Sunday Sept 12th, 2021
PRELUDE
Andrea Shakespeare, Piano
WELCOME FROM THE PULPIT
CALL TO WORSHIP
Alexis Easton (Liturgist 8:30am), Kathryn Krider (Liturgist 11:00am)
L: Rejoice, people of God: this is our Sabbath day.
P: Rejoice, friends in Christ: this is our time for worship.
L: God ordained the Sabbath, rest and restoration.
P: God is worthy of worship, our Creator, Healer, and Inspiration.
L: So then, let us worship God. We gather today to worship the One who created us,
P: The One who calls us,
L: The One who equips us,
P: The One who loves us without end.
L: With joyful hearts, let us worship God. Children of God: welcome!
P: Welcome to this place of love and grace,
L: Welcome to this place of hope and perseverance.
P: God invites all of us to be a part of the beloved community,
L: God invites all of us to share in the good news:
P: We are welcome, just as we are. We are loved, just as we are.
L: In gratitude for all of this, let us worship God. A love that never ceases,
P: A creativity that designed the universe,
L: A hope that cannot be quenched,
P: A pursuit of reconciliation no matter the cost:
L: These are the things that are of God,
P: Then let us worship God.
All: Amen.
HYMN
Draw the Circle Wide W&S #3154
1st time solo, second time all:
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide. Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
No one stands alone, we’ll stand side by side. Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
Refrain
Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still. Let this be our song: no one stands alone. Standing side by side, draw the circle, draw the circle wide. (sing twice)
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide. Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
No one stands alone, we’ll stand side by side. Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
Refrain 2 X
Draw the circle, draw the circle wide.
CHILDREN’S TIME (11:00am)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
L: Almighty God, we confess that we are often swept up in the tide of our generation.
P: We have failed in our calling to be your holy people, a people set apart for your divine purpose.
L: We live more in apathy born of fatalism than in passion born of hope.
P: We are moved more by private ambition than by social justice.
L: We dream more of privilege and benefits than of service and sacrifice.
P: We try to speak in your name without relinquishing our glories, without nourishing our souls, without relying wholly on your grace.
All: Help us to make room in our hearts and lives for you. Forgive us, revive us, and reshape us in your image. Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
Our God 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 trepasses, as we forgive those who trespass 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.
PRAYER RESPONSE
Lord Have Mercy UMH #482
HEBREW SCRIPTURE READING
Genesis 37:12-28
Alexis Easton (Liturgist 8:30am), Kathryn Krider (Liturgist 11:00am)
Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” He answered, “Here I am.” So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock; and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron.
He came to Shechem, and a man found him wandering in the fields; the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” “I am seeking my brothers,” he said; “tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” The man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
HYMN
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing v 1-5 UMH #57
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean; his blood availed for me.
He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.
HEBREW SCRIPTURE READING
Genesis 45:1-8
Alexis Easton(Liturgist 8:30am), Kathryn Krider (Liturgist 11:00am)
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
SERMON
“Free Will & Forgiveness” Pastor Mark Cordes
WORSHIP WITH TITHES AND OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY
Andrea Shakespeare, Piano
DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow UMH #94
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise God, the source of all our gifts!
Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts!
Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit!
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
HYMN
As a Fire Is Meant for Burning TFWS #2237
As a fire is meant for burning with a bright and warming flame,
so the church is meant for mission, giving glory to God’s name.
Not to preach our creeds or customs, but to build a bridge of care,
we join hands across the nations, finding neighbors everywhere.
We are learners; we are teachers; we are pilgrims on the way.
We are seekers; we are givers; we are vessels made of clay.
By our gentle loving actions, we would show that Christ is light.
In a humble, listening spirit, we would live to God’s delight.
As a green bud in the springtime is a sign of life renewed,
so may we be signs of oneness mid earth’s peoples many hued.
As a rainbow lights the heavens when a storm is past and gone,
may our lives reflect the radiance of God’s new and glorious dawn.
BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
Andrea Shakespeare, Piano
FLOWERS
The flowers on the altar are given by Linda Luck in memory of her mother, Jenniene Luck.