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June 5, 2022
PENTECOST
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett, Jo Lefleur, Judy Welcher, Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx, Lois Seger, Jon Ryner,  Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner & Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom), Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan, Jake Pinkston, Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece), Bonnie Pillers, Deb Weller, Barbara Russell and Family, Manon Family, and Linda Wentzel.
 
PRELUDE
*CALL TO WORSHIP Acts 2:17; Rom. 8:26; Ps. 104:30, 35
Remember the promise of the Lord:
God will pour out the Spirit on all flesh.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness,
interceding with sighs too deep for words.
The Spirit of God renews the earth.
Bless the name of the Lord!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER                          
God our creator, earth has many languages,
but your gospel proclaims your love to all nations in one heavenly tongue.
Make us messengers of the good news that, through the power of your Spirit,
all the world may unite in one song of praise,
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
 
*HYMN On Pentecost They Gathered #128
 
*CONFESSION John 7:37–38
Jesus says: Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.
Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.
Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
 
 
Almighty God, you poured your Spirit upon gathered disciples creating bold tongues, open ears, and a new community of faith. We confess that we hold back the force of your Spirit among us. We do not listen for your word of grace, speak the good news of your love, or live as a people made one in Christ. Have mercy on us, O God. Transform our timid lives by the power of your Spirit, and fill us with a flaming desire to be your faithful people, doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
*WORDS OF ASSURANCE John 20:22–23
Through Christ, God has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us for the forgiveness of sins. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
 
*SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Genesis 11:1-9, NLT
At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.” 5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.” 8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.
 
GOSPEL LESSON John 14:12-17,26, CEB
12 I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. 14 When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever.  17 This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him because he lives with you and will be with you. …
 
26 The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.
 
THE PENTECOST STORY Acts 2:1-21, CEB
When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak. 5 There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. 7 They were surprised and amazed, saying, “Look, aren’t all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? 8 How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), 11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!” 12 They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, “What does this mean?” 13 Others jeered at them, saying, “They’re full of new wine!”14 Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you suspect; after all, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. 18 Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19 I will cause wonders to occur in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke. 20 The sun will be changed into darkness, and the moon will be changed into blood,
before the great and spectacular day of the Lord comes.  21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
 
SERMON The Promised Holy Spirit
 
For the past two weeks I have talked about living out our faith and our mission individually and as the Church of Jesus Christ. I kept reminding us that this life and mission are only possible with the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised to his followers after he rose from the grave and before he disappeared back into heaven’s realms. Today is the day we celebrate that gift of the Holy Spirit and its work in our lives to bring us and the whole world into an ever-deeper relationship with our God. Much of our world has yet again fallen out of the intimate relationship to which our God invites us all. ‘Twas ever thus!  In our Old Testament lesson today, the story referred to as the Towel of Babel, is also a time of growing away from God. The tower was built on the plain of Shinar in the region settled by Nimrod who was Noah’s great grandson. We know the area better as Babylonia, and later to the north, Assyria. It includes the cities of Ur from which Abraham would set out, Babylon to which the exiles would be taken, and Nineveh to which Jonah would preach.
 
The story comes early in the book of Genesis before the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, or Jacob and his wives. This story in Chapter 11 comes after Noah’s story concludes in Chapter 9 with the ark landing after the flood wiped away a sinful world, and Noah replanted his vineyards while the animals reclaimed the earth. Chapter 10 is the genealogy of Noah’s sons. In a very few generations they repopulated their known world, and from them came many nations and peoples.
 
Chapter 11 comes in the midst of establishing these peoples and nations. Some grew ambitious, and unlike their ancestor Noah, they were more concerned about their own ambitions than with living in appreciation and relationship with their Creator and Savior. You would think it a good thing that they chose to cooperate with one another, but sadly the goal of that cooperation paralleled the sin of more distant ancestors. Adam and Eve were tempted by the notion that they could become like God. The ancients who built the tower wanted to make a name for themselves by building a city that would reach up to the heavens. Given God’s reaction, I suspect these builders weren’t content to live as God’s companions and servants here on earth, but in a sense strove to usurp God’s position in heaven. So God confused their language preventing them from completing such a task. On one hand it is a story to explain why there are so many different languages if we began as one people. On the other hand it reminds us that God will not forever tolerate human ambitions that ignore God’s sovereignty and authority over all creation including God’s lordship and rule over humankind.
 
The rest of the Old Testament presents a roller coaster like history of humanity’s relationship with God. At times there is great reverence, friendship, and service, and a process whereby mistakes are confessed, repented, and forgiven. At other times even those who acknowledge God fell into either fear or complacency, or their ambitions strayed far from God’s covenantal relationship and intentions for us. Seventy years of exile back to the land where the Tower of Babel had been built were meant to teach God’s people a lesson. A remnant remained faithful and eventually were allowed to return home to the promised land and rebuild their lives in service and worship to their God.
 
By the time of Jesus, the faithful had become more concerned with maintaining the laws, worship, and Temple as they understood them. They were also concerned with survival in the midst of political constraints. But Jesus called them out for maintaining the letter of the Law without understanding the call to compassion and mercy for God’s people. Religious structures were in danger of becoming another tower of human ambition. Instead Jesus called forth new leadership from among the people and prepared them to continue his teachings of what the Kingdom of our God was truly meant to be. Rather than building towers of human effort; Jesus called forth a people to build God’s kingdom with the Spirit’s power.
 
