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Prelude
Call to Worship Christine Longhurst, re:Worship Come and worship, everyone on earth, everywhere the sun shines. Let’s praise God together! For listening when we call, answering our prayers, forgiving our mistakes, and providing what we need. Let’s praise God together! Come and worship, everyone on earth, everywhere the sun shines and the rain falls. Let’s praise God together! Hymn One Bread, One Body Text and Music: John B. Foley, SJ, 1978 One bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord. Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more. Refrain. Many the gifts, many the works, one in the Lord of all. Refrain. Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one, for all. Refrain. Prayer of Confession Lord of abundance, compassion, and mercy, when we see the overwhelming needs of your world, our spirits deflate. Sadness, despair, anger, guilt, and fatigue overwhelm us. We know we are the body of Christ in the world, but, relieving pain and suffering seems impossible. We confess to turning our heads, we confess to weak resignation, we confess to indifference, oblivious to the ways we may contribute to the sin of injustice, or fail to show up when we are called on to help. God, save us from ourselves and our rationalizations. Tune our hearts to your control, that we may respond in faith and commitment, working to alleviate circumstances and systems that would do harm to your beloved community. Forgive us when and where we fail, remove any wicked way in us, and restore us to right relationship with you, made possible through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Amen. Response Take, O Take Me as I Am. Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1995, WCRG, Iona Community Take, O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be; set your seal upon my heart and live in me. Repeat. Assurance of Pardon The Lord is just in all ways, and kind in what God does. God is near to all who call upon him, who come in repentance, turning away from sin and turning toward God’s grace. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. Be at peace. Scripture Reading Matthew 14: 13-21 The Morning Message Here we are on the first Sunday of August. Our usual and customary practice at Kuhn is to celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of the month. Since we can’t be together to do that, I wanted to set aside a time to at least think about the role of bread in our lives. Bread commands center stage in the story of our faith, both the Christian faith and the faith of our forebears, the Jews. I love bread…when I was a kid, driving past Heiner’s bakery could send me into ecstasy. My Brownie troop toured the bakery once and I was so disappointed. They gave us all little packaged cupcakes, which most of the girls just raved over. But, I was hoping for that warm, yeasty bread. Bread. I love it and I struggle with it. There are some diet plans popular today that call for the elimination of bread and all grain products and other starches. I tried that once for several weeks. It did work, but, I was miserable and I made everyone around me share in that misery. It’s still a choice for me. But, my daughter is gluten intolerant. My son-in-law has celiac disease. These are very serious conditions. It can take a long time to diagnose. In the meantime, people with these issues can become extremely sick. Healing comes with the elimination of gluten and all wheat products. It’s hard to plan meals around zero wheat products. Do you know how many food items have wheat in them? My son-in-law had a death in his family last week. I made a shepherd’s pie for them. I could make that dish in my sleep. But, when I started gathering the ingredients, I realized I would need to make some substitutions. Bread was Ed’s mother’s specialty. She grew up making it daily for her large family. She was one of ten children. When she made bread, she made loaves, rolls, monkey bread, sticky buns, fried apple pies, pepperoni rolls. She would mail those to her kids when they were in school away from home. We haven’t had a loaf of that good bread for a few years now and we all miss it and we miss her. In Bible times, bread was a food that was made daily. Bread made early in the day was much favored over that which was several hours old. You can understand why: no preservatives, no ziplock bags to keep it fresh. No Kroger. So, today we have this beautiful story of Jesus preaching to a crowd hungry for the good news of the gospel. In time, they grew hungry for dinner, too, but, all the shops were closed. So, gathering up a meager few loaves and fishes, Jesus prays over them, and miraculously, a feast results, baskets and baskets full. We are wowed by that. But, we might want to look back a few verses to see what was going on with Jesus that day. He had just learned of the hideous death of someone he loved, his cousin, John, the Baptist. In his grief, Jesus withdrew, probably to have some moments to himself to grieve this loss. But, the crowd followed him. He would not rest yet. No, he would bear witness to their suffering, their pain, their diseases, their needs. And then he gave them bread. But, he wants them to understand the deeper meaning: he is the bread that can truly satisfy them. In the gospel of John, Jesus actually calls himself “the bread of heaven.” Jesus offers them food. He offers them himself. He offers us himself. Jesus still reaches out to those who are hungry and offers them a place at the table. We enter into the graciousness of Christ through the act of eating and drinking with our fellow believers. We receive something of the real presence of Christ through the Sacrament of Communion. You can’t get much closer to something than when you eat it. Taste, touch, smell and sight remind us, teach us, who God is, and who God’s Son is… the very bread of life. When we eat and drink, anytime, we should be aware of the providence of a God who started a relationship with human beings in a garden rich with food. We should recall that God called his people to follow him to a land flowing with milk and honey. We should remember the people of faith whose food was scarce and yet, God provided a way through it with a little flour and a little oil, with manna and quail, with fish and bread, and the best wedding wine. But, when we eat, we take a risk. We have chosen to participate in a kingdom way of life. We can no longer eat and forget. We can no longer eat and walk away. We can no longer eat and go on unchanged. We can no longer eat and not be concerned about those who can’t. We seem to be smack in the middle of the summer of our discontent. Summer started around the middle of March and who knows when it will end. The human need around us is monumental. There is no Covid crisis in our town that I know of, there are no violent demonstrations in Barboursville, West Virginia, but there is need, fear, grief, illness, family conflict, addiction, hunger…who will fill all the hungry hearts in our community? Who will fill your hungry heart? It has been said that at the end of World War II, in the refugee camps for orphans and dislocated kids, the children couldn’t sleep. Of course, they couldn’t sleep. They had been through a real live hell. But, the adults who cared for them found that after they were fed the evening meal, if they would give the children a piece of bread, just to hold, they would drift off. It was their holding bread. There was more to eat if they were hungry. This was bread to hold, to remind them and to connect them to a great truth…that morning will come, there are grown-ups who cared, and were watching over them to keep them safe, and there would be more to eat when they woke up. Ghandi said there is so much hunger in the world that God comes to earth as bread. Oh, my friends, we need that bread, don’t we? One of my cousins is a nurse who works with newborns who enter this life very sick due to their mothers’ drug use during pregnancy. She is their holding bread. A colleague of mine worked night and day following the harrowing floods a few summers ago in southern West Virginia. He organized relief efforts of all sorts, but, housing was his primary focus. He placed people in homes, hotels, apartments, campers, trailers, and tents. He was their holding bread. For years, two friends of ours drove to a federal prison early every Sunday morning to meet with prisoners, lead a Bible study, and pray. They became the inmates’ holding bread. This week, our youngest grandson spent some time with us. He stayed overnight. He has been having trouble sleeping, no doubt because his life has been upended since the onset of the pandemic. He has lived in three places and was enrolled in three day care centers in two different cities. No wonder he is having sleep terrors. We were prepared for a long night. We were ready to be his holding bread. We were surprised and relieved that he slept pretty peacefully. He did wake much earlier than we usually do. So, we tucked him into bed with us and we all caught a few more Zs. We were satisfied with that. But, the surprise came later in the day when we took him to join his mom and dad and the rest of the family. They had just come from the funeral of a family member, the patriarch in fact. A hard day for anyone. Mommy, Daddy, and Grand Daddy all came out to meet us. As his father lifted the sleeping two-year-old from the car, we could see the grief and pain of the day melt from all the adults’ faces. One little squeeze was all it took. And a little child became their holding bread. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer As the crowds followed Jesus, eager to be filled with hope, we come to this time of worship, seeking to nourish our souls. We are so burdened by the unstable nature of our lives due to the pandemic. Our hearts are filled with concern for family and friends, for our country and our world. Will we ever be normal again? What does normal even mean today? Fill us with a word of hope and truth that we might not sink into despair, but, look to you for comfort, strength and peace. Sit us down, as Jesus seated the multitude. Calm us down, as Jesus reassured the disciples. Lift us up, as Jesus encouraged others to reach out in compassion. Give us hearts of confident faith, dwelling gratefully in your presence. Place your healing hands on the places, people, and circumstances we name now in our hearts…praying as Jesus taught us saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Go out into the world in peace. Have courage, hold fast to what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak and help the suffering. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Postlude Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church, Pastor Cinda Harkless, Barboursville, West Virginia July 19, 20207/31/2020
Download Printable PDF of SermonPrelude
