May 1, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering *Call to Worship God has been our strength and protection. God has answered us and has become our salvation. Praise God with drum and dance! Praise God with strings and pipe! Let us praise God, for God is good! God’s faithful love endures forever! Gathering Song Standing on the Promises Fountainview Academy https://youtu.be/5DgpDt4f7vI Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Opening Prayer Alpha and Omega, you who call us to repentance, you who love us and save us from our sins – give us the faith of our ancestors who endured trials for the sake of your kingdom. Breathe your Spirit on us so that we can live out our calling to share your good news with the whole world. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Acts 2:27-32 (NIV) Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead – whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” Sermon Letters From Jail Do you remember April of 1963? I don’t, because I was only two years old. But perhaps some of you do. In April of 1963, people watched the debut of the TV soap opera “General Hospital.” In April of 1963 the first album by the Beatles was released. And in April of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., issued his letter from the Birmingham jail, where he was being held after having been arrested for his participation in a nonviolent protest being conducted by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. Birmingham was notorious for its segregation and racial hatred. In January of 1963, Governor George Wallace had declared, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” In response to all that had been going on, activists launched Project C (for confrontation). After King was arrested in April, activists began recruiting young people to march. By the end of the first day of recruiting, seven hundred of the volunteers were under arrest. On May 3, about a thousand young people showed up in a peaceful protest, and the Commissioner of Public Safety turned high pressure hoses and police dogs on them. After five days, there were 2,500 people in jail, two thousand of them young people. King wrote his letter from the Birmingham jail in the middle of all this unrest. He had to write it on the margins of a newspaper, because that was the only paper he had access to. It was carried by his lawyer back to the offices of the Christian Movement for Human Rights. In part, the letter was a response to a statement written by eight white Alabama clergy which called King’s efforts “unwise and untimely.” They agreed that racial segregation was a problem, but thought that it should be handled in the courts and not out on the streets. The eight clergymen said that King was an outsider who had come in causing trouble in Birmingham. To that charge, King replied, “I am in Birmingham because injustice is here … Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere … Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. [Therefore] anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.” A second complaint that the white clergymen made was that there were demonstrations going on in Birmingham. King responded that the demonstrations were un-fortunate, but “it is even more unfortunate that the city’s white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.” Finally, the clergymen questioned the timing of the protests and counseled King to be patient and wait for change. King replied that for blacks in the Unites States, “wait” almost always meant “never.” They had already been waiting for 340 years for their “constitutional and God-given rights.” In his letter from jail, King made reference to people throughout history who had made a stand for what was right, regardless of the cost. He mentioned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who refused to follow the laws of King Nebuchadnezzar. He spoke of Socrates practicing civil disobedience in ancient Greece. He mentioned the American patriots who participated in the Boston Tea Party. And, of course, he men-tioned the early Christians who faced persecution for their faith. The story in Acts 5 tells of two of those early Christians who faced persecution, who chose civil disobedience, and who ended up in prison for their efforts. Peter and John had been going to the Temple daily, healing many people and teaching about Jesus, and they were attracting quite a crowd. The high priest and the Sadducees be-came jealous and had the two apostles arrested. But during the night, an angel came and opened the prison doors and set them free. Then the angel told them to go again to the Temple and preach the good news. And so they went back the very next morning and continued their work. When the Sanhedrin, or Jewish Council, gathered to consider the case of Peter and John, and sent for them to be brought up from the jail, they discovered that the two men were not there. Someone told them that the apostles were back in the Temple teaching the people. So the Temple police were sent to bring them to stand before the Sanhedrin. The high priest questioned them and reminded them that they had been told not to teach any more in the name of Jesus. Now, you might think that Peter and John would be intimidated, standing before the very men who had condemned Jesus to death only a short time before. You might think that they would plead for mercy, or promise not to disobey the Sanhedrin again. But instead, they replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” The members of the Sanhedrin were enraged by this response, and wanted to put Peter and John to death. But a man named Gamaliel, who had opposed the condemnation of Je-sus, cautioned the Sanhedrin to wait. He said that if their effort was not of God, it would fail on its own; but if their effort was of God, then it could never be stopped. The Sanhe-drin agreed to take his advice. But they had the apostles flogged and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus again and let them go. And with that threat echoing in their ears, the apostles returned to the Temple and did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus Christ as Messiah. They practiced civil disobedience for a cause that they be-lieved was right and of God. They were willing to risk arrest, and even death, for the sake of obedience to God. People today have shown that they are willing to get involved in issues that re-quire civil disobedience. They march in rallies or participate in demonstrations or join a movement. These actions might not always be popular, or enjoy quick or easy success. Those who participate encounter resistance, persecution, or even arrest. But they take a stand and act on it as they feel led to do because there are some things more impor-tant than personal reputation or safety. Frederick Douglass, in 1857, said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.” I never thought of myself as someone who would break the law. Aside from speeding on occasion, I think I have been a law-abiding citizen. And I have attempted to live in obedience to church law, as well. But back in 2012, I took a stand on an issue in a way that could actually get me in trouble with the denomination. I signed a pledge – which has also been signed by hundreds of other clergy in New England and other states – that if a same-sex couple comes to me and wants to get married, and I believe after counseling with them that they are ready for marriage, then I will perform the cere-mony. That is in direct conflict with our denomination’s policy stated in the Book of Dis-cipline that no United Methodist clergy