31st Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 2, 2008 10:45 o’clock
WE OFFER PRAISE TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE PRELUDE Claude Debussy
Prelude No. 1
“Danseuses de Delphes”
THE JOYS AND CONCERNS OF THE CONGREGATION
Pastor: The joys and concerns have been shared.
People: Let us prepare our hearts for worship.
THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF PEACE
Air Henry Purcell
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: |
We gather in the hope that the ache of God will penetrate the numbness of our humanity. |
People: We gather in the prayer that in the emotional extremes of life, desperate actions will be made in peace.
Leader: We gather in the belief that a higher consciousness can shatter our acceptance of violence and create in us a new vision for living.
People: We gather in faith that a new social reality may appear in our midst.
* THE HYMN OF PRAISE 526 SINE NOMINE
* THE CALL TO CONFESSION
Human love explodes in rare moments of overwhelming bliss and human hate erupts in violence and death. We are called to the heart of all Goodness where human passion finds sublime expression.
* THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Gracious and merciful God, you created us to be in community. You have given unto us the powers of fine discernments and the capacity for much love. You have placed within our hearts and souls the wonderful gift of sacrifice and forgiveness. Now in this hour, we pray that you would be gentle on our soul, tender with our affections, patient with our understanding, nurturing to our body. For all wherein we have displeased thee, we confess our sin and pray that we might experience the grace of your forgiveness and redeeming love. For we know that “forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” Amen.
* THE TIME OF SILENCE
* THE ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Leader: Dear friends, children, women, men, old and young, from all manner and walks of life, in weakness and in pain, in sin and in goodness, in care and in recklessness; hear this good news: there is nothing in all this world or out of this world that our creator God can not recreate. In the life and death of Jesus Christ the universe is never out of God’s healing and restoring grace and we are never removed from the wholeness of creation.
People: Thanks be to God.
* THE SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Leader: Let us share Christ’s peace.
THE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Deuteronomy 34: 1 – 4 [p. 168]
THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSON Ephesians 4: 11 – 16 [p. 951]
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THE ANTHEM John Bell
I Owe My Lord a Morning Song
THE SERMON Rev. Deb Rundlett
THE HYMN OF MEDITATION 391 (please remain seated) HENDON
THE CHURCH IN MISSION Elaine Smith Snyder
THE OFFERTORY Jake Briggs
Improvisation
The Service of Holy Communion
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God!
They will come from east and west,
and from north and south,
and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
According to Luke,
when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples,
he took the bread, and blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened
and they recognized him.
This is the Lord’s table.
Our Savior invites those who trust him
to share the feast that he has prepared.
The scripture records that on the night before Jesus died, he took bread, and after giving thanks,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Leader: It is truly right and our greatest joy
to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord our God, creator and ruler of the universe.
In your wisdom, you made all things
and sustain them by your power.
You formed us in your image,
setting us in this world to love and to serve you,
and to live in peace with your whole creation.
People: When we rebelled against you
refusing to trust and obey you,
you did not reject us,
but still claimed us as your own.
You sent prophets to call us back to your way.
Leader: Then in the fullness of time,
out of your great love for the world,
you sent your only Son to be one of us,
to redeem us and heal our brokenness.
People: Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with choirs of angels,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs,
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name. Amen.
THE ACT OF PRAISE 580 SANCTUS
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory:
Glory be to Thee,
O Lord Most High. Amen.
The Prayers for Sanctification and Intercession
Leader: Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ’s body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.
Leader: Remember your church . . .
and empower it in ministry to the world.
Leader: Remember the world of nations . . .
People: By your Spirit renew the face of the earth;
let peace and justice prevail.
Leader: Remember our family and friends . . .
People: Bless them and watch over them;
be gracious to them and give them peace.
Leader: Remember the sick and the suffering,
the aged and the dying . . .
People: Encourage them and give them hope.
Leader: Rejoicing in the communion of saints,
we remember with thanksgiving
all your faithful servants, and those dear to us,
whom you have called from this life. . .
People: We are grateful that for them death is no more,
nor is there sorrow, crying, or pain,
for the former things have passed away.
