Invitation to Worship
O God,
Jesus taught that where our treasure is,
there will our hearts be also.
In this hour, we come bringing our treasures—
all that we have and all that we are.
We come seeking your treasure—
treasure that does not fade, decay, or disappoint.
Share with us the treasure of heaven,
that we may boldly share it with others. Amen.
written by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl, PC(USA) pastor and liturgical scholar. Posted on bjhlog.
Hymn: The love of God comes close
- The love of God comes close
where stands an open door,
to let the stranger in,
to mingle rich and poor.
The love of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the love of God is here to stay.2. The peace of God comes close
to those caught in the storm,
forgoing lives of ease
to ease the lives forlorn.
The peace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the peace of God is here to stay.3. The joy of God comes close
where faith encounters fears,
where heights and depths of life
are found through smiles and tears.
The joy of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the joy of God is here to stay.4. The grace of God comes close
to those whose grace is spent,
when hearts are tired or sore
and hope is bruised and bent.
The grace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the grace of God is here to stay.5. The Son of God comes close
where people praise his name,
where bread and wine are blest
and shared as when he came.
The Son of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the Son of God is here to stay.
Prayers of wonder and joy
Marvellous and mighty Lord,
we are filled with awe
at all the good gifts you give us:
eyes to see,
fears to hear,
a brain to understand,
and a heart to love.
We praise you, Lord.
Amen.
Lord God, as we gather in your house,
we thank you for your presence, here with us.
Thank you, Lord, that each one of us is unique,
yet we share a common bond in you.
We come together as one body,
but we all learn and experience things
in different ways.
We thank you for your amazing word
that gives us so many pictures of your kingdom.
Something for everyone,
something to feed our hearts and minds.
Be with us, Lord,
and bless us richly as we call upon your name.
Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Lord God, sometimes I feel so set in my ways.
I’m not always ready to give something up
to gain the thing of value that you promise.
Forgive me, Lord, as I open my heart to you.
I want to keep my treasures locked up
in a storeroom, safe from prying eyes.
Forgive me, Lord, as I open my heart to you.
Sometimes I just expect things on a plate.
I’m not always ready to work for something
that you call me to do.
Forgive me, Lord, as I open my heart to you.
I do want to be the yeast in my world;
but I’m not always ready to be pummelled,
or to give up my easy life.
Forgive me, Lord, as I open my heart to you.
Sometimes I take my eyes off you and feel so lost.
Bring me back, please, Lord.
Forgive me, Lord, as I open my heart to you.
Amen.
(Prayers adapted from Roots).
Gospel reading: Matthew 13:31 – 33, 44 – 50
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31 He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’
The Parable of the Yeast
33 He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’
Three Parables
44 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Reflection
How do we learn to trust? I was watching a little girl the other day, out for a walk with her mum and dad. ‘Swing me!’ she shouted, and they swung her between them. I can remember my parents swinging me in the same way, and the feeling of safety even as I whizzed through the air, feet far from the ground.
The parables we’ve just read all involve an element of trust. To sow a seed is to trust our God who gives sun and rain and growth. To leaven flour is to trust the strange, God-revealed process by which yeast converts this mass of carbohydrate into airy, edible, sweet-smelling bread. The parables of the pearl of great price and the treasure in the field are also about taking a leap in the dark, risking everything out of commitment to the one thing that really matters.
How do we learn to have this much trust? There is, so often, something within us that holds back. We experience being let down and disappointed. We make commitments to others, only to find that our trust is abused. The little child, swinging joyfully through the air, learns that the ground is hard when she takes a tumble and those protecting hands let her slip.
Where God calls us into a relationship of trust and commitment, there is also the reassurance that our trust is not misplaced. God does everything possible to convince us that we can depend on love and care which will not fail us. The Bible tells story after story of people who faced danger or trouble, but found that God brought them through. One of my favourites is the story of Ruth, very much alone as a widow and a foreigner in Bethlehem. She entrusted herself to God and – with determination and a lot of hard work – survived and thrived in her new homeland.
Jumping forward a few thousand years, Cicely Saunders founded the hospice movement in this country, planning her work and funding it on the basis of Psalm 37: ‘Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act’. When you next pass a hospice shop, remember Cicely Saunders and her trust in God, and the difference this has made to thousands of people, able to live their last days with dignity.
The parables Jesus tells here are about the kingdom of God. Perhaps we need reminding that the kingdom of God grows and flourishes when we put our trust in God, and work towards the hope and vision that God gives us. Trusting God is not about sitting back and leaving God to get on with it; it is about collaborating, working hand-in-hand with God because we trust God’s vision for the future and long to be part of bringing that future about.
A reflective way into prayer
Can you find some bread in your house? If so, take a piece and hold it, maybe smell it or taste it. It’s such ordinary food, yet so special. Remember the yeast, working in secret to aerate the flour into bread – and remember how God’s Spirit is at work within you, to lift your life into something wonderful for God.
Dear Lord God
we thank you for the wonders of yeast
and for how this teaches us about your love.
Lord, help us work your yeast into our hearts
that wonderful things may happen.
We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn: Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness
And all these things shall be added unto you
Allelu Alleluia
We shall not live by bread alone
But by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of God
Allelu Alleluia
Ask and it shall be given unto youSeek and ye shall find
Knock and the door shall be opened unto you
Allelu Alleluia
Prayers:
We ask for God’s help for those in need, in this world scarred by Coronavirus and so many other troubles.
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
As we come to prayer
let us remember that we do not
have to twist the arm of a reluctant God
to seek good things for this world,
nor find ways to persuade a distant God
to come near and listen to us.
Let us remember that as we pray
we are alongside Jesus Christ,
in the presence of God,
with the help of the Spirit.
So let us bring to mind now
those people who are in need of our prayers:
those who are ill, or anxious;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those who are lonely or sad;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those who are despairing or defeated;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those who are hungry or homeless;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those whose relationships are breaking apart;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those who are bullied or abused;
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
those who cannot find work;
and those who are over-worked.
Lord, help us to trust in your transforming power
In silence now, let us pray
for those on our hearts and minds today.
(silence)
In the presence of God,
alongside Jesus Christ,
with help from the Spirit
may we go into this week
to live out our prayers through our lives.
Amen.
Adapted from prayers by Ann Siddall, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre and Faith community
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 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.
Hymn:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my breast plate, my sword for the fight;
Be Thou my whole armour, be thou my delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
A prayer of blessing
Mighty God,
to you belong the mysteries of the universe.
You transform flour into bread,
the smallest seeds into magnificent trees,
and hardened hearts into loving ones.
Bless us with your life-giving Spirit,
re-create us in your image,
and shape us to your purposes,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
A question to reflect on this coming week:
Are there times in your life when you have needed to trust God? If so, what difference has your trust made to you?
