Fear and Faith

Fear and Faith is our worship theme for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, July 1, 2012. Our focus scripture is Mark 5:21-43.

In our passage from Mark, Jesus continues to astound Galileans and even his closest followers with the power of faith. Returning from calming a fierce storm and healing a Gentile man possessed by a legion of demons, Jesus is immediate met by Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue. His daughter is dying and he begs Jesus to go with him and lay hands on her to heal her. Jesus goes with him surrounded by a large crowd. On the way, a woman who has suffered twelve years of hemorrhages that have drained both her blood and her savings, has the temerity to touch him. She has faith that even touching his garment will heal her and she thinks that no one will notice in the press of the crowd. But Jesus notices, and when he demands to know who has drawn power from him, she comes forward and confesses everything in fear and trembling. Her touch has made an important Rabbi ritually unclean and she expects chastisement. But Jesus calls her “daughter”, commends her faith, and sends her on her way healed of her disease. Then people come from Jairus’ house to bring the news that his daughter has died. Why trouble the Rabbi any further, they ask. There is nothing he can do. But Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe.” And Jesus goes to his home, takes his daughter by her hand, and restores her to life.

A woman unable to be helped by physicians, is healed and restored to her place in the community as a daughter of Abraham and Sarah and a person valued by Jesus. A young woman who has lost her life is given new life and restored to her family and her faith community. Fear abounds, but fear is fettered by faith. What lesson waits to be discovered in this important passage by our anxious and fearful world?

Here are three Calls to Worship based on the lectionary readings from the Lamentations of Jeremiah and Psalms 30 and 130. And I include one litany for Independence Day. Please feel free to use or adapt anything that is helpful to you.

Call to Worship   From Jeremiah’s Lamentations 3:19-33

L: God, you know I’ve been homeless and persecuted.

       The memory of it almost breaks my soul.

P: But as I suffer, I remember something that brings me hope:

       Your covenant love never ceases, God! Your mercies never run out!

L: Great is your faithfulness! Fresh every morning is your grace!

       My soul knows that you, God, are my foundation.

P: I hope in you, for you are good to those who wait for you, who seek your face.

       I say to myself: wait quietly for God will save you.

L: Remember the suffering of your early years:

       The times you sat alone in silence;

P: The times you ate dust, barely clinging to hope;

        The times you turned the other cheek, accepting insults.

L: Remember what you learned: God does not forget you.

       The life to which God calls you is hard.

  P: God’s tender mercy is even greater. The time will come.

        Your life will be vindicated by God’s love. 
All: Let us worship God!

Call to Worship   From Psalm 30

          L: Let us praise God, who lifts us up when we are down!

          P: O Lord our God, we cried to you and you healed us!

          L: You refused to let us go to hell! You gave us life!

          P: We rejoice in your holy name!

          L: You vex us for a moment, but your faithful love is for a lifetime.

          P: Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning!

          L: In our pride, we believed ourselves invincible.

          P: Apart from your Spirit, we learned the truth.

          L: Yet you turned our sad rags into glad rags!

          P: You slipped us into dancing shoes!

        All: O Lord our God, we praise you!

               We give thanks to you forever!

Printed in WorshipCalls on January 24, 2012

Call to Worship   From Psalm 130

L: Out of the depths we cry to you, God!

     Please, hear our call for help!

          P: We know, Dear God, that if you kept records on wrongdoings,

               we wouldn’t stand a chance.

          L: But bless you, you forgive our sins.

          P: So, souls in the balance, we wait for you, God.

               We trust in your promises.

          L: We watch through the night, praying for the dawn.

          P: We hope in you, God. We depend on your strength and love.

        All: We trust that you will redeem us!

Printed in WorshipCalls on June 4, 2012

A Litany for Independence Day

L: Almighty God, creator and ruler of all nations, we pray for the

    United States of America, for our people and for our leaders:

P: We thank you and praise you for our land, rich in resources,

     and for Native Americans and their deep appreciation

     of the beauty and life-sustaining power of the earth.

L: We thank you for the pioneers of our faith, the Pilgrims,

     and for the founders of our nation and their courage and wisdom.

P: We thank you for the unfolding dream that is America,

     the dream of a land of justice, peace and freedom

     that might be a blessing for the whole world.

L: We pray that we might be ever mindful of your purpose for us,

     and that we might be ever obedient to your will.

P: Forgive our shortcomings as a nation, purify our hearts,

     and grant us wisdom to see the truth that alone can make us free.

L: Save us from favoring the strong over the weak,

    from defining success by material wealth, and from forgetting

    that our greatest strength lies not in weapons, but in our way of life.

P: Increase our concern for those who are poor,

    those without health care, those who still suffer from discrimination,

    and those who are struggling to find meaningful work.

L: Protect all who work in dangerous places to secure our nation

    and to make visible the values of freedom and democracy.

All: Make us a blessing to all nations and hasten the day when all the  

    world lives together in harmony, peace and freedom.

    In Jesus’ name we ask these things. Amen.