Leader: In union with your church in heaven and on earth,
we pray, O God, that you will fulfill your eternal purpose
in us and in all the world.
Keep us faithful in your service
until Christ comes in final victory,
and we shall feast with all your saints
in the joy of your eternal realm.
All: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
The Sharing of the Eucharist: The Distribution of the Elements
The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread,
and after giving thanks to God,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord,
until he comes.
THE COMMUNION MELODY J. S. Bach
arr. Myra Hess
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
* THE HYMN OF DEDICATION 555 NUN DANKET ALLE GOTT
Now Thank We All Our God
* THE CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
THE POSTLUDE Camille Saint-Saëns
(1835 – 1922)
My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice
[Aria from “Samson and Delilah”]
*Those who are able are invited to stand.
Leading in worship are The Rev. Deb Rundlett, Preacher of the Day; Cinny Gooch, Liturgist & Celebrant; Bob Iams, Pianist; and Charles J. Briggs, Organist.
Greeters are Reg and Marj Kramer.
Child Care is provided in the Nursery Room.
Deacons will meet in the kitchen area following this morning’s worship service. We will prepare Thanksgiving Gift Bags for shut-ins and other church members.
BorderLinks Committee invites you to a "popcorn and movie night" this evening at 7:00 p.m. in The Meeting Place. "Crossing Arizona" shows the hotly debated issues of illegal immigration and border security on the US/Mexico border. This film was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Following the 75-minute film we will have a short question and answer period.
Sr. Highs - will meet tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Church House Lounge.
Dance Group – Wednesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
Choir Rehearsal – Wednesday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the Choir Room.
Sunday, November 9, at 7:00 p.m. a screening of the documentary film "Long Nights Journey Into Day" will be shown in The Meeting Place. This is a follow up to the Sunday series on "justice" and is a study of four amnesty hearings during the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission's work in the late 1990s. This is an exceptional documentary. All are Welcome.
Amahl & the Night Visitors, Menotti’s magical Christmas opera – Sunday, November 23, at 5:00 p.m. at Akron’s Westminster Church, 1250 W. Exchange St., Akron. Admission is free. (Info: 330-836-2226 or www.westminsterakron.com)
The Westminster Tea Society is having one of its periodic meetings on Sunday, November 30 (Thanksgiving weekend) at 1:00 p.m. at the historic Octagon House on route 57 near route 585. We will have a High Victorian Tea buffet with sandwiches, tea and trifle at a cost of $20 per person. A $10 deposit is required by the facility. Please make your reservation with Linda Barbu before November 19. We need a minimum of 10 people, but can accommodate up to 30. Car pooling is expected, leaving from the Church House after worship. Family and friends are welcome, too.
PEOPLE TO PEOPLE COLLECTIONS DURING NOVEMBER - Your mission committee is accepting weekly food contributions and/or new toy items for People to People during the month of November. If each of us could contribute one new toy for the Christmas Toy Project, we would make a significant contribution. Please check the display case and/or bulletin board for suggestions if you don't receive a monthly news letter from People to People.
BED AND BREAKFAST TOUR A SUCCESS - The Bed and Breakfast Tour on September 27 netted a bit over $1,200. With an anonymous donation, a total of $1,500 will be enough to fund three micro loans to small entrepreneurs in Ghana, Africa, through the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. This is a true gift to the church as well as to the entrepreneurs since the best interest rate the church can secure is 25%. Thanks to all who supported this first time effort through volunteering to be a docent, buying tickets or supplying flowers.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street 330-263-2398
Carroll Meyer, Pastor 263-2208 [cmeyer@wooster.edu]
Website: www.wooster.edu/westminster
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE ORDER OF WORSHIP
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 14, 2008 10:45 o’clock
WE OFFER PRAISE TO THE GLORY OF GOD
HE PRELUDE J. S. Bach
Pastor: The joys and concerns have been shared.
People: Let us prepare our hearts for worship.
Musette J. S. Bach
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: |
The Holy Spirit of God, hovering over the abyss of creation, spoke to the whirlwind. Out of the chaos came beauty, majesty, order and meaning to the cosmos, life and love to all |
People: We have brought our world and our lives before the same Spirit of God. We yearn for the voice that will continue bringing beauty to our world and love to all people.
