Preparation for Worship
While worshipping at home, set aside a time and a place each week for worship. Light two candles to begin worship: one to represent Christ’s humanity and the other to represent Christ’s divinity. If you would like to celebrate communion have something to eat and drink for everyone. 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.
Today is All Saints’ Sunday. Today we remember the “saints” of Cullowhee Baptist Church who have gone on before us in the past year. We celebrate and give thanks for how their lives among us shaped and informed our faith, how they made our community of faith better, and how their love for the Lord became a blessing to us.
May the following serve as a guide in your worship of God.
The Worship of God
Lighting Two Candles
We begin worship by lighting candles to remind ourselves that the One whom we worship, Jesus, is the light of the world. We light two candles to remind us that Jesus is God and lived alongside us as a human being.
Passing the Peace
Say to one another, “May the peace of Christ be with you.”
And reply, “And, also with you.”
Invitation to Worship
Blessed are those who will not trade in their faith for a bushel of fear,
for they know God’s heart.
Blessed are those who stand alone at gravesides,
for they are wrapped in God’s arms.
Blessed are those who humbly care for the vulnerable,
for they shall create new communities.
Blessed are those who miss dinner, and happy hour each night,
in order to care for the forgotten,
for they shall be filled with the manna of hope.
Blessed are those who are compassionate,
even with those who rub them the wrong way,
for they will be cared for by others.
Blessed are those who look out for their neighbors,
for they live next door to God.
Blessed are the menders of brokenness,
for they know what it is like to be reconciled to God.
Blessed are those who are mocked by the rich and the powerful,
for they know they are walking the streets of the kin-dom.
Blessed are you when others mock you,
point at your mask,
think you are foolish for keeping your distance,
caring for others,
for then you know you are a sibling of Jesus.
Blessed are all those who model faith for us
in these uncertain days, weeks, months.
Opening Prayer
Sovereign of Creation,
all that we have comes from you.
Physically distanced, we gather in your presence,
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
people from every tribe and nation,
every kindred and tongue,
to lift our voices in praise,
to be transformed into your saints,
to be sent out to gather others to share the eternal banquet.
Hear the praise we offer,
work in us and through us.
You alone are holy,
you alone are the Most High,
you alone are worthy of our praise.
Glory to you O God,
and to the Lamb, our Shepherd,
and to the Spirit that unites us all,
today and ever more.
Amen.
Hymn of Praise
Sing with All the Saints in Glory
Tune: ODE TO JOY (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Author: William J. Irons
1. Sing with all the saints in glory,
Sing the resurrection song!
Death and sorrow, earth’s dark story,
To the former days belong.
All around the clouds are breaking,
Soon the storms of time shall cease;
In God’s likeness we, awaking,
Know the everlasting peace.
2. O what glory, far exceeding
All that eye has yet perceived!
Holiest hearts, for ages pleading,
Never that full joy conceived.
God has promised, Christ prepares it,
There on high our welcome waits.
Every humble spirit shares it;
Christ has passed th’eternal gates.
3. Life eternal! heav’n rejoices:
Jesus lives who once was dead.
Shout with joy, O deathless voices!
Child of God, lift up your head!
Patriarchs from distant ages,
Saints all longing for their heav’n,
Prophets, psalmists, seers, and sages,
All await the glory giv’n.
4. Life eternal! O what wonders
Crowd on faith; what joy unknown,
When, amid earth’s closing thunders,
Saints shall stand before the throne!
Oh, to enter that bright portal,
See that glowing firmament,
Know, with you, O God immortal,
Jesus Christ whom you have sent!
Psalm Reading
Psalm 34:1-10, 22. Common English Bible
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be in my mouth.
I praise the Lord—
let the suffering listen and rejoice.
Magnify the Lord with me!
Together let us lift his name up high!
I sought the Lord and he answered me.
He delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to God will shine;
their faces are never ashamed.
This suffering person cried out:
the Lord listened and saved him from every trouble.
On every side, the Lord’s messenger
protects those who honor God; and he delivers them.
Taste and see how good the Lord is!
The one who takes refuge in him is truly happy!
You who are the Lord’s holy ones, honor him,
because those who honor him don’t lack a thing.
Even strong young lions go without and get hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
The Lord saves his servants’ lives;
all those who take refuge in him
won’t be held responsible for anything.
Remembering the Saints
We remember all who have gone before us into God’s eternal splendor especially those from our church family who have died in the last year. We remember and give thanks for
Irene Hooper
(January 17, 1922 to December 26, 2019)
Lou Jane Mills
(February 28, 1945 to May 10, 2020)
Anne Setzer
(January 30, 1936 to June 16, 2020)
Pelham Thomas
(April 18, 1922 to July 5, 2020)
Lavonia “Pinky” Andrews
(April 14, 1947 to September 13, 2020)
Carolyn Wike
(November 11, 1935 to September 17, 2020)
We join them and all the angels and saints of heaven in the hymn of unending praise to God our Rock and Redeemer! Amen.
Choral Anthem
Hark I Hear the Harps Eternal
Tune: INVITATION (Sacred Harp)
Composer: Mark Schweizer
Hark, I hear the harps eternal
Ringing on the farther shore;
As I near those swollen waters
With their deep and solemn roar.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lamb!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Glory to the great I AM!
And my soul, though stained with sorrow,
Fading as the light of day,
Passes swiftly o’er those waters,
to the city far away.
Souls have crossed before me saintly,
To that land of perfect rest;
And I hear them singing faintly
In the mansions of the blest.
Prayer for Others
Pause after each paragraph to give voice to prayers as prompted. Let us pray,
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
Communion celebrates our unity–our unity with God and with one another. At Cullowhee Baptist Church we practice an open communion which means anyone seeking to live the Way of Jesus Christ is invited to share in communion with us. Although we are not able to meet together, our bond still remains with one another and God through Jesus Christ.
Imagine Jesus setting a table for us, a place where we may come together and share a meal. Before we “come to the table,” let us set our hearts aright and seek the Lord’s forgiveness for our shortcomings.
Invitation to Communion
God’s Table is for everyone, no matter how old one is, or young; for those we think of as saints, and those we know are foolish, because we look in the mirror. For God knows that we all try, and no matter how many times we mess up, God will forgive us, quickly and mercifully. I invite you to join in the prayer for forgiveness.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Beloved God,
who was known to our mothers and fathers,
and to our spiritual forebears,
have mercy on us.
We do not always love as you would have us love.
We do not always do as you would have us do.
In stubbornness,
we turn from you when we should turn toward you.
Hold us, Beloved God–
comfort us when we mourn the passing of friends and family,
and help us to know that they are rejoicing in your presence.
We praise you for the grace you shower on us,
constantly forgiving our errors,
especially the ones that we don’t share with any but you.
Hear now our silent fears and worries of our hearts.
Silent prayer and reflection
Assurance of Pardon
2 Corinthians 5:17-18a, Common English Bible
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, to whom we have been reconciled through Christ.
Share the Meal
Share what you have to eat and before eating, have someone say, “This food represents the body of Christ. As we eat, we remember Jesus.”
Share what you have to drink and 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
Tune: NEW BRITAIN (from the Virginia Harmony, 1831)
Author: John Newton
‘Mazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wrench like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
The Gospel Lesson
Matthew 23:1-12, Common English Bible
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and his disciples, “The legal experts and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat. Therefore, you must take care to do everything they say. But don’t do what they do. For they tie together heavy packs that are impossible to carry. They put them on the shoulders of others, but are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do, they do to be noticed by others. They make extra-wide prayer bands for their arms and long tassels for their clothes. They love to sit in places of honor at banquets and in the synagogues. They love to be greeted with honor in the markets and to be addressed as ‘Rabbi.’ But you shouldn’t be called Rabbi, because you have one teacher, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Don’t call anybody on earth your father, because you have one Father, who is heavenly. Don’t be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher. But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. All who lift themselves up will be brought low. But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.
Proclaiming the Word
Rev. Jeffrey Vickery
Jesus said, “The one who is greatest among you will be your servant.” Remember that. It doesn’t make sense in many ways. If anyone other than Jesus would have said it, most people in most churches would not be too sure that it’s true. But Jesus did say it, and as far as I can tell he was not being sarcastic when he did. So it bears remembering – the greatest among you will be your servant.
This teaching of Jesus is part of the great “reversal” sayings we find in the Gospels. Like when Jesus said, the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Or when he’s talking about important people at a feast and he concludes by saying the exalted shall be humbled and the humble shall be exalted. Or when he’s discussing wealth and poverty and describes the seeking of wealth as a poverty that depletes our spirit, but praises the poor for having genuine trust in God. These sayings reverse what the world around us teaches is true. Our task is not to serve ourselves first, or work to win fame and awards, or think of ourselves as great because someone else said it about us. In this Gospel story Jesus identifies the greatest as the one who serves.
