Bread and More Soup Kitchen continues to serve a free to-go meal every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30-6:15.
We are an open and affirming member of the United Church of Christ and no matter who you are or where you are in life's journey, you are welcome here. Contact the Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Murray at 631-727-2621 for more informatioas we
Church services are held at 10:00 am usually followed by a coffee hour. Please join us. All are welcome.
Sunday School: Please call our church office if you would like your child to join. Sunday School is held during church services. Sunday School will resume on Sept. 21, 2025.
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Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
A Service of the Word
August 24, 2025 ✦ 10am
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Preludes pour L’Ave Maris Stella (D major)
Cesar Franck
(Once the music begins we ask that you would please maintain respectful silence)
*CHORAL INTROIT:
We are here this day to share God's love;
We have come with burdens and cares,
For within this place, we are bound as one
In this fellowship, we share.
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Assemble before God, our rock and refuge.
Come together to listen for the voice of our Creator.
Many: The Word of God shakes the foundation of the earth.
We expect to be changed by God’s message to us.
One: God rescues us from cruelty and injustice.
In steadfast love, God delivers us from our enemies.
Many: We remember the rich heritage we have received.
We give thanks for God’s grace and mercy.
One: This is God’s holy day, a time to lay aside narrow interests.
How will we honor God in word and deed?
ALL: We will delight in the Word and works of our God.
We will join together in praise and good works.
HYMN: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise No. 1
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
We are known by you, gracious God, better than we know ourselves. You have given us life and you have renewed our spirits. You have carried us to the heights and you have dwelled with us in life’s depths. You are our hope and our trust. Touch us here, for you are far beyond our reach. Dwell with us here to lift our aspirations and inspire confidence among us. Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
Back to School Supplies: It’s that time again. We are collecting back to school supplies to help the efforts of local pantries.
Beacon Light: Articles for our September/October issue are due by September 3rd.
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer
Ruling God, whose will is broader than our best traditions and whose mercy runs deeper than our finest sympathies, speak your Word to set us free from attitudes that cripple, habits that are hurtful, and dispositions that divide. Enlist us as willing disciples so others may meet Jesus Christ through us…..
❖ Silent Prayer
❖ Lord's Prayer:
Our 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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
OFFERING & OFFERTORY: Adagio from Voluntary VI John Stanley
*DOXOLOGY AND BLESSING OF GIFTS:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly host:
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
❖ Isaiah 58:9b-14 OT Page 648
❖ Psalm 103:1-8 Hymnal Page 688
❖ Hebrews 12:18-29 NT Page 200
❖ Luke 13:10-17 NT Page 66
SERMON: “Opt for the Spiritually Healthier”
Especially the older we get, I find we talk a lot about health. Physical health, that is. It’s usually preceded by something like, “Oh my aching [back, neck, hip, knee, foot]… you can fill in the blank. These days, there is also some, not much, but some, talk about mental health: anxiety, depression or PTSD and the like. That, however, is rarer. The really rare duck is any talk of spiritual health. To my hearing, pretty much NO ONE speaks of spiritual health. I’m not even sure most folk would know how such a conversation would go.
My favorite line, a query really, with regard to spiritual health is, “How is it with your soul?” It makes people pause a bit and even contemplate that which is seldomly considered. “My soul?... Hmm, I guess it’s okay.”
To consider life of the soul is unquestionably deep. It dives into that which might mar, injure or damage the soul. And what kind of stuff is that? To begin with, the common definition of sin that I use is, “that which wages war against the soul.” With that, we can enter into some understanding of what may cause damage, as well as that which strengthens, edifies the soul in the war against it.
When naming what constitutes sin, most will likely start with the 10 Commandments and the various, “Thou shall nots…”. That is, no killing, no lying, no stealing, no coveting and the like. Most of us, I think, have pretty much got those things covered. But we know that sin, that which wages war against our souls, goes farther than that.
The lesson from Isaiah this morning hits on some of the other issues. The prophet counsels that blessings come, that better spiritual health comes, if five other behaviors are added to the list of Moses’ ten. The first I find particularly interesting as it makes one contemplate what exactly is being targeted: it reads, “If you remove the yoke from among you.” What is the yoke, the burden among us? Literally, of course, a yoke is a device of wood placed across the necks of two oxen, or other draft animals, so they can pull a plow or cart together. However, we know that it’s not the literal sense that the prophet has in mind. The figurative meaning is that which burdens or oppresses. It’s a fine edict against slavery, of course, but it’s more than that. We’re to consider what is it that burdens us and others. In Isaiah’s time and in Jesus’ day, the strict observance of the law of Moses, specifically with regard to the Sabbath was a principle burden. This is the burden that Jesus teaches about in our gospel lesson of healing on the Sabbath.
Luke 13 tells of Jesus healing a woman bent over for eighteen years, on the Sabbath, revealing that true Sabbath observance is not about rigid rules but liberating love. To opt for the spiritually healthier is to follow Jesus in restoring dignity and freedom, even when it challenges tradition.
Then comes one that makes me chuckle a bit, it’s “the pointing of the finger.” When we envision such, we get the picture of the old school marm who’s got the mean finger of reprimand out. But it’s also more than that. It’s a warning about judgmentalism, about judging others. Jesus, of course, will revisit that one too. In Matthew 5 we get: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” And Jesus even expands the teaching with the metaphor of a "speck in your brother's eye" verses a "plank in your own eye" to highlight the hypocrisy of criticizing others' flaws while ignoring your own greater ones.
Next is the speaking of evil, which is easy enough at face value, but if we dive deeper we need to consider what, exactly, that is. It the gossip and the slander that demeans.
Beyond the negatives, of things to be avoided for better spiritual health, comes the positive: “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted.” It’s in helping others who most need help that allows our “light [to] rise in the darkness and our gloom be like the noonday.”
And lastly, Isaiah notes, as does the 10 Commandments, the importance of the Sabbath day, specifically to refrain from “pursuing your own interests on my holy day.” I think for many that one can be as hard today as it was back then.
God, in love, grants us the dignity of choice. From the words of Moses to the teachings of Jesus, Scripture is filled with stories of those who chose—and the consequences of those choices.
In our time, the options may present themselves differently, but the heart of the matter remains. Amidst distractions and temptations, we are called to opt for what nourishes our souls and uplifts others. Hebrews beckons us to “see to it that no one misses the grace of God,” to live as citizens of the unshakable kingdom, shaped by God’s mercy and justice. Some practical advice is to:
When we opt for the spiritually healthier, our lives reflect the promises of Isaiah: “You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail.” We taste the joy and freedom of God’s unshakable kingdom, our relationships deepen, and our purpose grows clear. Our choices testify to the reality of God’s redeeming love in this world.
May the Spirit guide us in choosing well, in seeking justice, mercy, and healing. May your soul prosper, and may you walk in joy and reverence with the One who restores, redeems, and welcomes us into perfect communion.
*HYMN: For the Healing of the Nations No. 576
https://youtu.be/9oQxkziD-28
*BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION:
May the light of God shine on us today.
May the light of God shine on us today.
May it show us where to travel.
Lead us back if we should stray.
May the light of God shine on us today.
POSTLUDE: Air Jean-Baptiste de Bousset
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
A Service of the Word
August 17, 2025 ✦ 10am
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Petit Offertoire CFF 38 Cesar Franck
(Once the music begins we ask that you would please maintain respectful silence)
*CHORAL INTROIT:
We are here this day to share God's love;
We have come with burdens and cares,
For within this place, we are bound as one
In this fellowship, we share.
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Return, beloved of God, to the fold.
God welcomes you to this hour of prayer.
Many: God calls us by name and awaits our coming.
God summons us out of hiding.
One: God is like a shepherd, caring for her flocks.
God is like a gardener, carefully tending his vines.
Many: Surely God has provided richly for us.
Our lives are sustained by God’s good gifts.
One: Worship the one who longs for our coming.
Sing praise to the one who expects our faithfulness.
ALL: We call on God, who gives us life.
May God’s face shine on us to save us.
HYMN: O My Soul, Bless Your Creator No. 13
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_i8ZrjmFlSo?feature=share
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
…Surrounded by a rich heritage of faith, we seek to know you, God, in this time of worship. Thankful for our spiritual ancestors, we return to our roots to find our true identity. We lay aside all that weighs us down and fills us with doubts so we can give attention to your call and your message. Meet us here, we pray. Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS:
Ladies Fellowship: The Ladies Fellowship gathering is this Thursday, August 21st, at 5:30 pm. It will be at the Village Idiot on Indian Island. Please notify Marion at mjumainsail@aol.com or text 631-702-3448 if you plan to attend. We have a surprise friend who will be joining us!
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer:
…God of abundant grace, whose judgment is a part of your love for humankind, bring fire among us that we may be united in faithfulness rather than divided by competing interpretations of your Word and our present times. Make us not so much predictors of the future as practitioners of faithfulness in this present moment….
❖ Silent Prayer
❖ Lord's Prayer:
Our 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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
OFFERING & OFFERTORY: Elevation en La CFF 93 Cesar Franck
*DOXOLOGY AND BLESSING OF GIFTS:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly host:
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
❖ Jeremiah 5:1-7 OT Page 594
❖ Psalm 80 Hymnal Page 672
❖ Hebrews 11:29-31, 39-12:2 NT Page 199
❖ Luke 12:49-56 NT Page 65
SERMON: “Our God in Times of Trouble”
The readings, at least at first “hearing” are… well, yes, troubling.
Trouble. Are you, are we in living in times of trouble? Fortunately, for us the answer is only “yes” for some, but not for all. If we were Ukrainian, living here or there, the answer would be yes. And it’s certainly a yes for those of Gaza, and even for those of uncertain legal status living nearby. For most of us, it depends on our political read, or our personal journeying, such as with health issues, housing, money, relationship or work issues.
Yet seasons of turmoil and uncertainty come upon us all. And as a student of the Bible, I’m well aware that such has been the case for a very long time. It’s, of course, considerably true for those in Bible times. Not only was there no running water, electricity or supermarkets, but there was also no internet. *smile* But well beyond that, there were serious territorial issues, warfare, the odd giant or lion, and even deep religious divides.
Any troubled soul will, as many before us, seek meaning and hope in the wisdom of our age and those of stories and teachings handed down through our ancestors. Today, we even get a bit of help from the prophet Isaiah, the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, and the profound truths of faith found in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Taken carefully together, they offer all, regardless of age or era, a powerful vision of God’s presence and purpose in times of trouble.
Isaiah’s song of the vineyard paints a picture of God’s devoted care. “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard,” the prophet begins. God, the careful planter, tended the vineyard with love, expecting good fruit. Yet, despite every advantage, the vineyard yielded only wild grapes. This image challenges us to reflect: in our own lives and communities, how do we respond to God's nurturing? When trouble comes, do we bear the fruit of faithfulness, justice, and compassion, or do we turn aside to lesser things? Conversely, in times of plenty and ease, do we set God aside, build idols of our own, and then only return to God when the going gets tough?
Isaiah’s lament is not only a warning, but an invitation. In moments of difficulty, God does not abandon the vineyard; instead, God calls us to recognize where we have strayed. The invitation then comes to return to the source of our being and to consider anew what God would have us do, how we might bear the good fruits of faith and righteousness. Trouble can awaken us to our need for renewal, for honest assessment, for deeper trust in God’s guidance and grace.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus declares, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” These are words of urgency and transformation. Christ’s presence in the world is not merely to comfort, but to refine and renew. The fire of God’s love and truth may unsettle us, dividing even households, but it is not a fire of destruction—it is a fire that purifies, that brings clarity, and that compels change.
When storms of life assail us, we may long for peace without challenge. Yet, Jesus calls us to discern the times, to see beyond the surface, and to allow God’s Spirit to ignite in us a passion for rightful living, with justice, mercy, and truth. In times of trouble, we are invited not only to seek refuge in God, but to participate in God’s work of transformation—within ourselves and in the wider world.
