Making God’s Love Visible

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOSTAugust 2, 2020

Table Set by Rudolph Bostic

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In an Age of Twisted ValuesTHE LIFE OF THE NATIONS

345

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________TEXT: Martin E. Leckebusch, 1995MUSIC: Alfred V. Fedak, 1988Text © 1995 Kevin Mayhew Ltd.Music © 1989 Selah Publishing Co., Inc.

CHURCH UNITED8.7.8.7.D

One of the ways Christians can show Þrm allegiance to the country where they live and express care for itswell-being is to ensure that they are mindful of the broad range of human needs within that society. Thishymn is a strong reminder of the values that need such attention.

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Please know that, in recording all the parts of this liturgy –— spoken, sung and played —we have carefully observed responsible norms of social distancing.

Please join in reading or singing those parts of the service printed in bold.

Call to worship:The worship of God is the central purpose of the church. The primary focus of worship is not to inspire or motivate us (although we may be inspired and motivated) but to love God for God’s sake. The call to worship, then, grabs our attention and beckons us to focus on God. It reminds us why God is praiseworthy and deserving of our worship.

Christian worship is more than a passive response to God’s revelation. It is in itself proclamation. Worship both announces the good news of God’s love for all the world and invites all people to share God’s saving embrace. This active response would not be possible without the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who endows the community of faith and individual Christians with the gifts that are necessary for God’s service.

GATHERING

OPENING VOLUNTARY Sonata No. 1: Adagio Felix Mendelssohn

As the voluntary begins, let the time and the music help to center you for worship. WELCOME AND LIFE IN THE CHURCH

CALL TO WORSHIP One: Incline your ear, O Lord,All: Save your servants who trust in you.One: God opposes the proud,All: But gives grace to the humble.One: You are good and forgiving,All: Abounding in steadfast love.One: You are great and do wondrous things.All: You alone are God.

HYMN 345 In an Age of Twisted Values church unitedThis hymn is found on the preceeding page of this bulletin.

PRAYER OF CONFESSIONGracious God,Today we take a knee and bow down before you. We have failed to be the children and elders you have called us to be.

We have been foolish when you call for wisdom, cowardly when you call for bravery, careless when you call for devotion.

Let us be like our children: Who wonder even as they wander,Who cry out for justice and mercy,Who are learning to resist and to obey.

Let us be like our elders:Who listen rather than lecture,Who are humble rather than haughty,Who lend an ear rather than act in fear.

May we put aside our prideas we persevere in prayer, trusting in steadfast faith that we are redeemed and restored by your love alone.

SILENT CONFESSION

The Prayer for Illumination turns our attention to God to ask that we hear God’s word in order to better know God’s will for our lives.

The Old Testament Reading is from the International Children’s Bible.

This summer we welcome children and youth as Lay Readers. Today’s reader, Claire Gehrke, is the daughter of Carolyn and Mark Gehrke. Claire is a new First Pres member who joined with the 2020 Confirmation Class. Congratulations and welcome, Claire!

KYRIE You Are the Lord, Giver of Mercy! wayfaring stranger

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

PASSING OF THE PEACE

CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE

This is the Celtic Alleluia.

PROCLAIMING THE WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION OLD TESTAMENT READING Psalm 86:1–10 This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

A CONVERSATION WITH YOUNG DISCIPLES

NEW TESTAMENT READING 1 Peter 5:5a–11The grass withers; the flower fades— the word of our God endures forever.

SERMON Bold Humility

RESPONDING AND SEALING

HYMN 465 What a Friend We Have in Jesus converseToday is Communion Sunday. All are invited.We believe that the invitation to this Feast comes from Jesus himself and draws upon the oldest of Christian writings; it is theenactment of his teachings, the enfleshing of his words. Though we celebrate the sacrament virtually, the words and gestures of the liturgy will be familiar. Bound together by the Holy Spirit, the simple elements of bread and cup are visible signs of God’s grace at work in our world now — even during this time when we must be physically separate from each other.

