​ 
October 22, 2023
 
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.
· This month we receive the Peacemaking offering.  25% of this money remains with us to be used by our “Gathering Place.”  The remainder is used at multiple levels of our denomination to fund programs that promote peace and well-being around our world.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
·  Keith and Ellen Miller who are struggling with health issues.
· For our Nominating Committee who are working to fill 2 elder positions, as well as Clerk of Session.
 
CALL TO WORSHIP    Psalm 96:1-4, CEB
 
Leader: Sing to the Lord a new song!
    Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
 
People:  Sing to the Lord! Bless his name!
    Share the news of his saving work every single day!
 
Leader: Declare God’s glory among the nations;
    declare his wondrous works among all people
 
People: because the Lord is great and so worthy of praise.
  He is awesome beyond all other gods
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
 
God of all nations, we come to worship you. We sing your songs of praise. We glorify your name. We remember your saving mercy. We declare your goodness.
Receive our worship and go with us into our daily lives that we might continue to honor and follow you every day. Amen.
 
*HYMN  Sing Praise to God  #483
  (You may be seated.)
CALL TO CONFESSION    Deuteronomy 13:4
 
“It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.”
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
 
God of mercy and grace, forgive us the times we fail to follow where you would lead us, when we fail to hold you in reverence, to keep your commandments, or to serve you with heart, soul, and strength. God, when we stray from your path to follow the ways of the world or the things that tempt us or simply distract us, we ask you to guide us back to your way, not only for ourselves, but also that we might be the best examples of what it means to truly follow Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE    Luke 4:18-19, GW
 
Leader: This is how Jesus understood his mission in the Word from Isaiah’s scroll as he read it in the synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is with me. He has anointed me
to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin and the restoring of sight to the blind, to forgive those who have been shattered by sin, to announce the year of the Lord’s favor.”
 
Through Christ we are forgiven.  People: Thanks be to God!
 
SONG OF PRAISE  Gloria Patri  #579
 
PASSING THE PEACE
  Leader: May the peace of Christ be with you. People: And also with you.
 
INTERLUDE
Word
 
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
 
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON    Exodus 33:12-23, NLT
 
12 One day Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ 13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”
 
14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest--
everything will be fine for you.”15 Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place. 16 How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”17 The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”18 Moses responded, “Then show me your glorious presence.”
19 The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose. 20 But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. 22 As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”
 
GOSPEL LESSON    Matthew 22:15-22, NCV
15 The Pharisees got together and planned how they could trick Jesus into saying something wrong. 16 They sent some of their followers and some of Herod's followers to say to him, “Teacher, we know that you are honest. You teach the truth about what God wants people to do. And you treat everyone with the same respect, no matter who they are. 17 Tell us what you think! Should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?”
18 Jesus knew their evil thoughts and said, “Why are you trying to test me? You show-offs! 19 Let me see one of the coins used for paying taxes.” They brought him a silver coin, 20 and he asked, “Whose picture and name are on it?” 21 “The Emperor's,” they answered.  Then Jesus told them, “Give the Emperor what belongs to him and give God what belongs to God.” 22 His answer surprised them so much that they walked away.
 
NEW TESTAMENT LESSON    1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, NCV
From Paul, Silas, and Timothy.
 
To the church in Thessalonica, the people of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that God will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!  2 We thank God for you and always mention you in our prayers. Each time we pray, 3 we tell God our Father about your faith and loving work and about your firm hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 My dear friends, God loves you, and we know he has chosen you to be his people. 5 When we told you the good news, it was with the power and assurance that come from the Holy Spirit, and not simply with words. You knew what kind of people we were and how we helped you. 6 So, when you accepted the message, you followed our example and the example of the Lord. You suffered, but the Holy Spirit made you glad.
7 You became an example for all the Lord's followers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 And because of you, the Lord's message has spread everywhere in those regions. Now the news of your faith in God is known all over the world, and we don't have to say a thing about it. 9 Everyone is talking about how you welcomed us and how you turned away from idols to serve the true and living God.  10 They also tell how you are waiting for his Son Jesus to come from heaven. God raised him from death, and on the day of judgment Jesus will save us from God's anger.
 
SERMON  Follow the Leader
 
Have you played the game Follow the Leader? I remember following other students around the classroom or playground. Not only did we go wherever the leader went, we also did whatever the leader did along the way. There are circle versions of following someone’s actions as well. These seemed easier to me than something like Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light especially a recent version in which players had to strike a particular pose at “Red Light!” It’s harder for me when there are only words rather than an example.
 
What kind of leader do you want to follow? I thought of a couple of my grandmother’s standard sayings representing two kinds of leaders.
 
“Do as I say and not as I do.” This leader may talk a lot and have good things to say, but it’s like a boss who sends down orders from the head office or a commander who barks orders from behind the lines.
 
The second saying was this, “Pretty is as pretty does.” Just as with the games, I prefer a leader who shows me how it’s done. It’s the manager or supervisor who comes alongside an employee and solves the problem or teaches them an easier way to do the job. It’s the officer at the front of the lines leading the charge, someone in the thick of it with the rest.
 
I want a leader who is well informed, trustworthy, and has the greater good in mind, not just his or her own personal agenda. But good leaders are often hard to find, and I need to remind myself they are just human after all. This is why ultimately, I want a leader who is a follower, a follower of God in whatever way that leader understands our Creator.
 
One such leader is Moses. Bob and I began studying Moses a couple weeks ago in our Wednesday morning Bible Study. We’ll pick that up again this Wednesday, and anyone is welcome to join us. Our lesson began with God’s people being called out of Egypt, the place they had known all their lives, to go into the desert. (Ray Vanderlaan, “Fire on the Mountain”) On the one hand Egypt was a place of slavery for them. Their life was hard. But on the other hand, the desert represented chaos and the unknown. That wasn’t easy either.
 
