The Celebration of the Gospel
September 29, 2019 — 16th Sunday after Pentecost
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen
and who feasted sumptuously every day.
And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus.
—Luke 16.19-20
_____ We Are Received as Children of God____
GREETING
PRELUDE – It Is Well With My Soul – Philip P. Bliss, arr: John Carter
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: God of abundant generosity, you bless us.
All: We are rich in your grace.
Loving Christ, you bless the broken and the needy, and you come to us.
We are poor in spirit.
Holy Spirit, you rouse us, you open our eyes, you stir us to compassion.
We open the gates of our hearts to you. Come in, and be our love.
* SONG – Lord, We Come to Ask Your Blessing – Black hymnal # 2230
_____We Are Transformed by the Living Word____
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
(10:30) THE WORD IN SONG
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,
to see all that is in us that is loving,
and all that is not loving.
By the grace you show us in Christ,
forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.
SILENT PRAYER … THE WORD OF GRACE
RESPONSE – Bless the Lord – Black hymnal #2013
PRAYER
Merciful God, you provide for us a place of belonging, a home in the arms of your love. Safe in your grace, we open our hearts to your Word of life. Speak to us, transform us, and empower us with your love for this world. Amen.
(10:30) HEBREW BIBLE – Jeremiah 32.1-3, 6-15
[Jerusalem is under siege, but Jeremiah buys some land as an act of hope, trusting that eventually peace will come and it will be a safe place to live.]
The word that came to Jeremiah from God in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him.
Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth.” Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah.
Then in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard I charged Baruch, saying, “Thus says the Holy Sovereign, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”
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(10:30) PSALTER – (Psalm 91) – On Eagle’s Wings Blue hymnal, page 143
[God’s protective care shelters us, even when there is danger all around.]
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to Yahweh, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
For God will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
God will cover you with her pinions,
and under her wings you will find refuge;
God’s faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
For God will command angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
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NEW TESTAMENT – 1 Peter 2.9-10
[Once we were Nobody, but now we are Somebody. We are a chosen people who have been welcomed into God’s marvelous light.]
Now you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of the One who called you out of darkness into God’s marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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GOSPEL – Luke 16.19-31
[Jesus tells a story of a man so obsessed with his own wealth and comfort that he cannot see the poor, either in this life or the next, and remains completely isolated.]
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.”
He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my home— for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
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SERMON – Open the gate
SONG – Feast on Mercy Steve G-H
Refrain: May not my comfort cloud my eyes to see the needy at my door.
But, poor in spirit, may I rise and feast on mercy with the poor.
1. Poor Christ, I confess: I cling to all that I possess.
Open my eyes to see the poor who bear your image to my door.
2. May my privilege and place not blind me to my need for grace.
With empty hands I come, for I am sure with grace, O God, you feed the poor.
3. As one who by your hand is fed I hunger now to share your bread.
To see that justice for the poor is done, for at your table we are one.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
___We Are Sent in the Power of the Holy Spirit ___
OFFERING OUR GIFTS – A Morning Song – Robert J. Powell
* OFFERING SONG – Bind Us Together – Black hymnal #2226
* PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. You have opened the gate of your heart and received us into your love. Send us now out through the gate, to love the world, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG – Who Is My Mother, Who Is My Brother – Black hymnal #2225
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE – Adagio from First Organ Sonata – Felix Mendelssohn