Category: narrative lectionary

Bulletin: Golden Calf by Pastor Katy Stenta

Golden Calf
Exodus 32:1-14
Luke 23:34 Opt Psalm 97:6-9

Call to Worship

God you are more precious than Gold, more powerful than Kings

Help us to worship you

You remember us, even when we forget you

Let us remember and worship you today. 

Hymn: Amazing Grace  Sweet the Sound

Prayer of Confession: Lord God, we hate to admit how many idols live in our lives. We long so much for dependability that we mistake money or power or stocks as security. We forget that these things belong to Caesar, help us to render unto Caesar and human institutions that which belong to them and to instead focus on Sabbath, nourishment, servanthood and grace as the means to embody your love. And when we slip and fall, encourage us too to look at the stars and be assured by the covenant promise, that you will always be our God and we will always be your people. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

Assurance of Pardon: God promised us grace over and over: to Abraham and Sarai, to Moses, Tzipporah and Miriam, to the grumbling Hebrews in the desert. It is in this assurance of your promise that we know, through Jesus Christ we are forgiven. Amen.

Exodus 32:1-14

(1 finger) When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 

(2 Fingers) Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ 

(3 Fingers) So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold,* and cast an image of a calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ 

(4 fingers) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.’ 

(5 fingers)They rose early the next day, and offered burnt-offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

(6 fingers) The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ’ 

(Pastor Katy) The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’

(7 fingers) But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 

(8 fingers) Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 

(9 fingers) Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.” ’ 

(10 fingers) And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Children’s Sermon

Sermon               “God For Us”             Pastor Katy Stenta

Communion: Invitation

The Lord be with you

And also with you

Lift up your hearts

We lift our hearts to the Lord

Let us give thanks to the Lord

It is right to give our thanks and praise!

Communion Invitation: God is forever inviting us to come, come and taste and see the Lord. And so it is on behalf of not the church or even PCSUSA, but on behalf of Christ that I am able to say, come all those who are hungry for I will give you nourishment. Come all you who are weary, for I will give you rest. Come let us feast with Jesus.

Communion Prayer: Dear Holy Spirit we are asking you to come and be present in the elements that we have here, make your presence known, we pray. For at times, we know that we are lost in the desert, grasping at straws and idols to give us what we need. When often, when we are lost and lonely and worried you invite us to stop, rest and eat. Let us take this moment to sit with the Holy Spirit and with each other, becoming one through communion we pray…and we continue our prayer

(prayer continues…) as your son taught us to pray. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 Power and the Glory Forever. Amen.

Hymn: the Day of Resurrection

Passing of the Peace

Prayer can be used/adapted with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

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Bulletin 2: Passover by Pastor Katy Stenta

The Promise of Passover: Sermon & Bulletin 1 by Rev. Dr Barbara Hedges-Goettl, Bulletin 2 by Pastor Katy Stenta, Passover Prayer
Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8
Luke 22: 14-20 Opt Psalm 105: 31-36

Announcements 

Call to Worship

God called Abraham out of his homeland, and the Hebrews out of Egypt

Come Let us worship the Lord

God continues to call us out of where we are to who we should be

Come let us worship the Lord

All Creatures of Our God and Kings 455

All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your vote and with us sing; Alleluia! Alleluia!Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heaven along; O sing ye Alleluia Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, Ye lights of evening find a voice!

Thou flowing water, pure and clearMake music for thy Lord to hear; Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou fire so masterful and bright, That gives us both warms and light

Thou fertile earth, that day by day, Unfoldest blessings on your way; O sing ye! Alleluia! The flowers and fruits that in thee grow, Let them God’s glory also show! 

Exodus 12:11b-13:8

(1 finger) It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements:

(2 fingers)  I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 

(3 fingers) The Lord said to Moses: Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine. 

(4 fingers) Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by strength of hand; no leavened bread shall be eaten.

(Pastor Katy) Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this observance in this month. 

(5 fingers) For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival to the Lord. 

(6 fingers) Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen in your possession, and no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory. 

