Worship Preview 5.3.26 “On Earth As It Is In Heaven.”

WORSHIP THIS SUNDAY: 10:30am. “On Earth As It Is In Heaven.”  Scriptures: Joel 2: 13-14,28-32, Matthew 7:15-29, Matthew 25:31-40. Rev. Christopher Eshelman preaching. Communion open to all.

“Thy Kingdom come… Thy Will be done…”  We continue our Easter season sermon series “the Heart of the Matter” with our focus on prayer and living a Christlike life. Each week we are exploring different aspects of and ways to engage in the practice of prayer, guided by the words of the Lord’s Prayer. In the beginning of his deep study and commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, C. Clifton Black quotes two great insights. First, from theologian Dom John Chapman, the encouragement to “Pray as you can, and do not try to pray as you can’t. Take yourself as you find yourself, and start from that.” Then he shares a definition of prayer from theologian J. Neville Ward, who writes that “the purification of desire, the education of human wanting, is one of the principal ways in which God answers prayer.” I think those two quotes are an excellent way to approach prayer. As I’ve said the past two weeks, the Lord’s

Prayer is not merely a collection of words we are to repeat – although certainly saying these words on or own or together in worship is a good thing! – but it is more than that – it is a template for how we are to pray and how we are to live!

Jesus takes people where and as they are – but God’s grace also doesn’t leave us where Jesus finds us. Prayer is one of the ways we actively participate in the process and seek to have our wants conform to God’s dWill. We began by recognizing that “Our” prayers are connected, that we are all related through “Our Father.” We continued last week talking about “Hallowed” and focusing on how we recognize our connection and relationship through God’s ongoing Creation. This week we we will look at how we say and understand the full phrase “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The way most of us learn to say this prayer there is a pause or break before “on earth” and we may lose some meaning if we’re not careful. Let’s look at each phrase: "Thy kingdom come." The Greek word for "come" here iselthetō — a specific verb tense that does not mean "may it come someday." It means "let it arrive now. Bring it here. Already." "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In the original Greek, this is one continuous thought — asking that the reality of heaven be found, be done, hear the earth – now… already. It is a call for and a commitment to transformation – a promise to participate in what God is doing – here, now… already!

Sunday we’ll dive into the context of Jesus teaching of this prayer. In this season of Easter we’ll look back to the beginning of Lent and forward to Pentecost with a traditional Ash Wednesday reading from Joel 2 which is quoted in Acts 2 which assures us that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” and we’ll hear more of the Sermon on the Mount with more from Matthew 7, where Jesus cautions “not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

We didn’t really look at the earlier phrase “Who Art in Heaven” – but as Jesus is saying in Matthew 7, this line of the Lord’s Prayer that he taught in Matthew 6 expands on it. God is both transcendent – beyond time and space – and immanent, that is - with us – in the person of Jesus, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. God “art” in Heaven – that is, where God dwells, is heaven. Not so much a place or destination, but an essence, which, through Jesus, we are invited to experience and participate in – “now! Already!”

How do we reconcile the tension between the assurance in Joel / Acts that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” and Jesus’ caution of “not everyone”? We’ll go back to last weeks discussion of “hallowed” – what it means to notice and respond – to repent and give honor and glory not just in word, but in action. Jesus makes this point again in our reading from Matthew 25. We enter the Kingdom, by the grace of God, each time we bear good fruit – when we feed, clothe, and visit in Jesus name – not focused on our own glory and gain, but in humility and service. And we’ll be reminded that we are given an example and equipped for this by Jesus, who invites us to the table – all of us! - to receive the bread of life and the cup of salvation – and then share it with others. Musician and author Carrie Newcomer has said “Although I cannot change the whole world, I can have tremendous impact upon the world three feet around me. I still know how to love this world, even when so much of it breaks my heart. We still know how to be good neighbors, which is deep & abiding, wisdom encouraged in every spiritual tradition-and this will help us rise to what comes next.”

Prayer is not about telling God what to do – although we can certainly ask – it is about “educating our wants” and living out what we’ve learned as good, fruitful neighbors. I look forward to continuing to explore these insights with you! Christ is risen indeed! In life, in death, in life beyond death. God is with us! We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen! Wherever you are on your walk of faith, you are invited to bring your whole self to worship at 10:30am each Sunday. 301 S. National. Blessings on your journey!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

FEEDING FAMILIES IN HIS NAME: Wednesday, May 6 - A free, no obligation meal is served “to-go” style from underneath our portico from 5:15pm to 6:15pm each Wednesday, prepared each week by our members as well as several area churches and community groups. We aim to provide 400 meals per week. 

AGING FORWARD RETURNS FRIDAY, MAY 15TH. Aging Forward sessions feature local speakers on a variety of topics to encourage lifelong learning and fellowship for retired adults (and anyone else interested!). This month we will gather at 1pm in Fellowship Hall for light refreshments and conversation then go upstairs to the Sanctuary to attend a Senior Recital by Talya Banwart, one of Pat Harry’s piano students. When that concludes, we’ll move back to Fellowship Hall for a presentation by our own Pastor Christopher on contemplative walking and mindfulness.