August 25, 2024
Gathering Music
Ruth Seignemartin
Introit: When the Morning Stars Together
Bayly/Tochter Sion
Manito Choir
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 100]
Betsy Hammond
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness.
Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise.
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Let us worship the LORD!
O Praise the Gracious Power (Hymn 471)
Doran/Troeger
O praise the gracious power that tumbles walls of fear
And gathers in one house of faith all strangers far and near:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!
O praise persistent truth that opens fisted minds
And eases from their anxious clutch the prejudice that blinds:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!
O praise inclusive love, encircling every race,
Oblivious to gender, wealth, to social rank or place:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!
O praise the tide of grace that laps at every shore
With visions of a world at peace, no longer bled by war:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!
O praise the living Christ with faith’s bright songful voice!
Announce the gospel to the world and with these words rejoice:
We praise You, Christ! Your cross has made us one!
Confession
Jim Price
Faithful God, we know our land is full of division, confusion, and fear. We long for your justice and kindness. Forgive us for the times we do not trust that you will provide for us in the midst of the chaos. Forgive us when we stay on the sidelines as skeptics, rather than rejoicing and finding ways to participate in the good we do see. In our times of need, help us find friends, communities, and practices that will support our faith and healing. Amen.
Silence
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
Faber/Nettleton
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty,
There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven;
There is no place where earth’s failings have such kindly judgment given.
For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind;
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful, we would gladly trust God’s Word;
And our lives reflect thanksgiving for the goodness of our Lord.
Forgiveness
Steve Blewett
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise (Hymn 263)
Welsh Folk Melody/Smith
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above,
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree,
Then wither and perish; but naught changeth Thee.
Thou reignest in glory, Thou rulest in light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee!
The Apostles’ Creed
Mila Russell
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Preparing to hear the Word: Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door
African-American Spiritual
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jay Stafstrom
Old Testament: Isaiah 11:2-9; 2:2-4
Psalm 85: Show Us, O Lord, Your Steadfast Love
Webber/Mason
Angela Bloemeke, clarinet; Karen Bart, cello
New Testament: Colossians 3:12-17
Hymn: Christ, Be Our Light
Farrell
Longing for light, we wait in darkness. Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people, light for the world to see.
Refrain:
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled. Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us. Make us your living voice. (refrain)
Longing for food, many are hungry. Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others, shared until all are fed. (refrain)
Longing for shelter, many are homeless. Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others, walls made of living stone. (refrain)
Many the gifts, many the people, many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another, making your kingdom come. (refrain)
Prayers of the People & The Lord's Prayer
Ruth Seignemartin
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Today We All Are Called to Be Disciples (Hymn 434)
Carmichael/arr. Williams
Today we all are called to be disciples of the Lord,
To help to set the captive free, make plowshare out of sword,
To feed the hungry, quench their thirst, make love and peace our fast,
To serve the poor and homeless first, our ease and comfort last.
God made the world and at its birth ordained our human race
To live as stewards of the earth, responding to God’s grace.
But we are vain and sadly proud, we sow not peace but strife,
Our discord spreads a deadly cloud that threatens all of life.
Pray justice may come rolling down as in a mighty stream,
With righteousness in field and town to cleanse us and redeem.
For God is longing to restore an earth where conflicts cease,
A world that was created for a harmony of peace.
May we in service to our God act out the living Word,
And walk the road the saints have trod till all have seen and heard.
As stewards of the earth may we give thanks in one accord
To God who calls us all to be disciples of the Lord.
Call to Stewardship
Ann Hall
Offering: On This Day
McGlohon
Doxology
LASST UNS ERFREUEN/Geistliche Kirchengesang, 1623
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise God all creatures here below.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, three in one.
O praise God, Alleluia! O praise God, Alleluia! Alleluia!
Blessing: God Be with You Till We Meet Again (Hymn 540)
Rankin/Vaughan Williams
Verse 1:
God be with you till we meet again;
Loving counsels guide, uphold you,
With a Shepherd’s care enfold you:
God be with you till we meet again.
Sending: The Trees of the Field (Isaiah 55:12)
Rubin/Dauermann
You shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills will break forth before you; there’ll be shouts of joy,
and all the trees of the field will clap, will clap their hands.
All the trees of the field will clap their hands; the trees of the field will clap their hands;
the trees of the field will clap their hands while you go out with joy.
Postlude: We Are Marching in the Light of God
South African Freedom Song/arr. Behnke
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