revmontoya | Rev. Shane Montoya

Worshipping at Home, May 16-17, 2020

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “The Areopagus”)

All Prayers are from the Book of Common Worship (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018) and The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Faith Alive Christian Resources and Baker Books, 2013)

Pray: Loving God, we have gathered to meet you. We have come to listen to you, to seek you, to worship you. You are the beginning of all things, the life of all things; you knew us before we were born. In you we become; in you we live. Loving God, you are here and everywhere, around us and within us; you know our inmost thoughts. In you we hope; in you we live. You are the source of serenity, giving peace that is beyond our understanding. In you we are still; in you we live. Loving God, we live in you; we worship you. Loving God, you live in us; we worship you. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional: All Creatures of Our God and King

Contemporary: Here I Am To Worship

Confess: O God, you have shown us the way of life through your Son, Jesus Christ. We confess with shame our slowness to learn of him, our failure to follow him, and our reluctance to bear the cross. Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. We confess the poverty of our worship, our neglect of fellowship and of the means of grace, our hesitating witness for Christ, our evasion of responsibilities in our service, our imperfect stewardship of your gifts. Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. Amen.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: Hear these words of comfort from the book of Acts: All the prophets testify about Christ that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Read God’s Word: Psalm 66: 8-20

Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs; you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.

I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows, those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats.

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.

I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.

If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

Acts 17:22-31 (New Revised Standard Version)

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’

What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.

From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,

‘For we too are his offspring.’

Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Watch the Sermon: The Areopagus

Think or Discuss: What does it mean to be a child of God? What does it mean for people we don’t like or who we disagree with to be children of God?

Do: Talk to, and especially, listen to, someone of a different religion or no religion about what they believe and why they believe it. Pray for them. Remember that they are a child of God.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: I Love to Tell The Story

Contemporary: King of Kings

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Buy an essential worker (healthcare, education, retail, public safety etc.,) a gift card to a local restaurant. Even if they can’t use it now, the restaurant will appreciate the business as well.

Worshipping at Home, May 2-3, 2020

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “New Pastures”)

Pray: O God, you summon the day to dawn, you teach the morning to waken the earth. For you the valleys shall sing for joy, the trees of the field shall clap their hands. For you the kings of the earth shall bow, the poor and the persecuted shall shout for joy. Your love and mercy shall last forever, fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise. Great is your name. Great is your love. Amen

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Be Thou My Vision

Contemporary: Be Unto Your Name

Confess: Almighty and merciful God, we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against your holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare those who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to your promises declared to the world in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And grant, O merciful God, for his sake, that we may live a holy, just, and humble life to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: Christ is our peace; those who are divided he has made one. He has broken down the barriers of separation by his death and has built is up into one body, with God. To all who repent and believe he has promised reconciliation. So live as people reconciled. Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 23 (King James Version)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Acts 2:42-47 (New Revised Standard Version)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Listen to the Sermon: “New Pastures”

Think or Discuss: What new pastures is the Wolcott Congregational Church called to? How are we called to reflect God’s love in Jesus Christ in the world?

Do: Call an elder or someone who’s under particularly strict isolation, and share some words of encouragement or a joke.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Nearer, My God, To Thee

Contemporary: 10,000 Reasons

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Can you donate blood? Hospitals are reporting trouble finding donors. Find a blood drive at redcrossblood.org or call 1(800)733-2767 to find a time and place that works for you.

Worshipping at Home, April 25-26, 2020

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “Cut to The Heart”)

Pray: Glorious Lord of life, by the mighty resurrection of your Son you overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him. Grant that we who celebrate with joy Christ’s rising from the dead may be raised from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Will You Let Me Be Your Servant?

Contemporary: Your Grace is Enough

Confess: Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: Hear these words of comfort from Peter’s first letter: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” In the Name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 116 1-4,12-19 (New Revised Standard Version)

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.

Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.

O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.

You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord!

Acts 2: 14a, 36-41(New Revised Standard Version)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them,

Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Listen to the Sermon: Cut to the Heart

Think or Discuss: What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to act as a Christian?

Do: Take a walk outside, alone if possible, and as you walk try to remember the first time you thought of yourself as a Christian. Was it as a child or when you were an adult? How has your life changed in the meantime? How has your idea of what it means to be a Christian changed?

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: I Danced In The Morning

Contemporary: Heart of Worship

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Just as the early church did, sell something you own and use the proceeds to help a charity, a family member, or a friend who needs a little extra boost now.

Worshiping from Home, Easter 2

Wolcott Congregational Church

Worshipping at Home, April 18-19, 2020

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “Can I Get a Witness?”)

Pray: God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. From the waters of death you raise us with him and renew your gift of life within us. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Crown Him with Many Crowns

Contemporary: Blessed Be Your Name

Confess: Lord, bring new life where we are worn and tired; new love where we have turned hard-hearted; forgiveness where we feel hurt and where we have wounded; and the joy and freedom of your Holy Spirit where we are prisoners of ourselves. Amen.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: To all and to each, on his community and on his friends, where regret is real, Jesus pronounces his pardon and grants us the right to begin again. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 16 (New Revised Standard Version)

Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.

Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.

For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Acts 2: 14a, 22-36 (New Revised Standard Version)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.

For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”‘ Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Listen to the Sermon: Can I Get a Witness?

Think or Discuss: What does it mean to witness something or someone? What does it mean to be a witness in our lives of faith? How do these definitions match up? Are there times when they don’t?

Do: Be a witness to someone. Don’t necessarily try to fix them, to solve all their problems, but see and hear them in their own words and their own

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

Contemporary: God of Wonders

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely)Call a friend or loved one, particularly someone who’s stressed out or not doing well and listen to them. If they need help, offer them resources. Ask if that friend could help you.

Worship From Home Easter Sunday

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen, Indeed!

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “The Foolishness of Easter”)

Pray: Glory to you, O God: you have won victory over death, raising Jesus from the grave and giving us eternal life. Glory to you, O Christ: for us and for our salvation you overcame death and opened the gate to everlasting life. Glory to you, O Holy Spirit: you lead us into the truth. Glory to you, O Blessed Trinity, now and forever. Amen

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Contemporary: Resurrecting

Confess: Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry, and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed, and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak, and abuse the earth you made. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: Hear these Words of comfort from the Apostle Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 118:21-27 (New Revised Standard Version)

I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.

Mark 16:1-8 (New Revised Standard Version)

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Listen to the Sermon: The Foolishness of Easter

Think or Discuss: What is the foundation and cornerstone of your faith? Is it the teachings of Christ or His resurrection? It is freedom from sin or the goodness of God? How does that impact your life?

Do: Ask for Forgiveness from someone. Forgive someone. Let go of an old grudge in your heart.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Hymn of Promise

Contemporary: Christ is Risen

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Make an Easter basket of essential supplies, food, and something for someone in need. Check in with Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries (GWIM) about how you can help those who live in poverty during this time of crisis.

Worship from Home Palm Sunday

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “Parade of Hope”)

Pray: We praise you, O God, for your redemption of the world through Jesus Christ, who entered the holy city of Jerusalem in triumph and was proclaimed Messiah and king by those who spread garments and branches along his way. Let these branches be signs of his victory, and grant that we who carry them may follow him in the way of the cross, that, dying and rising with him, we may enter into your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional: All Glory, Laud, and Honor

Contemporary: Hosanna (Praise is Rising)

Confess: Loving God, you rode a donkey and came in peace, humbled yourself and gave yourself for us. We confess our lack of humility. As you entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted “Hosanna: ‘Save us now!’” On Good Friday they shouted “Crucify!” We confess our praise is often empty. We sing “Hosanna,” but cry “Crucify.” As the crowd laid their palms in front of you, you took no glory for yourself. We confess that we want to be accepted and take the easy way. We do not stay true to your will. Forgive us, Lord, and help us to follow in the way of obedience. Amen.

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: Hear the Word of the Lord from Psalm 118: Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. In Christ, God answers us and sets us free! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 102:12-17 (New Revised Standard Edition)

Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God,

and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches,

up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God, I will extol you.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

Mark 11:1-11 (New Revised Standard Version)

When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Listen to the Sermon: Parade of Hope

Think or Discuss: What’s your best memory of a parade, processional, or street festival? What was meaningful about it? Who did you honor? Was it a big crowd? How did it feel to be a part of such a crowd?

Do: Gather up some greenery and have your own mini Palm Sunday Parade! Walk safely around the house or neighborhood with your palms, and sing some of your favorite songs.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: Rejoice ye Pure in Heart

Contemporary: Heal Our Land

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Many folks have taken to making noise and celebrating at 8PM outside on their porches to honor healthcare workers and other essential workers. Many hospitals and organizations need our help and donations in other ways. Reach out to a local hospital, healthcare facility, homeless shelter, or nursing home to find out if there’s other ways to donate or help out.

Worship From Home Week 3

This worship guide is also available in .PDF form here: https://revmontoya.faith/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Worship-from-Home-week-3-.pdf

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, “Birth Pangs”)

Pray: God of Israel, with expectant hearts we your people await Christ’s coming. As once he came in humility, so now may he come in glory, that he may make all things perfect in your everlasting kingdom. For he is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional: The Church’s One Foundation

Contemporary: Lord, I Need You

Confess: O God, our great shepherd, you tenderly gather us as lambs, carrying us with your all-embracing love. Yet, like sheep, we wander from you: following our own ways, ignoring your voice, distrusting your provisions. Forgive our stubborn rebellion, our hardened hearts, our lack of trust. Refresh us once again by your quiet waters of mercy and restore our souls by your redeeming love. Guide our paths, that we might follow you more closely. Through Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, we pray. Amen

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Receive the good news of the gospel: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 102:12-17 (New Revised Standard Edition)

But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations.

You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come.

For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust.

The nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory.

For the Lord will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory.

He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.

Mark 13:1-8, 24-37 (New Revised Standard Version)

As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Listen to the Sermon: “Birth Pangs”

Think or Discuss: Think back to a painful transition that led to a new way, a new path in the world. How did (or do) you hold that pain alongside the new things that were born out of it?

Do: Start a new tradition, hopefully that (safely) fills your soul and brings together your family, neighbors, and community.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional: A Mighty Fortress

Contemporary: Days of Elijah

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Have conversations with loved ones about pain and grief; this is not only about death, but about missed opportunities, lost jobs, canceled or rescheduled weddings, vacations, graduations. That grief is real and is worthy of conversation and prayer.

Worship at Home

March 22, 2020

Worshiping at Home, March 21-22, 2020

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, Simple and Beautiful)

A .pdf version of this guide is available here: https://revmontoya.faith/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Worship-from-Home-electronic-1-1.pdf

Pray: Lord Jesus, we walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death. Let us find our life in you, O Lord. Banished from the Garden of Eden for our rebellion, we long for the garden of Paradise. O Lord, you are the Christ. Remember us in your kingdom. We come to hear you speak of your love for us. You have the words of eternal life. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional- I Sing the Almighty Power of God

Contemporary: Your Grace is Enough

Confess: God of compassion, you are slow to anger and full of mercy, welcoming sinners who return to you with penitent hearts. Receive in your loving embrace all who come home to you. Seat them at your bountiful table of grace, that, with all your children, they may feast with delight on all that satisfies the hungry heart. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: The Lord God said: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Brothers and sisters: In Christ, all God’s promises are “Yes.” Hear the good news: Through Christ, our minds and hearts are cleansed, healed, and renewed! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 89: 1-4 (New Revised Standard Edition)

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

I declare that your steadfast love is established forever;

your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.

You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,

I have sworn to my servant David:

‘I will establish your descendants forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’”

Mark 12:28-34 (New Revised Standard Version)

One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

Listen to the Sermon: “Simple and Beautiful”

Think or Discuss: Sometimes the hardest things to do are the ones that seem simple at first. What is something in your life that seemed simple but ended up being difficult?

Do: Reclaim a forgotten and simple routine or activity, and turn it into a time for beauty, love, reflection, or quiet. This may be something that was discarded because it was no longer deemed “useful” or it took up too much time.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional- Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Contemporary: Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: (Safely) Do something simple for one of your neighbors. Provide them with a good or service that leaves them with a smile on their face.

All Prayers are from the Book of Common Worship (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018)

And The Worship Sourcebook, Second Edition (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Faith Alive Christian Resources and Baker Books, 2013)

Worship At Home

March 15, 2020

Also available as a .pdf

(Clicking on the text underlined in blue will take you to Youtube videos. Most are songs, except for the Sermon, Cleaning the Temple)

Pray: God, our Rock, our refuge, our resting place, we come to you. Out of another busy week of work, out of our struggles to be meaningful in our world, out of our desire to meet you and know you as the center of our being, we come to you, O unmovable Rock of our security. Amen.

Sing or Listen: Traditional- This Is My Father’s World

Contemporary: The Heart of Worship

Confess: Our Father, forgive us for thinking small thoughts of you and for ignoring your immensity and greatness. Lord Jesus, forgive us when we forget that you rule the nations and our small lives. Holy Spirit, we offend you in minimizing your power and squandering your gifts. We confess that our blindness to your glory, O triune God, has resulted in shallow confession, tepid conviction, and only mild repentance. Have mercy upon us. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Be: Sit (or stand) in silence for one minute.

Be Assured: While it is true that we have sinned, it is a greater truth that we are forgiven through God’s love in Jesus Christ. To all who humbly seek the mercy of God I say, in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Read God’s Word:

Psalm 86:8-13 (New Revised Standard Edition)

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
    nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
    and bow down before you, O Lord,
    and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
    you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Mark 11: 11, 15-19 (New Revised Standard Edition)

Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.

