May 31, 2020
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Song UMH #133 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms https://youtu.be/fjXZx9yXjHE Call to Worship Come, people of God, to know again who you are. Return to the One who gives you life. We come as children of God, longing for a closer walk with our Creator. Morning by morning God wakens us to new possibilities and grants us the resources we need. Jesus came among human beings as one of us, emptying himself in order to serve. We seek to learn from his faithful witness. Amen. Hymn UMH #168 At the Name of Jesus https://youtu.be/OK8OhC6roI4 Opening Prayer O Sovereign God, we have seen your love in the face of Christ; we have heard it in human words and experienced it in deeds of kindness and compassion. Help us to learn from the stories of his life and death, to find strength for our own journeys. Let your face shine on your servants, and save us in your steadfast love. Amen. Special Music For the Beauty of the Earth, John Rutter https://youtu.be/JVQFEgT7E6c Hearing the Word Scripture Philippians 2:5-11 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (New International Version) Sermon God’s Word for Us When We Have a Bad Attitude GOD’S WORD WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD ATTITUDE Philippians 2:5-11 A minister, a Boy Scout, and a computer expert were the only passengers on a small plane. The pilot came back into the cabin and said that the plane was going down, but there were only three parachutes and four people. The pilot added, “I should have one of those parachutes because I have a wife and three small children.” So he put on one of the parachutes and jumped out of the plane. The computer expert said, “I should have one of those para-chutes because I’m the smartest man in the world and everyone needs me.” So he took one of the parachutes and jumped out of the plane. The minister turned to the Boy Scout and said, “You are young and I have lived a good life, so you take the last parachute and I’ll go down with the plane.” The Boy Scout said, “Relax, Reverend. The smartest man in the world just picked up my backpack and jumped out!” I suppose that story illustrates the truth that pride goeth before a fall. Or at least it offers a way to begin talking about the importance of attitude. John Homer Miller wrote, “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings you as by the attitude you bring to life.” The popular Christian author Chuck Swindoll strongly stated the importance of attitude when he said, “Words can never adequately convey the incredible importance of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it. I believe the single most important decision I make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position.” It is important to understand that we do choose our attitude. Even in these days of pandemic, economic hardship, and a “new normal,” we still get to decide how we will react to what life brings. We can allow the bad things in life to sour our disposition, cause us to dwell on past mistakes or poor decisions or circumstances beyond our control, or just the sad fact of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We can allow the good things in life to puff us up and feed our pride, give us a sense of self-importance as well as self-confidence. We can assume an attitude of trust or mistrust, boldness or fear, ambition or laziness. And we become who we think we are. What does God’s word have to say to us about our attitude? There is no better text to look at than this one, from Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi. In these few verses, Paul tried to explain what it meant that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth in human form, died for our sins, and was raised to eternal life as a promise of our salvation. And the one thing Paul seemed to emphasize most is the attitude that Jesus had about what happened. Paul then encouraged all of the Philippians to adopt the same attitude that was in Jesus. The first attitude that Paul pointed out in Jesus was humility. Jesus was humble. He was equal with God, and yet he did not seek to hold on to that equality. The One who was like God, who was God, was willing to give up that position and become one of us. He chose to make himself like nothing. He chose to take on the nature of a slave, a servant. Jesus chose to become human. And he did it because he was humble. Our society isn’t big on humility. The football players being interviewed during the lead-up to the Super Bowl aren’t known for being humble. They swagger and swap statistics and claim to be Number One. Our culture feeds us a steady stream of reminders of how important we are. We hear the advertising slogans and we believe them: You deserve the very best. You deserve a break today, so get up and get away. Businessmen count bonuses and stock options. Preachers brag about their church membership growth. Children compare their Xbox games. If we have enough of the right stuff, we’ll feel good about ourselves. If we don’t look out for Number One, who will? There’s plenty of pride to go around. But a steady diet of pride can kill you in the end. Someone once remarked, “Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.” I don’t agree with that. Pride may be the only disease carried by a dead host. It is impossible for pride to grow in the shadow of the cross of Christ. Instead, it will pull you as far away from the cross as it can get you, before you can learn the truth that the gift of the cross was given in humility to those with the humility to accept it. The first attitude we learn from Jesus, from God’s word, is humility. The second attitude we learn is obedience. Jesus not only chose to become human and live on earth as a man, he also obeyed God’s will for him to die on a Roman cross. It is next to impossible to think of any more horrible way to die than by crucifixion. Everything about it was carefully calculated to inflict the most torment on the victim. The struggle between life and death could go on for days, until finally the body suffered such exposure and dehydration and suffocation that it just gave out. All of this after enduring severe beatings and having spikes driven through the wrists and ankles. No one would choose to die this way. But Jesus had a choice, and he