I have to admit that I find it quite important that we read these words of Jesus on the eve of a presidential election – or any election for that matter. Both politicians that I support and the ones that I find unacceptable have to carry more than their share of ego. Servanthood is not on their radar. Power and privilege and prestige surround any politician and can easily lead her or him to think more highly of themselves than they ought to do. While I love the democratic process in America, this is a good day to be reminded that Christians do not look to politics to save us or our world. Politicians are not to be followed as though they speak God’s truth. Their seat in Congress or the White House does not endow them with God’s blessing or confer on them God’s choosing. The Gospel is found in the teachings of Jesus and not in a legislative agenda. Don’t take me wrong, politics are important as they impact real people’s lives for good and for ill. That’s why all of us who are able should vote, and why we must all be aware that our votes matter for others as much as for ourselves. Yet we must guard against replacing the teachings of Jesus with support for any one candidate or party. And we must recognize that any room in which any president resides, the greatest person in that room will not be the elected official, but the servant who dusts the desk or the custodian that cleans.
How can this be true when almost everyone refers to the President of the United States as “the most powerful person in the world”? Because in God’s reckoning of people, powerful doesn’t mean “great.” Nor does great mean famous. In the Gospel of God, the greatest is not the winner. Nor is “Greatest” a title of recognition given by bosses or teachers or judges. Jesus wants us to see people through God’s eyes and not our own. We are so deceived that we think God approves of people using the same measure that we do. Instead, Jesus helps us see that God knows and finds greatness when we serve others rather than seeking attention to ourselves.
In the Gospel story, Jesus uses well-known leaders around his disciples as a way to draw them into the spiritual depth of religious servanthood. He points to the “legal experts and Pharisees” and tells his followers to “take care to do everything they say.” We should not be surprised at this affirmation. They taught people to pray three times daily, to worship every Sabbath, and to practice their faith in every relationship of their life. The Pharisees and teachers had read the stories of Noah and Ninevah, Rebecca and Rahab, Job and Jocabed, and taught these stories to many of the same people Jesus is now teaching. And these Pharisees are not wrong. Their words and teachings are valuable. Yet Jesus turns the proverbial tables. They rightly teach you what to do but not why to do it. They say the right words, but they act from selfish motivations. Imitate their practice but not their heart. Listen to their words but don’t share the same attitude. Jesus is interested in the integrity of our intention before God. These leaders care about how the public perceives what they say, and Jesus wants us to consider what we say and what we do and why we do them.
Think about it this way. Imagine I am given the advice to bring flowers to Tonya as a way to express my love. So every Thursday I place a clutch of fresh flowers in a vase and put them on the table at home. It’s a good practice but whether or not it communicates love depends on my intent and behavior in buying and giving the flowers, as well as the way I treat her throughout the week. Gifts can be given as a selfish act, or done out of guilt, or just perfunctory in order to check some expected box, or even with lingering disdain. I can use the gift as a way to brag about being a great husband, or better yet, have Tonya brag about me. What is intended to be generous and loving can become meaningless or (even worse) manipulative. The same is true with prayer. Or worship. Or acts of care and kindness and justice. Or servanthood. Jesus does not just expect obedience to God but a genuine intent of our spirit.
Jesus criticizes the religious leaders, and thus criticizes us if it applies, for wanting attention and praise from others. These Pharisees he notes even change their practice of prayer, not out of a response to God, but in order to appear holy or smart or competent or proper in the eyes of the public. They like their official titles like “Rabbi” and “teacher” but only because it makes them sound influential and important. In other Gospel stories, Jesus will say that when they (or we) receive praise from others for our religious practice it has no bearing on whether or not we have pleased God in our practice of faith. And if we act like a Christian for the purpose of being awarded some prize of reputation or respect from others, then God not impressed.
So let me repeat, Jesus said the greatest among us is the servant. This is not the place where he says, “in order to be great, become a servant.” That’s something quite different. It is easy to go there with this story because it exposes our desire to be great, or at least to think of ourselves as important. Many will then attempt servanthood in order to be considered the greatest revealing a strange cultural emphasis on personal accolades as a sign of significance. In fact, this approach to Jesus’ teaching is the opposite of what Jesus intends. Imagine one of the Pharisees hearing Jesus say this, and so that Pharisee then starts serving people so that people will think he’s great. Jesus had criticized them for praying excessively in order to gain attention. The same can take place with servanthood. Its purpose is focused on the person being served and not ourselves as doing and giving and serving. If I am praised for going on a mission trip, or helping feed families during the summer, or giving money to help our sister church in Brazil, and what I want is that praise, then Jesus finds little greatness in that approach to serving.
It turns out that the hardest thing about being considered great by God is to desire genuinely to be a servant. And to do so for the sake of the people we serve. And to not get our feathers ruffled if we do something that is servant-like and no one says “thank you” or gives us a plaque that says “Volunteer of the Year.” Many people want to be great; Jesus is interested in those who want to be servants.
