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Woship Resources 2009-2010 — Year C: Live Generously, Love Courageously
Return to Year C: 2009-2010
Resource Index
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Be Faithful in Little Things
Heritage Day
Ordinary Time (Proper 20)
Scriptures: Jeremiah 8:18—9:1; Psalm 79:1–9; I Timothy
2:1–7; Luke 16:1–13; Helaman 5:96–97; Doctrine and Covenants 6:2a
and 4a; 153:9b; 154:7a
Prelude
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayer for Peace
O God, our Creator,
All around us there is beauty. Beauty in the earth, in its mountains and
valleys, in the colors and fragrances of the flowers, in the color and song
and flight of the birds, in the beauty of the animals that roam the earth.
(The people pray in silence.)
All around us there is evidence of your gift of creation in us. You have
given each of us a brain and our agency. From this mind we have been given
has come creations of fire, the wheel, inventions upon inventions, and in
our lifetime beautiful architecture, communications, and much more.
(The people pray in silence.)
Our history has been made rich because of the struggles and sacrifices of
those people who have gone before us. We have people who bring strength to
our lives today: our family, loved ones, friends, and others.
(The people pray in silence.)
Help us really listen to each other, to be concerned, and to talk and to
love each other, and to tell each other of our love.
(The people pray in silence.)
Out of our awareness of your love for us, may we share peace with those
we meet each day. Amen.
—Lois Sloan in Peace Prayers from the Temple,
compiled by Frances M. Easter (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House,
1998), 17.
Call to Worship: “Psalm for Today”
God of our beginnings—
You are like a seed that breaks open to earth,
a plant that leans toward sunlight,
a tree that draws from earth and sky—
You grow in us.
God of our future—
You are like an unborn child with unrealized promise,
an unsung melody yet unheard,
an unknown world to be discovered,
You wait beyond us.
God of this moment—
Be our beginning—our new life.
Be our present moment,
our future,
our promised hope.
—By Barbara Howard in Prayers and Readings for Worship,
Vol. 2, Peter Judd, ed.
(Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1996), 13.
*Hymn: “Great and Marvelous Are Thy Works” HS 48
OR “Gather Us In” SP 4
*Invocation
*Response
Focus Moment
This object lesson demonstrates that faith is based on our knowledge and
experience. In order to have faith in something, we need to have some
knowledge and experience in that area.
Collect together the following objects: three small clean pots and three
items to plant. One of the items to plant might be seeds and the dirt for it
to be planted in. The other items might be a cookie to be planted in flour,
money to be planted in a pot full of pennies or other coins, or a piece of
jewelry to be planted. Be creative while choosing these other items. The
narration could be something like this:
I wanted some more cookies just like this one, so I am going to put some
flour and sugar in this pot, and plant this cookie. I am going to put some
milk and some oil in it every day and hope that eventually some more cookies
will start growing.
I also need some more money, so I have some green paper and some thread
and I am going to plant this extra money in a pot. I think I will put some
glue and ink in here every day and hope that soon a money tree will start to
grow.
In this pot, I would enjoy some flowers, so I have some dirt and I am
going to put in these seeds. I will put it in the sunshine and water it when
it is dry. I have faith that soon I will have a plant and some flowers.
Do any of you have faith and believe that two of the pots will eventually
produce cookies or a money tree? Why not? It’s because we have knowledge and
experience in how cookies are made. We know they don’t come from a pot; we
have experience that tells us cookies come from our mixing and baking.
For us, money is obtained by working for it, and it comes from the
government presses or mints (the place where coins are made). Our knowledge
tells us that no matter how much faith we might exhibit, it would be a waste
of time, because money doesn’t grow on trees from a pot.
We can and do have faith that a flower will grow from this seed—if given
enough water, sunshine, and nutrients. That faith is based on our knowledge
of how plants grow. The only reason we would spend any time with the dirt,
pot, and seeds is that we have faith we will get a result from our work.
This is what faith is. It’s a belief in something that is true that we
can’t see yet. It’s based on our previous knowledge and experience.
Finish out this discussion with any pertinent scriptures.
Scripture for Confessional Reflection: Helaman 5:96–97
Having faith in little things is not as simple as it seems. Lord, when we
have faith in you, these things will follow.
Hymn: “With a Steadfast Faith” HS 497
OR “Beyond the Horizon” NS 5
OR Ministry of Music
Disciples’ Generous Response
Each Sunday, as part of the Disciples’ Generous Response, we ask you to
integrate the message of “share equally” between Local and World Ministries
Mission Tithes. Generosity stories are provided to keep the church in touch
with how contributions to Mission Tithes spread the peace of Jesus Christ.
Please use the stories, testimonies, and up-to-date contribution information
as part of your offertory ministry. Visit
www.CofChrist.org/generositystories to print a copy, or contact your
pastor, congregational financial officer, or worship coordinator for a copy.
Blessing and Receiving of Mission Tithes
Ministry of the Spoken Word
Based on Luke 16:1–13
*Hymn: “The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is Burning” HS 33/R-18
OR “Bring Forth the Kingdom” SP 9
*Benediction
*Sending Forth: Move Out in Faith
Leader: Behold, the field is white already to harvest, therefore whoso
desireth to reap, let them thrust in their sickles with their might and reap
while the day lasts.—Doctrine and Covenants 6:2a
People: Let us thrust in our sickles and reap.
Leader: If you desire, you shall be the means of doing much good in this
generation.—Doctrine and Covenants 6:4a
People: This is our desire.
Leader: My Spirit is reaching out to numerous souls even now and there
are many who will respond if you, my people, will bear affirmative testimony
of my love and my desires for all to come unto me.—Doctrine and Covenants
153:9b
People: We will move out in faith and confidence to proclaim the gospel.
—Doctrine and Covenants 154:7a adapted
—Prayers and Readings for Worship, Vol. 2, Peter
Judd, ed. (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1996), 64.
*Response
*Postlude
Sermon Helps
Scriptures: Jeremiah 8:18—9:1; Psalm 79:1–9; I Timothy 2:1–7; Luke
16:1–13
Exploring the Scriptures
The parable of the dishonest manager is difficult for today’s disciple to
understand. Those who heard this parable from Jesus would have understood the
social customs behind the story, customs that we have forgotten. It was common
in those days for stewards of financial management to intertwine their own
finances with those of their master, often for personal gain. Loans given in the
master’s name often included a portion of the steward’s money as well, plus
usury fees for recording and collecting the debt. A steward facing expulsion
from his position decided to ingratiate himself to the debtors so they would
take him into their homes in gratitude. He had identified the future he wanted,
and he set about using his wealth and skills to achieve it. He told each debtor
to decrease the amount owed—a relief to the debtors. Jesus’ hearers would have
understood that the amount reduced was the steward’s portion of the loan and his
commission, either appropriately or inappropriately added to the original debt.
The manager praised the steward for benefitting the debtors at the price of his
own financial security, and, in the process, righting injustices embedded in the
usury fees.
Further interpretation focuses on verse 8, which provides commentary on the
parable. Jesus challenged the disciples to learn astuteness from the
worldly-wise to apply to the kingdom of God. Thus the lesson is to use the
wealth of the world to gain rather than lose the future you desire: the kingdom
of God. In other words, to gain the kingdom, use your wealth for the benefit of
others, even at the risk of your own financial security. That is a radical
understanding, but consistent with Luke’s presentation of other parables on
wealth and justice.
This understanding is supported by the additional sayings on wealth found in
verses 10–13. Within God’s kingdom, being faithful and honest in little things
is as important as handling large issues with integrity. You cannot choose both
the wealth of the world and the wealth of God’s kingdom. They are mutually
exclusive. In all arenas of life, the choices we make pave the path toward the
future we choose: a path that leads either to kingdom living or to worldly gain.
Central Ideas
1. The wealth and blessings of God are for the benefit of all, not
ourselves.
2. Identify the future you want for yourself and your family. Then put
your resources and efforts toward obtaining that future above all else.
3. Jesus points us toward a future grounded in the kingdom of God, not
the kingdom of worldly wealth, fame, or power.
4. The choices we make, no matter how small, matter in the kingdom of
God.
Questions for the Speaker
1. What kind of a future would you like to create? What will it take to
achieve it? What holds you back from working toward that goal?
2. How have you been captured by the wealth of the world? Identify two
things you can do to counter the pressure of your society to buy, spend, and
gain for yourself.
3. How can you transform your financial estate into a source of blessing
for yourself, others, and the future of God’s kingdom?
4. What are some of the small choices you make that undermine your
integrity? How can you change those behaviors?
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