Worship Bulletin for Aug 30, 2020 - St John UCC

 St John United Church of Christ                   

Melbourne, IA                     

Welcome! to worship with us 

August 30, 2020 | 9:30 AM

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost     

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“No Matter Who You are or Where You are on Life’s Journey, 

You are Always Welcome Here!”

Invitation to Prepare:

“Touched by an Angel” Maya Angelou

Retrieved from https://allpoetry.com/Touched-By-An-Angel

 

Call to Praise and Prayer:    (from Psalm 105)                

Together:  

O give thanks to the LORD, call upon the divine name, make known divine deeds.

Sing to the LORD, sing praises; tell of all the wonderful works.
Glory in the holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Seek the LORD and divine strength; seek the divine presence continually.
Remember the wonderful works the LORD has done, the miracles, and divine judgments,
We praise the LORD!

 

Hymn: Spirit of the Living God

Invocation:

God’s mercy extends beyond the bounds of even our collective imagination.
God’s love seeps through any wall we could ever put up. 
God’s goodness holds more power than the sum of all. 

It is because of that extensive, seeping, powerful and bold love
in the name of the blessed, God is with us

In genuine love.

 

Scripture Reading:      Romans 12: 9-21 (NRSV)                                   

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." ²⁰ No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Sermon:  Genuine.

Posted online as well at:

https://tonyswebstudios.blogspot.com/2020/08/genuine-romans-12.html

 

 

Pastoral Meditation & Prayer:   

The Lord is with you 

Let us be in quiet meditations of our own hearts and minds.

…

Lord's Prayer: (ALL)

 

Hymn: Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

 

Closing Announcements:

Benediction:

Let love be you genuinely.

Rejoice in hope, live in harmony, and persevere in prayer.

⁵ May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another… ⁶ so that together you may with one voice glorify our Creator.

 

May the LORD bless you and keep you,

May the LORD shine upon you and be gracious to you,

May the LORD turn to you and give you peace, now and always..

 

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Genuine - Romans 12

Genuine.

Tony E Dillon-Hansen

 

A Meditation upon Romans 12: 9-18, Psalm 105, Exodus 3:14, and Matthew 16:

 

Intro Prayer:

 

Friends,

This passage is among my favorite from the epistles because it echoes much of Matthew 5. There is guidance and hopeful idealism - which is useful today amidst social unrest, storm recovery, racial injustice, political division, and this long-overdue visitor called a pandemic.

 

Lets start with a story

One day,

A contemptuous outlaw was thrashing about a small village.

This outlaw came upon a house of a master.

He had heard of stories about the master and wanted to test this legendary skill.

 

He came to the gate of the master's house. The master was tending his garden.

The outlaw called out to him boasting that he could beat him and crush him with a single strike.

He taunted the master and cried ignorance and bogus skill.

"Challenge me if you can, and show me your best technique."

 

At this, the master turned to the outlaw, bowed to him, and walked into the house.

 

The outlaw became furious at this and ranted the legends of the master were untrue and undeserving.

The outlaw raved the master knew nothing of great technique and worthy skills.

 

A short moment later, the master reappeared.

This time, he had with him a tray.

Upon the tray was a pot of tea and cups.

The master sat near a table and began to pour two cups.

He then gestured the outlaw to drink with him.

 

The outlaw, caught off guard, then bowed to the master and shared some tea.

 

Romans 12 is about hospitality and love – not just cute rhetorical words, but genuine love.  This, my friends, is the “sweet nectar” of faithful living. (KC commentator, Mitch Holtus, would say when Chiefs would score touchdowns.)

 

Amid struggles and questions of purpose, Romans reminds us to “rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering and persevere in prayer” where we must first let love be genuine.

 

Where does that start, you ask?

 

It starts with you. When we read, “Let Love be genuine” hear “let love be you.” Be present with love. When we peel off our own layers of social and personal pretense, we may uncover the vulnerable, broken child of God made with divine love within us – a child full of hope, potential, wonder, worry and yes love.   

 

Further, “love one another with mutual affection” means, we may recognize this in others. Then, we see each other as children of God, made with love, with their own vulnerability and brokenness.

