{"id":374,"date":"2020-05-09T22:38:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-09T22:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/?p=374"},"modified":"2020-05-09T22:38:35","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T22:38:35","slug":"easter-v","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/09\/easter-v\/","title":{"rendered":"Easter V"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-377\"\/><figcaption><em>Paul Schutzer<\/em>, People praying for Freedom Riders, 1961.  The LIFE Picture Collection\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>During this time of physical isolation, we look for ways to share words of comfort and hope in the face of uncertainty and fear. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Thanks this week to Emma, Madelyn, Bunny, Taye, and Heather!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRELUDE: \u201cMom\u201d (Trainor)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/mom-trainor.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>OPENING PRAYER<\/p>\n\n\n<p>We praise you this day!<br \/> You are our rock and fortress,<br \/> a refuge in the midst of trouble.<br \/> You are our stronghold,<br \/> keeping us safe in our time of need.<br \/> You are our righteousness,<br \/> redeeming us when we turn away.<br \/> You are our protector,<br \/> guiding our spirits on a path back to you.<br \/> Remind us, Lord, that we are living stones\u2014<br \/> strength from strength when we rest in you.<br \/> Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN OF PRAISE: \u201cHow sweet the name of Jesus sounds\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/howsweet.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>How sweet the name of Jesus sounds<br \/> in a believer&#8217;s ear!<br \/> It soothes the sorrows, heals the wounds,<br \/> and drives away all fear.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>It makes the wounded spirit whole,<br \/> and calms the troubled breast;<br \/> &#8217;tis manna to the hungry soul,<br \/> and to the weary, rest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Dear Name! the rock on which I build,<br \/> my shield and hiding-place,<br \/> my never-failing treasury, filled<br \/> with boundless stores of grace.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,<br \/> my Prophet, Priest, and King,<br \/> my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,<br \/> accept the praise I bring.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>The effort of my heart is weak,<br \/> and cold my warmest thought;<br \/> but when I see you whom I seek,<br \/> I&#8217;ll praise you as I ought.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>PRAYER OF CONFESSION<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of mercy,<br \/>\nOnce we were no people,<br \/>\nand now we are your people.<br \/>\nStill, we forget.<br \/>\nWe forget that we belong to you,<br \/>\nand that you feed us <br \/>\nwith the pure spiritual milk we crave.<br \/>\nWe forget that you made us living stones,<br \/>\nbuilding together<br \/>\nthe household of heaven.<br \/>\nHelp us remember,<br \/>\nwho we are,<br \/>\nand to Whom we belong,<br \/>\nIn Jesus&#8217; name we ask. Amen. <\/p>\n\n\n<p>ASSURANCE OF PARDON<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God is \u201cslow to chide, and swift to bless.\u201d<br \/>\nPraise to God, singing alleluia,<br \/>\never glorious in faithfulness! Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image-7.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-379\" width=\"714\" height=\"380\"\/><figcaption>Norman Rockwell, detail of Freedom of Worship, 1943. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>FIRST READING: Psalm 31.1-5<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In you, O God, I have taken refuge;<br \/> let me never be put to shame.<br \/>     <strong>Deliver me in your righteousness;<br \/>     incline your ear; come quickly to my rescue. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to keep me safe.<br \/>     <strong>You are indeed my rock and fortress;<br \/>     lead me and guide me for your own name&#8217;s sake.<\/strong><br \/> Release me from the net that they hid for me,<br \/> for you are my protector.<br \/>     <strong>Into your hands I commend my spirit,<br \/>     for you have redeemed me, O God of truth.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2.2-10<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/1peter2.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord\u2019s kindness.<br \/>\n4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God\u2019s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honour.<br \/>\n5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What\u2019s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,<br \/>\n    chosen for great honour,<br \/>\nand anyone who trusts in him<br \/>\n    will never be disgraced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honour God has given him.  But for those who reject him,<\/p>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe stone that the builders rejected<br \/>\n    has now become the cornerstone.\u201d<br \/>\n8 And, \u201cHe is the stone that makes people stumble,<br \/>\n    the rock that makes them fall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>They stumble because they do not obey God\u2019s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. 9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God\u2019s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>10 \u201cOnce you had no identity as a people;<br \/>\n    now you are God\u2019s people.<br \/>\nOnce you received no mercy;<br \/>\n    now you have received God\u2019s mercy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<p>HYMN: \u201cIn the quiet curve of evening\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/inthequietcurve.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>In t<em>he quiet curve of evening,<br \/> in the sinking of the days,<br \/> in the silky void of darkness, you are there.<br \/>     In the lapses of my breathing,<br \/>     in the space between my ways,<br \/>     in the crater carved by sadness, you are there.<br \/> You are there, you are there, you are there.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In the rests between the phrases,<br \/> in the cracks between the stars,<br \/> in the gaps between the meaning, you are there.<br \/>     In the melting down of endings,<br \/>     in the cooling of the sun,<br \/>     in the solstice of the winter, you are there.<br \/> You are there, you are there, you are there.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>In the mystery of my hungers,<br \/> in the silence of my rooms,<br \/> in the cloud of my unknowing, you are there.<br \/>     In the empty cave of grieving,<br \/>     in the desert of my dreams,<br \/>     in the tunnel of my sorrow, you are there.<br \/> You are there, you are there, you are there.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>REFLECTION<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/10may2020sermon.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to find a good metaphor\u2014it finds you.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>In part, a good metaphor lines up with our experience, confirming something we already know.  If a scientist or a politician talks about \u201cthe battle against COVID-19,\u201d it lines up with our present experience, and it speaks to our deepest hope that the virus will be \u201cdefeated\u201d in our collective \u201cwar\u201d against it.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>A good metaphor will also test our experience, and pose questions about the nature of our relationship to the topic.  In this case, my examples are the various metaphors present in our reading from 1 Peter.  I\u2019ll share a quick list\u2014which may not catch all of them\u2014and suggest that one or more of them will light up for you.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Pure spiritual milk<br \/>\nTaste that the Lord is good<br \/>\nChrist the living Stone<br \/>\nAnd you, like living stones<br \/>\nBuilt into a spiritual house<br \/>\nYou are a holy priesthood<br \/>\nA chosen and precious cornerstone<br \/>\nA chosen people<br \/>\nA royal priesthood<br \/>\nA holy nation<br \/>\nGod\u2019s special possession<br \/>\nThe people of God<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Maybe we should step back for a minute and hear the textbook definition of metaphor.  &#8220;The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.\u201d*  In other words, seeing things we didn\u2019t see before because we never saw them side-by-side.  I\u2019ve read this passage many times, but the metaphor of being \u2018living stones built into a spiritual house\u2019 speaks to me in this moment.  We can\u2019t meet in our regular spiritual house, but together we are the spiritual house, as living stones\u2014each of us.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>Likewise, on Mother\u2019s Day, this passage leaps off the page:<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord\u2019s kindness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>The metaphor tells us a number of things at once.  All of us, even the most seasoned believer, need the pure spiritual milk that only God can give.  Our continued growth depends on it, to fully understand our salvation.  And we should cry out for it, and never imagine that we can somehow wean ourselves from this heavenly kindness.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>The other thing this passage tells us is the importance of God the Mother, overshadowed in our metaphorical approach to God, but never diminished.  Even at the beginning of creation, we find God brooding over the waters of creation, waiting to bring us to life (Gen 1.2).  Then God lifts us to her cheek, and bends down to feed us (Hos 11.4).  And \u201cas a mother comforts her child,\u201d God said, \u201cso I will comfort you\u201d (Isa 66.13).  Time and again, we are being nurtured, sought, and sheltered, \u201cgathered as a hen gathers her brood under her wings\u201d (Mat 23.37).<\/p>\n\n\n<p>As I said, a good metaphor finds us.  It finds us in a time of deep need, it finds us in the midst of longing, it finds us when answers seem remote or absent.  One of my mother\u2019s enduring phrases was \u201cbe careful,\u201d something she would offer as response to most situations, but mostly as a farewell.  I would tease her about it from time-to-time, wondering what hidden dangers she saw lurking in my immediate future\u2014since it remained her blanket advice to every situation.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>In many ways, her perennial advice is tailor-made for the present age, with hidden danger all around us.  You might even say that in the present age, all that childhood advice has finally come into its own: wash your hands, cover your mouth, don\u2019t stay out, and usually a question about doing something foolish just because my friends were doing something foolish.  All good advice, and all rooted in the brooding, sheltering, and comforting love that we need.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Back to 1 Peter, there is another message hiding in plain sight, and that is the message of adoption.  The context of 1 Peter is advice to new believers, those who have found the \u201cwonderful light\u201d of God.  