Fourth Sunday in Lent - A Time to Grow: Light
Good Morning! Welcome to MCCC! We are so grateful you have joined us on this 4th Sunday in the season of Lent. Our theme this year is A Time to Grow: Lessons from the Garden to the Table (a book by Kara Eidson). We have been blessed by the scripture readings, devotionals, and all the parallels of the garden and faith. We hope you are blessed today as we explore Light and how we move toward God’s light and let God's light shine through us! Welcome to worship!
Prelude - “All creatures of our God and King” - 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 drink deeply from the Living Waters
- Thank you for joining us here in the house and online. Welcome to everyone!
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Welcome to Clara
- Evie Brant's Destination Team won the Spirit Award, a Bronze Medal, and made it to the State Championships!
- Junior at cim studying violin Performance
Scripture Reading - Psalm 27:1
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Welcoming Song - Morning Has Broken #53, v. 4
4 Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
*Call to Worship - Frederic Vigne
ONE: Come and see! The light of God has come into our world
ALL: to proclaim God’s justice and love; to overcome the
darkness and bring new life.
ONE: Come and follow! Christ our companion has redeemed our world
ALL: Christ draws us into a loving family from every corner of the earth
ONE: Go and tell! The Spirit has equipped us for service
ALL: To love our neighbors and bring Good News to the world
ONE: Come and see, come and follow, go and tell!
ALL: In God’s Light and Love we put our hope.
~ adapted from a prayer by Christine Sine
*Opening Hymn - Open My Eyes #586 v.1-3
1 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!
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Frederic Vigne
Offertory
Music: “Light of the World” [by Lauren Daigle] - Clara Kim & 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 - Frederic Vigne
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
- Light Children’s moment with
Special Music
“How Great is Our God” [by Chris Tomlin] Clara & Sarah
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
One: God of Mercy…
Response: Help us choose the path that leads to light.
God of Abundant Grace…on this day that you have made we come seeking your light and presence. In the midst of so many conflicting messages in the world around us, give us the the grace to see others and even ourselves through your eyes. lluminate our vision with your divine wisdom, that we might really see the gift of life and the beauty of your creation. God of Mercy…
Help us choose the path that leads to light.
God who Sees, we recognize that sometimes we don’t see the worth of others, and as Jesus gave sight to the blind, help us to see your world more clearly. Awaken us to see beyond surface appearances, to recognize the inherent dignity of every single person, and to cherish the diversity of ALL your handiwork. God of Mercy…
Help us choose the path that leads to light.
Lead us, O God, along the path illuminated by your light. When darkness hits, help us to turn toward you. Be a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. Empower us to choose, time and again, to lean in closer to your great goodness. God of Mercy…
Help us choose the path that leads to light.
God of Wisdom, give us the capacity to find hope amidst despair, to extend compassion where there is bitterness and anger, help us foster love in the face of hatred and animosity. Strengthen our resolve to walk boldly along the path that leads to your everlasting light. God of Mercy…
Help us choose the path that leads to light.
Hear us now as we lift our joys and concerns to you in silent prayer….
Join us together now in your spirit as we pray the prayer Jesus taught us saying…
Communion
Meditation - Roger Cram
Communion Hymn - Let us Break Bread Together #425, vs. 1-3
1 Let us break bread together on our knees; (on our knees)
let us break bread together on our knees. (on our knees)
[Refrain]
When I fall on my knees,
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me. (on me)
2 Let us drink wine together on our knees; (on our knees)
let us drink wine together on our knees. (on our knees) [Refrain]
3 Let us praise God together on our knees; (on our knees)
let us praise God together on our knees. (on our knees) [Refrain]
Prayer - Nora Brant
Words of Institution - Nora Brant
Music: “What the Lord has Done in Me”[by Reuben Morgan] Clara & Sarah
Scripture - John 8:2-15
2Early in the morning Jesus came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ 6They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ 8And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ 11She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ 13Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ 14Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15You judge by human standards; I judge no one.
Sermon - Closer to the Light - Rev. Chad Delaney
We all know that flowering plants LOVE the light. On most every little seed packet it will say “Full Sun” on it and those plants just do fantastic bathing in that spring and summer sun. I still love watching the sunflowers follow the sun across the sky and count it as one of summer's little miracles.
For most plants, being immersed in the full spectrum of electro-magnetism enables them to survive. They turn light into food. Pretty amazing stuff. But this got me curious…I know there are plants that like shade, but are there some that would actually shy away from the light?
And, of course, there are…but not many. They are called Negative Phototropic plants…who exhibit some anti-light tendencies.
The Bleeding Heart plant has stems that will grow away from direct sunlight.
Peace lilies will often angle their leaves away from strong light sources.
And while Snake Plants like bright, indirect light, if it's too much the leaves will angle away from the light source.
Well, it occurred to me that Lent is a good time to wonder whether I’m more Positive or Negative Phototropic. Do I lean towards or shy away from the light? (leave up the last picture)
In our passage today, we hear Jesus proclaim he is the Light of the World. So…is that an enticing prospect or repellant one? In our passage…it depends who you ask.
