Why Are You Afraid?

Why Are You Afraid? is our worship theme for the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 24, 2012. Our focus scripture is Mark 4:35-41.

This brief passage comes early in Jesus’ ministry as his disciples are still reckoning with his wisdom and power.  Earlier in Chapter 4 Mark tells of Jesus teaching in parables to great crowds who gather at the side of the Sea of Galilee to hear him. When evening comes Jesus decides to head to Gentile territory on the other side. He gets comfortable in the stern of the boat and falls asleep on a cushion. Soon, however, a great storm kicks up and begins to swamp the boat. His disciples wake him in terror. “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?” With a word Jesus rebukes the wind and suddenly there is a dead calm. “Why are you afraid?” Jesus asks the flabbergasted disciples. “Have you still no faith?”

In Chapter 5 Jesus will proceed to heal the man with the legion of demons, then cross back again to Jewish territory to heal the woman with a continuous flow of blood and to raise Jairus’ daughter. “Who is this?” the disciples ask each other in awe at what Jesus does. “Who is this?” we may well ask ourselves. “What is the source of his wisdom and power? And does Christ make it available still today to us?”

Here are several Calls to Worship appropriate for this Sunday in the season of Pentecost. As usual, please feel free to use or adapt anything useful to you.

**Call to Worship   

L: Sisters and brothers, let us celebrate the presence and power of Christ!

P: Jesus’ love surrounds us, encouraging us to love.

L: His life-creating Spirit works constantly to heal us in every way.

P: His vision of God’s kingdom inspires us to work for justice.

L: His personal integrity straightens the crooked places in our lives. 

P: His trust in God leads us to a deep inner peace.

L: His compassion for the poor and outcast stirs us to care for them.

P: His hopefulness enables us to laugh even in difficult circumstances.

L: And his resurrection reveals our true home in heaven.

 All: Nothing can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ!

        Alleluia! Let us worship God!

**Call to Worship    (based on Psalm 9)

    L: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart.

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

P: I will be glad and exalt in you;

        I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

L: You are a stronghold for the oppressed,

        a fortress in times of trouble.

P: Those who know your name put their trust in you.

 All: For you, O God, never forsake those who seek you.

**Call to Worship (From Psalm 9:9-20)

          Liturgist:     Draw near, all who are weary

                             and burdened with troubles.

          Pastor:        Call out to God in your distress.

                             Make your lament known to the one whose love

                             brings wholeness and peace.

          All:             Our souls wait for God, more than those

                             who watch for the morning.

Liturgist:     Draw near, all who hope against hope

                             for the healing and release.

          Pastor:        Hear Jesus proclaim hope to you and to all,

                                      “do not fear; only believe.”

All:             Our souls wait for God, more than those

                             who watch for the morning.

Liturgist:     Draw near, all who jump for joy in God’s presence.

Pastor:        Rejoice in the abundance of life.

                             Be eager and generous in sharing.

          All:             Our souls wait for God, more than those

                             Who watch for the morning.

**Call to Celebration   (based upon Psalm 107:1-3,17-22)  by Rev. Paul Berry

         

Liturgist:     Come and worship the Lord our God

with thanksgiving and praise,

All:             You alone, O Lord, are good

and Your loving kindness is forever.

Liturgist:     Come to worship the Lord our God

with a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

All:             Your loving kindness, O Lord,

is shown in Your Word and Your wonderful deeds.

We come to worship You.

With thanksgiving, we open ourselves to Your presence.

We celebrate Your grace and loving power.

Who Do You Live For?

Who Do You Live For? is our worship theme for the third Sunday after Pentecost, June 17, 2012. Our focus scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:6-17.

The beginning and end of our passage from 2 Corinthians usually capture our attention.  At the start is Paul’s assertion that his faith gives him great confidence and security. Because of his faith he can carry on a difficult ministry while he remains in his body and apart from Christ. Because of his faith he almost wishes for his own death, knowing that he will then go home to be with Christ. Either way he is content.

At the end is Paul’s famous declaration that, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

While both the beginning and end are important, we ought not to miss the places where Paul expresses who he now lives for. In verse 9 he writes: “So whether we are at home (with Christ in heaven) or away (still here on earth in our physical bodies), we make it our aim to please him.” And in verses 14-15 he writes: “For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.”

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and it reminds us that ordinarily, our parents have a great deal of influence on us. We might live to please them. Or, in our narcissistic culture, we might fall under the influence of its constant pressure to live for ourselves. Or, given the economic pressures of our day, we might live to please our bosses at work. But Paul says something else, entirely. There is only one person in all the universe that we should live for: Christ.

Here is a Call to Worship based on Psalm 92 as well as several Father’s Day resources. Please use or adapt anything helpful to you.

**Call to Worship   (from Psalm 92)

L: Thank you, most high God! Bless your holy name!

          P: In the morning we declare your covenant love.

              With lute and lyre we sing your faithfulness by night.

          L: When we see your works in nature, we sing for joy.

          P: How great is your creativity. Your knowledge is too deep for us.

