John 16:12-15
Confession and Forgiveness
In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Baptized into Christ, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God,
you free us to love others,
but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way.
You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace,
but we turn away from the abundant life you offer.
You surround us with patience, kindness,
and generosity,
but we grow weary in doing what is right.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Do not give up on us.
Heal us, break our bonds,
and show us the path of life.
Amen.
We belong to Christ Jesus
and we are God’s children through faith.
In the cross of ☩ Christ,
and through the power of the Holy Spirit,
our sins are forgiven.
Clothed with Christ, we are a new creation.
Amen.
Gathering Hymn: Come, All You People – ELW # 819
Prayer of the Day
Almighty Creator and ever-living God: we worship your glory, eternal Three-in-One, and we praise your power, majestic One-in-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith, defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
1 Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
4 “To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
22 The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
23 Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
26 when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.”
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm: 8
How majestic is your name in all the earth! —
2 you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
4 what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you have made them little less than divine;
with glory and honor you crown them.
6 You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet:
7 all flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9 O Lord our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Word of God. Word of Life.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; God’s glory fills the whole earth. Alleluia. (Isa. 6:3)
The Holy Gospel according to John
Glory be to you O Lord
Gospel: John 16:12-15
Jesus said, 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ
We were 26 years old and our first child…a daughter…was 6 months old…
- When we moved to the Indian-Head Lake country in northwestern Wisconsin for my first call as a Lutheran pastor.
- The town…a Swedish town…named Siren…meaning lilac…
- One thousand people…was several hours drive from anything like a maul or a Kmart (there were no Walmarts yet).
- We had two mom and a pop cafés in town.
- One on Main Street and the other on the cross street in the middle of town.
- I could see most of our congregation at 10 am and at 4 pm.
- Swedes like their coffee at those times.
- I would just alternate between restaurants.
- And…good for me…the post office was right next to one of them…
- Folks would walk over to get their mail at 10 and then waltz into the café.
- The Lord be with you
We remember thinking that since the town had a library…a huge…wonderful park…and access to an NPR station…
- We could make a go of it.
- Maybe.
- We had…at this point in our lives… never lived in a small town.
- And we moved there without knowing a soul.
The 4 years we spent there were happy ones.
- Our days busy with raising and nurturing a child…
- And conceiving and birthing a second child.
- Washing diapers and cooking and laundry and cleaning a large parsonage.
- And learning where to buy groceries in a small town.
- There were two mom and pop grocery stores.
- A Lutheran family owned one…
- And the other was owned by a Baptist family.
- And when Susan bought a gallon of milk at the Baptist store she was reminded by a parishioner where the Lutheran store was.
That said…the people at the church were great folks…
- And we found a place for ourselves in a place where…at first…we did not belong or understand.
- During the winter months we reveled cross country skiing off our front porch.
- And having progressive dinners going from house to house on snow mobiles.
- We were not unhappy…as I said…but we were young and new parents with no family anywhere near us.
- Which is why Arthur and Alice Larsson meant so much to us.
Arthur and Alice were retired folks in their early sixties…who had moved up from Minneapolis to enjoy the lake country.
- Arthur had been a bank president and Alice a homemaker.
- And they were the town’s earth mama and papa.
- They were the ones who knew how to make anything grow and fix anything.
- Their home…nestled on a beautiful lake…had a warm enchanting feel to it…
- Filled with herbs and quilting projects and wood working undertakings and laughter.
- They found bugs…especially beetles…to be wonderful.
- Alice knew how to cut hair…
- And had a stash of chocolate chips in a jelly jar she would pull out when we visited…
- Knowing we had a sweet tooth.
Well…what I want to report to you is this…Arthur and Alice took us in.
- Alice taught Susan to knit and crochet…
- She would watch our young children when we needed to be out together.
- And Arthur and Alice just about always seemed to be ok with us stopping by.
- Their home was a soft-landing place.
- At their place we did not have to be on our best behavior.
- And when we told them that our house was always a mess because of the kids they just said:
- Do not be concerned about that…children grow up in the twinkling of an eye…just enjoy them…right now.
Arthur and Alice loved us.
- And understand this…
- We had done precious little personal work at this point in time.
- We were a LOT.
- But still…even in all of our immaturity and self-centeredness…they loved us dearly.
And that love was nothing short of manna.
- Manna…enough to make a difficult time feel surprisingly glorious.
- Years later…at a congregational reunion…
- We got to see Arther and Alice for the first time in 20 years and tell them…
- Although quite inadequately…what they had meant to us.
- I was too immature at the time to be as grateful for it as I am now.
- Some things only come after getting them wrong enough.
Of course they came bearing gifts:
- Carved wooded vegetables and something she had sewn that I could not identify right away.
- It’s a dead house fly! she said with cheer.
And all we could offer her in exchange…was to say the words:
- Thank you for loving us during a time when we really needed it.
- You will never know how much it mattered.
- Alice hugged Susan for a long time…said I love you…and they went and found thier seats.
There is a verse in Hebrews that says:
- Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
- Yes…we were strangers…but Alice and Athur were the angels.
And we may not have felt as grateful as we should have at the time…
- But we can feel it now.
- We get to embody the gratitude we lacked when young…
- Or the humility…or wisdom…or patience…we lacked when young.
- And hopefully it leads to a sweet compassion for our younger selves who just did the best they could with what they had before they knew better.
- Oh…the fingerprint of God.
In his book Abide in Love…Latin American priest and poet Ernesto Cardenal writes of the fingerprint of God…
- That is found on every molecule of creation…on every moment of inspiration…on every work of peace.
- Faith begins with realizing the Spirit of God breathing life into all that exists.
- Faith that compels us to continue the creative work of God.
- Faith that invites us to embrace and be embraced in God’s love…
- The love that envelopes every wonder of nature.
- Today’s Feast of the Holy Trinity invites us to realize the many ways and the many people…
- In which the love of God is revealed in our lives.
- Today…we pray that our own hearts be opened to the Spirit of God…
- Revealing the fingerprint of God’s love…
- In whatever ways we are capable of offering…however small and ordinary and unassuming.
Hymn of the Day:
Come, Join the Dance of Trinity
Prayers of Intercession
Drawn into the embrace of the holy Trinity, we lift our prayers for the wholeness of the church, the world, and all creation.
A brief silence.
Abiding God, your love pours into your whole church, creating faith and bestowing hope. Fill all the baptized with these good gifts in our various callings. Gather your church in every place and expression into the unity of your Spirit. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Creating God, your name is majestic in all the earth, and we are filled with awe at your creation. Renew this planet and all its wonders: springs abounding with water, earth and soil, beasts of the field, birds of the air, and fish of the sea. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Sovereign God, you delight in the whole human race. On this week of Juneteenth, bring an end to racial oppression and heal the wounds of racial trauma. Grant us your wisdom, so that all people, especially those in authority, work for the life and freedom of others. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, your mindful care for us is everlasting. Give peace to all who are troubled, endurance to all who suffer, deliverance to all who are afflicted, and healing to all who are sick especially: John & Lisa Mountain, Terry Vernon, David & Carol Beazley, Margaret Miller, Bill Treichler, Shirley Treichler, Hope Garrett, Julia Busby-Morgan, Lisa (Bob & Doris’s daughter. Chad Rudzik, June Gust, Vicki Salzgeber, Jason Salzgeber, David Wilfong, Stacey Bryant, Pam Hendry, Erin Shayota, Michael Bender, Don Bevers, Rick Lauber, Keith Waldron, Holly Lapinski, John Shaffer, Jan Johnson, Chis Poe. Awaken new life in this place.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Living God, your glory appears in our shared life. On this Father’s Day, give to all fathers and father figures gentle hearts and strong spirits, heal the wounds in our families, and comfort those for whom this day brings pain. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Awaken new life in this place. Open our hearts to ways you are calling us to be at work in the world and our community. We pray for neighboring congregations and ministry sites especially: Church of God – SDA – Bay Point Christian – St. Barts – Blessed Trinity…St. Matthew…DayStar Life Center…Canguros Day School. Give us courage to boldly share your love for all people beyond our walls. God of grace, hear our prayer.
Eternal God, your hope does not disappoint. We give you thanks for all who have died in the hope of the resurrection. Hold us in our grief, and bring us at last to fullness of life in you. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Gather all our prayers in your mercy, O God, through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
Pray with me:
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,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
The love of God abound in you;
the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ fill your hearts;
and the life of the Spirit
☩ bless you and give you peace.
Amen.
Sending Hymn
Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In
Dismissal
Go in peace. Live by the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.