​August 20, 2023
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of  fellowship.
We will receive your gifts to assist those devasted by the fire in Maui.  Please mark your checks Maui or fire.
If you would like to assist the United Way organizer to sort materials for their back to school drive. Please speak to Mary Emmert so she cam mark your name to be notified when that takes place. Thank you
The Gathering Place continues to serve the needs of people for connection and socialization.  Tell your friends.  Come assist and join with this thing that Christ is doing in our midst.  Please speak to Pastor Joyce to sign up to assist in the near future.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                                  (based on Psalm 133)
                            
One:  Holy God and gracious King, we lift our voices to exalt you.
All:     We join with all creatures to lift our voice in praise.
One:  You gather your people with all of creation to live in unity.
All:     You bless all creatures with grace and love abounding.
One:  How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity;
All:     For there the Lord bestows his blessing.  Alleluia!  Alleluia!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
Spirit of our Living God, fall afresh on us. Open us to your life-giving
Word this hour of worship. Quiet the voices within us so that we may focus fully on you. Open our minds and our hearts to the scriptures we read and the message you intend for us so we may join together, faithfully discern your way and bring glory to your holy name. Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Amen.
 
*HYMN                      All Creatures of Our God and King (vs 1, 5, 6)                  #455
                                             (You may be seated.)
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
 
“PRAYER OF CONFESSION   based on Matthew 15: 21-28
Merciful God, we confess that, just like Jesus’ disciples, we too sometimes lose patience with people who need our help and support.  Like the disciples, we find ourselves wishing that they would just go away and leave us in peace. In Your mercy, forgive us. Remind us again of the deep love You showed toward us when we were still in need— a love so deep that it sent You willingly to the cross on our behalf. Show us how to love others as You have loved us. Teach us Your compassion, so that we may be Your hands and feet to those in need.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE                                                                          Romans 8: 34
 
SONG OF PRAISE  Gloria Patri                                                       #579
 
 
PASSING THE PEACE 
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
 
 
INTERLUDE
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Open our eyes that we may see, our ears that we may hear, and our hearts and minds that we may understand your precious Word read and proclaimed this day, most Holy God. Amen
SCRIPTURE LESSONS
The Old Testament       Genesis 45: 1-15
 
45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.  3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.  4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.   8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’  12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.” 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.
 
The Gospel                    Matthew 15: 21-28
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” 27 “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”  28 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.
  
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
MESSAGE   The Unity of Love
 
*HYMN                   Though I May Speak                                                                #335
 
PASTORAL PRAYER
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
 
OFFERING OUR GIFTS TO GOD
 
 
*DOXOLOGY  Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow  #592
 
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Gracious God, the gifts we offer reflect only a portion of all that you
have given us. Take these offerings, we pray, and multiply them for your use. May our offerings be a blessing to those most in need; to those most vulnerable. May our offerings, given in a spirit of generosity, reflect your love in the world and bring glory to your kingdom here on earth. Amen.
 
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                                                                   The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
 
*HYMN                                             O For A World                                                    #386
                                 
 
Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING  
 
POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
 

​ 
August 13, 2023
11th Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of  fellowship.
While the United Way picked up our School Supply items this week, We are still accepting donations for Our Christmas in July Drive.  Your gifts will help us to give a gift card to local schools to purchase things they did not receive from the United Way.
The Gathering Place continues to serve the needs of people for connection and socialization.  Tell your friends.  Come assist and join with this thing that Christ is doing in our midst.  Please speak to Pastor Joyce to sign up to assist in the near future.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
 
JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
Walter Metzger who is recovering from pneumonia
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP    (adapted from Psalm 105: 1-4)
 
O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name,
 
Make known his deeds among the peoples.
 
Sing to him, sing praises to tell of his wonderful works.
 
Glory in his holy name.
 
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
 
Let us gather this day to seek the Lord and his strength.
 
