The 23rd Psalm – A Bible Study Sermon

Westport Presbyterian Church—4th SUNDAY OF LENT
Season of Self Examination! Taking Self Inventory! Repentance! Making Amends!
March 19, 2023, 11:00 am

PRELUDE: Prelude on SALVE REGINA COELITUM – Setting by James Biery

CALL TO RETURN TO OUR SOULS:
Symbol of the Filling & Emptying of Pitchers

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Listen, God is Calling GtG#456

LENTEN CONFESSION OF WAYS WE FAIL TO FOLLOW THE JESUS WAY:

Jesus, as we continue in this journey of Lent
Show us the weaknesses to which we have become blind.
Create space in our hearts
To sit with uncomfortable feelings.
Grant us all power to live with crucial uncertainties.
Show us the next step to take as we follow You. Amen.

SUNG BLESSED ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVING GRACE: Take Me to the Water GtG #480

BIBLE READINGS: Psalm 23;  John 9:1-12  Joshua Stark
CHORAL ANTHEM: Humbly I Adore Thee (ADORO TE DEVOTE) – Arr. Robert J. Powell

Humbly I adore thee, Verity unseen,
Who thy glory hidest ‘neath these shadows mean;
Lo, to thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,
Tranced as it beholds these shrined within the cloud.
Taste and touch and vision to discern thee fail;
Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whate’er the Son of God hath told;
What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.
O memorial wondrous of the Lord’s own death;
Living Bread that givest all thy creatures breath,
Grant my spirit ever by thy life may live,
To my taste thy sweetness never failing give.
Jesus whom now hidden, I by faith behold,
What my soul doth long for, that thy word foretold.
Face to face thy splendor, I at last shall see,
In the glorious vision, Blessed Lord, of thee. Amen.
[permission to print text granted by St. James Music Press]

PRAYER BEFORE SERMON:

Pastor: May the words of my mouth
People: And the meditations of our hearts
Pastor: Be acceptable to you, O Lord
People: Our Strength and our Redeemer. Amen.

MESSAGE: The 23rd Psalm – A Bible Study Sermon

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less GtG#353

WELCOMING

PASTORAL PRAYER, MATTHEW 25 PRAYER, LORD’S PRAYER

SUNG RESPONSE: Come, Bring Your Burdens to God GtG#851

OFFERTORY: Meditation (From Thais) – Jules Massenet
Luke Gilmore, violin

UNISON PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

Human progress
is neither automatic
nor inevitable.
Every step
toward the goal of justice
requires sacrifice,
suffering,
and stuggle;
the tireless exertions
and passionate concern
of dedicated individuals.
Let us become dedicated
by what we give,
who we become,
and the work
we are willing to do.
Amen.  -Adapted from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN: Soon and Very Soon  GtG #384

BENEDICTION

SUNG BENEDICTION RESPONSE: Soon and Very Soon  Gtg #384
New Stanza: “No More Hunger Here…”

POSTLUDE: Sonatina, op. 36, no. 2: 3. Allegro – Muzio Clementi

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY NEWS

• Bread, water, fruit, sandwich meat are always needed for the Interrupt Hunger work we are doing here! Thanks to all who have been generously giving.
• Sign up for the PASSOVER SEDER on Thursday, April 6, 6:00 p.m. The focus of this Seder will be on SPIRITUALITY—person-to-person, person-to-God—person-to-self spirituality. We need at least 15 people to sign up to attend this Holy Week service and bring some food for the Seder pot luck. We are going to hold the Seder around tables at the back of the sanctuary. Sign up sheet at the back or call or email the church office.
• There will be an ILLUMINATED GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 7. Global Art, Songs, Spoken Gospel tell & interpret the Passion of Jesus story.
• PALM/PASSION SUNDAY SERVICE, April 2, 11:00 am (Holy Communion too)
• EASTER SUNDAY, April 9, 11:00 am – Celebration of the Resurrection
• #GoodTrouble KC met with Board of Police Commissioner Cathy Dean last week to discuss our Police Reform principles. We are meeting this week with the President of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Sergeant of Arms (who also also a Diversity responsibility). We are discussing and thinking together about how to hire and promote more Black and Brown police officers, especially women, and how to achieve an audit that will change what the police chief herself has called “the good ol’ boy” culture in the KCPD, plus local control and gun control (a/k/a common sense gun reform) and ban on sale of assault weapons, and more. Stan Morgan, Rev Scott, Marian Thomas, Karen Daniels, Brother John Anderson, Doug Kinney are the catalysts for this DIALOGUE experimental method of social change and transformation.
• We are involved with Steptoe Lives in an effort to honor and preserve WHAT remains of the historic Black Westport community of Steptoe. A major event now being planned is Juneteenth in Steptoe, on the Sunday afternoon, June 18, the day before the new national holiday. Events will be held in the neighborhood (parade), at the St. James Missionary Baptist Church (music and Dancing Word) and here at Westport Presby (film) Want to join in the effort? Stan Morgan & Rev Scott are participating so far.
• Want to join folks here for a group visit to a world class art exhibit coming to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum? The exhibit is—Alberto Giacometti:  Toward the Ultimate Figure—Sunday, April 2 after church.  Sign up sheet on the back table for some Sunday after the opening. We need as many people who have memberships to sign up so you can bring someone who doesn’t have a membership. If we need some extra tickets, we can use “arts and spirituality” funds in the budget to supplement. We haven’t done this in some time. Sign up. It will be fun!