​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
 
*Call to Worship                     Psalm 100
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come into God’s presence with a song!
 
Prayer of the Day
Gracious God,
give us pure hearts that we may see you,
humble hearts that we may hear you,
hearts of love that we may serve you,
hearts of faith that we may live in you,
reverent hearts that we may worship you,
here and in the world beyond our doors,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.
 
*Hymn 307  God of Grace and God of Glory
 
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 loving mercy,
help us to live in your light
and abide in your ways,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior.
 
Hymn  698   Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
Assurance of Forgiveness
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.
The old life is gone and a new life has begun.
I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ,
our sins are forgiven and we may be at peace.  Amen.
 
First Reading    Psalm 124         
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Gospel Reading      Mark 9:28-50    
Morning Message
 
This scripture text is so rich with meaning that it makes it difficult for me to decide in what direction I want to go. So, for today, let’s focus on Jesus’ instruction that his disciples be salt and light.
 
I’ve spent two days this past week teaching a class for the presbytery’s Commissioned Pastor program. I do this regularly for the program.The course was Christian education-what do children need as they begin their faith journey; what do other age groups need? We talked about Howard Gardiner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. We are all intelligent, but we process the world differently. That is something to keep in mind as we engage children, youth, and adults in faith formation.
 
We also spent considerable time exploring what is meant by “call” and “vocation.” I always love this conversation.  The word “vocation” comes from the Latin, “vocare.” It means to be called out. We are all called to love and serve God in our particular setting with whatever gifts and skills we have to offer.
 
Presbyterian and Reformed believers understand call and vocation in this way: We are all called and gifted by the Holy Spirit. How we live out our faith becomes our vocation, the work or role we embody that can point others to God.
 
We see this quite readily in those whose lives are spent in the healing professions. Teachers are also easily identified as people called to an area of education and they live out their faith in the ways they teach and interact with students and others in the school setting, helping build a firm educational foundation.
 
The students that I worked with this week are all in their first year of preparation to become Commissioned Pastors. They are many different ages and stages of life. Some are young adults and some are retired from careers. They may or may not feel called as yet to the ministry, but, they are all eager to learn about the life and faith and skills needed to fulfill the pastoral role.
 
As I was preparing this message and reflecting on the gospel text, I began focusing on Jesus’ instruction to his disciples to take up the ministry mantle in a particular way: to be salt and light in the world.
 
In ages past, salt was sometimes used as currency. Sometimes people were paid for labor with a portion of salt. When someone does a good job, we could say he or she is “worth their salt.” And vice versa.
 
Salt has healing properties, it can purify, it can bleach, it can flavor food, it can preserve things from being spoiled. Jesus urged his friends to retain their saltiness in order to be effective believers and leaders.
 
When Jesus says his friends are to be light, he is instructing them to be beacons of truth and goodness in the world and to point to the Light of the world, Jesus.
 
It’s a pretty clear job description.
 
And yet, often people do not feel worthy of the calling or they don’t feel prepared to serve. Sometimes when calling for a person to be a Sunday School teachers we hear, “I don’t have a deep background in the Bible. I’m not qualified.” Well, guess what, none of us is ever finished learning the lessons of scripture.
 
In my reading, I ran across the story of someone that the world would say had an exceptional gift and he was called to use it, to bring beauty into the world. But, throughout his life, he felt like a failure.
 
The works of Vincent Van Gogh are some of the most recognizable in the world. We can all get a mental image of “The Starry Night.” His work was extraordinary.
But he had his challenges. He failed as an art dealer, failed as a teacher, failed as an evangelist. He struggled in his personal relationships. He thought of himself as an painter, but, he did not get public approval. In fact, his work was largely unappreciated during his lifetime. That’s not uncommon, but it can be devastating.
In 1880, while living in Belgium, he wrote to his brother of his mental and emotional struggles:  So you mustn’t think that I’m rejecting this or that. In my unbelief, I am a believer, in a way, and though having changed, I am the same, and my torment is none other than this, what could I be good for, couldn’t I serve and be useful in some way, how could I come to know more thoroughly, and go into this subject or that? Do you see, it continually torments me, and then you feel a prisoner in penury, excluded from participating in this work or that, and such necessary things are beyond your reach. Because of that, you are not without melancholy, and you feel emptiness where there could be friendship and high and serious affections, and you feel a terrible discouragement gnawing at your psychic energy itself, and fate seems able to put a barrier against the instincts for affection, or a tide of revulsion that overcomes you. And you say, “How long, O Lord!” Well then, what can I say, does what goes on inside show on the outside? Someone has a great fire in his soul and nobody ever comes to warm themselves at it, and passers-by see nothing but a little smoke at the top of the chimney and then go on their way. So now what are we to do, keep this fire alive inside, have salt in ourselves, wait patiently, but with how much impatience, await the hour, I say, when whoever wants to, will come and sit down there, will stay there, for all I know?
 