May we know his presence today and for all our days.  Amen.
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
How often it feels that we are in a storm tossed boat.  The waves are crashing around us, and we are so afraid!  Come to us, O Savior.  Walk upon the waters of our worry and, quiet our hearts.  Show us your amazing love that offers life and meaning and hope for all the world.  Amen.
*HYMN                               To God Be the Glory                                                                                                         #485
                                             (You may be seated.)
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
“Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”  How often Jesus offered those words of comfort to his disciples.  He continues to offer them to modern day disciples, to you and to me.  Let us lean on those words as we together to confess our failings.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION 
Forgive us, Gracious Lord, for the snarky comments, hurtful behaviors and lack of forgiveness that we have extended to our brothers and sisters and to members of our church family.   Families can be messy, and while we’ve not put our brother into a pit or sold him into slavery, we confess that we’ve not always lived your call to grace as fully as we might.  Help us to recognize the ways that we contribute to conflicts and tension.  Help us to amend our ways and to be more loving and accepting as we go forward. Thank you, Lord, that even in the midst of our own worst moments you still love us.  Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
In Christ Jesus we are forgiven and drawn near.  The storm in our hearts is calmed and in God’s love we are free to be our best and most loving self.  Thank you, Lord.  Amen.
 
SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri                                                                                                                                   #579
 
 
PASSING THE PEACE
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
We come to hear your holy word, Gracious Lord.  Let us set aside our worries and sorrows that we might gather new insights for healing and hope.  May your love pull us up from the pit and into the light of your glory.  Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS     
Genesis 37: 1-4, 12-28
37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied. 14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?  16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?” 17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.  19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.  26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed. 28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
 
                                              Matthew 14: 22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
 29 “Come,” he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”  31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
 
SERMON                            Tossed by The Storm
 
Did you catch the story this week about the young man who was rescued about 12 miles off the coast of Florida?  The video showed his small boat about 90% filled with sea water.  It was being pushed this way and that by the waves and seemed about to sink when the Coast Guard pulled our hapless sailor from the sinking boat.  It seems that he had lost not just the motor but his emergency kit, so he had no radio, flares, water or even a life vest!  Luckily he was found and rescued.
I’ve never personally been on a boat that was in trouble.  I remember losing one oar in a canoe, but weren’t that far from shore and there was no real danger.  But in our story today, there was a storm that was tossing the disciples’ boat this way and that.  I can imagine that they were terrified.  In the very dim light of predawn a figure came toward them over the waves.  A ghost?  A sea monster?  Some other unknown but probably dangerous phenomenon?  No.  It was Jesus!  It was Jesus coming to his disciples.
Walking on water.  It’s become the tongue in cheek test for any who would claim to be a Messiah.  It’s also a major stumbling block for those who might otherwise be inclined to explore the faith of Jesus Christ.  Our scientifically trained minds just can’t go there.  It makes people question how much of the gospel can they really trust.
This morning I want to dig into this tory to see if we can make sense of Matthew’s account.  In the first place, the people of Matthew’s day would be much less likely to ask “Could it happen?”  They had been steeped in the concept of God who could set aside the rules of nature to achieve his purposes.  Think about God turning the waters of the Nile to blood or raining frogs to convince Pharaoh to let his slaves go free.  Moses parted the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land.  He struck a rock and water came gushing out.  He instructed Moses to set a bronze snake on a pole so that any who had been bitten by poisonous snakes could look at it and be saved.  Think about Elijah calling down an instantaneous fire onto the altar in that test between him and the prophets of Baal.  All of these things would be contrary to the world of science as we know it, but the people in Matthew’s time accepted that God could manage such things.
Matthew’s people were much more likely to ask, “What does it mean?”  So let’s consider that.  There are about three major themes here and I think all three have validity for us today.  The first of those themes regards the question, “Who is this Jesus?”
As I mentioned, the Bible is full of examples of God controlling nature.  Here it is Jesus controlling the waters.  He not only walks on top of the waves, he also quiets the storm.  He is in control.  When the disciples are alarmed he says, “Take heart.  It is I. Do not be afraid.”  “It is I.”  In Hebrew that would be “eigo eime.”  Those words would be very familiar to the readers of the day because those were the words that God offered to Moses at the burning bush.  Moses had complained that he didn’t even know God’s name and God had responded, “Ego eimi.”  Which is translated “I am who I am.”  Tell the people that I AM sent you.”  Ego Eime.  I AM.
So we can see that Matthew is making a statement about who Jesus is.  That’s further emphasized by the response of the disciple once the wind had subsided.  “They worshipped him saying truly you are the Son of God.”  Two chapters further along Peter would make that declaration of faith when Jesus asks, “But who do you say that I am?”  He will respond, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  This is a bit of a preview!
Here’s the second part of this story that is important.  Jesus is coming to his disciples because they are in trouble.  The storm is raging and they are at risk of sinking, just like our young man from Florida.  Jesus is coming to rescue them.  He’s coming to save them because that’s his role. That’s his job.  He cares. He saves.  He is there for them.  Matthew is showing us the nature of Jesus and what he’s all about.  To be our Savior.
But Jesus isn’t the only one in this story.  Matthew is telling us something about the church.  The church exists in a world, even in Matthew’s day, where there are dangers out there.  Disbelieve, hostility to the faith, persecution, difficulties and danger from an alienated world.  The boat is the church being tossed this way and that, in danger of the waves that prevail.
The disciples were afraid.  Even before they saw Jesus they were wondering if they would make it to the other side.  Could their boat survive the storm?  It was dark.  They didn’t know how close they were to shore.  They didn’t know what other dangers were out there.  They didn’t know if they could swim for it if need be.  I imagine they were feeling very much like the young man from Florida.  “Oh, help us, Lord!”
But they weren’t alone.  Jesus hadn’t abandoned them.  Jesus could reach them, even if he had no boat. Even if the storm and the dark hid them. He could see.  He could reach them.
What does that tell us about our adventures as the church?  Jesus was there for them.  Jesus is here for us, too.  The dangers and unknown of our world is no match for the love of our Lord.
The disciples were amazed, of course to see their teacher coming to them that way.  Peter wanted to try it, too.  Peter wanted to feel the power of God carrying him over the waves.  Jesus agreed.  “Ok, Peter, come to me.”  I give Peter a lot of credit.  I’m not sure I could do it—to crawl over the side of that boat?  The first couple steps went good.  Then a strong gust of wind chased an especially big wave at him and he was reminded of where he was and what he was doing.  Yikes!  He’d been OK when he was focusing his attention on Jesus, but now he was going down.  He cried out, “Lord save me!”  And of course Jesus reached out to grab hold of him before he sank into the sea.  “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew is offering us this story or maybe we should call it a parable?  He wants us to see ourselves in Peter’s place.  The church is the boat on a stormy sea.  Even in our society where Christianity is the accepted faith, still there are doubters.  There are people who selfishly push for their own advantage.  There are people filled with hate and violence.  There are those who are so afraid of anyone who is different that they can’t stand that the church accepts and loves all people.  Sin and evil, disease and fear, despair and apathy, ignorance and injustice.  Those are the things that today’s church must stand against.
We can’t do it on our own.  We need to keep our eye on Jesus.  He’s the one who calls us into being.  He’s the one who gives us our marching orders.  He’s the one who invites us to step out of the relative safety of the church in order to join him on the waves.  When we keep our focus on him, we will be able to manage.  When we start thinking about all that stands in our way, we’ll sink every time!  But even then, when we call, “Save me, Lord.”  our savior will be there to offer up his hand.  We’ll get back in the boat to be re-energized so we can try again to walk with Jesus.
Sometimes when we’ve had a moment of sinking into the waves we say, “Never again.  That is too risky, too dangerous, too scary.”  At other times we might say, ”Well that obviously didn’t work, so I never need try anything like that again.”  That would be too bad, because even in those situations, God is at work.  God is using us to move the needle towards health and healing for our world.
Think about Joseph down in that pit.  He was wishing for God’s hand to reach down and pull him out. When it was the hand of a brother who pulled him from the depths in order to sell him into slavery, what a bitter moment.  It seemed that God had forgotten him.  This youngest and most favored of sons might be forgiven for thinking that.  But as the story moves forward we realize that God had very much NOT forgotten him.  God was at work in his life.  It all happened so slowly that our eyes couldn’t see it in the moment, but God was molding Joseph into a major player who would hold the future in his hands.  It was the future for his family, but also for Egypt.
We have two stories, two examples of God at work to save his people.  Jesus who came to his disciples rescue and God who crafted Joseph into the one who would save his family.  The disciples were very aware of their Lord’s care for them.  Joseph was almost certainly oblivious to what God was doing.  We are probably somewhere in the middle.  Or maybe we jump back and forth between being aware and being oblivious of God’s hand leading us.  The bottom line is that we need to be ready to get out of the boat when Jesus calls us.  We need to keep our eye on our Lord. We need to know that even if we start to sink, Jesus will pull us up and help us back to the boat.
So as you go forth from this place, I hope you will consider your own life.  When have there been those Joseph moments where you are blind to God leading you forward, but he was there.  And when have you been in Peter’s shoes, walking to our Lord and serving him.
In either situation God holds us close and calls us to be in the business of bringing new life and new hope to our world.  Let’s be a part of that.  Praise to our Lord.  Amen.
  
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
 LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
OFFERING OUR GIFTS TO GOD
 
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
 
 
*HYMN                         "We Come As Guests Invited"                                                                                     #517.
                                           (you may be seated.)
 
 
 INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING  ( by Pastor)
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND THE CUP
 
COMMUNION PRAYER.
 
 
*HYMN                             This Is My Father’s World                                                                      #293                             
                                                  (You may be seated.)
 Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.
 

​ 
August 06, 2023
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
School Supply Drive.  See more information about this United Way effort to provide school supplies to all the elementary students in Clinton County.  A box has been placed in the hall outside the sanctuary.  If you would like to donate cash instead of items, the Christmas in July box is there to accept your donations.  Thank you!
The Gathering Place continues to serve the needs of people who need connection and socialization.  Tell your friends.  Come assist and join with this thing that Christ is doing in our midst.  Please speak to Pastor Joyce to sign up to assist in the near future.
The administration office phone is bot working please  get a hold of me through email, or calls and texts can be made to 563-212-0200
 
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
 
· JoAnn Grimm who fell last week and broke 2 ribs.
· The Pawlik family as they morn Arlene Pawilk Passing
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
 
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                           based on Psalm 145                          
One:  Our God and King, we exalt you and praise your name forever;
All:     Your greatness is more than we understand and most worthy of praise.
One:  You are slow to anger and rich in love;
All:     Gracious and compassionate and good to all.
One:  All your works praise you, Lord, and speak of your glory and might.
All:     O Lord our God, how great Thou art!
 
 *GATHERING PRAYER
Almighty God, who stands by every promise made to Your people, generation after generation, we gather together today to worship you.
 
We come to give You thanks, to proclaim Your greatness, to sing Your praise, and to celebrate Your faithful presence with us.
We pray that Your Spirit would guide and inspire our worship.   We ask that you open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts to feel your love and know your will.   In this hour and throughout our lives, let our souls truly sing “how great thou art; how great thou art!” Amen.
 
*HYMN How Great Thou Art #467
(You may be seated.) 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
God promises to love us and forgive us, not because we are righteous or law-abiding, but simply because we are. Trusting in God’s steadfast love, let us confess our sin together.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION 
Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength.  We have not loved one another as you have commanded us to do.  Whether intentionally or unintentionally, we have hurt others, ourselves, and you by our actions or inactions and our words or our failures to speak.
 
Help us to do better, O Lord.  Forgive each of us for the sins that we acknowledge and the hidden sins that you see.   Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in us.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE                                                                        Romans 8: 34
 
SONG OF PRAISE Gloria Patri #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Open our eyes that we may see, our ears that we may hear, and our hearts and minds that we may understand your precious Word read and proclaimed this day, most Holy God. Amen
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS   
The Old Testament Genesis 32: 22-31
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” 29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.  30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
 
The New Testament Romans 9: 1-5
9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. 5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
 
The Gospel Matthew 14: 13-21
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.  18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
MESSAGE Wrestling with God 
 
 
When I read our passage from Genesis this morning, I find myself with more questions than understanding.   Why did Jacob send his family and all of his possessions across the way and spend the night alone?   Who really was “the man” wrestling with Jacob, and if the man really was God, why could God not overpower Jacob?    And regardless of if the man is God or not, why are they wrestling all night?    And lastly, what is the significance of Jacob’s new name?   We just don’t get a lot of information out of this passage, and when I finish reading it, I feel like I have more questions than answers
 
As I was researching this passage and looking at commentaries, I came across one by Callie Plunket-Brewton and I would like to share some of her thoughts with you this morning.
 
Callie states in this passage, a lone human being wrestles through the night with a nameless antagonist and emerges from the night transformed.  She says that it is one repeated so often in human experience that the reader scarcely realizes this is an ancient story. Because it involves the theme of human transformation, it is a familiar and compelling narrative to people of all times.
 
We need to look at some clues in this story and in the larger context of Genesis that can give us some understanding to at least some of our questions. 
In his book Genesis: Translation and Commentary,  Robert Alter points out that splitting in two or doubling is a theme in the stories of Jacob. Jacob and his twin brother, Esau, argue and divide when Jacob takes Esau’s birthright and a blessing.   Jacob’s wives, Leah and Rachel, are sisters who each vie for his affection.  Jacob divides his flocks into multi- and parti-colored animals and when returns to his homeland he divides his property into two camps “in great fear and distress,” anticipating an attack by his brother’s men.  Jacob seems to be a man of division, perhaps until he has finally divided so much that he ends up alone on this fateful night of wrestling. 
 
We can look back just a few chapters to Genesis 28 and see that Jacob’s night by the river alone is similar to another dramatic night in his life: the night he fled from his brother and Canaan. In that story, Jacob lays his head on a stone and has a dream of angelic beings ascending and descending a huge stairway connecting heaven and earth. Above the stairway, God appears and promises protection, blessing, and an eventual return to Canaan. In Genesis 32, the story that begun in chapter 28 has come full circle: the promise of the return to Canaan is being fulfilled and a potential showdown with his brother is on the horizon, and Jacob finds himself alone at night, again. 
 
The stage seems to be set for another strange encounter.
 
 
 
This encounter, though, is more mysterious than the first one. In the earlier story with the stairway to heaven, there is no hint of conflict, and the divine being involved is clearly identified as God, who reaffirms to Jacob the promise that he made to Jacob’s father and grandfather.
 
On the other hand, the identity of the “wrestler/ man” in Genesis 32 is not nearly as clear. The narrator says only that a “man” wrestled with Jacob until the break of day. There are hints in the story that this “man” is not an ordinary man … probably the most obvious “hint” is that this man wrenched Jacob’s hip just by touching the socket of the hip.
 
Jacob’s demand for a blessing from this man is also a clue to us.   We don’t read it in the scripture, here must be something about the man that we don’t know allowing  Jacob to  recognize him as God and demand a blessing.    
 
The closest the scripture comes to telling us the man’s identify comes in verse 28 where the man says “you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”   Interestingly, though, even this statement is not as clear as we read it today … although the NIV and other current translations of the Bible typically use the word “God” in this passage, the original word used was Elohim.   This word does not quite as clearly identify the man as God …  . Elohim is a somewhat generic term that can refer specifically to YHWH or God, but can also refer to gods in a more general sense. The NIV translates elohim as “God” in both verses, but that doesn’t make it obvious that Jacob’s opponent is God  … after all,  why should YHWH God,  need to ask Jacob his name?
 
Probably our biggest clue, and maybe the reason we interpret this story as Jacob wrestling with God is the blessing and new name that is given to Jacob.   Perhaps God asking Jacob what his name is was simply a way of emphasizing the contrast between the old Jacob and the transformed Israel. 
 
Jacob asking for a blessing --- insisting really, by holding on to the man until the blessing was given – is perhaps the most convincing evidence that this man wrestling with Jacob was actually God.   Jacob recognized something in this being that caused him to just know that this was God and know he needed his blessing --- and Jacob wouldn’t let go until he got it.  Remembering back, Jacob usually figures out a way to get what he wants, doesn’t he?
 
The man – God -  asks Jacob what his name is, and when Jacob answers, the man says “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
 
I like the way that Callie Plunket-Brewer explains this when she says; the name “Jacob” was given to him at birth to mark his efforts to supplant his brother even in the womb. Now he’s given another name that matches his story of striving and overcoming all that stands in his way, including dangerous supernatural beings, and he’s given another blessing. While the details of that blessing aren’t part of the scripture, it is clear that he is blessed, and unlike the blessing stolen from his brother by trickery, this is a blessing he’s earned. He’s transformed. Now he’s Israel.
This story of Jacob wrestling with God seems almost unbelievable to us, doesn’t it?   God and Jacob physically wresting through the night --- why in the world would God wrestle with Jacob for any reason?  Well, the wrestling was for Jacob, and for Jacob’s transformation wasn’t it?  Not for God.
 
I wonder how often you and I wrestle with God --- all night, or all week, or always?   How often do we think we know better than God … wrestling not physically as Jacob and God wrestled, but wrestling with what we know God wants us to do and what we think we can or cannot do, or what we want or don’t want to do. 
 
Even those closest to Jesus, his disciples, “wrestled with Jesus” in many ways throughout the gospels --- questioning what he was telling them or pushing back when Jesus told them what to do or where to go.   Even in our passage from Matthew today of the fish and loaves, we see some of this push back.  The disciples, thinking they knew what was best for Jesus, told Jesus he should send the crowds away so the people could go and buy their own food. 
 
Jesus replied  “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”    And again, the disciples pushed back, in their defense because of their own earthly understanding of what food was available. 
 
 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they pushed back. Jesus said  “Bring them here to me,” and of course we know the rest of the story.
Paul, in our reading from Romans, seems to be struggling – wrestling –too … “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart,” Paul says.   Paul must have been experiencing one of those dark nights of aloneness too, don’t you think?
 
We all have times of sorrow and “anguish” as Paul says, don’t we?   I think it’s pretty safe to say that we wrestle with God a lot of the time --- most of the time, I imagine, because we, like the disciples of Jesus,  simply don’t understand what God can do and what God wants us to do   We easily quote the scripture from Matthew 19:26,  “with God all things are possible” but that’s hard for us to understand when we are in a situation of actually having to believe that and act on it.
 
Jacob, in his alone-ness on that night, must have been having a hard time, or as described by Plunker-Brewton, having a “dark night of the soul.”    We’ve all had those times, haven’t we?  Times when darkness seems to overtake all, when we wrestle with ourselves and with God --- when we wrestle with why God allows so much tragedy, so much hardship, so much sadness to happen in the world and even more so, in our own lives.   Dark nights when we even wrestle with whether there is a God or not and if there is, where in the world is he?
 
But perhaps the lesson to hold onto in this story of Jacob in Genesis 32 is that no
 
​matter how hard the night – the darkness  (and it had to be pretty darn hard to wrestle with God all night) – no matter what,  daybreak still comes.   And not only does daybreak still come, blessings can come out of that darkness.
Jacob’s night of wrestling – of turmoil, of being in the darkness alone, left to wrestle a formidable opponent by himself – did not leave Jacob the same as he was before that night.   Our own dark nights, hard times, can leave us with scars, can leave us different than we were before, just as that night did with Jacob.   Jacob walked away from his hard night with a limp – it changed the way he walked, likely forever.   But that night also left him with a blessing --- a change of name and a blessing that transformed Jacob and his life.
 
Jacob walked away from that night praising God and looking forward to the next day, with a faith and courage that came from conquering that hard night and fully assured of the blessing of God.
 
I have to wonder, if Jacob had not wrestled with God, would his blessing, his transformation have come sooner?   If instead of wrestling, if he had let God guide the encounter that night, might he have come out unscathed and still blessed?   But perhaps not … according to scripture, Jacob was given the name Israel specifically “because he had struggled with God and with humans and had overcome.”   Sometimes, we may just have to do the hard stuff, just have to make it through whatever darkness we are going through … sometimes we just may need to struggle with God and with humans and, like Jacob, overcome.
 
And God -  no matter what form he takes and no matter how hard the situation or how hard the night -  God will be with us whether we wrestle with or challenge him or whether we just accept his loving arms around us.   We can live fully assured that we will be blessed and transformed with every single encounter with God and we can live knowing that no matter what, daybreak will always come.     And that, no matter how dark the darkness, is always enough.
Amen.
 
 
 
*HYMN                            Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah                                   #281
                                                  (You may be seated.) 
 
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
OFFERING OUR GIFTS TO GOD
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Gracious God, this offering is what we have to give you this day.  Be it
time, talent or treasure, we lift these gifts to you. It is through you that all things are made new, and we ask that you renew our spirit to continue sharing our gift with the least of us. Amen
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
 
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven
He is seated at the right hand of the Father,
And He will come to judge the living and the dead.
 
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
*HYMN                                Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing                       #538
 
Sending Forth
 
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
 POSTLUDE
 
* Sections of the service preceded with * are times to stand if you are able to do so.
Bold text is to be read together aloud as a congregation.