There is a woman brought to Jesus by religious leaders who--they say--was caught in the act of adultery. A difficult situation to be sure, with all sorts of implications. And…you surely noticed the despicably conspicuous absence of the man she was caught with. Where is he? Should he not have been brought to Jesus as well? The ancient world’s sexism brought to light in the story. In any case, this woman is held to account for her own actions and her conspirer remains in darkness. What will happen TO her? What will happen WITHIN her?
She’s brought to stand before her accusers who look at this situation as an opportunity to humiliate her and to trap Jesus. For--in their minds--the Law is clear on the matter…she must be stoned. Thinking they are living in the light, the Scribes, Pharisees, and all these holier-than-thou people believe they have done their good deed for the day. So…would Jesus join them in the stoning? Will he affirm this is the right judgment to make?
So they stand and wait for Jesus’ response. Eager. Blood-thirsty. It's a win-win. Ready for her to be shamed and condemned by this upstart teacher or to have something to hold against this Jesus.
So Jesus does something strange and unexpected. He kneels down and draws on the ground. It was quite fun with the Wednesday group speculating on this: was he biding time? Was he writing everyone’s sins in the dust? What do you think?
The way I took it was…that Jesus was not impressed. These religious folks are all hot and bothered, transparent in their motivations, and Jesus is not going to take the bait. He’s not going to get caught up in the mob mentality. Instead, he lets them stand there in their mercilessness and judgment. Their angry eagerness. They throw more questions and arguments at him. Finally, Jesus looks up from his drawing and makes a simple suggestion to bring about a resolution. A suggestion which puts a bright and shining light on the situation: “‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’” And then goes back to his drawing.
So then…imagine the internal turmoil shifting within each of them. Each one doing a quick little personal, moral inventory and wondering within themselves if they still have the high ground. Realizing they are just as imperfect as the next one, an opportunity presents itself:
Do I double-down on the judgment? Do I escape? OR….Do I draw closer to the Light of the World? Change and transform? Make new commitments and see this woman, my neighbors, my world in a different way? Be so inspired, so moved, so filled with the light that I might even stay and follow Jesus?
Tellingly, their negative photo-tropic tendencies are revealed. The Light is too much and they slowly slink away. “they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders.” Turns out that none of them were perfect and none could stand to be in the Light for too long.
An unknown author said: "Many people would rather live in the comfortable darkness of illusion than face the unsettling light of truth."
Psychologist Carl Jung once said, “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls." - Carl Jung
They just couldn’t stand it. And it must have been an extraordinary challenge for this woman as well. Standing before them vulnerable. How would she respond to Jesus?
To draw closer to the light can feel risky and vulnerable whether within ourselves or before others. Will I feel safe in the light? Will I be judged? Will I be condemned? What will have to change? Will someone listen? Will someone understand? Who can I trust?
Some will stay hidden in the darkness. Others will draw closer to the light.
In the story, there’s only one left standing with the woman and it is Jesus. And he doesn’t cast a stone. Instead, he says, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
The woman stays, draws closer to the light and finds a new way.
The others in the passage--the man who she was with. The Pharisees, Scribes, Elders, and Holy ones…have slinked into the darkness…for now anyways. Perhaps a seed has been planted to draw closer to the light.
What about each of us? Are we more Positive or Negative Phototropic? Do we want to work on our stuff? Do we want to change and transform? What about the church? To be cognizant of the ways we fall short? To keep growing and improving? As the church, to live and love like Jesus. Who said, ““15You judge by human standards; I judge no one.”
All the while remembering too…that we gather not as perfect people, but as perfectly loved? That Christ will love us right where we are…and be with us every day as we seek first his righteousness. Like the woman, can we stay, draw closer to the light and try to live Christ’s way every day?
In this time of growth…Jesus extends an invitation…‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
*Closing Hymn - I am the Light of the World #469, 2-4
CHORUS:
I am the Light of the World
You people come and follow me.
If you follow and love, You'll learn the mystery
Of what you were meant to do and be.
2 To find the lost and lonely one,
To heal that broken soul with love,
To feed the hungry children with warmth and good food,
To feel the earth below the sky above! [CHORUS]
3 To free the prisoner from his chains,
To make the powerful care,
To rebuild the nations with strength and goodwill,
To call a man your brother everywhere. [CHORUS]
4 To bring hope to every task you do,
To dance at a baby's new birth,
To make music in an old man's heart,
And sing to the colors of the earth! [CHORUS]
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- God is good
- Rick & Sarah/Clara
- Stay for fellowship and Sunday Chat
- Wednesday Dwelling and Time to Grow Study
John chapter 1 it reads, “4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Jesus said,
Blessed Are You Who Bear the Light by Jan Richardson
Blessed are you who bear the light in unbearable times,
who testify to its endurance amid the unendurable,
who bear witness to its persistence
when everything seems in shadow and grief.
Blessed are you in whom the light lives,
in whom the brightness blazes—
your heart a chapel,
an altar where in the deepest night can be seen
the fire that shines forth in you,
in unaccountable faith, in stubborn hope,
in love that illumines every broken thing it finds.
Postlude - “What a fellowship, what a joy divine” [by A. J. Showalter] - Sarah Park