16 February 2025

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Practice Resurrection

Additional Scriptures

Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; Luke 6:17-26; Doctrine and Covenants 164:3b

Preparation

The Reflections are from Robert Bruch’s essay, “I Dream of the Day,” written after a life-changing experience when visiting the Republic of Kenya in East Africa. Found in Christian Drama for the Worship Service, first edition, edited by Debra Bruch, the essay is found at the end of the service to help provide context. It is used with permission. Print or project Our Response sentences so all can participate.

Prelude

Welcoming Hymn

“Jubilate Deo” CCS 123

Sing through two times and then in a round with two, three, four, five, or six parts. If this song is unfamiliar, consider singing along with the vocal recording found on Community of Christ Sings Audio Recordings, available from Herald House.

OR “I Will Sing, I Will Sing” CCS 112

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.

Welcome, Joys, and Concerns

Call to Worship: Psalm 1:1-3

Reflection

I’ve been dreaming of fresh water in every village of the globe…of women taking their right place in the forums of society…of the cultural riches of humankind…being honored and accessible to all. …I’ve been dreaming of a world where consumption patterns are rationalized, and the great excesses of the West are harnessed…where a confrontation among nations and groups is tempered into dialogue by the common celebration of local people’s conquest of hunger, disease, and dehumanizing poverty.

—Robert Bruch

Our Response: When we put these dreams into activities of justice, we practice resurrection.

Hymn

“For the Beauty of the Earth” CCS 130

OR “Spirit, Open My Heart” CCS 564

Invocation

Response

Reflection

“I dream of a day when all peoples will be yoked by the bonds of love and work in caring for the needs of each other as they are sustained by the grace of God.”

—Robert Bruch

Our Response: When we celebrate diversity, we practice resurrection.

Prayer for Peace

Peace Hymn

“O May Your Church Build Bridges” CCS 224

OR “Why Should the Earth Disclose a Face” CCS 284

Light the peace candle.

Peace Prayer

God of Healing,

We are tired of violence and conflict. It is hard to see our neighbors in pain. It is hard to see our children in fear. It is hard to see people suffer. Conflict is hard to see and to experience.

Working for peace is also hard. Like a doctor who needs to operate to remove a cancerous tumor, working for peace requires confronting the root of the problem. When we confront the root, sometimes we need to cut through healthy tissue to get to it. How often do we say “keep the peace” for the sake of the status quo, resisting the pain that so often comes with healing?

God, forgive us for our resistance to the deep healing that requires deep inner transformation. Remind us that peace requires healing. Remind us that you are with us through it all. May we commit our hearts to healing the world, and may we begin close to home. Help us to trust your will, and trust that the healing of the world is intertwined with the transformation of our heart to align with ours. And as we are transformed, may we act in Your name for peace.

In the name of Jesus, the perfecter of our faith. Amen.

—Tiffany and Caleb Brian

Reflection

I dream of a day when we shall be sufficiently strong to care for the common needs of our communities…when differences of opinion and perspectives are seen as opportunities for growth instead of repression or division, and that those differences can be brought freely and without fear of reprisal to the conference table and thrashed through for the sake of the larger good.

—Robert Bruch

Our Response: When we engage in community programs and compassionate ministries, we practice resurrection.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Ministry of Music or Congregational Hymn

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.

“Christ Is Living/Cristo vive” CCS 481

OR “Celebrate Jesus” CCS 474

Sharing in the Spoken Word

Based on 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Disciples’ Generous Response

Reflection

I dream of a day when youth and elders are genuine colleagues in one common mission – the kingdom of God on earth – where children will not have to grow up with the cloud of nuclear war hanging over them; when drug abuse is spoken of as a dark day of past history; where unemployment no longer invades family security, and each of us finds security in the work of our own hands.

—Robert Bruch

Our Response: When we work to abolish poverty and end suffering, we practice resurrection.

Statement

God’s astonishing compassion and love in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate example of generosity. God loves us abundantly and unconditionally. As we open our hearts to courageously and generously share by placing money in the offering plates or through eTithing, we reflect the movement of God’s astonishing love and compassion for the world.

If you have participants joining the worship online, remind them that they can give through www.CofChrist.org/give or through eTithing at www.eTithing.org (consider displaying these URLs).

Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes

Reflection

I believe these are not only my dreams, but also God’s. And I believe they are worth the lives of all of us who claim to be his people. …I dream of a day when gossip and rumor will never hurt anymore. I dream of a day when each of us will be fully forgiven, reconciled, freed from past sin, and restored to full productive powers divinely endowed, and our unique gifts will be released for the common good of all.

—Robert Bruch

Our Response: When we live the Enduring Principle of Worth of All Persons, we practice resurrection. All of creation finds new life in Christ.

Closing Hymn

“Now the Green Blade Rises” CCS 482

OR “I Know that My Redeemer Lives!” CCS 34

Benediction

Sending Forth

Live the meaning of your baptism daily as you grow in the skills and qualities of discipleship.

—Doctrine and Covenants 164:3b

Go, and practice resurrection!

Postlude

I Dream of the Day

By Robert Bruch

This essay is about world community. It was written by Robert Bruch, after a visit to the Republic of Kenya in East Africa.

I’ve been dreaming of fresh water in every village of the globe…of women taking their right place in the forums of society…of the cultural riches of humankind, from the most primitive tribe to the greatly civilized, being honored and accessible to all.

I’ve been dreaming of a world where consumption patterns are rationalized, and the great excesses of the West are harnessed…where a confrontation among nations and groups is tempered into dialogue by the common celebration of local people’s conquest of hunger, disease, and dehumanizing poverty.

I’ve been dreaming of a world where the residents of even the poorest sections of the globe know their lives are significantly engaged in caring for this earth; where temporal resources are used in the manner designed of God, and all people will share in their rightful portion.

I dream of a day when all peoples will be yoked by the bonds of love and work in caring for the needs of each other as they are sustained by the grace of God.

As I dream these dreams, it strikes me that the Restoration has been given to the church, and we who are part of it have set out to locate ourselves intentionally around the world. With missions in thirty-nine nations, we have become a microcosm of the whole Earth —with the plural perspectives, and inequities, yet are little different from the world to which we are sent. And I dream again.

I dream of a day when all of us who call ourselves Saints are engaged to the full of our capacities. I dream of a day when our houses are clean, well-kept inside and out, beautiful places to live, where love abounds so strongly between husband and wife, parent and child, that no barrier can divide or separate.

I dream of a day when all of us know that the whole task depends on our individually doing each job assigned to us and doing it well. I dream of a day when youth and elders are genuine colleagues in one common mission—the kingdom of God on earth— where children will not have to grow up with the cloud of nuclear war hanging over them; when drug abuse is spoken of as a dark day of past history; where unemployment no longer invades family security, and each of us finds security in the work of our own hands.

I dream of a day when gossip and rumor will never hurt anymore. I dream of a day when each of us will be fully forgiven, reconciled, freed from past sin, and restored to full productive powers divinely endowed, and our unique gifts will be released for the common good of all.

I believe these are not only my dreams, but also God’s. And I believe they are worth the lives of all of us who claim to be his people.

SERMON AND CLASS HELPS

Year C—Letters

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (Proper 1)

1 Corinthians 15:12–20

Exploring the Scripture

In this passage, Paul writes the church in Corinth. He defends Christ’s resurrection and its meaning to a congregation of new Christians.

Why is Paul teaching and proclaiming the resurrection to this new church of Christians in Corinth? The city is far from Jerusalem, where a group called Sadducees did not believe in bodily resurrection. They are not in Paul’s audience. However, in the Roman Empire, many groups had various beliefs. Some believed in life after death. Others did not.

Corinth was a Greek city, now part of the Roman Empire. The population was mostly Gentiles. The city was a major seaport, a city of commerce. It had a mix of cultures, religions, and pleasures. Why is faith in Christ’s resurrection so important?

Historians’ best understanding is the church in Corinth is about five years old. Paul explains the meaning of Christ’s resurrection to a diverse group brought together by faith in this man called Jesus Christ. Two possible reasons explain why Paul is highlighting this doctrine.

One is that Paul met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19, 22:6–21 and 26:12–18). Paul is an apostle who did not walk with Jesus on the streets of Judea.

A second reason is Paul’s theology centers on what God has done in Christ. God’s love through Christ’s resurrection releases all from the grip of death and sin. Faith in this liberation is essential. For Paul, this is a key meaning of resurrection or life after death.

Faith in Christ is not faith in a miraculous one-time event. Faith in the resurrected One is faith in the resurrection itself. Faith in what God has done is faith in God as the source of life and creation. Paul’s God is a God of life. In Christ’s resurrection, life over death has won.

Central Ideas

For Paul, believing in the resurrection is essential. Through Christ’s resurrection, God shows purpose for offering new life and making a new creation.
God’s purpose in Jesus is the resurrection and new life for us and all creation.
We cannot know the full meaning of resurrection unless we include an understanding of life after death and the spiritual rebirth faith in Christ brings. Even as a metaphor, Paul’s teaching is powerful.
God is a God of life. If we focus on sin, death, and judgment, we miss the point of the gospel.

Questions for the Speaker

What do Jesus’s death and resurrection mean to you? How do you understand the meaning of resurrection? How do others understand it?
How do you understand Paul’s idea that death is the price for sin? To answer this question, we must consider sin beyond personal sin and think about the world, human brokenness, and shared sins of the world. What does a full restoration and new life mean to you, and how does it affect all creation?
If we die with Christ, as Paul preaches, how does faith in the resurrection bring about new life and new creation?
How might we live this faith in God’s power of new life each day?

SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY

Year C, Letters

Sixth Week after Epiphany, Proper 1

1 Corinthians 15:12–20 NRSVue

Gathering

Welcome

The season after Epiphany includes the weeks between Epiphany and Transfiguration Sunday.

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.

Light the peace candle.

God of healing, we are tired of violence and conflict. It is hard to see our neighbors in pain. It is hard to see our children in fear. It is hard to see people suffer. Conflict is hard to see and to experience.

Working for peace is also hard. Like a doctor who needs to operate to remove a cancerous tumor, working for peace requires confronting the root of the problem. When we confront the root, sometimes we need to cut through healthy tissue to get to it. How often do we say, “Keep the peace,” for the sake of the status quo, resisting the pain that so often comes with healing?

In the name of Jesus, the Perfecter of our faith. Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Dwelling in the Word

I will read a scripture aloud. As you hear it, breathe deeply and calmly, entering a state of silent listening. Try not to focus on the details. Just listen. After a moment of silence, I will read the scripture again. As you hear it, listen again for any insights of impressions that may come to you.

Read Luke 6:20–23 NRSVue:

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
“Blessed are you who are hungry now,
    for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”

Pause. Read the scripture again. Invite group members to respond to these questions:

How did it feel to let go of visually seeing scripture, just listening to impressions?
What insights did you receive about blessing?

Sharing around the Table

1 Corinthians 15:12–20 NRSVue

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.

Corinth was a diverse community of Gentiles and Jews. The city was far from Jerusalem, where a group called the Sadducees did not believe in a bodily resurrection. Paul’s audience included people from the Roman Empire. This group had various beliefs. Some believed in life after death; some did not.

Historians believe the church in Corinth was about five years old. Paul explains the meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to these diverse people. The meaning of the resurrection is important to Paul. For one thing, he met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Though he is now an apostle, Paul had not known Jesus personally or walked with him on the streets of Judea.

Secondly, Paul’s theology centers on what God has done in Christ. Through God’s love, Christ’s resurrection liberates all humanity from the grip of death and sin.

The resurrection is an ongoing realization that Christ is with us. We believe, not because of any inherent logic, but because our acceptance of that conviction opens us to the wonder and power of God. It opens us to a life lived through the eyes of faith. The power of the resurrection calls us to live a life committed to the principles taught by the Living Christ.

Questions

What do Jesus’s death and resurrection mean to you?
If we die with Christ as Paul preaches, how does faith in the resurrection bring new life and new creation?
How might we live this faith in God’s power of new life each day?

Sending

Generosity Statement

Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.

—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response. You also may give at CofChrist.org/give.

The offering prayer for Epiphany is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response.

Revealing God, may we always be generous. You have gifted each of us with boundless grace and unending love. May our response to that love and grace be humble service to others, and may generosity be part of our nature. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

Closing Hymn

Community of Christ Sings 58, “God of Still Waiting”

Closing Prayer

Optional Additions Depending on Group

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Thoughts for Children

Thoughts for Children

Materials:

basket
coin
piece of bread
fish
Band-aid strip
boat
bag of Goldfish crackers

Lesson: Jesus Loves You

Read John 3:16–17 CEB.

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Say: Jesus is God’s Son. God loves everyone, and God sent Jesus to show people how to love each other. Jesus fed hungry people. He healed sick people. He asked fishermen to come with him and be disciples. He encouraged rich people to share their treasure with poor people. He made friends with people who did not have many friends.

Many things remind us of what Jesus did and said.

Show the basket with a coin, boat, bread, fish, and Band-aid.

Ask: How might Jesus have used the items in the basket? Encourage children to share their responses.

Jesus used these items to show people they were loved. How can we show other people that Jesus loves them?

We can show the love of Jesus by sharing with others.

Share Goldfish crackers with the children and group members and thank the children for sharing.

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