A Troubled Heart - 03/21/2021

 

Call to worship:

L: The hour comes, and now is, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with my people.

P: It shall not be written upon tablets of stone, but upon the tablets of the heart.

L: We shall no longer instruct our neighbors from a book.

P: They shall no longer need any teacher but the Lord.

A: Waken our ears, O Lord, and speak to us the words of your covenant.

Opening Hymn:   Beneath the Cross of Jesus   #297

1. Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.

2. Upon that cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me;
and from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess:
the wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness.

3. I take, O cross, thy shadow
for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of his face;
content to let the world go by,
to know no gain nor loss,
my sinful self my only shame,
my glory all the cross. 

Opening Prayer:   

O God, with whom we have set ourselves at odds and from whom we have gone astray, the separation between us would have been final but for you. The more we tried to break free from you, the harder you sought to keep hold of us. And finally, O Lord, you brought us back, not with a yoke of iron, but with a yoke of love. Now that we are home in your tender embrace, let us freely take upon ourselves your yoke, for your yoke is easy, and your burden is light.

Epistle Reading:  Hebrews 5: 5-10

⁵ So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you”;

⁶ as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
    according to the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; ⁹ and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, ¹⁰ having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Children's Message (link)

Hymn:  Where He Leads Me   #338

1. I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow me."

Refrain:
Where he leads me I will follow,
where he leads me I will follow,
where he leads me I will follow;
I'll go with him, with him all the way.

2. I'll go with him through the garden,
I'll go with him through the garden,
I'll go with him through the garden,
I'll go with him, with him all the way.
(Refrain)

3. I'll go with him through the judgment,
I'll go with him through the judgment,
I'll go with him through the judgment,
I'll go with him, with him all the way.
(Refrain)

4. He will give me grace and glory,
he will give me grace and glory,
he will give me grace and glory,
and go with me, with me all the way.
(Refrain) 

Prayer of Dedication:

O Lord, by whose grace slaves were set free and no people became your people, we too have felt your slave-liberating, people-making, power. We worship you not only for the gracious past our ancestors shaped for us; we worship you also for the glorious future we are shaping for our descendants. We come unto you because you first came unto us; we seek you because you first sought us; and we love you because you first loved us. We are not your people because we chose you to be our God. We are your people because you chose us to be your people, and for this we are thankful.   Amen.

Gospel Reading:   John 12: 20-33

²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. ²¹ They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” ³⁰ Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. 

Sermon Title:    A Troubled Heart (link)

Today marks the fact that we are getting right down to the wire. Jesus is very much aware that his time on earth is coming to an end and I have the feeling as I read this passage that he is sensing some urgency in making sure that everything gets done. He is still speaking in parables so that people will listen instead of turning a deaf ear. And one point he makes here in John is that the grain of wheat must fall to the earth and die before it can produce more wheat, (before it can bear much fruit.)

He shares with them again how to follow or serve him; that one must serve in order to be honored by God.

The arrival of the Greeks, in this text, confirms what the Pharisees were talking about in verse 19, saying that they can do nothing; the world has gone after him (Jesus). And in the next paragraph Jesus lets it be known that the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified (referring to his death and resurrection) and in the same moment, calls the Greeks who were seeking him to follow him on his mission. So along with Jews, there are now Greeks and then Gentiles, and others who have been called by Jesus to deny themselves and follow him; seeking to spread the message of the Gospel into the whole world and to all peoples.

How many of us have had a difficult job or task to do, but even though we know we need to do it, we kind of don’t want to or maybe we don’t know that we are able to do it? And in those moments leading up to the completion of this task, we give ourselves a monumental pep talk to keep us moving forward. Most of us have and what Jesus is sharing with us here in this moment is that he is just as much human as he is divine. We tend to forget that part. Christmas was thirty some years ago and now we are watching the passion of Jesus Christ unfold in front of us and while we are thankful for his sacrifice, we are also horrified that any “human” would have to go through that. God sent his only Son into the world to save the world; to save us (all of us) from our sins.

In truth, Jesus has no internal struggles with death itself, but the pain, beatings, mockery, bleeding, and dying are all very real and the suffering he goes through on our behalf is extreme to say the least. Who among us, even if we knew that we could accomplish this salvation for others, would go through what Jesus did on the behalf of all our fellow man?

None of us. That’s who.

So who can blame Jesus for having a troubled soul, a troubled heart, perhaps wishing for just a moment that all of this wasn’t necessary? Well, certainly, none of us should, because when it came down to it, Jesus stepped up.

His soul was troubled, not just because of the suffering he would have to go through, but also the toll that all of this would put on his mother and his disciples and all those who were following him, just like he asked. He knew that it would be difficult and confusing to us because we don’t have the whole picture in front of us like God does. But Jesus asks us/tells us to have faith and to stay strong and to bring peace and grace and love to others.

As we venture ever closer to the end of this season of Lent where we have looked inward to find that we have much to do so as to be prepared for the second coming of Jesus; let us be ever mindful that if our souls are troubled; if our hearts are having a hard time understanding all of this; we have Jesus to get us through it. And He will help us through it because he has already been there and he knows the help we need.

Blessings on the rest of your journey - Amen

Closing Hymn:  O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee  #430

1. O Master, let me walk with thee
in lowly paths of service free;
tell me thy secret; help me bear
the strain of toil, the fret of care.

2. Help me the slow of heart to move
by some clear, winning word of love;
teach me the wayward feet to stay,
and guide them in the homeward way.

3. Teach me thy patience; still with thee
in closer, dearer company,
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
in trust that triumphs over wrong;

4. In hope that sends a shining ray
far down the future's broadening way,
in peace that only thou canst give,
with thee, O Master, let me live.