Why did God lead them there and by the longer route? Moses gives us the answer in his farewell speech before the new generation entered the promised land. It’s recorded in Deuteronomy Chapter 8, “Remember the long road on which the Lord your God led you during these forty years in the desert so he could humble you, testing you to find out what was in your heart: whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (v.2)
 
Notice two things. First, Moses is clear that God was the one leading. Second, note that the people were being tested. We tend to think of tests as a pass/fail crisis whether in school or even the doctor’s office, and especially when they are referred to as temptations in scripture. But I suspect the teachers in our congregation know a different purpose. Exams are meant to teach.
 
Exams tell you how much you have absorbed the necessary material so far, and what parts of the lessons still need more work from you. You learn where you went wrong when you review the correct answer. You see where you need to ask for more help. Medical tests help figure out what is causing a physical problem, and those answers point doctors toward possible corrections. This is what God was doing with those Hebrews in the wilderness, testing them to help them learn a better way.
 
God used tests to teach them not to rely on their own lacking wisdom or past experiences, not to complain, and not to take even the basics for granted. God wanted them to learn to trust God completely and to obey God’s Word, to follow faithfully wherever God led them. God gave them three such tests even before they reached Mount Sinai where they would worship God and receive God’s commandments. The first test comes early in the story at Exodus 15 right after celebrating in song the crossing of the Red Sea.
 
 
 
A couple days into the desert, the Hebrews started to get thirsty. When they found one well, they expected everyone would get to drink fresh water, but the well was Marah which means bitter. They couldn’t drink it. Marah has a deeper meaning than even that well; it can mean deliberately disobedient. Trying to quench the thirst of a nation at one well, the people weren’t listening to God’s leading but their own solution to the problem. God taught them and Moses a lesson by telling Moses to throw in a nearby stick, not the staff that Moses lifted when God parted the sea, but a different piece of wood. This time Moses did as God said, and the water drawn next was good.
 
But God would have to repeat some version of this lesson many times over the next 40 years before the next generation could enter the promised land, and to be honest many more times with the generations that followed even up to today. Perhaps in your own life, when you are honest with yourself, perhaps you will recognize times God has tried to teach you to listen, trust, and follow directions obediently rather than go your own way trying to solve everything by yourself. I know it’s true for me!
 
Just as it is difficult to find a good leader, it isn’t easy being a leader either. I’ve had lots of experience to back up that statement. It can be physically or mentally exhausting. It can be emotionally and spiritually draining. Some days you feel like you are really getting somewhere, and other days nothing is going as intended. The people around you may disagree with you or with each other, and even machinery and weather are uncooperative. Some days everyone has questions, and you don’t have enough answers. There may be disruptions and distractions, and you feel like you are pushing a heavy boulder up a steep hill. Moses experienced all of that and more.
 
We come to today’s reading after many years in the desert. Moses threw his hands in the air and boldly made this frustrated but honest declaration to God.
 
“You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’ If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.” Ex. 33:12-13
 
To which God replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.” Ibid 14.
 
There was a bit more to the discussion before this marvelous scene of God allowing His Glory to pass by Moses for a moment of reassurance. I get how precious that moment must have been, how it nourished Moses with confidence and strength to go on leading God’s people.
I get it because during a time of struggle recently, God granted me a moment of visualizing life’s troubles pushed out of the way while I beheld a bright white light that filled the room, pulsating with life, and resonating with a spark of light within me. It was the Christ Light, and my own soul responded to God’s Glory. That gave me the peace and trust to keep going.
 
Moses came back down the mountain ready to lead God’s people once more, because Moses had been reminded of the majestic glory and trustworthy presence of the One whom he followed, God. In my meditation, so had I.
 
The stories of the Old Testament are filled with ordinary people, many of whom became leaders of one kind or another. Some were good leaders like Joseph or Deborah, Samuel or David, Elijah and Elisha, Josiah and Hezekiah. Some chose not to follow God and there were consequences for Jonah or Lot’s wife, for Ahab and Jezebel, for King David when he sinned, for King Saul when he did things his own way, for the kings who led God’s people away from God.
 
After other long periods of testing, God came to earth to reclaim God’s people. God came as Jesus.
 
Today’s gospel lesson mentions other human leaders. There were leaders among the Pharisees, but they only led one of various groups within Judaism. King Herod was technically a leader of the Jews but was to some extent a puppet of the occupying Romans. The Emperor was their leader. Jesus was a very different kind of leader from all of these. Jesus led by teaching and example. Take today’s lesson as one example. He answered the Pharisee’s question to pay the taxes with the Emperor’s coin. On another occasion when it came time to pay those taxes, Jesus told Peter where to find a proper coin to pay them.
 
Jesus’ followers on earth back then were a ragtag bunch, but he taught them how to be a community that is not only faith filled but faithful as well. This is the same lesson God wanted to teach the Hebrews in the desert. Some of Jesus’ students became leaders themselves to carry on that mission, just as Joshua (Jesus’ namesake) carried on leading God’s people after Moses.
 
Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica gives us another example of how this learning to live and to lead continues. Paul once thought he was following God’s plan by arresting those who chose to follow Jesus. But God changed Paul’s mind on the Damascus Road and trained Paul to be a powerful leader for Jesus’ Way instead. As Paul wrote to one of the churches he had taught, he reminded them of the example he set for them to follow.
 
”… when you accepted the message, you followed our example and the example of the Lord. You suffered, but the Holy Spirit made you glad. You became an example for all the Lord's followers in Macedonia and Achaia.” (1 Thess. 1:6-7)
 
Like the Hebrews of the Exodus, new Christ-following churches also suffered. But if they persevered, the Holy Spirit comforted them, encouraged them, and gave them strength to become leaders by example themselves.
 
The question I really want to ask you today is not which human leaders you will choose to follow though I have given some criteria to consider. My real question is what kind of leader will you be? For everyone one of us is a potential leader/teacher for someone else. Will you lead by example? Will you demonstrate in your life what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus?
 
Those outside the church often see us as hypocrites, and too often that’s a fair assessment. Too often Christians are guilty of do as I say, not as I do. But pretty is as pretty does! Rather than claiming to be a Christian in name only, be a true follower of Jesus who learns from God’s lessons for God’s people in the Old Testament. One who learns from the teachings and example of Jesus or Paul or other faithful followers in the New Testament like Lydia or Dorcas or Mary or Peter or Andrew or John. Be a follower who does your very best to trust and obey, so that when another follows your example, God will be proud of you both.
 
