Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship I am the vine, you are the branches, says the Lord. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” *Prayer of the Day O God, form the hearts of your people into a single will. Make us love what you command and desire what you promise, that amid all the changes of this world, our hearts may be fixed where joy is found, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen. *Hymn 361 Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 1 and 2 Prayer of Confession Holy and merciful God, in your presence, we confess our failure to be what you created us to be. You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways, in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love. By your mercy, help us live in your light and walk in your ways, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. Hymn Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Pardon The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Believe the good news of the gospel: our sins are forgiven. Be at peace. First Reading 1 Peter 2:2-10 Time for Young Believers Gospel Reading John 14: 1-14 The Morning Message What is the story of your home? How would you describe it to others? I would describe ours as a Brady Bunch style home with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. The kitchen and one of the bathrooms have been recently updated. We have an above-ground pool and the back yard is enclosed with a stockade fence tall enough that our old dog, Conrad, couldn’t climb. He was an escape artist. Our neighborhood was right in the path of one of the seventeen tornadoes that touched down a few weeks ago. There was a lot of damage done in just a few seconds. The wind is a powerful force. The two roads that make up our subdivision were impassable for a time. Trees had fallen. Utility lines were down or dangerously dangling from homes and utility poles. We were spared serious damage. We lost a shutter, some gutter and fascia material. The flag pole snapped from its place by the front door. Part of the fence came down. Our neighbors acquired a trampoline in their yard. Power was out for a couple of hours or days depending on which side of the street you resided. It was home but didn’t look or feel much like it for a few days. Anxiety and discomfort were our constant companions. We felt displaced for a time. Not unlike the disciples to whom Jesus speaks in this text. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” The Lord himself reassures them and us that we have nothing to fear. We have a future beyond that which we can see. We have a place. We have a host who has made that place ready for us. We will be with him. And in him, we will be forever home. Ed and I left home on Iroquois Trail last weekend to attend the memorial service of our friend of many years, Tim Waugh. Tim was a vocal music teacher, like my husband, and their paths crossed frequently over the years. He was a Presbyterian, having grown up at the Rock Lake Presbyterian Church in South Charleston. He was a church musician, an outstanding organist. But Tim was best known for his expertise in handbells. He composed directed and traveled around the world teaching and ringing. Every now and then Ed would get a text: “Guess where I am?” It could be a small town in the American south or a convention hall in Hong Kong. Tim went to Ireland with us once. He was a world traveler, but was most at home in his house in Princeton, West Virginia. But, something unexpected happened in the last year. Tim was retired from public school teaching, but still made music. He went to the First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, North Carolina, to conduct a handbell festival. He discovered the church had a need for an interim music director. He applied and served there for several months, growing very fond of the congregation, the pastors and staff. In time, it became apparent that he and the church were a good fit and the relationship should continue. Tim called us to say he had just signed a contract to serve the church and a permanent move to Salisbury was in order. And, further, he advised, the small town is just lovely and easily accessible to our own three daughters who live in North Carolina. He was pretty convincing. He had found home. Tim lived life with a sense of urgency because he had a kidney disease that claimed the lives of his father and grandfather when they were very young. Eighteen years ago, he had a kidney transplant which extended his life and we are grateful. He was very healthy for a long time, checking in with Duke University Hospital yearly, but was recently battling a persistent problem. Tim was single. He had no biological children, a choice he made due to his kidney disease. But, in fact, his family was the music world and he had many children. His memorial service was at First Presbyterian Church of Salisbury last Saturday morning. Ed and I traveled there to give God thanks for his life and faith and to thank the good people of