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What a Friend We Have in JesusPRAYER

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________TEXT: Joseph Scriven, 1855; Korean trans. The United Methodist Korean Hymnal Committee, 2001MUSIC: Charles C. Converse, 1868Korean Trans. © 2001 The United Methodist Publishing House (admin. The Copyright Company)

CONVERSE8.7.8.7.D

This text was written by an Irish-born immigrant to Canada to comfort his mother in Ireland when she wasgoing through a time of special sorrow. The role of prayer as a source of strength and consolation isunderscored by its repeated use as a rhyme word in all three stanzas.

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OFFERING OF TITHES AND GIFTS

Offertory Lord, Bow Thine Ear from Elijah Felix MendelssohnLord, bow thine ear to our prayer.Zion spreadeth her hands for aid; and there is neither help nor comfort.Lord, bow thine ear to our prayer.

SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation to the Lord’s Table

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving and the Lord’s PrayerOne: The Lord be with you.All: And also with you.One: Lift up your hearts.All: We lift them up to the Lord.One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

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.

Words of Institution

Communion of the People

Communion Music Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord from Elijah Felix Mendelssohn

Cast thy burden upon the Lord; and He shall sustain thee.He never will suffer the righteous to fall; He is at thy right hand.Thy mercy, Lord, is great, and far above the heavens.Let none be made ashamed that wait upon Thee!

Prayer after Communion

Use these offertory moments to savor your gratitude for the abundance of God’s love —and to consider your own response in loving service. As you consider making your offering, remember that the church’s regularexpenses continue in these difficult times. And the community around us needs your financial support: your faithful giving is like the breath of life to mission programs we love, neighbors in need, members who are hurting.

Though circumstances prevent us from passing an offering plate, they also require that we not take a pass on doing what we can to keep our ministries healthy during this crisis. Thank you for your faithful generosity!

Ways to give: online on the First Pres homepage … via “Text-to-Give” (855-904-1523) … use our Give+ app ... put a check in the mail ... or scan the QR code below. (Call Finance Manager Anna Miller if you need assistance.)

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HYMN 517 Here, O Our Lord, We See You morecambePlease sign our virtual Friendship Pad.If you are worshiping with us via YouTube, Facebook, or radio, either click below to let us know that you joined us for worship today or sign the pad on our website at https://bit.ly/2RIig2I

Music copyright: All music is reprinted under OneLicense.net A-720542. All rights reserved.

Cover art copyright: Table Set by Rudolph Bostic, our featured artist in our Virtual Art Exhibit – Cardboard Chronicles. Used with permission of the Bowden Collections.www.rudolphbostic.weebly.com

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________TEXT: Horatius Bonar, 1855, alt.MUSIC: Frederick Cook Atkinson, 1870

MORECAMBE10.10.10.10

These stanzas are selected from a ten-stanza hymn written in 1855 to serve as a monthly post-communionreßection for the members of St. AndrewÕs Free Church, Greenock, Scotland. They are set to a tune namedfor both a coastal town and a large bay in northwest England.

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New Beginnings

WELCOME TO WORSHIP! Leaders of Worship: Welcome - Andrew Frazier; Liturgists – Amy Ruhf and Khayla Johnson; Children’s Message – Beca Torres-Davenport and Evans McGowan; Preacher – Evans McGowan; Virtual Chancel Choir and Lorna Hildebrandt and Heidi Hess-Willis, soloists; Organist – Paul Haebig; Conductor – Dave VanderMeer; Videographer – Bill Hall; Sound technician – Rol Kibler.

Our summer theme, “New Beginnings,” is focused on the ways that we are adapting to the changes in our lives brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to popular opinion, we have not entered a “new normal”; rather, we have been given an opportunity to embrace our current situation and to focus on the new beginnings that affect our future. As we explore this theme throughout the summer, we will ground our exploration in gratitude for each new day and discern new ways to persevere in the face of adversity.

