Sunday, July 14, 2024

Theme:

The meek, the humble, the outcast, the powerless, the unimportant. These are the kinds of people that we do not often think of as being blessed or influential, yet Jesus calls them blessed. He is not alone, he is likely quoting from Psalm 37 which says that while it sometimes appears that the wicked are the ones who prosper, it is the meek who will inherit the earth. The book of Ruth tells of a righteous outsider who ends up saving her family. Join us for worship and consider the inheritance of those who are deemed unimportant.

Questions for Reflection:

• What do you think of when you hear the word ‘meek’?
• Can you think of examples of positive effects made by people who are meek, unimportant, or outcast?

Reflections:

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Introit: A compact paraphrase of Psalm 37, from which we source for both our Call to Worship and Assurance of Pardon: “Commit Your Way to God Your Lord”

Opening Hymn: There are a total of 3 hymns in “Glory of God” that list any verses of Ruth as reference. Our our opening hymn happens to be one of them, with its reference verse from Chapter 2: “Praise Ye the Lord, the Alimighty”.

Transition Hymn: For the month of July, “Blessed Assurance”.

Special Music: After seeing the theme and the title of the sermon (Unimportant), my mind kept going to the word ‘outcast’. So Kellen Jones will be singing the song “God Help the Outcasts”, which comes from the Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.

Responsive Hymn: Another thing running through my mind in association with ‘unimportant’ was ‘the least’. Our responsive hymn is loosely sketching out what it means we pray ‘thy kingdom come’; the first verse starts, “When the Lord Redeems the Very Least, we will rejoice.” The hymn hymn is sung to the tune of the gospel hymn “I’ll Fly Away”.

Sending Hymn: Our sending hymn is similarly related to the theme. A hymn of justice and reconciliation, the last bit of the first verse of “Together We Serve” is “extending God’s love to the last and the least.”

Benediction: For the month of July, “May the Love of the Lord”.