Sharing God's Love and Grace

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

Rev. Karen Crawford, Pastor

Alice Hoover, Liturgist

Mark Wagner, Organist, and Pam McMorrow, Pianist

Prelude: Toccata on “Darwall’s 148th” – Rejoice, the Lord Is King (Arr. by Gordon Young) Mark Wagner, Organ

Greeting/Announcements with Pastor Karen

Opening Words and Gathering Prayer with Alice Hoover

The God of our ancestors calls us to worship.     

 Praise the Lord!                                                            

Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Let us worship God!

Hymn: 423 Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun (Isaac Watts) (Arr. by Hal H. Hopson)

Mark Wagner, Organ

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To him shall endless prayer be made,
and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

Blessings abound where’er he reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen. 

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon with Pastor Karen

God of mercy, we confess that, like the disciples, we set our minds not on divine things but on human things. Doubting your loving care, we grab for more than we need. Doubting your loving purposes, we shrink from living as your followers. Doubting your loving plan, we become stumbling blocks in your creation. Forgive us that we may gain new life in you, for it is in Jesus’ forgiving name we pray. Amen.

Time with Children and Youth

Prayer for Illumination and Romans 12:9-12 with Alice Hoover

Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!

Wonderful Peace (arr. Don Moen) with Pam McMorrow

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

Refrain:
Peace, peace! wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above,
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,
In fathomless billows of love.

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away
While the years of eternity roll. [Refrain]

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control,
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul. [Refrain]

And me thinks when I rise to that city of peace
Where the Author of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom shall be: [Refrain]

Ah! soul, are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark 
O accept this sweet peace so sublime! [Refrain]

Exodus 3:1-15 with Pastor Karen

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Message: I Will Be With You

Hymn: Take Your Shoes Off Moses (Courtney Patton)

Invitation to the Offering with Pastor Karen

Offertory: Because He Lives (Amen) (Matt Maher) West Coast Choir

Prayer of Thanksgiving/Lord’s Prayer with Pastor Karen

Holy God of holy ground, like Moses, we question our fitness to serve heaven’s purposes on earth. Overcome our qualms with the assurance of your presence; bless these offerings that, through them, we may do your will; in the name of the triune One.  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: Lift High the Cross (Newbolt and Kitchin) (Harmonization by Michael Burkhardt) Mark Wagner, Organ

(Refrain)
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.

1. Come, Christians, follow where the Master trod,
our King victorious, Christ the Son of God.

2. Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.

3. Each newborn servant of the Crucified
bears on the brow the seal of him who died.

4. O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
your death has brought us life eternally.

5. So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory!

Charge and Benediction with Pastor Karen

Postlude: Tuba Tune on “My Faith Looks Up to Thee” (Arr. by Grimoaldo Macchia) Mark Wagner, Organ

Dedication from Mark: I have chosen this song in honor of our dear friend, Charles R. Snyder.  As this Sunday is our last service before your official retirement, we would like to take a moment to say thank you for all that you have done, and will continue to do, for this church.  Forty-four years of service to our Lord and to this congregation is an impressive number, but even more important is the number of lives you have touched through so many different ministries of this church.  You have taught us all to have a stronger faith and to love others just a little bit more.  You have been an important part of this church’s outreach to the community, bringing many people through the doors to hear the message of God’s love.  Your leadership and vision for the music program will be greatly missed, but we rejoice for the many gifts you have given to us over the years.  The Bunn-Minnick chapel organ includes a special stop called the “Festival Trumpet” which is only used on special occasions because it is so LOUD!  Today, it seems fitting to use it as a fanfare of praise in gratitude for your service to the church.  And just as the sound of the Zimbelstern (the bell / wind chime sound) continues to ring as the song fades away, we know you will continue to be an inspiration to all of us and we look forward to your continued friendship!  Until we can properly celebrate with you, know that we love and appreciate you.  Thank you, Chuck.

Meditation on Exodus 3:1-15

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

Pastor Karen Crawford

Aug. 30, 2020

    

     The sky was growing dark and thunderstorms were threatening on Friday afternoon when I visited Windsorwood Place, an assisted living community here in Coshocton. Because of the coronavirus, this was the first time I had been to Windsorwood since last February, perhaps, when I led worship with Communion with about 25 residents and some of our members.

      On Friday, I was happy to finally be able to see two of our parishioners at this senior living community who have been physically separated from their church and families for months. I had to arrange the visit ahead of time with Windsorwood staff. And I wasn’t able to go inside the building, as not even family members are allowed to enter the building. But Jan and Velma could come out on the porch to visit with me. Before I was allowed to sit with them, I had to answer health questions, have my temperature taken, and sign in on a clipboard.

      Then we settled on the porch together, wearing our masks and staying 6 feet apart—I in a rocker, Velma on a bench, and Jan on a folding chair.

     The trucks rumbled by and the sky grew dark and the wind began to blow. But we continued to talk and laugh for about 45 minutes—catching up where we had left off before the pandemic had separated us. We talked about our families—children and grandchildren and siblings.

     They thanked me for sending them newsletters and copies of my messages each week. They especially enjoy reading the stories that members share in our Member Spotlight feature, stories that include times of suffering, sadness, and challenges along their journeys of faith.

      Then, Velma shared a memory with us going back to WWII—when her brother, Cletus, was killed serving our country. And though it was long ago, the memory brought fresh tears—in Velma’s eyes, Jan’s and mine.

     I could sense the healing presence of the Lord our God, breaking into what started as an ordinary day, an ordinary visit, an ordinary conversation. Or was it?

    That moment of grief was intimate and sacred. Though we sat on outdoor furniture, wearing masks, and social distancing, in that moment, we were standing on holy ground.

    As I walked back to my car, raindrops splashed down and I felt renewed joy in my call to ministry. I didn’t hear an audible voice. But I knew God was calling my name.

     “Here I am,” I said.

     “I will be with you,” answered the Lord.

***

     I don’t know if Moses felt joy that day, when he was standing on holy ground in Exodus chapter 3. He certainly wasn’t anxious to say yes to God’s call on his life. But then, neither are we when we first hear God’s voice. None of us feel ready. None of us feel like we are good enough.

     He had come with his father-in-law Jethro’s flock to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, but he wasn’t looking for God. God was looking for him. And this is how he interrupted Moses’ ordinary life, ordinary day. He sends a sign—a bush that burns, but is not consumed by flame. Then an angel of the Lord calls out from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses, answers the voice, “Here I am.”

       He may not have known that he was in the presence of the Lord if the angel had not said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’”

    Moses hid his face, after that, for he was afraid to look at God.

    Acts chapter 7 tells us that 40 years had passed since Moses fled from Egypt when he was 40 years old. He comes as a refugee to Midian, named for one of the sons of Abraham with his wife, Keturah, after Sarah died. While we don’t know exactly where Midian was, it may have been on the northwest Arabian Peninsula, on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. This would have been a journey for Moses of more than 100 miles. This is a strange twist in the story, for it was Midianites who sold Moses’ ancestor Joseph into slavery in Egypt to Potiphar, captain of the Pharaoh’s guard.

     As Moses watches the fire in the bush and hears God’s voice, I wonder if he is remembering the faith in which he was raised and his miraculous survival as a Hebrew baby. His mother had placed him in a basket in the reeds of the Nile, disobeying the command that all Hebrew infant boys must be killed. Pharaoh’s own daughter discovers the Hebrew baby and adopts him as her own. But when he is grown, he witnesses the cruel treatment of his people and kills an Egyptian he has seen beating a Hebrew slave, one of his kin. Moses thinks no one has seen him and buries him in the sand. But others HAD seen him, and soon his secret is known to Pharaoh, who wants Moses killed.

      After fleeing to Midian, Moses meets the daughters of the priest, Jethro, at a well. He comes to their defense when they try to draw water for their father’s flocks and are driven away by shepherds. Moses waters their flocks, is invited into Jethro’s home, and is given the priest’s daughter, Zipporah, in marriage. Moses and Zipporah have two children and Moses begins his new life, seeking to leave the past in the past.

     Think about it. Moses is 80 years old when his peaceful life is interrupted by the burning bush! This is the first time he has heard the Lord speaking to him; the first time he hears the Lord calling his name! Moses responds reluctantly, fearfully. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

    The Lord answers by saying who God is. “I am who I am,” he says.

   And, “I will be with you.”

