The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#886 Oh, For a
Thousand Tongues To Sing |
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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 15 Lord, who
may dwell in your tabernacle? who may abide upon your holy hill? Whoever
leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart. There is no
guile upon his tongue; he does no
evil to his friend; he does not heap contempt upon his neighbour. In his
sight the wicked is rejected, but he honours those who fear the Lord. He has
sworn to do no wrong and does not take back his word. He does not
give his money in hope of gain, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things shall never
be overthrown. |
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The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. Eternal God, you draw near to us
in Christ, and you make yourself our guest. Amid the cares of our lives, make
us attentive to your presence, that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen. |
Reading:
Genesis 18:1-10a
A reading from the book of Genesis
The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the
entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men
standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet
them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, "My lord, if I find favor
with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash
your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread,
that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have
come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said." And
Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly
three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes." Abraham ran to the
herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who
hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had
prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while
they ate. They said to him, "Where
is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent." Then one
said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah
shall have a son."
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
Colossians 1:15-28
A reading from the Letter to the Colossians
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for
in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have
been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in
him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first
place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who
were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled
in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and
irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and
steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel
that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.
I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my
sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in
Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became
its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make
the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the
ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose
to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this
mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present
everyone mature in Christ.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia! Blessed are those
who hold the word fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient
endurance. Alleluia! (Luke 8:15)
Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42
A reading from the Gospel of Luke
Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a
woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to
what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to
him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all
the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her,
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is
need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be
taken away from her."
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#793 Be Thou
My Vision
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Lord, we wish to choose the better part and we trust
in your promise of grace and mercy. So, we offer our prayers for the world, the
church, and for all people according to their needs.
[Short
pause]
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Help us to be busy about the things of your
kingdom. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Raise our memories and hopes to embrace the
peace of the Cross. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. In our busy-ness, keep us aware of your presence
and teachings. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Today we remember and ask for peace for the peoples
of Ukraine and Russia and wherever there is war and struggle. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Let us remember that all healing and health
come from you. Bless all who work for the good health of others. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Watch over those who work the land for the feeding
of the world. Grant us the rain that is needed. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
Lord, we are busy about many things. Look with favor on all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless Peace Christian Church, a Lutheran Fellowship, Chatham, and their interim pastor, Pr. Paul Sodtke. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Lord, we
are busy about many things. Despite that, we ask you to hear our unspoken
prayers for so many… * … Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
{*Gail Mauer, Deb Kirschner, Diane Corns,
Robert McCrae}
Lord, you
yourself are the “better part.” Trusting in you, we commend to you all for whom
we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Hymn #535 Hallelujah! We Sing Your Praises
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 & Benediction
Glory to God, whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church
and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn
#520 Dearest
Jesus, at Your Word
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.
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? (Micah 6:8)
Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks
be to God.
W
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Services
for the next few months will be on YouTube and accessible from an email link
or our church Facebook page. Services for July and August are shown below: July 24 Communion, Church, 11:00am July 31 Service on YouTube, 11:00am August 7 No service; Pastor’s summer holiday August 14 No
service; Pastor’s summer holiday August 21 Communion, Saxonia Hall, 11:00am August 28 Communion, Church, 11:00am |
Now as they went on their way, he
entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her
home.
·
Today’s
passage from Paul’s letter to the Colossians is rather “high” theology,
speaking of things beyond our understanding and thinking. In its own way, it
might be considered poetry and there is a chance it might have been a part of a
hymn.
·
However… it’s
rather deep and complex and it would be hard to explain, especially in the time
we have here. Maybe some other time.
·
Instead we’ll
look at the Gospel reading and at Martha and Mary and Jesus.
·
Now neither
one of the women were wrong in what they did. Martha was following the custom
of hospitality, a custom that was quite strong in their culture and time. In
many places, it’s still just as strong. To share food in a household in Jesus’
time was to be invited into the family circle, a rather intimate thing. Martha
was doing what was required of her in the customs of the day. Failing to be a
good hostess would be disrespectful of the guests.
·
Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened
to what he was saying, was taking the position of a hearer and
learner, in other words, a disciple. Her actions were the actions of a student.
In one of his letters, Paul says much the same thing, even using similar words.
·
So what’s the
problem here? Both Martha and Mary were doing the right thing. Despite his
friendly teasing ("Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by
many things…”), Jesus acknowledges the good Martha had done while also acknowledging
the good Mary had done.
·
One
commentator stated that Jesus is saying that women have as much to learn
and teach as any man. The culture of the day would make it extremely
hard for the people in general to accept this and really any sort of ultimate
equality of women and men. To call Jesus a “feminist” might be taking things a
bit too far, especially considering the time he lived in. When looking at these
stories from scripture, we need to realize that our interpretation of them is
just as ‘shaded’ as the original, although in a different way.
·
What this
story is about is the need of both Martha and Mary. Both service and the
Word are necessary for the Christian life. Martha represents the ministry
of service (diakonia in the original
language, the word where “deacon” comes from.) For her part, Mary represents
the ministry of the Word. Jesus’ remarks don’t show that ministry of the Word
is preferred to the ministry of service, but that service is not to be at the
expense of the Word. Both are needed and service and the word of God require
each other. After all, Martha and Mary ARE sisters and they remain friends and
disciples of Jesus. They are of the same family and sisters to Lazarus, Jesus’
good friend who was raised from the dead.
·
Service, the
Word, and resurrection life… It sounds like this family tells us what our lives
as Christians are to be about. We listen to God’s Word; we serve one another
and the world in love; we live a life raised from death, for a life following
Jesus at his call.
Now
as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named
Martha welcomed him into her home.
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