a balm in gilead...2019/09/22 · there is a balm in gilead to make the wounded whole, there is a...
TRANSCRIPT
A Balm in Gilead
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Prologue
The Gathering Music
The Call to Worship and Welcome
The Spirit of the still speaking God be with you.
And also with you!
The Music for Organ Benedetto Marcello
The Lighting of the Altar Candles
The Opening of the Lectern Bible
The Gathering1
this sacred setting, we call out to God, seeking the presence of the Holy!
we would flee from the Holy One!
endures forever!
Let us worship God!
Returning to the pulpit today, in many ways I wish that this Sunday had been my day off! Allcombined, the texts amount to a veritable landmine, a trap just waiting to ensnare any naive"sermonator!" That is my friend Jill's nickname for me, by the way! Today's lections call for us tolook at our national dialogue, yes, the politics of our day, the political climate that plagues our dailylives, even shaping our relationships one with another. The rules of engagement, once characterizedby polite niceties, have changed, perhaps permanently. As far as preaching is concerned, there arelimits! There are boundaries! Politics and the pulpit don't mix! It has been, and continues to be, a no-fly zone, at least among progressive Christians. But, there is a sermon to be preached and these arethe texts we are given, the lectionary hand we are dealt. The question today is the same one raisedby the Israelites in Jeremiah's day, the same one raised by the Jews and early Christians after Jesus'death, and the same one asked of us today, " Is there a balm in Gilead to heal our collective souls?"
God loves us even when we choose our own paths, reaching out to us even whenwe would flee from the Holy One!
Prelude in A minor
The Holy One is in our midst, God's compassion warm and tender, healing usbeyond all knowing, quenching our thirst and feeding our spirits!
A Balm in Gilead
God calls us from whatever oppression we face, inviting us to this time of worship! Inthis sacred setting, we call out to God, seeking the presence of the Holy!
beyond all knowing, quenching our thirst and feeding our spirits!
The Lord's Day
THE SERVICE OF PREPARATION
Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by God's holiness, thenourishment of the mind with God's truth, the purifying of the imagination by God's beauty, the opening of theheart to God's love, the surrender of the will to God's purpose — and all of this gathered up in adoration. ~ William Temple
Fifteenth Sunday after PentecostTwenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gather before the One whose goodness is grace, giving thanks for a steadfast love thatendures forever!
The Introit African-American Spiritual
The Collect2
Amen!
t The Processional Hymn HYMN TO JOYBorn of God, Eternal Savior
Thomas Desmond, baritone
THE SERVICE OF PRAISE
There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work's in vain, but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
Into this holy temple, we have come, gracious God, to worship the One in whom all our allegianceis placed; we are mindful in this sacred setting that this is not our church but Yours; we cannotclaim the world as our oyster, knowing it is a trust from Your hand; our lives, our health, ourlength of days call forth our stewardship as managers and not owners; so we come to You now inpraise and adoration, giving account and seeking the wisdom of Your direction in all Yourgracious commands; God of our salvation, help us to become the people You call us to be; all thiswe pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the holy and stillspeaking Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
2
There Is a Balm in Gilead
t The Litany of Praise3
is gone.
t The Gloria GREATOREX
The Call to Confession4
healer, and the balm we desperately need!
THE SERVICE OF CONFESSION
3
God welcomes those whose hearts are sick! God's invitation comes to people whose joyis gone!
Bring all your urgent prayers and honest laments! God is eager to offer the salve ofsalvation, opening us to all truth!
We cry out to God for deliverance from all that afflicts us and diminishes ourhumanity! We cry out for relief from our collective suffering! Praise the Lord!
There is a balm in Gilead! There is a physician who heals! Christ Jesus is our mediator,healer, and the balm we desperately need!
Why does it seem that the health of God's people is not restored? Why must weweep day and night for those for whom we grieve?
When we are called to give account of our management of God's resources, we become
aware of our acquisitive nature and the exploitation of much that is entrusted to our care-taking. Let us be honest with God and with one another as we admit where we are lackingand the times we have used others to our own benefit. In the silence and stillness of ourmoments together, let us confess before the Holy.
We bring all our pain and unresolved anger to this place, offering us safety andsecurity! We come in all our confusion, seeking answers to our dilemmas!
weep day and night for those for whom we grieve?
security! We come in all our confusion, seeking answers to our dilemmas!
salvation, opening us to all truth!
humanity! We cry out for relief from our collective suffering! Praise the Lord!
