The Work of Believing

The Work of Believing is our worship theme for the tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 5, 2012. Our focus scripture is John 6:24-35.

This Sunday is the second of five consecutive Sundays in which the Lectionary creates the opportunity to fully explore chapter 6 of John’s Gospel. Last week we explored John’s story of Jesus feeding a huge crowd, and we focused on the responsibility of his followers to feed the world, even when money seems in short supply. Now in the remaining weeks we will explore John’s Christology as Jesus teaches about himself and the meaning of the sign that he has performed.

In our passage, Jesus begins by telling those who seek him that they are coming for the wrong reason. They are after another meal. But Jesus wants them to see God’s hand at work in his ministry. “Do not work for food that perishes,” Jesus teaches them. “Work for the food that will give you eternal life, which is what I will give you if you let me.” “Fine,” the crowd replies, “what is the work that God wants us to do?”  “Just this,” Jesus says, “believe in the one whom God has sent you.”

The crowd then asks for another sign. They say that Moses fed their ancestors day after day with manna from heaven. Their implication is that a one day meal, however amazing, does not really compare to Moses. But Jesus responds with his own perspective. It was not Moses, but God, who gave their ancestors manna. Now God is blessing them with an even more important gift: bread which will sustain not just physical life, but bread which will give eternal life to the world. The crowd is interested, but still doesn’t quite understand what Jesus is saying to them. “Sir,” they say, “give us this bread always (as if they think Jesus will need to remain with them to insure their supply).”

For the crowd, eating must happen day after day. Therefore the work of planting, cultivating, harvesting, and preparing the food must also go on day after day. But Jesus is after a state of mind and soul. “Believe that God cares for you and is coming to you in my person and ministry,” Jesus says. Belief is not a physical labor to be repeated day after day. It may need to be renewed day after day, especially given the challenges of life. But it is not something to do. It is a perspective, an understanding, a vision of how things are that changes everything about how we approach life. If God loves us eternally and if we can depend on that love, then the problems, necessities, and potential tragedies of life diminish in size and importance. Our priorities change. New possibilities to create love and justice and peace are unleashed.

Here is a Call to Worship based on Psalm 78 as well as an accompanying liturgy for Holy Communion based on God’s provision for us in bread that endures. And here is also a Call to Worship based on Ephesians 4:2-13. Please feel free to use or adapt anything helpful to you.

**Call to Worship   From Psalm 78

L: Listen, sisters and brothers, let us remember the things of old,

    deep memories that we have heard from our ancestors.

P: Let us not hide them from our children!

    Let us tell the coming generation of God’s glorious deeds,

    and the wonders God has done.

L: God brought our people out of slavery in Egypt.

    God divided the sea and walked them through it.

    By day God led them with a cloud, and at night by a pillar of fire.

P: In the wilderness, God split rocks open

    to give our people water as if from a gushing stream.

L: Yet still our people refused to trust God! They tested God in their heart

     by demanding the food they craved. They challenged God, saying,

     “Can God spread a table in the wilderness?”

P: In the face of their hard hearts God commanded the skies above.

    God opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna

    for them to eat.

L: Mortals ate the bread of angels. God gave them all they could hold!

All: Let us praise the God who saves us! Let us teach our children

    not to be like that stubborn and rebellious generation.

    Let us praise God’s generosity and love!                     

We Gather at Christ’s Table to be Fed by Him

**Communion Hymn #507    “Break Now the Bread of Life”   Lathbury

Invitation

Unison Communion Prayer

Bountiful God, your gifts astonish us:

          You created the heavens and the earth.

          You blew the breath of life into plants and animals.

          Your Spirit called humans to arise in your image.

          You gave us our lives and the lives of those we love.

          You fashioned the air we breathe,

the rain that falls,

the sun that lights our day,

and the soil that nourishes our crops.

In prophets and apostles you taught a life of justice and love.

