February 1, 2026
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME
PRAYER
Mysterious God, you whose wisdom baffles kings,
make us foolhardy enough to dare to live
as if peace is truly possible, here and now.
Grant us the audacity to seek justice.
Give us courage to risk kindness and love recklessly
so that, in Jesus’ footsteps,
and through your Spirit’s surprising blessings,
we can journey humbly with you all our days. Amen.
PRELUDE “O Blessed Jesus” Johannes Brahms
CALL TO WORSHIP
In a world that rewards selfishness,
it is wise to hoard resources, foolish to share.
In a world built on violence,
it is wise to be suspicious, foolish to risk compassion.
But God’s wisdom is not the wisdom of the world:
Greed will not serve us in heaven.
Self-preservation will not save us in the end,
so we will choose to be foolish;
we will choose the way of love.
Let us worship God.
*HYMN No. 2, vs. 1-3
“Come Thou Almighty King”
1 Come, thou almighty King,
help us thy name to sing;
help us to praise:
Father, all glorious,
o’er all victorious,
come, and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.
2 Come, thou incarnate Word,
merciful, mighty Lord,
our prayer attend.
Come, and thy people bless,
and give thy word success;
Spirit of holiness,
on us descend.
3 Come, holy Comforter,
thy sacred witness bear
in this glad hour.
Thou who almighty art,
now rule in every heart,
and ne’er from us depart,
Spirit of power.
CALL TO CONFESSION
God has told us what is good, what is required:
Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God.
These commands are so simple,
yet we know we have not always followed them.
With that knowledge, we confess.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful God,
we fail to do what is right.
Instead, we pursue evil
and do not speak the truth.
Even when we try our best to be faithful,
still we turn away from you.
Forgive us, accept us, and redeem us,
that we may seek to do what you call good.
Silence is observed
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Christ Jesus, who became for us
wisdom and righteousness,
sanctification and redemption,
is the one who judges us.
Christ is the one who was born for us
and forgives us with abundant love.
We will boast of all the good God has done for us!
Thanks be to God!
*RESPONSE NO. 2, v. 4 “Come Thou Almighty King”
4 To thee, great One in Three,
eternal praises be,
hence evermore!
Thy sovereign majesty
may we in glory see,
and to eternity
love and adore.
*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Welcome each other. Welcome the stranger. Welcome all who come. As Christ welcomed everyone, no matter what their background, no matter what their social status; as Christ welcomed enemies and friends, outcasts and leaders, foreigners and neighbors, let us open our hearts and homes and lives. Let us be Christ to everyone we meet.
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Worshippers are invited to briefly “pass the peace” of Christ to those directly seated around them thus keeping our worship time “decent and in order” with a focus upon being part of God’s community.
ANTHEM “Be Glad in the Lord” Joseph Martin
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Saving God, source of our calling,
your Word is full of power and glory.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
so that we may receive your grace
and live as your beloved children;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
SCRIPTURE Matthew 5:1-12
5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he began to speak and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account.12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
SERMON “Peace, Peace, Peace”
The news of the past weeks is making it difficult to focus upon daily tasks and I find myself doomscrolling social media for cute animal videos. But in worship I am reminded that whatever momentary afflictions we face as a nation or as a world, no matter how troubling or disheartening they may seem, they are not the end of the story. The trials and tribulations of this season, and they are many, are but one small part of God’s much larger story, and these too will soon pass away, but the worship of God will remain forever.
In the midst of strife, and grief, and fear, and mistrust, and violence, and partisan politics: we hear the encouraging words of Jesus: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.”
Blessed are those who seek and pursue shalom for all, for those are the ones participating in the work of God in the world. The Hebrew word for peace, shalom, always refers to more than the absence of trouble. Shalom connotes a positive state of being, not just the absence of evil but the presence of good. Shalom entails health and well-being, harmony, and unity. The presence of shalom means that that which has been divided and torn asunder has been restored to unity.
Jesus did not say, “blessed are the peace lovers.” Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers.” It is one thing to keep the peace. It is quite another to make the peace. It is one thing to refuse to disturb the relative peace of the few; it is quite another to extend oneself to work for real peace, for shalom, for all. There are state and county laws about not disturbing the peace, but the only law that demands making the peace, seeking peace and pursuing it, is one that cannot be enforced – the Christian law that demands that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
There is a “silver rule” which says do no harm. Live your life and don’t harm your neighbor. But the “golden rule” says “do unto others”. Extend yourself by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, serving the poor, welcoming the homeless, visiting the imprisoned. The golden rule says reach across any barriers of race or clan or economy or class or political party. Seek peace, pursue it. Do good on behalf of your neighbor.
