A Place at the Table

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Stir up our hearts, Lord God, to prepare the way of your only Son. By his coming give to all the people of the world knowledge of your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Malachi 3: 1-4

¹See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. ²But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?   For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; ³he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. ⁴Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Luke 1: 68-79

⁶⁸Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel, you have come to your people and set themfree.
⁶⁹You have raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of your servant David. 
⁷⁰Through your holy prophets, you promised of old to save us from our enemies,
⁷¹from the hands of all who hate us,
⁷²to show mercy to our forebears, and to remember your holy covenant.

⁷³This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham: ⁷⁴to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear, ⁷⁵holy and righteous before you, all the days of our life. 

⁷⁶And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
⁷⁷to give God’s people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.
⁷⁸In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
⁷⁹to shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. 

Philippians 1: 3-11

³I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. ⁸For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. ⁹And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight ¹⁰to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, ¹¹having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3:1-6

¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, 
 “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
 ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
  make his paths straight.
 ⁵Every valley shall be filled,
  and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
 and the crooked shall be made straight,
  and the rough ways made smooth;
 ⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

God’s word comes to John in the wilderness around the Jordan River.  It is also in the wilderness of the political world: during the reigns of emperor Tiberius, governor Pilate, and “ruler” Herod.  Did you hear that?  The word of God comes to John when the people are under the thumb of the native ruler Herod, the local but foreign governor Pilate, and the final authority who sits above all, Tiberius.

This is a top-down look at the political reality of the day. This situates the word John speaks and the Messiah whose path John prepares, in very bottom-up terms.  The small, the unexpected, the apparently trivial comes as the answer—the answer to the problems of the hierarchical political structure under which it is apparently pinned. 

We are given a list of the “spiritual” or “religious” power-structure as well. Not only are Tiberius, Pilate, and Herod noted.  The high priests Annas and Caiaphas are highlighted as well. 

The word comes to John like a two-edged sword.  The word divides religion and politics and speaks directly to a wounded world.  So what is the word, which comes, interjecting itself in both the political and religious realms? 

John quotes the prophet Isaiah: Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

This quotation, in Isaiah, has to do with a promise of return from Exile. God will make straight paths through the wilderness, a smooth and easy return. This is about bringing the people of Israel out of bondage in Babylon and back to the Promised Land. The path is for the people; God-made, God-led. This is the proclamation of the prophet Isaiah, made to the people. It is declarative, promising, and hopeful.

Now John, instead of Isaiah, is the one who is out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. The people are called to repentance, to return themselves to their Lord.  This is the promise of the prophet himself.  John calls for a different kind of return to God.  His message is exhortation, challenge, command.

John preaches a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” John’s invitation is to ritual action, ritual cleansing.  This will be symbolic of a turning from sin and a re-turning to God—this is the call for us today. The baptism that John proclaims is not to be confused with the baptism, the one baptism, which Jesus brings. John’s baptism is summed up in the daily efforts to live into the grace, which is in Christ Jesus.

The appearance and words of John the Baptist often remind me of Eustace, a character in C.S. Lewis’ Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Eustace was a monster. Literally.

He did not start out that way. He began life as a boy – an annoying boy, a lazy boy, but still a boy. When Eustace got caught up to Narnia with Lucy and Edmund, he did not know what to do. A magical land? And when they kidnapped him to with that dreadful King Caspian fellow on a voyage on that terrible boat the Dawn Treader, oh horrors! So, when the ship landed on an uncharted isle and everyone expected Eustace to work, he ran away and hid. And then he took a nap. And when he woke up, he was a dragon.

It took a change in his form to make him realize what a monster he had always been. He recognized how dreadfully he had acted. That Lucy and Edmund and Caspian and all the rest of the crew were good people who had not kidnapped him. He was the one in the wrong. But now he was a dragon…and what could be done?

Sometimes it takes something drastic to wake us up and realize what monsters we all are. I do not know anyone who has been physically transformed into a dragon. However, I do know plenty of people who have lost friends, family, homes, jobs, and more before realizing what they were doing. I can point to times in my life, some distant and some recent, when I realized what a monster I had become. The truth is, these days it seems far easier to think about all the other people who are monsters, who need God’s forgiveness. 

And it is not just individuals, though I can come up with plenty of them, but whole systems that seem utterly broken and need of God’s mending. What can be done? Eustace wept great big tears… but he was stuck as a dragon. There was nothing he could do.

But Aslan, the great lion, was another matter entirely. After some days as a dragon, Eustace saw the great lion approach him. Even as a dragon, Eustace quaked in fear. He was not afraid that the lion would eat him. He was afraid of the lion himself.

The lion led him to a deep well. Eustace wanted to bathe…but the lion told him to undress first. Oh! Maybe dragons are like lizards. They could remove their skin. So Eustace raked his skin with his claws, and it came off easily without pain. But underneath lay a hide just as terrible. Eustace took of that layer…and found another terrible coat of scales. Again, and it was as if nothing had happened. Eustace realized he could not change.

But Aslan the lion approached Eustace. In the boy’s own words:

Then the lion said – but I don’t know if it spoke – ‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay down on my back and let him do it. The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought he’d gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling off the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off…and [he] threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. And After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone…and then I saw why. I had turned into a boy again…After a bit the lion took me out and dressed me.”

Eustace could not shed his skin. Only Aslan could free him from the dragon he had begun. Only Aslan could cut deep enough to sever those bonds. Only Aslan could wash Eustace. Only Aslan could dress him and put to death the monster in him. 

I honestly do not know how I feel about C.S. Lewis’ metaphor, of human beings being compared to monsters. I take Genesis One pretty seriously and will tell any person struggling with self-worth that he or she was made in God’s image and that God called creation, including the person I’m talking to, good. 

And at the same time, I look around the world, around the community, I look in the mirror and I know that there are times when I have been a monster. And there will be more times. We start worship facing the baptismal font to remember that in addition to being occasional monsters, we have been reborn children of God. 

Most Sundays we confess all that we have done and what we have left undone, sins committed and sins of omission. It’s a way of shedding our skin each week. And later we come to the table for bread and wine. We receive gifts of forgiveness and nourishment for the journey. This gives us strength to forgive others, part of what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. We are baptized at the font into ministry, ministry to bring new life and one way we do that is through acts of forgiveness.

Advent may not be the church season of repentance as we experience during the Season of Lent each spring. But on this second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptizer calls our entire world to repentance. It is not simply a call to say we are sorry. It is about a new perspective. It is about getting right with God–something possible in a new way because of the one for whom we wait, the one who is already Immanuel, God with us, Jesus.

Prayers of Intercession

In this season of watching and waiting, let us pray for all people and places that yearn for God’s presence.

A brief silence.

You send messengers into the world to proclaim the day of your coming. Make our bishops, pastors, deacons, and lay preachers confident in their preaching, that their words and our lives witness to your grace. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Send your Spirit to all living creatures that are endangered. Provide them with shelter and care, and bring us into right relationship with the earth that you create and call good. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Send leaders to our nations, cities, schools, and businesses to work on behalf of those who have lost parents, spouses, and loved ones; immigrants; the imprisoned; those living in poverty; and all who are oppressed. Make them bold in their commitments to justice and reconciliation. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Send your servants to care for those who suffer. Use our ministries and our lives to reach out with compassion to those who are hungry, oppressed, lonely, or ill (especially). Grant them healing and wholeness. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Send prophets to speak difficult truths, even when they are poorly received. Embolden those who ask hard questions and challenge accepted ways. Instill in youth and elders alike a passion for pointing to Jesus in all things. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

We remember your saints, both those publicly celebrated and those more humbly remembered. Confident that your work will be completed, we live in faith until the day of your coming. Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

God of new life, you come among us in the places we least expect. Receive these prayers and those of our hearts, in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and ever-living God, you anointed your beloved Son to be priest and sovereign forever. Grant that all the people of the earth, now divided by the power of sin, may be united by the glorious and gentle rule of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

 ⁹As I watched,
 thrones were set in place,
  and an Ancient One took his throne,
 his clothing was white as snow,
  and the hair of his head like pure wool;
 his throne was fiery flames,
  and its wheels were burning fire.
 ¹⁰A stream of fire issued
  and flowed out from his presence.
 A thousand thousands served him,
  and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
 The court sat in judgment,
  and the books were opened.
¹³As I watched in the night visions, 
 I saw one like a human being
  coming with the clouds of heaven.
 And he came to the Ancient One
  and was presented before him.
 ¹⁴To him was given dominion
  and glory and kingship,
 that all peoples, nations, and languages
  should serve him.
 His dominion is an everlasting dominion
  that shall not pass away,
 and his kingship is one
  that shall never be destroyed.

Psalm 93

 ¹The Lord is king, robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and ^| armed with strength.
  The Lord has made the world so sure that it can- ^| not be moved.
 ²Ever since the world began, your throne has ^| been established;
  you are from ^| everlasting. R
 ³The waters have lifted up, O Lord, the waters have lifted ^| up their voice;
  the waters have lifted up their ^| pounding waves.
 ⁴Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the breakers ^| of the sea,
  mightier is the Lord who ^| dwells on high.
 ⁵Your testimonies are ^| very sure,
  and holiness befits your house, O Lord, forever and for- ^| evermore.

Revelation 1:4b-8

^4bGrace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 
  To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
 ⁷Look! He is coming with the clouds;
  every eye will see him,
 even those who pierced him;
  and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
  ⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 18:33-37

³³Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

I have been singing the chorus to “Ride on King Jesus” in my head all week, preparing for Christ the King or reign of Christ Sunday. A few years ago the song leaders at our regional church conference led a workshop during which they taught us this gospel, in four-part harmony: “Ride on, King Jesus, No man can a hinder me, Ride on, King Jesus, ride on, No man can a-hinder me.”

Explaining what the song meant to the first people who sang it, one historian wrote, “The enslaved people had a powerful imagination that was captivated by the notion of having a king who was powerful enough that absolutely no one could “hinder” him. If Jesus could not be hindered, then they felt agency in their own lives as well, giving them hope. Some versions of this life-affirming song add, “He is the King of Kings, He is the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, the First and Last, no man hinders me”! This song captures the aspiration of the hearts of enslaved peoples. Jesus was born a baby, yes, but he was also a king, recalling his triumphal, un-hindered entry into Jerusalem (Eileen Guenther/CMH. “Ride On, King Jesus.” ).

I never know exactly what to do on Reign of Christ Sunday, a festival that can only be traced back to 1925. It is about the end of time which sounds gloomy and dour. But today is about imagining the world as it could be, as God intends it to be. The reign of Christ is breaking in. It is already and not yet here. Reign of Christ is about hope, the hope that enslaved people put in a King who no one could hinder, the hope we have as we wait for Jesus to be born in the manger, the hope we embrace as we imagine what Canyon County could look like for all of its residents. It is the hope that is ours when we ask what future do we imagine? We do well to listen to our various scripture passages for the day.

In Sunday School, many of us learned the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den.  But Daniel was also a dreamer. Grand associations of kingship fill Daniel’s dream. He dreams of the ancient one riding the heavens. Daniel imagines an eternal lord receiving dominion, glory, and service. He says, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.” The future is firmly in the hands of the one seated on the throne.

In the book of Revelation, we see a similar ruler. This one is a faithful witness of glory and power. He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” the beginning and the end, the one “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” This king is a liberator, but he is a strange one. This king challenges just about everything we associate with kingly power because the one seated on the throne is a lamb, not the first animal we connect with power and glory.

These two visions from Daniel and Revelation can make us gasp and make our hearts skip. The books of Daniel and Revelation were both written for people oppressed by the forces of empires—first the Hellenistic Empire and then the Roman Empire. Kingship and the reign of God ends up having a whole lot to do with turning things on their heads, subverting the power of empire, and bringing a new order. Daniel and Revelation are both talking about the judgment of the nations—history’s end.  

