Good Morning,
Welcome to your online worship from St. Mark’s for Sunday June 18, 2023.
This is the final Sunday for our formal Sunday morning teaching programming for the season. “Waypoint: Kids” has helped our parishes children to renew their faith after the social distancing of the pandemic. I am so grateful to them for the hope that their presence brings to our community. I am grateful to their parents and our volunteers who support this important ministry.
Starting next week and until “Waypoint: Kids” gathers in the hall again formally in September, our Summer Waypoint: Kids program will be encouraging children to be with their parents in church and we will be providing them with activity packages that match with the readings and teachings that we will be following in church together that day. Read more about “Waypoint: Kids” on our website by following this link.
Today’s Opening Sentence
“The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” – Mark 1.15
Today’s Reading – Matthew 9:53 – 10:23
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.1
Your Online Message and Prayers
Click on the above image to view our online worship on YouTube.
Reflection questions for the week:
- Money’s importance has been ingrained into our lives. What is your earliest memory as a child where the financial cost of something made a difference and you became aware of its importance and power?
- When you think about the issues that concern our world, can you think of one that doesn’t involve money, or how quickly the limits to how we might solve those issues and concerns revolve around how much the solution costs?
- God and Jesus challenge us to look at the world through a different lens. The compassion Jesus feels in the beginning of our reading as he looks on the needs of the community is not limited by money. Can you imagine how differently you might look at the issues of the world from question two if you money didn’t matter?
- Are there ways that you might change your thinking and give a higher priority to acting from compassion, and putting less emphasis on dollar values and costs?
This week music is provided by Ryan Van Dijk, our Music Director, and the choir. Thank you to them all for their ministry of music!
A continued reminder that if you are at all uncomfortable being in-person for worship, or if you are not feeling well, please join us here online.
Thank you again for joining with your parish family in our online worship today.
Find out how you can support our ministry and good work in the community here.
God Bless you and have a blessed week. Be well!
Peace,
The Rev’d Canon Rob Park
- Scripture quotation is from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.