The Celebration of the Gospel
November 17 , 2019 — 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
By your faithfulness you will find true life.
—Luke 21.19
______ We Are Received as Children of God____
GREETING
PRELUDE 8:15: How Can I Keep From Singing? – Robert Lowry, arr: Lyndell Leatherman
10:30: Grazioso – Arnold Sherman (Bells of St. Matthew’s)
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
BRINGING OURSELVES TO WORSHIP
* CALL TO WORSHIP – Isaiah 12
Leader: O God, we thank you:
for though you were angry with us,
your anger turned away, and you comforted us.
All: Surely God is our salvation;
we will trust, and will not be afraid,
for God is our strength and our might;
God has become our salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Holy One.
Call on God’s name; make known God’s deeds among the nations;
proclaim the exalted name of the Righteous One.
Sing praises to God, who has done gloriously;
let this be known in all the earth.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
* SONG – O God, Our Help in Ages Past – Blue hymnal # 117
_____ We Are Transformed by the Love of Christ____
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
PRAYER
God of peace and beauty, in the midst of the world’s chaos we turn to you. With anxiety all around us we open our hearts to your grace. Beneath the noise of this world, speak your quiet, steady Word to us. Even in the tumult, we are listening.
HEBREW BIBLE – Isaiah 65.17-25
[God promises a new Creation, a world of justice and mercy, in which people are not abused or exploited by others, and all shall live nonviolently.]
I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
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NEW TESTAMENT – 2 Corinthians 6.1-10
[Paul urges us to follow his example of steadfast faithfulness and love in the face of trouble and persecution.]
As I work together with God, I urge you not to miss out on the grace of God. For God says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; Look! now is the day of salvation!”
We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights and hunger. We have endured — with purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute; with no weapons for the right hand and for the left but the power of righteousness. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and yet look—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
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GOSPEL – Luke 21.5-19
[Jesus describes violent, chaotic times, accompanied by “great signs in the heavens,” but encourages his followers to remain faithful and testify to the gospel of love amidst the world’s anxiety.]
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!’ and, “The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.”
Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and siblings, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
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SERMON – A different kind of presence
SONG – Be Still, My Soul – Blue hymnal # 534
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
___ We Are Sent in the Power of the Holy Spirit___
A TIME OF REFLECTION 8:15: Give Thanks – arr: Patricia Sanders Cota, (Ringtones)
10:30: You Raise Me Up, arr: Sandra Eithun, (Bells of St. Matthew’s)
OFFERING OUR GIFTS 10:30: It Is Well With My Soul – Philip P. Bliss, arr: Brian Buda
* OFFERING SONG – Move Me – Blue hymnal #471
* PRAYER
Gracious God, we are your creation, made in your image. We belong to you. We give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will.
Loving Christ, you healed and taught; you fed and forgave. You gathered a community of justice and radical hospitality. For your justice you were crucified, but by the grace of God you were raised from the dead. We offer ourselves to die and rise with you, to live and work for healing and justice in your name. We commit our lives and our gifts to your service.
Holy Spirit, you give us life. In gratitude we give our lives to you. Fill us with your courage and compassion. Grant to each of us the gifts we need, each in our own way to bear witness to your love in this troubled world, for the sake of the wholeness of all Creation, in the name and the spirit of Christ.
Bless your church, that by your loving presence in us we may faithfully proclaim your gospel in all we do. We consecrate our gifts to your purposes, and commit ourselves to you and to one another for the sake of your ministry in and through us. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG – Here I Am, Lord – Blue hymnal #593
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE – Thanks to God for My Redeemer – John Hultman, arr: Roy Brunner