Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven

 Eastern Parkway United Methodist Church

 

 

 

  

A warm welcome to each worshipper today. We celebrate you and offer you our friendship and love. We are a congregation of people who seek to grow spiritually, to become more like Christ in His compassion and acceptance of everyone while growing more aware of what it really means to be Christians today.

As a Reconciling Congregation, EPUMC affirms the sacred worth of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities and welcomes them into full participation in the fellowship, membership, ministries, and leadership of the congregation.

 

 

 

943 Palmer Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12309 / 518-374-4306 epumc943@gmail.com / www.easternparkway.com

Order of Worship

March 20, 2022

Third Sunday in Lent

10:00 a.m.

*You are invited to rise in body or spirit.

 

Prelude Sursum Corda A. M. Smith, arr. J. Wayne Kerr

Greeting and Announcements

Mission Statement:

We are a faith community striving to be, to nurture, and to send forth disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

Call to Worship: By Eric Alsgaard

Lord, you are our God.

We will praise you with joyful lips.

Lord, you are our God.

Our souls thirst for you.

Lord, you are our God.

We behold your power and majesty.

Lord, you are our God.

We will bless you all of the days of our lives.

 

*Hymn There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy #121, vv. 1, 3, 4              

Prayer of Confession:

A broken and contrite heart is the acceptable sacrifice to you, O God. And so we come before you today, as sinners in need of your mercy. Grant us your forgiveness, O God. Help us turn from our old ways. Lead us into newness of life, that our actions may be found pleasing in your sight. Amen.

 

Assurance:

Hear the Good News: Jesus came into this world not to condemn this world, but that all may have new life through him. In Jesus’ name, we are forgiven, loved, and free. 

Anthem Hashivenu Israeli Folksong John Leavitt, arr.

Scripture Reading         Luke 13: 1-9

Repent or Perish

13 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

 

Sermon Thy Kingdom Come,

Thy Will Be Done on Earth as It Is in Heaven

Friends, this is part 3 of our Lenten sermon series about the Lord’s Prayer. We’re now up to “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

That last line left me in a state of wondering about heaven. Some of you have heard my ideas about Heaven before, and I mentioned them in a sermon 2 years ago, but that was early in my relationship with you all, and deep in the throes of COVID. 

We all have different ideas about what the word “Heaven” means, where it is, how you get there, who goes there, and when you get there…what it looks like. That last idea caused me the most curiosity this week. I grew up being taught about angels and clouds and pearly gates, and that image worked for me for a long time. But then I was 16, and my Grandma G, who lived with my family and who I loved very much, had a stroke and died, at the glorious old age of 90. A life very well lived. But I couldn’t imagine Grandma G bouncing around on clouds, or playing a harp. That might be someone else’s paradise, but it would never be hers. I’ve also seen heaven depicted as a field of beautiful flowers, or mountains, or limitless light. But none of those worked for me, and still don’t.

The heaven where I’ll see Grandma G again someday has to be a place where your own version of paradise is created for you, and where your loved ones can come find you. If this is too silly for you, please just tune me out for a minute. But in the last 20 years since Grandma’s passing, I’ve only imagined Heaven as looking like Six Flags. It’s a huge park, with many awesome things to do, and God gives you a map and a high five when you get there and tells you to go have a blast. Grandma’s lazy boy would be up there, next to a stack of crossword puzzles, today’s paper, and a TV playing the news. She’d also get an unlimited supply of Frosted Flakes because that was her favorite cereal. If I see that some day, I’ll know I’m in heaven.

How would you know? Have you ever wondered? What sight would be so full of perfect love that you would know you’ve reached an eternal paradise if you saw it? And if you can imagine that sight here, while we’re all alive…then do you need to wait until you die to see it?

This is the question Jesus invites us to ask in this particular segment of the Lord’s Prayer. And this question is one of many reasons why I love Jesus. He invites us into a holy wonder that makes us grow from the moment our minds engage with him.

This week’s look at this ultra familiar prayer will also invite us to look at the differences between Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, and Luke’s. In general, Luke’s version is much shorter. He writes:

“Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Boy does that end abruptly, when held up against what we’re used to saying. By contrast, Matthew’s account of the Lord’s Prayer goes like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Still not word for word what we say now, but much closer to it, especially where this line is concerned. Luke thought “your kingdom come” was enough to encapsulate Jesus’ intention, but Matthew believed we needed to hear, and then say, more words in order to pray as Jesus really taught us. Among a few things, this teaches us today that personal interpretation is important in this prayer. It held a meaning for Luke’s community, and a meaning for Matthew’s. But they needed different words to get there. What does the Lord’s Prayer mean to you? Are there words that stand out in that prayer for you more than others? You guys know I change the beginning. Do you ever add or subtract words to make this prayer hit your heart in just the right way?

Moving past that, though, the line we look at this week invites us to a number of very important spiritual questions. What is God’s Kingdom? Is that a synonym for Heaven, or something else? What is God’s will? And what is Jesus ultimately asking for here, if he wants us to pray that God’s will is carried out identically in heaven and earth?

Let’s take a look at this week’s Gospel reading to answer this question. Let’s call it what it is: these words do not come off as the most comforting of Jesus’ teachings. They border on “Scary Jesus”. Jesus starts by referring to two local crises: a lethal animal-sacrifice-turned-human-sacrifice situation involving violent and unscrupulous King Herod and men who were likely neighbors of Jesus’ disciples, and then a deadly disaster involving the destruction of a building. Then he teaches a parable about a farmer and a fig tree that isn’t growing–”throw some manure on it, and cut it down if it doesn’t grow in a year.” Throughout all 3 stories, Jesus weaves the same common chord: you will die, too, if you don’t repent. You’re not better than anyone else. Ouch. Way harsh, Jesus.

What helped me see the light in these words was looking at this life, here, today. I’ve been doing anything I can to avoid putting gas in my car. I get the groceries delivered, I can walk to my place of work (so convenient!), my older two kids take the bus to school. As my “low fuel” light turned on in my van I sang “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” But when I got down to 1/32 of a tank I knew I couldn’t push it any farther or I would be literally “pushing it”, my car, the rest of the way home. I remember when I could fill my tank from empty for $40, maybe $45. This week it was $70. I grumbled about politics. I grieved a war that has exacerbated this inflation. I lamented the greed of the oil corporations. But I can grouse and wax philosophical about these issues all I want. At the end of the day I’m not any better or worse than a despotic Russian President, or a Texan oil billionaire. I have some fortunes and privileges that many of my neighbors lack: the ability to avoid driving as much as I manage to, an income that can stretch to accommodate the cost of gas and groceries at such a time as this, supportive family and friends. I’ve faced major hardship in my life, but I’ve avoided a lot, too, and I’m not going to have to make the impossible decision to walk in hazardous conditions to work because I can’t afford gas. And I’m not huddling with my babies in a Ukrainian bomb shelter. Nor am I sitting behind a desk in Russia with a finger on the “deploy the nukes” button.

But the thing is no matter where you see yourself on the morality meter today, or on the luck meter, or on the faith meter, we’re all going to decompose in the same dirt when we die.

The good news is coming right now, I promise!

Life would be this dismal picture of meaninglessness and moral relativism without Jesus, but he empowers us to be more, to be better, and to do better. He charges us with the task of building the Kingdom of God.

Many use that phrase as a synonym for “heaven”, and they’re not wrong. But more than something we’ll see in heaven, the Kingdom of God is a reality that Jesus asks us to build here. When we act in love, choose justice, walk in righteousness, and treat one another with compassion, we build the Kingdom of God. When we treat one another as family, we build the Kingdom of God. This is the reason why many of my colleagues take out the “g” in Kingdom, and teach about the “Kin-dom” of God.

The Kin-dom of God is a place where we check in on our neighbors, especially when we know they’ve been struggling. It’s a place where we carpool and rideshare to help one another out. It’s a place where we vote for laws and political leaders who help our most vulnerable friends, rather than making the rich richer. It’s a place where we lend our hands and feet at food banks and local missions that reach our friends who need help. It’s a place where we give to UMCOR and other organizations that are helping war victims, if we are so fortunate to have those means right now. It’s a place where we’re in constant prayer.

That place is coming. I see it in y’all every day.

That is a place where there is nothing but God’s love and justice. That place is, by definition, a paradise. Heaven. When we live that way, we bring heaven to earth. When we live that way, I can see heaven as clearly as I saw my Grandma doing crosswords in her lazy boy when I was a kid.

God’s Kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

 

*Hymn                          Change My Heart, O God                     #2152

                                  Led by the Front Porch Rockers    

Offering

Offertory Sarabande from French Suite in E J. S. Bach

*Doxology #95

*Prayer of dedication           

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

O God of everflowing grace, you fill our every need and satisfy our every hunger. As we come before you to feast on your goodness our mouths are filled with praise for your wonderful Name.

From generation to generation you have sustained your people. In the deserts of life you bring forth springs of water. When we encounter the storms of life, you are our refuge. You nurture us as your own beloved, but we do not bear fruit. We are never satisfied. We seek out the comforts of this earth and do dishonor to you, the Giver of every good gift. We are liable for judgement, for our guilt is great. Spare your wrath from falling on us, O merciful God. Forgive our sin and free us to follow with joy in your righteous ways.

Led and sustained by your Spirit, your Church has continued to this day. Anoint us with that same Spirit that we may be your witnesses, calling the nations of the world to run to you, the Holy One of Israel.

Your tender mercy and compassion extends beyond our ability to comprehend it. We commit to your loving care this day our loved ones whom we have named. O God, be their help. Take them in the shadow of your wings; uphold them with your right hand and give them strength to bear their trials. Give healing to the sick, peace to the dying, and comfort those who morn.

We know that those who call upon your Name rejoice. Help us rejoice anew as we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Timothy J. Crouch, OSL, Nancy B. Parks, OSL, Chris E. Visminas, Mark R. Babb, OSL, And Also With You: Worship Resources Based on the Revised Common Lectionary Year C (OSL Publications, 1994), 51.

Our Father, Mother, Creator God, 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, as forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. Amen.

*Hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah #127         

Benediction

Congregational Response UMH 672, v. 1

Postlude As the Deer M. Nystrom, Mark Hayes, arr

Staff

Natalie Bowerman Pastor

Betsy Lehmann Music Director

Joe White Custodian

Cassandra Brown Nursery Attendant