METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH WE VE COME TOO FAR TO TURN BACK NOW TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST SUNDAY, November 15, 2015 PREPARATION The Pastor s entrance and the beginning of the musical prelude are the calls to silent, personal preparation for the worship of God. THE GATHERING We are standing on Holy ground, And I know that there are angels all around. Let us praise Jesus now, We are standing in God s presence on Holy ground. LITANY Leader: The time approaches when the lightning of forgiveness shall slash forth through all clouds of condemnation: People: Of that day not an angel knows. Leader: The time approaches when the knife of mercy shall lay bare all thoughts of vengeance. People: Of that hour not a mortal sees. Leader: The time is coming when the robe of grace shall replace all trappings of pride. People: Of that hour not an angel knows. Leader: The time is coming when the eyes of compassion shall pierce the masks of prejudice. People: Of that day not a mortal sees. Leader: The time draws near when the heart of love shall conquer all arms of force. People: Of that hour not an angel knows. Leader: The time draws near when the vigil of faith shall dispel all phantoms of fear. People: Of that day not a mortal sees. Leader: The day approaches, the day is coming, the day draws near that no angel knows! People: O God, let this be the day! Leader: The hour approaches, the hour is coming, the hour draws near that no mortal sees! People: O God, let this be the hour!
OPENING HYMN WE RE MARCHING TO ZION Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known, Join in a song with sweet accord, Join in a song with sweet accord, And thus surround the throne, And thus surround the throne. CHORUS: We re marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We re marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God. Let those refuse to sing Who never knew our God; But children of the heav nly King, But children of the heav nly King, May speak their joys abroad, May speak their joys abroad. The hill of Zion yields A thousand sacred sweets Before we reach the heav nly fields, Before we reach the heav nly fields, Or walk the golden streets, Or walk the golden streets. Then let our songs abound, And ev ry tear be dry; We re marching thro Immanuel s ground, We re marching tho Immanuel s ground, To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high. WELCOME Visitors standing If you are here for the first time, we are delighted that you came. If you are dropping in for a second or third visit, we are glad you found something you were looking for. We hope you will be challenged by our worship and that you will come back again. If you are looking for a faith community, we would welcome you as a part of our church family. When you are officially welcomed as a visitor, you will receive a Visitor s Information Card. Please fill it out, and return it to the Pastor, or place it in the offering plate. WELCOME! CONCERNS OF CHURCH AND CITY D. Billye Sanders PREMATURITY AWARENESS MONTH PRESENTATION Your tithes and gifts help us: Pay the mortgage, utilities, maintenance, and security for the Metropolitan Meeting House; Provide free pastoral counseling services to members of our congregation; Fund the First Response Center, serving over 700 people living with HIV/AIDS, and other at-risk persons; Pay for the personnel and operating costs of our ministries; Provide educational materials and resources to assist in the spiritual growth and development of our community; Maintain meeting space for our ministries, including Girl Scouts, various recovery/support groups, and community events; Fund our annual Anniversary and Homecoming celebrations; Give emergency assistance to members of the congregation and community through our benevolence fund. Every gift of your time, talent and treasure makes a vital difference in the life and ministries of Metropolitan Interdenominational Church. Thank you. SONGS OF PRAISE The Voices of Metropolitan Reginald Green, Minister of Music OFFERTORY For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. 1 Chronicles 29:14
DOXOLOGY Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise God all creatures here below Praise God above ye heavenly host: Creator, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. PROCLAMATION THE WORD Mark 13:1-8 CHORAL RESPONSE Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage, For the living of these days, For the living of these days. PREPARATORY PERIOD THE MESSAGE Harry Emerson Fosdick SENIOR SERVANT STAY FOCUSED 1 As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings! 2 Then Jesus asked him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down. 3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished? 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 many will come in my name and say, I am he! and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to 8 come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. Mark 13:1-8 SERMON NOTES
RESPONSE Please do not leave the sanctuary or in any other manner create a distraction during the invitational period. This is a moment of unparalleled importance. MOMENTS OF REFLECTION INVITATION TO LIFE IN CHRIST Voices of Metropolitan This church will welcome into its membership any persons who love and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and who promise to live according to His Laws of Love, recognizing all people as brothers and sisters for whom He gave His life. THE LORD S SUPPER Communion Prayer We do not presume to come to this, Thy table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs from under Thy table. But Thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to partake of this sacrament of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, that we may walk in newness of life and grow to reflect Thy Spirit in all things forevermore. Amen. (We will eat and drink together after all have been served.) FELLOWSHIP CIRCLE We ve come too far to turn back now; By the grace of God we re gonna make it somehow. Nobody knows the trouble we ve seen; We ve come too far to turn back now. Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. All events in life take place, somehow, within the divine context. The tendency to fix responsibility is inescapable. If responsibility for ills can be pinned down, then the possibility of attacking and uprooting them is very real. This possibility is in the profound confidence that a structure of moral integrity undergirds all life; that such a structure is basic in the totality of all experience. Things do not happen, merely; they are a part of some kind of rationale. If this can be tracked down and understood, then the living experience, however terrible, makes sense. Even though one is never able to accomplish this tracking down, one cannot destroy the confidence that the logic of all ills is knowable. We trace them as far as we can, until, at last, we seek no longer to understand the ills but rather to understand God s understanding. Lacking this, we rest ourselves in the assurance of God s presence in us and in life about us. We see the travail of our own soul and we are satisfied. --Howard Thurman METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH 2128 11 th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208; Mailing Address: P.O. Box 280779, Nashville, TN 37228 Phone: (615) 72METRO (726-3876) Fax: (615) 259-9210 website: www.micwhosoever.org Rev. Edwin C. Sanders, II, The Senior Servant Pastoral Staff: Cherie A. Booker, John Cross, Christopher Davis, Christopher Goodwin, Marcella Lockhart, Regina McCrary, Mary Jo Smiley, Clifford Smith, Terry Terrell, Stephanie Thompson, Neely Williams
UPCOMING EVENTS MIDWEEK FELLOWSHIP: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. Dinner by Circle 6; Bible Study 7:00 8:00, Classes for Adults and Children Ecclesiastical Council meeting: November 22 nd, following morning worship Thanksgiving Worship Service: November 26 th, 9:30 10:30 am Annual Church Meeting: December 6 th, immediately following morning worship World AIDS Sunday Celebration: December 6 th, 4:00-6:00 pm, featuring a message by Rev. William L. Lee of Roanoke and an appearance by Nashville in Harmony Christmas Family Fellowship: December 13 th, 3:00-5:00 pm Watch Night Worship Service: December 31 st, 10:00 pm Financial Freedom / Entrepreneurship Seminar Series meets Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. at the First Response Center, 1219 9 th Ave N., Nashville 37208; Call: 615-321-9791 Series dates: Sept. 5 th Dec. 12 th United Way Employee Giving Campaign: Designate #3255 to support the First Response Center. For the Combined Federal Campaign, Write In Metropolitan Interdenominational Church First Response Center. Support Metropolitan while you shop. (1) Register your Kroger Plus card online and specify you support Metropolitan; go to Koger.com/communityrewards or call 1-800-576-4377 option 3. Renew your registration of support annually, every August. (2) Register at Smile.Amazon.com, select Metropolitan FRC as the charity you support, then always shop through Smile.Amazon; 0.5% of the proceeds will support the work of the FRC. Friday evening Dancercise, 7 pm Voices of Metropolitan Rehearsal, Saturday, 12 2 pm Saturday Evening Worship, 6 7 pm BIBLE READINGS Read Pray Sacrifice November 16-22, 2015 Last Sunday after Pentecost 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Psalm 132:1-12 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37 Please be sure to check the bulletin boards in the vestibule for notices of activities involving Metropolitan members and community events including performances, fairs, scholarships & other opportunities. SICK, SHUT IN, and RECOVERING MEMBERS Ella Louise Gant 908 Cannon Street; Nashville, TN 37210 615-242-0226 Evelyn Martin 3253 Spears Road; Nashville, TN 37207 615-227-0095 Pat Patterson 208 Lunn Court; Nashville, TN 37218 615-876-4433 Connie Ryans 1703 Pecan Street; Nashville, TN 37208 615-310-7855 Rev. Mary Jo Smiley Rm #200, Creekside Rehab. Center, 306 West Due West Ave, Madison TN 37115 Patty Turner 909 Gale Lane; Nashville, TN 37204 615-297-3674 Mary Grace Williams 293 Becklea Drive; Madison, TN 37115 615-868-6810 Emmilye Wilson-Walton P.O. Box 78795; Nashville, TN 37207 615-262-9375 MIDWEEK FELLOWSHIP MEAL SCHEDULE November 25 No Midweek December 16 Circle 2 December 2 Circle 7 December 23 Circle 3 December 9 Circle 1 December 30 No Midweek
~ Giving Summary ~ Date Offering - Budgeted Offering - Actual Offering (Un)Realized Summary (Un)Realized January, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 27,066.69 $ 3,986.69 February, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 17,366.62 ($ 5,713.38) March, 2015 $ 28,850.00 $ 26,129.12 ($ 2,720.88) April, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 23,879.79 $ 799.79 May, 2015 $ 28,850.00 $ 27,623.43 ($ 1,226.57) ($ 4,694.35) June, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 18,910.42 ($ 4,169.58) ($ 9,043.93) July, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 20,552.28 ($ 2,578.02) ($ 11,571.65) August, 2015 $ 28,850.00 $ 25,610.84 ($ 3,239.16) ($ 14,310.81) September, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 18,807.17 ($ 4,272.83) ($19,443.64) October, 2015 $ 23,080.00 $ 18,991.69 ($ 4,088.31) November 1, 2015 $ 5,770.00 $ 6,623.19 $ 853.19 November 1, 2015 $ 5,770.00 $ 5,565.69 ($ 204.31) November, 2015 $ 11,540.00 $ 12,188.88 $ 648.88 Year to Date $ 259,650.00 $ 236,766.93 ($22,883.07) METROPOLITAN INTERDENOMINATIONAL CHURCH WE VE COME TOO FAR TO TURN BACK NOW Sunday, November 15, 2015 25 th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST Metropolitan Interdenominational Church is a community of believers inclusive of all and alienating to none, leading the way to spiritual growth by sharing God s love with the world. OPTIMISM OPTIMISM is always a desirable attitude to maintain. How we look at life and assess our situation, at any given moment, is of profound significance. It can literally be the difference between living and dying. It is all but impossible not to have circumstances occur which challenge our ability to look at life positively and with OPTIMISM. Consequently, it is important for us to learn to see the possibilities of life through a lens that allows us always to recognize the evidence of the infinite good in all of creation. Storms, disappointments, struggles, failures, disasters, rejection, sickness, hardship, loss and grief do happen. Yet, as long as we live, none of these realities have to be what ultimately defines who we are. Add to this the consideration of the vast array of contradictions and unknowns we face every day, and it is essential to tap into the reservoir of hope within us which fuels OPTIMISM. Jesus reminds us in this week s text, Mark 13:1-8, that it is important to see the signs of doom around us as being signs of new birth verses death. The God we serve is in the process of making all things new and we have to experience the birth pangs before the new era is opened. Through Christ we have reason for perpetual OPTIMISM. (modified from Sunday, November 15, 2009) - Senior Servant