A prayer team is available to those who would like prayer either before or after this service. On Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and at noon you may enter the prayer room by clicking on this link — https://firstpresbyterian.org/event/prayer-team. Prayer team volunteers include Mary McKeever, and Michele Derr, and John LeDuc.

Join Rev. Rogers for a virtual Coffee Hour Sunday immediately following the Closing Voluntary. For the first 20–30 minutes, we have group conversation, and then we split into small groups. Around 11:15, Coffee Hour conversations end. If you have questions or need help, please contact Rev. Rogers. Today’s conversation prompt: When you think of humility, who or what comes to mind? Is there anyone in your life that you associate with “bold humility”? Click here to enter Coffee Hour: https://firstpresbyterian.org/event/virtual-coffee-hour

Chancel flowers are given in loving memory of Bob Snyder by his family Derek, Matthew, and Jessica Snyder and Michele Snyder-Madden.

A pink rosebud celebrates the birth of Lilly Elizabeth Eddins, born July 15, 2020, daughter of Jazminn Eddins. Grandparents are Joe and Angela Eddins. Great-grandmother is Carol Fletcher.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

CLOSING RESPONSE In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today,to serve your cause and share your love with all along life’s way.O God who gave yourself to us in Jesus Christ your Son,help us to give ourselves each day until life’s work is done.

This is Stanza 3 of Hymn 712 As Those of Old Their Firstfruits Brought (forest green).

CLOSING VOLUNTARY Sonata No. 2: Allegro maestoso e vivace Felix Mendelssohn

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today is Communion Sunday. As we come to the Lord’s Table to be fed and nurtured in our faith, we also come to feed others and lend support to those in need. Financial contributions and food donations throughout the month of August are received to support the Hunger Ministries Programs of the Presbytery of Detroit.

Join us this Tuesday, August 4, for “Grief Conversations.” “Grief Conversations” will be shared the first Tuesday of each month, at 11:00 a.m., online. We are all in grief over something — the loss of a loved one, the loss of expectations, the loss of life as we knew it to be, the loss of our relationships and close connections, the loss of our physical strength and “invincibility” that we once seemingly enjoyed. Once a month, for an hour, we gather to share a bit more about our individual losses, and ponder what we can learn of loss, live, love, and the language of letting go and moving forward in life. There is no closure, but there is companionship. Contact Rev. Rogers (mrogers@firstpresbyterian.org) for the link (and more information) to join our conversation as we compassionately care for one another, and walk together a landscape inevitably known to us all.

Our August Taizé Prayer Service is this Tuesday, August 4, at 7:00 p.m. Join us for worship via YouTube or Facebook. Links to both are found on our website. A Taizé worship service involves sung and chanted prayers, meditation, a period of silence, liturgical readings, and icons. There is no preaching.

If you would like a new First Pres – Black Lives Matter sign, we have 100 to distribute on a first come basis. They were provided to us by a generous member. Pick them up at Rev. Rogers’ home, 1865 Greenview Drive, Ann Arbor. One per family, please. We encourage you to join our Session and staff as we show our support for racial justice and equality, and commit to our own efforts to learn and work together.

Presbyterian Women: Stay Connected! PW Moderator Ginny Bell sends out timely information in email blasts. We invite all women of the church to be added to the email list by contacting Ginny (virginiabell2013@gmail.com).

Everything about our response to Covid 19 can be found on our website and Facebook page. If you are not on our weekly email list and want to receive updates, subscribe at our website.

Our church has been guided by our Pandemic Funeral/Memorial Policy which you can find on our website. All in-person gatherings for memorials, funerals, or interments are limited to ten people until further notice. Please contact Rev. Rogers if you have questions.

