SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
March 07 2021
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
Offerings may be placed in the plate by the doors.
The bulletins were placed specifically for social distancing, one  household per pew. Please sit exactly where you found your bulletin.
Please keep your masks on and remain seated through the whole service.
There will be no singing but songs will be played, and no physical contact.
You may read along silently,
Schedule reminders:
The office and the rest of the building remain closed, but you can contact Karla during her office hours.
March 14th will be the annual congregational meeting at 9am
March 21st will be a Session Meeting  right after Church

PRELUDE
 
WORDS OF WORSHIP
Leader: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
People: To the temple, to the God of Jacob.
Leader: He will teach us his ways,
People: So that we may walk in his paths.
Leader: Come, descendants of Jacob.
All: Let us walk in the light of the Lord.
 
GATHERING PRAYER-
O God, we trust in Your power, even as it is often found in weakness; in Your wisdom, even as it is expressed in seeming foolishness; in Your wholeness, even as it comes to us amid brokenness. We do not ask this day for dazzling displays of strength, electric exercises of intellectual prowess, or marvelous manifestations of miracles. We come simply to worship You. Touch us this day, O Lord, that we might become Your saints, Your body, Your children, Your church. For this Temple of Your Spirit is built not upon our own abilities, knowledge, or restorative skill, but upon You, in Jesus Christ. Amen
 
HYMN                           My Hope Is Built  On Nothing Less                             379  
 
CONFESSION AND PARDON –
God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit. The proof of God’s amazing love is this: While we were sinners Christ died for us. Because we have faith in him, we dare to approach God in confidence.
Rom. 5:5, 8; Heb. 4:16
Confident in God’s grace, let us pause for a moment to recall our sins and lay them before God.  PAUSE
The assurance of God’s grace is declared in the name of Jesus Christ. We accept God’s forgiveness, confident that in dying to sin, Christ raises us to new life.
"Hear the good news!  Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone; a new life has begun."  (Rom. 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:17)
Believe the good news of the gospel: In Jesus Christ you are forgiven.
All: Thanks be to God!
 
OFFERING OF PEACE
 
INTERLUDE
                                                Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION-
Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today.   All: Amen
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS          1 Corinthians 1: 22-25
22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
 
 John 2:13-25              
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
 
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
 
SERMON-                                     How is your Temple By Elizabeth Heard

"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."  Jesus said this in response to the Jews who felt he didn't have the authority to clear out the Temple area.  Later in the scripture it says that Jesus was speaking about the "temple of his body."

Have you ever thought this?  Your body is the temple of your spirit.  This spirit came from God at our conception.  We also have within us the Holy Spirit.  The indwelling of the Spirit of God received when you were Baptized into the faith, and reignited when you were confirmed.

Our spirit makes us unique.  There is no on who has the same spirit, it is our individuality.  Our body as the container of our spirit, combined with the Holy Spirit or advocate that Jesus gave to humanity when the tongues of fire came down from heaven on Pentecost.  This makes our bodies temples as well.

Many read this story and get caught up in the actions of Jesus before this comment.  They talk about his getting angry.  So, lets take a moment to look at that.  Think of your home.  Now imagine you are going to have a huge family gathering at your home.  You have family coming from all over the country and they are going to celebrate some occasion with you.  Imagine if you will 25-50 people coming.  That is what happens when my family gets together.  Some of your relatives are businesspeople who think this would be a great time to put up a table in your yard and sell what they have.  Others are wanting to sell some food that they have.  Some come to sell ingredients for the food you will be eating during the celebration.  All these people are scattered in your front yard and driveway, and maybe some are even along the sidewalk next to the road.  There may be an adventurous child that has set up a lemonade stand.  How would you feel.  How is this crazy activity going to impact you?  You would probably become a little upset with these people and as the day goes on and people are making money off their own relatives you may want to stop this in anyway you can.  That is a human response, right?  Isn't Jesus human?  He was born into this world as a human and lived among us.  He was seeing all these people cluttering up this sacred space what was his Fathers house.  These people should have known better.  They should have been able to understand his feelings on this issue.

          After he has chased out all the people who were there to capitalize on the event, he was approached by the Jewish people and they asked him for a sign to show them he had the right to do this.  Jesus was already upset, and they asked him again for a sign.  They always needed signs.  They just could not get who he was unless he gave them a direct sign.  His answer was the one I started with.  If they were smart they would have listened more to his words from that day forward.  They would have tried to understand what he was teaching. 

          Jesus did give them a sign, but that sign was not recognized.  The sign was right there in his statement, "Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up again."

          If we move on to the understanding of the body as the temple that holds God in us, we can recognize the sign.  We can see clearly what the people of his time missed.  They didn't listen to him.  He gave them a sign, yet they refused to see even when the resurrection happened.  They could not see beyond that moment.  If the sign was not what they wanted, they would not see.  What does that say about their faith? 

          Faith is believing with out seeing.  It is a knowing that is set deep inside of you that no one or nothing can take away from you.  The Jewish people of Jesus time need to be stirred up.  They needed to be tested and pushed.  God knew this.  God knew that the people were just following the laws to the letter, or at least the leadership was pushing for that.  They have forgotten what the spirit of the Law was.  They were in a situation that was not desirable, and they wanted to have a Messiah come who would overthrow the Roman rulers and give them back their "Promised Land".

          But what did God give them? What was God's plan? What did God want the people to see and do?  He didn't want them to fight, he wanted peace among his people.  He wanted them to understand that he would go to the harshest end for them if they would only turn back to him.  Not by following and reciting laws and edicts.  But by living according to his number one commandment of all: to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and all that is in you."  And he wanted them to also uphold the second law: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

          God wanted to show his love and to receive love in return.  That was what his covenant with Abraham was all about.  And when he has destroyed the land with flood waters, he gave Noah a rainbow as a covenant that he would never again treat his creation so harshly.  He freed them from slavery by sending Moses to them.  He did all these things and they would not be faithful.  So, he sent his son and made him a sign to show us, all humanity then and in the generations since then, just how much he loves us.  He had created us to be company for him.  He doesn't want us to end up away from him.  He wants us all to get back to him.  This is our charge this is our goal. 

          To do this you have to look inward, within the temple of your body.  How is it doing?  Are you feeding it healthy foods? Are you taking care of any ills that come along? Are you moving around and keeping it fit? Are you loving God? Are you loving your neighbor?  Is your temple in the need of a little reconstruction?  

          You have come to the right place.  God wants you to take some time between now and Easter to get your temple in order.  He wants you to give up the things that are keeping you from being the loving person that he knows you to be.  He wants you to share your excess with those who are in need.  Just do one thing for someone between now and Easter and you will have fulfilled this. Most of all God wants you to remember that the covenant created by Jesus is one of love and relationship.  It doesn't matter which of the three aspects you think of, Father, Son, or Holy Spirit, the important thing is relating and being able to relate to God.  We do this through prayer.  Take a little time each day to spend with God the Father/Mother, God the son (our brother Jesus), or God the Holy Spirit.  Be intentional each day to set this time aside.  If you already have a strong prayer life add an extra 15 minutes till Easter.  If you are needing to begin, then just start with 15 minutes of quiet time that you dedicate to God.

          I want to end with saying that the body as a temple is really a strong image and one that will help you to do more to keep that body healthy.  But the most important thing we learn from Jesus is what Paul said in his letter to the church in Corinth: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
          We are blessed to be part of the family of God, washed by the waters of baptism and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  He is our sign that we are to care for our spirit and the body it inhabits.  We are to care for and love ourselves so that we can love others. 
          How is your Temple? 

 
HYMN                                     Now Thank We All Our God                                     555
 
AFFIRMATION Apostle’s creed Ecumenical version
 
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 to the dead.
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 again 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 the life everlasting. Amen.
 
                                                Prayers
 
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
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
 
 
Sending
HYMN                                     Just a Closer Walk With Thee                            2158
 
CHARGE & BLESSING-
Finally, brothers and sisters, as we go forth take with you these words from Paul:
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."   
 
 
POSTLUDE
​

​The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire is to continue to be a warm and welcoming church that actively shows the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
youtu.be/xPQJ5kAVr5E
 
Feb. 28, 2021   

GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
​PASSING THE PEACE
 
CHILDREN’S MOMENT
 
A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO PREPARE FOR WORSHIP
 
Unison  Call to  worship 
      Holy God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost; God of Abraham, Isaac and Moses; God of our parents and grandparents, hear and know our words of praise, adoration and glory. They are all and only for you. Amen.
Song  OF  Praise   (The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.) You may sing to yourself.
                                              Holy Spirit, Come to Us
SILENCE  
 
A  READING  For  MEDITATION  (Listen and meditate during silent pauses)                                            Romans 4:13-17
The promise to Abraham and to his descendants, that he would inherit the world, didn’t come through the Law but through the righteousness that comes from faith. If they inherit because of the Law, then faith has no effect and the promise has been canceled. The Law brings about wrath. But when there isn’t any law, there isn’t any violation of the law. That’s why the inheritance comes through faith, so that it will be on the basis of God’s grace. In that way, the promise is secure for all of Abraham’s descendants, not just for those who are related by Law but also for those who are related by the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us. As it is written: I have appointed you to be the father of many nations. So Abraham is our father in the eyes of God in whom he had faith, the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that don’t exist into existence.
SILENCE  
 
Responsive Reading                                                                                                                          Psalm 22:23-31   
Song OF Blessing   (The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.) You may sing to yourself.
Bless the Lord – Psalm 103:1

 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
L: God of justice and mercy, Christ of light and life, Spirit of compassion and joy, forgive us when our compassion runs short; forgive us when we worship in word but not in truth;   
P: forgive us when we side with the powerful rather than the poor and meek.   
L: Shine into the dark places of our lives and into the shadowy depths of our souls.  
P: Loosen the bonds of sin and selfishness within us, that we might loosen the bonds of injustice and oppression in our world.     
L: In your grace and mercy, transform us into vessels of light, that we might be lamps shining on a hill with compassion and kindness, justice and mercy. 
P: Christ, have mercy upon us. Wondrous God, who freely pours out the Holy Spirit, have mercy upon us.   
L: Hear us now as we silently confess our personal sins (time for silent prayer)  . . . . . . in     
P:Jesus’ precious name, Amen.
 
Prayer  song (The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.) You may sing to yourself.
SILENCE
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
L:  When we accept Christ’s gift of grace, God releases us from the yoke of sin and sorrow, and we are able to live as God’s chosen ones. Rejoice, sisters and brothers, in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.  Alleluia, praise God!  … Now, forgiven, we are living vessels of light and love. May our light shines before others.
 
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION:                                  
P: O Lord, may your word be a light for our path, showing us where to walk and how to talk. Shine your light into the darkness of our hearts and world. Amen.
 
A  Reading  of the GOSPEL  (Listen and meditate during silent pauses)                       Gospel Mark 8:31-38
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”    …. He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Response  of  Praise   (The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.) You may sing to yourself.
Glory to the Father
Silence
Meditation                        set our mind on divine things
 
         Long ago, one of my responsibilities as the company nurse was to organize and recruit donors for the company’s annual blood drive. We had a blood drive every six months. My goal was always to get two or three more people than the time before. There were basically three groups of people. One group always gave and were happy to sign up. Another group couldn’t give blood because they took certain medications, or they had a medical history that did not allow them to give. It never failed to surprise me how many people were in the third group: the people who just didn’t want to give blood. I certainly heard numerous excuses: I think I might be too underweight to give; I’m allergic to pain; I don’t like needles; I don’t like to look at blood. Those who thought they were underweight, said it with a wink, and I could see that they weighed more than 100#, so I knew that wasn’t true. I gently reminded people that no one likes pain, needles or looking at blood. The biggest complaint was the painful finger stick at the beginning of the process to check hemoglobin. Well, they were right; the needlestick was painful. But really? The pain lasted less than a minute. The benefits of blood donations literally meant they could save lives, with their donation; but some just couldn’t get past the pain of the finger stick.
          One year, I was especially motived to get a big number of donors, after watching a short video about a mother to be in labor who nearly died along with her newborn because of a bleeding problem. About that same time, I heard today’s gospel lesson. As I asked people to donate blood, if they had an excuse, I would share the story of the mother in labor AND, I would tell them that it was their sacrifice of a sore finger that might save a life! It sounds kind of silly doesn’t it – a finger stick is a sacrifice; but in this situation I think it was true. These people were giving of themselves for the life of another. Often we are called in big and small ways, to give of ourselves for others. How might a change in our perspective help us more closely follow Jesus?
          The Disciples couldn’t understand why Jesus was talking about suffering, after hearing that Jesus was the Messiah, the one to save Israel. Most likely the Disciples had their minds on earthly things, just as Peter did. Things like winning for Israel; a powerful and successful king, like King David; and a position of power for themselves. Jesus had his mind on heavenly and divine things: sacrificing self for others; working toward God’s kingdom, where all  people are respected and empowered; regardless of their race, religion, socio-economic background or sex; where all people have enough to eat and safe housing. As one writer says, “Jesus came to agitate!”
          You might remember seeing an agitator in a top loading washing machine. The agitator twists back and forward, to mix the water and soap and to loosen the dirt on the clothes. Kinda like this: (Pastor steps forward and does some gentle twisting.) No; Jesus did not come to create a new dance. Jesus came to make big changes; changes so that the least important, the least valued people will be fed, clothed, healed and empowered to do and to be more. Changes that said the mighty will lose their power; they will step down or fall down, so ALL people will have enough. No wonder the Temple officials and the government officials were concerned and even afraid of Jesus and His message. Jesus was talking about a redistribution because in God’s eyes, all people are equal. The Roman and Temple leaders were upset; they did not want to let go of their power, their privilege and their prestige. They preferred to continue to lord over others.
          Jesus was telling the Disciples that His message would surely end in His suffering and death. The Disciples either couldn’t hear this or didn’t want to hear this. They expected Jesus to conquer by force and power. Jesus had a different plan; to conquer with love and forgiveness.
          Of course, Jesus was right. His message of freedom, equality and enough for everyone led to His suffering and His death. But death and destruction did not have the final word. Now Jesus reigns in heaven. Now Jesus calls on us to agitate – to share the love and peace and message of enough for everyone. Sometimes that it a difficult message to share with others and to hear for ourselves. We don’t think we are “that” rich and powerful. We don’t see ourselves as part of the problem. We hope; we want to be part of the solution – giving small bits and pieces of our time, talent and treasure.
          Jesus is calling us to do and to be more. So right now, let’s take a moment and stand up. Come on – whether you are here or watching online: stand up right now for Jesus. That’s it; good. Now, follow my lead: twist to the right; then twist to the left. Now repeat several times! Yes. Jesus is calling us to agitate! (Ok, you can sit down.) We are to look for and to FIND ways to be more willing, more generous with ourselves and our possessions. We are to have a changed attitude – one where our mind is set on divine things not earthly things. We are to live with an mindset of having less, of letting go and giving more. We are to live in a new way; not figuring out how this or that might work into our lives, with little inconvenience. Rather we are to think how we can help others first; then to go about doing this or that, regardless of the cost to us. Doing, regardless of the cost – that is sacrificial living. That is taking up the cross and following Jesus.
          For my work colleagues years ago, it was having a painful finger stick and giving a pint of blood. For some, that might a worthy sacrifice today. Our church has a history and a reputation of helping others. In 2011, a group of us went to Joplin to help after a massive tornado hit the town. For several years Sue has gone to Costa Rica; and in some years, some of us have gone with her, to serve the poor there. One year Chuck and I joined with a group of Lutherans to participate in home repairs in Kentucky. Many of you have your own stories of service, whether it was service here or service elsewhere. The Riverview Optimists take care of the backpack program in the Le Claire area.
They give of their time and talent to agitate the world for some students who would be hungry without this program. Right now, we are gathering mittens, gloves, socks and hats to others. There are so, so many ways to be an agitator – to make changes. Jesus is calling us to do and to be a change agent in small and powerful ways.
What other ways can we join Jesus in agitating, in turning the world upside by doing things first because it helps someone; secondly, doing things without worrying what the cost is to us. For some, that might mean helping in our Wednesday Night Program, once we resume that. For others, it might be giving a generous amount of money, while NOT wondering or worrying how that donation will affect everyday life. For all of us, it is a change in attitude. With God’s help, we can become more engaged in social justice – that is speaking up and speaking out for people who have less and for people who are considered to be less than worthy. That means we are to see, REALLY SEE people of color; see what is going on in their lives and consider how we can sacrificially respond. And then, make and BE the change. For example, we might start by joining with others in the video study the Presbytery is doing. There is a small group participating in the 5-week program on Wednesday evenings at 4 pm, right here in the sanctuary. Yes; the title might not sound interesting or “be your cup of tea”. And, yes; the time of day might be inconvenient, but Jesus is talking about sacrifice! Can you make a commitment to come to the four remaining classes, for the next for Wednesdays? If not, can you make a commitment to participate in a book study about social justice and racism in April. Jesus is asking us to follow Him, by putting our minds on divine things and living sacrificially. How and when will you agitate this day, this week and this year?
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
 
Silence
AFFIRMING OUR FAITH           
 
Silence
Offering   Happy are those who love the Lord! It is well with those who share generously and conduct their lives with justice and mercy. God of light and love, shine through these offerings, so our love may radiate throughout the world.
 
Silence
Our lighted candles remind us that Christ is the Light of the World. In Christ, we too, are the light of the world. Your light joins with the light of the others as together we are the body of Christ. (The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.) You may sing to yourself.
                                                      Wait for the Lord -  James 5 and Psalm 26 (27)
(The pianist will play it once alone; then Marty will sing twice.)
In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful – Isaiah 12:2
           
Silence
INTERCESSIONS
L:  Lord Christ, reveal the presence of your Kingdom in our midst.
P:  O God, keep watch over the gate of our lips; May every hurt of this day be buried in your forgiveness.
L:  O Christ, by your life offered to God, show us the road to life.
P:  O Christ, remain alongside all who are undergoing a time of suffering: the dying, the ill and the homeless.  Be with those we name in our hearts.
L:  O Christ, keep us from the snares of discouragement and worry.
P:  Our eyes are turned to you, Lord; our soul finds rest in you.
L:  O Christ, you gave peace and comfort to the tax collector and the adulterous woman;
P:  may we also find peace and comfort in you.
L:  O Christ, in you, our resurrection has already begun;
P:  may we live in this new way, loving all; giving all glory to you.
L: Living God, at times, we are like strangers on the earth, distressed by the violence and the harsh challenges of life. Yet, you breathe on us and the Spirit of peace comforts like a gentle breeze. Transform our doubts; prepare us to be bearers of reconciliation, wherever you place us, until Peace comes fully to our world.  You called us to follow the steps of Your Son in ministering to the sick and suffering. Grant us the same spirit of compassion that by gentleness and love, in faithfulness and patience, we may serve those in need. Support us in our work, giving us wisdom and skill, empathy and generosity for one another. Hear our prayers for our friends and family: . . .  hear us as we pray together
 
THE  LORD’S  PRAYER   
 
Silence
Benediction                                                                                                                                                     
Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and, God, our God of love and peace will be with you.
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you, be with your family and be with all of God’s family. Alleluia. Amen.
 
~ Music       CCLI 1259100
 
Today: Congregational meeting directly after worship for the sole purpose of voting to purchase new video equipment.
          Unholy Ghost, 6pm
This Week:        
Tue   Chair aerobics, 10 am
Wed Unholy Ghost, 4 pm
Thu      Chair aerobics, 10 am
Sat    Men’s Group at church, 7:30 am;
 
 
PRAYER REQUESTS   Pray for these: our members and friends in nursing homes, all veterans, 
our members and friends in nursing homes, all veterans, service men & women & their families; all who have been sentenced to life without parole; all fire, law enforcement, & EMS personnel; June L; Pat and Jim Collins; Kaye Hale; Phyllis Dearing; Jessie Borgman; Tom Bloomingdale; Donna Luchman; Sue and Steve Rodgers; Jan and Kirk Barkdoll; Sally Hackett; Gary Martin, L.C. Chamberlin, Wes and Joyce Kuehl; Paul Glispie; Abbas; Pryce Boeye; Ken Stinson; Betty Penry’s daughter, Amy; Wes and Joyce’s daughter, Anna; Marilyn’s son, Brad; Marilyn’s daughter, Candy; Jan’s and Kirk’s daughter, Amber; Chris’ and Colleen’s aunt, Joan; Duane’s and Pastor Melody’s daughter, Shannon; Rose’s and Bruce’s friends, Bill and Linda; Kari Long; Randy Goslin; Marty; Mission Starfish, Haiti. 
 
Musician: Stacy          Worship Leader: Marty                 AV: Duane and Wendi   
Counters Today: Joyce and Diane                 
Counters Next Week: Colleen and Chris
 

The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire is to continue to be a warm and welcoming church that actively shows the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

youtu.be/THeHdck7SaU​
 
Feb. 21, 2021   

GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
Thy Word    CCLI 1259100

Refrain:
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet
and a light unto my path
 

1 When I feel afraid
Think I've lost my way
Still you're there right beside me
And nothing will I fear
As long as you are near
Please be near me to the end
(Refrain)
 
2 I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering
Jesus be my guide
And hold me to your side
I will love you to the end
(Refrain)

Words of Praise(Written by Rev. Karen Horst, permission granted by PCUSA)
Marty: Change is coming, for God’s plans are unfolding. Each day is filled with new possibilities.   Pastor Melody: All creation is in God’s hands so we put our trust in God.
M: Change is a part of God’s plan; out of nothing, God created all & called it good.                                    
PM: As our lives unfold, God is with us. We need not fear.
M: God has good plans for us. Plans to bring us wholeness and peace.
PM: God is with us in our journey of becoming, guiding our steps all the way.
M: Let us pray: Creator God, we begin our Lenten journey trusting that you are actively involved in our lives. Whatever circumstance comes our way, we can remain secure in your steadfast love; we can be courageous as we venture into the new life you have in store for us. Change is very much a part of life as you have created it. Help us to navigate each day, seeking your ways through the power of your Holy Spirit, honoring Christ in all that we do. In His name we pray, Amen.
 
 All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name             CCLI 1259100

1 All hail the power of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all!

2 Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,
Ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all!

3 Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!
To Him all majesty ascribe,
And crown Him Lord of all!

4 O that with yonder sacred throng
We at His feet may fall!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown Him Lord of all!

Call to Confession:        
Prayer of Confession: 
Holy God, lover of our souls, we often lack the courage and strength to resist the temptations in our path. It is so hard to live and love like Jesus did. Sometimes we fail to hear your call in our lives. We often prefer to do the wrong before us instead of re-turning to you. Forgive us when we are self-serving, petty and neglectful. Help us to do better, to be better. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently . . .  (time for silent prayer). . . Help us love as you love, to sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed.  Amen
 
Assurance of Pardon:                  
L: In and through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ offers us repentance and new life. Rejoice, I say; rejoice, for we are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
 
  Gloria Patri                                   
 
Passing of The Peace                                            
L: Since God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ, let us forgive one another.  The peace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Let us pass the peace of Christ to one another.
 
Children’s Moment       
 
Prayer of Illumination:                              
M: Let us pray.  O Lord, may Your word be a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. Help us to hear and obey, so we will know which way to go. Amen.

Old Testament Reading Jeremiah 29:1, 3b-14 Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:

 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:  “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.  Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!  And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,  because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen.  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.  I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

Response:    L:  This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
 
The Gospel Reading  Mark 1:9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

L: This is the word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God.
Sermon:      in the wilderness 
 
          In today’s scripture, Jesus is driven out into the desert by the Holy Spirit. He was there forty days, with nothing to eat and he was tempted by Satan. I’m not sure which of these is the worst. I think it is a personal choice. Some of us don’t mind being alone for extended periods. Others do not enjoy or even like the idea of being alone. Some people wouldn’t do well, going without food; others would be fine with little or nothing to eat for forty days. I’m sure all of us have been tempted by Satan – and we know that is perhaps the most difficult challenge! Part of the problem of these challenges, is that we don’t know when any of these things might happen. We work hard to make sure they don’t happen! Still, I imagine there are times when you might find yourself in some kind of wilderness. I know I have been in a wilderness a time or two. And, so has my friend, MJ.  Recently she shared that she moved into a new arrangement. It is a three-tier retirement home; there is independent living, assisted living and nursing care. She is enjoying it for the most part. But she also feels like she is in a bit of a wilderness because of the Covid-19 virus. There is no one around; and no place to meet or greet others. Like most places, the independent living condos have new restrictions to protect the residents. No one can go into anyone else’s place. All dining areas and exercise areas are closed. My friend said she feels like she is living in a wilderness! Many of us might agree with her – because, since last March, we have been put in our place, separated from others by social distancing and masks. Not quite the wilderness that Jesus found Himself in, but a wilderness none the less.

       Sometimes a wilderness can seem like a deserted island; with no one around; and few resources. Other times, we might be in a wilderness that feels more like a jungle, with too many distractions and too many choices. Regardless of the situation, it feels like a wilderness because the path ahead is unclear. We aren’t sure why we are here, where to go or how to get to the next place: we see no clear way or too many different ways. We just don’t know what to do.

     Long, long ago, the Israelites found themselves in a new place; they were sent to live in a new country; in Babylon, where no one had heard of the Israelites or their God. It probably felt something like a wilderness. The Babylonians had different customs about marriage, families, gardening and nearly everything else. The Israelites didn’t know what to do. They wondered how they could be faithful to God in this strange new place and they wondered how they would manage with all these new and very different customs. The prophet Jeremiah, sent a letter to them, telling them to build homes and plan to stay for seventy years. Plant gardens, eat the foods there, marry and have children; encourage your children to have your  grandchildren. Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where you now live. God said, “For I know the plans I have for you.” They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

     God is good and generous when we find ourselves in a wilderness. We may feel lost and abandoned, but God knows right where we are. God sent Jesus, who survived a long, challenging wilderness experience Jesus knows what we are suffering. The Holy Spirit is with us; we are not alone. God has a plan for us, to give us a future and hope, just like the plan for the Israelites. When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, God led the way, as a pillar of fire each day, so they would know which way to go. When Elijah was on the run from Queen Jezebel and King Ahab, God sent angels to minister to him. Likewise, when Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, today’s Gospel lesson tells us that the wild beasts and the angels were with Him. Jesus used God’s word, the Scriptures, to turn Satan away. We can do the same.
 
      In 1993, we moved to Oklahoma, which felt like a wilderness to me – so far from family and from our green, green home in Iowa. Like Jesus and like the Israelites, we counted on God to help us in this new place; a place where people were more likely to wear cowboy hats than baseball caps and where they said funny words like ya’ll and fixin’. We found a good Presbyterian church which helped keep us grounded and in God’s word.

      A year or two later, I joined a Bible study, which was like a bright light in this “strange” new place! As the Bible study group worked our way through the Bible, we spent a considerable time on the Hebrews, first waiting for Moses to lead them out of Egypt; then traveling through the wilderness. In the next eleven years, as I continued to study the Bible with my new friends, I often said that I felt like I was walking through a wilderness; step after step, waiting for something significant to happen. Like time in a real wilderness, I wasn’t sure where I was going or why I was on a wilderness experience. Finally, it occurred to me, through a number of revelations, that God was calling me to Seminary! Before long, we moved to Austin and, with God’s and my family’s help, I completed that work. Then, joy! Pure joy, as I was called to parish ministry in a bit of heaven, called Le Claire Iowa. It has been a good match! And, whenever I think of wilderness, I think of my study time in Oklahoma and in Austin. God helped me and led me through that time of struggle, dryness and wonder.

      I tell you my story again, to remind you … and to remind me that God is with us. Whether we are having a grand time right now, or, we find ourselves walking through a wilderness, God is with us. When we are in any wilderness, God is with us, just as God was with Jesus, Elijah, Jeremiah, and the Israelites. The Israelites taught us to keep our eyes on God, who led their ancestors to the Promised Land, just as God will lead us to the Promised Land. Elijah reminds us to have faith; that God will not desert us, but will provide, according to our needs. Jeremiah reminds us that God has a plan for us. And, Jesus, the Son of God, reminds us that all of us will have times of trial; times in the wilderness, when we feel lost, lonely and overwhelmed. Yet, God will be there, both soothing our souls, as well as giving us courage and strength to survive, even to thrive.

      Jesus, our Lord and Savior, knows trial and tribulation. Jesus is our comfort and our companion, in our times in the wilderness. We can follow His lead, remembering God’s word, using scripture to succeed against Satan. The Gospel of Mark is the only gospel to mention angels and wild beasts. While I don’t think Christ’s time in the wilderness was a Disney movie, like Bambi, complete with dancing and talking animals, I do think Jesus was ministered to by the wild beasts and the angels in ways we can’t imagine. And, I think this because I know how much pets can mean to us; dogs, cats and other pets can fill a void and give comfort to us. Likewise, our family and friends, our neighbors, and even strangers at time can seem like angels, who minister to us, with a kind word, a gentle smile or some other expression of kindness.

      Wherever you are in your wilderness journey, know that you are not alone. Our Savior has been on a similar wilderness journey. He knows how to comfort, encourage and strengthen you. So, as you continue on, in the wilderness, or elsewhere, rest; rest in His love. Now and forevermore. Amen.
 
Spirit of the Living God    (sing twice)                CCLI 1259100   
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me
Melt me, mold me,
Fill me, use me
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
 
Affirmation of Faith:   Apostles’ Creed – Traditional         
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  Amen.
 
Offering: Gracious God, you call us to do more than worship, you call us into action as your disciples. Help us to take action, by sharing our gifts and treasure.
 
   Doxology                                             
 
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
P: Awesome God, experiencing the dazzling light of your glory and the joy of your love, we want to stay on the mountaintop and worship you. Yet, we know we are to follow Jesus. Through these gifts, may we shine the transforming light of your love into all the world. Use our gifts and our lives, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE   
Almighty God, gracious Father, in the presence of your blessings, keep us humble,
in the presence of all people’s needs make us compassionate and caring.
Give us faith in our praying and love in our serving, knowing that by your power,
all people may find a new balance in living and a new victory in adversity.
We pray for all unhappy lives, those who are bitter and resentful, feeling life has given them a raw deal, those who are sensitive to criticism and quick to take offense, those who desire their own way, whatever the inconvenience or cost to others. May your judgment and mercy be for their healing.
We pray for those who are lonely, who are shy and self-conscious, who find it hard to make friends; those who are nervous and timid, who ever feel themselves strangers in a world they can scarcely understand. May your presence inspire confidence and ensure companionship.
We pray for those who live with bitter regrets, for loving relationships brought to ruin, for opportunities freely given and woefully abused, for the bitterness of defeat or betrayal at another’s hand, or for failure in personal integrity. May your grace give new hope to find victory in the very scene of failure.
We pray for all in illness and pain, weary of the day and fearful of the night. Grant healing, if it be your will, and at all times through faith the gift of your indwelling peace. Bless these we pray:
Bless the church in every land. Make her eager in worship, fearless in proclamation of the gospel, and passionate for caring.
Bless our country. Bless our leaders. Bless our children and grant us peace within our borders. Grant us a nation to be found effective in establishing peace throughout the world.
Bless us, each one, in the communion of the saints, and keep us ever mindful of the great cloud of witnesses that, following in their steps, as they did in the steps of the Master, we may with them at the last receive the fulfillment promised to your people.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER          Pastor Melody and Marty

Pastor Melody: Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name …
Marty: We draw near to you with all holy reverence and confidence,
coming as children to a father able and ready to help us
as we pray together and for others.
Enable us and others to glorify you in all that we do
as we live and work in the creation that displays your power and mercy,
and be pleased to dispose all things to your own glory.

PM:  Your kingdom come.
M: We pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed
and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced,
ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it,
and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.

Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
We pray that you, by your grace, would make us able and willing
to know, obey, and submit to your will in all things,
as the angels do in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
We pray that of your free gift we may receive a sufficient portion
of the good things of this life, and enjoy your blessing with them.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
We pray that you, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins--
and we are encouraged to ask this because by your grace
we are able from the heart to forgive others.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
We pray that you would either keep us from being tempted to sin,
or support and deliver us when we are tempted.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, forever.
We take our encouragement in prayer from you only,
and in our prayers we praise you,
ascribing kingdom, power, and glory to you.
And to testify of our desire and assurance to be heard, we say, Amen. 
 
Open My Eves that I Might See        CCLI 1259100

1 Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain:
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes (ears, heart), illumine me,
Spirit divine!

2 Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear. (Refrain)
​
3 Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share. (Refrain)

CHARGE
L:    no matter where you are, whether you are in a wilderness or elsewhere, know that God is with you, ministering to you through prayer, scripture and perhaps, via angels and animals.   
 
AND BENEDICTION
Know that, The God of steadfast love blesses you.
Jesus, the living bread, feeds you.
The Spirit of wisdom guides you.
Now, encouraged, go forth with delight to walk in God’s ways,
rejoicing in God’s faithfulness.
 
  

s the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
​
youtu.be/Q_w6GSONRXg
                                        The First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire
February 17, 2021         4:00 pm
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Almighty God, we humbly come to thank you for our blessings and for this opportunity to worship you in body and in spirit. We praise you for you alone are holy and worthy of praise. May this offering of our time be a blessing. Amen.

First Reading                          Joel 2:1-2, 12-13
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! 
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near — 
 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! 
Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; 
their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come.
 Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, 
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. 
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, 
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. 

Song           “Holy, Holy, Holy” (v. 4)
4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

PRAYER OF CONFESSION: 
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your steadfast love and abundant mercy blot out our transgressions. Wash us thoroughly and cleanse us from our sin. For our sin is ever before us. Against you, you alone, have we sinned. You desire truth; therefore teach us wisdom. Hide your face from our sins, and blot out all our wrongdoings.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within us. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer) . . . We love you God; you are our only hope.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON:                  
L: God’s love embraces us even when we fall short of what God desires for our lives and actions. Jesus came that our sins would be forgiven. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.

Song                 “In the Lord I’ll Be Ever Thankful”
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful, in the Lord I will rejoice!
Look to God, do not be afraid; lift up your voices, the Lord is near;
lift up your voices, the Lord is near.

Gospel Reading             Matthew 6:1-6 The Message
 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
 "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
 “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

Message     focus and … action          the Rev. Melody Oltmann
      One of my friends loves to spend time with her son. Often, in the summer, they played golf. He wasn’t that athletic but he always wins at the golf course. She explained, “It’s because his mind is so empty, that he really focuses on one thing! When I get up to the ball, and think about hitting it, I also am thinking about what to make for supper, when does church start and how is my grandmother. When Matt stands at the golf ball, ready to hit it, all he is thinking about is hitting that little ball as squarely and as hard as he can. If I am lucky, my golf ball goes 40-50 yards, mostly to the left. Matt’s golf ball goes more than 125 yards, straight down the course. He is so focused!”
The prophet, Joel, is telling the Israelites that they need to refocus. They need to turn away from sinful behavior and return to God. The people of Joel’s generation were solely focused on their pleasures, so they worshipped false idols which “approved” of selfish behaviors. The focus was on immediate good times. They did not help others who were in need; those who were homeless, sick or hungry. The Israelites chose to live enjoyable lives, meeting their own needs and desires, without thinking of others
.
          Thankfully, God sent prophets - men and women to truthfully speak God’s words. People, like Joel, who had the courage to speak to his generation and to us. God shouldn’t have to remind us that death is coming - but God does. Look again at our Old Testament reading: Through Joel, God is giving warning; a day of darkness and gloom in coming: the consequences of sin and disobedience: The Israelites had sinned by worshipping idols and by neglecting those in need.
          Yet, our God - the God of Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, the Israelites and the Jews - our God always merciful - God always - ALWAYS!  welcomes us back; God keeps the door open so we can come home. God gives specific directions, so the Israelites know and so we know what to do.

     God is NOT interested in grand, shallow gestures. Joel instructs the Israelites and reminds us that salvation is NOT about the biggest, the most dramatic sacrifice. Yes - we can make big sacrifices; or little ones, like putting ashes on our head, or, giving up a meal every day in Lent, but, none of it will matter - IF - . . . IF we also do NOT confess and change our ways. We are to be sincere - we are to return to God . . . with all our heart. We are not to offer silly promises or just make outward demonstrations of our sorrow. In Joel’s time, the practice for sorrow was to tear your clothes, to put ashes on your face, to look pitifully sad. Often - all of it, just an outward show - SEE how sorry I am! SEE me! Don’t I look like I am sorry!

          God is not looking for people who only look sorry; not in Joel’s time, not in 2021. God is not looking for people who only participate in public displays of remorse. Of course, we should be sad, we should say we are sorry and be filled with remorse when we live selfishly, or when we do wrong; BUT - that alone is not enough. There is only one thing the Israelites were to do; there is only one thing we can do: repent!  Although Joel uses different words, he means repent. Joel says, instead of tearing your clothes to show how sorry you are, TEAR or rend your heart. Confess and . . . CHANGE the way you are living. When we repent, it means we change our hearts; we return to the Lord, our God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; who relents from punishing. When we are honest, when we admit we were wrong, we may be sad and weep. We may be too upset to eat; we may fast. And that is fine. BUT, it is NOT enough! The change must be from the inside out. The change must be in our heart, in our mind and in our behavior.
​
          God sent prophets to share this message. But, their words were not enough. Still, people continued to sin, continued to stray from God. So - our loving, our mercy-filled triune God, came as Jesus - as an infant, as a person to give us this message face to face.

     Right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instruction similar to Joel’s. Jesus tells his disciples and tells us: worship should not be about showiness. It should not be about getting attention. True worship is only focused on God; always, only on God. Whether we are worshipping, confessing or living our lives, we are to focus on God. Only God is worthy of our praise. Only God can forgive us; only God provides for us. 

      Once, when an adult Sunday School class was studying this text, the teacher asked: if you won a million dollars through the lottery, what would be the best way to give some to the church? Do you give a quarter million dollars, with the understanding that the church will name the remodeled sanctuary and new Sunday School rooms after your mother? Or do you give it without strings attached; anonymously? As we sat there, thinking about winning money and giving it to the church, someone said, “The church will gladly accept your $250,000 and name the remodeling after your mother. Don’t let this passage keep you from donating!”

     We laughed. Of course, the New Testament passage does not say, “Do not give.” It also doesn’t say, “Do not pray in public and do not put ashes on your face.” It DOES say, what is your reason? What is your focus? Don’t be a hypocrite – saying one thing and doing another. Keep your focus on God, matching your words and actions. Are you doing this or doing that so others will see you and think, “Now there’s a great person?” Or, are you doing these things because you are focused on God? Are you doing these things because you are grateful and want to share your blessings, so you give generously? Are you doing these things because you are in need of comfort or direction, so you stop right in the middle of the store and pray? Are you doing these things because you are aware of your sinfulness, your mortality and . . . your hope in Jesus, so focused on God, you put ashes on your forehead, you take communion, you light a candle.
​
     Lent - these next 40 days until Easter, not including Sundays - are about our focus. We are called to be more. One theologian says, in Matthew 6, Jesus is calling us to a higher righteousness. Lent is a time to let go of things, of possessions, titles and praise. Things - like rich foods, television shows and guilty pleasures are sometimes given up for Lent. Are you fasting this year? Giving up something? Why? Why not? What can you let go of that is distracting your focus? Is it a material pleasure? Is it the praise or pats on the back you get when others see how well you are doing? Or, is it physical comforts that keep you from focusing on God’s love, grace and call to action?

     Lent - this is the time to focus on a higher righteousness - the righteousness, the rightness of the cross. We are to look up - and see, and remember Christ’s sacrifice, high up on the cross. And, follow His lead.

     In the end, nothing else matters. Even now, we know that praise from others, fancy cars, an easy life do not last forever; they will not stop death. We are mortal. We can deny it. We can continually fret about it. Or, we can focus on God.

