Bible Basics: History

Posted on September 3, 2023September 3, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
03 September 2023 10:00 am Pentecost 14
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: Peter & Cheryl Sheridan & Sabir Aziz
Elder: Iris Routledge

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: In the light of this day we have gathered;
P: We are a community that is one, bringing our questions and our joy.
L: In the song and the silence we will listen
P: What is it that God would have us hear this day?
L: In our praise and in our prayers we will remember
P: That God’s glory shines around us and within.
L: So let us worship God.

Opening praise: Forever God is faithful

Prayers of approach and confession

We confess that we have not loved you with all our heart, mind, and strength. Also, We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others as we have been forgiven. So, We have been angry, selfish, and dishonest. Forgive us, Lord. Help us to love you more than anything else and to love others the way you love us. Amen.

Response: I waited, I waited on you, Lord

Assurance of God’s grace

^“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) The perfect sacrifice was given for you. If you confess, Mercy in Jesus Christ, is yours. Amen.

Dedication of Adeline Nana Ama Dadzie

Introduction: If you have yet to meet, this is Diana and Gilbert Dadzie and this is Adeline who is just 3 months old, today. It is my joy to introduce them today and to take a moment to affirm this family’s faith and dedicate this soul to her God.

Affirmation of the parents

Diana and Gilbert: do you acknowledge 1 God in 3 persons Father Son and Holy Spirit?

Do you, in dependence upon Jesus Christ put your faith in Him?

Do you believe that God’s spirit is with us, providing spiritual gifts and direction in life?

Do you believe in the bride of Christ, the Church?

And lastly, do you wish to dedicate your daughter to the Lord, promising to raise her up in the faith to be a witness to the resurrection as much as it depends upon you?

The Apostles Creed (539)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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.

Affirmation of the Congregation: Do you the people of Dayspring promise to help guide and nurture this dear child in as you watch her grow?

Declaration: In Psalm 78:1-7 it reads, ^“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.”

Dedication: And now Adeline, we as a community of faith and care, Dayspring Presbyterian Church, and in accordance with the wishes of your family, do now together, dedicate you to the service of the Lord and do pray that your faith may remain strong all the days of your life and beyond just as you will be nurtured and encouraged to do.

Prayer: Lord in dedication to you we present this young life asking for you help as she grows. Bless her and her family and lead her down right paths. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Declaration and Welcome: Welcome to Dayspring and may we all be blessed.

Song: In the presence of your people (427)

We listen for the voice of God

Scripture readings (NRSV): Joshua 21:43; Judges 17:6; Ruth 1:16; 2 Samuel 15:22; Ezra 3:11-13

Response: Glory to the Father

Message: “Bible Basics: History” (See endnotes for explanatory information. Click on the end-note marker to go directly to the note. After you finish reading the end-note, click on the end-note marker to return to the text.)

Joshua: The Book of Joshua is a pivotal narrative in the Bible, marking the transition from Moses to Joshua’s leadership. Following Moses’s death, Joshua leads the Israelites into the promised land through military conquest, challenging the concept of a peaceful migration. Unlike Moses, who never entered the promised land, Joshua successfully crosses the Jordan River, settling the 12 tribes east of the Jordan. This military campaign conveys vital theological and moral lessons.

A central theme is that the land isn’t a gift but more like a lease from God, stressing that all land ultimately belongs to God. The people retain it only through just behavior. Deviation from righteousness risks God’s intervention, although the prospect of return underscores God’s ultimate control.

The conquest led to local population decimation, but archaeological evidence suggests coexistence between Israel and Canaan, framing it as a philosophical war rather than just physical conflict. The human cost, however, remains significant. Joshua resembles a manual on military strategy, studied at institutions like the U.S. Naval Academy. Tactics, such as false retreats and psychological warfare, manifest in the story of the Jericho walls. Fortified cities on hills survived, while others burned, causing substantial casualties. In this era, Hittites and Egyptians exited, while Philistines, likely Greek, settled in. Canaanites practiced polytheism, with archaeology revealing fortified cities and disturbing evidence of child sacrifice, especially of firstborn males. The book challenges the perception of a just and loving God due to the human toll but reinforces themes of divine justice and belief in a higher purpose. As with most of scripture it is intended to engage dialogue.

Set around 1390 BC, it extends the promises from Deuteronomy. The tribes camp east of the Jordan, parting its waters akin to Moses’ Red Sea crossing. The narrative details victories, including the Negev’s control. Crucially, it addresses how the tribes will inhabit and divide the lands, emphasizing God’s role in establishing Israel as a nation under Joshua’s leadership against the Canaanites.

Notable elements in Joshua’s narrative include portraying courage against insurmountable odds, Rahab’s deception to protect Israelite spies, and the enigmatic sun-standing-still event, corroborated elsewhere. The book concludes with Joshua’s farewell speech and death at the Altar of Witness, leaving the covenant’s fate uncertain—a reflection of humanity’s ongoing pursuit of perfection amidst its leaders’ imperfections.

Judges: Next comes complete lawlessness. Judges is one of the bleakest books of the bible. It tells of the dark, anarchic era following the conquest, when no person followed the law, and everyone did whatever they thought right. The world is in Chaos and constant battle, and the only exception to lawlessness is a set of “Judges” seen by Israel as being raised by God as leaders to victory. It is important to note, however, that each one fails. And each is worse than the last. The Judges provide momentary glimpses into the right action but are few and far between. Each one is a terrible example. They hold only a tiny shining light and kernel of truth in a world gone mad.

In the book, Othniel is a tyrant; Ehud is a lefty who isn’t searched because he keeps his sword on the opposite side, and it isn’t seen, so he kills a local king. It’s a story that reminds us God uses everyone as they are. But heroic he is not. He hides the body on the toilet, so the King’s men won’t just bust in on him. Jair pretends to or perhaps does sleep with a rival warring king, and then while he sleeps, she hammers a tent peg through his head. That’s not a hero’s tale. Sampson rejects his oaths, thinks his hair gives him strength instead of God and ultimately commits suicide to kill some more Philistines.

The Israelites face a lot of conflict from the remaining Canaanites and divisions within their ranks as the land is divided between tribes. It is a lawless time, and the people ultimately want Law and Order in their country and rules to make people feel safe again. The oddity here is that Israel has choice after choice to follow the God who made a promise to Abraham, watched over Joseph, brought them from Egypt, cared for them in the desert, and made a covenant with Moses to act justly and obediently. Yet they continually turned back to the local gods of Canaan, who demanded little from people in general but occasionally the blood of their own children – so not great. It was contrary to the Hebrews, whose entire society is based on what is best for the community and not just the individual. The main point here is that this is what a military conquest looks like when God is on the back burner. People do whatever horrible stuff they feel they must do to stay alive. And it isn’t good folks. It isn’t pleasant. The book needs help finding good and faithful people. Like with the communion feast of heaven with all our loved and lost saints in every age, what we have is a tiny taste.

Ruth: She is a break in the story. It’s also a wonderful reminder to the people that just because someone doesn’t know or follow the God of Israel doesn’t make them enemies. Ruth is a tiny and influential book about a Gentile (Moabite and not an Israelite) woman and her faithfulness, love and commitment to the God of Israel, her mother-in-law, and her future husband. After all this military fighting, Ruth asks the reader a hard question considering some of their misdeeds. It begs the question, Who are the chosen people? Are they born or made? Is God only with a specific race or perhaps an intended goal. It’s an odd placement for the book. It interrupts the flow of the story. It’s an odd placement until you realize that the constructors or “redactors” who compiled the order we have of the text are giving us a break and a time of reflection to consider others (and sojourners) living in the promised land. One point of the book is that the promise is intended to draw in even nations they don’t know exists. They are supposed to be a shining light to the world.

This book is about duty to one’s family, affection, and friendship. The incredible thing is that the person who most embodies all the best qualities of a Child of Abraham – is not one. She is also a SHE. SHE!!! !!! is a woman and an outsider. And she is glorious throughout the book. [1] This book is history with purpose. Especially important to note is the fact that Ruth will someday have a famous great-grandson called David. And guess what’s next for us in the bible? David.

1-2 Samuel 1 In 1-2 Samuel, the people are tired of the lawlessness of Judges. People complain they have no king like other nations. They want one. The book recalls the first two kings of Israel. Saul is chosen for his appearance and stature, and a man called David is chosen for his devotion and being the “least of these”. The book is named after Samuel, who was sent to anoint first Saul and later David as kings. The book is about the idea that God wants your love and devotion and that rituals only matter when you really mean them. (I may be more Lutheran the Presbyterian on that one)

Firstly, these two scrolls were intended as one “book.” It was turned into two because scrolls weren’t made long enough. It’s one book. In fact, Both 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings were intended to be two parts of one book. The author is still being determined, though Samuel seems to have contributed to specific quotes. A key line is – Does God want your sacrifices – NO – He wants you and you to do what is right and follow Him with your heart. [2]

At the beginning of the book, there is a story about how corrupt the priests have become. They have allowed the Philistines to capture the Ark of the Covenant because they weren’t even watching it. At its core, this is a huge statement. It scolds the people for not reading their bibles. It says outsiders have more faith in our God and his Ark than you do! But mostly, this is an indictment of the religious elites like me and a message that God doesn’t care anywhere near as much about observances as devotion and intent (the heart)!

So anyway, the people want a king. But the first King Samuel always seemed to do the right thing in the wrong way. He fails repeatedly and is not the New Adam or New Humanity. He isn’t a prophet and isn’t a priest, and he’s not much of a King. He fails brilliantly. At the end of “1 Samuel”, Saul dies after going to see a conjurer called the Witch of Endor (another incredibly disturbing section)!

In 2 Samuel, we have the rise of a righteous King: the teen boy named David. [3] David is heroic and messianic in that he does things that were promised that the New Adam would do to bring us back to the Garden of Eden or thought to be, in all of the books we’ve seen so far. He united the two Kingdoms into one nation. He returns the Ark to the land; he commissions the permanent Temple in place of the Tabernacle (Tent). But he is also an adultery, a murderer, and child neglecter who reaps those broken laws’ negative rewards. His family is a disgustingly awful disaster, generally because of his philandering. And the book ends with an appendix. The opening lists the death of all but one of David’s children, suggesting that breaking the Torah creates Chaos. But like with almost all biblical stories, “Eve will be saved through her childbearing.” As Star Wars says, “There is another.”

1-2 Kings: 1-2 Kings is just 3rd and 4th Samuel as it was initially just one book. Kings continues the story of early Kings with the reign of Solomon the Wise and then goes downhill from there as the kingdom splits in two again (Judah and Israel). A wave of evil kings follows Samuel in ruling the land. Described is the downfall of the people in power and the kingdom.

If one verse that could summarize the book well it may be from chapter 18, verse 21, which says, “How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship the Lord. But if Baal is God, try Him”. [4]

The scroll was recorded during the Exile (again – this is not the subject but is the audience). The Theme is that you should never give up because He will be faithful if you are faithful. And more to the point, since all the heroes fail, God may still be anyway. In this book, Daniel is now an old man and, ?of course?, has a lot of naked young women sleeping in his bed “for his warmth”. In short, he’s not exactly “The New Adam – The new Human”. He brings part of the promises but not the whole thing. He’s messianic. And next, he dies.

Solomon is the only child left with “no blood on his hands,” Because of this, God allows Solomon to build the permanent Tabernacle or tent called the Solomon’s Temple that David, his father, commissioned. Solomon built it and, for a time, worshiped there. But then he, too, fails, and his people fall. The country splits into two once more “Judah” and “Israel” – two provinces. And what follows next are the descriptions of ten politicians (kings of Israel) condemning all but two kings of Judah who are celebrated. But the downward spiral continues. It’s depressing. So, in 2 Kings 13:23, it says, But the Lord was King to the Israelites. He showed them mercy because of His solemn agreement with their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never turned his back on them or let them be “destroyed.” [v] The rest of the book is a political analysis of the North and South kings. [5]

1-2 Chronicles: The Chronicles is a retelling of the Original Samuel-Kings scroll in a condensed form. So, it’s from a later time. And it’s for people who don’t follow politics. The book’s primary concern is the kings of Judah in a divided kingdom. The Kings of Judah, it argues, are better, and it has a clear political bent. The books of Kings and Chronicles are like a debate within the bible between the two contemporary histories told by the ancient Hebrews. Its purpose is to help people discover how and where things went wrong.

The Chronicles is a single book of history explicitly directed at those who just returned from Exile (which, again – hasn’t happened yet in the order of biblical texts). The stories are from long ago, but the audience is new. Likely, it was initially written by Ezra. It appears to be a bit of an updated history for his own time. He uses more modern language; it’s less metaphorical in most places, and to me, it seems like it’s a book created for young people at the time as “cliff notes” for the children of the nation. But, where Kings is about a Political Divide, the Chronicles are about a Spiritual Divide. As a result, two things happen. 1. God lets the people who are most invested in New Eden, New Humanity, and the promised land stay. 2. To those unsure, he allows them to go their own way. Particularly of concern is participation in worship while the Temple remains unfinished and what that says about the people and their devotion. The second portion (2 Chronicles) records the finishing of the Temple and Solomon’s time as King.

Ezra-Nehemiah: As with others, Ezra and Nehemiah were originally just one book. They focus on the return from Exile, the building up the city walls, and reconstructing of the Temple, which was destroyed.

The last chapter of Ezra comes to us from 60 years after the previous line was written. It describes a man named Ezra who sees people building their own homes and setting up expensive amenities and takes the time to point out that the Temple is still in shambles. Ezra says, If you love the Lord, why live in luxury but let the Temple fall apart? Put your money where your mouth is!

Nehemiah is the wine tester who drinks it first to make sure it’s safe. He does this for the King in the South and hears about what is happening in Jerusalem. Nehemiah comes in tears after a year of repeated prayer and fasting, and those who generally came before the King came humbly and joyfully to make the King happy. His humility is rewarded, and the hint to the people is similar. If they become humble and speak the truth from the soul, they, too, might be answered. The most crucial verse in these two scrolls comes from Nehemiah’s defence of the building of Jerusalem’s wall, where he states, “We keep praying to God, and yet we also place our archers upon the hills both day and night.” Brilliant! Trust, pray and act. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

Esther: Esther is the story of Queen Esther, a Hebrew woman who becomes the queen of Persia and rescues her people from extermination at the hands of their enemies. Esther is perhaps the most modern in the Hebrew Bible. It is about how God is at work in our lives, even when it seems as if God is completely silent. And again, it takes a break from the flow of the story. Like Ruth, she is uniquely less criticized. She is heroic, to be sure. This is a theme once more where the one unexpected is righteous.

Interesting note: This is not just one but one of two books in our bible where God is never explicitly mentioned. However, many argue (and I agree) that the Holy name of God given to Moses is repeatedly hidden in the scroll by its original construction in several acrostics throughout the book. The first letters of certain sections spell out God’s name. The suggestion? God is there, even when he doesn’t appear to be. Starting next week we will look to the wisdom books. So… Here endeth the lesson.

Song: Oh, sing to the Lord (453)

We respond to serve God

Reflection on giving: Dayspring is empowered to carry out our mission of worship, service, and care by generously given volunteer time, talent, and treasure. Many thanks to all who give so generously!

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
Father, for those in turmoil, we pray for help.
For those who care for the broken, we pray for support.
For those who have lost someone or may be soon to, we ask for strength.
For those who are lost, we pray for direction.
For those struggling, we request a leg up.
For those fleeing trouble, we ask for peace.
Father, be present with us, your children and help us to be present with you. Amen.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation
This is your invitation to the table. The meal is for all who call on Jesus. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Song: Let us break bread together (548)

Communion Prayer

We thank you, our Father, for that life which you’ve made known to us by Jesus, your Son, by whom you made all things, and take care of the whole world. You sent Him to become a man for our salvation. You allowed Him to suffer and to die. You raised Him up, glorified Him, and have set Him at your right hand, and in Him, you’ve promised us the resurrection of the dead.

O Lord Almighty, the eternal God, gather your Church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom as grain was once scattered and now has become one loaf. Our Father, we also thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed for us, and for His precious body, as He appointed us, “to proclaim his death.” For through Him, glory is to be given to you forever. Amen.

Sharing of the bread and wine

On the night of his betrayal, Jesus took the bread and broke it. Giving it to the disciples he said, This is my body given for you, This do in remembrance of me.

In the same way he took up the cup, adding, This is a new covenant made in my blood. This do in remembrance of me. As often as we eat and drink this together, we proclaim the coming of Christ again.

Song: One Bread, one Body (540

The prayer after Communion

O Lord God, eternal Father, we praise and thank you for your grace that through your Son Jesus Christ, you established this supper in which we eat His body and drink His blood. By your Holy Spirit, help us to use this gift: to confess and forsake our sins, to confidently believe that we’re forgiven through Christ, and to grow in faith and love day by day, until we come at last to the joy of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning (378, vss. 1-5)

Sending out with God’s blessing

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

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.

End Notes

[1] Now, I’ve said repeatedly that all the heroes are anti-heroes. And it’s not PG, it’s R, but truth is no different. The seeds of sin echo in the lives of heroes. In the story, Ruth lies at the feet of Boaz to convince Boaz to marry her. Many falsely claimed to know of an ancient promissory ritual. That was a lie. Ruth lays at his feet and not to be too dirty, but it’s a reality that “feet” in the bible is very often a euphemism for something “genitals” as is occasionally “robe”.

[2] Please note that this section of the bible also quotes outside biblical sources – which is interesting, to say the least, but once more, notice that the Hebrew God uses non-Hebrews’ wisdom to teach the “chosen” how to act. This is one in a million hints in the Hebrew bible that the story of God’s people is far, far, far more significant than generally perceived.

[3] IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS KEENER WRITE THIS DOWN… Who slays the Giant Goliath (Maybe it’s a man named Elhanan and not David who killed Goliath (2 Samuel 21:19). But as was sometimes done, the King represents all people. Then again, you must also see two other references. One is 1 Chronicles 20:4-8 and 2 Samuel 21:15-22 – which says that Lahmi is the brother of Goliath that Elhanan killed, not Goliath. Either way, it’s interesting, to say the least.) The authors, compilers, and, quite frankly, the Holy Spirit had no issue with this oddity. So let me say. I have no idea how to honestly approach this except to say that the King was often used to typify the nation. If the King is terrible, everyone did evil… It’s a metaphor of sorts. But I am unsure how to deal with David being introduced twice and how that unfolds. For now – know – sometimes – I am not just confused, but perhaps I’m WAY more lost than you. It happens. In the immortal words of that great Canadian prophet Red Green, “We’re all in this together.”

[4] This book is about a final split between Canaanite gods (not just Baal but the pantheon) and the idea that there may be ONLY ONE God. Up until now 99% of the bible suggests a belief in One Higher God, but many. Things are about to change.

[5] Yes, Judah collapsed 140 later than the other provinces, but they still fell for the same reasons. It’s like Kings and Chronicles are debating morals from two political sides that do not agree. That doesn’t mean the bible has contradictions; that means we are presented with two competing views, and we are intended to debate, think, ask questions, and determine our views. That’s not an error. That is beauty and freedom! All of 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings is a prosecution of government in general. They still need to create a new Garden of Eden.

Bible Basics: Torah

Posted on August 27, 2023August 28, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
Pentecost 13 10:00 am 27 August 2023
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia Elder: Jane de Caen

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: We gather this day, and much is visible:
P: Our smiles may show our joy; our eyes may speak of pain.
L: We come to this place, seeking signs of the living God:
P: We may sense something holy here; we may reach out to mystery.
L: Will we see God today? Will our living make God’s love visible?
P: Let us worship God, Holy Mystery, Eternal Love.

Opening praise: I lift my eyes up

Prayers of approach and confession

Eternal God, you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and yet you come to us afresh each new day.

You breathe new life into what has grown tired and discouraged.

You offer healing for what is worn or broken.

You restore hope when things seem impossible.

You are the source of life and love for all your creatures, and you renew us to put our love for you into action for the wellbeing of your creation.

And so we worship you, Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit, offering our prayers and praise to you, eternal and ever-present God, now and always. Amen.

Merciful God, we confess that we have strayed from your purposes.

You set a path for us to follow, but we conform to the ways of this world.

You give each of us gifts to use for the work of your kingdom, but we wait for others to do what needs doing.

Forgive us for taking the easy way out and renew in us the eagerness and energy to serve.

Forgive us and take away the things that make us impure. Whatever our wrongs are our sins or our errors or our omissions Wipe them from your mind. Forgive us and give us a new eagerness and energy to serve and in a better way. In the name of Christ we pray.

Response: Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Assurance of God’s grace

Believe in the good news. Our sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ. Put your faith in him and then start over feeling completely refreshed Thanks be to God and amen.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Response: Jesus, we are gathered (514)

Story: There was a lawyer, and he was brand spankin’ new in town – just arrived so no real friends in town. He hasn’t really met anybody yet. It’s a new town, a new building, a new office, a new space, new everything. New clients even.

And one day at the very beginning of the day as he was sitting as his desk, he heard somebody jiggling the door. It was the first person coming in to see him.

A client, he thinks. Quickly though, he runs back to the office, picks up the phone and says, oh yes, pretending that he’s on the phone with someone.

He says, yeah, it’s important that I’ll be flying to New York to deal with the Timmins case. And it looks like a real biggie. So, bring in Paul from New Jersey for the Pilates case too and also I’ll be joining Hoch and start up an patent with new partners here pretty soon.

I’ve got to go though. A new client has just walked in. And with that, the man walked into the room.

The lawyer said, how may I help you? And the man responded, I’m here to hook up your phone.

Sometimes we try and impress each other. Sometimes we try and impress God. It doesn’t work and it doesn’t need to.

First John 4:10 says this it’s love that gives us a sense of self-worth – not that we love God, but that God first loved us and sent his son for us. I want you to say this verse with me. “This is love -not that we loved God first, but that God loved us and sent his son.”

Prayer: Our God, we thank you for our wonderful lives. We know that you bless us with so much, but we don’t need to show off we don’t need to be the best we don’t need to feel like we’re in important to every person in the world. We know we’re important to you just the way we are.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: All things bright and beautiful (435)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Genesis 1:1; Exodus 12:2-3; Leviticus 20:7-8; Deuteronomy 30:13

Response: Be still and know

Message: “Bible Basics: Torah” Part 1

Our Christian Scripture is not one but rather a library of ancient scrolls. Contained in the bibles we have in the pews, are 66 different books in the New and Old Testament with 39 books from the Old and 27 in the new. Sadly today, many Christians ignore the majority of the Old Testament. But that is a huge mistake. The Old Testament is THE ONLY BIBLE of Paul, the only Bible the Apostle Peter knew, and the only Bible Jesus knew and taught from.

While originally these were individual scrolls made from other collections of stories, entire books were then even later collected, complied into groups, and put together with what we might call “cross references” at the beginning and ending of each scroll which served the purpose of adjoining them and setting challenges not just for the people in the story from long ago but also for the current reader or more likely listener. We also have fragments of some texts in a fourth and earlier language. These are Hebrew for the oldest sections with Aramaic in the more recent textual revision (from about 400BCE) and koine Greek. Some similar texts exist in Ugarit and even proto-language script Hittite.

There are possible hints and similarities stemming from Cuneiform texts which is the worlds oldest form of written language and is from over 5,500 years ago – but that’s another story.

These scrolls we find in our bibles were written by many different authors over large periods of time and in three different languages and thus at least three completely unique time periods. Some portions come from a time as old as from 3,500 years ago and dating back and probably much further in the form of oral traditions used long before the written word even existed. And while the construction of the text is a work of many hands, the “final” or “authoritative version” of these documents have come to us with historically few errors in transmission.

Most of the time when people say “they changed the bible” or “they kept that book out” it’s because the book in question is 1000 years too late to be authentic, was never considered genuine or the simple result of historians and linguists learning more detail about how a word was used in different contexts. In other words, rejected for ridiculously good reasons or corrected because we learned more about a word used in the text than previously understood.

The Old Testament or Tanak is divided into three main sections The Torah, Nevi-im and Ketuvim or Law, Prophets, and Writings. The writing are things like Proverbs, the Prophets like Isaiah and the Law is found in the first five books or Torah. And that’s what we will be looking at today. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These are often called the 5 books of Moses because he is said to have authored portions of the texts.

The authors, however, are technically anonymous and generally referred to only in the generic sense as “scribes”. And while they present the earliest narratives, they likely come from a later period with Numbers containing what looks like the some of our earliest examples of the written Hebrew language. What this means is that while Genesis to Deuteronomy may be books about the earliest period, they are not the first books that were written. Like looking at Old English verses modern English – the language of the ancient Hebrews also changed dramatically over time. Thus, we can say with relative ease that Job is likely the first book of the bible that put pen to paper. But Numbers might also have been written at nearly the same time. The New Testament is the same because while Matthew comes first, James, Galatians and Mark were all clearly written earlier. But we will get to that in a month or so. For now…

Genesis

Genesis means Beginning. And that’s what part of it’s about. It’s prehistory that deals with the nature and state of humanity in a poetic form and formula that runs from the first verse through the first 11 chapters. The book’s focus is on purpose, relationships, shame, and redemption. It’s filled with familiar stories like Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, The Tower of Bable, Noah’s ark and more. The first part (chapters 1-11) is a part of “primeval history” and considers all of humanity and all of creation. Chapters 12-50 tell the ancestral accounts of a particular people (the descendants of Abraham). Genesis begins with Creation and traces the origins of Israelite people through their ancestors.

In the book God creates heaven for the people typified in a garden. Eve means LIFE and Adam means HUMANITY. What happens in the story well, humanity is corrupted, and life is as well. Both suffer from that point on. But the people decide to ignore God’s word, become corrupted by sin and the entire rest of the bible concerns just one question from this point on – How do we get back into heaven?

Some of the most interesting things to note: The God saves the people with an Ark or Chest described the same way the Ark of the Covenant is and that’s the same description we have for the Tabernacle and the Temple. It’s like a huge hint that God’s Word saves Noah. Also, the rainbow is not a rainbow but a weapon in the sky suggesting God has hung up his weapon of war now that he has flooded the earth. And while the name of the book means beginning, it ends with God’s people in slavery in Egypt.

It turns out that people aren’t great at determining what is right to do. And yet God is continually searching after them. He calls to them in the Garden and searches for them. They hide in shame from him and from each other. But God says, Eve will be saved through her Childbearing. Where these two people failed their kids will get a shot of their own and possibly redeem the whole system. All the children must do is live rightly. People oversee earth – humans fail. God promises a new human who will crush the serpent.

Next, we find out that Eve has given birth and we think, hooray a chance to get back into heaven. Where the parents failed, God says “Eve will [still] be saved through her childbearing”. This means that her descendants will someday fix this problem and we will return to the heavenly garden. Oh, by the way, in case it’s confusing… “Heaven”, the “Presence of God”, “Perfection”, “Holy Spaces”, the “original intention for us,” the “Garden of Eden” are really all described in the same ways. But it seems that must wait. Cain kills Abel.. This is not the New Adam. The people leave the garden and move to cities, they build a “gate to God” or Ziggurat called the Tower of Babel. and attempt to force their will into God’s space.

The world becomes corrupt with murder and misdeeds. Eventually God redoes creation and cleans the slate with a flood where God unleashes “the Waters from above and the Waters from below.” These are the very same waters of chaos God pushed back in the first creation story from chapter 1.

One thing worth noting is the incredible grace of God in Genesis. God says, don’t sin, the people sin. God says the punishment for sin is death. But he lets them live. Cain kills Abel. He deserves and eye for an eye, but God puts a mark of protection on his forehead instead. Noah is faithful but his story ends with an unseemly drunken episode. God picks Abraham (a gentile). Abrham is a disaster. God makes a covenant with Him. He’s still a disaster. God says he’ll bring a whole nation into being through Abraham. Issac, Jacob, all the Hero’s fail spectacularly. Adam failed. Noah failed. Abraham failed. Isaac failed. Jacob failed. Joseph failed. God makes promises, keeps them and when the people break the deal, just keeps taking them back.

When the book ends it ends with death and a call for something new. You remember Joseph and his colorful coat. Well, that’s not the end of the story. Here’s the end. Joseph said to his brothers, I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and will take you up out of this land to the land God has promised… (The book of Genesis awaits a Savior). So, Joseph died at the age of 110 and after they embalmed him, he was placed in a sarcophagus in Egypt.”

Things to remember: People are to listen and follow the Word of God. God’s word Saves and Following our own ways is a recipe for disaster. God Promises to be with them. While we keep failing God keeps taking us back. Our Goal is to return to the Garden, but we would corrupt it. God has promised a new Adam to come, who will not fail but live life as intended – in the image of God.

Exodus

Exodus means exit. It is about the exit of the slaves from Egypt. The book is broken up into three sections. In the first part, the People are in Egypt. In the second part the people are in the wilderness and at the end they are Mt. Siani at the edge of the promised land.

The themes covered are Themes like Whose Slaves or Servants, are you? Law, Rescue, Nation.

Note that according to 1 Kings: 6:1 the exodus took place in the year 1446bc which would make the ruler Pharoah Thutmose III and Moses’ brother Amunhotep II. But shortly after this the text also mentions the City of “Ramses” which would not exist at the time of the story and so we know at least this part of the story has come from a much later author.

Remember: the descendants of Abraham are enslaved in Egypt. And Genesis ends as Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and will take you up of this land to the land he promised… What happens next. Well, that’s Exodus.

Exodus is where we meet Moses. It is now some 400 years later. It’s the story of the people in slavery, their freedom being purchased. On the mountain God tells Moses that the Israelites are not Pharoah servants or slaves but God’s servants or slaves. After the exodus the people turn on God and Moses almost immediately. God frees them, they complain, he gives them food and they complain, he gives them a nation and they complain. And in the end God determines that an entire generation needs to pass away before they see the promise land. And so, for 40 years 600,000 some people wander around a space that takes less than two weeks to cross.

This is where we first see the 10 commandments. But here is something most don’t consider. The 10 commandments where only one part of what Moses receives from God on his several trips up the mountain. The way the story unfolds is odd and has at least two different perspectives written on the events (first in Exodus and then in Deuteronomy (second version). This is also where the people built the first Temple which was a cloth tent version made for traveling in the desert. It was called “The Tabernacle”.

Exodus contains the ten commandments (not all what you think they are) so let me give you the Ten Commandments as I understand them.

Don’t worship Baal or the Dragon or the King of Egypt.
Don’t make things and worship them.
Don’t lie in God’s name or attempt to use the name given to Moses “YHWH” as if it were magic or as if it forces God to act.
Keep the Sabbath day free from work and provide rest for others.
“Highly prize” your parents and obey them. Care for them when they cannot and give them honor which should then also be given to you.
Do not deliberately kill a human being (note – this does not include during war and does not include accidents and does not include capital punishment and does not include restrictions on killing non-humans.)
Do not commit adultery. Or perhaps, “Women – Do Not Commit Adultery or break engagement vows.” (NOTE: Men technically could not commit adultery as it was viewed as a property rights issue. This one is technically for wives.) That’s not permission to find a newer model man! Don’t worry Jesus is going to address this one. In addition, the “bride price” men paid was under the Law, held for the wife’s entire life because if she were “dismissed” or “divorced” that price had to be returned as a portion of her “settlement” (which also makes this very uniquely feminist in this way, for the ancient world).
Do not steal and probably in it’s earliest understanding, a little more like, “Do not steal children” (kidnapping). Covet and steal are more alike. That’s coming.
Do not lie in court where you must be one of three witnesses to a serious crime. To do so is evil.
Do not covet what others have, and do not plan to obtain them from others.

When Jesus is asked what the most important verse is in scripture, he notes that the First Tablet is about respecting God and the second tablet about respecting our neighbours. He thus concludes that the ten commandments are two in nature. Love God and Love Neighbour. He also uses two references including one to the Shema (we will get to that).

A few more fun facts for you. After the plague the people cross the Reed Sea. Yes, you heard that right. No, we don’t know exactly what that is. It’s clear the text says it, but we don’t have that name appearing for a body of water at that time. Still, the Red Sea is certainly not accurate. The text says they cross the Sea of Reeds in every early document we have (though again, we don’t know where or what exactly that is).

Next comes the Golden Calf. And note that the “idol” worshipers strangely call the Calf “Lord” and even call it by the divine name Moses gets in the burning bush – YHWH or I Am what I Am. In other words, they refer to the calf as “the one who brought us up out of Egypt”. They think they are properly worshiping the God of Israel (who they design just like Baal by the way) by inviting God into their camp by making an image FOR HIM to rest on like a chair. The “golden calf” (made from the nose rings – Moses’ wife has one so big it also serves as a bracelet) as well as earrings and other jewelry of the people) are not as much an idol in the strictest sense as it is supposed to function as a chair for the God of Israel to sit on if he were to be lured into visiting.

And oddly while angry about this very situation, this is also EXACTLY what God is about to do for them. He asks them to make the Tabernacle so that he might come and “dwell in their midst” and “sit upon the Mercy Seat” which is the lid to the Ark of the Covenant that contained Aaron’s Staff and the 10 commandment tablets. It is a little hint in the larger story, and oft repeated that outsiders are always called in and God is always the One who knocks and not the other way around. Other interesting points to note include the burning bush, the idea of Holy spaces, the 10 plagues, God purchasing the lives of all first-born Hebrew boys through a blood sacrifice and an innocent offering among others.

Also, while most people think Moses came down Sainai with just two tablets and ten suggestions. He goes up and down the mountain several different times and returns with not just 10 but 631 commandments. By they way, outright rejection of the commandments is a disgusting and very early Christian/Anti-Semitic heresy called Marcionism which rejected all things Jewish from the Christian Scriptures. It sounds bad but… what is your current stance on the Old verses New Testament? I dare say, many a modern Christian is a functional maricon without realizing it.

Throughout the book one central idea has shown itself time and time again and summarized best in these words: “and I will be their God and they will be my people”. In other words, they believed that God chose them (not the other way around like all the other deities of the day) and called them His. And that God was the kind that Moved with them instead of being assigned a region. It was a completely different understanding of God.

This God doesn’t want you to put your family on an alter to make a deal with God (like Abraham) but instead wants to provide you with a sacrifice that saves and takes their place without any personal cost (like Abraham). Like in Genesis, this God isn’t a part of nature. God’s not a tree or alligator or the sun but something else. It comes before and is beyond. He is. This God provides. buys them with the blood of an innocent lamb and makes them into a nation just as he promised. This God chooses us. And this God brings these descendants of Abraham to the edge of the land God promised.

When the book ends, it ends with the people following Gods Presence both day and night observed by the cloud of smoke and fire above the Tabernacle. Now I will say something you may not like. My personal view is that this is not a miracle being described. I believe they are talking about the smoke from the Golden Lampstand and the Firey Incense in the Tent of Meeting. By day this would be smoke and by night it would be a glowing light. I’m not by the way denying the scripture but I’m wondering how poetic the language is in this short but interesting description. The final text reads and the glory of the lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle they would set out. ³⁸So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

Song: Great is Thy faithfulness (324)

Message: “Bible Basics: Torah” Part 2

Leviticus

So far, the Adam and the New Adams have continued to fail. The people were enslaved and are now free. But what does a newly freed nation look like with no homeland? Leviticus is a book of regulations and rules of the Levites (priests) during the time in the desert. It is filled with laws about what is safe to eat, what is not, how to live with neighbours, how to settle legal disputes and much more.

As the people travel in the wilderness, the book of Leviticus is about Worshiping a Holy God and Living a Holy Life while they travel. Remember they are nomads. The books focus is on the Holy Tabernacle being with them and how they treat that. Its focus is on the Priests and Priestly duties. It’s about Law, Justice, Hygiene, Culture, religious observance, identity, as well clean and unclean foods and items and acts. It’s about sacrifice, worship, health, holiness, and justice. It is also the clearest description of the early Israelite system of sacrifices. In Leviticus, God’s grace comes through blood just as it does in Genesis with Abraham, the Covenant, and in the exodus of Egypt but because no offering is perfect, they look forward to a day when One offering will cover all sins forever.

When we left off God was residing in the Tabernacle and only certain people would go in. He does this “to be with His people”. But there is a problem. The Tent is like the Garden. It’s a Holy Place where God is. And the Hebrews wanted to make sure if you went close to it, you didn’t just burn up. Clear / Pure vs Unclean / Impure – you wanted to make sure you are pure to be near God. The idea was simple, God, like the Sun is very powerful and if you get to close, it burns away everything impure.

People died and people were afraid. God they thought, is both powerful and dangerous. And while the people had all kinds of rules for keeping pure, it generally didn’t mean bad. Unclean and Sinful are not the same. As you might imagine, the Levite Priests who go inside the Holy Place are held to a higher standard. BEING RITUALLY impure is not the same thing as Sinful. It just means not currently fit to enter the tabernacle in God’s presence. So, you do rituals and have a bath and pray and then a couple days later your clean again. That’s very different from willfully rejecting God don’t you think? The ancient Hebrews certainly found a difference.

There are two very important things to say about these laws:

The first is to say that Leviticus is not a book written to us. It is for us but not to us or about us. Many laws contained in this book are for a particular time and place. They are also a Theocracy. They have no king, just a religious class. And so, the laws are a mix of Moral laws that are always true, governmental laws and punishments for that time only. This is the view of every single major Christian denomination on planet earth.

A Two-Fold or Three-Fold for us, view of the Law is a basic tenet of our understanding of scripture. Make no mistake – we do not follow all these laws. And that is because we believe the messiah has come. And much in the same way that we do not put-up posters for concerts that have already taken place, we also do not follow ancient sacrificial and civil laws – the purpose of which was to point to a someday perfect sacrifice and eternal judge – that we believe already came. We are not bound by laws meant to point to a future freedom from those very same laws.

Second the laws generally come without much context. As such it’s hard to formulate a consistent understanding of them. One of the theories I hold to, an idea from Dan Kimball. His theory is simply that in the nomadic Hebrew culture there were “No Oddballs Allowed”. So, for example, if it has hooves but eats meat, it’s an oddball animal, don’t eat it. Something seems off. Does it come from the water but isn’t a fish, can’t see its face, know how to humanly kill it as required? Then don’t try and eat it. Is it something you know is safe? The world is not safe! Is it a shirt but it’s made with three different materials? It’s probably weak, don’t wear it. Do we understand that certain meat makes you VERY sick if not cooked hot enough EVERY SINGLE TIME? No, then maybe don’t eat it, don’t try to eat it, don’t raise it and if you get sick, stay away from others because we don’t understand the difference between food poisoning and the flu!

Everything was intended to make these people visibly stand out as separate, to be safe, to live carefully and grow. It meant, other people knew this group avoiding that food or wearing those clothes or walking that way, were the God of Israel’s people just by how they dressed, ate, walked, talked, everything! And I would say to drive the point home for both health and for undeniability of ethnicity, circumcision became paramount to faithfulness.

Side note: In the New Testament Baptism is sort of the reclaiming of circumcision rights but for everyone. It’s about people being Holy or otherworldly as God is and even seeming out of place in a world otherwise uninterested. “Dedicate yourselves to me and be Holy because Holy, I Am, the Lord your God. I have chosen you as my people and I expect you to obey my laws and follow me”.

If there is one thing you remember about this book it’s this: Leviticus is designed as a Chiasm. It builds up to One central story surrounded by mirrored events. This is done to tell the reader what the most important portion is. In this case right in the center of the structure is The Day of Atonement.

