We Gather Again and Seek God s Presence

Transcription

1 ST. PETER S CHURCH, WEST PENN where worship and service don t stop with the final hymn. The Rev. David Kistler, Supply Pastor The Rev. Kenneth T. Melber, Jr., Designated Pastor Kristine K. Betz, Director of Music September 9, th Sunday after Pentecost FESTIVAL of HARVEST HOME Worship ~ 9:00 AM Sunday School ~ 10:15 AM (Please turn off your cell phone.) Prayer of Preparation Loving God, may we become so attuned to your will that the song of our hearts becomes a contagious attraction, transforming the groups of which we are a part. Amen. We Gather Again and Seek God s Presence Announcements and Concerns (Prior to worship, at 8:50 a.m.) Prelude Autumn Prelude" ~W. Stickles (All who are able, please stand.) Invocation Call to Worship P. Come away from dullness and complacency. Wake up! God is calling us to listen and to learn. C. The heavens are telling the glory of God. The firmament proclaims God s handiwork. P. How long will we refuse the wisdom God offers? How long will we ignore God s counsel and reproof? C. The law of God is perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of God are sure, making wise the simple. P. Our waywardness separates us from God. Then, when we call on God, we hear no answer. C. We gather to renew our relationship with God. We seek enlightenment and the revival of our souls.

2 Hymn Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme #29 We Acknowledge Our Brokenness and Seek God s Forgiveness Call to Confession Prayer of Confession (in unison) God of all worlds, we confess our arrogance in turning away from the knowledge you offer and the relationship with us that you desire. We make light of your commandments and scoff at discipline and boundaries as if they did not apply to us. Our tongues reveal our ignorance before the vastness of your truth. The words we speak in error spread poison that cannot be contained. Our waywardness is destroying us. Our complacency before evil, within us and all around, threatens life itself. O God, we cry out for forgiveness. Amen (Silence for personal confession) Prayer for Mercy P. (Spoken) Lord, have mercy upon us. C. (Spoken) Christ, have mercy upon us. All (Sung) Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, And uphold me with thy free Spirit. (Adapted from Psalm 51) Assurance of Pardon P. We eat the fruits of our way and are sated with our own devices. Words of confession are not enough to break the patterns of complacency and self-justification that separate us from God. C. Thankfully, our Creator knows our honest intent. P. If we truly turn from our insolent, undisciplined ways, a new way is opening up for us, and God welcomes us as partners in the gospel. C. In keeping God s ordinances, there is unexpected reward. P. Let us stand and sing God s praise.

3 (All who are able, please stand.) Song of Praise (Hymnal, #107) Lord, I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing your praises. I m so glad you re in my life; I m so glad you came to save us. You came from heaven to earth to show the way; From the earth to the cross, my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord I lift your name on high. The Passing of the Peace P. The peace of Christ be with you all. C. And also with you. P. Let us greet one another with a sign of Christ s peace. (The congregation may be seated.) We Listen for God s Word to Us The Reading of Scripture The First Reading Isaiah 35:4-7 The Second Reading (from the Epistles) James 2:1-10,(11-13) The Gospel Reading Mark 7:24-37 (The Second Reading and the Gospel Reading are printed on the back of the bulletin.) (After the Gospel is announced, all who are able stand and sing:) Glory be to Thee, O Lord. (After the Gospel is read,) Praise be to Thee, O Christ. (The congregation may be seated.) A Time with the Children ~ The Rev. David Kistler

4 Special Music ~ presented by Molly Betz The Sermon ~ The Rev. David Kistler We Respond with Joy (All who are able, please stand.) Affirmation of Faith The Apostles Creed (in unison) I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. (The congregation may be seated.) Invitation to the Offering The Offering of Our Gifts (Visitor cards, found in the cup/card racks, may be placed in the offering plates. Prayer request cards may be handed to an usher at this time.) The Offertory Rejoice and Sing! ~ D. Heggarty (All who are able, please stand.) The Offertory Response (sung) We give Thee but Thine own, Whate er the gift may be. All that we have is Thine alone A trust, O Lord, from Thee. Amen. (The congregation may be seated.)

5 Prayer of Dedication (in unison) We offer the treasures of this world as a way of recalling all of us to a right relationship with you, O God, the source of all wisdom and truth. Your design for life is more to be desired than the finest gold. To learn from you and to serve you is our highest joy. May our offerings and our daily lives communicate this message. Amen. Dedication of Harvest Home Offerings (in unison) We bring the bounty of the harvest, Lord, the fruits of your creation, to share with others as you intend. We ask your blessing upon the hands that have labored to produce these gifts: the farmers who planted and tended the crops, those who labored in the fields and orchards to harvest what was planted, and all who worked in places where this food was processed and distributed. May they receive your blessings for their contributions to the web of life. And we ask your blessings also on those who will receive this food. May it demonstrate our desire to follow Christ s teachings to feed his lambs; may it nourish them in body, mind and spirit and point to the presence of God s love in their lives. We pray these things in Jesus name. Amen. Pastoral Prayer The Lord s Prayer (Using sins and those who sin against us. ) We Go Forth to Proclaim the Good News (All who are able, please stand.) Commission and Blessing P. Let your words this week proclaim God s love. May your hearts meditations be acceptable to God. C. We seek to let God guide our tongues. We want to speak without arrogance or false pride. P. Listen for the wisdom God wants you to know. Seek God s counsel and reproof each day. C. We will look for God in the midst of creation. We will seek God s face in the people around us.

6 P. The heavens are telling the glory of God. God s hand is outstretched to touch and heal you. C. How good it is to sense God s guidance! How exciting it is to follow where Christ leads! Benediction with Three-fold Amen. Hymn Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know #535 Silent Meditation The light of the resurrected Christ is carried out into the world. Let us follow the light and witness in faith to its glory. Choral Blessing (Tune: Morning Has Broken ) New life has bloomed here, God s love has warmed us; Now the world calls us to spread that love. God s peace go with you, may it sustain you, And bring us together to praise God again. Postlude Postlude in F ~ J. S. Bach Today s Joyous Noise Offering has been designated for St. Peter's to sponsor a child through World Vision. The money collected will be sent to our sponsor child to help him and his family. Checks should be made payable to St. Peter s Sunday School and may be mailed to the church office. If you know of an organization or individual that could benefit from St. Peter s Joyous Noise Offering, please contact Ann Fogel or Megan Frantz. Church isn t where you meet. Church isn t a building. Church is what you do. Church is who you are. Church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let s not go to Church, let s be the Church. ~ Bridget Willard

7 THE ALTAR FLOWERS are presented in honor of the 90th birthday of Edith Coombe by the Pollock family. THE BOWL ON THE PIANO is presented in honor of the September 11th wedding anniversary of Dan and Bonnie Myers by Rick, Kim, Ricky and Joey, and Dan, Carissa, Alyssa, Chelsea and Morgan. GREETERS: Sharon Herring and Christi Steigerwalt. LECTOR: Megan Frantz. ACOLYTES: Mason MacMillan and Alex Thomas. ANGEL USHERS: TBD. BELL RINGER: Tyler MacMillan. SOUND SYSTEM: Justin Imbody. BIRTHDAY OFFERING THIS WEEK: Received from Richard Haberman. SEPTEMBER SHUTIN BIRTHDAY: Lynn Gerber, September 8th. Today we extend a very warm welcome to The Rev. David Kistler as our guest preacher and worship leader. We are very grateful to Molly Betz for sharing the gift of music with us as we gather together this morning for our worship time. We are honored to be able to share in worship with visitors. Cards to note your presence with us are found in the communion cup/card rack holders, along with prayer request cards, blank offering envelopes, and communion cards. Members who are not certain of their number, just put your name on the envelope. Please HAND your prayer request cards to an usher when the offering is being received. Visitor cards, envelopes, and communion cards may be placed in the offering plate.

