October 15, 2017
Worship leader: Rev. Samantha Tuttle
Music provided by Oli Covington
Welcome and Announcements – Welcome to this place of worship, which we make special by our presence. Come into this place, where the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the compassionate is expected. Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of this time, this life in the presentness of God.
Call to Worship:
Pastor: We gather at this time and in this place to celebrate the mystery of life.
Congregation: We commit to moving beyond our previous selves and to continue emerging into persons and into a community dedicated to enhancing this world.
Pastor: We affirm the worth of all, and commit ourselves to honoring the sacred in all.
Congregation: We seek to open ourselves to be more in tune, more involved with each other and the world.
Pastor: We commit ourselves to learning, changing, thinking again…deconstructing our faith and daring again to imagine how faith and risk lead us to each other,
Congregation: engaging us all in the depths and dimensions of what it means to be human, to be neighbor, to love, to include, to laugh, to be free.
All: Welcome to worship.
Opening Hymn: #547 – Amazing Grace (verses 1,2 & 4,5)
Opening Prayer:
O deep mystery, vital centre of our lives, we know your presence is not called up by much speaking. Rather may we honor your presentness in the absence of noise, in the promise of the morning, in the dancing brightness of the sun. We are struck in awe before the great mystery of the cosmos. We are powerfully moved by a deep concern for our world and our care for one another. May ours be a faith that is more than words and ideals. May ours be a faith of vitality and compassion. We lament that there are many people in the world who are burdened by hunger and pain, by sorrow and anxiety, by violence and loss. May they find comfort and peace, and may their burdens be lifted from them by our actions as peacemakers and doers of justice. May we find it in ourselves today to work toward a better world. May we make use of that energy to take part in the lifting of burdens. May our gratitude find expression in the care of others, both near and far. May we find ways to live and grow on the margins. May we leave behind us a trail of encouragement and hope. And having spoken much, perhaps too much…Now without a word we rest in your Eternal Presentness.
(Silence)
This is our prayer.
Amen.
Scripture Reading: John 2:13-22
Sermon by Rev. Samantha Tuttle – “The Day Jesus Snapped”
Responsive Sharing
Reflective Hymn: How Great Is Our God (see handout)
Our Offerings
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Lord’s Prayer (Traditional with “debts”)
Closing Hymn: Ten Thousand Reasons (see handout)
Pastor’s Blessing and Sending
May each of us bring happiness into another’s life;
May we each be surprised by the gifts that surround us;
May each of us be enlivened by constant curiosity.
And may we remain together in spirit
til the hour we meet again.
Go in peace, and may the peace of God
go with you.
Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.
Announcements:
This Sunday, October 15th – Join us for our monthly Jammin’ at James Open Mic session from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.
Sunday, October 22nd – Our Worship leader will be Mark Dewey.
Sunday, October 29th – This is the third and final “fifth Sunday” of this calendar year, and we will continue our practice of visiting other congregations on this Sunday. More definite plans to follow.
Our beautiful new St. James t-shirts are available to all of our members, (with a suggested, but not required, donation of $20.00 per shirt) and are available for sale at that price to those who are friends of St. James. All sizes are currently available in the middle Sunday School room of Fellowship Hall.
Mobile Hope, whose director spoke at our worship service in August to educate us about their very worthwhile programs for homeless and struggling young adults, has sent a Facebook message that their shelves are becoming pretty bare. Anyone interested in a food drive for their benefit? And perhaps doing a service project of putting together toiletry kits with travel-sized items that would be useful for these teenagers and young adults in need?
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.