First Presbyterian Church
November 21, 2021
10:00 AM
Order of Worship
CALL
TO WORSHIP (from
Revelation 1:4-6)
Grace and peace to you from him who is and who
was and who is to come,
Grace
and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the
dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To
him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood,
To
him who made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory
and dominion forever and ever.
Let
us worship the Living God.
*Hymn
of Praise: “Fairest Lord Jesus”
1.
Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature, O thou of God and man the Son, Thee
will I cherish, Thee will I honor, thou, my soul's glory, joy, and crown.
2.
Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands, robed in the blooming garb of
spring: Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer who makes the woeful heart to sing.
3.
Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight, and all the twinkling starry
host: Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels heaven can
boast.
4.
Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations! Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and
honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be thine.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)
Merciful God, in Jesus, our risen Lord, we have seen your glory.
Yet our sinfulness often blocks out the light of Christ. We are quick to accuse
and slow to confess. We find faults easily in others while ignoring our own
shortcomings. We have squandered your gifts. We have turned from your ways We
have ignored your Word. Have mercy on us, compassionate God. Pour out your Holy
Spirit on our sinful lives. Wash us with your love and cleanse us with your
grace that day by day we might move closer to the people you would us be. Amen.
*SILENT PRAYERS
OF CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF
PARDON
The resurrection of Jesus shows us the grace of God is stronger than
death and the love of God has no boundary.
This is good news! In Jesus
Christ, we are forgiven!
*THE GLORIA
PATRI
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I
need You, please come into my life today.
Amen”
LESSON: Matthew 7: 12-29
12“In
everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law
and the prophets. 13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the
gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many
who take it. 14For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that
leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15“Beware
of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous
wolves. 16You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes
gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17In the same way,
every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus
you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not
everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22On
that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your
name?’ 23Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go
away from me, you evildoers.’ 24“Everyone then who hears these
words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on
rock. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on
rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not
act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The
rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell—and great was its fall!” 28Now when Jesus had
finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for
he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
SERMON: “How We Can Simply Slide Away From Our Lord”
Rev.
Peter Hofstra
Jesus
speaks of the path into heaven as being a narrow one, while the path to
destruction seems wide open. As Jesus
develops this idea, he seems to have a particular focus. He speaks first of the false prophet, the one
who comes in the name of the Lord-apparently-but who is not truly here in
Jesus’ name. Such a prophet may not even
come along in the name of Jesus. Rather,
these may be individuals or groups that preach their own version of happiness,
of joy, and of fulfillment.
But
Jesus has a test for such people. What
is the fruit of their labor? What is the
result of what they teach? Of what they
demand? Of what they practice? The good tree cannot bear bad fruit nor the
bad tree good fruit. Then, returning to
the theme of the wide road that leads to destruction, such is the fate of the
‘bad trees’, they shall be cut down and burned in the fire.
From
the generalities, Jesus goes on to illustrate his point in the words by
example. There will be people who speak
all the right Christian words, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ But these are people who say things and do
things that look Christian, but are nevertheless not the will of the Father in
heaven. That is a little
frightening. How then is the difference
between one of these veneer Christians and a Christian deserving of heaven to
be discerned?
Such
discernment is to be found in the final parable, the parable of house building
on the rock or no the sand. “The wise
man built his house upon the rock…” It
is a simile, to hear the words of Jesus AND to act on them is like the wise man
who builds his house upon a rock foundation.
It will not be moved into the storms of life. But to hear the words of Jesus and NOT to act
on them, that is like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, where
it is sure to be washed away.
If we
truly intend to use this coming Christmas as a season of renewal, these words
of Jesus are CRITICALLY important. It may
seem obvious, we must not only hear the words of Jesus, but we must also act
upon them. The stagnation and the
shrinkage of God’s family comes from that lack of activity. The words might be there. Everyone might know how to recite the Lord’s
Prayer, John 3:16, the Apostle’s Creed, but are they more than words to us? How does the community of faith, one that was
vibrant in word and deed, in faith and practice, how does it fade away so that
the hearing of the words of Jesus does not lead to anything else?
I would
suggest that Christmas is a present parable in trying to understand that. For all the political correctness of saying
‘Happy Holidays’, for all the other religious and political holidays that have
been gathered into this season, I am thinking in particular of Hanukkah and
Kwanzaa, for all the attempts to create an inclusive package to appeal to
everyone to join the season of buying, there is an exclusivity at the center of
it. You know the bumper sticker, “Keep
Christ in Christmas”? Santa and Rudolf
and Frosty and the countless other add-on’s and plug-in’s that have been piled
onto this holiday, it finds its relevance and its origins with the baby in the
manger, where Linus recites from Luke 2 in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.
Thanksgiving
is a national holiday. It is an ideal
that we can celebrate no matter what our faith, creed, code, or beliefs may
be. But when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
parade comes to its conclusion and Santa arrives in Herald Square, that marks a
transition from a national holiday to a holiday that is celebrated
nationally. It is a subtle but very
significant difference.
I would
suggest this morning that what Jesus is seeking to teach us, of the separation
of hearing the words of our Lord from acting on them, that the way Christmas is
celebrated in this present day is a prime example of exactly how that
separation can happen.
“And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” This is the Good News of the birth of
Jesus. And the angel is explicit, ‘which
shall be to all people’. And if we look
around, there is much accuracy in that statement. Christmas has become something which shall be
to all people. But what is that
Christmas that the world is going to celebrate?
A prime
example may be taken from that most wonderful of Christmas stories, Charles
Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. I think we
know that story pretty well, Scrooge becomes a changed man because of the
spirit of Christmas. He is shown his
life, past, present, and future, and a change has to happen or he will simply
die, forgotten and unmourned. But there
is something on the written page that almost never makes it into any of the
multitude of adaptations of this story.
Scrooge began Christmas Day by going to services. Tiny Tim hoped people would see him so they
would be reminded of the words of Jesus toward the poor and the lame. Woven into Dickens’ narrative is a foundation
of Jesus. That is where the spirit of
Christmas finds its power, that’s where the basis of proper action finds its
seat, in Jesus.
And
while goodwill to all people is still in the language of Christmas, while it is
reflected in Santa, in the spirit of giving, in all of it, I feel like in the
world around us, the virtues of the Season have become as abstract as those of
Thanksgiving. They are the right things
to do, of course, but they are divorced from their spiritual foundation. They have been lifted from the Christian
foundation of the birth of Jesus and are celebrated on their own strength. Even where the story of Jesus is still part
and parcel of the Christmas extravaganza, like at the Christmas Spectacular at
Radio City Music Hall, its just one piece among many. I don’t know about you, but when I have had
the privilege of watching the show, what I have left with is not the impression
that the part about the birth of Jesus was foundational to everything else that
has built upon it. No, my impression is
“oh wow, they had camels and donkeys and sheep in this building in the middle
of New York City…who cleans up after them?”
When
Jesus speaks of people who thought they were good Christians, who say in
surprise when they find out they are condemned that “Lord Lord, I did all this
stuff for you!”, but where these actions are not coming from what we would DO
when we hear the word of Jesus, I think that split begins here. There are so many other messages of the world,
there is so much more piled on top of the simple truths of our Christian faith,
that Jesus is drowned out of our lives completely.
I have
always considered these words of Jesus to be a condemnation of those who have
chosen to attempt to deceive Jesus, to those Christian leaders who have
deliberately exploited their congregations for their own purposes, to get rich,
to cover secret lives of sin, to practice what is the opposite of what Jesus
calls upon us to do, that it is done deliberately and openly, as though someone
has said, “I am going to get whatever I can for me and I am going to use the
Christian faith as a cover.”
It can
happen that way, but I think the path from engaging in acts of obedience to
Jesus to engaging in acts of obedience to the self, to the world around us, is
far more insidious. People who come into
the Christmas season desperate to find a measure of peace in a moment at the
manger once again find themselves in a rat race, in a grind that has them
almost cheering when the season is over and they can ‘get back to normal’, that
they can take a vacation from the vacation of Christmas. Suicide goes way up in this season because
there is some vague notion of ‘goodwill toward all’ that is in the atmosphere,
but it is not grounded in the saving love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
people of the world are hungry for real meaning and purpose in their
lives. The birth of Jesus should be the
start of the real answer to those questions of who we are in a sinful world and
where is there something better. But
instead, the season has gotten so busy, Bethlehem is lost in the glitter of the
season’s lights.
By no
means is it only Christmas that divides people from acting on the words of
Jesus. Whenever there is power and
opportunity, this danger exists. I think
of the last couple of mayors of Perth Amboy.
I knew both Wilda Diaz and Joe Vas in my time here in the City. In my estimation, they were both good people
who got into politics to make a difference in their home town. But after so many years in office, the power
accumulates. The power to do good is
always there, but also the possibility to abuse that power. And if we become convinced that we have the
power for good in our own makeup, in our own activities, in ourselves, we will
fall. We are sinful beings. Salvation, the true ability to do good, it
comes in Jesus, it comes in that power beyond ourselves.
