Saturday, November 29, 2014

Worship Bulletin, November 30, 2014: Grace Lutheran, San Francisco, CA 94116: ELCA





Advent 1B
 November 30, 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: Mary Ann


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:    Handel: Allegro for Clarinet (Erin Dunning)

Greeting:   Candles a lit and water is poured into the baptismal font. 
The Grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.                                      C   And also with you.


Opening Hymn: Verses 1-3

Welcome
Prayer of the Day:
God of new beginnings, help us to find strength in you.  Show us the way to become in sync with your creation.  Amen.


First Reading: Isaiah:64:1-9

64 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence— 2as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil— to make your name known to your adversaries, so that the nations might tremble at your presence! 3When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. 4From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who works for those who wait for him. 5You meet those who gladly do right, those who remember you in your ways. But you were angry, and we sinned; because you hid yourself we transgressed.

6We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7There is no one who calls on your name, or attempts to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity. 8Yet, God Most HIgh, you are our Parent; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9Do not be exceedingly angry, God Most High, and do not remember iniquity forever. Now consider, we are all your people.

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


Psalm  80 (read responsively)
1Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.         
4O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? 5You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.    
8You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.  9You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.  10The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches; 11it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River. 12Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?  13The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it. 14Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine, 15the stock that your right hand planted.  16They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.  18Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.



Second Reading:  1 Corinthians 1:1-9
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Artist of the Month: Laurel Kapros Rohrer
In the pictures my cousin showed me, her mother was a young blond girl, pretty with full lips and large eyes. She told me a story I had never heard before about her, about Eva, and how she had been saved.
Eva liked to take me to the Met.  She had  been my only family when I lived in New York and wanted me to be able to see Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro.  Eva was my grandmother's first cousin and they were like sisters.  They certainly fought like sisters, one always mad at the other for some slight none of us could figure out.  Everyone always said Eva was a little crazy, because she had survived a camp when she was young during the war.
I hear folks talk about salvation sometimes.  Being saved by a higher power, saved by something bigger than themselves.  This isn't something I wholly understand, but lately I've been thinking about Eva.  Eva was taken to Auchwitz with her mother and brother.  I don't really know why she was taken and my grandmother and her family were spared.  I heard one story that it was because my grandmother's father was a war hero.  But Eva's family wasn't so lucky.  The story my cousin told me was that in the camp Eva had been in line with her mother and brother and a guard noticed her.  Perhaps it was her pretty blonde hair?  He told her to move to another line, away from her family.  She protested, she didn't want to leave her mother.  The guard told her that it would be okay, she would see her mother soon.  the guard was wrong, she never saw her family again.
Her life, and the life of her mother and brother, didn't mean a lot in Auchwitz.  Yet that life was preserved by the enemy, by the very people that took her family away from her.  Eva survived, she lived, and she made it out, grew up, married, had a daughter, and she took me to the opera and made me feel at home.  Was she that vine that grew when the ground was cleared through hatred and violence?  Did she take root because she had to, because she was alive when others weren't?  Eva never seemed too crazy to me, though she had the marks of the camp on her body and soul.  She was loving and funny, and reminded me a lot of my grandmother who she fought with so much.  This is the kind of salvation I can try to understand.      
L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God

Special Music: Let All the People Praise Thee,  Grace Choir

ospel Acclamation:  Verse 1



Gospel Reading:  Mark 13:24-37
24“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

The gospel of the God most high.                         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: Verses 1-3





Prayers of Intercession
A    During this season of Advent, we pray that the Holy Spirit will bring us patience, compassion and eyes to see God alive and at work in the world around us.  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. Particularly, help us work to forgive others and get along with our family, neighbors and friends during the holiday season.  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.  Particularly during this season, be with those who are working on their fertility, caring for developing embryos and who are getting ready to become parents.  Help us 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 public trust, resources and properties.  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: 

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 God most high 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 Lord’s Prayer
C  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen


Blessing


Announcements


Closing Hymn (next page)


Dismissal
A:  Go in peace and serve our God.        C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude      


Sending Hymn : Verses 1-3


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.
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


There will be no bible study this week, so the pastor can get a root canal L


·         December 4 – 18  - Holden Evening Prayer, 6:30pm: Each Thursday night in Advent.
·        December 6 – Beatles Mass, 7pm
·        December 11-13 – West Coast LGBTQ Conference for Christian College Students

·        December 13 – Grace Under Fire Awards Dinner, 6-10pm: A fundraiser for Grace.

