November 1, 2020 Worship

 

PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Worship via Blog        22st Sunday after Pentecost       November 1, 2020

 

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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.

 

 

We will share the Lord’s Supper as part of this worship service. So please pause and gather your choice of bread and beverage. While the bread and grape juice served in community and led by the pastor in person is our tradition, we are facing times that call for us to do worship in new ways rather than being tied to rigid tradition—much like the early church.

 

 

-         Women’s Spirituality meets Tuesday at 10:30

-         Next Sunday M&M meets following worship

 

Now allow yourself a brief time of silence as you open your hearts and feel God’s presence with you, right where you are.

 

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BAPTISM:         Friends, remember your baptism … and be thankful.

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

Come, all who are thirsty, whose souls are fainting.

Come, all whose troubles seem overwhelming.

The Source and Creator of all things welcomes us.

God hears our cries and is ready to help us.

Come, all who are pure, upright, and blameless.

Come, all who are imperfect, doubting, and struggling.

The Messiah has more to teach us.

Jesus turns us from seeking honor to humble service.

Draw near and hear the word of our God.

Open your lives to the Spirit who fills all things.

We sense the presence of truth seeking to enter us.

We feel the love of God eager to embrace us.

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY

O God, our true home, we come together to unite our stories with those of our spiritual ancestors. Some of us have come from desert places, desperate for nourishment. Some of us come from places of abundant harvests and yet are not satisfied. You are among us all, a living God, present in ways we have not yet realized. We come to learn, to let what we learn mold and change us, to find courage and energy to live by your direction. We bring our joyous worship, confident of your welcome to us. Amen.

 

OPENING SONG:      “We Are Singing”                                    LU#56

 

CALL TO CONFESSION

Let there be no pretense among us as we address our thoughts to God. We may fool one another, but God knows us as we really are. All that we try to hide from ourselves comes to light before the One who searches our hearts.

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Gracious God, help us to be honest with ourselves, with one another, and with you. We have searched for life amid temporary attractions. We have sought excitement in places that turned out to be desert wastelands. We have burdened others with our mistakes. We have sought honors and made comparisons to look better than those around us. We have devoted little time to thanking and praising you, the Source of all things. Open us now, O God, to the Word we need from you. 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. Do you have a box or a special place that you put things that you treasure? When I was little, mine was a jewelry box my grandmother brought me from Pennsylvania. I kept things in it that were important to me--a necklace my mother gave me, a Hush Puppy pin one grandmother gave me and a necklace made from butterfly wings my other grandmother gave me and a Canadian two-dollar bill she gave me and a crazy lace agate and other treasures. Those things reminded me of the people I loved and my relationship with them. I gave them to my daughter so she would have a connection with those people, too.

          The people of Israel had treasures that were important to them--the stone tablets with the ten commandments, some of the manna God provided for them in the wilderness, a walking stick that belonged to Moses’ brother Aaron that sprouted new growth, flowered and produced almonds to show that God wanted him to be a priest.  All these things reminded them of their relationship with God.  And God told them to build an ark or wooden chest to put these things in to keep them safe and to remind them of what he had done. 

          Here is a tiny model of the ark that Don Hovey made. On top there are two cherubin—they’re like angels. And the lid comes off so they could put those items inside. There’s another place we can put things that we treasure. It’s right here in our hearts. Even though I gave those things to my daughter, I still remember them.

          The people of Israel didn’t have a church, like we have.  They had a tent.  And they had the Ark of the Covenant that always reminded them that God was right there with them.  We come to church to worship God and talk to God.  But we know that God isn’t just here at church, but is with us everywhere we go and we can talk to God anytime we want.  Let’s pray.

          Dear Jesus, we know that you are always with us even though we can’t see you. Help us to hold in our hearts the things you teach. 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:  Matthew 5:1-12

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

 

¨ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¨ "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

¨ "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

¨ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

¨ "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

¨ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

¨ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¨ "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¨ "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

SCRIPTURE 2:  Joshua 3:7-10a, 13-17

          And the Lord said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And you shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, `When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" And Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God." And Joshua said, "Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you… And when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be stopped from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap."

