Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
Here is our Order of Worship
"O Lord, who has mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of your Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore You,
a heart to delight in You,
to follow and enjoy You, for Christ's sake
Amen"
St. Ambrose of Milan (AD 339-397)
Creative Commons link
An Orthodox Prayer for Comfort link
Almighty God,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
come to my help and deliver me from this difficulty that besets me.
I believe Lord, that all trials of life are under Your care
and that all things work for the good of those who love You.
Take away from me fear, anxiety and distress.
Help me to face and endure my difficulty with faith, courage and wisdom.
Grant that this trial may bring me closer to You
for You are my rock
and refuge, my comfort and hope,
my delight and joy.
I trust in Your love and compassion.
Blessed is Your name,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.
Scripture Reading: Luke 11:37-44 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Woes upon the Pharisees
Now when He had spoken, a Pharisee asked Him to have lunch with him; and He went in, and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he was surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.
“But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the respectful greetings in the market places. Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.
Benediction: St Theresa of Avila link
Be not perplexed,
Be not afraid,
Everything passes,
God does not change.
Patience wins all things.
He who has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Amen!
Wade – thank you so much for this timely message. My family is dealing with this right now. We have a family member that is just like you preached about. She can do no wrong, and everyone else is always wrong, not matter if in all reality they are right. She is so concerned with what others think of her, that she won’t do what’s right for her, lest someone else think bad of her. It’s causing problems within the family. She has hurt various family members because of her speech and attitudes. I never would have called it “Self-Righteousness, but I will now, among other things. All my family can do with this person, is pray, and distance ourselves at times from her. It’s sad.
Harley,
Thanks for the transparency. It’s difficult when a family or church (or me) is infected with self-righteousness.
I’ll be praying for your family (and I don’t say that lightly; already did).
Thanks Wade. I have been thinking about your sermon all afternoon and even told my sister about it. I think I am going to encourage her to listen to it as it would benefit her as well. I can’t always listen to your sermons due to things going on in my life right now, but when I do, you always seem to speak to me. Thank God for your ministry. I wish there were ministers out there like you.
Wade – thank you for another message that really hits home for me. I’ve listened to your sermons online for some time now and they have been a tremendous blessing for me.
Thank you Jesse. Continued blessings to you!