​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   250   In the Bulb There is a Flower (Hymn of Promise)
 
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, the women had found empty, and then the strange, unbelievable events surrounding their visit. They didn’t know what to make of it.
 
When the stranger joined them, they 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 year 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 into the Church Triumphant.
 
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:
“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   240   Alleluia! Alleluia! Give Thanks
 
*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 451   Open My Eyes, That I May See
 
Meeting of the Congregation
We meet for the purpose of electing Elders to the Class of 2024 and a Trustee to the Class of 2025.
The nominees for Elder are Harold Bias, Betty Dennison, Tim Moore, and Judy Napier.
The nominee for Trustee is John W. Thomas.
 
*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
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.
 
First Reading                     John 20:19-25
 
Prayer of Confession
We confess before God, the whole company of heaven, and our brothers and sisters in faith,
that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, and pray God Almighty to have mercy on us.
*Hymn  698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
May God Almighty have mercy on us, pardon and deliver us from all sins, and keep us in everlasting peace. Amen.
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Second Reading                John 20:26-31
The Morning Message
 
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.
 
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!
 
On the other hand, I’m not sure I want to sign up for the insults and abuse Jesus suffered. But don’t we already know that the gospel doesn’t always take us down easy paths?
 
But, hang on. Here comes help: After Jesus gives the faithful their instructions, he breathes on them. Two years of Covid precautions has me concerned about having someone breathe 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.
 
If you were to come talk to me about a situation that is troubling you, maybe a person who has hurt you,  I would listen. I would ask if you are in danger. Then I would probably say something like, “The only person’s behavior you can control is your own. You can’t control anyone else. If   you can’t reconcile your issues, it’s time to think of a way for you to make peace with this.”
 
When we forgive people, we don’t do it in the hope that they will change. Well, maybe sometimes we do. But, realistically, we forgive so that we are no longer holding onto the pain, the anger, the fear that can damage our lives. I’ve wasted time in my life perfecting my grudges. It’s futile. It’s a practice that can suck the breath, the spirit, right out of you. It has me.
 
I have referenced Rachel Held Evans several times in recent weeks.  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. 
 
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 warmth and beauty.
 
But, as she pushed the margins of her traditional 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 kinda 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 …you get the drift.
 
But, praise God from whom all blessings flow…it doesn’t last…when 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.” 
 
 
*Affirmation of Faith            Apostles’ Creed      p. 35
*Hymn    581   Gloria Patri
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
*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

Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
 
*Hymn  232          Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
 
Prayer for Easter
O Christ, in your resurrection,
The heavens and earth rejoice, Alleluia!
By your resurrection you broke open the gates of hell
and destroyed sin and death.
Keep us victorious over sin.
By your resurrection, you raised the dead,
and brought us from death to life.
Guide us in the way of eternal life.
By your resurrection you confounded your guards and executioners,
and filled your disciples with joy.
Give us joy in your service.
By your resurrection you proclaimed good news to the women and apostles,
and brought salvation to the whole world.
Direct our lives as your new creation.
God of mercy,
we no longer look for Jesus among the dead.
for he is alive and has become the Lord of life.
From the waters of death, you raise us with him
and renew the gift of life within us.
Increase in our minds and hearts
the risen life we share with Christ,
and help us grow as your people
toward the fullness of eternal life with you,
through Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever.  Amen.
 
First Reading       Luke 24:1-12
Time for Young Disciples   
 
Gospel Reading               John 20:1-18
The Morning Message
 
I heard the little “bing!” that announced I had a message on my phone. It was an SOS from dear friend. We met doing presbytery work and formed a fast and strong bond.
“Help! The pastor’s sick, I’m writing a sermon, the session has met and approved me to officiate Communion. But, I need a Book of Common Worship and can’t find one anywhere in the church. I’ve never been on the other side of the Communion Table and I don’t know the right words to say!”
The irony of this moment was rich. My friend is one of the most articulate people I know. She is gifted in many ways and communication is her strong suit. She has had more experience at public speaking than I’ll ever have.
I’ve taken this call before and immediately sent her a link to the on-line resource. But, when I hadn’t heard from her in about thirty minutes, I sent a text.
All was well. She just made a fast trip to the church to look for recorded service music they might use in worship.  The organist had just been diagnosed with strep.
Now, I had my own issues with worship this week. When Ed got back from his service Thursday night, he was decompressing from an unfortunate incident he witnessed.
Holy Week marks the defining moments of the Christian faith. We have good news to tell. But, for awhile in recent days, it felt like the good news was getting kicked in the teeth. Now, I learned a long timw ago that this happens sometimes when we enter holy moments. We encounter a negative energy that gets in the way.
So, I said as much to my friend and reminded myself as well as her that our task is a simple one. We just need to stick to Mary’s script: “I have seen the Lord!”
To say, “I have seen the Lord!”is to point out resurrection in the midst of ruin, new life when all that seems visible is death; love in the face of hate; decency and goodness when that which is vitriolic and vile and vicious finds only more and more followers.
Because, in the end, resurrection is not only the promise of life after death, which, is huge, but, it is also that the life-giving love of God will always move the stones away. Tombs are just that-containers for the dead. And there are enough tombs around us, dark dwelling places that fuel corruption and deception, racism, sexism, rejection, suspicion, fear.
Two long years ago, we celebrated Easter in our homes because a deadly virus prevented almost all social interaction. It may have felt as though you were trapped in a tomb. Thanks to the efforts of many, many people and institutions and the public working together toward the goals of life and health and well-being, that stone is being rolled away.
But, we have been changed. Rolling the stone away may reveal places that need further work. Those of you in education are aware of the impact Covid has had on students and families. I have heard some teachers say it may take years to catch up. It’s hard to see God’s work in this type of situation, but, it is possible.
Sarah Bessey is a young comntemporary author and preacher. She speaks with clarity, frank honesty, and with a spirit of humility. She says out loud what most of us think but can’t quite say: that some days we are unwavering believers. But, sometimes we have doubts.
Bessey writes, “And Jesus is-still, now, always-the resurrection and the life. And on the days when I believe this, I am certain we will also be resurrected and death will not have the final word and all tears will be wiped away and there will be no more night, no more hunger, no more wounding, no more loss, no more good-byes.
On the days when I believe this, I believe death is a dawn and never the last word.
On the days when I believe this, I know the miracle is that God knows the dark and never the last word.
On the days when I believe this, I believe that ongoing hope of resurrection changes how we engage in our lives as they stand right now as we love and know and walk with God who brings life out of death, order out of chaos, healing out of sickness, wholeness out of brokeness.
On the days when I believe this, I know God isn’t finished with this story yet.
But, there are days when I don’t believe it.
And on those, I have this: God With Us, Emmanuel.
This Easter, it may be all some of us have. We can’t quite get to resurrection and life yet, but, in that place of exile, we can rest alongside God with us, which is our country of grace for today.”
I’ve shared this before. When my grandson was on spring break last year, he spent a lot of time with his dad. Of course, the whole week was chronicled by iphone camera. We have pictures of Tad eating breakfast, playing with the dog, running in the park, and eating lumberjack-sized hamburgers at an outdoor café.
 
Then there was this:
Tad is singing from the backseat of the car:
“Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man.
Do you know the muffin man, who…
Do you know the muffin man, who…
He couldn’t quite get to the last line, so he says, “Sing it with me, Daddy!”
 
“You mean, this one,
Do you know the muffin man? That one?”
“Yes! Yes! Sing that song with me!”
And so he did and they sang it to the end. Together. Because that’s the way we open the shutters, cast off the pall, roll away the stone, hold hands, and make it to the country of grace for today.
 
 
*Affirmation of Faith            The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
*Hymn    580            Gloria Patri
 
Special Music
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Living God,
You have opened our eyes to see the glory of this new day;
now open our lips to tell of the empty tomb;
open our hearts to believe the Good News;
and strengthen us in body and spirit to carry your message of hope into the world,
In your mercy, heal the suffering, mend our brokenness, restore our relationships, save us from hostility and harsh judgments, show us our purpose, impart wisdom to those in the halls of governments, and bring peace to your world.  We pray for ourselves, giving thanks for your sustaining love that has comforted us in our pain and blessed us with occasions of joy.
We pray for those among us and those in our hearts who are need of healing- of body, mind, or spirit. We pray for the victims of violence everywhere, especially mindful of the tragic events this week in New York City. We grieve with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine and Eastern Europe who are victims of a cruel regime and seek intervention that leads to peace.
We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
 
*Hymn   698         Take, O Take Me As I Am  
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
*Hymn   606   Doxology
*Hymn   826   Lift High the Cross
Or
Hymn  268  Crown Him With Many Crowns
 
*Blessing
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Lenten Reading   Tim and Amy Moore
 
*Call to Worship
Humble and riding on a donkey,
we greet you.
Acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children,
we cheer you.
Moving from the peace of the countryside
to the corridors of power,
we salute you, Christ, our Lord.
You are giving the beasts of burden a new dignity;
You are giving majesty a new face;
You are giving those who long for redemption
a new song to sing.
With them, with heart and voice,
we shout, “Hosanna!  God save us!”
 
*Hymn 197          Hosanna, Loud Hosanna
 
Prayer of the Day
We praise you, O God,
for your redemption of the world through Jesus Christ.
Today he entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph
and was proclaimed Messiah and King
by those who spread garments and branches along his way.
Let these branches be signs of victory,
and grant that we, who carry them, may follow him in the way of the cross,
that dying and rising with him, we may enter into your kingdom,
through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever.  Amen.
 
First Reading                    Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
 
 
 
 
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 to live in your light and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.
 
Hymn   698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and we may dwell in peace.  Amen.
 
Moments With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading                   Luke 19:28-40
Morning Message
 
It seems like we just get the Christmas decorations put away when Lent rolls around. We make a swift transition from the rich textures of color, scent, and sound, gifts and traditions, family and carols, to the austere season of Lent.
 
In centuries past, Lent was strictly observed as a time of austerity. After Fat Tuesday, there would be no rich food, no parties, no weddings, no baptisms. In many of our liturgical churches, crosses and icons were draped in purple or black and no alleluias escaped the lips of even the best choir.
 
Lent was a time of simplicity, and for those who wanted to take it even more seriously, Lent was a time of self-denial. One would “give up” some creature comfort or pleasure in order to identify with Jesus, who gave up everything, even his life and breath, for us.  Some Christians adhere to this practice today.
 
Rachel Held Evans was one of my favorite contemporary theologians and preachers. I urge you to read her work. Maybe some of us could read it together, for it’s very thought-provoking and tends toward the humorous.
 
As a young married couple, Rachel and her husband, Dan, became disillusioned with their church. They were looking for a different way to practice the Christian faith that honored their emergent progressive theology. They acknowledged their deep love for the congregation. Rachel’s own parents were long-time members. Rachel’s father was a well-respected professor in a Christian college in the town of Dayton, Tennessee. He and Rachel’s mother were very active in the church’s life of faith. To leave the church was a heart-wrenching decision.
 
In time, after visiting many different churches and denominations, Rachel, Dan, and several other young people, organized a new church, one they hoped emphasized the importance of love and de-emphasized identifying occasions of sin.
They met on Sunday nights in the free apartment on the second floor of the local funeral home. They worshiped, tithed, reached out to the community in need, and eventually had the funds to rent a little store front place and there they established the church and gave it the name, The Mission.
 
The following story is one Rachel wrote as she prepared for the first Palm Sunday they would celebrate in their storefront sanctuary.
 
“The tradition of folding a palm frond into the shape of a cross powerfully illustrates the kingdom message of Jesus, as a symbol of royalty becomes a symbol of sacrifice. The victory of Jesus did not take the shape of forceful triumph, but of humility and that our citizenship in the Kingdom of God demands we do the same.”
 
Which is why Rachel got really upset when she realized the palm fronds she bought weren’t the right size for folding.
 
Dan took one look at the wilting potted palm she had  brought home from BiLo and said, “I think they needed to be at least 21 inches long.”
 
“Well, if you want to go out in the pouring rain to buy a $40 palm tree, be my guest,” she shot back.
 
She writes, “I was determined to present a little cross to everyone at church in honor of Palm Sunday and the commencement of Holy Week. So the two of us spent the afternoon painstakingly folding the six-inch leaves into tiny green crosses. The meticulous nature of the work frustrated me, and as I struggled to make one particularly misshapen cross hold together, I couldn’t help but see a parallel between the unraveling little cross in my hands and the unraveling faith in my heart.
 
The symbolism was depressing.
 
I had lofty intentions when I decided to observe  the church calendar this year, and things were going very well until Lent.
Advent, Christmas and Epiphany had gone well. Unfortunately, Ash Wednesday fell on a day when I woke up unsure that God even exists, in a week when I felt betrayed by a group of Christians, and in a month full of writing deadlines and social commitments. Although I diligently kept my fast throughout the season, I felt as though I did a better job honoring the letter of the law than the spirit of the law.
 
I’d hoped to get into a steady rhythm of daily prayer and reflection, but instead found myself feeling distant from God, distracted by work, and cynical about the Church.
 
But the crumpled fronds and awkward crosses spread across my dining room table spoke not of holiness, but of imperfection. Messy, screwed-up, real-life imperfection.
 
It took a few hours and a few completed crosses for me to realize that this is how it’s supposed to be.
 
The symbolism was perfectly imperfect.
 
Holy Week wasn’t perfect for the disciples. They betrayed, ran away, lied, despaired, and doubted.
 
