A Rather Blunt Lenten Prayer

God,I cannot wait for that empty tomb. How dare you make me wait? How dare you make me wonder? I wait in this Lenten season for answers, for questions, for redemption. I wonder why we are tempted, why we are free, why we are beckoned? And what beckons us forward, your Son who was brought here to save us? What questions us, your Spirit, who drives us into the wilderness? And what answers us?

The road. The road answers me for it is long and blessed and holy. The road questions me for it asks me what cross I am willing to bear. The road redeems me for it is my blessed savior who walks it with me.

Be with me, your servant, for I am eager and scared and needy. Be with me, your child, for I am ready and yet unprepared. Be with me, your beloved, for I am sinful and wish to be cleansed. Answer me... Question me... Redeem me...

Courage for the Long Road Ahead | Psalm 103

Artwork by Timothy Botts The season of Lent is almost upon us and that means that we are about to depart on a long, long journey to the cross. After placing ashes on one another this Wednesday to remind us our our mortality we will journey with Jesus to his temptation (and, indeed, our own) as we enter into the wilderness that exists between us at that glorious empty tomb.

As Luke's account of the Transfiguration reminded us last week, we are now called to leave that glorious mountain for the holy valley where we must depend on the light of Christ to illuminate the path to the cross.

But between the convulsions of the demonized boy in yesterday's passage, the dismal language of dust and ashes of this Wednesday, and our upcoming encounter with Satan this upcoming Sunday, I need comfort, courage, and conviction!

Thanks be to God for Psalm 103 and it's placement in the lectionary for our departure on this Lenten journey!

On Wednesday we will begin this journey but we will not travel it alone. Psalm 103 reminds us who it is that goes with us every step of the way:

Our God who forgives, who heals, and who redeems our lives... Our God who crowns us with steadfast love and mercy... Our God who is merciful and gracious and slow to anger... Our God who removes our transgressions from us... Our God who has compassion for us... Our God who renews us... Our God who is from everlasting to everlasting...

This psalm reminds me that I mustn't forget all of God's benefits, especially during this season of Lent. Therefore, as courage for the long road ahead, I am heading up to my apartment to print off a copy of Psalm 103. I will carry it in my back pocket for the entirety of my Lenten journey. I will read it and be reminded of who it is that walks with me (and you!) on this journey.

Friends, do not forget all God's benefits! Take heart and be courageous for we are in good company on this wild and precious journey.

Grace and peace, Stephen

Prayer of Confession | Ash Wednesday (Year C)

Holy God, we are mortals whose days are like flowersthat flourish, then whither, and die. Yet we act as if we're immortal and our treasures will keep us alive. Forgive us, your servants, for our failure to trust your mercy, your grace, and your love. Hear us this day as we confess before you those things that we have placed above you.

God of all mercy, so great is your steadfast love toward us. Give us the courage to follow you on this Lenten path and to walk in the light of your grace. Turn our hearts toward you and our feet to the path you have chosen that we may trust your abundance and follow your Son to the cross.

Call to Worship | Ash Wednesday (Year C)

The following Call to Worship is inspired by Psalm 103 One: We are gathered to begin a holy journey; Many: a long, long road to the cross. One: We are called to follow our blessed savior; Many: to trust in his steadfast love. One: We are commissioned to follow our God of grace; Many: who walks with us each step of the way. One: We are marked as mere mortals by ashes and dust; Many: but our hope is in God who redeems.

Prayers of the People | Transfiguration Sunday (Year C)

Let us pray to our God sayingHoly God, lead us on the journey forward.

Creating God, you called your servants Adam and Eve on a journey to live. You called your servants Abraham and Sarah on a journey to trust. You called your servants Ruth and Naomi on a journey to love. You called your servants David and Solomon on a journey to lead. You called your servants Ezra and Nehemiah on a journey to rebuild. For as long as you have spoken you have called us to a journey. Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

Your Son called his disciples to follow him on a journey to the cross; a road to save, a road to heal, a road to love. He called his disciples to a mountain where you sealed him with your light; a light to sustain him for the long road ahead. You call us to walk with him on that same road. Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

Your Holy Spirit called the church to proclaim your word of life. Women and men, young and old, all were called and all were commissioned. We who are [name of worshiping community] are part of that same journey. The journey of Moses, the journey of Elijah, the journey of Christ, each was a response to your call and we pray for the courage to do the same. Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

Gracious God, we thank you for this mountain. We thank you for this light. We, your people, stand in awe of your brilliance and your magnificence. You alone are our God and you alone are our light in the darkness. We, your people, thank you for your presence with us on this holy mountain. Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

Healing God, we thank you for the valley ahead. We thank you for your guidance. We, your people, are no strangers to valleys and we pray for your presence for those of us in valleys of all kind. Valleys of.... Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

God of all grace, we pray especially this day for.... Holy God, lead us on the journey forward.