Please reach out by phone call, note, email, or Facebook messenger to those you are not seeing while our building is closed. We need one another now more than ever. If you are struggling or concerned and would like pastoral care, please call the Church Office, email Rev. Rogers, or submit your prayer request online. The Prayer Chain is actively praying for all prayer requests, lifting up joys as well as concerns.

An Update from the Reopening Recommendations Work Group

Thank you to everyone who participated in our congregational survey. There was overwhelming approval (around 90%) of our online offerings with over 75% of you planning to utilize online wor-ship going forward, even after onsite worship returns. While a quarter of you plan to return to onsite worship as soon as possible, the majority (over 60%) intend to wait quite a while before returning. Around 40% prefer to meet online in small groups, with half of respondents feeling comfortable once it is safer to return to our building. Full survey results are available on our website.

We have incorporated your responses into our recommendations for reopening our building. As we monitor the virus using the best science and guidelines available, the newly-formed RCT (Reopening Communications Team) will guide us from Phase I (Safer at Home) into Phase II (Small Groups) over the summer, and hopefully into Phase III (Larger Groups) during the fall. We appreciate your interest, cooperation and support as we continue this faith journey, together!

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES Please contact Rev. Mark Mares, Minister of Youth & Families, for information about the numerous ways youth are connecting at this time. Mark can be reached at mmares@firstpresbyterian.org.

Join us for our August BOOK READ. Join us as we engage in our final book read for summer -- a graphic novel, Superman Smashes the Klan, written by Gene Luen Yang. It’s a timely book with many themes to talk about together. Contact Rev. Mark to find out how to get the book for $10, and for more information.

Dungeons & Dragons AdventureDo you like using your imagination? How about exploring new worlds and working on a team? We would love to have you join us! Contact Rev. Mark for more information.

Compassion Camp: Be Loved — Be Kind — Be You Sundays: August 9 & 23 @ 11:00 a.m. via Zoom Join Rev. Mark & Beca as we bring summer “Camp” to your home -- there will be Yoga, t-shirts, music, art, conversation, and lots of fun! We will examine different places in our lives where we can cultivate compassion. Rising 6th graders through rising 8th graders are invited to join us (MIDS), and High School students are invited to join us as leaders! Contact Rev. Mark if you would like to serve as leader. Compassion Camp’s goal is to cultivate compassion for each other, ourselves, and the world. Each participating family will receive a “Compassion Camp @ Home Pack” to further enhance your camp experience. Sign up at https://firstpresbyterian.wufoo.com/forms/compassionate-camp-summer-series/

OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIESContact Beca Torres-Davenport (btorres-davenport@firstpresbyterian.org), Coordinator of Children’s Education & Family Ministry, for information about opportunities to connect and resources for children and families.

A Compassionate Summer: Be Loved — Be Kind — Be You On Sundays August 9 & 23, children four years old and older are invited to join us for age-appropriate offerings as we explore themes of compassion through central scripture passages. Compassion Camp’s goal is to cultivate compassion for each other, ourselves, and the world. Join by Zoom links provided in Children, Youth and Family weekly emails. Sign up at https://firstpresbyterian.wufoo.com/forms/compassionate-camp-summer-series/

Bedtime Stories and Prayers — Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.We invite you to join us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresA2/) for a short livestream of a story and prayer each Thursday evening. Wear your jammies, enjoy your bedtime snack or drink, and snuggle down for a story.

