Revelation 1:1-8: Sermons

Landon: Two moves I just loved: "Mothers must care for the well being of their children" and "Priesthood of all believers." I love how you spot those sort of "out of the way" pieces in the text and bring them to light.

Rocky: Beautifully done Mr. Whitsitt. Personal, theological, honest. I need to listen to more of your preaching.

The Rev. Rocky Supinger - Eschata-What?*
The Rev. Landon Whitsitt - A Posture of Hope

* A few minutes into Rocky's sermon the audio file was cut off for a couple of seconds. Be patient, it'll come back. Don't worry - You're not hearing things (or "not not hearing things" as it were).

Revelation 21:9-22:7: Order of Worship

Landon: I just looked at your Ordo again, and noticed "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Considering the strong Armed Forces connection in your congregation, that's a nice move (especially since it's a King reference). Comforting yet able to be re-framed - like Blessed Assurance last week.

I've decided I'm going for brevity in my sermon this week. I'm gonna try and clock in at 8-12 minutes. We'll see...

Rocky: Nice work, Mr. Whitsitt. Here's my Ordo, as always less detailed. Our worship planning meeting on Monday had settled on "Lift Every Voice" as our anthem, but the choir revolted on Wednesday night because it's "too hard"; the choir director wasted about two seconds in replacing it with something else ("Shall We Gather At The River?").

As a pastor, what you want and what you get rarely match up. With that thought . . .

Introit Shall We Gather at The River?

*Call to Worship (responsive) Psalm 46

L: There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.  

P: God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.  

L: The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.  

P: The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. 

* Hymn Just As I Am

*Singing Praise and Worship; Confession, Assurance, Glory**

__________

Old Testament Reading Isaiah 62:1-5

Children’s Time

Anthem SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?

New Testament Reading Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

Sermon

*Response My Country ‘Tis of Thee

__________

Offering and Doxology**

Prayers

*Sending Song (see insert) Soon And Very Soon

Landon: What a week! Funerals, Session retreats, ah the joys of pastorate! Here's my Ordo (including the Black National Anthem at the end - I love that song!):

Order of Worship - January 14, 2007

Welcome and Announcements

Ringing of the Bell

Call to Worship

The earth is the Lord’s, for he made it:
Come, let us adore him.
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
Come, let us adore him.
The mercy of the Lord is everlasting:
Come, let us adore him.
Lord, open our lips.
And our mouths shall proclaim your praise.

Hymn #315 - Every Time I Feel the Spirit

Prayer of Confession

O Lord, our hearts are heavy with the sufferings of the ages,
with the crusades and the holocausts of a thousand years.
The blood of the victims is still warm,
the cries of anguish still fill the night.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
O Lord, who loves us as a father, who cares for us as a mother,
who came to share our life as a brother,
we confess before you our failure to live as your children,
brothers and sisters bound together in love.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
We have squandered the gift of life.
The good life of some is built on the pain of many;
the pleasure of a few on the agony of millions.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy.
O Lord, forgive our life-denying pursuit of life,
and teach us anew what it means to be your children.
To you we lift our outspread hands.
Lord, have mercy
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

The God who challenges us
is also the God who encourages us.
The God who confronts us
is also the God who accepts us.
Be assured that God is with us even now,
accepting, guiding, and forgiving.
Thanks be to God.

Congregational Response

The Peace

Conversation with Children

Prayer for Illumination

Lord God,
you have declared that your kingdom is among us.
Open our eyes to see it,
our ears to hear it,
our hearts to hold it,
our hands to serve it.
This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

First Reading - Isaiah 62:1-5

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Anthem

Second Reading - Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

Confession of Faith

From The Confession of 1967 (Book of Confessions 9.54-.55)
Biblical visions and images of the rule of Christ, such as a heavenly city, a father’s house, a new heaven and earth, a marriage feast, and an unending day culminate in the image of the kingdom. The kingdom represents the triumph of God over all that resists God's will and disrupts God's creation. Already God’s reign is present as a ferment in the world, stirring hope in humanity and preparing the world to receive its ultimate judgment and redemption.

With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress with the kingdom of God on earth, nor does it despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope, the church looks beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God.

Hymn #440 - In Christ There Is No East or West

Prayers of the People

Offering Invitation

Hear these words from Ephesians:

"As God’s dear children, then, take him as your pattern,
and follow Christ by loving as he loved you,
giving himself up for us as an offering
and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God."

Will the ushers please come forward.

