Sunday, September 1, 2024

Communion Sunday

This week we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper together. Those who are intending to join us virtually are invited to gather elements before the service so that we can all join together in this blessed meal.

Theme

This week we conclude the Summer Sermon Series on the Beatitudes. We discuss the last two beatitudes which concern persecution. Jesus claims that those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness are blessed (living the good life), and will inherit the kingdom of the heavens. This statement is one what we have all heard before, but is incredibly difficult to define. I have certainly heard it being used as an excuse by those who (in my opinion) are not being persecuted ‘for the sake of righteousness’ but a number of other reasons. These statements become even more personal when the language is shifted from the impersonal third person (“blessed are those”) to second person (“blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you”). With the shift of focus comes a shift of expectation, from a hypothetical to an expected happening. How much of this expected persecution was intended for its original hearers and readers, and how much of it can be universalized to believers of every time and place?

Questions for Reflection:

• What do you think of when you hear the word ‘persecution’?
• Are there other reasons why persecution might come to an individual or group besides their seeking righteousness?
• Why would the seeking of righteousness lead to persecution, and from whom?
• What ideals or causes would you be willing to endure persecution for?

Reflections:

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Introit: Referencing our script from Acts (4:25), a prayer for the only hope against the horrors of this world, the peace God offers: “When Armies Scourge the Countryside”

Opening Hymn: Essentially a paraphrase of Romans 8:31-39, our opening hymn centers it’s theme on the unwavering love of God: “Shall Tribulation or Distress, shall persecution, fire, or sword … divide us from your love, O Lord.”

Transition Hymn: Our transition hymn for the month of September will be “Great Are You, Lord”.

Special Music: Doing something a little different this week. The choir will sing a hymn that I found title “Hymn for the Persecuted Church”. The text was written by Ken Bible, and is sung to the tune “ODE TO JOY”; “ODE TO JOY” is the tune used in the climactic last movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which speaks of the ‘brotherhood of man’.

Communion Hymn: “When at This Table”

Sending Hymn: One last time as we close out the series on the Beatitudes, we will sing the hymn “Blest Are They”

Benediction: For the month of September, we close with “Lord, Make Us More Holy”.