08/14-20/2022 – 10th week after Pentecost
Morning prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, You have safely brought us to the beginning of this day. Defend us with Your mighty power, and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger, but that all our doings, ordered by Your governance, may be always righteous in Your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (#681 UM Hymnal)
Hymn: #117 O God, Our Help in Ages Past
- O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home. - Under the shadow of Thy throne, still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is Thine arm alone, and our defense is sure. - Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame,
from everlasting, Thou art God, to endless years the same. - A thousand ages, in Thy sight, are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night, before the rising sun. - Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all who breathe away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day. - O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come;
be Thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.
Call to Worship Psalm 1
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread or sit in the seat of scoffers,
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on His law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous,
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Children’s message Scripture: Jeremiah 23:23-24
Am I a God near by, says the Lord, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.
Learn about God's solution to a hard heart with this fun children's sermon object lesson involving a sledgehammer! Try smashing things with a hammer. Kids love watching different items get smashed and see how God's power (Jeremiah 23:29) can penetrate even the hardest of hearts.
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Missions funds support the Protestant Campus Ministry of Bloomsburg University. PCM brings together Christian students so they can support and encourage each other.
Offering prayer: Creator God, who brought forth the world as Your vineyard, provided every needed resource, and asked only that we bear good fruit: As we give our offerings, remind us again of the fruit You desire -- justice and righteousness are the ones Your prophet Isaiah suggests. Forgive us for the times when our offerings have fallen short and when the only fruit You’ve received is our own self-centeredness. Help us bear the fruit that brings You joy. In the name of Your Son, our Teacher and Savior, we pray. Amen.
Hymn of Preparation: #206 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light
God set the stars to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus.
Refrain: In Him there is no darkness at all. The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
- I want to see the brightness of God. I want to look at Jesus.
Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path, and show me the way to the Father.
- I’m looking for the coming of Christ. I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race, we shall know the joy of Jesus.
Gospel Lesson Luke 12:49-56
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Message: Pastor Becky Cuddeback
If I ask you this morning to list all the things, issues, beliefs, and behaviors that divide us from each other, that list would be long and it would be diverse. What puts me on one side of a line may be different from what puts you on the other side.
The thing is, only we can choose when the line we are talking about is the line between the Kingdom of God and the world. Because, honestly, life would be simpler for us if all decisions were black or white, crystal clear and either right or wrong. But that is not how it works and if it were not for the gray areas we would not need Jesus.
What Jesus is telling us this morning is that following Him isn’t easy. The baptism He speaks of is His death and that death will bring forth the Kingdom. This unleashes for us a life of grace, mercy and restoration, a new life in comparison to what we are settling for, but it isn’t going to be as easy as flipping a switch.
This decision to follow Jesus will unsettle us and could very well unsettle our relationships with those closest to us. Take for example, if you come from a family that feasts on negative talk or gossip and you have now decided to side with Jesus and refuse to be a part of their conversation. What do you think will happen? Let’s say you decide refraining from alcohol is part of your discipleship walk and you come from a family of alcoholics? Do you think this will go well for you? Following Jesus will cost us the relationships closest to us and you, me, we will suffer alienation, isolation from the very people who claim to love you. What should be a joyful moment in your life, when you are learning and wrestling with Jesus’ teachings, can be the loneliest times for us and we find ourselves on uncharted ground.
Because we long for a sense of peace, and following Jesus and living into the Kingdom gives us peace with God, we have to look at the fact that siding with the Kingdom makes us an enemy to the world. This can affect our livelihoods, our social standing, our personal relationships – all these things we value for stability, yet Jesus calls us from these moorings into a greater life, a life in witness to His mercy, His love and His grace. Is that not exactly what our arching world needs? A great pouring out of God’s love and care? For people to be actually seen and not merely numbered? To literally look at, see, acknowledge another in their humanity.
Aside from the folks you live with or have daily interactions with, how many people do you really see in a day or have they all become nameless/faceless beings?
This is part of the hard work of discipleship, seeing other human beings as we see ourselves – sacred beings, with sacred worth, who may very well be struggling with the same hard decisions and paths we are on.
When the other becomes real to us, the Kingdom is brought near and we all move forward toward this peace that surpasses all understanding. This week, look, really look at people – watch them transform from the “other” into the child we know they are, a child of the Most High God.
Closing Hymn: #593 Here I Am, Lord
- I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin My hand will save.
I, who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?
Refrain: Here I am, Lord. Is it I Lord? I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if You lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.
- I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak My word to them. Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
- I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give My life to them. Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.