St. John's Concord - Live Feed

Take a picture. Everybody That's I think that's weird. Oh yeah. Good. Red line. Stay right here. Good morning. I like this. I don't see Beautiful. Good morning, St. Jones. Good morning. >> First of all, we'd like to thank all the ladies who created yesterday as one of the best festival tables. It was phenomenal. Yay. I tell you, it's gets tougher and tougher every year, Peggy. So, we're, you know, it was just great. And just to let you know, um I don't have a final count, but it was over $3,000 that we raised for the Sunshine Backpack Ministry yesterday. So, nice job. Uh one note, it's not in the bulletin, the quilters, you're not meeting this week. Uh, I would also like to just mention if you're a member of Thrivant and you have gotten a little note saying you have choice dollars, please make sure you take advantage of that and designate where you like those choice dollars to go. Uh, such as St. John's or some something else like Sunshine Backpack Ministry. That's real important. You take those and you divvy them out where where you can. And you don't have to send the total amount to one place. You can divvy it up. And I tell you, I talked to this woman personally because I don't like websites being a baby boomer. And so, and she was wonderful. In a minute and a half, we'd done it. I couldn't have done it that quick if I had tried to do it online. So, it they're wonderful. So, make sure you remember that. Um pastor wanted me to point out that the gospel today is rather lengthy. You may sit because it's going to be done a little differently. It's going to be done kind of in a narrative account. So there'll be several people I guess reading and doing it in that way. So you may sit during the gospel please. The last item, the Cabaris Stanley Welcome Spring Gathering will be held in Go's Hall next Saturday. Registration begins at 8:30 with the uh gathering actually starting at 9:00. We look forward to coming together for a short business session, a and I did not write this, a very informative program presented by Cheryl Boy, I better get to work. And a light breakfast and a delicious lunch prepared by Bonnie. Uh, since every woman is a woman of the ELCA, ladies, come and join us. Is there anything else? At this time, let's prepare our hearts and minds for worship. I invite you to stand as you're able. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us pray. God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit, that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our savior and lord. Amen. Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your holy name. Amen. In the mercy of Almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us. And for his sake, God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I want Jesus to walk with me. Walk with me. I want Jesus to walk with me. Oh my journey of Jesus to walk with me. Walk with me in my Lord with me. Walk with me. In my trials are with me with my heart Jesus to walk with me. Walk with me. Walk with me. Home with me. I can tr my sorrow for Jesus to walk with me. with me. >> The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. and also hear us pray. We come to hear your living word. It saves us from this. Have mercy on us Christ and wash away our source and make us all sin and shame. heart. >> Let us pray. Bend your ear to our prayers, Lord Christ, and come among us. By your gracious life and death for us, bring light into the darkness of our hearts and anoint us with your spirit. for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. You may be seated. At this time, I invite our youngest disciples to come forward. Good morning everyone. >> Morning. >> How's everybody doing? >> Pretty good. >> Pretty good. Sun is shining. Springtime is around the corner. Yeah, it's a good day. Okay, I got a question for you. Have you ever looked around for something for a while? You thought maybe you lost something, but then you realized after some time it was right in front of you. >> Yes. What what what comes to mind? >> I bought a creepy looking bunny. Um >> creepy looking bunny. >> Went to Target. I had set him on the couch and kept looking for him and he was in the house plant. >> In the house plant. >> I kept passing it like >> Oh my goodness. See, isn't that funny that sometimes things can be right in front of you and you and you don't even realize it? Well, there's kind of an interesting story today in the Bible that we hear about. We hear we do hear about someone who definitely can't see. We hear about a blind person, but we also hear about people who should be able to see. They should be able to tell who Jesus is because >> I think the light of Jesus. >> You're You were exactly right. You're beating me to it. Yeah. >> Did you trust Jesus to trust Jesus to make him not blind and make him be able to see his child, children, um his loved ones and stuff like that. Wow. Yeah. See, someone's done their pre-ereading. They're prepared. So, that's exactly right. What we hear about is that sure, yes, Jesus gives uh the blind man sight, but the people who who were around Jesus, they didn't really they didn't see his power, they didn't recognize his goodness. The Pharisees, the religious elite of the day. >> A religious site and literal sight. >> H exactly. Yeah. Religious site and literal sight. Now, I like this. this. I might include that in my sermon today. That's pretty good. All right. Well, thank you, Dawson. You're on it today. That's great. And as always, so well, great day. Let us uh let us prepare our hearts with a with a quick prayer. Dear Lord, >> thank you so much for this day. >> Thank you so much for this day. >> Thank you for all you show us. >> Thank you for all you >> even when it's right in front of us. >> Even when it's right in front of us. >> Through Christ our Lord. >> Through Christ our Lord. We pray. >> We pray. >> Amen. All right. Thank you all. You I hope you have a great day. Okay. >> Good to see you. The first reading is from 1 Samuel. The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out. I will send you to Jesse the Bethleamite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul's hear if Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I named to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him, trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceibly?" He said peaceibly, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eli and said, "Surely his anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his statue, because I have rejected him." For the Lord does not see as mortals see. They see on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Then Jesse called Abedenadm and made him pass before Samuel. Neither has the Lord chosen this one. Then Jesse made Shima pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. Jesse made seven of his sons come before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ready and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him, for this is the one." Then Samuel took up the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Remal. The word of the Lord. >> We will now read Psalm 23 responsively. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. >> He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. Our second reading is from Ephesians 5. Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of the light. For the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. Rather, expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible. For everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, "Sleeper, awake, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." The word of the Lord. and renewable and kind us The gospel today comes from the ninth chapter of John. >> Glory to you, >> As Jesus walked along, he saw a blind man from birth. >> Rabbi Who sinned? This man or his parents, that he was born blind? Neither this man nor his parents sinned. He was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the man mud on the man's eyes. Go wash in the pool of Salom. >> Salom means scent. So the man went and washed and when he came back he could see. That might have been the end of the story, but the neighbors didn't see it that way. In fact, they weren't sure what they were seeing. Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg? I think it is. >> No, it can't be. It's just somebody who looks just exactly like him. Hey, look. It's me. I am the one. >> Then how are your eyes open? >> The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, "Go to Saleom and wash." Then I went and washed and received my sight. Where did he go? I was blind. How would I know? >> They wrought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. >> Now how did you receive your sight? >> He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed. And now I see >> I don't see how this healer could be from God. He does not observe the Sabbath. But how could a man who is a sinner perform such signs? What did you say about him? And what do you say about him? It was your eyes that he opened. >> He is a prophet. What does What does it look like? I still don't see how he could be blind and receive his sight. Go call his parents. Is this your son >> who you say was born blind? How is it that he can see? >> We know. >> We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But we do not know how it is now he sees. Nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough. He will speak for himself. You'll see. >> Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. >> I don't know that he is a sinner. One thing I do know, I used I used to be blind and now I see. >> What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? >> Look, I have told you already and you would not listen. Wow. You sure do want to hear the story over and over again, don't you? Do you also want to become his disciples? >> No. No way. You are his disciple. But we are disciples of only Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we do not have a clue where he comes from. Well, now here is an astonishing thing. You do not know where he comes from. And yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but God does listen to one who worship God and obeys God. Never since the world has been has been heard that never since the world began has it been heard that anyone open the eyes of a blind person. If this man were not from God, he couldn't do anything. Don't you see? You were born entirely in sins and you are trying to teach us out of the synagogue. Out. Jesus heard that they had driven the man out of the synagogue and he went and found him. >> Do you believe in the Son of Man? >> And who is he, sir? Tell me so that I may believe in him. You have seen him and now you're hearing him too. >> Lord, I believe. I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see and those who do see may become blind. >> Hey, we heard that. You don't mean that we're blind, do you? If you were blind, you would have a good excuse. But when you say we see, your sin is obvious. >> The Gospel of the Lord. >> Praise to you, O Christ. In the name of God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, that was certainly a fun way to hear the story, wasn't it? So, added a little pizzazz to this story. You know, I hope this story at least helps you with with this illustration. It's something probably that you've encountered uh quite a few times. You know, you see you're driving down the interstate, you exit the road, and you see a person standing at the intersection there with cardboard with with their hands extended uh with, you know, needing something. And then some of us, I suspect, make a bit of a calculation when we see this. We try to to solve what's going wrong in this person's life, right? Right there on the spot. You know, what what did they do to get here? Was it was it drugs? Was it laziness? Was it what? Whatever it may be, we just what what kind of fault did this man do to get here? We often will think in those kinds of ways. 2,000 years ago in the story we just heard, the disciples, uh, the the Pharisees, they they kind of did the same type of thing here. They see this man who's born blind from birth, their version perhaps of uh, a homeless man at the intersection, and Jesus's own disciples don't first recognize a human being. They recognize him for what is wrong with him, what they deem wrong with him. They saw that there was something that they needed to to calculate and solve about his life. They asked Jesus, "Rabbi, who sinned? Was it was it this man or was it was it his parents that he was then born blind?" They wanted to uh perhaps hear a certain type of of lecture on karma or you know if you do good then good things will happen to you. But as we heard in this story that is not what Jesus offers them. Jesus isn't interested in this man's misery. Jesus is interesting interested in demonstrating the very heart of what it means to be one of his disciples, the heart of Christian disciplehip, not just for those around him, but I think for for us today still. And Jesus does it in maybe a little bit of a