When we remember the “whole armor of God,” what do we remember?
Here’s a transcript:
I’m thinking about the sixth chapter of Ephesians (Ephesians 6:10-20), specifically that portion that is generally remembered as “the whole armor of God.”
I’ll admit this is not my favorite passage of Scripture. I don’t tend to favor those which rely upon military imagery, or symbolism of the instruments of violence. I tend to think that human beings have a remarkable capacity for spiritualizing such things as – oh, I don’t know – “Sell all your possessions and give them to the poor” – while we take the imagery of violence remarkably literally.
Still, here it is and there is something rather fascinating about it. First, the apostles stated quite clearly that these were not weapons to be used against enemies of flesh and blood, that this was equipment for is spiritual struggle. He spiritualized the imagery of violence.
And then it also must be said that all the things that he describes as armor, which includes righteousness and faith and even peace, these are things that do not provide safety (well, I suppose peace provides safety) in the real world. There’s only one weapon in this whole armor of God, the sword of the Word, and not even our words but the Word of God.
Even the one implement of destruction does not truly belong to the wielder. The Word belongs to God.
Early Christians were known for being a pacifist people. One of the problems that the Romans had with them was that they frequently refused to serve in the legions or the auxiliaries. This is a facet of Christianity that was, I’m afraid, all too soon forgotten, all too soon rejected, all too soon contradicted: over and over again.
The armor of God is no armor at all. The armor of God is truth and righteousness. The armor of God is faith and peace. The armor of God is our faithfulness to the One who came and died upon a cross and gave up his life for all people.
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
The video above will be available to stream live at 11:00 AM HAST on August 21, 2024. You may watch the recording here at any time afterward. You will need to click the Play button to view the live video.
I haven’t looked at my sermons over the last few years, but it seems to me that I tend to preach more somber sermons just before I got on vacation, and more cheerful sermons when I come back from them. Well, here I am, just back from vacation. So what am I thinking about?
Wisdom. You know. The fear of the LORD.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” We spoke that together during the Prayer of Invocation this morning, and the phrase “the fear of the LORD” showed up as well in Psalm 34.
What do you think? Should I have taken a longer vacation?
To reflect on wisdom, I’ve got the assistance of the letter to the Ephesians, which has such cheerful advice as to be wise, not foolish (and recognizes that foolishness is frequently more fun); not to get drunk with wine; and to make the most of the time, “because the days are evil.”
Perhaps the Apostle should have taken a vacation as well.
Frequently in the letters of the Apostle Paul, he provided us with a list of things to avoid. Curiously, though, there’s only one here: don’t drink to excess. That was good advice in the first century and it’s good advice today. I admit that it’s a bit simplistic. “Just say no” sounds good, but it fails to account for the power of addictive substances and behaviors over human beings.
But… where’s the rest of the list?
In fact, there’s only one other item on the list, and it’s not a “do not do,” it’s a “please do” item. What is wisdom? To be filled with the Spirit, and to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord in your hearts, and giving thanks to God.
You know, that sounds almost… cheerful.
As novelist Paul Coelho wrote, “The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
That verse from Psalm 111 is the one that sticks in our memory, isn’t it? “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” A lot of people aren’t fond of that verse, even if they do remember it. It’s not a cheerful verse. We don’t like fear. It feels bad. And in a church like ours, where our theology guides us to a more positive feeling about God, it feels wrong.
Which is something of a pity, because fear is such a handy emotion. It is, literally, life-saving. The fear response in the human body allows for quicker response to encounters with danger. Fear sometimes – not always – prevents people from entering dangerous situations. Fear sometimes – not always – prevents people from doing things because they fear the consequences. Honestly, it’s a pretty useful human characteristic.
Still, you don’t want to think about people around you as people to fear. You don’t want to fear people who love you.
Except that… I know I fear disappointing the people I love. I still do it, I’m afraid, but I fear it and that fear prevents me from disappointing them more often. And I fear disappointing God.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
But it is not the fullness of wisdom. Because the Apostle, who I’m quite certain knew Psalm 111 backwards, forwards, upside down and sideways, utterly failed to go there when talking about what constitutes wisdom versus what constitutes foolishness. Even in a world which is evil, said the Apostle, wisdom is celebration. Wisdom is thanksgiving. Wisdom is singing.
