Remember and Repent.

Revelation 2.1-7

January 27, 2019

I.

The book of Revelation is a circular letter to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia. These communications are from Jesus Christ, and each is addressed to the church’s “angel.”  The word angel in Greek simply mean messenger.  It could refer to a leader in the church.  Or the notes could be addressed to a kind of spiritual entity, like a guardian angel, who oversees, protects, informs, and guides each congregation.

I have come to believe that every church does have an angel.  I think of it as being like a church’s personality, a spirit, a particular way of thinking and acting.  But I also think it it is a personal, even a living, presence.  My theory is that a church’s angel is assigned at birth, and bears some characteristics of that time.  I have thought about what the angel of the churches I have served might be like.  We might want to wonder together sometime what the angel of this church is like.

Whether the angel is a human leader or a heavenly entity, that is whom the Lord talks to in these notes.  Maybe that’s a way of addressing the church, not as a collection of individuals, but as a shared corporate identity that is more than merely the sum of its parts.  It is a way to relate to the heart and soul of a church, who it truly is.

The first church to be so addressed is in the city of Ephesus.  At that time it was a busy port, a center of several pagan religions, and had what might have been the most significant Christian congregation of this period.  Ephesus is the largest of the towns that the Lord is speaking to; it was the first church to receive this letter.

What Jesus says to the angel of the church in Ephesus begins with a commendation.  “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance.”  The word might be better translated as “non-violent resistance.”  It means that the Christians in Ephesus have kept the faith, worked hard at being disciples of Jesus Christ in an indifferent to hostile environment.  They have been obedient to his commands in their lifestyle and behavior.

I get the impression that the Ephesian Christians are living the gospel by building together an alternative community in light of the primal confession that Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord.  Thus their life together would be a conscious rejection of Caesar’s values, and an embrace of the things Jesus is about: acceptance and forgiveness, non-violence and equality, generosity and healing, sacrifice and humility.  They would have worked to abolish the divisive social distinctions and abusive relationships that were stoked by the Empire.  Their gospel community would have been characterized by peace and mutual love.  In separating themselves from the predations of an unjust economic, social, and political system, they would have focused on service to the poor, the sick, the stranger, the outcast, and the enslaved, just as Jesus does.

Ephesus gets good marks from the Lord.  It is essentially a strong and active congregation, offering an alternative of welcome and unity, witnessing to the life and power of Jesus Christ, anticipating in their own life the fulfillment of his kingdom.

II.

Jesus continues to commend them because they do not tolerate evildoers.  “You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false,” he says.  To test an apostle would have meant holding them up to the example and teachings of Jesus.  I imagine that to fail this test would mean pointing out their self-righteous arrogance, mercenary greed, or most importantly any compromise with or caving in to the evils all around them.  

There is at this time no New Testament, and probably not even any written gospels to refer to.  They would have had some of the very early writings of the church, like some of Paul’s letters.  Indeed, Paul wrote perhaps as many as 4 of his letters when he was in Ephesus a generation earlier.  So the values and viewpoints we receive in letters like Galatians and Philippians would have already permeated the lives of these disciples.  

A false apostle would have been someone who contradicted this understanding of Jesus Christ as the Messiah with whom we are clothed in baptism into a profound equality and unity with each other.  A false apostle would have been feeding them the sugary swill of compromise and accommodation for the sake of avoiding suffering.  

That’s why Christ commends their patient endurance and “bearing up for the sake of [his] name.”  They have not taken the easy way out and followed these false apostles.  They “have not grown weary,” even in the face of persecution, mockery, rejection, and harassment.

The Ephesian Christians understand and live every day the radical discontinuity between the gospel and their world, between Christ and Caesar, between the demands of discipleship and the allegiances, loyalties, values, habits, and practices that would have been expected of them as subjects of the Empire.  There would be no reason to talk about patient endurance, non-violent resistance, or bearing up, unless they were in some kind of conflict with the world as they know it.

We, in our time and place, have little understanding of this.  Though our experience is changing somewhat.  Many of us still remember when Christianity was a privileged religion in America; when the interests of church and State were considered nearly identical.  In those days the experience of churches like Ephesus would have been all but incomprehensible to us, which is likely why Presbyterians’ awareness of the book of Revelation was almost nil.

These days you can’t get arrested for being Christian… but it is increasingly possible to get arrested for acting out your faith.  Last week I read about a woman getting arrested for attempting to bring toys to children in a detention center.  I heard of 4 people arrested for leaving water jugs in the desert for migrants.  I know of Christians arrested for feeding homeless people in urban parks.  Municipalities used to be glad to have churches in them; now churches and other houses of worship get increasingly hassled as untaxable nuisances.  The book of Revelation is becoming slightly more relevant to us.

