Love of God Oct 25 2020 Knox Bayfield Rev Dolson
Section 1
Greetings to my church family and friends. May the grace of God be with you.
Announcements
Mission Moment – Increasing Nutrition in Malawi
Due to fear of contracting COVID-19, people in Malawi who are already vulnerable because of the effects of HIV and AIDS have increased concerns about accessing medication and community support. Presbyterian World Service & Development-supported Ekwendeni Hospital AIDS Program (EHAP) has been supporting those whose lives are impacted by HIV and AIDS for decades. Acknowledging these increased concerns, EHAP continues to provide community health support through physically distanced workshops to help families learn how to cook nutritiously with limited ingredients.
This worship service is on our website https://pccweb.ca/knoxbayfieldpc/ and on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYgIPqvkMsDNal0b1gCiPg
We are thankful to Jean Walker, organist, for her efforts in performing the hymns for the YouTube video. Remember to go to the end of the printed material for the lyrics to the hymns.
Remember … the bible is free online … https://www.biblegateway.com/
Knox Bayfield now has the opportunity to use e-transfer for your offerings. For more information contact Brenda McLean and she will guide you through the process.
We will be exploring an online group discussion of the book “Light of the World, A beginners guide to Advent” The author is Amy Jill Levine. You can order the book online or at the Village Bookstore. We will plan to meet on Zoom. More details will be available shortly.
Section 2
CALL TO WORSHIP Matt. 22:37–40
Jesus said: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all of the law and the prophets.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Let us speak the truth about ourselves to our neighbors and to God, acknowledging what we have done and what we have left undone. Brothers and sisters, siblings in Christ, the Holy One who promises forgiveness hears your confession. As the crucified and risen child of God, He fully knows your sorrow and your desire for reconciled relationships. You are forgiven. In that promise is the power to love your neighbors and yourselves as beloved of God.
# 410 Joyful, joyful we adore you
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Come, Holy Spirit, in the Word of God, as the breath of life, into our hearts and minds. Be with us as we gather here and there across space and time. Stir us to know the peace of life in your blessings. Amen.
READINGS:
Deuteronomy 34:1–12 Psalm 90:1–6, 13–17
1 Thessalonians 2:1–8 Matthew 22:34–46
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar.
The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”
Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. “He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
1st Thessalonians 2:1-8
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”‘? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
# 802 For the fruits of all creation
MESSAGE
Praise be to God.
# 374 Oh for a thousand tongues to sing
THE OFFERING OF OUR LIFE AND LABOUR TO THE LORD
QUOTE: Our true acquisitions lie only in our charities – we gain only as we give.
William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870), writer, politician
We gather our gifts with thanksgiving for the abundance of this earth, with thanksgiving for the work we have been given to do, and with the joy of sharing so that others may also live.
BLESSING OF GIFTS *
Generous and life-giving God, you made your people in your image, sent your Son to be the face of your healing love in our midst, and promised through the Holy Spirit your guidance and power. We thank you for the ways in which your people have cared for each of us. We thank you for the ability to give for the sake of others. We ask your blessing on the offerings made through this church that the needs of this world can be met. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
You are encouraged to share your concerns and celebrations with the congregation. Your requests will be shared in the prayers of the people and kept in my daily prayers and the prayers of our congregation. Let us pray for all people and all of God’s creation.
Holy God, you have provided all we have needed. You have walked alongside us as we journey through wilderness and valley and climbed to the heights of the mountain. We have glimpsed the promised land, here, but not yet.
We lift up those who live in the shadow of disappointment, having seen the promise but not the realization. We lift up those who live in the no-longer-but-not-yet, having left an arduous past for a future yet unknown.
We lift up those who live with the weight of responsibility, having carried the burden of another person’s pain. We lift up those who live in the obscurity of loneliness, having survived a torment that cannot be explained.
Loving God, we know that you walk with us, and you answer when we call. There are many within our church family in need of your care at this time. We lift up Ron, Sandy and their family as Ron continues to heal. We lift up Peggy, Betty Lou, Jane, Bonnie, Jessie, Marlene, Rob, and Courtney. We lift up all those who prefer to remain un-named as they face immense challenges. We pray that your Spirit will linger with your people during this challenging time. A time of isolation that has left many feeling fragmented and in despair. Gather them to you as a hen gathers her chicks. Protect them in your love. We pray you will receive all these cares, loving God.
O Holy One, although we are apart and we join our voices together across space and time to speak the words that Christ taught his disciples … Our Father who art in heaven, hallow’ed 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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
# 635 Brother, sister, let me serve you
BENEDICTION 1 Thess. 2:7, Deut. 34:9
Beloved family of God, be gracious and kind to all, with both the gentle acceptance of a child and the wise maturity of a compassionate parent. May the Lord bless you and lay loving hands upon you. May you may be strengthened to to walk in the faith that others have shared with you. May you know the peace of God this day and forevermore.