PIONEER
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 5th Sunday of Easter May 10,
2020
~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Happy Mother’s Day!
Welcome to Pioneer’s blog worship service.
Though we are accessing this remotely and unable to look each other in the eye,
we are still the Pioneer faith community, gathered as children of God to
worship, to be spiritually fed, and to be equipped to go out to serve in
Christ’s name—though we do it differently during this crisis.
The blog continues to be our resource for
worship and communications. If you are having difficulty using the blog or
setting up a shortcut to it, please call Jean or Jon and we will walk you
through it or Jean will stop by and put a shortcut on your computer—keeping
appropriate distance, of course. (Unless you have an Apple.)
We will soon be testing two different ways
to access the service “live”. One will be through Zoom and the other through
Facebook Live. Zoom would be real time and by invitation, so let pastor Jean
know if you want to receive the service that way. It would be on a Sunday
morning at 10:00. From what I learned Thursday morning in a presbytery Zoom
meeting, it doesn’t work well for worship. What people are wanting is the
ability to participate in hymns and liturgy. But because of differing
bandwidth, the voice transmissions are not synchronized. One pastor said that
just trying to do the Lord’s Prayer sounded like the Tower of Babel. Facebook
Live might be our better solution. It would be a recorded service that you can
tap into as it fits your schedule. We would have Linda playing piano and organ
and someone singing solo to lead the hymns while you can sing along with the
recorded music. We are still learning this technology so watch for more info
about it.
The construction work continues. The east
side is nearly complete and the north side is partially done.
Now allow yourself a brief time of silence
as you open your hearts and feel God’s presence with you, right where you are.
BAPTISM: Friends, remember your baptism … and be thankful.
CALL TO WORSHIP
How can we know the way of God?
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the
life.
What is the way of Jesus?
The way of Jesus is love.
This is our new commandment from Jesus:
As Jesus loves us, let us love one
another.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God, form the minds of your faithful
people into a single will. Make us love what you command and desire what you
promise, that, amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed
where true joy is found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
OPENING
PRAISE SONG: “Jesus, You’re the Way”
CALL
TO CONFESSION
For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. Yet in our failings we do not fear our God of love. God, in his
grace, reaches out to us, waiting to hear our confessions and to forgive.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God
of overflowing grace, we confess that we have failed to live according to your
way of faithfulness and steadfast love. You call us to live in faith but we
continue to live in fear. You set us free from the power of evil but we are
still captivated by sin. You lead us into a new way of life but we remain in
the ways of death. Forgive us, loving God. Open our hearts to the gift of your
grace, transform our lives by your Holy Spirit, and teach us to love one
another, even as you have loved us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. (personal
confessions …...) Amen.
ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.
The old life has gone; the new life has
begun.
Friends, believe the Good News!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and
restored to new life!
PASSING THE PEACE
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Let us extend the peace of Christ in heart
and prayer to God’s children everywhere.
GLORY
BE TO THE FATHER
TIME
WITH CHILDREN
Good morning Zoey. Good morning Fiona. Is
this a good day for you? When we have things in our lives that we appreciate,
we tell God that we are thankful. That means that we thank and praise God for
each day that God makes.
Can you think of other things we should
thank God for? How about the food we eat? And the sun that shines and things
that grow. We thank God for our homes and our families. We like to thank God when
we are really, really thankful. This is one of those days. It is a special day.
Do you know what that is? Yes, it’s Mother’s Day.
We are very thankful that God gave us
mothers to love us and take care of us. Have you told your mama today that you
love her? Right now is a good time. You can give her a hug, too. We are
thankful for all that our mothers do for us. Can you name some things? Cooking.
Cleaning. Washing clothes. Helping us. Giving us hugs. And especially loving
us. So we like to do something special for them. Did you do something for your mama
like make her a special card or make her breakfast? Those are fun things to do.
We also talk to God and thank God. Let’s do that now.
Dear God, thank you for all the things you
have done. Thank you especially for our mothers. Thank you for mama’s love and
for her taking care of us. Help us to show her that we love and appreciate her—not
just today but every day. Amen.
HYMN: “Jesus
Loves Me”
Jesus loves me,
this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him
belong, they are weak but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves
me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves
me. The Bible tells me so.
Who does Jesus love? Yes, Jesus loves Zoey
and Fiona. And Jesus loves each one of us. Jesus remembers when we were little
like they are now. Jesus watched us grow up and he loves us still.
SCRIPTURE
1: 1
Peter 2:2-10
Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in
your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to
him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and
precious to him--you also, like living stones, are being built into
a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture
it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Now to
you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The
stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."
They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were
destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may
declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once
you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
SCRIPTURE 2: John 14:1-14
"Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that
where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." Thomas
said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know
the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you would
have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be
satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet
you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you
say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the
Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority;
but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the
Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works
themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also
do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go
to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may
be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
SERMON: “The
Monster in the Way” Rev.
Jean Hurst
There’s an old Egyptian
story about a little boy named Miobi who came to a village where the people
were very strange. They did little more than moan and groan about almost
everything. The fires didn’t get lit, the goats didn’t get milked, the children
didn’t get clothed, and the crops didn’t get planted, all because the villagers
were expecting at any time to get eaten by the monster that lived on top of the
mountain.
Miobi looked up, and
behold--the monster was real. He had a head like a crocodile and a body like a
hippopotamus and a tail like a very fat snake. Smoke and fire came from his
nostrils. The villagers lived in dread that any day the monster might come down
and devour them.
Miobi said to the
villagers, “I will go up the mountain by myself and challenge the monster.” The
villagers pleaded with him not to go, sure that he would never return. Miobi
began to climb the mountain, and as he climbed higher and higher and got nearer
and nearer, the monster looked smaller and smaller. “This is a very curious
phenomenon indeed,” thought Miobi. “When I run away from the monster, the
monster gets larger, but the nearer I get to it, the smaller it becomes.”
When at last Miobi reached
the cave, instead of a gigantic monster, he found a quiet little creature about
the size of a toad. It purred. Miobi picked it up and put it in his pocket and
headed back down the mountain.
When the villagers saw
Miobi safe and sound, they wanted to make him their god for slaying the
monster. Miobi explained exactly what had happened and how he had brought the
‘monster’ back down the mountain as a pet. He showed them the little toad-like
creature. “What is your name?” the villagers asked. The monster answered, “I have
many names. Some call me famine, and some pestilence; some call me war, and
some cancer.” Then the little creature yawned and added, “But most people call
me What Might Happen.”1
What might happen. ...
Jesus knew the hearts and minds of
his disciples. He had tried over and over again to prepare them for what
was to come, to help them understand that he would die, but that it wasn’t the
end. Perhaps their inability to
understand was their own way of denial. Yet their denial would not change the
reality of Jesus’ pending death.
When his death came, the
disciples were at risk of being like the village people Miobi encountered. They
would be immobilized by the fear of what might happen. As it turned out, that’s
exactly what happened ... on the very day of Jesus’ resurrection the disciples
were hidden behind locked doors for fear of being arrested. As the stone was
rolled in front of the tomb, his followers had named Miobi’s little monster
‘The End’. Jesus wanted them to know it would not be the end. He didn’t want them to panic. He didn’t want them
to give up. He didn’t want them to think it was all for nothing.
So even as Jesus
anticipates his betrayal, humiliation, torture and death he is focused not on
his own pending suffering but on the suffering of his followers. He tries to
comfort them, to calm them, to assure them that they would be okay, that they
would have what they needed to continue his ministry, that all was not lost,
and that he was not abandoning them.
This discourse, which
takes place following that last meal with his disciples, carries powerful
statements and promises that have created much controversy and question within
the believing community. Ask for anything in my name and it’s yours. You’ll do
greater works than me. You see me, you see the Father. I am the way...no one
comes to the Father but by me. I will come again and take you with me.
We have choices in how we
understand and apply these words of Jesus. In the years since Jesus sat with
his disciples, too many times these words have been used against those who
believe differently than we do.
But it’s not about who is included
and who is excluded, who is in and who is out, who has God’s love and approval
and who doesn’t. It’s not about being a literalist to get what you want—in
essence manipulating God to get our own way. Nor is it intended as a reason to
beat ourselves or others up for not having enough faith if our prayers aren’t
answered.
