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[Music] good morning and welcome to worship at arlington community church where we are called to be stewards of creation and to build a just society i am rev julie stockstad honored to be filling in for reverend nate klug this week as he's on a week of study leave we are located up in the east bay hills in kensington california and no matter where you are you are welcome and we're so happy that you have chosen to worship with us today there's a full worship service in store for you tim and shanti are making incredible music and we have special music with lauren hotchkiss today as well i'm going to be preaching about love in action love the central thing in our faith well let's get going we're going to try something a little different to start off worship today we're going to try a call and response of our psalm our lectionary psalm psalm 111 it's written the word should be on the screen one way or another and the bold part are for you to read that's emboldened the people i will read in single voice the one that says one and we will go through this together truth is if you want to read the whole thing nobody will really know i thank god with all my heart for the gifts god has given humankind uncountable are his miracles immeasurable his love god has formed us in her own image and kindled her truth in our minds she has filled each day with her splendor and given us eyes to see hearts that can comprehend spirits that stand in awe i thank god with my my heart for the gifts god has given humankind uncountable are his miracles immeasurable his love also he has permitted us knowledge beyond our wisdom and granted us in our unripenedness the power to destroy the earth i praise him his fatherless mercy and thank him for his difficult grace thank god with all my heart for the gifts god has given humankind uncountable are his miracles immeasurable his love all beings perform god's covenant and act out god's primal law that whatever we reap we have sown and what we give we receive to know this is the beginning of wisdom to live it it is the path the path of true life amen the tune to this hymn bring many names was written by carlton young who was a united methodist composer the words to the hymn were written by brian wren and each verse reminds us that god encompasses all genders and all ages join me singing bring many names [Music] so bring many names beautiful the parable and story holiness and glory living loving god [Music] strong mother god working night and day planning all the wonders of creation setting each equation genius said play [Music] warm father god hugging every child feeling all the strains of human living caring and forgiving till [Music] god gray with endless care calmly pacing evil's new disguises blood of good surprises [Music] crying out for justice [Music] living god never fully known joyful darkness [Music] closer yet than breathing [Music] everlasting our scripture today is from the gospel of mark chapter 1 verses 21 to 28 it follows directly after jesus calling his disciples and before that his temptation and his baptism it's really the beginning of his ministry they went to capernaum and when the sabbath came he entered the synagogue and taught they were astounded at his teaching for he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out what have you to do with us jesus of nazareth have you come to destroy us i know who you are holy one of god but jesus rebuked him saying be silent and come out of him and the unclean spirit convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice came out of him they were all amazed and they kept on asking one another what is this a new teaching with authority he commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him at once his pain began to spread throughout the surrounding region of galilee [Music] yourself [Music] is [Music] don't they told you [Music] people they can die [Music] don't you ever ask them why they told me [Music] will you pray with me please loving god may the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you amen our scripture today comes from the first chapter of mark and tells us about the very first time jesus taught it was in the synagogue at capernaum he astounded the hearers with his authority that was not like that of the scribes they taught using spiritual authorities to support their positions jesus quoted no one his authority was from elsewhere authority is what brought me into the scripture i have wondered about authority for a very long time for many years i didn't think i had any i was raised to think i had none i didn't feel particularly powerful but slowly over time i began to recognize as a teacher and as a mother i had some maybe a lot authority denounce power privilege and influence it gives one the right to determine events in seminary i wrestled with the question where does a pastor get her authority to preach and pray in god's name in jesus's name i even wondered about god's definitional authority i found while there there are two kinds of authority positional and relational positional authority depends upon the position one has and grants one power over other people like a policeman or a boss on a shift relational authority is held shared with others in a relationship western no matter what kind of authority we talk about western society has experienced a breakdown of the authority of institutions and their leaders scientists professors doctors lawyers ministers politicians police people you name the profession they have lost the authority they once had even facts and the truth that were once foundational now divide us what can jesus's authority teach us for our time jesus didn't get his amazing authority from his position in the synagogue he had no position for he'd never been there before as if to answer my question about authority the very