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You can hear the service, and offer your own prayer concerns and celebrations, by going to the John Knox Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. You don't have to have a Facebook account to do this-- when the screen says "sign in or create an account," look for the smaller option below it that says "not now," and you will be taken to the page. Scroll down to the livestream of worship!
Call to Worship All who thirst, come to the water. Come, all who are weary; come, all who yearn for forgiveness. Drink deeply of these living waters. Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you. Psalm 102: 12-17 12 But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations. 13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come. 14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust. 15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory. 16 For the Lord will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory. 17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer. Gospel Reading: Mark 13:1-8, 28-37 1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” 3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. ------------- 28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” Meditation Please join with others in listening to the meditation, presented live at 10:30 a.m, on the John Knox Facebook page. Offering of Music: In Christ Alone, arr. by David Wesley— performed as a virtual choir directed by the arranger, this choir is made up of 48 voices from 14 countries. Please listen to this beautiful hymn performed in an innovative way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY4CW5pte98 During this time, you may make an offering to John Knox by going to our homepage and scrolling to the bottom where you will see a link to online giving. When you give this way, consider giving a little extra to defray the cost of this service. If you prefer, you may mail you offerings to the church directly. Even though we are far apart, the church's expenses remain the same. Prayers of the People* and the Lord’s Prayer Waiting and Longing God of the seasons, God of the years, God of the eons, Alpha and Omega, before us and after us. You promise and we wait: we wait with eager longing, we wait amid doubt and anxiety, we wait with patience thin and then doubt, and then we take life into our own hands. We wait because you are the one and the only one. We wait for your peace and your mercy, for your justice and your good rule. Give us your spirit that we may wait obediently and with discernment, caringly and without passivity, trustingly and without cynicism honestly and without utopianism, Grant that our wait may be appropriate to your coming soon and very soon, soon and not late, late but not too late. We wait while the world groans in eager longing. And now with confidence as the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught his disciples: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen. Benediction Next week: Mark 11— the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem *prayer written by Walter Brueggemann, in Prayers for a Privileged People, Abingdon Press, 2010.
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Call to Worship
L: Come and worship the God of love! C: Let us love the Lord, our God! L: With heart and soul, with mind and strength. C: Let us love our neighbors, too! L: In equal measure as ourselves. C: Come and worship the God of love! Psalm 89: 1-8 1 I will sing of the Lord’s loyal love forever. I will proclaim your faithfulness with my own mouth from one generation to the next. 2 That’s why I say, “Your loyal love is rightly built—forever! You establish your faithfulness in heaven.” 3 You said, “I made a covenant with my chosen one; I promised my servant David: 4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever; I will build up your throne from one generation to the next.’” Selah 5 Heaven thanks you for your wondrous acts, Lord— for your faithfulness too— in the assembly of the holy ones. 6 Is there any in the sky who could compare to the Lord? Who among the gods is equal to the Lord? 7 God is respected in the council of the holy ones; God is awesome and revered more than all those around him. 8 Who is like you, Lord God of heavenly forces? Mighty Lord, your faithfulness surrounds you! Mark 12: 28-34 28 One of the legal experts heard their dispute and saw how well Jesus answered them. He came over and asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus replied, “The most important one is Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, 30 and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second is this, You will love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” 32 The legal expert said to him, “Well said, Teacher. You have truthfully said that God is one and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love God with all of the heart, a full understanding, and all of one’s strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more important than all kinds of entirely burned offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered with wisdom, he said to him, “You aren’t far from God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. Meditation Rev. Becky Downs Greetings to all of you in this time that just seems to get stranger and stranger! I pray that all of you, and those who you love, are healthy and safe. Please let me know if you have special needs that one of us can help with, and know that my prayers continue for each one of you. You may remember that in our journey through the book of Mark, we have already passed the time that we normally recognize on Palm Sunday-- Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The authorities are actively trying to entrap Jesus through their questions and challenges. This is the context of the scripture that I shared with you. The scribes and elders had questioned Jesus on paying taxes, and one of the legal experts overheard their conversation. The legal expert would have been trained and practiced in the commandments, and definitely would have an opinion on the answer to the question he asked Jesus: “Which commandment is the greatest?” The answer that Jesus gave is without doubt one of the most quoted things Jesus ever said, and it is echoed in almost all the world’s religions: Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. The legal expert concurred, and Jesus said to him, “You are not far from God’s kingdom.” To be close to God’s kingdom is the overarching focus of Mark’s gospel, from the beginning to the end, so when Jesus affirms the man in this way, it is the highest of praise. In the midst of our current crisis, these are critical words for us to hear. Love the lord your God. Keep your faith in the one who created you and loves you beyond any love we can imagine. Hold close the scriptures that you know, the disciples who you’ve met, the lessons that you’ve learned, the hymns that move your heart. Know that we will be united again soon to worship our Holy One. Love the Lord your God. The second is like it, Jesus says. “You will love your neighbor as yourself.” Love your neighbor as yourself. Maybe this is the part we’re working so hard on right now. We know how to “flatten the curve” We hear that we should #stayhome. We’re learning more and more about “social distancing,” and how very hard that can be when we just want to be with friends. It’s uncomfortable and inconvenient and disrupts our normal routines. But we know, don’t we, that each step we take in this direction is an act of love for our neighbors? This is exactly what God would have us do. We protect ourselves and those closest to us, but we act out of care for people we don’t even know. First John 4: 19-21 says “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” And so we do. We stay home. We flatten the curve. We stand 6 feet away from each other. As weird as it is, this is loving God and loving our neighbor. May we continue to do God’s will. Offering of Music Click this link to listen to music from Kaoma Chende: Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us During this time, you may make an offering to John Knox by going to our homepage and scrolling to the bottom where you will see a link to online giving. When you give this way, consider giving a little extra to defray the cost of this service. If you prefer, you may mail you offerings to the church directly. Even though we are far apart, the church's expenses remain the same. Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer This prayer was written and published by Julie Gvillo, Commissioned Pastor (PCUSA) and Founder and Creative Executive Director of A Place of Grace. Julie shares liturgy written on RCL passages each week on her blog, Point of Contact: Where Life and Worship Intersect. O Great Shepherd, because of you, we lack nothing. Even in these challenging times, you provide for us in unexpected ways, granting opportunities to rest from the hustle and bustle of our normal lives, and satisfying our thirst for connection through alternative means. We give thanks for the reminder to draw closer as a community even as we practice social-distancing, to support one another and to lend a helping hand. Thank you, Lord, for leading us down new paths toward relationship with you and with one another, for giving us tools for doing it that protect our most vulnerable while encouraging them and lifting them up. Mighty Fortress, protect us all as we walk through valleys of uncertainty, and remove all sense of fear and panic. Make your presence known to us as you guide and direct us, support and teach us, so that we, in turn, might learn from you how to do the same for others. Particularly we pray for those in the thick of this battle, fighting for the lives of those who struggle to breathe freely. Healing Redeemer, place your healing hand upon the tired, the weak, the undernourished, the overwrought, the targets of judgment, the grieving, and even those who hoard out of fear and greed, we pray. and give them strength and courage to carry on. You prepare a feast of hope for us, in the midst of the chaos. You bless us with grace until our cups overflow. For your steadfast love and faithfulness we are grateful every day of our lives, and with loud praises we lift our hearts to you. And now with confidence as the children of God, let us pray as Jesus taught his disciples. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this daily our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Benediction Next week: Mark 13: 1-8, 24-37; the End of the Age |
AuthorRev. Becky Downs, Pastor Archives
April 2024
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