John 13:31-35 ~ May 18, 2025
Call to Worship:
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in the heights!
Praise God, all you angels; praise God, all creatures high and low!
Rulers of the earth and all peoples, praise God’s holy name!
All people together!
With one voice, let us praise the Lord!
Hymn: #706 Come, let us sing
Prayer of Approach and Confession:
Holy God,
the first and the last, beginning and end of all things,
you are worthy of praise from all your creation.
Sun, moon, and stars praise you.
Earth, sea, and sky praise you.
Every living thing praises you in its own way.
And so, we praise you in our human diversity,
joining our varied voices with all your creatures in heaven and on earth.
You fill our lives with the wonder of your love in Christ Jesus.
Your Spirit moves throughout the world
to reveal your purposes for every living thing.
Receive our prayers and praise this day,
for you are the Source of our life and our hope,
Holy God, ever Three and Ever One.
Loving God,
Jesus commanded us to love one another
so the world would know we follow him.
Yet we confess we do not always love one another,
as Jesus loves us.
The world has seen our squabbling,
our history of hypocrisy,
and our lack of compassion for those who are in pain.
Loving God, forgive us.
Lord Jesus, continue to love us.
Holy Spirit, fill us with love,
so that the world will witness your love in our words and actions. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
Jesus taught us that no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Christ has laid down his life for us and invites us to love one another as he has loved us. Let us rejoice in his forgiving love and share it with each other day by day.
Hymn: #350 To God be the glory
Scripture Readings: Psalm 148
Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,[b]
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
John 13:31-35
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him,[a] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Meditation: “Obey”
A little boy wanted to meet God. Not knowing where God lived, the boy packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started out on his journey. When he had gone a few blocks, he met an old woman who was sitting in the park staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! Together they sat all afternoon eating and smiling.
it grew dark, the boy realized it was time to go home, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I had Twinkies and root beer with God, and you know, he’s much younger than I expected.”
John 13:31-35 is part of Jesus’ farewell speech to his disciples. It takes place on the night before his crucifixion, and he is giving his disciples final instructions for continuing his work, just like many of us might give instructions to our families before we go away on a trip for picking up your mail, checking on your home or mowing your lawn.
In this passage, Jesus is teaching his disciples about humility, acceptance and love. This particular passage occurs just after Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, and after Judas has left to betray Jesus. Judas’ departure began the process by which Jesus was glorified by God. Jesus knew that Judas’ actions would result in victory over sin and death, but the disciples didn’t realize it even though Jesus told them several times that he would die and rise again. Jesus was their source of comfort and strength, but he knew that they would have to learn to support each other after he returned to heaven. That’s one reason why he issued the commandment to love one another. It is also the new commandment that we are to follow.
Jesus told the disciples that he will be glorified through his death and resurrection. His death and resurrection opened the door of salvation for us. Before we can walk through that door, we have to obey God’s commandments, including the new one Jesus introduces in his farewell speech-love each other just like I have loved you. This commandment is not entirely new. The Israelites were told in Leviticus to love their neighbours[1], and to the Israelites to love both foreigners and fellow Israelites[2].
Jesus was a clear model of the love he requires, and he proved that by washing the disciples’ feet. The commandment focuses on the Christian community. We are called on to love everyone-friends, enemies and total strangers. It creates a new covenant based on love and not obedience to the laws. This new commandment is open ended. There is no end to the requirement, so we can never say that we have obeyed it entirely. Even if we can’t feel affection for someone, we can still help them, and when we do, we show Christ’s love.
The life Jesus calls us to live is a life lived as a servant of others. We love our neighbours when we seek them out. We love our neighbours when we make ourselves available to serve them. We love our neighbours when we shepherd them in their walk with the Lord and teach them in God’s Word.
Jesus’ humility and service to others, especially when he washed the disciples’ feet, is a good example for us to follow. Here was the Master serving others, and not the other way around. If Jesus could serve others, so can we. He showed his love for others by serving them. If he can love others by serving them, we can also love others by serving them.
We don’t have the option of ignoring this new commandment. Obeying it is a sign of our love for Jesus. It requires us to throw ourselves on God’s mercy. It’s hard for us to love others as Jesus commanded because it goes against our human nature. It goes against human reasoning and logic. It’s not logical for us to love our enemies or those who hate us. It’s not logical to love people who are different from us, or at least that’s what the Jews thought. They did not want to love the Gentiles. In fact, the Jews often referred to the Gentiles by names that were rather uncomplimentary, such as “dogs”. God showed Peter in the reading from Acts 11:18 that he loves the Gentiles as much as he loves the Jews, and to refuse to accept the Gentiles would be hindering God and opposing his will. When we find it hard to love our enemies or those who are different from us, all we have to do is remember what Jesus did for us. All we have to do to respond to what he did for us to is love our neighbours just like Jesus loves us.
Amen.
Hymn: #376 Lord the light of your love is shining
Invitation of Offering:
The season of Easter is unfolding while the gifts of spring also remind us of God’s generosity in Christ and in creation. May the gifts we offer show our gratitude for God’s goodness to us, and the hope for new life we have in Christ Jesus.
Doxology: #830 Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Prayer of Dedication:
Generous God, we bless you for your gift of life renewed through Christ’s love, and through springtime growth in fields and gardens. Bless the gifts we bring and make them signs of hope and renewal in the world we serve in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen.
Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer:
Creating God,
you have given us so many wonders in this world you created.
We thank you for spring sunshine and refreshing rain;
for colours exploding in blossoms opening,
grass greening, and gardens sprouting.
Thank you for all the signs of new life around us this Easter season.
Make the earth fruitful in this growing season,
so that food will be plentiful for the hungry.
God of new life,
We pray that we might learn to care for our planet as your gift
before it’s too late.
We pray for scientists and all those who work tirelessly
to teach us how to look after the environment.
Renew their energy for the responsibilities they carry.
We pray for leaders in government, business and communities,
that they will make care for the earth a priority
for the sake of generations yet to come.
Inspire each of us to do all we can,
no matter how small or insignificant our efforts may seem,
to walk more respectfully on the face of your creation.
God of the small and insignificant as well as powerful and influential,
we thank you for our families and friends
who offer us love and encouragement as we move through life.
We pray for those families and communities
whose lives have been disrupted by war and conflict,
who worry about safety each day
and what the future will hold for them.
Guide all those with decision-making power
to consider the lives of the vulnerable as very precious,
and make policies that protect the future for them.
God of the vulnerable,
we pray for all those whose future is uncertain:
for those who are facing illness or waiting for treatment,
for those mourning the loss of someone dear,
and for those who feel lonely or discouraged.
We pray for those who are homeless or unemployed,
for all who know hunger or despair,
and for those facing danger or discrimination every day.
Empower us with your Spirit to reach out to those in need,
in this community and in places distant from us,
so that we can make your love tangible in their lives,
in Jesus’ name.
God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you for this community that gathers in Jesus’ name,
for the warmth and welcome offered here,
for friendship and faithfulness discovered,
for learning and leadership shared with each other.
Thank you for the hope that rises in us
through the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ.
Make us expressions of that hope to each other
and to the world you love for Jesus’ sake,
as we join our voices with his followers around the world,
praying the words he taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy 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 trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn: #655 Give me oil in my lamp
Benediction:
Go in peace; God calls us to step out in faith, to follow where He leads
even if what He calls us to do seems impossible. So let’s go from here with courage, trusting in God’s presence and power, and eager to do God’s will.
Now may the LORD keep us and bless us,
May the LORD make his face to shine upon us
and be gracious unto us,
Now and for ever more, AMEN.
Choral Closing: “Go Now in Peace”
Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true.
Know He will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there watching from above.
Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.
May 11th, 2025
https://pccweb.ca/knox-goderich/files/2025/05/Hear-My-Voice.docx