#I mean....if I do cast I definitely blessed those in a water baptism

[whereisthedamndaddymanual]

You made sure I saw you picking up the local paper. Did you just stare at the name of the New York Times syndicated press.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Worship from Home: July 9, 2017

This series aims to provide folks who can’t make it to church for any variety of reasons with prayers, songs, and sermons. My hope is that these posts will help you worship from home, knowing that others are using the same content and thus, though we may be miles and miles apart, we worship together. See this post for more information.

If you prefer to worship with different material, see this masterpost of sermons and full services online that should all be LGBT+ friendly.

Connecting the various scriptures for this week may appear difficult at first, but the central theme tying them all together is that of grace -- received rather than earned. Being the beloved of God is another theme. Moreover, as this webpage notes, “There is also a distinctly female note in the texts, and it might offer opportunities to explore a dimension of the Bible which is often overlooked.”

[Image description: a painting of Rebekah giving water to Abraham’s servant, who is acting as a go-between for Isaac the suitor. A camel can be seen behind Rebekah, whom she also watered. Rebekah will soon decide -- she is given her own choice! -- to go with the servant to take Isaac as her husband. She will leave the land and culture she knows to do so -- when are we like Rebekah, choosing to go where we do not know in order to follow the will of God?] 

Let us worship God, together.

(The worship material is under the readmore – let me know if you are unable to access it!)

Gathering 

Let the sound of this South African song, “Come Bring Your Burdens to God,” wash over you. 

If you cannot listen, the English part of the lyrics goes like this:

“Come bring your burdens to God, / Come bring your burdens to God, / Come bring your burdens to God / for Jesus will never say no.”

Reflect: What burdens do you have right now in your life? Do you believe Jesus will take them -- will help you to carry them? Who else can help you carry them? Whose burden can you help carry? 

Call to Worship

Blessed be God who creates all out of nothing; Blessed be Jesus who gives all for nothing; Blessed be the Spirit for whom nothing is impossible; Blessed be God forever!

Creator Spirit, wellspring of our lives, As your faithfulness is deeper than the deepest ocean carry us safely on the tide of your love.

As the refreshing rain falls on the just and unjust alike Refresh us with your mercy, who know our own injustice.

As a river flows steadily on, defying all the odds of stone and water Flow over every boundary and border that separates us from each other.

As we were once held in the waters of our parent’s womb, Hold us in the peace and power of your abiding presence.

As the waters of our baptism washed us and welcomed us Renew us now in fullness of life and unity of love. Amen, thanks be to God!

[source]

Confession

God who startles and upturns our expectations,

You do not reveal your Wisdom to the ones the world calls wise. Rather, Wisdom dazzles the minds of infants; She dances with those we call fools and whispers Her secrets to those we shove to the margins.

Have mercy on us when we do not recognize Her among the downtrodden.  Have mercy on us when we do not recognize Her amongst ourselves in our own struggles with illness, with poverty, with oppression. 

Have mercy on us when we fail to use your grace to fight for justice and peace for all your Creation.

Have mercy on us when we doubt your promise to lift our burdens from our shoulders to take us in your arms as your Beloved.

Assurance of Pardon

God of Grace,

You make the fool wise and you call the unwanted your Beloved.  We give thanks and praise for your unending grace,  for the love and compassion you extend to us when we are distracted by burdens or weighed down by doubts. 

Assured of your mercy, we can move forward  striving ever onward to the full life you secured for us and lifting others up along the way. 

Amen. 

Hymn: “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light”

Scripture

Genesis 24:34-67

Commentary on this passage (which is my personal favorite scriptural account of courtship): “The Old Testament readings...all celebrate the gift of love and marriage, though in quite different ways. Genesis introduces us to Rebekah, one of the great matriarchs of the Bible... Rebekah has an arranged marriage, perhaps the ultimate arranged marriage, since God plays a decisive part in it. ..." [source]

Song of Songs 8:2-13

Commentary on this passage: “The passage from the Song of Songs is unmediated and personal, and its unnamed woman singer is overflowing with anticipation and joy. It catches the sweet constraint of anticipation, the discipline of waiting for something eagerly hoped-for. It is perhaps one of the most difficult and yet most deepening aspects of our humanity: it is the last weeks of pregnancy, the last days of the school year before the holidays, the last long miles of the weary traveller’s journey home. ...Now is the time for singing! And who could disagree that, in truth, the singing is not more joyous, the source not more deeply carved into our being, because of the anticipation.” [source]

Hymn: a contemporary piece called “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones fits the themes of the Song of Songs passage well. 

