Nikos: March 15 Sunday Online Worship

Welcome to our March 15 online worship @ Athens First UMC!

2 S. College St., Athens, OH 45701

Greeting From Pastor Robert

Call to Worship

L: We are grateful for these days of Lent, a time to think about the life of Jesus and the men and women who followed him.

P: We bring our doubts, our struggles, our yearnings for new life.

L: We come to give thanks to God who offers all of us a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Let us join our hearts in worship.

Hymn Jesus Calls Us

Welcome & Passing the Peace

[Blu shares God’s peace with us by reminding us that spring is just around the corner. May the peace of Christ be with each of us during these anxious times as we await the hope and promise of resurrection and new life.]

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance

L: God of mercy, hear the prayers of your people. For every time we have attributed your miracles in our lives to our hands alone,

P: Forgive us, we pray.

L: For every time we promised to trust you but turned to our own way,

P: Grant us mercy, O God.

L: For the many opportunities to share our faith that we have ignored,

P: Show us what it means to love in your name, O Lord.

L: For all that keeps us from loving you and our neighbors,

All:Tear down the barriers. Forgive our sins and show us what needs changing. Remake us into disciples of compassion and courage. Amen.

L: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

P: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

All: Thanks be to God!

Old Testament Lesson - Psalm 63:1-8

1 O God, you are my God, I seek you,
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
    beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
    my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
    I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
    and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
    and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
    and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

Gospel Lesson - John 6:1-14

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

L: This is the Word of God for the people of God.

P: Thanks be to God!

Special Music I Got Me Flowers R. Vaughan Williams

Sermon The Twelve Disciples of Jesus: Andrew & Phillip
Rev. Robert McDowell

A friend of mine was telling me how she had been thinking about names for baby boys lately because her daughter was expecting her first child. She said that she was surprised to find that the names of seven of the disciples are still in the top 100 for most popular male baby names in the US.

The name “James” leads the way at #19. One of our disciples for today “Andrew” comes in at #40. And “Philip” is in the top 300 names at the place of #295. The influence of the disciples is still seen in the way we name our children. How else have the disciples Andrew and Philip changed our world? How can their lives change us?

Most of the stories about Andrew and Philip are found in the Gospel of John. They were fishermen from Bethsaida, a fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. They stand out in the group of disciples because they both had Greek names, not Hebrew ones.

At some point in his life, Andrew had left his home and had traveled down to the Judean wilderness and had become a follower of John the Baptist. Through John's introduction, Andrew has encountered Jesus. Andrew spends a day with Jesus and decides that he will follow him- he is the first disciple to make that decision.

The next thing that Andrew does is to go and find his brother, another fisherman who we will know as Peter. Andrew tells him the exciting news: “We have found the Messiah.”

Philip also has traveled to the region where John the Baptist is preaching. Jesus notices Philip and invites him to come and learn and be his disciple. Philip in turn encourages his friend Nathaniel who we discovered a few weeks ago probably also went by the name, “Bartholomew,” to “come and see” all that Jesus is doing.

Both Andrew and Philip were actively seeking God; they had left their daily routine of fishing in order for their faith to grow. Jesus recognized their spiritual longing and included them on his team.

Descriptive words for these two disciples are “seeking and sharing.” Andrew told his brother about Jesus and Philip told his friend.

Two disciples now have become four disciples. What they had received they also wanted to share.

Pope Benedict wrote a book about the disciples a few years ago. In it he says this about Philip: “This apostle encourages us to become closely acquainted with Jesus.”

We can't pass on our exact faith experience to someone else, but we can encourage them to get to know and to love our friend Jesus. We can plant the seed and we can open the door.

Philip and Andrew continued to introduce people to Jesus. In the Gospel story for today, Jesus was facing the dilemma of feeding many hungry people. A large crowd had gathered to hear his teaching and now it was late in the day. People had become hungry and needed to be fed.

It was Andrew who brought the boy with his lunch of fish and bread to Jesus. He helped make a connection between the child and Jesus. Andrew was not sure where that action would lead; after all there were thousands of people to feed, and the boy's lunch was small. Andrew enabled the boy to give of himself.

On another occasion, there were Greeks who wanted to meet Jesus. The crowd was large but Philip and Andrew made a way for this to happen. They introduced these outsiders to Jesus.

Even though Andrew and Philip introduced others to Jesus, they themselves did not have all the answers. They questioned and grappled with their faith. We do not have to have all the answers in order to help someone else become closer to God.

When Jesus asked Philip how they were they going to feed so many, Philip thought the answer was way beyond their resources. When Andrew looked at the boy's small lunch, he didn't see how that could possibly be adequate. Like Andrew and Philip, we want to walk by faith and yet our doubts naturally arise. Will our resources be adequate? We offer up what we have and we trust that God will work through our efforts.

In Leonardo da Vinci's painting, you will find Andrew on the left side of Jesus seated near to his brother Peter. Andrew has his hands with palms out as if he is pushing away Jesus words that someone at that very table will betray him. On the opposite side we have Philip who is in the threesome with James and Thomas.

Philip's hands are clutched tightly at his chest as if he is saying “Not me, Lord, not me.”Andrew and Philip have known Jesus for the longest time of all the disciples and the painting shows their dismay vividly.

The book of Acts gives us the impression that the disciples shared the Gospel with others, but we don't get many details about who went where except for Peter and Paul. Through the centuries, stories were told to fill in the gaps of the apostles' adventures.

For Andrew and Philip, there are many extra-Biblical stories and traditions about them, especially within Orthodox churches. They are portrayed as people with great passion to fulfill their mission: to let others know about Jesus Christ.

Andrew and Philip did not travel together in these stories but took separate routes. Andrew is said to have gone on various missionary trips within the Black Sea area that included Russia, Bulgaria, Romania with his life ending in Greece. Philip is portrayed as going to Turkey and dying there.

There are legends of them bravely speaking out against wrong and fighting against cannibals and snakes and horrendous storms at sea. They are both said to have died by the hands of rulers who were upset that their wives had become Christian through the preaching of Andrew and of Philip.

Andrew is said to have died on an X shaped cross which is known today as St. Andrew's cross which is the visual on the flag of Scotland. How did Andrew who was a first century Galilean fisherman ever become related to Scotland? For those of you familiar with golf courses, no, he wasn't a pro golfer....

There are a variety of stories of how some of his bones were taken to Scotland from Greece and how these relics brought victory in a Scottish battle. Through this, Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland.

Some traditions say that Philip was also martyred for his faith by being hung upside down on a cross. The emphasis in both these legends is that Andrew and Philip both chose to die in a different manner than Jesus himself.

The disciple Philip was in the international news within the last ten years with this headline: “Philip's Grave Discovered.” At excavations in Turkey, at the traditional place of his death, archaeologist believed that they had uncovered the remains of the ancient church built over his burial place. Isn't it amazing that the interest in his life continues 2,000 years later!

Ukraine is in the midst of internal strife and dominates our news stories today. The Ukraine is a land with a long history of Christian faith and their traditions link them to the apostle Andrew. There are claims that he first brought them the Gospel on one of his journeys in the Black Sea area.

Seeking and sharing, questioning and striving for more faith, obeying Jesus' instruction to go and tell: this is how Andrew and Philip followed Jesus. In the Scriptures, these disciples are remembered by just a few stories.

What stands out in your life? If your years of faith had to be described by one story, what would it be?

One legend of Andrew is that he had such eyes of compassion that he saw something of Jesus in everyone. Once he thought the captain of the ship was Christ himself and that is why they sped across the waters, and arrived safely at their destination. Another time Andrew thought the peddler on the docks was Jesus and so he treated him with great kindness.

In my own life, there are stories that I would not want to be remembered by. And I have not been chased by lions, or shipwrecked at sea, or have preached to thousands. But I hope that along the way I have shared some love of Christ, and because of that, someone has wanted to know more about him. What story would you want to be remembered by?

There is a prayer that honors what Andrew and Philip did. It reads “O God, give us grace to follow Jesus without delay and to bring those near to us into his kingdom.”

May that prayer be seen in each of our lives.

Sermon Discussion Questions

Both Andrew and Phillip were disciples who were willing to seek and share their faith with others.

In what ways have you shared your faith with others? In what ways are you willing to seek a deeper faith?

Who are the people in your life who have been like Andrew and Phillip and introduced you to Jesus?

Say this simple prayer which is a traditional prayer in honor of the disciples, Andrew and Phillip:

“O God, give us grace to follow Jesus without delay and to bring those near to us into his kingdom. Amen.”

