Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Service of the Word
June 20, 2021
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GATHERING
Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation! Now we are in the storm, the boat almost swamped; but Jesus is here now, and when we call him, he will calm the storm. Even the wind and waves listen to him as they would to their creator. We also listen to him and are called to believe in the power of God’s word in him, a power greater than all that we fear.
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WELCOME
A warm welcome to worship this morning! These same words that you read on your screen will be spoken today for the first time in 15 months at Nativity...indoors! We won't "hit the ground running"; we shall be a bit pensive and full of care I'm sure, pretty informal, taking things one step at a time. I am happy that circumstances favored a return to our sanctuary in time for me to enjoy it a couple of times before I depart. I am also proud of Nativity for weathering this storm and now redocking, and want to remind us that while our venue changes, our worship has continued unabated this whole time, thanks to this e-mail and our drive-in worship...and everyone who pitched in to make it happen!
And a Happy Father's Day to all; I hope today is a day of remembrance, joy, and hope for families everywhere! On a personal note, this is a special day for me; 32 years ago on Father's Day Weekend Sue and I were married; at that instant I also became Dad to Dan and Greg. And so I am blessed; for a guy who's yet to see heaven I have already been there twice on the same day! I'll also ask prayers today for Dan and Britt, we are ready to welcome our new granddaughter at any moment. Better by far than being a father is to be a grandfather! Being a father is an annual exercise in growth; grandparenting turns the flower into a perennial!
As to our congregational calendar, this is the first time ever that Father's Day has coincided with the season of Advent! Wait a minute, PB, aren't you about 5 months ahead of schedule? You'll be long gone when Advent rolls around in November...and that's my point. We are Nativity, we represent our namesake holiday, and this year it will take more than a month to get ready for a proper celebration of our Lord's birth here. In one of my last 'official' acts as your Pastor, I am declaring that all of our time, energy, and resource spent the rest of this year might be seen as preparation for Christmas. Today we mark a new beginning of sorts, and since Advent begins our church year, we might as well start now! To that end, you will note that all 5 of our songs in this Service are from the Advent section of our hymnal or use a familiar Christmas tune...since 'With One Voice", our 'blue' book, has been an important Sunday tool for me for 25 years, I thought I'd use it for my last two, giving the red book a rest.
This is also the First Day of Summer: a time for rest, relaxation, recreation. And next week I'll begin what I like to call, with a tip of the cap to the Beach Boys..."Endless Summer". If I'm not sure that is apropos for retirement, then I'll spend another 3 months to test the title...over and over again until I get it right! With a timeline that is eternal, this is for both writer and reader today not a termination; rather an inauguration into the tomorrows of our faith journey. Better yet, it's a June commencement; the future launches here and now...and there is no finer way than worship and no better springboard than our commitment in Service of the Word. PB
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Confession and Forgiveness
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity,☩ one God,
the God of manna,
the God of miracles,
the God of mercy.
Amen.
Drawn to Christ and seeking God’s abundance,
let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
God, our provider,
help us.
It is hard to believe there is enough to share.
We question your ways when they differ from the ways
of the world in which we live.
We turn to our own understanding
rather than trusting in you.
We take offense at your teachings and your ways.
Turn us again to you.
Where else can we turn?
Share with us the words of eternal life
and feed us for life in the world.
Amen.
Beloved people of God:
in Jesus, the manna from heaven,
you are fed and nourished.
By Jesus, the worker of miracles,
there is always more than enough.
Through Jesus, ☩ the bread of life,
you are shown God’s mercy:
you are forgiven and loved into abundant life.
Amen.
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GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
Amen
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PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God of creation, eternal majesty, you preside over land and sea, sunshine and storm. By your strength pilot us, by your power preserve us, by your wisdom instruct us, and by your hand protect us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
WORD
First Reading: Job 38:1-11
At the end of the book of Job, after Job and his companions have argued about the cause of the great suffering Job endures, God finally speaks. These verses begin that speech, which is a grand vision of creation, describing God’s ordering of the cosmos and inviting Job to marvel at its beauty.
1The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
7when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
8“Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—
9when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
11and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
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Psalm: Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
You stilled the storm and silenced the waves of the sea. (Ps. 107:29)
1Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good,
for God’s mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim
that God redeemed them from the hand of the foe,
3gathering them in from the lands;
from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
23Some went down to the sea in ships,
plying their trade in deep waters.
24They beheld the works of the Lord,
God’s wonderful works in the deep.
25Then God spoke, and a stormy wind arose,
which tossed high the waves of the sea.
