EChurch@Wartburg – 9.1.13

Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg

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Here Is Our Order of Worship

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A Responsive Reading for Labor Day link
(I found this litany quite touching as it remembers many who are not usually remembered

Litany of Labor:

Leader: Let us pray to the Lord of all creation, from who come life, work and purpose.
Almighty God, when you lovingly formed us out of the dust of the earth,
you breathed into us the breath of life and gave us work and purpose for living.

C. You placed Adam in the garden of Eden to till and keep it.

L: Through our work, you make us co-creators with you, shaping the world in which we live.

C. You gave dignity to our labor by sending your Son to labor with us.

L. By our labor, the world is enriched.

C. By our labor, we enjoy the fruits of creation.

L. For providing varieties of work and for blessing us by our labor:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who plow the field; for farmers and farm workers,
for those who work with their hands and those who move the earth, for all who provide food for others:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who tend the sick and those who seek new cures;
for doctors and nurses, for scientists and technicians; for all who work to care for the sick:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who design and create; for inventors and explorers,
for artists and musicians; for those who write books and those who entertain;
for all who open windows on their world through art and music:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who work in offices and those who work in warehouses;
for secretaries and receptionists, for stockers and bookkeepers;
for those who market products and for those who move them;
for all who serve others through administration:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who inspire our minds and those who motivate us;
for teachers and preachers, for public servants and religious servants;
those who help the poor and those who work with our children;
for all who encourage us to learn:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those whose labor is tidiness and cleanliness; for janitors and sanitary workers,
for drycleaners and maids; for those who produce cleaning products and those who use them;
for all those who add beauty and cleanliness to your world:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. For those who sail the waves and those who fly the skies;
for captains and attendants, for astronauts and deep sea divers;
for those who chart and those who navigate:

C. We give you thanks, O Lord.

L.  For those who serve in the armed forces; for soldiers and airmen;
sailors and marines; for all those who put themselves in harms way to protect others:

C:  We give you thanks, O Lord.

L. You bless us all with skills and gifts for labor.

C. You provide us opportunities to use them,
or the benefit of others as well as ourselves and the growth of your Kingdom on earth.

L. Guard and protect those who labor in the world.

C. Bless the work of our hands, O Lord.

L. Send your special favor on the unemployed,
the under-employed and the disabled,
that they may find work that enriches their lives and provides for their families.

C. Give health to the sick, hope to the bereaved.

L. Keep us from laboring for ourselves alone.

C. Make us loving and responsible in all that we do.
Amen

A Prayer for Labor Day link

O God, creator of the world,
of sun and moon and stars,
you chose to fashion us, your own,
your handiwork of love.

Indeed, we are your hands’ own work
and yet into our hands
you give the care
of every living thing.

In more ways than we can count
our work builds up
or tears apart what came
from your own hand.

Keep us faithful in preserving
all you’ve given
lest we harm the smallest part
of all you’ve made.

Give us good and honest work to do
and rest at each day’s end.
Give a fair and good day’s wage
for a good day’s work well done.

Give us work that nurtures and sustains
the ones who serve and those they serve.
Let those who labor work in peace,
in freedom without fear.

Give those in need a job to do
and to the tired well earned rest.
Let all our work and toil, Lord,
give glory to your name.
Amen.

Last Sunday's message at  Emmanuel Enid was delivered by guest speaker, Cal Thomas, newspaper and Fox News journalist. 

"American Idol"


The Lord's Prayer
Traditional: Taken from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer 1662

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

(Colossians 3:15-17) NIV Gateway
 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom 
through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Amen

Comments

EChurch@Wartburg – 9.1.13 — 9 Comments

  1. I usually cringe when I see a politician speak to a church. But I was proved wrong. Even though I share Mr. Thomas’ political ideas, he was speaking as a Christian, not a politician. I thought this was a good quote:

    “It is not our responsibility to convince sinners of their need to embrace a moral code, therefore, but to humbly receive a righteousness from God that comes through the faithfulness of Christ to all who believe”

  2. Cal Thomas isn’t a politician. He’s a journalist and commentator. Yes, he worked for the now-defunct Moral Majority at one time, but he also sharply criticized their tactics after leaving the group.

  3. Heather wrote:

    I usually cringe when I see a politician speak to a church. But I was proved wrong. Even though I share Mr. Thomas’ political ideas, he was speaking as a Christian, not a politician. I thought this was a good quote:

    “It is not our responsibility to convince sinners of their need to embrace a moral code, therefore, but to humbly receive a righteousness from God that comes through the faithfulness of Christ to all who believe”

    I have to wonder if Cal Thomas taught his children any “moral codes” growing up or just waited for Jesus to be faithful to them and make them righteous?

  4. Anon 1 wrote:

    I have to wonder if Cal Thomas taught his children any “moral codes” growing up or just waited for Jesus to be faithful to them and make them righteous?

    I once recall Cal Thomas saying that he didn’t become a Christian until sometime into adulthood, after losing his position with NBC News. So you’ll have to ask him.

  5. @ singleman:

    Singleman, that is interesting. His parents named him “John Calvin Thomas”. One would think he was raised in a Christian home. perhaps it was a family name? I have met him several times at certain events and do like him. He signed one of his books to me at the event.

    The quote bothered me because I would hope to live in a place where some sort of moral code was embraced by all whether believers or not. Otherwise it would be chaos. Our nations laws are a sort of moral code. I have not listened to the talk so maybe there is more in the context.

  6. Anon 1 wrote:

    I have to wonder if Cal Thomas taught his children any “moral codes” growing up or just waited for Jesus to be faithful to them and make them righteous?

    In my opinion, Mr. Thomas quotes Isaiah 64:6 completely out of context. The prophet is referring to temple ritualism and a corrupt religious system, NOT acts of human kindness and compassion. Acts of kindness and compassion amongst humans are universal, otherwise Romans 2:12-16 cannot also be true. To say that they must also pass a kind of vertical sanctioning arrived at through a particular religious ideology is a lie from the father of lies.

  7. He did say that adding new laws or enforcing old laws will not make sinners responsive, but changing minds and hearts will…and that is the business of the gospel of Jesus…not politics.

    I was disappointed in his snide remark and rolling eyes about the purpose of wives toward the end of his sermon. It happens to be sensitive area for me due to many years of listening to this type of derogatory remarks about women.

    But as always, I’m grateful for E-Church and look forward to the next one!

    Mary Ann

  8. singleman wrote:

    Cal Thomas isn’t a politician. He’s a journalist and commentator. Yes, he worked for the now-defunct Moral Majority at one time, but he also sharply criticized their tactics after leaving the group.

    Thanks for pointing this out. I was thinking about it afterwards and wondering if a different description would have been better. Yes, a journalist and commentator is accurate and what I should have said.

  9. “It is not our responsibility to convince sinners of their need to embrace a moral code, therefore, but to humbly receive a righteousness from God that comes through the faithfulness of Christ to all who believe”

    I thought this was about the gospel, not parenting. But then I strongly beieve that neither evangelism nor parenting should operate on the assumption that the unbelievers/children will respond to God by being convinced to accept a moral code. In fact, morality often blinds everyone to whether the gospel is being offered or received. Which is why people who are not Christians can, rightly IMO, say, “I am as good as you, in fact better! Look at all the good works I do! Look at how I obey all the rules!”

    And the Christian who thinks that the gospel is a system of rules and laws to follow can only mumble something about fearing God, or praying, or something else which is essentially a rule, not a change (by Jesus) of heart.

    Mary Ann, I didn’t care for the speaker’s quips about wives and feminism in the media, either.