Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 · 1 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 · Galatians 5:1, 13-25 · Luke 9:51-62
The theme for this week is taking the next right step. Our call to worship, Psalm 77, presents the psalmist in trouble, and he responds by remembering another time when Israel was pinned between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, and God’s solution to their troubles was different than expected. 2 Kings 2 recounts the story of Elijah being taken up to heaven, including the uncertainties that Elisha faced in continuing ministry without his mentor. In Galatians 5, we are reminded that the freedom to love is always the best choice, resulting in the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And in our sermon text, Luke 9 shows Jesus’s singular focus in heading toward... Read the article
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Psalm 42, 43 • 1 Kings 19:1-4, 8-15a • Galatians 3:23-29 • Luke 8:26-39
The theme of this week is God the deliverer. In Psalm 22, the psalmist tells us of the Lord who sees and cares for the afflicted and saves them from their afflictions. In 1 Kings 19, we encounter Elijah, wracked by guilt and despair after fearing for his life, yet God speaks to him in the still voice, girding him for the work ahead. Paul reassures us in Galatians that we have been freed from the law and delivered to become heirs in Christ of God's promises. Finally in Luke 8, our sermon passage for today, Jesus delivers a man from subjection by evil spirits, freeing him to declare the Good News and showing us that no situation is beyond Jesus' saving power.
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Psalm 8:1-9 · Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 · Romans 5:1-5 · John 16:12-15
The theme for this week is the delight, comfort, and counsel of God. On this Trinity Sunday, our call to worship in Psalm 8 speaks about God’s delight in creation, especially the creation of human beings who are “made a little lower than God.” In Proverbs 8, Wisdom is personified as a woman, and she speaks of her delight in the created world and the human race. Our justification by faith, the way suffering will ultimately produce hope, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit is addressed in Romans 5. Our sermon text for Trinity Sunday is John 16:12-15, where Jesus is comforting the disciples (and us) by explaining that even though he will be leaving them, they... Read the article
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Psalm 104:24-35b • Acts 2:1-21 • Romans 8:14-17 • John 14:8-17, 25-27
This week is Pentecost; as we celebrate the Father sending the Spirit after Jesus’ Ascension, our theme is the Spirit who sustains. The call to worship Psalm declares that when God sends his Spirit, life is created and renewed – sustaining the creative work of Jesus at the foundation of creation. Romans 8 tells us that the Spirit prevents us from falling back into slavery to fear – instead, he sustains our sonship bought for us by Jesus. Acts 2 recounts the coming of the Spirit, who immediately continues the ministry of Jesus in turning the disciples into "fishers of men." In John, we see Jesus telling the disciples that the Spirit is going to come and... Read the article
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Psalm 97:1-12 • Acts 16:26-34 • Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 • John 17:20-26
This week’s theme is our response to seeing the salvation, goodness and love of God in our lives. In the call to worship Psalm, the psalmist tells us that because the Lord reigns, the whole earth should be glad. In Acts 16 we see the jailer who was overseeing Paul and Silas rejoicing because of his new faith in Christ. In John, we see Jesus praying that an unbelieving world will come to know that he loves them. And in Revelation it is promised that all who come to God will be filled with the fullness of life.
The Impassioned Prayer of Christ
John 17:20-26
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Psalm 67:1-7 • Acts 16:9-15 • Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 • John 14:23-29
This week’s theme is the Lord’s hospitality. The call to worship Psalm is a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, which includes a prayer that all people of all nations will join in. The selection from Acts records the hospitality of Lydia as a response to having her heart opened by the Lord. The Gospel text from John records Jesus’ words regarding those who are at home in the Father’s love. A reading from Revelation presents an inviting vision of the New Jerusalem whose gates are always open.
Significant Peace
John 14:23-29 (NRSV)
This week we enter the Sixth Sunday of Easter, with only one more Sunday left to celebrate. But this Sunday will... Read the article
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Psalm 148:1-14 • Acts 11:1-18 • Revelation 21:1-6 • John 13:31-35
Our theme for this week is all hail King Jesus. Our call to worship Psalm gives us a picture of every creature – from those in the fathomless depths to those sitting on thrones – bowing the knee to the true King. Acts 11 gives us the story of the gospel going from the Hebrew people into all the world, exactly according to plan. Revelation 21 shows us the final picture of the New Jerusalem—the new heavens and earth—where Jesus reigns forever. Our sermon comes from John 13, where King Jesus shares with us the secret to living like his royal family: Love.
Jesus, A Candid Shot
John 13:31-35 ESV
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Psalm 23:1-6 • Acts 9:36-43 • Revelation 7:9-17 • John 10:22-30
On the fourth Sunday of Easter we witness how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, calls his people to himself. Our call to worship Psalm speaks of the Shepherd who cares for every need of his sheep. In Acts we read about Peter calling to Tabitha, and at the sound of his voice she follows, even from death. In Revelation we are greeted by the great scene of every believer who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb, and who have followed their Lord into eternity. Finally, in John Jesus declares to us that his sheep will hear his voice and follow him - that we are safe in the hands of the Father and the Son.
Rapt in Anticipation
John 10:22-30 NRSV
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Psalm 30:1-12 • Acts 9:1-6, (7-20) • Revelation 5:11-14 • John 21:1-19
This week’s theme is resurrected restoration. The call to worship Psalm emphasizes healing and recovery from the Lord that prompts eternal gratefulness. A reading from Acts recounts Paul’s transformation from a persecutor of the church to a chosen instrument of the Lord. The Gospel reading from John reports the appearance of the resurrected Lord to Peter who is restored and commissioned to feed Jesus’ sheep. The Book of Revelation points to the source of all restoration with the vision of angels singing praises around the throne of God to the Lamb who was slain.
The Dawn of a New Day
John 21:1-19 (NRSV)
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Psalm 118:14-29 • Acts 5:27-32 • Revelation 1:4-8 • John 20:19-31
Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which kicks off a season of reflection upon Jesus' resurrected life and Ascension. The theme is: responding to the resurrected and glorified Jesus. In our passages today, we witness how in the resurrection, God has shown us the chasm between human values and God’s values. We are brought to witness the exalted Jesus, contrasted with his horrific death and supposed humiliation upon the cross. Our call to worship Psalm calls us to remember that God's love is eternal, and that what humans have rejected, God has chosen. In Acts, Peter stands before a bewildered Sanhedrin declaring boldly that the man they crucified, God has... Read the article
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