10th Ordinary, June 10

10^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

• 1 Samuel 8:4-11, (12-15), 16-20, (11:14-15)  •  Psalm 138  •  2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1  •  Mark 3.20-35

CALL TO WORSHIP   

I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart.

I give thanks for your steadfast love and your faithfulness.

The Lord will fulfill the divine purpose for us.

Your love, O Lord, endures forever.

(From Psalm 138)

OPENING PRAYER  

O God, we can count on you, for you always keep your promises. You never renege or break your vows. Our human leaders let us down; they are fallible. But your infallible love reaches out to us in our fragility and supports us in times of need. Great is your glory. We praise you. Amen.

(ideas from Ps. 138)

CALL TO CONFESSION

Jesus cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. The HOLY Spirit cleans up the unholy. As we confess our sins, let us allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us of all wrongdoing.

(drawing from Mark 3)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION   

Holy Parent, we want to be like everyone else. We do not want to stand out or be looked upon as odd. Our desire is to fit in. Yet we know that you call us at times to be peculiar. We confess our uneasiness with our peculiar calling. Forgive us for seeking conformity. Help us to be bold—and to rub people the wrong way if necessary. Strengthen us to be counter-cultural. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(ideas from 1 Sam. 8)

SILENT CONFESSION

ASSURANCE OF GRACE   

All of us are sinners. But we are forgivable sinners. We give thanks for the grace of God.

          (allusion to the ‘unforgivable sin’)

Friends, believe the good news of the Gospel.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!  Amen.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

If our minds were like houses, we might ask the Holy Spirit to come in and clean house to make room to welcome the Word of God. So we pray, ‘Come, Holy Spirit, make space in our minds for your Word in the reading of Scripture. Amen.’

(alluding to Mark 3)

SERMON IDEAS

There may be an unforgivable sin. But there are no unforgivable people.

**

Jesus broadens the concept of ‘family’ by ignoring his biological family and embracing all who do the will of God.