MORRIS-ROSENFELD ECUMENICAL SHARED MINISTRY
ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2024
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
Due to copyright limitations, we are unable to print the words to many of the songs. However, our musicians have chosen music to fit the scriptures. We invite you to look up the words in your worship book and ponder them. If you do not have a worship book, ponder the words of one of your favourite hymns and listen for God’s voice. Those who have the internet may find the songs on YouTube.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The law is about you looking at yourself. The new covenant is all about you seeing Jesus.
~Joseph Prince
BEFORE WE WORSHIP, WE REFLECT…
God promises Jeremiah that a “new covenant” will be made in the future: a covenant that will allow all the people to know God by heart. The church sees this promise fulfilled in Christ, who draws all people to himself when he is lifted up on the cross. Our baptismal covenant draws us to God’s heart through Christ and draws God’s love and truth into our hearts. We join together in worship, sharing in word, song, and meal, and leave strengthened to share God’s love with all the world.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge we gather and worship on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
God of Love, you are the Creator of this land and of all good things. Give us the courage to accept the realities of our history so that we may build a better future for our nation. Teach us to respect all cultures. Teach us to care for our land and waters. Help us to share justly the resources of this land. Help us to bring about spiritual and social change to improve the quality of life for all groups in our communities, especially the disadvantaged. Help young people to find true dignity and self esteem by your Spirit. May your power and love be the foundations on which we build our families, our communities and our nation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CALL TO WORSHIP
With friends and strangers, with family and neighbors, we gather:
Come among us, Healing God, with that love which never ends.
With faith reaching out to touch, with hearts straining to trust, we hope:
Come among us, Friend of the broken, with your compassion which makes us whole.
With word and wonder, with silence and song, we wait:
Come among us, Dryer of our tears, to lift us to our feet to follow you.[1]
GATHERING SONG: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
CENTERING PRAYER
O God, with steadfast love you draw us to yourself, and in mercy you receive our prayers. Strengthen us to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, that through life and death we may live in your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
MISSION AND SERVICE: Social Support through Education
Signing up for a course is both exciting and nerve-wracking. We think about what skills we’ll learn, how quickly we’ll see improvement, and how naturally “talented” we may be.
In Sambir, Ukraine, English teacher Ilona is encouraging her learners to challenge that way of thinking and enjoy the aspect of social time with one another while learning English. This class, supported by Mission and Service partner ACT Alliance, is part of a psychosocial support program for Ukrainians displaced by war. Ilona and her family were also displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, and she is now actively contributing to the well-being of others in similar situations.
While online learning expands opportunities and access to learning, distance learners miss crucial social engagement and human interaction. Ilona shares, “When we come together and get to know each other, we have a community. We can open up and share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.” In a low-pressure learning environment, students can feel comfortable as they learn skills and learn about each other.
Thank you for the support you show to through Mission and Service as our neighbours endure the ongoing impacts of war and conflict.
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Have you ever gone fishing? Have you gone fishing and had a fish take the bait on the hook? What happens then? Usually, you feel the tug of the line and start to reel the fish in toward the boat so you can use your net to bring it into the boat. But as soon as you start reeling it in, the fish starts to fight and tries to swim away, so you have to hold on tight to your rod and reel the line in faster and faster before the fish breaks the line with it’s fighting.
Jesus tells the people that when he is lifted up onto the cross, he will draw all people to himself. The word draw means to pull toward oneself like fish in a net are pulled toward the boat.
Some people would say that means Jesus forces us to come to him. I don’t interpret his words that way. I see Jesus standing there with his arms open as if he is about to give someone a hug. I believe Jesus waits for us to come to him. We may feel called to go to Jesus, but some people fight that call. The beautiful part of Jesus’ words is that when a person finally stops fighting and wants to get closer to Jesus, Jesus already has his arms out to hug that person. I believe Jesus respects us and our choices, and waits for us to realize that we do want a relationship with him. Jesus is always waiting, ready to hug us. What a great feeling, to know the love of Jesus is always with us, and patiently waiting.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Prepare our hearts, O God, to accept your Word. Silence in us any voices but your own, so that we may hear your Word and also do it; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
READINGS AND PSALM
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
The Judeans in Babylon blamed their exile on their ancestors, who had broken the covenant established at Sinai. Here the prophet looks to a day when God will make a new covenant with the people. There will be no need to teach the law, because God will write it on their hearts.
31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Psalm 51:1-12
Create in me a clean heart, O God. (Ps. 51:10)
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2Wash me through and through from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my offenses, and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are justified when you speak and right in your judgment. R
5Indeed, I was born steeped in wickedness, a sinner from my mother’s womb.
6Indeed, you delight in truth deep within me, and would have me know wisdom deep within.
7Remove my sins with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be purer than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness; that the body you have broken may rejoice. R
9Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my wickedness.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. R
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10
Using priestly imagery and references to the Old Testament, the author explains how Christ lived in trusting obedience to God, and so God has made Christ the source of our eternal salvation.
5Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,
“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”;
6as he says also in another place,
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Gospel: John 12:20-33
Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to celebrate the Passover festival. Here Jesus’ words about seeds planted in the ground turn the disaster of his death into the promise of a harvest in which everyone will be gathered.
20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
HYMN: MV 1 Let Us Build A House
SERMON
Court Watson says the following about teenagers in his Instagram video:
I believe teenagers are revenge on mankind. It’s as if God said, “Well, let’s see how they like it to create someone in their own image who denies their existence.” Nowhere in the bible does it mention how old the devil was when he rejected God’s authority. My guess, it would be 15.[2]
Now, imagine you have an entire nation of 15-year-olds. An entire nation of people who know everything, probably more than God, who know, better than God, what is right, wrong, and how they should live, behave and what they should believe. Now imagine trying to be the prophetic voice to this nation of 15-year-olds.
Your name is Jeremiah and the nation is ancient Israel.
I admire God. The older I get, the less patience I have. Yes, there were moments when God wanted to wipe out the entire nation because they refused to honour their half of the Divine-Human covenant. Thankfully, Moses was the calm voice of reason in those moments. Still, God’s love for Israel went deeper than God’s frustration. I get that. What I don’t understand is why Israel never matured past the age of 15!
From the outside looking in, I see a nation that has been hand-picked by God. Hand-picked by a God who loves them, who desires to be in a relationship with them, who has given them rules to help them develop their character as a nation. A character that is faithful to a loving God, a character that is different from every other nation and religion because the Character of God is the Character of the people. The nation of Israel is to be a nation that loves, serves and obeys God with a willing heart. The nation of Israel is to be the nation that demonstrates to the countries around them that a healthy nation is one that looks after the poor and oppressed, who supports the widow and orphan, who is generous and forgiving. Not only that, but God blessed Israel richly when the Divine-human covenant was honoured.
If life was going so well, why did Israel throw all that away with national disobedience? Turning away from God, oppressing the poor, worshipping other gods, ignoring the plight of the widow and orphan, fighting and separating the nation into north and south…See what I mean? They were stuck as a 15-year-old nation. They also suffered the consequences of their choices as a nation. Like any parent of teenagers, God joined the ranks of parents who love their children deeply but who look up to the heavens, shake their heads and say, “When will they learn?!”
Enter in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah sounds like the Dr. Phil of antiquity. “No, you can’t keep blaming your ancestors for your problems. It was your choices, your behaviour that got you into this situation, and it will be your choices and behaviour that get you out of it!”
Jeremiah is there to give the people hope. Jeremiah is present to tell them that God loves them, desires what is best for them, and will give them, as a nation, another chance. Jeremiah reminds the nation that God desires to have a relationship with them – God’s chosen people.
From this new attempt at building a healthy relationship with God, the people will receive the torah, not on tablets of stone but on their hearts. They will not have to learn about God from others because their heart will be connected to the heart of God. They will not have to live in guilt and shame for what they had done in the past because the forgiveness of God will wipe the slate clean.
And what does God require in return? In simple terms – grow up and behave like adults.
Lest we shake our heads at the ancient Israelites and pat ourselves on the back thinking “We’ve got this!”, are we truly any more grown up than the ancient Israelites? Do we unfailingly maintain our covenant with God? As a nation, could we be doing better to be living out the Character of God? Are we behaving like adults who are unconditionally loved, forgiven and embraced by God? As a nation, are we loving our neighbour, forgiving them, taking their best interests to heart?
To live out the Character of God as a nation requires great courage, fortitude, intelligence, amazing amounts of love. AND, it is possible.
The microcosm of the macrocosm is the Body of Christ – the Church. Here we confess our sins, receive forgiveness, hold each other to account, teach and live out adult behaviour, obedience to Christ and the Covenant God has made with us. Imperfect we are, and struggles we will have; remaining faithful to God and following Christ will help us learn and grow into the Character of God, to live that out in community.
While we may chuckle at the antics of teenagers – and remember, we were all teenagers at one point! – I am reminded that “out of the mouths of babes” come words of wisdom from which the adults can learn much.
I close with a retelling of an experience by the late Archbishop Bishop Desmond Tutu:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu once told a story of teaching a confirmation class years ago in which he outlined the meaning of the Mosaic Covenant. He went step by step through it, explaining the promise of God, that God would rescue the Hebrew people from slavery and that they would worship only God and then act in ways that show themselves to be liberated people. And he showed them how that principle showed up in the teaching of Jesus later on. When finished he asked them as a review to tell him what he had just said. He got a variety of attempts, some close some not. Then one little boy raised his hand and put it better than any theologian could have. He said (quoting God), “I saved your butts, so now you go behave.”[3]
To which I say, “Amen, little brother, amen!”
Hymn: WOV 664 A New Commandment
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Trusting in God’s promise to reconcile all things, let us pray for the church, the well-being of creation, and a world in need.
God of the covenant, through the church you draw us into community. We give thanks for the means of grace around which we gather. Inspire writers, musicians, and artists whose creative gifts adorn our worship. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of all that exists, you lavish the earth with extravagant beauty. Preserve the rich and complex diversity of living things. Support local, national, and international efforts to protect the environment for future generations. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of the nations, you desire peace and plenty for all people. Defend those who challenge oppression and expose corruption. Support advocates for human rights, social justice, and the welfare of children. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of good will, you restore what is broken. We pray for any experiencing estrangement, conflict, or abuse in families and intimate relationships. Protect and comfort all who are vulnerable, especially those living in institutions. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of every time and place, you are with us. Move us to reach out to any who are homebound, lonely, grieving, in treatment, or ill. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
God of promise, we give thanks for the saints whose faith inspires us especially Patrick, missionary to Ireland, whom we commemorate today. Grant us faith to trust in your everlasting love. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Accompany us on our journey, God of grace, and receive the prayers of our hearts, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING SONG: VU 120 O Jesus, I Have Promised
BENEDICTION
The peace of God be in your heart
The grace of God be in your words
The love of God be in your hands
The joy of God be in your soul and in the song that your life sings.
Amen.
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© 2011 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/byncsa/2.5/ca.
[1] Written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies.
[2] Bluejay_cw@instagram
[3] https://homebynow.blogspot.com/2013/10/written-on-their-hearts.html