Sunday Worship - John Knox Presbyterian Church

Video Service for the Lord's Day

8/30/2020

Simply click on the links in order to enjoy worship at home today!

Praising God with music-- Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world!  Here is First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn with "Kum Ba Yah."

Call to Worship, the Readings, and the Message

Offertory Music-- Take a few moments to reflect on the scripture as you listen to What Does the Lord Require, sung by the Atlanta Master Chorale.

The Prayers and the Blessing

Service for the Lord's Day

8/30/2020

Praise with music
Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world!

Call to Worship
L: Come, children of God,
P: rejoice in your Maker!
L: Sing songs and hymns, old and new;
P: celebrate with voices and instruments, with praise and prayers!
L: Open your eyes to the life-giving presence of Jesus Christ.
P: For God is already here,
L: among us and within us, bringing new life to all who believe.
   Let’s praise God together!

Prayer

Micah 6: 6-8
“With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Romans 12: 9-21
9 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.

Message
This will be my last sermon that I’ve written specifically for at home worship, as we’ll be gathering together in person next week for the first time in awhile. I know that many of you will not be able to come for some time, and I want you to know that you are still a beloved part of the church. You are not forgotten. We will do our best to have videos of the message and the music that you can use to continue to worship even at home, and when things are safer, we will be delighted to see you.
   The scripture this week from Paul’s letter to the Romans is a crucially important word for us to hear today. The passage really speaks for itself as a statement of what it means to live a faithful life. And as we’ve seen over the past few months, we have a long way to go before we can say we exhibit these behaviors. How many of us can say that we have consistently hated what is evil and held fast to what is good? No one. Instead, we stay quiet in the face of evil, telling ourselves that it’s not our problem. Who can say that you don’t lag in zeal or that you are patient in suffering? Do you offer hospitality to strangers? What if those strangers are homeless? or mentally ill? or wearing strange clothes? or who, in your mind, “look like criminals?” If you are anything like me, or like most Christians in the United States, no you don’t. And maybe most difficult of all, do you love your enemies? Do you bless those who persecute you? Because it would turn the world around if we all just did that.
   Paul says, “don’t repay evil for evil,” but we rely on our guns and our weapons to do just that— we have a “Stand Your Ground” law that makes it legally acceptable to kill someone who you think might want to do some harm to your property. We don’t just repay evil for evil— we defend police for killing men and women who they may suspect of having ill intentions. We allow them to kill people who happen to be in the same place as someone they suspect, and call it collateral damage. We’re not very good at this instruction. Paul says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” How are we doing?
   For those of you who are still listening, despite our falling short of these instructions, there is hope here, because Paul is writing with the faithful hope that we will get there. It is a hope that reflects his deep understanding of the gospel which was established by Jesus himself— the one who did live up to these standards. Jesus was not haughty, he associated with the lowly. Jesus didn’t repay evil for evil, he did love his enemies and pray for them as he died on the cross. In his lifetime, he overcame evil with good, and for that we can be grateful. And as a sign of this gratitude we pray that we may come closer to God, in word, in deed, and in devotion.
   In reflection on the year 2020, and on a different passage from Romans, another pastor wrote these words, which give me hope:

So, Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will economic hardship, or COVID, or Toilet paper shortages, or social distancing,
or Zoom fatigue, or doomscrolling, or murder hornets?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor white supremacy, nor homophobia,
nor sexism, nor transphobia,
nor elections, nor demon sperm, nor unmarked vans, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.

Music and Offering
During this time, or after our prayers, 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.  We give out of pure gratitude for what God has done.

Listen to this offertory music, taking a few minutes to reflect on the scripture.

Prayers of the People
Gracious God,
In love You created us,
and in love You sustain us, day after day.
So it is with confidence that we bring our prayers to You,
knowing that You hear us, and will respond.

We pray for the world around us,
for the many who continue to suffer and call out for help:
            for those without enough to eat;
            for those caught up in violence and political uprisings;
            for those picking up the pieces after a natural disaster;
            for those desperate to find work to support their families.

Gracious God, hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.

We also pray for family and friends who are suffering:
            those struggling physically or emotionally,
            those working to overcome mental illness;
            those facing challenges at home or at work;
            those grieving the death of a loved one.

