Worship Video Archive: Creation 1A Forrest Sunday: September 7, 2014

 Creation  1A

 September 7, 2014

10 am Holy Communion Service

Grace Evangelical Lutheran

Today’s Worship Participants: 

Pastor: Rev. Megan Rohrer

Music Director: Dorothy Clazie

Assisting Minister: Laurel Rohrer 

Reader:  Mary Ann Dale

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:     "Fantasia on Forrest Green "        English Traditional Melody

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, 2 and 4

Welcome  

Prayer of the Day:

Creator God, thank you for all the beauty of the Earth.  Protect the trees, forests, rangers and firefighters that protect them.  Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 4b-14 

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵when 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; ⁶but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— ⁷then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.

⁸And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹Out 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. ¹⁰A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. ¹¹The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; ¹²and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. ¹³The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

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

Psalm  139:13-16 (read responsively)

¹³For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

¹⁵My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁶Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.

Second Reading: Acts 17:22-28

²²Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. ²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. ²⁶From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, ²⁷so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’

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

Special Music:   "From All That Dwell Below the Skies"     Hymntune: Duke Street

Grace Choir                  John Hatton

                 

 Gospel Reading:  John 3:1-16

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. ¹⁷“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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.

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.

Hymn of the Day: Verses 1-3

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:                                                                 "For the Music of Creation"         Hymntune: Rustington                  Words: Shirley Erena Murray          arr. Lloyd Larson        Hilda Schedler, soprano

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 (see the next page)

Dismissal

A:  Go in peace and serve our God.

C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude "Darwall's 148th"            John Darwall  (1770)

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.

Sending Hymn: Verses 2-4

Announcements:

There will be a funeral for Sunni Oryall on Saturday at 11am.  Members of the congregation are welcome to come.  Anyone who is able to help with food for the reception please be in touch with Aleta or Pastor Megan.

Upcoming Events and Dates: 

·        Every Wednesday – June 11-September 24, 6:30-8pm  – Summer Bible Movie Night: (@ St Paulus Lutheran 1541 Polk St) We will be watching the 10 part Bible Series created by the History channel.  You can come and join us or you can use our study guide questions that are posted online and watch at home each week.  The Bible series is available for streaming on Netflix.

·        September 20 – Neighborhood Block Party: Our street closure permit is submitted and awaiting approval.

·        September 27 – Open House and Pastor Megan and Laurel’s, 4-7pm, You are invited to join us for a gathering.  Please note that there is a staircase with about 12 stairs at the entrance to the house and that we have cats. Email Pastor Megan for the address.  pastor@gracesf.com

·        December 6 - Beatles Mass, 7pm Eucharist

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

·        November 8 – Welcome Fundraiser: We will have a Musical Event featuring the movie RENT.

·        November 27 – Thanksgiving:  A meal served for 300 individuals (mostly homeless or seniors) by Welcome at St. Francis Lutheran Church (152 Church St).

·        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

·        January 29-31 – Grace Film Festival, Grace will be hosting a film festival (January 29th theme: Faith; January 30th theme: Hope; January 31st theme: Love).  All films will be screened in our sanctuary and will feature films that reflect our progressive Lutheran faith. Cost: $5 each of the 5 time slots or $20 for the entire festival for advance tickets.  Volunteers and members of Grace get in free.  Sliding scale at the door for anyone who would like.  (@3201 Ulloa St)