Opening sentence
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Call to praise
O God, your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with us.
Glory …
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm 96
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Thanksgiving
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High.
We declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night.
Amen.
Call to discipleship
Jesus said, I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Lord Jesus, you have the words of eternal life.
Matthew 9:35 – 10:8
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
We want to encourage you to take the next few moments to have a conversation and to pray with someone. Take time to reflect and then share with someone in your household or call up a friend.
Questions:
Share a positive experience of when you were involved in evangelism/outreach.
What outreach are we involved in as a church that really captures your heart?
Share an experience of when you felt led by the Spirit in your evangelism/outreach.
How do you personally want to grow in your outreach/evangelism?
Our Father who art in heaven
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory forever. Amen.
Benediction
Peace be to the whole community,
and love with faith,
from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.