Gracious God, hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.

God, You have called us to pray for our enemies;
to bless, rather than curse, those who deliberately seek to harm us.
We bring their names before You now--
            those who have hurt us, physically or emotionally;
            those who have stolen from us,
                        or cheated us of what was rightfully ours;
            those who have spread rumors about us,
                        or turned our friends against us.
We ask You to bless them.
Open our hearts so that we may see them as You see them,
and be able to respond to them with Your love.

Gracious God, hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.

We pray for Your church around the world,
that it would be a living demonstration of Your coming kingdom:
            offering hospitality to all,
            ready to help in times of need,
            showing love to friends and enemies alike,
            seeking to live in peace with all.

Gracious God, hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.

God, we praise You for Your faithful love,
and for the mercy You have shown toward us.
Open our eyes to recognize Your presence in our lives.
Give us grace to hear Your call,
and courage to follow without hesitation,
knowing that Your way is the only way that leads to life.

In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord,
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
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: For a benediction today, hear the words of the late Representative John Lewis: ”Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe," he wrote. "In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring."
"When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide."

———————————————-

Today’s prayers are from re-worship@blogspot.com

Rewriting of Romans 8: Pastor Lura Green, facebook post

Benediction: Representative John Lewis, final essay, written shortly before his death on July 17, 2020

Video Service for the Lord's Day

8/23/2020

Simply click on the links in order to enjoy worship at home today!

Praising God with music-- Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world!  Here is Hezekiah Walker with "Better."

Call to Worship, the Readings, and the Message

Offertory Music-- Take a few moments to reflect on the scripture as you listen to Look at the World, by John Rutter.

The Prayers and the Blessing

Service for the Lord's Day

8/23/2020

Praise with music
Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world! Get ready to worship with "Better," by Hezekiah Walker.

Call to Worship
L: God sees and knows all things,
C: And cannot be stopped.
L: We speak out of ignorance
C: The things we don’t know.
L: Praise God, who still loves us
C: The God of our wisdom!

Prayer
God of wisdom,
You have the power to forgive and restore our lives, just as you did for Job. Accept our remorse for where we have walked astray and bring us back into relationship with you, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Job 42: 1-17
Then Job answered the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things,
    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
    I will question you, and you declare to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. 12 The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. 17 And Job died, old and full of days.

Message

Music and Offering
During this time, or after our prayers, 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.  We give out of pure gratitude for what God has done.

Listen to this offertory music, taking a few minutes to reflect on the scripture. This is “Look at the World,” by John Rutter, at the Mark Thallander Foundation Choir Festival, 2008.

Prayers of the People
God of all kindness,
you gave your only Son,
because you loved the world so much.

We pray for the peace of the world.
Move among us by your Spirit,
break down barriers
of fear, suspicion, and hatred.
Heal the human family of its divisions
and unite it in the bonds of peace and justice.

We pray for our country.Enrich our common life;
strengthen the forces of truth and goodness;
teach us to share prosperity,
that those whose lives are impoverished
may pass from need and despair
to dignity and joy.

We pray for those who suffer.
Surround them with your love,
support them with your strength,
console them with your comfort,
and give them hope
and courage beyond themselves.

We pray for our students and teachers.
Fill them with a desire
for both knowledge and wisdom,
give them all the tools they need
to teach and learn in new ways,
and encourage them with your presence.

We pray for the Church.
Keep us true to the gospel
and responsive to the gifts and needs of all.
Make known your saving power in Jesus Christ,
by the witness of our faith, our worship, and our life. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
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: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and bring you peace. Amen.

———————————————-
Today’s prayers are from

Clergy Stuff Worship Resources, Bloomington, Minnesota, 2016-2019.
Book of Common Worship, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 2018.

Service for the Lord's Day with videos

8/16/2020

Simply click on the links in order to enjoy worship at home today!

Praising God with music-- Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world!  Here is the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Call to Worship, the Readings, and the Message

Offertory Music-- Take a few moments to reflect on the scripture as you listen to Pie Jesu, by Gabriel Fauré, sung by VOCES8, in the Gresham Center, London.