III.

The Lord also has some harsh words of warning for the angel of the church in Ephesus.  He says they have abandoned the love they had at first. They are falling out of the habit of loving each other, and the world, the way Christ loves them.  Perhaps this is about waning enthusiasm.  Maybe it is that their good actions are becoming rote, duty; maybe there is a hint of grudging in their acts of compassion now.

But I find that this is what can happen when our spiritual connection to the Lord wavers.  We can start to take faith for granted.  I see this in a lot of ecclesiastical meetings these days.  We become so focused on what are really good things, things the church needs to be doing, whether it be serving the needy, or advocating against bigotry, or including a more ethnically diverse group of disciples, that we neglect to maintain our connection to the Source of the love we are expressing, which is Jesus Christ.  

Prayer, worship, meditation, Psalmody, the Sacraments, study of Scripture, even an awareness of Christian doctrine… these are what keep us spiritually fed and healthy.  Spiritual practices like these keep us connected and aware of the goal and purpose of what we are doing.  By them we are reminded of who and whose we are.  I’ve been to too many meetings that were all about the good things we are doing, but which forgot, or at least did not find it necessary to explicitly mention, what Jesus Christ is doing.  If we don’t stay plugged into him as our Source, we will burn out.  This is especially true in a difficult context like that of Ephesus, which was under constant pressure.

Without this continual flow of energy from Jesus Christ, our love becomes defiled by our own self-interest, governed by our own agenda, and easily taken over by practical politics.  We can even become the spiritual or charitable arm of some political party.  And before we know it we are justifying, rationalizing, excusing, or ignoring their atrocities.  We can’t replace our loyalty to God’s Kingdom with allegiance to just another secular regime.

To prevent this from happening, the Lord urges the Ephesian Christians to remember “from what you have fallen,” and “repent.”  That is, they have to change the way they are thinking.  This happens by recovering the spiritual disciplines and practices that originally keep them connected to Jesus Christ and him alone.  They have to recover the excitement and newness of the good news.  They have to recover their life in the Spirit.  This is what will energize and inform their good actions, and reignite the love they had at first. 

IV.

If they don’t refocus in this way, their lampstand gets removed, which means they fall away from Jesus, and their place in his Temple, the Kingdom of God, is vacated.  Instead of a church, they devolve into a social clique, a service organization, a hobbyist club, mere political lobbyists.

But if they do “conquer,” the way that Jesus conquers, through his love, forgiveness, hope, generosity, and humility; indeed, if they participate in his conquest, the reward is eternal life in God’s paradise.  It is to live in union with God in God’s creation.

The Ephesians get a generally good assessment; but they are also urged to remember and repent, so that their light does not go out.  This is part of what I am doing when I encourage us to remember our baptism, as I fill the font every Sunday, and to remember his offering of his life in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  Spiritual life is remembering the truth of God’s saving love for the world revealed in Jesus.  It has to be done daily.

The more those kinds of memories take hold in our hearts, the more our minds shift so we can perceive and therefore act differently.  Remembrance feeds repentance, as we live a new kind of life.  

May our remembrance and repentance keep us connected in the Spirit to Jesus, and may we thereby receive his life as we express his life in all we do.

+++++++   

The Great High Priest.

Revelation 1:9-20

January 20, 2019

I.

Either in exile or in hiding on the Aegean island of Patmos, John is meditating on the Lord’s Day, which is to say, Sunday, the day of worship for the followers of Jesus.  And he sees a vision of Jesus Christ that is somewhat different from how we normally see him depicted in the gospels.  In the gospels, we usually see Jesus as a simple, poor, humble preacher, leading and teaching his disciples, healing and liberating people from forces of interior and external bondage, accepting and welcoming all kinds of people, especially sinners, into his gathering.  Jesus in all he does proclaims and enacts the nearness of the Kingdom of God.

Here, it’s almost like John’s altered state of consciousness has given him a special lens, like we sometimes see in science fiction movies, which reveals the true inner nature of someone.  He sees Jesus, the living Voice of God, as the Great High Priest in the heavenly Temple.  The Voice instructs him to write what he sees and send it to seven churches of the Roman province of Asia, which represent the whole church.  In this vision, John peers into and finds himself within the awesome, spectacular, mysterious, dreamlike Kingdom of God itself.

He says he is “in the spirit.”  Lately I have been wondering about the way we talk about the spirit.  The word literally means “breath” or “wind”.  I wonder if there isn’t a component of meditative breathing he isn’t referencing here, as if the Holy Spirit is a practice as well as a personal presence of God.

Whatever he means by the spirit, he starts to see and hear things not normally visible or audible in our normal state of consciousness.

