Welcome
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for joining us for worship today
on this 6th of Easter / Mother’s Day / Christian Family Sunday.
Call to Worship (Psalm 98:1-3)
“O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.”
Let us worship God
Opening Prayers
Holy God,
The power of your love is beyond comprehension,
the breadth of your compassion without measure.
In Jesus Christ, you have met us in the midst of life’s joys and challenges
and shown us what it means to love and be loved.
You have entrusted us with the greatest commandment
to love one another as Christ has loved us.
In this time of worship, we offer you our love and loyalty,
seeking to learn more of what love and loyalty mean for us
in the midst of our joys and challenges.
Receive our prayers and praise,
and through the power of your Spirit, draw us closer to you
and closer to each other as friends and followers of Christ, our Risen Lord.
Merciful God,
We confess we often find it difficult to love others as you commanded.
Though we intend to do your will, our priorities lead us in other directions.
We seek our own security before the well-being of others.
We fulfill our own desires rather than act for the common good.
We justify our own interests
and fail to understand the cost they take on the earth and other people.
Forgive us.
Redirect our priorities and renew our commitment to live out your love
even when it demands more of us than we expect.
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn us? Only Christ—
And Christ died for us; Christ rose for us; Christ reigns in power for us; Christ prays for us. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made new by God’s generous grace.
Prayer for Understanding
Lord, we long for your wisdom and truth. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we listen. Prepare our ears to hear your Word and our hearts to receive it. Amen.
Scripture:
Psalm 98 A Song praising God for his salvation, mercy and judgments.
1 John 5:1-6 Faith conquers the world.
John 15:9-17 Jesus continues to speak to his disciples about loving one another.
Hymn: Come Children Join to Sing – Words by Christian H. Batemen. Music: MADRID
Sermon: Surprised by Joy
“Surprised by joy” is the title of a book by C. S. Lewis. There is a three-fold play on words in this brief phrase. The first Surprise, Lewis recounts, was to be converted as an adult who had question and even mocked religion. His conversion to Christianity came at age 31, which surprised many of his scholarly friends who knew him as a determined skeptic and critical scholar. Lewis had been surprised by the joy of knowing and following Christ.
The second surprise was in coming late to another unexpected wonder. He met and married Joy Davidman Gresham later in life, at a time he had thought that the joy of marriage had passed.
The third surprise was the joy in Christ that he rediscovered after his wife Joy died and after a long difficult period of grief.
Anyone who has come to faith in Jesus as the Christ has in one way or another been surprised by joy of knowing him. Jesus declared that if we abide or remain or stay connected to God in love, then we would experience God’s joy. The joy of which Jesus speaks is a deep seated gladness that is not dependent upon circumstances, but flows from of a committed relationship with Christ.
I suspect many of us enjoy and love a good comedy, whether it be a good story, play, or movie that are filled with humor and resolved by a happy ending. The best comedies are not simply playful, but have twists and turns of plot and some reflection on the tragic elements of life. But, in the end, the tragic is upset and the story takes a happy turn. Comedies, too, are joyful surprises.
The gospel story is so called because it is basically a comedy. It is good news. It begins with a birth, an almost universally happy occurrence. It is filled with intrigue, with surprising turns and twists. It contains humorous stories and those that touch the darkest aspects of life. It nearly ends tragically, but finishes with one impossibly joyous event: the resurrection of Jesus. In that way the Gospel of Jesus is pure comedy.
This lesson from John’s gospel provides a glimpse of the whole nature of this comedic story. In John chapters 13-16, Jesus teaches his disciples once more, he gives a kind of farewell address which includes examples, assurances, and challenges. One of the surprises that farewell address is where Jesus declares his disciples to be his friends. This is rather remarkable joyous occasion for those who have been his missional students who have called Jesus their Lord/Master.
