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May 2nd, 2021

4/30/2021

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May 2, 2021, Living the Resurrection
Make Your Home in Me

Greeting                 1 John 4:15 (NLT)
“All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.”       

Opening Prayer                  based on John 15     
God of love,
plant us in the soil of your grace.
Nurture us with the strength of Christ,
the vine of everlasting life.
Enlighten us with the wisdom of your Spirit,
which flows through us today and all days.
Abide in us,
that we may abide in you
and live in your love.
In your holy name, we pray. Amen.

Adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2012, © 2011 Abingdon Press.  Posted on the Worship Elements page of the Ministry Matters website.

A Vineyard Call to Worship              for John 15:1-8
God is the True Vine,
And we are the branches.
Connected to God.
Connected to bear fruit!
Connected to God.
Or we wither away.
Connected to God.
Or useless!
We come to worship God, who is the True Vine.
God, teach us how to remain connected so that we might bear good fruit!

Safiyah Fosua, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/god-is-the-true-vine-21st-century-worship-resources-for-the-fifth-sunday-of.

Intercessory Prayer                         ACTS model
Creator God, you are the Alpha and the Omega, you are the beginning and the end.  You knew us before we were born and had a plan for our life from before the foundation of the world.
And we know that you hold the whole world in the palm of your hand.  In the blink of an eye Your eyes can see the whole earth.  And you show yourself strong on the behalf of those that love you.
Your Word tells us that we can come to your throne of grace to find help in time of need. Dear Lord, this is one of those times. Please hear us today.
Forgive us of the wrong things we have done, we lay our sins down at the foot of the cross.  Please forgive anything we have done that is separating us from your fellowship.  Forgive our hurtful words and actions. Forgive our evil thoughts.
Thank you for loving each of us. Thank you for dying for our sins and rising from the dead. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit who guides our life.
Gracious God, we lift up all who have been mentioned here today, and for those who are struggling quietly.  Grant them you healing and peace.  Show us the ways in which we can bring healing and peace to others.
Finally, God, we give you thanks once more for Jesus, the Vine, the Gateway to salvation.  Keep us strong and faithful to serve you, until He comes again. All this we pray in His name.  Amen.

Stewardship Prayer                    
Generous God, through your Son, Jesus Christ,
you have shown us what it means to love.
And you call us to follow Your example--
to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Continue to write your law of love on our hearts.
Give us an unwavering passion for justice,
and a tenacious faith that will not rest
until the hungry are fed,
the oppressed find relief,
and the outsider finds a welcome. Amen.
Christine Longhurst, in Hunger for Justice: World Food Day 2016, posted on the Canadian Foodgrains Bank website. http://foodgrainsbank.ca/product/world-food-day-2016-hunger-for-justice/

Scripture Reading            John 15:1-8 (MSG)    
1-3 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.  4 “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.
5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.
This is the Word of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.    

Morning Message             Make Your Home in Me
Key Point: Remaining in the Vine, that is Jesus, is about much more than membership and attending church once in a while.  It is about discipleship and a life of commitment that produces good spiritual fruit that brings glory to God and blesses the world we live in.

