Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dave, Cor, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Reflections” (Alexander)

OPENING PRAYER

Eternal God,
we come to you with hungry hearts,
waiting to be filled:
with a sense of your presence;
with the touch of your spirit;
with new energy for service.
Come to us, we pray.
Be with us.
Touch us.
Empower us as your people,
that we might worship you,
and act in the world for Jesus’ sake.
Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Praise, my soul, the God of heaven”

Praise, my soul, the God of heaven,
glad of heart your carols raise;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who, like me, should sing God’s praise.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise the Maker all your days!

Praise God for the grace and favour
shown our forebears in distress;
God is still the same forever,
slow to chide and swift to bless.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Sing our Maker’s faithfulness!

Like a loving parent caring,
God knows well our feeble frame;
gladly all our burdens bearing,
still to countless years the same.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
All within me, praise God’s name!

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish;
blows the wind and it is gone;
but, while mortals rise and perish,
God endures unchanging on.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise the high eternal one.

Angels, teach us adoration,
you behold God face to face;
sun and moon and all creation,
dwellers all in time and space.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Praise with us the God of grace!

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God,
the Risen Christ is here,
among us and within us—
yet recognition is slow to come. 
Give us eyes to see and ears to hear, 
a mind to understand,
and a heart to invite him in.
Renew us and forgive us,
now and always,
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Come into my heart, O Lord Jesus” (Clarke)

FIRST READING: Psalm 78.1-4, 12-16

My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
He divided the sea and led them through;
he made the water stand up like a wall.
He guided them with the cloud by day
and with light from the fire all night.
He split the rocks in the wilderness
and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
he brought streams out of a rocky crag
and made water flow down like rivers.

SECOND READING: Matthew 21.23-32

23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

HYMN: “Jesus, come to our hearts like falling rain”

Jesus, come to our hearts like falling rain;
come to refresh, come to renew,
wash all our sins away.

Spirit, come to our hearts like rushing wind;
come with your fire, come with your life,
blow all our doubts away.

Come, God, come to our hearts like shining sun;
come to reveal, lighten your Word,
drive all our gloom away.

Glory be to the Lamb that once was slain;
praise for his life, praise for his death,
praise that he lives again.

Praises be to our God, the three in one;
praise for the sun, praise for the wind,
praise for the falling rain.

REFLECTION

You don’t need to be Lucy van Pelt to see that there is some complex psychology going on in our parable.

Actually, Lucy’s standard response—”Snap out of it! Five cents, please!—might not be up to the task of solving the interpersonal stuff that’s going on in these five short verses. But before we dig into the Parable of the Two Sons, I want to talk a little bit about scripts.

In most families (all families?), each member of the family is assigned a “part” to play. In essence, we are given a script to follow, and the character we play tends to define us. Thinking about your own family, perhaps you can picture someone when I describe some of the roles: the peacemaker, the fragile one, the helper, the victim, or the one who can always look after themselves. I’m sure you can think of more.

Reading the script, or following your assigned role isn’t a problem in-and-of-itself, unless you get locked in that role and can’t get out. Sometimes people carry that role into other situations and cannot understand why it doesn’t work the way it does back home. And then, of course, there is a common source of conflict in families: stepping out of your role and trying to be someone else. Imagine the play where one character suddenly decides to go “off-script” and the chaos that follows.

So the first son in our parable is the one who always says “no.” You know that person, maybe even by looking in the mirror, the person who leads with no and needs to be convinced—or needs to convince themselves. So the first son says, “I will not,” but then quickly changes his mind and heads off to the vineyard.

And then there is the second son. The son who will say anything that the questioner might want to hear (“Sure, I’ll go!”) but has no real intention to follow through. There is a technical term for what the second son is doing, but instead I’ll call it balderdash, codswallop, hogwash, hooey, malarkey, or trumpery (more on that in a moment).

So, which of the two did what his father wanted?

Before we dig into the question, we should talk about meaning, and how meaning is the first-cousin of assigned roles. Whenever we are confronted by a situation, or we’re trying to summarize some event, we tend to attach a particular meaning. Whenever someone uses phrases like “a cautionary tale” or “a redemption story,” or my new favourite, a Bildungsroman—a borrow-word that means a coming-of-age story—we are attaching meaning.

Preachers do this all the time. We assign meaning to a story, or receive an assigned meaning from others, and develop that meaning before we land the plane and go to lunch. The problem with assigned meaning is that it tends to be fixed. It’s hard to change your mind, or imagine that there are other ways to explain the same story. So, in the Parable of the Two Sons we might say “deeds speak louder than words” and call it a day.

So, which of the two did what his father wanted?

In the “deeds speak louder than words” interpretation, the son who actually did the work was the one who did the will of the father. And it fits with Jesus’ previous words on the same topic. You can only judge a false prophet by their fruits, not by the words they say. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” goes the lesson, “but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” (Matthew 7) Deeds speak louder than words. Even in the context of prayer, Jesus condemns the one who prays “thank God I’m not like that guy over there” (I’m paraphrasing) in favour of the one who says simply “have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18) The attitude of humility before God also fits in this “deeds speak” model, since it neatly defines who we are.

Now I want to try on a new meaning. What if we shift the meaning and say “words matter.” On the face of it, no one’s words matter in this parable, since no one did what they said they would do. So let’s try again. What if the matter was simply about what the father wanted to hear? Hear me out. Imagine that the father simply wanted a day without drama. One son can never manage a day without drama, refusing to go to the vineyard while just as likely to go anyway. The other son, never one for drama, says “sure pop, I’ll go.” Is the work really that important? Maybe the father just wanted everyone to get along.

In years to come, when we try to make sense of the era we’re living in, we might reach the conclusion that sometimes people just want to be lied to. Maybe it doesn’t matter if someone makes the best trade deals, or hires the best people, or even manages to make a beautiful wall that someone else will pay for. What if people just want to be lied to? Now you’re getting more than your original five cents worth, but this theory might explain a lot. Maybe it was never about results at all, only the lies that drive some people crazy and give others a false sense of comfort.

As you chew on that, we should return to the text and look for some real clues. It turns out that the Greeks among us may have known the meaning all along, based on the word kyrie, a word that can mean either ‘Lord or sir.’ So when the second son speaks, he’s actually saying “Sure, I’ll go, kyrie.” This is the same Greek word that Jesus uses when he creates the caricature of the obsequious prayer: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘kyrie, kyrie,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…”

In other words, words matter, because the person who’s first to make ardent promises (saying “Lord, Lord!”) is the least likely to keep them. Yes, there is also a problem with Mr. No-And-Go, but the person who says the most and does the least is the one who truly disappoints. If you think we have come full circle, you would be right. Again, there is a link to Jesus’ thoughts on prayer, condemning the one who prays a Very Big Prayer (“Thank God I’m not like him, or him, or her over there”) while lifting up the humblest prayer (“Lord have mercy”).

So it turns out our words matter, and our deeds matter, and the humility we bring as we encounter the Most High. Maybe our role in the script dictates that we will be an initial “no,” before we become a resounding “yes!” Maybe we stand with generations of initial noes, reluctant to follow, or take a risk, or give voice to the “yes” in our hearts. It hardly matters, because God can read the “yes” in our hearts even as we say “no.”

May God find us in the vineyard, labouring with others, working to turn every “no” to a “yes.” Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Almighty and merciful God,
from whom comes all that is good,
we praise you for all your mercies:
for your goodness that has created us,
your grace that has sustained us,
your wisdom that has challenged us,
your patience that has borne with us,
and your love that has redeemed us.
Help us to love you and all your children,
and to be thankful for all your gifts,
by serving you and delighting to do your will.

Almighty and merciful God,
from whom comes all that is just,
we praise you for your guidance:
your law that guides us,
your prophets that speak to us,
your Spirit that animates us,
and your Word that leads us.
Help us to further your kingdom,
and demonstrate your mercy,
by serving you and delighting to do your will.

Almighty and merciful God,
from whom comes the desire to pray,
we turn to you when our hearts are heavy:
for the lost and those uncertain,
for the sick and those recovering,
for the sad and those tired with grief,
and for everyone who is vulnerable in your sight.
Help us to comfort them,
and demonstrate your compassion,
by serving you and delighting to do your will.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Retell what Christ’s great love has done”

Retell what Christ’s great love has done,
how crib and cross the victory won:
God’s call obeyed, temptations faced,
the good news preached, then death embraced.
Let us who share his Easter light
sing praise to God, our chief delight.

Recall the covenant of grace
in which you freely find your place:
with water washed, at table fed,
in Christ alive, to self now dead.
Then with your lives, by day and night,
sing praise to God, your chief delight.

Review the tapestry of saints,
that canvas which the Spirit paints:
a prophet scorned, a teacher famed,
a host unknown and unacclaimed,
yet one and all who fought the fight
sing praise to God, their chief delight.

Rehearse the chorus of the heart,
let all earth’s hopes and fears take part:
the shouts of youth, the cries of age,
the prisoners’ groans, the victims’ rage.
And may each voice which seeks the right
sing praise to God, its chief delight.

Rejoice at what Christ yet will do,
intent on making all things new:
the hungry filled, the peaceful blessed,
the wounded healed, each heart at rest.
Then sing, till faith gives way to sight,
in praise of God, our chief delight.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Taye, Cor, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” (Stebbins)

OPENING PRAYER

Wondrous God:
you touch our lives with healing and with justice;
new life is your gift.
We praise you for the Good News
which is ours through Jesus Christ.
May this worship nourish us
with your promise of meaning and purpose.
May we be empowered to carry your goodness
into the coming week.
We pray in Jesus’ name, our Source and Saviour.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Take time to be holy”

Take time to be holy, speak oft with your Lord;
abide in him always, and feed on his word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, let him be your guide,
and run not before him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
and, looking to Jesus, still trust in his word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in your soul,
each thought and each motive beneath his control.
Thus led by his spirit to fountains of love,
you soon shall be fitted for service above.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires, known,
and 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;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “All my hope is firmly grounded” (Green)

FIRST READING: Psalm 105

When Israel came to Egypt,
when Jacob settled in the land of Ham,
there you made your people fruitful,
stronger than their foes.
But when you turned their hearts to hate your people,
to deceitful dealing with your servants,
then you sent your servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom you had chosen.

You led Israel out, with spoil of silver and gold.
Among the tribes not one fell behind.
The Egyptians were glad when they went,
for dread of Israel had fallen upon them.
You spread cloud as a screen,
and fire as light by night.
The people asked, and you sent them quail;
you filled them with bread from heaven.
You opened a rock and water gushed out:
It flowed like a river through the arid land.

For you remembered the sacred promise
you made to Abraham and Sarah, your servants.
You led out your people rejoicing,
your chosen ones with songs of gladness.
You gave them the lands of nations;
they took possession where others had toiled,
that they might keep your laws
and obey your teachings.

