Sharing God's Love and Grace

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Dec. 6, 2020

We have been enjoying the start of the Christmas season. We were able to spend Thanksgiving together.We have begun enjoying our Christmas traditions, and introducing our grandson to our traditions, finding and cutting our Christmas trees, and spending the evening at the Columbus Zoo for the Wildlights. — Liz Haines

Meditation on Mark 1:1-8

Second Sunday in Advent

Pastor Karen Crawford

Dec. 6, 2020

We decorated our home for Christmas this week. This may be the earliest we have ever decorated for Christmas!

     You know how some people decorate their trees with color schemes or themes? That’s not me. I have an eclectic collection of ornaments, some that are older than I am and were hung on our Christmas tree when I was a child. Others are gifts from friends, family, and flocks over the years. And then there are all the personalized ornaments with names or dates—Baby’s First Christmas and all that. And then there are the ones my adult children made for our tree when they were little kids: the felt snowman missing its black felt hat; other ornaments with ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes slightly askew, scratches, chips or dings.

I smiled as I hung these priceless treasures that bring back happy memories of loved ones, now grown—and still loved.

    This is how I imagine God sees each one of us as we try to please and honor him and show our love with our gifts. No matter how you and I feel about ourselves, we are the Beloved Children of God, created in God’s image for love. I imagine God smiling whenever we offer all of ourselves, without holding back or hiding our weaknesses and imperfections: ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes askew, chips, cracks and dings. When we come to the Lord in humility and vulnerability, desiring God and knowing our need for redemption, the Lord embraces and forgives us, heals us and makes us whole.

Today, on this Second Sunday in Advent, when we hear a voice crying to us in our wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, we light a candle for peace—a peace we long to have within ourselves and with one another. A peace with God we have now in Jesus Christ.

    This kind of honesty, humility, and vulnerability that God wants from us is what John the Baptist models for us in today’s gospel in Mark. John reveals a heart wanting to serve and please God alone, at a risk to his own life. He models the boldness of speech that the Apostle Paul will speak of in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

    John fearlessly tells it like it is, like all the Old Testament prophets. His truth telling makes powerful enemies, including King Herod, to whom he says it isn’t lawful for him to have his brother’s wife. This will bring about his execution in chapter 6.

    His clothing of camel’s hair and a leather belt is a reminder of the prophet Elijah, who not only dresses rough and plain, but is known to be hairy. The wilderness is a place where we God’s miracles of provision are experienced. While John survives on a diet of locusts and wild honey, the prophet Elijah is fed meat and bread by ravens on one occasion and by an angel of the Lord on another when the prophet is discouraged and exhausted, traveling 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb. The wilderness is where God feeds the Israelites manna from heaven and cross the Jordan River into the Land of the Promise. That same Jordan River is the one Elijah strikes with his cloak, parting the water so that he and Elisha cross on dry land. And in 2 Kings 2:11, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” The Jordan River will be the place where John will baptize Jesus and the Spirit will descend on him like a dove.

The book of Mark begins with John appearing in the wilderness, suddenly, abruptly, with Mark’s language as rough and plain as the character of John himself. Mark is not everybody’s favorite gospel. In fact, there are much fewer commentaries written on Mark, compared to Matthew, Luke and John. But Mark, the briefest gospel, is probably the original gospel, with Matthew and Luke having read Mark and added their own details and embellishments, which we all appreciate. But one curious thing about Mark is the unique way he starts: “The beginning of the good news (or gospel) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

The word gospel is an interesting word. Encyclopedia Brittanica says that it is “derived from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, meaning ‘good story,’ a rendering of the Latin evangelium and the Greek euangelion, meaning ‘good news’ or ‘good telling.’” Mark is saying, “I have wonderful news!” There’s no question of Mark’s faith—that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God. Gospel is one of Mark’s favorite words, using it at least 7 times in his book—3 in the first chapter alone.

So even though Mark starts with John appearing in the wilderness, the story—the whole story—is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God—and how this is good news for the world!

