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Woship Resources 2007-2008 — Year A: Passionate for Peace
Return to Year A: 2007-2008
Resource Index
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Be a Living Sacrifice
Ordinary Time (Proper 8)
Scriptures:
Genesis 22:1–14/22:1–18 IV;
Psalm 13; Romans 6:12–23; Matthew 10:40–42/10:35–38 IV; II Nephi 6:44–53;
Doctrine and Covenants 10:3
Sharing Christ’s Peace
Priesthood is a sacred covenant involving the highest form
of stewardship of body, mind, spirit, and relationships. The priesthood
shall be composed of people of humility and integrity who are willing to
extend themselves in service for others and for the well-being of the faith
community.—Doctrine and Covenants
163:6a
Prelude
Songs of Praise and Preparation: Where possible, use a
combination of soloists, choral groups, and instrumentation.
Hymn: “Lord, I Give You” NS
32
Hymn: “God of the Sparrow” SP
13
Hymn: “Come, Rejoice Before Your Maker” HS
44
Welcome
Call to Worship
Reader 1: How long, God, how long will you allow the earth to groan for
liberation? How long will you permit soil, sea, and sky to suffer scorching
and abuse?
Reader 2: How long will you stand idle while your creatures great and
small seek sanctuary from gleaming glass towers and urban sprawl? How long
will the affluent rule and the poor be slaves?
Congregation How long will you let
extremists reign death and terror on the innocent? How long must we wait for
bowls to be filled, for thirsts to be quenched, for pandemics to cease? How
long, O God, how long?
Reader 3: How long?
How long will my children sing praises while their deeds remain silent? How
long will you search for me in earthquake, wind, and fire—and fail to hear
me whispering in your heart? “You are my sons and my daughters. You are my
covenant people. You are my hands and feet. I so loved the world that I gave—I gave all
that I can give. Myself, I
give thee. You are my living sacrifice!
Wait no more. The time for hesitation is past. Live in
me. Live for
me. Trust in my steadfast love—rejoice in the salvation I have placed in
your
hands.”
—“Live in Me—Live for Me” (based on Psalm 13) by Danny A.
Belrose
*Hymn
“Called by Christ to Love Each Other” SP
36
OR “Lord, Thou Hast Brought Us to This Place” HS 6
OR “When the Church of Jesus” HS
445
*Invocation
*Response
Focus Moment
Select a child, a young adult, and a senior adult to be interviewed
regarding their understanding of the phrase “living sacrifice.” They should
be chosen in advance and provided with the questions they will be asked.
Examples may include: What does the word sacrifice mean to you? Has anyone
ever sacrificed something for you? Have you sacrificed something of value
for someone else? Was it difficult to do this? How did you feel? What has
God sacrificed for you?
Scripture Reading
Ministry of Music
“Take My Life and Let It Be” HS 408
Sermon: Based on Genesis 22:1–14/22:1–18 IV
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. Offertory 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/offertory
to print a copy, or
contact your pastor, congregational financial officer, or worship
coordinator for a copy.
Scripture: Matthew 10:40–42
Reflection
Each dollar, each dime, each penny dropped on the offering plate is
alive.
Checks tucked inside offering envelopes are alive.
They are a living sacrifice. The money we give to God’s cause is more
than a symbol of who we are. It represents hours spent in labor that can
never be reclaimed—little pieces of ourselves spent at the
workplace—whether that be at the office or at home, cutting the grass
for an allowance, or enclosed in the tight security of a piggy bank.
Whenever we give our money, we give something of ourselves. The
ministries and services of the church, then, are fueled by our
willingness to give freely in response to One whose consistent giving is
alive in the world around us and within us. Join me this morning. Place
yourself on the offering plate—there’s room enough for all of us.
Prayer
May we, O God, freely offer our gifts of time, talent, and treasure,
not counting the cost. May we not portion them, divide or weigh them,
but simply give them. Let us rejoice as we “give thee but thine
own”—pressed down, shaken, and overflowing. Thank you for making our
meager gifts possible. Bless them as you have blessed us so that others
might be blessed. Amen.
Receiving of Mission Tithes
Hymn: To be sung as
offering is received.
“With My Substance I Will Honor”
HS
460
OR “Give Thanks”
NS 11
*Hymn
“Your Cause Be Mine, Great Lord Divine” HS
420
OR “A Charge to Keep I Have” HS
399
*Sending Forth
Gracious God, in our better moments
we hear love’s call to sacrifice.
Without hesitation we will place ourselves at peril
for those held near and dear.
And, yes, at the far edge of self-centeredness,
brave souls have lost themselves to those they do not know
by responding to that strange, pervasive conviction that we are
inexplicably and mysteriously connected.
Yet, such is not the definitive sacrifice.
Atonement.
To sacrifice one’s child—to give the life of another in place of
one’s own.
Herein lies the dance of love’s ultimacy.
Literal, or symbolic, this sacrifice dangles on the precipice of
immorality—
a paradox of values displaying the length,
depth, and breadth of divine love.
Let its mystery claim us and disturb us.
Let it remind us that in our better moments,
sacrifice is greater than self,
and that your love, O God, is boundless.
Amen.
—“In Our Better Moments” (based on Genesis
22:1–14) by Danny A. Belrose
*Response
Hymn
“All to Jesus I Surrender” HS
430
OR “Lord, I Give You”
NS 32
*Postlude
Sermon Helps
Scriptures: Genesis
22:1–14/22:1–18 IV;
Psalm 13; Romans 6:12–23; Matthew 10:40–42/10:35–38 IV; II Nephi 6:44–53;
Doctrine and Covenants 10:3
Exploring the Scriptures
Rituals of sacrifice were common among the religions of Canaan, where Abraham
lived. Not only did people sacrifice animals to their gods, but some religions
practiced child sacrifice as well. Abraham must have been familiar with such
practices when he sensed God’s call to sacrifice his “only son Isaac.” Abraham’s
understanding of God’s command not only placed in jeopardy the life of the son
he and Sarah had desired for so long, but also endangered the covenant God had
made to make him the father of many nations. Yet, he was willing to sacrifice
his own future in order to obey what he thought was God’s command. Fortunately,
God prevented him from carrying out the child sacrifice and provided a ram as a
substitute.
In Genesis the story is framed as God’s “test” of Abraham’s faith. Did God
truly desire to test Abraham’s faithfulness? Or did Abraham misunderstand?
Perhaps God was asking Abraham to offer his son as a living
sacrifice—that is, a child who would dedicate his thoughts, actions, love, and
courage to doing God’s work in this world. Whether it was truly a test or a
misunderstanding, Abraham’s concept of sacrifice changed. Succeeding generations
of Jews never practiced child sacrifice.
God is not interested in rituals of sacrifice; God cares about lives.
The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:1 “to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” God’s idea of sacrifice is to take a
life and make it grow and blossom with trust and faith, until it stands as a
model of servanthood, beauty, and love for others. The early Christians knew
that sacrifice also meant standing against the oppressive system which would
deny that life. They knew that discipleship may lead to crucifixion and death.
The emphasis, however, is not on being martyred for your faith, but rather in
living completely the teachings of Jesus Christ so others see and understand the
meaning of grace, forgiveness, and worth of all people—hallmarks of our
Community of Christ faith.
To offer yourself as a living sacrifice is not easy. It means welcoming each
day as a gift from God. It means finding in the routine events of daily life the
joy and hope in Christ that gives meaning and purpose to our existence. It means
sharing the gospel with others, so they, too, can experience the fullness of
life we promote in our community and find purpose in helping to transform this
world into the kingdom of God.
Central Ideas
1. God is not interested in rituals of sacrifice, but in lives that are
dedicated to God.
2. The challenge for us today is clear: Don’t sacrifice lives, but make
your life a living sacrifice.
3. God calls us to live for our faith by acting out the principles of
love, forgiveness, worth of persons, and community for all people of the
earth.
Questions for the Speaker
1. Who has made sacrifices in order for you to have life, health, and
faith? Tell of a sacrifice you have made on behalf of another person.
2. When have you responded with obedience to God in a time of great
difficulty?
3. When have you felt God was calling you to action, only to find out you
were mistaken? What were the consequences of your misunderstanding?
4. What kinds of consequences are exacted by today’s society against
those who stand for justice, the worth of all persons, and the sovereignty
of God rather than nations?
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