Today we celebrate World Communion Day. It's a day observed by churches of all kinds around the whole world and centers on this table, and this table as it is celebrated in a million other places all around the globe. We celebrate today because it is not economies or governments, it is not politicians or economists, it is not the teams that we root for, the money that we have in the bank, the degrees that we possess, the nation we live in, or any of those. things that unite us as humans.
There is one thing that unites us as humans, and he will come and be with us today at this table. So today we celebrate that regardless of what language we speak, regardless of what faith we keep, regardless of what kind of worship we do today, when we gather around the table, Christ is present, and it is Christ that draws us together. In the spirit of that, we begin our worship today with a land acknowledgement. It acknowledges that long before Ankeny existed, long before the lands that we occupy now were occupied by people like us, they were occupied by others. And we are united with them not only in space, but across time and centuries.
So I invite the congregation to please stand as you're able. As we acknowledge the sacredness of this land and this place, this morning Holy Trinity Lutheran Church wishes to acknowledge the Meskwaki, Sac, and Fox Nation upon whose ancestral homelands we gather for worship today, as well as all our indigenous siblings who have and continue to care for this place, this land, and call it their home. We acknowledge it.
Blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God, who forgives all our sin, whose mercy endures forever. Amen. Let us confess our sin and come to God for healing.
Gracious God, Have mercy on us. We confess that we have honored you with our lives. The cravings at war within us caused conflicts, disputes. In our desire to be first, we make distinctions among ourselves.
We place the needs of the poor and the suffering last. In your great mercy, forgive us our sins. Draw near to us with grace in time of need and turn us to follow in the way of Jesus Christ. God promises to forgive our iniquity and to remember our sin no more.
By grace you have been saved. In the name of Jesus Christ, the source of eternal healing, your sins are forgiven. Amen. This morning I'd like to teach us a new song. It is a Spanish language song in a Cuban style, and we're going to sing it together in Spanish, and we're also going to incorporate a few words of American Sign Language with it.
So I'd like you to use your voices and your hands right now and repeat after me. Once more. Once more. Vamos a la casa.
Vamos a la casa. Once more. Vamos a la casa del Señor. Del Señor. Once more, del Señor.
When it's all together, it goes, Que alegría cuando me dijeron, vamos a la casa del Señor. The choir and the instruments are going to lead from the balcony, but I will be up front here to sing when we sing together. So let's just try it.
Thank you Let's go to the Lord's house. What a joy when they told me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. Let's go to the house of the Lord.
What a joy when they told me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. What a joy when they told me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. Let's go to the house of the Lord. Let's go to the house of the Lord.
Let's go to the house of the Lord. Let's go to the house of the Lord. What a joy when they say to me, Let's go to the house of the Lord.
What a joy when they say to me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. Let's go to the house of the Lord. Vamos a la casa del Señor. Vamos a la casa del Señor. Let's go to the house of the Lord.
What a joy when they tell me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. What a joy when they tell me, Let's go to the house of the Lord. Muy bueno!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Let us pray. Loving God, your son Jesus prayed that his followers might be one. Make all Christians one with him as he is one with you, so that in peace and concord we may carry to the world the message of your love through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
The congregation may be seated. On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wine strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the covering that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all.
all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth. For the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, see, this is our God.
We have waited for him. so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited.
Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.
A reading from 1 Corinthians. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's Supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you proceeds to eat your own supper.
and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. What? Do you not have households to eat and drink in?
Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have not? nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed unto you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God. Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.
You have the words of everlasting life. The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us.
They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those women were very surprised. Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the things about himself in the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead of us as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table, with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us? That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven, and their companions gathered together.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord. Please be seated.
Well, if you've been paying attention to the news these past few weeks, you might have noticed that there's a lot of things going on in the world. Hurricane Helene has dominated the news. It brought about destruction from the Gulf of Mexico.
where it came ashore at the Big Bend area of Florida, and then more destruction as it moved northward through the Georgia and through the Carolinas. The images of the destruction are striking. Roads walled up. washed out, houses and businesses gone, main streets devastated.
Mud slides and flash floods sweeping through towns as the waters try to find someplace to go. The path of destruction was even evident from space. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a photo that showed the path of destruction. It was a nighttime satellite image that showed a black comma where the...
lights of cities should have been. It looked like a huge scar across the southeastern United States. While the news coverage of the hurricane has dominated the airwaves and social media, the war in Palestine and the Middle East has widened.
Lebanon has been invaded. Iran has lobbed rockets into Israel in retaliation to Israel's retaliation, which is in retaliation to an earlier attack, which was in retaliation to an earlier attack. It seems that killing and death and destruction are the only way of solving disputes in this fractured world. In our country, we have families that are divided in ways that would never have been imaginable in the past. It seems some alliances are stronger than the ties of family.
This world has an aptitude for drowning us in bad news. It isn't just the news, though, those headlines. It is all the things in our own lives that never make the news.
