Preparation for Worship. For today’s worship, you will need 2 candles, one to represent Christ’s humanity and one to represent Christ’s divinity. To celebrate communion, have some food and drink to share. The type of food and drink does not matter for they are merely symbols which help us celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We are in what we call “Ordinary Time,” the season after Pentecost. The color green represents this time communicating growth and discipleship. Add some green to your worship area with cloth, paper, or greenery.
The Worship of God
Light two candles in recognition of Christ’s presence. In our practice, one candle represents Jesus’ divinity and the other Jesus’ humanity.
Gathering for Worship
Passing the Peace
Say to one another, “May the Peace of Christ be with you.”
Respond by saying, “And also with you.”
Call to Worship
How long, O God, how long must suffering go on?
It sometimes seems that pain and suffering will last for ever.
At these times, Lord, we feel that you are absent –
O how we long for some sign of your presence.
For pain is the enemy which threatens to overwhelm our trust in you;
Without your presence,
darkness and death fill our thoughts and crowd you out.
Hear our cries, O God, as you have in the past.
Dispel the dark horizons of our fear with the assurance of your presence.
Help us know that we are never ever abandoned by you
and that we can put our trust in your steadfast love.
So we praise you, O God, for delivering us
from darkness to light,
from death to life.
Remembering your great mercy,
we lift our voices to you in songs of endless praise.
Opening Prayer
We acknowledge, O God, that we are part of a suffering world – a world where human beings experience pain and torture on a daily basis. All too often we join our cries to that of the Psalmist – how long, O God? How long will you hide your face from all those who suffer right now throughout this world? Yet, in saying this, we are forgetting that rather than hiding your face, you have revealed it in Jesus. Rather than abandoning us to all the destructive powers of evil, you chose to confront the power of evil by sharing our humanity and our suffering in and through the sacrificial love of Jesus. Through his love, lives previously overwhelmed by the fear of death and darkness have been enlightened for ever. God of grace and mercy, we pray as we worship you today, that our lives will be transformed by the light and life of Christ and renewed by the power of the Holy
Spirit so that we praise and glorify you not only in words but in deeds of love and mercy performed in Christ’s name and for his sake. Amen
Songs and Psalms of Praise and Prayer
A Reading from the Psalms
Psalm 89:1-2, 15-18
I will sing of the Lord’s loyal love forever.
I will proclaim your faithfulness
with my own mouth
from one generation to the next.
That’s why I say,
“Your loyal love is rightly built—forever!
You establish your faithfulness in heaven.”
The people who know the celebratory shout are truly happy!
They walk in the light of your presence, Lord!
They rejoice in your name all day long
and are uplifted by your righteousness
because you are the splendor of their strength.
By your favor you make us strong
because our shield is the Lord’s own;
our king belongs to the holy one of Israel!
Song of Praise
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above (MIT FREUDEN ZART)
1. Sing praise to God who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of power, the God of love,
the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled
and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.
2. The Lord is never far away,
but through all grief distressing,
an ever present help and stay,
our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother’s tender hand,
God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.
3. Thus all my toilsome way along,
I sing aloud thy praises,
that earth may hear the grateful song
my voice unwearied raises.
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart,
both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory.
4. Let all who name Christ’s holy name
give God all praise and glory;
let all who own his power proclaim
aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false idol from its throne,
for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone:
To God all praise and glory.
A Reading from the Gospels
Matthew 10:40-42
Listen to the Gospel being read and/or read below.
“Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me. Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones because they are my disciples will certainly be rewarded.”
Prayers for Others.
Pause after each line to give voice to prayers as prompted.
Merciful God, who shelters us and guides us, we give you thanks for….
God who comforts, receive those who are fearful and lonely….
God whose love is steadfast, be refuge for the ill, the dying, and those who care about them.…
God of righteousness, we ask for your wisdom and ways of justice to prevail in our community, this nation, your world….
God who seeks our trust, grow us and guide us in your ways that are life-giving in your world. Amen.
Celebrating Communion
A Reading from the Gospels
Mark 14:22-24
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.”
Share what you have to eat. Before eating, have someone say,
“This food represents the body of Christ. As we eat, we remember Jesus.”
Share what you have to drink. Before drinking, have someone say,
“This drink represents the covenant Christ made with us that our sins will be forgiven. As we drink, we remember Jesus.”
Prayer of Thanksgiving. Dear God, thank you for your abounding compassionate love. Thank you for guiding and leading us through these difficult times. Thank you for always being with us. Amen.
Song of Faith
Amazing Grace (NEW BRITAIN
Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
was blind but now I see.
