October 8, 2017
Order of Worship on Sunday, October 8th, 2017
Worship Leader – Rev. Michael Lyle
For Meditation and Reflection:
Jesus was brought up in Nazareth of Galilee. This land, though despised by the more purely Jewish inhabitants of Judea because its people were of mixed racial stock, was loyal to the Jewish religion and traditions, the home of a hardy, self-respecting population, and particularly pervaded by the messianic hope. Here Jesus grew to manhood through years of unrecorded experience.”
– From A History of the Christian Church
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. – Isaiah 61: 1-2
Welcome and Announcements
Responsive Call to Worship
Pastor: Sing praises to God, O you saints, and give thanks to God’s holy name.
People: We exalt you, O God, for you have restored us to life.
Pastor: You turn our mourning into dancing.
All: Our souls cannot be silent. O, God, our Savior, we give thanks to you forever.
Opening Hymn: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – led by Jennifer and Keith Taylor
Opening Prayer (unison)
Almighty and everlasting God, in whom we live and move and have our being, you created us for yourself, so that our hearts are restless until they find rest in you. In your light, may we see life clearly, and in your service, find perfect freedom. Amen
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Scripture Readings: Luke 4: 16-31
Sermon by Rev. Michael Lyle – “Of Nazareth”
Responsive Hymn – #32 – God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale
The Offerings and special offertory music by Jennifer and Keith Taylor: “From This Valley”
A Litany of Thanksgiving:
Pastor: O, God, most merciful and gracious, of whose bounty we have all received.
People: Please accept this offering of your people.
Pastor: And bless those who have brought it and those for whom it is given.
People: That it may promote peace and good will among all people, and advance the kingdom of Christ.
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of the Pastor and the People
Lord’s Prayer (Traditional, with “debts”)
Closing Hymn: #391 – In the Midst of New Dimensions
Prayer of Benediction: Pastor: Grant, O Lord
People: that what has been said with our lips, we may believe in our hearts;
Pastor: And that what we believe in our hearts, we may practice in our lives.
All: Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sharing the Peace as we go…….And we hope you can join us for post-worship coffee and conversation in Fellowship Hall.
Rev. Lyle is happy to stay following the service to talk with any of you about questions, concerns or thoughts you may have about his sermon.
Thought for the Day/Week
Whenever a transition is called for, view it as your soul knocking at the door of your life, bearing more gifts for you to bring to the world. Change is a call from your soul to grow.
-Sonia Choquette
Announcements:
This Sunday, October 8th – Our Worship Leader will be the Rev. Michael Lyle, and his sermon topic will be “On Nazareth”. Special music will be offered by Mike and Brenda’s daughter, Jennifer and her husband, Keith Taylor. We thank them for sharing their talents with us.
The Church Council will hold its regular, monthly meeting in Fellowship Hall at 9:30 a.m. All are welcome to attend.
Sunday, October 15th – Our Worship leader will be the Rev. Samantha Tuttle. Special music will be provided by Oli Covington.
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?
FOR OUR VISITORS: Since the retirement of our pastor in January, we at St. James have been on a journey of discernment ……re-evaluating our worship and our direction and mission as a congregation. During this process, we have welcomed a number of visiting ministers and speakers to share their messages of faith and service from our pulpit; several of these have become active friends of St. James. We have had open forums to discuss the needs of the congregation and the community. We plan to continue this process through this calendar year, although we are calling more often on those pastors whose messages fit most closely with our values. We always welcome input from visitors and those who are new to our community. WELCOME !