 

For some people  “unaccustomed to courage

exiles in delight

… in shells of loneliness…”

For some people beaten down by the system, an abusive person or even themselves, this is difficult because we create walls or hide in substances from pain and suffering where unwinding that onion (of self) is more than tearful - but shattering and scary. Really, we were hiding the love within.

 

We don’t have to accept lies, deliberate distortions, or systemic chains. With God’s love in us, we can transform and tear down walls. When love arrives and when we recognize the love within us, along comes hope and courage - revealing beautiful and powerful results.

 

Thus, let love be you and share that love, as Paul says.

 

We share through contributing and extending hospitality. We recognize that we share gifts and learn from each other. Then, we find hope together because we let go of pretense, judgment and anger.  We are present together and paying attention to the moment. We find peace together because we find harmony through hospitality. 

 

With hospitality, we build a stronger community of love together. You won’t have time for negativity, lies or vengeance because we are a little busy doing Christ’s work building each other.

 

As well, hospitality extends to the lowly, the homeless, the forgotten and the immigrant because as Genesis reminds us, our people were once immigrants persecuted in exile.

 

We acknowledge and welcome people where they are, as Christ did, because they too are children of God. There is no need to “claim to be wiser” or more than we are. We know we are imperfectly, distinctly beautiful people. Thus, our genuine love helps to shape ourselves and to build a beautiful community with love, hope, peace and harmony. 

 

Be genuine and compassionate in speech, mind, hearing, and heart. Witness the potential and the love working within us and around us – even enemies. In fact, bless them too – not flippantly.

 

We have blessings with us, but the “sweet nectar” means we are good sports too.  Love is given to us and for us to give.

 

When we succeed with our blessings, we don’t put others down.  Besides, maybe authentic blessing is what opponents need as much as we need it - that space for forgiveness in ourselves. We let God work and share a drink.

 

When we let love and hospitality work, we acknowledge the homeless person asking for a meal, the black woman weeping over her child, the queer person’s struggle for identity, the native American praying to keep water clean, a good cop trying to do the right thing, or the veteran seeking peace from scars of war. In these moments, in our vulnerability, we can be bold because love and compassion is our strength.

 

Listen with compassion and understanding (rather than quickly conjuring responses) because we don’t have to agree.  Let go of negativity, judgment, anger, vice and vengeance and let God work. Give hospitality to people and their concerns. Let God work.

 

Paul says to “take thought for what is noble” and live peaceably as we can. When we do, we may expand to the possible – to our Creator.

 

Feed your enemies and offer drink. These are ways to “overcome evil with good.” This may be hard sometimes (I know), but with God’s help, things are possible.

 

Thus, we can return to the self.  We can focus upon our breath, our prayers, and our blessings. We listen for possible. Remember you too are a child of God - You are expressions of that divine love.

 

“Love strikes away chains of fear” and helps us be brave. We want freedom from “histories of pain”, worries, and injustices. Love will set us free.

 

With genuine love as “all we are”, together, we can be free from suffering. No injustice or pandemic can beat it.

 

That, my friends, is the sweet nectar.

 

We witness the divine gifts and “wondrous works” when we are free in love.

 

Thanks be to God.

 

 

Sunday Program for July 26, 2020

Hope and Truth                            

Open Ministry                                               

Open and Affirming, Interfaith Ministry

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“No Matter Who You are or Where You are on Life’s Journey,

You are Always Welcome Here!”

July 26, 2020 | 10:00 AM

Meditation and Invitation to Prepare:

Mindfulness of the Truth

“Remember to keep the intention of objective friendliness. Meet each experience with acceptance and curiosity.” (Levine, N. 2014. p 249)

Call to Praise and Prayer:    (adapted from Psalm 105)          

One:  O give thanks to the One, call upon them making the deeds known.
All :  Sing to the One with praises telling wonderful works.
One: Seek the Presence and Strength of the One who creates.
All: We have curious acceptance of the Truth. We embrace the wonderful works and miracles done and give thanks for these divine gifts.
One: Creation is reminder of our covenant for us, the world, the Spirit and generations.
All: We give praise and thanks for all our gifts!

Hymn: Be Thou My Vision

Invocation:

Scripture Reading:      Matthew 13:31-33 (NRSV)                                   

³¹ He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; ³² it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with^[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; ⁴⁶ on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; ⁴⁸ when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” ⁵² And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Reflection:  Seeds of Truth in Parables

Meditation: Mindfulness of Truth

Pastoral Prayer:

Leader: The Lord be with you;

All: And with you also. 

