Pure Worship, Fifth Sunday in Lent, April 7, 2019

Fifth Sunday in Lent, Sunday, April 7, 2019

For some words of introduction/explanation about this worship, CLICK HERE.

WINDHAVEN WORSHIP

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Sunday, April 7, 2019

Opening Song    "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" 

Words and Music by Brian Doerksen, performed by Phillips, Craig and Dean

"Come, now is the time to worship. Come, now is the time to give your heart..."

Welcome

Invocation
L:  We begin our worship in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
C:  Amen

Opening Litany (based on Isaiah 43:18-21)   

L:  Do not dwell in the past – you’re going forward.

C:  We take the lessons we’ve learned and move on.

L:  The Holy One is here, creating again; can you feel it?

C:  God is doing something new, in the world and with us!

L:  Showing us a new direction and giving us all we need;

C:  Because we are God’s children, part of a beloved creation.

L:  God shaped us and still is perfecting us,

C:  And we are right to give God our thanks and praise.

Confession & Absolution                                                           

L:  Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.

C:  Amen.

L:  Let us confess before God and one another:

C:  Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone.

(silent reflection)

L:  Hear this Good News:  What you have, what you are, and what you offer is enough for God. God loves and accepts you, not because of what you possess or what you’ve accomplished. You are loved because God loves fully, completely and unconditionally. You are forgiven and released from anything that separates you from God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

C: Amen.

Greeting & Prayer of the Day

L:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C:  And also with you.

L:  We pray together,

C:  Almighty God, every kind of worship offered purely and sincerely is holy to you. You don’t require the biggest offering, the most beautiful song, the perfectly worded prayer. You ask for our worship from the heart, not just in one hour of praise, but in lives lived well, with kindness and compassion for all.  Amen.

Gospel:   Mary Anoints Jesus   John 12:1-8 (NRSV)  

Reflection:  Pure and Simple Worship

None of us grew up with the same worship experiences. Yet all of us have a picture of what worship is.

My worship usually is a full house of Lutherans singing hymns, sometimes in two-, three-, or four-part harmony, a pastor and liturgist and cantor, prayers, scripture readings and a message. And the Meal. A faith family that joins together to praise God as we know God.

Your worship may be prayer intervals five times a day. Or a walk in the woods in contemplation and gratitude. Your worship may be meditation, or people with arms uplifted, moving freely, speaking in tongues. There may be a rock band, a country band, gospel piano, voices unaccompanied by any instruments, or a house church devoid of music altogether. Music, style, place, religion or people don't define worship.

Mary's worship in this scripture was a simple act of love. And for me, it defines worship. 

·         She brought the best she had. A jar of costly nard -- spikenard perfume that was worth a laborer's yearly wages. In one place I read 300 denarii was a laborer's yearly salary – five to six days a week for a year. So, in today's terms, perhaps a construction equipment operator's annual salary of $59,000. We aren't sure how she obtained it. Perhaps she spent all her savings weeks before to purchase it to anoint her brother, Lazarus, when he died. But Jesus raised Lazarus before she used it.

·         She was present in the moment. She wasn't paying attention to the grumbling people who questioned what she was doing, and why she was pouring this expensive gift on Jesus. She wasn't torn by someone else's opinion of her gift. She poured out the perfume, wiping it with her hair.

·         She recognized her Lord and opened her heart. Just like John, just like Peter, just like the Samaritan woman, Mary recognized Jesus as Messiah and testified to her belief. She poured out the perfume to anoint. She was focused on Jesus, and Jesus alone.

Pureness of heart and purpose is worship. I remember one of the most worshipful moments I ever experienced at my church. It was a get-together we have each November, after Thanksgiving, preparing our worship space for Advent, the season before Christmas. As we put up banners, trees, lights, and wreaths, a four-year-old girl, paused before the nativity scene that was already placed in the sanctuary. She was silent and motionless. Time stopped. I may have been the only one to notice her, and I didn't want to breathe, let alone speak, lest I disturb her presence, her open heart, and whatever thoughts and wonder she was experiencing in that moment.

I love photography, and sometimes the way the light filters through the trees, reflects off the rocks or water, or lights my husband's or son's hair or face stops me in my tracks. I pause and think about that light, that moment, God present through beauty and family. As my good friend put it: Worship. Always Worship.

Recently, my husband had a cardiac procedure. I sat in the waiting room alone, thanking God for the specialist and his team, the possibilities this procedure would give my husband, family and friends who were holding him close in thoughts and prayers. I felt the warmth of their concern and caring, an invisible brightness around us. I cleared my mind of fear and let their warmth sustain me. Worship.

