On the Way to Wonder

First Reading: Isaiah 25:1-9

 ¹O Lord, you are my God;
  I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
 for you have done wonderful things,
  plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
 ²For you have made the city a heap,
  the fortified city a ruin;
 the palace of aliens is a city no more,
  it will never be rebuilt.
 ³Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
  cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
 ⁴For you have been a refuge to the poor,
  a refuge to the needy in their distress,
  a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
 When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
  ⁵the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
 you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
  the song of the ruthless was stilled.
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: Psalm 23

 ¹The Lord| is my shepherd;
  I shall not be in want.
 ²The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures
  and leads me beside still waters.
 ³You restore my soul, O Lord,
  and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake.
 ⁴Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
  for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
 ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
  you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
 ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
  and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Second Reading: Philippians 4:1-9

¹My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

  ²I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
  ⁴Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  ⁸Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

¹Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ²“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. ³He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. ⁴Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ ⁵But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, ⁶while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. ⁸Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. ⁹Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ ¹⁰Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
  ¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, ¹²and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. ¹³Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ¹⁴For many are called, but few are chosen.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON: Do you remember some of those pithy little sayings your mother used to say when she wanted to teach you.  I can still hear my mother saying,  “A stitch in time saves nine,”  “The early bird catches the worm,” and “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  I would end with “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”  What did she want me to learn?  Show respect for others and to those I  might work for but necessarily agree with. This was a  guideline on how to behave when I was dependent.  It applies to our text today.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my rock and redeemer.

SERMON

According to the Jewish Wedding Guide, one of the holiest days of a person’s life is the wedding day.  The wedding banquet is full of symbolism and meaning.

         “The dawning wedding day heralds the happiest and holiest day of    one’s life. This day is considered a personal Yom Kippur for the       groom and bride, for on this day all their past mistakes are forgiven   as they merge into a new, complete soul.” 

For those who have never married this may sound a bit superlative, over the top and perhaps you refer back to your baptism when a similar union happened between you and God.  Or perhaps the memories of the dreams of the wedding day are tinged with memories of the pain of divorce.  This is a parable that teaches us about the kingdom of heaven.

         In today’s text, according to Matthew, Jesus has entered Jerusalem and is the last week of his life.  His time is limited and he does not mince words.  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to…”  We have gone from a parable about a distant landowner who seeks to settle with his vineyard and his tenants, to a wedding banquet that symbolizes a union, a commitment of relationship, a culmination of a journey and it involves community.  The wedding banquet is the bringing together of two flawed people to become one and start clean, forgiven, a new start.  Our modern age carries a more individualistic idea of fulfillment but let’s ponder the story. 

         In Jewish tradition, the parents write a contract a year earlier, making the commitment. Mary was betrothed to Joseph and the bride is expected to live another year with her parents having no relations with men.  At the end of the year, the groom comes when he has prepared housing, when she has remained committed, and the wedding banquet takes place.  The community rejoices with the couple and a new start is begun.

         As with all Jesus’ parables there is a problem.  The king announces the banquet for the wedding of his son by sending out his slaves but people do not respond.  They turn down the invite.  How can that be?  In 1994 we were stationed in Nairobi for 6 months and my husband worked in the Bishop’s office learning the job from the man he would replace after furlough.  One day a letter arrived at our apartment with a blue and gold strip across the corner of it.  Returnee was State House.   When my husband came home I showed it to him and asked what it was about.  We opened it and it was an invitation to a party at State House with the President of Kenya.  It was an invitation to the White House to dine with the President.  Questions flew – who?  Me, the daughter of a US Postal inspector?  What do I wear?  Oh my gosh, our rattle-trap car would never do to drive up to the White House!  My husband assured me it had nothing to do with me but his job, a routine invite, but indeed it was an invite to the White House. 

         The king in this parable offers a wedding invitation to come to his house and the people refuse.  Perhaps it is a scam – can the king have a son without a wife?  Perhaps the people saw themselves as unworthy and that the invite went to the wrong address.  Perhaps the king is a Democrat and they are a Republican.  Perhaps the people truly had other demands on their life that seemed to need immediate attention – health, finances, family duties.  The invitation did not fit their agenda.  One writer suggested that the king was known to be strict and like the man who hid his one talent, these folks were scared and hid from the king.  For whatever reason, the people who were first invited refused to come to the banquet.

         But there is a second type of refusal.  The king is furious and determined to have people at his banquet so sends out a second wave of invitations.  One man is invited to the banquet, goes, but insists on doing it his way.  He does not have on the wedding robe that is given at the door.  How did he sneak past the slaves?  Perhaps he is like the people who cry “Lord, Lord,” but to whom Jesus says, “I never knew you.”  They talk the talk and say the right words, go to the right places, but their hearts are far from God.  They want the feast but they do not love the feast giver.  This man is thrown out.

         The parable seems clear that the kingdom of God is composed of people who want to be in relationship with the king and live under his reign and those who are not interested in his banquet or want to do it their way.  We might whine that it seems very severe but as far as I know, I must pay the entrance fee to get into Disneyworld, I must register to vote and be an American, and I must pay into an insurance program if I want them to help with bills.  Relationships have boundaries and guidelines, that’s basic to our understanding of how systems work.  When those rules show favoritism and exclude segments of society we object.

         So how do we understand this challenging parable and find grace:  One very Lutheran way to look at Scripture is to ask oneself what I am being told about law versus gospel.   Law and Gospel are always in tension even as God’s sovereignty and people’s free will are in tension.  Law is the aspect of the passage that drives us to repentance, drives us to Jesus.  As I face Scripture I realize my short comings and my need for grace.  I have not loved God with my whole heart, mind and soul and I have not loved my neighbor as myself.  We started service confessing this as we come into God’s presence today.  Gospel reveals the grace and goodness of God and gives me hope.  My sins are forgiven.

         Let’s start with law.  Where am I convicted by this parable? 

Relationships are not one-way affairs!  Just because I am invited does not mean I have to go.  RSVP is often at the bottom.  An invite is not a court order.  God will not force us to live in his kingdom if we don’t want to.  So, if relationships are two way, I must ask myself, “Is my cell phone charged?”  Am I fulfilling my end of the deal?

         Rejection hurts.  We are not talking about an impersonal “Force” like in Star Wars but we are talking about a God in whose image we are created, a being with emotions, with thoughts, with expectations. He is outraged when his servants are hurt or when we refuse his goodness.  Is there some aspect of God’s personality that I take for granted?

         Actions have consequences.  God is not Santa Claus.  Few of us have received coal in our stockings and we somehow think God’s love ignores our shortcomings.  We trust God will understand our limitations.  God somehow becomes a cosmic teddy bear that will do good to us in the end. This parable shatters those cozy ideas of God that soften our fear of an angry judge.  God does expect us to RSVP and show up and respect his representatives.  God is not a neutral Force.  And God is not Santa Claus.  The parable confronts me with my sinful tendency to take God for granted and expect his goodness.  I am called to repent of my self-centeredness and turn to God-centeredness.

         Enough for law.  Where do I find Gospel, the good news, the hope for living life?

         The king does not show favoritism but invites all.  I do not see any indication that some are chosen and others are not invited based on some standard known only to the king.  All are invited but the choice to respond is upon us.  But I must point out that I am saved by the King’s grace, not by my cleverness to accept the invitation..  I love to say that when I am old, when I am sick, when I am blinded by Alzheimers or mental illness, God hold’s on to me because he is faithful, not because I have a great abundance of faith.  He is faithful.  HE is the king.  The good and the bad are invited.  Those who started work early in the day and those that came at the last minute.

         Do you notice that the king is not defeated in his goal by the resistant townspeople nor our arrogance.  The banquet is prepared!

         God sees and cares that his servants are mistreated.  It is easy to whine when we are down and think God is busy over somewhere else and does not see the injustices of life.  This parable talks about a king who sends servants, cares how his servants are treated and who will execute justice some day.  Mercy is a gift, not an expectation to be assumed.

         The last line of the parable is Gospel, I think.  “Many are called but few ae chosen.”  We are a chosen people.  None of us will run for President, I don’t think, but all of us are “chosen.”  That’s a pretty big word.  God invites us to his banquet.  God provides all the food.  It’s not a pitch-in or left overs.  God provides just the right outfit for us to wear.  And God himself comes to the banquet to meet with us.  Wow!  The banquet is the start of a whole new stage of life when we are whole with God.  Our past faults are forgiven.  We are invited to a wedding banquet.  Let us rejoice and share the invitation.

First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7

 ¹Let me sing for my beloved
  my love-song concerning his vineyard:
 My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
 ²He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;
 he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it;
 he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.

 ³And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
 judge between me and my vineyard.
 ⁴What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it?
 When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

 ⁵And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
 I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;
 I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
 ⁶I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed,
  and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
 I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

 ⁷For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
 and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
 he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness,
  but heard a cry!

Psalm: Psalm 80:7-15

 ⁷Restore us, O God of hosts;
  let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved.
 ⁸You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
  you cast out the nations and planted it.
 ⁹You cleared the ground for it;
  it took root and filled the land.
 ¹⁰The mountains were covered by its shadow
  and the towering cedar trees by its boughs. 
 ¹¹You stretched out its tendrils to the sea
  and its branches to the river.
 ¹²Why have you broken down its wall,
  so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?
 ¹³The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it,
  and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.
 ¹⁴Turn now, O God of hosts,
  look down from heaven;
 ¹⁵behold and tend this vine;
  preserve what your right hand has planted.

Second Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

 [Paul writes:] ^4bIf anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: ⁵circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
  ⁷Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. ⁸More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, ¹¹if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
  ¹²Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-46

 [Jesus said to the people:] ³³“Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. ³⁴When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. ³⁵But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ ³⁹So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”
  ⁴²Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
 ‘The stone that the builders rejected
  has become the cornerstone;
 this was the Lord’s doing,
  and it is amazing in our eyes’?
⁴³Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. ⁴⁴The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
  ⁴⁵When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  Today I want to tell you the story behind a favorite hymn of mine, My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.  Edward Mote, 1797-1874, the author, is one of the few hymn writers who was not a theologian, a pastor.  He was raised by parents running a pub in England and trained to be a cabinetmaker.  At age 15 he became a Christian but it was not until age 55 that he became a pastor, already having a successful career.  In his 21 year career as a pastor, he wrote 100 hymns but this was his most favorite.  He a dream driving this creation. 

         He shared,  “One morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gracious Experience of a Christian.’ As he went up to work he figured out the chorus,
                  On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
                  All other ground is sinking sand.
“The next Sunday [Mote] visited the home of some fellow church members where the wife was very ill. The husband informed Mote that it was their custom on the Lord’s Day to sing a hymn, read the Bible, and pray together. Mote produced the new hymn from his pocket, and they sang together for the first time.”
         Pr. Mote had a story he wanted to tell inspired by the parable about the security of building a house on rock, as opposed to sand and that hymn, set to a simple foot-stomping tune, formed a hymn of faith that over the generations has proved useful and comforting to many in their daily spiritual journey.

SERMON

In today’s text Jesus uses a very common symbol for God’s people. We are God’s garden, his vineyard.  The Old Testament reading and the Psalm reinforce the parable and the truth that we are God’s design, God’s creation, God’s property.  God is the owner and we are expected to produce fruit.  There will be a day when rent is due, an accounting day, and the care-givers, presumably the priests and pastors will be called to account.  We can glean some basic truth from th image of the vineyard.