Leader: Let us be first in the quiet meditations of hearts and minds.

Lord's Prayer: (ALL)

Hymn: Sent Forth by God’s Blessing

Benediction:

Postlude:                           

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Tony E Dillon Hansen, Rev.

When Is the Time - Romans 5

When is the time…?

Tony E Dillon Hansen

A reflection based upon Romans 5:1-8 and Matthew 9:35-10:8

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, our Rock and our Redeemer.

The recent events have provided more opportunities to reflect on privilege and my own reoccurring indifference about prejudice in our culture.  Even as I learn and embrace black liberation theology and how that informs some queer theology, I am still one that wears privilege.  I cannot possibly understand the frustration and anger of the black community in response to centuries of system maltreatment, horror, torture discrimination and literal de-humanization at the hands of white people.  I can understand how, as a queer person, that subtle words and systemic action carry such derisive and hurtful connotations while being meant to appease and distract. These cut into the very being of a person. 

I fully realize the fallacy of “all lives matter” because the truth is that for far too long in our country, the lives that mattered were those that were willing to forget one's own culture, your own ideas of grace and beauty, and even your own body in order to pretend and feign an existence of belonging.  That belonging was and is false because one has to erase and deny themselves to become someone else – not who they were truly blessed to be. 

I also get the struggle of the poor white people who have been goaded and duped into believing that our daily gripes and pains are somehow measurable to perpetual systemic racism and injustice.  I understand that is difficult to live in these times with budgets, difficult decisions, and competing priorities and desire to live in peace.  Yet, when one considers a state that has been built over centuries to inject fear, division, worry and silence into your lives, the words of “all are created equal” fails and feels extremely shallow - if not perversely evil.

As a minister, I am informed by scripture and when I read this week’s scripture from Romans 5 describing how we are justified by faith, I find another viewpoint here.  Justification does nothing when we continue to be pawns of the lies and the machine – when we continue to be silent in the face of horrible and cruel injustice, inequality and further deceptions.  Our justification, therefore, is to live out the commissioning of Christ for Christians, the invitation from our Creator as mutual people with mutual concerns – recognizing that we don’t have all the answers by ourselves - that there are people hurting and have legitimate gripes. 

We then come to the help and grace of our neighbors rather than continuing to marginalize and demean their words and feelings because black lives do matter, queer lives do matter, native American lives do matter, immigrant lives do matter and you matter. They matter in this time and in this moment. They should not be swept away by more apathy and disgruntled privileged reactions designed to silence and to reduce to inaction again.  This is the time, as Paul writes, that we move to be neighbors in solidarity and empathy. We may not be able to answer for the sins of ancestors - or even our own culpability in current living, but we should not be shamed or silenced into maintaining those sins.

The Tao of people is to live into mutual beings rather than find reasons to divide and distract.  We are people called to be disciples and neighbors – not just in words but in our honest actions that recognize the fragility of lives - how words and actions have been parts of systemic tools designed to oppress, seclude, demean and hate. Instead, our scriptures, reminds us that we are called to welcome, to listen, to heal, and to be - to be a neighbor that acknowledges differences and does not close the door to authentic understanding.

We are a community in this country of many communities – each justified to live and breathe under the protection of our Creator and our laws without fear and prejudice from authorities. We live in this moment, in this time to validate the claims and desire for equality, fairness and actual belonging – the belonging that says “I care” and “I hear you.”

For the black and many communities, I ask - what can I, as a white person, do to help heal and help change our culture so that violence, oppression and hate are no longer normal measures of everyday living.  I, as a white person, want to recognize that privilege should never be taken at the cost of another or on the backs of my neighbor – because we are told to love our Creator and our neighbor as ourselves. That means loving and belonging. There is no separation, no judgment, no arbitrary system to deny but one that invites, welcomes, while recognizing and celebrating uniqueness, our struggles, our valid concerns, and our being.

We have, in this moment, an opportunity to grow together and to learn from each other rather than scorning people for speaking truth and for protesting corrupt systems.

