Tipping Point

Good Morning and Welcome to Worship! Worship is often the first place that new people come into contact with this growing community of faith. And so, if you are joining us for the first time, I say to you what is said every Sunday: You are welcome here. Here is a place where all are welcome. For such is the love of God for God’s Very Good Creation.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below; praise God above, ye Heav'nly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; Thy kindom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kindom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Lewis & Linda Hildreth

Eternal, birthing God, you bring all things visible and invisible into being.

We pray for the universe you created … [silence]

Your Spirit brooded over your very good creation and then you entrusted it to our care and dominion. Holy God, we have created dead sones in the oceans, and slashed and burnt scars into the rainforests. We have cluttered the firmament with our ambition. Lead your people to be good stewards of the life you have entrusted to us.

We pray for all people of the earth … [silence]

You placed humanity in your garden to live and tend and have dominion. Bind up the wounds of racial hatred; break the bows of poverty, disease, and hunger; speak your “Be Still!” To wars of religion and ideology. Guide us to bring your peace, justice, and compassion to every household, village, city, and nation.

We pray for you to bring the fullness of the age you promise … [silence]

Loving God, Divine Dance, giver of love, life, and future, help us to dream your dream and envision what you have imagined this creation can be. Open our hearts to feel the divine nudge of your Spirit that we may see what is ours to do and may we find the courage to do what you are calling for each of us to do. Amen.

Loving God, by your Spirit, teach us to hear your voice and to do what you are asking of us. Amen.

Results of Justification ¹ Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. ⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Matthew 9:35 – 10:23 The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few ³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness.³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” The Twelve Apostles ¹ Then Jesussummoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. The Mission of the Twelve ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not take a road leading to gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse those with a skin disease; cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁹ Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for laborers deserve their food. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³ If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. Coming Persecutions ¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the gentiles. ¹⁹ When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you at that time, ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ Sibling will betray sibling to death and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, ²² and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in this town, flee to the next, for truly I tell you, you will not have finished going through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

How do you experience God’s presence in your life? How are you being called by God to be a laborer in the vineyard? Where have you faced persecution for answering your call?

Jesus said: “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Therefore we ask the Spirit to nudge us and call us to dedicate our lives and our gifts to the harvest.

Blessed Trinity, three-part harmony, we sing with you as we seek to align our hearts to you. Let our whole lives become songs of gratitude, joy and praise so that all the earth may know of your way of love and your will for all of your very good creation. Amen.

May the love of God enfold you, the way of Christ inspire you, and the presence of the Holy Spirit guide you as you go forth to bring love into a world that seems bent upon hate. And step by step and heart by heart, we will transform the world into the Kindom of God. Amen.