InklingSermons

June 19, 2025

2nd Sunday after Pentecost – June 22, 2025

Luke 8:26-39

Sunday, June 22, 2025
2^nd Sunday after Pentecost

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 Song: Spirit of the Living God

Prayer of the Day

O Lord God, we bring before you the cries of a sorrowing world. In your mercy set us free from the chains that bind us, and defend us from everything that is evil, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 65:1-9

¹ I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that did not call on my name.
² I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
³ a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks;
⁴ who sit inside tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat swine’s flesh,
with broth of abominable things in their vessels;
⁵ who say, “Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.
⁶ See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps
⁷ their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together,
says the Lord;
because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions.
⁸ Thus says the Lord:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, “Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,”
so I will do for my servants’ sake,
and not destroy them all.
⁹ I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm: 22:19-28

¹⁹ But you, O Lord, be not far away;
O my help, hasten to my aid.
²⁰ Deliver me from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog.
²¹ Save me from the lion’s mouth!
From the horns of wild bulls you have rescued me.
²² I will declare your name to my people;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s line, give glory.
Stand in awe of the Lord, all you offspring of Israel.
²⁴ For the Lord does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the Lord’s face hidden from them;
but when they cry out, the Lord hears them.
²⁵ From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord.
²⁶ The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever!
²⁷ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
all the families of nations shall bow before God.
²⁸ For dominion belongs to the Lord,
who rules over the nations.

Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29

²³ Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷ As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. Alleluia. (Luke 8:29)

The Holy Gospel according to Luke

Glory to you O Lord

Gospel: Luke 8:26-39

²⁶ Then Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”—²⁹ for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) ³⁰ Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
³² Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
³⁴ When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵ Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. ³⁷ Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

The Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you O Christ

I had an encounter with a demon several months ago.

I will tell you that story and how the demon was cast into the abyss.
But before we get there…I want to talk a little bit about what a demon might be.
The Lord be with you.

Demons are a tricky subject in modern time…especially in mainline…science-embracing denominations like our own.

So…what is a demon?
Are demons external supernatural forces that cause us to do things beyond our control?
Are they undiagnosed mental illness?
Are they a social construct of a pre-modern era?

So…here’s the thing…it doesn’t matter as much what a demon is as what a demon does.

Demons are things that isolate us…that separate us…that cause us pain…
That make us feel vulnerable and powerless and weak.
Be they depression…addiction…stereotypes…or corrupt systems.
Demons are the things that keep us from living the kinds of lives of connection and richness and freedom…that God wants for us.

So now…let’s look at the Gerasene Demoniac.

Jesus traveled across the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes.
When they reach the shore…they are met by a man who had demons.
He lived in the tombs…which for the original hearers of this story would have been an immediate clue to this man’s isolation.
In the first century…tombs were considered unclean.
And tombs were painted white so people would know to stay away from them.
The man was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles.
If demons are something that keep us isolated…vulnerable…powerless and in pain…
Then…this man shackled to tombs away from everyone else certainly fits the description of a demon.

The man with the demons approached Jesus and shouted:

What have you to do with me…Jesus…Son of the Most High God.
Interesting…because in the verse preceding this story…
Jesus and the disciples were out on the boat and Jesus had just calmed the storm…and the disciples asked each other:
Who then is this…that he commands even the winds and the water…and they obey him?
The disciples…who have been traveling with Jesus…learning from Jesus…following Jesus…
The disciples didn’t know who Jesus was…but the demons immediately identified him.

In first century culture…if you could name something…you could control it.

So…the demons are making a power play on Jesus.
They are naming him for what he is…to control him.
They’re saying to him…you cannot hide from us…we know exactly who you are.

But Jesus flipped the script on the demons…demanding of them:

What is your name?
Legion…they told him.
A legion was a unit of the Roman army of four to six thousand men…so…a lot of demons.
But it doesn’t matter…because Jesus has forced them to identify themselves.
By naming them…he had forced them to come out of the shadows and into the light.
They could not hide and play their sneaky games anymore…
They had been identified for what they really were…
And now…no matter what they try…they could be seen and named and controlled.

Jesus named the demons…and the demons knew they were defeated.

And so…to avoid destruction…they begged Jesus to let them enter a herd of pigs.
Jesus gave them permission…but this legion of demons were too much for the pigs to handle…
So…the pigs rushed down the banks and into the lake and were drowned.
Sending the demons into the abyss.