Did you notice that Mark tells us very little about John, well, beyond his clothes and diet, his baptizing, and a few sentences of his message? If you want to know more about him, you have to read Luke, who begins his gospel with the story of John’s parents, Zechariah the priest and Elizabeth, his wife, a descendant of Aaron. They are a childless couple, “getting on in years” when Elizabeth miraculously conceived. John will be “great in the sight of the Lord,” says an angel to Zechariah in 1:15. “He must never drink wine or strong drink.” Though he doesn’t baptize with the Holy Spirit, John, even before his birth, is filled with the Spirit. “He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God,” said the angel to Zechariah. “With the Spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteousness, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

John the Baptist is a kind of Rock Star living in the wilderness around the Jordan River. Some say that the reason crowds followed John is because no one else would welcome them quite the same way and give them hope. His appeal was universal; people came from all over and all walks of life. The whole Judean countryside and the city dwellers of Jerusalem came to hear John’s message and be baptized by immersion in the muddy river. In a time of political unrest, Roman oppression, and corruption in their religious institution, they are longing for CHANGE. And they want to meet God and be made ready to live in an intimate relationship with Him, something not open to the common people before, only the religious elite. And yet, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had always wanted an intimate relationship with His Children and be the only one they worshiped and loved.

Here in the wilderness, John is doing something no one else has done before; a new kind of “baptism” of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Before, baptism in First Century Judaism was a ritual, along with circumcision, for Gentile converts to Judaism, but without all the spiritual significance that came with Christian baptism. John’s baptism IS a sign of a promise of new beginnings, of the grace and mercy of God that will be revealed through the Coming One and the power of the Holy Spirit that His followers will receive.

 Mark emphasizes the welcome, leaving out John’s comments that Matthew and Luke include to those who come without a sincere desire to turn from sin and change their selfish ways. In Matthew 3:7, John sees “many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing.” He says to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” John asks the same question in Luke and demands they prove their change of heart by producing fruit in keeping with repentance.

John tells the anxious crowds in Luke that to bear good fruit means caring and sharing with others in need. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Soldiers are told not to extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations and be satisfied with their wages. Even tax collectors come to be baptized! The people are “filled with expectation” and wonder whether John might be the Messiah.

In Mark, like the other gospels, John doesn’t pretend to be someone he’s not. He doesn’t say, “Look at me.” He points away from himself—to the Lord.

“The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;” he says. “I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.”

Friends, in this season of waiting and watching, hoping for our Lord’s return, we hear the voice of the one crying to us now in our wilderness to turn back to God. Just as we are. All of ourselves. In our weakness and imperfection. In our vulnerability. Come back as people who know their need for a Savior, to be redeemed from our sins.

This is a God who loves us in a way we can’t understand because we struggle to love ourselves. We see the flaws– ribbons frayed, glitter rubbed off, googly eyes askew, chips, cracks and dings. We become obsessed with our own unworthiness. Discouraged when things don’t go the way we want them to go. When hopes and dreams aren’t fulfilled. When we have persistent struggles. All the while, God sees us as Beloved Children, a priceless treasure for which He gave His only Son so that we may live with Him eternally.

“Prepare the way of the Lord!” The voice crying from the wilderness beckons our gaze upward– to look upon the face of our Messiah, the one who is coming and is COME. But also, to look around. Bear the fruit of repentance; care for others, share with those in need.

Today is a new beginning. For all who have embraced the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ, yesterday is gone. Our sins have been washed clean in the waters of baptism, where Christ claimed us as His own and the Spirit came to dwell within us.

Look upon the One who sees us for who we really are, and not only that, but who we will become, when the Spirit’s work is complete.

Light a candle for peace—with God, ourselves, and one another.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for sending us the Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords, our Emmanuel, who is both with us now and coming soon. Lord, we know we need to change. We need to prepare the way of the Lord by coming to you, approaching the throne of grace, confessing our sins, confessing our need for your redemption. We come to you now, just as we are. In all our weakness and frailty. In our vulnerability. We come in love and trust, hope and faith, knowing that you are a God of love who wants to embrace, heal and restore us, make us whole. In the name of your precious Son we pray. Amen.

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812

Nov. 29, 2020

First Sunday in Advent

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Alice Hoover, Organist

Marialice and Bob Mauch, Liturgists

Ron Barkett, Soloist

Prelude: Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel;     Setting by Kenneth T. Kosche and Paul Manz

Greeting/Announcements

Prepare the Way of the Lord: Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Advent Reading/Candle Lighting….. Bob and Marialice Mauch

Light one candle for hope…

Prepare the Way of the Lord: Ron Barkett and Alice Hoover

Opening Words: Liturgist

The heavens are being torn open!

The mountains quake at God’s presence.

The face of God is soon to shine among us.

Even the stars cannot hold God’s glory!

Gathering Prayer: Liturgist

Hymn 105 People Look East (stanzas 1, 2, 5) Eleanor Farjeon

People, look east. The (me is near of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able; trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Guest, is on the way.

Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare, one more seed is planted there.
Give up your strength the seed to nourish, that in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Rose, is on the way.

Angels, announce with shouts of mirth Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming with the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today: Love, the Lord, is on the way

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Restore us, O God of hosts. Let your face shine, that we may be saved. Save us, O Lord, from traps of our own creating: from fear that blocks the way of love, from worry that blocks the way of joy, from isolation that blocks the way of relationship, from structural injustices that keep the world bound. Forgive us, O God of hosts, until the stars fall from heaven and we live as people transformed. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Meet Our Church Family: Jeff, Janice, and Lukas Sycks

Time with Children and Youth

Prayer for Illumination: Liturgist

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1-8    Liturgist

Holy wisdom, Holy word. Thanks be to God!

Second Reading: Mark 13:24-37

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!

Message Light One Candle for Hope

Hymn 352 My Lord! What a Morning (stanza 1 and 2) African American spiritual

Refrain:

My Lord! what a morning; my Lord! what a morning;
O my Lord! what a morning, when the stars begin to fall,
When the stars begin to fall.

You will hear the trumpet sound to wake the na(ons under ground,
looking to my God’s right hand, when the stars begin to fall.

Refrain

You will hear the sinner cry, to wake the na(ons under ground,
Looking to my God’s right hand, when the stars begin to fall.

Refrain

Joys and Concerns

Prayer of Intercession

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.

Invitation for the Offering

Offertory: Hark, the Glad Sound!     Setting, Wilbur Held

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication

Faithful God, we thank you that Christ is being revealed in every time and place until he comes again in the fullness of glory. Strengthen our testimony and spiritual gifts; increase generosity in us, we pray, as we wait for the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: 97 Watchman, Tell Us of the Night John Bowring

Watchman, tell us of the night, what its signs of promise are.
Traveler, what a wondrous sight: see that glory beaming star.
Watchman, does its beauteous ray news of joy or hope foretell?

Watchman, tell us of the night; higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light, peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone gild the spot that gave them birth?

Watchman, tell us of the night, for the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, shadows take their flight; doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, you may go your way; hasten to your quiet home.
Traveler, we rejoice today, for Emmanuel has come!

Charge/Benediction

Postlude: On Jordan’s Banks the Baptist’s Cry      Setting, David Cherwien

Meditation on Mark 13:24-37

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4^th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

First Sunday in Advent

Nov. 29, 2020

      Have you decorated your house for Christmas, yet? Some people have a tradition of decorating on Thanksgiving weekend. I know some of you have because I have seen pictures on Facebook. And when we walk in our Coshocton neighborhood at night, we are already enjoying Christmas lights.

      We are planning to pull out the plastic tubs and bags of decorations from the garage and basement this afternoon. It’s a big job, isn’t it? Because you have to clean your house, too! I am hoping, though, that we will have our Christmas trees up by tomorrow. What I keep wondering is what kind of trouble our two young cats, Seamus and Liam, will get into when we put up our trees. I have a feeling we will hear them playing with ornaments in the middle of the night and see the signs of their play in the morning—bits and pieces, scattered here and there. I just hope we don’t hear a crash! And find the trees laying sideways on the ground.

      This year, I believe it is more important than ever to decorate for Christmas and shine the light of Christ in every possible way. May we also encourage one another with inspiring stories that lead us to recall the faithfulness of the Lord and the kindness of human beings.

      One such inspiring story I’ve heard is about “Rocky the stowaway owl.” Have you heard about Rocky? A worker assembling the large Christmas tree in Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center discovered the little owl inside its branches a couple weeks ago. The tiny Northern saw-whet owl had traveled unnoticed inside the 75-foot Norway spruce 170 miles after the tree was cut down in upstate New York on Nov. 12. The female owl of one of the smallest known species of owls in North America was uninjured, but she hadn’t eaten for at least 3 days. She was sent to Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, where a rehabilitator nursed her back to health. She gave her plenty of fluids and all the mice she could eat. Here are some photos of Rocky, short for Rockefeller.  

    

Rocky was cleared to be released back into the wild to resume her migratory journey south on Nov. 24. An AP story the next day says,  “On Tuesday evening, rehabilitator Ellen Kalish held the winsome raptor aloft in a field against a backdrop of rounded mountains. In a video posted Ravensbeard’s Facebook page, Rocky sits quietly on Kalish’s fingers before winding her way over to a nearby grove of pines.  “She is a tough little bird, and we’re happy to see her back in her natural habitat,” the center wrote on Facebook. “We are sure that Rocky will feel your love and support through her journey south.”

     When I heard this story, I couldn’t help but marvel that this tiny creature would survive, traveling in a tree on a truck bouncing on back roads, highways and in noisy, city traffic for 170 miles. It’s a miracle! And then, she would cling to the branches until someone with a kind heart would discover her—and believe the creature was precious enough to be rescued and restored to health and her natural environment.

     What must the owl have been thinking on such a rough journey? She must have been terrified. And yet, the courageous creature clung to what was familiar and life-giving, her Norway spruce home, though everything around her had changed.

     The little bird held onto hope.

***

   Jesus, in our gospel lesson in Mark 13, urges his disciples to hold onto hope during dark times, and as they wait for Christ’s return, when,“the Son of Man (will) come in clouds with great power and glory.” And when he will,“send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.”

    This discussion is prompted by Christ’s prophecy of the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem.  “Not one stone will be left here upon another,” he says in 13:2, a prophecy that will come to pass on A.D. 70. This is hard for the disciples to hear; these country folk can’t help but be impressed by Herod’s temple. Says scholar William C. Placher, professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College in Indiana: “It occupied a platform of more than 900 by 1,500 feet. The front of the temple building itself stood 150 feet tall and 150 feet wide, made of white stone, much of it covered with silver and gold, by far the most impressive building any of them had seen, glowing in the sunlight. Little wonder that they were amazed by it all—and then little wonder at Jesus’ frustration that they had not yet understood his teaching that God was now present in him and not in the temple.”

     After this, the disciples want to know more of what’s going to happen. Jesus speaks of false prophets and those claiming to be the Messiah, and how those who follow him will be persecuted; some of the betrayals will be from their own family members, Jesus says.

   The Son of Man’s coming will also affect the natural world. Jesus says,“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” But some theologians believe Jesus speaks symbolically, as Isaiah says in 60:19, “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light,” and as Revelation 22:5 says, “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its lights, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

    And what of the fig tree lesson?