The Prayers and the Blessing

Bonus Song!

Service for the Lord's Day

8/16/2020

Praise with music
Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world! Here’s the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Call to Worship
Gathered in the name of Jesus Christ,
inspired by the Holy Spirit,
and blessed by God,
we come to worship one, holy God.
O God, our own God,
how wonderful is your name in all the earth.
Your majesty is the music of the starry skies.
yet even children of dust can sing your praises.
In the name of the Healer, the Provider and the Enabler
let your gratitude and joy be made known.
O God, our own God,
how wonderful is your name in all the earth!

Prayer
Almighty God,
You created all and know all, and yet you care about each one of us. Humble us with grateful hearts for all that you have done, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Job 38: 1-18, 40: 1-2
38: 1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird 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.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone
7 when 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?--
9 when I made the clouds its garment,
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
    and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
    and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?
12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
    and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 so that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
    and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
    and it is dyed like a garment.
15 Light is withheld from the wicked,
    and their uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
    or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
    or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
    Declare, if you know all this.”

40:1 And the Lord said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
    Anyone who argues with God must respond.”

Message
If you’ve been following along with our messages on Job the last few weeks you’ll notice a distinct change in tone in today’s reading. Here’s a synopsis of what’s happened so far.
Job was a legendary righteous man and had a lot to show for it— material wealth, a large, strong family, security, prestige, and good health. But due to a deal between God and “ho satan,” or the adversary, to see just how faithful Job actually was, everything was taken away. For a long time after that, Job sat in ashes, scraping his sores, telling his friends that he knew God was good and faithful in spite of all this, wondering why he was ever born, lamenting his current situation, and pleading with God to simply let him die. From chapter 2 to chapter 37, Job cried and pleaded and lamented.
And now finally, in chapter 38, we hear from God again.
And what God basically says is: You’re welcome.

Now if you’ve seen the Disney movie Moana, this might sound familiar. In the movie, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson voices the character Maui, who is a mythical Polynesian demigod who performed such acts as harnessing fire for the humans, raising up the sky so that people and trees could stand upright, and pulling up islands from the sea. After the movie’s main character discovers him and demands that he help her fix what’s wrong with the world, he sings a hilarious song called “You’re Welcome!” in which he basically takes Moana’s demands as a thank you, and sings “What can I say, except you’re welcome?” and starts listing all the dozens of things that he did to help humanity in the past, all accompanied by dancing muscular tattoos and no lack of bravado. The link to the video is included on the church website as a bonus song after the worship service if you’d like to watch it.

God’s response to Job’s demands are similar, though taking a different tone. God says, Job, you’re talking about things you know nothing about, so if you’re really going to ask me these questions, get up out of the ash heap and get yourself ready, because I have some things to say to you. And then God gets into it, and he talks for like four full chapters straight, without a whole lot of interruption. This is one of my favorite, most majestic speeches of God throughout scripture, and I like how God even gets a little sarcastic in it.

“Where were you, God asks, when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!” (38: 4-5)

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
    and where is the place of darkness,
that you may take it to its territory
    and that you may discern the paths to its home?
Surely you know, for you were born then,
    and the number of your days is great! (38: 20-21)

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
    or loose the cords of Orion?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? (38: 31-33)

“Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
    and spreads its wings toward the south?
Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
    and makes its nest on high? (39: 26-27)

“Can you draw out Leviathan [Leviathan was a terrifying sea dragon that God had created] with a fishhook,
    or press down its tongue with a cord?…
Will it make many supplications to you?
    Will it speak soft words to you?
Will it make a covenant with you
    to be taken as your servant forever?
Will you play with it as with a bird,
    or will you put it on leash for your girls? (41: 1,3-5)

God is pulling no punches here. Clearly he intends for Job to say, “thank you.” And surely after reading these three long chapters we may want to say those words too.

But in the midst of all the gratitude that we’re supposed to be feeling, we see something else here about God. When God is speaking of the workings of the cosmos, the stars and the seas, and the multitude of creatures and their ways of living, we hear not only of God’s power, but of God’s persistent engagement with the whole creation. God cares about what the seas and the stars are doing. God knows how the eagles fly, how the bears care for their young, how rains water the earth, how the tides move in the oceans. God didn’t just make the earth and put us here and wander away. What God has created— every bit of this marvelous creation— still matters to God.

