WORSHIP RESOURCES
Ordinary Time (Proper 26)
Mark 12:28-34/12:33-40 IV
Love God, Love Neighbor
Additional Scriptures
Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146;
Hebrews 9:11-14; Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a
Preparation
For the Focus Moment provide a battery tea light for each participant or encourage them to use their imaginations.
Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship: Psalm 146:1-2, 8-10
Hymn of Centering
“Ubi Caritas et Amor” Sing several times.
CCS 152
OR “Help Us Accept Each Other"
CCS 333
Invocation
Sung Response
“Bring Forth the Kingdom” Sing the refrain only.
CCS 387
Prayer for Peace
Today’s Prayer for Peace is inspired by Marty Haugen’s hymn, “Bring Forth the Kingdom,” CCS 387. Stanza three reads, “Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice grow in the kingdom of God.”
Light the Peace Candle.
Prayer
Mother God,
We long to bring forth peaceful communities where all are equal, all are safe, all are loved, and all are welcomed. We long to bring painful, destructive wars to an end. As rain heals the parched fields, we long for your mercy to heal our parched souls. We long to be your healing hands on Earth, spreading your justice. Give us strength and courage.
Many seeds grow. Many seeds blossom. We plant bulbs that will take months to peek through the soil and grow hearty petals. We plant tiny seeds that grow enormous leaves. May we tend to your garden lovingly and faithfully through seasons of rest, seasons of growth, and seasons of harvest. In the name of Jesus, tiller of fields of mercy. Amen.
—Tiffany Brian
Focus Moment: All Saints’ Day
Provide a battery tea light for each participant or encourage them to use their imaginations.
This past week, November 1 was All Saints’ Day! Orthodox Christians typically celebrate the saints who have been formally canonized, which traditionally happens many years after the person dies. Do you know any of these saints? You might know them as names of churches or schools!
In some cultures, especially in Latin America, families celebrate this time of year with a holiday called Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. They remember especially people in their families who have died. In Community of Christ, we recognize the Worth of All Persons, which means all people are of equal and immeasurable worth. In William Walsham How’s hymn, “For All the Saints,” CCS 331, we sing “May we your saints, your servants true and bold, serve as the saints who nobly lived of old.”
Who are people you know personally who served or continue to serve with passion, striving to invite people to Christ, abolishing poverty and ending suffering, pursuing peace on Earth, developing disciples to serve, and experiencing congregations in mission? Who has been a saint to you? Who are people in your life who have shown you God’s love, walked with God, or worked for the kin-dom of God?
Share specific people in your congregation or community who have died in the last year.
All Saints’ Day can be sad because we miss these people. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes. We can also be thankful for all of the wonderful memories we have of these people, and thankful for the way they changed the world around them!
What can we remember and celebrate about the saints in our lives? For example: I want to remember their hugs, or how they were a good listener, or how they helped at the food shelf.
Let’s pray for these saints together in a special way! One way to remember people is by lighting a candle in their honor. Imagine you are holding the light of that person up to God. Now, imagine God’s light filling that person as you pray.
Hold a candle. Name the person or people for whom you are praying in a practice called Held in the Light of God. For example,
“Loving God, today we hold the light of [Grandma] up to you. [She] is special to me because [explain their influence]. I know God that you are with [Grandma] every day. Let [Grandma’s] light continue to fill our lives with memories of love and compassion. God, let us feel your light filling every part of our lives. Amen.
Offer one prayer over all the lit candles or ask for several participants to offer short prayers. This practice is modified from this spiritual practice, CofChrist.org/spiritual-practices-for-children.
Hymn of Remembrance
“For All the Saints"
CCS 331
OR “Give Thanks for Life"
CCS 563
Scripture Reading: Mark 12:28-34
Message
Based on Mark 12:28-34
Hymn of Reflection
“Bear Each Other’s Burdens"
CCS 374
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
OR “He Came Singing Love"
CCS 226
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Communion Scripture: Matthew 26:26-30
Communion Remarks
Invitation to Communion
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others might have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
Hymn of Preparation
“Coming Together for Wine and for Bread”
CCS 516
OR “Eat This Bread” Sing several times.
CCS 528
OR “Let Us Break Bread Together”
CCS 521
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Blessing and Serving of the Bread and Wine
For guidelines on the Lord’s Supper, including online participation, see
CofChrist.org/our-ministry-tools.
Disciples’ Generous Response
Statement
During this time of Disciples’ Generous Response, we focus on aligning our heart with God’s heart. Our offerings are more than meeting budgets or funding mission. We can tangibly express our gratitude to God through our offerings, who is the giver of all.
Oblation
The first Sunday of the month focuses the Disciples’ Generous Response on Abolish Poverty, End Suffering, which includes oblation ministry.
Today continues our reflection on the Generosity Cycle with the Discover phase. We are also inspired today by the saints who have gone before us, and we consider how God blessed the world through them. Remember their offerings and sacrifices. We are so grateful for those who gave of their time, talents, and treasures to advance the kin-dom of God. How are you feeling called today to do the same? How will we bring forth the kin-dom, as Marty Haugen urges us in his hymn, in our offerings?
As we share our mission tithes either by placing money in the plates or through eTithing, use this time to thank God for the many gifts received in life. Our hearts grow aligned with God’s when we gratefully receive and faithfully respond by living Christ’s mission.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Sending Forth Hymn
“Jesu, Jesu, Fill us with Your Love"
CCS 367
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “May the God of Hope/Dios de la esperanza"
CCS 652
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
OR “Called by Christ to Love Each Other"
CCS 577
Sending Forth: Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a
Postlude
SERMON AND CLASS HELPS
Year B—Letters
Ordinary Time (Proper 26)
Mark 12:28-34
Exploring the Scripture
The Gospel writer of Mark shared the good news of God’s coming reign through story: a fast-paced account of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. God’s new revelation in and through Jesus is communicated through events and characters. The Book of Mark is best understood as a whole, providing a balanced hearing of Mark’s emphasis on Jesus’ healing power and suffering servanthood.
Although today’s text appears as part of a lively series of exchanges in the temple, it is complete
alone and can be shared effectively without extensive background information. It is important to remember the emphasis on and culture of community (family, tribe, religion) in first-century Judaism and Christianity, as well as the role and significance of the Jewish temple. To love your neighbor as yourself carries a communal connotation connected with kinship, love, and belonging. In the first century setting it more accurately means love outsiders as you do your family or tribe.
The focus of this text is on Jesus’ conflict with the political, social, and religious authorities of the day. Writing shortly after the temple was destroyed, the Gospel writer was dealing with questions of identity: What does it mean to be a good Jew? What is at the core of our identity as a chosen people of God?
After a series of questions from Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees, intended to test and trap Jesus (Mark 12:13–27), a sympathetic friendly scribe emerges in the plot. The scribe seems sincere in his question; it speaks to the heart of both Judaism and Christianity. He asked, “Which commandment is the first of all?” (v. 28).
The scribe agreed with Jesus’ reply (vv. 29– 31) and we begin to see the scribe as a follower of Jesus. However, Jesus’ response takes us deeper, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (v. 34). His words revealed something missing in the scribe’s commitment. Reaching consensus on key theological points and “correct” answers is not enough. It is how we live, act, and relate to others that matters most. Love of God and love of neighbor are acts, not rules. It is a way of being, not a way of thinking.
The exchange in this scene is important for several reasons. It authoritatively places Jesus in the prophetic tradition of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos. It claims the heart of Judaism and pulls it forward into the heart of Christianity—love one God (monotheism) and love your neighbor. It significantly argues the act of love is far more significant than any rule of ritual (“burnt offerings and sacrifices” [v. 33]). It clearly communicates that following Jesus is about our whole lives: how we live, what we do, and the depth of our love. Are we willing to love to the point of suffering, even death? This question is accented by the impending suffering of Jesus on the cross which begins in chapter 14.
Central Ideas
- The center of our identity as followers of Christ is love for God and neighbor.
- Choosing to follow Jesus is a choice we make with our whole lives; to truly follow Jesus is to truly live in the way of Jesus and may be costly.
Questions for the Speaker
- In what ways do we allow ritual to take the place of love, or worship become about a church building instead of our whole lives?
- How does love for God and neighbor—the center of our identity—affect congregation- al life?
- How are we like the scribe? What is missing in our commitment to following Jesus?
- How has following Jesus with your whole life been “costly”?
SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY
Year B Letters
Ordinary Time, Proper 26
Hebrews 9:11–14 NRSVUE
Gathering
Welcome
Ordinary Time is the period in the Christian calendar from Pentecost to Advent. This period is without major festivals or holy days. During Ordinary Time we focus on discipleship as individuals and a faith community.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
Today’s Prayer for Peace is inspired by the hymn, “Bring Forth the Kingdom,” Community of Christ Sings 387, by Marty Haugen.
Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice, grow in the kingdom of God!
Mother God, we long to bring forth peaceful communities where all are equal, safe, loved, and welcomed. We long to end painful, destructive wars. As rain heals the parched fields, we long for your mercy to heal our parched souls. We long to be your healing hands on Earth, spreading your justice. Give us strength and courage.
Many seeds grow. Many seeds blossom. We plant bulbs that will take months to peek through the soil and grow hearty petals. We plant tiny seeds that grow enormous leaves. May we tend to your garden lovingly and faithfully through seasons of rest, growth, and harvest.
In the name of Jesus, Tiller of fields of mercy. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Loving Kindness Blessing
Today’s spiritual practice is focusing on Worth of All Persons. Under the definition of this Enduring Principle, it states:
We seek to uphold and restore the worth of all people individually and in community, challenging unjust systems that diminish human worth.
By practicing a Loving Kindness blessing, we remind ourselves of the Worth of All Persons.
For our Loving Kindness blessing I’ll say a phrase, and you may repeat the words after me in your mind.
Read the following to the group:
Give the words of the meditation time to resonate in your heart and mind:
May I be blessed with loving kindness. May I be blessed with health. May I be blessed with true happiness. May I be blessed with peace.
Pause.
Think of someone who is beloved to you. Visualize the person. As you pray, you may insert the person’s name into the prayer in your mind:
May my beloved be blessed with loving kindness. May my beloved be blessed with health. May my beloved be blessed with true happiness. May my beloved be blessed with peace.
Pause.
Now think of a close friend. Visualize the person as you pray:
May my friend be blessed with loving kindness. May my friend be blessed with health. May my friend be blessed with true happiness. May my friend be blessed with peace.
Pause.
Think of someone with whom you are in conflict or who has harmed you. Visualize this person. Breathe deeply and lovingly pray this blessing:
May the one who harmed me be blessed with loving kindness. May the one who harmed me be blessed with health. May the one who harmed me be blessed with true happiness. May the one who harmed me be blessed with peace.
Pause.
Think of Mother Earth and all creation. Visualize all creation. Breathe out love in your blessing to all of creation:
May Mother Earth be blessed with loving kindness. May Mother Earth be blessed with health. May Mother Earth be blessed with true happiness. May Mother Earth be blessed with peace.
Pause.
Invite people to share the thoughts, emotions, and images they experienced in this time of blessing.
Sharing Around the Table
Hebrews 9:11–14 NRSVUE
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the holy place, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
The space was rather small for as holy as it was. Only about four by six feet. It was an elevated space, just big enough for a few people to gather. The space had been maintained and cleaned carefully and lovingly over the years. While it showed use, it was undeniably a sacred space.
For us, an oak table in a dining room, a grouping of logs around a campfire pit, plush chairs and couches in a living room, a table in a coffee shop, or a log beside a stream can become holy places. Some become regular meeting spaces; others are holy because the divine touch is felt there.
The author of Hebrews speaks of a holy place, a spiritual tent that Christ enters as the eternal High Priest. Christian tradition teaches that Jesus was without sin, that he lived purely for others and as a witness of God’s goodness and grace. Jesus gave fully of himself in his life and in his death. Through Christ, all the world experiences the presence of God.
Jesus has led us to understand that all creation is holy. It was holy before we arrived. It is up to us to sense the holy, commune with the Divine, and be in healthy relationships with others.
A table is a holy space because of the attention we give to each other as we share in meals and conversation. The log by the stream is holy because of the deep trust and love between a parent and child in a place of unending beauty and complexity. When we gather in sacred community, we are primed to encounter the Divine because “God was surely in this place,” and we are able to sense it because of the depth and breadth of God’s boundless love.
Questions
- Where are your holy places?
- Share a time when you unexpectedly encountered God?
- How do you experience the presence of God when in community with others?
Sending
Statement of Generosity
Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed.
—Doctrine and Covenants 165:6a
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response.
The offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:
Discipling God, as we navigate our world of debt and consumerism, help us save wisely, spend responsibly, and give generously. In this way may we prepare for the future and create a better tomorrow for our families, friends, the mission of Christ, and the world. Amen.
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
Community of Christ Sings 150, “Dios está aquí” “God Is Here Today”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
- Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
- Thoughts for Children
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
—1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NRSV
Communion Statement
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
We share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings (select one):
515 “In these Moments We Remember”
516 “Coming Together for Wine and for Bread”
521 “Let Us Break Bread Together”
525 “Small Is the Table”
528 “Eat This Bread”
Thoughts for Children
You will need:
- traits list
- paper
- coloring supplies
Say: Today’s scripture talks about how Jesus came to help us be the best versions of ourselves. Being our best selves takes intention and work, too. Today, I want you to think of a trait you want to work to be better at. (Have a list of traits available for kids who get stuck.)
Maybe you want to be braver or more patient with yourself and others. Whatever trait you choose, I want you to draw a picture of what that trait looks like. Use whatever colors and shapes you think best represent that trait. When you are finished, hang your picture in a place you see often, so you can be reminded to work that trait into your living.
Send participants back to their seats with paper and coloring supplies. Take time after the gathering to ask participants what they drew and to celebrate the trait they are working to incorporate.