Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship     A Litany for Independence Day
 
As we remember the birth of our nation, and the gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, let us offer our thanks and prayers to God, giver of all good things.
For the women, men, and children who braved the long journey by sea to come to this new world.
For the tribes and nations who inhabited this land for generation upon generation.
For patriots who dreamed of, and labored for, a free nation.
For the men and women who laid the foundations of our democracy, and who pledged liberty and justice for all.
For those who built this country brick by brick, road by road, and town by town.
For the brave soldiers who have left hearth and home to serve our country, for all who paid for our freedom with their very lives.
For the innovators and artists, poets and teachers, farmers and factory workers, for all who labor and provide for the common good. For those who protect our community in emergencies and for all who work to restore order when it has been disturbed.
For the exquisite beauty of this land, with its peaks and valleys, coasts and deserts, fields and meadows.
For our own community, for those who came before us in this place, and for our neighbors near and far.
Lord, we pray for these United States, that we might always be a nation which  promotes liberty and freedom, truth and justice for all the children of earth;
that we might always be a nation where all are free to worship and pray;
that we might be a beacon of freedom to all those who live under the shadow of terror and hopelessness.
That those who are elected to govern and lead would look to you for wisdom and guidance, and carefully guard the public trust. That we would be a people who repent from our sins, and who always return to you and to your ways.
Gracious God, Father of all the nations, bless us and our land, prosper the work of our hands, and increase in us your courage, grace and compassion.
Lead us in the way of peace, hard as it may be.
Hear our prayer, O Lord, our rock and our salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
*Hymn  482   Baptized in Water
 
Prayer of Confession
Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo.
Forgive what our lips fear to tremble to name,
what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment.
Set us free from a past we cannot change,
open to us a future in which can be changed,
and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image,
through Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Lord. Amen.
 
*Hymn  698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Declaration of Forgiveness
Hear the good news!
Who is in a position to condemn?
Only Christ,
and Christ died for us,
Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us,
Christ prays for us.
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.
The old life is gone and a new life has begun.
Friends, believe the good news of the gospel:
in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen.
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
The Sacrament Of Baptism          Sydney Abigail Mitchell
                                    Daughter of Jacob Mitchell and Danielle Mitchell
 
Scripture Reading   Psalm 103, Micah 6: 6-8, Romans 8:31-39
Morning Message
 
*Hymn   340   This Is My Song
 
*Affirmation of Faith      The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
* Hymn  581   Gloria Patri 
 
Celebrating the Sacrament of Communion.  We will receive Communion by intinction. If you prefer to remain in the pew, you will be served there.
Invitation~Words of Institution~Great Prayer of Thanksgiving~Distribution
                                       of the Elements
Solo        I Am the Bread of Life      Ed Harkless
 
Prayer After Communion
God of Abundance, with the bread of life and cup of salvation, you have united us with Christ, making us one with your people.
Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world
and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn  606    Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Almighty and merciful God, from whom comes all that is good,
we praise you for your mercies, for your goodness that has created us,
your grace that sustains us,
the discipline that corrects us,
your patience that has borne with us,
and your love that has redeemed us.
Receive our gifts, offered in humility and gratitude, that the world may know, love and serve you. We give in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
*Hymn  250   Hymn of Promise
 
*Blessing
Go out into the world in peace;
have courage;
hold onto what is good;
return no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak and help the suffering;
honor all people;
love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
*Postlude
 

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to worship
As the deer longs for flowing springs,
our souls thirst for God, for the living God.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for we shall again praise the Lord, our help and our Redeemer.
 
*Hymn   39      Great Is Thy Faithfulness 
 
Prayer of Confession
God, you know us better than we know ourselves.
You know our thoughts,
our weaknesses,
our sins.
and you love us still.
Forgive us when we don’t believe such love is true or possible.
When we wonder how you could love us just as we are,
when we forget our intricate construction,
that we are fearfully and wonderfully made… in Your image!
Remove from our minds every thought that keeps us from You.
Break down the walls,
push aside the pride,
and help us trust anew.
You know our hearts
and You love us still.  Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
Nothing is impossible with God.
There is no place you can go.
No end of the earth to which you can run.
There is nothing on earth or beyond death
    that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You are forgiven and freed to live in God’s infinite love, grace, and peace.  Amen.
 
Moments With Our Young Disciples
 
Scripture Reading           Genesis 28: 10-19a
 
The Morning Message    “Building Spiritual Cairns”
 
Summer is travel and vacation season. For some, the beach beckons. My sister and some friends are at Destin Florida this week. For others, the great trees of the forest wave them into the respite of cool and shade and the music of streams and waterfalls. For still others, it’s a time to take the kids and grandkids to historic places, landmarks where something important happened in the life of the nation or state, or family. For some, it’s camp, although it would be challenging in this heat.
 
Ed remembers the summer his parents took him to every county in the state, where they stood him by the black and white historic marker sign and snapped a picture for their photo album.
A friend of mine took a trip out west recently and you could feel the sense of awe in her Facebook posts as day after day she filled it with pictures of snow in July, the magnificent Rockies and Mount Rushmore.
 
Memories are important to us. Can you close your eyes and remember your first car? Your first date? The day you walked across the stage to receive your diploma? The feel of a newborn baby in your arms?
A wave of nostalgia can wash over us at the thought.
 
But, not all memories are good ones and we have a tendency to avoid or shove out of sight those things that remind us of painful times. One day Sarah Beth and I were driving thru Milton, and passed the old middle school. I pointed toward the building and said something like, “We’re in your old stompin’ grounds. You had a great time there.”
 
To which she whipped her head around to face me and said something like, “Are you kidding?  I hated that place!”
 
And then there are the thin places, the holy moments of our lives, when the distance between this world and the next is as close as a whisper. We know that God is always near, but there are holy moments when the gossamer veil is lifted and we are standing in God’s presence in an intimate way.
 
In today’s Genesis text, Jacob receives a vision, a holy visitation, following an act of cunning and cowardice. He has hurt his brother and father in his selfishness. His cover story is that his mother has sent him off to find a decent wife, but, in truth, Jacob is running scared, as if putting distance between himself and his despicable behavior will save him.
On his way toward Haran, Jacob came to a place to rest for the night. Scripture says he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
And he dreamed there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching into heaven, and angels of God were going up and down on it.
 
And he dreamed the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and bring you back to this; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
 
 Then Jacob woke up and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.” It frightened him. It would frighten anyone to have an experience this intense.
 
Jacob took the stone that he had used as a pillow, and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He anointed it, set it apart, and called the place Beth-el, even though the place was called Luz at the time. Kind of like re-naming 16th Street Hal Greer Blvd. or 20th Street for the victims of the tragic Marshall University plane crash.
 
“Beth-el” means place of God in Hebrew. This was a holy place, not just to Jacob, but to his descendents and all the children of the earth forever.
 
Jacob is no choir boy. He is narcissitic and self-serving. He has lied and cheated and schemed his way thru life. He is a scoundrel and the last person we’d think of as deserving God’s attention. But, God runs him to ground, so to speak, hotly pursuing Jacob, to tap him for holy work.
 
Barbara Brown Taylor says Jacob is on no spiritual quest; he has simply pushed his luck too far and left town in a hurry. He is between times and places, in a limbo of his own making. He stops in a place that isn’t distinctive at all, or so he believes. And it is here that God comes to meet Jacob. Our colorful history and misdeeds matter not one bit when God decides to call, when God comes pursuing us. Taylor writes, “Jacob is nowhere, which is where the dream touches down…not where it should be, but where he is.”
 
In this text, and in the Matthew text, God demonstrates an extraordinary capacity for grace. Here he reaches out to a man with a checkered past to set him on a path that leads to a future that will define a whole culture, race and religion. In the Matthew text, God allows the weeds to grow alongside the good wheat for a time, though they are detrimental to the crop and deserving of a bonfire.
 
Which brings me to a couple of ideas I’d like us to take away this morning:
 
One is the idea of nearness and distance. Jacob’s place in his family of origin is damaged thru his own sinfulness. Being in close proximity becomes dangerous for him and he runs away.  He is cut off from his own family and faith community and yet, through the mighty acts of God, Jacob becomes the link between their long history and their deepest hopes for the future. Later on in Jacob’s story, he will be re-named “Israel.” No matter how alone he may have felt, and even before he knew it, Jacob belonged to something greater than himself. He tricked his brother and father to gain an undeserved birthright and is now the one through whom the entire human family will be blessed.
 
But, let’s remember that Jacob is not an entirely new person. He is flawed and so are we. Even though we have devoted our lives to love and serve the Lord, we sin. We commit acts that harm others and we fail to come to the assistance of those who need us. We neglect our relationship with God.
 
 Day by day, I am reminded of the chorus of a little song that witnesses to that reality:
 
“Grace grace, God’s grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God’s grace.
Grace that is greater than all my sin.”
 
I am thankful for that grace that never fails.
 
The other idea I want to lift up is the question of place, of the distance between God and human beings. All of our texts today testify to the very present nature of God. God is with us. Always. And everywhere. There is nowhere we can go to escape, hide or hope God forgets about us or gives up on us. This is our great good news.
 
Sometimes the presence of God overwhelms us. These are the thin places the Celts talked about. These are the moments that shape us, that tell us who God is and who we are to God.
Maybe these times are so profound that we feel compelled to do something to set them apart. We set up memorials. Like Jacob took his stone pillow and set it up as a monument.
 
My friend, David, says the little chapel that is secreted away on the ground floor of Trinity Episcopal Church is one of those places for him. It is a place that he experienced a vivid experience of God’s presence and love.
 
For me, it’s the moment the mountains come into view at the intersection of Black Mountain Road and Cherry Street in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It always takes my breath away.
Do you know what a cairn is? It is a pile of rocks set up as a memorial to a special person or place or moment of importance. Cairn is a Scottish word. Cairns have been made since prehistoric times.
 
In modern times, they are used as monuments, but they could also mark a burial site. They have been used for ceremonial purposes, to mark trails, or for use in astronomy.
 
This is one of my favorite pictures of Briar, our oldest grandson when he was about four years old. It was mid-summer and I was really missing our family. Ed surprised me by arranging to meet Katy and Briar at Pipestem, which is about half-way between here and Winston-Salem where they live. For the better part of three days we played, rode the tram, waded in waterfalls, watched baby raccoons and deer,and played in the cold, clean river that only came up to our knees.
 
On our last evening, Briar wanted to stay longer at the bottom of the hill by the river. So Ed and I came back to the lodge to get ready for dinner. We had a ground-floor room. There was a knock on the patio doors that opened onto the field outside our room. And by the door was this lovely cairn, fashioned from river rocks that Briar and Katy had gathered and carried to the lodge via the tram.
 
The meaning was clear: This was a holy moment, a holy place.  A time and place set apart to remember our visit and our love for one another.  
 
Friends of mine recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by hiking a favorite trail, reflecting on their life and love in all its challenges. Then they built a cairn to remember this milestone, and their hopes for another forty years and to give thanks to God.
 
How would you build your cairn? What experiences do you want to remember forever? How do you want your family and friends to remember you? Where have you encountered God…where has God run you to ground?
 
This red brick building on the corner of Main and Park in Barboursville is a cairn of sorts. It is the testimony to the faith and vision of the first church members. A lot has changed since then. A few more stones have been added to the first pile. What are they? Where are they? Who carried them to this site and worked them into form and function?
 
Today, I invite you to consider building your own cairn. Think about your life and its milestones. Think about your faith and how it has been shaped by the worship, study, fellowship and service you have been blessed by here at Kuhm. Take a walk and gather some stones, if you can stand the heat, and leave a witness  to this place, and to our God who has been with us for over one hundred years, in our work and in our play, in our joys and in our sorrows, in our disappointments and in our dreams and in what is still to come.
 
*Hymn  353   My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less
*Affirmation of Faith   The Apostles’ Creed  p.35
*Hymn   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Lord God, of heaven and earth,
we praise you with thanksgiving and joy,
for you create and sustain and redeem all things.
We thank you for making us in your image,
and sending Jesus, your Son, whose life of love and mercy is the pattern for our lives.
We thank you for your energy behind all things,
for your Spirit to inspire us in this season of challenge and change.
Strengthen us in the days ahead,
show us how to adapt to new ways of worship, service, and fellowship.
We pray for those who lead this and all the nations of the world, that they may work for the well-being of the people entrusted to them, with hearts, minds, and intentions to improve the lives of all the world’s peoples;
for teachers and others whose plans for the fall cannot yet be confirmed;
for those in the healing professions, that they remain healthy, alert, and dedicated to their patient;
for all whose incomes have been diminished or lost as a result of the pandemic;
for families trying to cope with the stress of caring for restless children during a long, hot summer;
for young people, that they may not be tempted by destructive activities when boredom sets in;
for the poor, the hungry, those seeking shelter, the sick, the forgotten;
for those we lift now, who are in need of your presence and love and care…
Eternal God, keep us in the embrace of your care, that we mayserve you faithfully, with cheerful hearts, praying as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen.
 
Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering
Offertoy
*Hymn  607  Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn  702   Christ Be Beside Me
 
*Blessing
Go now, with your hope set on Christ.
Let the Spirit guide you.
Let your righteousness shine like the sun
until darkness and light are one.
And wherever you go,
whether you scale the highest heavens or plunge to the depths,
may God’s presence be known to you,
may Christ Jesus welcome you into his embrace,
and may the Spirit assure you that you are beloved.
 
*Postlude

​Welcome and Announcements
Prelude
 
*Call to Worship
Come, sing praises to God!
Rejoice in God’s presence,
for he is our God:
Father to the fatherless,
and the defender of all who need protection;
the One in whom the lonely find a home,
and the prisoner finds release!
 
*Hymn   39   Great Is Thy Faithfulness    
*Affirmation of Faith             The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
* Hymn  581    Gloria Patri
 
Prayer of Confession
God of power and love,
we hear the stories in scripture, the ones that speak of your strength and miraculous power, and wonder if you still act to still storms and raise twelve-year-old girls from the dead. We still have storms that destroy and diseases that rob people of life. We still need your help, aware that help may come in ways we cannot imagine or expect.
Forgive us when our faith is trembling, when our hearts are troubled and our minds worn out. Help us to believe that we are your beloved children, whom you will never leave nor forsake. Amen.
 
Hymn   698     Take, O Take Me as I Am        
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
Fear not! God is always with us, stilling our storms, pointing us in hope’s direction, and restoring the joy of our salvation.
Believe the good news of the gospel: know you are forgiven and live in God’s peace. Amen.
 
Old Testament Reading    Psalm 8  
 
Receiving Our Young Disciples into Confirmed Membership
   Lia Moore, Sydney Mitchell, Barrett Seay
 
*Hymn   250     Hymn of Promise
 
Gospel Reading        Acts 2, selected verses   
Morning Message
 
Five words that strike terror in the heart of every preacher: “Explain the Trinity to me.”
 
Good luck. We stammer around and try to compare God in three persons to things found in nature- like a three-leaved shamrock. Or to the three forms of water- ice, water, and vapor. I seriously tried to get a trinity illustration out of the robin family that took up residence on our windowsill, but I couldn’t really get any traction.
 
It should reassure me and us that generations of Christians have debated the right way to explain this doctrine. It arose around the time of the Council of Nicaea, which convened in the fourth century. 
 
The trinity doctrine gets us in trouble with our Jewish and Muslim associates because we claim to worship one God as they do. Usually they are kind about it, but there have been some unnecessary insults hurled at those of us who do worship One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 
In doing some research, I ran across an essay by Alyce McKenzie, a contemporary theologian. It is a unique take on the subject. I hope it is helpful.
She writes, There is a Norwegian proverb that goes, “ All good things come in threes.” I’d agree with that as I have three children, all daughters.
 
Alyce says she has friends who are parents to a young child, Katie. Good name. Katie’s mom, dad and grandmother all shared in childcare for little Katie. This incident happened when she was two.
 
Dad was preparing dinner. He left the oven door open while he turned around to retrieve a tray of chicken to be roasted. Then he heard the scream. Katie had come right behind him and put her hands directly on the inside of the oven door. It was right within her reach.
Of course he rushed her to the hospital, calling his wife along the way.
 
Katie lay quietly on a stretcher in the ER, the doctor applying medication and wrapping her burned hands. Katie kept her eyes squeezed shut. Remarkably, she wasn’t crying. But she was mouthing over and over, these words: “Mommy, Daddy, Grandma. Mommy, Daddy, Grandma.”
 
The Trinity according to Katie.
 
We can all take a page out of a two-year-old’s playbook. When we are in trouble, unable to affect the outcome of some situation, we would do well to put such a mantra to work. Mine is, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
 
A good and effective one would be “Come, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” You see, when we concentrate on something repetitive, we can control wild-running thoughts and fears. We invoke the presence of the God who never leaves us or forsakes us.
 
As Christians, the witness of Scripture is to the Power of Three, even though the term never appears in scripture. But we do have many, many examples testifying of the function and nature of the Triune God.
 
Fortunately, three seems to be easiest number to remember. The Rule of Three is a principle that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things.
Audiences and readers are more likely to consume information presented in threes, like plays that have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The same could be said of sermons. Some preachers like to organize their thoughts like that.
There is a Latin phrase, omne trium perfectum. Everything that comes in threes is perfection or complete.
Then there are the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Bluff.
We sit down to eat with a knife, fork, and spoon. We hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.
We are threatened occasionally by lions, tigers, and bears. We buy a campaign hook, line, and sinker.
We proudly proclaim  that each American is entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have three branches of government to help us achieve that end.
Robert Frost said it this way, “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life.”
“It goes on.”
And since it does go on, we should recognize that we have made it here to enjoy another glorious day. Let us call on the Power of the Three as we live it out.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the names we invoked in our first hymn: “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
We invoked the presence and power of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit when we baptize- when we baptized Sydney.
In the Triune God, (we are) she has been buried in the waters of baptism and has been raised to new life in Christ, received into the family of faith, washed free from sin, grafted unto Christ, and  marked as Christ’s own forever.
And that gives us great reason for rejoicing.
In the name of the Holy Three, Amen, Amen, and Amen.
 
 
*Hymn   630   Fairest Lord Jesus
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn  606   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
All that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours, O Lord,
and of your own, we give you.
Use us, and what we have gathered,
in reaching the world with your love,
through him who gave his life for us,
Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen.
 
*Hymn        The West Virginia Hills
 
*Blessing
Shine, O Lord, upon the homely mosaic of West Virginia’s land: upon her steep-hewn hills and angled draws, her maple-strewn valleys and ridges clad in mountain rhododendron.
Shine, Lord, upon her citizens, armed only with freedom, scrappers all for such measure of dignity as fearlessness and faith may win.
Shine, O God, into those deep recesses where thou hast abundant riches, that those who dig in the earth, and those who watch for their return, may know the radiance of thy light and the safety of thy love.
Bright be the cleaning fire of thy truth in the hearts of the people, and in the public weal of their common life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
Washington National Cathedral, prayed for the week starting March 1, 2020.
 
*Postlude

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship                    Joel 1, 2
The Word of the Lord to the prophet:
I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old shall dream dreams, and your young shall see visions.
 
Prayer of the Day          Christina Rosetti, 1830-1894
As the wind is your symbol, so forward our goings.
As the dove, so launch us heavenward.
As water, so purify our hearts.
As a cloud, so abate our temptations.
As dew, so revive our languor.
As fire, purge out our dross.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   693   Though I May Speak
 
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, you poured out your Spirit upon the gathered disciples,
creating bold tongues, open ears, and a new community of faith.
We confess that we hold back the force of your Spirit among us.
We do not listen for your word of grace,
speak the good news of your love,
or live as a people made one in Christ.
Have mercy on us, O God.
Transform our timid lives by the power of your Spirit,
and fill us with a flaming desire to be your faithful people,
doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
*Hymn  698   Take, O Take Me as I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
The Lord separates us from our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Know you are forgiven and freed to live in peace, to testify to the saving love of God through Jesus Christ, and are empowered by the indwelling Spirit. Amen.
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Reading from Scripture     Acts 2:1-8, 11b-21
Morning Message
 
* Hymn   692   Spirit, Open My Heart
*Affirmation of Faith       From A Brief Statement of Faith, p. 38, section on the Holy Spirit
*Hymn   581     Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
 
Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering
Offertory
*Hymn 606   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn   688    Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart, Verses 1, 4, and 5
 
*Blessing
Women:  Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us.
Men:       Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us.
Leader:   Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us.
All:         Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us.
 
*Postlude

​Welcome and Announcements
Prelude
*Call to Worship                    Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven
and on the earth and under the earth
and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
To the one seated on the throne
and to the Lamb,
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!
 
*Prayer of the Day
God of heaven and earth,
we rejoice today before the throne of Christ’s power and peace,
for he has put down tyrannies that would destroy us,
and unmasked idols claiming our allegiance.
We thank you that he alone is Lord of our lives.
by your Spirit,
give us freedom to love with his love,
and to embrace the world with his compassion.
Accept the offering of our lives,
that we may obey your commands to witness and serve.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
 
*Hymn  458    This Is My Father’s World
 
Prayer of Confession
Lord Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and ascended for us, we have not loved you as our Redeemer, or obeyed you as our Lord, we have not brought our prayers to you, or heeded your tears shed over the world you created. Forgive us, breathe into us a new spirit of compassionate service, and make us joyfully adherent to your will and way.  Amen.
 
Hymn    Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
The mercies of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting. They are new every morning and sure as the sunrise. Know you are forgiven and be at peace.
 
Scripture Reading      Acts 1:1-11
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Scripture Reading   Luke 24:44-53
Morning Message
 
Does the name Peggy Whitson mean anything to you?
 
Ms. Whitson, age 63, became the oldest woman in space when she when she rocketed off the planet on Thursday. She headed for the international space station, where she will celebrate her next birthday.
 
Peggy’s first mission was in 2002, which was an extended stay aboard the international space station. She became the first woman to command the ISS, the first woman to become NASA’s Chief Astronaut, the most senior position in the NASA Astronaut Corps.
 
She holds the records for the oldest female spacewalker and the most spacewalks by a woman. She retired in 2018, but, returned to the field as Axiom’s commander of Axiom Mission 2.
 
Whitson was chosen years ago as Christa McCauliff’s back-up teacher in space, which she finally accomplished in 2007. Her academic background is rich. She received degrees from Iowa Wesleyan and Rice Universities in biochemistry. She also studied overseas in preparation for her career.
 
I know there are outstanding male astronauts in our country’s history, but Peggy Whitson was the astronaut whose contributions were on the news this week.
 
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be launched into space? According to one astronaut,  the main engines ignite at six seconds before liftoff, the entire orbiter rattling and shuddering like a skyscraper in an earthquake. A deep rumble shakes the cabin as the main engines came up to thrust. At T-minus zero, the solid rocket boosters ignite, giving the astronauts a massive kick in the back as the ship blasts off the pad, accelerating at 2.5 Gs, ripping through the atmosphere, eventually reaching 3 Gs for a final minute to reach orbit. They say it feels like two of your friends are standing on your chest until the main engine drops to zero. Then the pressure on your body vanishes, and you are afloat under their straps, in free fall at last. You lived to make it through orbit with  an exhilarating sense of physical and mental relief to pass through the risky phases of lift-off and ascent into orbit.
 
There are only a few select individuals who know what it means and how it feels to slip earth’s bounds and ascend to heavenly heights.
 
I do not know if these are people of faith, but, it seems if there were ever an occasion to seek God’s presence and protection, streaking though the earth’s atmosphere at unimaginable speed, leaving kith and kin behind, this would be it.
 
Such other-worldly things could not have been achieved in Jesus’ day. We do know people of Jesus’ day thought about heaven and located it high above us in a place called heaven, or paradise. They must have wondered how to reach it. And, according to witnesses, this is the way Jesus slipped earth’s bounds and ascended to heaven.
 
But, what about those he left behind? They must have been equally awed and grief-stricken. They would not see their friend again in this life.
 
Jesus is fully aware of the impact of his leaving- first at his death and then again at his ascension. And so he turns to prayer.
 
The exquisite passage in John’s gospel has been affectionately called “the other Lord’s Prayer.” Sometimes it is called “Jesus’ high priestly prayer.”  Words describing it fail us.
 
The setting is the upper room, where so much has happened that very night…a Passover meal, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, the washing of feet, a betrayal.
 
Still in Jesus’ presence, the disciples remain attentive to his words. But now, the words are not directed to them.  Here, Jesus is praying for them. Jesus is praying for that time when they would carry on his ministry, but without his earthly company.
 
Commentators say this is the most detailed prayer of Jesus in all the gospels. In the fifth century, CE, the Bishop of Alexandria, whose name was Clement, said that in this prayer Jesus was fulfilling his role as a high priest for his people. This is the origin of the term, “high priestly prayer.”
 
In the Old Testament, there were three holy offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. No one assumed these offices on their own. Only those called by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit entered into these offices.
 
As we look back over the entirety of Jesus’ life, we can see how he came to fulfill these holy orders. At his birth, Jesus is referred to as the infant king. You recall that Herod decreed that all baby boys two years of age and younger were to be put to death because Jesus’ birth was interpreted as a threat to Herod’s rule and reign. Throughout his ministry, from the time he read scripture in the Temple, to his trek down to the seashore, in visiting the crowded cities, and dining at the homes of his friends, Jesus was prophet. Remember, when we come across the term “prophet” in scripture, we may substitute the word “preacher.” Jesus preached, or prophesied, wherever he went.
 
But, here, in these last few moments with his disciples, in the upper room, their gathering place, it is Jesus, the High Priest, speaking. The work of the priest was to mediate between human beings and God. People would bring their sacrifices to the temple and the priest would present them to God. There were thank offerings that were burned. There were memorial offerings that were waved.
 
And then, there were the sin offerings that were sacrificed. As the people brought their offerings forward, the priest would take the animal, present it to the Lord, sacrifice it, throw some of the blood on the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies, and then throw some of the blood on the sinner. As he performed this rite, the priest would say, “The Lord has forgiven you all your sins.”
 
The High Priest did not mediate for a specific man, woman, or family. The High Priest mediated for the whole nation of Israel collectively. The High Priest carried out one special offering to the Lord. Every year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter alone into the Temple. No one else was permitted to enter. He would take one animal, a lamb, into the temple, on behalf of the whole nation, and sacrifice it at the altar. He would then take the blood of that one lamb behind the curtain, into the Holy of Holies, and pour it out onto the Ark of the Covenant, where God himself was believed to dwell. The High Priest would atone for the sins of the whole nation by one sacrifice, “once for all.”
 
We can see how Jesus is, for us, the Great High Priest. He mediates between us and God. He offers himself, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world, to take away our sins.
 
In this prayer, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the warmth and depth of the relationship between himself and God. He prays for his friends. He prays for us in our generation. This passage is exclusively prayer. There are no instructions, no charges, no challenges. Jesus is asking God to bless his friends with the kind of relationship he has with God, whom he calls Father. He asks that God bring his friends together as one, as he and God, Father and Son, are one. He pleads for unity among them. He expresses his deep desire that they love one another as he has loved them.
 
How very important these things will be to the fledgling church. To be united in purpose and love would strengthen and empower the believers in the strife-filled years to come. The love of Christ will compel his followers to mighty heroic acts, breaking the chains of oppression and bringing relief to those who suffer. They would advance the kingdom, in size and in spirit, and bear it to generations yet unborn.
 
This idea about unity is important. Jesus asks God to bring his followers together like he and God were united. You know, we may claim to be united, but, it is a hard-to-achieve state.
 
Where have we witnessed some significant demonstrations of unity?
One of the boards on which I serve is having something of a turnover. Several members are retiring in this season. Some are moving out of the area. One, who has served as treasurer a very important role, has already moved to Western North Carolina. He and his wife had already purchased a home and were in the process of moving when Hurricane Helene came raging through those mighty mountains. Thankfully, the area where they have moved was only mildly disturbed. The response of these residents was to immediately go into motion to help those who were most seriously affected. He said the strength and resolve of his neighbors day after day, week after week, was an inspiration. It confirmed their decision that this was the right place for them to relocate.
 
 I recall that about three years ago, a crack was discovered in the Hernando de Soto Bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Arkansas and Tennessee. The discovery called for an immediate closing of the bridge. An inspector actually called 9-1-1 to report the emergency and seek help stopping traffic. But that wasn’t the only concern. The traffic passing under the bridge, the boats and barges, would have to be re-directed, too. Think about that a moment. Picture yourself trying to cross that bridge. Maybe its rush hour and you are anxious to get home, pick up your kids, let the dog out. And you are not alone. Hundreds of others have urgent reason to get to the other side. Those on the river have products to move, deadlines to meet. We can almost feel the adrenalin pumping.
 
With a single goal, a unified purpose, that community prevented a tragedy. The repairs would take awhile and inconvenience everyone. But on the other side of this crisis is a great unified celebration, with the governors of both states in attendance, and high school bands marching from one side of the bridge to the other on the day it re-opens to traffic.
 
Sadly, we can point to incidents when the power of unity is mis-used. People can be compelled to unite around destructive ideas. They can be emboldened to perform heinous acts that seem to be increasing in frequency and degrees of destruction. Jesus recognizes the presence and power of evil and asks God to protect his friends from the evil one.
 
 
 
We don’t talk much about Covid these days, though it is still a threat to our health. Health professionals taught us that the antidote to Covid is a vaccine. Being vaccinated is a process. I’ve been through it and survived. In the beginning you had to qualify by age or condition or occupation. Get your name on a list. Show up when its your turn. Roll up your sleeve. Feel a tiny pinch. Wait fifteen minutes, then off you go. Hopefully, you will not suffer side effects.
 
The antidote to evil is love. No qualifying, no waiting, no pain, no side-effects.
 
For God is love. And, as you’ve heard before, those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. In heaven and on earth.
 
 
*Hymn  278   Open My Eyes That I May See
*Affirmation of Faith            The Apostles’ Creed 
*Hymn   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer Including the Lord’s Prayer
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn  279  There Shall Be Showers of Blessing
 
*Blessing
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the King of glory,
give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
that makes God known to you.
May the eyes of your heart have enough light to see
what is the hope of God’s call,
what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers,
and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power
that is at work among us.  Amen
 
Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship
Let us give thanks for the land of our birth with all its chartered liberties,
for all the wonder of our country’s story.
We give you thanks, O God.
For leaders in nation and state, and for those who in days past and in these present times have labored for the commonwealth.
We give you thanks, O God.
For those, who in all times and places have been true and brave, and in the world’s common ways have lived upright lives and ministered to their fellows.
We give you thanks, O God.
For those who served their country in its hour of need, and especially for those who gave even their lives in that service.
We give you thanks, O God.
Almighty God, and most merciful Father, as we remember these your servants, remembering them with gratitude and strength, we hold before you those who mourn them. Look upon your bereaved servants with your mercy. As this day brings memories of those they have lost awhile, may it also bring your consolation and the assurance that their loved ones are alive now and forever in your living presence.  Amen.
                  Permission for one-time use in worship granted by
                  The Armed Forces Chaplains’ Board, Washington, D.C.
 
*Hymn  331   God of the Ages, Whose Almighty Hand
 
Prayer of Confession
God of every nation, as we remember those who gave their lives for the sake of the nation, let us be stirred to action in their memory. We confess that we have not done all that is possible to promote peace and justice in our world. We have not loved our neighbors, let alone our enemies. Forgive us for failing to live up to your commandments. Empower us to work for your kingdom in this world, and welcome us by your grace into your eternal realm.
 
*Hymn   Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Pardon
The saying is true and worthy of full acceptance, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
Furthermore, the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
I declare to you, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ,
our sins are forgiven. We may be at peace. Amen.
 
First Reading   Micah 6:6-8
Moments With Our Young Disciples
 
New Testament Reading    Romans 8:31-39
The Morning Message
 
At first these verses seem simple.
What does the Lord  require of you?
Just these few things:
To do justice.
To love kindness.
And to walk humbly with my God.
 
It has taken a lifetime for that text to sink in and I’m still learning new applications.
 
I remember the first time I experienced the reality of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.
 
When I was almost twelve my grandmother and I went to visit my Uncle David and his family in England, just a few miles outside of London.
 
The day before we left, a national tragedy had occurred: Robert F. Kennedy, who was running for President, was shot at a campaign event in California. As we boarded our plane in Washington, DC, he was hanging onto life. But sometime during the flight, the captain announced the terrible news that Mr. Kennedy had died.
 
I remember a sadness, like a pall, that seemed to fall over the passengers. I wasn’t old enough to understand the full impact this incident portended for our country, and indeed, the world, but I knew enough to know that what happened to a presidential candidate, or any other human being, was wrong.
 
So, my first memory about the importance of justice, was to witness its opposite: injustice. A man lost his life. A woman lost her husband. Children lost their father. That was about all my twelve-year-old mind could process and it haunted me. It would be a long time before I understood that the assassination of the second Kennedy in five years was one of several events that marked the decade of the 1960’s as one of lawlessness, engendering fear in our nation and the world.
 
By the time we landed in London and made our way to the little town where my uncle and his wife and children lived, jet-lag had settled in and I settled into a soft bed for a nap. The next day was Sunday and in the morning my uncle loaded his kids and me into his car and we went to the Air Force base where he worked. On Sundays, he was the protestant Sunday School teacher. He clearly loved it.  I saw how his face lit up when working with the children, presenting the day’s lesson, praying with us.  He was the youngest of my mother’s siblings and still living at home when I was very young. And I adored him. I couldn’t tell you why at the earlier age, but now I understood: it was his kind and gentle nature, his humor, his patience,  and the way he encouraged the children.
 
Later that day, we went into London by the Tube, or subway. We went to the American Embassy where we stood in line with hundreds of others, some weeping, some embracing one another, many speaking in hushed tones. All of us waiting our turn to sign the sympathy book that would be given from England to the people of the United States, upon the death of Robert F. Kennedy.
 
Waiting patiently in a long line of people, on a warm day, in the capital city, to receive nothing, to purchase nothing, just to sign our names. No rudeness or jumping the line, no harsh speech.
A real example of humility.
 
From that day in 1968 to now, the message of those simple, short verses, have deepened in meaning.
 
When plans were being made for Helen Noe’s funeral, I learned that her committal would be at the West Virginia Veteran’s Cemetery in Dunbar. I had never been there, although Ed had attended a service there.
 
I was riding with the funeral director, who predicted I would like the cemetery. And he was right. It is a beautiful place,well-planned and constructed, reminding me of Arlington National Cemetery, the white headstones standing in soldier-like rows across the rolling green landscape.
 
Serene and peaceful.  
 
And I thought of all those for whom this was their final resting place. And what made them eligible. They were veterans of one of the branches of the armed services or their spouses. Those who gave of themselves to bring justice, restore order, protect the vulnerable- where those things are threatened or destroyed; to put others before themselves, giving generously, even sacrificially, when necessary. Human-kindness that can’t be measured.
 
To wear a uniform, to conform, to take orders, to endure hardship, to set your own agenda aside for the sake of the nation, or the people of another nation in distress, and finally to be buried in grave that looks like all the others. No monuments, no shrines. Just a white stone marker standing in the soft green grass, where they will humbly rest and on the last day, rise in glory.
 
I heard a beautiful, ethereal pice of music this week by a small choral ensemble, “A Day May Come.” The text was written to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
I offer it to you on this Memorial Day weekend:
 
A day may come that asks of us
all we have to give:
a day we never would have sought
and yet we have to live.
If it should be our destiny
to live in such a day,
let our faith and love be worthy of
the ones who showed the way.
The ones we now call heroes,
The ones we say their memory will not die.
They were no different in their day than you and I.
The fears they faced,
The faith they found,
Their common cause and common ground,
we carry with us, come what may
as we now face our destiny, our day.
 
Grahame Davies.
 
 
*Hymn  730   I Sing a Song of the Saints of God
*Affirmation of Faith           Apostles’ Creed  p. 35
*Hymn  581  Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering
Offertory
*Hymn  606   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn   338      O Beautiful for Spacious Skies
*Blessing
Send your peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting, that our souls may radiate peace.
Send your peace, O Lord, that we may think, act, and speak harmoniously.
Send your peace, O Lord, that we may be contented and thankful for your bountiful gifts.
Send your peace, O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife, we may enjoy your bliss.
Send your peace, O Lord, that we may endure all, tolerate all, in light of your grace and mercy.
Send your peace, O Lord, that our lives may become a divine vision, and in your light, all darkness may vanish.
Send your peace, O Lord, that we, your children of earth, may unite in one family.
                                                                                                  Hazrat Inayat Khan
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship 
 I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord.
Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”
 
*Prayer of the Day
O God, form the hearts of your people into a single will.
Make us love what you command and desire what you promise,
that amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where joy is found,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
*Hymn   361      Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 1 and 2
 
Prayer of Confession
Holy and merciful God,
in your presence, we confess our failure to be what you created us to be.
You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways,
in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love.
By your mercy, help us live in your light and walk in your ways,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
 
Hymn     Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Pardon
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
Believe the good news of the gospel:
our sins are forgiven. Be at peace.
 
First Reading            Revelation 21:1-6
 
Time for Young Believers
 
Gospel Reading        John 14:1-14
 
The Morning Message
 
What is the story of your home?
How would you describe it to others?
I would describe ours as a Brady Bunch style home with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. The kitchen and one of the bathrooms have been recently updated. We have an above-ground pool with an aging deck and the back yard is enclosed with a stockade fence tall enough that our old dog, Conrad, couldn’t climb. He could have scaled the Alps, I’m sure. Ed has a little raised-bed garden that rewards us with tomatoes in the summer
 
Our neighborhood was right in the path of one of the seventeen tornadoes that touched down here a year ago. There was a lot of damage done in just a few seconds. The wind is a powerful force.
 
The two roads that make up our subdivision were impassable for a time. Trees had fallen. Utility lines were down or dangerously dangling from homes and utility poles. We were spared serious damage. We lost a shutter, some gutter and fascia material. The flag pole snapped from its place by the front door. Part of the fence came down. Our neighbors acquired a trampoline in their yard. Power was out for a couple of hours or days depending on which side of the street you resided. We hauled out our generator. We’ve gotten more use out of it than we had ever imagined.
 
It was home but didn’t look or feel much like it for a few days. Anxiety and discomfort were our constant companions. It was unseasonably warm and we had to leave our windows open. The house was soon covered in patina of dust and dirt.  It didn’t feel much like home.
 
Not unlike the disciples to whom Jesus speaks in this text.
 
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.”
 
The Lord himself reassures them and us that we have nothing to fear. We have a future beyond that which we can see. We have a place. We have a host who has made that place ready for us. We will be with him. And in him, we will be forever home.
 
Ed and I left home on Iroquois Trail one weekend last April to attend the memorial service of our friend of many years, Tim Waugh. Tim was a vocal music teacher, like my husband, and their paths crossed frequently over the years.
 
Tim was a Presbyterian, having grown up at the Rock Lake Presbyterian Church in South Charleston. He was a church musician, an outstanding organist. But Tim was best known for his expertise in handbells. He composed, directed, and traveled around the world teaching and ringing. Every now and then Ed would get a text: “Guess where I am?” It could be a small town in the American south or a convention hall in Hong Kong. Tim went to Ireland with us once. He was a world traveler, but was most at home in his house in Princeton, West Virginia.
 
But, something unexpected happened in the last year. Tim was retired from public school teaching, but still made music. He went to the First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, North Carolina, to conduct a handbell festival. He discovered the church had a need for an interim music director. He applied and served there for several months, growing very fond of the congregation, the pastors, and staff. In time, it became apparent that he and the church were a good fit and the relationship should continue.
 
