Prayers for Illumination

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit”Series Introduction | Ascension Sunday | PentecostLove | Joy | Peace | Patience | Generosity & Kindness | Faithfulness | Gentleness | Self-Control | Communion LiturgyAlso in this year-long Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany | Lent and EasterKey Theme: Self-Control is the discipline to manage impulses and desires in order to live wisely and responsibly. After the more flowery, uplifting fruit of joy, peace, and gentleness, self-control feels like a somewhat grim way to end this series. Indeed, the scripture passages in this service aren’t ones we gravitate towards in our personal study or in preaching. But I don’t think it’s an accident that self-control is at the end of this list. If love is the primary characteristic of a follower of Jesus, providing the meaning for everything we do, then self-control acts as a closing bracket to this list, the framework that allows every other fruit to grow. In Titus 2, the Greek word for self-control is sophorono, which literally means “to be in one’s right mind.” The right mind is the mind which is set on God’s good design for the world, acknowledging its limits and boundaries. This stands in contrast to the attitude taken by many on the island of Crete, where Titus ministered, who gave themselves over to their passions and desires, indulging in drink, food, and sex. If we are driven by our desires alone, we become self-indulgent and selfish, impatient and demanding, and quick to become angry—the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. So Paul tells Titus to urge followers of Jesus to control their words and actions. By doing so, this community would be a witness to their neighbors, demonstrating that the gospel they proclaim has made a true difference in their lives. Jesus expresses this even more stridently in Mark 9, when he uses hyperbole to caution people against letting their actions turn people away from the gospel. We’re to be in such control over our lives that we can cut off anything that causes us to sin and by sinning to misrepresent the gospel. It sounds harsh, but the invitation to self-control and limitation is the invitation to experience life as God intended. The psalmist declares that the boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. Life in God’s creation is not one of wanton freedom but the freedom that comes from knowing we are safe within God’s care. In this garden, hemmed in on all sides, we can flourish and grow and bear good fruit.  Service OutlineCall to WorshipLeader:The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,The world, and those who live in it; All:For he has founded it on the seas,And established it on the rivers. Leader:Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?And who shall stand in his holy place? All:Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,Who do not lift up their souls to what is false,And do not swear deceitfully.—Psalm 24:1–4 NRSVUE Leader:Let us worship our holy God with reverence and awe!Opening Song“Only a Holy God” Farren et al.GreetingGrace to you and peace from God our Father andthe Lord Jesus Christ,who gave himself for our sins to set us freefrom the present evil age,according to the will of our God and Father,to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. —Galatians 1:3–5 NRSVUESongs of Praise“Build My Life” Younker et al.Call to ConfessionMany plants require some kind of trellis or frame to keep them stabilized and upright, to help them grow tall, towards the sun, where they can bear fruit in abundance. Followers of God, called to bear good fruit, are no different. We need a trellis to support us—practices that support our faith, that give structure to our lives so we stay oriented towards the Son. Prayer, scripture study, fellowship with fellow believers, silence, worship—all these practices and more provide us with this support.Confession is one such practice—a way in which we re-orient ourselves towards God and ask that God might prune that which is dead or diseased in our lives and fill us instead with the lifegiving power of his mercy and grace. So let us turn towards God now in prayer.Prayer of ConfessionHoly God,You have shown us, in your Word, what is good.You have marked out the way we should go,set boundary lines for us in pleasant places,and commanded us to walk in the way that brings freedom and flourishing.But we think we know better. We think freedom means getting to do whatever feels right to us at the time.We chafe against boundariesand find structures and guidelines to be constricting. We don’t trust that you have given us these things for our good, O God.Forgive us our lack of trust.Forgive us when we are careless with our lives, when our actions and words are thoughtless and hurtful.Forgive us when our carelessness causes others to doubt the good news we preach. Help us to order our lives around your word and your truth, to structure our lives in such a way that the Spirit can bear much good fruit through us. Help us to build our lives on you.Through Christ, our Lord, we pray.Amen. Assurance of Pardon & Response of PraiseIn Jeremiah 33, God says of the people Israel: “I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me,and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.”—Jeremiah 33:8 NRSVUEBeloved of God, God forgives your rebellion, and cleanses you of all guilt. Return to him in gratitude, trusting in his goodness and mercy. Let us say together:All:Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;    you make my lot secure. Leader:The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;    surely I have a delightful inheritance. All:I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;    even at night my heart instructs me. Leader:I keep my eyes always on the Lord.    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. All:Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;    my body also will rest secure, Leader:because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,    nor will you let your faithful one see decay. All:You make known to me the path of life;    you will fill me with joy in your presence,    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.—Psalm 16:5–11 NIVSong of Thanksgiving“If You But Trust in God to Guide You” Neumark, trans. WinkworthPassing of the PeacePrayer for IlluminationO Lord,as we turn to your word,give us understanding, so we might keep your lawand obey it with all our hearts.Give us delight in the path of your commands,and turn our eyes and our ears to your word,that our lives might be kept in your righteousness.Through Christ, our Lord, Amen. —Psalm 119:33–34, adapt.Scripture ReadingFirst Reading: Mark 9:42–50Second Reading: Titus 2Sermon“The Trellis of Self-Control”Song of Response“May the Mind of Christ, My Savior” WilkinsonBreath Prayer[The leader invites the Spirit's presence to fill our lives (as we breathe in) so that our lives might bear good fruit (as we breathe out). This prayer can be repeated a few times.] Breathe In: “Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence”Breathe Out: “that our lives might bear good fruit.”Prayers of the PeopleOffering, Offertory PrayerSong of Dedication“Take My Life and Let It Be” HavergalBenedictionAs God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, forgiving one another as the Lord has forgiven you. And over all these put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity. —Colossians 3:12–14, adapt.May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,the love of God,and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.Go forth and bear good fruit.Amen. Doxology“My Friends May You Grow in Grace” Diamond & MeaneyRevised Common LectionaryYear B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 21 (26) 

