October 2009 Archives

THE PSALM LESSON Psalm 24

THE EPISTLE LESSON Hebrews 11:32-12:2

SERMON "Running with the Saints"

Worship Notes

In worship today, we remember and celebrate those who have gone from our lives and who have joined the communion of saints with our Lord God in heaven. In the liturgical calendar, this commemoration is called "The Festival of All Saints Day." The liturgical color for All Saints Day is white.

The focus of this service is not on the experience of death and loss, but rather on the celebration of life. Those "saints" whom we remember by name in worship today are the seven individuals from this congregation who have died since last All Saints Day in November 2008. As the name of each person is read aloud, a bell is tolled as a family member or deacon takes light from the Christ Candle to light another candle as a visible sign of the presence of the deceased among the communion of saints. As we worship, we recall the ways in which we, like these individuals, live out our response to God's call upon our lives within this community and in mission to Christ's church and to the world.

Communion today will be received by intinction. After coming forward to receive the bread and cup, you may wish to step behind the communion table to light a candle to celebrate the memory of someone from your life who now is among the communion of saints. Symbolic of Christ as the light of everlasting life, each memorial candle is lit from the Christ Candle. Some worshippers have shared photographs of individuals dear to them who are now deceased. These photographs are displayed on the sanctuary window ledge as a visible sign of the "cloud of witnesses" described in scripture.

The music through which we worship today also celebrates those who have gone before us and whose Christian examples give shape to our mission. The prelude is a meditative setting of the African American Spiritual, "Deep River." The opening hymn, "Jerusalem, the Golden" describes the wonder of heaven and the joy that waits us there. The response hymn, "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God", articulates our understanding that saints live among us and serve with us in mission even now. The choir's anthems, "Bound for the Promised Land" and "Now, Lord, You Let Your Servant" reflect both the energetic and hopeful expectation of salvation promised to us through Christ and the prayerful reflection of the end of life as it is on earth. We close our worship with the sending hymn, "For All the Saints," which is set to tune by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The joyful postlude, "Shall We Gather at the River," reminds us that God shall one day unite us again with those saints whom we have remembered today.

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, October 25th, 2009.

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THE PSALM LESSON Psalm 34:1-8

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 10:46-52

SERMON "Merciful Living"

Worship Notes

The Protestant Reformation has shaped our identity as Christians and as Presbyterians. When Martin Luther (1483-1546), John Calvin (1509-1564), and others examined the scriptures, they found lost truths that shaped and influenced their faith. Today, Westminster joins with Protestant denominations around the world in observing Reformation Sunday. Yet, as modern worshippers within the Presbyterian Church, we embrace and embody the statement "once reformed, always reforming" to reflect the ever-evolving nature of our relationship to Christ and his church.

In worship today, we examine scripture to understand that God calls us to see with new eyes that which is required of us: do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. The gospel lesson today describes the Jesus' healing of the blind man whose "faith had made him well." We, too, pray that God might "Open Our Eyes" that we might see all the visions of truth God has for us.

The music through which we offer our worship to God this morning is selected to sample the roots of our reformed musical heritage and hymnody. The opening hymn is a text set to a German chorale tune harmonized by J.S. Bach. We will also sing the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" which was written by the reformer Martin Luther in 1529.

The choir's anthem today is a presentation of the gospel text and will be sung as a proclamation of the Gospel. The musical setting of this text is by a reformation-era German composer Melchoir Vulpius (1560-1615).

The prelude is a work for harpsichord written near the time of the Reformation, while the offertory is a setting of the hymn "Built on the Rock, the Church Does Stand." The text of the hymn describes Christ as the cornerstone of our faith and the bedrock on which the church grows and thrives. As we seek always to grow in our faith, may it not only make us well but enable us to continue in our process of "reforming" to God's will for us as individuals and as a church.

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, October 18th, 2009.

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THE PROPHETIC LESSON Job 38:1-7, 34-41

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 10:35-45

THEME Faithfulness as Relationship

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time! The liturgical color for this season is green.

In worship today, we reflect and consider the charge Christ gave to his disciples that the greatest among them must be servant of all. This passage in Mark continues a series of scriptural texts in which Christ characterizes greatness through service.

As we gather together, we sing the hymn "Lord, You Give the Great Commission," which uses the words of Christ to define our responsibility to be in service to others. The psalm of the day is Psalm 104, which speaks of God's wonderful power revealed throughout creation. The congregational songs of the early reformed church were settings of the Psalms and were called "The Psalter." As a symbol of our unity in God, we will sing Psalm 104 responsively.

As we respond to God's word proclaimed, we will use two musical settings of a text from the early church: Ubi Caritas. The prayer response, "Live in Charity," is the first such setting and it is taken from the Taize Ecumenical Community in France. The offertory setting is the second setting and it is derived from the beautiful choral motet by the French composer Maurice Durufle (1902-1986).

Our worship ends with a call to servant hood for the whole church. The hymn, "The Church of Christ in Every Age," challenges us not only to see the historical role the church has played in serving those in need, but also to embrace Christ's continued call for us become servants of all.

This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, October 11th, 2009.

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THE EPISTLE LESSON Hebrews 4:12-16

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 10:17-31

SERMON "Passionate Possibilities"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship on this the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for Ordinary Time is green. In worship this morning, we examine Christ's call for passionate discipleship.

The central text for our worship is the account of Jesus interaction with the rich young man who asks him how he might inherit eternal life. Jesus encourages him to give up everything in his pursuit of God's Kingdom yet the young man goes away grieving because "he had many possessions." Jesus then begins a discussion with the disciples about the meaning of following him and the possibilities of a life of such commitment. Our Litany of Adoration is taken from the Epistle lesson this morning in which the role of Jesus as our high priest is described. The declaration for forgiveness is an affirmation of the incredible truth that with God all things are possible.

It is appropriate that we baptise a child this morning as a response to God's Word. In the Presbyterian Church, baptism is a sacrament, a means of grace, in which the child is claimed by God through the community. We celebrate this morning the "passionate possibilities" for this child of God.

THE EPISTLE LESSON Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 10:2-16

SERMON "Vulnerable Disciples: Advocates for the Powerless"

Worship Notes

Today is World Communion Sunday, which originated in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1936. From the beginning, this event was planned with the hope that other denominations would embrace it. In 2009, it is observed by congregations in the United Methodist, United Church of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) among others. As we join Christians from around the globe at the Lord's Table, we understand that it is one bread of life and one cup of blessing that unites us as one community in Christ. In service to God, today we are also mindful of our responsibility to care for the powerless in our community. As a visible sign of that caring, our Deacons will be taking communion elements to the homebound within our Westminster community. We also see our community displayed on the wall in the sanctuary through the blessings cards the congregation completed in worship last week.

We observe World Communion Sunday in special ways. The liturgy, hymns, and music offered in worship of God today are drawn from different cultures, countries, and traditions throughout Christ's global church. The country of origin for each element of the service has been identified in the bulletin.

As the service begins, we will be called to gather around the table by our youngest Christians who will sing about the circle of community that is Christ's church. As they sing, the Chancel Choir and worship leaders will enter the sanctuary from different directions to symbolize that we "come from the North, the South, the East, and the West" to take our place at the table of the Lord. As we observe the sacrament of communion, we will do so through four different varieties of breads, each representing a different cultural or national heritage that signifies the diversity of the body of Christ. As an additional sign of our unity, we will sing communion hymns as we partake of the elements.

As our communion and corporate worship draws to an end, we will unite in singing "Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ." While we sing, the Chancel Choir will lead us out as we follow the cross and bear God's Word into the world.