SECOND READING: Matthew 20.1-16

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

HYMN: “When all your mercies”

When all your mercies, O my God,
my rising soul surveys,
transported with the view I’m lost
in wonder, love and praise.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
my daily thanks employ;
nor is the least a cheerful heart
that tastes those gifts with joy.

Through every period of my life
your goodness I’ll pursue;
and after death, in distant worlds
the glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to you
a joyful song I’ll raise;
but oh! eternity’s too short
to utter all your praise.

REFLECTION

I’m certain my son is not reading this, so I’ll share a story.

The summer Isaac finished high school, he got a job with the school board doing some sort of data entry. Not a glamorous job, but one with decent pay and regular hours. The challenges began on day one: “Hey Isaac, you gotta get up, or you’re gonna be late!” He got up. Day two: “Hey Isaac, you gotta get up, or you’re gonna be late!” No response.

Now we’ve on the horns of a dilemma. Badger the boy until he gets up, which would undermine his new status as an adult, or let him sleep, and allow him to suffer the consequences of this choice. We chose the latter course, but this comes with it’s own cost: daily anxiety as his departure for work became later and later, and the constant fear that he would lose his job. Consequences are all fine and dandy, but what happens when the consequences actually appear?

Finally, we had enough. It wasn’t on the scale of an intervention, but we finally asked, “how is it that you manage to keep this job?”

“No problem,” he said, “they only pay me for the hours I’m there.”

In a weird inversion of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Isaac was extended the grace of never losing his job, only losing the money that he was supposed to earn. I can report that a decade later my son has become very diligent, even hard-working, and now complains about the people who roll in after lunch.

So that’s the weird inversion, what’s the parable? A couple of things first. This is a parable, and not a true story. Parables are short fictional stories that are meant to teach us about the kingdom of God. They usually have a twist, or a situation that sours, until it is resolved in the kingdom way. And they usually involve something familiar, something we should understand or can experience firsthand. Second, this parable (and many of the others) are insider challenges, often directed at the disciples and those in the inner circle. If you are looking for meaning, the first question should be “how does this relate to what the twelve are doing?” Or maybe it’s a case of what they are not-doing. Either way, the twelve (and us, as the extension of the twelve) are the intended audience.

The parable begins by describing this transaction between day labourers and the vineyard owner. Come to work and earn the usual amount. Then the owner returns for additional workers, and sets the terms of employment: “You also go and work in my vineyard,” he says, “and I will pay you whatever is right.” See how the story-teller is setting this up. The hours pass, more workers are hired, and then still more, until we reach the end of the day. The owner tells the manager, “pay the last to arrive before you pay the first.” And to those who worked just an hour, he gave them the daily wage.

Here is where this little world sours. We’ll let Matthew finish the story:

10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“You have made them equal to us…”

We were here first, we’ve worked the longest, and you have made them equal to us. The outrage! Of course, the vineyard owner makes the argument that he was only maintaining the contract set at the beginning of the day, but that won’t wash. The belief that a bonus should follow is hardwired, and even the most grace-filled person can see how this seems unfair. An entire day in the hot sun.

Tom Long tells the story of describing the jubilee year, the year the Israelites set aside for complete debt forgiveness, to a class full of conservative seminarians. These seminarians, looking for ways to interpret the Bible in the most literal way possible, were taken aback by this idea of universal debt-forgiveness. So they ask, “is there any evidence that this jubilee year ever occurred? It must be just a metaphor for forgiveness, right? Right?”

Walter Brueggemann, also quizzed on the topic of the jubilee year, and the historical record, said “the fact that the Israelites could imagine it makes it powerful. It makes it something for us to long for and perhaps strive for.”

I share this because the jubilee year is just another version of the Workers in the Vineyard. In the year of jubilee, debts were forgiven, land was returned to formerly indebted owners, and those in debt-slavery were freed. If you imagine society collapsing under the weight of all this forgiveness, then you’re likely being too modern in your thinking. Constant cycles of debt forgiveness would have a dampening effect on the amount of lending, reducing the likelihood of a 2008-style financial crisis. Still, forgiveness is forgiveness, and you can imagine the society-wide transformation that would follow such a change.

And this might be a place to think about the impact of our parable. If Bernie Sanders inspired a future president to forgive all student loans, what would be the reaction? If you had substantial loans, and were suddenly free of them, your life would be pretty sweet. If you just paid the last installment of your massive debt load, your reaction would be quite different. Or you paid off your loan years ago. Or you avoided college altogether because you didn’t want debt. Everyone will have a different take on forgiveness based on their experience. Meanwhile, Bernie would say “celebrate with them! This is the first generation of students who can begin their working lives without the burden of debt.” You have to say it with a Brooklyn accent to make it work.

So whether it’s working in the hot sun all day, or exiting the bank after your last payment, the generous news will be hard to swallow. Likewise, the disciples—leaving home and family, walking the road with Jesus, sharing the burden of teaching and healing, supporting the growing crowds, or just offering support to the son of the Most High—might be alarmed to learn that they might not spend eternity at the right hand of the throne of glory. Maybe that spot is reserved for a tax collector, or a thief, or a notorious persecutor. Maybe all the effort, saving souls in the hot sun all day long, makes you no more or no less than everyone else in the kingdom. How would you feel?

In many ways, this is a rubber-hits-the-road kind of parable. It is very tangible, involving elements that are common and easy to understand. Jesus wants to disturb us with God’s version of fairness, and remind us that it has very little to do with our sense of fairness. God’s version of fairness is like the parent who says they love all their children equally—and actually means it. You are loved, based simply on your identity as a child of God. Some children want to be the favourite, but that’s not how it words—not in the divine household.

So there are two sets of implications here, one in heaven and one on earth. In heaven, we find all the unlikely candidates for glory, but by the time we get there, we may not be so disturbed after all. I assume in glory we will see through the eyes of glory. On earth, however, we continue to struggle. Even the most saintly figure, and perhaps especially the saintly figure, will puzzle over all the grace extended to the least deserving. We are human after all. Instead, we need to imagine such grace, such equality, and wonder at the glory of the God who made it possible. This gives us something to long for, and even strive for, with God’s help, Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Blessed are you, gracious God:
you have given us life and freedom
to be your people in the world.
Empower us with your Spirit,
to be an example to others.

Blessed are you, gracious God:
you have called us into the church,
and into this community of faith,
pilgrims together on the journey to new creation.
Strengthen our mission,
and increase our longing for your kingdom.

Blessed are you, gracious God:
you have touched our hearts with hope,
so that we long to see the day of your salvation.
Comfort those who mourn,
Care for those who are wounded or ill,
And touch the live of those given to anxiety or despair.

Blessed are you, gracious God:
you have called us to live in the world,
a world beset by trouble and trial.
Help us to seek your justice,
and call to account those who lead us,
that they may live with love and mercy.

Blessed are you, gracious God:
you have blessed us with your Word,
to teach and inspire us,
and fill us with hope.
Help us remain your faithful ones,
walking with Christ on the road back to you.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Your hand, O God, has guided”

Your hand, O God, has guided
your flock from age to age;
the wondrous tale is written,
full clear, on every page.
Our forebears owned your goodness,
and we their deeds record;
and both to this bear witness:
one church, one faith, one Lord.

Your heralds brought glad tidings
to greatest as to least;
they bade them rise, and hasten
to share the heavenly feast.
And this was all their teaching,
in every deed and word,
to all alike proclaiming
one church, one faith, one Lord.

Through many days of darkness,
through many scenes of strife,
the faithful few fought bravely
to guard your people’s life.
Their gospel of redemption,
sin pardoned, earth restored,
was all in this enfolded:
one church, one faith, one Lord.

And we, shall we be faithless?
Shall hearts fail, hands hang down?
Shall we evade the conflict
and cast away our crown?
Not so: in God’s deep counsels
some better thing is stored;
we will maintain, unflinching,
one church, one faith, one Lord.

Your mercy will not fail us,
nor leave your work undone;
with your right hand to help us,
the victory shall be won;
and then, by earth and heaven,
your name shall be adored,
and this shall be our anthem:
one church, one faith, one Lord.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; a greatness no one can fathom! We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Heather!

PRELUDE: “Put Your Hand in the Hand” (MacLellan)

OPENING PRAYER

Creative God, you who breathe life into dust
and bring new life out of death:
we come as your Easter people,
raised up with Christ in resurrection hope.
Though our steps may be halting, we remain
travellers on a road bound for home.
You walk with us each day,
and you fill our journey with hope!
We thank you for this great gift;
may our whole lives express our gratitude.
We pray in the name of our risen Saviour. Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Sing praise to God”

Sing praise to God, who has shaped and sustains all creation!
Sing praise, my soul, in profound and complete adoration!
Gladsome rejoice –
organ and trumpet and voice –
joining God’s great congregation.

Praise God, our guardian, who lovingly offers correction,
who, as on eagle’s wings, saves us from sinful dejection.
Have you observed,
how we are always preserved
by God’s parental affection?

Sing praise to God, with sincere thanks for all your successes.
Merciful God ever loves to encourage and bless us.
Only conceive
what godly strength can achieve:
strength that would touch and caress us.

Sing praise, my soul, the great name of your high God commending.
All that have life and breath join you, their notes sweetly blending.
God is your light!
Soul, ever keep this in sight:
amen, amen never ending.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God,
you have searched the depths we cannot know,
and touched what we cannot bear to name;
may we so wait,
trusting your compassion,
and assured of your mercy.
Create in us new hearts,
and a renewed sense of your presence,
In Jesus we ask, Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “What wondrous love is this” (Walker’s Southern Harmony)

FIRST READING: Psalm 103

Bless God, my soul,
and all my being, bless God’s holy name.
Bless God, my soul,
and forget not all God has done for you.
Bless God, who forgives all your sin,
who heals you in all your infirmities,
who redeems your life from the grave
and crowns you with mercy and love,
who fills your life with good things,
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s,
who works righteousness
and justice for all who are wronged.

O God, you showed your ways to Moses,
your deeds to the children of Israel.
You are compassionate and merciful,
slow to anger and extravagant in love.
You will not always accuse
nor do you keep your anger for ever.
You have not dealt with us according to our sins
nor punished us according to our wickedness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is your steadfast love toward those who fear you.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far have you put away our sins from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so you have compassion for those who fear you.
*As a mother comforts her child,
so you comfort us, O God.
For you know how we were made.
You remember that we are dust. Bless God, O my soul.

SECOND READING: Romans 14.7-12

7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

HYMN: “You servants of God, your Saviour proclaim”

You servants of God, your Saviour proclaim,
and publish abroad that wonderful name;
the name all victorious of Jesus extol,
whose kingdom is glorious and rules over all.

God rules from on high, almighty to save,
whose Word still is nigh, a presence we have.
The great congregation God’s triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.

Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud, and honour the Son!
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
bow down in deep reverence and worship the Lamb.

Then let us adore and give as is right,
all glory and power, all wisdom and might,
all honour and blessing with angels above,
and thanks never ceasing and infinite love.

REFLECTION

Everything comes back to George Bailey.

A conversation about affordable housing? “The money’s not here. Your money’s in Joe’s house…right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklin’s house, and a hundred others.”

A conversation with evil rich guys? “Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about…they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this town…but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle.”

Or how to “get the girl” as they say in movies: “What is it you want, Mary? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon.”

And I think it’s a fairly straight line from George’s promise to lasso the moon to the many ways love is expressed, particularly in books for children. “I Love to the Moon and Back” (Tim Warnes) is the first and obvious example, along with “Guess How Much I Love You?” (Sam McBratney) Even the Munsch classic follows this lead, which (of course) you now have to say with me:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.

Unlike Robert Munsch, I can’t condone breaking into your grown children’s homes and rocking them in the wee hours, but it does add to a lovely story. So we go from a lasso around the moon to loving from “the moon and back” (to quote Big Nutbrown Hare), pausing for a little nocturnal singing on the way. Yet even before George Bailey and Robert Munsch and all the other writers we love, there was Psalm 103:

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

So the poet reaches for a spatial image when trying to describe the greatness of God’s love and mercy. In a pre-scientific age, these immense distances—the east from the west—were ill-defined and a ready shorthand for a vastness that could not be measured.

But there is more here. The poet is making an intentional connection between the love of God and the natural world: the size of the sky, the dimensions of the known world, the depths of the sea. We know that we’re never far removed from our ancient forebears, as we too experience awe as we look to the heavens or ponder the far horizon.

So back to our passage. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth,” the psalmist says, “so great is his love for those who fear him.” Already we have a problem. Fear of the Lord takes us to all sorts of uncomfortable places, where we are inclined to push back on a relationship based on fear. We are ready to love God in return for the love God has for us, but to introduce fear doesn’t seem right. So we look for a way forward.

A lazy theologian might step in at this moment and suggest we simply substitute the word “awe” for “fear” and it’s problem solved. We all know awe, from the mountain vista to the wonder of a newborn. ‘So great is his love for those in awe of him,’ simply feels better, and is certainly one way to solve the problem.

Maybe I’m being too harsh on lazy theologians, but wouldn’t the poet say awe if she meant awe? Fear and awe may live on the same street, but they are clearly not the same thing. So it’s back to the drawing board.

And to do this, I want to take you on a rollercoaster ride. Why do people take a rollercoaster ride? I expect they take the ride to experience fear. Safe fear, or controlled fear to be sure, but fear nonetheless. The rollercoaster is a sort of simulated danger, lighting up parts of our imagination and leaving us with the kind of euphoria you get when you survive a brush with danger. A cynic might say this is fake danger, but your brain may not know the difference, and the result is often the same.

Please don’t go to lunch and say “pastor told us that our relationship with God is like a rollercoaster ride.” Because there is more. There is the difference between fear and fear. We all know fear. Fear for the future, fear for the safety of those we love, fear for our planetary home, fear of human carelessness and fear of human stupidity. Fear of the things we can’t control and fear that we’ll mishandle the things we can control. I could go on.

This is the very real fear we experience through life on earth, and it’s also the precise type of fear that God seeks to save us from:

“The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27)
“I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” (Ps 23)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled, do not let them be afraid.” (John 14)
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1)

The last example might be the most instructive. An angel speaks to Mary and says “Greetings, you who are highly favored!” But Mary is rightly terrified. This is the other fear, the natural fear that follows the unexpected, the tremendous, the truly startling. It was more to do with the exhilaration of the rollercoaster than fear of harm, in whatever form it may take. An encounter with the Living God ought to be fearful, in the best sense, or it might not be an encounter at all.

On Boxing Day, 1958, Pope John decided to visit a prison, only the second time a pope left the safety of the Vatican in 88 years (the first time was the day before). In his characteristic style he said to the prisoners, “You could not leave to see me, so I have come to see you.” At one moment a murderer broke through the cordon and threw himself at the pope’s feet. “Tell me, Holy Father, is there hope for even me?” And the pope embraced him. I tell this story, because it’s a story filled with fear. I expect the pope was fearful, surrounded by hardened criminals. His staff were fearful, freaking out, in fact. And the man who stepped forward was terrified, that God would not forgive. It’s in this light the poet speaks:

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

God’s love for us is best expressed in forgiveness—the unexpected, the tremendous, and the truly startling. A thief is forgiven on the cross, St. Paul is thrown to the ground, a reprieve comes before the first stone is cast. Compassion can be truly unsettling when the world demands judgment, retribution, and revenge. But God has another way.

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” St. Paul wrote, maybe reflecting on his own story. “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you.” When we love and forgive others, we have the same capacity to unsettle or amaze. When we imagine that everyone is a child of God, and treat them with compassion, we have the same capacity to unsettle and amaze. With apologies to Robert Munsch, I’m going to suggest that each of us, whether deserved or not deserved, is held by the God who says:

I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
As long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.

Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Let us pray, brothers and sisters,
for the holy church of God throughout the world,
that God may guide it and gather it together
so that we may worship God in peace and tranquility.

God of power and love,
you have shown your compassion in Jesus Christ.
Guide the work of the church.
Help it to persevere in faith
and to proclaim your name to people everywhere.
Let us pray for all who serve the church
with the gifts God gives them.

God of power and love,
your Spirit guides the church and makes it holy.
Strengthen and sustain all who serve.
Keep them in health and safety
and help each of us to do faithfully
the work to which you have called us.

Let us pray for all who do not know God,
that the light of the Holy Spirit
may awaken them to faith.
God of power and love,
may all your children everywhere
know your goodness.
Help us, your church,
to become more perfect witnesses of your grace
so that all may see you in us.

Let us pray for all in positions of power
in government and society
that God may guide their hearts and minds
so all may live in peace and justice.

God of power and love,
defender of the poor and oppressed,
call to account the rulers of this world,
so that people everywhere may enjoy
justice, peace, and freedom
and a fair share of the goodness of creation.
Let us prayer all who are sick or dying,
all who are homeless or in prison,
and for all who suffer from hunger or violence.

God of power and love,
strength of the weary,
hope of the despairing,
hear the cries of your suffering children
and give us the courage to be agents of your love for them.
We pray in the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “All my hope is firmly grounded”

All my hope is firmly grounded
in our great and living Lord;
who, whenever I most need him,
never fails to keep his word.
God I must wholly trust,
God the ever good and just.

Tell me, who can trust our nature,
human, weak, and insecure?
Which of all the airy castles
can the hurricane endure?
Built on sand, naught can stand
by our earthly wisdom planned.

But in every time and season,
out of love’s abundant store,
God sustains the whole creation,
fount of life forevermore.
We who share earth and air
count on God’s unfailing care.

Thank, O thank, our great Creator,
through God’s only Son this day;
God alone, the heavenly potter,
made us out of earth and clay.
Quick to heed, strong in deed,
God shall all the people feed.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Cor and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Great is thy faithfulness” (Runyan)

OPENING PRAYER

We come from scattered lives to this moment,
seeking unity in the Spirit,
seeking the grace of Christ,
seeking the peace of God.

seeking creativity in the Spirit,
seeking the compassion of Christ,
seeking knowledge of God.

seeking fellowship in the Spirit,
seeking companionship in Christ,
seeking union with God.
Speak to us though these words, Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Let us with a gladsome mind”

Let us with a gladsome mind
praise our God, forever kind;
whose great mercies still endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

God, with all-commanding might,
filled the newmade world with light;
for God’s mercies still endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

God has with a gracious eye
looked upon our misery;
for God’s mercies still endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

All things living God does feed,
with full measure meets their need;
for God’s mercies still endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us then with gladsome mind,
praise our God, forever kind;
whose great mercies still endure,
ever faithful, ever sure.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

In joy and in trouble,
help us, gracious God,
to trust your love,
to serve your purpose,
and to praise your name.

In joy and in trouble,
help us, gracious God,
to open our hearts,
to trust in you,
and welcome your mercy.

In joy and in trouble
help us, gracious God,
to forgive others, and ourselves,
knowing that forgiveness
comes from you alone. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Just a Simple Love Song” (Rooyen)

FIRST READING: Psalm 119

33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
36 Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
38 Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
39 Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
40 How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.

SECOND READING: Roman 13.8-14

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

HYMN: “Jesus bids us shine”

Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light,
like a little candle burning in the night.
In this world is darkness, so let us shine,
you in your small corner, and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine first of all for him;
well he sees and knows it if our light grows dim:
Jesus walks beside us to help us shine,
you in your small corner, and I in mine.

Jesus bids us shine, then, for all around;
many kinds of darkness in the world are found:
sin, and want and sorrow; so we must shine,
you in your small corner, and I in mine.

REFLECTION

There’s something about the beginning of September and the need to review my summer reading list.

Maybe it’s a bit like that recurring dream where I wake up on the day of the exam and realize I forgot to take the course. I wish I was joking. Last year, the challenge was to only read books I bought at the dollar store, and this year it was to read books that have been hanging around too long. And some others.

So the first was “Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War” (by Steve Inskeep). You don’t need to read this book, it’s all in the subtitle. My first lapse in the program was reading “Trumpocalypse” by David Frum. In this case, all you need to know is in the title, four years in a single word.

Next was Rachel Maddow’s wonderful book, “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth.” The industry, of course, is oil, and the book connects the dots between fracking, hacking, and authoritarian leaders. Needing to have my faith in democracy restored, I then read Ron Chernow’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography of George Washington. Excellent book, but it didn’t have the desired effect—something I hope to talk about in the near future.

The rest of the reading was a blur. Helen Castor’s fine biography of Joan of Arc, a wonderful little book called “Mudlark: In Search of London’s Past Along the River Thames” by Lara Maiklem, as well as Simon Schama’s “Landscape and Memory,” a book I’m embarrassed to say I have owned for over 20 years. Finally, I finished Kurt Andersen’s “Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History” (borrowed from Dr. Jim in 2017). It explained a lot. And remaining current, I’m still reading “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin DiAngelo. Again, I hope to say more about the book in a future sermon near you.

Sometimes I think it’s appropriate to step back and consider why we read. Some seek a distraction, entering a new (sometimes fictional) world. Some seek insight, learning about new topics or diving deeper into topics already familiar. Some seek assurance, words of comfort or conviction, or words that connect us to some higher need. Some seek confirmation, words that reinforce what we already suspect or believe. And some seek all of these, and leap from book to book happy with whatever comes.

So we open our Bibles this morning, and we read this:

Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.

The psalmist has opened the law and seeks several things at once. Like an eclectic reader, the psalmist is looking for instruction, understanding, direction, and a heart for others. The psalmist wants to find meaning, assurance that God’s promises are sure, and salvation.

The first thing we should note (according to Walter Brueggemann) is the variety of ways the psalmist describes Torah. Beyond simply “the law,” Torah becomes statutes, decrees, commandments, ordinances, precepts, ways, and promises. It takes us out of a legalistic mode, and opens a library of guidance, the foundation on which we may stand.

But Brueggemann takes this a step further, and highlights the danger of choosing eight verses in the middle of a psalm. It would be easy to read these words and conclude that the primary concern is our personal relationship with God (B. calls this the vertical axis) and ignore the horizontal axis that’s at the heart of Torah. Jesus found the heart of the law in Deuteronomy (“Love the Lord your God”) and in Leviticus (“Love your neighbour as yourself”), creating a mandate that holds both axes together. Only in the context of a loving relationship with God can we find a way to love those around us.

Love your neighbour. It would be an understatement to say loving our southern neighbour is getting harder by the day. Elections are divisive by their very nature, but 2020 has taken this to the next level. It would be simplistic to set this at the feet of an individual (yet tempting), when these deep divisions have grown over decades, with fewer and fewer points of agreement by the day.

One of the truly frustrating aspects of our time is the seeming demise of truth. It was the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan who said, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” Somehow this wisdom slipped away, with everyone struggling to see a way forward. It’s one thing to disagree on the solution to a problem, but quite another to disagree on whether the problem exists at all.

The book that only took me three years to finish—Fantasyland— attempts to locate where this split began, where truth became just another dimension of personal expression. The author, Kurt Andersen, points to the 1960s. He argues that what we label as “counter-cultural” became the mainstream, and that all the ideas that we associate with hippies (“mistrust authority, do your own thing, find your own truth”) belonged, in fact, to everyone. I’ll let Andersen give you some examples:

The 1960s gave licence to everyone in America to let their freak flags fly—superselfish Ayn Randians as well as New Age Shamans; fundamentalists and evangelicals and charismatics; Scientologists, homeopaths, spiritual cultists, and academic relativists; left-wing and right-wing conspiracists; war reenactors and those abducted by Satan or extraterrestrials.

I think you get the picture. In effect, we entered a profoundly self-centred age: “What I believe is true because I want it to be true” or “What I believe is true because I feel it to be true.” Experts are no longer needed, nor the certainty of science, when my feelings about a topic become my truth. And I hope you see (based on Andersen’s quote) just how ecumenical this idea is: it’s not a left-right thing, or a liberal-conservative thing. People on the left are just as likely to dispute the science of genetically-modified foods as people on the right dispute climate change. Pick your truth.

This would be the moment in the sermon that I offer some solutions, or maybe just a poem while I back away from my metaphorical pulpit. I don’t have a poem, so I guess I’m stuck suggesting a way forward. In a word, it’s education. Apropos to the week, we need to get back to reading and learning about the world that surrounds us. We need to travel, and experience different cultures and learn new points-of-view (here in Toronto, you don’t need to travel far). And we need to be intentional about addressing gaps in our knowledge: at the library, on the internet, or with a learned friend. Only through education will we gain perspective on the problems that face us. Only through education will we find some common ground.

The psalmist is clamouring to get into this conversation, and point out something that we might not see on first reading. Each verse begins with a variation on “teach me”—turning to God for understanding. That’s the beginning. But each verse ends with the result.

With understanding: I can follow to the end.
With understanding: I can obey with my whole heart.
With understanding: I can find delight.
With understanding: I can follow your word.
With understanding: I can live without fear.
With understanding: I can live without disgrace.
With understanding: I can be preserved.

God will give us these things, and remind us to trust in God alone. God will give us these things, and allow us to see others in a new light. God will give us these things, so that we, in turn, give them to others.

Most of all, may we cherish the law of love and kindness, now and always, Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Seasons come, and seasons go,
but you, O God, are constant.
You meet us for each beginning,
and you hold us through each ending.
From dawn to dusk, you hold us fast,
and through the night you abide with us still.

Open our hearts and fill them with prayer,
prayer for the world you made,
prayer for your troubled creatures,
prayer for conflict wherever it may exist,
prayer for your kingdom come.

Hear is as we pray silently:
for those we love…
for those who we struggle to love…
for those held down by illness, grief, conflict or worry…
for those at the end of their rope, for whatever reason…
and for those who seek to begin anew…

Remember teachers, staff, helpers, parents, and students,
those who plan to return to school
and those who cannot.
Ease troubled hearts,
and help us to face this moment together.

We pray, as Jesus taught us…

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “To show by touch and word”

To show by touch and word devotion to the earth,
to hold in full regard all life that comes to birth,
we need, O God, the will to find
the good you had of old in mind.

Renew our minds to choose the things that matter most,
our hearts to long for truth till pride of self is lost.
For every challenge that we face
we need your guidance and your grace.

Let love from day to day be yardstick, rule, and norm,
and let our lives portray your word in human form.
Now come with us that we may have
your wits about us where we live.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

Postlude: “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dr. Jim, Jenny, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Fantasy Bossa” (Norton)

OPENING PRAYER

Holy One,
you are with us in the dawning of the day,
through crowded hours of work and play,
and in the star-filled stillness of the night.
In these moments,
touch our hearts with your peace,
that we may know your presence,
and may love and serve you in all that we do.
Remind us that any moment we focus on you
becomes an act of worship.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen

HYMN OF PRAISE: “O love, how deep”

O love, how deep, how broad, how high!
It fills the heart with ecstasy,
that God, in Jesus Christ, should take
our mortal form for mortals’ sake.

God sent no angel to our race
of higher or of lower place,
but wore the robe of human frame,
and freely to this lost world came.

For us he was baptized, and bore
a holy fast, and hungered sore;
for us temptations sharply knew;
for us the tempter overthrew.

For us he prayed, for us he taught,
for us great daily works were wrought,
by words and signs, and actions, thus
still seeking not himself, but us.

For us to wicked foes betrayed,
scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,
he bore the shameful cross and death;
for us at length gave up his breath.

For us he rose from death again,
for us he went on high to reign,
for us he sent his Spirit here
to guide, to strengthen and to cheer.

To God whose boundless love has won
salvation for us through the Son,
to God all praise and glory be
both now and through eternity.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God,
in whose mercy we find our peace,
in whose presence we find our place:
cleanse our hearts to make us new,
that we may be faithful followers of your way,
the way of love and mercy.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Thy Word” (Grant/Smith)

FIRST READING: Psalm 105

Give thanks and call on God’s name.
Make known to the nations what God has done.
Sing, O sing the songs of praise;
tell of all God’s wonderful deeds.
Exult in God’s holy name;
let those who seek God be joyful in heart.

Turn for help to the One who is your strength;
seek God’s presence continually.
Remember the marvels the Most High has done,
the wonders and judgements God has given,
O children of Abraham and Sarah, God’s servants,
O offspring of Israel, chosen of God.

You are the eternal God,
your justice reaches every corner of the earth.
You are ever mindful of your covenant,
the promise you gave to a thousand generations,
the covenant you made with Sarah and Abraham,
the oath you gave to Isaac.
You confirmed it for Jacob as binding.
To Israel your everlasting covenant you declared,
‘To you I give the land of Canaan,
as your appointed inheritance.’

SECOND READING: Romans 12.9-21

⁹ Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. ¹⁰ Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. ¹¹ Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. ¹² Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. ¹³ Take care of God’s needy people and welcome strangers into your home.

¹⁴ Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. ¹⁵ When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. ¹⁶ Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.^[a] 17 Don’t mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, ¹⁸ and do your best to live at peace with everyone.

¹⁹ Dear friends, don’t try to get even. Let God take revenge. In the Scriptures the Lord says, “I am the one to take revenge and pay them back.”

²⁰ The Scriptures also say,

“If your enemies are hungry,
    give them something to eat.
And if they are thirsty,
give them something
    to drink.
This will be the same
as piling burning coals
    on their heads.”

²¹ Don’t let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good.

HYMN: “I’ve got peace like a river”

I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river in-a my soul.
I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river,
I’ve got peace like a river in-a my soul.

I’ve got joy like a fountain,
I’ve got joy like a fountain,
I’ve got joy like a fountain in-a my soul.
I’ve got joy like a fountain,
I’ve got joy like a fountain,
I’ve got joy like a fountain in-a my soul.

I’ve got love like an ocean,
I’ve got love like an ocean,
I’ve got love like an ocean in-a my soul.
I’ve got love like an ocean,
I’ve got love like an ocean,
I’ve got love like an ocean in-a my soul.

REFLECTION

No one wants to be regarded as a loose cannon on the deck.

But if you were a loose cannon on the deck, you would surely be aware that you are being summarized with a sailing idiom. An idiom is a turn of phase with a particular meaning often unrelated to the words themselves. In other words, you may be disruptive, or careless, of a breaker of norms, but only a “loose cannon” if you know the idiom. Clearly, this idiom doesn’t hide its maritime origin.

Other idioms hide their nautical beginnings a little more carefully. If you are learning the ropes, you know that you are acquiring knowledge unique to a disciple or a trade. For the new sailor, your full-time job is literally learning the ropes, or determining the purpose of every sheet, halyard, or line. (Ironically, the first thing you learn is that there are no ropes on a boat, only sheets, halyards, and lines). Likewise, showing your true colours—giving people a sense of the real you—began as a nautical phrase. Flags (your colours) were used to identify your country of origin, unless, of course, you were a pirate. Pirates would fail to show their true colours, until they showed their true colours, and by that time it was too late.

Sometimes we suspect that an idiom comes from the sea, but it’s not clear how. Pipe down, as an example, is something you tell noisy children or neighbours, and it seems to come from the practice of blowing the bo’sun’s pipe at the end of the day. You were literally piped down to your hammock. There is evidence, however, that ‘pipe down’ became just another thing to shout at the crew, something my skipper does with some regularity.

Finally, I give you a favourite of mine, ‘shipshape and Bristol fashion.’ There’s no mystery that this is a nautical idiom, shipshape gives it away, but ‘Bristol fashion’ is a bit of a mystery. Some argue that Bristol was a preeminent port that prided itself on its orderliness, while others have a more complex origin story. Bristol is located on the River Avon, a tidal river, which in olden days meant that when the tide went out your boat would rest on its keel, often on an angle. In Bristol, therefore, everything on board had to be fastened securely—Bristol fashion—or there would be a terrible mess.

I share all of this because St. Paul shares an idiom with us, and the meaning is somewhat unclear. Here it is:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

First, we should note that it’s actually a quote from Proverbs 25 (21-22), a fact that doesn’t make the meaning any clearer. Gallons of ink have been spilled trying to make sense of this idiom, found in the context of not seeking revenge—while at the same time sounding like the precise sort of thing you might do to seek revenge. So what does it mean?

One kind-hearted soul suggested that “heap burning coals on his head” was something you did for others if their homefire went out. Since the ancient near-eastern practice was to carry burning coals on the head (in a suitable vessel, of course), the phrase simply described an act of neighbourliness. Lovely, but unlikely. I expect “heap burning coals on his head” sounds harsh, because it was meant to be harsh.

Another suggestion looks to Egyptian literature, in this case to suggest that “coals of fire” meant to change your mind, or have a change of heart. Therefore, it would seem, that “heap burning coals on his head” was a way to expedite this change process, to help them along. I think this is a little closer to the mark, since we are talking about transformation, but again we’re not quite there. Again, “heap burning coals on his head” sounds rather unpleasant to me.

More convincing, to my mind, is the idea this is an analogy. Being kind to your enemy will humiliate them, in the same way that heaping burning coals on their head would be a terrible humiliation. Rather than repay evil with evil, why not repay with good. This will disarm your enemy, leaving them about as unbalanced as getting the burning coal treatment.

All of this, however, is jumping ahead. The passage is about Christian living, an answer to the question “how then, shall we live?” God has given us the gift of new life in Christ, and now we need to do something, respond somehow, and live differently. How then, shall we live?

What Paul has assembled is an assortment of Old and New Testament quotes, bits of wisdom, law and Gospel. There’s Amos 5, Proverbs 3, Lev 19 and Deut 32, and that direct quote from Proverbs 25 we’ve already exhausted. Paul quotes Jesus (John 13, Mat 25, Luke 6, Mat 5) demonstrating this adherence to the Gospel and his familiarity with Jesus’ thought. But there is more happening in this relationship than just effective quoting. There seems to be another story, and I’m going to suggest it began the day Jesus heaped burning coals on Paul’s head. Let me explain.

Before I do that, I have to tell you about one of my favourite paintings. It’s here in the liturgy, Caravaggio’s Conversion on the Way to Damascus, found in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. I would put heavy emphasis on the word found, since you have to search for it once you’re in the church. You would expect that when your church has one of the most famous paintings in the world, you might put it someone visible, but that would be too obvious. Instead it’s in a small side-chapel near the chancel, perpendicular to the viewer, and nearly impossible to see in its fullness (or get a proper photo). Luckily, we have the internet, so we can see it in all its drama and glory.

We see St. Paul unhorsed, at the second that he appears to hit the ground. His arms are elevated, that familiar reflex as you fall, as his attendant looks on. Beside him is his sword, his saints’ symbol, and the mode of his death (he was beheaded). His eyes are closed, which seems a likely response to fall, but we soon learn that his eyes have been closed by the experience, and will not reopen until some time later. Unspoken in the painting (but in the mind of the viewer) is the words spoken by Jesus in that moment, “Savle quid me perseveres?” (Saul, why do you persecute me?).

Saul (pre-Paul) has done evil to Jesus and his followers, and was first among those who opposed Jesus and his way. We see him on the edge of the crowd during the stoning of St. Stephen, and we know that he will confess more in his letters. And how does Jesus repay this evil? First, by loving him enough to see that he can become more than Saul—more than a persecutor of the church. But more importantly, he repays Saul’s evil by destroying the life he was living, heaping the burning coals of destruction on his head, ending one life so another could begin.

And Jesus expects no less of us. Maybe we weren’t unhorsed, and maybe we didn’t have burning coals heaped on our heads, but the experience of new life in Christ is meant to be just as dramatic a turn-around from the way the world lives. Maybe you can’t name a Saul-Paul moment, a dramatic rebirth at the bidding of Jesus the Christ, but the change is still there. Day-by-day, our walk with Christ is meant to unhorse us, to open our eyes to new needs and new trouble, and new meaning. Everyday is the opportunity for rebirth, a new baptism of forgiveness and love.

Paul became a loose cannon on the deck. No longer Saul the persecutor, he became Paul the apostle, the teacher, the guide. His message was about Christian living, how to live in the light of new life. Love, share, and be hospitable, he said. Live in harmony with others, laugh with the happy and cry with the sad, don’t imagine you’re better than others, and do not repay evil with evil. It’s a vision of an alternate way of being, where you too can be a loose cannon on the deck. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Eternal God,
who caused all scriptures
to be written for our learning:
grant that we may so hear them,
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that by patience and comfort of your holy Word,
we may embrace and hold fast
the blessed hope of eternal life,
which you have given us in Jesus.

Eternal God,
who leads the lives of the saints
to show us heroic virtue:
grant that we may follow them,
all along the pilgrims’ road,
that we too might become your saints,
living with courage and hope,
while blessing others on the way.

Eternal God,
who hears our prayers
and knows the desire of our hearts:
grant our longing for a world made new,
hope, help, and love endure,
that the weak may have strength,
the sick your healing,
and the bereaved the comfort
that only you can give.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Open my eyes, that I may see”

Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!

Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare
love with thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Taye, Jenny, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “The Song of Twilight” (Nakada)

OPENING PRAYER (St. Patrick, 5th century)

May the strength of God pilot us.
May the power of God preserve us.
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us.
May the way of God direct us.
May the shield of God defend us.
May the host of God guard us against the snares of evil
and the temptations of the world.
May Christ be with us,
Christ before us,
Christ in us,
Christ over us.
May our salvation, O God,
be always ours this day and forevermore. Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah”

Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more,
feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield,
be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side:
songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever give to thee,
I will ever give to thee.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God, in whose mercy we find our peace,
in whose presence we find our place,
in whose world we find our calling:
grant us grace so to hear and accept your Word
that we may be faithful followers
of your will and your way all our days.
The road is hard, and we often falter,
but we know that you urge us on,
willing to walk by our side.
Forgive us our halting steps.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “God’s Colouring Book” (Parton)

FIRST READING: Psalm 124

‘If God had not been at our side,’
now let Israel say:
‘If God had not been at our side
when mortals rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us alive,
when their fury was roused against us.
Then the flood would have swept us away,
and the torrent would have covered us.
Then the raging waters
would have gone right over our heads.’

But praised be God:
who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
from the hunter’s snare;
the snare is broken and we are free.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

SECOND READING: Exodus 1.8-22

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

HYMN: “God of freedom, God of justice”

God of freedom, God of justice,
you whose love is strong as death,
you who saw the dark of prison,
you who knew the price of faith:
touch our world of sad oppression
with your Spirit’s healing breath.

Rid the earth of torture’s terror,
you whose hands were nailed to wood;
hear the cries of pain and protest,
you who shed the tears and blood:
move in us the power of pity
restless for the common good.

Make in us a captive conscience
quick to hear, to act, to plead;
make us truly sisters, brothers
of whatever race or creed:
teach us to be fully human,
open to each other’s need.

REFLECTION

In the spirit of fairness, I give you evil kings.

After Mary I, Eadburh of Wessex, and old Jezebel, it seems fair to look at regal malevolence from the male point-of-view. There are, of course, no shortage of examples. And for that reason, I’m going to limit my look to evil kings in the Bible, beginning with Ahab, consort of the infamous Jezebel. You might say Ahab is more of the unindicted co-conspirator type (see last week), but he’s a bad hombre nonetheless.

Next, I might suggest Abimelech, who wanted to be king of Shechem, but had two problems: he was illegitimate (being the son of a Shechemite concubine) and he had 70 brothers, each with a better claim to the throne. He killed them all, save one, and claimed the throne.

Then there is the first Pharaoh on our list, this one made famous by Yul Brenner in the Ten Commandments. Handsome, yes, but hardhearted, stubborn, and seemingly impervious to frogs, lice, boils, pestilence, and most other plagues.

Or, how about King Herod, stock villain of every church school pageant since the dawn of time? Infanticide is the quickest route to being declared an evil king, so he qualifies.

And speaking of infanticide, we meet today’s evil king, an unnamed Pharoah who was obviously the boyhood hero of King Herod. In Exodus 1, we learn that whatever lingering gratitude the royal house of Egypt felt toward Joseph and his people was gone. The Egyptians felt threatened by the growing Israelite population, and feared a slave revolt or worse.

More taskmasters were appointed, and the Israelites were compelled to build new cities—cities of stone—yet the sense of threat did not recede. The author of Exodus describes the situation in simple terms: “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.” Clearly, Pharaoh needs a new plan, so he calls the midwives:

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

I don’t do sermon titles, but if I did, I might call this sermon “How to lie to a tyrant.” For you see, when you lie to a tyrant, you need to speak to the tyrant’s bias or base assumption. So, in this example, they describe the Hebrew women as more “vigorous,” which I expect Pharaoh heard as less refined than the Egyptian women. Some scholars have even suggested that vigorous is code for beast-like, which would take the existing bias argument even further. Whatever the meaning of vigorous, it’s clear that Pharaoh accepts the lie they concoct—disappointed that they have not completed their mission, but satisfied with their answer.

So who are these women, Shiphrah and Puah? The fact that they are named, while Pharaoh remains unnamed, tells us that they are the real subjects of the story. Again, there is a bit of a debate about their identity, since the Hebrew is unclear. It seems the key words can be translated “Hebrew midwives” or “the midwives to the Hebrews.” Now, my resident scholar is out of town, so I’m flying blind here, but this translation problem could explain a lot.

If the midwives were Egyptians tasked with obstetrics among the Hebrew women, the order to kill the male babies seems less unlikely. If the midwives were Hebrews, then we get into a whole other conversation about servitude and the extent to which those enslaved could be expected to carry out genocide against their own people. There is ample evidence that this occurs, but it remains a puzzle within the text.

The one thing we can infer is that these women have status within their society. They seem to have some oversight role among the midwives, since we can safely assume that there were more than two. Perhaps they were the head of their guild, women responsible for the practice of midwifery throughout the society. Such guilds functioned as both oversight bodies and centres of education. Perhaps Shiphrah and Puah were “ministers of midwifery” within the governmental structure, the kind of people you would turn to to implement a controversial plan.*

But the plan—for a moment at least—is thwarted. Pharaoh accepts the lie that the midwives were late every single time, and he must find a new way to proceed. The late professor David Daube describes the action (inaction?) of Shiphrah and Puah as civil disobedience, and “the oldest record in world literature of the spurning of a governmental decree.” It won’t take long for the next act, when Moses’ mother and the daughter of Pharaoh engage in their own flaunting of the law, but pride-of-place belongs to Shiphrah and Puah. They are the mothers of civil disobedience, engaging in “good trouble” (quoting the late John Lewis) to overcome the ultimate example of state-sponsored violence: genocide.

And just because the lesson for today has taken us into the realm of resistance, I want to go a step further, and draw a link between the language of Pharaoh and the great scourge of our time, white supremacy. Listen as Pharaoh describes his view:

8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

It has long been argued that “Make America Great Again” is a dog-whistle to those who believe that America peaked in the 1950s and can only be great if the clock could somehow be wound back. And the choice of time is not accidental, since it predates civil rights legislation, gay rights, environmental regulations, second-wave feminism, and increased immigration from non-white majority nations. The words “far too numerous for us” could be found in a tweet, and they betray a sense that some belong and some do not.

When Hannah Arendt wrote her book on the Eichmann trial, she chose as a subtitle “A Report on the Banality of Evil.” It has become a familiar and oft-deployed phrase, describing the way evil hides behind “just following orders” or “just following the law.” When malevolent people control the levers of government, making dangerous laws or enacting corrupt policies, it falls to ordinary women and men to do the extraordinary things needed to meet the moment.

Meeting the moment, we meet Shiphrah and Puah. They bravely defy Pharaoh and “so God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.” Thus the House of Shiphrah and the House of Puah were founded, blessed by the God who blesses the troublemakers, those willing to defy the Pharaoh’s of this world.

May God continue to bless those who seek justice and resist evil. And may God bless those with the determination and creativity of Shiphrah and Puah, midwives of good trouble. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

God of all,
We close our eyes and see the faces of those we know and love—
neighbours and friends, sisters and brothers—
a community of kindred hearts.
Keep them safe from harm,
and encourage them in the face of sadness and fear.

God of all,
We close our eyes and see the faces of those we hardly know—
strangers, visitors, forgotten friends—
the ones who need an outstretched hand.
Give them hope,
and remind them that there are many who care.

God of all,
We close our eyes and see what cannot be unseen—
injustice, cruelty, oppression, malice,
the careless disregard for the sacredness of human life.
Stir our hearts,
and help us to be agents of your peace.

God of all,
We close our eyes and see all the images of God represented in our fellowship.
In me, in you, in each of us,
God’s spirit shines for all to see.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Let there be light”

Let there be light,
let there be understanding,
let all the nations gather,
let them be face to face;

open our lips,
open our minds to ponder,
open the door of concord
opening into grace;

perish the sword,
perish the angry judgement,
perish the bombs and hunger,
perish the fight for gain;

hallow our love,
hallow the deaths of martyrs,
hallow their holy freedom,
hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come,
your spirit turn to language,
your people speak together,
your spirit never fade;

let there be light;
open our hearts to wonder,
perish the way of terror,
hallow the world God made.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dave and Heather!

PRELUDE: “This is My Father’s World” (Babcock)

OPENING PRAYER

Gracious God,
we pray for your blessing
on the church this day.
May the faithful find salvation,
and the careless be awakened.
May the doubting find courage,
and the anxious be calmed.
May the tempted find help,
and the sorrowful be comforted.
May the weary find rest,
and the strong be renewed.
May the aged find consolation,
and the young be inspired,
in Jesus, the Christ. Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”

Immortal, invisible, God only wise;
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes;
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

Thou reignest in glory, thou rulest in light;
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all praise we would render, O help us to see
’tis only the splendour of light hideth thee!

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Gracious God,
You are the author of love
and source of forgiveness.
We are all too human,
quick to judge,
and slow to understand.
Send your Spirit, O God.
Remind us the last word,
spoken on a hill far away,
was “forgive.”
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Glory Bound” (Maher)

FIRST READING: Psalm 133

Spanish Refrain:
¡Miren qué bueno, qué bueno es!
¡Miren qué bueno, qué bueno es!

English Refrain:
Behold how pleasant, how good it is!
Behold how pleasant, how good it is!

How pleasant and harmonious
when God’s people are together:
fragrant as precious oil
when running fresh on Aaron’s beard. R

How pleasant and harmonious
when God’s people are together:
fresh like the morning dew
that falls on Zion’s holy hill. R

How pleasant and harmonious
when God’s people are together:
there is where God bestows
the blessing, life for evermore. R

SECOND READING: Genesis 45.1-15

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[a]

8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’

12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”

14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

HYMN: “Blest be the tie that binds”

Blest be the tie that binds
our hearts in Christian love;
the unity of heart and mind
is like to that above.

Before our Maker’s throne
we pour our ardent prayers;
our fears, our hopes, our aims are one,
our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes,
each other’s burdens bear;
and often for each other flows
the sympathizing tear.

This glorious hope revives
our courage on the way;
that we shall live in perfect love
in God’s eternal day.

REFLECTION

Our story begins with a criminal conspiracy.

No, we’re not talking about Russian interference or coercing Ukraine to help find dirt. That’s another sermon. In this sermon, Joseph’s brothers conspire to murder the lad, then change their minds, then conspire to deceive their father, and break an old man’s heart. But is it still criminal?

Conspiracy is one of those things you hear on television all the time. If you have an appetite for procedural dramas of a criminal sort, you will know that when two or more people conspire to commit an offence, yet only one person does the deed, everyone gets charged. In fact, doing the deed isn’t even necessary for the conspiracy charge to stick, since planning a crime is a crime itself.

And just because I’ve waited 30 years to quote a legal decision in a sermon, here is Regina v. O’Brien [1954]: “The law punishes conspiracy so that the unlawful object is not attained. It considers that several persons who agree together to commit an unlawful act, are a menace to society.” So the next time you and a friend are eyeing the donut on my plate, and agree to split my tasty donut, think again—no one wants to be labelled a menace to society.

(Just as an aside, keep R. v. Déry, [2006] in your back pocket. In my donut example, the Supreme Court does not include “fruitless discussions” as conspiracy. You need to make a proper plan.)

Back to poor Joseph. It’s not his fault that he’s his father’s favourite. Of that he has vivid dreams that others find annoying. Or that he can interpret the dreams of others. Or that his father gave him a fabulous coat, the kind of coat that just screams “Broadway musical.” Maybe Joseph was a little overbearing, or enjoyed his special status a little too much. But a criminal conspiracy? That’s going too far.

On the day in question, Joseph’s father has sent the lad to check up on the others, and make sure they’re doing their work. He’s still a speck on the horizon when the brother’s decide they’ve had enough of this upstart. They agree to kill him. Their plan—if you could call it a plan—is to kill Joseph, throw his body in an empty cistern, and claim a wild animal did it.

Luckily for Joseph, one brother couldn’t abide the plan. Reuben suggested they forget the killing part and just throw him in the cistern—just teach him a lesson, I suppose. But just then some traders appear, and the brothers hit on a new plan: sell Joseph to the Egyptbound traders, make some shekels, and then present a bloodied dreamcoat to their father. And the plan works. Joseph is sold on to Potiphar, the captain of the Pharaoh’s guard, and Jacob believes that his son is gone.

But that, of course, isn’t the end of the story. To summarize our way to today’s reading, we learn:

Some sort of Mrs. Robinson thing happens with Joseph and Potiphar’s wife.
Joseph lands in jail, but uses his dream gift to impress others.
One of the impressed inmates takes word back to Pharaoh, and Joseph is released.
Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dream of fat and skinny cows, and becomes vizier.
As vizier—sort of like Prime Minister—Joseph saves the land from famine (and skinny cows).
People from the surrounding nations come to buy from Egypt’s ample supply of grain, including Joseph’s own brothers.
There is some back and forth with a silver cup (see chapter 44)
And the moment finally comes for Joseph to reveal to his brothers that he is, in fact, the vizier of Egypt.

But first Joseph has a good cry. People were a bit more emotional back then. He has a good cry and then the reveal:

“I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

And just because they’re in shock, he says it again, and then again: “God sent me ahead of you to save your lives! Go and get my father, and bring him along. There will be five more years of famine, some I’m going to settle you in the nearby Land of Goshen, and I will provide for you there—for you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.” At this moment, he embraced his brother Benjamin, and started crying. And Benjamin hugged him back, and started crying. Then I assume everyone was crying—because afterall—it was a more emotional time.

This is the moment to ponder hugging in the Bible. Where else do we see tearful reunions, families reunited in an emotional time? I think you see where I’m headed. This is really just an early telling of the prodigal son—which Jesus has recast to teach us about the Kingdom. How does it work?

Joseph, like the prodigal, is in a faraway land, and only late in the story chooses to return home (or rather, lets home come to him). There is lots of brotherly resentment, for Joseph on the front-end of the story, and for the prodigal at the end-end of the story. Both stories have an element of “while he was still far off,” but with a twist. For Joseph being far off gives his brothers occasion to plot against him, for the prodigal being far off gives the father time to plot forgiveness.

And forgiveness is where the stories truly meet. Yes, Joseph was forgiving from a position of good fortune, but this does not erase the pain of being sold, imprisoned, and separated from the father he loved. He could have just as easily turned his brothers away, or imprisoned them for all they did and for all they conspired to do. But he did not. He chose to forgive.

Likewise, the father of the prodigal had every reason to align with the older brother. Half his fortune wasted on profligate living. A faithful son still by this side. He could easily have turned the prodigal son away, and let the dead remain dead in his eyes, but he did not. He chose to forgive.

The glue that binds these two passages is a forgiving God. God could have acted to thwart the co-conspirators, but gave occasion to save them instead. Joseph gives God the glory, he doesn’t claim it for himself. It is God’s desire to preserve Joseph and by extension to save the rest of the tribe, since God has plans for all of them. And God can forgive these brothers, even when they don’t deserve it.

And again, the parable of the prodigal son is a glimpse of God’s kingdom, where wastrels and those given to profligate living also receive forgiveness: once dead, he is alive once more—was lost, but now is found. It is God’s desire to reach beyond resentment and “the way the world works” and forgive instead. It is God’s desire that everyone separated from kin and clan find their way home, resting in the everlasting arms of a forgiving God. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Attentive God,
you have called us to be your holy people,
and to sing your praise.
Teach us to use our gifts for your glory,
and for strengthening the faith of your church.
Help us to persevere in practice and prayer,
that we may show your love to others,
and lead them closer to you.

Accept, O God,
the service of those who offer you praise
in the fellowship of this church.
May they serve you with glad hearts and dedicated lives;
that, by their service, your name will be glorified,
and the hearts of your people uplifted.

Acknowledge God,
the confession we make, having wronged others.
the prayers we make, for the sake of others.
the needs we have, making us like all others.

For those who are ill…hear our prayers.
For those who mourn…hear our prayers.
For those who have lost everything,
or enough to make it feel that way…hear our prayers.
For those in leadership…hear our prayers.
For those who teach, care, comfort, challenge,
support, console, or advocate…hear our prayers.
Find us among those we name,
as we pray for ourselves.
Amen

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Now thank we all our God”

Now thank we all our God, with heart,
and hands, and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mother’s arms has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
and keep us strong in grace, and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ill in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
for all that has been given,
the Son, and Spirit blest
who dwell in highest heaven,
the one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Faith, Olivia, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Without His Cross” (Martin)

OPENING PRAYER

Ever-present God,
this day enfolds us and surrounds us:
be in our speaking and in our thinking;
be in our life and on our lips;
be in our hearts and in our souls,
today and forever. Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Come, O Fount of every blessing”

Come, O Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing your grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing
call for songs of endless praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount; I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unfailing love.

