My Work Files: 2011

Epiphany 6A

INTRODUCTION

In today's reading from Deuteronomy we are called to choose life by loving and obeying God. Much of today's gospel reading echoes portions of the Ten Commandments. Jesus' instructions to the crowd reveal a pattern of behavior that honors both God and the neighbor, resulting in life and health for the whole community. We, too, are invited to embrace these commandments, not out of fear of retribution, but because God has promised that to do so means life for us.

GREETING

The grace of God in Christ Jesus, poured out in every gift of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

And also with you.

CALL TO WORSHIP: (from Psalm 119:1-8)

copyright - Rev. Richard J. Fairchild - Spirit Networks, 1999, 2006

L The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

P And also with you.

L Blessed are those who walk in God's way without blame. Blessed are those who seek God with their whole heart. May we be faithful in keeping all God’s statutes. Let us praise God with an upright heart.

CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 119)

Worship Connection

Happy are those who are without blame.

Blessed are those who walk in God's way.

Happy are those who are faithful.

Blessed are those who seek God.

We will obey your word, O God.

CALL TO WORSHIP

David von Schlichten, Lectionary Homiletics

Leader: See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.

People: We love the Lord our God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Leader: We belong to Christ.

People: We are God’s servants, working together; we are God’s field, God’s building.

PRAYER OF INVOCATION

copyright - Rev. Richard J. Fairchild - Spirit Networks, 1999, 2006

Most Loving and Gracious God, we praise you for the guidance that you give us from day to day in your word and by your Spirit. We thank you for choosing to dwell among us, and we praise you for calling us to be your faithful people. Bless, we pray, this time of worship and of prayer that those who need comfort may be comforted, those who need challenge may be challenged, and that all of us may grow closer together as your children - as members of the body of Christ Jesus our Risen Lord, in whose name we pray, both now and forevermore. Amen.

PRAYER OF INVOCATION (Deuteronomy 30, Psalm 119)

Worship Connections

Come, Holy God: teach us your ways, lead us in your paths, guide us on our journey. Speak to us your words of life, for you offer us direction and wholeness when we hear your voice and follow. You bless us with your love, shower us with your grace, and help us grow in faith. We seek you, O God, with all our hearts. Be near us this day. Amen.

PRAYER OF INVOCATION

David von Schlichten, Lectionary Homiletics

Lord of the Commandments, you have made us a spiritual people, and you lead us to the Promised Land. Empower us to follow your law while trusting in your grace for our salvation. In the name of Christ our teacher we pray. Amen.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.

Blessed be the holy Trinity, + one God, who spread out the heavens and the earth, who gives light and breath to the nations, who makes all things new.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and one another.

Silence is kept for reflection.

Holy and healing God, we confess that we have fallen short of the life you desire for us. We choose our priorities over your commandments. We divide the body of Christ. The earth groans under our demands. Have mercy, O God. Restore us and all things to health, that we may do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

Hear the voice from heaven: "You are my own, my beloved." You belong to Christ, and through the power of the cross + your sins are all forgiven. God is faithful and will strengthen you, that your light may shine before others, that you may be God's holy people in the world. Amen.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

David von Schlichten, Lectionary Homiletics

Prayer of Confession

Covenant-Elohim, you promise us eternal life and guide us with your teachings, yet we continue to mistrust and disobey you. We ignore your precepts when they do not suit us. We are quick to put each other down, slow to reconcile with one another. We allow our sinful thoughts to pervert our actions. We are hasty to give up on each other and to make vows we cannot abide by.

For the sake of our Mount-Sermon Savior, forgive us. Feed us. Yes.

Words of Assurance

David von Schlichten, Lectionary Homiletics

Hallelujah! The wisdom of the cross saves us! All your sins are forgiven, deleted, no matter what, and Christ reteaches us God’s luscious law.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (ELW)

O God, the strength of all who hope in you, because we are weak mortals we accomplish nothing good without you. Help us to see and understand the things we ought to do, and give us grace and power to do them, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (LBW)

Lord God, mercifully receive the prayers of your people. Help us to see and understand the things we ought to do, and give us grace and power to do them; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (16)

READINGS

Deuteronomy 30:15–20

Sirach 15:15–20 (Alternate)

Psalm 119:1–8

Happy are they who follow the teaching of the LORD. (Ps. 119:1)

1 Corinthians 3:1–9

Matthew 5:21–37

DEUTERONOMY 30:15–20

The Lord sets before the people of God a clear choice. Life and prosperity will come to the faithful; loss of the land will be the consequence of disobedience. Choosing life entails loving the Lord and holding fast to him. Life in God's presence presupposes the promise made to the ancestors.

¹⁵See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. ¹⁶If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. ¹⁷But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, ¹⁸I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. ¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, ²⁰loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

SIRACH 15:15–20 (Alternate)

Wisdom literature has a high estimation of human possibilities. We are God's trusted creatures. Wisdom invites people to choose to keep God's commandments. Contrariwise, God does not command people to be wicked or give them permission to sin.

¹⁵If you choose, you can keep the commandments,

and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.

¹⁶He has placed before you fire and water;

stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.

¹⁷Before each person are life and death,

and whichever one chooses will be given.

¹⁸For great is the wisdom of the Lord;

he is mighty in power and sees everything;

¹⁹his eyes are on those who fear him,

and he knows every human action.

²⁰He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,

and he has not given anyone permission to sin.\

PSALM 119:1–8

Happy are they who follow the teaching of the LORD. (Ps. 119:1)

¹Happy are they whose ^| way is blameless,

who follow the teaching ^| of the LORD!

²Happy are they who observe ^| your decrees

and seek you with ^| all their hearts,

³who never do ^| any wrong,

but always walk ^| in your ways.

⁴You laid down ^| your commandments,

that we should ^| fully keep them. R

⁵Oh, that my ways were made ^| so direct

that I might ^| keep your statutes!

⁶Then I should not be ^| put to shame,

when I regard all ^| your commandments.

⁷I will thank you with ^| a true heart,

when I have learned your ^| righteous judgments.

⁸I will ^| keep your statutes;

do not utter- ^| ly forsake me. R

1 CORINTHIANS 3:1–9

Human leaders in the church are not the ones who control ministry. Rather they are fellow workers who belong to God, the one who truly controls and continuously empowers the ministry of the church.

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. ²I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, ³for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? ⁴For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?

⁵What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. ⁶I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. ⁷So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ⁸The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. ⁹For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building.

MATTHEW 5:21–37

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus exhorts his followers to embrace standards of righteousness that exceed legal requirements and traditional expectations.

²¹You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.' ³⁴But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

David von Schlichten, Lectionary Homiletics

The Rev. Lowell Grisham, Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

We praise you, holy God, for guiding your people with your commandments and other teachings. We pray that all the people of God may walk in your ways and observe your commandments. Heal us from all jealousy and quarreling, that we may be grateful servants, reconciled before you, working together for you and for the good of all people. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

God of peace, your eyes are on us all, and you know every human action. We pray for nations, communities, and families that are estranged by conflict or violence, and for the gift of reconciliation and mutual forgiveness. Let your spirit of peace and compassion fill the leaders of our nation and all who hold power in the world, that they may turn away from our human inclinations toward pride and party spirit, and be servants for the common good. Bring peace to Egypt and other areas of conflict and turmoil. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

God of creation, we exalt you for the magnificence of all that you have made. We pray for the earth and its resources. May we choose life, that our decisions may bless and honor the welfare of generations to come. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

God of compassion, we pray for victims of sexual violence; for those affected by divorce; for those living with addiction, anger, fear, or illness (especially), that they may know your healing love. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

God of love, we are in awe of your matchless love. We thank you for such a mysterious and beautiful gift. Help us to love others in accord with your love. Guide us to bring comfort to the lonely on Valentine’s Day. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

We bless you for all your saints who served you in life and now rest from their labors. Bring us all to the joy of everlasting life. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Receive our prayers and hopes, God of mercy and justice, for we pray in the name of Christ, the light of the world, who taught us to pray, saying;

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 sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Merciful God, as grains of wheat scattered upon the hills were gathered together to become one bread, so let your church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, for yours is the glory through Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Ever-faithful God, you have taken us again into your arms and nourished us as your dear children. Lead us and guide us, that we may share our bread and your healing light with those who hunger and thirst, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

BLESSING

God the Father, the Majestic Glory; God the Son, the Morning Star; and God the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, bless you and + grant you peace.

Amen.

BENEDICTION AND THREEFOLD AMEN

copyright - Rev. Richard J. Fairchild - Spirit Networks, 1999, 2006

May the God of all grace who has destined you for eternal glory in Christ Jesus restore, establish and strengthen you in faith, that you may know the fullness of his blessings and the glory of being witnesses to his saving and redeeming love both now and forevermore. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Deuteronomy 30)

Worship Connections

Go forth to walk in God's ways. Hold fast to God in all you do. May the love of God be yours. Amen.

DISMISSAL

S&S 2011

Go in peace. Share the good news.

Thanks be to God.

My Work Files

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Bulletin for Epiphany 6A 2/13/11

Liturgy for Epiphany 6A