The word “end” points to the heart of Reign of Christ Sunday, and not merely because we are at the end of the church year and Advent officially begins next week. “End” means the passing away of what is. It means a transition so pronounced that we can say, “Things will never be the same.”  Facing “the end” means that we must finally recognize our attachments to what is now. This most often happens when some event or illness makes us face our mortality, but a text like today’s can have a similar effect. Ultimately, we must recognize our limitations as mortal human beings. 

In the scene today Pilate hears Jesus say, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Soon after this, Pilate sends Jesus to be crucified. According to Pilate, Jesus is guilty of treason against the Roman Empire. I do not think Pilate does this because he fails to understand Jesus. I think he sends Jesus to be crucified because he does understand Jesus. 

The reign of God was breaking through even then—through Jesus’ ministry among the people. What exactly is the reign of God? This reign of God is not just a reshuffling of this world’s power structures as they are. Jesus is not seizing the Emperor Caesar’s throne in order to replace Caesar. Jesus is not leaving Caesar or his generals in exile to plot a return to power. That would have been more than enough for Pilate to send Jesus to the cross.  But Jesus’ plan is far more radical.  Jesus is not seeking a throne in the world as it is. Jesus is inaugurating the end of this world.

To be clear, I am not talking about the destruction of the planet.  This is crucial to understand in the wake of the Left Behind series and other stories that send a similar message. Destruction of the planet does not make sense from a biblical perspective. There is a clear mantra in Genesis 1.  Each part of creation is deemed “good.” And when God made humankind God said it was “very good.” And the most famous Bible verse reminds us that God so loved the world that God sent the Son that we might have abundant and eternal life. God does not intend destruction for Creation or for humankind.

So, what do we mean when we talk about “the end of the world” in Daniel, Revelation, and the gospel?  We mean that a sharp transition is on the way.  Pilate liked the world ordered by empires. He did not like Jesus’ plan for a transition. Someone who likes the world ordered by empires will probably receive the news of the world’s end as very bad news, at least initially.  

We long for change, for daily changes and for big structural and systemic changes. Have you ever spelled out or drawn your vision for our larger community? One of my favorite writing exercises was for a poem whose title was Borrow My Vision. Borrow my vision and you will see, and I had to write all the things one could see in my picture of Canyon County as it could be. The next prompt was, “with my ears.” What sounds could we hear? Whose voices would we hear if the reign of God came fully to our region? Then “with my mouth,” “with my arms,” “with my mind,” “with my feet,” “with my heart.” Each one of us has within us a vision of the world and our locale as it could be if the reign of God was fully realized. 

This is a powerful exercise because it opens up our imaginations and helps us picture what we are working towards, not just what we might want to fight against. What are the small and large images, smells, and sounds percolating in your imagination as you dream about our region as it could be?

This week I have also been humming to myself Joy to the World, which is of course traditionally a Christmas hymn. However, it also fits today’s festival perfectly. It is so ingrained to us to imagine the Christ child while singing the first verse, but what if we imagined it as a prayer for the end of the world as it is, for Christ’s reign to come fully now, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her king; let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing.” The third verse imagines the world as it could be, “No more let sin and sorrow grow nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow.”

Every week we pray the Lord’s Prayer together and we ask for God’s kingdom to come. And each time two or three of us gathers, Jesus is come.  Each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, Christ is come—in the bread and wine, in the words “given for you for the forgiveness of sin.”  Christ is come when a baby is brought to the font and made a child of God, a member of the body of Christ, even when the infant has no idea what is happening. Every time we proclaim the Good News that the world of empires is passing away, and God’s dream for Creation is breaking through even now, Jesus is come. When we proclaim that Jesus alone is Lord, Jesus’ reign breaks through. Amen.  

Prayers of Intercession (Sundays and Seasons)

Eternal God, you hold firm amid the changes of this world. Hear us now as we pray for the church, the world, and everyone in need.

A brief silence.God, you sent your Son Jesus to testify to the truth. We pray for preachers, missionaries, evangelists, and teachers who carry your forgiveness and love to the world. Fill their words and actions with compassion and kindness so that your truth will shine. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God, you sent your Son Jesus to liberate all of creation. We pray for all living things longing for the freedom to flourish, from ancient trees and wild grasses to endangered animals and rare insects. Give human beings compassionate hearts to care for them. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God, you sent your Son Jesus to lead us into the way of peace. Direct the members of international alliances in choosing a nonviolent path toward the future. Give them the humility and wisdom to make just decisions to benefit all. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God, you sent your Son Jesus to make us into your own people, set free to serve you. We pray for people who serve the well-being of others, especially ministries in our community (local social ministries or agencies may be named). Renew them in their work. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God, you sent your Son Jesus to rule in all times and places. We pray for the friends of our congregation who are unable to join our worship in person and for all who are sick and suffering (especially). Join their prayers with ours and unite them with us in the body of Christ. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.God, you sent your Son Jesus to be our beginning and our ending. We give thanks for those whose lives have given us a glimpse of Jesus’ reign of justice and peace. Empower us to join their witness. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our hope and strength, we entrust to you all for whom we pray. Remain with us always, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, your sovereign purpose brings salvation to birth. Give us faith to be steadfast amid the tumults of this world, trusting that your kingdom comes and your will is done through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.

Hebrews 10:11-14 [15-18] 19-25

¹¹Every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” ¹³and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” ¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. [¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
 ¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will make with them
  after those days, says the Lord:
 I will put my laws in their hearts,
  and I will write them on their minds,”
¹⁷he also adds, 
 “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.] 

  ¹⁹Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Mark 13:1-8

¹As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” ²Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
  ³When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁶Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

My focus this morning will be on our passage from Hebrews chapter 10, particularly those final verses that seem to say a great deal to a people experiencing in-person gathering after some time away. I must admit that I have a weird relationship to the book of Hebrews. As a whole, it would perhaps not make my top-ten list of favorite books of the Bible and yet there are a few choice passages that I absolutely love.

