04/24/2022 = Luke 8:4-18 = “What Comes After Easter?”

(Click HERE to see the video of this service – starts at 8:55, sermon at 20:25)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church’s mission and ministries))

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 Mark Wheeler

Luke 8:4-18                                                                                                         

04/24/2022

 “So, What Comes After Easter?”                                                                          

Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church 

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#97 . . . He Is Lord!

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Join in as Vern leads us in our Call to Worship:

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Hello everyone! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!!

On this Sunday after Easter, we continue to celebrate His victory over death! He is Lord! Right? Xpictoc bockpec! He is risen indeed!

Welcome! We are glad you are here with us today!

We gather in our church sanctuary – a holy place – and it’s also a safe place – where the divine and the human connect together. Welcome to this holy sacred and safe place today.

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Let’s take a second to welcome each other, and those in the room, look at the camera and say HI to your friends who are at home. Tell your loved ones, whoever you can see , “The Lord is with you – and also with you!!”

Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.

Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.

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Our Opening Song of Devotion and Praise is –– Christ Is Alive – #243!!

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Open our hearts today, O Lord, to feel the powerful strength and love you have for us. Help us to listen, not only with our ears, but with our spirits for your words of compassion and healing. Enable us to become more faithful disciples for you; for we ask this in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I want to lead you on a stroll through your life’s memories this morning.  As I take you on your journey of reminiscences, I might slip in some of my own life story … but when I do I invite you to replace those memoirs with your own.  This is not necessarily a biography, or even a highlights reel.  We’re just going to go back to a few life-transition moments and see what we remember.

Do you remember what it was like when you had your 10th birthday?  Ah, double-digits, ½ way to 20 and adulthood, long-division and cursive handwriting are a snap by now, and suddenly you start to stand a little taller and walk with a little more confidence.  So, what comes after turning 10?

How about 13?  A new teenager, starting high school, voice a little deeper, curves a little more shapely, the opposite sex no longer enemies.  So, what comes after turning 13?

Oh yeah Baby, 16!  Driver’s License, a false sense of freedom and adulthood, start shaving, get your 1st real job, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  So, what comes after turning 16?

Oh man it just keeps getting better … 18!  A legal adult, a bigger sense of real freedom to do stupid things: R-rated movies, buy cigarettes; and to do responsible things: rent a car, vote, pay rent, graduate; and a few things that people will argue over their wisdom and folly: get married, join the military.  Real Freedom.  Can it get any better?  So, what comes after turning 18?

21!  A full-fledged legal adult where everything that was legal at 18 is still legal at 21, and now you can go to a bar!  So, what comes after turning 21?

Let’s stop at just a few more milestones.

You find the love of your life and get married – I was 22 when I found the love of my life and 23 when I got married; graduated from college, started working in a potential career-job, was diagnosed with a chronic, life threatening condition, and went back to school.  All of that was possible because I had Jennifer by my side and had started a whole new phase of life as an adult married male.  All my life laid open before me.  A HUGE life-transition moment.  So, what comes after getting married?

Having babies and growing a family; buying a house; and watching our children go through every one of those same phases we went through when we were children.  It’s a different world today than it was when we were children, so nothing matches up exactly the same, but we can watch the similarities.  Life-transition moments.  So, what comes after raising children?

Empty nesting … and then retirement … and then widowing … and then … what?  Life-transition after life-transition.

Doesn’t it seem that we spend most of the 1st part of our lives waiting for the next big day to arrive, preparing for the next life-transition moment, only to realize that it wasn’t as big as we had hoped, and so we then look to the NEXT big day?

And then we start realizing just how big those earlier days really were, and we start trying to hold the next big day off a little longer.

Here’s the deal.  Last week we celebrated Easter, the biggest day on the Christian calendar – the most important holiday the church knows!  Can there BE a bigger life-transition than Resurrection from the dead?  So, what comes after Easter?

Most Christian churches, LPC included, had some guests and visitors worship with us on Easter Sunday, anywhere from just a few more people to a double-attendance!  That’s fantastic!  But, what comes after Easter?

It’s kind of like asking the reality question about what we do after we become/became a Christian.  OK, I walked forward, I raised my hand, I prayed with the speaker, I received Jesus into my heart … what do I do next week?  How has my life changed?  Has there been a life-transition?

LPC is just about to celebrate its 115th anniversary of ministry in NE Spokane!  our 100th anniversary of praise, prayer and service in this sanctuary!!  It has been a GREAT 100 years!  So, what comes after turning 100?  It’s not enough to simply celebrate a triple-digit birthday!

In these weeks between Easter and Pentecost we’re going to look at some of the parables Jesus told, some of the lessons Jesus taught His disciples … and discover how they fit our lives today … how our lives have changed or might change because of Jesus Christ!  

Let’s turn, 1st, to Luke 8:4-18 and discover the risks of post-Easter faithfulness…. ----

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⁴ As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he said in a parable, ⁵ “A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶ Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it. 

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⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

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⁹ Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?” ¹⁰ So he said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that    (Isaiah 6:9)

Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.

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¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy. Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. 

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¹⁴ As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit. ¹⁵ But the seed in the good ground—these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.  

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¹⁶ “No one, after lighting a lamp, covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see its light. ¹⁷ For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and brought to light. ¹⁸ Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”  

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This is one of those stories that is in three of the four Gospels and it is just about the only parable where Jesus explains what it means.  This story is told as an analogy.  Most of the details describe real-life possibilities.  In the next few weeks we’ll discover other kinds of parables, but this one is the most simple to interpret.  And, I think it is a perfect example of what Jesus might teach about what comes after Easter. 

As we begin our first Community Garden, perhaps there’s some practical application as well….

This story describes two things … and they both are meant for all of us, long-time Christians and brand-new believers, and everyone in between.  And the lessons come in reverse order.

First, let’s talk about the types of soil on which the seed falls.  Four types of soil are mentioned, but only one seed.  The soils are all identified by Jesus as analogous of people who receive the Good News of salvation through the gift of God’s Son.  And the seed is ID’d as that Good News.  The farmer who is scattering the seed is never identified.

The first thing that comes after Easter involves the process of acknowledging which type of soil we think we really are.  The soil on the path: hearers of God’s Word, but people who never allow it to sink in and take root and therefore refuse salvation.  The soil filled with rocks: hearers of God’s Word, maybe they even walk to the altar or pray the prayer of thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness of their sins, but again they lose the joy that accompanies salvation as soon as life becomes hard.  The soil that still contains thorns and thistles: hearers of God’s Word who become convinced with worries and fears, and enticed by temporary thrills of temptations to transgression.  And lastly, the good soil: people who hear God’s Word and believe it and live like they believe it.

Nobody thinks of themselves as anything other than “good soil”.  Well, let me correct that, no good church member thinks of himself as anything other than the “good soil”.  That’s why we need to involve ourselves in the process of acknowledging which type of soil we think we really are.  

Who here would admit to being shallow or weak or preoccupied with sin?  I didn’t think so.  That means we all think we’re “good soil”.  But Jesus helps us recognize that truth: “hear God’s Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop”!  All four types “heard” God’s Word, but only the good soil retains it, holds on to God’s Word no matter what – that’s a few of us; and produces a crop! – when was the last time you/we “produced a crop”, helped someone become a believer?  

OK, if you’re a brand-new believer, you have an excuse because you’re new … but you also have the freshest enthusiasm for your faith.  Don’t allow anything to take away from the goodness of your soil!  Share your faith with someone today; tell them what happened to you.  Report to someone the power of Jesus Christ in your life.

And that’s not only meant for new believers, but also for us more seasoned Christians.  Find someone who does not know Jesus; tell them how your life has been made different; and invite them to meet Him, too. 

That’s the second part of this parable.  Who is the farmer?  Unidentified, but part of what farmers do is prepare the soil! Nurture the compost! Rototill and provide water and sunshine and proper weeding and pruning and polinating.

This parable closes by describing the real converts, the people who have truly become Christians, by saying that they produce a crop – they scatter the seed!  What comes after Easter?  Opportunities galore to scatter seed and produce crops!  If you invited someone to church with you last week … great job!  We were one of those churches that actually increased our regular attendance by 50%!  But part of helping other people be “good soil” is the company of other good soil!  Invite them again next week!  Scatter the seed of God’s Word, and it will not come back void.

And just in case any of His followers were still confused Jesus changed the parable: No one lights a lamp and hides it under his bed!  No one becomes a new believer and keeps it a secret!  No good soil kills its seed.  Rather, good soil produces crops; real believers share their faith; lamps are put on lampstands to give light to the whole room!

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ last words, what we call the Great Commission, are: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (including making more disciples!”

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And here’s the clincher:  When we believe the Good News and live like we believe the Good News of Jesus Christ, we’ll see those crops bloom and bear fruit and grow.  But if we only pretend that we’re the good soil, even what we have will be taken away!  Talk about life-transition moments!

That’s what comes after Easter!  Happy scattering!  Amen.

Great God of Creation, we worship You in spirit and in truth.

Lead us into our 2^nd hundred years of scattering seed and producing fruit.

Prepare us for Your coming Kingdom and everything You would have us do and be here at LPC.  Prove by our lives that we are, in fact, the good soil persevering and producing good crops for Your Kingdom!

Confirm Your direction with joy and hope.

In Jesus’ authority.  Amen.

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Our Choral Anthem !!! Choir – – “Because He Loves Us So!”

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Lord, we hear the stories in the Bible of Christ’s forgiving love. We look at them from a distance, believing that we could never be forgiven by God. We want to measure our sins on a grand scale, but in truth it is the little ways in which we disown you and run from your presence that form the foundation of our sins. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to be open to the needs of others. We have so much that we can do, and sometimes, O Lord, we are overwhelmed by the needs. We become paralyzed and fearful. Ease our hearts and give us strength and courage to be active witnesses for you. Give us such faith that we may place our whole trust in you.

Today we have bring before you the names of people near and dear to us to be lifted in prayer. Some of these needs are for healing, for comfort, for solace; others are prayers of celebration and joy. All of these things we offer to you. Help us to truly believe in your abiding love in answer to all prayers that we willingly place our lives in your care. Heal and restore us; for we ask this in Jesus’ name.

• what are some praises, thanksgivings, adorations we want to offer?
• Is there a person or a situation you want to lift to our Lord for His answers and grace?

