This Week's Message @ First Congregational Church in Billerica, UCC: Recent Episodes
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Subscribe here to listen to our weekly message! Each week's sermon draws wisdom from ancient stories to guide us in living lives of faith, hope, and love today--here and now.
FIRST LESSON from Genesis chapters 7, 8, 9
Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that
you alone are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean
animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its
mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on
the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty
nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the
ground.’ And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. And Noah with
his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of
clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on
the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had
commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.
The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark,
and it rose high above the earth. The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and
the ark floated on the face of the waters.
At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out
the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent
out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the
dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still
on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark
with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the
dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so
Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days,
and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.
Then God said to Noah, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’
wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and
animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the
earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ So Noah went out with his sons and his wife
and his sons’ wives. And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that
moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant
with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the
birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of
the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the
waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is
the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with
you, for all future generations: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the
covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow is
seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living
creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When
the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of
the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’
SECOND LESSON Romans 13:8-10
FIRST LESSON Psalm 98:1-6
O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvellous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gained him victory.
The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
SECOND LESSON 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not
see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was
sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.
The LORD said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being
king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite,
for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul
hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the LORD said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come
to sacrifice to the LORD.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do;
and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’ Samuel did what
the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him
trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to
the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and
his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed is now before
the LORD.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his
stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made
him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the LORD chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made
Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the LORD chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of
his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The LORD has not chosen any of
these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the
youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we
will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and
had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the
one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and
the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out
and went to Ramah.
GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 18:1-7, 10-14
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you
change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever
becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes
one such child in my name welcomes me.
‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would
be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned
in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for
stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes!
‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels
continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a
hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the
mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he
rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of
your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
REFLECTION Jesus calls us to shepherd our little ones
FIRST GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a
virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name
was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But
she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The
angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of
his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there
will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to
her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your
relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her
who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here
am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel
departed from her.
ANTHEM Christ is With Us Nancy Price and Don Besig
SECOND GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:39-56
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with
a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why
has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the
sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.
REFLECTION Do our souls magnify the Lord?
SCRIPTURE LESSON Romans 12:1-2, 9-21
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may
discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual
affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve
the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs
of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but
associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for
evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends
on you, live peaceably with all. 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.’ 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.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good.
THIRD LESSON Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven
there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were
sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave
them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound
the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native
language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt
and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All
were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and
said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who
live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as
you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the
prophet Joel:
“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before
the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
GOSPEL LESSON John 15:26-27, 164b-15
‘When the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of
truth who comes from the Father, the Spirit will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because
you have been with me from the beginning.
‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to
him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these
things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage
that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him
to you. And when the Spirit comes, the Spirit will prove the world wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness,
because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler
of this world has been condemned.
‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes,
the Spirit will guide you into all the truth; for the Spirit will not speak on their own, but will speak
whatever the Spirit hears, and the Spirit will declare to you the things that are to come. The Spirit will
glorify me, because the Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is
mine. For this reason I said that the Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you.
FIRST LESSON Acts 1:15-26
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred and twenty people) and said, ‘Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the book of Psalms,
“Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it”; and
“Let another take his position of overseer.”
So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.’ So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
GOSPEL LESSON John 17:6-26
‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received anthem and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.
All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation
of the world.
Sermon by Sandra Galvin
FIRST LESSON Hebrews 4:12-16
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it
divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the
heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to
whom we must render an account.
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us
hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.
SECOND LESSON 1 Corinthians 15:1-10
Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which
you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold
firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our
sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third
day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he
appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive,
though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to
someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the
contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with
FIRST LESSON Acts 8:26-40
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now
there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in
charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home;
seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and
heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’
He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit
beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he
does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe
his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.’
The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about
himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture,
he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they
came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from
being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch,
went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch
saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as
he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he
came to Caesarea.
GOSPEL LESSON John 15:1-11
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that
bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have
already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you.
Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless
you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them
bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is
thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and
burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will
be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father
has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will
abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have
said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
FIRST LESSON Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by
loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees,
and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless
you in the land that you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other
gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the
land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD
your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days,
so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob.
GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 7:1-14
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be
judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the
plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your
eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out
of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may
trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the
door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will
give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So
in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law
and the Prophets.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it.
FIRST LESSON Revelation 5:11-14
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures
and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full
voice,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and
honor and glory and blessing!”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is
in them, singing,
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever
and ever!”
And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
GOSPEL LESSON John 21:1-19
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed
himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am
going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but
that night they caught nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus
said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them,
“Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were
not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was
the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples
came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a
hundred yards off.
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to
them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the
net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net
was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”
Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the
third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me
more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my
lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes,
Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time,
“Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you
love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten
your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your
hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.”
(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him,
“Follow me.”
FIRST LESSON Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of
well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is
spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he
will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for
whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
GOSPEL LESSON Mark 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the
week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance
to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had
already been rolled back.
As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right
side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the
place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee;
there you will see him, just as he told you.”
So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they
said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And
afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable
proclamation of eternal salvation.
FIRST LESSON Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever!
Let Israel say, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.” Open to me the gates of righteousness, that
I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous
shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the
builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our
eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! Save us, we beseech you,
O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns
of the altar.
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to
the Lord, for God is good, God’s steadfast love endures forever.
GOSPEL LESSON Mark 11:1-11
When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he
sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as
you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone
says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here
immediately.’”
They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it,
some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what
Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw
their cloaks on it; and he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut
in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,
“Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming
kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at
everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
FIRST LESSON Jeremiah 31:27-34
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house
of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over
them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over
them to build and to plant, says the Lord. In those days they shall no longer say:
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on
edge.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made
with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a
covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law
within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they
shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their
iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
GOSPEL LESSON John 12:20-33
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to
Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip
went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them,
‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much
fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it
for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be
also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is
for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came
from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing there heard it
and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘This
voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler
of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all
people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
FIRST LESSON Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this
world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are
disobedient.
All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses,
and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the
great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with
him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the
immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of
God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
GOSPEL LESSON John 3:14-21
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not
perish but may have eternal life.
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world
might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not
believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than
light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so
that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be
clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.
FIRST LESSON Exodus 20:1-17
Then God spoke all these words,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
slavery; You shall have no other gods before me.”
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven
above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not
bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing
children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject
me but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep
my commandments.
“You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not
acquit anyone who misuses his name.
“Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you,
your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in
your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord
your God is giving you.”
“You shall not murder.”
“You shall not commit adultery.”
“You shall not steal.”
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male
or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
GOSPEL LESSON John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found
people selling cattle, sheep, and doves and the money changers seated at their tables. Making
a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, with the sheep and the cattle. He also
poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who
were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a
marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will
consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus
answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three
days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the word that
Jesus had spoken.
FIRST LESSON Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am
God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me
and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God
said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude
of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have
made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I
will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between
me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting
covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be
her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she
shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’
GOSPEL LESSON Mark 8:31-38
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be
rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise
again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But
turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save
their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the
gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their
life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of
my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be
ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
Sermon based on Deuteronomy 10:12-13, 17-21, Psalm 91, Galatians 5:13-15 and John 8:31-36.
World Communion Sunday sermon from Rev. Katherine based on Psalm 8 and Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12.
Rev. Katherine repeated last weeks sermon with slight changes, due to technical difficulties hearing last week's sermon.
In uncertain times, we can breathe deeply, admit what we don’t know, proclaim what we do know, not from a place of fear, but from a place of love. || John 9:1-41
In community we believe for one another when it gets tough to believe. We plant and sow and cook meals and pray and clean and have weddings and seek the welfare of our neighbors. And amid all that busyness, by that often gradual and sometimes messy and always holy process, we learn to see anew the God who is always longing to be found, always yearning to lead us home, always dreaming up a hope-filled future. || Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14
God's grace is sufficient for today. (Rev. Dr. Katherine Adams preached this sermon in the wake of the death of her son.) || Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 | Luke 6:20-31
Never underestimate the spiritual power of a nap and a snack. Also: God shows up in the still, small voice we hear when we get quiet enough to listen, really listen. (Listen for a retelling of the Elijah story followed by the message.) || 1 Kings 19:1–21
God promises to come right into the mess of our lives and to be with us there. Jesus, born of an unmarried peasant girl engaged to an insignificant carpenter in a poor, backwater colony of the Roman Empire—Jesus puts the mess in Messiah! || Matthew 1:18-25
It's tempting sometimes to hit the snooze button on life. But Christian hope—hope in Christ—begins when we commit to staying awake, when we hold out that cup of spiritual joe to each other and nudge each other, when we are honest enough to say to our trusted ones, “Stay with me—I need you, and I believe you need me, too.” || Isaiah 2:1-5 | Matthew 24:36-44
God in Jesus Christ explodes the confining cages and scrambles the tidy borderlines we use to order our world. With Christ our border-crossing savior as our guide, we, too, like Saul, can learn together to see our neighbors anew, with curiosity and compassion. || Acts 9:1-22