Call to Worship Christine Longhurst, re:Worship Come and worship, everyone on earth, everywhere the sun shines. Let’s praise God together! For listening when we call, answering our prayers, forgiving our mistakes, and providing what we need. Let’s praise God together! Come and worship, everyone on earth, everywhere the sun shines and the rain falls. Let’s praise God together! Hymn One Bread, One Body Text and Music: John B. Foley, SJ, 1978 One bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless. And we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord. Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man, no more. Refrain. Many the gifts, many the works, one in the Lord of all. Refrain. Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one, for all. Refrain. Prayer of Confession Lord of abundance, compassion, and mercy, when we see the overwhelming needs of your world, our spirits deflate. Sadness, despair, anger, guilt, and fatigue overwhelm us. We know we are the body of Christ in the world, but, relieving pain and suffering seems impossible. We confess to turning our heads, we confess to weak resignation, we confess to indifference, oblivious to the ways we may contribute to the sin of injustice, or fail to show up when we are called on to help. God, save us from ourselves and our rationalizations. Tune our hearts to your control, that we may respond in faith and commitment, working to alleviate circumstances and systems that would do harm to your beloved community. Forgive us when and where we fail, remove any wicked way in us, and restore us to right relationship with you, made possible through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Amen. Response Take, O Take Me as I Am. Text and Music: John L. Bell, 1995, WCRG, Iona Community Take, O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be; set your seal upon my heart and live in me. Repeat. Assurance of Pardon The Lord is just in all ways, and kind in what God does. God is near to all who call upon him, who come in repentance, turning away from sin and turning toward God’s grace. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. Be at peace. Scripture Reading Matthew 14: 13-21 The Morning Message Here we are on the first Sunday of August. Our usual and customary practice at Kuhn is to celebrate Communion on the first Sunday of the month. Since we can’t be together to do that, I wanted to set aside a time to at least think about the role of bread in our lives. Bread commands center stage in the story of our faith, both the Christian faith and the faith of our forebears, the Jews. I love bread…when I was a kid, driving past Heiner’s bakery could send me into ecstasy. My Brownie troop toured the bakery once and I was so disappointed. They gave us all little packaged cupcakes, which most of the girls just raved over. But, I was hoping for that warm, yeasty bread. Bread. I love it and I struggle with it. There are some diet plans popular today that call for the elimination of bread and all grain products and other starches. I tried that once for several weeks. It did work, but, I was miserable and I made everyone around me share in that misery. It’s still a choice for me. But, my daughter is gluten intolerant. My son-in-law has celiac disease. These are very serious conditions. It can take a long time to diagnose. In the meantime, people with these issues can become extremely sick. Healing comes with the elimination of gluten and all wheat products. It’s hard to plan meals around zero wheat products. Do you know how many food items have wheat in them? My son-in-law had a death in his family last week. I made a shepherd’s pie for them. I could make that dish in my sleep. But, when I started gathering the ingredients, I realized I would need to make some substitutions. Bread was Ed’s mother’s specialty. She grew up making it daily for her large family. She was one of ten children. When she made bread, she made loaves, rolls, monkey bread, sticky buns, fried apple pies, pepperoni rolls. She would mail those to her kids when they were in school away from home. We haven’t had a loaf of that good bread for a few years now and we all miss it and we miss her. In Bible times, bread was a food that was made daily. Bread made early in the day was much favored over that which was several hours old. You can understand why: no preservatives, no ziplock bags to keep it fresh. No Kroger. So, today we have this beautiful story of Jesus preaching to a crowd hungry for the good news of the gospel. In time, they grew hungry for dinner, too, but, all the shops were closed. So, gathering up a meager few loaves and fishes, Jesus prays over them, and miraculously, a feast results, baskets and baskets full. We are wowed by that. But, we might want to look back a few verses to see what was going on with Jesus that day. He had just learned of the hideous death of someone he loved, his cousin, John, the Baptist. In his grief, Jesus withdrew, probably to have some moments to himself to grieve this loss. But, the crowd followed him. He would not rest yet. No, he would bear witness to their suffering, their pain, their diseases, their needs. And then he gave them bread. But, he wants them to understand the deeper meaning: he is the bread that can truly satisfy them. In the gospel of John, Jesus actually calls himself “the bread of heaven.” Jesus offers them food. He offers them himself. He offers us himself. Jesus still reaches out to those who are hungry and offers them a place at the table. We enter into the graciousness of Christ through the act of eating and drinking with our fellow believers. We receive something of the real presence of Christ through the Sacrament of Communion. You can’t get much closer to something than when you eat it. Taste, touch, smell and sight remind us, teach us, who God is, and who God’s Son is… the very bread of life. When we eat and drink, anytime, we should be aware of the providence of a God who started a relationship with human beings in a garden rich with food. We should recall that God called his people to follow him to a land flowing with milk and honey. We should remember the people of faith whose food was scarce and yet, God provided a way through it with a little flour and a little oil, with manna and quail, with fish and bread, and the best wedding wine. But, when we eat, we take a risk. We have chosen to participate in a kingdom way of life. We can no longer eat and forget. We can no longer eat and walk away. We can no longer eat and go on unchanged. We can no longer eat and not be concerned about those who can’t. We seem to be smack in the middle of the summer of our discontent. Summer started around the middle of March and who knows when it will end. The human need around us is monumental. There is no Covid crisis in our town that I know of, there are no violent demonstrations in Barboursville, West Virginia, but there is need, fear, grief, illness, family conflict, addiction, hunger…who will fill all the hungry hearts in our community? Who will fill your hungry heart? It has been said that at the end of World War II, in the refugee camps for orphans and dislocated kids, the children couldn’t sleep. Of course, they couldn’t sleep. They had been through a real live hell. But, the adults who cared for them found that after they were fed the evening meal, if they would give the children a piece of bread, just to hold, they would drift off. It was their holding bread. There was more to eat if they were hungry. This was bread to hold, to remind them and to connect them to a great truth…that morning will come, there are grown-ups who cared, and were watching over them to keep them safe, and there would be more to eat when they woke up. Ghandi said there is so much hunger in the world that God comes to earth as bread. Oh, my friends, we need that bread, don’t we? One of my cousins is a nurse who works with newborns who enter this life very sick due to their mothers’ drug use during pregnancy. She is their holding bread. A colleague of mine worked night and day following the harrowing floods a few summers ago in southern West Virginia. He organized relief efforts of all sorts, but, housing was his primary focus. He placed people in homes, hotels, apartments, campers, trailers, and tents. He was their holding bread. For years, two friends of ours drove to a federal prison early every Sunday morning to meet with prisoners, lead a Bible study, and pray. They became the inmates’ holding bread. This week, our youngest grandson spent some time with us. He stayed overnight. He has been having trouble sleeping, no doubt because his life has been upended since the onset of the pandemic. He has lived in three places and was enrolled in three day care centers in two different cities. No wonder he is having sleep terrors. We were prepared for a long night. We were ready to be his holding bread. We were surprised and relieved that he slept pretty peacefully. He did wake much earlier than we usually do. So, we tucked him into bed with us and we all caught a few more Zs. We were satisfied with that. But, the surprise came later in the day when we took him to join his mom and dad and the rest of the family. They had just come from the funeral of a family member, the patriarch in fact. A hard day for anyone. Mommy, Daddy, and Grand Daddy all came out to meet us. As his father lifted the sleeping two-year-old from the car, we could see the grief and pain of the day melt from all the adults’ faces. One little squeeze was all it took. And a little child became their holding bread. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer As the crowds followed Jesus, eager to be filled with hope, we come to this time of worship, seeking to nourish our souls. We are so burdened by the unstable nature of our lives due to the pandemic. Our hearts are filled with concern for family and friends, for our country and our world. Will we ever be normal again? What does normal even mean today? Fill us with a word of hope and truth that we might not sink into despair, but, look to you for comfort, strength and peace. Sit us down, as Jesus seated the multitude. Calm us down, as Jesus reassured the disciples. Lift us up, as Jesus encouraged others to reach out in compassion. Give us hearts of confident faith, dwelling gratefully in your presence. Place your healing hands on the places, people, and circumstances we name now in our hearts…praying as Jesus taught us saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 Go out into the world in peace. Have courage, hold fast to what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak and help the suffering. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Postlude Call to Worship