In this time when we’re fighting over how much effort we should put into saving the earth and its inhabitants from our own destructive acts (from the mess we’ve made of it), we need to remember these words from Job which so powerfully testify to God’s love not only for humanity— not only for us, but for the whole thing.

There is no doubt that even as Job sat there scraping his sores and lamenting his life, that God still had everything working all around him. And that God never did desert him or forsake him, and this is the good news: God never stops being faithful to us.

So how do we say thank you to God? How do we take this powerful speech and respond not only with our words but with our actions? It’s a challenge right now. John Knox has always been an active church— a busy church. A lot of things happen all the time at John Knox and it’s easy to get caught up in all of it— meetings and celebrations and visits and worship and music and classes and social activities and of course all the ways of service toward our neighbors. We want to thank God by doing stuff.

But it’s hard to do stuff, especially stuff that shows our gratitude to God, when we’re also trying to stay home and not spread the virus around. So here are a few suggestions for showing our gratitude, even as we struggle to get up out of what feels like the ash pile of 2020. Here’s some stuff to do
  1. The Outreach Committee will soon be starting to collect food for the East Spring Branch Food Pantry— specifically we’re going to be assembling Thanksgiving Bags. It seems early, but it will make sense when you get the instructions. Stay tuned to emails for information when we get started.
2.Make a creation commitment— find ways to use less plastic, less packaging, less fossil fuels in general. Plant a tree. Plant butterfly and bee gardens. Contribute to conservation groups like Trees for Houston. Write down your commitment and stick to it.
3.Adopt a school or a teacher— teachers are stressed even more than they usually are this year. Call up a local school and let them know of your support. Send a tray of food, written cards, tokens of appreciation. Let them know you’re praying for them.

We’ve all heard it a million times, and until we absorb it into our core, we will hear it even more— friends, God loves you beyond all love, and God is always faithful. Let’s get out of this ash heap and give thanks to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Music and Offering
During this time, or after our prayers, 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.  We give out of pure gratitude for what God has done.

Listen to this offertory music, taking a few minutes to reflect on the scripture. This is Pie Jesu, by Gabriel Fauré, sung by VOCES8, in the Gresham Center, London.

Prayers of the People
People of God, as we come to prayer
let us remember that we do not
have to twist the arm of a reluctant God
to seek good things for this world,
nor find ways to persuade a distant God
to come near and listen to us.

Let us remember that as we pray
we kneel alongside Jesus Christ,
in the presence of God,
with the help of the Spirit.

So let us bring to mind now
those people who are in need of our prayers:
those who are ill, or anxious;
those who are lonely or sad;
those who are despairing or defeated;
those who are hungry or homeless;
those whose relationships are breaking apart;
those who are bullied or abused;
those who cannot find work;
and those who are over-worked.
In silence now, let us make our own specific prayers
for those on our hearts and minds today.

(silence)

In the presence of God,
alongside Jesus Christ,
with help from the Spirit
may we go into this week
to live out our prayers through our lives.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
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: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and bring you peace. Amen.

———————————————-
Bonus Song— “You’re Welcome!” from Disney’s Moana:

Today’s prayers are from

Clergy Stuff Worship Resources, Bloomington, Minnesota, 2016-2019.
Bruce Prewer (adapted), pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au
Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith community. stillpointsa.org.au/prayer/prayers-and-liturgies

Service for the Lord's Day with videos

8/9/2020

Simply click on the links in order to enjoy worship at home today!

Praising God with music-- Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world! Here is “Joyful, Joyful,” by the Angel City Chorale.

Call to Worship, the Readings, and the Message

Offertory Music-- Take a few moments to reflect on the scripture as you listen to "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth," from Handel's Messiah, performed by Lynne Dawson with the the Choir of King's College Cambridge, Brandenburg Consort, & Stephen Cleobury.

