AUGUST 14, 2022

Twentieth Sunday In Ordinary Time ♦ Proper 15 ♦ Tenth Sunday After Pentecost August 14, 2022 A Liturgy For Worship And Meditation OPENING WORDS God of creation, You brought life to all that we see. You set the boundaries of the universe and placed us within its care. Creator God, breathe life into Your creation. Holy Spirit, You bind Your children together in community. Your bonds transcend borders created by humankind. You kindle the fire within us that stirs our passion for faith, justice, and reconciliation. Spirit God, inspire us to reconcile. Jesus the Christ, You came to teach and to lead. You showed us the cost of discipleship when You stood up against the powers of the world, and they tried to suppress Your truth by sentencing You to death. Your life was more powerful than death and Your truth lives on in us. Jesus the Christ, help us reflect Your light of truth and peace. PRAYER FOR THE DAY Judge eternal, you love justice and hate oppression; you give peace to those who seek it, and you condemn the rage of violence. Give us courage to take our stand with all victims of bloodshed and greed, and, following your servants and prophets, look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Amen. CONFESSION Gracious God, We know You to be generous and full of compassion but in our anxiety we have stumbled and lost our way. Called to be a voice for the voiceless we have been silent. Challenged to fight for justice we have turned away. Co-opted to the work of breaking down barriers we have been quick to judge and slow to welcome. Forgive all the moments when we have neglected to seek out Your will and to follow it. —Silence— Grant us the courage to be Your faithful people that Your compassion may flow through us to heal a broken world. Amen. ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS God would have us be honest in all things. To cry out when we are in pain to seek guidance when we are lost and to trust in God's strength when we are afraid. Give thanks that we are reconciled to God and free to be the people that God would have us be. Amen. FIRST READING—Jeremiah 23:23-29 23:23 Am I a God nearby, says the Holy One, and not a God far off? 23:24 Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says God. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Holy One. 23:25 I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!" 23:26 How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back—those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? 23:27 They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for false gods. 23:28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says God. 23:29 Is not my word like fire, says the Holy One, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? PSALMODY—Psalm 82 82:1 God has taken place among the divine council; in the midst of the gods the Holy One holds judgment: 82:2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 82:3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. 82:4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." 82:5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 82:6 I had taken you for divine beings, children of the Most High, all of you; 82:7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any human royalty." 82:8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you! SECOND READING—Hebrews 11:29-12:2 11:29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 11:31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. 11:32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- 11:33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 11:34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 11:35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 11:36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 11:37 They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. 11:38 They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 11:39-40 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. GOSPEL READING—Luke 12:49-56 12:49 "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 12:50 I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! 12:51 Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! 12:52-53 From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." 12:54 He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it happens. 12:55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? One cannot hold up the way of Jesus as to compare it against the way of the world without seeing that it is more of a contrast than a comparison. There is no doubt about it—Jesus' way is the pathway to justice and peace. Nevertheless, Jesus' way to peace stands in contrast to our ways of making and maintaining peace. for this very reason, the words of Jesus help us understand why there is so much conflict in the world. As Jesus said, "You think I have come to bring peace. But, I tell you, I will bring division." And, this division runs deep. Wife and husband are set against one another, parents and children are set against one another, there is not a place that is without division. It is difficult to hear and understand that power and wealth as we know it cannot bring peace. The truth is that the power and wealth that we readily understand are not only impotent to making people; as they are one of the reasons why there is so little peace on earth. Power and wealth combine to make greed and greed stands perfectly opposite justice and peace. Greed is not about helping one another and caring for the common good. Rather, greed is the stuff of ego and self-absorption, of getting all one is able without regard for the needs of others. Can you picture Jesus at a meeting of the Board of Directors of a major oil company? Would the result be one peace? Or, what if Jesus was part pf the United Nations and spoke out about living in peace with one another regardless of what country is your home? Would there be a resolution for peace? Or, perhaps Jesus being part of the Pentagon Staff meeting in the war room? Would violence and warfare be placed aside for negotiations and the sacred value of other's life—even when they are seen as bring the enemy? In the same way that people tried to stop Jesus from proclaiming that the Realm of God is near, the outcomes would be likewise. In the same way that Jesus was seen as a threat to many and thus killed for what he said and did, would we side with Jesus today in a majority