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Prelude
*Call to Worship Mark 1:15 The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe the good news. *Hymn 611 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee Prayer of Confession Loving God, through your Son you have called us to repent of our sin, to believe the good news, and to celebrate the coming of your kingdom. Like Christ’s first apostles, may we hear his call to discipleship, and, forsaking old ways, proclaim the gospel of new life to a broken world; through Jesus Christ, our Lord and 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 Pardon Whenever a people humble themselves, turn from their evil ways, and put their hope and trust in divine mercy, God forgives their sin and enfolds them in the strength and love of Christ. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. Your sins are forgiven. Be at peace. Amen. First Reading Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 4:12-23 The Morning Message Immediately. When was the last time you were required to act immediately? This was a recent experience of mine: My mom had an unexpected dental problem. She called her dentist’s office for an appointment and was told it would probably be weeks before they could work her in. But then on Thursday morning, they called saying there was a cancellation and she could come that afternoon. “Great! I’ll take it.” Was her immediate response. Then she texted both my sister and me and immediately we both reacted. I texted a reply and my sister called her. “No way, Mom. The roads are in bad shape and there’s ice on the sidewalks and parking lots. Call them back and cancel.” You have probably noticed by now that I have some mobility issues these days. I had walked to the mailbox that morning on a sheet of ice. I wasn’t leaving the house again without help. And I hated having to tell her that. She cancelled the appointment-immediately- so someone else could benefit from it and they re-scheduled her for another day. Immediately. It implies a sense of urgency. Immediate action is required at times of distress and emergency. Sometimes we act immediately to some great opportunity, like when the teacher says the first person finished with this test gets a candy bar. Sometimes it’s a mixed bag like the time I went to see one of our homebound members at another church. I had made an appointment and arrived on time. I rang the bell and got no response. I knocked on the door and the same thing happened-nothing. Finally, the door flew open and I hear, “Cinda, come on in. I just caught the kitchen on fire and I’m naked. Mom’s in the living room.” I flew through that door and ran to the kitchen. I saw smoky streaks on the wall paper and could smell the fire though it had been extinguished. I ran back to where my elderly church lady was sitting in her recliner. She was ok, but was very concerned about all the activity. She said, “Girls, what is going on?” What had happened was that the daughter had mopped the kitchen floor with an ammonia-based product. In order to cover up the odor, she lit a decorative candle, the kind that had fruit imbedded in it. Well, the fruit caught on fire and sent up a tall flame which caught a grapevine wreath that was just above it on fire. And it spread some from there. I think the take away from that incident is that urgency can sometimes prompt an impulsive response and that can get us in trouble. And I think that’s what happened with Jonah. The back story is that God tells Jonah to go to preach in a very powerful, important city, Ninevah. It is the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The people of Ninevah were in dire need of a change of heart, what we would call repentance. “Heck, no! I’m not going there, that wicked city. Those people are not my kind. Ninevites are of a different race and religion from Jonah. He had no business going there. So immediately Jonah takes off in the opposite direction, as if he could outrun God. He boards a ship to Tarshish. A storm blows up and threatens to swamp the ship. All the sailors pray to their own gods for help. Then, being a superstitious bunch, they cast lots to see who on board might be responsible for their situation by committing some terrible act. Jonah fesses up that he is running from his God, and that the storm is probably his fault. The only way to save the ship was for him to be thrown overboard. The other passengers were reluctant to do that. They kept trying to save the ship, but eventually agree to toss Jonah overboard. Immediately-the sea is still and the grateful sailors make a sacrifice to Jonah’s God. Now, according to the story, Jonah is swallowed by a huge fish, some versions call it a whale. Being in the belly of the fish for three days, Jonah has come around. He will go to Ninevah and preach to the rebellious people there about the God of Israel, the One, true, holy God. By this time, the fish is sick of Jonah and he spits him out on the beach. Jonah fulfills his promise to go to the people of Ninevah and preach about changing their hearts, turning from false gods and turning toward Yahweh, his God. And, low and behold, they respond by repenting of their foolish ways and God changes his mind about them and does not destroy the city. Mission accomplished. You would think Jonah would be elated by that, but, no. Jonah was angry. He hadn’t wanted to go there in the first place because they weren’t “his kind” and he didn’t want them to find favor with God. He didn’t want the people to have a change of heart and turn to God. He wanted God to destroy them. Jonah is so brazen that he complained to God, “I know you are merciful and you might really save them from destruction. I wanted no part of that.” No kidding. Jonah was a prophet, just not a very good one. The story ends with God’s rebuke of Jonah. When Jesus called the fishermen in the text we read this morning, they immediately followed him. Did they run by the bank, get their affairs in order, pack a bag and kiss their wives and kids first? No. Jesus called them and they left their work and followed him. I learned this week that in that day, people would often seek out particular rabbis to study with, to explore the faith. Maybe they had sat for some of Jesus’ teaching already. We don’t know, but, Jesus saw something in them and invited them to join him in his work. “I’ll show you how to fish for people.” That must have been a really compelling offer because they did go. Maybe they were enthused about the prospect of travel, or being part of a movement. Maybe this would be like a pilgrimage, a spiritual adventure. They experienced all these things while traveling with Jesus, but not in the ways they probably initially expected. Sometimes their food came from gleaning the fields or relying on strangers for meals and a place to sleep. Those deep theological discussions they longed for probably challenged the faith they were raised in. I can’t tell you how many times that happened in seminary. Some students became so uncomfortable in that setting that they dropped out. The first disciples met lots of new people, but not always the kind of people they would normally hang out with. Eventually they would learn that often the people we have trouble with are the very ones God seeks out. And, let’s try this idea on: maybe we are the ones who need to change and these newcomers are our teachers. Sounds a little like Jonah and the stiff-necked people of Ninevah, doesn’t it? As we make our way toward Lent, we will hear many stories of call. Some people are called for great works and we read about them in scripture or history books. But, what about the ones that aren’t called for some special work? What about the father of those fishermen? Does God like him less? Does he have a lesser place in the kingdom? Not at all. God calls all of us to respond with whatever gifts we have been given. If you can’t figure out what your gifts are, ask a friend, ask me. I see gifts in all of you. They differ from one person to the next and I love it. That’s what makes the church so strong and interesting. My husband and children all felt the call to participate in a medical mission work in Peru. Each of them describes it in their own way. It was life-changing. I am so thankful they had the opportunity. They will all tell you they went with the mindset to minister to those in need. But, what they discovered was that they were the ones in need. Each one of them, in their own ways, had a deep spiritual need of which they weren’t even aware. And I am the only one in our family who has not been on one of these trips. I was not called to the place or the work. My call has been to stay at home base, to pray without ceasing, to relay messages back and forth between people on the trip and family members state-side. And I was called to welcome them home, wash their clothes, and deal with their travel sickness. You may think the days for God to awaken you to some spiritual purpose are over. Not so. Inspiration comes from so many places, people and circumstances. You may be someone else’s inspiration or their hope or a source of courage. Maybe someone will be those things for you. *Hymn 175 Seek Ye First *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 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 744 Arise, Your Light Is Come! *Blessing Go now, follow where Christ calls you and proclaim the message God gives you. Wait in hope for God. Avoid becoming bound up in the business of the world, but live in readiness for the Kingdom. And may God be your haven and your glory; may Christ Jesus give you courage for his mission; and may the Spirit enfold you in love. Amen. *Postlude *Call to Worship Amos 5
We are called to seek good and not evil, that we may live; and so that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with us. We are called to hate evil and love good, and establish justice. Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. We seek to be a people that embodies God’s justice. By the power of God at work within us, may it be so. *Hymn 307 God of Grace and God of Glory Prayer of the Day Almighty God, You sent Jesus to proclaim your kingdom and to teach with authority. Anoint us with your Spirit, that we too may bring good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captive; forgive us for neglecting the needs of our brothers and sisters and failing to testify to the good news of your love. Amen. *Hymn Take, O Take Me As I Am Old Testament Reading 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading John 1:43-51 The Morning Message 1968. It was both a good and bad year. My sister was born in 1968. We moved into a beautiful new home. The year saw violent demonstrations in many major cities in the US and across the globe. The focus of the US protests was the Vietnam War. It was also the year that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert Kennedy were both assassinated. That was also the year I started junior high school. I went to Lincoln. Walked to and from every day. It wasn’t a problem. It was exciting. For years, I had watched the pretty junior high girls in my neighborhood walk to school in their Bass Weejuns and hose. I had finally arrived, wearing penny loafers and hose. And when I walked those new shoes through the doors of that school, my worldview would change. I would be in a community that included African American students. I had a lot to learn. The first lesson was about fear. Words of truth and hope, learned in Sunday School, ran through my head and heart. “Perfect love casts out fear.” And this…we may not love perfectly, but Jesus does and I could follow his example. So, my experience included both failure and success, but I count it all helpful. A lot has changed since then, thank goodness, but we have not yet completely healed the divisions caused by racism, or really, any “otherness.” This week commemorates both the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King and Holocaust Remembrance. It lifts up the ministry of MLK and activism of the American Civil Rights Movement and recalls the heinous attempt to annihilate the Jewish citizens, men, women, and children, of Europe. Six million Jews died during this most cruel regime. And I know we don’t like to think or talk about these things, we certainly don’t want to identify with them, for to do that is to make ourselves vulnerable to pain. But, I believe what makes us human is our ability to do just that…to have empathy-to feel what others feel. The 2024 session of the West Virginia Legislature opened this past Wednesday. Like you, I am eager to see what issues they will address in the coming weeks. I hope both chambers will initiate efforts to bring more hope than harm to the people of this state. I hope the two main parties will work together for the public good, especially that portion of the public that lacks the security of healthcare and/or a safe place to lay their head at night. I hope they support the public school system so that all children and youth can succeed in life. I hope they demonstrate their support for all public servants, who work in all kinds of conditions, doing their best to meet people in their needs. I predict we will be left wanting at the end of the session, being reminded one again that there is virtue in waiting as the “arc of the moral universe is long and it bends toward justice.” When Martin Luther King Jr. preached at the Washington National Cathedral on March 31, 1968, nobody knew it would be the last Sunday sermon he would ever give. The topic was “ Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” The invitation was extended to him for the purpose of explaining to the “white clergy and the people of Greater Washington” that his planned Poor People’s Campaign was intended to be non-violent” and not disruptive of life in Washington. King, as the “apostle of non-violence,” was invited by the dean of the cathedral to deliver his message. But he knew his white colleagues were uneasy. In fact, one woman wrote to the cathedral warning that the King invitation would “stir up more racial tension and anxiety, which can only lead to disaster.” That Sunday, the cathedral attracted its largest-ever crowd, with thousands more spilling out the doors to listen on loudspeakers. King knew his audience and he was very direct: “Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals who are willing to be co-workers with God.” He urged the gathered flock that day to yield the temptation to wait on time, to wait for somebody else to do the work. He further challenged them with these words: “On some positions cowardice asks the question: Is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, Is it politic? Then conscience asks the question: Is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.” King’s challenge to the faithful gathered that day in 1968 feels intensely relevant today. You know the issues: poverty, violence, addiction and recovery, housing scarcity, food insecurity, inadequate education, racism, anti-semitism, human trafficking, despair. But how and when do we address these difficult issues? The human instinct is to not offend. Oh, my goodness. I’ve lived in this tension my whole professional life. It’s hard to ask people to notice the needs for social justice, to advocate for it even, and then to back down so that it doesn’t insult or offend. But, as Christians, we follow a man, Jesus, who never took the easy way out. Jesus did not censor himself for fear of retribution. He challenged the institutional oppression of his day, and calls us to confront the injustice of our time. Often, it is through the words and actions of our young people that we are inspired to change. I have shared this story every year on this day because I believe it is important and hopefully motivational for you. A few years ago, standing out in her yellow coat before thousands of people at the inauguration of President Biden, Amanda Gorman reminded me, and maybe some of you, that there is hope and there can be change for this country and maybe the world. Change had indeed already come to her. She was living, shining proof. Ms. Gorman is the first Youth Poet Laureate ever in the United States. She was born in Los Angeles and raised by a single mother, a sixth grade teacher. She was academically gifted and won a scholarship to Harvard University. She is both a poet and an activist, as is her twin sister, Gabrielle. But it wasn’t always an easy path for her. Amanda has an auditory processing disorder and is hyper-sensitive to sound. She spent years in speech therapy. She says her disability is also her gift, because being intensely focused on auditory and vocal processes made her really good at reading and writing. When she stood at the podium on Inauguration Day, we didn’t see all the struggles of her young life. But, we witnessed her poise, confidence, intelligence, skill, presence, artistry, and grace. We witnessed a young woman claiming her call. It’s a call that is still forming, but, we know she will be equipped to embrace it. When young Samuel was called by God, he didn’t even recognize God’s voice. Eli had to steer him in the right direction. We still read Samuel’s story and acknowledge the role