The first letter of Peter, quoting Psalm 34, commands:
“Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse;
but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing.
It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.
For ‘Those who desire life and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit;
let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Being a peacemaker means turning away from evil, turning from the temptation for revenge, turning from words or actions or even attitudes that break instead of mend relationships. But more than that, peacemaking is making the positive effort. Seeking peace is not simply burying the hatchet, and then going our separate ways. Making peace is continuing to seek and promote the highest good of the other, even at the risk of personal loss or danger.
To promote world peace and friendship, the United States Peace Corps was established in 1961 with the idea that serving the needs of others would build bridges of intercultural understanding. In the biblical tradition of loving our neighbor, volunteers like Wendy Kunz, Beth Kaighn or Stacey Oehler, or others who leave home and country to spend time in Cuba with our siblings in that culture, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In their time of service, Peace Corps volunteers often witness firsthand some of root causes of the lack of peace in the world.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the prophets remind us that peace is never simply the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. Without justice, basic human rights will be trampled. Without justice, there will be no fairness in the courts or fairness in wages. Without justice, oppressors will not be held accountable nor will the violent be restrained. Without justice, the “needy will be sold (for the cost of) a pair of sandals”, Jeremiah claims, and the widow and orphan will constantly be in distress. Only with some sense of justice for all will peace arise in the land; and without justice, any absence of conflict will not last very long. It is very intentional and aspirational that our nation’s pledge of allegiance ends: “One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”
Blessed are the peacemakers, happy are they. Open to God’s transforming grace are they. This happiness, or blessedness, of course, depends more on inward condition than upon outward circumstance. Peace of mind and heart is critical in order for there to be peace in the home. Peace in the home is critical for there to be peace in the nation. Peace in the nation is critical for any hope of world peace.
If world peace depends first upon peace in my own heart, then how and where do find peace in my own heart? Mother Theresa was known to give out a little card with the following message. Smiling all the while, of course, she called this her business card. It read:
“The fruit of silence is prayer.
The fruit of prayer is faith.
The fruit of faith is love.
The fruit of love is service.
The fruit of service is peace.”
Silence can lead to prayer, which can engender faith, whose fruit is love, which leads to service, which, ultimately, can bring a person to a sense of inner peace. And I propose that inner peace is requisite, ultimately, to peace between nations.
Presbyterian pastor, Vernon Gramling, in Faith in Real Life blog from 2014, reminded me that it is difficult to seek peace when you’re under threat personally or socially. We generally cannot listen to and respect others – which is required for peacemaking – unless we feel grounded, unless we are standing on solid ground ourselves. So many people in the world today seem to be standing on shaky ground, on fearful footings, genuinely afraid, afraid of losing their place or position or privilege, and concerned for their own personal safety.
I received an email from a friend last week that basically said: Don’t you wish there was some international ideology which taught that the way to peace and security is to love one’s neighbor as you love yourself? Don’t you wish there was some ideology which taught that one should do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Don’t you wish that there was an ideology in the world that taught all the people of the world to love even our enemies, and to seek their good? What if there was an ideology that taught pure religion is to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves? What if there was such an ideology? What would we do, what would we give, to make it known throughout our city, our nation, our world?
In 1946, in the chaos of the post-war era, Ernest Trice Thompson wrote:
“Many Christians believe that Jesus’s teachings, particularly those included on the Sermon on the Mount, present beautiful ideals which cannot be possibly realized in real life; many others think that they have value in ordinary times but should be forgotten until after the present emergency. (I believe) that (Jesus’ teachings) present a practicable way of life not only for individuals but also for society, a way to peace and happiness in this world as well as in the world to come, and that (following these teachings has never been) more necessary than now.”
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. “The blessedness which the world cannot give and which the world cannot take away depends on inward condition rather than on outward circumstances. It (begins in silence and prayer and culminates) comes from participation in some unselfish activity; it is found by the peacemakers, by those who are willing to suffer for righteousness’ sake, and above all for Christ’s sake.”
The blessed see the world differently. They see the world like children see the world, or like those who are dying see the world. They are blessed by the way they interact with world, which is not necessarily the common way.
Let the commitment to seek peace and pursue it begin with me.
Let this commitment be present in my family and in my church.
Let this commitment take root within our schools and places of work.
Let the commitment to seek peace and pursue it be realized within this fine state, and even throughout our beloved nation.
If we want world peace, let it begin here, with you and with me, with our commitment to turn from evil, turn from revenge, turn from attitudes of division, and seek what makes for peace and pursue it diligently.
If we want to make peace, then must be willing to upset the status quo, because none can fully be at peace until all are at peace. If we’re willing to upset the status quo, we must be prepared to face opposition. True peacemakers must often disturb the status quo and face persecution in order to seek the greater good for all.
