Rev. Dr. Karen E. Crawford, Pastor
Pastor Karen Crawford from The Presbyterian Church in Coshocton, Ohio, reads The Marvelous Mustard Seed by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso.
Activities for Children:
https://sermons4kids.com/jesus_calls_for_workers_wordsearch.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/jesus_calls_for_workers_choice.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/jesus_calls_for_workers_crossword.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/tell-friends-colorpg.htm
Trinity Sunday
142 N. 4th. Street, Coshocton, OH 43812
Pastor Karen Crawford
Liturgists: Jeff, Janice and Lukas Sycks
Musicians: Alice Hoover and Mark Wagner
Prelude: Near to the Heart of God, Mark Wagner, Piano
Greeting/Announcements: Pastor Karen
Choral Introit: Let There Be Peace On Earth
In 1955, Jill Jackson-Miller wrote the lyrics for “Let There Be Peace on Earth” while her husband, Sy Miller, wrote the melody. The song was introduced at a California retreat to a group of young people who were from a wide variety of religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. The young people had come together for a weeklong experience devoted to developing friendship and understanding through education, discussion and working together. The song’s focus on peace and God made it easy to cross many boundaries.
Sy Miller wrote about the effect of the song: “One summer evening in 1955, a group of 180 teenagers of all races and religions, meeting at a workshop high in the California mountains locked arms, formed a circle and sang a song of peace. They felt that singing the song, with its simple basic sentiment—‘Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me’—helped to create a climate for world peace and understanding.
“When they came down from the mountain, these inspired young people brought the song with them and started sharing it. And, as though on wings, ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ began an amazing journey around the globe. It traveled first, of course, with the young campers back to their homes and schools, churches and clubs.”
Miller noted that the song was then shared in all 50 states at school graduations, PTA meetings, holiday gatherings, celebrations of Brotherhood Week, Veterans Day, Human Rights Day and United Nations Day. Kiwanis clubs sang it, as well as 4-H clubs, United Auto Workers, the American Legion, the B’nai B’rith and the Congress of Racial Equality “
Opening Sentences/Gathering Prayer
Mighty Wind, who danced over the deep and surveyed the shapeless void,
dance over us now and ready us for your creative purpose.
Divine Word, who commanded unruly chaos and called forth light and life,
call to us now and open us to new expressions of grace.
Eternal Artist, who formed us in your likeness and claimed us as kin,
Re-form and refine us to be bearers of your blessing.
Holy Trinity—Creator, Christ, Spirit—who gathered the primeval waters,
gather us in, then send us out, our voices echoing creation’s song:
How majestic is your name in all the earth!
Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty
Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon
Lord Jesus, you send us to make disciples of all nations, but we focus our energies inward and shy away from sharing the good news in word and deed. You charge us to teach your commandments, but we struggle to obey them and neglect to model them for others. You assure us of your abiding presence, but we doubt this promise and disregard your Spirit, denying the power you give us to do your work. Forgive us, Lord, and renew us to be the church you created us to be. Wash us with your grace and commission us for service in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn 132 Come, Great God of All the Ages by Mary Jackson Cathey, Alice Hoover, Organ
Come, great God of all the ages,
Make Your earthly mission known;
Speak through every deed and person,
Let Your way and will be shown.
Guide the church to true commitment,
Give direction now, we ask;
Fit us for the work of building,
Dedicate us to the task.
Come, Christ Jesus, flesh and spirit,
Sure foundation, cornerstone,
Help us form the church eternal,
May Your vision be our own.
Send a message to each follower,
Lead all people to Your way;
Urge us to strong faith and action
As we build the church today.
Come, great Spirit, in and with us,
Tune our ears to hear Your call;
Through the moving of Your presence.
Let redeeming love recall
Ministry in dedication,
Love embodied in our deeds;
Challenge us to do Your bidding,
See Your purpose, fill all needs.
Come, O come, in celebration,
Household of the one true God.
In commitment and rejoicing
Let us go where Christ has trod;
As we act in faith and reverence.
Let us, Lord, the future see;
Place us in the church triumphant,
Now and for eternity.
Mary Jackson Cathey (b. 1926) was born in Florence, SC, and educated at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC. She received an advanced degree from Union Seminary – Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond. As a Christian Educator she finds hymn text writing a profound way to express her faith. She has four hymns in The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) and others published by Selah Press, Choristers Guild, and Zimbel Press. She is an elder at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC. –www.hopepublishing.com
Time with Children: Who Is My Neighbor?
Praise Song: Children of God by Monica Scott
Prayer for Illumination and 2 Cor. 13:11-13
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Matthew 28:16-20: Pastor Karen
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!
Message Let Us Break Bread Together
Hymn: Let Us Break Bread Together
Affirmation of Faith: Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.07
Jesus Christ is God with humankind. He is the eternal Son of the Father, who became human and lived among us to fulfill the work of reconciliation. He is present in the church by the power of the Holy Spirit to continue and complete his mission. This work of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is the foundation of all confessional statements about God, humanity, and the world. Therefore, the church calls all people to be reconciled to God and to one another.
