07/17/2022 – 6th Sunday after Pentecost
Hymn: #102 Now Thank We All Our God
- Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today. - O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us still in grace, and guide us when perplexed;
and free us from all ills, in this world and the next. - All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
the Son, and Him who reigns with them in highest heaven;
the one eternal God, whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Call to Worship (based on Amos 8)
Leader: Prophets, what do you see?
People: We see the many ways we distract ourselves.
Leader: What else do you see?
People: We see the good and the bad fruits we have produced.
Leader: What do you see today?
People: We witness and worship God today, grateful for love and forgiveness.
AMEN.
Children’s message Scripture: Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, He entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to Him and asked, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Good morning! Today, we’re going to be talking a lot about distractions and paying attention to what’s really important. (Hold up your cell phone.) Have you ever been trying to talk to a friend who was right in front of you, but that friend was too busy looking at their phone to pay attention to you? (Pause for responses, and be ready with your own story.)
- How did it make you feel when someone else was too distracted to listen to you?
It can be disappointing and frustrating when that happens. But let’s be honest…Have any of you been so distracted that you forgot to pay attention to a friend? Or that you lost sight of what was happening right in front of you? I know I have! (Pause for responses and share your own story.)
Being distracted isn't anything new and phones aren't the only reasons we get distracted. When Jesus walked the Earth, people didn’t have cell phones like we do. But that didn't keep people from becoming distracted. Our Bible lesson today tells a story about a woman who became distracted - even when Jesus was a guest in her home!
Jesus was in the village of Bethany where His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Jesus went to their home to visit. Martha invited Him in and began to prepare dinner. While she was busy working away, her sister Mary just sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to the words He had to say. The Bible says Martha was too distracted by all the preparation that had to be done to listen to Jesus. She got upset with her sister and went to Jesus and said, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," Jesus said, "you are worried and upset about many things. But there is one thing that is the most important and Mary has discovered it." Martha was doing her best to make Jesus feel welcome in her home, but Mary had discovered something even more important. That was sitting at the feet of Jesus and receiving His words into her heart.
It is important for us to be careful that we don't get so busy doing activities - even good ones - that we forget to listen to Jesus’ words and take them into our heart. If we become too distracted, we just might miss the most important thing.
Dear Jesus, help us to remember that You are the most important thing in our lives. Don't let us get so busy with other things that we forget to spend time with You. 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: LUMC supports the college students in our midst by offering scholarships. Every line of work needs Christians and Christian leadership. We support and encourage these people to follow their dreams while being firmly rooted in the foundations of Christ.
- prayer: Lord of all wisdom and patience, what would it mean if we asked You to dedicate not only the gifts we give to the church, but all the rest that we keep, that we hold back. What if we lived as those whose every dollar, every talent, every hour was dedicated to making kindness, mercy, and justice the norm and not the exception? What would it mean if we really saw the places where indifference causes pain, hardship, and harm to souls, bodies, and creation itself? Help us to make this more than a hypothetical, but the reality of an offering of our whole being. We pray in the name of the One who gave his whole self for our redemption. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of Preparation: #454 Open My Eyes, That I May See
- Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine! - Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine! - Open my mouth, and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Message scripture- Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, He entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what He was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to Him and asked, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Message: Sunday’s message was given by Lay Speaker Dwayne Deska. Pastor Becky is on vacation.
Closing Hymn: #349 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Go into your week with the blessings of The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit.