Welcome and Announcements
Introit: “Hear My Prayer, O Lord,” Henry Purcell
Hear my prayer, O lord and let my crying come unto Thee.
Psalm 102: 1
Call to Worship: Psalm 45:6-7
Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; You love righteousness and hate wickedness.
LET US WORSHIP GOD.
Hymn: “God of the Ages,” 331, vs 1-3
Prayer of the Day
Prayer of Confession
O God, we confess our paralysis and fear before the terrifying Goliaths of our time: COVID-19, racial injustice, and white supremacy. We find ourselves crippled by tortured pasts, a problematic present, and an uncertain future. Our days are filled with weariness, longing, despair, and a sense of futility. Come to us, O God, in this moment of worship. Offer us the balm of Your forgiveness, the vigor of Your summons to do the good we can do, and the confidence to trust that You are working Your purposes out, in spite of all that terrorizes us. This we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, who heals, restores, and enlivens. AMEN.
Assurance of Pardon and Commitment to Pass the Peace
Prayer for Illumination
O God, we hunger for Your Word which is truth and life. Speak to us this day, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Time for Children, Jenny Newman
Setting the Sermon
Hebrew Reading: I Samuel 17:28-40
28 His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David. He said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle.” 29 David said, “What have I done now? It was only a question.” 30 He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before.
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
Sermon: “Saul, Black Lives Matter, and Our National Moment,” Rev. Vincent Kolb
Hymn: “Today We All Are Called to be Disciples,” 757
Affirmation of Faith: Belhar Confession
We believe that God has revealed Godself as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people; that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged; that God wishes to teach the church to do what is good and to seek the right; that the church must therefore stand by people in any form of suffering and need, which implies, among other things, that the church must witness against and strive against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream; that the church as the possession of God must stand where the Lord stands, namely against injustice and with the wronged; that in following Christ the church must witness against all the powerful and privileged who selfishly seek their own interests and thus control and harm others.
We believe that, in obedience to Jesus Christ, its only head, the church is called to confess and to do all these things, even though the authorities and human laws might forbid them and punishment and suffering be the consequence.
Jesus is Lord. To the one and only God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be the honor and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Supper
Pastoral Prayer, Rev. Betty Voigt
The Lord’s Prayer, 2019 Vatican Update
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors;
do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing Anthem: “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,” arr. Moses Hogan
Refrain: Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel, and why not every man?
He delivered Daniel from the lion’s den,
Jonah from the belly of the whale,
and the Hebrew children from the fiery furnace,
so why not every man? Refrain
The wind blows east and the wind blows west,
It blows like the judgement day.
And every soul that never did pray
will be glad to pray that day. Refrain
I set my foot on the Gospel ship,
and the ship began to sail;
it landed me over on Canaan’s shore
and I’ll never come back no more! Refrain
African American Spiritual
Benediction
Announcements
We are an open and affirming community of faith in Jesus Christ. At home in an urban neighborhood of many faiths, we acknowledge that we are not alone on the path to understanding God. In worship, study, and fellowship, we celebrate our Presbyterian roots and find joy in our diversity. We strive for the grace to love one another as we seek deeper understanding of life in the Spirit, working for justice and serving as stewards of God’s wondrous creation.
We are a More Light congregation: “Following the risen Christ, and seeking to make the Church a true community of hospitality, the mission of More Light Presbyterians is the full participation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
Inclusive Language: Words matter. Jesus Christ, the living Word, reached out to all people to bring all people into God’s fold. The kingdom of God includes all types of people; therefore our language should reflect the inclusivity and equality among the people of God. To the end, when possible, we seek to eliminate the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender without altering passages that reflect the historical situation of ancient patriarchal culture, out of which the Bible originated.
* The Session has closed the building until further notice to observe the governmental restrictions of social distancing.
* Many thanks to Beth Hazlett and Rev. Betty Voigt for being part of the service this week!
* “Thank God It’s Friday Happy Hour!” Join Pastor Vincent on Friday, July 10, from 5:30-6:30 for a time of virtual fellowship. If you’d like to attend, let the office know via email, and we will send you the Zoom link.
* David Harris, Race, Fear, and the Law in Police Confrontations. Join us on Wednesday, July 16, at 7 pm, via Zoom to take a sobering look backward and forward at the recent history of public safety in our city. David Harris is a leading national expert on public safety who looks back on the Jordan Miles beating and what that event meant for police/community relations in Pittsburgh. His presentation will be followed by Q&A, and an offering for PIIN will be received.
* Want to join Pastor Vincent’s Bible study of the lectionary texts at 11 am on Wednesdays? Contact the office to get on the email list for connection to the Zoom meeting.
* Zoom confused? Set up a call with Amy, and we’ll work through it together.
* It’s not the same as the thrill of putting the envelope in the plate, but you can still pay on your pledges either through eGive (click here!) or by mailing your check to the church. We continue to need your support in this challenging time!
* Resources for families are on Jenny’s Children and Youth blog (click here!)
* The Sixth Church Mouse Returns! For congregants who would like to participate in an email form of prayers of the people, please contact sixthchurchmouse@gmail.com to be added to the list. You can submit prayer requests to the same email address by Thursdays at 5 pm to be included in an email sent each Friday. Please remember that confidentiality still applies; we want this to be a safe place for both participants and those we love.
Comments are closed.