A Better Righteousness—Week 1 The Faithfulness of God

This is part of the Worship Series
A Better Righteousness

Series Introduction 
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 

First Sunday: The Faithfulness of God
(World Communion)

In all my travels the thing that has impressed me most is the universal brotherhood of man—what there is of it.
-Mark Twain

Ever the cynic, Mark Twain puts his finger on a painful reality: in spite of the common bond we all share, its painful absence is only too obvious in many situations and places. In these places, parched and dry from lack of human love and care, miscarriages of justice and neglected stewardship set brother against brother and sister against sister. This first in a series of four services turns us to Christ, the well-spring of living water, who nurtures a new life of true fellowship.

NOTES ON THE LECTIONARY READINGS

Old Testament: Exodus 20:1–4, 7–9

We begin our journey at Mount Sinai. God has just saved his people, set them free from slavery. The message is that God's saving grace and loving faithfulness precede the obedience he requires. The prologue to the law makes this abundantly clear: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

God saves because he is Yahweh, because he keeps covenant and does not abandon his people or creation.

What, then, is the point of the law? The law is both prescriptive and descriptive. The law describes "the redeemed of the Lord," the people living in community, with whom God renews his covenant here at Mount Sinai. The law's prescriptive function lies in its intent to shape the people of God—to sculpt a people or community of great beauty, the envy of all peoples. Unfortunately, the prescriptive function of the law, misunderstood and misapplied, came to be seen as a means to gaining freedom, deliverance. Incredible, but true.

Psalter: Psalm 19 

(see hymn and anthem suggestions in the service)

Epistle: Philippians 3:4–14

The apostle Paul juxtaposes righteousness based on law and righteousness based on faith: the law as negative, a burden (as we try to save ourselves and inevitably lose sight of God), or positive (defining who we are by God's grace). Paul mocks those who place their confidence "in the flesh" as he recites his own religious pedigree. According to the law, he suggests, he has it made. But his "credentials" are mere garbage when measured against the astonishing reality that God has come in Christ to take our place, to do and to be our righteousness.

As in the Exodus lection for this Sunday, grace is central here. God in Christ saves, and that salvation is a gift to all who have faith in Christ. The preacher/liturgist will recognize the possibilities of celebrating these emphases on this World Communion Sunday.

This passage also highlights the "already-but-not-yet" aspect of our salvation (see v. 12). Since this emphasis provides a strong incentive to be nourished with the body and blood of Christ, it's especially appropriate on World Communion Sunday.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33–46

The gospel lesson calls for balance. Works are important! As we move toward Reformation Sunday, the celebration of "salvation by grace, through faith, apart from works," we may need to temper anti-Roman Catholic, self-righteous denunciations of salvation by works. This parable, actually an allegory, reminds us that the vineyard, Israel's special place and role in God's redemptive work, was taken away and given to the gentiles. The implied message is this: if the present tenants (Christians today) do not produce fruits (for example, righteousness—see Matt. 25:32 ff. for a powerful description of righteous living), then God will again give the vineyard to others. Scientists speak of an expanding universe. This parable teases us with the vision of an expanding kingdom: God will not be stopped.

On this Sunday, as we celebrate Christian solidarity and acknowledge our weakness (Phil. 3:12), this parable presents an unlimited number of possibilities for preaching. If your congregation celebrates communion, the parable, in conjunction with the epistle lesson, sets the stage for a truly rich experience of God's grace as he nurtures us with the Word (verbal and sacramental). 

BULLETIN COVER

This bulletin cover and the three following were inspired by Scripture, by Pastor Homer's themes, and by the poetry of George Herbert (1593–1633) and Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672).

For this first cover, I used imagery from Herbert's poem "Love-joy":

As on a window late I cast mine eye, 
I saw a vine drop grapes with J and C 
Annealed on every bunch. One standing by 
Asked what it meant. I, who am never loth 
To spend my judgement, said, It seemed to me 
To be the body and the letters both 
Of Joy and Charity. "Sir, you have not missed," 
The man replied; it figures JESUS CHRIST.

The speaker is meditating on a stained-glass window late in the evening. Things are seen differently in the dark than in the light of day through this window which, in the Middle Ages, stood as a pictorial lesson or story for the illiterate "common" people. It was to these people that Luther hammered the gospel message that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, not through law or works-righteousness.

The central image on all the covers this month is double circles, representing faith and law/works, in this cover the circles are centrally intertwined by grapes (the vineyard of Matt. 21; fruit produced only through Jesus Christ; World Communion Sunday). As in Herbert's poem, the grapes very subtly depict the letters J and C.

Psalm 19 figures strongly in this cover as well, with images of the sun rising and completing its circuit like a bridegroom coming from his canopy. The faith circle doubles up as the world pouring forth speech day and night (cascading stars).

—Grace Pot

SERVICE SUGGESTIONS

Introit

"Lord, Who Are They That May Dwell in Your Courts" ^{Psalm 15/Seddon}

Call to Worship

Praise the Lord; praise God, O my soul.
Let us praise God as long as we live.
God has heard our cries, he has seen our tears,
he has prepared for us a table—a rich banquet.
God satisfies us in the morning with steadfast love, 
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
As we participate in the Spirit, 
our selfish conceits give way to unity: for we are one in the Spirit; 
one in the Lord.
Then let us worship God with joy and praise, 
knowing our salvation is in Christ.

Hymn

"All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" ^Perronet 

A Time of Covenant Renewal

Prayer of Confession

Assurance of Pardon

Scripture

Exodus 20:1–18 [read, or framed by the choir singing st. 1 and 9 of "The Ten Commandments" ^Westra ]

Response of Gratitude 

[Song suggestions based on Psalm 19]

"The Law of the Lord Is Perfect" ^{Psalm 19}  
"The Heavens Are Telling" ^{Addison/Haydn "Creation"} 

We Hear God's Word

Scripture

Matthew 21:33–46; Phil. 3:4–14

Text 

Phil. 3:9

Sermon 

"The Faithfulness of God"

We Respond to God's Word

Hymn

 "I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord" ^Fillmore 

The Lord's Supper

Communion Hymn

"The Church's One Foundation" ^Stone 

Communion Anthem 

"Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether" ^Dearmer

Commission and Blessing

God has placed us in the vineyard
not as owners, but as loving caretakers.
The grace of God sustains us;
the Spirit rouses us to loving service.
God met us when we gathered for worship;
he goes with us as we leave to serve.
We are amazed that God seeks our service;
we will exalt his name among the nations.

The Benediction

Amen

Hymn

"As Stewards of a Vineyard" ^{De Vries, Grotenhuis} 

Revised Common Lectionary

Year A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 22 (27)