8th Sunday of In Person Services
July 25, 2021
PRELUDE: Standing on the Rock-Carter/Bradbury, arr. Patti Drennan
CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS
Pastor: The encounter with God does not come to us in order that we may henceforth attend to God
People: But in order that we may prove its meaning in action in the world.
Pastor: All revelation is a calling and a mission.
People: But again and again humans shuns actualization and bends back toward the revealer:
Pastor: We would rather attend to God than to the world.
People: When we are sent forth, God remains presence for us; whoever walks in their mission always has God before them
Pastor: The more faithful the fulfillment, the stronger and more constant the nearness.
People: Of course, we cannot attend to God but we can converse with God
–Martin Buber, author I-Thou
HYMN: Standing on the Promises GTG#838
UNISON CALL TO CONFESSION AND COMMITMENT
“To die to our neighbors means to stop judging them, to stop evaluating them, and thus to become free to be compassionate. Compassion can never coexist with judgment because judgment creates the distance, the distinction, which prevents us from really being with each other. Amen.
–Henri Nouwen, Dutch Catholic priest, professor, writer, theologian
SUNG RESPONSE: Lord, I Want to Be a Christian GTG#729
SCRIPTURE: Psalm 71:1-5 John 17:1-8 Josh Stark
SUNG RESPONSE TO SCRIPTURE: We’ve Come This Far By Faith GTG#656
SERMON: Billboard Ad—Thinking Christians Seek I Thou Intimacy
HYMN: Heaven Shall Not Wait GTG#773
WELCOME
CHORAL ANTHEM: Crown Him Lord of All! -Marty Parks
Prayer, Lord’s Prayer, Congregational Response
HYMN: Come, Bring Your Burdens to God GTG#851
OFFERTORY SOLO: Steal Away to Jesus—Arr. J. Rosamond Johnson; Jennifer Weiman, mezzo soprano
Offering link
UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION
May we know the honor of being a human being. (Jake Swamp, Haudenosaunee/Iroquois) May we share the honor of being a human being. Let us unite a frightened world by acts of kindness. Hate has no home here. (a 9 year old Muslim child in Chicago) Let hate have no home where you are. Love your enemies. (Jesus) Replace apathy with curiosity, violence with community. (Fred Culver) May our capacity for God be reborn. Always remember— What you give, you have. (Roman soldier) Amen.
CLOSING HYMN: We Shall Overcome (stanzas 1-4) GTG#379
BLESSING
SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE: We Shall Overcome (stanza 5) GTG#379
POSTLUDE: A Mighty Fortress ( EIN’ FESTE BURG)—Mark Hayes
“Between stressful surgeries on patients who may have Covid 19, and need breathing tubes, two nurse anesthetists peer through layers of protective gear & lock eyes. “What’s important is that we stick together, we work together, and we always support each other. And not just the two of us, but the human race right now.”
—Tampa, Florida General Hospital, 2020—I Thou?
Participants:
Pastor- Scott Myers
Piano- Emily Davidson
Choir- Josh Stark, Neil Long, Jennifer Weiman, Em WitbolsFeugen
Camera/Facebook/Prayer requests: Deanna Capps
Webpage- Martine Roesel
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