         Life is not random.  You notice God did not just buy some ole vineyard and decide to fix it up, renovate it.  God had a plan in mind. 

• He put a fence of protection around the vineyard.  We would understand that to be the law.  The law is designed to protect us from murder, from slander, from disrespect and so much more.  But we perceive the law as something inhibiting us from doing our wants and fight with the law.
• God put a winepress in his vineyard because his desire was that the vineyard flourish and produce grapes.  Death and destruction and illness are not part of his plan for our lives.  Suffering is not God’s plan for his people.
• God also put a watchtower in his garden.  God did not leave the garden to grow according to its own ideas but the watchtower had people who guarded and warned the garden of danger.  

Our life has purpose, has protection, should be productive and has a warning system installed to tell us of danger.  The purpose of the vineyard is not its own pleasure.  Life is not meant to be lived randomly by the impulse of the moment.

         BUT…  But … something has gone wrong. Those taking care of the garden began to think the vineyard was theirs.  We begin to think our life is our own and we want to live it our way.  We do not want to answer to an owner who is distant and whom we cannot see.  The people in charge of the vineyard abuse servants, prophets, sent to warn of danger and even kill the son, a prediction of Christ’s death.  The religious system was not functioning as God had planned.  Life is corrupted by war, by poverty, by power systems…so many systemic problems that we are presently debating in our presidential debates.  Something is wrong and who can fix it best?  We know this conversation.  Our presidential debate focused on who can best fix the problems of America and give us the good life!

         Leadership will be held accountable.  Jesus tells this parable to say that caretakers will be held accountable.  The owner will not be defeated.  As unjust as life seems, there will be justice someday.  The priests and scribes realized Jesus was talking about them.  They do not repent and seek forgiveness but seek to find ways to arrest and eliminate Jesus.  It is true for us too.  Our choice is to repent under God, not depose him.  God has a plan, something is wrong, and there will be an accounting.  So how do we find hope?  Where is the hope in this parable? 

         Jesus continues with a second image of a “cornerstone. “ Jesus switches from the image of a vineyard to the image of a building.  Now if you are around my husband very long you will hear him share about Teddy Roosevelt laying the cornerstone of RVA, Rift  Valley Academy, his boarding school he attended through high school in Kenya. In 1909 Teddy Roosevelt, former president of the United States, went on a hunting safari in Kenya and while there laid a cornerstone on the main building being erected for missionary children to get an education.  That cornerstone is still there today.  Why is that cornerstone, or any cornerstone, important?  Webster’s dictionary gave me some clues.

A cornerstone is a stone uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.

Intersection.  RVA is where two worlds meet.  Children raised in Africa are socialized at RVA and hopefully prepared to go to college in the United States, or their home country. The cornerstone is an intersection, a place where two worlds smeet.  The church stands at the intersection of the holy and the secular.  God specifically meets us here and the church is where we train our children and new people in spiritual matters.  God’s vineyard is designed to be an intersection between the world and God.  When we live life by our own ideas and do not acknowledge God, we are building a house with one wall, no corners.  We are building on sand.  We refuse our purpose and we stand in rebellion to the vineyard owner, God.

A cornerstone is a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.

RVA is connected to a known historical event and important person, President Theodore Roosevlet and 1909, ie RVA was “seen” and dated in history.  We memorialize the day when we come into relationship with God.  It’s a special day when we become “seen.”  One of our sacred ceremonies is baptism.  We believe God sends the Holy Spirit and public testimony is made of a relationship and a plan for the future.

         Remember the movie a couple years back, Avatar, where the alien people met the other with the greeting of pointing at the person and saying, “I see you,” in the same way we say “hello.”  But the meaning was different.  It carried more the sense of being known to the core of your being. The connection with the famous president gives the sense that this school of now 500 students from all over Africa is not just any ole school but is a school “seen”, visible, important.  God lays his cornerstone on the garden of our lives of our church, of our families and we are not just another group but God sees us to our very core.

         The cornerstone marks the start of a building, of a project.  God puts his cornerstone on our lives because there is a plan and a purpose.  Baptism or perhaps conversion is not the end product but the beginning of a life long project.  We are not living randomly, tossed and turned by the fortunes of life.  It may feel that way during times of struggle and suffering but we must never forget we are seen, not by Teddy Roosevelt who is long dead, but by the God of the universe who cares about what happens to us.  He is working in our lives.

A cornerstone is something that is essential, indispensable, or basic.

I have heard the explanation that the cornerstone is that stone in the middle of an arch that holds the two sides in proper tension so the arch does not collapse. It’s what keeps the whole system in balance.  When our lives are out of balance, it is often because we have lost focus in our faith.  We have forgotten our cornerstone that keeps us balanced in all situations. 

         Jesus talks about how we stumble on the cornerstone.  We struggle with God’s ownership and claims of Christ on our lives.  As I have said many times, it is not easy to forgive, to share, to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile.  It is not easy to repent, to admit our need for God.  Faith is not like Coca Cola, “Try it, you’ll like it.”  Faith is hard work but so is marriage and so are jobs.  Putting Jesus in the center of our lives, is a call to turn from self centered wants to God centered ways.  It fights against our human self centeredness and breaks us.  We call it repentance.  We fall on our knees seeking forgiveness.  As God’s vineyard, we will be broken even as the sod is broken up in Spring, rocks will be removed, fertilizer will be added.  That can only happen well if Christ is our cornerstone, essential and indispensable, basic to our lives

Lastly, a cornerstone is the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed.

Do you remember singing the song, ”They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love” ?  When we call ourselves Christians we are declaring some basic truths upon which our lives are built, that are key, the cornerstone, of our decision making process.  We want to live like Christ and not like Caesar.  We want the kingdom of heaven to intersect with this world and change it to God’s values.  We want growth into a people that glorifies God.  Christ is essential, not a Sunday habit, but an element in our life that permeates our reality.

         I close today by bowing my head and sharing the words of: “On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.”

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils his lovely face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, his covenant, his blood
Supports me in the ‘whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand .

First Reading: Jonah 3:10–4:11

¹⁰When God saw what [the people of Ninevah] did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
 ^4:1But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. ²He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. ³And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” ⁵Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.
  ⁶The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
  ⁹But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Psalm: Psalm 145:1-8

 ¹I will exalt you, my God and king,
  and bless your name forever and ever.
 ²Every day will I bless you
  and praise your name forever and ever.
 ³Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!
  There is no end to your greatness.
 ⁴One generation shall praise your works to another
  and shall declare your power. 
 ⁵I will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty
  and all your marvelous works.
 ⁶They shall tell of the might of your wondrous acts,
  and I will recount your greatness.
 ⁷They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness;
  they shall sing joyfully of your righteousness.
 ⁸The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

Second Reading: Philippians 1:21-30

²¹For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²²If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
  ²⁷Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—³⁰since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ²After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. ³When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; ⁴and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. ⁵When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. ⁶And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ ⁷They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ ⁸When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ ⁹When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. ¹⁰Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. ¹¹And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, ¹²saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ ¹³But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? ¹⁴Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. ¹⁵Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  One of Disney’s beloved fairy tales that has been into multiple movies is Beauty and the Beast.  Beauty, a young town girl, is captured by the Beast, a prince turned into an ugly monster by the wicked fairy.  He must learn to love her and get her to love him before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose.  There is much drama and beautiful music and magical love that sees beyond the scars of life.  Beauty wins the tender hear of the Beast who humbles himself.  In our text today we are tempted to see a landowner who unfairly pays all his workers the same wage though they have worked different amounts of time.  Can we see beyond his seemingly gruff exterior to the heart of love beneath?  Let us pray.

Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my rock and redeemer.

SERMON

         Our text today jumps to the 20^th chapter of Matthew.  Jesus tells a parable in the context of a young rich man coming to ask what he must do to inherit eternal life.  The man professes that he has fulfilled the law, tried to do everything as God would like, but yet the young man feels he has fallen short.  Hence the question, What shall I do to inherit heaven?  I suspect many of us, in the depths of our heart ponder if there is something more we need to do to inherit eternal life?

         The young man is admonished to share his riches and he leaves sad, for he is very wealthy. Jesus comments on how hard it is for the rich to trust God and not their riches and fruits of their work.  Jesus gives the famous saying, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, possibly implying kneeling and humbly crawling through a gate into Jerusalem, than for the rich to enter heaven.  The disciples despair as they have left everything to follow Jesus.  Jesus responds with today’s text, explaining the kingdom of God.

         A landowner, obviously God, the creator, the provider and the person for whom we work in the kingdom, hires workers at various times of the day – early morning, nine a. m., noon, and 3 p.m.  At the end of day, at the end of time, rewards are given.  The twist is that all the workers, the early morning and the late afternoon workers all receive the same wage. “Unfair” cry those who have worked all day. 

         Wait, did I hear an “Amen”?  Life IS unfair! and it is unfair that late, lazy or unqualified workers get the same wage as we who have tried so hard all day to do what is right.  Right?  Is that not what all the demonstrators are about today.  They want life to be fair for all ethnicities, all economic strata and all people.  But life is not fair and we demonstrate against that fact.  We want fairness….or do we?

           I think of Hebrews 11, the faith chapter where the writer talks about the martyrs through history who died in persecution for their faith, not receiving their reward, fairness, in this life.  I wonder if like Jonah in our Old Testament reading, they cried as they were sawed in half “unfair”.  In the face of God’s mercy, Jonah sits under a bush God provided and sulks.  A worm destroys the bush and Jonah whines.  Unfair.  God responds – should he not be concerned about the Ninevites who cannot tell their left hand from their right?  Should God make life revolve around me? Or is there a bigger picture I do not see and cannot understand?

         If we connect blessings in this world with God’s approval, as the Jews did, then we end up asking, “Who sinned, his parents or this man, that he should be born blind?”  When faced with a diagnosis of cancer, a bankruptcy, a wayward child, a setback in any area, it is easy to cry, “unfair”.  The truth is that life is unfair.  The workers worked different amounts of time and all received the same wage.  God works outside our boxes and has a bigger plan he is working on.

         But wait, let’s look at this a little closer.  Those hired early in the morning, let’s say the disciples, walked and talked with Jesus in person.  The early workers had the privilege of working under a benevolent dictatorship under the owner, God.  They had the gift of prayer.  They had the blessing of fellow workers hopefully supporting each other.  Paul in our second reading ponders the choice of death to be with Christ verses the suffering of this present life.  For the sake of his fellow Christians he chooses life.  Life in the kingdom cannot be compared to waiting at the gate!

         Meanwhile, who are those other workers working for?  They are not working for the Lord, they are living in the world.  Perhaps we would not equate life without Christ as working for Satan but I would ask you to reflect on life without Christ.  What was your life like before you came to faith?  Those late arrivers have not just sat in luxury in the market, enjoying life but have worried about how to buy food for their families, worried about who is first in line to be chosen, pondered their faults that they were not chosen.  They have not had an easy life.  Comparing life working for God to life working for the world, is not a fair comparison.  For those of us who chose to follow Christ as youngsters, we have received benefits far beyond the wage at the end of time, life of eternity in God’s presence.

         All workers were paid the same wage at the end of time.  All believers receive eternal life.  How the rewards in heaven will work out, I don’t know.  I have heard theories about levels of heaven.  I like C. S. Lewis in the last book of Narnia, The Last Battle, where the heroes start running, crying “Higher up and higher in”.  That gives the feeling of continued relationship and adventure as we are able to receive and continue growing with Christ after death.  The dwarfs are stuck at the entrance grumbling and circled against Aslan and so it was in heaven.  Perhaps the workers who start at the  11^th hour are such because of their own attitudes or their own issues in life but they will be in heaven.  We are all recipients of God’s grace and he will make it fair in eternity.

         Next, notice that the unfairness of life in this parable has the workers grumbling against God.  I do not see them reflecting on their choices that led to the results – we should have waited to the last minute to start working for God.  No that is not their response.  Their response is to blame God of unfairness.  Faced with the horrible circumstances of life, poverty, disease, war, I can hear that little voice on my shoulder whispering, “And where is your God?  Is he lost in the heavens?  Does he not care about you?”  All the doubts about God’s love rise to the surface in the face of unfairness.  Do you notice how our attention has gone from the blessings of working for God and his character to the pain of our own situation?  We become self-centered and not God-centered.  We must be careful that we do not end up like Job’s friends, accusing Job of sin and misbehavior, when life confounds us.  Grumbling blinds us from realizing the blessings we are receiving from the God of the universe.

         Finally, please note how God addresses those workers who are grumbling and out of focus.  He answers them, “Friend.”  Let me say it again.  “Friend.”  I must stop here and cry.  The God of the universe addresses me in the midst of my grumbling and laments and pulls me back to reality, “Friend.”  Abraham who got his wife to lie and become the Pharoahs concumbine to save his own neck, who irritated Sarah with his favoritism for Ishmael until God stepped in and corrected him, this Abraham, the father of the faith, was called the “friend of God.”  In this parable today, God calls his workers friends.  I hear warmth, I hear love, I hear acceptance.

         I do not know who you identify with in this story.  Perhaps you signed on with those early workers and you question God’s fairness?  Perhaps you are just overwhelmed at God’s mercy at the end of your life?  Perhaps you are just plain grumbling because life is hard right now and you want to demonstrate and bring justice to earth?  This parable reminds us that the kingdom of heaven is under God’s rule, a benevolent dictatorship that is run by his mercy.  Fairness will come but it will not look like what we think.  This life is unfair but when wages are paid we will receive what God has promised, eternal life in a kingdom without tears, without hunger, and without pain.  That is something to look forward to.  You are God’s worker and he addresses you a “friend.”  Thank you Lord.

First Reading: Genesis 50:15-21

¹⁵Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” ¹⁶So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ¹⁷‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. ¹⁸Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” ¹⁹But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Psalm: Psalm 103:[1-7] 8-13

  ¹Bless the Lord, O my soul,
  and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name.
 ²Bless the Lord, O my soul,
  and forget not all God’s benefits—
 ³who forgives all your sins
  and heals all your diseases;
 ⁴who redeems your life from the grave
  and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy;
 ⁵who satisfies your desires with good things
  so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
 ⁶O Lord, you provide vindication
  and justice for all who are oppressed.
 ⁷You made known your ways to Moses
  and your works to the children of Israel.
]  ⁸Lord, you are full of compassion and mercy,
  slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love;
 ⁹you will not always accuse us,
  nor will you keep your anger forever.
 ¹⁰You have not dealt with us according to our sins,
  nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
 ¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
  so great is your steadfast love for those who fear you.
 ¹²As far as the east is from the west,
  so far have you removed our transgressions from us.
 ¹³As a father has compassion for his children,
  so you have compassion for those who fear you, O Lord.

Second Reading: Romans 14:1-12

¹Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. ²Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. ³Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. ⁴Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
  ⁵Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
  ⁷We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. ⁸If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
  ¹⁰Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. ¹¹For it is written,
 “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
  and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
¹²So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

²¹Peter came and said to [Jesus], “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” ²²Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
  ²³“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. ²⁴When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; ²⁵and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. ²⁶So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ ²⁷And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. ²⁸But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ²⁹Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ ³⁰But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. ³¹When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. ³²Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. ³³Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. ³⁵So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

CHILDREN’S SERMON:  The Emperor’s New Clothes:    Two swindlers arrive at the capital city of an emperor who spends lavishly on clothing at the expense of state matters. Posing as weavers, they offer to supply him with magnificent clothes that are invisible to those who are stupid or incompetent. The emperor hires them, and they set up looms and go to work. A succession of officials, and then the emperor himself, visit them to check their progress. Each sees that the looms are empty but pretends otherwise to avoid being thought a fool. Finally, the weavers report that the emperor’s suit is finished. They mime dressing him and he sets off in a procession before the whole city. The townsfolk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear inept or stupid, until a child blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all. The people then realize that everyone has been fooled. Although startled, the emperor continues the procession, walking more proudly than ever.

SERMON

         Is our God like that silly emperor, only wanting acclaim and applause?  Are we like the people, afraid to tell the truth for fear of being though foolish and disrespectful?  Does nobody see the charade?  Our parable today looks at some of this.      

         Last week we faced the reality of problems in the church, that is  within the body of Christ.  We are all “saints in the forming”.  None of us is perfect and our actions are for sure going to offend someone else in the congregation.   How do we handle that?  We go to the person and try to resolve our differences, humbling ourselves and asking forgiveness if necessary.  If that doesn’t work we bring in an arbitrator to bridge the breech of relationship.  If that doesn’t work then we resort to a public hearing before the congregation.  I doubt few issues get that far these days. We are not like the silly emperor, wanting to parade our “stuff” before an audience.

         Peter, the extrovert, asks Jesus if he has to forgive seven times ie a measureable amount of times.  Surely by the seventh time someone has offended you over the same issue, it is time to say “enough is enough.”  My guess is that few of us make it to that seventh mark.  Shockingly Jesus responds by saying we need to forgive seventy-seven times, ie an unmeasureable amount of times.  Few keep track that far.  By then we have turned our back on the other. 

         On the other hand, I am not going to ask you how many times you have had to pick up after your children in their messiness or close a door or draw for someone who just never seems to close anything.  We won’t mention squeezing or rolling the toothpaste or putting the toilet paper rolling forward or backward.  Yes, there are habits, “idiosyncrycies” that irritate and make us want to bop someone on the head and make us want to yell.

         Jesus tells a parable to make his point clear and to bring his point home.  A king, of course God, wants to settle his accounts with his servants, of course us.  Some person owes a huge debt, impossible to pay debt, and begs the king for mercy.  If the king throws him in jail or sells his children, the king will never raise the money of the debt.  I think we call it an estate sale or foreclosure.  The owner will only receive a portion of what is owed.  Besides which no amount of money can compensate for the memories and relationship.  Insurance only covers a certain amount of the value of an object but can never create new health, new smiles or new memories.  How much do we owe God for health, for family, for fellowship, for sunrises, for answers to prayer.  An impossible debt because God’s generosity is impossible to assign monetary value to and he does not charge!

         Perhaps a side question here is “Do we see God as our king?”  Perhaps we think God owes us a good life because we have worked so hard and tried so hard to be good.  After-all, he created us and that is his job. I have heard the argument presented that God is good and I have tried to be good and love my neighbor as myself and so I don’t need to worry about God and church.  My good deeds demands God’s generosity.  When hard times come, we are surprised because we have tried so hard.  Part of the lesson here is that settling debt, settling sin, is not about good works, maybe not even about relationship.  There is no indication that there is a strong relationship between the king and the servant.  Forgiveness comes from the heart of God who does not desire to destroy lives to get his due.  Let me say that again, forgiveness comes from the heart of God who does not desire to destroy our lives to get his due.  Forgiveness is an undeserved gift from the heart of God.  Mercy comes from above because God is a god of mercy.

         Jesus then shifts from the hierarchical aspect of mercy – God to man- to the vertical aspects of mercy.  We who have received forgiveness and mercy then meet our fellow person and demand that which we have been forgiven.  God forgives me for disrespect and yet I demand respect from others.  My love for God is imperfect and yet I demand perfect love from friends.  When I am unforgiving, I am demanding from others what I have already received from God.  The Old Testament reading is about the life of Joseph who because of his brothers’ jealousy is sold into slavery and a rough time in Egypt.  He is falsely accused of adultery by Potipher’s wife and thrown in jail.  In jail her interprets dreams but the lucky men who benefit forget Joseph.  Finally he rises to power only to run into his brothers.  He saves their lives from starvation but when father Jacob dies the brothers are convinced they will now get what they dished out and they are petrified.  Joseph responds:

         “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? ²⁰Even though you         intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to     preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. ²¹So have no fear;       I myself will provide for you and your little ones.”

When we refuse to forgive, we place ourselves above another and take the place that belongs to God.

         Jesus does not stop here, though.  He points out that others are watching our lives.  The other servants see the man refuse to forgive and see him abuse the other to get s small debt paid.  They report to the king.  Others are watching.  The New Testament reading reminds us that while we may feel right in our own eyes, others with weaker consciences are watching.  We know the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” 

         We forgive because God first forgave us. We forgive because anger and hatred and bitterness destroy relationships and hurts us as well as the other.  We forgive because others are watching and we desire to give glory to God.  It is not easy to forgive.  It is not easy to be merciful.  Let us remember Christ on the cross for our sins as we face each other and those irritating things we do to each other and may be seek to honor God before others.

         Jesus’ parable does not have a foolish worldly emperor wanting to impress but a King who wants to settle accounts, perhaps to establish justice, or perhaps to remove the barriers between him and his people.  Like the men who sewed for the Emperor, and knowlngly deceive the king, they are not like us who work and deceive ourselves that our works deserve rewards.  The child observing the procession sees the truth.  Perhaps the outsider who observes us sees some truth.  In any case, forgiveness is not measureable because our debt is impossible to pay and God’s grace is impossible to comprehend.  May we face each other with attitudes of gratitude and when caught in a falsehood, humble ourselves and seek forgiveness.  And to God be the glory!  Amen.

First Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-11

⁷So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸If I say to the wicked, “O wicked ones, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. ⁹But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
  ¹⁰Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?” ¹¹Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Psalm: Psalm 119:33-40

 ³³Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
  and I shall keep it to the end.
 ³⁴Give me understanding, and I shall keep your teaching;
  I shall keep it with all my heart.
 ³⁵Lead me in the path of your commandments,
  for that is my desire.
 ³⁶Incline my heart to your decrees
  and not to unjust gain. 
 ³⁷Turn my eyes from beholding falsehood;
  give me life in your way.
 ³⁸Fulfill your promise to your servant,
  which is for those who fear you.
 ³⁹Turn away the reproach that I dread,
  because your judgments are good.
 ⁴⁰Behold, I long for your commandments;
  by your righteousness enliven me. 

Second Reading: Romans 13:8-14.

⁸Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
  ¹¹Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; ¹²the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; ¹³let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

 [Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹⁵“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. ¹⁶But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. ¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

• Children’s Sermon:      The Lion & the Mouse

A Lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws. A timid little Mouse came upon him unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the Lion’s nose. Roused from his nap, the Lion laid his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.

“Spare me!” begged the poor Mouse. “Please let me go and some day I will surely repay you.”

The Lion was much amused to think that a Mouse could ever help him. But he was generous and finally let the Mouse go.

Some days later, while stalking his prey in the forest, the Lion was caught in the toils of a hunter’s net. Unable to free himself, he filled the forest with his angry roaring. The Mouse knew the voice and quickly found the Lion struggling in the net. Running to one of the great ropes that bound him, she gnawed it until it parted, and soon the Lion was free.

“You laughed when I said I would repay you,” said the Mouse. “Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion.”

A kindness is never wasted.