Listen to the Sermon: “Cleaning the Temple”

Think or Discuss: What does it mean for something to be clean? What do we need to clean in our hearts? What gets in the way of our relationships with God?

Do: Clean a space or object you would like to use regularly, but don’t use often because it’s dirty or messy.

Pray: Use this time to pray, silently, at first, and then for others who need your prayers.

Finally, pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Our Father…)

Sing or Listen: Traditional- God of Grace and God of Glory

Contemporary: Thank You, My Lord

Bless and Be Blessed: May the God of Peace and the Peace of God be with you always.

After Worship, Our Service begins…

Serve: Check in on your neighbors, particularly any who are elderly or homebound. Is there something you can safely buy or do for them in this time of isolation? Even a conversation through a screen door might be a blessing.

A Lost Coin

Psalm 113, Luke 15:8-10

I know last week our worship service went a little long, so today’s sermon will be a little bit shorter, but I hope the message is no less important and meaningful to you.

Some days, I wake up feeling like a million bucks: my hair looks good, my pants fit right, I successfully match my jacket, belt, and shoes, the dog is happy, my wife is feeling well.

All is right in the world.

Other days, I wake up feeling like a dirty and wet penny that’s been spending too much on the bottom of my shoe.

My hair feels thin, my shirt doesn’t fit right, the dog had an accident in the house, and I wear stripes and plaid.

Nothing is right in the world.

The remarkable thing about the God we worship, whom we share with our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors is that God is not more present to us when we’re successful or feeling good or hashtag blessed.

Yes, there are some stories of God showing favor to some figures and them growing prosperous and healthy, but how permanent is that wealth?

Kings David and Solomon have fabulous wealth, but at what cost? Moral rot seeps into both men, culminating with David’s committing gross crimes against his subjects, and Solomon’s great legacy, other than the temple, is the civil war that succeeds him.

Others favored by God frequently face struggle, violence, death, and for many, destruction.

The idea that wealth and prosperity is a sign of God’s favor is both malicious for it tells us that when someone is poor or not doing well that it is their own fault that they are far from God.

This sort of thinking, at its worst, treats prayer like a magic spell, and God like a vending machine- God exists to dispense favors, not as sovereign lord of the universe.

I believe this is unbiblical.

Does the bible tell us that God is further away from us when we have a bad day? When we feel like that dirty penny, rather than when we feel like a million bucks?

No!

Indeed, it is in those seasons in our lives for whatever reason that we are suffering from poverty- a poverty of spirit, money, time, friends, good hair even, that God is seeking us out the most.

Our psalm tells us that God “raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.”

Our God is a God who, although he loves everyone, has a special concern for the poor, and wants to see justice and equity among the peoples of the earth.

God wants to see the poor lifted up and sit them with those who are doing well.

Indeed, this is why the Bible has so many pronouncements of judgement, of anger, against those who would, in the words of the prophet Amos “Sell the poor for a pair of sandals.”

But neither is God’s concern for the poor limited to those who are poor in wealth.

The last few lines of the psalm tell us that.

In Israelite society, there were few people more in need of pity than a woman who could not bear children.

For in those days, a woman was defined by the men in her life- her father, her husband, her sons.

So a woman who could not have children was seen as fundamentally broken.

Today, we know that’s not true at all, and that women are beloved by God whether or not they have children.

Many women have fulfilling lives with or without spouses or children.

But back then, that would have not been the case.

So here, in this Bible passage, we have God saying that he is specifically on the side of those women who cannot have children, and that she will have a home, full of joy of children.

Now I would question whether or not this means biological children, and also, add the caveat of course, this would only happen for a woman who wants to have children, but God’s willingness to lift up those who are lowly is a unique to our God.

This brings us to our Luke reading, which is a parable about a woman, who has ten silver coins- not pennies, not talents of gold, but honest silver coins, useful for a few weeks of food, and who has lost one.

When one is lost, she lights a lamp, sweeps the house and searches carefully for it. We can imagine her taking out the couch cushions, moving the coffee table, cleaning out that space between the stove and countertop, all searching for that lost coin.

And when she does find it, she rejoices.

And the meaning of this parable couldn’t be clearer- Jesus gives us a rare explanation of what he meant.

Just as the woman rejoiced, there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents.

To connect these two stories isn’t to say that being poor is a sin. Note that the coin is lost, and there is no moral judgement toward the coin.

I connect them to reiterate the point that as much as we search for God, God is evermore searching for us.

Searching for ways to connect with us, to love us, to let us be held in the palm of his hand.

Not just when we’re feeling the most blessed, but when we’re feeling at our most impoverished; financially, socially, and spiritually.

Thanks be to God for that. Amen.