The Father’s Table
Sunday, June 26
Band Prelude (Holy Moment); invitation on screen to greet one another
Open The Eyes of My Heart
Prayer from Eph 1: 15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Sue: Welcome and invitation to worship
service overview: essentially, a little bit of an overview about contemplation and meditation and sanctified imagination, about Sacred Space, silence for communion with God, and a brief overview of how we intend to deliberately shape that this week, incorporating our essential elements of worship around this one idea: using our imaginations under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to bring us into the very Presence of God.
Prayer (from Eph 1) – Sue
Lord, we pray that you will give us spiritual wisdom and insight so that we might grow in our knowledge of You. We pray that our hearts will be flooded with light so that we can understand the confident hope You have given to your people… We also pray that we will understand the incredible greatness of Your power for us who believe. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realms.
Bridge from last week: (Steve)
Last week I spoke about the power of images, and how they shape our experience of life. As it was fathers’ day last week, I concentrated on the idea of God as Father, making the point that our earthly experience of “father” has a big impact on how we relate to God as Father, but that God is entirely different. I ended by sharing one way I imagine God as Father to me, and today we want to shape our worship experience with that same imagery, and then we’ll deepen and expand it as we go.
The Door is open. I could walk by, go on with my day, but why would I want to? Sure there is lots to do, but nothing as important and nothing that can’t wait. I know who is inside, in fact I hear the happy whistling and the sounds of pots and pans, I smell the aroma of fresh baked bread, and I know I am not only welcome and expected but eagerly and delightedly awaited.
I step inside. It is bright and full of life, the very walls seem alive with warmth, and God my Father sees me and His face floods with joy and He throws everything aside to come running and wrap me in His arms. He takes my dirty coat and my heavy bag and throws them back outside the door. He sits me down on a chair by the door and sees the garbage and the feces I had walked in and grabs a basin and a towel and starts to wash me clean, a tear in His eye for the pain I experienced, and caused, by going where I should not have. Why did I do those things? They seemed harmless, even attractive then, but now I see those sins for what they really are, now I see the hurt they caused me, and God my Father. It is so good here, why would I turn my back on this and choose instead to sin? As I feel the love in His hands, it hits me, and I speak: Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. (Luke 15:21).
It’s like I was blind, or lulled into sleep.
Awakening
As my soul begins to wake to the very real Presence of God my Father, I see Him lift His head and look me straight in the eye. I am afraid to meet His gaze, my eyes are downcast, still focused on the dirty water, and then His hand reaches for my chin and lifts my face until I look with shame into His eyes, anticipating (and deserving) a harsh reprimand. He eyes are steely and strong, I brace myself for His words, and then He speaks: There is no condemnation. (Rom. 8:1).
The words hang in the air, it takes me more than a moment to realize that I am not being rejected but rather I am being redeemed. But I don’t deserve it, and start to repeat that I am no longer worthy of being called - - - but I am not allowed to finish, because God my Father’s face is once again alive with joy. He is shaking His head at me with a twinkle in His eye and I hear Him speak again, this time loud and jubilant and energetic and calling out, Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. (Luke 15)
He jumps up and pulls me to my feet, the quiet of the entry way is replaced with the lively sounds of many hands bustling with preparation and anticipation, and my every sense begins to come alive. I smell bread baking and meat roasting; I hear sounds of chefs tasting and delighting at the product; I hear musicians getting ready; God my Father grabs a bite-sized morsel off the tray of a passing servant and pops it into my mouth as He leads me to the table, just around the corner from the entry and the kitchen. It is a King’s table, all laid out, with incredible wholesome goodness. And God, the almighty King of the Universe, invites me to sit with Him, to eat with Him, to talk with Him, and to listen to Him. He wants to delight in me as a Father, I want to delight in Him as a child. As I look again at Him, here in this room, I see Him surrounded by a warm glow – it extends from Him, radiant, bright, inviting, powerful, glorious. And I fall facedown - - -
Facedown
Talking at the Table:
Again I feel that strong hand on my chin, and God my Father lifts me up and leads me to a seat at His table, next to Him, and He invites me to talk, saying 7 Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. (Matt 7:7-11)
At first, I am not sure what to say, there is lots going on in my life and I need to speak it. There are things I need to ask, emotions I need to express, wisdom I seek, power I lack, and my God wants to hear.
words on screen invite people into a space of silent prayer; band begins Psalm 13. After some space of quiet prayer, we begin to sing it. Psalm 13
Talking to each other around the table:
I have talked to God my Father for a while, so wrapped up in my story that I hadn’t really noticed the growing crowd of people joining us in the banquet hall around me, and I look and see you. My closest friends, my loved ones, my community, my family. I realize that this is not just a private booth in the back for God and me, but rather that this is a family table, we are here together, I glance back at the face of God my Father with surprise and He throws back His head and laughs with delight at the joy and surprise on my face, and He says Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ (Gal 6:2).
What of those things that came to mind earlier do we want to share with our other brothers and sisters? Corporate Prayer
Delighting in the Gifts:
Having shared one another’s burdens, we turn back to God our Father together. I take these things which I’ve collected on a platter, and bring them as an offering to God who receives them. prayer
And the celebration around the table continues. The table is a place of celebration, we celebrate special events, achievements, anniversaries, we mark the occasions of our lives around the table with a special meal, a cake, and a time of honor. We are going to do that together now, as we thank God for the precious gift of Lucas Pascu and stand with his parents, Serena and Alin, as they thank God for Lucas and dedicate themselves and their family to raise Lucas under the guidance of God.
Child Dedication:
What kind of look do you imagine is on the face of God as we dedicate the Pascu family?? I like to imagine that…
(ask ushers to come forward) It reminds me of the gifts of God to all of us. We pray, give us this day, our daily bread - - - , but then we receive so much more from God our Father’s hand. And part of our response to God’s goodness is to bring Him an offering. This banquet we enjoy is free – there was no admission charge, no pre-sold tickets, no expectation that we have to earn it. And we never could. So then what happens inside us, as we awaken to the Presence of God, is this deep joy in giving back to Him. And God our Father delights, not in the amount of the offering (as if He needs it!), but rather He delights when our hearts respond with deep gratitude and cheerfulness in response to God.
Offering: (instrumental)
Letting God Speak:
As the banquet continues, I realize that thus far I(we) have largely determined the course of the conversation, and God has mostly listened. Now it occurs, Lord, what might you want to say to us? We want to listen, we need to hear the words that God our Father wants to speak to us, we have feasted around the table together but now we sip our coffee and lean back in our chairs as God stands to speak. Already our spirits are stirring with anticipation.
First:
God speaks, 20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. 21 Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, 22 for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. (Prov 4).
8 (I AM) compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 (I will) not constantly accuse (you),
nor remain angry forever.
10 (I do) not punish you for all your sins;
(I do) not deal harshly with you, as you deserve.
11 (My) unfailing love toward those who fear me
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 (I have) removed your sins as far from you
as the east is from the west.
13 (I AM) like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear (me).
14 For (I) know how weak you are;
(I) remember you are only dust.
15 Your days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, you bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and you are gone—
as though you had never been here.
17 But (my love), the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him. (Ps 103)
Arms of Love
How He Loves
Second:
I listen to God speak these words of love over me, and I want to just receive them and enjoy them but something stops me. I feel a fear start to rise up in my spirit, and I hear a whisper in my ear that confirms and enhances that fear. This sounds too good to be true; these words of love from God must be for someone else, the people next to me who are better than me, who follow and obey God more passionately. Suddenly the image of my feet covered in muck comes back into my mind, and it expands and it looks like my whole being is covered in it and my heart looks black and ugly. It doesn’t matter that the image is in the past, it feels real now, and I start to panic. I don’t belong here. Who am I to sit at the King’s banquet table? I don’t deserve this love, I am not worthy of it. These thoughts attack me, and I look for the exit feeling a need to flee. But then God my Father catches my eye, and speaks with power:
if through the power of my Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by my Spirit are my children. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received my Spirit when I adopted you as my own children. Now you call me, Abba, Father. 16 For my Spirit joins with your spirit to affirm that you are my children. 17 And since you are my children, you are my heirs. In fact, together with Christ you are heirs of my glory - - - 35 Can anything ever separate you from my love? Does it mean I no longer love you if you have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? - - - 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is yours through Christ, who loved you. 38 Be convinced that nothing can ever separate you from my love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate you from my love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate you from my love, that is revealed in Christ Jesus your Lord. (Rom 8, modified).