Regardless of current situation, we do well to consider what sustains us as we journey through life, on garden paths or in deep forests of uncertainty. The author of Hebrews reminds us: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11 recounts the stories of those who lived by faith—Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and many more—who embarked on journeys without knowing their destination, trusting in God’s promises even when fulfillment seemed distant.
These ancestors faced hardship, exile, and longing, yet they pressed onward, “seeking a homeland,” a better country that God had prepared for them. In their stories, we see that faith is not the absence of trouble or the certainty of every step, but the willingness to trust in God’s goodness and guidance, even in the midst of life’s storms. Their perseverance is a witness to us, encouraging us to trust that God is at work in ways we may not yet see.
Together, Isaiah’s lament, Jesus’ fire, and the example of faith in Hebrews urge us to examine our lives, to turn toward God, and to embrace both the comfort and the challenge that faith brings. God remains steadfast—tender in loving care, unwavering in justice, and bold in calling us to growth and renewal. In every difficulty, God walks with us, tending us like a beloved vineyard, refining us like gold in the fire, and leading us as pilgrims toward a promise yet unseen. Let us trust that, in good times or in times of trouble, God both shelters and shapes, calling forth from us the fruits of a living faith
Stay close to God for God is near. And consider well how in times of blessing you can even lend a hand to those in need, even through the simple act of providing an ear to those suffering as even they lament and seek wisdom. Trouble may come to us all, but so does the unending stream of God’s care. It’s often just a prayer and a conversation away.
*HYMN: Dear God, Embracing Humankind No. 502
https://youtu.be/_AzxkmDvSgc
*BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION:
May the light of God shine on us today.
May the light of God shine on us today.
May it show us where to travel.
Lead us back if we should stray.
May the light of God shine on us today.
POSTLUDE: BMV 556 J.S. Bach
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
A Service of the Word
August 10, 2025 ✦ 10am
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Flute Pastorale Smith
(Once the music begins we ask that you would please maintain respectful silence)
*CHORAL INTROIT:
We are here this day to share God's love;
We have come with burdens and cares,
For within this place, we are bound as one
In this fellowship, we share.
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Gather before God, people of the covenant.
Listen for God’s Word, O faithful ones.
Many: God has summoned us to this place.
We believe God will speak to us here.
One: Come to honor God and give thanks.
Seek to learn and follow in God’s way.
Many: We come as willing and faithful believers.
Let your steadfast love, O God, be upon us.
One: God call us as workers for justice.
God sends us out as advocates for the dispossessed.
ALL: We are here to be equipped for ministry.
We expect to be empowered for our journey.
*HYMN: Come, Let Us Join with Faithful Souls No. 383
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
…For the rich heritage we have received from your hand, we are grateful, O God. You have fashioned our hearts and observed our deeds. Now we come together, awaiting further instructions from your Word. Teach us here what we need to know in order to live faithfully in this troubled world. Lead us beyond the routines of worship to a genuine, life-changing encounter with you…. Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
Congratulations and Thanks: To our wonderful Minister of Music,
George Moravek, who retires today. We wish you all the best!
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayers:
God of all worlds, whose presence in our world we celebrate in Jesus Christ, lead us to deeper faith, fuller trust, and greater responsiveness. May we hear your knock, answer your call, and serve where we are sent. We are ready to share in your promises, claim the homeland you offer, and extend to all we meet the invitation to believe and obey. May all people discern the treasure you offer…
❖ Silent Prayer
❖ Lord's Prayer:
Our 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.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory,
now and forever. Amen.
OFFERING & OFFERTORY: Pavanne Faure
*DOXOLOGY AND BLESSING OF GIFTS:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly host:
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
HEALING PRAYER AND LITANY OF HEALING:
Together we lift our prayers to you, O God of love and healing.
God, our Father and Mother in Heaven, you breathe life into your whole creation.
Help us breathe deeply of your peace and presence.
O God, fill us with your love and peace.
Help us move in concert with your life-giving motion.
Holy Spirit, you move through our lives in unexpected ways
Help us surrender our fear, pain, and grief to you.
