Sunday Service from Hillside Circuit for September 8th 2024:
Lectionary Theme: Faith complemented with works
Occasion: 16th Sunday after Pentecost
Lectionary readings:
Psalm 125
Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23
James 2: 1-10, (11-13), 14-17
Mark 7: 24-37
[Click or tap on a Bible reference above to jump down the page to the Bible reading to read it for yourself (and/or to listen to it) and then click or tap on Back to top to come back here.]
Songs:
Here are the songs for Sunday morning service. Click or tap on a song to open it in YouTube.
In Christ alone.
Because He lives.
Help us O Lord to learn.
The church of Christ in every age.
Author of life divine.
Day by day.
You can listen and join in with prayers from the English Methodist Service Book. They can be found at the Prayers for worship webpage.
Children’s Address:
Sermon:
Bible readings:
Psalm 125
1 Everyone who trusts the LORD is like Mount Zion
that cannot be shaken and will stand forever.
2 Just as Jerusalem is protected
by mountains on every side,
the LORD protects his people
by holding them in his arms now and forever.
3 He won’t let the wicked rule his people
or lead them to do wrong.
4 Let’s ask the LORD to be kind to everyone
who is good and completely obeys him.
5 When the LORD punishes the wicked,
he will punish everyone else who lives a crooked life.
Pray for peace in Israel!
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Proverbs 22
1 A good reputation and respect
are worth much more than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor are all created by the LORD.
8 Troublemakers get in trouble,
and their terrible anger will get them nowhere.
9 The LORD blesses everyone
who freely gives food to the poor.
22 Don’t take advantage of the poor
or cheat them in court.
23 The LORD is their defender,
and what you do to them, he will do to you.
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James 2
1 My friends, if you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, you won’t treat some people better than others. 2 Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. 3 You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. 4 That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
5 My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. He has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. 6 You mistreat the poor. But isn’t it the rich who boss you around and drag you off to court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who make fun of your Lord?
8 You will do all right, if you obey the most important law in the Scriptures. It is the law that commands us to love others as much as we love ourselves. 9 But if you treat some people better than others, you have done wrong, and the Scriptures teach that you have sinned.
10 If you obey every law except one, you are still guilty of breaking them all. 11 The same God who told us to be faithful in marriage also told us not to murder. So even if you are faithful in marriage, but murder someone, you still have broken God’s Law.
12 Speak and act like people who will be judged by the law that sets us free. 13 Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others. But even in judgment, God is merciful!
14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? 15 If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, 16 you shouldn’t just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? 17 Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
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Mark 7
24 Jesus left and went to the region near the city of Tyre, where he stayed in someone’s home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway. 25 A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And right away she came and knelt down at his feet. 26 The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27 But Jesus said, “The children must first be fed! It isn’t right to take away their food and feed it to dogs.”
28 The woman replied, “Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that children drop from the table.”
29 Jesus answered, “That’s true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.
31 Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis. 32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.
33 After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man’s ears. Then he spit and put it on the man’s tongue. 34 Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!” 35 At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.
36 Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37 They were completely amazed and said, “Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk.”
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[Did you miss last week’s Sunday Services? They can now be found at Worship Archive – September 1st 2024.]
Methodist Church: Hillside Circuit 
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