In the vision, he turns around and sees the Voice, speaking from the midst of “seven golden lampstands.”  This is how we know it is a vision of the interior of the  Temple, which features a great menorah, which has seven arms holding seven lamps.  (We generally only know hanukah menorahs these days, which have nine lights; the actual menorah in the Temple has seven.)

One of the things we have to get used to in reading this book is that, like in a dream, there is a certain fluidity.  Things don’t have one single, clear, definite meaning.  There is a lot of imagery which don’t make any sense if taken literally.  And there are multiple, overlapping references to verses from the Old Testament, all over the place.  

John clearly thinks in images and stories from the Bible.  The book of Revelation is utterly incomprehensible without deep knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.  For instance what he sees here could be a menorah; it could be a disassembled menorah; it could be seven separate lamps; it could be seven menorahs.  But the vision of seven lights places us firmly in the Temple, which is something we wouldn’t know if we didn’t know the descriptions of the Temple in Exodus 25 and Numbers 8.

II.

The Voice speaking to John is actually a figure, whom he describes as a “Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest,” which are what the High Priest wears.  “Son of Man” is a title from the prophets Ezekiel and Daniel, perhaps referring to true humanity, or a messianic figure.  It is of course also a title Jesus frequently uses of himself.  

“His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow.”  Jesus is usually depicted with straight hair; the hair on this figure is more wooly like that of an African.  White hair has nothing to do with age, but usually means wisdom; it can also mean purity.

“His eyes were like a flame of fire,” meaning a penetrating, intense gaze.  “His feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace.”  The High Priests work in the Temple barefoot.  Bronze is a shiny alloy of copper and tin, perhaps indicating that this figure has two natures.  “And his voice was like the sound of many waters,” which is to say, a deafening roar.  

“In his right hand he held seven stars,” which we soon learn represent the angels or messengers of the seven churches to whom the Voice is going to speak.  “And from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword,” meaning that his words cut both ways.  “And his face was like the sun shining with full force.”  The figure gives off a blinding, revelatory light.

Through the sort of x-ray-specs of his altered consciousness, John sees Jesus as the Great High Priest.  One of the images of Jesus in the early church says he fulfills in himself the ritual described in Leviticus 16, where High Priest takes the blood of a sacrificed goat dedicated to the Lord, and sprinkles it all around the interior of the Temple, sanctifying it.  Blood in the Hebrew Scriptures is life; the blood of this goat represents God’s life.  

So the early church recognizes how Jesus, after his sacrificial death, takes his own blood into the heavenly Temple, which represents the whole creation, and sanctifies it.  Because this happens in heaven, his body and blood thus now appear on the communion table to feed his people with his life.  The “second coming” of Jesus, then, is when he reemerges from the Holy of Holies into a world made new by the power of his life-blood.  This is what the church is waiting for.  This is what John sees in his vision.

This is who Jesus knows himself to be; this is what he is intending to do when he gets to Jerusalem.  This is why his death is indeed a necessary and essential element in his accomplishing what he is sent into the world to accomplish.  

The early church, from the very beginning, does not view Jesus as just a great moral teacher and prophet, community organizer and religious reformer, who annoys Rome and the establishment, making it inevitable that they would do away with him.  They know that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus constitutes a tectonic shift in the whole cosmos; it reveals the ultimate destiny and truth of everything and everyone; it gives us a foundation on which to build our lives in trust of him.  That’s what they are trying to communicate by using all this imagery, story, symbol, and metaphor.

III.

John’s reaction to this supernatural vision is to collapse in terror on the ground.  The Voice responds by placing his right hand on John, and saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.”

This is the One “who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.”  This is the One who made the church “to be a kingdom, priests serving God.”  This is the One who gives his life — God’s life — for the life of the world.  Through him we share in eternal life and even in the divine nature.  He is the ultimate and complete revelation of God as overflowing love. 

The first thing he says is to banish John’s fear.  Because fear is the toxic knot at the core of our egocentricity.  It is the root of all sin because it is based on the unconscious assumption that the creation is a dangerous place, and therefore the Creator is not good.  There will be a lot of things liable to inspire fear in the coming pages.  The Voice is saying that there is no room for fear in love, and he is the fullest expression and revelation of God’s love.

The force that spawns the most corrosive and destructive forms of fear, of course, is death.  We are afraid that if we’re not vigilant and violent, if we don’t build up strong defenses, and if we don’t develop strategies to get what we need and want, that we will starve, lose, die, and be forgotten. 

But here the Lord indicates that he has conquered that.  Death is not an issue anymore.  “Whoever lives and trusts in me will never die,” he has promised.  Nothing has the power to separate us from God’s love.  We don’t always know or understand what that means or how that works.  But it is the basis of our trust, that God will never forsake us or lose us.  We are always held and cherished, nurtured and saved in God’s life.

For the One who was executed by the Romans is nevertheless now alive forever and ever.  Not even the greatest and most terrible power of the empire can permanently snuff us.  Because Christ lives, we live.  He is the One who carries the keys to death and even to hell… and he is love.  He is forgiveness.  He is acceptance and forbearance.  He is healing and liberation.  He is life.

What we are going to see in graphic detail in this book is what happens when we are not connected to him, when we separate ourselves from God’s love, when we build a world based on our own self-interest, when we choose to exist controlled and conditioned by our fear.  Such a world is built on shifting, unstable sand; it gets washed away when it encounters what is real.  And if we have identified ourselves with that perishing world, its institutions and values, its philosophies and relationships, we perish with it.

IV.

But John is given a glimpse into reality.  He sees the truth behind and beneath what is visible to our limited egocentric vision.  He perceives something solid and real onto which he may hold and on which he may stand.

He sees and hears that the love of God, revealed and given to the world in Jesus, who has offered his own life-blood for the life of the world, thereby instituting forgiveness, justice, and peace, wins.  God triumphs.  God is our future and therefore must become the present for all who want to live.

His sacrifice ends all sacrifices, terminates all inequality and injustice, and neutralizes all violence.  In giving his life for us, he at the same time gives his life to us, in the way we share in his body and blood and so become his Body, his living Presence, in the world, here and now, and forever.

+++++++               

Baptism Reveals God.

Revelation 1:4-8

January 13, 2018 

The Baptism of the Lord

I.

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, when Jesus Christ comes to John at the Jordan River and submits to being immersed in the water.  The Lord’s baptism is important because it reveals who he is and who God is.  Christ reveals God’s nature as this movement outward and downward, this condescension, this immersion into our world and lives, this humble self-emptying which demonstrates in our broken time the eternal now of God’s love.

In Jesus Christ, God comes into our flesh at his birth, into our world at his baptism, and even into our death on the cross.  Jesus’ whole life is God’s supreme self-offering and self-emptying as the fullest revelation of God’s love. God identifies with us thoroughly so that in him we may come to identify thoroughly with God. 

Too often people think that God is some cosmic exaggeration of Caesar, like a big boss in the sky, an imperial terrorist, a malign, narcissistic autocrat, an omnipotent despot.  But if that is the case it makes no sense for Jesus Christ to be baptized.  It would be out of character for such a deity to stoop that low. 

But the whole revelation of Jesus Christ show us that that picture of God is not real, it is just a projection based on our own experience, our own fear and anger, our own understanding of power.  Jesus says basically “Yeah, if you’re stuck in time and ego-centricity and sinfulness that’s the way you would think; but I live in the eternal now, and I’m telling you that righteousness and justice is fulfilled not in cruelty and worldly ‘success' but in humility, generosity, self-giving, sacrifice, and service.  I do not let John baptize me in spite of who I am; no, my baptism is very the expression of who I am as the God of love.”  

For God comes into the water of chaos, the river of time, with us, absorbing, sharing, embracing, overcoming, and redeeming our world, and with it, us.

It is this God, who is revealed in Jesus Christ, the God who is ever offering life and forgiveness to us in love, whom we have to hold firmly in our hearts and minds if we are going to have any understanding of the book of Revelation.  Because, yes, if we remain burdened by a view of God as a willful, punishing, petulant tyrant in the sky, heartlessly throwing lightning bolts at us for his entertainment, then the book of Revelation does get intolerably nasty.

Jesus is affirmed as God’s Son not because of his power, wealth, and popularity, not because he is so successful at grabbing and holding on to these things, not because he forces his will on the world, but precisely because God is always about giving away, offering up, pouring out blessings and life for and to others.  And in so doing God reveals that all are one in their participation in God’s being and goodness.  

Only in this — to us paradoxical and even ironic — sense then is Jesus and God “almighty.”  God’s almightiness is precisely proved in the way God’s love, light, and life are encoded and embedded in the very nature and essence of all that God has made.  Almighty God is the strong and solid bedrock beneath everything.

II.

This is what John makes clear at the outset of his book when he refers to Jesus as the One “who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood.”  The flow of self-offering, self-emptying, liberating, redeeming love is what God is about.  He uses the image of the Passover Lamb whose life-blood is poured out for the salvation and deliverance of the people from slavery.  The lamb’s blood gives life to the people who trust in it.

John even remembers how the prophet Zechariah talks about the One who is “pierced,” which refers both to the Passover Lamb and to Jesus.  It is the piercing, the cutting open so their blood may flow, which connects the two.

This is all given here at the beginning of this book, which is really a long letter, to establish his credentials as a legitimate Christian teacher.  He is saying things that his hearers would all have understood and affirmed as the heart of the Way of Jesus.  Jesus was killed by the Romans, absorbing the full brunt of their cruelty and power, yet nevertheless is now alive and giving life to his disciples, the gospel communities.  His Spirit now spreads across the empire, establishing a new anti-empire of peace, equality, freedom, and justice.  And he will return “with the clouds.”    

For John, Christ reveals the very structure of reality.  That’s why twice in this passage he refers to God and Christ as the One “who is and who was and who is to come.”  God determines the nature of the universe and time, bringing together past, future, and present.  Salvation in him means participating in his giving, sharing, losing, and even dying.  For our old ego-centric way of thinking based on fear and violence also has to die so the new life can be born in us.

The people of God understand this.  They have no delusions of worldly success, power, wealth, or fame.  They are an oppressed and persecuted community, holding on for dear life in a hostile environment.  It is of central importance to remember that just as John depicts Jesus and God in terms of great humility, compassion, and service, so also the people hearing these words were generally not rich, privileged, or connected members of the establishment.    

They consider themselves to be a new and alternative Kingdom, a social, economic, and political order that rejects Rome and lives in resistance to the predatory leaders, values, and practices of the empire.  They are also a new and alternative priesthood, replacing the old corrupt and ineffective priesthood in Jerusalem.  The new priesthood is based on the final self-offering of Christ, whose blood, shed on the cross and now shared in the eucharistic feast, gives life and forgiveness to the whole world.

III.

Jesus Christ reveals the future.  In a sense he comes from the future because he reveals the nature and destiny of creation and the will of the Creator.  It is a future we may choose and participate in by trusting in him and shaping our lives according to his example and teachings.   

John is beginning to articulate these two “worlds,” two futures.  There is the true world of creation ruled by the One “who is and who was and who is to come,” revealed in Jesus “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth.”  And there is the world of those who rejected and killed him, the demise of which he will be telling us about at some length in the pages to come.  That is a dismal and horrific future spawned by those whose delusion and violence enslaved us and demanded Christ’s blood, and who will wail in terror when they see him, the God of love, “coming with the clouds,” worshiped by faithful witnesses.  

He is writing to encourage those who have already made the decision to stand together with Jesus and his church against the powers of hatred and death, but who still need encouragement.  Because that choice of which world, which future we will have, is a choice that has to be made all the time, every day.  We have to decide whom we will follow.  Will it be, on the one hand, the whole ego-centric empire built on fear and violence, which in those days was represented by Rome, or, on the other hand, will it be Jesus Christ and his Kingdom of equality, freedom, justice, and peace?

  

Between these two there is no compromise, no common ground, no cooperation.  To live in one world is to reject the other.  We cannot in any sense have both.  They are diametrically opposed, as the Lord says about whether we follow God or money.

Much of the rest of this book will spell out the consequences of aligning ourselves with a world that is doomed and falling apart because of its idolatry and injustice.  Since it is built on lies it dissolves when it encounters the truth.  Since it is expressed in violent and selfish behavior, it experiences God’s love as fire and judgment.  A world out of synch with God will not stand because God is the only reality and truth.  A future apart from God is not a future at all.  The fate of that world that does not have its foundation in God is going to get ugly.  Therefore, do not depend on it.

In the meantime there is this community that is built on the rock that is the Word of God, Jesus Christ, the One “who was and who is and who is to come.”  He represents and fulfills the whole history of God’s people, including and revealing especially the future.  Because of the sense in which he is from the future so also his people live according to the future he reveals.  The begin provisionally to live in his future, now.

IV.

This is what we are about.  We gather each Sunday to basically live today in God’s future.  And that future is the love and freedom of God’s new Kingdom and priesthood, empowered by God’s life and Spirit.  That future is what we find when we pour out our own selves in compassion and forgiveness, in acceptance and humility, in generosity and caring.  That future is our oneness in Christ with whom we share a common humanity, and realize our oneness with all people, with everything God has made, and even with God.

+++++++

Hopes' Liturgies for Epiphany and After. 2019

The Service for the Lord’s Day

The Epiphany of the Lord + January 6, 2019

The Baptism of the Lord + January 13, 2019

The Second Sunday After Epiphany + January 20, 2019

The Third Sunday After Epiphany + January 27, 2-19

The Fourth Sunday After Epiphany + February 3, 2019

The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany + February 10, 2019

The Sixth Sunday After Epiphany + February 17, 2019

The Seventh Sunday After Epiphany + February 23, 2019

The Transfiguration of the Lord + March 3, 2019

  Hymn numbers:                           Presbyterian Hymnal/Glory to God

GATHERING

Gathering Music:

Welcome & Announcements

Entrance Song:       

1/6

“O Come, All Ye Faithful” (verse 1)         41/133

1/13

“O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright” (verse 1) 69/827 

1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

“All People That on Earth Do Dwell” Psalm 100 220/385

3/3

“We Are Standing on Holy Ground”        ——/406

Call to Worship 

Blessed is the Kingdom,

of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

both now and forever,

and unto the ages of ages.

