Bread and More Soup Kitchen continues to serve a free to-go meal every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30-6:15.
PLEASE NOTE:
CHURCH SERVICES RESUMED IN THE SANCTUARY.
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Service of Word and Sacrament
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
*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:
God’s Word has been lived among us!
We gather in the name of Jesus Christ.
Christ is a part of God’s ongoing creation.
We gather before the One who is heir to all things.
Long ago, God spoke to our spiritual ancestors.
Today, God continues that revelation through Jesus.
Who are we that God is mindful of us?
Yet God crowns us with glory and honor.
Jesus has named us as brothers and sisters.
We are called to recognize all humanity as children of God.
The realm of God is for all people.
God’s dominion is over all creation.
HYMN: As We Gather at Your Table https://youtu.be/afbHbZn2HjA
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
Good and Gracious God, we give you thanks for the blessing of our created world of wonder and your majesty. We thank you for the beauty that surrounds us, the late fall blooms and golden sunshine, for cool and comfortable night, for a freshness of life that comes our way.
We have trusted in you, Eternal God, and that trust brings us to this time of worship. In this place, your steadfast love becomes evident again as we sing our songs of thanksgiving and tell of your wondrous deeds. We are grateful for the life and witness of Jesus, whom you sent among people to make possible our reconciliation and healing. For the saving grace available wherever you reign, we give thanks. Help us to be childlike, to receive your blessing, and to welcome your embrace. Take us into your arms and bless us. We gather and we pray in Jesus' Name.
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
A TIME OF PRAYER:
God of our hearts and of our ancestors, your dominion is over all time and space. We praise your name and we thank you for receiving us as your children, for melting the hardness of heart that locks us into our own narrow point of view, and for our ability to learn to share our lives fully with others, including those who are different from us. We give you thanks for the provision of our days, and for the grace-filled reminders of your gracious presence.
We ask you now to touch us in ways that heal, address our fears, awaken hope in us, and open us to self-giving love. We long to live in a world refreshed by mutual caring and honest commitment. Teach us, that we might fulfill our role toward this vision.
We renew our prayers for peace, Dear Lord. For peace in our midst, in our churches, communities, throughout our nation and our world. We pray that our leaders would help us to faithfully pursue the way of peace and health for all your children in this world you've entrusted to us.
We pray for the many who suffer this day, in mind, body or soul. Heal them and comfort them. Grace them with angels of compassion and care in their midst. Be with those who come to our rescue and care for us, our medical workers and our families and loved ones alike. Strengthen and encourage them, O God.
We pray for those who mourn, for the broken, for the addicted and conflicted, guide them to places of comfort and genuine healing. We do pray for an end to the pandemic that plagues us, for the days of genuine freedom and health.
Bless us, Dear God, each one. Heal us in all our sore and broken places and comfort our hearts. Be with our loved ones and our families, embrace them and us with loving arms.
Holy One of all ages, we remember in spoken prayer and in silence those we know to be most in need of your healing touch. Bless those on our prayer list, and those whose concerns we hold in our hearts. We ask these things in Jesus' name who taught us to pray saying, "Our Father..." Amen.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
- Job 1.1, 2.1-10; Psalm 26; Hebrews 1.1-4, 2.5-12; Mark 10.12-16
SERMON: “The Faithful Response"
Today, along with reminders of our God who suffers with us, of Jesus, the suffering servant, the suffering Savior, we're also treated to a reading from Job. I'm rather glad for it because Job, like Ecclesiastes which we're just beginning to examine in Bible Study, is a wisdom book of the Old Testament. The wisdom books serve as gateways to some of the deepest religious considerations we have. They examine questions such as the existence of evil, the meaning of life, and the mysterious workings of God, “the secrets of the universe.”
Wisdom literature witnesses to the fact that ancient people, like us today, were interested in learning how to live optimally in a world they found only partially understandable. As the fate of humans can be miserable and inexplicable, such problems were explored in complaints and dialogues. The problem of evil has long been particularly vexing, especially when it is known in one's flesh as is the case for poor Job.
Living optimally in the world means different things to different people, but as Christians there are some common denominators for us all. Unlike those trapped in worldly thinking, we know that riches alone don't make for quality living. The rich can be every bit as unhappy and tormented as the poor. Sickness and death come to us all. Conversely, the poor, provided that the basics of food and shelter are met, can be every bit as content in life as the wealthy. It comes down to how we shape our system of values.