PRAYER:  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and redeemer

SERMON

As we listen to the readings from the Word of God, Lutherans start with an Old Testament reading, followed by a Psalm and a New Testament reading – before the Gospel that is always centered around the teachings of Jesus.  The pattern will often be that the Old Testament identifies the situation that is being addressed on a given Sunday.  In the Psalm reading, we the people agree.  The New Testament reading shares how the early church understood Jesus to speak to the issue.  Then we stand for the reading of the Gospel, to show respect for the words that came from Jesus, the living word.  Today Ezekiel reminds us that we are ALL sinners and we all offend others and yet we are called to be a light of God’s truth to the world.  In the Psalm we plea for help to learn and understand God’s statues.  The early church saw that fulfilled as we live in love with the other.         

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” 

How does that work practically, the nuts and bolts.  I can sing with Jackie DeShannon.  “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.  What the world needs now is love, sweet love,  No not just for some but for everyone.” 

         Jesus gave us a formula.  When an offense occurs between myself and someone else, I am not to chew that bone and ignore it but seek to resolve the difference with the other.  Scary stuff if I am busy protecting self!  If that does not work because both of you see the issue differently, then step two is to seek an arbitrator, an impartial party who can listen to both sides without bias and help you both to find the middle road.  Is the goal self justification or resolution of relationship?  If THAT fails then Jesus says to take it to the church body.  If your family is like mine, the unspoken rule is that we don’t hang dirty laundry in-front of others.  If love is not the motivating factor, we end up with surface politeness and then we go home and have the sermon dissected for lunch, or the other person.  We do not follow these guidelines of going to the other, next an arbitrator, and finally going to the church and I would suspect that the cause is we are not rooted in love.

            Two Sundays ago we read Matthew 16 and heard Peter confess that that Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus affirms that confession as limited as Peter’s understanding was at the time.  Jesus is going to build a church on the faith the size of a mustard seed.  Reality is there will be betrayal and failings.  But Jesus will build the church, not me.  Jesus then talks about the Keys of the Kingdom.  In chapter 18, he now circles back to that same principle and embedded it in a conversation about misunderstandings in the church, in the reality that we will fail, we will sin, and we will offend each other.

         Churches are not perfect communities that ooze love.  Do I hear an “Amen!”  Jesus says, ¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Our anger, our disagreements, bind the power of God in our lives and in the lives of others.  Two weeks ago I looked to the story of the prodigal son.  The father with two sons, one resenting being under the father’s authority, takes his inheritance and squanders it.  While his heart is closed to the father and while he is seeking to lead his own life, he struggles and relationship is broken.  He returns and unbinds the situation but interestingly the other brother has bound himself with jealousy and resentment, the silent anger.  Both have lost blessing with the father and with each other because of their closed hearts. 

         We see these stories all through scripture, twin brothers, Jacob and Esau spend years apart because of their jealousy.  How many people were hurt in Egypt because the pharaoh did not submit.  Ezekiel laments, “Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?”  Disagreements are an albatross around our necks and around the ministry of the church.

         In the same way Jesus reminds us of the blessings of a community pulling together, ¹⁹Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” The daycare and the community garden of Bethany are not the result of one person’s dream but are the result of a united vision to bless others.  I think of so many verses that talk about love.  “Love covers a multitude of sins.”  1 Corinthians 13, “Now faith, hope and love abide but the greatest of these is love.”  As we follow the guidelines of scripture – put God first, love parents, don’t kill or steal or slander or covet – God is able to work in ways we would not expect.  I think of the parable of the Good Samaritan.  A man walking on the road between two towns is beaten up and robbed.  People walk by and do not want to be involved, to get their hands dirty, but the foreigner stops and helps the man, binding his wounds and taking him to an inn and seeing he is cared for.  How many lives have been touched by that story.  Elizabeth Fedde, one of the patron leaders of the Deaconess movement in the USA came from Norway to Boston to help Norwegian sailors.  She started Sunday schools, an ambulance society, and on her vacation in Minneapolis founded the Lutheran Deaconess Hospital that merged with Fairview.  Wow!  We do not know how many the ripples of her life touched.  We do not know how many are touched by the attitudes in our hearts.  Jesus says that when we agree, we unleash the power of God from Heaven.

         Jesus closes today,  ²⁰For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”  We are more than two or three people gathered today in Jesus name.  We do not just gather in his name, he is here among us, ready to bless.  It is his nature to bless.  God is love.  Let us go home resolved to deal with our differences, to resolve our conflicts, and to allow love to permeate our lives.  All by God’s power, of course.  He’s ready, are we? 

         The lion in our children’s sermon did not know the result of his kind deed to the mouse.  Perhaps he didn’t even let her go from love.  But in the same way, as we release insults to God to handle, we will be blessed.  To that I can say, “Amen, Lord, let it be so!”

Prelude: For Those Tears I Died, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7ucgWlusY&list=RDaX7ucgWlusY&start_radio=1&t=45

Pentecost 13
Sunday, August 30, 2020

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting,
whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

Absolution:
Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen

Gathering Hymn: ELW 810 O Jesus, I have Promised https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTch75iqeu8

Greetings: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

Kyrie:
Have mercy on us, Lord, and hear our solemn prayer. We come to hear your living word; it saves us from despair.
Have mercy on us, Christ, and wash away our sin. Pour out your grace and make us whole that new life may begin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, make sun and shame depart. Renew us with your saving pow’r, create in us new hearts!

Prayer of the Day
O God, we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for the sake of the world. Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and give us strength to follow your commands, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Selection of the Faithful: ELW 817 You Have Come down to the Lakeshore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QBxqZ3LRAs, ending at 3:09

HEARING GOD’S WORD

First Reading: Jeremiah 15:15-21
 15O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me,
  and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
 In your forbearance do not take me away;
  know that on your account I suffer insult.
 16Your words were found, and I ate them,
  and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart;
 for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
 17I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice;
 under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
  for you had filled me with indignation.
 18Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable,
  refusing to be healed?
 Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.
9Therefore thus says the LORD:
 If you turn back, I will take you back,
  and you shall stand before me.
 If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
  you shall serve as my mouth.
 It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.
 20And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze;
 they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you,
 for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD.
 21I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
  and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

Psalm: Psalm 26:1-8

 1Give judgment for me, O LORD, for I have lived with integrity;
  I have trusted in the LORD and have not faltered.
 2Test me, O LORD, and try me;
  examine my heart and my mind.
 3For your steadfast love is before my eyes;
  I have walked faithfully with you.
 4I have not sat with the worthless,
  nor do I consort with the deceitful.
 5I have hated the company of evildoers;
  I will not sit down with the wicked.
 6I will wash my hands in innocence, O LORD,
  that I may go in procession round your altar,
 7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving
  and recounting all your wonderful deeds.
 8LORD, I love the house in which you dwell
  and the place where your glory abides.

Second Reading: Romans 12:9-21
9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
  14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes | of our hearts,* so that we may know the hope to which | God has called us. Alleluia. (Eph. 1:17, 18)

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-28
21From that time on, [after Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah,] Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
  24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
  27“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. 28Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Children’s Sermon: I find myself reviewing some of my favorite tales that carry truth, much like Bible parables. I love the story of the crew of mice that gathered to lament their plight in life. Everything would be wonderful if it weren’t for that ole cat. They could have everything they wanted – cheese, crumbs, material for nests. What are we going to do, they wailed. A young mouse, raised his voice and said, “I have an idea. If we put a bell on the cat, we will know when he is coming and can hide.” All thought that was a fantastic idea. As the rejoicing settled, an old mouse raised his voice and asked, “Who will bell the cat?”

SERMON

After the mountain top experience comes the valley. Every coin has two sides – render to God what he is due but also render to Caesar his due. After the fantastic sendoff by our churches to be missionaries in Kenya, came the reality of iiving in the desert with 10,000 starving people at my back door. Peter has confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the son of the living God last week and been publicly affirmed by Jesus. What an affirming experience. The text picks up, “From that time on…” Jesus realizes that Peter only partially understands the meaning of “messiah.” WE only partially understand.
I stand in that gap right now, the gap between ultimate truth and reality to get to that truth. I feel so honored to be the “interim Deaconess” of Bethany Lutheran Church, a group of people I have grown to love and value. I slide past the reality of “interim” and do not focus that it means someday I must move on and make space for a permanent leader that will lead you into the future God has prepared.. That hurts. I don’t like farewells! I slide past “interim” and focus on the present.
Jesus has to prepare his disciples for the reality that is going to face them. For Jesus to fulfill his role as Messiah, certain things must happen.
Jesus began to show his disciples that they must go to Jerusalem. Faith is a journey, not a destination. Not just being free of Roman rule but a journey to learning how to live into that freedom that we will come to call Christianity.
It will involve suffering. Transitions are painful. It is not easy to change alliances – from the world to God, from single to married, from non-Covid to Covid masking, from interim Deaconess to the next phase of ministry for Bethany. Suffering appears painful but after the struggle, new horizons open up. After that period of sleepless nights, that baby grows and settles and parents start sleeping again and learning language to communicate with the new little creature. Getting to know your new person will have its ups and downs but a new rhythm will develop. I pray I will adjust to the heat and humidity and hurricanes of Florida and someday that will seem like “home.”
Parts of ourselves die in the transition. We must let go of old allegiances and the glory of those past days to be able to embrace the new ministry God has for you. The Call committee is reading Canoeing the Mountain about Lewis and Clark coming to the mouth of the Missouri River and realizing they were not at the Pacific Ocean and that a whole range of Rocky Mountains lay between them and their dream. They had to learn to use canoes. They found friendship with Sackajowea, a foreigner, who helped them navigate the journey. They reached the Pacific Ocean but it was an adventure. The women’s Bible study looked at the gifts of memory and traditions last week. Our traditions help us remember, re-member, who we are and what God expects of us. We come to the communion table fragmented, receive communion and return to our seats “re-membered,” pulled together in forgiveness. The study challenged us, when we embrace traditionalism, become glued to the past as the only way to do things, we loose the gift God wants to give us. The Messiah will move us from Synagoue to Church, from sacrifices to communion, from hierarchy to body of Christ. Jesus is trying to tell his disciples, trying to tell you and me that change must come and it will be hard and often feel like death but the result will be salvation. Resurrection will come, we believe.
PART 2: Resistance
Peter resists. No, Lord! We don’t want suffering and death, we want victory and defeat of the enemy. The God of the universe cannot lead us into hard times. I would suspect, if there is one big stumbling block in our faith, besides the Trinity thing, it is our belief that God by definition should be able to rescue us from all pain and struggling. God should appear and resolve our issue if we only have enough faith, lay our hand on the television, donate enough money, act in a certain way. Pain should be avoidable if God is God. But Jesus calls it like it is. Life is not about making me healthy, wealthy and wise, about my happiness, but it is about serving the other. God travels with us and is our God, not a magic answer to get me what I want. We must trust that he sees the big picture and not our momentary discomforts.
We hear the words, take up your cross, and perhaps we grimace. There is nothing pretty about a cross, nothing pleasant. There is nothing easy about forgiveness. It is not easy to share our wealth, turn the other cheek, go the extra mile. But that is the answer. Violence, hate, and anger will never bring about a better world – I know that is not the common feeling now as culture embraces demonstrating, but I just do not see it in Christ. It is not easy to say good-bye.
Jesus then asks us a reflective question, “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?” These are serious questions. Jesus is asking us to examine our priorities. The call process and also the CONNECT process a couple years ago asked the same question of Bethany. Is our priority our comfort or ministry to our neighborhood? Is my priority staying secure in the love and joy I feel here at Bethany or accepting the next challenge God has for us? As a child or young adult, I listened to my mother lament that if only she had gone to college, she would write a book. If only…then she could have…. I made a deep decision that I did not want to live my life lamenting, if only… One of the themes that I find myself coming back to all the time is that God works outside our boxes. God is a god of the unexpected, of the surprise answer, to an unexpected solution. Again today we see that. The Messiah is not about political revolution and overthrow of the Romans. Messiah is about the cross, struggle and death into an eternity of being with God. I am much better at looking in the rear mirror of my car and being able to see the blessings that have come my way than predicting any blessings in the future. But I do know that God is faithful, trustworthy, and reliable. I can only imagine that your next leader will be as delighted and thrilled with ministry here as I have been.
I want to go back to our children’s sermon. The congregation of mice thought life would be wonderful if only ….. Fill in the blank. Life would be wonderful if only we had…. The truth is that there is a cat. The only way to bell the cat is for God to do it and the only way to avoid the cat is to follow God’s leading. There is a cat, there is suffering, there is death and we do not want that to be true, but it is. The mice are a community to help each other but only God can bell the cat.
Jesus ends with the promise, “For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. “ Some day we will all face God face to face. We do not labor in vain. There are highs and lows but God is constant, walking with us, leading, guiding and rewarding. Praise to His name.

