The Condition of the Heart

The readings for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost were:

Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Pastor Nancy preached from the Gospel lesson about the unimportance of detailed rituals such as handwashing compared to the importance of what is in our hearts. Here's an interesting commentary I found on this scripture called Pharisees Are Us.

Our first hymn was I Come with Joy by Brian Wren

I come with joy to meet my Lord,
forgiven, loved, and free,
in awe and wonder to recall
his life laid down for me.

I come with Christians far and near
to find, as all are fed,
the new community of love
in Christ's communion bread.

As Christ breaks bread and bids us share,
each proud division ends.
That love that made us makes us one,
and strangers now are friends.

And thus with joy we meet our Lord.
His presence, always near,
is in such friendship better known:
we see and praise him here.

Together met, together bound,
we'll go our different ways,
and as his people in the world,
we'll live and speak his praise.

Our second hymn was a real old-fashioned one that people once loved to sing at Wednesday night prayer meeting. There's within My Heart a Melody , text and music by Luther B. Bridgers. The hymntune is called Sweetest Name.

1. There's within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low:
Fear not, I am with thee, peace, be still,
in all of life's ebb and flow.
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
sweetest name I know,
fills my every longing,
keeps me singing as I go.

2. All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,
discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
stirred the slumbering chords again.
(Refrain)

3. Though sometimes he leads through waters deep,
trials fall across the way,
though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,
see his footprints all the way.
(Refrain)

4. Feasting on the riches of his grace,
resting neath his sheltering wing,
always looking on his smiling face,
that is why I shout and sing.
(Refrain)

5. Soon he's coming back to welcome me
far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown;
I shall reign with him on high.
(Refrain)


My daughter and another woman from the choir sang a beautiful duet of How Beautiful on the Mountains by Felix Mendelssohn.

Our three Eucharistic hymns were:

You Satisfy the Hungry Heart by Robert E. Kreutz.

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.
Is not the cup we bless and share the blood of Christ outpoured?
Do not one cup, one loaf, declare our oneness in the Lord?

You satisfy the hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.
You give yourself to us, O Lord; then selfless let us be,
To serve each other in your name in truth and charity.

Here Is Bread by Graham Kendrick.

1. Here is bread, here is wine, Christ is with us, He is with us.
Break the bread, taste the wine, Christ is with us here.

2. Here is grace, here is peace, Christ is with us, He is with us.
Know His grace, find His peace, feast on Jesus here.

Chorus: In this bread there is healing, in this cup is life forever.
In this moment by the Spirit, Christ is with us here.

3. Here we are, joined in one, Christ is with us, He is with us.
We’ll proclaim till He comes, Jesus crucified. (Chorus)

“Here is Bread” words and music by Graham Kendrick © 1991 Make
Way Music CCLI # 1781157

Now Let Us from This Table Rise by Fred Kaan

Now let us from this table rise
renewed in body, mind, and soul;
with Christ we die and live again,
his selfless love has made us whole.

With minds alert, upheld by grace,
to spread the word in speech and deed,
we follow in the steps of Christ,
at one with all in hope and need.

To fill each human house with love,
it is the sacrament of care;
the work that Christ began to do
we humbly pledge ourselves to share.

Then grant us courage, Father God,
to choose again the pilgrim way
and help us to accept with joy
the challenge of tomorrow's day.

Our final hymn was the old spiritual Lord I Want to Be a Christian.

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.