Order, Words, & Voices
03.17.24, Stay Alert, Mark 13
Order
Pre Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Songs My Hope is You Billy/Team
Lord I Lift Your Name on High
Participatory Reading and Prayer Mitch
Songs Revelation Song Billy/Team
More Precious Than Silver
Passage Mark 13 Mitch
Message Stay Alert Rick
Music More Precious Than Silver Billy/Team
Community/Benediction Rick
Closing Peace Rick
Music This is the Day (Verse 1 & Chorus) Billy/Team
Post Worship Music – Spotify – Open and Close
Music (slides) Billy/Team
My Hope Is You CCLI Song # 2373672
Verse 1
To You oh Lord I lift my soul
In You oh God I place my trust
And do not let me be put to shame
Don’t let my enemies
Triumph over me
Chorus
My hope is You
Show me Your ways
Guide me in truth
In all my days
My hope is You
Verse 2
I am oh Lord filled with Your love
You are oh God my salvation
Well guard my life and rescue me
My broken spirit shouts
My mended heart cries out
Lord I Lift Your Name On High
CCLI Song # 117947
Verse
Lord I lift Your name on high
Lord I love to sing Your praises
I’m so glad You’re in my life
I’m so glad You came to save us
Chorus
You came from heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high
Participatory Response (Slides) Mitch
Leader: For a moment the grave held the dead body and life itself.
Response: But soon there was life and the tomb held power no longer.
Leader: All had seemed lost, Jesus’ followers went into hiding.
Response: Darkness and fear filled the space where they hid.
Leader: The grave clothes were folded and the stone was removed.
Response: Life had returned, the proof of God’s love was seen, darkness was now light, just as the women proclaimed.
Leader: Like the opening of spring, the colors return, and hope filled the emptiness.
Response: Joy to the world, light pierced the darkness, life prevailed.
Leader: Peace and hope replaced fear, confusion, and chaos.
Response: Peace and hope now illuminated God’s love and mercy.
Leader: Now we are called to the well where our thirst is quenched.
Response: Now we sit at the table where our hunger is fed.
Leader: Jesus instructs us to keep an eye open for God’s presence.
Response: Jesus encourages us to reflect God’s grace.
Leader: The stone has been rolled away.
Response: Hope now surrounds us.
Leader: Join us in the prayer of Jesus,
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses, while we forgive those who trespass against us.
And, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Music (slides) Lynn/Team
Revelation Song CCLI Song # 4447960
Verse 1
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
Holy holy is He
Sing a new song to Him Who sits on
Heaven’s mercy seat
Chorus
Holy holy holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of kings
You are my ev’rything
And I will adore You
Verse 2
Clothed in rainbows of living color
Flashes of lightning rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor
strength and glory
And power be to You
the only wise King
Verse 3
Filled with wonder awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your name
Jesus Your name is power
breath and living water
Such a marv’lous mystery yeah
More Precious Than Silver
CCLI Song # 11335
Chorus 1
Lord You are
More precious than silver
Lord You are
More costly than gold
Lord You are
More beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire
Compares with You
Passage (Slides) Mitch
As Jesus and the disciples left the Temple for the final time, they looked up at the buildings and Jesus asked, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Later, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Jesus privately, “When will the destruction of the Temple take place, and what will be the sign that it is about to happen?”
Jesus answered, “Stay alert that no one leads you astray. Many will falsely come in my name saying they know and they will lead many astray.”
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, you will witness nations and Kingdoms rising against each other, and you will experience earthquakes and famines. These events will not be the end, just signs that it is an eventuality.”
“But no one knows that day or hour, neither the angels in heaven or even me, but only the Father. Beware, stay alert, be ready.”
“It is like a man going on a journey, he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. None will know when the master will return.”
“Therefore, stay alert, for you do not know. Don’t be caught off guard or asleep.”
Mark 13:2-8, 32-37
Message Rick (No Slides)
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, you will witness nations and Kingdoms rising against each other, and you will experience earthquakes and famines.”
To clarify, Jesus says, these are not the signal that the end of the world is near, nor are they the signal of the return of Jesus – these are all signs that there will be an end eventually, that there will be a return of Jesus. An end of suffering a return of Hope.
Let’s be honest, even though we live in a bubble we know the reality of these signs. It would seem that these signs have never been absent, they sure are not absent in our day. We hear of wars, we witness the them in our homes and listen them in our cars. We hear of nations fighting to take over other nations in our homes and in our cars. We hear of earthquakes, famine, and hungry in our homes, in our cars, and actually taking place in our own communities.
We are living in the reality of these signs every day. Humanity has lived in a reality of these signs since exit from the garden.
I wonder, if the ‘end’ is meant to be a blessing to those experiencing the worst of the signs, the worst of the human experience. For those rejected because of who they are, the God, or gods, they worship, the ancestral linage that defines their culture – does the hell of their earthly existence paint ‘our end’ as a hopeful event.
So, our passage today, our passage of hopeless hope, begins with Jesus leaving the temple. Not just leaving the Temple, but leaving the Temple for good. Jesus seen the condition of the temple, the faithless hearts of the leaders, the lack of Holiness awaiting the people hoping for God’s presence. The hollowness of the offerings and sacrifices.
Jesus directs the attention of the disciples to the Temple and says to them:
- “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
- Later, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Jesus privately, “When will the destruction of the Temple take place, and what will be the sign that it is about to happen?”
- Jesus answered, “Stay alert that no one leads you astray. Many will falsely come in my name saying they know and they will lead many astray.” (An echo of Isaiah’s warning to the Israelites before Exile)
- “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, you will witness nations and Kingdoms rising against each other, and you will experience earthquakes and famines. These events will not be the end, just signs that it is an eventuality.”
- “But no one knows that day or hour, neither the angels in heaven or even me, but only the Father. Beware, stay alert, be ready.”
Reality
- 40 years to Destruction
- Almost 2,000 years of oppression by Christians, Pagans, Muslims
- Romans (Eventually Christian), Persians (pagans, no Islam yet), Byzantines (Christian), Arab (Muslims, Islam relatively new), Turks (Diverse – kick Christians out of Jerusalem), European Crusaders (Christian), Egypt (mostly Islam), Ottoman (diverse, mostly Muslim), 1941 WWI, Brittish (Christian), WWII (1948- Israel gets self governance with over half of Palestians)
- All of humanity shares in the responsibility for the condition of all of humanity.
Reality
- Mark writing during destruction and brutality
- Echoing the words of Daniel still speaking to End time false teachers
- Religious humans messing up an already messy situation
Command – Stay Alert
- Jesus’ final instruction to the followers who are be left is to proclaim the Good News through their life and their words (Matthew 28-witness through life)
- Love God Love Others
- Not fight ‘culture wars’ not to force prophesy in the middle east, not hatred but love, and all the actions of Jesus.
Hope Challenge
- Scribe and Woman bringing God into the Godless Temple
- Bring God into whatever temple we are in
- Don’t be fooled by false teachers
Music (Slides) Billy/Team
More Precious Than Silver
Lord You are
More precious than silver
Lord You are
More costly than gold
Lord You are
More beautiful than diamonds
And nothing I desire
Compares with You
Community (Slides) Rick
- Next Sunday, 03.24.24, The Cross, Mark 14-15
- ‘In-Between’ Bible Study, No BS this Tuesday
Closing Benediction (Slide for each line) Rick
In this Lenten Season we are reminded of our true and lasting hope
We remember Jesus’ final moments in the temple and his words of challenge
We remember the answer of love to the Scribe’s question
May we look for the opportunities for Love
May we go and live out God’s love
Closing Peace (Slides) Rick
[Slide] Leader: May the peace of the Lord go with you.
[Slide] Response: And also with you.
Music [Slides] Billy/Team
This is the Day CCLI Song # 7195146
Verse 1
Whether the sun will shine
Whether the skies will rain
I know that You are good
And this is the day You made
Whether in life or death
Whether in joy or pain
I know this truth remains
That this is the day You made
Chorus (Repeat Chorus)
This is the day that
the Lord has made
We will rejoice as we lift His name
This is the day that
the Lord has made
Come and rejoice we will rejoice
and be glad in it
Order, Words, & Voices 