October 12, 2025
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME
PRAYER
God of power and might,
you show us the wisdom of humility,
reveal the healing you have in store,
and bless us in our working and planting.
Release your Word within us,
that we may live brimming with gratitude
for the full, abundant life
Christ gives to all. Amen.
PRELUDE “Flourish on Lobe den Herren” D. Wagner
CALL TO WORSHIP
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of God’s name;
give God glorious praise.
Say to God:
How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power,
your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.
Come and see what God has done:
He is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have understanding.
God’s praise endures forever.
*HYMN No. 35 “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”
1 Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;
join me in glad adoration!
2 Praise ye the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
3 Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!
Let the amen sound from his people again;
gladly for aye we adore him.
*CALL TO CONFESSION
God promises mercy
for all those who repent.
Trusting in the grace of Jesus Christ,
let us confess our sin.
*PRAYER FOR CONFESSION
Compassionate Christ,
you send us to cure the sick,
but we blame the sick for their choices.
You ask us to restore the unclean,
but we separate them into high risk pools.
You compel us to raise the dead,
but we insist some are beyond help.
In your patient and persistent mercy,
forgive us, O Lord.
Teach us to heal without condition
and help without limitation.
Enable us to love one another as you love us,
that as recipients of unmerited grace,
we may freely shower care upon all people.
*SILENT PRAYER FOR CONFESSION
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
In the name of the One
who restores the lost,
raises the dead,
and reigns on high,
I proclaim to you that your sins are forgiven.
Believe the good news of the gospel:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven,
healed, and made whole.
*RESPONSE No. 716 v. 3 “God, whose Giving Knows No Ending”
Treasure, too, you have entrusted,
gain through powers your grace conferred:
ours to use for home and kindred,
and to spread the gospel word.
Open wide our hands in sharing,
as we heed Christ’s ageless call,
healing, teaching, and reclaiming,
serving you by loving all.
*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
To this peace we were called
as members of a single body.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
ANTHEM “If You Search With All Your Heart” Craig Courtney
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Faithful God, how blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit
so that we may glorify you
in the company of the faithful;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE Matthew 6:24-34
24“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
SERMON “THREAT”
Focus on money’s inherent threat: The Bible recognizes that money has the potential to be a huge roadblock in one’s relationship with Jesus, who says, “You cannot serve God & wealth” (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13). In a land of so much affluence, followers of Jesus need to take this seriously.
Since returning from my sabbatical and spending four months living in a different life schedule, I’ve been learning to trust what happens to me when I read the text. That is, I try to notice what feelings, reactions, and emotions the passage stirs in addition to what thoughts it sparks. These more affective responses deserve critical reflection, just as my earlier more cognitive ones do, but I find them reliably more provocative. This week, what struck me — like a 2×4, frankly – was just how hard it is to hear Jesus say, “Do not worry about your life.”
Do not worry??
You’ve got to be kidding. Most days, life feels like one worry strung after another like lights on a morbid Christmas tree.
Worries at work (a colleague who’s mad at me).
Worries at home (a child struggling at school).
Worries about…well, you name it (the economy, the friend whose child was just diagnosed with cancer…). Do you see what I mean? Worries attend us like bees to honey.
And I don’t think it’s just me. I think we live in an incredibly anxious culture. The evening news certainly depends upon worries at home and abroad to attract viewers. Commercials are constantly inviting us to worry about one more thing — usually about ourselves! — the sponsored product should supposedly solve. More and more houses seem to sport home security signs in their front lawns. And whenever I go to the airport, I’m greeted outside by an electronic sign that reads, “See Suspicious Activity — Call 1-800…) and inside by an ominous voice informing me that, “The threat level, as determined by the Office for Homeland Security, is Orange.” (I don’t even know what “orange” is, but I’m betting it’s not good.) And there it is: everywhere you turn, everywhere you look, there are visible reminders of just how much there is to worry about.
So how in the world, then, can Jesus possibly ask us — really, command us! — not to worry?
