Liturgy

You, who are participants in the glory of Love, listen. God is here.

You, who are renewed to new life with each rain, look. God is here.

You, who are given breath of life, breathe deeply. God is here.

May we open ourselves to hear the word of God today.
May we receive the love that is in every word, and
may we be comforted by the assurance of God’s presence.

We gather this morning
in the name of our triune God,
Three in One,
Amen.

(Sarah Berson)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from the reading of Matthew 16: 24-26.

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

25 For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but
forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
The Good News of Christ. Praise be to you, O Christ!

The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 9.8.19 – Contemplation: Creating Space

What are the things we are hesitant to let go of because it’s how we protect ourselves and preserve our way of living?

Where do our loyalties lie and how do we end up losing sight of God’s vision for our life when we’re so tied to our loyalties?

What’s the frantic and anxious work that we’ve been devoting our energy to and how can we create space for rest instead?

Benediction

You, who are participants in the glory of Love, speak. God is here.
You, who are renewed to new life with each rain, bloom. God is here.
You, who are given the breath of life, breathe deeply. God is here.

May you reflect the light, laughter and truth of Glory revealed.
May you never hesitate to cry out in joy or in pain to our God
who delights in hearing you.

May our hearts drink deeply of the nourishing love of God,
and may our souls find breath so we can speak Truth.

Let us go in the name
of the triune God,
Holy Three in One,
Amen.

(Sarah Berson)

Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.

[Photo by Han Cheng Yeh @ Flickr]