Romans 7:15-25a

Commentary on this passage: “A whole sermon could easily explore the ways in which we don’t do the good we want to; rather do the evil we don’t want to. Are we driven by the need to justify ourselves -- either by our worldly achievements or by our spiritual perfectionism? What does it mean to let go of our striving? When are we most open to grace?” [source]

Matthew 11:16-30

Commentary on this passage: It "connects us again with Sophia, Wisdom, in both her strengths and her limitations, and again it’s worth reading the whole chapter, for in it we follow Jesus through the frustration with the crowds, so lacking in wisdom and unable to hear him... It is to the poor and vulnerable, the small and powerless that his word will speak; they are the ones who will receive the true wisdom of kindness, humility and gentleness. These are not what worldly wisdom thinks of as characteristic masculine qualities -- do we need to challenge our definitions, or even our church practices? Who do we admire, consider suitable for high office? Who lets the light in, if not the people whose need and vulnerability makes them transparent?” [source]

Hymn: “ ‘We played the flute,’ the children said”; text here, melody here

“Forgive us, Lord, what we expect! We want a faith that we control — Yet faith is not what we direct, For it's your grace that makes us whole.”

Sermon

Option 1: a reflection entitled “The Right Yoke,” text only, pretty short

“In Matthew 11:16-19 Jesus addresses the crowd and describes the differences between himself and John. One is a bug-eating ascetic, the other enjoys celebrations and making wine at weddings. One lives in wild, isolating places, while the other surrounds himself with crowds of people and travels to the heart of cities. John and Jesus are dramatically different people; one rough and uncouth, the other accepting hospitality. Each implores their followers to repent and turn back to God. Yet for John and Jesus, their lifestyles were used as an excuse to reject the message. It might not matter if you’re an ascetic like John or outgoing like Jesus: if the crowd doesn’t like what you’re saying then they’ll come up with a reason not to listen.”

(Reminds me of how the messages and good fruits of LGBT+ folks are rejected or ignored in favor of denouncing our “lifestyles”)

Option 2: an audio sermon with transcript available; 12 minutes

This sermon focuses on the Romans 7 passage, so make sure to go back up and read that if you didn’t 

“The calling that we have that I hope really ignites this parish is a calling to be yoked with God and God’s ministry of love and salvation for the whole world.”

Option 3: a video sermon on Song of Songs 8, no subtitles; 17 minutes

What is God calling us, the Beloved, to “come away” to? What makes us hesitate?

On fuller life and hope

Reflection

God our Beloved, you hold out your hands, which bear the wounds of your love, to accept us into your arms as one spouse takes another.

We will cling to you without fear, for you will never reject us, and you will never swallow up our selfhood in yours  but rather will delight in what we are, the true selves you free us to be.

May we mold our lives to yours, while learning to love ourselves as we are.

May we be yours forever, freed from the burdens of fear and doubt and thus empowered to be your love to the world.

Amen.

Hymn: “I Am Your Bride,” contemporary piece by Danielle Rose; with lyrics

Prayers of the People

Compassionate God, you promise us your yoke is easy and your burden light.  You promise rest for those of us who are weighed down under burdens too great for us to bear. 

We lift up the prayers of our hearts to you -- the burdens and pains, the sorrows as well as the joys. 

Take a moment to pray for yourself, for those in your life, for others in the world, for Creation as a whole -- for whomever the Spirit moves you to lift up.

Amen. 

Hymn: “Come to the Water,” with lyrics

Benediction

In your life, Jesus, you showed us that joy in banquets and good company can be a sacred thing. We are ready to go out to expand the banquet of your love.

