Mary Magdalene,  Apostle
July 22, 2018
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son first entrusted the apostle Mary Magdalene with the joyful news of his resurrection. Following the example of her witness, may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord and one day see him in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture readings
Ruth 1:6-18
Psalm 73:23-28
Acts 13:26-33a
John 20:1-2, John 20: 11-18

Sermon 
In the gospels of Matthew, John, and the longer ending of Mark, Mary Magdalene is the first to see the risen Christ, who commissions her to tell the other disciples the good news. In almost all the lists of women who followed Jesus, she is named first. Through the centuries, in the Western church she has been the object of misconceptions about her life and her relationship to Jesus. Now we recover her role as leader among Jesus’ followers and as witness to the resurrection. Like Moses’ sister, she came running with the good news that the one who had been given up for dead was restored to life.

Our preacher this morning is the Rev. Robert G. Moore, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Reformation 500 Representative in the cities of Wittenberg and Leipzig, Germany.

Hymns

In our prayers we remember We Raise Foundation (formerly Wheat Ridge Ministries).  

Education hour at 9:45am

Sunday School, Pre-Confirmation and Confirmation classes are on summer break.

Adult Education

The ELCA Wittenberg Center: a New Commission, with the Rev. Robert Moore.
The ELCA is re-engaging with Wittenberg, the birthplace of the Reformation. The work there will include conferences on such themes as Lutheran identity in a global context, pastoral leadership, women in leadership, and justice and peace.

Rev. Moore, our preacher in worship services on July 22, is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and currently serves as Director of the ELCA Wittenberg Center and Reformation Ambassador for the City of Leipzig. Prior to his move to Germany he served twenty-three years as pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. 

Download the Adult Ed schedule for July-August 2018.

The Sunday morning Bible study group meets in the Seminar Room on the lower level.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.