March 9, 2025
Trust
God is faithful,
but we are comfortable with the way things are.
We so quickly lose sight of the way God intends them to be,
and we settle for less than God intends.
And so we undertake our Lenten journey…
~Feasting on the Word Worship Companion (adapted)
Words of greeting and GATHERING
Alexis Ward Owens
WELCOMING STATEMENT
RISE believes that God has open arms, and so should we. Our Creator wants us to love, accept and affirm every human being, including persons of every age, race, ethnic background, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, family or socioeconomic status, educational background, religion or creed, and physical or mental ability. We celebrate our diversity and recognize the sacred worth and dignity of all. Everyone is invited and encouraged to join us as we seek to follow Jesus with mutual respect, understanding, and love.
*Read more about “Why Pronouns Matter” HERE.
OPENING PSalm
Ps. 91:1-2,9-16 (NRSV)
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble;
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them
and show them my salvation.
Opening Songs
Songs Will Happen! (Even Without Brent)
Allison Garcia and others
“Holy Spirit”
~Bryan & Katie Torwalt
There's nothing worth more that will ever come close
Nothing can compare, You're our living Hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone
In your presence, Lord
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
There's nothing worth more that will ever come close
Nothing can compare, You're our living Hope
Your presence, Lord
I've tasted and seen of the sweetest of loves
Where my heart becomes free and my shame is undone
In your presence, Lord
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
(Repeat)
Let us become more aware of Your presence
Let us experience the glory of Your goodness
(Repeat)
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your glory God, is what our hearts long for
To be overcome by Your presence, Lord
(Repeat)
“Lord I Need You”
~Matt Maher
Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without You, I fall apart
You're the one that guides my heart
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand, I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (CEB)
1 Once you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and are settled there, 2 take some of the early produce of the fertile ground that you have harvested from the land the Lord your God is giving you, and put it in a basket. Then go to the location the Lord your God selects for his name to reside. 3 Go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him: “I am declaring right now before the Lord my God that I have indeed arrived in the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”
4 The priest will then take the basket from you and place it before the Lord your God’s altar. 5 Then you should solemnly state before the Lord your God:
“My father was a starving Aramean. He went down to Egypt, living as an immigrant there with few family members, but that is where he became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6 The Egyptians treated us terribly, oppressing us and forcing hard labor on us. 7 So we cried out for help to the Lord, our ancestors’ God. The Lord heard our call. God saw our misery, our trouble, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, with awesome power, and with signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land—a land full of milk and honey. 10 So now I am bringing the early produce of the fertile ground that you, Lord, have given me.”
Set the produce before the Lord your God, bowing down before the Lord your God. 11 Then celebrate all the good things the Lord your God has done for you and your family—each one of you along with the Levites and the immigrants who are among you.
Luke 4:1-13 (The Message)
1-2 Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by the Devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when the time was up he was hungry.
3 The Devil, playing on his hunger, gave the first test: “Since you’re God’s Son, command this stone to turn into a loaf of bread.”
4 Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to really live.”
5-7 For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.”
8 Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.”
9-11 For the third test the Devil took him to Jerusalem and put him on top of the Temple. He said, “If you are God’s Son, jump. It’s written, isn’t it, that ‘he has placed you in the care of angels to protect you; they will catch you; you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone’?”
12 “Yes,” said Jesus, “and it’s also written, ‘Don’t you dare tempt the Lord your God.’”
13 That completed the testing. The Devil retreated temporarily, lying in wait for another opportunity.
THEOLOGICAL Reflection
Chris Zepp
“When the Promised Land Turns Out To Be a Wilderness”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is the state of your own faith now at the beginning of Lent? Are you currently living in the “promised land” or the “wilderness” of faith? Are you feeling called to something new? Stuck in the muck? Fine where you are, thank you very much? What hope do you have for this next season of your faith?
Have you fallen for the “emotional prosperity gospel”? Have you - even subconsciously - come to believe that the days of wandering in the wilderness belonged to our ancestors, and that people of faith should now dwell in a “Promised Land” of peace, certainty, and fulfillment? How do we shake the entitlement of such an outlook and remember and embrace “what it is like to live by the grace of God alone”?
How would you describe your personal trust level with God right now? Are you willing to follow Jesus into and through the wilderness? Can you trust God even in troubled times? If not, how are you seeking to develop/restore/rebuild that trust?
SONG
“It is well*”
~Horatio Spafford
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."
It is well (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul.
It is well (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
It is well (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul.
It is well (it is well)
with my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.
________________________________
*Late in 1873, Horatio G. Spafford and his family were scheduled to travel from the United States to Europe. Delayed by pressing business, Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead on the French liner Ville du Havre. The ship collided with the English ship Lochearn on November 22 and sank in just twelve minutes. Spafford's wife was saved, but his daughters perished. After arriving in Wales, Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband, "Saved alone." Spafford then left by boat to meet her. Near the tragic scene on the high seas, he wrote this text.
PRAYER
Alexis Ward Owens
Offering and NOMOFOMO
One of our core values is, "God gives to us, so we give back." We're called to give as a joy-filled response to what we've been given. Your financial gifts make a tremendous difference in the lives of God's beloved in Harrisonburg and beyond. Whether it's helping to make sure children in our community have enough to eat, helping to respond to the mental health crisis in our community, or providing much needed backing for the operating costs of our spaces and staff — your gift is a part of God's dream and we are grateful for everyone who partners with us on this journey!
WTF?
Wednesday’s at exactly dinner-ish! (6pm EST)
Downstairs at John Wesley UMC
Join us for a midweek check in to fuel your body, mind and soul. RISE will provide the meal and a topic for conversation. All you have to do it show up!
THIS WEEK - Taco Bar
We welcome people from all walks of life and all walks of faith to join us on our journey. And we mean it. Everyone is welcome at RISE. Everyone. We seek to be a place free of judgment and full of love.
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CLOSING SONG
“Keep Your Lamps”
~Gary Davis
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Children, don't grow weary,
Children, don't grow weary,
Children, don’t grow weary,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Troubles and trials soon be over,
Troubles and trials soon be over,
Troubles and trials soon be over,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Keep your lamps trimmed an burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Soon the morning will be breaking,
Soon the morning will be breaking,
Soon the morning will be breaking,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Brothers and Sisters keep on singing,
Brothers and Sisters keep on singing,
Brothers and Sisters keep on singing,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Keep your lamps trimmed an burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning,
Come see what the Lord has done.
Parting Blessing
~Earle Fike, Jr.
Go now with God;
be not tempted to stay in the safety of known places.
Move from where you are to where God points.
Hasten from here toward a God who beckons.Go now with God;
be not tempted to go only in your time,
when it suits, when it is sure.
Bestir yourself now, for now is God’s time.Go now with God,
elect not to go alone;
give your allegiance, your destination to no other;
choose to go with God.Go now with God.
Go in the faith that there is no valley so low
no wilderness so vast
no passage so crooked
no way so confused
that God is not already there…
REMEMBER - YOU ARE A GIFT!
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