First Sunday in Lent - A Time to Grow: Order
Church Family! Welcome to the Season of Lent. This is the time of the liturgical year to pause, pray, and reflect on what it means to live and follow Christ. We hope our services in this season will give you space to consider what ways you might want to grow in your faith and service. We are so very glad you are here and if you have any questions or need information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. God’s grace and peace be with you and welcome to worship!
Prelude “Lord, Jesus we Enthrone You” [by P. Kyle] Sarah Park
Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church
Welcome to the Season of Lent. We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms. We want to extend an invitation to all for this to be a Time to Grow in your faith and this Sunday to think about what it means to Order our lives in the likeness of Jesus.
- Thank you for joining us here in the house and online. Welcome to everyone!
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Lenten Devotionals are wonderful
- New Welcoming Song and Offering Response
- We also are blessed this morning from the Handbells.
Scripture Reading Proverbs 3:1-6 Rev. Chad Delaney
My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;
2 for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you.
3 Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them round your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favour and good repute
in the sight of God and of people. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Welcoming Song Morning Has Broken #53, v.1
1 Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!
*Call to Worship Allie Owen
ONE: We gather in this Lenten season knowing we are broken.
ALL: Come and be seen.
ONE: We gather in this Lenten season knowing we need forgiveness.
ALL: Come and be heard.
ONE: We gather in this Lenten season knowing our hearts long for God.
ALL: Come and be loved.
ONE: We gather in this Lenten season knowing God calls us all.
ALL: Come as you are.
~ written by Sara Eidson
*Opening Hymn Take Time to Be Holy #572, v.1-2, 4
1 Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
abide in him always, and feed on his word.
Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak,
forgetting in nothing God's blessing to seek.
2 Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be;
thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.
4 Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
each thought and each motive beneath his control;
thus led by his spirit to fountains of love,
thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Allie Owen
Offertory
Music: “In One Fraternal Bond ofLove” [by D.B.Towner] Sarah Park
*Response Accept, O God, The Gifts We Bring #379, 2 lines
Accept, O God, the gifts we bring of spirit and of clay,
transform them into blessings on those we serve today.
Offering Prayer Allie Owen
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
Tools
Fertilizer
Worms
Special Music - “In the Garden” MCCC Handbells
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Communion
Meditation - Rev. Nancy Humes
Communion Hymn - These I Lay Down #391, vs. 1-5
1 Before I take the body of my Lord, before I share His life in bread and wine,
I recognize the sorry things within: These I lay down.
2 The words of hope I often failed to give, the prayers of kindness buried by my pride,
the signs of care I argued out of sight: these I lay down.
3 The narrowness of vision and of mind, the need for other folk to serve my will,
and every word and silence meant to hurt: these I lay down.
4 Of those around in whom I meet my Lord, I ask their pardon and I grant them mine,
that every contradiction to Christ's peace: might be laid down.
5 Lord Jesus Christ companion at this feast, I empty now my heart and stretch my hands, and ask to meet You here in bread and wine: which You lay down.
Prayer - Sally Hoffman
Words of Institution - Sally Hoffman
Music: “Alas! And did my Saviour Bleed?” [by H. Wilson] Sarah Park
Scripture - Luke 4:1-13
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ 4Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.” ’
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ 8Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” ’
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, 11and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
12Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’ 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
Sermon - A Time to Grow: Order - Rev. Chad Delaney
Did you know that Tacos should be made in a very, very specific order? I’m happy to inform you that our son CJ discovered this when he was about 8 years old. (PICTURE)
- First you get a “sorta” hard shell
- Then you put in a thin layer of cheese
- Then salsa
- Then your Meat of Choice
- Then you can put in a thin layer of spinach OR a thick layer of lettuce
- Voila! The perfect Taco.
This official document was taped to our cupboard door and referenced for many years when making tacos. We were always encouraged to use this recipe if we really wanted a good, tasty taco. (PICTURE BLANK)
“Order” does matter in all different areas of life, doesn’t it?
Food, for sure, following the correct sequence makes a difference.
Remember in Math Class-- the Order of Operations? PEMDAS -- “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”
- Parenthesis
- Exponents
- Multiplication and Division
- Addition and Subtraction
I remember when I went for one of my very first jobs at a gym to clean and vacuum floors. My interviewer took me into a room with a bunch of tables and chairs and asked me what I would do first to clean the room. I said, “Ummmmmm. I would start vacuuming the floor.” She said, “Would you think of wiping down the tables first and then putting the chairs on the tables before vacuuming?” “Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah I would do that.”
The idea of “order” may bring up mixed feelings within us. Sometimes order is imposed as a means of control. “Law & order” has been a popular refrain by those in power to keep people in line and even subjugated. But the “order” we speak of today is the kind that helps make life flourish. Order that gives freedom. To make things taste better, to get on the right path, for things to go more smoothly, to help things grow.
We recognize too, that sometimes our actions, our spiritual life, our priorities can get Out of Order.
In the Gospel of Luke, the Satan-figure seeks to put Jesus Out of Order. This personified tempter approaches to discombobulate him and throw him off balance. To disrupt and distract him. He says…Don’t think of God as your sustainer…yearn for bread and ice-cream and screen time. Don’t see God as the center of your being…remember that you are the center of the universe and all things revolve around you. Don’t live according to God’s way…live as recklessly as you want and God will just bail you out.
These proposals are all the more appetizing because Jesus is in a time of great vulnerability. Jesus is pressed to the limit--tired and sunworn. Thirsty and Hungry. Of course it is then that this Devil comes, that temptation comes. It is those times when it is tempting to indulge the flesh, to excuse ourselves away from our commitments, to give up on trying to be who we were created to be. It is an opportune time to either give into temptation…or to grow and endure. Jesus endures.
What would your time in the wilderness look like? What would be the best way to put you Out of Order? Maybe the tempter would say…
You should focus your life on working harder, longer, better.
You should be setting time aside only for yourself…forget all these other people.
Actually…you should always be trying to make everyone else happy around you
You should escape the world with all your little addictions…they really aren’t that bad.
You should always be thinking about how to make more money and get more things
You should give up trying and just be comfortable with misery
You should escape it all and drown yourself in movies, TV shows, and social media
What would be the best way to put you Out of Order?
We have this wonderful time of the liturgical year, to try to put things back in order. The Season of Lent to reflect on our way of thinking, doing, and being.
In her book “A Time to Grow”, Sarah Eidson talks about Garden Mapping and I wish I had read this chapter a few years ago. When I first started gardening, I had a couple raised beds but didn’t really have a plan. I basically just haphazardly stuffed as many plants in there as possible. The Garden, as it turned out, was not unlike my life. Just stuff as many things as possible into my schedule…it's all good things so what could go wrong? As it turns out…not the best recipe for life, health, and flourishing in my raised beds or my life garden.
In this garden mapping process, we can create order for the planting so that every bed is ready for seed and every plant is in the best spot for prospering. Will plants have enough spacing? Sunlight? Shade? Assisted by pollinators? Netting? Room to spread out? A trellis or cage? What preparation needs to be done so each plant can grow? (PICTURE of MAP)
We’ve provided some of these blank Garden Maps for you as a spiritual exercise. If you are so inclined to come on Wednesday evening for Life Study to have discussion on it, you would be most welcome! (PICTURE of Map OFF). The planning will hopefully assist us to find a new way of being.
And while all the planning, preparing, and mapping is wonderful, let’s not forget to humbly confess and remember that some things will be out of our control. Droughts happen. Storms happen. Pests happen. Life happens. Yet still…what can we intentionally do and prepare for so as to create the best opportunity for growth possible? And each one of us is different…there is not a very specific order that will work for everyone like CJ’s Taco…instead each of us will seek God and the path that works for us…
To grow as a friend and neighbor. As a husband and wife and partner. As mothers and fathers. As co-worker? Grandparent? As a person of faith? Where do you hope to grow?
Only a few chapters into the Gospel of Luke we can already see that Jesus has a tremendously healthy, prepared, and thriving internal garden. To weather the storm. To withstand temptation. To stay centered. For there is much work to be done…to listen and teach and feed and heal. Ready to bear the Fruits of God’s Spirit. To be the living, breathing manifestation of God’s Word made flesh. This is the One we follow and emulate in the world.
May this season of Lent ready our minds, hearts, and spirits for a beautiful re-ordering. As Colleen and Jeff Crane asked so beautifully in our devotion this week: “Would it hurt if we all took a step back to refocus our ambitions and plans?” To discover again what helps us to bloom and blossom to be who God has created us to be. To re-order our lives and spirits in the likeness of Jesus. May it be so! Amen
*Closing Hymn - This is My Father’s World #59, vs. 1-3
1 This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas his hand the wonders wrought.
2 This is my Father's world: the birds their carols raise;
the morning light, the flowers bright, declare their Maker's praise.
Our God has made this world and shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear God pass, who speaks to me everywhere.
3 Our God has made this world: oh, let us ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
God trusts us with this world, to keep it clean and fair.
All earth and trees, the skies and seas, God's creatures everywhere.
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- Stay for fellowship and Sunday Chat
- Wednesday Dwelling and Time to Grow Study -- bring your Garden Map
A Lenten Blessing written by Roddy Hamilton
May the dust of the wilderness hold our footprints
lovingly shaped as they are by your hurt for dust remembers
May the journey into wilderness unfold honestly for honesty is the gift
your soul recognises as you
May your time in this wilderness be shaped by space rather than minutes
so there is time enough for all of you
May the stones in this wilderness cry out your name loudly
that your spirit recognises the voice that has been calling you always
And may you know this wilderness has been expecting you
and you will find between the stones a promise growing.
Postlude - “I am Thine, O Lord” [by W. H. Doane] Sarah Park