The book is a sermon written for a community of people who were never eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus. The sermon addresses a situation of malaise experienced by Christians some decades after the ministry of Jesus ended. It brings a word of encouragement to discouraged Christians. They once had a vivid sense of God’s presence and later showed bold support for others during an outburst of persecution. Yet, as time dragged on, the malaise set in. 

The author attempts to embolden them by telling of the way Jesus went through suffering into glory, making a way for others to follow. As high priest, Jesus Christ brings others into a new covenant relationship with God. People are therefore called to persevere in faith, knowing that God will be faithful.

The passage most applicable to our life together today begins with some language that may feel as distant as the Middle East: 19 Therefore, my friends,^g since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

It helps to know that the inner chamber of Israel’s sanctuary was the holy of holies, where only the high priest was permitted to approach God. People like you and me simply would not have access to God. Yet here, the author of Hebrews invites all who have been redeemed by Christ the high priest to follow him into the presence of God in the sanctuary. 

The invitation flips everything. First the invitation does not refer to a physical movement into a holy place. Instead, the invitation is to a movement of faith. By holding firmly to the confession of faith in what Christ has done, people can approach God confidently in prayer and continue joining together with others in worship. 

It might be hard for us to imagine not having access to God through Jesus. In some ways that’s a good thing, it illustrates our familiarity with the miracle of the incarnation, God living among us. But we don’t want to fall into a type of malaise like the original hearers of Hebrews. 

The primary reason we read scripture, alone or in an assembly like this one, is to be reminded of the good news of Jesus Christ–bringer of salvation and healing for a broken world and broken people. God did not look down from a distant heaven and say, “There, there, it’s all right.” Instead, in Jesus, God entered into the full range of human suffering and tragedy.

The author of Hebrews has two interconnected goals: renew a sense of personal trust in this God of healing and wholeness and a revitalized commitment to life in community. It seems that this last chapter was a great time to nurture habits and practices in our personal trust in God. There was time and opportunity and need. 

Many of us experienced isolation, to varying degrees. In some cases, our bodies got sick. In other cases, our minds and spirits were hurting. I hope you found or rediscovered ways to connect personally with the God of healing and wholeness. The words from Hebrews were an exhortation for all of us, “let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” What is this “faith” the author speaks of? In the very next chapter we read, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for.” Bring to God your faith/hope or your hope/faith. And never doubt God’s own faithfulness; it is the thing that gives us hope.

In this particular moment in time, we may be more appreciative than ever that the author lifts up both the need to approach God on one’s own and the necessity of community. German Lutheran Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about this balance in his book Life Together: “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community… Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.” 

Why is the embodied community part of the life of faith? Can’t we simply know that Christian community exists? Is actual participation necessary? When participation is possible, we would have to say yes, because that’s how Jesus set it up. Following Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, being Christian means being part of a meal-fellowship. 

Hearing the Word and gathering at the table is central to who we are and how we are shaped. We return to the table to meet one another and to encounter the risen Christ in wine and bread. We are sent from the table for, as this morning’s author says, love and good deeds. As the author is exhorting the original readers, so the readers are to exhort one another.  

“And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” The author’s specific words are almost eerie to me, as if peering centuries ahead into America’s culture of individualism. The writer emphasizes that these practices are best cultivated within the life of the Christian community as it comes together to worship, enjoy fellowship, and provoke one another to acts of Christlike service.

Before her Affirmation of Baptism, Diane talked about how our Confirmation classes gave her an opportunity to be around other people who had the same questions, which helped her feel more comfortable asking questions about faith. Children and youth who attend Luther Heights Bible Camp share a similar sentiment, that being around other youth who are on similar faith journeys buoys them. Jason summed this up in his quote in the recent camp publication. Reflecting on the program the final night of camp he wrote, “it gave us time to slow down, realize how much we had grown, how each of us were different but had many gifts, and God’s love for us.”

Most of us have been adults for quite a while, but I would venture to bet that each of us still needs that kind of experience. That’s hopefully the chief reason we show up in assemblies like this one. Where exactly we meet is not nearly as important as what we do: hear the Word, share the meal, pray for the world, be sent out for love and good deeds.

Dorothy Day puts it this way, “We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know [God] in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone anymore. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship.

We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

Thanks be to God.

Prayers of Intercession (from Sundays and Seasons)

Eternal God, you hold firm amid the changes of this world. Hear us now as we pray for the church, the world, and everyone in need.

A brief silence.God our creator, you show us the path of life. Bless faithful people everywhere with humility as they extend compassion to those who have experienced harm in religious spaces. Cultivate healthy congregations that tell of and enact your reconciling love. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our constant, you love our universe from beginning to end. As the seasons change, protect animals that migrate and hibernate. Bring them safely to a sheltered place and a more abundant season. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our ruler, you write your law on human minds and hearts. Give wisdom to all elected leaders and officials to govern with insight and compassion. Make them mindful of the well-being of all people so that your world will flourish. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our stronghold, you are present amid disaster. We pray for those affected by natural disasters (recent natural disasters may be named). Come to the aid of all survivors of earthquakes, famines, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, and the first responders who support them. Calm their fear, supply their need, and be the solid ground beneath their feet. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our guide, you are greater than we can imagine. Surround congregations with your expansive inclusion. Be present in the midst of disagreements, differences, and questions. Unite people of diverse viewpoints in the love of Christ. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

Here other intercessions may be offered.God our beginning and our end, your beloved people shine like the brightness of the sky. We thank you for the lives of all who rest in your eternal mercy, from famous saints to the people we have loved (especially). Assure us of your resurrection promise. God, in your mercy,hear our prayer.

God our hope and strength, we entrust to you all for whom we pray. Remain with us always, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.

