Liturgy
How curious!
To follow Jesus is to notice what peculiar paths he takes.
From the trailhead into the wilderness, whispering the adversary’s words,
His steps lead to the shore, his footprints set into the very sea itself.
Lord, we wander and wonder, “how can we possibly follow you?”
We were told this path would be paved, straight and narrow,
through Roman roads and American highways.
Yet, we cannot arrive where we must go
if we must exit at the points that we have built for ourselves.
Lord, we wander and pray, “free us so that we may follow you.”
We hike, we climb, we swim, we run,
We tire and pause, and notice where it is that we stand—
among friends and strangers, among sinners and saints,
among the familiar and the unexpected, you have led us.
Now, you are here among us, joyful that all have come to experience the
feast.
Let the lives we live and the stories we tell reflect the prismatic
light we carry,
and may you dwell with us as we journey towards the renewal of
all.
Lord, we wander lightly, proclaiming “Our God will bring us
peace.”
May we meet today with God, our Path,
Jesus, our Guide,
and the Holy Spirit, the cool breeze as we walk.
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the book of Romans 4:13-15, 18-22
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to
Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the
righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to
be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings
wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of
many nations,” according to what was said, “So shall your descendants
be.” 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body,
which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years
old), and the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20 No distrust made him
waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as
he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do
what he had promised. 22 Therefore “it was reckoned to him as
righteousness.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
Amen.
Homily and Reflection
Podcast: Reorienting Our Rule of Lent
How has God carried you through times of trouble?
Where might you be “looking at snakes” and misperceiving God’s intent towards you?
How might God be steadying you through a season of change even now?
Benediction
Church, when we look at the scriptures we see
that those who were foreigners, marginalized, poor,
kicked out of community, deemed unclean and unfit –
those were the people who had the attention of Christ.
They pursued him and grabbed onto
him and said, ‘Don’t pass me by,
just give me scraps from the table.
God, we thank you that your
mercy expands to all people.
So, then, as we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us not grow
weary of asking our Father for what we need,
what we want, what we hope and dream for.
We remember you, oh saints,
who through faith enforced justice,
obtained promises, and received
back that which was dead.
In all that is within us, we pray,
God, remove all sin from us,
Christ, perfect our faith,
Spirit, help us every step of the way,
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by Arnaud Padallé]