And the man? When the people from the city rush to the tombs to find what has happened…

They found the man clothed…sane…and seated at the feet of Jesus.
The man wanted to journey on with Jesus…but Jesus told him to return to his home and declare how much God had done for him.
Jessus’ final step of healing is to end this isolation.
To restore to him…his community.
If the effect of a demon is isolation…the cure is relationship.
Demons are not kept at bay alone…but amid a community.

Let me then tell you about the demon I encountered at a family gathering last year.

We were all sitting around the fire pit at my daughter’s farm.
And next to me…a family member told how great it was to be home schooling their children.
Why is that: I asked.
She said: Because they don’t sit in a classroom with minority kids and kids who are not Christians.
She continued her diatribe about those kinds of people…adding…I don’t understand why our immigration department allows those kinds of people to come into our country.
Well…I was silent at first…not wanting to cause a family quarrel…
But when others began to agree with her…I felt I had to say something.

I did not immediately speak up.

I sat there listening to my grandson quietly sing a beautiful ballad on his guitar.
Praying that this conversation would end.
That she would wrap it up…and that I could ignore it.
I was…after all…off-duty…on a holiday with family and friends.
But she wouldn’t stop spewing her smug words…
And I was baffled at how to respond.
Me…an ELCA pastor…an ally and partner with people who work for inclusivity.
But…then…the demon of fear took power in my silence…
And it fed and grew amid all of us gathered there around the fire.

It is scary to speak up in these sorts of situations.

But I eventually spoke out.
Can I tell you what my faith has taught me?
And you know what happened when I said that?
That demon? The demon of fear and religious extremism and Christian nationalism?
That demon went away.
Because…let me be clear…none of us gathered there…not even the person who started the conversation…
None of us were the demon…
The demon was the fear and the ignorance.
All of us gathered there were then able to have a beautiful and grace-filled conversation about love and acceptance…
And what it means to be made in the image of God.
That demon went away because we named it.
Because we named it…we brought it to the light.
We called it for what it was…and it could not stand up to the truth of its own name.

The point of the story is that demons can be defeated.

We do not have to be held captive by that which seeks to keep us isolated…vulnerable…alone… powerless and in pain.
This is not what Jesus wants for us.
We know that because anytime Jesus saw a demon…he sent the sucker packing.

The good news in this text is that we have this power together.

So…stand up…be brave…call and name the demon…
And send those demons packing.
We have this authority through Jesus Christ…Son of the Most High God…
The one whom demons fear.

Hymn of the Day: Take My Life, That I May Be

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.

We pray for the church. Clothe us in Christ, shower us in mercy, send us in love. Strengthen the faith and witness of Christians across the planet. God of grace,

hear our prayer.

We pray for creation. Deliver the earth from disaster, bring forth life amid uncertainty, inspire wonder at all you have made. Sustain all people who delight in the well-being of your creation: farmers, agricultural workers, gardeners, birdwatchers, conservationists, scientists, advocates, and policy makers. God of grace,

hear our prayer.

We pray for the nations. Pave a way to justice, drown the forces of oppression, bring peace on earth. Give leaders the will to turn from war and violence. When people must flee their homes, guide them to safety. God of grace,

hear our prayer.

We pray for people in need. Satisfy all who are poor, soothe those in pain, accompany 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. Give perseverance to each of us living with mental illness, and shield us from discrimination due to race, class, gender, or any other human distinction. God of grace,

hear our prayer.

We pray for this assembly. Listen to our cries, come to our aid, make us one. Weave among us the fabric of belonging so that we rejoice in each person gathered here, and enliven our proclamation of how much you have done for us. 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.

We offer our thanksgiving for all people who have died in faith. Keep them in your peace, comfort us in sorrow, raise us to new life. As we remember their faith and witness, may we trust your promise that we are yours forever. 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: I’m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me

Dismissal

Go in peace. Live by the Spirit.

Thanks be to God.

June 13, 2025

The Holy Trinity – June 15, 2025

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.

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.

June 4, 2025

Day of Pentecost – June 8, 2025

Acts 2:1-21

Sunday, June 8, 2025
Day of Pentecost

Thanksgiving for Baptism

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

In the name of ☩ the One

who was, who is, and who is to come.

