Choose Kindness:
OUR WORDS MATTER
Today's reading is James 3: 1-12
8am Service
Gathering Hymn: Let All Things Now Living
A joyful hymn to begin our worship, set to the hymn tune ASH GROVE! Our scripture reading today will allow us to pause and reflect on our words and the impact they have on ourselves and those around us. Let our voices resound as we sing together the words of the second verse: "We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing."
Hymn of the Day: Lord Speak to Us That We May Speak
Thank you to Frances R. Havergal for penning this text for us back in 1872 (pictured on the left)! You may recall we learned about Fanny Crosby back in March. When I realized that the two women composers were contemporaries, I immediately popped their names into a Google search and learned that Frances (who lived in England) never met Fanny (who lived in America)...but Frances wrote a poem to Fanny, whose work she admired, as indicated by the verses of the poem. While both women were prolific hymn writers during their careers, Frances' career ended with her passing at the age of 42, while Fanny lived to be 94.
Sending Hymn: The Lord Now Sends Us Forth
Originating in Central America with a text contributed only to Anonymous, this bold hymn challenges us "to make all of the earth a better place to live." It also more than slightly suggests that the angels are not coming down to earth to do the hard work for us, and that the strength to do what must be done comes from the Lord our God.
10:30am Service
Prelude: Reckless Love
This is a new selection for our congregation, so the praise team will perform this as our prelude today, and we will repeat the performance on 10/11 and 10/18. We will perform it once more as a prelude on 11/1, and it will also be our song of the day on 11/1. Check out the lyric video!
Gathering Song: Here I Am to Worship
This selection was mentioned by several congregation members as a "favorite" in our contemporary worship survey. Let's take a breath, center ourselves, and truly arrive to worship with an open heart as we sing our gathering song as a community in Christ.
Song of the Day: As the Deer
While searching through the St. Paul's digital music library I found many different text settings of this song. The text used in verses 2 and 3 really resonated with me in their relation to today's scripture from James. The description of the ways we use our words against one another struck me as sadly accurate. And the comparison of damaging words to the spark that starts a forest fire was a compelling image. Unmitigated, the intense feelings that grow within us (whether due to loneliness, sadness, anger...) can result in our direction of hurtful words toward our siblings in Christ.
As the Deer recounts all the ways in which God's love quenches our thirst. When I remember that God's love dwells within me, there is a lightening that occurs..."lifting me when I feel unknown." It is through that sacred love that I am led forward on the path of love he intends for me.
Sending Song: Lift My Eyes
When my eyes are lifted toward heaven, my perspective is changed. The melody of the joyful refrain continues to move upward, which cleverly imitates the idea of lifting our eyes toward heaven. Try to stay present with each of the held words in the refrain, remembering at any time during our day, we can choose to lift our hands, voices, hearts, souls, eyes, love and lives.