PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 24th Sunday after Pentecost November
7, 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.
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.
-
Session
meets Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
-
Men’s
Prayer Group meets Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
-
M&M
meets next Sunday following worship
-
Sign
up for making cookies and pies for PPW Harvest 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
Come, all who are anxious or burdened.
This
is a time to experience good news.
This
is God’s house, and we can meet God here.
We are brought together in the family
of God.
Come with expectancy and anticipation.
God
is present to greet you and change your life.
God
grants bread for our journey
and offers places of refuge on the
way.
God knows our fears and responds to our
needs.
We
can trust in God and be at peace.
Happy
are those who hope in God,
and
avail themselves of God’s ever-present help.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
In the security of your love, mighty God,
it is well with us. Our work is fulfilling, our relationships reflect your
faithfulness, and our ability to trust is strengthened. We are here, seeking an
extra measure of reassurance, the restoration of our best selves and the
clarification of our responsibilities. You are the builder in whose hands the
church can become a community of joy and fulfillment. You keep watch over us,
strengthening us to be the church wherever we live and serve. Be known to us
now and guide us as we go from here to serve you in the world. Amen.
OPENING
SONG: “How Can I Keep from Singing?” LU#34
CALL TO CONFESSION
At our best, we long to be whole people
whose words and deeds are a reflection of the image of God within us. God’s
help is as near as our requests, as dependable as the breath of life that God
has given. Surrounded by the gifts of God, we often taken them for granted. Let
us take time to recognize and admit our wayward pursuit of goals that are not
God’s.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
We
confess, O God, that we put our trust in things we can see. We pursue human
schemes because your will seems so illusive. When we discern what you intend it
seems too demanding. We vie for recognition and honors without realizing the
effect of our actions on others. We beg to be freed from the tyranny of our own
ambitions to serve where we are. (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 146
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will
sing praises to my God while I have being. Put not your trust in princes, in a
son of man, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs he returns to his
earth; on that very day his plans perish. Happy is he whose help is the God of
Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the
oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the
Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners, he upholds
the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The
Lord will reign forever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!
SCRIPTURE 2: 1 Kings 17:8-16
Then the word of the
Lord came to him, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and
dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So he
arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold,
a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring
me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." And as she was going to
bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your
hand." And she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing
baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I
am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and
my son, that we may eat it, and die." And Elijah said to her, "Fear
not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and
bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son. For thus says the
Lord the God of Israel, `The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of
oil shall not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the
earth.'" And she went and did as Elijah said; and she, and he, and her
household ate for many days. The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the
cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah.
SERMON: “Enough
Is Enough” Rev.
Jean Hurst
“Enough
is enough.” But is it ever, really? When are we satisfied? At what point are we able to trust God to
provide, to carry us through? Is God
only trustworthy as long as things happen as we feel they ought? Does God’s action in our lives each time have
to trump the previous, be bigger and better, before the next one counts? Does God’s provision have to be a constant
stream before we believe? And if so,
where is our basis for trust?
Today’s
Old Testament story from the book of 1 Kings is a story of trust played out in
the most unlikely circumstances and people.
It begins with an evil king--Ahab.
Ahab was the king of Israel who married the daughter of the king of
Sidon. Sidon is located just north of
Israel on the coast. The daughter’s name
is Jezebel. And Sidon is the center for
the worship of Baal, the storm god, the god of rain. Jezebel draws Ahab and the people of Israel
into worshiping Baal. Scripture said
Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all
the kings of Israel who were before him.
He’s one bad dude.
Elijah
is a prophet, one who speaks the word of God.
His is not an enviable task. He
has to keep telling Ahab of God’s condemnation--then has to run for his life. Ahab was not a king who responded well to
criticism. That’s what landed Elijah in
a dried up wadi, wondering if it was the end of the trail for him. Elijah told Ahab that because of his evil
ways, God was bringing a drought on the land.
Then Elijah ran.
God
sent Elijah to the wadi Cherith to hide.
He could drink from the Wadi and the ravens would feed him. So Elijah goes. The ravens bring bread and meat morning and
evening and Elijah gets his water from the creek. But, as Jesus said in Matthew 5, God sends
the rain on the just and the unjust.
Droughts too. The wadi dries
up. Elijah, too, falls victim to the
drought.
Can
you imagine what Elijah was thinking?
Probably along the same lines as 16th century Theresa of
Avila when she prayed, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you
have so few.” Elijah had been doing all
that God told him to do, risking his life with an irate king, and now what? Perish in the drought? But no, God wasn’t done with Elijah.
“Go
to Zarephath in Sidon. I have commanded
a widow there to feed you.” Great. As if Ahab and a drought weren’t bad enough,
Elijah is sent into enemy territory. And
to a widow at that. Life wasn’t any
better for a widow in the Canaanite culture than it was in the Israelite
culture. Powerless, generally penniless,
voiceless, vulnerable. Whatever Elijah
may think of the situation, he trusts God and he goes.
As
he enters the gates of Zarephath, he sees a woman gathering sticks of
wood. He asks her to bring him some
water. Elijah has been hiding out in the
wilderness. He probably looks it and
smells like it, too. No please or thank you, either. From his clothes and
accent, she would recognize him as an Israelite. But hospitality traditions were strong even
between cultures, so she turns to go fetch water. Almost as an afterthought, Elijah commands
her to bring him some bread also.
Does
Elijah know this is a widow? Does he
know this is the one God commanded to feed him?
Or is he hungry enough and thirsty enough to grab at the first
opportunity he comes across? As it turns
out, she is a widow.
Before
God sent Elijah to Zeraphath, God said he’d already commanded a widow to feed
him. Well, God neglected to tell the
widow. They’re in a drought and there is
no food. She turns back and I imagine it
was through gritted teeth that she tells him she’s only got a tiny bit
of oil and a handful of meal. She is in
such desperate straits she is going to make a final meal for her and her son
and then give in to starvation and die. Now
Elijah knows she’s a widow. Otherwise,
she would have someone else to take care of her.
One
option Elijah has is to dismiss her and continue his search for a widow with
better prospects. He doesn’t. But his words may at first have sounded
callous. “Don’t be afraid. But make a cake for me first and bring
it to me, then make for you and your son.” What would be going through your mind if you
were the widow? Hospitality to a
stranger is one thing, but this is a bit audacious. Yet Elijah assures her that the oil won’t run
dry and the meal won’t be depleted until the drought is over. And, as scripture tells us, throughout the
drought they had enough.
But how much is enough? What they got was probably not what they
would really have preferred. It wasn’t
steak and eggs for breakfast and baked salmon for dinner; not even Cheerios and
hamburger helper. But they had enough. They lived.
They made it through the drought.
And it wasn’t starvation fare because afterward Elijah was fit enough to
go up against Baal in the battle of the gods, then outrun Ahab’s chariot when
the rain started. It was enough.
Ever
notice how when we’re in dire straits, when we’re desperate, anything will do
that gets us through the situation?
After being out in the sun for a few hours, when we’re really, really
thirsty, even a swallow of warm water is appreciated. And if we’ve not eaten all day, something as
simple as an apple can taste good. But
when we have abundance, it’s not the warm water or apple we yearn for, it’s
more and better that we seek. The more
we have, the more we want--and our standards go up, we want better quality as
well.
When
we’re desperate to pay the rent and put gas in the car, we’re grateful when it
happens. When we’re financially secure,
we want a fancier house, a newer car and we take for granted what we do
have. And it’s not enough.
When
we’re lonely, in need of a kind word, desperate to feel that someone cares, we
are open to finding a kindred soul in the most unlikely person. Too often, when we’re feeling better about
ourselves, when we’ve got more friends than we have time for, we forget those
who were there for us and we forget the loneliness of others.
When
our lives are falling apart, when we feel we’re hitting bottom, when the future
seems uncertain or even hopeless, when the pain of our lives is overwhelming,
we turn to God in desperation. And God
sees us through, brings us through the crisis, gives us strength to go on,
works in amazing ways in the middle of our need, shows us the way to new
beginnings, gives us hope for tomorrow.
And that is enough.
The
good times return and then we don’t need God so much. We forget what it was to depend on God, to
hold onto God’s promises like a lifeline.
We forget the depth of our need, the intensity of our hunger. We forget God’s faithfulness. We forget until the next crisis and then our
memory is foggy.
When
God provides or pulls us through time after time, we can look back and see that,
but when we are in the midst of yet another life trauma, we doubt. The widow of Zeraphath is an example. At the lowest point in her life, when she was
going to cook a last meager meal from the crumbs of the cupboard and resign her
and her son to death, Elijah shows up, making demands on the little she had
left. Yet in her response, in her
sharing, she finds life.
Sometimes,
though, people are so sunk in their hopelessness that even when a sign of
deliverance comes, they don't recognize it as such. They are able to receive
that deliverance, but cannot change their mental outlook or their
expectations. The widow appears to be
this kind of person. In the next segment
after today’s passage, noting that some time had passed and they were still
surviving, disaster strikes again. Her
son falls ill, to the point of death. It
says he got worse and worse until he stopped breathing. He was either dead or as close as he could
get.
Despite
all God had done to keep her and her son alive against her own expectations;
rather than recognizing the gift of more time she had with her son than she had
expected before Elijah showed up, she now forgets God’s mercy and
goodness. Though the meal and oil were
still holding out, she falls back into despair.
To Elijah she says, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill
my son?” Through Elijah’s prayers and
God’s action, the child was restored to life and the woman was able to
proclaim, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the
Lord from your mouth is the truth.” It
was enough to make her believe.
The drought caused near starvation for the widow and her son,
but it brought Elijah. Not only was it through his presence and the action of
his God that the meal and oil didn't run out, but it also meant that he was
there when her son fell ill to death. If not for the drought that nearly killed
them, Elijah wouldn't have been there to save her son.
Isn’t it also true in our lives that the event we grieve as
bad luck or tragedy can, in fact, turn out to be the answer to something else?
Many times I’ve heard of an unrelated illness leading to the diagnosis of
something more serious that otherwise would not have been discovered in time. A
flat tire causes a delay that results in avoiding being caught up in a big
freeway accident. You can probably name your own, where an unwanted situation
places you in a time or place that turned out to be of benefit to you.
But what about the next time? For her ... for us. Will we remember God’s faithfulness? Will we remember that God sees our needs as
more important than our wants? Will our
eyes be open to the many ways that God is providing for us--unexpected ways,
unexpected resources, unexpected people?
Will we remember in the midst of the next crisis that God saw us through
the prior ones?
Will we be able to see that what
appears to be just one more burden, one more obligation, one more demand on our
time and resources when we’re already overwhelmed may, in fact, be an Elijah
coming with opportunity for new life?
Will we trust God, and be thankful that what God has done, what God will
do, what God is doing right now ... is enough?
Will we be able to give thanks to God? Amen.
HYMN: “God
of Our Life” Glory #686
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Great
God of life, with each new day your promise of hope is restored; in every
sunrise we see your face. Each day is filled with new life and hope. The
darkest night fades into the light of the morning. So why, O Lord, do we doubt?
Where is our faith? We have a daily reminder of your faithfulness and yet we
cling to darkness. We continue to wonder if you hear our prayers, see our
tears, feel our suffering. Deluge us with your love that washes away all doubt.
Grant us courage to trust in you for the needs of our own lives and for the
lives of those on whose behalf we pray: …
RaeJean Newman … Dave Clark … Tina Bossuot … Verna’s sister … Mary and Ray
Swarthout … Sandy Cargill … Elaine LaChapelle … Somer Bauer … Tasha Sizemore …
Beverly Patterson … Margaret Dunbar …Virginia … Darlene … Trisha … Jacob … George and Joyce
… Jennifer … Chuck … Courtney … Ethel … and Pastor Jean. (Additional prayers
…………)
We worry about our own lives, Lord,
even when we know that we have so much materially and we have the security we
need. So many of your children do not. We lift them up to you Lord. We have
them here within our community. We have them in our cities across this nation.
Some of them create their own realities, some do not have options or
opportunities. Deliver us from judging, Holy God. Bring your blessings and
provisions upon them and upon your children around the globe. We ask in the
name of the 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
We are privileged to contribute out of our
abundance that the Christian message be proclaimed among us and to our
children. We are challenged to give all that we have—our time, our talents, our
work, and our leisure as witness to the love of God. The extent to which we
invest ourselves is a measure of our commitment.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER
OF DEDICATION
We
give in the Spirit of Jesus, whose whole life was committed to proclaiming your
love, gracious God. May our lives give evidence that we understand the care and
compassion you have for all people, near and far, attractive and offensive,
rich and poor. Our offerings today are a token of all the gifts we now invest
in the work of your realm that is forever. Amen.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
Song of
Preparation: “Let Us Break Bread Together” Glory #525
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: “How
Firm a Foundation” Glory #463
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
It is, perhaps, human nature to be
anxious when what we need is not already in hand. It takes faith to trust that
God will be faithful and God will provide even if it’s only one day at a time.
This week, test it out.
As you do may the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be 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
11 8:30 a.m. Men’s
Prayer Group
-
November
14 following worship M&M
-
November
16 10:30 a.m. Women’s
Spirituality
-
November
21 following worship Worship &
Music
-
November
21 1:00 p.m. Prayer
Shawl Ministry
-
November
23 noon PPW
lunch meeting
-
November
25 all day Thanksgiving
Holiday
PRAYER CARE:
Rae Jean Newman (Covid recovery), Tina Bossuot
(Alzheimer’s), Verna’s sister (Covid recovery), Mary and Ray Swarthout, Sandy
Cargill (breast cancer), Somer Bauer (breast cancer), Tasha Sizemore
(Krohn’s?), Jacob Cunningham, Trisha Cagley (health problems), Dave Clark (recovery
from brain surgery, kidney cancer), Virginia DesIlets (age 99!), Margaret
Dunbar (Ashley Manor), 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).
LECTIONARY
FOR 11/14/21
Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18)
19-25; Mark 13:1-8
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