HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Welcome

Worship

Witness

813 WYOMING AVENUE

KINGSTON, PA 18704

(570) 287-9067

www.htlconline.org

htlckingston@gmail.com

Pastor Metzloff: 570-706-1330

Summer 1:

Racism, again . . .

Announcements

Confession and Forgiveness

Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God, whose steadfast love is everlasting,

whose faithfulness endures from generation to generation.

Trusting in the mercy of God, let us confess our sin.

Reconciling God, we confess that we do not trust your abundance,

and we deny your presence in our lives.

We place our hope in ourselves and rely on our own efforts.

We fail to believe that you provide enough for all.

We abuse your good creation for our own benefit.

We fear difference and do not welcome or forgive others

as you have welcomed and forgiven us.

We sin in thought, word, and deed.

By your grace, forgive us; through your love, renew us;

and in your Spirit, lead us;

so that we may live and serve you in newness of life. Amen.

Beloved of God, by the radical abundance of divine mercy we have peace with God through ☩ Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained grace upon grace.

Our sins are forgiven. Let us live now in hope - for hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Gathering Hymn: #700, Bring Peace to Earth Again

Greeting

PThe grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ; the love of God;

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

CAnd also with you.

Prayer of the Day

God, you created humans in your image – in abundant variety, each bearing your likeness – and you call every nation, tribe, and people into your kingdom. Help us to look past our differences and to heed Christ’s call to love and serve our neighbor. Amen!

The Lessons

Galatians 3: 26 . . . for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Revelation 9: 9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.

Luke 10: 25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to have abundant life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as your own.” 28 And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” . . .

Message

Almost exactly two years ago, when we were taking requests for sermon topics during the summer, I did a sermon on racism. I went back and re-read it this week, and thought it was pretty good (I liked it, anyway) . . . it talked a little bit about what racism is and why people are often fearful about those who are different; it covered some of the scripture passages that are about racism (and there are plenty of very racist parts of the Bible); and it finished its brief look at the incredibly complicated problem of racism by pointing out some good news (that we have more in common than not, that we can learn and grow, and that we have Jesus’ example to follow) and some things we could all try to do better at. All three of those lessons we just heard, as I’m sure you can tell, support those ideas.

And yet, in the last couple of weeks, it seems very . . . inadequate.

Not quite up to the task at hand. As demonstrators and police are clashing across the country (and, indeed, around the world) in reaction to the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and so many others, I’m not confident that what I preached a couple of years ago is good enough. At the very least we need to talk more about it now, today, to think deeply and speak honestly about racism and about justice, in this particular moment. As our synod’s bishop, Sam Zeiser, said this week, “God in Christ could not be wanting us to sit here and not think about this.”

Of course, I am inherently limited – as a white man who is the pastor of an overwhelmingly (though not completely) white congregation, what is there, really, for me to do? How can I help to confront the wrong that is happening here, with racism in general but especially with respect to racism and police?

And I’ll lead off with the fact that I tend to like cops, the ones that I know. I am a fan of law and order, and I appreciate the help that the Kingston Police Department gave our congregation a few years ago during our troubles. The call to serve and protect is a noble one – it’s the first commandment that God gave to the first humans in the garden, by the way – and I have great respect for those who serve the larger community and their neighbors in that way.

And yet.

And yet I have seen and read things over the last couple of weeks that grieve me.

Of course, the obvious crimes and abuse grieve me. The image of the handcuffed black man with the cop’s knee on his neck for nine minutes grieves me. The stories – too many, far too many – of others killed do as well.

It grieves me when peaceful demonstrations lose their peacefulness. It grieves me when they devolve into looting and burning, which is stupid and helps nobody.

But it also grieves me when peaceful protests are needlessly escalated by tear gas, or rubber bullets, or physical violence by the authorities.

It grieves me that police have become so militarized. The military exists to fight enemies, not to serve and protect. Police have a different job than soldiers.

It grieves me that some people, because of the color of their skin, have to give their children detailed instructions on what to do if they are ever arrested so that they don’t risk being hurt or killed. I never had to do that with my kids. And it grieves me that police are so concerned for their own safety that it makes some kind of sense to shoot first and ask questions later.

And I could go on and on, here, but it’s clear that there are big problems.

Problems with racism, problems with justice.

And if Jesus said that our primary mission was to love God and to love our neighbor, we have to care about this. There is too much suffering happening here for us to ignore.

Now, I’m sure there are many situations that I don’t have the full details on, and may well be wrong about. If any of you out there, listening to this, ever want to talk to me about it, please, give me a call. When we get back to meeting in person, someday, I’m sure this will be an important topic of conversation. I’m glad to talk to folks who disagree with me.

But this leads us back, then, to the key question – what to do? How can we do what Jesus called us to do: love our neighbor? Because it seems clear that we should do something.

Well, I don’t have all the answers to that question of what to do.

But I can tell you some things that we can do. First off, we can listen and learn. We can keep up with what’s going on, across a spectrum of sources (that’s important). We can get to know people who are different from us, have different experiences, have different backgrounds. And there are a lot of ways to do that, from personal conversations to books to movies. We can engage the problem.

We can also – as members of a democracy – exercise our rights as citizens. Whether that’s the right to protest, or to vote, or to support or oppose certain candidates or policies. We have the privilege and responsibility to be involved.

And we can let our faith be our guide. We can look to Jesus for guidance, and support, and inspiration in this, as in all things. That’s the good news. You see, when Jesus was talking with that lawyer, about loving God and loving his neighbor, when the lawyer asked, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus answered with a story. It’s a famous story, I’m sure you’ve heard it; it’s the one about the Samaritan who helped the robbed and beaten Jew who was ignored by others. The Good Samaritan . . . though Jews hated Samaritans.

And after the story, Jesus asked the lawyer, ‘so who was the neighbor?’ and he rightly answered, ‘the one who showed mercy.’ To which Jesus replied, ‘Go and do likewise.’

May we go and do likewise today.

Amen.

Song of the Day: #713, O God of Every Nation

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

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

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Peace

Peace is not easy, but hard – and perhaps better considered by the Hebrew term ‘shalom,’ which means not only an absence of conflict but wholeness, health, and harmony. May you have shalom, this week, and may you pass the peace of God on to others!

The Offering

Many thanks to those who have sent offerings to the church in the last few weeks! If you wish to and are able to, offerings can be mailed or dropped off at the church building through the mail slot. Again, thank you!

The Prayers

Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world.

Holy One, you bring us together and call us your own. Bless theologians, teachers, and preachers who help us grow in faith. Guide your church, that we might be a holy people.

Holy One, the whole earth is yours. Where there is fire, bring cool air and new growth. Where there is flooding, bring abatement. Where there is drought, bring rain. Inspire us to care for what you have provided.

Holy One, we have created divisions you will not own. In places of conflict (especially), raise up leaders who work to develop lasting peace and reconciliation. Encourage organizations and individuals who care for all forced to leave their homes.

Holy One, you care for those who are harassed and helpless. Protect and defend those who are abused. Heal those who are sick. Feed all who hunger. Empower all whose voices go unheard, and help us respond to the pressing needs of our neighbors.

Holy One, you provide a plentiful harvest of gifts and resources. Prepare us to labor and gather the fruits of this congregation, that we might discover new ways of living. Minister to us in our work, that we do not lose heart.

Holy One, you bring all people to yourself. We give thanks for the holy people who have gone before us. Sustain us in your mission until the day you bear us up to join the saints in light.

Receive these prayers, O God, and those which are too deep for words, as we boldly and confidently pray as Christ taught us:

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, forever and ever. Amen.

Benediction

Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

God, the creator, ☩ Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter,

bless you and keep you. Amen!

Sending Song: #709, When Our Song Says Peace

Sending and Dismissal

Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

HTLC Prayer List

all those who have contracted and who are affected by the coronavirus

Paul Chilek (brother of Candace Chilek)

Nina Condella (mother of co-worker of Cheryl DeHaut)

Asher Dicton (child of friends of the Sieminskis)

Emily Dingwell (friend of Bernis Emmett)

Mollie Farmer (friend of Donna Sieminski)

Barb Garey

Bonnie Glahn

Ron & Ruth Ann Jeffery (friends of Nancy Bartle)

Sandy Knouse

Mary Ann McHale (friend of Candace Chilek)

Janice Perfetto (friend of Beverly Dempski)

Jamie Powderly (son-in-law of Donna Sieminski)

Robert Powderly (in-law of Donna Sieminski)

Susan Raynes (friend of Bob Sands)

Jack Richardson (friend of Barb Dobrowalski)

Frank Rollman (friend of Bob Sands)

Bob Sands

Paul Soper (brother of Bernis Emmett)

Frank Spudis (neighbor of Sue Coslett)

Mya Van Buskirk (Joan Hermann’s granddaughter)

Scott Walters (friend of Sandy Knouse)

Continuing Prayers: Mary Kay Ackerman, Floriann Albert, Bella Brown, Chloe Brown, Bernice Buchkowski, Vivie Budzyn, Bob Granko, Marty Kasper, Lynette Murray, Dauriz and Joseph Schappert, Janice Schuh, John Sieminski, Adam Smith, John Zoranski

Homebound: Howard & LaRene Castor, Clara Henkle

2