For Sunday January 24, 2016
Year C, Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Third Sunday after the Epiphany :: Green ::
Nehemiah 8:1-10 :: Psalm 19 :: I Corinthians 12:12-31 :: Luke 4:14-21
Call to Worship (Responsive)
Adapted from Psalm 19
L: The law of the LORD is perfect;
P: It revives the soul.
L: The decrees of the LORD are sure;
P: They make wise, the simple.
L: The precepts of the LORD are right,
P: They make the heart rejoice.
L: The commandment of the LORD is clear,
P: May it open and enlighten our eyes. Amen.
Invocation:
Bless the LORD almighty, the great God, who has given us the Word, and the desire to know it. Help us, O God, to recognize that today is Holy in your sight; help us refrain from mourning or weeping. Instead, O God, make us aware of your loving presence, draw us in to the joy of your salvation, feed us as with good food and sweet wine of the soul. Help us to join in the feast of celebration as you mark and make today as Holy. Let the joy of the LORD be our strength and shield as we worship you in truth and love.
Stewardship Moment:
“What good will my offerings do? It seems so small compared to the need of the world.” It’s a true statement, even for the biggest giver among us. Yet, part of the beauty of God’s power is the ability to gather the small and seemingly insignificant, and draw them together into a beautiful tapestry of love, healing and hope. I think it is consistent with the message Paul is conveying when he talks about the body of Christ. It takes all the parts to make the body, each one significant, even when it doesn’t seem so. As we bring our gifts, let’s focus on the whole, on the amazing amount of good our collective gifts can do, not on the relatively little each individual gift can do. Then we can recognize as a body we are honoring God and are therefore individually honored. We will now receive the tithes and offerings which together can do far more than we ever imagined.
Offertory Prayer:
Eternal God, we come before you offering our humble gifts, recognizing that these gifts are not about what each one will achieve, but what they will achieve together. Use and multiply these gifts for the furthering of your reign, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Communion Meditation:
When Jesus reads what is commonly called his “programmatic sermon” from the scroll of Isaiah, he offers a word for each of us here. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as poor, yet the Good News is about more than money. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as blind, but sight can also be insight. Most of us don’t think of ourselves as captives or oppressed, until we consider the power of sin.
Jesus makes promises in this first proclamation which will change the world. At this table, we proclaim again Jesus’ promise: release for those captive to sin, freedom from it’s oppression.
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