 Though we won’t know the exact day or hour of Christ’s return, we will know that what Jesus has said will come to pass just as we observe the change of seasons in our own environment. Figs trees are important to people in Christ’s time, just as they are to ancient Israel. Fig trees are mentioned numerous times in the Old and New Testaments. So, Jesus has chosen a good example for this parable that is found in three gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke, revealing its significance! The Promised Land in Deuteronomy is described as, “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything…” (Deuteronomy 8:8-10). Before Jesus uses a fig tree in his teaching in Mark 13, he curses a fig tree so it withers in chapter 12 to demonstrate the power of faith and prayer. Here in Mark 13, Jesus assures us that just as when we see the branches of the fig tree become tender and put forth leaves and we know it is summer, we will know that Jesus is near, “at the very gates.” This is a promise! 

     On this first Sunday in Advent, we light one candle for hope, determined to live as a people of hope, relying on the Spirit to empower us to live as God intends us. God’s Word reminds us to be ready—each of us—engaged in the work right now the Lord calls us to, watchful for the signs of our master’s return. We can trust that though heaven and earth will pass away, the promises of our Savior are forever—and that Jesus will be our soul’s everlasting home, though everything around us might change.

     This season, I urge you to shine the Light of Christ in every possible way—and not just with Christmas decorations, feasts, and gifts that money can buy. Share stories that reveal your faith in times of trial or suffering and how you have relied on your Lord to endure and overcome. Let us consider, as Hebrews 10:24 tells us, how we may provoke one another to love and good deeds and inspire each other to be our best selves! Let us be faithful to help prepare others for the coming of the Lord, reaching out with compassion to those who don’t know Him, whose souls haven’t yet found Christ to be their spiritual home.

    Stay alert and keep awake to the needs of all your neighbors, for this is also the work God calls us to do. This means all God’s creatures in need, such as a tiny but courageous owl named Rocky, discovered by a kindhearted soul assembling a Christmas tree.

    The stowaway owl held onto hope—until the day she was set free to live as God intended.

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you that we can trust you are with us now and will come again at a time that only God the Father knows. Thank you for the promise that we will know when your Son is near, at the very gates, and that you will speak to us through our environment, the world in which we live. Help us to be faithful to do the works you have called us to—to shine your light in every way possible and to live as you intend for us to live, caring for neighbors in need, all creatures great and small. Keep us awake and alert to your holy presence, and live as people of hope, like the tiny, courageous owl in a Christmas tree—until the day we see your shining face and are truly set free to live with you for all eternity. In Christ we pray. Amen.

For Worship on Nov. 29, 2020 on the First Sunday in Advent

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. Fourth St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Janice, Jeff, and Lukas Sycks

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Christ the King Sunday

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Mark Wagner, Organist

Ron Geese, Diane Jones, Jim Crawford, Ashley Bryant, Kiera McPeck,

Lydia Black, and Debbie Clark, Readers

Prelude: Two Christmas Pastorales Domenico Zipoli (1688-1726)
Edited by Charles G. Frischmann Mark Wagner, Organ

Pastorales have a long tradition in music for Christmas, especially in Italy where the pifferari (shepherd pipers) come into villages on Christmas morning to play before the manger scene in the square.

Greeting/Announcements

Gathering Prayer

The Nativity Story

Solo: Away in a Manger Ron Barkett

Reading: Luke 2:1-20 Ashley Bryant

Hymn Joy to the World (stanzas 1 and 2) Mark Wagner, Organ

Meet Our Church Family: Auybree and Amanda Hittle

Time with Our Children and Youth: Thanks Living!

The Ministry and the Message

Reading: Matthew 7:21-29 Ron Geese

Hymn: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (stanza 1)

Reading: Nicodemus Jim Crawford

Reading: Peter and the Sea of Galilee Diane Jones

Hymn: Precious Lord, Take My Hand Caroline Heading

Reading: Jesus Blesses the Children (Luke 18:15-17) Debbie Clark

Hymn: Jesus Loves Me Mason Gano, Piano

Final Entry into Jerusalem

Reading: Luke 19:36-42 Kiera McPeck

Hymn: Hosanna, Loud Hosanna Kiera McPeck, Flute; Lukas Sycks, Piano

The Betrayal and the Passion

Reading: John 19:13-28 Pastor Karen

Hymn: Were You There Caroline Heading, Piano

The Resurrection

Reading: Matthew 28:1-10 Lydia Black

Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today (stanzas 1 and 4) Mark Wagner, organ

Pentecost

Reading: Pentecost (Acts 2) Pastor Karen

Hymn: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness Debbie Clark, Song Leader; Mark Wagner, Organ

Invitation to the Offering

Offertory: Breathe on Me, Breath of God, arranged, Dennis R. Johnson

Mark Wagner, Organ

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication

Almighty God, we give you thanks and praise for your love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Accept our offering in union with Christ’s offering for us. Confirm in us the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, that we may testify to the sovereignty of his love. Through Christ, with the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, Almighty God, now and forever.

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.

The Kingdom and the King

Reading:        John 18: 33-37                                                      Jim Crawford

Hymn     Crown Him With Many Crowns                           Mark Wagner, organ

Postlude: Rondeau on “Royal Oak” Michael Helmann                        Mark Wagner, organ

Jake, Barb, Courtney and Ari Snyder

Nov. 15, 2020

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812

The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, OH 43812

Pastor Karen Crawford

Mark Wagner, Organist

Courtney Snyder and Sarah Swigert, Liturgists

Prelude: Be Still My Soul by Jean Sibelius; setting, William M. Felton

Greeting/Announcements

Opening Words

Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations;

you have been our home throughout all the ages.

You were there before the world was made and will be forever.

From everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Gathering Prayer

God of righteousness, you overcome those who abuse their power and lift up those who suffer. Even now, when evil seems to hold sway, we know that you will have the last word. Keep us faithful as we wait and watch for your coming realm, when you will welcome all your children into your kingdom of justice, peace, and love. Amen.

Hymn: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (stanzas 1 and 2)

Call to Confession

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God,  you have shown us the ways of justice and nurtured us with love. Even so, we have not lived according to your will. When we are oppressed or unjustly accused, we cling to fear and forget to trust in your deliverance. When we are giddy with power and abuse the rights of others, we hold tight to our privilege and forget your laws. Have mercy on us, Lord, for we are weak and prone to disobedience. Hear our confession, and respond to us with kindness, that we might turn to you again, walk in the light, and live in equity and peace; through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Meet Our Church Family: Jake, Barb, Courtney and Ari Snyder

Message for Children and Youth: Using Your Talents for God

Prayer for Illumination

Readings: Judges 4:1-7; 1 Thess. 5:1-11

Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!

Reading: Matthew 25:14-30

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!

Message Are You Investing in the Kingdom?

Hymn: Those of Old Their Firstfruits Brought (stanzas 1 and 2)

Joys and Concerns

Prayer of Intercession

Holy God, you welcome us into your joy and entrust us with your gospel. In hope for the world to come and with love for the world you made, we offer our prayers for your church, your earth, and your people.

For your church, in this community and around the world, that your good news may be proclaimed to all . . .

For oppressors, that they might know justice, and those oppressed, that they might know peace . . .

For your creation, that we may be the caretakers you intend . . .

For the young, that they might be nurtured in love . . .

For the old, that they might be secure in your care . . .

For those who fight the demons of addiction, that they might find relief . . .

For those who face an early death and those they leave behind, that they might be comforted . . .

For all those who care for the suffering and those in their charge, that they would be freed from pain and fear . . .

For all of those about whom we worry and those whose troubles are known only to you . . .

All this we pray with gratitude for your eternal love and extravagant grace; in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray….

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.

Invitation to the Offering

Offertory: Largo by Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)

Doxology

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication

For all that you are and all that you do, we give you thanks, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. We wait in hope for the coming of your realm and offer these gifts to further your kingdom on earth; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: 384 Soon and Very Soon (stanzas 1-3)

(Ron Geese, euphonium; Mark Wagner, piano)

Charge/Benediction

Postlude: Andantino by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1626; arr., David Johnson