You enter this church not as a stranger, but as a child of God. Church in the Forest at Erdman Chapel, Stevenson School 3152 Forest Lake Road, Pebble Beach P. O. Box 1027, Pebble Beach, CA 93953 831-624-1374 email: citf@mbay.net www.churchintheforest.org The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost June 19, 2016 9:30 am 1
Church in the Forest Fifth Sunday after Pentecost June 19, 2016 9:30 am P r e l u d e We respectfully request that you withhold conversation during the prelude (being recorded), silence your cell phones, and hold your applause until the end. Sonata in E minor, Op. 38... Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Allegro non troppo Allegretto quasi Menuetto Trio Afterwards, the minister welcomes the congregation and invites us to stand Minister: The Kingdom of God is near says the Lord, let us repent and believe the good news of the gospel. People: We gather together with open hearts to the God of all grace. Minister: Take heart, my friends, God sent His Love into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through that One who is love. The hymn is on page two Afterwards the service continues below T h e C o l l e c t o f t h e D ay The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. All-powerful God, in Jesus Christ you turned death into life, and defeat into victory. Increase our faith and trust in him, that we may triumph over all evil, in the strength of the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Please be seated 2 3
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. T h e F i r s t L e s s o n 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Sherry St. Clair P s a l m 1 0 3 : 1 8 Responsively T h e S e c o n d L e s s o n Luke 6: 1-13a T h e S e r m o n Foundation of Faith: It s All About Love! the Rev. Dr. William B. Rolland The minister will ask you to stand for the Creed Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. He forgives all your sins and heals all your infirmities; He redeems your life from the grave and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness; He satisfies you with good things, and your youth is renewed like an eagle s. The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all who are oppressed. He made his ways known to Moses and his works to the children of Israel. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. T h e C r e e d We are not alone, we live in God s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church, to celebrate God s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our Judge and our Hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen. A new Creed from the United Church of Canada P e a c e The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. 4 5
A n n o u n c e m e n t s Welcome to this house of worship and to this local church of God right here in the forest on this Father s Day. The sermon today is an attempt to paint a picture of what this church, and indeed all churches, are about: To show the love of God in the glowing times of our nation as well as what seems to be perplexing days. At the local level and at the level of our individual hearts, we must follow the love of God and do God s will in that manner. If you are a visitor, please take a moment to fill out the Visitor Card that you will find in the bible rack, then drop it in the plate as it is passed to you. You may also use the aforementioned card to let us know if you have a prayer request or are interested in membership at CitF. Following the service today, you are all invited to share some fellowship on the deck and enjoy a cup of coffee and cookie. Our refreshments this morning are courtesy of Liz Lord and Helen Breck. The flowers at the altar are given by Ruth Gleisner and Phil Sanders, In loving memory of husband, Robert Gleisner, and daughter/wife, Cynthia Gleisner Sanders. Tuesday, June 21, Small Study Group with the Rev, Ken Feske leading The Power of Blessing Titus 2, at 10:15-11:30 am, at Gloria Bigelow s, 3138 Bird Rock, Pebble Beach. Sunday, June 26, 2016 Bill Rolland s last Sunday with an extended Fellowship Hour on the deck and the visit of the Rev. Dr. Joanne Swenson. Wednesday, June 29, 2016 Bill s Farewell Party at Rosen Hall, 5:30 pm. Valet Parking available, cocktail attire. Contact the office to confirm that you will be there! citf@mbay.net or 831-624-1374. We are getting ready to order the next round of plaques for the Memorial Garden. If you wish to have one placed, please contact Sherry at the church or Bob Janzen, 655-5113, or at raejanzen@sbcglobal.net for details. T h e O f f e r i n g Waltz in A-flat, Op. 39, No. 15...J. Brahms Wie Melodien zieht es mir Op. 105, No. 1...J. Brahms After the alms are gathered, the congregation rises and sings the Doxology T h e D o x o l o g y B i r t h d ay / A n n i v e r s a r y P r ay e r O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Let us offer ourselves to God. P r ay e r o f D e d i c at i o n Remain standing for the hymn on the following page 6 7
After the hymn, the minister continues and you may sit or kneel The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. Show us your mercy, O Lord; And grant us your salvation. Clothe your ministers with righteousness; Let your people sing with joy. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care; And guide us in the way of justice and truth. Let your way be known upon earth; Your saving health among all nations. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. Create in us clean hearts, O God; And sustain us with your Holy Spirit. T h e P r ay e r s The minister will lead the prayers and conclude each prayer with: We pray to the Lord. The congregation will then respond: Lord hear our prayer. 8 9
Concluding prayer in unison Jesus said: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents; we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Please stand for the hymn Afterwards, the minister concludes the service B e n e d i c t i o n a n d D i s m i s s a l Minister: People: Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God! P o s t l u d e This Is My Father s World, based on the tune Terra Beata by F. L. Sheppard. arr. by David Hegarty What better time for prayer! Presiding Minister The Rev. Dr. William B. Rolland Assistant Minister and Bible Study The Rev. Ken Feske Music Director Melinda Coffey Armstead Office Administration Sherry St. Clair Publications Mary Wiltse Lector Sherry St. Clair Crucifer Judy Fletcher Altar Care Martha Jordan & Sandy Rice Ushers Lloyd Nattkemper and Lynn Cellars 10 11
Music Box J u n e 1 9, 2 0 1 6 We respectfully request that you withhold conversation during the prelude (being recorded), silence your cell phones, and hold your applause until the end. Linda Mehrabian, cello Melinda Coffey Armstead, piano & organ Sonata in E minor, Op. 38... Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Allegro non troppo Allegretto quasi Menuetto Trio Waltz in A-flat, Op. 39, No. 15...J. Brahms Wie Melodien zieht es mir Op. 105, No. 1...J. Brahms This Is My Father s World, based on the tune Terra Beata by F. L. Sheppard. arr. by David Hegarty From the film, ZORBA THE GREEK: I m a man, so I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe. For why this matters, consider the case of Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann. Fourteen years older than he, she was a brilliant pianist with an international career (lasting 51 years!), and a widow since the death of her husband Robert Schumann. He had been a good friend and mentor to Brahms, who lived with the Schumann family for many years, staying through the time that Robert became deeply depressed, and died in an asylum. Now Brahms was a man, desperately in love with Clara and her children, longing to marry her, yet the full catastrophe eluded him. She felt that she had to maintain her career, as well as tend to the promotion of Robert s compositions and memory, as well as raise her eight (!) children. (Man, what could Brahms have been thinking?) Bringing Brahms into this yeasty confluence would stifle his career, she reasoned. And there was the difference in age. So she turned him down. His view of life without her as his wife was indistinguishable from catastrophic, and he never married. (Catastrophe can evidently be found from more than one viewpoint, and I have met clever souls at dinner parties who can find it in ANY. I try not to sit next to them again.) Still, he rose above his disappointment, they remained close friends, and he became one of the greatest composers in history. Whatever he wrote, he ran it by her first. Both traditional and innovative, but always romantic, he is one of the Three Bs, along with Bach and Beethoven. 12