January 2009 Archives

THE EPISTLE LESSON . 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 1:21-28

SERMON "Jesus and Unclean Spirits: The Many Dimensions of Healing"

Worship Notes

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, which consists of the of Sundays that are not part of the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. We continue to observe Ordinary Time until February 22, which is a Sunday set aside to remember the transfiguration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical color for the season of Ordinary Time is green.

The gospel lesson today illustrates both the authority of Christ and his mercy as we read Mark's account his casting out of the unclean spirit. This scripture inspired the creation of the hymn text that is printed as the "preparation for worship" elsewhere in the bulletin. The brash and dissonant hymn tune set to accompany this text forms the basis for improvisation used as the prelude in today's service.

God's healing mercy is celebrated both in the response hymn, "There Is a Wideness in God's Mercy," and in the communion hymn, "Let Us Break Bread Together." As we join in the sacrament of communion, the choir will sing of the healing power of God in a setting of the African American spiritual, "There is a Balm in Gilead." The postlude also uses chromatic, or step-wise, dissonances to evoke the tension between our unclean spirits and God's loving mercy.

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 25th, 2009,

Mark 1:14-20

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THE FIRST LESSON Jonah 3:1-5, 10

THE PSALM LESSON Psalm 62:5-12

THE SECOND LESSON Mark 1:14-20

SERMON "The Call: Problems with Following a Graceful God"

Worship Notes

Today is the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, which consists of the of Sundays that are not part of the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter. We continue to observe Ordinary Time until February 22, which is a Sunday set aside to remember the transfiguration of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical color for the season of Ordinary Time is green.

In worship last week, our proclamation of God's word helped us to understand how we can perceive God's call upon our hearts. In worship today, the scripture lessons offer an opportunity to reflect on how we respond to God's call both as individuals and as the body of faith gathered as Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Responding to God's call is the common theme in the hymns and service music through which we worship today. The African American Spiritual, "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus," articulates our commitment to answering the call of Christ. That same call is also explored in the choral prayer, "Christ Be With Me" and in the response hymn, "The Summons." The latter is a hymn composed by John Bell of the Iona Community in Scotland. The Iona Community, founded in 1938 by the Rev George MacLeod, is an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from different walks of life and different traditions in the Christian church that is committed to seeking new ways of living the gospel in today's world. The offertory is a setting of the Bach chorale "If You Would Trust in God To Guide You," the text of which is found at 281 in the Presbyterian Hymnal.

As a reminder that all we do together as Westminster Presbyterian Church is done in response to God's call and as an outgrowth of worship, our service ends today with our Annual Congregational Meeting. The Benediction will be offered before we sing "The Church of Christ in Every Age," which speaks to the call of the community gathered as the body of Christ to minister to the world. If you are a visitor, you are invited to remain in the sanctuary to observe the Annual Meeting or you may exit after singing the hymn. After completing the Annual Meeting, we will close by singing Hymn 210, "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past."

THE PSALM LESSON Psalm 139

THE SECOND LESSON John 1:43-51

SERMON "The Call: Seeing and Hearing God in a Dark World"

Worship Notes

In our worship this morning, the Second Sunday after Epiphany, we hear the stories of the calling of Samuel in the Hebrew Scriptures and Nathanael in the gospel of John. The qualities of hearing and seeing play a central role in both these stories along with a sense of God's continuing Grace reaching out to imperfect people.

Psalm 139, our Psalm for the day, reminds us of God's constant presence in our lives even when we feel surrounded by darkness and uncertainty.

In our confession we freely admit our lack of listening or looking for God in our lives.

In the prayer for illumination we sing of our desire for God to open our eyes that we may see.

The Affirmation of Faith taken from the Brief Statement of Faith in the Presbyterian Church USA lifts up our desire to embody the Spirit in our daily lives. And in our final hymn we ask the Fount of every blessing to tune our hearts to sing God's grace.

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 11th, 2009,

Mark 1:4-11

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