These things we pray in the name of your Son who taught us to pray saying...

The Science of Sensible Sidewalks: a Response by Joseph Taber

My good friend, Joseph, wrote a response to my previous post on his blog here. Check it out and stay tuned for the conversation to continue!

Responsive Charge and Benediction for Transfiguration Sunday (Year C)

Responsive Charge Leader: Go from this mountain, you people of God. All: We go with the wisdom of God's Word. Leader: Go from this mountain, you sisters in Christ. Women: We will go and follow the Lord. Leader: Go from this mountain, you brothers in Christ. Men: We will go and follow the King. Leader: Go from this mountain, you young ones in Christ. Youth: We will go and follow the Holy One. Leader: Go from this mountain, and go forth in the Spirit. All: We will go for Christ shows the way.

Benediction

And as you go from this mountain, you Sisters and Brothers in Christ, go with the assurance that the God who creates you, who redeems you, and who sustains you goes with you from this place to wherever the path may lead. Amen.

The Science of Sensible Sidewalks

The picture above is of Douglas Hall at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina (my alma mater). While it does not have the emotional nostalgia of the historic and beloved Neville Hall, it has been on my mind as of late.

If you look closely in this photo of Douglas Hall, you will notice that a dirt path diverges from the sidewalk to travel at an angle to an unseen destination. If you were to follow that path, you would end at the side entrance of Bailey Hall, the freshmen dormitory for us PC boys. One could continue on the sidewalk to make a left-hand turn in about 30 feet to then go up some steps to enter the building but this dirt path that, I'm sure, remains to this day is the road of choice for every student. Year after year, day after day, thousands of feet ignored the sidewalk and took a different route, creating a new and improvised path that...well...just made more sense.

One day, I was walking along the sidewalk with my good friend, Joseph Taber (you can read his blog here), and this improvised dirt path came up in our conversation. We stopped. He looked at it and then back at me and said, "you know, if the school had been smart and just waited to see where we would walk, they could've put a sidewalk here and it would have made more sense."

That conversation has slept dormant in my mind for the past six and a half years. But recently, it has found its way back to the surface.

The PC(USA) is in a time of transition (yes, you can call me Captain Obvious!). Many congregations differ radically from the communities they were even a few years ago. Some churches, such as my home church of First Presbyterian Church of Dalton and the one I currently serve at Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, are recovering from painful splits that have left them in a sense of disorientation and improvisation (which are not always necessarily "bad" places to be!). As is expected of communities in this situation, the temptation often is to "re-pave" the sidewalks where they previously were.

However, what if those paths no longer make sense? What if we are hastily paving sidewalks that will never be used?

I don't pretend to have the answers. I don't pretend to know exactly where the sidewalks need to go in this transitory time. But I do know that, as my good friend wisely suggested, it takes time to discern traffic patterns.

As I walk with churches that are enduring the harsh realities of this time of transition, I am reminded that the destination has not changed; we are still marching on to the day when Christ will return and tears and death will be no more. However, what has changed and what is changing even as you read these words are the paths that we are being called by God to use to get there!

Some paths nowadays just don't make sense. That isn't to say that they haven't served us well before or that they weren't meant to be used at that time.

But now isn't "that" time; it's this time. And this time calls for a new path.

But before we can get to the sensible (and faithful) path, we must first stop and see where God is directing the traffic.

Call to Worship for Transfiguration Sunday (Year C)

Leader: Come to the mountain, you people of God.All: We come to hear God's Word. Leader: Come, you sisters, to proclaim God's greatness, Women: for the Lord is righteous and just! Leader: Come, you brothers, to proclaim God's goodness, Men: for the Lord is the Holy One! Leader: Come, you youth, to proclaim God's brilliance, Youth: for the Lord is clothed with light! Leader: Come, you people, to the mountain of God All: for we are gathered to worship our Lord!

Prayer of Confession for Transfiguration Sunday (Year C)

Holy God,when you call us to hope and to act with great boldness, we tremble at your presence and cover our eyes. We are afraid of what we will see for your greatness unveils our weakness, your justice unveils our brokenness, and your holiness unveils our stained past. O Lord, hear our prayer.

