enjoy

http://unionindialogue.org/hearnowinthebody/

treetops dancing with slate roof brushing seductively against the stone wall oh the dance, the seduction of spring i'm here but you can't catch me--but entice me--chilly one morning, rainy the next, promise of warm sunshine by weeks end Spring...think i'm falling for you

“It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but what is the most painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel.”

S-Curve

In North Adams, MA there is a one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Many of us have seen it on calendars during the picture for the month of September. The spot looks out over the valley beneath Mount Greylock. There is a white steepled New England church that rises just beyond the multi-colored treetops. Oranges are spectacular, reds are resilient, yellows are zipping through the scene.
When you drive that road, you get to a point and see a restaurant in view. Hairpin curve....that is the s curve in the road that turns you around so that you can keep ascending the mountain. But that restaurant has a parking lot where you can stop to just say, "I am now in that calendar shot!!!"
Nothing really profound here, just stopping to notice that I am in the s curve of the hairpin right now! What a view....but wow, look up, look up, there is the mountaintop. But there is so far to go and so much to see in between!

Sonnet for Sermon "Doing The Love of Christ"

How do we love Christ? In the simplest ways.
When we honor the world as our neighbor.
We live into the light of love’s labor,
When social outcast feels our tight embrace.
To share with all the valued gift of grace
Starts to dismantle soul killing sabers--
Poverty, hatred, things used ‘gainst neighbor
To overshadow the love of Christ’s face.
Now is the time to end all human lies.
Remembering the hope of bread and grape
We feed the world with truth at any price
We are charged to love and cannot escape
Strength comes to us from cross’s sacrifice
Here ministry begins to take its shape.
-Derrick McQueen, August 29, 2009
In response to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet #43

Liturgy for St. James Presbyterian August 30, 2009

Sermon Title "Doing the Love of Christ"

Scripture Lessons

Epistle James 1:17-27

Gospel Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Call Worship

L: “Arise, my beloved come and give thanks for the Love of God.”

C: This is the call of Jesus, for us to worship on this and every day.

L: The roses have blossomed, see them through the window.

C: Jesus stands as one who watches over us through the lattice.

L: The voice of the turtledove is heard in the morning, see the fig tree bloom!

C: The time of singing has come, let us lift our voices unto the Lord.

L: Come let us worship God.

C: Come everyone, to the Love of God

Inspired by Song of Solomon 2:8-13

Prayer of Adoration

You are the God of the mountain, the God of the city, the God of the valley, the God of the Waters. How lovely is your presence in this place. Your promises of love for us are proven in that you gave your only Son for the forgiveness of our sins. How awesome to think on your grandeur and yet how humbling to think how close you want to be to each and every one of us. You are God now, henceforth and forever more and for that we say Hallelujah!

Call to Confession

We sing your praises, we dance to your song. And yet we still find that our hearts are troubled. Quieted, we come to understand that you yearn to hear our confessions. And so we take this time to examine our hearts. Hear the voices of our hearts as we come to you in prayer:

Confession

Loving God, we pick a rose yet complain about the thorns, we eat the bounty of the summer farms yet complain about the rains, we have the chance to worship you and yet sometimes we just want to sleep in. When we are frustrated with the ills of the world we often speak about it but seldom do we pray. We want to love the world with all the love you have put in our hearts but often hold a portion it back. We are learning, Lord, and ask humbly for your patience as we learn to walk in your grace. Amen

Silent Confession

Assurance of Pardon

God speaks to us. “Yet you picked the rose and loved me. You savored the summer bounty and loved me. In your times of struggle to do the right thing, you think of me and love me. And you still walk with me when the road seems dreary and in this act you love me.” God knows our hearts and loves us into who we are meant to be. This is the promise of Jesus Christ.

A TAMFS Prayer for the Presbyterian Church

(Offered by Derrick McQueen)

---

Dearest love my God, I had a dream about you the other day. You had prepared a banquet feast
in the middle of one of your warm and inviting fields.
Your smile shined the sun's beam upon my face
and I could not help but close my eyes
as your warmth washed over me. Looking over the horizon

there were people cresting the hill
holding hands and laughing,
embracing and inviting.

They had all come to sit at the welcome table.
As we stood behind our chairs at the table
You smiled and a tear of joy rested in the corner of Your eye.
We worshipped You because of your love for us.
We sang, we danced, we heard your word
Proclaimed from each and every heart.
What a wonderful gift you give us with life, father God.
What a powerful command to love and be well
you instill in us, mother God.
As we spoke of our joys and concerns
we turned to comfort and console one another;
it was a wonderful kind of peace.
And then there was Jesus, arms outstretched.
He said,

"I'm so glad you all could make it.
I'm so glad you all are home."

As I opened my eyes I noticed the tears had soaked my pillow.
And as my mind-place settled itself
outside of the dream world,
my voice exclaimed, "My church!"

Wonderful God we thank you for the promise
of what your church can be.
We see the open table
where the gifts of Christ are to be shared with one another.

We are grateful that we live in such a time as this

when the home of Jesus Christ is alive

and the Spirit really does open the door
for all to enter in.

We pray this and everyday that You will reveal to us, oh God,
the ways in which we can make the church of Your dreams,
the dream of our reality:
One church family of believers who love you and each other
in every healthy way.
A family where gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, straight--
where all of Your children sing together in harmony,

"We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.
And they'll know we are Christians by our love,
yes by our love.
They will know we are Christians by our love."

It is with this love that we come to you
with a request upon our lips:
We ask you for courage, strength, dignity
and that the blessed assurance of your call
will allow all of your LBGTQII candidates
to continue to want to share Our God-given ministry
with the church.

Help us to stand strong as we journey along the path
of Inquirer to Candidate,
from Candidate to Certified,
and from Certified to Called.

We know that in your Wisdom, Sophia, all is possible.
So we ask You to prepare Your children for service
in the surety that our time has come.
And while we are readied, prepare your church.
Allow the votes as they proceed from Presbytery to Presbytery
to speak your truth.
Let all see that the tide of conversation has changed
and so the time has come. We are ready to serve, let it be your will. We ask all of this because you love us.
We ask you for a whole church
because we know that you heal brokenness.
We ask you all of this because we love you and our neighbors--
even those that would knock us down--
as you have commanded.
We love them because we love the fullness of creation
in which you have formed each and every one of us.
Because we love ourselves as you have made us,
we give the purest honor to you Oh God our blessed Creator. I dreamed of you the other day... In your precious Holy names we pray now and forever. Amen.