Merry Christmas!
Upcoming Services for January & February 2024
(All services begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary)
January 7 Holy Communion (Epiphany)
January 28 Holy Communion (After Epiphany III)
February 11 Holy Communion (Transfiguration
Good morning!
Upcoming Services for December 2023 and
January & February 2024
(All services begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary)
December 24 Holy Communion for Christmas Eve *7:00pm*
January 7 Holy Communion (Epiphany)
January 28 Holy Communion (After Epiphany III)
February 11 Holy Communion (Transfiguration)
Good morning!
Upcoming Services for December & January 2024
(All services begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary)
December 17 Holy Communion (Advent III)
December 24 Holy Communion for Christmas Eve *7:00pm*
January 7 Holy Communion (Epiphany)
January 28 Holy Communion (After Epiphany III)
Good morning!
Upcoming Services for December
(All services begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary)
December 3 Holy Communion (Advent I)
December 17 Holy Communion (Advent III)
December 24 Holy Communion for Christmas Eve *7:00pm*
Good day!
Upcoming Services for October & November
(All services begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary)
(Your council and pastor have agreed to end the YouTube Services.)
October 29 Holy Communion (Reformation Sunday)
November 12 Holy Communion (Service of Remembrance)
November 26 Holy Communion (Christ the King)
The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
17 September
2023
|
Prelude, Welcome, and
Information Hymn #842 O Worship the King |
|
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. And
also with you. Psalm: Psalm
103:[1-7] 8-13 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget
all his benefits— who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your
diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you
with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so
that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works vindication and justice
for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the
people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow
to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his
anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who
fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he
removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so
the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. |
|
The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O Lord
God, merciful judge, you are the inexhaustible fountain of forgiveness.
Replace our hearts of stone with hearts that love and adore you, that we may delight
in doing your will, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Genesis 50:15-21
A
reading from the book of Genesis
Realizing
that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears
a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to
him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this
instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime
of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please
forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when
they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and
said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be
afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to
me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is
doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your
little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
The
Word of the Lord
Reading: Romans 14:1-12
A
reading from the letter to the Romans
Welcome
those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over
opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while
the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who
abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for
God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of
another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be
upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
Some
judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be
alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe
the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honour of
the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in
honour of the Lord and give thanks to God.
We do
not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live
to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or
whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived
again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why do
you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise
your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of
God. For it is written,
‘As I live,
says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So
then, each of us will be accountable to God.
The
Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia! We have an
advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous; your sins are forgiven on account of his
name. Alleluia! (1 John 2:1, 12)
Gospel
Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35
A
reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Then
Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against
me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to
him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this
reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle
accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him
ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his
lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his
possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before
him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And
out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the
debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow
slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said,
‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him,
‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went
and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow
slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and
reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him
and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you
pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I
had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured
until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to
every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your
heart.”
This is
the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to
you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #777 Come to Me, All Pilgrims Thirsty
Thanks
and Offertory
Prayers
of the Church:
Compassionate
God, help us to follow your example of love and compassion. Trusting in that
compassion, we ask you to hear our prayers this day.
Compassionate God, Joseph
welcomed his brothers and forgave them for all they had done to him. In your
grace, grant us that same spirit. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Compassionate God, We all
have weaknesses in our faith. Uphold and strengthen the faith you have given to
us in your grace. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, forgiving
others is often hard to do. Let us always rely on your mercy and forgiveness as
our strength and our example. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, continue
to strengthen all who work the land that so the hungry can be fed. Teach us to
value and protect your creation. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, your
compassion is seen in peace. Grant your peace where there is war - Ukraine, Russia, and Niger. Hold close all
who suffer the terrors and dangers of violence.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, many
still suffer from disease of body, mind, and spirit. Grant your compassionate
healing to all, remembering those suffering from the new strains of COVID-19. Continue
to show your compassion through all who work for healing in any way. Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, hear
our prayers this day for the people of British Columbia, the Northwest
Territories, the Maritime provinces, Florida, Morocco, and Libya who endure natural
disasters. We pray as well for all in rescue and rebuilding. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, we pray for the Jewish people who celebrate the new year this weekend in the festival of Rosh Hashana. Lord In your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, today
we remember and pray for St. Peter Church in Brodhagen and their pastor, Pastor
Rob Wiesner, who is installed today. Grant us grace to continue our faithful
service. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Compassionate God, we ask
you to hear our continual prayers for those we care for and for those who have
asked for our prayers … * Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Rose Gotzmeister,
Rick Cerna, Rose Ungar, Marjorie Weber}
Compassionate God, let your compassion be
shown in our lives. Today we turn to you in faith and ask you to hear our
prayers made in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn #462 Join We Now in Celebration
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let us pray for all
things as our Lord would have us ask:
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 and ever. Amen.