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




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.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Grace Under Fire: Award Ceremony, Online Fundraiser and Dinner


Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco, recently had a congregation who shared space at the church leave after 20 years of worshiping in the same space.  The congregation cited the sexual orientation and gender identity of our pastor, Megan Rohrer and our hosting of the Faithfully Fluid Conference (a conference for Christian college students to talk about LGBTQ issues and intersections of justice) as the reason for their departure.

As they leave our congregation, they will also leave an $18,000 gap in our budget for 2015.  We are not only interested in raising funds to fill this gap, but we also want to use this moment to listen to what the spirit might have in store for us next.

In our Christian tradition fire and the holy spirit is not viewed as destructive or full of revenge.  Rather, it provides light in the deepest darkness; hope in the face of fear; and joy in a grumpy world full of finger pointers.

During this time, though it has been stressful and emotionally difficult, we still believe that there is grace abounding.  Our congregation has used this moment to reaffirm God's welcome to ALL people and we hope will join us in celebrating others who continue to be faithful in the midst of difficult times.

We will be hosting a dinner and award ceremony following the Faithfully Fluid Conference.  If you want to join us on December 13th, 2014 from 6-10pm you can get your tickets here.


Grace Under Fire Awards Winners:

Outstanding LGBTQ Faith Leader: Michael Pappas
Outstanding Seminarian: Ashley Moore
Outstanding Social Worker: Zander Keig
Outstanding Congregations: St. Francis and First United Lutheran

Worship Archive for Christ the King Sunday: November 23, 2014: Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church: San Francisco




Christ the King
 November 23, 2014
10 am Holy Communion Service
Grace Evangelical Lutheran

Today’s Worship Participants: 
Pastor: Rev. Megan Rohrer
Music Director: Dorothy Clazie
Assisting Minister: Alita
Reader: Mary Ann

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:    

Greeting:   Water is poured into the baptismal font. 
The Grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.                                      C   And also with you.


Opening Hymn: Verses 1, 3 and 4




Welcome

Prayer of the Day:
Loving God, thank you for giving us hands and hearts to help the poor and vulnerable.  Amen.

 



First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-24

11For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. 16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
20Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

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


Psalm  100 (read responsively)

1Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.   2Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3Know that the highest authority is God. It is God that made us, we are God’s people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5For God, the most high, is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever, and God’s faithfulness to all generations.

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23

15I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
L   Word of hope, word of life.                        Thanks be to God

Artist of the Month: Laurel Kapros Rohrer                       The Verses of Grace: Chapter 1: 1-5
And thus I will say unto you the verses of Grace.
With rainbow gifts of love and devotion, tangible and intangible,
You are a flock that lifts up their shepherd (not to mention their shepherd’s wife). 
How do you measure the might of a people? 
Not through the bodies in the pews.
Not through making the most noise.
But through a strength that surprises.

And oh how we make a joyful noise when singing those hymns.
The rock of salvation may be a little rockier on some first verses
But by the last, we will hit those good notes of praise.
For we know the power of opera singers and music teachers in the choir, and we surely give thanks for them.

I know of your love of community, and your love of each other, and I give thanks for that. 
I know of your joy in this space and I give thanks for that.
I know of your love strong coffee, and I also give thanks for that. 
I have tasted of Sally’s pistachio dessert and AnnaMarie’s apricot jam, and we all give thanks for them!

The avenues of the Sunset are our foggy pasture.
And we feed each other not just with sandwiches and sweet pickles,
But with hugs, handshakes, and care.
And we will love all of the sheep,
Nice and lean and pleasingly plump!

And so I must confess before you, that I like church.
It may not be surprising to you, but it was somewhat surprising to me at first.
I did not grow up going to church or reading the many verses of the bible.
But now I find myself,
Another sheep among friends.


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


Special Music:  Let the Streams of Living Justice               ELW 710                   Grace Choir




Gospel Reading:  Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The gospel of the God most high.                           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: Verses 1-3

Prayers of Intercession
A    During this season of Pentecost, we pray that the Holy Spirit will bring understanding, inspiration and health to the church, 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. 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 public trust, resources and properties.  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:                                                                         

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 God most high 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 God most high’s Prayer:  (This version is from the New Zealand Prayer Book)
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen.

Blessing


Announcements



Sending Hymn : English Verses 1-3



Dismissal
A:  Go in peace and serve our God.        C: Thanks be to God.

Postlude       Duke Ellington        "Almighty God"

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.

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

On November 23 a thank offering will be collected for WELCA (the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America).  You can put funds for the thank offering in the special basket at the front of the sanctuary or put “thank offering” in the memo line of a check placed in the offering.


·         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




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.