person shall perform a same-sex union. The pledge also means that all the clergy on that list will support each other should charges ever be made against one of us. Clergy members of other conferences have had to surrender their credentials after undergoing church trials because of their ecclesiastical disobedience to this provision in our church law. They have literally lost their jobs and their ordination status. To date, no one has asked me to do a same-sex marriage. But I am committed to following through on my promise. I believe that it is the right thing to do. I would have agreed to do the same thing even if I lived in a state where same-sex marriage was not legal at that time. I believe that it is not only a basic civil right that is being de-nied to many couples across our country, but that it is a religious rite that is being de-nied to many couples in our churches. Christians for whom church has an important place in their lives want to get married in their churches, or at least by their pastors. And pastors are being put in the untenable position of being told they must deny this aspect of pastoral care to certain members of their congregations and communities. I thank God that this has been changed by law in our nation, and I hope and pray that it will be changed by General Conference action in our denomination. But until it does, I find myself practicing ecclesiastical civil disobedience. If there is a cause that you believe you have been called to support, even if it is not popular or safe to do so, I hope that you will have the courage of your convictions to take a stand. I know that I have felt better about myself ever since I signed that pledge, because I feel that I am doing something that might make a difference in the long run. And I can live with myself if I follow my convictions on this, rather than obey a church policy that I so adamantly believe is opposed to the will of God. I know that you will also feel better if you are living a life of integrity where your convictions are concerned. Fol-lowing the example of the apostles, and of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., millions of people in our country have shown that they were willing to take a stand for something that mattered, and keep standing until it was changed. I hope that I might have their courage and commitment as I stand for what matters to me. Song I Sing a Song of the Saints of God Emmanuel Episcopal Church Southern Pines, NC https://youtu.be/iJxwfA1TZwU Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer For those who are behind closed doors, trembling with fear, hiding from unjust authorities or invading armies, we pray today. Ruler of the earth, hear our prayer. We pray for those who doubt because all they see is despair and devastation. We pray for those who face trials for speaking truth to power. We pray for those who have been so hurt that they cannot forgive and be healed. We pray for those who suffer from illness or injury, from wounds of body, mind, or spirit. We pray for those who mourn the loss of a loved one, whose grief seems too great to bear. We pray for those who feel that they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, but don’t know how to lay it down at your throne. We pray and we ask that you hear our prayers as we wait for your Holy Spirit to fill our hearts. (David Gambrell, adapted) We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, as we pray together the prayer that he taught his disciples: 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 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. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication With lute and lyre, with clashing cymbals and joyful songs, we bring our gifts and our lives to the one who is and was and is to come. Amen. Song We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations First Methodist, Houston, TX https://youtu.be/DL54_OP1ldk Benediction Go and obey Christ rather than any human authority. Go and serve the One who made us to be a kingdom of peace. Go out and declare what God has done for us! Amen.
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April 24, 2022
Festival of God’s Creation Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering *Call to Worship We walk in wonder beneath the sun and stars. Creation is God’s masterpiece and we are blessed to share it. We give thanks for the air, the land, and the water, and for all the creatures joined together in the web of life. Beauty is before us, around us, over us and beneath us. We join our hearts, minds, and spirits as one in thanks and awe. Gathering Song This is My Father’s World Amy Grant https://youtu.be/C9g-uidS6wE Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Opening Prayer Maker of all things wise and wonderful – elephants and egrets, pineapples and pelicans, striding camels, waddling ducks and hedgehogs that curl into prickly balls – You fill our world with miracles and mysteries and humor. Fill us now with the wonder and delight that are our ongoing worship. God, oh God, may our delight be the acceptable worship in which you can delight. Amen. (Beverly Osborn) Hearing the Word Scripture Psalm 104 (NIV) Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes the winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the coneys. The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening. How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number – living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works – he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord. Sermon God Rejoices in His Works One of the most amazing things to watch is parents with their newborn babies. The look in their eyes is unlike anything you’ll see anywhere else. It is a look of wonder, a realization of the miracle that they’ve been a part of, the miracle of creating life. It is a look of love. One father commented that he never really understood love at first sight until he first laid eyes on his new daughter. It is a look of hope, full of wonderful dreams and plans for that child. And it is a look of fear, as the new parents begin to recognize the enormous task ahead of them. Mostly, it is a look of pure joy. It must be something like that, what you might see in God’s eyes as he looks at the world he has created. This God who creates out of nothing, whose vastness we can never understand, whose love is unlike that of any other, whose will is always for our good. His heart is also full of love and hope and fear, because he knows better than any earthly parent would what lies ahead for each new life. But God’s heart is also surely full of joy, joy over his creation, joy over life. Psalm 104 describes some of the wonders of the created world and makes the statement that God rejoices over all of it: springs, mountains, animals, birds, fish, grass and plant life. God provides for the beasts of the field, the creatures of the sea, and all of humankind. God made the moon to mark the seasons, and a sun that knows when to rise and when to set. God made time for both light and darkness, and time for men and women to work. God wraps himself in light. He makes the clouds his chariots and he rides on the wings of the wind. And, can you imagine, God even created one sea creature for the sole purpose of playing! God made the leviathan to frolic in the ocean. We sometimes take the world around us for granted, which must cause a sense of sadness in God’s heart. After all, he took such joy in creating it, and after each stage of creation, according to Genesis, God declared it to be good. When you pay attention to the world around you, you begin to share the joy of God over all creation. The smell of the lake and the sound of the water as it ripples up to the shore. The flowers whose bright colors catch our eye. The warmth of the sun as it shines on our backs, the songs of the birds in the trees, the smell of the bark mulch that you spread around your shrubbery, the sound of the wind in the trees. Of course, it can be a little hard to appreciate some of God’s creatures. For ex-ample, horse flies, mosquitoes, and fire ants. There is a story about a church camp for children, where the counselors were leading a discussion about the purpose God had for everything that he had created. The children began to think of good reasons for the clouds, the trees, the rocks, rivers, animals, and just about everything they could see around them. Then one child asked, “If God has a good purpose for everything, why did he create poison ivy?” That one had the counselors stumped. But another child gave a great answer. “God made poison ivy to teach us that there are some things we should keep our hands off of!” Great answer! There are many scientists who are not reluctant to discuss the fact that the universe had to have been created by something greater than random chance. Even Carl Sagan, the famous astronomer and author, has recognized the complexity of the design of creation, in spite of his own profession to having no belief in God or the Bible. In his book, The Dragons of Eden, he described the complexity of just one chromosome: A single human chromosome contains twenty billion bits of information. How much infor-mation is twenty billion bits? What would be its equivalent, if it were written down in an ordinary printed book in modern human language? Twenty billion bits are the equivalent of about three billion letters. If there are approximately six letters in an average word, the information content of a human chromosome corresponds to about five hundred million words. If there are about three hundred words on an ordinary page of printed type, this corresponds to about two million pages. If a typical book contains five hundred such pages, the information content of a single human chromosome corresponds to four thousand volumes. It is clear, then, that the chromosome contains an enormous library of information. It is equally clear that so rich a library is required to specify as exquisitely constructed and intricately functioning object as a human being. There is a story about a science professor who constructed a planetarium, a precisely scaled model of the known universe. A student came into his office and asked him who made it. The professor said, “No one.” The student laughed and asked again, “Come on, who made this piece of work?” The profession responded again, “No one. It just happened.” The student was getting confused and a little angry, and the professor finally said, “Well, if you can go out of this classroom and look at nature around you and believe it just happened, then you can also believe this precise piece of work just happened.” David Ben-Gurion, a former prime minister of Israel, once commented, “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles isn’t a realist.” Look around you this afternoon and ask yourself how many miracles it takes for this life to work. The miracle of photosynthesis produces oxygen, the miracle of a human nose and lungs convert that oxygen to pro-vide for the body, which the vascular system pumps through miles of intricate plumbing, if you will, and back again, disposing of the waste products as you exhale. The miracle of sunshine, from a sun just exactly at its precise location from the earth, allows for things to grow, including food, which is miraculously processed into nourishment by means of our gastro-intestinal system, which also provides for waste removal. The miracle of rain provides water for the grass in our yards and the crops in the fields. The miracle of sound allows us to communicate with each other, by means of vocal chords and a diaphragm. The miracle of hearing allows us to hear one another speak, laugh, cry, or pray. The miracle of electricity keeps our homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The list goes on and on. Take time today to notice the miracles. And take time to rejoice over the wonderful works of God the Creator. Think about hummingbirds and jellyfish, dandelions and orchids, cotton and corn, sea horses and pack mules, pine trees and azaleas, oaks and dogwoods. Think about the way the sound of the water relaxes your mind. Take a minute to look at the clouds the way you did when you were a child, and notice what kinds of shapes you find. Look up at the sky tonight and try to count the stars and pick out the constellations. Look into a friend’s eyes and think about how many good times you’ve had together. Hold your children or grandchildren and think about the miracle of life. Laugh. Sigh with contentment. Walk through the grass. Pet your dog or cat. Look at photographs and remember fun times. Rejoice! God does. Leslie Brandt has written a wonderful paraphrase of Psalm 104 which is a fitting way to close this sermon: O Lord, how great and all-powerful you are! And how beautiful is the world you created for our habitation! Even before man was brought forth from the dust, you prepared for him a place in which to live and grow. And everything man saw about him reflected the beauty and power of the living God. There was clean air. Pure water from snowcapped mountains flowed through green valleys and gather-ed together to become great lakes. The skies shone with a million lights. The land brought forth flowers and fruits to delight the eye and the palate of God’s creatures. And every part of the land and the waters that covered the land and the skies that looked down upon the land were filled with uncountable forms of life; the world was vi-brant and alive. Your power and your beauty were spread throughout the universe, but it was only upon the heart of man that you imprinted your image. And this creature, in his short stay upon this world, was destined to be your child and co-worker in the ever-continuing process of creation. Your creative activity has never ceased. It continues in and through the life of creature human. Limited and fallible as human is, his mind and his hands are assigned to corral your life-giving energies and to direct them in control- ling and replenishing the earth that life might be given and sustained throughout the world. O Lord, how great and all-powerful you are! And how beautiful is the world you created for our habitation! Song All Things Bright and Beautiful John Rutter https://youtu.be/n9cPMSTFObI Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God, who created the great giraffes that glide through the jungles and the little slugs that slither among the flowers in our gardens, we praise you for the glories of your creation: for children and laughter, for songs and clouds, for mountains and seas, for birds and cats, for storms and sunshine and honeysuckle blossoms. O God, who gives us joy in the morning and rest at night, and teaches us to see the world with contentment of spirit, we exalt your name for the love you have shown us; for the gift of your Son Jesus and his ministry, death and resurrection; for our new life in your kingdom; for existence in this world and hope in the next one. We remember today our friends who are in the hospital, and those who are ill or who are confined at home. Let your healing spirit be upon them to mend their bodies and lift their hearts and give them peace. Minister to the hurts and needs of the members of our congregation. Give courage to the weak and hope to the despondent. Comfort the hearts of the lonely. We pray for peace in the world wherever there is conflict or oppression, and especially in the nation of Ukraine, where war is going on. (John Killinger, adapted) We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, as we pray together the prayer that he taught his disciples: 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 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. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication You have given us an unbelievable world, O God, of lakes and rivers and flowers and trees and laughing birds and wide-eyed children. Now we bring our gifts and ask for hearts of sensitivity and gratitude in order that we may properly celebrate it and revel in your love. Through Jesus Christ. Amen. (John Killinger) Song Look at the World John Rutter https://youtu.be/6Gpdc5Mjjq8 Benediction Now may God, who has made the world and filled it with beauty, give you eyes to see the mysteries and miracles around you and make your hearts rejoice this day and evermore. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Benediction Now may God, who has made the world and filled it with beauty, give you eyes to see the mysteries and miracles around you and make your hearts rejoice this day and evermore. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. April 17, 2022
Easter Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering *Call to Worship Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Gathering Song Christ the Lord is Risen Today The Tabernacle Choir https://youtu.be/cErtpg5hBSw Opening Prayer Lord Jesus, this past week has been one of mixed emotions; of faith struggling to understand. We have greeted you with palm branches; we have sat at table with you to share a farewell meal. We have witnessed your death on a simple wooden cross. Yet on this third day, you come to us again alive in victory. By this, we know that death is not the final word. As the sun boldly rises to meet a new day, rise in our lives this Easter morning, for you are our hope, our life, and our joy. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 24:1-8 (NIV) On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words. Sermon Looking for Jesus in All the Wrong Places We all know what it feels like to go back to the cemetery for the first time. Some-how that first visit is always the hardest visit. Because it makes death real in a tangible way. The one you love is really gone, and they are not coming back. Shannon Michael Pater, Senior Minister at Central Congregational United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Georgia, relates his own experience of losing someone important to him when he was just a boy: I always refer to her as “the one who loved me the most, and I knew it.” My great-grandmother loved me in my formative years in ways that continue to inform how I understand myself. She would hold me close to her heart and sing “Jesus Loves Me” in her rocking chair; but it was the way she cherished me and treated others that instruct-ed me in the truth of the lullaby. “Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so”; but my great-grandmother showed me so. Like many of the women of her generation, she set an extravagant, welcoming table. Sunday dinner was where you went to be reminded who you are; at that table you knew that everything was going to work out, even if you could not currently see how. It was at that table that I acquired my theology of the Table; the seminary class-room paled in comparison. The presence of God was easy to see in the buttered biscuits, fried chicken, and lumpy mashed potatoes; the fellowship nourished the soul. My great-grandmother died days before my twelfth birthday and just months before dark shadows came to my family. At the time I needed her most, she was gone and the Sunday dinner table was cleared and not reset. My great-grandmother, who had been born Christmas morning, was buried on Valentine’s Day. My heart was sealed in the sarcophagus with her body; the light seemed so dim that I thought it had been extinguished. I was lost in the dark. That must have been what it felt like for the women who came to Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter morning. They were lost in the dark without him. They came to do the very last thing for him that they would ever be able to do: anoint his body with spices and wrap it in clean linens and lay it on the shelf in the tomb. But when the women got there, they were stunned to see that the stone that had been covering the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away. And when they dared to go in and look, they saw that Jesus’ body was missing. They couldn’t imagine what might have happened to it, and they just stood there, not sure of what to do. Suddenly, two angels appeared to them. The women were so terrified that they fell down with their faces to the ground. And who could blame them? It was probably a very frightening thing to see an angel right there in front of you. The first thing the angels said to the women was, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” What? What did they say? The women must have been so confused. The reason they came to look for Jesus in the tomb was because they knew he was dead; they had seen him die. They had watched as Nicodemus and Joseph laid his body in that tomb. There was no doubt about it in their minds; Jesus was dead. Where else would they come to look for him? But the angels also said, “He is not here; he has risen!” Jesus wasn’t dead. He was alive! He had left the tomb on his own; no one had taken his body away. He was nowhere to be found in that cemetery. The women should be looking for him some-where, anywhere else. Because Jesus had been raised from the dead and was alive! I absolutely cannot imagine what I would have been feeling or thinking if I had gone back to my mother’s grave for the first time and found that it had been dug up and her body was missing. I can’t even begin to picture two angels meeting me there, telling me that she wasn’t dead, but alive. I don’t know how I would feel if they said to me, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” But I understand what it means after the fact. I do visit my mother’s grave whenever I travel south and have the oppor-tunity; it is one of the top priorities on my list. I go there to remember, to cry, to smile, and to leave flowers. I know that my mother isn’t really there among the dead. She is not to be found at Cool Springs Cemetery in Forest City, North Carolina. She has risen. She is alive. She is in heaven. And she is with me, in spirit. We are sometimes guilty of looking for the living among the dead in other ways, too. Nancy Claire Pittman, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Ministry at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, writes, “We want to tend the corpses of long dead ideas and ideals. We cling to former visions of ourselves and our churches as if they might come back to life as long as we hold on to them. We grasp our loved ones too tightly, refusing to allow them to change, to become bigger, or smarter, or stronger. We choose to stay with what we know in our hearts to be dead, because it is safe, malleable, and so susceptible to burnishing through private memory. The words of the [angels] are a challenge to stop hanging on to the dead and to move into new life. They are reminders that the Holy One dwells wherever new life bursts forth.” I have been thinking a lot about this idea of looking for the living among the dead as I consider the situation of our church. This church has a wonderful history. There were many good years in the past. I have heard about high attendance, large numbers of children and youth, plays and pageants that were put on, parties and fellowship times, dinners and fundraisers. And those were wonderful occasions and years in the life of the church. But they are only memories. Those things are all in the past. And the past will never happen again. It is, in some ways, dead. And new life is not going to be found there, however much we might wish it to be. You can’t go back and make the church like that again. Don’t look for the living among the dead. Instead, remember that new life is to be found in and with Jesus, who is risen from the dead. And new life is possible for our church, and it can happen well before the church is actually dead. New life can happen here, but not if we are looking backwards. New life is ahead of us, so we have to look forwards. I remember reading one time that there is a good reason why windshields are so much bigger than rearview mirrors. It’s because we are moving forward, not backward, and we need to see where we are going, not where we have been. In order for new life to come about, some things will have to change. And change is a scary word, a scary place to be. But we have to step out in faith and make it work. For months, the chairperson of my church council in Warwick had a saying at the top of the agenda for our committee meetings. It said, “If nothing changes, nothing changes.” If nothing changes, then the church will see the same results of its actions (or inactions). But if nothing changes, the church is going to continue to decline in membership and in funding for ministry. And sooner or later, that will mean the death of the congregation. I know that nobody wants to see that. So the answer? Be willing to change. Be willing to look for life in new places. Remember that the living cannot be found among the dead. And claim the promise of Easter of hope and resurrection. Shannon Pater eventually found solace in his grief. He wrote: For many years, Christmas morning and Valentine’s Day were a source of bitter memories for me; the death of my great-grandmother was devastating to [me]. I never saw men in dazzling white, but I did have to come out of the tomb. I had to stop looking for the living among the dead and seek her among the resurrected; it required sacred memory. I had to remember what she taught me on her lap and at the table; I internalized her voice and now incarnate her love. The tale took a long time to tell, but finally, in my own time, I was able to whisper “alleluia.” The long journey of Easter starts at an empty tomb; you have to unpack your own wonder and amazement. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And I believe in the resurrection of my mother. I also believe in the resurrection of dying churches? Do you? Then let’s stop looking for the living among the dead; let’s move forward. When we do, we will be amazed at the new life Jesus will create there. Song He Lives First Methodist, Houston https://youtu.be/MLKGO5FzDsY Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God of love and life, Even as we are witnesses to Mary’s joy, we also hold space for her grief – joy at the power of love to defeat death, sorrow at relationships altered. As Mary shared good news with Peter and as Jesus comforted Mary, so we rejoice and weep together as we lift up our joys and our pains, our hopes and our disappointments. We pray for the laws and lawmakers, governance and governors that order our days and structure our lives. We pray for the institutions and teachers that steward the knowledge that shapes our imaginations. We pray for the caretakers and care receivers whose compassion keeps us human. We pray for those in our midst for whom joy and grief are present realities. God of resurrection, we know that even as new life is at hand and love overcomes death, we continue to grapple with death-dealing systems, fractured communities, and the broken realities they create. Help us to hold space for those things and people that must be carefully tended. Give us the strength and courage to remove stones from tombs that have too long housed the living. All this we pray in the name of the risen one, Jesus Christ our Savior, as we pray together the prayer he taught his disciples: (David Gambrell) 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 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. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication God of abundance, we offer these gifts to you in thanks-giving and joy for the presence of the living Christ. May these gifts bring new life to those both near and far. And may we offer ourselves in service to you and to one another. Amen. Song He Arose Hymncharts.com https://youtu.be/vVs5QQA_gT8 Benediction As you leave this time of worship, do so with resurrection hope – that the God who loves the world enough to come back again, comes back for you. Go forth as agents of God’s steadfast and never-ending love, being bearers of good news and great imagination. Thanks be to God. Amen. April 10, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song The Palms Crystal Cathedral Choir https://youtu.be/Etrgxd6fSvc Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Maundy Thursday Service at Lake Sunapee UMC Friday, 12:00 PM Cross Walk in Newport 3:00 PM Good Friday Service at First UMC, Claremont 7:00 PM Good Friday Service at Grantham UMC Sunday, 8:30 AM Easter Worship Opening Prayer Courageous God, whose works find proclamation from the heavens to the stones, may we be compelled such as these to speak up and cry out, exalting the name that is above every name, with bended knee and confessing tongue, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture Luke 19:28-40 (NIV) After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Sermon You Can’t Silence the Truth I was in the past parish I served in South Carolina, a small town called Timmonsville, about 10 miles from Florence. I pastored two small congregations, the Timmonsville United Methodist Church, in the town, and the East Timmonsville United Methodist Church, a little ways out in the country. Some of my church members in East Timmonsville kept talking about a wonderful Bible study group that they were attending that was taught by the sister of one of them. She was not a Methodist, but belonged to some kind of independent Pentecostal church. But they all thought she was very knowledgeable about the Bible and they were getting a lot out of the Bible studies, and they kept asking me to come and attend the group. Finally, I decided that I should at least go and check it out and see what my church members were being exposed to in this Bible study. As it turned out, they were just beginning a new study on the book of Genesis. The group met in this woman’s home, and everyone was very welcoming. There were about 12 people there, some from my church and others from this woman’s church. She began to teach about the creation of the earth, and as she spoke I began to realize that she was describing the world as being flat, with a dome over it. She talked about how the sun rotated around the earth, giving the appearance of rising and setting. Finally, I just couldn’t be silent any longer. I raised my hand and said, “You are describing the earth as if it were flat.” She said, “Yes, that’s the way that God created it.” “But the earth is not flat,” I responded. Her answer was, “If it’s round now, then God must have changed it since creation, because the Bible says that he created it flat.” This woman