THE EPISTLE LESSON Romans 9:1-5
THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE Genesis 32:22-31
Worship Notes
In the Old Testament passage today, we of God's wrestling match with Jacob. Yet, it might perhaps be more accurate to describe the passage as Jacob's wrestling match with God. For in the text, we read that Jacob refused to let go of the "unknown traveler" until he knew his name and character. As Christian believers, do we hold fast to God with the same determination and conviction as was displayed by Jacob? or, when we wrestle with our faith, do we take the easier path and give up? In worship today, we lift our prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful gift of God's constant love for us and pray that we too may be made to hold fast to God.
Each hymn through which we worship today was chosen to illumine God's Word as reflected in the Genesis passage. In the text of the opening hymn, we sing of God who is "Immortal, Invisible, and Wise." As we respond to God's Word proclaimed, we sing of God whom we "see face to face" in the sacrament of communion. As we depart to serve the Lord, we "Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above," which reminds us that God is never far away from us.
The Offertory is a musical setting of a hymn text often regarded as one of Charles Wesley's most significant works. Charles Wesley (1707-1788) was a leader of the Methodist movement and the younger brother of John Wesley. During the course of his life, Charles Wesley wrote over 5,500 hymns and left a legacy that has continued to influence and shape American hymnody even today. The complete text of the offertory was entitled "Wrestling Jacob" and it is one of the few published hymns to take this Genesis passage as its basis. The text is included on Page 4 and, in keeping with the spiritual practices of Lectio Divina, you are encouraged to reflect on those words as you use the offertory to prepare to partake in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
As we gather around the Lord's table to share in the sacrament, we do so as a community that strives to live in forgiveness with each other. We believe that the Lord's table is open to all children of God. We do not distinguish between denominations or church affiliations. It is Westminster's practice to hold the communion bread until all are served and then partake of it together as a symbol of the communal nature of the Lord's Supper. We partake of the cup individually to observe the personal aspect of our relationship with God.
We extend a warm Westminster welcome to Reverend Erica Liu who fills our pulpit and leads our worship service this morning. An ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the PCUSA, Pastor Liu earned her bachelors in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. Erica and her husband Mark Elsdon moved to Madison to serve as Campus Co-Pastors at Pres House on the UW-Madison campus. Welcome!