Hymn of Day: ELW 808, Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhsgzV4hklc, starting at 1:20

The Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sIns, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Or you can listen to the Creed in vocal form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDI-sk2nJU

Prayers of Intercession
Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
God of faithfulness, you bid your people to follow Jesus. Set the mind of your church on divine things. Grant us trust in you, that we lose our lives for the sake of Christ and thereby discover joy in life through him. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of wonder, the earth is yours and all that is in it. Heal your creation and give us eyes to see the world as you do. As the seasons change, pattern the rhythm of our lives in harmony with all creation. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

God of all nations, you call us to live peaceably with all. Give us ears to hear one another, even those we name as enemies. Fill all leaders with mercy and understanding, that they advocate and genuinely care for those who are poor and most vulnerable in their communities. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of salvation, you promise to deliver us. Give those who suffer a strong sense of your presence and love. Accompany those who are uncertain, raise the spirits of those who are despairing, and heal the sick (especially). Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of community, you call us to rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer. Make our congregation a workshop of your love. When we quarrel, bring reconciliation. Help us overcome evil with good. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of all grace, you give us everlasting life. In love we recall your holy ones who now live in your undying light. In our remembering, give us a foretaste of the feast to come. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Peace: If you are worship with someone else, turn and share, “The peace of Christ be with you always.” Response, “And also with you.” You might use your finger to mark you children or loved one with a cross on their forehead. If you are practicing social distancing, put your palms together blessing of them. Peace!

SHARING GOD’S MEAL

Offering Prayer: God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Water and word, wine and bread: these are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We left them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Communion: I invite you to talk a little piece of bread and eat it. Christ is as close to you as the bread in your mouth and stomach. Always remember. Now take a sip of your drink. Christ is as close to you as the blood in your body, strengthening you. Always remember.

Prayer after Communion: God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

THE SENDING

Blessing: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 783 Praise and Thanks and Adoration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YoulXtUTa0

Dismissal: Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

Prelude: Jesus, Name Above All Names https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxMmj7pdIjM

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen

Confession and Forgiveness:
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting,
whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.
Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

Absolution:
Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen

Gathering Hymn: We All are One in Mission ELW 576 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0AmVKrX6xg, starting at 0:40

Greetings: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

Kyrie:
Have mercy on us, Lord, and hear our solemn prayer. We come to hear your living word; it saves us from despair.
Have mercy on us, Christ, and wash away our sin. Pour out your grace and make us whole that new life may begin.
Have mercy on us, Lord, make sun and shame depart. Renew us with your saving pow’r, create in us new hearts!

Prayer of the Day
O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Selection of the Faithful: ELW 812 Faith of Our Fathers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeMIMLP2Nmo

HEARING GOD’S WORD

First Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6
 1Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
  you that seek the LORD.
 Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
  and to the quarry from which you were dug.
 2Look to Abraham your father
  and to Sarah who bore you;
 for he was but one when I called him,
  but I blessed him and made him many.
 3For the LORD will comfort Zion;
  he will comfort all her waste places,
 and will make her wilderness like Eden,
  her desert like the garden of the LORD;
 joy and gladness will be found in her,
  thanksgiving and the voice of song.
 4Listen to me, my people,
  and give heed to me, my nation;
 for a teaching will go out from me,
  and my justice for a light to the peoples.
 5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
  my salvation has gone out
  and my arms will rule the peoples;
 the coastlands wait for me,
  and for my arm they hope.
 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
  and look at the earth beneath;
 for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
  the earth will wear out like a garment,
  and those who live on it will die like gnats;
 but my salvation will be forever,
  and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm: Psalm 138
 1I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart;
  before the gods will sing your praise.
 2I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast love and faithfulness;
  for you have glorified your name and your word above all things.
 3When I called, you answered me;
  you increased my strength within me.
 4All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O LORD,
  when they have heard the words of your mouth.
 5They will sing of the ways of the LORD,
  that great is the glory of the LORD.
 6The LORD is high, yet cares for the lowly,
  perceiving the haughty from afar.
 7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;
  you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.
 8You will make good your purpose for me;
  O LORD, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
  3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Alleluia. (Matt. 16:16)

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Children’s Sermon: I have told this story before but this is the Peace Corp version. Six blind men in India went to the Raja’s palace for they wanted to know what an elephant was. The first touched the side and thot the beast like a wall, smooth and strong. The second touched the trunk and thot it very similar to a large snake. The third touched the tusk and jumped back thinking it was like a spear. The fourth felt a leg and thot of a very large cow. The fifth touching the ear believed the elephant to be like a giant fan, able to fly over moutains and trees. The sixth, convinced they were being fooled, felt the tail and declared they were holding nothing more than a rope. Their discussion woke the Rajah who told them to put the pieces together to find the whole truth. They were led home by a boy, each putting his hands on the shoulder of the one infront of him. There they shared and discussed what an elephant must be.

SERMON

Since last week’s text, Jesus has fed 4000+ people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish, has met the Pharisee and Sadducees’ demand for a sign from heaven and has warned the disciples about their teachings. Jesus now crosses the lake to the other side and engages his followers in a discussion. Our reading today opens with a question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man” is? Jesus is called “Son of Man” 88 times in the New Testament. This pulls us back to Daniel 7:13,14 when Daniel sees a vision and “there before me was one like a son of man” who approaches in the clouds, approaches the Ancient of Days, God, and is given authority and power over all peoples, nations and men of every language. Daniel assigns Messianic identity to the title “Son of Man.” So it could be that Jesus is here claiming the Messianic prophecy and is asking the disciples how they see it.
This reminds me of the recent movie version? Les Miserables movie and Jean Valjean singing, “Who am I?” Can he hide from his past by changing his name, by claiming a new role as factory owner, by living a reformed life? He concludes he must live his true identity, Jean Valjean, 24601, the convict whose soul was redeemed by the priest and the silver candlesticks. Jesus asks the question of his disciples, who do people say I am?
As usual, the answers come close to truth but miss. Is Jesus, John the Baptist raised and who is predicted to come before the Messiah? Is he Elijah who was taken up in a whirlwind and never died and who is to return some day? Maybe like Jeremiah, he is a man in the tradition of the prophets. People today give similar answers. Jesus was a great teacher. Jesus is a fiction of history. I asked someone in Kenya once and he said, the guy living three towns away. People are no more united in one answer to this question than they were centuries ago.
When asked who we are, we often answer the question in terms of the roles we have. I am the mother of…, I am the husband of…, I am the organist at …., Perhaps we identify by our ethnicity, I am an American, especially when confronted by police questioning our legality in the USA. I find it interesting that these days we are identifying our political candidates by color and ethnic heritage. Our ethnic heritage, our geographical identifications, our roles, our relationships are all very important. Coming from the Los Angeles freeway to the desert of Kenya, I politely asked what natural disaster I had to be prepared for. I had done earthquake drills, air raid drills and what since childhood. Everyone looked at me blankly. I was definitely foreign.
The roles I call mine do not get to my core identity. They are the masks I wear in public. Jesus was a healer. He was a teacher. He was from Nazareth. He was the son of Mary. But at the very core of his identity, who was he? He turns to Peter and to us and asks, “And who do you say that I am?” Ole Peter ticks the right box:” the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
For many of us we live with the weight, perhaps the grief of having tried to do everything we knew how at the time to share this truth with our family, friends, and spouses. Some believe but many turn their back and walk away. We blame ourselves. Jesus’ next words confirm that it is God who makes this truth real in lives. “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” Our job is to share the truth as we know it but it is God who reveals the truth to the heart about the identity of Jesus and God chooses the time and place, not us. It is our role to testify and God’s role to reveal, to save.
Secondly, I note that even as Peter confesses the identity of Jesus, he still does not fully understand. There is an irony here. Jesus has not died on the cross yet. Peter does not know Jesus as Savior, but only as the promised Messiah that he thinks will defeat Rome. Many come to the church with a partial understanding of who Jesus is, perhaps warped in some ways, perhaps wrong in some ways, and it is through relationship that we grow to know Jesus more and more and to appreciate the meaning of his role in our lives. Faith is a journey and the church is one of the places this takes place.
Soooo, forgiveness becomes key as we each have blind spots and places where we do not understand fully. We see through a glass dimly. Jesus declares that on this confession, on this beginning of faith of Peter, he Jesus will build his church. I know the Catholics believe that means that Peter himself, was the first Pope, and Protestants believe it to be a more general promise but really it doesn’t matter. Faith is a journey of understanding more and more who Jesus is and who I am in relationship to him.
Interestingly Jesus now shifts to what Lutherans call “The Office of Keys and Confession,” the “Keys of the Kingdom.” There is a whole section in the Small Catechism based on the next verse. What does it mean that we can bind and loose things here on earth and that bound and loosed here affects heaven? This might be good to review. Jesus is giving a very practical explanation of faith. Faith is more than that marvelous moment when we believed or when we were carried to the font or when the reality of God touches our lives. Our faith is also like an electrical current, a power line between us and heaven. Let me try and explain.
“whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven” What does this mean? This is most certainly true? Those words of the catechism ring in my ear. Faith dynamically connects heaven and earth. When we come to the baptismal font, pray over a person, baptize them in the name of God, and anoint them with the cross, we are binding them to the God of the universe. Something sacred happens and Jesus is here saying that our faith, our prayers are answered in heaven. I am not trying to preach baptismal salvation as it is Christ on the cross that saves us through faith but somehow baptism gets the ball rolling. When I pray for my wayward child, grandchild, or my struggling friend, or my sick neighbor, that prayer “binds” God’s hand to the situation. That does not necessarily mean the results will be happy-ever-after but it does activate a spiritual dynamic in the situation. I believe prayer is power!
“whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus expresses this reality when he encourages us to pray, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” When we harbor and cherish hate, bitterness, and spite in our heart, God cannot, well has difficulty, working in the situation because we are unwilling to allow his healing presence, his perspective, his power to be present there in us. We are only focused on getting what we feel is right, not any bigger picture. It is not until the prodigal son “comes to himself” and is willing to go to his father, that restoration happens. The older brother who is so bitter does not experience the banquet but sits outside. The father is willing to work with both but their attitudes, their ability to loosen their attitudes affects the whole story. When you confess your sins, your mistakes, your shortcoming at the alter and the words of absolution are pronounced – you are forgiven. You need not carry that burden any longer. You are free in God’s eyes.
So where are we?
Who is Jesus and who am I? As Lion King said to his son Simba as Simba looked in the pool of water, “Remember who you are! You are more than what you have become.”
Remember who you are. You are more than the roles you play. Jesus is more than the prophecies about him. Our job is to share the truth as we understand it but it is God’s job to work that truth into a person’s soul.
You are more than what you have become! We are all on a journey of faith. We are not perfect nor is the other. But on that little bit that we do understand, God builds his church. We must be gentle with each other because we are all growing and we all have different gifts and need each other. Young Christians are going to stumble and fall. Even old Christians make mistakes. Let us be gentle with each other.
Lastly “become!” We are becoming and we have a power source that is more than the power within us. We have the keys of the kingdom to bind evil and loose good. I would challenge you to take a serious look at your prayer life.
I do not know where you are being challenged this week in the roles you play. People who may not understand you nor grasp your full identity but that does not change the truth that you are a child of God. You may be called upon to remind the other that they too are a creation of God, even with all their imperfections. Who do people say you are? God says you are his and that is the important voice to listen to.

