**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced
to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in
our houses of worship but together we can worship in our own homes.
Introduction to the Day
Jesus does great deeds of power and gives his disciples authority over
demons. Yet none of this power is unilateral; it all must be received by faith.
Jesus asks his disciples to go out without money or supplies, so that they will
be dependent on how others receive them. When we are sent from the assembly to
witness and to heal, we are asked to be vulnerable, to be dependent on the
reception of others. The Spirit always operates in the “between”: between Jesus
and his Abba, between Jesus and us, between you and me, between us and those to
whom we are sent.
Confession and Forgiveness
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
who forgives all our sin,
whose mercy endures forever.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from
whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration
of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your
holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we
are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in
thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as
ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive
us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your
ways, to the glory of your holy name.
Amen.
God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and
made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name
of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.
Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may
live in your hearts through faith.
Amen.
Gathering Song – Day by Day (ELW
#790)
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Canticle of Praise – Glory to God (page #213)
Prayer of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
God of the covenant, in our baptism you call us to proclaim the coming
of your kingdom. Give us the courage you gave the apostles, that we may
faithfully witness to your love and peace in every circumstance of life, in the
name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.
Readings
A reading from the Second Book of Samuel 5.1-5,9-10
Then all the tribes of Israel came to
David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time,
while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in.
The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you
who shall be ruler over Israel.” So all the elders of Israel came to the king
at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord,
and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he
began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah
seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and
Judah thirty-three years.
David occupied the stronghold, and
named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo
inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts,
was with him.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 48
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised
in
the city of our God.
His holy mountain,
beautiful in elevation,
is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north,
the
city of the great King.
Within its citadels
God
has shown himself a sure defense.
Then the kings assembled,
they
came on together.
As soon as they saw
it, they were astounded;
they were in panic, they took to flight;
trembling took hold of them there,
pains as of a woman in labor,
as when an east wind
shatters
the ships of Tarshish.
As we have heard, so have we seen
in
the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our
God,
which God establishes forever.
We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in
the midst of your temple.
Your name, O God,
like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
Let
Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of
Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
Walk about Zion, go all around it,
count its towers,
consider well its
ramparts;
go through its citadels,
that you may tell the next generation
that
this is God,
our God forever and
ever.
He will be our guide forever.
A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 12.2-10
I know a person in Christ who fourteen
years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the
body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the
body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise
and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to
repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not
boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool,
for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may
think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering
the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too
elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me,
to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about
this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more
gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore
I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities
for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Children’s Message
(from Sermons 4 Kids)
Do you feel welcome when you come to church? I hope so!
Now let me ask you another question: If Jesus were to walk in today, do
you think He would feel welcome?
The Bible tells about a time Jesus went
to the synagogue, which is like a church, in His hometown. It says before Jesus
returned to His hometown, He had healed many people and even raised a young
girl from the dead. As He always did, on the weekly day of rest, called the
Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue. He began teaching, and many who were
there were amazed at what they heard. They didn’t know that Jesus had so much
wisdom and power. But He wasn’t welcomed by everyone. What do you think about
Jesus not being welcomed in His own hometown?
The Bible says some of the people in
the synagogue began to make fun of Jesus. "Who does He think He is? And
where does He get this wisdom and the power to do miracles? Isn't this the
carpenter? Isn't He the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas,
and Simon? Don't His sisters live right here in the same town with us?"
They were offended by the teachings of Jesus and refused to believe in Him.
I want to you close your eyes and think of a time you were rejected. How
did you feel? How did you react?
Jesus responded to those who rejected
Him by saying, "A prophet is not accepted in His own hometown, among His
relatives, on the streets He played in as a child." Because of their
unbelief, Jesus was unable to do any miracles among them except to place His
hands upon a few people and heal them. Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.
Jesus told His disciples to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth
(Acts 1:8). But just as many in Nazareth rejected Jesus, they would also reject
His disciples. If you and I tell others about Jesus, they might reject us too.
They might say, "Who do they think you are? You’re just kids." Jesus
told us to tell others about Him, but He said it would not be easy.
God, just as Jesus was rejected in His
own hometown, we may also be rejected when we tell others about Jesus. Help us
remain Jesus’ faithful witnesses even when it isn't easy. In Jesus' name, amen.
