Description
Luke 12:13-21
We are so easily influenced and driven by the world we live in. We get sucked in without even realizing it just as the rich man did in our parable from Luke. It is crucial to look at the difference between economy as defined by the world and economy defined by God. The world’s economy defines your purpose, goals, self-worth, ambition, and success. Money is the master in the world’s economy and money becomes the defining factor of a person’s decisions and behaviors. In God’s economy, God is the focus of your life and is apparent in your decisions, purpose, goals, ambition as well as your significance. God is at the center of your decisions and behaviors. In God’s economy, you make Him the Lord of your life. Matthew 6:24 makes it crystal clear. “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
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
Blessed Be Your Name
Beth & Matt Redman, ©2002 Thankyou Music
God You Reign
Lincoln Brewster, ©2008 Integrity’s Praise! Music Hillsong Publishing (Admin. in U.S. & Canada by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music)
God With Us
Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Jim Bryson, Mike Scheuchzer, & Nathan Cochran, ©2007 Simpleville Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Wet As A Fish Music (Admin. by Simpleville Music, Inc.) Catalogs Simpleville Music
[Traditional Options]
God of Grace and God of Glory
BH 75 265; BH 91 395; CH 435; CHH 464; EH 594,595; ELW 705; HWC 292; WFG 528; HLC 466; LBW 415; LSB 850; LW 398; NCH 436; PH 420; STTL 720;; WC 669; UMH 577; WAR 569; WHM 332
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
BH 75 31; BH 91 7; CH 90.271; CHH 2; EH 376; ELW 836; HWC 1; HPW 10; HFG 377; HLC 25; HGP 14; LBW 551; LSB 803; NCH 4; PH 464; RH 4; RS 669; STTL 174; WC 20; UMH 89; WAR 59; WHM 36; WIS 2
Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
LBW 340; LSB 741; LW 266
Invocation and Introduction of Today’s Theme
Pastor What a joy and privilege it is to gather today to focus on God, our creator, Who yearns for us to practice good stewardship in our lives, and manage all of His gifts and resources given to us according to His Word.
ALL Amen!
Opening Prayer
Pastor Gracious and Loving God, You have created this world and all that is in it. In Psalm 24, the truth is made known where it says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” You are the owner of everything and have given us the responsibility to manage what has been entrusted to us. As we worship You today and meditate on Your Word, speak to our hearts, open our eyes, and give us new insights so that we can do Your will. We are so bombarded by the world’s economy and its values, that it is hard to see the economy authored by You. Help us today to see the difference, and give us boldness and courage to make changes in our lives.
ALL In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
Time of Greeting
Time of Confession and Forgiveness
[Alternate location: following Message]
All: Lord God, You are the author and giver of life as well as the owner of all that we possess. Without You, we would not exist and would not have the resources that sustain us each day. We confess to You that we have not taken care of Your creation as we should. We have not managed our time or our money the way we should, nor according to the wisdom laid out in scripture. We have been greedy and have hoarded things at the expense of other people. Instead of living in Your economy and by Your principles, we have lived according to the world’s economy. The world around us speaks so loudly and powerfully that Your message is not listened to. When it comes to money and possessions, we have not received counsel from You and have let the world have its way. We need Your help Lord.
(silence for personal reflection and confession)
Pastor: We know that God is full of mercy and grace and forgives us of our sins as we make confession. People of God, know that your sins are erased and that you have been made clean through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. You are free to serve the Lord and use what God has given to you for His glory. Strive to live in God’s economy so that you can be witnesses to others.
We Hear God’s Word
[Read aloud both the introduction and Scripture]
First Reading Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Solomon tells us that true wisdom cannot be found in the world and the human mind. God is the source of true wisdom and when we grasp this truth, we will have contentment and purpose. Glorifying God through our work on earth will have eternal rewards.
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
