Psalm 29 We viewed a
video of evocative images demonstrating the printed text which was superimposed
on the visual representations. God's almighty creative power shone forth
reminding us that God is sufficient for anything that arises in any of our
lives. Even though the most powerful imagery falls short of projecting the
wonder of God, it gives us a hint … points us in the right direction.
Call to Worship
Prayer of Approach
Andrew gave thanks, making the comparison of our
insignificance against God's great glory and offered out genuine gratitude for
our ability to approach that glorious One.
HYMN TIS. 132: "Holy, Holy, Holy" Holy holy holy, Lord God
Almighty, Early in the morning to you our praise shall be...All your works
shall praise your name in earth and sky and sea.
And all we have to do is look with receptive hearts and minds
and creation's praise to its creator will fall in upon us.
Prayer of Adoration, Confession and Assurance
For us, Andrew prayed to our loving God who is everything,
who is our all. To God who is beyond our understanding and who is our
inspiration, we offered our worship. To this God who is more eager to forgive
than we are to confess, we, through Andrew, did confess our failure to be live
up to our profession of faith. We asked this God to have mercy on us and
enliven us as is promised to us in scripture. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Offering A token of God's generosity to us was returned and
blessed to the work of his will in the world around us.
Hymn TIS 422 "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine"
Sung with gusto, reflecting the authenticity of the conviction of the members
of the congregation, secure in the knowledge that their lives are in God's
hand.
Bible Readings Marcia
Isaiah 6: 1 - 8 Isaiah experienced God's presence accompanied
by heavenly beings in a way that pierced him to his heart and revealed his own
need to him and his total inability of meeting that need himself...but God
moved to cleanse him and make him fit for His service. Is his response our
response? Here am I. Send me.
John 3: 1 - 17 Another reading that cuts clean through to the
essence of why we follow the message of Jesus. Like Isaiah we must give up on
any hope of redeeming ourself, and as this passage says, be born anew into a
new life through the generous, healing hand of God.
Sermon
Kaye drew our attention to the two readings which are
two of the most gripping readings in the Bible and to the fact that it was
Trinity Sunday. After speaking briefly about Isaiah and the mystery of the
Trinity she spent the greater portion of the time on the gospel reading,
walking us through it verse by verse, allowing us to be part the meeting
between Jesus and Nicodemus. Rather than draw out the essence of the sermon
myself, I am including Kaye's closing words, which deliver the crucial part of
the message to us.
Is this about my story as well, maybe your story?
Is he or are we afraid that being born from above will mean
losing control? Nicodemus liked control;
he liked knowing who was righteous and who was a sinner, what to eat and what
not to eat, with whom to associate and whom to label "unclean." We like to try to stay in control of our own
lives.
To him and us, Jesus' comparison of being born from above being
like the action of the wind was probably a frightening one because the wind is
unpredictable, wafting away items to which we have become attached and blowing
in others we would not have chosen.
Being born of the Spirit is about a way of
living out the life of God in the world. When we see like this, we see the
connection between Jesus and God and we see God in Jesus not trying to compete
for adoration in the market of miracle workers, but seeking to establish a
relationship of love and community. The focus is life. The means is
relationship. The motive is love.
Hymn TIS. 411 "Filled with the Spirit's Power" A
prayer that the Holy Spirit will fill us and energize us as it did the early
Christians that we will reach out to everyone everywhere, telling of Jesus'
invitation to receive the promise of a new life. Amen.
Prayers For Others Ruth prayed for us to our
Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit with grateful hearts, giving thanks
for his presence as we face challenges. She prayed for peace between nations
and people, that we all will learn to live lives of obedience. Ruth prayed for
those that mourn; the unemployed; for Jan as she leads us and for safe travel
for those away from home. We then joined in the Lord's Prayer. I'm always
amazed what a difference prayer makes, and I have really no idea why. But it
never fails to make a difference.
Hymn TIS. 658 "Here I am Lord": This hymn is a challenge to
our hesitancy and anxiety. At the same time it is an invitation to step up and
step out in God's will to move closer to His kingdom come. I wonder how much
we think about this pledge once we walk out the church door, when the
responsibilities of everyday life take up our attention?
Commissioning and Benediction
“May the feet of God walk with you, and his hand hold
you tight.
May the eye of God
rest on you, and his ear hear your cry.
May the smile of God
be for you, and his breathe give you life.
May the child of God
grow in you, and his love bring you home." Amen.
What a lovely way to bid farewell to each other as we
leave the service.
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