I'm Talking About Fruit

• Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Matthew 21:33-46

with Nehemiah 8:1-10

www.FirstChurchBville.com  @FirstUMCBville   @kerrfunk

• This parable makes me ask questions. One beauty of a parable is how you are drawn in, you don’t just file it away, but you interact with it, you ponder its flavors. I invited the congregation to discuss the answers with people seated near them.

• What is the rental agreement?
Did tenant farmers violate rental agreement?

How might this situation apply to you…
(think of the door to a teenager’s room… “private territory”…
but what exactly is ‘ownership’ when you’re a minor?)

à God is owner, creator, original farmer…
God entrusts people but we do not become lord…
People remain stewards. Servants. Renters. Workers.
We are not the owners.

• What do we know about the tenants? (not much, and nothing good. Violent greedy schemers. Murderous.)

What do we know about the owner?
(worker, farmer, traveler. NOT MURDEROUS. WANTS FRUIT)

• By the way, have you heard a similar scenario, of a landowner planting a vineyard?
It’s in Isaiah 5. Familiar to Jesus’ hearers. What happened then?
(I will take away its hedge and it will be destroyed. I will break down its wall and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland… I will command the clouds not to rain on it… The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel…)

What happens in Jesus’ parable? Not destruction of the house but the invitation to new workers. Because why? Because God wants FRUIT

Why did God create at all? For fruit. For relationship. To bring God joy.

• What for fruit does God want?

• James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

• Back to Matthew, verse 43: the kingdom will be given to a people who produce its fruit.
Consider the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-23: love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control. THESE are the things God wants people to produce in the world. & equips people to do, if we will acknowledge that God is God and we are not…

• I started out saying this parable makes me ask questions,
and I leave you with these questions:

- Where in this parable do you see yourself?
an earlier tenant? A future tenant?

- Are you putting yourself in a position to produce fruit?
or are you hoping somehow to be found faithful?

• Hymn 385 Let Us Plead For Faith Alone

Matthew 21:33-46

³³ “Listen to another parable,” [Jesus said to the chief priests and Pharisees.]
“There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it to tenant farmers and took a trip. ³⁴ When it was time for harvest, he sent his servants to the tenant farmers to collect his fruit. ³⁵ But the tenant farmers grabbed his servants. They beat some of them, and some of them they killed. Some of them they stoned to death.

³⁶ “Again the landowner sent other servants, more than the first group. They treated them in the same way. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

³⁸ “But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come on, let’s kill him and we’ll have his inheritance.’ ³⁹ They grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

⁴⁰ “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenant farmers?” [Jesus asked the chief priests and Pharisees].

⁴¹ They replied, “He will totally destroy those wicked farmers and rent the vineyard to other tenant farmers who will give him the fruit when it’s ready.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the scriptures, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord has done this, and it’s amazing in our eyes? ^{[Psalm 118:22-23] 43} Therefore, I tell you that God’s kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a people who produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed. And the stone will crush the person it falls on.”

⁴⁵ Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard the parable, they knew Jesus was talking about them. ⁴⁶ They were trying to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, who thought he was a prophet.

Following the Leader

First Sunday after the Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord Sunday

with Matthew 3:1-17

www.FirstChurchBville.com    @FirstUMCBville     @kerrfunk  

• We’ve spent most of the last 2 yrs in the gospel of Matthew,
pretty much started around this point in 2014.
Interesting to re-examine first adult appearance of Jesus.
Also if it seems a long time, consider it was three years from baptism to crucifixion…

• Look at John the Baptist’s appeal, a warning to legalists:
action is worthless without spirit. Lukewarm water to be spit out. “
Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives!”

So with faith practice today: disciples produce…

• JtB speaks of the one who is to come, God’s holy one.
Warning! to non-producers.
Paints a fearful picture of the Christ. Baptize with fire.
Shovel, sift, thresh… don’t mess with this one!

• And the very next scene Jesus comes to be baptized.
Why? Repentance? Changed heart? Changed life?
John resists. Jesus’ answer is muted in Common English
(This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness).
NRSV: “it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness”

This is how it is to be done: you and me together.

• Whoever would be my disciple, this is where it starts.
Yes, repentance, yes, produce fruit.
And come through the door that I go through.
We go together. Both  follow me and hand in hand.

• And when Jesus receives baptism there is immediate divine affirmation in the descent of a dove – a living sign of peace (contrast with the shovel, sift, thresh, fire image) and voice of God

• God speaks “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.” And the original hearers of Matthew would say Where did I hear that before? Isaiah 42:1: Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.

