Looking into the lectionary - January 28 worship resources

January 28, 2024 Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany Mark 1:21-28 The church exists because of Jesus Christ. Christ has called the church into being. Christ is the source of its life, its purpose and its mission. The church is not a sociological project to see how a group of dissimilar people will organize themselves. The church is not a psychological experiment to understand how individuals move towards greater self-awareness when they come together with others each week. The church is not an anthropological study to observe the effect of ritual over a sustained period. The church is about responding to the call of Jesus Christ who has gathered us together. We have no reason to come together except that we’ve been called by Jesus Christ. We’re not in the church to be a part of a social welfare agency or educational entity. We’re not in the church to collectively make a profit or improve dividend payments to shareholders. We’re not here because people need something to do. We’re here because of Jesus Christ. The church is not here to endorse our political viewpoints or condone our opinions or affirm our prejudices. The church is here to worship, honor, and serve Jesus Christ, who is its source and its head. Without Jesus Christ all that happens in the church is meaningless. It may be pretty; it may be enjoyable; it may even be beneficial; but without Jesus Christ, it is ultimately meaningless. He has an authority given to no one else. It is astounding authority. It’s first on display in that synagogue in Capernaum where he begins his teaching ministry. People notice his authority right away. It marks him as different. He doesn’t teach like the scribes do. How do they teach? We don’t know. Perhaps their teaching is marked by sameness or dullness or resignation. Controlled. Predictable. Perhaps the people listen to them with the sense of having heard it all before. Whatever the case, it’s clear that Jesus is different. What marks him as different is the authority he expresses. His is a vital Word, a living Word, a Word on target, a Word that challenges and convicts and inspires. ... Read the rest of the commentary on the website. Thanks to this week's writer John Wurster. Order of worship for January 28, 2024. These liturgies are free to use. Jesus of Nazareth Went to Capernaum: A free hymn by Scott Barton The gifts we bring (January 28, 2024) by Tara Bulger Wow and Thanks, God! — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale Want the worship resources for January 21, 2024? You can find them here. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Horizons — The crippled beggar’s encounter Rosalind Banbury's sixth reflection on the 2023-2024 Presbyterian Women/Horizons Bible Study. Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery pays $718,000 debt in act toward reparative justice The “mountain of debt” was incurred by a Black church during presbytery-directed building transfer in the early 2000s. — Patrice Gaines Black Presbyterian leadership and churches The whole church is in decline, but more than 80% of Black Presbyterian churches are without installed pastors. Warren Lesane Jr., Shavon Starling-Louis, Stephen Scott and Teri McDowell Ott discuss vital Black leadership. The future of the PC(USA) is being reformed by God And it is as limitless as the holy imagination that we vow to practice when we are ordained, writes Allison Unroe. Doing more with less: Smaller PC(USA) congregations face new leadership realities  What are small churches to do? Gregg Brekke explores the challenges facing shrinking congregations and how some pastors and presbyteries are addressing the issue.  Searching for Epiphany on holy and hellish nights R. Shea Watts reflects on modern iconographer Kelly Latimore’s “Christ in the Rubble” image. In Epiphany, where do we find God’s revelation in a world full of violence?