Leader: Our Lord Jesus Christ said that God would not leave us alone, that the Holy Comforter would be our companion.
People: Let us worship God.
THE HYMN OF PRAISE 268 HOLY MANNA
* THE CALL TO CONFESSION
Friends, our sins may seem slight to us, but unconfessed, they are a barrier between ourselves and God. Let us confess our sins and be forgiven and renewed.
* THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Merciful God, before whom all hearts are open and no secrets are hid, we confess before you those acts of sin we have committed, against you, against our neighbor, against your creation itself. We also pray that by your healing mercy you would transform the invisible and unseen powers over our lives: state power, economic power, the assumption of legitimate violence and war, our futile flights from insecurity, of righteous consumerism.
* THE TIME FOR SILENT PERSONAL CONFESSION
* THE DECLARATION OF PARDON Romans 8: 35 – 39 [p. 919]
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
WESTMINSTER STORY CORPS Mary Kilpatrick
* THE SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE
Leader: Peace, my friends.
Congregation: Peace to you.
Leader: Let us share God’s Peace.
THE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN One Hen
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Psalm 130, Psalm 131 [p. 500]
THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS I Peter 1: 17 – 25 [p. 983]
Revelation 21: 1 - 7 [p. 1007]
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THE ANTHEM John Bell
One is the Body
THE SERMON Mr. Meyer
“Eternal Patience – Eternal Renewal”
THE HYMN OF MEDITATION 240 (please remain seated) AUS TIEFER NOT
Out of the Depths
THE PRAYERS OF PRAISE AND INTERCESSION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE CHURCH IN MISSION Sue Coleman
* THE DOXOLOGY (in unison)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye choirs in song;
Rejoice, be grateful, all life long. Amen.
* THE PRAYER OF DEDICATION
* THE HYMN OF COMMITMENT 368 African-American spiritual
* THE CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Improvisation on “Peace Like a River”
*Those who are able are invited to stand.
Leading in worship are Carroll C. Meyer, Pastor; Ingrid Thvedt, Liturgist; and Charles J. Briggs, Organist.
The Flowers this morning are given to the Glory of God and with gratitude for the life of Flora Barbu Vaughn.
Greeters are Marty and David Moldstad.
Child Care is provided in the Nursery Room.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street 330-263-2398
Carroll Meyer, Pastor 263-2208 [cmeyer@wooster.edu]
Website: www.wooster.edu/westminster
Church Notes
Sr. Highs - will meet tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Church House Lounge.
Choir Rehearsal – Thursday, September 18, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
Community Peace Education Notes – Please continue to check the WPC web site on a regular basis. You are a critical link in making it into an accurate representation of who and what we are as a church. The web site is probably our most prominent entryway for the community at large, and a potentially great way for us to communicate internally—intra-congregationally. Please notify Sue Brown or David Gillespie if you see any typos or incorrect information, and we will do our best to make corrections within two weekdays of your call. (Please see the Peace & Justice Library Highlights on display in the Narthex.) -- DRG
Flowers are one of the many of God’s creations meant for sharing. Flowers can be fun to arrange and are attributed to the Glory of God as part of our worship. Please sign up at the back of the Sanctuary for a time to share live flowers with the rest of the congregation on Sunday mornings. Bouquets do not have to be professional and many in our congregation make their own arrangements. The local farmer’s markets as well as discount stores (Aldi’s or Wal-Mart, for example) have low cost flowers. If you would like to commemorate a person or event, please let Sue Brown in the church office know. If you have any questions or ideas, please see or call Ruth McKenzie or your deacon about creative ways you can bring God’s creation indoors on Sunday morning.
