Scriptures: Amos 8:1–12; Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15–28;
Luke 10:38–42/10:39–43 IV; III Nephi 3:8–9; Doctrine and Covenants 162:1b

Prelude

Welcome

Invocation

Call to Worship

Let us come together as one; God calls all.
Let us set this time aside to connect with God—
To rejoice at the beauty of the country that surrounds us, to rejoice at the beauty of the people that God has brought into our midst,
To give thanks and put all other distractions away from us.
Let us take time to listen.

Time for Meditation length of time discerned by presider

Hymn: “Take Time to Be Holy” HS 180
OR “As the Deer” NS 2

Scripture Reading

Hymn: “I Love You, Lord” NS 18
OR “Listen” NS 30
OR “God, Who Touchest Earth with Beauty” HS 172

Scripture Story: Luke 10:38–42

Sermon

Hymn: “Face to Face” NS 9
OR “Touch Me, Lord, with Thy Spirit Eternal” HS 409

Guided Meditation: “Listening” The meditation follows this order of worship.

Scripture for Peace: III Nephi 3:8–9

Ministry of Music Solo: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” HS 134

OR “The Summons” Worship & Rejoice 350

Scripture for Confessional Reflection: Psalm 52:7–9

Disciples’ Generous Response

Sending Forth Statement: “Looking Outward”

“Listening” A Guided Meditation from Luke 10:28–40
Written by Reginald Potter, Community of Christ evangelist, Tuncurry congregation,
New South Wales, Australia
This was written specifically for use in this service.

Allow yourself to relax, breathing normally. Get comfortable and allow an image of rolling fields to drift into your mind. You are on a path that leads through acres of undulating, lush, green grass. In the distance you observe the passage of a breeze softly flattening swaths of the grass, as it moves unseen across the field. The sun is warm on your skin and the path ahead beckons. Standing quite still, you reach out with your ears and your senses to detect any sound, any evidence of country life. There is nothing, only the sound of your breathing.

But wait, a distant chirping catches your attention. Is it a bird or insect? You wonder. You pause to listen more intently. Could it have been a frog? Your attention is riveted on listening for a repeat of the sound. What was it? Where did it come from? You listen carefully. (pause) There is nothing, and you remember the times you have listened for God only to hear “nothing.”

But the focus on listening diverts your attention to another muted something, faintly impinging on your awareness. Too soft and distant to identify, you continue through the countryside. You notice that the warmth of the sun has caused beads of perspiration to dot your brow. You wander to the edge of a gurgling stream, and you realize that this was the faint sound heard earlier, muted by a rise in the path. There is no need now to listen carefully, for the song of the stream fills the air.

You lean forward to look into the stream. It is shallow, moving swiftly, burbling and splashing its way over and around rocks and sticks that hinder its passage. You peer curiously down into the stream and a bead of perspiration moves out from your hairline and drips toward the stream. It drops slowly. Fascinated, you watch it fall—vaguely aware that it is not just a drop of perspiration that is falling; it is you! You let yourself go.

You hit the surface gently, surprised by the little splash you make and more surprised that you are not panicking and struggling to stand up. You are no longer a single alien body in water. You seem to be surrounded by you! You are the stream listening to your own voice singing your way through clefts in rocks, over obstacles, through branches, bouncing and echoing from cliffs you pass. You are the stream headed you know not where, but loving the freedom of just being you—wet, shining, gleeful, unhurried, unstressed. No meals to prepare, no dishes to wash, no employers to please, no bills to pay. Just moving, all of you, constantly moving, dealing without fuss, each obstacle that looms before you. If not over, then around. If not under, then around. But always moving. Where? It doesn’t matter. What matters is life. You are life, bringing life. You revel in the newness of joy through freedom. You have no words for the delicious delight you feel. You are water, sustainer of life.

Another sound comes to you: the sound of water. But not as before; this is different.

Once again you are falling. This time it is a very long way down. A gust of wind hurls you into a shrub growing beside the falls, and for a moment you sparkle on a glossy leaf before sliding down its moistness to tumble into your stream now grown larger by other streams, other creeks. You are a river; feel yourself slowing down. You are still moving, but slower than before and much deeper, more resolute, more powerful, quieter, smoother, more everything. You are amazed at your growing power and your silence, almost reverence, as you move—gently holding a leaf, drowning a plastic bottle. Silently, there is nothing to listen for; there is only the silence. Drifting, drifting, so quiet.

Slowly you are leaving the silence behind. Your constant movement takes you toward a distant rumble, then a roar. Eventually you drift into a new world filled with sound: a world of water with a consistency that shores you up. You feel lighter, warmer, deeper, and the noise is the thunder of surf, wheeling gulls, playing children—wind. This new experience of you is the great sea itself, and you know that this is what you have been seeking all your life. This is what you have been listening for. The call of the Source. Listen to the Source of Life calling to you—calling in you—calling with you. In this instant you are both the caller and the listener. You are life! You are life! And life is eternal!

In your own time, listen to the sound of my voice, calling you to return to this place.

Scriptures: Amos 8:1–12; Psalm 52; Colossians 1:15–28; Luke 10:38–42/10:39–43 IV

To fully capture the deeper message contained in this scripture lesson from Luke’s Gospel witness, it is helpful to hear this message combined with the passage where Jesus is tested by the lawyer and shares the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Emerging from Jesus’ encounter with the lawyer, and the occurrence with Martha and Mary, is a message of hospitality by “doing” and hospitality by “receiving”; a message of “love for neighbor” and “love for God.” As Fred Craddock points out, it is a message about “not hearing” and “hearing.”

As we step into Luke’s witness of the experience with Martha and Mary, we find Martha being the gracious host who is busy with preparing a meal. Her sister, Mary, finds herself sitting at the feet of Jesus as he shares with those in the house. It is apparent that Martha is not happy about her sister’s lack of responsibility of helping with the task of preparing the meal. In frustration, Martha confronts Jesus and requests that he instruct Mary to start helping out with all the tasks that need to be completed for the meal. It is in this contrasting image of Martha’s busyness and Mary living the role of a disciple, who sits at the feet of the Rabbi and listens, that we find the conflict that Jesus uses as a teaching moment for Martha. In Martha’s endeavor to fulfill her societal expectations of hospitality, she has missed the importance of what matters most—feeding on the word of God.

As we focus on Mary and Martha, we should not overlook how Jesus breaks cultural barriers in this story. He accepts the invitation to come to the house of Martha, a woman, and share a meal. He teaches a woman, allowing her to sit at his feet and listen.

This message from Luke does not suggest we neglect our responsibilities or that discipleship is just about sitting and listening. Rather, this experience between Martha, Mary, and Jesus challenges us to be mindful of how easy it is to be caught up in the busyness and routines of life that we neglect to give time and place for hearing God’s word. Discipleship calls us to step away from the distractions and find ourselves listening for what God wants to share with us. But it does not end with just listening. Discipleship is also about “doing,” which is part of the message Luke offers as he combines the image from the story of the Good Samaritan and the incident between Martha, Mary, and Jesus. There is a need and place for a disciple to take time to listen and renew. But the call never ends to go and make a difference in the life of another person.