Worship Service for July 9, 2023

July 9, 2023 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

A livestream of this service will take place on our YouTube channel on Sunday, July 9, at 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time. A video recording of the live stream will be available on our YouTube channel from 6:00 PM EDT on Sunday, July 9.

Introit

Prelude

Call to Worship

One: God is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love.
All: God offers compassion to all creation.

One: With all God’s creation, give thanks to the Lord.
All: With all God’s creatures, great and small, we will bless the Lord.

One: In worship let us speak of God’s glory and tell of God’s wonder.
All: We come to praise God and seek God’s peace in Jesus’ name.

Lighting of the Christ Candle

This is the Christ Candle. We light the candle to help us remember that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is with us in every place and every time.

Opening Hymn

Love divine, all loves excelling” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 371). Words (1747) by English Methodist leader and hymnwriter Charles Wesley (1707–1788). Music (1844; tune: “Hyfrydol”) by Welsh composer Rowland Prichard (1811–1887). Words and music public domain.

Prayers of Approach and Confession, & Lord’s Prayer (sins)

You, O God, are overflowing with love, infinite in kindness, and incomparable in glory. There is no other like you in all our imagining. Your presence breaks into our lives in the beauty of summer and refreshes us like a gentle breeze breath on a still day. You renew us to meet life’s changes and challenges. In this time of worship, we offer thanks in our prayers, praise from our hearts, and honor with our lives, to you, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, this day and every day, now and always.

Wise and patient God, you offer us peace, yet we confess life often feels frustrating and unsettled. You offer us courage, yet we are resentful when life is challenging. You offer us a mission with meaning and purpose, but we are preoccupied with our own plans and desires. Forgive us, O God, and draw our attention back to you.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.

Declaration of Pardon

Jesus said, Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Trust that peace and forgiveness are God’s gifts to you this day. Be renewed by the power of the Spirit that moves with you into each new day. Thanks be to God!

All: Thanks be to God!

The Peace

One: The Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
All: And also with you.

Special Musical Presentation

Fun with the young at heart (children’s story)

(Practicing faith)

The Life and Work of the Church (Announcements)

Hymn

Jesus loves me, this I know” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 373). Words (1859 or 1860) by American writer Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). Revisions to v2 and v3 by Canadian Anglican priest David Rutherford McGuire (1929–1971). Music (1862; tune: “Jesus loves me”) by American musician William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868). Words, revisions and music in the public domain.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30  <– this links to on-line text of the NRSV bible

Click here for additional scripture readings from today’s lectionary. Links courtesy of the Revised Common Lectionary, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

Matthew 11:16–19, 25–30

16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;  we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The scripture reading is followed by:

One: The Word of God.
People: Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Did you notice something is missing in the text, Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30, we read today? Five verses — verses 20 to 24 — are missing.  I think the Revised Common Lectionary makes a huge mistake of leaving those five verses out, because I firmly believe those five verses will help us to deepen the text we read today.

20 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.  “For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Here we see Jesus gets deeply disappointed and angry…. Just like you and me, Jesus got upset with the the people and the cities that rejected Jesus even though that is where he spent so many hours and so much energy, serving them, teaching them, and healing them.  He was probably disgusted by the way he was treated.

I appreciate how Jesus responds to them because Jesus shows that he was one of us.

There are a few times in the Bible Jesus shows his complete humanness and struggles: In the gospel of Matthew 8, he fell asleep when they went into the boat; In the gospel of John 4, Jesus became tired and thirsty near a well in Sychar; In the gospel of Mark 11; Jesus became hungry and found out there was no fruit on the fig tree….he ended up cursing at the tree; In the gospel of Matthew 21; Jesus became extremely angry with people at the temple court making money from the poor; In the gospel of Matthew 26, At the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus became sorrowful and troubled, and prayed, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will…

I appreciate the stories remind us how complete human Jesus was. That is not because I feel better about myself from Jesus being one of us, but because I find healing knowing that his humanity did not hinder the divinity of God within him. In fact, we can argue one of the most powerful teachings and ministries was offered to us during these moments where Jesus showed the human emotions and struggles.

Jesus was so disappointed, frustrated and even angry, he curses at those who refuse listening to Jesus…. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades.

In plain English, if we summarize those five verses into one sentence, Jesus said, “You go to hell.” I appreciate that. Please, do not misunderstand, I don’t love what Jesus said, but the fact Jesus too had a moment when he was angry, and he was disappointed. Jesus showed our raw human emotions…. Yet, that is not where the gospel of Matthew is ended. The gospel of Matthew does not with Jesus getting upset and abandoning his ministry and mission by saying, “You go to hell. I am going to quit because they don’t deserve me…” That is not how Jesus’s ministry or the gospel of Matthew ends. Jesus continues, yes, he moves on from the cities and people who did not appreciate his ministry, but he continues serving God.  Yes, he was angry at those who took the advantage of him, but he does not hold onto his anger forever, talking about how he was not welcomed for the next 30 years…He goes on…

In the moment of anger and disappointment, this is what Jesus does. I am going to read verse from 25 to 27, 25:
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[i] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Verse 25, At that time… we don’t know exactly what that moment refers to… some suggest that was the time when the disciples came back after they were sent out… or possibly at the time he completely embraced his own raw emotions and frustration…. Whenever that was, there was this moment where Jesus started to give thanks God for the infants… the infants represent the voiceless people of Israel, the marginalized, the oppressed, the deeply wounded and hurt people, people who are considered to be the smallest in the society…. There was this moment where this deep disappointment and anger transformed into his appreciation how God was found in those who are ignored, marginalized and voiceless in the society.

