Have you ever noticed that there are things we think are in the Bible, but which might not actually be there? Take this saying (which is, perhaps, causing you to hum a particular Billy Joel song right now…). If it’s not in scripture, where did it come from? And what is the purpose of saying it, and clinging to it?
There are all sorts of sayings that we like to quote, in all sorts of situations. Some of these can be found in scripture—but some of them have other origin stories. Join us this week and next as we continue to explore things we may think are in the Bible— and seek to find the Good News, and a deeper connection with God’s Word. Worship in our sanctuary or watch our live stream. You are invited!
Prelude begins at 07:30 in the video.
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Sermon Series: Is That In the Bible?
5: Only the Good Die Young
Union Presbyterian Church
July 18, 2021
Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Liturgist: Joan Kellam Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube
Prelude Colin DeLap, piano
“I Can Only Imagine,” Bart Millard
©2002, Simpleville Music.
Used By Permission. CCLI License #CSPL068847
Welcome Rev. Pat Raube
Call to Worship Joan Kellam
You, O God, are our refuge and our strength:
You are a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the world around us should change.
Even when we are shaken to our core,
when seismic changes rock us.
O God of the heavenly hosts, you are with us.
O God of all creation, you are our refuge.
Hymn #78 W & R
“God of the Ages, History’s Maker,” Margaret Clarkson
©1992, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Singers: Pat Raube and Peg Williams
God of the ages, history’s Maker,
Planning our pathway, holding us fast,
Shaping in mercy all that concerns us:
Father, we praise you, Lord of the past.
God of this morning, gladly your children
Worship before you, trustingly bow:
Teach us to know you always among us,
Quietly sovereign—Lord of our now.
God of tomorrow, strong overcomer,
Princes of darkness own your command:
What then can harm us? We are your people,
Now and forever kept by your hand.
Lord of past ages, Lord of this morning,
Lord of the future, help us, we pray:
Teach us to trust you, love and obey you,
Crown you each moment, Lord of today.
Call to New Life Joan Kellam
O God, you are with us indeed. We turn our hearts and minds to you, and ask you to mend our lives and make us whole.
Prayer for Wholeness and Peace
God of all that is holy, good, and true, we long to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day. But there are so many things that draw us away, from the little devices we hold in our hands to the big events that shake the foundations of our world. It is easier to be drawn into ugliness and fear than to keep our eyes and hearts on you. Help us, great God, and show us the way.
~silence~
And we pray:
Help us to hear your words: “Take heart. It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Help us to hear your invitation: “I am standing at the door, knocking.” Help us to welcome you into our lives. Help us to open the door. Amen.
Assurance of God’s Grace Joan Kellam
Hear the comforting words of the Lord:
Be still, and know that I am God.
Hear God’s own assurances:
See? I am with you, even to the end of all things.
Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sharing of the Peace
…. Wherever you found peace, including the peace of God, let us find a way to give it away.
Peace be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.
Scripture Isaiah 65:17-25 Joan Kellam
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
Children’s Message Rev. Pat Raube
“I Love to Tell the Story”
(Public Domain)
Scripture Mark 6:14-29
King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word:
Thanks be to God!
Meditation “Only the Good Die Young” Rev. Pat Raube
Photos:
Photo 1 Billy Joel, Rob Mieremet / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo 2 Roman Bust of Herodotus, 2nd century, copy of Greek Bronze statue, 4th c. BCE, Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo 3 Greco-Persian Duel, Ancient kylix, 5th century BCE. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Public Domain, via Wikimedia ommons.
Photo 4 Edna St. Vincent-Millay, 1933, by Carl Van Vechten, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo 5 Cemetery: St. Patrick’s Cemetery, September 26, 2014, P. Raube.
Photo 6 Roses: October 2020, P. Raube
Photo 7 John the Baptist, Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519. John the Baptist, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56715 [retrieved June 18, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Saint_John_the_Baptist_C2RMF_retouched.jpg.
Photo 8 Zelenka, Dave. Baptism of Christ, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56385 [retrieved July 16, 2021]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baptism-of-Christ.jpg.
Photo 9 Herod Antipas, James Tissot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo 10 Swanson, John August. Celebration, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56538 [retrieved July 16, 2021]. Original source: www.JohnAugustSwanson.com - copyright 1997 by John August Swanson.
Anthem
#635 W & R
“And Jesus Said,” Shirley Erena Murray
©1999, Hope Publishing Company, All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.
License #A-728112. All rights reserved.
Soloist: Chris Bartlette
And Jesus said: don’t be afraid.
I’ve come to turn your fear to hope,
I’ve come to take you through the deep,
To be your friend until the end,
And give your troubled heart to sleep.
And Jesus said: don’t be afraid.
I know your emptiness and grief,
I hear your words of unbelief,
But if you will, I’ll heal your soul
And give your doubting heart relief.
And Jesus said: don’t be afraid.
I am the Way, I am the Light,
I am the Truth that holds you tight,
And in God’s home you have a room,
A place of welcome and delight.
Prayers of the People
Eternal God,
open our eyes to see your hand at work
in the splendor of creation
and in the beauty of human life.
Touched by your hand, our world is holy.
Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us,
to share our blessings with our siblings in all places,
and to experience the joy of life in your presence;
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who taught us to pray,
debtors, trespassers, and sinners together:
The Lord’s Prayer
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Prayer Response Claire Bombard, bell tree
"Amazing Grace”
Call for Offering
Doxology Colin (piano)
“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”
(Public Domain)
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn
“In Halls of Wealth and Power,” Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
Used with the composer’s permission.
Tune: LANCASHIRE (#508 W & R)
Singers: Pat Raube, Heather Ingraham, Chris Bartlette, Colin DeLap
In halls of wealth and power where shadowed deals are made,
The heartless ones devour; the helpless are betrayed.
The ones who make decisions seem confident and strong
Yet sometimes blur divisions between the right and wrong.
When Herod chose to wander from living as he should,
John preached with mighty thunder, “Repent and do the good!”
Then power danced with anger; revenge went dancing, too.
When they all join together, what evil they will do!
O God of love and justice, when we feel sure and strong,
May power never tempt us to venture toward the wrong.
In all of our endeavors, give wisdom, Lord, we pray,
That we may love our neighbors and seek your kingdom way.
In halls of wealth and power, in home and neighborhood,
May we reject the evil and turn to what is good.
May justice dance with mercy and service dance with grace;
May nations lift the lowly till peace and love embrace.
Benediction
Go into the world in peace. Have courage!
Hold fast to what is good. Return no one evil for evil.
Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the suffering.
Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord your God,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the sweet communion of the Holy Spirit,
be with each and all of us,
This day and forevermore.
God is with us, so go in peace.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Postlude Colin DeLap, Piano
“Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” Mark Hayes
©2006, Manna Music Inc.
Used By Permission. CCLI License # CSPL068847