23   We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:   [The Lord’s Prayer]

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Just like those earliest Christians, we sing praises here in this place because of the commitment and faith and generosity of others who shared the Good News of the Gospel in their time.

So we turn now, in our time, and share our faith and our commitment through generous giving to support the ministry of this church in Christ’s name. Let us gather our gifts together and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

Receive our tithes and offerings as symbols of our very lives and livelihood, given as response to Your life given for us! Bless it, and by it bless the world around us. In Christ’s name, Amen.

– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)

Expedition Song #537 –  In My Life, Lord  –!  We began today singing that He is Lord, and we close praying for Lord Jesus to be glorified!!

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We continue with this benediction:     May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.

And as we do that:  “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”

30   Announcements      

Resources: 

Wheeler, Mark; “So, What Comes After Easter”; Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church; 04/15/2007.

https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/3955/worship-connection-june-23-2019

04/17/2022 = Resurrection Sunday Easter Cantata

(Click HERE to view (and listen to) this service – starts at 14:00)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church’s mission and ministries)

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 Mark Wheeler

                                                                                                                                       Resurrection Sunday, 04/17/2022

 “He’s Living Today” Cantata                                                                                    

Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church 

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#235 . . . Christ Arose!

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Join in as Pastor Kathy leads us in our Call to Worship:

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Welcome to Resurrection Sunday worship at Lidgerwood!!

This is the Day that the Lord has made – Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Right?! This is the day we celebrate every Sunday! Every day! Welcome! We are glad you are here with us today!

Because our Choir is leading our worship today, the order is a little different, and we invite you to join in however seems best to you!

9-11   Pastor Kathy, please lead us in Prayer

• what are some praises, thanksgivings, adorations we want to offer?
• Is there a person or a situation you want to lift to our Lord for His answers and grace?

12   We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:   [The Lord’s Prayer]

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Like the earliest Christians, we sing our praises here in this place because of the commitment and faith and generosity of others who shared the Good News of the Gospel in their time.

So we turn now, in our time, and share our faith and our commitment through generous giving to support the ministry of this church in Christ’s name. Let us gather our gifts together and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

Dear Lord, may we realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for us. Forgiveness, freedom, and the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May we always find our satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to us. And so, this morning we give You praise,
we give You glory, we give You thanks!
With resurrection humming in our hearts, our minds are tuned to Your song of peace!
We joyfully present these gifts to You, a tangible chorus of thanksgiving, a harmony of hope for Your Kingdom come! In Jesus’ Name, Amen

– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)

14    -God’s Word-

 CAMERA  -Hosanna!-

15    -Cross on Via Doloroa-

 CAMERA  -He Carried the Cross for Me-

16    -Three Crosses-

 CAMERA  -On Yonder Cross-

17    -Crucifixion-INRI-

 CAMERA  -When I Survey the Wondrous Cross-He Was Wounded for Our Transgressions-

18    -Tomb-

 CAMERA  -Jesus Is Lord-

18    -Tomb-

 CAMERA  -In this Tomb-He’s Living Today-Jesus Is Alive

19    –Хрnсtос воскрес!      Хрnсtос воісtnну воскрес!-

 CAMERA  -Hallelujah! Jesus Lives!-Christ the Lord Is Risen Today-

19    – Хрnсtос  воскрес!      Хрnсtос воісtnну воскрес!-

20    -Empty Tomb-

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We continue with this benediction:     May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.

And as we do that:  “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”

22   Announcements      

Resources: 

Peterson, John W.; He’s Living Today; 1978.

04/15/2022 = John 17 = Good Friday “Cross-Denominational” Worship

(Click HERE to see the FB live video of this service – starts at 1:45, sermon at 30:30)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church’s mission and ministries)                                                                                      

 Mark Wheeler

John 17                                                                                                                                       

Good Friday, 04/15/2022

 “What Does Unity Sound Like?”                                 

Fellowship Church of God (w/ Destination Church & LPC)

Outline

1. Movement 1 – The Upper Room
   1. Welcome – (Cary) A Few words for “Setting the Stage”
   1. 3 Songs (Jon & Becca)
      1. Here I Am To Worship, Here Is Love, Break Dividing Walls
   1. Servant setting up Communion
      1. During the 3rd Song
      1. (Lois) set up Communion table
      1. (Lois) Lighting the Candles and giving the Blessing
      1. (Peggy) Word for Communion and invitation for all to come forward and receive the elements of communion
      1. Worship Song (Jon) – while people are getting the elements of Communion
      1. (Peggy) Take Communion together
2. Movement 2 – Going to the Garden
   1. Worship & Prayer
      1. Worship (1 song) / Jon
      1. Message / Mark (John 17:22-24)

We count it a real and true privilege, dear Lord, to be able to gather, with believers and seekers, from several different church backgrounds and traditions, different styles and songs, different languages and cultures – to receive from You, dear God, the full Gift of Your Gospel Word of salvation by way of Your death on the cross, and Your resurrection to eternal life! All of God’s people say together, Amen!

