Worship Archive and Bulletin: September 28, 2014

 Creation  4A

 September 28, 2014

10 am Holy Communion Service

Grace Evangelical Lutheran

Today’s Worship Participants: 

Pastor: Rev. Megan Rohrer

Music Director: Dorothy Clazie

Assisting Minister: Laurel

Reader:  Sally

Welcome to worship at Grace!

Welcome to long-time Lutherans, Christians from every tradition, and people new to faith. Welcome to all who have no church home, want to follow Christ, have doubts, or do not believe. Welcome to new visitors and old friends. Welcome to people of every age and size, color and culture, every sexual orientation and gender identity, socio-economic status, marital status, ability and challenge. Welcome to believers and questioners, and to questioning believers. This is a place where you are welcome to celebrate and sorrow, rejoice and recover.  This is a place where lives are made new.

Special Welcome to Newcomers

Welcome to our small community of faith.  While we are small in numbers, we have big hearts and a desire to grow.  In order to help you follow along, we have included all the materials you need for worship in this bulletin.

Please join us for worship any Sunday at 10am that you are able.  If you cannot join us in person, you can also join us online via live stream or by watching the archives of our worship and Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck anytime during the week at our website (www.gracesf.com), or on our mobile phone app, Bible Study that Doesn’t Suck, is available on Google Play and ITunes. 

If you have any questions about the service or about Grace, you can fill out the form in pew to let our pastor know you’d like to chat.  Or you can contact Pastor Megan Rohrer at pastor@gracesf.com.

Prelude:     "The Heavens Are Telling the Glory of God"             Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Greeting:  

In the name of the Creator, the fountain of life, in the name of Christ, the pulse of life,

and in the name of the Spirit, the breath of life. Amen.

Holy! Holy! Holy!

Earth is filled with God’s presence.

Christ, we come into your presence to worship in this sanctuary called Earth,

 a planet pulsating with your presence,

a presence quivering in the forests,

a presence vibrating in the land,

a presence pulsating in the wilderness,

a presence shimmering in the rivers.

God, reveal yourself to us in this place, and show us your face in all creation. 

Opening Hymn: Verses 1-3

Welcome  

Prayer of the Day:

Creator God, thank you for all the beauty of the Earth.  As we wade in the river of life, refresh, renew and revive us.  Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 8:20-22; 9:12-17

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done. ²²As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 

…

¹²God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: ¹³I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God

Psalm  104:27-33 (read responsively)

²⁷These all look to you to give them their food in due season;

²⁸when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

³⁰When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.

³¹May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— ³²who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

Second Reading: Revelation 22:1-5

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; ⁴they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ⁵And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God

Special Music:   "Look at the World"   John Rutter           Grace Choir

Gospel Reading:  Matthew 28:1-10

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. ²And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. ⁴For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. ⁵But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” ⁸So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The gospel of the Lord.                                Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon: Silence for reflection follows the sermon.  The assembly stands to proclaim the word of God in song.

Hymn of the Day:

Prayers of Intercession

A    During this season of Creation, we pray that God will draw near and remind us that we were fearfully and wonderfully made.  May our uniqueness inspire the church to be ever looking to see what God will reveal next.  Let us lift our hearts and expand our community by praying for the world and all people in their need.  A brief silence.

Creating God, help us repair broken relationships, to clean up our messes and debts and to ask for help when we need it. Help us to be good stewards of our planet and its resources.  God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Parent God, bless all who are parents, the family and staff of the Grace Infant Care Center and all who have created families.  Help us to become better at loving and receiving love from others.  God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God, guide our civic leaders and enable them to be good stewards of our natural resources and to help protect the air and water that is vital to our survival.  Be with our bishops Elizabeth and Mark, our pastor Megan and all the staff and leaders of our congregation.  God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We give thanks for all who work in healing and caring professions.  Support doctors, nurses, partners, parents and friends who love and support others.  Provide healing and hope for those whose minds, bodies or spirits are in need of care.  Help us to live as fully as we can as we await the day all pain and suffering will end.   God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

For whom and what else do the people of Grace pray?

(Please offer - silently or aloud- petitions to God.  End spoken petitions with “God in your mercy.”)