Amen.

Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, and called to live the baptized life, let us give thanks for the gifts of baptism.

Holy God, we give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that make a people your own, that restore to wholeness, and empower us to be witnesses in your name.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that strengthen believers

and give new life to beloved servants of your church.

Waters that extend your boundless love

and cross barriers of our own making.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that open the hearts of believers and give a voice in the night to those in captivity.

Waters that set your people on a new path, rejoicing in the Spirit’s power.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

Grant us grace, love, and life, O Living One, that our every day is shaped by these waters that give us our very lives in you.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One.

Amen.

Gathering Song:

O Holy Spirit, Root of Life

Prayer of the Day

God our creator, the resurrection of your Son offers life to all the peoples of earth. By your Holy Spirit, kindle in us the fire of your love, empowering our lives for service and our tongues for praise, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21

¹ When the day of Pentecost had come, the apostles were all together in one place. ² And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
⁵ Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷ Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” ¹² All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”
¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵ Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷ ‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.
²¹ Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm: 104:24-34, 35b

²⁴ How manifold are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Yonder is the sea, great and wide, with its swarms too many to number,
living things both small and great.
²⁶ There go the ships to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you made for the sport of it.
²⁷ All of them look to you
to give them their food in due season.
²⁸ You give it to them; they gather it;
you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
²⁹ When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. ³⁰ You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
and so you renew the face of the earth.
³¹ May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
O Lord, rejoice in all your works.
³² You look at the earth and it trembles;
you touch the mountains and they smoke.
³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will praise my God while I have my being.
³⁴ May these words of mine please God.
I will rejoice in the Lord.
^35b Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Hallelujah!

Second Reading: Romans 8:14-17

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in us the fire of your love. Alleluia.

The Holy Gospel according to John

Glory to you O Lord

Gospel: John 14:8-17

⁸ Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
¹⁵ “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. ¹⁷ This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

The Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you O Christ

Well…the story we just heard from Acts is no sweet…tender birthday story.

At the birth of the church…there was no organ or piano.
There were no pews fastened to the floor.
There were no greeters handing out bulletins.
There was little resemblance to what the church has become in the early part of the 21^st

On Pentecost…the disciples were gathered in Jerusalem…

Fifty days after Jesus was raised from the grave…
Waiting and hoping for the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise:
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem…in all Judea and Samaria…and to the ends of the earth.
The Lord be with you.

What happened on that Day of Pentecost?

Although this holy day is called the birthday of the church…
We are not celebrating the birth of an organization today.
Pentecost is the story of how the church came alive by the power of the Holy Spirit.
On that day…followers of Jesus Christ received the power to take the gospel to the streets there in Jerusalem…
And eventually throughout the earth.
What happened that day was such a powerful experience that the people who were there had to turn to dramatic metaphor to describe what happened.
They said it was like a fire falling on them.
A sense of community and understanding transcended all the differences of language of those who were gathered there.

On that day…a mighty wind from heaven blew the fire of the Holy Spirit into those followers who were gathered there.

When something like tongues of fire danced over the heads of the apostles…
They seemed to be stirred up by unseen forces.
They were shouting…preaching…speaking in a variety of languages so people from a lot of different countries could understand each other…
And making such a commotion that the people of the city had to stop and wonder…
What on earth was going on?

The Spirit blew into the apostles an awareness that…just as Jesus had promised…

The presence of the Holy Spirit was with them… and was at work in and through them.
The sound that came from heaven…that rushing violent wind…
Was the exciting sound of old barriers being broken and glass ceilings shattering.
The divisions within humanity were being overcome.
The church was empowered to take to the streets with the good news.

On the day of Pentecost…the disciples acquired a holy boldness that they had never had before.

The difference in them after Pentecost was as dramatic as those who tell their stories at AA meetings:
This is how it was before…and this is how it is now.

Before Pentecost…on the night of Jesus’ arrest…

Peter cowered away from a servant girl’s questions and refused to admit that he knew Jesus.
After Pentecost…Peter preaches the first Pentecost sermon…
Boldly proclaiming people’s dreams and visions.

Before Pentecost…the disciples felt doubt and despair.

