Lectionary -- Ordinary Sunday 15 Year C
Amos 7:7-17 The prophecy of Israel's destruction
Psalm 82 God has taken his place in the divine council
Colossians 1:1-14 May you be made strong
Luke 10:25-37 The parable of the good Samaritan
Possible Hymns (Numbers refer to The Australian Hymn Book and its supplement Sing Alleluia.)
SA 46 I waited, I waited for the Lord
SA 62 Lord of earth and all creation
11 Let us with a gladsome mind
14 Now thank we all our God
30 Through all the changing scenes of life
56 Amazing Grace
65 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty
76 Lord you have been our dwelling place/ in every generation
92 God has spoken through his prophets
104 Father all loving, thou rulest in majesty
170 At the name of Jesus
363 Heart and heart
399 Our Father in Heaven
453 An upper room
477 God of all power and truth and grace
503 O brother man, fold to they heart thy brother
553 O Jesus Christ, to thee may hymns be rising
554 Love is the fulfilling of the law
555 In faith and hope and love
558 When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
Sermon Summary Ordinary 15 Year C (Click here for complete sermon)
Who is our neighbour?
The story of the Good Samaritan, followed a question about eternal life: Luke 10:25. So life beyond this world is linked firmly with what we do in this life. "Love God and love your neighbour" summed up the law of God. The heart of the matter is "And who is my neighbour?" How far do we go with the sort of obligations we owe to people like family and friends who are close to us?
The story Jesus told is more than an example. We are enabled to see the world differently. The Samaritan as neighbour illustrates the absence of limits implied by the question asked of Jesus: he is whoever happens to be there. The others had failed to see God within and behind the person who had fallen victim to robbers.
Jesus himself is the neighbour we serve [Matt.25] in the suffering face of humanity. So two movements are necessary: towards God and towards our neighbours. They are movements in the same direction.
Background Bible Study for Luke 10:25-37
Jesus was asked on other occasions about the greatest commandments. [Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:29-31]. He either quoted the formula called the Shema [Deut. 6:4-5]; or had the questioner say it; and then he added another piece of the old law from Lev 19:18. There are other similar accounts: Luke 18:18; Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:17-21. In early Christian teaching, Paul's and other letters speak of love being the fulfilling of the law: Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8. The sense of justice emerged in the Old Testament as an essential part of the covenant, especially in the prophets: Isaiah 1:11,17; Amos 5:22-24; Micah 6:6-7; [cf. Psalm 46:6]; Jeremiah 6:20; 7:21ff; Hosea 6:6. This came out often in Jesus' teaching, especially in his conflicts with the interpreters of the Jewish law. [Mark 12:31-33.]
Order of Service for Ordinary Sunday 15 Year C
The Gathering of the People of God
CALL TO WORSHIP
Let us worship God.
Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and
with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." -- Luke 10:27
Loving God inspire us to show our love for you and our neighbour.
Let us be thankful that his love is more faithful than ours.
And let us be restored again to dwell with God, for he is always ready to receive us. We thank you God.
HYMN AHB 76 TIS 144 Lord you have been our dwelling place/ in every generation
PRAYER OF ADORATION
CONFESSION
We have failed to love you with all our heart and to be good stewards of your creation: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
We have failed to take up the cross of discipleship and to be good stewards of your gospel: Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
We have failed to be faithful members of your church and to be good stewards of your spiritual gifts: Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. -- Romans 5:8
Confident in his free gift of forgiveness, I declare to you Christ's word of grace: Your sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
DOXOLOGY: AHB 56 TIS 129 Amazing Grace [verses 1 and 4]
WELCOME AND GREETING EACH OTHER
Service of the Word
INTRODUCTION OF THEME: Love is the fulfilling of the law of God
A word to the children
OLD TESTAMENT Amos 7:7-17 The prophecy of Israel's destruction
PSALM 82 God has taken his place in the divine council
EPISTLE Colossians 1:1-14 May you be made strong
GOSPEL Luke 10:25-37 The parable of the good Samaritan
HYMN AHB 399 TIS 465 Father in Heaven
SERMON
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Your Kingdom Come
We believe in God, creator of the world and of all people;
and in Jesus Christ, incarnate among us, who died and rose again;
and in the Holy Spirit, present with us to guide, strengthen, and comfort.
We believe,
Lord, help our unbelief.
We rejoice in every sign of God's kingdom:
in the upholding of human dignity and community; in every expression of love, justice, and reconciliation; in each act of
self-giving on behalf of others; in the abundance of God's gifts entrusted to us that all may have enough; in all responsible
use of the earth's resources.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God's people on earth.
We confess our sin, individual and collective, by silence or action:
through the violation of human dignity based on race, class, age, sex, nation, or faith; through the exploitation of people by
greed and indifference; through the misuse of power in personal, communal, national, and international life; through the
search for security by military and economic forces that threaten human existence:
through the abuse of technology which endangers the earth and all life upon it.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
We commit ourselves individually and as a community
to the way of Christ;
to take up the cross;
to seek abundant life for all humanity;
to struggle for peace with justice and freedom;
to rise ourselves in faith, hope, and love,
praying that God's kingdom may come.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
- 15th World Methodist Council, Nairobi, Kenya, 1986.
HYMN AHB 554 TIS 630 The law of Christ alone can set us free
OFFERING AND DEDICATION
SHARING TIME [Notices, celebrations, requests for intercessions]
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
COLLECT FOR THE DAY
THE LORD'S PRAYER [Front of the Hymn Book]
The Sending Forth of the People of God
HYMN AHB 503 O brother man, fold to thy heart thy brother/
[TIS 587 Fold to your heart your sister and your brother]
WORD OF MISSION
BLESSING
DISMISSAL Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:
In the name of Christ. Amen.
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