​ 
February 26, 2023
 
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A Congregational meeting will follow immediately after our worship this morning to elect a Pastor Nominating Committee to call our next pastor.  We hope all members will stay so we have quorum.
Pastor Joyce will present photos from her trip to Iceland this morning and then we will enjoy a free fellowship lunch.  All are invited to stay.
The Ladies Lunch Bunch will gather at Yen Ching’s on March 8.  All the women of the church (and guests) are invited.  Please RSVP on the sheet outside the Administration Office.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS  Please hold the following in your prayers.
Betty Farwell and JoAnn Grimm who struggle with health problems
Richard Lewis who broke a hip and is recovering at the Alverno.
Arlene Pawlik who is recovering from a broken leg.
Those who are on hospice:  Joan Pinkston & Maxine Wagner.
 
PRELUDE
 
CALL TO WORSHIP   (Adapted from Psalm 32)
 
L:  Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven!
 
P:  Happy are those made right in the Lord!
 
L:  We could not hide our transgressions, so laid bare our hearts before the Lord.
 
P:  And God Almighty forgave the guilt of our sins.
 
L:  Therefore, we come to offer prayer to you, O Lord.
 
P:  May you be the hiding place for us, instructing us,
 
L:   teaching us the way to go.
 
P:  We rejoice in the Lord and shout for joy. 
 
L:  People of God, sing praise to our Redeemer.  Amen.
  
GATHERING PRAYER
 
Lord God.  We live in the wilderness of temptation, and despair.  So we come, this day, to breathe in the presence of your Spirit.  May we be guided around the pits of our own temptations and shown the path to your grace and hope.  We praise you, Loving Savior.  Amen.
                                                                     
HYMN                                         Come Thou Almighty King                                                                                      #139
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
Sin came into God’s perfect world, and with it death  But in God’s love, his Son was sent to bring us the gift of God’s grace.  Let us claim this gift.  Let us confess our sins before the Lord.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 
Today we stand looking into the Garden, Gracious God.  The folly of Adam and Eve is before us.  How they enjoyed the paradise you provided, until they decided they were smarter than you, and then they disobeyed.  We would not be so foolish, we tell ourselves.  But like them, we also want to be “like God.” We, too want to be in control of our world.  Forgive us, Lord for our arrogance and impatience.  Forgive us for trying to yank the reins out of your hands.  Forgive us for ignoring your commands.  Help us, Lord, to look to the cross that we might discover the way to life and happiness for ourselves and for our world.  Amen
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE                                                                   
 
Just as Adam’s trespass led to condemnation for all, Jesus’ gift upon the cross leads to justification and life for all.  Believe the good news.  Grace abounds, and in that gift we are washed clean.  Thank you Lord.
 
SONG OF PRAISE                                Gloria Patri                                                                                                 #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
  
L:  May the peace of Christ be with you.
P:  And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
 
From the Garden of Eden to the wilderness where Jesus is tested, we journey this day.  Come with us, Lord, and help us to see and claim your gift of grace and hope and salvation. Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Genesis 2: 15-17
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
 
Matthew 4: 1-11 
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:” ‘He will command his angels concerning you,    and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
 
SERMON                    The Wilderness Becomes the Womb of Faith
Come for a walk with me!  It’s October, one of those days when the sun in hanging on to summer’s bliss.  The blueness of the sky is only interrupted occasionally by a puffy white cloud made of cotton candy that float lazily upon the earth.  The path we walk leads into a deep woods, and as soon as we enter, a secondary level of quiet descends, and we feel ourselves exhale, ridding our bodies of the stress and anxiety we carry these days.  The leaves, red and gold, bright orange and yellow rustle above us, and with the gust of a gentle breeze they rain down upon us, making the world a kaleidoscope of color.  A squirrel scampers up a tree and watches us with great intensity while munching on the acorn he has just carried up the tree.  We hear a hawk far above.  We can’t see it due to the arch of trees over our heads, but we can imagine it soaring over the area looking for its lunch.  Acorns crunch under or feet and every once in a while we spot the distinctive foot print of a raccoon in the mud on one of its nightly patrols.
 