Gathered in Jerusalem that day were people from various regions, some representing the diverse nations established by Noah’s descendants. They had come to celebrate Shavuot which honors two things in Jewish tradition. First, Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks because it comes seven weeks after Passover, the remembrance of God freeing the Hebrew slaves from Egypt. Toward the end of Passover the first sheaves of the barley are offered to God as the first fruits of the new harvest. In Greek Shavuot is called Pentecost meaning fifty, because it comes 50 days after that harvest offering. Paul later wrote that Jesus rose on Easter as the first fruits of those who died in faith. (1 Corinthians 15:20) I think of Jesus’ ministry as planting seeds for God’s kingdom by how he taught and cared for common people. His life and resurrection led to a first harvest of believers who would strive to live into that kingdom. With Pentecost and receiving the Holy Spirit, there was a new harvest. After Peter’s preaching empowered by the Spirit, about 3,000 new believers were baptized that day. They formed the beginnings of the church.
 
Second, Shavuot celebrates the law given to God’s people through Moses at Sinai. First they left slavery. The law was meant to teach them how to live a new way as God’s people. Jesus’ death and resurrection also means setting us free from the slavery of sin and death as it’s frequently said in our communion liturgy. Jesus’ teachings and interpretation of the Law still tell us how to live as God’s people. The gift of the Holy Spirit empowers us to do so as it refreshes and recreates us for living into God’s Kingdom. Jesus said, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)
 
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift through Christ to enable us to live out our faith and our mission. As we remembered Jesus’ ascension last week, we talked about Jesus’ mission for his followers, for the Church, to carry forward. That mission is still ours to discern and fulfill. When the Holy Spirit came with power on that Pentecost Sunday of Acts chapter 2, the first noticeable miracle was that those who were gathered in the city from various regions and nations understood what the disciples were saying, probably in Aramaic, though the listeners themselves spoke assorted languages.
 
When Peter stood to preach, everyone understood his inspired message in their own language. If you set that scene against the story of the Tower of Babel, it is as if God reversed his curse to serve a new purpose. God had confused the language of the ancients so that they could not work together against God. But now God gifted people with a common understanding in spite of their diverse language, so that God’s message of hope and grace could be spread throughout the earth, to become one people of God. The disciples and others would have the task of taking God’s word to the nations, but the process was jumpstarted that day as many of the new believers would take the message they heard home with them to share it with family and friends, neighbors, and coworkers.
 
As he preached, Peter quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel who had promised the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit long before Jesus. The work of the Spirit mentioned by Joel would be prophesy, visions, and dreams. All of these are ways God  communicates with God’s people. Think of the words of so many Old Testament prophets, visions shared by Ezekiel or Daniel and later John of Patmos, dreams interpreted by Joseph in the Old Testament or dreams sent to another Joseph in the New Testament or to the Wise Men.
 
This outpouring of God’s Spirit as promised by Joel was not limited to a particular gender or age. It would be poured on men and women, young and old, on all people. (Joel 2:28-29) On Pentecost it was received by many, both locals and visitors to the city. As the work of the Holy Spirit continued it was received by Jews and non-Jews, without regard to status or nationality or race.
 
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all God’s children for the mission and ministries to which God has called each of us. It came on Pentecost as a strong wind with a loud sound and what looked like tongues of fire. It was not to be controlled or contained. Jesus told his disciples earlier, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) We are not meant to control or contain God’s Spirit. How foolish! Rather we are to let it teach, guide, correct, and empower us to do God’s work in this world.
 
Some of Jesus’ references to the Holy Spirit from the Gospel of John have been translated as Helper, Comforter, or Advocate. Jesus also called it the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit indeed helps and comforts us, advocates for us and guides us in the truth.
 
Paul’s writings have much to say about the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Holy Spirit in them become children of God, and the Spirit testifies to this with our inner spirit. (Romans 8:14,16) It prays for us with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to claim Jesus as Lord and gives to us the gifts needed to serve and work for our Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:3-6) The Holy Spirit seals our salvation. (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) It develops within us the qualities we sometimes refer to as fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) All of this is the work of the Holy Spirit which Christ still shares with us, that we might continue his mission here on earth, a mission to be shared in all languages and with all people.
 
Just as Jesus wanted for his follows then and still wants for us now, and as Paul prayed for those he encouraged through his letters, it is my prayer that you will be encouraged and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the work to which you are called individually and as a Church. I pray as the Spirit comforts, gifts, and guides you, that you will continue to be Christ’s servants and ambassadors in this needy world of ours, to continue to build God’s Kingdom here on earth for all God’s children to live in covenant with God and in peace with one another. May the Holy Spirit refresh and renew you for this mission!
 
*HYMN        Spirit                                                       #319
 
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING
On this day of Pentecost let us give our thanks to God,
For the gifts of creation,
Penagegee (Winnebago)
For those we love and those who love us,
Merci (French)
For the bounty of resources the earth provides,
Gracias (Spanish)
For international cooperation and care,
Toximica (Swedish)
For people of faith around the world,
Kanga Palar (Ao)
For healing and strength
Danke (German)
For things of beauty that enrich our lives,
Arigato (Japanese)
For the things we take for granted,
Gam sa ham ni da (Korean)
For all the ways you have blessed us,
Dyakuyu (Ukrainian)
and for your Holy Presence in our lives,
Thank you, O God!
 
PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER
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.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
Eucharist
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
Lord God, as you have given us life, so we offer our lives back to you. Fill us once again with your Holy Spirit that we might be faithful in obedience and service fulfilling your purpose in our world. Amen.
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
 
*HYMN Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ #514
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
The Risen Christ invites to his table, all who love him
And calls us according to his purpose.
Come be nourished and renewed in Christ.
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
 
It is truly right and our greatest joy
to give you thanks and praise, eternal God.
…
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with choirs of angels
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name:
 
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
 
Hosanna in the highest.
 
Thank you for Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
…
Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy offering of ourselves,
that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen.
 
Dying Christ destroyed our death.
Rising Christ restored our life.
Christ will come again in glory!
 
Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine. 
…
Through Christ, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God,
with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, now and forever.
Amen.
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP
Gracious God, may we who have received this sacrament live in the unity of your Holy Spirit, that we may show forth your gifts to all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
Some of today’s liturgy came from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship.
 
Presbyterians practice open communion which means anyone who seeks to be in a relationship with Christ is welcome at the table regardless of denomination, age, or status. The communion elements are already in your pew, and you will be instructed when to eat the wafer and when to drink the juice.

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SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
May 15, 2022
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett,  Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx ,Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner& Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom) Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan ,and Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece)
 
PRELUDE
 
*WORDS OF WORSHIP   from Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.
May our ways be known on earth, our salvation among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
May our worship be acceptable in your sight, O God.
 
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
Dear Lord, as we continue in this season of Easter, we remember your gift of grace to the world through Christ. We remember your gift of grace to us. As we sing our praise and learn from your word, we ask that you would inspire our faith. Help us to continue to walk in the footsteps of Jesus until that day we join with all the saints before your throne. Amen
*HYMN                            Blessed Assurance”                                                                        # 341
 
Call to Confession
Together, let us confess our sins to the Lord.
O God of all that is good, we come to you knowing our need for your forgiveness. We acknowledge our self-centeredness at times, our pride, our lack of trust, our unwillingness to hear another’s thoughts or see their pain. Even as you forgive us, help us to empathize more and judge less, and to offer grace as you have done for us. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen .
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The Apostle John assures us: If we confess our sins to the Lord, God is faithful            and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
           Thanks be to God, amen.
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
OFFERTORY PRAYER
  Our Lord, we know that all that we have is from your hand. We now offer a        portion of your blessing as an act of worship. We pray that you will guide      us to  use it to further your good news and ministry of love to others from this place. Lev.19:13
Amen.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Prayer of Illumination
     Loving God, as we hear your word, we ask you open our eyes that we may see                  
      Jesus in them, and that our faith may be strengthened by their truth. Amen.
 
Word
 
SCRIPTURES   
Revelation 21:1-6
21 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, “for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
 
John 13:33-35
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another.As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 5:1-13
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify: 8 the[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. 9 We accept human testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
 
SERMON The Marks of Genuine Faith
One of our exercises in Philosophy 101 in college was to prove that the school desk in front of us was real. Our senses told us it was, but could we trust our senses? Could another trust our senses? Does the desk know that it exists? Or my sofa? Or a fish? What is real? Am I real? How do we know? How do we prove it? Well, Rene DesCartes came up with his “proof.” Cogito ergo sum. “I think. Therefore I am.” But does my sofa think? Does your goldfish? And are they therefore not real?
Silly as these questions seem they do help us wrestle with the not so obvious, the question of the reality of things we can’t see or touch. For example, does God really exist, or is it simply a concept to help us get by in life? Does worship matter to God? Or, is worship only a ritual we humans perform to help us cope with what we think is real in life?
As he writes, the Apostle John is by now and old man exiled to the rocky, barren Isle of Patmos off the coast of modern-day Turkey. (I’ve been to the cave where he lived. It is a bleak place.) John writes to the churches of Asia Minor (Turkey) over which he had been bishop. And in this, his first letter, he has set out to tell his flock not to listen to the heretics in their midst who were trying to lead them astray from pure faith in Christ. John writes, “These have the spirit of the antichrist. Beware of their false teachings.” But, these self-proclaimed teachers were clever and there was not yet a New Testament as a standard of truth.
1 John 5:13 says, “These things [in this letter] I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God in order that you may know that you have eternal life.” Do we know we have eternal life? It’s not bragging to say so, because we know it is the gift of God’s grace, not our achievement. But, I still run into folks who “hope” they are good enough to go to heaven after death.
Verse 13 again: “…so that you may know that you have eternal life” is the theme of this epistle. Throughout this letter John lays out several “proofs” of what is true of true Christians. In the text we just read in chapter 5, he repeats them. John wants his readers to know what to look for in themselves to be sure, and also in those who are claiming to be their leaders. So, for example, as we see those who write books on faith, or preach on TV, or start their own churches, or lead rallies for this or that cause, or run for office—we have a duty to look for the things John lists in this letter to let us know if the faith that is proclaimed is genuinely of Christ. We are not making a judgment of their final destiny—we leave that in the Lord’s hands—but, we are being wise as to whom we wish to follow in this faith journey.
These marks of genuine faith also help us to look at ourselves. Is our faith genuine, or are we deluding ourselves? So let’s look briefly at 5 marks of genuine faith given to us in 1 John:
Belief in Christ: John writes, v. 1, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah, Savior) has been born of God.” Faith in God through Christ is a spiritual birth whereby we confess our need for forgiveness and receive the forgiving grace of God. We can’t earn it by our own goodness. This is our belief, our faith. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”
 
Affection for God and other believers:  Also v. 1, “Everyone who loves the parent loves the child.” One characteristic of genuine faith is that we love not only God, but also fellow Christians. V. 2, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.” Haven’t we all met Christians, or seen them in the news, touting their obedience to God’s commandments, but seem devoid of love for their brothers and sisters in Christ who may not see things exactly as they do? Such so-called Christianity is know more for its judgment than for its love.
 
Confession of sin:  This is implied throughout chapter 5 but stated clearly in other chapters. Face it, our love for God and others falls short, and we need a continual outpouring of the grace of God. In chapter 1 we read, “If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Which leads to the next mark of genuine faith in chapter 5…
 
Deeds of righteousness:  V. 3, “For the love of God is this, that we obey God’s commandments. And God’s commandments are not burdensome…” Other religions tell us to do thus and so and we will gain God’s favor. Our faith tells us that God loves us and has shown his favor, divine grace. And so we obey God, not to earn God’s love, but in response to God’s love for us. When people live in obvious sin, they are not very convincing that they are true believers. When they chafe at the commandments about worship, or giving, or serving others, or being honest, or morally pure, or loving one’s enemies—and instead delight to be self-centered or dishonest or lustful or hateful—it doesn’t matter how much they say they believe. Bottom line is, those who love God love God’s commandments and it shows. Jesus said, “You shall know them by their fruits.”
 
Eternal perspective:  V. 4, “For whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.” I take this statement to mean that I can either become so captivated by the world that I become obedient to it, or I become so overwhelmed that I become fearful. For example, when the world tells us that riches matter most, or that beauty is defined this way, or that whatever feels good, is good, and so forth, let’s not be sucked in. In 1 John 2:15-17 we read, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world. For all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from God but from the world. And the world and its desire is passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.
 
Likewise, an eternal perspective is needed when the weight of all the sadness becomes overwhelming. Let’s remember to whom we belong. Our faith gives us wings to soar like eagles, we are told. Jesus said we are IN the world but not OF it. We are here to do what good we can, to share the love of God. Our ultimate hope is eternal.
 
And how do we know all this is real? V. 6, “the Spirit is that one that testifies, for the Spirit is truth.” Vv. 10-12, “those who believe in the Son of God have the witness within themselves. And this is the testimony of the Spirit. God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has the life….” We cannot prove these things through our five senses, nor through Cartesian reason, “I think, therefore I am,” and “what I think is true must be true!” No, God’s Spirit speaks to our spirits to reveal divine truth.
So here are these five marks of genuine faith again, in alphabetical order!
Affection for God and for fellow believers. (5:1, 3:14)
 Belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. (5:1, 10-13)
Confession of sin (implied in ch. 5, highlighted in ch. 1)
Deeds of righteousness, obedience to the Lord’s commands. (5:3)
Eternal perspective, a conquering over rather than a captivation by the world and the things of the world. (5:4, 2:15-17)
My Philosophy 101 class was not much help for my assurance of spiritual truth. But, I’m pretty sure this pulpit exists. It just doesn’t know it!
Prayer: Eternal God of love and grace, help us be discerning so as not to be swept away by false hope or ingenuine teaching. Strengthen our faith so that our affection for you and others grows, and our belief strengthens, and we remain humble and ready to confess our sin and need of your forgiveness. May our deeds be loving and helpful as we follow your Spirit’s leading. And may our eternal perspective help us to recognize that we do have a purpose during our sojourn on this earth.  We pray through Christ our Lord. We trust in your Spirit’s work within and through us. And we do all for your glory, O God. Amen.
 
 
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH   1 Corinthians 15:19-22
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
 
 
 
*HYMN                            God of Grace and God of Glory” verses 1 & 5          #420
 
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever."      -- Amen.
 
 
   *Hymn:                          Be Thou My Vision                                                           #339
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING             
           The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed!
           May you be strong in faith as you walk in the footsteps of Jesus.
May the peace of God, the inner strength of the Holy Spirit, and Christ’s love be with you all. Go in hope, serve in grace.
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation

​ 
May 8, 2022
Mothers Day
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                  
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett,  Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx ,Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Werner& Kelly Families, Avis Severson (Kolleen’s Mom) Ukraine, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan ,Jake Pinkston and Karla Singer (Rich Lewis Niece)
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP Adapted from Revelations 7:11, 12
L:  With the angels and elders, heavenly beings and a multitude of saints let us sing our praise.
Men:  Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Women:  Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
ALL:  Be to our God forever and ever!  Amen
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
We come to worship this morning, Lord, asking the question that so many have pondered.  Who are you in our lives?  Help us, this day to hear your voice calling to us.  Allow us to catch glimpses of your claim upon our hearts.  Give us the words to sing praises to your glory.  Amen.
 
*HYMN                            Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee                                     # 464
 
Call to Confession
“I am the Good Shepherd,” Jesus proclaimed.  He invites us to bring our true selves into his care, to confess our failings that he might lead us into new life. Let us consider our lives against the Psalmist’s words and confess our shortcomings before our Savior.
 
Prayer of Confession
L:  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
P:  But Lord, we do want.  We want more and more.  Forgive our constant       striving and our ever present hunger for things which do not enrich       our lives.
L:  He makes me lie down in green pastures.
P:  But we don’t have time to lie down.  We are constantly moving and      working.  Forgive our failure, O Lord, to heed your command for            Sabbath rest.
L:  He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
P:  Drama seems to be forever at our door, and our souls feel bruised and      worn.  Forgive us, Lord for engaging in petty disputes.
L:  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with      me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.
P:  In the darkness of the valley we are so terribly afraid.  Forgive us for doubting your presence and your care for us.
L:  Lord we seek your table of abundance.  We want to dwell in your house our whole lives long.
P: Help us, Lord.  Amen
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
All along the way our Good Shepherd seeks to guide us.  When we are lost and bewildered, we need only listen for the voice that calls us home.  Let us lie down in green pastures and walk beside the still waters. Christ’s gift upon the cross has washed away our sins, opening paths of abundant new life. I declare to you, in Jesus our Lord, you are forgiven.
 
PASSING THE PEACE (facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
 
 
INTERLUDE
 
Prayer of Illumination
God of Love and Life, we want to be the sheep of your fold, the lambs of your keeping.  Help us to listen for your voice as scripture is read and proclaimed.  Allow us to hear that which will settle our hearts and our souls into your keeping
 
 
Word
SCRIPTURES
 Psalm 23
1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.
 