Show of hands here tonight – who here has had a full week? A busy week? A week full of planned activities and surprise, unexpected events? And, now, on Friday evening, after dinner, after Communion shared together, we gather here in a darkened setting – who’s tired? Anybody sleepy? I’ve been told that I have a soothing, quieting, calming speaking voice – sermons that work well for insomniacs – a monotone sound that induces a sound sleep – anybody there yet? (No hands up, because it’s hard to raise your hand when you’re snoring….)

In the life of Jesus, that’s the Good Friday setting. It’s been a full week, Jesus and His followers just had a full Passover Seder Supper, and as the sun sets and, in the Jewish Calendar Friday begins, just before leading His followers out to the Garden of Gethsemane … to pray … John’s Gospel records a lengthy prayer, from Jesus’ lips, for our souls.

All four Gospels tell the story of the Garden – Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18; but only John tells us this prayer before the Garden events. Tonight we experience the whole day, but let’s invest a few minutes with Jesus, praying for us ….

  John 17:1-26 …. ----

17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, ² since you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ³ This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true  God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. ⁴ I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.

(Here’s His prayer for His followers:) ⁶ “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from the world. They were yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, ⁸ because I have given them the words you gave me. …  They have believed that you sent me.

⁹ “I pray for them. …  because they are yours. ¹⁰ Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. … ¹³ Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them. ¹⁴ I have given them your word. …  ¹⁵ I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. …  ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ I sanctify myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

(Here’s His prayer for you and me:) ²⁰ “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. ²¹ May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. ²² I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. ²³ I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. ²⁵ Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.”

As I prayed over and prepared for this message tonight, I kept thinking how much we need Jesus’ prayer right now. As a nation we have perhaps never been so divided before (perhaps pro- and anti-slavery politics were more divided – perhaps). These last 6 years of politics have separated communities, churches, families; and then COVID has played its own role in dividing us further; and then the Will Smith slap has separated us even further…. How much more before we break?

Take a second and think back to a time when real community filled your every-day. What was that like? When I was in grad-school – we were not a giant class, 25 or so, along with another few classes of 20-30 each. That was the whole school! We played games together, ate out together, laughed and cried and prayed together; and we argued and debated and disagreed together. But we were together. Every day, in class, after class, every day.

Community like that matters. Community brings us to God’s holy presence. In community we can do more for God’s Kingdom, and we discover new challenges which cause our roots to go deeper and our branches to reach farther out.

I wonder if the anxiety we experience, the level of anxiety is nearly overwhelming, is because we have become so disconnected – as humans, as neighbors, as Christians. 

We can do better, and I believe this prayer leads the way – through Christ empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can do better!

What we do tonight represents a fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer. One purpose being that the world around us will see our unity through Christ, and by that see God’s glory!

The Psalmist prayed (Psalm 133): Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

      In Matthew 5, Jesus proclaimed that others will see our good works and give glory to our God in heaven.

      This prayer, in John’s Gospel, is for our ability to love one another just as He loves us.

I have a friend, former Music Minister at First Presbyterian Church, Spokane, Steve Goodenberger, who wrote a poem he entitled Worship Is a Rehearsal for Heaven. (Remember that this comes from a Presbyterian background, almost 25 years ago.) Listen:

When we sing, when we pray, when we focus on God, we are preparing for a time when the rafters will ring with full-throated glorious singing from all the nations.  We will all join together in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.”  Handel will conduct it the way he really meant it to be sung.  The rest of us won’t argue about tempos and how big an orchestra is appropriate.  Then we will join in as people from Zimbabwe sing “O Sifuni Mungu”.  Then we will sing a Latin cant of Kyrie Eleison together.  We will join as we sing a Russian anthem of salvation.  We will all clap along to a blue grass style of Brush Arbor song.  Jamaicans will stand next to rap musicians.  Irish Catholics will join hands with Protestants.  We will all joyfully join in singing a hard-rock chorus of praise.  (And we will love it!)  Gabriel might join in and improvise on his trumpet.  The Latinos will start a mariachi rhythm, and we will all sing a great song of praise to the Creator, while snapping our fingers and letting our bodies join in the dance.  Then Bach will lead us in the Magnificat.  Then he will make a modulation and bridge into the key for “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”.  All the hosts of heaven, including us, will sing.  Then, we will sing “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” (in Korean!).  Only there, instead of a dancer from Knox Presbyterian Church spreading his hands beneath the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ will open His arms, we will see the scars on His hands, and all of us will bow down before Him, not just a handful of dancers.

Brothers and sisters, if you are still awake, may we join in this rehearsal for heaven tonight. Pastor Jon leads our singing, and Pastor Cary leads our prayers – may we experience the power and presence, the love and mercy, the collect and the call of God; may we glorify our Father in Heaven as we sing and pray and worship – together.  Amen.

1. Prayer / Cary – to include open mic
   1. Prayer over people (anointing) / Cary
      1. If prayer time continues, we will invite people forward to be anointed with oil
      1. Contemplative Music (Song: Where Mercy Bled)
2. Movement 3 – The Arrest
   1. The Arrest
      1. (Dave) enters and interacts with crowd then gives his monologue
         1. No music
         1. Needs headset mic
         1. Tells the story as told by the man in the linen sheet (Mark 14:51&52)
         1. He will talk about how the soldiers and angry mob were searching the streets for Jesus.  They even came to his house. He is running ahead to find Jesus and warn him.
      1. Then he quickly leaves the room
      1. (Jon) will start playing Oh the Wonderful Cross
3. – On the Cross

1. Crucifixion
   1. Set up Cross on the stage
   1. Single Spot light on it.
   1. Distant sound of clicking metal
   1. Ribbons fall from the two arm places and feet.
   1. Contemplative Time – 30 seconds of silence
   1. Closing
      1. Song: The Wonderful Cross (When I Survey The Wondrous Cross)
      1. Benediction (Mark) The words of the Centurion “Truly this was the Son of God”
      1. Closing Song: Before The Throne Of God Above
      1. Jon can dismiss

Resources: 

Goodenberger, Steve; Worship Is a Rehearsal for Heaven; Whitworth Institute of Ministry; 1998.

04/10/2022 = I Peter 2:4-12 = “Hosannas to the Highest Heaven”

(Click HERE to see the FBLive video feed of this service – d=starts at4:45, sermon at 14:45)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church’s mission and ministries)

1                                                                                      

 Mark Wheeler

I Peter 2:4-12                                                                                     

Sixth Sunday in Lent, Palm Sunday, 04/10/2022

 “Hosannas to the Highest Heaven”                                                                         

Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church 

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#203 . . . Hosanna, Loud Hosanna!

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Join in as Vern leads us in our Call to Worship:

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Hello everyone! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!!

In song and voice – Julie and then Vern led us in praising Jesus as King! Glory to the Highest!

Welcome! We are glad you are here with us today!

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• We still have – COVID Guidelines – mask-wearing is totally optional – wear one of it feels safer, and be respectful of distance-keeping when we are not wearing a mask.

“Masks are optional, and respect is required!”

We truly want that no one should feel judged, and everyone should feel safe, so continue to be gentle with each other. Still listening to the Philippians 2:4 passage:

“ in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”  Philippians 2:4

We are gathered in our church sanctuary – a holy place – and it’s also a safe place – where the divine and the human connect together. Welcome to this holy sacred and safe place today.

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Let’s take a second to welcome each other, and those in the room, look at the camera and say HI to your friends who are at home. Tell your loved ones, whoever you can see , “The Lord is with you – and also with you!!”

Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.

Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.

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Today we have a Special Song of praise and devotion –– My Faith Looks Up to Thee!! Enjoy and settle in while Lilly and Donna and Micki lead our worship!

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Jesus came as the incarnate Son of God, bridging the gap between us and You, O God.  We sing the carols of Christmas.  Christ lived to teach us how to live and to demonstrate Your love and mercy to us.  As we approach the real work of Christ, at Easter, shine Your light so brightly on us that we will be unable to find any darkness in which to hide.  Help us to deny ourselves this sober season so that we might be the instruments to help usher Your Kingdom in … through Christ our Lord, Amen.

At our Thursday Bible study class, before we begin reading and gleaning from God’s Word we always share some prayer-time together.  I remember once, I’m thinking several years ago, as we were sharing in prayer someone brought up Marilyn McLean who was recovering from foot surgery … and someone said how wonderful of a lady she is … and someone else mentioned that her brother’s a pretty good guy, too.  There you go Dick, was that good for a Lenten Embarrassment?  But before you’re too embarrassed, the focus didn’t stay on you for very long.  This group of people who have never met most of your family – went straight from complimenting Marilyn and Dick to saying how good their parents must have been!

Isn’t that a great illustration of seeing a good thing and giving credit where it probably really belongs?

When our focus is wrong, our praise is usually misplaced.  On this day, 1,990(-ish) years ago the people of Judea lined the streets between Bethany and Jerusalem and ticker-taped the parade of Jesus and His 12 disciples as they approached Jerusalem.  But their enthusiasm and praise were misplaced because their focus was wrong.  They thought Jesus would free them from living under the thumb of Roman occupation.  And in just a matter of a few days they turned on Jesus and instead of praising Jesus they were hazing Jesus.  They shouted “Crucify Him!”

That’s what we do during this Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter.  We figure out where we’re focused.  And, we figure out how to adjust our focus so others will give credit where it really belongs.  When people shout their “Hosannas”, it oughta be directed at the Highest Heavens!

This morning, rather than hear the Gospel stories about the historical triumphant entry Jesus makes into Jerusalem again, listen to the instructions Peter gives about how we live that triumph every day!  I Peter 2:4-12 …. ----

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⁴ As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by God— ⁵ you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture [Isaiah 28:16]:

See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame.

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⁷ So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—
this one has become the cornerstone,   [Psalm 118: 22]

⁸ and

A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over.

They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.  [Isaiah 8:14]

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⁹ But you are a chosen race,a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

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¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. ¹² Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.

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So far this season of Lent we have looked at Bible stories and biblical directives about how God envisions His Church – how God envisions Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church – to be a SIGN pointing the way to the Kingdom of God (when people see our lives and our worship they should discover that who we are directs them to Jesus Christ); and to be a FORESTASTE of the Kingdom of God (when people are near us they should smell the Holy Spirit in our clothes and taste Him in our language).  

Today let’s discern God’s vision for His Church as an INSTRUMENT of the Kingdom of God. 

