Advent 2019

A meditation for the 3rd Sunday of Advent:

We wait.

In all of life we wait.

We don’t know what lies ahead, so we wait.

We may identify what we want, but often can’t bring it to fruition, so we wait.

There’s just so much that we can’t control, so we wait.

Wait with aching hearts and empty arms

Wait for diagnoses and test results

Wait for a break, a paycheck, a companion, or for justice

It’s annoying mostly. It rarely feels necessary, and sometimes feels cruel. 

What is the design for all this waiting?

In Advent the natural world lies in waiting too, but believes what we often cannot: 

That there is life in slowing down and stripping away

That hope lies beyond what the senses now know

That salvation is lapping up on every shore

That waiting is not a dead end, but a door

A bear preserved until spring through their reserves and snores.

Darkness is not a dead end, but a door

A turtle saved by stillness, buried in the little warmth of a pond floor

Winter is not a dead end, but a door 

A honeybee warmed by the shivers of thousands more

Yielding is not a dead end, but a door

A baby born a king, but where animals were stored

A ministry slow and deliberate, not many followers to show for

A death of humiliation and mockery, a man abhorred

Yielding and longing became the death of him, but then so much more

Maybe waiting will haunt us. Maybe it will confuse us, or leave us feeling forsaken.
But maybe, just maybe, it will be the very thing used to save us.
Maybe in it we can be still but utterly awake, preserved until the spring of the new kingdom comes
and Jesus is King. 

The Advent kind of waiting is not a punishment for not knowing enough.
It’s not just fulfillment deferred.
Advent waiting is not an inconvenience, like long lines at a store.
Advent waiting (and darkness and death and winter and yielding) are not a dead ends.
They’re doors.

Call to Worship:

Bless the Lord, bless his Holy name! He forgives our iniquities and redeems us.

Our King came down to save us and he will come again!

He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. He renews our strength.

Our King came down to save us and he will come again!

He works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 

Our King came down to save us and he will come again!

He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Our days are like grass that flourish then fade.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

He will not keep his anger, and he does not deal with us according to our sins.

Bless the Lord all his hosts. Bless the Lord all his works. Bless his holy name!

Our King came down to save us and he will come again!

Prayer for Healing:

You have promised a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness will dwell,
but we lack anticipation for what will be. Our faith is continually wavering.
Our imaginations are fading.

Lord, awaken us in our waiting.

Meet us in our peace, or lack thereof. Forgive us for being tossed about in temptation
to disregard the supremacy of Jesus. Forgive us for being at war with one another. 

Lord, restore us in our waiting. 

Meet us in our resistance of exhortation. Soften our hearts to surrender to your kindness and mercy.

Lord, humble us in our waiting.

How is it that you, the King of Kings, subjected yourself to a human pregnancy,
9 months of waiting and growing, and a vulnerable entrance to our world?
How is it that you, in all splendor and glory, left that aside to enter a life of mundane work,
broken relationships, hunger, and thirst? How is it that you, in all holiness and power,
are slow in avenging wrongs and judging the world? 

Teach us the slow and humble way of Jesus. Teach us to yield to him.

Lord, bring us imagination and hope, and the kind of anticipation that moves us from the top
of our heads to the tips of our toes. 

Teach us the vulnerable and longing way of Jesus. Teach us to yield to him.

Light is breaking in. Salvation will come. The King is on his way.

We wait for Him. Come, Lord Jesus. 

10/02/19

Call to Worship:

Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. 

He is our maker

He is before all things, and in him all things are held together

He is our sustainer

In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things

He is our redemption

And we who were once alienated and hostile have been reconciled in his body of flesh by his death

He is our peace

Let us give thanks to Him who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. In Him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is Christ, the Lord. Amen. 

Prayer of Confession:

Our Father, you have revealed yourself to us but we often forget. Forgive our accidental and deliberate neglect. 

May we know you as you truly are. Multiply grace and peace among us. 

You have revealed yourself to us but we often reject parts we don’t like. Forgive our tendency to pick and choose.

May we know you as you truly are. Multiply grace and peace among us. 

You have revealed yourself to us, but we often question if you are enough. Forgive our embarrassment.

May we know you as you truly are. Multiply grace and peace among us. 

How is it that you withstand our refusals and indifference? How is it that you, in all holiness and majesty, continually reveal yourself despite being repeatedly misunderstood and disobeyed? What is the magnitude of your grace that you would grant us faith by your own righteousness? What is the height of your love that you would empty yourself and take on flesh to know us?

Move us beyond living like you, and unto knowing you as you truly are. This is our grace and peace. Amen.

08/11/19

Liturgy Aug 11

Call to Worship:

We gather together because though we were dead, we have been made alive.

Our God is kind to us in Jesus Christ

We sing together because we have been made one with Jesus, seated alongside him in the Heavenly places.

Our God is kind to us in Jesus Christ

We pray together for faith to receive God’s Son and the immeasurable riches of his grace to us.

Our God is kind to us in Jesus Christ

We are his people, his workmanship, his beloved. His life is our life. His works are our works. His glory is our glory. 

Praise be to God for his kindness to us in Jesus Christ. Amen. 

Prayer of Confession:

Father of mercy,

Forgive our divisions: The ones we create, the ones we perpetuate, the ones we insist on seeing. You have broken down the wall of hostility, but we are at war with our actions and words. 

Have mercy on us. Though we were once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Forgive our self-righteousness: our feelings of superiority, our willful ignorance, our withholding of love. You have abolished the law of commandments, but we live as its slaves and enslave others to it. 

Have mercy on us. Though we were once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Forgive our self-reliance: our hesitancy to trust, our hiding in shame, our hatred of need. You have made us members of your household and fellow citizens, but we live as though we are lost. 

Have mercy on us. Though we were once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Indeed, though we were once far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. We are no longer strangers, no longer slaves, no longer alienated from God. 

Our peace is the person of Christ Jesus. Give us faith to behold him. Amen.

Lent 2019

Lenten Meditation:

Where is hope on the brink of disaster?

Where is hope when all options are running out, or when the end of a rope is reached?

Where is hope in the waiting room? Where is hope in the operating room?

Where is hope in the winter and fruitless seasons?

Where is hope in severed relationships? 

Where is hope after betrayal?

We wrestle with this craving for answers often.

Why do they need to linger for so long- or seem to be left unaddressed?

We are quick to speak, quick to assume, slow to listen.

Has God heard us? Has he fully heard us?

With certainty, Easter proclaims hope in the midst of all of these things and more. 

But before we reach that reminder of resurrection, we find ourselves still under water, still drowning. And who would meet us here but Christ, who himself was on the brink of disaster after being betrayed.

His agony proceeded the cross. 

In the garden, on his knees, weeping, sweating, bleeding, pleading. Isn’t there another way? “Father, all things are possible for you. Isn’t there another way? There has to be another way.

His disciples who he could trust were sleeping, unaware, unconcerned. 

Alone he again cried and plead, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” Let it pass. Please let it pass. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Sweet words of Jesus. Humble, honest words. He is quick to listen, quick to depend, slow to speak. 

Asked questions on trial for his life, he had all the answers, but offered none. 

A dumbfounded Pilate asked “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 

No answer. 

“Do you realize I have the power of your life in my hands?”

No answer. Not to a single charge. Quick to listen, quick to depend, slow to speak. 

To the crowds Pilate wondered

“What should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”

They shouted “Let him be crucified!”

“Why? What evil has he done?” 

But they were quick to speak, quick to assume, slow to listen, and shouted even louder:

“Crucify Him!”

Even as he hung on the cross, mocking words hurled at him “you who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” And mocking him to each other, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now.”

Jesus had no response.

The only words coming from him steeped in the relational intimacy with his Father.

“my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”

Quick to listen, quick to depend, slow to speak. 

We remain in our questioning about hope. We can feel hopeful when stories end happily, or feel comforted when we know they will. But a fuller and deeper hope awaits. An actual transformation, a resurrection. The Lord of Sunday celebration is also the Lord of Friday grief. The incarnate Christ left glory to know us and meet us on Friday first. He could have given into the craving of better circumstance. He could have saved himself, exonerated himself, freed himself, come down from the cross. But in his honest and humble cries we see what he needed and wanted most: To be united in relationship with us and the Father. To know us, sorrow and all. So though it may seem at times to be, our hope is not vulnerable to circumstance. It is hidden in the costly death of Jesus, in the reality that God would lay down his life to know us. 

You use suffering to perfect. And so we hope. 

Prayer for healing:

Behold your God, you who are drowning in unmet expectation. Behold his peace.

Save us, oh God. The waters come up to our necks. 

Behold your God, you who are weary under the weight of sin. Behold his grace.

Save us, oh God. We try to rest in you but are burdened still.

Behold your God, you who are brokenhearted. Behold his kindness.

Save us, oh God. We want to be whole.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.