     When our thoughts, our actions and our very lives are focused on God, we will be closer to God. We will be filled with God’s peace, a peace that exceeds all understanding. We will be rewarded by God – here and in the hereafter.
When we keep our focus on God, we are able to love even the most difficult people because God first loved us; we are able to forgive even the greatest hurt, because we are forgiven. When we are focused on God, we can pray in public, we can give generously, we can get ashes on our foreheads. Because, our action is not about us - it is about God. And, we will be blessed; blessed with joy, peace and hope. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

HOLY COMMUNION
L: God knows that we are hungry - hungry for love. We often seek it in all the wrong places, all the wrong ways. So, God in Jesus, came to earth, as an innocent newborn; a baby to be loved; a baby who grows up and shows us how to love. God loves us just as we are, just for who we are. Jesus shows us this love and grace in his words, his actions, his life, death and resurrection.
 
Jesus knows we are hungry - hungry for love, forgiveness and acceptance.
Christ Jesus invites us to this table. Jesus offers to share His love, a love that makes life easier. This is not a Presbyterian table; come, all are welcome here. We give thanks to you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for all our blessings - for creation, your covenant love, Jesus, forgiveness, His promise of life eternal and the Holy Spirit which empowers us to be your faithful servants. Gracious God, we pray by your Spirit, we may be one with Christ and one with all who share this feast, united in ministry in every time and place.
 
Preparation of Bread and Cup
On the night before his death, among his friends, Jesus took bread; after giving thanks, he blessed it & broke it.  He gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat.  This is my body, broken and given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took a cup & passed it among his friends, saying:  “This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood.  Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
 
Invitation and Distribution
Holy food for God’s people; Come eat, all is prepared. This is a taste, a promise or what awaits us in heaven – bread, wine, enough of the good feast for every person; for all creation.
 
Prayer of Thanks
Let us pray: Nourished at this table, O God, may we always know and remember Christ’s redemptive love. Help us to live a new life in Him. May our words, our actions and our very lives forever more point to Jesus and his amazing grace. Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes again, and we shall feast with all your saints in your eternal realm. Through Jesus Christ, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
 
Ashes – As we put ashes on our foreheads, “we remember that we are dust & to dust we shall return”. Even, as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, knowing in Christ, we have eternal life
.
Hymn                   “There’s Power in the Blood”   
             
1 Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you o'er evil a victory win?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood.

Refrain:
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the blood of the Lamb.
There is pow'r, pow'r, wonder-working pow'r
In the precious blood of the Lamb.

2 Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]

3 Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]

4 Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There's pow'r in the blood, pow'r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There's wonderful pow'r in the blood. [Refrain]

Closing Prayer  
Thank you, Holy God, for the love and grace of Jesus Christ. To Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, all glory, all praise. Now and forever. Amen.
​
Charge and Benediction
Our charge this evening is to be changed; more focused on God; more loving in this world.
Now, may the love of God, the peaceful power of Jesus and the hope of the Holy Spirit be with you, be with your family and be with those who have family and those who have no  family. Amen.
 
Home Devotions during Lent
Feb. 17   Ash Wednesday   Matthew 6:1-6
Feb. 24   Mark 1:9-15
Mar.  3    Mark 8:31-38
Mar. 10   John 2:13-22
Mar. 17   John 3:14-21
Mar. 24   John 12:20-33
Mar. 28   Palm Sunday   Mark 11:1-11
Apr.  1    Maundy Thursday   Psalm 31:9-16, Mark 14:1-15:47
Apr.  2    Good Friday   John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Apr.  4    Easter   John 20:1-18, Mark 16:1-8
 
Pray for the Holy Spirit, to help us understand God’s word.
Reflect on these questions:
What does Scripture say to those in Jesus’ time?
What does Scripture say to us today?
What is the Good News in this Scripture?
How shall I respond to God’s Word, today?
Say a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s blessings.


​

The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire is to continue to be a warm and welcoming church that actively shows the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

youtu.be/THeHdck7SaU​
 
Feb. 14, 2021   

Mission slide
GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
Moment of Silence to Prepare Our Hearts for Worship  
Even before a word is on my tongue,
          O LORD, you know it completely.
We lift our praise to you, O Lord. 
God cannot be explained; God is a mystery. Amazingly, God has invited us
into His light. Will we have the courage to accept the invitation?
 
 
We Bow Down                         CCLI 11259100

1 You are Lord of creation
and Lord of my life,
Lord of the land and the sea;
You were Lord of the heavens
 before there was time,
And Lord of all lords you will be.
 
We bow down,
And we worship you, Lord;
We bow down,
And we worship you, Lord;
We bow down,
And we worship you, Lord;
Lord of all lords you will be.
 
2 You are king of creations
and King of my life,
King of the land and the sea;
You were King of the heavens
 before there was time,
And King of all kings you will be.
 
We bow down,
and we crown you the King;
we bow down,
and we crown you the King;
we bow down,
and we crown you the King;
King of all kings you will be.

 
Words of Praise
L: God speaks and the earth is created.             P: Glory hallelujah!
L: God shines forth with a beauty beyond our comprehension.      P: Glory hallelujah!
L: God calls us to be a people of faith.                P: Glory hallelujah!
L: It’s a steep climb up the mountain of life.       P: God gives us strength for the ascent.
L: The light is shining on the mountain.              P: God opens our eyes to holy splendor.
L: We don’t know what to do on the mountain.   P: God provides a guide and companions.
L: We are ready to come out of the darkness.     P: God calls us to live in the light!
L: Come see the glory of God!                           P: Come live in the light!
 
 Come Thou Almighty King                         CCLI 11259100

1 Come, Thou Almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing,
Help us to praise:
Father, all-glorious,
O’er all victorious,
Come, and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.
 
2 Come, Thou Incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword,
Our prayer attend:
Come, and Thy people bless,
And give Thy word success;
Spirit of holiness,
On us descend.

 

3 Come, Holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour:
Thou who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart,
And ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power.
 
4 To Thee, great One in Three,
The highest praises be,
Hence evermore!
Thy sovereign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore.

Call to Confession
 
Prayer of Confession
Father God, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love, for the times we choose the veil of darkness over your gospel of light, forgive us, Lord. For the times we choose to proclaim ourselves instead of proclaiming Jesus Christ, forgive us, Lord. For the times we choose mindless action over heartfelt devotion, forgive us, Lord. For the times we choose the bonds of fear over the freedom of your grace, forgive us, Lord. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer). . . Open our eyes, our hearts and our ears, that we might see, know and more closely follow your way. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
 
ASSURANCE OF PARDON:                  
L: Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us; Christ rose for us; Christ reigns in power for us; Christ prays for us! In and through Jesus Christ, I proclaim: we are forgiven.  Thanks be to God.
 
Gloria patri                            
 
Passing of The Peace                                            
L: Freed and forgiven, may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Let us we greet one another with the peace of Jesus.
 
Children’s Moment       
 
Prayer of Illumination:                              
M:  Let us pray: Dear God, we want to see Jesus. He is our only hope. Still our hearts and minds; let us hear your holy word and see Jesus. Amen.
 
 
 
Old Testament Reading: Psalm 50
The LORD, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken. God has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. Our God approaches, and God is not silent. Fire devours everything in God’s way, and a great storm rages around God. He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people. “Bring my faithful people to me - those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.” Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge. 
 
Response:    L:  This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
 
The Gospel Reading  Mark 9:2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
L: This is the word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God.

Sermon:      thin places     
Imagine that you are sleeping in a dark room and someone suddenly turns on a very bright light. It’s startling, isn’t it? Bam! Peter, James and John suddenly were experiencing the glory of God. Wow! Surprising! No wonder Peter was confused. No wonder he didn’t seem to know what he was saying. They experienced the glory of God! As they left the mountain, Jesus told them not to say anything to anyone about what happened.

          Perhaps that was a good thing – I mean how do you explain or talk about what happened? How could anyone possibly clearly tell about the immense, shining glory of God. Breath-taking! Glorious! Stunning! Beyond description! I imagine that the three men were changed in an instance; moved to be better people. Spellbound by the infinite dazzling glory of God as it shone in and through Jesus. If they had any doubts or questions before this, surely, they did not after this experience. I imagine it warmed their heart and soul every time they thought about what they saw. Jesus, Son of God, Savior of the World, glorified in light and majesty; and speaking with Moses and Elijah. Don’t you imagine it was nearly beyond their belief? As in, “I can’t believe my eyes!” Yet, they did see and experience this transfiguration.
Months and years later, empowered by the Holy Spirit, these three men shared the glory of God and the love of Jesus with many others. They often faced jail, persecution and death threats, as they gave witness to Jesus. In moments of doubt, fear and fatigue, these men could remember the incredible moment of God’s glory, as it shone upon Jesus. They could remember the wonder of seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah. Do you think they might have returned to that mountain, looking for that sacred place, hoping for a similar experience - to see God’s glory again?

          Sacred places are mentioned frequently in the Old Testament. Abraham, Moses and Joshua were among many who took stones and built a small altar, at a sacred place, a place they wanted to mark and remember. Sometimes the stones stayed together simply for a short time; sometimes, it was more permanent Often these sacred places were on a mountain. Abraham’s son, Isaac was saved from becoming a sacrifice, on a mountain. Moses experienced the burning bush on a mountain and later, received the Ten Commandments on a mountain. Other sacred places in the Bible, are at specific rivers, at a certain tree or even in a cave. Today, we might call churches, chapels and church camps sacred places; places where people might experience the presence of God. Sometimes we see memorials at scenes of tragedy or car accidents. Death in an unexpected place sometimes makes that place sacred.

          Celtic tradition calls these sacred places, thin places. According to Celtic tradition, time and space are seen more as a spiral; than as a straight line, like the Western Culture does. Celtic literature says that heaven is to next us. Usually we cannot see it, unless we are in a thin place. Then, like the Disciples with Jesus, we might experience a glimpse of God’s glory. A thin place is a place where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin. It’s a place where we can sense the divine more readily; a place where God is especially present. Often it is an unusual place that fosters intimacy with God. In thin places, some people have life-transforming experiences through the presence and power of God’s Spirit, just as Peter, James and John did on the mountain.

Thin places are often in the rugged depths of nature or they can be manmade, often with stones or wood. Sometimes, people deliberately go to a thin place to try to experience God face to face. Other times, people accidently find a thin place, when they are sitting quietly, listening, waiting. Have you experienced a thin place at Camp Wyoming or someplace else? Some time we have a desire or a need to go somewhere quiet, away from the noise of daily living. We might sit in a chair in the backyard, or we might go to a favorite park. We might come to church or, we might sit at the kitchen table, to experience a quiet, holy time, a thin place to come face to face with God’s glory. For all the things that the Covid-19 virus took from us, it also has given us greater understanding about worship, about prayer and about being in God’s presence.

      Most certainly, we love to go to church; we find comfort in the building, as well as in the people we see. The music, the banners and the cross remind us of past experiences, perhaps times of great fellowship, powerful prayer or even, of experiencing God in and through the Holy Spirit. Now, because we are trying to stay safe, our experience of church has been in front of the computer, or the worship service written on the paper in front of us. We are reminded that finding God is less about the place and more about our heart’s focus. When we earnestly seek and thirst for God, we are more likely to get a glimpse of heaven and God’s glory. It is unlikely to be as dramatic as what the Disciples experienced. The two men who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, said it was more like a warmth or burning in their heart. It is when we are quiet and focused on the still, small voice, that we might come to know God’s presence in a powerful way. I imagine each person’s experience may be a little different; often, we just don’t have the words to explain what happened. But, when it does happen, it is less about a lit candle and saying the right words and more about sincerity and genuine love.    

          And yet, sometimes we come to church - and . . . and well, nothing happens. I mean, we don’t see Jesus; we don’t feel anything. We go home, content. We’ve seen our friends, we had a nice time but quite honestly, our thirst for Jesus has not been quenched. Nothing fantastic -super - awesome! has happened. And we wonder as we leave: “Is it me? Is it God? Am I doing something wrong or did I forget to do something?” Yes! The answer is yes, it’s probably you; it’s probably us. We are like Peter and the others. We come unprepared. We can understand how they might have been totally surprised, frightened and confused. Peter said something without thinking - something crazy about building huts. Peter, James and John had no idea what to do, what was going on or what they should do. Sounds like they just stood there rather stupidly, as a shadow of a cloud passed over them. Then - they received simple instruction that they could follow: Listen to my Beloved Son.

          Simple advice for the disciples and for us. LISTEN. We should not come to worship, whether it is in our living room or in the sanctuary, unprepared. Instead, let us come to church, waiting, expecting to feel God’s glory. Most often it is not to being in a specific place. The key is to come with an open mind, ready to worship, ready to listen and ready to experience God.

      Maybe some places are thin places, because they make it easier to be quiet, to be still and to listen. Be quiet. . . . . . Be still . . . . Listen. . . . . Worship and church is not a performance. The congregation is not the audience. True worship is when the worship leader leads the congregation and TOGETHER we praise God. We listen and we pray. We wait . . . for God. TOGETHER, we honor God. We give and we wait. . . we listen.
One author says our church time actually starts on Saturday evening or Sunday morning; whenever we begin to make plans to go to church. At that point, we are beginning to gently pull away from the world; we are beginning to get ready to listen. We can help this process by being aware. We can whisper little prayers, like, “help me sleep well tonite so I can full participate in church tomorrow.” Or, like, “Help me calmly, get ready. Help me be thoughtful in preparing for my time of worship.” Rather than hustling because you overslept, try to get up just a little earlier. Rather than arguing about this or that, have a peaceful morning.

