Gather
Ringing of the Bell
Welcome
Opening hymn All who are weary, come unto me
Today’s opening sentences are from Pauline Oliveros, a composer in the collection Prayers for a Thousand Years.
“I pray for deep listening—listening alone—listening together—listening to others—listening to oneself—listening to the earth—listening to the universe—listening to the abundance that is—awakening to and feeling sound and silence as all there is—helping to create an atmosphere of opening for all to be heard, with the understanding that listening is healing. Deep listening in all its variations is infinite. Deep listening is love.”
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.
O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Readings
A Reading from the Song of Solomon 2:8-13
The voice of my beloved!
Look, he comes,
leaping upon the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look, there he stands
behind our wall,
gazing in at the windows,
looking through the lattice.
My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;
for now the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Response Psalm 145:8-15 Exaltabo te, Deus
8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9 The Lord is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
10 All your works praise you, O Lord, *
and your faithful servants bless you.
11 They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12 That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14 The Lord is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15 The Lord upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans 7:15-25a
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.
So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Hymn: Lord of all hopefulness
A Reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Sermon and discussion
Affirmation
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to love with respect in creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
The Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Peter Reynolds has a birthday this week.
Announcements about next week’s worship.
The Bench has arrived.
The Prayers
Compassionate God, you are good to all. Help us to trust your Word and accept your invitation to find rest in you.
We pray for your church in all its forms, that we may put on the yoke of Jesus and give rest to the weary in lives of service that are gentle and humble of heart. Send us your reviving and life giving Spirit. May our ancestors in the faith continue to inspire us. Open our ears and our hearts so that we may listen deeply in prayer, hear your Word and discern your will for us in this time of unrest and hope.
We pray for the earth and all you have created and love, that all things may come back into the ecological balance that you first intended, so that all your works shall give thanks to you.
We pray for all people, and for all nations and leaders. We pray that our leaders, especially Donald, our President, may desire to be yoked with you and to learn from you, and to become gentle and humble in heart, so that the common good may be well served. When the burden of war, poverty, hunger and disease are too much to bear, give us the strength to do our part to offer rest and peace.
We pray for all of those who suffer violence in the streets and in their homes, for those who suffer injustice simply because of the color of their skin, that all might find safety and healing, and that we may work together to correct the inequities built into our society. Give us the courage to listen to you and to one another with humility. Uphold us all and grant us peace.
We pray for all who are sick, and especially for John Whitfield, son of Laura Carey, for Barbara Wisdom’s brother Mark, and for all on our prayer list. We pray for all who are suffering from COVID. May they know the strength of your healing presence with them.
We pray for all refugees, immigrants, and for those who have no home. We pray for those who are hungry and helpless. Open their hearts to your comfort and your love for each of them.
We pray for those in our community who live alone, that they not be lonely in their solitude, but that yoked to you, they may find fulfillment in loving you and their neighbors.
We pray for all who are dear to us and entrust them to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for.
We pray for those who serve in the armed forces of our nation, that they may work for justice and peace and defend us in danger, especially those on our prayer list, Cheyenne, Cliff, Alexis, Scott, Steven, Michael, George and Greg; that in war you would inspire them to serve our country well; in peace hold them ready and alert. In their lives may they bring honor to our country’s name. Bring them safely home when their work is done.
We pray for those who have died. May they have a place in your eternal kingdom and rest there in your almighty and everlasting love.
Life giving God, heal our lives, that we may acknowledge your wonderful deeds and offer you thanks from generation to generation. Yoked to Jesus, with gentleness and humbleness of heart, may we carry the Good News of your grace and love out into the world, so that all may come to know the glory of your Name. Amen.
Hymn: Jesus shall reign
Blessing
May God who brings good from broken desires,
And Jesus, who shares his yoke with us,
And the Spirit, who breathes her wisdom into our hearts
Sustain us and guide us this day and every day.
A Port Royal 4th!