The job losses, the cancer, the divorces, the broken families, the despair, the loneliness. In the face of it all, I could sure use some good news. Maybe you find yourself wanting that exact same thing. Maybe you could use some good news.
Maybe just a little. And as I walk through this thing called life, I could use more than good news, though. I could use some hope.
I hope that while all these things are happening, hope that while death and destruction, illness and malaise that is so prevalent and prominent in our lives, that there is something more, something better, something to look forward to. Sometimes we ask ourselves, is there more to life than this? Now, I don't think that my family would ever label me as an optimist.
I tend to look at things, yet there's a laugh there. I tend to look at things and plan for the worst, for sure. I want to see what will go wrong and try to get ahead of it before it becomes a problem. But I think it would definitely be wrong to call myself a pessimist. Stay with me.
Some people like to call their outlook on life as neither being optimistic or pessimistic. They want to call themselves a realist. They say things like, I'm just being real.
and I have said more times than I can count that exact phrase. But more times than not, it is just a cover for my pessimism. While I might be labeled as a pessimist, especially using that definition, I want to move beyond that.
Even when my realistic expectations in life, I really just want to be hopeful. I want to find hope. Whether I'm being pessimistic, whether I'm being the optimist, whether I'm just being realistic about a situation, I want to move past all of that. and just find hope.
Even when we are hopeful, we can wonder if God has forgotten the creation that God declared good all those years ago. And sometimes in the midst of our pain and struggle, we wonder if God has forgotten us. I want to be hopeful. I want to be the hopeful one in the room, in any room that I'm in. And there are times that I succeed, and there are even more times that I completely fail.
The people that Isaiah is writing to is also a people in need of hope as well. What we see here is part of what scholars call Isaiah's little apocalypse, a short series of chapters in the book of Isaiah that look forward to a time where things will be made right with the world, not just their little corner of it. with the whole of creation. The Jewish people were living in two kingdoms. David's kingdom was split into two to become Judah and Israel, and years after his death and after...
Solomon's reign. The kingdoms have not always been friendly to each other, but they know they have a shared history and are linked together. Israel and Judah lie at the crossroads between world powers, and over time the kingdoms are conquered and reconquered time and time again. It seems there is always some world power that desires the land and the resources it provides.
There are so many nations that are competing for the land. It could be wars with Moab or wars with Philistia, wars with Egypt, and now war is coming with Assyria. And there will continue to be powers that want to conquer the land and the people.
war. War is a devastating thing. It seems at least one of the kingdoms is in the sight of Assyria today.
What does one do in the face of imminent destruction? It seems that it's always the ones who want nothing to do with war that are the ones to suffer. Children, the bystanders, even the frontline soldiers.
It never seems to be the ones that call for war that suffer from war. And it isn't just war. The Jewish people are like most people of the day and age. They are one drought away from a famine.
They are one natural disaster away from death. They are one infection away from paralysis and being maimed. The natural order of things is that children should outlive their parents. No parent should ever have to bury their child.
Ever. The reality is, is that burying your children was a common occurrence, even up until the early 1900s. We may be farther removed from that reality in our world today, but it still happens.
And just like us, they live in a world where death and suffering was all too common. They need good news. They need to know that death and suffering is not the plan, that war and othering is not the order of creation.
They need hope that there is more, that things will be made right, that things will be like they were created to be, good and very good. Isaiah's words today are words of hope for the people of Israel and Judah. They are a declaration that God is always on the brink of doing a new thing. That God is always on the brink of doing a new thing.
Always. The words of Isaiah are words of a future promise that they have hoped in, words that God will save them, but the words are more than that. It is more than a future promise.
It is a present tense promise. These are words of promise that God will remember the covenant that was made. That the foes of the world will be defeated. The foes that have rash the Jewish people will be defeated. is the promise to the people who desperately needed a word of hope.
There is hope to be had, Isaiah declares. There is hope that not only the adversaries of the nation will be defeated, but the enemies of the people, death and disgrace, are to be defeated. And Isaiah tells them that there on the mountain of God that all people, not just the Jewish people, but all people will be at the banquet feast of the Lord of hosts, that there at the table, the enemies of famine and disease and war will be defeated. there will be a feast for all people with rich food and choice wines. Not just food for the belly, but food for the soul.
There is hope to be had that not only does God vanquish some earthly adversary, but God destroys the faceless enemy of death itself. Death will be swallowed up. Death will be no more. There is hope to be had.
Hope that God will meet us in our grief and wipe away the tears from all faces. There is hope. Hope that there will be no disgrace for God's people.
There is hope. That is what Isaiah is telling the people. There is hope. That God will remember God's covenantal promises, that God's steadfast love will endure forever.
Hope in the God who spread the rainbow in the skies. Hope in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hope in the God who parted the waters of the river.
Red Sea. There is hope, not just for them. Isaiah is talking to us today as well.
All are welcomed at the table of the Lord. We are welcomed at the table of the Lord. You are welcomed at the table of the Lord.
It is not only a future hope. It is a present hope. It is at the table of the Lord that we are welcomed by name, and you are known to the one who walks with you in this life.
