Our Worship: September 2, 2018 Labor Day Sunday

THEME: Blessed with a Job to D0 by our Hard-Working God

NOTES: We are in the midst of Labor Day weekend as we gather for worship this Sunday. We remember the hard work that we do for a living. We consider how our faith infuses that work and the decisions we make. We consider how God's love diffuses into the world through our faithful work. And we remember that any gift from God is a good gift. Having these gifts in our hearts makes it possible for us to give good gifts to the world.

SCRIPTURE: James 1:17-27 & Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
James 1:17-27
¹⁷Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.^[a] ¹⁸In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
¹⁹You must understand this, my beloved:^[b] let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; ²⁰for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. ²¹Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
²²But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. ²³For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves^[c] in a mirror; ²⁴for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. ²⁵But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
²⁶If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Mark 7:1-23
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, ²they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. ³(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands,^[a] thus observing the tradition of the elders; ⁴and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it;^[b] and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.^[c]) ⁵So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live^[d] according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
⁷in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

⁸You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

⁹Then he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ¹⁰For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, ‘Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban’ (that is, an offering to God^[e])— ¹²then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, ¹³thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.”
¹⁴Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: ¹⁵there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”^[f]
¹⁷When he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸He said to them, “Then do you also fail to understand? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile, ¹⁹since it enters, not the heart but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. ²¹For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, ²²adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. ²³All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

8:30 AM Order of Service

The Gathering

Welcome

Prelude

We Gather in The Light of Christ

Lighting the Christ Candles

Children come forward to light the candles as we share the responsive reading.

Leader: In the beginning, God said,
People: 'Let there be light' and there was light!
Leader: We light these candles today,
People: Because God is with us in this time and in this place!

Hymn of Praise:

Call to Worship

God said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord.”

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

And I will give you rest.”

We come in the name of the Spirit, resting from our labors,

Let us worship God this day!

~ posted on the Presbytery of the Cascades. http://www.facebook.com/cascadespresbytery

Invocation (UNISON)

Hard-working God,

whose hands built the earth,

molded our bodies,

and sowed the stars across the sky,

we gather in your presence this morning

with praise and thanksgiving for your mighty deeds.

Meet us here, hard-working God;

strengthen our hearts and our hands to work with you

in the building of a world filled with justice and peace.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

~ posted on the United Church of Christ website. http://www.ucc.org/justice_worker-justice_labor-sunday_worship-resources#liturgy

We Contemplate God’s Word

Scripture

Sermon

We Pray Together

We Share Our Joys & Concern

Prayer Hymn:

Praying Together

Pastoral Prayer

(inspired by James 1:17-27)

Holy and Gracious God,

we give you thanks for family, friends, life, love—

for all the blessings (name blessings and thanksgivings)
you have bestowed upon us.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of our Mothers and Fathers,

your desire for us leads the way,

may we have the ears to hear the cries of this world -
responding with Your hope.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Compassionate One,

fill us with your love

that we may see deeply into all the needs around us,

(name the hurts, needs, and hope you are carrying.)

Help us to care with Your heart.

In Your mercy, hear our prayer.
May Your love, Your grace, Your compassion, Your mercy,

carry us away, this day
and lead us with love
to be Your hands and heart in the world.

Amen.

~ posted by Terri on RevGalBlogPals. http://revgalblogpals.blogspot.ca/

We Gather at The Lord’s Table

Invitation to the Table

Communion Hymn:

The Elder’s Prayer of Communion

Words of Institution

The Lord’s Supper

All are welcome to share at the Table. Come forward using the center aisle. As you partake of the bread and the cup you are welcome to place an offering in the wooden bowl in front of the table. The offering you share supports the ministries and life of Christ’s church.

The Lord’s Prayer

We Go Forth into the World

Challenge for Discipleship

The Spirit of God is upon you and has anointed you.

You are the salt of the earth and you bring light to the world.

You are not too young or too old,

you are not too rich or too needy

to bring good news to the impoverished,

to give a hand to the broken-hearted,

and to live out freedom and pardon

through the gifts you have been given.

So remember to pack peace in your toolbox,

hope in your briefcase,

love in your lunch box,

and may integrity, honesty, and joy be your designer wear of choice.

Do not be frightened, for you are never alone.

The God in whose image you are made

will walk with you and guide you today, tomorrow, and every day.

Discipleship Hymn:

Blessing

Children extinguish the candles as we share the responsive reading.

Leader: The light that was in one place at one time, is now in all places and all times,
People: For God has placed the light in us!
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!

10:40AM Service

Welcome

Prelude

We Gather in the Light of Christ

Call to Worship