Tim called us to say he had just signed a contract to serve the church and a permanent move to Salisbury was in order. And, further, he advised, the small town is just lovely and easily accessible to our own three daughters who live in North Carolina. He was pretty convincing. He had found home.
 
Tim lived life with a sense of urgency because he had a kidney disease that claimed the lives of his father and grandfather when they were very young. Eighteen years before, through his cousin, he had a kidney transplant which extended his life and we were all so grateful. He was very healthy for a long time, checking in with Duke University Hospital yearly, but had recently battled a persistent problem.
 
Tim was single. He had no biological children, a choice he made due to his kidney disease. But, in fact, his family was the music world and he had many children. When we were in Ireland together, one of his students, her husband, and infant child met Tim in Dublin where they lived and worked and were raising their child. He was well-loved.
 
His memorial service was at First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, North Carolina. Ed and I traveled there to give God thanks for his life and faith and to thank the good people of Salisbury for loving him and making him a part of their faith community. It was a special place and the only church that felt like home to him in a long time.
 
It was a grand day altogether, as our Irish friends would say. Sunny, flowers and trees blooming in brilliant colors, the breeze wafting sweet smells of spring around us.
 
The town may be small, but the church building is massive. The sanctuary ethereal. There was a thirty minute handbell prelude, a grand and glorious choir, a warm and welcoming congregation, a young and inspiring clergy couple whom Tim loved. Lots and lots of beautiful music. But it was hard to sing. Memories, love, and grief caused our voices to stall and crack and rendered us silent for much of it.
 
As we left the sanctuary- our aging bodies moving slowly after two hours of sitting- a voice sounded behind us, “I hoped I would see you here.”
 
We turned around to behold  the familiar face of a beautiful young woman who grew up in Ona, was once Ed’s student, and part of a family we’ve known about as long as we’ve known Tim.  She lives in Charlotte now, an engineer for a pharmaceutical company. She had met Tim on many occasions through Ed and Tim was well known to her Lutheran Church in Charlotte as a handbell musician. In fact, many church members had come to the service. She introduced us.
 
That little moment, in that small town in which we had never been, that simple statement, “I hoped I would see you here,” probably important to no one but us, was reassurance of so much that day. It spoke to us of faith, hope, and love. It spoke to us of home.
 
Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many mansions,,,”
Surely some mansions house singers, some orchestras, some ringers, and pray-ers, pre-schools, youth groups, circles, pickle ball teams, kitchens, ushers, greeters, preachers, teachers, students…
 
Friends, God’s house-hold is so expansive. And God’s house is standing now, today, just as surely as it stands in the next life. Tim found God’s people in places I’ve never even heard of, let alone visited. Rebecca, whose home was once with her parents and three sisters, has been at home in the Shenandoah Valley, then Virginia Tech, and now makes her home in Charlotte. We attended her wedding a few weeks ago.
 
The church invited everyone to stay and break bread-or sandwiches and cookies-together following the service. The Lutherans from Charlotte welcomed us to their table and we greatly appreciated their company.
 
We walked Rebecca to her car, telling her she had been a comfort to us this hard day. She shared the same.  We admired her crossover vehicle with its Hokie license plate holder. She pointed to a sticker in the corner of the back window. A silhouette of West Virginia, with a little heart cut-out.
 
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid.”
 
My mother has made the decision to move to an assisted living facility. It is more of an ordeal than any of us –my mother, my sister, and I-imagined. We receive information piecemeal, it seems, and we are never quite sure we have all the details ironed out. It is an anxious time. A time when we should take up the words of Jesus as a mantra: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t let them be afraid. Believe.”
 
I’ll let you know how it works out in a week or so.
 
I have no idea what this promised home in the life after this one will look like. I don’t think my wish list will include a fireplace this time or stainless steel appliances. It won’t matter if the school bus comes by the house, or if the neighbors keep their lawn mowed.
I can imagine it will be a place of peace and welcome, a place so comfortable that I never again think about locking my car or if the roof will blow off in another wild storm, as our brothers and sisters in Kentucky have faced time after time.  A place where those who mourn can find comfort, where there is always an extra chair, where sweet melodies are wafted to us on the gentle breeze, where aromas from the kitchen smell like love.
And the sign on every heart says “home.”
May it be so for all of us.
 
*Hymn 361   Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 3 and 4
*Affirmation of Faith      The Apostles’ Creed   p. 35
 
Dedication of New Electronic Equipment
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.  1 Peter 4:10
 
Ever-present God, you have been with us throughout our days.
Like a parent to a child, you lavish your gifts upon us.
As we gather to receive this gift, may we remember the inspiration you gave Clara Adkins and Nancy Jackson to deliver the good news of the gospel in creative ways to our members and the public. We thank you for their skills at research and grant writing which led to a generous gift from the Presbytery of West Virginia.
On this Lord’s Day, we enjoy new electronic equipment purchased, installed, and now set into use. In accepting this gift as a demonstration of your kindness, we affirm that it is yours, as we are yours.
May who we are and all we have be devoted to your service and used for your glory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
 
Joys and Concerns of the Church
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings   
Offertory
*Hymn  606  Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn   462    I Love to Tell the Story
 
*Blessing
Just as God’s Word was sent into the world to heal and redeem,
so God sends you into the world this day
to be light and love, healing and hope.
Go now, and share the good news generously,
and may the grace of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you today and always. Amen.
 
*Postlude 

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements    
 
*Call to Worship
Come, let all of God’s people praise and worship the Lord!
For the Lord is our shepherd who watches over us day and night.
And the Lord guides us through all the days of life to the glory of God.
Let no one doubt we are faithful children of the living God.
Let us invite all to hear the loving voice of our Good Shepherd!
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
 
*Hymn  39    Great Is Thy Faithfulness
 
Call to Confession
If we are honest with ourselves, our hearts condemn us. But God, who knows everything, is greater than our hearts; and God’s deep desire for us is mercy, love, and peace. Therefore, let us confess our sin.
Prayer of Confession
O God, we have listened to voices other than yours and followed paths of our own making. We have evaded your commandments to do what pleases us. Our hearts condemn us, but we lack will and the strength to change our ways. Have mercy on us and forgive us, we pray, that we might devote ourselves to doing your will, O God. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Hymn     698       Take, O Take Me As I Am
Declaration of Pardon
We seek God’s grace with boldness because we trust in Jesus Christ, the One who loves us and lay down his life for us. This is the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Alleluia! Amen.
Proclaiming the Word
 
Prayer for Illumination
Lord God, good shepherd, by the leading of your Spirit, help us to listen for your voice and follow in your paths all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
 
First Scripture Reading    Psalm 23
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading   John 14:15-21
The Morning Message     
 
Responding to the Word
*Hymn  803  My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
*Affirmation of Faith        The Apostles’ Creed  p. 35
*Hymn  581  Gloria Patri
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering
Offertory
*Hymn  606  Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Bearing and Following the Word Into the World
 
*Hymn   187  Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us, Verses 1, 3, and 4
 
*Blessing
Day by day, God leads us: to the deep, deep pools of peace, to the green, lush lawns of grace. Day by day, Jesus calls us: to pour out ourselves in service, to anoint the stranger with hope. Day by day, the Holy Spirit shows us: the community we could be, the family we are called to become. 
Go out with a hopeful heart to love and serve the Lord.  Amen.                                                            
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship         Psalm 116
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
and hears us when we call.
The Lord has been good to you.
The Lord has delivered my life from death,
my eyes from tears,
and my feet from stumbling.
We come with thanksgiving,
and call on the name of the Lord.
 
*Hymn   664  Morning Has Broken
 
Prayer of Confession
O God, whose presence is veiled from our eyes,
when we do not recognize you,
may our hearts burn within us,
and when feeling is lost,
may we cling in faith to your Word
and the power of bread broken.
We confess that we do not always live in the spirit of new life.
We worry and grow discontent about our circumstances and deny the transforming power of the resurrection.
Forgive us and call us back to the sacred walk you take with us,
be it on the highway, or the quiet path.
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*Hymn    698     Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
Friends, in Jesus Christ we are called to a new way of life, one that overflows with hope, love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us walk forward together on this journey of faith, assured that our Lord never leaves us or forsakes us. Be at peace.  Amen.
 