Isaiah 25:6-9

 ⁶On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
  a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
  of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
 ⁷And he will destroy on this mountain
  the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
  the sheet that is spread over all nations;
  ⁸he will swallow up death forever.
 Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
  and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
  for the Lord has spoken.
 ⁹It will be said on that day,
  Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
  This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
  let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 24

 ²For the Lord has founded it up- ^| on the seas
  and established it up- ^| on the rivers. 
 ³Who may ascend the mountain ^| of the Lord,
  and who may stand in God’s ^| holy place?
 ⁴Those of innocent hands and puri- ^| ty of heart,
  who do not swear on God’s being, nor do they pledge by ^| what is false.
 ⁵They shall receive blessing ^| from the Lord
  and righteousness from the God of ^| their salvation.
 ⁶Such is the generation of those who seek ^| you, O Lord,
  of those who seek your face, O ^| God of Jacob. 
 ⁷Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ever- ^| lasting doors,
  that the King of glory ^| may come in.
 ⁸Who is this ^| King of glory?
  The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, might- ^| y in battle!
 ⁹Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ever- ^| lasting doors,
  that the King of glory ^| may come in.
 ¹⁰Who is this ^| King of glory?
  Truly, the Lord of hosts is the ^| King of glory.

Revelation 21:1-6a

¹I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ²And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 
 “See, the home of God is among mortals.
 He will dwell with them;
 they will be his peoples,
 and God himself will be with them;
 ⁴he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
 Death will be no more;
 mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
 for the first things have passed away.”
  ⁵And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” ^6aThen he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

John 11:32-44

³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” ³⁷But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

  ³⁸Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

Someone wise pointed out the combination of complaint and confidence in this morning’s gospel story. Mary says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” In that one statement alone, we hear the complaint that Jesus was not here and the confidence that he is able to heal, to overcome death.

Mary’s words and their motivations speak volumes for what it has always meant to be a follower of Jesus. But they are especially appropriate for All Saints Sunday–when we grieve the ones who have died and simultaneously confess our faith in a God of resurrection. Complaint and confidence. These two words may also capture how we feel and what we want to express in every challenging season of life.

We were dropped into the middle of the story this morning. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. His death is final. Jesus did not come when he first heard that Lazarus was ill. He delayed so he could show God’s glory. In raising Lazarus, Jesus conquers death. 

Raising Lazarus from the dead was Jesus’ seventh and greatest sign. This sign was also the final straw. The decision to put Jesus to death results from his giving life to Lazarus. The village of Bethany, the scene for this text, is just east of Jerusalem. As he performs his last sign, Jesus is approaching his own death and resurrection. Raising Lazarus is the miracle, but more awesome is what is being illustrated.

Earlier in the story, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” God has power over life and death. Today’s text from Isaiah is clear about this. “God will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; God will swallow up death forever.” 

Jesus is one with the Father and he shares God’s power over life and death. But Jesus is not only one with God. He is fully human. Because he has so clearly identified with us, his death becomes our death. But his resurrection also becomes our resurrection. This resurrection gives us freedom to face the future in a counter-cultural way.

Today, we are again reminded that what truly gives life is Jesus himself. Jesus raised each one of us in holy baptism. In the waters of the baptismal font, we hear God speak this word of life and resurrection. Lifting us out of the waters, God frees us from death and dresses us in the royal clothing of Christ. At the table, we feast with the God who swallows up death forever. The holy meal is a foretaste of the great and promised feast where death and pain will be no more. The last word is not death, but life as a beloved child of God.

So Jesus is the giver of life. But we are the ones who unbind. Jesus tells us, as he told the onlookers by Lazarus’ tomb, unbind him. “Unbind one another,” Jesus commands us. We might be called to unbind one another from obsessing about how to take control of our lives. We might be called to help unbind so many from fear. Or maybe we are called to physically unbind people from abusive relationships or other conflicts. 

One challenge of following Jesus is discerning the specific calling to unbind. It varies by context. But wherever we are located, we have freedom, freedom to care for the world God has made. Our hope is no longer that we might escape from this world. Escaping this world is neither the goal nor the hope nor the focus. Jesus turns things on their head. Our hope is transformed. Our hope is in God’s plan of healing and reconciliation and recovery for the world.

Today we lift before God those who, during the past year were brought into the sainthood through the waters of Holy Baptism. We lift before God those who, during the past year, entered into the eternal sainthood of the Church. In Jesus, death will be no more. In Jesus, God makes a home with humankind and all creation. 

I love All Saints Sunday because we remember the giants of the faith who have gone before us and set an example. In my first internship church in Chicago we had banners up on this Sunday of modern saints, people not yet canonized by our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters but recognized as pillars: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Junior, and Oscar Romero. Every continent and country and ministry can lift up and be influenced by particular saints who create the great cloud of witnesses.

On All Saints Sunday, we also take time to remember all those who have died in the past year. We know through conversations with one another and through the prayer concerns listed in our bulletin that many of us have lost family members and friends dear to us, some listed but many are not. 

Losing people is hard and painful and life is not the same after someone we love dies. When Jesus learns that Lazarus has died, he is greatly disturbed. His world is not the same. The same is true for us, and no one should belittle another individual’s or community’s grief. It is right and good to take time to honor our grief.

Finally, All Saints Sunday reminds us that we Christians mourn death in a particular way. We grieve, to be sure. But we grieve as a people with hope. We trust that resurrection follows death. We cling to those promises made in Holy Baptism. When we place the white funeral pall over a coffin, we remember that our loved one remains clothed with Christ.

What do we pray in the midst of our collective story, our grief and our hope? I’d like to close with the prayer from our graveside committal service. Let us pray, “Holy God, holy and powerful, by the death and burial of Jesus your anointed, you have destroyed the power of death and made holy the resting places of all your people.  Keep our brother safe, whose body we now lay to rest, in the company of all your saints.  And at the last, O God, raise him up to share with all the faithful the endless joy and peace won through the glorious resurrection of Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.”

Prayers of Intercession

Eternal God, you hold firm amid the changes of this world. Hear us now as we pray for the church, the world, and everyone in need.

