July 11 & 12, 2020 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 11, 2020
Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Hope Lutheran Church, Blessings and God’s love to each and every one of you! We are now in the middle of summer here in Florida, and while this is usually a very quiet time of year, there’s a lot going on in the world around us that certainly impacts us in the church. We are all in the midst seeing a re-opening of things in the state, while at the same time individual locations are shutting down because of increased numbers due to Covid 19 infection rates. We are seeing schools set for re-opening as directed by Executive Order in early August, with teachers and staff returning the week before without any specific protocols in place to ensure safety for all. We are seeing law enforcement officers, most of whom are heroes among us as they serve and protect, in a very difficult position as they try to do their job in the midst of fear, anxiety, and a questioning of their authority because of those among them who have not lived up to their duty. We are hearing loud political rhetoric from both sides being ugly and promoting hate rather than unity. It’s kind of a mess out there, my friends. It really is. But here’s the thing-our first allegiance is as citizens of heaven, members of God’s family as the Baptized people of God. The One to whom we need to listen is Jesus-Jesus who calls us to love one another as we show our love for God. This, in the midst of a changing, loud world, is a bold, unshakable truth-Jesus calls us to love. Jesus calls us as his hands and feet and heart and voice to share love in a world that needs it now as much as ever.
So what can we do? We can wear masks to share our love and not our germs. We can be extra vigilant as we try to protect those around us from illness in the-off-chance we are exposed without knowing it. Most importantly, we can pray, my friends. Prayer is a very loving, intentional act. We can pray for our community and the fear that is spread as so many work hard to combat a virus to which many of us are vulnerable. We can pray for teachers and staff and students as they face returning to school in a few weeks without a clear direction for protecting them. We can pray for law enforcement that those who serve will be protected and that wise policies and decisions can be made so that all our people may be treated with dignity, compassion, equality, and respect. We can pray for political leaders to speak truth with love and to make wise and just policies for the benefit of all of us living in the United States. We can pray for unity so that we as a nation can re-discover what it means to be “we, the people…” We can pray that God will direct and guide us to be the loving and caring disciples we are called to be-all in Jesus’ name. I am praying for YOU!
In Christ’s love, Pr. Jen+
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost July 11-12, 2020
PRAYER OF THE DAY Let us pray: Almighty God, we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word. By your Holy Spirit help us to receive it with joy, live according to it, and grow in faith and hope and love, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
READING Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 In Matthew’s gospel, both Jesus and his disciples “sow the seed” of God’s word by proclaiming the good news that “the kingdom of heaven is near.” Now, in a memorable parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear. A reading from Matthew. 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!”
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
HOMILY: Imagine you are at the lake and you just got done taking the boat out. It’s hot, but not that humid – clearly not in Florida–a perfect day to be outside. The kids are playing on the beach and you are setting out all the things you need for a picnic. Suddenly, you see one of the local farmers come toward you. He’s whistling a happy tune and flinging seeds right and left, without caring about where they are going. “Hey!” you say, “That just went in my drink.” He just smiles and continues to toss the seeds about, as he replies, “I’ve got plenty.” Your children run up to you and say, “That man is throwing seeds in the water and on the dock – will they grow?” You shake your head, puzzled, as you watch him walk away, throwing the seed – wasting the seed – for no apparent purpose, except that he’s got plenty. ~~~Now if that isn’t weird, I don’t know what is! Those who are part of agricultural communities never waste anything, especially any of their seed, since that is their means of living. Our Gospel today tells us a strange and vivid story, but when we look a little bit deeper, it might not be so strange after all. Think about it – when we witness the birth of a child, accomplish a hard-earned goal, our favorite team wins, or we fall in love— aren’t we so happy that we are about to burst? We’re just bubbling over and feel we have to share our good news with others. We don’t care what kind of day they have been having or if they know us or if they even care; we just have to share our joy. We’re throwing it everywhere with abandon—we’ve got plenty! Isn’t that what the sower in our parable is doing? The seed is so abundant, the sower doesn’t care where it goes. What that sower trusts is that God will provide the response in the hearts of the people where the Word is being sowed. God’s generous abundance keeps overflowing in us so that we are compelled to share it with others. God’s love fills us to overflowing and we just HAVE to share!!!!!
~~~And what about those others? Jesus further elaborates on his own parable by describing each of the different soils where the seeds land. This is about the cycle of sowing and reaping; telling and hearing; sharing and responding. Now, we all know people from each of these soil “types” and most of us shift between one soil and another – sometimes on the same day or even within an hour. We’d like to believe that we are the good soil, but if we are honest, we probably aren’t – at least not all the time.
