The Celebration of the Gospel
July 13, 2014 —Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
March Chagall: Jacob’s Ladder
“Truly God was in this place and I— I did not know it.”
— Genesis 28.16
_________ We Gather as The Body of Christ_______
GREETING
PRELUDE Blessed Jesus, At Thy Word J. S. Bach
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Creator God, you are in this place.
All: God of light and dark, God of word and Silence, you are in this place.
Saving God, guiding God, you are in this place.
God within us, you are in this place.
We greet you! We thank you.
We worship you. Open our hearts to your presence, now and always.
SONG Holy, Holy, Holy Blue hymnal # 64, vv. 1,2,4
CHILDREN’S TIME
__________ We Attend to the Word___________
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving,
and all that is not loving.
By the grace that we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
SILENT PRAYER … THE WORD OF GRACE
RESPONSE Alleluia Black hymnal #2014
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of grace, surely you are in this place. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts. As we breathe in and out, you are around and within us. Open the depths of our souls. May we be present to you, who are so infinitely present for us. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Genesis 28.10-19
[Jacob has a dream in which angels move up and down a ladder to heaven. When he awakes he says, “Surely God was in this place and I, I did not know it.” ]
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Sarah and Abraham and the God of Rebekah and Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel;, though the name of the city was Luz at the first.
PSALTER Psalm 25.1-10
[A prayer for God’s support, guidance, forgiveness and love.]
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore God instructs sinners in the way.
God leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble a holy way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep God’s covenant and his decrees.
NEW TESTAMENT Romans 8.1-11
[Paul contrasts life “in the flesh,” or controlled by our self-centered anxieties and desires, with life in the Spirit—led by God. Our attempts to be good people, to live “by the law,” can’t actually heal our relationship with God or others, But God’s grace does. The Spirit, that raised Jesus from death, raises us from our sin into a life guided by God.]
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the controlling power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the controlling power of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending the Only Begotten in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, God condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to self-centered anxieties set their minds on self-centered anxieties, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are bound by self-centered anxieties cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the Holy One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through God’s Spirit that dwells in you.
GOSPEL Matthew 11.16-19, 28-30
[Jesus notes that whether God speaks through John the Baptist, an ascetic, or himself, who shares in feasts—either way, people find ways to reject them.. But the wisdom Jesus teaches is demonstrated by how his followers live. Jesus then offers a profound invitation to receive rest by sharing his burden of love for the world. ]
Jesus said, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another:
“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon’; the Human One came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Then he said,
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.”
SERMON
SONG House of God Worship and Song # 3132
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We love and trust you, God, eternal creator, present in all times and places.
We come to you, Christ, for you are here beside us.
We are weary and carrying heavy burdens. Give us your rest.
Place your yoke upon us, that we may learn from you;
for you are humble and gentle, and you give us rest for our souls.
We follow you, Christ, for your yoke is easy, and your burden is light.
We rely upon you, holy Spirit of God. By your presence within us
keep us, guide us and sustain us in lives of love for the sake of the world. Amen.
SONG Surely the Presence of the Lord Is in this Place Blue hymnal # 328
THE WORD IN SONG Ave Maria Schubert (Michaella Kendrick, Soloist)
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
PASSING THE PEACE
______ We Are Sent in Ministry to the World_____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Just A Closer Walk With Thee arr: Teresa Wilhelmi
OFFERING SONG Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Blue hymnal #95
PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you these gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Send us in the confidence of your presence, and the power of your love, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
SONG Sent Forth by God’s Blessing Blue hymnal #664
THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE A Mighty Fortress arr: James Denton