Being Woke.

Matthew 5:1-12

January 29, 2017

I.

These days I have heard people say, when they want to indicate that someone has acquired a clearer view of things, that someone is “woke.”  To be “woke” means that one is no longer just sort of sleepwalking through life, unconscious of what’s really going on, going along with whatever, just blindly following the herd.  It means someone has been brought into a knowledge of the way things really are, as distinct from the way we think they are.

Coming to an awareness of God’s Presence and love means seeing the world anew according to wonder, mystery, goodness, wholeness, shalom or peace, justice, and freedom.  This is the Kingdom of God that Jesus preaches.  We see that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” as in Psalm 24.  We see that creation is declared “very good,” as in Genesis 1.  We see God’s goodness overflowing leading us to give thanks in all circumstances, as Paul says.  We see that the world is really overflowing with beauty and blessing.  

Instead of scarcity we see abundance.  Instead of survival of the fittest, we see how beings thrive when they cooperate.  Instead of winners and losers we see how God intends the world to be win/win for everyone.  Instead of superiors and subordinates, we see how God makes us all equal.  We awaken to a seemingly new world, one of bounty and grace.  We see that the “real world,” the one that God made and places us in, is actually permeated with joy and light.  We know God’s love at the heart and core of all things.     

We can sometimes experience analogies of this kind of broadening, opening of awareness, seeing a different truth, the actual truth, in our normal experience.  When I was in the 6th grade I got my first pair of glasses, and realized with a shock for the first time the brightness, the color, the clarity, and the beauty of the world.  I will never forget my first view of the highway in Wayne outside the optometric office.  It was a revelation.

My perception had been limited to the 18 inch bubble, which was all I, in my near-sightedness could clearly see.  Everything else was foggy and even dangerous.  In realizing that there is more to the world, it is like moving from inside a cave to the top of a mountain.  Maybe that’s why Jesus makes a point of going to the top of a mountain to deliver this sermon.  When we get out of our closed, small, limited framework and see from a broader, wider, and higher perspective, when we have a more panoramic and inclusive view of the world, when we see how things really fit together, we begin to become aware of the amazing, unconventional, extraordinary, wondrous, and demanding character of the life God gives to us.   

Coming into a relationship with Jesus Christ means suddenly realizing that seen through him our whole world looks different.  He is the corrective lens perhaps allowing us to see the world as God made it.  He shows us what is really there.  He calls us out of our blindness and paralysis, our of our self-imposed disabilities, and delivers us to God’s world of wholeness and healing, justice, peace, and love.

II.

The other thing I realized that day when I got my glasses was how little and how poorly I had been seeing.  The blurry, indistinct reality I used to know — and assumed was the only truth — was revealed as a lie due to my disability.  What I had aways assumed was real, wasn’t.  It is very humbling when we come to these realizations, these moments of clarity, when we manage to step back from and get outside of ourselves enough to perceive from a wider angle.

Any new perception of the truth is going to have this dual effect: in seeing a wider expanse of truth, goodness, and beauty, we also at the same time come to see how far off we have been.  Becoming aware of God’s love and life permeating all things automatically makes us aware of the corruption, shallowness, ignorance, and evil of our own existence.  Becoming aware of God’s truth automatically makes us aware of how we have been complacently mollifying ourselves with self-serving lies.  Becoming aware of God’s Light only shows how profoundly we had been languishing in darkness.  Seeing God’s greatness only reveals our insignificance and smallness.

Coming into an awareness of God’s goodness is usually pretty traumatic because it forces us to call into question our whole worldview, everything in which we placed our trust, all our assumptions, and everything on which we were basing our actions.  We have been living in lies and we have been doing massive damage to ourselves, others, and the creation because of it. 

When Jesus sits down to teach on the mountain, I think he is kind of saying, “Blessed are the woke.”  Because the qualities he lists here are what happens to a soul that has been suddenly faced with the reality of what Jesus is about and the truth which he embodies.  

Once we start to take his teachings, his actions, and his witness to the Kingdom of God seriously, once we are confronted with how far short and how far off the mark is our normal understanding of the world, once we realize how utterly different from what we think we know is God’s truth and God’s reality, we can only be thrown into a situation of brokenness, humility, grief, remorse, sadness, and shock.  We are jolted into an awareness of our own deep and comprehensive poverty of spirit.

Poverty of spirit means all our self-importance, all our self-righteousness, all our self-aggrandizement, all of our certainty, all our delusions of grandeur, all the imaginations of our heart that tell us how special we are, how right we are, how great we are, are simply blown away. 