8 PRAYERS FOR OUR MILITARY Deployed to Afghanistan: Michael Zeigenfuss Deployed to Germany: Sean Steigerwalt Deployed to Japan: John McGuire Active Duty, Not Deployed: Patrick Donahue Katie Forgey Tyler Forgey Mark Habel Dustin Hoppes LeRoy E. Kromer II Timothy Kromer Sean Kurtz Jonathan Liggitt Michelle Liggitt Dominic Lorenzo Amanda Miller Lisa Miller Daryl Neff Bill Nordai Trevor Schilling Andy Snyder Dakota Vadimsky Chad Wehr Mark West Scott West Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalms 33: 12 Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong. ~James Bryce The Search Committee has recently sent our profile to the Synod and Conference Ministers for review. The next Search Committee Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 19th at 6:00 p.m. We also have a meeting scheduled on Wednesday, September 26th at 6:00 p.m. with Bishop Zeiser, Pastor Crawford, and Rev. Bates to review the profile and discuss the candidate interview process.

9 THIS WEEK AT ST. PETER S Today, Sunday, September 9: 9:00 AM Worship Service ~ Festival of Harvest Home Joyous Noise Offering 10:15 AM Sunday School ~ Sundae Sunday 6:00 PM Girl Scouts Monday, September 10: 6:00 PM Play rehearsal Tuesday, September 11: OCTOBER NEWSLETTER DEADLINE 5:00 PM Prayer Group 7:00 PM Sunday School Teacher s & Officer s Meeting Wednesday, September 12: 10:00 AM Retirees 5:00 PM Confirmation Class Thursday, September 13: 7:00 PM Junior Choir rehearsal 7:30 PM Senior Choir rehearsal Next Sunday, September 16: 9:00 AM Worship Service Installation of Sunday School Teachers & Officers 10:15 AM Sunday School 6:00 PM Girl Scouts & Cub Scouts *For complete details on these events, please consult your newsletter. Tuesday, September 11th: Sunday School Teacher s & Officer s meeting. Sunday, September 16th: Sunday School Teacher s and Officer s Installation during worship. Tuesday, September 18th: WASP at 7:00pm. Sunday, September 23rd: Dedication of the 2018/2019 Confirmation Class. Sunday, October 7th: World Wide Communion Sunday; All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast following worship. Sunday, October 28th: Sunday School Harvest Party from 4:00-7:00pm.

10 The Kitchen Krew is gearing up for the fall season of those delicious apple dumplings. So, if you d like to volunteer to help, we would be happy to have you. We always have a good time! The first date for dumplings is Thursday, October 18 th and orders are due Sunday, September 30 th. WE CAN ALWAYS USE HELP ~ please contact Karen Diehl at St. Peter s Church, West Penn 184 St. Peter s Road Tamaqua PA The Rev. Kenneth T. Melber, Jr., Designated Pastor For Pastoral Care or Emergency ~ Pastor Melber s Cell: Pastor Melber has office hours by appointment Contact our Called to Care for Your Special Needs: Jan Altenburg: Or TLC: Olga Faust: Church Office Phone: (570) Financial Secretary: Shawn Tonkin Office: Elaine Koons Church Office Hours: Tuesday ~ Friday from 10:00 AM~2:00 PM Sexton: Lori Hoppes Director of Music: Kristine K. Betz addresses: Pastor Melber: pastorken86@gmail.com Church Office: spuc@ptd.net Web Site address: Facebook: Hopefully your putting aside your gently used unwanted clothing, shoes, linens, etc. for our clothing drive. However, as you re packaging your items, please make sure they are in CLEAR or WHITE plastic garbage or grocery bags which is now required by the company for sorting purposes. NO large black/green garbage bags please. Collection dates and more information will be available soon. Due to technical issues, the financial report could not be included in this week s bulletin. Web Master spuc@ptd.net St Peter s Union Church