Musicians, especially those who write their own music, have a hard time.  They may have a brilliant idea buzzing around in their heads; and they can write it all out on paper for others to see; but their great act of inspiration is not complete until someone can actually take up the music and try to sing it!  Only then is it really music; only then will people hear their creation; only then can anyone really praise the composer!

This is a BIG calling! Our Chancel Choir – Cantata Choir – is working on this year’s Easter Cantata.  (They’re actually working on 2020’s Easter Cantata! It’s a cantata that they’ve done before, but with the war in Ukraine right now, this particular cantata is especially potent! … and it is beautiful!  But it has taken a lot of rehearsal and practice.  And even if it’s not perfect next Sunday, we will be overwhelmingly blessed by what they present.  And God will be glorified by the musician who wrote it and the singers who sing it and the congregation who worships with it. This is a wonderful Rehearsal for Heaven!

In the same way, the Prelude song we sang, Hosanna, Loud Hosanna, is rhythmically challenging for me to play on the guitar (which everyone knows, is not saying much) –.  This is an uncomfortably high calling for me; but I really believe that God is glorified by our effort to praise Him when our hearts are bent on focusing on Him!

Peter tells us: “[There are those who refuse to know Jesus] But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do His work and speak for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for you – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted. … Live exemplary lives among [your neighbors] so that your actions will refute their prejudices.  Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when He [finally] arrives!” (Vv. 9 & 12, The Message)

We are called not only to be a sign that points the way.  We are not only to be a foretaste of what is to come.  We are called to help usher in the Kingdom of God.  We are to be an apostolic instrument of God’s mission.  God’s salvation does not fall magically from the clouds, but it reaches the ends of the earth through the life and ministry of the Church.  As the Body of Christ in the world, the Church is God’s primary agent of healing, forgiveness, and transformation.

Like when our Bible class looked at Marilyn and Dick and praised their parents … the world should look at us and offer praise to God!  Let’s make sure the Hosannas go to the Highest Heavens!

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LPC’s calling for 2022 and our 2^nd hundred years of Hosannas will mean we need to reach a new culture of people with the Christian message of salvation in Jesus Christ.  We need to experience a little Heaven on Earth in such a way that our friends will ask us what makes the difference … and then we can say, “Come to Church with me, and see.”

Great God of Creation, we worship You in spirit and in truth.

Lead us into our 2^nd hundred years of singing Hosannas in NE Spokane.

Prepare us for Your coming Kingdom and everything You would have us do and be here at LPC.  We want the whole world to sing, “Hosanna in the Highest – O may we ever praise Him with heart and life and voice, and in His blissful presence … eternally rejoice!”.

Confirm Your direction with joy and hope.

In Jesus’ authority.  Amen.

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Our Choral Anthem !!! Choir – – “A Green Hill Far Away!”

17-19   What a joy it is to celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem! The disciples gathered the colt for him to ride; people shouted “Hosanna!”, waved palm branches and placed their cloaks as a Red Carpet for the colt. Even when some were cautious, Jesus reminded them that the stones would sing out. For triumph was truly coming to the Holy City, triumph in a way they couldn’t imagine.

So we, this day, wave our palms, sing and shout “Hosanna!”. We want Jesus to ride into all the places of tension and anger of our lives. We want Jesus to heal the hurts and establish His reign of peace forever. We need to shout with joy and let the shouts ring in our hearts.  Let’s come to the Lord in prayer –  Bring us hope, gracious Lord, where we have allowed fear and confusion to reside. Bring us healing, where we have been wounded or have wounded others by our thoughts, words, and deeds. Bring us peace, where we have been bombarded by anger and alienation. Bring us with You, into the holy city, not made with human hands, but in Your heavenly realm.

• what are some praises, thanksgivings, adorations we want to offer?
• Is there a person or a situation you want to lift to our Lord for His answers and grace?

20   We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:   [The Lord’s Prayer]

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Like the earliest Christians, we sing Hosanna here in this place because of the commitment and faith and generosity of others who shared the Good News of the Gospel in their time.

So we turn now, in our time, and share our faith and our commitment through generous giving to support the ministry of this church in Christ’s name. Let us gather our gifts together and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

Hosanna in the Highest! We pray for strength of faith and character to never stop singing Hosanna!
We lay before You our gifts of faith, hope, and love.
We pledge to give more of our time, more of our hearts, and more of our material possessions,
that we may serve Your greater good. Amen.

– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; or on-line on FB or click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)

Expedition Song #204 –  All Glory, Laud and Honor  –!  We began today singing Hosannas to the Highest heaven, and we close singing more Hosannas!!

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We continue with this benediction:     May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.

And as we do that:  “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”

30-31   Announcements      

Resources: 

Dietterich, Inagrace T.; Sign; Foretaste; Instrument; Center for Parish Development; Pp. 12-15.

Wheeler, Mark; “Hosanna to the Highest Heaven”; Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church; 04/01/2007.

https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/3662/worship-connection-palm-sunday-2022

04/03/2022 = Acts 2:1-8, 37-47 = “Heaven on Earth”

(Click HERE to see the FBLive video feed of this service – starts at 8:45, sermon begins at 19:00)

(Click HERE to donate to Lidgerwood Church’s mission and ministries)

1                                                                                      

 Mark Wheeler

Acts 2:1-8, 37-47                                                                                                        

Fifth Sunday in Lent, 04/03/2022

 “Heaven on Earth”                                                                                                    

Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church 

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Create in Me a Clean Heart . . .

Join in as Pastor Kathy leads us in our Call to Worship:

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Hello everyone! Welcome to worship at Lidgerwood!!

We opened singing Psalm 51 – a biblical prayer of confession! When we gather for worship it is appropriate that we gather as a people of contrition! – Especially in this Season of Lent as we prepare ourselves, our minds, hearts, and spirits, to experience the Gospel Good News of God’s love and power in the Resurrection of Easter!

And our Call to Worship continued that Prayer for unity by the Holy Spirit!

Welcome! We are glad you are here with us today!

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• We have – New COVID Guidelines – mask-wearing is totally optional – wear one of it feels safer, and be respectful of distance-keeping when we are not wearing a mask.

“Masks are optional, and respect is required!”

We truly want that no one should feel judged, and everyone should feel safe, so continue to be gentle with each other. Still listening to the Philippians 2:4 passage:

“ in humility, each counting others better than himself; each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.”  Philippians 2:4

We are gathered in our church sanctuary – a holy place – and it’s also a safe place – where the divine and the human connect together. Welcome to this holy sacred and safe place today.

CAMERA   

Let’s take a second to welcome each other, and those in the room, look at the camera and say HI to your friends who are at home. Tell your loved ones, whoever you can see , “The Lord is with you – and also with you!!”

Welcome to this “gathering” in God’s name. We are assembled in NorthEast Spokane, WA, along with people from all over the world. We are very glad you are “here” with us.

Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit presence and power, in your homes, through your phones and computers, in this building here, and in your lives. Pray with us … and hear and be transformed by God’s Word.

Our opening song of praise and devotion –– #108 – Come, Christians, Join to Sing!! Please stand and join in this call to worship!

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Jesus came as the incarnate Son of God, bridging the gap between us and You, O God.  We sing the carols of Christmas.  Christ lived to teach us how to live and to demonstrate Your love and mercy to us.  As we approach the real work of Christ, at Easter, shine Your light so brightly on us that we will be unable to find any darkness in which to hide.  Help us to deny ourselves this sober season so that we might even offer a sample of Heaven, right here on earth … through Christ our Lord, Amen.

A couple decades ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago.  They assured their wives they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night’s dinner.  In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples.  Apples flew everywhere.  Without stopping or looking back, all the salesmen managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.

All but one!!!  He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.  He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they landed at their home terminal and explain his taking a later flight.  Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.  He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind!  She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.  The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display.  As he did this he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.  When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did.  Are you OK?”

She nodded through her tears.  He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil your day too badly.”

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, “Mister ….”  He paused to look back into those blind eyes.  She continued, “Are you Jesus?”

He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered.  Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: “Are you Jesus?”  

Do people mistake us for Jesus?  That’s our goal, is it not?  To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life, and grace.  Do we live a little like we have Heaven on Earth?

On this 5th Sunday in Lent we jump 9 weeks ahead of ourselves to the story of Pentecost.  This is the day, 50 days after Passover, that the disciples were together in an upper room and while they worshiped, the Holy Spirit of God landed on them and empowered them to be the Church.  Listen to the glorious way these followers of Christ demonstrated for the world what it means to be a corporate collection of Christians offering a foretaste of the full Kingdom of God: Acts 2:1-8, 37-47 …. ----

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²² “Therefore, ¹ When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, & it filled the whole house where they were staying. ³ They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated & rested on each one of them. ⁴ Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit & began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.

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⁵ Now there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout people from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When this sound occurred, a crowd came together & was confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were astounded & amazed, saying,“Look, aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ How is it that each of us can hear them in our own native language?”

And, skipping down to verse 37…

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37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart & said to Peter & the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Repent & be baptized  each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, & you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you & for your children, & for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

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40 With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. 

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42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need.

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46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.  

I opened this message with a story about how we, as individual Christians, personal believers in Jesus as the Son of God who came and died for our sins.  Next, let me bring us together into a setting of corporate worship.  If we can display the likeness of Christ as individuals … how much more so as a worshiping community?

Steve Goodenberger, the former music minister at First Presbyterian Church, downtown, almost 25 years ago, gave me an ode he wrote about how we, Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church, can share a foretaste of heaven on earth as we come together and worship.  His piece is entitled: Worship Is a Rehearsal for Heaven.

When we sing, when we pray, when we focus on God, we are preparing for a time when the rafters will ring with full-throated glorious singing from all the nations.  We will all join together in singing the “Hallelujah Chorus.”  Handel will conduct it the way he really meant it to be sung.  The rest of us won’t argue about tempos and how big an orchestra is appropriate.  Then we will join in as people from Zimbabwe sing “O Sifuni Mungu”.  Then we will sing a Latin cant of Kyrie Eleison together.  We will join as we sing a Russian anthem of salvation.  We will all clap along to a blue grass style of Brush Arbor song.  Jamaicans will stand next to rap musicians.  Irish Catholics will join hands with Protestants.  We will all joyfully join in singing a hard-rock chorus of praise.  (And we will love it!)  Gabriel might join in and improvise on his trumpet.  The Latinos will start a mariachi rhythm, and we will all sing a great song of praise to the Creator, while snapping our fingers and letting our bodies join in the dance.  Then Bach will lead us in the Magnificat.  Then he will make a modulation and bridge into the key for “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”.  All the hosts of heaven, including us, will sing.  Then, we will sing “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” (in Korean!).  Only there, instead of a dancer from Knox Presbyterian Church spreading his hands beneath the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ will open His arms, we will see the scars on His hands, and all of us will bow down before Him, not just a handful of dancers.

