Christ and the Fig Tree Reflection
for the Community.
Modern Song Focus on Contemporary Church Artists
performing hymns of traditional foundation.
Everyone is Welcome!

Christ and the Fig Tree Reflection Introduction:
Isaiah calls for us to recognize the fullness of our Lord. A new day under a new king was traditionally met with a forgiveness from debt and a banquet. The Lord will quench our thirst for knowledge and forgiveness. Lent is an invitation for us to thirst for the Lord and seek Him.
Our psalm invites us to long for our Lord as least as much as the way in which we long for the presence of a loved one who is departed and physically separated from us for some time.
In Corinthians Paul is counseling his people from a physical distance by means of a letter. Believers must be prepared to manage challenges that arise in life. It is better for an entire community to support one another through testing than it is for an individual to carry this burden alone.
A conversation at the community water well: While Pilate was in power there was a massacre of Galilean Pilgrims. We can draw the act of blood shed here to that of Christ’s own blood shed while under Pilate’s reign of brutality. The Tower of Siloam appeared to fall on unsuspecting people by natural means. Both stories end people’s lives for no apparent good reason. Jesus tells us not to credit divine punishment for tragedy. Jesus does not assure us freedom from calamity, rather we must repent for that control we have upon ourselves. In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus likens repentance to a changed mind. Humanity, given its vulnerability, is a gift that we must care for in ourselves and others.

You Shall Cross the Barren Desert Be Not Afraid
Robert Dufford
performed by Michael John Talbot

You shall cross the barren desert,
but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety,
though you do not know the way.

Christ and the Fig Tree Reflection Scripture:
Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Is. 55:6.
O Lord God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Ps. 63:1.
So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 1 Cor. 10:12.
The Parable of the Fig Tree. No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Luke 13:3.

Prayer:
God of the covenant,
in the glory of the cross
your Son embraced the power of death
and broke its hold over your people.
In this time of repentance,
draw all people to yourself,
that we who confess Jesus as Lord
may put aside the deeds of death
and accept the life of your kingdom. Amen.
Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us
Dorothy Thrupp (1836).
piano accompaniment by Rick Betts

Savior, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are;
Blessèd Jesus, blessèd Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

Prayer:
Faithful God of love,
you blessed us with your servant Son
so that we might know how to serve your people
with justice and with mercy.
We gather the needs of ourselves and others,
and offer them to you in faith and love,
seeking to be strengthened to meet them.
Shape us and transform us by your grace,
that we may grow in wisdom and in confidence,
never faltering until we have done all that you desire
to bring your realm of shalom to fulfillment. Amen.

Safe in the Arms of Jesus
Fanny Crosby (1868).
performed by Altar of Praise Chorale

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded,
Sweetly my soul shall rest.
Hark! ’tis the voice of angels
Borne in a song to me,
Over the fields of glory,
Over the jasper sea.

Prayer:
God of infinite goodness,
throughout the ages you have persevered
in claiming and reclaiming your people.
Renew for us your call to repentance,
surround us with witnesses to aid us in our journey,
and grant us the time to fashion our lives anew,
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

I the Lord of Sea and Sky Here I am Lord
Dan Schutte
piano accompaniment

We are all stewards spreading the Word of Jesus’ blessings for His people.
Picnic Fellowship Activities for the Entire Family!

Of course lively discussion and activities will be available!
Perhaps you may prefer to sit and visit!
Please Contact Us with Special Requests!

Imitate Christ Reflection
for the Community.
Modern Song Focus on Contemporary Church Artists
performing hymns of traditional foundation.
Everyone is Welcome!

Scripture Introduction:
Abram has visionary experiences in his relationship with the Lord. In his journey through life, the Lord provides for Abram even when it does not appear likely such a result could occur.
Our psalm can be interpreted as trust, a prayer for help, or both.
Our Philippians passage calls us to imitate Christ, particularly his humility and self-sacrifice for the sake of others. How might you follow his example?
Life and death in Jerusalem is historically difficult for prophets. As Jesus goes about his ministry in the community it is clear that He is headed toward the Passion. Jesus will complete His work of deliverance for His people.

Amazing Grace
John Newton (1779).
instrumental performed by Kevin MacLeod

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see.

Scripture:
Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great. Gen. 15:1.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Ps. 27:1.
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me. Phil. 3:17.
You will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Luke 13:35.

Prayer:
God of wilderness and water,
your Son was baptized and tempted as we are.
Guide us through this season,
that we may not avoid struggle,
but open ourselves to blessing,
through the cleansing depths of repentance
and the heaven-rending words of the Spirit. Amen.

Rock of Ages
August Toplady (1776).
performed acapella by Calvary Mennonite Choir

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.

Prayer:
God of the covenant,
you call us to be fruitful servants within creation,
and to offer our lives
as the foundation of your realm.
We lay before you the desires of our hearts,
that we may be transformed by their fulfillment.
Grant, O God, that the prayers we offer
may be your channel for new and abundant life
not only hoped for,
but worked for,
through faithful word and deed. Amen.

What a Friend We have in Jesus
Joseph Medlicott Scrivener (1855).
Performed by Tennessee Ernie Ford

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Prayer:
Hope beyond all human hope,
you promised descendants as numerous as the stars
to old Abraham and barren Sarah.
You promise light and salvation
in the midst of darkness and despair,
and promise redemption to a world that will not listen.
Gather us to yourself in tenderness,
open our ears to listen to your word,
and teach us to live faithfully
as people confident of the fulfillment of your promises.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are all stewards spreading the Word of Jesus’ blessings for His people.
Picnic Fellowship Activities for the Entire Family!

Of course lively discussion and activities will be available!
Perhaps you may prefer to sit and visit!
Please Contact Us with Special Requests!

Ash Wednesday Reflection
for the Community.
Modern Song Focus on Contemporary Church Artists
performing hymns of traditional foundation.
Everyone is Welcome!

Ash Wednesday Introduction:
We begin our Lenten journey with the reminder that from ashes we have come and to ashes we will return and leave with that symbol of ashes in the form of a cross upon our foreheads as a lasting reminder of our fragile physical mortality. It is our spirituality that will live on.
We do not blame the Lord for natural disasters yet we pray for his assistance in healing our broken lives.
Our psalm today is a lament to the Lord about our experiences with dust, disaster and deceit. Martin Luther said this psalm contains instruction about the chief parts of our religion: repentance, sin, grace, and justification, as well as worship we ought to render to the Lord.
Paul certainly had competition in Corinth. We can imagine the challenge, even today, in convincing all believers and non-believers to get behind Jesus Christ and the Good News.
Alms, prayer and fasting are three gestures of piety Jesus speaks of in Matthew. Jesus informs us that these gestures are without merit if we lack appropriate spirituality to motivate them. Do not confuse God’s glory with self deception.

Savior, More than Life to Me
Fanny Crosby (1875).
performed by Harding Concert Choir

Ash Wednesday Scripture:
Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Joel 2:13.
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Is. 58:1.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Ps. 51:1.
We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 5:20.
Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Matt. 6:1.
Prayer:
Righteous God,
in humility and repentance
we bring our failures in caring, helping, and loving,
we bring the pain we have caused other,
we bring the injustice in society of which we are a part,
to the transforming power of your grace.
Grant us the courage to accept the healing you offer
and to turn again toward the sunrise of your reign,
that we may walk with you in the promise of peace
you have willed for all the children of the earth,
and have made known to us in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Spirit Divine, Attend Our Prayers
Andrew Reed (1829).

Prayer:
Gracious and merciful God,
you see into the secret places of our hearts,
where we mourn our sins.
As we turn again to your grace, receive our prayers.
Look with mercy on our contrite hearts,
wash from us the stain of iniquity,
and create a new and right spirit in us,
that we may declare your praise
and offer an acceptable sacrifice in these Lenten days;
through Christ Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross. Amen.