They felt…like their ancestors had…like dry bones.
After Pentecost…the apostles went out into the streets and into the community.
They touched the lame and they walked.
They were imprisoned and flogged…
Yet they showed no signs of doubt or fear.
Empowered by the Holy Spirit…the once disheartened disciples moved out.

Who would be in this new community of faith?

Jews…of course.
But…not long after the story of Pentecost there are other stories.
Peter has a vision in which he sees a great sheet being lowered with all kinds of animals.
He heard God’s voice saying: Don’t call anything I create unclean.
Peter came to understand that the vision was not about unclean food…
But about unclean people.
He met the gentile Cornelius and baptized him.
The church could have become a sect within Judaism…
A gathering place for disgruntled Israelites.
But no…the promise of God was sent even to Gentiles…to outsiders.
The early church struggled with the issue of who to include…just as we do today.
But the Holy Spirit prevailed.

Fifteen hundred years later…the church began to lack vitality.

There was widespread corruption…abuse of power by the church.
The church had become wealthy…complacent.
Would the movement begun at Pentecost go the way of so many other organizations that mature and then die?

An Augustinian monk in Germany…Martin Luther…nailed a list of 95 theses on a church door and called the church back to its biblical roots.

You know the rest of the story of the reformation.
The Holy Spirit prevailed.

Eighteenth-century England and the United States were going through the trauma of urbanization and the first industrial revolution.

In this time of turmoil…people of faith…especially Quakers worked for decades for the abolition of slavery…
As well as for other basic human rights.
Eventually…the Holy Spirit prevailed…as slavery was abolished.
Oh…but there is still a lot of work to be done…
And the Holy Spirit keeps prodding us.
Through struggles for human rights and for justice…the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through God’s people.

Today we are living in a time of huge change:

Technological…cultural…political and religious.
So…it is no wonder if we feel bewildered…disoriented…and afraid.
But…we are in a time when God is doing amazing new things…through us.
Aslan is on the move!
The Holy Spirit is on the move!

The Holy Spirit still blows into our lives.

The same Holy Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles…
And gave birth to the church…
Continues to prod…cajole…and urge us forward.
It has been this way since the beginning of the church.
Just when we get settled down…comfortable with present arrangements…
Our pews bolted securely to the floor…all fixed and immobile…
There comes a rush of wind…or a still small voice…
A breath of fresh air…tongues of fire…
And the Holy Spirit comes to us…to give us courage to unmask idolatries in Church and culture…
To hear the voices of peoples long silenced…
And to work with others for justice…freedom…and peace.

Come, Holy Spirit!

Song of the Day:

Spirit of Gentleness

Prayers of Intercession

God of resurrection and new life, we come before you in prayer for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

We pray for the church. Continue to inspire our sharing of the gospel and equip us to tear down the barriers we have erected. Make our welcome expansive, intentional, and open to loving challenge. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for creation. Allow fire to burn safely in habitats where it’s needed and quench flames when they threaten to run wild. Protect forests, prairies, and grasslands from destruction by natural forces or human misdeeds. Safeguard firefighters and rescuers in their dangerous work. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for courts and legislatures. Write your commandments on our hearts, and inspire all who govern to lead with love over retribution. Unite judges, lawyers, and systems of justice in a desire for reconciliation. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for the sick in body, mind, or spirit 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. Lift up all who have been bowed low by circumstances or internal strife. Bring to wholeness those who cry out to you in need. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We pray for this congregation. Raise up in us a deep desire to live out our baptismal promises and to support those of all ages in our shared journey of faith. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We offer thanks for the faithful departed (Ralph Brooker) who now rest in you. Let their lives encourage our own daily living. Console us with the promise of eternal life. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We commend these and all our prayers to you, O God, trusting that you are always with us; in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen 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.

Offering Prayer

Risen One,

you have gathered us around your table of grace

along with these gifts we bring.

Come among us again,

breathe your life into us,

and enliven us with this meal,

that we may live as your risen body in the world.

Amen.

Invitation to Communion

Come to the table of grace. Receive the gift of new life.

Prayer after Communion

Living One,

in this feast you have made yourself known to us.

Send us now to tell of your wonders,

sing of your glory,

and proclaim your risen life

to a wounded and weary world.

Amen.

Blessing

The triune God, who was, who is, and who is to come, Sovereign, ☩ Savior, and Spirit, light our way with resurrection dawn, now and always.

Amen.

Sending Song:

O Spirit of Life

Dismissal

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Go in peace. In Christ you are made new. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!

May 29, 2025May 29, 2025

Seventh Sunday of Easter – June 1, 2025

John 17:20-26

Sunday, June 1, 2025
Seventh Sunday of Easter

Thanksgiving for Baptism

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

In the name of ☩ the One

who was, who is, and who is to come.

Amen.

Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, and called to live the baptized life, let us give thanks for the gifts of baptism.

Holy God, we give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that make a people your own, that restore to wholeness, and empower us to be witnesses in your name.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that strengthen believers

and give new life to beloved servants of your church.

Waters that extend your boundless love

and cross barriers of our own making.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

We give you thanks for the waters of baptism, waters that open the hearts of believers and give a voice in the night to those in captivity.

Waters that set your people on a new path, rejoicing in the Spirit’s power.

Baptized into you, O Living One,

make us one as you are one.

Grant us grace, love, and life, O Living One, that our every day is shaped by these waters that give us our very lives in you.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen One.

Amen.

Gathering Song:

Bind Us Together

Prayer of the Day

O God, form the minds of your faithful people into your one will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise, that, amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where true joy is found, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

First Reading: Acts 16:16-34

¹⁶ One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. ²⁰ When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews ²¹ and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴ He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 97

¹ The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
² Clouds and darkness surround the Lord,
righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne.
³ Fire goes before the Lord,
burning up enemies on every side.
⁴ Lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens declare your righteousness, O Lord,
and all the peoples see your glory.
⁷ Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods!
Bow down before the Lord, all you gods.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
⁹ For you are the Lord, most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰ You who love the Lord, hate evil!
God guards the lives of the saints and rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns for the righteous,
and joy for the honest of heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks to God’s holy name.

Second Reading: Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

¹² “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
¹⁶ “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.
²⁰ The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

Word of God. Word of Life.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia. I will not leave you orphaned, says the Lord. I am coming to you. Alleluia. (John 14:18)

The Holy Gospel according to John

Glory be to you O Lord

Gospel: John 17:20-26

Jesus prayed: ²⁰ “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
²⁵ “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you O Christ

I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.

Just before his arrest and crucifixion…Jesus prays for his church.
It is a perfect Sunday for this because last week…Thursday…marked Ascension Day.
Following his resurrection from the dead…Jesus walked among his disciples for 40 days.
So…there was a gap between when Jesus ascended into heaven and the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the young church.
This Sunday falls in that “gap week.”

Jesus prays for his new church to be one.

He prays this prayer on the evening just before he is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus knows that everything is about to change.
The day-to-day friendship he enjoys with his disciples will soon come to an end.
He is about to face the culmination of his mission and ministry: his death on the cross.
Only on the cross can he perfectly manifest the divine will and compassionate grace.
His crucifixion is where he will most clearly reflect the unquenchable love of his heavenly father.
This perfect oneness between Jesus and the Father is what he desires for his followers…his church.
I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.
The Lord be with you.

When we look at the church on earth…we seem far from one.

We are fractured and divided.
Our many denominations are suspicious of each other.
We question one another’s faith…if they are really Christians.
We judge one another regarding orthodoxy…piety…and biblical purity…
We make judgements about who we admit at our communion table and who we exclude.

The Christian church is so very broad and diverse.

We sing different hymns…we adorn our sanctuaries differently…we baptize with varying amounts of water.
Are you still praying for us…Jesus?
I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.

It is one thing to talk about Christian unity…

It is a very different thing to live it.
Even among Lutherans…we have a track record of fracturing whenever we come together:
In 1988…when three Lutheran bodies came together to form the ELCA…
There were congregations that either left or split apart over the merger.
Then in 2000 the ELCA entered into full pulpit and altar fellowship with the Episcopal church.
Lutheran pastors could serve in Episcopal congregations and vice versa.
It helped tremendously in providing clergy coverage for small parishes in remote areas.
But once again…this coming together in the name of Christ caused division and separation…there was fracturing.

So…we Lutherans are very good at dividing whenever we come together.

I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.
Often…when we talk about unity…what we really mean is:
I want us to be one. I want you to become just like me. Adopt our ways…our beliefs. If you all would just become like us…then we could all be one.

