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 information.
Announcements:
Save the Date: Sunday, October 13 - Quilt Show in our sanctuary during the Riverhead Country Fair. East End Quilters have donated a beautiful quilt which will be raffled off at the Oct. 13th quilt show. If you would like to purchase a ticket they are $5.00 each or 3 for $10.00. Marion Maino, Barbara Parsons and Nancy Repp will have tickets available or you may buy at the show.
Thank you to all who donated to our school supply collection. With a $500.00 donation from the thrift shop and member donations we collected over $1,000.00 worth of school supplies.
The Alley Cat Thrift Shop is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-2 and Saturdays 9- Donations only accepted when the shop is open. Volunteers always welcome.
Sunday School: Please call our church office if you would like your child to join. Sunday School is held during church services.
If you would like to join us on Zoom , please follow the link
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86897065711?
pwd=a0FZcDg5MnRqKz-JMQXRLVzIBTGZFQT09 to start or join a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 850 1493 9172
Passcode: 7272621
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
A Service of the Word
September 8, 2024 ✦ 10am
Happy Rally Day!
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Gentle Spirit Callender
(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: Listen! God is welcoming us to this time of worship.
Young and old, rich and poor, all are welcomed.
Many: This is a place where all belong.
This is a time when all are accountable to God.
One: The Maker of all seeks our common good.
The God of Mercy calls on us to be merciful.
Many: We are not judges over our sisters and brothers.
We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.
One: Come to sing praises and put your trust in God.
Come to prepare yourself to serve in Christ’s name.
ALL: We bring all our needs to God, our hope.
We want to share faith and hope with others.
*HYMN: Enter, Rejoice, and Come In No.73
https://youtu.be/pzizJcQpqvY
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
…Author of all humankind, come, lift us up to our full humanity as we worship you in this hour. You surround us on every side and are acquainted with all our ways. You know our shallow motives and our deepest thoughts. You are aware of the distinctions we make and the favoritism we express. Yet you welcome us, not as strangers but as heralds of your reign. We want to worship you and to represent you well. Come among us now with your transforming power….
CHILDREN’S TIME
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer:
…Welcoming and embracing God, ever available to all who truly seek you, come to us now through all we read and speak, that the messages your people hear may become your word to us, a word that transforms, makes whole, and unites us in mutual learning and service, for the sake of all your children….
❖ 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: Alleluia for Our Time Althouse
*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.
God the Son, you give us yourself to make our joy complete.
Help us move in concert with your life-giving motion.
God the 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.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
❖ Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 OT Page 566
❖ Psalm 125 HYMNAL Page 707
❖ James 2:1-10, 14-17 NT Page 202
❖ Mark 7:31-37 NT Page 37
SERMON: “Hope for the Have-Nots”
When it comes to whether we would consider ourselves among the haves vs. the have-nots, probably all of us would put ourselves among the haves. That is, if being in the group of haves is weighed based on economics. And if so, we’d be right. We have a home to live in, a bed to sleep in, and none of us suffer from food insecurity. That’s a lot to say, even in this first world country of ours, for such is not the case for many. We regularly find people sleeping on our porches, and we know well that ours are not the only ones that are visited. The number of people who show up for evening meals has climbed of late from the average of some 80 souls a night to now over 100. There are a lot of have-nots with regard to the basics of life.
But, as the lessons of the day direct us, “having” is about more than just having money.
Our lessons begin with three couplets from the book of Proverbs 22nd chapter. Proverbs, of course, is a collection of sayings of the teachers and elders, for the students and children. They aim at teaching how to lead a moral life, with proper respect for God and others. Life involves choices; it is important that one be informed, trained and persuaded to make the right ones. The objective of life is attainment of wisdom, i.e. integrity in God’s eyes. These pithy expressions are written for the insiders but are about how those on the inside are to relate to the outsiders.
We are told: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” It’s a “good name” and “favor” that are counted as really having. Having a good name is about one’s reputation: being honest, trustworthy, faithful in what one does, a genuine person of merit. Having “favor” in the Biblical sense is to live with a notion of God’s grace, knowing one is loved by God and showing that love to others. The notions are then filled out with concepts of justice and generosity. For those who have a good name are just in what they say and do and generous to the world around them.
James builds on the concept of justice. In his letter, he has already stressed care for the widows and the orphans; and in today’s reading he writes about the partiality of judgment with which the people operate. It’s the who’s desirable and who’s not. The illustration he uses is that of a poor person and a rich person coming into the assembly, the temple, and the seat that is offered to them. It doesn’t quite work for church, but it does for restaurants. People who look like they have money are often treated better, and the poor become the invisible minority. It was true then, and true now. We are familiar with the quote attributed to Marie Antoinette before the French Revolution. When she was told they poor have no bread, she is remembered for answering “let them eat cake.” Some in our society continue to be guilty of the same. They look at people or institutions struggling for bread and think they obviously have other resources at their fingertips, it’s just a matter of looking around. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case. Those who have, those who have amassed our riches inside their vaults, don’t always give back and the places that are giving are often flooded by those in need. The call again is to be generous. We are again called to consider our giving: both our attitudes about giving and our actual giving itself.
The one who doesn’t have in the Gospel lesson, is the deaf and mute man. Jesus, however, opens his ears and frees his tongue. As I read about censorship and book-banning, I worry about those who are actively engaged in preventing others from “hearing” in the sense of learning, learning about others who are different such as children who have two moms or two dads, or the big brother who is now a big sister. And yes, those of the kind of books that are being banned.
Perhaps as you have read this week, in a deeply concerning move, the Taliban in Afghanistan has just introduced a new decree that prohibits women from speaking in public. Under this new ban, women are not only forbidden from speaking in public spaces but are also required to keep their faces fully covered when outside their homes. And they, of course, are forbidden to participate in public life. There is no hearing or weighing in on issues for them; and there is no singing in any choir. And that is in today’s world.
So what’s the hope for the have-nots? The hope resides with us as we open our ears and allow God to speak to us. The hope and the call to us is that our generosity will do much to alleviate the suffering around us: That we will be led to give more, to share our bread with others. With regard to justice, the hope is that we will be slow to judge others, and look beyond the outside riches so as not to show partiality to those who have. The hope is that we will continue to open our ears to learn, and open our mouths to speak out against the practices and policies that actively seek to censor and mute. And that hope is in God, that God’s mighty power can break through the hard shells of all who are slow to give, quick to judge, and quick to silence.
*HYMN: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less No. 403
https://youtu.be/rkMapZB8qMk
*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 C Bach
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Service of Word and Sacrament
September 1, 2024 ✦ 10am
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Christ the Redeemer Birchwood
(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: Come to listen for all God seeks to teach us.
God has given us new life by the word of truth.
Many: We are drawn to God as one truly beloved.
We leap for joy when we know God’s care.
One: Every perfect gift comes to us from God.
God’s image is a part of each one of us.
Many: God’s grace has been poured into our lives.
Wisdom and understanding are offered to us.
One: Who will dwell on God’s holy hill?
Those who walk uprightly and speak in truth.
ALL: We will honor God by honoring our neighbors.
We will act toward them as we wisht to be treated.
*HYMN: I Sing the Mighty Power of God No. 12
https://youtu.be/eeSoE1Kmmv0
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
…Our hearts overflow with longings too great for words, gracious God. You have been so good to us, yet we are dissatisfied. We have many things to enjoy, but seldom have we found our home with you. Meet us here to anoint us with the oil of gladness. Awaken us with singing and speak your truth to draw us away from the lure of wickedness. May this time of worship help us to become a wise and understanding people, eager to live as the body of Christ, making a difference in the world as Jesus did so long ago on the Galilean shore….
