Sunday Morning Worship
Call to Worship
Good morning! I’m Pastor Ashley. To those here in the sanctuary and those joining us online: we are so glad you’re here!
This morning, we will sing songs of worship, pray together, hear from scripture and one another, as we move toward the pinnacle of our service: the table of our Lord, where we will take the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of our most Gracious Host, Jesus. The purpose of our time together each Sunday is to bring our hearts closer to the heart of God, so I invite you to participate in as much or as little in our prepared liturgy as your spirit is willing.
We welcome all sounds and smells from the youngest to the oldest among us. The Kids Corner is in the back for anyone who needs to move around and play to worship God this morning. There is also a nursery available. We know that the energy and spirit of children can be different than adults and we consider that a gift.
There are information cards in the pew in front of you—if you are a guest, or if you have moved and have not updated your info with the church, please fill it out and drop it in the offering plate when it goes by later in worship.
For those watching online or for those who would like to follow along, our liturgy for every service is posted on our website before the service begins.
Welcome to George Miadis, our interim worship minister. You can find his bio as an insert in your bulletin. We are happy to have him with us!
Sunday School started back up today. We have two adult classes—one in the parlor, and one in the seekers’ room. We have an older kids class that meets in the MUB, and a younger elementary class that meets behind the sanctuary.
Cabinet Meeting is this Wednesday at 7 PM on Zoom.
You can find all this information in your weekly eblast, on Facebook, in the insert in your bulletin, and on our calendar on our website.
Today, we celebrate Epiphany!
Let’s pray to turn our hearts toward God for this hour.
Spirit of truth, open to us the scriptures, speaking your holy word through song, through the bread and cup, and through offering ourselves, and meet us here today in the living Christ. Amen.
Litany of Faith
One: Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ.
All: This grace was given to make everyone see the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God,
One: A God who created all things, so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known.
All: This wisdom will be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
One: This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that God has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All: In Christ, we have bold and confident access to God through faith.
(From Ephesians 3)
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord be with you.
Today we are installing our officers. If you are an officer, there will be a time for you to stand and say your yes publicly to the ministry that you have committed to. The whole congregation will be able to affirm these officers as well. I refer you to your insert in your bulletin to follow along.
Officer and Deacon Installation
Statement of Purpose
Minister:
This congregation manifests itself as Christ’s church as a community of disciples bound together for worship, for fellowship and for service. To this end we are structured for mission, witness and mutual discipline, and for the nurture and renewal of our members.
Through the gifts of the Spirit, God calls people women within Christ’s church to serve in ministry. All ministry derives from the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who embodies God’s ministry to all the world. Within the church all ministry is a rich interweaving of word and worship, work and witness. In different ways, members of the body of Christ share responsibility for the church’s government, administration, discipline, instruction, worship, and pastoral care.
Today we rejoice in the rich blessings of God as represented in the leaders who have been called to Christ’s service and who now acknowledge this calling by the dedication of their lives to Christ’s servant ministry.
Reading of Scripture
Minister:
The apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth, reminds us of the way various members of the church function in mutual responsibility toward one another in the life of a congregation in his first letter to the Corinthians:
Minister:
There are different spiritual gifts
Congregation:
But the same Spirit
Minister:
There are different ministries
Congregation:
And the same Lord
Minister:
There are different activities
Congregation:
But the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
All:
A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.
Charge to Officers and Congregation
Minister:
During this next portion, each group will have the opportunity to say yes to their office and for the church to affirm their yes. For those watching at home, I invite you to affirm your yes out loud or in the comments, too.
Minister to elders:
If you are an elder, please rise in body or in spirit.
Some among us are elders. They are gifted with the grasp of the gospel exemplified in gentle words and faithful care. They give disciplined expression of the faith in teaching and in praying at Christ’s table. They have a vision of the church and its mission and are dedicated to expressing it in wise counsel.
Do you, elders, accept the office to which you have been called, and do you promise, God being your helper, to fulfill its duties faithfully?
Elders:
We do, with God’s help.
Elders, you may be seated.
Minister to deacons:
If you are a deacon, please rise in body or in spirit.
Some among us are deacons. They are gifted with the ability to assist in the ministry of baptism and the table. They assist in pastoral care and in spiritual discipline. They fulfill administrative responsibilities in the conduct of the church’s work.
Do you, deacons, accept the office to which you have been called, and do you promise, God being your helper, to fulfill its duties faithfully?
Deacons:
We do, with God’s help.
Deacons, you may be seated.
Minister to trustees:
If you are a trustee, please rise in body or in spirit.
Some among us are trustees. They serve faithfully to represent the will of the church in all its legal actions.
Do you, trustees, accept the office to which you have been called, and do you promise, God being your helper, to fulfill its duties faithfully?
Trustees:
We do, with God’s help.
Trustees, you may be seated.
Minister to board officers:
If you are a board officer, please rise in body or in spirit.
Some of us are board officers. They serve in leadership capacities as the church seeks to fulfill its ministry in the manner of Christ. They seek to build up the church in every way.
Do you, board officers, accept the office to which you have been called, and do you promise, God being your helper, to fulfill its duties faithfully?
Board officers:
I do, with God’s help.
Board officers, you may be seated.
Minister to congregation:
Church, will you pledge your support to the work of God in this congregation under the leadership of these with whom you share ministry in this body of Christ; and pray God’s blessing upon us together as we seek to support one another in faithful service?
Congregation:
We do, with God’s help.
Prayer of Installation
Minister:
Join me now in prayer.
Most Holy One, we rejoice that you have called us to be your people in this time and place, in this small pop-up of the reign of God in Azle, Texas. Help us to fulfill the mission to which you call us as we seek to know what faithfulness requires of us. Strengthen the resolves that have been made here today and uphold your leaders with hope and encouragement that they may endure every challenge with grace and resilience. Fill this church with your Spirit that we may work together in love and in truth so that all congregants may work together for the common good. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.
Declaration
Minister:
In the name of Jesus Christ, the foundation of the church, and by the authority of this congregation, I declare you properly installed to your respective offices for the terms to which you have been called.
Blessing
Minister:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
———————————————————————————
Sermon
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Today, we installed our church officers. Those who are continuing terms reaffirmed their yes, and those beginning new terms said their first yes.
There is great responsibility for those of you who have said yes. You represent the congregation, but you also lead them. You are not merely elected officials meant to represent the wishes of your constituents. You are tasked with making difficult decisions, with explaining unpopular decisions, with weighing what is right at this moment in time, even when it is challenging.
You are part of a body that peels back the curtain of how church works, of how this church works, and today, you must see it for how it is now. Not how it used to be, not how you wish it to be, but what it looks like now. How it functions today. And then find the way forward.
This work is not quite like gazing at the night sky like astrologers and following a star on a whim to a most miraculous discovery.
It is not quite as breathtaking as standing before a king and telling him of a magical baby.
It is not as adventurous as being warned in a dream of danger and taking a different way home in order to preserve your life.
No, this call you have answered is not a sexy task. It is neither glamorous nor cushy. It is often tedious and sometimes boring, and at times, stressful and maddening.
But it is worthy work. And the story of the Magi gives us a clue as to why.
The Magi set out on a journey on what seems like a whim to us. They see a star in the sky and can’t help but follow it to where it would lead them. They consult with the people they know to consult, including King Herod. And their journey takes them to Jesus. And though they are not Jewish, and they do not fully comprehend who this baby is, they bow down in worship before ever offering their gifts.
And then they give these expensive gifts. These uncommon gifts. These gifts that must have cost them so much. And in a dream, they are told to go home by another way. This dream, though they do not realize, is a protection from what would be death and demise. They surely could not all that would unfold if they did not change course, but they did, and the story of Jesus is able to unfold.
Their pursuit of and encounter with Jesus changed them. It set them on a completely different path—one that they had never been on before.
A group of people a long time ago began to meet in the name of Jesus and each other here in Azle, Texas, and except for a brief moment early in the 20th century, a group has continued to meet, despite pandemics, wars, and floods.
This work of the church persists. This manifestation of the body of Christ persists.
In some ways, the work is the same as it has always been, as it was in the beginning. To serve the church, to minister to the collective body and to individuals, to make decisions on behalf of the whole.