Wait a second, though. Did you notice that today’s passage doesn’t start with the injunction about worry? No, it’s starts with an assertion that we cannot serve two masters, both God and money. If we try, Jesus says, we’ll end up loving one and hating the other. So, what’s the connection?
Well, notice that Jesus doesn’t say money is evil, or even bad, just that it makes a poor master. Actually, the word in Greek is kurios, often translated “lord.” The lord is the one who demands and deserves your loyalty, allegiance, and worship. (Which, by the way, explains the courageous and treasonous nature of the earliest Christian confession, “Christ is Lord” in a world where the more expected confession was, “Caesar is Lord.”)
So why can’t we give our allegiance and worship to money? Because to do so is to fall prey to the larger worldview that crowns money lord in the first place: scarcity.
Again, the issue isn’t money per se; the problem comes when we make money our god — that thing, as Luther once observed, which we trust for our every good. Once we believe that money can satisfy our deepest needs, then we suddenly discover that we never have enough. Money, after all, is finite. And so, once we decide money grants security, then we are ushered immediately into a world of counting, tracking, and stock piling. No wonder we worry – in a world of scarcity, there is simply never enough.
The alternative Jesus invites us to consider is entering into relationship with God, the God who is infinite and whose love for us and all creation is infinite as well. Love operates from a different “economy” than money. I mean, when our second child, Ben came along, I didn’t divide my love for our first child, Walter between the two – boys, I suddenly had more love, more than I could possibly have imagined before. No doubt you’ve noticed the same thing: how the more love you give away, the more you have.
Love — and especially God’s love — cannot be counted, tracked or stockpiled. And when you live in this kind of relationship of love and trust, you’ve entered into the realm of abundance, the world of possibility, the world of contentment. Suddenly, in this world — Jesus calls it the “kingdom of God” — not worrying actually becomes an option.
I know, I know, it’s hard to believe in this world of abundance that Jesus proclaims, this world that invites us to trust God’s faithfulness like a flower does spring or sail upon the currents of God’s love like a bird does the air. This is why, in the end, Jesus dies — not to somehow pay for our sins (there we go tracking and counting again), but because those in power were so invested in the world of scarcity that abundance was downright frightening, even threatening. Scarcity, after all, creates fear, and fear creates devotion to those who will protect you (think “threat level orange” again). Abundance, on the other hand, produces freedom. So rather than imagine Jesus’ world of abundance, and committed to keeping the power they derived from a fear born of scarcity, the rulers of Jesus’ day put him to death.
But God doesn’t operate from scarcity; God operates out of abundance. So in response to the crucifixion of God’s Son, God does not, in fact, keep track, or look for payment, or hoard power with which to destroy the offenders; instead, God resurrects — which, when you think about it, is the ultimate act of abundance: creating something, once again, out of nothing, drawing light from darkness, giving life to the dead.
This is the world Jesus invites us into: a world of abundance, generosity, and new life. But it is also a world of fragility, trust, and vulnerability. Lilies and birds, after all, can’t defend themselves but must trust God’s providence and love.
Again, I know this is hard. We are, after all, surrounded by countless images of scarcity and fear that seek to cause us to worry. But maybe this is exactly where we start. If we are surrounded by images of scarcity, worry, and fear, then perhaps our task this week and in the weeks to come is to capture thousands of pictures of their opposites: abundance, courage, and trust. So this week, I want you to look for images or pictures of abundance and I want you to bring those to church or email them to me: bring images and pictures of where we have seen God at work caring for the world in a way that helps them relax, breathe, count their blessings, and trust in God’s providence.
And when I say “images and pictures” that’s exactly what I mean. I want y’all to share your photos — to go out and snap some this week! — of places of courage, of sites of abundance, of signs of trust. Perhaps these will be pictures of your children and grandchildren, or maybe of someone just doing an honest day’s labor. Maybe you’ll include pictures of groups of friends, or the photos from the incredible and utterly unanticipated — and isn’t that almost always the way abundance is? — peaceful protests in Chicago or Portland. Who knows? I’m confident that we’ll be amazed at the number of places folks see abundance, courage, and trust once we ask them look.
