On Odysseus, Heros, and How to Live a Life

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
8^th Sunday after Pentecost
July 19, 2026

PRELUDE:   Gymnopedie no. 1                           Erik Satie
CALL TO WORSHIP: 

One:        Surely the Lord is in this place, and we did not know it.
All:         We do not know when and where God’s glorious presence will show up.
     One:        Surely we are the Body of Christ.
All:         We cannot say to one another, “I have no need of you.”
     One:        Surely our God is a mystery that cannot be contained.
All:         Let us worship our unpredictable and always surprising God! 

OPENING HYMN:  #300             Glory to God           We Are One in the Spirit
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD: 

All:         Lord, you have searched us and know with kindness our weaknesses. You have known our inmost thoughts and called us to better things. You have set us in this world to love and serve you by loving and serving one another and those most vulnerable. When we fail, stay with us. When we go astray, call us back home. Search us O God, and know our hearts.  Straighten all that is bent within us, and lead us in the way everlasting. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE: 

One:        Where can we go from God’s spirit, or where can we flee from God’s presence? Even if we take the wings of the morning or settle at the farthest limits of the sea, God’s hand will find us and hold us fast.
All:         Our God does not abandon us to wrongdoing or brokenness.  In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and called back home.  Thanks be to God! Amen.

SUNG RESPONSE:   #623             Glory to God        I’ve Got Peace Like a River (verse 1)
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST:

One:        The peace of Christ be with you.
All:         And also with you.
One:        Let’s share the peace of Christ with one another.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:

One:        Spirit who claims us and makes us your own, come alongside us as we listen to the Scriptures today. Reveal to us the living Word within the words, that we might bet our lives on the way of Jesus.
All:         Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING:   Genesis 28:10-19a

¹⁰ Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. ¹¹ He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. ¹² And he dreamed that there was a stairway set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring, ¹⁴ and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. ¹⁵ Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” ¹⁶ Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” ¹⁷ And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” ¹⁸ So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel.

One:        May God bless the reading of Holy Scripture.
All:         Thanks be to God.

MESSAGE:   The Odyssey (3): On Odysseus, Heros, and How to Live a Life  Rev. Dr. Jared Witt
MOMENT FOR SILENT REFLECTION
CONGREGATIONAL HYMN:   #318             Glory to God     In Christ There Is No East or West
WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:  #469             Glory to God    Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying (Sing 1x)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER:

All:         Our Mother and 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.

THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:

One:        As God’s people and beloved children, let us give back a portion of what has been given to us as we receive the morning offering.

OFFERTORY:   The Lone Wild Bird            from Southern Harmony                             Emma WitbolsFeugen, soprano
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

One:        Gracious God, you have been generous with us. Receive now the good gifts of our lives, time and resources, to further your realm of kindness and justice.
All:         Amen.

CLOSING HYMN:  #353             Glory to God    My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
CHARGE AND BLESSING 

One:        As we go from this place, let us look for God in all that happens.  Let us love and serve the Lord by loving and serving those around us. Let us honor the most vulnerable, rejoicing in God’s presence. And may the grace of Christ Jesus, the love of the Creator God, and the connecting power of the Holy Spirit accompany us all on our journeys. Amen.

POSTLUDE:   Träumerei                      Robert Schumann

 

A WESTPORT WARM WELCOMING!

• WELCOME! MEMBERS! NEWCOMERS! FRIENDS!  We are so glad you could join us for worship today! VISITORS, please take a moment to let us know you were here by picking up an attendance card (in the pews) and filling out whatever information you would like to share with us.
• WELCOME FAMILIES! NURSERY care is available in the upstairs children’s space. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once). Children’s Sunday School is on break for the summer.
• HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICES available upon request. Talk to Deanna up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one. 

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sunday mornings & Thursday nights. Items Needed for our CLOTHING CLOSET include: Sneakers, T-shirts, Underwear (Men’s Boxer Briefs), Socks, Women’s pants/shorts size 0-8, Men’s pants/shorts size 28-40, Bandaids, Sweatpants, Leggings, Belts, Backpacks, Body wash, Sports bras, & Washcloths.
• WESTPORT SHOWERS is looking for additional volunteers to help with Sunday mornings. With the increase in guests, we would like to have teams of 2 volunteers upstairs working together at the door and 2 downstairs working in the shower/laundry room each Sunday. You would be working with experienced volunteers who can train you in what is needed. If you would like to help, and are willing to volunteer 1 Sunday morning a month, reach out to Drew Irwin or Allison Rozga for more information.
• We are giving out lunches on Thursdays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of fruit cups, meat, cheese, peanut butter, squeeze jelly are always needed. 

WCA FREE EVENTS:

• Sunday, July 26th, 4:30-7:30PM   ADA Anniversary Celebration
• Thursday, July 30 6-7pm  Resiliant meditation- Chronic Pain-informed
• Sunday Aug 16th 3-4PM Artist Talk
  Fiber art workshop
• Friday, Aug 28th 6:30-9PM Gallery closing ceremony

INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK:  (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted)

Today, Jul. 19                     6:00 p.m.         WCA Jazz Concert Series: Brad Gregory Sextet (Fellowship Room)
Monday, Jul. 20                  5:30 p.m.         MO Workers Center Meeting (Chapel)
6:30 p.m.         Men’s AA Meeting (Fellowship Room)
Boy Scout Troop 60 (Camping at Bartle)
     Tuesday, Jul. 21                  4:30 p.m.         Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
Thursday, Jul. 23                11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.        Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed        (Fellowship Room)
5:30 p.m.          Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non- conforming people (Basement)
Saturday, Jul. 25                 8:30 a.m.          Private Rental – Meeting (Living Room/Library)
10:00 a.m.        Westport Center for the Arts Board Meeting (Fellowship Room)
     Sunday, Jul. 26                   6:30-9:00 a.m.  Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
10:00 a.m.        Book Discussion Group
11:00 a.m.        Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
2:00 p.m.         Boy Scouts Eagle Court of Honor (Sanctuary)
4:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.        WCA Disability Pride Event: ADA Anniversary Celebration         (Chapel & Fellowship Room)

LOOKING AHEAD:

Wednesday, Jul. 29            6:30 p.m.         Stewardship Committee Meeting (Zoom)
Thursday, July 30               6-7 p.m.           WCA Disability Pride Event:  Resilient Meditation – Chronic Pain-Informed (Chapel)
     Sunday, Aug. 2                   5:00 p.m.         Community Potluck Dinner (Fellowship Room)
6:00 p.m.         Taizé Service (Sanctuary)
Tuesday, Aug. 4                 6:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.           ELECTION DAY – Polls Open (Fellowship Room) 

August 4 Election Information for KC Residents On the August 4^th ballots, KC voters will be presented with five ballot questions.

• A $750 million revenue bond measure to fund water system improvements.  Would authorize $750 million each to improve the drinking water system and the sewer system. KC Water is  asking voters for permission to borrow money to pay for repairs, operations and upgrades for key water infrastructure. Voters previously authorized bonds for KC Water in 2014 and 2022, approved by 79% of voters to pay for backup generators, odor control, upgrades to the Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant and millions of dollars in sewer and water main repairs across the city.
• $750 million revenue bond measure to fund sewer system improvements. The sewer system bonds fund upgrades mandated under a 2010 consent decree by a federal judge to prevent sewage overflow into nearby creeks and rivers. Those upgrades totaling $2.3 billion must be completed by 2040. The cost of these bonds has already been baked into the current water rates that could go up if these bonds are not approved.  If the water questions are rejected, the water improvements will still need to get done, but instead of using the cheaper revenue bonds, KC Water will end up paying more in interest, which will increase utility bills for Kansas City residents.
• A $100 million general obligation bond measure to fund affordable housing projects The city first deposited money into its housing trust fund in May 2021, using COVID relief money. Kansas City voters approved another $50 million in November 2022. The board has spent money by giving incentives to developers constructing or renovating 3,500 affordable housing units .  Currently there is a 64,000-unit shortage in affordable housing in Kansas City, ie, very low income and extremely low income households. The 2022 plan  was to spend $15 million per year until the fund ran out of money in 2027.
• A $100 million general obligation bond measure to fund maintenance and repairs of Bartle Hall, Municipal Auditorium and City Hall.  Would authorize $100 million in general obligation bonds for repairs at Bartle Hall, the Municipal Auditorium and at City Hall. These are core infrastructure investments, including  architectural projects, mechanical projects, and elecrical projects. It will also pay for $51 million in maintenance and repair needs at City Hall.
• A 1/8-cent sales tax to fund economic development projects.  Authorized in 2017, Kansas City consumers have paid a 1/8-cent sales tax on every dollar to help fund economic development projects within the “Central City” area. The tax generates upwards of $10 million in revenue every year overseen by the CCED board.
• For more details on these bond questions, read the full article here:

Kansas City Council plans to ask voters for these five things in August