Worship March 4, 2012

March 4, 2012

Morning Prayers
Prayer of Confession
Call to Reconciliation
Looking deep within ourselves, we see that barrenness
that dwells in our souls. Reluctant to trust God, we find
our faith wavering when we have to make difficult
choices. We look for quick fixes and easy solutions,
rather than for God's answers in our lives. Let us
be honest with ourselves, and with God, as we pray
together, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
God of our ancestors in the faith, we are a people
who have known the hurt of broken promises, and have
spoken words we could not keep. We are quick to
condemn those who make wrong choices, but want
only gentle criticism directed our way. We let our
lives be guided so much by our past, rather than
opening our eyes, our hearts, our hopes to your
amazing future.
Forgive our distrust of the vows you have made
to us, God of Sarah. Forgive our disbelief that you
can bring hope to those places where we see only
despair, God of Abraham. Forgive our hesitancy
in denying all that keeps us from committing ourselves
completely to you, God of Peter and the psalmists.
Forgive us, so we may take up the life you offer
to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
L: Listen carefully, dear friends. God does not
reject us, God redeems us. God does not back
out of the relationship created so long ago,
God restores it to its original purpose. God
does not hold back, but pours abundant forgiveness into our lives.
Forgiven, we can follow; filled with hope,
we can empty ourselves for others; restored
to new life, we can live in relationship with
God, with our neighbors and enemies, with
ourselves. Thanks be to God. Amen.

The Pastoral Prayer
God of grace and God of glory, we pray that you will pour your power upon us. Give us the strength and courage to call your name boldly in thanks and praise. We come to you in thanksgiving for many things. We are thankful for a mild winter, and we look forward to seeing your beauty in a glorious spring. We thank you for the love of family and friends and all who remind us of your love. We thank you for this congregation and for the joy we share together in this place. We pray that you will bless us with the will to share the goodness of this church with others we may encounter in the rest of our lives. These are difficult times for your church, O God. Let us never forget that you are not an absentee landlord, but that you are with us every day. Guide our steps and help us to take leaps of faith in serving your kingdom in this place and in the world.

We pray for our State, O Lord. We especially pray for those who will vote this Tuesday. Give us wisdom as we seek to elect new leaders. We pray for our Governor John, our Senator Kris, and our Representative Jay. Bless them with wisdom, mercy, justice, and humility as they serve your people in Ohio.

We pray for the sick, both those whose names we have called and those about whom we are silent. Hear our prayers for them and for the concerns of our own hearts as we pray to you in silence.

We lift these prayers to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Mark 8.27-38
27 Jesus and his disciples went into the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “ Who do people say that I am? ”
28 They told him, “ Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others one of the prophets. ”
29 He asked them, “ And what about you? Who do you say that I am? ”
Peter answered, “ You are the Christ. ” 30 Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “ The Human One l must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead. ” 32 He said this plainly. But Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him. 33 Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, then sternly corrected Peter: “ Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts. ”
34 After calling the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “ All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. 35 All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me and because of the good news will save them. 36 Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? 37 What will people give in exchange for their lives? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Human One m will be ashamed of that person when he comes in the Father’s glory with the holy angels. ”

“Losing to Win”

