Address:
1300 Collingwood Road,
Alexandria, VA 22308
The Rev. Brent H. Thalacker, Pastor
(C) 571.236.4976
NATIVITY CONNECT
June 6, 2021
Second Sunday after Pentecost
Welcome
We upgrade our welcome from warm to hot today, seeing as how we are going to easily feel the triple digit degree mark in Northern Virginia; while the official beginning of summer is still two weeks away, we are getting a sneak peak here of what's in store. What's ahead weather wise is already behind us in our marking the church seasons by color: 2 Sundays ago we celebrated the red hot love of God in gifting us with the Holy Spirit; last Sunday we turned it up to white hot in the face of the full force of Holy Trinity, as the Spirit is unleashed in Oneness with Father and Son. Beginning today we embark on a run of two dozen Sundays where we are under a green umbrella, signifying our goal of growth in understanding of our mission and ministry. We pray that things are looking up for both you and our beloved Nativity; may that 'thumbs up' turn into a green thumb for our preparations, planting, and nurturing of new life!

For the pandemic year past, we have led with and lifted up the stuff we were able to do, not focused on what we were not able to accomplish, like gathering in our sanctuary. But today we first look at what we will not offer: there will be no drive in outdoor worship at Nativity...if nothing else we remember when being at home on Sunday was our only choice! And there will be no usual e-mail service; it will be the first time in 60+ weeks we won't address you as readers in our standard style. There will be no written sermon by PB (I'm pausing to let the tumult of rejoicing calm down!) You will view more than words this morning, we are joining in a 'live stream' of the closing worship for this weekend's Synod Assembly.

We are offering this fare for twin reasons: our Metro DC will be an engaged and engaging partner with Nativity for the near future as never before...we are excited about the possibilities! The arrival of Pastor Mitch in less than a month is testimony to that companionship. So it is meet, right, and salutary that we salute that today and join with the 70+ other congregations of the Synod, the Bishop and staff, and the many ministries in showing solidarity in Service of the Word...and it is LIVE!

We also should rightfully expect that formats of presentation of our communications will change beginning next month...stay tuned! PM comes with a whole 'tool kit' of ways to reach out in both programmatic and technological mode and manner; he will not be a 'greenhorn' and brings with him bona fides that PB never possessed. And you will grow together to offer a wider and more compelling range of forms that better support our joyful task of sharing the grace of God's gospel of love. And so this is a new (for us) way of introducing the bounty that lies just ahead.

Next Sunday Nativity is back in print and then on the lawn or in our auto @ 9a.m. We shall say goodbye and thanks to and for our outdoor experience over the past 12 months, with an emphasis on care of God's creation. On Father's Day, June 20th, we will come back again...this time indoors with a return to Holy Communion in our beloved sanctuary. And then on the 27th, it's time for PB to go, as we say farewell and Godspeed.

With all that on our mind, we pray that your worship from the heart this day would be lively, lovely, and rich with meaning and possibility. While we address the future, often accompanied by uncertainty, know this this day: God's promises are sure and God's presence is here and now. Peace! PB 
Sunday, June 6th, we are hosting a "Synodwide Celebration of God’s Word Service" that will premiere at 10:00am on Youtube and Facebook.
  • This will be a "Celebration of God's Word" - there will not be communion
  • Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod will be preaching
  • The texts for the day are Genesis 3:8-15, Psalm 130, Mark 3:20-35


Genesis 3:8-15
Immediately after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, they hide from God. Neither takes responsibility for their sin, instead blaming each other, the snake, and even God. The curse on the snake was understood as a messianic prophecy by the early church, who associated Eve’s “offspring” with Christ.

8[Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.9But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” 14The Lord God said to the serpent, 
 “Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals
and among all wild creatures;
 upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
 15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
 he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

Psalm 130
Wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love. (Ps. 130:7)

1Out of the depths
I cry to you, O Lord;
 2O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
 3If you were to keep watch over sins,
O Lord,  who could stand?
 4Yet with you is forgiveness,
in order that you may be feared. 
 5I wait for you, O Lord; my soul waits;
in your word is my hope.
 6My soul waits for the Lord more than those who keep watch for the morning,
more than those who keep watch for the morning.
 7O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love;
with the Lord there is plenteous redemption.
 8For the Lord shall redeem Israel
from all their sins. 

Mark 3:20-35
In response to charges that he is possessed, Jesus wonders aloud how anyone who is demon-possessed can cast out demons. Those who do the will of God are possessed by the Holy Spirit, siblings of Christ.

[Jesus went home;] 20and the crowd came together again, so that [Jesus and the disciples] could not even eat. 21When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
 28“Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—30for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
 31Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
One More Thing