Whidbey Presbyterian Church

Stanley Hauerwas - Recapturing Advent

God has made us a people of promise in a world of impatience.

A Memorial Day Prayer

Memorial Day Prayer by Tracey McNeal

Almighty God,

In whom we live, love, and have our being,
We take time today to uplift the heavy hearts
Of those for whom Memorial Day
Is more than a mere diversion,
But is, instead, a painful time of reflection, lamentation
And enduring bereavement.

This day we remember with compassion
Your children who have lost their lives to war;
Incline us to honor their memory, dear Lord,
With a sincere pledge to seek peace
And nonviolent solutions to world conflict.

We pray for the safety of those entering military service,
And succor for the many returning from combat
With wounded bodies,
Or minds
Sickened by the sight and sounds of war.

Our prayers also extend, Great Comforter,
To those who still wait and pray
Day by anxious day
For that precious moment of reunion
With a distant family member, friend, or loved one.

And to others – whose reunion has been sorrowfully delayed
Until that Heavenly homecoming with Christ
In the fullness of time –
We offer the gentle assurance
Of your promise to all believers,
“ Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

Amen.

Easter Sunday

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

 The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

 "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

 The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."

Matthew 28:1-9  (The Message)

Christ has Risen!  He has Risen, indeed!

Holy Saturday

Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linens, put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed, sitting in plain view of the tomb.

Matthew 27:57-61  (The Message)

Join us tonight at 7pm as we renew our Baptismal vows or celebrate with those who are. 

Good Friday

Skull Hill

As they led him off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. At one point Jesus turned to the women and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't cry for me. Cry for yourselves and for your children. The time is coming when they'll say, 'Lucky the women who never conceived! Lucky the wombs that never gave birth! Lucky the breasts that never gave milk!' Then they'll start calling to the mountains, 'Fall down on us!' calling to the hills, 'Cover us up!' If people do these things to a live, green tree, can you imagine what they'll do with deadwood?"

 Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.

 When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

 Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing."

   Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"

 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: "So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!"

 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.

 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: "Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!"

 But the other one made him shut up: "Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this."

 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom."

 He said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise."

 By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, "Father, I place my life in your hands!" Then he breathed his last.

 When the captain there saw what happened, he honored God: "This man was innocent! A good man, and innocent!"

 All who had come around as spectators to watch the show, when they saw what actually happened, were overcome with grief and headed home. Those who knew Jesus well, along with the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a respectful distance and kept vigil.

Luke 23:26-49  (The Message)

Please join us tonight at 7pm to reflect in the Crucifixion of Jesus.

Maundy Thursday

On the first of the Days of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Where do you want us to prepare your Passover meal?"

 He said, "Enter the city. Go up to a certain man and say, 'The Teacher says, My time is near. I and my disciples plan to celebrate the Passover meal at your house.'" The disciples followed Jesus' instructions to the letter, and prepared the Passover meal.

 After sunset, he and the Twelve were sitting around the table. During the meal, he said, "I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators."

 They were stunned, and then began to ask, one after another, "It isn't me, is it, Master?"

 Jesus answered, "The one who hands me over is someone I eat with daily, one who passes me food at the table. In one sense the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense that man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!"

 Then Judas, already turned traitor, said, "It isn't me, is it, Rabbi?"

   Jesus said, "Don't play games with me, Judas."

The Bread and the Cup

 During the meal, Jesus took and blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples:

 Take, eat.

 This is my body.

Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:

Drink this, all of you.

This is my blood,

God's new covenant poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins.

"I'll not be drinking wine from this cup again until that new day when I'll drink with you in the kingdom of my Father."

 They sang a hymn and went directly to Mount Olives.

Matthew 26:17-30  (The Message)

Please join us tonight at 6pm for dinner in Heritage Hall.  After dinner we will be taking communion in the sanctuary.

Wednesday of Holy Week~2 Stories

The Story of Two Sons "Tell me what you think of this story: A man had two sons. He went up to the first and said, 'Son, go out for the day and work in the vineyard.'

 "The son answered, 'I don't want to.' Later on he thought better of it and went.

 "The father gave the same command to the second son. He answered, 'Sure, glad to.' But he never went.

 "Which of the two sons did what the father asked?"

   They said, "The first."

   Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him.

The Story of the Greedy Farmhands

 "Here's another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.

 "The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. 'Surely,' he thought, 'they will respect my son.'

 "But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. 'This is the heir! Let's kill him and have it all for ourselves.' They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.

 "Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?"

 "He'll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance," they answered. "Then he'll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it's time."

 Jesus said, "Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles:

   The stone the masons threw out
      is now the cornerstone.
   This is God's work;
      we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!
"This is the way it is with you. God's kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed."

 When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God.

Matthew 21:28-46

Tuesday of Holy Week~ True Authority

Then he was back in the Temple, teaching. The high priests and leaders of the people came up and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to teach here?"

 Jesus responded, "First let me ask you a question. You answer my question and I'll answer yours. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans?"

 They were on the spot and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, "If we say 'heaven,' he'll ask us why we didn't believe him; if we say 'humans,' we're up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet." They decided to concede that round to Jesus. "We don't know," they answered.

   Jesus said, "Then neither will I answer your question.

Matthew 21:23-27  (The Message)

Monday of Holy Week

Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants. He quoted this text:

   My house was designated a house of prayer;
   You have made it a hangout for thieves.
Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in. They came to Jesus and he healed them.

When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, "Hosanna to David's Son!" they were up in arms and took him to task. "Do you hear what these children are saying?"

   Jesus said, "Yes, I hear them. And haven't you read in God's Word, 'From the mouths of children and babies I'll furnish a place of praise'?"

 Fed up, Jesus turned on his heel and left the city for Bethany, where he spent the night.

Matthew 21:12-17  (The Message)

Hosanna!

Save us, we pray, O LORD!
   O LORD, we pray, give us success!
 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
   We bless you from the house of the LORD.

Psalm 118:25-26

" Save us" is literally translated into Greek as "Hosanna".  On Palm Sunday the crowds used these words as Jesus rode the colt into Jerusalem.  The crowd said this to Jesus indicating that they felt that Jesus' entry into Jerusalem was a special occasion.

Join us this week as we celebrate Holy Week.  You can check out our services here.  And check back on this blog this week as we journey together to Easter Sunday.