We have, in this opportunity, to realize that centuries of injustice cannot be healed overnight, in a week, or a month but takes time across generations. Also, this injustice cannot simply be forgotten but can be a lesson and reminder that we, as a community, have work to do – to heal, to listen, and to be. 

Maybe then we can talk about how lives matter because then we might be in honest dialog about our society, Creation, and our God-given gifts of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Maybe then, we find liberation in the scriptures to free us from our sins, and systemic injustice that pervades our culture.

Maybe then, we use scripture and churches as intended places to build community and heal together rather than as props for ugly photo-ops.

Maybe then, we can look at this time – this time – and realize we decided to do the right thing and to act by living our faiths instead of shunning and silencing neighbors legitimate concerns.

Maybe then, we can be agents of true healing and growth - and this time we know better.
Maybe then we can be justified by faith.

Thanks be to God.

Actionless-Action

(Inspired by Dionysius and Chuang Tzu)

We witness transcendence

from left to right and light to dark.

We see transcendence

from right to left and dark to light;

From death to life and life to death.

Out of darkness came light

and from light we go to darkness.

All are one with the presence of the Holy One,

the Divine Wisdom.

And suddenly transfiguration is a transcendence

that we can witness in our own lives.

With the One who is beyond all,

we cannot literally comprehend that infinite image

who embodies both the divine Light and Darkness

to reveal the naked Truth:

that we cannot speak it because we cannot describe it,

but we can know it.

How do we allow the light and darkness

to transcend within us and in our being?

How do we reject the perfect light and darkness

by our feeble attempt to define its trueness, its being?

Spirit of the living Presence fall upon us and be with us

in all of your splendor and murky ways.

Spirit of Creation and Void who gives us life and death,

be nearer to our understanding and our denials.

Reveal to us so we might be able to truly embrace
what we cannot describe

 and allow that to be the naked Truth in our lives.

Spirit of the Light and the Dark,

be far from us so that we might be comforted in your presence;

That we may continue yours in no-words language,

actionless-action and thinkingless-thought,

And through your gracious Spirit,

open our questions and hearts to your True Presence.

I am the gate

“I am the gate…”;

Tony E Dillon Hansen

⁷ So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.

 (John 10: 7 NRSV)

The next two “I am” verses come from John 10, and they each give us different perspectives about Jesus, as a gate and as a shepherd.

I remember walking through a gate into my grandparents’ farmhouse yard only to face a massive, menacing turkey following us to the door. We see gates through literature and movies: gates before Helm’s Deep, the arch into Jurassic Park, or energy portals between dimensions. For my Grandmother’s house, there was no question what was on the other side. Yet, upon finding such gates that do not have much visibility, one might begin questioning. Do we enter, and what happens on the other side?  As well, we remember that a gate is an entry: place to start but also place to leave. Thus, what do we leave?

Each day of our lives we face decisions and proverbial gates.  Do I take step forward or do I just stay where I am? The gate represents change, uncertainty, innovation, chance as well as hope. When we come to gates in our lives that are critical decisions, we might need a dose of courage and inspiration to proceed to move forward beyond today. Steve Jobs once said that upon daily looking into a mirror, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something” Yet, with all of our brokenness, too often we revert to contentment and resign to staying within ourselves - letting the turkey decide for us. What are we clinging that we fear to change or to enter the gate? We might hear Jesus and that good voice, but perhaps think “my heart just cannot take another surprise”, for yet another day in a row.

Understandably, we are skeptical of people making broad claims because we know marketing with false “guarantees” to solve what is missing in our lives. Yet, there is a real truth because we know and recognize authenticity, and Jesus offers genuine and authentic truth. That is part of the conversation that Jesus invites us where we can be authentic in ourselves and find the One listening to us. We are invited to hear and to listen to the voice that welcomes and speaks truth. When you hear the truth, maybe the gate won’t seem so daunting. Take a step forward, have faith, and live into the welcome you have been given.

For those that have found the strength to step, do we have patience and grace in turn to welcome others wherever they are on life’s journey?  Jesus reminds as well that we must be gates for others to find hope and justice, without judgment - just like the example Jesus set for us.

May the One, who welcomes us at the gate, be with us this season as we seek to hear your truth and take steps. Be with us and guide us through the COVID-19 trials. Let us witness your comfort within our spirit to take those steps. Amen.