Jesus’ adult life begins with divine affirmation from Isaiah 42… nine chapters later Matthew presents the longest quotation from the OT in the gospel, the next three verses from Isa 42, reaffirming the identity of Jesus as the chosen servant of God, filled with the Spirit, infused with gentleness and with good news, hope for a hurt people.

• In season of campaigns it’d be nice to have a dove descend, and a voice proclaim This is the one. Heck, it’d be nice to have a candidate with the humility of JtB!
However. Partner with Jesus. Live graciously. Do what you can with what you have where you are to produce attractive fruit for kingdom. Get in line.

• Prayer at BOTL 253, Hymn 117 O God Our Help in Ages Past

    

Matthew 3:1-12        (Common English Bible)                              1/10/16

3 ¹ In those days John the Baptist appeared in the desert of Judea announcing,
² “Change your hearts and lives! Here comes the kingdom of heaven!”
³ He was the one of whom Isaiah the prophet spoke when he said:

The voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
        “Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.”^{[Isaiah 40:3]}

⁴ John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist.
He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁵ People from Jerusalem, throughout Judea, and all around the Jordan River came to him.
⁶ As they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ⁷ Many Pharisees and Sadducees came to be baptized by John. He said to them, “You children of snakes! Who warned you to escape from the angry judgment that is coming soon? ⁸ Produce fruit that shows you have changed your hearts and lives. ⁹ And don’t even think about saying to yourselves, Abraham is our father.
I tell you that God is able to raise up Abraham’s children from these stones. ¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be chopped down and tossed into the fire. ¹¹ I baptize with water those of you who have changed your hearts and lives. The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am. I’m not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He will clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn.
But he will burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.”

¹³ At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him.
¹⁴ John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”

¹⁵ Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”

So John agreed to baptize Jesus. ¹⁶ When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. ¹⁷ A voice from heaven said,
“This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”

Big Money!

• Christmas Eve

With Titus 2:11-14

www.FirstChurchBville.com   @FirstUMCBville   @kerrfunk

• You may have seen the announcement about December 2015:

"Five Tuesdays, Five Wednesdays, Five Thursdays is Money Bags – this happens every 823 years. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. Money will arrive within four days. Copy within 11 minutes of reading."

Did you copy and send? I figure it can’t hurt, so I did!

Actually this circumstance happens six times a year, any particular combination every 5-6 years or 11 years depending on Leap year. But people hope!

• Rarer occurrence: Christmas full moon. 1977. 2015. 2034.
Rarer still: Halley’s comet…

• These are not occurrences to put our hope in.

We know rarest and best of hopes:
In Jesus Christ grace and salvation are available to all,
and sanctification!

God’s grace is available to all! 

God cleans us up through Jesus Christ, 

No one is excluded from the offer of salvation, (Ephesians 2:8)
and the offer of salvation is a gift from God. (Romans 6:23)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

• The salvation (cleans us up) includes two things:
one, forgiveness, saved from sin and consequences of sin
and two, transforms us, empowers us, enables us, saves us FOR godly (clean) living.

• Saved from sin, saved for godly living, all for the glory of God. It’s what we’re designed for.

We are made and redeemed for God’s glory and pleasure.

We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

• Into our world Jesus comes, to live in our hearts.
And we are nourished and sustained through fellowship with God.
In act of communion...

Titus 2:11-14 New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Good News - Advent4

Fourth Sunday of Advent

with Micah 5:2-5 and Hebrews 10:5-10

www.FirstChurchBville.com    @FirstUMCBville     @kerrfunk  

• First message of Advent: don’t forget!
Fourth message of Advent: Are we here already?

• I see in today’s passages two “good news” stories.

Once upon a time a kind Cokesbury bookstore manager wanted to reward my 5-yo daughter for her good behavior in the store, and offered her one of the shiny plastic rings she’d been admiring. We were very thankful. An hour or two later, our daughter was joyfully showing us the rings she’d gotten from the store.  Plural.  The look on her face when we told her she’d stolen… she hid under her blanket in shame.

A sin, and awareness, and shame. And shame is bad news. Self-will.

Good news is there is loving in spite of shame and there is hope of renewal, of sanctification.

• Micah, prophet 700 yrs BC, saw fruit of unfaithfulness to God, self-will, also hope of divine forgiveness hand in hand with righteous living / humility towards God. Speaks into dark time, chaos, of righteous leader to come, bringing strength security and peace.