Peace & Justice Library Highlights – Thanks to Mary Kilpatrick, the Peace & Justice Library has two new children’s books: Jeanette Winter’s Wangari’s Trees of Peace, and Katie Smith Milway’s One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference. Since the story of One Hen will be the theme of today’s “Time with the Children,” this highlight will focus on Jeanette Winter’s children’s version of the story of Wangari Maathai. In her book, Winter has condensed all of the meaningful elements of Wangari’s story: the verdant surroundings of her Kenyan village as she was growing up; how she was given the opportunity to study in America; and how when she returned to her native home, she reacted to the deforestation of the countryside. Wangari responded by planting trees—a few seedlings. Then she decided to plant many more. Soon she enlisted the help of other women in the village, and compensated them for their work if the tree→ seedlings were still living after three months. Soon, she had many women from various parts of Kenya, and eventually thirty countries throughout Africa, planting seedlings to counter the effects of extensive deforestation. What started as a few seedlings became known as the Green Belt Movement Kenya 1977. Wangari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her seminal role in the significant contribution of this movement to world peace. In African tradition, the tree is a symbol of peace. This book, and One Hen, are on display in the Narthex, and available for borrowing. Just provide the requested information on the green sign-out card next to the book.
The 40th Annual Fall Academy of Religion will begin its series of free lectures on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. beginning September 17 through October 22. Sessions will be held in the Lean Lecture Room on the lower level of Wishart Hall, at Bever and University Streets on The College of Wooster campus. The focus will be on ‘The Psalms: Praying and Singing the Seasons of Our Faith.’
BED AND BREAKFAST TOUR - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The Mission Committee invites you to attend this tour developed to fund micro loans for the area of Ghana in which Divine Gbagbo lives. If you are curious about B & B accommodations for guests and parents, now is your opportunity to see them first hand! For $10, you can tour 4 inns and see the former Leila Belle Inn owned by Marty and Jim Taggart. Tickets are available after worship, in the Church office, at both Wooster Buehler’s Markets and at Maurer Pharmacy. We still need volunteers to bake cookies, one more person to supply a bouquet for the B & Bs, and people to act as a second docent along with a Mission Committee member at each of the B & Bs. A sign up sheet is in the narthex.
A note from former WPC intern Mieke Vandersall, ’98:
I have always been so grateful for Carroll’s belief in my own call to ministry. In his own special way he has supported my ministry in immeasurable ways. Carroll believes in an inclusive church where a wide variety of voices can be known and valued and heard and consistently works for those of us on the margins to be brought into the center. Thank you, Carroll, for teaching me and so many of us what ministry is about!
I am currently Minister Director of Presbyterian Welcome, New York City, New York.
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
September 7, 2008 10:45 o’clock
WE OFFER PRAISE TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE PRELUDE J. S. Bach
arr. Lawrence Rosen
Air on a G string
THE JOYS AND CONCERNS OF THE CONGREGATION
Pastor: The joys and concerns have been shared.
People: Let us prepare our hearts for worship.
THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLE OF PEACE
J. S. Bach
Invention No. 8 in F major
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: |
We gather in the hope that the ache of God will penetrate the numbness of our humanity. |
People: We gather in the prayer that in the emotional extremes of life, desperate actions will be made in peace.
Leader: We gather in the belief that a higher consciousness can shatter our acceptance of violence and create in us a new vision for living.
People: We gather in faith that a new social reality may appear in our midst.
* THE HYMN OF PRAISE 466 AZMON
* THE CALL TO CONFESSION
Human love explodes in rare moments of overwhelming bliss and human hate erupts in violence and death. We are called to the heart of all Goodness where human passion finds sublime expression.
* THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Gracious and merciful God, you created us to be in community. You have given unto us the powers of fine discernments and the capacity for much love. You have placed within our hearts and souls the wonderful gift of sacrifice and forgiveness. Now in this hour, we pray that you would be gentle on our soul, tender with our affections, patient with our understanding, nurturing to our body. For all wherein we have displeased thee, we confess our sin and pray that we might experience the grace of your forgiveness and redeeming love. For we know that “forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” Amen.
* THE TIME OF SILENCE
* THE ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Leader: Dear friends, children, women, men, old and young, from all manner and walks of life, in weakness and in pain, in sin and in goodness, in care and in recklessness; hear this good news: there is nothing in all this world or out of this world that our creator God can not recreate. In the life and death of Jesus Christ the universe is never out of God’s healing and restoring grace and we are never removed from the wholeness of creation.