 
First Reading        1 Peter 1:17-23  
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading   Luke 24:13-35
The Morning Message
 
This is a favorite Scripture passage for many of us. My affection for it has been influenced by the beautiful Robert Zund painting of the scene which we have included in worship today.
 
The setting is so lush and green. Fertile. The soil soft and worn as they tread it.  The trees providing a cool canopy above them. Three friends moseying along, enjoying each other’s company. They could be any group of guys walking around Lake William at Barboursville Park. Maybe they’re walking off that biscuit they just had a Tudor’s.
 
But they’re not just any trio of buddies. This is Jesus with two of his friends. Post-resurrection. They didn’t recognize him yet.
 
We know what has happened in recent days in Jerusalem. Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in deed and word before the people, had been arrested and crucified. How they had hoped he was the one to rescue Israel, but the authorities had ordered his death.
 
They had witnessed his crucifixion and had carried him to the tomb. The tomb that the women had found empty on the third day, but did encounter angels and Jesus himself, though they didn’t recognize him at first. They didn’t know what to make of these mysterious events.
 
When the stranger joined them, the disciples recounted the events. Their hearts were heavy with grief and confusion. But, into their sad reverie, Jesus brought some good news. He recalled stories from Scripture, stories they would know by heart. Jesus reminded them that the Savior would suffer trials before his entrance into glory. Was not this the testimony of the law and the prophets?
 
They walked and talked ‘til the sun was low in the sky. Close to their lodging place, they invited Jesus to join them for a meal and a night’s rest.
 
And so he did, and though he was not the owner of the house, or the host of the meal, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it. And they recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
 
A friend of mine says that when she was growing up, she and her sisters shared the task of setting the table for meals. They were taught by their parents to set an extra place, for Jesus, the unseen guest at every meal.
 
There is an expectation in that, an intimacy that says Jesus is familiar in a tangible way. He is family. He is friend.
 
Sometimes, when a person is near death, they report that they see Jesus waiting for them, at the foot of the bed, or by the door, to take their hand and lead them into the next life. Their good and trusted friend has come for them. There is no fear. No hesitation. There is recognition. And that  is a great comfort for them and for us.
 
Can we know Jesus in that way? In a time when we send and receive “Friend” requests and “Like” requests with a tap on our iPhones, can Jesus be our friend? What kind of friend? Can we “Unlike” him when we disagree or when he “Likes” someone or some cause we don’t?
 
Ruth is one of the saints in light now, but she lived 96 years on earth, before her friend, Jesus, led her into the Church Triumphant.
 
One day when I was visiting her, she spoke of how Jesus became her closest and most reliable friend.
 
Ruth was born in Massillon, Ohio. She came to Huntington and graduated from Huntington High School. She went on to Marshall College, where she would be a member of Kappa Theta Sorority. She served on the Pan Hellenic Council. She was a long-time supporter of one of our county political parties. Ruth had many friends.
 
That was no surprise to me. Even in advanced years, she was beautiful, energetic, articulate, and social. She loved football…or at least she loved “that Tom Brady…um!”
 
It is also no surprise that Ruth caught the eye and the heart of a handsome young man, Julian. They married and were blessed with a son and a daughter. Life was good.
 
Julian worked for the US Post Office as a letter carrier, as they were called in those days. On October 24, 1950, while he was on the job, in Salt Rock, here in Cabell County, Julian was shot and killed. He was forty years old. Ruth was left to grieve his death and raise their children, who were not yet in school, the youngest still a babe in arms.
 
Ruth says she was strolling her baby one day, a million thoughts running through her troubled mind. How in the world could she carry on, how could she raise her children without her husband? Would they even remember their father?
 
She says she remembers praying that day as she walked, repeatedly asking, “What am I going to do?”
 
And then she felt the warmth and comfort of a hand on her back. A hand she couldn’t see, but, knew, was the hand of Jesus. And in that moment, she heard him say, “I will be your friend.”
 
And her burden was lifted.
 
With that reassurance, Ruth did find strength and courage and everything needed to raise two faithful, healthy, accomplished children. She had a forty year career in one of our local businesses. She had a church family. She had friends. Jesus was her friend and I’m sure it was Jesus who took her hand and led her home on a January day a few years ago.
 
Jesus is always with us, though we may not see him, or hear him, or even acknowledge his presence. But we have evidence. How have you recognized him? In the breaking of bread on a Communion Sunday or in the breaking of an addiction? In seeing a solution to some problem? A break-through? When we are alone and scared, when the diagnosis is undesired, and we get a call or a handful of flowers from a neighbors garden? Have you recognized him when you’ve reached a milestone, succeeded at a difficult assignment, aced a high-set goal? Do we acknowledge his help when we learn something important? Or when healing comes?  Or when a relationship is mended?
 
Our old friend William Barclay included these words in his discourse on Luke 24:
“It is not only at the Communion Table that we can be with Christ. We can be with him at the dinner table, too. He is not only the host in his church. He is the guest in every home.”
 
And he leaves us with these verses by Fay Inchfawn: Barclay was Scottish and as I read these lines again in preparation for this message, I could see some of the little villages we passed thru in rural Scotland last summer. Life is so much less sophisticated in much of the world. People are much more dependent on the elements in the planning of their days. Geography may require long rides on public transportation to buy groceries or go to see a doctor. It may even involve boarding a ferry to get from one island to another. On our way to the Isle of Iona, we boarded a ferry in Mull. You may have heard that the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Mull this week. Our ferry was to set sail around 5pm and it was crowded with whole families-kids with back-packs coming from school, parents from their jobs, many accompanied by their dogs. We realized too late that we had taken seats in the pet-friendly section.
 
I share this in hopes that we can get a clearer understanding of life in Barclay’s time, when days were and still are filled with mundane but necessary tasks, days that are pregnant with the hope that Jesus is our companion along what can be wearisome hours.
 
“Sometimes when everything goes wrong,
when days are short and nights are long;
when wash-day brings so dull a sky
that not a single thing will dry.
And when the kitchen chimney smokes,
and when there’s not so odd as folks.
when friends deplore my faded youth,
and when the baby cuts a tooth.
When John, the baby last, but one,
clings round my skirts ‘til day is done,
and fat, good-tempered Jane is glum,
and butcher’s man forgets to come.
Sometimes I say on days like these,
I get a sudden gleam of bliss.
Not on some sunny day of ease,
He’ll come…but on a day like this!”
 
 
*Hymn   246   Christ Is Alive, Verses 1, 4, and 5
 
*Affirmation of Faith     Apostles Creed p. 35
*Hymn 581  Gloria Patri
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory      
*Hymn 606    Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
 
*Hymn  826   Lift High the Cross
 
*Blessing
May the work of your hands bring Christ honor.
May your speech and actions reflect the Word of Life.
And may the service you offer be driven by the indwelling Spirit.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship      1 Peter 1:3                                                           
By God’s great mercy,
we have been born anew to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
 
*Hymn   238      Thine Is the Glory
 
Prayer
Living God, for whom no door is closed,
no heart is locked,
draw us beyond our doubts,
til we see your Christ
and touch his wounds
where they appear in others.
This we ask through Christ our Savior,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*Hymn  698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
God’s mercies are from everlasting to everlasting. They are new every morning and sure as the sunrise. Know you are forgiven and be at peace. Amen.
 
First Reading    John 20:19-25
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Second Reading                John 20:26-31
The Morning Message
 
Today, just one week from Easter, we observe what is affectionately known as “Holy Humor Sunday.” The idea is that on this day we shake our fists in the devil’s face. What the forces of evil intended for Jesus’ death, God redeemed. God is greater than the Roman Empire. And God raised Jesus from the dead, making a way for all believers over time and space to follow him into paradise when our lives on earth end.
 
Our Scripture today points us in the direction of surprise and victory and maybe some holy laughter.
 