Amen.

Let us worship God;

let us pray.

Opening Prayer

God of grace:

unto whom all hearts are open,

from whom no secrets are hid:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts 

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you

and worthily magnify your holy name.

Prayer of the Day

1/6

Everlasting God,

the radiance of faithful souls,

who brought the nations to your light

and kings to the brightness of your rising:

Fill the world with your glory,

and show yourself to all the nations;

through him who is the True Light

and the Bright Morning Star,

Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen. 

1/13

Eternal God:

at the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan

you proclaimed him your beloved Son,

and anointed him with the Holy Spirit.

Grant that all who are baptized into his Name

may keep the covenant they have made,

and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior;

for he lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

1/20

Almighty God:

your Son our Savior, Jesus Christ,

is the Light of the world.

May your people,

illumined by your Word and Sacraments,

shine with the radiance of his glory,

that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed

to the ends of the earth;

for he lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

1/27

Almighty God:

by grace you call us

and accept us in your service.

Strengthen us by your Spirit,

and make us worthy of your call;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

2/3

Holy God:

you confound the world’s wisdom

by giving your Kingdom

to the lowly and pure in heart.

Give us such a hunger and thirst for justice

and perseverance in striving for peace,

that by our words and deeds

the world may see the promise of your Kingdom,

revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

2/10

Faithful God:

you have appointed us your witnesses,

to be a light that shines in the world.

Let us not hide the bright hope you have given us,

but tell everyone your love,

revealed in Jesus Christ the Lord,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

2/17

Almighty God:

you gave the law to guide our lives.

May we never shrink from your commandments,

but, as we are taught by your Son Jesus,

fulfill the law in perfect love;

through Christ our Lord and Savior,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

2/24

Almighty God:

you have taught us

that all our deeds without love are worth nothing.

Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts

that most excellent gift of love,

the very bond of peace and of all goodness;

through Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

3/3

O God:

in the transfiguration of your Son

you confirmed the mysteries of the faith

by the witness of Moses and Elijah;

and in the voice from the cloud

you foreshadowed our adoption as your children.

Make us, with Christ, heirs of your glory,

and bring us to enjoy its fullness;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Filling the Baptismal Font 

The celebrant fills the font with water and says:

1/6, 1/13

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

1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3

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:  

1/6        “We Three Kings”                66/151

1/13 “Down Galilee’s Slow Roadways”      ——/164

1/20 “O Sing a Song of Bethlehem”              308/159

1/27 “I Danced in the Morning”      302/157

2/3        “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say”            ——/182

2/10 “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”      ——/377

2/17 “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee”      357/738

2/24 “Jesus, Our Divine Companion”      305/——

3/3         “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies”      463/662

Prayer for Wholeness 

1/6

God of glory, 

you sent Jesus among us as the light of the world, 

to reveal your love for all people. 

Yet by our fear, anger and shame 

we block the brightness of your light,

leaving ourselves and others in deep shadow. 

We fail to see your saving Presence;

we choose retribution over justice,

and violence over peace. 

In your mercy, 

heal and cleanse us of our blindness,

and baptize us once again with your Spirit,

that, forgiven and renewed, 

we may reflect your glory

shining in the face of Jesus Christ. BCW, alt.

1/13

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

1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

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

3/3

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

Invocation of the Trinity

1/6, 3/3

O Holy God, you dwell among us, 

worshiped by all the heavenly powers. 

You have brought all things out of nothing into being. 

You have created man and woman in your image and likeness 

and adorned them with all the gifts of grace. 

You give wisdom and understanding to those who ask,

and have established repentance as the way of salvation. 

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

Master, accept our prayers  

and visit us in your goodness. 

Forgive our voluntary and involuntary transgressions, 

sanctify our souls and bodies, 

and grant that we may worship and serve you 

in holiness all the days of our lives.

Amen. Eastern Orthodox, alt.

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

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

*Gloria: 

1/6, 1/13

“What Star Is This, with Beams So Bright” (verse 4)      68/152

1/20, 1/27, 2/3 

“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (verse 3)           309/108

2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3 

“Glory Be to the Father”                     579/581

*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 

1/6

“Go, Tell it on the Mountain” (verse 3)            29/136

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3

“Halle-, Halle-, Halleluia”                  ——/591

THE WORD

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 to 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.   PfR

Amen. 

