Country Chapel Service...Sunday February 5, 2017 (Today with Christian Hymns)

 Welcome to the

"Country Chapel"

Service

Sunday

February 5, 2017

Fifth Sunday in

Ordinary Time
"Self Serving"

Today's Verse:

                   ( Galatians 5:22 )

      But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self control.

 Entrance Hymn:

Recite:   "The Apostles Creed"

     I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell, and on the third day he arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

      I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen. 

"Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and just"

 The 1st Reading:

              ( Isaiah 58:7-10 )

      True Fasting 

      Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

      "Then my favor will shine on you, like the mourning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side. When you pray, I will answer you. When you call me, I will respond."

       "If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word; if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon."  

Alternate 1st Reading:

                  ( Psalm 112:4-9 ) 

The Happiness of a Good Person 

       Light shines in the darkness for good people, for those who are merciful, kind, and just. Happy is the person who is generous with his loans, who runs his business honestly. A good person will never fail; he will always be remembered. 

       He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord. He is not worried or afraid; he is certain to see his enemies defeated. He gives generously to the needy, and his kindness never fails; he will be powerful and respected.

  

The 2nd Reading:

            ( 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 )

The Message about the Crucified Christ  

      When I came to you, my friends, to preach God's secret truth, I did not use big words and great learning. For while I was with you, I made up my mind to forget everything except Jesus Christ and especially his death on the cross. So when I came to you, I was weak and trembled all over with fear, and my teaching and message were not delivered with skillful words of human wisdom, but with convincing proof of the power of God's Spirit. Your faith, then, does not rest on human wisdom but on God's power. 

  

Today's Gospel According to:

                ( Matthew 5:13-16 )

Salt and Light 

      You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it.

       You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

This is the word of the Lord.

An Interpretation of Today's Readings & Gospel

( By Mary Marrocco )

       Reading this passage, we may feel guilty because we're not sharing our bread with the hungry and our home with the homeless - resentful that God asks it of us. But there's a secret hidden in this text, the secret to human life. It's this: When we start to give, to share, to love one another, to discover the "other" outside our own private universe, to give concretely and simply (bread!), then something changes in us. The light in us breaks forth, like the sun, glowing, stunning, breaking over the horizon. We start to discover our own capacity for divinity (capax dei). We move closer to Jesus who dwells within us. Our good starts to dispel!

       Selflessness turns out to be a cure for the loneliness That's wearing us down unawares. Giving is a cure for our isolation. And service is a cure for despair.

      Thank you, Lord, for asking us to help.

Recite: The Lord's Prayer 

      Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it tis in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but, deliver us from evil.  Amen.

 

  May the Peace of the Lord be with You

Recessional Song:

Sources:

1)  Good News Bible (with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha)

2)  Living Faith Daily Devotions

3)  Scripture-Text Datebook