26They mounted up to the heavens and descended to the depths;
their souls melted away in their peril.
27They staggered and reeled like drunkards,
and all their skill was of no avail.
28Then in their trouble they cried to the Lord,
and you delivered them from their distress.
29You stilled the storm to a whisper
and silenced the waves of the sea.
30Then were they glad when it grew calm,
when you guided them to the harbor they desired.
31Let them give thanks to you, Lord, for your steadfast love
and your wonderful works for all people.
32Let them exalt you in the assembly of the people;
in the council of the elders, let them sing hallelujah!
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Paul and his fellow workers experience great hardships and even rejection while carrying out their missionary work. Nevertheless, Paul continuously proclaims that God has not rejected us but is graciously working for our salvation.
1As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2For he says,
“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 3We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; 10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. 12There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. 13In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.
Word of God, word of life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia. Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation. Alleluia. (2 Cor. 6:2)
The holy gospel according to Mark.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Gospel: Mark 4:35-41
Jesus’ calming of the storm on the sea reveals his power over evil, since the sea represents evil and chaos. The boat on the sea is a symbol of the church and invites us to trust God amid life’s turbulence.
35When evening had come, [Jesus said to the disciples,] “Let us go across to the other side.” 36And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
The gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
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SERMON
In the name the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
One of my favorite words is 'penultimate'; because of the specificity of meaning, 'second to the last', there aren't a lot of occasions to use it. But it fits perfectly today; this is the next to last in a sermon 'series' of somewhere close to 500 episodes for Nativity. And if you add together all 40+ years of preaching, the number is in the thousands. So to come to the conclusion, and with my message for next Sunday's finale already 'written', I feel a little pressure to decide which reading will serve best this morning. Then I realized it was really freedom I'm feeling, so I decided to touch all four bases for this 4th Sunday after Pentecost and try to hit a homerun.
I'm in good company starting this at bat with Paul and his missive to the Corinthian Christians. The good news is that I promise to confine my commentary to just one sentence of his...the bad news for you is that the sentence is 99 words long! Having written more than my fair share of sentences over the year past, I can identify with Paul. Paul's chief gift lies in his passionate preaching, in his letters he seems to give himself over to his fervency of message and often leaves behind the rules of the written word...like at least once in a while putting in a period. He can run you over with his run-on sentences; in Ephesians there's a doozy lasting over two hundred.
If you think I'm going to retype the whole sentence, you are mistaken; I'll ask that you toggle back and re-read verses 3-8a. You know how I hate to make things all about me, but in this case 'if the shoe fits'; Paul begins it by making sure no one could find fault in his ministry with them; that's certainly not the case with mine. You wouldn't have to go too far before finding my faults; they are scattered throughout my years here. Paul catalogues all the calamities he faced in being commended to them; I've experienced none of them, save a few "sleepless nights." And when he lists his virtues, I see what I lack; you know I'm more than a little light in the 'p' areas: purity and patience. I cannot claim the 'k' either: knowledge and kindness are too often missing from my quiver. But I share a penchant for speaking 'frankly', at least in the areas of faith in Christ and hope for tomorrow. In all truth, I cannot frame my feeling towards Nativity, and you dear reader, any finer than Paul's words: "genuine love."
Onward...to Job. I confess to overemploying sarcasm; it's most often not effective and too often self serving. When employed judicially, it's a quick way to point out absurdity in another's weak position. Even though the Almighty seems to favor it in the First Reading, I identify not with God's answer so much as I do with the plight of Job. When God seems to take too much time in revealing holy intention, we fall into the hubris of providing our own answers to the questions of life. Here we are reminded, even if it stings a bit, that the grand vision belongs to the Creator...we have little to say and a lot to hear and see. In using this technique, I find it compelling that God provides the proof positive without declaration...only questions. And my response to the 'Who' inquiry: 'You are God, not me!" As to the 'where' query, we admit that we are nowhere without God having been there first and best.
I felt the urge to input one more time here all I know about pandemic times; then I read the Psalm. Again I invite you to scroll back and read again verses 25-30, thousands of years before occurrence, King David's nautical description of stormy times seems prescient in terms of staggering, reeling, soul-melting; we have even seen our vaunted skills be of no avail. Then, as now, all it takes is a cry to the Lord to instigate deliverance from our distress, leading to stillness, silence, then a guide to safe harbor and thankful response of heartfelt 'hallelujah.'
