Welcome and Announcements
Introit: “O Taste and See,” Ralph Vaughan Williams
O taste and see how gracious the Lord is: blest is the man that trusteth in him.
O taste and see how gracious the Lord is: blest is the man that trusteth in him.
Blest is the man that trusteth in him.
Blest is the man that trusteth in him.
The man that trusteth in him.
Call to Worship
God meets us in our greatest need and satisfies us with divine presence and provision.
In gratitude, LET US WORSHIP GOD.
Hymn: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” 182
Prayer of the Day
Prayer of Confession
God of compassion, we are sick. We have wrestled all night with worry instead of resting in you. We have asserted our own goodness instead of awakening to yours. We have turned away those hungry for your help instead of trusting you and feeding them from your limitless supply of blessings. Forgive us, heal us, and help us to hold on to you. We call upon you, for you will answer us, O God, through Jesus Christ our Protector. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon and Commitment to Pass the Peace
Prayer for Illumination
All-knowing God, you have satisfied our hunger at sunset and held us close through nights of wrestling. Now let the day break with your blessing. Awaken and illumine us by your Word that we may behold your likeness. Amen.
Time for Children, Jenny Newman
Hebrew Reading: Genesis 32:22-31
22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man[a] said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[b] for you have striven with God and with humans,[c] and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[d] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
Sermon: “Wrestling with God,” Rev. Myra Kazanjian
Hymn: “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” 833
Affirmation of Faith
We believe in God’s creative, embracing love for all that is. We affirm the inherent beauty, worth and dignity of all people. We believe that God’s wisdom may be known in a variety of ways, and that God wants us to be reliable and trustworthy. We believe that God rejoices when we reveal to the world our full selves. We believe God entwines body and spirit in all people, and that God cries out with the persecuted, whose yearning for freedom is also God’s. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth!
Hymn: “Before I Take the Body of My Lord,” 428
The Lord’s Supper
Pastoral Prayer
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: “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” Robert Robinson
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy great help I’ve come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Lord, here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
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 Rev. Myra Kazanjian and Bill Moore for being part of the service this week!
* 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.
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