Author: lakewooducc

Devotion Thirty Three
Sunday April 3, 2022

“The only stories we can tell truthfully are our own.” This was the lead sentence in a devotional I read recently. And I have been thinking about it.

I am thinking about our stories. Are they true? They may seem true at the moment. They may seem to have a different truth as time goes on and we review them. I think stories evolve and reveal new truths to us as life unfolds and we learn new things and see things in new ways.

I also think that sometimes to know the truth of our own stories, we need to share them and hear the responses of others. Maybe people who know us. Maybe people who don’t know us. These responses can help us to see the truths in our stories that maybe we didn’t notice before.

Sharing stories helps them to reveal more truth. I am not sure I can tell my own stories truthfully without this kind of help from others. I need others to help me find the truth in my stories. Do you?

I think that truth emerges in community. Maybe it is like having a scientific article or academic publication peer-reviewed to validate the findings and conclusions. We share our stories to have them validated and reinforced and expanded and deepened and even corrected by others.

The perspectives of others can be important in helping us to see more of the truth of our lives. We need each other for this. And this is one of the things that happens in our relationships in the church. We get to know each other. We share stories. We help each other to discover and discern new truths in our stories. And this is done in safe space that is loving and compassionate. More of the wildness of mercy blessing us in unexpected ways that are life-giving.

Prayer
We give thanks that we are gathered around the stories of scripture and all that they show us about life and the reality of God. May our faith help us to see the truths of our own stories more clearly. And may we shed light for one another as we seek these truths. May we always remember that the truth will set us free! Amen.

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

LIGHTING THE PEACE CANDLE                               Barbara Donhue, liturgist

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;
So I will know my people’s plight. 

Free me to pray for others;
For you are present in every person. 

Help me to take responsibility for my own life;
So that I can be free at last. 

Grant me courage to serve others;
For in service there is true life.

Give me honesty and patience;
So that I can work with other workers.

Bring forth song and celebration;
So that the spirit will be alive among us.

Let the spirit flourish and grow;
So we will never tire of the struggle.

Let us remember those who have died for justice;
For they have given us life.

Help us love even those who hate us;
So we can change the world.

Written by Cesar E. Chavez, UFW Founder (1927-1993)
In honor of Cesar Chavez Day, March 31

PRELUDE                                   Solfegietto                                    C.P.E. Bach

*OPENING SENTENCES                                    Aminah Robinson, 1940-2015

On mah journey now,
Well I wouldn’t take nothin’ for mah journey now!
Praises to God —
One day I was walking along,
Well the elements opened an’ de love come down —
Praises to God!
I went to de valley an’ I didn’t go to stay,
Well, my soul got happy an’ I stayed all day!
Praises to God!
Praises to God!

*HYMN                          Love Divine, All Loves Excelling                              43

SCRIPTURE READINGS
Let us prepare ourselves for the word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scripture. Our hearts and minds are open.

Isaiah 43:16-21 and John 11:55-12:8

For the word of God in scripture, for the word of God among us, for the word of God within us. Thanks be to God.

MUSIC                             Be Thou My Vision [SLANE]                        trad. Irish

CONTEMPORY READING         Mary of Bethany               Alan Guant, b. 1935

SERMON                                    A House Full                            Rev. Kim P. Wells

UNISON PRAYER                            Wang Weifan, 1927-2015, China, adapted

God is the source of Love; I the river’s course.
Let God’s love flow through me. I will not obstruct it.
Irrigation ditches can water but a portion of the field;
the great Yangtze River can water a thousand acres.
Expand my heart, O God, that I may love yet more people.
The waters of love can water vast tracts,
nothing will be lost to me.
The greater the outward flow, the greater the returning tide.
If I am not linked to Love’s source, I will dry up.
If I dam the waters of Love, they will stagnate.
Can I compare my heart to the boundless seas?
But abandon not the measure of my heart, O God.
Let the waves of your love still billow there!

MUSIC                                           Pie Jesu                                         Webber

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Lakewood United Church of Christ, as part of the Church Universal is to:

• Celebrate the presence and power of God in our lives & in our world.
• Offer the hospitality and inclusive love of Christ to all people.
• Work for God’s peace and justice throughout creation.

MORNING OFFERING and COMMUNION OFFERING

Morning offerings may be brought forward and placed in the plates on the altar. You are invited to write your prayer requests on the sheets provided in the bulletin and bring them forward and place them in the basket on the altar. If you would like assistance, please turn to someone seated near you.

Offertory                                 Waltz                                        Chopin

Words of Dedication                                  J. Barrie Shepherd, b. 1935

We too have alabaster boxes
to be broken in the trust
that what we share will not be judged
in terms of vain conceit.
Rejoiced in rather
in the open way of One
who poured the precious oil
his own life to make
all other gifts complete.

*PREPARATION FOR COMMUNION     Beautiful Jesus                              44

CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation

Communion Prayer- Savior’s Prayer

Our Creator in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily
bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the
kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Blessing the Bread and Cup

Sharing the Meal

*HYMN                          Won’t You Let Me Be Your Servant                    539

* BENEDICTION                                    Rubem A. Alves, 1933-2014, Brazil

God, we need to have signs of your grace.
We thirst for smiles
for sweet odors,
for soft words,
for firm gestures,
for truth and goodness,
and for triumphs
(no matter how small)
of justice. Amen.

*POSTLUDE                               Toccata  in E minor                      Pachelbel

Circle of Concern: Joyce Lee, Michelle Cloutier, Christopher and Dana, Ann Quinn who is under Hospice Care, William Owen-Cowan, Jen Degroot, Carolyn Moore, Maggie Brizendine, Janet Hall, Yoko Nogami walking the Appalachian Trail, All those suffering from COVID-19 and all healthcare workers, Schools: Students, families, teachers, and staff.

Announcements

Communion This is a Communion Sunday. We are using the prepackaged individualcommunion servings. Please know that everyone iswelcome to participate in communion. Young people are invited toparticipate at the discretion of the adult(s) who have brought them.The Communion Offering will be received. This offering is used to help people in the church and the community with basic needs such as rent and utility assistance, bus passes, prescriptions, etc. There has been heavy need for these funds. Please consider how you can help the community through this offering.

Facebook Live The 10:30 a.m. service is being streamed on Facebook Live.

Easter Ahead April 17! The wonderful festival of Easter is just a few weeks away. Please note there will be a change in the service schedule.  There will be two identical services at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. The congregation is invited to meet and visit out on the lawn between services.  Both services will be streamed on Facebook Live. Please make plans to be a part of this glorious celebration!  Remember – come at 9 or 11.  

Holy Week Ahead-

April 10 Palm Sunday 
The service begins outside.  Bring a palm branch if you can.

April 14 Maundy Thursday 
The Service of Tennebrae will be held at 7:00 p.m. remembering the Last Supper.

April 15 Good Friday 
The observance will begin at noon with a reading out loud of the gospel of Mark.  Those present will be invited to participate in the reading.  This will be followed by a time of meditation around the cross and communion.  

April 17 Easter Sunday 
There will be 2 services at 9 and 11 with refreshments and fellowship in between the services outside on the church lawn. 

Operation Attack OA needs donations of cereal, peanut butter, canned meat, fruit, vegetables and soup, dried beans, and mac/cheese. Donations may be placed on the shelf in the hallway at church.

Toiletries for Celebrate Outreach Celebrate Outreach is a local ministry with people who are living without shelter in St. Petersburg. All are invited to donate the following items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, bar soap, wash cloths, deodorant, feminine hygiene items, travel size creams, shampoo, body wash, individual packets of Kleenex, hand wipes, toilet tissue, and paper towels.

See the Weekly Update for more information about:

Mask Policy

Our Whole Lives Human Sexuality Training

Florida Conference Anti-Racism Devotions for Holy Week

USF Program on Preventing Dementia

How to Help Ukraine

For the safety and comfort of all, please wear a mask. Thank you!

Lakewood United Church of Christ 2601 54th Ave. S. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
727-867-7961 lakewooducc@gmail.com Lakewooducc.org
On land originally inhabited by the Tocabaga

Devotion 32
Saturday April 2, 2022

During this pandemic, we have been doing all we can to avoid getting covid and to avoid spreading covid. And this has involved many challenges not the least of which is that those who have the virus can present as asymptomatic. They may very well have no idea that they are sick. This is a cagey virus!

So we do all we can. Like many of you, I stayed home. Avoided unnecessary outings and contact with people. I kept my distance. I washed my hands and sanitized frequently. And I masked. Pretty much everywhere but home and now church during the week when few people are there. I am vaccinated and boosted and planning for the second booster but I am still taking most of these precautions daily.

We limited contact with our son, Malcolm, and his friends because they were less careful than we were. I would not let my spouse, Jeff, substitute teach because of the risk even though subs were desperately needed. I postponed an operation to stay out of a hospital that was filled with covid patients.

I did not see our older son for over a year because it just wasn’t’ safe. When I had to fly, I wore two masks and a face shield. I did not eat or drink anything in the airport or on the plane. I maintained physical distancing as much as possible in that situation.

We all know this story. We know what it is to try to avoid getting this virus. To do all we can to stay safe. To make so many accommodations and sacrifices because we want to stop the spread of covid. We have been dogged and relentless in our efforts not just for our own health but for the health of society as a whole, especially those most vulnerable. And to reduce the stress on the over burdened healthcare system.

Like many of you, I suspect, I did all that I could to avoid getting this virus. In January, I came down with a cold, low fever, runny nose, etc. I was laid low for a few days. Then I started to feel better. I was sure I would be up to being at church on Sunday morning. Then on Thursday, our music director, Hilton Jones, texted me and said he had a covid home test kit. Did I want him to bring it over? If it was him, he would want to be sure before he came to church on Sunday that he was negative. Of course, I completely agreed. I would never want to come to church with covid and risk infecting anyone in the congregation. It simply has never occurred to me that I could have covid. So Hilton brought the test over and left it outside on the porch of our house. On Saturday, I did the test to be safe not in the least suspecting that it might be positive. And then the two pink lines appeared on the test strip. I had covid. And Jeff, my spouse, did, too. And we ended up being under ‘house arrest’ for two weeks.

After all of my efforts to be safe, how did that happen? Well, we are fairly sure that we got it from our grandsons ages 1 and 2 1/2. We took care of them the weekend before we got sick. They had runny noses and were coughing, The usual kid stuff, we thought. And of course we did not mask or keep our distance. You can’t with children that age.

So here I was making all these efforts to prevent getting the dreaded covid and I got it. I was worried about getting it from a random stranger, in the grocery store, at the dentist, in a routine encounter with someone. I was busy trying not to get it (or give it!) at church. My concern was directed toward the ‘outside’ world. And I got it from my inner circle. That is supposed to be safe.

As we reflect this Lenten season, I think there is a message here. Sometimes we are worrying about avoiding the influence of those from the outside, of those perceived as bad. We are staying away from forces that appear to be harmful or dangerous. The evil, outside threat. Steer clear of bad influences. Yet the greatest temptation, that may entice us away from Divine Love and the way of Jesus may be much closer to home. In our family. Even in ourselves. The ‘devil ‘ may be much closer to home than we ever imagined. And, like Jesus in the wilderness, we may be enticed away from God by something that looks like good. Lent is a call to stay vigilant. Yes, keep wearing the mask. And also stay wary of the forces that may lead us away from the purposes of Love. They may be much closer than we think!

I’m over covid physically, but it is a much longer process to get over covid and the whole pandemic spiritually. It still has many things to teach.

Prayer

We remember all those who have covid the world over, who have lost loved ones to covid. We remember the health care workers that are caring for those with covid. We remember all the sacrifices and losses not just of people but of events, celebrations, time together that we have endured. The virus is not done with us. And there is still much for us to learn including how to come together for the common good. Amen.

Devotion Thirty One
Friday 4.1.22

I recently heard a news analysis of the Ukraine situation using the imagery of the carrot and the stick. The commentator talked about how sanctions can be a stick. They can be a punishment and the discomfort they produce is economic pain. Sanctions can send the message to Russia that the world does not approve of what is being done to Ukraine. And sanctions are punishment for that unwarranted hostility.

The commentator also talked about how sanctions can be a carrot as well. They can be used to entice desired behavior. They can be used to encourage Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Stop the war in Ukraine and some sanctions will be lifted. There will be economic benefit to Russia. So sanctions can function as a carrot and a stick.

I think religion can be like that. Sometimes our faith can be like the stick rightfully helping us to see the error of our ways. Faith can open our eyes to the consequences of our behavior that is harming us and perhaps others as well. It can help us see our faults and mistakes. We are suffering as a consequence of our actions. We are doing this to ourselves.

Faith can also be a carrot. When we live the way of Jesus in the reality of God, we experience peace and joy and purpose. Life is meaningful and abundant. We are filled with gratitude for the amazing blessings of life. Faith gives us the framework to live in ways that are true and meaningful; filled with awe and wonder. I think faith functions like the carrot and stick in the here and now of this world. There is no need to extend the carrot and the stick of faith to the afterlife — the carrot of heaven, the stick of hell —though the church has used heaven and hell after death as a means to control people’s behavior.

Is our Christian faith about keeping us from doing bad things? Yes! Is our Christian faith about encouraging us to do good things? Yes! It can be the carrot and the stick, depending on what we need and where we are in our lives. In the wildness of mercy, faith, the way of Jesus, offers us what we need, wherever we are on life’s journey.

Prayer
Think of a time when your faith has provided a needed corrective in your life and how that has made you a better person. Think of a time when you have done something good because of your faith and how that has made you a better person. Following Jesus gives us all that we need to live lives of purpose, meaning, and joy. How blessed we are through by our faith! Amen.

Devotion Thirty
3.31.22

The Academy Awards were held this past Sunday night. I did not watch them. But as I went to bed on Sunday night I checked my newsfeed and there was drama around Will Smith and the slap. Apparently, Chris Rock, a comedian, made a joke relating to Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith’s spouse. And Will Smith bolted up onto the stage and slapped Rock. Then he made a comment using an expletive on his way back to his seat. Evidently the audience, live and in their living rooms, was left stunned and unsure about how to respond.

After an episode like this, do we think, well, that’s a celebrity for you. That’s how the rich and famous act. They think they can get away with anything. And since Smith is Black and so is Rock, a white person might be thinking, that’s Black people for you. Can’t control themselves. More Black on Black crime even among the rich and famous. That’s just how they are. As I said, a white person might be thinking this but wouldn’t say it. We are quick to stereotype and then to see things in a way that reinforces those stereotypes especially when it involves something negative. And we may not have any idea that we are doing this. We may think it is just the way things are.

The day after the slap, Smith issued a thorough apology for the slap. He took full responsibility. He expressed regret over his behavior. Smith admitted he had work to do and that is not who he wants to be. It was an admirable apology. So, now do we think, that’s how the rich and famous act. They take responsibility for their actions. Those celebrities, they realize when they are wrong and they apologize. And if you’re white, do you think, that’s Black people for you. So responsible and accountable and honest. Yup, they’re all like that. Probably not.

Yes, we are likely to stereotype, and we are likely to stereotype around bad behavior. Poor conduct. Lump people together over wrong doing. That’s how stereotyping and bias usually work. What about this lumping people together? Do you/we want to lumped together with all Christians? Or all whites? Or all Blacks? Or all Americans? Or all women? Or all men? I don’t know about you, but I don’t like that. I don’t want to be lumped that way.

The gospel is a message of radical freedom. And that freedom includes being free from stereotyping and bias of any kind because stereotyping and bias constrict not only the one implicated but also the one who holds the confining ideas about people. Stereotyping and bias constrict everyone’s freedom. It limits us all. It harms everyone and restricts our ability to fully function and contribute to society as a whole. We all suffer when negative stereotyping holds sway.

In the wildness of mercy, each person is unique and sacred. Each an individual. If there is any lumping, we should be lumped as a species. As a human family.

Or better yet, what if we are lumped with the community of all life forms? Then we can truly all flourish freely!

As Will Smith stated in his apology: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.” Bias and stereotyping can be forms of violence. And we have all been guilty. We, too, can make amends.

Prayer
May we give thanks for the amazing diversity of the human family. Every individual holy, sacred, and beloved. Each created in the image of the Divine. All with the capacity for love and creativity and relationship. May we learn to identify and to overcome all the attitudes and images that separate and divide us as a human species. May we learn to live together as one. Amen.