Hymn Lord, I Want to Be a Christian

Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer

O Lord, we want to be Christians in our hearts. We want to be more like Andrew and Phillip who took the time to invite others to encounter your healing and saving presence.

As we think about Andrew and Phillip, we are mindful of the overwhelming news of significant health concerns facing our world. We especially pray for those who are most vulnerable to the corona virus that is spreading rapidly in our communities. We are reminded of how interconnected the world is with how easily viruses can be spread from person to person.

But Lord, we are also reminded that you are the one to whom we can turn during times of uncertainty and fear. You are the one who took just fives loaves and two fish and fed the multitude, thanks in part to a young boy who was brought to you by Andrew. You are the one who encountered people from the crowd who were brought to you by the disciple, Phillip. O Lord, may we be like Andrew and Phillip who invited others to encounter your healing and saving presence.

Sometimes our discipleship involves very simple things like doing extra cleaning in our church to provide a healthy church environment, making Easter goodie bags for our home-bound members, checking on the well-being of a neighbor, feeding the hungry, and participating in an online Sunday worship service. In all these ways, we are your disciples. We are inviting others to encounter your healing and saving presence.

In these anxious times, we especially pray for world health experts and community leaders in determining the best courses of action for helping to stop the spread of this virus. Help each of us to be attentive not just to our own needs but to the needs and fears of others. Draw our attention to “The Last Supper” painting and how you remained calm even during a very anxious and fearful time.

And at this time, I invite each one of us to extend our hands in front of us with our palms facing upward like Jesus is depicted in the painting, and silently offer to him any fears and anxieties that we may be carrying in this moment. As you name those concerns, allow them to be lifted to our gracious and loving Heavenly Father who is more than able to fill our hearts with peace.

And with our palms still being extended, I invite us to pray the prayer that he invites us to say together….

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Church News

1. Thank you for joining us for our online worship! Athens First UMC is joining a thousand churches in our West Ohio Conference at the urging of our Bishop Gregory Palmer in canceling in person worship services March 15 and 22 to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Join us again next Sunday, March 22 for another online worship service on this Nikos blog as we continue our “Twelve Disciples of Jesus” season of Lent series. We hope to resume our 9 am & 10:30 am worship schedule on Sunday, March 29. We will keep you updated through this website as well as through our church’s social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram.)

2. We are encouraging one another to refrain from shaking hands and hugging as well as keeping an acceptable distance to help in stopping the spread of the virus. We have also decided to use a new Holy Communion method that will include the use of sealed wafer and juice cups. Thank you for helping us to have a healthy church environment.

3. In consultation with the Athens Count Health Department, we will be able to offer Monday Lunch on March 16 but will need to suspend it at least through the beginning of April due to the health concerns of both our volunteers and those we would be serving.

4. We have also canceled several upcoming church events these next several weeks as well as our Growing Tree Pre-school which was scheduled to open again this week. The preschool will remain closed the next three weeks in line with Athens City Schools.

5. As far as other smaller scale church meetings such as small groups and other events, we are leaving these decisions up to the discretion of the event leaders. We do strongly urge groups who do continue to meet to refrain from shaking hands and to keep extra distance from each other to help curtail the spread of the virus. The Athens County Department of Health has informed us that groups of more than ten people discontinue meeting in person together. Please let our church office know if your group will not be meeting during this time.

6. For any prayer needs during this time, we are encouraging people to rely on our email prayer chain. Those requests can be sent to Vicki Butcher, one of our prayer coordinators, butcherv@ohio.edu

7. Our church office hours will be limited the next two weeks due to scheduling conflicts, but we have plans to check voice messages and emails on a daily basis. The church building will remain open, Monday through Thursday during this time even though our Sunday services are canceled due to coronavirus concerns.

8. One of our church members, Bernie Cooley passed away on March 12. At this time, there are no details regarding a funeral service. We lift up the Cooley family in our thoughts and prayers.

9. Join us each Sunday for our online services and stay updated through our church’s email Connections newsletter and social media pages.

10. Let us offer our gifts to our gracious God.

Offering Our Gifts

[We are grateful for the continuation of your financial gifts to support the ministries of Athens First UMC, especially during these couple of weeks when we are not meeting in person for worship. Checks may be sent to the church and we also offer an online giving option on our church website. The link for setting up online giving is https://osvonlinegiving.com/2927.]

Closing Hymn Go Make of All Disciples