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Prelude
Welcome and Announcements Call to Worship Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. We come to worship the holy One who meets us where we are. We come to open ourselves to God, who lifts us up. *Hymn 32 I Sing the Mighty Power of God Prayer of Confession and Old Testament Reading Psalm 130 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Men: Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! Women: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who could stand? But, there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. All: My soul waits for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning. More than those who watch for the morning. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. Believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Be at peace. Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Luke 12:13-21 Morning Message It was on a Christmas Eve in the mid-1960’s that I learned the ugly truth about my dad and my three uncles on that side of the family. They were thieves. Their crime? They conspired to ruin Christmas Eve for the rest of us who had gathered that night. My grandmother always hosted Christmas Eve dinner at her house. Everyone contributed, but, she took on the biggest part of the meal preparation. And, though all the dishes were good, one thing was all by itself…her graham cracker pie. Truly. I’ve sampled graham cracker pie every time I’ve encountered one since 1974 and none can compare. There were always graham cracker pies on Christmas Eve. The best. But back to the theft. To insure that they would get enough pie to satisfy their appetites, the men in the family had absconded with the graham cracker pies. After all, there were cake and cookies a-plenty on the dining room buffet. “Let them eat cake!” I’m sure one of them must have exclaimed. Dinner was served and enjoyed. Then my grandmother suggested we hold off on dessert until we opened our Christmas presents. There was an immediate whine from the kids’ table. She relented and said it would be ok to help ourselves to one of the giant sugar cookies from the buffet. Soon after, the living room was covered with paper and ribbon, the kids playing with new toys. My grandmother handed each of the women their gifts, then said to the men, “Boys, you’ll have to help me with your gifts.” And she led them to a closet where she removed four graham cracker pies…and handed one to each of them. I can still hear the laughter bursting from my mom and my aunts as they realized what had happened. And I can still see the sheepish expressions on the men’s faces. They were busted. Grandmother had been onto them the whole time. And the most remarkable thing of all was that she never scolded or shamed them for their transgression. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down with us and enjoyed a piece of purloined pie that had suddenly shown up. In total, there were six pies on the table that night. More than anyone could eat. Where some had anticipated scarcity, there was abundance. I always cringe when this text comes up in the lectionary. I may not grow wheat or build barns to hold it on our property, but, I have far more stuff than I need. In fact, I have more than I can ever use or even keep track of. Speaking only for myself, I think it could be classified as sinful. I have a bad habit of changing purposes without cleaning them out. So, om a shelf in our closet are several purses with an assortment of tissues, lipsticks, cough drops, and change. Lots of change. Qw try to do a deep clean of our bedrooms in the summer. We are behind this year. One summer day when Caroline was still at home, I bribed her into cleaning out those purses. “If you clean out my purses, you can keep all the change you find.” Deal. It was an all-day process and when she was finished, Caroline says, “Mom, you may want to change your mind on letting me keep the change.” It was nearly $300.00. We know the folly of the man in Jesus’ parable. How much you identify or don’t identify with him is a matter of examining your own conscience. I’m the last person in the room to judge. Which is why I’d like to set the parable aside for a moment to consider the deeper issue Jesus raises: “This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” It is awkward to preach about wealth, money, possessions, legacies. And yet, one scholar says that one out of every ten verses in the gospels is about the human quest for treasure, power, or position. The Greek word for greed is “pleonexia.” It means the “insatiable desire for more.” In our culture, earning, spending, saving, investing are all vital components to our economy. At times of economic peril, we may be encouraged to spend, get some more money circulating for everyone’s benefit. Awhile back, I mentioned something about my iphone needing a new screen and my husband immediately said I was due for an upgrade and we should go shopping for a new phone. This is life as we know it today. All of which contributes to the tension demonstrated by Jesus’ warning. Rev. Kate Wesch, a married mother of two, says that she spends considerable time listening to her own worried voice, the one fretting about car payments, insurance, the price of feeding a family of four, medical bills, piano lessons, school trips. You know the litany. You’ve lived it, too. But, sometimes, in a moment of quiet, she hears another voice, this one more urgent than the other: she says all the stuff in the world can’t drown out the voice of God reminding her to nurture her soul, to seek the purpose for her life and how she can be rich toward God. Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor says about this parable: “My guess is that every person here has a different purpose, a different way of being rich toward God. Some people really do need to quit their soul-deadening jobs and find work that is richer in purpose. But a whole lot of other people could wake up to the purpose that is available to them in their lives right now. One of the saddest things in the world is to talk with someone who believes that what he or she does is small change in God’s pocket, not even worth counting. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing.” Our family has had a few furry friends over the years. One was a collie. A collie with fleas. What a mess. We could not get ahead of the fleas. This was before the flea plus heartworm medication was available. We had to call in an exterminator. One day when the technician was treating our house, I said, “When I get to heaven I’m going to ask God why he created fleas. They can’t possibly serve any purpose.” To which the technician just smiled and said, “Well ma’am, when I get to heaven, I’m going to thank God for my job.” No vocation is small change in God’s pocket. Taylor goes on to say, “The world is in need of mending and no stitch is too small. It is possible to pick up straw for God, to diaper a baby, or roof a house or sit in a wheelchair and be a friend for the love of God. The important thing is to sense how your life and God’s life are flowing in the same direction…” and if they are not, then set your intentions to “help God mend the world and mend you while you are at it. Until then, if you have to be greedy, be greedy for love. Be greedy for justice, and wisdom, and significance. That way, when it comes time to show God what is in your treasure chest, there won’t be any doubt in either of your minds that, you are rich, rich, rich.”* And the purses? A deal is a deal. She kept the change. Barbara Brown Taylor. “Treasure Hunt: Luke 12:13-21.” *Hymn 175 Seek Ye First *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Lord of abundance, help us who have received so freely from you, to give as freely in our turn, and so, have the pleasure of giving as well as the joy of receiving. Amen. *Hymn 318 In Christ There Is No East or West *Blessing Go out and imitate God, living in love. Put your hope in God’s Word and let your own words be truthful and constructive. Though sin may stir your anger, never let anger cause you to sin. And may God always hear your voice. May Christ Jesus raise you to new life; and may the Holy Spirit nourish you for the life of love and grace. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Psalm 95 O come, let us sing to the Lord! Shout to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into God’s presence with thanksgiving, singing joyful songs of praise. *Hymn 482 Baptized in Water Prayer of Confession Mighty and merciful God, you have called us to be your people and claimed us for the service of Jesus Christ. We confess that we have not lived up to our calling. We have been timid and frightened disciples, forgetful of your powerful presence, ignoring the strength of your Spirit among us. O God, forgive us in our weakness, strengthen us anew, and gift us with everything we need to fulfill our common calling, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. *Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. May the God of mercy, who forgives all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen. Old Testament Reading Psalm 103 Pew Bible p. Time With Our Young Disciples New Testament Reading Luke 10: 25-37 Pew Bible p. Morning Message “There are different gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different kinds of service, but it is the same Lord. There are different types of working, but, in all of them, and in everyone, it is the same God at work.” Today is a special day when we celebrate God’s call to John, Bonnie, Nancy, Connie, Judy, and Tim to serve the Lord and his church as elders-ordained, set aside, for particular tasks. We know what some of those tasks will be. They will help the church to continue in worship, study, fellowship, and service. They will do some things the ways they have always been done, but, if we have learned anything in the past four years, we have learned that life is dynamic, unpredictable, often challenging but, also full of opportunity. So the session will do some things differently than in the past. I have come to believe that it is in those unplanned moments that we learn and grow and draw closer to the people God created us to be. I’ve been reflecting on some unplanned moments recently. We were in Winston-Salem awhile back, to see our daughter and her family. It is a “his, hers, and ours” type of family. After an evening at their pool, we headed home for a late dinner. The oldest of the kids is fourteen. He picked up his fork and says to us, “I don’t really know what to call you. What would you prefer?” Neither of us was anticipating the question, nor the hugs that followed, nor the warmth that flooded our faces, and the lump in the throat. Unplanned, but, a blessing indeed. We have gained another grandson, which makes three plus a granddaughter. Thank you, Lord. No, he won’t call us Fifi and PaPaw. Ed and Cinda will do just fine. And we hope that all our unplanned, unexpected events will present themselves in such a good way. There are some things that do stay the same, are planned, for this new configuration of the session and all the sessions in the past and in the future. God called each elder into service. Service on the session is not just taking a turn on the board of directors. When we stand before the congregation, deacons, elders, and ministers all answer the same ordination questions. Ordination is for life, for the whole church. When an elder is not serving