In the woman of the Song of Songs, we learn that passion and pleasure can unite us and lead us to God.  We are ready to go out to learn to delight in our own bodies, and to grow closer to one another, your people.

O Sophia, Holy Wisdom, beholding your choosing to share your truth with the cast-offs of society, with the naive and the ignored, We are ready to go out to share the Wisdom the world calls foolish.

Let us go out with hearts transformed, with minds striving to improve while not fearing imperfection, with bodies ready to have their share of work and of rest, all for the glory of God our Beloved. 

Thanks be to God! 

Hymn: “Lead Me, Guide Me”, with lyrics

[ Image Description: a detail from He Qi’s piece “Song of Solomon.” An abstract type style is used; a gazelle and green mountains/hills take up the background; and the image centers on two figures, both with black hair and full lips. The one is facing the viewer, the other is turned in profile and her face is in front of half of the other figure’s face. Their faces seem to unify into one, with each contributing one eye, and half the lips; one contributing the ear, the other the nose. ]

[happyldsgirl]

Caution: Beware the Principle of the Two-Edged Sword!

For those who desire to and do come unto Christ by experiencing the mighty change, it is absolutely essential that you understand that Satan’s efforts to entrap, deceive, or delude you will increase and the nature of those efforts will change to match your new spiritual attainments.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER underestimate the power of the adversary to deceive!

We believe that your best defense against these increased efforts of Satan to destroy is to understand that they will come, so that you may be properly prepared and can thereby continue to prevail against Satan, our adversary in this battle for our souls which commenced long, long ago in the pre-mortal realm.

The operative eternal principle that enables Satan to challenge one’s new spiritual growth in new and even miraculous ways is what we call the principle of balance in all things or the principle of the two-edged sword, which cuts both ways with equal force and effectiveness. The name fits because Satan is permitted to continue to test and challenge us in ways equal to or commensurate with our new spiritual development. This principle of balance appears to apply to all realms. One manifestation of this principle in the physical world is one of Newton’s laws which states that “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Furthermore, it is likely, but definitely not certain, that these challenges may not happen right away. They may well come months or even years later. And, like any good general, the adversary will seek to attack using the element of surprise or when defenses are down. Hence, the absolute necessity of staying on the path and continuing in prayer, fasting, searching the scriptures, loving and serving others, and following the brethren.

This whole scenario of falling away after receiving the mighty change is covering in Lehi’s dream, a representation of the whole process of coming unto Christ and attaining the celestial kingdom. As you recall, the tree in that vision represents “… the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things.” 1 Ne. 11:22 In our view tasting the fruit of the tree clearly represents experiencing the mighty change and receiving one’s remission of sins, for certainly that is an extraordinary episode of tasting or experiencing the love of God. Now consider what Lehi observed about some who had tasted of this fruit:

1 Ne. 8:24-28

24 And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.

25 And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

27 And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.

28 And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.

The other message we wish to give here is that in reality, these renewed efforts of the adversary to deceive us are not to be feared, for when we are properly prepared such efforts only serve to strengthen us.

“Sin has come into the world, and death by sin. I frequently ask myself the question: Was there any necessity for sin to enter the world? Most assuredly there was, according to my understanding and reasoning powers. Did I not know the evil I could never know the good; had I not seen the light I should never be able to comprehend what darkness is. Had I never tried to see and behold a thing in darkness I could not understand the beauty and glory of light. If I had never tasted the bitter or the sour how could I define or describe the sweet?” Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 77

“Sin is in the world, but it is not necessary that we should sin, because sin is in the world; but to the contrary, it is necessary that we should resist sin, and for this purpose is sin necessary. Sin exists in all the eternities. Sin is co-eternal with righteousness, for it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things.” Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 78

[Now] additional testing by the adversary [will surely] come. In the teachings of Brigham Young there are a number of pertinent statements about this testing, which apply equally as well to the individual member as to the church as a whole. Consider thoughtfully and ponder the following words of President Young:

“If true principalities are revealed from heaven to men, and if there are angels, and there is a possibility of communication to the human family, always look for an opposite power, an evil power, to give manifestations also; look out for the counterfeit.” Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 68-69

“There is evil in the world, and there is also good. Was there ever a counterfeit without a true coin? No. Is there communication from God? Yes. From holy angels? Yes; and we have been proclaiming these facts for nearly thirty years. Are there any communications from evil spirits? Yes; and the devil is making the people believe very strongly in revelations from the spirit world.” Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 73

Remember that the Devil did not tempt Christ until AFTER the marvelously strengthening experiences of his forty day fast nor did he appear to Moses until AFTER Moses had experienced the glory of the presence of the Lord (Moses 1:1-22). But to each the adversary did personally come and made an effort to tempt, deceive, and delude through lies.

The following words of Brigham Young superbly explain the reason for this additional testing.

“I ask, is there a reason for men and women being exposed more constantly and more powerfully, to the power of the enemy, by having visions than by not having them? There is and it is simply this - God never bestows upon his people, or upon an individual, superior blessings without a severe trial to prove them, to prove that individual, or that people, to see whether they will keep their covenants with Him, and keep in remembrance what He has shown them. Then the greater the vision, the greater the display of the power of the enemy. “So when individuals are blessed with visions, revelations and great temptations, LOOK OUT, THEN THE DEVIL IS NIGH YOU, AND YOU WILL BE TEMPTED IN PROPORTION TO THE VISIONS, REVELATION, OR MANIFESTATION YOU HAVE RECEIVED.” Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, pas 205-206

Just how effective and deceiving can the efforts of the adversary be? Surprisingly, the highly disturbing answer is “As effective as necessary.”

[The following] actual event powerfully illustrate[s] the adversary’s power to attempt to deceive.

“[This] incident involves a good friend, who to his great surprise, received his baptism of fire when he was just ten years old when he was just simply praying to know if the Book of Mormon was true. In his early forties, this man was called to serve as Bishop. While he was serving faithfully as Bishop, a spirit spoke to him and told him that “The Brethren are all liars.” The truly startling part of his experience is not that a spirit spoke to him, but that as the spirt spoke, the lying statement was accompanied by a power of conviction converted into his heart that was indistinguishable from and as strong as his own testimony of the Gospel. And, this power of conviction stayed with him testifying in his heart that indeed the brethren were all liars.

What did our friend do about this remarkable experience and “testimony” he received? To his great credit, he wisely did nothing. He continued to serve faithfully as Bishop and to follow the counsel and direction he was given from both his Stake President and other higher priesthood leaders. But even more remarkable was that this statement and the power of conviction that accompanied it stayed with him and burdened his heart for about two years. Then, after about two years, one day he was pondering once again this extraordinary experience and the powerful testimony that had burned into his heart. The thought came into his mind “Are the lives of the brethren the lives of men who are liars?” As he considered that in light of his substantial knowledge of the lives of the brethren (for he had taught both Seminary and Institute for many years) he concluded that without question the lives of the brethren were not lives of men who were liars and therefore the statement spoken to him some two years ago was absolutely a lie. As he came to that conclusion, he heard a voice saying something to the effect of, “Very good. Your test is now over. Realize now that it was a liar who told you that the brethren were liars.” As he heard those words the power of conviction that had accompanied that lying statement was gone from his heart.”

Other principles are also clear which can perhaps best be summarized by the statement, “Cling to the Iron Rod.” By that we mean in part to read and follow the word of God. It also means that one must really know the scriptures, not just casually read them from time to time. The following powerful promise to those who know, love, and search the scriptures is found in Joseph’s inspired revision of Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:37 “And whoso treasureth up my word, SHALL NOT BE DECEIVED, …”

Remember, His “word” certainly includes personal revelations well as the scriptures.

Know also that the adversary has no power to overcome you against your will. He and his servants will do their absolute utmost to lead you astray, but they cannot pick you up and throw you off the path; they must deceive, delude, or otherwise lead you astray.

- Experiencing the Mighty Change, The Principle of the Two Edged Sword. Foothill Publishing. Salt Lake City, 1993