Gathering God’s People
Acknowledgement of First Peoples
From
river to ocean, from campfire to hearth,
May
the First People who have cared for this Land be blessed.
From
breath to song, from step to dance,
May
those who follow Your Song lines guide us on the journey of living honourably
in this place.
From
greeting to Amen, from silence to chorus,
Call to Worship (Abingdon Worship Annual
2018)
Blessed are those who meditate on God’s ways, for they are
like trees planted by streams of living water, bearing fruit in due season.
Happy are those who draw near and grow strong in the Lord.
Draw
near to God and grow strong in God’s presence. Seek God’s wisdom and know joy as
God draws near.
Live
as trees planted by living waters, and Christ will give you peace.
Rest
in the shade of the Tree of Life, and Christ will lead you home.
Draw
near to God, and God will draw near to you.
Hymn TIS 107: “Sing praise and thanksgiving”
Opening Prayer
Source
of wisdom and understanding, plant us by your streams of living water, that we
may bear the fruit of peace and mercy in the seasons of our lives; …Place your
wisdom and understanding within us, that we may be far more precious than
jewels to those in need of your healing love. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
We
live in a world, O God, that looks for wisdom and understanding in all the
wrong places.
You
teach us that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, yet we strive for
these things above the virtues of industry, mercy, gentleness, and service…
Declaration of Forgiveness
When
we draw near to God, God draws near to us. God blesses us with humility,
gentleness, mercy, wisdom, and understanding. Draw near to God and touch the
inexhaustible love of God.
Thanks
be to God!
The Peace
When
we make peace, we sow the seeds of justice by our peaceful acts. Let us sow the
peace of Christ this morning, as we share signs of our commitment to justice
and mercy.
Peace
be with you!
And
also with you
A Word with the Children/Young People
Rev.
John told the story of children walking along the street, holding their
precious toys. One girl was cuddling her China doll which was knocked from her
hands. The result was predictable…the doll smashed, breaking the child’s heart
with it. But her friend remained with her, sharing tears of grief. We can
rarely mend problems god other people but we can grieve with them. Letting them
know that we share their pain and are reaching out to support them.
Invitation to the
Offering
With
the wife from Proverbs, who is far more precious than jewels, let us open our
hands to the poor and our hearts to the needy. Let us sow peace in our world
through the gifts and offerings we collect this day.
Hymn TIS 650: “Brother sister, let me serve you.”
The Service of the Word
James 3:13 - 4:3
13 Who
is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are
done with gentleness born of wisdom.
Mark 9:30-37
35 He
sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must
be last of all and servant of all.’ 36 Then he took a little
child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 ‘Whoever
welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me
welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’
Preaching of the Word
Can Goodness and Wisdom
Coexist? –
Here,
I have selected just one of the many points Rev. John covered today and drawn
his words on that subject together..
James
in his letter tries to show the natural link between goodness and wisdom. The
combining of wisdom and goodness is not something we want to restrict. We have
a contrast of two kinds of wisdom: heavenly/godly wisdom with earthly/evil
wisdom. Like the early church people, we want to know how to gain
heavenly/godly wisdom.
This
distinction between goodness and wisdom is one that has never occurred to me
but when we attached “worldly” to “wisdom” all becomes clear. But the “wisdom” of
the Bible’s Sophia fits the bill. That wisdom is God’s wisdom, wisdom coming
from God. That sort of wisdom goes hand in hand with goodness and the holy
action that follows.
.
Hymn TIS 609: “May the mind of
Christ my Saviour” Amen to that. Isn't that the point of listening for God’s
voice?
Music
to lead us to prayer: This is a time for each of us to draw near to our God. A
time of quiet to absorb the words we have heard in the readings and the sermon
or to contemplate our own concerns and bring them before God.
Hymn TIS 256: “From
heaven you came, helpless babe”. And yet we are so unwilling to become
helpless before our Lord and be guided by God’s will. We try so hard to find
our own solutions.
Benediction
Having drawn near to the God of love, we go
forth to bear fruit in due season. Having drawn near to the Spirit of wisdom,
we go forth with humility and understanding. Having drawn near to the Presence
of mercy and grace, we go forth as children of compassion and peace. Go with
God.
Hymn TIS 780: May
light come into your eyes
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