Hymn of Day: ELW 652 Built on a Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcwgR2khFuE

The Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sIns, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Or you can listen to the Creed in vocal form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDI-sk2nJU

Prayers of Intercession
Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.
Lord our rock, you are our foundation in Jesus Christ, your Son, whom we confess as the living God. Prepare your church for its mission in bearing witness to Christ, both here at home and throughout the world. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You call forth praises from the far reaches of the universe to the smallest of creatures. Join our songs to theirs, that a spirit of praise and thanksgiving will arouse us to cherish this wondrous home you give us. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord. Direct the leaders of countries, legislators and magistrates, mayors and councils, to walk in your ways. Help leaders regard those in need with mercy and fulfill your loving purposes in the governance of peoples. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Though we walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve us, deliver us, and fulfill your purpose for us. According to your steadfast love, grant healing and wholeness to those who are bereaved, in trouble or adversity, or sick and in need of care. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You call us into this community, in which we, though many, are one in Christ. May we recognize in ourselves and in one another the unique gifts you have given us for the building up of the church for the sake of the world. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You are the everlasting Rock from which we were hewn, and you restore your people to joy and gladness. In blessed memory and hope, we thank you for the lives of our beloved dead. Bring us with them to our heavenly home. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace: If you are worship with someone else, turn and share, “The peace of Christ be with you always.” Response, “And also with you.” You might use your finger to mark you children or loved one with a cross on their forehead. If you are practicing social distancing, put your palms together blessing of them.
Peace!

SHARING GOD’S MEAL
Offering Prayer: God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Water and word, wine and bread: these are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving:
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We left them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Communion: I invite you to talk a little piece of bread and eat it. Christ is as close to you as the bread in your mouth and stomach. Always remember. Now take a sip of your drink. Christ is as close to you as the blood in your body, strengthening you. Always remember.

Prayer after Communion: God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

THE SENDING

Blessing: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 588 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=metLqEhcesY, starting at 1:35

Dismissal: Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

Prelude: Break Thou the Bread of Life, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQpj4TSe-Ec

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.                   Amen

Confession and Forgiveness:

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.  Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

 Absolution:  Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen

 Gathering Hymn: ELW 641 All Are Welcome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlnVLP0qFEo

 Greetings: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

 Kyrie:

Have mercy on us, Lord, and hear our solemn prayer. We come to hear your living word; it saves us from despair.

Have mercy on us, Christ, and wash away our sin. Pour out your grace and make us whole that new life may begin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, make sun and shame depart. Renew us with your saving pow’r, create in us new hearts!

Prayer of the Day: Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 Selection of the Faithful: ELW 715 Christ, Be Our Light https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJq3bhdgQoc

HEARING GOD’S WORD

First Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8

¹Thus says the Lord:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
⁶And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
⁸Thus says the Lord God,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.

Psalm: Psalm 67

¹May God be merciful to us and bless us;
may the light of God’s face shine upon us.
²Let your way be known upon earth,
your saving health among all nations.
³Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations on earth. 
⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you.
⁶The earth has brought forth its increase;
God, our own God, has blessed us.
⁷May God give us blessing,
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe. 

Second Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

[Paul writes:] ¹I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. ^2aGod has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
²⁹For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. ³⁰Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. ³²For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom* and cured every sickness among the people. Alleluia. (Matt. 4:23)

Gospel: Matthew 15:[10-20] 21-28

¹⁰[Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand:¹¹it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” ¹²Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” ¹³He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. ¹⁴Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” ¹⁵But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? ¹⁸But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. ¹⁹For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. ²⁰These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”]
²¹Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²²Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” ²³But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” ²⁴He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” ²⁸Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Children’s Sermon: Here is a picture of an apple. What’s wrong with it? (It is rotten and a worm is eating through it.)   How did it happen?

SERMON

Last week we pondered Jesus walking across the stormy sea, to meet the exhausted disciples madly rowing and despairing of life. They think he’s a ghost and Peter says, IF you are who you say you are, ask me to come to you. Jesus says “Come.” Today we will look more closely at who is invited to “come.”   Our text for today is found in the next chapter, chapter 15 of Matthew. Jesus starts: “Listen and understand.” Those are pretty strong words for starting a sermon. It throws me to two Sundays ago and the image of Jesus saying to the crowd of 5000+ – sit. Can you just see that little puppy dog, butt wiggling on the ground as the tail flaps, ears at attention, eyes focused on the master just waiting for the next word or command. For sure a treat is in the owner’s pocket. We are seated today but are we listening?

The introduction to the story that Matthew shares today is a lecture by Jesus on defilement, about rotten apples. What makes us defiled, spoiled, rotten? Jesus is standing in the presence of the Pharisees, (who want to be fair-you-see), and he is being grilled yet again about following the laws of Judaism, washing of hands before eating. Jesus looks at his disciples and us and says: Listen and understand. The purpose of the mouth is to eat, to breathe, to take in – and so food enters, gets digested and is pooped out. Eating food that is turning rotten while disgusting is not defiling. Eating with dirty hands while disgusting is not defiling. In Kenya as women talked, one of our favorite conversations was about what is good to eat. Every culture has dietary likes and dislikes, sanitation dos and don’ts. When we went to Kenya, the famine relief camp, and tried building a little cardboard house like the people so we could learn language, I was cooking over an open fire and Malcolm would exit the house and sit with our son, soooo offended by the smoke. When we had to eat matumbo – stomache, we almost lost one translator – not me. I would sift the wevils out of my flour and my houseworker would take them home to feed his family. For the Rendilli stomache and brain are super special food for super special occasions. Food is not what defiles us. As you can see Malcolm and I are here today and we did not have Montazuma’s revenge!

Jesus continues, it’s what comes out of our heart that shows how we have been defiled. How so? Let’s go back to our rotten apple. Why is that apple rotten? It has been left too long unattended, forgotten in the back of the refrigerator or at the bottom of the fruit bowl. Perhaps a worm has infested it. Perhaps it is sitting next to a rotten apple that has spread its rottenness. What’s our adage, “It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the barrel.” I would maintain that what defiles us does not come in by our mouth but comes in by our eyes or our ears, by other senses.

Do you hear our little friend on the shoulder whispering doubt into our minds and hearts? We focus on those seeds of jealousy, anger, envy, hurt and allow those things to fester in our souls. When we do not forgive, when we harbor hurt, there is a tendency, for me anyway, to say that cutting remark in an unguarded moment. I know you wouldn’t do it, but again, when I am tired and discouraged, something pops out of my mouth that I would prefer not be repeated and that I wish I could retract.

Our text goes on to share a scenario. Jesus and disciples go to a new area, non-Jewish where a foreigner, a Canaanite woman, pesters them with shouts for help for her daughter whom she believes is demon possessed. Jesus is confronted with someone the Jews would consider “defiles” through interaction. In this year of political elections, politicians make a big show of being friendly to everyone ie to people like you and me. They relate to all classes of society and brag about their ability to please everyone. In Jesus’ day it was not like that. No handshaking with lepers, with women, with…. It defiles. The disciples urge Jesus to move on and send her away. Do not defile yourself Jesus!

When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees, it is easy for us to identify as the good guys. We all know the Pharisees are the bad guys. But now Jesus has brought this discussion to the level of the disciples, his followers. Ummmm guys, I think that is us. Today we are challenged to ponder what or who it is that we feel defies us. Let’s look at this woman.

First, I note she is the wrong ethnicity, a foreigner but Jesus is in her territory. She is a woman that in those days made her second class. And she is being irritating, not following social protocol but shouting out for attention. But I also note she is not shouting out for temporary financial help, for things that do not satisfy but she is shouting out for mercy. “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” She is not pleading for food for her mouth but help for her soul. She is not pleading for a miracle. She is asking for mercy. Perhaps she feels she is guilty of something and blaming herself for her daughter’s plight? In any case, what is the cry of our heart today? Money, health, relationships or mercy?

She kneels at the foot of Jesus in total humility and respect. “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David.” Jesus is not just one of the many places she seeks help but she acknowledges his identity as Lord and as a son of David. Prayer is not just the routine she goes through at the start of her day, if it works – good – if not then no harm in trying. Jesus is her last and only resort because she acknowledges that he IS the voice that counts. Is Jesus our first box to tick or our only box?

Thirdly, Jesus points out the culturally accepted idea that this nameless woman is no more than a dog, unworthy to sit and eat with the disciples. Ouch! We would not like to hear that said today and I can see the protest groups forming. Today’s atmosphere would defend her humanity and her rights. She does not. She works the insult. Even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters’ table. We now add humility to her request. She seeks mercy respectfully and humbly, acknowledging and honoring Jesus. Jesus sums it up by honoring her faith and her prayer.

The woman while being everything that we might think would defile us in a social interaction, like spoiled food, in fact goes to the heart of God and from his mouth does not come condemnation and rejection but admiration and healing. She who has no name, who is considered a dog, goes down in history as someone who moved God’s heart and experienced his blessing personally.

I think this text challenges us to ask what we are putting in our souls today. What are we eating? Are we allowing old hurts and grudges to fester in our hearts? Are we listening to political commentaries centered on hate? Are we associating with things that bring rot to our attitudes? Perhaps we disguise it as just trying to help Jesus not be bothered, but the truth is that pride hurts as much as hate. The disciples were only trying to help Jesus. This woman challenges us to look at what we are seeking – mercy by persistent prayer, the improvement of our beloved neighbors or protecting our image, honoring God as God of all people who we are subject of his mercy. Are we willing to accept a crumb from his table believing that is truly enough or do we want the whole meal? Those are hard questions. Jesus saw this little lady being shuffled to the side. Jesus used her to teach us, the disciples. And Jesus honored her faith.

May our faith not be like that rotten apple, forgotten in the back of the refrigerator of our life, allowed to be eaten up by the worms of hurts and prejudice, nor infected with the bitterness of others. May we humbly cry out in our need, “Lord, son of David, have mercy on us.”

