August 1, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Change Me Shannon Wexelberg https://youtu.be/OMzQdf81Vio Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 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 Call to Worship Church is a moment in time when the kingdom of God draws near, when a meal, a story, a song, an apology, and even a failure is made holy by the presence of Jesus among us and within us. The church is God saying, “I’m throwing a banquet, and all these mismatched, messed up people are invited. Here, have some wine.” This is what God’s kingdom is like: a bunch of outcasts and oddballs gathered at a table, not because they are rich or worthy or good, but because they are hungry, because they said yes. And there’s always room for more. We could not become like God, so God became like us. God showed us how to heal instead of kill, how to mend instead of destroy, how to love instead of hate, how to live instead of long for more. When we nailed God to a tree, God forgave. And when we buried God in the ground, God got up. (Quotes by Rachel Held Evans) Song Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy) Chris Tomlin https://youtu.be/BcszMJRg78c Hearing the Word Scripture 2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:18a, 24 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds; but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child that is born to you shall die.” Then Nathan went to his house. The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became very ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. The elders of his house stood beside him, urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The Lord loved him … Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart Truth and Consequences I realize I’m dating myself here, but back before he hosted “The Price is Right,” Bob Barker hosted the TV game show, “Truth or Consequences,” from 1956 to 1975. It was a game show that had its beginnings as a radio show hosted by Ralph Edwards from 1940 to 1957. The way the game was played was that the contestants got about two seconds to answer a trivia question, usually some really off-the-wall question that no one would ever be able to come up with a correct answer for, before “Beulah the Buzzer” sounded. If they failed to answer the “truth” portion, then the contestants had to face the “consequences,” which meant performing some crazy and embarrassing stunt. Almost from the beginning, it seemed like most of the contestants preferred to answer the question wrong so that they would have to perform the stunt! On an interesting side-note, on May 22, 1948 the show broadcast live from the newly founded Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The host, Ralph Edwards, surprised a 12-year-old cancer patient named Einar Gustafson by bringing in players from the Boston Braves to visit him in his room. Edwards referred to Gustafson as “Jimmy” to protect his identity. This broadcast launched “The Jimmy Fund” and the long-standing relationship between the cancer institute and the Boston Red Sox as their official charity beginning in 1953. While the game show consequences were embarrassing stunts that the contestants seemed to actually enjoy performing, the consequences that fell on David for his sin against God were not so pleasant. You might remember from last week that David had broken two of the Ten Commandments: he had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and he had conspired to murder her husband, Uriah. His actions greatly displeased God, and God would hold David accountable for what he had done. And so God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about his sins. Nathan did not directly state David’s sins to him; instead, he used a technique that Jesus would take up some 2,000 years later. He used a parable. Nathan told David a story about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had many flocks and herds, but the poor man had only one little ewe lamb which was a family pet and greatly loved. A traveler came to the home of the rich man, but the rich man did not want to kill one of his own animals in order to feed the traveler. Instead, he took the ewe lamb from the poor man and slaughtered it in order to prepare a meal for the traveler. When David heard the story, he was furious! He told Nathan that the rich man deserved to die for what he had done, and should pay the poor man back with four lambs. Nathan pointed to David and shouted, “You are the man!” I wonder how long it took for Nathan’s words to sink in. David must have stood there with his mouth hanging open for a moment or two. And then he realized that he was, indeed, the man. He who had so much had taken Uriah’s wife for himself. And he had not only taken what was Uriah’s, he had made sure that Uriah was killed. God had given David the position of king and protected him from Saul during the wars; God had given him the palace; God had given David wives; God would have given him even more. But David, in response to God’s goodness, had done what was evil in the sight of God. He had broken God’s law. He had been responsible for the death of Uriah and he had taken Uriah’s wife for himself. The consequences for David’s actions would be harsh and tragic. Nathan told David that the sword would never depart from his house. God would raise up trouble against David even from within his own house. And, indeed, David dealt with violence and war for most of the rest of his life, even from within his own family. And finally, Nathan told David, the child that was the result of David’s adultery with Bathsheba would die. And the child did become ill and die. It is hard for us to understand a God who punishes, perhaps. But I want you to think about God as a parent. Every parent understands the need to punish his or her child at one time or another. There are rules that are set out for the child. And children being children, rules get broken. Some rules are there for the child’s safety, like not running out into the road. And when rules get broken, punishment must take place or the child doesn’t learn to not break the rules. The form the punishment takes will vary depending on the parent and depending on the rule that was broken. But the punishment is given out of love, not out of anger or spite or abusiveness. If a parent does not teach a child right from wrong, the parent has not done the child any favors in life. And if a child is allowed to break rules without consequences, they will not function well in society, where breaking rules or laws will result in consequences, such as lost jobs or imprisonment. God punishes out of love, as well, not out of spite or meanness or abusiveness. Some of the sins we commit carry their own kind of punishment. When we abuse our bodies, for instance, through abusing drugs or alcohol or cigarettes, we should not be surprised when there are health consequences. Or when we pursue numerous sexual relationships, we may also end up with less than pleasant health consequences. Other times situations lead to consequences of broken relationships or lost jobs, such as in cases of embezzlement that is found out. But wrong living will almost always result in some kind of punishment. Actions have consequences. And the prophet Nathan made clear to David the link between what he had done and what was going to happen to him. But the harsh consequences were not the end of David’s story. Not by a long shot. After their baby died, David consoled Bathsheba. And later on, they had another baby, a baby boy named Solomon. And Solomon would one day become king after David. Solomon was loved by God, and would be the king who would build the Temple in Jerusalem. Where there is judgment and punishment for sin, there follows grace and forgiveness and hope. That is also the message of Holy Communion. We remember that the judgment and the punishment for our sin was taken on by Jesus, when he went to the cross. And we have grace through Jesus, that we may be forgiven for all our sins. We have hope for the future because we know that God doesn’t hold our sins against us, but instead wipes the slate clean. Our sins are erased from the books as if they had never been there at all. Jesus became the perfect sacrificial Lamb, according to John’s Gospel, the Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. Sin does have consequences. But the consequences for those who follow Christ do not include death. We have life and we have hope because we have forgiveness by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our truth may include sin, but it also includes forgiveness of sin. And that is the best consequence we could ever hope for. Song Lamb of God Twila Paris https://youtu.be/kmVrP-G3rAw 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 Holy and Just God, We prefer to focus on your mercy and forgiveness, but the truth is you also demand justice, and sometimes that involves punishment of sin. Yes, when we ask for forgiveness, you grant it. But some sins bring their own kind of punishment. And there is a price to pay for doing wrong in your sight. As David found out so long ago, that price can be very high and very painful. We stand before you today guilty of having sinned. No one is perfectly innocent; all of us have gone astray and fallen short and missed the mark. But because of the grace that we receive through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. We don’t understand how that works, or why it is true, but we believe that it is. And we give you thanks for your mercy and compassion. Help us to leave behind the ways that we have done wrong and move forward committed to doing what is right in your eyes. Give us the strength of character to live according to the example of Jesus. And when we stumble along the way, help us to quickly return to you. We pray 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 Gracious God, as you have generously given to us, so we generously give back to you. Use these offerings as a means to building your kingdom in this world. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. Song Victory in Jesus Steven Curtis Chapman, Herbert Chapman Sr., Herbert Chapman, Jr. https://youtu.be/yCg__E7te18 Benediction Go from this place having received the grace and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ. We are the loved and valued children of God. Share the good news that all are welcome in the presence of God and in this place. As we are loved, we will also show love to others. Amen.