John 10: 22-30
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
 
SERMON When the Shepherd Calls
Sheep, I believe, are one of the most vulnerable of God’s creatures.  A sheep has this heavy coat of wool which one might imagine protects it, and I guess it does offer protection from cold and certain insects.  But that wool also weighs them down so they can’t run from predators like wolves or coyote.  If the wool gets wet—as in they fall into a river or lake, it will drag them down.  Swimming is not a sheep skill!  In addition, sheep panic easily, probably because they are so vulnerable and then they and run—OK, not fast enough to evade most predators, but enough so they can get lost serious very fast!
On the farm where I grew up, we had a few sheep at different times.  They did a good job of keeping a pasture trimmed down easily.  Sheep often stray away from the flock, AND when a sheep gets sick or injured, that injury needs to be addressed quickly because sheep don’t have very good immune systems.  A minor illness or injury can get very
.  But it was essential that they be brought into the barn at night.  We accomplished that with a bucket of oats –lamb candy, if you will.  As the sun started to dip to the, the sheep would cluster at the gate because they knew oats were waiting for them.  There might be some stragglers who had found a patch of especially sweet grass, but they came running when they heard us call.  My call was usually “Come and get it!”  Then just open the gate—get out of the way, and down the lane and into the barn they would fly—each racing the others to get to those oats first.  Then we would close the gate, shut and latch the barn door, and that chore was accomplished for the day.  The next morning they were happy to find grass again.
I think of those sheep when I read our passages for today.  We weren’t shepherds like Biblical times.  We didn’t stay out in the pasture with our sheep.  That’s what fences were good for.  But just like our sheep on the farm, those ancient wooly creatures listened for the voice calling them, and in the process they were kept safe.
Our passage for today uses the metaphor of sheep and Shepherd to teach us something about God, and most especially about Jesus.
It was so effective because the people of ancient Israel were very familiar with sheep and shepherds.  The 23rd Psalm, still one of our favorites today, was used to both instruct and to offer praise to God.  God’s people were the sheep—led to sweet grass and a safe place to lie down, protected from predators.  They were led by still waters where they could get a good, long, refreshing drink of water where they weren’t at risk of being caught up in a fast current.  They were led through valleys where the light of day couldn’t penetrate, and they were kept safe even in those moments of danger.  Comforted and guided and accompanied. The sheep knew who to trust and who to obey.
But it seems the Shepherd metaphor wasn’t quite sufficient because in the next verses of the Psalm, God becomes a generous host who offers a banquet to that person who sits below him on the social ladder, and he does it in full view of that person’s adversary as a way of saying, “This individual has my protection—hands off!’
The gratitude of the psalmist is clear as he speaks of this host anointing him with oil, “My cup overflows,” he proclaims.  “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”
It’s a song that speaks of our rightful place as the sheep who rely upon the Shepherd-- of the lowly serf who is the loyal servant of an incredibly generous and powerful land owner.  It resonates with us, showing a God who cares for us, provides for us, protects us and guides us along life’s ways.
In the early church people sang this psalm as they emerged from the waters of baptism and went into receive the Lord’s Supper for the first time.  It lifted the perfect note of devotion, dependence, gratitude and pledge of obedience.
But then arrives our gospel lesson.  Jesus is in conflict with the Jewish authorities.  In one form or another they are asking, “WHO ARE YOU?”  Some are saying he is the Messiah, that one who was sent by God to address the problems of the world.  But the authorities have a problem with him.  He has no formal education.  He teaches some rather unorthodox ideas.  He doesn’t seek out their endorsement. They know from where he originated and they know his family.  (Surely one with such average, earthly upbringing could not possibly be the Anointed of God!)   And the final straw that breaks the camel’s back for them is that he does his works, healings and exorcisms, on the Sabbath in clear disobedience to God’s law.  How can he possibly be the Exalted One whom God sends?
It’s kind of like saying that the pimply teen who grew up next door and who used to play his music too loud and steal apples from your tree is the Messiah—NO Way!
But Jesus has a following.  People flock to him.  They hang on his every word.  They seek out his healings.  They give up their day jobs to follow him, to help provide for him and his disciples.  These authorities are in a pickle.  They have to be careful not to antagonize the crowds of followers.  They need to challenge Jesus in a way that makes clear to all that he is a charlatan.
But so far it’s not worked. He keeps doing these amazing healings!  And now.  Now he’s using the ancient imagery of the 23rd Psalm to make a claim about his identity, and he’s doing it in a way that amplifies that claim many times over.  I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD!  If we say it in English, it doesn’t raise any flags, but in Hebrew, suddenly, it does.  “Ego Ami.”……. “ I AM” the Hebrew says.
“So what?” we might ask.  But look at the story of Moses at the burning bush.  Do you remember one of Moses objections when God told him that he was to lead his people out of slavery?  “I don’t even know your name,”  Moses said, “What will I tell the Hebrew people when they ask who sent me?”  And God responds, “Ego Ami.  I AM.  Tell them that I AM sent you.”
And now here is Jesus using the exact name of God to tell the people who he is and what he’s all about.  “I AM the Good Shepherd.”  Same words.  I AM—the name of God.  And in case you miss it—Good Shepherd like in the 23rd Psalm!
Jesus is making a claim about who he is.  It’s a bold claim. It’s a claim that is thinly veiled but which his followers fully get.  But not those who are so skeptical.  They want to know, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  They might also add, “tell us, so we can arrest you.”
Jesus responds that he HAS told them, but they can’t believe.  They can’t believe because they are not among those to whom God has given the ability to hear and understand.  Jesus’ followers—they get it. They hear his voice and they follow, and in the process Jesus will give them eternal life such that they will never perish.  “I and the Father are One.”  Jesus says.
I and the Father are One.  That could mean several things.  They are of the same mind.  They have the same plans.  They are made of the same spiritual substance or as we have come to proclaim, The Father IS the Son in human form.   The Son and the Father share the same identity.
This passage brings us to the question—Do we hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling?  Do we offer our allegiance and devotion to Jesus?  Do we trust and rely upon him, allowing him to lead us where we need to go?  Do we know who he is in our hearts and in our lives?
And how do we open our ears so we CAN hear his voice calling us?  How do we discern that the voice we think we hear belongs to Jesus, and not merely to our own wishes or wants or hopes?  It’s a question of calling, of being open and available to being called, of discerning the identity of the voice that is rattling in our heads.
Here’s where I’m suppose to say something profound.  Here’s where you’re waiting for a formula or a litmus test or a recipe to claim this amazing faith.-----I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t really have a lots of answers. But here is what I do believe.
To ask the question—sincerely, deeply.  To seek the answer is a really good start.  To pray it is an even better start.  Because to ask means we’re open to the answer.  To ask means we have a deep desire to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling to us.  We desire the guidance, accompaniment and support that only God can offer.  Do you remember that verse that says “Seek and you will find.  Knock and the door will be opened to you.”?
Those who feel like they have everything under control don’t ask those questions.  Those who believe they are fully capable of handling anything that comes their way don’t seek assistance.  Those who are fully confident that their avenue is the right one, their goals, the appropriate ones, their answers to the problems they face, sufficient—they don’t bother to ask for ears that can hear the Shepherd’s voice.
God gives to those who seek.  God bends low to touch the hearts and the minds of those who reach up to feel his touch.  God offers his gifts to those willing to receive them.  These are the things I believe.
The Authorities in Jesus’ day didn’t want Jesus to proclaim himself Messiah so they could bow down and worship him.  They had no intention of following where that voice directed them.  They believed they had the answers, and that was good enough.
Do we have the answers?  Are we so arrogant as to believe that we can navigate without the guidance of a wise and loving Shepherd?  If we think that, then of course we won’t bother to ask for ears to hear and the ability to discern.  If we think that we’re like those very vulnerable sheep who are the latest snack for wolves and coyotes.
The Good Shepherd comes for those who recognize their own vulnerability and who have the courage to seek God.  In other words, the Good Shepherd finds us when we know we need him.  Isn’t that why we’re here this morning—to seek and to listen, to find pathways of life and to let go of our sins.  The Good Shepherd offers all of that, but only to those who recognize that they need it—and to those lucky souls, he gives eternal life which is defined as knowing Jesus in a deep and abiding way, walking in his ways for life and for joy and for meaning and hope—now and forever.
When the Shepherd calls, listen, come, obey, be guided and know the goodness of our God.  For the Lord is our Shepherd.  We shall not want.  He makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters.  He restores our souls and leads us in right paths for his name sake.  Even though we walk through the darkest valley, we fear no evil for God is with us.  His rod and his staff comforts us.
Thank you, Good Shepherd Lord.  Amen.
 
*HYMN                             Like a Shepherd Lead Us                                             #387
 
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
           Our Father which art in heaven,
           Hallowed be thy name,
           Thy kingdom come,
           Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
           Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever."      -- Amen.
 
*AFFIRMATION Apostle’s Creed (Ecumenical) p. 14
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
 
 
   *Prayer of Dedication:
Thank you, Good Shepherd, that in the quiet of our hearts we can hear your call and feel your grace.  It compels us to generosity and sharing.  It lifts in us a compassionate caring for others.  May the gifts that we dedicate today offer your love and grace to those in need.  Thank you, Lord.  Amen.
 
