THE FIRST LESSON 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15
THE SECOND LESSON Luke 17:11-19
SERMON "Discipleship: Where are the Nine?
Worship Notes
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for the Ordinary Season is green.
In worship today, we reflect on what it means to live a life of gratitude in response to God's gifts and boundless mercy. In the gospel lesson today, we read an example of a leper who put worship of God first above all else after he was healed. To this act, Christ responds, "Your faith has made you well." As we consider God's word this morning, we ask ourselves where we place our faith in our long list of things to do. Do we live life with an attitude of gratitude and worship God?
The music through which we worship today reflects these themes of faith expressed through worship and gratitude. The prelude is a setting by German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) of the chorale, or hymn, "O God, Our Faithful God." The text of the chorale is hymn 277 and you are invited to read the words as you listen to the prelude and prepare your heart and mind for worship. The choir's anthem, "For the Lord God is Sun and Shield" draws text from Psalm 84 and reminds us that having faith in God means trusting fully in the bounty of God's grace. We give voice to our spirit of gratitude toward God by uniting to sing the hymn "Give Thanks" in response to God's Word proclaimed. As our worship ends, we join in a chorus that includes all things now living as together the whole creation cries out in worship of God our creator.