I Belong (first in the words of God, You belong, you belong to me - - -, then as written
Beautiful Things
Third:
As I sit at God the Father’s mighty banquet table, I believe. He loves me. I Belong. He is making me new, making beautiful things out of the dust. As these truths start to sink in deep to my soul, and they start to bubble up, I recognize the need to share this. Thoughts come to mind of people I care about who are not here, at this banquet, who are outside.
Now Jesus is sitting next to me, and I turn to Him with the thoughts of these people. He is not wearing a fancy suit for the banquet, He has work boots on, and combat fatigues, and He says, As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. (John 20:21).
But where, and how, I wonder? Jesus smiles, and I know. We have felt His leading as a community. He has led us and called us to create spaces for children and families to be welcomed to God’s table through our Summer Day Camp ministry, which is gearing up quickly. We need to pray, we need to invite kids, we need to take brochures and ask God to give us many opportunities to share and invite.
We have created a weekly structure for witness on Wednesday nights as well, and we felt God’s leading this coming week to swap our Wednesday night structure for the natural opportunity on Friday, Canada Day, to connect with people who are maybe not enjoying the banquet table of God. So I invite you to talk to a neighbor, a co-worker, a class-mate, and invite them to share a bit of Canada Day celebration with you: maybe a breakfast, or a community league party, an afternoon BBQ, or an evening of chatting around a backyard firepit before enjoying some city fireworks. The first step in building these relationships is just to listen to their story, and listen to where God is at work in their story. Don’t worry about what to say or how to force God talk into the conversation, just be you, the Beautiful Thing God is creating you to be. The following Wednesday we are going to share a meal with Faith Revival Church, the Filipino group that worships in our sanctuary on Sunday afternoons, to get to know them and dream about how we might together be the people God has called us to be.
I look back into the face of Jesus, and I realize that I now bear His name, I have received freely so freely I must give, and then the faces of those who aren’t enjoying the banquet come to mind again and I see them through Jesus’ eyes. They are stuck, trapped, asleep, they are caught in sin, remaining inside a lie of inward sham”. I feel a sense of urgency, then quickly inadequacy, and Jesus smiles and says, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8); and then, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations (neighbours?), baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matt 28).
Christ is Risen
Hear Our Praises (over the extro/intro, This incredible truth floods over the crowd gathered for the banquet – Christ is Risen! The glory of God has defeated the night! Our God is not dead, He’s alive, He’s alive!”, and the joy bursts over into more singing and dancing.
Benediction:
The joy and the life of the banquet is intended to spill out into the streets, carried forward by us who are bearers of the light of Christ into a world desperate for a real party – not one celebrating some temporary victory of a sports team, but one celebrating lives transformed from death, addiction, slavery to sin and self-destruction, aimless pursuit of things that make huge promises but are woefully insignificant. Our world is desperate for Life, Abundant Life, and we have that within us. Jesus speaks again, As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you. (John 20:21).
I walk to the door, and standing there I see the Holy Spirit, holding my coat and my bag, and the door is open and it looks cold and dark. I turn around, I want to go back to the warm banquet and stay there, but standing right behind me are God my Father and Christ my brother. My Father says I sent my servant to tell the guests, Come, the banquet is ready. 18 But they all began making excuses. One said, I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me. 19 Another said, I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me. 20 Another said, I now have a wife, so I can’t come.
21 The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, There is still room for more. 23 So his master said, Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. (Luke 14)
The truth sinks in, and then Jesus’ face lights up again and He smacks me on the back. What, do you think you are going alone? Don’t be daft! follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of (y)our lives! (Gal 5:25). And think of how much better the banquet will be when it is full of even more of the people you know and love!
Go, and make disciples.
Hear our Praises (reprise) (eat something)
Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)