O God, We gather together in your presence with expectation, hungry for an encounter with you, eager to hear your Word. Open our eyes and ears to the presence of your Holy Spirit. May the seeds of your Word, scattered among us this morning, fall on fertile soil. May they take root in our hearts and lives, and produce an abundant harvest of good words and deeds. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our teacher and our Lord. Amen. Christine Longhurst, re:Worship Hymn Seek Ye First Text and music: Karen Lafferty, 1971 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and its righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Allelu, alleluia! Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you. Allelu, alleluia! You shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, Allelu, alleluia! Prayer of Confession Loving Lord, you watch over us all our days. Help us to feel your presence today. We confess that we have allowed a host of concerns and frustrations to compete with your word and will for us. Remind us that you are not the author of confusion, but of peace. Guide our thoughts, strengthen our bodies, inspire holy intentions within us, that we might be faithful to you and gospel-bearers to our neighbors and families, strangers and friends. Response Take, O Take Me as I Am Text and Music: John Bell, 1995 Take, O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be. Set your seal upon my heart and live in me. Repeat Words of Assurance Hear the good news- while we worry and fret, God is at work in our lives and in our world, that we might have a taste of God’s blessed kingdom, the realm of justice, freedom, mercy, and peace. Believe in the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen. Scripture Reading Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 The Morning Message The twenty-third Psalm is perhaps the best-loved and most-often recited of the psalms. I probably use it at every funeral, usually dropping out myself so that I can hear the gathered community recite the familiar words. It becomes both prayer and affirmation of faith together and is a beautiful reminder of the loving and intimate relationship with have our Lord. The Psalms are an important part of the Hebrew Scriptures. They are used in Jewish and Christian worship today. In our New Testament Scriptures, there are numerous references to Jesus as both Shepherd and Lamb of God. So, we have a tendency to see this psalm though a Christian lens. Years ago, I had what I would call, a transformational experience, with Psalm 23. It was during the year I was an intern in Clinical Pastoral Education at a local hospital. All Presbyterian ministers seeking ordination in the Presbytery of West Virginia are required complete a unit of CPE. On-call duty came twice a month. It was a sixteen-hour shift beginning at 4:30 in the afternoon. From midnight to 9 in the morning, the on-call chaplain was the only chaplain in the house. Some nights were slow and others terribly hectic and too often traumatic. One evening, the head nurse of one of the units called seeking my help. One of their patients was an elderly woman with dementia. She had been hospitalized for pneumonia and had come down with a case of MRSA which you know is an extremely dangerous type of staff infection. It was important for the patient to rest which she would not do. She wasn’t sleeping in spite of medication to help her sleep. As a result, she was becoming more and more difficult to control. She was an escape artist, leaving her room and wandering around the unit putting herself and other people at risk. She would not cooperate, would often become combative, and the staff was about at their wit’s end. They needed help. So, I arrived to find the situation pretty much as I described here. Trying to communicate with someone you've never met can be a challenge and this was going to take extra effort on my part. She had dementia and I had minimal experience with that. I prayed my standard prayer for difficult situations: "Help!" There were some get-well cards on the bulletin board in the patient's room. I pulled them off and asked her if she had looked at her cards. She shook her head. I sat with her and read them and talked about the people who cared for her and read their names. There was a church name added to many of the cards. She may not remember but here was a witness that she was a beloved member of a family of faith, a lamb of God’s own flock, a sheep of God's own fold. Well, that took about ten minutes and I hadn't made much progress in settling her down. She was still up and down and in and out of the bed. I hadn't signed up for this, but here we were. Reading seemed to help a little. But, what to read? There were no magazines in the room or books. A thought as clear as day struck me: open the drawer in the bedside table. Of course! Thank God for the Gideons! They place Bibles in every patient's room. I pulled out the Bible and asked the woman if it would be ok if I read to her awhile from the Bible. She quite enthusiastically responded that yes she would like that. So far, so good. We're communicating. She's not trying to get out of the room. She's starting to quiet down. "What would you like to hear? '" I asked her. " Oh, it doesn't matter," she said.” It’s all good” Ok, here goes. I turned to Psalm 23 and began to read those beautiful words from the King James translation, hoping she might recognize them. I slowly read about the Lord making a resting place for us in lush green pastures. The patient leaned back on her pillows. I read about the Lord leading us beside still waters. And she pulled up the covers. I read about the Lord restoring our souls and protecting us even in the valley of the shadow and her eyes closed. And by the time I reached the verse that declares goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives, her body had completely relaxed. And when I reached the end, the promise that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, she was asleep. I've raised three kids. I know better than to think the baby is sound asleep at the moment they close their eyes. You have to rock a little longer, hum another verse, give a few more pats...and then sneak out the door unnoticed. So, having read Psalm 23, I continued to Psalm 24 and 25 and I can't really remember when I stopped, because the sense of peace that had settled upon that room and patient was indescribably beautiful. Friends, we may not be in that particular situation today. We may be oriented in the present and not causing problems for those trying to care for us. But, we have all come to worship today in search of the Good Shepherd, the one who leads and guides and comforts and restores our souls. The pandemic continues. We are under orders to wear masks in public and that is a point of controversy. There is no consensus about how to return to school. We stand in line to be admitted to the grocery store. We miss our family and friends. My grandson cried this week, and his mom asked him why he was sad. He said he missed his friends. He just turned six. Six year-olds learn to climb trees and catch lightning bugs and play hide and seek with their friends. I’m sad for him. Psalm 23 calls to mind simple images of pastures, flowing water, a dark valley, a table, to explain how God accompanies believers through real difficulties. It is quoted and consulted over the span of our lives, becoming part of the fabric of our spirits. We return to it again and again through all the seasons of our lives. I'm going to read the psalm once again. And. as I do, I invite you to sit back and relax. Visualize the green grass, the quiet stream, the banqueting table, the anointing oil, the abundance of God's blessings prepared for you. This is an image of the kingdom of God. The kingdom is like a quiet stream, a family feast, salve on a painful wound. And...the kingdom is like someone coming to your rescue. The kingdom is like a name signed to a 99 cent greeting card. The kingdom is like the eyes of a saint closing in peace. What is the kingdom of God like to you? Even in these stressful days, even though we are unsure and unsettled, the kingdom is here and you are its witness. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer God of beginnings and endings, as the summer heat deepens and the pandemic continues, we ask for your wisdom. Do not let us give in to our fears, but inspire us with your Spirit. Show us the new things you are doing that we might join you in them. In all the upheaval and pain, the loss and uncertainty, may we be aware of new possibilities revealed by this era. Grant us the courage to not only see the cracks in our society, but give us the faith to repair them for the sake of all your children. Confident that the Spirit intercedes for us in our weakness, we ask you to guide those in leadership positions as they make difficult decisions for our schools and communities. Hear our prayers for those on our minds and hearts… We pray for ourselves and for this, your Church, that we might persevere in the present circumstances. We boldly pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 Postlude Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church 955 Main Street Barboursville, West Virginia July 19, 2020
Prelude Welcome and Announcements Call to Worship I will bless the Lord at all times; the praise of God shall ever be in my mouth. I will glory in the Lord; let the humble hear and rejoice. Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord; Let us exalt the name of God together. Prayer Almighty God, you have taught us through Christ that love fulfills the law. May we love you with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and may we love our neighbor as ourselves. As we gather for worship, we pray for our loved ones who are in need of your care… We pray for our new and remaining officers who have responded to your call to service. We pray for our community, our nation, and all the nations of the world, that health, freedom, peace, dignity, and security may be enjoyed by all your children, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray saying, “Our Father…Amen.” Congregational Meeting to Elect Officers Karen Gold, Clerk of Session Time With Young Disciples Scripture Reading Matthew 11:28-30 The Morning Message Ordination and Installation of Officers Affirmation of Faith From A Brief Statement of Faith, PCUSA, 1991 All: We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves, to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. Women: The same Spirit, who inspired the prophets and the apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church. Men: In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear voices long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. All: In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve God in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen. Presenting the Gifts of Our Lives and Labor Prayer of Dedication Lord, as wildflowers bloom on the side of the road and birds sing in the summer dawn, we rejoice in the beauty of creation, grateful that it nourishes and refreshes us even in these ever-changing, uncertain days. Receive our offerings, bless and use them, that they may be used to reveal your glory, beauty, goodness and grace, especially in those places and for those people who need it the most today. Amen. As you leave, you may deposit your offering in the place indicated. Blessing Go out into the world in peace. Have courage! Hold onto what is good. Return no one evil for evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, and help the suffering. Honor all people. Love and serve the Lord your God, rejoicing in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Postlude As we depart today, please keep visiting to minimum for everyone’s health and safety. Liturgical elements for today’s service are from The Presbyterian Outlook, Jill Duffield, Editor. The session has called a meeting of the congregation today for the purpose of electing five members to the office of Ruling Elder and one member to serve as Trustee. Those to be nominated for Ruling Elder are: Kevin Dennison, Nancy McIntosh, Jon-Tyler Roach, John R. Thomas, and Merritt True. To be nominated as Trustee is Steve Gold. Prayer Concerns Ourselves: John Cooke; Berman Noe; Larry Nikolaus; Sue Yoak; Nancy McIntosh; Connie Morgan; Linda Keefer; Joan and Johnny Sharp; Maren and the Foster Family; Laura Fry; Francis Walters; Jane Brown; Sue Yoak; Berman & Helen Noe For Our Loved Ones: Mike Harbour; Darell Meadows; Joe Kelley; Bill Keyser; Valerie Flesher; Alice Steuart; Family of Betty Gilkerson (Anna Haddox); Sallie Willis (Donna Thomas); Ted Henry; Joan Cassidy (Tim); Janet Reed (The Minichans); Watt Shields (Steve Gold); Barbara Harris, Aaron (Linda Keefer); Casie Harbor (Peggy Roach); Jenka Lockwood (2nd Presbyterian); Susan Breitzig; Bill Herrold; Barb Bias; Jim Stuart; John Lemaster; Gary Wayne Cassidy (Tim); Jim Sacconi (Kay Adkins); and Mark Scarberry Birthdays 23 Steve Gold Michelle Haddox Theresa Miller Caroline Roma Prelude
