The music on the viewer, when it is playing, is on media, That's the movie camera icon on your viewer. GATHERING SONG: "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name" ANNOUNCEMENTS (Please feel free to type a brief announcement of interest to our community in Nearby Chat.) WELCOME We are so glad you're here as we worship our still speaking, and surely still listening, God! Welcome to First United Church of Christ and Conference Center, Second Life We are an actual church with full real life standing in the Eastern Association, Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ. You may see someone besides me with a tag including the words"1st UCC" and "Minister." Our ministers are all ordained UCC clergy in real life. And you may see folks with a tag that says "Guide." Think "Usher" in real life; they'll help you find your way around our two-island campus.. And of course, our "Staff" folk keep the rest of us organized. As a United Church of Christ church, we mean it when we say, "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here." If you would like a bulletin notecard/copy of the service, please click the red book on the stand near the sanctuary entrance. If you would like to become an official member of this church, please let any clergy of staff member know! There are many ways you can offer a gift to support this ministry. You might feel called to help as a Guide greeting visitors, or as a reader of scripture, or as a leader of a Psalter service. You could volunteer to serve on our Board. And, of course, you can decide to be a full voting member. And you can support financially just as we support the wonderful work of the UCC with prayer and financially. If you would like to help with our expenses, there is a donation bowl at the rear of the sanctuary. If you are thinking of a donation you would rather do in real life currency, you are welcome to use the Donation page on our website. http://www.firstuccsl.org Since we are an IRS 501(c)(3) public charity, US donations are deductible. And we thank you! SCRIPTURE: John 1:42-51 SERMON: "In Whom There Is No Deceit" The events of the last couple of weeks have left us reeling. In the midst of the investigations, charges, counter-charges, endless news reports, and moments that make us shake our heads in disbelief I set about writing this sermon. I did not know how to start, really. I knew that what I was feeling was a mixture of profound sadness and visceral anger. Anger generally serves no purpose, save perhaps one. Sometimes anger is the impetus for resolve, and resolve is surely a good thing in these troubling days. In our text for this evening we see resolve. Jesus is resolved to call those who will constitute the twelve. And there is resolution on the part of those called, too. Jesus summoned; Philip followed and was resolved enough to find Nathanael. Jesus knew immediately the resolve, the truth in actions, of Nathanael. Great leaders understand their responsibility. They know that those they enlist to serve with them must be people of character, dedicated, and steadfast. Alas, leaders without moral compass know that as well. And in that case, the recruiting to mission is a recruitment to causes and beliefs that stray far from truth, honor and justice. It has been that way throughout our human history. Unscrupulous persons have repeatedly ascended to pinnacles of power only to abuse it. You may recall in another text that Jesus was tempted by a false leader to claim unlimited power. Power has a way of corrupting, and as the saying goes, it may be that absolute power corrupts absolutely. For those who are weak, false leaders who are really cowards at heart, abused power does corrupt. That abuse has had tragic consequences, including the fall of entire nations. When corrupt missions, and personal power, are the leadership objectives, everything else is subject to sacrifice. Lives, economies, a sense of security, all are imperiled, and sometimes lost. We have witnessed it through history, recorded in books – including our Bible – and now recorded in much more powerful ways. What was once reported in words, verbal description, now plays out in moving images in our own homes. Buckminster Fuller said it so well in a speech I heard him give in the 1960s. He said that when he was a little boy, and he wanted to know what was happening in the world, he waited until his father got home from work and his father told him of the events of the day. Fuller added that one day the family got a radio and he watched his father learn the events of the day at the same time as the rest of the family. Fuller said, “And we have never been the same since.” Buckminster Fuller was right. And now our “radios” are really so much more. So here we are. We live in a severely damaged society. The damage will take time and effort to repair. And, like the Capitol Building repairs, once completed the memories will persist, enshrined in our memories and preserved in digital files. What, then, can we do? I remember a story about a woman who brought home a plaque that said, "Prayer changes things." She put it in her kitchen, above her sink. Her husband came home, and said, "Take that down, please." She said, "Why? Don't you believe in prayer?" He said, "Yes, but I don't believe in change." I think we need lots of prayer and we surely need lots of change. I think we find instruction – and encouragement – in the story in our text for this evening. Jesus recruited. And those who chose to follow struggled sometimes to believe. Scripture tells us that. The text tells us that Nathanael believed the truth based on the evidence, the experience, that he had about the one who he chose to follow. And what was the promise of Jesus? “You will see greater things than that.” The point is this. Nathanael did not blindly follow, nor did Andrew or Peter or Philip. They had proof in two forms. First, they had the promises of their faith as recorded in their religious law and by the prophets over centuries. Second, they had the words of Jesus that supported and affirmed their own experiences. Proof. Powerful proof. Truth that they could rely on, even to the point of changing their lives. The truth does change lives. Falsehood does too. That makes us ponder the question Pilate asked Jesus at the end of Jesus’ ministry, “What is truth?” I think at the heart of the matter is the notion that “truth” is indeed a challenging concept. Plato believed that there are truths to be discovered; that knowledge is possible. Since truth is objective, our knowledge of true propositions must be about real things. Reality changes, and so does truth. Here’s a simple example. On November 20, 1783 it was true that people could not fly. The first manned flight happened on November 21, 1783. It was a glider flight. The Wright brothers are generally credited with being the first in flight. Whether that's true depends on your definition of "flight." If you mean controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, then that's what they are known for, but even that may not be quite true, since controlled and sustained are