14.07.27 Ordinary Time 17A English

Prelude:  Kule Mbinguni Nataka Kwenda (The Way to Jesus) (Kinga tune, arr. Carl Heine)

Hymn:  Lord, you give the great commission (Jeffery Rowthorn / ABBOT’S LEIGH, Cyril V. Taylor)*
Call to Worship
Hymn:  Christ comes to us as one unheard (J. Marshall / EM)
Prayer of Confession
Song of Praise:  I am that great and fiery force (Hildegard of Bingen / EM)*

Prayer of the Day

Gospel Acclamation:  (Honduras)

Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:24-30

Sermon:  (Brian Gaeta-Symonds)
Song:  The reign of God (Delores Dufner / LAND OF REST, U.S. traditional) 

Prayer of Compassion

Prayer Song:  God be in my head (Sarum Primer / Susan Bloomfield)*
Silent Meditation
Prayers of the People
Announcements

Offerings (regular and food)

Song:  My shepherd is the living God (Isaac Watts, alt. / Calvin Hampton) (sung by Elyse Willis)

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Song:  You are salt for the earth (Marty Haugen)

*Seasonal for Ordinary Time/July

Forces:
Soprano
Piano/Organ

July 27, 2014

17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Please stand, all who are able.

Hymn

Lord, you give the great commission:
"Heal the sick and preach the word."
Lest the Church neglect its mission
and the Gospel go unheard,
help us witness to your purpose
with renewed integrity;
with the Spirit's gifts empower us
for the work of ministry.

Lord, you call us to your service:
"In my name baptize and teach."
That the world may trust your promise,
life abundant meant for each,
give us all new fervor,
draw us closer in community;
with the Spirit's gifts empower us
for the work of ministry.

Lord, you show us love's true measure:
"Father, what they do, forgive."
Yet we hoard as private treasure
all that you so freely give.
May your care and mercy lead us
to a just society;
with the Spirit's gifts empower us
for the work of ministry.

Lord, you bless with words assuring:
"I am with you to the end."
Faith and hope and love restoring,
may we serve as you intend,
and, amid the cares that claim us,
hold in mind eternity;
with the Spirit's gifts empower us
for the work of ministry.

Call to Worship

One:  The Creator has planted seeds in all of us,
All:  May we nurture good deeds and loving-kindness.
One:  Jesus is calling us to bear spiritual fruit,
All:  May we bless and build up others for the reign of God.
One:  The Holy Spirit moves in us, encouraging us to grow
All:  May we be nurtured, may we be blessed and may we grow in this time of worship.

Please be seated

Song

1.  Christ comes to us as one unheard

in silences profound,

or marvels of a symphony,

sublimity of sound.

2.  Christ comes to us as one unseen

in beauties of the earth;

a seagull's flight, a sunset sky,

the miracle of birth.

3.  Christ comes to us as one unknown

to share our joys, our pain;

that presence felt, the gift of grace

our peace and hope sustain.

4.  Christ comes to us at every hour

when strength and faith are weak;

the smiles of friends, encircling arms,

of reassurance speak.

5.  Christ comes in unexpected ways,

surprising us with joy,

reminding that the light of love

no darkness can destroy.

6.  Teach us, O Christ, to recognize

your spirit everywhere;

make us aware, responsive, keen,

your love for all to share.

Prayer of Confession

NOT ON PPT

God’s love is unqualified; God’s mercy is ‘ever faithful, ever sure.’

Let us pray.

One:  Holy Spirit, we thank you for the patience you show us, caught up as we are in an ignorance that we do not always recognize, and in complicity with evil that we do not readily face.

Thank you for the saving love of Jesus who embraces us no matter what happens.

All:  There are many occasions when--

we are foolish and impetuous, but you do not leave us,

we are rebellious and stubborn, but you don’t leave us,

we are selfish and arrogant, but you do not leave us,

we are anxious and faithless, but you do not leave us,

we are indifferent and prayerless, but you do not leave us.

—silent reflection—

One:  We thank you gracious God, that though in this world we are often forced to compete with each other for many things, it is never so with your inclusive, redeeming love. Your forgiveness is never withheld from any individual that turns to you in repentant faith. Thank you for including us today. Through Jesus Christ our Savior.

All:  Amen!

One:  The peace of the Lord Jesus be always with you.

All:  And also with you!

Please stand, all who are able.

Song of Praise

1.  I am that great and fiery force

the spark in every thing that lives;

in shining of the river's course,

in greening grass that glory gives.

2.  I shine in glitter on the seas,

in burning sun, in moon and stars.

In unseen wind, in verdant trees

I breathe within, both near and far.

3.  And where I breathe there is no death,

and meadows glow with beauties rife.

I am in all, the spirit's breath,

the thundered word, for I am Life.

Prayer

NOT ON PPT

Steadfast God,
teach us your way and your truth.
Root us in you alone,
help us to grow in grace and love,
that we may fulfill our role and our work
in the reign of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation

All:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,

Alleluia, alleluia, raise a joyful song to God.

One:  Christ Jesus, make your word plain to us, make our hearts burn with love when you speak.

All:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,

Alleluia, alleluia, raise a joyful song to God.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

NOT ON PPT

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And Jesus’s disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Chosen One; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.  The Chosen One will send angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father-Mother God. Let anyone with ears listen!

Reader:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

All:  Thanks be to God!

Please be seated

Sermon

Please stand, all who are able.

Song

The reign of God, like farmer’s field,

bears weeds along with wheat;

the good and bad are intertwined

till harvest is complete.

Like mustard tree, the reign of God

from tiny seed will spread,

till birds of every feather come

to nest, and there be fed.

Though hidden now, the reign of God

may, yet unnoticed, grow;

from deep within it rises up,

like yeast in swelling dough.

The reign of God is come in Christ;

the reign of God is near.

Ablaze among us, kindling hearts,

the reign of God is here!

Affirmation:  Christ and the Body of Christ

By John S. Spong

One:  God is real for me, a mystical, undefinable presence that I can experience but never explain.
All:  I experience God as the source of life in the act of living fully.
I experience God as the source of love in the act of loving wastefully.
I experience God as the Ground of Being in the act of having the courage to be.

One:  Jesus is the revelation of this God for me,
not because of miracle stories or excessive pre-modern claims,
but because he is portrayed as one who is fully alive with the life of God,
totally loving with the love of God, and
as one who possesses the capacity to be all that he could be
revealing the very Ground of Being that I call God.

All:  I serve the God that I meet in Jesus,
not by trying to convert others to my way of believing,
but by seeking to transform the world
so that every person might have that God-like capacity
to live fully, to love wastefully and to be all that each person can be.

Amen.

Please be seated

Prayer Song

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.

Silent Meditation

Prayers

God of light we praise you for the wonder and glory of this world and the many blessings we have received. Still, at times the darkness is like a night and it feels you have hidden your face from your people. The most vulnerable and innocent among us seem to be hemmed in by violence and conflict. This week we realized that no place is safe—not home, not a 2,000-mile trek through rainforests and deserts, not 30,000 feet up. Yet, we profess that you know all things, count the hair on our heads, and know our rising and our sitting. How can this be?

God we are saddened by the news reports of people taken too soon from this world and we shake our head with disbelief when we see the bodies of children carrying the ravages of war. It seems as though the only ones in the crosshairs of violence are those with no power, little to gain, and much to lose. They pay with the thing you hold most precious, the very breath you breathed into our lungs.

May your Spirit of peace and wisdom descend on the Middle East. May the words and actions of Abram haunt the leaders of Palestine and Israel. May they rescue one another, become great nations, and bless all peoples on earth. Protect the innocent and send prophets among them and their leaders to find a just resolution.

Grant this through Christ our Lord

Wars rage on the ground, the sea, and in the air in the Ukraine, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, and many other places. Families mourn the loss of loved ones and are robbed of hope for a future for their children. Help us see the painful reality that conflict zones cannot be contained. Comfort the grieving and burden the rest of us with this senseless loss of life. Open the way for aid agencies and those offering relief, give them courage and resources to ease the immediate suffering they encounter. 

Grant this through Christ our Lord

Walk with children fleeing homes terrorized by gang violence, crushing poverty, and drug wars. We know they carry a singular hope, to have abundant life that you have promised us. The journey is fraught with danger and uncertainty. Hold them in your arms and nurture the hope planted in them by their families and your Spirit and do not allow it to be crushed by hatred and racism.

Grant this through Christ our Lord

Break our hearts Holy God by the reality that faces so many of your people. Let the scales fall from our eyes so that we may see how our own choices and passive acceptance of U.S. policy contribute to unrest and injustice.

Grant this through Christ our Lord

God grant us the grace and courage to work for all these things that we pray. Help turn sadness into righteous anger and action. May we know your ways, and beat our weapons of destruction into instruments of reconciliation and creation. It is an honor to be agents of your peace so that this world will know and confess your name.

[The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Ruling Elder Heath K. Rada, Moderator, 221st General Assembly (2014)
Ruling Elder Linda Bryant Valentine, Executive Director, Presbyterian Mission Agency]

News of the People

Not on ppt:

Welcome cards

Service concludes with bilingual celebration

8/2 Women’s gathering

8/9 Potluck and talent show

Offerings

(regular and food)

Song

My shepherd is the living God (Calvin Hampton)

sung by Elyse Willis

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Please stand, all who are able.

Song

1.  You are salt for the earth, O people:

salt for the reign of God!

Share the flavor of life, O people:

life in the City of God.

Bring forth the reign of mercy,

bring forth the reign of peace;

bring forth the reign of justice,

bring forth the City of God!

2.  You are a light on a hill, O people:

light for the City of God!

Shine so holy and bright, O people:

shine for the City of God.

Bring forth the reign of mercy,

bring forth the reign of peace;

bring forth the reign of justice,

bring forth the City of God!

3.  You are a seed of the Word, O people:

bring forth the reign of God!

Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice

grow in the City of God.

Bring forth the reign of mercy,

bring forth the reign of peace;

bring forth the reign of justice,

bring forth the City of God!

4.  We are a blessed and a pilgrim people:

bound for the reign of God!

Love our journey and love our homeland:

love is the City of God!

Bring forth the reign of mercy,

bring forth the reign of peace;

bring forth the reign of justice,

bring forth the City of God!

Song

//I ‘ve got a crown up in-a the Kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news.//
I’m going to lay down this world
Going to shoulder up my cross
Goin’ to take it home to Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news

//I ‘ve got a harp up in-a the Kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news.//

I’m going to lay down this world
Going to shoulder up my cross
Goin’ to take it home to Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news

//I ‘ve  got a robe up in-a the Kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news.//

I’m going to lay down this world
Going to shoulder up my cross
Goin’ to take it home to Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news

//I ‘ve got a Savior in-a the Kingdom
Ain’t-a that good news.//

I’m going to lay down this world
Going to shoulder up my cross
Goin’ to take it home to Jesus
Ain’t-a that good news