DENMAN ISLAND UNITED CHURCH OUTDOOR WORSHIP August 9, 2020 Rev. Elaine Julian
Liturgy adapted from “Celtic Prayers from Iona” by J. Philip Newell, “The Goodness of Creation & Care for the Earth”
Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory and Ancestors
As we gather for worship, we acknowledge with respect the history, spirituality, and culture of the K’omoks First Nation and the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional and unceded territory we meet. We also honour the heritage of all indigenous peoples, as we recognize the need to seek healing and reconciliation between the descendants of the settlers and those who were here before colonization.
Welcome Everyone
Please take note of the special COVID-19 protocols as we help each other stay safe and healthy.
Please follow along in this outline, noting that Bold Print is an invitation to participate
GATHERING AND CENTERING
It was you who formed my inmost parts. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14)
Silence: As we light the Christ candle, be still and aware of God’s presence within and all around.
Candle is lit. Bell is rung.
Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving
O Sun behind all suns, we give you greeting this new day.
Let all Creation praise you. Let the daylight and the shadows praise you.
Let the fertile earth and the swelling sea praise you.
Let the winds and the rain, the lightning and the thunder praise you.
Let all that breathes, of all genders, praise you.
And we shall praise you.
O God of all life, we give you greeting this day.
Free Prayers of Thanks: Offer your gratitude to God, aloud or in silence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0TInLOJuUM
Voices United #409: “Morning Has Broken”
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the word
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass
Ours is the sunlight
Ours is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise ev’ry morning
God’s recreation of the new day
READING AND REFLECTING
Psalm 105: (From “Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness” by Nan C Merrill
You are the Promise of our wholeness,
You await our readinessto choose Life.
Your covenant of Love stands firmthrough all the ages;
You forgive us when we strayfar from Home.
Help us to learn to trust You,to untangle the webs of illusionwe have made.
As we sift through our dreams,guide us to the only Dreamthat brings peace -knowing we belong to You.
Give us wisdom and courageto release all that binds us;
for to face what is built on illusionis to find new life.
Poem: “The Truelove” by David Whyte
There is a faith in loving fiercely
the one who is rightfully yours,
especially if you have
waited years and especially
if part of you never believed
you could deserve this
loved and beckoning hand
held out to you this way.
I am thinking of faith now
and the testaments of loneliness
and what we feel we are
worthy of in this world.
Years ago in the Hebrides
I remember an old man
who walked every morning
on the grey stones
to the shore of the baying seals,
who would press his hat
to his chest in the blustering
salt wind and say his prayer
to the turbulent Jesus
hidden in the water,
and I think of the story
of the storm and everyone
waking and seeing
the distant
yet familiar figure
far across the water
calling to them,
and how we are all
preparing for that
abrupt waking,
and that calling,
and that moment
we have to say yes,
except it will
not come so grandly,
so Biblically,
but more subtly
and intimately in the face
of the one you know
you have to love,
so that when we finally step out of the boat
toward them, we find
everything holds
us, and confirms
our courage, and if you wanted
to drown you could,
but you don’t
because finally
after all the struggle
and all the years,
you don’t want to any more,
you’ve simply had enough
of drowning
and you want to live and you
want to love and you will
walk across any territory
and any darkness,
however fluid and however
dangerous, to take the
one hand you know
belongs in yours.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,[a] for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind,[b] he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Holy Spirit, Holy Word. Thanks be to God.
Silence as we reflect on the Word: What storms are threatening you right now? What glimpses of hope are calling out to you? How might you step out of the boat? Can you?
Bell is rung.
Reflection: Stormy Weather
Reflection for Aug. 9, 2020
Rev. Elaine Julian
The August long weekend always seems to be the absolute height of the cruising and fishing season on Discovery Passage: a constant parade of luxury yachts and smaller cruisers, commercial fishing boats and tow boats, small recreational fishing boats and whale watching boats, water taxis and the ferry to Quadra Island. The waters and winds in our narrow passage are fast and tricky, so we don’t see boats powered by sail and paddle and oar as often as power boats, but they too venture out when conditions are right. It’s amazing to think that the indigenous peoples of this area regularly braved the weather and waves in relatively small canoes to feed their people.
Related to the increase in boat traffic is the seasonal uptick in news stories of accidental drownings and near misses. We can’t separate our awareness of boats from an awareness of water: the water that both carries and threatens our fragile crafts, the water that feeds us and sometimes kills us, the water of sparkling waves and unimaginably dark depths. When we reduce the power of water to pretty scenery or a summer playground, we do so at our peril.
For the ancient Hebrew people, the water of river and lake and ocean was a chaotic force, a threat to human life. It was a power opposed to God’s creation, a power that could only be tamed by God. A mountain, on the other hand, was understood to be the meeting place between heaven and earth, a place of encounter with the divine.
And so we find Jesus needing to be alone on the mountaintop to pray, after he has fed the crowds and sent them home, after he has sent the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee ahead of him. Jesus is already asking a lot of his disciples: a night crossing on a stormy night, across a big lake with no shelter. A few of the disciples are fishermen and familiar with what they are doing, others not so much. And when they are far from land where there is no turning back, they are in trouble. The waves are high, the wind is against them, they can’t move forward and they can’t turn back. Have you experienced a time like that when you have been out on the water in a storm, in a chaos of howling wind and heaving water, of up and down and lurching stomach, when it crossed your mind that you might not make it? It is a place and time where primal fear takes over. Only our fragile boat protects us from complete disaster.
Into that chaos, across that chaos, walks Jesus. But the disciples, far from taking comfort, are not sure how to interpret his arrival and they jump to the conclusion that he is a ghost sent by the powers of evil to trick them. But Jesus tells them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid”.
In the gospel of Matthew, this isn’t enough for Peter. He wants still more confirmation that Jesus is who he says he is. Jesus tells him, “come” and he gets out of the boat and starts walking towards Jesus, but when he notices again how strong the storm is, his fear comes flooding back and he starts to sink. He cries to Jesus to save him, and Jesus reaches out his hand to catch him.
There are three things to pay attention to in this unique encounter.
First of all, Peter asked for it. Jesus’ invitation to him to step out of the boat is in response to Peter’s demand for proof that Jesus is there and can protect him.
Secondly, Peter is ok until the danger he finds himself in distracts him from Jesus. His focus on Jesus is what keeps him safe.
The third thing we notice is that only Peter asks for confirmation of Jesus’ identity, only Peter risks everything, almost loses everything. But Peter’s very human mixture of doubt and faith, desperation and salvation, moves all the disciples from terror to commitment.
I have started to offer a weekly morning prayer time on Zoom for the people of Campbell River United Church, where the minister has resigned and there is no weekly worship, virtual or otherwise. We read this passage last Tuesday, and I invited people to share how they see themselves in this story. One of them said she really relates to Peter, who responds in spite of his fear, steps towards Jesus, then loses his nerve again. Somewhere I have seen Peter referred to as “the apostle of sober second thought.” One person spoke of how hard it is to see Jesus in the midst of ongoing health issues. One heard in it a call to stronger spiritual practice. And I thought about what the story means in the midst of the chaos of COVID 19.
As we hear about the storm that threatens the small boat, we are reminded that as we follow Jesus there will be troubled times The worst time for the disciples is the time between saying goodbye to Jesus and seeing him again. It reminds me of the saying, “When one door closes, another door opens, but it’s hell in the hallways.”
The hallways are long, dark and twisty but Jesus does not abandon us. Jesus will be there when we need him most. Just as Jesus can conquer the chaos of the water and the storm, Jesus can conquer our fears, but Jesus often appears in unexpected places and times. Recognizing and responding to his presence and invitation involves commitment and risk. Jesus says “Come” and calls us to step out of the boat, to risk the storm, to move ahead with a renewed and hopeful focus.
The shore we paddle towards, the goal of all our effort, is the kindom of God, a place of justice and peace and reconciliation. Courage, my friends. God is with us, we are not alone.
Prayer from Corrymeela Community:
God who withdraws into quiet, God who returns with reassurance:
After you took time for yourself you approached the disciples with a calming power.
May we, even as we fail to match your miraculous ways, find peace like yours in the care we offer ourselves.
And then may we, in the midst of new storms, quiet the fears that unsettle our hearts. Amen.
RESPONDING
Offering: We are creatively combining work and play in the Spirit, talking, dreaming, and planning for a new way of being the church and connecting with the Denman Island community. We continue to need your support through your sharing of time, talent and treasure. If you are worshipping from home and you are able to support us financially, your donations can be mailed to: Denman Island United Church, 4575 Denman Road, Denman Island BC V0R 1T0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Dor2_G-2M
Voices United #603: “In Loving Partnership”
In loving partnership we come,
seeking, O God, your will to do.
Our prayers and actions now receive;
we freely offer them to you.
We are the hands and feet of Christ,
serving by grace each other’s need.
We dare to risk and sacrifice
with truthful word and faithful deed.
Loving community we seek;
your hope and strength within us move.
The poor and rich, the strong and weak
are brought together in your love.
In loving partnership, O God,
help us your future to proclaim.
Justice and peace be our desire,
we humbly pray in Jesus’ name.
INTERCESSIONS:
There is no plant in the ground but tells of your beauty, O Christ.
There is no creature on the earth, there is no life in the sea
but proclaims your goodness.
There is no bird on the wing, there is no star in the sky,
there is nothing beneath the sun but is full of your blessing.
Lighten our understanding of your presence all around, O Christ.
Kindle our will to be caring for all of Creation and all of your children.
Aloud or in silence, share your prayers of concern, pray for the coming day and for the care of the earth.
And so, as children turn to a mother who watches over them, let us turn to God praying in the words Jesus taught us:
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
CLOSING PRAYER:
Bless to us O God our souls that come from on high.
Bless to us O God our bodies that are of earth.
Bless to us O God each thing our eyes see, each sound our ears hear.
Bless to us O God each scent that goes to our nostrils,
Each taste that goes to our lips, each ray that guides our way.
Thanks be to God. Amen.