The Lord is with them and they are called to be Holy. This is not only individuals but also the entire nation as well. And not everyone is consistent in their sacrifices. So, to be sure and on behalf of the entire nation – the Priests offer this One major yearly sacrifice to cover all the sins of all the people. This remains today the most important day in the Jewish calendar year. So, what is it about? Its about an offering God takes on behalf of the people. It is an offering from among the people but not one of the people. It is One innocent lamb for all the sins of a nation. And yet again, in this also, the people find it imperfect. There must be a final Adam and a final offering that lasts forever.

Numbers

So far, the children of Israel have left paradise, been promised a land, been enslaved, been freed, received the law, and wandered around the wilderness for 40 years. Now what?

In Hebrew they title this book, Ba-Mit-Bah or “In the wilderness.” In English we call it Numbers because it’s just full of numbers. It contains accounts of land, journeys, family records, counts of livestock and much more. It also records the reasons for the Nation of Israel failing to enter the promised land. It lists all the tribes and the people in the tribes. This is a Census accounting. Accounting for each Tribe is done twice. Once in chapter 1 when they start off from Sinai and once in chapter 26 when they get to the boarder in Moab. And it shows that there are 601,730 Hebrews. As a fun fact, Numbers contains one of the most difficult stories in all of the bible, it’s called the bitter water test and it’s wild and disturbing – if you look it up – call me!

But overall Numbers is the story of the end of the journey, after 40 years of wandering with the people sitting at the edge of the promised land but not entering yet. The central passage is “I swear that not one of these Israelites will enter the land I promised to give their ancestors. They have disobeyed and tested me too many times.” 14:22-23.

The book begins with the people at Sinai, then traveling to Paran and then traveling to Moab. They’ve been in Sinai for one year when they take a census. As the census is describe you come to realise that the encampment is designed from a central point (the tabernacle) moving out in four directions in connection with priests and then older tribes to younger. (THE TABERNACLE IS EVEN THEIR GEOGRAPHICAL CENTER OF LIFE AND PEOPLE)

On the way to Paran, they walk 3 days on the road and people complain and Moses’ brother and sister blame him in front of others. They also send spies into the land. But the Spies are terrified of Canaan which is 7-fold in man and number and so start a mutiny and attempt to convince the people once more to just go back to Egypt. The result is 40 years of wandering in punishment. Basically, what God does is gives them what they want. They don’t want to go into he promised land. Fine – Don’t. Maybe your kids will want to do it.

Next, they set off for Moab. It’s the last stop along the way. Moses has a little rebellion. And yet again, at each step God keeps giving them chance after chance to get it right. Each step God forgives them and gives them water and manna and ways out and fail. This chosen people, a priestly and holy nation, fails.

At the end of Numbers, the people arrive in Moab, right at the border of the desert. And the King of Moab is afraid. He sees 600,000 people marching through his land. And Moab’s king hires a professional sorcerer called Balaam; educated in the gods of many peoples. He asks Balaam to pronounce mysterious curses on the Hebrew intruders. Balaam thinks in his studies, “I will pray to the Hebrew God to curse His own people.” But each time Balaam speaks a curse, only good comes from his mouth and blessings instead. And so, the scroll of Numbers ends with the people waiting at the very edge of Moab having received a final blessing from their enemy Balaam, that “Out of Israel will come a King of Victory by the Covenant to Abraham”. So as the scene unfolds, the Lord’s people are down in the valley turning on their God and on each other while at that exact same time, the peoples God is up on the hill with Balaam moving their very enemies to bless them. His blessing (in part) includes the following: “I see someone who will come someday [but not now], someone I see arriving [but not soon], I see him [from afar] He is a star from Jacobs family; a scepter [a leader] rising from Israel”.

Part of the theme here is this: Someone you have waited for is coming. And yet, this is meant not for you but for your children’s children. Can you trust me?

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy is an oddity. It is the Second Telling (Deuteronomy) of the law of Moses. It’s also Moses’s goodbye speech and Pep-Talk as he passes the touch to a new leader Joshua; knowing he is not to enter the promised land either. This book means Second Law and it’s partially because it’s a repeat of other information. Deuteronomy is also interesting because it was most likely lost (or created very late?) when Hilkiah “found” a copy of the book in the Temple which the people had somehow lost. 2 Kings 22:8. Many believe it was less found than constructed at this time. Perhaps. 25 different sections of the book are exact quotations from Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

Deuteronomy has two extremely important verses. The first Moses says “I set before you life and death, blessing and destruction. Choose life”, a verse about always trusting in God and Following His path. The second is the Shema. To the Jewish people this is almost unanimously viewed as the most important phrase in the entire bible. It’s Shema (listen). The Lord is One and the Lord is ours.

The people have been protected. They are in Moab sitting by the river. The river is the boundary. Here Moses challenges the new generation to be different from their parents’ generation who rebelled, who didn’t love each other enough to think of the community above self. They saw miracles but doubted God at seemingly every turn. They sin and are forgiven, they become “unclean”, but God gives them a way back.

Moses stands before the people and says, you, the next generation must do better, be better and respond to grace with obedience to Him and Love for each other. Moses appoints Joshuah his successor. Moses then takes the entire law code scroll (613 laws), Aaron’s staff from the Sea of Reeds and the tablets of the 10 commandments and places them into the Ark.

The Book ends with Moses making a prediction about the future. In his speech he states that the people cannot help but be disobedient. If they listen and love, they will experience great prosperity. If not, he says, they will be kicked out and lose the blessings. Moses predicts the people will fail and be exiled because of their hardened hearts. And YET Moses says, on the other side of Israel, God will transform them, and they will Listen and Love. He then climbs to the highest point he can find to get a glimpse of the Holy Land he will not enter. And then Moses dies.

Will they obey and live long in the land promised to them through Abraham? Will there be a New Adam who lives a Holy life? Will God send a sacrifice to end all sacrifices? Will the people keep the law or not? And the Torah ends here.

It ends with the people waiting of the promise fulfilled and perfected. These five books end with the people moving forward, being hopeful of Gods intention to bless the entire world through a new and transformed heart that listens to God and loves each other. But they live in a world not yet perfected. Their nation has not perfected it yet. Their priests have not perfected it yet. Their leaders and patriarchs have all failed. They as individuals have not perfected it yet.

What’s next?

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Life-giving God, you equip your people with gifts to work for your kingdom, bringing justice and peace to every land and community.

We thank you that you will work through us, even when we don’t feel equal to the task.

Help us recognize your Spirit at work among us.

Through your Spirit, O God, you give the gift of prophecy.

With this gift, empower the church to speak words of justice and truth into situations where people are exploited or treated unfairly.

Guide us to bring change for good in the world, and bring hope to the hopeless.

In the example of your Son Jesus, O God, you give the gift of serving.

With this gift, encourage your servant Church to work with those made vulnerable by structures of power and privilege.

Show us how to share the abundance in our country with lives and communities that often lack even basic resources.

With the inspiration of your Spirit, O God, you give the gift of teaching.

As a church that values teaching, engage us to support access to education for every child.

We pray for teachers and students as they prepare for another year of working together.

Help us encourage each person who shares in a learning community this year.

Through the love and compassion of Christ, O God, you give the gift of encouragement.

As a congregation, show us where and how to reach out to hearten any who are struggling.

Give us the words and actions to comfort those who mourn, to be companions to those coping with mental or physical illness, and support any who feel isolated or left behind.

Through the examples of prophets and apostles, O God, you give the gift of leadership.

Call up leaders within the Church to build up our ministries and model respectful ways of living and loving together.

Call up leaders in our nation and neighbourhood who model respect and attend to the common good and the needs of the earth itself.

Gift-giving God, we are grateful for all the people in whom we meet your gifts at work.

Inspire us to add our energy and experience to the care of creation as the loyal followers of Jesus who embodied all your gifts.

Song: Saviour, like a shepherd lead us (485)

Sending out with God’s blessing

And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Response: Go forth into the world

Music postlude

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Dogs

Posted on August 20, 2023August 20, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
Pentecost 12     10:00 am     20 August 2023
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia     Guest Pianist: Yvonne Boon
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan   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: The voice of God gathers us this day:
P: The warmth of God brings us together as one people.
L: So we come, with joy and sorrow in our hearts,
P: With acts mighty and faltering,
L: With kindness and with selfishness,
P: With doubt and with faith:
L: So may we bring the fullness of our lives to God.
P: May we worship well this day.

Opening praise: Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Prayers of approach and confession
Welcoming God, you make all things new.
You invite all people to receive your blessing.
Justice and right relations have their source in you.
We are filled with joy to be counted among your children.
As we gather, make us one in witness and worship.
Together, we lift our voices to proclaim your all-encompassing love.
May our praise join with the praise of all your people, and reach the ends of the earth, for you are our Maker and the hope of the world you love.
Merciful God, we confess that we have not lived as you have taught us.
Forgive us those times we have not welcomed others into our community; and those times we have avoided others because something about them made us uncomfortable.
Forgive us the ways we have judged people unfairly.
Reveal to us our own prejudices and show us how to see your goodness in those who seem different from us.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O Lord

Assurance of God’s grace

While it is true that we have all sinned, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through God’s love in Jesus Christ. To all who humbly seek the mercy of God, I say, be at peace with God, with yourself and with one another.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Response: Jesus loves me (373)

Story: Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what is true and what is not true. Psalm 19 tells us that the word of he Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure and always trustworthy.

Prayer: Our God, we thank you for our families and for our friends. We thank you for the fun that we get to have over summer. And we also thank you for the schools that will be inviting us in soon. We pray that, in a difficult world where it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s true and what’s false, that we would be drawn to you and to your true word and that we would use it to try and figure out what else is true in the rest of the world. Lord, help us over the rest of the summer to make good friends, to keep good friends, and to move into a whole new school year.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Sing a new song unto the Lord (422)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Matthew 15:1-28

Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

Message: “Dogs”

(Much of the first portion of this sermon comes from the book The Seeds of Heaven by Barbara Brown Taylor).

This gospel passage from Matthew describes one of those strange scenes in Jesus’ life that we might well like to skip over altogether if the lectionary didn’t force us to deal with it. What makes it so difficult is how harsh Jesus sounds, how harsh and downright rude.

First, he refuses to answer the woman pleading for his help, and then he denies that he has anything to offer “her kind”, and finally he likens her to a dog before the sheer force of her faith changes something in him and he decides to answer her prayer after all. It’s crazy. A Jesus that won’t help a woman that just wants her little child to be well is not the Jesus most of us know and seems at odds with the rest of the scriptures.

But the truth is Matthew’s original audience would have seen Jesus as acting rightly and perfectly in accordance with the law. For us, the moment he waits to help is the troublesome part. For them… it was that he decided to help at all. That was earth shattering.

The problem is that she is a Canaanite, one of the “great unwashed” with whom observant Jews of Jesus’ time had little contact. She comes from the coastal region of Syria, where strange gods are worshiped, and ritual laws of cleanliness are unknown. She is a “Gentile” in other words, which is the biblical term for everyone who is not a Jew, and as such she is both an outsider and an untouchable person.

Earlier, in the tenth chapter of Matthew, it is Jesus himself who warns his disciples to steer clear of Gentiles, reminding them that they have been sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. The only catch is that many of lost sheep do not seem to want to be found. In spite of Jesus’ undivided attention to them, they are not rushing to respond to his shepherd’s call. It’s a bunch of others that keep coming to see him.

In today’s story he has just come from Nazareth, his own hometown, where his friends and family have doubted his authority and taken offense at his teaching. He has recently received word that John the Baptist has lost his head to a dancing girl, and he has tried his best to withdraw from the crowds for a while, but the crowds have followed him, and so he has (with five loaves and two fishes) fed them all. Then there was the storm at sea and Peter’s wish to cross the water, ruined by fear and doubt. Everywhere Jesus turns he finds need – need and people who want what he can do for them but who remain blind to who he is and can be for them.

Then comes this Canaanite woman crying out to him to heal her daughter. She doesn’t know him. She doesn’t understand the concept of the Jewish Messiah even. She is just desperate and willing to pray to any and every god she stubbles upon, willing even to seek out this man the people call “Christ”. But then she also no-doubt surprises him. She calls out “O Lord, Son of David.” She calls him by the title reserved for the Messiah, the title his own people have withheld from him thus far. When this woman addresses him as the Son of David, she names something in him that even his own disciples have failed to recognize, and it must seem like a mean trick of fate for him to hear what he most wants to hear coming from the mouth of someone he least expects to hear it from.

He doesn’t answer. He draws the line. He is the Jewish Messiah or Savior. He has come to save the Jews. He draws that line as surely as if he had leaned down and traced it in the dust at his feet. Enough is enough. He will go no further. The bank is closed. The doctor is out. The sign on the door says, “Closed for Business.” So what if she called him by name. She still doesn’t want him she wants what he can do for her. He will not waste his energy going to her when so many others have been clamoring so long for “the one to come” whom the prophets wrote of. While they may not all recognize him, he has come for them.

“I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” he says to the woman, and that is supposed to be that.

But the woman will not go away. She won’t stay on her side of the line.

Kneeling at his feet, she says, “Lord, help me.” Jesus has dismissed her but she will not be dismissed. She has gotten her foot in the door before Jesus can close it and she shows no sign of leaving before he has dealt with her. “Lord, help me” she says, and I can only imagine that his blood pressure went flying up. Can’t she hear? He must have thought.

He has told her “no”, told her that she is not his sheep, but she does not seem to have gotten the message so he says it again, louder and clearer than before. “It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” he says. It’s a cruel rebuff. And unlike Matthew’s first readers, it shocks the modern ears. But she would not have seen it as odd or even insulting.

Still, it’s a “no.” But… perhaps it was a test. After all it was Jesus that told this story in Luke 11:5-8 ⁵Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[^a^] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

Perhaps it wasn’t a test. He was discouraged to be sure and weary and a long way from home now. Every time he turned around someone wanted something from him, but at the same time no one wanted what he most wanted to give – himself.

It’s hard to imagine how that feels, even if you do not happen to be the messiah – to be surrounded by appetites, by people who want your money and your time and your gifts but who do not seem much interested in who you really are; to be confused about what you are supposed to do, how much you are supposed to give, and to be worried about whether there is enough of you to go around. That we can all relate too.

The telephone rings and it is the Disabled Veterans selling light bulbs or the fire department recruiting sponsors for handicapped children, or the kidney foundation seeking donations. The doorbell rings and it’s a sad-eyed man in overalls looking for work, while his whole family waits and watches from the battered car by the curb. Every day’s mail brings more pleas for help from every cause under the sun. And most of us already give so much to the things we care most deeply about. It’s not like we’re selfish!

You have to draw the line somewhere. We all do. Jesus had to draw the line… somewhere – right? You have to decide what you can do and what you cannot do, whom you can help and whom you cannot help just yet or you will be eaten alive. Everything you have can never be enough to feed the whole world and saying “no” doesn’t make you wrong it makes you a realist. So we draw the line.

We draw the line. Strangers show up saying “Help me” and we invoke the line, the line that separates insiders from outsiders, clean from unclean and if we have just $20 until our next paycheck we think, “How can I give you all I have when I’ve got 3 kids at home and nothing but mac and cheese in the cupboard?” We think “It’s not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs”. It sounds harsh, but what are you gonna do? You have to draw that line somewhere.

Now it’s true that during this time the Hebrews often referred to non-Jews as Barbarians or Pagans. The term they used was Gentiles. And often Hebrew’s would refer to non-Jews as dogs. They called people Kuman meaning wild dog. But here Jesus doesn’t do that. What he actually said was Kunarian and not Kuman. Kunarian is a small pet dog or puppy. In other words, it’s not fair to take the children’s food and give it to their pets. Now that still sounds harsh to modern readers… but not so much at the time. Remember this is the same word the woman will use to describe herself.

Still, the Canaanite woman simply will not budge. Her responses to Jesus remind me of that game children play, in which two of them look steadily into each other’s eyes trying to see who will blink first. Amazingly she won’t blink. “Yes Lord” she says, “yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”. And at that the whole story changes.

“O woman” he responds (a phrase of respect) “great is your faith. Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter, we are told, is healed.

Many people believe that this was a test. That Jesus just wanted to see her true faith. Perhaps. That does seem to be the best way to explain this. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe Jesus came to a new realization that day. I mean he did learn. He didn’t come out of the womb knowing how to walk, talk and read and write. He did learn and grow. Perhaps that day Jesus came to a new realization of who the Messiah was called to be, of who the lost sheep were, that his purpose was even bigger than even he could have first imagined. Maybe the lines in the sand no longer worked for him after that day? Maybe the old boundaries wouldn’t contain his new vision. Maybe his arms were opened that day just a little wider than he expected, open so wide that he could never close them again, until he allowed them to be nailed that way.

The best lesson I suppose is that God’s face can turn up anywhere, and especially on the far side of the lines we tend to draw (logical or otherwise). And once God has widened them for us, it seems there is no going back.

So let go! Step out! Look a Canaanite in the eye, knock on a strange door, ask an outsider what his life is like, trespass an old boundary, enter a new relationship, push a limit, take a risk, give up playing safe. You have nothing to lose but your life the way it has been and there’s lots more life where that came from. And if you get scared, which you will, and if you get upset, which you will, and if you get protective, which you will, remember today’s story. With Jesus as our model and our Lord, we are called to step over the lines we have drawn for ourselves, not because we have to, and not because we ought to, or even because we want to, but because we know that it is God’s own self who waits for us on the other side.

Thanks be to God because I don’t know if you know this or not… but I too am a gentile. This whole story is about me (and presumably you). We are not children of Israel. And yet we too receive salvation through the son of David when we cry out to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Song: As water to the thirsty (688)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Living God, people of all places and times have reached out to you in times of desperation, with so many different needs. You have compassion for each one and so we thank you for the depth of your love. This day we set before you our many different hopes and concerns. Fill us with your compassion as we pray from the breadth and depth of our lives:

We pray for all that we are and all that we do, all we wish we could do and all we long for…..

We pray for everything we work for in our church and community, and everything we hope for in the face of so much change….

We pray for the choices we face in our country and community, in our homes and workplaces, and for all the responsibilities we bear in our different roles….

We pray for the troubles that weary us, the situations that puzzle us and the uncertainty that surrounds us….

We remember before you each situation that worries us and each person we care about….

Living Christ, you are the Source of peace and new possibility for us all.

Help us trust in your grace for today and tomorrow.

Fill us with the strength and hope we need to walk with you, united in your love.

Amen.

Song: How firm a foundation (685 – vss. 1, 2, 4)

Sending out with God’s blessing

May the beauty of God be reflected in your eyes,
the love of God be reflected in your hands,
the wisdom of God be reflected in your words,
and the knowledge of God flow from your heart,
that all might see, and in seeing – believe. Amen.

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

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Walking on the waters

Posted on August 13, 2023August 13, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
Pentecost 11 10:00 am 13 August 2023
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia Vocalist: Linda Farrah-Basford
Elder: Heather Tansem

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: Come, you who thirst for grace.
P: Come, you who hunger for justice.
L: Come, you who are a stranger in a strange land.
P: Come, you who are like a child at home.
L: Come, for Christ welcomes you to this time and place.
P: We have come to worship God.
L: Then let us worship well.

Opening praise: This is amazing grace

Prayers of approach and confession

Surprising and mysterious God, you come to us when we least expect it, calling us out of our routines and plans, inviting us to follow Christ into new opportunities.

We praise you for the many ways you come to us.

In moments of fear, you speak with words of reassurance.

In moments of doubt, you reach out your hand to hold.

In moments of turmoil, you bring calm to the storm.

You are faithful to us through everything life can bring.

And so we place our trust in you this day and every day, and honour you as our Redeemer and Saviour, in the name of Christ, our Lord and friend.

Merciful and patient God, we confess that we still experience fear and doubt, even though you reach out to us with saving grace.

You call us to live with courage and perseverance, yet we can give up too easily and opt for the safer route.

You encourage us to be bold in our struggles for justice, yet we remain silent in the face of unfairness.

Forgive us all the times we let you down.

Renew our lives through your mercy and grace. Amen

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s grace

Rest assured, God offers forgiveness and saving grace to everyone. Accept these gifts for yourselves and offer forgiveness to others in the name of Christ our Lord.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Response: Open our eyes, Lord (445)

Story

I have a story about identical twins. Even though they looked like each other and sounded like each other, they were the exact opposites when it comes to personalities. One of them was always excited and happy about everything. And one of them was upset and annoyed by everything.

They sounded alike, but they never seemed to talk alike. One, always assumed it was good. The other always assumed everything was bad.

So one Christmas. Their parents decided that they were going to test this out just a little bit. They went out and they bought a bag of hay – a huge bag of hay. They put the bag of hay in a box and they wrapped it up beautifully and put a bow on the top.

And then they went out and they bought brand new shiny bicycle. They wrapped up the box with the bicycle in it and put a bow on top. And then they waited till Christmas morning. They were going to give the hay to the happy kid that liked everything and the bicycle to the boy who always thought everything was bad.

Christmas morning arrived and the two boys went running down the stairs hoping to find presents.

The pessimist opened his box and found the bicycle.

The other twin opened his box and there was the, bag of hay. And immediately he started running around outside, shouting “Yay, yay!”

The twin who got the bicycle, meantime, was gumbling. “Why’d you give me a bike? It’s winter and I can’t even ride it. This was a terrible idea. I’ll probably fall. What kind of parents are you?

So there it was – One kid running around the backyard screaming, yay, I have hay! And the other kid saying, what’s this bicycle for?

And then all of the sudden the boy who gat the hay comes inside smiling saying thank you, thank you for my big bag of hay. The parents said – “Why are you so excited about the hay?”

The boy sayid – “Well, with this much, hey, there’s got to be a horse around here somewhere.”

So, our attitude makes a difference in life. It doesn’t change everything, but it changes a lot.

At your home or at school, when you walk into a room, and you don’t know anyone else.

When you go to a new school, and you’ve never met anybody.

Things are a little difficult. You can complain about things, or you can try and find the good side in things.

Philippians says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.” Your attitude matters.

Okay, we’re going to say a prayer, giving God our thanks and then we’re going to say the Lord’s Prayer together.

Prayer

Our Lord, we thank you for all the wonderful things we have and take for granted. We ask you to give us a positive attitude in life.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Precious Lord, take my hand (675)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Matthew 14:22-33

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Message: “Walking on the waters”

From a very young age, Sunday School children hear about the time that Jesus and Peter walked on water. The teachers tell the kids that if Peter just had a little more faith in Jesus that he could have strolled across the sea just like he was walking on the sidewalk.

In my lifetime I have heard this story a hundred times. From the pulpit it was always a repeat of the Sunday school lesson or it was about Peters Zeal for God: from Sermons titled, “Risk or Reward” or “sink or swim” or “you too can walk on water”.

But no matter what, I could never really understand the story. Something about it always seemed to me a bit off. And while I willingly acknowledge a bit of pilfering from Pastor Rob Bell, here, I admit that it’s a bit anthropocentric and so perhaps a little too focused on us rather than God – I’m going to take a different angle.

When first I began my studies in Seminary I leaned about the ways the ancient Hebrews viewed water. I had an old professor who was keen on repeating the phrase “Remember people, Jews and water don’t mix.” Now that sounds funny I know but… You see, water is often used in the bible to represent evil. And it makes since. In the creation story God pushes back the chaos of water and sets its boundaries. In this sense the creation stories are not just about “Look we have land and water” as much as they are about whose more powerful Good or Evil / God or nature. Floods too were a common killer in the ancient deserts. Fresh water was hard to come by. In the bible, small; rare bodies of fresh water are a blessing but anything larger than a well was generally something to be feared.

Biblical scholars teach us that by telling a story about Jesus walking on water this demonstrated a defeat over the Leviathan said to roam those waters (the beast of the deep that represented Satan and all evil in the world).

For the original audience the idea of a man walking on water wasn’t just an amazing miracle. It also defined Jesus as God. It showed that he had the same kind of power God demonstrated in creation (power over evil and chaos). I agree with that interpretation… the story of Jesus walking on water really is a kind of preview into what Jesus will do on the cross. It claims that natural order bows to Him and not the other way around. But still something in this story just never seemed to mesh for me. See, I get why Jesus would walk on water but… why on earth would Peter ever get out of the boat? What arrogance, what audacity. Peter is super brash. If you have read the New Testament and you have been paying attention you know this guy is pretty full of himself. That’s almost certainly part the reason Jesus nicknames him Peter (his real name is Kefas). But still, this is huge! Why did Peter think he just could do whatever Jesus can do?

What made Peter think he could do what Jesus did? You know, Jesus didn’t initiate this event. Go back and read over these verses. Peter said, “Lord if it’s you then tell me to walk out to you on the water.” Peter just assumed that he could do whatever Jesus did! Why?

That has always bothered me… it’s almost as crazy as the story about Jesus calling the disciples in the first place where they just meet some strange guy who says “Follow me” and they “dropped their nets and followed him”. That makes NO since!

At least it seemed crazy to me and it didn’t make since… until about six years ago when I heard this quote from the ancient Hebrew writing called the Mishna (it’s a blessing), “May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi”.

See at the time the Rabbi would walk out front and the Taludim (the disciples OR STUDENTS) would follow behind the Rabbi. And as the sand kicked up from the Rabbi’s sandals, the disciples following closely behind would get coated in the Rabbi’s dust. At a time when disciples followed their rabbi around wherever he went, this blessing meant, “May you be just like your teacher”.

What made things ever more clear for me though is that odd story of Jesus calling the disciples. You see Education for the Hebrew people was huge in Jesus’ day. In a few months I’ll be talking about Jesus’ quote about “take my yoke” and we will really get into this. But we need to touch on this now. So, for the Jews there were three schools of learning: The first school (like grade school) was called The Bet Safar, the (sort of high school) was called the Bet Talmud, and the (sort of university/seminary) was called the Bet Midrash.

Usually around the age of 5 but up to 10 the best possible religious students would be chosen by their Rabbi to be a part of the Bet Safar. This is a time when most people were illiterate. But -These kids (in the strictest of schools) would have to memorize the Torah – (the first 5 books of the Bible – Genesis through Deuteronomy (right down to the inflection and tone the Rabbi used when reading it). This was the norm for the educated Jews.

Though only the best and the brightest would be chosen to study with a Rabbi it was the goal of most devout Jews. But it was also just the beginning.

If you were the best of the best you could study the in Bet Safar school…

… and if you were the best of the Bet Safar you might go to your rabbi and ask to become his disciple (talmudim).

And if you were the best of the best that he had seen in years he might ask you to attend the next level of education. This is the Bet Talmud.

In this school you memorize the entire Old Testament.

You also had to have this done by the age of 14.

But that’s also not the end.

Out of this even more elite group would come another. If you were the best of the best of the bet Talmud that the rabbi had seen in years, then he might ask you to attend his next level of education. This was called the Bet Midrash. In this school you would study competing views of the scriptures you had memorized and then daily debate between whole encyclopedias’ of written commentary on each individual text called the Midrash (lengthy written commentaries on the texts).

And if you were in the Bet Midrash – You were the best of the best of the best of the best. And if you were the best of these, you might feel good enough to go and ask your Rabbi a question. You might ask him if could become his “Disciple”.

Now for each level of schooling the Rabbi would answer this (disciple) question in one of two ways.

If you were not the best he had ever seen, he would say to you “ply thy trade” meaning – your education is done. Go join your father’s trade.

However, if you were deemed worthy the Rabbi might say to you one final time… “Come and follow me; be my disciple and take my yoke upon you.”

For a first century Hebrew, to take the Rabbi’s yoke was the greatest honor that one could have and it meant that you wished to be just like your Rabbi. It meant that you wished to do exactly what the Rabbi did; that you would continue his “yoke” (His Traditions) long after he passed and you would eventually become a Rrabbi yourself just like your master and train your own Talmudim, exactly as you had been.

And that brings us to the texts in Matthew about the calling of Jesus’ first disciples: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers; Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. And the Bible says “They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fisherman.”

What were they???????????

Fisherman………. Well why were they fisherman?

The reason is simple. They were fishermen because they had been told to “ply thy trade”. They were fisherman because they didn’t make the cut!

A Rabbi had told them they weren’t the best of the best, and said them “ply your trade”. In fact, the Bible makes this point really clear. Although the idea is somewhat lost on us today this point was crystal clear to first century readers. And the New Testament authors pound this point home again and again. In fact, in his gospel Luke notes people’s amazement and bewilderment with Jesus’ choice of disciples.

I want to read something to you now from Acts chapter 4:1-7; 13

¹ The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them-”

Now there they are Peter and John standing before the highest Rabbinic orders of the day at the center of Rabbinic teaching (the absolute best of the best) and after Peter and John have faced them and they have answered their questions. And after all of this Luke goes on to record this… He writes “¹³ “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished, and they took note that these men had been with the teacher (Rabbi) – Jesus of Nazareth.”

You see, the people were shocked! They were shocked! because Peter and John are not supposed to be there. They are not the best of the best. They are the rejects, the cast always, the guys that failed the test. They were fishermen. They were plying their trade!

But Jesus said “Come, follow me,” and so although it seems crazy to us – “at once they left their nets and followed him.”

You see what Peter did that day on the beach (and what he did later in getting out of that boat) was exactly what he should have done. He wasn’t the best of the best. But Jesus chose him anyway just like he chose you and me. He called Peter his disciple and told him to take up his yoke. He told him to act just like he acted; to do exactly what he did. When Peter gets out of that boat he does it, not just because he’s brave or brash or crazy, or stupid but because he was chosen to emulate his Rabbi.

He was chosen to do exactly what Jesus did. But… like it would be for most of us, that’s a hard pill to swallow.

It’s hard to accept a gift like that. And Peter knew he didn’t really deserve to be there – he wasn’t worth. He was not the best of the best. He was just a fisherman.

And that’s the thing about this story. That’s why this carzy story makes since!

This story is not about Peter losing faith in Jesus like most of us have been told.

There is nothing in the text of this story to suggest that Peter ever doubted Jesus at all… Nothing! If Peter doubted Jesus, then why would he call out to Jesus for help when he started to sink?

See, this was never a story about Peter losing faith in Jesus.

This is a story about Peter losing faith in himself.

Peter was ready to act like the best of the best. But in his heart, he knew that he was not. He doubted himself and that is why he began to sink.

But Jesus was there to pick him up.

Because despite the fact that Peter didn’t believe in himself, Jesus still believed in Peter. That’s why he called him off that beach. That’s why when Peter asked if he could come to him Jesus called him out of that boat.

So who are we?

We have not attended Bet Safar.

We have not attended Bet Talmud

We have not attended Bet Midrash.

Like Peter, we were not chosen because we are the best of the best.

And like Peter it is hard to believe that we’ve been called to be exactly like our Rabbi.

But that doesn’t matter to Jesus.

Because even when we don’t believe in ourselves – he still believes in us.

And that is why this crazy story actually makes perfect since to me now.

May you… May you… believe in God. But may you also come to see that God believes in you. May you have faith in Jesus. But may you also come to see that Jesus has faith in you.

And may walk closely to him. May you be “covered in the dust of your Rabbi.” Amen

Song: One more step along the world I go (641 – vss. 1, 3, 4)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Astonishing God, you can always surprise us.

You come to us in unforeseen circumstances and in unexpected people.

We give you thanks for help offered by a stranger,

kindness in an anxious moment,

good news that changed expected outcomes,

relief in the midst of ongoing crises

and signs of hope when things seemed bleak.

Keep silence for 15 seconds

We pray for all who face upheaval and uncertainty, whatever the cause.

Fill our hearts with compassion and understanding for the fearful.

Steadying God,

Reach out to us in the storms of life.

God of peace, you reassure us.

You remind us not to be afraid when troubles arise.

We pray for those who struggle with illness or grief, anxiety or depression.

We remember those who feel worthless or ashamed, whatever the reason.

May they know your peace and strength.

Equip us to reach out in every way we can to embody your love in our words and actions.

Steadying God,

Reach out to us in the storms of life.

God of hope, you challenge us.

You come to us in the midst of the world’s troubles and invite us to stand for truth and work for justice.

We pray for all those people crying out for fair treatment, working against racism and discrimination, telling painful stories of their lives.

Open our hearts with understanding and motivate us to act for change.

We pray for those who resist the stories of injustice and defend inequality.

Open their minds to the truths they deny, and show them new possibilities for relationships that bridge divides.

Send your Spirit to work in our communities to create mutual respect and new ways to live as neighbours.

Steadying God,

Reach out to us in the storms of life.

Faithful God, we place our trust in you and your purposes.

Answer our prayers according to your wisdom and will, Amen

Song: Who’s goin’ to tell the story (761)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Whether the week ahead brings storms or calm for you, take heart. God is with us. Do not be afraid.

And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, now and always. And may you forever be covered in the dust of your Rabbi. Amen.

Response: Amen, we praise your name, O God

Music postlude

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An invitation to the party

Posted on August 6, 2023August 6, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
Pentecost 10     06 August 2023    10:00 am
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev. Brad Childs
Music Director: Binu Kapadia     Guest Pianist: Yvonne Boon
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan     Elder: Iris Routledge

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: For the beauty of the summer day,
P: And the comfort of friends nearby;
L: For the invitation to love and be loved,
P: For our God who extends that call;
L: For time set apart to nourish the soul,
P: For time to go out into the world armed with love:
L: For all these things we give thanks. Let us worship God

Opening praise: Holy is the Lord (vss. 1,2)

Prayers of approach and confession

Unclutter our lives, Lord
we have too much,
consume too much,
expect too much.

Grant us perspective;
to see this world
through others’ eyes
than just our own.

Grant us compassion;
where there is need
to play our part
not turn aside.

Grant us gratitude
for what we have,
our daily bread
the gift of life.

Unclutter our lives, Lord,
give us space,
simplicity
thankful hearts.

Amen.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

Ours is the God of infinite grace. While we fail, He does not. And in Him, we are declared free of sin. Thanks be to God and Amen.

We listen for the voice of God

Hymn: O Jesus, I have promised vss 1,2, 3 (569)

Scripture reading (NRSV): Isaiah 55:1-5

Response: Glory to the father

Message: “An invitation to the party”

Isaiah is likely not just one book but three developed by a school over 80 years or so. The main reason people believe this is the case is because, in Isaiah chapter one, the people are in Jerusalem before the land is taken away. The second part continues to address the Babylonians and at the end, they are out of exile and back home again. The book comes to us in three distinct sections. What we heard today is from what is often called “the book of comforts” which includes everything in Isaiah chapter 40-55. It’s a favorite of Jesus who quotes directly or alludes to this book more than any other. The beatitudes for example where Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the fridge, trying to find something to satisfy a vague sense of emptiness or discontent?

You aren’t looking for anything specific, but you know you want to fill a longing.

The people just restored to their homes hear Isaiah calling out a message from God. And it’s probably a nice thing to hear for a nation just released from their captives. Come here, eat and drink, and leave the coins at home.

It’s a strange and paradoxical offer.

He says, “buy wine” without money. Buy milk “without price”. The thing is this isn’t just a free for all. It isn’t “come take whatever you want”.

What is offered is something “without price” and a better way to understand this is – something that is “priceless.” It is not without value, it is beyond all value.

Clearly here, we aren’t talking about physical water or food. So what is it. What is the thing we Buy without cost?

Isaiah continues. He says Why “spend your money” for what isn’t bread. Why work for things you don’t need or don’t bring you joy? Why fritter away our lives on things that don’t count?

Now remember the whole point of Isaiah is the salvation of the people. In fact that’s what the name means even. Isaiah means the Lord Saves. And they were celebrating being back in their own land again. But overall, each book of Isaiah 1,2 and 3 all have a message. 1 is a call to the people to hold to their Lord’s teaching, to stop abusing the poor and a warning that God will not ignore their sins forever just because he is loving. God cannot be loving and ignore all wrongs. Book 2 is about the destruction that came when the people didn’t listen and an invading army came in and demolished them. By book 3 Isaiah is sure that their faithfulness during the exile has resulted in their freedom. And he takes a lot of time saying, “Yeah, we’re home and safe again… BUT let’s learn from our mistakes.

He says, Listen diligently to me, and eat only what is good for you and let your soul delight in the (and I like this) Day-Shin or “fatness” of it.

Sorry vegans, the analogy has to do with the deep richness of the food. It’s decadent. And it’s the reward for keeping the law, loving self and neighbour. That’s the deal God made with David. Keep my laws, right them on your heart so that “you will live long in the land I am giving you”.

Now that you are back, remember why things went bad. Don’t go back to ignoring God.

Of course, it is not an invitation to eat marbled beef and supersized desserts either. It is an invitation to invest our lives in things that really satisfy—things rich in purpose and meaning. At its root, it is an invitation to join God at his banquet table—to invest our lives in relationship to God—to allow God to set the direction for our lives—to live in faith that God will provide what we need to live joyfully. To live in that kind of faith causes fear to shrink and confidence to grow. It leads to purposeful living—to lives that bring great satisfaction.

Verse 3 says, “Turn your ear and come to me. Hear and you should all live. And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the mercies shown to David.”

If you want to stay in the land, don’t abuse it. If you want to be together in your homeland, treat each other better. The people knew the deal and they broke it.

God calls this an “everlasting covenant” but listen to what God says about that Everlasting Covenant elsewhere (Psalm 89):

“If his children forsake my law, and don’t walk in my ordinances; if they break my statutes, and don’t keep my commandments; then I will punish their sin-”. The passage adds “But I will not completely take my kindness away. I will not fail. I will not break my covenant”. It’s everlasting in part, because He keeps offering it to them no matter how many times they fail.

Even under the “everlasting covenant,” God is not bound to ignore the people’s unfaithfulness.

It’s like that old joke from Emo Phillips who said, “I used to pray everyday that God would give me a new bike. But then I learned that God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked him for forgiveness instead.”

The problem however seems to me that God isn’t fooled by apologies people don’t mean or intend to keep.

Still, this is no threat. The exhortations to listen (Isaiah 55:3), to seek the Lord (verse 6), and to choose between wickedness and the way of the Lord (verse 7) all show the passage’s connections with wisdom traditions. The invitation issued by Isaiah 55 is similar to that of the book of Proverbs Character “Lady Wisdom” to calls people to her table: “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Proverbs 9:5-6). These passages emphasize the choices a person faces in the course of a life, and they portray the divine summons as working through appeal and persuasion rather than command.

And that’s where we get the final verse in this section. It says, that as a Nation who keeps covenant, they will not only prosper again naturally simply due to order in society but so much so that “nations” they do not know, will run to them to learn peace.

It’s a nations call to be better and do better. It’s a call for people to seek wisdom and peace. It’s a call to include your Lord in your day to day choices. It’s about not reading the book but living it. It’s about building people up, caring for neighbours and it’s about not wasting our energy on things that don’t matter. But it’s also more than that.

My personal belief is that this verse is actually about Jesus (Surprise Surprise) even though it was written 600 years before Christ.

To be fair to me, that may have a little something to do with that idea that Jesus seems to think this passage is about Jesus too.

Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give will never thirst. The water that I shall give will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

And then again, as water was symbolically poured out at the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the three times all Jewish people were supposed to travel to Jerusalem, Jesus stood in the Temple and called out, “If anyone thirsts, let Him come to me and drink” (John 7:37).

What do we need to purchase this water of salvation I wonder? What does a ticket to the banquet got for these days. It’s a pretty costly item. But the answer is this.

