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 Home: Worship: Samuel: May 8 
Liturgical color: White
Acts 1:6-14 with Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 AND Sermon Seeds Focus Scripture:
Weekly Theme:
Focus Statement:
Questions:
Jesus responds by re-directing their expectations and expanding their horizons: he promises the Holy Spirit, and a ministry to the whole world. Today, we hear many evangelists focus their preaching on end-times, not on the work that the Spirit empowers us to do, here on earth. But “the ends of the earth, not the end of the world, is the theme of this book” (Michael E. Williams, The Storyteller’s Companion to the Bible, Volume 12). It’s not enough to think in terms of our own interests and hopes, the interests and hopes of our own people, no, now Jesus opens up their hearts and minds to the Spirit that will come upon them and give them power they have never known before so that they can carry this good news to every corner of the earth, to every one of God’s precious children. As in the Easter account, two men in white ask them why they are just standing there, when there is so much to be done. Transformation is in store, and it is not without a purpose, for the world lies in waiting for this good news. The earliest disciples, standing there on Mount Olivet, still trying to make sense of everything that was happening to them, share with the community of First Peter – and with us, today – the experience of questioning and of needing to trust. The First Peter community was experiencing persecution of some kind, suffering in any case, and they are exhorted to trust God and to endure and to persist, knowing themselves as blessed. Fear seizes us all at one time or another, yet the writer tells us to "Cast all your anxiety on God, because God cares for you." Henri Nouwen, in Making All Things New, writes about the difference between our “occupations” and our “preoccupations”: "More enslaving than our occupations, however, are our preoccupations. To be pre-occupied means to fill our time and place long before we are there … Much, if not most, of our suffering is connected with these preoccupations…Since we are always preparing for eventualities, we seldom fully trust the moment." Whether you are questioning or whether you are experiencing persecution and suffering, how do you trust the moment and trust God’s love and care? What are the hard-to-make-sense-of experiences that your church has had, that prompted questioning and even doubt? What suffering is the story of your congregation, or what suffering have you experienced because of your beliefs? What are the concrete expectations of the people of your church, for today, and for the years ahead? What sense have you made of the mysterious ways that God is still speaking, and still working, in your midst? Lectionary texts Acts 1:6-14 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. and Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 Refrain:
Let God rise up, let God's enemies
As smoke is driven away,
But let the righteous be joyful;
Sing to God, sing praises
Father-Mother of orphans and
God gives the desolate a home to
O God, when you went out before
Rain in abundance, O God, you
your flock found a dwelling in it;
Sing to God, O nations of the earth;
O rider in the heavens,
Ascribe power to God, whose
Awesome is God in God's sanctuary;
and 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. and John 17:1-11 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. Sunday bulletin back page Seventh Sunday of Easter
"LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GAY AND STRAIGHT" On Mother’s Day twenty years ago, Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Jr., senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City, faced a divided collegium and congregation when he spoke from the pulpit. Although his topic was love, the sermon was anything but sentimental. Acknowledging the “hurt and anger” in his audience, Coffin went straight to the contested issue: the inclusion and affirmation of gay and lesbian persons at Riverside. "What are we going to do?” he asked. “We are going to behave as those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ," he continued. "If we obey the simplest, most fundamental, and difficult injunction of Scripture, we will love one another, gay and straight." Issues of gender and sexual orientation had not figured prominently in the church’s long history of social activism. Riverside was linked with civil rights, opposition to the war in Vietnam, and nuclear disarmament. But, like a handful of other congregations in the United Church of Christ in the mid-1980s, the members embarked upon the process of education, dialogue and prayer involved in choosing whether to be "Open and Affirming." And, as in those other congregations, that process exposed significant differences–not only among the laity but even within the clergy. But Bill Coffin was not going to back down–even on Mother’s Day. "What is at stake," he declared, "is nothing less than the Gospel" Still, he added, "If we are of one heart, we can ... be of two minds." If his sermon had made clear Bill Coffin’s stand on the issue, it had also summoned the congregation to continued open dialogue. As the date for the special congregational meeting approached, representatives of the opposing sides finally agreed upon wording they would submit to a vote. The key sentence stated, "Because Lesbian/Gay persons are often scorned by society and alienated from the church, we wish to reaffirm that Lesbian/Gay persons are embraced within the membership of The Riverside Church upon making the same affirmation of faith that all other persons make; and that as members of the Body of Christ and The Riverside Chruch, Lesbian/Gay people are expected and encouraged to share in the liturgy, general life, employment and leadership of our congregation." When the votes were counted, the "Statement of Openness, Inclusion, and Affirmation of Gay/Lesbian Persons" was adopted by a four-to-one margin, and Riverside became the first UCC church to adopt such a position. Today there are over 500 Open and Affirming congregations in the United Church of Christ. Liturgical notes on the Readings In ecumenical liturgical practice, there are normally three readings and one psalm at each Sunday service, in this order:
First Reading: Hebrew Scripture The first two lessons are normally read by laypeople, the Gospel by a Minister of the Word or a layperson. In Roman Catholic, Anglican and liturgical Protestant churches, it is uncommon for an ordained minister to read all of the lessons. The psalm is not a reading but a congregational response following the lesson from Hebrew Scripture: it is normally sung with a refrain or recited by the congregation as poetry. Occasionally, a canticle is appointed in place of a psalm; it is sung or recited in the same way. The New Century Hymnal provides a complete liturgical psalter with refrains and music. A hymn may be sung as an introduction to the proclamation of the Gospel. During Ordinary Time (seasons after Epiphany and Pentecost) two alternative sets of OT readings with responsorial psalms are provided. The first option is a semi-continuous reading through a book of Hebrew Scripture; the second is thematically related to the other readings.
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The Revised Common Lectionary is © Consultation on Common Texts. Texts are from the New Revised Standard Version of Holy Scripture, © 1989 by The Division of Christian Education, National Council of Churches. The psalm antiphon is from The New Century Hymnal, © 1995, The Pilgrim Press. Used with permission. Music for the psalm and antiphon are available in The New Century Hymnal, plus a complete index of hymns appropriate for each Sunday's lectionary readings. To purchase the Hymnal, call 1-800-325-7061. |
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