PRAYER
Lord our God,
you have revealed yourself as One
who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people;
In a world that looks away from injustice,
You cast your eyes on the needy, the poor, and the wronged;
You have called us to follow you,
to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release for the captives
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed
and to proclaim the time of your blessing.
Be present with your church, Lord,
as we respond to your call.
Open our eyes to the downtrodden.
Fill us with compassion for the plight of the alien,
the refugee, and the immigrant.
Lead us into ministries that help orphans and widows.
Give us the courage to block the paths of the ungodly
who exploit the poor.
Set us free from pious exercises
that prevent us from the true worship you choose:
Sharing bread with the hungry,
Sharing homes with the homeless,
Sharing clothes with the naked,
Sharing hearts with our kin.
So may your justice roll down like water,
your righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Lead our footsteps to stand with the poor,
that we might stand with you.
Have mercy, O God:
Scatter the proud,
Put down the might,
Lift the lowly,
Fill up the hungry,
And send the rich away empty-handed.
We pray these things in your Holy Name.
Amen.
SERMON
POINT: Our life’s pursuit should be less about
“If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.” —Thomas Merton, My Argument with the Gestapo: Autobiographical Novel
Luke 1:46-55 NRSV
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on, all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child, Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
POINT: How do we
“Everything can be taken from a man, but one thing: To choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.” —Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Challenge: figure out what you hope for and like