Liturgy
In the desolation of the barren hills,
our wounded God walked alone.
Through dry, thirsty afternoons,
Christ showed us how to need.
Glory and honor to our wounded, walking God.
But when that God returned,
He also proclaimed, so let us listen
to the words and warnings
He imparted as he walked among us.
Holy One of God, help us hear.
We repent, O Lord, of our pettiness,
of our untruth and our posturing,
and we long for the blessings of communion.
Reward our halting attempts to abide in you.
Give us peace, Abba, in the secret places.
In the heat of desolation,
in the challenge of your proclamations,
in the ache of our isolation,
confront us with your peace.
In the name
of the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
(Luke Helm)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from a reading in Matthew 4:1,17 and 6:5-6.
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. 17 From that time Jesus began
to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites;
for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and
at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But
whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door
and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father
who sees in secret will reward you.
The Good News of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 8.30.20 – A Secret Conversation
Where have been the places, spaces or moments in this season that you feel like you can connect with God?
What have been your experiences with silence and solitude? And what has come from them?
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
may the Lord be gracious to you,
lift up his countenance upon you,
and may the Lord give you peace.
Blessed children of love:
Take heart in the longing,
take courage in the pain,
take hope into the world.
In the name
of the Father,
of the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
(Luke Helm)
[Photo by Analogueblues @ Flickr]