A present hope, a hope for now, a hope for today. Jesus is with us even when we don't realize that he is with us. Just like the disciples on the Emmaus Road in today's gospel reading.
As we walk through our lives, we are oftentimes like the two disciples. They were walking with Jesus the whole time and did not realize who it was they were talking to, who it was they were walking with. Sometimes we need our eyes opened to see that Jesus is with us today, that Jesus has been with us the whole time. Our eyes are opened when we see the hungry being fed.
Our eyes are opened when justice rolls down like a river. Our eyes are opened when all who have been told there isn't a seat at the table, all who have been excluded and othered, our eyes are opened when all are called and invited. When all those who have been told that there is no seat at the table have found community and welcome and love. There is a seat at the table. Jesus is inviting us to the table where we come together for wine and bread, tasting the story and hearing it read, where we know our hunger and we share the meal.
At the table are us. eyes are opened to see Jesus is real. There is hope for us in this world, and at the table, we see that this is the Lord whom we have waited for.
Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Come to the table where there is a place for all. Amen. I love you, The seeds that are red, where to go?
The garden is the outcasts that are dead. And in the spirit of society we live, sharing and serving the body and the mind. By Jesus, by the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Let us all declare our faith in the blessed Holy Trinity in the words of the Apostles'Creed. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord. Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, 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.
He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come 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. Challenge. By God's word in Christ, let us pray for the church, the world, and the whole creation. God of our ancestors, we give thanks for the church in all times.
We pray for the United Methodist Church and bread for the world. May we listen for the prophets of this age who bear messages that stir the church toward renewal and justice. We give you thanks today for the musicians as we sing your praises. God of grace. Hear our prayer.
Creator of every creature on earth, direct our lives towards the renewal and sustaining of cattle, birds of the air, animals of the field, and those who share our homes. Restore the land from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene. Reveal the ways we can work alongside creation for the health and well-being for all.
God of grace, sovereign God, we give thanks that you are mindful and benevolent to even us, mere mortals. Accompanying us when hardness of heart gets in the way of justice between people and nations. Endow leaders with the minds for justice and hearts for compassion, especially in the nations of Israel, Palestine, Iran, and all areas where wars rage. We pray for the nations of the world, especially Belarus and Croatia, God of grace. Restoring Lord, grant healing and wholeness to those who are sick and suffering.
Work through medical professionals to diagnose, ease pain, and give life to all who seek their wisdom and experience. Accompany our homebound, especially Artie Pearson, God of Grace. Unifying God, humans were created for relationship with the earth, its creatures, and one another.
Give us when divisions threaten companionship, mutual support. and unity among us. May your love inspire us to build supportive communities of faith where all are cherished.
God of grace, eternal God, you fill us with every good thing and your steadfast love endures forever. We thank you for Pastor Tim, his family, and for our life together at Holy Trinity. As he returns from sabbatical and fold us all back together. into the life and ministry of this congregation in this community. God of grace, God of resurrection, you prepare a place in the kingdom through Christ's death and resurrection.
We give thanks for the saints who have taken their place at your heavenly banquet, especially John Smith. Comfort all those who mourn, especially Jill and Kevin Crawford and their family. God of grace.
And to your hands, O God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in the saving grace you freely give both now and forever. Amen. The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you. Let us share that peace with one another. God's peace reign.
The congregation may be seated when you're finished. Thank you It is my day. Oh Please stand as you're able. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is our duty, honor, and joy to always and everywhere give thanks to you, Almighty God, through our reconciler, Jesus Christ. You have made every nation and people to live on all the face of the earth, to live in peace and in your praise, and so with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
Thank you. Holy and mighty, holy and immortal, holy and blessed God, in the beginning you spoke all creation into being and it was whole and well and good. At the sea you drove back the waters to deliver your people and make them... your own. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, you gave birth to your church, delivered us from death, and made us new with a covenant by water and the spirit.
Through our Lord Jesus. Jesus, you commissioned us to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth, to make disciples of all nations, uniting all your table as a foretaste of the feast to come. In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, take and eat. This is my body given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me. Again after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying, this cup is the new cup. covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this in remembrance of me. Remember his teaching, his healing, his living and his dying, his rising and his promise to come again.
We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ's offering for us. Even as we proclaim the mystery of our faith, Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come. come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon those gathered here and on these gifts of bread and wine. Make them be for us the body and blood of our Christ, that we may be for the world his hands and feet, his eyes and ears and voice. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, both now and forever. Amen. Gathered into one by his Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught.
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.
Give 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. and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.
Jesus welcomes you to this table. Come, here is your God. The congregation may be seated. You stay, oh, you stay, quit all these pegs of the music.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen.
Holy God, you have welcomed us to this meal and fed us with dignity at your table. Send us now to welcome others and to be at peace with one another. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. God Almighty, God most merciful, bless you and keep you and give you peace.
As you might see, it's a happy story. This is me prepared with open heart. When we have come to God, our spirit of earth has lived to the love of the world. Go in peace. Follow Jesus.