Sunday, September 2, 2018

Celebrating our work! Sept 2, 2018

Worship on Sunday, September 2 …
We are blessed to have our own Director of Children’s and Youth Ministry Julia Miller sharing a message:  Sabbath:  “Celebrating our work!”



╬ “The food that endures for eternal life!”  Being sabbath people and pursuing our work and commitments and vocations in life are NOT mutually exclusive.  All that God reveals of sabbath – Hebrew testament and Christian witness, alike – attests to our calling to be God’s people always and everywhere; at work, at home, at church, at play.  It is the very balance of spiritual sustenance and daily work that sabbath observance promotes.  We can engage in work and service that is meaningful to us and contributes to the world God loves AS the sabbath people of God.

 Readings and the Prayer of the Day are below.  We thank our Synodically Authorized Minister Reggie Kikta for presiding at Communion this day!

 Blessings to all!
- Pr. Brad Highum
bhighum@abidinglove.org

 Prayer of the Day:
God of life and all creation, may all that we do be to your glory, and for the sake of the world you love.  Help us to understand our work as vocation, that all we put our hands to might become a prayer of thanksgiving in service.  May our work be hallowed as offering to you, as communion with you and as celebration of our gifts in you.  Amen.

 Readings:

 First Reading:  Deuteronomy 28:1-6
28 If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God:  3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.  4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.  5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.  6 Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.

 Psalm 90:14-17
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as we have been afflicted, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish for us the work of our hands – O prosper the work of our hands!

 Second Reading:  Romans 5:1-5
5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 Gospel:  John 6:25-36
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" 26 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." 28 Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." 30 So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."  35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
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