          Come into your living room or into the sanctuary, with your mind on God. Be in fellowship with each other. Then, when we have a moment of silence, be silent, quiet your mind (and phone) and prepare yourself, open yourself to God. We are about to experience the glory of God!  Once we begin worship, it is not about us and what’s for dinner, or some other minor worry. Rather, now, our focus is to be on God. Sounds easy … but sometimes, it’s not. My mind wanders. How about you? I try to be quiet, to be still and listen. But, then, my back aches and I wonder if we have any ibuprofen. Then I think about a grocery list, and oops - no wonder, I haven’t heard anything from God.
So here are some ways to stay focused. Start, with prayer. But, rather than starting with a list of what you want to hear, start by asking God to show you what God has to offer. Not - what can I GET from this quiet time, but - what is God offering to me? Let God lead the discussion. Then consider, reading some scripture or saying a prayer - You could even use a prayer in the bulletin.

     Then, sit quietly and listen. Some people like to use prayer beads to help them stay focused. Others silently or quietly say a short phrase, something from the scripture they just read or “Jesus, have mercy on me.” If your mind wanders, take a breath, offer that thought to God and begin listening again. When you are ready, end your quiet time with a prayer.

     What will you hear? Often you may hear nothing; but you will come away with a sense of contentment, of peace and joy. You may have a specific answer in mind. Or, you might discover later, that you have insight to a problem. Often you will have depths of patience and confidence and understanding that you didn’t know was possible. You will become an instrument of God’s peace, love and forgiveness.

     As we take time to listen to Jesus, we become a thin place to the world. God’s grace and love flow gently out of us; consciously or unconsciously people will begin to notice that we are different. Different in a good way. We are calmer, we are less judgmental.

     Thank you for listening, for seeking God’s glory, for being a thin place in the world. I’ve seen God’s glory in you. What a wonderful, amazing thing! So, keep listening, God has great things planned for you.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
 
Responsive Reading:
M: On the mountaintop:                       PM:  fresh air, in God’s creation.
M:  Gathered with the prophets:            PM:  holy time, listening.
M:  Listening to God’s voice:                 PM:  identity revealed, Light of the World.
M:  In the company of Jesus:                PM:  awesome wonder, praise God!
M:  Coming down the mountain:            PM:  tearful reflection, changed inside and outside.
M:  Back to reality:                               PM:  transfigured lives, ready to fully love others.
 
Shine Jesus Shine                   CCLI 11259100

1 Lord, the light of your love is shining
In the midst of the darkness, shining
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
Set us free by the truth you now bring us
Shine on me, shine on me
 
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light
 
2 Lord, I come to your awesome presence
From the shadows into your radiance
By the blood I may enter your brightness
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness
Shine on me, shine on me
 
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light

 
3 As we gaze on your kingly brightness
So our faces display your likeness
Ever changing from glory to glory
Mirrored here may our lives tell your story
Shine on me, shine on me
 
Shine, Jesus, shine
Fill this land with the Father's glory
Blaze, Spirit, blaze
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river, flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth your word
Lord, and let there be light
 
*Affirmation of Faith:   Apostles’ Creed – Traditional          Blue Hymnal pg 14
 I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  Amen.
 
Offering: Gracious God, you call us to do more than worship, you call us into action as your disciples. Help us to take action, by sharing our gifts and treasure.
 
 Doxology 
 
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
P: Awesome God, experiencing the dazzling light of your glory and the joy of your love, we want to stay on the mountaintop and worship you. Yet, we know we are to follow Jesus. Through these gifts, may we shine the transforming light of your love into all the world. Use our gifts and our lives, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
You are holy, O God of majesty, and blessed in Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. On a lonely mountain his human body was transfigured by your divine splendor. In his face, we have glimpsed your glory. In his life, we see your love. For you image is untarnished in him, and the burden of human sorrow and suffering could not diminish his reflection of your holiness. The world was dark at his death, but the light of his life could not be extinguished. From the grave he rose like the sun, with blinding power and radiant peace. We give thanks for Jesus, for his life, death and resurrection.
 
THE LORD’S PRAYER          TRADITIONAL                                        Blue Hymnal pg 16
 
Spirit of God, Descend Upon my Heart                CCLI 11259100
1 Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.
 
2 Hast Thou not bid us love Thee, God and King;
All, all Thine own: soul, heart, and strength and mind?
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling.
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!
 
3 Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
 
4 Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The baptism of the heaven-descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.
 
CHARGE
Gracious God give us strength to serve you faithfully until the promised day of resurrection, when with the redeemed of all the ages we will feast with you are your table in glory.
 
AND BENEDICTION
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, now and forever.
And all God’s people says alleluia amen.
  

 


​

The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire is to continue to be a warm and welcoming church that actively shows the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

youtu.be/h6gTWFfNx8M​
 
Feb. 07, 2021   

Mission slide
GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
Moment of Silence to Prepare Our Hearts for Worship  
Even before a word is on my tongue,
          O LORD, you know it completely.

We lift our praise to you, O Lord. 
Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them. Mark 1:31
 
He Has Made Me Glad             CCLI 11259100
 
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad
 
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad
 
Words of Praise   
Marty: Have you not heard? It has been told from the beginning of time, in the voice of the wind and the splendor of the sky?
Pastor Melody: Our Creator God is from everlasting to everlasting.
M: Lift up your eyes to the witness of the earth.
PM: God’s presence is here, in the plants and the trees.
M: Lift up your eyes to the canvas of the heavens.
PM: God’s praises are proclaimed by the stars above.
M: Lift up your eyes to the love of God.
PM: We lift our voices to sing praises to our Creator God!
 
There is a Balm in Gilead        CCLI 11259100

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
1 Some times I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again. (Refrain)

2 Don't ever feel discouraged,
For Jesus is your friend,
And if you lack for knowledge
He'll not refuse to lend. (Refrain)
3 If you cannot preach like Peter,
If you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say "He died for all."( Refrain)


Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
God of grace and glory, we come to you in our human frailty. We come faint with exhaustion. We come downtrodden with powerlessness. We come embarrassed by our sinfulness. We come sick with fever or burdened with sorrows. Bind up our wounds, O God. Heal our broken hearts. Forgive our mistakes and poor choices. Release our destructive thoughts. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer). . . Lift us up, that we may walk in your light, forgiven and free, renewed and strengthened, the delight of your eyes. In hope and gratitude, we pray. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon               
L: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, Creator of earth and sky,
is the God of grace and glory, embracing us with forgiveness and mercy, strengthening us with hope and courage.  Lift up your eyes and see. God’s love abounds in power. Because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
 
Gloria Patri
 
Passing the Peace
L: Since God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ, let us forgive one another.  The peace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Let us pass the peace of Christ to one another.
 
Prayer of Illumination
Open our eyes, our ears and our hearts, that we might hear you word, O God, and respond in love. Amen.
 
Isaiah 40:21-31
  Have you not known? Have you not heard?
          Has it not been told you from the beginning?
          Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
          and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
     who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
          and spreads them like a tent to live in;
  who brings princes to naught,
          and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
  Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
          scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
     when he blows upon them, and they wither,
          and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
  To whom then will you compare me,
          or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
  Lift up your eyes on high and see:
          Who created these?
     He who brings out their host and numbers them,
          calling them all by name;
     because he is great in strength,
          mighty in power,
          not one is missing.
  Why do you say, O Jacob,
          and speak, O Israel,
     “My way is hidden from the LORD,
          and my right is disregarded by my God”?
  Have you not known? Have you not heard?
     The LORD is the everlasting God,
          the Creator of the ends of the earth.
     He does not faint or grow weary;
          his understanding is unsearchable.
  He gives power to the faint,
          and strengthens the powerless.
  Even youths will faint and be weary,
          and the young will fall exhausted;
  but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
          they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
     they shall run and not be weary,
          they shall walk and not fa                                                                                                                                                This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
 
The Gospel Reading  Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
L: This is the word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God.
 
Sermon: Broken Things, Broken People          
     God uses broken things; for the world is full of brokenness; broken things and broken people. The Bible tells us; as do our Protestant Creeds; that without God, we are broken, not whole. We are born, sinful and it is only by the grace of God, the forgiveness of Jesus, that we are able to move away from brokenness. In today’s scripture, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is broken; that is, she is ill with a fever. Jesus heals her. And, she is able to go about her business; which was hospitality; serving Jesus and the Disciples. Jesus is the answer. In the healing of brokenness, people hear who Jesus is and what He has done. Later, He heals the brokenness of many, as the lame, the sickly, and those with demons were healed.

     Last Sunday, it was difficult to hear how our brokenness, how people’s fear, greed and selfishness, allowed other people to be enslaved and mistreated for generations. But healing and wholeness cannot begin until we see what we have done or what we have left undone by the words and actions of our ancestors; and by our own words and actions. Today, as we acknowledge our brokenness, let us also remember what has happened to the Native Americans. In her book, Waking Up White, author, Debby Irving tells about her early experiences about Native Americans. She grew in a small town in the northeastern United States; a part of the country that takes pride in being among the first white colonists to come to this land. She shares her memories of a mural painted on the library walls. The mural showed “Three feathered and fringed Native Americans standing with four white colonial men on a lush green lakeshore.” The mural stirred her interest in Native Americans. With the help of her mother, she checked out books about their life. Irving writes this, (and I quote,) “Colorful illustrations of teepees clustered close together, horses being ridden bareback, and food being cooked over the campfire added to my romanticized imaginings of the Native American life. Children and grown-ups appeared to live in an intergenerational world in which boundaries between work and play blurred. Whittling, gardening, cooking over the fire, canoeing, and fishing – these were enough for me. I wanted to be an Indian. I collected little plastic Indian figures, teepees, and horses. For Halloween my mother made me an outfit as close to the one in the mural as she could. Eventually, my infatuation let to curiosity. If I had descended from colonists, there must be kids who’d descended from Indians, right? I wondered if there was a place I could go meet them, which is what led me to ask the simple question, “Whatever happened to all the Indians?”

      “Oh, those poor Indians,” my mother said, sagging a little as she shook her head with something that looked like sadness. “They drank too much,” she answered. My heart sank. “They were lovely people,” she said, “who became dangerous when they drank liquor. They just couldn’t handle it, and it ruined them.” She went on to tell a tale in vivid detail about children hiding under a staircase, in pitch blackness, trying to escape the ravages of their local friendly Indian on a drunken rampage, ax in hand. They were all murdered.”

     “Well, what happened to the Indian?” I asked. She paused, thinking. “You know, I don’t know,” my mother answered sincerely. We both went silent. I don’t question that she believed it. She told me a version of a story as she had heard it from someone else, who also likely believed it (end of quote).”
I imagine most of us had a similar education about Native Americans and the white colonists. Perhaps since then, we’ve heard or learned more, but, it’s gruesome and long ago, so why now, Pastor Melody? Why now? Because we hear Christ and we know we are to make amends; to help heal the pain and injustice that our ancestors caused and we have continued. Hearing and telling the one-sided history puts all the blame on Native Americans. It’s almost if we are saying, “they got what they deserved.” Yet, we know, no one deserves being deceived, exposure to fatal diseases, and being over-powered by guns and warfare.

     I bring this up today because, as Presbyterians, we are following the lead of our denomination, and the guidance of the 223rd General Assembly. (REMEMBRANCE OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THIS PLACE PRESBYTERY OF EAST IOWA, 2021) The denomination and our Presbytery are encouraging us to look at the wrong messages we received in the past and to embrace the truth, so that we will see and treat our Native American brothers and sisters like family, instead of like the neighbor’s pet! The Presbytery read this statement before our meeting on January 23:  We recognize that we were not the first inhabitants of this place, and we honor the native peoples upon whose land we live today, even as we confess how our predecessors injured and destroyed the basic humanity of these peoples through deceitful treaties, forced re-settlement, hardship and poverty. We remember: The Meskwaki, the People of the Red Earth, a part of the peoples of the Eastern Woodland Culture, who suffered damaging wars with French and English peoples; people who were engaged in exploration and settlement on this land in the early 1700’s. As Euro-American settlement continued in the United States during the 1800’s, the Meskwaki were compelled to migrate south and west into the Iowa tall grass prairies. We remember also: The Sauk people of the Eastern Woodlands culture group in the Ojibwe (O-jib-wee) tribe. Closely allied with the Meskwaki people, the Sauk people resisted French encroachment into their settlements in the Quad Cities area. After a devastating battle in 1730, in Illinois, in which hundreds of warriors were killed and many women and children taken captive by French allies, Meskwaki refugees took shelter with the Sauk, led by Chiefs Keokuk and Black Hawk. At first Keokuk accepted the loss of land as inevitable in the face of the vast numbers of white soldiers and settlers coming west. He tried to negotiate with agents of the federal government to preserve tribal land and his people, and to keep the peace. Having failed to receive promised supplies from the Americans on credit, Black Hawk wanted to fight, saying his people were "forced into war by being deceived".[4] Led by Black Hawk in 1832, the mainly Sac band resisted the continued loss of lands (in western Illinois, and Eastern Iowa.) Their warfare with United States military forces resulted in defeat in the Black Hawk War. In 1841 and 1842, federal agents compelled the native American leaders to sign treaties untranslated from the English legal style in which they were written. These treaties did not promise co-habitation of the lands as orally stated by these agents, but rather stated that ‘the white citizens of the Territory have a right to expect that their community growth will not long be stopped by people, whose wild and savage character render them dangerous neighbors.’ The two tribes were bureaucratically merged and renamed, becoming the Sac and Fox Nation in U.S. government documents. And this large group were compelled to re-settle in Kansas and Nebraska, where smallpox outbreaks further decimated their population. The peoples were ultimately settled in Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. Only a small remnant of the Meskawki people was permitted to buy land offered near Tama, Iowa. In 1851 the Iowa state legislature passed an unusual act to allow the Meskawki to buy land and stay in Iowa with the restriction that they stay on this reserved settlement. May we remember by this example, that we should strive to live in peace with one another, recognizing the full humanity of the Other and the indwelling face of God in each person.

