Morning Prayer, Aug. 23, 2020(full size gallery)
Finally we were able to have Morning Prayer at 10am. We have suffered delays from rain and or heat, particularly the former last Sunday.
Today was delightful with moderate humidity, plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the low 80’s. The river was glistening. We had 17 people which exceeded Evening Prayer last Sunday
Links
1. Bulletin
2. Readings
3. Sermon
This week’s Gospel and next week’s could have been been one reading.
The issue of identity is foremost as this week Peter surmises that Jesus is the Messiah and is praised for it after Jesus asks who people say he is. “Blessed are you”..”And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”
Next week in Matthew, along with last week’s readings, we find lots of questions about the identity of Jesus. There are the many names given to Jesus – Messiah/Christ, Son of the living God, Son of Man. There is also an identity crisis for Peter, who has gone from the rock on which Jesus’ church will be built, to the Satan who is a stumbling block to Jesus.
From the Sermon:
“We are the rocks on which Jesus continues to build his church in the world. As Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members of one another
“But today’s lectionary passages give us some direction about how to be the church together.
“Claiming Jesus as God’s Son and our Lord is an act of faith. Our faith in Jesus sets us apart from the rest of the world, while putting us directly into the world as transforming people full of God’s love to shar
“Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
“When we focus on God, hoping that what we faithfully desire will align with God’s will if we have been intentional about our discernment, then hopefully we can bring God’s love into the world through the decisions we make and the actions we take.
“As members of the one body in Christ, we bring our different gifts to God’s work in the world.
” Here we must do more discernment. Knowing ourselves in the light of God’s love is a life long process. Discerning what gifts we have to offer is also a process, because we never stop changing in our lives.