Description

Mark 7:1-13

Jesus is very direct with the Pharisees the other religious rulers when He quotes Isaiah who said that people were worshipping the Lord with their lips and their man-made traditions but, their hearts were far from the Lord.  How does this show up in the Church today?  Do we run the risk of offering “lip service” but, it is “heart-less”?  Do we run the risk of creating man made additions/traditions to what the Lord says?  Yes, of course!  We all are vulnerable to these issues.  Once again today Jesus calls us unto Himself and the Father through the truth of HIS unaltered pure Word that we might be people who offer true heart-service to the Lord that moves our lips as opposed to offering Him heartless-lip-service driven by manmade traditions!

 

… We Lift Our Hearts in Worship …

[Preservice options include videos (countdowns, worship music, welcomes), worship music CD, or live music by worship band.]

 

Time of Praise and Worship

10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

Matt Redman & Jonas Myrin, ©2011 Thankyou Music, Said And Done Music, sixsteps, Music SHOUT! Publishing (admin EMI CMG Publishing)

Today Is the Day

Lincoln Brewster & Paul Baloche, ©2008 Integrity’s Praise! Music; Integrity’s Hosanna! Music; Leadworship Songs (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)

Come Thou Fount, Come Thou King

Robert Robinson & Thomas Miller, ©2005 Gateway Create Publishing (Admin. by Integrity’s Praise! Music)

[Traditional Options]

Blessed Jesus, At Your Word 

EH 440; ELW 520; LBW 248; LSB 904; NCH 74; PH 454; UMH 596

Come Thou Fount of Ev’ry Blessing

BH75 12,13; BH 91 15, 18; CH 11; CHH 16; EH 686; ELW 807; HS98 876; HWC 2; HPW 4; HFG 318; HLC 28; HGP 9; HSP 16; LBW 499; LWB 686; NCH 459; PH 356; RH 11; STTL 51; WC 45; UMH 400; WAR 68; WHM 30; WIS 62

Dear Christians, One And All Rejoice 

ELW 594; LBW 299; LSB 556; LW 353

  

Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme

Pastor              We see the impact of Jesus’ words in Biblical times as being controversial and sometimes divisive.  He knew the words He spoke would not be understood or received                                by everyone.  Some things have not changed much since those days.  May we, His modern-day disciples open our hearts and minds and gain understanding through                                  His Word that He draws us closer to Himself.

ALL                  Amen!

 

Opening Prayer 

Pastor              We make our beginning in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.  Lord, Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus we come this day to worship.  We                                             intentionally made efforts to meet together.   With fellow believers we gather to worship You and to hear Your Words that You would have for us today.  May You Holy                               Spirit speak to our hearts. 

ALL                  In Jesus’ Name we pray….. Amen.

 

Time of Greeting    Greet one another with this exhortation:  “May your worship and hearing of the Word draw you closer to God today.”

  

Time of Confession and Forgiveness

[Alternate location:  following Message] 

Pastor              Our Almighty God, You know us and our lives. Clean up our hearts and minds by your example. We will try to love you – to show you what You are through the things                               we say and do, by the power of Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

ALL                  Amen.

Pastor              We have to stop being egotistical – to sometimes go against society – and be honest with ourselves. Fortunately, if we admit to these sins, God, who is a constant and                                reliable source for every need and the ultimate judge of all truth, will forgive us for all the ways we turn against Him and give us a fresh start.

(Silence for reflection and self-examination)

Pastor              Most merciful God, 

ALL                  we admit that we are prone to sin and we need your help to free us. Every day of our lives we sin against You with our actions and our inability                              to act, as well as our hurtful words of painful silence – we continually drop the ball – sin has consumed our lives and there are a lot of things we                            have not done but should be doing to glorify Your name.  We have held back from loving You fully.  We have focused on loving ourselves, and                                with what we have left, we have not reached out to our neighbors. Your Son sacrificed and died for us.  Show us Your mercy, forgive our sins,                               refresh our hearts and guide us through our days. We do love You and want to be like You. We are thankful for Your grace so that our sins do                                 not permanently separate us from You.

ALL                  Amen.

Pastor             We are in need of a savior – in need of mercy – and God provided Jesus who loves us so much He died for us. Through Jesus’ love, God has forgiven all our sins. If you                             have faith, you belong to God’s family and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.

 

… We Hear God’s Word …

[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]

First Reading          Isaiah 29:11-19

 

Our Lord would want us to honor and worship Him with our hearts, not merely our lips.  He does not ask us to follow manmade rules, but to humbly rejoice in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

 

11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, “Read this, please,” he will answer, “I can’t; it is sealed.” 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, “Read this, please,” he will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”  13 The Lord says:“ These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.   Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. 14 Therefore once more I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. ”15Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” 16 You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, “He did not make me”? Can the pot say of the potter, “He knows nothing”? 17 In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest? 18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.