This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 31st, 2008
Romans 12: 9-21
August 2008 Archives
PSALM LESSON Psalm 105:1-5, 8
THE GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 16:21-28
THE SECOND LESSON Romans 12:9-21
MEDITATION "Love of the Other"
Worship Notes
We conclude our Summer of Spirit with our final worship 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.
The central text for our worship is taken from the 12th chapter of Romans where Paul describes the distinctive marks of what it means to follow Christ. The Call to Worship incorporates three of these verses where Paul exhorts Christians to love even those we may curse us. The Prayer of Confession comes from a prayer written by Dag Hammarskjold, a Swedish diplomat, Christian mystic, and the second General Secretary of the United Nations. The Affirmation of Faith is a portion of the Brief Statement of Faith of the PCUSA detailing how it is God's Spirit that shapes us into a people willing to take up our cross. In the silent prayer following the prayers of the people, we encourage you to reflect on the ways you may be transformed in serving the world and the church.
As we hear Christ's admonishment of Peter in the Gospel lesson this morning, we are mindful of his instruction that we too must take up our cross and follow him. For centuries, Christians have struggled with how to discern and respond to God's call. The solo offered in worship this morning is a setting of a poem by the English mystical poet, George Herbert (1593-1633) entitled, "The Call." Scholars believe Herbert likely wrote this text to reflect his decision, late in life, to become a priest. In each stanza, the poem establishes particular descriptions of various aspects of God's call (way, truth, life, light, feast, strength, joy, love, heart) and then articulates how we respond to each aspect in such a way as to grow in our faith and in our commitment to Christ. Note the purposeful point made by the text as it reminds us that God's call is a call to life that is triumphant even over death. The music written for this piece is by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 24th, 2008
Romans 12: 1 - 13
Psalm 124
THE GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 16:13-20
THE SECOND LESSON Romans 12:1-13
MEDITATION "Why We are Different"
Worship Notes
We conclude our Summer of Spirit with our final worship 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.
The central text for our worship is taken from the 12th chapter of Romans where Paul describes the distinctive marks of what it means to follow Christ. The Call to Worship incorporates three of these verses where Paul exhorts Christians to be genuine, loyal, and passionate. The Prayer of Confession comes from the Book of Common Prayer (PCUSA) and reminds us of how we often conform to the values of the world rather than be transformed by the Spirit of God. The Affirmation of Faith is a portion of the Brief Statement of Faith of the PCUSA detailing how it is God's Spirit that gives us the courage to be different in a world characterized by conformity. In the silent prayer following the prayers of the people, we encourage you to reflect on the ways you may be transformed in serving the world and the church.
THE GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 15:21-28
THE SECOND LESSON Romans 11:1-2, 29-32
MEDITATION "Our Common Humanity"
Worship Notes
Today is the twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time and we continue to integrate 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.
The central text for worship this morning is from Paul's letter to the Romans. As we worship today, we reflect on Paul's words, which describe the depth and breadth of God's loving mercy and acceptance. The music offered in worship this morning is chosen to illumine God's mercy and to express our praise to God for his love that is "broader than the measures of the mind." The prelude is a setting of the African American Spiritual, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and serves to remind us of God's embrace of all people. The hymn "There is a Wideness in God's Mercy" also proclaims this idea.
As we respond to the Word proclaimed by affirming our faith and dedicating our gifts to God, we offer praise to God through the text of a movement from Antonio Vivaldi's "Gloria." While Vivaldi (1678-1741) composed at least three settings of the Gloria text, only two survive. The excerpt sung as the Offertory today is from his most famous Gloria setting, which was sung in its entirety in a December 2000 worship service led by the Westminster Chancel Choir. The "Laudamus Te" movement is a very celebratory expression of praise set by Vivaldi for two soprano voices. As you worship, listen carefully for the jubilant interplay between the two voices as they call us to praise, bless, worship, and glorify God.
