​ 
 
​November 26, 2023
Christ the King Sunday
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
· Today we receive and give thanks for the pledges and many gifts of our members.  If you need a pledge card, you can find one at the door where bulletins were found.
· Ladies Lunch Bunch will meet at Candlelight on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 11:30 AM.
· On December 10 we will have our annual meeting and elect new elders.  Please come to be a part of this important meeting.
· The Gathering Place will host BINGO on November 30.  Please Join us.  We will not meet on December 22, 29 nor Jan. 4.  We start again on Jan. 11.  Hope to see you then!
 
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
· Ellen and Keith Miller who struggle with health issues.
· For our world where conflict and struggle causes such pain and suffering.
 
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP  (adapted from Psalm 100)
 
We come to make a joyful noise to the Lord!
 
We come to worship the Lord with gladness.
 
We come into his presence with singing
 
The Lord is our God.  It is he who made us, and we are his.
 
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
 
Enter with thanksgiving and praise, giving thanks to him as we bless his name.
For the Lord is good.
 
His steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.  Amen
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
We come this day to rejoice before you, our Lord and King. Hear our songs of praise, Gracious God, as we gather together.  We are the sheep of your pasture and the people of your heart.  We pray that you will meet us here, and bring us more truly into your service and into the care of your fold. Amen.
 
 
*HYMN                           All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!                                 #142                                             
                                                   (You may be seated.)
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
Sometimes the word of God is a word of condemnation. For we have wandered away.  But Christ comes to lead us back to our God of grace and love.  Let us confess our sins that we might know forgiveness and be enabled to live joyfully in Christ our Lord.
 
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 Lord, forgive us for the many times when we failed to recognize you in the hungry, and the thirsty, the stranger and the naked and the prisoner.  Forgive us for so concentrating on our own lives, our own needs and worries that we pass by without offering the things needed by these vulnerable ones.  Forgive us for the excuses we make and for assuming that we have the right to judge them. In their need, may we see your loving face.  Help us to offer care and compassion and hope in your name.  Amen.
 
 
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Be assured, My Friends, we are a forgiven people, justified by faith and knowing peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Let us believe the good news and take Christ’s hand to live into the hope of our Lord.
 
 
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 word, Gracious Lord.  May the eyes of our heart be enlightened, and through these words may we know the hope to which you call us and the riches of our inheritance into your amazing love.  Amen.
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS     Ezekiel 34: 11 - 16, 20 - 24
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice…….
 
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
                                             
                                            Matthew 25: 31 - 46
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life
 
SERMON    Goats and Sheep
 
So why do the goats in this parable get such a really bad rap?  Why goats? After all goat milk, goat cheese, even goat meat is at a premium at different places around the world?  But sheep are seen as the blessed animal.  Perhaps it has to do with the fact that sheep are more passive animals and goats can be quite mischievous.  I would suspect that all of us are goats at one point or another, but hopefully we can all be sheep, too. 
One of the major titles of Jesus is that of good shepherd.  While a shepherd could herd both goats and sheep, it was probably more recognized for the sheep.  They needed more care.  Their heavy wool made it hard for them to run and so they were more likely to become a wolf’s dinner or if they got wet to drown.  They wandered off and if they get sick, had a less robust system of antibodies to battle infections.
Nonetheless, Jesus loves both his sheep AND his goats.  I think that’s why I am turned off by the bumper sticker that proclaims, “Jesus loves you, and that’s good because no one else does!”  Really?  Exactly why is that funny?  If Jesus loves someone, then don’t we all want to love them, too?
We learned in preschool the song, “Jesus loves me.  This I know, for the Bible tells me so.”  Well it might be the Bible that proclaims it, but we come to really know that we are loved by Jesus because others treat them as loved ones, too.
That youngster who goes to Bible School but who doesn’t get the good cookies because the church members kids get first pick. Or when they have an activity like riding a pony, but time runs out before the unchurched kids get their turn, or that youngster who is scolded because he forgot his quarter for the offering—does he or she really feel loved by Jesus?
Or how about the people who live down the street from you?  When they don’t have enough to eat and then they watch us host an elaborate cook out with massive amounts of food—but of course they are not invited—do they feel Jesus’ love?  They know we got to church.  We were the one who knocked on their door to hand them a flyer, and they know that WE know they are going through a really tough time, but we don’t seem to care about their need.  Do you think they feel the love of Jesus?
The reality is that each and every one of us come to know Jesus because someone took the time and effort AND the love to introduce us and to care for us along the way.
In ancient Israel, Ezekiel is speaking to people who are in the midst of a foreign aggressor’s invasion.  A take-over of their land and their way of life is in process.  High taxes are being levied, and people are being shuttled away, never to be seen again.  Those left behind are asking the questions, “Does God really love us?  Really?  If you love us, God, how can you let this happen?”
 