That, my friends, is the testimony of a believer desperate to find his calling, his reason for living. He wants to share the gospel, but, his experience is that no one takes notice of the fire of his faith.
 
The result of all this spiritual wrestling was that while he was in Belgium he devoted his life to art.
 
He had recently been dismissed from his position as a preacher and was searching for what he was being called to do. In September of 1880 he wrote again to his brother: Well, and notwithstanding, it was in this extreme poverty that I felt my energy return and that I said to myself, in any event I’ll recover from it. I’ll pick up my pencil that I put down in my great discouragement and I’ll get back to drawing, and from then on, it seems to me, everything has changed for me, and now I am on my way and my pencil has become somewhat obedient and seems to be more so day by day. It was poverty, too long and too severe, that had discouraged me to the point that I could no longer do anything.
And then the artist was reborn. He could identify his calling afresh following a deep depression, from which he suffered periodically his whole life long.
 
Vincent Van Gogh-, child of the manse and aspiring preacher-set his life in the context of scripture, quoting Psalm 22 and later Mark’s gospel, as we read here.
 
His brother Theo provided financial and emotional support that made it possible for the artist to live out his call, his vocation. His sister-in-law, Johanna is credited with the preservation of his work.
 
But our greatest thanksgiving is that this extraordinarily gifted man had enough salt in himself to pursue the work God called him to do.
 
Our stories may not be quite that dramatic, but, we are all called and equipped to bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in all our actions and in all our relationships. God can call us into a work and God can call us out for some other purpose.
 
Theologian Frederick Buechner is credited with saying, our call is where our greatest desire meets the world’s greatest needs.
 
I pray that is so for all of us.  
 
 
*Hymn  772   Live Into Hope
*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
 
*Hymn  837   What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine
*Blessing
Go now and take hold of the life that really is life.
Shun eagerness for fortune,
but be rich in good works.
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
 
And may God be your refuge and fortress;
may Christ Jesus free you from all that ensnares you;
and may the Holy Spirit provide you with peace and contentment.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship                                                                 Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Happy are those who take refuge in the Lord and celebrate his goodness with each new sunrise.
 
*Hymn  37  Let All Things Now Living
 
*Prayer of the Day, Including Confession
Almighty God, as we begin a new program year, we pray for your blessing
on the church in this place.
Here may the faithful find salvation,
and the careless be awakened.
Here may the doubting find faith,
and the anxious be encouraged.
Here may the tempted find help,
and the sorrowful comfort.
Here may the weary find rest,
and the strong be renewed.
Here may the aged find consolation
and the young be inspired.
In  the quiet of this hour, may we recall the events of the past week, seek and offer forgiveness where needed, and place ourselves securely in the arms of your grace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.
 
*Hymn                Take, O Take Me As I Am
*Assurance of Forgiveness
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting.
Know your sins are forgiven and be at peace.
 
Special Presentation
 
Old Testament Reading                                                       
Time for Young Disciples
New Testament Reading                                                     
The Morning Message
 
We Americans love our sports. And right now its football time. Friday night lights, Game Day Saturday, Football Sunday Night, (And afternoon), Monday Night Football, and my personal favorite…Monday Night Football on Thursday nights. After the Mounties lost yesterday to Pitt, we changed our colors to orange and white for a Tennessee family member and finally black and gold for Wake Forest, where our daughter is, but the deacons have obviously neglected their prayer life because they bombed.
 
Travel a wee bit up the road to the high school, and it gets even better for sports fans: football, soccer, volleyball, Cross Country, and cheerleading are all in full motion. I don’t know what season heralds the arrival of wrestling, swimming, and archery, tennis, and golf. Maybe one of you can enlighten me.
 
As I was thinking about all these opportunities and exhibitions of human strength and discipline and beauty, and, let’s face it, youth, I began to see them not as individual sports. Instead, I began to see more clearly what they all have in common: strength and competition, adrenalin. It seems to me, it’s the thrill, the potentiality present in competition, in contest, that energizes these games, matches, and meets. Who wins and who loses and all the drama leading up to the final moments. We’re in love with it.
 
We all want to be on the winning side of the field. We all want to feel the excitement, if only in our dreams, of seeing star athletes wearing tennis whites at Wimbledon.
 
Maybe we don’t have to be taught to compete. It just unfurls from somewhere in our nature. I’ve shared this before, but, it fits today: Awhile back, we met our daughter and son-in-law and grandson at a particular store at the mall. Ed and I parked and walked to the entrance to wait on the others. They were right behind us.
 
We parked and then we heard a car door slam with a little more force than necessary and the next thing we knew, our three year old grandson stomps up to his grandfather and announces, “I’m so angry with you, PaPaw. You beat us.”
 
Well, of course, we did the wrong thing and laughed, which made him madder. Reconciliation came by way of a big toy shark tucked under Tad’s arm as he and his granddad walked through the store. He’s almost seven now and a karate student where he learns to compete with himself.
 
