MICAH 6.8: September 2021

		Proper 22B/Ordinary 27B/Pentecost 19B October 3, 2021 FOR POETRY PEW CLICK HERE FOR A BEAD AND A PRAYER CLICK HERE A LITURGY FOR WORSHIP —Use As Much Or As Little As You Choose—
		WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY October 3, 2021 For Thought and Meditation What does World Communion Sunday mean when so many are unable to gather in person and share God's Eucharist? What does World Communion Sunday mean when even in personal gatherings not all are welcome by our exclusion and control? What does World Communion Sunday mean when God's Eucharist is not celebrated weekly as the standard of worship? What does World Communion Sunday mean when the original purpose was for all churches to celebrate Eucharist on a common day? What does World Communion Sunday mean in a world with so many divisions, warfare, violence, oppression, and inequality? Centering In Preparation Present here, we sense the Sacred in this place. May we be awakened again to the mysteries that humble us, the realities that orient us, the beauty that informs us, the fellowship that sustains us, and the creativity that heightens and deepens our living, that we may give ourselves in honesty and openness to the larger life before us. Call to Worship (from Psalm 8:1-5, 9) O God, our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants, You have laid a strong foundation. When I look at the skies, the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars You have set in place, What are human beings that You care about us? Yet you have made us only slightly lower than the Divine, You have crowned us with glory and honor. O God, our Sovereign, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! Opening Words Now away from the busyness of life and in the silence of this place, let us give thanks for the gift of one another . . . (Silence) Let us centre our minds and our hearts. We are one with the universe. We are one with the sun and the stars. We are one with the earth. We are one with the One who is mystery . . . (Silence) Prayer For Worship Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through your mercy and compassion. Blessed are You and blessed is your Kin-Dom, now and forevermore. Amen. Prayer Of Community Loving God, whose care for all you have made extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation, beyond place and pride, we give you thanks for the gift of this unity, which is the giving of yourself for the life of the world. Send your Spirit upon us to open our eyes to the realities of your presence, and our ears to your voice, ever calling us to share the gifts which we have been given. Your lovingkindness is forever, O God, and your faithfulness to all generations. As we give thanks for the gift of the new and everlasting covenant, we pray that your Spirit might be poured out in our lives, that we may know the fullness of your grace, and be refreshed to live in holiness and hospitality, even as you have welcomed us and welcomed all to your community of faith, even the eternal Kin-Dom, that you bring and will fulfill within your will. Job 1.1; 2.1-10 There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared and turned away from evil. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before God; the adversary also came among them to present himself before the God of Hosts. God said to the adversary ‘Where have you come from?’ The adversary answered God, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ God said to the adversary ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ Then the adversary answered the God, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ God said to the adversary ‘Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.’ So the adversary went out from the presence God, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as any foolish person would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Psalm 26 Give judgement for me, O God, for I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in God Most High and have not faltered. Test me, O God, and try me; examine my heart and my mind. For your love is before my eyes; I have walked in your truth. I have not joined the company of the false, nor consorted with the deceitful. I hate the gathering of evildoers and I will not sit down with the wicked. I will wash my hands in innocence, O God, that I may go about your altar, To make heard the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all your wonderful deeds. O God, I love the house of your habitation and the place where your glory abides. Sweep me not away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty, Whose hands are full of wicked schemes and their right hand full of bribes. As for me, I will walk with integrity; redeem me, O God, and be merciful to me. My foot stands firm; in the great congregation I will bless God. Hebrews 1.1-4; 2.5-12 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Beloved and Begotten One, whom was appointed heir of all things, through whom God also created the worlds. The Beloved and Begotten One is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and sustains all things by the powerful word. When the Beloved Begotten One made purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, having become as much superior to angels as the inherited Name of the Holy Beloved and Begotten One is more excellent than theirs. Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor, subjecting all things under their feet. ’Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see the Anointed One, the Christ, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God the Beloved and Begotten One might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one God. For this reason the Christ is not ashamed to call them sisters and brothers, saying,‘I will proclaim your name to my sisters and brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ Mark 10.2-16 Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ Jesus answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart God wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them female and male.” “For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. Jesus said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’ People were bringing little children to Jesus in order that a touch of blessing be upon them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, with indignation said, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kin-Dom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kin-Dom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. Call to Confession Our brokenness is known. We know it in our bodies, minds, spirits, and relationships. Our brokenness cannot be healed and we can not be reconciled unto ourselves. We turn to God who alone can redeem, restore, and recreate. Prayer of Confession As we worship this morning, we are mindful of our sisters and brothers around the world: From above and below the equator, from every time zone around the globe, we are united in Christ; one in our God. Yet, we are in conflict with our neighbors, near and far. In this great congregation, we bless the Holy One. Yet, our blessings are mixed, being confounded by racism, gender exclusion, and cultures of greed. With songs of thanksgiving, we retell God’s wondrous deeds. And we are reminded that God is merciful and compassionate, willing justice and peace, but forgiving our failures. We love the house in which God dwells and the place where God’s glory shines forth. And we are reminded that we when to take our ministry and mission to the streets, the highways, and by ways where people are hurting. We ask, O God, that during this time you will lead us in your way, you will teach us your truth, and you will share with us your very life, so that your name may be honored, our lives may be enriched, and our world, through us, may be blessed. And in forgiveness and healing we would be able to do your will, here on earth as it is in heaven. Words of Assurance In God we are loved. In God we are renewed. In God the covenant of love is restored. In God we are forgiven. Glory to God in the highest, and peace, goodwill to all. Intercession For the Church: that we may be a sign of communion between God and humanity and a means of reconciliation amongst all people . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For the grace of fidelity: that we may each be faithful to our promises and commitments, to spouses, children, parents, communities and friends . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For openness: that we may grow in our awareness of our need for God and others as we face our challenges and grow toward wholeness . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all married or engaged couples: that they may recognize Christ in each other, grow into true oneness of life, and bring God’s love to others . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all who are in lonely or troubled marriages: that they may find support in the Christian community and receive strength and courage to work to renew their relationships . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For healing of the tension and conflicts between women and men in our society: that God will lead us to a new appreciation of each other and help us to give witness to God’s plan of women and men complimenting one another as we work together . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all children: that they may be warmly welcomed into families and supported as they grow and develop into the persons God calls them to be . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For the grace to receive the kingdom of God as a little child: that the Spirit will open our hearts to receive God's love and God's gift of new life in the Spirit . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all who have experienced divorce: that God will heal their pain, renew their sense of self, and help them find support and understanding in our community . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For greater respect for human life: that all human life, from conception to natural death, will be respected as God's gift and a blessing to humanity . . . Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all who are struggling with thoughts of suicide: that the Holy Spirit will calm their hearts, help them know that they are loved, and help them to reach out to someone . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For the work of the United Nations: that their conversations will promote peace and cooperation, develop shared understandings of the challenges that exist, and give them the courage to confront the evils that plague the human family . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all who are suffering: that God will heal the sick, free those caught in addiction, restore those who have experienced abuse, comfort the grieving, and send relief to those entrapped by poverty . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For all healthcare workers: that God will renew their strength and restore their energy that they may continue to care for the sick and be signs of hope for them . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. For leaders of government: that God will give them wisdom and courage to address the crucial issues of society and to work together to address the common good . . . R: Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, hear our prayer. Holy Mystery, Protector of the faithful, glorious Spirit of wonder, Bread of heaven: you have made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor. You have called us to be your witnesses, to proclaim the good news in good times and in bad. Sanctify us and help us see ourselves in you. Your love and grace are all sufficient, O God, for all the world’s deep needs. Open our minds and hearts this day to receive with gratitude the gifts you have given . . . gratitude enough to be compelled to live as your witnesses, your instruments for grace and forgiveness, for justice and peace in our world. Amen. —Joe Milner (adapted) A Prayer For America's Indigenous People We remember the children of the Indian residential schools. We remember how they were plucked up from their homes by a system of arrogance that denied a good way of life. Their tears, their hunger, their loneliness, and their fears are not forgotten. The shame that was taught, lingers yet. The pain that was inflicted upon their bodies remains. We remember the parents; the aunties; the uncles; the grandmas and grandpas left to grieve the empty places in their homes and their communities. Mothers were left with tear-stained aprons; fathers suffered in unyielding silence; how was it they were expected to carry on, having lost their joy, their purpose? And how was it that their community could continue to come together to celebrate life and move together toward a bright future, when their future was gone? How long will it take to strengthen family, homes, and spirits? How long will it take to heal the memories? Who must we be and what must we do to restore integrity and dignity to your world? God of all great transformation, in our lament, we cry out to you. God of all healing power, in our pain, we call your name. God of all life, in our hope, we come before you in humble prayer. We pray that all your children may once again sing and dance the songs planted in their hearts since time immemorial. We pray that in their play and in their learning they be strengthened in wisdom and truth. May they carry the knowledge of their ancestors . . . those ways of life that brought abundance and joy to this pilgrimage on earth. We pray for the children’s health and wholeness; may they reconnect with your unending love that they may once again know who they are, their giftedness and their value. We remember those children who have found their home in you. We acknowledge those who left this earth having heard no words of apology or lament. We are grateful that you hold these ones close and have granted to them eternal peace. As we move ahead into a time of truth-telling and reconciliation: We pray for parents and extended family. Release them from their feeling of guilt and burden. Lift them from their grief. May their homes once again ring out with laughter and hope. May their communities reflect the joy of their presence. May they come together to work toward reclaiming and renewing minds, bodies, emotions, and spirits. And finally, we pray that one day this world, your world, will be a place where children are no longer harmed and will never again be removed from a mother’s embrace or a father’s helping hand. To you, O Creator, Source of Love, we pray. Amen. A Prayer For Racial Justice In America When our eyes do not see the gravity of racial injustice, Shake us from our slumber and open our eyes, O God. When out of fear we are frozen into inaction, Give us a spirit of bravery, O God. When we try our best but say the wrong things, Give us a spirit of humility, O God. When the chaos of this dies down, Give us a lasting spirit of solidarity, O Lord. When it becomes easier to point fingers outward, Help us to examine our own hearts, O God. God of truth, in your wisdom, Enlighten Us. God of love, in your mercy, Forgive Us. God of hope in your kindness, Heal Us. Creator of All People, in your generosity, Guide Us. Racism breaks your heart, break our hearts for what breaks yours, O God. —The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (adapted) A Prayer For Women and Children Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be whole until the discrimination and exclusion of women is no more . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be faithful until the violence and assaults against women and children ends and perpetrators are held accountable . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be a place for hope until a safe place is established for all who are oppressed and marginalized . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be a home of sacred sharing, where human dignity and respect are shared mutually by all . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be a light unto the nations until the light that is kindled in each and every heart, regardless of gender or age, is seen as your Light . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be of compassion and mercy as long as its "god" is male and white and republican . . . Spirit of Wisdom, your Church cannot be inclusive when we name you as lord or king or he . . . Spirit of Wisdom, free us to bless the diversity of the human family and to find our unity in the work of justice making and peace bringing . . . Spirit of Wisdom, heal us and make us whole. Amen. A Prayer For International Goodwill God, you are the source of human dignity, and it is in your image that we are created. Pour out on us the spirit of love and compassion. Enable us to reverence each person, to reach out to anyone in need, to value and appreciate those who differ from us, to share the resources of each nation, to receive the gifts offered to us by people from other cultures. Grant that we may always promote the justice and acceptance that ensures lasting peace and racial harmony. May our differences in culture and governance be set aside for your Kin-Dom where peace and justice are the politics of love. Help us to remember that we are one world and one family. Amen. Credo I refuse to believe that we are unable to influence the events around us. I refuse to believe we are bound by racism, war, and injustice. I believe those around me are my brother and my sister. I believe in dignity every day and that our brokenness can be healed. I believe we can overcome oppression and violence, without resorting to it. This means I seek to reject revenge and retaliation. I remember, “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can.” —Drawn from the writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Abigail Reichard Sending Forth Don’t be afraid. Life is so complex and uncertain, O God. Moments of togetherness can quickly turn into feelings of loss, fear, or estrangement. In the short space of one day, all can be turned on its head and we are left longing for familiarity, crying out for wholeness and hope. Don’t be afraid. We confess in such seasons of life our grief, hurt, and anxiety can unnecessarily distance us from you and others; a keen sense of brokenness becoming but a barrier to needed healing, and a poor excuse for prolonged anger and bitterness. Don’t be afraid. And so we turn again to you seeking an embrace of love and mercy to help ease the pain—to give courage and grace for the living. Secure in your enfolding arms, may we dare to trust and let go. Re-finding our rest and hope for the journey onwards. —Seasons of the Spirit. Prayers for All Seasons: Based on The Revised Common Lectionary Closing Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication Holy Giver of all that we need, you have filled our hearts with joy and our hands with overflowing abundance. With thanks and joy, we bring these gifts, offering ourselves in communion with you and with all creation. Amen. —from ministrymatters.com (adapted)
		POETRY PEW And the Table Will Be Wide A Blessing for World Communion Sunday And the table will be wide. And the welcome will be wide. And the arms will open wide to gather us in. And our hearts will open wide to receive. And we will come as children who trust there is enough. And we will come unhindered and free. And our aching will be met with bread. And our sorrow will be met with wine. And we will open our hands to the feast without shame. And we will turn toward each other without fear. And we will give up our appetite for despair. And we will taste and know of delight. And we will become bread for a hungering world. And we will become drink for those who thirst. And the blessed will become the blessing. And everywhere will be the feast. —Jan Richardson _________________________ Jan Richardson is an artist, author (visit her Books page), United Methodist minister, and director of The Wellspring Studio, LLC. When folks ask her where The Wellspring Studio is, she says, Wherever I am, there it is… She would love for you to pay a virtual visit to the studio at janrichardson.com.
		A BEAD AND A PRAYER CROSS Now away from the busyness of life and in the silence of this place, let us give thanks for the gift of one another . . . (Silence) Let us centre our minds and our hearts. We are one with the universe. We are one with the sun and the stars. We are one with the earth. We are one with the One who is mystery . . . (Silence) INVITATORY O God, forasmuch as without you we are not able to please you; mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. CRUCIFORM Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through your mercy and compassion. Blessed are You and blessed is your Kin-Dom, now and forevermore. Amen. WEEK I Job 1.1; 2.1-10 ♦ There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared and turned away from evil. ♦ One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before God; the adversary also came among them to present himself before the God of Hosts. God said to the adversary ‘Where have you come from?’ The adversary answered God, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ ♦ God said to the adversary ‘Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason.’ ♦ Then the adversary answered the God, ‘Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.’ ♦ God said to the adversary ‘Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life.’ So the adversary went out from the presence God, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. ♦ Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.’ ♦ But he said to her, ‘You speak as any foolish person would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips. CRUCIFORM We celebrate that where people are gathered together in love God is present and good things happen and life is full. We celebrate that we are immersed in mystery that our lives are more than they seem that we belong to each other and to a universe of great creative energies, whose source and destiny is God. We celebrate that the spirit of God beat in the heart of Jesus of Nazareth and God's good news was heard by the broken and wounded. We are glad that the spirit of peace is present with us, the church, as we gather to celebrate our common existence, and the fidelity of God. And most deeply we believe that in our struggle to love we incarnate God in the world. And so aware of mystery and wonder, caught in friendship and laughter, we become speechless before the joy in our hearts as we celebrate the sacredness of life. WEEK II Psalm 26 ♦ Give judgement for me, O God, for I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in God Most High and have not faltered. ♦ Test me, O God, and try me; examine my heart and my mind. For your love is before my eyes; I have walked in your truth. ♦ I have not joined the company of the false, nor consorted with the deceitful. I hate the gathering of evildoers and I will not sit down with the wicked. ♦ I will wash my hands in innocence, O God, that I may go about your altar, To make heard the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all your wonderful deeds. ♦ O God, I love the house of your habitation and the place where your glory abides. ♦ Sweep me not away with sinners, nor my life with the bloodthirsty, Whose hands are full of wicked schemes and their right hand full of bribes. ♦ As for me, I will walk with integrity; redeem me, O God, and be merciful to me. My foot stands firm; in the great congregation I will bless God. CRUCIFORM God of mercy and of love, you have called us to live in communion with all of your created world. Give us a new appreciation for the diversity of creation, and for the people of our world whom you love with an everlasting love. Help us to serve the needs of all who are suffering, sick, lonely, and broken by the struggles of life with the compassion and joy of true servants of Christ. Give us grace to work with passion for the unity of your Church throughout the world, and to take our place among its people without expectation of reward, beyond the smile of your approval. May our ministries be anchored in your love of justice and peace, and may all who serve be encouraged by the promise of Christ’s presence with us. Make of us a more obedient people, gladly giving what we have received from your faithful hand. Hear our prayers, O God, for those whose lives are closely linked with our own, whose needs we entrust to you along with our own needs. Grant, O God, that we might grow in grace and in love for you as we commend ourselves to your care and guidance. Take us by the hand, O God, and by your Holy Spirit lead us to fulfill your calling in our lives to your praise and glory. Amen. WEEK III Hebrews 1.1-4; 2.5-12 ♦ Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Beloved and Begotten One, whom was appointed heir of all things, through whom God also created the worlds. ♦ The Beloved and Begotten One is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and sustains all things by the powerful word. When the Beloved Begotten One made purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, having become as much superior to angels as the inherited Name of the Holy Beloved and Begotten One is more excellent than theirs. ♦ Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,‘What are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them? ♦ You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor, subjecting all things under their feet. ♦ ’Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see the Anointed One, the Christ, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God the Beloved and Begotten One might taste death for everyone. ♦ It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ♦ For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one God. For this reason the Christ is not ashamed to call them sisters and brothers, saying,‘I will proclaim your name to my sisters and brothers, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.’ CRUCIFORM Holy Mystery, Protector of the faithful, glorious Spirit of wonder, Bread of heaven: you have made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor. You have called us to be your witnesses, to proclaim the good news in good times and in bad. Sanctify us and help us see ourselves in you. Your love and grace are all sufficient, O God, for all the world’s deep needs. Open our minds and hearts this day to receive with gratitude the gifts you have given . . . gratitude enough to be compelled to live as your witnesses, your instruments for grace and forgiveness, for justice and peace in our world. Amen. WEEK IV Mark 10.2-16 ♦ Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ Jesus answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ♦ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart God wrote this commandment for you. ♦ But from the beginning of creation, “God made them female and male.” “For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ♦ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ♦ Jesus said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’ ♦ People were bringing little children to Jesus in order that a touch of blessing be upon them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, with indignation said, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kin-Dom of God belongs. ♦ Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kin-Dom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. CRUCIFORM *We Sing Our Praise* In the communion of the Holy Spirit, that joins us together in discipleship: We sing our praise to the One and Triune God, the Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love; We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Holy One embodied that calls us to witness and service; We receive the Holy Spirit, the guide that empowers the whole people of God to receive the gift of ministry for the mending of the world. By the bonds of Christian faith, We are called to be the church: To yield ourselves to God, whose covenant of love binds us to one another; To celebrate the transforming works of the Spirit through God’s reconciling power in the waters of baptism, and To Christ’s saving acts in the bread and cup; To proclaim Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, the triune God is with us. We are not alone. May all blessing, glory, and honour be to God, now and forever. Amen. —An affirmation of faith inspired by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and The United Church of Canada INVITATORY I refuse to believe that we are unable to influence the events around us. I refuse to believe we are bound by racism, war, and injustice. I believe those around me are my brother and my sister. I believe in dignity every day and that our brokenness can be healed. I believe we can overcome oppression and violence, without resorting to it. This means I seek to reject revenge and retaliation. I remember, “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can.” —Drawn from the writings of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Abigail Reichard CROSS As you have refreshed us in your presence, weave us together as one body, one people—a people of integrity in the midst of trials. As you have shared your redeeming and sanctifying grace, strengthen us, that we may be united in faith—a faith that spans the globe and the ages. As you have blessed us with your loving healing and comfort, send us forth in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of your Spirit. —Scifres, Mary; Beu, B. J. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2021.