chose the cross. He had asked God to find some other way, and prayed so earnestly that he sweat blood. But when it came down it, Jesus obeyed God’s will for him to go to the cross. His obedience cost him his life. Obedience can be easy sometimes, difficult at other times, but it is seldom a matter of life and death for most of us. And yet, there is something in our human nature that resists obedience from the earliest days of our lives. I used to babysit for the most stubborn, head-strong child that ever walked the face of the earth. Her name was Jaclyn. She would start to do something she knew she shouldn’t do. I would call her by name and tell her not to do it. She would look back at me with this sweet smile on her face and do it anyway. I know all you parents have seen this behavior before. But even grownups can be guilty of disobedience. And we can be defiant about it. I remember reading about a little boy whose parents kept telling him to sit down. When he finally sat down, he glared at them and said, “I’m sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!” Haven’t we all felt like that sometimes? We know that we should obey God. If we didn’t believe that, we wouldn’t be here this morning. And yet we all know that the struggle to obey never goes away. There is always the temptation to choose some other way than God’s way. We will choose to put our needs and wants first. We will turn our backs on what God asks us to do. And choosing to disobey will give us a guilty conscience, which will separate us even further from God. I heard a story about a mother who became so exasperated with her son one day that she sent him up to his room for a time out. He stormed up the stairs to his room and defiantly hid under the bed. When his father got home and heard how the boy had been misbehaving, he went upstairs to see him. He looked in the room, but didn’t see his son. He decided to look under the bed, and saw a couple of eyes looking back at him. The son asked, “Is Mommy trying to get you, too?” When we do something wrong, we try to hide from God, just like this little boy tried to hide from his mother. But when we ask for help, for forgiveness, we will receive it. And we can learn from Jesus the discipline of obedience. The first word is humility. The second is obedience. And the third is victory. When Jesus was faithful in obeying God’s will, when he did what he was sent to do, it resulted in victory. It was not a victory he won for himself, but a victory he received from God. Yes, he died; but God raised him from the dead. Yes, he gave up heaven’s throne for a life among the poor of the earth, but God lifted him up to the highest place. Yes, he was one man in a small nation with only a few followers, but God placed his name above all names, and at the sound of his name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. When we become humble and obedient like Jesus, we will share in the victory of Jesus. We also have received victory over death, and we will join Jesus in the heavenly realm. We will see our Lord face to face on the other side of death. What greater victory could there be than that? A number of years ago, I was shopping at Wal-Mart. I happened to notice a mother who was trying to shop with her three children in tow. They were giving her a lot of trouble. They kept wandering off, and she had to retrieve them. They would put things in the buggy that she did not want. They were begging for toys and candy. It seemed that wherever I was in the store, I could hear them or see them nearby. Finally, the mother became so exasperated that she grabbed one of her little boys by the arm, glared down at him, and asked, “Do you need an attitude adjustment?” There are times when we all need an attitude adjustment. And we can clearly see what kind of attitude we are supposed to have when we look at Jesus. God’s word when you have a bad attitude is be humble, be obedient, and claim your victory in Jesus. Hymn UMH #504 The Old Rugged Cross https://youtu.be/4y7YGk3Vrgc Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth by email at [email protected]. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer O God, we give you thanks for your Son Jesus, whom we confess as our Lord. You sustain us by his word when we grow weary in faith. You caused your commandments to pervade his life, giving focus and direction to our attempts to obey your will. When we stumble and fall, it is Jesus who intercedes on our behalf. He is our righteousness and our redeemer, our source of hope and the anchor of our assurance. He suffered rejection and endured the cross. We approach you with boldness, with acceptance through his promise of new life. He is indeed the name above every name, the one who enables and frees us to confess, to give you the glory as God of our lives. May our prayer give us endurance as we offer our lives to others in Jesus’ name. There are those whose energies are sapped by sorrow, whose bodies are bent with grief. Imbued with your Spirit, we seek to infuse them with hope. There are others who are scorned by their neighbors, cast aside as inferior or of no use. Let our words of acceptance offer them asylum and rest. Let us be emboldened to speak the word of reconciliation and peace. (James G. Kirk) We offer our specific prayers for all those who are suffering with COVID-19; for their families; for the healthcare professionals who care for them. We pray for the families of all who have died of this disease, and for all those who are working to find a cure. We pray for those who are out of work and for small business owners, for all essential workers, and for first responders. We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, 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 Name above all names, as you emptied yourself for others, we offer ourselves and these gifts as a sign of our hope in your reign. Where there is death, bring life. Where there is sorrow, bring joy. Where there is injustice, bring courage for change. Amen. Hymn TFWS #2140 Since Jesus Came Into My Heart https://youtu.be/A98gIom-CAE Benediction The Lord Bless You and Keep You, John Rutter https://youtu.be/lCpxgEHqjFA
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May 24, 2020
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song TFWS #2193 Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying https://youtu.be/9Vsl6nax6Rs Call to Worship Worship begins in the heart. God bids us praise His name. Worship is the heartbeat of the soul; adoring God and ordering our heart’s desires. Worship is the moment when we meet God and God meets us, forgiving and cleansing, challenging and changing, renewing and redeeming, prodding and prioritizing, leading us from where we are and who we are, to where we ought to be and who we ought to be, for God’s own glory. All glory to God! Hymn UMH #469 Jesus is All the World to Me https://youtu.be/jh6TR7Szlgc Opening Prayer Lord of creation, we are drawn by your majesty to the possibilities of worship. In holiness prod us, in power move us, in stillness speak to us, and in every way possible, make faith real to us! Amen. Special Music Remember to Remember Steven Curtis Chapman https://youtu.be/uJz_rv5qC4s Hearing the Word Scripture Scripture Mark 9:14-29 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “ How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “’If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.” Sermon God’s Word for Us When We Wonder if Prayer Matters Dr. Harold Mauney was pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylorsville, Kentucky back when CB radios were popular. Every once in a while, CB transmissions would interfere with radio or TV signals, and even came through on PA systems. One Sunday, Dr. Mauney had just started his prayer, “Oh, Lord …” Suddenly over the PA system came a voice: “Now that you’ve got me, what do you want?” Needless to say, it took a few minutes for the congregation to get itself under control so that the service could continue! Prayer is a subject that sometimes makes even Christians uncomfortable. We all have questions about prayer. How should I pray? What words am I supposed to use? Does it matter whether or not I close my eyes? And are there some prayers that are better than others? Heaven help me if the pastor calls on me to pray out loud! But there are also deeper questions about prayer. Does God intervene in the world only when we ask him to? If God knows what is best for us anyway, why do we need to ask? What are the qualifications for us to receive help from God: merit? intense suffering? persistence? Why does it seem that God answers some prayers, but not others? Does prayer make a difference? Does prayer matter? Perhaps you are asking if prayer matters in the face of the global pandemic that we are experiencing. Obviously people all around the world are praying – praying that the pandemic will end, praying that their loved ones will not contract the virus, praying that medical supplies will be delivered in time for those who need them, praying for treatments, praying for a vaccine. So why is the pandemic still going on? Have all those prayers just been ignored? Do they matter? The question of prayer was an important part of this story from Mark 9. Jesus had been in seclusion with Peter, James and John, and when they returned to the city, they found the other disciples in somewhat of a predicament. A man had brought his son in hopes of getting Jesus to heal him from an evil spirit that had control of him. Apparently, the boy suffered from some sort of epileptic seizures, and the father had heard that Jesus was able to heal the sick. Since Jesus wasn’t there when the man arrived, the disciples tried to handle the situation themselves, but they had not been successful. Jesus told them that this type of spirit could only be driven out through prayer. Then Jesus asked the man if he believed that he could heal his son, to which the man answered, “Lord, I believe; help me to overcome my unbelief!” The disciples tried to drive out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it. The man tried to believe in Jesus’ power, but he couldn’t do it. The answer for all of them was the same: the power of prayer. Through prayer, the boy was made well. In recent years, there has been a lot of interest in the power of prayer in the medical community. Many medical schools now offer courses in spirituality. More and more doctors talk to their patients about the role of faith in their lives, and more and more doctors pray for their patients. Many people feel more confidence in their doctors when they are aware of the doctor’s own personal faith. Much of that interest in prayer came in response to actual clinical studies on the effectiveness of prayer for people who are ill. Larry Dossey published two books that deal extensively with these studies and their ramifications: Healing Words and Prayer is Good Medicine. One of the most intriguing studies was conducted in a hospital coronary care unit. A group of people was instructed to pray for patients in the unit. The patients had no idea that someone was praying for them. The doctors and nurses did not know about the study. And the people praying did not know the people for whom they prayed. What the researchers found out was absolutely amazing. The patients who were prayed for spent fewer days in the coronary care unit, requested less pain medication, had fewer complications and a lower death rate. It was clear that prayer made a difference in the recovery of these heart patients. But people of faith have always known that prayer matters. I have heard so many people say things like, “I could feel the support of people’s prayers for me, and it helped me get through;” “If it hadn’t been for prayer, I don’t know what might have happened;” “All I could do was pray.” Prayer is powerful. It has an effect on people who are prayed for, and on the people who do the praying. Samuel Chadwick wrote, “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.” Prayer is serious business. It matters. If prayer were easy, we might feel more comfortable and confident about it. But we’re not the only ones who have ever felt inadequate at praying. The only thing the disciples ever asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. They saw that prayer was a significant part of his life. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. He prayed before making the important decisions in his life. He prayed in public and in private. He prayed the traditional prayers of Judaism and he prayed spontaneous prayers of the heart. He prayed in the hours before his arrest and he prayed on the cross. Clearly, to be a follower of Jesus, prayer must be a part of life. Billy Graham wrote, “Every man or women whose life has counted for the church and the Kingdom of God has been a person of prayer. You cannot afford to be too busy to pray. Jesus spent many hours in prayer. If he felt he had to pray, how much more do we need to pray?” When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he gave them the example which we know as the Lord’s Prayer. That is certainly one way to become more comfortable in your own prayers, to pray the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, in many traditions, the Lord’s Prayer is said four times a day at set prayer times. The Lord’s Prayer is also a good prayer to begin teaching children. They will be able to repeat it during Sunday worship. One woman had been teaching this prayer to her young daughter. They said it together every night at bedtime for several weeks, and then the girl said she was ready to try it on her own. She did very well, and her mother was feeling very proud of her, right up until the end, when she said, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail.” So close! At least her heart was in the right place. I can’t tell you exactly how to pray. Prayer is personal, a conversation between you and God. You will have to try various ways of praying until you find one that seems right to you. And you may change the way you pray over the course of your life. But I can offer you a few basic guidelines. First, you learn to pray by praying. It will take time. It will seem awkward at first. But try to schedule a time for praying every day, a time that you can expect to have for prayer every day. The routine of it will make it a habit. Don’t let your busy schedule be an excuse for avoiding prayer time. The great church reformer Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do today that I must set apart more time than usual to pray.” Prayer can actually help the rest of your busy day go better than usual. W. Graham Scroggie wrote, “Without time for prayer, nothing can be accomplished.” Second, begin to think of your life as being lived in a constant state of prayer. The Bible says that we should pray without ceasing. That doesn’t mean sitting quietly, hands folded, eyes closed. It means maintaining an ongoing conversation with God wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whenever you can. One of the great saints of our day, Mother Teresa, advised, “You can pray while you work. Work doesn’t stop prayer, and prayer doesn’t stop work. It requires only that small raising of mind to Him. ‘I love you, God, I trust you, I believe in you, I need you now.’ Small things like that. They are wonderful prayers.” Third, you absolutely must be honest in prayer. God sees your heart and your mind, and he already knows what is there. He cannot possibly help you unless you are open and honest about what you need. C. S. Lewis wrote in his book, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, “We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” And the German theologian Walter Rauschenbush said, “Do not express any want that you do not feel. Do not confess any fault that you do not mean to forsake. Do not keep anything back. Remember that it is He that searcheth the heart to whom you are speaking.” I love the story about Edward Everett Hale, who served as chaplain of the U.S. Senate. Someone asked him, “Do you pray for the senators, Dr. Hale?” He replied, “No, I look at the senators and pray for the country.” Clearly an honest answer! Fourth, be simple and direct in your prayers. There are many people who are scared to pray because they think that they have to make it sound good, maybe use a lot of “thees” and “thous.” But I think that we ought to talk to God as we talk to one another. If you’re more comfortable using more formal language, then that is fine. But if that intimidates you, or keeps you from trying to pray, or seems phony, then do something different. The words don’t matter so much as the intent and the sincerity of the prayer. One little girl was having trouble finding the right words for her prayer. Her grandmother walked past her room one night and heard her saying the alphabet as she knelt by her bed. The grandmother asked her what in the world she was up to. The little girl answered, “I’m saying my prayers. I can’t think of the right words, so I’m just saying all the letters. God will put them together for me, because he knows what I’m thinking.” Fifth, make your prayers specific. There is nothing too big or too small to share with God. If you have specific needs, then pray about them. Don’t beat around the bush. Rauschenbush says, “Pray always with special reference to the needs of the day and the hour – the warfare to be waged, the temptations to be resisted, the work to be done, the sorrow to be borne; put your life into your prayer; and let it be the most real and the most immediate business of your life.” Always keep in mind that God’s answer to your prayer may not be the answer you are hoping for. Sometimes God’s answer is, “No.” Sometimes it is, “Wait.” And sometimes God’s answer will glow you away. There is an old story about an elderly woman who had no money to buy food. She prayed, “Dear Lord, please send me a sides of bacon and a sack of corn meal.” Over and over again she prayed the same prayer out loud. One of her neighbors heard her and decided to play a trick on her. HE dropped a side of bacon and a sack of corn meal down her chimney. It landed right in front of where she was sitting. She jumped up and shouted, “Oh, Lord! You’ve answered my prayer!” Then she went all over town telling people the good news. Finally her neighbor couldn’t stand it anymore, and he confronted her in public and told her what he had done. “God didn’t answer your prayer, I did,” he said. The woman replied, “Well, the devil may have brought it, but it was the Lord who sent it!” I believe that prayer matters to God and I believe that prayer matters to you and me. Sometimes the greatest benefit of prayer is the deepening of our faith as we pray. Oswald Chambers, the author of several devotional books including My Utmost for His Highest, commented, “The whole meaning of prayer is that we know God.” And Sir Isaac Newton wrote, “I can take my telescope and look millions of miles into