Preaching 9/11

Prelude

Call to Worship

(it is unclear if we do a call to worship, if I need to supply on here is what I would plan to use)

God loved the world,

God loves the world,

we are the beloved!

May the truth of this great love story,

shine through our worship today,

and renew our sense of calling.

Come, in friendship to God

and to each other,

and in friendship to the world,

to listen for God’s Word to us,

to offer our prayers,

and to renew our calling.

Call to Worship Song: This is the Day #657

Welcome and Announcements

Introduce myself - at Farmers mention I have been there before

We enter into an attitude and a spirit of worship, so may we go to the Lord together in Prayer

Opening Prayer

(Again unclear if I bring this or not, but if I do here is what I will use)

Lord God of heaven and earth,

Creator of our world, and everything in it,

yet as close to us as our own breath—holy is Your name.

In You we live and move and have our being;

we are Your own children,

the work of Your hands.

We pray that Your Holy Spirit

would move among us as we worship,

opening our eyes to Your presence,

opening our ears to Your Word.

Receive the worship of our hearts and minds and bodies;

may it be a pleasing offering to You.

We pray in the name of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ,

in whose death and resurrection we find life. Amen.

Opening Song

(If I end up having to pick it I will got with I come with Joy #617)

Children’s Message - Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper are complements to foods that come together like peanut butter and jelly. Salt and pepper are usually in similar containers, but on the inside, they don't look alike at all. They don't taste alike either, and yet in spite of their differences, salt and pepper go together perfectly. True friendship is like salt and pepper.

People can have number of differences; but in spite of those differences, they can find a common ground to share good times and bad. Salt and pepper can take a bland, boring meal, and turn it into something delicious. True friends can take a bad situation and turn it into something wonderful. You'll never find salt without pepper. And like salt and pepper, true friends are the ones that'll stick with you no matter where you are, what situations you face. You don't have to be exactly alike or have everything in common, you just have to be willing to be there.

Scripture 1 Samuel 20:17-23

Sermon

The Series that we are in

The people that you need in your life

There is an old saying that goes something like show me the people that are closest to you and I will show you where you will be in life 10 years from now

The people in our life so profoundly impact our decisions, our faith, and most aspects of our lives.

AND we often get at least some choice in who we allow near us.

This Week…Friendship

How beautiful of a thing is friendship!

Insert a personal story about Tom calling me this week

It is a good thing to have people who are commited to caring for us and about us that have little to no incentive beyond that

Introducing the story

Jonathan

Oldest and firstborn Son of Saul

Tribe of Benjamin

close friend of David

David

Shepherd boy

David and Goliath

Defeats the Philistine everyone loves him

Jonathan and David are battle buddies

Saul

King

bad guy

father of Jonathan

Jealous of David and wants him dead

Timeline of events

David and Jonathan are friends

David Kills Goliath

Saul is Jealous

ironically Jonathan should have been the one that was jealous

Saul tries to kill David

Jonathan warns David and he escapes

1 Samuel 19:2 NRSV

2 Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

Jonathan and David covenant together

1 Samuel 18:3 NRSV

3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.

The covenant saves David’s life

Saul goes after David again, but this time David and Jonathan think up an elaborate plan....

1 Samuel 20:16–23 NRSV

16 Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord seek out the enemies of David.” 17 Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own life. 18 Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed, because your place will be empty. 19 On the day after tomorrow, you shall go a long way down; go to the place where you hid yourself earlier, and remain beside the stone there. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 Then I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, collect them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go; for the Lord has sent you away. 23 As for the matter about which you and I have spoken, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”

Breaking Down the scripture

New Moon. Monthly celebration involving cereal offerings, burnt sacrifices, and trumpet blasts.

Customary for David to be Gone

They would see what Saul’s reaction was

V. 16 “enemies of David” this is really key to understanding the specific covenant being made:

Jonathan fully expects David to be the next king, and he wants David to promise that he will be kind to Jonathan’s family even after he takes the throne. Often a king from a new dynasty would put to death the descendants of the previous king.

And David later did come through on this agreement

After he became king, David remembered his oath to Jonathan and made special provision for his crippled son Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9:7).

Friendship is a covenant not a contract

Throughout the story Jonathan and David actually make a total of 3 separate covenants:

1.They make a covenant shortly after David kills Goliath (1 Sam 18:3–4).

2.They make a covenant when Jonathan made David swear to show kindness to his descendants as he helped him escape Saul (1 Sam 20:3–17).

