There was a Children's Message about the Feeding of the 5,000 where the congregation joyfully sang, pantomimed and danced with the children before the pastor's presentation. Pastor Emillie then proceeded to show with cotton balls how more appeared to be able to fit into a tight container. So God can provide more than what we may imagine or possibly expect.
The readings were prescient. This week the Gospel was the account of Jesus' Isaiah reading in the synagogue at Nazareth beginning his ministry. They were significant to today and the week's events as detailed in the last blog entry. Pastor Emillie wove into her sermon the Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 that we "are the body of Christ and individually members of it".
Her sermon was moving. At times people may disagree on why they attend church. Some may favor the pastoral focus of faith. They prefer Sunday to be a sanctuary where relationship, community and nurturing are emphasized over the confrontation they face in life. Others prefer the prophetic voice of the church. They want to draw God's will to be done on earth like it is in heaven. They desire Christianity be challenging to the status quo. And, of course, many others fall at various points along that spectrum. This was made dramatically clear in reactions to Bishop Budde's sermon last Tuesday.
Pastor Emillie tied the church's pastoral and prophetic roles together with past histories and the present. She reflected on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor with a prophetic voice who stood up against the Nazi government during World War 2 and was ultimately executed. She brought up Harriet Tubman as a caring individual who escaped slavery and became the conductor of the Underground Railroad. She helped hundreds of enslaved people reach freedom.
Finally she testified after reading the latest headlines coming from her Congolese hometown of Goma which is experiencing significant turmoil this last weekend due to the M23 rebel group's offensive in the eastern region. The rebels, reportedly backed by Rwanda, have seized control of the city, a strategic city and regional hub. This escalation has led to widespread violence, including reports of rapes, looting, and overwhelmed hospitals struggling to treat hundreds of wounded individuals.
Her family fled Goma to settle as refugees in Uganda Her thoughts went to the people who continued to search for a place to call home as they reside there. This is where she preached the Corinthians reading, stressing how important it was to remember we are all one body. As long as there is injustice occurring anywhere we are called to do what we can. The Prayers of the People underscored the importance and brought the desire for transformative justice and peace to God in prayer.
The Communion and the music in the service functioned as a continuation of the prayer.. Christ, Be Our Light became a quiet, humble plea for, and faith in, God's grace as our Hymn of the Day . As we took Communion One Bread, One Body captured the reverence and aspirations so many of us were feeling when we approached the altar for today's foretaste of the feast to come.
Worship can express what we are grateful to receive. Not just the epiphanies, but for the many moments we experience together as a community that make us more aware of what can be changed in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment