PIONEER
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 2nd Sunday after Epiphany January
17, 2021
~~~~~~~~~~
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.
-
Please bring your Christmas card fronts (without anything written
on them) and place them in container under table next to the name tag board!
-
Women’s
Spirituality meets Tuesday at 10:30
-
Annual
Congregational Meeting follows worship on the 24th
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
God is calling. Do you not hear?
You are being called by name, for a
purpose.
Speak,
O God, for your servant hears.
Show
us the way, for we would follow.
God, you have searched us and know us.
You discern our thoughts from far away.
With longing hearts, we seek God’s love.
With joyful lips we sing God’s praise.
Your words and your deeds are known to
God.
You were known to God before you were
born.
Your
knowledge of us is more than we can understand.
Your
thoughts embrace us amid all you have created.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of all our moments, day and night
awaken us to hear what you would say to us. Help us to know when it is your
voice we are hearing and when it is our own prejudices and desires to which we
are paying heed. We open ourselves to behold your glory in the sanctuary and to
know your steadfast love, which is better than life. Amen.
OPENING
SONG: “You Are Here” LU#18
CALL TO CONFESSION
We can hide nothing from God who knows our
every thought. God is aware of sins we have not recognized—broken trusts,
selfish impulses, trampling the feelings of others, ignoring needs. God has
noticed. Let us seek God’s forgiveness and begin anew.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
O
God, help us to recognize in ourselves what you have seen there. Remove the
distortions that keep us from acknowledging our sins. Awaken in us a sorrow
over the wrong we have done and the good we have neglected. Create in us an
earnest desire to change. Because of your love and care, we can face our
failings and, through you, find a better way. (Continue with personal
prayers………..) 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. I have a question for you. How old do you
have to be before God can use you? How old do you have to be before you can
follow Jesus? How old are you? You’re each four, aren’t you? That’s old enough.
Sometimes people think little kids can’t do anything important. But they’re
wrong.
In
the Old Testament book of 1st Samuel, there is the story of a little
boy. His name was Samuel and he lived in the temple with a priest. He went to
bed one night and during the night he was awakened by a voice calling his name.
He thought it was the priest so he ran to him to see what he wanted. The priest
said he hadn’t called Samuel. Puzzled, Samuel went back to bed. It happened again.
Samuel hears a voice calling his name. He runs to Eli to see what he wants and
Eli says he didn’t call him. But then Eli understands and tells Samuel to go
back to bed and when he hears his name being called to say, “Hear am I, Lord.
Your servant listens.”
So
Samuel went back to bed and sure enough, he hears his name again and he says,
“Here am I Lord. You servant listens.” And then God told Samuel that he wanted
Samuel to be a prophet and tell people the things God wanted them to hear. So
Samuel became a great prophet.
If
God can call Samuel to do the things God wanted, God can call any of us,
including Zoey and Fiona. God knows there are things you can do like helping
others, being kind, loving, praying, being a friend—lots of things. Let’s pray.
God,
sometimes we feel we’re too young to do your work. But with your help we can do
anything you want us to do. 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: John
1:43-51
The next day Jesus
decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, "Follow
me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip
found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the
law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to
him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him,
"Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw
you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are
the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, I
saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than
these." And he said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see
heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of
man."
SCRIPTURE 2: 1
Samuel 3:1-10
Now the boy Samuel
was ministering to the Lord under Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in
those days; there was no frequent vision. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had
begun to grow dim, so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place;
the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down within the
temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called,
"Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli,
and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did
not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. And the Lord called
again, "Samuel!" And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said,
"Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my
son; lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word
of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again
the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for
you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you
shall say, `Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay
down in his place. And the Lord came and stood forth, calling as at other
times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for thy
servant hears."
SERMON: “Are
You Listening?” Rev. Jean Hurst
It’s not often we hear about children
in scripture. The passages that are there are significant. The stories teach us
about God’s call. There’s the little slave girl who told her mistress that
there was a prophet in Israel who could cure her husband’s leprosy. There are
the children who were brought to Jesus for blessings and the child who gave his
fish and loaves to feed a crowd. And there’s the story of Jesus as an infant
and again as a child in the temple—about the same age as Samuel. The 1st
century Jewish historian Josephus says Samuel was about 12. He had been living
in the temple, serving Eli, the priest there, for some time.
You might wonder how a child ended up
in the temple instead of with his family. His mother, Hannah, had taken him to
Eli after he was weaned and dedicated him to God’s service. She was one of Elkanah’s two wives and she
had been unable to have children. She was very grieved at not being able to
have a child so she would go to the temple to pray and cry. Eli had thought she
was drunk, but when she explained, Eli assured her she would have a child. In
gratitude to God for giving her this child, she lent him back to God.
That’s how he came to be in Eli’s
care. Hannah went on to have five more children. This special child, though,
was not abandoned by his mother. Hannah had vowed to God that if he gave her a
male child, she would dedicate that child to God. And God had a purpose for
him.
Time passes. The boy sleeps in the
temple. One night he goes to bed as usual and suddenly he hears his name being
called out, “Samuel! Samuel!” He jumps
up and goes to Eli. Eli tells him to go
back to bed, he didn’t call. So back to bed he goes and soon the call comes
again. Three times this happens before Eli figures out that it must be God that
is calling to the boy and tells him to go back to bed, but when he hears his
name being called again to respond, “Here am I, Lord. Your servant listens.”
The reading from 1st Samuel
began with the acknowledgment that the word of the Lord was rare in those days
and that visions were not widespread. Eli was the spiritual leader of the
people. But Eli’s sons were corrupt and the people despaired over the
corruption and the failed leadership in a crucial time. Within this story is
the hopeful proclamation that God will not acquiesce to evil.
The passage tells us that Samuel did
not yet know the Lord. I guess there are lots of ways of knowing God. And there
is a knowing about God without really
knowing God. For a 12-year old that
had to be confusing. Maybe he thought the old priest was going senile, calling
out but not remembering.
Samuel listened to what Eli told him
to do. Ironically, the name ‘Samuel’ means ‘God has heard.’ Samuel didn’t know
the Lord yet, but he went back, lay down, and waited for the next call, then
answered this Lord he didn’t know.
Samuel may not have known God, but God
knew Samuel. And God had a purpose for Samuel’s life. It said Samuel grew up
and God was with him during that growing up and growing into God’s call on his
life. Samuel went on to become a great prophet for God.
These children in our congregation may
not truly know God yet, but God knows them and God has a purpose for their
lives. You may not truly know God yet, but God knows you and has a purpose for your life, too.
We
live in different times, but there are some parallels we can draw from today’s
scripture. We, too, can feel that the word of the Lord is rare. God doesn’t
seem to speak to people in the way of Old Testament times. Visions were not
widespread then and rare now. But it doesn’t mean that God isn’t speaking to us
and it doesn’t mean that God does not impart visions to us. It’s just perhaps
different than it was back then.
When
Jesus was anticipating his death, during that last night with his disciples, he
made them a promise. He promised them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would be
their comforter and advocate and guide, reminding them of what Jesus had taught.
God the Spirit gifts us and calls us. And scripture tells us that God’s call is
irrevocable. There’s no turning back. Dodge it though we may, the call is
there.
Call
is an interesting thing. It’s described in a variety of ways. According to
Frederick Beuchner, call is when your gifts and the world’s need intercept.
Another way to look at it is when your passion for something in life finds a
home in living out God’s purpose and will.
Call
is not always a huge commitment of giving up everything else in your life to
pursue some noble purpose. I’d like to point you back to those children. The
little girl’s purpose seemed to be to help connect Naaman, commander of the
Syrian army, with the prophet Elijah. She simply shared what she knew. The
children who were brought to be blessed served as a lesson to the disciples
about what it was to be kingdom material. The little boy who offered up his
fish and loaves didn’t have to give up everything he had; he was just called to
share what he had.
The
wonderful thing about children is that they are open and they’re eager. They
don’t seem to stop and question their qualifications or what they have to
offer. It reminds me of a story the motivational speaker, Zig Zigler told about
a group of first graders getting ready to play ball. “Who want to be pitcher?”
he asked. They started jumping up and down hollering, “me, me. I want to be
pitcher” Then one of them piped up saying, “What’s a pitcher?” No inhibitions.
Naaman’s
slave girl didn’t stop to question whether she had anything worthwhile to say
or what her mistress would think of her. The little boy standing in front of
Jesus didn’t worry that people would laugh at him for offering his paltry lunch
to feed five thousand people or even what a ludicrous thing it was. Each of
these children just did it. It seemed natural and spontaneous. God empowered
them. God worked through them.
We
get hung up on all sorts of things when we’re asked to consider that God might
have a call on our lives. We don’t have the time. We’re not good enough. We’re
not spiritual enough. We aren’t smart enough. We have other commitments. Nobody
would take us seriously. We don’t have the resources. We might fail. We might
make a fool of ourselves.
I’ll
tell you a secret, though. God’s call on your life may not require you to
change your life at all. God can use you just as you are, just where you are.
We tend to think that God’s call on our lives is about taking up a religious
vocation. But think instead about what God wants for our lives and our world.
Think about what Jesus taught was the most important thing—love.
The
call on our lives might be just that simple. Love. Be kind. Demonstrate
forgiveness. Act with integrity. Extend grace. Be generous. Be a healer and
think of all the ways that healing can happen. Consider all the ways that love
can make a difference in a world too filled with hate. Being the best you that you can be may be God’s call on
your life.
As in the days of the child Samuel,
the word of the Lord is rare and visions are not widespread. We have to listen differently now. We have to listen with our hearts and we have
to watch for the signs that give confirmation to what our hearts tell us.
When we open ourselves to listening
for God’s voice, when we are willing to respond in love and obedience to that
voice, we know we’re taking a risk. We
don’t know what God is going to ask of us.
But the God that knows us intimately will not ask of us more than we are
able to do. And we won’t be left to our own devices. We aren’t called and
abandoned. Our God of grace prepares us, guides us, empowers us and walks with
us.
I leave you with this challenge.
Listen. Listen with your ears. Listen with your eyes. Listen with your heart. When you hear God calling
your name, respond, “Here am I, Lord, your servant listens.” Amen.
HYMN: “Lord, Speak to Me that I May Speak” Glory #722
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
We wander away, Lord, but you come and
search for us. We feel lost and confused at times, but you would have us be
found and shown the way. Do not forget us, O God, even when we have forgotten
you. Do not depart from us even when we turn our faces from your side. Direct
us with your gentle touch, your still, small voice which speaks to our hearts
and minds, urging us back to the path you would have us follow. From the dark
rooms of despair and depression, sadness, guilt and grief, save us, O Lord.
Stir our spirits and give us good hope. Show us the wonder of the real life you
set before us with all of its possibilities. Breathe your Spirit into us, O
God, that we may sense the inspiration of your love and have confidence in your
guidance.
And then, tender God, we can, in turn,
be a source of love and healing for others. In that love, we pray for your
children here and around the world—those who live in the shadow of fear and
violence and hunger and loneliness, and those impacted by Covid. Grant, Lord, that the vaccines will be
effective and that this pandemic will end.
We pray as well that the pandemic of
violence will end. Help us get through the national transition of power without
further violence. Lord God of our nation, we don’t understand how people who
want change can resort to such violent means. We don’t understand how the
president of our country can stir up that kind of response. Heal our country we
pray. Guide us. Grant wisdom to our leaders. Help us through these dark times.
In the chaos of national issues, we
look to those people close to us and lift them up in prayer. … Phyllis Bauer …
Beverly Patterson … Lois White … John Matthews … Darlene … Virginia … Cherry …
Margaret Dunbar … Trisha … Dave … Jacob … George and 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 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
For love’s sake, God sent Christ among us.
For love’s sake, we make the offering of ourselves and our resources to God and
for the purpose of God’s work in the world. What will you offer?
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Gracious God, you call us to love and in love we
respond. We want to help, and we believe your church can be Christ’s healing
presence for all those in need. May our offerings be used for the healing and
transformation of the world. Bless these offerings, we pray. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Here
I Am Lord” Glory #69
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Do you wake up in the night? Perhaps
it’s God’s voice that has called your name. Listen. Then you might try, “Here
am I, Lord. Your servant listens.” Who knows where it will lead.
As you consider that, know 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
January 19 10:30 a.m. Women’s Spirituality
January 24 following worship Annual Congregational Meeting
January 26 noon PPW
lunch meeting
January 31 following worship Deacons
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please bring your Christmas card fronts
(without anything written on them) and place them in container under table next
to the name tag board!
PRAYER
CARE:
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 1/24/21
Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31;
Mark 1:14-20
No comments:
Post a Comment