As we gather together there is some technical information that most of you already know, but just in case someone does not:
There is a copy of the service in the red book by the door to the sanctuary.
The service will be in voice and text.
Worship music will be in the media player.
Thank you for not touching the media player—We have learned the hard way that if you poke it, it gets cranky and the video stops playing for everyone.  
So if the player isn't working in your viewer, please follow the YouTube link!
GATHERING: 
In today’s sermon a make an off-hand reference to this scene from the Rob Reiner film, _This Is Spinal Tap_.  Let’s see if you can find it when we get there.
Besides, we could all use a little comedy, don’t you think?
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSV4OteqBE

Please feel free to type any announcements you have for us into Local Chat.

WELCOME
Welcome to First United Church of Christ and Conference Center, Second Life.
We have official standing with the Eastern Association of the Southern California Nevada Conference of the United Church of Christ as a Real Life church located in Second Life.
And I still think that's pretty cool, because I have sat in South Central Pennsylvania—I have sat in Northern Maine—
and I am currently sitting in Central Connecticut—
and I still think it's pretty cool that we can partner with my brothers and sisters and non-binary siblings all across the country 
and all of you wherever you are!
Speaking of wherever you are:
"No matter who you are, 
or where you are on life's journey, 
you are welcome here."
Most churches have a time of offering.
Making an offering, sharing what you can in God’s name, is a spiritual practice.
That offering can be one of prayer or of presence, 
of work on behalf of the church doing things like reading scripture or serving on the board of directors,
of helping with any of the many things that are needed for the church to function,
and/or, that offering can be one of money.
As a UCC church, we support the work of the wider church both with prayer and with donations. 
And it's true that we don't have a physical building, but there are monetary costs for this ministry to function.
So if you would like to make an offering by participating in leading worship or social events,
or if you would like to become a member of this church,
let any clergy or staff member know.
If you would like to make a financial offering to support this ministry there is a donation bowl by the door to the sanctuary, 
or if you prefer you can make a donation in RL currency on our website:
www.firstuccsl.org
And since we are a 501(c)(3) public charity, monetary donations are tax deductible in the U.S. 
We thank you for the blessing of your presence and your offering of support. 
SCRIPTURE LESSON
Ephesians 4:1-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
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.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore it is said,
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
   he gave gifts to his people.’
(When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 
until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, 
by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped,
as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. 
SERMON      "Hypocrisy"
I don’t know about you, but I have found this week to be hard.  
I was already on edge after the events of Epiphany 2021, 
but when the United Church of Christ released a message entitled “A NOTICE TO OUR CHURCHES” I found that my anxiety does, indeed, go to eleven:
“While we are hesitant to raise the alarm and/or overreact, 
recent events compel us to inform you about what we are hearing regarding possible threats that have come to our attention.
There are reports that “liberal” churches will become targets of possible future attacks in the coming week, with the dates of Jan. 17 and Jan. 20 featured more prominently.
We strongly encourage you to be attendant to all safety concerns for ministers and congregants,
even if it means meeting in a way that is other than in person at a church building this week.”

I was working in the hospital on Sunday the 17th, but I’ll admit that I was distracted.  
Were my brothers, sisters, and non-binary siblings under attack while I attended to the needs of my patients?
Were my friends and colleagues from seminary and beyond in the line of fire?
I’ll admit that every time there was a lull in my day I pulled out my personal phone and poured over the news with fear and trepidation.
As the day wore on, I was relieved not to find what I quite frankly expected to find.
And I was angered by what I did read.
I learned about a pastor of a church in Minnesota dropping a Facebook video supporting Mr. Trump’s rhetoric and encouraging people to “arm up.”
I learned more about the discrepancies between the police response to the Black Lives Matter protests that turned violent and the Stop the Steal rally that turned violent.
And I saw that certain “news” outlets are accusing “the Left” of hypocrisy;
the gist of which is that “Liberals” are ok with violence when it is perpetrated by “antifa” and Black Lives Matter and vilify it when it is perpetrated by QAnon and Trump supporters.
I am so worn down and weary from the divisive rhetoric, aren’t you?
On the other hand, it’s never a bad thing to slow down for a minute—
stop jerking that knee, as my father might say—
and really consider where you stand.
So let’s talk about this.
First of all, I know that I have preached sermons about the danger of stereotyping.  
I’m sure you all know that it’s not accurate or good to lump an entire group of people together as if they were all identical.  
So let me put it this way:
There is no monolithic “Left” or “Right.” 
My beloved homeland is made up of many, many people with infinitely varying ideologies. 
So if you really must use the Left / Right or Liberal / Conservative dichotomy, let’s talk about it in terms of a vast continuum. 
Because the truth is, if you do that, most people aren’t all the way to one end or the other.
That’s why I have personally worked pretty hard to understand where people who do not hold the same values that I do are really coming from—
and then tried to share what I’ve learned with you.
That’s also why I don’t self-identify with the Left / Liberal language any more.  I do not want to feed into that polarizing rhetoric—from any “side.”
If pushed, I suppose I’d call myself a progressive.  I’m not content with the way things are, because we can make things better. 
We can.
But we cannot do it by screaming violence into the void of social media.
Name-calling and threats only cause the people you don’t agree with to not hear you—and then return fire. 
And then who “wins”?
Nobody, that’s who.
And so I am always cautious when I hear someone talk about “the Left” or “the Right” because usually what comes next is not going to be nice. 
It’s a little bit like when someone says, “No offense, but…”
You just know that they’re going to say something offensive!
What I’m trying to say is that I’m sure the editorialist (let’s not honor them with the title “journalist” when “propagandist” is more accurate) 
who wrote that “the Left” is being hypocritical would certainly lump me in with those “liberals” they rail against.
And I resist that, because the truth is that I have preached all along that I stand with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the subject of violence and rioting:
“Now I wanted to say something about the fact that we have lived over these last two or three summers with agony and we have seen our cities going up in flames.
And I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence 
as the most powerful weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view.
I’m absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt.
And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results.
But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots.
It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society.
These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention.
And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard.
And what is it that America has failed to hear?”

I am still committed to non-violence.  I always have been.
But it is not enough—
it would be morally irresponsible—
to not _at the same time_ talk about the conditions that lead to rioting.
Conditions.  Not people.
Now, according to the editorialist there are two kinds of riots here—the liberal riots that rose up around the murder of George Floyd and the Capital riots.
And there are, in fact, two different sets of conditions that lead each of those groups to riot.
In the first case, the conditions at play are the reality of police brutality in the setting of about four hundred years of racism.
The final spark that set off that particular tinderbox (again) was the fact that when faced with peaceful protest against police brutality, protesters were met with more police brutality.
That injustice is not new, but America has become well-practiced at not hearing it.
In the second case, the conditions at play are a deeply held belief that the election was fraudulent in the setting of factual evidence to the contrary.
The final spark that set off that particular tinderbox was a fiery speech made by the man who lost the election at a rally heavily attended by people who also believed—
and I am not making this up—
that Mr. Trump is fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibalistic pedophiles that is running a global child sex-trafficking ring.
And that _is_ new.
No presidential candidate has ever refused to concede defeat once all the votes were counted and legal challenges resolved—until Mr. Trump.
So here is the argument that the editorialists and propagandists and social-media screamers are making:
“The Left” promotes the violence of anti-fascists and Black Lives Matter while condemning the violence of QAnon and Stop the Steal, and therefore “the Left” is hypocritical.
I disagree.
I disagree because you can’t accurately stereotype such a large portion of the population like that.
I disagree because even if you could, _of course_ “The Left” doesn’t condone violence.
And even if “The Left” did condone violence, it wouldn’t be hypocritical—
because suffering for generations under the boot of systemic racism is in no way equal to whackadoodle conspiracy theories and the inability to admit when you’ve lost.
And just in case that sounded too harsh, let me be clear—I am not vilifying anyone.
All of the people involved in these tragedies—
and let’s not lose sight of the fact that these are tragedies—
all of the people involved are beloved creations of the Divine.
But I’m also at a place in my life where I cannot be silent in the face of vile rhetoric and violence borne of outright lies.
“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
Be angry but do not sin;
do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.
Thieves must give up stealing;
rather let them labour and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,
and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.“ (Ephesians 4:25-32)
What do you say?  Amen?
PRAYER PREPARATION:
Our very first youth poet laureate and the youngest inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman, gave me a lot of hope yesterday.
It is my prayer for you that these words give you hope, too.
"The Hill We Climb"
~Amanda Gorman
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_j_m2QVbSg

We have come to our time in worship that I really do believe is the core of what we do here together, and that is where we uplift our joys and concerns with one another in prayer.
And so I would like to invite you to enter this time of prayer with a sense of reverence. 
We're about to enter into a conversation with God, and that shouldn't be done lightly,
but rather "... 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"  (Ephesians 4:2-3) 
Please type your prayers into chat, or if you need to use voice simply emote raising your hand so everybody can have a voice.
And as we pray together, you may wish to respond to others with words like, "God hear our prayer," or with any other words the Spirit leads to you use.
COMMUNITY PRAYER
If there was a prayer inside of you that you couldn't quite get out, it's ok.
Because the Psalmist tells us that God knows what we are going to say before the words can even form on our tongues.
And so we know.
We _ know _ that God has heard our prayers.  Those spoken out loud, those typed into SL chat, and those spoken only in the silence of our hearts.
And that we pray them in the name of the Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
LISTEN!
We have done a lot of talking.  Let us take a moment of silence to listen to what God might be saying.
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening...
PASTORAL PRAYER
Holy One, hold us gently in this time of turmoil and uncertainty.
Remind us of the everyday blessings of sunshine and rain, wind and clouds.
Your presence is as sure as the ground beneath us.
Help us to be rooted in You and to reach toward the sun, to stretch beyond what is in front of us to know Your warmth and grace are within us.
May Your spirit move in us, reminding us that we are not alone, and we were created to be with one another.
Grant us assurance in this season.  Amen.    (Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell, http://rev-o-lution.org)
BENEDICTION:
And now it really is just this simple:
God loves you
So don't forget to love each other
Go with God
Go in Peace
And amen!
CLOSING:  
Speaking of assurance and hope, this song pretty much sums up my hopes and prayers for all of you.
“Here's wishing you the bluest sky
And hoping something better comes tomorrow
Hoping all the verses rhyme
And the very best of choruses to
Follow all the doubt and sadness
I know that better things are on their way”
"Better Thingsl"
~Dar Williams
Lyrics:
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/darwilliams/betterthings.html
YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IEc9ZqPi3I