Born of the Spirit - John 3

Born of the Spirit

Tony E Dillon Hansen

Reflection for John 3:1-17, Psalm 121

Psalm 19,

Whenever we get to this text, I am reminded to of the myriad ways in which John 3:16 appears throughout our society.  Whether a player tattoos 3:16 under eyes or we see people with sandwich boards proclaiming 3:16, there is a uniqueness to this passage still that calls to us.  Pastor Matt remarked on Thursday that evangelist like to emphasize words in this phrase. “For God SOOO loved the world…” and in case you missed it, we can definitely feel joy in the idea that God loves the world.

There is strength and power in God giving to us “only begotten” Jesus because our Creator is willing to give that much to us because of the “SOOO” much love. How could we as just people compete with that kind of love.

Yet this verse comes in context of the conversation between the priest Nicodemus and Jesus. In this frank conversation, each are talking about aspects of theology; aspects of God; aspects of finding God in the here and now. The lines that jumped out to me in this reading were 3:8 “The wind blows and you hear it but you do not know from where it comes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” and because you and I are talking today, Nicodemus question in 3:4, “how can anyone be born again having grown old?”

First to be born of the Spirit means what?

In this Gospel lesson and next week’s, we observe dialogs and relationship. Jesus engages these questions of faith, of identity and wholeness. In each of these dialogs, as well, Jesus listens and does not condemn.  In fact, the robust conversation invites even more conversation today.  Nicodemus and Jesus invoke the Spirit working.

Incidentally, what kind of conversations do you have with Jesus?  We often hear people talk about being spiritual without being religious, but Jesus invites us to relationship with the Spirit. Jesus invites us to go deep into ourselves. Jesus guides us to witness and to recognize the Spirit, that is not just token rhetoric for sandwich boards or tattoos, but one that breathes full dimensions into our being: a spirit that transcends my concerns, my thoughts and my fears into joy, achievement and grace. I don’t have to be religious to witness the Spirit because I can meditate and pray; I can listen and be aware of the Spirit working around me, with me, through me, through you, and through our community.

To be born/re-born of the Spirit then is not a reentering of mother’s womb (my mother probably wouldn’t appreciate that now) but allowing the Spirit to open our eyes in new ways and new awareness. When we allow the Spirit to do this, we allow and acknowledge a conversation (a relationship) with the divine. Then, we might understand what “SOOO” much love is.

Yet if we step back and say “you know I am mature in my faith and I have grown old with these ideas and I am growing older.” “Maybe, that feeling is just for young folks and hippie people that want to get in touch with their feelings.” Cynics might use the word “hogwash.”

I hear that “I am still getting old. My body is getting slower and more broken. The world seems to be spinning out of control and no one cares. Governments are corrupt and society going down the tubes.”  In that view, I guess that is it folks. There is nothing more we can do and misery is all around us with nothing we can do about it. 

That cynicism is defeating and destructive spiritual darkness. Instead looking to find connection and renewal, this attitude denies even the chance.  This attitudes denies that divine invitation to spiritual light because one stops at spiritual darkness where the experience of spiritual rebirth is fantasy or foreign.

That, my friends, is precisely when we need to find our birth in spirit. When we have lost all sense of self; lost all faith; and even lost hope. Even in our maturity, we must be willing to dig deeper, beyond the spiritual mud, to find the light of the Spirit burning for us and with us. That is when Jesus can be most meaningful to us because we let Jesus and Spirit find us and meet us where we are; to lift us to where we can be.

So, Have a conversation with Jesus in your heart where you are on life’s journey, like Nicodemus. We don’t have to dwell in the doldrums of spiritual quicksand because we can reach with our hearts at this chance to find grace again and again. We can breathe in and out with that possibility of Spirit fully inside us and with us.

When you feel that, you can free yourself from the broken, slowing body and smile with the grace of God clearing that spiritual mud; clearing the obstacles that prevent us from loving neighbor; clearing the barriers from our own tender heart and spirit.

That is how we can be born again while growing old – everyday – all day – any minute – no matter where you are on life’s journey. You can let Jesus reach down into your heart, and you let Jesus move your attitudes from cynicism to possible. You can find comfort in spiritual prayer, and you might find that SOOO LOVE can set you free.

Thanks be to God!