It’s an inviting place, this wilderness.  It’s a place where we can breathe deep, where we can feel our shoulders relax and our minds clear.  We glimpse God’s remarkable gift of a good and beautiful world.
 
That’s one version of wilderness.  That’s the version I associate with the Garden of Eden, a place where the good and joyful abundance of God is known.  The word Garden might suggest that it’s not quite as wild, but who knows?
 
Why is it not surprising that Adam and Eve experienced this wilderness, this joyful paradise, but they couldn’t really appreciate how remarkable it was.  They wanted MORE.  It’s the human condition, it seems.  The serpent came along.  He represents the cunning of Satan, and he asked them, quite innocently, what God had told them.  When told that they could enjoy all of the garden except the tree in the middle, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they eat of it and die, the serpent tells them that they won’t die!  He challenges them to disregard God’s instruction.  “When you eat of the fruit, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God. You will know good and evil.  Implied here is that they will be able to judge for themselves what is good and what is evil.  They will be able to choose their own course in the world.  They will no longer need to rely upon God.  To be in control.  To be able to do whatever they pleased.  Why not?  It’ll be OK.
 
So they ate.  And immediately their eyes were opened.  What they saw was not some remarkable, wisdom.  What they saw was their own nakedness.  They had lost their innocence.  Shame had come into their world, and that shame became their gift to all humankind—shame and sin and struggle.  Let the epic story of God’s call and our human response begin!
 
At some point our Bible tells about another adventure in the wilderness.  This was the experience of those ex-slaves who had escaped Egypt.  Their wilderness wasn’t so idyllic.  They had Moses, as God’s emissary.  They had the manna that fell from the heavens. And they were led to water as they needed it.  But this wilderness was also a scary--would they survive?  Would they ever come to the place promised by God?  Were they really God’s chosen people?  Could they live these laws that God had sent down the mountain?  Would it be OK?  Really?
 
For them the wilderness was a place of struggle and questioning.  It was a place and a time to learn again how to be God’s people, and it wasn’t an easy lesson.
 
There are many more wilderness stories in our Bible, but for today we will concentrate on these two plus the story of Jesus in the wilderness.  God had led Adam and Eve.  Moses led the Israelites, and now the Spirit of God led Jesus.  He’d just had an amazing experience. He’d gone into the baptismal waters of the Jordan, and upon his emergence he’d received the Spirit.  He’d heard the words from Heaven—God’s own words in God’s own voice.  “This is my Son, the Beloved with whom I am well pleased.”  In that moment he became, not Jesus from Nazareth, but Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
 
But what does it mean to be the Christ?  What does it mean to be God’s Son?  What was he to do?  How would he do it?  Where would he do it?  Who would accompany him along the way?  So many questions.  The first task was to get his head around all of this and to figure some things out.  So the Spirit led him into the wilderness.  It’s a place to be alone with God, to sort things out, to feel what we feel and ask our questions.
 
But, you know, at one level Jesus wasn’t alone.  Satan was there.  Whether we think of Satan as that supernatural agent of evil and sin or that dark part of ourselves that selfishly wants to promote ME, I leave that to you.
 
Satan has 3 tests for Jesus.  He offers 3 things that might call this Son of God to aim his ministry in a particular direction.  The first is as simple as food.  Jesus was hungry.  He as human with all the human needs that we experience.  You know the feeling when your body is screaming for nourishment.  There were a lot of people out in the world who were hungry.  Maybe his ministry would be about feeding people, about helping them to attain the things they needed for their bodily survival.  But is food the answer?
 
Jesus responded to the temptation with words from scripture.  “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Those wandering Israelites in the desert were given bread (Manna) but that wasn’t enough.  They needed God.  Temptation #1 answered.
 
Then to the pinnacle of the temple.  The temple is a place of mystery and faith.  It’s a place where the people of God practiced their faith.  Satan tells Jesus he can throw himself down and the angels will catch him.  It’s perhaps a way of saying, “You can show them your high priestly standing.  You can become their religious leader.”  But Jesus responds, “It is written.  Do not put the Lord to the test.”  Jesus’ ministry is bigger than managing people’s religious practices.
Finally Satan pulls out all the stops.  He takes Jesus to the top of a mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world.  “Wouldn’t you like to have control over these?   Just think of how things can work if you’re the boss?  All you have to do is put me in the place of God.”  Jesus knows it’s not that simple. He knows that it’s one twisted idea.  He responds, “ It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God alone.”
 
Three temptations averted.  Aren’t these the exact temptations that the Hebrew people in the wilderness experienced?  To have what we need for our bodies, to manage our religious experiences, to have control of the world around us.  Aren’t these our temptations, too?
 
Jesus said “NO” to each of these.  He would be led by God. He would engage in all of these realms at one level or another, but not as a means to collect power and prestige unto himself.  Rather he offers blessing to all the world by helping us to get engaged in these things.  He helps us to show the world how to understand our place in society and how to partner with God.
 
Jesus comes to turn the wilderness that we experience back into a place where we can walk and talk with God and to know God’s goodness.
 
We all experience our own wildernesses.  Now I’m talking more metaphorically.  Wilderness is a place of struggle, of fear, of questioning and doubt.  We experience  wilderness when we unexpectedly get that pink slip at work and we haven’t any idea how we will manage that pile of bills on our dining room table or how to move forward.
We experience wilderness when the doctor tells us or our beloved that the biopsy shows cancer or some other life-threatening illness.
 
We experience wilderness when we get divorce papers delivered to our door by a police officer or when the door slam as our spouse with his or her suitcase is walking out in a huff—no word about when or if they will ever be back.
We experience wilderness when we stand at a newly dug grave and wonder how we can possibly survive without this special person in our lives.
 
There are so many examples of wilderness when our life is turned upside down in unexpected ways and we question whether we don’t know what to do next.  We might shake our fist at God and ask, “What did I do to deserve this?”  It feels like such a betrayal.  (By the way, I think shaking one’s fist at God is perfectly acceptable at such times and even healthy.  It’s healthy because we are engaging God.  We’re laying it out before our Lord.)
 
Sometimes we stay in the wilderness, that questioning pain and confusion and anger for days—weeks—months—years.  But isn’t that the experience of the Israelites.  They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years!  If God is with us in that wilderness, God will lead us out when it is time.
 
He led the Hebrew slaves and he led Jesus.  Jesus was given what he needed to do this Messiah thing, and to become for us life and well-being, to help us reach out to others who need bread, to show them how to live in relationship to God, to think wisely and compassionately about how to organize our world for the benefit of all.
 
That woodland path in which we began our time.  It’s the other side of a wilderness,  At times, we begin our journey in the dark and frightening forest and find our way out through the tree lined path where squirrels play and colorful leaves rain gently down.  God engages us in these places, and God invites us to know his power and goodness, his love and mercy.
​
Let’s go for a walk.  Let’s take all of us to the wilderness to know the release of God’s abiding grace.  Amen.
 
HYMN                                Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley    #80                                                               
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
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.
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
 
DOXOLOGY                Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow    #59
 
HYMN                                      Precious Lord, Take My Hand    #404                                                            
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH  From The Confession of 1967-- 9.08
 
In Jesus of Nazareth, true humanity was realized once for all.
He lived among his own people and shared their needs, temptations, joys and sorrows. He expressed the love of God in word and deed and became a brother to all kinds of sinful people. …Many rejected him and demanded his death.  In giving himself freely to them, he took upon himself the judgment under which all of us stand convicted.  God raised him from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord.  The victim of sin became victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all people.                                    
Sending Forth
CHARGE & BLESSING                                                                         
 
POSTLUDE
 
We will remain seated throughout the service.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation

 ​February 12, 2022
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS  --- Session will meet after worship and fellowship time today.
               
 
Fellowship Time!  Mark your calendars.  Pastor Joyce will share a few photos and experiences from her trip to Iceland on Sunday, February 26, following worship.  A fellowship lunch will also be provided.  Invite a friend, and put in your RSVP on the sheet beside the Administrative Office.
                                                          
Funeral Lunches.  Please add your name to the list of people who can help serve, assuming you are available, for funeral lunches as the need arises in the future.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS  Please hold the following in your prayers.
 
Betty Farwell who struggles with health problems.
Arlene Pawlik who is recovering from a broken leg.
Those who are on hospice:  Joan Pinkston, Maxine Wagner. 
 
