MORRIS-ROSENFELD ECUMENICAL SHARED MINISTRY
ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2023
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
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
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
BEFORE WE WORSHIP, WE REFLECT…
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge we gather and worship on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Faithful God, help us to be gentle with one another in times of trouble. Help us always and unceasingly to put our trust in you. Help us to be not afraid. Help us to walk out from behind our closed doors to serve others as disciples of Christ in the presence and power of your Holy Spirit. Give us confidence and hearts so full of love for justice that we will not cease to work for the good of others, and for healing and for reconciliation between all peoples. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
CALL TO WORSHIP – Submitted by Austin D. Hill
We proclaim the message of the cross:
This is the wisdom and power of God.
For God alone my soul waits in silence.
Steadfast love belongs to the Lord.
Jesus said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.
May the word of God be fulfilled among us.
CHILDREN’S SONG: VU 289 It Only Takes A Spark
CENTERING PRAYER
Faithful God, you are the hope of all the oppressed, and the source of freedom for those held captive. Make us strong to witness to your liberating power, in generosity of life and in humility of spirit, that all the world may delight in your goodness. Amen.
CLWR: Venezuela – Emergency food support for communities
We loved hearing the story of Yelitze Betancourt, a 67-year-old who teaches children with learning disabilities in the community of San Francisco in the city of Cumaná, Sucre State, Venezuela.
Times have been hard in the community and in much of Venezuela, and Yelitze was a recipient of food assistance herself through our recent food distribution with Lutheran World Federation Venezuela.
After getting to know the organization, Yelitze volunteered to start spending her time when she isn’t teaching to work with LWF on the project. She’s in charge of delivering materials that go along with food deliveries and answering questions families might have.
Yelitze tells us she has really enjoyed being part of the food distributions and getting to know her community in a new way, and the chance to guide families who need support.
Thank you for your generosity toward Yelitze and her community!
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Have you ever seen a sport rubber band? It looks like a giant rubber band. If you have one, put yourself and another person, or two, into the band. Now, step back one step from each other. Notice that the band is now full of tension. You can feel it pulling against your back and pushing you forward.
When we are angry with someone, often we want to get away from that person, or at least turn away. We create tension between people when we are angry or disagree. The further away from each other we go, the more the conflict increases. Take a second step away from the other person and feel the sport rubber band pull tighter across your back. It is difficult to keep the tension without it hurting.
Conflict between people hurts. Jesus does not want us to have conflict. Jesus wants us to talk to each other, respect each other, listen to each other. In the end we may agree to disagree. That is ok. The important part is that we came to that conclusion in love and respect. Thank you Jesus.
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
As we are gathered here today, we ask you, our living God, to shower upon us your wisdom and knowledge. We pray that as we listen to your word, we may have the ability to clearly see what God has called us to do. We seek to live to fulfill your purpose so that we can see your kingdom. Illuminate our eyes and reveal to us your glory. Amen.
READINGS AND PSALM
First Reading: Jeremiah 15:15-21
Jeremiah’s delight in the word of the Lord is contradicted by the heaviness of God’s hand upon him and God’s seeming unfaithfulness. God’s tough love to Jeremiah says that if he repents, he will be allowed to continue in his strenuous ministry. Jeremiah is strengthened by the simple words, “I am with you.”
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.
19Therefore 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 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
Paul presents benchmarks for faithful relationships with Christians and non-Christians. Love is the unflagging standard of our behavior. When we encounter evil, we do not resort to its tactics but seek to overcome it with good. While Christians cannot control the actions and attitudes of others, we seek to live at peace with all people.
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: Matthew 16:21-28
After Peter confesses that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16), Jesus reveals the ultimate purpose of his ministry. These words prove hard to accept, even for a disciple whom Jesus has called a “rock.”
21From that time on, 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.”
HYMN: VU 561 Take Up Your Cross
SERMON:
A number of years ago, a friend of mine began to ask me to join Facebook – repeatedly. I replied that I had an email address and a cell phone with a phone number and the ability to send and receive texts, so I figured I had all the technology bases covered so people to get a hold of me.
Nope.
Finally, I relented. Suddenly, I had all these “friend” requests from people I didn’t know! My inbox for my emails became inundated with notifications that I had friend requests – again, many from people I did not know! True, when my mom died it was helpful to have Facebook to get the word out to my close friends and others in Ottawa. Other than that…
I’m still not fully clear on how Facebook works. I don’t check it very often, and when I look at the many names connected with my page, can I genuinely say all these people are friends – by my definition of the word friend? No.
A number of years ago, I had a mom ask me to speak with her teen. The teen had been involved in a party that ended up involving the police. I didn’t hold out a lot of hope, yet I said I would give it my best shot.
I asked this teen to define what, in their opinion, constituted a friend. That was easy! Then I asked for the definition of an acquaintance. Following that, I asked whether these people with whom they partied, and who were the cause of the police being called, were true friends. “Of course!” was the reply.
“Hmmm, do true friends encourage you to head down a path of self-destruction, or do they encourage you to be the best “you” you can be?”
The latter, of course.
“I will ask you again. Were those people at the party true friends?”
“I guess they were more acquaintances.”
“I think it’s time you took a good look at your life, and yourself, and work on finding some actual, genuine friends.”
I have spoken before about the three most common words the ancient Greek language had for the word love: agape, philia, and eros. Agape – God’s divine love or unconditional love; philia – neighbourly love or the love one has for a family member or close friend; eros – romantic love.
How we define certain words determines how we understand a situation, or what God is trying to say to those of us listening to a biblical text.