As Sally A. Brown writes at Working Preacher, “Gratitude to the God who has become one of us—accompanying us even amid oppression, pain, isolation, and grief—is an act of holy defiance against all the forces, seen and unseen, that conspire to crush our faith and our hope.”
During my vacation I did a lot of traveling. I flew about 5,000 miles, then I drove to eight cities in four states. That’s a lot of driving for someone who rarely takes a trip longer than eighty miles. It’s also something I probably can’t sustain as the years advance.
Exhausting.
But.
I saw people I love and care about. I heard their voices. I heard their stories. We shared meals and laughter and hugs. And a few of the obligatory self-portraits.
Exhilarating.
So what is wisdom, and what is folly? To give my attention to the exhausting elements of my time away, or to give it to the exhilaration? Ephesians is clear: Wisdom is celebration. Wisdom is thanksgiving. Wisdom is singing.
I guess I’ll focus on the love and the stories and, of course, the obligatory self-portraits.
None of that means that the difficult things didn’t happen, or weren’t difficult. It doesn’t even mean that they were “worth it,” however anyone wants to think of that. The Apostle said the times were evil and it might have been one of the more obvious things to say about the world in which he lived. It’s a pretty obvious thing to say about the world in which we live.
But it is not the only thing to say about the world in which we live. We believe that God pronounced this Creation “good,” even “very good.” If we set our minds solely on the evils of this world then we commit the folly of appreciating the profound gift of God in Creation, in humanity, in our own lives. Some of ancient Israel’s neighbors had religions that believed the world to be a sort of cosmic accident at best, or the work of a malign deity at worst. In the first century, Gnosticism held that Creation imprisoned free spirits.
Judaism and Christianity following it rejected both ideas. The universe is a beautiful, sacred place, created by a loving God for the life and joy of those who live in it. We are not just accidents of fate. We are the image of God.
That’s a foundation of wisdom.
The Apostle knew as well that the news of Jesus’ death and resurrection was and is and will always be good news. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved. When so many religions demanded sacrifice on the part of worshipers to their gods, Christianity celebrated the sacrifice of its God on behalf of human beings. The very word “gospel” is Greek for “good news.”
When someone gives you good news, what do you say? Me, I say, “Thank you.”
The Dutch theologian Meister Eckhart wrote, “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
Mahalo nui loa, ke Akua.
Melissa Bane Sevier, writing in her blog, reflects on our culture’s demands for efficiency. “When the apostle writes that ‘the days are evil,’ I take that to mean that day upon day upon day can be evil if we don’t redeem the time. Sameness, boredom, work, heaviness, laboriousness. We redeem the time by filling it with things that give life to us and the people around us. Yes, sometimes that involves being efficient.
“But I’m also reminded that making the most of our time often means an efficiency of the spirit, which might be a far notion from checking off lists.
“How will you make the most of your time today?
“I’m planning to eat supper on the porch.”
Personally, I’m planning to enjoy our annual picnic, with its games and conversations, with its laughter and its life. I’m also planning to enjoy a few hymns and spiritual songs this morning. I hope you will, too, even those of you who aren’t enthusiastic singers. God ahead. Pray twice this morning.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, but not the only beginning. Joy in the LORD is also a beginning, and a constant companion for the journey. Look at what is around you, and not just to what is far away. Look at what is within you, and give thanks for the gifts you have received. Let your hearts, minds, and voices sing.
Amen.
by Eric Anderson
Watch the Recorded Sermon
Although Pastor Eric preaches from a prepared text, he sometimes improvises while preaching. Or he just makes an error. In either case, the recording will differ from the prepared sermon.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, August 18, 2024. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship August 18, 2024 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Pastorale Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome Rev. Eric S. Anderson
* Call to Worship: (based on Proverbs 9:1-6) Peter Braun
Leader: Wisdom has built her house; she has raised her seven pillars. People: She has prepared her feast; she has set her table.
Leader: Wisdom calls to all the people in the town: People: “Turn from your folly! Come here!
Leader: “Eat of my bread; drink what I have mixed.” People: We come to be fed by wisdom and to live in the ways of insight.
All: Let us worship God!
