Call to Worship
May you be filled.
May you be comforted.
May you be gladdened.
May you dance with joy.
May you be shown mercy.
May you be called God’s children.
May you receive what God has promised.
May you inherit the Kingdom of God.

Unison Prayer
Lord Jesus, your kingdom is
a city on a hill, a light on a lamp stand,
a hidden treasure, a buried pearl.  
Help us to seek your kingdom above everything else,
and to place you first in our hearts.  Amen.

Words of Assurance: Psalm 127:3, NIV
Children are a heritage from the Lord.

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;
and 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.
Amen.

Opening Song: Frank Sinatra, “Pennies from Heaven”

Scripture Reading: Psalm 100, NIV
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Sunday Sermon

Our March Madness Tournament kicked off this week (see the March Madness page of this website!). Parishioners were invited to nominate songs that were happy, uplifting, encouraging, comforting and inspirational, but that came from outside the Christian tradition. The response was amazing, as 80 songs were nominated. The oldest is 90 years old, the same age as Carl Meinen. The youngest is ten days old, younger than Finley (the baby we are baptizing today).

On multiple occasions, King David writes, “Sing to the Lord a new song.” This doesn’t mean, “forget the old songs.” It means that God wants to hear more than just the same old songs. When we held our March Madness tournament of Christian songs, the winner was “Here I Am, Lord,” which was published in 1981, the same year as “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The runner-up was “Oceans,” which was released in 2013, the same year as “Brave” and “Don’t You Worry, Child.” It takes time for a song to be considered a classic. But all of these are newer than “What Child Is This,” which dates back to 1580 and is one of the oldest songs in our hymnal. In the year 2525, if man is still alive, will Jelly Roll’s “I’m Good” be in our hymnal? We’ll have to wait and see.

The best thing about our tournament so far is the discussion it has caused, as people are not only thinking about the songs that have given them strength, but singing them all over again. A good song can get us through the day. The best songs include lines that we quote throughout our lives, whether to ourselves or to others. Most of the songs in our tournament contain words of advice or support. Some are songs from our weddings. Others are favorite songs from childhood or college or other important phases of life. Some have been played so often that some people find them annoying while others still love them. Some are so old that young people don’t know them, and some are so new that old people don’t know them. I hope you’ll play all of the songs you don’t know, because there are some incredible finds from every era.

Today’s sermon is for Finley, Merritt, Elizabeth and Kyle. Merritt was baptized here a while back, so she probably already has some favorite songs. Finley has a whole life of discovery ahead of her. She won’t remember being baptized during the Blizzard of ’26, but she’ll be able to tell the story forever.

Who knows what her favorite things will be? Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens?

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry, or touch a leaf or see the sky, then I know why I believe. I see babies cry, I watch them grow; they’ll learn more than I’ll ever know. From the day we arrive on the planet and blinking, step into the sun, there’s more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done. Man gave names to all the animals; and I say to myself, “What a wonderful world.”

Finley may look into her father’s eyes. and hear the songs from the places she was born.” And Kyle may say, “Don’t you worry, don’t you worry, child. Heaven’s got a plan for you.” Parents pass songs down to their children; they also pass on their wisdom. It’s easy for a child to be anxious. A parent might say, “In your life expect some trouble. When you worry, you make it double. Don’t worry; be happy.” In similar fashion, Jesus tells his disciples, “Don’t worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will have enough worries of its own.” He also says, “The world will give you trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world.” Another way to put it is “Nobody’s gotta worry ’bout nothin’, don’t go hittin’ that panic button, it ain’t near as bad as you think. Everything’s gonna be alright.” Or as Bob Marley sings, “Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing’s gonna be alright.” Reassure your children. Let them know that they can make it through. Tell them, “it just takes some time, little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine; everything will be alright, alright.”

Jelly Roll has been through a lot in his life, but he writes, “O what a beautiful day. I’m just so glad I’m alive. I got this smile on my face ’cause I opened up my eyes. I found my way out of that place. I never thought that I would see the day I could say, ‘I’m good.” Others might say, “O what a beautiful morning. O what a beautiful day” or “It’s a beautiful day; don’t let it get away” or “my oh my, what a wonderful day” or “heavenly day, all the trouble’s gone away for a while anyway.”

To a child, a parent is the voice of God. A loving parent might say, I will see you through everything you do. Take me there; take me there with you. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.

And in response, the child might say, “You raise me up so I can stand on mountains. You raise me up to walk on stormy seas. I am strong when I am on your shoulders. You raise me up to more than I can be.” Jesus does this for Peter. Paul writes, “because of God, when I am weak, then I am strong.” We can fly higher than an eagle, because God is the wind beneath our wings.

As children grow, they will begin to make friends. Michael W. Smith sings, “Friends are friends forever if the Lord’s the Lord of them.” One of our favorite hymns is “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” Carole King, and later James Taylor, sing “When you’re down and troubled, and you need a helping hand, and nothing, oh nothing is going right, close your eyes and think of me, and soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest night. You just call on me, and you know wherever I am, I’ll come running to see you again. Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you’ve got to do is call, and I’ll be there. You’ve got a friend.” Hush, my darling; don’t cry, my darling. Think of me. Lean on me when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend; I’ll help you carry on. Trouble me; disturb me with all your cares and your worries. Stand by me. That’s what friends are for.

When you start believing in yesterday, if I only could, I’d make a deal with God, and I’d get him to swap our places. You might be waiting for just one victory. Coldplay sings, “I pray that I don’t give up; I pray that I do my best.” But don’t give up, ’cause you have friends. Don’t give up; you’re not beaten yet. Don’t give up, ’cause I know that there’s a place where you belong. Don’t give up, because you are loved. Don’t stop believin’; hold on to that feelin’. When we internalize this strength, the words become a mantra: “Don’t give up, I won’t give up, don’t give up, no, no, no.”

A few people asked, “How did ‘Dust in the Wind’ get in there?” “Dust in the Wind” is loosely based on the book of Ecclesiastes. It reminds us that our lives here are finite, and that every moment counts. The road is long, with many turns. One day we shall be released, and we’ll be knock, knock, knockin’ on heaven’s door. This very knowledge can give meaning and purpose to life. And if we’re dust in the wind, and the answers are blowin’ in the wind, then we’re right next to the answers. And if the wind is right, we can find the joy of innocence again.

You might ask, “how long must I sing this song?” But I know that the heart does go on.

In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap! The job’s a game. You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative.

So say what you wanna say, and let the words fall out. I wanna see you be brave.

Look for the good in everything. Look for the people who will make your heart sing. It always seems impossible until it’s done; look for the good in everyone. People all over the world, join hands on the love train. Put a little love in your heart. We are the world. You should know that it’s time for the world to try Jah love. The only love that can bring peace is Jah love. If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.

Zac Brown band sings, “I thank God for my life.” There’s more to life than what you can see. All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’. So when you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark. When darkness blinds the skies with all its light, come see where your eyes cannot see. Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night, until Mr. Blue Sky comes out again, until the rain has passed, through the long, cold, lonely winter. And just remember, in the winter, far beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes the rose.

I hope you never lose that sense of wonder. I hope you feel good vibrations, and I hope you dance. May you always have high hopes and a package of sunshine. May you walk on that sunshine. May you be somebody else’s sunshine when their skies are grey. May you have a bright sunshiney day. May you climb every mountain. May you see God’s face, and become a believer. May every dawn be a new day and a new life, and may you be feelin’ good.

Today is where your book begins; the rest is still unwritten. We look forward to getting to know you. You are titanium. You’re a firework. Your true colors are beautiful like a rainbow. Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Follow the yellow brick road. You’re gonna be, gonna be golden. May you see the light, and let it shine. Amen. Amen. Amen, amen, amen.

Closing Song: Jelly Roll, “I’m Good”

Benediction

May you always have
a happy song on your lips
and an encouraging tune in your hearts!
Amen.

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent, and the band is singing! And we have a baptism! And the March Madness Inspirational Song Tournament kicks off! For a sneak preview, you can head over to our brand new March Madness page on this very website to start voting. A blessed Lent to all ~ hope to see you Sunday!

Call to Worship:  
God is love,
And his word is his valentine.
As Jesus delivers his Word to his people,
May we deliver his love to others.

Unison Prayer:  
In a world full of sorrow,
Let us form a community of joy.
In a world full of hatred,
Let us form a community of love.
In a world full of rivalry,
Let us form a community of peace.

Words of Assurance: 1 John 4:19, Good News Bible
We love because God first loved 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;
and 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.
Amen.

Opening Song: Cory Asbury, “Your Love Is Strong”

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7, Good News Bible

I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell.  I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains—but if I have no love, I am nothing.  I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned—but if I have no love, this does me no good.

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;  love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs;  love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.  Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

Sunday Sermon

We’ve heard this Scripture our whole lives, in church, at weddings and in conversation. We’ve heard it so often that many people can recite it without thinking. It’s a beautiful passage, but so familiar that its power has been blunted. Today I want to look at the passage in a new way, and hopefully restore some of its impact.

The first thing to point out is that Paul isn’t writing about romantic love. The passage can be applied to romantic love, but Paul is writing about Christian love. And the first component is patience.

Love is patient with other people. Love is patient when it is standing on a supermarket line and the person in front of us is buying a lot of stuff and doesn’t have bags and can’t find their wallet and when they do, they don’t have enough money. Love is patient when it is stuck in traffic and the person in front of us keeps braking for no reason and the person in back of us is too close to our bumper and the person next to us wants to get in front of us for no apparent reason because it’s clear none of us is going anywhere anytime soon. Love is patient when a spouse just doesn’t get it and the reason they don’t get it is because they weren’t listening, and if you’ve told them once, you’ve told them a hundred times, to which they respond, “sorry, what was that?” Love is patient when a child isn’t picking up their stuff as fast as we’d like or is taking too long in the bathroom or forgot their homework again or just told you at 8 p.m. that they need something for school tomorrow.

Love is patient and if this doesn’t describe you, that’s fine, but Paul is saying, then it’s not love.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus asks, “Why should you get any credit if you only love people who love you, or say hi to people who say hi to you? Everybody does that!” It’s a fair question. If we choose to love some people and not others, love becomes easy. But love is not easy.

Love is kind to all people. Love, for no other reason than it’s love, holds the doors for others, makes polite conversation, looks for the best in everyone, compliments them, does unexpected favors. Love says yes when it can. Love drops off the food, collects the clothes, stops by the hospital, starts the GoFundMe page, offers a ride. Love is gentle even when it disagrees with an opinion. Love tries to understand that everyone has bad days and that many people have bad lives. Love shows mercy. Love says, “There but for the grace of God go I.” And love has a soft spot for those to whom others have not been kind. Love is especially kind to those who have been hurt or abused, those who have lost their jobs, those who are battling addiction, those who are on the streets. Love goes out of its way to be kind to victims of hate: immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQI+ community.

And if this doesn’t sound like you, Paul is saying, I guess that’s to be expected, but it’s not love.

Love sees that other people are happier, or that their love lives are better, or that they have more money, or that their children are better behaved, or that they get to go on more vacations, or that they are better looking or younger or healthier. And love somehow finds a way to be happy for them, because love is not jealous or bitter or envious. Love applies its energy to itself, to having a healthy attitude and a sense of perspective, because there will always be someone richer, someone younger and someone better looking, and so what?

But on the flip side, love doesn’t lord it over other people. Love doesn’t say, “I’m a good person” or “I’m a good Christian,” because the implication is that someone else isn’t. Love wonders if it is good, because love is aware of its own faults, its own failures, its own sins, but love always tries to be good, always tries to do the right thing, and when it isn’t sure what the right thing is, love looks for help. Sometimes, despite its best intentions, love ends up doing the wrong thing, or making things worse, which is why love keeps returning to God and to other people and saying, “I’ll take responsibility. I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.” Love knows that it doesn’t know everything, so love is always seeking, always learning, always growing.

Love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable, even when love has gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, hasn’t had its coffee, is late for work, is feeling under the weather, is overwhelmed by life, can’t remember its password, gets charged for something it didn’t buy, receives the wrong order, hasn’t heard back from someone, has just seen something on the news, and can’t find its cellphone, glasses or keys. These things happen to everyone. They are unavoidable, and maybe our moods are too. But when these things get to us, and we’re short with other people, or snap at them, or say something sarcastic, or start having negative thoughts such as “I hate people” or “Why do I even try”, or wondering if maybe it’s time for God to end the world, we have to realize that we’re not thinking in love, and when we’re not thinking in love, we’re not likely to act in love.

And most of us – and I hate to admit it, because it includes me – do keep a record of wrongs, but it’s not love. We remember everyone who has even hurt us. But what we do with this is crucial. We can dwell on it and replay it over and over in our minds and think about elaborate revenge schemes and look people up on the internet to see if they’re dead yet, but this is definitely not love. We can let hate and hurt rule our lives, and be resentful, and say we don’t deserve to be treated this way, and we can blame evil spouses and mean bosses and bad doctors, and even blame God, and define our lives by how unfair our circumstances have been, and travel further and further from love, so far that we may fail to recognize it when it is right in front of our faces.

Or – OR ~ we can try our best to forgive and move on. And maybe the other person isn’t sorry, or still thinks they’re right, or didn’t think they did anything wrong, or didn’t care, but it doesn’t matter. Instead of keeping a record of wrongs, we might start keeping a record of rights. What blessings have brought us this far, and what blessings do we have today? What beauty still remains in the world? What did Jesus see when he looked down from the cross at those who had put him there and prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do?” And if we’re still keeping a record of wrongs, we might ask ourselves, “Am I in someone else’s book, and do I deserve it, and if so, what would I do to be forgiven, and how would I feel if they forgave me?”

Here’s where it gets tricky. Love is not happy with a lie, but love is happy with the truth, which means love sometimes has to confront evil. We live in an age that some call “post-truth,” presented with “alternative facts,” but this doesn’t mean that all truth is relative. When we’re told that climate change isn’t real, even though 97% of scientists say it is, we should ask, “Who benefits from this statement?” When we’re told that vaccines are bad, and then kids start dying of measles, we need to see the hard science, not the conjecture. And here’s one conservatives should like: when an official implies that carrying a gun makes a person a domestic terrorist, we should ask, “does this mean that 40% of Americans are terrorists?” Because this can’t be true. The hardest part is to speak truth in love ~ to confront evil while keeping a handle on our emotions.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies and even to pray for them, and models this behavior himself. Paul tells the Romans, “Do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good.” And to the Galatians he writes, “if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way. And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too.” In other words, we cannot become what we hate. We cannot let our anger lead us into sin, because then love goes out the door.

Love is hard work. Fortunately, there is reassurance: “Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail.” We cannot conquer hate with more hate. Love is always the right choice. In the end, love will redeem the entire world. Jesus says that the greatest love is to give one’s life for someone else. When we choose love, we come a little closer to seeing through Jesus’ eyes, and to understanding the reason for the cross. Amen.

Closing Song: Bethel Music, “Stand In Your Love”

Benediction
Know that God’s love is eternal.
Go forth to love and be loved in return. Amen.