The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
REFLECTIONS
There is a special place in heaven for anyone who speaks truth to power.
— Madeleine Albright
The basic fact is that Christianity as it was born in the mind of this Jewish teacher and thinker appears as a technique of survival for the oppressed. That it became, through the intervening years, a religion of the powerful and the dominant, used sometimes as an instrument of oppression, must not tempt us into believing that it was thus in the mind and life of Jesus. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” Wherever his spirit appears, the oppressed gather fresh courage; for he announced the good news that fear, hypocrisy, and hatred, the three hounds of hell that track the trail of the disinherited, need have no dominion over them.
— Howard Thurman,
Jesus and the Disinherited
Moses’ use of his power and authority to disenfranchise women in his community identifies him as one of the male religious leaders in virtually every religious tradition of which I have ever heard whose response to women’s demands for equality—even a small amount of parity—is, “Over my dead body.”
To borrow an infamous quote from a different context in American public discourse, Moses went to his grave holding the women’s piece of the promised land clutched in his cold, dead hand, even though it may have cost him his place in the promised land.
— Wil Gafney,
Womanist Midrash
COLLECT
God of the narrow way, you call us to shed all that burdens the lightness of life: help us to surrender false wealth, embrace our need of you and live for your kingdom above all things; through Jesus Christ, the richness of God. Amen.
PRELUDE
GREETING
Rev. Melisa Blankenship (she/her), Worship Leader
Minister: The Lord be with you.
ALL: And also with you.
PREPARATION
CALL TO WORSHIP
from Psalm 146
Let us praise the Lord from the depths of our hearts. Let us sing praise to God as long as we live.
Blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God, the maker of the earth, the skies, the sea and everything in them.
The Lord remains faithful forever. God upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those that are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.
God watches over the stranger and sustains the motherless and the widow but God frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever. Let us praise the Lord!
PRAYER OF ADORATION
PRAISE
SONGS
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Matheson, 1882 | Christopher Miner, 1997
Oh, Great is Our God!
Brian Eichelberger, 2009
RENEWAL
CALL TO CONFESSION
Psalm 51: 15-17, NRSV
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We stand before you, Saving God, stripped of our pretensions and pride, for nothing we do or say, or do not, can be hidden from you. You hear the angry words we preach to ourselves; you sift through the rubble of hurts we have caused; you see how we stumble, weighed down by all that 'stuff' which keeps us from following Jesus. We stand before you, Holy Grace. As you empty our hands of that wealth of unneeded things we cling so tightly to, fill them with your grace and hope. As we let go of all that might hold us back, give us the trust to follow Jesus into the abundant life that he offers to each of us. Amen.
SILENT CONFESSION
SONG OF RENEWAL
Forgive Us
Brian Eichelberger, Zach Bolen, 2020
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
Hear the good news! Because God loves us, we lack for nothing; because God forgives us, we have everything we need; because God surrounds us—with sisters, brothers, siblings—we do not journey alone.
In Christ, we are loved and forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
PASSING THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
SONG
All Manner of Things Will Be Well
Julian of Norwich (1343 - 1416), Karl Digerness, 2019
BLESSING OUR CHILDREN & YOUTH
Leader: People of God, what is our prayer for our children and youth?
People: May the Lord be with you.
Children: And also with you.
Leader: May the Lord bless you and keep you;
may the Lord grow you strong in Divine grace,
may the Lord fill you with the love of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God!
COMMITMENT
WORDS OF WELCOME
Rev. Melisa Blankenship (she/her)
SCRIPTURE
Numbers 27:1-11, NRSV
Then the daughters of Zelophehad came forward. Zelophehad was son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph, a member of the Manassite clans. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and they said, “Our father died in the wilderness; he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin; and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.” Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: The daughters of Zelophehad are right in what they are saying; you shall indeed let them possess an inheritance among their father’s brothers and pass the inheritance of their father on to them. You shall also say to the Israelites, “If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall pass his inheritance on to his daughter. If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest kinsman of his clan, and he shall possess it. It shall be for the Israelites a statute and ordinance, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
SERMON
Angie Hong* (she/her)
Mahlah, Noa, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah: Resisting the Progress Narrative
*Angie Hong is a Korean-American worship leader, writer, and speaker from the South. She has written for The Atlantic, Christianity Today Women, Reckon South, and Faith and Leadership. Angie has served as the Creative Director at the Chicago campus of Willow Creek Community Church, and led worship for conferences such as the annual Christian Community Development Association, The Justice Conference, and the Duke Center for Reconciliation. Angie recently earned a Master in Divinity from Duke Divinity School, founded a worship arts company, and continues to write about identity, theology, and worship. She lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband Harold and their two sons Hudson and Rowan.
OFFERING OURSELVES & OUR GIFTS
The offering is a way for Christians to support the mission and ministry of the church. Christians offer a sacrificial portion of their resources–time, talents, possessions–as an act of faith and gratitude in response to God’s grace. While many at City Church make their regular contributions through online giving and automated bill pay, offerings are a part of our worship service as an opportunity for the regular, proportionate and generous giving of the resources God has given us.
OFFERING PRAYER
Loving God, help us to be present to our neighbors, that may we see our sisters and brothers in need - the lonely, the hungry, the searching, the aching. And as we see them, we pray that these gifts we offer may be used to bring them hope, companionship, and healing. This we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
MUSICAL OFFERING
Daughters of Zion (Reprise)
Erin Rose, Isaac Wardell, Paul Zach, 2019
COMMUNION
INVITATION TO THE LORDS TABLE
CONFESSION OF FAITH: APOSTLES CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts!
We lift them up to the Lord!
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
SONG
Sanctus
by Karl Digerness, 2017
Together we proclaim the mystery of the faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE BREAD & CUP
The Gifts of God for the People of God
COMMUNION PRAYER
Loving God, we thank you for feeding us at the supper of your Son: sustain us with your Spirit, that we may serve you here on earth until our joy is complete in heaven, and we share in the eternal banquet with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER
THE LORD'S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
SONG
I Surrender
David Leonard, Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, 2016
BENEDICTION
May the love of the Lord Jesus draw you to himself; May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen you in his service; May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill your souls; And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.
DISMISSAL
Let us go forth to serve the world as those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God!
POSTLUDE
MUSICIANS
Deszon Claiborne, drums
Jason Muscat, bass
Adam Shulman, piano
Karl Digerness, guitar/vocals
Minna Choi, vocals