God’s Garden of Love Care Sign Up — Tuesday & Friday mornings We encourage families to sign up for one or two days of garden care (while practicing safe social distancing) throughout the summer. This will include watering, pulling weeds, and checking plants and produce as they grow. Not sure what to do? Help is available. Beca Torres-Davenport and a garden team will provide support as needed. Produce from the garden will be donated to local food shelters, pantries, and food-insecure community members. Questions? Contact Beca. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090c4faaaf2daa8-first3

CONGREGATIONAL OPPORTUNITIESVisit our newest Virtual Art Exhibit by Rudolph (Rudy) Bostic. Rudolph Valentino Bostic was born in Savannah, Georgia. As a young boy, Rudy had few toys and resorted to making his own. At the age of 17, he was asked to draw some religious paintings to be displayed in the church. To save on expense, he used cardboard and house paint. Today, he is a prolific artist who still prefers the use of cardboard because of its smooth surface. Bostic is deeply religious and his favorite subjects are scenes from the Bible. Occasionally, however, he branches out into something he has seen on television — circus animals, cowboys, and Paris or Venice. He has great enthusiasm for his art and loves to share his vision with others. To visit the Virtual Art Exhibit, click this link: https://rudolphbostic.weebly.com/

Congregational Art Project: Create Peace CranesThere are still kits available in the Church Office for pick-up or delivery. You are invited to fold origami peace cranes for an upcoming art installation for when we return to in-person worship. Kits include origami paper, folding instructions, and names of FPC members for whom you will offer a prayer as you write their name on the paper before folding. Kits are available in the Church Office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 9:00 – 3:00. Please call the office if you would like to come by to pick up a kit. If you would prefer to have a kit delivered, contact DaveVanderMeer (dvandermeer@firstpresbyterian.org).

Take a mini-pilgrimage at Gallup Park here in Ann Arbor and explore your faith. We have prepared three walking guides with different themes that foster reflection as you walk the 1.35 (or 1.65) mile trail at Gallup Park. We hope you will explore this new way to stay physically distant, enjoy the outdoors, and reflect on your journey. The guides and a park map may be found on our website.

Deacons will deliver home communion kits in September. If you would like a kit for communion on Sunday, September 6, please indicate on the friendship pad or contact your Deacon. Call the Church Office to learn your Deacon’s name if you are unsure.

Congregational Life & Mature Ministries Interactive Lecture and Discussion“The Unvarnished Truth: Reframing America’s Racial Narrative in Times of Crisis”

Thursday, August 13, 12:00 Noon

Guest Speaker: William S. Pretzer, Senior Curator of HistorySmithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

This virtual, live, interactive presentation is open to First Pres members and friends of all ages.

Connection information:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85682703999

By phone: +1 646 876 9923 (EST)Meeting ID: 856 8270 3999

ADULT EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Journeys Book & Bible Study will meet via Zoom this Thursday, August 6, to discuss Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Fr. Richard Rohr. For more information, contact Rev. Frazier (afrazier@firstpresbyterian.org).

What is Good? Finding the Good in The Good PlaceJoin Revs. Frazier and McGowan every Sunday in August at 12:15 p.m. via Zoom for a dynamic discussion on how to be good using clips from the TV show, The Good Place. Each week, we will look at a different character in the show, exploring how they try to be good and how we might learn (and laugh) from their (mis)adventures. Note: The first 3 seasons of The Good Place are available on Netflix; watching the first season is not required but recommended. Contact Rev. Frazier or Rev. McGowan for the Zoom link.

Explore The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg. The class will be led by the Rev. Ed Koster via Zoom on Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m., August 11 – September 15. Information about class registration is found on our website. Books are available for sale in the Church Office for $15. Participants are asked to read the Preface and Chapter 1 prior to the first class.

OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVESupport the Hunger Ministries Programs of the Presbytery of Detroit in August. Non-perishable food may be placed in the collection bins provided at the Memorial Garden entrance to the church Mondays through Thursdays, 9:00 to 3:00. Financial donations may be made online (www.firstpresbyterian.org/donate) or may be mailed to the church. Please note the purpose of your check on the memo line.

Are you interested in helping children and parents who are experiencing homelessness? Alpha House Week of Caring is August 31 – September 6. Information about how you can help is available online or by contacting Gail Einhaus (gail@einhaus.us) or Anne Gere (argere@umich.edu).

SAVE THE DATE!

