Finding God in the Flames 2: Eternal Flame

Sunday, July 9, 2023
10:30 AM 11:30 AM 10:30 11:30

Union Presbyterian Church 200 E Main St Endicott, NY, 13760 United States (map)

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Our passage today is less well known, and comes from Leviticus, a book filled with detail about ancient law, which, on the surface, appears dry and difficult to read. But this section describes a flame that burns in the Temple, which must never be allowed to burn out. What does this reveal to us about the need to keep the flame alive in our own hearts, congregations, and worship?

Join us today as we worship in our beautiful sanctuary (due to thunderstorms) or by livestream. We will hear the Word and gather around the table for the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. A video of the service will be available after worship ends..

Ordinary Time: Finding God in the Flames 2

The Eternal Flame 

Matthew 11:28-30; Leviticus 6:8-13

Union Presbyterian Church  

July 9, 2023  

Sharing the Light of Christ, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow  

Liturgist: Trish Nilsen Preacher: Rev. Pat Raube   

Announcements Trish Nilsen   

Prelude Colin DeLap  

 “Eternal Father, Strong To Save,” John Carter

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE

Welcome Rev. Pat Raube  

Call to Worship (responsive) Trish Nilsen  

Lord, stoke the embers of our hearts
stir our souls to burning
Clear away the weariness of the week
and turn our focus fully to you
Warm us by your steady presence
Restore us to your glory! 

Hymn #649 W & R

“Gather Us In,” Marty Haugen

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Here in this place, the new light is streaming;

Shadows of doubt are vanished away.

See in this space our fears and our dreamings,

Brought here to you in the light of this day.

Gather us in, the lost and forsaken;

Gather us in, our spirits inflame.

Call to us now, and we shall awaken;

We shall arise at the sound of our name.

We are the young, our lives are a mystery;

We are the old, who yearn for your face.

We have been sung throughout all of history,

Called to be light to the whole human race.

Gather us in, the rich and the haughty;

Gather us in, the proud and the strong;

Give us a heart so meek and so lowly;

Give us the courage to enter the song.

Here we receive new life in the waters;

Here we receive the bread of new birth;

Here you shall call your sons and your daughters,

Call us anew to be salt for the earth.

Give us to drink the wine of compassion;

Give us to eat the bread that is you;

Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion

Lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

Not just in buildings, small and confining,

Not in some heaven, light years away,

Here in this place the new light is shining;

Now is God present, and now is the day.

Gather us in and hold us forever;

Gather us in and make us your own;

Gather us in, all peoples together,

Fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

Call to New Life Trish Nilsen  

God’s faithfulness is from generation to generation, but that is not always true for us. Let us come to God with in all our disarray, trusting that God will heal our wayward hearts.

Prayer for Wholeness and Peace   

Holy God, we confess to faith
that wavers in its dedication.
We try to be your followers,
yet we are distracted and waylaid.
We do not do what we commit to doing.
We do not love who we commit to loving.
We do not believe in what we commit to believing.
(silent prayer)

Holy One:

Restore in us the steady flame of faith,
to a spirit that does not falter day in and day out.
We pray this in your saving name.
Amen.
 

Words of Assurance    

The Lord is kind and merciful;  

Slow to anger and filled with steadfast love.  

In the name of our brother, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ,  

We are forgiven. We are free. Alleluia! Amen.  

Sharing of the Peace  

There is a fire, ever burning:

The love of God that brings us perfect peace.

May the peace of God be with you.   

And also with you.  

Let us share a sign of God’s peace with one another.  

Scripture Matthew 11:28-30

In this passage, Jesus prays a prayer of thanksgiving to his Father in heaven. Following this prayer, he offers us this invitation.

A reading from the Gospel According to Matthew, beginning at chapter 11, verse 28.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Time for Young Disciples   Rev. Pat Raube 

Music: “Thanks to God for My Redeemer” (Public Domain)

Scripture Leviticus 6:8-13  

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the rule of the burnt offering. The burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth upon the altar all night until the morning, while the fire on the altar shall be kept burning. The priest shall put on his linen vestments after putting on his linen undergarments next to his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. Then he shall take off his vestments and put on other garments and carry the ashes out to a clean place outside the camp. The fire on the altar shall be kept burning; it shall not go out. Every morning the priest shall add wood to it, lay out the burnt offering on it, and turn into smoke the fat pieces of the offerings of well-being. A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.

Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word  

Thanks be to God!  

Sermon “The Eternal Flame”  

Affirmation of Faith The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Hymn #135 W & R

“Loving Spirit,” Shirley Erena Murray

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

Loving Spirit, loving Spirit,
You have chosen me to be—
You have drawn me to your wonder,
You have set your sign on me.

Like a mother you enfold me,
Hold my life within your own,
Feed me with your very body,
Form me of your flesh and bone.