Offertory

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

God of extravagant mercy,
with hands outstretched you have poured out
wonder and pleasure and delight,
goodness and beauty and bounty.
So take these offerings, we pray, as our protest against all
that is evil and ugly and impoverished,
trivial and wretched and tyrannical,
in our world and in ourselves—
and thus may we and others know
ourselves to be blessed. Amen.

Hymn #563 - Lift Every Voice and Sing

Charge and Benediction

Ringing of the Bell

Revelation 1:1-8: Order of Worship

Rocky: Wow, this is going to be neat. Apart from the fact that we're both ordaining and installing new officers and both celebrating the Lord's Supper, there's almost nothing alike in our worship services. In your first reading you're sticking with the Baptism of the Lord of the Lectionary; I'm not doing that. In fact, I even lied on the front of the worship bulletin and called it the "First Sunday in Ordinary Time," which, of course, is made up; there is no such Sunday.
Here's my order of worship (without the actual texts for some things, because I simply lifted most of them from a cd copy of the Worship Sourcebook that somebody gave me . . .):

*Call to Worship

* Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy Red #323

*Singing Praise, Worship, Confession, and Glory

Old Testament Reading Genesis 1:1-5

Children’s Time

Anthem LEAD ME, LORD

New Testament Reading Revelation 1:1-8

Sermon ESCHATA-WHAT?

Affirmation of Faith (The Heidelberg Catechism)

L: What benefit do we receive from “the resurrection” of Christ?

P: First, by his resurrection he has overcome death that he might make us share in the righteousness which he has obtained for us through his death. Second, we too are now raised by his power to a new life. Third, the resurrection of Christ is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.

Ordination and Installation of Officers
Response: Here I Am Lord Blue #525

Offering and Doxology

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

*Hymn Blessed Assurance Red #67

A couple of notes: I've just about emptied my chamber on the "eschata--" device, and it's only the first week. Secondly, that final hymn. I like it because my folks know it really well and will belt it, but I have to admit serious reservations about preaching about the present time, about "realized eschatology" if you will, and then sending us all out with the lines, "watching and waiting, looking above . . ."

I guess these are the compromises you make.

Landon: To recap our conversation over coffee for the benefit of our readers...

I thought about it more as I left the coffee shop this afternoon, and I really would want to encourage you to reference the line from Blessed Assurance in your sermon. I think that the juxtaposition of you saying "this is not what it is", yet affirming the history of what we have believed through song, could be a powerful liturgical moment for the pew sitters.

The comfort they will feel singing a familiar song will (hopefully) be a balm on the sore of having their worldview challenged. That, I think, is liturgy doing what liturgy does best - comfort and stretch, comfort and stretch...

Landon: Here's my first shot at the major pieces of an order of worship:

Order of Worship - January 7, 2007

Welcome and Announcements

Ringing of the Bell

Call to Worship

Look! The Holy One is coming in the clouds!
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
The Lord God is the Alpha and the Omega.
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
Come let us worship the one who is, and who was and who is to come.
Blessed be the Holy One, the god of Israel, who alone does wonderous things!
- From Revelation 1:7-8 and Psalm 72:18

Hymn #476 - O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!

Prayer of Confession

For the times we have lied to one another
and the times we have been lied to,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have laughed at another’s pain
and the times we have been laughed at,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have spoken when we should have remained silent
and the times we have remained silent when we should have spoken,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have not respected another’s freedom
to be different from us,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.
For the times we have betrayed a friend
and the times we have been betrayed,
heal us, Jesus, Savior of the world.

O God of heaven and earth,
you emptied yourself of your power
and became a helpless baby
in order that you might heal the sick world.
Teach us to empty ourselves of the things
that destroy us and keep us alone.
Empty us of our jealousy,
of our meanness,
of our fear of others.
For Jesus’sake. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news!
Who is in a position to condemn?
Only Christ,
and Christ died for us,
Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us,
Christ prays for us.
Anyone who is in Christ
is a new creation.
The old life has gone;
a new life has begun.
Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace.
Thanks be to God!
—based on Romans 8:34; 2 Corinthians 5:17

Congregational Response

The Peace

A Sacred Space for Children

Prayer for Illumination

First Reading - Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Anthem

Second Reading - Revelation 1:1-8

Sermon

Installation of Officers

Hymn #6 - Jesus Comes with Clouds Descending

Prayers of the People

Offering Invitation

Offertory

Doxology

Prayer of Dedication

Sacrament of the Lord's Supper

Hymn #434 - Today We All are Called to be Disciples of the Lord

Charge and Benediction

Ringing of the Bell

Based on the discussion in the last post, I'm thinking of changing the hymn of response to #356 - Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.