Nothing at all! It is a free gift of God. “Buy without money.”

All the spiritual refreshment we need, symbolised by water and wine and milk, is ours without money and without price. It costs us nothing, because it cost Jesus everything. This is our invitation to the party. Come, all who thirst, to the banquet of the eternal king. Amen.

Song: To show by touch and word (763)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

The sacrifice that honours God is a thankful heart. So let us present our offerings with thankful hearts, grateful for all God’s goodness to us.

Blessed are you, God of all creation, for all your good gifts. Use the gifts we offer to spread your goodness in Jesus’ name. Let your Spirit work through us so that your goodness will move through us into the world wherever we go.

O God, we give you thanks for your goodness
in the changing times of our lives.

For every occasion you have surprised us with a blessing,
we give you thanks
in the pressures of this present moment,
we are grateful for the strength and courage we find,
knowing you are right beside us.

Give us wisdom and patience
to face a future filled with many questions and challenges.

Help us trust in your goodness
even when we wrestle with what comes next.

Aware of our own needs and the great need around us,
we remember Christ’s compassion
and offer our prayers for the world, seeking your guidance
so that we may do our part to share comfort, healing, and hope.
Amen.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

All who hunger gather at the table of the Lord. Come, eat and drink. Find spiritual food for your journey and be one together in one meal and one Lord.

Song: All who hunger gather gladly (534)

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Communion Prayer

Lord we come together as one people united in one act and one faith. We eat and we drink of your grace. We take these elements now, setting them aside from all common use. And we dedicate ourselves to you and to each other. You are creator. You are redeemer. You are advocate.

Be with us and guide us as you have before. Assist us in our tasks to care for others. Shine light into dark places. Grant us the lanterns that help brighten the way. We thank you for life, for guidance, and for your son – for His life, death, and resurrection. Called to His service we seek sustenance that eternally satisfies. In His Holy Name we pray. Amen.

Sharing of the bread and wine

We remember Jesus who took bread in his hands, broke it, gave it to his friends, and said, ‘Take, eat, this is my body which is for you. Do this to remember me.’

We remember Jesus who took the wine cup in his hands and gave thanks for it. He gave it to them and said, ‘This is the new covenant sealed by my blood. When you drink from it, do this in memory of me’.

Song: One bread, one body

The prayer after Communion

For family and friends and food that satisfies; for countless moments of grace and glimpses into tomorrow we praise you. Lord, lead us now, out into the world to be peace – alive and well. Send us to share food, just as you have shared with us. Send us, challenge us, and help us proclaim your holy name. Amen.

Hymn: Put peace into each other’s hands vss. 1, 2, 4 (560)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Wherever you find yourself in the days ahead, in a lonely place or in the midst of a crowd, watch for signs of God’s goodness.

May God our Maker fill you with confidence,

May Christ our Saviour bring you peace and comfort,

And may the Holy Spirit renew your energy to greet the gift of each new day.

Response: The Blessing

Music postlude

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Ring up the King (Raymond Baker)

Posted on July 30, 2023July 30, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
10:00 am 30 July 2023 Pentecost 9
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Minister: Brad Childs
Worship led by Raymond Baker
Children’s time: Peter Eerkes
Music director: Binu Kapadia Vocalist: Vivian Houg
Elder: Jane de Caen

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: In love and joy God calls us together.
P: And so we meet this day, as friends, as neighbours, as sisters and brothers in Christ.
L: Called together by God, we bring our offerings to God;
P: Our songs, our hearts, our prayers, our lives.
L: Grateful for this opportunity to give and receive, let us worship God

Opening praise: Love the Lord your God

Prayers of approach and confession

Lord, make us an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let us bring love.

Where there is offence, let us bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let us bring union.

Where there is error, let us bring the truth.

Where there is doubt, let us bring faith.

Where there is despair, let us bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let us bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let us bring joy.

O Master, let us not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

It is in accepting your sacrifice, Christ, that we have eternal life.

Amen (Modified Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi)

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O God

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

“Who is in a position to condemn us? Only Christ – and Christ died for us; Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. This is good news for us. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. So be at peace and make peace with one another for Jesus’ sake.” (Romans 8, paraphrased)

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Gradual: Open our eyes, Lord

Story: Text unavailable

Prayer: Text unavailable

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Rejoice in the Lord always (421)

Today’s Message

Scripture readings: Philippians 4:4-9

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Message: “Do not be anxious. Fill your minds with good.” (Call up the King)

Good Morning, my name is Raymond Baker. I went to college and seminary with your minister, Reverend Brad and he is a friend of mine. Just a few months ago I preached here and felt very welcomed by this congregation, so thank you for having me again. I am looking forward to talking about one of my favourite Scripture passages today: Philippians 4:4-9.

To begin, let’s go back to the not so distant past, during the height of the Covid Pandemic. I was working full time in an assisted seniors’ centre with 160 suites that were under outbreak lock-down. For three months, the seniors living in this centre had to stay in their rooms and could not be visited by any friends or family in person. Their food was delivered to their rooms, and they had very little interaction. Many of them began to complain of depression and anxiety while being isolated. Myself and a manager came up with a solution. Every weekday morning at exactly 10 AM I would go to the fire panel for the entire building and lift up the emergency microphone and do a devotional–always focusing on positive things and the salvation of Christ.

A month into doing these devotions, the manager told me that many family members called her to say that their loved one looked forward to the message that would come through the little speaker in their fire alarm. As well, during this time, fewer complaints of depression and anxiety were expressed by the residents.

Interesting – when the seniors focused on the positive thoughts and the devotion to Christ there was less depression and anxiety even when they were cooped up in their rooms!

Paul, in Philippians 4 states, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, Rejoice.”

What does it mean to rejoice? Some Bible translations use ‘happiness’ or ‘joy’ instead of the word rejoice. Tony Evans’ commentary in the Study Bible says that happiness for the most part is an outward reaction to pleasant things, where joy can be a deeper characteristic that sustains us during trying circumstances.

In Greek, the word for rejoice is: ‘chairete’ which means to be favourably disposed to God’s grace. The root of ‘rejoice’ is very similar to the Greek words used for joy and grace in the Bible. In fact, some translators use ‘joy’ instead of ‘rejoice’ in Philippians 4:3.

Having godly joy was exemplified by Paul and Silas in Acts during a trying time. Paul had just healed a slave woman who had an evil spirit that allowed her to tell the future. When the slave woman was healed, she was no longer of use to her owner to make him money, so the owner of the slave had Paul and Silas arrested and put them in jail. Paul and Silas prayed and praised the Lord even though they were in prison.

We know the rest of the story–just as they were praising the Lord there was an earthquake and the cell doors flung open, but Paul and Silas did not leave. Then the jailer wanted to take his life, because he thought Paul and Silas had escaped. The story ends with Paul and Silas sharing the salvation message of Christ with the jailer. I love this whole story, but for today’s sermon I want to point out that Paul and Silas were in a Roman Prison in the first century. These were disgusting places without washrooms. Paul and Silas were rejoicing in the Lord as they sat in utter filth. Look at how it turned out!

I am not saying that God will cause a natural disaster for your benefit, just because you thought about good things and praised the Lord. What I am saying is that God promises to give you peace during tough times if you focus on Him.

Next, Philippians 4:5, states: “Let your gentleness be evident to all.”

Have you ever been in a fight with your sibling, wife, husband, or friend and you wanted to avenge yourself? I have and it never works out! This kind of thinking is like the wicked witch of the west played very well by Margaret Hamilton in the Wizard of Oz movie, “I’ll get you and your little dog too!!!” In Romans 12:19-2, Paul explains that we should not take revenge, because that is God’s job. In that same chapter Paul goes on to say, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” To be gentle, is to find good in others. I think that letting your gentleness show is seeking to understand another’s point of view, while respectfully presenting your own.

In Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” he wrote that there is no winner in arguments, because if one feels he/she has won, the other will feel defeated or angry, leaving the relationship somewhat broken.

The second half of the greatest commandment is: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself…’”(Matthew 22:36-40). Could loving your neighbour be thinking and saying good things about them? Gentleness is to find good in others.

Philippians 4:5 also says, “The Lord is near.” In this context Paul is referring to the conflicts going on in the Philippi churches. He wants the conflicts to end because the Day of the Lord is coming. It is important that our relationships are right. Paul’s concern is that we need to be ready for Christ’s return. The Bible says the day of the Lord is like a thief in the night–we don’t know when Christ is coming back.

Let’s go to the next verse where Paul states, “do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” God is giving us a formula for peace in our lives. He is not telling us just to sit and not worry. That is like me asking everyone to not think about pink elephants right now. I believe if we could take a picture of what is in everyone’s mind we would have a stack of pink elephant images! God, here, is giving us directions. Instead of worrying, fill your minds up with things that we are thankful for and also pray to God about our circumstances.

When I was first dating my wife, Jacquie, she was in an accident on Calgary Trail. The night after her accident we prayed together. During her prayer she presented her requests to the Lord and as it says in today’s verse she did it with thanksgiving. She thanked the Lord that she and the other driver were not hurt and then she thanked the Lord for the accident so that she may learn something God was teaching her. I was stunned. Did I hear correctly, my girlfriend just thanked the Lord that she was in an accident? As I work through today’s verse where it says “in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I believe that Jacquie was not nuts, but giving it over to God with thanksgiving.

In Psalm 110:4 it is written, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” It is good to be thankful in prayer. I like it when my nephews and nieces are thankful for what I do. How much more should we be thankful to God who died on a Cross for our sins and sustains us through life and offers us eternal life.

Jacquie and I were just in London England. We were at Buckingham Palace and the flag was flying at full mast. Does anyone know what that means? Yes, King Charles III was in residence. We stood there watching the changing of the guard and I imagined what it would be like to go see the King.

What if King Charles was my friend and I got into trouble in England. I could just ring up my friend, the King and he would do the best he could to help me. King Charles is not that powerful, but our God, the Lord of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega is all powerful. We do not have to ring him up, rather we can pray to him about all things.

Unfortunately, in my lifetime I will probably never have access to King Charles III, but through Christ I have access to the throne room of God. God knows us more than our friends, He also knows what we need and want. If we leave things in His hands why would we need to worry about them. Once we have prayed and given all our problems over to God we are promised the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The peace of God that transcends all understanding is the result of being able to rejoice and be glad when things are bad. We know that God is in control, because we have given everything to God in prayer.

Positive thoughts are whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–we should think about these things.

A renowned Canadian preacher and counsellor, Dr. Ed Weiss was leading a large Christian youth conference in Sweden. On his way to set up for the conference, he noticed a street girl doing skateboarding tricks at the train station. He yelled out to the skater girl that she was good at skateboard tricks. The girl stopped and looked surprised that a well dressed man in his late forties told her that she was good. She skated over to him. Her head was shaved and her body was covered with piercings and tattoos. She spoke perfect English, and used a lot of profanities.

He asked for her name and it was Namoi. He reaffirmed that she was very talented at skateboarding. She seemed to eat up the compliments. The next day, Naomi was skateboarding again and saw Pastor Ed. She asked if he wanted to go for a burger, which is street talk for, “Will you buy me a burger?” They went for the burger and the preacher noticed that she could switch from French, the common language in that part of Sweden, to English very quickly. During the meal he told her that her English was amazing.

Once again Naomi seemed to love the positive compliments. After their lunch, the pastor went into the conference centre. Bryce, an organiser, informed Pastor Ed that everything was ready for the conference and assured him that an interpreter would be provided. Pastor Ed let him know he had his own interpreter. Pastor Ed then left the conference centre and looked for Naomi in her usual part of town. As expected, she was there. When he asked her to interpret his talk for the conference because she could switch between English and French so fluently, she agreed, beaming at the compliment.

After the conference, the pastor asked Bryce how Naomi did with the translations. He replied, “She did well, but the conference has never heard so many profanities in preaching before.” Pastor Ed just laughed.

Five years later Pastor Ed received a phone call from Bryce telling him to google the homepage for The International Symposium on Street Children. It advertised a huge conference to take place in Geneva. The picture of the keynote speaker was Naomi.

You never know what impact a compliment or positive words can have on the people you meet. Bringing out the good you see in others by focusing on whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, excellent or praiseworthy in them will bring good to the world. Look for the good in the world, in people and in yourself.

If there can be a transformation in Naomi, imagine what God can do for you. If you think about what is pure, what is lovely, whatever is admirable, you will have peace.

Since the Covid pandemic and the increase of people on social media, there are many conspiracy theories being brought forward. I am not here to deny them or say that they are true. I am just noting that most of them focus on negative aspects of leaders, scientists, economists and doctors. It seems that myself and many of my friends are drawn to dwell on the negative when speaking about the present world situations.

Just for a minute, let’s pretend all the negative is true and that every scientist, world economic leader, and politician is nefarious and wants to control us to make money from us or even kill us. Everyday we read the feeds and podcasts that present these views. How are we going to feel, respond, and think on positive things like Paul is instructing us to do? Will we find peace?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-4 Paul states, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. What if we prayed for our leaders? According to the Bible, the result would be that we live peaceful and quiet lives. What if everyday was Easter? Not with pink bunnies and chocolate eggs, but what if everyday we celebrated that the Lord of the universe humbled Himself and became a human to die on a cross for our sins and on the third day He defeated death and rose to heaven and is victorious!

What if we filled our minds up with thoughts about Christ as our Lord and saviour. What if we meditated on that because it is true, admirable and praiseworthy? Would some of the depression that has been getting worse in our present society be lifted? In a dark world we are the light of Christ. In this dark world we don’t want to put the joy of the Lord under a bowl, we want to spread the Good News.

The wonderful result is that the God of Peace will be with you and you will be a light of Christ in a dark world. You may be transformed like Naomi and God may use you to help transform another person, a city, a province, the world! The amazing result is having the peace of God that transcends all understanding in our lives and the lives of others.

This is why Philipians 4:4-9 is my favourite scripture passage: thinking of positive, praiseworthy things can transform how we feel and speak. If we pray about everything with thanksgiving, the peace of God will be with us, and with God we can bring the Kingdom of the Lord to the entire world! With God we can be World changers!

Praise God and Amen!

Song: Praise, I will praise (420)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves

God of all true treasure, we offer our gifts with thankful hearts, knowing you keep providing what makes life truly rich. Bless these gifts so that your goodness is multiplied to touch the lives of those in need, for Christ’s sake.

Lord Jesus Christ, we offer you our thanks on this day for you are the true source of peace and healing for us in a world that feels dark so often.

Today we pray for those who face choices and decisions about their health: or those trying to follow good diets and exercise enough; for any waiting for appointments or wondering if they should make another call; for those who find caring for their health frustrating, and for all feeling pain or anxiety as they wait for healing and peace… God, in your mercy, guide us in our choices and challenges.

Lord Jesus Christ: We offer you our thanks on this day for you are the trustworthy source of love and forgiveness in a world full of criticism and self-doubt.

Today we pray for those facing choices and decisions about relationships: for people, we ought to call but just haven’t; for those with whom we feel a grievance but haven’t worked it through; for those we’d like to invite into closer relationships but haven’t yet found the courage; and for those we miss dearly and need to tell how much we cherish them. God, in your mercy, guide us in our choices and challenges.

We offer you thanks on this day.

In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Song: Give me oil in my lamp vss. 1, 3, 4 (655)

Sending out with God’s blessing

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7, NIV)

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

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Doing the Hokey Pokey

Posted on July 23, 2023July 23, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
8^th Sunday of Pentecost
10:00 am 23 July 2023
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia Elder: Darlene Eerkes

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: We look around and see how we have been blessed –
P: Blessed with community, with beauty, with friendship, with faith.
L: That goodness washes over us, and we receive these gifts with thanks.
P: In this time, we thank God for all that we have been given.
L: So let us worship God

Opening praise: Come, now is the time to worship

Prayers of approach and confession

God of light and of love, by the waters you walk with us, inviting us into new adventures.

In the darkness you shine your light, guiding us in your path.

In the shadows of death, you send your comfort to brighten our lives and cast out fears

You let us know that we are not alone. And you surround us with others, who are salt and light in our world like we are in theirs. You fill our lives with great gifts (every minute we share).

You call us here together to be your people and lead us onward and we offer you our praise because we see where your ways lead.

So we come to give you the glory that is only due to you.

And yet, our very merciful God,

We confess that we often turn from who you call us to be to what feels right in the moment.

You call us to follow your way of compassion but often we turn to criticism because as you say in your own word, it’s easier to see the speak in someone else’s eyes than a plank in our own.

You call us to follow your way of peace but often we are the source of division. We judge and condemn and refuse to see things from another’s point of view and then we consider the other divisive.

Even among ourselves, in our own churches we differentiate and evaluate and gossip.

You call us to follow your way of trust but often we take off on our own, leaving your call behind.

Rather than your word, we trust the trapping sof this world.

Forgive us our errors God and our justifications. Unite our will to your will, and help us to cling to your ways and strive for a much higher form of love than we espouse.

Help us to be better… to be the best versions of us that we possibly can. Amen

Response: I waited, I waited on You, Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

God calls us to hear the good news and rejoice…

The good news is this – that in Christ we are forgiven our every mistake. We are made new. And we are considered perfect in his name. Amen.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Gradual: Jesus loves me (373)

Story: Lynn Vaughan

Okay, so can you see the difference? Do you are these both very nice-looking flowers? OK, I’m going to tell you a secret.

This flower here is called a purple iris. Very beautiful.

This one here is called a deadly nightshade. It’s poisonous. Right? But it’s hard to tell the difference. They kind of look the same.

OK, here’s another example.

Can you know what these are? Any guesses?

So one of them. That wonderful honey bee that we’re all supposed to take care of so we can save the planet.

This one is a killer bee.

Not ideal to have around. Right? They don’t look that much different. It’s hard to tell the difference.

You might recognize this guy. He looks a little sketchy, but that’s okay. And then this gentleman over here. They both look pretty good.

This guy is Bill Gates, a big philanthropist, gives lots of money to charity.

This guy here has killed quite a few people. Looks very charming. But it’s hard to tell the difference.

So that’s sort of what our lesson was going to be about today was about how when we look at things on the outside, when we look at people on the outside, we don’t know what’s in their hearts.

We don’t know the good people from the bad people. And the parable of the wheat and the weeds is about that.

It’s about a farmer that sowed some seeds. And somebody came along in the night and spread some weed seeds in his garden, in his field. So, as they started to grow, when they’re little; the seeds are little, We definitely can’t really tell the difference between what’s a weed and what’s the good plant.

And then as it starts to grow, you can tell the difference. But even as people. We all look the same on the outside. Some people have good in their hearts, some people not so much. But as we get older, the good thing is that we have the grace of God that can help us become better people.

So, you might not start out as the best person with the most pure heart, but God can help change that.

And for those people that don’t get changed, their hearts don’t become pure and loving. By the end of times, God will deal with them.

But that’s not up to us to deal with those people. We need to treat everyone with respect and with God’s love.

And we never know what kind of things we can change in their hearts. So that was our lesson for Sunday school.

So let’s bow together and pray.

Prayer

Dear God, please help us remember that it’s not up to us to judge the people that we see around us.

It is up to us to give them the same love and grace that you would give them as you try to change their hearts and make them better people.

Please help us remember that you are always with us and that even within ourselves we all start out sort of as weeds and we need to have your love to help us become healthy and loving individuals.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee (410)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Response: Glory to the Father

Message: “Doing the Hokey Pokey”

Corinth was (is) a prominent city-state in the south of Greece. It was also a trade port and had a land bridge that could save trades-dealer’s weeks or even months in shipping times. Julius Caesar had re-established the city from freed slaves and assigned businesspeople and Politician’s. He did this in the year 44AD and by the time Paul sent the letter read from today (possibly as few as just 10 years later), Corinth already had a booming economy and a population over 100,000 people.

