WORSHIP: JUNE 7 PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY
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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!
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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