Here I pause in my sojourning,
giving thanks for having come,
come to trust, at every turning,
God will guide me safely home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God,
came to rescue me from danger,
precious presence, precious blood.

O, to grace how great a debt
or daily I am drawn anew!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to you.
Prone to wander, I can feel it,
wander from the love I’ve known:
here’s my heart, O, take and seal it,
seal it for your very own.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Merciful God,
you made us in your image,
with a mind to know you,
a heart to love you,
and a will to serve you.
But our knowledge is imperfect,
our love inconstant,
our obedience incomplete.
Day by day, we fail to grow into your likeness.
In your tender love, forgive.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Let There Be Peace on Earth” (Miller/Jackson)

FIRST READING: Psalm 105

Give thanks and call on God’s name.
Make known to the nations what God has done.
Sing, O sing the songs of praise;
tell of all God’s wonderful deeds.
Exult in God’s holy name;
let those who seek God be joyful in heart.

Turn for help to the One who is your strength;
seek God’s presence continually.
Remember the marvels the Most High has done,
the wonders and judgements God has given,
O children of Abraham and Sarah, God’s servants,*
O offspring of Israel, chosen of God.

You are the eternal God,
your justice reaches every corner of the earth.
You are ever mindful of your covenant,
the promise you gave to a thousand generations,
the covenant you made with Sarah and Abraham,
the oath you gave to Isaac.
You confirmed it for Jacob as binding.
To Israel your everlasting covenant you declared,
‘To you I give the land of Canaan,
as your appointed inheritance.’

SECOND READING: 1 Kings 19.9-18

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

HYMN: “Come down, O love divine”

Come down, O love divine,
seek now this soul of mine,
and visit it with your own ardour glowing.
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, your holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let your glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, my onward path illuming.

And so the yearning strong
with which the soul will long
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till love creates the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes its dwelling.

REFLECTION

It seems accurate to say that your legacy is a matter of perspective and circumstance.

Take, for example, Mary I of England, known to history as “Bloody Mary.” Her premature death meant the failure of her project of returning England to the Roman Catholic faith. Had she succeeded, history would view her very differently, and we might be in the middle of Mass right now.

Yet even with her tarnished legacy, and a reputation that approaches the stereotype of an “evil queen,” recent scholars have taken a second look and decided that her legacy is less one-sided. Many in the realm welcomed a return to the old faith, and many of the things that her sister gets credit for—naval supremacy, the beginning of the age of exploration—actually started under Mary.

If you want someone closer to the evil queen trope, look no further than Eadburh, queen of Wessex. Annoyed with her husband’s advisor, she poisoned him, and inadvertently killed her husband (the king) as well. She fled to Francia, and ended up in an awkward love triangle with Charlemange and his son. Banished from court, she was appointed the abbess of a convent, a position she soon lost after a tryst with an overnight guest. If you were wondering why so few little girls are named Eadburh, then wonder no more.

And then, of course, there is Jezebel. Ignoring the way Jezebel has been reinterpreted in recent years, we need to look again at the book of 1 Kings to see Jezebel in her original setting. Like many “foreign” queens, she brought her religion with her to Israel, meaning that she was always going to be controversial. But rather than quietly worship Baal in her well-appointed chapel, she exploited her husband’s weakness to promote Baal throughout the land.

Enter Elijah the prophet. First, he warns the king that years of drought will follow if the worship of Baal does not stop. (In addition to being a garden-variety punishment for disobedience, drought is also a direct attack on Baal, since he was supposed to be the god of rain). Exiled the first time, Elijah waits three years before he is commanded to confront the priests of Baal directly. Read 1 Kings 18 for the best duel in history. It’s Jezebel and the priests of Baal zero, Elijah (and YHWH) one.

So Elijah must flee once more—and we reach today’s reading—but the real conclusion of the Jezebel story comes in the next episode. Ahab, the weak king, is unable to convince one of his subjects to sell him a vineyard. Annoyed, Jezebel arranges to have the vineyard owner killed through an abuse of the courts, and she seizes the vineyard. For the God of justice this is a step too far, and Jezebel’s inevitable fate is sealed. Again, if you were wondering why so few little girls are named Jezebel, then wonder no more.

Back to our reading, Elijah’s second exile is worse than the first. This time he’s hiding in a cave, feeling sorry for himself, and generally resigning himself to defeat at the hands of Jezebel and Ahab. God is having none of it. The word of the Lord came to Elijah and said “what are you doing in there?” He could have just admitted that he was hiding, but instead he tries to explain himself: “everyone,” he said, “is dead. The covenant is gone, along with the places of worship. I’m the only prophet left, even though I have been zealous for the LORD.”

At this point the LORD was growing tired of all the gloom, and told Elijah to wait at the mouth of the cave for the LORD to pass by. Here’s what happened next:

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The same question, then the same response. Still, God is having none of it. “Go back to the seats of power,” the LORD said, “and you will have occasion to make some political changes.” And then the most important message at all: “You imagine that you are the last of a breed, but this is far from the truth. There are seven thousand others in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

When we’re surrounded by trouble, the first and obvious question is ‘where is God in all this?’ Weak kings and evil queens, the worship of foreign gods, the murder of prophets, abuse of process and the state-sanctioned killing of innocent people—where is God while all this is happening? We want God to move heaven and earth to defeat the unjust, to overcome those who would rule with such inequity, but direct intervention doesn’t follow. A great and powerful wind levelled mountains before the Lord, but the Lord is not in the wind. After the wind, the earth trembled and quaked, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. But after the fire came a still small voice.

So we pull our cloaks over our heads, and we edge farther out of our hiding places, our eyes adjust to the light of this moment, and we train our ears and truly listen as the heavenly voice speaks: ‘You suppose you are alone, but you are not. You suppose that you are the last to seek justice, but you are not. You suppose you are the last to hate abuse, the last who decry the way the powerful oppress the weak—but you are not. The Lord of all can see into the hearts of the people, and understands that many have not bowed down to useless gods of this age.

Perhaps they are quiet now, and perhaps they remain in their caves of fear and reluctance, but they too are ready to listen for the still small voice of the Most High. Elijah felt alone, but 7,000 others meant he was not alone.

The bluster of those who worship the false-god of strength (and power at any cost) can be overwhelming. The noise of those who lack compassion or promote discord can be overwhelming. The intensity of daily outrage and 20,000 lies can be overwhelming. But we do not lose heart.

For God is not in the strength of the wind, nor is God in the noise of the earthquake, nor is God in the intensity of the fire. No, God is in the still small voice that says “we are not alone.” Thanks be to God. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

O God, lover of the world,
you hold all that you have created
within your compassionate embrace.
As you hold our lives
torn by pain or sorrow within your aching heart,
we cry out for wholeness—
for ourselves, for those we love,
and for our world.
May your healing presence gently transform
the places of our lives where we hold pain.
May your loving presence be a comforting reality
for all those who find themselves
in despair, lost or alone.
May your transforming presence
create generosity in place of greed,
harmony in place of hatred,
and everlasting justice where evil now reigns.
O God, lover of the world,
from the silence of our own hearts,
we bring before you
these people and places that need
your healing, loving, transforming presence…
O God, lover of the world,
this is your world,
and we claim your power and your presence
to make it whole.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Lead on, O cloud of Presence”

Lead on, O cloud of Presence, the exodus is come.
In wilderness and desert our tribe shall make its home.
Our slavery left behind us,
new hopes within us grow.
We seek the land of promise where milk and honey flow.

Lead on, O fiery Pillar, we follow yet with fears,
but we shall come rejoicing though joy be born of tears.
We are not lost, though wandering,
for by your light we come,
and we are still God’s people. The journey is our home.

Lead on, O God of freedom, and guide us on our way,
and help us trust the promise through struggle and delay.
We pray our sons and daughters
may journey to that land
where justice dwells with mercy, and love is law’s demand.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Prayers in this service are adapted from Celebrate God’s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Dave and Heather!

PRELUDE: “The Prayer” (Foster et al.)

OPENING PRAYER

Come Holy Spirit, come.
Come into every place we worship this day.
Come into each heart, each prayer, each song,
each life open today
so that we may live and love with purpose,
courage, and enthusiasm
serving our world.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “O for a thousand tongues to sing”

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
he triumphs of God’s grace.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken-hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.

Hear him, you deaf; you voiceless ones,
your tongues again employ;
you blind, behold your Saviour comes,
and leap, you lame, for joy!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of your name.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Holy Spirit of forgiveness, come to us again:
shake our hearts,
and set our souls on fire with your love.
We hold out to you
all our particular burdens of guilt and sin,
and we ask for your help
to live the way of your justice and love. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “On The Wings Of A Dove” (Ferguson)

FIRST READING: Psalm 17

Hear my just cause; attend to my cry, O God.
Listen to my prayer from lips that do not lie.
Let judgement in my favour come forth from your presence;
and let your eyes discern what is right.
If you examine my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me.
As for what others do, according to the command of your lips
I have kept from travelling with the violent.
My steps have been firm in your paths,
and my feet have not stumbled.

I call upon you, God, for you will answer me.
Incline your ear to me and hear my words.
Show me the wonders of your steadfast love;
for by your right hand you save from their enemies
those who take refuge in you.
Guard me as the apple of your eye;
hide me under the shadow of your wings,
from the wicked who assail me,
from deadly foes who surround me.
As for me, I shall see your face because my plea is just;
when I awake and see your face,
I shall be satisfied.

SECOND READING: Matthew 14.13-21

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

HYMN: “Praise our Maker”

Praise our Maker, peoples of one family:
God is love, God is love!
Praise our Maker, peoples of one family:
God is love, God is love!

Love our Saviour, followers of Jesus:
God is love, God is love!
Love our Saviour, followers of Jesus:
God is love, God is love!

Care for others, children of the Spirit:
God is love, God is love!
Care for others, children of the Spirit:
God is love, God is love!

REFLECTION

I open the backdoor, I see a new tree. I look up from my book, I see a new tree. I close my eyes and count to ten, I see a new tree.

And not just any tree. This fast-growing and seemingly supernatural tree is known to some as the Tree of Heaven, the Chinese Sumac, the Varnish Tree, the Stinking Sumac (like rotting cashews?) while some cheeky gardeners and landscapers have been known to call it the Tree of Hell.

It grows quickly. It requires no care. It is one of the few trees that will take root in a crack in the sidewalk and make a go of it. And while this constantly reseeding tree will spread and quickly take over any space available, it has some internal weakness, and is known to drop branches or topple over in a strong wind. In most places, it is classed as a noxious weed, and should be avoided, as it pushes out native species and is very hard to eradicate.