The Prayers and the Blessing

Service for the Lord's Day

8/9/2020

Praise with music
Let us praise God in every place, every language, with every people around the world! Listen to “Joyful, Joyful,” by the Angel City Chorale.

Call to Worship
L: Come, all who thirst—come to the water!
P: You who long for the water of life—come and drink!
L: Dip your soul in the river of God’s goodness;
P: quench your thirst at God’s well of grace.
L: For God is here among us, whether we’re separate or together,
P: offering living water to all who would drink!
L: Let’s worship God together!

Prayer
Eternal God,
You have given us an unfailing promise: the gift of everlasting life for all who believe. Sustain us with this assurance, that hope might shine out of all we do for the sake of Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Reading from Scripture Job 14: 7-15; 19: 23-27
14: 7 “For there is hope for a tree,
    if it is cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grows old in the earth,
    and its stump dies in the ground,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put forth branches like a young plant.
10 But mortals die, and are laid low;
    humans expire, and where are they?
11 As waters fail from a lake,
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so mortals lie down and do not rise again;
    until the heavens are no more, they will not awake
    or be roused out of their sleep.
13 O that you would hide me in Sheol,
    that you would conceal me until your wrath is past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If mortals die, will they live again?
    All the days of my service I would wait
    until my release should come.
15 You would call, and I would answer you;
    you would long for the work of your hands.

19: 23 “O that my words were written down!
    O that they were inscribed in a book!
24 O that with an iron pen and with lead
    they were engraved on a rock forever!
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and that at the last he will stand upon the earth;
26 and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
    then in my flesh I shall see God,
27 whom I shall see on my side,
    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
    My heart faints within me!

Message
This is our third week in the book of Job, which you’ll remember is a sort of legendary story which teaches us extraordinary lessons about life, death, despair and faith. We’ve seen this righteous man, Job, who has had everything in his life suddenly taken away from him— his home, his wealth, his place in society, even his children, and finally his health. Last we saw him he was sitting in a pile of ashes, scraping at his sores with broken pottery. Job’s friends have visited him, first sitting with him in his misery, and then giving him a variety of advice about his situation, none of which Job took. He was lamenting everything that had gone wrong in his life— speaking directly to God about his misery and somehow hoping that God was listening to him. In his lament, he also gives us permission to lament our own losses.

   And so we come to this week’s reading— and basically nothing has changed. Job is still sitting in misery, sitting in shame, but now he has a new approach to God. See, Job had been talking to God about his life. And now he’s moving on to talking about his death.
   Most of the early readers of Job would have believed that when you died, you were in a place of darkness, with everyone else who had died, both the just and the unjust— resting with your ancestors, is how it was phrased often. They called this place Sheol. Job says, “mortals die, and are laid low; humans expire, and where are they?” They’re nowhere anymore. It wasn’t necessarily a frightening place, or a place of suffering— in fact this whole section of Job is basically Job asking God to let him move on to that place, so that his suffering would end. Job was so desperate that this was all he could think of to relieve his pain. Maybe, he ponders, one day God would remember him and they could be reunited.
   Our culture isn’t okay with death. And although we as Christians may have a strong belief in what will happen after we die, there’s still uncertainty. There are still questions. What about our families, we wonder. What will it be like in heaven? Will we be floating around on clouds all day? Will there just be prim and proper people, or will there be people we actually want to hang out with? And so we have some fear of that time- a fear of the unknown. Every commercial we see on tv is trying to sell us youth and longer life— an avoidance of impending death. The country song says, “everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.”
   For the last 6 months, we’ve had to face illness and death all around us, in a way that is new in our minds. We’re required to wear masks, not so much for our own safety, but for the safety of those around us. We’re staying home to protect ourselves from the virus. And still the death rates grow. If you’re like me, the most stressful thing about it is the unknown— what is safe now? Should my kid go back to school? What about my daughter the teacher? What about my husband, the front line worker? What about my parents, who are older with other health conditions? How do I do my job in the midst of this? And maybe first and foremost, when will things get back to normal? There really aren’t any good answers to these questions.
   It’s hard to think about death for most of us, even those with the strongest faith. In the midst of this, John Knox has lost two beloved members to death. Larry Baker, who had only been at the church for a few years, and now Jean Goodson, who had been a member for as long as most of us can remember. We grieve their loss, especially in this time when we can’t properly recognize the occasions of their deaths together, at the church, in a way that helps us cope with those deaths. That time will come, but it may be a long wait.
   In the midst of our fear and suffering though, and in the midst of Job’s suffering, he has this glimpse of hope. He is wondering aloud, perhaps as we’ve wondered:

   If mortals die, will they live again?
  All the days of my service I would wait until my release should come.
You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of
your hands.

Will they live again? Somewhere deep in his soul, Job seems to know the answer, because he knows who God is. God is the loving source of life. God is the one who longs for the work of his hands— who longs for us. Job knows— we know— that God hears us, and that God will answer us. We know that longing that Job has; the longing to see God, not just because we’ve heard about God’s powers or read about it in a book, but based on our own experiences of God’s care. We know that God cares about us because even in our own grief and sorrow— about our friends’ deaths or about other worries in life— we have experienced that care. We have somehow gotten through it. And we will get through these trials as well, with God’s help.
Will Larry live again? Will Jean live again? Most definitely. This is our sure and certain hope. For as Job so beautifully affirms, “I know that my redeemer lives.” Every word is important here— I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my redeemer lives. I know that my redeemer lives. As Christians, we have heard the good news about Jesus of Nazareth— that he preached and healed, suffered and died, and on the third day he rose from the dead? We sing and we pray and we confess that Jesus lives, even now, sitting on the right hand of God the Father.
   And you know it too, don’t you? That your redeemer lives? Job cries this out in the midst of his suffering, and we can cry it out in the same way. We don’t need to ignore the reality of our grief, but even as we grieve, we know God hears us. And because God hears us, God will redeem us. We will all die, but we will live with God in God’s time. The beautifully written Brief Statement of Faith says this about our lives:

In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth,
praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

With believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music and Offering
During this time, or after our prayers, 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.  We give out of pure gratitude for what God has done.

Listen to this offertory music, taking a few minutes to reflect on the scripture. “I Know That My Redeemer Liveth,” from Handel’s Messiah, performed by Lynne Dawson with the the Choir of King's College Cambridge, Brandenburg Consort, & Stephen Cleobury.

Prayers of the People
We are a world that is desperate for you, God.

When powers struggle for dominance,
and war, oppression and abuse result;
When groups of people oppose one another
    because of ideology, religion or culture;
We need a God who is bigger than ourselves,
and our personal interests.
Everlasting God,
hear our prayer.

When people are disregarded and devalued
   because of poverty, geography or disease;
When compassion and justice is withheld to some
because of sexuality, race or gender;
We need a Savior who is more compassionate than we are
   who includes even those we would exclude.
Christ our brother,
hear our prayer.

When resources are mismanaged and abused,
   and the world and its creatures are destroyed;
When motivation is scarce and creativity is in short supply
   to address the challenges that we face;
We need a Spirit who is more powerful and more creative
   than we could ever be.
Transforming Spirit,
hear our prayer.

Lord God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
   we offer you these prayers
   because we need you so desperately.
Captivate us, call us and fill us,
   that we may be carriers of your eternal life
   to this world that you love so dearly. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
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: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, and bring you peace. Amen.

———————————————-

Today’s prayers are from

Clergy Stuff Worship Resources, Bloomington, Minnesota, 2016-2019.
John van de Laar © 2008 Sacredise.com (adapted)

Service of Prayer for Larry Baker

8/2/2020

Because we are unable to gather in person to pray and remember Larry, you're invited to participate in prayers at home. Let's join in remembering our beloved friend.

Service for the Lord's Day, with videos

8/2/2020

Simply click on the links in order to enjoy worship at home today! Everyone is welcome to share in the Lord's Supper; if you would like to do so, prepare something to eat and drink before you sit down.

Praising God with music-- There is a Balm in Gilead, sung by the Houston Chamber Choir, shortly after Hurricane Harvey.

Readings, Message, and Prayers

Offertory Music-- This Is My Body, by John Foley, SJ. Listen and prepare to share in the Lord's Supper.

The Lord's Supper and Blessing