space, but I can go away to my room and in prayer get nearer to God in heaven than I can see when assisted by all the telescopes of earth.” In the 1990s, the movie “Shadowlands” came out, starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. It told the story of the marriage of C. S. Lewis and Joy Gresham, who died of cancer only a few years after they married. After Joy had been undergoing treatment for a long time, she improved enough to go home from the hospital. When Lewis’ colleagues at the university heard about it, they all expressed their happiness for him. The college chaplain said to Lewis, “I know how hard you’ve been praying, Jack. And now God is answering your prayer.” Lewis replied, “That’s not why I pray, Harry. I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” A man named George Adam Smith climbed the Weisserhorn above the Zermatt Valley in Switzerland, along with two guides. When he finally reached the top, he was exhilarated by the thought of the view that was before him. He shot up to the top of the peak, and was almost blown off by the strong gusts of wind. One of the guides caught hold of him and pulled him down, saying, “On your knees, sir! You are safe here only on your knees!” I think we all need to hear that message. In this world, at this time and place, we are safe only on our knees. Prayer matters. It matters to us. And it matters to God. Hymn UMH #496 Sweet Hour of Prayer https://youtu.be/KhKNiHbMeD0 Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth by email at [email protected]. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Holy God, invade the sanctuary of our hearts as we worship you. Expand the horizon of our dispirited souls and open us to the broad vistas of your eternal love which knows no end. We thank you that when darkness comes and extinguishes the lights of this world, the light of Christ shines. When sickness stalks the premises and enters our homes, still the health of our faith remains in our hearts. When sorrow falls like a cloud of gray upon our lives, your comfort comes, causing us to look beyond this earth. For all the undeniable signs of your watchcare, we are grateful, especially the presence of our Savior, who helps us to know we are never alone. We intercede for those who grow weaker each day, for those who hide secret sins, for those who doubt there is a God, for those who are weighed down by one overwhelming fault, for those who feel overextended, for those who are caught up in a tragedy not of their own making, for those who tried to help and got hurt, for those who are estranged from family members; we intercede for those who have become sick with COVID-19 and their families; for the families of all who had died of this disease; for all the healthcare professionals and first responders; for funeral home workers; for those who have lost their jobs; for owners of small businesses; for all essential workers; we intercede for those who were in the path of the flooding when the dam broke; for all others who suffer because of natural disasters. God, you know the needs of every person. Instruct and use us in ministry that meets life’s deepest needs. (E. Lee Phillips, adapted) We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, 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 With thankfulness we give in gratitude and joy. With prayerfulness we give in sacrifice and love. With hopefulness we give in commitment to God. Amen. Hymn UMH #526 What a Friend We Have in Jesus https://youtu.be/NjK8dxYB3r8 Benediction Now may God, whose love never lets us go, save, preserve, and keep you this day and forevermore. Amen. May 17, 2020
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song CH #586 He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands https://youtu.be/XhYEE9pL3t8 Call to Worship Arise, people of faith, that Christ may give us life. We reach out for health and wholeness. God hears our cries. The word of life is ours to receive. We will sing praises to God’s holy name. We will tell of God’s faithfulness day by day. Hymn UMH #117 O God, Our Help in Ages Past https://youtu.be/jRbk16T_PT4 Opening Prayer We gather to thank you, gracious God, because we have been lifted up by you and we have known your healing touch. You have filled us with joy and hope. We are grateful that even in our days of deepest gloom and despair, you have surrounded us with a love that is stronger than pain and doubts and fears. Come to us now, so that we may sense large realities than the narrow focus of our daily concerns. We await your word. Amen. Special Music My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord https://youtu.be/vM9J9HOdLY4 Hearing the Word Scripture Mark 5:21-24, 35-42 When Jesus had against crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him… While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”) Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. Sermon God’s Word for Us When We are Afraid of the Future When I began to realize how serious the COVID-19 crisis really is, I remember thinking to myself, “I haven’t been this afraid since 9/11.” Do you remember that day? I had been working at my desk and decided to call my vet to schedule boarding for my dogs, because my dad and I were planning to go to California to spend Thanksgiving with my brother’s family. The woman I spoke to said, “I guess the planes will be flying again by then.” I asked her what she meant; I hadn’t had the TV or radio on, so I was unaware that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers. I quickly put on the TV and watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the other tower, then learned about the plane that had crashed into the Pentagon. And then we heard about Flight 93, which had been brought down in Pennsylvania, but had probably been heading for Washington, D.C. During the course of that long day, and the days following, I remember feeling afraid of physical harm, afraid of where the terrorists might strike next and how they might do it, afraid of whether the United States could protect itself, afraid of the people who hated us so much that they cheered in the streets as they learned of what had happened to us. I was afraid in a way that I had never been before, and in a way that I never expected to be again. But here we are, dealing with a threat that is more daunting than terrorism: a pandemic, a virus that strikes young and old alike, a disease that has taken over 80,000 American lives and hundreds of thousands around the world. I am afraid of many things: of getting the virus; of having a family member die from it; of people who don’t care enough about themselves or others to take the proper precautions when out in public; of having states “re-open” too soon and too quickly and causing a tremendous spike in cases of the virus. I am afraid that life will never return to “normal” again. I am afraid. And I suspect that I am not alone. There are all kinds of things to be afraid of in “normal” times. People are afraid of getting in a car accident, of getting cancer, of not having enough money for their retire-ment, or being a victim of violence, of being unable to pay all their bills, of coming down with Alzheimer’s. Some people – including myself – are even afraid of flying. Leonard Sweet wrote about that fear: Travel is hard enough without the airline industry scaring us with their terminology. As I drive to the airport, watching for the signs that indicate which exits to take, I wonder what sadist named the place where you trust your all to a creaking bunch of nuts and bolts the “Terminal.” When I check in at the counter, I remember this particular flight was chosen by my travel agent for one reason – it was the “cheapest available.” When it’s time to land, why does the flight attendant have to remind us that we are making our “final approach”? Most of the things that we are afraid of have not happened to us yet, and may not happen at all. We are afraid of what the future might hold. And that fear can become paralyzing. It reminds me of the little boy who was going to be in the church play. He had one line that he was supposed to say: “It is I; be not afraid.” When the time came for him to go out on stage, he was so nervous that what came out of his mouth was, “It’s me, and I’m afraid.” He was paralyzed by his fear. I have come to appreciate something my Grandmother Smith told me years ago. She said, “One of God’s greatest gifts to us is that we can’t see the future.” She was right, you know. Just think about it for a minute. What if, ten years ago, you knew exactly where you would be right now? What good things have happened to you since then? What hard times have you gone through? If you had known what was coming, would it have made it any easier, more enjoyable, or less stressful? If you had known that someone you love would not be with you today, wouldn’t it have made your grief start way too soon? Would you have been able to enjoy life as much if you had known what was coming? We wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy the present if we knew the future held painful things. Nor would we be able to enjoy the present if we knew the future held even better things. Fear is the opposite of faith. And fear can rob us of our faith. One of the greatest illustrations of this comes from the classic novel by Daniel DeFoe, Robinson Crusoe. Crusoe had left home in search of fame and fortune, against his father’s wishes. He lived recklessly and godlessly, until the day he experienced a terrible storm at sea and was shipwrecked on a deserted island in the Caribbean. And it was there that his soul began to reach toward God. He had found a Bible in the wreckage of the ship, and became a Christian after reading it. His life was one of peace and prayer, and his faith grew strong. But one day, Crusoe found a footprint in the sand. He suddenly realized that he was not alone on the island. He became very fearful, imagining that there was a tribe of cannibals close by. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, and could not sleep at night. He pictured himself being captured, boiled alive, and eaten. Crusoe said, “Thus my fear banished all my religious hope. All that former confidence in God, which was founded upon such wonderful experience I had had of His goodness, now vanished, as if He that had fed me by miracles hitherto could not preserve, by His power, the provision which He had made for me by His goodness.” The man Jairus in the story from Mark’s gospel was a man who was afraid. He was afraid because he believed his little girl was dying. She was just twelve years old, and had her whole life ahead of her. But she lay very sick, sick unto death. And so Jairus, who was a leader in the synagogue, a man of power and dignity who was respected by others, ran to Jesus, fell to his knees, and begged Jesus to come and heal his little girl. Fear drove him there. But also there must have been faith. He must have had some faith that Jesus could actually do what he was asking him to do. He had some faith that Jesus could make his daughter well again. Jesus agreed to go with Jairus. But when they got to the house, they found everyone weeping and wailing, because the child had died. It was too late. The people told Jairus that he might as well leave Jesus alone now, because there was nothing anyone could do. But that is not what Jesus said. Jesus looked at Jairus and said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Jairus had to choose between his fear and his faith, and he believed Jesus. And Jesus proved that Jairus’ faith was not in vain when he went into the house, took the little girl by the hand, and told her to get up. And she got up, alive and well. Perhaps more than any other message in the Bible, God tells us, “Don’t be afraid.” He calls us to give up our fear, and that can only be done when we have faith. God says, “Don’t be afraid,” and the next words are often, “for I am with you.” God is with us. When God is with us, we don’t have to be afraid of anything, not even the future. God is already there. God knows what is coming our way. And God promises to be there with us through it. “Don’t be afraid.” It is the ultimate test of faith. And it comes to all of us sooner or later. We don’t have to be afraid of what we can see, or what we cannot see. We don’t have to be afraid of what we can only imagine. God is with us. When you look around you and see so many things to be afraid of, remember that God is with you. We were not made to live in fear, but to live by faith. And when we have faith, we can face the future without being afraid. Hymn UMH #534 Be Still My Soul https://youtu.be/kqKVFYD8Obc Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth by email at [email protected]. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer We thank you, compassionate God, that you hear the prayer of every heart: those who rejoice at a baby’s new birth, those who mourn when the circle is complete and a friend or loved one has died, those who are grateful when their work meets with success, those who suffer because no work is to be found, those who are bored, not having enough to do, those who are tired, having too much to do, those who are surrounded by the love of family and friends, those who are lonely. Thank you for hearing us in every situation of life, for we all play each of these roles sooner or later. Help us to support one another, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep. For we want to be joined together as members of the body of Christ, in unity loving one another and serving the world. We want, like Jesus, to respond to each human being who crosses our path with sensitivity and compassion. (Ruth C. Duck) We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, 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 Generous God, grant us life’s necessities, but not too many luxuries. Out of our abundance, help us share generously and freely. Out of our poverty, help us receive gracefully and freely. Use these gifts, that others may know the blessing of your healing and hope. Amen. Hymn UMH #529 How Firm a Foundation https://youtu.be/5UvBH9lPU1I Benediction Depart from this place with singing, for God goes with you. Do not be afraid to reach out, to ask for what you need, or to dare to do something new. God’s grace is sufficient for our needs. We will share the good news of Christ with all whom we meet. Amen. May 10, 2020
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Happy Mother’s Day! Gathering Gathering Song Song TFWS #2088 Lord, I Lift Your Name on High https://youtu.be/dUNdbfFI_p8 Call to Worship Come to give thanks with your whole heart. Rejoice in God’s love and faithfulness. We bow down in the presence of God. We pour out our thanks in songs of praise. God answers when we call. Our Creator will increase our strength of soul. Great is the glory of God! We rejoice in the steadfast love of God. Wait for God, and hope in God’s Word. Open your hearts to the holy presence in our midst. We are listening for the voice of God. We are opening our lives to God’s direction. Hymn W&S #3152 Welcome https://youtu.be/aAJdJ6HhSu4 Opening Prayer Gracious and Loving God, who in Jesus Christ has called each one of us to recognize that we are all sisters and brothers, and members of your family. Unite us today as a community of faith, listening to your word, and finding in it our greatest hope and highest joy. We give thanks for your steadfast love and faithfulness. Amen. Special Music Down by the River https://youtu.be/BumCkswUUDA Hearing the Word Scripture Mark 3:31-35 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (New International Version) Sermon God’s Word When We Can’t Get Along With Our Relatives Garry Kenney is an exterminator, and he always calls to confirm his appoint-ments the night before he is scheduled to do a service. One night, he called a customer and said to the man who answered the phone, “This is Garry from the pest-control company. Your wife called us.” There was a moment of silence, and then Garry heard the man say, “Honey, someone wants to speak to you about your relatives.” We all have them. Relatives. Family. Kinfolk. In-laws and out-laws. Mostly they’re pretty normal folks, fruit from the same tree and all that. But then there are those few who make us a little hesitant to claim any relationship whatsoever. One young man who was a student at Butler University was telling his aunt about his classes, and said that he was taking a psychology class that semester. “Oh, great!” she said. “Now you’ll be analyzing everyone in the family.” “Oh, no,” he answered, “I don’t take abnormal psychology until next semester!” Perhaps during these days of staying at home, you are finding it hard to get along with your relatives. Husbands and wives or partners who are not used to spending quite so many hours together every day may be developing short tempers or finding petty things to criticize in each other. Children who you brought into the world seem to have become annoying little beasts, with constant unrealistic demands and whiny voices. Parents who didn’t seem so bad when you just have to see them after school and on weekends have suddenly become tyrants who make unreasonable demands on your time. Roommates who used to get along well now find that they have much less in common than they thought before they had to be together 24/7. It may be Mother’s Day, but it may be harder than usual to celebrate family life. Are you familiar with the expression, “You can choose your friends, but you’re stuck with your relatives”? I guess that can be true. Some people we put up with just because they’re family. And amazingly enough, that seems to have been true in the family of Jesus. Except that there came a time when they were no longer willing to put up with him any longer. Let’s think about the situation for a minute. We don’t know how many brothers or sisters Jesus had, but it would be reasonable to assume that there were several. We know that one of his brothers was named James, and he became a leader in the church after Jesus died. Most Biblical scholars assume that Joseph died soon after the incident when Jesus was in the Temple with the teachers when he was twelve years old. There is no evidence to indicate that he lived much past that time. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was still living to the end of his life. As the oldest son, Jesus would have been expected to take responsibility for the whole family after his father died. He must have worked in the carpentry shop until he was around 30 years old, when he left home to begin his ministry. In the first century, that would have been considered middle-aged. Presumably up until that time Jesus had done all the things a Jewish man was supposed to do: work hard, attend syna-gogue, go to Jerusalem to celebrate the major feasts and festivals, go to weddings and funerals and bar mitzvahs, prepare the Passover lambs, teach his younger brothers the carpentry trade or apprentice them out, make arrangement for the marriages of his sisters to respectable men. Then this man, John, Jesus’ cousin, began his revival ministry out in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness. And people flocked out there to hear him preach. Talk soon spread about his wild clothes, peculiar diet, and combative sermons. People listened as he told them they were sinners who needed to repent. John did not even spare the religious leaders from condemnation. He called them vipers, snakes! He called these men to accountability and pointed out their hypocrisy. One day, Jesus went out to see for himself what was going on. And he submitted to the baptism of John, despite John’s protests, saying that it was the proper thing for him to do. And then Jesus embarked on a strange and intense ministry of his own. Jesus began to travel around Galilee, and large crowds followed him wherever he went as he taught them and healed the sick. He signed up a few fishermen to serve as apostles, and then added eight more to their number, including a tax collector and a Zealot. Things really got crazy when word got out that there were women traveling with him, too! Jesus made a point of associating with disreputable people – prostitutes, adulterers, sinners, lepers, you name it. He enjoyed parties and fellowship around the table, to the point that a leading historian of the age accused Jesus of being a glutton and a wine-bibber, or drunkard. As stories spread about the miracles he was per-forming, the size of the crowds following him increased. People wanted to see this man who could cure leprosy, drive out demons, heal paralytics, and give sight to the blind. Rumor had it that he had even raised someone from the dead. And rumor also had it that Jesus had gotten his power from Satan. Finally, the family came to a decision. They must take action. Some people were saying that Jesus was crazy, insane, and something had to be done. So they came. They weren’t able to get near him, because of the crowd surrounding him, but they sent word to Jesus that they were waiting outside and they wanted to talk to him. Jesus hadn’t seen his family in a while. And his mother was right there, the mother he loved. But Jesus didn’t say, “Well, show them in!” He didn’t go out to greet them. What Jesus said was, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers and sisters?” He looked around him and said, “Whoever hears the word of God and does God’s will are my mother and brothers and sisters.” You know, I’ve often wondered how his family felt when they heard him say that. Did it hurt their feelings? Did they think he meant it literally? Did they have any idea what he meant by it? Had they talked about any of this before? Did they have any idea who Jesus really was? What was it like to be in Jesus’ family that day? But then again, I’ve wondered how it felt to be in the crowds around Jesus that day. Here was this man, who was more than a man somehow, who could work miracles, teach circles around the rabbis, and tell the funniest stories ever, calling them his brothers and sisters. He was making himself part of their families. And more than that, Jesus was making them part of his family. He was making them part of the family of God. We in the church are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are family to each other. Maybe we don’t always get along with our blood relatives. Maybe we have broken families. Maybe we were abused by our own kin. Maybe we haven’t spoken to our siblings in years. Maybe we have been hurt or betrayed by the people who were supposed to love us. But we have another family, not family we are stuck with, but family we choose. We have people in this congregation who love us, who are com-mitted to supporting us, who want to have a relationship with us. And we have Jesus, who is proud to call us his brothers and sisters. We are family for each other. We are part of the family of God. I have the good fortune to have some good kin, people I would choose as family even if I weren’t actually related to them. And I have a few nuts on the family tree. But I am doubly blessed in being a part of God’s family, welcomed by relatives in churches wherever I go. I hope that you feel that same blessing in this congregation. If you have found family here, tell someone about it. A colleague or a friend, a business associate or a neighbor. That person might just be feeling like an orphan in this world, and we can welcome them into our family with open arms. Even if you can’t get along with your relatives, you can get along with this family and we can get along with you. Hymn W&S #3122 Christ Has Broken Down the Wall https://youtu.be/wUDxiELWtZY Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth by email at [email protected]. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer Almighty God, we open our hearts to you this morning in all our variety of needs and moods. Some of us are in pain. Some are confused. Some are tired. And some are radiantly happy. We thank you that you meet us where we are, that you have always come to us where we are. Receive the brokenhearted and the troubled among us. Give comfort where there is grief, and courage where there is fear. Replace despair with hope and sickness with health. Let your light shine into the darkness of our problems, helping us to see beyond the immediate horizon of our small beliefs and limited understanding. Make us grateful for the deep and good relationships of our lives. In all things grant us your Spirit, that we may live better than it is in us to do and that we may walk faithfully with Christ. You are our God. (John Killinger, adapted) We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, 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 Thank you, God, for your faithfulness. We bring ourselves and some of what we have accumulated to praise you and do the work you call us to do. Fulfill your purposes for this church as you use our offerings and our lives. Help us to do your will. Amen. Hymn UMH #560 Help Us Accept Each Other https://youtu.be/Bw2OmEOdEgA Benediction Go into the world to serve, to the glory of God. We are brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is among us and abides in us. Amen. |
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