great enough to live the Kin-Dom's truth? Living according to the way of God, placing justice and peace as the bedrock and cornerstone by which we construct our society and culture is the very thing that gets people killed. And, the irony here is that those who have minds fixed against such a message are largely the people sitting in the pews and standing behind the pulpit on Sunday morning. In fact, the greatest irony is that we see the reasons for failed peace and ongoing injustice as being the do9ng of our identified enemy, when in all reality we shall certainly be surprised when we find them, with us, in heaven. Let us pray: God of restless fire, and urgent river’s flow: unsettle the false peace which hides our divisions; unfold our hearts to sense your presence unloose your kingdom and make us one in Jesus Christ, the first of many brothers and sisters. Amen. — Inclusive Church. Steven Shakespeare © 2008 Canterbury Press PRAYER OF RESPONSE God of all the nations, you rescued your people out of the Red Sea and delivered Rahab from battle; you rescue the lowly and needy from injustice and tribulation. Surround us with so great a cloud of witnesses that we may have faith to live by your word in our time, courage to persevere in the race set before us, and endurance in the time of trial. Amen. PRAYER OF INTERCESSION Holy One, words are jumbled, like my thoughts and concerns, piling one on top of the other. I wonder how to distil this into some sort of sense for my sisters and brothers walking with me across the globe on their unique journey into and with You. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. For wisdom: for all gathering in conferences and assemblies across the spectrum of human interests: that integrity, listening hearts and minds may come together to make just and equitable decision affecting all and not favor just the few. Forgive us for trying to protect the status quo at the expense of those without status. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. We pray for religious groups of all faiths stuck in bigoted fear and revulsion of those ‘different’ from them, unable to see that they too are made and loved in the image of God the Creator of all. We include all those at the troubled and divided within the United Methodist Church. Help them and all of us remember that true reconciliation can only take place when we are reconciled genuinely with You. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. For justice: while some of us have had 4 vaccinations and booster shots against Covid, billions are still unprotected despite all the failed promises of so many countries earlier in the pandemic. For a change of heart in greedy oil companies and states swamped with immense profits while billions are struggling to pay for fuel, food and heat. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. For the small but significant signs that human ingenuity is finding new ways to solve problems. In the use of other sources of engery that are evironmentally friendly. For the beginninf of cooperqatoion between nations to address climate change and starting to reverse deforestation across the world. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. Our planet damaged by our greedy misuse of its resources is showing forest fires on all continents, and harvests are crippled by drought, war, and political decisions. We give thanks for all working to counteract this, to educating and amending our ways even at the cost of our own personal comfort. We pray for protection of those whistle-blowers often doing so in danger of their own lives. Loving God hear our prayer: and lead us to respond to your promptings. —World in Prayer Team: https://worldinprayer.org/2022 PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING God of Peace, Who created this world and saw that it was good, We acknowledge before You now that we are part of a world that has as much conflict and tension as it does peace. Revive in all people, we pray, a sense of Your peace, which passes our understanding, but lifts our eyes and hearts above competition to cooperation, above petty disputes to compromise, above tension to harmony. Let Your Holy Spirit, breath of all creatures, purifier of all souls and healer of all wounds, be fire to our heart, light to our path and friend for our journey as we seek to rebuild peace in Your world. We pray particularly for peace in the whole of Eastern Asia, for efforts to agree in a peace treaty, for a cessation of warfare, harming, and harm, for attempts to reduce the worst of our armaments, for talks about cooperation. We give thanks for all who work for peace and aspire in Youcessationr strength to add to their efforts, In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace. Amen. —Based on words of Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) PRAYER OF DEDICATION “We may not change the whole world – but we could make a difference. We shall not wait to feed all the hungry children in Africa, Asia, South America, North America, or even Glasgow, Scotland, and we shall start here and now by sharing the food we have with each other. We shall not wait for border laws to change, and we shall start now by opening our homes to strangers and friends. We shall not wait for the whole world to stop hatred, discrimination, injustice, oppression, and we shall start here and now: through accepting ourselves, our neighbors and spreading as much kindness as we can. We shall not wait to serve god in heaven, and we shall start here and now through serving those we meet in our daily lives. Holy One: make sense of our groanings, whispers and yells. Transform them and us with your wisdom, mercy, love, and Holy Spirit so that Your will may be done on this broken, wounded but glorious earth and its peoples as is done in heaven. Amen. —Dora Nyamwija, Kenya, 2016: from Iona—Scotland DISMISSAL WITH BLESSING Bless our homeland, O God, that we might witness to Your transforming universal call to justice, and inspire all that we do in and with Your whole human family to protect and nurture all of Your creation. Fill our minds with wisdom. Fill our hearts with love. And guide our words and actions, that we might become the living presence of peace. Place within us, O God, the mind of servants, that we might build and nurture a world without violence in the building of your Kin-Dom of love, justice and peace. Amen.