Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 7/3

July 3, 2022 Fourth Sunday of Pentecost Kings 5:1-14 COMMENTARY We have several puffed-up persons in our passage today suffering from some severely overly-inflated egos. I don’t think ego is always a bad thing. It refers to your sense of self and your sense of self-importance. If we had no ego, we would have no appreciation of who we are as a person. If we had no ego, we would have no real sense of what we can do nor who we are called to be as God’s beloved. But overly-inflated egos are dangerous because they tend to puff us up to the point in which we are blinded to the realities around us and always about ready to *POP!* Naaman is the first character named in our text. He is a great warrior (puff). He is the head commander of the army of Aram (puff). He appears to be in direct contact with the king himself (puff, puff). It mentions that he is held in high favor by some high-ranking folks which makes me think Naaman was a guy who enjoyed a lot of high-fives! The second character mentioned was the king of Aram. Although his name is not mentioned here, it is probably Ben-hadad (see 2 Kings 8:7). He was the ruler of the entire Semitic kingdom centered in Damascus (puff) who had servants for his servants (puff) and enough silver, gold and garments to guarantee that he should be able to buy anything he wanted (puff, puff, puff). This king assumed that writing a letter would accomplish anything he wanted. Thank you to guest writer Rev. Brian Christopher Coulter. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for July 3, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. Immigration Sunday — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale The Uniform Lesson for July 3, 2022, by Dana Purdom. PC(USA) church leaders react to decision to overturn Roe v. Wade IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... A toolkit for inclusion "We hope to let every church know that you do not need to be exceptional; you don’t need a big budget or limitless volunteers. You just need to listen to people with disabilities," by Deborah Huggins. Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness with Children and Teens Emily Heitzman reviews Sarah Griffith Lund's new book.  Sense of repentance grounds 11 resolutions passed by Race and Gender Justice Committee The Race and Gender Justice Committee met from June 23-25 in Louisville for the 225th General Assembly. Environmental Justice Committee affirms the strategy of selective divestment; does not support call for categorical divestment from fossil fuel companies The committee acknowledges the urgency of global warming and urges churches and Presbyterians to work towards carbon neutrality. The theology, ethics, and polity of the PC(USA) calls us to care about COVID-19 In the middle of the 225th General Assembly, how should we respond to COVID-19 in a way that prioritizes affirmation of being a Matthew 25 denomination? Gun violence in the United States and how the church is called to respond The Addressing Violence in the USA Committee meets during the 225th General Assembly.

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