CONNECTIVITY
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If you are worshiping with others, please feel free to read responsively.
Gathering:
Christ
is risen!
He
is risen, indeed!
“Christ
the Lord is Risen Today”
Call
to Worship: (Psalm
66)
Bless
our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
who has kept us among the living, and have not let our feet slip.
For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
Blessed
be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his
steadfast love from me.
Come,
let us worship the LORD!
**Hymn:
“Love,
Divine, All Loves Excelling”
Opening
Prayer:
Living
and gracious God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
you have brought us out to a spacious place where we are called to
live as those redeemed.
Empower us by your Spirit to keep your commandments, that we may show
forth your love with gentle word and reverent deed to all your
people.
Lord,
intervene with
loving care to
stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In
Jesus name, we ask that
the virus would recede from this day forward, and that the numbers of
those who are infected may decline rapidly.
We
pray for who
are sick, that they will have access to the care and treatment they
need.
Give
us all strength, peace and perseverance
amidst suffering.
Watch
out over and provide for the needs of those
in isolation who are cut off from their normal routines and support
systems, that they would seek their strength in Christ.
Bless
the thousands in quarantine
wating to find out if they have the virus with encouragement and
comfort. We ask this in Jesus name, who first 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 trespasses, as we forgive those
who
trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,but
deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and
the glory forever. Amen
Good
News: We
have been forgiven and we are always loved.
Special
Music: “Wonderful, Merciful
Savior”
Children’s
Message “Our
Comforter, the Holy Spirit”
Giving
Thanks Even
though we are not able meet together, please continue to financially
support the mission of God and the ministry of Christ through your
gifts and offerings by contributing either through the mail or by
electronic giving. Thank you.
Special
Music “Before
the Throne of God”
Let us pray,
Generous
and loving God, we remember. We remember the others who have
encouraged us. Many people have taught us. We have been forgiven. We
have been loved. We admit that we haven’t done it all ourselves. In
a way, this offering is a response to all that has come before us. We
pray that the money will be used to encourage, to teach, to forgive,
and to love in Jesus’ name. Amen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06h3J5FYn-I
Scripture
Reading: John
14: 15-21
The
Message: “Connectivity”
Pastor Dave Barrettt
HE
IS RISEN!
HE
IS RISEN INDEED!
The
gospel lesson from the common lectionary for two weeks ago, and the
gospel lesson for this Sunday from the common lectionary are
connected. The gospel lesson from John chapter 10 is a teaching
moment with Jesus for his disciples. He wants his disciples to
understand that he is the way to approach and comprehend God. He
does this through the use of a metaphor about a sheep pen and the
gate.
The
gospel lesson from John chapter 14 is a teaching moment from Jesus
for his disciples. He wants his disciples to comprehend what is
required of them to approach Jesus, the gateway to God.
In
John chapter 10, Jesus presents this teaching moment immediately
following the healing of a young man who was born blind. It is Jesus
who shows his love and compassion for this young man with the
disability by restoring his sight. This action of healing from love
and compassion stands in direct contrast with the reaction from the
Jewish leadership. The Jewish leadership action is to question the
healing and eventually drive the young man from society.
Jesus’
message in this teaching moment is to not only exemplify the
necessity to reflect God’s love for us through our actions of love
and compassion for each other, but also to comprehend that love comes
to us through Jesus Christ. Therefore we are to not only love
Christ; but also to comprehend that through our loving of Christ we
see and feel the love of God.
In
John chapter 14, Jesus presents this teaching moment immediately
following the “last supper”. This moment is part of what is
commonly referred to as the final discourse. It is Jesus not only
answering his disciples’ question about the future; but also
attempting to allay their fears and concerns about the future.
Let’s
set the context for this scripture lesson. When you visit Israel,
you will be taken to the site of the upper room, the “last supper”.
It is located in a building immediately outside the old city of
Jerusalem, just south of what is called the Zion gate. The room is
quite large and resembles a small banquet hall. As the name implies,
it is on the second level of the building. You must climb a flight
of stairs to reach the room. We know that this is the site where
Jesus and his disciples planned and celebrated a Passover meal
together.
However,
as we read this section of John’s gospel, we very quickly detect
tensions and uncertainty with the disciples. Jesus washes their feet
and they are puzzled. Jesus calls out Judas as his betrayer. Judas
leaves. The disciples are perplexed. Jesus states that Peter will
deny him three times before tomorrow morning. The disciples are
aghast. Several ask questions.
It
is in the middle of these questions and this confusion that Jesus
teaches. He calmly states today’s scripture lesson: “If you love
me, you will keep my commandments.” And secondly he promises help
with all their questions and confusion: “And I will ask the Father,
and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.”
Jesus’
message to us, to his current disciples has not wavered. We are to
continue to love Jesus; we are to continue to keep his commandments;
and we are to expect the presence of God’s holy spirit with us
forever. These are the actions through which we understand that
Jesus is the way to God.
It
is very reassuring to me that Christ repeats these same set of
instructions in this very scripture lesson. Verses 15 and 16 are
repeated almost verbatim in verse 21: “They who have my
commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love
me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself
to the them.”
The
repeating of a thought or concept very quickly within a single
paragraph or statement is a simple educational tool employed by all
gifted teachers. The ability to state a concept in numerous ways is
how we are to teach. It was the way that Jesus taught his disciples.
When
I was in engineering school I had a gifted chemistry instructor.
Chemistry was never my interest or desire to learn. But this
professor had the ability to state various concepts in numerous ways
so that we all could learn a little chemistry. He would often
diverge from the prepared lecture and admonish us to recognize that
education should be our goal. We are to learn from each other, and
we are to teach each other.
That
is exactly what Jesus is doing here today in this scripture lesson.
He is teaching us the way to him and through him, by stating that
concept in numerous ways. Then Jesus is telling us that with the aid
and assistance of God’s Holy Spirit, we are to teach others.
We
are to connect the metaphor of the gate to our responsibility to keep
the commandants. We are to understand the connectivity of all that
Jesus taught us.
Amen.
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, thank you. Thank you for sending us your son, Jesus
Christ to teach us not only about you, but also the way to you
through our love for him. Thank you for sending us your Holy Spirit
that we may continue to love Christ and love you even more, and
understand the connectivity of all that Jesus taught us. We pray
this through your son’s name. Amen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPW9xYEyijQ
Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to
shine upon you, and be gracious onto you. May the Lord lift up the
light of His love upon you and give you peace. Go in peace. Serve
the Lord.
Going
Forth
“God
Will Take Care of You”
“Go
Now in Peace”
Remember
– God is still with
us!
“Emmanuel,
God with us”
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