Salisbury for loving him and making him a part of their faith community. It was a special place and the only church or community that felt like home to him apart from his place in West Virginia. It was a grand day altogether, as our Irish friends would say. Sunny, flowers and trees blooming in brilliant colors, the breeze wafting sweet smells of spring around us. The town may be small, but the church building is massive. The sanctuary ethereal. There was a thirty minute handbell prelude, a grand and glorious choir, a warm and welcoming congregation, a young and inspiring clergy couple whom Tim loved. Lots and lots of beautiful music. But it was hard to sing. Memories, love, and grief caused our voices to stall and crack and rendered us silent for much of it. As we left the sanctuary- our aging bodies moving slowly after two hours of sitting- a voice sounded behind us, “I hoped I would see you here.” We turned around to behold the familiar face of a beautiful young woman who grew up in Ona, was once Ed’s student, and part of a family we’ve known about as long as we’ve known Tim. Rebecca Petit, daughter of Tom and Sally. She lives in Charlotte now, an engineer for a pharmaceutical company. She had met Tim on many occasions through Ed and Tim was well known to her Lutheran Church in Charlotte as a handbell musician. In fact, many of them had come to the service. She introduced us. That little moment, in that small town in which we had never been, that simple statement, “I hoped I would see you here,” probably important to no one but us, was reassurance of so much that day. It spoke to us of faith, hope, and love. It spoke to us of home. Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many mansions,,,” And churches, singers, orchestras, ringers, pray-ers, pre-schools, youth groups, circles, teams, kitchens, ushers, greeters, preachers, teachers, students… Friends, our God is so vast. God’s house is so expansive. And God’s house is standing now, today, just as surely as it stands in the next life. Tim found God’s people in places I’ve never even heard of, let alone visited. Rebecca, whose home was once with her parents and three sisters, has made her home in the Shenandoah Valley, then Virginia Tech, and now makes her home in Charlotte, soon to make a life with her fiancé. The church invited everyone to stay and break bread-or sandwiches and cookies-together following the service. The Lutherans from Charlotte welcomed us to their table and we greatly appreciated their company. We walked Rebecca to her car, telling her she had been a comfort to us this hard day. She shared the same. We admired her crossover vehicle with its Hokie license plate holder. She pointed to a sticker in the corner of the back window. A silhouette of West Virginia, with a little heart cut-out. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid.” I have no idea what this promised home will look like. I don’t think my wish list will include a fireplace this time or stainless steel appliances. It won’t matter if the school bus comes by the house, or if the neighbors keep their lawn mowed. I can imagine it will be a place of peace and welcome, a place so comfortable that I never again think about the need for safety and security. A place where those who mourn can find comfort, where there is always an extra chair, where sweet melodies are wafted to us on the wind, where aromas from the kitchen smell like love. And the sign on every heart says “home.” *Hymn 361 Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, verses 3 and 4 *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 580 Gloria Patri Joys and Concerns of the Church Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 462 I Love to Tell the Story *Blessing Just as God’s Word was sent into the world to heal and redeem, so God sends you into the world this day to be light and love, healing and hope. Go now, and share the good news generously, and may the grace of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you today and always. Amen. *Postlude Prelude
Welcome and Announcements *Call to Worship Psalm 116 The Lord is gracious and merciful, and hears us when we call. The Lord has been good to you. The Lord has delivered my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. We come with thanksgiving, and call on the name of the Lord. *Hymn 664 Morning Has Broken Prayer of Confession O God, whose presence is veiled from our eyes, when we do not recognize you, may our hearts burn within us, and when feeling is lost, may we cling in faith to your Word and the power of bread broken. We confess that we do not always live in the spirit of new life. We worry and grow discontent about our circumstances and deny the transforming power of the resurrection. Forgive us and call us back to the sacred walk you take with us, be it on the highway, or the quiet path. in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. *Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me As I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Friends, in