Note: The apocalyptic nature of this reading gave me pause! The exegetes (esp NL Podcast) see this as referring to Jesus’ Passion as the space/place when God draws near to us. Our current times raise largely unanswerable questions about theodicy (why). While why is fascinating, more often what we really have to answer is “Given the situation, now what? What are we called to be and do?” I do have to confess to having a list of questions for God for when I get there. Don’t know if I’ll just know the answers; won’t feel the need to know anymore; or will have them answered. But I definitely have a list!
Apocalypse Meditation/Sermon by Rev. Katy Stenta
HYMNS
Presbyterian Hymnal
Mark chapter 13
77.5 Forty Days and Forty Nights (means 5th verse esp. relevant)
86 When We Are Tempted to Deny Your Son
87.4 The Glory of These Forty Days
272.2 God of the Sparrow
282 If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee
301 Lord Jesus, Think on Me
307 Fight the Good Fight
342 By Gracious Powers
360.5 Hope of the World
361 How Firm a Foundation
388 O Jesus, I Have Promised
389 O Jesus, I Have Promised
401.2 When Will People Cease Their Fighting?
410.3 When I Had Not Yet Learned of Jesus
419 How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord
420 God of Grace and God of Glory
442 The Church’s One Foundation
443.1 O Christ, the Great Foundation
447 Lead On, O King Eternal
448 Lead On, O King Eternal
461.4 God is Here!
538.2 Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing
559.3 We Gather Together
13.1-2,14-20
7.2 Lord Christ, When First You Came to Earth
13.24-27
5 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
6 Jesus Comes with Clouds Descending
9 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
153.1 He Is King of Kings
293.2 This Is My Father’s World
379.4 My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less ELW 596/597, GG 353, NCH 403, UMH 368, TFF 192Link
449 My Lord! What a Morning
467.4 How Great Thou Art
13.28-37
15 Rejoice! Rejoice, Believers
17 “Sleepers, Wake!” A Voice Astounds Us
341.3 Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!
379.4 My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
456 Awake, My Soul, and with the Son
+14–15
83.3 O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
My Lord, what a morning ELW 438, GG 352, UMH 719, TFF 40
Link to contemporary songs appropriate for Mark 13
https://wordtoworship.com/search/node/Mark%2013
Link for Hymnary.org for this text
IMAGES
Both of these include Agnus Day and other cartoons
Mark 13:1-8 https://www.google.com/search?q=images+mark+13%3A1-8&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj6obiag6roAhXbHd8KHb_WDwcQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=images+mark+13%3A1-8&gs_l=img.3…41904.41904..42272…0.0..0.72.72.1……0….1..gws-wiz-img.PRHG9Ft3uy4&ei=aTl1XrrJLtu7_Aa_rb84&bih=576&biw=1366&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS891US891
Images of church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (cock-crow) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Peter_in_Gallicantu
See exegesis below re the places to “stay awake” including at the time of cockcrow
CHILDREN”S MESSAGE
When things fall apart (good for preaching to grownups too!) https://rfour.org/childrensmessage_b_51.html
Carolyn Brown on children and the apocalypse http://worshipingwithchildren.blogspot.com/2012/10/year-b-proper-28-33rd-sunday-in.html
LITURGICAL PIECES/RESOURCES
Link to our bulletin including youtube music & Scripture links. linkshttps://1drv.ms/w/s!AuB3z496aTHTgcFAoraAggfvHmcIJg
Will add sermon link to that site when it is written.
Reader’s Theater Mark 13:1-8 https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/10/readers-theatre-mark-13-1-8.html
Prepare a Way
(referencing Isaiah 40:3-5, Mark 1:3, Matthew 3:3, Luke 3:4)
In the lonely places
The wilderness
Where we stand forlorn
Windswept and alone
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord
In the dark places
The shadows
Where we hide our fears
Embrace our tears
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord
— written by John Birch and posted on the Faith and Worship website. http://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_Christmas.htm
God of hope, we come to you in the midst of a world fraught with troubles. Although the darkness is powerful, open our eyes, Lord, to the light of your presence. Give us faith to stand against the voices of division and violence. Through your Spirit remake us into hope-filled disciples, discovering lives attune to your wonder, and sparking in others a desire to know you more. In the name of the One who comes to us, we pray, Amen.
— Rev. Nancy J, on her blog, wonderings through life and other such nonsense.
\
ere’s a prayer from Walter Brueggemann. It references Romans 8:18-25.