By his wounds we are healed. 

Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace.

By his wounds we are healed. 

He was oppressed and was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth.

By his wounds we are healed. 

It was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief. Out of the anguish of his soul shall he see and be satisfied; he has made many to be counted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 

Thanks be to God. By His wounds we are healed. 

11/07/18

Call to Worship:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Holy is his name. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

Holy is his name.  

They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. 

Holy is his name.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 

This is the Lord, our God. 

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. His commands are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

This is the Lord, our God. 

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 

They are much more precious than gold, they are sweeter than honey. 

Who can discern their own errors or know their hidden faults?

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. 

Prayer of Confession:

Your word tells us “faith without works is dead” and we’re skeptical. If we believe, do we really have to prove it? Isn’t the point of faith to be free from our work and efforts? 

Father, meet us in our confusion. Show us your Son.

Your word tells us “faith without works is dead” and our fear rises. Are we doing enough? Are we proving enough? How do we know if our faith is dead? 

Father, meet us in our insecurity. Show us your Son. 

We’re constantly evaluating faith and works to see which side is winning or should be winning, but you have rescued us from needing to play that game. 

Father, meet us in our exhaustion. Show us your Son.

Move us beyond our questioning and fear and beyond our best articulations of what a life of faith looks like. 

Move us up into the life of Jesus. 

Move us beyond good works born out of obligation and fear.  

Move us up into the life of Jesus. 

Move us beyond the false freedoms we build to satisfy our consciences. 

Move us up into the life of Jesus. 

Would you show us to love from poverty instead of pity, and to relate from compassion instead of obligation? Show us the life of Jesus. 

Teach us to identify with Him. 

You are the vine and we are the branches. Would you have us see that any of our good works stem from you? We can love because we are loved in you. This is the freedom we crave. 

Father, meet us as you always do. Show us your Son. Amen.

05/03/18

Call to Worship:

We gather to worship a resurrected God. His victory has become our victory. His life has become our life. 

Praise be to God!

The Lord blesses the meek and He comforts those who mourn. 

We praise him who is our help

The Lord shows mercy to the merciful and He satisfies the hungry. 

We praise him who is our salvation

The Lord reveals himself to the pure of heart, and He is a father to the peacemakers.  

We praise him who is our deliverance

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We praise him who is our inheritance

No death will be victorious over the life of the Lord. No matter the circumstance, let us affirm together: Our God has come to visit us. He is our living hope. Amen.

Prayer of Confession:

How is it that death is not reserved for us, though it is the very thing we deserve? And how is it that you, having freed us from death, continue to rescue us when we dwell on it and fear it as though it still held power? And how is it that you met the consequence of death with the blood of your own Son, that he might become our living hope? 

We praise you for your love beyond our comprehension. 

Forgive us for the lengths we go to to avoid death and its implications. Grant us trust in your suffering servant and in your ability to resurrect. 

We praise you for your wisdom beyond our comprehension

Forgive us for feeling abandoned by you. Grant us faith in your Son forsaken on the cross.

We praise you for your grace beyond our comprehension.

We confess that you are the resurrection and the life. Move us from doubt to worship.

We praise you for your faithfulness beyond our comprehension. 

Our God has come to visit us. He is our help and hope.

Abide with us Lord. In life and death, we look to you. Amen.

04/05/18

Call to Worship:

Praise the Lord, forget not his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals you, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

We have been baptized into Christ and our hope is in him.

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

We have been crucified with Christ and our righteousness is in him.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

We have been raised with Christ and our life is in him.

He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is for those who fear him.

Thanks be to God who has made himself known in Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Prayer of Confession:

Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound? Though we know the answer, we don’t easily believe it. Lord, by faith, teach us to say “by no means”

Praise be to God for the life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Though we no longer walk in darkness we struggle to confess the light. Father, by faith teach us to walk as obedient children.

Praise be to God for the life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again, for death no longer has dominion over him. Though we have heard this, we still fear the grave. Lord, by faith, teach us that our sin, shame, and addictions are not our masters. 

Praise be to God for the life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We avoid walking in the light because it is more comfortable to be hidden.

Lord, let your righteousness be good news to us

We are afraid to walk in the light because we fear being truly known.  

Lord, let knowledge of your love bring security to us

We feel ashamed to walk in the light because we still live like slaves to multiple masters.

Lord, let our need of you be a comfort to us. 

Therefore, let us live as though we have been brought from death to life. We are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Praise be to God for the life that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen.