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THANKS! ... Rev. Jack
4th Sunday after Pentecost (Year B)
Welcome. We continue in our celebration of the season after Pentecost, the time when the Holy Spirit works in each of us in a special way. This weekend we celebrate the appointments of Rev. Jack Abel, our Senior Pastor and Rev. Pat Loughlin, as well as the Baptism of Heather Cross. Our worship this morning includes Holy Communion. The elements we use are wheat bread and unfermented grape juice. All are welcome at the table of the Lord. Consider the gift of Freedom in your life as a Christian, and the need to share that gift with others. How does the spirit of Christian Freedom inspire you to love others in God's world?
Congregational IntroitGreetingMy country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!
Our fathers' God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.
Gospel LessonFrom the depths I call to you, Yahweh, Lord, listen to my cry for help!
§ Listen compassionately to my pleadings!
If you never overlooked our sins, Yahweh, Lord, could anyone survive?
§ But you do forgive us: and for that we revere you
I wait for Yahweh, my soul waits, I rely on the promise,
§ My soul relies on the Lord more than a watchman on the coming of dawn,
§ for it is with Yahweh that mercy is to be found.
A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman
35
21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"
36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." 40But they laughed at him.
§ After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (via)
Sermon - O FREEDOM Rev. Pat Loughlin
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Welcome. The Season after Pentecost is a time for growth in faith under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Easter's celebration gives way to the hard work of Christian discipleship in grateful response to God's love. Our text today recounts an extraordinary experience of comfort and promise in the midst of fear and challenges. Our community gathers also this evening in Church Conference session to consider exciting updates to the Comprehensive Plan for Relocation. How does God's comfort and promise speak to each of us, and to the congregation as a whole? Are we aware of God's calming presence-even in the midst of our fears-as we reach out and grow in love and service in God's world?
WelcomeGospel LessonAs we work together with Christ,
we are also urged not to accept the grace of God in vain.
§ For Christ says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you."
See, now is the acceptable time;
§ See, now is the day of salvation!
Jesus Calms the Storm
35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"(via)
Sermon - Calming the Sea Rev. Jack Abel
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Welcome. The Season after Pentecost is a time for growth in faith under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Easter's celebration gives way to the hard work of Christian discipleship in grateful response to God's love. Our text today recounts the unlikely anointing of David, shepherd son of Jesse, as future king of Israel. Today we also reflect on our national observance of Fathers' Day. Our 11:00 a.m. worship adds the Baptism of Mary Kathryn Barnhart, daughter of Ryan and Liz. When you think of yourself as a child of God, is that rich in the sense of God as divine parent? How does God's divine parenting, made known especially in the gift of Jesus Christ, inspire your practice of love in God's world?
Welcome
Verses for Fathers' Day from Deuteronomy 32:1-7 (alt
Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
§ May your teaching drop like the rain, your speech condense like the dew;
like gentle rain on grass, like showers on new growth.
For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; I will ascribe greatness to our God!
§ God is the Rock, whose work is perfect, and whose ways are just.
Is not God our father, who created us, who made us and established us?
§ Let us remember the days of old, consider the years long past;
ask our father, who will inform us, our elders, and they will tell us.
Hebrew Bible Lesson
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the LORD was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 16
Samuel Anoints David
1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."
2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me."
The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"
5 Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."
Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."12 So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. (via)
Sermon - Fathers' Day Rev. Jack Abel
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Pentecost Sunday (Year B)
Welcome. The Easter season is fifty days, a week of weeks. It culminates in today's Pentecost celebration, in which the church remembers the gift of the Holy Spirit, descending like tongues of fire upon the assembled crowd. Our Pentecost worship includes Holy Communion. The elements we use are wheat bread and unfermented grape juice. All are welcome at the table of the Lord. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to consider your sense of Easter's continued presence, and its influence in you and others. How does the Easter Spirit of Christ inspire you to love in God's world?
GreetingHistorical Bible LessonWe know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;
§ and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;
§ for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
§ because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"
13Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine."
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
(via)
Sermon - Come the Day Rev. Jack Abel
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Welcome. Our focus in Easter is the presence of the risen Christ, through which we discover new life for ourselves. Today's keyword is "joy." We celebrate the joy made possible through Christ's ascension to God in heaven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit among us. Rev. Leonard Hatch is our guest preacher. Rev. Jack returns from vacation on Tuesday morning. How does Christ's Spirit manifest itself along the journey of your life? How are we called to joy in God's world?