Waiting and Longing
God of the seasons,
God of the years,
God of the eons,
Alpha and Omega,
before us and after us.
You promise and we wait:
we wait with eager longing,
we wait amid doubt and anxiety,
we wait with patience thin
and then doubt,
and then we take life into our own hands.
We wait because you are the one and the only one.
We wait for your peace and your mercy,
for your justice and your good rule.
Give us your spirit that we may wait
obediently and with discernment,
caringly and without passivity,
trustingly and without cynicism
honestly and without utopianism,
Grant that our wait may be appropriate to your coming
soon and very soon,
soon and not late,
late but not too late.
We wait while the world groans in eager longing.
~ written by Walter Brueggemann, in Prayers for a Privileged People. http://www.amazon.com/Prayers-Privileged-People-Walter-Brueggemann/dp/0687650194Posted on the Prayers and Creeds website. http://prayersandcreeds.wordpress.com/
Call to Worship
Pecking away at our computers, sitting in a knot of traffic:
we wait for you, God of all words, to speak to us.
Pacing the halls of a hospital, sitting outside the principal’s office:
we wait for you, God of comfort, to fill us with hope.
In the silence of each night, beginning each day’s new journey:
we wait for you, Steadfast Love, for you are our safe place.
Prayer of the Day
Keeper of every moment in eternity:
we come, not only to hear
those words which can transform us,
but to be filled with your grace and hope.
We have come, not out of habit,
but to respond to your call,
willing to be called away
from the familiar ways of our lives.
Walker of our journeys,
in the midst of our harried lives,
you call us to lay aside all that entangles us,
to follow you into service to others.
You invite us to step into
the waters of life and hope,
reaching out to draw others
to our side so, that together,
we might enter your kingdom
of laughter and joy.
God in Community, Holy in One,
Rock of every age,
we offer the prayer Jesus has taught us,
Our Father . . .
— written by Thom Shuman, and posted on his Lectionary Liturgieswebsite.
Call to Worship Litany: Psalm 62: 5-12
Our salvation and honour come from God alone.
He is our refuge, and a Rock of safety.
We wait quietly before God, for our hope is in him,
our Rock and our Salvation.
O my people, trust him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him, for he is our refuge.
We wait quietly before God, for our hope is in him,
our Rock and our Salvation.
From the greatest to the lowliest—all are nothing in his sight.
If you weigh them on the scales, they are lighter than a puff of air.
We wait quietly before God, for our hope is in him,
our Rock and our Salvation.
Don’t try to get rich by extortion or robbery.
And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the centre of your life.
We wait quietly before God, for our hope is in him,
our Rock and our Salvation.
God has spoken plainly—we have heard it many times.
Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.
We wait quietly before God, for our hope is in him,
our Rock and our Salvation.
— based on the New Living Translation.
Call to Worship Litany
(based on Isaiah 40:21-31)
Have you not known?
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;
but we who wait for the Lord shall renew our strength.
Have you not heard?
We shall mount up with wings like eagles.
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
We shall run and not be weary.
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
We shall walk and not be faint.
They who wait for the Lord.
We who wait for the Lord.
— written by Katherine Hawker, and posted on her Liturgies Outsidewebsite.
Here is a responsive closing for a Good Friday service. It was written by Rev. Gord and posted on Worship Offerings.
Good Friday Sending
The story has been told,
and now we return to the world where we live and wait.
The worship is over?
No, the worship continues while we wait and watch.
Our worship will close after the stone has been removed
and the flame of hope has been re-lit.
So we go out to wait,
we watch for the hope that defies despair,
the life that defies death,
the beginning that defies the end.
While we wait,
while darkness covers the land of faith,
remember that no matter how abandoned we may feel
we are not alone.
God has not and will not abandon us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/
Prayer of Intercession
(Luke 21, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Psalm 25:1-10)
Our Lord Jesus calls us to watch and pray, so let’s do that now,
responding to Lord, in your mercy with come and save your people.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming in the flesh at Bethlehem, and for coming to us whenever we gather in your name. Keep us alert and watchful through the dark night of this world, and give us confidence as we wait for your coming in glory.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for your church—its people and pastors. Keep us alert and watchful in support of one another, guard us from everything false and untrue, and shine on us with the light of your holy word.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for the people of the world. Wake all people up to your just judgment and to your saving blood. Keep us alert and watchful as your witnesses in the world.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
We pray for the nations. Lift the eyes of those in authority to their duty to govern wisely and well, for the good of all. Curb all terror and replace it with peace. Keep us alert and watchful to serve you by giving good service to others on our daily lives.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Thank you for providing us with everything we need for daily living. Bring relief to all those affected by drought, and poverty. Keep us alert and watchful to the needs of others, and move us to give generously to appeals at Christmas time.