     This document from the PCUSA, gives us a fuller picture of what happened to the Native Americans. In Waking Up White, Irving writes, “The stereotypes we learned were incomplete. It’s true that alcohol was a factor in the waning of native people. But we are rarely told that it was the white colonists, who purposefully introduced alcohol to Native Americans, using it to weaken, subdue, and coerce them into signing over land and rights. We forget how disease brought by our ancestors infected and killed Indian men, women, and children, in some cases killing 90% of the Native Americans.” This declaration by the PCUSA does not tell us about the  “dehumanizing federal programs designed by white men to civilize Indians, separating them from one another and stripping them of the languages, customs, beliefs, and human bonds that had held them together for centuries (Waking Up White).”

     “This understanding,” says Iving,  “doesn’t help us understand what it might have felt like, for people as attached to their families and homes as we are to ours, to be torn from theirs. We haven’t been asked to imagine what it might be like to lose nine out of ten of our closest friends and family. We might not know that today native people use words like invaders and terrorists and genocide to describe the Pilgrims and their actions.” 

     Irving writes, “That her mother’s own upbringing had left her lacking the necessary knowledge and life skills to make connections to the present-day world through historical truths and critical analysis.” She continues, “Neither my mother nor I understood that moment as one of many in which she was racializing me. Without ever once mentioning the words “race” or “skin color,” my mother passed along to me the belief that the white people and Native Americans had natural human differences. Without meaning to, my mother gravely misled me. She didn’t do it because she was evil or stupid or had upholding racism on her mind. My mother was warm, compassionate, and bright. She told me the versions of events as she knew them, errors and omissions included. Over the course of my childhood the media confirmed my idea of Indians as “savage” and “dangerous.” I came to see them as drunks who grunted, whooped, yelled, and painted their faces to scare and scalp white people. This understanding further contributed to the idea of white people as the superior race. My mother’s story tells me that Indians were somehow “other,” like a whole separate and inferior species. Indians were drunks, so white folks must not be. Indians were dangerous, so white people must be safe. Indians lacked self-control, so white people must really have their act together. Indians weren’t good enough or tough enough to survive, but white people sure were, even when they drank liquor. Like drops of water into a sponge, moments like these saturated me with the belief that I was of a superior race and wholly disconnected from other races – except as a potential victim.

     On top of all of this is another critical point. Nothing we learned encouraged us to dig deeper, to find indigenous people and ask how they told their own history. As a result, I came to view history as something set in stone, printed in books, painted in pictures, and taught by teachers who delivered facts. I took it all at face value, constructing for myself a one-dimensional world in which people were right or wrong, good, or bad, like me or not.” (Waking Up White. Debby Irving. page 3-6).  

       I know this seems like a long time ago and like something that we don’t need to be thinking about. But, the way we learned the one-sided version of history, has brought us to the place we are today: one of racial division; one of systemic racism. As we have opportunity to hear and confess our past mistakes, our brokenness, we have the opportunity, right and responsibility to teach history from all voices, so that all people are respected and included as equal to one another. Jesus did NOT avoid Simon Peter’s mother-in-law because she was female or because she was sick. Jesus went to her, and, cared for her. Likewise Jesus was fully present to all who came to the door to be healed. The Good News is that God in Jesus came to us in our brokenness. God uses brokenness to make beautiful things. Paul says as much in II Corinthians 12, where he writes, “Three times I asked the Lord to take away the thorn in my flesh. But each time God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul declares, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Yes! God uses brokenness. It takes broken soil to produce a crop; broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. In a little while we will celebrate Holy Communion, where we take bread and juice, reminders of Christ’s broken body; He was broken for us. Now, in Christ we are made whole, so that we may go forward, sharing the full history of our land, the full history of our country and the full love of Christ. Because Christ Jesus has shown us how to be inclusive; how to make amends, how to offer the hand of fellowship. And, because, we are human; we will be broken again. Then, again, God will make something beautiful, from our brokenness. Again and again, in Christ, we will be healed, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
This is My Father’s World        CCLI 11259100

1 This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
 
2 This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

3 This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad! 
 
Offering
Doxology
 
Prayer of Dedication:
Precious Jesus, may these gifts of money and ministry be like wings to the exhausted and strength to the powerless. May these gifts bind up the broken-hearted,
and welcome the outcast. And may our offerings of time, talent, and treasure sing your praises and be a cause of delight throughout your marvelous world. Amen.
 
Break Thou the Bread of Life            CCLI 11259100

1 Break Thou the bread of life,
Dear Lord, to me,
As Thou didst break the loaves
Beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page
I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee,
O living Word!
 
2 Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord,
Now unto me,
As Thou didst bless the bread
By Galilee;
Then shall all bondage cease,
All fetters fall;
And I shall find my peace,
My all in all!

Holy Communion
Introduction: Friends, this is the joyful feast of God. Christ Jesus, the light of the world has gathered his people to commune at this table.  From the brokenness of addiction and oppression, trapped in lives of loneliness, struggling with poor health, buried in debt, living under a cloud of grief, we come to share a meal. Called from dark, dank caves, from shacks with no electricity, from homeless shelters, from jail cells, from hospital beds, from refugee camps, we leave our dark place and come to Jesus, our hope and our light. Broken, we come to share a meal, remembering and celebrating Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Come, come out of the darkness.
 
Great Thanksgiving: The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is a right, good, and joyful thing always and everywhere to give you our thanks, O God; for you created all that is and all that ever shall be. On the first day of creation, you said, “Let there be light,” and there was light; and you called the light good. From mountaintops to the deepest valleys, in daylight and in the darkest shadows, you call us to be your people. And so, with all your people on earth and the great cloud of witnesses in heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one
who comes in your holy name.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, O God, and holy is your child, Jesus Christ.
 
On the night before his death, among his friends, Jesus took bread; after giving thanks, he blessed it & broke it.  He gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat.  This is my body, broken and given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took a cup & passed it among his friends, saying:  “This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood.  Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Pray with me: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and juice. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may become one with Christ, who lived and died and rose to eternal life, an eternal blessing for the world. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until we feast together, at the heavenly banquet, in your eternal realm. Light of light, True God of true God, Spirit of holiness, we praise you now, tomorrow, and forevermore. Amen.
 
Holy One, Light of light, God of all creation, long ago you showed yourself in a in creation, in the rainbow and in pillar of fire. Shine in us, around us, and through us, that the world may see your glory in the faces of your people – lives changed in the light of your love. Bless these gifts, this meal of communion to strength us for your glorious work, bringing healing to our broken world. Amen.
 
 
Great Is Thy Faithfulness        CCLI 11259100
1 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.
Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)

The Prayers of the People
We pray for these, our family and friends,
Thank you God, for this day. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. We love you God. Help people who are hungry; people who don’t have a home and people who are sick. Thank you for the people who work to make our country, our state and our town a better place. Thank you for our neighbors, our teachers and the schools. Thank you for the rain, snow and sun. Thank you for clean, clear water, this earth and our clean air. Help us to take care of these gifts. We pray for people who are alone and people who are lonely. Help us to be helpful and friendly. Thank you for our church. We thank you for our families and friends, and these whom we now pray for:
Hear us now as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on earth, as in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive others.
Lead us not into temptation, but, deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, the glory, forever. Amen
 
How Great Thou Art                               CCLI 11259100        
1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:
 
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
 
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: [Refrain]
 
3 And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin: [Refrain]
 
4 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim, "My God, how great thou art!" [Refrain]
 
 
Charge
Let us go in our brokenness, out into the world, knowing that through Jesus our Lord and Savior, all things are made new. In Christ, we can do all things; we can serve others, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ,
 
Benediction
Now may the love of God, the peace of Christ and the community of the Holy Spirit be with you, with your family and with all of God’s family. Amen
 


The mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Le Claire is to continue to be a warm and welcoming church that actively shows the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

youtu.be/h6gTWFfNx8M​
 
Feb. 07, 2021   

Mission slide
GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
Moment of Silence to Prepare Our Hearts for Worship  
Even before a word is on my tongue,
          O LORD, you know it completely.

We lift our praise to you, O Lord. 
Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them. Mark 1:31
 
He Has Made Me Glad             CCLI 11259100
 
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad
 
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad
 
Words of Praise   
Marty: Have you not heard? It has been told from the beginning of time, in the voice of the wind and the splendor of the sky?
Pastor Melody: Our Creator God is from everlasting to everlasting.
M: Lift up your eyes to the witness of the earth.
PM: God’s presence is here, in the plants and the trees.
M: Lift up your eyes to the canvas of the heavens.
PM: God’s praises are proclaimed by the stars above.
M: Lift up your eyes to the love of God.
PM: We lift our voices to sing praises to our Creator God!
 
There is a Balm in Gilead        CCLI 11259100

There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole.
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
1 Some times I feel discouraged,
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again. (Refrain)

2 Don't ever feel discouraged,
For Jesus is your friend,
And if you lack for knowledge
He'll not refuse to lend. (Refrain)
3 If you cannot preach like Peter,
If you cannot pray like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say "He died for all."( Refrain)


Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
God of grace and glory, we come to you in our human frailty. We come faint with exhaustion. We come downtrodden with powerlessness. We come embarrassed by our sinfulness. We come sick with fever or burdened with sorrows. Bind up our wounds, O God. Heal our broken hearts. Forgive our mistakes and poor choices. Release our destructive thoughts. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer). . . Lift us up, that we may walk in your light, forgiven and free, renewed and strengthened, the delight of your eyes. In hope and gratitude, we pray. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon               
L: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, Creator of earth and sky,
is the God of grace and glory, embracing us with forgiveness and mercy, strengthening us with hope and courage.  Lift up your eyes and see. God’s love abounds in power. Because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
 
Gloria Patri
 
Passing the Peace
L: Since God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ, let us forgive one another.  The peace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Let us pass the peace of Christ to one another.
 
Prayer of Illumination
Open our eyes, our ears and our hearts, that we might hear you word, O God, and respond in love. Amen.
 
Isaiah 40:21-31
  Have you not known? Have you not heard?
          Has it not been told you from the beginning?
          Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
          and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
     who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
          and spreads them like a tent to live in;
  who brings princes to naught,
          and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
  Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
          scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
     when he blows upon them, and they wither,
          and the tempest carries them off like stubble.
  To whom then will you compare me,
          or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
  Lift up your eyes on high and see:
          Who created these?
     He who brings out their host and numbers them,
          calling them all by name;
     because he is great in strength,
          mighty in power,
          not one is missing.
  Why do you say, O Jacob,
          and speak, O Israel,
     “My way is hidden from the LORD,
          and my right is disregarded by my God”?
  Have you not known? Have you not heard?
     The LORD is the everlasting God,
          the Creator of the ends of the earth.
     He does not faint or grow weary;
          his understanding is unsearchable.
  He gives power to the faint,
          and strengthens the powerless.
  Even youths will faint and be weary,
          and the young will fall exhausted;
  but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
          they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
     they shall run and not be weary,
          they shall walk and not fa                                                                                                                                                This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
 
The Gospel Reading  Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
L: This is the word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God.
 
Sermon: Broken Things, Broken People          
     God uses broken things; for the world is full of brokenness; broken things and broken people. The Bible tells us; as do our Protestant Creeds; that without God, we are broken, not whole. We are born, sinful and it is only by the grace of God, the forgiveness of Jesus, that we are able to move away from brokenness. In today’s scripture, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is broken; that is, she is ill with a fever. Jesus heals her. And, she is able to go about her business; which was hospitality; serving Jesus and the Disciples. Jesus is the answer. In the healing of brokenness, people hear who Jesus is and what He has done. Later, He heals the brokenness of many, as the lame, the sickly, and those with demons were healed.

     Last Sunday, it was difficult to hear how our brokenness, how people’s fear, greed and selfishness, allowed other people to be enslaved and mistreated for generations. But healing and wholeness cannot begin until we see what we have done or what we have left undone by the words and actions of our ancestors; and by our own words and actions. Today, as we acknowledge our brokenness, let us also remember what has happened to the Native Americans. In her book, Waking Up White, author, Debby Irving tells about her early experiences about Native Americans. She grew in a small town in the northeastern United States; a part of the country that takes pride in being among the first white colonists to come to this land. She shares her memories of a mural painted on the library walls. The mural showed “Three feathered and fringed Native Americans standing with four white colonial men on a lush green lakeshore.” The mural stirred her interest in Native Americans. With the help of her mother, she checked out books about their life. Irving writes this, (and I quote,) “Colorful illustrations of teepees clustered close together, horses being ridden bareback, and food being cooked over the campfire added to my romanticized imaginings of the Native American life. Children and grown-ups appeared to live in an intergenerational world in which boundaries between work and play blurred. Whittling, gardening, cooking over the fire, canoeing, and fishing – these were enough for me. I wanted to be an Indian. I collected little plastic Indian figures, teepees, and horses. For Halloween my mother made me an outfit as close to the one in the mural as she could. Eventually, my infatuation let to curiosity. If I had descended from colonists, there must be kids who’d descended from Indians, right? I wondered if there was a place I could go meet them, which is what led me to ask the simple question, “Whatever happened to all the Indians?”

      “Oh, those poor Indians,” my mother said, sagging a little as she shook her head with something that looked like sadness. “They drank too much,” she answered. My heart sank. “They were lovely people,” she said, “who became dangerous when they drank liquor. They just couldn’t handle it, and it ruined them.” She went on to tell a tale in vivid detail about children hiding under a staircase, in pitch blackness, trying to escape the ravages of their local friendly Indian on a drunken rampage, ax in hand. They were all murdered.”

     “Well, what happened to the Indian?” I asked. She paused, thinking. “You know, I don’t know,” my mother answered sincerely. We both went silent. I don’t question that she believed it. She told me a version of a story as she had heard it from someone else, who also likely believed it (end of quote).”
I imagine most of us had a similar education about Native Americans and the white colonists. Perhaps since then, we’ve heard or learned more, but, it’s gruesome and long ago, so why now, Pastor Melody? Why now? Because we hear Christ and we know we are to make amends; to help heal the pain and injustice that our ancestors caused and we have continued. Hearing and telling the one-sided history puts all the blame on Native Americans. It’s almost if we are saying, “they got what they deserved.” Yet, we know, no one deserves being deceived, exposure to fatal diseases, and being over-powered by guns and warfare.

     I bring this up today because, as Presbyterians, we are following the lead of our denomination, and the guidance of the 223rd General Assembly. (REMEMBRANCE OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THIS PLACE PRESBYTERY OF EAST IOWA, 2021) The denomination and our Presbytery are encouraging us to look at the wrong messages we received in the past and to embrace the truth, so that we will see and treat our Native American brothers and sisters like family, instead of like the neighbor’s pet! The Presbytery read this statement before our meeting on January 23:  We recognize that we were not the first inhabitants of this place, and we honor the native peoples upon whose land we live today, even as we confess how our predecessors injured and destroyed the basic humanity of these peoples through deceitful treaties, forced re-settlement, hardship and poverty. We remember: The Meskwaki, the People of the Red Earth, a part of the peoples of the Eastern Woodland Culture, who suffered damaging wars with French and English peoples; people who were engaged in exploration and settlement on this land in the early 1700’s. As Euro-American settlement continued in the United States during the 1800’s, the Meskwaki were compelled to migrate south and west into the Iowa tall grass prairies. We remember also: The Sauk people of the Eastern Woodlands culture group in the Ojibwe (O-jib-wee) tribe. Closely allied with the Meskwaki people, the Sauk people resisted French encroachment into their settlements in the Quad Cities area. After a devastating battle in 1730, in Illinois, in which hundreds of warriors were killed and many women and children taken captive by French allies, Meskwaki refugees took shelter with the Sauk, led by Chiefs Keokuk and Black Hawk. At first Keokuk accepted the loss of land as inevitable in the face of the vast numbers of white soldiers and settlers coming west. He tried to negotiate with agents of the federal government to preserve tribal land and his people, and to keep the peace. Having failed to receive promised supplies from the Americans on credit, Black Hawk wanted to fight, saying his people were "forced into war by being deceived".[4] Led by Black Hawk in 1832, the mainly Sac band resisted the continued loss of lands (in western Illinois, and Eastern Iowa.) Their warfare with United States military forces resulted in defeat in the Black Hawk War. In 1841 and 1842, federal agents compelled the native American leaders to sign treaties untranslated from the English legal style in which they were written. These treaties did not promise co-habitation of the lands as orally stated by these agents, but rather stated that ‘the white citizens of the Territory have a right to expect that their community growth will not long be stopped by people, whose wild and savage character render them dangerous neighbors.’ The two tribes were bureaucratically merged and renamed, becoming the Sac and Fox Nation in U.S. government documents. And this large group were compelled to re-settle in Kansas and Nebraska, where smallpox outbreaks further decimated their population. The peoples were ultimately settled in Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. Only a small remnant of the Meskawki people was permitted to buy land offered near Tama, Iowa. In 1851 the Iowa state legislature passed an unusual act to allow the Meskawki to buy land and stay in Iowa with the restriction that they stay on this reserved settlement. May we remember by this example, that we should strive to live in peace with one another, recognizing the full humanity of the Other and the indwelling face of God in each person.

     This document from the PCUSA, gives us a fuller picture of what happened to the Native Americans. In Waking Up White, Irving writes, “The stereotypes we learned were incomplete. It’s true that alcohol was a factor in the waning of native people. But we are rarely told that it was the white colonists, who purposefully introduced alcohol to Native Americans, using it to weaken, subdue, and coerce them into signing over land and rights. We forget how disease brought by our ancestors infected and killed Indian men, women, and children, in some cases killing 90% of the Native Americans.” This declaration by the PCUSA does not tell us about the  “dehumanizing federal programs designed by white men to civilize Indians, separating them from one another and stripping them of the languages, customs, beliefs, and human bonds that had held them together for centuries (Waking Up White).”

     “This understanding,” says Iving,  “doesn’t help us understand what it might have felt like, for people as attached to their families and homes as we are to ours, to be torn from theirs. We haven’t been asked to imagine what it might be like to lose nine out of ten of our closest friends and family. We might not know that today native people use words like invaders and terrorists and genocide to describe the Pilgrims and their actions.” 

     Irving writes, “That her mother’s own upbringing had left her lacking the necessary knowledge and life skills to make connections to the present-day world through historical truths and critical analysis.” She continues, “Neither my mother nor I understood that moment as one of many in which she was racializing me. Without ever once mentioning the words “race” or “skin color,” my mother passed along to me the belief that the white people and Native Americans had natural human differences. Without meaning to, my mother gravely misled me. She didn’t do it because she was evil or stupid or had upholding racism on her mind. My mother was warm, compassionate, and bright. She told me the versions of events as she knew them, errors and omissions included. Over the course of my childhood the media confirmed my idea of Indians as “savage” and “dangerous.” I came to see them as drunks who grunted, whooped, yelled, and painted their faces to scare and scalp white people. This understanding further contributed to the idea of white people as the superior race. My mother’s story tells me that Indians were somehow “other,” like a whole separate and inferior species. Indians were drunks, so white folks must not be. Indians were dangerous, so white people must be safe. Indians lacked self-control, so white people must really have their act together. Indians weren’t good enough or tough enough to survive, but white people sure were, even when they drank liquor. Like drops of water into a sponge, moments like these saturated me with the belief that I was of a superior race and wholly disconnected from other races – except as a potential victim.

     On top of all of this is another critical point. Nothing we learned encouraged us to dig deeper, to find indigenous people and ask how they told their own history. As a result, I came to view history as something set in stone, printed in books, painted in pictures, and taught by teachers who delivered facts. I took it all at face value, constructing for myself a one-dimensional world in which people were right or wrong, good, or bad, like me or not.” (Waking Up White. Debby Irving. page 3-6).  

       I know this seems like a long time ago and like something that we don’t need to be thinking about. But, the way we learned the one-sided version of history, has brought us to the place we are today: one of racial division; one of systemic racism. As we have opportunity to hear and confess our past mistakes, our brokenness, we have the opportunity, right and responsibility to teach history from all voices, so that all people are respected and included as equal to one another. Jesus did NOT avoid Simon Peter’s mother-in-law because she was female or because she was sick. Jesus went to her, and, cared for her. Likewise Jesus was fully present to all who came to the door to be healed. The Good News is that God in Jesus came to us in our brokenness. God uses brokenness to make beautiful things. Paul says as much in II Corinthians 12, where he writes, “Three times I asked the Lord to take away the thorn in my flesh. But each time God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul declares, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Yes! God uses brokenness. It takes broken soil to produce a crop; broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. In a little while we will celebrate Holy Communion, where we take bread and juice, reminders of Christ’s broken body; He was broken for us. Now, in Christ we are made whole, so that we may go forward, sharing the full history of our land, the full history of our country and the full love of Christ. Because Christ Jesus has shown us how to be inclusive; how to make amends, how to offer the hand of fellowship. And, because, we are human; we will be broken again. Then, again, God will make something beautiful, from our brokenness. Again and again, in Christ, we will be healed, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
 
This is My Father’s World        CCLI 11259100

1 This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
 
2 This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

3 This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad! 
 
Offering
Doxology
 
Prayer of Dedication:
Precious Jesus, may these gifts of money and ministry be like wings to the exhausted and strength to the powerless. May these gifts bind up the broken-hearted,
and welcome the outcast. And may our offerings of time, talent, and treasure sing your praises and be a cause of delight throughout your marvelous world. Amen.
 
Break Thou the Bread of Life            CCLI 11259100

1 Break Thou the bread of life,
Dear Lord, to me,
As Thou didst break the loaves
Beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page
I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee,
O living Word!
 
2 Bless Thou the truth, dear Lord,
Now unto me,
As Thou didst bless the bread
By Galilee;
Then shall all bondage cease,
All fetters fall;
And I shall find my peace,
My all in all!

Holy Communion
Introduction: Friends, this is the joyful feast of God. Christ Jesus, the light of the world has gathered his people to commune at this table.  From the brokenness of addiction and oppression, trapped in lives of loneliness, struggling with poor health, buried in debt, living under a cloud of grief, we come to share a meal. Called from dark, dank caves, from shacks with no electricity, from homeless shelters, from jail cells, from hospital beds, from refugee camps, we leave our dark place and come to Jesus, our hope and our light. Broken, we come to share a meal, remembering and celebrating Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Come, come out of the darkness.
 
Great Thanksgiving: The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is a right, good, and joyful thing always and everywhere to give you our thanks, O God; for you created all that is and all that ever shall be. On the first day of creation, you said, “Let there be light,” and there was light; and you called the light good. From mountaintops to the deepest valleys, in daylight and in the darkest shadows, you call us to be your people. And so, with all your people on earth and the great cloud of witnesses in heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one
who comes in your holy name.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy are you, O God, and holy is your child, Jesus Christ.
 
On the night before his death, among his friends, Jesus took bread; after giving thanks, he blessed it & broke it.  He gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take, eat.  This is my body, broken and given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took a cup & passed it among his friends, saying:  “This is the cup of the new covenant, sealed in my blood.  Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup, do this in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Pray with me: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and juice. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may become one with Christ, who lived and died and rose to eternal life, an eternal blessing for the world. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until we feast together, at the heavenly banquet, in your eternal realm. Light of light, True God of true God, Spirit of holiness, we praise you now, tomorrow, and forevermore. Amen.
 
Holy One, Light of light, God of all creation, long ago you showed yourself in a in creation, in the rainbow and in pillar of fire. Shine in us, around us, and through us, that the world may see your glory in the faces of your people – lives changed in the light of your love. Bless these gifts, this meal of communion to strength us for your glorious work, bringing healing to our broken world. Amen.
 
 
Great Is Thy Faithfulness        CCLI 11259100
1 Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.
Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)

The Prayers of the People
We pray for these, our family and friends,
Thank you God, for this day. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. We love you God. Help people who are hungry; people who don’t have a home and people who are sick. Thank you for the people who work to make our country, our state and our town a better place. Thank you for our neighbors, our teachers and the schools. Thank you for the rain, snow and sun. Thank you for clean, clear water, this earth and our clean air. Help us to take care of these gifts. We pray for people who are alone and people who are lonely. Help us to be helpful and friendly. Thank you for our church. We thank you for our families and friends, and these whom we now pray for:
Hear us now as we pray as Jesus taught us, saying:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
on earth, as in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive others.
Lead us not into temptation, but, deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, the glory, forever. Amen
 
How Great Thou Art                               CCLI 11259100        
1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed:
 
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
 
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: [Refrain]
 
3 And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin: [Refrain]
 
4 When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim, "My God, how great thou art!" [Refrain]
 
 
Charge
Let us go in our brokenness, out into the world, knowing that through Jesus our Lord and Savior, all things are made new. In Christ, we can do all things; we can serve others, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ,
 
Benediction
Now may the love of God, the peace of Christ and the community of the Holy Spirit be with you, with your family and with all of God’s family. Amen
 


​

e love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
youtu.be/Cz48U8GleCQ
 
Jan 31, 2021   

Mission slide
GREETINGS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
  
Moment of Silence to Prepare Our Hearts for Worship  
Even before a word is on my tongue,
          O LORD, you know it completely.

They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
                                                                             Mark 1:27
 
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee                  CCLI 11259100

1 Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the gloom of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day.

2 All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

3 Mortals, join the happy chorus
Which the morning stars began;
Love divine is reigning o’er us,
Joining all in heaven's plan.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us sunward
In the triumph song of life.

Call to Worship
Pastor Melody: What are we waiting for? Let us praise the Lord, with joy and song.
Marty: Let’s shout God’s praises for all to hear!
PM: We are here to listen to God’s word and ponder anew the mysteries of God.
Marty: Our God is an awesome God, greatly to be praised!
PM: Yes; let’s praise the Lord! 
Marty: and, delight in God’s works!
PM: Praise the Lord!  
Marty: and, rejoice in God’s word!
PM: Praise the Lord!  
Marty: and, praise the Lord’s Holy name! Alleluia, amen.
 
Our God is an Awesome God  (3 times)       CCLI 11259100
Our God is an awesome God, who reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power and love, our God is an awesome God!
 