Mature Singles are again enjoying dinners in restaurants on Friday evenings, but planning only one or two weeks at a time. Please call Marcy (995–2519) if you would like more information.

Join a Social Justice Initiative devoted to climate change issues on Sunday, August 16, at 12:15 p.m., via Zoom. Are you passionate about recycling or fossil fuel usage and global impact? Are you interested in creating a water garden on our First Pres campus or in pondering the use of solar energy in our facility? We’ll watch a short film and begin imagining how to make an impact in our First Pres community and in our city and county. If you are interested, contact Rev. Sanderford(jsanderford@firstpresbyterian.org).

Gather ‘Round the 2020 Summer Writers Table — An Invitation to Good Reading and Conversation from First Pres and Kirk in the Hills

Sit down for lunch and conversation via Zoom with award-winning, best-sellingwriter Marilyn McEntyre. Bring your lunch at 12:15 p.m. and eat, learn, and grow — at

the table of this amazing writer. Click on the Zoom link on our website to join the conversation.

August 2 and 9Guest Writer: Marilyn McEntyre

Topic: Spirituality, Literature and Medicine

TODAYTODAY

Strengthening Ourselves & Strengthening Others — Virtual Conversations

Wednesday, August 19, noon to 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 16, noon to 1:00 p.m.

This enrichment series provids opportunities to gather and discuss ways to strengthen and grow in faith and beyond. Leaders Beth Steward, Jane Dutton, and Diane Hockett will focus on personally connecting people who attend the discussion and encouraging each person’s voice to be heard. Sign up at https://firstpresbyterian.wufoo.com/forms/virtual-noon-conversations/

Last Word Fridays — Children & Youth Parent Happy Hour — August 21Rev. Mark Mares and Beca Torres-Davenport invite all parents of children and youth to join us on Friday, August 21, at 8:00 p.m., for a virtual happy hour hangout. This will be a place to relax, kick back with your favorite summer beverage, and enjoy each other’s company as we spend time connecting. Keep an eye out for the Zoom link in your Children & Youth Ministry weekly emails.

Canoeing TripThe Christian formation team invites you to join us for a physically-distanced, safe trip down the Huron River in August. Rev. Sanderford will lead us as we gather together, enjoy God’s beautiful creation, and paddle our way on the waters as our summer winds down. Everyone is welcome to join us on August 23 at 3:00 p.m.

Outdoor Labyrinth WalkOn Sunday, August 30, you are invited to participate in this spiritual practice in the field behind the home of Kurt and Kathy Hillig, off Ellsworth Road. Ten people may sign up per hour between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. This is a socially distanced, safe opportunity to enjoy the presence of God and one another. Sign up to participate at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f45a4ac283-walk

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH STAFF

Robin Agnew, Administrative Assistant

Liz Call-Boyce, Finance Assistant

Reverend Andrew Frazier, Resident Minister

Pat Gilbreath, Welcome Center Volunteer Coordinator

Lisa Haddrill, Technology Coordinator

Dr. Paul Haebig, Interim Organist

Almer Harris, Maintenance Specialist

Reverend Khayla Johnson, Resident Minister

Mary Jones, Publications Coordinator

Cindy King, Administrative Assistant

Reverend Mark Mares, Minister of Youth & Families

Reverend Evans McGowan, Campus Ministries Coordinator

Kellie McInchak, Children’s Choir Director

Anna Miller, Finance Manager

Adrian Prundeanu, Facilities Manager

Linda Robinson, Office Manager

Reverend Melissa Anne Rogers, Associate Pastor

Reverend Amy Ruhf, Resident Minister

Reverend Jay Sanderford, Associate Pastor

Reverend Dr. Rick Spalding, Interim Pastor

Sandy Talbott, Wellness Coordinator & Parish Nurse

Beca Torres-Davenport, Coordinator of Children’s Education & Family Ministry

David VanderMeer, Minister of Music & Fine Arts