Worship Order September 13th 2020 German Church Atlanta
Prelude – von guten Mächten Welcome Psalm 37: 1-24 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, 1
when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. 11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. 16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; 17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. 2
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. 20 But the wicked will perish: Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field, they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke. 21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; 22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be destroyed. 23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Matthew 6: 25-34 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 3
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you —you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Song 1: Fürchte dich nicht Epistle: 1. Peter 5: 6-11 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you 4
strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. Epistle: Philippians 4: 4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Song 2: Freuet Euch Sermon Dear Church, Dear Friends, Dear Confirmands, I don't know how you feel, but these many words of the Bible about "worrying" are funny: Then we hear Jesus say: Don't worry about your livelihood, food and clothing! Matthaeus 6: 25 That's why don't worry about tomorrow – the next day will take care of itself! It is enough for each day to bring its own difficulties. Matthaeus 6: 34 And then the Apostle Paul speaks so alike, "Unload all your sorrows on God, for he takes care of you." 1 Peter 5, 7
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Do not worry about anything, but in all things let your pleas be made to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving! Philippians 4.6 You confirmands may have observed, especially the last few months: your parents are worried, the adults are worrying about the pandemic, about the many deaths, about the racial demonstrations, about the schools and about their work. And then there are the upcoming elections. Many are worried about what will happen politically in this country. Yes, and then many families are worried about the grandparents who we are not allowed to visit, so that they do not become infected with the Corona virus. Everyone is worried. You might also worry: When will you see your friends again? When will you finally be able to make friends, because that really isn't easy to do on the Zoom screen. And then the school online... this is not easy! So very different from before. When will things return to normal? That's where the worries might come up in you. We live in a time of concern. And for many reasons! We can't just turn that off! And then on TV we can see the car queues of people picking up food donations. Many have lost their jobs and now they do not have enough money for their families. I wonder if Jesus and Paul simply do not understand our situation. This is a 6
worrisome time. “Don not worry, tomorrow will take care of itself. Unload your worries onto God. Don't worry about anything! That sounds so simple! Yet that is not possible! We are normal people. We can't help but worry, can we? Even as Christians, we are only human beings. Worrying simply means to be human, doesn’t it? Even as a teenager, you already know that. When you can't fall asleep in the evening out of concern for the math test, or when you feel like you're all alone, or when you hear your parents talk about their concerns about the pandemic and politics. We can't just get rid of worries. That would actually be beautiful. Wouldn’t it be actually beautiful if we could strip off our worries like a coat? A worry coat! We would just hang it every night, into the closet, and then fall asleep really well. Or when we feel quite hot with fear, then we could just take off the worry coat, and feel much better. Perhaps it would have been great if Jesus promised us such a worry coat, but what does it do if he just says: Do not worry! Paul does not offer us a mantle of sorrow to be taken off either, but he speaks of the fact that we can cast our concerns on God. A beautiful picture actually. In some schools there is a large swimming pool for the summer festival, where a teacher sits on a board that is stretching above this large water tank. Now finally the students can let 7
out their frustration and their worries about school. With balls they are aiming at a goal and when they hit well, the board lowers and the teacher drops into the water. In some way the teacher finally takes away the school anxiety by allowing to be thrown into the water. The students rejoice and laugh. What a relief. Now it's the teacher's turn to worry when he's going to fall into the water... and not always just the students! I do not know if Paul thought of this image exactly when he said, "All your sorrows throw onto God, for he cares for you. Perhaps he meant more to talk to God. When we start talking to someone about our worries, we often feel better. Paul says, "Let God know your needs and your asks. And then thank God as well and afterwards, don't worry about anything. Does that really help? Unloading our worries by talking with God? Many think that one only speaks with God in the Church. We call this praying. But Paul invites us to talk to God in the middle of everyday life. If we don't get into the zoom link, or if we didn't understand the school assignments. When we can finally get among people, but then always have to wear a mask. If we feel lonely after so many months without friends... We are invited to let God know all our worries. And then, don't worry about anything Jesus had said. Do not worry about 8
tomorrow, tomorrow will take care of itself. This means as much as: “Stay in here and now. Yesterday is over, and tomorrow is not here yet. Live with your feelings that you have right now. That's enough. And let God know these feelings, the negative and the positive. Stay in here and now. That is enough! A very wise man was once asked: "Are you not afraid of the state of the world?" He allowed himself to breathe deeply, and then he said, “The most important thing is not to let your fear of what happens in the world be fulfilled. When your heart is filled with fear, you get sick and you won't be able to help.' In many places there are wars - large and small - and this can lead to us losing our peace. Fear is the disease of our time. We worry for ourselves, our family, our friends, our work and the state of the world. If we allow the worries to fill our hearts, sooner or later we will become ill. Yes, there is tremendous suffering all over the world, but we need to know that this does not have to paralyze us. When we exercise mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful sitting, and mindfulness, we try our best to help, and we can have peace in our hearts. Worries don't help. Even if we are twenty times more concerned, this will not change the situation of the world. In fact, our fears and worries often only make things worse. Even if things 9
