Who is salvation for and how do we enter into relationship with Jesus?  The church is meant to embody Christ and to be a place where He is encountered, so how do we keep our communities aligned with Christ's perspective and mission?

 

Reading: Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

 

Prayers

God’s word tells us that those who love God and love their neighbors have fulfilled the law.  Out of love and compassion for a broken world, let us pray to the Lord

For your Church, the Body of Christ, that your will might be fulfilled by our hands.

For nations crippled by international debt, for nations who must beg and scramble for the necessities of life, for nations whose people live in poverty,

For all Christians who have more than they need, that taking the Lord’s word to heart, they may be content with what is necessary and generously share from their abundance

For the children of our own country caught in the cycle of poverty, ignorance, disease, and despair,

For those in our own cities, towns, and neighborhoods who are out of work and out of luck, for broken families, for those crippled by debt, for those at their wit’s end,

For those who suffer, and for those who care for them,

For those who have died and who rest in your care alone

Lord, you invited the beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind, to eat and drink at your table and to feast in your kingdom; and lo, here we are.  Grant us the grace to extend to others the same generosity you have shown to us; for you are our Lord, forever and ever. 

Amen.

 

Music

Amazing Grace

Jimmy Cousins

 

Alleluias for Holy Week

Boston Byzantine Choir, directed by Charles R. Marge

 

The king of love my shepherd is

IKOS/Band includes: Dave Clifton (Vocals/Guitars), David Fitzgerald (Woodwinds & Reeds), Tim Oliver (Keyboards), Nick Beggs (Chapman Stick & Bass) & Terl Bryant (Drums/Percussion).