When the apostle Paul says, “Let love be genuine; …love one another with mutual affection”, what, exactly, is Paul saying?
Frank L. Crouch, Dean and Vice President at the Moravian Theological Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania makes a very powerful point regarding the meaning of agape in scripture:
It’s worth noting, however, that John 3:16-21 — an essential discussion of love, salvation, and judgment — describes judgment in this way: “this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). This love people have for darkness is signified with the word agape. One can aim a deep, enduring love in the wrong direction — agape distorted into the deepest throes of addiction, as commitment to destruction, as despising what is life-giving and good. Of course, agape is overwhelmingly used in its positive sense throughout the New Testament, but any love can go wrong, even agape.
Most importantly, in John, Jesus defines the agape that he has for his disciples and that he wants them to have for one another (John 15:12-17). He defines agape in terms of philia: “greater love (agape) has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). On that basis, declares that are in fact his friends (John 15:14-15), and as such, they are to agape one another (John 15:17). These words for love and friendship in John are practically synonyms, describing each one in terms of the other.[1]
We have a similar situation here in Romans. Paul states that our agape should be genuine. This leads to the understanding that our agape can be not genuine, not Christ-like. Ouch. Does this mean that “fake it ‘til you make it” is out? Maybe not.
The scriptural understanding of agape is that it is a virtue, a divine gift to be studied, practiced, honed and lived out with zeal. Throughout my years in ministry, I have had numerous conversations with people who stated that they “learned how to love”. Not everyone is raised with loving, affirming, nurturing parents. It was other family members, friends, and spouses that taught them how to love; not just to love others but also themselves! The act of loving others, then, is learned.
Couples who come to me for marriage preparation classes all get the same speech: “I frankly could care less about your wedding day. What I care about, what you are here to work on, is your marriage. A healthy marriage takes work. Every day. ALL relationships that are worth keeping take work not just the marriage relationship.”
What we have Paul saying here in Romans is a rephrasing of Jesus’ words about agape and relationships. It is also restating the reality of how Jesus lived agape in his life. Simply put, we are being told by Paul to behave like adults.
My eldest phoned me one day after she had finished work. It had been a long, hard day dealing with complex, complicated and somewhat annoying people. Before I could finish saying “Hello”, she said, “Mom, I can’t adult anymore today.” Kudos to our daughter that she kept her cool, spoke respectfully, listened and affirmed all those that she had to deal with. It was mentally and emotionally exhausting. It also helped her to keep her job. Philadelphia, loving others, be they company guests, coworkers, suppliers on the phone, or one’s sisters, is not always easy, sometimes unwanted, occasionally resented, yet always necessary. On those days, “fake it ‘till you make it”, while not genuine love in Paul’s terms, helps keep one focused, respectful, and sane – maybe even employed.
Bless those who persecute you, and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice.
Weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
Do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you (emphasis mine), live peaceably with all.
It all sounds logical and easy enough to do, until, for example, you gather your entire extended family into one room to read a will.
The biggest detractor to adult behaviour and living agape is anger. There is a difference between reacting in anger to someone pushing your emotional buttons and righteous indignation. For the former we have numerous examples in the New Testament of the disciples carrying on and arguing over various issues. Notice that Jesus does not participate in those arguments. Rather, his comments call them back to adult behaviour. For the latter, we look to the clearing of the temple, the comments to the scribes and Pharisees for their love of power and the neglect of God’s people. At no time, however, it is ever indicated that Jesus did not extend agape. In other words, when dealing with people, including the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus always exhibited adult behaviour and lived agape. That is what agape does, it helps us to focus on the issue at hand, and not descend to personalities and name-calling.
I close with the words of Israel Kamudzandu, Associate Professor of New Testament Studies, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Missouri:
A revival of spiritual love and unity is urgently needed in today’s global church. Even among a diversity of clergy leaders, there is what we may call a bankruptcy of love. Thus, the Apostle Paul goes on to encourage harmonious living as a way to cultivate godly love in all people. Therefore, the love we are called to live out is not an emotional one, but one that comes from the transforming and spiritual rebirth of our minds, souls, and hearts. It is practical love in that it is experienced by both the self and the other; it is love lived out in ways that always cherishes others. This love seeks justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.[2]
May it be so. Amen.
HOM: VU 578 A Fire Is Meant For Burning
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Remembering the caring and generous works of God, we pray for the church, creation, and the needs of our neighbors.
God of life, your words are the joy at the heart of your church. Draw the seeker to you, place messages of hope and healing in the mouths of your witnesses, and open your children to your truth when we stumble. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of steadfast love, renew the earth by your Spirit, that lands and oceans reveal the beauty of your creation. Challenge us to live humbly and peaceably as part of your world. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of patience, lead those who govern to hold fast to what is good. Guide them to show honor to the people in their care. Overcome evil in all nations and grant peace to peoples and places mired in conflict. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of deliverance, remember all who are suffering, lonely, and in pain. Liberate your people from being insulted, persecuted, or in the grasp of the ruthless. Give endurance to workers who persevere on this Labor Day and ensure fair wages and safe working environments. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of justice, equip this congregation to boldly follow you in uncertain times and to remain faithful in prayer when facing challenges. Show us how best to love and care for one another and our communities. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of glory, we give thanks for the saints who now dwell with you in splendor. Nurture us in faith until the day we join their heavenly song. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Remember us according to your steadfast love as we offer these and the prayers of our hearts, trusting in your compassion made known through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING SONG: VU 641 Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song As I Journey
BENEDICTION – Roy Lessin
May your heart be full of celebration and praise to the One whose mercies are over you, whose hand is upon you, whose favor is with you, and whose presence is within you. Amen.