* Hymn #31: All Things Bright and Beautiful (v. 1-3)
* Invocation (based on Psalm 111) Peter Braun
We praise you, O God, in the privacy of our hearts, and in this company of worshipers. Great are your works, full of honor and majesty. You are faithful and just. Your guidance is trustworthy. You have brought redemption to your people. You have commanded your covenant forever. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, it is said: in wisdom we praise your name forever. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 34:9-14 Peter Braun O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want. The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Ephesians 5:15-20 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon: The Beginning of Wisdom Rev. Eric S. Anderson
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer 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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen
* Hymn #30: Colorful Creator (v. 1-4)
Call to Offering Peter Braun
Rejoice in the colors of sunrise, in the roar of the sea. Rejoice in the comforting touch of a friend and in the smell and taste of good food. Rejoice in it all, and rejoice that you can share your wisdom and your resources with those who share the sunrise, but lack the food they need. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Andante Kayleen Yuda
* 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
* Offertory Prayer Peter Braun
With these gifts, O God, we pray that you may build wisdom among human beings. May we draw nearer to one another in love. May we share in the abundance of your gifts. May we rejoice in your grace. Amen.
* Hymn #55: Rejoice, You Pure in Heart (v. 1-5)
Announcements Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Benediction Rev. Eric S. Anderson
Postlude: Rejoice, The Lord is King Kayleen Yuda
* Please stand if you are able.
Permissions
Pastorale Joseph Willcox Jenkins Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
All Things Bright and Beautiful Text by Cecil F. Alexander, 1848 Tune ROYAL OAK trad. English melody Adapt. by Martin Shaw, 1915 Public Domain
Sonatina Op. 36 No. 6,1st Mvt. Muzio Clementi Public Domain
Rejoice, You Pure in Heart Text by Edward H. Plumptre, 1865 Public Domain
Tune MARION by Arthur H. Messiter, 1883 Public Domain
Rejoice, The Lord is King John Darwall Streamed by permission ONELICENSE A-735890
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Moderator Stefan Tanouye Lay Reader Peter Braun Choir Accompanist Kanako Okita Choir Director Doug Albertson Organist Kayleen Yuda Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy Chapel Decorations Moira Tanaka Projected Imagery Sue Smith Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte Videographers Eric Tanouye, Eli Yamaki Ruth Niino-DuPonte, Bob Smith
Church Picnic Today Join us today, Sunday, August 18, for our annual picnic. We’ll enjoy good food, good company, and of course the laughter that comes with playing old familiar games together. Plan to be with us in the Building of Faith when worship ends!
Dates to Remember Today: August 18–Deacons Meeting after worship Today: August 18–Church picnic, Hilo style!
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
Because of mailing times, however, I’m writing this before I leave for vacation, so… my head is spinning just a little bit.
Anticipating the future is, as I have said more than once, both a necessary activity and a nearly futile one. Investment analysts, economic forecasters, meteorologists, and those who seek fugitives all engage in it as their livelihood. What will the markets do? Will the storm track north or south? Where might this person go next? Nobody feels much surprise to find themselves mistaken. Part of anticipating the future is anticipating possibilities, not certainties.
Even forecasting possibilities, however, risks error. Just recently a computer glitch grounded airline flights for hours. Something similar could happen the day I plan to fly home. There might be a storm that forces a diversion, or a passenger who abruptly decides they won’t wear a seat belt and delays takeoff. So many possibilities… so.
I think I’m back!
There is one thing that I am confident that the future holds: the love of God. This is the love that shaped the universe. This is the love that guided the ancient people of Israel. This is the love that sent Jesus, led Jesus, and resurrected Jesus. This is the love that formed the Church for service (even if we, like our forebears serve imperfectly). This is the love that carries us through work, travel, rest, play, sorrow, and rejoicing.
I’m back, and I’m glad to be back. God is with us!
The video above will be available to stream live at 11:00 AM HAST on August 14, 2024. You may watch the recording here at any time afterward. You will need to click the Play button to view the live video.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, it says – but for the apostle Paul, the beginning of wisdom is the celebration of grace.
Here’s a transcript:
I’m thinking about the fifth chapter of the letter to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5:15-20), in which the apostle advised his readers not to be foolish, but to be wise.
You would expect from the apostle Paul that there would be a long list of things not to do or, conversely, to do, in order to be wise or not to be foolish. Indeed, Paul began with one, and it is something of a theme for him and his letters. He said, do not get drunk with wine because that is debauchery. Instead, he advised, get filled with the spirit: sing hymns and spiritual songs and praise God.
The beginning of wisdom, we hear from Proverbs, is the fear of the LORD. Interestingly enough, the apostle did not quote that. Instead, he turned to a different kind of relationship with God, a different kind of activity towards God. He turned towards praise and celebration.