But unity does not mean uniformity.

Paul spoke of the human body…it is one body comprised of many parts.
You need all the diverse parts for the body to function as a unified whole.
It is our diversity that allows us to fulfill our purpose.

If you have ever been on a team or part of an organization where all the parts are humming…it is an incredible experience.

You really do become one.
You become part of something bigger than yourself.
On a sports team…as part of a choir or a band…on a church council…on a volunteer crew…at your job as part of a work team.
Or maybe you felt it here at church…when we are all singing a beloved hymn or during communion or the sharing of the peace.
I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.

My friend’s…great grandfather…C J Albrecht…was a minister at St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Ulm, MN.

My friend told me a story about his great grandfather.
In those early days…there were only two brands of Christians in New Ulm:
Lutherans and Catholics.
This was in horse and buggy days.
It was before there were telephones.
So…life was lived in a much smaller circle.

With no other clergy around…my friend’s great grandfather and the Catholic priest in New Ulm met together on the first Tuesday afternoon of every month.

The two men enjoyed being able to converse with another clergy person.
The topics of their conversation varied and covered many things.
They shared the struggles their congregations were facing.
They spoke of local and current events.
They discussed who was ailing and who was dying.

Well…at one of these meetings…one of the two gentlemen mentioned that their parish was considering the purchase of some bells for their church tower.

No kidding…said the other man…so are we. Tell me…where are you thinking of getting your bells?
Well…we were thinking that we would order the bells from Ulm, Germany.
No kidding…said the other man…So are we.
And so…between the two pastors…it was decided that a total of 16 bells would be purchased.
8 for the Catholic church and 8 for the Lutheran church.
Each bell would peal its own distinct note…
But together they would ring in harmony with one another.

It is amazing what these two pastors achieved and the time in which they did it.

This was way before Vatican II and there was a clear line of demarcation between Protestant and Catholic.
And yet…these two men of different stripes came together.
The image of these pealing church bells is a powerful image of what unity in Christ is about.
Each bell peals its own distinct note.
No one forces the note to be anything other than what it is.
But as all the bells ring together…
The full richness and depth and harmony of their combined reverberations increase God’s glory.
I in them and you in me…that they may become completely one.

Mother Teresa said:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours…no hands but yours…no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ is to look out on a hurting world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless now.

Talk about what you believe…and you have disunity.

Talk about who you believe in…and you have unity.
Together we are members of the Body of Christ. It is in acting on Christ’s behalf that we become one in him and with the Father.

Song of the Day:

One Bread, One Body

Prayers of Intercession

God of resurrection and new life, we come before you in prayer for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

A brief silence.

Welcoming God, you invite all people to come and encounter your love. Give your church open hearts and minds to embrace all who seek your presence. Increase the capacity for cooperation between denominations and congregations. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Creating God, your might is seen in storms and in silence. Where drought threatens, bring rain. Where waters flood, ease them back. Where fire, earthquake, hurricane, or tornado destroy, shelter your people and restore your land. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Discerning God, fill the hearts of leaders with your passion for justice and mercy. Call the nations of this world to tables of peace and collaboration. Encourage governments to seek avenues of collective benefit and joy. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Abiding God, all people are held in your care. Accompany survivors of abuse, trauma, and exploitation. Strengthen our resolve to listen and advocate on behalf of all who are unnoticed. Hear our prayers for those close to our heart 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, John Satino (June’s son’s dad), David Wilfong, Clinton Nelson, Stacey Bryant, Pam Hendry, Erin Shayota, Michael Bender, Don Bevers, Rick Lauber, Keith Waldron, Holly Lapinski, John Shaffer, Jan Johnson. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Rejoicing God, be with this congregation as summer begins in the northern hemisphere. Keep travelers safe. Keep the vulnerable cool. Invigorate summer ministry efforts in our community, and support the well-being of children and young people (VBS and Summer Camps). Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

Loving God, the beginning and the end, you are with us throughout our lives. In gratitude for the saints who have died, we look toward your coming again among us. Hear us, O God.

Your mercy is great.

We commend these and all our prayers to you, O God, trusting that you are always with us, in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen 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 triune God, who was, who is, and who is to come, Sovereign, ☩ Savior, and Spirit, light our way with resurrection dawn, now and always.

Amen.