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July 25, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven https://youtu.be/mDe0ABw5IHs Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 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 Call to Worship We enter the presence of God with fear and trembling, knowing our own sinfulness. We are reminded of the ways that we have missed the mark in obeying the commands of God. We have done what we should not do, and have left undone the things that we should have done. We have turned away from those in need and chosen instead to put ourselves first. We realize that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And so we come seeking forgiveness, relying on God’s mercy and steadfast love. Song Grace Greater Than Our Sin Virtual Choir https://youtu.be/HchiPxParwg Opening Prayer Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash my thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Amen. (From Psalm 51, A Psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba) Song Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy Virtual Choir https://youtu.be/tcrAQ8DLme8 Hearing the Word Scripture 2 Samuel 11:1-17 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged he Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah remain in at Succoth; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.” Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.” As Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant warriors. The men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite was killed as well. Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart A Good Man Falls When you see one of your heroes fall from grace, it can be really difficult to process. I remember when O.J. Simpson was arrested for murder. I couldn’t believe it! This man had been a football star, winning the Heisman trophy in 1968, playing in the NFL for 11 seasons. He had been inducted into both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fames. He had been successful as an NFL broadcaster and an actor. How could this have happened? And what about Tiger Woods? He is perhaps the greatest golfer ever to play the game. I have watched him since he first appeared on the scene. He has done amazing things on the course. But in 2009 he was exposed as a cheater, when it came out that he had had numerous affairs with women. He ended up divorced from his wife and lost many endorsements. Some people followed the career of Lance Armstrong with great interest. He won the Tour de France seven years in a row, from 1999 to 2005, an incredible feat. But in 2012 all of his victories were voided when it was proven that he had used performance-enhancing drugs. He was banned from the sport of bicycle racing for life. And it is not just our sports heroes who let us down. I was so disappointed when I learned about the real character of Bill Cosby. He had been known as “America’s Dad,” famous for the sweaters he wore on “The Cosby Show.” But in 2014 more than 60 women accused him of rape, drugging them, and sexual misconduct, going back to the 1960s. He served time in prison after being convicted on charges, but was recently released due to a technicality. And I was also upset over the case of Matt Lauer, the former host of the “Today” show. He was accused in November 2017 of assaulting a female staffer during the 2014 Olympics. He was fired after other women came forward accusing him of predatory actions, including inappropriate texts and gifts. But I was most hurt when someone I knew and looked up to really let me down and disappointed me. His name was Dick Nelson and he was the youth minister of the First Baptist Church in Manassas, Virginia. He was good friends with the youth minister at my church, Charlie Walls. They had gotten a brilliant idea: our two youth groups would work together to do campground ministry in Florida for a week in the summer of 1979 (the summer after my senior year in high school). We met together during spring break to practice our musical numbers (we planned to do musical performances every night and hold Vacation Bible School every morning at the campground). I just loved Dick! He was so much fun! He was very musical and so he ran the rehearsals. He managed to get a group of about 40 kids to focus on what we were supposed to be doing for three long days of practicing, and make it seem more like sheer joy than hard work. And when we traveled to Florida that summer, he cracked jokes with everybody, got to know all of us and made us feel special and appreciated. I would have done anything for Dick. But about a year later, I was talking with Charlie while I was home from college. For some reason, I thought about that trip the previous summer, and asked if he had heard from Dick lately. Well, it turned out that Dick had resigned his position from the church and had been divorced from his wife. He had been carrying on an affair with the church organist and they had gotten married. I was so shocked and disappointed and hurt. I couldn’t believe that someone who seemed to be so strong of a Christian, and so wonderful of a role model for all of us young people, could do something like that. Not only did he break his marriage vows and hurt his wife and children, but he also did harm to all of the youth that he had had in his youth groups. We had looked up to him and seen him as an example of what we wanted to be like, and he had let us all down. If I had been living in Jerusalem that spring long ago, I think I would have felt the same way about King David. I would have felt like he had let me down, like he had disappointed me. I would have watched as a good man fell from grace. David kind of put himself in a position where it was easy for him to get in trouble. For one thing, instead of going out with his army into battle, he stayed back home in Jerusalem. The story doesn’t tell us why he did that. We can only speculate. Perhaps he was bored with military excursions. After all, he had spent the better part of his life engaged in warfare against Saul, against the Philistines, against a whole host of other enemies. Maybe he was just ready and willing to leave the whole thing in the hands of his trusted generals, and take a break from it all. I don’t know. But I do know that his lack of official activity