Call to Worship Luke 4:18 Jesus said: The Spirit of the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor and release to the captives. Opening Prayer In times of weakness and in our hour of need, your’s is the strength by which we carry on, the shoulder we rest our head upon. When our load is heavy and too much to bear, your’s are the arms stretched out to help us, the grace we depend on. In times of weakness and need, your voice is heard, “Come…find rest.” This is grace divine, the path we tread to wholeness, of body and spirit, the path that leads to you, and to whom we offer our sacrifice of praise. Amen. John Birch, Faith and Worship Hymn This Is My Song Text: Lloyd Stone, Georgia Harkness Music: Jean Sibelius This is my song, O God of all the nations. A song of peace, for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is; here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine. But other hearts in other lands are beating with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine. My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover, and skies are everywhere as blue as mine. So hear my song, O God of all the nations, a song of peace for their land and for mine. This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth’s kingdoms, thy kingdom come, on earth thy will be done. Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him, and hearts united learn to live as one. So hear my prayer, O God of all the nations, myself I give thee; let thy will be done. Scripture Reading Ephesians 2:11-22 The Message “Walls” The world is full of walls. Everywhere we go, there are fences, gates, security check points, toll Booths - all aimed at keeping order and often to keep something or someone in and something or someone out. We need walls: walls in our homes to protect us from wind and rain and extreme temperatures; walls to assure us of privacy: fences and barn doors to keep livestock safe and predators out; walls to indicate separate spaces, define ownership and assign responsibility. In these past several months we've seen visible and invisible walls erected to protect the public from catching the Corona-virus. We’ve seen stations set up for temperature readings at the entrance to schools and hospitals. We've been advised to wear masks. Wearing a mask is a sort of wall - a barrier between one person and the next to diminish the likelihood of spreading the disease. Walls can be both literal and figurative; walls can even have a spiritual nature. Walls can be helpful and walls can lead to grief, division and violence. All walls serve a purpose; but not all walls serve the purposes of God. In this Ephesians passage, we read that ·'Christ has ·'broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. It's difficult to imagine how this can possibly happen, especially today, when hostility seems to be the bread and butter of human relating and living. Pastor G. Kevin Baker says, if we are really honest with ourselves, then we have to acknowledge that we may have contributed to this wall-building. He says we have built many walls, not out of bricks and mortar, but out of the raw material of sin and division. Then we've cemented them with the mortar of name-calling, labeling and prejudice. That's a harsh statement and it may be offensive to us. I don’t call people names and neither do you. I think we keep our prejudices to a minimum. But, let’s dig a little deeper into the text. A poor application of the Torah is what created this wall of hostility mentioned in the text. In the growing Christian community, there was hostility between the circumcised insiders against the uncircumcised outsiders. Gentile converts had less status than Jewish converts. Perspective and power shift depending on what side of the wall a person is standing. So, the circumcised probably had privileges, or had a stronger voice, than the uncircumcised, even though both groups were now part of the Christian community. This led to conflict and fracture. The Christian community should not be divided by such walls of hostility. It is an offense to God and denies the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus. I don't have to remind you of this: for months this nation has been consumed by an explosive issue: immigration. It has created great debate and angst among the citizens. Everyone here probably has a well-reasoned opinion about how it might be resolved. But, we lack one significant ingredient that should be a part of the conversation: unless I'm wrong: none of us is an immigrant and we lack the experience of being the alien, the outsider. Being an American citizen is taken for granted far too often. I learned this as a child in school and it was reinforced at home: value your citizenship. It is a gift to honor and protect and pass on to the next genera ti on. To become a citizen can be a long, complicated and expensive process. One of my daughters made it a part of her life’s work to help immigrants become naturalized American citizens. But, in the US today, it has become a controversial process. While we cannot solve the immigration situation, maybe we should examine the walls that are erected between Christians. I read an article yesterday that described the way many denominations, including ours, split over the Civil War and how long it took to reconcile and reunite. We have the benefit of hindsight and can correctly call these divisions a scandal to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, who broke down barriers and welcomed everyone to a new way of life in his kingdom. But I doubt we could be so clear-minded in the throes of that era. What about our era? There are walls still. We don’t have to look very far to find friends and families who have suffered terrible conflicts and estrangement because they interpret scripture differently, or join churches that have different standards for leadership and ordination. This can result in calling each others’ faith and practice defective. How then can this word from Ephesians help us? The unity referred to here is not manufactured by human hands busy trying to promote multiculturalism and tolerance. The peace described here is not just a ceasing of conflict or the absence of violence. The hope alluded to is not merely a hankering after international experiences or cross-cultural encounters. Here, unity, peace and hope are not things at all. They are a person. Christ is our peace. In his flesh he has broken down the dividing wall. In Christ's death on the cross, peace has been achieved and hostility has been crucified. Jesus is the singular wrecking crew that demolishes division and gifts us with unity, peace and reconciliation. What do these gifts look like for us? Well, I discovered how one community is receiving the gift and passing it on. Jeff Richards is an evangelist for the Presbytery of Sacramento. He started the Word Hose, with the intention of dismantling the things that separate the church from the rest of our lives. In other words, to present the church in a way that relates to the life of our neighbors, family and friends. He strives to reach people who may have written off the church or who have never been interested at all. The Word House meets in houses, pubs, and coffeehouses. People seek to make worship, fellowship, mission and discipleship integrated, not segmented, activities. Worship takes place in a living room or a public space and begins with people checking in with one another. Richards says "people are pretty open about their struggles and pain." They may talk about what’s important and relevant and learn to listen to fellow members and visitors. Then they look at scripture. People are encouraged to ask questions, learning from the history and the characters, and exploring how the text applies to their own lives. They are asked, '' How are we part of God's story?" Once a month, the church hosts a pot-luck meal that begins with an Invitation to the Table. Communion is literally celebrated as a meal taken together. Fellowship extends beyond the social hall. The members go out into the community together, to a restaurant or to have coffee, or hang out downtown or in the local park. As for mission, it takes place with organizations that already exist in the neighborhood. They seek places where God is already at work and join God there. Many work with children having limited resources. They also go out into the streets to take hot drinks to the homeless. They have hosted Christmas gatherings for families who don’t have homes. Discipleship is very important to Word House. It is about sharing what's going on in your life and how it relates to God. It's socializing and connecting with people and sharing God's love, inviting them into genuine faith and life. The Word House represents a trend away from the '•bigger is better'" mentality and toward smaller, deeper community. We see this trend when consumers move from patronizing big-box stores to supporting farmers' markets and microbreweries. People who long for a spiritual life are moving away from the slickly-programmed, performance-centered mega-churches they grew up in, to small, intense, and highly relational communities. As one of thousands at a mega-church, it can be difficult to have much of a voice about the direction of the church. But at Word House, the participants are part of creating each service and the vision of the ministry. They strive to live out what we call "·the priesthood of all believers:· I know you're wondering if this church without walls ministry can be sustained. Richards says he can't imagine needing a bigger space even though the church is growing. The hope is that new groups would be spun off existing ones, similar to the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC. He says there is no plan to buy or build a meeting place. Buildings often outlast their usefulness and churches sometimes exist to maintain bricks and mortar rather than ministry. Word House hopes to avoid that trouble. The Presbyterian Church is still promoting an initiative called 1001 New Worshiping Communities· Christians near and far away are reading their culture, their neighbors, and their communities, to understand their spiritual needs. There is a great deal of de-constructing barriers in order to make way for the household of God, a household built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God." May Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church be such a place... a holy temple ... a dwelling place for God. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Eternal God, On this weekend, when we celebrate the founding of this nation, we come seeking your blessing. Rule the hearts of your servants and all those in authority, that they may do justice, love mercy, and walk in the ways of truth. Bless and defend all who work for our safety and protection, and shield them from danger and adversity. To all nations grant unity, peace, and concord; and provide their citizens with dignity, food, and shelter; grant abundant harvests, strength and skill to conserve earth’s resources, and wisdom to use them well. Enlighten with your Spirit those who teach and all who learn; come to the help of all who are in peril, need, or trouble; protect all travelers. Show mercy to all prisoners and captives. Strengthen and preserve those who live as families; protect all children, and comfort the aged, the bereaved and the lonely; defend the refugees and the homeless, the unemployed, and all who are in despair. Heal all those who are sick of mind, body, or spirit, and give skill and compassion to all caregivers. Instill in us a conscience that makes us aware of our sins; forgive us when we have done wrong or failed to act; strengthen us by your spirit and hold us fast in the fellowship of your Church. We boldly pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing Shine, O Lord, upon the homely mosaic of West Virginia’s land: upon her steep-hewn hills and angled draws, her maple-strewn valleys and ridges clad in mountain rhododendron. Shine, Lord, upon her citizens, armed only with freedom, scrappers all for such measure of dignity as fearlessness and faith may win. Shine, O God, into those deep recesses where Thou hast abundant riches, that those who dig in the earth, and those who watch for their return, may know the radiance of thy light and the safety of thy love, Bright be cleaning fire of Thy truth in the hearts of the people, and in the public weal of their common life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Washington National Cathedral, prayed for the week starting March 1, 2020 Announcements Worship services will resume at Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church, 955 Main St., Barboursville, WV, on July 12, 2020. Weather permitting, we will meet outside. Safety measures will be observed, including the wearing of masks and physical distancing. We will continue to offer worship through the church website for those who prefer to remain at home at this time. A congregational meeting will be held at the beginning of worship on July 12, for the purpose of electing the next class of Ruling Elders and a church Trustee. The nominees for Ruling Elder are Kevin Dennison, Nancy McIntosh, J.T. Roach, and John R. Thomas. The nominee for Trustee is Steve Gold. May God bless all those who graciously accept the call to Christian service Prelude
Call to worship We worship the God who inhabits our world and indwells our lives. We need not look up to find God… we need only to look around… within ourselves… beyond ourselves… into the eyes of another. We need not listen for a distant thunder to find God… we need only to listen to the music of life… the words of children… the questions of the curious… the rhythm of the heartbeat. We worship the God who inhabits our world, who indwells our lives. Hymn How Firm a Foundation Text: John Rippon; Music: American folk melody How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in God’s excellent word! What more can he say than to you he has said, to you, who for refuge, to Jesus has fled? “Fear not, I am with thee, O, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. When through the deep waters I cause thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. The soul, that on Jesus, has leaned for repose, I will not. I will not, desert to its foes. That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no never, no, never forsake.” Prayer of Confession God, you know us better than we know ourselves. You know our thoughts, our weaknesses, our sins. and you love us still. Forgive us when we don’t believe such love is true or possible. When we wonder how you could love us just as we are, when we forget our intricate construction, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made… in Your image! Remove from our minds every thought that keeps us from You. Break down the walls, push aside the pride, and help us trust anew. You know our hearts and You love us still. Amen. Assurance of Pardon Nothing is impossible with God. There is no place you can go. No end of the earth to which you can run. There is nothing on earth or beyond death that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. You are forgiven and freed to live in God’s infinite love, grace, and peace. Amen. Scripture Reading Genesis 28: 10-19a The Morning Message “Building Spiritual Cairns” Summer is travel and vacation season. For some, the beach beckons. For others, the great trees of the forest wave them into the respite of cool and shade and musical streams and waterfalls. For still others, it’s a time to take the kids and grandkids to historic places, landmarks where something important happened in the life of the nation or state, or family. Ed remembers the summer his parents took him to every county in the state, where they stood him by the black and white historic marker sign and snapped a picture for their photo album. A friend of mine took a trip out west recently and you could feel the sense of awe in her Facebook posts as day after day she filled it with pictures of snow in July, the magnificent Rockies and Mount Rushmore. Memories are important to us. Can you close your eyes and remember your first car? Your first date? The day you walked across the stage to receive your diploma? The feel of a newborn baby in your arms? A wave of nostalgia can wash over us at the thought. But, not all memories are good ones and we have a tendency to avoid or shove out of sight those things that remind us of painful times. One day Sarah Beth and I were driving thru Milton, and passed the old middle school. I pointed toward the building and said something like, “We’re in your old stompin’ grounds. You had a great time there.” To which she whipped her head around to face me and said something like, “Eat rocks! I hated that place!” And then there are the thin places, the holy moments of our lives, when the distance between this world and the next is as close as a whisper. We know that God is always near, but there are holy moments when the gossamer veil is lifted and we are standing in God’s presence in an intimate way. In today’s Genesis text, Jacob receives a vision, a holy visitation, following an act of cunning and cowardice. He has hurt his brother and father in his selfishness. His cover story is that his mother has sent him off to find a decent wife, but, in truth, Jacob is running scared, as if putting distance between himself and his despicable behavior will save him. On his way toward Haran, Jacob came to a place to rest for the night. Scripture says he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching into heaven, and angels of God were going up and down on it. And he dreamed the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and bring you back to this; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke up and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.” It frightened him. It would frighten anyone to have an experience this intense. Jacob took the stone that he had used as a pillow, and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He anointed it, set it apart, and called the place Beth-el, even though the place was called Luz at the time. Kind of like re-naming 16th Street Hal Greer Blvd. or 20th Street for the victims of the tragic Marshall University plane crash. “Beth-el” means place of God in Hebrew. This was a holy place, not just to Jacob, but to his descendents and all the children of the earth forever. Jacob is no choir boy. He is narcissitic and self-serving. He has lied and cheated and schemed his way thru life. He is a scoundrel and the last person we’d think of as deserving God’s attention. But, God runs him to ground, so to speak, hotly pursuing Jacob, to tap him for holy work. Barbara Brown Taylor says Jacob is on no spiritual quest; he has simply pushed his luck too far and left town in a hurry. He is between times and places, in a limbo of his own making. He stops in a place that isn’t distinctive at all, or so he believes. And it is here that God comes to meet Jacob. Our colorful history and misdeeds matter not one bit when God decides to call, when God comes pursuing us. Taylor writes, “Jacob is nowhere, which is where the dream touches down…not where it should be, but where he is.” In this text, and in the Matthew text, God demonstrates an extraordinary capacity for grace. Here he reaches out to a man with a checkered past to set him on a path that leads to a future that will define a whole culture, race and religion. In the Matthew text, God allows the weeds to grow alongside the good wheat for a time, though they are detrimental to the crop and deserving of a bonfire. Which brings me to a couple of ideas I’d like us to take away this morning: One is the idea of nearness and distance. Jacob’s place in his family of origin is damaged thru his own sinfulness. Being in close proximity becomes dangerous for him and he runs away. He is cut off from his own family and faith community and yet, through the mighty acts of God, Jacob becomes the link between their long history and their deepest hopes for the future. Later on in Jacob’s story, he will be re-named “Israel.” No matter how alone he may have felt, and even before he knew it, Jacob belonged to something greater than himself. He tricked his brother and father to gain an undeserved birthright and is now the one through whom the entire human family will be blessed. But, let’s remember that Jacob is not an entirely new person. He is flawed and so are we have devoted our lives to love and serve the Lord, we sin. We commit acts that harm others and we fail to come to the assistance of those who need us. Day by day, I am reminded of the chorus of a little song that witnesses to that reality: “Grace grace, God’s grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all my sin.” The other idea I want to lift up is the question of place, of the distance between God and human beings. All of our texts today testify to the very present nature of God. God is with us. Always. And everywhere. There is nowhere we can go to escape, hide or hope God forgets about us or gives up on us. This is our great good news. Sometimes the presence of God overwhelms us. These are the thin places the Celts talked about. These are the moments that shape us, that tell us who God is and who we are to God. Maybe these times are so profound that we feel compelled to do something to set them apart. We set up memorials. Like Jacob took his stone pillow and set it up as a monument. My friend, David, says the little chapel that is secreted away on the ground floor of Trinity Episcopal Church is one of those places for him. It is a place that he experienced a vivid experience of God’s presence and love. For me, it’s the moment the mountains come into view at the intersection of Black Mountain Road and Cherry Street in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It always takes my breath away. Do you know what a cairn is? It is a pile of rocks set up as a memorial to a special person or place or moment of importance. Cairn is a Scottish word. Cairns have been made since prehistoric times. In modern times, they are used as monuments, but they could also mark a burial site. They have been used for ceremonial purposes, to mark trails, or for use in astronomy. Friends of mine recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by hiking a favorite trail, reflecting on their life and love in all its challenges. Then they built a cairn to remember this milestone, and their hopes for another forty years and to give thanks to God. How would you build your cairn? What experiences do you want to remember forever? How do you want your family and friends to remember you? Where have you encountered God…where has God run you to ground? This red brick building on the corner of Main and Park in Barboursville is a cairn of sorts. It is the testimony to the faith and vision of the first church members. A lot has changed since then. A few more stones have been added to the first pile. What are they? Where are they? Who carried them to this site and worked them into form and function? Some of us have been overwhelmed by nostalgia in recent weeks. The Beverly Hills property has come under contract and will soon be sold. There are some cairns in and around that building as well as this and every church home. Some of my favorites are the hand-painted dishes in the curio cabinet in the parlor. Some of the church women went to Fenton glass and learned to paint on china. The women have all joined the Church Triumphant since, but on the rare occasion that a relative visits, they make their way to the parlor to check and see if we still have Mother’s plate. The tears always come as they stand looking at a tangible connection to a spiritual presence. And, the gap is closed. Today, I invite you to come build a cairn. Take up a rock or more and let’s leave a memorial to this day and to our God who has been with us for over one hundred years, in our work and in our play, in our joys and in our sorrows, in our disappointments and in our dreams and in what is still to come. Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Lord God, of heaven and earth, we praise you with thanksgiving and joy, for you create and sustain and redeem all things. We thank you for making us in your image, and sending Jesus, your Son, whose life of love and mercy is the pattern for our lives. We thank you for your energy behind all things, for your Spirit to inspire us in this season of challenge and change. Strengthen us in the days ahead, show us how to adapt to new ways of worship, service, and fellowship. We pray for those who lead this and all the nations of the world, that they may work for the well-being of the people entrusted to them, with hearts, minds, and intentions to improve the lives of all the world’s peoples; for teachers and others whose plans for the fall cannot yet be confirmed; for those in the healing professions, that they remain healthy, alert, and dedicated to their patient; for all whose incomes have been diminished or lost as a result of the pandemic; for families trying to cope with the stress of caring for restless children during a long, hot summer; for young people, that they may not be tempted by destructive activities when boredom sets in; for the poor, the hungry, those seeking shelter, the sick, the forgotten; for those we lift now, who are in need of your presence and love and care… Eternal God, keep us in the embrace of your care, that we mayserve you faithfully, with cheerful hearts, praying as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen. *Blessing Go now, with your hope set on Christ. Let the Spirit guide you. Let your righteousness shine like the sun until darkness and light are one. And wherever you go, whether you scale the highest heavens or plunge to the depths, may God’s presence be known to you, may Christ Jesus welcome you into his embrace, and may the Spirit assure you that you are beloved. *Postlude Announcement: Worship services will resume at Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church, 955 Main Street, Barboursville, WV, on July 12, 2020, at 11:00AM. Weather permitting, we will meet outside. Safety precautions will be observed, including the wearing of masks and physical distancing. We will continue to offer worship through the church website for those who prefer to remain at home at this time. Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church Barboursville, West Virginia June 21, 2020 Father’s Day6/20/2020
Prelude This Is My Father’s World Text: Maltbie D. Babcock
Music: Franklin L. Sheppard Photography: Ed Harkless Call to Worship Psalm 68 Come, sing praises to God! Rejoice in God’s presence, for he is our God: Father to the fatherless, and the defender of all who need protection; the One in whom the lonely find a home. and the prisoner finds release! Hymn His Eye is on the Sparrow Text: Civilla Durfee Martin Music:Charles H. Gabriel This hymn is based on Matthew 10:29-30 and Luke 12:6-7, inspired by a woman who had endured much illness. It was first sung in public at the Royal Albert Hall, London, during an evangelistic service in 1905. Glory to God, 2013, Westminster John Knox Press Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home? When Jesus is my portion. My constant friend is he; his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Refrain I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. “Let not your heart be troubled,” his tender word I hear, and resting on his goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; though by the path he leadeth, but one step I may see: his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Refrain Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, when song gives way to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to him; from care he sets me free: his eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me. Refrain Old Testament Reading Proverbs 6: 20-22 Gospel Reading Matthew 10:24-39 Message Lloyd Watson was the 10th of 14 children growing up on a farm in Oklahoma. He was drafted in 1943 at age 18. His unit crossed the English Channel into France in December 1944 and he was soon thrust into combat. His unit relocated to Belgium when the Battle of the Bulge began. Sgt. Watson was a mortar platoon leader, battling the aggressive German defensive. He recalled how, under heavy shelling, he and a fellow Oklahoman began digging their foxholes, getting their first glimpse of the horrors of war in the dead lying all around them. Giving a speech at his local public library many years later, he credited growing up on the family farm for being able to survive the German attack. “My dad was a strict person, not severe, but strict. He would send us out to do a job, and we didn’t dare come back in and say this happened or that happened, or I just couldn’t get that done. We used our ingenuity to overcome the problem and see that the job got done.” Maybe you can identify with this story. I sure do. My siblings and I were always expected to help with household chores and maintenance, inside and out, in good weather and bad, and excuses weren’t tolerated. Lloyd Watson’s point about ingenuity really struck home. That was one of my dad’s favorite occupations…he loved a challenge and would study it, research it, talk to others about it, and then in exaggerated, and sometimes painfully slow detail, explain just exactly how we were going to approach the project. He had a favorite saying, which I’ll clean up for church: “Well, we can do that, but it’s gonna be a real-----!” In today’s text, Jesus prepares to send the disciples out into the mission field. He levels with them: it will be hard work. They will encounter opposition and even violence. But, regardless of the challenges, he expects them to get the job done. Matthew includes this story in his gospel to encourage the early Christian missionaries. These new believers were going out into the world and would face abuse and rejection. Matthew wants them to know that the good news is God is with them and will equip them for their work. A few months ago, we were planning a trip to England. The Coronavirus put an end to those plans. But weeks before the scheduled trip, we began to pack, laying out shoes and jackets and counting pairs of socks, and making sure we had European electric adapters. Jesus tells his trainees how to pack. They are to travel light. No bag, no money, no belt, no extras. But before he sends them on their way, he huddles with them awhile, and they share a moment of deep communion. There was, in that time, a rabbinic form of teaching called, “string of beads.” This involves the teacher giving a series of proverbial statements, admonitions, and advice, strung together along the thread of a single theme. The beads Jesus strings, in this text, are instructions about succeeding in getting the job done when the disciples carry the gospel message into the world on their own. Here are a few of those sayings. Remember, his objective was to assure them that they could fulfill their mission, even when faced with adversity or worse.
Some of these statements are rightly called “the hard sayings of Jesus.” There’s a sermon or three about those. Because it seems Jesus is saying that the disciples have to turn their backs on all they’ve known and loved and depended on, all they have worked hard to acquire or achieve, to be faithful to Jesus. Leave your family, behind. And your creature comforts, and your corner office with a view, and your platinum American Express Card. In the days of the early Church, these missionaries had a singular purpose: to announce that the kingdom of heaven, that they had expected for generations, had arrived in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. It was important that they have as few distractions and as little baggage as possible. This is the purpose, in some faith groups, in pastors, priests, and nuns taking vows of poverty.
All these statements speak to the circumstances they will encounter and how faithful people are to address them. These statements are strung together like beads on a thematic thread. Jesus wants his followers to wear these beads around their necks as they leave the community that has inspired them and strengthened them and bound them together, as they go into the hostile world. A few years ago, we lost a beloved member of our extended family. Bob Zopp. Bob was my brother-in-law’s father. Bob, or Coach Zopp, as he was better known, was well-loved and respected in the Greenbrier Valley. He coached a number of sports, but his best-loved game was football. He was head coach at Greenbrier East for many years. He loved young people, and many a testimony was shared during Bob’s lifetime that credited him with guiding one student after another into a life of faith and integrity and purpose. He loved teaching and the school environment so much that he worked as a substitute teacher well into his 80s. Bob was a devoted supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He worked with others to make summer sports camps available to young people. He traveled for the organization and became friends with people whose names you hear on Sunday afternoon TV in the fall. But, none of that changed Bob, or turned his head. He was a humble man. Because his identity began with a simple truth: he was a child of God and a sinner saved by grace. And his response to that grace was a full and joyful life. He laughed easily and often. He had a light countenance. At Bob’s memorial service, we opened the bulletin, and there, in Bob’s hand, were words pf instruction that he kept in his well-worn Bible. At the top was written: “How to become a Christian.”