The beginning of wisdom is rejoicing in the gifts of God.
There are plenty of reasons for regrets, for repentance, even for sadness and sorrow. “The times are evil,” the apostle wrote. But wisdom does not focus there. Wisdom focuses on the gifts of God, the grace of God, the compassion of God, the presence of God, the praise of God.
So let us be wise and not foolish. Let us not replace genuine joy with that that comes from artificial means, whether that be mood altering substances or mood altering activity. Let us begin by appreciating the wonders of the world that God has made. Let us begin by celebrating the gifts and the grace of God.
That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, August 11, 2024. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship August 11, 2024 Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor Rev. Jonathan Roach, Guest Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome Rev. Jonathan Roach
* Call to Worship: (Inspired by Amos 5) Nalyn Ang
One: So, what does God want? Many:A great worship service, beautiful music, inspiring words of hope!
One: Really? So, what does God want? Many:A landmark church building, an architectural wonder that people come to admire!
One: Do you believe that? I ask again: So, what does God want? Many:That justice flows like an unstoppable river, that righteousness moves like a never-failing stream! That all feel the love of God and the love neighbor!
* Hymn #593: Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing
* Invocation Nalyn Ang God of Unpopular Truths, your ways are perfect, and your laws are justice. We gather today in your name and for your kin-dom. May our hearts be opened, and our understanding expanded with the vision of your righteousness. May our worship please you, transform us, and bear witness to your presence in this world. Amen
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem:
Time with the Children
Scripture: Amos 5:21-24Nalyn Ang I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Sermon: So, What Does God Want?Rev. Jonathan Roach
WE RESPOND IN WORD AND DEED
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Jonathan Roach
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer 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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen
*Hymn#588: Let Justice Flow Like Streams
Call to Offering Nalyn Ang God has planted generosity within our beings. The gifts we receive are not for holding and creating idols, they are for the work of the kin-dom, the building of God’s beloved community, and spreading God’s abundance so that all may be well and whole.
Offertory: Kayleen Yuda
* 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
* Offertory Prayer Nalyn Ang Mahalo Holy One, we thank you for the gifts of being your church. We give thanks by bringing our resources to this community, to be shared and used for your kin-dom in your ministry of justice and love, and for this world. Grow this generosity beyond our wildest imagination. Amen!
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Guest Pastor Rev. Jonathan Roach Moderator Stefan Tanouye Lay Reader Nalyn Ang Choir Accompanist Kanako Okita Choir Director Doug Albertson Organist Kayleen Yuda Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy Chapel Decorations Barbara Iwami, Bill & Nancy Chen Projected Imagery Sue Smith Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte Videographers Eric Tanouye, Eli Yamaki Ruth Niino-DuPonte, Bob Smith
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
We will change the publication schedule of The Messenger next month. Beginning in September, we will return to issuing two issues a month, retiring the weekly schedule we have used since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.
The Messenger requires a significant amount of resources. It accounts for the bulk of our mailing costs each month. Staff – both Momi Lyman and myself – devote time to it. Reducing the frequency of these mailings will save dollars, and also give us time for other responsibilities and projects.
Fewer congregations and other settings of the United Church of Christ produce printed newsletters these days. All of the national office’s publications are electronic. The Hawai’i Conference’s The Friend is one of the last conference newsletters to be printed and posted.
Personally, I am glad that we still print and post The Messenger. Not everybody has access to electronic communications even now, and there are others with access who still prefer a physical newsletter. I strongly believe that effective communication relies, in part, on reaching people where they are. Because I believe that our words have value, I want them to be easily accessible to those who want to hear them. During the pandemic, this was the safest way with which we could remind people that their church cares about them.
We increased the publication schedule in an environment where other contact incurred dangers we needed to avoid. With the risk significantly lessened, I think we can return to the twice-monthly schedule we had when I arrived as your pastor eight years ago.
Thank you for joining us for this live stream (or recording, as the case may be) of Sunday worship. May it bless you! You may need to click “Play” to launch the stream, which will be live around 9:50 AM.
The service today includes the celebration of Holy Communion. If you are worshiping at home, please prepare some bread and other staple food, and a beverage, and have them at hand for that portion of the service.
Welcome to the live stream of worship from Church of the Holy Cross for Sunday, August 4, 2024. You will find the service outline below, and you may download and print the PDF to follow more easily.