People: Thanks be to God.
* THE SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Leader: Let us share Christ’s peace.
THE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN The caged bird
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Exodus 12: 1 – 14 [p. 51]
THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS Romans 13: 8 – 14 [p. 923]
Matthew 18: 15 – 20 [p. 799]
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THE ANTHEM Southern Folk Tune
arr. David N. Johnson
The Lone, Wild Bird
THE SERMON Molly Dowell Baum
THE HYMN OF MEDITATION 407 (please remain seated) EL CAMINO
THE CHURCH IN MISSION Elaine Smith Snyder
THE OFFERTORY Selected
The Service of Holy Communion
Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God!
They will come from east and west,
and from north and south,
and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
According to Luke,
when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples,
he took the bread, and blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened
and they recognized him.
This is the Lord’s table.
Our Savior invites those who trust him
to share the feast that he has prepared.
The scripture records that on the night before Jesus died, he took bread, and after giving thanks,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Leader: It is truly right and our greatest joy
to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord our God, creator and ruler of the universe.
In your wisdom, you made all things
and sustain them by your power.
You formed us in your image,
setting us in this world to love and to serve you,
and to live in peace with your whole creation.
People: When we rebelled against you
refusing to trust and obey you,
you did not reject us,
but still claimed us as your own.
You sent prophets to call us back to your way.
Leader: Then in the fullness of time,
out of your great love for the world,
you sent your only Son to be one of us,
to redeem us and heal our brokenness.
People: Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with choirs of angels,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs,
and with all the faithful of every time and place,
who forever sing to the glory of your name. Amen.
THE ACT OF PRAISE 580 SANCTUS
Holy, Holy, Holy,
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory:
Glory be to Thee,
O Lord Most High. Amen.
The Prayers for Sanctification and Intercession
Leader: Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these your gifts of bread and wine,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ’s body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.
Leader: Remember your church . . .
and empower it in ministry to the world.
Leader: Remember the world of nations . . .
People: By your Spirit renew the face of the earth;
let peace and justice prevail.
Leader: Remember our family and friends . . .
People: Bless them and watch over them;
be gracious to them and give them peace.
Leader: Remember the sick and the suffering,
the aged and the dying . . .
People: Encourage them and give them hope.
Leader: Rejoicing in the communion of saints,
we remember with thanksgiving
all your faithful servants, and those dear to us,
whom you have called from this life. . .
People: We are grateful that for them death is no more,
nor is there sorrow, crying, or pain,
for the former things have passed away.
Leader: In union with your church in heaven and on earth,
we pray, O God, that you will fulfill your eternal purpose
in us and in all the world.
Keep us faithful in your service
until Christ comes in final victory,
and we shall feast with all your saints
in the joy of your eternal realm.
All: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
The Sharing of the Eucharist: The Distribution of the Elements
The Lord Jesus, on the night of his arrest, took bread,
and after giving thanks to God,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the saving death of the risen Lord,
until he comes.
THE COMMUNION MELODY J. S. Bach
arr. Myra Hess
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
* THE HYMN OF DEDICATION 411 FESTAL SONG
Arise, Your Light Is Come!
* THE CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
THE POSTLUDE Frédéric Chopin
Etude in E major “Tristessa”
*Those who are able are invited to stand.
Leading in worship are Molly Dowell Baum, Guest Preacher; The Rev. Dr. Carroll C. Meyer, Liturgist and Celebrant; and Charles J. Briggs, Organist.
Greeter is Don Fraunfelder.
Child Care is provided in the Nursery Room.
Deacons will meet in Mackey Kitchen immediately following the worship service. A light lunch will be provided.
Dance Group – Wednesday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
Choir Rehearsal – Thursday, September 11, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
GIFTS OF THE HEART KIT ASSEMBLY - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 AFTER WORSHIP - Can you spare about 20 minutes after worship to pack school and hygiene kits? We'll pack at least 95 school kits and 25 hygiene kits. These will be delivered to Mansfield fairgrounds on September 20 and placed in a truck from Church World Service. Although we don't have initial shipping expenses, we do need to send $240 to Church World Service to defray the cost of shipping from the warehouse to disaster area. If you haven't participated in collecting components but would like to assist, please consider a financial contribution toward the final shipping. As Church World Service says, "little things mean a lot.” Thank you everyone for your contributions!