Hymn of Day: ELW 612 Healer of Our Every Ill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzWBXsVaejY

The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,  was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On   the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at  the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of  saints, the forgiveness of sIns, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Or you can listen to the Creed in vocal form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDI-sk2nJU

Prayers of Intercession

Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

Lord, you gather the church to be part of your mission as ambassadors of Jesus Christ. As Jesus acknowledged the great faith of a woman from outside his people, help your church discover and find blessing in the faith of people we might reject. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You have blessed us with the bounty of the earth. Grant your grace to all your creatures, that the earth will flourish. Relieve waters choked by garbage, renew soils stripped of nutrients, and refresh the air all creatures need to live. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You call the nations to be glad and sing for joy. Let your way be known among all the nations of the world, now divided by competing interests, contending alliances, and consumed by enormous worry. Bless us and make your face shine upon all. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You show unexpected mercy, kindness, and generosity. We pray for those who do not have enough, for outcasts in our villages, cities, and town, and for those who need your healing. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In you we live and move and have our being. Grant our congregation grace to find our life refreshed in you. Accompany us in the rhythms of late summer. Give us rest and renewal, and strengthen us for mission in your name. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 Your eternal promises are more than we could ever imagine. As you gather all the saints, join us also with them on the great day of your salvation. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Peace: If you are worship with someone else, turn and share, “The peace of Christ be with you always.” Response, “And also with you.” You might use your finger to mark you children or loved one with a cross on their forehead. If you are practicing social distancing, put your palms together blessing of them. Peace!

SHARING GOD’S MEAL

Offering Prayer: God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Water and word, wine and bread: these are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

 The Great Thanksgiving:

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We left them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Communion: I invite you to talk a little piece of bread and eat it. Christ is as close to you as the bread in your mouth and stomach. Always remember. Now take a sip of your drink. Christ is as close to you as the blood in your body, strengthening you. Always remember.

Prayer after Communion: God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

 THE SENDING

Blessing: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 886 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7w3DXMkyj7Q

Dismissal: Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prelude: A Mighty Fortress is our God, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4EoLm3_luM

August 9, 2020
Pentecost 10

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

               Amen

Confession and Forgiveness:

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.

Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

 Absolution:  Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen

 Gathering Hymn: ELW 516 Almighty God, Your Word is Cast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c2mjT5schA

 Greetings: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

 Kyrie:

Have mercy on us, Lord, and hear our solemn prayer. We come to hear your living word; it saves us from despair.

Have mercy on us, Christ, and wash away our sin. Pour out your grace and make us whole that new life may begin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, make sun and shame depart. Renew us with your saving pow’r, create in us new hearts!

Prayer of the Day: Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

 Selection of the Faithful: ELW When Peace Like a River https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6NMlFoaESM

God’s word

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:9-18

⁹At [Horeb, the mount of God,][Elijah] came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
¹¹He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; ¹²and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. ¹³When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” ¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. ¹⁸Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Psalm: Psalm 85:8-13

⁸I will listen to what the Lord God is saying;
for you speak peace to your faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to you.
⁹Truly, your salvation is very near to those who fear you,
that your glory may dwell in our land. 
¹⁰Steadfast love and faithfulness have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
¹¹Faithfulness shall spring up from the earth,
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
¹²The Lord will indeed grant prosperity,
and our land will yield its increase.
¹³Righteousness shall go before the Lord
and shall prepare for God a pathway. 

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15

⁵Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” ⁶But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷“or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); ⁹because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. ¹¹The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. ¹³For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
¹⁴But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? ¹⁵And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. I wait for you, O Lord; in your word is my hope. Alleluia. (Ps. 130:5)

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

²²[Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while he dismissed the crowds.²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
²⁸Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Children’s Sermon: My daughter showed me a cute cartoon last night. Two penguins ware walking together, a husband and wife. One has the Bible open. They are walking across the ice. One says to the other, “I don’t know what the big deal is about walking on water. We do it all the time!” Like those penguins we need the water to be frozen to walk on it!

SERMON

Our text today picks up from last week. Jesus and the disciples have had a full day. Jesus, hearing his cousin was beheaded by a corrupt government, seeks alone time but is met with the needs of 5000 plus sick and hurting people. He heals, he preaches and to the disciples amazement, feeds 5000 men plus women and children with two fish and five loaves of bread. That’s about 500 plus people per disciple. I’ve worked over the open fire feeding the masses for a wedding or a funeral in Kenya. I was young and we were a crew of women. I was learning to carve cooking tools from boards for fire and how to use the ash to wash the pots afterwards. It was exciting. We were a crew serving the masses and even though it was work, we chattered together. “Many hands make light work.” Task done, time for rest. Perhaps the disciples felt that way. An evening on the open water sounded refreshing.

Jesus has sent the disciples ahead across the lake while he gets that alone time he sought and they head out at the beginning of the day. I bet the disciples were emotionally pumped to tackle the world. Isn’t it interesting that after the mountain top experience, we invariably hit a valley, a low trying moment. By the end of the honeymoon Malcolm and I had a proper fight. We stopped in Death Valley to visit some historical site, house, and he climbed over the chords directing traffic because he wanted to get a more proper look. I was horrified, totally embarrassed and questioned what had I got myself into? After the high comes the low. For most of us the seas of life are not frozen and flat for us to walk on but water with waves.

Jesus has not forgotten his cousin. Perhaps a busy day put the grief on the back burner of his mind and heart but he needed to aloneness. Grief is legitimate. That’s all I have time to say today. Duty calls, he is on land and his disciples are struggling at the oars in the midst of a storm. I wonder what those disciples were thinking. That little voice that is always whispering in my ear would not respect my exhaustion nor my elation.   I can hear that little voice whispering, “Too bad you don’t have a car like …”, “When will you ever have money for a bigger boat following Jesus?” “ gosh, wouldn’t it be nice if someone appreciated your advice, your efforts.” The evil ones just does not respect age or exhaustion or education or wealth. The battle is real. The disciples are battling the storm.

At the end of this long, exhausting day two more miracles happen.

Jesus walks on water. Guys, Jesus to this point has turned water to wine, has healed the sick, has cast out demons, has removed fevers, but walk on water. That is really weird. Matthew must have been watching too much Alfred Hitchcock. Again, I would like you to note how God is so able to work outside the box, outside our experience, outside our expectations, and meet us at our point of need but often we do not recognize his hand at work in our lives. Did I see what I thought I saw? Did that politician really say THAT? Did the doctor really mean I need surgery or is there a herb or new medication? Officer, I’m sure I wasn’t going that fast! In the face of the unexpected, it is easy to be terrified and doubt our senses, doubt our experience and to cry out in fear.

Miracle One: Jesus comes walking on water and we do not recognize him. We fear the worst. When we are exhausted and at the end of our resources, we often collapse in fear. Our faith shrinks to the size of a mustard seed, to our last spoon of yeast, to a treasure hidden in our soul and we think we’ve caught a bad fish. BUT, our doubts, our fears, our inability to access our faith does not stop Jesus. Jesus speaks into our need, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Jesus does not play hide and seek with the disciples. He doesn’t play peek-a-boo like we do with little children. He does not diminish Peter or us nor belittle us. “Come unto me all ye who are weary and I will give you rest.” Don’t be afraid, I am with you – these are some of my favorite words in the Bible. It is so easy for me to fear but God comes and says, do not be afraid.

Ole Peter, though, our favorite foot-in-the-mouth disciple, voices the word we all long to say, “IF…” I hear God’s words but my heart is pounding and I am exhausted, immobilized by anxiety. Peter says, IF you are real, then ask me to do that which I know I can’t. “Command me to come to you on the water.” I think that can be translated – God, help me come to you in the middle of this impossible challenge – this cancer, this Alzheimer diagnosis, this bankruptcy, this death, this Covid-19. Let me come to you in the midst of my trial.   That is the prayer of all of us, I suspect, Lord in the midst of the seas of life and its trials, call me to you. Do I hear an AMEN! Call me to you!

I note Jesus does not say that Peter’s faith must be equal to the challenge before him. Peter’s miracle does not depend on practice and experience. It does not need a college degree. It does not need the proper formula and expression. Jesus simply says, “Come..” In the midst of whatever trial you are facing, God says, Do not be afraid, come.

Miracle two: Peter walks on water! OK, he started walking. I think of Bruce Almighty whom God, played by Morgan Freeman, lends his powers to Bruce while he goes on a vacation. Bruce leaves God’s office and walks on water, actually across a puddle he had grumbled about before meeting God. Bruce is elated until he faces all the problems and dynamics of being God. He cannot manipulate his girlfriend’s love. Bruce and Peter look at the wind. As you know, wind cannot be seen, only the effects of wind. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and refocuses on the storm. We stop looking at God and start listening to the little voice, the voice of doubt. Did God really say? Does God really want you to have to….?   Isn’t there an easier way? We doubt God’s word, God’s will, and God’s way just like Eve in the Garden of Eden. We begin to sink. We loose that attitude of gratitude and we begin to worry about tomorrow, the “what ifs.”

I’m not sure if the second miracle is Peter walking on the water or the amazing truth that Jesus does not abandon Peter. In response to Peter’s cry, “Lord save me,” Jesus reaches out and rescues Peter. Now that’s grace! Peter has done nothing that deserves outstanding recognition. He has questioned, “IF”, he has obeyed – stepped out, sunk and cried for help. Jesus though has come during the dark night of the soul, identified himself and assured the disciples, welcomed Peter, and rescued him. That is a beautiful picture of grace.

The other thought I would add is that It might be significant that Peter as a lone ranger on the seas of life, has trouble keeping his focus on Jesus. Jesus calls him into an adventure, true, but it is also true that Peter acts as a lone ranger. I would like to put in a plug for the value of the body of Christ. We live our adventures and trials in relationship with God and his call to us but we also find advice, support and comfort in the body of Christ. I may be an eye and am charged with seeing which the hand cannot do but without the hand, I struggle. When Peter returns to the boat, to the community, he stabilizes. The wind ceases when we are in community and Christ is with us. Community without the realization of a God present struggles with the challenges of life but with a dynamic awareness of God’s presence, is able to row to shore.

How do the disciples respond? Worship!

So let’s step back. We are in Pentecost when we look through the lens of the difference Christ makes in our lives. I see:

• The storms of life do not mean we are out of God’s will. Jesus sent the disciples onto the sea.
• God’s silence does not mean disapproval or distancing or unawareness of our plights. Jesus walked on water to make the disciples aware of his presence.
• In the midst of a trial we need not fear. God is with us.
• Our doubts of “if” may best be handled by stepping into the challenge at God’s command.
• God does not punish us for doubting.
• Community helps us face the challenges.
• Our appropriate response is worship!

Wow, that’s a long list. Faith does make a difference as we face political instability in our country, the ever present disease that scares, and not to mention our own challenges. Remember, Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Amen!

