Tell me a story
ST ANDREW’S CHURCH
May 1st, 2022 3rd Sunday of Easter
LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Thank you Rev. Shirley Cochrane for leading and preparing our worship this third Sunday of Easter.
- We welcome all of you to our online service today; may it be a blessing to you through out the week to come.
- May's Loonie Offering is going to the Vernon Live Well Clinic to help with pregnancy support to people in our area. For more information please check the "Recent Posts" to the right of your screen.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Sing praises to the Lord, you faithful;
We will give thanks to God's holy name.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
We will give thanks to God's holy name.
God has turned our mourning into dancing!
Let us praise and not be silent!
Lord our God, we will give thanks to your
holy name, now and always!
HYMN 434 For the beauty of the earth
- For the beauty of the earth,
for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.2. For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.3. For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony
linking sense to sound and sight,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.4. For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.5. For each perfect gift of thine,
to the earth so freely given,
graces human and divine,
flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.
PRAYER OF INVOCATION AND ADORATION
God of the Risen Christ and the rising earth, we come before you this day giving thanks for all the wonder in your creation: for the tiny perfection revealed in a baby’s fingers grasping ours, in each daffodil unzipping its jacket to greet the spring, and each rock face worn by wind and water, bearing its rugged beauty with your praise. These details lift our hearts to praise you, too.So let the details of the story the Risen Christ lift our hearts this day, that we may greet a new week as an occasion to discover him in our midst, making all things new with the springtime of your Spirit. Receive our heartfelt worship, O God, Creator, Christ and Spirit, ever Three and ever One, now and evermore hear us as we lift our confession to you ….
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of each and every life,
week by week we lay our lives before you,
acknowledging ways in which we fall short of your hope for us.
Today we confess we sometimes find it hard to forgive ourselves.
Things done long ago still haunt us.
We hear your forgiveness proclaimed,
yet your promise of a fresh start can ring hollow.
Forgive us if we think we are the one sinner who cannot be forgiven.
Forgive us when we cannot find the peace you offer.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Friends in Christ, while it is true we have all fallen short of God’s intentions, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through God’s love in Jesus Christ. To all who humbly seek the mercy of God, Jesus offers forgiveness and new life So be at peace with God, with yourself, and with one another.
THE PEACE
HYMN 358 There is a redeemer
1.There is a redeemer Jesus, God's own Son
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One
Thank you, oh my Father For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit 'Til the work on Earth is done
- Jesus my redeemer Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Oh, for sinners slain
Thank you, oh my father For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit 'Til the work on Earth is done
- When I stand in Glory I will see His face
And there I'll serve my King forever In that Holy Place
Thank you, oh my Father For giving us Your Son
And leaving Your Spirit 'Til the work on Earth is done
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 30;
I will exalt you, Lord,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
3 You, Lord, brought me up from the grave ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you saints of his ;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 Lord, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.
8 To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
O Lord, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Acts 9: 1-20
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
SERMON
O God of sight and insight, Send your Holy Spirit to remove the scales from our eyes, so that we might see your truth and grasp your wisdom. Grant us fresh understanding of your Word and your will for our lives. Amen.
Stories … life exists and consists of stories. Your stories, my stories, the stories in the community -the world, - the church. Even our precious book – the Bible is a collection of stories
One of the favourite times as a chaplain for hospital and nursing homes for me was the privilege of hearing people’s stories. Their memories brought forth laughter and joys, tears and sorrows. Recalling life events brings sense to life. Stories are a very important item with which children learn about the world around them. One of my grand daughters – as a little girl ,would almost daily jump up and down beside me saying “Talk me a story Nawnee – talk me a story!” “
Scripture is a story of a particular people to whom particular events happened. God is not just a character in the story, God is the author. His nature, purpose and love are revealed giving coherence to all that is written, told and retold, and gives meaning to his proclamation. As we read and listen to God’s promises made “ to you and your children and to all that are a far off everyone who m the Lord our God calls to him “ ( Acts 2 : 39) something happens to us . This is a world where God is making good hi promises. God is rendering a new creation - not just in the beginning but one which goes forward through -history and well on into the future.
Acts is an open-ended collection of stories of the very beginning of the Christian Church. The church in Act exists as the church has always existed – it is a people who claim to know something no one would have ever known - except it was given to them, and us. It is a community waiting for something to happen. A community waiting for a word from God. If God had never said anything, there would be no community. Luke never loses sight of the fact that the Holy Spirit, and hence God, is the true center of his story. Given who God is and the way God’s world is, stories in the Bible render a new way of living.
So, this month we are going to read and meditate on just a few of the stories contained in the Book of Acts. Now it has been referred to as “The Acts of the Apostles” but in reality, it is more about the Acts of the Holy Spirit.
Today’s story is one we all think we know well; it centers around a young man raised in a wealthy strict Jewish home in the renowned prosperous city of Tarsus. His family held citizenship with both Greek and Roman status. They named their son with the Hebrew name Saul and the Latin name of Paulus. His father was a pharisee and when the family moved to Jerusalem when Saul was likely in his teens, Saul followed in his fathers’ footsteps and was educated as a pharisee
Luke refers to the threatened Christian community as “the Way”. It seems to be a name by which the church identifies itself. The name recalls the words of Jesus when he said, “I am the way” (John 14:6). Thus, the Christians stress faith in the salvation brought by Jesus, who was “the Way.” It has to do with the believers’ understanding that a person needs to walk in the path of God’s salvation, in obedience and faith to him.
Interestingly, at that time, the church does not seem to refer to itself as “Christian” very often. The term was coined in Syrian Antioch (11:26), by outsiders, and the name appears only twice more in the New Testament (Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). “Christian” is at first an outsider name for the disciples, not one the community uses for itself.
Saul’s encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus is remarkable for many reasons. Luke explicitly states that Saul’s intense dislike for members of the Way drove him to seek the high priest’s permission to pursue and extradite them to Jerusalem for trial for heresy
Luke begins his description of Saul’s conversion in chapter 9 by continuing the story of his persecution of the church. “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples,” says Luke of Saul’s campaign against the church in Jerusalem (9:1). To Saul, stamping out the Christians is a necessary part of doing God’s will. They are teaching a blasphemous heresy that threatens the people of God (the Jews) and the sanctity of the law and temple. It is surely God’s will that such people should be silenced. Saul might have had theological differences with members of the Way, but it is his inability to see past those differences and relate to their humanity that engenders his hatred for them
Saul has traveled about 150 miles (242 kilometers) from Jerusalem. Damascus is one of the cities of the Decapolis, which is a league of self-governing cities in eastern Syria and the area east of the Jordan river (Matthew 4:25; Mark 7:31). Damascus is a thriving commercial center
As Luke’s story begins, Saul is nearing Damascus when, in broad daylight, a light suddenly flashes around him. The shock causes him to fall to the ground. That’s when he hears a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” . The men traveling with him, perhaps temple police, stand speechless, as “they hear the sound but do not see anyone”
Saul is confused. He doesn’t see himself as persecuting God. Saul thinks he is doing God a service, defending his way against the apostate Christians. Saul then asks, “Who are you, Lord?”He doesn’t yet know it is Jesus. It is not directly stated that Saul actually sees the risen Christ, but only that he hears his voice He seems to understand his vision as a revelation from God. As the account shows, Saul is open to God’s self-revelation, even though he is unaware of his purpose.
When Saul asks to know who is confronting and addressing him by name, the voice responds saying, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” In locating itself in and with the victims of Saul’s violence, the voice is not just expressing solidarity with them, but is also asking Saul to see the divine in those he is targeting. In identifying with the people, the voice is suggesting to Saul that inasmuch as he is targeting them, he is targeting Jesus himself. In confronting Saul, the voice from heaven challenges him to see them through new eyes as people worthy of respect. This profound encounter has a vertical dimension, but it also has a horizontal dimension.