I've also been in places where worship felt hollow. People more focused on themselves and their social circle than opening their hearts to God. Another Sunday, going through the motions, going to church, but losing sight of the reason for being there.

Maybe you've had life's worship moments too: when you saw your child for the first time, when you were present with a dying friend or family member, grateful to God for some unexpected grace, or sitting on a rock near a lake and watching the sunset turn from orange to amber to twilight blue. Your heart was pure, your mind open, and you recognized God's presence, and it was worship.

The next song's words are about coming full circle, stripping away all the outside noise and distractions, simply being present to God's central place in our lives, and giving ourselves over to that time of worship.

Song   "The Heart of Worship," written and performed by Matt Redman

"When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come …"

Read the Story Behind "The Heart of Worship." Click Here.

Closing Prayer

L:  We pray together,

C:  We give you thanks, gracious God, that you are with us as we try to clear our minds to worship you. Not with a worship band, organ or piano, but with simple voices and hearts open to you. Help us to worship you with all that we have, all that we are – your presence in this world that you love so much.  Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (feel free to use whatever language or words you regularly use for this prayer. This is one version.)

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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing

Sharing of the Peace

Individual Prayer (as desired)

Blessings on your time at Windhaven

May it be a time of rest, of renewal, of healing.

Praying for you, for the staff at Windhaven,

and for the God of many chances

to be real and present to you, today and always.

Magi from the East, Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2019

Epiphany, Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019

Some words of introduction/explanation: There’s been quite a gap since I’ve blogged Worship Words and Reflections. For the past 30 months, I’ve had the blessing of leading worship at Windhaven Psychiatric Hospital in Prescott Valley, Arizona. The hospital is operated by my employer, but the worship leading is a volunteer position – a labor of love. The community has ranged from one person to as many as 11 on any given Sunday – it is a 16-bed unit and the Sunday morning worship/inspirational group is optional. Typically, the patients stay three to seven days – occasionally a patient will be there multiple Sundays.

The participants identify almost any spiritual background imaginable: Christian of various denominations or non-denominational, Mormon, Jewish, Pagan, Wiccan, Native American, Ba’hai, Buddhist, mixed spirituality, agnostic, atheist. Weekly worship participants, those who haven’t attended a worship service in years, and those who have never had exposure to a faith group. Yet, something drew them to the worship that morning – perhaps a desire for community, or curiosity, or a desire for some sense of hope or peace. The service leans on the Revised Common Lectionary cycle, but I reserve the license to choose from any of the lessons or go off-cycle if the message of the lessons strays far from the Christian central thread of love, hope, peace, justice, compassion, healing and hospitality. I may use all, some or none of my reflection in the actual message that day, depending on the needs of the community.

I thank God who uses me to try to provide whatever these hurting souls need on any given Sunday, and the patients (and staff!) who often give me more in return than my words give them.

WINDHAVEN WORSHIP

The Day of Epiphany, Jan. 6, 2019

Opening Song    “The First Noel”   Traditional

The first Noel the angels did say,

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay:

In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

[Chorus]

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

Born is the King of Israel.

They looked up and saw a star

Shining in the east beyond them far:

And to the earth it gave great light

And so it continued both day and night. [Chorus]

And by the light of that same star

Three wise men came from the country far;

To seek for a King was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went. [Chorus]

Welcome

Invocation

Opening Litany (based on Isaiah 60:1-6)  

L:  Arise, shine, for your light has come!

C:  Look up and get ready – things are about to change.

L:  Maybe we don’t see it through the world’s bleakness,

C:  Especially those of us who are alone, feeling empty and cold.

L:  But the Lord’s goodness will shine brightly in our lives,

C:  Warming the frozen places, filling us with joy.

Confession & Absolution                                                           

L:  Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever.

C:  Amen.

L:  Let us confess before God and one another:

C:  Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone.

(silent reflection)

L:  Here is Good News: On that first Christmas, the Almighty became one with us, removing all distance between God and God’s people. Love itself became human to show us nothing – absolutely NOTHING you can do will keep you from the One who calls you Beloved Child. All your sin is forgiven. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

C: Amen.

Greeting & Prayer of the Day

L:  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C:  And also with you.

L:  We pray together,

C:  Ever-guiding God … You brought the Magi from distant lands to seek and worship the Savior. Fill us with that kind of desire, curiosity and faith to keep following you, wherever you may lead us.  Amen.