In our text, we find the disciples jockeying for position. Position is another word for power. A hierarchy of power helps us organize civilization and all its sub-sets. Think about the many ways we experience this daily. Where we work, where we shop, how we do our banking, our tv viewing- and what time all these things- all of these things come to us through some system of production and delivery. Someone has to be the decider. There are a lot of deciders in our life.
 
I worked at a drug store in high school and college. Aclassmate of mine was higher up the ladder. He got more hours and maybe a few cents per hour than I did. Why? Because he made the home deliveries, in the owner’s car. Being the delivery boy was a sought after position and when there was a vacancy it was a big deal. Competition exists everywhere. There were no females in the competition in 1974.
 
In our text, the disciples are just having a conversation. It may not have been academic, so much as just “shooting the breeze.” But, Jesus hears them and it is what he does next that tells us the most about who Jesus is in this setting.
 
What Jesus doesn’t do is settle the argument. Nor does he placate all of them, saying, “Now, now, you’re ALL my favorite.”
 
No. Jesus bends down and picks up a little child, maybe a child of one of the disciples’ own. And he says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
 
Children occupied an interesting place in the first century household for Jews and Romans alike. They represented the future, carrying on the family name, providing for their aging parents, and producing the next generation.
 
But, in the present, they were a liability. They were one more mouth to feed. The younger the child, the more likely they were to become sick and die.
 
They participated in household labor, but weren’t all that productive. Many historians believe that children were on about an equal status with a slave. They had no power. And there was no school system or children’s hospital to look after them nor CPS to report cases of abuse or neglect.
 
And Jesus said we must welcome people such as these powerless, vulnerable, defenseless children. Once again, Jesus turns our expectations upside down. It is a great reversal in the name of justice. The adult conversation is about power and position. Jesus transforms it into a lesson on welcome and hospitality, and compassion.
 
In the fall of 2021 there were four babies about to be born in my extended family. They will be celebrated, wrapped in the softest blankets and cutest sleepers. They will have nurseries stocked with all the necessities. Their care will be the subject of many a conversation. You know the drill:how will she be fed? Is he sleeping thru the night? Will Mom or Dad go back to work?  How soon?
 
Before long, they will be vaccinated and educated and enrolled in piano lessons and signed up for one of those great American icons of competition…T-ball.
 
And it is a good thing. A good and full life with parents who love and guide and discipline and protect.
 
Protection that far too many children will never experience, which is a tragedy.
 
I like to purchase books for the grandchildren to read when they visit. I bought one that they are not yet ready to hear. The author is Rachel Denhollander, and the book is about the abuse she suffered as a young gymnast. What Is a Girl Worth? That’s the title and it’s relevant to our scripture text today. That’s what it comes down to, the question behind the question: how much is a child, boy or girl, worth?
 
The Olympics occupied us for a couple of weeks this summer. Many of us love the gymnastics competitions. Four elite US gymnasts testified before the US Senate sometime back. These are athletes that we’ve seen and cheered for when they represented the country at the Olympics. They all testified to the hideous abuse they endured by their team doctor. They told their parents, they complained, some of them not even old or experienced enough to know what was happening to them. The complaints went nowhere. Investigations were cursory, if they were conducted at all. They girls were silenced, ridiculed, their abuse diminished.
 
The result was disastrous. The abuser had unfettered contact with dozens of young children before he was stopped. This was a sick power system that de-valued children, little girls in this case. Even as adults, the young women who testified described the lasting effects of the physical and psychological violence done to them. They are now seeking justice from a justice system that was woefully broken.
 
Who is the greatest? Well, greatness, in Jesus’ economy, or his power structure, doesn’t come from competitions won on the field or in the classroom or boardroom. Greatness is wrapped up in humility. Like those swaddling clothes in which Mary wrapped Jesus.
 
Greatness recognizes who the vulnerable are. Greatness points the way to hope. Greatness rises up with courage and compassion to defend the weak. Greatness calls us to look out for the welfare of those who can least affect their own welfare. In this text, it is children, but, it could be anyone, even elite, privileged, and celebrated athletes. Power can be used for evil when it seeks to dominate, humiliate, and demean.
 
Power can be used for the benefit of those who have little of it. My cousin has worked for years as a nurse in the Neo-natal abstinence unit of one of our hospitals. Babies born to substance-abusing mothers. It’s an expensive, labor-intensive process. These are babies with so many challenges before them. Cognitive, physiological, and social. They need more support than other newborns and someone had to decide to meet those needs. And that decision gives these innocent newborns an improved start in life and with that comes hope for a hopeful future.
 
So, we look for the right use of power.
 
So, I hope you enjoy the smaorgasbord of sport this week. Cheer for your teams. May the best ones win.
 
But, remember competition has no place in the kingdom of God.
 
In the early churches of Paul’s day, there were some mighty power struggles. He wrote to them, advising them with these wise words:
 
Love one another with brotherly, sisterly, affection.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Jesus Christ, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ welcomed you, for the glory of God.
Finally, aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.
 
May it be so for all of you.  Amen.
 
 
*Hymn   724   O Jesus, I Have Promised
*Affirmation of Faith        1 Corinthians 15:1-6; Matthew 16:16; Mark 16:9;
                                          John 20:28;    Revelation 22:13
This is the good news which we have received,
in which we stand,
and by which we were saved,
if we hold it fast:
that Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures,
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day,
and that he appeared
first to the women,
then to Peter, then to the Twelve,
and then to many witnesses.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of the Living God.
Jesus Christ is the first and the last,
the beginning and the end;
He is our Lord and our God.  Amen.
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
 
 Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn   Doxology
*Hymn   443   There Is a Redeemer
*Blessing                                                                                 2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship                  Psalm 46:1-3, 7
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
Therefore, we shall not fear, though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be hurled into the sea,
though the waters rage and foam,
though the mountains tremble at the tumult.
Lord God of hosts, be with us still.
 
*Hymn     O God, Our Help in Ages Past
 
Prayer of Confession
God of strength,
your Son, Jesus, told us that in this world we will endure tribulation.
If we should suffer for righteousness sake,
save us from self-righteousness.
Give us grace to pray for our enemies,
and to forgive, even as you have forgiven us.
Through Jesus Christ, who was crucified, but is risen.  Amen.
 
Hymn 698               Take, O Take Me As I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me;
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.”
In the name of our gracious Savior, our sins are forgiven.
Be at peace and pray for the peace of the world.
 
First Reading   Isaiah 35:1-10
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
Gospel Reading   Mark 7:24-37
Morning Message
 
This is one of those texts that we call “the hard sayings of Jesus.” The Jesus we meet in this scripture is contrary to the winsome teacher who sits children on his knee and heals the sick and feeds the hungry.
 
It is a challenge, but I will try to open it up a little for us. One of the most remarkable things about holy writ-the Bible-is that it is not static. It is dynamic. The Spirit moves and breathes across the page and across our lives and across the vast history of the people of God.
 
When our youngest daughter went to college she did as expected- she took classes, did homework, worked out at the rec center. She took a dance class along with her nursing classes, she was an officer in the student health organization.  She did healthy living  presentations for sororities and fraternities. She met her future husband. She got strep and tonsillitis. Repeatedly. She could not stay well.
 
So, when classes ended that spring, she was scheduled for a tonsillectomy.
 
The day came and my mother went with Caroline and me to the Three Gables Surgery Center. Ed was in Peru at the time and would not be home for a few days. I was grateful for the company.
 
I knew we were in trouble when Caroline came down from her room with an old and tattered stuffed lion she named “Aslan” of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
 
Caroline was more than a little apprehensive, but, she knew fully that urgery was necessary. She would not get well without it. A member of the team came out to speak with her, preparing her for the next steps. The anxiety ramped up. In fact, her hands were shaking and her leg was bouncing up and down.
 
The anesthetist came out and I said a silent prayer of “Thank you, Jesus.”  We knew her well and I was sure this would bring Caroline some comfort. I was wrong.
 
And finally, the doctor himself came out and talked with her, reassuring her that she was every bit as important to him as his own children. His job as a father was to love his children and see to their well-being. He would do that with her. All would be well. Soon she would feel much much better.
 
They took her back to get ready and an hour or so later we had word that she was finished and everything went as planned. She would be released soon.
 
Whew! We made it. Only we didn’t. As soon as the pain medication wore off, the anxiety returned. At home, Caroline, who was supposed to remain quiet and rest, paced the floors. Up and down the stairways, in and out of the house. She was in pain.  She was very anxious. She wanted her dad, and so did I.
 
I had nursed kids through all kinds of illnesses and hospitalizations and adversity. This was way different.
 
Finally, about twenty-four hours into her recovery, she stomped down the stairs from her room and stood before me and croaked out, “You’re a minister. Do something!”
 
And, friends, I tell you, in that moment, I felt helpless. I had used all my tools. We had prayed, I had tried to comfort, reassure. I had administered medication and offered soothing food and drink. Nothing helped.
My prayers for strength and healing turned into cries uttered from my own lips, “Come on. You are God. Do something!”
 
In our text, Jesus is far from home in the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is Gentile country. Jesus may be on a short vacation or sabbatical. He did rest from time to time. As far as we know, he was alone and wants to be left alone.
 
The text says he entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Why?
In recent days, Jesus has been mocked and ridiculed and rejected by his own townspeople. He needs a break.
 
And that happens to all of us, doesn’t it? We go and do and rush and wait and adjust and our days and weeks become packed with duty and obligation and soon we run out of gas. We need to step back and rest. Sometimes our bodies or our minds won’t let us go on. We just need to step back for awhile and find some restorative rest.
 
Jesus needed a break.  But a break is not what he got. A Syrophoenician woman barges into the house where he was staying, kneels at his feet, and begs Jesus to cast a demon out of her daughter.
 
We should pause for a moment to recognize that in Jesus’ day, little was known and understood about mental, emotional, or developmental  illness. The most likely explanation at the time was to attribute abnormal behavior to demon possession. This mother had done everything she knew to do, but her daughter was tormented.
 
Trust me, the behavior my daughter exhibited around her surgery was defying logic and modern medicine, too. I was close to assuming a demon was lurking in Ona, West Virginia.
 
The answer Jesus gave was astounding. Disturbing.
 
“Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”
 
Maybe he was just dead-dog tired. Maybe he was drained from travel and teaching and healing. Maybe he was sick of ridicule. Maybe his ethnic slur is just a test to prove this woman’s devotion.
 
Preacher Debie Thomas says all these are possibilities, but they don’t do justice to the power of the story. What does make sense is that the Jesus we encounter here is fully human-a product of his time and place, shaped as we all are by the conscious and unconscious  biases, prejudices, and entitlements of his culture.
 
And, he is God incarnate, a holy Son still working out the scope and meaning of the divine vocation that his Father has given him. Jesus knows he is sent to proclaim the Good News. What he is learning is that the Good News is needed in a multitude of ways as he meets his brothers and sisters across time and space.
 
This story is profound. Mark is reminding us of the Jewishness of Jesus. Mark sets that beside the radical act of reaching out beyond culture, race, and religion to meet the Other. And, if we look at a map of the Holy Land-there’s a lot more “other” in the world than those whose lives are spent in Israel. God’s reach is immense.
 
Remember what I said about the Spirit moving and breathing across the page? We see it demonstrated here.  The Syrophoenician woman challenges Jesus. “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
 
They engage in this conversation that instantly reminds us of how often we find Jesus at the table. It is at the heart of his boundary-breaking ministry. He eats with tax collectors and sinners. The table is the place where he shows the world who God is. The table is where God’s people rehearse the great wedding banquet of the Lamb in the kingdom yet to come.
 
The woman immediately catches on and asks, “Lord, where is my Good News? Where is my place at the table? Where is my daughter’s place in the kingdom of God?
 
If your image of Jesus is that he is the picture of perfection, you may find that image blurring some here. In this text, Jesus is not so much perfect as real. Real Jesus accepts the pleas of this woman, this mother, and he allows her-the ethnic, religious, and gendered other-to school him in his own gospel. This has the effect of breaking down bias and prejudice and barrier and revealing to him the greater need for compassion.
 
Jesus never loses a verbal argument with anyone else in scripture, but, he concedes this argument to the female foreigner. He says, “Because of your ‘logos’ or teaching, in Greek, the demon has left your daughter.”
 
Barbara Brown Taylor describes the moment this way: You can almost hear the huge wheel of history turning as Jesus comes to a new understanding of who he is and what he has been called to do.”
 
This woman’s faith and tenacity teach Jesus that God’s purpose will lead him into the unexpected and the unfamiliar and maybe even the taboo in order to advance the kingdom.
 
We are all aware that healing comes in many ways. In this case, a child was relieved of what was thought of as demon possession. If we read further in Mark,  Jesus restores the sense of hearing for a deaf man. He makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. Jesus restores afflicted people to their families and homes. It’s all a part of healing and wholeness.
 
But he also send neighbors with casseroles or hammer and nail, or a nurse to sit and listen to our ailments, or a teacher who recognizes your stumbling block, or the church that opens its air-conditioned halls in the throes of a heat wave for those who need respite.
 
That week of our tonsillectomy saga came to an end, thanks be to God. Ed made it home which improved things dramatically. She gradually felt better and it was discovered that the combination of prescribed medication and anesthesia and the stress of anticipation and absence of one member of her support system, and the fact that she had begun working in the hospital where things don’t always have the best outcome, had altogether created a perfect storm. We began to understand why the situation had deteriorated.
 
Just figuring all that out was a gift in itself. We knew what to do the next time and it has helped me understand church folks who face the same or similar situations.
 
I was reminded that I was not really without tools. I wasn’t helpless. In our weakness, God put people in our path to assist us. I do believe every one of the people who came to us and held our daughter’s hand was a good news bearer. I was the Syrophoenician woman in that moment pleading for help and Jesus sent what was needed.
 
That woman shows up all the time everywhere. She is not confined to the pages of scripture. She is not one, but many.
 
Listen? Do you hear them? The pleas for help. From the Apalachee High School in Georgia this week. From the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and the families of hostages everywhere, for the people of Ukraine, from the mothers and fathers of the drug and alcohol addicted in our town, from those at the margins we hear them:
 
“You’re a Christian! Do something!”
 
