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Today’s guest speaker is Rev. Don Austin
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.
Hymn: “Christ The Lord is Risen Today”
CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: The Lord is risen indeed: Hallelujah People: The Lord is risen indeed: hallelujah Leader: I am He that lives and was dead, saith the Lord; and behold, I am alive forevermore. People: Glory be to you, O God, who raised up your Son from the dead and made us partakers of His victory over sin and death.
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Psalm 137
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. 2 There on the poplars we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” 4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. 7 Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!”8 Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. Opening Prayer: Loving God, we come from our own homes, our own lives, our own work, and become your people in this place. We see the kingdom of God among us. Guide our study and our fellowship, our laughter and tears, our faith and our uncertainties. Our faith is in you alone. Amen As defined, lament is a passionate expression of grief or sorrow, that may include wailing, moaning weeping, crying or a complaint. Israel has been taken captive by Babylon. Their daily lives are not the same. They have been removed from Jerusalem, from their temple. Yes, they remain the people of God, but that just isn’t enough. They lament. In their minds Jerusalem and the temple is where God lived. They think they have been separated from God. Their captives make fun of them and their God. “Sing us some of those silly songs that used to make you so happy”. The last two verses are a curse, and cannot be thought of as words of God. The psalmist laments and is expressing his anger. “If you’re not going to help us, them please destroy them.” As Christians, we found ourselves lamenting when 9-11 happened. Those events are forever imbedded in my mind. At 7:00 that evening, North Buffalo’s sanctuary filled with members and friends who came to pray and ask God “What was happening and why” Today we lament over the plague of covid virus and it’s variants. We lament both individually and as a group, both types of laments address God. Both describe the situation or complaint or crisis from which the lament emerges. Contemporary laments are moments in time that bring people together; school shootings, disasters in nature such as floods, hurricanes, horrific accidents, and public marches. Biblical laments are addressed to God. Contemporary ones are addressed to anyone who is able to make the requested change. Lament events may be the occasion when individual laments become communal ones. What happens to the community when the march or event is over. Paul answers that Question in Romans 12:4-5 . For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. He clearly states that when we follow christ, we don’t lose our identity by becoming part of a collective group. Instead, when we follow Christ, we contribute our strengths and depend on the strengths of others to balance our weaknesses. When one rejoices we all rejoice, when one laments we all lament. Lament gives us common ground. Closing Prayer We are grateful, holy God, that you give your children the gift of each other. May we be knit together, bear one another’s burdens, and express our shared sorrow in shared lament, remembering that we are not alone. Amen. What is lament? From the dictionary, a lament is “a passionate expression of grief or sorrow,” and to lament is “to mourn.” Laments are directed toward someone who has the capacity to change the circumstances, or correct the injustice. Biblical laments are prayers. They can be spoken, sung, painted, or communicated in some other way to God. Lament is a response to a momentous occasion of grief over which we have no control. This is an important point. If the injustice or suffering that we lament is something over which we have control, we should do something. If we do nothing, the faithful response is to confess and repent, not lament. Lament is a response to the suffering, sorrows and injustices of our not-yet-redeemed world. In lament, there is hope.
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.
Hymn: O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Call to Worship This morning we are on a path to our God. Winding through the ordinary, weaving through the busyness, overcoming roadblocks and detours. A way to go home, leaving the past in the past and moving from darkness to light. Advent is a path to our God that provides an opportunity to hear God's voice.
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.
Hymn: O Day of Rest and Gladness
Call to Worship Lord we come this morning with open hearts and open minds. We come looking for guidance as we make tough decisions that affect our lives in ways that we cannot imagine. And in the process of making those decisions we recall how important our relationship with You can be. As life's problems continue to confront us, help us to be prepared for what is ahead. Please Lord, give us a great sense of comfort and contentedness in each new day that we are blessed with.
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.
Hymn: Be Still My Soul
Call to Worship A new world awaits through an open door. Welcome into the house of God where you can discover renewal and new life. Find help and blessing in the presence of God. There also, find joy and forgiveness as we are all a part of the family of God.
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. All joys and concerns that we know, as well as our continuing prayer list is within the Joys and Concerns. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service
Hymn: Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult
Call to Worship When I think of God's presence in the world, I am grateful. Grateful for the presence of hope; grateful for the gift of life. And when I think of the presence of God in my life, I am humbled. Humbled by the gift of grace; humbled by the invitation to begin again each day. And when I think of God's presence in this community, I am glad. Glad to be surrounded by holy people that are worshipping out holy God. On this Sabbath morning in mid-August, we thank you Lord for your presence and your incredible grace that is a free gift to each of us. We ask all these things on this Sunday morning in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
We're so glad you decided to join us today!
All of the information normally found in our bulletin is below the video. Simply click on "Read More" to load the rest of the bulletin. You can use this to follow the service, as well as to pray our unison prayers. Announcements can be found at the bottom of this service.
Hymn: My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Call to Worship God call us to worship and service. We come this day to receive God's good gifts. What is it that we need from God today? We need the wisdom that only God can supply. Why do we seek such wisdom? So that each of us may have the ability to discern what is good and right. Our desire is to please God, who grants us our deepest longings. We will use our gift of wisdom to worship God and serve all humanity.
The video posted below has just the sermon through the pastoral prayer. Please take some time to read the rest of the service, which is produced in text below.
Hymn: Now Thank We All Our God
Call to Worship Jesus calls us to servant ministry. We must be willing to help others, not counting the cost or rewards. Pretense, disharmony, greed have no place in discipleship. Serving God means receiving each person as though they were a beloved child. Lord, help us to truly become your disciples. Create in each of us hearts of ministry and compassion and kindness.
This is our first in-person worship service since March. Due to some technical difficulties (and lack of a good internet connection!), only the audio of the sermon is available for this week. The audio is embedded at the appropriate point of the worship service. Just hit the play button when you get there.
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