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
Mighty God, we love to hear your deeds of power and might, imagining that we would not tremble with fear, if we saw you before us in a pillar of fire or column of smoke. But as we wander, lost in our own wilderness, we know only too well our own fear and dread of being in your awesome presence. We come before you to confess our sins of pride, judgment, impatience, greed, lack of mercy and love. Have mercy on us as we confess our personal sins silently (time for silent prayer). . . Send us prophets to teach us your ways. Help us recognize them within our midst, so that we might hear your words in the lessons they teach. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Change My Heart O God           CCLI 11259100

Change my heart, O God
Make it ever true,
Change my heat, O God
May I be like you.
 
You are the potter;
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me;
this is what I pray.

Assurance of Pardon               
L: Who can rightly judge us? Only Jesus, because only He is perfect. But, Jesus does not judge; Jesus lived, died and arose, conquering the power of death over us. Jesus intercedes on our behalf. In the name of Christ, we, who seek forgiveness, are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
 
Gloria Patri
Passing the Peace
L: Since God has forgiven us in Jesus Christ, let us forgive one another.  The peace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Let us pass the peace of Christ to one another.
 
Prayer of Illumination
P: Let us pray:  Thy word, O Lord is a lamp unto our feet. Today, right now, help us to hear and obey your call on our lives. Amen.
 
Psalm 111:1-10
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;                                                                                       
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

Kum Ba Yah       verses 1-2    CCLI 11259100

1 Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah!
O Lord, kum ba yah!

2 Someone’s crying, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s crying, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s crying, Lord, kum ba yah!
O Lord, kum ba yah!

The Gospel Reading  Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy evil? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. ”At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
L: This is the word of the Lord.   Thanks be to God.

Sermon:         Fighting Evil
 
          Our life education – what we learn by listening and watching others starts early in our lives. Perhaps it starts with such simple words as, “Our family does it this way”; therefore, that is the right way. Pretty soon, we have it figured out that it is us against them. The us being whoever does and says things like us. The them being anyone and everyone who does things differently or who questions how we do things. Sometimes there are clear lines, people who look different or speak differently are usually not with us; not on our team; and therefore, are less than us. In today’s scripture there are two people who are different from the rest. First, there is Jesus; one who teaches and speaks with authority. Secondly, there is a man with unclean spirits, one who interrupts and causes trouble. Our scripture doesn’t tell us, but, be sure that this man was not welcome; he was different; he didn’t act like anyone else and he was considered unclean; and not good enough. Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the World, knew what to do. He ordered the evil out of the man, thus changing that man’s life.

          In case we missed it, the evil spirit, the sickness, that demon asks, “Have you come to destroy evil?” Jesus replied, with authoritative words and actions: “YES!” That’s what Jesus did. He destroyed the evil that was there. We, the well-informed people of the 21st century, usually have a difficult time accepting the idea of evil spirits. We’ve been educated; we’ve lived life … studied science and watched TV. Science says little about evil. And, yet … with some thought, each of us can name evil events; like the Holocaust, like the bombing of the southern churches and the lynching of so many African people, and the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9-11-2001. We can’t always see it in the midst of the event, but we certainly can identify it afterwards. Be sure, the evil of this century is just as possessive, just as ugly and just as demanding as ever. And, we certainly see evil on TV:  shootings and other crimes; evil that really, really hurts others; that destroys families and deeply injures communities.

           I think evil is lurking on the edges of our lives; and sometimes, evil is very present in our lives. We certainly saw evil last year, when George Floyd was murdered. I know it is an uncomfortable topic and one that most of us would prefer to avoid. But, today, we are talking about evil, so I thought it would be a good time to consider Racism. It’s not going to go away if we ignore it. Thankfully, there are people at work; people inviting us to join in. “President Biden signed four executive actions Tuesday aimed at increasing racial equity across the nation, a move the administration said was a big early step in his efforts to dismantle systemic racism” (www.washingtonpost.com › politics).

          In my mind, systemic racism is an evil we must eradicate. Examples of systemic racism include denying Black men treatment for Syphilis, because the scientists wanted to see what happened with untreated cases. “In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study. It was called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.” The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted WITHOUT the benefit of patients’ informed consent. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance. Although originally projected to last 6 months, the study went on for 40 years” That group of Black men had been misled and they were never given adequate treatment for their disease. Even when penicillin became the drug of choice for syphilis in 1947, researchers did not offer it to the subjects.  (https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm). NO wonder people of color mistrust medical care in these United States!  That kind of thing happened again and again: Blacks being mistreated only because they were Black.

     Let me bring systemic racism a little closer to home. Ever since World War II, white people have been afraid that Black people would lower the value of their property, so they often wrote laws to prevent that; they often had unspoken agreements with the real estate companies. When I was a student nurse in Cedar Rapids, I had a Black doctor tell me how much trouble it was to buy a house in Cedar Rapids in the 1960’s, even though he was a successful doctor. Difficult because no one wanted a Black family to live next to them. He said, his family finally had a friendly white man purchase the house and have a private sale to the Black family. These things are evil; these things are systemic racism. If we are not working to stop these practices, then we are condoning and agreeing with this evil; with these dangerous practices.

      Like it or not, we, who are not people of color, are part of that systemic racism. I know we want to say and we want to believe that we aren’t racist. But, because we are white, because we are Christian, we have participated, knowingly and unknowingly in systematic racism. Let me give you a few examples: we can’t understand the fear Blacks have when they are stopped by law enforcement. Fear that they could die at any moment. If we are honest, we are more like the woman who accused a Black teen of taking her phone, because he was in the same vicinity as she was and he was holding a phone similar to hers. African American men and boys are afraid to jog in their own towns, because running “makes them look guilty” even though they aren’t doing anything but getting exercise and enjoying the day. Sixty years ago, some people from our church worked to have a community garden in Le Claire, and invited African Americans to come, share in the harvest. Those from our church had their houses egged and their children bullied because they were helping African Americans. I’d like to think we have grown in understanding and compassion but, in OK and here in Iowa, I have heard things again and again. My youngest daughter was in kindergarten and went to daycare after school. One day on the way home she asked, “I’m sad because kids said I can’t be friends with Tamika, because she is black. But, Mom! She’s not black, she’s brown and she is my best friend. We have lots of fun together. Why can’t I be her friend?” I’ve heard countless adults saying, “I forbid my adult children from dating or marrying someone from another race.” When I asked if a happy marriage to a person of color would be better than an unhappy marriage to a white person, most said, “No.” Recently I had a white colleague tell me that when she told her mother that she was engaged to a Black man, her Christian mother didn’t talk to her for three days. Finally, though the mother did talk, apologized and asked for forgiveness. My colleague said we must keep working to rid our country, our world and ourselves of racism.

     Living in Le Claire we mostly see white people. In fact, for the most part, our experience with Black people is seeing their mugshot on TV. Hopefully, we are growing in our understanding that some African Americans are wrongly arrested, solely because they are Black and in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, some, maybe most Blacks are guilty of what they have been charged. Just as like most whites who are arrested, are mostly guilty of what they have been charged. My point is that as we watch TV, as we see commercials and TV shows with people of color, let us realize there are many, many successful, accomplished people of color in our state, in our country and in our world.

       On the advice of a friend, I am reading three books,  Waking Up White, White Fragility and White Rage, to increase my understanding of what was and what is. Our Presbytery is asking us, as Christians, to get out of our comfort zone and learn about the evil of racism so we can make changes. The Presbytery says, “The time is now.  We, the church, must commit our time and resources to anti-racism work.  As witnessed by the Black Lives Matter Movement and other efforts to examine systematic racism and white privilege, there is much to be learned before we can most effectively begin to participate in the building of God’s Kingdom where ALL of God’s people experience justice and the opportunity to flourish and live (MJS, PEIA). 

     Waking Up White, is written by Debby Irving, who describes herself as “a middle-aged white woman raised in the suburbs” (Page xii). She says, “No one alive today created this mess of racism, but everyone alive today has the power to work on undoing it. People are not born racist. Racism is taught, and racism is learned. Let’s try to understand how and why our beliefs developed along racial lines…” (page xii). Irving says, “The way I understood it, race was for other people, brown- and black-skinned people. I thought all those other categories, like Asian, African American, American Indian, and Latino, were the real races. I thought white was the raceless race – just plain, normal, the one against which all others were measured” (Page xi). Just like we think people in Iowa don’t have an accent, we often think white people aren’t a race. Irving goes on to say: “I believe most white people would take a stand against racism if only they knew how, or even imagined they had a role. When trying to understand racism, most of us have said or thought “What is going on here? I wish I could make a difference” (page xi). We tend to think “I can help people of color by teaching them to be more like me. And, racism is about bigots who make snarky comments and commit intentionally cruel acts again people of color” (page xi).

     “When, actually it is more about the idea of white superiority.” Irving writes, “I think of no bigger misstep in American history than the invention and perpetuation of the idea of white superiority. It allows white children and white adults to believe they are exceptional and entitled, while allowing children and adults of color to believe they are inferior and less deserving. Neither is true; whites are not better; people of color are not inferior; both statements distort and stunt development. Racism crushes spirits, incites divisiveness, and allows us to separate entire groups of people who, like all humans, come into the world full of goodness, with a desire to connect, and with boundless capacity to learn and grow”. Irving continues, “Unless adults understand racism, they will, unknowingly teach it to their children, just as I taught it to my children” (page xii). We did not start this, but unintentionally and maybe intentionally, we have perpetuated the idea that whites are better than people of color, in nearly everything. This is an evil that we continue to promote by our thoughtless words and actions.  Irving says, Racism is a “massive social dysfunction in which we all play a role.”  With some effort and thought, we can “discover our power to make the world a more humane place to live, work, and thrive” (Waking Up White. Debby Irving. page xiv).

          The Good News is that Jesus came to destroy evil and to free all of us from all evil, just like He rescued that man and that community we heard about today. Throughout His life, Jesus liberated people again and again by modeling God’s love. Jesus came not only to free us from evil but to EMPOWER us to join Him in defeating evil, with the power of love. Jesus showed us how to treat others, even as He explained the Golden Rule again and again, with parables, and with simple, powerful and authoritative actions. We can join Jesus, fighting evil. In the past, we have partnered with Jesus in destroying evil; so now let us learn about racism and work to make the world a loving place for everyone.

          Let’s watch this video that the Presbytery is using to promote a book study. The Mission and Social Justice Committee of the Presbytery is offering a book study during Lent. It will be via Zoom. If you don’t have access to the internet, you can come to church to join in the book study. This committee is providing grants so we can purchase the book at little to no cost to us. We will be reading White Rage, by Carol Anderson.

      Sometimes, we are slow in realizing both the presence of evil and Jesus’ amazing, authoritative POWER in defeating evil. But, when we see, hear and experience Jesus’ love, we are both changed and empowered to live changed lives: lives of love, gentleness, presence, forgiveness, healing and wholeness. As we embrace change brought about by Jesus’ power to defeat evil and, as we live into a brighter, more loving world, we are able to defeat evil.

     Today and every day, let us be open to learning more about better ways to live and work alongside all people including people of color. Let us be honest; that we are part of the problem, AND, let us be willing to learn to be and do differently. Because we follow Christ, who calls us to love one another as we are loved. And, because all people, regardless of color, regardless if they are the same or different from us, ALL people are God’s beloved; all people are our family, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Now and forevermore in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
 
Kum Ba Yah       verses 3-4    CCLI 11259100

3 Someone’s singing, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s singing, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s singing, Lord, kum ba yah!
O Lord, kum ba yah!
 
4 Someone’s praying, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s praying, Lord, kum ba yah!
Someone’s praying, Lord, kum ba yah!
O Lord, kum ba yah!

Offering
 
Doxology
 
Prayer of Dedication:
Let us pray. Precious Jesus, may these gifts of money and ministry be like wings to the exhausted and strength to the powerless. May these gifts bind up the broken-hearted,
and welcome the outcast. And may our offerings of time, talent, and treasure sing your praises and be a cause of delight throughout your marvelous world. Amen 
 
Prayer / Film by The Work of the People
A Prayer for the church by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lord…
We thank you for your church, founded upon your Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, 
but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon you. 
Help us to realize that humanity was created to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity. 
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace. 
Help us to walk together, 
pray together, 
sing together, 
and live together 
until that day when all God’s children 
- Black, White, Red, Brown and Yellow - 
will rejoice in one common band of humanity 
in the reign of our Lord and of our God, we pray. 
Amen. 
- The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 
 
The Prayers of the People
We pray for these, our family and friends,
Thank you God, for this day. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. We love you God. Help people who are hungry; people who don’t have a home and people who are sick. Thank you for the people who work to make our country, our state and our town a better place. Thank you for our neighbors, our teachers and the schools. Thank you for the rain, snow and sun. Thank you for clean, clear water, this earth and our clean air. Help us to take care of these gifts. We pray for people who are alone and people who are lonely. Help us to be helpful and friendly. Thank you for our church. We thank you for our families and friends, and these whom we now pray for:
Lords Prayer

Breathe on Me, Breath of God           CCLI 11259100
1 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

2 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.

3 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine
​.
4 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.

Charge
May Christ’s love transform you. May the joy of God’s grace sustain you. May, The Holy Spirit fill you with boldness to do God’s will.
 
Benediction
Now may the love of God, the peace of Christ and the community of the Holy Spirit be with you, with your family and with all of God’s family. Amen