St. Paul's Presbyterian Church

Bible Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14 | Preacher: Rev. Bruce W. Kemp | Series: Can you Drink the Cup | It has only been a week since we last met face to face. To some it has been a relatively easy time but for others the need to distance ourselves socially has been trying – to say the least.

We need to remember that the more we can do now to help stem the tide of this virus, the quicker we will be able to come together again.

I remain ever open and ready to be contacted and urge you to stay in contact with one another. Email is great and texting is wonderful but when we feel alone – even more so now – it is good to hear another’s voice.

Trusting that you all are well, I remain

Yours in his service

Rev. Bruce Kemp

A Call to Remembrance
The Lord is our Shepherd who leads us beside still waters.
Christ restores our souls and the Spirit leads us in right paths.
Even though we walk through the darkest valleys, we fear no evil for God is with us.

A Prayer for Strength

Gracious and loving God,
we remember that you are the Source of all that sustains us.
You are compassion, hearing all who call out for mercy.
You are healing, offering wholeness to those who cry out in pain.
You are truth, showing the way to those who seek to know you.
You are hope, bringing the promise of a new day to all people.
Holy One, you have blessed us with abundance and joy
and the grace to share these blessings in Christ’s name.
So, we praise youand seek to renew our trust in you as our Creator, Redeemer and Guide.
Open our eyes to your healing power and mercy.
Change our hearts so that we trust the gifts of Christ’s love and light,
We pray to you in Jesus’ name. AMEN

A Reading from Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Valley of the Dry Bones
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.
3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”
10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’
12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.
14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”

Message: Can you drink the cup – The Cup of Blessings

Over the last two weeks we have been exploring Jesus’ question to the disciples through the eyes of Henri Nouwen in his book: Can you drink the cup. We have explored the cup of sorrows and the cup of joy. We have spoken of holding the cup and lifting the cup. We have seen that the cup is a metaphor for life itself and that we are encouraged to take hold of our cup – our life and hold it and lift it. Each of us has a life worth living and worth celebrating. And as we lift up our individual lives to one another, we share with one another the sorrow and the joy, the downs and the ups that make up each of our lives. Lifting our cups makes us vulnerable, though, because it is in a sense like sticking our neck out. We are encouraged to not just hold our cup close to our chest and take a furtive sip from it but to let our life be seen and recognized by those who share community with us. And so we lift our cups and acknowledge that in them is our life before we begin to drink – to experience the life that is ours and the lives of those around us.

Henri goes on to say that the act of lifting the cup is to offer a blessing just as Christ blessed the cup at the last supper. And so the cup of sorrow and joy, when lifted for others “to life”, becomes the cup of blessings. Our life becomes a blessing to others and the lives of others become a blessing to us.

When we lift the cup of our life and share with one another our sufferings and joys in mutual vulnerability, the new covenant in Christ can become visible among us. The surprise of it all is that it is often the least among us who reveal to us that our cup is a cup of blessings. In John’s gospel we read the words “there is no greater love than this than one lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” So often these words are epitaphs on the gravestones of fallen soldiers but the words refer to the coming sacrifice of Christ who will allow His life to be given in order that His friends can receive eternal life. We are also His friends and so we too benefit from this great sacrifice. But these words do not have to refer only to the ultimate sacrifice. For they have great meaning and purpose in all of our life when we are willing to give of ourselves to one another. “Silver and gold have I none,” said Peter to the beggar, “but such as I have I give thee.” He gave the gift of healing. We may not have that gift but the gift of our presence with and compassion for one another reveals a greater love and reveals a willingness to lay down our lives for one another.

And so we lift the cups of our lives to bring life to one another. Years ago the practice of remembering special events in the life of a church community was limited to anniversaries, baptisms, weddings and funerals. Today we take the time in our worship to celebrate births and birthdays; we acknowledge new people who come and those who leave us. We find more occasions to celebrate and while there are many preparations needed for such occasions, they are important because they provide us with opportunities to lift up each other’s life – whether in a joyful or a sorrowful moment – and deepen our bonds with each other. To celebrate life is to raise up life, make it visible to each other, affirm it in its concreteness, and be grateful for it.
It is said that there is no ordinary life and that every life is worth recording. When we were children, I am sure that many of us kept a diary. Sometimes it held interesting entries but many times it recorded a routine day. I regret not keeping a closer track of my life not because I want to relive it or because I feel it is more special than another and want to proclaim it but because time fades memory and it is good to know our families not only as the people they are today but where they have come from and the experiences in life that have shaped them. And so our lives become a gift to others.

We truly need each other to claim all of our lives and to live them to the fullest. We need to be able to let our tears flow freely, tears of sorrow as well as tears of joy, tears that are as rain on dry ground. As we thus lift our lives for each other, we can truly say: “To life,” because all we have lived now becomes the fertile soil for the future.

But lifting our cup to life is much more than saying good things about each other. It is much more than offering good wishes. It means that we take all we have ever lived and bring it to the present moment as a gift for others, a gift to celebrate. Then we will find the strength to drink our cup and drink it to the bottom.

And so we come to that moment I spoke of from the beginning – drinking the cup. As we ponder the cup that is our life, we will no doubt reflect upon what we see in it and even hesitate to put it to our lips but it is our life, it is who we are. No one else can drink it for us for it is our life. Drinking our cup is a hopeful, courageous and self-confident way of living. It is standing in the world with head erect, solidly rooted in the knowledge of who we are, facing the reality that surrounds us and responding to it from our hearts.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession

Merciful God, the world is full of doubt, judgement and despair. Yet, amidst all this, your light shines in Christ to bring hope into every kind of darkness. Thank you for opening our eyes and restoring our sight so that we may see the fullness of your vision for the world and embrace it with courage.

We remember before you this day:
People who are in need without enough friendship or support…
(Hold a brief silence)

People who are lonely or confused, and any who feel lost in life…
(Hold a brief silence)

People whose lives and relationships are troubled by addiction or oppression…
(Hold a brief silence)

All who suffer pain in body, mind and spirit, the dying and those who grieve any kind of loss…
(Hold a brief silence)

People who continue to provide care and support to others in this trying time
(Hold a brief silence)

People who are still working in essential services ensuring that we will not unduly suffer
(Hold a brief silence)

Our families and friends: spouses, partners, parents, children, companions and co-workers. May they find contentment, meaning in life, peace and faith.
(Hold a brief silence)

O God, receive our prayers, both spoken and unspoken, as we unite in one voice to pray as Jesus taught us, saying

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. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Forever and ever. AMEN

A Blessing:

As you conclude this time of prayer and reflection may you remember that we live in God’s world and that we are to be people of peace. And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest and abide with each one of us this day and forever more. AMEN