November 12, 2023
Prelude: Jesus, Lead Thou On
Manz
Introit: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
NETTLETON
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Isaiah 30]
In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.
The Lord waits to be gracious to you; he will rise up to show mercy.
Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more.
When you turn to the right or to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Let us worship the LORD!
O Day of Peace (Hymn 450)
Parry/Daw
O day of peace that dimly shines through all our hopes and prayers and dreams,
Guide us to justice, truth, and love, delivered from our selfish schemes.
May swords of hate fall from our hands, our hearts from envy find release,
Till by God’s grace our warring world shall see Christ’s promised reign of peace.
Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb, nor shall the fierce devour the small;
As beasts and cattle calmly graze, a little child shall lead them all.
Then enemies shall learn to love, all creatures find their true accord;
The hope of peace shall be fulfilled, for all the earth shall know the Lord.
Confession
God of the journey home, sometimes we struggle to hold together who we have been and who we want to become. Forgive us when we are slow to reconcile with people and slow to fulfill our promises to you. Forgive us when we stay in our fear and are unwilling to risk trust or offer love. Help us find willingness to engage with fear in order to move towards love. Trusting your kindness, may we find courage in the midst of our vulnerability, and grow towards wholeness. Amen.
Silence
Bless the Lord, O My Soul (Hymn 597)
Appalachian folk melody
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.
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.
Children’s Message
Abide with Me (Hymn 543)
Monk/Lyte
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see.
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What by Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
Prayer for Illumination
Sermon: The Quest for Wholeness
Genesis 35
Focus: Characteristically, then, Jacob leads from behind: he is the thinker, the one who projects in images and words, the director behind the scenes. This is, properly speaking, the position of the hunter, tracking his prey from the rear. Jacob comes into the world behind: “After that (aharei khen), his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob” (25:26).
-- Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg
Silent Reflection
Response: Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown
Wesley/attr. Bortniansky
Eliana Starbuck
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, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Call to Stewardship
Jeannie Lemm
Sponsored by the Missional Outreach Ministry Unit
Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's. -Matthew 22:21
Offering: Aria
Handel
Jill Cathey, oboe
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: Hornpipe
Dinda
OneLicense# A-727502
CCLI# 283345
