October 22,2023
"Which Story To Tell?"
Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch
October 22, 2023 Based on Luke 22
Our World is full of stories. Our lives are full of stories.
And The stories we pay attention to, the stories we choose to tell about ourselves, about our families, about our society.. They shape the way we live our life.
Stories are powerful. They can inspire us, challenge us, and can even change us.
But stories can also be harmful. They can perpetuate stereotypes, prejudice, and hatred. They can divide us and make it harder to see each other's humanity.
Humans have been telling stories for as long as we have existed on this earth. Gathered around the campfires each and every night, Stories are passed down generation after generation. And even though the art of storytelling is what draws you in, makes you root for certain characters or loathe other ones, or makes you laugh, or makes you cry, I think what is almost more important to the practice of storytelling are all the themes behind the story. The recurring themes of the stories we tell, end up getting to the core of who we are… they show our beliefs, our values, our morals and ethics.
Jesus knew the power of stories. In fact, as a teacher, stories were probably his favorite piece of his curriculum. If you look through scripture it seems like Jesus is always in the midst of telling stories to help people shape their lives in order to be drawn in deeper into God’s redemptive ways of love.
One thing I am always impressed by with Jesus, is how comfortable he is talking about Money. Whether talking to a rich and powerful person and telling him to his face to sell all of his possessions to support the poor, or celebrating a poor woman who gave the little money she had away, or coming into God’s house to flip the tables of those who were capitalizing off of the poor. Jesus was never afraid to get right to heart of people’s lives, right to the heart of people’s pains, and in that time as well as now… Money is on thing that cuts right to the heart of a person, to our innermost values, our innermost beliefs.
I think that’s why we are taught not to talk about it. Why we are told to never bring it up… it feels so personal. We feel shame or guilt about it… because we are in debt, or because we don’t have enough, or because we are actually really wealthy and don’t want people to only see us for that.. Money is personal.
And that’s exactly why Jesus brings it up so much. Because Money matters. Our relationship with it, how we use it, how we share it or how we hoard it, What it means to not have enough of it, or to feel like we have plenty.
And The stories we hold onto about money, they stories we choose to remember, and tell about money, wind up shaping our world in a very big way.
In our Gospel story today, within this one story we find two contrasting economic narratives woven into one.
In one narrative, one the people closest to Jesus betrays him, giving away his location to authorities who want to arrest him in exchange for a bag of gold. This is a money story that people have held onto for centuries. How could a person betray their friend, let alone, Jesus who you believe to be the messiah, out of greed?
But then right next to this human narrative of corruption and greed is the other one. A divine narrative, where Jesus is a generous host who welcomes everyone to share a meal at the same table, including Judas. A table that is more than just food but a vision of the economy that God seeks to build… Where all are invited and included… where there is a vision of abundance, of everyone experiencing more than enough… Where love is not hoarded up but poured and shared freely.
The question for us reading this story… is which narrative do we choose to remember?
Which story do we choose to tell?
Can you imagine a scenario where Judas story was the main take away from this evening? Can you imagine the resentment that would have been built up in this community over this devastating and corrupt act.
It’s no wonder that at the Table, Jesus tells us what we should remember. This is my body broken for you… whenever you eat bread… remember me.
Over the next month of stewardship, we are going to be telling a lot of stories about Money, Stories from scripture, and stories from our own lives. It may feel a bit uncomfortable and vulnerable… but I believe as Jesus did… that especially in this community of trust and safety, it is good to talk about money because it gets to the heart of who we are and who God is and how we are to live to help the world return to its original goodness.
Each week of stewardship I’ll conclude my sermon with an embodied prayer, using simple materials that you were given at the start of service. Today, you were given a pipe cleaner that we’ll use in our prayer so I invite you to find it and hold it in your hands.
As we pray… You can leave your eyes open or close them—do what is most comfortable for you. Now I invite you to take your pipe cleaner and hold one end in your hands and curl the tip
inward like this to form a spiral (model this for people to see).
Throughout our prayer, whenever you hear the word,
“remember,” I invite you to slowly curl your pipe cleaner into a flat spiral.
By the end of the prayer, your pipe cleaner
will look like this (show what it will look like curled into a round spiral). We will collect your pipe cleaner creations
as part of our offering as a way to mark the story we choose to remember… that God is faithful and good. Our creations will be added to a mosaic art project we will slowly add to throughout our series.
While holding and shaping our pipe cleaners, let us pray:
The story of God calls us to remember—
that creation was made good, and abundant, with more than enough for everyone
The story of God calls us to remember—
that we belong to one another,
for we are bone of bone and flesh of flesh.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that reconciliation between siblings is holy,
and slavery of any kind is evil.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that the desolate desert wilderness is real,
and that even there God is with us, and provides for us.
The story of God calls us to remember—
that love looks like healing the sick,
eating with the outcast,
making room for the children,
and seeing the unseen.
The story of God calls us to remember—
because if we forget, we risk making God,
love, and reconciliation small.
So as we remember, may we believe—
in a God who made all things good,
who stands with the suffering,
walks with us in the wilderness,
sees the overlooked,
loves with an untamed heart,
and makes room for all at God’s table.
Amen.
WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE
PRELUDE “How Gentle God's Commands” Hans G. Nageli
arr. Terri Hutchings
INTROIT “This Is the Day” Pablo Sosa
WELCOME Rev. Trip Porch
One: This is the day that the Lord has made
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it
*CALL TO WORSHIP
One: May we remember
All: That God created.
One: May we remember
All: That God liberated.
One: May we remember
All: That God fed.
One: May we remember
All: That God is still creating,
God is still liberating,
And God is still feeding us.
One: Let this be our story.
All: Let this be where we begin.
One: Let us worship holy God.
*HYMN “You are Called to Tell the Story” REGENT SQUARE
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION Bob Concitis
Holy God,
We admit to remembering the wrong things. We remember worldly lessons like, “Everyone for themselves,” “An eye for an eye,” and “All is fair in love and war.” And yet, we forget to forgive 70 times 7, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to live like the body of Christ. Why is it so hard to remember the right things? Release us from our muscle memory and re-center us in a new place, A fresh place, a space grounded in your love. Help us to receive your word anew, and to consider stewardship not with the world’s rules, but with your rules. Help us remember. With hope we pray, Amen.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*RESPONSE OF PRAISE No. 585 “Glory to God” vs. 1 MACHU-PICHU
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
All: And also with you.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
ANTHEM “O Love” Elaine Hagenberg
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE: Luke 22:1-23
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Ruth Harold
SERMON Rev. Trip Porch
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
*HYMN NO. 415 “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy” RESTORATION
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE followed by The Lord’s Prayer as printed on the screen.
TIME OF SHARING “Oh, May My Soul” arr. Marsha Sisco
*OFFERTORY RESPONSE “Giving God, We Pause and Wonder” NETTLETON
God, we know we cannot pay you For your love in Christ your Son.
Gifts and tithes are just a "thank you" — Ways to pass your blessings on.
We have learned that, in our sharing, We receive more than we give.
By your Spirit, make us daring In this joyful way to live.
Tune: John Wyeth's Repository of Sacred Music, 1813
Text: Copyright © 2005 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
*HYMN “Guard the Good Treasure God Entrusts to You” ENGELBERG
MOMENT FOR MISSION Betsy Tullis
TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING
CHARGE AND BENEDITION
CHORAL RESPONSE “Go Forth for God” Kenneth Dake
POSTLUDE “Joseph Smith's First Prayer” Sylvanus Billings Pond
arr. Susan W. Henry
Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452