Weekly Worship info for 9/1/24

Sunday, September 1, 2024 – 15^th Sunday after Pentecost

Next Sunday is God’s Work Our Hands Sunday. We will be collecting nonperishables to help restock the food shelf. Please put them in the grocery cart in the narthex.

The bulletin may be accessed by clicking “Read More” below and looking under "downloads" at the bottom of the page.

The Heart of the Matter

When clay becomes a pot, it must first have a center. As a potter spins, pushes, and pulls the clay into its final form, it can easily lose its center and become misshapen. Having lost its center, it fails to fully be what it is being created to be—a pot, a pitcher, a plate, a thing of beauty, a vessel for others.

Faith and religious practice have lost their center in today’s readings. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus calls into question “This people” that “honors me with their lips” but whose “hearts are far from me” (Mark 7:6). Some in the religious community have begun focusing on surface matters (the washing of hands, what one eats, the traditions of the elders) and have forgotten the core. What really matters is how one’s faith is expressed in mercy, in words and actions that build up rather than tear down the neighbor.

In the second reading James wonders about those who look at themselves in a mirror and upon walking away forget who they are (James 1:23-24). For James, they are simply hearers of the word and not doers. Their lives do not reflect the love and mercy that has claimed them.

And so it is with us. We do not live as the people God has claimed us to be. Our lives lose their center. Our faith practices focus on surface things rather than the core. We fail to be what God has created and is creating us to be—vessels poured out for others. We look at ourselves in the mirror and upon walking away forget who and whose we are.

At the heart of the Christian assembly is Jesus—in word, in song, in prayer, in the neighbor, in water, bread, and wine. Jesus, who embodies forgiveness and mercy, is the heart. Again and again, life becomes misshapen. Again and again, the potter reshapes the clay. The splash of a watery cross, the taste of bread and wine: these things center life in Christ. God’s mercy washes over us. God’s mercy is implanted in us. God creates life anew; deformed hearts are reformed for works of mercy and love.

How to watch via livestream or on demand:

Join us Sunday mornings at 10am as we broadcast live directly on our website: clcathens.org/live. (Note: If you don’t hear audio, make sure that it is not muted.) 
Sign into the chat and participate with others who are watching. 

If you miss the livestream or want to watch something again, you can find the video on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/clcathens and our Facebook page: facebook.com/clcathens.

Thank you for your partnership and your generosity.  Please know that your financial support for the ministry of Christ Lutheran is greatly appreciated. Consider giving in one of the following ways:

• Mail your Sunday offerings to: Christ Lutheran Church, Attn Wanda Weinberg, 69 Mill St., Athens, OH 45701
• Donate on our website, click on "Give" on the top right and follow the prompts.