Worship January 8, 2021
Let us worship!
Opening words: The events of this past week have been hard to watch. We have been faced with great uncertainty, uneasiness, and even fear. The fragility of the nation we know and ALL love and believe in was questioned and challenged. Our faith in the basic decency of humanity has been challenged, yet again. The imperfections of humans shone brightly. So now let us turn to God and cling to the promise of hope that we find in Christ Jesus.
Words of comfort and hope from the prophet Isaiah from the 12th chapter verse 2
“Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
“Yes, indeed—God is my salvation.
I trust, I won’t be afraid.
God—yes God!—is my strength and song,
best of all, my salvation!”
Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water
from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you’ll say,
“Give thanks to God.
Call out his name.
Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he’s done,
spread the news of his great reputation!
“Sing praise-songs to God. He’s done it all!
Let the whole earth know what he’s done!
Raise the roof! Sing your hearts out, O Zion!
The Greatest lives among you: The Holy of Israel.”
Prayer to center you
Holy God,
the noise around us is loud.
Calm our mind and spirit this moment
That we may focus on you.
May we hear your voice speaking to us
And may we go out speaking your truth to others.
Amen
1 John 5:1-6
5Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth
Reflection:
This week has been overwhelming.
I keep hoping, I keep praying, that humanity is better than what I am seeing—
That these so called ‘Christians’ are better than what I am seeing.
This week however has left me disheartened!
As I read the Scriptures, what I see God calling people to through his son Jesus Christ is love. Love of God and love of neighbor. It is that simple, summed up in one word LOVE.
What I have seen growing in the United States over the last 6ish years, or maybe even longer, is not love. It is division. It is hatred. It is ugly. It is hurtful. It is exclusionary. It is evil. It is not what Christ calls us to as followers of his ways and my heart breaks!
That fact that, for some, this movement of hatred has actually been linked to Christian beliefs infuriates me— as a pastor and as a Christian. To use the doctrine of a loving, compassionate God to spread hatred and violence is appealing. God sent us his only son to show us how to be more kind in this world. Christ came and showed us another away. Christ set his ego aside, pride aside, and he loved all people. He loved those that society had casted aside, the sick, the sinner, the outsider, the underdog—he loved them. Christ Jesus came to show us how to care for those less fortunate than us, the immigrant, the widow, the orphan, the homeless, the leper, those afflicted with mental illness, those that society had thrown aside. Time and time again Christ showed us how to love all people, no matter their skin color, their race, their gender and even their sins. Christ came to love.
So how can anyone who acts not out of love but out of pride or ego or self-interest claim to be a follower of Christ, a Christian? How can any one who moves out violence and hatred claim to be a follower of Christ?
To storm the Capitol building. To attempt a overturn a government. To support a man who encourages this behavior—who is a racist, a sexist, and who could not care any less for those less fortunate than him, is not the way that Christ set forth! Those people should not call themselves Christians because they are not following the ways of Christ.
For those of us that believe in a loving and just God, for those who put their faith in a Christ who calls us to work for equality and justice for all people, let us put our hope in the fact that the terrorist attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 20201 did not win. Hatred did not prevail.
Let us put hope in that on January 20, 2021 a new administration will take over and the administration of racism and hatred will draw to an end, with God’s mercy.
Let those who believe in a loving and just God, a God of compassion and caring, work even more diligently towards the goals of that loving God. Let us work more diligently toward a just world for all people, toward a country where we love one another with a deep and true love, where we work for the good of all people, no matter the color of their skin, the gender they identify with or even the sins of their past.
Let us move forward living into the love that God calls us to.
Amen
To get you thinking…
*What is your biggest fear for the world we are in?
*What gives you hope in the midst of that fear?
*What is one thing you can do this week to combat that fear?
Prayer of Sending
Oh, God of majesty and might,
help us to be an example of your love and light in this world.
Move our hearts, feet, and hands to fight for justice and peace.
Let us love you with our whole hearts and truly work to love our neighbor in all that we do, supporting the least among us and giving voice to the love you call us to.
Let this country become more just, more loving and more understanding.
Open hearts and minds to the peace that you call us to.
Let all people who follow you act in love toward you and toward neighbor with the passion of the people of Christ.
May your peace come, most Holy God.
Amen
Going out.
Go out to love the Lord
and in all that you do, may the Lord our God guide you and uphold you
Let all God’s people say: AMEN