surprising way, an earthy way, maybe even kind of a a bit of a gross way, at least to most of us. In healing this man, Jesus spits in the dirt, makes a nice muddy paste, and then rubs it in the man's eyes. Seems like a like a good method, right? This kind of reminds me of one of my all-time favorite healing stories in the Bible. In Second Kings, we hear about Non, who was the great Syrian general with a skin disease. He was plagued by this, and he wanted healing desperately. And eventually he figured out exactly who he had to see. He had to visit Elisha, the prophet of God. And when he went to Elisha for healing, he expected a grand ceremony, right? He was going all out for this encounter. Non was was ready to impress. But something kind of funny happened, maybe even a little bit gross. He heard through a messenger what he had to do to be healed. And it wasn't to to to awe and to inspire and to impress. It was to go to the muddy river, the muddy Jordan River, and dip in it seven times, and he would be healed. Non was furious. Absolutely furious. Aren't the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? He said. And non almost missed the miracle because he thought the method that he heard from God's prophet, from God's messenger, was too lowly, too in the muck, too dirty or gross. In our gospel text this morning, the man who was born blind has to endure another surprising, earthy, maybe even gross type of healing. He has to walk through the city with the spit and mud in his eye. And then of course we hear about the the need to wash in the pool of Silom. He has to trust that God works through earthly things, maybe maybe even kind of gross things, nasty things. Martin Luther, he talked about this stuff quite a bit actually. Luther argued against those who wanted to focus on God as this, you know, spiritual only being as as encounters with God as being purely in the mind and the heart and and the spirit. He wanted to to speak against that and talk about how God works externally. God works through external means. Luther wrote that God hides himself in masks in the physical elements of creation. In fact, he said God does not deal with us except through the external word and sacrament. It's what we do here week after week. So with our healing stories, why the mud, why the water? And perhaps we can think even now today, why the bread? Why the wine? Why the water of the font? The thing is, we're not just spirits. We're not just intellectual beings walking around. We are human beings. We have flesh and we have bone. We have senses, senses. And God knows that we need to use these. God knows that we need something to touch, something to taste, something to hear, something to see. In the bread and in the wine, week after week, God uses very plain things to bear his majesty, to allow us to taste and see the goodness of God. In baptism, God uses simple tap water, maybe water from out back, and pairs that not just, it's not just plain water anymore. He pairs that with his very promises. Promises for eternal life. These are the means, the methods of God's grace. The way that God delivers God's promises through earthly things, through tangible things. But people often scoff at this. They often scoff at this. They think that maybe God will meet them in a grander way. Maybe they will encounter God in the sunset. Or maybe they'll encounter God through some sort of thundering cloud. Or maybe they'll encounter God through a nice uh soul quest or a hike, you know, up the Appalachin Trail. We keep searching me. So many of us, we keep searching for God in all of the places where we might encounter God. Where we might encounter God if things go just right. Maybe then we'll have that spiritual encounter. All the while, there are places where God promises to meet us. If you are waiting for God to speak to you in the thundering cloud or in the sunset or on the soul quest trail, then you might be out of luck. If you are waiting for these types of things, you you may miss where God wants to encounter you in the muddy tangible ways of your day-to-day life. The rest of this chapter from John's gospel is all about how true disciplehip is formed. The Pharisees, the religious elite of the day, they have right this perfect physical vision. They have the uh intellectual things figured out and yet spiritually things are not so clear. They don't really love the miracle that's performed because hey, it's it's at the wrong time. It's performed on the Sabbath day, not according to their ways and to their understanding. They're much like non standing on the bank of the Jordan River looking at the muddy water and thinking I don't know if this is really the method that uh that is going to heal me. The blind man however in our story as we hear the blind man grows in sight. The blind man starts by calling Jesus the man, then the prophet, and finally he falls on his knees and he says,"Lord, I believe." The tragedy of the Pharisees is the exact same tragedy that so many of us, I think, face today. The most dangerous kind of blindness is thinking that you already see perfectly. you don't need God. That you're superior to your neighbor in some sort of way. That what was this Dawson? That that you may have perfect sight, but you need a little bit more uh religious sight. You need a rel religious vision. I thought that was great. Today, Jesus invites us, each and every one of us, to to stop the blame game, to stop trying to to calculate and figure out why someone else is experiencing a misfortune or has a disability or has something that has gone wrong in their life and to equate that to something that they did. We have to stop looking at our neighbors lives as a series of mistakes that led them to where they are today. Instead, we can take Luther's advice and we can encounter God in external things. We can encounter God through the scripture read out loud, sometimes performed by others out loud. We can encounter God face to face in the bread and in the wine as we come forward today. And we can even encounter God in all the places that we think God doesn't belong belong in the in the muck and in the mud of our everyday lives. We shouldn't be like non too proud to dip into the water for a little bit of healing. And we shouldn't be like the Pharisees who think they are too right to experience a healing on the Sabbath day to see how God delivers God's own promises to them for us. But perhaps perhaps today we can be a little bit like the blind man in our story. We can against our best judgment accept the mud. Accept this gift of mud and spit. Accept the simple means, the plain means that Jesus chooses to meet us. The ones that are right in front of us, the ones where God promises week after week to do his very best work for us. And maybe maybe then we can sing I was once blind but because of Jesus because of the man I now see. Thanks be to God and amen. Amazing praise. How sweet the sound of my king. My lost, but now I see that my heart to hear and grace my fears. How precious and grace of we are we have a Let go. His gra and praise will lead me homeless to me. His word my shield and me as long as I can do and we thousand years a Sing of praise and earth with the whole church. We confess our faith. I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontious Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again. He ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand of the father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. Merciful God, we pray for your holy church, >> that we may be one in Christ. >> Grant that every member of our congregation may truly and humbly serve you, >> that your name may be glorified among all people. We pray for bishops, pastors, deacons, and all servants of the gospel. >> We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world. >> Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake. that our lives may >> have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble, especially those we now name out loud or in the silence of our hearts that they may be upheld by your steadfast love. We praise you for the saints who have entered into joy. Into your hands, gracious God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through Jesus Christ, our savior. Amen. And now, may the peace of Christ be with you always. >> Please share a sign of God's peace. Yep. Oh, I know. Also quiet. Thanks. Amazing grace we sound the same. I was lost but now I found was blind but now I see praise that my heart to fear and praise my ear to the preious gift and grace near the earth. My sins are gone. I've been set free. Our God has me. And by my God, his mercy praise God. Amazing grace. The Lord has promised good to me. His work by singing. He will still be as long as life. My sins are set free. My God, my savior and like his mercy. I am God. Amazing grace of Jesus. The earth is allow the sun to shine. But not you beloved will be forever like you will be forever. You are forever more. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Let us pray. God our provider, you have not fed us with bread alone, but with the words of grace and life. Bless us and these your gifts which we we receive from your bounty through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Lord be with you. >> And also with you. >> Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. >> It is right to give our thanks and praise. >> It is indeed right, our duty and our joy that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our savior Jesus Christ. You call your people to cleanse their hearts and prepare with joy for the pascal feast, that renewed in the gift of baptism, we may come to the fullness of your grace. And so with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the host of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God. Heaven and earth are full of glory. Hosana. Blessed is he in the highest. >> Blessed are you, oh God of the universe. Your mercy is everlasting and your faithfulness endures from age to age. Praise to you for creating the heavens and the earth. Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood. Praise to you for bringing the Israelites safely through the sea. Praise to you for leading your people through the wilderness to the land of milk and honey. Praise to you for the words and deeds of Jesus, your anointed one. Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ. Praise to you for your spirit poured out on all nations. In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat. This is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me. And again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people, for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me. With this bread and cup, we remember our Lord's Passover from death to life. As we proclaim the mystery of faith. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Oh God of resurrection and new life. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence. Come, Holy Spirit. Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread. Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. Breathe new life into us. Send us forth burning with justice, peace, and love. Come, Holy Spirit, with your holy ones of all times and places. With the earth and all its creatures, with sun and moon and stars, we praise you, oh God, blessed and holy trinity, now and forever. Amen. And now, as our savior Christ taught us, we are bold to say,"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, and forgive forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Come to the table. Feast on God's goodness and mercy. You may be seated. Blood of Christ. Blood of Christ. Shed. Body of Christ for you. Body of Christ. Body Christ. Body Christ. Body of Christ. Christ. to save. Have mercy now we pray. Lamb of God, you all the world away. human brac of God the s of all the world away. Give us your praise. Christ. Father of Christ. Christ. >> Christ. Body of Christ. Christ body Christ body Christ to Body of Christ for you. Body of Christ for you. Body of Christ for you. Body of Christ for you. >> Body of Christ. Body of Christ. Body of Christ. Body of Christ. Body of Christ. Body of Christ. Now That's the Good morning. stand. And now may the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen. And let us pray together. God of our salvation, we give you thanks for this meal that restores our souls, reconciles us to you, and strengthens us for the journey through the body and blood of your son. May we become Christ's body in the world, bearing witness to your love for all creation through Jesus Christ, our savior and lord. Amen. And now may Almighty God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless you now and forever. Amen. Lord of my heart all else to be saved my day and my night or sleeping thy presence my life my and thou my true word. I am with thee and thou with me. Thou my soul shelter and thou my heart. Praise thy God. Gracious I note deep praise now I now the first in my heart of heaven my treure to the Lord. Light of my soul victory. May I reach part of my heart still be my vision of