Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, July 9, 2023)

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows. This Sunday we will be returning to the basic pattern of worship in the United Methodist Book of Worship (1992). This is a relatively flexible worship pattern which may be easily tailored to local circumstances, one of the features which commends it.

WE GATHER IN GOD’s NAME

Praise God, all you God’s servants;
all you who fear God, small and great!

Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Friedman’s “Make a Joyful Noise.”

Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!
Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!

1 Praise God with the trumpet blast,
praise God with the cymbal crash.
Praise God with a joyful dance,
praise the name of our God!

Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!

2 Praise God with the strings and reed,
praise God with your melodies.
Praise God with a symphony,
praise the name of our God!

Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!

3 Praise God with the lyre and harp,
praise God with drums and guitar.
Praise God near and praise God far,
praise the name of our God!

Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!
Make a joyful noise to our God on high!
Make a joyful noise to our God!

Let us pray.

Silence.

O God,
you have prepared for those who love you
such good things as pass our understanding;
pour into our hearts such love toward you,
that, loving you above all things,
we may obtain your promises
which exceed all that we can desire;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Mark Miller’s arrangement of Charles Wesley’s “O for a Thousand Tongues.”

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace,
the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name,
the honors of thy name.

O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!
O for a thousand tongues to sing!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life, and health, and peace,
'Tis life, and health, and peace.

Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Savior come,
and leap, ye lame, for joy,
and leap, ye lame, for joy.

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace,
the triumphs of his grace!
His grace!

WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

Faithful God,
you caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning.
Enable us to read, note, learn and inwardly digest them,
so that encouraged and supported by your word,
we may embrace and always hold firmly on to
the joyful hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

A reading from the Old Testament (Psalm 145:8–14)

The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will praise you.
They will speak of the glory of your kingdom;
they will give examples of your power.
They will tell about your mighty deeds
and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
You rule throughout all generations.
The Lord always keeps his promises;
he is gracious in all he does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts those bent beneath their loads.

Silence.

May your word live in us
and bear much fruit to your glory

The Character of God

Today’s reading is taken from Psalm 145, a psalm of praise which is attributed to King David. David was the second king of the ancient kingdom of Israel. As well as being a king, he was also a musician. The Book of Psalms, which is a collection of songs about God and songs to God, and which is found in the Bible, contains a number of songs which are attributed to David. Today’s reading beautifully describes the character of God, the God whom the apostle John tell us is love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4: 7-12)

What then does today’s reading tell us about God’s character? First it tells us that God is merciful and compassionate. What this means is that God is willing to be kind to and forgive those who are in his power. God pities, understands, and sympathizes with those who are suffering and desires to help them.

Second, it tells us that God is slow to get angry. God shows patience and self-control and behaves in a calm and sensible way at a time when someone would have the right to be very upset or angry. This quality of character sets God apart from the pagan gods and goddesses of the ancient Mediterranean world and the ancient Mid-East. They were short-tempered and quick to take offense. They also had a spiteful, unforgiving nature. They might inflict a very cruel punishment on someone for the slightest or the most trivial offense. They might also punish that individual’ kindred and the community in which the individual lived.

Third, it tells us that God is filled with unfailing love. God’s love has no limits. It cannot be exhausted. It never gives up. It never changes.

Fourth, it tells us that God is good to everyone. Jesus makes this point in the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. (Mathhew 5: 43-45)

Fifth, it tells us that God is faithful. While the Bible consists of a number of different books and letters written at different times, one theme runs throughout the whole Bible. It is God’s faithfulness. God is firm and not changing in his friendship with the people of Israel and with all humankind.

Sixth, it tells us that God is gracious in everything that God does. In other words, God behaves in a way that is kind, generous, and forgiving.

Last but not least, it tells us that God is helpful to those who are overwhelmed by life’s burdens, particularly those who have taken a tumble and are struggling to regain their feet.

The Bible not only tells us that God shows mercy and compassion, but also that God would have us do the same. According to the prophet Micah, God desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Should we offer him thousands of rams
and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
to pay for our sins?

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:7-8)

The prophet Zechariah heard this message from God.

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Judge fairly, and show mercy and kindness to one another. Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other. (Zechariah 7: 9-10)

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells the disciples—

God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

On a different occasion he quotes a passage from the Book of the Prophet Hosea, Hosea 9:9.

“Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’” (Matthew 9: 13)

The original version of this passage is—

I want you to show love,
not offer sacrifices.
I want you to know me
more than I want burnt offerings.

The Greek version translates the Hebrew term as “to show mercy.”

In the Sermon on the Plain Jesus tells the disciples—

“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." (Luke 6: 35-36)

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul urges a group of Christians in the ancient city of Ephesus to emulate God.

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. (Ephesians 5: 1-2)

In his letter to the Galatians Paul tells a second group of Christians in Galatia about what are described as “fruit of the Spirit,” the kind of fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives. He lists a number of them: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Numbered among them are qualities of character which God displays.

Jesus exhibited the same qualities of character as the ones God exhibits, setting an example for us as well as further revealing God’s character to us.

I do not believe that I would be wrong in saying that we as disciples of Jesus do well not only to celebrate the qualities of God’s character as well as the wondrous deeds that God has done but also to cultivate, with the help of God’s grace, the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, the same qualities of character in ourselves, the qualities of character that Jesus exhibited. 

Christians are called to live life Jesus' way and to represent Jesus to the world, in the world. We develop the quality of being merciful by showing mercy to others, kindness and forgiveness. We develop other qualities of character in the same fashion. 

In cultivating these qualities of character, we not only imitating God and Jesus whom he sent but also honoring them. We are living as God would want us to live. We are also making the world a far better place in which to live. 

Every person who turns to Jesus, trusts in him, and endeavors to live life Jesus' way has an impact upon the lives of those around them. They make a difference in the lives of others. They are doing what Jesus would have them do.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Brooxvort Colligan’s “Like a Tree.”

Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life

1 Blessed, blessed are we to abide in God’s Word,
Nourished through every season; blessed are we.

Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life

2 Planted, planted by grace, we are rooted in God’s design
Freely, freely abiding, planted by grace

Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life

3 Trusting, trusting our lives to the holy way of God,
We will, we will surrender, trusting our lives.

Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life

WE PRAY FOR GOD’S WORLD

Together let us pray for the people of this gathering…

(Any person may offer a brief spoken prayer of intercession or petition.)

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray for those who suffer and those in trouble…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray for the concerns of this local community…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray for the world, its people, and its leaders…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray for the church universal—its leaders, its members, and its mission…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Together, let us pray for the communion of saints…

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

All these mercies we ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who taught us to pray with the confidence of children.

We therefore dare to say:

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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

WE GO FORTH TO SERVE

May God bless and keep us. Amen.
May God’s face ever shine upon us. Amen.
May God grant us peace for all our days. Amen.

Open this link in a new tab to hear Dean McIntyre’s “How Shall I Come Before the Lord?”

1 How shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself with heart outpoured?
And shall I come with offerings?
What shall I give? What shall I bring?

2 Will finest gifts bring God's delight?
Will wealth bring favor in God's sight?
What must we be? What must we do?
What does the Lord require of you?

3 Let justice shine in all your ways.
Let loving-kindness rule your days,
that, as this earthly path you trod,
you shall walk humbly with your God.

Those present may exchange a sign of peace with these words.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.