Sunday, June 30, 2019

The Way of Peace and Justice! June 30,2019

Worship on Sunday, June 30 …

 The season of Pentecost is an invitation to follow Jesus in daily life, to make his way our way! 



╬ The Way of Peace and Justice!   The Way of Jesus is a way of peace.  Peace is a gift from God – the great Shalom … everything ordered according to the good and gracious will of God.  We are called, and we are blessed, to be peacemakers!  Yet there can be no peace – genuine and lasting peace for all – without justice.  The Biblical understanding of “justice” is less about judgement and punishment as we know it today; more about making things right.  In making peace, we are called to work for justice for all, especially for the powerless, the oppressed, the outcast and the other.

 Below are the Prayer of the Day and Readings.  

 Blessings to you all as we go forward into the time of Pentecost!

 - Pr. Brad Highum
bhighum@abidinglove.org
PRAYER OF THE DAY ---------------------

 God of life and all creation, as peacemakers in your world, stir us to strive for justice; not just for us, but for all people and for the natural world you love.  Make us people of peace and justice for all.  Amen.

 READINGS ----------------------------

 First Reading:  Deuteronomy 30:15-20
15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

 Psalm 89:5-8,14-16
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.

 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

 7 a God revered in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all that are around him?

 8 O Lord God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O Lord?  Your faithfulness surrounds you.

 14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

 15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;

 16 they exult in your name all day long, and extol your righteousness.

 Second Reading:  2 Corinthians 5:16-21
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 Gospel:  Luke 18:1-8
18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" 6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
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