Worship on the Lord’s Day
March 05, 2023 10:00 am Lent 2
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev. Brad Childs
Music Director: Binu Kapadia Vocalists: Cheryl & Peter Sheridan
Elder: Gina Kottke
We gather to worship God
Music prelude
Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.
Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship
Call to Worship
L: Just as the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness,
P: the Spirit sends us into places of uncertainty where we confront our weakness and insecurities.
L: Even when our situation changes, we cling to the tried and the true.
P: We insist that what worked in the past will work in the future.
L: Yet, Jesus calls us to die to our old ways so that the new will emerge.
P: He said that we need to be born again to see God’s new realm.
L: Embracing God’s realm will mean accepting different principles that no longer feed our egos.
P: It will mean putting the needs of others before our own.
L: We know the depth of God’s love, revealed to us in Jesus, God’s Son.
P: When we are reborn by God’s Spirit, we will go where the Spirit leads us and love as God loves us.
Opening praise: Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Prayers of approach and lament
Almighty God, we know you as both Lord and Servant.
We know you to be vast beyond our mind’s grasp yet small enough to dwell in our hearts.
We know you as light and love, yet you are able to encompass all darkness.
When we gather together it is not because we are strong, because we understand you, or because we are good people.
When we gather, we acknowledge that we have weakness, that we couldn’t ever possibly fully understand you, and that we are seeking to always be better people.
Lord, deepen our sense of your mystery’s this day.
Free us to worship your transcendence even as we cling to your nearness.
While we treasure our knowledge of you, we rejoice that you are more than we can ever know.
That doesn’t scare us – that amazes us.
Free us from the need for a small, manageable God so we can contemplate your majesty, power and might.
And hear us now as we confess before you. Amen
…
Response: I waited, I waited on you, Lord
Assurance of God’s forgiveness
Hear the good news: God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever shall believe in him will have eternal life.
We are forgiven. Amen.
We listen for the voice of God
Song: In the bulb there is a flower (674)
Scripture reading (NRSV): Genesis 12:1-4
Response: Glory to the Father
Message: “Stuck in Haran”
At a rather fancy retirement care facility, a group of residents were sitting around talking about all their ailments. “I take so many pills I’m too full to eat.” one woman began “And my arms have gotten so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee.”
Not to be outdone another person spoke up. “Yes, well, my cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee.” “Oh yeah” said another, “I couldn’t even mark an “X” on the election ballot the last time I was supposed to vote. My hands are so bad now I can’t even hold a pen let alone a cup.”
“That’s nothing” said another woman “I can’t turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck. I can only look straight forward all the time. If I want to see someone I have to rotate my whole body”. “Well,” said someone else, “I’d kill for a problem like that. My blood pressure pills make me so dizzy I keep falling asleep all the time!” “And I forget where I am, and I forget where I’m going. And where I just came from.” “I guess that’s just the price we pay for getting older,” winced one man as he slowly shook his head.
The others nodded in agreement. “Well, count your blessings everyone and thank God for the things we still have. Enjoy the journey,” said one woman cheerfully, “At least we can all still drive just fine”.
The gift of a long life comes with its own challenges. Sometimes it’s the sore feet and at other times it’s the road not taken in the first place.
By the time we first meet Abram in the Bible he’s already 75 years old. And I bet 4000 years ago things weren’t all that different for 75 year olds than they are today. I bet he woke up with pain in his back. I bet his feet hurt and he probably didn’t see all that well either. I bet he had great struggles and I bet he had regrets.
He might be the patriarch of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths but he was a human being first and he didn’t float on the clouds or live a life without challenges. So when God came to him and wanted him to do something new, I bet he struggles with it.
It’s interesting. God comes and says “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” And then in verse 4 it says, “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him”. But is that really how it all went down? Is that whole story?
The reality of it is this: Abram was living as a part of a clan system. And he’s not even the head of the house. He actually didn’t even have the right to move without permission. On top of that, Joshua as well as other sources tells us that Abram is with his father Terah. And as a strange side note I’d also point out that at this time Terah and Abram don’t even know the God they’re speaking withy. They are actually Babylonian moon- god worshipers. (Josh 24:2) The God of the Bible just sort of drops in on him and expects him to respond.
But this isn’t the first time Abram or his family has been asked to do something by this God that they didn’t even worship. See In chapter 11 (just before our reading from today begins) there is this strange little line. It says, “Then Terah (Abram’s father) took his son Abram… and together they set out from Ur to go to Canaan (the promise land). But when they came to Harran, they settled there.”
Now there is a big problem here. Ur was a city in present day Iraq. That’s where Abram was from and that’s where he lived. But then God calls them to go to Canaan. And yet they settled in Haran (up in what is present day Syria). Now if you’re not up on your Middle Eastern geography, that’s okay. See the point is pretty simple. Harran is not on the way to Canaan. Not even close. In fact, he goes North (the complete opposite way). He walked 600 kilometers north – out of the way (when the whole trip was only 600 kilometers and after they got to Harran they were still 550 kilometers away from Canaan). That is not “on the way”. This is like leaving Edmonton for Dawson creek BC and ending up stopping in St. Mary, Montana. It’s a big triangle out of the way. And then the family “settled” there.
The book of Acts sheds a little bit more light on all of this. Acts 7:2-4 reads, “The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RELATIVES, AND COME INTO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.’ “Then he left the land of Ur and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living.”
This is where our story really starts. It doesn’t start the way it seems to. It doesn’t start with a guy that’s willing to do anything for God. It doesn’t start with a guy that steps out in faith or that was completely unwavering in his faith. It starts with a guy that’s already been told to do something once and didn’t do it. And he probably started out with nothing but good intentions. You know, it says, “and together they set out from Ur to go to Canaan”. They started out right. They just somehow got off course along the way.
Have you ever done that?
For me it’s really telling that there is no space between chapter 11 and chapter 12 where this is made really clear. There is no verse that says, “But Abram followed his father to Haran instead and the Lord punished him for his failure.” That verse doesn’t exist.
It doesn’t work that way. Abram settles in Haran and God lets him go out of his way. He doesn’t force or punish. But God does keep pursing anyway.
And so, when Abram’s father Terah died. God comes to him again. Following a death of a loved one God often challenges us with new things.
Here he comes once more and he says, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” When God calls Abram a second time, there is a command to leave all that is familiar. This time he wants commitment. But like challenges always do, this one also comes with a promise. He says, “I will make your name great”.
What is your name?
Abram comes from combining a noun and a verb together in Hebrew. It’s Ab for Father and R’wm (ram) for Exalted. His name means “exalted Father”. Terah must have expected a lot from his son.
Later when his name is changed to Abraham it adds the word for “of multitudes”. Abraham means “exalted father of multitudes”. His two names Abram and Abraham are found 190 times just in the book of Genesis.
Now, if you didn’t know this, for many years I had a monthly column in our national magazine, The Presbyterian Record. And every month they send me two free copies and I must admit that every month I open the package up like it’s my own little Christmas present and I flip to find the article. It’s silly but I get a little glimmer in my eye when I see my name printed at the bottom of that page. Well Abraham got his name in the Bible! 200 times… In the Bible!!!
Moreover, from Genesis on, whenever God spoke to someone new, He would usually say something like “fear not for I am the God of… Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. Think about that for a second. That is crazy. What that means is that even though these people may not have known who God was, they knew for sure who Abraham was. Now that is a “great name”. People came to identify who God was, by who Abraham was.
And in 4000 years really nothing has changed. God still reveals himself through his people.
David Will wrote, “You are the only Jesus some will ever see.”
Abram was a blessing because his life pointed to faith in God. How do we do that?
I am glad you asked that question. By being seen.
The world is watching you. They don’t even know that they are watching you. But they are. At your job they are watching you. In the classroom they are watching you. When you call yourself a person of faith, the world begins to watch you. When you are doing well. They are watching. When you go through the mess that you have to go through, and the world sees you going through turmoil and pain…they are watching.
People see that when all hell is breaking loose in your life, that you still have an anchor… that you bend a lot but you don’t break. They see you. And when they see you, they see him. When they see you and the storms are raging in your life and you are still able to give God praise. They see someone worthy of respect. They stand back in amazement and say there’s something about that God of . That is a part of the legacy that you leave.
And then God says, “And I will bless you”.
As the old story goes, the prison warden told the condemned man to order whatever he wanted for his last meal and he offered some suggestions: “Lobster, Filet Mignon, Beef Wellington, Caviar or Shrimp get whatever you want?”
“No,” the prisoner said. “I’ll just take a bowl of mushrooms.”
Confused the warden asked, “Why mushrooms?”
To which the prisoner replied, “I’ve always been afraid to eat that fancy stuff.”
It seems nuts. But… what kind of fear, keeps you from the blessings God has in store for you? What keeps you from going where God is leading you in life? What stops you from taking that leap of faith?
Of course, with our God, a person can’t just be left alone as blessed. Blessings exist to be shared. And so, God says, “And you will be a blessing”. But it all starts with following God where he wants to lead you.
And nobody ever said, taking a leap of faith is easy. It’s not. That’s why it takes faith to do it. But you just do it, one day at a time. Laozi once said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step. That’s how faith works too sometimes.
Maybe like Abram you started off on your journey some time ago but somewhere along the line you got stuck in Haran along the way.
Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran. He’d been ignoring that first call to follow God to a new place for some time. But God hadn’t given up on him. He knew there was faith in there. He knew he was destined for something. And when Abram finally took that leap of faith, God promised to make his name great and to bless him and others through him. And I believe that God is still making that promise today.
I don’t know where God is calling you to follow but if I may give one piece of advice… Enjoy the journey. Amen
Song: All my hope on God is founded, vss. 1, 3, 4, 5 (462)
We respond to serve God
Reflection on giving
Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
Generous God, we offer our gifts to you in gratitude for all that we have received in Christ and in creation. Bless our gifts and our lives, so that we can share in the building up of your kingdom in the world you love. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Lord God, you are our keeper, our shade in the heat of the world’s troubles, light in every shadowed time of life. In all our comings and goings we are yours.
And so we thank you for your care which sustains us, and offer you our trust for those things we can do nothing about.
Thank you for the energy to focus on the things we can do day by day, putting our love and care to work in community and creation.
By the power of your Spirit, bless us with the insight and passion to act in hope.
May your wisdom guide us in all things.
Attentive God, we bring our concerns for the world to you in these uncertain times.
We think of Abraham and Sarah setting off to an unknown land and pray for people on the move:
- For those seeking safety and shelter, fleeing violence;
- For those settling into a new home or community;
- For those who must travel, whatever the conditions. (brief silence)
God, our Companion, walk with us on the way.
We think of the Psalmist looking to the hills and we pray for people seeking help:
- For those seeking help for the earth itself as its fragile balances are threatened;
- For those seeking help to make ends meet as bank balances are threatened;
- For those seeking help for vulnerable people to right the balance of justice. (brief silence)
God, our Companion, walk with us on the way.
We think of Nicodemus turning to Jesus with questions in his heart and we pray for people seeking answers:
- For those with health challenges, seeking diagnosis and treatment;
- For those researching problems and policies, seeking to better our common life;
- For those wondering if you exist, O God, wondering if you have a purpose for them. (brief silence)
God, our Companion, walk with us on the way.
We think of Jesus, calming his disciples amid their fears, challenging us all to follow him in love and faithfulness for he is our Companion on the way. Amen.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
Welcome, all who follow Jesus are met here in this act. It is not Dayspring’s table or mine but God’s. Gather gladly for this tiny foretaste of a feast in heaven to come.
Song: I come with joy (530)
We affirm our faith: The Apostles Creed (539)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (469)
Communion Prayer
Creating father we thank you for the gift of life and for the gift of all creation. All that is praises your name. Providing one, we are forever grateful to you for the unending gifts you bestow upon us and entrusted to us. Your faithfulness and mercy astound us. God of sacrifice, You are our rock and our shield. Your compassion and grace know no end.
We thank you, Almighty God, for the salvation you offer and we give complete control of ourselves to you and call You “Lord”. Help us to know your ways, To share them with others and to forever seek after your divinely hidden face.
Precious Lord, we thank you for the gift of salvation sent through your son Jesus Christ. We thank you for the incarnation, as you made yourself low and brought yourself down to be a vulnerable human being. And from this blessing we were given instruction but also freedom. Our god it is completely beyond our understanding how you could send Christ to live among us, love us, and know that he would died at our hands. Such love is too far above us. And through him you the author of salvation have also shown us what it means to rise to new life.
Father God, we also thank you for the gift of your spirit. It is by your Spirit of glory that we find comfort and council. We praise you also for the works of the divine Spirit in both creation and our holy scriptures. We praise you for that the same Spirit which empowered the holy conception of our Lord also empowers us today. By your spirit we are called to service for your divine will. Let none of us remain in conflict with one another but instead bring as peace that passed understanding… both now and forever. Amen.
Sharing of the bread and wine
Breaking of the Bread (Fraction)
“Therefore, I received from the lord what I also passed on to you: the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took the bread and when he and given thanks, he broke it and said This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Pouring and Elevation of the Cup
“In the same way after supper he took the top saying “this is the new covenant in my blood do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me” , “for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Distribution of the elements
Bread: The gifts of God for the people of God “take eat”
Wine: The gifts of God for the people of God “take eat”
Song: One bread, one body (540)
The prayer after Communion
Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. Grant that we may go into the world, in the strength of Your Spirit, to do just as you have done, to give ourselves for others. In the name of Jesus Christ of Lord – Amen
Hymn: Shout for joy! (557)
Sending out with God’s blessing
As we continue our Lenten journey, remember the promise of the Psalmist: “The Lord will keep your going out and you’re coming in from this time on and forever more.” So go now, trusting that your help comes from God,
And may God’s presence strengthen you,
Jesus’ faithfulness guide you,
And the wind of the Spirit bring you energy to serve with love.
Response: The Blessing
Music postlude
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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One Licence (3095377) and CLC (A735555).
The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2023) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.