• Trouble with own self-will, as 5-yo daughter. Trouble with my own will, and back to the beginning. Personal trouble at own will.

Good news: Christ comes to do the will of the Father.

Book of Hebrews compares and contrasts the Law
– in a time and for a purpose --
and the arrival of Christ – for all time, and covering all sin.

• Good news: Jesus Christ came and was and is perfectly sufficient to redeem broken humankind & give the tools to follow (thy will be done… in the garden and in the Lord’s Prayer)

And now, the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.

• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Micah 5:2-5        (CEB)                                          12/20/15

² As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
    though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces,
       one who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf
            will come out from you.
    His origin is from remote times, from ancient days.
³ Therefore, he will give them up
       until the time when she who is in labor gives birth.
       The rest of his kin will return to the people of Israel.
⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
             in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
        They will dwell secure,
        because he will surely become great throughout the earth;
⁵        he will become one of peace.

Hebrews 10:5-10        (CEB)                                         

⁵ Therefore, when Christ comes into the world he says,

You didn’t want a sacrifice or an offering, but you prepared a body for me;
⁶ you weren’t pleased with entirely burned offerings or a sin offering.
⁷  So then I said, “Look, I’ve come to do your will, God.
    This has been written about me in your Word.”

⁸ He says above, You didn’t want and you weren’t pleased with a sacrifice or an offering or with entirely burned offerings or a purification offering, which are offered because the Law requires them. 

⁹ Then he said, Look, I’ve come to do your will. 

He puts an end to the first to establish the second. 

¹⁰ We have been made holy by God’s will
through the offering of Jesus Christ’s body once for all.

What Time Is It? - Advent2

Second Sunday of Advent

with Luke 3:1-6

www.FirstChurchBville.com    @FirstUMCBville     @kerrfunk  

• “What time is it?” doesn’t have to mean hours and minutes. Can be more general, like “It’s time to go shopping” or “it’s time for dinner…” It’s time to worship, it’s time to pray, it’s time to rest, it’s time to remember… Deep within the forest a little turtle began to climb a tree. After hours of effort he reached the top, jumped into the air waving his front legs… and crashed to the ground. After recovering, he slowly climbed the tree again, jumped, and fell to the ground. The turtle tried again and again while a couple of birds (turtledoves, what else?) sitting on a branch watched his sad efforts. Finally, the female bird turned to her mate. “Dear,” she chirped, “I think it’s time to tell him he’s adopted.”
Two turtledoves, and a turtle climbing a tree…

• Gospel reading begins with a statement of time from before calendars were standardized the way they are today. You might say that I started at First Church in the second year of Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball’s ministry in West Virginia, or in the fifth year Barack Obama was POTUS. Luke was grounding this story in local contexts, but perhaps what’s most interesting and surprising is that Luke names five political leaders and two religious leaders… and to whom does the word of the Lord come?
John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. A nobody.

Let’s face it. John the Baptist is not the guy you’d want your daughter dating. Unshaven, unkempt, wearing camel hair… going to take her to this nice place in the middle of nowhere and eat bugs and honey. You probly wouldn’t want JtB at your Christmas party – he’d be standing on a couch or table preaching at people, or by the punch bowl inviting folks to be baptized… you don’t see JtB hymns or Christmas cards or ornaments, but God’s word comes to JtB.

What time is it? Time to broaden our horizons, check our prejudice. Time to realize that God is moving among people we may not expect God to be moving among. Time to prepare ourselves for God’s actions in the world.

• The word of God came to John in the wilderness, and he went all around the region, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Preaching “Prepare ye the way”. Context: Babylonian kings would have engineers precede them, making it safe and nice. JtB’s message is a little different, though. Instead of the ground being leveled for the king, God is putting everyone on the same playing field and proclaiming that his salvation is available to all. Man woman adult child, beggar king hero loser. Banker soldier senator janitor, no one has an advantage, no one is better than another. Jew, non-Jew, 1^st Century Israeli, 21^st Century Christian…

• However that’s not JtB’s literal message: his is a message of repentance, of getting right with God, everybody, by cleaning house on the inside. John was announcing the coming of the one who would tell the Pharisees that they were like “whitewashed tombs” righteous and lovely looking on the outside but full of all manner of unclean stuff and hypocrisy and wickedness on the inside.”

Bring all your sins to the surface, so that you can get rid of them. The things that thrive in darkness, shed God’s light on them.