(7 fingers) You shall tell your child on that day, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” 

Children’s Sermon

Sermon                         God with the enslaved Pastor Katy Stenta

Live into Hope 332

Live into hope of captives freed, Of sight regained, the end of greed

The oppressed shall be the first to see, the year of God’s own jubilee

Live into hope the blind shall see, With insight and with clarity, 

Removing shades of pride and fear—A vision of our God brought near.

Live into hope of liberty, The right to speak, the right to be

The right to have one’s daily bread, To hear God’s word and thus be fed.

Live into hope of captives freed, From chains of fear or want or greed.

God now proclaims our full release, To faith and hope and joy and peace. 

Prayer of Confession: Lord God we confess that we are not where we should be right now. We get distracted by idols, we forget that God promises to free all of God’s children. We proclaim our liberty, and forget that you also commanded us to love one another, and gave us instructions how to save one another.  Help us to love and work to save one another, we pray.  Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 Power and the Glory Forever. Amen.

Passing of the Peace

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Passover Prayer

I see what you did there, God. All those years ago.

You put forth all the plagues: the bloods and the bugs and the frogs (or a giant frog depending how you translate it).

And when all of that was said and done. When Moses’ leadership alone wasn’t enough to set the Hebrews free–you required some participation.

You said, with arms outstretched, that if you want salvation, I’m going to need a little work and sacrifice from you people.

I imagine there might be some Godfearers in Egypt–some friends–who also put the sign of God upon the door. I imagine there was grace there that is as of yet unknown.

And I wonder, God, if the method to this was the foretaste of the work to come. The understanding that Moses could lead all he wanted but without the people, nothing would happen.

What a great precursor to Jesus who stands with an open hand for our salvation–and at the same time forces no one and waits for our participation.

God is always with us, but are we able to see it?

Lord, how can I participate in my own salvation? How can I help others paint their doors with the sign of God?

Image from Prince of Egypt from here

In an era where we continue to think it’s every person for themselves, I’m praying that you show us how to be more like the people in Exodus–who although they complained every step of the way, and fumbled and made mistakes. In the end they understood that my freedom is wrapped up in yours.

Lord teach us to be safe and free, teach us how to love and serve one another. Help us to participate in our own Passover today. Not because we are better than anyone else, but because we want every single person who can be saved, to be saved.

I pray this is your most holy name. Amen.

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Bulletin: The Promise of Passover

The Promise of Passover: Sermon & Prayer
Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8
Luke 22: 14-20 Opt Psalm 105: 31-36

Sermon by Rev Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl

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Prelude Song of Freedom             Bing Crosby from Holiday Inn https://youtu.be/HldLDqMQcQw

Opening Prayer                        Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl 

 

God, just as You rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, setting them free to worship and serve You, so You have also rescued us, setting us free from slavery to sin and selfishness, and inviting us into relationship with You and one another,and so we praise and thank you. Amen. (1)

Call to Worship

When you set us free, O God, we are free indeed.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom.

A freedom which transforms us and the world around us.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom.

A freedom that invites us to intimacy with you.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom.

A freedom that demands action.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom.

A freedom that makes us different—like in Christ instead of the world.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom.

A freedom that invites us out of the norm and into the extraordinary.

O God, we rejoice in your freedom. (2)

Hymn: The Day of Resurrection 

Call to Confession                                Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl

We recognize our responsibility not only for our immediate family and our own people, but for all humankind. As long as nation lines up against nation and class lines up against class, as long as oppression and injustice weigh down the lives of our fellow human beings, as long as there is poverty, disease, ignorance, crime and war, our conscience cannot be at ease. (3)

Gloria Patri: (Blue #579) Glory Be to the Father https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUBxpypSblw

Hymn of Dedication  Love Divine, All Loves Excelling https://youtu.be/6oM1NZ9YSnw

* Doxology (Blue, #592)   Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivaDXu27_IY

* Prayer of Dedication  

O God, by this offering we remember the lamb without blemish offered at the first Passover–and on the cross. Join our offerings and our selves to the gifts of your people and the self-offering of Jesus himself. (4)

Charge & Benediction

(1) Adapted from a prayer by Christine Longhurst from https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/08/prayers-of-people-september-4-2011.html

(2) Adapted from Reformation Worship, copyright Lisa Frenz. Posted on Lisa’s Liturgies. https://sites.google.com/site/lisasliturgies/home 

(3) Adapted from an English version of a Hebrew prayer of confession found at https://www.oztorah.com/2009/09/confession-of-sins-a-liturgical-commentary/#.X2fHN2hKjIUf

(4) Adapted from a prayer by https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/through-the-wilderness/fourteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-a-lectionary-planning-notes/fourteenth-sunday-after-pentecost-year-a-offertory-prayers

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Bulletin 2 by Pastor Katy Stenta

Drive in Worship September 20th 2020
Announcements
Call to Worship
Give thanks to the Lord and Call on the name of God
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord Rejoice

Spirit 319
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
Blow through the wilderness, calling and free
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness, Stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea

  1. You move the waters,You called to the deep
    Then You coaxed up the mountains
    From the valleys of sleep And over the eons
    You called to each thing, Awake from your slumbers
    And rise on your wings
  2. You swept through the desert, You stung with the sand
    And You gifted your people, With a law and a land
    And when they were blinded with their idols and lies,
    Then You spoke through Your prophets
    To open their eyes
  3. You call from tomorrow, You break ancient schemes,
    From the bondage of sorrow. The captives dream dreams
    Our women see visions, Our men clear their eyes.
    With bold new decisions, Your people arise.

Genesis 37:20-28, 50:15-21
(1 finger)’Here comes this dreamer. 20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’
(2 fingers)’but when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’
(3 fingers) Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father.
(4 fingers) Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh. And his brothers agreed.
(5 fingers) When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
(Pastor Katy) Joseph was enslaved, abused by his owner’s wife and eventually imprisoned. There he told the prisoners who would be punished and set free according to their dreams. Eventually the Pharaoh heard and freed him, listening to the dreams of Pharaoh Joseph foretold a drought, so that only Egypt was ready for it. For this reason, Joseph’s brothers journeyed to Egypt for food.
(6 fingers) Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’
(7 fingers) So they approached* Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17“Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’
(8 fingers) Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
(9 fingers) Then his brothers also wept,* fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’
(10 fingers) But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Children’s Sermon

Sermon “God with All of Us” Pastor Katy Stenta

God, only you would bring a feuding family together and find a way to bless and reunite them. As we live with suspicion and in a divided nation, we pray that you teach us how to be gracious and forgiving. We pray that we don’t refuse to help one another out of prejudices or hate, and we pray that you order all things for good. We pray this using the prayer your son taught us. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 Power and the Glory Forever. Amen.

O God of Every Nation 289

  1. O God of every nation, of every race and land
    Redeem the whole the creation with Your almighty hand
    Where hate and fear divide us And bitter threats are hurled
    In love and mercy guide us And heal our strife torn world
  2. From search for wealth and power and scorn of truth and right
    From trust in bombs that shower destruction through the night
    From pride of race and station and blindness to Your way
    Deliver every nation, Eternal God we pray.
  3. Keep bright in us the the vision of days when war shall cease
    When hatred and division, Give way to love and peace
    Till dawns the morning glorious When peace on earth shall reign
    And Christ shall rule victorious O’er all the world’s domain

Bulletin 1 by Rev. Dr Barb Hedges-Goettl, God of the Rainbow Coat Prayer, More Narrative Lectionary Resources

God’s Promise to Abraham

God With Us

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God’s Promise to Abraham Bulletin and Sermon & Consider Prayer
Genesis 15:1-6 alt Gen 17: 1-8
Luke 3:8 Opt. Psalm 8

Sermon by Rev. Stephen Cook: please attribute https://day1.org/weekly-broadcast/5d9b820ef71918cdf2004067/stephen_cook_on_beyond

Consider Prayer

Bulletin
Prelude Be Not Afraid John Michael Talbot
https://youtu.be/wQr4udSiEew?t=2

Opening Prayer
God of our forebears, as your chosen servant Abraham was given faith to obey your call and go out into the unknown, so may your church be granted such faith that we may follow you with courage for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, forever and ever.  Amen.

(Book of Common Worship, Westminster John Knox Press, 1993. pg. 245.)

Call to Worship
In days of old God called Abraham and Sarah:
Come—I am with you; step out in faith.
God speaks still, claiming people of every land and race:
Come—I will bless you, that you may bless others.
In the dark of night, Jesus confirms God’s gift of abiding love.
Come—I will bless you with eternal life.
Heirs of the covenant, let us continue the journey:
Come—let us worship the Lord!

(Rev. Barb Hedges-Goettl)

PC(USA) Online Hymnal worship suggestions for March 8, 2020. https://hymnal.pcusastore.com/Home/

Opening Hymn The God of Abraham Praise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZovXddne9I
The God of Abraham praise, who reigns enthroned above,the Ancient of Eternal Days, the God of love!The Lord, the great I am, by earth and heaven confessed,we bow before your holy name, forever blest.


Your spirit still flows free, high surging where it will.In prophet’s word you spoke of old and you speak still.Established is your law, and changeless it shall stand,deep writ upon the human heart by your strong hand.


Your goodly land we seek, with peace and plenty blest,a land of sacred liberty and Sabbath rest.There milk and honey flow, and oil and wine abound,and trees of life forever grow with mercy crowned.

You have eternal life implanted in the soul;your love shall be our strength and stay, while ages roll.We praise you, living God! We praise your holy name:the first, the last, beyond all thought, and still the same!

Prayer of Confession and Assurance of Pardon
Call to Confession
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. In humility and faith let us confess our sins before God and one another.

Prayer of Confession
Holy and merciful God, in your presence we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you. Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. (Time of silence for personal confession.)

Assurance of Forgiveness
Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn?
Only Christ! And Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. The old life has gone, a new life has begun. Know that you are forgiven and be at peace. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

(Book of Common Worship, pages 52-56. Reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship, © 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Gloria Patri: (Blue #579) Glory Be to the Father
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUBxpypSblw

Prayers of the People/Lord’s Prayer (traditional)

Celebration of Birthdays and Anniversaries
Doxology (Blue, #592) Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivaDXu27_IY

  • Prayer of Dedication Please place gifts in the plate on your way out.

In a world of give and take, in a culture of mend and break,
give us minds, hearts, hands, and wallets for sacrificial care,
to satisfy hunger and thirst everywhere. These and all prayers we offer,
in the name of Love himself, Jesus the Christ.
Amen.

(Todd Jenkins, Happy To Be a Presbyterian PC(USA) https://www.facebook.com/groups/happy2pcusa)

Hymn of Invocation: Spirit of the Living God5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccaFnRYLTok
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me (repeat)
Melt me, mold me, Fill me, use me.

Prayer for Illumination
God of mercy, you promised never to break your covenant with us Amid all the changing words of our generation, speak your eternal Word that does not change. Then may we respond to your gracious promises with faithful and obedient lives; through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Old Testament Scripture Genesis 12: 1-4a
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.
Psalm: 1216
I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
The Lord will not let your foot be moved; nor will the one who watches over you fall asleep.
Behold, the keeper of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep,
the Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will preserve you from all evil; and will keep your life.
The Lord will watch your going out and your coming in from this time forth forevermore.

Old Testament Scripture Romans 4: Selected Verses6
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.”
20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what had been promised. 22 Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” 23 Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Message Rev. Elizabeth Wagner

Affirmation of Faith from the Brief Statement of Faith, 1983

In life and at death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.

(Book of Common Worship, page 91. Reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship, © 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Closing Hymn Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPKpkrqBwNs
Come, thou Fount of every blessing; tune my heart to sing thy grace;streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it, mount of God’s unchanging love!
Here I raise my Ebenezer; hither by thy help I’m come;and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;he, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
Charge and Benediction

Postlude Be Not Afraid The Orchard Enterprises https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEOt7yXCaJI&feature=youtu.be

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Consider

Lord,

I know when I am frustrated or stuck,

When I’m lamenting or angry, that you tell me to consider

Consider the lilies of the field, who neither toil nor spin

Count the stars, the grains of sand, if you can

Consider who made the mountains, all animals and food.