* Hymn     378     We Wait the Peaceful Kingdom
*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
Blessed are you, O God, maker and giver of all gifts.
Use us and what we bave gathered to bless the world with your love and grace,
through the One who gave his life for us.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   435   There’s a Wideness In God’s Mercy
 
*Blessing           Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Call to Worship                                                   Joshua 24:15
Choose this day whom you will serve.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
 
*Hymn  321    The Church’s One Foundation
 
Gathering Prayer
O, Lord, our God,
wellspring of all that is,
you are the sea on which we float,
the wind that fills our sails,
the storm that buffets,
the calm that brings us peace.
Open our ears to hear your word,
our eyes to see your beauty,
our hearts to be warmed by your love.
Free us from the bonds of sin and selfishness,
and make us over to be bearers of your joy and peace.  Amen.
 
Hymn           Take, O Take Me As I Am
 
First Reading       Exodus 1:8-2:10
 
Time With Our Young Disciples
 
Second Reading    Matthew 16:13-20
Morning Message     
 
It’s that time of year again…driving along Fifth or Sixth Avenues in downtown Huntington and you see college students and their parents, or whoever they could recruit to help them, dragging boxes, trunks, laundry baskets, guitars, and more into the dorms and apartments that line the streets. Moving in or out is a hard job.  Most of us have experienced it. I’d love to move closer to our family in North Carolina, but, all I have to do is take one look in the garage…and I am over that notion.
 
Rev. Janet Hunt is a Lutheran pastor in the Midwest. She writes that she was moving into a new home in a new town. Her mother had come to help pack, move, unpack and settle into her new place. They had been at it all day and were growing very tired. After several hours work, Janet’s mother headed to the bathroom. Janet sat down in a favorite comfortable chair and promptly fell asleep. She says she doesn’t know how long she was out, but she awoke to the sound of knocking and her mother calling her name.
 
She jumped up, and headed upstairs to the bathroom where her mother was trapped behind a locked door. She had been trying for several minutes, but the knob would not turn. Janet tried it from her side and still it wouldn’t budge.
 
So, Janet found some tools and proceeded to take the doorknob off. But since it was still attached on the other side, that , too, failed. Janet briefly thought about calling for help, but, she didn’t know her neighbors yet. She thought about calling the fire department, but, that seemed a little extreme.
 
So, she resorted to drastic measures: she traded her screwdriver for a hammer and proceeded to pound away at the handle. After a few minutes of this pursuit, her mother tried the handle again and it gave way and the door swung open. Free at last.
 
You’ve been there. You’ve been locked in or out or a key was misplaced. One of my family members was starting their car one day and the key broke off in the ignition. When Ed and I bought our first house, we went to the closing and when all the papers had been signed, the realtor handed us the keys while suppressing a laugh…the house we bought had four doors. Front, back, side and garage. We were handed four keys…one regular-looking door key…and three skeleton keys. No kidding. We knew then what would be Job #1.
 
Maybe we haven’t been trapped behind a locked door or had to resort to anything as drastic and destructive as what Janet did, but I think it’s safe to say we have all come up against something we couldn’t easily get through or around and we do whatever we can with the resources we have to get to the other side.
 
In our text, Jesus speaks not only to Peter, but, we believe, to us in our time, not of doors neccessarily, but of keys-keys which we understand hold a promise to open up, to reveal, that which is locked. These keys can make way for us to enter a place, or to understand mysteries that have, up to now, been unavailable to us. Keys to freedom and hope, for these are the keys to the Kingdom of God.
 
And Jesus tied these keys to something he has come to teach us…these keys are tied to forgiveness, grace. We freely receive God’s grace. But, grace does not, or should not stop with us. In gratitude for grace given, we can do none other than extend it ourselves.
 
Forgiveness, or the lack of it, carries eternal consequences. You know this. We all bear scars. We are all acquainted with sin, in its many forms. Maybe we are mistreated, or someone we love has been hurt. Maybe justice, as we understand it, was not served following some wrong done.
 
Maybe life has treated you or a loved one unfairly  Sometimes the wound is so great, so confounding and complex, we have to blame someone and God is the most convenient someone.
And, you know what, that’s ok. God can take it and work with it and help you cope.
 
One of the most compelling accounts of forgiveness shown in place of blame is that of the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. You remember the story: This is an Amish community. A local man, who bore a grudge against God, entered the village’s one room schoolhouse one morning, where he assaulted and killed many of the young students.
 
Can we even imagine the horror? The depth of that pain?  Innocent children lost their lives for no reason. The children of peaceful people of faith. How would they go on?
 
Well, they went on by gathering together, expressing their grief, remembering their precious children. And then they did something truly remarkable: church elders visited in the home of the man who had committed this atrocious act, meeting with his widow, for he had taken his own life after taking the lives of the children. They expressed their concern for his family, his wife and little children.
 
They made the decision to forgive, to extend the grace of God, to the one who had taken so much from them. Their faith demanded it.
 
There was a movie made of this incident. Near the end, viewers see the community gathered at the graves of the Amish children. And then we see the lonely image of the shooter’s widow, babe in arms, sobbing at her husband’s grave. And then the camera is trained on a remarkable sight: men, women, and children, in that signature black and blue garb of the Amish, coming to bear witness to this young mother’s grief and pain.
 
Grief and pain are emotions with which we are all familiar.
 
A year or so ago, there was a terrible incident near our home. Law enforcement officers were attempting to serve a warrant on a resident and the whole thing went wrong. The one who had presumably committed a crime was shot and killed. There was a great deal of reporting that all came off with a “he got what he deserved” tone.
 
I happened to run into someone who lives right across the street from where the incident occurred. She was horrible shaken. With a trembling voice, she said something like “Everyone is focused on the crimes he committed. We’ll never really know the truth of that because of the way it ended. But we do know this: last night, a mother lost her son.”
 
That level of empathy can lead to real transformation. Bearing witness to one another’s sorrow and need.  And so can sharing in one another’s blessings. A good example of that was yesterday’s dinner at the Senior Center. I think I was there about two hours. I know some of you were there much longer than that.
 
Coming home, I was reflecting on our time together, and I was thinking about what was unlocked that made the day so pleasant. I realized I had not heard or witnessed anything in that brief time but good will, fellowship, community.
 
It was a spiritual experience. I was thinking about something to compare it to.  Communion in noodles and sauce? Well, maybe, I do believe there is something sacred in every meal. Even if we set a place for one, we are always in the presence of the unseen guest.
 
I think it was more like a foot washing. Grace lavished upon one another. And grace is underrated.
 
 
* Hymn   Long Ago When Pharoah’s Daughter           Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
*Affirmation of Faith    p. 38, #4,  A Brief Statement of Faith, PCUSA, 1991
*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 God, from whom all blessings flow, may you find us ever-thankful for the abundance of your gifts. Accept these offerings as signs of our thanks and praise. May they serve to strengthen our commitment to know, love, and serve you this and every day. Amen.
 
*Hymn   462    I Love to Tell the Story
 
*Blessing
And now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all,
now and always.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​Prelude
Welcome and Announcements             
 
*Call to Worship
Look to the mountains! Look to the hills!
Love comes to us with joy!
The world is filled with beauty.
Flowers appear on the earth, birdsong brightens the day.
Crops yield their produce in abundance,
The air is filled with sweetness.
The summer of God’s love is with us.
Let the oil of gladness anoint your souls.
Arise and sing for joy!
 
*Hymn 14           For the Beauty of the Earth
 
Prayer of Confession
God of justice and righteousness,
your call beckons us:
to live faithful lives,
to turn from wickedness,
to walk in your ways.
Yet it is easy to turn aside:
to speak a thoughtless word,
to ignore those in need,
to strike out in anger,
to forget your ways.
Forgive us.
Implant your word in our hearts,
and cleanse us from all evil.
By the power of your love,
save us, that we might fully love and serve you.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   698   Take, O Take Me as I Am
Assurance of Forgiveness
God’s word has the power to save us.
God has anointed us with gladness,
forgiven and freed us,
to live holy and joyful lives.    Alleluia! Amen.
 
First Reading     Psalm 133  
Time With Our Young Disciples
Second Reading               Matthew 15:21-28          
Morning Message
 
One of the things we thought we would miss while we were in Scotland was the Olympics. We shouldn’t have worried about it. The Scots love the Olympics, too, and while we didn’t see all the competition, we did get the highlights each day. So, we kept up.
 
At the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, ten refugee athletes from four countries competed together as the Refugee Olympic Team. Among them were two swimmers, two judokas, a marathoner, and five medium-distance runners.
 
Ten young women and men who fled their home countries in search of competition. Ten talented athletes who never gave up. Their participation was a tribute to the courage and perseverance of all refugees.
 
As part of the commitment to aiding potential elite athletes affected by the world refugee crisis, the International Olympic Committee asked National Olympic Committees around the world to identify athletes with the potential to qualify for the Rio Olympic Games. Such candidates would then receive funding from  Olympic Solidarity to assist in their preparations and qualification efforts.
 
Forty-three promising candidates were identified and ten were eventually selected to make up the first-ever refugee team. Serving as a symbol of hope for refugees worldwide and bringing global attention to the refugee crisis, they marched and competed under the Olympic flag.
 
Their athletic prowess and resilience was a tribute to the courage and determination of all refugees- at a time when the number of people displaced by violence and persecution was at the highest level since World War II.
 
What an inspiration.
 
They entered a process with hopes and dreams and I’m sure, not a little anxiety. Did they know exactly what they would encounter? Did they anticipate sacrifices or danger ahead? We don’t know. What we do know is that they stepped out on a global stage, trusting in the help of strangers, for a global cause.
It is with that sense of hope that I read this Hebrews text. It’s not a very pretty story, is it? It recalls the fates of the faithful, many who suffered and died for the cause of Christ. By word and deed, time and space, the faith was passed on through the villages and towns and across oceans and deserts, and up unforgiving mountains, and into dense dark jungles, until the gospel came to us.
 
In our text, the author lifts up some of our most courageous heroes and heroines of the faith. If we would go back and read their stories, we would find some unlikely characters for bearing the banner of Christ, and yet, God used them to lead others to freedom, to fight enemies of God and God’s people, to find a homeland, and more.
 
For example, take Gideon. He was an altogether reluctant warrior. He lacked confidence in his own ability and asked the Lord to prove it was really the Lord talking to him at all.  (Judges 6:8)
 
Barak refused to go to battle without Deborah at his side, which you know was not the norm in that day. But, for all his courage, for his willingness to put his life on the line, he learned that at the end of this battle the honor would go to someone else. (Judges 4). And yet he stepped up for God.
 
Samson may well have been strong in body, but we have to wonder if he weren’t a little lacking in his intellect.(Judges 16).
 
Jephthah, though described as a mighty warrior, essentially traded the life of his only child, his daughter, for a military victory. (Judges 11).
 
David was the ideal king for the nation of Israel, but he committed adultery and arranged the death of Bathsheba’s husband so he could take his place. (2 Samuel 11:1-12, 25).
 
In Joshua 2, we read the story of Rahab. She was a Cannanite woman living in Jericho. Before the conquest of Jericho, Joshua sends two men as spies to see the land. They cometo Rahab’s house for lodging. The king, hearing that they are at Rahab’s house, demands that she give them up, which would mean certain death. Rahab defies the king and and rescues the Israelites. She hides them under the flax drying on her roof, She lets the men out through her window, which is in the town wall. She asks that she and her family be spared once the Israelites attack Jericho. The spies give her a crimson thread to hang from her window, telling her to gather her family and wait inside the house. So long as they stayed inside the house marked with the red thread, they would be spared. And indeed they were.
 
And for all her courage and ingenuity, we almost always call this woman, “Rahab, the Prostitute.” As if her profession rendered her faith defective.
 
All these characters were less than perfect. That gives me hope and confidence.  
 
Today’s problems and challenges are deep and complicated and we wonder if have the skill or the will or the strength or the intellect to address many of them. Well, the truth is, we don’t have the resources to resolve all the world’s threats. But, God’s people are everywhere across the globe, lacing up their shoes for whatever race is set before them. We are a cloud of witnesses, going wherever God’s Spirit leads.
 
Awhile back, I met Callie, a twenty-seven-year-old immunologist working at Wake Forest Medical School. Callie works long hours and weeks, and is joined by a number of other young laboratory scientists who are investigating childhood diseases. They then build medical models to eradicate the diseases. Callie’s from Australia, a home she didn’t see for over two years, thanks to the pandemic. Still, her spirit is kind and cheerful and sociable, and sometimes, wistful. She misses her family. She misses her home and walks along the near-by beach.  
 
Callie’s race has far to go. Kind of like the Marine Corps Marathon. But her life has meaning and quality while she works toward her goal. Her purpose is clear and noble. She has others with whom to share it. She has been a wonderful friend to my daughter and I believe that gift is mutual.
 
What about your race? What is God setting before you? What is God setting before us? Sometimes we have to just think about the race we will run today and how we will approach it. Maybe that’s even too long.
 
I’ve had Covid twice. Before I realized I had it, I had started out on a grocery trip. When I couldn’t push the buggy to the front of the store, I called my husband for help. I was short of breath and close to tears. He came immediately, took over, and sent me home. He finished my race that day.
 
Those ten Olympic athletes had no country, no funds, no voice, no entry into the premier event for which they had trained. Until people with vision and compassion and courage and strength stepped up to make it happen. The great crowd of witnesses, of which scripture speaks.
 
As we look toward the goal that is set before us in the near or distant future, we are called to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who gave his very life that we might live.
 
I’m no athlete. But, I will lift high his flag, his cross, my whole life long. And I’m hoping you will, too.
 
 
*Hymn  693   Though I May Speak
*Affirmation of Faith             The Apostles’ Creed p. 35
*Hymn   Gloria Patri
 
Sharing Our Joys and Concerns
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
*Hymn 607  Doxology
*Prayer of Dedication
God of light and beauty, every gift is from you.
Even our ability to give is a blessing of your love.
We offer what we have and what we are that you may use our gifts
to give birth to a world of peace and understanding,
where none are in need,
and all are drawn into your embrace.  Amen.
 
*Hymn   692           Spirit, Open My Heart
*Blessing
In everything, let us offer our thanks to God.
In our darkness and questioning,
in our relief and rejoicing,
in the assurance that God holds us in love,
that we may cheerfully serve others,
replacing fear with the hope born of Eternal Love.  Amen.
 
*Postlude

​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

​Click here to download printable PDF for July 14, 2024

​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

Click here to download printable PDF for July 7, 2024​

​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