• What time is it? Time to prepare for the Lord’s coming, readying ourselves in mind and body, in attitude and in action. Jesus makes such a way…

• into Holy Communion

Luke 3:1-6        (CEB)              12/06/15

3 In the fifteenth year of the rule of the emperor Tiberius—when Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea and Herod was ruler over Galilee, his brother Philip was ruler over Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler over Abilene, ² during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas—God’s word came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³ John went throughout the region of the Jordan River, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. ⁴ This is just as it was written in the scroll of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

A voice crying out in the wilderness:
    “Prepare the way for the Lord;
        make his paths straight.
⁵ Every valley will be filled,
    and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked will be made straight
    and the rough places made smooth.
⁶ All humanity will see God’s salvation.” ^{[Isaiah 40:3-5]}

Getting In the Mood - Advent1

• First Sunday of Advent (Year C)
with 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

www.FirstChurchBville.com      @FirstUMCBville     @kerrfunk

• Thanksgiving has come and gone,
perhaps you have put Christmas decorations up,
perhaps you have begun to listen to Christmas music.

What gets you in the mood for Christmas?
(Personally: The Carpenters. Sleigh Ride.
It’s The Most Wonderful Time. Etc)

This time of year I am also reminded of another song:
“There’s Only Two Songs In Me” by They Might Be Giants.

We are a people of one story, one great big little story of God creating humankind then entering humankind in order to redeem humankind because humankind messes up. That’s our story.
We tell it at Christmas.
We tell it at Easter.
We tell it throughout the year.

And so:

• The typical First Sunday of Advent message:
Prepare. Get ready. Don’t lose Christ
in the gifts and the trimmings, the hustle and the bustle.
“Keep Christ in Christmas.”
(by the way, First Church is hosting a Blue Christmas service on 12/21 if it’s NOT The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, if your Happy Holidays are not so happy)

• But there’s more.
Today’s reading from 1 Thessalonians, the Lectionary text for 1AdventC,
is not so much about the birth of Christ but more about the return of Christ, which we proclaim at least regularly during communion, and which Paul and companions *eagerly* awaited.

1 Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest letters, written 15 ish years after death and resurrection of Christ, from Paul’s second missionary trip. Spent a short time in Thessalonica but ran into troubling times.

Not loss of football games trouble, but more like the violent trouble we see too frequently today, like the weekend’s deadly shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado (3 dead). Friday’s shooting was carried out in the name of stopping violence against unborn. And let’s call it what it is: domestic terrorism.

Paul had been violently run out of town by religious leaders who did not agree with Paul’s teachings.

We see a lot of violence perpetrated over disagreements, too many in the name of God.

Each time it happens, I say “Lord have mercy”
or “Come, Lord Jesus.”

• Paul had been violently run out of town, and 1 Thessalonians was written to check up on the fledgling church community (they were good!) to bless and encourage them and remind them to prepare for / keep faithful until the return of Christ, which was immanent, coming soon!

In a move that surely frustrated his opponents and surely had God’s hand in it, Paul’s being run out of Thessalonica served to spread his gospel, not diminish it!

• My appeal to you (and to myself!)
May your conduct -- the way you live your life, your faith,
the way you interact with people,
especially in the face of trials (health)
and tribulations (opposition, violent or not)
-- result in your reliance on God,
your sharing the good news,
your attractive discipleship
(not like those who ran Paul off).

• Show your life ruled by, saved by, changed by Christ,
and you be found blameless at his return.

• Hymn 206 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13        (CEB)              11/29/15

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you, given all the joy we have because of you before our God? ¹⁰ Night and day, we pray more than ever to see all of you in person and to complete whatever you still need for your faith. ¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus guide us on our way back to you. ¹² May the Lord cause you to increase and enrich your love for each other and for everyone in the same way as we also love you. ¹³ May the love cause your hearts to be strengthened, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his people. Amen.

Christ the King Sunday

Following is an order of worship for Christ the King Sunday
I didn't make it up, but I made it mine, and I've used it for a decade or so. I tweak it every year, varying scriptures and hymns, but the format has been pretty much the same, and I find it worth repeating every year.

This year, as we have been in the midst of a long steady walk through the gospel of Matthew, most readings were taken from Matthew.

Sunday November 22, 2015. 

Christ the King Sunday

A CELEBRATION OF THE CHURCH YEAR

*Call to Worship

Leader: We come to worship today
with joy in our hearts and wonder on our minds,
to proclaim the mysteries of heaven and earth.

