The Celebration of the Gospel
October 15, 2017 —19th Sunday after Pentecost
And the peace which passes all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 4:7
_______ We Gather as the Body of Christ_______
GREETING
PRELUDE
8:15: Foggy Dew Trad. Arr. Paret (Elena Davids, harp)
10:30: My Jesus, I Love Thee Tune: GORDON, arr: Robert J. Powell
[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.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP Philippians 4: 4-7
[Paul calls us to rejoice in God and live in the peace that passes all understanding.]
Leader: Rejoice in the Lord always;
All: Again I will say rejoice!
Do not worry about anything,
but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving,
let our requests be made to God.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard
our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
* SONG O Worship the King vs. 1, 4, 5 Blue hymnal # 73
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
__________We Attend to the Word___________
10:30) THE WORD IN SONG
How Beautiful (Your Songs of Praise) Jeff Lippencott, arr: Tom Fettke
PRAYER
Blessed Lord, you have caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT Exodus 32: 1-14
[God’s people are impatient while Moses spends 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai. Feeling lost and abandoned, they make a Golden Calf as an idol to worship.]
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on your ears: husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to Yahweh.” They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!.” God said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.” But Moses implored Yahweh, and said, “O Holy One, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that God brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Sarah and Abraham, Rebekah and Isaac, and Leah and Rachel and Jacob, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’“ And Yahweh relented and did not bring disaster upon the people.
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PSALTER from Psalm 106
[The Psalm celebrates the goodness of God even when God’s people do not deserve it. The Psalmist reminds the people of God’s saving action bringing God’s people out of Egyptian Slavery, and Moses saving the people from God’s wrath after they have worshiped the Golden Calf.]
Praise God! O give thanks to Yahweh, for God is good;
for God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Holy One,
or declare enough praise?
Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
Remember me, O God, when you show favor to your people;
help me when you deliver them;
that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage.
Both we and our ancestors have sinned;
we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt,
did not consider your wonderful works;
they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love,
but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
Yet you saved them for your name’s sake,
so that you might make known your mighty power.
You rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry;
you led them through the deep as through a desert.
So you saved them from the hand of the foe,
and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
Then they believed your words; they sang your praise.
But then they made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image.
They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore you said you would destroy them—
had not Moses, your chosen one, stood in the breach before you,
to turn away your wrath from destroying them.
Save us, O Yahweh our God, and gather us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!
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GOSPEL Matthew 22.1-14
[The parable of the Wedding Banquet cautions us that “many are called, but few are chosen.” ]
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: “The realm of heaven may be compared to a ruler who gave a wedding banquet for the family heir. The ruler sent stewards to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again the ruler sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to her business, while the rest seized then ruler’s stewards, mistreated them, and killed them. The ruler was enraged and sent troops, who destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the ruler said to the stewards, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ They went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But the ruler came in to see the guests, and noticed one there who was not wearing a wedding robe. The ruler said, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And the guest was speechless. Then the ruler said to the attendants, ‘Bind this one hand and foot, to be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
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SERMON Dr. Elizabeth Windsor
SONG God Grace and God of Glory Blue hymnal # 577
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
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 Ministry to the World_____
OFFERING OUR GIFTS
* OFFERING SONG The Doxology Blue hymnal # 94
* PRAYER
Gracious God, we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Uphold us by your Spirit in your Covenant of Grace, that we may be your faithful people, formed by your Word and given in steadfast love for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* SONG We Are the Church Blue hymnal #558
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH (Philippians 4: 8-9)
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
Brethren, We Have Met To Worship William Moore, arr: Cindy Berry
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]