I grew up in a time when as a child, teen and young adult you addressed adults of a certain age as Mr. and Mrs. It was a big deal when a family friend or an adult invited you to call them by their first name. It was a change in the relationship from a formal one to a deeper friendship. I have to confess that even into my forties I still wanted to refer to my parent’s friends as Mr. or Mrs. as a sign of respect and love for them. I still consider it an honor, even in our informal age, the privilege of talking to someone using their first name.
When Jesus announces to his disciples or his students if you will, we realize from our perspective, even they didn’t fully comprehend this change of status in their relationship with Jesus that they have been through moments both tragic and comic as Jesus their teacher and Lord has led and taught them. They have walked long dusty roads and visited countless villages and homes together. They have shared miraculous moments and have seen the power of God at work in impossible ways. And now, in this final address, Jesus summarizes his lessons:
• These men are chosen to continue the journey.
• They are to act in love and to bear good fruits.
• They may even be called upon to lay down their lives for other people.
• They will not be alone. They have God’s love to sustain them.
• They have God’s promise that whatever they ask in Jesus’ name, they shall receive.
And, in the midst of this summary of his teaching, Jesus says the one of the reasons he told them these things is …
“so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (Jn 15:11)
There it is, the happy twist, the comedy.
But there is a problem. It sounds wrong, doesn’t it? If his disciples remember Jesus’ teaching about love, they know that it will be a tremendous burden. Turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, thinking of others first, forgiving every wrong. Following God’s commandments is tough, even painful. Where is the joy in that?
Still, Jesus assures them that, although this life is one of sacrifice and pain, it is also a life of joy. The gladness comes for his followers, just as it did for Jesus, in living into the promises of faith.
Joy in faith is a promise of trusting God at his word and moving forward in life with those promises in mind. But it will not ring true if it is a promise only for others. Everyone knows the emptiness of the words, “I am happy for you.” How can we be deeply glad when something wonderful befalls another while we are left wanting? It is here we discover the difference between happiness and joy. Happiness has an aspect of selfishness to it. I am happy when I get what I want. But happiness is too often short-lived. When that which has made me happy or fulfilled disappears, I go back to being unfulfilled or unhappy.
Joy on the other hand arises out a love of God, that is unselfish and sacrifices for others. It is a sense that what has filled you, or others or me with something wonderful and good and need is worth celebrating. Our joy or gladness is made complete when others and ourselves experience the love, mercy, provision, glory and presence of God in their lives. This joy sustains us in the high and low moments of life.
The Rev. Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian minister and author of many books writes in his book Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale that the gospel is more than tragedy and comedy. He says it is also fairy tale.
Tragically, Jesus dies. In comedic tradition, there is the joyous of endings: Jesus is risen. But, even more, the death and resurrection are for us. That, he says, is too good to be true. That is the fairytale quality of it all. It is something too wonderful to hope for. It is not just some happy couple living happily forever after; it is we who live with a joy that sustains us into eternity.
One might expect, then, that the followers of Christ would be a joy-filled people. Indeed, they were. Imagine the joy of those whom Jesus healed. Imagine joy of Lazarus’ family when Jesus tells him to come of his tomb. Imagine the joy of the first followers of Jesus whose sorrow is turned to joy on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Imagine the joy of first gentiles Christians when they are embraced and included by the early church. There is the great joy in being loved by God, being wrapped in God’s plans and desires for our world.
Going back to C. S. Lewis, who I talked about at the beginning of the sermon was not only surprised by joy, he could also describe the feeling of deep gladness that comes through an encounter with Christ.
In a series of books Lewis wrote to explain the Christian faith to children, beginning with the “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,” Lewis speaks of the joy Christ offers us in this way.
Please note that Lewis used the character of a Lion named Aslan to represent Christ and the names of Susan and Lucy are two of the four children in his story who encounter the Christ-like Aslan.
“Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream, it feels as if it had some enormous meaning – either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again.
It was like that now. At the name of Aslan (that is Jesus Christ) each one of the children felt something jump in his inside…. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer. (C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe [New York: Collier/Macmillan, 19701, pp. 64-65].)