So Ezekiel is finally ready to answer that question.  He begins by assuring the people that God is their true shepherd.  He will gather up the lost sheep.  He will lead them into the green pastures of Israel, and he will make them to lie down and rest amidst the plush landscape of their homeland.  He will bind up the injured ones and strengthen the weak.
But Ezekiel doesn’t end there.  He goes on to explain, at least in part, the cause of their misery.  Our Good Shepherd shakes an angry finger at SOME of his sheep—the fat ones.  They push the weak out of the way. They take advantage, they abuse the vulnerable.  God’s wrath and judgement falls upon those fat ones because they didn’t have the compassion to share equally.  They didn’t play fair. They looked out for themselves only.  Their greed consumed them.  Ezekiel is speaking about the kings and those in power who took care of themselves while selling out their own people.
But, it’s not just kings or presidents or people in congress. It’s not just CEOs of multinational corporations or hedge fund managers who seem to feather their own nest at the expense of those who are already vulnerable and hurting. At some level we all have a bit of self-interest that pushes us to hold a clenched fist around our checkbook.  It compels us to vote a certain way because that candidate has promised to look out for our interests.  It encourages us to turn away from the pain of our brother or sister lest that suffering rub off onto us.
Jesus has just spent the last chapter and a half in Matthew urging his followers to persevere in their faith, to be obedient to his word.  He’s offered the criteria for how God will judge them. For Christians it will be on the basis of their obedience to his word.  For Jews it will be on how or if they come to accept him as God’s Messiah. But there’s a group left out. The gentiles, those who still worship gods made of stone or wood.  Some of those folks were kind, caring, loving people, despite the way they bowed down to other gods.  “Jesus can you explain that?  Can you tell us what will happen to them?”
So this parable of the sheep and the goats does that.  There is no mention of faith or obedience to God’s word.  There’s no speaking of worship to our God or even WHO they assisted as criteria for salvation.  Instead the only thing considered was whether or not these folks offered care to others who were in need.
The sheep were placed at the King (God’s) right hand, a place of reward and celebration and power.  Why?  “ I was hungry and you gave me food.  I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.  I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  I was naked and you gave me clothing.  I was sick and you took care of me.  I was in prison and you visited me.”
Do you notice that these who were singled out for reward were surprised?  They didn’t know what he was talking about!  “When was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?  When was it we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing?  When was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”
“As you did it to the least of these, you did it unto me.” And conversely, as those others didn’t extend care and comfort to hurting people, they didn’t extend it to Jesus.
You see, Jesus so identifies with vulnerable and hurting people that our care for them becomes a sign that we are IN Jesus whether we know it or not.
 
 In fact, the freedom to step outside our own selfish interest is probably the best measure of one’s faith!
That’s why our denomination has initiated a program of revitalization around this scripture. It’s the Matthew 25 Initiative.  It urges churches to pledge revitalization along the path of reaching out to address some of the many injustices and sorrows of our world.
In the early church even the Roman officials were amazed at the outpouring of care that the church lifted up.  Sick people were brought into people’s homes.  The poor were fed, travelers were offered hospitality.  Even in the midst of an epidemic, these Christians would go into people’s homes to care for the sick—even at the risk of catching the contagious illness.  The financial cost alone for this outpouring of care would equal billions of dollars in today’s currency.  They loved in a great big way, and people saw that love and wanted to be a part of something so transformative.
Don’t we all want to be a part of something like that?  Something that truly makes a difference in our world.  Don’t we all want to know that because of us and our actions our world is a better, kinder place when we leave this world than when we arrived?
We have the power to know that!  It comes to us as a gift of our faith.  The Holy Spirit leads us to let go of our selfish concentration on ME. “ME” consumes us.  It sucks all our energy and resources.  And it’s never really satisfied.  We always want more—more security, more comfort, more power, more advantage.  More is so seductive.  It just keeps pulling us in.  It makes us miserly with our wallet, with our time and energy, with even our thoughts of care and compassion. It leads to an “Us against Them” mindset that spells disaster for so many.
How much money is enough?  Ask a Fortune 500 CEO or a movie star or a politician, and they probably can’t answer.  We always want just a little more.
For the rest of us, those who don’t have 6 zeros behind a number for the total on our financial sheet, we get to choose.  Will we live joyfully into our faith seeing the face of Jesus at every turn and feeling the joy of truly making a difference in people’s lives, or will we concentrate on me—on my advantage?
To loosen our grip on ME is to be more open to God AND to our brothers and sisters.  It leads to peace and contentment.  To tithe becomes a joyful thing.  It allows us to think and plan and designate the places to which your care—and your financial gifts will go.  In my work in Christ’s church, I get to watch it bring new life to people as they come to know Jesus as they relinquish themselves to his care and to share with those in need.
Jesus loves you and me.  And Jesus loves all those others out there, whether we call them sheep or goats.  Some of the people we care for, know Jesus.  Others who don’t, and even those who have turned their back on him are loved.  Jesus has a special affinity and identification with those who are most vulnerable, most in need, most filled with pain and despair.  When we, too, can identify with them, and work to alleviate their pain, we get to meet Jesus face to face.
Jesus is our King, our ruler, our Lord.  Let us bow down before him and serve him with all our being.  Amen.
 
 
                        
*HYMN                             Rejoice, the Lord is King                                              #155                                            (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 AND OUR PLEDGES TO GOD
 
*DOXOLOGY Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #592
 
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH    (From the Brief Statement of Faith)
In life and in death we belong to God.
     Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
            And the communion of the Holy Spirit,
     We trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
            Whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God
        Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
               preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives,
               teaching by word and deed and blessing the children,
               healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted,
               eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners,
               and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
      We give ourselves to this Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of us all.
 
*HYMN                             Crown Him with Many Crowns                                   #151                                                                                        
(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

​MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
· A Butterfly ministry in our basement!  You are invited to come help paint butterflies of grace to remind our hurting neighbors of God’s care and of our prayers.  Call Shirley Darsidan at 563-613-2850 for more information.
· The last Bible study on Wednesday with Kolleen will be November 22
· Also decorating for Christmas will be Tuesday, November 21.
· Annual Meeting December 10th
· With the new ownership of Clinton Floral they will be charging for delivery and tax the new cost will be $30
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
· Ellen and Keith Miller who struggle with health issues.
· For our Nominating Committee who are working to fill 2 elder positions, as well as Clerk of Session.
· For our world where conflict and struggle causes such pain and suffering.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP                                           
One:   Lord, you have been our dwelling place;
All:  we come today to rest in you.
One:  You have been the voice that guides us;
All:  we come today to listen.
One:  You have been the host who feeds us;
All:  we come today to be filled.
One:  You have been our joy and crown;
All:  we come today to sing your praise!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
 
*HYMN              All People That On Earth Do Dwell                                                #64
 
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION  We know that our sins are too heavy for us to carry, too real to hide and too deep to undo. But we also know that you can lift that weight from us and transform our lives. So we lift our prayer of confession to you: 
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION                                 
Merciful God, we confess that once again, we have done what is evil in your sight. We’ve made mistakes. We have hurt people, by action and inaction. We have chosen our ways over yours, by action and inaction. And if the sum total of what we have done and what we have not done adds up to evil in your sight, then  we ask you to turn us towards goodness.  Forgive our past, and shape our future that we might build your kingdom here.   In the strong name of Christ, we pray. Amen
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE                                                                            Romans 5:8
 
SONG OF PRAISE  Gloria Patri  #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE  & INTERLUDE
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Holy Spirit, your wisdom guides us deep into the mystery of your truth.
Speak to us today, that we might understand your will and walk in your
ways. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
 
 
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSON  
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
 
 
MESSAGE    Therefore …
 
*HYMN                                 Live Into Hope                                                              #332
 
PASTORAL PRAYER
 
THE 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
Let us now  joyfully bring our gifts to God.
*DOXOLOGY  Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow                     #592
 
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Generous God, with Thanksgiving quickly approaching,
we are reminded to give you thanks for the ministries of this congregation which you have entrusted us with. We are honored by the opportunity to be your holy body here. Bless these offerings, however they are given that our efforts may be ever more worthy of your name. Amen.
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH                                The Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
 
He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence He shall 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                Arise Your Light is Come!                                                             #411                                    
*CHARGE & BLESSING
 
 
 
POSTLUDE
 

​ 
​November 12, 2023
25th Sunday after Pentecost
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
· Reminder to Committees—Annual reports need to be to Karla by
         November 15.  (Annual Meeting on December 10.
 
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm and Joan Boyd residents of Fieldstone in DeWitt.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
· For our brothers and sisters in Israel and Palestine.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP  
On this day we are invited to choose.  Whom will we serve?
 
Will we walk in the faith of our ancestors or will we forsake the Lord to serve other gods?
 
Choose now that we may live this choice.
 
We choose--- We will serve the Lord! 
 
Again -- whom will you serve?
 
We choose--We will serve the Lord!
 
In consideration of our choice let us take God’s hand to worship and offer joyful praise to our God.
 
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.  Amen
 
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
As questions swirl, as doubts linger, as apathy enfolds, we come to you, O God of Hope.  May our prayers and praise reach your ear that you might lift us into your arms of grace.  Help us to know the truth of your hope that we, and all of life, are held in your eternal love. Amen.
 
 
*HYMN          Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!                                             #138    
                                             (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
Come, my friends, let us release the pressure of our guilt and the stress of our failings.  Let us lay them before the Lord and know the relief of watching them float away as the grace and goodness of Christ’s love showers upon us. Please join me in prayer. 
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord God, we are an impatient people.  We want to see the fruit of our labor—right now!  We want our family and friends to be ready and waiting on our schedule.  We want you to come and show yourself when we call.  Forgive us for wanting to be the center of all things.  Forgive us for our impatience and for throwing up our hands when things don’t happen as we desire.  Help us to remain steady in the faith which you have taught us. Allow us the joy of being your hands and feet in a world in need. Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
The love of God comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s own son who came into our world to offer grace and healing in God’s name.  Let us accept this gift that allows us the freedom to do better, to walk with our Lord and bring calm to our world.  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 hear your call, O Lord.  “Give ear to my teaching” you say, “Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.”  So here we are with open ears and open hearts ready to receive your word this day.  Help us to hear truly.  Help us to offer our hearts to you.  Amen.
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS   
Joshua 24: 1-3a, 14-25
24 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him….
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.” 21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.” “Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied. 23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”  25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.
 
                                            Matthew 25: 1-13
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ 12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ 13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
 
 
SERMON                            Choosing and Living that Choice!
Choosing and Then Living that Choice!
 
Martin Luther was the famous reformer who nailed those 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenburg church, and thus began the battle that would usher in the Protestant Church.  But do you know what led up to that hammer and nail moment?
Luther was a very anxious young monk.  He worried a lot about whether he would make it into heaven.  The understanding of the day was that upon one’s death there was a heavenly score card that had kept a record of all the positive ways that one had followed God’s law, said their prayers, held pure thoughts, loved and cared for their neighbors and worshipped God in word and deed.  Also on that score card was a tally for all the ways that a person had sinned, the ways they blew it, ignored God, failed to think godly thoughts and failed in a whole bunch of ways.  IF the positive column out-numbered the negative stuff, that person made it to heaven.  If not they went to purgatory where they waited while relatives and friends on earth said prayers to add to the positive column so they could make it to heaven.
One way to get more positive points was to go to confession, so young Martin Luther went a LOT—sometimes multiple times per day. He went so much that his confessors basically told him he needed to relax and get a life!  But it wasn’t until Luther found the passage in Romans that said we are saved by grace, by believing in Jesus and that our sins were forgiven that he was able to relax.
We might shake our heads at Martin’s obsession, but at some level don’t we all want the assurance that when our days here on earth are over, there is something waiting—God’s love that will enfold us, loved ones with whom we will be reunited.  It’s probably a question that pastors are asked in one way or another above all other questions.
The people for whom Matthew is writing have most certainly asked that question.  In Chapter 24 the disciples have just seen the temple in Jerusalem for the first time.  It was amazing.  It is one of the listed 7 wonders of the ancient world.  But Jesus had said of it, “I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another.  All will be thrown down.”  The implication was that it would be destroyed at the end of the age when God would bring his new kingdom into being.
That led to the disciples question, “Tell us when will this be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end on the age.”  The rest of that chapter and into chapter 25 is Jesus answering that question.  What would the end of the age look like?  How could they tell when it was upon them?
In reality, Matthew is writing his gospel some 80-90 years after Jesus’ death.  The temple has been destroyed when Rome came in and stomped out a Jewish revolt, and just for vengeance they destroyed the Jews beloved temple.  Persecution of Christians has become a way of life for the early church, and they are looking at one another and asking, “Where is he?  Why has he not come to us?  After all the signs have been met, especially in light of increasing persecution!”
So Matthew reports this parable of Jesus.  It’s an urging for patience and for steady, faithful following of Christ’s call to his followers.
The virgins or bridesmaids (depending on the version we use) are the church, the followers of Jesus.  The wedding banquet is the joyful time of gathering up.  The oil is the faithfulness, the prayers and worship, the caring for one another, the obedience and faith to which we are called.  It’s a parable that calls us to patience and steady perseverance in spite of persecution and difficulties.
Everybody loves a wedding celebration.  These ten bridesmaids looked forward to the dancing, the toasting, the food and drink, maybe even flirting a bit with other guests.  But they had to wait to be let into the reception hall.  The groom was suppose to come and let them in, but he was delayed.  They waiting and waited and waited.  Finally because it was late, they fell asleep, and when he finally did arrive, only half of them had enough oil to go into the all.  Others scrambled to go get the needed oil, to catch up, but the moment had passed.  They had missed the opportunity because they weren’t ready.
Now don’t ask me why lamps, why oil was required.  But that’s the parable.  To be ready when the moment arrives is the message.  For us that moment might be that time when God calls us home—when our time on this earth is finished.  I don’t think God keeps a tally like Martin Luther feared.  But I do believe that we will be asked at some level to account for ourselves.  Did we love others?  Did we live with integrity and generosity and compassion?  At that point it will be hard to go back and fix it.  I don’t think God shuts the door on us, but there will be moments of clarity when we realize how we missed the boat.
But maybe this time of reckoning is a bit less dramatic, maybe a bit more mundane in our world.
Are we ready when our neighbor asks us why we go to church on a Sunday?  Why we follow Jesus at all?  Why we pray and give our time to projects and programs that don’t offer any tangible benefits to us?  In that moment can we tell them about all that God has done for us and why we work to follow Jesus?
Are we ready when our boss or our friend or even our child asks us to do something that is contrary to our faith?  Do we have the courage to say “no,”  to seek another solution even if it might cause significant problems for them or us or both?
Are we ready when we walk around the corner to see two bullies picking on another person?  Are we ready to intervene in some way even if a price might be required for our actions?  One never knows how things like that can go.  Have we thought about it?  Do we know what we will do?
Are we ready when life hands us a huge disappointment or personal tragedy?  Have we done our homework to create a faith that can catch us when we fall, and keep us from plunging into the depths of despair?
Are we ready to offer a word of God’s love and comfort to someone who has fallen into that pit of despair?  Can we relay to them God’s love for them?  That they are not alone, that you will be there for them?
There are so many times and examples for when we need to be ready, when our faith will be needed to move us through a situation.  At that point it will be pretty hard to say, “Oh, wait here. I need to go and prepare for this moment.  I need to study scripture and pray and find the right words.  I need to find the strength and the wisdom to meet this moment.”  The reality is that we will either have it or we won’t, and very often there is no going back. No re-do. No second chance.
I believe we need to constantly be working on our spiritual muscles.  We need to know how to call upon the Holy Spirit.
But the other side of the coin is that sometimes difficulties, disappointments, and struggles seem to be the standard fare.  Life just seems hard, and we wonder how we are expected to keep moving in a positive, faithful way.
Those Israelites in the reading from Joshua had been asked to make the choice for God.  But it had been such a long, exhausting struggle to get to this point.  They had gone to battle with no less than 31 kings and their armies to wrestle the land away.  God had been with them, but they had been consumed with the effort.  Joshua had begun as their leader as a young man and now he was an elderly statesman.  In the last several chapters the task of dividing this conquered land between the tribes of Israel had taken all their time and energy.
Joshua’s days were numbered, so he called all the people together.  They had been so busy, so engaged, so intent on their survival and making a place for themselves that it was now time to step back and remember why they were there and what it was all about.  It was about being the people of Yahweh.  So Joshua reminded them of their history and of God’s hand that had led them to this place.  God had given them victory.  Now Joshua asked them to choose that God once again.  For themselves, for their children and their grandchildren.  “Revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served.  Serve the Lord.  Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve….but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
He reminded them.  He exhorted them, but then he recognized that they also had other choices.  He told them that it was time for them to choose for themselves, and then to live that choice.  He told them his own choice.  “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  And the people chose the Lord.  They pledged to serve God and to teach that choice to their children.
We, here this day, have all chosen God at some point in our lives.  But the very act of living and moving through our days dealing with the nitty gritty of life can wear at us.  Sometimes our choice becomes a bit fuzzy and less defined.  We coast.  We bend here and there to life’s demands.  We lose sight of our original choice.  And in the process we become less ready.  Just like those bridesmaids who showed up without extra oil.  Maybe we need to stop and examine our choices.  Maybe we need to consider were we are and how we got here.  Maybe we need to recognize other possibilities.  Because it’s a process to get back to the clarity and the definition of what it means to have chosen in the first place.
God has chosen us.  God has called upon us to be his faithful servants.  Can we get back to the clear-eyed vision and the excitement of also choosing God, of choosing Christ?
Let’s stop.  Let’s consider. Let’s take some time to examine our lives and then let’s consciously choose.  Whom will we serve?  How will we serve?  How will we be prepared when life throws us into those situations?  Will we be ready?  Will we have the courage and the faith to live the choices we have made?
We choose.  Gracious Lord,  help us choose well, and then help us to be ready to live that choice to the fullest.  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              For the Bread Which You Have Broken                                       #508                                                        (you may be seated.)
 
INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
 
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
 
We are your people, O Lord.  You have chosen us, called us and led us forward.
 
Like your people Israel, you also invite us to choose you.
 
You sent your Son to show us who you are and how we might serve you in truth and love.
 
You placed the cross before him and gave him the power to take our sins to the grave with him.
 
You lifted him from the grave to show us your power for life.
 
We choose you, Lord, and we come to your table to receive the nourishment and the power to be your faithful people.
 
In the breaking of bread and the pouring of the cup let us feel your grace flowing through us that we might live our choice and walk in your ways today and tomorrow and beyond.  Amen.
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND THE CUP
 
COMMUNION PRAYER.
 
*HYMN                           Take My Life (Verses 1, 2, 4, 6)                                            
                                                  (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

November 5, 2023
ALL SAINTS CELEBRATION
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
· Beginning in October:  A Butterfly ministry in our basement!  You are invited to come help paint butterflies of grace to remind our hurting neighbors of God’s care and of our prayers.  Call Shirley Darsidan at 563-613-2850 for more information.
· Ladies Lunch Bunch will gather on November 8 at 11:30 AM at Krumpets in Fulton, IL. Please add your RSVP to the sign up sheet at office door.
· On Nov. 6 we will host the Ministerial Alliance’s “Socks, Songs and Sacred Thanks” program at 6:30 PM.  We will need 3 or 4 people to welcome folks  and show them to the Great Hall and assist with the refreshment table.  If you are available to assist, please speak with Pastor Joyce.  (See the flyer on the last page of this bulletin.)
· Reminder to Committees—Annual reports need to be to Karla by November 15.  (Annual Meeting on December 10.)
· With the new ownership of Clinton Floral they will be charging for delivery and tax the new cost will be $30
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
· Ellen and Keith Miller who struggle with health issues.
· For our Nominating Committee who are working to fill 2 elder positions, as well as Clerk of Session.
· For our world where conflict and struggle causes such pain and suffering.
 
PRELUDE
 
*PSALTER    Psalm 24, CEB
 
Leader: The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too.
 
People: 2 Because God is the one who established it on the seas;
    God set it firmly on the waters.
 
Leader: 3 Who can ascend the Lord’s mountain? Who can stand in his holy sanctuary?
 
People: 4 Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart;
    the one who hasn’t made false promises,  the one who hasn’t sworn dishonestly.
 
 
Leader: 5 That kind of person receives blessings from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God who saves.
 
People: 6 And that’s how things are with the generation that seeks him--
    that seeks the face of Jacob’s God.
 
Selah (This means to pause and pray a moment)
 
Leader: 7 Mighty gates: lift up your heads! Ancient doors: rise up high!
        So the glorious king can enter!
 
People: 8 Who is this glorious king?
    The Lord—strong and powerful! The Lord—powerful in battle!
 
Leader: 9 Mighty gates: lift up your heads!  Ancient doors: rise up high!
        So the glorious king can enter!
 
People: 10 Who is this glorious king?
    The Lord of heavenly forces—he is the glorious king!
 
Selah
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
 
Leader: Let us pray.
 
People: Almighty God, you created heaven and earth and give life to all your children. May we open the gates of our hearts that you may enter, bringing your power and glory to sustain us and heal us, bringing your mercy and compassion to cleanse us and redeem us. We seek your grace as we honor and remember the saints who have gone before us and as we seek to live worthy of being called saints ourselves. Amen.
 
*HYMN  Lift Up Your Heads  #8
                                                   (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
Though God has called us to live for saintly purpose, we have often gone our own way. Therefore, let us confess our sins and our failures with these traditional words of confession.  
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 
Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart, mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE  
 
Jesus, God’s Anointed, came to earth to teach us how to live, died that we might be forgiven, and rose again with the promise that we may also live beyond the grave.
 
Through Christ we are forgiven.  Thanks be to God!
 
SONG OF PRAISE  Gloria Patri  #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
  (Please greet those around you as we all say these words in unison.)
 
May the peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
 
God, as we hear your Words of life, may we take them to heart, and remember the promises You make to us.
 
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON    Isaiah 25:6-9, NLT
 
6 In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast  for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet  with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat. 7 There he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. 8 He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!9 In that  day the people will proclaim, “This is our God!  We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”
 
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON    Revelation 21:1-6a, NRSVUE
 
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God;
4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
 
GOSPEL LESSON    John 11:32-44, NIV
 
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
 
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
 
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
 
35 Jesus wept.
 
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
 
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
 
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
 
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
 
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
 
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
 
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
 
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
 
SERMON  Remember
 
 
*HYMN  Psalm 23  #170
      (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 LIVES
 
God of life and life beyond this, we give ourselves to you even as we bring our gifts, that we may know and serve and dwell in you for this life and for the next.
 
GIVING OUR GIFTS & OFFERTORY
 
*DOXOLOGY  Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow  #592
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH  Apostle’s Creed, Ecumenical  p. 14
 
*REMEMBERING OUR SAINTS
 
*LIGHTING A CANDLE TO HONOR THOSE WE REMEMBER
(During the hymn, you are welcome to come and light a candle.)
 
*HYMN  For All the Saints  #526
 
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.