*Hymn:  Be Thou My Vision  #339
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
Let us go forth from this place listening, calming our hearts to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd. May we be led to lie down in green pastures, to drink deeply of still waters, knowing that when darkness does descend, we will be accompanied and loved. Let us dwell in the house of the Lord our whole lives long.  Alleluia!  Amen.
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
 

​ 
SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
April 17, 2022
Easter
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Let me remind you quickly of our protocols for everyone’s safety.                   
·  Attendance was taken by Ushers as you entered.
·   Masks are required by those not vaccinated  as well as social distancing
   Bulletins are placed in the pews to help with social distancing
· Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
· Please write your prayer request on the Yellow cards.  An usher will pick them up during the 1st hymn.
· Please join us after service for fellowship will be continuing with beverages only, Snack start April 3rd in Calvin Hall
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
Gary Iverson, Bob Bock, Joan Boyd, Wanda Hirl, Marilyn Neymeyer, Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner, Annette Conzett,  Jo Lefleur,  Dr Dyke, Harlan Marx ,Lois Seger, Jon Ryner, Abagail Niles, Helanah Niles, Kay Werner, Ukraine, Doug Nelson, Arlene Pawlik, Angela and Tristan , and Jake Pinkston
 
PRELUDE
 
*WORDS OF WORSHIP
The Lord is risen.
He is risen indeed!
Let us worship the risen Christ.
May our worship be acceptable in God’s sight.
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
Dear Lord, on this most joyful of all our holy days, we remember your gift of grace to the world through Christ. As we sing our praise and learn from your word, we ask that you would inspire our faith. Help us to continue to walk in the footsteps of Jesus until that day we join with all the saints before your throne. Amen.
.
 
*HYMN                            “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”  #113
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON
Together, let us confess our sins to the Lord.
O God of all that is good, we come to you knowing our need for your forgiveness. We acknowledge our self-centeredness at times, our pride, our lack of trust, our unwillingness to hear another’s thoughts or see their pain Even as you forgive us, help us to empathize more and judge less, and to offer grace as you have done for us. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
The Apostle John assures us: If we confess our sins to the Lord, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thanks be to God, amen.
 
*Passing of the Peace  ( facing those across the aisle from you)
Left: May the peace of Christ be with you.
Right: And also with you. May the peace of Christ be with you.
Left: And also with you.
(You may be seated.)
 
INTERLUDE
 
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Our Lord, we know that all that we have is from your hand. We now offer a portion of your blessing as an act of worship. We pray that you will guide us to use it to further your good news and ministry of love to others from this place. Amen
 
Prayer of Illumination
Loving God, as we hear your word, we ask you open our eyes that we may see Jesus in them, and that our hearts may be stirred by his presence, through your Spirit. Amen.
 
                                                    Word
SCRIPTURE LESSON     
  Luke 24:1-6.
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
 Luke 24:13-18
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
 
Luke 24:28-36
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
 
 
SERMON “Easter Heartburn”
 
 
“Easter Heartburn”
Our world and national history are marked by pivotal moments: last 100 years or so—the stock market crash of ’29, bombing of Pearl Harbor, assassination of President Kennedy, first walk on the moon, fall of the Twin Towers in NYC. Also, big change but not so “pivotal,” are things like…. Well, our younger ones don’t know what it is like to have to walk across the room to turn on a black and white TV with only 3 channels! What big event will be next for us?
Today we recall how Jesus’ closest followers learned of a pivotal event that divided history in half: the empty tomb. There are two men making their way home after being in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. They are walking to Emmaus, a little village not quite seven miles out of town. The hour is getting late. As they walk, they are rehashing the events of the weekend, just like we do after our history-changing events.
As they are walking a stranger overtakes them from behind and asks what they are talking about. The text says, “They stood still, sad-faced.” They reply to him, more or less, “Are you kidding? You haven’t heard?!” They proceed to fill him in. they describe Jesus of Nazareth as “a prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people.” He is a compassionate miracle-worker of astounding spiritual and moral insight.
They explain the week’s events from Palm Sunday’s triumph to Good Friday’s darkness. (paraphrase) “We welcomed him as the promised king who would take back the throne of David and oust the Romans. We believed he was God’s Messiah sent to us. By the end of the week the mood in the city turned against him. Jewish religious leaders convinced the people he was a fraud and blasphemer. They turned him over to the Romans to be condemned and crucified. That was Friday.  But this morning, when some women went to the tomb to finish wrapped his body in spices for burial, he wasn’t there. They said angels told them he was alive again. Of course, we didn’t listen to them, thinking they were just overwrought with grief. But then a couple of his closet friends also said the tomb was indeed empty.”
Jesus lets them babble on, but then cuts right to the chase. “Oh, how foolish you are! And so slow of heart to believe all that the prophets declared. Did you not know this was necessary, that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” The stranger then began to teach them, beginning way back in Genesis and summarizing the prophets, that the Scriptures pointed to the man Jesus as God’s Messiah.
By then they were near their home and the stranger continued to walk on, but they urged him to stay with them as night was falling. He entered their house and sat with them at the table for a meal. When they offered the bread, he blessed it, broke it and gave it to them. Immediately their eyes were opened and they recognized him. And just as immediately the Lord vanished.
They turned to each other and said, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he was walking with us, opening the meaning of the Scriptures to us?” They got up from the table and headed back to Jerusalem to find the 11 disciples. This was their pivotal moment. This was the moment they realized the significance of Christ’s coming, death and resurrection! Their eyes were opened and they would never be the same.
They meet up with disciples and tell them what happened. They also have good news, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon Peter.” Jesus suddenly appears, stands among them and says, “Shalom.” He then explains the Scriptures again and gives them the task of spreading the good news to all nations, so that all may have the opportunity to know him, to repent and be forgiven.
I want to point out a couple of things. In v. 16 it says when Jesus walks with them on the road, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Then in v. 31 it reads, “Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” Both of these statements are in the passive voice. The active voice means the activity is done by the subject: I close my eyes. I open my eyes. But in the passive voice, the action is done by another to the subject. Thus it reads, “Their eyes were [closed]…their eyes were opened.”
The question then is, who is it that closes or opens our spiritual eyes? The Bible teaches that Satan blinds the eyes to spiritual truth, and that the Holy Spirit is the one who illumines (e.g., John 6) and sheds light on God’s truth so that we see. In Act 26 Jesus tells the Apostle Paul, v. 18, [I am sending you to the Gentiles] to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are made hold by faith in me.”
The two men on that road to Emmaus at first were unable to see the stranger who was actually the risen Lord, and yet their hearts burned within them as he opened the Scriptures. It was after their “spiritual heartburn” that their eyes were opened to recognize him. Once again Scripture affirms that the cold-hearted cannot see the Lord (no matter how good our arguments!), but that the Lord opens the eyes of those whose hearts have warmed, hearts that are ready to receive him. It was the presence and the word of the Lord that softened their hearts so that the Spirit could open their eyes to recognize the risen Christ.
This morning, are your eyes open to see and receive gladly divine truth of the Lord? Do your sense with a warm heart the presence of the living, risen Christ? Has your heart burned within as we have worshipped him this morning?
I want to make something clear. Faith is not a feeling. Our feelings are too subject to change. So, this “burning heart” that I’m talking about may or may not be accompanied by feelings of joyful zeal. Initially, yes. We might talk about Christians who are “on fire” for the Lord. Jf they were logs in our fireplace, they’d be full of dancing flames. Over time as we walk with the Lord, the burning heart within is more like the heat given off by the coals, more steady and ultimately hotter. The burning within our hearts needs to be stirred at times, just like coals—which is why we gather for worship weekly, and at other times for fellowship, learning or service.
So, the burning heart is not so much a feeling we keep trying to experience. Rather it is more like a steady, humble awareness of the presence of the Lord and our love for him. In seminary there was a group called “The Fellowship of the Burning Hearts.” The Emmaus Road disciples shared that burning heart. They wanted more and the Lord met them and gave them a purpose to spread his gospel.
A city dweller bought a farm and also a cow, so that he could have fresh milk. Shortly after he got it, the cow went dry. He asked his neighbor farmer about it, who agreed that he took great care of that cow. The city guy said, “Yes. In fact, some days if I didn’t need milk, I didn’t take any. Or, if I only needed a quart, I only milked a quart.”
The experienced farmer understood and explained, “Friend, the only way to keep milk flowing is not to take as little as possible from the cow, but to take as much as possible.”
Is that not also true of our Christian faith? If we only turn to God when we have need, we miss the real joy that flows from a daily filling of God’s Spirit. Whatever spiritual heartburn we may have had is long since cooled by neglect.
The Emmaus Road friends had an unforgettable, burning-heart, eye-opening encounter with Jesus Christ, as I hope we have. Dear friends, never let the fire go out through inattentiveness. After our “Easter heartburn” let us never let the well run dry from lack of use. As Peter says in his letter, “Long for the true spiritual milk of the Word.” Jesus tells us to thirst for the “living waters” of the Spirit.
The fellowship of burning hearts is incomparable to anything else, though some compare it to falling in love, and in fact, call one’s relationship to Christ a “sacred romance.” That is to say, our hearts burn when Jesus is near; our hearts burn when the Spirit illumines God’s word; our hearts burn when we are serving the Lord without thought for ourselves, or when giving generously. Faithful devotion to the living Christ is the most profound experience of life, and all the richer when shared with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our hearts burn because God is touching us with holy fire and giving us a glimpse of future glory and the present peace that passes understanding.
Now… for those who, like me, are less-demonstrative with emotions, you may be unsure of your own spiritual “heartburn.” No problem! Again, it’s not merely a feeling, but certainly it is a deep conviction. Plus, we have this marvelous promise from Isaiah 42, v. 3: “…a dimly burning wick [God] will not extinguish.” However you experience the presence of Christ within you, as a bright flame or a dimly burning wick!—God receives it and opens your eyes as you continue to seek him! Jesus is risen. Jesus is here! So let the Easter Heartburn continue!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray on behalf of myself, of this church, and on behalf of any who sense your nearness and on behalf of those who want to. Please stay near us. We want to know you better. We want to experience your purpose for our existence, and not just satisfy ourselves. We desire the peace, the joy, the hope and the certainty of your love when the storms assail us. Keep us in the fellowship of the burning hearts. We love you more than anything. We thank you for your overflow of blessings to us. We thank you that some day. we too will be resurrected and will see Jesus face to face, and be like him [1 John]. To you be all glory on earth and in heaven. Amen.
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH 1 Corinthians 15:19-22
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
 
*HYMN                            “Christ Is Risen”  (Ode to Joy tune)         #104
 
PASTORAL PRAYER AND LORD’S PRAYER
 
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever."      -- Amen.
Hymn:           “Christ Is Alive”                                                                                 #108
 
Blessing and Charge
The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed!
May that truth be more than a slogan, but rather the experience of Christ’s presence in our lives. May our “Easter Heartburn” be a reality as we live in this world that is often cold and without heart. May the love of God, the inner strength of the Holy Spirit, and the burning presence of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Go in hope and peace!
 
 
*POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.