     Our Lord knows our names, as well. And when he calls to us, it’s to guide, empower, and encourage us to do the work the God has for us to do. Each of us has a unique situation and role in God’s plan for salvation, just as Moses had a special role for the salvation of the Israelites.

   And when we are afraid, wondering, as Moses asked, how we can possibly do the things that God is calling us to do, we have to remember that what matters isn’t who WE are. What matters is who GOD is. “I am who I am.” What matters is that we are walking with Him each day.

    Remember that whenever you answer the call, “Here I am.”

    God says, “I will be with you.”

    If we want to know the work God has for us to do, we have to open our hearts to hear God’s Word and be ready. For if we allow it and embrace it, God’s Word will work in our hearts and minds and direct and, at times, redirect, our lives.

     Romans 12 tells us how God wants us to live in these dark days, when the nation is angry, fearful, and divided, as we draw nearer to a presidential election, and struggle with a pandemic.

     Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church!

Let us pray.

Holy One, thank you for sending your Son to come to us, right where we are, to become one of us, and show us the way. Thank you for speaking to us in your Word and for your mighty Spirit that guides and empowers us to serve you. Stir us to see the signs of your presence in our world, like when Moses saw the burning bush. Help us, Lord, to sense when we are on holy ground. And to respond, “Here I am,” when you call. Teach us to love as you love, as you urge us in Romans 12. To hate evil. To hold fast to what is good, especially in these difficult days. Give us the desire to outdo one another in showing honor and be humble, not haughty, considering others as better than ourselves. Let us rejoice in hope and persevere in prayer, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Stir us to generosity for the saints and to extend hospitality to strangers. Help us to bless those who persecute us. And as much as it depends on us, grant us wisdom, patience, and strength to live peaceably with all. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Pastor Karen Crawford shares the story of Moses from Exodus in the Bible.

Here is more about Moses from Sermons4Kids:

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

Pastor Karen Crawford

Liturgist: Rev. Dr. Jim Crawford

Musician: Alice Hoover, Organist

Prelude: Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service (Setting by Wilbur Held) Alice Hoover, Organ

Greeting/Announcements with Pastor Karen

Opening Words and Gathering Prayer with Jim

You, who are many, are transformed to become one in Christ.

We, who are many, are called to worship God, the Three in One.

Let us worship God.

Hymn: Lift Every Voice and Sing (James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson) Alice Hoover, Organ

Lift ev’ry voice and sing, 
Till earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise 
High as the list’ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith 
that the dark past has taught us;
Sing a song full of the hope 
that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun 
Of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, 
Bitter the chast’ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, 
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our people sighed?
We have come over a way 
that with tears has been watered;
We have come, treading our path 
through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, 
Till now we stand at last
Where the bright gleam of our bright star is cast.

God of our weary years, 
God of our silent tears,
You who have brought us thus far on the way;
You who have by your might 
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, 
our God, where we met you;
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine 
of the world, we forget you;
Shadowed beneath your hand, 
May we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon with Pastor Karen

Forgiving God, we confess that we are conformed to this world. We conform to this world’s frantic pace, too hectic to notice all the blessings you provide. We conform to this world’s reckless waste, exploiting what you entrust to our care. We conform to this world’s shallow values, oblivious to the giftedness of people different from us. We conform to this world’s impatient attitudes, preferring the latest instead of the lasting. Forgive our conformity and transform us, O God. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Time with Children and Youth/Pastor Karen

Is He Worthy (Written by Andrew Peterson, Sung by Livi and Casey Kramer)

Prayer for Illumination and Romans 12:1-8 with Jim

Holy wisdom, holy word. Thanks be to God!

Anthem: For All He’s Done (West Coast Choir)

Exodus 1:8-2:10 with Pastor Karen

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!

Message with Pastor Karen: Your Voice Matters!

Hymn: I Saw the Light (Hank Williams Jr.) Sung by Ransomed Bluegrass

I wandered so aimless life filed with sin.
I wouldn’t let my dear savior in.
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night.
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

I saw the light, I saw the light.
No more darkness, no more night.
Now I’m so happy no sorrow in sight.
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

Just like a blind man I wandered along.
Worries and fears I claimed for my own.
Then like the blind man that God gave back his sight.
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

I saw the light, I saw the light.
No more darkness, no more night.
Now I’m so happy no sorrow in sight.
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

I was a fool to wander and stray.
Straight is the gate and narrow’s the way.
Now I have traded the wrong for the right.
Praise the Lord I saw the light,

I saw the light, I saw the light.
No more darkness, no more night.
Now I’m so happy no sorrow in sight.
Praise the Lord I saw the light.