left him with too much time on his hands. The second thing David did that contributed to his downfall was to take a second look at a beautiful woman who was not his wife. He was walking around on the roof of the palace, where there was probably a patio, and he happened to notice a beautiful woman on a neighboring roof taking a bath. Instead of looking away immediately, David took note of her and sent someone to find out who she was. As it turned out, she was Bathsheba, married to Uriah the Hittite, one of his David’s soldiers who was off fighting in the war. It shouldn’t have mattered who this woman was; she wasn’t his wife. And he had no business getting involved with her. He should never have allowed his lust to take control of his actions. The third thing David did wrong was to pursue this woman. Even though he knew that he was married, even though he knew that SHE was married, he still had her brought to him in the palace and he had sexual relations with her. It borders on rape, really, because this woman had no choice in the matter. If the king wanted to have sex with a woman, he had sex with her. There was no discussion of her willingness. It was his “right” as the king. And he exercised that right with Bathsheba. And Bathsheba soon notified David that she was pregnant with his child. The fourth mistake David made was to plan an elaborate cover-up. Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, perhaps admitting to Uriah what he had done and making some kind of arrangements to provide for the child’s needs, David decided to try and trick Uriah into thinking the child was his. He had Uriah brought home from the front, believing that the man would surely take advantage of the opportunity to sleep with his wife while he was in Jerusalem. But Uriah did not even go to his home at all. He slept outside the palace with the king’s servants. When David asked him why he didn’t go to his own home, Uriah explained that it wouldn’t be right for him to enjoy the comforts of home while all the other soldiers were still on the battlefield sleeping out in the open. Even when David got Uriah drunk, he still did not go home to his wife. Finally, David conspired to commit murder. He wrote a letter to his general, Joab, and instructed him to place Uriah in the thick of the fighting and then pull back the troops so that Uriah would be sure to be killed in battle. He gave this letter to Uriah to carry to Joab. Joab followed David’s instructions, and Uriah was soon dead according to plan. David had the blood of an innocent man on his hands. And all because he couldn’t resist taking Uriah’s wife for himself. What started out as a simple case of lust ended up as a cold-blooded, premeditated murder. And a story of a good man who feel from grace. David didn’t set out to commit murder. And yet that is what happened in the end. I remember when I was a kid and I got caught doing something wrong. My excuse was usually, “I didn’t mean to.” And my dad would say to me, “But you didn’t mean NOT to.” In this case, David didn’t mean to commit murder, but he didn’t mean not to either. He allowed his desires to get out of hand and it resulted in adultery and murder. Anyone can find themselves in situations they never intended to be in. And most of us probably have found ourselves there at least once. We’ve given in to our own desires. We’ve allowed ourselves to be led astray by temptations that seemed to big to resist. We’ve either deliberately chosen to do the wrong thing, or we’ve wandered away from the right thing one tiny step at a time until we’re far from the ways of God. But in any case, not one of us is guiltless, not one of us is sinless. We can all relate to David in some way or another. But God does not leave us there in our sinfulness. God does not make that the end of our stories. God offers us a way out, a way back to where we belong. We’ll talk more about that next week. But for now let it be enough to remember that our sin – our separation from God – is not where we have to remain. It is up to us to respond to God’s grace and forgiveness by making our confession and choosing to repent of our sin, to change directions in our lives, and live the way God has called us to live. When good men and good women fall from grace, our God makes a way to lift us up again. Song Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling Carrie Underwood https://youtu.be/L1ywXuCbyPg 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 Mighty and Holy God, You know that even good people – even the best people – are not immune to temptation. Even good men and women fall sometimes. We fail. We miss the mark. We sin. Sometimes we sin quite deliberately, turning our backs on you in order to pursue someone or something that looks more interesting, more fulfilling, more fun, more rewarding. Other times we sin almost without realizing it, drifting away a little bit at a time until we realize all of a sudden how very far away from you we have ended up. But not matter how it happens, the result is the same. We are separated from you. And the only way to deal with the problem of sin is to confess it. So, Lord, we confess our sins in your presence today. Whatever we have done that we should not have done, we sincerely repent of and promise to turn in another direction. And whatever we have not done that we should have done, we are now aware of and will do better in the future. Accept our heartfelt sorrow and our intentions to sin no more. Grant to us your grace and mercy, out of your steadfast love. We seek your forgiveness and we pledge to live in ways that are pleasing to you. We pray 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 Gracious God, your goodness and mercy are ever flowing to us in abundance. All good and perfect gifts come from you. We now return to you a portion of those gifts, to be used in your service. Bless us and bless these gifts, that they may build up your kingdom on this earth. Amen. Song Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior Wintley Phipps https://youtu.be/kJrRZAiuHOg Benediction Go now in peace, having received the grace and mercy of God. God’s steadfast love endures forever. God’s compassion never fails. Great is God’s faithfulness to each of us. Amen. July 18, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song God’s Promises CPH VBS https://youtu.be/HCUIDB0C2_Y Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 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 Call to Worship From the beginning, God has made promises to human beings. God promised Noah that he would never again destroy the earth by flood. God promised Abraham that he would make him a great nation. God promised the Hebrew slaves to send them a deliverer. God promised Moses to lead his people to his holy mountain. God promised David that he would keep his dynasty going forever. God promised Daniel to protect him from the hungry lions. God promised the exiles to bring them home again. God promised to send a Savior to his people. God promised to be with us always, to the end of the age. We worship a God who keeps his promises. Thanks be to God! Song Standing on the Promises Fountainview Academy https://youtu.be/5DgpDt4f7vI Opening Prayer O God, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us, so that your way may be known upon the earth, and your saving power may be known among the nations. We are glad and we sing for joy, because you judge us fairly and you guide us. O God, continue to bless us; let all the earth praise you. Amen. (Based on Psalm 67) Song Great is Thy Faithfulness Dutchforward https://youtu.be/dTKIqmdfHSk Hearing the Word Scripture 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not build me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus shall you say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for me people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart God’s Promises Have you ever noticed how easily we make – and break – promises? For instance, we say, “I’ll be there in five minutes,” knowing full well that it will take us at least 15 minutes. We promise, “We’ll keep in touch,” when we both are aware that we might write once or twice or call a couple of times, but then we’ll get caught up in our lives and forget about that pledge. We say, “I won’t tell anyone,” but we’re already listing in our heads the people we can’t wait to shock with the news. We look a child straight in the eye and say, “This won’t hurt a bit,” when we all know that’s a lie. Perhaps we are shaped so much by the culture around us, we don’t even realize that we are making promises that we will never keep. After all, the advertising industry does it all the time! And what about politicians? I looked on the Internet, and there are websites devoted to specific politicians and how they have broken promises made to their constituents. I found it interesting to consider how many U.S. presidents have broken their campaign promises. In 1916 Woodrow Wilson campaigned on the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” But just 29 days after being sworn in for a second term, he asked Congress to declare war against Germany. In 1928 Herbert Hoover was proclaiming prosperity for everyone, promising a chicken in every pot and a car in every backyard. Less than eight months after he took office, the bottom fell out of the stock market and the country entered the Great Depression. In 1940, Franklin Roosevelt promised, “Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.” But after December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he asked for, and got, declarations of war against Japan and Germany. In 1964 Lyndon Johnson promised, “We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.” But he soon sent troops to Vietnam and escalated the war several times during his presidency. In 1968 Richard Nixon promised to make peace with honor in Vietnam, but the war dragged on and the last troops were not withdrawn until 1975, after Nixon had left office. In 1976 Jimmy Carter promised to solve the energy crisis by increasing the gas tax and deregulating the gas and oil industry. However, without support from Congress, his initiatives got nowhere and the energy crisis got worse. In 1980 Ronald Reagan pledged to pass a constitutional amendment allowing voluntary prayer in public schools, but his proposal died in Congress. In 1988 George H. W. Bush famously promised, “Read my lips: No new taxes.” But in 1990 he was forced to admit that increased in taxes were necessary after all. In 1992 Bill Clinton campaigned on the promise to initiate a complete overhaul of the healthcare system and offer universal healthcare to all Americans; this proposal died in Congress. In 2000 George W. Bush promised to reduce government spending and bring American troops home from being scattered all around the world; but after 9/11 government spending skyrocketed due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2008 Barack Obama promised to work to close the partisan divide in Washington, D.C., but when he left office the divide was worse than when he came in. And Donald Trump made promises to repeal Obamacare, build the border wall, and put Hillary Clinton in prison, none of which he was able to keep. Our government has been guilty of breaking promises, none so heinous as the promises broken over and over again that were made to Native Americans. Native peoples were driven off of their ancestral homelands onto reservations that were promised to be theirs forever; later those treaties were often revoked and white settlers where allowed to come onto those reservations, or the Native peoples were relocated to other sites that were less desirable. Is it any wonder that we are skeptical when it comes to believing promises that are made to us? Isn’t it just a natural reflex to doubt what people will really do when they make promises to us? And can’t we all understand why it is so hard to take someone at their word, to trust what they say, to believe that they will do what they say they will do? And sometimes that lack of trust even spills over into our relationship with God. This passage from 2 Samuel has to do with some promises that God made to King David. David had settled in Jerusalem. He had defeated all of his enemies and things were peaceful. He had built a nice palace for himself to live in. He had brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and placed it in a special tent. But he began to feel guilty that the Ark of God was just a tent while he was living in some degree of splendor. So he consulted the prophet Nathan. At first Nathan seemed to encourage David to go ahead with his plan to build a house for God, a temple where the Ark could be placed. But then God gave Nathan a message for David that involved promises about the future home of the Ark and about the future of David’s dynasty. Both promises involve a “house” – the Hebrew word is the same for both, bayith – the house where the Ark would be placed, or the Temple; and the house of David, or the dynasty of David. Regarding the Temple: David was not given permission to build the Temple. No explanation was given for that here, but in 1 Chronicles 22:8 it says that David was prevented from building the Temple because he was a man of warfare and bloodshed. Instead, God promised that David’s son would build the Temple. We know that the son who built that Temple was Solomon. Regarding the Dynasty: God promised that David’s family would remain on the throne, not just for a while, but forever. In fact, David’s descendants did stay in power for about 400 years; but when you take into consideration the fact that Jesus, the Messiah, was a descendant of David, then the “forever” part rings true, because Jesus is King forever. These promises that God made to David assured the stability of the kingdom. There would be a Temple in which the Ark would be placed, and God’s presence would dwell there. God would be present in Jerusalem, with the people, with the king. That was a powerful symbol and a reassurance to David, and to all of Israel. And there would be stability in the leadership of the nation. That could ensure peace and a degree of prosperity for the people, as long as they kept to the covenant with God made at Sinai. Of course, we know that they were not always faithful the promises that they made to God in that covenant. But God was faithful to the promises he had made to them. What promises has God made in your life? Has God been faithful to them? Has God kept his word to you? Does that lead you to trust God even more with your future? Knowing that God has been faithful in the past gives me the assurance that I can trust God in the future. I can believe God’s promises to me because God has kept his promises to me that were made in the past. God promises to be with me, and God is with me. God promises to love me, and God does love me. God promises to forgive me, and God does forgive me. And I know that God keeps the promises he has made to you. Hold on to those promises. Trust in them. Trust in the God who made them. Because God’s promises will not fail. God will keep his word. God’s promises are promises that you can count on. Song Promises Maverick City Music https://youtu.be/bhFwh_59H2c 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, in a world where we hear many promises that are so easily broken, it is difficult to believe in any more promises. We find it hard to trust the word of anyone, because we have been hurt before. And yet, we know that you are not like human beings; you are trustworthy and faithful. You have been shown to keep your promises, over and over and over again. So help us to believe and to trust and to rest assured that you will do what you say you will do. Let us take you at your word and believe in what you promise. And make us into the kind of people who keep our word to others and who always keep the promises we make to other people. We pray 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 Gracious God, you have given freely to us, and freely we return to you a portion of those gifts. We ask that you use them to benefit others as they have need, and to build up your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Song Forever God is Faithful Michael W. Smith https://youtu.be/uSM96OA39ic Benediction Go now in peace, knowing that we worship a God who is faithful and who keeps his promises. Trust in God’s goodness and mercy. And be a person who is faithful in keeping your promises to God and to each other. Amen. July 11, 2021
Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering Gathering Song Turn, Turn, Turn The Byrds https://youtu.be/pKP4cfU28vM Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your invitation: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. 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 Call to Worship We remember all the hardships David endured, being committed to finding a dwelling place for the Lord. He did not rest until he found a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob. He searched until he found the Ark of the Covenant. He brought it to its resting place. Then the Lord promised that the sons of David would sit on his throne forever. The Lord promised to make Zion his resting place forever. (Based on Psalm 132) Song Lord of the Dance Steven Curtis Chapman https://youtu.be/L_MnQxAd16k Opening Prayer My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praise to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Amen. (Psalm 108:1-4) Hearing the Word Scripture 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 112b-19 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of trumpet. As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes. Song David Danced Joshua Aaron From “King David” https://youtu.be/g7cnJOiY2LI Sermon David – A Man After God’s Own Heart A Time to Dance One of my favorite movies ever is the 1984 hit musical drama, “Footloose,” star-ring Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack. Ren and his mother move from Chicago to a small town in the rural Southwest to live with Ren’s aunt and uncle. They soon meet Reverend Shaw and his daughter Ariel, who becomes Ren’s girlfriend. Ren has a lot of trouble adjusting to life in a small town, and especially when he finds out that the town banned dancing due to the efforts of Reverend Shaw. As it turns out, Ariel’s brother died in a car accident while driving drunk after a dance a few years earlier. Ren decides to try to overturn the ban on dancing so that the high school can have a senior prom. He is given the opportunity to go before the town council, and with Ariel’s help he finds several Bible passages that refer to dancing as a way to rejoice, to exercise, and to celebrate. He also quotes a verse about King David dancing. Here is a clip from that scene in the movie: (Play video clip) The story in 2 Samuel 6 about the bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem really begins way back in 1 Samuel 6, when the Ark was captured by the Philistines during a battle with King Saul. The Philistines soon discovered that the Ark had power, destructive power, that unleashed itself against them. The people began to break out with tumors. They moved the Ark from place to place, and everywhere it went the people were afflicted with these tumors. Finally, they decided to return the Ark to Israel. It ended up in the custody of a man named Abinadab, who gave his son Eleazer charge of it. Many years went by, and the Ark was basically neglected by the King and by the people of Israel. But then King David began to unify his kingdom by establishing Jerusalem as his capital city. In addition to making it a political capital, he wanted to make it a religious center as well, and it made sense to bring the Ark, a symbol of the presence of God, to Jerusalem. It was believed that God’s presence literally rested above the Ark between the figures of the cherubim. And inside the Ark were symbols of God’s inter-action with the people of Israel: the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written, and some of the manna that God had provided for them in the wilderness. David made the bringing of the Ark to Jerusalem a national affair, and some 30,000 people were a part of the event. There was great joy and a lot of celebration and music, with David and all the people dancing before God with all their might, playing lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. It was certainly a noisy procession! There was not only religious devotion being expressed, but also patriotism. There was both love of country and love of God being demonstrated by this parade of enthusiastic people. I recently read a book called West With Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge. It is a novel based on an actual event. It is set in 1938, when the Great Depression is still lingering and Adolf Hitler is threatening Europe and people are still dealing with the Dust Bowl in the Midwest. Two giraffes are brought over on a ship from Africa bound for the San Diego Zoo. They are caught in a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic, but survive. And then they are carried across country by truck. The entire country eagerly follows their progress through the daily newspapers, caught up in a story that is uplifting and exciting. People gather along the highway as the giraffes pass through to cheer them on. The journey takes 12 days, but the giraffes arrive safely to their new home. It was a national event, a 3,000-mile parade! And the excitement reminded me of this procession of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Once they got to Jerusalem, David put on an ephod, which was an undergarment worn by priests, and he began to dance. This tells us that he saw his dancing as part of a religious ritual. The scripture tells us that he danced before the Lord with all his might, leaping and dancing, as all of Israel shouted and trumpets were blown. The people brought the Ark to a tent that had been put up to house it until a permanent home could be built; this Temple would not be built in David’s lifetime, but would be constructed by his son Solomon. But once the Ark was in place in Jerusalem, the city was perceived as both the political and the religious capital of the nation. And people would begin to make pilgrimages to the city, a practiced that has continued to this very day. I thought about the symbolism of the Washington National