Closing prayer
Almighty
God, grant that your holy word that has been proclaimed this day may enter into
our hearts through your grace, that it may produce in us the fruit of the
Spirit for witness and service in the world and to the praise and honor of your
name, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Benediction & Sending
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May the Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and
mercy.
May the Lord look upon us with favor and X give
us peace.
Amen.
Hymn #543 Go, My Children, with My Blessing
Go in
peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to
God.
W
|
Upcoming Services for
September & October (All services begin at 11:00am) September
24 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XVII) October
1 YouTube (Pentecost XVIII) October
8 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost
XIX/Thanksgiving) October
15 YouTube (Pentecost XX) October
22 YouTube (Pentecost XXI) October
29 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Reformation
Sunday) {Please note – This may be subject to change in
the near future} |
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if
another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As
many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell
you, seventy-seven times.
·
My first thought is the
old joke: “I was told there’s be no math.” However the math here serves the
parable. We don’t have to do any real math.
·
First Peter asks how
often a disciple should forgive. He suggests 7 time and Jesus responds with
either ‘77 times’ or ‘7 time 70 times’, depending on how you read that passage.
·
Then there is the
parable of the unforgiving servant with its fantasy, tremendously exaggerated
amounts of debt. The one slave owes the other about 100 days wages, wages
appropriate for a farm worker of the day. The Roman denarius was considered one days’ wage so it represents 3 months’
pay for a farmhand. The slave with the huge debt to the master owes just about
375 tons of silver or 60,000,000 dinarii or in modern terms, $3.48 billion. (Now
in Jesus’ time, slaves were not simply field hands or household servants. This
was not “chattel slavery”, where slaves are simply property. They could be
government ministers, generals or military officers, and trusted officials with
great responsibilities. For example, Joseph, in our first reading, was the
slave official of Pharaoh and was responsible for what could be called a
national food program.)
·
Since the story is a
parable and not the nightly news, Jesus is making a point with such exaggerated
amounts. The idea that since we have been forgiven by God for all our offenses,
we should be willing to forgive others. Of course, there’s more to it than
that.
·
The parable councils us
to forgive as we have been forgiven and it does it in a “parable” way, telling
us the story of a huge debt owed to a king by a slave. The man’s debt is
astronomical and the money he is owed by a fellow slave is nowhere near what is
owed to the king. Yet the first slave won’t forgive and has his debtor punished
in debtor’s prison. Once the king hears this, “the jig is up” as the old saying
goes. Justice comes down hard and the lesson is laid out for all who hear the
parable.
·
The parable tells of
mercy and it tells of justice. We may not like the parable’s idea of mercy
since it seems so “unfair.” Personally this reminds me of the outcry at the
United States president’s policy of forgiving educational debts for money
borrowed for post-secondary studies. Many people called it unfair because they
had already paid off their debt and they felt that those who still owed money
were freeloaders.
·
Really, mercy always
appears unfair. Actions carry consequences and to escape those consequences
appears to be unfair. Justice is blind and mercy is all eyes. The demands of
absolute justice are merciless while the application of mercy can appear
unjust.
·
The comparison of
justice and mercy is not the point of this parable. There would be no “Good
News” there. The point can be seen in the obligation the first servant receives
in being forgiven. He is to pass that forgiveness along to others. The
forgiveness he received puts him in forgiving relationship with others,
particularly with those who are indebted to him. For him to extend mercy is the
cost of being forgiven his debt.
·
In our own lives, we
have benefited from the generous mercy of God. That calls us to extend generous
mercy to others. We’re called to forgivers, not score-keepers. Justice and
accountability are best left up to God. We can recall the Lord’s Prayer: Forgive us our trespasses /sins/debts as
we forgive those who trespass/sin against us/owe us a debt. This
line does not limit our forgiveness or God forgiveness either. It doesn’t say
“forgive us to the extent that we forgive.” It says “Forgive us so we may
forgive others as you have forgiven us.” This takes us far beyond quid pro quo; it is an instance of God’s
grace and to forgive makes us instruments of God’s grace.
·
This reminds me of a
well-known prayer:
Lord,
make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
Good day!
Upcoming Services for September & October (All services begin at 11:00am) September 24 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XVII) October 1 YouTube (Pentecost XVIII) October 8 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XIX/Thanksgiving) October 15 YouTube (Pentecost XX) October 22 YouTube (Pentecost XXI) October 29 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Reformation Sunday) |
The Fourteenth
Sunday after Pentecost
3 September
2023
|
Prelude, Welcome, and
Information Hymn #655 Son of God, Eternal Savior |
|
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. And
also with you. Psalm: Psalm 26:
1-8 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my
integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without
wavering. Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart
and mind. For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I
walk in faithfulness to you. I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort
with hypocrites; I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit
with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your
altar, O Lord, singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling
all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell,
and the place where your glory abides. |
|
The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O God,
we thank you for your Son, who chose the path of suffering for the sake of
the world. Humble us by his example, point us to the path of obedience, and
give us strength to follow your councils, through Jesus Christ, our Savior
and Lord. Amen. |
Reading: Jeremiah 15:15-21
A
reading from the prophet Jeremiah
O Lord,
you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my
persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account
I suffer insult. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words
became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had
filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters
that fail. Therefore thus says the Lord: If you turn back, I will
take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious,
and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will
turn to you, not you who will turn to them. And I will make you to this
people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall
not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says
the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and
redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.
The
Word of the Lord
Reading: Romans 12: 9-21
A
reading from the letter to the Romans
Let
love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one
another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not
lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be
patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the
saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with
those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but
associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not
repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of
all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with
all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of
God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the
Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty,
give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on
their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
The
Word of the Lord.
Gospel Verse:
Alleluia! May the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we may know the
hope to which God has called us. Alleluia! (Eph. 1:17, 18)
Gospel
Reading: Matthew 16: 21-28
A
reading from the Gospel of Matthew
From
that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him
aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never
happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan!
You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine
things but on human things.”
Then
Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to
save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will
find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but
forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? “For
the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then
he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are
some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in his kingdom.”
This is
the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to
you, O Christ.
Sermon (added at the end of the document)
Hymn #798 Will You Come and Follow Me
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers
of the Church:
Gracious
God, teach us your Son’s way of the Cross. Trusting in your mercy shown to us
in that cross, we ask you to hear our prayers this day.
Gracious God, redeem
your church from selfishness and greed. Teach us your way of service. Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, bless
and sustain your church where it suffers and is in trouble. Teach us your way
of trust and faith. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, continue
to teach us to keep our minds on heavenly thing, even in this life, while
keeping us from depending on earthy attitudes and ideas. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, support
and uphold all who work the land and teach us to value your creation. Lord, in
your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, teach
us your way of peace and give your peace to people throughout the world,
especially in Ukraine, Russia, and Niger. Bless all those who suffer the
terrors and dangers of violence. Lord,
in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, many
still suffer from disease of mind, body, and spirit and are in need of healing,
especially those suffering from the new strains of COVID-19. Strengthen and uphold
those who work for healing in any way. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Gracious God, hear
our prayers this day for the people of British Columbia and all in our nation as
well as in the state of Florida who endure natural disaster. We pray as well
for all fighting the fires. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Gracious God, today
we remember and pray for our own congregation. Grant us grace to continue our
faithful service. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Gracious God, we ask
you to hear our continual prayers for those we care for and for those who have
asked for our prayers … * Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer. {*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Rose Gotzmeister,
Rick Cerna, Rose Ungar, Marjorie Weber}
Gracious God, teach us daily about the way of
Jesus’ cross and all that it means. We turn to you in faith and ask you to hear
our prayers made in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn #879 For the Beauty of the Earth
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let us pray for all
things as our Lord would have us ask:
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 and ever. Amen.