Gospel Acclamation – Alleluia (page #216)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark 6.1-13
Glory to you, O Lord.
He left that place and came to his
hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in
the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did
this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What
deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son
of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his
sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them,
“Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own
kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except
that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed
at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages
teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave
them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for
their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to
wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter
a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome
you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on
your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that
all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who
were sick and cured them.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O
Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be spoken and only truth received. Amen.
Over
the last few weeks, we have been studying the books of Samuel, watching the creation
and rise of the Israelite monarchy.
It
began with the people demanding a human king instead of a divine king. Despite
Saul’s attempts to dissuade them of this decision, the line of human monarchy had
begun.
We
witnessed God’s anointing of David as the future king of Israel and David’s
defeat of Goliath to show that God was with him.
This
morning, our story culminates in the anointing of David as the king of Israel by
the people of Israel.
Representatives
from all the Israelite tribes gather at the coronation to pledge their
allegiance to David. At the same time, David and the tribes rededicate
themselves to the Lord.
He
begins his official reign at the age of 30, and the text proclaims his rule for
the next forty years, first with Hebron as the capital, and then Jerusalem. The
end of this passage declares that David occupied the holy city and renamed it
after himself.
David
is painted as the ideal king, the one to which every other king was compared. With
God’s favor and David’s success, it seems David could do no wrong. Perhaps,
despite God’s warning, kingship isn’t such a bad thing after all.
It
is interesting, though, that the lectionary text for today omits the very story
of how David comes to reign in Jerusalem. Perhaps this lectionary omission
reveals more about how we want to sweep the dirty details under the rug of divine
anointing than we like to admit.
Verses
6-8 of this chapter describe David’s conquest of Jerusalem.
The
Jebusites, who inhabited the city, mock the new king, so confident in
Jerusalem’s fortification that they claimed even the blind and lame would turn
back David’s forces.
David
persists, with a quite shocking declaration from our perspective, commanding
his soldiers to “attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.”
In
essence, the Jebusites controlled Jerusalem, a city David wanted to claim for
his capital.
This
was a wise choice for the new king. Jerusalem was the northernmost fortified
city in the tribal territory of Judah, which gave David the political base of
his own tribe but also offered a central location to conduct business with the
other tribes of Israel.
Because
the Jebusites occupied the city, no other Israelite tribe could lay claim to
the territory, providing neutral ground to conduct political affairs. As the
Jebusites point out in their mockery of David and his soldiers, it is also a
well-fortified territory, providing a nice military advantage.
By
taking the city, David showed his political and military prowess. David had the
strategic mind to rule.
History
is taught from the winner’s side. I don’t think this statement is a surprise to
anyone here. The conquerors get to write the history books while the conquered are
left behind. Sometimes they survive. Sometimes they don’t.
In
today’s reading from Samuel, David is the conqueror, but the stories we hear of
the great King David have put him on a pedestal.
When
I was in my high school history classes, we learned about the Europeans who
crossed the ocean, found new land, and, over time, founded the country we now
know as Canada.
These
last few weeks, we have seen and read and heard some horrific information about
our own history. Things that we should have already known about. Things that have
been should have been in our history classes instead of hidden under the proverbial
rug.
The
full, unredacted reading from 2 Samuel 5: 5-10 serves as a reminder that even
as we condemn other religious traditions of engaging in holy wars, we have our
own heritage of holy war and glorification of theo-military leaders to examine.
There
is some good that can come from the culmination of David’s story.
In
the power vacuum of Saul’s death, there could easily have been generations of
conflict and intrigue that further fragmented the twelve tribes as they vied
for ascendence. Plots, assassinations, wrangling for power, were the common
strategies of the day. And we will see some of this during David’s reign. But
this rare moment of unity is striking.
These
tribes who had fought and grumbled against one another, joined as one, obedient
to God’s decree that the house of David would rule over the people.
The
reign of David is signaled by a new unity of the tribes, a new shepherd way of
ruling, a new ritual of public anointing and pronouncement and now, all of this
embodied in the establishment of a new place, a new physical location of the
heart of Israel, Jerusalem. “David occupied the stronghold and named it the
city of David” (verse 9).
For
millennia, Jerusalem would stand as a holy city, the center of God’s people.
Today’s
reading also reminds us of the central teaching of the Gospel – that God is
with us.