CHILDREN’S TIME
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer
…God of all truth, whose reality is far beyond the religion we profess, and whose ways are broader than our flawed human precept, we would honor you with our lips and our lives, worshiping you above all else in life and welcoming your transforming presence within us, that we might become doers of the Word who offer healing to the world….
❖ 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 ANTHEM:
Meditation on “Vernon” Scott
*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:
❖ Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 OT Page 149
❖ Psalm 15 Hymnal Page 627
❖ James 1:17-27 NT Page 202
❖ Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 NT Page 36
*GLORIA:
Glory to the Creator, the Christ, the Holy Spirit,
Three-in-one; as it was in the beginning
Is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. Amen.
SERMON: “The Ins and Out of It”
Our Gospel lesson today is a curious one, as anyone who suffered through a food-born illness might well take issue with it. There are certainly some things we could ingest that would do us a world of harm. Plus, it’s a good idea to wash your hands before you eat. But again, Jesus aims at the spiritual truth and not at the physical one. The defining verb of his lesson is “defile” and with that he points to the words and actions of evil intentions that poison people. Although some food may make us sick, they don’t exactly “defile” us.
Jesus' problem was not so much with the rules, but with the strict rule-followers of his day. For example, in the first century of Christianity, some maintained that in order to be a Christian, one had to convert to Judaism and then come to Jesus. Those who stressed the importance of dietary practices and ritual weren't mindful of how their attitudes and judgmentalism were discounting the worth, the God-given holiness, of others. Their many rules were limiting God's embrace of all. Jesus sought to be more inclusive. He also sought to do the greatest good for the largest number of people. That perhaps is most clearly illustrated by healing on the Sabbath. And although washing one’s hands before dealing with food is a fine idea, not every hungry soul has ready access to clean water. It’s better to have some latitude that.
When it comes to Jesus’ list, the hope is that none of us battles with such. He names: Sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly. And yet the cautionary advice of things to avoid is good for even the good believers. Although there may be one or two that are good reminders there for us, I don’t think they are major ailments for any of us. It does, however, get me wondering what kind of people Jesus was dealing with. From the list, I’d say it was a rougher crowd than we usually confront.
The broader consideration of what comes out of us is, however, a good one for all. Rather than focus on the bad, the evil emanations, how about a focus on the good ones? How much of the really good stuff: the love, kindness, charity, respect, consideration, forgiveness, and encouragement are we putting out there?
For James, a straight-shooting, clear-speaking author, the stuff that we’re putting out is the all-important. His advice is good for any soul and not just for the rough crowd of Jesus’ day. In the short reading we heard today there’s “Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” That’s solid. And there’s James’ golden rule in there too, “Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” For James, it was a matter of what is being displayed through the life of believers.
There are two main stress points for him. One is that of what we say. He wants all to be mindful of hurtful words: “If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.” The other is the care we show to the most vulnerable among us: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.” They were the ones who were likely to need the most help, and helping those who are most helpless is doubtlessly a primary consideration for all of us.
His final point is more nebulous, and likely more difficult: “To keep oneself unstained by the world.” The influences of the world, especially those that focus more on self than on others, are difficult to avoid, it’s there that sets the avarice, greed, and desire for more and better, all of which can get in the way of how we show our care and concern for others. That takes some effort.
Finally, the big in and out comes from the first lesson. Moses gives instructions for faithfulness to the people before they enter into the promised land. Unfortunately, they are things that will need to be repeated time and time again before the people get it, and some still don’t.
The big message is to take in the lessons of God. For Moses it was all about statutes and ordinances, many of which had to do with faithfully remembering God in one’s days, such as with Sabbath laws, dietary regulations, and of course, not worshiping idols. For Moses, it was the rules of God that would show that they people were wise and discerning. In New Testament times, the rules get boiled down to “Love God and Love Neighbor as Oneself.” And the question then, as even now, was how we do so.
