July 5th , 2020 The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (You may wish to light a candle in your place of worship, and still yourself in prayer as you come into God’s presence)

CALL TO WORSHIP Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy-laden,

and I will give you rest.”

We have come together in the name of Jesus the Christ

to worship the God who loves us

and sing with the Spirit who fills us.

It is good that we are here.

It is good that we are here by Christ’s invitation.

for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Bruce Prewer)

SONG OF PRAISE

To God be the glory, great things he has done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life in atonement for sin

and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory! Great things he has done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

to every believer the promise of God!

And every offender who truly believes,

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,

and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;

but purer, and higher, and greater will be

our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see. Frances Jane van Alstyne 1820-1915 alt.

Together in Song # 147

PRAYER - Invocation and Confession Come to us, Holy One,

And immerse us in the beauty of life with you!

Come to us, Holy One,

And enliven our community with the intensity of your love

Come to us, Holy One,

And embolden our community with the urgency

of your justice

in the name of the One who calls us to play and to work in community,

Jesus, our beloved.

Prayer of Confession

I know that all God’s commands are spiritual,

but I’m not.

I decide one way,

but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.

I decide to do good,

but I don’t really do it;

I decide not to do bad,

but then I do it anyway

I truly delight in God’s commands

But the power of sin sabotages my best intentions

My decisions to good don’t result in actions:

Sin is there to trip me up.

I’ve tried everything …

Who can help me?

Assurance of Pardon

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does help us.

He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions

He calls us: Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy burdened.

I will share your yoke and make it light;

I will lead in the Way you desire to travel. (from The United Church of Christ, USA)

READINGS Romans 7: 15-25a

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the

very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is

good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I

know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is

right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not

want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it,

but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do

what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost

self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind,

making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man

that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God

through Jesus Christ our Lord! Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

16“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the

marketplaces and calling to one another, 17‘We played the flute for you, and you

did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18For John came neither eating

nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19the Son of Man came eating and

drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors

and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

25At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have

revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All

things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son

except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to

whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28“Come to me, all you that are weary and

are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you,

and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest

for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

REFLECTION (by G. Scantlebury, but following a reflection from Sacredise) Today the invitation to you is to find intimacy, rest and liberation from your struggles and burdens. “Come to me all of you who are heavy laden”, says Christ. “Take my yoke upon you and you will find rest for your souls.” And what are our struggles? In the letter to the Romans Paul seeks to express something of the inner struggle we feel with our own sense of sinfulness and brokenness. Despite our best intentions, we can’t seem to live the life that is truly good and life-giving. And it is clear to Paul that this is a struggle we cannot overcome on our own. Rather, real liberation and rest comes through the forgiveness and work of Christ. In Matthew’s Gospel the struggle is more one of an outside world that cannot or will not receive the message of freedom Christ offers. Here, Jesus laments the games people play to knit-pick around trivialities and so avoid facing reality or the possibilities for freedom. Nevertheless, he then goes on to invite any who are burdened to come to him. We live in a world of many struggles and much brokenness. There is poverty and sickness, unjust economic and power relationships between rich and poor, corruption and greed at many levels, continued and even accelerating destruction of the earth, seas and atmosphere, mindless consumption and materialism, - and we could go on! In 2020 there is much to lament, just as Jesus lamented over the world of his day. And our lament is for the pain of our world, but very much for the blindness of people who refuse to see pathways of peace and wholeness. And our lament is for ourselves: our powerlessness to change and our struggle in finding the right direction in the face of so much need.

And into the place of this struggle, Christ invites us to rest. But that invitation can seem ineffectual and faith in Christ’s liberating reign can appear naïve. Yet, the burden of the world is not mine to bear, or yours, and it is not one we can bear! Human capacity alone will not free us from our own or the world’s brokenness. And neither is our option to retreat into cynicism or despair, or shrug off any responsibility for our wider world. Rather, take Christ’s ‘yoke’, take Christ’s Way, and you will find rest for your souls. Our call here is to be open to the message of Jesus and to be empowered and inspired by the Christ we follow. At this point in human history it is increasingly necessary for us to live out our faith in the daily choices we make that influence the realities of our world. And it is vital too that those of us of faith also extend Christ’s invitation of wholeness to others. On some occasions, that invitation may explicitly involve our proclamation of Christ, for sure. In all occasions however, it will mean working alongside the least to ease their burdens. It will mean standing against unjust people and institutions that oppress or enslave. It means allowing our faith and hope to direct the choices we make as we buy, eat, dress, travel and vote. It means praying and reflecting on the global implications of our lives while continuing to act and contribute locally where we live. Taking on this yoke of Christ means to live as functional followers of God’s Spirit, rather than as functional atheists who are Christians in name alone. The burden of healing the world through our efforts alone is not ours to carry. The struggle we would face in carrying such a burden is not meant to be. Rather, the only yoke Christ ever asked us to carry was to follow him. Let God be your focus and your struggles will find resolution. Live out your faith and the world will come to be healed through you. Embrace the Way of Christ and you will find rest for your souls. Amen.

PRAYER Your Welcome Invitation How hard we make things, O God, how heavy the yoke we place on ourselves through our insecurity and pride, through our fear and unbelief, through our denial and stagnation; How threatening our world becomes when we make life and joy depend on our own ability. But, you have invited us to a different life, a deeper joy, you have offered us a lighter yoke if we will just stop for a moment and follow you. Thank you for your gently urgent whisper, your softly persistent touch, calling us to come, to rest, and to lay down our self-imposed burdens; With relief and hope we respond to your invitation,

gladly taking up your yoke, joyfully lifting your burden, and freely giving ourselves to you in love, in praise and in service. Amen. SONG

1. O, let the Son of God enfold you

with his Spirit and his love;

let him fill your heart and satisfy your soul;

O, let him have the things that hold you

and his Spirit like a dove,

will descend upon your life and make you whole.

Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill our lives;

Jesus, O Jesus, come and fill our lives;

2. O come and sing this song with gladness

as your hearts are filled with joy;

lift your hands in sweet surrender to his name;

O, give him all your tears and sadness,

give him all your years of pain,

and you’ll enter into life in Jesus’ name.

Refrain

3. Find your home and find your fullness;

find your trust and your self-worth;

find a fam’ly and a place where you belong.

Find the work of God to feed you

and the water for your thirst.

Join the dance and raise your voice

to join the song.

Refrain. John Wimber 1934-97

(v3 Gordon Scantlebury, 2014)

Together in Song #655

PRAYERS FOR OTHERS You are invited to share and pray for people or situations of need you are particularly aware of. You are then invited to finish with the prayer following. O Constant One, the sacred and domestic of my days, Make me more faithful as I walk this day with you. Wash my feet before I set out, and show me how to serve. Place bread in my hands this morning, for I need food for the journey. Share your cup of liberation that I may share forgiveness; Keep me open to truthfulness and give me courage to speak it, But should I fail and betray another or myself, show me a way back. May the mercy I receive make me more merciful, The understanding I am shown help me to understand,

Keep my sleepy eyes awake to the injustice that happens right beside me. Remember me through the day, even when I do not remember you. O Constant One, keep faith with me as I set forth today.

Tess Ward The Celtic Wheel of the Year,

O Books, 2007

Commission & Benediction Go now at the call of Christ. Take his yoke upon you and learn from him; Dance when he sings and mourn when he cries. Be generous in your hospitality to all. And may God greatly bless you; May Christ Jesus reveal the fullness of God to you; And may the Holy Spirit lift your burdens and give you rest. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, In the name of Christ. Amen. ©2002 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net