Holy Week wasn’t perfect for Jesus. He wept. He wondered if there were another way. He experienced the same agony and isolation that inspired the poet David to ask, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
 
Holy Week wasn’t perfect for God, as he looks down on the messes we have made, the wars that we wage, and the imperfect representation of His Son that we clumsily project to the world.
 
For most of us, Holy Week isn’t so holy. In fact, it’s more like the unholy mess spread across my kitchen table on a cold and rainy Palm Sunday afternoon.
 
And maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Maybe Holy Week isn’t about perfection maintained, but about imperfection restored- an execution device transformed into a symbol of pardon, three denials transformed into three declarations of love, a tomb transformed into the birthplace of hope.”
 
So, take your palm frond home with you. Tape it to your fridge or lay it on your nightstand. Leave it on the dashboard of your vehicle. Make it into a cross or give it away.
 
However that simple green frond speaks to you, let it speak. And listen carefully to the voices crowded along the road that day long ago. The ones that shouted, “Hosanna! God save us!”
 
Now that symbolism is beautiful.
 
 
*Affirmation of Faith           The Nicene Creed  p. 34
*Hymn   580        Gloria Patri
 
Celebrating the Sacrament of Communion
  Invitation to the Lord’s Table
  Great Prayer of Thanksgiving including the Lord’s Prayer
  Breaking of the Bread
  Communion of the People
  Prayer After Communion
   God, our help and strength,
   you have satisfied our hunger with this Eucharistic food.
   Strengthen our faith,
   that through the death and resurrection of your Son
   we may be led to salvation,
   for he is Lord today, tomorrow, and forever.  Amen.
 
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
* Hymn  606    Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things.
Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts.
Use us and what we have gathered,
In feeding the world with your love,
Through the one who gave himself for us,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
 
*Hymn 196   All Glory, Laud, and Honor    
 
*Blessing
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Click here to download printable PDF for April 3, 2022

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements                          
Call to Worship                                    Isaiah 43:19
Do not remember the former things
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
 
Lenten Reading
 
*Hymn  35    Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty
 
Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we are a people prone to wander, tempted to satisfy our immediate desires, or the most efficient solution to our challenges, instead of seeking a wider view that would lift up a just, peaceful, and plentiful world for all. Holy One, remind us of your love and purpose for all your children.  Restore all our relationships and guide us home. Amen.
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
Our God is loving, just, and merciful. God delivers us from sin and restores us by grace. Friends, I declare to you, in the name and by the power of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and we can be at peace.
 
First Reading                        Psalm 126
 
Moments With Our Young Disciples
 
New Testament Reading      John 12:1-11
Morning Message
 
In my very first week of seminary, in New Testament Survey, I was introduced to a new word and a new theological concept. Like any first week in any school, new words and concepts come at you so fast it’s like trying to drink from a fire hose. This was no exception. On that particular day, the word was kenosis.
 
Every class began with a time of worship- prayer and a hymn or chorus. On this particular morning, my new friend and classmate, I’ll call her Sue, walked to the front of the room, boom box in hand. She was leading worship, and it would begin with a contemporary Christian song, “Broken and Spilled Out.” I had never heard it, but, this song had special meaning for Sue. It describes this gospel text in which Jesus and his disciples had gathered for a meal, and then, as an act of devotion, Mary broke a jar of sweet, expensive perfume and poured it over Jesus’ feet, drying it with her hair.
 
It was an act of pure devotion. Some were shocked by it. It was too intimate a gesture. Judas ridiculed Mary, claiming that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor.
 
Like the perfume, Mary’s own life had been broken and spilled out before Jesus, only to be filled with a new life, following his example of humility, compassion, and love. Here she ministers to Jesus in an act of extravagant love.
 
Likewise, Sue’s life was broken and spilled out through many years of ups and downs. She was no slacker. She gave and gave and gave til there was almost nothing left of her. Her physical and mental health were both suffering. She was in a spiritual desert.  Sue’s life was wholly unsatisfying. She was headed toward disaster.
 
It was in kneeling in humility before Jesus, admitting her failures, and seeking his mind and heart, that she found life.  You see, what’s behind that type of problem is a kind of spiritual arrogance. We think we can do it all. And maybe we can do a lot, but we aren’t God. We need God and the people God places in our lives. Sometimes that’s a hard and painful lesson. It was for Sue until her life was broken and spilled out before God and God’s grace came spilling over her like a rushing waterfall.
 
Which, on that first class meeting, left us all prepared to receive the word of the day:  “kenosis.”
 
Kenosis is a Greek word which describes the self-emptying of Jesus’ own will in order to be entirely receptive to God’s divine will.
 
Paul writes:
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death- even death on a cross.”
 
Paul is urging the good people at the Church of Philippi to adopt a kenotic way of life. Why? Because there had apparently been conflict and it was damaging the church. The members were not imitating Christ.
 
People bring baggage to church with them. Of course we do, because it is a safe place to lay down our burdens. Our church is often times our second home and family. Church folks may be the only family some people have. And have you ever known a perfect family? A family where everyone brushes AND flosses and never brings the car home on empty? Me neither.
 
So, at the First Church of Philippi, there’s conflict and it is so serious that it threatens to fracture the fellowship. Oh, my. I could tell you some stories. I was once dispatched to mediate a church conflict. The plan was to work with the session two nights and the next week work with the congregation. Well, the first thing that happened was the session got into an argument about the interpretation of  a Bible passage we were using for a devotion. This did not inspire confidence.
The second night, the pastor had a heart attack. We were doomed.
 
That situation could have been resolved satisfactorily, if everyone had taken Paul’s advice and emptied themselves of their tightly-held biases and taken on the mind of Christ. According to Paul, when Jesus emptied himself, he poured out his love. With an outpouring of love comes the other fruit of Spirit-joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
 
The kenosis ethic invites us to imitate Christ, who took on a human body, growing and changing, feeling hunger and thirst, fatigue and pain, joy and love.
 
This moment with friends comes at the end of Jesus’ time with them, indeed, he was in his final days on earth. Jesus was no doubt grateful for their hospitality. A good meal in good company. A gift.  He welcomed the gentle anointing Mary provided.  When Judas complained, Jesus told him to leave her alone- she was preparing him for his burial.
 
Can we place ourselves in that scene? If you were one of the guests that night, what might you be feeling? Not only was the room filled with the scent of rich perfume, it was filled with memories, miracles, acts of compassion, confrontations with the powerful, acts of love. Their hearts must surely have been breaking at the notion of Jesus’ death.
 
It should occur to us that to break something may be a desirable thing. Like breaking a piñata at a child’s party, or cracking an egg for breakfast.  We hope how soon we can housebreak a new pet.  We are relieved at the breaking of a habit. Athletes thrive on breaking records. In some cultures, breaking plates after a wedding is supposed to bring the newlyweds good luck. Those of us who follow Jesus hope to break the ways of sin that bring so much destruction upon God’s people. The promise of Easter is that, in his death and in his rising, Jesus has broken the powers of sin and death.
 
Centuries before this night, the psalmist wrote, “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.”
 
About this psalm, theologian Frederick Buechner writes:
“You never know what may cause them. The sight of the Atlantic Ocean can do it, or a piece of music, or a face you’ve never seen before. A pair of somebody’s old shoes can do it. Almost any movie made before the great sadness that came over the world after the Second World War, a horse cantering across a meadow, the high school basketball team running out onto the gym floor at the start of a game. You can never be sure. But of this you can be sure: Whenever you find tears in your eyes, especially unexpected tears, it is well to pay the closest attention.
 
They are not only telling you something about the secret of who you are, but more often than not, God is speaking to you through them of the mystery of where you have come from and is summoning you to where, if your soul is to be saved, you should go next.”
 
The same health issue that has me taking frequent sips of water standing at this pulpit, causes great problems for my eyes. They do not tear and this has damaged my vision. But, my doctor has me trying something new and I am hopeful.
 
Last weekend, I had little Freya in my arms and she was fussy. It was naptime, but she couldn’t quite get there on her own.  So, I claimed the rocking chair. And you know what happened. The combination of  motion and squeaking worked its magic and soon Freya had wiggled herself  to sleeping position, working her little blond head under my chin, her soft breath brushing my neck.
 
I closed my eyes, just enjoying the silence, the sweetness, and I must have fallen asleep, too. You know, it’s amazing what God can do when we’re not looking. I woke to find something wet slipping down my cheek. A breakthrough.
 
 
*Affirmation of Faith   The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
* Hymn   580      Gloria Patri
 
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
*Hymn   606      Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
Gracious, loving, and abundant God, we praise you for the gifts presented today and for the intentions of your people in giving. Bless and multiply the effectiveness of our offerings. May they equip the saints for their ministry and be a comfort to those in need.  Amen.
 
*Hymn  702      Christ Be Beside Me
 
*Blessing
The cross…we will take it.
The bread…we will break it.
The pain…we will bear it.
The joy…we will share it.
The gospel…we will live it.
The love…we will give it.
The light…we will cherish it.
The darkness…God will perish it.         
    From Stages On the Way: Iona Community, Wild Goose Worship Group
 
*Postlude