Express sorrow, or repentance, for your sinfulness. Ask Him to forgive your sins. Invite Jesus into your life as Savior and Lord. Thank Him for entering your life. Commit yourself to live for Him. This was Bob’s string of beads. His call and his creed. His purpose. What is on your string of beads? Pastoral Prayer Concluding with the Lord’s Prayer Good and gracious God, you have reached out to us in our distress and lifted us up. You give us new life and we are thankful. For some the past week has been good, but for others, it has brought trouble, disappointment, or hardship. We ask for a sense of your loving presence to accompany all your people, dear Lord. Heal our wounded spirits, calm our troubled dreams, bring peace to the unsettled, especially in those places where there is great division and violence. This day we lift to you the names of our fathers and those who have been like fathers to us. We thank you for their faithful lives, their generous spirits, their patience and support. We pray, too, for those who have not lived up to the role of father. Help us to forgive any human failing and remind us that you are our heavenly parent, in whose image we are made and for whom we live each day. We lift to you those who are in need, in body, mind or circumstance. Bear with us, Lord, as we find our way through this difficult time in our nation and in the wider world. Guide our steps as we plan our return to the church for worship. Increase in us compassion, humility, insight and understanding, looking to the example of Jesus, our brother, who taught us to pray, Our Father…Amen. Blessing As you go from here, remember that we are sons and daughters of God. We have been adopted into God’s family, and have become God’s heirs, and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. So, go in peace and confidence, in the love of God, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.. Amen. Postlude Prelude There Is a Redeemer Text and music: Melody Green
Mark Baker Call to Worship 1 John 4:9, 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that God loved us and sent God’s Son into the world so that we might live through him. Hymn Lord, Speak to Me that I May Speak Text: Frances Ridley Havergal; Music: Robert Schumann Lord, speak to me that I may speak in living echoes of your tone. As you have sought, so let me seek, your erring children lost and lone. O teach me, Lord, that I may teach the precious truths which you impart, and wing my words that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart. O fill me with your fullness, Lord, until my very heart overflows, in kindling thought and glowing word, your love to tell, your praise to show. Prayer of the Day Almighty God, you have called us to serve you, yet without your grace, our efforts are insufficient.. Grant that your Holy Spirit may direct our hearts in all things, and lead us in the ways of peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. Scripture Readings Psalm 32:8 Philippians 4:9 Thessalonians 5:11 Message As we move into the summer, I am taking a brief detour from preaching from the lectionary texts. For today, I have selected some verses from the Psalms and Paul’s letters to the early Church to guide our thoughts. When I was in seminary, a long time ago, I spent some time each summer on the campus in Philadelphia. We sometimes took field trips. One day we rode the train into center city Philadelphia. One of the first things I noticed was that the other passengers were largely quiet. Many had their faces hidden from view by the morning paper. As we were walking from one place to the next, a classmate came along beside me. He was one of the international students from Romania. Very friendly. Full of energy. He made a comment that I seemed to have left my smile back in the dormitory. That was pretty much accurate. Being in such a big city is intimidating and I was trying to pay special attention to our route in case, heaven forbid, I got lost. He said, “Let’s try an experiment. When we pass the next person, we will smile and see if they smile back.” I was game and played along. On a sunny summer day in center city Philly, on a busy sidewalk, we looked into the eyes of those we passed and simply smiled. The results were mixed. No. That’s not right. It was disappointing…few people smiled in return or even acknowledged our presence. Now maybe there was a reason they were so somber and disinterested. Maybe some were not feeling well. Maybe they were under pressure at work. Maybe there was trouble at home. Maybe… We have had to adapt to changing circumstances in these past several months. You may not have found much to smile about. I’m sorry about that. Because we are not together on a weekly basis, we are all feeling a little down. Human beings, after all, are created to be together. I have done a little research this week and I want to share with you the results. Smiling can transform our outlook. Psychologists and scientists have argued for years that emotions can be regulated by behavior. We usually think the opposite to be true. That we smile in response to being happy. And that is so, but, scientists say we can also create happiness by the simple act of forming a smile. When a person smiles, it triggers physiological changes in the brain that cool the blood. This helps control our mood, and we are likely to experience a feeling of happiness or satisfaction. We can interpret this as changing our inward emotions by changing our outward expression. What we feel in our hearts comes out in our behavior, and how we act over time is what we become. Consistently reminding ourselves to smile throughout the day may eventually change our hearts. When our hearts change, the way we encounter the world changes. We see life as less intimidating and more like an opportunity that awaits us. Louis Armstrong use to sing, “When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you.” He was onto something. Neuroscience has shown that merely seeing a smile, or a frown, activates mirror neurons in the brain that mimic the emotions. When someone smiles at us, we smile back, and vice-versa. This theory has caught on in a number of industries, including the hospitality business. I am told that at Walt Disney World, employees are to adhere to the “10/5 Rule.” When employees are within ten feet of a guest, they must make eye contact and smile. When they get within five feet of the guest, they must say, “Hello.” The guests almost always return the greeting. No wonder it’s called the “happiest place on earth.” Why do I share this today? Because for several weeks past and many more into the future, we have been wearing masks in public to help control the Coronavirus. Our smiles can be covered up, if we smile at all. Under that mask, you may be experiencing all sorts of thoughts and feelings. Anger, fear, anxiety, irritation. Masks are hot, they mess up your makeup, and the elastic bands can leave the fragile skin behind your ears abraded. But, maybe you will have an experience like Rev. Susan Sparks of New York City. When she and her husband donned masks and back-packs and set about to grocery shop one day, they passed many similarly-attired people. Most wore flat expressions. But, one young woman looked right at them and smiled. And both Susan and her husband smiled back. They didn’t even think about it. It was a natural response. Now, if the girl was wearing a mask, how did Susan know the girl smiled? Because she “Smized.” If you’ve ever watched “America’s Next Top Model,” “smize” means smiling with your eyes. And in this era of Covid 19, this era of wearing masks, and adapting to contingency plans, when we are under advice to maintain a safe distance and not engage in any public displays of affection like handshaking or hugging, what could be more important to our mental health, to our spiritual heath, than to smize? So, smize, and I will bet that the whole world will smize with you. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer God of goodness and grace, we give you thanks for all things, especially your love that has been poured into our hearts through your Holy Spirit. Nothing is too wonderful for you. You brought the whole creation into being and set us in it. You promised your fruit to those with withered dreams. The fulfillment of your promises came in your Son, Jesus, who revealed your love and compassion for all the world, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing the sick and broken of all that afflicts them. In the fullness of love, he gave his life for us and made a way for us to join him in your realm. Forgive our wayward and foolish ways and turn us toward our Savior in gratitude for grace given. Today we thank you for occasions of joy in our community: for birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings. We give thanks for the smaller, quieter blessings revealed every day. We pray for the sick, the tired, the poor and helpless. Equip us, your hands, feet, and voices on earth, to help meet the needs of our neighbors near and far. Wrap you comfort around the hearts of the troubled, the bereaved, the worried and fearful ones, and assure them of your abiding presence. We pray these things in Jesus’ name and for his sake, saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing Laughingbird.net The Lord seeks willing workers for the harvest. Therefore go out into the world; proclaim the good news of the nearness of God; call all who will hear to wholeness, to life, to God’s Shalom. And may God pour love into your hearts; may Christ Jesus open the way of grace to you; and may the Holy Spirit work through all things to build you up in endurance, character, and hope. Amen.. Postlude Though I May Speak Text: Hal Hobson; Music: Irish Melody Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church Barboursville, West Virginia Trinity Sunday June 7th, 20206/6/2020
Call to Worship Carmina Gadelica, Vol. III
