WORSHIP: JUNE 7 PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY



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Engage in Worship | slw church



GATHERING

This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

“This is the Day”


Call to Worship:   (Psalm 8)
O Lord, our Lord how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Your glory is chanted above the heavens by the mouths of babes and infants.
When I look at the heavens,
the work of God's hands, the moon and the stars which God has established;
What are human beings that God is mindful of us?
Yet God has made us little less than God, and crowned us with glory and honor.
Let our response be one of worship and adoration!


Hymn: “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee” 
    

Opening Prayer: God, whose fingers sculpt sun and moon and curl the baby’s ear; Spirit, brooding over chaos before the naming of day; Savior, sending us to earth’s ends with water and words; startle us with the grace, love and communion of your unity in diversity, that we may live to the praise of your majestic name.  We ask this in the name of Christ who welcomes all and who first taught us to pray:
                              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.  And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.  Amen

Special Music:  “We are called”


Children’s Message:  “The Great Commission”

Song to Prepare Our Hearts: “O Spirit of the Living God”

Giving Thanks:  Even though we are not able meet together, please continue to financially support the mission of God and the ministry of Christ through your gifts and offerings by contributing either through the mail or by electronic giving.  Thank you.

Special Music:  “The Summons”


Let us pray:

Holy Spirit breathe into our lungs so that we may feel your peace with us. Holy Spirit breathe into the lives of those people who are touched by the ministries of this church so they, too, may feel your peace. Holy Spirit receive the outpouring of these generous gifts offered unto you.  In the name of the One who first offered the gift of the Holy Spirit, we pray.  Amen.
                                                                                                                   

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 28: 16-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted.18 Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.”

The Message: “Peace with Justice”                                         Pastor Dave


GOD IS GOOD!                ALL THE TIME!

AND ALL THE TIME!        GOD IS GOOD!

Each of us have biases.  Each of us have elements in our life we like and elements we don’t like.  Some of them are learned through experience.  Some of them are taught by friends and family.  Our biases make up who we are and become a part of our DNA.

Our biases enter into our understanding and prejudices about others.  Typically we like people who look like us.  Typically we shy away from diversity.  We have a natural disposition to hold back from those who are different from us: racially, culturally, physically, socially, economically and historical.

Let me give you an example.  I encountered a bias when I accepted the position to become the county engineer in the neighboring county.  The prime responsibility of a county engineer is road maintenance.  Shortly after I began my employment I was informed by some of my staff that the general perception in the county was that I could not do my job effectively because I was a “city boy who grew up on a paved street and presently live on a paved street”.  Therefore I knew nothing about gravel roads.

That is a bias.

We will discuss biases later in this message.

The scripture lesson for today offers us two major lessons.

The first lesson is the introduction to the theology of the trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  We are directed by Christ to “baptize new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.  Here to for, Christ makes references to the concept of the trinity.  Christ discusses the existence of “God the Father” and makes the promise of the expected arrival of the Holy Spirit.  But here at the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel, Christ give a clear and firm directive.  We are to make new disciples from all the nations (both Jews and Gentile).  We are to baptize all new disciples in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  And we are to understand the concept of the trinity.  A very clear and concise directive for all of his disciples.
The concept of the trinity can be most confusing.  We still believe that we have one God.  (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.  Deuteronomy 6:4).  However, we are to understand that our one God has three unique and distinct personalities.  The best way for me to explain the concept of three personalities with one God is for each of you to personally evaluate your relationship to God at distinct points in your life.  Each of you must recognize that at difference times in your life you had a distinctly different relationship with God.  So whether it was happy times or sad times; whether it was times of assurance or uncertainty; whether it was fulfillment and thankfulness or empty and despair; God was there with you.  God was there with you in one of his three personalities.

The second scripture lesson for today is the directive from Christ that we are to “teach them to observe everything that I have commanded you.”  It is this directive which so parallels the concept of Peace with Justice and addresses bias within our lives.  We are commanded to teach what Christ taught us; we are to love our neighbor; we are to love our enemies; don’t judge, and you won’t be judged; don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven (Luke 6).  These lessons are living Peace with Justice.

We are not to teach to place a knee on someone’s neck until he suffocates.  We are not to teach to riot, loot and destroy an innocent person’s property.  We are not to teach that burning down buildings brings justice.

We are to teach that justice comes only through peaceful dialog and understanding.

We are to teach understanding.  We are to teach that not only do all lives matter; but especially the lives of those who bring diversity into our life.  They matter even more.

We are to understand that each of us have an innate bias, but that bias must not affect and direct our actions toward each other, irrespective of our diversity.

We are to teach Peace with Justice.

We are to teach others that your personal bias should affect only the flavor of your favorite ice cream, not your relationship with your neighbor.

We are to teach that black lives do matter.

Amen. 

Pastoral Prayer: God of us all.  Bring us to a place where we can fully understand that which you ask us to do and ask us to be.  Teach us to not only be ourselves, but also to be in Christian love with all of your children, irrespective of how they look or speak.  Teach to comprehend the concept of living together with peace and justice.  We pray all this in your Son’s name to taught us to not only love our neighbor, but also love our enemy.  Amen.

Song of Sending: “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace”                             

Benediction:  May the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious onto you.  May the Lord lift up the light of His love upon you and give you peace.  Go in peace.  Serve the Lord.

GOING FORTH:

God Will Take Care of You”

Go Now in Peace”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgMrp-KR66U                                               

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