The Silent Confession
The Corporate Confession5
Let us pray to the Lord:
The Kyrie arr. David N. Johnson
The Assurance of Pardon6
The Witness from the Hebrew Bible * JEREMIAH 8:18-9:1
4
THE SERVICE OF THE WORD
Thanks be to God!
Listen to what the Spirit of the still speaking God is saying. Thanks be to God!
Balm in Gilead, deliver us from the stress of our unfaithfulness. You are thesource of all we have and all we are, yet so many times, we turn away from Youand ignore You as if there were no reality beyond ourselves. Collectively, wewaste all that You have entrusted to us, destroying resources meant for futuregenerations. Oft times, we have become so enslaved to things that we cannotserve You with integrity and wholeness. Forgive us and rescue us from the manyways that damage all our relationships.
Beloved faith community, hear the good news! In warmth and tender compassion, Godresponds to us, not with anger that is justified from a human point of view, but with lovethat is unmerited. God does not seek to destroy us, but to lift us up in steadfast love torecognize a new and better way. It is God's will that all people be made whole and findfulfillment in a quiet and peaceable life, respectful and respectable in every way. You arefreed from your past to serve the living God today!
My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and widein the land: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?” (“Why have they provoked me to angerwith their images, with their foreign idols?”) “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we arenot saved.” For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Isthere no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people notbeen restored? O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that Imight weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!
The Response, PSALM 79 LEONI
The Witness from the Epistles * I TIMOTHY 2:1-7
t The Sequence Hymn HENDON
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made foreveryone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life inall godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desireseveryone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God; there is alsoone mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself a ransomfor all—this was attested at the right time. For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I amtelling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Take My Life and Let It Be
Listen to what the Spirit of the still speaking God is saying. Thanks be to God!
5
*
The Witness from the Gospels* LUKE 16:1-13
The Sermon Timothy W. Shirley
6
The Gospel for Today. Thanks be to God!
There will be a break between verse two and verse three for the reading of the Gospel. It is read in the midst of the
beloved faith community, reminding the congregation that the Gospel is for all people, and that our call is to carry out its
witness in the world. At this high point in the liturgy, the Gospel is not worshipped, but rather is reverenced with respect
as it proclaims the ministry and mission of Jesus, represented in words attributed to Jesus.
Slickly Shrewd!
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges werebrought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him,‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannotbe my manager any longer.’ Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master istaking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I havedecided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into theirhomes.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owemy master?’ He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit downquickly, and make it fifty.’ Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘Ahundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ And his mastercommended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age aremore shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, makefriends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome youinto the eternal homes. “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever isdishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with thedishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with whatbelongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slavewill either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. Youcannot serve God and wealth.”
*
t The Hymn of Commitment HANOVER
t The PeaceThe peace of Christ be always with you.
And also with you.
The Concerns of the Church David Lickfeldt, Moderator
The Pastoral PrayerThe Lord's Prayer
The Receiving of Our Gifts
7
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thywill be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread andforgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, and lead us not intotemptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power andthe glory forever. Amen.
THE SERVICE OF COMMITMENT
You Servants of God
The Offertory William H. Doane
t The Doxology OLD HUNDREDTH
t The Presentation of Our Gifts
t The Prayer of Thanksgiving
t The Processional Hymn LANCASHIRE
Thomas Desmond, baritone
8
THE SERVICE OF DISCIPLESHIP
The Church's One Foundation
More Love to You, O Christ
More love to You, O Christ, more love to You! Hear now the prayer I make faith to renew.
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest. Now You alone I seek, give what is best.
Then shall my latest breath whisper Your praise. This be the parting cry my heart shall raise.
In all I say and do, more love, O Christ, to You, more love to You, more love to You!
t The Benediction
t The Benediction Response African-American Spiritual
The Music for Organ J. S. Bach
The Closing of the Lectern Bible
The Extinguishing of the Altar Candles
t Those who are able are invited to stand.
The Worship of God concludes with The Music for Organ. We invite you to be seated and
reflect on today’s service, preparing to process into the world, sharing the love of Jesus and the
"extravagant welcome" of SouthShore United Church of Christ with persons everywhere!
An Invitation to Our Guests: Please join us for refreshments at
Coffee Hour in Hospitality Hall following Morning Worship.
Prelude and Fugue in F minor
The color for the Season after Pentecost is Green, symbolizing the growth and development of the Church.
