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.
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
Psalm 98:4-6 / New Revised Standard Version
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Come, make a joyful noise, sing praises!
Come, let us worship the Lord!
Opening Prayer
Holy God,
you have commanded us to not be afraid
and assured us of your presence.
In the midst of trials and joys,
sorrows and dreams
may we know your presence and rejoice.
Grant us courage, O God, to take delight in your spirit
in all times and all places.
Grant us faith, O God, to see the myriad of ways you give life.
Grant us hope, O God, to participate in your work in the world.
Grant us love, O God, to welcome, respond, and act with compassion
in all we say and do.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen.
Hymn of Praise
Canticle of the Turning
Tune: BUNESSAN
Author: Rory Cooney
1. My soul cries out with a joyful shout
That the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
That you bring to the ones who wait.
Chorus:
My heart shall sing of the day you bring
Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near
And the world is about to turn!
2. Though I am small, my God, my all,
You work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of past
to the end of the age to be.
3. Your very name puts the proud to shame,
And to those who would for you yearn
You will show might, put the strong to flight
For the world is about to turn.
4. The hungry poor shall weep no more
For the food they can never earn
There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed
For the world is about to turn.
Psalm Reading
Psalm 78:1-7. Common English Bible
Listen, my people, to my teaching;
tilt your ears toward the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a proverb.
I’ll declare riddles from days long gone—
ones that we’ve heard and learned about,
ones that our ancestors told us.
We won’t hide them from their descendants;
we’ll tell the next generation
all about the praise due the Lord and his strength—
the wondrous works God has done.
He established a law for Jacob
and set up Instruction for Israel,
ordering our ancestors
to teach them to their children.
This is so that the next generation
and children not yet born will know these things,
and so they can rise up and tell their children
to put their hope in God—
never forgetting God’s deeds,
but keeping God’s commandments—
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.
Choral Anthem
Keep Your Lamps
Tune: Traditional Spiritual
Composer: arr. Victor C. Johnson
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
The time is drawing nigh.
Children don’t get weary,
Children don’t get weary,
Children don’t get weary,
‘Til your work is done.
Soon this journey will be over,
Soon this journey will be over,
Soon this journey will be over,
The time is drawing nigh.
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
Psalm 145:18 assures us,
The Lord is near to all who call sincerely on God in truth.
So with the assurance of God’s presence and listening ear,
God’s steadfast love,
and God’s overwhelming mercy,
let us confess our sins before God.
Prayer for Forgiveness
Holy God, we come before you a broken people in broken world.
We confess that we have ignored your assured presence.
We have forged our own paths and charted our own waters.
In the name of independence
we have ignored your aid, your comfort, and your peace.
We have called upon you in desperation
rather than recalling your mighty and faithful acts in all times and places.
Forgive us.
You have been with us in exile and liberation;
be with us even now.
Amen.
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 wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.
The Gospel Lesson
Matthew 25:1-13, Common English Bible
[Jesus said] At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten young bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Now five of them were wise, and the other five were foolish. The foolish ones took their lamps but didn’t bring oil for them. But the wise ones took their lamps and also brought containers of oil.
When the groom was late in coming, they all became drowsy and went to sleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “Look, the groom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. But the foolish bridesmaids said to the wise ones, “Give us some of your oil, because our lamps have gone out.” But the wise bridesmaids replied, “No, because if we share with you, there won’t be enough for our lamps and yours. We have a better idea. You go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves. But while they were gone to buy oil, the groom came. Those who were ready went with him into the wedding. Then the door was shut.
Later the other bridesmaids came and said, “Lord, lord, open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”
Therefore, keep alert, because you don’t know the day or the hour.
Proclaiming the Word
Rev. Tonya Vickery
The gospel reading today is smack dab in the middle of a lot of stories that Jesus is telling about God’s coming kin-dom. Some people call it “the end times,” but I prefer to think of it more like a “beginning,” or an “on-going.” It is God’s kin-dom coming. This story is unique to the gospel of Matthew. Mark, Luke, John, they don’t have this one. I used to think it was a silly story. It appeared to me that a groom was very late for his own wedding. Can you imagine the bride waiting all day long and eventually around midnight the guy shows up. For some reason the bridesmaids are sent out to meet him. All of them have lamps in case it grows dark, but only half of them have lamps completely filled with oil. When the groom takes forever to arrive, half of the bridesmaids are like, “We don’t have enough oil to see this through.” And they ask the well prepared bridesmaids to share their oil. “Nu, uh. If we give you what we have, we will all run out of oil. Go quick, buy some before the groom gets here.” And off they go. But when they get back, the groom has already arrived and everyone else is already at the party. So they hurry on to the banquet. But when they get there, the groom won’t let them in. In fact, he says, “I don’t even know you.” And then the line from Jesus, “Keep awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Like I said, some would say, the “day” or “hour” to which Jesus is referring is “the end times.” I still say, it is the beginning. This life with God isn’t going to “end” with a big party. This life with God is going to continue on and one day there will be this huge shift while life will be like God intends and that season of life will “begin” with a huge party. Okay, you get the picture. I don’t go for the great and glorious day being called “The end.”
I had a few things wrong in my early impressions of this story and perhaps you have too. This is a story about the kin-dom of God, but weddings were different back then. First, the bride’s family was expected to give the groom or the groom’s family a dowry, some type of substantial gift. It might be property, but most likely it was money. On the day of a wedding, the groom would go to the bride’s parents’ home to finalize dowry arrangements with the father-in-law to be and to pick up his bride and bring her back to his house. Now, the bridesmaids in the story are not equivalent to bridesmaids in today’s weddings. These women were maidens, and most likely they were from the groom’s family. Their purpose is to welcome the groom and his bride to the house. The go out to greet them and escort them to the wedding feast. And then they all eat and drink and have a ton of fun. The end.