found it easier to believe that the earth changed shape (by God’s hand) than to believe that the Bible might not be literally, word-for-word true on matters of science. There are people who believe that the world is flat, even in 2022. And many of them are conservative religious groups. They believe in the Flat Earth theory. I read a lot about this collection of people in a book called Off the Edge: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything, by Kelly Weill, which was just published this year. Weill says that Flat Earth theory “represents a profound misunderstanding of the world,” and yet it has skyrocketed in popularity since 2015. By at least the 5th century BCE Greek astronomers and mathematicians had already determined that the earth is round. Flat Earth theory did not emerge until the mid-1800s in a utopian commune in England. It arose in some hard-core religious groups in the US in the early 1900s and was connected to the moon-landing skeptics of the late 20th century. But it has seen a reboot in popularity in recent years. Weill describes Flat Earth theory as “the ultimate incarnation of conspiratorial thinking.” She writes, “Members of the movement believe governments and scientists are actively peddling a ‘globe lie’ in order to control the world by tarnishing religious teachings or by making people feel insignificant next to the great expanse of outer space. For the past 150-odd years, this bizarre theory has grown by borrowing age-old mistrusts and exploiting new forms of communication, from newspapers to radio to – eventually, explosively – the internet.” One example of a Flat Earther was Samuel Shenton of England, who launched the International Flat Earth Research Society in December of 1965. This was during the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The IFERS “maintained that no one could orbit Earth because no one could find their way out of the planet’s sturdy domed ceiling,” according to Weill. And yet, in the spring of 1961 both countries had put a man into space. Shenton told a reporter at the time, “It would not have been possible to put a man in space if the world was round, because if the world was revolving the man could not be recovered.” He explained that the Soviet cosmonaut who first orbited the earth in April of 1961 “may have thought he went in a circle around the earth, but actually he was traveling in an ellipse parallel to earth.” After NASA and the Soviets had launched lunar orbiters that took pictures from space clearly showing that the earth was round, Shenton alleged that it was all a cover-up: “That’s where those Americans and Russians are so damned cunning. For some reason or other they obviously want us to think the world is round. Some of the pictures have been blatantly doctored. Studio shots, probably.” After Shenton died, the Flat Earth movement died down for awhile. But by 2018 it was bigger than ever. And we owe it all to the internet. The internet made it easier for people to sow the seeds of a hoax and for people to find others of like-mind who share their suspicions. In 2014 people began uploading Flat Earth videos to You Tube and establishing Flat Earth Facebook pages. All of a sudden, millions of people had access to their propaganda. And this was taking place as many Americans had developed a distrust of mainstream media. A 2018 Pew poll reported that 61% of Americans said the media deliberately withholds important stories from the public. As the skepticism of the traditional media outlets grew, people turned to You Tube as an alternative news source. Weill writes, “These are real people willing to say what the media won’t, the reasoning goes. Their amateur explanation can override expertise, especially for the many people who make You Tube their primary news source.” But in spite of all of this misinformation being put out there by Flat Earthers, the truth will not and cannot be silenced: the earth is not flat, it is round. It was shown to be round 2700 years ago and it has been seen from space, clearly as a round planet. There is proof that the earth is round; there are only conspiracy theories that it is flat. In the story of Palm Sunday, when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, or a colt as Luke records it, we have a declaration that nothing can silence the truth. Let’s take a closer look. Jesus knew that his life was in danger. The Jewish authorities had been looking for a way and an excuse to arrest him and they wanted him dead. And he had clearly made elaborate plans for this entering of the city; there was a colt tied up and waiting for him at a designated spot. He sent two of his disciples along to retrieve it, and gave them the password to give to the owner. They brought the colt to him and they threw their own cloaks over its back, and Jesus mounted the colt and rode into the city. This was no quiet ride, no effort to hide his presence, no attempt to sneak into town under cover of darkness. No, Jesus rode in surrounded by a crowd of his followers, who were elated at his presence in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. They sang joyful hymns of praise to God in loud voices as they walked beside him into the city, grateful for all the miracles they had seen Jesus perform. It was a time for festivity and shouting, not for cowering or hanging back. And what were they shouting? “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” Some of the Pharisees who were watching this public display spoke up to Jesus and told him to scold his disciples for their behavior. Why did the Pharisees speak like this to Jesus? Maybe they were embarrassed by such a wild, ecstatic expression of praise. Maybe they were trying, in their own way, to warn Jesus of the danger of this kind of demonstration. They well knew of the plots against him. But Jesus answered them, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Some translations say “shout out.” The stones would make some noise! H. Stephen Shoemaker, Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church, in Charlotte, NC suggests that perhaps the stones would shout out because this is a truth that is “too good to have its mouth shut. It may be temporarily silenced, but not for long.” The truth that Jesus is a king – the Messiah from the line of David – is a truth that is so powerful it must be told. Jesus was the One that they had been waiting for. God had finally sent the Messiah. But many had missed him because he wasn’t what they were expecting. But that didn’t stop this from being the truth. Just because the religious establishment didn’t agree with it or accept it, didn’t change the fact that it was the truth. And the truth cannot be ultimately silenced. Right now, Vladimir Putin is telling one version of “truth” to his own people about what is happening in Ukraine. He is doing that by tightly controlling the media in Russia, by limiting what information gets out to the public. But even in Russia, sooner or later, the truth will not be silenced. We have photographs. We have witnesses. We have evidence. And that truth will convict Putin of war crimes, whether or not there is ever a formal trial. The world will know that he is guilty. The truth will not be silenced. After Jesus was crucified, Satan, the father of all lies, thought that he had won. He thought that death had defeated God’s Son. For three days Jesus lay in the grave. But on Easter morning, the truth was shouted loud and clear: “He is not here! He is risen!” And that truth has never been silenced, no matter the circumstances. The story is told of a rally that was held in Russia in the early days of