Worship resources for October 9, 2022

October 9, 2022 Eighteenth Sunday of Pentecost Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19 COMMENTARY This week’s lectionary texts from Jeremiah, 2 Timothy and Luke all concern themselves with living well. Jeremiah writes to the survivors of the sacking of Jerusalem and deportation to Babylon. God spoke a word to them through Jeremiah, and God tells these people that living well looks like building full lives, even if they must live in a foreign land. Living well also looks like seeking and praying for the shalom, the peace and prosperity, of the city in which those exiled find themselves living. God tells these people, likely traumatized and homesick, that their shalom, their peace and prosperity, is now tied to the shalom of the city in which they live. The author of 2 Timothy also writes about living well. Imprisoned and in chains, this author seeks well-being not in worldly comforts but in the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. The writer knows Timothy and his community suffer and struggle, even if they are not in chains themselves, and urges them not to take pride in worldly status but in truth. In the miraculous healing story from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talks about two kinds of living well. First, Jesus makes the ten men suffering from leprosy “clean.” For Jews in the first century, being clean meant full participation in the life of the community. One had to be ritually clean to participate in communal activities from worship to sharing a meal at a table.  You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. Thank you to guest writer Rev. Marilyn McKelvey Tucker-Marek. An order of worship for Oct. 9, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. A prayer responding to Hurricane Ian by Cecelia D. Armstrong Live among your enemies? — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale Sing out the good news— A Uniform Standard Lesson for Oct. 9, 2022, by Richard Boyce. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... A gift economy: Church beyond supply and demand How can U.S. churches think beyond capitalistic motivations when they are so entrenched in society? Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Scott Hagley points to the Eucharist as a starting point for our collective imagination. Embracing the ministry and justice work ahead On the final day of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board meeting, those present were reminded to claim their purpose. The time has come to act. — Leslie Scanlon We Can Do Hard Things Meg Kelly reviews Glennon Doyle's podcast.  Beatitudes for a Queerer Church A poem by Jay Hulme. On sacraments and rites Newly-ordained Molly Smerko reflects on the week shortly after her ordination that included presiding at a wedding, the Lord’s Table and a funeral. Price Henderson Gwynn III Pittsburgh Theological Seminary prepares for fall conference: Missional Leadership in a Time of Disruption New Pastor for Broadmoor Church in Daly City, CA Have an update? Make a post.

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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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Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 6/19

June 19, 2022 Second Sunday of Pentecost 1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a COMMENTARY 1 Kings 19:9-13 offers some direction for understanding how we hear God speak to us. Elijah is a great prophet of our faith. Driven from his homeland by Jezebel’s death threats, the solitary prophet – who believes he is the only person still faithful to Yahweh – goes back to the place where his faith began. He hides in the same rocky cleft that once sheltered Moses, and there, he encounters God in a small still voice, in a voice the Hebrew describes as “utter silence.” How do we hear God’s voice? How can we find utter silence? It can be hard. We live in a world full of noise, including noise from people who declare that they have messages from God without truly listening to our Creator. Chances are that we all know people like the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. The person who is like the wind probably talks continuously. You hear their voice in every aspect of life. Those individuals are the ones who give advice and then keep giving advice even after the lesson is learned. Maybe you know a person who loves to give advice, but I declare the advice is just wind if the person does not acknowledge the presence of God and speak from the heart. The person who is like the earthquake probably moves and shakes everything. You can see the products of their handiwork. Those persons are always working to make things better sometimes to the detriment of others since they rarely have time for anyone else. Maybe you know an individual who is a mover and shaker, but I declare their actions are as destructive as an earthquake if they do not possess the love of Jesus Christ in their heart that fuels their words, actions, and deeds. Thanks to guest author Rev. Cecelia Armstrong. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for June 19, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. The Uniform Lesson for June 19, 2022, by Richard Boyce. 2022 GA to consider pressures on small churches and presbyteries by Leslie Scanlon How do you pray with others in their time of need? by Kathleen Long Bostrom IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Presbyterian Outlook hosts “Meet the candidates” webinar On June 9, the Presbyterian Outlook hosted a webinar featuring those standing for moderator of the 225th General Assembly. Processing trauma through stories Joshua Kerr highlights three recent pieces of fiction that examine trauma in a helpful, accessible way. Changes to the Rules of Discipline Page McRight, who chaired the Rules of Discipline Revision Task Force, previews what edits will be suggested to General Assembly. Race, reparations and reproductive justice fill the docket for the Race and Gender Justice Committee of GA225 A preview of the Race and Gender Justice Committee for the 225th General Assembly by Beth Waltemath. GA round up: What to expect out of this year’s General Assembly Outlook national reporter Leslie Scanlon reports on what you need to know about General Assembly. Order extra issues of the #TrustBlackWomen special issue In April, Presbyterian Outlook turned over an entire issue to Black women to highlight and center the voices of these trustworthy leaders, scholars, theologians, writers and artists. Order extra copies today for just $2 per copy while supplies last. Did you hear? Mark Hinds retired in 2020 after several years of leading curriculum publishing for the PC(USA). — Add your own professional or personal update on our new online bulletin.

