I just can’t hide it - 2/14/2021
Call to worship:
L: If the fiend of fear darkens your step, if the demon of pride dogs your trail,
P: Retreat into the hiding place; God shall surround you with love.
L: If the frost of winter nips at your heels, if the chill of death sits on your bones,
P: Come unto the hiding place; God shall wrap you in deliverance.
A: Blessed are they who hide in the Lord, for nothing is hidden that shall not be revealed. Blessed are they who trust in the Lord, for they shall find refuge and strength.
Opening Hymn: Fairest Lord Jesus #189
1 Fairest Lord Jesus,
ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
thee will I cherish,
thee will I honor,
thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown.
2 Fair are the meadows,
fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer,
Jesus is purer,
who makes the woeful heart to sing.
3 Fair is the sunshine,
fairer still the moonlight,
and all the twinkling starry host:
Jesus shines brighter,
Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.
4 Beautiful Savior!
Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor,
praise, adoration,
now and forevermore be thine.
Opening Prayer:
We are untouchables in our own home; we wander among our own people as lepers. Touch us, Lord, and we shall be healed.
We are exiles in our own land; we pass among our own people as strangers. Enter our exile, Lord, and we shall kneel.
We are outcasts in our own world; we dwell among our own people as outsiders. Cast your lot among us, Lord, and we shall follow.
Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
Children's Message (link)
Hymn: Crown Him with Many Crowns #327
1. Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
2. Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o'er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save.
His glories now we sing,
who died, and rose on high,
who died, eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
3. Crown him the Lord of peace,
whose power a scepter sways
from pole to pole, that wars may cease,
and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
and round his pierced feet
fair flowers of paradise extend
their fragrance ever sweet.
4. Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
those wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For thou hast died for me;
thy praise and glory shall not fail
throughout eternity.
Prayer of Dedication:
O Lord, you are the Great Healer. You touch, you tend; you bathe, you bind up; you deaden pain, you awaken joy. Your touch is tender, your tending careful; your bathing is thorough, you binding is gentle; your deadening of pain is merciful, and your awakening of joy is continual.
You have found us in a sick and broken state, and yet, you come to our aid even before we ask; you are the true physician. Let us mirror your actions in this world, that others may know your healing ways. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 1: 40-45
40 A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, 44 saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Sermon Title: I just can’t hide it (link)
In 1983, the Pointer Sisters came out with a hit that is still being prominently played to this day. The words and the energy that they sang with, while describing a relationship between two lovers, tended to resonate with many people in many situations. In other words, it had a great, upbeat energy to it and you can’t help but feel happy when you sing it.
In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, we hear a recounting of the moment on the road when Jesus and his followers are approached by a man with leprosy. Of course the others tell Jesus to stay away from him because if one touches somebody with the disease, they can catch it too. But Jesus does not heed their warnings and goes toward the man anyway.
This man, who has obvious signs of the disease, comes to Jesus and kneels before him saying that if Jesus wants to cure him, He can. His faith was so strong in Jesus and His abilities to heal even the most marginalized people of that era; the lepers.
Then it states that Jesus is “moved with pity”, other translations use words such as compassion or anger or indignant. And Jesus may have felt all of these emotions at once, but with his compassion and the fact that He saw the faith that the man possessed, He in fact touched the man and healed him. “I do choose.” He said.
And immediately, because of the healing and the faith that believed it to be true, the leprosy cleared right before their eyes. Jesus then told the man to say nothing about this miracle, but only to go before the priests, as was the traditional ritual, so that they could see that he was “clean” and they would approve of his re-entry into society.
But instead of remaining quiet, this man who has been instantly healed of a disease that may not end life; but certainly ends living, goes out and tells everyone he sees about it and like Jesus was doing, he preaches the Gospel of God’s love through His Son Jesus Christ. And the reason that he can’t keep quiet is…..because he is so excited and he just can’t hide it.
So here’s a thought…what if we all did that? When was the last time that you went out in public and declared the wonderful thing that Jesus Christ has done for you? Let’s pretend that we are in the middle of the grocery store; there are people in every isle and we decide this is it, this is the moment that we declare our love for the One who saved us from sin and darkness forever. Are you ready? Repeat after me: I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I know that He has saved my soul and that when my earthly body dies, I will be propelled to heaven to live with him. I love Jesus and Jesus loves me!
Did you do it? I didn’t hear you. Let’s do it again. Louder. LOUDER!
I know, the lady over there with the small child in her cart is probably wondering if you are off of your meds or just plain crazy; and maybe that guy over there is getting ready to call security. But then the lady from the next isle who was looking for just the right sauce to go with her pasta because she is planning a special meal for her family tonight, suddenly appears and comes to you and thanks you for speaking up. It turns out that what you said was exactly what she needed to hear; she just had not realized it until that moment.
Do you realize what you have done? You have positively changed the life of another person by making it ok to say that you love Jesus. And I guarantee that the others, the ones who gave you strange looks, went home that day feeling better than they had in a very long time.
Today is Valentine’s Day. A day where we pay homage to a man, Saint Valentine, who brought love to others by spreading the love and grace of Jesus Christ. What better way to celebrate this day is there than to do the same thing. Go out and make sure that everyone hears the message of love and grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I encourage you, don’t hide it, get excited!
Amen!
Closing Hymn: Open My Eyes, That I May See #4541. Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
2. Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!
3. Open my mouth, and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere; open my heart and let me prepare love with thy children thus to share. Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see. Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