Giver of all grace, forgive us our sins. Give us the strength to renounce that which hides you from us. Give us the wisdom to execute justice and righteousness. Give us the courage to uncover our hearts that we might see the grace of your Son and not lose heart.

Prayer for Illumination for Transfiguration Sunday (Year C)

Below is a Prayer of Illumination for the upcoming Sunday (Last Sunday after Epiphany or Transfiguration Sunday, Year C, February 10th, 2013). This prayer is an experiment in a more "poetic" fashion of liturgy and I welcome your feedback/comments! Thanks! Reveal your presence to us this day, O God of light, love, and glory. As you did to your servants at the foot of the mountain, send your Spirit to show us your story. May the brilliance of your face illuminate this place as we dare to proclaim your Word and may we, your people, be never unable to tell all of that we have heard.

First Edition 1611 King James Bible part of exhibit by Michael Morgan

From Michael MorganMuch of the English-speaking world is still celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible (1611-2011). The story of the English Bible from John Wycliffe in 1382 through the King James Version is a fascinating and colorful history, and you are invited to join Michael Morgan at Silver Creek Presbyterian Church on Sunday, February 24th at 2:00 P.M. to hear the story in a special way. This event will be free and open to the public.

On exhibit will be original editions of all the English versions of the Reformation era, including a first printing of the King James Bible. Michael is the long-time organist at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and Seminary Musician at Columbia Theological Seminary. He began collecting English Bibles, New Testaments, and books of Psalms as a student at Florida State University around 1970, and has assembled what is probably the most comprehensive private collection in the country (over 4000 volumes, with virtually every translation represented).

In 1999 his own collection of Psalm paraphrases was published by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with a revised second edition in 2010. Michael has traveled widely presenting displays and lectures on the English Bible and Psalms, and has played the organ for recitals, worship services, and master classes around the U.S., and in England, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany.

From Stephen Fearing Silver Creek Presbyterian Church is a member of Cherokee Presbytery and is located at 6 Old Rockmart Rd SE, Lindale, GA. All are welcome to join us for worship at 11:00 A.M. to be followed by a church luncheon. I will preach on Psalm 27 and we will use several of Michael Morgan's paraphrases for hymns. The exhibit will begin at 2:00 P.M and all are invited! A love offering will be taken in appreciation for Mike's time with us. If you have any questions, you can contact me at smfearing@gmail.com

Prayers of the People for Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)

Let us pray to our God sayingLord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Holy God, you knew us before we took our first breath. You uttered your living Word and brought forth light, love, and life. You gathered us from the dust of the earth and called us your people. You sent us into the world to proclaim your mighty and wondrous deeds. You are with us even now as we continue our call. Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Mighty God, you have done great things; who is like you? You alone are our rock of refuge. You alone are our strong fortress. You alone are our hope and in you alone is our trust. Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Merciful God, your love never ends. We confess to you that we do not always share your love as we should. Where you have called us to live as one body, we exist as divided members. Where you have called us to give our Spirit-given gifts, we ignore your call. Where you have called us to forgive, we have forgotten your mercy. Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Gracious God, do not be far from us! Strengthen us that we might be givers of your grace and may your steadfast love be known to all of your children. Send your Holy Spirit to empower our hands to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and love all as you have first loved us. Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Loving God, hear today the prayers that we lift up to you. Be with those of us who are [name of community]. Give us hearts of courage and songs of your grace to tell others of your righteous acts and deeds of salvation. Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Abundant God, be with those of us that yearn for your restoration and healing. Today, we ask your blessing upon [list names of those in need of healing]. We who are [name of community] also lift up to you those who we bring before you with our lips or within our hearts... Lord, in your righteousness, deliver us and set us free.

Faithful God, your power and your righteousness reach the heavens. Hear us, your servants, as we follow you to the day when faith, hope, and love will be upon the lips of all of us, your children. These things we pray in the name of your Son who taught us to pray saying...

These Things Did Thomas Count As Real

The following poem is a piece by Thomas Troeger and is a beautiful piece of art. Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

These things did Thomas count as real: the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, the grain of wood, the heft of stone, the last frail twitch of flesh and bone.

The vision of his skeptic mind was keen enough to make him blind to any unexpected act too large for his small world of fact.

His reasoned certainties denied that one could live when one had died, until his fingers read like Braille the markings of the spear and nail.

May we, O God, by grace believe And thus the risen Christ receive, whose raw, imprinted palms reach out - and beckoned Thomas from his doubt.

-Thomas Troeger copyright 1994 Oxford University Press

Prayer for Illumination for Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

The following is a Prayer for Illumination inspired by Jeremiah 1:4-10, the Old Testament lectionary passage for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (year C), February 3rd, 2013.

Holy God, you knew us before we knew ourselves. You consecrate us even now to be your servants. Create in us hearts worthy to be your prophets that we might go where you send us, and speak the Word that you give us. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, place your words upon our lips and your grace upon our hearts so that we might pluck up and pull down, destroy and overthrow, build and plant, as you, alone, have commanded. Amen.

Prophetic Notes: Vision 3 - Half the World

I have long been a fan of the Canadian rock band, Rush. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are all virtuosic musicians. My appreciation of this band comes from my father, who fell in love with Rush in the years of his youth. I grew up singing along to "Closer to the Heart" and "the Trees." For a long time, no road trip was complete without my father and I air-drumming to Peart's insane drum riffs in "Tom Sawyer" and "YYZ." In the past year or two, my father and I have seen Rush twice and I continue to be amazed at the sheer magnificence of their musical ability.

This next "vision" in my series, Prophetic Notes, is inspired by a Rush song that was never considered "classic." It is called "Half the World" and was included in their 1996 album, "Test of Echo."

The lyrics are below and you can listen to the song here.

Half the World by Rush (1996, Test for Echo)

Half the world hates What half the world does every day Half the world waits While half gets on with it anyway

Half the world lives Half the world makes Half the world gives While the other half takes

Half the world is Half the world was Half the world thinks While the other half does

Half the world talks With half a mind on what they say Half the world walks With half a mind to run away

Half the world lies Half the world learns Half the world flies As half the world turns

Half the world cries Half the world laughs Half the world tries To be the other half

Half of us divided Like a torn-up photograph Half of us are trying To reach the other half

Half the world cares While half the world is wasting the day Half the world shares While half the world is stealing away

For those who are familiar with the discography of Rush, this song stands in contrast to the technically intricate and rhythmically diverse tunes of their work in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. For me, the simplicity of the melody allows me to focus more on the lyrics which are composed by drummer Neil Peart (who is considered by many to be one of the most talented drummers in the history of rock).

This song is first and foremost driven not only by the rhythm and the melody but by the verbs as well. As we are taught in seminary to engage in scripture, we are told by many a professor to look at the verbs in the text. Many times, as I am preparing a sermon, I will simply take a separate sheet of paper and write down each of the verbs in the passage to get a feel of the action of the text.

The brilliant lyrics of this song provide verbs which give voice to the separation in this world. It is clear that the members who make up the band Rush see the world as a world of divisions (for more on this theme, see their song "Subdivisions" to get an idea of this familiar Rush motif). Half of the world gives, half of the world takes. Half cries, half laughs, half tries to be the other half. It almost sounds as if this text belongs in the book of Amos rather than in a 1996 rock song!

What are the divisions in your life? What half of the world are you in? The one that laughs or the one that cries? The one that gives or the one that takes? Food for thought...

Prayer for 3rd Sunday after Epiphany

Below is a prayer inspired by 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Holy God, you have brought us together as one body with many members, each of us with gifts given according to your Spirit. We confess that we struggle to discern what role we are called to do. We speak when you call us to listen. We listen when you call us to walk. We walk when you call us to wait. We wait when you call us to do. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, show this community who you have called us to be. Guide us through this tension of One and yet many that we might strive for the greater gift of unity and play the part of disciples of the one Spirit. Amen.

Resonating the Gospel

It had been a long day. In fact, it had been a long week. The past several days had been spent training a new group of counselors to be faithful, joyful, and responsible stewards of the children that would join us in fellowship at Camp Cherokee in the summer of 2012. Jean and Kelly Howington, the directors of Cherokee Retreat Center (a ministry of Cherokee Presbytery) and I had spent these long days and nights equipping us all with the many skills needed to embark upon this sacred calling of Christian fellowship. The counselors were (understandably) exhausted and we were all ready for a couple days off before the first sounds of campers echoed through the hundred acres of Cherokee Retreat Center.

Before we adjourned, however, we escaped the muggy heat of the early evening and gathered in the dining hall of Parker Lodge for a closing worship before we enjoyed our much-deserved R & R. As the sun dipped behind the shores of Lake Allatoona, we sat cross-legged in a circle on the hard wood floors with a series of candles and liturgical dressings in the middle. The service began.

In the fashion familiar to all of us, we were called to worship and I began to lead an opening song on my guitar. I then invited us into a time of confession. We confessed our sins both silently and then together using a corporate prayer of confession.

I then mustered up a smile and assured the weary staff that our sins had been forgiven. "Hear the good news of the Gospel: Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and was buried. But that is not the end of that story and it certainly is not the end of our own for on the third day Christ rose from the dead that we might be forgiven of our sins and live as a new creation! Hallelujah!"

In response to this good news of the Gospel, we sang "Halle, Halle, Hallelujah," a tune which we all knew by heart. The rhythmic, Caribbean groove began to erupt from my guitar, resonate off the hard wood floors, and resound with the live acoustics of the room.

The first time through, it sucked. No one was inspired, myself included. We had just heard that the Resurrected Christ had, quite literally, just snatched us out of the jaws of death, claimed us as his own, freed us from sin, and defeated the power of death once and for all and....we just sat there, with a most uninspiring song on our lips and no true joy in our hearts.

Philip, however, would have none of this.

As we entered the second time through singing "Halle, Halle, Hallelujah," this 10 year old child of God and glad recipient of grace began to enthusiastically beat on the hard wood floor to the groove of the Caribbean melody. We looked at him and smiled...but continued in our lackluster singing.

Philip, however, would have none of this.

With stubbornness and determination (those gifts of the Spirit given to every 10 year old, I suppose), Philip continued to beat ever more enthusiastically on the hard wood floor with a contagious grin upon his face. He looked around, waiting for us to get our act together.

One by one, as we entered the third singing of our sung response to God's grace, we began to join Philip in his joy. Following the lead of this percussive 10 year old, some of us began clapping, others stamped on the floor, and others swayed back and forth with celebration in our hearts.

As we finished the song, the room was filled with a chorus of witnesses, responding to the assurance that we are forgiven, all because Philip had reminded us of what it meant to truly embody the joy of the Gospel.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Gospel goes from empty tomb to empty words without the presence of the Spirit! It is only through the life-giving Spirit that the Gospel resonates within us in such a way that we cannot help but proclaim it with all our hearts and all of our bodies.

And sometimes, curiously enough, it takes the wisdom of a 10 year old to remind us of this truth.

I, Paul

The following sermon was preached at Silver Creek Presbyterian Church on January 20th, 2013.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

I, Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to you, the people who are Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

It warms my heart to be with you today for I have traveled far and wide on a very unpredictable road to be with you this day. In my journeys I have heard of your story and I know that you have had a painful history these past months and years. But I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace that has been given you and because of the grace that I hear is reflected in both your words and deeds. And it is for that reason that I have so anticipated this moment when I could stand before you and proclaim that God is faithful! By the Spirit of God you are being called, this very moment, into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord!

But before I share with you my love and support and encouragement for the long road that is still ahead, I must testify to the grace that has brought me, a sinner of God’s own redeeming, to you this day.

Friends, I stand before you today as one who has sinned boldly before the face of God. If I boast, I do not boast in my strength but in my weakness for it was in no short supply! For I was not living the life that the Lord had assigned to me. I was not seeking the advantage of others but rather only to myself. I was oppressing the people of God while at the same time existing as a child of God oppressed by the relentless weight of my own sin. I was on a long and lonely road.

And then it happened. On that long and lonely road I was struck blind and was led by God’s grace in a way I had long been too stubborn to allow. How foolish I must have looked, stumbling and wandering around in the dessert of God’s grace. And after what seemed like forever, my eyes were opened and it hurt! The light was blinding for my eyes had long slept in the darkness of my sin. Friends, it took some time before my eyes could adjust to the brilliant light but the sight that I saw when they did…it’s why I’m here before you this day. For I am with you today not through any merit of my own but only by the relentless grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who met me on that road and led me home. The same Spirit that holds us together as the Body of Christ opened my eyes to the grace which would not let me go!

And it is because of this grace-filled moment, this fount of every blessing, that I haven’t been able to shut up about it since! For God’s grace has led me home and I must respond in the only way I know how. I have been called by God and sent forth in the Spirit to proclaim the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so…I began to walk. I began to walk on a different road, not an easy road, mind you, but a different and a better road. Empowered by the Spirit of God’s grace, I knew that I was prone to wander and prone to leave the God I love. On this better road I could not help but sing “O to grace, how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be. Let thy grace now like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee!” It was a better road indeed.

And so here I am, a sinner of God’s own redeeming, before you this day proclaiming the grace and peace of our Lord to you, my brothers and my sisters of the Church of God in Silver Creek! I have heard many things about you in my travels and I feel that you, too, know what it is like to be on a long and lonely road. It might not be the same road that I traveled but long and lonely nonetheless.

