Worship, June 18, 2021
Let us worship!
God’s a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
you’re never sorry you knocked.
Sing your songs to Zion-dwelling God,
tell his stories to everyone you meet:
How he tracks down killers
yet keeps his eye on us,
registers every whimper and moan.
Be kind to me, God;
I’ve been kicked around long enough.
Once you’ve pulled me back
from the gates of death,
I’ll write the book on Hallelujahs;
on the corner of Main and First
I’ll hold a street meeting;
I’ll be the song leader; we’ll fill the air
with salvation songs.
--Psalm 9:9-14 (The Message)
How Can I Keep From Singing?
My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.
Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing,
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?
While though the tempest loudly roars,
I hear the truth, it liveth.
And though the darkness 'round me close,
Songs in the night it giveth.
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
When tyrants tremble sick with fear
And hear their death knell ringing,
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?
No storm can shake my inmost calm,
While to that rock I'm clinging.
Since love is lord of heaven and earth
How can I keep from singing?
My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
How can I keep from singing?
How can I keep from singing? x2
A prayer to center you
Holy God, you are our strength and a might presence in our life.
In the midst of every storm, you are there beside us—sending us your peace!
We come to you this day, seeking that peace once again and searching for a space to lay down our heavy burdens.
Help us to set aside the worries of this world and our fear of the storms that rage within us and around us.
Grant to us your peace and help us to meld that peace into our darkest of places that we may cling to your hope instead.
Let us reach out to you, that you may be for us, a stronghold and a comfort in all that we face.
Still the tumult within us, O God, and whisper your peace!
Amen
Holy Words from Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Stills a Storm
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Reflection:
I read an article this week that had a reflection on the state of churches mow that we are hopefully approaching the end of this pandemic. It talked about the struggles that are before churches and pastors as we move into the new post-pandemic era. The article began with a colleague of the author having posted that he personally knew 28 pastors who had left the ministry in the past year. A sobering thought. 28 pastors who have left the ministry in one year. That is a large number. I, myself, changed paths of ministry this past year. While the pandemic was the not the primary cause, I cannot say for sure that it did not factor into the circumstance. Having not had personal, face-to-face interactions with the people or anything on the schedule did allow me to feel like I could step away from that congregation like I had never felt before.
As I have spent this time away from a congregation of my own, I have watched and listened to the concerns of my friends who have remained in the ministry over this past year. As the race for returning to ‘normal’ heats up so do the pressures that they are facing. The are hearing cries from all sides and attempting to navigate a way forward with no road map. People are so spread apart on their views of what and how to move forward. It continues to be a stormy time for many. The concerns of pastors, leadership, and congregation members are each real and the weight is heavy. I hear it in the stories from all sides and I feel it in my own life as well. It extends beyond the church.
The article went on to talk about how, as churches are opening back up, the tensions and issues that had accumulated and built up over the past many, many months were suddenly all coming to the forefront at the same time. The politic upheaval and issues facing society over the past year and a half are all coming to the forefront at one time. A storm of mounting pressure exploding at one time as people begin to gather once again. Issues that people have been facing over an extended amount of time have been allowed to sit and simmer for an extended amount of time allowing the pressure to build. Now, as we are gathering in person (in churches and outside as well) those issues have grown and the pressure is ready to explode.
This has been a time of extreme pressure, between the chaos in our political climate and the confusion of living through a pandemic it has been difficult. We have weathered a stormed and now we are stepping out of the storm into a new reality that we had never imagined—a new way of being that we are not sure exactly how to navigate.
We still live in a country and communities that might not see eye to eye on the way forward or eye to eye on all the events that have occurred over the past years. I know my family struggles to know what to do on the mask front on an almost daily bases. Three of us are full vaccinated, but the youngest in my family is not eligible, falling under the age limit. What do we do? We also live in an area where we know the likelihood of unvaccinated people going around without masks is high. Concerns still loom and decisions remain difficult.
As we walk this path of entering a post pandemic world with the inevitable storms awaiting us, we can lean on the promises of this mornings Scripture—that Christ is with us even in the harshest of storms and we can be at peace.
The disciples found themselves in the fiercest of storms. They feared for their very lives. As the waves crashed and the boat twisted and turned, Jesus was with them and at peace. In fact, Jesus was so at peace and unconcerned that he was sleeping soundly on a cushion in the stern of the boat. As the disciples panic, Jesus sleeps away. When they finally wake him, his response is “Peace! Be still.”
Was he talking to the ocean or the disciples or both? We may never know.
In the middle of the greatest storm, Jesus trusted in God to care for him and for those he loved. Jesus stayed in the boat with them, facing the storm without concern. That promise holds true to us.
In each storm we face, Jesus is in our boat beside us calling to us, “Peace! Be still.”
As we face storms and times of transition in our life, it human nature that we panic. Our nerves rise. Our tensions escalate. In the midst of crazy lives it is easy to become overwhelmed, to feel like a the rising waters around us will consume us. But Jesus stands beside us, wanting us to rest in his peace—desiring for us to trust in his peace. “Why are you afraid! Have you no faith.”
In the midst of storms it is hard to anchor down on our faith, but God is calling out peace to us. God calls to us to grab on to the strings of faith that will tether us to God’s peace. We just have to reach out and grab on, trusting in the promise of Jesus. Jesus stands by us to give us strength and courage to face each storm, each moment of tumult that we face. Jesus stands by each of us as he stood by the disciples in the boat.
We have some stormy days ahead of us as we continue to navigate our way through these unknown waters. Somedays will be smooth sailing and yet other will yield great storms as we move out of this time of isolations but let us grab on to Christ and anchor ourselves in our faith that we may move forward with peace and love at the heart of our intentions.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said—
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.“The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”
Prayer of Sending
God who calms the seas,
calm our souls as we leave this time and space.
May we know your peace deep within us everywhere that we go
and may we cling always to your hope and promises.
In the midst of the storms we face in life,
fill us with your confidence, may we always trust that Christ stands by us and your Holy Spirit fills us each step of each day.
Your mercies abound and your strength is limitless.
Let us cling to you!
Amen
Going out.
Go out into the world, even in the midst of the storm, surrounded by the peace of Christ Jesus and may you see all around you the love, compassion, joy, generosity, and hope in the Kingdom of God.
and in all that you do, may the love of Christ Jesus uphold you,
the peace of God sustain you and may the Holy Spirit guide you each step of the way
Let all God’s people say: AMEN