PRELUDE
 
CALL TO WORSHIP
 
L:  God sets before us life and prosperity, as well as death and adversity.
 
P:  Let us choose life, obeying the commands of the Lord our God.
 
L:  May we love the Lord.
 
P:  May we seek to walk in his ways and observe his commandments.
 
L:  We choose God.  We choose life--
 
P:   Not only for ourselves, but that we might bring God’s blessings to all the
       world.     Amen.
 
​GATHERING PRAYER
 
    We are the fields of God.  We are the building of our Lord.  We are the work of the Spirit who calls us to grow in God’s love. Help us Lord, God to sprout new leaves this morning, to set new cornerstones, to see new hope blooming in our relationship with you and with our brothers and sisters. Amen
 
                                                                     
HYMN                                             Morning Has Broken             #469
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
We are a people who see the world through eyes of “ME!”  God offers us a lens that expands that view, but before we can access such vision, we must recognize and claim our own failings.  Let us come together to name our shortcomings so we can be washed clean and know the grace of our God.
 
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 
Gracious Lord.  You offer us life and healing, hope and possibilities, but too often we cling to a simplified gospel that requires very little of us.  We nurse feelings of anger and resentment that diminishes our neighbor.  We look upon others as the means to satisfy our own desires as we fail to consider what they might need.  We make promises in your name that are not fulfilled.  Forgive us these things and help us to be more loving and more filled with your grace.  Amen.
 
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
 
Happy are those who seek God with their whole heart.  God’s Spirit leads us on this quest and God’s Son gives us the tools for the journey.   In the love of Jesus Christ, we know ourselves forgiven and called forward to be a people of hope.
                                                                            
 
SONG OF PRAISE                                Gloria Patri                      #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
    (Please greet those around you with these words. But let’s refrain from touch.)
L:  May the peace of Christ be with you.
P:  And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
 
We come, O Lord, seeking our own promised land.  We open hearts and minds hoping to hear your wisdom and love that will help us to make sense of our world.  May your word sink in and allow us to claim our place within your design.  Amen.
 
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:   
 
Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
                            
Matthew 5: 21-37
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. 25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
                                                                       
                                                                       
 
SERMON:   Choosing Life!
 
Don’t we all want simple and easy solutions to our problems.  How often do we click on the article that says “Ten Easy Ways to Lose Weight Before Summer”, or “Sleep better Strategies that Work.”?   How about “How to Reduce the Risk of Dementia.”  or “Create a Wealth Plan to Carry You Through Retirement”?  Maybe “Steps to Strengthen Your Marriage.”  Just give us simple steps, or at least do-able strategies, and let us go.  And if we can use one or two of these to be healthy, secure and happy, what more can we hope for?
In many ways both of our scriptures for today offer these hoped for results.  It might not be as simple as “10 easy steps.”  Some of what is asked will not be simple at all,  and along the way there will be different variables to consider to keep us on track.  There will be some fear involved because some of the words that God sends to us might go against cultural norms or even what seems like good sense in the moment.  But we are assured that God will walk with us and help us.  If we can follow these commands, good things will rise up in our lives.   Sound good?  Let’s take a look.
Moses had led those ex-slaves through the wilderness.  They have been cared for like children who receive all they need, even if not all they want, from Mom and Dad.  Food and water, protection from enemies who inhabited the land through which they travelled.  They were protected from wild animals, even poisonous snakes. Their shoes had not worn out.  Imagine wearing the same shoes for 40 years, moving through rough terrain!
But now a new day is upon them.  Right over there, across that river is the land that God promised to Abraham.  It’s the land of milk and honey, the home they have dreamed of.  They will plant gardens and vineyards.  They will build houses and cities.  They will know the fullness of all that has been promised by God.
But in the midst of this joyful anticipation there’s a danger, one thing that will blow up the whole thing like a cherry bomb in a mail box.  They have to remember who their God is and what God has commanded of them.  They have to hold tight to God’s design for their lives and their communities.
That might sound like a no-brainer.  “Of course, of course,” they might say.  But God knew that once they entered this land, a place where the current residents worshipped other gods, gods who didn’t ask so much of them, gods who were carved out of wood or fashioned from metals, gods who could be manipulated and controlled, that such gods might seem like a better option.
So on this occasion, with the Promised Land in view, Moses gathered them together, and God laid out a path for them—2 paths, in fact.  One was the path towards life and wellness, towards peace and contentment.  The other was the path towards death and adversity, pain and conflict.  Now they were asked to choose.  Once they chose—hopefully the path of God, they would need to stay on that path—to diligently work the rules and decrees that God had handed down.
It’s not exactly as simple as 10 easy steps, but it offered to Israel a framework for decision making at each step along the way.  Unfortunately, they often lost sight of the path that God laid out for them.  They often forgot how to keep God’s word front and center and to obey the hard parts.  They too often chose easier paths or allowed their emotions and self-interest to lead them astray.  It was just more attractive, or in many cases they hadn’t even realized they were straying from God’s word.
Jesus stepped into the spotlight about 2,000 years later.  God sent his son as a refresher course.  God realized that many had gotten lost in the intervening years.  Jesus was going to try to bring them back to the path of God’s good design.
The people had lived a mixed bag.  Some good things were happening, some not-so-good.  Now Jesus would bring, not just a reminder of what had been asked of them so long ago, but new tools for living that path.  He came with a spotlight to shine on the path God had set before them.  He came to offer the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He came to take our sins upon himself so we could better walk in God’s design.
Already in Matthew’s gospel we’ve seen the light Jesus trained on them.  What does it mean to be blessed in God’s design?  How are we to be the agents of salt and light for a world in need?
Today’s scripture focuses yet a bit more tightly.  It takes in four scenarios of everyday relationships and invites us to see them through the eyes of God.
“You have heard it said….but I say.”  That’s the formula.  What we’ve been doing and the better plan.  Anger, lust, divorce and oaths are on the agenda. Let’s take a look.
We all know the prohibition against murder.  DON’T!  Just don’t and we all pat ourselves on the back because we’ve not fallen into THAT sin.  But Jesus wants us to consider one of the ways that can lead to the taking of a life—both literally, or in ways that we murder a person’s well-being and dignity and self-esteem.  Those are a different kind of murder.
 Anger is often the culprit.  He does something to hurt us.  She says something to disrespect us.  It’s so outrageous, so aimed to hurt or belittle or accuse, and we respond.  It’s almost a knee jerk reaction.  Of course that just escalates things and pretty soon even harsher words or actions—maybe even knives, guns, a vicious shove or fist that flies.  Someone is left lying on the floor or headed to the emergency room, or maybe just in tears from the emotional pain inflicted, and we all know that such wounds can also be mortal.
Anger leads to murder in many different ways.
Did you know that you CAN decide to NOT be angry?  You can.  What you tell yourself is the key.  So often our self- message is “How dare he!”  “She did that on purpose.”  He is trying to take advantage of me.”  “She obviously doesn’t care about me.”  All of that leads to anger and retaliation.
But what happens if our message to ourselves is “She didn’t mean it that way.”  Or he’s really having a bad day and I stepped in the middle of it.”?  What happens if we say to ourselves, “That was a misunderstanding!”  or even, “I don’t know what that was all about, but before I make assumptions, I’m going to talk with him or her about what just happened here.”  We might decide that WE had said or done something that they interpreted in a negative way.  Maybe we say, “I’m just plain going to let that one go. It’s not worth getting angry about.
We can choose NOT to be angry by how we view a situation, and very often we will discover that it was a mistake, a miscommunication, a human failing.
 The guy in that other car just cut me off.  Oh well, no one was hurt.
The shopkeeper didn’t come to wait on me.  Guess I’ll buy it someplace else.
A friend stood us up for lunch.  She’s so busy.  I hope she’s OK.
A bully just made a snide remark about you.  What goes around comes around, and people will see what’s happening here.  He’s his own worst enemy. (OK, maybe sometimes we will need to deal with a matter, but let’s don’t pour gas on the problem.  Let’s think through what is strategic and respond wisely.
Your spouse did or said something hurtful.  She’s obviously having a crummy day, or maybe I could have been more understanding about the way I listened to his story.
 
