Sunday, May 5, 2019

ONOMA - The power of Naming May 5, 2019

Worship on Sunday, May 5 …


As we go deeper into our exploration of ONOMA – the power of naming – we engage with a multitude of names for GOD that are revealed in Scripture! 
╬ Names of God The Scriptures are filled with myriad names for God, from the gift of God’s name to Moses in the wilderness – “I AM” – to the “abba” that Jesus lovingly introduces to his followers.  The word “onoma” translates from the Greek as “name” but means so much more.  Onoma expresses the character, the essence and fullness of what is named.  In revealing names to us, God reaches to us in love to share identity, understanding and unity. God is constantly making God-self known in deeply meaningful ways.  God’s onoma, the fullness of God, has been revealed in Christ and is being called forth in all humanity.

 Below are the Prayer of the Day and Readings.  


 Blessings to you all in the Eastertide!

 - Pr. Brad Highum

 bhighum@abidinglove.org

 PRAYER OF THE DAY ---------------------------

 God of grace, in your Name is revealed the wholeness and fullness of you.  We reach to you, seeking to name the wonder that is you.  Imprint your name upon us that we may truly become your people and live in the Kingdom you are calling forth in the world.  Amen.

 READINGS ----------------------------------

 First Reading:  Exodus 3:1-15

 1 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.  9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."  13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I Am Who I Am." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I Am has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':  This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.

 Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;

 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.

 3 On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.

 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.

 5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.

 6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.

 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.

 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

 Second Reading:  Revelation 22:1-6

 22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.  6 And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place."

 Gospel:  John 14:1-7
14 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."  
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