Community Peace Education Notes – Please continue to check the WPC web site on a regular basis. You are a critical link in making it into an accurate representation of who and what we are as a church. The web site is probably our most prominent entryway for the community at large, and a potentially great way for us to communicate internally—intra-congregationally. Please notify Sue Brown or David Gillespie if you see any typos or incorrect information, and we will do our best to make corrections within two weekdays of your call. (Please see the Peace & Justice Library Highlights on display in the Narthex.) -- DRG
The 40th Annual Fall Academy of Religion will begin its series of free lectures on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. beginning September 17 through October 22. Sessions will be held in the Lean Lecture Room on the lower level of Wishart Hall, at Bever and University Streets on The College of Wooster campus. The focus this year will be on ‘The Psalms: Praying and Singing the Seasons of Our Faith.’
Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street 330-263-2398
Carroll Meyer, Pastor 263-2208 [cmeyer@wooster.edu]
Website: www.wooster.edu/westminster
Church Notes
The third, monthly Peace-Potluck & Song-Fest will be held Saturday, September 13, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Church House lawn (in The Meeting Place, in case of rain). Bring a musical instrument and your favorite song that highlights peace and justice issues. We welcome your participation. Also, this time we are adding poetry to the mix. Bring a favorite poem—whether published or fresh off the scratch pad—that relates to our themes. This program series is designed with children in mind, first, but having their adults along to participate is also a key element for its success. Bring a dish, and a blanket, and enjoy a picnic and sing-along in these last weeks of summer.
BED AND BREAKFAST TOUR - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The Mission Committee invites you to attend this tour developed to fund micro loans for the area of Ghana in which Divine Gbagbo lives. If you are curious about B & B accommodations available for guests and parents, now is your opportunity to see them first hand! For $10, you can tour 4 inns and see the former Leila Belle Inn owned by Marty and Jim Taggart. Tickets are available after worship, in the Church House office, at both Wooster Buehler’s Markets and at Maurer Pharmacy. We still need volunteers to bake cookies, three more persons to supply bouquets for the B & Bs, and people to act as a second docent along with a Mission Committee member at each of the B & Bs. A sign up sheet is in the narthex.
A note from former WPC intern Mieke Vandersall, ’98:
I have always been so grateful for Carroll’s belief in my own call to ministry. In his own special way he has supported my ministry in immeasurable ways. Carroll believes in an inclusive church where a wide variety of voices can be known and valued and heard and consistently works for those of us on the margins to be brought into the center. Thank you, Carroll, for teaching me and so many of us what ministry is about!
I am currently Minister Director of Presbyterian Welcome, New York City, New York.
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THE ORDER OF WORSHIP
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 31, 2008 10:45 o’clock
WE OFFER PRAISE TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE PRELUDE J. S. Bach
Prelude and Fugue in F Major
THE JOYS AND CONCERNS OF THE CONGREGATION
Leader: The Joys and Concerns have been shared.
People: Let us prepare our hearts for worship.
Brian Dykstra
Little Waltz for My Beautiful Daughter (1942 - )
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: |
Greetings and welcome to worship. We have come to praise God for the gift of creation, for the love of people, for the privilege of serving Christ in the world. |
Congregation: We celebrate and praise God in song, in prayers of gratitude and in lives lived in obedience.
Leader: Greetings and welcome to worship. We have come to praise God for the gift of creation, for the love of people, for the privilege of serving Christ in the world.
→
Congregation: We come to worship God amidst the community of faith, to give public witness to the God who created us and all creation, to give testimony to the God who gave us a loving community in which to live and thrive, to the God who calls us to a mission to be pursued with courage in the world.
Leader: Let us worship God.
