Grace in the Wilderness

Virtual Choir: Thine is the Glory (238)

Service of the Lord’s Day

Easter Sunday

04/12/2020

Virtual Choir: Thine is the Glory (238)

Welcome

TOM: Prelude

Welcome, Announcements, Joys, and Concerns

There will be two study group options starting this week. If you are interested in either one, there is info on the church website. If you don’t have internet, you can call in like a conference call. Please call Pastor Charissa for info on how to do this.

I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening) Wednesdays at 11 for 10 weeks - if restrictions are lifted and it is safe to do so, we might add back in an in-person component. That said, we’re not holding our breath.

Philippians Thursdays at 2pm for 4 weeks.

Communion at 11 today.

If you are not on the prayer chain and would like to be, please let us know.

Passing of the Peace

Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty (v 1)

Brian: Call to Worship 

Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near; join me in glad adoration!

Brian: Call to Worship 

Psalm 118:1–2 ESV

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:1–2 NRSV

1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:14–24 NRSV

14 The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Opening Prayer

Glory to you, O God: on this day you won victory over death, raising Jesus from the grave and giving us eternal life.

Glory to you, O Christ: for us and for our salvation you overcame death and opened the gate to everlasting life.

Rebecca: Prayer of Invocation

Glory to you, O Holy Spirit: you lead us into the truth.

Glory to you, O Blessed Trinity, now and forevermore. Amen

Jesus Christ is Risen Today

TOM: *Hymn #gtg232 Jesus Christ is Risen Today

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia! who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia! our salvation have procured, Alleluia! Now above the sky he’s king! Alleluia! where the angels ever sang, Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! praise eternal as God’s love. Alleluia! Praise our God, ye heavenly host, Alleluia! Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

Confessing Our Sin

We cannot come before God unless we are first honest with ourselves about who we are, about the mistakes we make, and about how well or poorly we care for others. In this spirit, let us offer our prayers to God. Let’s read together our community prayer of confession, followed by our silent prayers of individual confession.

*Corporate Prayer of Confession (Followed by silent prayers of confession)

Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry, and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed, and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak, and abuse the earth you made. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.

Take comfort in the assurance that even those things that are hidden from memory, or are too deep for our words, are not beyond God’s forgiving love. God, who knows us completely, bestows pardon and peace. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Gloria Patri (Glory to the Father)

PRERECORDED: *Gloria Patri #581

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be: world without end. Amen, amen.

Musical Meditation

Witnessing God's Work

Hearing Holy Words

CHARISSA: Witnessing God's Work

Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty: Quiet within us every voice but your own. Speak to us through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ and by the power of his Resurrection that by the power of your Holy Spirit we may receive grace to show Christ’s love in lives given to your service. Amen.

John 20:1–18 NRSV

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Brian: Hebrew Scripture Reading:

Gospel Reading: Brian: Hebrew Scripture Reading:

Jeremiah 31:1–6 ESV

1 “At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.” 2 Thus says the Lord: “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3 the Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit. 6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’ ”

Grace in the Wilderness

Charissa: Sermon “Grace in the Wilderness”

I started preaching this sermon in one sanctuary, but it was too empty.

So was the other one.

And I tried to preach it from my living room, but my house is too noisy.

It doesn’t feel right at all to preach an Easter sermon in an empty room. The first thing that the women did when they went to the tomb and found it empty was they ran to tell everyone they could. When the disciples found out about the resurrection, they gathered together.

I know that I am not alone in feeling like this is just not quite right.

I have a ham ready for dinner this afternoon and I’ve got a special dessert recipe on deck. But we aren’t taking the food to Uncle Mark & Aunt Pat’s like we do every year. We’re gathering with family via Zoom instead.

And I’m grateful for the technology that allows us to still gather together in some way in this time in history when we’re redefining what “together” looks like. Had this all happened even a decade or two ago, we wouldn’t be worshiping together at all this morning. Big churches might have still figured it out, but our little community wouldn’t have. 

So was the other one.

I know that many were hopeful we’d be back together in church by Easter. That would have been great. But it’s still not safe. I love you all too much to suggest putting any of you in danger like that. And it is our calling, as people of faith, to look out for the safety and well-being of our community and indeed our sisters and brothers around the world. 

So here we are. . . on the holiest of days in our tradition. . . worshiping remotely in our seperate homes. 

I think the reason this is so hard is that our relationships with other people - our community - those are a big part of how we experience the love of God. They remind us that we aren’t alone in the universe. 

But creation does that too.

As I was lamenting this weirdness and trying to figure out what to do about preaching this week, I remembered one of my favorite traditional saints: Francis of Assisi. He was known for his connection to creation. He saw God in “Brother Sun and Sister Moon” and in every little creature he met. There are stories of Francis preaching to the birds in the trees. 

I decided to take a page out of Francis of Assisi’s book and preach outside to creation this Resurrection Sunday. I love the idea that even when we aren’t physically with other humans, creation keeps us company. I can’t be in the same room as you all physically this morning, but I’m not alone. None of us are. I can preach out here to the birds in the trees and the deer that are probably hiding out nearby and the bugs and the plants and whatever other creatures happen by. 

I could pretend like the sanctuary is full this morning, but it doesn’t do any of us any good to try to hold on that tight to the way things used to be. It’s ok to be in the moment, even when it’s strange and new like this one. We can be sad that this doesn’t look like Easters past. And we can be worried because we don’t yet know what Easters future will hold for us. But we can’t force ourselves into the past or the future. The only Easter we can live today is today. And today is a wilderness Easter for us. 

And I tried to preach it from my living room, but my house is too noisy.

I’m literally in the woods right now, but faith communities today are also in a figurative wilderness. That’s why while, of course, we read today the Gospel narrative of the resurrection of Christ, that’s not the passage I want to focus on. I want to stick with one that most Easters, I see in the lectionary and skip because it seems like a bit of a downer. But this Lenten and Easter season, I’ve been drawing a great deal of comfort from the prophets. 

The prophetic texts are written to people who are stuck in rotten times. This particular one points to God’s promises in the hard times - the promise of resurrection, in particular. That’s why it’s used on Easter. But most Easters, we are so caught up in the celebration of the Resurrection as something that already happened that we sort of toss the prophets aside. 

We can’t do that today. We can’t gloss over the admission that bad stuff happens, even to faithful people. We can’t hide our heads in the sand and pretend that everything’s fine. 

We shouldn’t panic and tremble and lose hope. But sometimes, we find ourselves in the wilderness like the people of Israel: stuck between what was and what will be. This is the people that Jeremiah is speaking to. They are in exile. Nothing they used to know is the same anymore. And they have these promises from God about new life, but. . . they are still in a wandering time. Jeremiah reminds them of the time they were in the wilderness wandering around. It was scary and strange and they didn’t know when it would end. It was so uncertain and full of anxiety that they wanted sometimes to go back to slavery because at least they knew what to expect then. 

It’s hard to hold on to the hope of God’s promises when you are in the wilderness. 

But Jeremiah doesn’t tell them to suck it up because they have been through worse or give them some sort of watery platitudes about how it’s going to be brighter. 

He points to where God was in the wilderness in the past. 

I decided to take a page out of Francis of Assisi’s book and preach to the birds this Resurrection Sunday. I love the idea that even when we aren’t physically with other humans, creation keeps us company. Our relationships with other people - our community - those are a big part of how we experience the love of God. They remind us that we aren’t alone in the universe. But creation does that too.

There was grace there. 

And they didn’t just come out of the wilderness to find they were ok. They came out full of new life and energy and growth. 

Look to the great rebirth that will happen when we emerge from all of this drama right now. Yeah. 2020 sucks. 2020 can take a long walk off a short pier. I’m not enjoying this year either. But, God is still here. There are still birds in the trees to preach to. There are signs of spring everywhere. We do have the ability to stay connected to one another right now. 

I know. Some days are better than others lately. Some days, it feels like we’ve gotten the hang of wandering in the wilderness - we’ve settled into the new normal - and other days it feels like we’re going to die out here in the desert because this will NEVER END. That’s why, even though we’re not together in the same room and I’m out here preaching to the birds, we have to stick together. If you’re having a rough day in the wilderness, there is someone in our community who is having a better one. And if you’re having a “this is the new normal and that’s ok” day, check in on some folks because odds are, you’ll come across someone who is having the rough day. Together, we’ll drag one another through this wilderness and come out on the other side stronger and more fruitful and closer to God and to one another. . . and probably even to the birds. 