Invitation to Offering/Pastor Karen
Offertory: Come, Live in the Light
Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication
God of unending gifts, we praise you for your abundant goodness. As you are generous, we want to be generous too. May the gifts we bring extend your generosity into the world, so that all people may be made whole by your goodness and grace. Amen.
Invitation to the Table/Great Thanksgiving Prayer/Lord’s Prayer/Communion/Prayer After Communion
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.
Hymn 241 Behold the Goodness of Our Lord by Fred R. Anderson, Alice Hoover, Organ
Behold the goodness of our Lord,
how blest it is to be
a company of God’s beloved,
in holy unity.
Like precious oil upon the head,
a healing for our strife,
it flows throughout our common bond,
refreshing all of life.
As dew on Zion’s mountaintop
brings freshness to its door,
our Lord commands this in our midst
and brings life evermore.
Charge and Blessing
Choral Response: The Lord Bless You and Keep You, arr. by John Rutter
Postlude: Fughetta No. 5 George Frederic Handel, Alice Hoover, Organ
Pastor Karen Crawford
Today, I am sharing a book with you by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg-Sasso and illustrated by Denise Turu called Who Is My Neighbor? Sometimes adults have trouble getting along with each other. Sometimes, children do, too, don’t they? Who IS our neighbor? Do we have to love everybody?
Other activities for Children:
https://sermons4kids.com/good-samaritan_group_activities.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/good_samaritan_colorpg_2
Meditation on Matthew 28:16-18
Trinity Sunday: June 7, 2020
The Presbyterian Church, 142 N. 4th St., Coshocton, Ohio 43812
Pastor Karen Crawford
It was warm and humid on Friday and late in the day when the tree trimmers arrived. They are farmers working a side job, said one man who shimmied up the large tree in our front yard without a ladder or bucket truck. He just used a rope, a harness, a chainsaw, and a lot of sweat effort. The other guy, Rick, stayed on the ground picking up the branches as they fell and feeding them into the mulcher, which reminded me of the gruesome scene in the movie, Fargo. When they were done, the young guy asked me if we had any more work for them to do.
And I said, “How much time do you have???” I took him on a tour around our yard, and in the end, he and Rick had trimmed 4 trees, plus removed two baby trees off our 60 or 70-year old ornamental cherry tree growing too close to our house.
When they had finished, it was glaringly obvious that I had more trimming and clean-up to do. Specifically, you could now see how overgrown the forsythia was and all the weeds that had grown up behind and under them. So for the next few hours, though I had already spent the morning digging, planting and weeding, I cut back the forsythia until, I too, was covered in dirt and sweat—and too tired to do anymore.
The next day was Saturday, my sermon writing and recording day, so I knew I needed help if I wanted the job finished any time soon. I asked my son, Jacob. My plan was to show him what I needed done on Saturday morning, and then go back inside and work on my service, but it was an awful job I gave him, raking, bending, lifting and cutting the branches to fill the trash bins. And it was Florida hot! The worst part of the job was that mixed with the branches I had cut were all kinds of wild vines, including poison ivy.
Well, I ended up staying outside with him for several hours, helping him and being careful not to touch the poison ivy with anything but a long rake. And even after I went inside to shower and work at my computer, I came back out to bring Jacob a raspberry popsicle and a lawn chair to rest in the shade.
I can’t ask him to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. And I know how much easier it is to do unpleasant jobs when you have help, someone to keep you company during the labor, encourage you to keep going when you are ready to give up, and rest when you need it.
***
And the Risen Christ is like this, too. He would never ask us to do something that he isn’t willing to do and, in fact, has already done and is still doing. He gives his disciples, at the end of the gospel of Matthew, final instructions for the work of making disciples of the world. He tells them exactly what he wants them to do and what it means to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the promised Holy Spirit that would empower and guide them every step. This is Jesus teaching us about the Trinity, the God who is three-in-one, the God who came down to us in human form and suffered and died so we may be reconciled with him.
Jesus says, “I want you to teach them everything I taught you—to obey all my commands.” What comes to mind is his Greatest Command—love God with all heart, soul, mind and might and neighbors as ourselves. But he also said to love our enemies and pray for them. What hard labor this is—to do the work of love. This is a labor only possible with the Lord’s help.
Here’s the good news! We have his help. He didn’t leave us with a big job to do by ourselves, with no encouragement when we are tired, no refreshment, and no rest and peace with His loving Spirit when we are ready to give up. For Christ says, “Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
***
This week marks the anniversary of the historic Communion on June 10, 1983 that reunited the Presbyterian Church that had been split since the Civil War. They were “ending a family separation which had kept them apart for 122 years” says the General Assembly Daily News of the Presbyterian Church (USA), one day after the event. The front-page headline proclaims, “We Are One Church Again!” Thousands of Presbyterians, 54 groups, would gather, not just at The World Congress Center in Atlanta, but at 24 different locations across the United States and Puerto Rico to participate in the “largest satellite simultaneous communion service ever held.”
The Rev. John F. Anderson, Jr. would share a message, “Let Us Break Bread Together,” for the newly gathered Church of 3.4 million members. The early church called the Lord’s Supper “communion,” he said, “because the community of believers was restored again and again. They called it ‘eucharist’ because the good favor, the amazing grace of forgiveness and acceptance was experienced every time the family circle was reunited.” “Pride, prejudice, power politics, hurt feelings, and hard lines caused one family after another to leave the family table,” the Rev. Anderson said to thousands of Presbyterians via satellite.
But the reality was that the headline of being One Church Again was not quite true, at least not in the way it was meant. Other Presbyterians, anticipating the reunion, had up and left. Ten years before, in 1973, a group of Presbyterians concerned with growing “liberal tendencies” in the Southern Church formed the Presbyterian Church in America or PCA. In 1981, two years before the 195th GA met in Atlanta, another group of conservative Presbyterians from both the Northern and Southern churches formed the Evangelical Presbyterian Church or EPC. More would leave after 1983. In 2012, just a year after I was ordained in the PC(USA), a group of pastors within the denomination left to form ECO:A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
Yes, the visible church is still struggling to live as One. But somehow, God is using our divisive tendencies to send us out—and obey Christ’s Great Commission of Matthew 28. Jesus, to me, never seemed like the megachurch kind of guy as megachurches are today—stadium sized worship centers filled with people who hardly know one another, if at all. Jesus was all about ministry in small groups, person to person, relationships, training up leaders—women and men, young and older—and sending them out with His power.
With the racial unrest, protests, military response and angry rhetoric since the death of an African American arrested by white police officers, the injustice suffered by the oppressed has been brought to light, once again. It’s like when I had my trees trimmed, and suddenly I could see what had been covered up. Prejudice and hatred were never gone from our society. Evil is still here in the world—the power and principalities of darkness. It’s not a time for discouragement or to sit back and do nothing. It just means we have more work to do as followers of Christ. And we need to invite others to join with us! This is a time to bear witness to our faith and our commissioning to labor for him. Our Triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is doing a new thing. Our Triune God isn’t finished, yet. We should expect to continue to work for peace and justice, revealing the Kingdom and God’s love, until our Savior comes again.
The communion we celebrate today is not so unlike the “satellite simultaneous communion service” held in June 1983. Communion has always been the celebration of Christ’s presence in and with us and with all the saints in every time and place. As one person mentioned in our Chasing Vines book study this week, every time we have communion, it is like we are feasting at the big banquet table in heaven; it is a foretaste of what is to come. Our virtual communion is STILL a reunion of the family of God, a re-membering of Christ’s Body, broken and given for us, his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.
During communion today, open your heart and let the Spirit build up your faith, bring hope and healing, and make us One Church, Again.
Let us break bread together—and be renewed and equipped to be Christ’s Body for the world. And to remember Christ’s words as he sent out his beloved, as lambs amidst the wolves. “I will be with you always even to the end of the age.”
Let us pray.
Holy Triune God, Three-in-One, do your work in us now. In our communion, as we remember what you have done for us and give you thanks, make us, once again, one in Your Body. Forgive us for our pride and divisive ways, for being intolerant of differences of belief and practice and for opposing uncomfortable change, though it may be your will. Help us, now, to work for peace and justice in our community and world. Empower us to witness to your present and coming Kingdom through our words and acts of kindness. Lord, we pray your Spirit would draw others closer to you and that hearts would be cleansed of the hate and prejudice that stirs people to acts of violence and cruelty. Equip us and send us out to make disciples of all the nations, beginning right here in our homes and hometowns. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio
Pastor Karen Crawford
Liturgists: Matt and Sarah Swigert
Musicians: Caroline Heading, Alice Hoover, and Mark Wagner
Prelude: We Now Implore the Holy Ghost by Dietrich Buxtehude (Alice Hoover, Organ)
Greeting/Announcements: Pastor Karen
Introit: Like the Murmur of the Dove’s Song (A Capella Choir and Handbells)
Opening Sentences/Gathering Prayer: Matt and Sarah Swigert
Wind of God, who awakened creation and stirred dry bones to life—
sweep through this space and enliven our worship.
Wind of God, who descended as tongues of flame and gave birth to the church—
sweep through this space and ignite our hearts.
Wind of God, who guides our ministry and equips us for service—
sweep through this space and empower our witness.
Hymn 128 On Pentecost They Gathered by Jane Parker Huber (Alice Hoover, Organ)
On Pentecost they gathered Quite early in the day, A band of Christ’s disciples, To worship sing, and pray. A mighty wind came blowing, Filled all the swirling air, And tongues of fire aglowing Inspired each person there.
The people all around them Were startled and amazed To understand their language, As Christ the Lord they praised. What universal message, What great good news was here? That Christ, once dead, is risen To vanquish all our fear.
God pours the Holy Spirit On all who would believe, On women, men and children Who would God’s grace receive. That Spirit knows no limit, Bestowing life and power. The church, formed and reforming, Responds in every hour.
O Spirit, sent from heaven On that day long ago. Rekindle faith among us In all life’s ebb and flow. O give us ears to listen And tongues aflame with praise, So folk of every nation Glad songs of joy shall raise.
Call to Confession/Prayer/Assurance of Pardon: Pastor Karen
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us. We rejoice in the gifts you have given us. Yet, we confess, we do not always use them to glorify you. For using the gifts of your Spirit for selfish gain instead of using them for the common good, forgive us, O God. For thinking too little of ourselves, not trusting that you have given us gifts for your service, forgive us, O God. For believing some gifts to be better than others, ignoring how we each build up the body of Christ, forgive us, O God. Spirit of the Living God, melt us, mold us, fill us again with your power and use us for your work so that our lives may glorify you. Amen.
Hymn 322: Spirit of the Living God, by Daniel Iverson
Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me; Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
Time with Children
Praise Song: Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here, by Bryan and Katie Torwalt
There’s nothing worth more That will ever come close, nothing can compare.
You’re our living hope. Your presence, Lord.I’ve tasted and seen, of the sweetest of loves Where my heart becomes free And my shame is undone. Your presence, Lord.
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
There’s nothing worth more That will ever come close, nothing can compare.
You’re our living hope. Your Presence Lord. I’ve tasted and seen, of the sweetest of Loves
Where my heart becomes free, and my shame is undone. Your presence, Lord.
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
Your presence, Lord.
Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the Glory of Your Goodness. Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the Glory of Your Goodness. Let us become more aware of your presence. Let us experience the Glory of Your Goodness.
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
Yeah, Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere
Your Glory, God, is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by your presence, Lord.
Prayer for Illumination and 1 Cor. 12:3b-13: Matt and Sarah Swigert
Soloist: As the Wind Song: Sarah Heading, with Caroline Heading on Piano
Scripture: Acts 2:1-21, Pastor Karen
Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!
Message: All Together in One Place, Pastor Karen
Hymn 315: Every Time I Feel the Spirit, African-American Spiritual, sung by Cardinal Chorale
Refrain: Every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart I will pray.
Yes, every time I feel the Spirit moving in my heart I will pray.
Upon the mountain, when my Lord spoke,
out of God’s mouth came fire and smoke.
Looked all around me, it looked so fine,
till I asked my Lord if all was mine. [Refrain]
Jordan River, chilly and cold,
it chills the body but not the soul.
There is but one train upon this track;
it runs to heaven and then right back. [Refrain]
Affirmation of Faith (From the Confession of 1967, 9.20)
God the Holy Spirit fulfills the work of reconciliation in human life. The Holy Spirit creates and renews the church as the community in which people are reconciled to God and to one another. The Spirit enables people to receive forgiveness as they forgive one another and to enjoy the peace of God as they make peace among themselves. In spite of their sin, the Spirit gives people power to become representatives of Jesus Christ and his gospel of reconciliation to all.
Invitation to the Offering, Pastor Karen
Offertory: Breathe on Me, Breath of God by Edwin Hatch
Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication/Lord’s Prayer
Great God, to you we give our thanks; your steadfast love endures forever. With gratitude we bring our gifts to you. Bless us and our gifts, that our lives and our resources may be a source of healing and hope, of joy and justice in our world. 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.
Hymn: Breathe on Me, Natalie Grant
In humble adoration
I kneel before Your throne in brokenness I seek Your face alone.
Above You there’s no other
Who’s able to restore my soul, come and make me whole.
And breathe on me, power of God come in and change me.
You are all I need, Holy Spirit, breathe on, breathe on me!
I will say of the Lord He is my strong tower, my rock and my fortress
In whom I trust in times of the storm, and in tribulation,
You are my source of help and my salvation! Breath of God, restore my soul.
I will say of the Lord He is my strong tower, my rock and my fortress
In whom I trust in times of the storm, and in tribulation,
He is my help and my salvation! Breath of God, restore my soul.
You are all I need, Holy Spirit. Breathe on me; You are all I need, restore me, Holy Spirit.
Breath of God, breathe of life, breathe on me.
I need you Jesus to breathe on, breathe on me.
Charge/Benediction
Postlude: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Mark Wagner, Piano
Meditation on Acts 2:1-21
Pentecost 2020
The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio
Pastor Karen Crawford
Today, on Pentecost, we had planned to welcome into membership our Confirmation students, who have been gathering on Wednesday nights since January. Our plans have changed, but I am not going to say that it’s bad news.
Let me tell you the story of Confirmation this year. We went from meeting in person at the church through the middle of March and then by Zoom video conference in April and May. We plan to meet through June and July, as well. I have actually been planning for the class since last summer or early fall when I ordered the new curriculum from the PC (USA), Big God, Big Questions. Unlike the former curriculum from our denomination that focused on creeds, confessions and catechetical questions, this program encourages the students to ask their own “big” questions and pay attention to how different people draw on their faith and experiences to answer them in diverse ways. Wow! That’s a change from when you and I went through confirmation and had to memorize the books of the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer, the 10 Commandments and Apostles’ Creed, not to mention catechetical questions.