A brief silence.Merciful God, we give thanks for all missionaries who have brought your message of hope to new communities and wiped tears away (especially John Christian Frederick Heyer, Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg, Ludwig Nommensen whom we commemorate today). Continue to raise up courageous missionaries to share your gospel of hope. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Creating God, we praise you for abundant harvests and the goodness of creation. Create communities of care for your earth so that all land, water, and soil will be celebrated and cherished by future generations of saints. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of peace, we give you thanks for nations of peace that serve as a refuge for all whose homelands are afflicted with violence. Strengthen those who continue to work for peace and support all veterans who carry the scars of war. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of healing, we give you thanks for health care workers who labor around the clock to answer cries for help. Bring wholeness to all who struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addiction, and all who long for healing in any way (especially). Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God of justice, we praise you for the feeding ministries and for all meals that bring people together for nourishment and fellowship. Bless chefs, bakers, servers, dishwashers, communion assistants, and meal ministry coordinators. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.God of the ages, we give you thanks for the saints of this congregation who have inspired, challenged, loved, and taught us (those who have died during the past year may be named). Wipe away our tears and lead us by their example until we feast together on your holy mountain. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

God our protection and strength, we entrust to you all for whom we pray. Remain with us always, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, gracious Lord, we thank you that your Holy Spirit renews the church in every age. Pour out your Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep them steadfast in your word, protect and comfort them in times of trial, defend them against all enemies of the gospel, and bestow on the church your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

[Moses said to the people,] ¹Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, ²so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. ³Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
  ⁴Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. ⁶Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. ⁷Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. ⁸Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, ⁹and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Psalm 119:1-8

 ¹Happy are they whose ^| way is blameless,
  who follow the teaching ^| of the Lord!
 ²Happy are they who observe ^| your decrees
  and seek you with ^| all their hearts,
 ³who never do ^| any wrong,
  but always walk ^| in your ways.
 ⁴You laid down ^| your commandments,
  that we should ^| fully keep them. 
 ⁵Oh, that my ways were made ^| so direct
  that I might ^| keep your statutes!
 ⁶Then I should not be ^| put to shame,
  when I regard all ^| your commandments.
 ⁷I will thank you with ^| a true heart,
  when I have learned your ^| righteous judgments.
 ⁸I will ^| keep your statutes;
  do not utter- ^| ly forsake me. 

Mark 12:28-34

²⁸One of the scribes came near and heard [Jesus and the Sadducees] disputing with one another, and seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” ²⁹Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; ³⁰you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ³²Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; ³³and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” ³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Sermon – Pastor Meggan Manlove

What a great gospel for a festival Sunday! This morning we will all participate as Diane affirms her baptism in the presence of this assembly. I will ask her if she intends to continue in the covenant God made with her in holy baptism, specifically to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. 

At the heart of these collective promises and at the heart of the Christian faith are the two great commandments that Jesus names in Mark chapter 12: Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. These commands provide the framework for ethical thinking and actions, theological reflection, and biblical interpretation. They also guide much of our instruction and conversations in Confirmation classes. So, echoes of the two great commandments were heard in Diane’s responses just moments ago.

It should not surprise us that Jesus first quotes Deuteronomy 6, known as the Shema: Hear O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This was central to the people’s identity and life. More surprising is Jesus quoting the verse from Leviticus.

It may help us to know that this verse is the culmination of a litany of commands prohibiting the oppression and exploitation of the weak and poor. The litany includes- leave your field for the sojourner to glean, do not steal, deal falsely, or profane God, do not oppress the neighbor, exploit the employees, or discriminate against the disabled; do not show partiality in judgment. 

The two commands Jesus names make us ask if our words and actions reflect and embody love of God and love of neighbor. When we read Scripture, we might ask whether the text inspires us to love God and neighbor. The 16^th century church reformers, who we also celebrate today, knew that love of God and love of neighbor needed some specificity, needed interpretation for each time and space. 

Martin Luther’s explanations of the Ten Commandments adds a positive command, instructing us what to do after explaining what we shall not do. The explanations are surprisingly relevant today. Take for example his explanation to the 7^th Commandment, you shall not steal: “We are to fear and love God, so that we neither take our neighbors’ money or property nor acquire them by using shoddy merchandise or crooked deals, but instead help them to improve and protect their property and income.” 

Or the explanation to the 8th commandment, you shall not bear false witness: “We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead, we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.”

Neighbor love has always been about both our daily interactions with individuals (co-workers, next door neighbors, strangers on the interstate) and changing the systems and networks we all live in. Yes, it absolutely matters how we treat the cashier and the relative with whom we disagree on everything. Neighbor love is also expressed in how we spend our money and time and how we vote. 

Interconnected to our love for God and love of neighbor is self-love, which Jesus’ words absolutely imply. One of my teachers [RHW] writes powerfully about this: “My faith journey has led me to understand that loving yourself is necessary to loving others. The more that I have leaned into God’s love for me, the more that I understand how revolutionary and absolutely necessary it is to love myself, without apology. And when I love myself and my God, I can love others in ways that I didn’t even know were possible.” 

I, Meggan, think it is no accident that Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. If there is not deep, authentic, self-love, it’s nearly impossible to truly love our neighbors. 

We are called back, once again, to the heart of faith for the sake of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ words to the questioning scribe offer a sharp critique of the teachings of the scribes, who have been guardians of the religious establishment. At every turn the scribes have opposed Jesus with questions about his authority and the source of his power. 

Jesus has demonstrated that the scribes are on the wrong side of the work of God. But in today’s story, a scribe stands in solidarity with Jesus. The scribe shares Jesus’ anguish over a temple cult that has lost its soul and purpose, its moral authority, its heart for renewal, and can no longer hear, discern ore respond to God’s voice. 

Martin Luther and the other reformers were not Christ come again. They were flawed human beings. And yet their legacy of reforming the church is one worth celebrating. Maybe it is their very imperfections that give us hope today–hope that we who follow in their footsteps can reform the church once again, help bring the larger church back to these two crucial commands. 

Instead of pointing fingers at who is getting it wrong, we can show love and acceptance to people who have been hurt by the church. Instead of fighting over all that might divide us we can come together over neighbor-love practices that most of us agree on, such as food access, affordable housing, child poverty, saving the planet, and sharing the good news about a God who first loves us with abundance.

Today we celebrate this good news. In the ministry of Jesus, the proclamation of the good news is accompanied by the casting out of demons and the healing of many who are sick. It is the good news of God that does not command, coerce, or mandate love, but rather evokes worship, love and obedience. 

The story of love is not complete until we see the cross of Jesus and power of God wielded there. The Gospel presents us with love, worship, and discipleship. It invites us to anticipate that the scribe will experience the full life of love of God, neighbor, and self when love embraces him. In joyful response, we follow where only love can lead.

Prayers of Intercession (adapted from Sundays and Seasons by Mary Braudrick)

Made children and heirs of God’s promise, we pray for the church, the world, and all in need. (A brief silence)

God of true might and redemptive mercy, We pray for all who long for a word of truth and long for the radical grace that flows from the cross. Inspire congregations to freely and boldly proclaim your love for all people, with persistence and hope. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.God of new beginnings, 

We pray for your creation, for mountains, rivers, streams, cities, homesteads and neighborhoods. Write on our hearts a new love and care for creation. Give us the will to curb wasteful habits. May we hold accountable those people who have not cared enough and have damaged the earth. May we do our part to restore it. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, the giver of life, You intend for humans to live together in peace. In these days of grief over gun violence, we pray for your presence among us. We remember before you the victims in the recent shooting in our community: Jo Acker and Roberto Padilla Arguelles. Bring comfort to their families whose lives are forever changed. Grant healing and wholeness to the survivors who were wounded or traumatized. Each name you know. May your mercy be upon the one who fired the weapon and also died; whose name you also know. Console his family with your grace. We commend them ALL to your steadfast love. Lord in your mercy,Hear our prayer.

God of compassion,We give you thanks for the first responders, for police officers, firefighters, EMTs and all who offer compassionate aid in situations of tragedy.  Give them courage, sound judgement, safety and support as they risk their lives for others. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. 

God of justice, We pray for all who aspire to public office and for all who will vote on Tuesday at local polling places. May we see clearly our civic duty to vote as appropriate. Pour wisdom and understanding upon all who govern so that communities of justice and peace may thrive. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

God of righteousness, We pray for all who, in these present days, seek to grow in faith and love of you. We give you thanks for all the saints and reformers who have gone before us who dwell in your holy habitation. Give us courage through their example to challenge unjust systems and work toward life-giving reformation. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. 

God of peace, By your mercy, make us instruments of your peace. Receive these earnest, spoken prayers, O God, and those in our hearts known only to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Prayer of the Day

Eternal light, shine in our hearts. Eternal wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance. Eternal compassion, have mercy on us. Turn us to seek your face, and enable us to reflect your goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.Amen.

Job 42:1-6, 10-17

¹Job answered the Lord:
 ²“I know that you can do all things,
  and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
 ³‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
 Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
  things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
 ⁴‘Hear, and I will speak;
  I will question you, and you declare to me.’
 ⁵I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
  but now my eye sees you;
 ⁶therefore I despise myself,
  and repent in dust and ashes.”
  ¹⁰And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. ¹¹Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lordhad brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. ¹²The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. ¹³He also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. ¹⁵In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. ¹⁶After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. ¹⁷And Job died, old and full of days.

Psalm 34:1-8 [19-22]

 ¹I will bless the Lord^| at all times;
  the praise of God shall ever be ^| in my mouth.
 ²I will glory ^| in the Lord;
  let the lowly hear ^| and rejoice.
 ³Proclaim with me the greatness ^| of the Lord;
  let us exalt God’s ^| name together.
 ⁴I sought the Lord, who ^| answered me
  and delivered me from ^| all my terrors. 
 ⁵Look upon the Lord^| and be radiant,
  and let not your faces ^| be ashamed.
 ⁶I called in my affliction, and ^| the Lord heard me
  and saved me from ^| all my troubles.
 ⁷The angel of the Lord encamps around those who ^| fear the Lord
  and de- ^| livers them.
 ⁸Taste and see that the ^| Lord is good;
  happy are they who take ref- ^| uge in God! 
 ¹⁹Many are the troubles ^| of the righteous,
  but the Lord delivers them from ^| every one.
 ²⁰God will keep safe ^| all their bones;
  not one of them ^| shall be broken.
 ²¹Evil will bring death ^| to the wicked
  and those who hate the righteous ^| will be punished.
 ²²O Lord, you redeem the life ^| of your servants,
  and those who put their trust in you will ^| not be punished. 

Hebrews 7:23-28

²³The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; ²⁴but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. ²⁵Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
  ²⁶For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. ²⁷Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Mark 10:46-52

⁴⁶As [Jesus] and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. ⁴⁷When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁹Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. ⁵¹Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” ⁵²Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Sermon – Pr Meggan Manlove

Jesus continues on the way in today’s gospel text. He and the disciples reach Jericho. Jerusalem is next, but not before one last encounter. There is so much in this vignette that reaches back into earlier parts of the Jesus’ story. The goal all along has been a changed perspective. At the beginning of the gospel narrative we heard Jesus say, “The time if fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” 

The call to repentance was a call for a changed perspective. At the very beginning of the pandemic, our first devotion on tvprays.org was titled, “The Rules of Perspective.” My colleague wrote, “Perspectives shift with the incarnation. In Jesus, we are given an additional point of perspective. In art, the two-point perspective gives an object the appearance of being three-dimensional. The incarnation is God embodied, flesh and bone, birth, death, and beyond. God in 3-D.”

Along with calling people to repentance, Jesus has been asking people to follow him. Repent and follow are the overwhelming verbs, and they are completely interwoven and interrelated. When both commands are followed, a changed perspective comes naturally.

Following Jesus is always supposed to include a particular way of seeing, a particular perspective. I do not believe it is the only good perspective in the world. Other religions and philosophies have similar and complementary perspective. However, we gathered here continue to be compelled the way of seeing that comes with being a follower of Jesus. Ultimately, we find it life-giving and life-affirming. It is life-giving for we individuals and for the collective, the world, the cosmos.

This particular perspective or lens is one that, in Jesus’ words, includes servanthood, where the one who wishes to be first among you must be slave of all, where little children set the example for receiving the kingdom of God, where power is manifest by dying on a cross, where the last are first and the first are last.

The disciples, those closest to Jesus in proximity, have struggled with this new perspective, this lens of faith. There have, to be sure, been a few moments of incredible insight. There were times when they truly got it. And they are not alone in their blurred vision. Other would-be-followers of Jesus have struggled as well.

For example, a rich man came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him he lacked one thing, “go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

The man could not adopt the new perspective. Jesus’ instructions, Jesus’ way of life, was not going to leave the rich young man destitute. Jesus’ command had been to redistribute the wealth, for the good of the collective, so everyone, including the man himself, could truly flourish. We do not hear the rest of that rich man’s story. Maybe in the end he changed his mind. We also never learn exactly what hindered him.

We know better what hinders our own inability to change perspective, to adopt fully and completely the lens of faith. Chiefly, we are overwhelmed by fear. Fear dominates the headlines we read. It drives the advertisements on television, on the internet, on the radio. Fear seeps into daily conversations and interactions. Yes, fear can be good when teaching a child to look both ways before crossing the street, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

It is not just illness or technology or natural disasters we are told to fear. Often, we are encouraged to fear other people. In my lifetime, the litany of people to fear has highlighted: communists, gay people, black people (especially black men), immigrants, and Muslims. The fear about these groups of people has been a driving force for all sorts of messaging. Messaging about fear drives policies, marketing, elections, and now algorithms in cyber space that we can hardly comprehend.  

Sometimes even the gospel itself becomes a tool in this fear-dominant culture, as in “confess that Jesus is Lord, or you are going to hell.” Well-intentioned as that message is, it is not true to the good news. It is not life-giving. 

The perspective of faith and trust in Jesus is not in fact dominated by fear. The lens of faith is shaped instead by hope, abundance, belonging, and promises that are irrevocable, “You are a child of God. Now and always” and “God’s grace and mercy know no limits.”

Blind Bartimaeus has some of this perspective, even without physically seeing Jesus. He shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” He foreshadows Jesus’ own passion with the title Son of David, Israel’s great king. Jesus will accept that he is the anointed one. Jesus has a kingship, be it a surprising one. So Bartimaeus perceives something correctly at the beginning. 

The great hope in today’s gospel story comes soon after Bartimaeus shouts to Jesus. Like the rich man, Bartimaeus encounters Jesus “on the way.” The rich man could not liquidate his fortune. But poor Bartimaeus throws away his garment, his sole element of livelihood. Beggars spread out their cloaks to receive alms. The one on the bottom of the social scale does not even wait for a call, springing up and “following Jesus on the way.” 

The story immediately precedes Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem, where he will be put on trial by those in power. And here is Bartimaeus, following Jesus on the way. The poor join in the final assault on the current order, and the rich have walked away. The first have become last and the last first. Bartimaeus shows us that it is possible to follow Jesus. Can we see like he does? Can we adopt his perspective?

His response to Jesus is quite a contrast to Jesus’ disciples’ James and John. Upon their approach, Jesus had asked James and John, “What do you want me to do for you?” He responds to Bartimaeus with the same words. The disciples wished for status and privilege. Bartimaeus wished simply for his “vision.” The status and privilege Jesus cannot grant. The vision he can. It is Bartimaeus who is told to “take courage.” And it is Bartimaeus who follows.

A favorite commentator wrote, “The narrative discourse of hope is now clear in this last discipleship/healing episode. Only in the disciples struggles against the internal demons that render us deaf or mute, only if we renounce our thirst for power–in a word, only if we recognize our blindness and see true vision–then can the discipleship adventure carry on.”

We also are on the way. We are invited each day to be followers of Jesus. Sometimes this means calling him teacher, another title Bartimaeus used for Jesus. We recognize that our vision gets blurry. We need refreshers in precisely what it means to follow Jesus on the way. We gain insight by praying, reading the old old story found in holy scripture, worshiping with other followers.

This story provides deep and abiding hope because Bartimaeus does follow Jesus, even throwing off his cloak as he runs. “Let me see again,” he asks Jesus. Whatever is broken in our lives, individually, as a community, as a global community that is more and more interconnected, isn’t our prayer the same, “Let me see again, Jesus.” 

Let us see abundance of loaves and fishes. Let us see those on the margins we would rather ignore. Let me see the love that neighbors are showing neighbors. Let us see God’s love and mercy for each one of us. Let us see the power of God wielded in ways that astound the empires and kingdoms of this world. Let us see how God is in relationship with us and how we could be in relationship with one another. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession (Sundays and Seasons)

Set free from sin and death and nourished by the word of truth, we join in prayer for all of God’s creation.

A brief silence.Risen One, we give you thanks for congregations and ministries throughout the world that serve as centers of prayer and action. Empower missionaries, teachers, healers, evangelists, and all who are sent to share your song of joy. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Holy One, we give you thanks for generous land that produces abundant harvests. Strengthen and protect all soils, from rooftop gardens to prairie farmlands, to patio planters to fertile valleys, and bless all who lovingly tend them. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Ruling One, we give you thanks for leaders of nations who work to build up the common good. Strengthen efforts of reconciliation among all nations (especially), that peace extends in every direction. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Healing One, we give you thanks for all who labor for the health of others. Comfort and strengthen all who struggle with chronic pain. Send healing and relief to all who are sick (especially). Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Providing One, we give you thanks for all who provide for others. Inspire generosity in your people, so that we carry out the work of making disciples of all nations. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Here other intercessions may be offered.Living One, we give you thanks for the saints who have increased our faith. Give us courage to follow in hope until you gather us all around your table of abundance. Hear us, O God.Your mercy is great.

Confident that you hear us, O God, we boldly place our prayers into your hands; through Jesus Christ, our truth and life.Amen.