I will close with a prayer by a follower of Ghandi who lived in London in the 1950’s, during the tremendously difficult and tenuous rebuilding after World War II. Satish Kumar wrote this prayer for world peace:
“Lead (us) from death to life, from falsehood to truth,
lead (us) from despair to hope, from fear to trust,
lead (us) from hate to love, from war to peace,
let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.”
So be it. Amen.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*HYMN No. 501 “Feed Us Lord”
Feed us, Lord.
Feed us, Lord.
In the broken bread, be revealed again.
Come and feed our hearts, O Lord.
Quench us, Lord.
Quench us, Lord.
On this thirsty ground, may your love flow down.
Come and quench our hearts, O Lord.
Fill us, Lord.
Fill us, Lord,
with the bread and wine of the risen Christ.
Come and fill our hearts, O Lord.
Lead us, Lord.
Lead us, Lord,
nourished here by Christ, given strength for life.
Come and lead our hearts, O Lord.
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation
We come to this table,
again and again,
continuously.
Sometimes this meal is tedious,
a ritual we must get through
before we can eat our real lunch.
Still we come.
Because sometimes this meal becomes for us—
somehow, by some miracle—
the very presence of Christ in our midst.
The table is set, as it always is, for you.
You are welcome here.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
God of Life, you shared your peace with us when you gathered and formed us from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into us. But life with you was not enough for us. Even in our rebellion, you clothe us and provide a way in the world. We are thankful that you continue to seek us, even in our wandering ways.
Jesus, Prince of Peace, you separated us from our sin in a way we never could – in a way we never can. You were a vessel of peace in a world that did not welcome you. But you persevered in love in the face of hatred. You taught us that forgiveness is possible even in the midst of extreme suffering. We are thankful that you continue to love us, even in our unrepentant ways.
Holy Spirit, you hold peace within us despite our circumstances. You tend to the deepest parts of our inmost being, nurturing peace so that it may grow. You lead us in paths of righteousness, showing us the way to bear love to the world. When hatred speaks its convincing lies, you show us the truth. We are thankful that you continue to sanctify us, even in our careworn ways.
So that we may become instruments of peace, able to sow love so that hatred does not take root, we pray, Holy Spirit, that you would move in this place today. May our meager offering of bread and cup become our communion with the Triune God and one another. May peace and love abound in us and through us.
In the certain hope that love overcomes all, we join our voices to pray together, each of using the words we find most familiar, 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.
Breaking of the Bread & Pouring of the Cup
In the face of betrayal and impending death, Jesus ate one final meal with his disciples. As he did so, he broke the bread, gave thanks for it, and then offered it to each one there, saying: Take. Eat. This is my body broken for you.
Likewise, he took the cup and gave thanks for it. Then offering it to his disciples, he said: Take. Drink. This is my blood shed for you.
The broken body and the shed blood are a continuation of God’s covenant of peace with us. They are also the signs of a new covenant – a covenant where love is the rule, and hatred can be overcome.
Every time we share this meal, we proclaim the triumph of peace and love until the day when hatred is gone forever.
All are welcome. All has been prepared. Come and eat as we share in the peace of God.
Communion
Closing Prayer
Holy God, the bread and the cup remind us how good you are. You nourish us in our journey of faith, reminding us that you are always with us. As we journey through this season, prepare us to hear your call. Lord, make us instruments of your peace.
As we receive your peace, may we see where we can share it with others. Guide us in our words and actions. Where there is hatred, let us sow love. We give you thanks for who you are and the blessing of being called your people. Amen.
PASSING OF FELLOWSHIP PADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
TITHES & OFFERINGS
Recognizing God’s gracious blessings poured upon us, we respond with gratitude, giving of our time, talents and treasure for the building up of the kingdom here and now. Let us consider our gifts given in grateful praise.
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
Gracious God, thank you for the many blessings of our lives.
Bless these gifts we give today.
May they be used to bring about justice
and joy for those who need them most. Amen.
*HYMN No. 339 “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
1 Lift every voice and sing till earth and heaven ring,
ring with the harmonies of liberty.
Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies;
let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us;
sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
let us march on, till victory is won.
2 Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
felt in the days when hope unborn had died.
Yet, with a steady beat, have not our weary feet
come to the place for which our parents sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered;
we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
3 God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;
thou who hast by thy might led us into the light,
keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee;
lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee;
shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand,
true to our God, true to our native land.
*BENEDICTION
Jesus taught us, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
May God grant you the vision, strength, and courage
to proclaim God’s message of peace
whether welcome or unwelcome,
for the sake of God’s beloved children.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*POSTLUDE