Copyright © 2021 Presbyterian Outlook, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 1 N. 5th St., Suite 500 Richmond, VA 23219

Looking Into the Lectionary — Worship resources for 6/5

June 5, 2022 Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-21 COMMENTARY As Christians called together to worship and serve, we have quite a history. We’ve had some glorious moments and some not-so-glorious moments. We should remember and repent of the times when we misinterpreted God’s will by endorsing slavery, forcing Indigenous people to accept Christ or subjugating women by saying they had no right to speak and lead. But we can also remember the Protestant Reformation seeking to address abuses of authority. We can celebrate the Confessing Church movement courageously standing up to Hitler in Nazi Germany and African American churches leading this country in a Civil Rights revolution. We’ve had low moments and high moments, dull moments and exciting moments, joyful moments and painful moments as a group of fallible human beings trying to be Christ’s body in the world. Today’s Pentecost passage tells the story of what we consider the birth of the church. Weary and mournful, the disciples gathered early in the morning for worship. A religious minority at the time, they were easily persecuted for their strange beliefs. They gathered for support, comfort and accountability. They would remain faithful, they promised each other during worship. They would not let the good news go unproclaimed. Pentecost Sunday is our chance to pause and celebrate the faithful who still gather, week after week, month after month, in our community and around the world, to meet the Spirit of Christ. You can find the rest of the commentary on our website. An order of worship for June 5, 2022. This liturgy is free to use. The divine uniter — Weekly Christian ed lesson by Joelle Brummit-Yale A prayer for milestones by Katy Shevel The Uniform Lesson for June 5, 2022, by Richard Boyce. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... A call to action for White Christians following the shooting in Buffalo "White Christians in the U.S., let this be a call not to contemplation but to action." — Rick Ufford-Chase Epistemology of wonder Roy Howard shares some of God's creatures found on the Galápagos Islands. Doing and being church Leading up to General Assembly, Teri McDowell Ott wonders what it means to be the church. Welcome to Outlook’s new website We couldn’t be more excited to share our new digital platform with you. What is nature? Philosophy and experiential learning form a practical theology in the Tahoe Semester program. Order extra issues of the #TrustBlackWomen special issue In April, Presbyterian Outlook turned over an entire issue to Black women to highlight and center the voices of these trustworthy leaders, scholars, theologians, writers and artists. Order extra copies today for just $2 per copy while supplies last. Did you hear? Do you have a retirement, celebration, memorial or other news you want to share with the church? Leave a free post on our online bulletin board.

Copyright © 2021 Presbyterian Outlook, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 1 N. 5th St., Suite 500 Richmond, VA 23219