Why will we be so ready to sing so many kinds of music, so many languages, so many physical stances for worship?  Because we will be in the presence of Jesus Christ!  Our desire will not be to find the music that best pleases us, but to use whatever means we have to please the Lamb on the throne.  Even if we don’t know the music or the language or the style, we will join in, because performance will not be the purpose!  Thunderous adoration of our Savior will be.  We will be one!  People from all nations, all tribes, all languages, all musical styles will have a single focus.  My quietest, most intimate utterings of individual faith will also be heard, and Jesus Himself will look around past all the millions of people and catch my eye, and acknowledge my praise.

This is powerful stuff.  No one could experience this kind of worship without being changed.  The devil will do anything to keep us from experiencing this depth of adoration here on earth.  He works hard at getting us to take our focus off the One we worship – on to styles or forms of worship.  If we start arguing about which style of worship is most appropriate, we lose track of the whole point of worship – to get the focus off us, and onto Jesus Christ!  

Steve reminds us that our worship experience is about Jesus!  And that when we truly worship in spirit and truth, the hungry world outside will crave the taste of the completely satisfying and wonderfully delicious bit of Heaven on Earth we have here.

If we claim to know Jesus, we should live, walk and act as He would.  Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.  It’s actually living the Word of God as life unfolds day to day.  A friend told me just last week, “My circumstance is my calling.” Wherever and whenever we find ourselves, that is where God calls us to be His disciples, and to represent Heaven on Earth!

Referring back to the blind girl selling apples … know that you are the apple of God’s eye, even though you, too, have been bruised by a fall.  He stops what He is doing and picks you up, and He picks me up, on a hill called Calvary, and He pays the full price for our damaged fruit. 

That is the great reason to gather for worship and rehearse for Heaven.

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We need to experience a little Heaven on Earth in such a way that our friends will ask us what makes the difference … and then we can say, “Come to Church with me, and see.”

Great God of Creation, we worship You in spirit and in truth.

Lead us into our 2^nd hundred years of worship and prayer from this sanctuary.

Prepare us for Your coming Kingdom and everything You would have us do and be here at LPC.  We want our worship to be a rehearsal for heaven.

Confirm Your direction with joy and hope.

In Jesus’ authority.  Amen.

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Our first Choral Anthem in over two years!!! Choir – lead us in heavenly worship! – “With Wine from the Vineyard!”

18-20   Pastor Kathy, lead us in Prayer:     Let’s come to the Lord in prayer –

• what are some praises, thanksgivings, adorations we want to offer?
• Is there a person or a situation you want to lift to our Lord for His answers and grace?

21   We pray this in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:   [The Lord’s Prayer]

22 

Like the earliest Christians, we are here in this place because of the commitment and faith and generosity of others who shared the Good News of the Gospel in their time.

So we turn now, in our time, and share our faith and our commitment through generous giving to support the ministry of this church in Christ’s name. Let us gather our gifts together and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

Gracious God, as we sit in Your holy place we feel Your bright Spirit surge within us.
We are on fire with the knowledge that we may be Your witness to the world.
Help us speak in languages that others will understand.
Ignite within us a need to share the abundance of our lives.
We lay before You our gifts of faith, hope, and love.
We pledge to give more of our time, more of our hearts, and more of our material possessions,
that we may serve Your greater good. Amen.

– Offering (4449 N Nevada St, Spokane, 99207 ; click HERE, or text 833-976-1333, code “Lidgerwood”)

Communion Song #687 –  Shall We Gather at the River  –!  

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Communion – Pastor Kathy will lead our Communion – and our Deacons will serve you the elements! Note, there is both the self-contained Communion cups, and our good old fashioned broken bread and poured cup. Please take which ever feels safest/ most meaningful to you. (If you take the self-contained – both the wafer and the juice will come on the first tray, if you want the other, a second tray with the cup will be delivered.

Expedition Song #103 –  Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim  –!  We began today with confession of sin, and we close with a call to faith!

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We continue with this benediction:     May we Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
And give glory to God, today, and forever! Amen.

And as we do that:  “May the Lord bless you and protect you;
may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.”

32-33   Announcements      

Resources: 

Dietterich, Inagrace T.; Sign; Foretaste; Instrument; Center for Parish Development; Pp. 9-11.

Goodenberger, Steve; Worship Is a Rehearsal for Heaven; Whitworth Institute of Ministry; 1998.

Hauenstein, Ron; Spokane Fatherhood Initiative; “My circumstance is my calling.”

Velarde, Nancy; sent me the anonymous story about the blind apple merchant and the Christian salesman.

Wheeler, Mark; “Heaven on Earth”; Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church; 03/25/2007.

https://www.ministrymatters.com/all/entry/2792/worship-elements-may-23-2021