Cathedral in the life of our nation. In addition to being an active religious center, with worship services, Episcopal priests, and other religious activities, the Cathedral is also home to many national and political symbols. For example, there are statues of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Howard Thurman, and Martin Luther King, Jr. There is the Space Window, which holds a piece of moon rock brought back by Neil Armstrong with Apollo 11. There are even statues of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, which have become sources of controversy in recent years. It is both a political and a religious center in our nation’s capital. The only negative factor in the whole story of David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem is when his wife Michal, referred to here only as the daughter of Saul, saw David dancing and despised him in her heart. She was angry that he was dancing in that fashion and thought that he was humiliating himself and disrespecting the position that he held. For Michal, this was clearly not the time or the place to dance, at least in the way that David had danced. But I want to say, this was a time to dance. What better time or place could there be to dance than to dance before the Lord? And why would you hold back if you are dancing to worship and honor God? Of course, you would dance with all your might! And that might involve leaping! I have come to appreciate and value liturgical dance in the context of worship. I don’t always understand interpretive dance; it is one type of musical expression that I am not really comfortable trying myself. But I enjoy watching others doing it. But I am someone who likes to move sometimes in worship. Sometimes I just can’t keep still! My feet tap. My hands beat a rhythm on my knees. I want to clap or sway or take a step to the right and a step to the left. Come on, admit it, I bet some-times you’d like to move, too. I like to dance. I don’t do it well. I am not what you’d call a ballroom dancer. But I enjoy moving to the music. Especially 70s music. But really almost anything. Pennie and I used to belong to a social group in Rhode Island that held about 8 dances a year and we really enjoyed going. I have even done square dancing before; my youth group in church way back in the late 70s is where I learned to square dance, and I still remember the Virginia Reel! There is a time to dance. There is a time to celebrate. And I think the time is now. Even if we just dance inside, in our hearts, in our spirits, in our souls. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. We have been through months of trauma, tragedy, stress, pressure, anxiety, lockdown, and isolation. Now we are able to gather for worship, family cook-outs, boating on the lake, fireworks displays, and other activities. We are not out of the woods yet, but we are reaching the other side. We have made progress. We are get-ting there. We have things we can celebrate. I am tired of sitting still; I feel the need to kick up my heels and dance! I want to dance before the Lord! I want to worship with my whole body! I realize that dancing is not comfortable for everyone, especially in the context of worship or church. And I’m not going to have you dancing in the aisles before you leave this morning, so don’t panic! But it’s okay if you want to tap your feet, or sway to the music, or take a step or two to the right and left. But I hope you will all feel like you are dancing on the inside. Let your spirits and souls soar to heaven. Feel yourselves reach up towards God and sense the music of the angel choir. Hear the songs of the Book of Psalms and remember that many of them are praise hymns designed for public worship. There is a time to dance. Don’t miss out on it. Song A Time to Dance Elias Drummer https://youtu.be/dagP9RjP7fI 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 everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance … Mighty God, we experience such a variety of experiences in our lives. We have been through times of feeling like something inside of us was dying, and we have been through times of physical, emotional, or psychological healing. We have broken down, and we have risen up again. We have wept, sometimes wondering if the tears would ever stop, and we have laughed so hard that tears rolled down our cheeks. We have mourned, you know how we have mourned in the past 15 months. And now it is our time to dance, to rejoice, to celebrate! We have come through this so far. We may be worn and weary. We may have lost someone or something to the pandemic. But we are still here. And we are ready to dance before you. We want our spirits to rise up towards heaven and feel your presence near. We raise our voices to join in with the song of the angel choir. We move our feet and even leap like King David as the power of your Spirit moves us. And our dance is not all about us. It is about worshiping you. So let our dancing bring us joy and bring you glory. We pray 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 Gracious God, our hearts leap for joy as we bring our gifts, grateful for your generosity to us, and grateful for this opportunity to share what we have with others. Bless these gifts and those who will benefit from them. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Song Footloose Kenny Loggins https://youtu.be/MzsVV2by3Vw Benediction For everything there is a season. And a time for every matter under heaven. This is our time to dance. We will dance with all our might before the Lord. Amen. |
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