3.They make a covenant when David is fleeing from Saul in the wilderness of Ziph (1 Sam 23:15–18).

There are a couple of differences

Contracts are made by the exchange of promises, whereas covenants are sworn by solemn oaths.

Covenants are an exchange of life rather than an exchange of goods

Covenants are not conditional, contracts come with rules

Contracts are “if you do this I will do this”

Covenants are “I will do this regardless of what you do”

Covenants are permanent where as contracts are temporary

Covenants are motivated by self-giving loyalty and sacrificial love. Contracts are motivated by self-interest and profit motive

Friendship isn’t a what’s in it for me endeavor

true friendship seeks the well being of the other person rather than one’s self

Jonathan isn’t a best friend, he is a true friend

What we learn about Jonathan and David is that they don’t spend an incredible amount of time together

We don’t really even know if they have the same hobbies

We don’t really know if they have that much to bond over

Jonathan and David isn’t about two people who have fun with each other it is about Covenant loyalty

If you can be loyal to the covenant of friendship with another person you can be a Jonathan for them

A good friend isn’t just someone you can have fun with

It is someone who can guide you away from spiritual and even physical danger

It is someone who can lovingly call you out when you are out of line

ultimately good friendship is sacrificial and self giving

John 15:13 NRSV

13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

The best way to find a Jonathan is to be a Jonathan

being a true friend requires work, sacrifice, and cultivation over a long period of time

Be the type of friend that you want to have

covenant loyalty attracts covenant loyalty

The challenge this week is to go be that type of friend

Joys and Concerns

(possibly a pass the mic situation here, unsure)

Pastoral Prayer, The Lord’s Prayer

God so often we forget that your kingdom is not only beyond on understanding, but beyond our imagination. O God We remember that before we even speak you know what’s on our hearts. There is nothing we could say that would surprise you. Lord God we pray for those that we remember is this time, and also for those that we don’t. We pray for those that are struggling that those that are celebrating. We pray for those that are laughing and those that are crying. Those that are rich and those that are poor.

Loving God,

You are our Creator and Sustainer.

When You open Your hand,

You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.

And so we look to You whenever we are in need,

trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.

As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish,

we ask that You would again fill those who are empty this day.

Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst.

We pray for those who are physically hungry—whose stomachs are empty.

We think especially of the people in Somalia and Eastern Africa

who are facing critical food shortages;

who are suffering the effects of malnutrition and starvation;

and watching helplessly as loved ones die.

We pray for those who are empty emotionally—

who are lonely and long for companionship and love,

who are caught in the grip of depression,

or overwhelmed with grief.

We pray for those who are spiritually empty—

who are troubled, but don’t know where to turn;

who long for purpose and meaning, but don’t know where to look;

who need You, but do not yet know You.

God, we praise You for Your abundant gifts in our lives.

Pour out Your Spirit on us as well.

Fill us with Your compassion and love,

so that we would willingly share some of our abundance

with those who have need.

We lift up those that are battling illnesses, injuries, and surgeries. We pray for healing, for the renewing of minds, for the freeing of spirits, and for the renewing of minds.

Forgive, us we pray, for those times we have squandered,

and for those times we have used our creativity

as a force for destruction rather than reparation.

Forgive us we pray and free us for joyful obedience

With joy and exultation,

we give thanks for the triumph of life over death,

offering special thanks for those joys, sorrows,

challenges and delights named here today,

Silently in our hearts… (pause for thanksgivings) …

God, the world we live in is messy and challenging,

it is the world of King Herod,

a world of pain,

a world of doubt,

a world of fear,

a world of jealousy,

a world of violence,

a world of domination,

a world of injustice,

a world of human failings.

Yet, God, you are with us always.

So give us grace and give us courage

to live faithfully in this imperfect world.

Remind us always of the promise of your kingdom,

emerging around us and through us.

It is for this kingdom that we now pray,

using the words Jesus taught us.

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

Offering

Through our offering we get to be a blessing to those around us. When we offer our prayers, pressence, gifts, service, and witness to glorify God in all that we do.

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Generous God; Over and over your grace sustains us, over and over your love provides for us, over and over your arm steadies us. We give you these gifts, with gratitude and joy, thankful that you are God over all. Amen.

Closing song

(If I pick this one I will go with Come thou Fount of Every Blessing UMH #400)

Benediction

Go fourth from this place to be the friend that you want to have! And as you do that know that you go with God’s blessing and God’s peace always before you. Amen

Sending Song: Go now in Peace #665