Jesus Christ we are called to a new way of life, one that overflows with hope, love, forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us walk forward together on this journey of faith, assured that our Lord never leaves us or forsakes us. Be at peace. Amen. First Reading 1 Peter 1:17-23 Time With Our Young Disciples Gospel Reading Luke 24:13-35 The Morning Message This is a favorite Scripture passage for many of us. My affection for it has been influenced by the beautiful Robert Zund painting of the scene which we have included in worship today. The setting is so lush and green. Fertile. The soil soft and worn as they tread it. The trees providing a cool canopy above them. Three friends moseying along, enjoying each other’s company. They could be any group of guys walking around Lake William at Barboursville Park. Maybe they’re walking off that biscuit they just had a Tudor’s. But they’re not just any trio of buddies. This is Jesus with two of his friends. Post-resurrection. They didn’t recognize him yet. We know what has happened in recent days in Jerusalem. Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet mighty in deed and word before the people, had been arrested and crucified. How they had hoped he was the one to rescue Israel, but the authorities had ordered his death. They had witnessed his crucifixion and had carried him to the tomb. The tomb that the women had found empty on the third day, but did encounter angels and Jesus himself, though they didn’t recognize hime at first. They didn’t know what to make of these mysterious occurances. When the stranger joined them, the disciples recounted the events. Their hearts were heavy with grief and confusion. But, into their sad reverie, Jesus brought some good news. He recalled stories from Scripture, stories they would know by heart. Jesus reminded them that the Savior would suffer trials before his entrance into glory. Was not this the testimony of the law and the prophets? They walked and talked ‘til the sun was low in the sky. Close to their lodging place, they invited Jesus to join them for a meal and a night’s rest. And so he did, and though he was not the owner of the house, or the host of the meal, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it. And they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. A friend of mine says that when she was growing up, she and her sisters shared the task of setting the table for meals. They were taught by their parents to set an extra place, for Jesus, the unseen guest at every meal. There is an expectation in that, an intimacy that says Jesus is familiar in a tangible way. He is family. He is friend. Sometimes, when a person is near death, they report that they see Jesus waiting for them, at the foot of the bed, or by the door, to take their hand and lead them into the next life. Their good and trusted friend has come for them. There is no fear. No hesitation. There is recognition. And that is a great comfort for them and for us. Can we know Jesus in that way? In a time when we send and receive “Friend” requests and “Like” requests with a tap on our iPhones, can Jesus be our friend? What kind of friend? Can we “Unlike” him when we disagree or when he “Likes” someone or some cause we don’t? Ruth is one of the saints in light now, but she lived 96 years on earth, before her friend, Jesus, led her into the Church Triumphant. One day when I was visiting her, she spoke of how Jesus became her closest and most reliable friend. Ruth was born in Massillon, Ohio. She came to Huntington and graduated from Huntington High School. She went on to Marshall College, where she would be a member of Kappa Theta Sorority. She served on the Pan Hellenic Council. She was a long-time supporter of one of our county political parties. Ruth had many friends. That was no surprise to me. Even in advanced years, she was beautiful, energetic, articulate, and social. She loved football…or at least she loved “that Tom Brady…um!” It is also no surprise that Ruth caught the eye and the heart of a handsome young man, Julian. They married and were blessed with a son and a daughter. Life was good. Julian worked for the US Post Office as a letter carrier, as they were called in those days. On October 24, 1950, while he was on the job, in Salt Rock, here in Cabell County, Julian was shot and killed. He was forty years old. Ruth was left to grieve his death and raise their children, who were not yet in school, the youngest still a babe in arms. Ruth says she was strolling her baby one day, a million thoughts running through her troubled mind. How in the world could she carry on, how could she raise her children without her husband? Would they even remember their father? She says she remembers praying that day as she walked, repeatedly asking, “What am I going to do?” And then she felt the warmth and comfort of a hand on her back. A hand she couldn’t see, but, knew, was the hand of Jesus. And in that moment, she heard him say, “I will be your friend.” And her burden was lifted. With