Service of Worship August 4, 2024 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Eric S. Anderson, Pastor Rev. Eric Page, Guest Pastor
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Please note that audio and video of this service are being live streamed on the Internet and will be recorded. The right rear section of the sanctuary will not be captured by any cameras. Please be aware that in other sections you may be visible at times.
Prelude: Kayleen Yuda
Lighting of the Candles
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome Rev. Eric Page
* Call to Worship Mace Peng
Leader: Family of God, what is our story? People: We are part of God’s good creation, created and sustained by the Holy One.
Leader: Family of God, what is our story? People: Though created by our loving Lord, we have erred and harmed ourselves, one another, and creation.
Leader: Family of God, what is our story? People: As we are growing in faith, we look to Jesus to show us how to turn toward love.
Leader: Family of God, what is our story? People: We hold God’s substance and life, it’s essence and vitality in our souls and bodies.
Leader: Family of God, what is our story? People: We carry the weight of the Word in our hearts, our hands, and our voices, proclaiming with our lives the good news of love and grace.
Leader: Family of God, this is our story and our song! People: Thanks be to God! Amen.
* Hymn #18: Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer (v. 1-3)
* Invocation Mace Peng
As we prepare for worship, Let us come honestly before the Almighty and acknowledge our shortcomings and the ways we have compromised our faith.
Let us return to the Source of All Being, that we might draw strength and encouragement.
The bread of life nourishes and renews us.
The water of righteousness flows out from us to bring healing to the whole creation. In the name and nature of Christ, Amen.
Please be seated
WE SHARE THE WORD OF GOD
Anthem: Semei Non Nang (Father in Heaven). IYAA
Time with the Children
Scripture: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Mace Peng The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’
Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.
Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.”’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”’
In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
John 6:24-35 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that whichcomes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Sermon: Heaven Is Like Leaven Rev. Eric Page
Pastoral Prayer Rev. Eric Page
Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer 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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen
Call to Offering Mace Peng
Every good thing is a gift from the Spirit — the food we eat, the things we have, the time we spend, our whole lives. We give our lives back to a holy cause as a way of saying thank you — sharing money with those who are in need, giving food to those who are hungry, and spending our time helping others. For it all, we are grateful. Whether you share your gift here in the church today, through a gift online, or via an envelope in the mail, let the offering now be received.
Offertory: Kayleen Yuda
* 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
* Offertory Prayer Mace Peng
Generous God, in this time of offering, we come before you, acknowledging your steadfast grace and boundless love. As we present our gifts, may we also offer our hearts, recognizing the depth of our humanity and the need for your healing touch. Grant us the courage to confront our failings and the wisdom to seek reconciliation and renewal in your divine presence. Amen
* Hymn #332: As We Gather at Your Table (v. 1-3)
SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation Consecrating the Bread and Cup Sharing the Bread and Cup Prayer of Thanksgiving
* Hymn #347: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ (v. 1-3)
Please be seated
Announcements
Benediction Rev. Eric Page
Beloved, God is blessing you as you go from this place carrying the Word in your hearts, living the story we share with the saints of old and the saints of now, as we break down barriers to community and build up a holy heaven on earth. Go in love and peace.
Postlude: Kayleen Yuda
* Please stand if you are able.
Permissions
Guide Me, O My Great Redeemer Text by William Williams, 1745 Trans. Peter Williams, 1771, William Williams, 1772 Tune CWM RHONDDA by John Hughes, 1907 Public Domain
Semei Non Nang (Father in Heaven) By Stuart Mori Melody of Yoshter Shirai Used with permission of the composer
Pastor Rev. Eric S. Anderson Guest Pastor Rev. Eric Page Moderator Stefan Tanouye Lay Reader Mace Peng Choir Accompanist Kanako Okita Choir Director Doug Albertson Organist Kayleen Yuda Hand Bell Director Anna Kennedy Chapel Decorations Anne Sadayasu Projected Imagery Sue Smith Web Master Ruth Niino-DuPonte Videographers Eric Tanouye, Eli Yamaki Ruth Niino-DuPonte, Bob Smith
We welcome you to worship this day. Church of the Holy Cross seeks to help its members, friends, and visitors follow the guidance of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, encouraging all people to love one another according to the teachings of Jesus. We live and teach the faith, speak good news, minister to people near and far, and work with other households of faith and helping agencies to improve our community and our world. To support our ministries, please visit our Donate Page.
