THE FIRST LESSON Mathew 9:9-13, 18-26
THE SECOND LESSON Romans 4:13-25
SERMON / MEDITATION "You Gotta Have Trust"
Worship Notes
Today we begin our Summer of Spirit by integrating the practice of lectio divina into our worship. Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a traditional Christian practice of prayer and scriptural reading. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to read (Lectio), study (Meditatio), pray (Oratio) and listen (Contemplatio) to a bible text. The systematization of spiritual reading into four steps dates back to the 12th century. Around 1150, Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, wrote a book titled "The Monk's Ladder" wherein he set out the theory of the four rungs: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation.
We continue our series on Paul's letter to the churches in Rome by examining a section of the fourth chapter. Paul points to Abraham as an example of what faith is supposed to look like. Our opening word are taken from Dag Hammarskjold, a Swedish diplomat, Christian mystic, the second Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Nobel peace prize winner who tragically died in a plane crash in 1961. Our opening hymn evokes images of Abraham, the father of three faith traditions. The Affirmation of Faith is taken from the Presbyterian Church USA Brief Statement of Faith emphasizing faith as trust. We end our service with our benediction response requesting God to make us more holy.
