First Presbyterian Church

Transcription

1 First Presbyterian Church Sermon notes Americus, Georgia A community of faith, responding to God s call Loving, learning and leading people to Jesus Christ. Welcome to Worship! We hope and pray that you are embraced by God's Love through our members, our pastor, and our staff this morning. If you are a guest, please fill out one of our guest cards so we can be in touch with you. We invite you to join us for Sunday School next week at 9:45 a.m.

2 Sunday, October 15, :00 a.m. Sunday Worship *All Are Invited to Stand in Body or in Spirit The congregation is invited to respond at the bold print OCTOBER CALANDAR OF EVENTS Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat PRELUDE WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS Russell Thompson CALL TO WORSHIP All heaven and earth proclaim the majesty of God s creative power! Praise God for the amazing and awesome beauty. God has given to us codes by which to live together in harmony and peace. In these commandments, God has summed up the ways we must respect one another. Rejoice in the goodness of God. Praise God for God s complete and steadfast love for us. Amen. *PRAISE MUSIC. I Will Rejoice.Jon Smith and Rachel Lairsey (Insert) PRAYER OF CONFESSION God calls us to live according to rules that build community. But sometimes we find it hard to remember what they are. God calls us to live in a way that builds caring and compassion in community. But greed and self-interest can get in the way, so we need to be reminded that God is the center of our world. God, when we forget the way, when we choose to ignore the rules and guidelines of being a covenant community, when we forget that our relationship with you is at the core of our faith walk, please forgive us and lead us back into a stronger relationship with you. ASSURANCE OF PARDON God s justice and mercy expand beyond our understanding. God s abundant love brings forgiveness and a new start. We are loved, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! Pastor Sommer Bible Study Magnolia Manor 15 Pancake Breakfast - 9am Fall Youth Overnight Reformation Sunday Pastor Sommer Magnolia Manor Chapel - 4pm am-Help bag treats Volunteers Needed Session Mtg - 7pm Fall Youth Overnight (Group Leaders arrive) 18 Building & Grounds Mtg. 6pm 19 Pastor Sommer Referation Project (Lake Blackshear) Pastor CSM Kiwanis Pet Parade and Downtown Trick or Treat 4pm Fall Youth Overnight (Check-in begins at noon) 21 Flint River Presbytery Meeting Columbus, GA Pres House - Campus Ministry Board Mtg. VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE Elder of the Month - Sharon McFarland October 15th: Ushers/Greeters: Schley Gatewood and Sharon Parks Radio Announcer: Sharon McFarland BK: Jim Griffith

3 Prayer List Please Pray For - Our Nation, Our Church; Our Pastor, Our Staff, Our Officers, Campus Ministry, Our Community and especially: MEMBERS AND CHURCH FRIENDS HOMEBOUND &/OR IN RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES Bob & B.J. Bryan Rev. Bill Gettys MariAnne Griffith Marthalene House Mary Mackey Nancy Miller Kitty Williams David Ndaayezwi Jim & Patti Griffith; Kate Griffith Amzie Harper; Michael and Amanda MEMBERS REMEMBERED IN PRAYER MISSIONARIES REMEMBERED IN PRAYER Benji and Esther Campbell, Wycliffe Bible Translators Lois and Tim Hunter, Wycliffe Bible Translators WBT Anne D (India) Please notify the church office at or office@americuspresbyterian.org if you would like to add someone to our prayer list and/or request a PrayerGram. Please have an address available for PrayerGram requests. *RESPONSE TO FORGIVENESS (Blue 579) Gloria Patri Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen CHILDREN S MESSAGE *PASSING OF THE PEACE The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and also with you Let us share the peace of Christ with our neighbors. Pastor Sommer PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and THE LORD S PRAYER Prayers for those who have faced devastating natural disasters (Hurricane Harvey, Maria, Irma, Nate, fires in the Midwest, earthquakes in Mexico, fires in California): God of our life, whose presence sustains us in every circumstance, After the fury of waters and wind, fires and earthquakes, We cry, mercy for those whose lives are changed forever. We pray for solace, sustenance, and strength in the months and years of recovery that lie ahead. For courage to face enormous challenges, relief and respite from urgent need as the world responds, comfort and the hope of peace for those who grieve the loss of family, home, and safety, and faith to walk on through this valley of shadows. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Prayers after the massacre of Las Vegas and for those devastated by violence: God of our life, we seek the grounding power of your love and compassion. As death rained down from above in Las Vegas in the dark of night, We pray this day for the Sun of Righteousness to arise with healing in its wings, and rain mercy, grace and peace upon our broken people. So many have been lost due to hate and violence in our world: brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends. We pray for solace for all who loved them. We pray for those who have been spared and those whose lives are changed forever that they may find healing, sustenance, and strength in the hard days to come.