How do we choose to
understand this conversation Jesus had with his disciples in that eleventh
hour? And why do we choose to understand in a particular way? Is our choice of
understanding based on our own desires and interests or is it based on who we
understand Jesus to be as Emmanuel, God with us?
It is our nature as humans
to personalize things. How is this about me? What’s in it for me? We are people
of strong egos and we live in a culture that emphasizes the individual rather
than the community.
Perhaps, instead of using
Jesus’ name as a magic formula or incantation to open the door to our desires,
it means asking according to what Jesus was, who Jesus was, what Jesus was
about in the world. What if it means being so in sync with Jesus’ purpose that
what we ask for is in accord with that purpose. What if it’s not about our
desires and goals but about God’s desires and goals?
The same concept can apply
to that bold statement that followers of Jesus can do even greater works than Jesus himself. Jesus performed miracles, healed,
raised the dead. Jesus is God with us.
How can we even dream of doing
anything greater than Jesus?
Jesus was doing God’s
work, showing God’s way, touching lives, accepting, loving, forgiving,
including, believing in, reconciling, healing, pointing the way to God. Jesus, in the short time of his ministry,
touched many lives. How much more can we do individually and collectively with
the time we have? How much further
has the kingdom spread in the two thousand years since Jesus’ death? How much
further can it go?
Jesus said, “I am the way,
the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Those
are the words that have been so often used to establish ‘us’ versus ‘them,’ to
exclude those who believe differently from God’s grace and salvation. We
struggle with what Jesus meant. What about those of the Jewish faith, the
Muslim faith, Buddhists, Hindus, those who simply don’t know Jesus yet? We
could begin by looking at Jesus’ life and ministry.
Going up against all the
traditions of his faith, Jesus reached out to those who were religious and
social outsiders, who didn’t believe the way he did, who worshiped differently,
who lived their lives differently--those who were excluded by the ‘righteous’
who felt themselves to be the ones in
the right. Jesus didn’t condemn these outsiders for their beliefs but welcomed
them, accepted them, loved them. Jesus’ ministry was not about excluding people
but being open to, drawing them in, welcoming them, loving them. Would Jesus,
in the last hours of his ministry, suddenly start drawing lines in the sand,
start shutting people out?
John’s gospel was written
to a community of believers, followers of Jesus, Christians. This gospel is a
testament to their faith, to our faith.
It says who we are as followers of Jesus, what we believe. As Christians we are
a people for whom God has been revealed in Jesus Christ. As Christians, if we
know the God of Jesus, we know that God through
Jesus. Our distinctiveness lies not in our sense of moral superiority or an
influential position we can assume in our culture but in our confession of and
commitment to Jesus as the way to the Father.
Jesus speaks of the house
of God and there being many rooms in it. Jesus speaks not just of location
within some heavenly abode following death--as comforting as that is to us. In
Greek, the word ‘dwelling place’ is the noun of the verb to abide, to remain,
to dwell. Jesus speaks also of relationship. Within the relationship between
the Father and the Son there are many dwelling places with opportunity for
Jesus’ followers to enter into that relationship, into that love, to be
included in the intimacy of that relationship.
Jesus is the way. It is a
way of relationship, of love, of grace, of acceptance, of forgiveness of
belonging, of reconciliation. Jesus is God’s way. If we want to be in
relationship with God, we can only get there by following that way--God’s way
revealed in Jesus. We follow that way by believing in who Jesus is, by
believing not just in the name but in what is possible through that name, by
living obediently and freely in the will of the Father.
In the final hours, Jesus
chose to speak words of comfort and encouragement to his disciples. Knowing
what was coming, he focused his love and concern on his followers rather than
on the ordeal that awaited him. Beyond these beginning verses, he promised them
the Holy Spirit, he told them not to be afraid, gave them his peace, promised
he would remain with them in spirit, called them friend, gave them a new
commandment of love.
As followers of the way,
these words of comfort are for us--as individuals and as a community. When we
find it hard to fully live in the present, when the specter of ‘what might
happen’ distorts our future, Jesus brings to us these assurances that we are
called into that intimate relationship between Jesus and the Father through the
power of the Holy Spirit. When we feel helpless in the face of all the world
throws at us, he reminds us that we are empowered to carry on. When it feels
like we are facing the end--of our physical lives, of what we’re accustomed to,
of a relationship, of our security and future, Jesus promises us that this is
not the end and that we are not alone.
