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.

Divine Plans

Divine Plans is our worship theme for the seventh Sunday after Pentecost, July 15, 2012. Our focus scripture is Ephesians 1:1-14.

Ephesians opens with a salutation and then moves directly into profound theological waters. The author declares: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…”  Then come a number of assertions that define those blessings: Before the foundation of the world God chose us in Christ to come into a holy and blameless relationship with God. God decided to adopt us as God’s children. God took great pleasure in this decision. Because of Christ’s sacrificial death, our sins have been forgiven, according to the riches of God’s grace. With all wisdom, God has revealed the mystery of God’s will: that in the fullness of time all things in heaven and all things on earth will be unified under the authority of Christ. And that in putting faith in Christ we were marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit as a sign and pledge that we will ultimately receive the full (eternal) inheritance that God has promised us.

Wow! Such a panoramic view of God’s cosmic plan in so few words! But there it is, the author’s assurance that God is working God’s purpose out and that believers in Christ come at a critical juncture. Two thousand years later, what are we to make of this? In our world so full of individual and national ambition and the violence that accompanies it, is there reason to believe that, nevertheless, God is bringing all things into unity in Christ? If so, what does that mean for our churches and for our individual sense of purpose?

Here are two calls to worship based on the lectionary Psalms for this day. As usual, please feel free to use or adapt anything that is helpful to you.

Call to Worship   “The Rightful King Appears”   (from Psalm 24)

   L: The earth is God’s creation. Everything in it belongs to God!

             P: Who, then, may climb God’s holy mountain?

Who may stand in God’s holy house?

             L: Those with pure hearts and clean hands.

                   Those who won’t worship idols, who don't lie to themselves.

             P: God will bless them. They will enter God’s presence.

             L: Open up, Ancient doors! Open up, Holy Gates!

P: Your rightful King is coming! Your Mighty God awaits!

L: Open up, Ancient doors! Open up, Holy Gates!

  P: Prepare the way for the King of Glory!

       Prepare the way for the God of all the angels!

All: God is here! Let us worship God!

First published in WorshipCalls for Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012

Call to Worship   From Psalm 85

L:  God you blessed your land and reversed Jacob’s fortunes.  

     You forgave our ancestors and pardoned their sin. 

P: You didn’t get mad. You held back your anger.

L:  Restore us again, O God of our salvation! Put away your wrath.

     Don’t hold our wrongdoings against us forever!

     Revive us again so we can rejoice in you.

P: Give us your grace, O God. Save us!

L: Let us listen for God’s answer. Surely God’s peace is ready to dawn.

P: Love and faith will hold hands.

     Justice and peace will kiss.

L: Truth will spring up from the earth and justice will rain from heaven.

     P: God’s blessing will yield a harvest of bounty.

          God’s goodness will create a path to our future.

  All: Alleluia! Let us worship God!  

Can You Hear Me?

Can You Hear Me? is our worship theme for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, July 8, 2012. Our focus Bible readings are Ezekiel 2:1-7 and Mark 6:1-13.

The passage from Ezekiel highlights the rebelliousness of God’s people and their refusal to hear God’s word. God calls Ezekiel to speak to them for God. But God is utterly frank about the possibility that Israel will listen. Their ancestors defied God, and the present generation is no better. Yet despite their impudent refusal to listen, God keeps on trying! Ezekiel’s job is to speak. It is up to the people to listen.

In Mark’s passage, Jesus begins in the position of Ezekiel. Having performed miracles and drawn great crowds elsewhere, Jesus preaches in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth and meets with a cool response. “We know all about this boy,” his homefolks say. “Didn’t he grow up here, doesn’t his family still live in our village? How could he be anything special?” So they refuse to really hear him and Jesus is amazed at their unbelief.

Yet Jesus is undeterred. He simply goes to other villages. And then, in a demonstration of his faith in God’s power, he calls together his twelve disciples and sends them out to preach and heal. He gives them God’s power over unclean spirits. He orders them to take no provisions other than a walking staff. They are to take no food, no money, no extra clothes. Rather they are to rely on his authority and God’s power. And they go and do his ministry quite effectively, casting out many demons, and anointing the sick with oil and curing them. How easy it would be for us if we had ears to hear and eyes to see the life of God unfolding in the world!

Here is a Call to Worship based on Ezekiel’s call. Please feel free to use or adapt anything that is helpful to you.

Call to Worship      from Ezekiel 2:1-7

L: Sisters and brothers, let us remember Ezekiel’s call to be a prophet:

       “God said to me, ‘Stand up, mortal! I have something to say to you.’

P: As I heard God’s voice, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet.

        God spoke and I listened.

L: God said: ‘Mortal, I’m sending you to my people, Israel.

        They are a rebellious bunch if there ever was one!

        Their ancestors and them defy me to this day.

P: Because they are stubborn, hard-hearted children, I am sending you.

        You are to tell them: ‘This is what God, your Master, says…”

        They are impudent and they don’t deserve it!

        But whether they hear or refuse to hear, 

        they will know that I sent them a prophet!

L: As for you, mortal, don’t be afraid of them or anything they say.

        Even if it feels like you’re walking in thorn bushes or sitting on scorpions!

        And don’t fear their hard words and mean looks – they’re rebels!

        Your job is to speak for me. Whether they listen is up to them.’”

All: We give thanks for God’s faithfulness and guidance!

        Let us worship God!