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Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” *Prayer of the Day O God, form the hearts of your people into a single will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise, that amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where joy is found, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen. *Hymn 361 Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 1 and 2 Prayer of Confession Holy and merciful God, in your presence, we confess our failure to be what you created us to be. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. By your mercy, help us live in your light and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Hymn Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Pardon The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Believe the good news of the gospel: our sins are forgiven. Be at peace. First Reading Revelation 21:1-6 Time for Young Believers Gospel Reading John 14:1-14 The Morning Message What is the story of your home? How would you describe it to others? I would describe ours as a Brady Bunch style home with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. The kitchen and one of the bathrooms have been recently updated. We have an above-ground pool with an aging deck and the back yard is enclosed with a stockade fence tall enough that our old dog, Conrad, couldn’t climb. He could have scaled the Alps, I’m sure. Ed has a little raised-bed garden that rewards us with tomatoes in the summer Our neighborhood was right in the path of one of the seventeen tornadoes that touched down here a year ago. There was a lot of damage done in just a few seconds. The wind is a powerful force. The two roads that make up our subdivision were impassable for a time. Trees had fallen. Utility lines were down or dangerously dangling from homes and utility poles. We were spared serious damage. We lost a shutter, some gutter and fascia material. The flag pole snapped from its place by the front door. Part of the fence came down. Our neighbors acquired a trampoline in their yard. Power was out for a couple of hours or days depending on which side of the street you resided. We hauled out our generator. We’ve gotten more use out of it than we had ever imagined. It was home but didn’t look or feel much like it for a few days. Anxiety and discomfort were our constant companions. It was unseasonably warm and we had to leave our windows open. The house was soon covered in patina of dust and dirt. It didn’t feel much like home. Not unlike the disciples to whom Jesus speaks in this text. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” The Lord himself reassures them and us that we have nothing to fear. We have a future beyond that which we can see. We have a place. We have a host who has made that place ready for us. We will be with him. And in him, we will be forever home. Ed and I left home on Iroquois Trail one weekend last April to attend the memorial service of our friend of many years, Tim Waugh. Tim was a vocal music teacher, like my husband, and their paths crossed frequently over the years. Tim was a Presbyterian, having grown up at the Rock Lake Presbyterian Church in South Charleston. He was a church musician, an outstanding organist. But Tim was best known for his expertise in handbells. He composed, directed, and traveled around the world teaching and ringing. Every now and then Ed would get a text: “Guess where I am?” It could be a small town in the American south or a convention hall in Hong Kong. Tim went to Ireland with us once. He was a world traveler, but was most at home in his house in Princeton, West Virginia. But, something unexpected happened in the last year. Tim was retired from public school teaching, but still made music. He went to the First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, North Carolina, to conduct a handbell festival. He discovered the church had a need for an interim music director. He applied and served there for several months, growing very fond of the congregation, the pastors, and staff. In time, it became apparent that he and the church were a good fit and the relationship should continue. Tim called us to say he had just signed a contract to serve the church and a permanent move to Salisbury was in order. And, further, he advised, the small town is just lovely and easily accessible to our own three daughters who live in North Carolina. He was pretty convincing. He had found home. Tim lived life with a sense of urgency because he had a kidney disease that claimed the lives of his father and grandfather when they were very young. Eighteen years before, through his cousin, he had a kidney transplant which extended his life and we were all so grateful. He was very healthy for a long time, checking in with Duke University Hospital yearly, but had recently battled a persistent problem. Tim was single. He had no biological children, a choice he made due to his kidney disease. But, in fact, his family was the music world and he had many children. When we were in Ireland together, one of his students, her husband, and infant child met Tim in Dublin where they lived and worked and were raising their child. He was well-loved. His memorial service was at First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, North Carolina. Ed and I traveled there to give God thanks for his life and faith and to thank the good people of Salisbury for loving him and making him a part of their faith community. It was a special place and the only church that felt like home to him in a long time. It was a grand day altogether, as our Irish friends would say. Sunny, flowers and trees blooming in brilliant colors, the breeze wafting sweet smells of spring around us. The town may be small, but the church building is massive. The sanctuary ethereal. There was a thirty minute handbell prelude, a grand and glorious choir, a warm and welcoming congregation, a young and inspiring clergy couple whom Tim loved. Lots and lots of beautiful music. But it was hard to sing. Memories, love, and grief caused our voices to stall and crack and rendered us silent for much of it. As we left the sanctuary- our aging bodies moving slowly after two hours of sitting- a voice sounded behind us, “I hoped I would see you here.” We turned around to behold the familiar face of a beautiful young woman who grew up in Ona, was once Ed’s student, and part of a family we’ve known about as long as we’ve known Tim. She lives in Charlotte now, an engineer for a pharmaceutical company. She had met Tim on many occasions through Ed and Tim was well known to her Lutheran Church in Charlotte as a handbell musician. In fact, many church members had come to the service. She introduced us. That little moment, in that small town in which we had never been, that simple statement, “I hoped I would see you here,” probably important to no one but us, was reassurance of so much that day. It spoke to us of faith, hope, and love. It spoke to us of home. Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many mansions,,,” Surely some mansions house singers, some orchestras, some ringers, and pray-ers, pre-schools, youth groups, circles, pickle ball teams, kitchens, ushers, greeters, preachers, teachers, students… Friends, God’s house-hold is so expansive. And God’s house is standing now, today, just as surely as it stands in the next life. Tim found God’s people in places I’ve never even heard of, let alone visited. Rebecca, whose home was once with her parents and three sisters, has been at home in the Shenandoah Valley, then Virginia Tech, and now makes her home in Charlotte. We attended her wedding a few weeks ago. The church invited everyone to stay and break bread-or sandwiches and cookies-together following the service. The Lutherans from Charlotte welcomed us to their table and we greatly appreciated their company. We walked Rebecca to her car, telling her she had been a comfort to us this hard day. She shared the same. We admired her crossover vehicle with its Hokie license plate holder. She pointed to a sticker in the corner of the back window. A silhouette of West Virginia, with a little heart cut-out. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid.” My mother has made the decision to move to an assisted living facility. It is more of an ordeal than any of us –my mother, my sister, and I-imagined. We receive information piecemeal, it seems, and we are never quite sure we have all the details ironed out. It is an anxious time. A time when we should take up the words of Jesus as a mantra: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t let them be afraid. Believe.” I’ll let you know how it works out in a week or so. I have no idea what this promised home in the life after this one will look like. I don’t think my wish list will include a fireplace this time or stainless steel appliances. It won’t matter if the school bus comes by the house, or if the neighbors keep their lawn mowed. I can imagine it will be a place of peace and welcome, a place so comfortable that I never again think about locking my car or if the roof will blow off in another wild storm, as our brothers and sisters in Kentucky have faced time after time. A place where those who mourn can find comfort, where there is always an extra chair, where sweet melodies are wafted to us on the gentle breeze, where aromas from the kitchen smell like love. And the sign on every heart says “home.” May it be so for all of us. *Hymn 361 Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 3 and 4 *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 Dedication of New Electronic Equipment Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 1 Peter 4:10 Ever-present God, you have been with us throughout our days. Like a parent to a child, you lavish your gifts upon us. As we gather to receive this gift, may we remember the inspiration you gave Clara Adkins and Nancy Jackson to deliver the good news of the gospel in creative ways to our members and the public. We thank you for their skills at research and grant writing which led to a generous gift from the Presbytery of West Virginia. On this Lord’s Day, we enjoy new electronic equipment purchased, installed, and now set into use. In accepting this gift as a demonstration of your kindness, we affirm that it is yours, as we are yours. May who we are and all we have be devoted to your service and used for your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Joys and Concerns of the Church Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 606 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 462 I Love to Tell the Story *Blessing Just as God’s Word was sent into the world to heal and redeem, so God sends you into the world this day to be light and love, healing and hope. Go now, and share the good news generously, and may the grace of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you today and always. Amen. *Postlude Comments are closed.
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PastorCinda Harkless Archives
April 2025
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