Hebrew Scriptures 

1/6         Isaiah 60:1-6 

1/13 Isaiah 43:1-7

1/20 Isaiah 62:1-5

1/27 Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

2/3         Jeremiah 1:4-10

2/10 Isaiah 6:1-13

2/17 Jeremiah 17:5-10

2/24 Genesis 45:3-11, 15

3/3         Isaiah 55:10-13

Psalm

1/6         Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

1/13 Psalm 29

1/20 Psalm 36:5-10

1/27 Psalm 19

2/3         Psalm 71:1-6

2/10 Psalm 15

2/17 Psalm 112:1-10

2/24 Psalm 119:1-8

3/3         Psalm 2

New Testament 

1/6         Revelation 1:1-3

1/13 Revelation 1:4-8

1/20 Revelation 1:9-20

1/27 Revelation 2:1-7

2/3         Revelation 2:8-11

2/10 Revelation 2:12-17

2/17 Revelation 2:18-29

2/24 Revelation 3:1-6

3/3         Revelation 3:7-13

Sermon

LW *Affirmation of Faith, The Apostles’ Creed

Prayers of God’s Creation and People

Invitation

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.

Intercessions

In the Name of the Lord Jesus,

who saw the Presence of the Creator in the creation,

we also pray for all this magnificent garden you have placed in our care.

For forests and oceans,

deserts and glaciers,

mountains and flatlands;

For the vast and glowing atmosphere,

plants, birds, and animals,

especially those being driven to extinction

or abused in industry or by carelessness.

We pray

for your church around the world

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….

We pray for this congregation…

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

We pray for:

those serving in government and the courts…

all first responders…

children and families…

travelers and workers… 

the aged and infirm…

the grieving and abandoned…

the sick and the addicted…

the poor and the unemployed…

prisoners and the oppresssed…

the undocumented, and all migrants and refugees…

indigenous peoples…

victims of war and terrorism… 

victims of natural disasters…

victims of domestic abuse…

victims of gun violence…

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.

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 (KJV)

Offertory Music: “” 

The bread and wine for communion are carried to the Table as the congregation sings:

*Doxology:

1/6

“Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”         5/347

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24, 3/3 

“Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow” 592/606

Note: We celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper in Tinton Falls on all Sundays.  In Lakewood we will be celebrating the Sacrament on 1/6, 1/13, 2/3, 2/24, and 3/3.  On other Sundays in Lakewood we skip to the Prayer of Thanksgiving, below.

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

1/6

It is truly right to glorify you, everliving God,

and to give you thanks,

for you alone are living and true,

dwelling in light inaccessible from before time and forever.

Fountain of all life and source of all goodness,

you made all things and fill them with your blessing;

you created them to rejoice in the splendor of your radiance.

Countless throngs of angels stand before you

to serve you night and day,

and, beholding the glory of your presence,

they offer you unceasing praise.

Joining with them,

and giving voice to every creature under heaven,

we glorify your name

and lift our voices in joyful praise: Alexandrian Liturgy of St. Basil

1/13

In being baptized by John in Jordan’s waters, 

Jesus took his place with sinners 

and your voice proclaimed him as your Son. 

Like a dove, your Spirit descended on him, 

anointing him as the Christ,

to bring good news to the poor 

and proclaim release to the captives; 

to restore sight to the blind and free the oppressed. 

We praise you that in our baptism we are joined to Christ 

and, with all the baptized, are called to share his ministry. BCW

1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

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

3/3

On the holy mountain, 

the divine glory of the incarnate Word was revealed. 

From the heavens your voice proclaimed your beloved Son, 

who is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. 

We rejoice in the divine majesty of Christ, 

whose glory shone forth even when confronted with the cross. BCW

Sanctus 

And so we join our voices 

with those of all your people

in every time and place,

in the angels’ song of praise to you:

Holy, holy, holy Lord

God of power and might.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory

Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is he,

O blessed is he 

who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest,

Hosanna in the highest! “St. Anne Sanctus”

Eucharistic Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

1/6

We acclaim you, holy God, glorious in power,

your mighty works reveal your wisdom and love.

You formed us in your own image,

giving the whole world into our care,

so that, in obedience to you our Creator,

we might rule and serve all your creatures.

When our disobedience took us far from you,

you did not abandon us to the power of death.

In your mercy you came to our help,

so that in seeking you we might find you.

Again and again you called us into covenant with you,

and through the prophets you taught us to hope for salvation.

Almighty God, you loved the world so much

that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our savior.

Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,

he lived as one of us, yet without sin.

To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation;

to prisoners, freedom;

to the sorrowful, joy.

To fulfill your purpose he gave himself up to death;

and, rising from the grave, destroyed death

and made the whole creation new.

and that we might live no longer for ourselves

but for him who died and rose for us,

you sent the Holy Spirit,

your first gift for those who believe,

to complete your work in the world,

and to bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all.

