THE EPISTLE LESSON Hebrews 4:12-16
THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 10:17-31
SERMON "Passionate Possibilities"
Worship Notes
Welcome to worship on this the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. In worship this morning, we examine Christ's call for passionate discipleship.
The central text for our worship is the account of Jesus interaction with the rich young man who asks him how he might inherit eternal life. Jesus encourages him to give up everything in his pursuit of God's Kingdom yet the young man goes away grieving because "he had many possessions." Jesus then begins a discussion with the disciples about the meaning of following him and the possibilities of a life of such commitment. Our Litany of Adoration is taken from the Epistle lesson this morning in which the role of Jesus as our high priest is described. The declaration for forgiveness is an affirmation of the incredible truth that with God all things are possible.
It is appropriate that we baptise a child this morning as a response to God's Word. In the Presbyterian Church, baptism is a sacrament, a means of grace, in which the child is claimed by God through the community. We celebrate this morning the "passionate possibilities" for this child of God.