    I brought a dead branch with me today, and pictures of the tree it came from.  A healthy branch, as part of a healthy maple tree, provides many desirable things:  Shade from the sun.  A home for birds and insects.  Beauty-through trees like the maple we witness the circle of life through each passing season.
    Some species of maples produce sap that people make great maple syrup from.  Naturalists, and those who live strictly off the land, tell us that the leaves are edible-they can be cooked, or eaten raw, and they have a slightly sweet maple flavor.  And the little helicopter things (technical name “samaras”) that come off them, well seeds inside them are edible, too.
    So why do dead branches fall off a healthy tree?  All large trees will have some dead branches; it's part of their life cycle.  While it’s true that trees can become unhealthy from disease and fungus, and will die if left untreated, even the healthiest maple tree will naturally shed branches so that it continues to remain healthy.  Many property owners will prune their trees on a regular basis to ensure their health.  Either way, naturally or otherwise, pruning is a necessity for tree health.
    And it probably goes without saying, but a branch has to stay connected to the tree if it is going to stay healthy.  Once it comes off the tree, wind blows it off, something knocks it down, someone cuts it off, and it will soon look like this branch right here.  It will be dead wood, useless for anything other than kindling.
    Jesus talks about dead wood in our Bible passage today.  In the Middle East there aren’t trees like maples and oaks.  So, he used the illustration of the grape vine to make a point about being a disciple.
    In verses 4-6, he said, “Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.  I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you… the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire.”
    Just like a dead branch from a great maple tree cannot provide sap, or shelter, or places for birds to build nests, a dead branch separated from the grape vine cannot produce delicious grapes.  In other words, it cannot fulfill the purpose for which it was created in the first place.
    And guess what?  Just like with the maple tree, the grape vine needs a good pruning now and then, too.  Why?  So it can stay healthy and continue to grow AND continue to produce an abundance of fruit.
    When Jesus says “I am the Vine, you are the branches, make your home in me just as I make my home in you” his point is that to stay spiritually healthy, and produce spiritual fruit, we must stay connected to him.  If we don’t, we become dead wood just like this branch here, useless in the Kingdom of God.  And we cannot fulfill the purpose for which God created us, and that is to bear good spiritual fruit.
    Christ is the Vine, and God the Father is the Farmer who cares for the branches, and the branches are all those who claim to be followers of Jesus.  Jesus makes it clear this analogy that the branches are to remain in the vine for the purpose of bearing fruit.  When believers abide in Christ, and He abides in them, the result of this double abiding is that they bear fruit for His glory. 
    Two things about this fruit:  First, the fruit includes the fruitful character of Christ within us.  The fruit of the Spirit revealing the character of the divine life of Jesus is clearly stated here.  The word love is used nine times (15:9-17).  The word joy is used two times (15:11).  This aligns perfectly with the first two graces listed in the fruit of the Spirit that Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22-23.  “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control.”
    Second, the fruit includes the fruitful ministry of Christ through us.  Jesus said He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister (Matt. 20:28).  When we abide in Christ, He abides in us.  When He abides in us, we are experiencing Jesus. Yet while we experience Jesus, He is ministering to those around us through us, and they get to eat the fruit!  The fruit isn’t meant for just us so we can live the good life.
    Simply said, when we remain in Jesus, and make our home in Him, like he has already done in us, the results will manifest as spiritual fruit in our life, and it will be noticeable to the world around us, and the world will be blessed through us.
    One more thing, and we can’t miss it because it’s a part of Jesus’ analogy here, too, and that’s the pruning.  Verse 2, “He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes.  And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more.”  Living organisms that bear fruit, need pruning: maple trees, grape vines, and yes, as painful as it sounds, Jesus’ followers need pruning, too.
    In verses 2-3, Jesus makes a clear distinction between two kinds of pruning: cutting off and cutting back.  Cutting back: Fruitful branches are cut back to promote growth.  God must sometimes discipline us to strengthen our character and faith.  I think of Abraham in Genesis being asked by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.  Painful? Without a doubt.  But it was a test of faith that strengthened Abraham’s faith when he obeyed and then God provided the ram as the sacrifice instead.
    But there is also the cutting off that Jesus talks about here: Branches that don’t bear fruit are cut off at the trunk, not only because they are worthless, but because they infect the rest of the tree.  People who don’t bear fruit for God, or who try to block the efforts of God’s followers will be cut-off from his life-giving power.
    One thing I want you to take away from today is this: bearing fruit, and then more fruit, requires pruning: Following Jesus was not an invitation to follow him down easy street.  And the pruning tool of the father/Gardener is His Word, it is prayer and listening for His voice in prayer.  Allowing the Word of God to shape us brings forth a life-giving relationship with Jesus.  (Just like a branch that remains on the vine.)
    This is a relationship that promises an abundance of good fruit.  If five times we are told to bear fruit here and eight times we are told to remain in Jesus, how often do we need to be shaped by God’s Word, through the Bible and in prayer?
    I want to wrap this up with a brief discussion about membership versus discipleship.  I say brief because this is really a preview of a more in-depth study of it throughout the weeks to come.
    You see, I believe that somewhere along the way, the modern church became focused on membership and lost track of discipleship.  Many say, “Well, sure I’m a disciple.  I’ve been a member at Bethel (or McKendree, or Pine Grove Presbyterian, or St. Luke’s) for years.”  But here’s the thing: Jesus never said, “Join my church.  Take the membership vows.”  He said, “Follow me,” “walk with me,” “make your home in me.”  And I’m not saying you shouldn’t be a church member; what I am saying is that you can be a church member and never even come close to being a true disciple of Christ.
    And the distinguishing marks of the true disciple are the fruits of the Spirit, which only grow when we remain connected to the Vine that is Jesus Christ.  
We will talk more about the distinction between membership and discipleship in coming weeks, but let me say this much : 
Discipleship is an experience.
It involves more than a mere one-time belief.
It takes more than church attendance.
It is a life commitment.
It has to be practiced for a lifetime.
It calls for following Jesus in daily living, in word and deed.
 Discipleship is what making your home in Christ is really all about.
    One final:  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is the Gateway to salvation.  He told us that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Only through Him do we find forgiveness of sins, only in Him do we find eternal security.  And only through him are we able to live an abundant life in which we produce the fruit that glorifies His name and blesses the world around us.  Only by abiding in Him can we fully live out our purpose in life.  Only by claiming Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and believing that he rose from the dead that first Easter morning can you be a branch on the life-giving Vine that is Him. Let’s pray.
The Lord’s Prayer
All: 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 that 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. Amen.