Gospel:   Wise Men Seek Jesus    Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)  

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection:  Literary License

If ever there was a passage of scripture that has taken on a life of its own, it is today’s lesson about the caravan that arrived after Jesus’ birth. After a few years of Christmas plays, my younger brothers’ Christmas pageants, my son’s Christmas roles, a couple of years of guiding people on a “Walk Though Bethlehem” and assorted songs, messages and writings, I had to go back to Matthew’s text to see what the text actually said – and more importantly, didn’t say – about these visitors.

Kings, wise men, Magi

It’s unlikely these were kings. No doubt that Matthew, the only Gospel writer who provides this account, would have called these people kings if they were indeed kings. Matthew, who starts his Gospel with 17 verses of the genealogy of Jesus, was a stickler for details, especially names. Had these been kings, they would have been named, along with their kingdom locations, and perhaps details about people in their entourage. But the text calls them Magi, which points to early astrologers. Astrologers in the Messiah’s birth account? The early church wasn’t fond of astrology, fortune-tellers, sorcery or other practices of the occult, so the visitors became wise men. Three, a dozen or a whole caravan? Legend gives us three – Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, from Persia, India and Arabia, a convenient trio matched with the three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But the eastern Christians suggest more, often a dozen. Chinese Christians believe one Magi was from China. Did these wise ones start together, meet on the road, or arrive separately? Did they convince more people to join them to seek and worship the Savior? Your guess is as good as mine.

A star, a supernova, a celestial alignment or a comet?

All of these explanations for the star they followed have been proposed, with no definite answers. Since the Christ Child likely didn’t arrive on Dec. 25, 0000, timing the birth against heavenly events is nearly impossible. Various celestial events occurred within a half dozen years either way of this date. The alignment of prophecy as well as an unknown celestial event may have started their pilgrimages.

Arrived on camels on the 12^th day

Since we aren’t sure about the origin of the visitors, their method of travel is also unknown. Matthew doesn’t mention their animals.  Depending on their origin, camels are plausible, but so are horses, pack animals or a walking caravan. Since they came from “the east,” spotting the star and following it places them in Bethlehem sometime after the birth and before Herod’s death -- at least weeks, maybe months or years after Jesus arrived. They may have met the Holy Family as it fled to Egypt, or tracked the family down upon its return to Nazareth, or at several times and locations if the wise men did not travel as a single group.

And why?

As we wonder about the who, what, when, where and how of this piece of Matthew’s birth narrative, finally we pause to consider the why. What caused these learned folks to move beyond Messianic observations and predictions to go and search for themselves? Scientific curiosity among these wise observers of the celestial happenings? Were they perhaps advisers to rulers, who upon hearing the news, sent them to confirm their calculations and bring appropriate kingdom-to-kingdom gifts? Or, was the journey initiated by something that set their hearts ablaze, a Spirit-guiding that led them to the Holy Family, much like the dream that led them to go home without tipping off Herod? Again, no confirmations.

So, draw your own picture – three wise people together on camels, or groups of pilgrim bands from different areas of the East following a star and a soul-yearning to locate this Messiah and pay him homage.

Oh, yes, don’t overlook that word – “homage.” Its definitions range simply from respect to deep reverence, comparable to the absolute loyalty pledged by feudal tenants to their lords. These visitors did not just deliver gifts and have a quick chat with Mary and Joseph before they headed home. The narrative said upon finding Jesus, they fell to their knees in worship.  Finding this child changed everything – their plans, their priorities, their futures.

How has this annual pilgrimage to the manager to seek Emmanuel – God with Us – changed us?

Song   “What Child Is This?”  Traditional

What child is this, who laid to rest,

On Mary’s lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this, is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard, and angels sing.

Haste, haste, to bring him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary.

So bring him incense, gold and myrrh,

Come, peasant, king, to own him.

The King of kings salvation brings;

Let loving hearts enthrone him.

Raise, raise, the song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby.

Joy, joy, for Christ is born,

The babe, the son of Mary.

Closing Prayer

L:  We pray together,

C:  We give you thanks, gracious God, for the leading of wise ones from distant lands, who felt the call to seek out the newborn King and worship him as their Savior. Guide us to keep following the true Light of the World, Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (feel free to use whatever language or words you regularly use for this prayer. This is one version.)

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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Blessing

Sharing of the Peace

Individual Prayer (as desired)

Blessings on your time at Windhaven

May it be a time of rest, of renewal, of healing.

Praying for you, for the staff at Windhaven,

and for the God of many chances

to be real and present to you, today and always.