To long-time Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to the faith.
We welcome you
To all who have no church home, want to follow Christ, have doubts or do not believe.
We welcome you
To people of every age and size, color and culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, and marital status, ability, disability, and challenge.
We welcome you
To believers, non-believers, questioners, and questioning believers.
This is a place where you are welcome to: celebrate and struggle, rejoice and recover.
AMEN
We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Sana and Tonkawa peoples. It is also important to acknowledge that we are here today due to the exclusion and erasure of many indigenous people from their native land, including the land on which we stand today. We honor with gratitude the land itself and its original people.
Taizé Worship
Welcome to worship at Treehouse. Tonight we will worship in the style of the Taize Community in France, an ecumenical monastic community committed to peace. This style of worship is quiet and contemplative, with a “grand silence” in the middle for your own prayer, meditation, or reflection. Allow your spirits to settle into the mystery and stillness of this worship. God welcomes you here tonight.
PSALM: Psalm 16
Protect me, God, because I take refuge in you.
I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord.
Apart from you, I have nothing good.”
Now as for the “holy ones” in the land,
the “magnificent ones” that I was so happy about;
let their suffering increase because
they hurried after a different god.
I won’t participate in their blood offerings;
I won’t let their names cross my lips.
You, Lord, are my portion, my cup;
you control my destiny.
The property lines have fallen beautifully for me;
yes, I have a lovely home.
I will bless the Lord who advises me;
even at night I am instructed
in the depths of my mind.
I always put the Lord in front of me;
I will not stumble because he is on my right side.
That’s why my heart celebrates and my mood is joyous;
yes, my whole body will rest in safety
because you won’t abandon my life to the grave;
you won’t let your faithful follower see the pit.
You teach me the way of life.
In your presence is total celebration.
Beautiful things are always in your right hand.
GOSPEL: Mark 13:1-8
As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What awesome stones and buildings!”
Jesus responded, “Do you see these enormous buildings? Not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.”
Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What sign will show that all these things are about to come to an end?”
Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ They will deceive many people. When you hear of wars and reports of wars, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines in all sorts of places. These things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end.
The Grand Silence
You are invited to enter into a time of silence, prayer, and contemplation. If you are unsure how to do this, you might a) try speaking to God as if speaking to a friend; b) quiet your mind by slowly repeat a phrase from one of the songs or readings from tonight; or c) allow your mind to wander back over your day, asking yourself where you felt most full of life and where you felt most drained, then considering how God was present in both of those experiences.
Prayers
There is fear O God, and there is uncertainty in many human hearts—
even in our hearts today—and for some—every day.
There is aimlessness in the hearts of others—
senseless excitements about the details of the end of time,
about the signs that are around us, for us to read and to understand—
and yet they have no peace in this knowing
and often argue about the meaning of things with others
instead of breathing in the strength of earth and sky
and breathing out love and compassion upon their own selves
and the self of the world around them—the world you have made.
O Great God,
you know about Fear, Aimlessness, Senseless excitements,
and deep depressions of the soul.
You understand the afflictions of the lonely—
of those who have no one to draw close to.
We pray especially today for these O God,
that they may know your presence and see your power
and be consumed by your glory
and so find that which we all need….
Shine your light, we pray,
upon those we name before you in our hearts now,
be it ourselves, or the person next to us,
or one we left at home,
perhaps one we heard about on TV
or the one who is our neighbor.
Peace, O God, to them as we lift them up before you now…
O Lord, hear my prayer…
Sending Prayer
As you go from here, remember:
God is always with you.
No matter what you face,
no matters what trials or hardships come your way,
God is right beside you,
guiding and directing your path.
So do not live in fear, but in joy,
celebrating God’s presence
and singing God’s praise.