he played in salvation history. When Jesus called the fishermen, he was calling them into a life of uncertainty and risk. But, they followed anyway, learning by Jesus’ side, and birthing the early church. Their lives still influence us today. Although Presbyterians don’t often do this, we see the names of our Christian forebears on churches, schools, and hospitals. Hear me clearly as I make the next statement. The citizens of our land have been blessed by good leaders and harmed by others. Many people affirm and appreciate the advocacy and spiritual work of Martin Luther King to bring about change for the vulnerable, the poor, the minority citizens of the US. Some saw this not as progress, but as unwelcome revolution. Reasonable minds can disagree. Some time ago, the Office of the General Assembly published a study guide for “Presbyterians in Times of Disagreement.” It recognizes that Presbyterians, and all Christians, are called upon to pay attention to changes in church and culture that tend to divide rather than unite reasonable people of faith. The document offers strategies for moving from impasse and hostility to a rational and mutually acceptable outcome even at times of strident debate and polarization. As it has been a guide to peace in our church, I have hope that one day, we will have peace in our land.. So, with a new year’s hope, from a fresh mind and in a positive spirit, I again offer you the words today of Amanda Gorman for the New Year: May this be the day We come together Mourning , we come to mend, Withered, we come to weather, Torn, we come to tend, Battered, we come to better, Tethered by this year of yearning, We are learning That though we aren’t ready for this, We have been readied by it. We steadily vow that no matter How we are weighed down, We must always pave a way forward. This hope is our door, our portal, Even if we never get back to normal. Some day we can venture beyond it, To leave the known and take first steps. So let us not return to normal, But reach toward what is next. What was cursed, we will cure, What was plagued, we will prove pure, Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree, Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we forsee. Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awke. Those moments we missed, Are now these moments we make, The moments we meet, And our hearts, all together beaten, Now altogether beat. Come look up with kindness yet. For even solace can be sourced from sorrow. We remember not just for the sake of yesterday, But to take on tomorrow. We heed this old spirit, In a new days’ lyric, In our hearts we hear it, For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne. Be bold, sang Time this year, Be bold, sang time. For when you honor yesterday, Tomorrow ye will find. Know what we’ve fought, Need not be forgot for none. It defines us, binds us as one, Come over, join this day just begun,. For wherever we come together, We will forever overcome. May that be our hope and our intention in the year ahead. Amen. *We Wait the Peaceful Kingdom, Verses 1 and 2 *Affirmation of Faith (from A Brief Statement of Faith) We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Alleluia. Amen. *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Holy One, as we have called for your justice to roll down like waters, we are painfully aware that many in our nation and in the wider world have never or rarely known justice and righteousness. As we pause to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we admit that the issues of racism are far from resolved. Most of us will never know the hurts and offences and even violence our brothers and sisters have suffered their whole lives long. Our experiences have been very different. Save us from contributing to their pain and all the offenses born of discrimination and the de-valuing of others. Help us to walk some miles in their shoes that we might be your faithful children seeking understanding. We pray for that day when we are all truly at peace with the differences in color, race, culture, gender, orientation, and any human attribute that can be used as a weapon against another. Forgive us for our failures and fill us with strength and conviction to live after the manner of Jesus Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, We make our prayer and petitions in Jesus’ name, saying, Our Father…Amen. Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Gracious God, we are so aware of the abundance of gifts you have provided. We know, too, the great joy of sharing those gifts with others. As we offer our tithes and offerings this day, prompt us to commit more than dollars, but also those gifts you have written on our hearts- gifts meant to announce peace and understanding to the world. In the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, Amen. *Hymn 377 We Wait the Peaceful Kingdom, Verses 3and 4 *Blessing Go now. Listen for the voice of the Lord and follow wherever it leads. Do not be dominated by anything. Allow no room within yourself for deceit, but offer yourself as a temple for the Holy Spirit. And may God be with you and speak through you; may Christ Jesus be one with you and raise you to new life; and may the Holy Spirit dwell in you richly. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Psalm 29:2-4 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due God’s name. Worship the Lord in holy splendor. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. *Hymn 81 Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, verses 1-3 Prayer of Confession Lord, have mercy on us. Remember the promises you made to us in our baptism, forgive our sinful ways and heal our brokenness. Set us free from all that enslaves, and raise us to new life in Jesus Christ, that we may be your faithful servants, showing forth healing love to the world, to the glory of your holy name. Amen. Hymn Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Pardon Hear the good news! In baptism you were buried with Christ. In baptism you were also raised to new life with him, through faith in the power of God who raised Christ from the dead. 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: your sins are forgiven. Be at peace. Amen. First Reading Genesis 1:1-5 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Mark 1:4-11 The Morning Message Who had a summer job in high school or college? Like many of us, Sally Haynes had a part time summer job. She was part of an outreach ministry at North Carolina’s Outer Banks. That sounds pretty cushy until you learn her job was to clean bath-houses. On a slow summer afternoon, she walked over to the small sailboat franchise the ministry helped run. Since there were no customers, the manager thought it would be ok for Sally and two of the other boys to take one of the boats out for a brief sail. Sally says she lazily lounged while the guys steered the little boat. And everything was fine- blue sky, sparkling water, warm sun. And then, the wind took a mighty swing at their sail and the boat capsized, dumping the boys out. And so there they were. She says she heard the yelps of the boys as soon as they hit the water. They had landed in a school of jellyfish. But, luckily for her, she had landed on the sail. There she sat, on the water, but protected by the sail. No jellyfish around. The boys started shouting to her, “Sally, get off the sail so we can turn the boat rightside-up!” Sally says she would like to say that as soon as she heard the painful cries of her friends, she bravely leapt off the sail and into the threatening water, but that wasn’t her first instinct. Her first instinct was to stay put and be spared the stings that would surely come when she left her billowy nest. The boys’ cries grew louder. The menacing tentacles stung them repeatedly. But Sally knew the moment she crawled off the sail and into the water, she, too, would be stung. I’ve never been stung by a jellyfish, but I know that no one signs up for that. But if she didn’t move, they would never right the boat and it would be a long, painful, dangerous swim to the shore for all of them. So, resigned to her fate, she slipped into the water and was indeed immediately and repeatedly stung. They righted the boat and hurried back to shore to dress their wounds. How quickly things had gone wrong. While things had been fine, beautiful even, on the surface, the water itself held many dangers. Sally is now a United Methodist minister and has had a long time to reflect on this experience. Now she understands that what happened that summer day was absolutely consistent with Scripture. From the very beginning of salvation history, way back in Genesis, water is the fathomless deep which God created and must divide to make space for the sky to appear. Water must be pushed aside to allow for the emergence of dry land. The deeps are full of power and mystery. They are where Leviathon and other legends live. And when God brings his people out of slavery, it’s once again through the deep, chaotic sea, the hand of God reaching down to part the waters so his children may cross unharmed. The prophet Isaiah compares God’s love to water’s dangers: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” We can’t help but think of those verses when trouble strikes, especially trouble involving water. Hurricanes, floods, tsunamis and other treacherous weather events have devastated everything from small villages to entire countries, killing generations of God’s people. My mother was a baby when the 1937 flood hit Huntington. Her father packed up her mother and her brother and sister, who were just one and two, and sent them on the train to Milton, where they would stay with grandparents until it was safe to come home. These events define communities for sure. Recovery may be slow and frustrating. The words of Scripture may or may not offer reassurance. But, we have learned that wherever there is suffering, God is there, and that’s when we, who are called by Christ’s name, jump into the schools of jellyfish with those dumped out of the boat. , Water is necessary to sustain life- for cleansing, for heating and cooling, for growing anything, for transport. And yet, as necessary as it is, water contains the potential of chaos and danger and lurking monsters. And that is exactly where God sends Jesus at his baptism. Up to this point in the gospel story, Jesus has led a mostly private life. But, his baptism stands as a symbol of transition to a very public ministry. One that will have him teaching, healing, and feeding, calling people to turn away from sin and toward God, to love their neighbors as themselves, to welcome the stranger, help the hurting, and support the weak. And how does God mark the occasion? God sends Jesus down into the water, where danger and jellyfish are primed to attack. The jellyfish that surround Jesus taunt, ridicule, hail him king in one breath and yell “crucify him!” the next. Stings come from the death of his dear friend, Lazarus, the betrayal of another. Jesus is plunged into the water to be assaulted time and again. The maternal instinct in me wonders why this was necessary. I was hyper-vigilant with our kids. Made them all neurotic, I was so worried about their safety. Thankfully, they have all overcome that history and have proven to be much braver than their mom. But, about Jesus, I often wondered how, why, God could send his only Son to earth if this was to be his life and fate. Maybe it’s because this is the very