October 18th Virtual Worship
The Order of Worship
Order | Notes |
---|---|
Prelude | Little Fugue in F Telemann, Arr. Norris |
The Bells Call Us to Worship | |
Welcome and Call to Worship | |
Hymn of Adoration | Sing Praise to God |
A Message to Children and Families | |
Response: Jesus Loves Me | |
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord's Prayer | |
Response: Hear Our Prayer O Lord | |
Worship in Music | |
Doxology | |
Scripture Reading | Matthew 22: 35-40 Exodus 20: 1-17 |
Hymn of Reflection | Breathe On Me, Breath of God |
Sermon | Love Is Not Optional |
Hymn of Parting | God of Grace and God of Glory |
Commissioning and Benediction | |
On Eagles' Wings | |
Postlude | Praise to the Lord Burkhardt/Grabner |
Music Ministry Team: Kristin Petty, Dwight Huntley, Matthew Leone, Rene Vazquez
Worship Team: Sarah Haas, Marc Hayden, Steve Mojonnier
Technology Team: Michael Kendall, Mark Raker, Jerry Weissinger
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Key Notes from the reading & sermon:
… a lawyer asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Then God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, … you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol … You shall not bow down to them or worship them … You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God … Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy … Honor your father and your mother … You shall not murder … You shall not commit adultery … You shall not steal … You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor … You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
God gave the Israelites a number of instructions for living. In the best-known set in Exodus, God gives the Jewish people (and us) ten laws for governing our relationships with God and with each other. Jesus, a faithful Jew who understands we have trouble following rules, simplifies God’s law into two prime directives: love God with all your being, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.
Jesus digs deep into Torah to give us two foundational principles for relationships. His instruction to love God comes from Deuteronomy 6.5, the primary commandment for Jews, the Shema. The instruction to love our neighbors comes from Leviticus 19.18, a chapter with an extensive vision of a world marked by just human relations and practical care.
Everything we do in our lives affects those around us. Farmers understand the interactions between their crops and those around them. St. Francis understood that all people, and all living things, are interconnected. He realized that we are all in this together and to survive and live as God intends, we must treat each other at least as well as we treat ourselves.
Jesus brings the principles of ancient Jewish law together in his instructions for our relationships with God and each other. Jesus has a broad view of “neighbor” that extends even to our enemies. We’ve tried power, force, and animosity as governing social principles. Now it’s time to follow Jesus and begin to heal our relationships, as we welcome God’s realm here on earth.
Questions for Reflection:
What does it mean to love God with all our heart and soul and mind?
What does it mean to love a neighbor as we love ourselves?
How could our own community improve if we were able to follow Jesus’ instruction to love a neighbor as ourselves? Who is that neighbor for you and me?
What problems that we are facing today could be overcome by taking Jesus and St. Francis to heart and risking a little real love for someone else?