It doesn’t feel right at all to preach an Easter sermon in an empty room. The first thing that the women did when they went to the tomb and found it empty was they ran to tell everyone they could. When the disciples found out about the resurrection, they gathered together.

Keep pointing out the grace in the wilderness. That’s why we’re focusing so much on our witnessing God at work part of the service lately. We need those reminders of God in the wilderness times. 

That is the Easter message for this wilderness Easter: we can focus on the resurrection by looking for signs of life in a seemingly lifeless place. Your homework this Easter season - we get 6 weeks of Easter, dear ones - is to keep those Witnessing God videos and messages coming in. Share those signs of grace in the wilderness. And we will come through on the other side stronger and more full of life than ever.

I know that I am not alone in feeling like this is just not quite right.

I have a ham ready for dinner this afternoon and I’ve got a special dessert recipe on deck. But we aren’t taking the food to Uncle Mark & Aunt Pat’s like we do every year. We’re gathering with family via Zoom instead.

And I’m grateful for the technology that allows us to still gather together in some way in this time in history when we’re redefining what “together” looks like.

O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.

Rebecca or Charissa: *Declaration of Faith 

O Light that followest all my way, I yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day may brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain, I cannot close my heart to thee; I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head, I dare not ask to fly from thee; I lay in dust life’s glory dead, and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be.

Declaration of Faith: The Apostles’ Creed

As we come together, we do so remembering the things that hold us together as a church. So let’s take this time to recite together what the church declares to be true in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

Communion? AFTER ON ZOOM

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Communion? AFTER ON ZOOM

Prayers of the People

As we pray together this morning, you are invited to speak your prayers aloud during the silence or to type them in the comments. At the end of each petition, I will say, “Through your victory, we pray to you.” and You are invited to respond with “Hear us, Lord of glory.”

Let us pray:

O Christ, after your resurrection you appeared to your disciples; you breathed on them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. You gave joy and exultation to the whole creation. Through your victory, we pray to you:

Hear us, Lord of glory.

O Christ, after your resurrection you sent out your disciples to teach all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; you promised to be with them and us until the end of the world. Through your victory, we pray to you:

Hear us, Lord of glory.

O Christ, through your resurrection you lifted us up, and filled us with rejoicing. Through your salvation you enrich us with your gifts. Renew our lives and fill our hearts with joy. Through your victory, we pray to you:

Hear us, Lord of glory.

O Christ, you are glorified by angels in heaven, and worshiped on earth. On the glorious feast of your resurrection, through your victory, we pray to you:

LITANY FOR EASTER

316 / Easter

O Christ, you are glorified by angels in heaven, and worshiped on earth. On the glorious feast of your resurrection, we pray to you:

Hear us, Lord of glory.

Save us, O Christ our Lord, in your goodness, extend your mercy to your people who await the resurrection, and have mercy on us. Through your victory, we pray to you:

Charissa: Sharing of our Tithes and Offerings

Hear us, Lord of glory.

O merciful God, you raised your beloved Son, and in your love you established him as head of your church, and ruler of the universe. By your goodness we pray, lifting up all those things that weigh on us today.

After a brief silence, the leader concludes the litany:

After a brief silence, the leader concludes the litany:

[269] After a brief silence, the leader concludes the litany:

O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.

you gave your only Son

to suffer death on the cross for our redemption,

and by his glorious resurrection

you delivered us from the power of death.

Together we are bold to pray as we have been taught, saying:

Grant us so to die daily to sin,

that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection;

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 sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen

Sharing of our Gifts

Prerecorded: *Doxology #606

Doxology (Song of Thanksgiving)

Praise God, from whom all blessing flow! Praise God, all creatures here below! Praise God above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen!

Prayer of Thanksgiving

We give you thanks, great God, for the hope we have in Jesus, who died but is risen and rules over all. We praise you for his presence with us. Because he lives, we look for eternal life, knowing that nothing past, present, or yet to come can separate us from your great love made known in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thine Is the Glory

Virtual Choir: *Hymn #gtg238 Thine Is the Glory

Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded graveclothes where thy body lay.

Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom. Let the church with gladness hymns oof triumph sing, for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.

Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life! Life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife. Make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Thine is the glory, risen conquering Son; endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Words of Blessing

Amen

Prerecorded: Sending Song #600 “Amen” (sing three times)

Amen