The Prophet Reading
A Reading from the Prophets
Jeremiah 28:5-9
Listen to the passage and/or read below.
Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the Lord’s temple. The prophet Jeremiah said: “Indeed. May the Lord do just as you have said! May the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied and bring back from Babylon the equipment of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles to this place. However, listen closely to what I have to say to you and all the people: The prophets who came before you and me long ago prophesied war, disaster, and disease against many lands and great kingdoms. So the prophet who prophesies peace is recognized as one who is actually sent by the Lord only when that prophet’s message is fulfilled.”
Reflection on Jeremiah 27-28 from Tonya
Listen to Tonya’s reflection and/or read below.
It’s summertime. It’s the year 594 BCE. As we step back into history, the great powerhouse, Babylon has already taken over Jerusalem. The reigning Jewish king, Jehoiachin has been deported to Babylon along with all the leading officials, mighty warriors, and talented artisans. In his place, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appoints a man named Zedekiah to be king. We all know what role Zedekiah is expected to play; he’s been appointed king by a foreign government. So here’s a 21-years old who owes his royal title and position to Babylon. He’s told to maintain order among his people. And he is told to collect yearly payments for his Babylonian overlords. To add to his struggle in a job he didn’t apply for, the majority of the people still consider Jehoiachin to be their rightful king. Do you think they are going to pledge allegiance some dude appointed to the crown by the enemy? They assume that Babylon will soon be overthrown and Jehoiachin will come back and restore God’s kingdom like it used to be.
Their hopes of restoration and freedom were embolden by news from the previous winter. There had been a revolt in Neb’s army. Neighboring monarchs from the west have sent envoys to Jerusalem to talk with Zedekiah about the possibility of all of them joining forces and breaking Neb’s hold on them. Zedekiah has a big decision to make. Life has been chaotic for the past couple of decades. Once again, the future of Judah is at stake. Should Zedekiah lead his people in a revolt against Babylon and possibly gain independence and freedom from the overlord, or it might all go wrong and they would be completely crushed? Or should he just continue to encourage his people to submit to the yoke that has been forced upon them with a guarantee of life without freedom?
Into the middle of the question walks a strangely dressed prophet. His name is Jeremiah. He has a word from the Lord to share with the people, all the people–the king, Zedekiah; the envoys from neighboring kings; the priests there in the temple, and all the people. He stands before them wearing on his neck a yoke of straps and bars and he proclaims these words from God,
“The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel made the earth and all that is in it. And God gives it to whomever God pleases. God has given all into the hands of Babylon, God’s servant. Don’t listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, soothsayers, or sorcerers who say, ‘Do not serve Babylon.’ For they are telling you lies. But if you bring your neck under the yoke of Babylon, you will live. ”
Jeremiah isn’t the only prophet in town. With the sun beating down on a desperate and worn out people, the prophet Hananiah comes face to face with Jeremiah in the temple. The prophet Hananiah has a completely different word from the Lord. You see, the Lord has told Hananiah that the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar has already been broken. Within two years, just two years, all the instruments that had been taken from the temple will be returned. And King Jehoiachin and all those who were deported with him will come home. The Lord says he will break the yoke of the king of Babylon!”
Jeremiah responds to Hananiah’s total restoration prophecy by basically saying, “Amen. May the Lord do so.” And then there’s that pause and then the words, “But listen now to this word….There have been a lot of prophets whom the Lord sent in ancient times before you and me, Hananiah. Many of them told about the terrible realities of war. They also prayed for peace. Now, if a prophetic word proclaiming peace is true, then it will come to pass. However, if the prophetic word proclaiming peace is nothing but a comforting lie to support popular opinion that crowds love to hear, that prophet had better beware.”
This really ticks off Hananiah. He takes the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck. He smashes it to the ground and breaks it to pieces. He then repeats the word he says he has received from the Lord, “In this same way,” he declares staring down at that broken yoke, “the Lord will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar from all our necks within two years.” And you can almost hear him say, “Mark my word,” instead of “Mark the word of the Lord.”
At this point in the tit for tat, Jeremiah simply walks out of the temple and goes on his way. He lets Hananiah have the last word. He will not engage in a shouting match. But the point has been made. Beware of someone who will sell his own soul in order to announce good news that makes for a popular prophet or leader. Peace, true peace, requires social justice and soul justice. You cannot announce comfort at the expense of announcing the cost of peace and justice.
Hananiah’s message is promising. It makes a valid point. Shouldn’t we trust in God’s commitment to us. Surely God will deliver us from our enemies. That’s the message that Isaiah preached 100 years before this and Isaiah’s words came true. But Jeremiah’s message is completely different. It appears to be one of doom. Jeremiah says that Babylon is God’s servant. How could that possibly be?
A few thousand years later, we know who was speaking the word of the Lord and who was not, because we know how history played out. And we do know that Hananiah doesn’t have a book in the Bible with is name on it. But back then they had to choose. They had to decide which word was the truth and which one was not. Our lives are bombarded these days with choosing between conflicting truths.
The virus is real. The virus is a hoax.
Wearing a mask protects. Wearing a mask harms.
The virus is over. The virus is raging.
This sentence means this. This sentence means that.
It goes on and on and on. So how do we choose between conflicting “truths.”
You won’t find a recipe for how to decide anywhere in what Jeremiah says. However, you do hear these things.
First, God is faithful. God’s faithfulness to us is constant and everlasting. Did you hear the description in Psalm 89? God’s loyal love. God is faithful to you and me always, at all times, in all circumstances, but that does not mean that we own God.
Second, we believe that God is faithful and we believe that God is sovereign. There is nothing that our God cannot do. But that does not mean that God is an insurance policy that kicks in when we think we need deliverance from hardship.
Third, we believe that God’s love towards us is constant and everlasting. There is nothing we can do that would cause God to turn away from us. God’s faithfulness to us is constant, but the way God shows faithfulness may be different today than it was yesterday. God cannot be contained to one thought, one way of moving, one way of providing, one way of declaring love and care for creation. Our relationship with God is living, growing, and dynamic. We serve a living God who is not set in stone.
Discerning truth is not an easy task. The task is often clouded by our opinions and our desires, and by culture’s tendency towards denial of problems and despair when facing problems. But as people who have chosen to live the way of Jesus Christ, it is Christ who informs our opinions and it is Christ who shapes our desires. God continually calls us to be radical truth-tellers against denials of injustice, and God continues to call us to bring radical hope to those who despair, a hope that is grounded in community–in the communal nature of our triune God, in the fellowship of the saints who have gone before us, and in the community of believers who surround us today.
Questions for Reflection
1. How does being part of a community help in discerning what is true?
2. How do we let Christ inform our opinions and shape our desires?
3. What injustices do you see that are being denied which Christians can speak the truth against?
Prayer of Thanksgiving. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s love and ask God to help our church family grow deeper and deeper in love.
Song of Faith
Teach Me, O Lord, I Pray
- Teach me, O Lord, I pray, your precious truth divine.
Lead me to follow in your way and make your will be mine.
Impart your wisdom, Lord. Shed light upon the way
That all may know your boundless love.
Teach me, O Lord, I pray. - Teach me, O Lord, I pray, in knowledge and in skill
O daily let me walk with you and do your blessed will.
O clear my heart and mind to hear you when you call.
Help me to understand your heart
To share your love with all.
Sending Out
Let us go forth to walk in God’s light.
We will show others the way to God’s heart.
Let us go to bring hope and healing to the world.
With a gift as simple as a cup of water,
and as complex as our lives, we will join Jesus
in serving those around us.
Let us go forth to gather up the little ones
of our communities into our homes and hearts.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit,
we are no longer strangers but God’s family.
Closing Song. In our tradition, we close worship by singing the first verse of Blest Be the Tie. Mindy starts us each week, and so she does today as well.
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.
Credits: https://c0.wallpaperflare.com/preview/124/695/733/doors-choices-choose-open.jpg is the image location [retrieved on June 27, 2020]. The Call to Worship and Opening Prayer were written by Moira Laidlaw. The Psalm was read by Charity and Tessa. Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above is set to the tune, MIT FREUDEN ZART from the Bohemian Brethren’s Kirchengesange, 1566. The words were written by Johann J. Schutz, 1690 and translated by Frances E. Cox, 1897. The song was played by Tracy B. The reading from Matthew’s gospel was read by Tracy T. Amazing Grace is set to the tune NEW BRITAIN from the Virginia Harmony, 1831. The words were written by John Newton (1807). The song was played by Aidan. Teach Me, O Lord, I Pray is set to the tune DIADEMATA composed by Geroge J. Elvey (1893). The words were adapted from G. Kearnie Keegan (1960). The Sending was written by Thom Shuman. Blest be the Tie is set to the tune DENNIS which was composed by Johann G. Nageli (1836) and arranged by Lowell Mason (1872). The words were written by John Fawcett (1782). The hymn is sung by Mindy. Permission to podcast / stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with license #A-724755. All rights reserved. All writings have been used by permission from the posting sites or authors.
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