Bulletin – October 25, 2020
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Approach
Lighting the Christ Candle
We light the Christ candle knowing that Christ’s love shines like a beacon for those of us wo are troubled, who are anxious, who are unsure, welcoming us into the presence of our God who loves us into fullness.
(written by Fern Gibbard, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2020, page. 32)
Call to Worship
God will provide,
even when the cost seems too high.
God will provide,
even when we are in anguish and grief.
God will provide,
even if we have sinned or shut God out.
God will provide,
and so we welcome God, the one who always provides, as we come together in worship today.
(adapted from Wanda Winfield, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2020, page. 33)
Hymn – “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator;
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou forever will be.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed they hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed they hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow—
Wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed they hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
Prayer of Approach and Confession
Ever-Present God, we are tested and tried, but just when we think we have reached the limitations of our faith, you show us new depths to your mercy and grace. You provide for us, and we are grateful. Bless us in all that we do, in all that we are, in all that we might become.
Almighty God, you love us, but we have not loved you; you call, but we have not listened. We walk away from neighbours in need, wrapped up in our own concerns. We have gone along with evil, with pride, quarrelling, and divisiveness.
Holy God, help us to face up to ourselves, so that, as you move toward us in mercy, we may repent, turn to you, and receive mercy; through Jesus Christ your son. Amen.
(adapted from Wanda Winfield, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2020, page 33)
Words of Assurance
Hymn – “Love the Lord Your God”
Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
Love the Lord your God with all your soul.
Love the Lord your God with all your mind.
Love the Lord your God with all that you are.
Time for All Ages
The Word
Scripture Reading:
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
1Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’S command. 6He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.
10Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. 11He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Psalm 90
Matthew 22:34-46
34When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38This is the greatest and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42“What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
45If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” 46No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God
Meditation – “To Love, But Only With God As Our Help”
Anthem – “A Little Love”
The Response
Prayer
Our prayer today is for all who are victims of cruel laws and petty laws, those who’re subjected to prejudice, denied opportunities, excluded, pushed to margins. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for all those who’re betrayed, who don’t know loyalty, who fear to trust, or to love, and who don’t realise that they’re already loved by you. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the landless and homeless the refugee and evicted, those who find themselves in foreign places and strange places. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the overworked and the underpaid, for those in dangerous work and those in compassionate work, for those who long to work but are denied the opportunity. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the Church, for all the branches of the vine including this one we gather as part of today: body of Christ, people of Christ, for whom the Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the creation gifts, this earth in all its mighty wonder, yet tender fragility, the gifts of life and resources to treasure. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the gifts we give that we will give generously and thankfully and that we’ll use these gifts with wisdom and love. The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for those who lie close to our hearts, those whom we worry about, those whom we miss, those who carry disproportionate burdens at this time…
The Lord our God is one:
We offer our prayers that we will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Hymn – “Move in the World”
Move in the world, with kindness as your creed;
Open your eyes to see its deepest need;
Let peace and justice be the truths we heed,
Alleluia, alleluia.
Move in the world, embracing its despair;
The poor and hungry seek our love and care;
With outstretched hands the gift of hope we share,
Alleluia, alleluia.
Live in the world, strive for a better day,
Let truth and fairness birth a kinder way,
Where people, all, the love command obey,
Alleluia, alleluia.
Benediction
Go now, with courage in our God. Declare the message of the gospel which God has entrusted to us, and in wholehearted love for God and for others, share not only the message, but your very selves.
And may God be your haven; may Christ Jesus lead you into love – heart, soul, and mind; and may the Holy Spirit bless the work of your hands…and gladden all you days.
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, in the name of Christ. Amen.
Response
For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us,
Most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.