P Our prayers rise like incense and are held by a loving God who yearns for us to be our best.  May we sleep well, worry less, and live convinced that God is on our side.    Amen.

 

Peace

The presiding minister and the assembly greet each other in the peace of the risen Christ.

P   The peace of Christ be with you always.                C   And also with you.

The people may greet one another with the sign of Christ’s peace, and may say, “Peace be with you” or similar words.    Then, the assembly is seated.

Offering

An offering is gathered for the mission of the church, including the care of those in need.  

Offertory: "Colors of the Wind" Menken & Schwartz                 Hilda Schedler

Offering Prayer:

After the offering is gathered, the assembly stands.

A    Let us pray.   God, bless all that we have to offer.  May our financial support match the generosity of our lives.  Help us to be good stewards of our financial and emotional investments.  Amen.

Communion:

P  It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise . . . we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

P   On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

The pastor invites the Holy Spirit to be in the meal and with the people present.

The pastor takes the bread.

You are blessed indeed, God of all creation.  Through your goodness we have this bread which the Earth has given and which we have received from the silent soil.  Bathed in morning light, this beautiful planet rests in the galaxies of space, faithful and surprising, bringing forth life in all its forms.   Blessed be God forever.

The pastor takes the wine.

 You are blessed too, Loving God, in the wine we have, fruit of the vine and work of human hands.  In our Earth of many blessings the vine was planted, its roots reaching down to that richness from which nourishment, strength and health are drawn.  Blessed be God forever.

The Creation Creed:  
We believe that God creates all things,

renews all things, and celebrates all things.

We believe Earth is a sanctuary,

a sacred planet filled with God’s presence,

a home for us to share with all creatures.

We believe every creature joins us in praising God.

We see many suffer with Earth

because of human crimes against creation.

We believe that God became incarnate

as a part of Earth, Jesus Christ,

that he lived and breathed and spoke among us,

suffered and died on a cross,

for all human beings and for all creation.

We believe that the risen Jesus Christ

fills the whole creation,

reconciling all things to God,

renewing all things.

We believe the Spirit renews life in creation,

groans in empathy with every suffering creature,

and waits with us for the rebirth of the whole creation.

We believe that with Christ we will rise

and with Christ we will

celebrate a new creation,

reconciled, restored, and renewed.

The bread is broken.

Creator God, meet us in this bread and wine, and be with us on the journey which is the future, that we and all creation may make anew the story of Life. People of God, draw near in faith and travel far in Grace.  Come, to be renewed by the Spirit who makes all things new.

Blessing

Announcements

Closing Hymn

Dismissal

A:  Go in peace and serve our God.

C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" Hymntune: St. Anne              William Croft (1708)

Please join us for coffee and refreshments downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.

To get to the Fellowship Hall, exit to the right of the communion railing at the front of the church.

Scripture in this service is adapted from The Inclusive Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation, by Priests for Equality.  2009, Sheed & Ward. Kindle Edition. The traditional Lutheran liturgy is from Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2014 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #28429. Hymns used with permission for worship and podcast under OneLicense.net  #A-723548.

Announcements:

You can find more information and find archived sermons and worship live streams at our website: www.gracesf.com  or on our blog: www.sfgrace.blogspot.com

·        A special thanks to everyone who stopped by and brought food or gifts to the gathering at Pastor Megan and Laurel’s house last night.

·        Next week, we are celebrating the Feast of St. Francis.  Don’t forget to bring pets (that play well with others) to worship for a blessing.  You can bring photos of others pets you’d like to remember or include in the blessings.

Upcoming Events and Dates: 

·        October 9 – Night Ministry Fundraiser: We will invite singing groups to come to grace to help us raise money for the Night Ministry.

·        November 7-8 – Welcome Fundraiser: We will have three Musical Events featuring the movie RENT.

·        November 27 – Thanksgiving:  A meal served for 300 individuals (mostly homeless or seniors) by Welcome at St. Francis Lutheran Church.

·        December 4 – 18  - Holden Evening Prayer, 6:30pm: Each Thursday night in Advent.

·        December 11-13 – West Coast LGBTQ Conference for Christian College Students

·        December 24 – Christmas Eve Service of Carols, 9:30pm