 
 
*HYMN  The Summons  #2130, Sing the Faith
  (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
 
*DOXOLOGY  Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow  #592
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH  Brief Statement of Faith  Section 1, back of hymnal
 
*HYMN  I Have Decided  #2129, Sing the Faith
 
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.
 

​ 
​October 8, 2023
19th Sunday after Pentecost
 
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 October 11 at 11:30 AM at Applebees. Please add your RSVP to the sign up sheet at office door.
· This month we receive the Peacemaking offering.  25% of this money remains with us to be used by our “Gathering Place.”  The remainder is used at multiple levels of our denomination to fund programs that promote peace and well-being around our world.
· We are invited to a free community meal sponsored by the Salvation Army and the family of Colonel Joel Jones.  Oct. 19th from noon to 6 PM at Information, Referral and Assistance Center (219 1st Ave.)  Menu:  Chili, cornbread, mac & cheese, chili dogs, chips, apple crisp, pumpkin bars, coffee and water.   Non-perishable food items will be gratefully accepted.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
·  Keith and Ellen Miller who are struggling with health issues.
· For our Nominating Committee who are working to fill 2 elder positions, as well as Clerk of Session.
 
PRELUDE
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
God, with great gentleness and care, you call us to be your people and to do your work.  Be here with us today, for we come asking for your support in all that we do.  We need your love, transforming our lives in hope.  Be with us we pray.  Amen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP
We gather today, seeking the peace Christ gives.
 
We gather, in spite of many a conflict, many a doubt, within our souls.
 
We gather, longing for the breath of God’s Spirit to give us courage and renewal.
 
All:  Come, Christ Jesus, be our guest.  Bless us through the power of your Spirit, and give us the courage to live as your disciples day by day.  Amen
 
 
*HYMN                                          Just As I Am                                                        #370
                                                   (You may be seated.)
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION 
How often we feel confined and confused by the darkness of our own sin!  We don't know how to move forward. But Christ has shown us the way.  We are invited to come to the cross and offer our whole being to the one who is able to set us free.  Let us together confess our sin and seek the release of God's incredible grace.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Eternal God, from the beginning you have called your children into communion with you and with one another. Yet we confess that like all the rest, we have turned to our own way and refused your love and grace.  We have acted on our own interests, ignoring our brother and sister.  Restore us to the joy of knowing you, of being a caring part of the world you have created.  Let us recognize your reign among us.  Through Jesus Christ, bringer of good news. Amen.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
In Christ we are given new life.  The old is gone away.  The new is on our doorstep.  We are freed to fully live into this wonderful grace and to know the joy of God’s love that sets us free.
 
 
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 
God of Wisdom, God of Hope, Holy One, help us to recognize your truth in the words we hear today.  May the experiences of those men and women who heard your voice like a trumpet’s call be ours, as well.  Grant that we may experience the meaning and the joy to be found within your commands.  Amen
 
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS     
Exodus 19: 9b-11, 16-19
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11 and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
 
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
 
                                              Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20
20 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
 
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
 
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
SERMON                              When God Speaks
 
In 2001 Chief Justice Roy Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court, installed a 5000 pound block of granite with the ten commandments in the Court House Building.  An uproar ensued with multiple voices saying that it violated the separation of Church and State clause of our constitution.  It also planted concerns about whether non-Christians would get equal justice in those courtrooms.  Judge Roy argued that we need to return to the principles of our Christian Faith and this would be such a reminder.  Well, after lots of battles back and forth, including the good judge refusing to comply with higher court’s rulings, both the stone AND the judge were removed late in 2003
It just goes to show the passion on both sides of the debate around these fundamental rules that God handed down the mountain.  For some people, their faith centers on their attempt to follow these rules.  I won’t argue that they are good and important rules, BUT maybe there’s more here.  I wonder what Moses would have said to Judge Roy.  Moses was pretty clear that God’s gift of the law had as much (or maybe more) to do with our personal relationship with a living God, and maybe less to do with a stone tablet with strict prohibitions or mandates on our actions.
Let’s review.  These people had been slaves with very little personal autonomy.  Their lives had been subject to the whims of their slave masters.  Decision making and freedom had been sharply curtailed.  Now all of a sudden they were out from under those constraints.
Imagine a 14 or 15 year old who had grown up in a strict and controlling household who suddenly got absolute freedom.  Movies are full of such disasters!  Well, these people had the advantage of being adults with fully developed brains.  They had that going for them, but they had very little experience in self-governance or constraint.  It had always been external.  It had come from outside and was based on fear and punishment. Now their decision making needed to move to an internal locus and they needed to BE a community that cooperated and was functional.  They needed to be a people who were loyal to God and who came to trust that God would lead and guide them forward.  They would also represent God to those they met along the way.  They were representatives of our Lord.  They needed to get it right.
Now Moses could have gone up that mountain and got those tablets of stone and brought them down to the people.  We see lots of Sunday School posters of that image.  But that’s the ending of the story AFTER what we read here.  That’s so they would remember what had happened right here.  Now God would speak to the people in God’s own voice so they would know that these were truly from God, and not just something Moses made up on his own.  They needed to experience God in a personal way.  AND they needed to know that Moses was truly speaking God’s words to them.
So the people were gathered after the three days of preparation, cleansing themselves and making themselves pure.  They were given strict orders on how to prepare for this holy meeting.  Don’t touch the mountain was one of those rules.  So here they are on Day 3.  They’re at the base of the mountain and a spectacle opened before them.  Smoke, thunder, and lightning all around.  Then comes the trumpet blast.  It grows louder and louder.  The mountain shakes.  Can you feel it?  The people could hear Moses speaking and then the trumpet answered him.
 