When the hour had come for him to be glorified

by you, his heavenly Father,

having loved his own who were in the world,

he loved them to the end;

at supper with them he took bread,

and after giving thanks to you,

he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take, eat.

This is my body, which is given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

After supper he took the cup, saying:

This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,

shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins.

whenever you drink it

do it for the remembrance of me.

Holy God, 

we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

Recalling Christ’s death and his descent among the dead,

proclaiming his resurrection 

and ascension to your right hand,

awaiting his coming in glory;

and offering to you, from the gifts you have given us,

this bread and this cup,

we praise you and we bless you.

Lord, we pray that in your goodness and mercy

your Holy Spirit may descend upon us, 

and upon these gifts, sanctifying them,

and showing them to be holy gifts for your holy people,

the bread of life and the cup of salvation,

the body and blood of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Grant that all who share this bread and this cup

may become one body and one spirit,

a living sacrifice to Christ,

to the praise of your name.

Remember, Lord, 

your one holy catholic and apostolic church,

redeemed by the blood of your Christ.

Reveal its unity, guard its faith,

and preserve it in peace.

[Remember all who minister in your church.]

[Remember all your people and those who seek your truth.]

[Remember ________.]

[Remember all who have died in the peace of Christ,

and those whose faith is known to you alone; 

bring them into the place of eternal joy and light.]

And grant that we may find our inheritance with

[the blessed Virgin Mary, with patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and]

all the saints who have found favor with you in ages past.

We praise you in union with them

and give you glory through your Son, 

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,

all honor and glory are yours, almighty Father,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit

forever and ever.  Amen.             Alexandrine Liturgy of St. Basil

O God,

like chicks fed by a mother-bird,

so our mouths are open to receive you.

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

saying: Our Father….

2/3

Gracious God of life,

in the beginning, by your Word and Spirit,

you created the universe 

and declared it very good.

You have fashioned this holy and blessed Earth,

which you designed in balance and grace.

You placed us in this beloved garden, 

to care for it and to live in love 

with you and each other.

You called Abraham’s family 

to bless the Earth as your special people.

Liberated from Pharaoh’s bondage,

you gave us a law 

by which to live in peace.

You sent prophets to remind and recall us

to this purpose.

And from that family in the fullness of time 

you came among us in Jesus Christ.

He walked lightly on the Earth,

healing, teaching, and blessing,

casting out evil spirits,

preaching the good news,

establishing your new community, 

and showing us your holy way of love.

Out of love he gave himself up

to death at the hands of the organized violence 

of fearful human leaders.

But then resurrected 

by the power of your infinite love,

his life now spreads over the whole world,

healing, purifying, and protecting, 

reconciling us to you, to each other, 

and gathering a holy people 

by the power of your Holy Spirit. PfR

O God,

like chicks fed by a mother-bird,

so our mouths are open to receive you.

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

saying: Our Father….

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

O God: 

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.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us 

and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, 

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

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 chicks fed by a mother-bird,

so our mouths are open to receive you.

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

saying: Our Father….

The Breaking of Bread

1/6

The bread we break;

is it not a communion in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ?

The celebrant breaks the bread.

And the cup we share;

is it not a communion in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ?

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 in us. 

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

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: 

“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 of wine.

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 in us. 

The Holy Communion of the People of God

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 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: 

When we celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 

Closing Prayer  

When we do not celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Prayer of Thanksgiving

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.

(Amen.)

And, when we do not celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper:

O God,

like a mother hen you gather your children,

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

saying: Our Father….

*Hymn: 

1/6        “Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning”    67/——

1/13 “Wild and Lone the Prophet’s Voice”         409/163

1/20 “As a Chalice, Cast of Gold”                 336/429

1/27 “Born in the Night, Mary’s Child”           30/158

2/3         “Come, Live in the Light”                ——/749 

2/10 “Down to Earth, as a Dove”        300/——

2/17 “Amen, Amen”                        299/——

2/24 “Seek Ye First”                        333/175

3/3         “Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory”          73/190

SENDING

*Charge 

1/6, 2/3, 3/3

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

1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24 

Go out into the world in peace;

have courage;

hold on to what is good;

return to no one evil for evil;

support the weak;

help the suffering;

honor all people;

love and serve the Lord,

rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. From 1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Tim. 2:1; Eph. 6:10; 1 Thes. 5:13-22; 1 Pet. 2:17

*Benediction

And now may 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: 

1/6, 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/10, 2/17, 2/24

“Song of Simeon”                  603/545

2/11 

“Shine, Jesus, Shine”                          ——/192

*Dismissal

Go in peace

to love and serve the Lord.

Amen.

*Postlude:

+   +   +