The
last night reads as such, “And David became greater and greater, for the Lord,
the God of hosts, was with him.”
Why
is “I am with you” so important?
It
means that David and all of us later royal and priestly children of God are
never alone.
However
sinful and however lacking in confidence we might be, God is not ashamed to
hang around with David, Bathsheba, or us. There is an implicit word of
forgiveness in this simple sentence.
God’s
“I am with you” is empowering and means that we have the promise of strength
and encouragement to do what we have to do.
How
do we know that God is with us?
It
all starts with our naming at our baptism. It is Christ’s real presence in the
Supper that says to us in ways that we can taste, touch, and smell, “I am with
you.”
It
is in the assurance of Christian brothers and sisters, in their words of
encouragement and forgiveness, and by their witness that we hear God is with
us.
God
will never leave us. God is with us through the good, the bad, and the ugly.
When
a new king arose after Saul, there was the excitement we all feel at the
beginning of a new administration, the excitement of our first job, our first
love, or each new day.
But
this excitement is not born just from newness or from refreshment after sleep.
It is the excitement that in this new day or new venture that God is with us.
Those
words alone were enough for David. They are also enough for us.
Amen.
Hymn of the Day – Great is Thy Faithfulness
(ELW #733)
Creed
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we
say the Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in
God, the Father almighty,
creator of
heaven and earth.
I believe in
Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit,
born of the
virgin Mary,
suffered under
Pontius Pilate,
was crucified,
died, and was buried;
he descended
to the dead.*
On the third
day he rose again;
he ascended
into heaven,
he is seated
at the right hand of the Father,
and he will
come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in
the Holy Spirit,
the holy
catholic church,
the communion
of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and the life
everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us come before the triune God in prayer.
Silence
God of all, through the waters of baptism you claim people of all races,
ethnicities, and languages as your beloved children. Sustain the baptized and
increase their faith, that your gospel may be proclaimed throughout the earth.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of the heavens, your creating Spirit animates the universe. We give
you thanks for the moon and stars, for the planets and the Milky Way Galaxy,
and for all of the mysteries of the cosmos that remain unknown to us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of freedom, you have liberated us from sin and death and rescue us
from all forms of spiritual, social, and political oppression. Defend us from
tyrants in our midst and deliver us from all forms of slavery or corruption.
Direct our freedom for works of liberation and wholeness.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of compassion, you became vulnerable in the person of Jesus Christ
in solidarity with the disempowered. Strengthen those who feel faint, give
courage to those who fear, and bring wholeness to those in need.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of holiness, you send us out into the world to proclaim your love.
We pray for our outreach ministries. Equip us as we leave this place to witness
and serve our neighbors.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Please
take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.
We give you thanks that in every time and place you call forth prophets
who move us towards freedom. Thank you for those who work for human rights,
community organizers, and all who strive for liberty for all.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We lift our prayers to you, O God, trusting in your abiding grace.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Hymn
of Thanksgiving – This is my Father’s World (ELW #824)
**Although
not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would encourage
you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off or placed
in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the church, or to
make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking place.
Thanksgiving for the Word
Let us pray.
Praise and thanks to you, holy God, for by your Word you made all
things: you spoke light into darkness, called forth beauty from chaos, and
brought life into being. For your Word of life, O God,
we give you thanks and praise.
By your Word you called your people Israel to tell of your wonderful
gifts: freedom from captivity, water on the desert journey, a pathway home from
exile, wisdom for life with you. For your Word of life, O God,
we give you thanks and praise.
Through Jesus, your Word made flesh, you speak to us and call us to
witness: forgiveness through the cross, life to those entombed by death, the
way of your self-giving love. For your Word of life, O God,
we give you thanks and praise.
Send your Spirit of truth, O God; rekindle your gifts within us: renew
our faith, increase our hope, and deepen our love, for the sake of a world in
need. Faithful to your Word, O God, draw near to all who call on you; through
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be
honor and glory forever.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art
in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our
daily bread;
and forgive us our
trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
May our glorious God grant you a spirit of
wisdom to know and to love the risen Lord Jesus.
May the blessing of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity be with you, in the Name of Love, ☩ the Glory of Love, and the Power of
Love.
Amen.
Sending Song – This is My Song
(ELW #887)
Dismissal
Go in peace. Christ is with you.
Thanks be to God.
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