* THE HYMN OF PRAISE 265 WAREHAM
Great God, We Sing That Mighty Hand
* THE CALL TO CONFESSION
If we say we have done nothing to separate ourselves from God we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let us humble ourselves and submit our conscience to a higher calling.
* THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Holy God, we present to you our world shattered, filled with violence, ugliness, disease and hate. We present to you our world in need, pleading for forgiveness, love, reconciliation and healing. Holy God, we present to you ourselves as part of that broken world, pleading for courage and hope to live into another day. By your mercy and compassion, by your love that knows no bounds, hold us and heal us and bring us into a holier place.
* THE TIME FOR SILENT PRAYER
* THE DECLARATION OF PARDON
The ancients were right and true. The wise spiritual leaders of old knew the healing powers of confession. James the brother of Jesus called confession the builder of community. Friends, hear and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. You are a new creation. Live your new life. Amen.
THE SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Leader: Let us share Christ’s peace.
THE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN Dog walls
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Proverbs 2: 1 – 12 [p. 510]
THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSON Acts 26: 1 - 29 [p. 910]
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THE SERMON Mr. Meyer
“The Best Book I Ever Read”
THE HYMN OF MEDITATION 165 (please remain seated) ST. FLAVIAN
When in the Night I Meditate
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE CHURCH IN MISSION Krista Asher
THE OFFERTORY Selected
* THE PRAYER OF DEDICATION
How Firm a Foundation
* THE CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
* Those who are able are invited to stand.
Leading in worship are Carroll Meyer, Pastor; Kylie Carpenter, Liturgist; and Charles J. Briggs, Organist.
The Flowers this morning are given to the Glory of God and in celebration of all those that heed God's call.
Child Care is provided in the Nursery Room.
Church Partnership Committee will meet in the Lounge following this morning’s worship service.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
353 East Pine Street 263-2398
Carroll Meyer, Pastor 263-2208 [cmeyer@wooster.edu]
Website: www.wooster.edu/westminster
Church Notes
Dance Group – Wednesday, September 3, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
Choir Rehearsal – Thursday, September 4, at 7:00 p.m. in Mackey Hall.
Deacons will meet next Sunday, September 7, in Mackey Kitchen immediately following the worship service. A light lunch will be provided.
Adult Christian Study -- For those interested in participating in Rich Bell’s upcoming series during the month of September, titled “Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation,” and based on his most recent book, Rethinking Justice: Restoring Our Humanity, be advised that, once ordered, it takes about one week for delivery of the book to the Wooster Book Company. It is available currently in paperback only, and the price is $31.95. The series begins next Sunday, so if you would like a printed copy to read and reference during the series, you need to order it right away. If the text is available online, as Rich was told, I have not been able to locate it. The “Google-Books,” text, mentioned as a source in last week’s announcement, occasionally skips a couple of pages, so it is not a complete copy. I also checked for an electronic copy with the ebooks collection of CleveNet, but they do not have it as yet. Professor’s Bell’s book is very thought-provoking and helps to guide us to a more enlightened concept of justice, than is the normal fare in our Western culture. The issues and questions raised are central to all of us, even if we’re not thinking about them most of the time. So let’s devote a few Sundays of the Adult Class, plus some valuable, thoughtful reading time to these issues, the understanding of which are so essential to the encouragement and cultivation of a kind of justice that will make sustainable peace in our world a more real possibility. -- DRG
Thank you from the BorderLinks committee. We appreciate all the volunteers who assisted with the Hartville Ministries this summer. This was coordinated by Mary Kilpatrick. Volunteers were Cheryl Weiss, Jean Brazee, Dorothy Iams, Rich Bell, Ruth MacKenzie, Jim Collier, Janelle Collier, Jimmy Meyer and Linda Rea.
GIFTS OF THE HEART NEEDS
To complete 90 school kits: 8 tote bags
To complete 25 hygiene kits: 20 1-gallon size zipper freezer bags
A note from former WPC intern Morgan Barlow, ’02:
My last year at Wooster was 2001-2002. As the Peace by Peace Westminster Intern, we had a startling beginning with the September 11th violence. I remember Carroll and I talking that week, and in the midst of storytelling he said, "This might not be the year you'd planned, but you'll be a gift to the college community."