Living optimally in the world means having a sense of purpose and genuine worth. We spell that out with love, of family and friends, of being loved and loving others. We also know that service rendered to others, acts of kindness, charity, deeds that make the world of our most hospitable and enjoyable, go far to enhance our sense of worth. And as believers, we know that living with a understanding of a loving God, of a God who loves us or as Hebrews puts it, of a God who is "mindful" of us, does much to bolster our spirits and make our way brighter.
The challenge that comes our way is to keep the fires of faith -- the notions of value, peace, gratitude for life -- glowing when things aren't optimal or even close. Suffering, pain, loss, sickness and brokenness, are real to the human condition and being able to rise above them in faith is seldom easy. Rolling with the punches is more difficult than the saying suggests. We sometimes find that the punches not only knock us back in pain but also knock us down and almost out. Getting up again, dusting one's self off, and restoring balance isn't a simple feat. To remain flexible in our thought and to move adroitly with not just our physical selves but with our mental and emotional selves takes some doing. It is precisely in those times that we need a fueling faith to catch our breath and sense our strength again.
The book of Job examines the faithful response to devastating blows to wellbeing. Job, who's blameless and upright, reverent and obedient, suffers losses that no one should have to bear. In the very first chapter, he loses all his children and his wealth, his cattle and holdings. Yet Job, we read, "tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'" Job mourns, but rises again in faith.
Yet his suffering is not yet through. In the second chapter out of which we read today, he is inflicted with loathsome sores from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head. He has a shard to scrape himself as he sits in ashes. Can he, will he, again rise in faith? Could we?
The response from his dear, supportive wife is, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." Let me be clear. That is not a faithful response.
Yet as Job forms his counter argument, he beings with, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak." Now granted that's not as bad as the old Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update skit's, "Jane, you ignorant slut," *smile* but it comes close. There is clearly some sexism at work with Job; he's not quite perfect. But he recovers nicely; he asks, "Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" And we read, "In all this Job did not sin with his lips." He remained faithful to God and a humble servant.
Our lot is not as bad as Job's, but we struggle. Our read is not as bad as Job's wife's read, but offering a faithful response to hard times does not come as naturally for us as it seems to come to Job. To rise from the ashes takes some doing. First off, we need to make sure we're not suffering over our suffering. We are to evaluate prayerfully and to map our way to recovery. We, like Job, are to even find meaning in our suffering, and most of all to rediscover faith. We are tasked with finding God, still with us, still loving us, still healing and helping us.
Faith often comes down to trust, to trusting God. In that sense, it is, as our Gospel puts it, to "receive the kingdom of God as a little child." It is to trust our loving parent radically, and to remain highly receptive to the good God is bringing, even through our own pain and suffering. The faithful response is to remain in our integrity as believers, to bless God and to rise to live as optimally as possible. God has helped us, and God will help us again. There is yet more goodness and grace to be received. Thanks be to God. And may we in all ways and in all days, remain grateful. Be blessed by God. Amen and amen.
HYMN: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ https://youtu.be/7aGWmCan-40
Our Order of Communion
The Invitation and Time of Confession:
- Call to Confession
- Silent Confession
- Unison Prayer of Confession:
All-seeing God, we would like to wash our hands in innocence, but we cannot escape from the guilt we carry. We compare ourselves favorably with people we label worthless or hypocrites, but that very judgment breaks faith with you. We avoid bribery and other evil devices, yet we would still like to have advantages for ourselves over others. We are not bloodthirsty, but we have not yet adopted the way of peace. We humbly seek forgiveness as little children in need of your welcoming love. Amen.
- Words of Assurance.
The Lord our God is merciful and just, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be assured we are all forgiven. Amen.
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.
Again 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.
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.
PASTORAL BENEDICTION:
May our God who loves us, bless us with a sustaining and uplifting awareness of God's presence. May God bless us with health and healing. May our God bless us with peace and a faith that grows. Today and always. Amen and amen.
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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, Henza 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, Henza is in the office Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Worship resumed in our Sanctuary 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 as for now there will be no coffee hour in the fellowship hall. Sunday School will be held at 10:00 am. (To run concurrent with our worship service)
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