PIONEER
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 16th Sunday after
Pentecost September 20, 2020
~~~~~~~~~~
WELCOME AND
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome to Pioneer’s blog worship
service. Though we are accessing this remotely and unable to look each other in
the eye, we are still the Pioneer faith community, gathered as children of God
to worship, to be spiritually fed, and to be equipped to go out to serve in
Christ’s name—though we do it differently during this pandemic.
Pioneer offers worship in several modes:
a)
The
blog.
b)
The
blog service mailed through US Postal service.
c)
Sermons
only, mailed to those who so request.
d)
Zoom
services at 10:00 Sunday mornings.
e)
Live
worship. We can now allow up to 40 people in worship. A six-foot distancing
will be maintained. Masks are mandated. There can be congregational singing
with masks, but no passing the peace, hugs, handshakes, or coffee hour.
-
Session
has made the decision to resume church group and committee meetings as long as
these groups adhere to church and state guidelines, including masks and social
distancing. Spirituality has resumed meeting on the regular schedule of 1st
and 3rd Tuesdays at 10:30. PPW will meet September 22 at noon,
downstairs. Deacons will meet September 27 following worship.
-
The
Harvest Festival dinner is canceled for 2020 and hopefully will resume in 2021.
-
The
Harvest Festival bazaar will be held in the basement with changes implemented
to ensure the safety of attendees and those running the bazaar.
Now allow yourself a brief time of
silence as you open your hearts and feel God’s presence with you, right where
you are.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAPTISM: Friends, remember your baptism … and be thankful.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Call on God with praise and
thanksgiving.
Tell of God’s wonderful works.
Today
we open ourselves to God’s presence.
Let
the hearts of all who seek God rejoice.
When we eat, we are reminded of God’s
provision.
When we drink pure water, we give
thanks.
Surely
God has blessed us with food and drink.
Daily
we are strengthened for tasks we face.
We are guided by God’s laws and
statutes.
We benefit from God’s generosity.
Let
all the people worship with joy!
Let
all God’s people sing together!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Glory to your name, Holy God. We rejoice
in your wonderful works, in miracles you have caused among us, and in the
wealth you have entrusted to our stewardship. You have called us to important
work in your vineyard. Wherever we go, we represent your church and interpret
your ways to those who observe our words and deeds. Enfold us in your presence
and give us strength and courage to pass on the light you have sent to
illuminate our journey through life. We are eager to be fed by your Word today.
Amen.
OPENING
SONG: “Resting in You”
CALL TO CONFESSION
Like the Israelites in the wilderness,
we have been heard to complain. God is often blamed for calamities more than
praised for the sustaining presence that works for our good. It is easier for
us to be jealous of others than to rejoice in the opportunities God gives them.
Surely we need to repent.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
O God, we are people of the flesh more than
people of the spirit. We have not lived up to the call of the gospel of Christ.
We admit our resentment when some people we deem unworthy benefit from your
generosity. We confess our lack of attention to your laws, your living Word,
your prompting Spirit. You alone are our salvation, our healing, our high
opportunity to serve. We choose to belong to you. Accept and change us, we
pray.
(Let us continue our prayers in silence …….) Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Anyone who is in Christ is a new
creation.
The old life has gone; the new life has
begun.
Friends, believe the Good News!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and
restored to new life!
PASSING THE PEACE
May the peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Let us extend the peace of Christ in
heart and prayer to one another.
GLORY
BE TO THE FATHER
TIME WITH CHILDREN
Good morning Zoey. Good morning Fiona.
Did you eat your breakfast this morning? Have you ever missed breakfast or
lunch or dinner? Have you ever been really, really hungry and didn’t know when
you would have food to eat again? Probably not, huh? Mama and Daddy always make
sure you have enough to eat. And when they’re not around Grandmas are always a
good source of food, aren’t they? I’m going to tell you a story from the Bible
that is about some people who didn’t know where they were going to get food.
A long, long, long time ago the people
of Israel were slaves in Egypt. They had to work really hard all the time and
people were often mean to them. They would cry out to God to save them.
So God sent Moses to bring them out of
Egypt. The way back to where their ancestors used to live was through a big
wilderness area. That would be like out in the desert outside of town. The
people got hungry because there were no grocery stores and they thought they
would die of hunger. They were crying out to God again. So God fed them. He
sent quails at night for them to catch and eat—just like the quail that run all
over town. Do you think God sent them to us? But I don’t think we’re supposed
to eat them, are we?
God sent something else that was
really strange. In the mornings there would be dew on the ground. Do you know
what dew is? Sometimes when you get up early in the morning, sometimes the
grass is wet because water in the air gets on the colder grass. So when the
dew dried it was little tiny flakey
stuff that they called manna. It tasted like cookies made with honey. Does that
sound good? Almost as good as ice cream! The people had been scared and didn’t
think God cared. But God loved them and provided food for them. God loves us,
too. Let’s pray:
God, you loved the people in the
desert and you gave them food. Thank you that you love us, too. Help us to remember that when we get
scared. Amen.
HYMN: “Jesus
Loves Me”
Jesus loves me,
this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to
him belong, they are weak but he is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves
me. Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves
me. The Bible tells me so.
SCRIPTURE 1: Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
O give
thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! Glory in his
holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and
his strength, seek his presence continually! Remember the wonderful works that
he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham
his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
Then he led forth Israel with silver
and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. Egypt was glad when
they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. He spread a cloud for a
covering, and fire to give light by night. They asked, and he brought quails,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water
gushed forth; it flowed through the desert like a river. For he remembered his
holy promise, and Abraham his servant. So he led forth his people with joy, his
chosen ones with singing.
SCRIPTURE 2: Exodus 16:2-15
And the
whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in
the wilderness, and said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of
the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to
the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole
assembly with hunger."
Then the
Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and
the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove
them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they
prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather
daily."
So Moses
and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know
that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the
morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your
murmurings against the Lord. For what are we, that you murmur against us?"
And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat and
in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your murmurings
which you murmur against him -- what are we? Your murmurings are not against us
but against the Lord."
And Moses
said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel,
`Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.'" And as
Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked
toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
And the Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the murmurings of the people of
Israel; say to them, `At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you
shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your
God.'"
In the evening quails came up and
covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the
dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like
thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they
said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was.
And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the Lord has given you to
eat.
SERMON: “Whining
Again?!” Rev.
Jean Hurst
We talked
about them last week—the whiners. It was one on what could have been a very
long list of things that annoy us about people. You know what they’re like.
They’ve always got a complaint. Nothing is ever good enough to satisfy them.
They find something negative in just about everything. It’s like they have a
sense of entitlement and their expectations are not being met. Oh. I’m sorry.
Did I just step on some toes?
Well, if
you remember the sermon last week, you’ll remember the part about how sometimes
we are the ones who are annoying,
irritating, and hard to forgive. Hmmm. So that means yes, I did step on toes.
Admit it, we’re all guilty of whining—at least at times. And we often feel
quite justified in it. So did the Israelites. They were hungry. They were
scared. They were stuck out here in the wilderness led by some guy named Moses
and were sure they were going to perish from hunger. Did they have reason to
complain? Let’s see.
Before
they were stuck in the middle of the dessert, they were stuck in Egypt. Long
story, short, is that their ancestors were starving in their homeland because
of a drought. Families being family, there was also a drama of some siblings
with an annoying kid brother whom they sold into slavery to some traders
heading for Egypt just to be rid of him.
After
that, the drought hit and food was scarce. When they got hungry enough, they
headed to Egypt themselves to buy grain. There, after a little game playing on
Joseph’s part, they discovered their kid brother had risen to power in Egypt.
He could have gotten even, but instead had them go get dad and the youngest
brother and move to Egypt where there was food. Life was good and they settled
in for the long haul where they multiplied into a great nation. That long haul
turned into over 400 years.
A huge
residency of foreigners made the Egyptians really nervous, thinking they might
take over, so they turned them into slaves. As the birth rate went up, the
Egyptians took more and more drastic measures trying to control them, including
killing the baby boys. The Israelites were not only enslaved, but treated very
harshly. In their suffering and bitterness, the Israelites cried out to God for
help.
God hears.
God has compassion. God sends Moses—who was born in Egypt, was hidden as a
baby, then adopted and raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter. But he killed an
Egyptian for beating an Israelite slave and had to make a run for it. Going
back was kind of like having to face your worst fears. Moses goes, makes God’s
demands for release of the Israelites, subjects Pharaoh and his people to a
bunch of plagues, then high tails it with the slaves. God saves them from the
pursuing armies at the Red Sea, and the people sing and dance and celebrate.
Then they’re into the wilderness and no one is singing.
First,
there’s no water. The spring they do find is bitter and undrinkable. We’re not
talking a small crowd here, either. Though scholars strongly debate the
numbers, scripture tells us there were 600,000 males, so a total of 2-3 million
people—all thirsty. They cry out. God hears them. God has compassion. God
sweetens the water, then leads them to even more water. But next they’re hungry
and they cry out again. That’s today’s passage. So to recap:
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They’re mad at little brother, whine, sell him off,
they’re happy.