Jesus assures us that he
is present with us, through that mutual indwelling; that through him we can
continue his mission to the world. Jesus revealed God as love. Jesus had shown
himself to be love. Jesus calls us to
love. That is the way--the way to the Father--the way to an untroubled
heart. Amen.
1 Hope Notes: 52 Meditations to
Nudge Your World, R. Wayne Willis, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville,
2004
HYMN: “I’ve
Got Peace Like a River”
PRAYERS
OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, we draw near to you, needing to feel
your presence and your tender love, wanting to tell you the things that are
heavy on our hearts, hoping that you will grant us comfort and the assurance
that the world and our lives are in your hands. As Christ taught us to pray for
others, so in his name we lift up the needs of the church, this world, and our
own lives. In your mercy, hear our prayers.
We pray for the people of the world who
need your shalom:
-
Those
who have lost loved ones and livelihoods to covid-19 or are fearful they might
….
-
Those
who lead the nations and have the power and responsibilities of decisions….
-
Those
who struggle with the balance between health and livelihood—whether their own
or that of others….
-
For
those who put their own health at risk on behalf of others…
We pray for shalom for those of our
community and our families:
-
Those
who struggle with stress or brokenness or fragile relationships or health or
aging issues or financial problems ….
-
Those
who need to forget the God they do not believe in and meet the God who believes
in them….
-
Those
of our faith community who need your special care, especially Verna in her
quarantine … Sandy … Sandi … Trisha … Dave … Jacob Cunningham … Linda … Joyce … Jennifer … Chuck … and
Courtney.
We pray for shalom for ourselves:
-
For
times when our lives are in turmoil, times when we need inner peace…
-
For
those times when we feel we don’t even have a mustard seed’s worth of faith …
-
For
those times we seek to know you in a deeper way …
-
For
guidance of your Spirit to do what we can to bring shalom to our world …
Lord, we entrust our cares to you, including those
still in our hearts, trusting in your love and compassion. We pray in the name
of Jesus who taught us to pray:
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 debts as
we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
OFFERING
Let us bring before God the gifts of our
hearts and labors. (As per usual, you can mail your pledges and financial
offerings.) Think now about what you offer to God from your other resources.
How much of yourself, your time, your talents, the things in life that are
important to you—how much of that are you willing to place before God, trusting
how God might direct you to use them? These are your heart offerings.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF
DEDICATION
Gracious God,
bless these gifts we pray and bless us in the giving. Help us to use your gifts
in a way that brings hope and healing to your children everywhere. Help us, for
this next week to live our lives as our offering to you. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Fill
My Cup”
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Life seems to be full of rules and laws. Jesus knew
that from having spent all his life in the Jewish faith. So he gave a final
commandment: Love one another as I have loved you.” Seems simple enough – and
at the same time extraordinarily difficult. Just for this week try it. Love as
Jesus did—unconditionally, sacrificially, with acceptance, with repeated
forgiveness, boundlessly, generously. See how it works for you and those you
love.
As you do, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
CHORAL RESPONSE
May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor. Lift up your eyes
and see his face and his grace forever. May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and
keep you forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
LOOKING
AHEAD
Worship and church
activities are suspended until the coronavirus is contained and it is once
again safe to come together and worship. Use the church blog to access worship
and spiritual support articles and to keep up with what’s going on. If you have
trouble accessing or using the site, call Jean or Jon.
PPW Annual Sale will be held June 5th and 6th
assuming the virus restrictions have been lifted.
PPW Summer Outing will be June 12th to
Fort Rock and Lost Forest again assuming life is returning to normal.
PLEASE
KEEP THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE IN YOUR PRAYERS:
Verna Pettyjohn
(quarantined), Sandy Cargill (aortic valve replacement), Sandi Posz (lymphoma),
Trisha Cagley (health problems), Dave Clark (kidney cancer), Jacob Cunningham,
Linda Kaesemeyer (knee surgery), Joyce Sahlberg (health issues), Jennifer
Schirm (Parkinson’s), Chuck VanHise (leg/walking rehab), and Courtney Ziegler
(Huntington’s).
LECTIONARY
FOR 5/17/20
Acts 17:22-31;
Psalm 66:8-20; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21
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