Benediction            based on John 15:1-8, 1 John 4:7-21
Go now, and love one another.
Proclaim God’s salvation to every generation.
Remain in Jesus Christ,
and like branches of a vine, draw your life from him.

And may God the vine grower make you fruitful;
May Christ Jesus abide in you and give you life;
And may the Holy Spirit cast out all fear and fill you with God’s love.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
. . . In the name of Christ. Amen.

Copyright © 2003 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net. 

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April 03rd, 2021

4/3/2021

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April 4, 2021, Easter Sunday
Resurrection Sunday
 
Greeting                                Acts 118:22-24 (NRSV)  
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”        
 
Opening Prayer           
Creator of Life,
in raising Christ Jesus
up, through, out of, and beyond
the chains of death,
You opened for us the way
to eternal and abundant life.
 
May our Alleluias on this day
float high above the ceiling
of what we think we know
and transcend to the heaven of
what we believe--
and thus live.
 
Raise us up!
Renew our lives!
Resurrect our dreams!
Through Jesus Christ our Living Savior,
Amen.
~ written by Karen Turner, and posted on the Lifeway website.  http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_LW_MaundyThursday.pdf
 
Moment of Silence                    welcoming Christ into our midst/light altar candles
Call to Worship for Easter
Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate
Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen
Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing
Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty
Christ is Risen indeed from the dead,
the first of the sleepers,
Glory and power are his forever and ever.
Amen
Written by Hippolytus (AD 190-236), reposted https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2016/03/easter-call-to-worship.html.
 
Scripture                                   Mark 16:1-8 (NRSV)
 
Morning Message               Terrified & Amazed
Key Point: The first women to witness Jesus’ resurrection responded in fear.  What will our response be when facing this reality?
I want to ask you a question:  When you think about Easter Sunday, what words come to mind?  Celebration, joy, promises fulfilled, security, maybe? 
We think of Easter Sunday as a joy-filled day.  Which is interesting, because if you think about the last words of our Gospel reading today, Mark’s final word is “afraid.”  Verse 8, “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”


Mark’s gospel, according to pretty much everybody, was the first gospel written, and the one that Matthew and Luke used as a main source for their own gospels.   Also, according to pretty much everybody, this first gospel originally ended at verse 8 of the 16th chapter, with verses 9-20 added on by someone else at a later date.  If we accept the conclusion that Mark’s writing ended at verse 8, the last word of the earliest written gospel iss “afraid.”
Not joy, not celebration, not any of the feelings we associate with this day.
According to Mark, these women were terrified, and it’s not that they weren’t expecting to encounter some problems, because they knew they had some overwhelming challenges to face.

​
First, there was the matter of the Roman guards standing watch at the tomb.  Matthew 27:62-66 says that Roman soldiers sealed the tomb. Then, they stood guard for the next three days.  How many Roman soldiers were involved we do not know, but tradition tells us it could have been two to four at a time, possibly in four-hour shifts.  It’s safe to say that getting past any number of Roman guards would have been a daunting, perhaps impossible, task for a few Jewish women.