Bless to me, O God, each thing mine eye sees; Bless to me, O God, each sound mine ear hears. Bless to me, O God, each fragrance that goes to my nostrils, the Three that seek my living soul. Bless to me, O God, each taste that goes to my lips, each note that goes to my song, each ray that guides my way, each thing I pursue, each lure that tempts my will. The zeal that seeks my living soul; the Three that seek my heart; the zeal that seeks my living soul; the Three that seek my heart. *Hymn Morning Has Broken Glory to God, Gaelic melody; Text: Eleanor Farjeon John McAlister 1 Morning has broken like the first morning; blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing fresh from the Word! 2 Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass. 3 Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning! Born of the one light Eden saw play! Praise with elation! Praise every morning! God’s recreation of the new day! Scripture Reading Genesis 1: 1-2:4 Matthew 28:16-20 Message Today is Trinity Sunday, when we celebrate God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; or God the Creator, God the Redeemer, and God the Sustainer. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts to explain. So, I will simply say that God the Creator, whom some call Father, some call Mother, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit, have existed together from before the beginning of the created world. We can hear this in the Genesis text and in the gospel lesson. The term “Trinity” does not appear in Scripture. It is a concept that took shape in the early Church to explain the relationship of God and human beings in those three distinct ways. Today also focuses our attention on the creation story, the work of God, accomplished in the span of six days, as explained by the author of Genesis. The seasons of the year are some of our best evidence of the creative power of God. My husband is an amateur photographer. To be a good photographer, you have to have a good eye, recognizing the play of color and shape and position, dimension and all those factors that together form an image that draws attention. He likes taking pictures in nature, and loves shooting waterfalls. When I am with him on one of his adventures, if I am not cold or wet, my mind often recalls these words describing the Creation, how vast and expansive and magnificent it all is. All the elements of nature having their genesis in the mind of God. All of it. And I can’t even raise a blade of grass without the mind of God to give it its form and function and life. We try to capture it thru a camera’s lens. Did you notice as we read this text, that when God completes his work each day, leans back and considers the result, God pronounces it “good.” The day God created man and woman, God pronounced them “Very good.” In the last week or so, I have been troubled by what feels like to me, that we, the human race, have ignored the gifts that God so carefully designed, human beings, and have become adversaries of one another. Widespread restlessness, born of racial injustice, anger and pain, have come rushing like the mighty wind of Pentecost, across this nation. And I wonder what God feels when his children are at war with one another in this way? Tearing asunder what God so lovingly wrought. The creation God pronounced “good.” What has been identified as a race-based murder, has prompted a week of protests, some peaceful and inspiring, and some that erupted in grievous violence. We have heard words seldom used in our time: curfew, tear gas, rubber bullets, riot gear. What has become of our nation? Where do we turn for help, for reconciliation, for peace? A public figure being interviewed this week says she tells people to be hopeful. This world God created is good, very good. That has not changed. God still creates. God still redeems. God still comforts and sustains. We will emerge from these conflicted times and hopefully be better citizens. But, she was asked, where do we find hope? She says hope is found where it always is, between faith and charity (love.) We recognize this from the love chapter in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. “Faith, hope, love abide, these three. But the greatest of these is love.” So, with faith as our sure foundation, and acts of love our goal, where do we start to turn this around? I found these words by Rev. Stephen Bryant of the Upper Room Ministries helpful: He writes, “The call of Christ leads us to share in his life, his suffering, and his ministry, to do each day what he would do in our place. And he asks the question we are all asking, “Where do we begin?” What would Christ do in our place today? He suggests three practices:
As Ed and I watched the news this week, all 25 hours a day of it, we kept saying to each other, “We’ve been there.” Usually with students. Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Columbia, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, where our daughters live, and other U. S. cities all the way to Los Angeles. We prayed for the protesters, that they would be safe and not act in ugly and destructive ways. And we did the same for the law enforcement officers. We witnessed violence and we saw evidence that animosity is thinly disguised and can easily erupt with little provocation. This is no way to care for the world God created and called “good.” When our grandson visited a few weeks ago, he loved standing at our patio doors and watching for wildlife from the woods behind our home to show up. Baby bunnies, birdies, as he called them, a lizard. We don’t have a bird feeder, so we made an impromptu one for Thomas-bread crumbs scattered on the top rails of our deck. For hours, he would watch with anticipation, and when a forest friend showed up , he would jump and bounce and point and call out trying to have a conversation with them. Waving at them, hoping to coax them to come closer. Pure delight. We have a lot to learn from children. Thomas seemed to know instinctively where hope was. Right there between faith and love. And as a result, he delighted at the appearance of creatures unlike him, who navigated the world unlike him. Who didn’t speak his language. But it was all good. It was very good. Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer God of our past and our future, Trinitarian God, we come before you with grateful hearts, trusting that you will walk with us through all the seasons of our lives, including this strange time of illness and isolation, and his dreadful time of unrest, sadness, grief, and anger. You are still the God of history and God of the world you made and pronounced good. Hear us as we pray for your world and the people who dwell in it: We pray for all those who face danger and despair, those who suffer the effects of the pandemic, those who are hungry and hurting while the world is distracted, those people who have been abused and places damaged by the current unrest and violence, all who have no say, no agency, in the direction of their lives, those who will be called on to repair breaches of all kinds, We pray for those whom we hold dear to us… We pray for all those working to relieve suffering everywhere. We pray for ourselves, our eyes freshly opened, that you will forgive our sins of hatred, oppression, and injustice, and inspire within us renewed intention to seek the ways of the Prince of Peace, who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing May God bless you this week, from morning’s waking til night’s folding. Bless your comings and your goings, the spinning of your labor and lives. May the ones you meet, even those with whom you compete, be the better for it. God bless thius week. God bless this journey God bless your work and your leisure. Amen. William John Fitzgerald, A Contemporary Celtic Prayer Book, Assisting Christians to Act, Chicago, IL, 1998. Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church Barboursville, West Virginia May 31, 2020 The Day of Pentecost5/29/2020
Greeting Caroline True, Elder
Call to Worship The Lord said: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth. Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia! Prayer for Pentecost True and only Light, from whom comes every good gift, send your Spirit into our lives with the power of your wind. Open the horizons of our minds by the flame of your wisdom. Loosen our tongues to show your praise, for only in your Spirit can we voice your words of peace and acclaim Jesus as Lord. Amen. Duet It is Well With My Soul Horatio Spafford, Text Philip Bliss, Music Nancy and Katie Jackson Japanese translation by Lucah Jackson This beautiful hymn was written following a series of traumatic events in the life of Horatio Spafford and his family. In the face of grief and loss, the hymn is a stirring testimony to the healing power and presence of God. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul, with my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul Lord, hasten the day when our faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll. The trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend. Even so it is well with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul, with my soul. It is well, it is well, with my soul. Acts 2 :1-4 I hope you enjoy this interpretation of Acts 2, verses 1-4, as imagined by a special six-year-old. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all gathered together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Scripture Reading Acts 2:42-47 I commend to you the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2, in its entirety. I selected this passage for today as it reflects something of the life and history of this church. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the flavor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. The Word Proclaimed There Was a Knock at the Door We hope you enjoy this account of the Spirit’s gracious intervention in the early days of Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church, as witnessed by our first faithful members. On April 18, 1918, the five remaining members of the James I. Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church of Barboursville, met in the home of Mrs. P. A. Vallandingham, wife of the local banker, to draw up a declaration of dissolution. The church had been organized in 1914 with 11 members. One by one they had died or moved away, and the Rev. J. D. Coleman’s time of a night service a month in someone’s home could be better spent elsewhere. Mr. F. I. Updyke, a deacon, led in prayer. Mrs. Vallandingham sat at the table to record a motion of disbandment. But before she could write, there was a knock at the door…Mrs. Vallandingham answered to find a man and his wife and three children standing without, lately arrived in town, and hearing the Presbyterians were having a meeting at her house, had come asking to become members. They were welcomed in. Mrs. Vallandingham turned the paper of resolution over and wrote their names on the back of it- to be written into the church roll as new members. So within a matter of two or three minutes, the membership of James I. Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church was doubled. The meeting was dismissed and the church struggled on its way. And the new family, whose name is lost from the fields of memory, were never told of the original purpose of the meeting. Frank Ball, The Barboursville Bulletin, 1977 Pastoral Prayer Including the Lord’s Prayer Eternal God, by your Holy Spirit you have given life to this earth, and brought new life to Christ’s Church. You have blessed your people with remarkable gifts and call them to share generously with others. On this day, we thank you for those who proclaim your gospel message; those who govern and guide your Church; those who wait on others in need; those who teach in the spirit of wisdom and truth; those who provide music, art, and drama; those who work for unity in the Church; those who bravely reach across barriers to encourage peace and understanding; those who do menial tasks; those who care for children, visit the lonely, and the home-bound. Merciful God, you have called us by your grace and empower us to show your love. Help us to show that love to the poor, hungry, and homeless; to those suffering from illness, including the Coronavirus; those who live in places of strife and warfare; refugees and victims of oppression; those who are newly bereaved and sorrowing; the imprisoned or confined; the uneducated and underserved; those who are abandoned and outcast; those who are persecuted for their loyalty to Christ; and all those we name before you now… We pray as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father…Amen. Blessing Spirit of the Living God Daniel Iverson Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. The gifts of the Spirit are many and we extend our thanks to all those who contributed their gifts to the preparation of this service of worship. |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives |
