- Liturgist: Grace Swan
- Elder: Phyllis Stowell
- Preacher: Gerry Brague
- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
- Psalm 125
- James 2:1-17
- Mark 7:24-37
- Surely the Presence of the Lord, CH #263
- How Great Thou Art, CH #33
- Let There Be Peace on Earth, CH #677
What good is it if we say we love all people, but give special treatment to a few?
God calls us to love others as deeply as we love ourselves, with no strings attached.
What good is it if we say we want God to show mercy towards us, but are quick to judge others?
God calls us to forgive our sisters and brothers, to let mercy triumph over judgment.
What good is it if we say we trust God in every moment, but live guided by our fears?
We will speak and act as those who trust God to come and live in our fearful hearts. (Thom Shuman)
Prayer of Approach:
God surrounded by glory:
you notice the people we walk past,
and journey with them,
wherever they are going.
You speak out for the voiceless,
and open our ears to their cries.
Jesus, Healer of the hopeless,
Converser with the outsider:
in you,
faith and works skip hand in hand
down the streets of the kingdom.
In you,
the have-a-lots and the have-nothings
find themselves sitting side by side
at your Table,
passing grace to one another.
In you,
those with good names,
and those with no names,
are called by one name:
'Beloved.'
Compassion's Spirit:
sow justice in our hearts,
so the poor might find in us a friend;
sow peace in our spirits,
so the angry might find in us
a sea of gentleness;
sow generosity in our hands,
so the hungry might find in us
their daily bread.
God in Community, Holy in One,
surround us in these moments
and in all the ones to come,
with your grace and love,
as we pray… (Thom Shuman)
