Sonnet for Sermon "Doing The Love of Christ"

How do we love Christ? In the simplest ways.
When we honor the world as our neighbor.
We live into the light of love’s labor,
When social outcast feels our tight embrace.
To share with all the valued gift of grace
Starts to dismantle soul killing sabers--
Poverty, hatred, things used ‘gainst neighbor
To overshadow the love of Christ’s face.
Now is the time to end all human lies.
Remembering the hope of bread and grape
We feed the world with truth at any price
We are charged to love and cannot escape
Strength comes to us from cross’s sacrifice
Here ministry begins to take its shape.
-Derrick McQueen, August 29, 2009
In response to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet #43

Liturgy for St. James Presbyterian August 30, 2009

Sermon Title "Doing the Love of Christ"

Scripture Lessons

Epistle James 1:17-27

Gospel Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Call Worship

L: “Arise, my beloved come and give thanks for the Love of God.”

C: This is the call of Jesus, for us to worship on this and every day.

L: The roses have blossomed, see them through the window.

C: Jesus stands as one who watches over us through the lattice.

L: The voice of the turtledove is heard in the morning, see the fig tree bloom!

C: The time of singing has come, let us lift our voices unto the Lord.

L: Come let us worship God.

C: Come everyone, to the Love of God

Inspired by Song of Solomon 2:8-13

Prayer of Adoration

You are the God of the mountain, the God of the city, the God of the valley, the God of the Waters. How lovely is your presence in this place. Your promises of love for us are proven in that you gave your only Son for the forgiveness of our sins. How awesome to think on your grandeur and yet how humbling to think how close you want to be to each and every one of us. You are God now, henceforth and forever more and for that we say Hallelujah!

Call to Confession

We sing your praises, we dance to your song. And yet we still find that our hearts are troubled. Quieted, we come to understand that you yearn to hear our confessions. And so we take this time to examine our hearts. Hear the voices of our hearts as we come to you in prayer:

Confession

Loving God, we pick a rose yet complain about the thorns, we eat the bounty of the summer farms yet complain about the rains, we have the chance to worship you and yet sometimes we just want to sleep in. When we are frustrated with the ills of the world we often speak about it but seldom do we pray. We want to love the world with all the love you have put in our hearts but often hold a portion it back. We are learning, Lord, and ask humbly for your patience as we learn to walk in your grace. Amen

Silent Confession

Assurance of Pardon

God speaks to us. “Yet you picked the rose and loved me. You savored the summer bounty and loved me. In your times of struggle to do the right thing, you think of me and love me. And you still walk with me when the road seems dreary and in this act you love me.” God knows our hearts and loves us into who we are meant to be. This is the promise of Jesus Christ.