It is important to understand the customs and setting of this story because the story Jesus tells is an allegory. A parable told to teach us something and in this case, Jesus wants to teach us something about the kin-dom of God. The groom represents Jesus. The maidens in the story represent the church or the ones who profess to live the way of Jesus Christ in the world while waiting on Jesus to come again. The wedding feast represents the full realization of the reign of God–you know, that day of rejoicing when everything, everything will be the way that God intends it. Sadly, the rejection of the foolish maidens represents the final judgment of the church. Our attention may be fully focused on the maidens in the story, because that’s us. Are we foolish? Are we wise? But remember Jesus doesn’t tells the story to teach us about ourselves, but rather Jesus tells the story in order to teach us what the kin-dom of God will be like. The focus is on God, not ourselves.
The groom’s return to his house with his bride has been delayed. It is a significant delay. So much so that the maidens fall asleep waiting. Then a shout wakens them in the middle of the night, “Look! Here comes the groom!” followed by the invitation, “Come, and meet him!” The maidens get up. They trim the wicks of their lamps which have been burning all night waiting on the groom. However, the lamps are running short on oil and the flame is going out. The wise maidens are prepared for the delay. They have brought with them flasks of oil. So they pour more oil into their lamps and go out to meet the groom with their lamps lit. The foolish maidens don’t have enough oil. They demand of the wise ones, “Give us some of your oil.” But it is of no use. There in the middle of the night they go out in search of oil to buy to light the way for the groom. By the time it is said and done, they come to the feast to find the door fastened shut with the groom refusing to recognize them and allow them in.
Okay, what does Jesus’ story teach us about the kin-dom of God? Quickly we deduce that there will probably be a delay in the coming of God’s kin-dom. It will not happen when we expect it to happen. It will tarry. It will take a while. So be patient. The righteousness and justice of God will fully be realized one day. Don’t give up. There is coming a day when everything will happen in the best ways possible–God’s ways. It’s not here yet, but it will come. There is a coming a day when we won’t need to be critical, or make judgements. There is coming a day when we will be able to fully trust one another. There is coming a day when the righteousness and justice of God will triumph over all. There is coming a day when everyone will have enough. There is coming a day when children will live, fear will be gone, sorrow will melt away, bitterness will dry up, conflict will be exchanged for companionship. There is coming a day when all of creation and everything in it will be made new again by God’s doing. So don’t give up even though you may be weary, says Jesus. Don’t give up even though you may need to rest a little while and take a nap. Don’t give up even though the lamp won’t hold enough oil alone to light the long night. Don’t give up. God’s kin-dom will come. When? We don’t know. We are assured that it will take some time to arrive, but it will come just as sure as the groom came in Jesus’ story.
We also learn that the kin-dom of God is something for which we prepare. Jesus says watch for it. Be wise, not foolish. Be prepared. Have your lamps, yes, but also have oil. Keep the light of Christ shining through you. Keep the love and mercy and grace of God shining brightly from what you say, what you do, how you think, how you react, how you respond. When you trim the wick of an oil lamp, you do so that the light will shine clear and bright. Let the light of Christ be this way through you shining clear and bright. Even though the groom is greatly delayed in coming, even though the day when all things will be made right tarries, keep the light of Christ burning in your life. You can’t rely on someone else’s preparation and you can’t rely on a time schedule. Jesus wants you, you fully invested at all times, not just following the crowd. Jesus wants us live out what he has taught us and how he has taught us to live. And above all, we are not to grow weary of doing the good of God. See it as a privilege. See it as an opportunity. Not a curse or a limitation. See it as living abundantly. Recall and believe the words of Jesus from Matthew chapter eleven where Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Jesus will lead the way for us. We do have something to do, to carry while we follow, but Jesus will lead the way.
Finally, know that you have a place at the feast. You are expected. There’s a place card at the table with your name on it. So don’t neglect the invitation nor diss it with the way you live. As you wait, you wait with purpose. In Christ, we wait living in hope and we live never giving up on God. In Christ, we express God’s love and compassion and work for God’s justice. In Christ, we know that whether we live or die, whether we are in pain or feeling great, whether our hearts are broken or beating strong, we are always and forever ultimately safe in the love of God. In Christ, give yourself to the work of God’s kin-dom even as it delays in coming. Don’t give up, Jesus says. Keep those lamps burning.
Questions for Reflection
■ What type of situation makes you feel that you are only partially committed and consequently only going through the motions?
■ How do you feel when hoped-for results fail to materialize? How does that affect your commitment and readiness to offer your best?
■ When have you recognized that your growth, your learning, was something only you could do?
■ When have you experienced opportunities that might never have been there without preparation?
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
Christ, Be Our Light
Author: Bernadette Farrell
Tune: CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT (B. Farrell)
Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Longing for truth, we turn to You.
Make us Your own, Your holy people
Light for the world to see.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Longing for food, many are hungry
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us Your bread, broken for others
Shared until all are fed.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Longing for shelter, many are homeless
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us Your building, sheltering others
Walls made of living stone.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Many the gift, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
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 Communion was written by Thom Shuman. The Opening Prayer, Invitation to Confession, & Prayer of Confession comes from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 2: Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition. The anthem was played by Tonya and sung by Mindy, Michelle, Tonya, Ally, Laura, Kendall, 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.
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