Welcome
Psalm 47:1, 5-9
"Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
God is king over the nations; God sits on a holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God, who is highly exalted.
New Testament Lesson
Acts 1: 1-12
1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
12Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city.
(via)
Sermon - How Far Can You Travel on Sunday? Rev. Leonard Hatch
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6th Sunday in Easter (Year B)
Welcome. As we continue our celebration of the Easter season we rejoice in a special way today. The word for today is COMMUNITY and what a right and fitting word it is. Today we honor those who have completed a year of study in the three Disciple Bible programs. We honor as well the students of our Sunday School programs and all of our teachers and facilitators. The word traditionally used at a graduation is "Commencement" signifying that the end of the school year is really a beginning. As we anticipate Ascension Thursday and Pentecost can you find the place for new beginnings in your life?
Gospel Lesson
John 15: 9-17
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (via)
Sermon - The Church of Today Annie Plowman, Sara Smith, James Moore
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5th Sunday in Easter (Year B)
Welcome. Our focus in Easter is the presence of the risen Christ, through which we discover new life for ourselves. Today's keyword is "movement." We seek Jesus in movement along the roads of life. At the same time we reflect on our national observance of Mothers' Day. Feminine and maternal images are biblical and historic means of discerning the divine. Our 9:30 worship also includes the Baptism of Tyler Jacona, son of Amanda and Anthony. Do you know God as paternal or maternal, as near or far? How does Christ's Spirit manifest itself along the journey of your life? How are we called to nurture and display tender and self-sacrificing love in God's world?
Gospel Lesson
John 4:5-15
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." (via)
Sermon - Along Wilderness Roads Rev. Jack Abel
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Welcome. The Easter season is fifty days, a week of weeks. Our focus is the presence of the risen Christ, and the resulting discovery of new life for ourselves. Today's keyword is "inspiration." Our celebration includes Holy Communion. The elements we use are wheat bread and unfermented grape juice. All are welcome at the table of the Lord. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to consider your own sense of inspiration this morning, and the inspiration you have witnessed in others. How does inspiration contribute to your practice of love in God's world?
Greeting
Psalm 23
Lord, you are my shepherd, I need nothing more.
You give me rest in green meadows setting me near calm waters
where you revive my spirit.
You guide me along sure paths, you are true to your name.
Though I should walk in death's dark valley, I fear no evil with you
by my side, your shepherd's staff to comfort me.
You spread a table before me as my foes look on.
You soothe my head with oil; my cup is more than full.
Goodness and love will tend me every day of my life.
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I shall live.
Historical Bible Lesson
Acts 4:5-12
The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (via)
Sermon - Sharing the Spirit Rev. Jack Abel
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eBible, a new Bible search engine, is currently in private beta
Search any of a number of versions of the Bible with eBible by keyword (and switch between Bible versions once you’ve selected text you are interested in). eBible pulls additional information relevant to your query from a library of Bible reference sites, such as dictionaries, topicals, encyclopedias, handbooks, etc. Expert commentary is also included in the margin of Biblical text.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/05/09/jesus-loves-web-20-ebible/
3rd Sunday in Easter (Year B)
Welcome. The Easter season is fifty days, a week of weeks. Our focus is the presence of the risen Christ, and the resulting discovery of new life for ourselves. Our worship format is contemporary at all three services. Our choir is away at St. Mark's in Wilmington for its annual exchange. Today's keyword is "understand." The Gospel describes the risen Jesus opening the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures. What does understanding mean to us? How do you understand the Scriptures? How are we called to manifest an inspired understanding in God's world?
Gospel Lesson
Luke 24:36-48
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Sermon - Faith Seeking Understanding Rev. Jack Abel
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2nd Sunday in Easter (Year B)
Welcome. The Easter season is fifty days, a week of weeks. Our focus is the presence of the risen Christ, and the resulting discovery of new life for ourselves. Today's keyword is "peace," Jesus' gift to the disciples in his appearance to them in the Upper Room as described in the Gospel of John. Have you received this gift? Do you know peace? How does serenity manifest itself amid the storms and tribulations in your world? How are we called to manifest peace in God's world?
Gospel Lesson
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may[a] believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Sermon - In the Upper Room Rev. Jack Abel
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Easter Sunday (Year B)
Welcome to our Easter celebration. Also known as the Great Fifty Days, Easter is the most joyous season of the Christian year. Its focus is the resurrected presence of Jesus in the sacramental community under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Our Easter worship began last night with a vigil that included Word, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. This morning we gather again for Word and Table in celebration of new life from God through Christ Jesus our Lord. As we prepare for worship, consider the ways you might seek to discover the presence of a saving Lord.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters,
of the good news that I proclaimed to you,
which you in turn received, in which also you stand,
through which also you are being saved,
if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-
unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters
at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace toward me has not been in vain.
On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I,
but the grace of God that is with me.
Whether then it was I or they,
so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
Gospel Lesson
John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb
and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple,
the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,
and we do not know where they have laid him."
Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.
The two were running together,
but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there,
but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.
He saw the linen wrappings lying there,
and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head,
not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in,
and he saw and believed;
for as yet they did not understand the scripture,
that he must rise from the dead.
Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.
As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;
and she saw two angels in white,
sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying,
one at the head and the other at the feet.
They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord,
and I do not know where they have laid him."
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?"
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him,
"Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him,
and I will take him away."
Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me,
because I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and say to them,
'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
"I have seen the Lord";
and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Sermon - Discovering Jesus Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
(Firefox users might need to use I.E., until we figure out a solution)
Download the sermon: 2006-04-16-epworth-umc.mp3
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Total time: 26 minutes, 11.7 MB file
Rev. Jack's sermons are now available as a podcast through iTunes.
Here is a direct link to the podcast on iTunes. This will only work for people who have iTunes installed on their computer:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=148765629&s=143441
You can also browse your way to the podcast. Here's how:
1) Open iTunes
2) Go to the music store and select "podcasts"
3) Select "browse"
4) Select "Religion and spirituality" and then "Christianity".
5) Scroll down to Epworth: A United Methodist Church.
6) Click "subscribe"
Cutting edge folks can now subscribe to Epworth's sermons via podcast (what's a podcast?). As with all things internet, there are several ways to do this.
1) Easiest, but doesn't count as podcasting :-) The easiest solution is to visit this blog. An audio player is embedded at the bottom of each sermon's entry, and all you have to do is click "play". Here's an example - Palm Sunday.
Geek note: Firefox users (including the author of this post) might have to briefly switch to I.E. to get this to work. If you know a work-around, please write your solution in the comments.
2) iTunes. If you use iTunes, iPodder or another podcatcher, you can copy and paste this link to get the Epworth podcast: http://epworth.typepad.com/epworthrehobothorg_a_unit/rss.xml
Helpful hint: In iTunes, select "advanced -> subscribe to podcast" and paste in the link. As with all things online, you could do it another way, and paste our Odeo (see below) feed link: http://www.odeo.com/channel/96128/rss
UPDATE: The Epworth podcast is now available for free through the iTunes store browser or through this direct link (which works only if you have iTunes installed).
3) Burning CDs. Scroll to the bottom of each service to find a link to "right-click and save the sermon" to your computer. From there you can burn sermons to a CD to listen in the car, or upload to an MP3 player.
4) Sharing Online. To dip your foot into the waters of podcasting, visit our Odeo podcast page. You can select any of the numbered audio files. For instance, Epworth Methodist Church- 2006/04/02 - Days of New Beginning will take you to the sermon from April 2, 2006. For those who have blogs, there is a link called "Get web code". Clicking it will expand two boxes. Click once in the box which says "Flash Player" and copy the code. If you paste this into a blog, you'll embed the sermon in your blog, just like we do here. The web is a tremendously fun place.
Tip: Even if you're new to all this, you can visit Odeo, cruise around and create a personalized page, and subscribe to other podcasts. For instance, NPR's Most Emailed Stories or browse other religious podcasts.
Palm Sunday (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Today’s key word is Love, while our lessons take us to Palm Sunday’s triumphal celebration and forward toward the passion of Christ on the cross. Palm and Passion are demonstrations of love. Do you have an enthusiasm for God as savior? How does the love God offers you in Christ shape your practice of love in God’s world?