When the risen Christ tells Saul he has been persecuting him, he is making an important point. Saul is not rejecting human beings, but by his actions, he is rejecting Christ himself (Luke 10:16). In persecuting the church Saul is persecuting the body of which Jesus is the head. Christ and his church are one, and he has a tangible presence on earth through his believers.
Saul is told to get up and go into Damascus. “There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do,” said Jesus. The stunned, shaken and blinded Saul struggles to his feet, the men with Paul recover their composure and escort him to a house in Damascus. For the next three days Saul fasts, no doubt meditating on the meaning of his encounter with Jesus.
Luke now introduces Ananias, a Jewish believer in Jesus who lives in Damascus.Ananias has a vision from God in which he is told to go to the house of a man named Judas who lives on Straight Street. Ananias is quite hesitant about going to meet Paul. He has heard reports about him and knows that he came to Damascus with authority from the chief priests to arrest Christians. Ananias refers to the Christians as “saints” Even though Saul has persecuted the saints, the Lord insists that Ananias visit Paul.: “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel
With this understanding about Saul’s future role, Ananias goes to the house of Judas, meets Saul, and places his hands on him. He says: “Brother Saul, the Lord — Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit”
Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name . Saul responds immediately. He is “baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Though Luke doesn’t directly say so, Saul receives the Holy Spirit. That, after all, is a major reason why Ananias is sent to Saul — to lay his hands on him so he might receive the Spirit.
By laying his hands on Saul and calling him brother, Ananias is welcoming him into the community of believers. Immediately, something falls from Saul’s eyes, and he can see again. Ananias now leaves the story as mysteriously as he enters it.
Saul can not escape the fact that the Jesus whose followers he had been persecuting is alive, exalted, and in some manner is to be associated with God the Father, whom Israel worships. He, therefore, has to revise his whole estimate of the life, teaching, and death of the Nazarene because God has, beyond any question, vindicated him. Thus, he comes to agree with the Christians that Jesus’ death on the cross, rather than discrediting him as an imposter, fulfills prophecy and is really God’s provision for man’s sin. Jesus’ resurrection confirms him as being the nation’s Messiah and humanity’s Lord. He gains a new vision of things that allows him to see and relate to the theological other as people deserving of respect
Luke does not reveal when Saul begins using his Latin name, Paul however we can assume as he enlarges his preaching throughout the gentile communities, it is a name they are more comfortable with
After spending a few days with the disciples in Damascus, Paul begins “to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God” The fact that Paul wastes no time in beginning his witness demonstrates that he is to perform a vital mission. But we should note that he preaches to Jews, not Gentiles. Paul almost always begins his preaching in a synagogue. He goes to a synagogue first, and then moves to other places only after he is rejected and expelled.
Paul joins the Jesus movement, but what stands out in this story is not theological or doctrinal, but the profound ways in which people can be transformed when they acknowledge the pain and damage of forcing others to see the world as they do. .
The substance of Paul’s initial preaching is a basic and simple gospel of Jesus’ Messiahship, as understood by the church. Jesus died and was resurrected. He fulfilled the role of the hoped-for Messiah, and Jews should put their faith in him because he represents salvation for his hearers. Luke says that Paul preaches that “Jesus is the Son of God”,
Paul’s calling will not be filled with personal glory, however. He is forewarned that he will have a life of pain and distress. In the words of Jesus, delivered to Paul through Ananias: “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name”.
Acts is not the only place where this story is told. Paul in his travels repeats it several times The turning of a Pharisaic persecutor into the apostle of the Gentiles is a paradox so profound that it requires multiple retellings, with each version bringing out some further nuance of significance.
Saul’s epiphany raises questions of how we treat, or ought to treat, those with whom we might have theological differences. It suggests that we treat them with respect, not because we share a common theological or ideological space but simply because they deserve respect. This is not to suggest that any view, however extreme it might be, should be condoned. This highlights that treating the theological other with respect entails “unseeing” them as enemies, letting our scales fall off and seeing them as fellow humans with whom we can be in conversation even as we disagree.
How do we relate to those with whom we disagree theologically or ideologically? The text tells us seeing others through new eyes and falling from our certainty before getting up again become foundations for a relationship of respect with the theological other.
Scripture gives us clues as to how ordinary folks like you and me can get on in life - be disciples and be the church. – the body of Christ. Luke continues the with obedience to “ You will be my witnesses “In Jerusalem, and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8) -a story of witness which begins with the gospel and continues with todays church communities May we always remember the powerful emphasis Paul places on salvation by the grace of God through faith and love in Jesus Christ AMEN
HYMN 356 You, Lord are both lamb and Shepherd
- You, Lord are both lamb and Shepherd
You Lord are both prince and slave,
You , peacemaker and sword bringer
Of the way you took nad gave
You the everlasting instant
You whom we both scorn and crave.
2..Clothed in light upon the mountain
stripped of might upon the cross,
shining in eternal glory
beggared by a soldier’s toss
You the everlasting instant
you who are both gift and cost.
- You who walk each day beside us
Sit in power at god’s side
You who teach a way that’s narrow
Have a love that reaches wide
You the everlasting instant
You who are our pilgrim guide.
4.Worthy is our earthly Jesus
Worthy is our cosmic Christ;
Worthy your defeat and victory,
Worthy still your peace and strife
You the everlasting instant
you who are our death and life .
OFFERING
Our lives overflow with God’s blessings in Christ and in creation. With gratitude for all that we have received, let us present our offering to God, trusting that God can do a new thing with our gifts – and with our lives!
DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Gracious God, You have given us life and furnished it with much beauty and blessing. In Christ you have given yourself to us. So we offer to you a portion of what we have received to share in the work of your kingdom. Use our energy and ability for your purposes for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord Jesus Christ, We draw near to you in prayer this day, trusting that your love does change lives and your resurrection brings renewal and redemption into the world God loves. As we lay before you the concerns on our hearts today, we pray that you will draw near to the people and situations we name and bring each one the gift that is needed:
We lift before you, Lord, the concerns we share from the news headlines and the many world situations where hope and change are desperately needed. The war on Ukraine is foremost in our minds but we also remember there are other who are engulfed in military and insurrectionist struggles - Afghanistan, Syria, ….
We lift before you, Lord, those who are in hospital or care and all those who struggle with illness, pain or health burdens of any sort; and we remember those facing grief and loss, bearing burdens of sorrow and worry.
We lift before you, Lord, families under stress, relationships that are strained, friends and neighbours in need of reconciliation, and we pray for the healing of divisions in our country. We pray for people, families and communities affected by the opioid crisis. Grant healing and strength to all who struggle with substance abuse and addictions.
We lift before you, Lord, the earth itself, struggling in so many places to maintain its fruitfulness, and we pray for all the vulnerable creatures and communities who are finding it harder and harder to live .With predictions of more summer heat - drought – flooding all in places where this is not been experienced on a regular basis may governments and agencies have the forethought to prepare both land and people.
Lord Jesus, we believe that you hear our prayers and will be faithful to our requests and concerns. Use us in every opportunity that presents itself to serve you by serving our neighbours near and far. And so we pray together the words you gave us:
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. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN 757 Come sing, O Church, in joy
1 Come sing O church in joy Come join O church in song
For Christ the Lord has led us Through the ages long
Refrain
In bold accord Come celebrate the journey now
And praise the Lord
- Long years have come and gone And still God reigns supreme
Empowering us to catch the vision Dream the dream
Refrain
3 Let courage be our friend Let wisdom be our guide
As we in mission Magnify the Crucified
Refrain
4 Come sing O church in joy Come join O church in song
For Christ the Lord has triumphed Over the ages long
Refrain
BENEDICTION
Today is the day that God has created, let us enjoy the world that God has made with stories and music to share Remember that Jesus came to give us life and live it to the full And now may the grace of God , the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit be with you for evermore.
CLOSING SONG Take – o take me as I am