We are reminded today, that Jesus calls us no longer servants, but his friends. We have come to know the something of the completeness of God’s joy in our lives as we come to . . .
Know Christ more each day,
Show our love for Christ by following his commands and making sacrifices for others,
Bear the fruit of his love in our lives and witness for him each day.
My prayer for us today is we will never stop being surprised by God’s joy that God gives to us in and through the life and work of Christ our Lord and Friend. I would encourage you each day this week to reflect upon when you have experienced God’s love and joy throughout your day. Offer those moment to God with gratefulness and love.
To the One who has created us, redeemed us, and empowered us to be
his voices, feet, hands, and people in this time and place.
Be all glory, praise, and honor.
AMEN!
Closing Prayer
God of our lives and our loving,
We thank you for the signs of resurrection that are all around us,
showing that life is stronger than death.
Give us the grace to recognize and embrace the gifts of new life
that your love makes possible for us all,
as we pray for your resurrecting power to renew the world amid all its challenges.
God of home and family,
today we thank you for our families,
especially for our mothers and grandmothers.
We are grateful for their love and attention, their hard work
and the deep hope they have cherished for each one of us.
We honour before you each mother, grandmother and great grandmother
who has died;
and we pray for all those who have felt isolated from their families
in these months of pandemic.
Reunite us in your love.
God of connections and compassion,
Today we thank you for our friends and relations,
for the neighbours and fellow citizens who help to make our lives complete.
We thank you for smiles shared, helping hands offered, commitments honoured. And we pray for all those around us who are facing particular challenges this day…
(Keep a brief silence)
Restore our hope with your love.
God of courage and new possibility,
Today we pray for all those who have felt life or love slipping through their fingers in the times of distancing we’ve had to endure,
and for those who have struggled with their physical or mental health,
whatever the reason.
We pray for communities trying to sort out how to recover from the pandemic
and for all those worried about their personal future.
Encourage us with your love.
God of forgiveness and renewal:
Today we pray for those whose relationships are need of repair
and for all who work for peace and reconciliation in the face of deep divisions.
We pray for families, churches, communities and countries facing conflict,
and ask that your Spirit open hearts and minds to deeper understanding.
Reconcile us through your love.
As friends and followers of Jesus, we offer the words he taught us,
precious to the whole family that claims his love:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.
Charge / Benediction: Rom. 15:13
As Friends of Christ,
We go to love God
to love our neighbors and one another.
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Have great week. Stay safe!
Be a blessing to someone this week!
Mission Moment – Ministry of Hope and Care
Fernando’s dream of becoming a police officer seemed out of reach when he and his brother were children living on the streets of Miscke, a rural village in Romania. Twelve years later, he attends university and is closer to fulfilling his dream thanks to Samuel House, where Fernando and his brother found a welcoming home. Samuel House is a Christian social ministry of the Reformed Church in Romania, Királyhágómellék District, providing nutritious food, education and after-school care to children from disadvantaged families. Presbyterians Sharing has been supporting this important ministry of hope and care since 2014.
Prayer Partnership
Sunday, May 9 (Christian Family Sunday) We pray for the health and well-being of families, and that the relationships within them are marked by peace, love, trust and care.
Monday, May 10 We pray for the members of the Ministry Committee of the Presbytery of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia. May they feel a strong sense of God’s presence.
Tuesday, May 11 We pray for rural and remote congregations, and for those who serve them.
Wednesday, May 12 We pray for the students graduating from Knox College today, who are looking forward to ministries in congregational leadership, spiritual care and psychotherapy, and theological teaching.
Thursday, May 13 (Ascension Day) We give thanks to God for Christ who was “manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16 CSB).
Friday, May 14 We pray for the Rev. Maurice Davantin, Director of Formation Biblique et Théologique à Maurice, an ecumenical Theological Education by Extension program in Mauritius.
Saturday, May 15 We pray for people around the world who are striving to rise above poverty with educational opportunities and livelihood support through Presbyterian World Service & Development programs.