Finally the Lord made his voice heard by those waiting at the foot of the mountain.  I am the Lord your God.  That was the introduction, the basis upon which all that followed would be based.  God was giving them the foundation upon which they were to live.  There were 3 commands that dealt with their relationship with the Lord.
You shall have no other gods before me.   It meant absolute loyalty to Yahweh.  Now when we add the next one, You shall not make for yourself an idol, we might assume that these two refer to the religious worship of other deities.  That’s the tip of the iceberg.  It’s much broader than that.  It means our God is always (always, always) to be in the primary place of importance in our lives—above our jobs, checking accounts, hobbies, even our families.  God was to be central and all those other things would find their proper place and be better because of it.
It’s so easy to make idols of different things.  God is telling his people, ”Don’t do it.  Don’t let those other things subsume God’s role in your life.”  Don’t make an idol out of wood or stone is the easy part to obey.  Those things can be manipulated and controlled.  They are lifeless and don’t have any power.  God has power.  Our Lord is a living God with tremendous power and ability to know us and care for us.  But it’s also easy to make a goal, a desire or a plan into a god who we strive for and put at the top of our priority.  The most obvious ones are financial well-being, prestige, job advancement or family.  Those things won’t work to lift up the community or even us.  Those things can fall flat and fail.  We need a God who has power and can pick us up when all else fails.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord.  We think of that as cursing.  But it also includes speaking of God in ways that misrepresent the Lord, or that does harm to God’s reputation.  Here’s one, “I asked God which socks I should wear this morning and God said to wear brown socks.”  What does such a statement say to others about the nature of God?  That God micromanages our lives!  Who would want to give their life to such a God?  We are to pay attention to how we reference our God.  God’s reputation is just as important as ours is.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.  Remember these were slaves who didn’t get a day of rest.  How important that is!  It is for the people’s benefit so we don’t get exhausted and burned out, so we have time for the things that make life worth living.  It is also a day that is consecrated to God.  It’s a day to revitalize our relationship to the Lord.  God, himself, rested in the act of creation.  It must be important, and God mandated it for our well-being.  So often we ignore this commandment to our own detriment.
Now we move to the commandments that deal with our interactions with one another.  Do you notice that family takes center stage to lead this off?  Honor your father and your mother.  This is a commandment aimed at adult children to remind them to care for aging parents who perhaps have become more frail and whose mental faculties might have diminished.  Do you notice that the instruction is to honor them.  There are no specific instructions given on HOW they should do that.  God seemed to understand that a one size fits all set of rules wouldn’t work here.  He left it to them to decide what would be needed.
 
 
 
In our world today, we would also add the same command to parents to honor their children.  In ancient times when children often died early, their needs and their role in the family felt very different.  Today we know that what happens to our little ones can affect them for the rest of their lives.  I believe we can very easily stretch this to also mean honor your children and care for them well.
The last 5 commandments are issued to the community, to equals so that their dealings would enable a functional community. At issue is how we respect one another and live together in peace and cooperation.
You shall not kill. The word here that is translated “kill” is used to mean murder in other parts of our scripture.  To take a life is God’s domain.  When we take a life we are acting as God.  In our modern world we get caught up with this commandment in the issue of abortion.  There the question of when life begins is at issue.  People of good faith stand on both sides of this issue.  On one side are those who assert that life begins at conception.  On the other is the argument of a woman’s right to her own body and her autonomy to determine her future.  It’s a debate that is likely to go forward for some time.  It’s an issue that each person needs to struggle with, and I believe each of us need to understand that the other side has legitimacy in their views.  I believe God knows that, and will offer peace and forgiveness to us all.
You shall not commit adultery.  The family is once more front and center.  To protect that relationship is so important.  It comes back to loyalty, integrity, truthfulness and honoring one another.
You shall not steal.  Israel understood property as an extension of one’s self. To honor and respect our neighbor is to honor and respect their property.  In addition, to work is to gather in the benefits of one’s labor.  Theft dishonors our neighbor and it denies the thief of the opportunity to develop and use the gifts that God gave.  These are gifts that are intended to be used for the well-being of us all.  Stealing is not just burglary or shoplifting.  It’s also cheating, as well as any form of dishonesty that enriches one at the expense of another—plagiarism, scams, taking credit for work or an idea that is not our own.  These things dishonor and destroy.  God says, “Don’t!”
You shall not bear false witness.  While this probably originally referred to giving false testimony in court, something that undermines justice, it also refers to falsehoods in general.  They dishonor God’s truth.  The same is true of gossip or slander, deception and even just empty talk.  Those behaviors tear down relationships and destroy reputations.  They cause harm to our ability to function as a society.
You shall not covet.  This is probably one of the hardest commandments to get our head around.  Our society is built on encouraging us to covet.  That’s what advertising is all about.  It teaches us to want something that we don’t have.  But to covet is also a first step towards disobeying the other nine commandments that came before.  It can lead us to steal or cheat, to lie or commit adultery.  It can even lead to murder in extreme cases.  When we covet, which means to deeply desire something that our neighbor has, we put our energy and impulses to work to acquire the object of our desire.  It also means that we are focusing on what we DON’T have instead of giving thanks and appreciating what we DO have.  It leads to discontent and the tearing down of relationships.
 
 
So these are the big 10 that Judge Roy wanted lifted up.  The problem is that there’s so much more to be considered, as well as how we live these in relationship with people who worship in different ways. How do we lift up and mandate a relationship with God?  How do we demand that people honor one another and cooperate and live together respectfully.  These are the broad strokes of what God desires for us.  They are bumper guards to keep us on the right track.
God spoke to his people.  They had trouble listening.  We’ve had over 4,000 years to meditate on these words and to attempt to incorporate them into our lives.  I suggest that we can only begin to do so when we keep God’s first words at the center of our hearts.  “I am the Lord your God.”
Help us Lord, to hold ourselves to your care and love.  Amen.
  
*HYMN                                 Great Is Thy Faithfulness                                         #276            
                                             (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
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH    (Apostle’s Creed)
 
*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.
 

​ 
 
September 24, 2023
18th Sunday after Pentecost
Gathering
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of  fellowship.
· Next Sunday, Oct. 1 is World Communion Sunday.  We will join with brothers and sisters around the globe to come to the table to receive the gifts of Christ.
· Please sign up for our Fellowship lunch and activity following worship.  We will also be passing out the pledge envelopes for 2024.
· 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.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS 
· JoAnn Grimm at Fieldstone Rehab Center in DeWitt.
· Annette Conzett recovering after a fall.
· Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
 PRELUDE
*CALL TO WORSHIP 
Like the Hebrew slaves who escaped from Egypt, we come to be led by our God.
The Lord went before them, a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.
 
When they were thirsty God provided water.
 
When they were hungry God sent both quail and manna.
 
Even when they complained, God held them close.
 
Let us come to give thanks to God for the many blessings poured into our lives and for God’s gracious presence leading us forward.  Amen
*GATHERING PRAYER 
God of Healing and Hope, Come to us this day and infuse us with your Spirit of Grace.  Allow us to grasp your amazing capacity for love that we might borrow a bit to shine it forth into the brokenness of our world.  Amen
 
*HYMN                               Come Sing to God                                                         #181                
                                        (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
God’s mercy is bigger than we can imagine. We are called to taste the sweetness of this grace by laying down our failings and our guilt.  Let us come to our God to confess our sins and be washed clean.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Forgive us, Gracious Lord, for taking your abundance and blessings for granted.  Somehow we have gotten the idea that unless it feels like a miracle, it has nothing to do with you.  Today we acknowledge that everything pours from your hand.  Forgive us for putting our sense of justice above your call to generosity and grace poured out for all your people.  Forgive us for our complaints and demands when we have so much and others have so little.  Help us to live your kingdom of grace and generosity and to recognize your many blessings.  Amen.
 
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Christ understands our human experience because he lived it.  Yet in him was also the essence of God. He came to take our failings upon himself, to bear what we could not and to release us from our sins.  Know this day that in Christ we are God’s forgiven people.  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, O Lord, to seek the privilege of fully believing in Christ as our Lord and Savior. We come to be enabled to obey you and live your love into our world.  Let us hear your word that can fill the hole in our heart and mind.  Allow us to joyfully sing your praise in all that we do.  Amen.
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS     
Exodus 16: 2  - 15
2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.  11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
 
                                              Matthew 20: 1-16
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.  3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ 9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.
12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’  13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
 
SERMON       It’s Not Fair!
 
“It’s not fair!”  I think all parents hear that complaint on a semi regular basis.  It usually comes from the youngster who feels like they have gotten the short end of the stick.  Surprisingly, when they have the advantage, it seems totally fair.  They can find several reasons why it should be so.
In so many ways we never outgrow that need to receive equal (what we consider fair) treatment and opportunity.  If it feels off balance, with us on the bottom side, yelling and complaint is sure to be heard.
Both of our stories today have to do with receiving what we are owed.  We begin with those Hebrew run-away slaves.  God owes them what they need!  After all, they had food and drink and shelter in Egypt.  God is the one who pulled them away--God and Moses.  So God owed them.  In such a short time away they’re already idealizing their experiences in Egypt.  “We sat by the flesh pots and ate our fill,” they said.  Conveniently, they forgot about the harsh labor, the way their task masters even made them collect their own straw to make the bricks, but still insisted on the same number of bricks to be produced each day.  They forgot about not having a voice in what they would do or where they might go.  They had forgotten the abuses and humiliations of being a slave.  All they wanted was food, but instead of politely asking, instead of patiently waiting for God to provide, they complained, and argued about where was the best place to die!  God led them out for life, not for death!  God had provided everything they needed—that final awful plague upon the Egyptians while also saving them, his presence to lead them—pillar of cloud during the day and pillar of fire at night, a pathway through the sea that gave them an escape while their pursuers perished.  God gave them water in the desert.  Ok, at first it was undrinkable, but in a heartbeat, God turned it sweet and thirst quenching.
But instead of that they complained, “It’s not fair.  You took us away from the fleshpots in Egypt.  Now you have to give us food.”  If I were God, I’d be angry with all the complaining.   I’d scold or challenge them.  I might even hold off another day just to make a point.  But we really don’t see an angry God.  Rather God makes provisions for both bread and meat.  God frames his gift to his people with these words, “I’m going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather for that day.   In that way I will test them whether they will follow my instructions or not.”
God will give them what they need, and in the process God is working to train them to trust that each day he will give them that day their daily bread!  No storing up.  No hoarding.  Trust.
So quail descended upon the camp—and the people were able to capture them by hand—Miracle!  The next morning they awoke to find a fine layer of bread on the floor of the desert.  Miracle!  Well, maybe it was a miracle, but here’s the thing.  If we only give God credit for those things that are extraordinary and amazing, what about those everyday gifts that flow from God’s hands and offer such blessing and life for us all?  Things like the trip to the grocery store and being able to purchase what we need.  Things like a paycheck that provides for our family.  Things like a roof over our heads that keeps the rain away and keeps us comfortable.  Those are from God, as well.
Scholars tell us that in both of these instances there is reason to believe that it’s not outside our natural world.  Quail--It’s not uncommon for birds who migrate from the African continent to be blown across the Mediterranean and to be so exhausted from their journey that they can be caught by hand.   Manna-There is an insect, a type of plant lice that punctures the leaves of the tamarisk tree to consume the juice.  It then excretes a yellowish flake or ball.  It is rich in carbohydrates and sugar.  It congeals in the cold but disintegrates in the warmth of the day.  It is still gathered by natives in that region and they bake it into a bread.  They call it manna!
God provides.  That the big message, I think.  God provided for those ex-slaves and God provides for us.  We don’t collect our food from the desert floor.  We don’t catch our meat by hand (thank goodness!)  But God provides what we need.  God gives us the skills and training and opportunities to work.  God give us other means when we don’t have a job.  God provides, and our response is to be a people who recognize God’s amazing care and who spend less time thinking about why our neighbor has more, and more time making sure others have their basic needs met, too.
But what about when we look around and see others who don’t work nearly as hard as we do, but have so much more—more stuff, nicer stuff, more power, more leisure, more comfort, more fun!  It’s not fair!  Or what about those who receive equal to us, but they hardly break a sweat, while we have to work long and hard?
Jesus has a word for that.  In actuality, the parable presented this day is in response to Peter’s question and concern.  Jesus had just told the rich, young man to go and sell all that he had and come follow him.  Of course that wealthy person couldn’t do that.  Jesus replied that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. That shocked the disciples.  It was so contrary to their thinking.  Peter asks, “Look, we’ve left everything and followed you.  What then will we have?  The answer—they will have abundant brothers and sister, fathers and mothers, and even fields—100 fold.  And they will have eternal life.  Then the mysterious phrase, “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”  What does that mean?  So Jesus offers the parable of the laborers in the Vineyard.
All day long the owner sends workers out to tend his vines.  Some early in the morning with an agreed wage; others through the day—each group working fewer hours than the one previously sent out.  When it was quitting time they are lined up to be paid.  Do you notice that the last to arrive are the first to be paid?  Those from the morning are present to see, and when they notice that even these very last ones get a full day’s pay their minds begin racing.  Woo-eee!   They are going to get a bonus!  But not.  They get exactly the agreed upon price.  They get the same as those who worked only a couple hours!  It’s the standard wage.  It’s enough to purchase food and the necessities for one day.  The full day workers get to eat that night, and so do their families.  The partial day workers get to eat that night and so do their families.
Jesus is making a point about fairness.  God’s generosity rises above our sense of equitable justice.  God needs for all his people to have what they need.  There is no cosmic score card with goodies passed out in proportion to the work we do on God’s behalf.  We’ve all seen televangelists who live in luxurious mansions and fly to vacation spots in their private jet.  They say they’ve earned the good life by virtue of the souls they’ve saved.  It think God would frown on that.  It’ just not the way our God works.
Jesus also wants his disciples and us to know that God’s generosity extends to those people who perhaps led questionable lives.  We would probably call them sinners.  But at some point, perhaps even as they are approaching the end of their days, they discover God’s love in Jesus and dedicate the remainder of their days to Christ.  They, too, are welcomed into God’s grace, into eternal life, just like that person who was a life-long Christian.  Just like the Sunday School teacher, the elder, the worker for Christ’s church.  God provides what we need.  God’s generosity is bigger than our sense of equitable justice.
And that’s the good news for us, too.  Because, let’s be honest.  Don’t we blow it over and over again?  Don’t we make bargains with ourselves, justifying our actions that we know are contrary to God’s call?  Don’t we forget the pledge we made?  Don’t we turn aside from our brother or sister in need?  Of course we do.  It’s the nature of our human condition, but in God’s grace we are welcomed back.  We’re given what we need, the necessities for our day.  It might not be our preference, but these gifts fall from God’s goodness.  We’re welcomed back into God’s grace.  We’re given work in the kingdom that allows us to know that our lives have meaning and purpose.
Can you imagine the sad state of our world if God gave to each of us only what we have earned?  Those Hebrew slaves would never have made it out of the wilderness.  They’d be wandering there to this day because of their obtuse defiance of God.  We would be cold and hungry, sick and desperate because for every good and positive thing in our life, there are probably 3 or 4 ways that we fail our Lord.
It’s not fair.  That’s a child’s squabbling over who gets the last cookie. We the children of God are called to live God’s generosity and grace.  We’ve been called to share and reach out to those in need.  We’re called to tell the story of our faith and offer God’s love to those we meet.  We’re called to live within our faith community in ways that model love and care and grace.
God is here for us.   God provides for us.  God’s love is that which carries us forward.  Let us give thanks for these many blessings poured out upon us.  Amen.
 
*HYMN                         God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending                           #422                                          
                                             (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
 
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH    (From Matthew 7: 7-11)
 
We come to claim the words of our Lord and Savior.  For Jesus said,
 
“Ask and it will be given you;
Search and you will find;
Knock and the door will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives,
And everyone who searches finds,
And for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Is there any among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?
Or if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake?
If you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask?
 
   
 
*HYMN                                      Be Thou My Vision                                            #339                                                       
(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.
 
 
 
 
 
 

​September 17, 2023
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
·  Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
 
· We continue to receive your donations to assist the people of Lahaina, Maui, following the devastating fire.  Donations will go to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  Thank you for your generosity.
 
· Seeking 7 to 8 people who can each donate up to 3 ½ hours per month to host the Gathering Place.  Other hostesses from other congregations will also be present.  No need to know the games.  Your presence for set up, greeting, and fellowship are what is needed.  (If this project is to go, we need your help!) Please speak to Pastor Joyce.
 
· Please save the date for Oct. 1—World Communion Sunday, Fellowship lunch and activity following worship, Passing out the pledge envelopes. Sign up for RSVP at office door
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
 
JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                        based on Psalm 23 & John 3
                                    
One:   Day by day, God leads us:
All:  to the deep, deep pools of peace,
to the green, lush lawns of grace.
One:  Day by day, Jesus calls us:
All:  to pour out ourselves in service,
to anoint the stranger with hope.
One:  Day by day, the Holy Spirit shows us:
All:  the community we could be,
the family we are called to become.
ALL:  As the family of God, let us worship God!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
 
*HYMN         O Worship the King, All Glorious Above!  (vs 1-4)                           #533                 
                                             (You may be seated.)
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION 
Gentle Shepherd, You guide us in right paths and lead us in the ways of righteousness, but we have allowed our anger, our rage, our greed, and at times even hate, to direct our paths. We have overreacted, we have taken more than our share, we have been jealous of others that seem to have it all. Forgive us, God, for not following Your ways. Forgive us for not remembering that we are Your sheep, and You are our Shepherd. Forgive us when we have not listened for Your voice and instead have acted in the ways of the world. Guide us back to Your path, to loving You and loving our neighbors. In the name of Christ our Shepherd we pray.    Amen.
 
WORDS OF ASSURANCE
 
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
Psalm 23     
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
John 10: 1-16
10 “Very truly I tell you anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
SERMON                            The Lord is My Shepherd
 
*HYMN                                    My Shepherd Will Supply My Need                 #172
 
 
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, we joyfully give to you a token of all of the gifts you so generously give.   We ask that you use these offerings, our time and talents and treasures, to be a blessing to those most in need in our church, our community and our world.   May our offerings bring glory to you and 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, his 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.
The third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From there 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 the life everlasting.
Amen.
 
