Prayer as We Gather: Lord, in this holy hour we embrace your "If-Then" covenant with our Hebrew forebears: "If you obey me and walk in my ways, you will live and thrive. But if you worship other gods, you will definitely die. I have set before you life and death. Choose life." We therefore reject the false gods vying for our allegiance: Wealth, nationalism, racism, military might. With contrite hearts, we put away the sins of the past that cling so closely and we press toward the mark of our high calling in Jesus. Amen.*(Inspired by Hebrews 12 and Deuteronomy 30)
Call to Worship:
Those who walk in the Lord's instruction are truly happy!
Those who guard God's laws seek God with all their hearts.
They walk in God's ways.
God, how I wish my ways were strong when it comes to obeying you.
Then I wouldn't be ashamed when I consider your commandments.
I will keep your statutes. Please don't leave me all alone! (from Psalm 119, The Common English Bible)
Morning Prayer: As UBC steps further into the unfamiliar waters of pastoral transition, we recall apostle Paul urging the early church to progress beyond baby's milk into the solid food of mature disciples. He insists each of us has a distinct, God-given role to play in our unfolding ministry to the powerless, the voiceless poor, the immigrant stranger at our borders. Make us mindful of Paul's counsel: "Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but the only one who is anything is God, who makes God's field grow. We are God's co-workers, and you are God's field." Here and now we accept our commission as disciples and co-laborers in the name of our Galilean Lord who taught us to pray, saying …*(Inspired by 1 Corinthians 3)
Prayer of Confession: Forgive, Lord, our terrible literalness where scripture is concerned, our tendency to rip Biblical words from their context and use them as weapons of exclusion and bigotry. We are masters at averting our eyes from Jesus' penetrating gaze, his mirthful countenance lancing our humorless proclivity to swallow scripture like bad medicine, holding our noses and suspending healthy curiosity in favor of blind allegiance to lifeless words on the page. If we merely took Jesus' words at face value, our sanctuary would be populated this morning by one-eyed men with their right hands chopped off. Have mercy on our dullness and renew in us a faith-filled sense of humor. Amen.* (Inspired by Matthew 5)
Assurance of Pardon: Take heart, all culturally-captive recovering Biblical fundamentalists. Our kind, smiling Galilean Lord looks beyond the facades of our stern religious meanness and sees the hurting, crippled children cowering there. Leaning in, he reaches tenderly to bid us "come and see," offering liberation from the crushing strictures of stale doctrine and harsh judgment. Lifting our countenance to meet his compassionate look of absolute acceptance, he offers our souls solace and a place of permanent healing. Take him at his word, and your heart can finally know a peace not bounded by life's strictures or death's hollow menace. Thanks be to God for such a Deliverer!*(Inspired by Matthew 5)
Thought for an Epiphany Season Sabbath: "Mature faith is able to deal with darkness and failure with quiet, confident joy. Infantile religion insists on certainty every step of the way, and thus is not very happy." (Richard Rohr, Franciscan Friar)