Invitation to the Offering with Pastor Karen

Offertory:  Deep River (African American spiritual, setting by Robert J. Powell)                 Meditative music in which you can hear the moving water, reminding us of Moses                     in his basket rocking with the current. Alice Hoover, Organ

Prayer of Thanksgiving with Lord’s Prayer (Pastor Karen)

Almighty God, you took a baby from the Nile and used him to lead your people to the promised land. Take our offerings and use them for your people in this land and throughout your world. And we continue our prayer using the words that Jesus gave us. 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: Song of Hope (Argentina) Alice Hoover, Organ

May the God of hope go with us every day,
Filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
Bringing light and hope to every land and race.

Refrain:
Praying, let us work for peace,
Singing, share our joy with all,
Working for a world that’s new,
Faithful when we hear Christ’s call.

Charge/Benediction with Pastor Karen

Postlude: Hornpipe from “Water Music”  (G. F. Handel) Alice Hoover, Organ

Meditation on Exodus 1:8-2:10

The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio

Pastor Karen Crawford

Aug. 23, 2020

 

I didn’t know it at the time, but I grew up as a child of privilege. White, middle class. Both of my parents were college educated. Our family of 5 lived in a bedroom community that by its location near Washington, D.C., was a place of privilege and opportunity.

     My parents had good jobs and owned a home when I came along in 1965, after my sister and brother were born. We had not one but two color TVs and two cars, including a station wagon that carried us on family vacations every year.

     I was a child of privilege for other reasons, too. We had many books in our house, and my parents loved to read. I remember my father with a book in his hands every night after washing the dishes, dozing on the couch before bedtime. My mother used to take us to the public library to check out more books every week in summer. We hung out at the community swimming pool, reading books, eating snacks, and lying on towels spread on the grass.

     Living in suburban, Montgomery County, Maryland, we had nice schools before I knew that some kids in other places didn’t have schools that nice. We had all sorts of important visitors to our schools, including astronauts in the 1970s who let us try on their space suits and consume freeze dried food and packets of Tang Instant Breakfast Drink.

    Opportunities for learning, recreation, and service were always there for me. I was taught that I should always work hard and do my best. Nothing, including my gender, should ever get in the way of what I wanted to do for a living. I was taught that my voice mattered, and, when I answered a call to ministry in my 40s, that I should use it to help others and serve the Lord.

  God has always used women to do amazing things—both women of privilege and women from more ordinary and humble means. Think of Mary, the ordinary, pious young woman who was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. And there are many others in the Bible.

     In our OT reading today in Exodus, both a woman of privilege, the pagan daughter of the Pharaoh, and two ordinary women of extraordinary faith, Hebrew midwives, are used to ultimately, rescue the perishing and set free God’s people from slavery in Egypt. All are in the right place at the right time to do important work for God.

    The Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, are given a monstrous command. The king of Egypt tells them to kill all the Hebrew baby boys as they are born. Their ancestors had come to Egypt when Joseph was second only in power and authority to the Pharaoh of the time. He interprets the Pharaoh’s troubling dreams and saves the lives of countless people—Israelites and Egyptians and all the other refugees to Egypt during a great famine.

    By the first chapter of Exodus, Joseph has died, with all his brothers, and that whole generation. A new king, who didn’t know Joseph, comes to the throne. He doesn’t like the Israelites. He’s afraid of them. There’s too many of them! He tells his people that before you know it, they will be in power over us and Egypt will belong to the Israelites, who will “join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”

    Fear works for the king. He turns the Egyptians against the Israelites, who have lived as neighbors for more than 400 years, and have respected Joseph and his people for his service to Egypt during the famine and beyond. They learn to “dread the Israelites” and become ruthless in the tasks they impose on them, enslaving them, oppressing them into forced labor, building supply cities for the Pharaoh, making their lives bitter.