~~~As human beings, we are complex creations of thoughts, feelings, and the ability to act on them. When we experience discomfort, we want it to go away and may act impulsively in order to find comfort or release from pain and anxiety. We all have experienced this—whether shopping, gambling, food, our tempers, drinking, lying—you name it. Sometimes it isn’t a big deal, but sometimes the little things add up to extremely damaging consequences, both for ourselves and those close to us.
~~~Right now, in the news and on social media, we are seeing deaths from COVID-19, deaths from violence, relationship struggles, job loss, bankruptcies, and despair from anxiety, causing people to behave reactively with dire consequences. These things take root from a seed misleadingly small—the desire to be our own God – a desire to have what we want, when we want it, regardless of the costs or who else may be affected. St. Augustine of Hippo astutely reminds us that no one should “say that he [or she] is more worthy of life than others,” and Jesus reminds us again and again to love our neighbors as ourselves as a reflection of our love for God. This is the standard toward which we must grow. This is the cross-shaped life of loving God by loving others.
~~~The Bible is full of people putting themselves before God and their neighbors. Look at Esau. He comes in from the field, ravenous because he had been working hard. Jacob knows this and takes advantage of it. He knows that all that Esau can think about is food, and that is his immediate need. So, Jacob tells him that he can have food if he gives him his birthright. A birthright was important in those times – a person could sell it or renounce it, but there were consequences. It would be like trading in your entire inheritance for a Big Mac after an intense day of working outside. Burgers are good – but not that good! When we are focused on our own desires, our comfort, our envy, our fits of rage, our discord, our hatred, our wants—the good soil of our hearts turns into a wasteland. Those impulses can get us into loads of trouble; when we give in without tempering them with our call from God, we end up with no depth of spirit, choked with the thorns of the world. We yield nothing, and our actions break the cycle of abundance. Others do not experience the love of God through us and we have lost the chance to share the abundance we received. Our love for self chokes out our love for God and our love for others-love for self doesn’t allow room for love for others.
~~~Have you ever met someone that you immediately feel is a holy person? There is something about the way they move and live and have their being that speaks to you on a soul level. We might say they are living in the Spirit and, oh, how we long for what they have! But we have those qualities as well. They are the seeds that were first planted in us when we heard the Word of God from a sower, nurtured in us by baptism, and enriched by coming together in community for strength and renewal. Seeds sown in the good soil of our hearts blossom into the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
~~~If the seeds of God’s love flower into these fruits, then what do those new seeds look like? There is pollination, cross-pollination, and new growth all over the place! SHARING!!! The cycle of sowing begins again. God’s abundant love sees to that. We go about our daily business, living in faithfulness in God’s abundance and we are sowers among those we encounter. We don’t often get to see where the seeds fall, but the point is that we continue to sow. We plant seed of love, kindness, forgiveness, joy-the seeds God plants in us through Jesus and his Spirit. The Church’s mission and our mission is to spread the Good News to every end of the Earth. Archbishop William Temple said, “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” ~~~This still holds true for us today. There are infinite ways for us to be the Church: by giving a smile to someone who is feeling lonely, watching the kids so a couple can have some time to themselves, thanks those who keep society working for us, donating money to an organization that helps those who are marginalized, speaking up for a neighbor when you witness an injustice occurring, praying for those you dislike – the list can go on and on.
~~~Jesus reminds us that we are both the sowers and the soil. Without the one, the other would not make sense. When we go forth today, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, may we sow abundantly, planting seeds of God’s Word and love wherever we go-and trusting God will help them grow. May the seed that is sown in you bear the plentiful fruit of God’s love as together we are led by the Spirit to serve God and share Christ’s love with all. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Called into unity with one another and the whole creation, let us pray for our shared world. A brief silence.
Gracious God, your word has been sown in many ways and places. We pray for missionaries and newly planted congregations around the world. Inspire us by their witness to the faith we share. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Creating God, the mountains and hills burst into song and the trees and fields clap their hands in praise. We pray for the birds and animals who make their home in the trees, and for lands stripped bare by deforestation. Empower us to sustainably use what you have given. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Reigning God, we pray for our nation’s leaders. Increase their desire for justice and equality. We pray for our enemies. Bridge the chasms that divide us and guide authorities to a deep and lasting peace. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Abiding God, care for all who are in need. For those who are doubting, renew faith. For those who are worrying, provide release. For those who are struggling, ease burdens. For those in fear, give hope. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Renewing God, revive your church in this place. Nourish and nurture the seeds you have planted, that we might grow as disciples. Replace what has been depleted. Sustain our ministries and deepen relationships with the wider community. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Eternal God, we give thanks for all who have died, Comfort us in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Receive these prayers, O God, and those too deep for words; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OUR FATHER…
BLESSING Almighty God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit be with us now and always. Amen.
DISMISSAL We go in peace. Christ is with us as together we are led by your Spirit to serve you and share your love with all people. Thanks be to God!!!
