PIONEER
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 24th Sunday after Pentecost November
15, 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 with masks and social distancing has plenty of room for additional
worshipers.
-
Worship
& Music meets following live worship
-
Deacons
meet following live worship next Sunday
-
On
November 22, following worship, there will be a short congregational meeting to
elect officers who will then be ordained and/or installed during worship on
November 29
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
Lift up your eyes, seeking to know your
God.
Attune your spirit to the One in whom you
dwell.
God’s
love surrounds us here today.
God
calls us to be children of light.
We belong to the day when we have faith.
We live confidently in the hope of
salvation.
We
seek to be faithful to the best we know.
We
want to invest the talents God gives us.
Faithfulness gives us a sense of greater
abundance.
Doing justice adds to our sense of worth
and dignity.
We
are here to build up one another.
May
our worship encourage each of us today.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Fill us, gracious God, with a sense of
your abiding presence. Awaken our spirits to realities unseen. Turn us from the
dullness of our fear-filled grasping for security and help us to live with
trust in you. Expand among us such mutual regard and encouragement as will
build up community and lead all of us to live in the light. May faith and love
dominate all our relationships as we enter into the joy of serving in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.
OPENING
SONG: “Gentle Shepherd, Come and Lead Us”
LU#102
CALL TO CONFESSION
Sometimes we are objects of scorn and
contempt, but sometimes we are the ones at ease, filled with pride and thinking
ourselves better than others. We cling to a false sense of peace and security
amid injustice and oppression. The day of the Sovereign can surprise us like a
thief in the night, and judgment is sure.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We
don’t want to face your judgment, Holy God. We know we have not fully used the
talents you have entrusted to us. We hide them and hoard them, retreating into
a false sense of security. We live in self-protection rather than using our
abilities in faithful service. Have mercy on us, O God. We want to be children
of the light. Help us! (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 Fiona. Good morning Zoey. Have you met our resident sheep? Her name is
Ewe-nice. A ewe is a female sheep. Would you like to be a sheep? You’d have
that nice wool coat to keep you warm. No? Okay. I asked Ewe-nice to join us today
to talk about what it’s like to be a sheep.
What
do you think a sheep needs? Food. Water. A place to rest. Protection from
wolves or things that would hurt them.
Guidance so they don’t get lost and don’t get in trouble. Who provides
that for a sheep? The shepherd does. A shepherd watches over and guides and
protects and provides sheep what they need.
What
do we need? Food. Water. A place to
rest. Protection from things that might hurt us. Guidance so we don’t get lost
or in trouble. It sounds like we need the same things a sheep needs. So Maybe
we are sheep. Who do you think our
shepherd is? Jesus is our shepherd. Psalm 23 starts out, “The Lord is my
shepherd.” Let’s pray.
Jesus,
it’s funny to think about ourselves as sheep. But we like that you are our
shepherd. Thank you for taking care of us and watching over us. 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 23 (NIV)
The Lord is my
shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green
pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He
guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the
presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
SCRIPTURE 2: Matthew 25:14-30
"For
it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted
to them his property; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another
one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
He who had
received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five
talents more. So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he
who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's
money.
Now after
a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents
more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five
talents more.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant;
you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the
joy of your master.'
And he
also who had the two talents came forward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me
two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, `Well
done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will
set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.'
He also
who had received the one talent came forward, saying, `Master, I knew you to be
a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not
winnow; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you
have what is yours.'
But his
master answered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap
where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? Then you ought to
have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give
it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given,
and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.'
SERMON: “What
Talent?” Rev.
Jean Hurst
There’s Matthew again with his pet
phrase. They will be cast into outer
darkness where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. That, according
to Matthew, is the penalty for not making proper use of the talents with which
a person has been entrusted. And many of us may be thinking, “What talent?”
It’s pretty common for people to feel they don’t have any real talents to
offer.