To know this, to have this awareness and consciousness that Jesus calls poverty of spirit, to know how spiritually poor we are… Jesus calls this blessed.  Because to at least be aware of our delusion and ignorance and smallness is better than remaining in our clueless, unconscious, sleepwalking, blind, paralyzed state.

The first 4 of these blessings, or “beatitudes,” of Jesus have to do with this sense of humility, loss, shock, emptiness, and just being off the track.  They are what we feel when we see how profoundly we have been on the wrong track for all of our lives.

III.     

The question becomes, “Now what?”  So Jesus offers 5 more blessings, showing us what it means to emerge into this new world, this new life, he reveals to us.  He talks about mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, and enduring persecution.  In all, he depicts a simple, non-judgmental, humble, unassuming, focused, and non-violent way of life.  Later in the gospel he will talk about losing ourselves, giving up all we have, taking up our cross, and generally emerging into a non-egocentric, selfless, generous, and open embracing of life.

This is how he himself lives, finally giving up his own life and pouring out his own blood on the cross for the life of the world.  He shows that we receive from God, from life, from reality, what we give.  When we are merciful we will receive mercy.  Indeed, practicing mercy is how we receive mercy.  It is a matter of being given mercy by God and then receiving it by passing it on to others.  We only receive what flows through us into the world.  We don’t receive to grasp, but only to give away. 

Purity of heart means an unadulterated oneness and unity of our vision.  God is One, and purity of heart is to realize that all are one in God.  We are not to be distracted or diverted into meaningless divisions and distinctions.  It is the realization, as Paul says so powerfully in Galatians, that there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female, because in Christ we are all revealed to be one.  And we treat others as ourselves, because they are ourselves, sharing in the same humanity and creatureliness.  Purity of heart is an identification with all creation and all people.

This is itself the root of true peacemaking.  It is not a matter or bringing people together so much as encouraging people to realize the unity and togetherness they already share.  Being “woke” means seeing and living in what is really there, and has been there all along.  It means helping others to see what we see first by our actions and example.  A true peacemaker is one who knows and acts as if everyone is part of one divine family, because that is the truth.  A true peacemaker witnesses to a peace and justice that has always been established by God at the heart of all things.

 proceeding in our lives according to these blessings, these practices and values of Jesus, will place us in radical discontinuity with the way most people and the powers that run the world still think and exist.  We will be rejected as crazy, or as traitors, or as atheists, or as just eccentric and pathetic losers.  The consequences of living according to the truth is that those still blinded by their idols and lies will reject and even persecute us.

Get used to it, says Jesus.  Persecution is the only thing on this list that he mentions twice, in case we didn’t get it the first time.  

IV.

  

Finally, he assures us that the people who know these blessings of God have a great reward in heaven.  Do not imagine that he is talking about something that only happens after our bodies die.  In Matthew’s gospel, “heaven” is often a euphemism for God, whose name Matthew is uncomfortable overusing.  And to be “in God” is something that begins to happen here and now.  It happens when we get “woke” to God’s living Presence and reality all around, among, and within us.  The reward starts now in the joy, peace, and forgiveness we know in God’s “woke” community.

That is the community, the gathering of disciples, of people who walk in the light of God’s truth, who live in the real world by doing justice, loving kindness, and walking in humility with God, as the prophet Hosea says.  We do that by living according to these blessings of the Lord Jesus.

+++++  

Fishing for People.

Matthew 4:12-24

January 22, 2017

I.

In my first church there was a woman from Denmark.  She and her family would go visit her home every couple of years, and in 1984 they invited me along.  We toured parts of the country, in the course of which they took me to a tour of the west coast of Jutland, the part of Denmark that connects to mainland Europe.  There we saw the monumental concrete forts built in the 40’s by the Germans, who had conquered Denmark.  Hitler was afraid the allies might invade Germany through Denmark.  NATO had subsequently used some of these monstrosities for target practice since then, but they were still there, and I presume, they still are.  

My hosts were particularly ashamed about this because these fortifications were not technically and actually constructed “by the Germans.”  The Germans paid for them, but the work was done by Danish workers who needed the jobs.  In other words, many Danish men found themselves gainfully employed by their conquerors in physically building forts that were in effect their own national prison. 

I thought of that when I read this story about Jesus calling his firs disciples.  They were fishers.  And we know from historical studies that the Roman Emperor had declared himself the owner of all water and all fish, which meant that the business of fishing was highly regulated and taxed by the Empire.  Fishing was very lucrative for the conquerors, and very hard and not very remunerative work for the locals.  But it was work.  It was a job.  It was better than being unemployed and starving.  To be a fisher was to work for your own subsistence… and to make the Romans rich.

The Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, has a great term for this practice of working to benefit your oppressors.  He calls it “making bricks for Pharaoh,” referring of course to the condition of the Israelites in slavery in Egypt, as recounted in the book of Exodus.  But he also extends the meaning to include workers of all times, including our own, whose work serves mainly to enrich the moneyed elites who control the economy, and to strengthen their domination of local communities.

The Danish workers are a particularly egregious example of this, but it happens all the time usually in subtler ways.  We convince ourselves that our work is feeding our families and paying our mortgages — and it is.  But we do not want to realize that most of the wealth we are creating by our work does not get realized by us, but by owners, shareholders, bosses, bankers, executives, and others, who don’t do much if any of the work.

Just like these four men, Andrew, Peter, James, and John, most of the profit from whose work is being collected by the Empire, no doubt to feed the legions of soldiers who are busy oppressing, killing, raping, and crucifying their neighbors.  When Jesus shows up, he offers them a whole new framework for their labor.  He offers them transfigured and transformed work.  Instead of fishing for fish to make Caesar rich, he invites them to fish for people in the Kingdom of Heaven.

II.

We tend to make idols out of two big things in our lives: work and family.  They are both good, of course.  Work and family are valuable, necessary, and beneficial to our life.  Everyone agrees that society benefits greatly when people have good jobs and when families are strong and secure.  Work and family are practically the two pillars of a healthy community.

But they become idols for us when they are blown out of proportion and turned into ultimate or nearly ultimate loyalties.  When any parts of a system like this are overly elevated into positions of excessive importance, to the point that other factors are being forgotten or denigrated, we sink into destructive idolatry.  They can even become oppressive, as in Bruce Springsteen’s song, “The River,” when the singer’s life is all but over as soon as he receives “a union card and a wedding coat.”  Work and family are also the way society controls us.

It should get our attention that when Jesus calls disciples, he calls them to abandon their jobs and their families.  This is what we see Peter, Andrew, James, and John doing.  They leave their nets and their boat — the tools of their trade — and they leave their father, not to mention any wives, children, parents, or other family they may have.  

I will simply make the observation that the church does not require this separation anymore from our previous important, intimate connections.  It was common in the early church, though, for becoming a Christian to involve such a profound break with the past that you left your job and even your family to follow Jesus.  This later became and still is the case for monastic communities.  And there are are places in the world where this still happens.  But for 1600 years it has not been necessary or even normal for most Christians to quit their jobs and abandon their families in order to join the church.

Nevertheless, Matthew’s point in telling this part of the story is a reminder for us that discipleship is not a hobby.  It is not an activity we do in our spare time.  It is not separate from our other commitments, but on the contrary, discipleship must transform, orient, and define the other aspects of our life, even things as central and important as work and family.

III.

Jesus himself defines his ministry here in verse 17 when he issues his call for people to: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”  By proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven and its nearness, Jesus is presenting a different, alternative way of organizing our common life.  Instead of the structures we are given by human powers and authorities Jesus offers a new vision of a different kind of Kingdom.  He gives us new work, and he gives us a new family.  

Jesus will later in his ministry say that we should strive first for the Kingdom of God.  He will say that we may follow either God or money, but never both.  The two are mutually exclusive; if we love one we necessarily hate the other.  Working for money is becoming a slave to the Emperor whose image was stamped on coins.  Jesus has nothing but disdain and sorrow for rich people who have sold their souls for wealth in this fleeting existence.

Working for God is a totally different thing.  Jesus invites these men to “fish for people.”  Matthew then briefly describes what this will entail.  Jesus expresses the good news of the Kingdom by his healing.  He cures “every disease and every sickness among the people.”  They bring to him the sick, “those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics.”  And his reputation quickly spreads all over, from Syria in the north, to Judea in the south, and across the Jordan to the west.

So when Jesus talks about God’s Kingdom, his actions show that it is about healing and wholeness.  It is about bringing people up from debilitated, broken, painful disabilities.  It is about restoring people to health, and banishing people’s diseases, physical as well as things we would identify today as psychological.  In other words, Jesus heads right for the most shattered, lost, hurting, incapacitated, even outcast individuals.  Instead of appealing first to the powerful and the leaders, as would be the church’s strategy so often in history, he locates and ministers to the opposite.  The people at the bottom, the victims of society, the losers.

I was reading something this week suggesting how much of the physical illness we see is caused at least in part by various sick characteristics of our civilization.  Some researchers wonder about how much Cancer, Alzheimers, Autism, Asthma, Heart Disease, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, and other maladies are by-products of the way we live and the chemicals we pump into our environment.  They notice that a lot of this was unheard of to traditional tribes until their are infected with the Modern World.  They notice that healthy families and healthy communities tend to produce healthier people.

“Fishing for people” would have to do at least in part with gathering people out of bad, violent, fearful, disordered relationships, and bringing them up into the light, into communities of shalom, equality, welcome, forgiveness, and justice.  Fishing for people is evangelism.  It is real and good work because it is about changing people by including them in a new, real, and good network of relationships.  

IV.

Fishing for people might also mean doing work that is transfigured to be performed in the service of human needs.  Instead of working to make Caesar richer, we could work to feed, empower, liberate, heal people.  Instead of working in competition to one another, we could work cooperatively, building each other up, sharing.  Instead of working for our own individual benefit, we could dedicate ourselves to work that helps everyone.

Finally, Jesus is clear that this requires repentance, which is the acquisition of a new mind and a new way of thinking and acting.  We simply cannot change ourselves and our world without having what Paul calls the mind of Christ, that is, a soul that sees and knows its connection to God and to all, that understands love as the basic truth of the universe, and that desires only to be nothing so that God’s goodness may flow through us without obstruction into our world.

+++++++    

   

         

 

 

The Great Blessing of Water + 2017

This service was celebrated at the Atlantic Highlands beach on Lower New York Bay on January 8, 2017.  (It was very cold!)  I have done this service in several of the churches I have served.  It is an adaptation of an ancient Christian tradition.

THE GREAT BLESSING OF WATER

January 8, 2017

Invocation

The Voice of the Lord upon the waters cries out, saying:

Come, receive the Spirit of Wisdom, 

the Spirit of Understanding, 

the Spirit of the Fear of God, 

the Spirit of Christ who is made manifest.

Today the nature of the waters is sanctified.  

The Jordan bursts forth and turns back the flood of its streams, 

seeing the Master wash himself.

As a human being you came to that river, O Christ our King, 

hastening to receive the baptism of a servant 

at the hands of the Forerunner because of our sins, 

O Good One who loves humankind.

To the voice of one crying in the wilderness, 

“Prepare the way of the Lord,” you came, O Lord, 

taking the form of a servant, 

asking for baptism though you have no sin.

The waters saw you and were astonished.  

The Forerunner began to tremble and cried out, saying:

“How shall the lampstand illumine the Light?  

How shall the servant lay hands upon the Master?  

Sanctify both me and the waters, 

O Savior, who takes away the sins of the world.”

Scripture Readings

Isaiah 55:1a, 6-13 

1 Corinthians 10:1-4

Mark 1:9-11

The Blessing

Great are you, O Lord, and marvelous are all your works; 

words cannot express our praise 

of your creation’s astounding abundance and beauty.

We live in a creation of amazing wonders!

We dwell on a planet filled with spectacular miracles! 

You call life itself out of chaos and darkness;

you direct our development in systems of ever-increasing intricacy and complexity.

In the darkness of space 

the Earth appears as a spinning jewel of blue: “Planet Ocean.”  

We thank you for water, the essential element for life.  

You created the cosmos out of a watery chaos, 

lifting up the dry land where plant and animal life could emerge.  

In the cycles of the seasons and changes in weather 

you set up a zone of safety, order, life, and diversity for us.  

You cleansed the Earth in the waters of the Great Flood, 

erasing human greed and violence.

You rescued all the animals of the Earth,

and one human family, 

so that life could continue,

and humanity have a new start.  

You delivered your children from the bondage of slavery 

through the waters of the sea. 

To quench their thirst

you made for them in the desert 

a spring of water from the rock.  

You brought them through the water of the Jordan 

and into the Promised Land.  

Your Son, Jesus, 

was knitted together in the water of the womb,

as are we all; 

and Mary gave birth to your Word.  

At his Baptism 

the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, 

showing that he is the promised Messiah,

the Anointed One who comes into the world

to redeem the whole creation. 

We thank you for the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, 

in which, after Christ’s example, 

we experience rebirth by the power of your Spirit.  

Through water we are one with all creation; 

through water you make us one with you.  

The celebrant touches the water.

Therefore, O living God, 

we acknowledge your Presence here and now.

Let your Holy Spirit emerge

and sanctify this water.  

Give it the blessing of Jordan,

that all it touches may be renewed, redeemed, 

liberated, enlivened, and healed.

O God, Great Spirit who creates all things:

purify this planet,

this garden of wonder,

this vineyard of grace,

by the power of your water.

Amen.

Collection

God gave the Earth just so much water.  

Ever since the beginning, 

the same water has been constantly recycled.  

This water stood in glaciers and ice caps; 

this water ran in rivers and shimmered in lakes;

this water fell in monsoons and swirled in blizzards;

this water was/is a part of the great ocean 

that nearly covers our planet;

this water flowed in living things including people;

and at least some of this water 

animated the mortal body of Jesus the Anointed One,

and was thus identical with God our Creator. 

By his blood, made of some of this water, 

shed on the cross for our salvation,

his Presence and Light now spreads across the face of the Earth,

infecting us with the peace, justice, and love of God. 

Blessed are you, O God, ruler of the universe:

for you bless us with the gift of water.

Amen.

The celebrant and people collect some of the water.     

Benediction

Come, O faithful, 

let us praise the greatness of God’s grace toward us,

For the One who became human 

and who alone is clean and undefiled, 

was for our cleansing himself cleansed in the Jordan 

that he might sanctify both us and the waters.

And by sanctifying the waters, 

by which the whole creation takes nourishment, 

Christ makes the whole creation holy.  

For the Earth is one swirling system, 

and all parts touch and become all other parts.  

May your blessing extend to the skies when this water evaporates.  

May your blessing extend to the sea and all that lives therein.  

May your blessing extend to the soil 

from which plants and animals quench their thirst.  

May your blessing extend to all life, 

whose bodies are mostly made of water, 

and who need water to live.       

Amen.

Dismissal 

Go in peace 

to love and serve the living God

who preserves and sustains all things

by the gifts of water.

Mni Wiconi!

Mni Wiconi!  

Amen.

Liturgy for the Season After Epiphany + 2017

This liturgy is prepared for the Hope Presbyterian Church Tinton Falls, NJ, and the First Presbyterian Church, Atlantic Highlands, NJ.  Non-congregational music is not included.  Hymn numbers are from The Presbyterian Hymnal, except where otherwise indicated.

The Service for the Lord’s Day

1/8 The Baptism of the Lord

1/15 The Second Sunday After the Epiphany

1/22 The Third Sunday After the Epiphany

1/29 The Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany

2/5 The Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany 

2/12 The Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany

2/19 The Seventh Sunday After the Epiphany

2/26 The Transfiguration of the Lord

GATHERING

Gathering Music:

Welcome & Announcements 

Entrance Song: 

1/8 “O Morning Star”  (verse 1) 69

1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19  

“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (verse 1) 309  

2/26 “We Are Standing on Holy Ground” G2G#406

Call to Worship 

The time is fulfilled!

The Kingdom of God has come near!

Repent, and believe the good news! Mark 1:15

Filling the Baptismal Font 

1/8

In those days 

Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee 

and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 

And just as he was coming up out of the water, 

he saw the heavens torn apart 

and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 

And a voice came from heaven, 

“You are my Son, the Beloved; 

with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26

There is one body and one Spirit, 

just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 

one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, 

who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6

And:

Remember your baptism, and be thankful!

*Hymn:

1/8 “Down Galilee’s Slow Roadways” G2G#164

1/15 “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem” 308

1/22 “Down to Earth, as a Dove” 300

1/29 “I Danced in the Morning” 302

2/5 “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” 303

2/12 “Jesus, Our Divine Companion" 305

2/19 “Fairest Lord Jesus” 306

2/26 “Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory” 73 

Prayer for Wholeness 

1/8

God of renewal and forgiveness:

by water you renew and nourish the Earth.

Water is life! 

The Lord Jesus arose from the water 

with the knowledge of his calling.

Water is life!

You call us through the water of our baptism

to follow his Way of peace and love.

Water is life!

Forgive our pollution and defilement

of your gift of water.

Water is life! 

Forgive our attempts to own and sell

your gift of water.

Water is life!

Forgive our careless waste

of your gift of water.

Water is Life!

Purify the waters of the Earth;

purify our hearts and bodies;

purify our life together with all our relations

on this beautiful and abundant planet.

Water is life! PfR

Amen.

1/15

O Hidden Light,

energy of the elements,

Sun behind all suns,

life of every living thing:

Shine upon and within us,

banishing the darkness of ignorance and fear,

sustaining the blessings of knowledge and insight,

bearing the truth of your love for us.

As you come into the world in Jesus Christ

whose life is the light for all,

shining in the darkness that cannot extinguish it:

May we also reflect your light

exposing injustices and lies,

purifying our discourse of violence and vulgarity,

illuminating a way for the weak, the humble, the lost, and the broken.

By your divine radiance

burn off all that separates us from you and each other.

Let our light shine before the whole world

bringing equality, joy, peace, and forgiveness to all. PfR

Amen.

1/22

God of goodness and truth:

You show us the Way of Life in Jesus Christ,

and it is humility, simplicity, nonviolence, generosity, 

and compassion for all.

Yet we sink into a world of “fake news”

where truth is relative,

facts are not accepted,

and our common discourse 

is reduced to entertainment and propaganda.

We find comfort in self-serving lies

telling us what we want to hear.

We tolerate hate-speech, vulgarity, willful ignorance,

equivocation, and “spin.”

Free us from the cynicism and despair

that blinds us to the pain of others.

Keep before us the gentle face of Christ,

who is your Truth.

He offers your healing and wholeness,

your forgiveness and grace,

your reconciliation and justice,

and your peace to all.

May his life be ours. PfR

Amen.

1/29

Creator God:

You bless the poor in Spirit;

empty us of all greed and avarice.

You bless the grieving;

empty us of corrosive nostalgia and denial.

You bless the humble;

empty us of self-righteous, blustering, arrogance.

You bless those who desire justice;

empty us of our falsehood that rationalizes inequality.

You bless the merciful;

empty us of our paranoia and vindictiveness.

You bless the pure in heart;

empty us of our self-importance. 

You bless the peacemakers;

empty us of our anger and violence.

You bless the persecuted;

empty us of our willingness to persecute others.

Let us be the light of the world

and salt of the Earth.

Let us shine before others

with good works

and glorify you, O God. PfR

Amen.

2/5

God of goodness and blessing:

Forty days after the birth of her son

Mary came to the Temple for her purification

and her son’s consecration

according to your Law.

Purify us by your divine Light,

banishing all that would separate us from you;

make us a living sacrifice of praise to your Name,

that your Light may shine in and through us,

witnessing to our peace. PfR

Amen.

2/12, 2/19

O God:

Isaiah prophesied that

“Truth stumbles in the public square

and uprightness cannot enter.”

We live in an age the consensus

about facts and truth

has broken down.

Science is often corrupted by money;

we believe what is convenient

and serves our desires.

Blaming scapegoats 

is easier than admitting 

that we were wrong.

Help us to remember

that you are the truth,

and the way, and the life.

You are the bearer of the consequences

of our selfishness.

May we live upright in Christ your Son,

following his Way of simplicity,

compassion, healing, and forgiveness.

Bind us to your truth, O God;

make us your witnesses. PfR

Amen.

2/26

O Lord, Jesus Christ, Light of the World:

on the mountain God reveals your true nature.

What you are by nature, 

we are by your grace:

beings of holy light, 

sent into the world as witnesses 

to the truth of your love for the world.

Let us build no distracting surrogate institutions

that block or regulate your light.

But let us shine with confidence and joy,

even as we turn now to the cross,

where your life is given for the life of the world.

Your light shines in our darkness

exposing the falsehoods and fantasies of our existence.

Your light shines in our darkness

bringing the blessed shalom of your promised Kingdom,

redeeming us from violence and injustice,

and uniting us in hope. PfR

Amen.

Assurance

1/8

O God:

You sent your Spirit upon Jesus at his baptism,

anointing him to bring good news to the poor.

You sent him into the world to proclaim release to the captives

   and recovery of sight to the blind,

     to set free the oppressed, 

and to proclaim the holy remission and restoration of your Jubilee. 

As you send him so he sends us,

his disciples, as agents of reconciliation,

witnessing to your love,

proclaiming peace,

and embodying justice.

We offer our own voices in praise and thanksgiving,

as we sing together our praise of you,

the Triune God. PfR

1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26

O Holy God:

you come to dwell among us in Jesus Christ,

and within us by your Spirit. 

In truth and goodness,

all creation offers perpetual worship and praise to you. 

You have brought all things out of nothing into being. 

You have fashioned man and woman in your image and likeness, 

and adorned them with all the gifts of beauty and grace. 

You give Wisdom and understanding to those who ask,

and you save us by changing our hearts and our lives. 

You have enabled us to offer to you due worship and praise. 

Master, accept our prayers and visit us in your goodness. 

Forgive us when voluntarily or involuntarily 

we think and act contrary to your truth. 

Sanctify our souls and bodies, 

and grant that we may love and serve you 

in holiness all the days of our lives.

Amen.

*Gloria: 

1/8 “Glory Be to the Father” 579 (TF)/807Red (AH)

1/15 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (verse 3) 309

1/22 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (verse 3) 309

1/29 “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (verse 3) 309

2/5 “Glory Be to the Father” 579 (TF)/807Red (AH)

2/12 “Glory Be to the Father” 579 (TF)/807Red (AH)

2/19 “Glory Be to the Father” 579 (TF)/807Red (AH)

2/26 “Angels, From the Realms of Glory” (verse 4)   22

*Procession of the Word

TF A child processes into the Sanctuary carrying a Bible, as the people sing or say the Gloria.

*The Peace

Christ is in the midst of us.

He is and ever shall be.

May the grace and peace of Christ our God be with all of you.

And also with you.

The people exchange words and signs of God’s peace.

*Spiritual: “Halle-, Halle-, Hallelujah”

THE WORD

Psalm:

1/8 “The God of Heaven” Psalm 29 180

1/15

I waited patiently upon the LORD; *

    who stooped to me and heard my cry.

God lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; *

    and set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure.

God put a new song in my mouth,

    a song of praise to our God; *

Many shall see, and stand in awe,

    and put their trust in the LORD.

Happy are they who trust in the LORD! *

    they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods.

Great things are they that you have done, O LORD my God!

how great your wonders and your plans for us! *

    there is none who can be compared with you.

Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! *

    but they are more than I can count.

In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure *

    you have given me ears to hear you;

Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, *

    and so I said, "Behold, I come.

In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *

    'I love to do your will, O my God;

    your law is deep in my heart.'"

I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; *

    behold, I did not restrain my lips;

    and that, O LORD, you know.

Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; *

I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the

     great congregation. Psalm 40:1-11

1/22 “God Is My Strong Salvation” Psalm 27:1, 4-9 179

1/29 “Lord, Who May Dwell Within Your House Psalm 15 PFAS#15C

2/5

Hallelujah!

Happy are they who fear the Lord *

    and have great delight in his commandments!

Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *

    the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in their house, *

    and their righteousness will last for ever.

Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *

    the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

It is good for them to be generous in lending *

    and to manage their affairs with justice.

For they will never be shaken; *

    the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.

They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *

    their heart is right;

    they put their trust in the Lord.

Their heart is established and will not shrink, *

    until they see their desire upon their enemies.

They have given freely to the poor, *

    and their righteousness stands fast for ever;

    they will hold up their head with honor.

The wicked will see it and be angry;

they will gnash their teeth and pine away; *

    the desires of the wicked will perish. Psalm 112:1-10

2/12 “Blest Are the Uncorrupt in Heart” Psalm 119:1-8 233

2/19

Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, *

    and I shall keep it to the end.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *

    I shall keep it with all my heart.

Make me go in the path of your commandments, *

    for that is my desire.

Incline my heart to your decrees *

    and not to unjust gain.

Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; *

    give me life in your ways.

Fulfill your promise to your servant, *

    which you make to those who fear you.

Turn away the reproach which I dread, *

    because your judgments are good.

Behold, I long for your commandments; *

    in your righteousness preserve my life. Psalm 119:33-40

2/26 “Why Are Nations Raging” Psalm 2 PFAS#2D

TF (Our young disciples continue worship and learning downstairs.)

Prayer for Understanding

Enlighten our hearts and minds by your Word, O God.

Open our eyes to the truth of your saving love, 

revealed in Scripture,

Move our legs to walk in your way of peace.

Open our hands to do your work,

and our arms welcome others in your name.

For you are the enlightening of our souls and bodies, 

O Christ our God, 

and to you we give glory, now and forever.  

Amen. 

Scripture Readings 

Hebrew Scriptures

1/8 Isaiah 42:1-9

1/15 Isaiah 49:1-7

1/22 Isaiah 9:1-4

1/29 Micah 6:1-8

2/5 Isaiah 58:1-12

2/12 Deuteronomy 30:15-20

2/19 Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

2/26 Isaiah 49:8-16a

Gospel

1/8 Matthew 3:13-17

1/15 John 1:29-42

1/22 Matthew 4:12-23

1/29 Matthew 5:1-12

2/5 Matthew 5:13-20   

2/12 Matthew 5:21-37

2/19 Matthew 5:38-48

2/26 Matthew 17:1-9

Sermon

Prayers of God’s Creation and People

O Great Healer:

let your Spirit swing 

around us and through us,

over us, under us, and among us,

with healing in her wings,

making us whole

and restoring us to our created goodness.

O Deep Mystery:

Bless all of us here today, 

as we offer our worship and praise to you,

and for all those baptized into your Name of every time and place

who have sought to trust and follow you.

We pray especially for disciples chosen for leadership in your church….

And as we gather we also represent our whole community, especially: 

travelers… 

workers… 

the aged and infirm…

the grieving and abandoned…

the sick and the addicted…

the poor and the oppressed…  

the unemployed and the destitute…

prisoners…

the undocumented, migrants, and refugees…

indigenous peoples…

victims of war and violence… 

victims of natural disasters…

victims of domestic abuse…

and all who remember and care for the needy among us…. 

As you commanded, O Lord,

we pray for our enemies and those who wish us harm.

And we gather the voices of your entire creation

giving words to the manifold sounds of birds,

animals, insects, and creatures of the waters,

whom you made to praise and glorify you….

We gather as well with all those who have died in the hope of resurrection,

and are now at rest….

….Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.

In the communion of all the saints, 

we commend ourselves, one another, 

and our whole life to you, O Christ our God.

And to you we render glory

now and forever.

Amen.

THANKSGIVING

Offering   

The Earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof,

the world and all that dwell therein.            Psalm 24:1 

Offertory Music: “” 

*Doxology: “Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow” 592

Invitation to the Lord’s Table

This is the meal of paradise!

The foretaste of the blessings coming to us,

a sign of abundance and generosity,

forgiveness and deliverance. PfR 

This is the Lord’s table.

Our Savior invites those who trust in him

to share in the feast which he has prepared.

Communion Preface

We give you thanks, O God,

lifting up our hearts to you in gratitude,

for your love and justice,

your beauty and joy,

revealed and given to us in Jesus Christ.

Give us the vision 

of the commonwealth of peace he establishes. 

Let his resurrection life permeate all we are and do,

as you gather us in holy community.

In Christ we see who we truly are in your eyes:

blessed, holy, good, and precious,

made to be a blessing to

your whole creation. PfR

Sanctus

And so we lift up our hearts, O God,

joining with all your people

of every time and place

in the angels’ song of grateful praise.

Holy, holy, holy…. (St. Anne Sanctus)

Eucharistic Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer: 

You loved the world you made so much 

that you gave your only Son 

so that whoever trusts in him 

should not perish, but have eternal life.

You do not send him into the world for condemnation

but that the world might be saved in him.

For that purpose he sends your gift of the Holy Spirit,

who is everywhere and fills all things

with your life.

Gracious God, 

pour out your Holy Spirit upon us 

and upon these your gifts of bread and the cup, 

that the bread we break 

and the cup we bless 

may be the communion 

in the body and blood of Christ.      From 1 Corinthians 10:16

We are his Body.

We bear his Life.

His Light shines in us.

As he emptied himself to dwell among us,

may we empty ourselves of all 

that would separate us from you,

and let your life,

given for the life of the world,

pour through us in love.

O God,

like a mother who will not forget her nursing child,

you love us forever.

And so we are bold to pray in the words Jesus taught us,

saying: Our Father….

The Breaking of Bread

On the night when he was betrayed 

[by his friends and arrested by the authorities],

the Lord Jesus 

[celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples.

After supper he] 

took the bread. 

He blessed it, 

he broke it, 

and gave it to them, saying: 

“Take and eat; this is my body, broken for you.  

Do this in remembrance of me.”

The celebrant breaks the bread.

In the same way he took the cup.

And he said:

“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,

shed for the forgiveness of sins.  

Whenever you drink it,

do this in remembrance of me.”

The celebrant fills the cup.

Every time we eat this bread 

and drink from this cup,

we proclaim the Lord’s triumph 

over the power of death,

until his life is fulfilled. 

With hearts trusting in an awesome God, 

come to the Table.  

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

Receive the Body of Christ:

taste the fountain of immortality.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia! Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

The Holy Communion of the People of God

The people come to the Table to share in Christ’s body and blood by intinction:

taking a piece of bread, dipping it into the cup, and eating it.

TF Those who wish to pray with the pastor before or after communion

may meet with him to the side.

May the Body and Blood of Christ our God bring you to everlasting life.

Communion Music: 

Closing Prayer

Gracious God,

we give you thanks

that in Jesus Christ,

who is your Word,

you have emptied yourself,

becoming flesh to dwell among us

full of grace and truth.

He brings good news to the poor,

proclaims release to the captives,

gives sight to the blind,

liberates the oppressed,

makes the lame walk,

welcomes sinners, 

and even raises the dead.

In giving his life for the life of the world

he sets us free from sin and death.

And he gives us your Holy Spirit

by whom he is present with us even now,

gathering us into one beloved community.

and sending us into the world

with the good news of your love. PfR

Amen.

*Hymn: 

1/8 “Out of the Flowing River” CH#335

1/15 “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart” 326

1/22 “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore” 377

1/29 “What Does the Lord Require” 405

2/5 “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” G2G#377

2/12 “Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive” 347

2/19 “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” G2G#753

2/26 “Lord, the Light of Your Love Is Shining” G2G#192

SENDING

*Charge 

1/8, 2/5

God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God.

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol....

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.

Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet... anything that belongs to your neighbor.         From Exodus 20:1-17

1/15, 1/22, 1/29, 2/12, 1/19, 2/26

Go out into the world in peace;
have courage;
hold on to what is good;
return no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted;
support the weak, and help the suffering; honor all people; 

love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 16:13; 2 Timothy 2:1; Ephesians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:13–22; 1 Peter 2:17 

*Benediction

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit

be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:13

*Choral Benediction: AH “My Peace”

*Dismissal

*Postlude:

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