( Forgiveness used with permission of Sarah Loor.)

Transcription

1 ( Forgiveness used with permission of Sarah Loor.) Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles, a headache, and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth. Forgiveness gives you back the laughter and the lightness in your life. Joan Lunden July 19, :30 a.m.

2 The Colonial Church in Prairie Village United Church of Christ Debts, Sins, or Trespasses? Sunday Worship Service 1 Please silence your electronic devices in preparation for worship. * Please rise in body or spirit We Gather as God s People Gathering Music Vater unser in Himmelreich J.S. Bach Welcome and Announcements (Please sign and pass pew pads and fill out Prayer Request cards you may have. You can place the Prayer Request cards in the offering plates later in the service.) A Moment to Lay Your Burdens Down * Opening Hymn #42 O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing * Call to Worship Based on Psalm 32 Leader: The one whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered over, is truly happy! People: When I kept quiet, my bones wore out; I was groaning all day long every day, every night! My energy was sapped as if in a summer drought. Leader: So I admitted my sin to you; I didn't conceal my guilt. People: I found in you a relief from my burdens! You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of rescue! Leader: I will instruct you and teach you about the direction you should go. I'll advise you and keep my eye on you. People: Faithful love surrounds the one who trusts the LORD. So, with hope we sing out in joy!

3 * Song of Praise Gloria #759 adapted Glory to the Creator, and to the Christ, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen. Amen. 2 * Sharing God s Welcome (Greet everyone in the hope of peace and friendship.) We Hear a Word from God A Word Proclaimed The Argument for Debts (ὀφείλημα/opheilema) Matthew 6:9 13 [Jesus said:] "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. The Argument for Sins (ἁμαρτία/hamartia) Luke 11:2 4 "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial." What About Trespasses? (παράπτωμα/paraptoma) Matthew 6:14 15 [Right after teaching the debts prayer, Jesus said,] For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. The Really Important Word (ἀφίημι/aphiemi) Matthew 18:21 35 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?" Jesus said, "Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle accounts, they brought to

4 him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold. Because the servant didn't have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, 'Please, be patient with me, and I'll pay you back.' The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan. When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, 'Pay me back what you owe me.' Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I'll pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt. When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. His master called the first servant and said, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. Shouldn't you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? 'His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don't forgive your brother or sister from your heart." 3

5 We Respond with Thanksgiving and Prayer Call to Offering and Offertory Now Thank We All Our God 4 Dupre * Doxology (#780 adapted; tune Old Hundredth) Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God above, you heavenly host: Creator, Christ, and Spirit, One. Amen. * Prayer of Dedication Ever faithful God, you have given everything to us. May your Spirit of abundance, which gives more than we ask or imagine, bless these gifts for your Kingdom in Jesus name, Amen. Time of Prayer Prayers of the People Believing that each joy and/or concern expressed is indeed a prayer, after each expression, the Pastor will say: Lord, in your mercy. And the people may respond: Hear our prayer. Praying in Silence Our Lord s Prayer ( Our Father is the traditional way this prayer begins. You are invited to use whatever name for God you find most meaningful (Father, Mother, Creator, God, etc.). These names for God create a beautiful chorus.) 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.

6 We Depart to Serve 5 * Hymn #13 O My Soul, Bless Your Creator * Renew Our Covenant (Turn towards the center aisle as we bless one another with the promise of our covenant.) We covenant with the Lord and with one another and do bind ourselves in the presence of God to walk together in Christian Love. We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth and to love our neighbors as ourselves. With God s help we will honor Colonial Church in our conduct, support its program, and extend the influence of Christ throughout the world. * Benediction and Postlude Melita (Toccata) Wold (Some liturgical elements used with permission of United Church of Christ Worship Ways.)

7 6 We are covering First Corinthians in our 10:00am Thursday morning Bible Study. It s a short study for a few weeks this summer, so if you would like to give it a try, please do! Keep the simple point in mind: our primary purpose is not simply learning information about the Bible First Corinthians, in particular. It is hearing God speak. Lesson 1 Who Owns the Congregation? Homework Step 1: First Reading 1 Corinthians 3:5 23 Find a comfortable place to sit, when you can be undisturbed for 15 minutes or so. Read the text slowly, prayerfully and meditatively. Savor the words. Pray them. Put yourself into the text with your senses. When do you hear, smell, or feel? Pay attention to words or phrases that speak to you or jump out at you. Consider reading it aloud. Step 2: Second Reading of the same text This may happen at the same time as your first reading or at a different time or on another day. For this second reading, note any questions you might have. Is the reading all one, or can you see subsections or parts? Who are the main characters? Is there a plot or story? Note additional information you need place names, monetary values, etc. to better understand what s going on. Step 3: Interpreting the Text and Homework Questions (if you are planning to come to class, give the church office a call so that we can mail a copy of the lesson to you.)

8 Homework Questions 1. So we re on the same page, look up the word metaphor and write down its definition. List three metaphors Paul uses for the church in this passage. Does one of these speak to you more than the others? Why? 2. If we think of the congregation itself as a building, what might be some of the materials that preachers, teachers, and church leaders use as they work in God s building? 3. Can you think of instances when buildings were built hastily or not up to code? What were the consequences of such construction? Note examples. 4. There s quite a revolutionary idea in verses 16 17, namely that the congregation not a physical structure or building is God s Temple. How does this relate to Paul s concern about factions, factionalism, and disunity in the church? 5. How in your congregation do you allow and encourage God s Spirit (v. 16) to be active? And how is God s Spirit sometimes not allowed to be active and alive in your congregation? 6. What is the week s reading saying to me? What is it saying for our church community? 7

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