Processional Hymn - Amazing Grace #14

General Confession

The Absolution

The Lord’s Prayer

First Lesson - Nehemiah 5:1-13 (LXX or Septuagint)

 

1 And the cry of the people and their wives was great against their brethren the Jews. 2 And some said, We are numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live. 3 And some said, As to our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledge them, and we will take corn, and eat. 4 And some said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tributes:—our fields, and our vineyards, and houses are pledged. 5 And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children are as their children: yet, behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are enslaved: and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyards belong to the nobles. 6 And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words. 7 And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes, and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what ye demand? And I appointed against them a great assembly, 8 and I said to them, We of our free-will have redeemed our brethren the Jews that were sold to the Gentiles; and do ye sell your brethren? and shall they be delivered to us? And they were silent, and found no answer. 9 And I said, The thing which ye do is not good; ye will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentiles our enemies. 10 Both my brethren, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and corn: let us now leave off this exaction. 11 Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive-yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them corn and wine and oil of the money. 12 And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word. 13 And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keep to this word, from his house, and from his labours, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast and empty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord: and the people did this thing.

 

Hymn - Jesus Loves Me #16

Second Lesson - 2 Corinthians 6:6-15 (ALT)

And so that I should not be puffed up with pride by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan, so that it should be beating me with its fists so that I should not be puffed up with pride. Concerning this, three times I pleaded with the Lord that it depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, gladly I will rather boast in my weakness, so that the power of Christ should rest upon me. For this reason, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in troubles, in persecutions, in distresses on behalf of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. I have become a fool by boasting; you compelled me! For I ought to be commended by you. For in nothing did I fall short of those "super-apostles"-even if I am nothing. Indeed the signs of the apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and miraculous works. For what is there in which you were inferior to the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not a financial burden to you? Forgive me this injustice! Listen! A third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be your financial burden. For I do not seek the things of you, but you! For the children ought not to store up or, save for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I gladly will spend and be entirely spent for the sake of your souls, even if, loving you more so, less I am loved.

 

Third Lesson - The Acts of John

But even the lovers of the world do not possess riches, but are possessed of them. For it is out of reason that for one belly there should be laid up so much food as would suffice a thousand, and for one body so many garments as would furnish clothing for a thousand men. In vain, therefore, is that stored up which cometh not into use, and for whom it is kept, no man knoweth, as the Holy Ghost saith by the prophet: In vain is every man troubled who heapeth up riches and knoweth not for whom he gathereth them. Naked did our birth from women bring us into this light, destitute of food and drink: naked will the earth receive us which brought us forth…. But wretched and unhappy is the man who would have something more than sufficeth him: for of this come heats of fevers rigours of cold, divers pains in all the members of the body, and he can neither be fed with food nor sated with drink, that covetousness may learn that money will not profit it, which being laid up bringeth to the keepers thereof anxiety by day and night, and suffereth them not even for an hour to be quiet and secure. For while they guard their houses against thieves, till their estate, ply the plough, pay taxes, build storehouses, strive for gain, try to baffle the attacks of the strong, and to strip the weak, exercise their wrath on whom they can, and hardly bear it from others, shrink not from playing at tables and from public shows, fear not to defile or to be defiled, suddenly do they depart out of this world, naked, bearing only their own sins with them, for which they shall suffer eternal punishment.

Hymn - Beautiful River #22

Reading of the Gospel - Luke 20:45-21:19 (GNB)

As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples, "Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like to alk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts; who take advantage of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show of saying long prayers! Their punishment will be all the worse!" Jesus looked around and saw rich people dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury, and he also saw a very poor widow dropping in two little copper coins. He said, "I tell you that this poor widow put in more than all the others. For the others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on." Some of the disciples were talking about the Temple, how beautiful it looked with its fine stones and the gifts offered to God. Jesus said, "All this you see---the time will come when not a single stone here will be left in its place; every one will be thrown down." "Teacher," they asked, "when will this be? And what will happen in order to show that the time has come for it to take place?" Jesus said, "Watch out; don't be fooled. Many men, claiming to speak for me, will come and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time has come!' But don't follow them. Don't be afraid when you hear of wars and revolutions; such things must happen first, but they do not mean that the end is near." He went on to say, "Countries will fight each other; kingdoms will attack one another. There will be terrible earthquakes, famines, and plagues everywhere; there will be strange and terrifying things coming from the sky. Before all these things take place, however, you will be arrested and persecuted; you will be handed over to be tried in synagogues and be put in prison; you will be brought before kings and rulers for my sake. This will be your chance to tell the Good News. Make up your minds ahead of time not to worry about how you will defend yourselves, because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say. You will be handed over by your parents, your brothers, your relatives, and your friends; and some of you will be put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a single hair from your heads will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.

 

Offering

Doxology - #8

Sermon

Prayer

Recessional - Go Tell It On the Mountain # 23

Coffee and Tea in the Alcove and Sunday School Room

Sunday School - Investing God’s Gifts Wisely Luke 11-27

Prayer List:

Also we pray for those who are sick or in poor health or away from home: Tommy Boutiette, Dorothy Boutiette, Kathy Straitt, Violet Turner, Gloria Achee, Harold Hoffman, Joanne Stevenson, Alice and Bill Mercer, Angela Jenkinson, Patty Snyder, Amanda Johnson, Wade Rist, Ruth Boyken, Tony Warrior, Barbara Johnson.