Consider the Word, September 20, 2021 - Cancelled 
19^th Sunday after Pentecost – Season of Creation
 
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/92395423097
Meeting ID: 923 9542 3097
 
Readings for October 3:

• Job 1:1, 2:1-10
• Psalm 26
• Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12
• Mark 10:2-16 (However we’re using Matthew 6:25-33 to fit the theme of the Blessing of the Animals)
  

 
Collect

Almighty God,

you have built your Church

on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

Join us together in unity of spirit by their teaching,

that we may become a holy temple, acceptable to you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 
Readings: Matthew 6:25-33

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 
Reflection Questions

1. What is the connection between trusting in God or in worldly possessions, and being anxious?

 
Closing Prayer

Gracious and heavenly God, to you be all praise, and glory, and honour! We praise you and give thanks for blessing us with all sorts of creatures; for all the animals, birds and fish, which fill your world. We thank you for the wild and the tame, for the domestic and free and may they all enjoy healthy and appropriate habitats and be allowed to flourish. Let us protect wild places. May all you creatures, all that you’ve created, be treated with respect and honour. O God, your world is wonderful, and particularly this day we thank you for our pets and the companionship they bring us. This we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.

 
The Message:

^25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

^27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson