THE FIRST LESSON Luke 7:36-43
THE SECOND LESSON Psalm 5:1-8
SERMON "Praying and Complaining"
Worship Notes
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Third Sunday after Pentecost. During these summer weeks, and throughout the Pentecost season, we sustain a purposeful focus on God's gift of the Holy Spirit and on its presence at work within and through us. The red cloth, which first adorned the sanctuary on Pentecost Sunday, remains in place as a visible symbol of the Holy Spirit.
During worship in June, the scriptural basis for our proclamation of God's Word will be the Psalms. In worship, we strive always to balance praise, proclamation, and prayer. The Psalms are among the oldest prayers in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Psalms are also among the first hymns of the early church. Therefore, in worship today we incorporate Psalm texts throughout our liturgy and song.
The Psalm of the Day is Psalm 5, which is filled with fiery imagery and particularly strident language. Yet, despite its cries of complaint, the psalmist concludes the text with a more hopeful sense of the healing and wholeness available to us through our relationship with God. Our opening hymn, "As Morning Dawns" is a musical setting of Psalm 5. As we respond to God's word proclaimed, elements of Psalm 5 will be used as a "Song of Affirmation" and our response to prayer. The Prayer of Confession is based on Psalm 51 through which we pray that God might create a clean heart within us. The sending hymn, "Hear the Good News of Salvation," expresses our joy that we are healed and cleansed by the salvation afforded to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