But it was also a mess. It had freed men from all over the Roman empire with different rules, morals and traditions all mashed together in a Greek land that told them personal freedom was the highest rule in life. Basically, as long as you paid Caesar his dues… pretty much everything else was legal or at least permissible. And if it wasn’t, that didn’t matter either because the Corinthians were notorious for filing lawsuits against each other. It was even considered patriotic to do so.

Which is why Paul had to write even to the Christians there to say, “All things are permissible, but not all things are advisable”. By the way, this is some of the wisest advice you may ever hear. All things are permissible (we are free from rules in Christ because we are already forgiven). And yet, that doesn’t mean every idea that pops into our heads is good. In fact, most probably are selfish. Just because God isn’t waiting to “spank us” doesn’t mean we should be running around the world stealing cookies! But that’s what I do! How about you?

I do the wrong things, I do the right things, I do the I’m-not-certain things.

I do the hokey pokey. And I get all turned around.

The first letter to the Christian church established in the Greek city of Corinth (called in our Bibles, “1st Corinthians”) is a letter from the Apostle Paul to the congregation he gathered and then left under another trusted disciple and/or “presbyterium” technically meaning “THE OLD ONES” though this implication is more accurately described as “THE WISE ONES” or bishops and ruling elders as we might call them.

The book Paul writes is to the minister he has assigned to the newly established congregation in Corinth. Yet Paul also writes in a slightly round-about-way, to the elders of that same congregation and to those most respected for their wisdom.

Paul has two main sections following the introduction of that letter. Today’s reading is at the outset of the body.

Now here is the deal. It appears the congregation in Corinth send a letter to Paul asking some important questions. We don’t have that letter. But it’s really clear that from Corinthians Chapter 7 until the book’s end, Paul is answering a number of important questions the Corinthian people had asked him (and probably in a letter that the church had sent to him but is long ago lost to time).

It appears the letter to the Corinthian congregation is part of a group of back and forth correspondence. And that’s a whole big fun mess of confusing traps. But this letter read from today is a portion of early communications in the Christian Church.

And yet, while HUGE questions loom over the people Paul spends a larage amount of time not answering the people’s questions. Before he gets to that, Paul spends the first 6 whole chapters addressing things that he has heard by word of mouth from a woman that Paul greatly respects who is named Chloe. And if Chloe says it, that seems to be good enough for Paul. Chloe must have been an amazing woman.

To the Corinthians, Paul writes, “10 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.”

It’s an interesting choice of words Paul makes. He says let there be no “divisions” among you (And when he says that he says “no skees-mas” – like schisms). At the time this word skees-mas was usually reserved for distinguishing between political parties in governments. In other words, Quite literally Paul is saying, let there be no “political factions” or “opposition parties” among you in the church.

Having opposing parties might be fine in the secular realm but not in God’s house. We are to be united.

And that’s exactly where he goes from here. In an interpolation he writes: “12 What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’; another, “I follow Cephas’; still another, ‘I follow Christ’.”

It’s understandable that they would behave in this way in Corinth. Ingrained in their minds was a kind of caste system that put wealthy and political people on one end and poor or trades people on the other. And one could argue that we have the same kind of thing today… but quite not like this. Corinth had major difficulties with this as we see throughout this book.

For example, we know that when the congregation in Corinth took communion the wealthy people (who to be fair – probably paid for the meal) would come early with their friends and drink all the wine while the rest of the people found no seats and received no food or drink. And for them this wasn’t a problem. This was to be expected. It’s just how it things were. This wouldn’t have seemed odd to them in any way. This was the status quo. But Paul takes great effort to say that the Bride of Christ (the Church) was meant for something so much more that what they world offered.

The French Revolution was tough on nobility as one might expect. “Turn about is fair play” goes the proverb. For years, the people with money and power in France ignored, mistreated, and humiliated the common people, forcing them to suffer and starve while the noblemen lived in luxury with overflowing abundance and extravagance. But with the revolution came payback. In fact, many a wealthy person found themselves at the business end of a farmers implement.

During the revolution, many of the noblemen tried to escape execution by disguising themselves as if they were the common people in order to slip out of the country undetected. Marquis de Condoncet (Con-do-sae) (also called Nicholas) was one of these. Ironically and sadly, Nicholas was a brilliant philosopher still studied even today. He wrote about equal rights for woman and argued for equal treatment for people of all races. Though wealthy he spoke out about corrupt systems. He had different and controversial views about education and social programs. During the revolution, these ideas became very dangerous.

And so, when trouble began to brew Nicholas donned the garb of the poor and hid out for more than 8 months. However, as he worked his way to the boarder of France, Nicholas’s ploy took a turn for the worst. He rarely went out in public but famished from travel could not help but stopped for food this one particular day. At an inn and restaurant, Nicholas sat down and ordered his favorite meal… a 12 egg omelet.

He ordered a 12 egg omelet1

Right away his cover was blown. Dirty though he was, conversing as his accent may be, no peasant would ever spend money so frivolously. Nicholas would die in prison… suspiciously before ever facing a trial. He is believed to have been poisoned by a friend who wished to save him from shame.

Nicholas learned a hard lesson. Old habits die hard. So it was with the Corinthians. And so it is with us.

Too often when we should be speaking out about the things, we believe in we speak out about the things we don’t. Too often when we can reason together and speak with unity of mind, we chose division instead. But God’s plan for us as a church is to be just one church.

I love Shane Claiborne whom I’ve now met a few times. And he has this wonderful saying about unity in the church. I’m sure you will hear me quote it more than once. He says, “Jesus is coming back. And when he comes, he’s coming for a Bride… not a harem.” We pray each Communion Sunday for the Holy Catholic Church and the communion of Saints. Catholic? That seems an odd work choice for a Protestant – someone protesting the Roman Catholic Church – but the word just means “unified.” I have a Lutheran friend who won’t even say the word. He’s really missing the point.

We pray that we be Catholic because that’s what God means for us. Not to follow blindly one tradition – but to be united.

We say it. But do we mean it? This is what Paul wants for Corinth and between Corinth and other congregations. This is what God wants for us.

As was the norm in Roman society a few wealthy members exercised an influence out of proportion with their numbers. Corinth was known for its large number of “patrons” (“well to do families”) who provided land, jobs, loans and legal protection in exchange for political support which was the backbone of the Roman system of government and was also an almost inescapable trap that kept the rich wealthy and the poor unable to improve their situation. In fact, part of what made the Corinthians suspicious of the Apostle Paul and lead them to challenge his authority as their leader, was that when Paul first arrived he wouldn’t accept money from the Church. He didn’t fit the mold. And it made his look like an amateur; undeserving of pay. But Paul did this in Corinth for a very specific reason.

…

Have you ever heard of the World Memory Championships? It’s the craziest thing. It’s a set of competitions where people will see who can memorize things the fastest. In one event contestants memorize and entire shuffled deck of cards in order. The fastest last I checked both memorized and recited them, in order, in under 30 seconds. They also compete to see who can memorize the most randomly selected numbers read out loud for one hour straight. They also try to see who can memorize the most digits from a 30-minute presentation of binary code 011100110001001? They also see who can recall the most randomly listed names spoken in order. 197 names were memorized after being called out in order just once. It’s crazy and it’s pretty amazing what these people can do.

But the whole thing is actually based on techniques created by a group of educated Greeks called the Sophists (which arrogantly enough means – “the wise-ist, one who does wisdom). Anyway, the Sophists were teachers/performers (based out of Corinth and Ephesus) that would recall and recite entire plays or even books for audiences or do hour long recalled speeches. People would pay them for their work as performers and hire them as teachers. They were amazing speakers. It is a rather amazing lost art and second cousin of the modern theatre. In return for their pay, they would teach their students everything that was necessary to be successful in life including rhetoric and public speaking, which were the most useful skills in their world, where being persuasive could lead to political power, security, and wealth. And of course, the Sophists taught their beliefs and tricks – but for a considerable price.

This was not just an accepted but a prized part of Corinthian culture. And so, when Paul showed up in Corinth as this “important speaker” they had heard about, this is pretty much what the people there expected. They expected some great orator to perform for them as a sort of interview for pay and then they would determine after that whether to hire him or not to teach them his knowledge.

Now it bears mentioning that Paul’s friend Apollos might actually have been a Sophist. The Corinthian’s clearly write to Paul to say that Apollos is a talented speaker. And remember this is in an area where some of the world’s best speakers are and are trained. In addition, Luke writes in Acts 18:24-28 that Apollos is an especially a gifted orator, saying that “he vigorously refuted his opponents in public debate” and also “Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus; where was a learned man”… and “spoke with great fervor” and “in eloquence”.

In addition, we know that Apollos preached in Corinth right after Paul left. Moreover, we know that after Apollos left, he was followed by the disciples of the apostle Peter. In short, it’s pretty clear what’s going on here. Paul writes to the church in Corinth… “I have heard from Chloe’s household” One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas (that’s Peter)”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

The people in the church in Corinth have turned the church into to kind of cult of personality where it’s more about the people at the front of the church than the God we’re all supposed to be worshiping. And it’s divided into factions. It’s forming political parties like the senate. They’re focus is on the preacher of the message and not the subject of it – Christ of their salvation. Again… Old Habits die hard. And they still do.

I want to be clear that the following illustration is not intended to be considered historical as the opening words might suggest this is mythos and it is apocryphal to be sure. But it’s also very true in its purpose.

Once upon a time, long ago and far away, Otto the Conqueror reigned over his people. Known for his erratic behavior as well as for his brutality, Otto was so busy conquering new territory for his home country’s expansion that he had no time to find a wife. When his advisors became concerned that Otto had not married—and would therefore produce no heir to the throne—Otto was led into commanding his men to go out and find him a “suitable wife” who was beautiful, intelligent, and a nobleman’s daughter.

And so Sophia was discovered, in a land across the sea. Her father, a convert to Christianity, (and a previously self-described “terrible man”) now very much changed and loved by his family and his people, required but one thing for a man to marry his daughter. The daughter’s royal husband he said, must be a baptized Christian (a faith in the man, he said, who took his former evil behavior away and helped him to become something wholly new). From that he thought, everything else would take care of itself as it appeared to in his life.

After meeting with Sophia’s father Otto was oddly struck by the man’s kindness and gentle heart. And after seeing the amazing heart of Sophia in addition to her father, Otto the Conqueror agreed to become a Christian in order to devote his entire being to this Jesus who can turn men from feared to loved.

And so Otto set out to marry his bride, to profess his faith and to be baptized. He marched and with him he took five hundred of his best warriors. These were the men who served as personal protection at times for him and now for him and his wife.

When they arrived (for the baptism and wedding to immediately follow) in Sophia’s land, Otto was promptly baptized—whereupon his loyal warriors cheered and quickly also demanded that they, too, be baptized. Admittedly born more out of devotion to their king than to Christ, it was a strange yet moving scene. There was only one problem: it was a custom in Sophia’s gentle and peace-loving land that Christian converts could not be professional soldiers. In her land, Christian only served among the ranks meant for defense. At this news, the warriors doubted they could ever follow their king in Christian baptism.

But when the next morning came, the men told Sophia and Otto’s family, that they were all, every last one, ready to convert. As the story goes… The warriors marched out into the water to be baptized. But before they lowered themselves into the water to fulfill the Christian rite, all of them drew their swords, lifting them high into the air. Those who watched were dumbstruck by the strange and previously unseen spectacle of five hundred dry arms attached to bodies rising up high. All the warriors were baptized completely—except for their swords and their fighting arms.

You see, the night before, the soldiers had met and talked and debated and finally had decided… that they like their King could give all of themselves to this Christ they had heard about… all except for their fighting arms and their swords. These they said, would remain the property of the state.

The Corinthians had a similar view. They believed that they could hold on to everything they already believed or wanted to believe, add a new thig and still be unchanged… and yet still be Christians. But you can’t. You can’t be unchanged.

Like the Christians in Corinth, we can disagree about the details of what should change in our traditions our practices, our views even – that’s more than fair… but you can’t be unchanged by Christ. You can’t be a house divided. You can’t hold part of yourself back as a person. You can’t cut yourself down the middle or discount this or that part of life. And you can’t be a church divided anymore than a person divided.

Far too often we want the blessings of God in our lives and to be part of his family forever, the church… But we want it on our terms.

So we come to Christ willingly and lovingly but also we all tend to come to Christ with that one arm up out of the water. That one thing God can’t have.

In our hands, we hold those things we are unwilling to let go of — different for all of us (ME TOO) … our possessions, our time, our money, our friends, our bad habits, (you fill in the blank). We are not that different from the Corinthians because we are human beings just like them. We are divided as individual and as followers of Christ.

But Paul writes in Romans 12:1, “I urge you…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” In short, we are intended to offer to God our whole selves—not just… the parts we’re comfortable with.

In our reading, Paul writes, “One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Peter”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

I always liked that.

Some person in this church thinks they’re really clever.

They hear, “I follow Paul” and “I follow Peter” and “I follow Apollos” and so they say, “I follow Christ”. And you might be thinking what’s wrong with that? That last person actually has it right. Right? But no. See that last person is also being divisive. That last person doesn’t say, “Come on We ALL Follow Christ.” That last person says [WELL] “I follow Christ” with this sense of self important and superiority as if to arrogantly say, “I’m the real Christian here.” That’s no unity either.

Paul is no fool and he sees right through that arrogance and divisiveness. He replies to that, in verse 13 asking, Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Paul’s point to the church is actually really simple. And it’s completely different from the world around us. The church is not a place for factions. When you walk through those doors you join the family and you also give up certain things up for the good of the congregation to serve Christ and His Bride.

This is not a place to follow schisms or personalities. It’s not a place to come and listen to the “wisest of the ones that do wisdom”. It’s a place to be the Holy Catholic (UNIFIED) Church with a single voice.

And yes old habits do die hard. It was very true for the women and men of Corinth and It’s very true for us too. We tend to go along with the world we know. And so we tend to be divisive even when it’s not intentional. We tend to be selfish even when that’s not our aim. Because just like the Corinthians… like everybody… we tend to hold something back.

Instead of everybody fully, giving our whole selves over to God, (as “living sacrifices” as Paul puts it), unity is sacrificed for self-interest. Because the truth is… we all want to bask in the cool, crisp water of God’s redemption. But we all want to do it… with one arm raised high into the air, desperately trying to hold something back from our God and his Bride.

Two Questions:

1) What do you hold in your fighting arm, high above the baptismal waters?

2) What can you change to do away with the things that divide us – so that you can help unite us instead?

In the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit – Amen.

Song: Great is Thy faithfulness 324)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Lead people in wise decisions, lead people in peace. Help us as a world to find unity.

Lord, we pray for your many blessings for those who are suffering. And Lord, we pray, be with us always.

Let’s pray for our world. Let, we thank you for the world that you give us and we say, help us to treat it better.

We thank you for the people that you give us and we say, help us to treat them better. If we look around our world, our city, our country, and we ask that you lead the leaders – helping us to grow your kingdom here on earth. Amen.

Song: Let all things now living (338)

Sending out with God’s blessing

God of peace, equip us with every good thing for doing Your will. Work in us what is pleasing to You “through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:21).

Response: Go forth into the world

Music postlude

————————————————————————-

Don’t take life too seriously … You’ll never make it out alive.

Posted on July 16, 2023July 16, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
10:00 am 16 July 2023 7^th Sunday of Pentecost
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs
Music director: Binu Kapadia Elder: Heather Tansem

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: To know the warmth of love,
P: To have the assurance that someone cares,
L: To be confident of our worth,
P: To be bold to love in return,
L: To be washed over with grace,
P: To be accepted as we are:
L: This is to know a bit of God.
P: Then let us worship our God.

Opening praise: I lift my hands up

Prayers of approach and confession

Our God, we come to you this morning as your own beloved. We come as those who’s lives are in your hands. We come and we do what nobody seems to want to do these days – we admit our mistakes. Lord we admit then, own them and wish to be rid of them.

Our God we aren’t perfect and we have taken time, places, and worst of all people for granted. We have simply not cultivated love and friendship in all the ways we should.

Father forgive us when we waste energy on things that don’t really matter and for when we ignore the things that really do.

Forgive and push us on tomorrow to remedy whatever has been done wrong. Amen.

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness

Who is in a position to condemn us – Only Christ. And it is in Him we are forgiven and sent out to begin again. Know Christ and Know what it is to be forgiven. Amen.

Music Offering (Vocal Solo by Clare Johnson): I have decided to follow Jesus

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Response: Open our eyes, Lord (445)

Story

Old Jungle Book Cartoon

We’re your friends
We’re your friends
We’re your friends to the bitter end

When you’re alone
Who comes around
To pluck you up
When you are down
And when you’re outside, looking in
Who’s there to open the door?
That’s what friends are for!

Do you have a friend who is always there for you? One who cheers you up when you’re feeling sad. One who stands by you no matter what. We could all use a friend like that, couldn’t we?

The things is, if you want to have a friend like that, then you need to be a friend like that!

Proverb 17:17 says, A true friend loves at all times and siblings are made in hard times.

It’s one thing to love a friend that will be there for you in hard times – it’s another thing to be the one to come along beside them and be there for them.

But – That’s what friends are for.

Let’s take a moment to thank God for our friends.

Prayer: Our God, we thank you for all of our friends. For all of the people who stand by us. And Lord, we pray that you would help us to be there to stand by them. And now we pray the words that you taught us to pray.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: He’s got the whole world in his hands (339)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Proverbs 15:13-25

Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet

Message: Don’t take life too seriously … You’ll never make it out alive.

You will notice in these passages read from today that there are some fairly negative words…
vs. 13 says sorrow, 15 afflicted, 16 trouble, 17 hatred, 18 strife, 22 disappointed.

It sounds to me as if things were rather difficult in I don’t know – THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

Psalm 15 (that part of the Bible that we just heard from), was NOT CREATED on the spot – but was likely from a far-far earlier time in the people’s history. It is a “proverb” or specifically, a “generally true statement of wisdom.”

Psalm 15 was RECORDED for the first time in this way, in or near 900BCE. Maybe, just maybe billions of people can’t be completely wrong and there is great value in these words.

Not to lose the plot:

The book of proverbs is set of wise sayings and was likely shared for generations and generations verbally, even before the “written word” ever existed. The intended audience at the time is maybe not what most people think. It was originally a “young adult” book. It was meant specifically for boys around the age of 13. And the first part of the book is pretty sultry.

Let me stress that these words were eventually recorded some 2983 years ago (give or take). Let’s not be silly. If there is nothing to learn from wisdom people have been following for 3,000 years – then we are doomed as a species – DOOMED!!!

Things were apparently pretty difficult back in the day.

But as Shakespeare said, “Here’s the rub,” things both are and are not getting much easier.

These are still very stressful times we live in as well. And “no” – maybe clean water isn’t our first concern lately but then again, I’m not interested in any kind of geographical or chronological snobbery where any one group of people believes themselves to be not only different but better. It isn’t true.

People are people. And LIFE has never been easy for anyone, no matter what the details might be.

Is anyone in this room without something knocking at the door which you don’t want around?

Isn’t there someone knocking at your door? And you just want to say, “We already Love Jesus. School Fundraisers are a scam with very little going to the intended cause, but we already donate. We don’t buy magazines (nobody does). We already know who we are voting for and seriously, who on earth still sells vacuum cleaners’ door to door these days?

Life is messy – if you aren’t convinced make sure to look up the Penrose Triangle. I’ll save that one again – it’s called the Penrose Triangle. I wont explain it. But I will talk for just a very brief moment about something a little bit less complex. So there are so many variations of this they are hard to count but basically a massive amount of philosophical arguments come from one place. It’s referred to as the Liar’s Paradox. The first clearly recorded example of this was found in 600 BCE in Greece.

I honestly spent hours trying to find a simplified way of saying this and that – after it took me a while to wrap my head around it first —

And then I found what I should have much sooner. It’s an example of the paradox refined by St. Jerome in 363 AD, in Rome. as he delivered a sermon still quotable today.