are not as we would like them to be, we can still be satisfied, knowing that we are doing our best and will continue to do so. The wise man continues: we will not be able to help anyone, not even ourselves, if we do not learn how to breathe deeply at every moment of our lives, and then talk to God in the here and now. If I find things for which I am grateful, then at that very moment, in the here and now, I am happy. My worries are no longer overwhelming me. I breathe deeply. Talk to God. I let go of the things that weigh on me. Like a coat, I take off my worries. The wise man continued: If we give our sorrows to God, then we are responsible and freed up to bring peace and joy into our own lives, even if not everything in our body, mind, or environment is exactly as we would like it to be. Without the ability to live in the here and now and to give our sorrows to God, we cannot be a refuge for others. The number of people who create violence and who have many concerns is very large, while the number of people who breathe deeply, who pray and give their sorrows to God is very small. Every day gives us a wonderful opportunity to let go of our worries, to find inner peace and to become a refuge for others. 10
How long do we have to do that? the wise man was asked: “Not for long. We don't have to be other than we are. We do not need to take any specific action. We just need to talk to God, let go, breathe deeply and be happy in the present moment. Then we can serve those we love and our entire society. Dear congregation, dear confirmands, let us begin to practice this, all of us together: that we bring our sorrows to God and then take off our worries like a mantle of sorrow. God cares for us. Like a teacher who is watching out for us and drops into the cold water to relief our anxiety, God wants to share our sorrows. Jesus says: Do you not see the flowers in the field and the birds in the sky? God created them and cares for them. Aren't you much more than the flowers and the birds? God is very concerned about you. God will care for you tomorrow. That's why don't need to worry about tomorrow. It's enough when every day has its own portion of worry. If we are grateful for the beautiful things in our life, and when we express and let go of our worries, then we live entirely in the "here and now" and not in the morning and no longer in yesterday. When we practice like that, then God's Spirit can fill us with peace and with a great freedom. To do this, 11
we breathe deeply. To this end, we talk to God and let go of what is filling us with anxiety. And we do this not just once a day, no many times every day. As often as the worries creep back into our minds and into our hearts. You Confirmands will practice some of this with me this year. Perhaps at your confirmation you will be so good at letting go of your worries that you can actually teach your parents and grandparents. Who knows? In any case, we are so happy that you will now always be worshipping with us on Sundays. You eight confirmands will learn and grow a lot when it comes to understanding and living with God. You may be a little anxious when you think of the Confirmation Class. What will you expect? Will you feel comfortable? These Zoom meetings can sometimes be quite boring. And being part of the worship services every Sunday?... Maybe you're a little worried. So, Jesus and Paul are calling out to you: "Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow, the future will take care of itself. Learn to cast your worries on God, then you feel better and become free from your anxiety". And this applies not only to you, the confirmands, but also to us adults. In invite all of us to live like this every day, every hour anew. Let us live in the 12
“here and now� and not already in the tomorrow. Let us practice the letting go in our prayers and the thanksgiving, so that our worries do not overwhelm us. Let us practice and grow together in this way as a community! And may the grace of God, which is higher than all our understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ our brother. Amen
Intercessory Prayer We now pray for our world that needs God so badly: Gracious God, in love you have given all of yourself, have sought our closeness, you have called us to you, and you have not evaded death, for us. You say: Don't worry! Because I care for you! And yet we worry about people who are being wronged. God, you are love and you are being experienced wherever love appears. We pray: turn to those who are experiencing difficult days, who are sick, who are afraid and no longer know what to do. Turn to those who have become hardened and cold. Meet with love and compassion those who feel burned out, nurses and doctors, people who care for others in this time of the Corona virus. You are love, God, and you are being experienced, wherever love appears, 13
We pray: turn to those who sacrifice themselves for others, who do not look past people who suffer, Turn to those who are standing upright at this time in history and name wrongs and expose lies, and who do not retreat into the private. Who you are love, God, and can be experienced, wherever love appears, Change the hearts of the people who, with their quest for power and material goods undermine love, change the hearts of those who ask first and only for their own benefit, and who subordinate care for the sick and needy to their own profits. You are love, God, and become a reality wherever love appears, Change the hearts of those who put their own worldview or religion, their origin or their skin color above others and who look in the eyes if other people without compassion. Eternal God, we breathe a sigh of relief because you care for us and want to take care of us. In love you have given yourself for us, you have sought our closeness, and you ask us today and every day what we have done for our least brothers and sisters. Let us not remain silent, let us grow in your love, Amen. We pray together with the words Jesus taught us: Our Father in Heaven Hallowed be Your name Your kingdom come Your will be done on earth, 14
as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our sin, just as we forgive those who sin against us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory Forever and ever, Amen Song 3: Blessed are they Blessing Postlude
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