Second, there was a huge stone blocking the entrance to the tomb.  The entrance to the average Jewish tomb needed a stone approximately 4’-6’ in diameter, and about 1’ thick.  Depending on the type of stone, it could have weighed as much as a ton.
These stones were rolled into channels that sloped downhill.  And while rolling it into place could be done by a couple of strong men, rolling it back up out of that space would have been one more impossible thing the women would have to face.
Still, they went.  But why?
The women had purchased spices on Saturday evening after the Sabbath had ended so they could go to the tomb early the next morning and anoint Jesus body.
There were no funeral homes back then.
When a family member or loved one died, they washed the body themselves, anointed it with spices, dressed it up in a burial shroud and laid the body in a tomb themselves.

And, months later, when nature and decomposition had taken their proverbial course, they returned to the tomb, gathered up the bones into a box and stored them, the way some of us do with ashes in an urn.
They knew, perhaps even more fully than we could ever know, that “dead” means dead, and they had no more of an expectation of any resurrection than we would.

They expected the guards and the stone to be their biggest obstacles.
So, again, why did they go?  Because of love, devotion, and respect for Jesus.  They set out to honor Jesus’ body.  They were urged on by love and gratitude, even though they had so many questions.
But when they got to the place where Jesus had been buried, guards and a big stone ended up being the least of their worries.  Because they were met with an open and empty grave, and greeted by an angel with an incredible message.  “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”


With that stunning news, the women ran in “terror and amazement.”  They didn’t speak a word to anyone, because they were afraid.
Maybe you’re still wondering why?  Why were they not overjoyed at the news that Jesus had risen from the dead?
First, let’s keep in mind that we have the Bible, we have the whole backstory of God’s plan to redeem his people.


Second, close your eyes for a moment an put yourself in their sandals:
You go to the grave of a friend who was buried three days earlier.  You get there to find an open grave, an open casket, and no body.  Then some otherworldly man, dressed in white, taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hey, I know you’re looking for your friend, but he’s not here.  He went ahead of you to Red Lion and said to tell you to gather the whole gang up and meet him there.”
I think we can agree that would be pretty weird, and we would probably run away in terror and amazement.


The bottom line is that they were afraid because no one was expecting a literal, physical, bodily resurrection.  It wasn't even in anyone’s mind.
Yes, they'd heard Jesus say a number of times that he would be handed over to the chief priests and killed, and on the third day rise again.
At least eleven of them were there when he chewed Peter up one side and down the other for saying that such a thing could never happen to Jesus.
But none of them believed it.  They chalked it up as a figure of speech, set it alongside the other incomprehensible things Jesus said and did and followed along, waiting for the revolution that would drive the Romans out.

Yet, these women, despite their initial reaction, are a model for us.   We see in their response not something to frown upon, but a revelation of how people react, when they are first confronted, really confronted, by the Resurrection….…when they see it as something that really, actually did happen.  They were frightened because they didn’t know what to make of it.
But at some point, they got it together and remembered the other part of the angel’s message, “Go, tell his disciples, and Peter, that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 
And they followed Him.  They became true disciples who followed Jesus, many of them even unto death.

They experienced the power of the Resurrection and become disciples who lived out their faith every day, day after day.
Because they saw.  Because they believed in Jesus their Risen Savior.
Eastern Sunday is so important, not just because it’s a day of  celebration, but because the Resurrection itself is vitally important for many reasons:
First, Jesus kept his promise to rise from the dead, so we can believe he will keep all of his other promises, too.
Second, the Resurrection ensures that the ruler of God’s eternal Kingdom will be the LIVING Christ, not just an idea, a hope, or a dream.
Third, Christ’s resurrection gives us the assurance that we will also be resurrected.

Fourth, the power of God that brought Christ’s body back from the dead is available to us to bring our morally and spiritually dead bodies back to life so we can change and grow. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, “So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man.  Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.”
Finally, The Resurrection provides the substance of the Church’s witness to the world; we proclaim the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Until Christ comes again.

