Sunday, October 27, 2024

Theme

The Tabernacle, or ‘Tent of Meeting’ was first built at Mt. Saini as a movable place to worship and meet with God. The back section of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Mercy Seat (God’s earthly throne) sat above the Ark of the Covenant. God and the Tabernacle went with the Hebrew people to Canaan, and then when they chose not to enter, it accompanied them for forty days of wondering through the wilderness. When the next generation came back to Canaan, they brought the Tabernacle with them. It resided in Shiloh for a while, where Hannah prayed for a son in it, and it was where that son Samuel heard the voice of God. It was moved to a few other places, but at the time of this story, it has recently been moved to Jerusalem, the new capital city of David, king of all of the tribes of Israel. David has spent a lot of time and effort in making a palace for himself, and now wants to make a permanent temple for God. God, however is not convinced.

This Sunday we celebrate and look back at our heritage and ancestors. The places and the peoples we have come from, and the many places that God has ‘Tabernacled’ with us.

Questions

–  What are the people, nations, and stories who have brought you to this place?

– How do you see God at work through those stories?

– What is it about a ‘permanent’ temple (or church, or institution, or nation) that makes us comfortable?

– Why do you think God resists such a permanent structure?

Reflections:

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

Instead of following the specific theme of the scripture, our hymn choices are informed by “Celebration of Heritage” Sunday. Similar to World Communion Sunday, the hymns were chosen to represent a variety of origins and cultures.

Introit: An American Shaker folk hymn, “What Wondrous Love is This”. We are singing the third verse, which is m favorite, where the text begins to establish that the only proper response to God’s wondrous love is to sing.

Opening Hymn: Our opening hymn, “Golden Breaks the Dawn” originates from China in the early 20th century.

Transition Hymn: Our transition hymn for October, “Know That God Is Good”, orginates from Congo.

Special Music: The special music fits both with “Celebration of Heritage” as well as the recognition of the upcoming All Soul’s Day. “Give Me Jesus” (sung by Kenneth Jones) is an arrangement of an African-American spiritiual. As is typical of many of those spiritual, the text focuses on the next life of heaven, leaving the troubles and tribulations of this world behind.

Responsive Hymn: As our responsive hymn before our Remembrance of Baptism, the familar “Baptized in Water” which uses a Gaelic melody.

Sending Hymn: For the sending hymn, “Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore”, one of the most popular songs to come out of the revival of religious song in Spain in the 1970s.

Benediction: “Now Go in Joy”, our benediction for the month of October, is fzrom the Carribean. The tune refers to a street parade held in many Bahamian towns.