{"id":1304,"date":"2021-01-23T22:11:56","date_gmt":"2021-01-23T22:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=1304"},"modified":"2021-01-23T22:11:56","modified_gmt":"2021-01-23T22:11:56","slug":"epiphany-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/23\/epiphany-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Epiphany III"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image-12.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1308\"\/><figcaption>The photos in this service were taken in 2010, when youth from Central (and their leaders) travelled to Honduras to work with local children.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>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\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Barb Putnam, Cor, and Heather!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRELUDE: \u201cHere Comes the Sun\u201d (Harrison)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Here-Comes-the-Sun.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>OPENING PRAYER:<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You search for us, God,<br \/>\nby the seashore, in the temple,<br \/>\nin the marketplace, in the crowd,<br \/>\nand when we&#8217;re alone.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You search for us, God,<br \/>\nand invite us to worship,<br \/>\nto see your glory reflected <br \/>\nin the world you made and everyone we meet.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You search for us, God,<br \/>\nin seasons of joy and seasons of sorrow,<br \/>\nto remind us that you are every present,<br \/>\nand ever near.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You search for us, God,<br \/>\nas we search for others,<br \/>\ncompanions to walk with,<br \/>\nas we heed your call.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN OF PRAISE: \u201cJesus call us; o&#8217;er the tumult\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/VU-562-Jesus-Calls-Us.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus calls us; o&#8217;er the tumult<br \/> of our life&#8217;s wild restless sea,<br \/> day by day his clear voice sounding,<br \/> saying, &#8216;Christian, follow me.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Long ago apostles heard it<br \/> by the Galilean lake,<br \/> turned from home and toil and kindred,<br \/> leaving all for Jesus&#8217; sake.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus calls us from the worship<br \/> of the vain world&#8217;s golden store,<br \/> from each idol that would keep us,<br \/> saying, &#8216;Christian, love me more.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In our joys and in our sorrows,<br \/> days of toil and hours of ease,<br \/> still he calls, in cares and pleasures,<br \/> &#8216;Christian, love me more than these.&#8217;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus calls us: by your mercies,<br \/> Saviour, may we hear your call,<br \/> give our hearts to your obedience,<br \/> serve and love you best of all.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRAYER OF CONFESSION<\/p>\n\n\n<p>You call us, Lord, and we seek to follow.<br \/> You call our names, and we learn that the call is personal.<br \/> You urge us forward, and invite us to follow\u2014<br \/> to set aside everything that is holding us in place.<br \/> In your mercy, you invite us to live beyond ourselves,<br \/> and walk with love and grace,<br \/> to accept that implied in the call is forgiveness,<br \/> and the new life that follows when we follow you.<br \/> Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>ASSURANCE OF PARDON<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God will give us what we need:<br \/> strength for today,<br \/> hope for tomorrow,<br \/> and forgiveness<br \/> for all that is past.<br \/> Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>SPECIAL MUSIC: \u201cWill You Come and Follow Me\u201d (Traditional Scottish melody)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/willyoucomeandfollowme-cor.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>FIRST READING: Psalm 62<\/p>\n\n\n<p>How long will all of you set upon me and batter me,<br \/> as though I were a tottering wall or a leaning fence?<br \/>     <strong>Their purpose is to thrust me down<br \/>         from my eminence;<br \/>     they delight in lies;<br \/>     they bless with their lips<br \/>     but curse me in their hearts.<\/strong><br \/> Yet be still, my soul, and wait for God,<br \/>     <strong>from whom comes my hope of deliverance.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>In God is my deliverance and my honour,<br \/> the rock of my strength and my place of refuge.<br \/>     <strong>Put your trust in God always, you people;<br \/>     pour out your hearts before the One who is<br \/>         our refuge.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>For we mortals are only a puff of wind;<br \/> the great among us are but illusion;<br \/>     <strong>placed in the balance,<br \/>     we weigh less than a breath.<\/strong><br \/> Put no trust in extortion, set no vain hopes on plunder;<br \/>     <strong>if riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.<\/strong><br \/> Once God has spoken, and twice have I heard it said:<br \/> &#8216;Power belongs to you, O God. Steadfast love is yours.&#8217;<br \/>     <strong>You reward us all according to our deeds.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p>SECOND READING: Mark 1.14-20<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/mark-1-Barb.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 \u201cThe time has come,\u201d he said. \u201cThe kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 \u201cCome, follow me,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cand I will send you out to fish for people.\u201d 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cDear God, who loves all humankind\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/VU-608-DearGod-who-loves-All-Humankind.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Dear God, who loves all humankind,<br \/>     forgive our foolish ways;<br \/> reclothe us in our rightful mind;<br \/> in purer lives thy service find,<br \/>     in deeper reverence, praise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In simple trust like theirs who heard,<br \/>     beside the Syrian sea,<br \/> the gracious calling of the Lord,<br \/> let us, like them, without a word<br \/>     rise up, and follow thee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>O sabbath rest by Galilee!<br \/>     O calm of hills above,<br \/> where Jesus knelt to share with thee<br \/> the silence of eternity,<br \/>     interpreted by love!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Drop thy still dews of quietness<br \/>     till all our strivings cease;<br \/> take from our souls the strain and stress,<br \/> and let our ordered lives confess<br \/>     the beauty of thy peace.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Breathe through the heats of our desire<br \/>     thy coolness and thy balm;<br \/> let sense be dumb, let flesh retire:<br \/> speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,<br \/>     O still small voice of calm!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1310\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Jan-23-2021-4_55_01-PM.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>It would seem that sparse words summon the poets.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>But before we meet the poets, we need to consider the sparse words.  Mark, never one to gild the lily, describes the call of the disciples in as few words as possible.  In fact, we witness \u201cthe call\u201d with as few disciples as possible\u2014five, by my count.  By the third chapter there will be a general inauguration of the twelve, but we only learn how a handful come to follow Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>On this day, it\u2019s Simon and Andrew, then James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  For the first two, we get a transcript of the encounter, but by the next two we get more summary, and we have to assume the invitation was the same.  Mark is leaving more than a little room for the imagination when he records these words:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cCome, follow me,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cand I will send you out to fish for people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>As we ponder these words, I can confess a certain weakness for obscure French philosophers, namely Paul Ricoeur.  Ricoeur would say that while trying to understand Jesus\u2019 words we are \u201cstanding before the text,\u201d meaning we can see the outline of what Jesus means, but the exact meaning (behind the text) is unknown to us.  So we use our imagination.  We interpret, we speculate, and we play with these words to find meaning.  And some, they write poetry:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore<br \/> looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones;<br \/> you only asked me to follow humbly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>For the Spanish poet, Ces\u00e1reo Gabar\u00e1in, the emphasis is on humility, both the humility of setting aside whatever work they were engaged in, and the humility of these people themselves.  They were not selected for wealth or wisdom, just a willingness to follow.  That\u2019s one poet\u2019s take, now another:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In simple trust like theirs who heard,<br \/>     beside the Syrian sea,<br \/> the gracious calling of the Lord,<br \/> let us, like them, without a word<br \/>     rise up, and follow thee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Our second poet, with the rather poetic name John Greenleaf Whittier, the emphasis is on trust, and the willingness of the reader (singer) to engage the same simple trust.  Without a word they rise from their places and follow: no questions, no conditions, just trust.  It takes a skilled poet to challenge the audience without seeming overbearing or judgemental, and Whittier does it.  And one more example:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Long ago apostles heard it<br \/> by the Galilean lake,<br \/> turned from home and toil and kindred,<br \/> leaving all for Jesus&#8217; sake.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>This time it\u2019s Cecil Frances Alexander, the best known of the poets mentioned so far.  She wrote hundreds of hymns, including All Things Bright and Beautiful, Once in Royal David\u2019s City, There is a Green Hill Far Away, and I Bind Myself to God Today.  The last one is a rewritten version of a poem by St. Patrick\u2014fitting since she was married to the head of the Anglican Church in Ireland.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The hymn I quoted, Jesus Calls Us, O\u2019er the Tumult begins with what seems a reference to Jesus stilling the storm, but returns to the call of the disciples.  \u201cTurned from home and toil and kindred\/leaving all for Jesus\u2019 sake\u201d is a remarkable line, injecting the tension implied in the scene: yes, they were leaving home and kindred, but they were also leaving behind a life of toil.  They would, of course, pick up another sort of toil\u2014perhaps emotional and spiritual\u2014but there may have been some relief leaving the back-breaking life of a labourer.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Again, the task of the poet is to take the shell of a story, or a few vague words, and turn them into something meaningful.  The twelve will need humility, simple trust, and a keen sense of what they are leaving behind in order to follow.  Likewise, when we take up the invitation to follow Jesus, we also need humility, simple trust, and a keen sense of what we are leaving behind in order to follow.  Followers of Jesus swap toil for toil, the hardship of meaninglessness for the hardship of service.  The hardship of despair for the need to care for the despairing.  Graceless living for costly grace.  I could go on.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Instead, I want to highlight another poet, this time Amanda Gorman, 22-year-old youth poet laureate of our neighbours to the south.  In an instant she became the most famous poet in the land, by doing very much the same work that our other poets did.  You see, the Oath of Office taken at the inauguration is the same 35-word statement recited since this experiment in self-government began.  So what do you say in response?  The job of the poet is to \u201cstand before the text\u201d and find meaning in the moment, or meaning for our time.  So I\u2019ll share a sample:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>When day comes we ask ourselves,<br \/> where can we find light in this never-ending shade?<br \/> The loss we carry,<br \/> a sea we must wade<br \/> We&#8217;ve braved the belly of the beast<br \/> We&#8217;ve learned that quiet isn&#8217;t always peace<br \/> And the norms and notions<br \/> of what just is<br \/> Isn&#8217;t always just-ice<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Her brilliance is in naming the trouble in our times without being specific.  She doesn\u2019t tell us what trouble she feels we should list as <em>the trouble that truly matters<\/em>, she simply points to trouble.  And in troubled times, this can only help us attach our worries and our hurt to her words and see where she will take us next.  She begins with the dawn:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>And yet the dawn is ours<br \/> before we knew it<br \/> Somehow we do it<br \/> Somehow we&#8217;ve weathered and witnessed<br \/> a nation that isn&#8217;t broken<br \/> but simply unfinished<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a longer poem and I encourage you to read it, but for today we are left with open-ended hope: not the answer, not any kind of solution, just the recognition that their nation isn\u2019t broken\u2014as many would claim\u2014but simply unfinished.  Taken another way, it\u2019s not a call to fix things, but to begin to finish what was already started\u2014and get back on the best path.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Jesus called the twelve without a detailed program, without benchmarks, or a measure of performance.  Jesus simply said \u201cthere is unfinished work to do, the Kingdom of God has come near\u201d and then \u201ccome, follow me.\u201d  He gave them open-ended hope that the Kingdom would come, and that together they could be part of something larger than themselves.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>All they need to do, all that we need to do, is follow.  To follow and turn the outline of our lives into poetry, for Jesus\u2019 sake, Amen.  <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image-14.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1311\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Glory to you, Almighty God. <br \/>\nYou spoke, and light came out of darkness,<br \/>\norder rose from confusion.<br \/>\nGlory to you, Jesus Christ!<br \/>\nYou meet us in every age,<br \/>\nthe Word made flesh, born for us.<br \/>\nGlory to you, Holy Spirit!<br \/>\nYou brooded over chaos,<br \/>\nmothering and shaping God\u2019s new creation.<br \/>\nGlory to you, God, Three-in-One!<br \/>\nYou are surrounded by the song of the saints in heaven<br \/>\nand you are present with us now.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Glory to you, Almighty God. <br \/>\nYou create and recreate,<br \/>\na never ending cycle of grace and renewal.<br \/>\nGlory to you, Jesus Christ!<br \/>\nYou show us with most vulnerable,<br \/>\nand name them our sisters and brothers.<br \/>\nGlory to you, Holy Spirit!<br \/>\nYou speak to us in very moment,<br \/>\nand invite us to listen.<br \/>\nGlory to you, God, Three-in-One!<br \/>\nYou make us, redeem us, <br \/>\nand blow through us still.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Glory to you, Almighty God. <br \/> You surround us with the glory that is yours alone,<br \/> and compel us to reflect it too.<br \/> Glory to you, Jesus Christ!<br \/> You heal the sick, tend the lonely,<br \/> and comfort those who mourn.<br \/> Glory to you, Holy Spirit!<br \/> You give us words to speak, to challenge injustice,<br \/> and speak your truth in love.<br \/> Glory to you, God, Three-in-One!<br \/> In every form, and in every age,<br \/> we worship you.  Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>THE LORD\u2019S PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Our Father who art in heaven,<br \/>\nhallowed be thy name.<br \/>\nThy kingdom come,<br \/>\nThy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<br \/>\nGive us this day our daily bread;<br \/>\nand forgive us our trespasses<br \/>\nas we forgive those who trespass against us;<br \/>\nand lead us not into temptation<br \/>\nbut deliver us from evil.<br \/>\nFor thine is the kingdom,<br \/>\nand the power, and the glory,<br \/>\nfor ever and ever. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cJesus, you have come to the lakeshore\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/jesusyouhavecome.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore<br \/> looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones;<br \/> you only asked me to follow humbly.<br \/>     O Jesus, with your eyes you have searched me,<br \/>     and while smiling, have spoken my name;<br \/>     now my boat&#8217;s left on the shoreline behind me;<br \/>     by your side I will seek other seas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>You know so well my possessions;<br \/> my boat carries no gold and no weapons;<br \/> you will find there my nets and labour.  <br \/>     O Jesus, with your eyes you have searched me,<br \/>     and while smiling, have spoken my name;<br \/>     now my boat&#8217;s left on the shoreline behind me;<br \/>     by your side I will seek other seas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>You need my hands, full of caring<br \/> through my labours to give others rest,<br \/> and constant love that keeps on loving.  <br \/>        O Jesus, with your eyes you have searched me,<br \/>     and while smiling, have spoken my name;<br \/>     now my boat&#8217;s left on the shoreline behind me;<br \/>     by your side I will seek other seas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>You, who have fished other oceans,<br \/> ever longed for by souls who are waiting,<br \/> my loving friend, as thus you call me.  <br \/>     O Jesus, with your eyes you have searched me,<br \/>     and while smiling, have spoken my name;<br \/>     now my boat&#8217;s left on the shoreline behind me;<br \/>     by your side I will seek other seas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>BLESSING<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way,<br \/>\nand may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless<br \/>\nuntil our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.<br \/>\n\u20141 Thessalonians 5:23<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/meetagainredux.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>God be with you till we meet again;<br \/> loving counsels guide, uphold you,<br \/> with a shepherd\u2019s care enfold you;<br \/> God be with you till we meet again.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/image-15.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1312\"\/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019s Presence (UCPH). Thanks this week to Barb Putnam, Cor, and Heather! PRELUDE: \u201cHere Comes the Sun\u201d &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/23\/epiphany-iii\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Epiphany III<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}