07/10/2022 – 5th Sunday after Pentecost
Hymn: #437 This Is My Song
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine;
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
- My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, Thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.
- This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms:
Thy kingdom come; on earth Thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve Him, and hearts united learn to live as one.
O hear my prayer, Thou God of all the nations; myself I give Thee; let Thy will be done.
Colossians 1:1-14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from His glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Children’s message Scripture: Luke 10:29b-37
[A lawyer] asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Today our lesson is called, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” But before we get started, let’s play a quick game. (Have kids form two circles, and identify them as the “blue group” and the “red group.” Have groups choose one child from their group to be the “wounded” and have that child stand in the center of their circles. Give each group a roll of toilet paper.)
(Say these next words exactly.) On go, you’ll care for the wounded. To do this, the wounded player will be wrapped with an entire roll of toilet paper. Let’s see which group can do it the fastest. Go! (Allow time, and then point out who was wrapped first, without directly congratulating a team. Have everyone sit in their circles.)
I wonder if you’ve heard of Mr. Rogers? (Show the picture of Mr. Rogers.) You might’ve seen him on TV in his show, "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." He always started the TV show singing this song:
It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood A beautiful day for a neighbor…
Maybe you’ve heard it. Who are some of your neighbors? (Pause for kids to respond.) Mr. Rogers called all the children and adults who watched him his neighbors. Really, Mr. Rogers saw all people as his neighbors.
So, the kids sitting next to you would be your neighbors. (Have kids give high-fives to the kids next to them.) And the kids sitting across the circle are your neighbors. (Have kids give high-fives to kids sitting across from them.) For the blue group, even the kids in the red group are your neighbors, and vice versa. (Have kids high-five with kids on opposing teams.)
The Bible tells us that one time a lawyer came to Jesus and asked how he could have eternal life. Jesus answered him with a question: “What does the Bible say?” Jesus asked.
The man answered, repeating exactly what the Bible says: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself." (Have children repeat the verse after you.)
Jesus told the man, "You’re right. Do this and you’ll live." But then the man asked, "Who is my neighbor?"
Jesus answered the man by telling a story about a Jewish man who was traveling from Jerusalem and was attacked by robbers and left to die. A Jewish leader saw him, but walked right on by. Another Jewish man walked right on by, too. But a Samaritan man—someone who might’ve seemed like an enemy—had compassion when he saw the hurt man. He stopped, helped take care of the man’s wounds, and took him to a hotel. He even paid those who helped the man get better.
After the story, Jesus asked, "Which of these three men was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by the robbers?" What do you think?
The lawyer knew the neighbor was the Samaritan, even though Jewish people and Samaritans were kind of enemies. Jesus told the lawyer, “Now go and love your neighbor.”
- Knowing what you know now, would you have played our game any differently? Explain.
Jesus wants us to know that all people in this world, kids and people we’ve never met, and ones we do know, are all our neighbors who we’re called to love.
God, Jesus taught us to love our neighbor. Help us to be a good neighbor to everyone we meet. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: Lightstreet Carnival is July 11-16. Think about purchasing some food or playing some games this week. The firemen depend on this fund-raising week to make sure they are properly trained and equipped to be there for us and our neighbors in times of great need.
Offering prayer: Holy God, source of all good things, we ask that the gifts we offer to You this day would be dedicated to bringing Your kingdom of love, justice, and compassion into being in our midst. We acknowledge that when this service is over, it will be tempting to put our blinders back on, keep our focus on what’s right in front of us, and not see that which is all around us. Help us to see both the beauty of Your caring and the ugliness of our indifference. We pray this in Christ’s name. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of Preparation: #451 Be Thou My Vision
- Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. - Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, great God of heaven, my treasure Thou art. - Great God of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Message scripture- Luke 10:1-11, 17-20
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Message: What Did They Do? Pastor Becky Cuddeback
I briefly mentioned these disciples last week in anticipation of this week. These most likely were men, maybe some married couples, what we do know is they are appointed by the Lord, meaning they were designated for a specific purpose. The specific purpose was to go as an advance of the future Church of Jesus Christ.
Their designation wasn’t based on talent, their physical appearance, or any of their gifts. They were appointed solely on their willingness to be in service to the Lord Jesus. They have been traveling with Him, and they are learning and watching all the way to Jerusalem.
But what is it they are called to do?
- They are to GO. Jesus is sending them ahead of Himself. Jesus intends to visit each of these places, villages and cities, on His way to Jerusalem. These disciples are setting the stage for Jesus’ visit.
- They are to STAY. Jesus wants them to build relationships in the places He intends to go. Jesus is the fulfillment of what the disciples will be sharing in this forerunning. They are His introduction to the people.
- They are to DO. They are to heal the sick among them. This will take many dimensions, healing actual illness, healing relationships, and healing those afflicted by demons. Jesus is sending the message ahead that the Kingdom isn’t stagnant, it is moving and bringing healing.
- They are to PROCLAIM one thing: The Kingdom of God has come near to you. Are you able to say those words? The proclamation – “The Kingdom of God has come near to you,” is all about truly living in the kingdom now and the first thing you have to be able to do is say it out loud. This should not be a timid statement. It should come boldly from the very depth of our being. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to train ourselves to be able to say the same thing, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.”
- They are to RETURN to their teacher. They weren’t to go ahead to the next place, but they were to come back and be together with the others who had just been out as well. They are in need of sabbath rest to be restored and instructed again.
- They are to REPORT all that happened. This is giving testimony, just as we are to give testimony of how God has used us, shown us, or revealed to us some aspect of God’s love and care. We learn best from stories and are encouraged by the telling and hearing of stories of God’s love and care.
Now, there are a couple things we have to keep in mind as we look at what the disciples did and what we are to do. First, we have to take Jesus’ warning about being lambs sent out among wolves. We have to decide if we really are lambs; those who are naive, innocent and about the work of the Lord. Or, are we the wolves that Jesus warns the disciples about? The wolves seek to destroy the lambs, the lambs are a threat to the power structures and the accumulation of wealth. The wolves desire the world to stay as it is and the lambs come with a counter cultural message of God. The message of the Kingdom is equity – everyone gets what they need to not only survive, but thrive. The Kingdom of God is a powerful message of life, light and love. It is simple, yet powerful and hope filled message for those who are still waiting and praying for God’s deliverance.
Second, there is nothing we have, that is our own, that is needed but our hearts, minds, and faith fully committed to God. It is our reliance on God which makes this work possible. We can see this clearly in what the disciples were instructed to not take with them. No purse, no bag, no sandals and Jesus went further to say, don’t even talk to anyone on the road – just so they wouldn’t be tempted to make provision on the way. God would provide everything through the work of the disciples. The people being blessed with the healing and hearing the message of the Kingdom would care for the disciples. We may not be sent out in to that extreme, but Jesus is telling us, don’t count on yourselves for the answers to the Kingdom, God will provide through you. Each of us has become a conduit for Jesus’ prayer that God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
There are still people out in our community praying and waiting for God and you declare God’s Kingdom every time you feed the hungry, visit the sick, befriend the friendless, and uphold others’ human dignity. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the reality of the kingdom and living it, every single day.
Let us pray: Holy God, strengthen us to be the disciples of Jesus You need us to be. Grow us and challenge us to proclaim “The Kingdom of God has come near to you” to all we encounter. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Closing Hymn: #402 Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
- Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.
In my heart, (in my heart) in my heart, (in my heart)
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart (in my heart).
- Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.
In my heart, (in my heart) in my heart, (in my heart)
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart (in my heart).
- Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.
In my heart, (in my heart) in my heart, (in my heart)
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart (in my heart).
- Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart;
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.
In my heart, (in my heart) in my heart, (in my heart)
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart (in my heart).
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.