Like a father you protect me,
Teach me the discerning eye,
Hoist me up upon your shoulder,
Let me see the world from high.

Friend and lover, in your closeness
I am known and held and blessed:
In your promise is my comfort,
In your presence I may rest.

Loving Spirit, loving Spirit,
You have chosen me to be—
You have drawn me to your wonder,
You have set your sign on me.

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper     

Invitation (from Isaiah 25)

On the day of the Lord, God will make for all people

a feast of rich foods and well-aged wines.

The Lord will destroy forever the shroud that is cast over us;

God will swallow up death forever and wipe away every tear.

On that day, the people of God will say:

This is the Lord, for whom we have waited.

Let us be glad and rejoice in God’s saving love.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Great Thanksgiving

Holy, holy, holy Lord—we praise you for your love:

bringing order out of chaos, breathing life into dust,

leading captives into freedom,

calling wandering children home,

giving bread to the hungry,

giving drink to the thirsty,

raising the dead to life.

Sanctus  “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,” Joseph Roff 

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.       

Holy, holy, holy Lord, 

God of power and might, 

Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is He who comes  

In the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest, 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Thank you, Lord—we thank you for Jesus:

Word made flesh,

light of the world,

living water,

shepherd and gate,

way and truth,

bread of heaven,

cup of salvation,

resurrection and life.

The Words of Institution

The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest,

took bread, and after giving thanks to God,

he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,

“Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup, saying:

“This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,

shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”

Take this bread and cup, O God—a feast of grace;

take our hearts and our lives—an offering of praise.

Let us proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup,

we proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord, until he comes.

Spirit, come—come and live in us:

in this bread,

in this cup,

in your people,

one in the body,

one in the blood,

one with Christ,

one in ministry,

in this place,

in every place,

in this world,

in the world to come.

Prayers of the People

Jesus said, I am the bread of life,

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.

Whoever believes in me will never thirst.

Let us pray to the triune God who is the source of all life.

You are the bread of life, O God, and we give you thanks.

You create all things good,

and you nourish your creation with tender gifts.

Thank you for all the ways that you breathe life into our lives.

We hear your words, O bread of life, and yet we are hungry.

We are hungry for peace:

for an end to violence in our neighborhoods and in our world.

For people who hear gunshots in the night and bombings in the day,

we are hungry for peace, O God.

We are hungry for justice:

for an end to the oppression in our nation and in our world.

For people who suffer because of sexism, racism, poverty, homophobia, transphobia, and the fear of the other,

we are hungry for justice, O God.

We hear your words, O cup of blessing, and yet we are thirsty.

We are thirsty for righteousness:

we are thirsty to know your truth.

We are thirsty to feel your presence.

We are thirsty for your Spirit to quench our parched souls.

We are thirsty for righteousness, O God.

We pray for those in our community who thirst this day…

O Lord, you are the bread of life

and you nourish and sustain our souls.

We give you thanks for who you are

and offer our whole selves to you.

Blessing and glory,

wisdom and thanksgiving,

honor and power,

forever and ever.

We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray together, saying,

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.  

Music during Communion:

“Beautiful Is Your Love,” Josh Blakesley, Sarah Hart, Marc Byrd.

Used by permission, CCLI license #CSPL068847

Prayer After Communion

God of grace, you renew us at your table with the bread of life and the cup of salvation. May this food strengthen us in love and help us to serve you in each other. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

Hymn  #695 W & R

“As We Gather at Your Table,” Carl P. Daw, Jack Schrader

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE.    

As we gather at your table,
As we listen to your word,
Help us know, O God, your presence;
Let our hearts and minds be stirred.
Nourish us with sacred story
Till we claim it as our own;
Teach us through this holy banquet
How to make Love’s victory known.

Turn our worship into witness
In the sacrament of life;
Send us forth to love and serve you,
Bringing peace where there is strife.
Give us, Christ, your great compassion
To forgive as you forgave;
May we still behold your image
In the world you died to save.

Gracious Spirit, help us summon
Other guests to share that feast
Where triumphant Love will welcome
Those who had been last and least.
There no more will envy bind us
Nor will pride our peace destroy,
As we join with saints and angels
To repeat the sounding joy.

Benediction   

Postlude    Colin DeLap 

 “Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory,” Julia Ward Howe and William Steffe.

Used by permission, CCLI license #CSPL068847

Where an * is indicated, please rise in body and/or in spirit.      

“W & R” ~ the red Worship and Rejoice hymnal.     

“PH” ~ the blue Presbyterian Hymnal  

The Call to Worship and the Prayer for Wholeness and Peace were adapted from the resource “Finding God in the Flames” by the Rev. Carol H. Prickett. The Affirmation of Faith was taken from The Iona Community Worship Book, Wild Goose Publications.