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Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28

Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids
Series VII, Cycle B
First Lesson: Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Theme: And Another Thing, Lord ...

Call To Worship (Psalm 8)
One:

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
All:
Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
One:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
All:
what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
One:
Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
All:
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,
One:
all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
All:
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
One:
O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Collect

God of creation, Lord of light, giver of all good things, we live in your beautiful world and celebrate your glory in its wonders. As the season changes we recognize an opportunity for us to change. As leaves prepare to fall we let fall our sins and dedicate our lives to your work. As hunters prepare for the autumn we humbly recognize our own mortality and our place in a larger task of stewardship and conservation. Our worship today celebrates both the mystery and majesty of your will for our lives. Bless us today. These things we pray in your name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

No matter what happens, blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen.

Hymns
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
I Know Not Why God's Wondrous Grace
Away With Our Fears

* * *

Second Lesson: Hebrews 4:12-16
Theme: Walk In Faithfulness

Call To Worship

Not in the glory of stars exploding, or in the majesty of an imperial process, not with the preening feathers of a peacock, or with the roar of a lion, but in this do we find our King, Savior, Shepherd, High Priest, walking humbly, the man of sorrows, bearing our burdens, enduring our pain. This is glory! Come together, God's people, in worship and praise.

Collect

Lord, we seek to walk in faithfulness as did your Son, not hiding from the world, but immersing ourselves in the troubles and trials so we might offer a cup of cold water in your name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession

God did not arrive as the son of a Caesar, insulated by luxury from the pain of our daily lives. We have a high priest who's been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt. Paid a pretty high price for it, too. Since we have such a high priest let us boldly approach him on his throne, holding fast to our confession that Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen.

Hymns
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
When In The Hour Of Deepest Need
Blest Be The Tie That Binds

* * *

Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:17-31
Theme: What's The Absolute Least I Can Do?

Call To Worship

God's people -- it is not in preserving blocks of concrete that the Ten Commandments come to life, but in our resolve to leave everything and follow Jesus. Are you ready? Really ready?

Collect (Micah 6:8)

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Prayer Of Confession

Lord, we haven't murdered anyone recently. We don't get caught stealing. We tell the truth under oath. That's enough, isn't it? What's the absolute least we can do and still call ourselves, if not your disciples, at least your followers? Fans? Help us out here. It looks next to impossible to get into your kingdom. Speak to us, Lord. Amen.

Hymns
What Does The Lord Require Of You?
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Blest Be The Tie
UPCOMING WEEKS
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For July 6, 2025:

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Object: This is a role play activity for the children.

Note: You will need an older volunteer to help with this activity. One option would be to find a teenager with some physical ability. If a teen is not available, an adult could be used instead. For simplicity here, I will refer to my older volunteer as “TOM”. You will also need to select three of your younger children to serve as volunteers in the story.

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2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30
Naaman seeks healing. He travels hoping healing will come to him when he visits the king of Israel. Yet, healing does not come in that way. Rather healing comes through Elishah. Healing comes from believing and being cleansed in the River Jordan. Healing comes through Naaman’s faithfulness and through God’s grace. Psalm 30 also reminds us to seek healing; to seek God and God will heal and restore us. Do we believe that? Do we believe that God can bring healing?

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But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ (vv. 10-11)

When I visit your church for the first time, consider the possibility that I might be looking for a church home. I am a good-looking old guy, but I have gray hair and I dress down in the summer, so don’t be put off by my cargo shorts and tank top. Talk to me!

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Damien and Ora grinned at each other in excitement. The time had come - at last! They'd been with the Leader for months and months, waiting for this moment. Not that it had felt much like training. They'd simply lived with the Leader, listening to his stories, hearing about the Kingdom, learning to get along really well with all the other people at Mission Headquarters. Now all seventy of them were ready, the spaceship had docked, and the Mission was about to begin. Ora was glad she'd been paired up with Damien again.

SermonStudio

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(See Epiphany 6/Ordinary Time 6, Cycle B, and Easter 3, Cycle C, for alternative approaches.)

Anyone who has ever had the experience of losing a friend because of some conflict or dispute, and then has had the friendship restored because of love and forgiveness, has a unique insight into the meaning of this psalm. Although the poem begins and ends with praise, there is in the middle of the poem a brief moment of confession and contrition that puts the praise portions of the psalm in an entirely different light.

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A word of encouragement came from an unlikely source the other day in a television interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The former football player, wrestler, and now actor was asked about a low time in his life when he was very discouraged about his career and future.

"How did you make your way back from that?" he was asked.

The Rock replied, "You have to put yourself out there. You have to get out there and fail, and learn from your failures."

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In the summer of 1983, I participated in a ministerial exchange program sponsored by my denomination. My assignment was to a circuit of churches on the Isle of Man, a tiny island located in the Irish Sea. The months preceding the exchange included considerable correspondence with the minister on the island with whom I would exchange pastoral duties for six weeks.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
A wealthy businessman decided to take a walk and eat his lunch at the same time. He strolled by a park. There he purchased a hot dog and a soft drink. As he walked through the park two different "street people" approached him one by one. Each asked, "Can you help me? I am hungry." Each time the businessman looked straight ahead and kept walking. After finishing his lunch, he stopped and bought a chocolate eclair for dessert. As he was about to take the first bite, he was forced to jump out of the way as a young boy raced by on his skateboard. The eclair went flying and landed on the ground.

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