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There’s a famine, they whine, go to Egypt, they’re happy
and prosper.
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They’re enslaved and treated harshly, they whine, Moses
leads them out. Happy.
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They’re thirsty, they whine, God provides water, they’re
happy.
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They’re hungry, they whine, God feeds them, they’re
happy.
That
brings us into today’s passage and what do we see? Obviously, the Israelites
are a bunch of whiners. And I think in today’s psychology, God would be
considered an enabler. Each time the Israelites become dissatisfied and start
complaining, God comes to the rescue even if it’s just to shut them up. It
doesn’t stop here by any means.
Before you
know it, they’re complaining about water again. They’re complaining about
having to eat quail and manna all the time. They’re complaining about not
having a visible God to worship. They’re complaining about the leadership.
They’re complaining about each other. They’re complaining about the hardships
of their journey. These people don’t seem to learn. God had done so much for
them and it’s forgotten as soon as the next difficulty arises. God had rescued
them from a life of slavery, a cruel oppression that had them crying out for
help. Instead of remembering and being thankful and trusting that God will
continue to be in their lives in a positive way, they whine.
Aren’t we
glad we’re not whining Israelites? … Yet, isn’t it also true of our lives--not
just those annoying people on a list of irritations, but us? How short is our
memory? How many times has God worked in our lives in positive ways and we
forget that and focus on the current dissatisfaction? How often do we view each
new difficulty as if there hadn’t been many, many more before that and as if
God had not been faithful and seen us through?
Think back
over your life. Think about the difficult times you’ve encountered—some almost
trivial in retrospect, but serious at the time—and some major, life impacting
events. You likely had challenges you didn’t know how you were going to meet,
but somehow you did. You had obstacles you never thought you’d get around, but
here you are on the other side. You had losses and traumas you didn’t think you
could survive, but you did. You had disappointments you thought would ruin your
life, but they didn’t. Financial, personal, relationships, health, aging—all of
it, you’ve made it through this far. God’s grace.
Has it
been easy? No, of course not. There was likely a lot of conversation with
God—why God? Why me, God? Why now, God? How long, God? Get me out of
this, God, and I’ll do anything for you! Are you paying attention, God? Where
are you God? Why don’t you do
something, God? But God is not a puppet on a string. God doesn’t just hand us
the solution on a silver platter. Think about the Israelites.
Think
about the amazing thing God did by providing manna in the desert. Wonderful
stuff. Tastes like wafers made with honey. Yum. Listen to that part again:
“when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine,
flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground.”
On the
ground. Not in baskets magically filled. Not in pottery urns. And, it was
little tiny, like hoarfrost. When’s the last time you tried to pick up
hoarfrost? Imagine going out here in the desert and having to pick up these
little tiny flakes out of the dirt—to eat. Imagine the backaches that would
come from all that bending. Imagine trying to do it without picking up a lot of
dirt with it. Imagine having to pick up enough of these little tiny flakes to
satisfy your hunger for a whole day—or two days when it was before the Sabbath.
Imagine if you had a bunch of kids. Do you think they whined even while they
labored for the food God provided?
There is a
lot to whine about these days—Covid, fires, the condition of the air, politics,
violence, economy, climate change, hurricanes, racial injustice, the list goes
on. I know there’s a lot of prayers about it. I’ve heard the concern. Often
it’s phrased, “Why doesn’t God do something?” Maybe God is trying—through you.
God didn’t whip up a feast for the Israelites with roast quail and honey cakes.
They had to take the initiative to go out and put their backs into it. They had
to catch and pluck and dress out the quail and cook it. They had to pick up all
those little tiny flakes—not, by the way, much bigger than the proverbial
mustard seed—and do something with them to turn them into dinner. God provided
and they had to do their part.
As you
look back on past troubles, how was it that God provided and saw you through the
dilemma? God gave you the strength, the courage, the wisdom, the resources, the
people, the healing, new beginnings, doors opened, the creativity, the
opportunity, a Plan B. And you, in turn,
used those in the way you needed in order to face what was before you. And here
you are today, proof.
The same
will be true for the things we are going through today. The time will come when
we look back on these horrific days and will say that by God’s grace, we made
it through. So we can either wait it out, confident that we’ll look back and
see God’s hand, or we can open our eyes and our hearts and ask what God would
have us to do during these times. Like the Israelites, we may see what God has
put before us and ask, “What is it?” Either way, we can be confident that God
is in the midst of all that is happening, working for good in the lives of all
God’s children.
Whining,
complaining, grieving, can become habitual or it can become prayer. Simply
voicing it to each other doesn’t accomplish much except put emphasis on all the
negative in our lives. If there are areas in which we can take action to make a
difference and collaborating with others helps make it possible, then by all
means, do so. But if it’s just expressing your frustration, you might wonder
when enough is enough.
If we take
those frustrations to God, we have a God who is not only big enough to hear it
all but also able to take positive action in the world through you. Always, we
are the hands and feet and voice and heart of God in the world. As Christians,
we have committed ourselves to be used by God in the healing and redemption of
the world. As we do that, we might consider changing our questions. Rather than
‘why’ we might ask God ‘how?’ When we run out of ideas, God has loads of them.
Be bold.
Take a risk. With a sincere heart, we can ask what God would have us do in the
midst of all the events of this age. God is faithful. God will show us the way.
It might take courage. It might be difficult. It might feel like picking up
flakes of manna from the desert floor. But we can trust in the God of grace and
love to guide us through these wilderness times and to bring us into a time of
renewed hope and fresh beginnings. Thanks be to God.
HYMN: “I
Will Come to You”
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Holy God, we thank you for this
privilege of gathering today in your name. It is a joy to lift our praises to
you. We acknowledge your power and might, that all that is good in our world is
by your hand. It is in coming to you that we are renewed and fed. It is in
joining with this community of faithful yet imperfect believers that we
understand the truth of your teachings and the power of your grace.
God of grace and strength—be our
strength as we struggle with life’s issues. At time we feel so overwhelmed by
life that we cannot believe that we have it in us to respond to your call on
our lives. Believe in us when we can’t believe in ourselves. Help us to trust
your grace, to know that it is enough, to believe that you will take all that
we see as obstacles and imperfections in our lives and turn it into what is
useful for our growth in faith and your kingdom work.
Lord, we ask for that grace and
strength in special measure for those who are impacted by the raging
wildfire—those who have lost homes and businesses and communities and loved
ones, those putting their lives on the line fighting the fires, those who will
be generous and compassionate in providing assistance for those whose lives
have been devastated.
God of power and might, we ask that
you would control all that is out of control in our lives—the wildfires, the
Covid virus, the violence in the streets, the political arena, and the personal
events of our lives. We feel powerless in the midst of the chaos and so we turn
to you and entrust in your power.
We pray for those close to us,
for comfort for Duane VanCleave and family, for Darlene Wingfield …
Lois White … Virginia … Cherry … Judy’s
daughter Rosa … John Matthews … Margaret Dunbar … Trisha … Dave … Jacob … Joyce
… Jennifer … Chuck … Courtney … Ethel … Helen. (Additional prayers …………)
God
who holds the world in your hands, we entrust to you these prayers and those
that remain yet in our hearts as we pray the prayer Jesus taught: 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.
CALL TO OFFERING
God provides generously for all of us.
As we have received in abundance we return a portion for God’s work in
gratitude and faithfulness. As we pause, think of what you offer to God from a
blessed life.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Receive
our tithes and offerings to your honor and glory, loving God. May our financial
offerings be effective in your kingdom work and may the offerings of our time
and talents be worthy of your kingdom. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Faith
Begins by Letting Go”
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Your
charge for the week is to remember. Remember all the mighty works God has
done—not just in your life but throughout history and throughout the universe.
Know that there is a power greater than us who holds the world in the palm of
his hand. Remember that God loves God’s creation.
And
remember … that the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is with
you now and always. Amen.
CHORAL RESPONSE
May the Lord, Mighty God, bless and keep you
forever. Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor. Lift up
your eyes and see his face and his grace forever. May the Lord, Mighty God,
bless and keep you forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
LOOKING
AHEAD
September 22 12:00 noon PPW
September 27 following worship Deacons
October 6 10:30
a.m. Women’s Spirituality
October 11 following worship M&M
PRAYER
CARE:
Duane VanCleave
and family, Lois White (lymphoma), Virginia DesIlets (broken hip), Darlene
Wingfield (heart valve, pulmonary fibrosis, breast cancer), Margaret Dunbar
(fall/broken tailbone), Judy’s daughter Rosa Lester (retinal bleed), John
Matthews (cancer), Trisha Cagley (health problems), Dave Clark (kidney cancer),
Jacob Cunningham, Joyce Sahlberg (health issues), Jennifer Schirm
(Parkinson’s), Chuck VanHise (leg/walking rehab), and Courtney Ziegler
(Huntington’s).
LECTIONARY
FOR 9/27/20
Exodus
17:1-7; Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16; Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32
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