next thing jesus did was an exorcism possession by demons was thought to be the cause of all manner of chaotic behavior leading bad things to happen jews of jesus's time practiced elaborate rites of exorcism the demon called jesus by name and then obeyed his command to be silent and come out jesus had total authority over the demon i believe that jesus's authority came from his relationship with god the god who blessed him at his baptism the god who sent him out in the wilderness into the wilderness to be tempted the god who filled him with love and light and power i believe his power was the power of love love that comes from god who is the source of all love love is the most powerful energy humans have fierce and fiery gentle and soft healing the source of kindness and compassion it is infinitely attractive it brings light and life to us this is the love we long for in our innermost hearts jesus's primary teaching is that god loves us and god's love is already here when asked what is the most important teaching of all jesus said to love god with all your heart and all your strength and all your soul and second to love your neighbor as yourself i see these windows on either side of me say that jesus even pushes us further jesus always pushes us telling us to love our enemies truly i tell you with god's love enemies can become our friends i know it's happened to me now if you will imagine jesus looking deeply into the eyes of the man with the unclean spirit his fierce gaze crackling with power and fiery intensity of god's love when one receives that love demons are defeated one is changed healed i find jesus's love indescribably attractive this is the new teaching god isn't the angry vengeful god from the hebrew bible but rather a loving father yet such love is a misused word maybe even cheapened by overuse we get confused about love by actions that are not loving done in the name of love when we don't receive love the way we want we think love is not there when we wrongly learn that love is conditional and earned as our wills are bent to please others we learn there's only a limited amount of love to go around we think we have to hoard it all of these are wrong wrong i hope you'll hear me out and not think all this love talk is too gushy in my long life i have come to know that the very most important teaching and the very most important thing is love god's love is here for everyone limited only by our capacity to receive it god's love is like the sunshine pouring down on the worthy and the unworthy alike freely given former parishioners used to tell me that's not fair but this teaching isn't about fairness it's about god's infinite love and our response to it all else flows from this foundational love if we look deeply into the motivations for our actions we can find this love in action if we can't find it then we ought to really pause look a little harder or maybe think we should be doing something different love in action is seen in parents care for their children and in children's care for their aging parents love and action is seen in lovers magnetic attraction to each other love and action is seen as it inspires and energizes teachers to teach their students lemon action is seen in those helping others in need in baking of cookies in the baking of sandwiches and doing justice work love in action is seeing inspiring doctors and nurses and all those who care in this dangerous time of the pandemic loving action is seen as people of privilege wrestle with systemic racism and identify their own race racism yearning and working for dignity equality and justice for all people all this and much more is love in action can the power and authority of god's love be ours and change our lives here and now well let me tell you a story about our own clavel fender told in a recent church zoom interview about her and charlie's spiritual journeys it's such an informative and delightful interview if you haven't seen it i commend it to you the very last question that reverend nate asked them was can you tell us one spiritual lesson you wished you'd learned earlier there was a time of silence finally clavel spoke up and told of a time when she was suffering from severe pain from a back injury she received on a trip to thailand she had been prescribed three months of total bed rest and she was in excruciating pain one night in such pain when it overcame her she called out to god you are a liar and then she said something remarkable happened she felt slowly the warmth of calm and peace coming into her and she said she realized something she realized that god was inside of her and real she said when this memory comes to her she remembers god's love and is very thankful for it in that time she told of she was brutally honest with god and god responded to her voicelessly bringing her just what she needed peace beyond all understanding our spiritual journey is a journey to come to know god and to re learn to receive god's love and let it flow through us out into the world i have a new spiritual practice for you coming from a book that i recently read this is happiness by neil williams an irish writer he has a great way with words and storytelling and reminded me of our own reverend nate the book is set in the 1950s in a little irish village on the west coast it's about love in all of its many messy forms and forgiveness joy and sorrow youth and old age at one point the older man that's a hero the adventurer tells the younger one as they stop their bicycles on the crest of a hill this is happiness puzzled at first the younger man came to understand and i quote you could stop at any not all but most of the moments of your life stop for one heartbeat and no matter what the state of your head or your heart say this is happiness because of the simple fact you are alive to say it this is the practice stop for one heartbeat for one breath pay attention to your life at that very moment and say this is happiness just because by the grace of god you are alive to say it i was explaining this spiritual practice to a friend the other day and she told me about a recent experience she had she was out on a walk and heard a knock knock knocking she stopped to listen and went back a ways to explore and determine what it is and spotted a huge glorious woodpecker i think she was talking about a pileated one and she saw this woodpecker oblivious to everything and chips flying every which way she said that moment seeing that woodpecker changed her outlook that day and every day she remembers it we often think our god moments have to be positive and beautiful but remember to be honest there's more in our complex lives if we can in our ordinary moments in our boring moments as well as our moments of struggle anxiety pain suffering and grief stop for one moment and say i am alive if we can't in that moment recognize happiness at least we can recognize the fullness of our life and that god the luminous mystery is present to stop and recognize there is more speaks of our relationship to god or the universe or love whatever you call that power that is much bigger than us in that moment of honest attention the light and love of god can break through the cracks of our innermost hearts in all moments of our lives god is present shining astounding amazing love into us if we can just receive it this is jesus's teaching i'd like to end with some words from that beautiful young poet amanda gorman in a bright yellow coat who spoke at the inauguration she said at the end of her poem there is always light if only we're brave enough to see it if only we're brave enough to be it may it be so join me singing a favorite from the past passadon written in 1969 by kurt kaiser it only takes us [Music] that's how it [Music] once you've experienced it you spread god's love to everyone you want to pass it on what a wondrous time is spring when all the trees are burning the birds begin to sing [Music] once you've experienced it you want to sing it's fresh like spring you want to pass it on i wish for you my friend this happiness that i found on court you can depend it matters not where you're bound i'll shout it from the mountaintop i want my world to know the lord of love has come to me i want to pass it on [Music] and now it's time for our prayer together will you please join me in prayer loving god creator of the universe giver of love and light we come to you this morning just as we are tired and afraid or full of energy joy and love peaceful or unsettled what matters is that we bring our whole selves to you take now a moment in silence to check in before our god oh god of many names there's so much on our plates these days it is easy to lose focus and clarity of what is important we thank you for your love generous and ever-present help us to open our hearts and receive us receive it sustain us strengthen us bring us peace we pray for all those who are suffering from covet or other illnesses we pray for those grieving losses of all kinds we pray for those who are afraid calm their fears help them to know how to stay safe we pray for our nation and world awash with the pandemic inundated by climate change and all sorts of different countries and leaders we pray for our new leaders that they may have strength and wisdom we pray for our congregation for those who are ill or grieving losses or those who feel stressed be present to us all help us to reach out in love to those in need however we can in prayer in action in presence inspire us to find new ways to work and do what needs to be done in the world and finally we pray for our church for reverend nate and for the church leaders all these prayers and the prayers of our hearts unspoken god hears will you pray the prayer that jesus taught us our creator who art in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen and now it's time to call our offering this is the time when we can give back we can give back because we have received so much we can give back love to those who need it and prayers with our time and talent and we can give our treasure our money to the church i bring the checkbook because we're starting a new month and it's just fine for you to write another check and send it to the church or use the special thing on the screen will you pray with me oh god we are so grateful for the many gifts in our lives and for the privilege it is to share bless these gifts and all the gifts given in your name in the name of our son your son jesus christ amen what does the lord require of you what does the lord require of me just kindness walk humbly join me singing my life flows on written in 1869 by robert lowry words and music [Music] [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] [Music] since lord is lord of heaven and earth [Music] [Music] what though the darkness gather round songs in the night he giveth no storm can shake my inner [Music] since love [Music] from is [Music] the peace of christ makes fresh my heart a fountain of springing all things are mine since i am his how can i keep from singing no storm can't [Music] since love is how can i keep from well before we go i have a few things to say i'd like to give thanks first of all to shanti and tim and lauren for their beautiful music like to thank javier for setting up the church and turning the heat on so it isn't so cold in here this morning i'd like to thank all of you for coming to worship and i hope it's been a valuable worship service for you and now may the god of love fill your hearts to overflowing may jesus the light of the world fill you with light and may you be brave enough to show it and may the holy spirit empower you give you courage in these days to love and serve the world amen [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] you