Communism, when the leaders were trying to drive religion out of their country and out of their people. A large crowd of several thousand people were gathered to listen to an atheist speak about how there was no God and no Christ, no hope to be found in religious faith. After he had talked for nearly two hours, he asked if anyone had any questions. An older gentleman came up on to the stage, stood in front of the microphone and said in a firm voice, “Jesus Christ is risen!” And all the crowd responded with the other half of the Easter greeting, “Christ is risen indeed!” No, you can’t silence the truth. Song All Glory, Laud, and Honor Grosse Point, Michigan, Memorial Church Choir https://youtu.be/gC6ou8kRww0 Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God, as we stand with Jesus at the entrance of the gate to Jerusalem, we survey your city. Together, we hold the pain and the possibility of what is ahead. We recognize that the path will not be smooth and the demands will feel impossible. And yet together we pray – For those systems and structures, institutions and individuals that you have called to participate in your work of wholeness of life for all; For the church, the body of Christ, which has been called to carry forward the welcoming, healing, restorative, and justice-seeking ministry of Jesus; For the world, that your values of human flourishing would hold accountable the policies and motivations of governments, corporations, and economic models; For the earth, which hosts the lives and vocations of God’s creation, that we would lean into our call of creation care in all aspects of our living; For those who bear the greatest burdens of failed economic models, corrupt governance, or neighborly indifference, that they may know your advocacy for them in the efforts of your followers; For those who are ill or living on the threshold of death, that health care may be an unquestioned given and that they may live or die with the dignity for which we were created. Courageous and loving God, we know that you hear these prayers. Help us to partner with you as co-actors in bringing about the world. Grant us courage in spite of fear, increase our love in a culture of indifference, and enable us to join with Jesus as we journey down the road lined with palms. (David Gambrell) We pray these things in the name of Jesus, who taught his disciples to pray: 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 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. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication O God, Jesus came as our king, to share your blessings with the world. Receive the gifts we bring before you this day, and use them to bring about your kingdom on earth. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Amen. Song Hosanna Maranatha https://youtu.be/xwDYhguDQb0 Benediction On the back of a donkey, Jesus came to bless us. With love in his heart, Jesus came to save us. From the power of death, Jesus came to free us. Go with the blessings of God’s anointed. Amen. April 3, 2022
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song One Day (When We All Get to Heaven) Matt Redman https://youtu.be/LGAdaGbmfFs Announcements Monday, 6:00 – 8:00 PM Meditation Monday - The church will be open for anyone who would like to come and pray, meditate, reflect during the season of Lent. Opening Prayer God of heaven and earth, God of all of us, we worship you with all that we are. When we grow weary and worn, when the world seems too much to bear, you remind us that we were not made for this world, but we are only pilgrims who are on our way home. We long for that day when believing will be seeing, and we will meet our Savior face to face. But until that time comes, we pray that you give us courage and strength, hope and perseverance, that we might run the race that is before us, and find ourselves at last in your arms. Amen. Hearing the Word Scripture John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Sermon Forever Life Where is heaven? What does heaven look like? Will we know each other in heaven? What will we do in heaven with all that time on our hands? We all have questions about heaven. And very few answers are available. Because there is no one to ask. I don’t know anyone who has been to heaven and come back here, do you? We know something about heaven from the Bible, but only bits and pieces. Children seem to have some interesting ideas about heaven. When asked, “What do you think heaven is like?” these are some of the answers that children gave: Eric, age 8 said, “It is a place where there is a lot of money lying around. You could just pick it up, play with it, and buy things. I think I am going to buy a basketball, and I am going to play basketball with my great-great-grandmother.” Scott, age 6, answered, “Heaven is up in the sky, and you could look down at circuses for free if you want to, except you have to ask God for permission first.” “Heaven is kind of big and they sit around playing harps,” said David, age 7. “I don’t know how to play a harp, but I suppose I should learn how to play that dumb thing pretty soon.” And Tommy, age 7, a boy after my own heart, said, “I know what heaven is, but I don’t want to go there. I want to go to South Carolina instead.” As parents, we try to explain heaven to our children, but it isn’t easy. Because we aren’t all that sure we understand it ourselves. But parents usually do their best to make heaven sound like a place that is good and safe. Ross Sams, Jr., tells about a time when his neighbor’s cat was run over by a car. The mother very quickly buried the cat before her four-year-old son Billy could see it. It was a few days before Billy noticed that the cat was missing, and he finally asked his mother about it. “Billy, I’m sorry, but the cat died,” she told him. “But it’s all right. He’s up in heaven with God.” Billy seemed to think about that for a moment. And then he asked his mom, “What would God want with a dead cat?” Well, let’s consider some of our questions about heaven. Where is heaven? If you ask most people, they look up. (And if you ask where hell is, they look down.) Is it up in the sky? Well, it hasn’t been sighted in our solar system anywhere. But I believe that there is a real place called heaven out there somewhere. I like what Billy Graham had to say about it years ago. He said, “I believe the Bible teaches that heaven is a literal place. Is it one of the stars? I don’t’ know. I can’t even speculate. The Bible doesn’t inform us. I believe that out there in space where there are one thousand million galaxies, each a hundred thousand light years or more in diameter, God can find some place to put us in heaven. I’m not worried about where it is. I know it is going to be where Jesus is.” What is heaven going to look like? Well, the Bible seems to imply that there will be precious gems and gold, pearls and crystal and all sorts of shiny things to reflect the constant light that will shine. But I sort of imagine heaven to be kind of like what is described in Psalm 23: a place where there are green pastures and streams of water, maybe hills and valleys and mountains, flowers and trees and all sorts of animals. To me, beauty and riches are not found in valuable jewels, things that we might see as signs of wealth on earth, but in the creations of God. There will be a lot of people there, and angels, and dogs (you know about the rainbow bridge, don’t you?). And we will have “dwelling places,” which is translated in some Bibles as “mansions.” (Personally, I don’t need a mansion. A cozy cottage with lots of bookcases and a nice backyard would suit me just fine.) Of course, other translations read “rooms,” so maybe we’ll all be put into some kind of city high-rise apartment building. Will we know each other in heaven? That’s a little tougher to answer. After Jesus was raised from the dead, his body was different than it was before. At first, his followers didn’t recognize him; perhaps that was partly due to the shock of seeing him alive when they expected him to be dead. But maybe it was because his body had a different appearance after being resurrected. It was capable of passing through locked doors and transporting itself across a distance. But when he spoke to them, and particularly when he called them by name, they knew who he was. So, yes, I am convinced that we will know our loved ones in heaven. I am looking forward to a great big reunion when I get there, with my family and friends who have gone before me. And I am looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face. What will we do in heaven with all eternity to do it in? The Bible mentions a few things. For one thing, we will spend time worshiping and praising God. The book of Revelation includes 14 songs that are sung by groups of people who are in heaven. So if you hate singing, I expect God will change your heart somewhere between earth and heaven so that you will be ready to join in with the heavenly choir! We will also serve God, according to two different verses in Revelation. We will enjoy fellowship with each other, seen in Revelation 19:9 as a crowd gathers at the wedding banquet of the Lamb. And we will rest from our labor, never again experiencing hunger or thirst or sadness, according to Revelation 7:16-17. I, for one, will enter heaven with a lot of questions that I hope to have answered. I can’t wait to ask Paul what in the world he was thinking when he wrote all those crazy things about women!? And I hope there is a great library up there. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, author, and professor, stated, “Heaven is where questions and answers become one.” Heaven is going to be a place of utter joy, eternal joy, joy that bubbles over. One of my favorite pieces of literature is a play by Eugene O’Neill called, Lazarus Laughed. Written in 1925, it tells the story of Lazarus after he was raised from the dead by Jesus. Since he was brought back from the dead, people were curious about what it was like to be dead, to have gone to heaven. Lazarus replied by laughing, and by repeatedly telling them that there is no death, only God’s laughter. Over time, he attracts a crowd of followers who begin calling him a savior and conqueror of death. Then rumors begin to spread that he is some kind of deity and that he can heal the sick by his laughter. He attracts the attention of the Roman emperor Tiberius, who demands that Lazarus be burned at the stake to prove once and for all that there really is death. As the flames begin to burn Lazarus alive, he laughs and shouts out, “The hope of God is eternal laughter!” In closing, I’d like to share a story that made the rounds of the internet a few years ago. I have no idea of the source; it was passed along to me in an e-mail. There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been told that she only had three months to live. As she was getting her affairs in order, she got in touch with her pastor and asked him to come to discuss her final wishes. She told him which hymns she wanted sung at her funeral service, and what scriptures she would like to have read. She even told him which outfit she wanted to be buried in. She asked him to make sure that she was buried with her favorite Bible. Everything seemed to be in order and the pastor was getting ready to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something. “There’s one more thing,” she said. “What’s that?” asked the pastor. “This is very important,” she answered. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the woman asked. “Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by your request,” he said. The woman explained, “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, somebody would lean over and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part, because I knew that something better was coming … like chocolate cake or apple pie. Something wonderful! So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want the to wonder, ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them: Keep your fork; the best is yet to come.” The pastor’s eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that this woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She knew that something better was coming. At the funeral, people were walking by the woman’s casket and they saw the pretty dress she was wearing and her favorite Bible and the fork in her right hand. Over and over, the pastor heard the question, “What’s with the fork?” And over and over he just smiled. During his funeral message, the pastor told the people about the conversation he had had with the woman that day. He told them about the fork and what it had symbolized to her. The pastor told them that he could not stop thinking about the fork, and he told them that they probably wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it be a reminder to you that the best is yet to come. Song Shall We Gather at the River/The Water is Wide Selah https://youtu.be/cFP0mnB5AY4 Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Compassionate God, who journeys with us in our pain and our joy: We lift up to you the concerns of your creation, knowing that you bear the burdens of this world and of our lives, that we do not walk this earth alone. Even as we seek to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, we also share in the sufferings of our world and lift them up to you now. For the church, in its complex and warring tensions: Give us courage to name the ways we have failed to extend Christ’s generous and invitational love, for renewed commitment to try again and love more truthfully. For our world and those who pull the levers of economic, political, and social power, which determine the lives of so many: Teach us humility to know the order of your creation and our place in it as stewards of your vision for wholeness of life for all. For this community, in its struggle and joy to be church with and for one another: May we remember our baptismal commitments to journey with one another. For those closest to our hearts and heaviest on our minds: Grant us wisdom in our relationships, and compassion to journey wisely with one another. We lift these prayers in the name of the One who makes a way where there seems to be no way, the One who is called the Way – through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught his disciples to pray: (David Gambrell) 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 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. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication Gracious and generous God, you hold nothing back from us, but gave us even your own Son. Give us generous hearts, as well, that we might share out of our abundance to provide for the needs of your kingdom. Bless these offerings and use them for your purposes. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen. Song I’ll Fly Away Ransomed Bluegrass https://youtu.be/tQ29PPC059c Benediction May you go from this place having receiving grace upon grace. Be strengthened by the promise of eternal life in heaven with the One who loves you more than you can grasp. And love others with the same love that has been showered upon you. Amen. |
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