not black-or-white terms. Truth can be elusive. And truth can be rejected. There was a pastor of a very well-known Bible church, one that taught the Word of God. Today he is a denier of the deity of Jesus Christ. He is a professor at USC, one who does everything he can to turn young people away from Christianity. He also falls into the category of an apostate, somebody who knows the truth, has all the information about the truth, and willfully turns his back on the truth for his own pursuit. Sound familiar? I thought it might. I prefer the relatively simple definition of truth as that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality. Reality is observable, at least most of the time. And facts, although subject to change with increased knowledge, are ascertainable at any given time it seems to me. As I prepared this sermon it was a fact that 376,000 people have died in the United States from causes attributed to Covid-19. That fact has sadly changed I am sure. But there is an underlying fact that has not. Covid-19 kills people. For the life of me a I cannot understand those who think that the disease is a hoax, or that “it will just magically go away.” What can be the factual basis of that? Let’s try another current example. For many, many people it is a “fact” that President Trump was re-elected in 2020. On the other hand, some 60 courts have held there is no evidence of voter fraud compromising the election. All 50 states have certified the results. There have been challenges and recounts that have yielded nothing that would change the outcome. So, what “facts” are being relied on? None, that I can discover. But it seems to me that there is one underlying fact. There are those who are so enamored of either a person or an idea that they will ignore the facts to pursue what they wish was true. That has given rise to terrible tragedies. Well within the time frame I can remember there have been cults that have come to tragic ends because of blind allegiance to leaders that will ignore facts and repeat falsehoods so often that those falsehoods take on the appearance of fact. There have been in several cult examples mass suicides. There have been riots and all sorts of serious civil unrest. And there has been a recent assault that strikes at the very heart of our national identity. I am heart sick about the state of things. Jesus dealt with facts. And Jesus understood truth. Doing so requires courage. It is the kind of courage that is the antithesis of saying, “And I’ll be there with you” and then fleeing to watch events unfold. As Christians we are to take our example from Christ. I can only wish that were always true. How did we get to this point? I believe the answer to be that too many have succumbed to the cult of personality. I think that acquiescence may be because of fear. Frederick William I ruled Prussia in the early eighteenth century. Frederick walked the streets of Berlin unattended, and when anyone displeased him, he did not hesitate to use his walking stick to thrash them. Berliners tried to keep their distance. One time, as Frederick William was pounding down the street, a citizen spied him but too late, and his attempt to slide quietly into a doorway proved a failure. "You," called out Frederick William, "where are you going?" "Into the house, Your Majesty," said the citizen, trembling violently. "Into the house?" asked the emperor. "Your house?" "No," replied the poor man. "Why are you entering it, then," asked Frederick. And the poor citizen, fearing he might be accused of burglary, finally decided on the truth and said, "In order to avoid you, your majesty." Frederick William frowned, "To avoid me? Why?" "Because I fear you, Your Majesty." Frederick William promptly turned purple with rage and, lifting his cudgel, pounded the other's shoulder, crying, "You are not supposed to fear me. You're supposed to love me. Love me, scum, love me!" Does that remind you of anyone who seems to require allegiance, loyalty, even love and will turn on those who will not provide it? I thought it might. I pray that the truth as it is commonly accepted prevails. I pray that fear of not belonging will not lead to a rejection of truth. I pray that disagreement about what is true – which is normal and inevitable – will be resolved by civil discourse. I pray that acceptance of what is true becomes a defining element in our national character. And I pray that for all of us it may be truly said here is one in whom there is no deceit. And the people of God said… MUSIC FOR PREPARING FOR COMMUNITY PRAYER: "Oh Our Lord" You are invited to type your prayers of joy and concern in Nearby Chat, during this song, before our community prayer time, so that we may lift them to God as community! We ask you to read each shared prayer carefully. and to enter into this time with reverence. We are actually in a conversation with God when we pray, and that should never be taken lightly, but rather as we are told in Ephesians, "... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (4:23) Your energy will be added to that prayer as we surrender it into God's keeping. If you wish, you may respond to others with "God hear our prayer" or words of your choosing. COMMUNITY PRAYER and PASTORAL PRAYER MOMENT of SILENCE PASTORAL PRAYER We live, O God, in perilous times. We know that humanity has lived in times of peril before. But that does not comfort us. We know that history teaches we can survive. But we remain overwhelmed with sadness and anxiety. We need the ability that Jesus had when Nathanael approached. We need to be able to discern those in whom there is no deceit. Help us not to be swayed by those who would mislead thinking only of their own gain, power and prestige. Heal the wounds of our divisiveness. Encourage us when we falter. Forgive us when we succumb to that which we know at heart is wrong. Protect us from the ravages of disease both physical and emotional. We ask these blessings in the name of the one who discerned so well our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. LORD'S PRAYER Dear One, closer to us than our own hearts, farther from us than the most distant star, you are beyond naming. May your powerful presence become obvious not only in the undeniable glory of the sky, but also in the seemingly base and common processes of the earth. Give us what we need, day by day, to keep body and soul together, because clever as you have made us, we still owe our existence to you. We recognize that to be reconciled with you, we must live peaceably and justly with other human beings, putting hate and bitterness behind us. We are torn between our faith in your goodness and our awareness of the evil in your creation, so deliver us from the temptation to despair. Yours alone is the universe and all its majesty and beauty. Amen. BENEDICTION I extinguish our candles; the light of the Spirit goes now with each of you. Journey with that Spirit company in whatever world you sojourn. It could not be otherwise, not really. You journey just exactly as you were created to be the beloved of God. Amen. CLOSING SONG: "All the Earth"