Closing prayer
Almighty
God, grant that your holy word that has been proclaimed this day may enter into
our hearts through your grace, that it may produce in us the fruit of the
Spirit for witness and service in the world and to the praise and honor of your
name, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Benediction & Sending
May the Lord bless us and keep us.
May the Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and
mercy.
May the Lord look upon us with favor and X give
us peace.
Amen.
Hymn #624 Jesus Still Lead On
Go in
peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to
God.
W
|
Upcoming Services for
September & October (All services begin at 11:00am) September
10 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XV) September
17 YouTube (Pentecost XVI) September
24 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost XVII) October
1 YouTube (Pentecost XVIII) October
8 Holy Communion at St. John’s (Pentecost
XIX/Thanksgiving) October
15 YouTube (Pentecost XX) October
22 Holy Communion at St. John’s
(Pentecost XXI) October
29 YouTube (Reformation Sunday) {Please note – This may be subject to change in
the near future} |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then
Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
· Generally this passage
is not something we want to hear. Peter didn’t want to hear it either, so we’re
in good company.
· What we want to hear is words
of victory and words of comfort. Jesus saying we must take up our cross is
neither. Yet it IS the Gospel. How is this Good News?
· First, Jesus tells us
what will happen; it shouldn’t be a surprise. Now we do have the advantage of
looking back on all this. Peter and the other disciples could not see
where all this was going. We, on the other hand, have read the end of the book.
We know the Good News. Still the challenge is there before us.
· Second, Jesus goes
against what was expected by everyone, both his disciples and the general
culture around him. He would be an unexpected Messiah, tearing down what was looked
forward to and bringing in a new vision
of what the Chosen One of God would be. It was held that the Messiah was the
ultimate “winner” while a crucified person is obviously a “loser.” Death on a
cross was gruesome and horrible, filled with insult aimed at all who would
challenge imperial power. It is death rather than glory that is the role of the
Messiah Jesus would be. Yet in that death, Jesus’ glory would be found.
· Third, cross bearing
might not mean what we think it means. We say to ourselves that living with
“that obnoxious/terrible person” is “my cross to bear” or my aches and pains
are “my cross to bear.” These might be the ordinary pains of life and surely none
of them are a treat. Yet taking up the cross to follow Jesus will take us
beyond the ordinary. Compassionate service to others while laying aside our own
agendas could well be our cross. Yet that cross of compassionate service may
mean a meaningful life here and now as well as a glimpse of the Kingdom of God,
not at a distance but from the inside.
· Where is the grace of
God in all this? The cross of Christ has been and is the center of God’s saving
grace for us. It is also the main point of all this discussion. Jesus remains
the unexpected Messiah who shows the love and mercy of God through laying down
his life for all and reconciling us to the Father in that. Jesus’ teaching to
his disciples (and to us) was not what they expected and Peter probably
expressed this for the entire group. It was not something they were ready for
and church history tells us that they all carried their cross as Jesus said.
This is still happening today. I’ve read of some pastors whose congregations
consider compassion and mercy to be “weak” or “woke” and they wonder where the
pastor gets all this left-wing propaganda from. It makes me wonder if those
folks have read the Sermon on the Mount or the entire Gospels.
· For our part, our
response of compassion, mercy, and service is brought about by this grace seen
in the cross and is both propelled and sustained by that grace. In taking up
our own cross, we live for and live like Jesus Christ. There is also the
promise found in this grace: Those who serve themselves alone have their reward
already. Those who carry their cross live a life of meaning and carry that
cross to the promised Kingdom.
· The cross is there for
us, as a symbol of salvation brought at great cost and as a symbol of what our
graced lives are to be about. How and with what we take up the cross will
depend on the individual; that we as disciples must take up the cross and
follow Jesus remains what Jesus prescribes for us all. It is how we live out
the grace we’ve been given.
Then
Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
