PRELUDE: All Glory Be to God on High, Paul Manz
SALUTATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
* PASSING OF THE PEACE
* Gloria Patri (pew card)
* CALL TO WORSHIP, Connie Thorsen
Leader: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
People: What did God do to help us?
Leader: God placed us as image-bearers in the garden of life to tend and keep it.
People: God gave us one another- “bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh”- for connection and intimacy.
Leader: Let us worship the God of creation, maker of heaven and earth.
* HYMN No. 50: Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
* PRAYER OF CONFESSION(unison)
Author of life, we confess that we find ourselves caught up in other stories telling us who we are and who you are. We confess that we wander from story to story hoping to find meaning and peace. We confess that often we turn from your story in the pursuit of something novel. Forgive us, O Lord. May we again find our place in your story and be showered with your mercy and grace. Amen.
* KYRIE (pew card)
* ASSURANCE OF PARDON
* SUMMARY OF THE LAW
JUNIOR SERMON
ANTHEM: Hear the Voice and Prayer, Thomas Tallis
Hear the voice and prayer of Thy servants which they make before Thee this day: that Thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the place of which Thou hast said, "My name shall be there. And when Thou hear'st have mercy upon them.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Genesis 2:4b-25, Pew Bible, page 2
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— then the LordGod formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner.
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.
Mark 10:6-9, Pew Bible, page 822
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON: Finding Our Place in God’s Story, Rev. Blaine Crawford
* CONFESSION OF FAITH: The Apostles’ Creed (pew card)
OFFERING OURSELVES AND OUR GIFTS
Offertory: If You Love Me, John Ness Beck
If you love me, keep my commandments. If you love me, heed my law. If you love me, keep my commandments. If you seek me, you shall surely find me; if you search for me with all your heart.
* The Doxology(pew card)
* Prayer of Dedication
SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
* Remembering with Love and Hope (pew card)
Invitation
Communion Prayer
Sanctus (pew card)
Mystery of the Faith (unison)
Christ has Died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again.
Words of Institution
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord’s Prayer (pew card)
Prayer response, Felix Mendelssohn
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he never will suffer the righteous to fall: he is at thy right hand. Thy mercy, Lord, is great and far above the heavens: let none be made ashamed that wait upon thee.
* HYMN No. 522: Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
* BENEDICTION
Response: Sevenfold Amen, Peter C. Lutkin
POSTLUDE: Rigaudon, André Campra
OUR FLOWERS: The left vase is given by Sue and Jim Nicholas in celebration of Bob Perless’ birthday.
The right vase is given in loving memory of Harvey Moder by his wife, Mary.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Church-wide BAR-B-QUE immediately after the service. All are invited.
OUR APPRECIATION FOR TODAY’S VOLUNTEERS:
Van Driver: Jorge Alamilla
Greeters: Carol Stark and Irma Schubert
Ushers: Sally Ann Castle, Ginny and Hong Chan, Irma Karle, Jeanne and Steve Sarran, Adriene and Bill Toy
BIBLE STUDY every Tuesday this Fall, 7:30 PM, Folensbee Lounge.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the driving of members to church on Sundays. If you can help, speak with Gerry Mendler or call (917) 362-6284 (day) or (718) 464-3464 (evening).
If you need a ride to church on Sunday, speak with Gerry Mendler.
TO ALL WOMEN: WCC is hosting an ecumenical outreach and brunch, Sept. 19, 10 AM to 1 PM, encompassing all women from North Queens and Long Island churches. Rev. Liz Testa, who was the liturgist at Pastor Blaine’s installation, is the guest speaker. RSVP to Judie Kellaway today.
COFFEE HOUR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Please pick a date on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in Gessner Hall or speak with Rhoda Jabbour.
YEAR-ROUND COLLECTIONS –
- Donations for the Food for Kids Ministry should be brought to the Church office. This food will be given to families in need in Jamaica, New York.
- Donations for pets brought to the church office will be given to Worthy Pause to be distributed to local animal shelters.
- Christmas cards (with Forever Stamps on the envelopes) are collected in a basket at the back of the sanctuary. These cards will enable inmates at the Nassau County Correction Center to correspond with their loved ones.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Jorel Andaluz, Grace Attanasio, Donald Calfa, Allegra DeMelo, Ed Diercks, Dombrowski Family, Edythe Durney, Lucy Leung-Eng, Rob Gessner, Jenny Hampton, Richard Holm, Robert Keller, Karen Krieg, Fritz Kunisch, Ann McCaffrey-Amalfitano, Rev. John H. Meyer, John Molino, Michael Patras, Keith Pearson, Dorothy Rama, Dorothy Reid, Josephine Rivera, Matthew Schulman, Peter Schumacher, Janice Serra, Carmela Stocchia, Emily Testut