I'm a graduate student now, in Maternal and Child Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. And I still take that perspective, as goals and circumstances in my life change: "be a gift." So, thank you, Carroll, for being a voice of support and direction. Be well, and may you enjoy your retirement!
A note from former WPC intern Heidi Haverkamp, ’98:
I remember a prayer Carroll gave once during Sunday worship, about a candy wrapper lying on the grass that someone came across while mowing the yard... I don't remember exactly how it went, but I think it was something about finding God in the daily surprises of your life. But I'll never forget the image, because I've never heard anything like it before or since.
Carroll was truly interested in students. I'm sure there are many ways he could've spent his time, but that first year, he had lunch with us five 20-year-old interns every other Tuesday at Kittredge. He invited us into his home. He invited us to share our hopes and dreams with him. He invited us to be creative. He gave us a lot of freedom in our ministries on campus. And so we never felt neglected or micro-managed, because Carroll both welcomed us into ministry with him and also allowed us to go out on our own, and so helped us each grow into our own sense of ministry.
I am the Vicar at The Episcopal Church of St. Benedict, Bolingbrook, Illinois and am planning my wedding on August 30 in Chicago.
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THE ORDER OF WORSHIP
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 24, 2008 10:45 o’clock
WE OFFER PRAISE TO THE GLORY OF GOD
THE PRELUDE Ignace Paderewski
arr. Lani Smith
Melodie
THE JOYS AND CONCERNS OF THE CONGREGATION
Leader: The Joys and Concerns have been shared.
People: Let us prepare our hearts for worship.
Invention No. 1 in C major
THE CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: |
What has been our lot that brings us here today? Clergy, widows with children from foreign mission stations, students in need of a sustained faith, a gathering of peculiar people creating a unique community of faith, a generous people, a spiritual people, an unsettled people. These have been our lot. |
Congregation: And what has been our destiny? To seek out our relationship with God in fear and trembling, to serve unselfishly, generously, sacrificially, with courage and compassionate wisdom. →
Leader: And what has been our daily life? To worship God in season and out of season, to experience flashes of wonder, to persevere the droughts of revelation, to seek to serve.
Congregation: And what will be our destiny? “Where in our life journey we are destined to go from here is not in the power of mortal man to predict.”
All: With gratitude in our hearts for God’s eternal walk with us, we gather to sing praises, offer prayers and walk ourselves in the way of peace.
* THE HYMN OF PRAISE 83 DEO GRACIAS
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
* THE CALL TO CONFESSION
If we say we have done nothing to separate ourselves from God we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let us humble ourselves and submit our conscience to a higher calling.
* THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison)
Holy God, we present to you our world shattered, filled with violence, ugliness, disease and hate. We present to you our world in need, pleading for forgiveness, love, reconciliation and healing. Holy God, we present to you ourselves as part of that broken world, pleading for courage and hope to live into another day. By your mercy and compassion, by your love that knows no bounds, hold us and heal us and bring us into a holier place.
* THE TIME FOR SILENT PRAYER
* THE DECLARATION OF PARDON
The ancients were right and true. The wise spiritual leaders of old knew the healing powers of confession. James the brother of Jesus called confession the builder of community. Friends, hear and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. You are a new creation. Live your new life. Amen.
THE SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
Congregation: And also with you.
Leader: Let us share Christ’s peace.
THE TIME WITH THE CHILDREN Not to be broken
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSONS Genesis 1: 26 – 27, Psalm 8 [p. 1, 427]
THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS John 1: 14 – 18 [p. 862]
Philippians 2: 1 – 11 [p. 954]
Leader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
THE SERMON Mr. Meyer
“Jesus Incarnate”
THE HYMN OF MEDITATION 49 (please remain seated) IRBY
Once in Royal David’s City
THE PRAYERS OF PRAISE AND INTERCESSION
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
THE CHURCH IN MISSION Linda Barbu
THE OFFERTORY Jake Briggs and
Jonah Comstock
A Musical Offering
* THE DOXOLOGY (in unison)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God all creatures here below;
Praise God above, ye choirs in song;