     But the midwives fear the Lord and courageously allow the male infants to live. This draws us back to that Romans reading—how we are a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God and this IS our worship, living in submission to God. We shouldn’t be conformed to the evil of this world. We should resist! The Hebrew midwives—again, ordinary women with extraordinary faith—are examples to us. And they are clever! They play into the king’s prejudice by coming up with a story about how Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women. This is what the Pharaoh already believes—they are less then human, a worthless, throwaway people. Hebrew women are “vigorous,” Shiphrah and Puah say—again, playing into his fear of their strength and increasing numbers. They give birth before the midwife arrives to help them, they say.

   And the other heroine of the story? The Pharaoh’s own daughter who rescues the Hebrew baby whom God will call as his prophet. The Egyptian princess, whose name we will discover later is Bithiah, sees the basket with the Hebrew baby among the weeds. She has so much privilege that she sends one of her maids to fetch it and bring it to her. She sees the handsome child, hears his cries. God stirs her to compassion. Compassion is a divine quality that leads us to serve. In Matthew 8:35-37, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness. (And) when he saw the crowds, he was moved to compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’”

     Bithiah spares the Hebrew child’s life, and she returns him to his own family to be raised, under her protection. And not only that, she pays Jochebed, the infant’s mother, for what is usually the unpaid work of mothering! The child doesn’t go to live with Bithiah in the palace until he is raised in his Hebrew family, learning their faith and culture. When he grows up, Jochebed keeps her promise and brings her son to live with the Pharaoh’s daughter.

    Don’t you wonder what the Pharaoh thinks of his daughter, adopting a Hebrew child? This doesn’t seem to be a secret, for the princess is the one who names him “Moses,” from the Hebrew root that means “to pull out or draw out,” because,” she says, “I drew him out of the water.”

   Bithiah disappears from the story and from the book of Exodus, then. And wouldn’t you like to know what happened to her, as Liddy Barlow, a Pennsylvania minister asks in this week’s Christian Century magazine? How did she feel when the baby she had saved became an exiled murderer? How does she feel when the child she drew out of the water one day while taking a bath returns to Egypt as a prophet with a speech impediment and demands of her father, “Let my people go,” in Exodus 5:1? How does she feel throughout the horrible plagues that visit Egypt because of her father’s refusal to release the captives?

      How does she feel on the night Moses brings his people out of Egypt, crossing the Red Sea on dry land and leading her father’s armies to drown behind them?

      In Jewish tradition, though not in the Bible, she was exiled by her father. What we know for sure is that she is listed in the genealogies of Israel in I Chronicles 4:17-18 under the descendants of Judah.

     The Egyptian princess who had been attended by servants became a wilderness refugee with Moses, wandering with her new family for 40 years. She marries an Israelite named Mered and names her daughter, Miriam, after Moses’ older sister, the brave girl who was charged with following along the riverbank that day to watch the baby in the basket float downstream.

    The genealogy in 1 Chronicles 4, then, makes Bithiah the great great aunt of Jesus, says Liddy Barlow, “an unlikely ancestor winking from the family tree.”

    Think for a moment how God has blessed you. Think of the times that the Lord has rescued in your distress, guided you through the wilderness, and how God has used you to help others, perhaps while you were hurting. You don’t know all the ways God has used you, but you know some of them!

     How has the Lord put you in positions of privilege or simply in the right place at the right time, like Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives who spared the lives of the Hebrew babies, and Bithiah, who drew God’s would-be prophet out of the water and adopted him as her own son?

    Though their lives are very different, Shiphrah, Puah, and Bithiah have hearts filled with compassion and courage when God desires to use them for his loving purposes. They resist the temptation to give in to fear and be conformed to the dark world around them. They are willing to risk everything, their very existence, to do the right thing. Their hearts would not let them do otherwise.

   Their voices mattered, just as your voice matters! Are you using your voice to help others and serve the Lord? I hope you will!

   The one who stands out to me in our Exodus passage today is the woman of privilege—the daughter of the Pharaoh. For after she used her privilege to help others, she gave up her life of privilege to embrace a new life of trusting in the God of Moses as a wandering wilderness refugee, marrying into the family of Jesus.

      Be courageous like Shiphrah, Puah, Bithiah, and Moses. The Lord your God will be with you as He always was with them.