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Lord, stand by those who wake or watch or weep. Rest those who are weary. Soothe those who suffer. Shield those who prosper. And come to those we know in particular need and whom we now name silently in our hearts… (brief silence)
Lord, in your mercy… come and save your people.
Lord Jesus, we do not know the day or the hour that you will come with great power and glory. Keep us always alert and watchful so we may welcome you with joy. For you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
~ posted on the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Worship Planning Page. http://www.lca.org.au/
Here’s a call to worship and opening prayer based on the scripture readings for Proper 8 B (Ordinary 13 B). They come from the Ministry Matters website.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 130)
Wait for the Lord, like those who hope in God’s mercy.
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Watch for God, like those who eagerly await the morning.
We watch for God, whose power redeems us.
Hear God’s hopeful word, like those who long for pardon.
Sing praise to God and rejoice in God’s love.
Opening Prayer
(inspired by Mark 5:21-43)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
— adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press. Posted on the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/
Pastoral Prayer for Lent 2 B
(inspired by Mark 8:31-38)
God of compassion, the way of the cross is as much a mystery to us as it was to the immediate followers of Jesus. But we have heard how your grace is exercised in the journey of suffering and rejection experienced by Jesus. Help us to hear with ears inspired, to see with eyes opened to your ways, and to respond with lives committed to your service.
God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.
We repent O God. We cannot name our own cross even though we try. You must show us the cross you give us. Help us see. Give us the faith to respond and follow Jesus. We have heard that it is in losing our life for the sake of Gospel of Jesus that we find our life.
God of our Lenten journey, we watch and walk with Jesus.
— from The Prayers of Our Church, written by Bishop Telmor Sartison. Posted on the Worshipwebsite of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
The Path Ahead
(based on Mark 13: 24-37)
Watch out! Be alert!
Christ comes when you least expect it.
In the beggar on the street,
In the loved one at our table,
In the stranger in our pew,
In the refugee on our shores,
In the hour of birth.
In the hour of death.
With judgement and mercy, Christ comes.
Watch out! Be alert!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
will
be with you now and always.
Amen!
— written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Homepage. Visit his site for other wonderful lectionary-based worship resources.
Call to Confession:
Confession:
Lord, we had the best laid plans. The teacher were teaching, the doctors were healing, the calendars were full. And we had everything set. But plans are ephemeral, the illusion of control. Now all our best laid plans fail. We cobble together new ones, but they are ragged and imperfect. We have no best laid plans. All we have is you, O God. Be with us we pray. (Silent confession) Amen.
Adapted from Best Laid Plans Prayer by Barb & Len’s daughter, Rev. Katy Stenta. https://katyandtheword.wordpress.com/2020/03/20/best-laid-plans-prayer/
EXEGESIS
Exegetical excerpts from my faves among the links below can be found at https://1drv.ms/w/s!AuB3z496aTHTgcFWlDPYFyomsajWcw
Greek lectionary for vv. 1-8 What is the foundation of your life? And second, what is the destiny of life? Jesus as the cornerstone (cf. 12:10) and the days of fulfillment. The disciples actually ask, “Where are these stones from/What kind of stones are these?” (no adjective) http://lectionarygreek.blogspot.com/2012/11/mark-131-8.html
Greek lectionary for vv.24-37 Power and suffering/tribulations in the passage http://lectionarygreek.blogspot.com/2011/11/mark-1324-37.html
NL links re this passage: https://www.workingpreacher.org/search/Default.aspx?cx=001947499050786061073:fplx-aun2rq&q=mark%2013:1-8,%2024-37&cof=FORID:10&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&search_domain=WWW
Includes these individual links:
A take on the apocalyptic power of the God https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2586
The birthpangs of deliverance—and remaining ready. Parallels between the times Jesus says the master may return and the upcoming betrayals related to his Passion. Yet there is still hope even for the faithless disciples. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4239
What about the apocalyptic Jesus? it may be an important reminder to hear an ancient prophet cry out about the fragile nature of the world. https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2663
NL Holy Week context. How is Jesus near? In the Passion, the night, the darkness.** http://download.luthersem.edu/media/working_preacher/narrative/216WPNarrative.mp3
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