I shall still paraphrase as best I can: “All people are liars.”

Is the narrator trustworthy?

Is it true? If all people are liars, then is not also the narrator of this quotation a liar as well? What arguments might follow?

And that’s my take on the classic liar paradox. Now why did I just spend three minutes talking about the Liar Paradox when my point is just to say that we live in a time where many things and even truth are not always clear.

Here’s the thing: We used to hear about “road rage.” Now it’s airline rage.

The knee defender is a little gadget sold for just $22. If you have never heard of this, it’s a little plastic clasp that you place on the back of the airplane seat in front of you. It prevents the person in that seat from reclining. The creators say it’s to protect computers and other gadgets from being damaged by surprised reclining. Others say it’s just a rude way to covet 3 precious inches of space in a cramped environment and rob paying customers of what they paid for.

On August 24^th James Beach used his knee defender on a Boeing 737 flight to Chicago. An argument ensued. Beach simply wanted to protect his computer and presentation he was working on. The man in the seat ahead of him saw it a different way. A fight broke out and the plane had to be diverted to a different airport. Flights had to be rearranged, people lost connections, and it cost the airline thousands of dollars in extra fees. In the week that followed, two other flights were diverted because of similar disagreements.

Stress is rising and patience is falling. We’re becoming like guitar strings slowly being tightened – until all of the sudden: Pop! We snap. Every parent has been there, I’m sure. And every friend. Every spouse too. In fact, did you know that 13% of all murders committed in North America last year were committed by the victims’ spouse? So I’m just going to say this publicly… if I ever go missing…

Stress in life is like sand in machinery. And we do it to ourselves. Increasingly I think, we do it to our kids. Another father I was talking to told me that his kids will each start 3 new activities next Monday.

Somewhere along the line we went from play to programs. And adults went from watching kids play to screaming at volunteer coaches. Stress is eating us alive.

So, how do we reduce the tension (besides not wearing busyness like it’s some kind of a badge of honor)?

Well, the writer and compiler of proverb 15 has a few suggestions. The first one…

1. Learn to Laugh

¹³A happy heart makes the face cheerful,
but sorrow crushes the spirit.

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Medical science has repeatedly shown that when you laugh, chemicals are released in the brain which are extremely important not just for mental health but also to the health of our vital organs.

Listen to part of an article from the magazine Executive Digest: “Scientists have been studying the effects of laughter on human beings and have found, among other things, that laughter has a profound and instantaneous effect on virtually every important organ of the human body. Laughter reduces unhealthy tensions, and relaxes the tissues, as well as exercising the most vital organs our bodies have. Laughter, even when forced, results in beneficial effect on us, both mentally and physically. So, the next time you feel nervous and jittery, indulge in a good laugh.”

In 2009 Scientific America published an article where Psychiatrists had done a study on people suffering from mild to moderate depression. Part of the experiment involved replacing ones medication with a five minute forced-smile in the mirror each morning. The results: The group that gave up their meds reported feeling better, for longer and more often throughout the day.

A similar study suggested that fake laughing produces real laughter.
If you haven’t laughed in a while. Try it. A lot of our stress stems from trying to be so serious all the time.

Why?

In Psalm 2:4 the bible says “Even the One (the Lord) enthroned in the heavens, laughs.” Learn to laugh again.

The writer of proverbs has a another suggestion.

He or she (this is vast collection of wise sayings. In this one the author says,

2. Cultivate Contentment

¹⁶Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with trouble.

¹⁷Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.

By the way if you didn’t pick up on that, this means that even God admits that vegetables are gross and also that fatty meat is delicious. I just thought I should point that out.

Sorry vegetarians, it’s the word of God, what are you gonna do?

¹⁷Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.

Who can deny that? Picture it. Mom comes home to a little house and kids run and hug her and they sit down to eat some stone soup and talk about their day. Or Mom pulls into the garage in her Ferrari and sits down at a giant; long dining room table as reluctant kids put down their phones to ignore her while she eats at break neck speed so she can get back to work.

Which one is better? I’ll take a table with love and vegetables, thank you… even celery if I have to. As someone once said, “If you have love, you want for nothing.”

I loved Robinson Crusoe. If you’ve never read it, read it. Crusoe is the man that lost everything. But at a certain point Daniel Defoe’s character comes to a new perspective on life. He writes, “I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed, rather than what I wanted: and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them; and which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that he has not given them. All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.”

If you’re tired of being stressed out, if you feel like pressure is building. If your husband had better start picking up his socks or your wife has recently taken out a strangely-sizable insurance package on you… Maybe you need to smile a bit more. If your friends think you have a scowl, Maybe you need to focus on people you have to love, rather than the things you’d love to have.

The author of Proverbs has more to offer. It says here, get a hold of anger, and watch your mouth. (Perhaps the author of this proverb is a grandmother. This seems like grandmotherly advice). There would be a lot less airplane brawls and soccer mom yelling matches if people followed this rule.

The proverb says ¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up more strife, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

The clear lesson here: the way to control anger is to control your mouth! I have a friend that always says, “I fight with my wife a lot but in the end I always get the last words… Yes dear.”

Nothing will reduce stress and tension in life like getting control of your words. When you are mad, angry, upset (and those times will come) keep your mouth shut! Your grandma was right, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

3. Learn to laugh. Cultivate contentment. Watch your tongue.

Our author has one more piece of advice. Walk in Wisdom.

²¹Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.

²²The disappointed fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.

The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion…if your home is characterized by confusion, understand that God is not in that! Strife and tension result when there’s confusion, when we’re not on the same page, when the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing…the result isn’t unity and harmony, it’s division, strife, tension, and stress!

Problems WILL arise on a daily basis, that’s normal, but wisdom begs us to stop attacking each other and instead start attacking the problems, together, in unity (with man advisers).

If you want a stress-free life, (keep waiting – it will never fully happen) But if you want a lot less stress, then you need people to talk to people you can trust and respect.

Listen to these words from Matthew 7

²⁴“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

You can build your life on 1 of 2 foundations: rock or sand. Let’s choose the Rock. Let’s choose to build our parenting skills, our marriages, our friendships our families on the Rock.

There is a lot of good advice out there and a lot of confidants and mentors and friends that can help you get through tuff times. Find them. Invest in them. But know this, the most important counsel you will find is Christ, the firm foundation. Walking with Christ is walking with wisdom itself.

Stress will come. It’s a messy life. It’s a busy one too. But it’s also beautiful.

And as the old saying goes, don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never make it out alive.

As the kids and I head off to camp, I just want to say. Even in trying times you can find moments of bliss.

In the coming weeks – Have some fun. Ditch the stress. Drop the things you cannot change. You are in His hands.

Tackle the things you can. Learn to laugh. Cultivate contentment. Watch your tongue. Seek good counsel. And above all, make sure to have the right foundation and trust in Him. Amen

Song: Seek ye first the kingdom of God (625)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of Gratitude and for others and ourselves

Tender and loving God, you formed the earth to be a place of joy and abundance for all your creatures.

For food in all its variety and the people who grow it, transport it, market it and prepare it, we give you thanks.

We pray for those who cannot afford enough food,

and for those whose agricultural supply is at risk through extreme weather, uncertain prices and social upheaval.

Help us care for the earth and its fruitfulness and for each other in our common need of its fruits.

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

God of all the nations,

You gather people together in communities to care for each other and enjoy each other’s company and creativity.

Thank you for the support we find in our congregation, and for the difference volunteers make in our community.

Wherever there is division in the world, bring unity and peace with justice;

Where people dispute opinions, give wisdom to see what is important;

Where people are tired and anxious, bring strength and courage.

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

God of compassion,

You call us to be communities held together by prayer and love for our neighbours.

Thank you for the ministry that has blessed us through the concern others showed us.

Where people mourn loss of any kind, provide comfort;

Where there is illness and pain, bring healing;

Where there is distress or discouragement, transform fear into hope.

By your Spirit, equip us to serve one another in Christ’s name, so that your compassion touches lives with love and mercy.

God, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Loving God, we lay before you now our personal concerns in this time of silence:

We offer you our prayers, spoken and unspoken, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Song: Lord of all power (626)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Walk in the light of God’s Word as you leave our worship. Look around at the seeds bearing fruit around you and consider how you bear the fruit of God’s Word in your life.

May God the Spirit bring you growth.

May God the Son tend you with wisdom.

And God the Source of all life bless you with all you need to thrive.

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

Take the Gospel and put skin on it

Posted on July 9, 2023July 9, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
Pentecost 6     10:00 am     09 July 2023
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev Brad Childs     Music director: Binu Kapadia
Pianist: Yvonne Boone      Vocalists: Peter and Cheryl Sheridan & Lynn Vaughan
Elder: Iris Routledge

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: Come! Share the joy of the Lord!
P: Delight in God’s goodness!
L: Praise God who gives each person a special gift to be nurtured and shared.
P: Lord, we thank you for these gifts!
L: Come, let us worship God who entrusts us with so much.
P: Lord, make us worthy of your love and trust in us. Amen!

Opening praise: Forever God is faithful

Prayers of approach and confession

You, O God, are overflowing with love, infinite in kindness, and incomparable in glory.

There is no other like you in all our imagining.

Your presence breaks into our lives in the beauty of summer and refreshes us like a gentle breeze breath on a still day.

You renew us to meet life’s changes and challenges.

In this time of worship, we offer thanks in our prayers, praise from our hearts, and honor with our lives, to you, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, this day and every day, now and always.

Wise and patient God, You offer us peace, yet we confess life often feels rustrating and unsettled.

You offer us courage, yet we are resentful when life is challenging.

You offer us a mission with meaning and purpose, but we are preoccupied with our own plans and desires.

Forgive us, O God, and draw our attention back to you.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness, O God

Assurance of God’s love

Jesus said, Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Trust that peace and forgiveness are God’s gifts to you this day. Be renewed by the power of the Spirit that moves with you into each new day.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time

Gradual: Jesus loves me (373)

Story: Fruit Salad (Galatians 5:22-23)

If you see an apple tree, what do you expect to find on that tree? Apples! Well, when you see someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit, you expect to see what the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit. What is that? It is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Oh my, that is some good fruit, isn’t it?

Are you always patient? Are you always gentle and kind? No, there will be times when you fail. When you fail, ask God to forgive you and fill you with his Spirit so that you will produce the kind of fruit that he wants to see in your life.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill us with your Spirit so that we will show the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: Come, let us sing to the Lord our song (412)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: Acts 10:34-43

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Message: “Take the Gospel and put skin on it.”

At the home of a wonderful and loving family, the cries of a little girl could be heard as she screamed out in fear. The sound of mommy’s feet pounding their way up the stairs came next. The door flew open and her concerned face rounded the corner and ducked in nice and close to the little girl. “Nightmares again honey?” said the mother. She held her little girl close and felt her heart racing within her tiny chest.

The tears stopped now safe in the arms of a loving mother. “It’s okay baby, I’m here now and you’re never really alone anyway” she said. “Even after I go back to bed, you won’t be alone. God will still be right here with you. You believe that don’t you dear?” “Yes” the girl said and then cried out loudly once more as the tears began again. “What’s wrong honey? You know you won’t be alone. Even though you can’t see God. He’s here.” “Oh mommy” said the little girl. “I know God will be here… but-” “But what baby?” “But I want somebody with skin on!”

… Our passage from the book of Acts today begins with the word “Then”. It reads “Then Peter began to speak.” It’s not really the best place to start a story is it?

So here is just a little note for you – anytime you see that someone is speaking about a passage beginning a word like “therefore” or “next” or “then” it’s always a good idea to look back and see what has just taken place. In this particular context what’s just taken place is quite interesting.

In a city called Caesarea (named after Augustus Caesar) there was a man named Cornelius who was a captain in Judea over an elite group of Roman soldiers. These military officers were commonly referred to as “The Italian Unit.” This was a collection of six centuries (or 600 men). Now Cornelius was a very well respected man in his area and Cornelius was particularly well known for his charity to those in need.

Cornelius was not a Hebrew (though the evidence does suggest he may have been something the Jewish people referred to as a “God-Fearer”. God fearers were non-Hebrew people who came to the Porch of Solomon in the courtyard to overhear the rabbinic and Priestley debates. At the very least it appears that Cornelius was a fairly rare Roman monotheist).

In any case, from what we know, Cornelius has sent three men to the city of Joppa (about 50 km away) to find the Apostle Peter who was staying with a man called Simon the Tanner.

Please note that this is strange. A strict law keeping messianic Jewish man like Peter, would never be allowed to be in direct contact with a tanner. Tanners used animal parts to make tents and canteens and bows and all sorts of things – but they were also closely associated with death and considered not only extremely smelly but also disease ridden. The Hebrew’s had extremely specific laws from God that helped keep them healthy. The Gentiles (barbarians or non-Hebrew’s) had no such restrictions. As a result the two people groups often kept distance from each other.

Was Peter, the Apostle, Follower of Jesus staying with a barbarian who dealt with blood and animals skin all day? Something is wrong.

At the time, the Jews and Gentiles of course would rarely speak, would never touch, eat or stay together. But here Peter is, staying with Simon “the Tanner” anyway. When the men arrive to find the apostle, Peter is up on the roof of the house. He is in his own private prayer time but comes down speaking with them as one would generally do when met with the police. And he is polite with them – as we all should be.

But knowing that these people have just walked 12 hours to see him Peter even invites them into the home for the night (again something Peter would not normally do being that these soldiers are not his own people). In other words, Peter is staying with an “infidel” and then when other people come to check him out, he invites those “infidels” to stay with him as well.

Curiously, Peter also never refers to these men as gentiles or alludes to it in any way. An oddity to be sure. Instead, he very strangely calls them allophulos (those from another tribe). IT IS A WAY OF INCLUDING THEM and BEING ONE!

The next morning Peter and also “some of the Lord’s followers,” traveled to Caesarea with Cornelius’ men. And upon arriving at the home Peter walks right into the house (once more something that a Jewish man just simply would not do) and there Peter finds that Cornelius has already assembled a mass of friends and family and wishes for Peter to tell all of his friends about this man Jesus.

And that, everyone, that is the information that covers the very first word “Then” in our readings.

Don’t worry.

At this point our physician and historian author St. Luke speaks about what he has seen take place in the Acts of the Earliest Church. He writes to us saying, “³⁴Then Peter began to speak saying: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” And then… THEN Peter begins to preach the gospel to Cornelius (the very first non-Hebrew convert ever to follow Jesus recorded in the bible) – person who by the end of the story (along with all his guests) will believe and be baptized.

But first Peter must preach.

To the Captain over Judea, Peter says, “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the accusing devil, because God was with him.”

It’s a little wild. This was apparently a hit news story of the day. People were sharing the story of a risen Jesus all over the place. It was a 24 hour news cycle run by word of mouth. The news was everywhere.

Peter – think about this – Peter… assumes everyone knows this story.

Peter assumed that basically everyone had heard this story. It’s good assumption. It is likely that Cornelius had heard this very captivating and very prevalent Judean news story or the day, considering his position as a Captain over Judea.

But Peter speaks to him as if he has some take on the situation already.

Like today, just because someone knows the Judean story of Jesus, that doesn’t mean that they really know it and it certainly doesn’t mean that just because they know it that they must also believe it or accept it.

Peter knows Cornelius has heard the stories and Peter knows that Cornelius is interested.

And so, Peter continues. He says, “We are witnesses of everything Jesus did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”

Peter’s point is pretty simple really. He is saying – That Huge News Story of the Year, – I WAS THERE! “I saw it!” I walked around with that guy for three years. I ate with him and drank with him every day. I listened to him. I knew him just about as well as anyone could ever know him and I’m telling you I saw him get ripped apart. I saw him get beat down and tortured. I saw him get spiked and dropped in the hole. I saw him get speared in the side. I saw him get taken down, covered in spices and wrapped. I cried for three days and hid from the authorities who wanted me dead too. And I saw him, clear as day (with holes in his hands and a hole in his side)… dead but not. I ate a meal with a guy I knew as well as I know my own mother, and it was absolutely the same guy we buried three days before. I saw it with my own eyes. I’m one of the first eyewitnesses. I saw it.

A police officer stepped up to the driver’s window of the speeding car he had just pulled over. “What’s the problem officer?” asked the driver. “Well, sir, you were going at least 75 in a 55 zone,” said the officer. “No sir. I was going 65. I’m sure of it and besides the guy beside me was going faster than I was.” “Oh, Harry. You were doing 80 kilometres an hour and you know it,” said the man’s wife in the seat next to him.

Shocked, the irritated driver gave his wife a very dirty look.

“I’m also going to have to give you a ticket for your broken taillight,” said the officer. “Broken taillight? I didn’t know I had a broken taillight!” exclaimed the man. “Oh Harry, you’ve known about that taillight for weeks,” said the wife, who got another very dirty look from her husband.

“Sir, that’s not all, I’m also going to give you a citation for not wearing your seat belt,” said the officer. “Oh, but I just took it off when you were walking up to the car so I could get my wallet,” protested the man. “Harry, you never wear your seat belt!” said the wife. Exasperated, the man turned to his wife and yelled; “Will you ever shut your mouth”

The police officer turned to the woman and asked, “Ma’am, does your husband talk to you this way all the time?” “Oh no, officer,” she said. “Only when he’s really, really, drunk.”

Peter had quite the story to tell.

But here’s the rub. We are only as good as our word.

As a member of the Roman army, Cornelius knew full well that Peter had nothing to gain from his story. Before this all happened, Peter was a boat owner on a lake filled with fish. He was from a fairly prominent family (though working folk and “new money”). Interestingly we see from scripture that Peter’s mother even owned her own home (something more than just a little uncommon for Hebrew women of the time).

Until about 6 months before Peter had lived a relatively safe and uneventful life with a significant safety net of generational property.

After Jesus – at this point – now… now, he was poor, his wife lived with his mother. He didn’t receive any funds. He gave what he made away. Absolute fact, if Peter didn’t tell this story, he’d be far better off. He could go back to his old life. All he had to do what just not tattle on an inebriated spouse.

Telling the story meant that Peter was in danger. Telling his story meant that Peter could be killed. And telling this eyewitness account would not help Peter’s standing, his family, Peter’s friends, Peter’s village, his people, his cause, on and on and on and on down the list – Telling this story is a death sentence. It was suicide and he didn’t even know what it meant just yet.

Peter follows Cornelius’ lead. And that’s rather trusting or stupid.

Think about that for a second. Walking into the Captain’s house, the captain of the “Italian Unit” (an elite military division), a Captain with 600 men at his disposal, the Captain who ran Judea where all this took place – Judea, where they were gradually gearing up to force non-pagans to convert to the Cult of Rome or die… For Peter to just stroll into that guys house, the guy that sent three soldiers to go and get him??? Wow, that was and is a BIG deal. Telling the story was a big deal.

The thing is… it all worked out. In fact, it worked out amazingly. Cornelius and those with him “believed and were baptized”. Go figure.

As the story goes, every day, at exactly the same time, Margaret would go to the bathroom cabinet, open it, and take out a huge bottle of castor oil. Then she would head to the kitchen to get a tablespoon. At the sound of the drawer opening and the silverware rattling, Patches, her Yorkshire terrier, would run and hide—sometimes under the bed, at other times in the bathtub or behind Margaret’s recliner.

Someone had convinced Margaret that Patches would have strong teeth, a beautiful coat, and a long life if she gave him a spoonful of castor oil every day. This was not uncommon. It was the norm. My Gramma Grace used to give each of the six kids a spoonful of cod liver oil every night from the same spoon to make sure they all stayed healthy. It was a thing. So, as an act of love every twenty-four hours, Margaret cornered little Patches, pinned him down, pried open his tiny terrier mouth, and poured a tablespoon of castor oil down his little doggie throat. Neither Patches nor Margaret enjoyed their daily wrestling match.

Then one day, in the middle of their “battle royal,” with one sideways kick, (Ping!) Patches back left paw sent the dreaded bottle of castor oil sliding across the kitchen floor. It was a momentary victory for the canine, as Margaret let him go so she could run to the pantry and grab a towel to clean up the mess.

But when Margaret got back, she was utterly shocked. There she witnessed tiny Patches happily licking up all the spilled castor oil with a joyful look of satisfaction on his face that only a dog can make. Margaret began to laugh uncontrollably. In one moment, it all made sense. Patches liked castor oil. He just hated being pinned down and having it poured down his tiny throat.

Well, doesn’t that sound about right?

In our reading from today, Peter didn’t go out looking for someone to scream his story at. He didn’t plan to forcibly shove it down someone’s throat.

Peter just wasn’t hiding the story that he had experienced.

And he wasn’t keeping safe and quiet.

And for that very reason Cornelius came to him. But Peter was ready, no matter how dangerous it may have been to tell the truth he had witnessed with his own two eyes.

And that is still the job for every one of us.

Our job… is to take the story the people have heard, or think they’ve heard. And whenever and however we’re called upon to do so… To take the gospel (that no person alive today has witnessed firsthand) … and do for it what that little girl crying at night wanted…. To do what Peter did for Cornelius… Our job is to attract the world to us, with our witness. It is to take the gospel…. And put skin on it. -Amen

Song: Morning has broken (514)

We respond to serve God

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Gracious God, receive our gifts as tokens of our gratitude for your goodness to us. Bless them so that they become seeds of generosity, bringing needed gifts to others in Jesus’ name.

God ever creating, God ever loving, God ever leading: We turn to you in uncertain times, trusting in your steadfast love.

Where people are anxious about the future, where people overwhelmed by their responsibilities, where people fear conflict or violence in daily life, Bring peace and hope, we pray,

And let your kingdom come.

God of all compassion: Where people are lonely or isolated, longing for love, where people are trapped in unhealthy relationships, where people are grieving the loss of someone beloved: Bring courage and hope, we pray,

And let your kingdom come.

God of tender strength: Where people feel pain in their bodies, in minds or spirits,

where illness has eroded hope; and where desperation for help fills each day: Bring healing and hope, we pray,

And let your kingdom come.

God of trustworthy truth: Where leaders work to guide communities to renewed life, where individuals strive to care for the earth and its vulnerable inhabitants, and where people stand up against unjust policies or practices: Bring wisdom and hope, we pray,

And let your kingdom come.

God in whom we live and move and have our being: By your Spirit, tend your promise of new life amid the current struggles in the world you love.

Where hope flickers, reignite its power; Shine the light of Christ’s love into each life and renew our trust in you as we pray, Amen.

Song: Leaning on the everlasting arms

Sending out with God’s blessing

Go in the strength of the Lord and let Christ shoulder your burdens. And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Response: Amen, we praise your name, O God

Music postlude

Deus Absconditus

Posted on July 2, 2023July 2, 2023 by John

Worship on the Lord’s Day
02 July 2023 Pentecost 5 10:00 am
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Rev. Brad Childs
Music Director: Binu Kapadia Vocalist: Glynnis McCrostie
Elder: Sam Malayang
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: When I think of God’s presence in the world, I am grateful:
P: Grateful for the presence of hope; grateful for the gift of life.
L: And when I think of God’s presence in my life, I am humbled:
P: Humbled by the gift of grace; humbled by the invitation to begin again.
L: And when I think of God’s presence in this community, I am glad:
P: Glad to be surrounded by holy people worshipping our Holy God.
L: Thank you all; thank you, God.

Opening praise: Everlasting God

Prayers of approach and confession
Lord God, Loving God, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

From north and south, from east and west, drawn by your majesty, we come to worship you.

For the gift of this new day, fresh from your hand, we rejoice.

For the renewal we know through friendship with Christ, we praise you.

For the Spirit’s energy, blessing us in each moment, we honour you.

Lord God, Loving God, all of life is your gift, so give us glimpses of your splendor and love in this time of worship.

Accept our praise offered in word and action, Creator, Redeemer and Holy Spirit, here and everywhere, now and always. Amen.

Lord of all life and each life,

We confess we can forget that life is your gift, especially when we face struggles or feel hard done by.

We confuse our own desires for your will, and stop listening for your guidance.

Forgive any hurt we have caused by action or inaction, and show us how to make amends.

May we live with you and with each other in reconciling grace through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s forgiveness
Friends, Jesus knows we have fallen short of his intentions for us, yet in his great mercy, he welcomes us back into his embrace. Thanks be to God that we are forgiven, refreshed and restored for ministry by God’s grace.

Musical Offering: Glynnis McCrostie

We listen for the voice of God

Song: How long will you forget me, Lord (6)

Scripture readings (NRSV): Psalm 13; Isaiah 45:15; John 14:9

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Message: “Deus Absonditus”
In Psalm 13 David writes, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

There’s an old song by Ira Stanphill that sums it up this way: “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.”

Strong faith in God does not come all at once and it is not without its times of doubt, its struggle or pain. In fact Strong Faith is often gained through willing submission to God’s love and goodness while one is right in the midst of trial.

Our text for this morning, Psalm 13, is a psalm of lament. It’s a song, it’s a prayer. And it’s a complaint. To modern ears, especially with the popularity today of “prosperity gospel” (churches telling people how God wants to give them wealth and status) the idea of complaining to God seems somehow out of place. Psalms of lament make people uncomfortable. They say things we aren’t sure should even be said. They get in touch with the pain inside of us that we’re not always eager to engage. And they are everywhere in scripture.

Almost half the Psalms in the book of Psalms are psalms of lament. In addition most books of the bible contain at least one prayer of lament and there’s even an entire book of the bible called Lamentations (complaints) that sadly enough; rarely gets read. Now, that is understandable. We live in a world that is largely separated from our emotions unless they are happy emotions. The hard work of the soul is not something people do for fun. More often than not we try to hide our pain away and put on a happy Christian face. Who wants to complain to God? It just seems wrong somehow. Still, the truth is, complaint is actually a big part of our Holy Scriptures, and so also, a big part of our faith and tradition.

I know, complaining to God is sort of like an ant complaining to a elephant about its little ant problems. It just seems arrogant and wrong. What’s more when people in scripture complain to God it doesn’t always go smoothly. When Job gets a little too testy with God, God’s got a response prepared and it’s a doosy. God’s response to Job is this: “And Job, just where were you when I stretched out the heavens like a tent and hung the stars in the heavens?”

But the thing is, even though God challenges Job, his prayer is not and never could be out of order. Job’s God is not upset that Job has complained. Once we get over that fear we quickly realize that, not only are we allowed to complain but we’re actually encouraged to bring our complaints to God.

And I find that amazing. I find the level of honesty God wants us to have with Him comforting. When things aren’t right, we’re supposed to turn to the one holding our tomorrow.

Psalm 10 begins by saying, “WHY, O LORD, DO YOU STAND FAR OFF? WHY DO YOU HIDE YOURSELF IN MY TIMES OF TROUBLE?” It sounds harsh but really, what’s wrong with that. Who hasn’t felt that way? In fact this is such a common theme in scripture that has it’s own Latin name. Deus Abscond-i-tus. The God who hides.

In Psalm 22 David cried out saying, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? WHY ARE YOU SO FAR FROM THE WORDS OF MY GROANING? O MY GOD, I CRY OUT BY DAY BUT YOU DO NOT ANSWER ME-” I mean, miracles are great but as an old professor of mine used to say, “If miracles happened everyday they’d be called normals”. The fact is, a lot of our prayers should sound like David’s (asking Where are you God?).

Because a lot of our prayers seem to go unanswered. And when they do – “Why?” is a perfectly reasonable request (as long as it’s honest and not arrogant). And I think admitting that is healthy.

There is a sentiment today that seems to think that crying and complaining to God are signs of a weak faith. As if truly religious people never waver or get shaken. But that’s ridiculous. If someone you love gets cancer and you don’t have at least a couple chinks in your “faith-armor” than I think there’s something seriously wrong with you. How could you not be shaken? In a world where there is so much hurt and pain we need to recapture the tradition of Lament. We need to be able to express our feelings and be honest with God.

The Psalmist writes, “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? ³Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, ⁴and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”

“How long Lord?” Who here hasn’t felt that way?

And when we feel beat down and ignored what better solution is there than prayer? That’s why Paul tells the Philippians “but in everything, by prayer and petition… present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

That’s what God’s there for, right… to listen.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that God answers every prayer. It’s just that he doesn’t always give you the answers you want. Sometimes it’s Yes but sometimes it’s Later and sometimes it’s just “No”.

Sometimes it’s yes.

I think I’ve told some version of this story in every congregation I have served. But many years ago now, my brother was taking his 3 kids to visit our parents (driving from Kansas where he lives to Omaha Nebraska where my parents lived) when a large grain truck pulled out onto the highway; turning left and covering all lanes in both directions. From the devastating aftermath the police could tell that the car had not been speeding and that it had slammed on the brakes… and that at the very end, it had swerved a hard left (with a clear intent of putting the brunt of the impact on the driver – the exact opposite of what’s usually seen). The car was demolished; the three kids were okay but were left caring for the limp bloodied body of their father.

Phone calls and Facebook requests went out.

I am aware of over 1,200 people that said they were praying for his family over that first week (including a 24-hour vigil in Dongshang China on June the 25^th 2014) and that’s just one of the ones I know about. My brother Chad was in a coma with severe brain damage, and they thought he was going to die. Chad had a DAI traumatic brain injury and was left in a coma with a 50% chance of waking up and a 50% chance of spending the 3 years following any possible awakening re-learning how to walk, talk and feed himself again (something they said he just might never accomplish). For the first 3 days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) we were being prepped for his assumed demise.

By Wednesday, he was captured wondering around the halls looking for a bathroom and talking (though very confused) and then later that day he even ate a plate of spaghetti by himself.

At the time I sent the following answer to a friend’s question. I wrote, “He’s definitely not himself (at times he is a 10 years old or very confused version of himself) but if he keeps up this rate of recovery, by next week, he’ll not only be better, he’ll have superpowers.” The team at Modona Rehab Center know him well.

The trauma has changed him for sure. But he is still doing some teaching at Friends University and working as a marriage and family counselor and administrator… Sometimes… God says “yes”. Sometimes, He’s not hidden at all. But…

Sometimes God says later.

In our inability to understand the unsearchable ways of God, there is a tendency for us to reach wrong conclusions, to assume God is ignoring us. There are times when God is silent, and we erroneously interpret God’s silence for inactivity. There are times in our lives when our hearts are breaking, and God seems to do nothing to restore them. Often when God doesn’t work in our particularly prescribed way or within our exact time frame, we feel like the Psalmist, that God has forgotten us.

But the truth is, the infinite Creator of the universe, often works in mysterious ways that are flat out unfathomable to us. Ambivalent and confusing feelings often arise. Hence, we can mistakenly feel that God doesn’t care about us. But the truth is He is there for us and no matter how we might feel at the time. God has promised us in His Word that “HE WILL NEVER LEAVE US NOR FORSAKE US” (Hebrews 13:5). He may be hidden, But he’s there.

Most of us pray as David did: “In the day when I call answer me speedily” (Psalm 102:2). “I am in trouble: hear me speedily” Psalm 69:17. The Hebrew word for speedily suggests “right now, hurry up, in the very hour I call on you, do it!” David was saying, “Lord, I put my trust in you—but please hurry!”

God is in no hurry. He doesn’t jump at our commands.

When Moses is told by God to tell pharaoh Let my people go, we know that God will also keep pharaoh from doing it. There is a whole story to unfold before Moses prayers were answered.

Abraham and Sarah don’t get their answered prayer for 13 years. Joseph prays for freedom and release from prison and for justice. That happens – again 13 years later. Isaiah’s prayer took about 700 years to be answered. If you are faithfully and hopefully praying and aren’t hearing anything yet, you are once again in good company.

Sometimes God in His wisdom says, “later”.

Other times God answers us “no”.

We don’t understand why and perhaps we never will. Sometimes God appears to be in hiding.

CS Lewis once said (I’m paraphrasing), “I don’t pray to change the mind of a perfect and all-knowing God. I pray because when I do, a perfect and all-knowing God changes me.” Or as Dr. David Osborn puts it, “Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances, while God is using our circumstances to change us.”

Sometimes God’s answer is just a simple “no” and it hurts.

We have all prayed one of those prayers. Even Jesus prayed that the cup of pain be taken away and yet that didn’t happen. Just think about that for a second. Jesus prayed to not have to face the pain of the cross. And He got a “no”. That is a hard one for me. It’s awfully hard to get mad at God for not answering me, when even Jesus got a No. Am I more deserving??? I don’t think so.

Dr. Mark Rutland, president of Southeastern College (in his book “God of the Valleys”) put it very well. He wrote, “From the mountaintops, we view life; in the valleys we live it.” “From the mountaintops, we view life; in the valleys we live it.”

While we are living life in the valleys we’re learning great lessons (sometimes very hard ones). The Bible tells us that these times allow us to stretch and grow our faith and to develop our maturity. Waiting on the Lord is not a time of inaction, rather it is perhaps the time of our deepest spiritual development (when we get broken down and remolded). And sometimes the ultimate injustice happens – Someone dies. And yet that is also when God claims us and those we love as his own. And while it does not feel like it to us – that is the ultimate healing and the answer to every prayer – to be forever with God.

Obviously, David was going through something here when he wrote this lament in Psalm 13. We don’t know what it was exactly, but David’s history was filled with not only fame and glory, but also sorrow and anguish. In other words, he was thoroughly human. He wasn’t especially close to his father and brothers. Nothing is mentioned of his mother. King Saul tried to hunt him down to kill him. His home life as king was tortuous. Three wives and multiple other relationships consumed him. He had an affair that included murder of the woman’s husband and made a bit of a mess of things. His children were at constant war with each other, and one son murdered another, after the first son violated his own half-sister. Then David’s other child tried his hand at patricide.

I think, maybe David had a few good reasons to write these words?

I bet you do too sometimes.

And yet despite these laments, God called David “a man after God’s own heart.”

Maybe that’s how he thinks of you too, when you feel lost and go out calling to him in your pain?

The idea that strong people of faith don’t go through trials or waver in their faith should be thrown to the ground and stomped upon. The truth is, we all have difficult times. And sometimes the ant really does needs to scream up into the sky and ask, “Why?”.

I think God wants that honesty.

Psalm 13 is just 6 verses long. But it comes with a little twist. David spends the first 4 lines complaining and crying that God isn’t answering him. And then all of the sudden he pulls a 180. He says, “⁵But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation (your rescue). ⁶I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He HAS been good to me.”

What’s most interesting to me about this is that David is still upset and God hasn’t answered his prayers yet. His face is hidden.

David is still in pain. And yet he says “I will sing to the Lord, because He Has Been good to me.” Not “He gave me what I want” or even “I trust that He will answer me”. BUT because “He Has Been Good To Me”. With all things considered, David is blessed. David’s experiences of God in the past reveal a loving God despite the way things appear at this difficult time. That is the God he calls upon and this is the God he rests in. The One who HAS been good.

Being a person of faith doesn’t mean living in the Rose Garden with kitty cats and unicorns. Jesus Himself said in John 16:33, “…IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION…” In this sin-marred world we should expect troubles and heartaches. Nevertheless, ultimately God has promised to make all things right in the end.

Until that day we should continue to pray in all things. We do get miracles (and we should pray for them), Miracles do happen. Prayers are answered. Of this I have no doubt. But we also get to wait for the “later’s”… … … and… we get the hard to hear “no’s” too.

We have NOT been promised a life free from pain and sorrow, but rather one in which JOY WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD.” Until then, just know that shaking a fist at God from time to time doesn’t make you a weak Christian. It makes you an honest one.

Until the time comes when “Miracles” are just the “Normals”, we will just have to keep strong.

As I said before, there’s an old song by Ira Stanphill that perhaps sums it up best: “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.” Amen.

Song: Come, Thou Fount of every blessing

We respond to serve God

Reflection on giving: We have been giving faithfully and we are committed to continuing the ministry and mission that define Dayspring – using the ways described below. Thank you all for your support of our shared vision and mission.

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves
Generous God, what we return to you today has first come to us from you. Bless what we offer so that those in need may taste your abundance which we know already in Christ, our Living Lord. Amen.
Lord God of heaven and earth, with joy and thanksgiving we praise you for you create, sustain, and redeem all things.
For making us in your image to love one another and to care for your creation, we give you thanks.
For the gift of your Son whose life is the pattern for our lives and learning, we give you thanks.
For the energy of your Spirit to inspire us in times of challenge and change, we give you thanks.
Strengthen us in these challenging times to show your love to others as we pray
For the Church and those who lead it to find new ways of reaching out in a culture with changing values . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For creation that we may learn to reverence and care for it . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For those who lead the nations of the world that they may work for the wellbeing of the most vulnerable and seek peace together. . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For those who make decisions about health care, education and social services in these times when there are many demands in every area . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For the poor, the hungry and those struggling to find affordable housing when prices for everything seem to rise each day . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For those who struggle with illness, addiction, disability or despair, and for those who mourn the loss of someone dear . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

For the powerless and the oppressed, wherever they live, and for those who work to defend them . . .
Silence for 5 seconds

Hear us now as we pray in silence for situations on our hearts this day.
Silence for 15-20 seconds.

Eternal God, thank you for listening to us in every situation.
Keep our eyes open for your Spirit at work among us.
Equip us to respond to someone else’s prayer as your servants. Amen.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

We come together at the Table of the Lord to be fed by God, nourished and prepared for the days ahead. We come to celebrate a tiny portion of a heavenly feast to come. We come to memorialize the death of Christ and Him resurrected. And we come, setting these elements aside, from all common use and dedicating them to the Lord’s service. Come all who hunger or thirst for righteousness.

Song: Behold the Lamb

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 (sung – 469)

Communion Prayer
Holy and right it is, and our joyful duty, to give thanks to you at all times and in all places, O Lord our Creator, almighty and everlasting God!
You created heaven with all its hosts and the earth with all its plenty.
You have given us life and being, and preserve us by your providence.
But you have shown us the fullness of your love in sending into the world your Son, Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, made flesh for us and for our salvation.
For the precious gift of this mighty Savior who has reconciled us to you we praise and bless you, O God.
With your whole Church on earth and with all the company of heaven we worship and adore your glorious name.

Most righteous God, we remember in this Supper the perfect sacrifice offered once on the cross by our Lord Jesus Christ for the sin of the whole world.

In the joy of his resurrection and in expectation of his coming again, we offer ourselves to you as holy and living sacrifices.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us, we pray, that the bread which we break and the cup which we bless may be to us the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
Grant that, being joined together in him, we may attain to the unity of the faith and grow up in all things into Christ our Lord.

And as the grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills into one cup, grant, O Lord, that your whole Church
may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Sharing of the bread and wine

The Lord Jesus, the same night he was betrayed, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke itand gave it to them, saying,
“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of me.”

After the same manner also, he took the cup when they had supped, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ.

Come all who hunger or thirst for righteousness.

Instrumental (Piano) Time of Reflection: You satisfy the hungry heart (538)

Song: One bread, one body (540)

The prayer after Communion
Since the Lord has now fed us at his Table, let us praise God’s holy name with heartfelt thanksgiving!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him, who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all,
and will also give us all things with him.
Therefore shall my mouth and heart show forth the praise of the Lord,
from this time forth forevermore. Amen.

Hymn: I’m gonna live so God can use me (648)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Keep your eyes open as you walk in God’s world, alert for occasions to share God’s love. And may the God who made us, the Christ who mends us, and the Spirit who gives us life walk with you each and every day. Amen

Response: The Blessing

Music postlude

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