          L: The wicked don’t get this at all. They spring up like grass.

          But they are doomed to destruction, for your wisdom is forever.

          P: In your world, the faithful flourish like giant sequoias.

              For they are planted in your house. They grow in your courts.

          L: In old age their sap still runs green and fruitful.

        All: They prove your integrity. You are our rock! We can depend on you!

A Responsive Prayer for Father’s Day      Diocese of San Jose Liturgy, Adapted

L: For those who have fathered us into birth,
for those we call “father” who show us the face of our heavenly Father,
for expectant fathers and those whose arms ache to cradle their own,
for fathers who have borne the pain of losing a child,
and for fathers who have laid down their life for their children:

P: May the one who is Father of all be their guide and their peace.

L: For all who have been deprived of their fathers through war, violence, or imprisonment, addiction, divorce, or separation;
for those whose fathers left home in search of work in another land:

P: May their wounds may be healed by God’s fatherly love.

L: For foster fathers, step fathers, and fathers by adoption,
that they will find true happiness in the mystery of fatherhood:

P: May their love for their children bind them closer to the perfect love of God.

L: For those we call father,
those who showed us how to throw a ball or cook a meal,
those who taught us how to drive and forgave us for the dents,
those who kissed away our hurts, calmed all our fears,
and protected us as best they could:

P: May they receive God’s love and blessing.

L: For all fathers, living or dead,
those nearby or those distanced by miles, disease, or division:

 All: May they be embraced and strengthened by the loving arms of

        God, the Father of us all. Amen.

**Call to Worship

L: Sisters and brothers, as we worship on Father’s Day let us celebrate the faith of our fathers!

P: We give thanks for the faith of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac,

    and Jacob, who boldly followed God’s call to a Promised Land.

L: We give thanks for Moses and Aaron, who led our people out of slavery.

P: We give thanks for Samuel, prophet of his people

    and anointer of kings.

L: We give thanks for Jesse and for David, ancestral fathers of Jesus.

P: We give thanks for Joseph, human father of Jesus.

L: We give thanks for Peter and Paul, chained in prison for their faith.

P: We give thanks for Martin Luther, and John Robinson,

    Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bishop Desmond Tutu,

church fathers all.

All: We celebrate the faith of famous fathers, and unknown fathers,

    who have given us a rich legacy. May we keep faith with their faith! 

    Now and always! Amen.

A Litany for Fathers’ Day

          L: Gracious and loving God, our thoughts and prayers are turned   

               today to fathers. For fathers whose love and understanding and

               support have strengthened us, we give you thanks.

          P: For those whose father’s presence is greatly missed, we ask    

               your comfort as they recall their father’s love.

          L: For all men who, in the midst of our “me-oriented” culture, have      

               chosen to nurture, guide and love children, we give you thanks.

          P: We pray as well for all whose fathers have been a source of   

               hurt and pain, and for all whose fathers have left them. May                

               they find in you, in us, and in others, the love and support they          

               need to grow.

          L: We remember single fathers and mothers, who struggle to parent               

               their children while juggling all the responsibilities to hold a job,         

               maintain a household, and find time to be with their children.

               Strengthen them and help the rest of us and our society provide the

               support they need.

          P: We pray for fathers and mothers who are going through a          

              difficult time with their children, who are separated from them     

              by distance or by conflicts and misunderstandings. We pray          

              for your healing love to work to bridge these divides.

           L: And we pray for those who have been unable to become fathers   

              and for all whose years of parenting have been cut short by the loss    

              of a child. Let your consoling love be with them and help them to       

              find ways to use the loving gifts that you give to them.

       All: Finally, O God, we join all fathers everywhere in praying that                       their children and grandchildren may be well and happy, and a        

              source of joy for years to come! May the powerful Spirit of                   

              Christ’s love work to make this so. In his name we pray. Amen.

Is There Anything God Can't Forgive?

Is There Anything God Can’t Forgive? is our worship theme for the second Sunday after Pentecost, June 10, 2012. Our focus scriptures are Psalm 130 and Mark 3:20-35.

Psalm 130 promises that God forgives sins and emphasizes Israel’s trust and reliance on God to do just that. But Mark records a fascinating interchange between Jesus and the scribes. After Jesus has cast out demons and done other works of wonder, great crowds begin to follow him. Feeling that he is taking over their religious territory, scribes come from Jerusalem to criticize Jesus and claim that he casts out demons only because he, himself, is possessed. In response, Jesus says that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If Satan therefore has risen up against himself, then he also will not be able to stand, and the end of his kingdom has come. Then Jesus goes on to say that people will be forgiven for all kinds of sins and blasphemies, but that there is one thing God will not forgive: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. When the scribes accuse Jesus of working, not through the power of the Holy Spirit, but through the power of a demonic spirit, they commit this blasphemy. And so we wonder, are they eternally doomed? Is there really something that God cannot forgive?

Here is a Call to Worship based on Psalm 130. Please feel free to use or adapt anything helpful to you.

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!