This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 28, 2011
August 2011 Archives
THE FIRST LESSON Matthew 16:21-28
THE SECOND LESSON Exodus 3:1-15
SERMON "Taking Off Your Shoes"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. At Westminster, we observe this liturgical season by measuring time after Pentecost. The Pentecost season began on June 12 and will continue until Rally Day on September 11, when Westminster will observe the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for this season is red.
Throughout the Pentecost season, the lectionary passages read in worship will include some familiar Bible stories from the Old Testament. In today's passage, we read of Moses' encounter with the burning bush at which God is revealed to be the great "I AM." Our worship today explores our understanding of who God is and challenges us to look beyond the bounds of our limited human vocabulary and understanding in defining and naming God. It is the same indescribable God who challenges us to take up the cross and follow in the way of Christ. As we seek to respond to the call of the great I AM, we must be willing to share our own burdens with Jesus in order to take up the cross as faithful disciples.
In worship today, we introduce a hymn by Dr. Brian Wren (b. 1936) called "Bring Many Names." This hymn has been included in several denominational hymnals, including those of the United Methodist and United Church of Christ. In his book, What Language Shall I Borrow?, Wren writes about the care with which we should name God:
"Naming God truthfully is important, since to name God untruthfully is to delude ourselves and worship an idol. Naming God truthfully is especially important if language shapes and angles thinking and behavior, since untruthful God-language will then hinder our encounter with God and our knowledge of God."
The hymn text itself was first conceived by Wren in 1968 and has undergone several revisions over the ensuing decades. Although each verse of the text describes particular traits, the hymn uses only one name consistently throughout: God.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 21, 2011
THE FIRST LESSON Matthew 16:13-20
THE SECOND LESSON Exodus 1:8-2:10
SERMON "The Water of Life"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this, the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. At Westminster, we observe this liturgical season by measuring time after Pentecost. The Pentecost season began on June 12 and will continue until Rally Day on September 11, when Westminster will observe the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for this season is red.
Throughout the Pentecost season, the lectionary passages read in worship will include some familiar Bible stories from the Old Testament. In today's passage, we read how the love Moses' mother had for him led her to give him up, place him in a basket, and entrust him to the care of others. This same care is reflected in the sacrament of Baptism when we, as a congregation, affirm our own loving and nurturing role in the life of a child being baptized. It is for this reason that the act of baptism in the Presbyterian tradition is performed in a congregational setting and not a private one.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 14, 2011
THE FIRST LESSON Matthew 15:21-28
THE SECOND LESSON Genesis 45:1-15
SERMON "Forgiveness that Preserves Life"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this, the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. At Westminster, we observe this liturgical season by measuring time after Pentecost. The Pentecost season began on June 12 and will continue until Rally Day on September 11, when Westminster will observe the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for this season is red.
Throughout the Pentecost season, the lectionary passages read in worship will include some familiar Bible stories from the Old Testament. In today's passage, we read how Joseph offers forgiveness to his brothers who had sold him into slavery and we consider how God's gifts of grace enable us to forgive the transgressions of others in our own lives.
The music though which we worship today is chosen to reflect our response to a forgiving God. Our gathering hymn, "I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art" offers praise to God who forgives and redeems us from our sins. The response hymn, "Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive", is a prayer that we might become a more forgiving people and, hence, reflect more Christ-like grace. Finally, our sending hymn, "Help Us Accept Each Other", celebrates the diversity among us and the work of the spirit in shaping us into more loving Christians.
We extend a warm Westminster welcome to George Zoski. George was Westminster's Handbell Choir Director in the 1990s and returns today to lead our Handbell Week participants in their contributions to worship this morning.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, August 7, 2011
THE FIRST LESSON Matthew 14:22-33
THE SECOND LESSON Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
SERMON "The Loss of Dreamers"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this, the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. At Westminster, we observe this liturgical season by measuring time after Pentecost. The Pentecost season began on June 12 and will continue until Rally Day in September, when Westminster will observe the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. The liturgical color for this season is red.
Throughout the Pentecost season, the lectionary passages read in worship will include some familiar Bible stories from the Old Testament. In today's passage, we read how Joseph's brothers chose to sell "the dreamer" into slavery and consider how God's gifts of grace, hope, and love serve to nourish our own dreams to bring about God's kingdom here on earth.
The music through which we worship today is chosen to reflect our response to the vision placed before us as we seek to be led by God. Our gathering hymn, "Spirit," speaks of the visions and dreams God uses to inspire us. Our prayer for illumination and prayer response hymns are verses of "Be Thou My Vision," which gives voice to our hope that God may continue to be the inspiration of our aspirations as the one alone whom we worship and serve. Finally, our sending hymn, "Here I Am, Lord," describes the response we have to God's call on our lives.
The offertory solo this morning is from the 1969 musical by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." In this piece, Joseph sings a particular prayer to God for guidance in which he states that "Any Dream Will Do."
