July 9, 2017
For Meditation and Reflection: We come together from our separate lives, each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations, our hopes, and our dreams. We are not yet fully present. The traffic, the last-minute cooking, the final details still cling to us. Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours. It is now time to let go of these pressures and embrace and become aware of the present moment…When you are ready, repeat silently to yourself: ‘Hineini’ or ‘Here I am’. Hineini is used in the Torah to signify being present in body, mind, and spirit. It means settling into where we are and simply being “here”.
Welcome and Announcements – A warm welcome is extended to all. Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.
Reminder -Dave Kirk will be traveling to Wise County to volunteer with Remote Area Medical, a mission that provides medical and dental care to folks who otherwise have no access to such care, and for whom this may be the only time all year they’ll see a doctor. RAM also collects used clothing to distribute, but an unfilled need turns out to be new socks and underwear. If you are able, please consider picking up something to donate – you can leave it in the bin in the breezeway. We’re collecting from now through July 19. Thank you!!
Call to Worship:
Pastor: This time of worship is an invitation to be calm in the midst of the noise of
the world and our over-busy lives,
Congregation: to bring together thought and feeling, mind and spirit, and to find some
center, some still point, of perspective and peace.
Pastor: We draw near to each other in the presence of a Holy Weaver. That we may see afresh. That we may hear anew. That we may act again with vigor.
Congregation: May there be many new patterns woven among us: patterns of peace
between strangers, patterns of love between friends, patterns of hope among the hopeless, patterns of joy among the sorrowful.
Pastor: And may we be brokers of a spirit of new hope with all people, to the ways we
cope with life, to the ways we embrace the present, and the ways we think about
the future.
All: Welcome to worship.
Opening Hymn: #464 Black hymnal – The Weaver’s Shuttle Quickly Flies
Opening Prayer: (Unison)
We come from different places to this sacred place of communal caring and celebration. In the silence and acceptance of this sacred place we look inward at ourselves: the advantages we have been given, the opportunities we have seized. May we have a sense of gratitude for the gifts that are ours: knowledge, skills, insights. Yet may we also be nudged to see new perspectives, to give back, to reach out, sharing our talents, our riches, and ourselves with those who are discouraged, disheartened, or simply unaware. Sharing life’s journey with others is always a privilege. We are enriched by the company of each other, and are drawn closer to the heart of love in this time of celebration. May this gathering be touched with tenderness, refreshing us anew by the grace that encompasses this day. Amen.
Scripture Reading:
Mark 1:14-20
Luke 4:16-21
John 17:20-24
Sermon by Rev. Samantha Tuttle – “Intention is Everything”
Responsive Sharing
Reflective Hymn: #35 Black hymnal – O Mighty God
Our Offerings
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Lord’s Prayer (Traditional with “debts”)
Closing Hymn: #495 Black hymnal – Called As Partners In Christ’s Service
Pastor’s Blessing and Sending
May the love that gives life its beauty, the reverence that gives to life its sacredness, and the purposes that give to life its deep significance, be strong within each of us and lead us into ever deepening relationships with all of life. Go in peace, and may the peace of God go with you. Amen.
Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.
Thoughts for the Day/Week:
The universe is not random but intentional; it intends love and happiness for all living things. The question to ask ourselves in any situation is, “Am I aligned with the will of the universe?”
– Marianne Williamson
Announcements
Saturday, July 8th
Free yoga session led by a British yoga master and sponsored by the Divine Club Worldwide from 9 – 11 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. All equipment provided, and beginners are welcome.
This Sunday, July 9th
Our Worship Leader will be the Rev. Samantha Tuttle. Her topic will be: “Intention is Everything”.
The Lovettsville Historical Society will be meeting in the sanctuary at 2:00 p.m. The speaker will be Larry Roeder, head of The Edwin Washington Project, which is documenting the pre-integration schools of Loudoun County.
Sunday, July 16th
Our Worship Leader will be David Plume., speaking on “Our Birthright”.
A Celebration of Life for Glenn and Betty Grove will be held in the sanctuary at 2:00 p.m. They were members of St. James many years ago.
We will not be having Jammin’ At James this month, since our leader, Max Honn has other commitments for this evening. But if you miss him, he and Michael O’Brien will be playing on Saturday evening, the 15th, at Beans In the Belfry in Brunswick. We hope to resume Jammin’ in August or September.
Sunday, July 23rd
Our Worship Leader will be the Rev. Michael Lyle.
Sunday, July 30th
On the fifth Sunday of the month, we will be joining Pastor Roland England, and sharing worship with his congregation at the Christian Community Church at St. Paul, in Neersville. Directions and ride-sharing options will be provided.
Our Statement of Faith
We gather in worship as an inclusive community, an open & affirming community of faith that transcends any distinctions based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, race, or religion…
Our formal worship flows into a living worship of love and support for one another as we pursue ways to reflect God’s reign of mercy, justice, and peace in our community and throughout the world…
….along with a continuing search for ways to celebrate the goodness of life together…
and always reaching out to draw others, with total inclusiveness, into this communal experience.