People: Lead me in your truth and teach  me, O Lord.

Leader: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,“who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

People: Blessing and honor and glory and might be unto the Lamb!

Leader: Worthy is Christ who has ransomed us by his blood
from every tribe and tongue and nation,
and made his people a kingdom, and priests to our God.

All: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!

Amen!

*Opening Hymn 158 Come, Christians, Join to Sing

*Opening Prayer

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today we remember the Christian calendar, the liturgical year, in scripture and song. Each season or holiday has a liturgical color, although many of the holidays are “white or gold.”

ADVENT The Christian year begins with ADVENT, and its color is either purple or blue. We begin with the anticipation of the arrival of God's Messiah, the fulfillment of the promise. We often sing Christmas carols, although some say we should wait until Christmas to sing the Christmas carols, and should instead sing songs of anticipation before Christmas. We light the Advent candles to mark our waiting. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas.

Advent scripture: Matthew 1:18-23

Advent Hymn 211 O Come, O Come Emmanuel (verses 1, 2, 7)

A Word for Young People
(this year I spoke about 1 Samuel 8, the people ask for a king)

CHRISTMAS After the four Sundays of Advent, the waiting is over!  CHRISTMAS arrives! More than just a day, Christmas is a 12-day season, going from December 25^th to January 6^th, and we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. God's promised light has come and continues to come to earth. The color for the season of Christmas is white or gold.

Christmas scripture: Matthew 1:22-25

Christmas Hymn 234 O Come, All Ye Faithful (verses 1, 2, 6)

EPIPHANY The twelve-day season of Christmas ends at EPIPHANY, and again, the colors are white or gold. In Western churches (that's us), Epiphany is when we 'remember' the “wise men” who traveled far to worship the King. God revealed His light to all nations. January 6^th is the day of Epiphany, and the season of Epiphany lasts about five weeks, until Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. On a side note, in Eastern churches, Epiphany is when they celebrate Christ coming to the world.

Epiphany scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany Hymn 189 Fairest Lord Jesus (verses 1, 3, 4)

LENT The season of Epiphany is followed by LENT, whose color is purple. Lent is the 40-day season (not counting Sundays) of preparation for Easter. Often marked by repentance, prayer, fasting or self-denial, Lent (which means “Spring”) is also a time of Christian instruction. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (46 days before Easter) and goes through Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter.

Lent scripture: Matthew 16:21-28

Lent Hymn 298 When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (all verses)

Congregational Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

Worship with our Tithes and Offerings

HOLY WEEK We continue our look at the Christian year with Holy Week. HOLY WEEK is not a season, but the culmination of Lent. It begins with Palm Sunday, and includes Holy Thursday (The Last Supper) and good Friday (The Crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus).

Holy Week scripture: Matthew 26:47-68

Holy Week Hymn 292 What Wondrous Love is This (verses 1, 3)

EASTER Once again, our season of preparation is over: God has raised Jesus from the dead, and we call it EASTER. A high, holy day, its color is white or gold. Easter is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, his victory over sin and death. Though the date of Easter changes, it is always the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox (March 21). The season of Easter lasts fifty days, including Ascension Day (forty days after Easter) and ending at Pentecost (fifty days after Easter).

Easter scripture: Matthew 28:1-10

Easter Hymn 302 Christ the Lord is Risen Today (verses 1, 3, 5)

PENTECOST Last, but not least, we come to PENTECOST. We use red for the day of Pentecost and green for the season. Pentecost was a Jewish harvest festival (50 days after Passover), and it is now celebrated by Christians as the birth of the church, the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost marks the beginning of “ordinary time,” the season that spans from the end of the Easter season until Advent. In “ordinary time” (also known as “Kingdomtide”) the actions of the early church are remembered.

Pentecost scripture: Acts 2:1-6

Pentecost Hymn 539 O Spirit of the Living God (verses 1, 4)

And finally today is CHRIST THE KING Sunday, the final Sunday of the season of Pentecost, the last Sunday before Advent. Its color is white or gold. The “New Year's Eve” of the liturgical calendar, Christ the King Sunday celebrates, well, Jesus Christ the King of Kings. Thus the Christian year begins, revolves around, and ends in celebration of God's gift to the world in Jesus Christ.

Christ the King scripture: Revelation 1:4b-8
Christ the King Hymn 327 Crown Him with Many Crowns (verses 1, 2)

Sending Forth

Benediction

Dismissal With Blessing

Postlude