Holy Trinity, One God, accept our thanks and praise for all the blessings
of this life, especially for those blessings that our present circumstances
make difficult to see.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
Shed the light of your healing love on all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit, that they may find new wholeness illumined by your grace.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
Knit together in your love all whose relationships have frayed,
that they may find reconciliation and new beginnings.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
Bless all who work to improve the health of others, that they may bring
hope, care, wisdom, and skill to all they serve.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
Hold in the palm of your hand all who are near death and all who care
for them, that they may know the peace that passes all understanding.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
You are the Lord whose promises never cease.
You are the Lord whose presence never fails.
Gracious God, you are close to us no matter how far we feel from you.
Draw us into the very heart of your grace and help us to live into the truth that nothing
in all creation can separate us from your love in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPUTRE LESSONS:
❖ Genesis 15:1-6 OT Page 11
❖ Psalm 33:9-22 Hymnal Page 643
❖ Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 NT Page 198
❖ Luke 12:32-40 NT Page 65
SERMON: “Coming to Terms With a Holy Faith”
Paul’s definition of faith in our second lesson today severed as a bit of springboard for me. Faith is a bit of a curious word as we use it in a variety of ways and these days it seems it only seldomly refers to God. Most often we use faith to express confidence in something or someone other than our Christian beliefs and the Holy One. If we have something planned – a party, a wedding, or even a coffee hour – we say that we have faith everything will work our well. As for people, we can assert we have faith in a ballplayer, a leader, a child – anyone who’s stepping up to do something.
As adults of a certain age, it’s not often that we’re asked about our faith in God. And when we are, it’s usually just a matter of naming our faith tradition – such as I’m a Christian, or I’m a Protestant or even I’m a member of the United Church of Christ – and nothing more. People usually don’t follow up such a question with “and what does that mean?”
Some branches of Christianity, some denominations, regularly include a Creed within the bounds of worship. Some of us even had to memorize the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed when we were in confirmation class. Yet our tradition, that of the UCC, is a non-creedal one. The notion behind it is that it allows people to come to terms with their own faith in their own words rather than having to embrace a statement written by others. The danger is that once we leave behind our Confirmation days, when we may be challenged to write our own creed, we let go of any such musing and just continue with a more nebulous notion simply stated as “I believe in God” or “I’m with Jesus.” That works okay, I guess, for the most part, provided we’re not looking to bring anyone into our faith tradition or church, but if we, as the earliest believers of the Jesus age, look to make disciples, we would likely need to go deeper, and then we would have to put it into words that really reflect our core beliefs, our deepest convictions, of who God is and how God operates.
As a clergy person, I’m pretty well equipped to be able to do so. But I wonder about most of us, especially in this non-Credal tradition of ours. If challenged to do so, how well would you be able to do it? How do you spell out your faith? It’s not simply just naming it, but truly taking it to heart as your own. It moves from affirmation -- the yes, I believe of the faith claim-- to conviction: You are so sure you're willing to stake your life on it. It is that movement of the heart and the mind that is the most challenging for us.
C.S. Lewis in a A Grief Observed writes: You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it?
Coming to terms with a holy faith is a matter of taking to heart the promises of God that we have read, learned, and long affirmed. Yet, the older we get the more difficult it can be to believe promises. Consider those made by politicians: whether it's no new taxes, or more money for education, or better paying jobs. Regardless of who wins based on what promises, few will run to the bank for a big new loan based on campaign promises. And the more unlikely the result, the harder it is to believe the promise...those of us who have raised teenagers know this well. Consider that first trip away when you've decided the kids are old enough to leave at home alone after they say, "We promise we'll be good." I'm not sure any parent goes away with complete confidence in the promise. There seems to be few promises that we are ready to take to the bank. So how about God's promises to us? If there are any promises to be believed, clearly the divine promises are the ones. But even if we do, do we act on the promises?
It's no wonder Abram (before the added syllable to his name) had a hard time truly trusting God at first. This is perhaps one of the qualities that makes Abram such a likable character – he's very human and responds in a way not unlike how we would respond.
God says to Abram, "don't be afraid Abram I am your shield, your reward shall be very great." This is a divine pronouncement which, taking God at his word, we take as a promise. And Abram, like most children, basically answers, "you promise?" Here however the question is more on the lines of "how do I know?" as he asks, "what will you give me, for I continue childless?" And the answer, of course, to this "you promise?" of Abram is God's "I promise."
God says "...count the stars; so shall your descendants be." And then we're told "he believed the Lord,, and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness." That's quite a thing. God says something, Abram believes him (go figure) and it's reckoned to him as righteousness.
Our faith, like Abram's, does seek signs. We do ask, "how will I know?" But like Abram we need to take God at God's word. Abram's response to the promise of God is that of courageous and faithful action on behalf of others. Abram trusts God, fixes his heart on God, rests in the arms of the promise-giver. He responds with courage in striving to take possession of the promised land, and in the confidence that his worry of no prodigy will be taken care of in full measure. Abram claims faith.
In our reading today, the author of Hebrews highlights Abraham. This follows the suggestion that the readers to recall the time after they were baptized: they endured hardships: –– public abuse, persecution and “plundering of your possessions” The author then urges, “do not abandon ... that confidence of yours” (10.35).“You need endurance” (10.36), he writes, to “receive what was promised.” And they pushed on.
Abraham didn't live to see his descendants number like the starts and he didn't live to see his people settle in the promised land but he kept pushing forward, believing in the promise. And those things did happen. Paul echoes this faithful action based on the claiming faith when he writes in Phil 3.13: "Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Corrie ten Boom, captured the sentiment well when she penned, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." Abraham was blessed to be able to begin to see hope unfold and he still had to labor on and push ahead through the ancient days of dilemma and darkness. Yet because he kept the faith, his labor and love is remembered as the hallmark of what it means to truly trust God and continue on with the assurance that God is working through it all.
Taking to heart our faith in all its depth is to step into freedom – free from anxiety free from the social convention of materialism, free with generosity for others.
What are the promises of God that we’re to take to heart, that we can use to come to terms with our Holy Faith? Well, there's forgiveness, accepting God forgives us, so we are to let go our past sins and failings that hold us back. And as we accept God's forgiveness we are to mindful of our call to forgive others. There is the promise of Eternal Life, understanding that the prize awaits us and so we are to act with courage and integrity, mindful that the truly important stuff is ours. There is the promise of the Holy Spirit, our God with us – and with that the call to act with assurance and strength, especially in times of need.
Let us consider afresh the promises of God to us, and ask ourselves how is it that we are truly understanding and living out our faith so that we will indeed be found "dressed for action, with our lamps lit." Dealing with the challenges of our times, of our age, and ages, is tough, but claim faith. God is with us. Claim faith, in the dentist's chair or doctor's seat; God will strengthen us. God will always supply us with what we need to live with, and in, grace.
*HYMN: I Sing a Song of the Saints of God No. 295
*PASTORIAL BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION:
May the light of God shine on us today.
May the light of God shine on us today.
May it show us where to travel.
Lead us back if we should stray.
May the light of God shine on us today.
POSTLUDE: Prelude in G Bach
(please remain seated for the postlude)
We're biblical, traditional, yet progressive.
We honor and take pride in our
Congregational roots.
We covenant with one another and with God,
as revealed
in Jesus Christ through the illumination of
the Holy Spirit.
We endeavor to walk humbly with God and
strive for justice and peace.
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 56.7
We are an open and affirming congregation in which all persons regardless of race, ethnic background, economic status, gender, age, or personal ability, are equally affirmed into membership, leadership and employment
and joyfully welcomed.
Our church office is open for phone calls at 631-727-2621. Pastor Sean will return your calls. Our secretary is in the office Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Our church office is open for phone calls at 631-727-2621. Pastor Sean will return your calls. Our secretary is in the office Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Worship on Sundays at 10:00am.
No matter who you are or where you are in life's journey, you are welcome here.
103 1st Street, Riverhead, New York 11901, United States
Today | Closed |
Our church office is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am-12:00. Church services are held on Sunday at 10:00am, and coffee hour in the fellowship hall following the worship service. Sunday School will be held at 10:00 am. (To run concurrent with our worship service)
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