August 5, 2007

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Preparation for Worship

Take care!

Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;

for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.

Luke 12:15

Today is the eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the longest portion of the church year. There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time as the term comes from the word “ordinal” which means to tell the rank (First, Second, Third, etc.) During the summer season, we have switched the sanctuary around with the pulpit in the middle of the chancel area and the Lord’s Table in front of the pulpit. This change allows us to realize the centrality of the Word read and proclaimed in our worship. The Baptismal font, Lord’s Table, Pulpit, and Cross in the sanctuary all align in the middle of our sanctuary.

     The central text for worship today is the response of Jesus to a request by a person in the crowd to command his brother to divide the family inheritance. Jesus warns the crowd through the parable of the rich fool and unsettling commands to be on our guard against all kinds of greed. The Call to Worship is taken from the Psalm of the day where we are reminded of God’s abundant love and grace.  Our opening hymn lifts up a prayer for a world where we respect each others ways and goods are shared so that misery may be relieved. The communion hymn reflects this sharing as we are called to “Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ” in the spirit of the collective communion of Gods grace.  Following communion, in our final hymn, we ask God to take our minds, hearts, and wills as “We yield ourselves to Thee -- time and talents, all.”

     Communion at Westminster is celebrated at least once a month and is an invitation for all to share in the community of grace. The form of the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving is as old as the church as there are copies of this prayer from the early church. We believe the Lord’s Table does not belong to one denomination or faith and thus invite all children of God to participate in this sacrament. It is our practice at Westminster to hold the bread until all can partake together highlighting our unity and to drink the wine as it comes to us individually to illustrate the personal nature of God’s love.