Liturgy

To look at the outset at times is terrifying.
To come to the end of oneself, to see
yourself hanging on by mere thread.

In our dread, we ask for mercy.
We ask for a soft landing.
We ask for sure footholds
and places to lay our head.

Then, somewhere beyond the crippling fear of failure and death,
we thank God for those thin threads. How can we hate the one
thing that is working hardest to hold us up?

We thank you for the bits and pieces holding us together.
How can we hate the hand that is pulling us up,
keeping us from the free fall?

We ask for your grace to handle the worst parts of ourselves.
We ask for permission to come apart at the seams, to break
down and out of ourselves into the mystery of healing.

In this moment, in this place we ask for your Holy Spirit to meet us now.
That if only for an hour or two we can be loosened, and see where you
have been at work. If only we recognize it at right this moment,
we give thanks to you now.

We ask this in the name
of the Almighty Father,
the compassionate Christ,
and the encompassing Spirit, amen.

(Naomi Jackson)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from the reading of Luke 17: 11-15.

11 On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was going
through the region between Samaria and Galilee.

12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him.
Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying,
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show
yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were
made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he
was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
The Good News of Christ. Praise be to you, O Christ!

The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 10.13.19 – The Desire to Grow

What is it like to be accepted in my moving towards and away from healing?

Where do I sense healing in proximity to threats in my life today?

What am I grateful for this morning?

Benediction

Feel free to fall on Christ. In supplication cry out
to him for help and intercession. Ramble on in
run-on sentences to your Savior.

In healing and transformation, sing out with verses
of thanks and gratitude. In vulnerable moments
of fragility, cling to his side. In joyous moments
of freedom, love deeply without abandon.

And in the moments for which there are no words:
offer up your tears, your laughter, your awe and amazement.

For everything in this life that we miss,
for the everyday miracles that pass us by,
when we catch a glimpse of the one that
breaks through our attention, let us respond
with a grateful Hallelujah! Thanks be to God!

Let us go forth in the name
of the Father,
of the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

(Naomi Jackson)

Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.

[Photo by Olga Wysopal @ Flickr]