that reassurance, Ruth did find strength and courage and everything needed to raise two faithful, healthy, accomplished children. She had a forty year career in one of our local businesses. She had a church family. She had friends. Jesus was her friend and I’m sure it was Jesus who took her hand and led her home on a January day a few years ago. Jesus is always with us, though we may not see him, or hear him, or even acknowledge his presence. But we have evidence. How have you recognized him? In the breaking of bread on a Communion Sunday or in the breaking of an addiction? In seeing a solution to some problem? A break-through? When we are alone and scared, when the diagnosis is undesired, and we get a call or a handful of flowers from a neighbors garden? Have you recognized him when you’ve reached a milestone, succeeded at a difficult assignment, aced a high-set goal? Do we acknowledge his help when we learn something important? Or when healing comes? Or when a relationship is mended? Our old friend William Barclay included these words in his discourse on Luke 24: “It is not only at the Communion Table that we can be with Christ. We can be with him at the dinner table, too. He is not only the host in his church. He is the guest in every home.” And he leaves us with these verses by Fay Inchfawn: “Sometimes when everything goes wrong, when days are short and nights are long; when wash-day brings so dull a sky that not a single thing will dry. And when the kitchen chimney smokes, and when there’s not so odd as folks. When friends deplore my faded youth, and when the baby cuts a tooth. When John, the baby last, but one, clings round my skirts ‘til day is done, and fat, good-tempered Jane is glum, and butcher’s man forgets to come. Sometimes I say on days like these, I get a sudden gleam of bliss. Not on some sunny day of ease, He’ll come…but on a day like this!” *Hymn 246 Christ Is Alive, Verses 1-3 *Affirmation of Faith Apostles Creed p. 35 *Hymn 581 Gloria Patri Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory *Hymn 607 Doxology *Prayer of Dedication *Hymn 246, verses 4 and 5 *Blessing May the work of your hands bring Christ honor. May your speech and actions reflect the Word of Life. And may the service you offer be driven by the indwelling Spirit. Amen. *Postlude Welcome and Announcements
Minute for Mission One Great Hour of Sharing *Call to Worship Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! *Hymn 232 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today Prayer for Easter O Christ, in your resurrection, The heavens and earth rejoice, Alleluia! By your resurrection you broke open the gates of hell and destroyed sin and death. Keep us victorious over sin. By your resurrection, you raised the dead, and brought us from death to life. Guide us in the way of eternal life. By your resurrection you confounded your guards and executioners, and filled your disciples with joy. Give us joy in your service. By your resurrection you proclaimed good news to the women and apostles, and brought salvation to the whole world. Direct our lives as your new creation. God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead. for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. From the waters of death, you raise us with him and renew the gift of life within us. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you. Where we have strayed from your example, forgive us and restore us to right relationship with you and those with whom we live, love, work, and play, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen. Hymn 698 Take, O Take Me as I Am Assurance of Forgiveness Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our ending, has come to save us from our sins and turn us toward the grace and mercy of God. Friends believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven. Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen. First Reading Luke 24:1-12 Choral Anthem He Arose Time for Young Disciples Gospel Reading John 20:1-18 The Morning Message I heard the little “bing!” that announced I had a message on my phone. It was an SOS from dear friend. We met doing presbytery work and formed a fast and strong bond. “Help! The pastor’s sick, I’m writing a sermon, the session has met and approved me to officiate Communion. But, I need a Book of Common Worship and can’t find one anywhere in the church. I’ve never been on the other side of the Communion Table and I don’t know the right words to say!” The irony of this moment was rich. My friend is one of the most articulate people I know. She is gifted in many ways and communication is her strong suit. She has had more experience at public speaking than I’ll ever have. I’ve taken this call before and immediately sent her a link to the on-line resource. But, when I hadn’t heard from her in about thirty minutes, I sent a text. All was well. She just made a fast trip to the church to look for recorded service music they might use in worship. The organist had just been diagnosed with strep. Holy Week marks the defining moments of the Christian faith. We have good news to tell. But, there have been moments in recent days, it felt like the good news was getting kicked in the teeth. Now, I learned a long time ago that this happens sometimes when we enter holy seasons. We encounter a negative energy that gets in the way. So, I said as much to my friend and reminded myself as well as her that our task is a simple one. We just need to stick to Mary’s script: “I have seen the Lord!” To say, “I have seen the Lord!”is to point out resurrection in the midst of ruin, new life when all that seems visible is death; love in the face of hate; decency and goodness when that which is vitriolic and vile and vicious finds only more and more followers. Because, in the end, resurrection is not only the promise of life after death, which, is huge, but, it is also that the life-giving love of God will always move the stones away. Tombs are just that-containers for the dead. And there are enough tombs around us, dark dwelling places that fuel corruption and deception, racism, sexism, rejection, suspicion, fear. A few years ago, we celebrated Easter in our homes because a deadly virus prevented almost all social interaction. It may have felt as though you were trapped in a tomb. Thanks to the efforts of many, many people and institutions and the public working together toward the goals of life and health and well-being, that stone is being rolled away. But, we have been changed. Rolling the stone away may reveal places that need further work. Those of you in education are aware of the impact Covid has had on students and families. I have heard some teachers say it may take years to catch up. It’s hard to see God’s work in this type of situation, but, it is possible. Sarah Bessey is a young contemporary author and preacher. She speaks with clarity, frank honesty, and with a spirit of humility. She says out loud what most of us think but can’t quite say: that some days we are unwavering believers. But, sometimes we have doubts. Bessey writes, “And Jesus is-still, now, always-the resurrection and the life. And on the days when I believe this, I am certain we will also be resurrected and death will not have the final word and all tears will be wiped away and there will be no more night, no more hunger, no more wounding, no more loss, no more good-byes. On the days when I believe this, I believe death is a dawn and never the last word. On the days when I believe this, I know the miracle is that God knows the dark and it is never the last word. On the days when I believe this, I believe that ongoing hope of resurrection changes how we engage in our lives as they stand right now as we love and know and walk with God who brings life out of death, order out of chaos, healing out of sickness, wholeness out of brokeness. On the days when I believe this, I know God isn’t finished with this story yet. But, there are days when I don’t believe it. And on those, I have this: God With Us, Emmanuel. This Easter, it may be all some of us have. Maybe life has been so turbulent or disappointing, or scary, or sick that we can’t quite get to resurrection and life yet, but, in that place of exile, we can rest alongside God with us, which is our country of grace for today.” For months I asked for prayer for my cousin, with whom I was very close our whole lives long. She was first hospitalized a year ago and was in and out of the hospital, ICU, step-down, rehab hospital and skilled nursing, back to ICU for a final attempt to turn her condition around. She told us she was spiritually ready to go, but, she wanted to live. She and her husband had raised two fine sons and they had two little grandsons to watch grow up. So, the extraordinary measures were applied, but, eventually, it became clear that she would not survive. Many of you have been there. Even for Christians, it is a painful place. But, her family gathered their faith and love and courage and we gathered around and we talked to her and prayed. And, then her sister, Kim, came to the head of the bed and stroking her hair, she began to sing softly, then her daughter-in-law, Krystle, joined her in song, and then her life-long friend, Missy, joined them. I could not utter a sound from my throat. And that was the way it should be, as I witnessed them sing Melody into heaven. Into the eternal country of grace. And in the stillness that followed, someone said, “Imagine what she is seeing now.” And we know, as Scripture gives witness, she has seen the Lord. And, friends, we all have that to look forward to. Amen. * Hymn 240 Alleluia! Alleluia! Give Thanks *Affirmation of Faith The Apostles’ Creed p. 35 *Hymn 580 Gloria Patri Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer Presenting Our Tithes and Offerings including One Great Hour of Sharing *Hymn 607 Doxology *Hymn 250 Hymn of Promise *Blessing Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! *Postlude |
PastorCinda Harkless Archives
July 2024
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