Let’s look at the story. This is one
of a series of three stories about end times with a focus on how faithful
Jesus’ followers will be as they await his return. We heard one of them last
week in the story of the wise and foolish bridesmaids.
Now Jesus tells of a man who goes on a
long trip after entrusting his servants with money. He first assesses the
abilities of these servants and entrusts a portion of his wealth to each
according to their ability to manage that money. One receives five talents to
manage, one receives two and one is given a single talent.
Though it seems the third servant was
given charge over a paltry amount, it really wasn’t. What the master has done
is an act of significant trust. A talent is the equivalent of fifteen years’
wages for a laborer. And the first servant was entrusted with the value of 75
years wages!
After a long while, the master returns
and calls in the servants to account for their management of his fortune. The
first two have invested wisely and doubled the master’s money. They were
praised for what they’d done.
The third servant had to admit that
he’d simply buried and then retrieved the talent, making sure it wasn’t lost.
He claimed he did it because he feared what the master might do if he risked
and lost his master’s money. That servant was chastised for his failure to
responsibly manage what had been entrusted to him.
Each of us is held responsible for
what we do with the talents given us. In the literal sense of the story, the
talent is money. Each servant is given a portion, but it’s not his, it is the
masters. They have to answer for what they do with it.
It was in the Middle Ages that
‘talent’ came into the English language as a term for God-given abilities. It
fits with the meaning behind this parable. All that we have is from God--the
blessings of our material wealth as well as the blessings of our abilities. So
the traditional interpretation of this passage is about how we use our
abilities as we await Jesus’ return.
That leaves many people uncomfortable.
After all, even if it’s a metaphor for abilities, what if we feel we don’t have
any significant abilities? We may be advancing in age. We may have physical
limitations. We may have demanding responsibilities that limits our available
time. We may feel restricted by finances, distance, or energy. We may be so
overloaded already that the idea of adding more to our commitments under the
concept of ‘discipleship’ creates a burden too heavy to bear.
That wasn’t what Jesus was after. Many
of us have obvious abilities that we enjoy using in the work of God’s kingdom
and we use those abilities willingly. We have people who have the gift of music
and enjoy playing and singing and leading. We have good organizers who lead
committees and coordinate their projects. Some people are good with finances or
teaching or speaking in front of people. Using those particular gifts in the
church is effective stewardship of what has been entrusted to us.
Those who don’t have those particular gifts, those who aren’t
physically able to get up on ladders and do repairs, those whose distance from
the church prohibits frequent involvement in church projects, those whose age
or health keeps them from an active role do not need to feel that they have
failed in their discipleship.
Let me take a side trail for a moment.
In Romans 12, Paul said, “We have different gifts
according to the grace given us.” He goes on to list some of those gifts as
healing, preaching, speaking in tongues, exhorting, helpers, administrators,
and miracle workers. If any of you has that gift of working miracles, I’d like
to have a chat with you.
1 Corinthians 7:7
says, “Each has his own special gift from God, one of one kind
and one of another.” Paul reinforces that asking, “Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all
interpret?” The answer is, of course not. Not everyone has the same gifts.
Remember that he said we receive those different gifts according to the grace
given us.
God has
seen that one person can make better use of a particular gift than another. He
obviously saw that Linda and Marianne and Carol and Larry could do better with
the gift of music than I could. Instead, God gave me the gift of putting words
together and speaking in front of groups. Some of you are grateful God didn’t
give you that gift!
But each
one of us has something in particular--maybe several things--that God knows we
can do and can enjoy doing in the work of the kingdom. God knows our faith and
our nature and that there are abilities the Spirit has given that don’t even
take a lot of extra effort. For example, some have the exceptional ability to
be kind, to listen, to make another person feel that they matter. Others extend
hospitality, cook and do crafts. Still others encourage and support. We have a
number who are particularly gifted to be prayer warriors.
We each
have gifts and scripture tells us to use them. 1Timothy 4:14 says “Do not neglect
the gift that has been given you.” 1 Peter 4:10 says “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms.” That is using the
talents that have been entrusted to you.
The nice
thing is we don’t have to worry about demands being made on us that are beyond
our abilities. Notice that in Jesus’ parable, those talents were doled out
according to the ability of each servant to make use of them. The problem came
with the one servant who failed to use what was entrusted to him for fear he
wouldn’t do it well enough.
Jesus told this
story in response to the disciples’ questioning about the end times. Jesus said
no one knows when, but that we are expected to be faithful in the waiting. We
don’t sit back and do nothing, but rather, we continue Jesus’ ministry. We are
expected to be doing the kingdom work when Jesus returns, however long that
might be and however minor our gifts might be. Jesus was saying that we will be
held accountable for what we do or don’t do, for how we responsibly and
faithfully use what God has put in our care.
I suspect that is why the use of our
abilities is part of the commitments we make in our membership in the church.
Not everyone is expected to do the same thing. Each has their own gift,
bestowed by the Holy Spirit. Part of the faith journey is discovering what that
gift is and how to put it to use.
Today we are receiving Tina and Dave
Bossuot into Pioneer’s membership. Both were baptized in this church as infants
and rooted in this church as children. They come from families who have used
their own gifts in the kingdom work. As we share this journey of faith with
them, it will be a delight to learn what Tina and Dave’s gifts are. And I know
that you, the congregation, will encourage and guide them in that process.
RECEIVING NEW MEMBERS (Tina and Dave Bossuot)
HYMN: “I
Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” #488
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Gracious God, from whom comes all the
abundance of this earth, and who has given us the true bread from heaven, Jesus
Christ, feed us again by your word of truth, that we may believe more deeply
and trust more daringly, speaking the truth in love to our hurting world.
Lead your church to become a
transforming presence among all your children. As we pray for your peace in the
world and your comfort for those who are hurting, empower and challenge us to
be your instruments of peace and comfort. Help us to believe that peace is
possible and then let your Spirit guide us to make it so.
Bread of Heaven, bring new life and
hope to each of your children. Strengthen the hearts of those who struggle with
doubts. Comfort the grieving hearts. Bring peace to those who face the storms
of life. Grant hope for those who are anxious about the future.
We pray for your children here and
around the world—those whose lives are threatened by violence, poverty, disease
and disaster, those who are lonely and isolated, those who live without hope.
Lead us to acts of compassion and hope and then empower us to make a
difference. We pray for those close to us, for George Sahlberg … Phyllis Bauer
… Beverly Patterson … Darlene Wingfield … Lois White … Virginia … Cherry … John Matthews … Margaret
Dunbar … Trisha … Dave … Jacob … Joyce … Jennifer … Chuck … Courtney … Ethel …
Helen. (Additional prayers …………)
God who guides our lives, we entrust
to you these prayers and those that remain yet in our hearts as we join
together, praying as 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 asks us for an accounting of what we
have done with the wealth and the abilities entrusted to us. Let us consider
what we are doing with our time, talent, and treasure and offer to God the best
part of ourselves, not just today but every day.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Generous God, we offer you our treasures, our time and
our abilities for the work of your kingdom. Bless them, we pray that others
might be blessed through us. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Arise!
Your Light Is Come” #744
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Your
charge is to consider what talents God may have given you and then decide what
you can do with them.
As you
do 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
November 22 following worship Congregational Meeting
November 22 following meeting Deacons
November 24 noon PPW lunch meeting
November 29 during worship ordinations/installations
December 6 10:30 a.m. Women’s Spirituality
PRAYER
CARE:
George Sahlberg
(infection, heart problems), Phyllis Bauer (aging issues), Beverly Patterson
(Sheila Cunningham’s mother) (aging issues), Lois White (lymphoma), Virginia
DesIlets (broken hip), Darlene Wingfield (heart valve, 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 11/22/20
Ezekiel 34:11-16,
20-24; Psalm 100; Ephesians 1:15-23;
Matthew 25:31-46
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