Sunday Devotional for September 22, 2024

September 22, 2024
SILENT MEDITATION: “A person completely wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” - Harry Emerson Fosdick
The musical prelude invites us to become
quiet and reverent in God’s house.
PRELUDE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Pastor: Happy are those who follow paths of righteousness.
People: We take delight in the wisdom of God.
Pastor: Happy are those who reach out to those in need.
People: We find delight in the love of God.
Pastor: Happy are those who set aside envy.
People: We draw delight in the selflessness of God.
*HYMN OF PRAISE:
Immortal, Invisible
PROFESSION OF FAITH
We believe in a God who calls us to turn away from our own selfish interests.
We believe in a God who calls us to take up our cross and follow after him, even if the path is hard to see, or seems to be heading in a direction we would have never chosen for ourselves.
We believe in a God who helps us see with the eyes of faith, a God who teaches us to follow without fear, a God who always walks beside us.
We believe in Jesus.
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
CALL TO CONFESSION
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Holy God, Savior and Friend, forgive us. We thank you that long before we face up to ourselves and speak our confessions, your mercy in Jesus is here waiting for us. We rest our mortal lives in your immortal Life, allowing your grace, mercy and peace to cleanse, refresh and straighten us. Amen.
SILENCE FOR REFLECTION AND CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE
CHILDREN’S TIME
*HYMN:
Trust and Obey
*PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
*OUR LORD’S PRAYER (debts)
READING OF THE SCRIPTURES
Psalm 1
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for1 those who make peace.
4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet1 something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures…. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Mark 9:30-37
They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. 33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."
THE MESSAGE: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
OFFERTORY RESPONSE
Take My Life and Let It Be, verse 4
Take my love, my God, I pour
At thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for thee,
Ever, only, all for thee.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
*HYMN OF DEDICATION:
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
THE COMMISSION
BENEDICTION
THE RESPONSE
He Is Lord
He is Lord, he is Lord!
He is risen from the dead, and he is Lord!
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess,
That Jesus Christ is Lord!
POSTLUDE
Thoughts for Reflection:
1. Did you ever know someone who was totally obsessed with their looks, or they paycheck, or having lots of fancy things?
2. Did you find yourself trying to be just like them, or did you realize that they were self-centered?
3. Where does godly wisdom say that our focus should be?