Prayer as We Gather: May this be the day, Creator God, when you begin crafting within our beloved UBC fellowship “a new heaven and a new earth, where past events won’t come to mind.” Grant an unfolding future for this congregation exceeding anything we have even dared to dream, a fellowship known far and wide as a joy, a source of gladness.” Amen.*(Inspired by Isaiah 65)
Call to Worship:
You will say on that day: “I thank you, Lord. You are indeed my salvation.”
I will trust and won’t be afraid. The Lord is my strength and shield.
And you will say on that day: “Call on God’s name, proclaim God’s deeds,
Sing to the Lord, who has done glorious things.”
Shout and sing for joy,
Because the holy one of Israel is great among you. (from Isaiah 12, The Common English Bible)
Morning Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for apostle Paul’s blunt insistence that being a disciple of Jesus means not only faithfully meeting with other Christians, but also staying away from those who lead undisciplined lives … including fellow church members who don’t have time to serve others or carry their share of the work load “because they are meddling in other people’s business.” Thank you for the sweet spirit among those at UBC who “work quietly and don’t get discouraged in doing what is right,” following the good example set by a Galilean carpenter who taught us to pray, saying …*(Inspired by 2 Thessalonians 3)
Prayer of Confession: Forgive us, God, our slipshod appropriation of Jesus’ name, our deliberate obfuscating of his claim upon our lives. Pretty much everything he urges us not to do, we have merrily set about doing. Perhaps worst of all, we have called our collective malfeasance “accepting Jesus as our personal Savior,” as though a hastily-muttered formula reducing him to mere talisman status could somehow save us from ourselves. We have mischievously constructed theological creeds whose aim is to de-code the surpassing mystery of his grace, reducing his unbearable compassion to a labyrinth of signs and clues meant to unmask the afterlife’s puzzle, feverishly constructing scholastic defenses of our ignorance as we cheerily dismiss his parting counsel: “Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance. I’ll give you words and wisdom none of your opponents will be able to contradict.” We simply do not believe him. Have mercy. Amen.*(Inspired by Luke 21)
Assurance of Pardon: Actually, Jesus’ warning gets worse before it gets better: “Watch out that you aren’t deceived. They will take you into custody and harass you because of your faith. Your parents, relatives and friends will betray you, and you will be hated by all because of your allegiance to me.” Not exactly a chirpy little Chamber of Commerce brochure pitch, is it? No, it’s something far more powerfully elusive, a covenant promise straight from the lips of our risen Lord: “By standing firm, you will win true life for yourselves.” Thanks be to God for an eternal hope greater than any mere earthly signs and wonders could ever offer.*(Inspired by Luke 21)
Thought for a Sabbath Day: “As we see the gross misdeeds of our country’s highest elected official with the approval of many religious people, may we who are alive and remain Christ’s followers be found - as we await the Lord’s arrival - making a joyful noise before the Lord.” - Kenyatta R. Gilbert, professor of homiletics, Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, D.C.