Here is his summary: \u201cOnce you were no people, but now you\u2019re God\u2019s people.\u201d  We are God\u2019s \u201cspecial possession,\u201d chosen by God, chosen based on our need for God and God\u2019s love.  Anyone with the same need can be adopted into the household of God: nurtured, sought and sheltered by the Mother and Father of us all.  <\/p>\n\n\n<p>In a time of longing, or separation, or sadness, we turn to each other\u2014our spiritual housemates\u2014and minister to each other.  We remind each other of the taste of God\u2019s kindness, and embody the comfort that God gives, now and always, Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">*Lakoff &amp; Johnson, p. 5   <\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image-6.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-378\"\/><figcaption>Nicolaes Maes, detail of Prayer without End, 1656. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>SPECIAL MUSIC: \u201cCount Your Blessings Instead of Sheep\u201d (Berlin)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/blessings-berlin.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE<\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;A Prayer in the Midst of the Coronavirus&#8221; was written by the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty, Senior Director of Theological Education Funds Development, Presbyterian Foundation<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>God of labyrinthian journeys,<br \/>\nthank you for walking with us<br \/>\nthrough paths that lead to places that centre us,<br \/>\nnot confusing and blocking our progress like mazes.<br \/>\nThank you for being present with us,<br \/>\neven when we forget you are with us.<br \/>\nThank you for the witnesses we have to your faithfulness and love<br \/>\nfor generation after generation.<br \/>\nThank you, God, for being with Sarai and Abraham<br \/>\nas they traveled to places they did not choose,<br \/>\nlands foreign to them and challenges they did not design.<br \/>\nThank you, God, for Shiprah and Puah, the midwives to the Hebrews,<br \/>\nwho risked their lives to make sure new life thrived,<br \/>\nletting their commitment to you and to the community take priority.<br \/>\nThank you, God, for being with Naomi and Ruth<br \/>\nas they return to Bethlehem after the death of loved ones,<br \/>\nfor their courage to stay steadfast to one another and to you,<br \/>\nand the abundant harvest they found where there once was famine.<br \/>\nThank you, God, for the gift of Mary, who anointed Jesus with costly perfume,<br \/>\nreminding us that caring for the body of Christ is primary for us all.<br \/>\nFinally, we give thanks for leaders in our midst throughout time<br \/>\nwho have showed us the way forward as prophets, <br \/>\npreachers, pastors and shepherds.<br \/>\nJourney with us, O God, in the tumult, twists and turns of this coronavirus crisis,<br \/>\nand lead us to a place centred on your love, trust, promise <br \/>\nand new life that conquers all.  In the name of the one who created us, <br \/>\nredeems us, and sustains us, our One God. 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: \u201cThere&#8217;s a wideness in God&#8217;s mercy\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/theresawideness.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><em>There&#8217;s a wideness in God&#8217;s mercy<br \/> like the wideness of the sea;<br \/> there&#8217;s a kindness in God&#8217;s justice<br \/> which is more than liberty.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>There is no place where earth&#8217;s sorrows<br \/> are more felt than up in heaven;<br \/> there is no place where earth&#8217;s failings<br \/> have such gracious judgement given.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>There is plentiful redemption<br \/> in the blood that Christ has shed;<br \/> there is joy for all the members<br \/> in the sorrows of the Head.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>Troubled souls, why will you scatter<br \/> like a crowd of frightened sheep?<br \/> Foolish hearts, why will you wander<br \/> from a love so true and deep?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p><em>For the love of God is broader<br \/> than the measures of the mind,<br \/> and the heart of the Eternal<br \/> is most wonderfully kind.<\/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 \/> and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless<br \/> until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.<br \/> \u20141 Thessalonians 5:23<\/p>\n\n\n<p>FINAL SONG: &#8220;We&#8217;ll Meet Again&#8221; (Parker\/Charles)<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/wellmeetagain.m4a\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/oneking.ca\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/image-8.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-380\" width=\"715\" height=\"621\"\/><figcaption>Sassoferrato, detail of Madonna in Prayer, c. 1640-1650. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During this time of physical isolation, we look for ways to share words of comfort and hope in the face of uncertainty and fear. We encourage you to pray over the words that follow, and follow the links within the liturgy. Thanks this week to Emma, Madelyn, Bunny, Taye, and Heather! PRELUDE: \u201cMom\u201d (Trainor) OPENING &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/09\/easter-v\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Easter V<\/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\/374"}],"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=374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/michaelkooiman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}