Who made the flood, the earthquake and the hurricane.

Consider who God is, and then remember,

No matter what you say or do.

God says, “Consider,

Consider, I have made a promise, a holy covenant that cannot be broken,

that I will always be your God, and you will always be my people.”

God proclaims that God is not constrained by place or time or ethnicity.

You promise to be present. You promise to be.

“I am, what I am”

The burning bush, the pillar of fire, the whirlwind, the rainbow.

You can be praised by all types of people in all types of circumstances: the enslaved woman Hagar on the run in the desert, the imprisoned and abused Joseph in Egypt, the triumphant and loving sister Miriam.

You are present in Black Lives Matter, in the beauty of being Trans, in all those marginal places we refuse to see: mental illness, drug addition, homelessness, sex trafficking, war zones.

In the midst of trial and tribulation, you are with us. Your rod and your staff comfort us. You remind us “I am, what I Am”

You are God, always and forever, empowering the powerless.

Let us be the kind of people who consider who your are. So we no longer define you by our own constraints, but instead are liberated to worship the multitude that is the trinitarian, relational God.

God, the great I am, let us worship you through the all considerations of who you are–and when we forget remind us to look at the stars we pray.

Amen.

More Narrative Lectionary Resources

Fall & Advent Narrative Lectionary 2020 Year 3

Under Construction: prayers and resources will be added as they are written

Theme: God Incarnate: God with us, God for us, God among(st) us

Alt Theme: Waiting for God to Show up, God is always on time

God with us: A God who is always with us, not obscured by place or time, God’s covenant to always be our God and God we are always
God for us: A helper, merciful God, a God of action (not just promises)
God among(st) us: Advent, the God who loves our humanity, our very selves, Holy Spirit & prophecies, Emmanuel

Also I propose you start Advent as early as you want

If people sat outside and looked at the Stars each night, I’ll bet they’d live a lot differently.

God With Us
Sept 13
Creation and Fall: Bulletin & Confessions in the Garden of Eden
Genesis 2:4b-7, 15-17, 3:1-8
Luke 11:4 Opt Psalm 18:31-36

Sept 20th
God’s Promise to Abraham Bulletin and Sermon & Consider Prayer
Genesis 15:1-6 alt Gen 17: 1-8
Luke 3:8 Opt. Psalm 8

Sept 27th
God Works through Joseph: God of the Rainbow Coat , Bulletin 1 with sermon by Rev Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl Bulletin 2 by Pastor Katy Stenta
Genesis 37:3-8, 17b-22, 26-34; 50:15-21
Luke 6:35 Opt. Psalm 105: 1-5, 16-22

Oct 4
The Promise of Passover: Sermon & Bulletin 1 by Rev. Dr Barbara Hedges-Goettl, Bulletin 2 by Pastor Katy Stenta, Passover Prayer
Exodus 12:1-13; 13:1-8
Luke 22: 14-20 Opt Psalm 105: 31-36

God For us: God in the presence of the Pastor: Change from always being with us—God realized that we aren’t always aware that God is with us, so God became for us
Oct 11
Golden Calf: Bulletin by Pastor Katy Stenta (includes Communion Prayer)
Exodus 32:1-14
Luke 23:34 Opt Psalm 97:6-9

Oct 18
God Answers Hannah (Extended Advent Opt 1) Bulletin by Pastor Katy & Imprecation: Shatter Them
1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1-10
Luke 1:46-55 Opt Psalm 96

October 25
God’s Promise to David: Bulletin by Pastor Katy and Missing God Prayer
2 Samuel 7:1-17
Luke 1:30-33 Opt. Psalm 89:1-6

Nov 1
God’s Care for the Widow bulletin 1 by Pastor Katy Stenta & bulletin by Rev Dr Barb Hedges-Goettl
1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24]
Luke 4:24-26 Opt Psalm 146: 5-10