So, friends – go out and capture these images and pictures…and then send them to me. So, next Sunday we can see these images and pictures that remind us of abundance, give us courage, and restore our trust in the abundance of God. As we look as those pictures and images, my hope is that we can forget the obstacles to our relationship with God and God’s love!
Liturgy and Commentary provided by The PC(USA) Book of Common Worship, The Presbyterian Outlook, Teri McDowell Ott, & Call to Worship.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH “The Nicene Creed”
We believe in one God the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated on the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*HYMN No. 697 “Take My Life”
1 Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my sliver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take myself and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
PASTORAL PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER
Compassionate God, you are God of all creation. Only you know the expanse of the cosmos and every small and hidden corner of creation. You have created us in love, and we join all of creation in singing to the glory of your name.
We give thanks for your generous provision. Thank you for the basic elements that sustain life, and the joy and beauty that enrich it.
We give thanks for your works of healing. While we live in a world still marked by pain and suffering, we acknowledge gifts of health and strength. For prayers answered, bodies healed, relationships restored, and hope that displaces despair, we give you thanks.
We give thanks for your diverse creation. While we often get mired in our own particular lives, your care and concern cross all boundaries and borders. We are grateful for all of the different people in the world, each created in and reflecting your image.
May we always return to you in gratitude and praise.
We pray for the many needs in our world. We pray for those living in war zones, and all who have been displaced by violence, disaster, and trauma. Bring your peace and healing to the nations, and make us all ready to receive and support siblings in need. Help us to see our shared humanity, which is greater than the divisions we create and uphold.
We pray for your most vulnerable children, especially those who are pushed to the margins, neglected, and worse. It can be easy to keep them out of sight and out of mind, to hold them at arm’s length as the perpetual “other,” or to look at their situations and simply give thanks they are not our own. We ask for miracles that change the difficult and deadly circumstances so many face, and that you ignite our own com- passion. Give us wisdom to know how to respond, and the courage to act.
We pray for all who are hurting, in body, mind or spirit. Jesus, have mercy, and heal what is broken. We pray for broken bodies, broken hearts, broken relationships, and broken spirits. Creator of all, re-create this world, so we can live in shalom together.
We offer the prayers of our hearts…
All of these we offer to you, including those that are known only to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PASSING OF FELLOWSHIP PADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
STEWARDSHIP MINUTE
TITHES & OFFERINGS
Every good gift comes from God.
We are invited to respond in gratitude,
giving freely and generously,
just as we have received.
OFFERTORY ANTHEM
*RESPONSE N0. 609
“Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures high and low.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise God, in Jesus fully known:
Creator, Word, and Spirit one.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
*PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Holy and generous God,
use the gifts we bring
for healing and reconciliation in the world,
to the glory of your name. Amen.
*HYMN No. 712 “As Those of Old Their Firstfruits Brought”
1 As those of old their firstfruits brought
of vineyard, flock, and field
to God, the giver of all good,
the source of bounteous yield,
so we today our firstfruits bring,
the wealth of this good land:
of farm and market, shop and home,
of mind and heart and hand.
2 A world in need now summons us
to labor, love, and give,
to make our life an offering
that all may truly live.
The church of Christ is calling us
to make the dream come true:
a world redeemed by Christ-like love,
all life in Christ made new.
3 In gratitude and humble trust
we bring our best today,
to serve your cause and share your love
with all along life’s way.
O God who gave yourself to us
in Jesus Christ your Son,
help us to give ourselves each day
until life’s work is done.
*BENEDICTION
Get up and go on your way!
Go from this place to be builders of God’s beloved community.
See the face of Christ in each person you meet.
Follow the Spirit, wherever she may lead.
Now go in Peace!
*POSTLUDE