Hymn of Day: ELW 400 God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwTsC8WfUvU

The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,       was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On   the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at      the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and   the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of        saints, the forgiveness of sIns, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Or you can listen to the Creed in vocal form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDI-sk2nJU

Prayers of Intercession

Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

For your whole church throughout the world. Give courage in the midst of storms, so that we see and hear Jesus calling: “Take heart, it is I: do not be afraid.” May we follow Christ wherever he leads. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the well-being of your creation. Protect waterways, forests, lands, and wildlife from exploitation and abuse. Help the human family endeavor to sustain and be sustained by the resources of your hand. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For the nations and their leaders. In you, steadfast love and faithfulness meet, and righteousness and peace kiss. May nations in conflict know the peace that is the fruit of justice, and the justice that is the path to peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For those in need. Everyone who calls upon your name will be saved. Accompany all who are lonely, hear the voices of those who cry out in anguish, and support those who are frustrated in their search for an affordable place to live. We pray for those suffering this day. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For our congregation. You have gathered us here today as your people and we thank you for this gift. We pray for those who are new to this community, for students and teachers preparing for a new school year, and for those struggling with unexpected hardship. Supply us generously with your grace for our life together. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We give you thanks, O God, for the saints of the whole church from all times and places, and for the saints in our lives and in our community whom you have gathered to yourself. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace: If you are worship with someone else, turn and share, “The peace of Christ be with you always.” Response, “And also with you.” You might use your finger to mark you children or loved one with a cross on their forehead. If you are practicing social distancing, put your palms together blessing of them. Peace!

SHARING GOD’S MEAL

Offering Prayer: God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Water and word, wine and bread: these are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

 The Great Thanksgiving:

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We left them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Communion: I invite you to talk a little piece of bread and eat it. Christ is as close to you as the bread in your mouth and stomach. Always remember. Now take a sip of your drink. Christ is as close to you as the blood in your body, strengthening you. Always remember.

Prayer after Communion: God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

 THE SENDING

Blessing: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 763 My Life Flows on in Endless Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENecZfjFUxU

Dismissal: Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

 

 

 

 

 

Prelude: It Is Well With My Soul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhaTIu_k4w0

Blessed be the holy Trinity, +one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.  Amen

Confession and Forgiveness:

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting, whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation. Amen.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.

Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance, and we deny your presence in our lives. We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts. We fail to believe that you provide enough for all. We abuse your good creation for our own benefit. We fear difference and do not welcome others as you have welcomed us. We sin in thought, word, and deed. By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us; and in your Spirit, lead us; so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

 Absolution:  Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Christ Jesus, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace. Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope. For hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen

 Gathering Hymn: ELW 689 Praise and Thanksgiving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOCYs1qd5Jk

 Greetings: The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

 Kyrie:

Have mercy on us, Lord, and hear our solemn prayer. We come to hear your living word; it saves us from despair.

Have mercy on us, Christ, and wash away our sin. Pour out your grace and make us whole that new life may begin.

Have mercy on us, Lord, make sun and shame depart. Renew us with your saving pow’r, create in us new hearts!

Prayer of the Day: Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Selection of the Faithful: ELW 856 How Great Thou Art https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GKhDCsLrUg

HEARING GOD’S WORD

First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5

¹Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no  money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
²Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
listen, so that you may live.
I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴See, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵See, you shall call nations that you do not know,
and nations that do not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.

Psalm: Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21

⁸The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹Lord, you are good to all,
and your compassion is over all your works. 
¹⁴The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up those who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord,
and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶You open wide your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷You are righteous in all your ways
and loving in all your works. 
¹⁸You are near to all who call upon you,
to all who call upon you faithfully.
¹⁹You fulfill the desire of those who fear you;
you hear their cry and save them.
²⁰You watch over all those who love you,
but all the wicked you shall destroy.
²¹My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;
let all flesh bless God’s holy name forever and ever. 

Second Reading: Romans 9:1-5

¹I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit—²I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; ⁵to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. One does not live by bread alone,* but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Alleluia. (Matt. 4:4)

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

¹³Now when Jesus heard [about the beheading of John the Baptist], he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. ¹⁵When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” ¹⁶Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” ¹⁷They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” ¹⁸And he said, “Bring them here to me.” ¹⁹Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ²⁰And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. ²¹And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Children’s Sermon: Exodus 16 reports that a month and 15 days after the miraculous delivery from Egypt, after the 10 plagues, after crossing the Red Sea, the people do what? They grumble. (We can do that with our masks on…let’s hear.) What is the problem? They are remembering the wonderfulness of Egypt, full stomachs. God hears their grumbling at Moses and sends quail that evening and the next morning when the dew lifted the ground was covered with, “What is it?” It was a kind of bread from God that they called “manna,” what is it. Meat and bread. What is this stuff?

SERMON

        Our text today also tells us about another miracle of meat and bread.

Jesus heard (pause), the people heard (pause), and we hear (pause), what? Jesus heard that John the Baptist, his cousin, was beheaded because Herod feared the people. If he did not keep his promise to his seductive step-daughter who danced for him he would loose face. Herod ordered the head of John the Baptist be brought on a silver platter. Gross. Unjust. Unfair. It is an epitome of political power corrupted. Jesus heard and called down the armies of heaven to establish a just society – NO! He didn’t. He withdrew in a boat to the wilderness – to grieve perhaps. Meanwhile the average person, victim of the political injustices of the day heard the gossip that Jesus was on the move and they followed Jesus.   They had problems the system could not help. They did not run to the hospital to see the doctor for their cure. They did not run to the governor, Herod, for he was obviously unjust. They followed Jesus for they had no other hope. We hear the news of our world, of our doctors, of our economists, or our environmentalists and where do we run? That is certainly a question raised by our text today as we ponder the difference Christ makes in our lives today. Where do we run when we hear distressing news?

Faced with unsettling news Jesus withdraws perhaps in grief, perhaps in anger, perhaps in frustration but he does not withdraw into isolation. He sees the people and has compassion. Did we hear that? When we feel like God has withdrawn his presence from us what do we think? I suspect we often take his silence as judgment or disapproval. Many times God seems cloaked, out on the sea of life in a boat dealing with the really important issues of life like famines, politics of the Middle East, or busy making decisions about who will live through Covid. We doubt that God can be concerned about our little concerns. This passage reminds us that God sees, God has compassion on us, and God cares.

We hear….we fear….but God sees, God cares, and God is the hope for the hopeless.

Secondly I note from this passage that it became late, time was gone. They were in a desolate place, far away from help. There were no resources even for basic human needs like eating. “What should we do?” cry the disciples.

         We live in a time when the cry goes up – resources are limited. We worry if there are enough respirators. We worry if there is enough money for a second stimulus check. Perhaps we should cut down on postal service? Maybe we just make it so everyone mails in their ballot in November elections? Wait, can the conventions vote electronically? Will oil last or do we all buy hybrids? Our resources are challenged and it is possible to pull our hair out in concern. I wish I could promise you that faith means no Covid, no pain, no problems will come to you, but I cannot. Faith is not a substitute for the problems of life. Faith means we believe God walks through the problems, running interference, holding our hand, caring.

Jesus tells the people to “sit,” calm down!. He takes the two fish and five loaves. He looks to heaven. He blesses, and makes do. Jesus meets the people and the disciples at their point of need with the resources at hand. I wish I could say that faith means all our problems are resolved to happy-ever-after but it does not always happen that way. We know. Divorces happen and families are split with terrible scars. Bankruptcy may have to be walked through. The doctor’s scalpel is the answer to disease. And yes, people die. But perhaps the kernel of truth in this part of the passage is that Jesus does not send the people away because he is too busy. He helps them deal with their challenge and blesses.

What should we do? Turn to Jesus.

         Thirdly, we are challenged to check if we have an attitude of gratitude. I suppose not everyone would be so happy about a meal of bread and fish with no tarter sauce or mayo, shared by some unknown kid, and handled by a bunch of uneducated fishmen turned disciple. Like the people of Israel, we might grumble and ask, what is it?, surely God could do better than this? We live such an entitled lives in the USA where choice is part of our way of life. We go to a buffet and choose our items. Even deciding what to eat at Mc D’s is a challenge of choice. Often we have the right to get a second medical opinion on any procedure.

Jesus looked up to heaven, blessed and broke. I wonder what that moment was like. Was Jesus just putting on a show of prayer or was he seeking guidance? Did baskets of bread and fish just suddenly appear? Or did the example encourage others to dig into their knapsacks and share as some suggest? Or would I have been so anxious about getting my fair share that I was preoccupied and did not even see the multiplication going on? What exactly happened we are not told. Perhaps people were too busy getting their fair share or helping others get their fair share that no one could explain what happened.

Miracles are like that. Something happens and life changes. The phone call comes at that moment of despair and rescues us and reminds us we are loved. We open the Bible and our eyes fall on a verse that exactly answers our heart. Jesus spits and makes mud, puts it on a man’s eyes and he goes and washes.. Vwalaa –vision. How did that happen? How did Lazarus walk out of the tomb, bound in wraps? God works in ways beyond our ability to predict and often beyond our ability to explain. Our choice is to respond with an attitude of gratitude or to grumble, what is it?

Summary:  We believe in a God who grieves at injustice, at political corruption, and walks with us, perhaps in silence. His response to our dilemnas – compassion.

We believe in a God who is there when we are at the end of our rope when our resources are just not enough. He cares when we have no solution. He can use the two fish and five loaves, what is available in our life situation

We pray for an attitude of gratitude for the unexplainable ways God works in our lives. Lord help us to sit. Open our eyes to see the ways you are working in our lives. Lord, we long to be filled by your presence and your love and your care. Help us not to grumble.

Hymn of Day: ELW 674 Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYnF86ZzHH8&t=1s

The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,  was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On   the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at  the right hand of the Father, and he will  come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of  saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Or you can listen to the Creed in vocal form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuDI-sk2nJU

Prayers of Intercession

Confident of your care and helped by the Holy Spirit, we pray for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

You take resources that appear to be meager, bless them, and there is enough. May your church trust that what you bless and ask us to share with the world is abundantly sufficient. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Your bountiful creation offers sustenance and life for all creatures. Protect this abundance for the well-being of all. Reverse the damage we have caused your creation. Replenish ground water supplies, provide needed rains in places of drought, and protect forests from wildfires. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You offer yourself to all the nations and peoples of the earth, inviting everyone to abundant life. Bring the prophetic vision to fullness, that all nations will run to you and that nations who do not know you will find their joy in you. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Hear the anguish of tender hearts who cry to you in suffering and satisfy their deepest needs. Bring wholeness and healing to those who suffer in body, heart, soul, and mind. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You offer freely the fullness of salvation. Give our congregation such a welcoming heart, that our words and actions may extend your free and abundant hospitality to all whom we encounter. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 You gather your saints as one, united in the body of Jesus. Bring us with all your saints to the heavenly banquet. We remember with love and thanksgiving the saints we have known. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

In the certain hope that nothing can separate us from your love, we offer these prayers to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Peace: If you are worship with someone else, turn and share, “The peace of Christ be with you always.” Response, “And also with you.” You might use your finger to mark you children or loved one with a cross on their forehead. If you are practicing social distancing, put your palms together blessing of them. Peace!

SHARING GOD’S MEAL

Offering Prayer: God of goodness and growth, all creation is yours, and your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. Water and word, wine and bread: these are signs of your abundant grace. Nourish us through these gifts, that we might proclaim your steadfast love in our communities and in the world, through Jesus Christ, our strength and our song. Amen.

 The Great Thanksgiving:

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We left them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Communion: I invite you to talk a little piece of bread and eat it. Christ is as close to you as the bread in your mouth and stomach. Always remember. Now take a sip of your drink. Christ is as close to you as the blood in your body, strengthening you. Always remember.

Prayer after Communion: God of the welcome table, in this meal we have feasted on your goodness and have been united by your presence among us. Empower us to go forth sustained by these gifts so that we may share your neighborly love with all, through Jesus Christ, the giver of abundant life. Amen.

 THE SENDING

Blessing: Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and keep you in eternal love. Amen.

Sending Hymn: ELW 843 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCZoCBQIXFw

Dismissal: Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.