Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

COLOR: Green
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a; Psalm 89:20-37; Ephesians 2:11-22; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

THEME IDEAS

What do we do when God’s promises are broken? What 2 Samuel states simply, Psalm 89 extols with great force: David’s rule and lineage will never end. God will punish Israel’s wrongdoing, but like the sun and the moon, David’s line will endure forever. What happened? Perhaps God realized that the peace Israel hoped for in vanquishing its enemies was no real peace. The peace Jesus brought, the peace attested to in both Mark and Ephesians, is not accomplished by force of arms or family lineage,
but by the love of a shepherd and by the reconciliation of enemies. Perhaps the biblical writers misunderstood God’s promises to begin with. Perhaps true kingship and lineage come through shepherding love and by bringing enemies together in friendship and kinship, not by keeping them down and out.

INVITATION AND GATHERING

Call to Worship (Ephesians 2, Mark 6)

Come away, disciples of Christ, and rest from your labors.
We are weary from our work.
Come away, disciples of Christ, and leave the demands
of the crowds.
There are always more who need our help.
Come away, disciples of Christ, and be renewed
in fellowship with our shepherd.
We too love the sheep, but need our own renewal.
We too need to hear anew the teachings of Jesus,
to give us strength for the journey.
Come away, disciples of Christ, and draw courage
from the one who gives us peace.

Opening Prayer (Ephesians 2, Mark 6)

Reconciling God,
proclaim peace to us once more.
Put to death all hostility within us
and help us be one with our enemies,
that we may all be members
of your household.
Remove the animosities
to which we cling
and be our shepherd,
even as we are the sheep of your pasture,
through Jesus Christ,
our guide and guardian. Amen.

PROCLAMATION AND RESPONSE

Prayer of Confession (2 Samuel 7, Psalm 89, Ephesians 2, Mark 6)

O God, the rock of our salvation,
your faithfulness is as constant
as the north star.
But your holiness frightens us—
for the justice of your love
brings judgment on our lives.
Like David before us,
we would rather build you a temple
and keep you safely in one place
than have you move about with us in a tabernacle
and be everywhere we go.
Like the psalmist,
we would rather shout the certainty of your favor—
a favor as predictable as the rising sun and moon,
than face the possibility that our peace may come,
not through strength of arms,
but through the love of a shepherd
for the lost sheep of our world.

Words of Assurance (Ephesians 2)

In Christ, we are citizens with the saints
as members of the household of God.
In Christ, we are built spiritually
into a holy temple of the Lord,
a dwelling place for God.

Invitation to the Word (2 Samuel 7)

The Holy One of Israel, the one who dwelt in a tent, the one who traveled in an ark containing stone tablets etched with the Ten Commandments, is here with us today. Let us open our hearts and minds to hear again the words of faith spoken by God’s people since the days of the kings of old.

Call to Prayer (Mark 6)

As Jesus had compassion for the people of his day, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, so Jesus has compassion for us today. We too are in need of a shepherd to guide us and to give us rest. Come; let us share our burdens and our joys with the Lord. Let us share our prayers with the One who brings us peace.

THANKSGIVING AND COMMUNION

Offering Prayer (2 Samuel 7, Ephesians 2, Mark 6)

God of steadfast love,
when Israel was not a people,
you made them into a great nation;
when David rested from the labor
of protecting and defending your people,
you built him a house of cedar.
You bless your people in ways beyond count
and lead us to become shepherds for others,
even as Jesus is our shepherd.
Bless our tithes and offerings,
that they may be signs of our worthiness
as to be members of your household
with the great saints that have gone before us.

SENDING FORTH

Benediction (Ephesians 2)

The old differences have died away.
Christ has made us one.
The old arguments have lost their appeal.
Christ has brought us peace.
The old hatreds have been swallowed up.
Christ has brought us love.

CONTEMPORARY OPTIONS

Contemporary Gathering Words (Mark 6)

We’re lost and can’t find our way home.
Who will be our shepherd?
Jesus is our shepherd.
We’re hurt and don’t know where to turn.
Who will tend our wounds?
Jesus is our shepherd.
We’re anxious and stressed out.
Who will ease our troubled minds?
Jesus is our shepherd.
Praise God for Jesus!
Praise God for our shepherd!

Praise Sentences (Psalm 89, Mark 6)

Jesus is our shepherd.
Jesus brings us peace.
God is greatly to be exalted!
God’s steadfast love endures forever!
Jesus is our shepherd.
Jesus brings us peace.

 

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Adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press
The Abingdon Worship Annual 2013 is available now.