Song

Opening Scripture

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall never be shaken.

For God alone my soul waits in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my deliverance and my honor;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us.

Greeting

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Our help is in the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy never cease,
fresh as the morning and sure as the sunrise.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
Amen.

Song

Service of Lament & Assurance

Psalm 42

At the break of day, noon of day, eve of day, and end of day, God is with us, imparting bliss, strength, love, and peace. But our days are also filled with pain, heartache, weariness, and sadness. We bring all of this to God, knowing that he is present with us in and redeems all of it. Psalms of lament do not let us pretend that all is well, or ignore our grief and our doubt. Allow Psalm 42 to help you name the painful things in life, and to bring them to God in trust and in hope. If you have two readers in your home, read the psalm as follows.

Reader 1:

A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God.
I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it—arrive and drink in God’s presence?”
I’m on a diet of tears—tears for breakfast, tears for supper.
All day long people knock at my door, pestering, “Where is this God of yours?”

Reader 2:

These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life.
I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front,
leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, shouting praises, singing thanksgiving—
celebrating, all of us, God’s feast!

Reader 1:

Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?

Reader 2:

Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.

Reader 1:

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you,
from Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me.

Reader 2:

Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night!
My life is God’s prayer.

Reader 1:

Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, “Why did you let me down?
Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?”
They’re out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities,
taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?”
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?

Reader 2:

Fix my eyes on God—soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Song

Prayer of Illumination

In your home this week, we invite you to pray a simple prayer of illumination, asking God to open his Word to us, speak to us in it, and transform us through it. 

Scripture Reading

 Job 38:1-21; 40:1-5; John 11:30-44

Using your Bible at home, read the Scripture passages above, saying after each the simple litany below:

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

The Sarcasm and Tears of God

God’s Invitation and Promises

Here at Christ’s Table, we meet afresh both Job 38 and John 11—the majesty of God that lifts us out of our disorientation, and the tears of God, Christ crucified, who dwells with us in our disorientation. God is God, and we are not; and God is God for us. We meet him here. He invites us. Christ is the Host, and we are his guests.

As the psalmist says,

“O taste and see that the Lord is good;
flourishing are those who take refuge in him.”
—Psalm 34:8

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right for us to give thanks and praise.

We lift up our hearts and give thanks
because here we see, in a focused way,
the extravagant generosity of God’s gifts in all of creation,
but most of all for the inestimable gift of Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who reconciles us to God.

And so we say, “Holy, holy, holy.”

We lift up our hearts and give thanks
because here we meet, experience, eat and drink
an icon of the gospel, and so proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

And we lift up our hearts and give thanks
because here the Holy Spirit descends,
blesses broken bread and poured out cup,
and raises us into our head, Jesus Christ,
and gathers us, like scattered grain and crushed grapes,
into one loaf and one cup.
Here Christ binds us to each other,
makes us Christ’s body, and establishes our unity.

Together we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us until he comes again.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation 
But deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen.

Spiritual Communion

For those worshiping with us online, and not able to partake of the sacrament, we invite you to pray the following prayer of Spiritual Communion and listen to the following song, knowing that God himself is with you, and that your union with Christ remains unbroken.

O Christ, we love you above all things,
and we desire, at all times and in all ways, to be fed by you.
And since we cannot now come to your Table,
we ask you to come by your Spirit into our hearts.
Unite us to you, together with all your faithful people,
and help us to embrace you with all our affections, body and soul.
Never permit us to be separated from you.
By your goodness we pray,
Amen.

Song

Praise

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion.
          —Psalm 103:1-4

Offering

In addition to our various funds (General, Building, Mission, Benevolence, Christian Education), online giving is also now available for today’s special offerings (Luke Society, World Renew & Good Samaritan Ministries) through the Give button below.

Doxology

We invite you to sing the Doxology with just the voices in your home. “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 100:1).

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. 

Words: Thomas Ken, 1709, P.D.; Music: Louis Bourgeois, 1551, P.D.

Words of Parting

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and have mercy on you;
the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you
and give you peace. Amen.

Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.