And the bonus is that if we give this other person the benefit of the doubt, we’re going to feel better about things and our relationship is much more likely to remain  positive.
Now let’s consider Jesus words about lust as compared to adultery.  Wasn’t it Jimmy Carter who got skewered for saying that he had committed adultery in his heart?  Well, haven’t we all?  But here’s the thing—how we view this other person has a lot to do with what comes next.  Do we see them as an object with which to satisfy our wants and needs?  Or do we see them as a fully human person with hopes and dreams and with needs and vulnerabilities?  If fully human, then their needs are just as important as ours.
Sometimes I read where someone will be commenting about an affair, “It just happened!  Are you kidding me?  There were lots of little decisions that led to that moment when the clothes come off.  We have a lot of opportunities to step away from that happening. You know what they are.  They move you away from the temptation and out of harm’s way.  There will always be attractions.  That’s not the issue.  The issue is how we handle those feelings.
On a side note, Jesus suggests that we pluck out an eye or cut off a hand if it causes us to sin.  But it’s not really the eye or the hand that’s the problem.  It’s the brain and our attitudes.  This is hyperbole.  It’s a way of saying something in such an exaggerated form that the point is made that what is being said is important.
Now divorce.  Over 50% of marriages in our country end in divorce.  It’s a sad reality in our society. But we need to understand where Jesus is coming from here.
In Deuteronomy 24 we read that if a man is unhappy with his wife, he can write a decree of divorce and put the woman out of his house. It’s not a God utterance.  It’s the way that Moses gave for the people to function.  The result was absolutely devastating for many of those women.  She had no legal rights, no ability to gain access to the goods of society.  Extreme poverty or maybe prostitution was very possibly her only options.  At times another man took her for his wife, but there were no guarantees.  Jesus says even then, she’s being forced into adultery in that new relationship.  The goal is to protect and provide for the woman who has no power.  In today’s world things are very different.  Women do have the ability to care for themselves and to manage their lives on their own.  I think God would like for all marriages to thrive, but when misery is the reality, I think God would invite us to leave that relationship to be happy and whole.
Finally, the uttering of oaths.  The problem is that to attach God’s name to something like that diminishes our Lord—especially if that promise is not fulfilled.  Just speak your promise and leave God out of it.  And by the way, leave out the earth or a place or any other of God’s good gifts.
One of the ways I hear this one being abused today is when people use God’s name as an exclamation point, “O God!” they say and I cringe.  There’s nothing holy or respectful to our Lord in that.  Why pull God into it?
Jesus invites us to think carefully about these things.  The essence of all these is to live together with respect and care, not only for God but for one another.  We need to find ways to honor one another and to give them space to move and breathe and be well, even on those days when things are going haywire.
Two paths stretch before us.  Life which offers us relationship, contentment, and peace, not only with God but with our brothers and sisters.  OR death, which is the slippery slope that allows some of our worst inclinations and responses and leads to pain and destruction.
Let’s choose life.  Let’s manage our own thoughts and responses, our behaviors and words.  God wants life for all of us, and he sent his Son to show us the way.  Amen.
 
  
 
HYMN                                                 Help Us Accept Each Other                                                  #358                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 
OFFERING OUR LIVES
 
DOXOLOGY                Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow    #592
 
 
Eucharist
 
HYMN                            For the Bread Which You Have Broken    #508
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
 
L:  You call us, Lord God to your table.
                                  
P:  Women and men, boys and girls—together we are the fields which you have planted, the building which you are constructing.
 
L:  It is here that we receive the nourishment to stand together against the ravages of our society.
 
P:  The bread which we will break is your body broken for us.
 
L:  The cup which we will drink is your blood poured out for us.
 
P:  May we eat and be empowered to live your hope for our world.
 
L:  May we drink to hold hands with our brothers and sisters and know the goodness of your love.
 
ALL:  We open our hearts to you, Lord of Life.  Amen 
 
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP
 
COMMUNION PRAYER
 
 
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.
                                                                     
 
HYMN                                     There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit     #398
 
Sending Forth
 
CHARGE & BLESSING                                                                        
 
POSTLUDE
 
We will remain seated throughout the service.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.