O! for a Closer Walk with God
William Cowper (1772).
performed by Charles Stanford Manchester Choir

Prayer:
O God, you delight not in pomp and show,
but in a humble and contrite heart.
Overturn our love of worldly possessions
and fix our hearts more firmly on you,
that, having nothing,
we may yet possess everything,
a treasure stored up for us in heaven. Amen.
Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery
Marty Haugen
performed by Richard and Bro. Pasky Church of St. Mary

We are all stewards spreading the Word of Jesus’ blessings for His people.
Picnic Fellowship Activities for the Entire Family!

Of course lively discussion and activities will be available!
Perhaps you may prefer to sit and visit!
Please Contact Us with Special Requests!

Transfiguration Celebration
for the Community.
Modern Song Focus on Contemporary Church Artists
performing hymns of traditional foundation.
Everyone is Welcome!

Transfiguration Celebration Introduction:
What a glorious experience if we could see the glowing person of Jesus Christ and hear the Word of the Lord! But we do! in our community of believers!
Exodus tells us the Lord is dwelling with His people in the Wilderness. The experience of dialogue with the Lord transforms Moses into a man with a radiant face, as it can and will to to all of us as believers.
Our psalm is an Enthronement psalm. It calls on all of creation, which includes humanity, to bow before, tremble and worship the Lord. We see the continuation of the transfiguration theme in our readings.
Paul tells us that we should remove the veil in engaging our neighbors in society. We risk the muted protection of our Christian thoughts behind the veil, but this is not they way Christ demonstrated and exemplified the lives we are to lead in pleasing the Father.
Luke tells us that Jesus is present with Moses, representing law, and Elijah, representing prophecy. The people celebrate the protection the Lord gives them in the wilderness wandering during the Feast of Tabernacles. The transfiguration of Jesus is a metamorphosis that invokes the Holy Spirit and prepares Jesus to continue His work among His people. Jesus goes on to heal the disgraced boy possessed by demons. Jesus is impatient with His disciplines who lack in the belief and capacity to do this work themselves.
There is no better way to experience the Transfiguration than to get out of our “safe” places where we hide and go out into the community to do work that is pleasing to the Father. Amen.

Transfiguration Celebration Scripture:
Moses came down from Mount Sinai … with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand. Exodus 34:29.
Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy. Ps. 99:9.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Cor. 3:17.
“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Luke 9:35.

Be Thou My Vision
Ancient Irish (700).
Mary Byrne, Eleanor Hull

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
thou my best thought, by day or by night;
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Prayer:
Holy God, mighty and immortal,
you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ,
whose compassion illumines the world.
Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ,
who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity,
the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who live and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God.
performed by Maranatha Singers

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with your free Spirit.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Ps. 51:10.

Prayer:
O God, as your Son drew apart
to be in prayer with you,
we offer our prayers
for the transformation of the world and the church.
You revealed your glory and presence
in your beloved Son, Jesus the Christ.
In receiving our prayers,
reveal the glory and presence of your Spirit
alive in the world today,
free us from all doubts,
and empower us to act as a transfigured people. Amen.

O Come O Come Emmanuel
John Mason Neale (1851).

O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Prayer:
Eternal God,
you revealed to the disciples
the everlasting glory of Jesus Christ.
Grant us, who have not seen and yet believe,
the gift of your Holy Spirit,
that we may boldly live the gospel
and shine with your transforming glory,
as people changed and changing
through the redeeming presence of our Savior. Amen.

Good Christian Men Rejoice
John Mason Neale

Good Christian friends, rejoice
with heart and soul and voice;
give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ was born today.
Ox and ass before him bow,
and he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!

We are all stewards spreading the Word of Jesus’ blessings for His people.
Picnic Fellowship Activities for the Entire Family!

Of course lively discussion and activities will be available!
Perhaps you may prefer to sit and visit!
Please Contact Us with Special Requests!