Nov 8
Jonah and God’s Mercy: Bulletin by Pastor Katy Stenta, Bulletin by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl, Jonah Prayer
Jonah 1:1-7; 3:1-10 [4:1-11]
Luke 18:13 Opt Psalm 88:3-7, 13

Nov 15
God Calls Isaiah: Bulletin Prayers by Pastor Katy Stenta & full Bulletin by Rev. Dr. Barb Hedges-Goettl, Sermon by Pastor Katy (tech glitches but ok)
Isaiah 6:1-8
Luke 5:8-10 Opt Psalm 138

God Amongst Us: Compiled and Themed Resources from Katy are all available here: Extended Advent Full On Resources: Bulletin Prayers, Advent Candles, Daily Devotional Calendar, + Videos to add to digital resources Please donate if they help!


Nov 22 (Extended Advent Option 2)
God’s Promises a New Covenant
Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-28 then 31:31-34
Luke 22:19-20 Opt. Psalm 89:31-37

Nov 29
Daniel’s Hope in God
Daniel 6:6-27
Luke 23:1-5 Opt Psalm 91:1-6, 11-13

Dec 6 (Regular Advent)
Joel: God’s Promised Spirit
Joel 2: 12-13, 28-29
Luke 11:13 Opt Psalm 139:1-12

Dec 13
Spirit of the Lord Upon Me
Isaiah 61:1-11
Luke 4:16-21 Opt Psalm 143: 4-10 or Psalm 139: 13-18 (this works next week too)

Dec 20
Jesus’s Birth Announce
Luke 1:26-45 [46-56]
Psalm 113 Opt Psalm 139: 13-18

Dec 24
Birth of Jesus
Luke 2:1-14 [15-20]
Psalm 96

Dec 25
Shepherds’ Visit
Luke 2:8-20
Psalm 123:1-2

Dec 27
Simeon and Anna
Luke 2:21-38
Psalm 131

Summer Psalms & Hebrews Narrative Lectionary

Psalms

Week 1 Psalm 113

Week 2 Psalm 69

Week 3 Psalm 27

Week 3B Psalm 27

Week 4 Psalm 40

Hebrews

Week 1: Hebrews 1:1-4

Week 2: Hebrews 2:10-18

Week 3: Hebrew 4:14-5:10

Week 4: Hebrews 9:1-14

Week 5: Hebrews 11:1-16

 

Pandemic Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Lord God Almighty, I am on my knees, with my arms outstretched to you, because I am in need of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit

I need encouragement as a parent of a child who has been faking their online schooling for the last two weeks.

Patience as I wait for more information, so that my job can make the next decision about how we are running things this week.

Courage as I realize that every single person has their own idea about what is and isn’t safe and we have to navigate relationships together.

Inspiration as I try to figure out how to connect with the people in my lives in new and not discouraging/draining ways.

Hope as death after death, sick after sick case comes in and the solution seems no closer than it was two months ago.

Breath as I am working too many hours of too many days and don’t know when it’s all going to end.

Love as all of my imperfections have been laid bare in this time where self-examination is unavoidable and all the things I’m carrying have been stuck in quarantine with me.

Lord remind me that I am more than my job or my role in my family or my material worth.

Lord, remind me that I am God-breathed, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and sibling of Jesus Christ.

In this time of crises–when every way I function is under a microscope and every emotion I am having is magnified–allow me to full discern and differentiate myself as a child of God.

And even if these aren’t exactly the things I need, and I am too mired to know what it is I really need.

Please grant me the gifts of the Holy Spirit, I pray.

And if I can’t pray to the Holy Spirit, help me to breathe:

in

out

and in

and out again

until the Holy Spirit prays me, instead.

In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

this-is-fine.0

Meme found here by KC Green

More Mundane Prayers Here, Here is the Link for Pandemic Prayers and Resources

Please Share/Adapt with Credit to Katy Stenta and Please contribute to my Doctorate of Ministry with a Donation  I have PayPal https://paypal.me/KatyStenta?locale.x=en_US Venmo www.venmo.com/Katy-Stenta or Google Pay to Katyandtheword at gmail