A Lovely Walk
Call to Worship - (B. J. Beu, Abingdon 2016)
Who is able to stand in the face of the storm
and not be moved? Who is able to kneel before the Lord and not be put to shame?
Those who walk blamelessly and speak truthfully with gentleness from their
whole heart. Those who are not afraid to appear foolish in the pursuit of
peace.
What does the Lord require of you?
To do justice, love kindness, and walk
humbly with our God.
With what shall we come before the Lord?
With speech that is gentle, and words that
build up.
With actions that bring peace, and works that
lift up the lowly.
Come, let us worship the Lord our God in
spirit and in truth.
All are welcome here!
Hymn TIS 454: "Worship the Lord in the
beauty of holiness"
Opening prayer
Let the hills hear your voice, O Lord, let the
mountains quake before you. Let all who call on your name walk in the ways of
righteousness and peace. Let all who look to you for help be blameless and do
what is right. May our words be gentle and may our hearts be free from guile
and deceit. May our actions be rooted in justice and mercy, and may we be known
as peace makers, the blessed children of God. Amen.
A Prayer of Confession
John prayed on our behalf, admitting that when
life gets too big for us, we seek blessings for ourselves rather than looking
after the needs of others. He confessed, for us, how we react to what others do
rather than act in God's name. When wounded by the actions and words of others
we seek approval rather than being a blessing for others.
"Fill us with a hunger and a thirst for
righteousness, that we may be pure in heart, merciful and kind, and walk humbly
in your ways. Amen."
Declaration of Forgiveness
The God who blessed us to be a blessing is
stronger than our weaknesses, and greater than our failings. Even when we fall
short, God’s love embraces us and sets us on our feet again.
Thanks, be to God!
The Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be
called children of God. As God’s beloved children, let us share the peace of
Christ with those around us.
Offering Prayer
God of mercy and compassion, may these offerings
be for the world: peace and justice, love and kindness, comfort and hope; may
these offerings be for our church: honour and openness, gratitude and
thankfulness, inspiration and expectation. Blessed are those who seek justice,
love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. Amen
Hymn TIS 146:
"God, who made the earth" (Beechwood)
Bible Readings.
Micah 6: 1-8 Hear
what the Lord has to say. He has taken you out of the land of slavery and been
with you all through your history. Remember. What will I do? Will I bring burnt
offerings? Will I make sacrifices?
"He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and
what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and
to walk humbly with your God?"
1 Corinthians 1: 18-31. For the message
about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God.. But God chose what is foolish in the world
to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
God chose what is low and despised in the world,
things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are...
Matthew 5: 1- 12.
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down; 3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven. 4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. 5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 ‘Blessed
are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they will see God. 9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
be called children of God. 10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 ‘Blessed are you
when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against
you falsely on my account.’
Preaching of the Word A Lovely Walk - Micah 6:1-8
In the book of Micah, the Lord is structured
and methodical. The Lord tells Israel everything that is on God’s mind. The
Lord gives exact, historical details of what the Lord has done for them. The
Lord reminds the people how God has never left them, not one time. The Lord
brought them up out of Egypt, redeemed them from a life of slavery, gave them
leaders, and protected them! There is no question of the Lord’s presence and
action in their lives.
Yet the nation Israel has forgotten they are
in a covenantal relationship; they have gone astray and not repented. The Lord
demands their loyalty and love; they are estranged from the Lord. God reminds
Israel of the Lord’s saving acts that they may again enter a right
relationship. The Lord reminds them of what has been done on their behalf and
how they thrive when they follow the Lord’s ways. The Lord understands the
people. God knows that they will try to make God happy, and that they will try
to do so in ways that they have been told are wrong...
Today, as New Testament people, we may
think that these requirements have been replaced by the cross. Yet, if
injustice, poverty, and oppression exist in our world, we need to be reminded
of the Lord’s words. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly. Three small
phrases perhaps, but they carry the weight of the Torah and the New Testament
alike. O mortals, human beings, why should we try to offer more than what is
asked for when, even now, we cannot give the minimum the Lord has required?
These are three paragraphs of John's sermon.
They are the ones that came home to me most particularly. We forget what God
has done for us. We forget that he is wise and we are not. We forget that it
has been his wisdom that has made our lives blessed and we try to go our own
way.
We need to remember to abide by his teaching.
Hymn TIS 618: "What does the Lord require"
Music to lead us to prayer
Intercessory Prayers
In his prayer John prayed for the needs of all
people, particularly those who exist in harsh situations, through no fault of their own but
through the fault of people who are seeking their own advancement. He prayed
for Godly leadership and then prayed for our congregations and the needs of
those known to our congregation who need special support at this time. We then
joined in The Lord's Prayer.
Hymn TIS 448:
"Blest are the pure in heart"
Benediction
Seek justice and discover God’s blessings. We go
forth to walk humbly before our God.
Practise
kindness and touch Christ’s presence within. We go
forth to follow the way of peace.
Share mercy and abide in the Holy Spirit. We
go forth in the footsteps of compassion.
Go into this week blessed by the assurance of
God’s care inspired by the presence of Jesus Christ energised by the power of the
Holy Spirit. Amen
Hymn TIS 778: “Shalom
to you now,”
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