But I have come to you today because I know that you have heard many things on this road and I do not want you to be uninformed! You see, others may have told you that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

You may have heard on this long and lonely road that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord because you are too small – as if the Gospel wasn’t first preached by a small group of men and women.

You may have heard on this long and lonely road that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord because of your interpretation of the Gospel – as if the Gospel were a convenient black and white instruction manual.

You may have heard on this long and lonely road that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord because you are too old – as if the Gospel could only be preached by the latest trends.

You may have heard on this long and lonely road that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord because you are too young – as if the Gospel wasn’t first held by a young girl named Mary.

Friends, I do not want you to be uninformed for those voices which tell you that you cannot proclaim that Jesus is Lord are wrong. For that is exactly what I have heard you are doing! Perhaps not in the same way as everyone around you but in a way that the Spirit is calling you! Every day you are proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and I announce to you that no one, not one person, can say or do that except by the Holy Spirit and, therefore, the Holy Spirit is in this place! Not a different Spirit but the same Spirit that opened my eyes and my lips to stand before you this day and to proclaim God’s grace!

This same Spirit is calling you to proclaim that Jesus is Lord in a new way. Now I don’t pretend to know what exactly that is going to look like for you; after my journey with the Holy Spirit on that unpredictable road I learned to expect the unexpected from the Spirit. But I do know what I have heard and I do know what I have seen among you and I have come before you today to encourage you all to embrace the gifts that this same Spirit has allotted to you.

For I am convinced that there are a variety of gifts here given to you by the same Spirit that has sent me!

I have heard that many of you are educators, those who have dedicated their lives to the instruction of our young. It is through the Spirit’s gift of your ministry that an utterance of knowledge is bestowed upon those who are sent to make this a world which reflects God’s grace. This community depends on you to use your Spirit-given gift of knowledge.

I have heard that some of you have the gift of healing. The Spirit has empowered you, either by your medical knowledge, or by your gift of listening, cooking, walking, holding, and singing, to heal the wounds of a broken world. This community depends on you to use your Spirit-given gift of healing.

I have heard that some of you have the gift of youth. The Spirit has given you an open mind and fresh eyes to look upon the world and teach those of us who have forgotten what it means to be a child of God. This community depends on your Spirit-given gift of faith.

I have heard that some of you have the gift of old age. The Spirit has given you a lifetime of joy and sorrow, love and loss, questions and answers to teach us what it means to fight the good fight. This community depends on your Spirit-given wisdom.

I have heard that some of you might even be considering a call to ordained ministry. This Spirit has given you a discerning heart and a faith that seeks to be challenged. This community depends on your Spirit-given gift of leadership.

Friends, the gifts abound! I look among you and I see young and old, male and female, student and teacher, liberal and conservative and everywhere in between and that gives me hope!

It gives me hope to stand here before you and proclaim with you that Jesus is Lord!

It gives me hope to come to you this day and give witness to the variety of gifts that the Spirit has bestowed upon this community.

It gives me hope that you are embodying these Spirit-given gifts amidst the turmoil of the long road you have traveled.

And make no mistake of it, the road ahead is long but it need not be lonesome!

For the same Spirit that brought this sinner of God’s own redeeming to you today is the same Spirit that has activated in each one of you a gift to be shared. The same Spirit allows us to call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and to be a part of his Church.

And though I do not know exactly how you will proclaim that Jesus is Lord, I will listen with eager ears for news of your journey along that long and unpredictable road. And as you journey, giving the gifts that the Spirit has bestowed upon you, know that the same Spirits binds you and me together as we are called forward to serve just as the Spirit chooses!

I, Paul, a sinner of God’s redeeming and glad recipient of God’s un-ending grace, urge you to respond, to keep the faith, to give what the Spirit has allotted to you, until I am again blessed to be among you. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Call to Worship

The following Call to Worship is from Rev. Teri Peterson of the Presbyterian Church of Palatine, IL One: God has called us together to worship and work All: young and old, men and women, newcomer and charter member. One: God has called us together to love and to serve All: introverts and extroverts, leaders and followers. One: God has called us together to teach and to learn All: faithful and doubting, hopeful and despairing, wise and foolish. One: God has called us together to praise and to pray All: singer and speaker and hearer, healer and in need of healing. One: God has called us together to be the church All: and we are filled with gifts to be God’s people!