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus talks about our need to find true healing and peace right after he experienced this deep disappointment and anger…the feeling of betrayal… I don’t think he could say that unless he knew himself what it was like to be rejected and lost…. His human experience has deepened his understanding of our human struggles. That is our homework…That is the work of faith. That is the reason we come to church each Sunday to remind ourselves what is that we are asked to do. Letting our human struggles to understand others better…. Not letting our struggles to destroy ourselves, but to allow them to understand each other better that you and I are far from perfect and that is why we need God’s grace for each other.  We have many placed to tell, “You are not doing it right….” Not enough place to remind us, “I understand your struggles and that is why we need each other and that is why we need God’s grace.”

Here Jesus in the gospel of Matthew responds to our question, “How do we find true healing and peace in our lives? By suggesting to us that we find the inner peace and healing by coming to Jesus, by taking a step away from us, from our ego, our hurts, our anger, our questions, our endless needs and wants, and taking a step toward Christ Jesus and the kind of cross Jesus has been carrying for others and us….

When we come to the place where Jesus has been carrying, the cross for us, when we come to realization God has been walking with me all this time, that God was hurt when I was hurt, God was angry when I was angry, God was disappointed when I was disappointed….when we come to realize we were never alone, we are not alone… and when we accept it and when we confess it with our lives….

We live the true healing and peace of God that Jesus has shown us on the cross….

Musical Reflection

Offering

May we present our gifts to God in response to what we have received from God?

We remind everyone that we must continue to pay our bills; in the absence of being present at Sunday worship, you may sign up for pre-authorized remittance (PAR), donate online, or drop off your offering envelope in the mailbox at the church. Do not leave a cash donation unattended in the mailbox; instead, please call the office (416.261.4037) to ensure someone will be there to receive it. The building will be checked daily for mail and phone messages. If you are not comfortable leaving an envelope, you are welcome to contact the office (once again, 416.261.4037) and someone will pick up your offering.

Dedication of our Gifts

Our offering will now be received.

Doxology 306

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 306). Based on the tune “Old 100th” with words (1989) by English hymnwriter Brian A. Wren (1936–). Words copyright © 1989 Hope Publishing Co.; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A. Music public domain.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God all creatures high and low;
praise God in Jesus fully known,
Creator Word and Spirit One.

Prayer of dedication

Gracious God, receive our gifts as tokens of our gratitude for your goodness to us. Bless them so that they become seeds of generosity, bringing needed gifts to others in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Hope

God ever creating, God ever loving, God ever leading:
We turn to you in uncertain times, trusting in your steadfast love. Where people are anxious about the future, where people overwhelmed by their responsibilities, where people fear conflict or violence in daily life, bring peace and hope, we pray, And let your kingdom come.

God of all compassion:
Where people are lonely or isolated, longing for love, where people are trapped in unhealthy relationships, where people are grieving the loss of someone beloved: Bring courage and hope, we pray, and let your kingdom come.

God of tender strength:
Where people feel pain in their bodies, in minds or spirits, where illness has eroded hope. and where desperation for help fills each day: Bring healing and hope, we pray, And let your kingdom come.

God of trustworthy truth:
Where leaders work to guide communities to renewed life, where individuals strive to care for the earth and its vulnerable inhabitants, and where people stand up against unjust policies or practices: Bring wisdom and hope, we pray, and let your kingdom come.

God in whom we live and move and have our being:
By your Spirit, tend your promise of new life amid the current struggles in the world you love. Where hope flickers, reignite its power. Amen.

Closing Hymn

“Come to us, beloved Stranger” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 262). Words (1993) by American hymnwriter Edith Sinclair Downing (1922–2016). Music (tune: “Beach Spring”) attributed to American singing master Benjamin Franklin White (1800–1879), from the tune book “The Sacred Harp” (published 1844) that he compiled. Harmony by GCPC music director Rachelle Risling. Words copyright © 1993 Edith Sinclair Downing, published by Selah Publishing; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A. Music public domain. Harmony copyright © 2022 Rachelle Risling; used by permission.

Changing the Light

Now, it is time to change the light. The light that was in one place can now be in every place and every time going with you wherever you go.

Benediction

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (the risen Christ), the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you always. AMEN.

Choral Amen

“Go Now in Peace”. Words by American educator, lyricist and composer Don Besig (1936–) and American lyricist Nancy Price (1958–). Music by Don Besig. Words and music copyright © 1988 Harold Flammer Music, a division of Shawnee Press; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A.

Postlude

Copyright © 2023 Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church

Last updated 2023-07-09 22:35 – Added Sermon text.