Mark's Gospel sets the scene for the same good news in this much loved miracle of Jesus. I'm reminded of the line: 'we all got here on different ships; we are all in the same boat now'. The text is summed up in two 'S' words, the first is "swamped'. I can't supply a more apt description of our past 15 months; we have been inundated, overwhelmed, enveloped and seemingly about to be swallowed up in the deluge...but we aren't sunk. We still have twin choices: we can bail or we can bail. As for me, running a bucket brigade to empty the water instead of adding to the crisis by quitting seems a straightforward way to stay afloat...but it will never be enough to still the storm, for that we need to look to the "stern".
One might expect the captain to be at the prow, navigating and barking out orders; true to form, Jesus is in the back of the boat...and tell me it hasn't crossed your mind that God might be sleeping through the whole thing, cushioned from the rolling turmoil. Jesus doesn't seem to mind being awakened, only annoyed that disciples don't seem to realize that what seems out of control is part and parcel of his handiwork, more than that they questioned his caring...and that won't do. So he comes out of the stern to the forefront, and then gets stern. He sternly rebukes the wind and then us for our abysmal lack of faith. Jesus, in his favored way, pronounces "Peace" and subsequently fills us with awe. We are given again to understand that it's Jesus job to still the storm and establish the "dead' calm; ours is to trust that peace that leads to life, even in the sternest of tests and trials. And that means we shall be open for an awakening of our own, as we together seek to share the Peace of the Lord with others. The only other word that begins with 'stern' is sternum; God's Peace is all we need to calm our troubled breast, and it is strong protection and assures safe passage for that which lies beneath...a stout and soft heart.
I hope you understand that when I use 'penultimate', that I'm talking about quantitative timing, not the quality of my preaching. I am self aware enough to know that what I've offered is far from the ultimate in expressing the gospel. The only time when it can't get better is when we simply hear that: 'God made you and loves you, The Father forgives you because The Son Jesus died for you, and the Spirit lives in your heart no matter what'. And I join Paul in assuring you that my heart remains "wide open" to you; it is hardly big enough to contain the appreciation I feel for the privilege of having been your Pastor.
'See' you here next Sunday for the ultimate...it is the sum of our years together, the reaching of the summit, the clarion call of a summons to follow Jesus. Hey, that's a perfect summary of a 3 point sermon this first day of Summer! Too late, I'm finished...and you have just begun!
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your heart and mind in + Christ Jesus our Lord.
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HYMN OF THE DAY WOV # 629 |
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APOSTLES' CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
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PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Let us come before the triune God in prayer.
A brief silence.
Holy God, you gather your people from east and west, north and south. We pray for the mission of the church throughout the world, that your steadfast love may be made known to all peoples. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You laid the foundations of the earth and the waters are the womb of creation. The morning stars sing your name and all creation shouts for joy. We pray for your blessed creation, that it may continue to flourish and magnify your glory. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You keep watch over all nations. We pray for countries experiencing violence, hunger, and unrest (especially). Guide worldwide and local community organizations in their efforts to establish safety and justice. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You are close to the brokenhearted and near to those in distress. We pray for those who are experiencing oppression. Liberate us from the systems and chains that bind us. Remove the barriers that separate us from one another. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
You dwell with us in this faith community. We pray for our leaders and elders (especially). Grant them knowledge, patience, and kindness, that through their leadership you may be exalted in this assembly. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Here other intercessions may be offered.
Your love endures in all situations. On this Father’s Day, we pray for those who are fathers or wish to be fathers, for those with broken or strained relationships, for those who are missing their fathers, and for fathers who have lost children. Bless and strengthen them. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your abiding grace.
Amen.
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PEACE
Call or text someone with whom you may ordinarily sit on Sundays, or a friend, family member, neighbor, or co-worker. Share the Peace of the Lord with them.
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OFFERING
Offer at this time to care for someone that may need you this week,,,and make a commitment to support Nativity in any way you are able.
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PRESENTATION OF GIFTS ELW 723 |
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PRAYER
Jesus, Bread of life,
you have set this table with your very self,
and called us to the feast of plenty.
Gather what has been sown among us,
and strengthen us in this meal.
Make us to be what we receive here,
your body for the life of the world.
Amen.
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LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
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BLESSING
The blessing of God,
who provides for us, feeds us, and journeys with us,
☩ be upon you now and forever.
Amen.
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DISMISSAL
Go in peace. You are the body of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
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NATIVITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
1300 COLLINGWOOD RD
ALEXANDRIA, VA 22301
Brent H. Thalacker, Pastor
Cell: 571-236-4976
bthalacker@cox.net
momwendel57@gmail.com
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