Welcome to our Sunday Morning Worship. Summer is upon us, it’s time to praise our creator!
God is nearer than breathing and yet so often we miss him. Let’s bring our prayers to him now:
Our reading is from Galatians 2:1-10
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along with me. 2 I went up because of a revelation and
set before them (though privately before those who seemed
influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order
to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. 3 But even
Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he
was a Greek. 4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who
slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so
that they might bring us into slavery— 5 to them we did not yield in
submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might
be preserved for you. 6 And from those who seemed to be influential
(what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no
partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me.
7 On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the
gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with
the gospel to the circumcised 8 (for he who worked through Peter for
his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for
mine to the Gentiles), 9 and when James and Cephas and John, who
seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they
gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should
go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 Only, they asked
us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
Talk: How to be obstinate.
We bring our prayers to God for the church and the world:
A prayer for those who grieve – we say this for all we now who have lost loved ones recently:
Bless those who mourn, eternal God,
with the comfort of your love
that they may face each new day with hope
and the certainty that nothing can destroy
the good that has been given.
May their memories become joyful,
their days enriched with friendship,
and their lives encircled by your love.
Amen.
We close by saying the Grace for each other:
