For the week of March 3 – 3rd Sunday in Lent
Morning prayer: Holy God, in Jesus Christ You have built for us an eternal house, a temple of righteousness, a place of gracious plenty for the hungry and abundant life for the poor in spirit. Fill us with zeal for the body of Christ. Overturn the tables of corruption and greed and upset the imbalance of injustice, so that we may worship You in spirit and truth; through Jesus Christ, who is risen indeed. Amen. Posted on the Presbyterian Church USA website, http://www.pcusa.org/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog
Opening Hymn: #144 This Is my Father’s World
- This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hand the wonders wrought. - This is my Father's world, the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white, declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world: He shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear Him pass; He speaks to me everywhere. - This is my Father's world. O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world: why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring! God reigns; let the earth be glad!
Exodus 20:1-6
God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject Me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Children’s Time RED Isaiah 1:18
Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Children’s Message
Red has the distinction of being the color associated with sin and wrath – the anger of God. It is the color of sacrifice because our blood and animals’ blood is red.
The prophet Isaiah is telling us that God sees our sins as a stain on us. In the beginning humanity was pure, we didn’t know sin or evil. This part of our condition was forever changed when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the Tree of Knowledge. They quickly learned of sin and evil. Ever since that time, God has been calling us back to God, to turn from sin and evil. God knew we could not do this on our own and God sent Jesus to be the final negotiator for our sin. In Jesus’s death and resurrection all sin can be forgiven. This gives us new life and focuses us on God’s will for our lives.
Red was also a color needed for the Tabernacle. Crimson was needed for the embroidery on the curtains. The hems were decorated with pomegranate flowers. Now, the color red for dye was not obtained by crushing pomegranate seeds, but we have moved past sea snail mucus. To make red dye, Early Mediterranean peoples crushed the dried bodies of female Kermes vermilios. Kermes are tiny wingless insects that live in the Mediterranean region. They lived on the sap of oak trees.
Purple, blue, and red – these were the primary colors of the Tabernacle, each color pointing to God’s reign over creation and how God loves us.
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: Remember the two Lenten challenges: Give “30 Pieces of Silver” to finance building a bathhouse for Withrow University College. Pray for the administrators, staff and students of Withrow University College and our scholarship students: Emmanuella and Ebenezer.
Thank you for giving your offering to LUMC. Thank you for doing ministry with us.
Offering prayer: Generous God, all we have comes from You and has been given to us as stewards that we might live and love as Your beloved children. As we bring our gifts this morning, we realize what a small portion they are compared to what You have given to us. As we have sought ways to fund church ministry without raising our level of sacrifice, forgive us. If there have been times when we unconsciously favored reaching those with more assets to give and overlooked those who live and struggle with little, forgive us. Guide us in the path of repentance. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of preparation #292 What Wondrous Love Is This
- What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, to bear the dreadful curse for my soul. - What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of life
to lay aside His crown for my soul, for my soul, to lay aside His crown for my soul. - To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing, to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, while millions join the theme I will sing. - And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
And when from death I'm free I'll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on, and through eternity I'll sing on.
Message Scripture: John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple He found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, He drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to Him, ‘What sign can You show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Message: Pastor Becky
Passover, then 49 days later Pentecost, and the autumn festival Sukkot (the feast of Booths) are all pilgrimage festivals. All Israelites that are able to travel are called to Jerusalem. They are to participate in worship at the Temple. They are to be in study at the synagogues. For the Passover, they are to be reunited with family for the remembrance of the Exodus.
While in Jerusalem, they would be coming to the Temple to pray in the hopes of hearing from God. They would be bringing offerings, offerings of thanksgiving, and some being sin or guilt. Needless to say the Temple was a busy place. Because of all the pilgrims, the outer court would be filled with animal vendors, just as it had been at Jesus’ birth. We find this in Luke 2:24, “and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Joseph would have acquired the birds in Jerusalem; he would not have brought them along from Bethlehem. We are talking about having a 14-day-old baby and 14-day postpartum woman walking the five miles. Joseph had his hands full, so he would have purchased them at the Temple.
Jesus is well versed in the costs of sparrows. Luke 12:6, “Are not 5 sparrows sold for 2 pennies?” This isn’t from cruising the farm market for food because sparrows aren’t kosher. Sparrows are only raised for sacrifice in the Temple. So, Jesus knows the Temple system. Those going to the Temple and using the services of the vendors there are merely trying to fulfill the Law. They are observing what has been conveyed to them, these are all contained in Leviticus chapters 1-8 and 16. The offerings and prayer were the work of the Temple as the physical presence of the LORD, God’s presence being there.
So, why does Jesus clear the Temple? We have to go directly to His words: “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!”
Marketplaces are transactional, buying and selling. People tend to be nameless, especially during the pilgrimage times. There is nothing personal about them. You go, get what you need and leave, you weren’t spending the day, there is too much to do. Herding, farming, building, and taking care of your family took every waking hour. None but the incredibly wealthy had time to kill. Jesus wanted what time people had to be in personal connection with God, to encourage focused time with God. The offerings and prayers at the Temple should be uplifting, not frustrating.
Jesus is modeling what a resurrected life will look like. He is telling the leadership as much. He says in essence: Hey! You can kill Me for this but I will rise. This Temple, the one that contains God’s presence, is indestructible. Just give Me three days.
We are temples of God’s presence. We have taken on the Holy Spirit. It lives and dwells in you and it is indestructible. In Jesus’ resurrection, we are assured of our rebuilding. When trouble comes, give us three days, it may look bleak, but clarity comes by that 3rd day. We are resurrection people! Jesus promised and delivered!
Now we have to clear our temples of the things that make us personally marketplaces. We have to die to the stuff that kills: hate, lies, gossip, jealousy, unforgiveness, ignorance – and live into hope, faith, love, kindness, generosity, self-control, joy, mercy, peace, and gentleness. All of these are to be exercised in justice, so all will be raised.
Closing Hymn #546 The Church’s One Foundation (Adapted Lyrics)
- The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord;
We are His new creation by water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought us that we might ever be
His living servant people, by His own death set free.
- Called forth from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth;
Our charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name professing and at one table fed,
To one hope always pressing, by Christ’s own Spirit led.
- Though with a scornful wonder the world sees us oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping; their cry goes up, “How long?”
But soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
- Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of our war,
We wait the consummation of peace forevermore;
Till with the vision glorious our longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
- We now on earth have union with God the Three in One,
And share through faith communion with those whose rest is won.
Oh, happy ones, and holy! Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.
