:: Download the 7.26.2015 Worship Study Guide and Sermon Notes
:: Download the 7.26.2015 Bulletin
:: Download the 7.26.2015 Sermon Audio
image :: The Thieves and The Donkey, Honore Daumier (1860, French)
Preparation for Worship :: The Eighth Commandment: Do Not Steal
“Giving… is the action that was designed into us before our birth. Some of us try desperately to hold on to ourselves, to live for ourselves. We look so bedraggled and pathetic doing it, hanging on to the dead branch of a bank account for dear life, afraid to risk ourselves on the untried wings of giving. We don’t think we can live generously because we have never tried. But the sooner we start, the better, for we are going to have to give up our lives finally, and the longer we wait, the less time we have for the soaring and swooping life of grace.” (Eugene Peterson)
“Consumerism is fed by a desire to forget our mortality.” (Kathleen Norris)
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs for Sunday July 26 include ::
:: Doxology (Thomas Ken, 1709) CHART [bandcamp track=2257784892 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: Come, Ye Sinners (Joseph Hart, 1759) CHART [bandcamp track=1143385813 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: My Lord I Did Not Choose You (Joseph Conder, 1836) CHART [bandcamp track=3415696172 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: All I Owe (Robert Murray McCheyne, 1837; Ref. Matthew Smith) CHART [bandcamp track=3509868294 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]:: All Must Be Well (Mary Bowley-Peters, 1847) CHART [bandcamp track=2424243148 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=short]
Call to Worship :: Psalm 146:1-2, 8-10
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
Gospel Reading :: John 10:10-11
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Declaration of Faith :: The Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 110-111
What does God forbid in the eighth commandment? God forbids not only outright theft and robbery, punishable by law. But in God’s sight theft also includes all scheming and swindling in order to get our neighbor’s goods for ourselves, whether by force or means that appear legitimate, such as inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God. In addition God forbids all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts.
What does God require of you in this commandment? That I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may share with those in need.
Prayer of Confession :: The Book of Common Prayer
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us.
Words of Encouragement :: II Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.
Sermon :: Exodus 20:1-2,15
And God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery…”
15 “You shall not steal.”