Friday, February 24, 2012

Laws for Life


Laws for Life is our worship theme for the third Sunday of Lent, March 11, 2012.  Our focus scriptures are Exodus 20:1-17 (the Ten Commandments) and Psalm 19.

Psalm 19 proclaims that there is such a thing as spiritual gravity.  “The heavens declare the glory of God,” the Psalmist writes. The beauty and order of the sun rising and setting; the night sky of stars and moon circling overhead; all express the hand of God at work. “There is no speech… yet their voice is heard through all the earth.” The simple sight of these natural wonders pulls on our souls and portrays the integrity woven into creation which undergirds the integrity of God’s written law.

The aim of the Ten Commandments and Psalm 19 is not to bind us in a strict code of law so that God can convict us of our sins and punish us appropriately. Rather, as Jesus knew, the law of the Sabbath was made for human beings and not the other way around. The law is meant to call out the integrity of our God-created souls, and is meant to guide us in the paths of life.

Here is a Call to Worship based on Psalm 19. As always, please feel free to use or adapt anything in this post that is helpful to you.


**Call to Worship   From Psalm 19

L: Sisters and brothers, let us praise and thank our Creator!
P: Our God has made the heavens and the earth!
     God has filled them with wonders!
L: The very sky cries out the glory of God!
     Each sunrise proclaims God’s presence,
     each nightfall whispers mysteries!
P: No human words are spoken, but God’s voice carries everywhere!
L: As the sun rises and sets, so God’s wisdom governs our human lives.
P: God’s commandments are clear, they make the simple wise.
L: God’s teachings bear fruit, they make us rejoice.
P: Respect for God and God’s ways is the key to life.
L: So we pray for God to clear away our hidden faults
    and keep us on the right path.
All: Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts
       be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer!
       Let us worship God!

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