Sunday LinkUp – 14May2023

Sunday LinkUp / By

CALL TO WORSHIP

  • Choruses:  We Have Come into His House, … He is Here … Reach Out and Touch
  • Opening Prayer

WELCOME and THANKS for joining us …

Today is the sixth Sunday of the Easter season.

The theme for this week is suffering and the nearness of God.

The selected passages are Psalm 66:8-20; John 14:15-21; Acts 17:22-31; 1 Peter 3:13-22.

  • In Psalm 66:8-20, the psalmist recounts the ups and downs of life, and it speaks of God’s faithfulness during the most difficult times.
  • In John 14:15-21, Jesus promises another Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, who will never leave us as orphans.
  • Paul explains the “Unknown God” to the Athenians in Acts 17:22-31, reminding them and us that “in him we live and move and have our being.”
  • Our sermon text is 1 Peter 3:13-22, which explores the theme of suffering and the unspoken assumptions we make about it.

 

FIRST READING

OPENING SONGS

SECOND READING

John 14:15-21
15 ‘If you love me, you will keep[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another (from allos, not heteros) Advocate,[b] to be with you for ever.  17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in[c] you.  
18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.  19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.  20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’ 
Footnotes 
    1. John 14:15 Other ancient authorities read me, keep 
    2. John 14:16 Or Helper   
    3. John 14:17 Or among

SPEAKING OF LIFE

  • Title:  Not an Orphan
  • Presenter:  Michelle Fleming, GCI Elder
  • Keynote passage:  John 14:15-20

From the transcript …

When I was growing up, I remember reading several books that had an orphan as the main character. Maybe you did, too. Remember Cinderella, Anne of Green Gables, and even Harry Potter? The children in these stories were left without parents, and their plots revolved around how well they fit into another family’s dynamic.  Often, they felt like outsiders – unwanted and alone.

At the Last Supper, Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for what was coming: his betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.  He reassured them that while things would be different without him present, they would not be alone. Let’s look at John 14:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

John 14:15-20 (NRSVUE)

Notice that Jesus refers to “another Advocate,” the “Spirit of Truth,” who would always be with the disciples.  Jesus was their first Advocate; now the Holy Spirit would be another companion who would always be with them.  The Spirit’s goal is not to replace Jesus, but to share the presence of the Father and the risen Son to those who trusted them.

Since the Bible often refers to people as the “children of God,” it makes sense that Jesus would use the word “orphaned.”  We’ll have the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit, and because of the triune relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit, we’re brought into their fellowship.  We’re not like Cinderella who was mistreated and forced to become a servant.  Instead, we’re welcomed into the family of God as cherished members, never to be left on our own again.

By sharing with the disciples about the Spirit of Truth, Jesus is telling them that life will go on after the heartbreak of the crucifixion.  He says, “You will see me; because I live, you also will live.”

The resurrection was not the end of the story but the very beginning, thanks to the Spirit of Truth who will never leave us as orphans.

May you know how completely you’re loved and accepted by the Father, Son, and Spirit, and may you trust that you’re never alone.

 

THIRD READING

SPECIAL MUSIC

  • WONDERFUL, MAGNIFICENT GOD … Don Moen et al …

SERMON

 

Don’t Worry … Be ready

13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?  14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear what they fear,[a] and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.  Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.[b]  Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.  18 For Christ also suffered[c] for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you[d] to God.  He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you — not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for[e] a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.  

 

THAT’S WHAT THE TEXT SAYS.

WHAT DOES THE TEXT MEAN?

First, the CONTEXT …

1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith — being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  

1 Peter 3:8-12  

Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.  9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. (see Luke 6:28)  It is for this that you were called — that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For  

‘Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit;  11 let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.  
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.  But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’  

 

Now, to the TEXT …  

 

 

WHAT SHOULD WE TAKE AWAY?

13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?  14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord.  Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.  Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.  18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you — not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.  

 

Fearing God (Sanctifying the Lord in our hearts) above all else will take care of the fear of man and give us the boldness we need to bear effective witness for our Saviour.

 

SONG OF RESPONSE

  • I WILL SING … Don Moen et al …

 

 

SHARING TIME

 

 

CLOSING SONG

  • WHEN IT’S ALL BEEN SAID AND DONE … Don Moen et al …

 

CLOSING PRAYER

 

 

BENEDICTION

 

 

 

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