4 We give thanks for first responders: who ran toward gunfire, rather than away who dropped everything to save the wounded and comfort survivors. We pray for doctors and nurses and mental health providers who repair what has been broken who to try to bring healing and hope. We ask for sustaining courage for those who are suffering and traumatized. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Prayer for all of those in need, home and abroad, who need the power of God s love: God of our life, may we, who watch, and pray, and respond, see in their faces, Your face. May we not turn away from suffering, nor forget their needs when the seasons turn. May we be steadfast in Love, stronger than death, and thus, with those whose lives we seek to sustain, together bear witness to Your redeeming Love. Hear our prayer, O Lord. In the name of Christ the Healer we pray, Amen. *PRAISE MUSIC... Revelation Song...Jon Smith and Rachel Lairsey (Insert) PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION SCRIPTURE Exodus 20: 1-17 Common English Bible (CEB) 20 Then God spoke all these words: 2 I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You must have no other gods before me. 4 Do not make an idol for yourself no form whatsoever of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them or worship them, because I, the Lord your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents sins even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. 6 But I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 Do not use the Lord your God s name as if it were of no significance; the Lord won t forgive anyone who uses his name that way. Volunteers needed Tuesday, October 24th at 10:00a.m. to help stuff treat bags for the Kiwanis Pet Parade and Downtown Trick or Treat. Volunteers needed Thursday, October 26th at 4pm to help hand treat bags for the Kiwanis Pet Parade and Downtown Trick or Treat. Join us October 29th - Reformation Sunday we will enjoy bagpipes during worship and have a covered dish lunch following worship, in the Fellowship Hall. At 4pm the hand bell choir will play, and Pastor Sommer will preach, at the Magnolia Manor Chapel. Coming in November Walk n Talk with Pastor Sommer. Every Wednesday in the month of November at 10:00 am join your Pastor for a stroll from the church down Lee Street and back. This is to be a relaxed time together!

5 The History of the Exodus Crossing the Sea Pharaoh s army pursues the Israelites to the sea. Pharaoh accompanies them along with 600 of the best chariots and all of the army s officers. The Israelites cry out to God. God responds via Moses, Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see gain. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14: 13-14). Moses is ordered to raise his staff and stretch out his hand to divide the sea and create a clear path for the Israelites. Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. In the end the Egyptians were swept into the sea. And when the Israelites saw the great power of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust to him and in Moses his servant. (Exodus 14: 31) The Song of Miriam and Moses In Exodus, chapter 15, there is a beautiful song of deliverance that was sung by Moses and his sister Miriam in gratitude for all God had done. 8 Remember the Sabbath day and treat it as holy. 9 Six days you may work and do all your tasks, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work on it not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your animals, or the immigrant who is living with you. 11 Because the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days, but rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother so that your life will be long on the fertile land that the Lord your God is giving you. 13 Do not kill. 14 Do not commit adultery. 15 Do not steal. 16 Do not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 Do not desire your neighbor s house. Do not desire and try to take your neighbor s wife, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God! The Waters of Marah and Elim (Exodus 15: 22-27) After traveling in the desert for 3 days without water, the people grumble against Moses. Moses cried out to God and God directed Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water at Marah (which means bitter ) and the water became sweet. MESSAGE... How Free People Live: Part 2"....Pastor Sommer Manna and Quail The Israelite community continues to travel through the desert, experiencing now great hunger. Again, they bring their frustrations to Moses and Aaron, saying, 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. (Exodus 16: 3) *DOXOLOGY (Blue 592)... Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen God responds by speaking to Moses and proclaiming, 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. 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. The glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud in front of all of Israel. The Lord says to Moses, I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, At twilight you will eat meant, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. (Exodus 16:11) OFFERTORY... Hallelujah... Jon Smith and Rachel Lairsey PRAYER OF DEDICATION *PRAISE MUSIC. Holy Spirit.....Jon Smith and Rachel Lairsey (Insert) *BENEDICTION *POSTLUDE Russell Thompson

