Prelude
Welcome and Announcements Minute for Mission Session Committee Chairs *Call to Worship Revelation 22:13 The Lord is a great God who says, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” *Hymn 336 We gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing Prayer of Confession Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things to your well-beloved Son, our Lord and King, grant that the people of earth, including ourselves, now divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his gentle and loving rule, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. *Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness The Lord’s mercies never end. They are new every morning and sure as the sunrise. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. Your sins are forgotten. Be at peace. Time With Our Young Disciples Scripture Reading Matthew 25:31-46 The Morning Message I have two questions for us to consider today: 1.Do you choose to live in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ…or not? 2.How can you make your choice real? I confess that this is not an original idea, but one I heard during a recent presbytery meeting. It was also the subject of a blog I enjoy reading.* I ask these questions, because, we have come to the end of the liturgical year, the very last Sunday. Advent, preparing for the birth of Christ, begins next week. As we move through the months, we meet Jesus at the mileposts of his life- his birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension. Then comes Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the early believers and the Church was established. Kingdomtide, or Ordinary Time, follows Pentecost and brings us to today. When we get to this Sunday, Christ the King, or Reign of Christ, we are called on to consider the year we’ve traveled, how we have related to Christ, and how we have exhibited his kingdom on earth. This year, Christ the King Sunday may mark the end of the church year, but it does not mark the end of our challenges. We are still in the midst of a public health crisis, although there are more resources available to manage it. It is still hard to navigate the variety of professional opinions regarding masks and vaccines, testing, and quarantine. The political climate is still full of angst. And then there’s Baby Dog. Sometimes a little frivolity is just what the doctor ordered. Last year we hoped to reunite with family for the holidays, but, we were warned against traveling. That was disappointing. My husband and I miss our daughters and our grandchildren all the time. They are two states away. We will see some this week and the others over Christmas. We can’t wait. It’s like filling up at the emotional fuel station. The mother of our son-in-law suffered a life-threatening stroke this year. There is nothing like being in the embrace of your loved ones to reassure each another that, no matter what the circumstances, we are family and love is our creed. So, here we are. Christ the King Sunday, the feast day that celebrates the fact that, earthly rulers come and go, and even at the height of their power, they only rule over a very small part of the created universe. Their reign is time-sensitive. It will end. But, Jesus’ reign is eternal and cosmic in its proportions. His platform doesn’t change and there are no maps to tell us who is and who isn’t in Jesus’ district. We all are. Jesus’ realm is founded on the principals of justice and integrity-where those who live according to the values of the Kingdom will feel at home- and those who do not will find it an alien place. Christ knows us, all of us, no matter our circumstances. And Christ knows that how we live our lives, day in and day out, shows what kind of person we are. In this text, Jesus identifies people based on their actions, how they live out their days on this earth. Those who do the tasks of Kingdom living-feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned-they were told, that whenever they ministered to a person in need, it was like ministering to Jesus himself. This shouldn’t have been earth-shaking news. This is what they had witnessed Jesus himself doing. Then, turning to the others, Jesus said that when they refused to help a person in need, they were refusing him. This was a surprise, too, but, it shouldn’t have been. Jesus was teaching, or re-teaching-a fundamental rule of kingdom-living: We are the body of Christ. We are united with him- in life, death, and resurrection. What we do, one for another, builds up, enriches, and heals the body. What we fail to do, when we fail to serve as Christ serves, weakens and diminishes the body. Jesus is a king unlike any ruler of this earth. For which we can truly thank God. Jesus is not an authoritarian, a despot who orders his subjects to be at his beck and call. A tyrant who wields insults and inflicts pain because that’s the way he intimidates and controls people. Nor does he abandon his people, with no concern for order, no rule of life. No. Jesus, is the king who throws open the doors of his dwelling-place and invites us all in. Jesus welcomes us into the fullness of his life. A life that