    Remember God’s everlasting love and forgiveness for you. God has a good plan for your life—for your wellbeing and not your harm. A future filled with hope, no matter how dark the world around you may seem. Cry out to the Lord, and he will answer you.

    “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the privilege of calling you Father, for being chosen to do your work. Thank you for the promise of transformation and that you will renew our minds and allow us to discern your will—what is good and acceptable and perfect—when we seek you. Thank you for using people of privilege and ordinary, humble means to accomplish your loving purposes. Help us to be courageous and use our voices to serve you and help others in need. Give us grace to see one another as you see us—not as we are, but what we will become as you transform us. Help us to be patient with ourselves and all the circumstances of our lives, trusting in your goodness, compassion and love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Pastor Karen Crawford, The Presbyterian Church, Coshocton, Ohio

This week, Pastor Karen reads, What Do You Do With A Voice Like That by Chris Barton and Ekua Holmes

Here is a Lesson about how God cares for you from Sermons4Kids:

And here is a wonderful song of praise:

Is He Worthy (Written by Andrew Peterson, Sung by Livi and Casey Kramer)

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

The Rev. Karen Crawford, Pastor

Diane Jones, Liturgist

Alice Hoover and Mark Wagner, Musicians

Prelude: Partita on Crimond (Arr. by Gordon Young) Alice Hoover, Organ

Greeting/Announcements: Pastor Karen

Opening Words and Gathering Prayer with Diane Jones

God has forgiven us and drawn us close, reconciling us through Jesus Christ, who has lavished upon us the fullness of the blessed Holy Spirit.

With glad and grateful hearts, praise the Lord!

Hymn: You Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim (Charles Wesley) Alice Hoover, Organ

You servants of God, your Master proclaim, 
and publish abroad his wonderful name; 
the name all-victorious of Jesus extol; 
his kingdom is glorious and rules over all. 

God rules in the height, almighty to save; 
though hid from our sight, his presence we have; 
the great congregation his triumph shall sing, 
ascribing salvation to Jesus our King. 

“Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!” 
let all cry aloud, and honor the Son; 
the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, 
fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb. 

Then let us adore and give him his right: 
all glory and power, all wisdom and might, 
all honor and blessing with angels above 
and thanks never ceasing for infinite love. 

Call to Confession/Prayer of Confession/Assurance of Pardon with Pastor Karen

Have mercy on us, Lord Jesus;  Our lives have been disrupted by the devil and by our own devilish desires and evil exploits. We are dismayed at your presence,  anguished by the awful fallout of our own failures. We cannot take back what we have said or undo what we have done or atone for the agony we have caused. We are haunted by the past, plagued by the present, and fearful of the future. We shrink away from your gaze as strangers outside your circle of blessing.  Yet the faith you have planted in us reaches out for your favor, returns to your presence, and hungers for your mercy,  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Time with Children and Youth

Hymn: Let Us Build a House (All Are Welcome) (Marty Haugen)

Prayer for Illumination with Pastor Karen

Merciful Savior, your suffering has saved our lives,  secured our future, and restored us to relationship with God.  Remove the shame and fear that cause us to cower in your presence. By the power of your Spirit, open our eyes and hearts to your Word of love, mercy, healing, and blessing;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Genesis 45:1-15 Reading with Diane Jones

Holy wisdom, Holy word. Thanks be to God!

Matthew 15:10–28 Reading with Pastor Karen

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

Message   What’s Growing in Your Garden?

Hymn: In the Bulb There Is a Flower (Natalie Sleeth) Alice Hoover, Organ

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Invitation to the Offering with Pastor Karen

Offertory: Praising the Almighty (Edward Broughton) Mark Wagner, Organ

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Dedication/The Lord’s Prayer with Pastor Karen

Gracious Lord, you have given us more mercy than we could imagine and more blessings than we deserve. Receive now these gifts as tokens of our gratitude to you, that your mercy may be multiplied and your blessings abound to embrace all those in need. 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: The Welcome Table (African American Folk Song) Courtney Patton

I’m gonna sit at the welcome table
I’m gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, hallelujah
I’m gonna sit at the welcome table
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days

I’m gonna feast on milk and honey
Oh yes, I’m gonna feast on milk and honey one of these days, hallelujah
I’m gonna feast on milk and honey
Feast on milk and honey one of these days, one of these days

I’m gonna to tell God how you treat me
Yes, I’m gonna to tell God how you treat me one of these days, hallelujah
I’m gonna to tell God how you treat me
Tell God how you treat me one of these days, one of these days

Yes, hallelujah
Welcome table, one of these days

All God’s children gonna sit together
Yes, all God’s children gonna sit together one of these days, hallelujah
All God’s children gonna sit together
All God’s children gonna sit together, one of these days, one of these days

I’m gonna sit at the welcome table
Yes, I’m gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, hallelujah
I’m gonna sit at the welcome table
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days
Yes, gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, one of these days

Charge and Benediction with Pastor Karen

Postlude: O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing  (Arr. by Marilyn Arison) Alice Hoover, Organ

Pastor Karen Crawford

Today, I am reading the story, Joseph, the Favorite Son. It doesn’t tell everything that happens to Joseph! If you want to know the whole story, with all the wonderful details, you can find it in the book of Genesis, beginning at chapter 37.

You can also watch a cartoon that tells a little bit more about Joseph’s story in Genesis.

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

The Rev. Chris Stewart, Guest Preacher

The Rev. Dr. Jim Crawford, Liturgist

Musicians: Mark Wagner and Roger Besst

Prelude: By Waters Still (Austin C. Lovelace) Mark Wagner, Organ

Greeting with Rev. Chris Stewart

Happy birthday this week to Jan Leavengood, Debbie Clark, Cole Mullen, Wes Simpson, Katie Hildreth, Barb Custer, and Geri Nichols!

Happy anniversary this week to Chris and Karen Yost, Bill and Jo Ellen Kobel, and Randy and Cindy Walling!

Opening Words and Gathering Prayer with Jim Crawford

The peace God speaks envelops us with wholeness,  restores balance, and repairs all brokenness.

Steadfast love and faithfulness, righteousness and peace, meet, kiss, spring up, gaze down, encompassing all creation in goodness.

Surely God’s salvation is at hand!

Hymn: I Sing the Mighty Power of God (Isaac Watts, Arr. by Mark Thallander ) Mark Wagner, Organ

I sing the mighty pow’r of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flow’r below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God, art present there.

Call to Confession, Prayer of Confession, Assurance of Pardon with Jim Crawford

Gracious God, you call us to step out in faith, trusting in you for all things. We respond to your command but then sink in doubt and fear. We hide from the challenges of bold discipleship. We are not able to fulfill your commandments, for our purposes are never in full accord with yours. Forgive us, we pray, when we confess with our lips but do not believe in our hearts. Help us to practice our faith in all circumstances. Lift us out of sin into the arms of your mercy. Though we are distracted by noise all around, allow us to hear your voice even when it is the sound of sheer silence. . . . We pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Time with Children: Joseph’s Brothers are Jealous: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

https://pastorkaren.org/2020/08/07/aug-9-2020-message-for-children-and-youth/

Prayer for Illumination and I Kings 19:9-18 and Matt. 14:22-33, with Pastor Chris

Message: No Pandemic Can Overcome Us

Hymn: O Master Let Me Walk with Thee (Washington Gladden, Arr. by Mark Thallander) Mark Wagner, Organ

O Master, let me walk with Thee
in lowly paths of service free;
tell me Thy secret; help me bear
the strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move
by some clear, winning word of love;
teach me the wayward feet to stay,
and guide them in the homeward way.

Teach me Thy patience, still with Thee
in closer, dearer company,
in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,
in trust that triumphs over wrong.

 In hope that sends a shining ray
far down the future’s broad’ning way;
in peace that only Thou canst give,
with Thee, O Master, let me live.

Prayers of the People and Lord’s Prayer with Jill Duffield, Editor of Presbyterian Outlook

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Thanksgiving with Jim Crawford

Generous God, we thank you for your call and claim upon our lives. Because there is so much more we can become, and so much more we can do, we pray that our faith will increase; that our practice of generosity will be enlarged; and that our joy in believing will encourage others as we share with them the good news of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Hymn: How Great Thou Art (Swedish Folk Melody) Roger Besst, Piano

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow with humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Charge and Benediction with Chris Stewart

Postlude: Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Arranged by Diane Bish) Mark Wagner, Organ