I know, you’re thinking, “tell us how you really feel…” But I can confess to you that I have mixed feelings about the tree. It is an attractive tree, and I admire it’s tenacity, but the cost to the neighbourhood is too high. Meanwhile, it does teach us about abundance, and the extent to which nature finds a way. There may be no mustard tree in my backyard, but the Tree of Heaven is the next best thing, if explosive growth from seemingly nothing is what you’re looking for.

Lectionary watchers, attentive to the sequence of readings we follow, are just now wondering if I have the wrong sermon. The mustard seed and the yeast in three measures of flour is so last week, and this week we are supposed to be feeding the five thousand, or trying to understand this moment in the unfolding story. Rest assured I’m on the right week, but I see a parallel—maybe a bridge—from the seeds and yeast to the five thousand on the hillside.

Just ten chapters ago, Jesus was calling the disciples. The first crowd appears, a direct response to the healing and teaching that has begun. He shares the Sermon on the Mount, and the crowd grows. There is more healing, more teaching, and soon Jesus is struggling to keep up. “The harvest is plentiful,” he says, “but the workers are few.” He sends out the twelve to share the load, but this only increases the need. Soon we’re at five thousand, and when Jesus landed he saw them he had compassion on them and healed the sick—but the crowd remained.

Before we talk about feeding anyone, we need to recognize that this is a living parable, a sure sign of the kingdom embodied in the explosive growth of the crowd. Jesus is the leaven, the seed that grows, creating a plant where everyone can find shade. The explosive growth from inviting an intimate group to walk with him, to facing a hillside of hungry souls, is just as kingdom-setting as the mustard seed or the yeast in flour.

So too the premise of the story. “They need not go away,” Jesus said, “we should feed them instead.”

“But Lord,” they said (something I’m sure Jesus was tired of hearing, or is tired of hearing), “we have food for ourselves, and no more.” They actually gave the evening’s menu—five loaves and two fish—but the assumption was the same: few could be fed. Soon, however, we learn that explosive growth is on the menu, and the kingdom comes to the hillside that day and everyone is fed.

I want to interrupt this sermon with an observation. God in Jesus feeds the five thousand, something that all preachers agree. Then things diverge. On one end of the spectrum, feeding the five thousand becomes an early version of stone soup, with Jesus inspiring the crowd to share the food that was already on hand. At the other end of the spectrum, the physical limitations of five loaves and two fish were overcome, in the same manner that the storm was stilled, the leper was healed, and the demons sent away.

I can’t tell you what to believe, I can only point to what the world seems to need. We need God to be active in the world, overturning our expectations, expanding our horizons, overwhelming us with the explosive growth that belongs to the kingdom alone. Efforts to explain (or explain away) don’t live comfortably with the arresting and unexpected nature of God’s own realm. When faced with longing and hunger, Jesus said “we should feed them instead.”

In our time, on many levels, we face an explosive growth in need. The hillside crowd continues to swell, with people who are hurting, lost, broken, afraid, grieving, isolated, alienated, oppressed, confused, angry, bewildered, or simply exhausted. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Now, more than even, we turn to God to help us address this need, in both ourselves and others. We turn to God to open the kingdom store of loaves and fishes once more, to fill us—that we in turn may fill others. “They need not go away,” Jesus said, “we should feed them instead.”

I want to conclude with words from our passage, words that transform this living parable in a sacrament of compassion:

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied.

May it be so. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

We remember before you the great company
of every name joined with us throughout the world.
From five thousand to countless millions,
your generosity never ends.
You multiply the gifts you give us,
simple things that become extraordinary,
—and mirror your love.

O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance;
embrace them also, and lift them up for ever.
We bless your holy name for all your servants
believers that span the world you made.
Bless your church wherever it is found,
in peace or in strife,
and bless the ministry that you provide:
caring for others and sharing your mercy.

We rejoice that we share a holy fellowship.
We pray that we may be united
with sisters and brothers the world round,
we pray for them as they pray for us,
committed to tend the sick, calm the anxious,
and speak for those who cannot be heard.

We pray this through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Blessed assurance”

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of the Spirit, washed in Christ’s blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. R

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with God’s goodness, lost in Christ’s love. R

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.

United in spirit, and gathered through the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship God with gladness. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Thanks this week to Dr. Jim, Carol, Sharon, Jenny, Robert, and Heather!

PRELUDE: “Old 100th” (Genevan Psalter 1551)

OPENING PRAYER

God of gladness,
We enter your presence
with praise on our lips,
and thanksgiving in our hearts.
The gates of your goodness are always open,
and your faithfulness extends to every age.
Tend us, Lord, and remind us
that we belong to you alone.
Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE: “Make a joyful noise all the earth!”

Make a joyful noise all the earth!
Worship your God with gladness.
Make a joyful noise all the earth.
Come to this place with a song!

Know that your God has made you.
Know it’s to God we belong.
And come to this place with joyfulness and praise.
Worship your God with a song! R

Ages through endless ages,
seasons of endless years,
the love of our Maker ever shall endure.
Worship your God with a song! R

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

God of mercy,
you know how we feel before we feel it.
When frustrated, you understand.
When weary, you know how much.
When angry, you always forgive.
Abide with us, Lord, even when we struggle,
Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God will give us what we need:
strength for today,
hope for tomorrow,
and forgiveness
for all that is past.
Amen.

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Redman/Myrin)

FIRST READING: Psalm 100

Shout to God, all the earth:
worship with gladness and joy.
Come before God with laughter,
our maker to whom we belong.
To the Shepherd who tends us like sheep,
let us raise our voices in song.

Come to God’s gates with thanks;
come to God’s courts with praise.
Praise and bless God’s name.
‘Truly you are good:
you are always gracious,
and faithful age after age.’

SECOND READING: Matthew 9.35-10.1, 10.5-15

35-38 Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”

The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives.

5-8 Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:

“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

9-10 “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

11 “When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.

12-15 “When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now.

HYMN: “Jesus, you have come the lakeshore”

Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore
looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones;
you only asked me to follow humbly.
O Jesus, with your eyes you have searched me,
and while smiling, have spoken my name;
now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
by your side I will seek other seas.

You know so well my possessions;
my boat carries no gold and no weapons;
—you will find there my nets and labour. R

You need my hands, full of caring
through my labours to give others rest,
and constant love that keeps on loving. R

You, who have fished other oceans,
ever longed for by souls who are waiting,
my loving friend, as thus you call me. R

REFLECTION

If you ever lay awake at night wondering what’s the most popular hymn, then lay awake no more.

For you see, the good folks at the Hymn Society have created a sort of CHUM chart of popular hymns, both “most popular” and “trending hymns.” It’s not entirely clear what the difference is, but I can tell you that “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” tops them both, owing—it seems—to the fact that it appeals to the most number of Christian denominations. Seems “Holy, Holy, Holy!” is the one thing we can all agree on.

(Just as an aside, if you don’t know what the CHUM chart is, you’re going to need to ask someone over 50.)

The other thing to note is that on the top fifteen list of most popular hymns, only one author appears twice, and that would be Charles Wesley. Now some may argue that he had an unfair advantage: that when you write 6,000 hymns, two of them are bound to appear in the top 15, and that may be so. But when you look at his “best of” list it’s hard not to be impressed:

“Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
“Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending”
“Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
“O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing”

Nevertheless, Charles never achieves the universal agreeableness of a “Holy, Holy, Holy!” because of his tendency toward the idea of Christian perfection. Wesley believed, along with the many Methodists he inspired, that you could achieve a measure of perfection in this life—sanctification being the term they used. In fact, if you dig around in the archives, the old Methodist class books would (on rare occasions) include an “S” beside a name, indicating that the class member had become sanctified.

Now those of us who feel we are equal parts Presbyterian and Methodist immediately start scratching our heads. “Who decides?” is the first and obvious question, along with “how long?” and followed by “then what?” I hope the Methodist class teacher was writing in pencil, since our capacity to sin—including the sin of pride—generally takes over, and leads to the disappearance of that rare “S” notation.

Back to hymns, hymnbook editors generally find a way to adapt hymns to make them more acceptable. An example is “Love Divine, all loves excelling” (number 10 in the top 15) and the original line “pure and sinless let us be.” Apparently, even brother John thought Charles went too far, by suggesting that we could somehow become sinless like Christ. So the line was changed to “pure and spotless let us be.” See, fixed. Spotless is like the kitchen floor that will be dirty again tomorrow, while sinless moves us into territory we don’t belong (and will likely never achieve).

Having fixed the hymn, it remains one of the best expressions of the Christian hope. Charles concludes the first verse with these lines:

Jesus, Thou art all compassion;
Pure, unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.

I may be guilty of quoting these four lines too frequently, but they seem to say what Charles meant to say when he drifted into Christian perfection. Jesus has compassion on us, meeting us with a love that is pure and unbounded, and may enter our heart—and every heart—trembling for salvation through him. We are saved then, rather than sanctified, and “perfectly restored” in Christ Jesus.

I share all this because I suspect that Matthew 9.35 and following was in his mind while Charles wrote these words. “When he saw the crowds,” Matthew tells us, “he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” That’s where Jesus finds us. In fact, even after Jesus finds us, we can feel “harassed and hopeless,” and only able to go on, knowing that his compassion never ends. The Good Shepherd will tend us, and restore us to the fold.

Further, Jesus sends the twelve out into the world saying, “tell them this: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” This can be read in a variety of ways, but once again Charles is here to help. “Visit us with Thy salvation, enter every trembling heart” is just another way of saying ‘the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ It’s as near as your heart, where the kingdom will enter in and the will of the Most High will be done. Jesus said as much when he was arguing with the Pharisees. “When will the kingdom come?” they asked, and Jesus said ‘stop looking for signs, and ignore everyone who says “over here!” or “over there!” because the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17.21). It has already entered your trembling heart.

The kingdom is within us
it has entered our hearts.
The Compassionate One walks beside us
and restores us to our place with him.
We are surrounded by the harassed and helpless
and remind them the Shepherd is here.

May God bless us and fill our hearts with unbounded love. May we freely love others, as Christ has so freely loved us. And may the Spirit move within, and help us find the kingdom there. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

God of love,
We come before you with many needs.
We are beset with worry:
for our friends and family,
for our congregation,
for the community we inhabit,
for the nation we love,
for the sad and the lonely,
for the hurt and oppressed.

Day and night we struggle,
for fear of the future,
and fear of an illness,
that remains overwhelming
and beyond our control.
Sustain us through these times,
giving wisdom to leaders,
and insight to researchers,
and patience to all who need more.

Find us, Lord,
in the midst of this moment:
comfort those in grief,
and ease those in pain.
Help us abide in you,
walking in the light of your goodness,
now and always,
Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

HYMN: “Take my live, and let it be”

Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, all for thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet, and let them be
swift and purposeful for thee.

Take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine;
take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love: and I will pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

BLESSING

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,
and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless
until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23

God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care enfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.