Liturgy

As we gather this morning we invite you
into a moment of silence and stillness.
Find your balance, relax your shoulders,
release tension hiding in your jaw and neck.

Begin to find your breath,
and open up your diaphragm.
Feel the air coming into your body,
filling you up like a beach ball.

Begin to breathe more deeply.
As you release, exhale slowly.

Engage your voice, and allow
whatever comes out to just be.
Let your response be what it is.

Remember that God gave life
to humanity by way of breath.
May this next breath remind you that
you too, are alive in this moment.

We pray this in the name of
God the Creator,
Christ the Savior,
and the Holy Spirit our Breath of Life,
Amen.

(Naomi Jackson)

Scripture Reading

We invite you to hear from a reading in Matthew 13:24-30.

24 [Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven
may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed
weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds
appeared as well. 27 And the workers of the householder came
and said to the Land Owner, ‘Did you not sow good seed in your
field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’

28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The workers said to
him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied,
‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.

30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time
I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles
to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Good News of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

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

Sermon and Reflection

Sermon Podcast 7.19.20 – Mercy in Discernment

What is the difference between being discerning about someone’s actions and judging them?

In what ways have you been corrected in a way that was creative for you?

Benediction

Lift up your eyes to receive the benediction.

The wisdom of the Lord is like a garden, healthy,
flourishing and colorful. Created intentionally to
grow what is glorious and good.

You were planted in good soil, meant for your
best, and given everything that you needed.

For God so loved the soil that he came just
to spend his evenings in the garden with us.
Beloved, do not fear the gardener.

Do not fear the shears that prune you, nor the bits
and pieces that wither and fall away. Do not even
be afraid of death and decomposition, for even in
death lives the very substance of life and resurrection.

We are planted in the rich soil that tells us the story
of Christ in our growing and withering. Beneath the
earth is black and white, but the garden lives in full color.

Go, and live in the name of
God the Father,
Christ the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

(Naomi Jackson)

Go in peace and live the church.
May you find safety and rest throughout the week.

[Photo by Sayaka M @ Flickr]