In Jesus Christ you fed us with the Bread of Life,

setting us free from the powers of sin and death.

And in Christ you offer us Eternal Life here and now,

Life lived new because we are citizens of heaven.

Now let Christ feed us at his table with the true bread from heaven.

 Forgive our sins, cleanse our hearts, open our souls,

and bless this bread and cup that they might be for us

a means of grace. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Words of Institution

Receiving the Elements

Unison Prayer of Thanksgiving

          Gracious God, thank you for feeding us at Christ’s table with Living Bread. Send us forth now into the world to be his ministers. Help us remember that we are citizens of heaven and that Christ is with us wherever we go. Send us out filled with courage, hope, love, and your desire for justice. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

We Go Forth To Do Christ’s Ministry

**Hymn of Faith        “Come, Know My Joy, the Maker Says”        Kingsfold

 

**Call to Worship (from Ephesians 4:2-13)

          L: Sisters and brothers, let us hear again God’s call to faith

               and be renewed in our ministry as a church of Jesus Christ!

          P: God calls us to live lives of humility and gentleness,

               to be patient and bear with one another in love.

          L: God calls us to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

          P: For there is one body and one Spirit and one hope of our calling.

          L: And there is one God, our Creator, who is above all, through all, and in all.

          P: Through Christ our God gives us gifts: that some will be apostles;

               some prophets; some evangelists; some pastors and teachers.

          L: So that together we equip one another for ministry and build Christ’s body.

       All: Until we come to unity of faith, to knowledge of the Son of God,

              to maturity, and to the full stature of Christ!

Feeding the Hungry

Feeding the Hungry is our worship theme for the ninth Sunday after Pentecost, July 29, 2012. Our focus scripture is John 6:1-21.

In the next three Sundays we will explore the Christological meaning of the feeding of the huge crowd and the words that Jesus has to say about it later in chapter 6. But for this Sunday, we will focus on the compassion of Christ and the power of faith and sharing. Jesus knows that this crowd needs to be fed. He asks Philip what they should do. Philip replies that there is not nearly enough money to give each one present even a bite. But Jesus knows something about the power of faith. He stands in the tradition of Elijah and Elisha who called upon the power of God to multiply a little food. When a boy in the crowd is ready to share his food, Jesus blesses the loaves and fishes, divides and distributes them, and there are twelve baskets of leftovers.

What does this story mean to us in a time when 16,000 children die each day of hunger and hunger-related causes? We are in an economic downturn and think we lack the money to save these lives. But what is the real power of faith and sharing? We have money to burn for weapons of war. But so little trust that an investment of a tiny fraction of our military budget would pay off in the peace of children saved and a generation grateful to us – as opposed to fearing and hating us. What would Jesus do, anyway, if he could apportion the federal budget? What does he expect us to do?

Here are two Calls to Worship, the first based on Psalm 145 and the second from the third Sunday of Easter when our worship theme was Blessing by Bread. Please feel free to use or adapt anything useful to you.

**Call to Worship   From Psalm 145 (adapted from NLV translation)

L:    We exalt you, our majestic God,
      and praise your name forever and ever!

P:    Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
      let them proclaim your power!

L:    For you are merciful and compassionate,
      slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

P:    You are good to everyone.
      You shower compassion on all creation.

L:    All of your works will tell of your mighty deeds
      and the majesty and glory of your reign.

P:    For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
      You rule throughout all generations.  

L:    You help the fallen
      and lift those bent beneath heavy loads.

P:    You are righteous in all your divine acts

and are filled with kindness.

L:    You are close to all who call upon your holy name,
      yes, to all who call on you in truth.

P:    You protect all those who love and obey you;
      but the wicked are destroyed.                                                               

   All:   Let us praise the Lord! May everyone on earth

              bless God’s holy name from now to eternity! Amen.     

Call to Worship                             Blessing by Bread

Genesis 18:6, Exodus 16:15, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 14:19, John 6:48-51, Matthew 26:26, Luke 24:31

      L: Sisters and brothers, time and again God blesses us in bread!

   P: In her old age, Sarah entertains God in the form of a mysterious stranger.

        She blesses God with bread. God blesses her with her son, Isaac.

   L: As they wander, starving in the wilderness, God blesses the people with manna:

        the bread from heaven.

   P: Tempted in the wilderness Jesus won’t turn a stone into bread, blessing us

        with knowledge: we do not live by bread alone; our true bread is God’s word.

   L: But later in the wilderness Jesus blesses a huge crowd that is hungry.

        He multiplies five loaves to feed five thousand.

   P: Then he proclaims himself the Bread of Life: “Those who ate manna died.   

        Those who eat my bread are blessed with eternal life.”

   L: At the Last Supper Jesus blesses his disciples with the bread of his body:

        “Take and eat, this is my body broken for you. Eat this to remember me.”

   P: And on the road to Emmaus he meets his followers as an intriguing stranger.

        Soon they are blessed to recognize Christ risen in the breaking of bread!

All: Gracious God, you bless us with bread to nourish our bodies.

         You bless us with spiritual bread to nourish our souls.

         We praise you! Bless you for your goodness!

First printed in WorshipCalls for Sunday, April 22, 2012.

One in Christ

One in Christ is our worship theme for the Eight Sunday after Pentecost, July 22, 2012. Our focus scripture is Ephesians 2:11-22.

Last week we marveled at the sweep of God’s cosmic plan, summed up succinctly in Ephesians 1:1-14. This week we see the author’s understanding of how God’s reconciliation will unite those who were former enemies: Jews and Gentiles. For a long time in their histories, religion was not a uniting force, but a point of division. Jews prided themselves on the law of Moses and felt they were God’s favored nation. Gentiles worshiped various deities and felt that the Jews were narrow and perhaps small-minded. But now, according to Ephesians, a new day has dawned. Jesus' death has wiped the slate of history clean and made it ready for a new beginning. The cross is a symbol of the futility of human hatred, which leads only to death and despair. Christ’s blood is a symbol of the extreme love and mercy of God, who will give anything – even God’s own life -- to change the hearts of God’s children, be they Jew or Gentile. Now in the love of Christ, all people can come together to be built into one holy family, the dwelling place of God. For Christians, thinking about how this can be true for all the divisions that mar our world – religious or otherwise – is the great question of our day.

Here are two Calls to Worship, one based on our passage from Ephesians and the other on Psalm 23. Please feel free to use or adapt anything helpful to you.

Call to Worship   from Ephesians 2:13-22

   L: Astounding news! In Christ, all divisions disappear!

   P: We have no more reason to hate others who are different.

   L: Because by dying, Jesus became our peace.

   P: He tore down all walls. He made us all equal before God.

   L: In his cross, we see the result of human hatred.

   P: In his blood, we see the depths of God’s forgiveness and love.

   L: So by dying, Jesus put to death our need for hostility.

   P: He proclaimed peace far and wide.

   L: And now we can proclaim this: all people belong to God’s family.

   P: With the saints, we can be built together into a single household.

   L: With Christ’s love as the keystone, we can be God’s dwelling place.

All: Thanks be to God! Let us worship God!

Call to Worship   from Psalm 23

    L: God, you are my shepherd! You care for all my needs.

    P: You rest me in grassy meadows, you guide me to quiet pools.

    L: True to your name, you lead me along the narrow path.

    P: Even when we must go through Death Valley, I am not afraid.

    L: For you are with me. Your shepherd’s staff cheers me.

    P: You spread out a banquet for me while my enemies squirm.

    L: You honor me as your guest. Your blessings spill over my cup.

    P: Your kindness and love stream after me each day of my life.   

 All: And I will always return to live in your house, O God.

First printed in WorshipCalls for Good Shepherd Sunday, April 29, 2012.