There is a television show I like to watch on Monday nights--although I sometimes ask myself why I like to watch it. It is about a doctor who thinks only of his own needs, berates his staff and ridicules his patients, and worst of all, treats his best friend with contempt. The show is called House, M.D., and it has been a big hit for some time.
In one episode House’s best friend, Wilson, is being sued by a man who got the wrong diagnosis and prognosis. Dr. Wilson, you see, had told the man he had terminal cancer and estimated that he had six months to live. But then, he discovered that his initial diagnosis was wrong, and that the patient had all the time in the world to live!
The patient was furious. He’d been having goodbye parties, had sold his house, and was planning to travel abroad--a kind of “bucket list”--you know, things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.” By changing the death sentence to one of life, the doctor had ruined what was to be left of his life! You see, when he believed his death was upon him, he felt free to live.
The late, great New Orleans novelist Walker Percy offered a similar and related idea. In Percy’s view, everyone is depressed--some of us clinically so--but all of us some level of depression.
Depressed people often have considered suicide in their lives and Percy thinks that is a good thing. He calls people who have considered suicide, but haven’t committed it “ex-suicides.” Ex-suicides have their whole lives open for them, because they faced death, and turned away from it.
He writes, “The ex-suicide opens his front door, sits down on the steps, and laughs. Since he has the option of being dead, he has nothing to lose by being alive. It is good to be alive. He goes to work because he doesn't have to.”
You see, once the ex-suicide has looked death in the eye, she is free to live.
And so it is true for all of us--we have nothing to lose by being alive. Whether we like it or not, death is indeed out there for all of us, and ultimately, nothing we do can prevent it. And in Jesus’ words--we have to lose life in order to win it.
And look at the disciples in our lesson for today. Peter has just confessed that Jesus is the Christ. The Messiah. The Holy One. The rescuer of an Israel held captive by the Roman Empire. The greatest of the greats.
And Jesus does two very strange things. First he tells them to tell no one. And then he begins to describe the suffering he must endure.
Christ? Suffering? No, no, no. Those things don’t go together.
And so Peter, that most fun of all the disciples, pulls him aside and corrects him. Ixnay on the ufferingsay Jesus. You’re the Christ! You came to redeem, not to suffer.
And Jesus utters what is possibly the harshest and most misunderstood phrase in all the bible.
Get behind me, Satan. Wow, that’s harsh. In Jesus time it would still have been strong, but not so ruthless.
You see, the Biblical words which are translated Satan in English mean an adversary or opponent. They could also mean obstruction.
What Jesus was saying was, “Get out of my way, Peter! You need to start seeing things differently.
Jesus then calls the crowd and the disciples together and gives them the hard news. If you want to be one of mine, you have to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me. Notice that the cross is not something that has happened to you. People will say all the time that some illness or other calamity is “my cross to bear.”
But crosses are not thrust upon Disciples of the Christ--they are chosen.
And with them come choices about life.
If you want to save your life, you’ll lose it--after all we all do eventually.
But if you want to lose your life for Christ’s sake and the sake of the Gospel, you will live a life worth saving--and it will be saved!
Jesus tells us that it is only by such sacrificial living that we will find our lives, that we will become the human beings God intends us to be, the kind of human beings we, in our heart of hearts, want to be.
Jesus not only tells us about the sacrifice he and we are called to give, he lives it out. Jesus shows us how far he’ll go in loving and giving of himself to others and how far God calls us to go.
My friend Brad McBee--the Rev. Brad McBee who pastors the Disciples congregation in Shelby--says that the church is full of “takers.” Three kinds of takers to be exact.
The first are the “caretakers”--the ones who want to make sure that everything runs smoothly in the church. The caretakers make sure that nothing is ever out of place. They’re very concerned about the building and the finances and all the politics of the church. Caretakers are needed--and often underappreciated.
There are then the “undertakers.” What do undertakers do? They are the folks who want to bury the church. They talk behind others’ backs and downplay any positive thing about the church. They like to say that whatever’s being done won’t work. And just to make sure that something won’t work, they’ll spread discord among the church members. Undertakers are not needed, and definitely not appreciated. By the way, I don’t think we have any undertakers here.
And then there are the “risk takers.” Risk takers are willing to step out and do something new. They are willing to take leaps of faith, even though they know they might fall. Risk takers are willing to see opportunities for ministry and seize them.
Which do you think are closer to answering Jesus call to lose their lives for his sake and sake of the Gospel?
And so, the question becomes, what risks are you willing to take for Christ and for the Gospel? Could it be something so complex as working to bring new revenue to the church through the use of the building? Could it something so daring as working with those who are exploring possibilities of relocating First Christian Church? If you’ve never served on a board or committee of the church and want to give that a try, we’ll find a spot you to take that risk. Could it be something so simple as inviting another to church?
What kind of taker are you? How can you take First Christian Church to new heights by taking a risky leap of faith. Think about that for a moment before we move to the Lord’s table.

Offering Invitation & Prayer
Invitation
As Christians we are all called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus. It is reassuring to know that no matter what happens in life, Christ is with us. Through Christ, we can present our offerings today knowing that they will be used to help fix some of the problems in the world—either through local congregational ministry or through the mission and service of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Prayer
Heavenly and earthly God, we thank you for making us a part of your vision of a better world. We are thankful for all the ways you help us and for the ways that you use our gifts to help others. Amen.


Benediction

Go in peace - love and care for one another in the name of Christ;
- and may the faith of Abraham and Sarah be within you;
- may the love of Christ and of God the Father surround you and fill you;
- and may the Holy Spirit guide you on your way,
both now and forevermore. Amen