PIONEER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Worship
via Blog 3rd Sunday of Advent December
12, 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.
-
Pledges
will be dedicated today
-
Congregations
meeting follows worship for election of officers
-
M&M
meets following congregational meeting
-
Next
Sunday Worship & Music 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAPTISM: Friends, remember your baptism … and be thankful.
LIGHTING
OF THE ADVENT CANDLE
Third Week of
Advent – Joy
Luke 1:46-56
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble
state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the
Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to
those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty
deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost
thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the
humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away
empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham
and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” Mary stayed with
Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The first two candles of the Advent Wreath
represent hope and peace. We now light the third candle which represents joy.
This candle reflects the joy that is promised in Christ’s birth. The long
awaited for Jesus is the joy of every loving heart.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Rejoice, give thanks; call on God’s name;
the Holy One is in our midst.
How
good it is to come home to God’s house!
How
good it is to gather in Christ’s presence!
Sing aloud! Exult with all your heart;
the Sovereign One has done glorious
things.
We
offer up our anxieties, seeking God’s peace.
We
face our plenty, eager to share.
Shout your praise! Express your joy!
The God of our salvation welcomes us.
God’s
love is renewing us in these moments;
God’s
strength is becoming our song!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of our baptism, renew in us today the
gifts of your Holy Spirit and fire. We have come together, eager for good news.
We are here for instructions, ready to do the work you call us to do in the
world. Equip us in this time of worship to draw deeply from the waters of
salvation. Fill us with your love that we may pass it on. Recall us to truth
and excellence and justice in all we say and do. Amen.
OPENING
HYMN: “Spirit Song” LU #13
CALL TO CONFESSION
Every tree that fails to bear good fruit
is cut down and thrown in the fire. We cannot flee from our unfaithfulness. But
we can reclaim our baptism and seek once more to bear fruits that befit repentance.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
What shall we do, O God? We can never do
enough to deserve your love. We confess that we are not always truthful. We
have defaced the purity of your love for us. We have embraced ugliness and
oppression rather than loveliness and grace. We have distorted your cries for
justice in order to benefit ourselves. We have given less than our best to
others and to you. Forgive us we pray. (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: Isaiah
12:2-6
"Behold, God is
my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my
strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." With joy you will
draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
"Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among
the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted. "Sing praises to the Lord,
for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout, and sing
for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel."
SCRIPTURE 2: Philippians 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord
always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord
is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen
in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
SERMON
“Rejoice and Watch What Happens” Rev.
Jean Hurst
Rejoice?
Don’t be anxious? Pray with thanksgiving? Did Paul have any idea at all
that his words would pass down through the centuries, that the letter written
to a small church in Philippi would be read nearly two thousand years later to
a small church in the desert of Harney County on the other side of the world?
Easy words for Paul to say back in the first century--he didn’t face the global
pandemic we live with. He wasn’t seeing the constant violence on the news every
night. It might have been easy for Paul to say--less easy for us to embrace.
I
wonder if we are not rather like the little girl whose preschooler group was
taking swimming lessons. The instructor asked all the children to jump into the
pool, and with a bunch of little splashes, they did...except for one little
girl. She stood on the edge of the pool looking down at the water as tears
began to fill her eyes. The instructor used all his charms, all his best
techniques to coax her into the pool. Nothing doing. By now tears were
streaming down her face. He asked her what was the matter, and her response
was, “I guess I’m not as big as I look.”
In
the face of all the economic chaos and uncertainty, the Covid and vaccine
battles, in the political vitriol, in the health struggles within our church family,
in the loss of one we love--even though we are Christians, we may feel that
spiritually, we’re not as big as we look. Did the Apostle Paul really expect
his words to apply to us? We live in a whole different world than he did. Or do
we?
At
the time Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi he was in a Roman
prison. While prison wasn’t a new experience for Paul, he seemed to know that
it wouldn’t be too long before he would be forfeiting his very life for his
faith. He was making the most of his prison time, continuing his ministry,
writing letters of encouragement to the little churches he’d started in his
missionary travels.
This
church at Philippi held a tender spot in his heart. Paul calls them to unity,
to remember who they are as followers of Christ, to stand together, to work
together, to worship together, to build up the church, not tear it down. He
urges them all to stand firm in their faith, to hold on to what they believe.
It
was important to the survival of the early church that they do exactly that.
The church was under fire. It took a lot to hold fast to the faith during that
time when Christians were under severe persecution, when their property was
being confiscated, when believers were being imprisoned, tortured and killed simply
for believing in and being a follower of Jesus.
We
have to acknowledge that Paul also lived in uncertain and fearful times.
It was a time where it would be easy, even normal, to focus on what’s wrong in
the world, to be anxious, even sick with fear. Those Christians of Philippi and
Paul in his prison cell understood that type of reality.
Paul
didn’t minimize their situation. He didn’t say their fears were unfounded. He
didn’t say they were making too big a deal out of the persecution of the
church, that there wasn’t anything to worry about. He didn’t imply they were
making mountains out of molehills or that they were acting like children afraid
of the dark.
What
Paul said, and what may have been much harder to accept and follow, was rejoice,
do not worry, do not be anxious, keep praying, be thankful. That takes some
doing. It sounds like the little meerkat in Lion King, “Don’t worry, be happy.”
Would that it were that simple. How do we not worry when countries are
rattling their swords and making threats, when relationships between countries
are breaking down? How do we believe in the best when mass shootings are common
place? How is one to be thankful when the things we’re supposed to be thankful
for--family, home, job, freedoms, health, opportunities--often feel like
they’re falling far short of our expectations? How are we to feel happy when a
relationship is going sideways, when a loved one dies, when we feel stuck in a
job where the paycheck runs out long before the month does, when we feel chained
by obligations, when we feel opportunity has passed us by?
Paul
says rejoice. Not just ‘tough it out’, not ‘get a grip’, not ‘work harder’ or
‘work smarter’. Paul says rejoice. Be joyful. Full of joy. Don’t give in to the
worry and anxiety. Don’t let ‘the sky is falling’ and ‘the world is going to
hell in a handbasket’ mentality win out. Instead, let people see who you are as
a Christian. He encouraged them to pray, to take all their concerns to God, to
do it with thanks for what they do have and with thanks for what God will do in
their lives. Believe that the Lord is near. If you do that, Paul says, the
peace of God, which goes beyond what anyone can understand, will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
What
does that mean to you? What is it to have God guard your hearts and minds?
Physically, the heart is that mechanical pump in the middle of your chest that
keeps things moving through the body--blood, oxygen, nutrients, life.
Symbolically, the heart is the center of our emotions--all that we feel, good
and bad, love and fear, hope and anxiety. The mind is what dwells on those
things and what has the capacity to bring them to fruition.
God
guarding our hearts and minds is like someone trained and equipped guarding a
treasure or protecting those under his care within a castle or city or nation.
If we think in those terms, we can imagine the state of mind for those who are
guarded, who can breathe easier, who sleep better at night knowing that someone
trustworthy is watching over them, looking out for their best interests,
keeping them from harm. I think it’s what Zoey and Reid and Patrick must feel
without even thinking about it. When Mom or Dad is there, they feel safe.
We
need that sense of safety and protection. We need to know that God is near,
right there with us. Though we are people of faith, we may at times be like
that little child on the edge of the pool who says, “I guess I’m not as big as
I look” or as in the old French sailor’s prayer, “Thy sea is so big and my boat
is so small.” That is when we need to lean on the bigness of God.
Joyce
Rupp, in her devotional book, Inviting God In, tells of being a farmer’s
daughter and of her childhood days on the farm.
As many of you know, farming or ranching holds many joys but also many sorrows.
She said farmers know they cannot control the outcome of their labors. They are
daily pulled into the reality of uncontrollable weather. An insect infestation,
an unexpected freeze, or a drought can destroy hopes for an abundant harvest.
Yet year after year, farmers continue to plant and to trust that their work
will produce something of value. Farming teaches the great need of dependence
upon God. Those who work with the earth know they must look to the Creator to
help them accept what they cannot change and for support when they are
discouraged and disappointed.
Each
of us has areas of our life and work over which we have no control. We have
disappointing times. We have fearful uncertain times. We face health issues and
financial issues and life transitions over which we may have no control. Those
are the times when we most need to lean on God, to trust that God will provide,
to believe that God holds tomorrow.
Paul
gave some advice to that young church in Philippi to help them. He said think
on the good things--what is honorable and just and true, what is praiseworthy,
what is pure, what is commendable. Focus on these. Let this be what fills your
mind--not the negative, not all the things that are going wrong, not what might
happen.
We
are what we think. If we think about the negative all the time, we’ll be
negative, that becomes our reality. If we think about all the things that can
go wrong, that’s what we’ll be watching for, that’s what we’ll find. As we do
that, we live in a state of dis-ease. Our bodies will absorb the negative and
it will show in tension and blood pressure and stomach problems and depression
and sleeplessness and anxiety. Negative thinking holds us back. As William
Shakespeare said, “Our doubts are
traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
If
we think about the positive, fill our minds with what is right in the world,
look for and act for justice and peace, seek truth, watch for and believe the
good in people, think about a better tomorrow, focus on the nearness of God, we
are able to let go of that fear. Then, as Paul says, we will have God’s peace.
Peace of mind, peace of heart.
It
doesn’t mean being a Pollyanna or ignoring the realities of life. There is a
lot going on in the world that goes against God’s kingdom. But those things
don’t rule, they don’t have the power to destroy our hope.
One
of my favorite and oft-used quotes on hope is by Desmond Tutu, the Nobel peace
prize laureate and Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, who was held
prisoner for so many years during the era of apartheid. He said, “I am always
hopeful. A Christian is a prisoner of hope. What could have looked more
hopeless than Good Friday? There is no situation from which God cannot extract
good. Evil, death, oppression, injustice--these can never again have the last
word, despite all appearances to the contrary.”
We
would do well to remember God’s faithfulness, too. We’ve gone through hard
times in the past and God has seen us through. As William Barclay puts it, “We
are suspended between past and future blessings.”
Clinging
to that hope Tutu speaks of, remembering God’s faithfulness, leaning on God,
trusting that God is in control ... makes all the difference. We often struggle
in life, we face sorrows, we face uncertainties yet in the midst of it all, we
can be thankful, we can be joyful, because we believe in a God who is bigger
than all our fears. We trust in a God who is able to bring good out of all
circumstances. We don’t know how God will work in the midst of the
tragedies, struggles, and disappointments in life, but God does. That
enables us to live in joy, in prayer, in thankfulness--not for the current
suffering or struggles, but because of what God will ultimately do. The God who
guards our hearts and minds is the God who holds tomorrow. And that God of
peace will be with us. Thanks be to God.
HYMN: “Rejoice,
Ye Pure in Heart!” Glory #804
PRAYERS OF THE
PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Come Spirit of God, to rest on our community,
embracing the poor, bringing equity to the meek, turning away all expressions
of evil. Come into this congregation to enliven our worship, to immerse us in
righteousness, to prompt our faithfulness. Rain on us your hope and joy and
peace. Awaken within us an awareness of the gifts you have given us and direct
us in their use so that your people will be served and you will be glorified.
Slow us down, O God, in a season that
is too filled with a frenzy of activity. In our rushing about, help us to take
the time to watch for your presence among us, to welcome you in the faces of
those we pass, to listen for your voice in the stillness. Grant, Lord, that we
might be reflections of your love and grace this season.
Gentle God, there are so many who find
this a painful time of the year, for expectations not met, for absence or loss
of family and friends, for poverty or uncertainty, for failing bodies and
minds, for addictions, and abusive relationships. God have mercy on them.
Surround them with your peace and grant them hope for tomorrow.
God, remember our families and friends who
particularly need your comforting presence and healing touch. We pray for Linda
Kaesemeyer … Ron Schirm and family in the death of Jennifer. For Dave Clark …
Tina Bossuot … Verna’s sisters … Mary and Ray Swarthout … Sandy Cargill … Elaine
LaChapelle … Somer Bauer … Tasha Sizemore … Beverly Patterson … Margaret Dunbar
… Virginia … Darlene … Trisha … Jacob …
George and Joyce … Chuck … Courtney … Ethel … and Pastor Jean. (Additional
prayers …………)
God of peace and
love, we place these prayer of our hearts in your care and trust them to you 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
Whether we face plenty or hunger,
abundance or want, we are in debt to God for all we have and all we are. In
these moments of thankfulness, we remember how God has blessed us. We give with
joy because we trust the God of our salvation.
DOXOLOGY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Generous God, we bring before you these the gifts of
our tithes and offerings. We bring, as well, our pledges of financial support
for your work through this church and into the world. We do it in faith, O
Lord, not knowing what tomorrow will bring, but trusting that you will honor
and bless our acts of discipleship. We ask your blessings on these tithes and
offerings, on our pledges, and on our commitments of time and talents. Guide us
in the use of these and in the stewardship of all you entrust to us. In your
Holy name we pray. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: “Lift
Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”
Glory #93
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
Life is hard. There’s lots of stuff to
deal with. But there is good in life and much to give us joy. Your challenge is
to open your eyes to the good around you and in your life and name it. Then
give thanks to God.
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
-
Bring
men’s socks for Shepherd’s House in Bend. A box for them will be in Fireside
Room.
-
Bring
Christmas wrapping paper and Christmas gift bags for Christmas Joy. A box for
them will be in the entry.
-
Pledges
for 2022 will be dedicated on December 12
-
Congregational
meeting for election of 2022 officers will be held following worship on
December 12
-
M&M
meets following worship on December 12
-
Worship
& Music meets following worship on December 19
-
Prayer
Shawl Ministry meets @ 1:00 p.m. on December 19
-
Women’s
Spirituality will not meet on December 21
-
Men’s
Prayer Group meets @ 8:30 a.m. on December 23
-
Christmas
Eve Service is @ 7:00 p.m. on December 24
-
Deacons
will not meet on December 26
PRAYER
CARE:
Linda Kaesemeyer
(multiple health issues), Ron Schirm and family (Jennifer’s passing), Tina
Bossuot (Alzheimer’s), Verna’s sisters (Covid recovery), Mary and Ray
Swarthout, Sandy Cargill (breast cancer), Somer Bauer (breast cancer), Tasha
Sizemore (Crohn’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), Chuck VanHise (leg/walking rehab), Darlene Wingfield (pulmonary
fibrosis, breast cancer), Courtney Ziegler (Huntington’s), and Pastor Jean
Hurst (kidney cancer).
LECTIONARY FOR 12/19/21
Micah 5:2-5a; Luke
1:47-55; Psalm 80:1-7; Hebrews 10:5-10;
Luke 1:39-45 (46-55)
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