Sermon Tone Analysis

·                     I’ve Got Peace Like a River

·                     #21       O Worship the King

·                     #470     Onward, Christian Soldiers

·                     #460     Who Is on the Lord’s Side?

·                     #206     Faith of Our Fathers

·                     #67       Fairest Lord Jesus

·                     #457     Lead On, O King Eternal

·                     #14       Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

·                     # 455, 456         Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

*Prelude*

Ushers will collect Prayer cards during the first hymn.

*Welcome*

*Call to Worship*

/“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

/

*Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Ps.

95:1–2 KJV).** *

*~*Praise             # 96                  *Praise Him! Praise Him!

*~*Invocation (Lord’s Prayer)                 *Father of mercies, who has gathered us together in this fine church, grant that we may never swerve from the pure intentions you have placed in us.

May we today honor you in spirit and in truth, that your name may be glorified and that our fellowship will be with all the saints in heaven and earth.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever.

Amen

*~*Gloria Patri** (*Sung together)*                                                              *#575

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

Amen.

*~*Psalm for Today                     **Psalm 146 NRSV*

1   /  Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

2     I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

/

3    * Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.

4     When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.

*

5     /Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, 6     who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7     who executes justice for the oppressed; /

/who// gives food to the hungry/.

/The Lord sets the prisoners free; /

8     *the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

9     The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, *

*but** the way of the wicked he brings to ruin*.

10     */The Lord will reign forever, your God, O /**/Zion/**/, for all generations.

Praise the Lord! /*

* *

*Our Offering to God    *“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12–13 KJV).*           *

*~*Doxology                    #572*

Praise God from whom all blessings flow; 

Praise him all creatures here below:

Praise him above ye heavn’ ly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen.

*~*Prayer of Dedication  O* Lord, receive our offerings as expressions of our devotion.

Help us to love you even more, that we shall have in our hearts the interest of your Kingdom and your people everywhere.

*Scripture Reading                    **1 Timothy** 6:6-19* NRSV

6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

/The Good Fight of Faith/

11 But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

13 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

16 It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion.

Amen.

17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

*~*Hymn of Prayer           *

*Pastoral Prayer  These* are the prayers of the people, O God. Heal our hearts, we pray, with the balm of time, the gentle kindness of a neighbor or friend, the patience and understanding of another broken heart.

Even on a day as beautiful as this one, we read the papers and hear the news, and our spirits are darkened with fear and despair about the fate of our world.

Strengthen in us our hope for the future.

Help us help one another to nurture the seeds of peace and justice that are planted in our hearts, and grant us the courage to sustain our quest for truth.

Guide those who wield power in every corner of the globe that they might love mercy and walk humbly in the path of love.

O God of every season, we are so grateful for this new season: for the bittersweet month of September, for the abundance of the sustaining harvest, for the promise of refreshment in crisping air, for the coming together of renewed community.

As we join together this year, let us strive to be grateful gardeners—faithful planters of new hope—patient cultivators of the teachings of love.

Grant that someday soon we will dance with joy as we reap what we have sown and carry our gifts out from this circle into all our lives, and into the world.

So may it be.—Rosemary

Lloyd

*~*Hymn of Praise                                                                                                           *

*Scripture Text               **Luke 16:19-31* NRSV

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried.

23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’

29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’

”

 

*Message                                                                                        *

The story is not introduced as a parable, but we treat it as such.

It was not given as a detailed description of heaven or hell but as an illustration of two facts: (1) the situation may be reversed in the life to come; (2) the decisions made in this life are binding for the life to come.

How about some questions?

I. How did the rich man get into hell?

By being rich?

He was, in fact, rich.

He was well clothed and well fed.

Food was eaten with the hands, and the hands were wiped clean on chunks of bread, and the bread was tossed to the dogs—or to Lazarus.

Yet his wealth did not send him to hell.