  *HYMN                        What a Friend We Have in Jesus                                          #403                                                  
                                           (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.
 

 
September 10, 2023
15th Sunday after Pentecost
 
Gathering
 
MUSICAL OFFERING
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
·  Please join us in Calvin Hall following worship today for a time of fellowship.
 
· We continue to receive your donations to assist the people of Lahaina, Maui, following the devastating fire.  Donations will go to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  Thank you for your generosity.
 
· Ladies Lunch Bunch to gather at Yen Ching Restaurant at 11:30 AM on Sept. 13.  Please add our name to sign-up sheet.
 
· Session to meet following worship and fellowship time today.
 
· Seeking 7 to 8 people who can each donate up to 3 ½ hours per month to host the Gathering Place.  Other hostesses from other congregations will also be present.  No need to know the games.  Your presence for set up, greeting, and fellowship are what is needed.  (If this project is to go, we need your help!) Please speak to Pastor Joyce.
 
· Please save the date for Oct. 1—World Communion Sunday, Fellowship lunch and activity following worship, Passing out the pledge envelopes.
 
PRAYER REQUESTS
 
JoAnn Grimm who struggles with health problems.
Joan Pinkston, on hospice.
 
PRELUDE
 
*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                      (Adapted from Psalm 149: 1-4)
 
Praise the Lord!
 
Let us sing to the Lord a new song.
 
For we are glad in our Maker.  We rejoice in our King.
 
Let us praise God’s name with dance, making melody to our Lord with tambourine and lyre.
 
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people.
The Almighty adorns the humble with victory.
 
So we come this day singing glory to our God.  Alleluia!  Amen!
 
*GATHERING PRAYER
O Lamb of God, As the blood of the lamb became salvation for those slaves who waited in Egypt, we come, recognizing that your precious blood was spilled to save us!  In awestruck wonder we come before you this day to offer our lives to you.  Sit with us and assure us again that you hold our todays and our tomorrows.  We need you, Lord.  Amen.
 
*HYMN                        Love Divine, All Loves Excelling                                             #376                 
                                             (You may be seated.)
 
 
CALL TO CONFESSION
Oh, how we need the grace and goodness of our God.  Again and again we blow it, but Christ is our path to restoration and new hope.  Let us come now and lay our broken selves before our Savior.   Please pray with me.
 
PRAYER OF CONFESSION 
Lord God.  We live in a world of “Me.”  So many voices nudge us to grow and succeed and accomplish as individuals.  Forgive us for taking that to heart and in the process discounting others whom we meet along the way.  Forgive us for not understanding that we have a responsibility to consider their needs as we work together and worship you.  Give us the courage to speak to that brother or sister who has hurt us.  Help us to speak gently and to listen well so that our relationships might be healed and restored within your love.  Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”  This is the promise of our Christ.  He went to a cross for us that our sins might be forgiven.  Let us rejoice in his presence this day and claim the new life that floods out from the empty tomb. 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
Lord God, as your word is spoken, may it seep into our hearts and minds.  May we be enabled to put on your armor of light that casts aside the works of darkness.  Fill us with your love and enable us to shine your healing and hope to our world that needs it so desperately.  Amen.
 
 
SCRIPTURE LESSONS     
 
Romans 13: 8-14
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.  11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
 
 
                                              Matthew 18: 15-20
15 “If your brother or sister sins go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
 
 
SERMON                            Donning the Armor of Light
 
“Love one another.  Love your neighbor as yourself.”  With that as the imperative for our Christian faith, one might assume that Church is a place where harmony, cooperation, peace and connection reigns.  After all if everyone lives Jesus commandment, what could go wrong?  It’s important.  It’s what we all strive for.  It’s the way we publicize ourselves to the outside world, right?  But, sometimes things can get a little out of whack.  Enter Linda, a lovely person, a Christian lady who was a worker in First Presbyterian Church of Everytown, USA.  But here’s the thing.  Linda tends to get really stressed and frustrated when thing feel out of control.
 
 So when the ladies of the church were behind schedule in setting up for a major dinner they were hosting, and Paula, a new member dropped a couple plates, scattering shards across the kitchen floor, Linda reacted with some sharp words, “Great.  Just Great.  Now we have to clean up that mess!”  She wasn’t even speaking to Paula, but it was clear that she wasn’t happy.  Debbie piped in, “Cool it, Linda.”  And that was the end of it.  At least Linda and Debbie thought so.  Debbie was Linda’s best friend.  Everyone in the kitchen recognized this fact and that Linda sometimes blew off steam in these ways.  But Paula was new to the team.  In fact, Paula was new to the faith, and she was mortified with Linda’s words, AND in Debbie’s response.  Was that the way Christians acted?  Did she really want to be a part of that?  Weren’t they suppose to care for one another?  It bothered her enough that she considered leaving the church entirely. I wonder what Jesus would have said to these three women?  Would Linda and Debbie have been scolded? Sure, they reacted in ways that were less than sweet and kind, but they reacted in the moment and THEY understood one another.  What would Jesus say to Paula?  Was she somewhat naïve to think that sharp words and irritations with one another didn’t happen in a church?  Both of our scriptures for today deal with the way we treat one another. Paul’s words are for the way we deal with others, no matter where we find them.  Jesus seems to be speaking to people within our faith, with our brothers and sisters in the church family.  Both of these have the same general message.  “Take care of one another.”  Paul reminds us that to love our neighbor is the essence of living in accord with God’s law.  If we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, we are going to take care not to steal or lie or abuse  or cheat them.  We are going to respect and assist these others because that’s the way we hope to be treated.  We’re going to take care with alcohol and other things that get in the way of our behavior.  Paul calls it putting on the armor of light.
I like that image.  It feels like a protective force field that works both ways.  It protects us AND it helps us to be protective of others, to care for others.  Paul says it allows us to live honorably, and that’s what we all want. Now both Linda and Debbie would argue that in their exchange that day, they WERE living honorably.  It’s just who they are, they would say. There’s no animosity.  Linda reacted to the stress of the situation, and Debbie responded to remind her friend to settle down and take care with her words.  OK, she did it rather forcefully, but she knew Linda would understand her intent.  But Paula didn’t.  She didn’t know these two.  She was new to this type of thing.  Perhaps she’d had some past experiences with verbal abuse and was really sensitive to the tone and words that were used.  What should Paula do? Jesus offers an answer.  I think Jesus understood that things happen.  Feelings get hurt.  People can be misunderstood.  We are going to step on one another’s toes at times, maybe not even being aware of it.  In other words, life happens—even in church—maybe especially in church since our expectations are higher in our faith community. Jesus suggests that Paul should go and talk to Linda.  Just the two of them.  That way Linda is not put on the spot and embarrassed in front of others.  Paula needs to take care with her words.  Two wrongs don’t make a right, after all.  She needs to use “I” language.  “I felt really embarrassed with your words.”  “I felt like I was being attacked.”  “I was hurt by what happened.”  To own up to what we are feeling without attacking the other person is the goal.
Then it would be Linda’s turn to apologize and perhaps share that she struggles with anxiety and was feeling really stressed.  She will want to own up to her mistake, to take responsibility for it, while at the same time helping Paula to understand that she didn’t mean it as a personal attack.  Linda might explain that Debbie was her best friend and was working to help her recognize the impact of her words in such times.  Hopefully hugs and new connections can come out of such a conversation.  That’s the way it should work.  But Jesus recognized that sometimes things don’t always go that smoothly.  What then?  Then he says that Paula should take someone with her to talk to Linda.  In that case, she would select people of good faith who are well respected and who can manage their own emotions and words.  These people have a job to do.  It’s to listen and make sure that both sides of the dispute are being fair.  They also make sure that both are hearing one another.  Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own perceptions that we can’t really hear the other.  And it that doesn’t work, if there continues to be an unresolved issue that is festering and a behavior continues to cause upset and division, then it needs to be addressed by the leadership of the church.  This is pretty rare because usually the first two things can work.  Perhaps the two are not best buddies, but at least they can have a basic understanding and be able to cooperate and be together.  Remember when Jesus says we are to love one another, he’s not talking about liking one another!  Loving our brother or sister means we seek their well-being.
We wish good things for them and are willing to put ourselves forward to make those good things happen. The types of things that might rise to the level of going before the leadership of the church are things like someone who is stealing money from the Sunday School offerings, or speaking to others being purposefully disrespectful.  Perhaps making inappropriate suggestions or bullying another.  These things don’t happen often, but when they do, it’s important for the well-being of the body of Christ that it be addressed, and if there is still no resolution after such a conversation with the leadership, that person might need to be disinvited to be a part of the church.
That’s hard to think about.  No one wants to be involved in such a conflict, but think about the damage if we don’t have some standards and expectations for how we treat one another.
I think one of the things these verses remind us about is that conflict CAN happen, even in our faith community. What makes us different than other organizations is the way we are to work through those matters.  The other thing that we might want to keep in mind is that Jesus told the disciples that if that worst case scenario does happen, they are to treat this other as a tax collector or a Gentile.  At first glance that means to turn our back on them.  But we want to remember that Jesus never turned his back on tax collectors OR Gentiles.  How many times in our Gospels does Jesus engage with both—always inviting them into the kingdom of God.  Therefore, our care remains with others.  We are still called to love them—to seek their well-being. That’s hard.  That’s making ourselves vulnerable. Finally, we see Jesus extending to the church the power formerly given to Peter, to bind or to loose the sins of another.  I think it’s important that we recognize that it is not given to us as individuals.  I don’t have that right.  You don’t have that right.  It’s given to us corporately, recognizing that we are all sinners and in our dealings with others we need to be much more on the side of grace and forgiveness.  That’s where God is, and that’s where we are called to be, as well.  So here’s the bottom line.  We are all going to blow it at times.  We are going to hurt another and we are going to be hurt by others.  We have a responsibility to seek resolution.  That might mean we pull together our courage to go and gently, humbly tell another that we are hurting by something they said or did.  Then we need to accept their apology instead of carrying a grudge.  It might mean that we need to set aside our ego to hear that we have hurt someone else.  Then we need to apologize and seek to make amends, hoping that they will offer to us grace and forgiveness.  It’s the way we build up the body of Christ.  It’s the way we can model healthy relationships for the rest of the world to observe.  When two or three are gathering in Christ’s name—even in the midst of conflict and hurt, Jesus is there, as well.  And that gives us hope, doesn’t it.  God’s grace IS that armor of light that surrounds us and lifts us.  So let’s love our neighbor.  Let’s recognize our own capacity to hurt, even when that’s not what we meant.  Let’s watch our words when we get stressed.  Let’s offer our prayers and our thanksgiving to God.  Let’s put on the armor of light.
Praise be to God.  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                                   I Come with Joy                                                        #507
                                             (you may be seated.)
 
 INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE
 
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
 
Lord of Life, Author of new possibilities, Giver of all good gifts.  We gather this morning at your table seeking to feel your touch and to breathe in your spirit of life.
 
Be in our midst Holy God.
 
Be in our midst, O Lord, and remind us that it is only by your grace and goodness that we are here to be fed this day.
 
It is the power of your grace that enabled men and women through the ages to take up the tasks to which you called them.  These were people with real human sin and failings, people considered unworthy of your blessings.
 
Moses was guilty of murder, yet you called him to lead your people out of bondage.  Ruth was considered a foreigner, unsuited for the people of God, yet this woman became one of Jesus’ ancestors.  Saul persecuted you and arrested your servants, yet you gave to him the task of spreading the news of Jesus.  
 
Thank you Lord that you can use people who are flawed and broken—even us!
 
At this table we are united to receive your gift of life.
 
So as we take of this bread, your body broken, as we drink of the cup which offers forgiveness of sins, let us open wide our circle and invite our brothers and sisters to join us in this gift of new life. We praise you, O Lord.  Amen.
 
RECEIVING THE BREAD AND THE CUP
 
COMMUNION PRAYER.
 
 
*HYMN     Blest Be the Tie that Binds                     #438                                                   
                                           (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 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.