on the session, they are still eligible to perform many functions of ministry, such as serving as clerk, attending meetings of presbytery, serving a presbytery or higher office. A new opportunity is that a Ruling Elder may administer Communion in their church of membership provided they have session approval and complete the required instruction. Two of our elders are fully qualified to do this. We will make decisions in a particular way. We are Presbyterian, not episcopal or congregational. Episcopal types of churches authorize their bishops to make decisions for the congregation. Congregational churches make decisions by action of the entire membership. The pastor is not a voting member. In the Presbyterian Church, the whole congregation votes to call or dissolve pastoral relationships, but, most decisions are made by the session, a group of people elected by the congregation for this work. A lot of trust is placed in the session. To that end, the session works together seeking the mind of Christ in all they do. Each member of the session will be eligible to attend meetings of presbytery as a commissioner. They can participate by voice and vote and can help shape the life of the presbytery. The Presbytery of West Virginia meets four times a year around the presbytery and by Zoom for those who can’t attend in person. The General Assembly recently met in Salt Lake City and the presbytery meets at the Highlawn Church in Huntington on August 17th. Presbyters, or elders, are commissioners, not delegates. This is something of which we must remind ourselves from time to time, especially in times of disagreement. Whether we are serving on the session or a higher governing body, we seek to find the will of Christ, not the will of those who elected us. While their opinions may certainly influence us, they do not bind us. When we gather together as a governing body, we pray for God’s guidance, listen to discussion and debate, and then vote as we are led by the Spirit. Speaking of voting, that is an action that is addressed in a book called, “Parliamentary Procedures in the Presbyterian Church (USA).” The author, Marianne Wolfe expresses our purpose and practices in this way: The rights and the unity of the body shall be preserved; the will of the majority will prevail; the rights of the minority shall be protected. We bear in mind that Christ alone is head of the church and is to be honored by all of our actions. We are a constitutional church, informed by the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. We believe that our life together is best when lived with a disciplined concern for order. The contents of each part of the Constitution are more than a collection of rules. They are evidence of how we understand God’s will for our faith and lives. While the session takes care of matters of business, they must do so with a spirit of compassion. In some churches, deacons are assigned the responsibility for ministries of compassion and care. In churches which have a unicameral, or single body of leaders, such as Kuhn, the session takes on those responsibilities, too. Ed and I like to say we have a mixed marriage: he comes from a General Motors family, and I come from a Ford family. We have had mostly friendly disagreements about cars. And…try as they might, every session encounters moments of disagreement. We don’t all drive the same make of car, so it is reasonable that we should differ on matters that come to our attention. Way back in 1788, when the church in the United States was young, Presbyterians recognized that “there are truths and forms with respect to which men (people) of good character and principles may differ.” When that occurs, we need to exercise “mutual forebearance”. Disagreement is not a bad thing when it is expressed in ways that do not disturb the peace, unity, and purity of the church. We are a connectional church. Each congregation is part of a web of relationships in our Presbyterian family. In part, this means that each congregation and each session is accountable to the larger church through the presbytery. We submit reports annually that are a witness to our activities and health of our congregation. Likewise, the presbytery and synod report to the next higher governing bodies. We are all in this together. As has been the case for many churches and denominations, the pandemic changed the way we live and move and have our being. We have learned to adapt. Our call now is to move forward, embracing the opportunities and challenges set before us. This is the story of our faith, as testified in scripture: From Moses to maps, God’s people have loved and worshipped God, cared for God’s people, and demonstrated tremendous courage all in a spirit of justice, kindness, and humility. God has gifted each of our elders to meet the needs of the congregation and this community. God has gifted each and every one of you to advance to the kingdom. As I began this message, I mentioned that I’ve witnessed a couple of unplanned events, moments that were gifts to those who experienced them. The first was the special conversation we had with the fourteen year old who is our newest and oldest grandchild. This happened to someone else. It was in a moment of crisis, which had the potential to be a real disaster. I’ve spoken mamy times about my cousin who was seriously ill for several months. Among the assaults to her body over the course of a year, was a stroke and the loss of vision in one eye. She was hospitalized when it occurred. The staff acted immediately to get her emergency attention. She had to be transported. One of the staff who was attending to her told her that she was going to be ok. Even if her vision never returned, she would be ok. He was a Christian and had the same condition years before and God helped him cope and adjust to his new reality. This man kept reassuring her and she was able to gain strength and courage from him. She had no fear, which is truly remarkable. And though her health continued to deteriorate, she had no fear. And scripture tells us “perfect love casts out fear.” To which I always add, “We’re not perfect, but Jesus is.” I predict that we will have lots of opportunities to exercise that love in the year ahead. There are different gifts, but it is the same God who gives them. May it be so for all of us. *Hymn 69 Here I Am, Lord *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 * Hymn 580 Gloria Patri Service of Ordination and Installation Through the voice of the church, God has called the following church members to ordained and active service: John Ball, Bonnie Draper, Nancy McIntosh, Connie Morgan, Tim Moore, and Judy Napier Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Blessed are you, O God of all creation; through your goodness, we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and for the service of your church. Amen. *Hymn 187 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us *Blessing Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Alleluia! Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *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 667 When Morning Gilds the Skies 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 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. First Reading Psalm 3 Moments With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 13:24-30 The Morning Message In the 13th chapter of Matthew, we find a string of parables. Father Robert Capon says that the parable of the sower, the first in the chapter, is the touchstone of all parables. He notes its primacy in the synoptic gospels-Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Even the Gnostic gospel of Thomas includes the parable of the sower. This story leads to a string of parables. One of which is today’s text about wheat and weeds. I really hadn’t thought much about this parable for awhile, but, it came back in vivid detail this past week at the obedience class we are attending with our dog, Maeve. We meet in a large room, air conditioned, thank goodness. We meet twice a week and each time we meet, there are the regulars and a few newcomers. Maeve has always been the smallest dog on the training floor and the most resistant to instruction. So, the instructor calls the stars of the class to do recall, sit, heel, stay, amaze the crowd. For an hour we watch and praise CeCe and Phoebe and Hank and the others. Maeve is called to the floor. Ed, usually Ed goes thru the paces with her, moves to the other side of the room. Maeve is supposed to sit and stay and when he calls, “Maeve, come!” she is expected to race to his outstretched hand which bears a very stinky treat. The instructor says the stinkier the better for treats. Food is the motivation for training. Maybe for every other dog on the planet, but not ours. We’ve been at this for a month and we’re still trying to learn the simplest commands. We’ve tried a number of treats and nothing works. She is simply not food-motivated. We spend a lot of time on the bench while the better students take the floor. On Thursday, the cutest little K-9 officer-to-be came to class. She’s 13 weeks old. She’s a quick learner. She knows sit, stay, and down already. She loves her treats. The instructor says that’s how service dogs are selected. The ones that are food motivated are the ones they keep. I didn’t dare ask the follow up question, but I held Maeve close for the rest of the class. We had no delusions that she would be a service dog, which is a good thing, because it was clear we were solidly in the weed category. We’ll let you know how this all shakes out. She may be a weed in the dog world. but, we love her. I’ve told this story before, but it fits, so bear with me. Years ago, there was a local theatre group called Community Players. They produced a few plays each year, usually at the Abbot Theatre, which was on 14th Street West, what we now call “Central City.” Community Players was supported by patrons who appreciated the art of live productions and the seasonal offerings were much enjoyed. One of our neighbors was always urging me to audition for children’s roles. She took me to some of the productions to stimulate my interest. It worked. When I was in fifth grade, CP advertized that their fall production would be The Bad Seed, an adaptation of a novel written by William March. I remember our neighbor coming to the house with the flyer she had just received and said I was going to audition for the role of Rhoda, the young girl in the story. She would take me. Well, fine. I’d never been in a play before, but, ok, I’ll go to the auditions. To my great surprise, at the end of auditions, the director stood to announce the cast. He did so by walking up to each person cast and handed them a script. He walked up to me and placed a script in my hand. What followed was about two months of work that eventually became a play and a love for live performances of all kinds. I loved it, especially rehearsals. The Bad Seed. To make a long and twisted story short, Rhoda, a girl in grade school, looks like perfection personified. Winsome, clever, pretty- with long, blonde braids, starched pinafore, shiny shoes with taps on the heels. Remember that detail. Rhoda was a fine student. Sharp and talented. On the last day of school, awards were given to outstanding students. Rhoda was expecting the coveted penmanship medal. When the winner was announced, that medal was awarded to Claude Daigle, a boy in her class. This angered Rhoda fiercely. She hated to lose. She acted out, taunting the classmate and leading him to a dock at the edge of an open body of water. We do not see what happens next, but, by the end of school picnic, little Claude was dead. While the other children played and adults chatted, he had drowned. Strange thing, though, he had marks on his hands and on his forehead that seemed strangely like the shape of the taps on Rhoda’s shoes. By now you’ve figured out the rest of the story. Rhoda stole the medal and hid it in her room. Eventually, Rhoda’s mother, Christine, discovers the medal and other items Rhoda has stolen over time. The awful truth of her daughter’s deadly deed becomes apparent. She quickly comes to the realization her beautiful, intelligent, well-behaved daughter, has a hidden darkness in her personality, in what we would call her soul or spirit. She could not feel empathy. She had no conscience, could only feel for herself, the center of her own world. Her interactions with others were largely motivated by what that person could do for her. She was manipulative and cruel. As Christine was coming to terms with this ugly truth, she began to wonder about what caused Rhoda’s abnormal behavior. She automatically thought of her own childhood. She was adopted. Christine’s parents welcomed her into their family, loving and nurturing her. She turned out happy and well adjusted. But given the problem with her daughter, she sought out more information from her father about her birth parents. What she discovered was she was the biological child of a serial killer. Christine began to wonder if the tendency toward anti-social behavior could be inherited. Had she passed the gene to her daughter? Some psychologists adhered to that theory. Fearing what her daughter was capable of doing in the future, Christine attempts a murder-suicide. It was, in her mind, the most benevolent thing she could do. She would put an end to the bad seed. Christine succeeded in taking her own life. Rhoda survived, charming and deceiving her way into the affection of her father and grandfather. In our text, Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a farmer who sows wheat in his field. At night, an interloper sneaks onto the property and sows weeds, bad seeds if you will, among the wheat. Now, for a little Greek lesson. The word for “weed” in Greek is “zizania.” It is a very particular type of weed that looks just like wheat as it grows. You could hardly tell the difference. It looks like wheat, it appears like wheat, but it is not wheat. It can fool you. The field grows up and the servants notice there are weeds growing among the wheat. They ask the farmer is he wants them to pull the weeds. “No, no no, says the farmer. By doing so, you may pull up some wheat with the weeds. Leave it until the harvesters come. They will sort it out. They’re experts at it. They will bundle up the weeds and burn them.” This text could lead us in several directions. And as I read and studied this parable, the only way I ever heard this one interpreted was like a morality play. There are good people and bad people. Believers and non-believers. They live alongside one another until such time as the final judgment. Then they will be separated and God will save the good seed, the faithful, the pious, the tithers, those who come to church every time the doors were opened. They are the wheat in our story. But, woe be unto the bad seed, the non-conformists, the doubters and infidels. They would be destined to burn in hell for all eternity. The weeds. And when the day of judgment comes, the wheat would cluck their tongues at the weeds and say with sick satisfaction, “I told you so.” Oh, my goodness. I just don’t think it’s that cut and dried. Literally. First, the farmer was not very troubled at the presence of weeds in his field. “Let them be. It’s someone else’s job to sort them out. We really can’t tell them apart, can we?” I let this thought rumble around in my head for a few days. We can’t really tell them apart. Is it possible to distinguish the wheat from the weeds? They grow in the same soil, draw nourishment from the same soil, water, and sunlight. In a recent Christian Century magazine, I read an article I’ve been anticipating: the action taken by the Southern Baptist Convention to dis-fellowship-sever the relationship- between the national body of southern Baptist churches and those churches in particular that had female pastors or significant leaders. They were attempting to purify the denomination. Clearly, those who adhered to the ruling were labeled “wheat.” Those who did not comply and continued to have women in pastoral leadership, were deemed the “weeds.” Makes my head spin, too. But, that is the way that denomination chooses to govern itself and we have no standing there. If it works for them, then may they be faithful witnesses to the gospel as they understand it. Thankfully, the PCUSA adheres to a different understanding of who is qualified for service in the church. In A Brief Statement of Faith we affirm that the Holy Spirit calls both women and men to all ministries of the church. If a Presbyterian congregation tried to establish a “male only” pattern of calling pastors, elders, or deacons, there would surely be a mutiny. When our girls were young and still vacationed with us, we would often attend a Sunday morning church service at one of the local Presbyterian churches. One such Sunday, we went to a lovely PCUSA church at Hilton Head. We knew the senior minister, but he wasn’t there and a guest was preaching. Well, it was very strongly on the fundamentalist side, the denominational hymnal was nowhere to be found, and there was an invitation to come forward and be saved. The speaker encouraged our response by saying God can save anyone. His wife was a Catholic and God even saved her. At that, one of the girls leaned over and wrote on my bulletin, “This was your idea.!” So, now who would be labeled “Wheat” and who are the “weeds?” You can hardly tell the difference, right? In that particular church and ours, the congregation met weekly on Sundays. We both prayed, sang hymns, heard the Word read and proclaimed, received an offering and left with a blessing. We each reached out to help and support others, visited the sick, observed the Sacraments, held VBS, doled out graham crackers and juice to our kids, and rested from our labors. Like Rhoda, the bad seed, we can hardly tell the adherents of one church from adherents of the other.. They look alike, have the same routines, send their kids to the same schools. I’m interested to see what fallout will come from this move by the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in the world. At a church not far from here, a session grappled with an issue that has really caused a rift in the congregation. A child of the church, preparing for ordained ministry, has been asked to preach or lead a service of some kind. That is expected of candidates for ministry in our denomination. But, after deliberation, the session declined to approve the request to preach. Battle lines formed immediately. Any more information would reveal identities and that is beside the point. Those who supported the candidate’s request to preach obviously claim the wheat status. They see the session as weeds. Those who were not in favor of granting the request believe to do so would be hurtful to the congregation. They believed they were being faithful wheat. The whole thing is hurtful and damages the body. This does not honor God. And we can’t accuse either group of failure to love. My grandmother Stiltner loved me dearly and I loved her. But she didn’t support my call to ministry. “The Bible says a pastor is the husband of one wife. You can’t be the husband of any wife. I think you would make a good teacher.” Her proclamation had less to do with love and more to do with a faith that was based on fear of a punitive God. She was trying to keep me on God’s good side and making sure I had my fire insurance. That was how she bore witness to her faith. The point is none of us is capable of judging who’s in and who’s out, who’s a faithful believer by following the rules and who is faithful by following the Spirit into the unknown. That is a job for God alone. Scripture tells us that God gave his only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but, have everlasting life. For Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but, that the world through him might be saved. This I believe. In the end, love wins. Grace wins. It is God’s greatest desire. I pray it is so for all of us. Amen. *Hymn A Farmer In a Field Carolyn Winfrey A Farmer In a Field ST. THOMAS 6.6.8.6 ("I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord"A farmer in a field sowed good and healthy seedsBut in the cover of the night, somebody planted wThe wheat grew tall and strong, but thistles flourThe workers saw the mix of them and wondered The farmer wisely said, "They'll grow as one todaBut when we harvest all the wheat, we'll throw thO Lord, we want to know why evil prospers here Why, next to love and justice, grow such hatred, pGod, may we humbly see the harvest still is yoursAnd one day we'll be blessed to find that love is w*Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ CreedPastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Hymn 408 There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit *Blessing May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peacpower of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness! Come into God’s presence with singing! For the Lord is a gracious God, whose mercy is everlasting, and whose faithfulness endures to all generations. *Hymn 127 To God Be the Glory Prayer of Confession Holy and merciful God, In your presence we confess our short-comings and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned, in wandering from your ways, in squandering your gifts, in forgetting your love. Have mercy on us, Lord, forgive our sins and help us live in your light and walk in your ways. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. I declare to you all, in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Be at peace. First Scripture Reading Psalm 145: 8-14 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Morning Message *Hymn Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed *Hymn Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings and our lives for your glory and for the service of your kingdom. Amen. *Hymn God Be With You Till We Meet Again *Blessing Go out remembering all God has done for you. Break down the walls of hostility and proclaim peace. Have compassion for all, including yourself. And may God be with you wherever you go. May Christ Jesus heal you and refresh you. And may the Holy Spirit encircle you and give you strength. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship A Litany for Independence Day As we remember the birth of our nation, and the gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, let us offer our thanks and prayers to God, giver of all good things. For the women, men, and children who braved the long journey by sea to come to this new world. For the tribes and nations who inhabited this land for generation upon generation. For patriots who dreamed of, and labored for, a free nation. For the men and women who laid the foundations of our democracy, and who pledged liberty and justice for all. For those who built this country brick by brick, road by road, and town by town. For the brave soldiers who have left hearth and home to serve our country, for all who paid for our freedom with their very lives. For the innovators and artists, poets and teachers, farmers and factory workers, for all who labor and provide for the common good. For those who protect our community in emergencies and for all who work to restore order when it has been disturbed. For the exquisite beauty of this land, with its peaks and valleys, coasts and deserts, fields and meadows. For our own community, for those who came before us in this place, and for our neighbors near and far. Lord, we pray for these United States, that we might always be a nation which defends and promotes liberty and freedom, truth and justice. That we might always be a nation where all are free to worship and pray. That we might be a beacon of freedom to all those who live under the shadow of terror and hopelessness. That those who are elected to govern and lead would look to you for wisdom and guidance, and carefully guard the public trust. That we would be a people who repent from our sins, and who always return to you and to your ways. Gracious God, Father of all the nations, bless and defend us and our land, prosper the work of our hands, and increase in us your courage, grace and compassion. Hear our prayer, O Lord, our rock and our salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *Hymn 1 Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Prayer of Confession Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips fear to tremble to name, what our hearts can no longer bear, and what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past we cannot change, open to us a future in which can be changed, and grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Lord. Amen. *Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Declaration of Forgiveness Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life is gone and a new life has begun. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel: in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen. Time With Our Young Disciples Scripture Reading Isaiah 58:1-12 Morning Message The prophet speaking in Isaiah 58 issues a tall order. For faithful Jews of the time, it was a tall order. It was aspirational. A job description for a real dream team. It is a tall order for all of us who call ourselves Christians, as we, too, adhere to the canon of Scripture established in the fourth century, and still held up as our rule for faith and life these many centuries hence. The goals may be high, perhaps even unattainable this side of heaven, but, there are about a thousand faithful Presbyterians gathered in Salt Lake City this week who will be applying themselves to Isaiah’s vision. The 226th General Assembly began its on-line meetings June 25th, with commissioners joining from their homes or offices around the country. Yesterday, the majority of them traveled to Salt Lake City, where it has been reported that they were welcomed by hundreds of volunteers from all over the Presbytery of Utah. The General Assembly is the highest governing body of the PCUSA. It meets every two years in different locations around the country. This year’s assembly is meeting through July 5th at the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Now, I’ve been to Salt Lake and there is a Presbyterian Church there, but, we know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, dominate the religious landscape. To hold a GA meeting requires lots of volunteer help from what’s called a “local arrangements committee”. I wondered how that would work in Utah, but, I was just ignorant in this. I’ve learned there are twenty PCUSA Churches in the Salt Lake area and they are all on board to keep this important meeting running smoothly. Who goes to GA? Delegates are elected from every presbytery based on membership. The Presbytery of West Virginia sent two commissioners-one Ruling Elder, Susan Perry of Logan’s First Presbyterian Church, and Teaching Elder Rev. Chris Kilbert of the Riverlawn Church in St. Albans. There are an equal number of Ruling and Teaching Elders at GA, because, what does the Book of Order say? Our call is to serve the church, pastor and session together. That is one of our distinctives. We love our polity based on the “Priesthood of all believers,” lay and ordained ministers alike. Although few of the commissioners have attended GA before, all have served in the other church courts: the session, which provides care and oversight of a local congregation, the presbytery, which provides care and oversight of a group of congregations, or the synod, which provides care and oversight for several presbyteries. We belong to the Presbytery of West Virginia and the Synod of the Trinity which is housed in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. What does the GA do? It reviews the work of synods, resolves controversies in the church, is responsible for matters of common concern for the whole church, and serves as a symbol of unity for all of us. It also engages in some pretty awesome worship services. You can join these services on-line. Go to PCUSA General Assembly and follow the directions. You can observe what goes on on the floor of the assembly and keep track of committee actions on-line as well. How does it work? First, reports and recommendations come from various arms of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Office of General Assembly. The Stated Clerk and his staff work to ensure that the Presbyterian Church maintains itself as a church. The Office of General Assembly carries out all constitutional, and most ecumenical, functions at the General Assembly. Overtures from synods and presbyteries are the second source of GA business. These governing bodies use overtures to bring recommendations and matters of concern before the whole church. Commissioners Resolutions are the third source of GA business. As a commissioner, one is entitled to sign two resolutions which will come before the whole assembly. The first order of business is to elect the Moderator who will preside over the assembly and represent the denomination for the next two years. Moderators are recommended by presbyteries. I’ve participated in two assemblies as an observer and witnessed the election of one moderator, Rev. Bruce Reyes Chow, I believe the youngest Moderator elected to date. Bruce hails from San Francisco. His young family accompanied him to the floor as he took his vows of installation. It was very moving. The assembly is organized into committees months before it begins deliberations. I understand commissioners receive mountains of documents, maybe less now that we are moving to paperless meetings. They began their work last week. They have finalized their plans to bring recommendations to the floor where the whole assembly will be informed, deliberate and vote. Business is referred back to the presbyteries for adoption. These actions provide guidance for the church in the years ahead. If you want to know more from someone who has attended a GA meeting, I’m sure our very own Kay Adkins will be glad to share with you her experience when she was a commissioner. I believe it was when the northern and southern streams of the church were re-uniting more than thirty years ago. I have a confession: I always look forward to news coming from GA and I’m especially interested in hearing about our commissioners’ experiences. But- I always dread it a little bit as well. Included in every GA are controversial items to be considered. I expect that the most controversial item at this assembly will involve the denomination’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflicts. If history predicts the future, this may be the single item reported on by the national news networks. Other faith groups have held large denominational gatherings this spring and summer: the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist, the Southern Baptist, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and probably others I’m not aware of. Each has made the news, generally the items most likely to prompt ardent reactions, and I doubt such reports have been very helpful to the people in the pews. The good news for Presbyterians is that recommendations that are approved by the GA will come back to the presbyteries as proposed amendments to the Constitution. Over the course of the next year, presbyteries will inform and debate with their members. and finally we will vote to approve or disapprove the amendment. I mentioned Bruce Reyes-Chow earlier in this message. As a former Moderator, he has offered a prayer for the whole church, especially the commissioners as they do their work over the next week. He asks us to pray these things with him. I’ve edited it for length. God of curiosity, restoration, compassion, and hope, as we gather to discern the mind of Christ and your will, we strive to live into these promises you have made. Let us live into trust enough to bring our whole selves into this space, not to avoid conflict, just get along, or to suppress righteous indignation, but to rage together, fear together, and struggle together. Let us live into grace enough to assume goodness in one another, not to see one another as adversaries, enemies, and the other, but as collaborators, accomplices, and members of One Body. Let us live into courage enough to wrestle with one another, not to destroy, dominate, or diminish the other but to discern, discover, and adventure into what you are calling us to become. Let us live into humility… Let us live into creativity… Let us live into generosity, enough to honor the realities of our time together, offering patience to the moderator, staff, assistants, volunteers, and one another affirming that we are imperfect people, trusting an imperfect process, paying attention to the timer, flags, and microphones, and savoring the honor and privilege of being gathered in this space. Let us live into action enough to transform decisions made into actions lived out, to follow thru on promises made to one another. God, throughout the generations, we have gathered, in different configurations, during different cultural moments, with different attitudes of engagement. We have been agents of healing and hope and we have reinforced systems of hurt and pain. And yet, over and over again, because of and what we have done General Assemblies have been opened up to the surprising abd sweeping movement of the Spirit. May we again and always be open. And the 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) says Amen. *Hymn 340 This Is My Song *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 * Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication Almighty and merciful God, from whom comes all that is good, we praise you for your mercies, for your goodness that has created us, your grace that sustains us, the discipline that corrects us, your patience that has borne with us, and your love that has redeemed us. Receive our gifts, offered in humility and gratitude, that the world may know, love and serve you. We give in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. *Hymn 8 Eternal Father, Strong to Save *Blessing Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold onto what is good; return no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak and help the suffering; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. *Postlude |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives
July 2024
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