Prelude Miriam Enman
Call to Worship: Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Hymn: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come, thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise his name- I’m fixed upon it- name of God’s redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, bought me with his precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee:
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
Prayer and Lord’s Prayer
Almighty God, Light from Light, who commands the universe and all that is made, your Word is the power that makes whole what is broken, the force of good, and the food of peace. Teach us now as you taught in the synagogue. Heal us now so that in all that we say and do, the freedom we have in you may be for others too; in Jesus’ name we 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Offering
Special Music
Prayer for Offering
For earth, which you have molded, for creatures and animals, plants, water, air, and fire, for Jesus who died and rose again, for the breath of life, we give you thanks, O God. Let these gifts be used for good wherever there is need, in the name of all that you have first given us, especially Christ Jesus, your Son, our Savior. AMEN
Prayer of the Day
Hear us, O God, your mercy is great.
Hymn: Trust and Obey
When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word, what a glory she sheds on our way!
While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he will richly repay;
not a grief nor a loss, not a frown nor a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey.
But we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the alter we lay;
for the favor he shows and the joy he bestows are for them who will trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet, or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
What he says we will do, where he sends we will go- never fear, only trust and obey.
Scripture: Galatians 6: 4-10 (MSG)
4-5 Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.
6 Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience.
7-8 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.
Questions to Ponder
- In the eyes of God, who are you and what work have you been given?
- Take some time to write out the God-given qualities of “You”.
- What are some examples of a “self-sufficient maturity?”
- What have you planted in your life?
- What is you would like to plant?
- What changes do you need to make in your life to plant “in response to God”?
- Are you tired?
- How does the community of faith give us encouragement and energy to continue?
- Challenge: Reach out to someone this week to encourage them. If you need encouragement, reach out to someone for encouragement.
Hymn: He Leadeth Me, O Blessed Thought
He leadeth me, O blessed thought, O words of heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be, still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.
Refrain: He leadeth me, he leadeth me, by his own hand he leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.
Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine, nor ever murmur nor repine,
content, whatever lot I see, since ‘tis my God that leadeth me.
And when my task on earth is done, when by thy grace the victory’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, since God through Jordan leadeth me.
Blessing
Postlude