The call to rise up—to shake off what chains us down and drags us through the mud and turn our eyes to God—echoes throughout scripture. Following the Revised Common Lectionary for Epiphany Year B, this six week sermon series highlights the joys and challenges of rising up to follow God’s call, no matter what that looks like in our lives. Each week pairs a Biblical character with someone from modern(ish) day.
Week 1: “Rise Up”
Scripture: Isaiah 60:1-5
In this brilliant piece of poetry, Isaiah charges his nation, still tattered by the after-effects of the Babylonian exile, to rise up and recognize the glory of God in their midst. Isaiah’s words echo in the modern R&B classic, “Rise Up” by Andra Day. According to this Time article, she wrote “Rise Up” as a prayer for a friend diagnosed with cancer, and it has since come to be the unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement. Even in the shiny new year, your congregation may be struggling with old hurts and trials carried over from the past year, whether personal or communal. Encourage them, as Isaiah encouraged the Israelites, to rise up to shine with the glory of God, even when the world is far from perfect.
Week 2: “Rise Up: Jesus”
Scripture: Mark 1:4-11
This scripture plunges us into Jesus’ ministry with the Baptism of the Lord. Baptism is more than just a welcome party for new Christians (although it is that, too). It is certainly more than a churchy version of a baby shower. Baptism is our springboard into the Christian life. God’s call, like a rushing current, is going to sweep us off our feet, sooner or later. The nineteenth century preacher and activist Sojourner Truth grounded her extraordinary ministry of justice-seeking in her sure knowledge of her belovedness in Christ. Claiming her baptism directly from the Holy Spirit, she rose up, out of slavery, out of degradation, and out of oppression, to follow God’s call.
Week 3: “Rise Up: Samuel”
Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Samuel’s call story is one of the most famous in scripture, and it is a pattern many of us can relate to. Samuel is not sure whether the voice is God’s or Eli’s, his mentor; Eli helps him to discern, and to rise up to answer the call. Take this opportunity to tell your call story, or invite one or more members of the congregation to do the same.
Week 4: “Rise Up: Jonah”
Scripture: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 OR Jonah 1, 4
The Book of Jonah is a rarity in our Bible–a comedy about a prophet called by God who rises up, only to run as hard as he can in the other direction. Jonah’s reluctance is understandable, but he learns that you can’t escape a call. The late Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon, the first Black woman ordained in the PC(USA), professor, and pioneer of womanist ethics, tells a story about her reluctance to leave a much-loved job at Union Theologicial Seminary in New York when Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, VA called and asked her to interview. Despite her resistance to living in Richmond, the one-time capitol of the confederacy, she felt a “poke” between her shoulder blades as she was getting off the train–a nudge directly from God, she felt, to come to Union Presbyterian. Her work there, from 2001 until her death in 2018, transformed the seminary and the students who learned under her wisdom. Click here to learn more about Dr. Cannon.
Week 5: “Rise Up: Peter’s Mother-in-Law”
Scripture: Mark 1:29-39
Peter’s mother-in-law receives only the briefest of mentions in our gospels, but the fact that her story is preserved tells us it bears an important truth. Jesus raises her from her illness to an intimate, unglamorous kind of ministry–the diakonia (deacon work) of caring for the disciples in her home. Calls to rise up and follow God can often leave the disabled, chronically ill, or aged feeling left out, as if discipleship was only for the able-bodied and physically strong. Contemporary Christian songwriter Brenton Brown was a worship leader at a megachurch in England when he was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In his mid-20s, he had to essentially retire and move back in with his parents while leading Sunday worship was out of his reach. However, out of that period came new songs, including Everlasting God, which became a hugely popular anthem for those whose call is to rest and wait for the Lord. Both Brenton and Peter’s mother-in-law offer us a different vision of the importance of doing what you can, and having it celebrated as enough.
Week 6: “Rise Up: James”
Scripture: Mark 9:2-9
We frequently focus on the glorious picture of Jesus on the mountaintop, raised up close to his heavenly Father at the point where land and sky touch. But in order for this powerful event to come down to us, someone had to rise up and climb that mountain with him–Peter, James, and John. This first-person monologue imagines what it was like to rise up and follow Jesus to the mountaintop from the perspective of James. Alternately, you might meditate on the Christian life as a climb both up and down mountains, seeking Christ both on the mountaintop and in the valley.
Ministry Resources
Rise Up Liturgy
- Weekly Call to Worship
- Weekly Confessional Prayer
- a Celebration of Baptism
- a Communion Liturgy for 5B
- Dramatic Monologue: James at the Transfiguration
Rise Up Graphics (editable Canva templates)
Deep Well Worship 