6 The History of the Exodus Abbreviated Genealogy of Abraham s descendants ~Abraham married Sarah and they had Isaac ~Isaac married Rebekah and had twins (Jacob and Esau) ~Jacob had children with 4 women. His wife Leah had Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah. The servant Bilhah had Dan and Naphtali. The servant Zilpah had Gad and Asher. And his wife Rachel had Joseph and Benjamin. In total Jacob had 12 sons and 1 daughter. Jacob s 12 sons would become the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob s Family After stealing his brother s birthright, Jacob runs to his uncle Laban s house and marries Leah & Rachel. After many, many years of working for his uncle, Jacob eventually returns home to his father s land, but only after wrestling with an angel all night, being renamed Israel and being forgiven by his brother Esau. Jacob eventually ends up with 12 sons and 1 daughter, but they are not a happy family. Jacob s sons, who were jealous, sell their brother Joseph into slavery. Joseph is taken to Egypt as a slave and over many years Joseph becomes powerful in Egypt by interpreting the Pharaoh s dreams. Eventually Joseph is put in charge of Egypt in preparation for a 7-year famine. During the famine his brothers travel to Egypt to purchase food. After a great ordeal, Joseph makes himself known to his siblings, accepts their forgiveness for selling him into slavery & faking his death, & invites the whole family to move to Egypt to survive the famine. Many years pass The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. This scared the leadership in Egypt, so the Israelites became slaves and were oppressed with forced labor. The Egyptian king tried to kill all baby boys via Hebrew midwives (Shiphrah and Puah) but the midwives deceived him and saved the children. Pharaoh eventually gave the order for all Hebrew boys to be killed by being thrown into the Nile. Moses is born Moses is born and his mother keeps his birth a secret for 3 months. Eventually she can hide him no more, so she puts him in a papyrus basket in the Nile, where his sister Miriam watches him be discovered by the Pharaoh s daughter. The Pharaoh s daughter rescues baby Moses and he is raised in the palace. Moses grows up. When he murders an Egyptian guard for beating a fellow Hebrew, he runs away to Midian. In Midian Moses marries Zipporah and has a son named Gershom. One day when Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, he came to a burning bush at Horeb. At the burning bush God tells Moses that God has seen the misery of the people in Egypt and has heard their cry. God is sending Moses to Pharaoh to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses, Aaron and the Pharaoh Moses, along with his brother Aaron, go to the Pharaoh with a message from God. The message is, Let my people go. Pharaoh refuses and increases the Israelites plight by making them make bricks without straw. God reiterates his promise of deliverance by saying, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with many acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD. (Exodus 6: 6-8) The Plagues/Signs Begin ~Aaron s staff becomes a snake The Plague of Blood The Plague of Frogs The Plague of Gnats The Plague of Flies The Plague on Livestock The Plague of Boils The Plague of Hail The Plague of Locusts The Plague of Darkness The Plague of the Firstborn The History of the Exodus Passover Before the Plague of the Firstborn occurs, the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened bread is instituted. The Exodus begins After the Plague of the Firstborn and after living in Egypt for 430 years, the Israelites finally gather their belongings in the middle of the night and leave. God led the people around the desert road toward the Red Sea. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.