Welcome to ICYMI Worship!  ICYMI stands for In Case You Missed It, and our ICYMI series will give you a brief snapshot of worship each week so that you can worship in your home, on the road, or wherever life takes you.

At Cross of Christ, our basic worship order is based on worship patterns from Hebrew traditions and biblical accounts of the earliest Christians:

We GATHER with songs and prayer,
We HEAR God’s word,
We SHARE a meal of bread and wine,
We are SENT into the world to love and serve. Let us know how this format works for you.


Our Gathering hymn is O Holy Spirit, root of life (ELW 399). This version features the tune, PUER NOBIS NASCITUR, played with bowed dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, and bass guitar.

This week’s readings are:

Isaiah 44:6-8

6Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
7Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
8Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.

Psalm 86:11-17

11Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk | in your truth;
give me an undivided heart to re- | vere your name.
12I will thank you, O Lord my God, with | all my heart,
and glorify your name for- | evermore. R
13For great is your | love toward me;
you have delivered me from the | pit of death.
14The arrogant rise up against me, O God, and a band of violent people | seeks my life;
they have not set you be- | fore their eyes.
15But you, O Lord, are gracious and full | of compassion,
slow to anger, and full of kind- | ness and truth.
16Turn to me and have mer- | cy on me;
give your strength to your servant, and save the child | of your handmaid.
17Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be | put to shame;
because you, Lord, have helped me and com- | forted me. R

Romans 8:12-25

12So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—13for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

This week’s Gospel text is from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

24[Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Pastor Dave’s Sermon Snapshot:  Our theme this Sunday, drawn primarily from our reading from Romans and the Gospel of Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ Parable of the Weeds, has us considering how faith counters fear, and how we can have real hope in the midst of real suffering. How do we understand God’s good and perfect will in the midst of living in this imperfect and fallen world? Does everything happen because it is part of God’s plan? Is God the cause and creator of suffering? Tough questions that deserve deep and honest consideration, not glossing over with platitudes and cliches.

Our Hymn of the Day is When Peace like a River (ELW 785). This uptempo version reminds us of the joy in God’s grace.

Today’s Musical Offering is Be Still My Soul. Our Music Director Ben chose this version to share with you today.

Prayers of the People – 7/23/17

Called together in the Spirit’s embrace, let us pray for the mending of God’s world, the mission of God’s people, and the needs of everyone everywhere.

Heavenly Father, enliven your church with love for your world. Give undivided hearts to Christians from Africa and the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. Make us one in faithful witness to your amazing grace. Bless especially our brothers and sisters persecuted for their faith in places like North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Renew the life of the earth, O God, even as it groans because of misuse, abuse, and greed. Cultivate in us an eager longing to work for a healthy and life-giving world. Make us aware of how our personal stewardship of resources impacts the environment and others with whom we share this beautiful but fragile planet you created. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Bridge the chasms that divide the nations, O God. Inspire a reconciling vision among the world’s leaders, and bring together people of differing communities and cultures for the sake of the world’s most vulnerable, including refugees and exiles, the abjectly poor, and the chronically hungry. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Embrace those who suffer, O God. Give peace to all who are near death, hope to those who are depressed, shelter to the homeless, and healing to the sick including Anna Bero, Cheryl Buettemeier, Phyllis Hahn, Claire Huehnerhoff, Mary Mehlum, Vernette Rae, and Marilyn Van Brero. Be near to them, and comfort them in their suffering and uncertainty. Lord in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.

Inspire us by the lives of all the saints who have followed your Son on the pathway of faith, O God. Remember those who mourn, especially the families of Doug Dennison and Dot Matthews. Bring them peace in their sorrow, and hope beyond their sense of loss. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

All these things, and whatever else you see that we need, we entrust to your care through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

Our Communion hymn is Great is thy faithfulness (ELW 733)

On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

All are welcome to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist.

And because there’s always something going on, the Announcements!

SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE – Our Summer Schedule runs from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend (15 Sundays) with one combined service at 10 am. The service style varies. Sometimes we worship more like our Traditional service offered at 9 am the rest of the year – as is the case with today’s worship. Other times summer Sundays are more like our Mosaic style, our casual 11 am service. Often there are elements of both, or a blend of the two. And from time to time during the summer we try some “holy experiments” and worship in completely unique and creative ways. That’s part of the fun of summer – being together and worshipping Jesus Christ in all kinds of styles. There are often fellowship and/or learning opportunities following the service as well.

SUMMER ADULT FAITH FORMATION – continues today as we conclude our study of 1 Peter, part of our summer series “The Life and Letters of the Apostle Peter”. Summer Adult Faith Formation meets in the Library from 11:15 am to noon, following our single summer worship service at 10 am, concluding August 27. Please note – we will not meet next Sunday due to our Summer Congregational Picnic.

SUMMER CHURCH PICNIC NEXT SUNDAY – Please join immediately following the 10 am service for a time of fellowship, fried chicken, and fun. It’s our Summer Church Picnic, and you’re invited! To learn more contact Fellowship Team Coordinator Linda Capron. See you there!

PLEASE WEAR YOUR NAME TAGS – This summer as we worship together, you’ll do a kindness to other members with whom you might not usually worship by wearing your name tag. It also allows the Communion Assistants to commune you by name. If you need a name tag, please contact Office Administrator Judy Giseburt in the office at 425-746-7300 or office@cofclc.net.

MOSAIC BAND REHEARSAL WEDNESDAYS – 5:30 pm for vocalists, 6:30 pm for instrumentalists, in the Sanctuary. Summer is a great time to lend your talents to Mosaic. Come jam with us this week – no strings attached (pun intended)! We have a great time preparing for worship, learning new music, and hanging out together. All singers and musicians welcome. See Director of Music Ministries Ben Fowler to learn more, or email him at ben@cofclc.net.

BLAKE ISLAND TILLICUM EXCURSION – The Larks are planning an outing from Seattle’s Pier 54 to Blake Island on August 22. After an appetizer, the tour departs for a 45 minute boat ride to Blake Island and includes a Northwest Native American storytelling show and “Northwest Flavors” inspired buffet. You are free to explore the island until the return trip home. Check-in time at Pier 54 is 11 am, departure is 11:30 am, and the return to Seattle is 3:30 pm. The cost is $80.44 per person including the boat ride, meal, and entertainment. Please make your reservation payment to Heidi Fine. For more information please call or email Heidi – 425-885-6750 or finealso@comcast.net. A sign-up sheet will be at the Information Desk. We hope you can enjoy us for this great summer experience.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – Will you be traveling this summer or otherwise unable to attend worship? Take a peek at a new feature on our blog: ICYMI Worship! ICYMI stands for In Case You Missed It, and it’s a brief roundup of our worship service each week that includes the readings, hymns, Pastor Dave’s Sermon Snapshot, the prayers, and announcements. You can find it linked on our Facebook page or at http://www.crossofchristbellevue.org/category/icymi-worship/.

WELCA – Please join us on Thursday, August 3, at 10 am in the Library for the Pastor’s Bible Study. All women are welcome to attend whether already in a Circle or just interested in Bible study. The WELCA Board meeting will be held Monday, August 28, at 1 pm in Room 204.

Our sending hymn is Spread, oh, spread, almighty Word (ELW 663)


By God’s grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to

Worship God
Grow in Faith
Share the Gospel
Serve others, and
Welcome all.
Thanks be to God!

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