Hope Lutheran Church-Gulf Cove 14200 Hopewell Ave, Port Charlotte, FL 33981
Church phone: 941-697-2345 Email: hopeluthern@comcast.net
Pr. Jen Schaefer-cell-813-391-2027 Pr. Jen’s email: hopeluthern1@comcast.net
Our purpose at Hope is that we are led by the Spirit to serve God and share Christ’s love with all!
HOPE HAPPENINGS
We welcome all who worship with us today. Please complete one of the visitor cards at our guest table. If you would like to make Hope your church home, please speak to Pastor Jen. Everyone is welcome at Hope Lutheran Church.
Next Week’s Readings: Isaiah 44:6-8; Romans8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The July thru September Word in Season Devotionals are available on the narthex table.
Attendance last week Income Information
Saturday 8 FY 2020 Actual thru June $72,919.79
Sunday 8:30 5 FY 2020 Budget thru June $76,583.41
Sunday 10:00 23 FY 2019 Actual thru June $74,581.41
LAY SERVANTS Altar Guild – Gail Zahs & Delores Hall Ushers – Alan Beicht & Larry Brady
PRAYER LIST Please call the church office or email Pr. Jen with any prayer requests you may have so they may be shared with the congregation.
Please continue to hold in prayer:
Laura Everill, daughter of Phyllis and Tom Agness, residing in a healthcare facility
Walter Crowley, husband of Kathryn & father of Ginger Toomire recovering from pneumonia
Peter Schwenke, uncle of Lorraine Maass in need of healing
Joyce, sister in law of Elaine Dougan, recovering from brain cancer surgery
Arthur St. Amand and Joanne, in need of God’s healing touch
John Greene, Millie’s husband, recovering from surgery
Suzette, Katie McClay’s friend who is recovering after colon cancer surgery,
Lindsey, Cyndi Carley’s daughter who is in need of healing
Florence, Bob Kostrowsky’s aunt who is recovering in New Jersey
Lois, Lorraine Maass’ friend, in need of God’s healing presence
Kaye Miller, friend of Elaine Dougan, needing God’s comfort and healing
Chery Burke who is in need of healing
Lindsey, asking for God’s protection
Sandy Johnson who is in need of healing.
Those who are in need or ill in any way, those who are lonely, those who are frightened, those who grieve, those caring for those who are ill, those who are victimized by racism
MASKS – Our supply of masks is getting low. Any donation of additional masks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your generosity!!!
HOPE’S LOVE PANTRY. Big thank you to Linda Kraigenow who donated and initiated our new Hope’s Love Pantry. If anyone would like to donate nonperishable goods for our pantry please put items on the shelves of our pantry located on the walkway to the left of the main entrance. Also, please let people in our area who may be in need, know that they may take some food from our pantry. No need to sign up. It is anonymous, no questions asked.
NEW FM RADIO STATION. Anyone can now listen to worship in their vehicles by tuning into FM Radio station 88.3. The Sunday morning 8:30 AM parking lot service is being broadcast on FM Radio 88.3. In the near future both the Saturday evening 5:30 PM and Sunday morning 10:00 AM worship services will also be broadcast on our FM Radio station.
HYMN REQUESTS If there are any particular hymns that you would like to hear at worship, please submit the names to Pastor Jen at hopeluthern1@comcast.net. If our licensing agreement permits, look forward to hearing them soon.
HOPES AND DREAMS FOR HOPE If you have a suggestion for a Hope or Dream for Hope Lutheran Church, Pastor Jen and your council would love to hear it. Please feel free to place any Hope or Dream in the mailbox in the hallway leading to the Fellowship Hall. All requests will be kept confidential and you will receive a timely response.
BIBLES AND BAGELS (or muffins or individually wrapped goodies) Please join us Mondays from 10:00 – 11:00 AM for Bible Study and sharing in the Fellowship Hall. Physical Distancing and sharing in Scripture and discussion are blessings we can share together!! All are welcome!!
PSALMS IN CONVERSATION AND OTHER THINGS is a beginning – to connect with and pray with and for each other and the larger community. If you are willing to begin this conversation with Pastor Cheryll, contact her at cheryll.kaukis@gmail.com
KIWANIS SHOES FOR KIDS PROJECT The Kiwanis Shoes for Kids project will continue through July 26th. Please bring all new tennis shoes to church and place in the bin in the narthex. If you prefer, we will purchase tennis shoes for you if you make a donation to Hope Lutheran. Thank you!
BLOOD DRIVE The Suncoast Blood Drive Mobile Unit will be in our parking lot on July 19th between 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM. Sign up sheet are available in the narthex. Also you can call the church office at 941-687-2345 to schedule an appointment. There is no age limit for donating blood, and with all successful donations, a Covid 19 antibody test will be administered.
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