image of our life and fate, too. Sailing, on the surface, is lovely and peaceful. My parents had a boat out on Beech Fork Lake and it was a lot of fun. It’s pretty tame-a no wake zone. But, we aren’t always on the surface, are we? Life isn’t always lived in the smooth and lovely and safe places. Life often swamps our boat, and the sea is deep and dark. Life happens during sleepless nights and hectic days. Life happens in the family we love and the family who gets under our skin. Life happens when the mail brings bills we have to juggle, diagnoses we are never ready to hear, losses that cleave our hearts in two. But…here’s what gives me hope: When life throws us into water that’s over our heads, and it will, the baptism of Jesus reminds us of this important truth: we aren’t the first ones in. Jesus has already gone ahead of us. He has suffered, he has been hurt and rejected, he has been falsely accused, he has been tired and hungry and thirsty, he has been hauled into court, thrown in jail, separated from his mother, abused, and crucified. And then…God raised him from the dead, and in his resurrection is the promise of ours. We are plunged into the waters of baptism and raised to newness of life. At our funeral services, we are reminded that, in death, our baptism is complete. Scripture promises us that if we are baptized into a death like his, we will be raised in glory like Jesus before us. Let that be a comfort to you. Remind yourself that you are baptized. I thought of this recently when a concern was turning over and over in my mind. Martin Luther was said to have reassured himself in troubled moments by stating those three words: “I am baptized.” It worked. It was a comfort to remember that yes, indeed, I am baptized, grafted onto the body of Christ, welcomed into the family of faith, and marked as Christ’s own forever. Washed, cleansed, made new, set apart for a life of faith, hope, and love. When the dreaded call comes, or the relationship fractures, or the news out of Washington or Charleston or in our family strikes terror in us, remember that Jesus went down into the water before us and came out again, and so, indeed, shall we. So shall we. *Hymn Baptized In Water (insert) Renewal of Baptism Through baptism we enter the covenant God has established. In that covenant God gives us new life. We are guarded from evil and nurtured by the love of God and God’s people. In embracing that covenant, we choose whom we will serve, by turning from evil and turning to Jesus Christ. I ask you, therefore, to reject sin, to profess your faith in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we baptize. *Renunciations Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world? I do. Do you turn to Jesus Christ, accept him as your Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and love? I do. Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love? I will with God’s help. Remember your baptism and be thankful *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p.35 *Hymn Gloria Patri (inside front cover of hymnal) The Sacrament of Communion Invitation to the Table, Words of Institution, Great Prayer of Thanksgiving, Distribution of the Elements Prayer After Communion We thank you, O God, that through Word and Sacrament, you have given us your Son, who is the true bread of heaven and food of our eternal life. So strengthen us in your service that in our daily living we may show forth our thanks, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings *Hymn Doxology (inside front cover of hymnal) *Prayer of Dedication As your Son Jesus came to bring light to the world’s darkness, we bring our gifts to you this day. Transform them into light for the lost, bread for the hungry, relief for the hopeless, compassion and care for the forgotten and oppressed. In joyful service, let us bear Christ’s light into the world. Amen. *Hymn 289 Blessed Assurance *Charge and Blessing Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Go now in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
*Call to Worship Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Nations shall come to your light and rulers to the brightness of your rising. *Hymn 143 Angels From the Realms of Glory Prayer Eternal God, A thousand years in your sight are like a watch in the night. as you have led us in days past, so guide us now and always, that our hearts may learn to choose your will, and new resolves be strengthened. Forgive what we have done that denies our devotion to you. and forgive us for failing to do kindness in your name. Set us free to love and serve you in this new year, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. *Hymn Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Romans 8:34 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. The old life is gone and a new life has begun. This is our peace. Amen. Old Testament Reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 2:13-23 The Morning Message Ring Out, Wild Bells *Hymn 147 The First Nowell, verses 1 and 2 *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 Tithes and Offerings *Hymn 607 Doxology Offertory *Prayer of Dedication *Hymn The First Nowell, verses 5 and 6 *Blessing Go now, and bear witness to the light so others might believe. Since you are chosen in Christ, live before him in love, holy and blameless. Live with hope in Christ, for the praise of his glory. And may God fill the earth with peace; may Christ give you grace upon grace from his fullness; and may the Holy Spirit, the pledge of your inheritance, lead you on straight paths where you will not stumble. Amen. Laughingbird.net *Postlude |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives
July 2024
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