jesus questioned the disciples about who people thought he was.  And then after a variety of answers he asked them directly, “But who do you say I am?”

Simon, son of Jonah, answered immediately, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and with that answer, Jesus renames him Cephas or Peter which means “Rock” and declares that upon that Rock he would build a church.  But what really was that church supposed to look like, feel like, be like?  How was this church going to be any different from the religious institutions that had gone before it?  How was this new church supposed to respond to the ways of the world, the teachings of Christ, and the new vision of hope, grace, mercy, and love?

When Jesus was arrested, crucified, and resurrected from the dead, only to leave again, the disciples probably wondered about this new future church even more.  They waited, they prayed, and they dreamed of what the new Church Jesus envisioned would be like.

          Plans didn’t quite go the way they had envisioned them.  Jesus was not seated on the throne of Jerusalem; hailed as king of the Jews.  They were not part of a new government, formed to bring about peace and prosperity for the Jewish nation.   But in spite of the chaos that followed Christ’s death and resurrection, a new dream emerged.  They dreamed of the promised gift of the Spirit, they dreamed of the future and their place in it, and they dreamed about what the continuing presence of Christ might mean for them and their world.

As it shaped the longing of the disciples, God’s Holy Spirit shapes our human longing into a holy longing and our human dreaming into holy dreaming.  As God’s love is poured out upon us our longing and dreaming is brought to perfection by that same Spirit.  To dream is to invite God’s Holy Spirit to enter into our broken lives, wherever we are, in whatever state we find ourselves, and ask for the wings of the Spirit to unfurl in our dreaming.  To dream the Church, to dream the Kingdom, is to invite God’s Holy Spirit into our humanity and shape our dreaming and longing into a Christ-like longing for the reconciliation of the world to God.

I, also, have a dream for the church. 

I dream a church with doors flung wide open, where all who enter meet the living God.  A church with vibrant worship, powerful preaching, and marvelous music.   I dream of a church that transforms broken people into whole people of God.  I dream of a place that is less like a club with a membership, than an ever-widening circle that welcomes everyone.

I dream a church that honors the past, lives into the present, and embraces the future.  Honoring the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, their contributions that have made possible our present reality, we give them thanks.  I dream a church that works side by side one another in mission and outreach, in programs and the work of the church.  I dream a church that isn’t afraid of the future, but instead listens to the voices that are emerging as you dream together to shape and mold what your future shall be.

I dream of a Church that has no fear or reservation in making the Gospel of Christ, the story God’s reconciling love, known to a hurting world.  You can start by taking that message with you.  There are hurting people just down the street or around the corner.  Start right here; at home.  And how do you make the gospel known?  You live it; every day.  Work for justice, show compassion, serve others, pour out God’s love and grace on others as it has been poured out on you.  Above all, be forgiving.

I dream of a Church that turns to God again and again in prayer and listens to what the Spirit is saying to the Church.  Do not just pray for yourselves and your family.  Do not just pray for those whom you know, but pray for the stranger.  Pray for our communities.  Pray for your neighbor.  Pray for the people you don’t know well.  Pray for those who have nothing but a glimmer of hope.  Pray for those who have lost even that.  Pray for those who have everything, but God.  Pray for the world around you.  Pray for the things that are happening in society.  In all things, turn to God in prayer.  The more you pray, the more you’ll hear God speak.  So, I pray that you learn how to listen, as well.

I dream a church that challenges the mind, opens the heart, and feeds the soul. A place of learning and inquiry for everyone, from the very smallest to the very eldest.  I dream of dialogue and struggle, of laughter and tears, of growth and maturity.  A church that says “yes” more often than “no.”

I dream of a Church in which all the children of God are welcome, and not turned away because of human prejudice or human fear of those who are different.  Embrace the outcast.  Forgive those who have hurt you.  Do not put yourselves in the position of judge, but rather that of a fellow traveler.  We all have more in common than we have differences.  Welcome the orphan and the widow, the single mother, and the struggling dad.  Encourage those who have doubts and are full of questions and fear.  Do not have all the answers, but walk beside them as they discover the answers for themselves.

I dream of a Church that has the courage to stand up to the injustices and prejudices of the world around us, and champion the voice and cause of the dispossessed, the marginalized, and the forgotten.  Taking that one step further:  Don’t just welcome them into your midst, but champion their causes as your own.  Make their life struggles your mission to help end injustice and prejudices.

I dream that God will journey with those who have left the Church, and yes, even abandoned their faith in light of the ways that the Church has hurt so many in our history.  So always be ready to be the voice of reconciliation to those who have been hurt by destructive voices in the past.  Be the one voice that stands out and says, “That wasn’t right.  And I’m here to prove to you that it can be different.”
          I dream of a Church of courageous people gathered under the banner of Christ who stand together and say no to the dark forces of this world that would have us believe that our human value is rooted only in what we can buy or what we can sell.  Life isn’t about things.  It’s about people and our relationship with one another.  God created us all in God’s own image.  Be courageous and stand firm in acknowledging the dignity that every human being should be offered.

I dream of a Church that proclaims a resounding “no” to the selfishness within us and around us that leads us to destroy, rather than nurture and care for God’s good creation.  Be more careful of the resources you use and consume.  Be good stewards of the earth’s rich bounty.  We have been given the task of being caretakers of God’s creation, so herald the causes of those who work to protect it.

I dream a church like the 1^st Century Church, a church filled with hospitality and healing, generosity and giving.  A place where needs are met and good things are shared.  Where the lonely find support and wise advice.  Where those struggling with chronic illness find comfort. Where the able-bodied work and play and sit at table alongside those who need more tending.  In my dream of a church, I see a grateful church, a church serving the bread of life and the cup of joy.

And I dream of a Church in which every one of God’s children know and feel the healing and reconciling love of God in Christ, no matter how broken they are, no matter how defeated they are, no matter how sick, depressed or demoralized, I dream that God’s love will be known to any and all in need.  And I dream that we, each and every one of us, can be the people to carry that love to the world.

This is what I dream for the church.  It is what I long for.  What is your dream for the church?  What is your holy longing?  It’s time for men and women, young and old to dream dreams and share their visions that God might shape our collective dreams and our collective visions into the vision of his kingdom.

Thanks be to God, AMEN.

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

Heavenly Lord, we are indeed thankful for the blessings you have bestowed upon us.  Grant that these offerings serve you in the building up of your church and your witness to the world; that your heavenly kingdom is near at hand within us now and always.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn – O, Master Let Me Walk With Thee       Hymn #357/665

Benediction –

God has called and chosen you to be witnesses to hope and peace in God’s world.  Go in peace and this same healing, reconciling love and peace will be with you.  Go and serve the Lord your God in all that you do.  AMEN.

Postlude