Remembering the goodness, the faithfulness, and power of God is an all-important part of Moses’ teaching: “So as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life.” Moses knew that the miracles and wonders that the people themselves had witnessed would do much to sustain them. And he builds on the remembrances by telling the people that they must teach them to their children and their children’s children. He assures them that the lessons of God are not for they themselves as they make their way through the wilderness, but for the generations to come. The people must take in God’s goodness, and put it out, in word, in the lessons they teach, and deed.
On this communion Sunday, consider well the Ins. How God is feeding you, sustaining you, how God has come to the rescue and made himself known to you in the living of your days. And consider the Outs: How is that you are sharing the Good News of God with us, in thought, word and deed. For indeed, we are to be doers of the Word and those who pass on the Good News to others.
OUR ORDER OF COMMUNION
The Invitation and Time of Confession:
❖ Call to Confession
❖ Silent Confession
❖ Unison Prayer of Confession:
O God, we admit that all is not well with us. We are easily angered and slow to forgive. We speak without listening and pretend to listen without really hearing. Our tongues become weapons rather than instruments of healing. We are more critical than helpful toward the poor in our midst. Hidden in our hearts are the attitudes that produce avarice, deceit, and violation of our promises to you and to one another. Turn us around so we can accept your forgiveness and learn to love ourselves as you want us to be, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
❖ Words of Assurance
Thanksgiving:
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to God Most High.
People: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Pastor: We give you thanks, God of majesty and mercy,
for calling forth the creation and raising us from dust
by the breath of your being.
We bless you for the beauty and bounty of the earth and
for the vision of the day when sharing by all will mean
scarcity for none.
We remember the covenant you made with your people Israel, and we give you thanks for all our ancestors in faith.
We rejoice that you call us to reconciliation with you and all people everywhere and that you remain faithful to your covenant even when we are faithless.
We rejoice that you call the entire human family to this table
of sacrifice and victory.
We come in remembrance and celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ, whom you sent, in the fullness of time, to be the good news.
Born of Mary, our sister in faith, Christ lived among us to reveal the mystery of your Word, to suffer and die on the cross for us, to be raised from death on the third day, and then to live in glory.
We bless you, gracious God, for the presence of your Holy Spirit in the church you have gathered. With your sons and daughters of faith in all places and times, we praise you with joy as we say together:
All: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Words of Institution and Communal Proclamation:
Pastor: We remember that on the night of betrayal and desertion,
and on the eve of death, Jesus gathered the disciples for a shared meal of preparation.
Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying: “This is my body
which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, he took the cup after supper.
gain he gave God thanks and praise and said:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
All: Christ’s death, O God we proclaim.
Christ’s resurrection we declare.
Christ’s coming, we await.
Glory be to you, O God.
Prayers of Consecration:
Pastor: Eternal God, we unite in this covenant of faith, recalling Christ’s suffering and death, rejoicing in Christ’s resurrection, and awaiting Christ’s return in victory. We spread your table with these gifts of the earth and of our labor. We present to you our very lives, committed to your service on behalf of all people. We ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon this bread and wine, upon our gifts, and upon us. Strengthen your universal church that it may be the champion of peace and justice in all the world. Restore the earth with your grace that is able to make all things new.
All: Be present with us as we share this meal,
and throughout all our lives, that we may know you as
the Holy One, who with Christ and the Holy Spirit,
lives forever. Amen.
Sharing the Bread and Cup:
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ our Passover is offered for us.
People: Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Pastor: The gifts of God for the people of God.
We celebrate the grace of God in our midst.
(Please wait until all have been served and we’ll ingest together)
Unison Prayer of Thanksgiving:
We give you thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us at your table through the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Continue to heal us, we pray, and strengthen our faith. Increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; we ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
*HYMN: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ No. 347
https://youtu.be/nYnF86ZzHH8
*PASTORAL 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: The Abundant Life Parker
(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
Open today | 09:00 am – 12:00 pm |
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)
Copyright © 2024 First Congregational Church of Riverhead - All Rights Reserved.
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