All Hallows Mid-Week Service (February 8, 2023)

The order of worship for this Wednesday evening is based upon the basic pattern of worship found in The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992). The songs used in each service come from the United Methodist Church’s The Faith We Sing (2000) or Worship and Song (2011). The Faith We Sing and Worship and Song are supplements to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989).

Opening Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Steve Garnaas-Holmes' "Spirit of God." [TFWS #2117]

Spirit of God, bright Wind, breath that bids life begin,
blow as you always do; create us anew.
Give us the breath to sing, lifted on soaring wing,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Dove, grant us your peace and love,
healing upon your wings for all living things.
For when we live your peace captives will find release,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Hands, even in far-off lands
you hold all the human race in one warm embrace.
No matter where we go you hold us together so,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Flame, send us in your holy name,
with power to heal, to share your love everywhere.
We cannot fail or fall or know defeat at all,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God in all, we gladly hear your call,
the life in our hands that sings, the power of your wings.
Born of your grace we rise, love shining in our eyes,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Greeting:
Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might belong to our God forever and ever! Amen!

Hymn of Praise:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Arlo Duba’s “How Lovely, Lord, How Lovely.” [TFWS # 2042]

How lovely, Lord, how lovely
is your abiding place;
my soul is longing, fainting
to feast upon your grace.

The sparrow finds a shelter,
a place to build her nest:
and so your temple calls us
within its walls to rest.

In your blest courts to worship,
O God, a single day
is better than a thousand
if I from you should stray.

I'd rather keep the entrance
and claim you as my Lord
then revel in the riches
the ways of sin afford.

A sun and shield forever
are you, O Lord Most High;
you shower us with blessings;
no good will you deny.

The saints, your grace receiving,
from strength to strength shall go,
and from their life shall rivers
of blessing overflow.

Opening Prayer:
Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Silence

We praise you, God,
that the light of Christ shines
in our darkness
and is never overcome;
show us the way
we must go to eternal day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Scripture Reading:
A reading from the New Testament (Mark 7:14-23)

Then Jesus called the crowd to him once more and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.”

When he left the crowd and went into the house, his disciples asked him to explain this saying. “You are no more intelligent than the others,” Jesus said to them. “Don't you understand? Nothing that goes into you from the outside can really make you unclean, because it does not go into your heart but into your stomach and then goes on out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared that all foods are fit to be eaten.)

And he went on to say, “It is what comes out of you that makes you unclean. For from the inside, from your heart, come the evil ideas which lead you to do immoral things, to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly— all these evil things come from inside you and make you unclean.”

Silence

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Why We Need God’s Grace

The Jews are not the only ancient people who believed that eating certain foods, touching certain people or objects, associating with certain people or being in close proximity to them, and secreting body fluids could make them ritually unclean or impure. The ancient Egyptians had similar beliefs. Before they could enter the inner sanctuary of a temple of an Egyptian god, the priests of that god had to undergo a series of purification rituals. These rituals involved the recitation of magical incantations and prayers and the performance of various ceremonies.

When Jesus talks about the heart, he is not talking about the organ that pumps blood around our body. He is talking about innermost thoughts and feelings. They are the thoughts and feelings that we often hide from others. We may not always be aware of these thoughts and feelings ourselves. They may be so unacceptable to us for one reason or another that we do not express them. We may go as far as projecting them onto someone else, to wrongly imagine that they are having a particular thought or feeling a particular emotion or desire when in fact it is we who think or feel this way.

As Jesus points to the disciples’ attention and to our attention, it is from these innermost thoughts and feelings that come the evil ideas which lead us to do immoral things. He then lists a number of these things—"to rob, kill, commit adultery, be greedy, and do all sorts of evil things; deceit, indecency, jealousy, slander, pride, and folly.” This list, I suspect is not exhaustive. It was intended to give the disciples and us some idea of the evil things that come from inside us and which defile us. It helps to explain why we human beings treat each other so badly. It also helps to explain why we need God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, to do what is right, noble, and good. Our natural bent is to do what is evil. We are not innately inclined to love God with our whole being or to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Yes, there are good-hearted people in this world, but I think that we must give God’s grace the credit for their kindness and generosity. Indeed, I think we must give God the credit for the good things that we do ourselves. God gives us the aspiration to do what is right, noble, and good, and when we aspire to what is right, noble, and good, enable us to fulfill our aspirations.

I don’t think that we should beat ourselves up over this defect in our character or shake our fist at God and blame God for it, something the devil would love us to do. Rather we should humbly recognize that we have limitations and we need God’s kindly help to overcome them. God gives us that help in the form of divine grace and in the person of Jesus who is the greatest expression of God’s favor and goodwill toward us. God does not leave to muddle along the best we can. God recognizes our limitations and has generously made provision for them.

Silence

Hymn of Response:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jeff Nelson and Scott Wesley Brown’s “Grace Alone.”

Every promise we can make
Every prayer and step of faith
Every difference we can make
Is only by His grace
Every mountain we will climb
Every ray of hope we shine
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace

Grace alone
Which God supplies
Strength unknown
He will provide
Christ in us
Our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone

Every soul we long to reach
Every heart we hope to teach
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace
Every loving word we say
Every tear we wipe away
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace

Grace alone
Which God supplies
Strength unknown
He will provide
Christ in us
Our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone

Grace alone
Which God supplies
Strength unknown
He will provide
Christ in us
Our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone

Grace alone
Which God supplies
Strength unknown
He will provide
Christ in us
Our cornerstone
We will go forth in grace alone
We will go forth in grace alone (we will go forth in grace alone)

Concerns and Prayers:
The following is prayed, during which any person may offer a brief prayer of intercession or petition.

After each prayer, the leader may conclude: God of mercy and all may respond: Hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray

for the people of this congregation...

for those who suffer and those in trouble...

for the concerns of this local community...

for the world, its peoples, and its leaders...

for the earth you have given to our care…

for the Church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission...

in communion with the saints...

Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught
us to pray,

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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Closing Hymn:
Open this link in a new tab to hear Sylvia Dunstan’s “Go to the World! Go into All the Earth.” [WAS #3158]

Go to the world! Go into all the earth;
Go preach the cross where Christ renews life’s worth,
Baptizing as the sign of our rebirth.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Go to the world! Go into every place;
Go live the word of God’s redeeming grace;
Go seek God’s presence in each time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Go to the world! Go struggle, bless, and pray;
The nights of tears give way to joyous day.
As servant Church, you follow Christ’s own way.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Go to the World! Go as the ones I send,
For I am with you till the age shall end,
When all the host of glory cry, “Amen.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Benediction:
May we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Carlton R. Young's musical setting of "The Lord Bless You and Keep You."

The Lord bless you and keep you,
the Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
The Lord bless you and keep you,
the Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you.
And give you peace.
And give you peace.
Amen.
Amen.