Two things seem necessary: first, to see the people who serve us as great; second, to consider serving others as more important than serving ourselves.
In case we miss it, Jesus is praising the servants already among us. Probably the ones overlooked by us. The truth is that we are dependent as humans even though the myth of independence is woven into the fabric of American life. But no single person is without the help of many people who are willfully hidden from us. Who is the best person in Cullowhee? Or Jackson County? It’s not the County Council or the mayors or the wealthy business developers or the tourists who bring their spending money or the famous celebrities who were raised here. It is likely the migrant farmworker without whom we would not have local produce or Christmas trees; or the single mom who cleans hotel rooms as a second job to support her children; or the Hispanic construction worker, or the stock person at Ingles, or the recycling center staff, or the high school fry cook at Bojangles. This teaching of Jesus must turn our attention to the personal and spiritual value of the people who are already the servants among us. God knows their name and sees their heart. God’s people should recognize that these servants are greater in God’s eyes than our pastors or politicians or public celebrities. Why? So that we can treat them with respect and care. We are so often the ones who are served that we cannot let our place of privilege blind us to the real valuable greatness of the persons around us who are considered unimportant by the world. We must learn that God’s greatest people are the ones we too often ignore. And may that knowledge compel us to repent of this sin and renew our ability to see the holy virtue of the people that society undervalues.
Perhaps the harder part of Jesus’ teaching here is that he is asking us to want to be a servant to others. Servanthood is tough. It requires humility, it takes effort, it will not win awards. It is truly found when we take our motivation for servanthood from seeing the virtue and value of the ones we serve. In the Downton Abbey television series, the butler Mr. Carson is a servant in every literal sense of the word. His character is so virtuous, in part, because he sees his task of serving Lord Grantham as a meaningful life’s work because both Lord Grantham and the family are worth Mr. Carson’s efforts. The same can be said about our opportunities to serve others. Many people find the church as a worthy place to be a servant because by serving the church we are serving God and God’s work. The volunteers at United Christian Ministries, or the Center for Domestic Peace, or the Community Table will be Gospel servants when they see the clients they serve as worthy of their service. Whether one is a social worker at DSS or a kindergarten teacher or a Senior Center volunteer, the greatest servant is the one who finds value in God‘s people whom they serve.
In the end, we read Jesus’ story and hear his conclusion and we are left with a difficult prayer. “Lord, help me to want to become a servant rather than to be considered great.” We will find an answer to that prayer when we serve without hope of consequence but out of the value we already see in another person whose life is worthy of the time and effort we have to give.
Questions for Reflection
- Who are the people that serve you or your family?
- Who are the people that you serve, or the work that you do that is in service to others?
- Take time this week to honestly assess your attitude and motivation to serve. As you do so, remember the prayer: “Lord, help me to want to become a servant rather than to be considered great.”
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Thank you, God for constant love. Please help our church family grow deeper and deeper in your love. Amen.
Song of Faith
For All the Saints
Author: William Walsham How, adapted by J. Cotter
Tune: SINE NOMINE (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
1. For all the saints who from their labors rest,
who in the world their faith in God confessed,
your name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. You were the stranger in the dark of night
with whom they strove to find their one True Light,
to whom you gave God’s blessing ever bright:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. They are the folk who gave with Love Divine,
always in service did their wills incline,
forgetting self, they did with glory shine:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. They followed you, cast out the city’s gate
killed by the eyes and guns of human hate,
yet trumpets sound their resurrection fête:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
5. And there will dawn a yet more marvelous day,
the saints with laughter sing and dance and play,
the Clown of Glory tumbles in the way:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
6. With earth restored, with this our fragile star,
in gladness home from pilgrimage afar,
we find in God a joy that none can mar:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Sending Out
May the blessing and peace of God uphold you,
May the compassion and love of Christ enfold you,
and may the vitality and power of the Holy Spirit embolden you,
today and always.
Amen.
Closing Song
Blest Be the Tie
Tune: DENNIS (Nageli)
Author: John Fawcett
Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. Amen.
Acknowledgements:
The Invitation to Worship and the Invitation to Communion was written by Thom Shuman. The Opening Prayer was written by Bob Gross and comes from Worship Ways an online publication of the United Church of Christ. The Prayer of Forgiveness was written by Lucus Keppel and posted on LiturgyLink. The Psalm was read by Donna. The anthem was played by Tonya and sung by Mindy Tonya, Ally, and Elizabeth. Tracy played the organ and Mindy sang the hymns. Aidan played the piano for Amazing Grace. 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.
Leave a Reply