November 1, 2009

8:00 AM
Usher: Cooper
Usher: Needed
First Reading: Pick up Reader’s Card
Psalm: Pick up Reader’s Card
Prayers of the People: Pick up Reader’s Card
Chalice: Kathy Van Orden
Chalice: Janet Murry

Coffee Hour: Needed

10:00 AM
Usher: Rachel Compton
Usher: Nicole Compton
First Reading: Gail Connolly
Psalm: Jan Moore
Prayers of the People: Gwendolyn Fleischer
Chalice: Rob Nelson
Chalice: Gwendolyn Fleischer

Coffee Hour: The Brown Family


First Reading Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


Psalm 24

The earth is the LORD’S and all that is in it, * the world and all who dwell therein.

For it is he who founded it upon the seas * and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.

“Who can ascend the hill of the LORD? " * and who can stand in his holy place?”

“Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, * who have not pledged themselves to falsehood, nor sworn by what is a fraud.

They shall receive a blessing from the LORD * and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”

Such is the generation of those who seek him, * of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; * and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is this King of glory?” * “The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.”

Lift up your heads, O gates; lift them high, O everlasting doors; * and the King of glory shall come in.

“Who is he, this King of glory?” “The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

Glory to the Holy Trinity of Love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.


Holy Gospel John 11:32-44

The +++ Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.”Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

October 25, 2009

8:00 AM
Usher: Muriel Schulz
Usher: Needed
First Reading: Pick up Reader’s Card
Psalm: Pick up Reader’s Card
Prayers of the People: Pick up Reader’s Card
Chalice: Kathy Van Orden
Chalice: Needed

Coffee Hour: Needed

10:00 AM
Usher: Elizabeth Pringle
Usher: Susan Mulledy-DeFrank
First Reading: Alan Franz
Psalm: Jan Moore
Prayers of the People: Jeanne Mayer
Chalice: Gwendolyn Fleischer
Chalice: Gail Connolly

Coffee Hour: Michelle Franz & Family

First Reading Job 42:1-6, 10-17

Then Job answered the LORD:

“I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.’
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.



Psalm 34;1-8, (19-22)

I will bless the LORD at all times; * his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

I will glory in the LORD; * let the humble hear and rejoice.

Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD; * let us exalt his Name together.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me * and delivered me out of all my terror.

Look upon him and be radiant, * and let not your faces be ashamed.

I called in my affliction and the LORD heard me * and saved me from all my troubles.

The angel of the LORD encompasses those who fear him, * and he will deliver them.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; * happy are they who trust in him!

[Many are the troubles of the righteous, * but the LORD will deliver him out of them all.

He will keep safe all his bones; * not one of them shall be broken.

Evil shall slay the wicked, * and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

The LORD ransoms the life of his servants, * and none will be punished who trust in him.]



Holy Gospel Mark 10:46-52

The +++ Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

October 18, 2009

8:00 AM
Usher: Muriel Schulz
Usher: Needed
First Reading: Pick up Reader’s Card
Psalm: Pick up Reader’s Card
Prayers of the People: Pick up Reader’s Card
Chalice: Needed
Chalice: Needed

Coffee Hour: Needed

10:00 AM
Usher: Steve Duke
Usher: Barbara Ramsey-Duke
First Reading: Jeanne Mayer
Psalm: Chuck Winn
Prayers of the People: Elizabeth Pringle
Chalice: Rob Nelson
Chalice: Susan Mulledy-DeFrank

Coffee Hour: Gail Connolly


First Reading Job 38:1-7, (34-41)

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements-- surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?”

[“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?”]


Psalm 104:1-9, 25, 37c

Bless the LORD, O my soul; * O LORD my God, how excellent is your greatness! you are clothed with majesty and splendor.

You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak * and spread out the heavens like a curtain.

You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; * you make the clouds your chariot; you ride on the wings of the wind.

You make the winds your messengers * and flames of fire your servants.

You have set the earth upon its foundations, * so that it never shall move at any time.

You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; * the waters stood higher than the mountains.

At your rebuke they fled; * at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.

They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, * to the places you had appointed for them.

You set the limits that they should not pass; * they shall not again cover the earth.

O LORD, how manifold are your works! * in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Hallelujah!


Holy Gospel Mark 10:46-52

The +++ Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

The First Adam Meets The Second Adam on the Road to Jerusalem

I am doing some praying over this coming week's Gospel reading from Mark. It is set in the context of the disciples' failure to really understand who Jesus is and his moving towards Jerusalem where his identity and the very nature of God will be put on trial and found guilty by the judges of his day.

Jesus says that this human way of judging him shows how little we really know about the nature of things: sin (what divides us by uniting the majority against a perceived threat from others, usually a minority with less power than the majority), judgment (the sense of being absolutely right in how we determine the evil in others and the good in ourselves), and righteousness (how we are related and brought together with one another and God by God’s initiative, not our own). And somewhere along the way to Jerusalem, a man comes to him and falls at his feet and implores Jesus to tell him how he can inherit eternal life.

Perhaps the man sees eternal life as a consumer product rather than a gift of relationship with God and other people. Is eternal life something you can get in return for good behavior or appropriate giving? Eternal life is often seen today as a personal improvement in status or reward which begins when we die.

But there is no life, eternal or temporary, that is divorced from our primary relationship with God as our Creator and Father and all of God’s children without exception because eternal life is about how God deals with sin, our human way of judging, and reconstituting the way we create community.

This man is apparently very wealthy and very religious. His relationship with God has been reduced to following laws and following them without a misstep. Jesus looks deeply into the eyes of the man and loves him. Does Jesus see himself in this man?

Does Jesus see us in this man. Is the rich young man who is unnamed in Mark's Gospel this Sunday really the first Adam who continues to walk away sadly with his wealth?

Is Jesus the second Adam who continues on his journey to Jerusalem to offer the wealth of the universe for the salvation of the world? Hmm...sounds a bit Twilight Zonish, but it appeals to my heart and soul this morning as I pray with this text.

We shall see where further prayer and reflection takes me before this message is preached on Sunday.

October 11, 2009

8:00 AM
Usher: Muriel Schulz
Usher: Needed
First Reading: Pick up Reader’s Card
Psalm: Pick up Reader’s Card
Prayers of the People: Pick up Reader’s Card
Chalice: Kathy Van Orden
Chalice: Needed

Coffee Hour: Needed

10:00 AM
Usher: Rob Nelson
Usher: Laurie Nelson
First Reading: Gail Connolly
Psalm: Chuck Winn
Prayers of the People: Gwendolyn Fleischer
Chalice: Bob Nelson
Chalice: Sandie Nelson

Coffee Hour: Jeanne Kipp & Kathleen Ramjohn


First Reading Job 23:1-9, 16-17

Then Job answered:

“Today also my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy despite my groaning.
Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his dwelling!
I would lay my case before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would learn what he would answer me,
and understand what he would say to me.
Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; but he would give heed to me.
There an upright person could reason with him,
and I should be acquitted forever by my judge.

“If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face!”


Psalm 22:1-15

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? * and are so far from my cry
and from the words of my distress?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; * by night as well, but I find no rest.

Yet you are the Holy One, * enthroned upon the praises of Israel.

Our forefathers put their trust in you; * they trusted, and you delivered them.

They cried out to you and were delivered; * they trusted in you and were not put to shame.

But as for me, I am a worm and no man, * scorned by all and despised by the people.

All who see me laugh me to scorn; * they curl their lips and wag their heads, saying,

“He trusted in the LORD; let him deliver him; * let him rescue him, if he delights in him.”

Yet you are he who took me out of the womb, * and kept me safe upon my mother’s breast.

I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born; * you were my God when I was still in my mother’s womb.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near, * and there is none to help.

Many young bulls encircle me; * strong bulls of Bashan surround me.

They open wide their jaws at me, * like a ravening and a roaring lion.

I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; * my heart within my breast is melting wax.

My mouth is dried out like a pot-sherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; * and you have laid me in the dust of the grave.

Glory to the Holy Trinity of Love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.


Holy Gospel Mark 10:17-31

The +++ Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again,

“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age - houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions - and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”