PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 13th Sunday after Pentecost August
22, 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.
-
Deacons
meet 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAPTISM: Friends, remember your baptism … and be thankful.
CALL TO WORSHIP
With profound happiness, we welcome one
another.
How good it is to approach the courts of
our God!
Happy
are those who live in God’s house!
Singing our praise to God fills us with joy.
Here we welcome both friend and stranger.
All peoples of the earth are God’s
children.
We
greet one another by name in Jesus’ name.
Together
we extol the name of our God.
Open your hearts to receive new strength.
Open your lives to renewed understandings.
Surely
God will equip us to face our world.
We
will be ambassadors for God wherever we go.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
We come together in this house of prayer,
trusting you, O God, to give us everything we need. As you provide for the birds
of the air, you supply life’s necessities for your children to share. We choose
to respond to your promises by identifying ourselves as your servant people who
seek to be guided by your word. We gather to remember and reclaim your covenant
with us. We gather to do the tasks you entrust to us here, praying for strength
to do our daily work as a ministry in your name. Amen.
OPENING
HYMN: “Lord of All” LU#42
CALL TO CONFESSION
God has called us, not to a set of beliefs
but to a relationship of trust. We are drawn to the Spirit whose will for us is
life at its fullest, attuned to all that is good and true. We are embraced by
the gospel of peace. We come now to confess that we have looked elsewhere for
our salvation.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Alert
us now, eternal Spirit, to your presence among us in this place. Together, we
confess that we have been busy with so many things that we have often forgotten
you. We have made little gods out of buildings and furnishings and programs.
Sometimes our pet beliefs and interpretations have been all-consuming as we do
battle to correct others and presume to defend you. We have forgotten that your
love is stronger than any force on earth. Forgive our mistrust of its power,
and draw us back into the company of disciples who are learning and growing in
love. (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
SCRIPTURE 1: Psalm 84
How lovely is your dwelling
place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a
home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your
altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Happy are those who live in your
house, ever singing your praise. Happy are those whose strength is in you, in
whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They
go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion. O Lord God
of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed. For a day in your courts is better than a
thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than
live in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he
bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who
walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
SCRIPTURE 2: John 6:51-58
I am the living bread
which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;
and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us
his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and
I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood
is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I
in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he
who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from
heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live
forever."
SERMON “The
Well-Fed Christian” Rev.
Jean Hurst
“…unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…” No
wonder so many followers walked away! If we lived in that era, we would be
equally offended. Eat his flesh? Drink his blood? It sounds like cannibalism!
If you were Jewish, and
remember that’s the people group to whom Jesus carried his ministry--and was,
in fact, his own faith--then it would be doubly offensive. In their religious
practices it was forbidden to consume the blood of animals, much less humans.
Blood carried the life-force of living creatures.
When Noah and his family and all the animals came off the ark, God told the
humans that every living thing that moves could be meat for them but that they
were not to eat flesh with the blood in it. God speaks about it again in
Leviticus 17:14, saying, “…the life of every creature is its blood. That is why
I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any
creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it
must be cut off."
That led to very specific laws about how animals had
to be slaughtered and prepared to ensure that they were well bled before being
consumed. Breaking that law could result in the guilty person being cut off
from their faith and people and heritage.
And along comes Jesus and tells them they have no
life unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood. Does this offend you? It
offended most of the people who were listening to Jesus. Most of his own disciples
turned away in disgust and stopped following him. For them, blood was the
deal-breaker.
What is our deal-breaker? We, too, are followers of
Jesus. And frankly, for a whole variety of reasons, we don’t like everything
Jesus says and calls us to do. We want to be followers of Jesus. We want to be
his disciples. We want to be in relationship with him. We want forgiveness and
salvation. But we don’t want what goes against our interests or ideologies or
principles. Though one might think the ultimate principle would be adherence to
the teachings of Jesus, it is interesting how our own principles can vary from
those of Jesus, and how how we can we choose ours as the more important.
Wouldn’t it be an interesting exercise to make a list
of what Jesus said we should do if we are his followers and then check off the
ones we can live with and cross off the ones we can’t or don’t want to live with. For example, love your neighbor. Really, doesn’t it depend on which neighbor?
Jesus said love your enemy. Come on, Jesus.
Get real. Feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, take care
of the poor. Sure, that’s doable—as long
as they live on the other side of the world or we’re really sure they’re not
just living off the dole. Forgive one another. Forgive? Aren’t there some things that are simply unforgivable?
Accept others as they are. If we’ve got
any moral standards at all, we’re not going to buy into that one. Over and
over again, Jesus asks us to do what goes against the grain.
Eat my body. Drink my blood. No, it isn’t meant to be
literal. Jesus frequently used metaphor and hyperbole. He likened one thing to
another. He made things bigger than life so people would get the point. He
didn’t really want people cutting off their hands. Hyperbole. Jesus didn’t
really consider himself a chicken or a vine or a gate. Metaphor. In other
passages, Jesus referred to himself as the bread of life and the living waters.
In this passage, as with some of the others, the key
concept is life. Look again at what Jesus said. “I am the bread that comes down
from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” And, “This
bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Jesus seems to
know that he will die for these people—and not just these few but for all
people in all time. He is telling them that by him sacrificing his own life, it
will save everyone.
Furthermore, he’s telling them that if they won’t
receive what he offers, they aren’t really alive. In order for them to be part
of him, of what he stands for, of what he teaches, they have to swallow it all.
Remember the Leviticus passage tells us that the life force of any living
creature is in its blood. If we want to truly live, we have to consume what
Jesus stands for, who Jesus is, the life-force that is Jesus. Life apart from
what Jesus represents is no life at all. If we accept the bread and the cup,
Jesus becomes part of us and we become part of him. Through him we have
life—not only life now but also life eternal.
Many chose to understand Jesus’ words literally. He
was aware of their grumbling and asked them, “Does this offend you?” Yes, it
did. They turned away. They were convinced they knew and understood what was
right and that was definitely at odds with what Jesus was saying. They rejected
it and walked away. How often do we do the same thing? Jesus seems to be saying
that we don’t get to pick and choose if we are to be part of his life. Jesus
knew that much of what he stood for was difficult for his followers to accept.
So he asked the Twelve, that group closest to him, whether they, too wanted to
leave.
Peter speaks for us all. “Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy
One of God.” If we turn away from Jesus, where do we go? Do we find that the
world and its violent ways has the answers we seek? Do we find much that is
life-giving in the hatred, the greed and the self-interest?
If we follow the ways of the world, what do we turn
to in times of crisis? Where will we find comfort? Where will we find peace?
When tragedy hits, when the diagnosis is our worst fear, when the relationship
is crumbling, when the wounds go deep, to whom do we turn? When we are lost,
who will find us and bring us home? We only get more lost in the ways of the
world.
Where but in Jesus will we find true healing? Who
will see us through, give us courage to face tomorrow, lead us through the dark
times? Who, but Jesus, will lift us above every despicable thing we’ve ever
done? Who but Jesus, will offer us a new beginning? In the midst of the storm,
who makes it possible for us to say, ‘It is well with my soul’?
In a world that puts conditions on love and decides
who is and who isn’t acceptable, who will love us and accept us exactly as we
are? Who will give us hope for tomorrow and grace for today? Peter speaks truth. “Lord, to whom shall we
go? You have the words of eternal life.” Thanks be to God.
HYMN: “Eat
This Bread” Glory #527
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
God of the universe, we come before
you in awe. Though we say the words, “You are here among us” we still struggle
to wrap our minds around that concept. The God of all creation, here … with us
… right now. Wow! And thank you!
You, oh Lord, are the God of new hopes
and new promises. Lead us into our future with faith and a sense of purpose.
May our lives not be haphazard, but committed and deliberate. Out of the
wreckage of too many failures, too many hurts, too much hesitation, too little
courage, and too few victories, restore our confidence and faith in the power
of your presence.
We
pray for our world, our nation, our community. We lift up to you family and
friends who especially need that power of your presence: We pray for those
around us who have their own life struggles: our families, our friends, our
community. We pray for Joe Hendry … Sandy
Cargill … Elaine LaChapelle … Larry Koskela … Linda and Bill Kaesemeyer … Somer
Bauer … Tasha Sizemore … Beverly Patterson … Virginia … Margaret Dunbar …
Darlene … Trisha … Dave … Jacob … George and Joyce … Jennifer … Chuck …
Courtney … Ethel … and Pastor Jean. (Additional prayers …………)
May we dream dreams and dare to try
new ways of sharing your love. Give us the strength of heart and clarity of
mind to see what needs to be done and do it. How happy we are to know that you
are our God, and that neither death, nor life, nor the events of the past, nor
the fear of the future can keep us from your everlasting grace.
We pray in the
name of Jesus who taught us to pray: 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
The church is not a private club that we
maintain for our own benefit. It is a mission outpost, constantly enlisting us
and our resources for the spreading of good news and the increase of God’s
reign of love. Our offerings are one measure of how seriously we take our call
as ambassadors for Christ.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
God of our lives, may our giving add strength to the
witness of your church as we humbly seek your truth and lovingly share it.
Ready us to proclaim the gospel of peace in our homes, in our places of work
and leisure, throughout our community and the world. May these gifts of our
labor and our lives further your kingdom. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “My
Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” Glory
#353
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Your charge for the week is to keep
yourself well-fed. Jesus is the bread of life and you don’t have to count the
calories!
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
-
August
22 following worship Deacons
-
September
7 10:30 a.m. Women’s Spirituality
-
September
9 8:30 a.m. Men’s Prayer Group
-
September
14 6:00 p.m. Session
PRAYER CARE:
Joe Hendry (hip
surgery recovery), Sandy Cargill (breast cancer), Larry Koskela (stomach and
joint issues), Linda and Bill Kaesemeyer (Bill’s heart/breathing issues), Somer
Bauer (breast cancer), Tasha Sizemore (Crohn’s?), Jacob Cunningham, Trisha
Cagley (health problems), Dave Clark (kidney cancer), Virginia DesIlets (age
99!), Margaret Dunbar (aging issues), George and Joyce Sahlberg (health
issues), Jennifer Schirm (Parkinson’s), Chuck VanHise (leg/walking rehab),
Darlene Wingfield (pulmonary fibrosis, breast cancer), Courtney Ziegler
(Huntington’s), and Pastor Jean Hurst (kidney cancer returned).
LECTIONARY
FOR August 29, 2021
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,
6-9; Psalm 15;
James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
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