Paul writes this is 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, “ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Jesus’ resurrection, his defeat of sin and death on the cross, allows each of us to be reconciled with our Creator God, if we call on his name and ask him to be Lord of our lives.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He empowers us to live transformed lives.  However, if we, too, are not a little bit afraid as we face the reality of Jesus’ resurrection, then perhaps we are missing something very important.
“He is not here,” said the young man dressed in white. Tell the disciples, tell Peter, “He is going ahead of you ...”
 “... going ahead of you” applies to us, too.   Jesus has gone on ahead of us, we don’t know exactly where, but our faith tells us we need to follow him there.  Going ahead of you could be our marching orders.
Jesus is, even now, going on ahead of us.  We can follow him to where he is going.
Tradition tells us he’s coming again, but still, we can’t just sit here and wait, and we can’t even expect him to wait for us.
The work of the Kingdom will go on with or without you.  This is a decision each of you have to make for yourselves: to join in this life-giving work, or to walk away from it.  We have to look for where he is — somewhere, ahead of us! — and figure out where he’s going and follow him. 
If the Resurrection is true, then everything Jesus said is true and he really does have a claim on your life.
Loving your enemies, living sacrificially, and becoming “fishers of men”-all true too.
There really is a heaven after we die — and with it, final judgement and accountability.
If Jesus rose from the grave on the third day, then everything he said is true, and that means that being a Christian, being a church, is about far more than coming to church, or taking care of those who are already here.  You are either about the building, or you are about building God’s Kingdom.  You are either a disciple of Jesus who makes disciples, or you are a church-goer. 
Friends, the church’s mission-to send the Gospel to all the world, is filled with overwhelming obstacles.
Any of them appear devastating.  Against human stubbornness, disease, danger, terrorism, loneliness, sin, greed, and even church strife and corruption, what can a few disciples hope to accomplish.
But like the women at Jesus’ tomb, we go out in love and gratitude for Jesus, and we leave the big obstacles to God.
We won’t win every battle we face.  But praise, God, we are not called to win.  We are called to be faithful.  Amen.
 
Prayers of the People for Easter Sunday       
Let’s offer our prayers and thanksgivings with one voice,
calling out the good news --
The tomb stands empty!
We look for our Savior among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive, and in our midst, today.
Gracious God, we pray for all faithful people --
for every human soul that turns to God in longing and in love.
Today and every day, pull us out of our graves and into your life.
The tomb stands empty.
We look for our Redeemer among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and among us today.
We pray for the nations of the earth --
for those in authority, and for those under authority.
Come from the four winds, O Breath of Life,
and we shall live together in peace.
The tomb stands empty.
We look for our Mediator among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and within us today.
We pray for this world, our garden home --
for the rain and the snow, the seed and the sprout --
for the birthing room and the last place of rest --
for every new creation.
The tomb stands empty.
We look for our Gardener among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and beside us today.
We pray for those who are sick or suffering --
for anyone who needs extra help just now.
We pray especially for those named here today,
aloud and in our hearts . . .
(pause for names to be said or remembered)
Living Lord, renew them in Your love.
The tomb stands empty.
We look for our Sustainer among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and with us today.
We pray for those who have died, and for all who mourn.
We pray especially for those named here today,
aloud and in our hearts . . . (pause for names) . . .
Eternal One, bring them home and gather them in.
The tomb stands empty.
We look for our Beloved among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and in the midst of us today.
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,
aloud and in our hearts . . . (pause for thanksgivings) . . .
We are amazed at what has happened.
The tomb stands empty!
We look for our Creator among the living.
Jesus Christ is alive and, in our hearts, today.
Holy One, even before we call, you answer;
while we are yet speaking, you hear.
We offer up these prayers in the name of the Risen Christ --
our Savior, Redeemer, and Friend.
Amen.
Written by Margaret D. McGee, and posted on In the Courtyard. www.inthecourtyard.com, reposted https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/prayer-for-others-easter.html.
                            
 
The Lord’s Prayer
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 that 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. Amen.
 Easter Benediction
May the loving power of God,
which raised Jesus to new life,
strengthen you in hope,
enrich you with his love,
and fill you with joy in the faith.
Posted on the Third Space website. http://third-space.org.uk/blog, reposted: https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/easter-benediction.html.
 
 

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