could compel the friends of a paralyzed man to cut a hole in the roof of a house so he can be lowered into Jesus’ presence. To follow Jesus is to sign up for a life of spiritual adventure. So, friends, will you choose kingdom-living in the year ahead? If you live with a sense of community, if you find energy, satisfaction, fulfillment, comfort, peace, in the fellowship of the church, or in the fellowship of the neighborhood, or your family, you will likely find this way of life appealing. If you are a solitary soul, independent, not a joiner, you might find this way of life un-appealing. I get it. I have strong introversion tendencies. Being alone usually isn’t a problem for me, though the isolation of Covid made me sad and I hope it never returns. I think we know how 2021 ends. What we don’t know is what the future holds. But we know who holds the future. I can live with that. So, I invite you to choose Christ’s realm and to make that choice real. *Wellspring of the Gospel Celebration of the Lord’s Supper Invitation-Words of Institution-Great Prayer of Thanksgiving and the Lord’s Prayer O God, the first and the last, our beginning and our ending, hear our prayers on this Christ the King Sunday. Remind us that our true citizenship is in your kingdom and empower us to seek your love, justice, and mercy in all we do and say. Grant us courage to speak out against any hatred, prejudice, or abuse of power that seeks to harm others. May we work to usher in a fuller image of your kingdom here on earth, where all are treated with respect, where none go without life’s basic necessities, and people of all races, religions, and circumstances are welcomed and valued. As we review these last days of the church year, may our good intentions be blessed and may we be granted grace where we failed. We pray for those who are need of healing and wholeness this day, those in our fellowship of faith, and those we name in our hearts. As the pandemic wears on, encourage and strengthen us to persevere. While we may miss coming together with friends and families in this season, comfort us with your presence and remind us that we are all members of the Communion of Saints, past, present, and future. Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name, that we may be one in ministry in every time and place. As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ in the world. We pray in Jesus’ name and for his sake, saying, Our Father…Amen. Distribution of the Elements The elements will be received by intinction. Those who wish to remain seated will be served. Prayer After Communion Lead us, O God, to conform this world to your kingdom. Help us to live as the Lord requires: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly in service to you until Christ comes in final victory and we shall feast with all your saints in the joy of the eternal realm. Amen. Presenting Our Gifts of Tithe and Offering Prayer of Dedication Blessed are you, O God, Maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with the gifts of ourselves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love; through the One who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and lord. Amen. *Hymn 268 Crown Him With Many Crowns *Blessing Through every season of every year, may God’s blessing be upon you that you may be strengthened to do your part in advancing Christ’s Kingdom. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Come and worship, you who love the Lord with all your heart, and with all our souls, and all our minds, and all our strength. Come into the community of God’s people and worship with the neighbor you do not know: the stranger seeking welcome, the hungry, the homeless, the hurting. Come, and worship, you who love the spirit of the law, and the One who showed us how to live in kin-dom. *Hymn 267 Come, Christians, Join to Sing Prayer of Confession O God, Rock of our salvation, you give children to the barren, and strength to the feeble. You exalt the poor and lift up the needy. We praise you from morning to night, yet we build walls that separate us from you, from one another, and from the world. We place stumbling blocks in the way of goodness and truth. We are led astray by promises of earthly desires. We confess our failings, and seek solace in the source of our joy, Jesus Christ our Lord. Guide us in our efforts to encourage one another, to work together for good in the world you made, and to prepare for the coming day of the Lord. Amen. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me as I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Our hearts are sprinkled clean with the water of God’s love. Through salvation won for us by Jesus Christ, God assures us that we are forgiven, absolved, and released from the sin that binds us. Alleluia! Amen. First Reading 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Time With Our Young Disciples Second Reading Mark 13:1-8 Morning Message The Rev. Janet Hunt was leading a confirmation class. For one of their meetings, the class left the building for awhile as they engaged in a service project. Some of the kids returned ahead of the others and gathered in their classroom where they would be dismissed for the day. One of the adult volunteers, Jim, asked Janet if she would like to test the telepathic ability of one of the students, Joe. She was game. She was sent to the whiteboard where they had drawn a square which had been marked off in nine smaller squares, kind of like Tic-Tac-Toe. Joe left the room and Jim told Janet to choose a square. She pointed to one. They called Joe back into the room. Janet watched him closely as he stood and pondered the board. Then with only a smidgeon of hesitation, he pointed to the exact square Janet had chosen. They tried again. And again and again. Joe always chose the square Janet had pointed to while he was out of the room. It wasn’t long until others wanted to try their skill at this test. One by one the students would try. They would try to interpret the way Joe stood, whether he cleared his throat or tapped his pants leg. But none could match Joe’s skill. Janet was almost convinced they had another David Copperfield in the making. After the closing blessing, and the students having gone on their way, one of the adult leaders explained the trick to Janet. Apparently, Jim had been the first to arrive. He taught Joe some signals he would use and Joe was a quick study. Every time Joe returned to the room, Joe threw him the signals. The problem was, Janet was not looking at Jim, but at Joe. She was looking in the wrong direction and failed to see what was right before her eyes. The gospel passage before us today is classified as “eschatological,” or literature referring to what we refer to as the “end times.” I never know how to approach these texts. We Presbyterians believe in the second coming of Christ, when the whole creation will be redeemed. We affirm that every time we recite the Apostles’ Creed. But, we do not espouse dispensationalism, theology popularized in the late 19th century and adhered to by many fundamentalist traditions. We usually hear it referred to as the “Rapture,” which is believed to be the event whereby Jesus descends to earth and takes the saved to heaven and leaving the rest for a “time of trial.” Janet says she wonders at times if her experience with the confirmation class doesn’t begin to get at why we struggle with these “end times” texts. It is true that you and I don’t live in the same context as the people who first heard these words shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection. But like those who first heard these texts, it may be completely understandable that we could find ourselves looking in the wrong direction. It is impossible these days to miss reports of war and rumors of war and other catastrophes. We hear and see them in graphic and unforgettable detail all too often. But even so, do these reports turn our thoughts to Christ’s return or does it even register? Is it possible we have turned our attention away from the foundational truth that we are moving toward a larger future? Janet Hunt says bad things have happened to the world and its people for as long as she has been paying attention, and yet, it would seem, Jesus is no closer to returning. She suggests, that, part of the message from a passage like this is that, from generation to generation, under this one’s rule and that one’s tyranny, through feast, famine, plague and plenty, God was, is, and ever shall be, active among us, working his purpose out. Maybe these words call us to simply live in the certainty that we are always called to keep our focus on Jesus, to respond as he did. And how did Jesus respond to hardship, or injustice, or disease or ignorance? He did what God requires, of his Son and of us: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Whether he comes today or a million todays in the future, we can be the body of Christ- head, heart, hands and feet, until he comes again. When I was in high school, most of my friends were made in the music department. Considering rehearsals and performances, during school hours and outside of them, we probably spent more time with fellow choir students than with our families. Some of us planned to study music in college, or at least sing in a choir, but, there was one startling exception. The student with the best skills, in piano as well as voice, failed to apply to college or make any plans whatsoever beyond graduation day. When he broke this news to us, we were all shocked. Why? What has happened? What’s wrong? He had a promising future ahead of him. His response was that nothing was wrong. He believed Jesus would come before he had need of college or anything else. We were stunned and troubled by his answer and his resolve. The kids in our small, close-knit group were all Christians, even though we came from a variety of traditions. And we were all obviously looking in different directions, or maybe we weren’t reading the signs right. And, to this day, I am confounded by this experience. We lost touch after graduation. At our twentieth reunion, he was listed as deceased. And, I have to think that, though the “rapture” didn’t occur, he did see Jesus ahead of the rest of us. We can take comfort and wisdom in the words of one of our confessions, A Brief Statement of Faith: In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for a new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” *Hymn 438 Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 438 Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me *Blessing Go out in peace, for the Lord has heard your prayers. Do not allow anyone to lead you astray. Hold fast to the hope you have claimed. Continue to meet together, encouraging one another and provoking one another to put love into action. And may God be your rock of strength. May Christ Jesus usher you into God’s presence. And may the Holy Spirit write the laws of love and life upon your hearts. Amen. (from Laughingbird.net) *Postlude Worship for November 7, 2021
All Saints Sunday Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 Prelude *Call to Worship Holy God of wind and fire, dance through our worship today. Holy God of earthquakes and illness, share our memories, our tears of sadness and loss. Holy God of creation and new beginnings, show us again your vision of healing and wholeness and the promise of life here and in the world to come. *Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy Opening Prayer Eternal God, you have knit together your people of all times and places into one communion in the mystical body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may be encouraged and strengthened, seeking your forgiveness in our moments or seasons of failure, persevering in our part of faith’s course, until such time as we join the great cloud of witnesses in our eternal home. Amen. *Hymn I Sung a Song if the Saints of God Assurance of Forgiveness Jesus said, “For the Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” Friends, believe in the good news of the gospel. Our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen. First Reading Revelation 21:1-6 Time With Our Young Disciples New Testament Reading Matthew 5:1-12 The Morning Message One of the blessings of being part of a family, and in my case, a large family, is the endless supply of stories. I’ve learned that, in our case, some stories are true and some are legend. Maybe you’ve witnessed the same thing in your own family. In the hopes that I haven’t worn you out with them, I’d like to share a true story I believe is appropriate for All Saints Sunday, a day set aside to remember those who have finished their earthly lives and now live with all the saints in the Church Triumphant. And, in the hearing, I hope you will be assured that your faith and life will be remembered when you have joined them. My father’s last living sibling, his younger sister, died a few Septembers ago. My mother, sister, and I went to the funeral together. It was held at the Baptist church in which my aunt and uncle were long-standing faithful members. The church is in eastern Kentucky, in a rural setting outside of Louisa. Whenever I visit an unfamiliar church, regardless of the flavor, I’m always a little anxious, a little uncomfortable. But, the people who greeted us were warm and gracious and made us feel welcome. They were comforting us, even while we had come to comfort our family members. That was the hardest thing about the day: embracing our family members. Feeling their trembling bodies, and hearing their sobs. Being willing to enter into their grief and loss, as they have done for us in our times of sorrow. I remember the day my aunt and uncle were married. And when he came home from Korea and we met him at the airport. And the arrival of their children and grandchildren, my uncle’s baptism at an advanced age in his brother’s swimming pool. My aunt’s musical ability. She and her sister both sang and played piano for their churches. The pastor stepped up to the pulpit and everyone took a seat in the bright and comfortable sanctuary. He prayed for God’s Spirit to surround us, for comfort and peace to settle upon the family and to strengthen them. He acknowledged the somber nature of the gathering. Then he reminded all of us that our fate is not simply to be born, live a little, and then die. Our lives are much more meaningful and valuable than that. He reminded us of the unmatched love of a God who created the world and all that is in it, including my aunt and all of us. He spoke of Jesus, God’s own beloved Son, who lived a sinless life and died for our sins, that we might live. He spoke of my aunt’s life, and recalled some of the experiences that had shaped her life. He praised her service to Christ and his church as their pianist for decades. He assured us that she had been received by Jesus into her heavenly home, where there would be a great reunion with those who had gone before her. And then the pastor asked us to stand and sing a hymn. We did, but, we didn’t make much noise. The sanctuary was strangely muted. The piano was silent. And my first thought was to wonder why hadn’t they make arrangements for someone to play for the service. That’s number one on my list when planning a funeral. Music is important. Often, people will request particular hymns, everything from the stately “Holy, Holy, Holy” to “Life Is Like a Mountain Railroad.” If it is helpful to loved ones, we try to accommodate them. And, all of a sudden, my eyes filled with tears and the notes were caught in my throat. The piano was silent because the piano player was no longer there. Once she saw in a mirror dimly, but, now, she saw face to face. She was absent from the body and present with the Lord. It was one of the most profound moments I have ever witnessed in worship, an epiphany within the sermon. I was filled with the competing emotions of grief and joy, and I know I was not alone in this experience. If you watched the coverage of Colin Powell’s funeral, you heard his son’s moving words. He spoke of his father sitting beside his hospital bed when he had been in a terrible accident, his father’s hand wrapped around his in love and reassurance. And then of how the roles were reversed at the end of his father’s life, when the son sat at the bedside of the father, holding his hand, hoping to convey a message of love and assurance. And he marveled at the meaning of that gesture, holding the hand that had signed report cards, pitched balls, fixed old cars, signed treaties, held his wife’s hand in marriage. His father’s life had been so rich and full, at home and in public. To be his son or daughter was a gift and a blessing. Neither you nor I have had such a high profile as Colin Powell. But, your influence, our influence, faith, and life, is just as important. Your sphere of influence is deep and wide, running from the ordinary to the sublime. And when you have made the journey from earth to heaven, you will be remembered. And you will be missed. And then the faithful will ask God to inspire us by all within you that was good, and kind, and faithful, that we, too, might live a life worthy of the calling of Christ. May it be so for all of us. *Hymn *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p.35 *Gloria Patri Ordination and Installation to the Office of Ruling Elder Clara Adkins Installation to the Office of Ruling Elder Mary Minichan Prayers of the Faithful and the Lord’s Prayer Romans 6:3-5 This morning we remember family, friends, and loved ones who have joined the blessed company of the saints in light during this church year. When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Eternal God, we bless you for the great company of all those who have kept the faith, finished their race, and now rest from their labor. We praise you for those whom you have received into your presence that we name now in our hearts. We lift our concerns for our community, our nation, and the world, that all may be supplied their daily needs and know the security of freedom and peace. We pray for those who suffer from illness and other circumstances. We give you thanks for all gifts of healing and compassion offered in your name. Help us to believe where we have not seen, trusting you to lead us through our years. Bring us at last with all your saints into the joy of your home, through Christ Jesus who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. *Hymn 730 For All the Saints *Blessing Go out in the confidence that your lives are safe in God. Keep your hands clean and your hearts pure. Do not act falsely or deceitfully. Trust in the Lord, even in the face of death, and follow in the footsteps of all God’s saints. And may God keep a protective eye on you; May Christ Jesus show you his grace and mercy; And may the Holy Spirit give you a vision of the life of the world made new. *Postlude Prelude
*Call to Worship Psalm 46:1-3, 8-11 God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. The Holy One says, “Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. *Hymn 275 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God Text: Martin Luther, 1529 Translator: Frederick H. Hedge, 1852 Prayer of Confession Almighty God, We confess that we have taken your commandments and turned them into rules. We have criticized those who have fallen short and selfishly proclaimed ourselves righteous. We have failed to understand the spirit of the commandments and the way you showed us to live- loving God and loving neighbors. Forgive us for turning your law into burdens and ignoring the glorious freedom from sin, gained by the saving death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Grace 1 John 4:16 God is love. Those who abide in love, abide in God, and God abides in them. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. Know you are forgiven and be at peace. Scripture Readings Romans 1:17; Ephesians 2:8; 1 Peter 2:5; 2 Timothy 3:18; Matthew 11:29-30 The Morning Message This is a special day in the life of those churches who trace their history to the Protestant Reformation. That includes us and our Lutheran and Reformed brothers and sisters. Other protestants acknowledge Reformation Sunday for the contributions the Reformed Movement made in the life of the Christian Church, and even influenced their own denominations. Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, comes from the faith and writings of John Calvin, whose first vocation was the practice of law in France. Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva, Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles. This new movement gave great consideration to which form of government would be most effective for the church. Some thought the church should be governed by bishops and became the Episcopalian Party. Some believed the church should be governed by elders, and became the Presbyterian Party. Still others believed government should be conducted directly by the congregation, and they became the Congregationalist Party. The name Presbyterian comes from the Greek word, presbuteros, which means “elder.” It is used 72 times in the New Testament in reference to church leadership. Presbyterian church government emphasizes that the leadership of the church is to be shared between pastor and session, what we also call Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders. Our strong emphasis on church government is our heritage from John Knox and the Scottish Presbyterians. Many of the early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland, and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in Philadelphia in 1789. The first GA was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence. The Presbyterian Church is distinctly confessional and connectional. I always like to say you can’t be anonymous in the Presbyterian Church. We are family. We believe the faith that unites us is always stronger than disputes that divide us. So what is unique about the Presbyterian Church? We are distinctive in two major ways: we adhere to a a pattern of religious thought known as Reformed theology and the representative form of government that values both ministers and members. What is Reformed theology? The Shorter Catechism, that many of us learned as children, says that our chief end, or primary goal in life, is to “know, or glorify, God and enjoy God forever.” Theology is a way of thinking about God and how God relates to the world God made. We affirm the holiness of the One who creates, sustains, rules and redeems the world out of love and grace. I think we see this clearly in our Sacrament of Baptism, especially infant baptism. That’s a topic that deserves a much more detailed discussion, but, here’s what I want to lift up for today: When parents present their child, the evidence of their love, for baptism, they affirm their belief and reliance on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. They claim the promises of the Christian faith for their child until he or she can learn and accept them as their own. By the work of the Holy Spirit, that child is washed in the waters of baptism, received into the family of faith, marked and sealed as Christ’s own forever. He or she is surrounded by love and supported in prayer, disciplined and guided, not with threats about the wages of sin, but, in ways that echo with a note of grace. Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin are still at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of Scripture, justification by grace through faith, and the priesthood of all believers. These are all good features of the faith we express as Presbyterians. John Calvin, Martin Luther, Jan Hus, Zwingli, Knox, Bonheoffer, and others, have given us a foundation upon which we can advance the Kingdom as we are called. Calvin insisted that the Holy Spirit continues to work in both individuals and institutions, transforming us, sanctifying us, and conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ. The church, Calvin explains, is also in the process of changing. It is “Reformed and always reforming, according to the Word of God.” Friends, the Word of God is living and active in the world, making all things new, in and through Jesus Christ. We are being ever-transformed by this Word. As we consider the challenges of every day life in the United States, we may think there is no hope of ending violence, or poverty, or racism, or lawlessness, or any other obstacle to peace and human progress. But our faith teaches us otherwise. Did Jesus not feed a couple thousand people with a little boy’s lunch, heal a man so mentally ill that his family banished him to live in the town graveyard? Did not Jesus raise a twelve year old girl from the dead? Did he not go to the cross, dying in our place, that we might live? Yes, our needs, the worlds’ needs, are staggering. This is the Good news: God isn’t finished with us yet. “Soli Deo Gloria.” To God alone be the glory. *Hymn 630 Fairest Lord Jesus, verses 1 and 2 *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Prayer of Dedication We give Thee but Thine own, whatever the gift may be. All that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee. Amen. *Hymn 360 Fairest Lord Jesus, verses 3 and 4 *Blessing For all that God can do within us, for all that God can do without us. Thanks be to God! For all in whom Christ lived before us, for all in whom Christ lives beside us. Thanks be to God! For all the Spirit wants to bring us, for where the Spirit wants to send us. Thanks be to God! The blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you today and always. Amen. *Postlude |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives
July 2024
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