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“I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering up its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”
–Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
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Welcome to Worship on Sunday, September 13, 2020.
During this time of worship you may wish to have a candle to light and to have bread and a beverage for communion — whatever you have available will be sufficient.
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Gathering Song Come Away from Rush and Hurry NewCity Orlando
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Acknowledgement of Land
(An act towards reconciliation)
For thousands of years, First Nations people have walked on this land; their relationship with the land is at the center of their lives and spirituality. We are gathered on the traditional territory of the Coastal Salish and Puyallup people, and we acknowledge their stewardship of this land throughout the ages.
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GATHERING & EXPLORING
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Scriptural Reflection Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Into the Unknown
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Prayer of Confession Matthew 18 B.J. Beu
Reconciling God,
we would rather gossip
about those who sin against us,
than speak to them privately;
we would rather parade our wounds
for all to see,
than quietly work toward forgiveness
and reconciliation.
Help us choose the harder road,
the road that opens possibilities
for real healing, real forgiveness,
and real growth in your Spirit.
Help us place the best interests
of our community of faith
above our own need
for public vindication.
(Pause for silent or spoken prayers.)
In generous reconciliation you forgive us, restore us,
and renew us in relationship with you.
We give thanks for this beautiful gift in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Set apart your worship space by lighting a candle along with the video clip. The light of the candle symbolizes the presence of the Holy wherever we are.
You can find all of the lectionary readings for Sunday, September 13, 2020 here: https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=159
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Welcome · Lighting of Community Candle · Scripture · Moment of Wonder · Sermon
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AFFIRMING
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Song for Reflection & Offering Praise You in this Storm Casting Crowns
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Offering
There are a number of ways to contribute financially when we are unable to attend worship in person:
• Make a one-time donation or manage ongoing, automatic giving on our secure website page: https://fccpuyallup.com/donate
• Use our mobile app to set up one-time or ongoing giving from your phone. Download the GivePlus app from the App Store or Google Play to your smartphone and then search for “First Christian Church” using our zip code, 98371.
• Send checks by mail to: First Christian Church, 623 9th Ave. SW, P.O. Box 516, Puyallup, WA 98371
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Stewardship Moment Make An Impact Ben Lionel Scott
Stewardship: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care
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CELEBRATING & BLESSING
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Prayers of the People Blessing for a Face Mask
First Congregational Church of Western Springs
Gracious and merciful God, abounding in steadfast love,
give us hearts made in the image of Christ,
intent on loving one another,
so that together we may be bold to pray…
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.
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Communion
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Closing Benediction Blessed is the Path by Eric Williams
Blessed is the path on which you travel.
Blessed is the body that carries you upon it.
Blessed is your heart that has heard the call.
Blessed is your mind that discerns the way.
Blessed is the gift that you will receive by going.
Truly blessed is the gift that you will become on the journey.
May you go forth in peace.
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Closing Song One Day by Matisyahu Koolulam
For best results select the Closed Caption (CC) setting for this video.
Koolulam is a social-musical initiative meant to bring together people from all walks of life. The idea is to simply stop everything for a few hours and just sing — together.
This orchestration in Haifa, Israel asked 3,000 Muslims and Jews (who had not met) to together learn, in less than an hour, the song “One Day” by Matisyahu. They learned how to sing and harmonize the lyrics in three different languages.
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Guest Preacher: Rev. Tom Wolbrecht; Elders: Robin Crabb & Ric Rose; Scripture: Rev. Sandy Messick; Moment of Wonder: Gretchen Mertes; Worship slides photo: Mike Herbert