New Testament Lesson
Philippians 2: 5-11
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Sermon - Love Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
Download the sermon: 2006-04-09-epworth-umc.mp3
Right click and "save as" to your computer
Total time: 30 minutes, 13.7 MB file
5th Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Jeremiah encouraged an ancient community to trust in the hope of new beginnings. Today we are renewed in and through our relationship with Christ by the sharing of Holy Communion. The elements we use are wheat bread and unfermented grape juice. All are welcome at the table of the Lord. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to reflect on what new beginnings are taking place in your individual and social world, and how they will shape your practice of love in God’s world.
Hebrew Bible Lesson
Jeremiah 31:31-34
"The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them, "
declares the LORD.
"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
Sermon - Days of New Beginning Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
Download the sermon: 2006-04-02-epworth-umc.mp3
Right click and "save as" to your computer
Total time: 25 minutes, 22.2 MB file
4th Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Today’s lessons include a story of healing by Moses in the wilderness and a reference to that healing by Jesus in the Gospel of John. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to reflect on the healing power of God. What are the various kinds of meaning we may intend when we say a person or circumstance is in need of healing? What prayers for healing might you be inclined to offer today? In light of healing in your own life, how are you inclined to practice healing ministry in God’s world?
Hebrew Bible Lesson
Numbers 21:4-9
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way.
The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.”
Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.
The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.”
So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
Gospel Lesson
John 3:14-17
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Sermon - Signs of Healing Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
Download the sermon: 2006-03-26-epworth-umc.mp3
Right click and "save as" to your computer
Total time: 26 minutes, 11.7 MB file
2nd Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Today’s lesson brings to mind the reception of faith as the foundation for our development as children of God. The first in a series of inserts offers us insight into our planned relocation. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to reflect on all the gifts we receive from God, but especially the gift of divine love. How will our receipt of God’s love in Christ shape your practice of love for others?
New Testament Lesson
Romans 4:13-25
For the promise that he would inherit the world
did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law
but through the righteousness of faith.
If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs,
faith is null and the promise is void.
For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith,
in order that the promise may rest on grace
and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law
but also to those who share the faith of Abraham
(for he is the father of all of us,
as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")
in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations,"
according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body,
which was already as good as dead
(for he was about a hundred years old),
or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God,
but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness."
Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,
but for ours also.
It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Sermon - We Receive Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
(Audio begins with 10 seconds of silence)
Download the sermon: 2006-03-12-epworth-umc.mp3
Right click and "save as" to your computer
Audio begins with 10 seconds of silence
Total time: 24 minutes, 43.7 MB file
1st Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Today we find help in the presence of Christ, celebrated in Holy Communion. The Lord’s assistance inspires us to be instruments of help to others. Mary Helms, Building Committee Chairperson, lifts up opportunities to do so through the vision of relocation that calls us forth. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to reflect on help sought by you, our community, and by others in God’s world. How will our receipt of divine love shape your practice of love for others?
Gospel Lesson
Mark 1:9-15
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water,
he saw the heavens torn apart
and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven,
"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news."
Sermon - Help in the Mess Rev. Jack Abel
Click the play button below to listen to the sermon.
(Audio begins with 10 seconds of silence)
Download the sermon: 2006-03-05-epworth-umc.mp3
Right click and "save as" to your computer
Audio begins with 10 seconds of silence
Total time: 12 minutes, 5.7 MB file
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Welcome. In Lent we understand ourselves as being "under construction.” Lent is a Spring housecleaning of the soul. The simplicity of Lent calls us to focus on things that matter most. Today’s lesson recites the historic covenant from God through Moses at Sinai, the Decalogue or Ten Commandments. As we prepare for worship, you may wish to reflect on the covenants which order our lives. What promissory arrangements are you a part of? What fundamental guidelines exist for you in relation to God, yourself, and others? How does the covenant of Baptism shape your practice of faith and Christian love?
Hebrew Bible Lesson
Exodus 20:1-17
Then God spoke all these words:
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery;
you shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol,
whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
for I the LORD your God am a jealous God,
punishing children for the iniquity of parents,
to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,
but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation
of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God,
for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name