That is
why it is so much easier to point the finger at someone who has done evil and
condemn them for it. That is not what
Jesus would do. But this present age is
so much more insidious in how we are separated from the call of Christ. All that is good and wonderful and to be
celebrated at even the most wonderful time of the year can be lifted and turned
against the actions of Christ. Giving
and receiving, left to themselves, can lead to ever deeper competition and
greed. Goodwill, as a solitary notion,
can sour as judge and mock the poor and the needy for not pulling themselves
up, for living on government handouts.
All the good things that can be done turn into that desperate list of
‘have I gotten everything done?’
The
true meaning of Christmas is regained in coming seriously and completely back
to the message of the manger above all else.
Goodwill is not abstract, it is the concrete expression of the salvation
brought in that baby. Gift giving is not
just a nice thing, it is the reflection of the greatest gift we have
received. We are not simply nice to each
other because it is ‘that time of year’, we are nice as one piece of the whole
package that comes from living a life of loving our neighbors as
ourselves. And when we realize that we
can’t do all that on our own, we have the sure and certain knowledge that we
are not alone, but that we belong, body and soul, to our Lord Jesus, who was
not only born for us, but born again for us.
And
that is the hard part, keeping our eyes upon Him, looking full on his wonderful
face. Because everywhere there exists a
world around us that would distract us, pull us away, turn our faces to our own
desires and satisfaction, presume that we are strong enough to be our own roots
of a happy life. When the truth of the
gospel is that it just isn’t so. Jesus
is the only one who does that for us, in the true expression of love that we
have not only heard, but are called to action for. Because that is the narrow gate. That is the good fruit from the good
trees. That is activity of God that
reflects the words of our Savior. That
is our renewal as people of faith this Christmas Season. Amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (The Apostle’s Creed)
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose from
the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting. Amen.
PASSING OF THE
PEACE
THE OFFERING OF
OUR TITHES & GIFTS
With
gratitude for God’s faithfulness and with thanksgiving for all that we have
received, let us bring our gifts to God.
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from
whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him
above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
O God, with
faith and hope, we offer these gifts. Use them, even as you use us to
accomplish your purposes in Jesus Christ, the Head of the church and the Lord
of our lives. Amen.
JOYS
AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Great God, in you is more
love than we can imagine and more grace than we can fathom. You have shown
yourself in Jesus Christ as a God who meets us where we are and loves us as we
are. We are glad for this day and grateful for your many gifts. You bring good
things into our lives, more than we can name, more than we can number. You give
us the bread of life, sustaining our souls and feeding our deepest hungers. You
accompany us on our way. Thank you for your abundant faithfulness. Our hearts
are full of many things today. Disease and death and pain and sorrow are
constantly among us. The journey through these days is marked by uncertainty
and heartache. We are frequently overwhelmed by the needs around us and within
us. Some need healing, some need encouragement, some need comfort, some need
assurance, we all need hope. So we turn to you asking you to hear our prayers
and grant what we need for the living of these days. We pray for our nation. We
pray for renewed commitments to our common life. Refresh us in the values of
your heart: justice, righteousness, compassion, mercy, peace. Help us to find a
unity of purpose as citizens and neighbors. We pray for your church in places
near and far. May the waters of your grace continually refresh and empower us
to extend the love of Jesus to all people. We pray for the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A), for the clarity of our witness and the success of our mission. We pray
for our congregation, for our life together and for our efforts to follow in
the way of Jesus. Hear us. Hold us. Heal us. Help us. For the sake of our
Savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ who taught us to pray like this:
Our
Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory
forever. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN: “Come Ye
Thankful People Come”
1. Come,
ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; all is safely
gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide for our
wants to be supplied; come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest
home.
2. All
the world is God's own field, fruit as praise to God we yield; wheat and tares
together sown are to joy or sorrow grown; first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear; Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain
and pure may be.
3. For
the Lord our God shall come, and shall take the harvest home; from the field
shall in that day all offenses purge away, giving angels charge at last in the
fire the tares to cast; but the fruitful ears to store in the garner evermore.
4. Even
so, Lord, quickly come, bring thy final harvest home; gather thou thy people
in, free from sorrow, free from sin, there, forever purified, in thy presence
to abide; come, with all thine angels, come, raise the glorious harvest home.
*BENEDICTION
*THREE FOLD AMEN
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