Looking back, I think what a shame that my church had the opportunity to nurture my faith and encourage me to develop all my God-given gifts and talents for the Lord and His Church, and they missed their chance. Instead, the program became an exercise in memorization of archaic words that I didn’t always understand. I never had the feeling that the pastor really wanted to get to know any of us. He didn’t meet us where we were; he never asked what we believed. He just told us what we were supposed to believe.
Since teaching my first confirmation class in 2011, my goal has been to get to know each of the students and hear their stories. I want to open God’s Word to them, help them to know Jesus and show them they are loved. I want them to know the Spirit that is living and breathing within them and leading them in God’s will, so they don’t have to be confused or afraid. I want them to feel accepted and heard. My hope has always been that confirmation would be a safe place to say just about anything, without being judged.
A big part of the class is wrestling with the questions the students will be asked when they are confirmed, tentatively in August. The topics we discuss include, “How do we know and trust God?” “What is sin and how do we turn from it?” “Who is your Lord and Savior?” “What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus and to show Christ’s love?” And, “Will you devote yourself to the church’s teaching, fellowship, prayer, and the breaking of the bread?”
The emphasis is on growing in faith and seeking to apply it to our lives, through all our relationships– with one another and with God. While I use a prepared curriculum as a guide, what we do, mainly, is share stories. We have a guest speaker, usually from our own congregation, but we’ve had others, too, including Ben George, Susie Stout, and my friend, Cindy Bottomley, a longtime youth leader in Florida. Our guest speakers are ordinary people, because God uses ordinary people like us! I want the students to know that being a Christian, while always an adventure, is different for every person. Each one of us has a distinctive calling and different gifts the Lord wants to use.
The challenge is to trust the Spirit to reveal God’s will as we seek to follow Christ every day.
***
Our Acts reading today starts, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place”—and it’s really hard not to stop right there and say, “Wouldn’t that be nice? If we could all be together in one place, gathered for prayer, fellowship, worship, and to wait on the Lord?”
But then, we have to remind ourselves that there were no church buildings in the first centuries of Christianity. Followers of Jesus gathered in homes for worship, fellowship, and the breaking of bread. Of course, with Jesus, they had gathered around the tables of the wealthy and the poor, on mountainsides, fields, and valleys, in fishing boats and walking along the shore, on the road to Emmaus and in gardens, at night.
Jesus was never limited by place or anything in this world. Death could not hold him; he rose from the tomb. The Risen Christ went through locked doors to be with his followers, hiding from the world. The Spirit will never be limited, either, by place or anything in this world. As Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:8 about his need to be reborn from above, “The wind blows wherever it pleases,” he says. “You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
The Spirit in Acts has the power to change the disciples’ hearts and minds and unites them in mission to the world. The disciples, who lack formal education, suddenly speak in tongues they have never known and are emboldened to share the gospel with the very people who had cried out for Christ to be crucified. The Spirit changes their hearts and minds, too, stirring them to listen to the Galileans, led by Peter, a flawed and ordinary man. This is the disciple whom Jesus had rebuked, who walked on water but fell in from lack of faith. He is the one who betrayed Jesus three times, but then is charged by the Risen Christ to feed his sheep and tend his lambs, meaning care for and build up his followers, the Church.
Not everyone who hears the message on Pentecost come to believe—just as there are many unbelievers all around us. God doesn’t force himself on us. All are called but not everyone responds. But those who sneer at the disciples still notice something different about them. They seem too happy, all of a sudden. They are acting as if they are drunk, which of course they are not, as Peter quips. “For it is only 9 o’clock in the morning,” he says. This happy that they feel is the joy of the Lord, a gift of the Spirit.
This same Spirit lives within us and dwells in our midst, my friends, wherever or however we are gathering– in person or electronically, by phone or letter. Let’s not put limitations on the Risen Lord who had no trouble going through locked doors to be with his disciples. This same Lord unites us in His Body by faith, though we may not be worshiping today in the building at the corner of 4th and Chestnut Streets. Let’s not limit the Spirit that, when it came on Pentecost, came as a violent, rushing wind and fire, and filled not just one room but the entire house. Thousands of people became believers that day. The Church was born.
If I have learned anything these months of pandemic, it’s that we have to trust in the Lord—when things are going well AND when nothing seems to be going right. We trust in Him when we are comfortable—and when we are way beyond our comfort zones. We have to trust the Lord for the future of the church, knowing that it may be very different than the past. Let us keep in mind the Great Ends of the Church when judging our faithfulness to Christ’s call to us today. Our Book of Order says the Great Ends are “the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind; the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God; the maintenance of divine worship; the preservation of the truth; the promotion of social righteousness; and the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.” To be faithful to the Great Ends may mean changing the way we have seen our church—and confined it to what happens inside a building. The Lord wants us to go out and bring His salvation to those who aren’t in our circle of friends and acquaintances. The Lord wants us to speak up for what is right, for justice, and be peacemakers, when others choose chaos and strife.
God will answer our prayers in surprising ways. God answered my prayer about confirmation, though it wasn’t how I expected. I remember saying to one of the parents that I wished I had more time with the students. I remember being worried, at one point, if the spring sports were going to take some of our students away. By the end of March, confirmation by Zoom was one of the few if any activities on their schedule and an important connection to friends, their church and pastor, and the outside world. We will never forget the Confirmation class of 2020, meeting during COVID-19.
