Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost ~ October 18, 2020

Prelude “Sonata No. 1: Allegretto and Trio” – Ludwig van Beethoven Dr. Steven Gray Gathering Hymn “We Raise Our Hands to You, O Lord” - ELW 690 (1, 2, 5)

We raise our hands to you, O Lord, like empty vessels. O come to us and give us life from springs where living water flow.

What good and blessing you bestow are freely given.

Your pow’r will make the weakest strong and barren branches start to bud.

Through grace your new creation lies in hands held open. O Giver of all goodness, come, dwell with us in our earthly home.

Welcome and Announcements The Greeting P Blessed be the Holy Trinity, +one God, who creates, redeems and sustains us and all of creation. C Amen. Confession and Forgiveness (All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism as the presiding minister begins) P Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another. Silence for reflection and self-examination. P Faithful God, C have mercy on us. We confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We turn from

your loving embrace and go our own ways. We pass judgment on one another before examining ourselves. We place our own needs before those of our neighbors. We keep your gift of salvation to ourselves. Make us humble, cast away our transgressions, and turn us again to life in you through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

P God hears the cries of all who call out in need, and through his death and resurrection, Christ has made us his own. Hear the truth that God proclaims: Your sins are forgiven in the name of +Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit live in freedom and newness to do God’s work in the world.

C Amen.

Hymn of Praise “Now the Feast and Celebration” - ELW 167 Now the feast and celebration, all of creation sings for joy

to the God of life and love and freedom, praise and glory forevermore.

Now is the feast of the Lamb, once slain, whose blood has freed and united us, to be one great people of God. refrain

Power and riches, wisdom and might, all honor and glory to Christ forever. refrain

For God has come to dwell with us, to make us people of God, to make all things new. refrain

Prayer of The Day P The Lord be with you C And also with you. P Let us pray.

Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (NTp.194) Psalm 96: 1-9 (OTp.560) Gospel Acclamation “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” - ELW 172

Halle, halle, hallelujah. Halle, halle, hallelujah. Halle, halle, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Gospel Matthew 22: 15-22 (NTp.23) Sermon Pastor Cyndi Jones

Hymn of The Day “Give Thanks” Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,

give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ His Son. (repeat)

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”, let the poor say “I am rich” because of what the Lord has done for us. (repeat)

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,

give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ His Son. Give thanks.

Apostles' Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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 the life everlasting. Amen. Prayers P Drawn together in the compassion of God, we pray for the church, the world, and all those in need.

After each portion of the prayers P Lord, in your mercy. C hear our prayer.

The prayers conclude: P …. we entrust to your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. C Amen. Song of Prayer “Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” - ELW 752

Lord, listen to your children praying, Lord, send your Spirit in this place; Lord, listen your children praying, send us love, send us power, send us grace.

The Peace

Pastor: While we cannot share God’s peace with each other we still live today and forever with the assurance that the peace of the Lord is with us always.

Holy Communion – Table Prayer P The Lord be with you! C And also with you! P Lift up your hearts! C We lift them up to the Lord! P Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God! C It is right to give Him thanks and praise!

Lord's Prayer Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Blessing P God the creator, + Jesus, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit, the comforter, bless you and lead you into

the way of truth and life. C Amen. Dismissal P Remain in God’s great peace. Remember the poor. C Thanks be to God.

Sending Hymn “Soli Deo Gloria” - ELW 878 (1, 3, 5) O God of blessings, all praise to you! Your love surrounds us our whole life through.

You are the freedom of those oppressed; you are the comfort of all distressed. Come now, O holy and welcome guest: Soli Deo gloria! Soli Deo gloria!

All praise for music, deep gift profound, through hands and voices in holy sound;

the psalms of David, and Mary’s praise, in wordless splendor and lyric phrase, with all creation one song we raise: Soli Deo gloria! Soli Deo gloria!

A billion voices in one great song, now soft and gentle, now deep and strong,

in ev’ry culture and style and key, from hill and valley, with sky and sea, with Christ we praise you eternally: Soli Deo gloria! Soli Deo gloria!

Postlude “Prelude in A Minor” – J. S. Bach Dr. Steven Gray Music used by permission - CCLI License #1258752, Streaming License #20371284, OneLicense 736770-A

Serving Us today Pastor Jonathan Doolittle

Pastor Cyndi Jones Dr. Steven Gray, Organist & Director of Music

Angela Jackson, Ministry Assistant Eddie McCoven, Audio/Video Technician

Lewis John TenHulzen, Audio/Video Technician

Remember in prayer: Jesús & Virginia Mecina, Carol Nass, Bev Covey, Myra Brandt, Bill Reed, Sandy McCauley, Evelyn Salvog, Merle Flattum, Ken Doolittle, Len Partyka, John Tucker, Valerie Carlsen, Joan Knop, Janet Wood and family at the loss of her dad, Nadine Anderson. We also remember in prayer the Knop family at the death of Howard on October 11. May God grant him eternal rest with him, and give comfort to Joan and the family with the hope of the resurrection. Memorial plans are still pending, and we will let the congregation know when it gets scheduled. As we continue offering worship in person and online each Sunday we are in need of some volunteers. We need to train a few more people on the media aspect of worship. It isn’t difficult and Eddie will train you thoroughly! We also need help with seating people and dismissing them after worship. If you are comfortable being in church, we would greatly appreciate any and all help! Everyone stays masked up, and at least 6 feet apart. Please email Angela at clc@clairemontlc.org or call the office. The building committee continues their work with the contractors on how to reduce the scope of the project and move forward. As soon as we have information we will update the council and congregation. Thank you for all who attended the meeting and took time to drive to church and vote. We realize that things are different and sometime difficult to do, but we can’t move forward without your support. Thank you again for the extra effort during these times. CCSA reminder: They are grateful for any and all support. The amount of families and individuals they are currently helping at the Clairemont site, as well as in Pacific Beach is tremendous. If you are able to help now you can make a check payable to CLC and we will forward the funds to them. We will begin collecting in November for the gift cards to be distributed to families in December. Nick, the director of the orphanage in Kenya, that we are helping to support sent more pictures for us to share, (they will be posted on our website) and also asked us to continue to support them as we are able. They have no other income at this time, and with the money we have been sending every few weeks they are able to purchase food and school supplies. TIME CHANGE!!! Drive-thru communion is offered every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. We received an email from LSS with some interesting ideas for self-care during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Resiliency and Wellness Tips & Resources (Compiled by a Wellness Team at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles)

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reactions during difficult times can be variable and may include: • Concern and fear over your health and your loved ones • Changes in sleep and eating • Difficulty concentrating on tasks

mailto:clc@clairemontlc.org

• Difficulty coping with chronic health problems • Increased use of alcohol, drugs and/or tobacco It is normal to feel some degree of anxiety due to feelings of uncertainty. However, if your worry falls into the category of not sleeping, not eating, or excessive stress, please reach out to a professional. If you are overwhelmed with feelings, it is extremely important that you take care of yourself. We have the following recommendations for you that can help manage your emotions: • Take time to experience and process what is happening. • It is helpful to prioritize what needs to get done. Create a to-do list to ease cognitive overload. • Reach out for support. Craving connection and unity is natural during times of stress. Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Reach out to family, friends, and colleagues. Leverage technology such as Facetime, Skype, or WebEx for those who you cannot interact with directly face-to-face. • Ask yourself, “What advice would you give to a friend?” Then, adhere to it. • Do something that helps you keep your sense of normalcy:

o PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Plenty of resources are available online and on YouTube for fitness related activity in times of social distancing. Please reference the resource links below

for some examples. o CREATIVITY: Tap into art, writing or reading while at home. At work, try and take a creative lunch break if this is what brings you joy. o NUTRITION AND SLEEP: Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, eating healthy meals, avoiding too much alcohol and other mind-altering substances, and optimizing rest and sleep. Good nutrition and sleep improve mental functioning and supports the immune system, which can impact perception and improve healthy emotional responses. Here are some livestreams that happen as well and you might enjoy. You can search them from your web browser. Virtual Field Trips & Cultural Enrichment Activities • 15 Virtual Field Trips Kids Can Take From Your Living Room • Live Feed of Monterey Bay Aquarium • Live Feed of the San Diego Zoo • Virtual Museum Tours • Virtual National Park Tours • Virtual Tour of Mars • Aquarium of the Pacific: Aquarium Academy • LACMA at Home • Nightly Opera Stream