February 16, 2025
Prelude: Elegy
Wagner
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 37]
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.
The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
Let us worship the LORD!
O God of Earth and Space (Hymn 274)
Huber/Hebrew melody
O God of earth and space, of sea and fire and air,
Your providence surrounds us here and everywhere.
In fruit and grain and tree, in shelter from the cold.
In cooling breezes, flowing wells, now as of old.
Where faithfulness is shown, where love and truth abound,
Where beauty graces human life, there you are found.
Inspirer of all thought! Creative force of art!
The melody on every tongue, in every heart!
Wherever freedom reigns, where sin is overthrown,
Where justice fused with mercy rules, there You are known.
Give us the courage clear to make the earth a home
For all to live in harmony in Christ’ shalom.
Your word commands response and summons us to life.
We follow, strengthened by your grace in calm or strife.
Our ever-present help, our challenge and our prod.
We praise you now and to life’s end, Eternal God.
Confession
God who cares for the needy, you have entrusted us with time, resources, and relationships. We know that people matter more than possessions or profit. Forgive us when we are overwhelmed by the many needs around us, and despair of making a difference. Forgive us when we harden our hearts towards neighbors in need rather than sharing what we can. In this time when many feel anxious, help us turn to you – and not to wealth – for reassurance and security. Give us strength to trust your abundant provision and to be faithful with what you have given us. Amen.
Silence
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Mason/Palmer
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine:
Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine.
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Gloria Patri (Hymn 579)
Greatorex
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,
Word without end. Amen, Amen.
Solo: Hold Out Your Hand
Drake/Young
Lisa Phillips
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jill Cathey
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 15:7-11
New Testament: Luke 16:1-13
Sermon: Heavy Realism
Scott Starbuck
Focus: “Perfect is the enemy of good.” -Voltaire
Response: Once to Every Man and Nation
Lowell/Williams
Angela Bloemeke, clarinet
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some new decision, offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever ‘twixt that darkness and that light.
Then to side with truth is noble, when we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit, and ‘tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses while the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.
Though the cause of evil prosper, yet ‘tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong,
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above His own.
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord's Prayer
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.
Call to Stewardship
Ruth Seignemartin
For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. -2 Corinthians 8:9
Offertory: Verse in G minor
Zipoli
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: Now We Praise God Almighty
Pachelbel
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