The Spirit is calling us now to listen for a fresh Word—all of us ordinary, flawed human beings whom God wants to use. Don’t be surprised when we speak and witness in a different way to reach more people. The Spirit wants to fill us to overflowing, refresh and renew us and remove our fear. The Spirit wants to empower us to do more for the Kingdom—go way outside our comfort zones, speak up when we would rather be silent. The Lord wants us to experience more joy and reveal His love.
I know how you feel – how you long to return to the church building and be with your brothers and sisters in the faith. Me, too. Maybe more than you! But I know the Lord is calling us to stay where we are, for now. Be safe, and keep reaching out to each other in all kinds of ways, encouraging one other. And keep on waiting, hoping and praying, like those first followers, trusting in the promises of God.
For the Spirit is going to come, once again, like a rushing wind and fire to do its work of transformation in us—the Church. Because we would never change on our own. And we couldn’t change ourselves if we tried.
I look forward to the day when we will be like they were on Pentecost—all together, in one place.
Let us pray.
Holy Spirit, fall afresh on us. Cleanse us. Renew us. Melt and mold us. Make us to be like your Son. Give us the mind and heart of Christ. Right now, the world is a confusing place, with chaos, anger, disease, and violence. Help us to work to reveal your Kingdom, here on earth, working for peace, health and healing, tranquility and order. Guide us by your Spirit so that we know your will every day. Give us courage to obey—to go when and where you want us to go and stay when you want us to stay. Let us listen to your voice, though your commands are different than what the world may be telling us to do. Grant us wisdom to make good decisions for our families and ourselves each day. Protect us, watch over us, and keep us safe. Heal the sick and lift up the downhearted and grieving. Help us to be patient as we wait until it is your time for us to gather as your Church, all together in one place. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pentecost!
Pastor Karen Crawford
Hi Kids! This is the banner you usually see hanging in our church on Pentecost. That’s today! Do you know why there is a white dove?
This is the symbol for the Holy Spirit that came down on Jesus when he was baptized in the Jordan River.
The Spirit came down from heaven like a dove. Do you know why the banner is red and yellow? That’s the flames of the Holy Spirit that came to rest on each of the disciples, but didn’t burn them.
They had gathered in a house in Jerusalem, waiting and praying for the Spirit as Jesus had told them to do. The Spirit would give them the power to tell the world the good news of the Risen Christ so that they would understand and believe in Jesus. When the Spirit came, the disciples all began talking at once, speaking languages they didn’t even know. It was a miracle. And that miracle still happens today. The Spirit lives in you and me and everyone who believes in Jesus. We have the power to share the good news so that everyone can hear and understand.
We can share God’s love in person, but also through phone calls and cards and letters. Evan and Andrew Swigert sent me a wonderful card this past week, and their mom, Sarah, wrote me a long letter. Eric’s mom, Linda Hores, sent Jim and me this card. Doesn’t it just make you want to smile?
Thank you so much!!
I love you and miss you all! I pray that you are well. I look forward to that day when we will be able to all gather in the same place and worship the Lord.
Will you pray with me?
Heavenly Father, thank for your Spirit that came to empower the disciples on Pentecost and is still with us, living in our hearts, empowering us to share the gospel and love one another today. In Jesus’ name we pray. And everyone said, Amen.
Links to children’s activities:
https://sermons4kids.com/pentecost-colorpg.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/pentecost_wordsearch.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/pentecost_sunday_crossword.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/pentecost_decoder.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/new_wind_blowing_group_activities.htm
The Story of Pentecost! When they were altogether in one place, waiting and praying for the Lord, as he told them to do… and the Holy Spirit came! It was a miracle, part of God’s plan to rescue the world. Anyone who believes in Jesus has the Holy Spirit in her heart. I believe in Jesus. I hope you believe, too!
Meditation on John 17:1-11, Graduation Sunday
Pastor Karen Crawford, The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio
The little ball of fur underneath my forget-me-nots didn’t move as I reached my hand close to it, without touching it. It was early evening, not yet dark. Rain pitter-pattered on the hood of my jacket pulled up over my head. Jim and I had just come back from a walk with our dog, Mabel.
What startled me was that I had already been standing there for a while without noticing it. I had been talking with and listening for the Lord. I often find myself still and quiet when I am in my garden, sensing God’s presence. It just happens. The Lord finds me.
It was a chipmunk. I thought it must be dead. Why else wouldn’t it scamper away when I came near? I felt sad for the creature, and I didn’t know why. For I have complained about the little diggers and chewers in my garden often. Just ask Jim. So many holes in my yard! Chipmunks, squirrels and yes, the moles are back, too, making their mounds of dirt on my nice, green lawn. Bob Bish! I need you to come and help me, again! I have encouraged and routed for the cats that visit our yard and wait patiently, stationed at the critter holes, hoping to catch one in their paws and jaws as they pop up out of the ground.
But then, as I ponder all these things, in the stillness and quiet with the Lord, I see the little guy or gal breathe. “He’s not dead,” I sigh with relief. “He’s sleeping.”
I can’t feel anger or fear in the garden. Only peace. I remember what a funeral director in York, PA, told me when I asked her how she dealt with the stress of her job. “I work in the garden,” she said. “I can’t be sad with my hands in the soil.”
With rain pattering on my hood, I feel the Lord speaking to my heart about His love for all Creation—including me. Every life is precious to God. Scripture tells us that the Lord knows about and grieves for one small sparrow when it falls from the sky. It’s funny how we like some critters and plants—and don’t like others, depending on the circumstance. What we call weeds are God’s wildflowers—the “lilies of the field.”
Sadly, that’s how it is with human beings, isn’t it? Our likes and loves are conditional. We have opinions about everything and everyone. Why can’t we all just get along, accept one another and be gentle, patient and kind to each other? Especially during a global pandemic, when we are all in this together—the entire human race. We don’t have to agree all the time. We need to share different ideas and perspectives. We certainly don’t all have to think the same way about everything. That’s the beauty of humanity, to me, how wonderfully unique each one of us is—and yet all of us created in God’s image. How can that be?
What does Jesus think about His Church, the Body of Christ, being so divided? Do we really need to have as many denominations and non-denominations in our country as flavors of ice cream? Why aren’t we praying every single day, like Jesus did, that his followers would be ONE?
When Jesus prays for his disciples in John 17, we have the rare opportunity, as the disciples do, of listening in. No retreating to a mountain or garden alone for Jesus, this time. He just pauses in his teaching and raises his eyes to heaven, speaking aloud so they will hear him! He is still teaching them.
Before the prayer, he has told them not to be troubled and promised His Spirit. He urged them in John 15:4-5, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” He commanded them in 15:12 to “love one another as I have loved you.” “No one,” he goes on in 15:13, “has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” He prays that they will know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. He intercedes for them, claiming them as his own—given to him by the Father. “I am asking on their behalf….All mine are yours and yours are mine…. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The lectionary passage leaves off an important piece of the prayer when in verse 20, Jesus prays for ALL his followers—including we who came to believe from the testimony of others. “I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word,” he says, “that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Today, on Graduation Sunday, while I don’t have the pleasure of being with our graduates in person, I pray that they will hear this message—if not through me, through you. For we are called to support and encourage all the children and youth of our community, though our own children may be grown. We promise this at every baptism.
We have to be good examples of mature Christians for all our young people. But we can’t be unless we are living as One with each other, in Christ. Young people are smart. They listen and watch us, all the time. So be careful to build up with your words, bless others, in their hearing and when they aren’t around. We have to be faithful to Christ’s command to love, not just on Sunday when we worship, but every day.
To our graduates, I say this to encourage you. Our wounded world needs you desperately. I am sorry that adults behave the way they do sometimes. Please forgive us. I am sorry about COVID-19 ruining the last quarter of your senior year and cancelling so many of your plans. But you are ready to move on. Trust yourself and the Spirit that lives in you. YOU ARE needed. All your gifts and talents. Your unique personality. Your intelligence, creativity and compassion. Everything that makes you YOU. Don’t worry about the whole job thing. You will find jobs, but remember that a job doesn’t limit or define you. You ARE a child of God and always will be, no matter your paycheck or benefits package.
You will always have your church family. You can’t get rid of us that easily! We are still here for you, as we promised, long ago when you were baptized. You have been raised in a faith that is going to stick with you, though you might journey far from your church and community. Just when you come to a fork in the road and have to make a difficult decision, the Spirit will guide you and you will have peace, knowing the way the Lord wants you to go. And when you encounter difficulties and disappointments, because we all do, the Lord will be there for you, strengthening you to carry on.
You will be stronger if your make time to be alone with God; so find that quiet place to think, listen, and pray. For me, it’s a garden, but for you, maybe some other place. Just talk with God and He who loves you will hear you and answer you. And when you can’t find any words to say because your heart is breaking, remember this. The Lord is still praying for us, like he did with his first disciples, who were scared and confused. Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes (meaning, it prays for us) with sighs too deep for words.”
We will continue to think about you and pray for you. We love you.
May you be one with God and each other—but that doesn’t mean you have to be like everybody else! You need to be the unique person God has made you to be.
Be a peacemaker—in the classroom or on the job, at home, wherever you are. May you be the one who speaks truth and walks in gentleness, though you may be the only truthful and gentle person in the room.
And may I ask one thing of you? Please pray for us. For your church and hometown. Pray that we will be One with each other, in the Lord, living in peace, each being the person God has called us to be, encouraging one another to be our best selves. Pray that we may love one another, as Christ loves us.
This is the way the world will know the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom God has sent.
Please join me in a prayer for our graduates.
Heavenly Father, We pray for our graduates today and lift them before you. Thank you for the gift of their lives and that you have a wonderful plan for each of them. They are so precious to us. During this season of new beginnings, we ask that you would make their way clear. Keep their footsteps firm and remind them that you are with them and always will be. May they sense the freshness of your Spirit over their lives and may they be strengthened and instilled with hope for their future.
We release our children into your tender care, trusting that you know what is best for them and that no one loves them like you do. Hold them in the palm of your hand. Hide them in the safety of your powerful presence. We thank you in advance for all you have in store. Guard and protect them—body, mind and soul—as they come in and go out, as they journey far away for new opportunities and as they stay close to home, working and serving in their communities. Give them wisdom for the decisions that they will need to make. Walk beside them, draw them close to you, and reveal your will. Build up their faith. Grant them boldness, confidence, and courage to take risks and see beyond what is here and now and imagine what could be. Stir them to step outside what is comfortable, knowing that you will keep them safe and that there is no “failure” in the Kingdom of God—only love, mercy and grace.
Help us to minister to them and encourage them to become their best selves and fulfill your will for them. May they be a light to their friends, families, churches, and neighbors. Use them, Lord, to help bring hope and healing to what is broken. Give them patience, gentleness, and strength to proclaim your truth and overcome and not be overcome by evil. May they be persistent laborers for peace and justice and channels of your love. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio
Pastor Karen Crawford
Liturgists: Sarah and Jacob Heading
Musicians: Alice Hoover, Mark Wagner, and Caroline Heading
Prelude: America, the Beautiful, Caroline Heading, Piano
Greeting/Announcements: Pastor Karen
Choral Introit: When You Believe, One Voice Choir
Opening Sentences/Gathering Prayer: Jacob Heading
We have gathered—new followers and lifelong disciples, the powerful and the powerless, those who have too little and those who have too much.
We have gathered, for we are one in Christ.
We have come—seekers and skeptics, sinners and saints, the poor in spirit and the rich in faith.
We have come, for we are eager to hear God’s word.
We are here, together.
Let us glorify the one true God.
Hymn: Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies, Alice Hoover, Organ
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Daystar, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by thee;
joyless is the day’s return
’til thy mercy’s beams I see;
’til they inward light impart,
glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit, then, this soul of mine;
pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
fill me, Radiancy divine;
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more thyself display,
shining to the perfect day.
Call to Confession/ Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon: Pastor Karen
Lord Jesus, you long for us to be one, just as you and the Father are one. But we gravitate toward those who think like us, behave like us, pray like us, because it is easier than looking beyond difference to discover what is good and kind and faithful in those we call the other. Even in our houses of worship, we are slow to reach across the aisle to embrace siblings in faith with whom we hold little in common. Forgive us, we pray. Wash us in the waters of our baptism, so that, with one mind, we might continue the work you gave us to do. Amen.
Time with Children: Jonah
See the Children’s Message page for more music and activities about Jonah
Praise Song: What a Beautiful Name, Hillsong, Reese Oliveira
Prayer for Illumination/Scripture: 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11: Sarah Heading
Anthem: Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying, sung by Cardinal Chorale
About the Composer: Ken Medema: Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943, Ken is a song writer, composer, recording artist, and story-teller through music. Blind from birth, Ken began playing the piano at age five and studied classical music by reading Braille. He graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School and studied music therapy at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. As a music therapist in both Indiana and New Jersey, he began writing songs for hurting teenagers, an experience that helped to launch a career of writing songs on Christian life that has taken him to venues large and small all over North America and beyond. (From Wikipedia)
Scripture: John 17: 1-11 : Pastor Karen
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ!
Message and Prayer for Graduates: May You Be One, Pastor Karen
Hymn: The Prayer
I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go.
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know.
Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way.
Lead us to a place.
Guide us with your grace
Give us space so we’ll be safe.
La luce che tu hai
(I pray we’ll find your light)
Nel cuore rester
(And hold it in our hearts)
A ricordarci che
(When stars go out each night)
L’eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
(Let this be our prayer)
Quanta fede c’è
(When shadows fill our day)
Lead us to a place
(Guide us with your grace)
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Sogniamo un mondo senza più violenza
Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace, e di fraternità
La forza che ci dà
(We ask that life be kind)
È il desiderio che
(And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amor
(We hope each soul will find)
Intorno e dentro a sé
(Another soul to love)
Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child.
Just like every child.
Need to find a place
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
È la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera
Affirmation of Faith: Apostles’ Creed: Jacob Heading
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Invitation to the Offering/Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication/Lord’s Prayer
Glorious God, everything that is given to us rains forth out of the abundance of your love, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless these gifts and our lives together that all we are and all we offer give glory to you. 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.
Offertory: Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, Alice Hoover, Organ
Charge/Benediction: Pastor Karen
Postlude: Battle Hymn of the Republic, Mark Wagner, Piano
Pastor Karen Crawford, The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio
Do you know about Jonah and the great fish? I would like to share that Bible story with you today. I am reading this book:
Links to children’s activities about Jonah: https://sermons4kids.com/jonah_and_the_great_fish_colorpg:
https://sermons4kids.com/jonah_runs_from_god_group_activities.htm
https://sermons4kids.com/jonah_runs_from_god_wordsearch
https://sermons4kids.com/jonah_runs_from_god_decoder
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