Salem Lutheran Church The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost June 28, 2020 “Unraveled” Rizpah Mourns Her Sons: Public Grief ThatWelcome Inspires To Action 1 SALEM LUTHERAN CHURCH 1145 DeKalb Avenue “Living Christ’s Love” Sycamore, Illinois Church Office: (815) 895‐9171 Fax Number: (815) 895‐6266 Web Site: www.slcSycamore.org E‐Mail: [email protected] The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost June 28, 2020 “Unraveled” Rizpah Mourns Her Sons: Public Grief That Inspires Action – ELW Settings 6 & 8 GATHERING AS GOD’S PEOPLE PRELUDE Christ Be Our Light Raabe WELCOME / ANNOUNCEMENTS PRAYER OF CONFESSION P: God of creation, Humanity is capable of such evil. Stories in scripture alongside stories on the news remind us of that truth all the time. For the moments when we choose violence over peace, exclusion over inclusion, and fear over hope—forgive us. When we choose pride over what is right, and comfort over justice— Show us mercy. And when we numb our pain instead of leaning into empathy— Unravel us, for we long to be changed. Gratefully we pray, C: Amen. ASSURANCE OF FORGIVNESS P: With a heart full of mercy and compassion, God saves us and forgives us all our sins. Christ, the dawn from on high, shines upon us, and by the light of the Holy Spirit guides our feet into the way of peace. C: Amen. 2 GATHERING HYMN ELW Hymn 720 We Are Called Text: David Haas, b. 1957. Music: David Haas Text & Music © 1988 GIA Publications, Inc. Used by Permission ... OneLicense.net #A‐708303 CALL TO WORSHIP P: When we come to this space, we bring all of ourselves. C: We bring joy and hope, P: dreams and prayers, C: grief and doubt, 3 P: memories and heartache. C: God meets us here. P: God hears our prayers and sees our scars. C: With open hearts and authenticity, let us worship good and gracious God. APOSTOLIC GREETING P: The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C: And also with you. KYRIE 4 PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION P: God of unending surprises, this life is a tapestry of moments woven together, and we long to be weavers of love. Today we gather and pray that you would unravel our bias. Unravel our assumptions. Unravel whatever it is that keeps us from you. And as you do, clear space in our hearts for your Word. We are listening. We are praying. C: Amen. SCRIPTURE READING Rizpah Mourns Her Sons Public Grief That Inspires Action 2nd Samuel 3:7; 21:1‐14 A: A reading from 2nd Samuel . Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?" Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. The LORD said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death." So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.) David said to the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?" 5 The Gibeonites said to him, "It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put anyone to death in Israel." He said, "What do you say that I should do for you?" They said to the king, "The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel — let seven of his sons be handed over to us, and we will impale them before the LORD at Gibeon on the mountain of the LORD." The king said, "I will hand them over." But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. The king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the LORD. The seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest. Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies by day, or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh‐gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth‐shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled. They buried the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish; they did all that the king commanded. After that, God heeded supplications for the land. A: The word of the Lord. C: Thanks be to God. CHILDREN’S MESSAGE MESSAGE Pastor Preston Fields 6 HYMN OF THE DAY Rizpah Was A Loving Mother A Hymn Inspired by 2nd Samuel 21:1‐14 Text: Stephen M. Fearing, 2019 Tune: EBENEZER Music: Thomas John Williams, 1890 © 2019 Stephen M. Fearing / www.stephenmfearing.com 7 RESPONDING TO GOD’S WORD AFFIRMATION OF FAITH C: I believe in God, the Great Sewer— Who weaves us together in community, Collecting our loose ends and turning them into belonging. I believe in the Holy Spirit— Who hems us in before and behind, Catching us when we fall and writing us into God’s holy narrative. And I believe in Jesus Christ— Who loved and claimed the people society had thrown out, refusing to disregard anyone as scrap. I believe God has woven part of God’s self into the fiber of our being, Making us inherently worthy of love and belonging. I believe the fabric of my life is weak, That I am prone to error and need God’s handiwork to remind me of love. I believe in the Church, and that like a quilt of different fabrics, She is designed to be as diverse and beautiful as God’s creation. And I believe that when life unravels, God is there to stitch my wounds together, To hold me in the palm of God’s hand, to tell me of love, And to invite me into a new journey. Amen. PRAYER HYMN ELW Hymn 178 Hear Our Prayer 8 Text & Music: Paul Andress, b. 1956 Text & Music © 2006 Augsburg Fortress Used by Permission ... OneLicense.net #A‐708303 PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION A: Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world. (A brief silence) A: God of companionship, encourage our relationships with our siblings in Christ. Bless our conversations. Shape our shared future and give us hearts eager to join in a festal shout of praise. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. A: God of abundance, you make your creation thrive and grow to provide all that we need. Inspire us to care for our environment and be attuned to where the earth is crying out. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. A: God of mercy, your grace is poured out for all. Inspire authorities, judges, and politicians to act with compassion. Teach us to overcome fear with hope, meet hate with love, and welcome one another as we would welcome you. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. A: God of care, accompany all who are in deepest need. Comfort those who are sick, lonely, or abandoned especially Alexis, Jane, Lindsey, Pastor Tom, Bob, Bruce, Thomas, Virginia, Olivia, Wanda, Gwyneth, Greg, Brian, Arabella and those we say aloud or hold in our hearts. Strengthen those who are in prison or awaiting trial. Renew the spirits of all who call upon you. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. A: God of community, we give thanks for this congregation. Give us passion to embrace your mission and the vision to recognize where you are leading us. Teach us how to live more faithfully with each other. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. 9 A: God of love, you gather in your embrace all who have died especially Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, Joyce Cole, and Ralph Johnson. Keep us steadfast in our faith and renew our trust in your promise. Hear us, O God. C: Your mercy is great. P: Receive these prayers, O God, and those too deep for words; through Jesus Christ our Lord.