Various symbols of the Trinity, such as the Trefoil and Triangle designs used in our sanctuary, remind us
of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the Triune nature of God as Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit; Parent, Child, Advocate and Comforter; Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
Ordinary Time refers to that part of the Church Year that does not fall within one of the major seasons and does
not observe any specific aspect of the Mystery of Christ. It consists of thirty-four Sundays in the liturgical
year counted backwards from the Reign of Christ and emphasizes personal faith development
and nurture, and the growth and enhancement of the Church and the churches.
I
There Is a Balm in Gilead
Thomas Desmond, baritoneThere is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole, there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.
Sometimes I feel discouraged and think my work's in vain, but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again.
Worship Notes
*Scripture readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless otherwise noted.
Music Copyright Information CCLI LICENSE #11354258
8:30 a.m. ~ Sunshine Ladies Bkfst . . . . . . Denny's
10:00 a.m. ~ Qigong Class . . . . . . . Richardson RM 8:30 a.m. ~ Chapel Communion . . . . . . . . Chapel
10:00 a.m. ~ Morning Worship . . . . . Sanctuary
2:00 p.m. ~ Trustees MTG . . . . . . . . . . Rose RM
9:00 a.m. ~ Prayer Group . . . . . . . . Counting RM
I I
First time Neighbors in Need grants range from $1,000 to $10,000. Grant application proposals mustrelate to work supported by General Synod actions in one of the following programmatic areas: TheRights and Freedoms of all Persons; Environmental Justice; or Economic Justice.
The theme for today's worship service is A Balm in Gilead.
HOSTS ~ Betsy Hinderliter, coordinator Marianne Strehar, team leader
SOUND AND LIGHTING ~ Larry Lundeen
DEACONS ~ Paula Lickfeldt, chair Moe Langlois, captain
MUSIC DIRECTOR ~ Thomas Desmond ORGANIST ~ Cynthia Creel
Judy Clapp Mary Houston Karen Marotta Kerry Pichler Tom Pichler Elsie Shirley
SUNDAY ~ SEPTEMBER 22, 2019
"Born of God, Eternal Savior." Word alterations © 1993 The Pilgrim Press.
"Lord, Have Mercy Upon Us." Text © 1974 and 1992, Presbyterian Publishing/Westminster John Knox/Geneva Press.
PSALM 79. Words © 2008 Birnamwood/Morning Star Music Publishers.
"You Servants of God." You Servants of God. Word alterations © 1993 The Pilgrim Press.
1-2, 4-6 Adapted fr. Refreshing Rains of the Living Word: Liturgical Resources for Year C by Lavon Bayler. Copyright © 1988,
New York: The Pilgrim Press. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Edits by Timothy W. Shirley.3 Adapted fr. Gathered By Love: Worship Resources for Year C by Lavon Bayler. Copyright © 1994 United Church Press.
Copyright © 2001, Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Edits by Timothy W. Shirley.
LITURGIST ~ Moe Langlois LECTOR ~ Sandra Glenner GOSPELER ~ Timothy W. Shirley
Timothy W. Shirley, Preaching
WEEKLY CALENDARMONDAY ~ September 23, 2019 SUNDAY ~ September 29, 2019
CHANCEL FLOWERSThe flowers on the Altar, given by Terry and Liz Hood
are for the glory of God, the beauty of our church, and the faithfulness of our congregation.
SEPTEMBER MISSION OF THE MONTH: Neighbors in Need
TUESDAY ~ September 24, 2019
September 15, 2019Faith Giving: $2,244
WEDNESDAY ~ September 25, 2019
CHURCH CLOSED ON FRIDAYS UNTIL OCTOBER 4
SAYING GOODBYE TO OUR ORGANISTToday is Cynthia Creel's last Sunday with us, and as a congregation of love and caring, we thank her
for her service to our beloved faith community this past year and want to wish her the very best in her
future endeavors. Cynthia, on behalf of our congregation, may God be with you on your journey.
September 22, 2019
Rev. Dr. Timothy W. Shirley, Senior Minister
Mr. Thomas Desmond, Director of Music Ms. Cynthia Creel, Organist
Dr. Jo-Anne Winslow, Administrative Secretary Mr. David Lickfeldt, Moderator
Phone: (813) 634-1304 Fax: (813) 633-9033
Dr. Shirley Email: [email protected] Mr. Desmond Email: [email protected]
Mr. David Lickfeldt Email: [email protected]
Church Email: [email protected] Church Website: southshoreucc.com
FACILITY INFORMATIONPlease remember to refer all questions about the sale of our building to our Realtor:
Michael Moriarty of Century 21 Beggins Enterprises: (651) 271-1533
PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS PRICE AND TERMS WITH ANYONE!