          So, when the people set out from their tents, to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho. And while all Israel were passing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

 

SERMON:           “Crossings”                            Rev. Jean Hurst

          Have you ever had times in your life that you wanted someone to just stop everything, to hold back the flood waters until you could get your footing?  Every once in awhile a person could use a Joshua or a Moses. 

          Today’s passage speaks of Joshua’s turn at the water wall.  But Moses is the one we more readily remember.  That was the famous scene where the Israelites were fleeing from bondage in Egypt, with Moses as their leader and God going before them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  Pharaoh’s chariots are in hot pursuit.  The people are trapped with the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them.  Panic wells up in them.  Then Charlton Heston raises his staff and suddenly the seas part, leaving a path open for the people to cross.

          That crossing took the Israelites to safety leaving the wall of water to come crashing down on the Egyptian forces.  But getting to the other side didn’t turn out to be quite what the people had expected.  They faced a long, faith-stretching trek through the wilderness where they had to learn to trust God even for their most basic needs.  God provided water from rocks, manna from heaven, some lessons about obedience, and some rules to live by, etched onto tablets of stone. 

          Over and over they saw the impossible happen.  At God’s instruction, they kept reminders of those, which were placed in the Ark of the Covenant: the stone tablets, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s staff which had budded.  (Aaron was Moses’ brother of the tribe of Levi and the staff was how God chose which tribe would be the priests.  A staff from each tribe was put in a tent, the one which budded would be the priestly line.  Aaron’s not only budded, it blossomed and produced almonds.)

          That Ark represented God’s presence with them and they carried it everywhere they went.  Forty years they wandered in that wilderness before they came to the Jordan River.  On the other side of the Jordan was the land God had promised to them as their homeland.  Ordinarily, the Jordan was little more than a creek, easily crossed.  It has even been referred to as a meandering ditch.  But this incident was the time of spring harvest when the river was swollen by a season of heavy rains and snow melt from Mt. Hermon.  At times like this the Jordan was a mile wide in places.

          And it was more than just a river.  In ancient times, water represented chaos.  It represented that which was out of control, a maelstrom that could consume them.  Those fears were likely fed by the fact that Moses, their leader through all that long adventure of leaving Egypt and wandering in the wilderness, was dead.  He was the one who kept promising them this new land and new life.  And now he was gone.  They had to put their trust in a new leader, Joshua, whose name means ‘he saves’ or ‘salvation’... and they had to trust the God who had brought them out of slavery, who had provided for them, protected them, taught them and guided them to this place.

          God said, “This is how you will know that I am with you.”  And Joshua had the priests wade into the river Jordan, carrying the ark of the covenant which represented God’s presence with them and which carried the reminders of God’s faithfulness.  The waters stopped flowing.  They had, as scripture phrases it, ‘piled up in a heap some distance away at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan.’ 

          We don’t know exactly how this miracle happened.  If we want to look for scientific explanations, we can consider the earthquake in 1927 that caused the 40 foot banks of the Jordan River to collapse, totally damming the river for 21 hours.  Scripture doesn’t tell of a natural phenomenon in relation to this event, but even had that been the case, is not the means God uses and God’s timing an amazing thing.  As the priests stood with the Ark in the river bed, the people of Israel once more stepped out in faith and crossed over to the promise of new life.

          They did it with fear and anxiety as well as excitement and anticipation.  Over the river lay walled cities of fierce Canaanite fighters.  Mostly what lay across those waters was the unknown.  What would happen to them?  What would life be like?  What would the future hold?

          At times, we, too, stand on the banks of the waters of chaos.  We don’t know for sure what lays on the other side.  What is it that lies behind us?  What is it that would propel us to move forward? 

          The Israelites fleeing from Egypt had the armies of Pharaoh at their backs--death or a return to a life of bondage.  They didn’t dare go back.  But when Moses parted the waters they were also terrified.  How could they possibly step out alongside that wall of water?  Could they trust that God would be faithful in holding aside the waters of chaos while they crossed over?

          Forty years later the Israelites again face a crossing.  Behind them lay enough years of wandering and deprivation that they wouldn’t likely want to go back, but neither was death and destruction breathing down their necks.  This time it wasn’t so much what lay behind as what lay before them.  This time it was likely anticipation rather than terror that pushed them forward.  And the evidence of God’s presence, the Ark, was there for all to see, and the waters held, and they stepped forward, trusting in the One who has been faithful from the beginning. 

          We, too, can trust in a faithful God as we face our crossings.  There are all kinds of crossings in our lives.  It can be that of leaving home for a young person, going off to college or out into the world to live and work independently.  It might be entering into a marriage or becoming a parent, moving to a new home, moving to another community, changing jobs or retiring.  It might be a decision to step out in faith, in new ways of believing and serving. 

          There are other types of crossings that may hold more fear or anxiety than anticipation--aging, moving to an assisted living facility or in with family, the loss of a job or a serious change in finances, loss of security.  And there is that crossing that each one of us must ultimately face--death.  With each of these crossings God has promised to be with us.  

          In that historical crossing with Jesus when the storm came up on the sea and the disciples thought they might perish, Jesus told them not to be afraid, to believe.  Those are words for us as well.  There are times in our lives when we make choices for change or when change is thrust upon us and we hit those times when we feel we have no control and the fear rises.  Just believe, Jesus said. I know how both fear and belief feel, and that there is a palpable difference between the two.  Preacher and writer, Barbara Brown Taylor, describes it this way. 

          Fear is a small cell with no air in it and no light.  It is suffocating inside, and dark.  There is no room to turn around inside it.  You can only face in one direction, but it hardly matters since you cannot see anyhow.  There is no future in the dark.  Everything is over.  Everything is past.  When you are locked up like that, tomorrow is as far away as the moon.

          People can stop by and tap on your walls.  They can even bang on the door to show you where it is, but when you are afraid you cannot open up.  They might not be who they say they are.  They might just make things worse.  It is safer to stay where you are, where you know what is what, even if you cannot breathe, even if you cannot move.  That is how fear feels.

          Belief is something else altogether, although it is not what some would have us believe.  It is not a well-fluffed nest, or a well-defended castle high on a hill.  It is more like a rope bridge over a scenic gorge, sturdy but swinging back and forth, with plenty of light and plenty of air but precious little to hang on to except the stories you have heard: that it is the best and only way across, that it is possible, that it will bear your weight.

          All you have to do is believe in the bridge more than you believe in the gorge, but fortunately you do not have to believe it all by yourself.  There are others to believe it with you, and even some to believe it for you when your own belief wears thin.  They have crossed the bridge ahead of you and are waiting on the other side.  You can talk to them if you like, as you step into the air, putting one foot ahead of the other, just that: just one step at a time.

          It takes a lot of courage to be a human being, but if Jesus was who he said he was, the bridge will hold.  Believing in him will not put us in charge, or get us what we want or even save us from all harm, but believing in him, we may gradually lose our fear of our lives.  Whatever the human condition we find ourselves in, we may finally learn to live it, maybe even to love it, if only because we believe he lives and loves it too.¹ 

          We don’t go it alone.  God is with us always.  God was with us in what lay behind.  God is with us as we stand at the crossing.  God is with us as we step forward in faith.  God holds back the chaos that would threaten us.  And God steps out with us even into the unknown that lays on the other side.  That presence with us may be revealed in the love and care and assistance of those around us.  It may be revealed through God’s word.  God’s presence is experienced in the peace and comfort and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It is revealed to us in the Living Word, Jesus the Christ, whose Hebrew name is Joshua, he saves.

          I leave you with the words God spoke through Joshua, Chapter 1, verse 9:  “Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go..”   The crossings are before us.  The God of our lives goes with us.  Amen.

 

¹Barbara Brown Taylor, The Preaching Life, p. 93-94, Cowley Publications, 1993

 

HYMN:     “God of Our Lives”                                                              #686

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

          God of all that is, we thank you for your love and peace. We come to you today with full hearts. Some of that fullness is our love and gratitude to you, our joy at gathering in community, of being part of your family. We offer our heartfelt thanks.

          Tender God, some of what our hearts carry is painful with the knowledge of broken relationships and issues that separate us from each other. We hurt for ourselves and for loved ones who struggle with fears and anxiety about the future, who feel alone and separated from community. Lord, heal us we pray.

          We lift up to you those who struggle with life right now, who need your healing touch and your comforting presence. We pray for Phyllis Bauer … Darlene Wingfield … Lois White …  Virginia … Cherry … John Matthews … Margaret Dunbar … Trisha … Dave … Jacob … Joyce … Jennifer … Chuck … Courtney … Ethel … Helen. (Additional prayers …………)

          God of us all, the walls that divide your people sometimes feel so solid, so entrenched, that we fear there can never be peace or reconciliation. In the midst of our divisive nation and nature, we pray for unity and respect and compassion as the voting concludes.

          God who guides our lives, 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

We bring the firstfruits of our labor and toil to honor our Creator and give thanks for the wonder of life. We want to share the steadfast love of God through the ministries of this church and through our mission for others near and far. Let us give with joy.

 

DOXOLOGY

 

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Lord, let your Word be at work in us and through the offerings we present for your blessing. Use these gifts and the gifts of our lives to the glory of your kingdom. Amen.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER

 

          Song of Preparation: “Let Us Break Bread Together”  #513

 

          Invitation to the Table

          The Lord’s table is not a piece of wood with clay dishes, but a place in our hearts that connects us to our Lord Jesus. It is a place to which we come as we remember his sacrifice, as we seek to experience his presence, as we are nourished to continue his work, as we recognize our community in him despite whatever distance or disease or obstacle that might separate us. It is the place we come to renew our commitment to continue his ministry and mission. Our Lord invites us to the table without condition, simply because we are loved. Come with grateful hearts. Come with joyful hearts.

 

The Great Thanksgiving

          The Lord be with you.         

                   And also with you.

          Lift up your hearts.              

                   We lift them up to the Lord.

          Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.         

                   It is right to give our thanks and praise.

          It is indeed right, O Holy God, to give thanks for your amazing grace, to praise you for who you are, for who you created us to be. We marvel at the truth that you are with us wherever we may be. Though we worship from home, separated and for some, isolated, it is still in you that we find life and purpose. We are children of grace and nothing can separate us from your love.

          You have given us the gift of your Holy Spirit who unites us, binding us together as one body across the miles. By your Spirit of grace transform our social isolation and distance into a holy community, connecting us to each other by your sacred presence.

          Bless the elements we each have gathered, elements common to our ordinary lives. Let them represent for us the body and blood of our Savior who gave himself for us. Amen.

Words of Institution

          As we share these symbols of bread and cup across the distance, we remember the story of Jesus with the disciples that last night before he was arrested. He took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them saying “Take, eat, this is my body, given for you.” And with the cup he said, “This cup is the new covenant, my blood poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink of it, remember me.”

          And so we do. As we lift up many pieces in scattered places rather than sharing the same loaf and as we drink from separate cups instead of one, we do so remembering that throughout history God’s people have often been scattered and in exile. Through the power and mystery of the Holy Spirit, we are made one in Christ Jesus. These are the gifts of God for us the children of God.*

          The Bread of Life……………..

          The Cup of Salvation …………….

 

*portions of prayer adapted from prayer by Rev. Steve Kliewer, Interim General Presbyter, EOP

 

Unison Prayer of Thanks

          Gracious God, you have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth. You have fed us with the bread of life, and renewed us for your service. Help us who have shared Christ’s body and received his cup, to be his faithful disciples so that our daily living may be part of the life of your kingdom, and our love be your love reaching out into the life of the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

CLOSING HYMN:     “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”           #610

 

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

          As I said, there are always crossings before us. There are always life changes, changes for which we might feel unprepared. And one day, we will reach that final crossing from this world into the next. For all of these, remember and trust that there is one who walks by your side and guides you to the next phase of your life.

          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.

 

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LOOKING AHEAD

November 3                 10:30 a.m.                    Women’s Spirituality

November 8                 following worship       M&M

 

PRAYER CARE:

Phyllis Bauer, Lois White (lymphoma), Virginia DesIlets (broken hip), Darlene Wingfield (heart valve replacement, pulmonary fibrosis, breast cancer), Margaret Dunbar (fall/broken tailbone), 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 11/8/20

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;

Matthew 25:1-13