Sunday, August 25, 2024

Theme

This week is our ‘Rally Day’ service (a.k.a. Kick-Off Sunday). We will be blessing and honoring our teachers and administrators from the church, CDC, and community. We will also be witnessing the Baptism of Ricky Jr.

The sermon will be an introduction of something new for St. Andrews, the Narrative Lectionary, which Pastor AJ will be preaching from through the next year.

A ‘Lectionary’ is simply a list of texts for particular days throughout the year (and often spanning multiple years). The Reformed Common Lectionary (that many Presbyterians are familiar with) is a three year cycle.

The Narrative Lectionary (NL) is a four year cycle of Sunday scripture readings originally developed by Luther Seminary. Each year is a survey of biblical narratives running from the Sunday after Labor Day until Pentecost Sunday. These readings are arranged chronologically (according to setting) and come from the Hebrew Scriptures in the fall, then transition to one of the four gospels from Advent to Easter (this year, Luke), and then stories and writings from the early church until Pentecost Sunday.

As you may guess, narrative is one of the main emphases of this lectionary. Sunday texts tend to focus on individual stories from our scriptures, and are woven together in such a way that we can see the larger narrative of the whole Bible over the year. I have found the NL to be a great tool to help overall biblical literacy since each year is an opportunity to not only hear wonderful tales of faith, but to see the larger narrative of our scriptures.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author reflects on the life of Jesus of Nazareth through the lens of the Hebrew Scriptures. They consider Jesus as a new High Priest and fulfilment of all the Torah (Instruction, Law) who has made a way for us to be reconnected with God. Near the end, the author gives a beautiful litany of the heroes of the faith who have come before, and imagines them as a “great cloud of witnesses” watching us run our own marathon of faith. The author casts Jesus as the “pioneer and perfector of our faith” who leads the race. These tales of faith are the ones that inspire and encourage us as we “run the race set before us.”

Questions for Reflection:

• What are you most excited about in the coming year?
• Have you ever thought about how the Sunday texts are chosen?
• What are some of your favorite stories of faith from scriptures, history, and from your own family?
• How have these stories helped you in challenging times?

Reflections:

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Introit: “Faith Begins By Letting Go” affirms that faith is a process of becoming what we are called to be in relationship with God. Verse two’s “keeping memories alive” call to mind for me the act of remembering the “great cloud of witnesses”.

Opening Hymn: Keeping the focus on the “great cloud of witnesses”, our opening hymn is “For All the Saints”, created to sing during an All Saint’s Day service.

Transition Hymn: Transition hymn for the month of August. “O Sing to the Lord”.

Special Music: “By Faith (with Great is Thy Faithfulness”, written by Lloyd Larson.

Responsive Hymn: Meant for use in the context of the Lord’s Supper, “Rise, O Church Like Christ Arisen” claims reference to the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews, and into the twelfth. But it’s overall pupose serves to velebrate the guiding principles of the work of the church in the world: service, courage, and mercy.

Sending Hymn: Chosen for it’s reference to our meditation scripture from Collosians 3, “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song”, originating in French, was written to reflect the ministry of the Roman Catholic ‘Little Sisters of Jesus’.

Benediction: Closing hymn for the month of August is the final verse “O Christ, Surround Me”.