This is part of the worship series, "Grounded and Growing—Bearing Fruit”Series Introduction | Ascension Sunday | PentecostLove | Joy | Peace | Patience | Generosity & Kindness | Faithfulness | Gentleness | Self-Control | Communion LiturgyAlso in this year-long Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany | Lent and EasterKey Theme: Joy is a deep, enduring sense of gladness and contentment that comes from trusting God. Sometimes we think of joy as happiness, an exuberance or outward manifestation of excitement, when everything in life is sunshine and roses. But such a joy would be fleeting, dependent on outward circumstances being just right. The joy promised by God as a fruit of the spirit is steady and enduring. So what is this joy?This fruit is the deep, enduring sense of gladness that comes from the assurance of God’s presence in our lives and the grace we have received through Christ. Throughout scripture, joy and hope are linked together. The psalmist refers to the joy we find in God’s faithfulness as the root of hope that God will be faithful again. In John 16, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection, telling the disciples that though they will grieve a little while, Jesus will return to them and no one will be able to take away their joy. Even after Jesus ascends and is no longer physically present to them, they will yet know his presence through the Spirit and so will have joy. So the apostle Paul can write to the Thessalonians of his gladness that though the church was experiencing suffering and persecution, they yet received the gospel with joy. The people knew that their suffering did not have the final word; they knew that God was present to them in the midst of it, and a day was coming when all suffering would end. Thus, biblical joy can endure in the midst of sorrows and heartbreak, perhaps not always in an exuberant declaration of giddiness, but certainly through the quiet and persistent confession of faith that says, “This is not the end.” Service OutlineCall to WorshipLeader:Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;sing the glory of his name;give to him glorious praise.Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! All:O God, all the earth worships you;they sing praises to you,sing praises to your name.—Psalm 66:1–3a, 4 NRSVUEOpening Song“How Great (Psalm 145)” Kauflin et al.GreetingSongs of Praise“Blessed Be Your Name” Redman & RedmanInvitation to LamentWe have gathered here as a diverse community. Some of us feel the warmth of the sun on our faces. Others are trudging through a barren wilderness. One of the deep joys of being community together is that we are able to take on the burdens of others in our prayers, whether that person sits next to us in the pew, or is a friend who lives across the country, or is a stranger we read about in the news. So today, as we hear about the abiding joy of God’s presence, we do so acknowledging that we need this joy to sustain us in a world where there is so much cause for despair. Together we bring our lament before God, trusting that the incarnate one is with us in the valley. Let us pray.Prayer of LamentToday, O God, some of us dwell in deep darkness.Our hearts are heavy, gripped by grief,by fear, by anxiety.For those who know what it is to weep, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.Hear our cries for those who weep for a loved one gone too soon,for a body frustrated by disease,for a future snatched away by the ringing of the telephone.For those who know what loss feels like, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries.Hear our cries for those who live in fear,for those who are persecuted for their faith,those whose neighborhoods are destroyed by bombs,those who are kidnapped off the streets because of their skin color.For those who know what hiding feels like, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries. Hear our cries for those who live in anxiety,worried about putting food on the table, longing for word from a loved one gripped by addiction,unsure if a child is safe at school.For those who know the length of sleepless nights, we pray:Be near to us, O God, and hear our cries. We long for the day when there is no more heartache or fear or death, O God.We trust that that day is coming,when you will turn our weeping to songs of joy.May the hope of that day, and the promise that you are with us in the waiting,be our joy even now.Amen.Assurance of God’s FaithfulnessOur faithful God has heard our lament. Listen to these promises from Psalm 126 and be comforted. When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,    we were like those who dreamed.Our mouths were filled with laughter,    our tongues with songs of joy.Then it was said among the nations,    “The Lord has done great things for them.”The Lord has done great things for us,    and we are filled with joy.Restore our fortunes, Lord,    like streams in the Negev.Those who sow with tears    will reap with songs of joy.Those who go out weeping,    carrying seed to sow,will return with songs of joy,    carrying sheaves with them.—Psalm 126 NIVSong of Thanksgiving“The Day of the Lord (Psalm 37)” KimbroughPassing of the PeaceIn Psalm 145, which we sang earlier in the service, the psalmist writes: “The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.”—Psalm 145:13–14 NRSVUELet us turn to our neighbor and extend this peace to one another, assured that God holds each one of us in the palm of his hand.Prayer for IlluminationLord God,as we turn to the reading of your word,may your gospel come to us, not just with words,but with power,assuring us of your presence and faithfulness,that we might receive your Word with joy.Through Christ, the embodied Word, we pray,amen.Scripture ReadingFirst Reading: John 16:16–24Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:1–10Sermon“The Joy that Abides”Song of Response“My Life Flows On in Endless Song” Anon.Breath Prayer[The leader invites the Spirit's presence to fill our lives (as we breathe in) so that our lives might bear good fruit (as we breathe out). This prayer can be repeated a few times.] Breathe In: “Holy Spirit, fill us with your presence”Breathe Out: “that we might go forth in joy.”Prayers of the PeopleOffering, Offertory PrayerSong of Dedication“Christ our Hope in Life and Death” Kauflin et al.BenedictionMay the God of hopeFill you with all joy and peace in believing,So that you may abound in hopeBy the power of the Holy Spirit.—Romans 15:13 NRSVUEDoxologyRevised Common LectionaryYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 24 (29)