for the 17th Week After Pentecost
September 27, 2020
This page has links to information used or encountered in preparing this online service. Guidance from UMC Discipleship Ministries
This is the 4th week of a 4 week Worship Series from the Discipleship Ministries. The Series' theme is "Through the Wilderness". The graphics at the top of this page list the topics for the weeks of the Series.
Worship Series: Through the Wilderness
from umcdiscipleship.org
A tweet is floating around that simply says, “I miss precedented times.” How often do you hear that these are unprecedented times? Of course, like all broad statements of that kind, this is both true and untrue. It is true that most of us haven’t lived with a pandemic. The natural disasters and the political and racial unrest all roll together to create a miasma of despair unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. Except we have. Maybe not exactly this, but we know the experience. We’ve been here before. We call it wilderness. It is a regular occurrence in the lives of followers of Jesus. One might say it is standard operating procedure. But familiarity doesn’t mean ease. Wandering through the wilderness is a difficult journey at the best of times. Other times, it can seem impossible. Our task in this series is to help us find our way through the wilderness of this time by allowing the first of God-wanderers in the book of Exodus to speak to us. The stories of the people of God, along with the hymns of the faith in the Psalms, become our guides through the wilderness today.
This Week's Theme: "Strike the Rock"
What if the theme for the week, “Strike the Rock,” becomes a call for deeper living? “Strike the rock” means lean on God, trust in Jesus. Strike the rock means find the joy even in difficult moments, even in the wilderness. Striking the rock is trusting that there is a way forward even when it seems like there is no way. Striking the rock is a declaration of faith, even when it seems like giving up makes more sense.
Worship Planning NotesPreaching Notes
Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4,12-16 ; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
Suggested Hymns . DM Accompaniments Sources of Music for the following hymns are:
- UMH CD.....UDM - DM Accompaniment..... MM/DD/YY - Recorded Service