As we conclude our worship, we join our voices in a song of prayer that God would "Help Us Accept Each Other" we strive to model the example Christ set for us. The postlude "Salamanca," written by Swiss composer Guy Bovet in 1986, is based on a folk legend that tells of a woman of questionable repute who shocks everyone by dancing her way down the aisle at the Spanish Cathedral of Salamanca to pray for God's mercy and forgiveness. Just as we read in today's Gospel lesson, this postlude serves to remind us that no matter our circumstances or station in life, God is waiting to welcome us, heal us, and make us whole with his mercy and love.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 10th, 2008
Romans 10: 5 - 15
PSALM OF THE DAY Psalm 105:1-6
THE GOSPEL LESSON Mathew 14:22-33
THE SECOND LESSON Romans 10:5-15
MEDITATION "The Sent Church"
Worship Notes
Today is the nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time and we continue to integrate 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.
The central text for worship this morning is from Paul's letter to the Romans. As we worship today, we reflect on Paul's words describing the beauty of the messengers who preach Christ's gospel of peace. The music chosen for worship this morning offer avenues of praise, prayer, and proclamation through which we listen for and offer our lives in response to Christ's message of peace. The prelude is a setting of a dialog between the main organ in the Chancel and the trumpet in the rear of the sanctuary. This piece, by the English composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695), is illustrative of the interplay of our humanity with God's call. The solo, which is one of the beautiful Arias from The Messiah, was composed by G.F. Handel (1685-1759) and takes as its text the passage of scripture we read today from Romans. The trumpet solo in the offertory is a transcription of the first movement of Bach's Cantata 156, which was written in 1729. This music, which has a very peaceful and almost pastoral-like quality, was re-worked by Bach and incorporated for use in some of his other instrumental concertos.
We respond to God's Word by singing the famous prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). The tune of this hymn, Dickinson College, was written by Lee Bristol, Jr., in honor of the Pennsylvania campus that awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1962. Bristol was the grandson of the founder of the Bristol-Meyers pharmaceutical company. As we prepare to ourselves become God's messengers of peace in the world, we join in singing "Lead On, O King Eternal" as we pray for "sin's fierce war to cease" and "holiness to whisper the sweet amen of peace."
THE EPISTLE LESSON Romans 9:1-5
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE Genesis 32:22-31
Worship Notes
In the Old Testament passage today, we of God's wrestling match with Jacob. Yet, it might perhaps be more accurate to describe the passage as Jacob's wrestling match with God. For in the text, we read that Jacob refused to let go of the "unknown traveler" until he knew his name and character. As Christian believers, do we hold fast to God with the same determination and conviction as was displayed by Jacob? or, when we wrestle with our faith, do we take the easier path and give up? In worship today, we lift our prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful gift of God's constant love for us and pray that we too may be made to hold fast to God.
Each hymn through which we worship today was chosen to illumine God's Word as reflected in the Genesis passage. In the text of the opening hymn, we sing of God who is "Immortal, Invisible, and Wise." As we respond to God's Word proclaimed, we sing of God whom we "see face to face" in the sacrament of communion. As we depart to serve the Lord, we "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above," which reminds us that God is never far away from us.
The Offertory is a musical setting of a hymn text often regarded as one of Charles Wesley's most significant works. Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement and the younger brother of John Wesley. During the course of his life, Charles Wesley wrote over 5,500 hymns and left a legacy that has continued to influence and shape American hymnody even today. The complete text of the offertory was entitled "Wrestling Jacob" and it is one of the few published hymns to take this Genesis passage as its basis. The text is included on Page 4 and, in keeping with the spiritual practices of Lectio Divina, you are encouraged to reflect on those words as you use the offertory to prepare to partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
As we gather around the Lord's table to share in the sacrament, we do so as a community that strives to live in forgiveness with each other. We believe that the Lord's table is open to all children of God. We do not distinguish between denominations or church affiliations. It is Westminster's practice to hold the communion bread until all are served and then partake of it together as a symbol of the communal nature of the Lord's Supper. We partake of the cup individually to observe the personal aspect of our relationship with God.
We extend a warm Westminster welcome to Reverend Erica Liu who fills our pulpit and leads our worship service this morning. An ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA, Pastor Liu earned her bachelors in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Erica and her husband Mark Elsdon moved to Madison to serve as Campus Co-Pastors at Pres House on the UW-Madison campus. Welcome!
