Joint Service today at Bethesda 11:15am
Worship
Service for June 2, 2024
Prelude
Announcements:
Call to Worship
L: The voice of the Lord flashes flames of
fire.
P: Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
L: The voice of the Lord shakes the
wilderness!
P: Worship the Lord in holy splendor.
L: The Lord sits enthroned as sovereign
forever.
P: In God’s congregation all say, “Glory!”
Opening Hymn – Glorify They
Name/Majesty #9/10 Brown
Prayer of Confession
O God, whose very name is
Love, we mean to do well, but our intentions are soon discarded. We try to be faithful, but we are diverted by
so many things. We do not wish to harm
anyone, but, for lack of consideration, we sometimes hurt those we love the
most. We sympathize with those who
suffer more often than we provide actions that might help them. We refuse to accept the help of others
because we are unwilling to admit our own needs. Help us, Lord and forgive us our sins. (Silent prayers are offered) AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon
L: This statement is true and should be
universally accepted that God, in the human form of Jesus Christ, died for our
sins and has redeemed us back to Himself.
It is a gift freely given that we should freely accept.
P: We
do, indeed, freely accept this gift.
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
Kind and
Gracious God, open our minds and hearts to the world around us. Shake us loose from our preoccupation with
our own lives, that we may, for this moment, live in the wide panorama of human
activities as instruments of your concern.
We ask help in our concern for those in great need. We ask for guidance in our actions and in the
expression of our membership in our state and nation and world. Awaken us to those who need food. Awaken us to those who need justice. Stir us to care for people we cannot see or
talk to, that our capacity for compassion may be used in your service.
We pray
for those close to us as well:
For those
who have suffered loss, for those who are ill and in pain, for those who are in
discomfort of soul and need your healing presence and your guidance. Be with us and help us in praying. Be Spirit alive in us to move us to such
actions as might be useful to you and healing to others.
And now, O
Lord, hear our silent petitions this morning.
Gracious
God, awaken us to Your generous love as we stand in unity and boldness and 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 #488 Brown
Scripture Reading(s):
First Scripture Reading – Psalm
139:1-6, 13-18
Second Scripture Reading – 2
Corinthians 4:5-12
Sermon – Clay
Jars
Clay
Jars
(based on 2 Corinthians 4:5-12)
Today
we delve into the powerful and transformative message found in 2 Corinthians
4:5-12. This passage, penned by the
Apostle Paul, speaks deeply to our identity in Christ, our mission, and the
profound hope we carry within us. As we
unpack these verses, may we open our hearts to the Spirit's guidance, allowing Paul’s
words to the Church in Corinth to challenge, encourage, and embolden us in our
walk with God.
Let’s
begin right at verse 5: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ
as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake."
Paul
begins by laying out the very foundation of his message and mission. He clarifies that the content of his preaching
is not about himself but about Jesus Christ as Lord. This is a crucial reminder for us as
believers. Our lives, our testimonies,
and our ministries are not about self-promotion or seeking personal glory. We are called to point others to Jesus,
acknowledging Him as the sovereign Lord of all.
In
an age where self-promotion and personal branding are prevalent, this message
is just as countercultural now as it was 2000 years ago. Today world tells us to build our own
platforms on social media, but the Gospel calls us to be servants, to humbly
proclaim Christ and His lordship. Not
that social media and building platforms are wrong, but our goal should always be
to magnify Christ, to make Jesus Christ known, and to serve others selflessly
for His sake.
Verse
6: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light
shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory
displayed in the face of Christ."
Paul
then draws a powerful parallel between the creation narrative and the new
creation in Christ. Just as God
commanded light to shine out of darkness in the very beginning of creation, God
has now made the light to shine out from our very selves, from our hearts. This new light that comes from Christ is not
just an intellectual understanding of who Jesus is, but is a transformative
experience. When we encounter Christ, when
we fully experience the love of Christ, the power of Christ, the living water
that He spoke about to the woman at the well, the light of His presence dispels
any darkness within us. We come to know
God's glory intimately, and this experience changes everything. It shapes our identity, fuels our mission, and
compels us to share this light with a world engulfed in darkness.
Before
I read again verse 7, you’ve each been given a lump of clay. Shape it, mold it, work with it in your hands
as you continue to listen. Make a pot, a
jug, a bowl, a jar – some kind of empty vessel and listen to verse 7: "But
we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is
from God and not from us."
Here,
Paul uses a vivid metaphor to describe the nature of our calling. We are likened to jars of clay.
I
have never gone on an archaeological dig in any part of the world, but I did
serve as a docent at the Bible Lands Museum at Pittsburgh Seminary and I have
gone to countless museums around the world.
Clay jars are the most common things found at digs. They are unbelievably fragile, they often
shatter to pieces if dropped, they crack if not tempered and fired properly,
they are mostly unremarkable in themselves.
And yet, these ordinary clay jars, surviving thousands of years through
antiquity, have given us more insight into the people who made them than
practically anything else. And it is in
these humble vessels, clay jars/human beings that God has placed an
extraordinary treasure: the light of the Gospel and the all-surpassing power of
God’s Holy Spirit.
This
imagery reminds us of our dependence on God.
Some
of your jars will be clunky, some will be short and stout, some will be deep
and narrow, others will crack and slump.
Each of them will be unique and a blessing from the creator. It is helpful to be reminded that the power
and glory belong to God, not to us. Our
weaknesses and limitations serve to highlight God's strength and sufficiency. When we recognize our own frailty, we are more
likely to rely on God’s power. Our
brokenness, our cracks and blemishes become a backdrop for God’s grace to shine
more even brightly.
Moving
on to Verses 8-9: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but
not destroyed."
Continue
working on your jars as you listen. Here
Paul addresses the realities of suffering and adversity in the Christian life. He acknowledges that we will face trials and
pressures from every direction. However,
he also provides a perspective of hope. Despite
being hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, we are not
defeated. Those humble clay jars, though
cracked and broken perhaps, shattered even, still outlive, outlast, nearly
everything else through the centuries.
This
resilience is not a testament to our strength but to God's sustaining power
within us. It is God’s presence that
enables us to endure, to keep pressing on, and to maintain hope even in the
darkest times. Our sufferings are real,
but so is God's faithfulness. We may be
knocked down, but we are not destroyed. This
tenacity is a powerful witness to the world, demonstrating that our hope is
rooted in something, or rather, Someone far greater than our circumstances.
Verse
10: "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."
Paul
presents a paradox here: the death of Jesus leads to the revelation of His life
in us. This dynamic of death and life is
at the heart of the Christian experience. As we die to our old selves, we are
continually renewed and empowered by the resurrection life of Christ. This process of dying and rising with Jesus
shapes us into His likeness and enables His life to be seen through us. Did you know that even dried out, useless
clay can be recycled? All you have to do
is add water back into the clay and it becomes malleable again. When a potter is working at the wheel and the
jar he or she is working on slumps, cracks, flies apart or dies, the potter
doesn’t give up. The potter smashes it
down, presses it again on every side, and reshapes it.
Verse
11: "For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus'
sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body."
Paul
reiterates the theme of living out the death and life of Jesus. As long as we live in this world, we will face
trials and sufferings. Yet, these
experiences are not without purpose. They serve to reveal the life of Jesus in our
mortal bodies.
This
revelation happens in our everyday lives. In our struggles and victories, in our
weaknesses and strengths, the life of Jesus shines through. Our lives become a testimony to God’s power
and grace. As we endure hardships,
others see the evidence of God’s life-transforming presence in us and they
become witnesses of God’s work in us.
Verse
12: "So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."
Paul
concludes with a profound statement that encapsulates the essence of Christian
ministry. The suffering and sacrifices
we endure are not in vain. They bring
life to others. Our willingness to
embrace the life of a disciple and to die to self, results in the flourishing
of those we serve.
This
is the paradox of the Gospel. In losing
our lives, we find them. In dying, we
bring life. Our ministry, marked by
self-giving love and sacrifice, becomes a conduit for God's life-giving power
to flow to others. This is the heart of
servant leadership and true discipleship.
As
we reflect on this passage, there are some points to ponder:
Focus
on Christ: Our message and mission are centered on
Jesus Christ as Lord. Let us strive in
all that we do to make Jesus Christ known, resisting the temptation to promote
ourselves.
Embrace
Humility: We are jars of clay, fragile and dependent
on God's power. Let us embrace our
weaknesses, knowing that they highlight His strength.
Persevere
in Hope: In the face of trials, we are not defeated.
God's sustaining presence gives us the
resilience to endure and to continue bearing witness to His faithfulness.
Live
the Paradox: Daily, we carry the death of Jesus so
that His life may be revealed in us. Let
us die to self, allowing His resurrection life to shine through our words and
actions.
Serve
Sacrificially: Our sufferings and sacrifices are not
in vain, when we rely on God to endure and that is witnessed by others, it can
be bring life them.
Friends,
the message Paul gave to the Corinthian Church in today’s passage is one of
profound hope and purpose. It calls us
to a life of humble service, resilient faith, and sacrificial love. As we embody these truths, we become vessels
through which God's light and life are revealed to the world. May the clay jar you made today, be a
reminder of these truths. It is a special
clay that doesn’t need to be fired, but will air dry.
May
you leave this place with a renewed commitment to show Christ from within you,
to embrace your weaknesses, to persevere in hope, to live out the paradox of
death and life, and to serve sacrificially for the sake of others. In doing so, we will all glorify God and
advance God’s kingdom, shining His light in a world that desperately needs it.
Thanks
be to God. AMEN.
Offertory –
Doxology –
Prayer of Dedication –
Lord,
we worship You with these gifts. They
are in response to Your grace and love, which have created us and given us all
that we have and all that we are. We ask
Your blessing and Your guidance as we offer them to You in service for our
ministry together. In the name of Jesus
Christ, we pray. AMEN.
Closing
Hymn – I’d Rather Have Jesus #506
Brown Hymnal
Benediction –
Jars of
Clay, Human Vessels. Both made fragile
and imperfect, but tested and proven. Go
from this place, knowing that God’s light shines within you and that you hold
its perfection for the world to see. God
in peace. AMEN.
Postlude
No comments:
Post a Comment