Let’s set the scene: the disciples had gathered in a familiar meeting place, very likely the upper room where they had observed the Passover meal and the room in which Jesus instituted the Last Supper. The room was locked up tight for fear of the Jewish authorities. Any footfall upon the stair, a knock, or command to open the door, could signal certain death for them.
 
Then suddenly, Jesus is there with them. He gave them the customary eastern greeting, “Peace be to you.” A more accurate translation would be, “May God give you every good thing.”
 
We can imagine both the shock and the profound peace that would wash over the disciples in that moment. Jesus must have anticipated their need to see for themselves that this man was truly their friend, the crucified one, Jesus. The things he had taught them about dying and being raised to new life were indeed true.
 
He shows them his wounds, his hands and his side. He lets them touch his body. Note, this is the same gesture Jesus will make for Thomas, but we never call these disciples doubters. Just an observation.
 
And then Jesus commissions them for their life’s work, their magnum opus.
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
 
Let’s place ourselves in that room: dark and stuffy, with the curtain covering the only window, everyone still as a stone, the snapping electricity of fear running through all of them.
 
Rev. Marci Auld Glass writes that , “Jesus could have gone and sent other people, presumably people with more courage, people who weren’t hiding, or whomever. But, he’s sending his people. His friends. His disciples. The one who denied him three times in eight hours.  The ones who loved him til the end. Even Thomas, who isn’t there at the moment, but who will get his chance in a bit.”
 
This is great good news for us. These two thousand years later, we are called and sent, even with our human inadequacies and our brokenness. No research project, no finals, no certification test, no bar exam, no ordination exam required. Belief. Even shaky, “I’ll believe it when I see it” faith. That is qualification enough to bear the good news of the gospel into the world. Yes!
 
And then we remember all the insults and abuse Jesus suffered. I don’t want to volunteer for that.
But, hang on. Here comes help: After Jesus gives the faithful their instructions, he breathes on them. Nearly four years of life in the age of Covid has me concerned about  someone breathing on me intentionally. But, that was the method. Jesus breathed.
 
The Greek word for breath is “pneuma.”  In Latin, it comes to us as “Spiritus.” You can see the relatedness of breath and spirit…without breath, we have no life, no spirit. What is the first thing every mother wants to hear the moment her baby enters the world? Her baby’s cry. That is the sign that air is filling the lungs, the heart is beating and blood is circulating through the newborn body as it should.
 
“The risen Christ breathes, filling the disciples with his quickening, life-giving Spirit.”
And what is the Spirit? We will hear more about that on Pentecost Sunday, but, here’s a start: “The Spirit is like wind, like fire, like a bird, like a breath-moving through every language and every culture of this world, bursting out of every category and defying every metaphor.”
 
And it’s a good thing because the first task Jesus assigns is this:
“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, then they are retained.”
 
I confess, it’s much easier to preach on the six verses at the end of this text- the ones about Doubting Thomas-than it is these curious words about forgiveness. But, let’s try.
 
Let’s face it…it’s hard to forgive. I spent a great part of the past week trying to help some people find a way to tolerance, a cease-fire if you will upon the revelation of serious sin. Forgiveness is not expected now and this occasion of sin may well never be forgotten. When we witness the worst of human nature, we aren’t expected to immediately forgive and forget. In fact, righteous indignation may just energize us to commit ourselves to the relief of suffering for victims of wrongdoing. We can work to change systems that cause people harm. If we can’t do that ourselves, we can support the efforts of others.
 
We forgive so that we are no longer holding onto the pain, the anger, the fear that can damage our lives.
 
When I was almost one year old, I had an accident. I was learning to walk, and like all babies everywhere, I needed to pull up on things around me to stand and take those first tentative steps.
Most days, I stayed with my grandmother. She heated her home with gas space heaters. You know where this is going…I am sure I had been told a hundred times not to touch the space heater. “No-no. Don’t touch. That will hurt baby.” A little smack on the hand may have accompanied the warning if I got too close.
 
But, in spite of careful watching and grave warnings, one day I reached for the flaming heater in order to pull myself up to standing. Both hands. I don’t remember everything, but I do remember my grandmother holding me in the front seat of the car. My father was driving. There was a parade that day in downtown Huntington. My dad drove on the sidewalk to get through. I remember a police officer looking in the driver’s side window and speaking with my father. I remember a siren which I later learned came from the police escort we received. I remember arriving in the ER and the kind doctor who was first to see me.
 
What I don’t remember is the pain. I don’t remember any details of being examined or treated. I don’t remember what my mother described as little boxing gloves that encased my hands with holes cut out for my thumbs because I was a thumb-sucker. 
 
And I don’t remember ever blaming my grandmother who was charged with my care. I do remember adults talking about it from time to time and looking intently at my little hands and showing them that I was alright.
 
The outcome could have been worse. And as I have had my turn raising children, I became uber-aware of the millions of things that could harm them, and tried as best I could to keep them safe. I didn’t always succeed. 
 
Obsessing over our missteps is futile. And that’s when we have to consider the benefit of self-forgiveness.
 
I have referenced Rachel Held Evans several times.  Rachel was raised in an evangelical Christian family. Her father was a pastor and professor at a Christian college in Tennessee. Her whole life and education was bathed in the climate of evangelical Christianity. She was grateful for that foundation, but, as she moved into adulthood, experiencing life outside that sheltered environment, getting married, having children, she began to ask questions of her faith. She began raising questions about and to God. She wrote a blog. She wrote NYT best sellers. She was a much-sought-after preacher.  She preached and taught at Montreat Conference Center.
 
Rachel’s books and blogs are rich and humorous and insightful. She can make you laugh til you cry. She can be blunt. She can make the pages just sing with octaves of notes.
 
But, as she pushed the margins of her more fundamentalist faith, particularly the beliefs about women’s roles in the church, she suffered terrible, hate-filled insults. Her church condemned her work. Friends fell away. But, she clearly felt the breath of God on her as she was making these changes. She was on that not-so-easy path many of us fear when saying yes to Jesus.
 
A few years ago, during an especially difficult time, Rachel took up a new practice for Lent. She turned her hate mail into Origami. This is what she said about it: “As much as I try to ignore the most vile of these messages, they can still be quite painful, and I think that’s okay. It’s important to grow thick skin, but I also want to keep a tender, open heart…which means unclenching my fists and letting some of these words hurt every now and again.”
 
At the end of her Lenten journey, Rachel wrote: “What I learned, turning my hate mail into origami, is that we’re meant to remake this world together. We’re meant to hurt together, heal together, forgive together, and create together. And, in a sense, even the people who continue to hate me and call me names are a part of this beautiful process. Their words, carelessly spoken, spent the last 40 days in my home- getting creased and folded, worked over…stepped on by a toddler, read by my sister, stained with coffee…blacked out, thrown away, turned into poems, and folded into sailboats and cranes and pigeons that now sit smiling at me from my office window.”
 
Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
 
I doubt you and I have ever received the volume of hate mail Rachel Evans did.
 
But, I’d bet we could all name someone or something that hurt us or made us miserable. And, this is saying the quiet part out loud… I have been known to hang onto nasty emails and memos and evaluations for a long time. I used to pull them out of file folders and stew over them, maybe shed a few tears and vow to get even one day…you get the drift.
 
But, praise God from whom all blessings flow…it doesn’t last… the risen Christ throws open the locked door of the heart, or the memory locked into the mind, and says, “Blow. Blow. Blow all of that stale, grudging, judging, lifeless air out…
 
…And breathe.”  
 
 
 
*Hymn   233     The Day of Resurrection!
*Affirmation of Faith   Apostles’ Creed      p. 35
*Hymn    581   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn   606   Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
We are so filled with the joy of the resurrection that
we offer these gifts of our time, abilities, and treasure to you, O God. May they be signs of hope, peace, life, and community to all in need of your gifts and grace.
In Jesus’ name, who gave his life that we might live.  Amen.
 
*Hymn  268   Crown Him With Many Crowns
 
*Blessing
The risen Christ says: Peace be with you.
May you be filled with all joy and hope in believing. 
We have seen the Lord! Alleluia! Amen.
 
*Postlude