But in other key ways, the work is very different today. If you look around the room, you see spots that your beloveds use to fill. Beloveds who are no longer here for various reasons: death, a move, a change of church. Our budget is tight and our expenses are growing. The building insists on continuing to change with its leaks and cracks and groans.
And not only is this church different, but also, the world is different. As much as we want things to remain the same or return to what life was like before the pandemic, the world has been officially and irrevocably altered. And thus we are different people. You are a different body than you once were.
In addition to general world changes, the church as a whole, what we often call the Big C Church, the body of Christ in all its iterations, particularly in the U.S., has dramatically shifted over the past few decades. People no longer come to church for mere socializing. A sense of community is built in all sorts of places—CrossFit, Book Club, sports teams, neighborhood groups, you name it. Church is not the default community.
And the Church as an institution no longer holds a prominent place in society, not like it did in the 1950s. It is much more common for people to not go to church, to be culturally Christian or have a different or no faith. Some lament this change, but I’m of the mind that that’s probably a good thing. The Church has never been at it’s healthiest when it has been the most powerful.
And younger generations, and by younger I mean Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and upcoming generations, are much more suspicious of institutions, and rightfully so. As a church, we don’t automatically gain people’s trust or respect for merely being a church.
We have to prove it. We have to earn it. We have to honor it when it is given and appreciate the great price people pay to be at a place like Azle Christian Church in a town full of much more conserving and fundamentalist churches that are bigger and flashier and have better programs and are better staffed and better funded. We must ask ourselves what it costs for people to be here and treasure that fact deeply.
How church functions in the world we live in, in the culture we live in, changed while we were living our lives. Why people go to church is different.
Some of you have been going to church your whole life so that your body just brings you here without your mind having much say in it. But that is not so for so many. And we can’t take our habits and routines for granted as the truth for everyone.
What we have always done will not work anymore. What has been effective or meaningful in the past can no longer be a default option, but must be ruthlessly interrogated by the leaders of this church to see if it is fitting today.
And often, you leaders, newly installed and reaffirmed alike, will need to say “It used to be like this, but now it is like this. Church used to look like this, but now it looks like this.”
That is a very hard thing to say, and an even harder thing to hear. But there are ways that we honor the grief of what has passed before we were ready to say goodbye, and then forward with courage and resolve. We must do this work. Church leaders, you must do this work.
Because, and I will say the quiet part out loud…
Just as the Magi go home another way, we are called to go another way now. We may not realize, but a massive change of direction is needed to avoid what may very well be our demise.
I know that’s a hard word.
And I don’t say it lightly.
But we are people who claim to have been changed by Jesus, who are continually changed by our encounters with Jesus. We worship him and we offer him what we have, what is costly to us. And now we must start walking again.
And we are being called home a different direction. One that we have not walked before.
The Big C Church, the Church as an institution is turning into something else. It has been for awhile.
And so it makes sense that this specific manifestation of the church here at Azle Christian Church will turn into something else as well.
Are we ready to receive it? Are you ready to shepherd that transformation?
In her book, The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle wrote, “One of the hallmarks of the Church’s semi-millennial rummage sales has always been that when each of the things was over and the dust had died down, Christianity would not only have readjusted itself, but it would also have grown and spread.”
She tells us that every 500 years or so, the church completely changes. We see in its first change when Rome adopted it as its official religion. And then when it became the Holy Catholic Church 500 or so years later. And then another 500 years later, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door. And it has been 500 more years.
We’re due for the next rummage sale. It’s time. It’s happening whether we’re ready or not. A new era is dawning.
Will you heed the call? Will you let yourself be changed? Will you have the courage to go a new way?
Amen.
———————————————————————————
Sharing Our Resources
There are many ways to support and resource the ministries of Azle Christian Church. You can give online on our website, on Venmo, or in the offering plate as the deacons come by during our final song.
Invitation
If you’d like to become a member of this faith community, or if you’d like to become a disciple of Jesus, please talk with me after service or sometime this week.
Benediction:
Please rise in body or spirit for our benediction, the final song, and the Doxology.
Receive this blessing….
Once the dust settles on all the changes within the Big C Church, may God, the great Maker and Incubator of Life, take a deep breath and do what God has always done with dust. Amen.