Sermon Tone Analysis

*WELCOME*

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*CALL TO WORSHIP*

                / //Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty/.

*This I declare about the Lord:  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.*

*~*HYMN OF PRAISE                                                                        *           #266

“Softly and Tenderly”

               

*~*INVOCATION (*the Lord’s Prayer)        Merciful Father, as we gather in this place, draw us into your presence with such clarity that we will be transformed.

May we honor your purposes and speak words of faith authentically from within our hearts that we may offer the glory due your name.

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.

*~*GLORIA PATRI *

*~*PSALM FOR TODAY*                                                       *Psalm 63:1-8*/ (NRSV)  /

1/O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

/

2*So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

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3/Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

/

4*So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

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5/My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips /

6*when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; *

7/for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy./

8*My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

*

*CHOIR  *

*SCRIPTURE READING                               Isaiah 55:1-9 */(NRSV)    /

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

3Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

4See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

5See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.

9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

*                                                                                               OFFERING TO GOD          *nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong.

8Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!

Bring your offering and come into his courts.[1]

*~*DOXOLOGY*

*~*PRAYER OF DEDICATION *Eternal Lord, the one upon whom we depend for our everyday necessities, teach us how to spend—and how to be spent—for the greater good.

Grant that in losing our selfish traits we will discover the true riches of life.

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*~*HYMN OF PRAYER     *insert   “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days”

 

*PASTORAL PRAYER *

/"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.

When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord…" Jeremiah 29:11-14a         // /       

*P*raise God for... seminary students, as they prepare for whatever ministry God may call them to.

*A*sk God for... active renewal and revival in American Baptist churches and our denomination.

*T*hank God for... always meeting our needs in abundance when we are abundant in giving to support the work of ministry.

*H*ealing for... those who are facing significant health concerns in days ahead.

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there is something about a sun-filled day that calls forth celebration in each of us.

All experience of this creation awakens in us praise for the Creator.

Our constant prayer echoes that of the psalmist: “The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.

In them He has set a tent for the sun which comes forth like a strong man to run its course with joy.” ~/ So remind us, that there is still work to be done, there are still the shadowy places in our world and in ourselves, where the light has not yet penetrated.

We lend ourselves to the task of being bearers of the light of the warmth of God’s love.

~/ Shine forth in those places where the clouds of doubt, fear, or uncertainty would obscure your warming beams—in hospital rooms, in courtrooms, in congressional hearing rooms, and in all places where life’s troubles are confronted by our brothers and sisters.

Help each of us to brighten the corner where we are and, in doing so, to be faithful to the challenge of our Lord.

The light does shine in the darkness, and the darkness shall not overcome it.

All this we pray in the name of Christ, our Lord, who said, “I am the Light.”—Robert

Morley

 

*~*HYMN OF PRAISE            *#480           “Rescue the Perishing”

*Scripture Text                                                                     Luke 13:1-9 */(NRSV)/* *

/Repent or Perish/

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?

3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.

4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?

5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

/The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree/

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.

7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here!

For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none.

Cut it down!

Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it.

9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’

”

*                                   *

*MESSAGE                                         Turn Around                            *Rev.

Esther Irish

*A Political Question about Justice (Luke 13:1–9)*

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, did not get along with the Jews because he was insensitive to their religious convictions.

For example, he brought the official Roman ensigns into Jerusalem and infuriated the Jews who resented having Caesar’s image in the Holy City.

Pilate threatened to kill the protestors /and they were willing to die!/ Seeing their determination, the governor relented and moved the ensigns to Caesarea, but that did not stop the hostilities.

The atrocity mentioned in Luke 13:1 may have taken place when Pilate “appropriated” money from the temple treasury to help finance an aqueduct.

A large crowd of angry Jews gathered in protest; so Pilate had soldiers /in civilian clothes/ mingle with the mob.

Using concealed weapons, the soldiers killed a number of innocent and unarmed Jews, and this only added to the Jews’ hatred for their governor.

~/~/

Since Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, anything He said about Pilate was sure to get there before Him.

If He ignored the issue, the crowd would accuse Him of being pro-Roman and disloyal to His people.

If He defended the Jews and accused Pilate, He would be in trouble with the Romans, and the Jewish leaders would have a good excuse to get Him arrested.

Our Lord moved the whole issue to a higher level and avoided politics completely.

Instead of discussing /Pilate’s/ sins, He dealt with the sins of the people questioning Him.

He answered their question by asking a question!

To begin with, He made it clear that human tragedies are not always divine punishments and that it is wrong for us to “play God” and pass judgment.

Job’s friends made this mistake when they said that Job’s afflictions were evidence that he was a sinner.

If we take that approach to tragedy, then we will have a hard time explaining the sufferings of the Prophets and Apostles, and even of our Lord Himself.

“How would you explain the deaths of the people on whom the tower in Siloam fell?”

He asked.

“That was not the fault of Pilate.

Was it God’s fault?

Shall we blame Him?

The eighteen who were killed were just doing their job, yet they died.