Stewardship: Faithful, Hopeful, Loving
Greetings Church Family! Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church. We are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ): A movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We gather not as perfect people, but people seeking to live and love in the likeness of Jesus. We hope you are inspired and challenged by our service today and know you are invited to consider ways you might support (time, talent, and treasure) the mission of our church. We begin our Stewardship campaign and want to say thank you for all the ways your love, presence, and gifts make an impact in our church and within our community! Welcome to worship!
Introit - “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” Sarah Park
Whether online or in the house this morning, we want to welcome you….
INVITATION FOR MISSION UPDATES:
Ministry Leaders and congregants are welcome to come forward to the mic, to give a mission update or share ways for people to get involved in missions and ministries.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wanda Hoffman - won 500th career game. 32nd Coach in Ohio High School Volleyball History to reach that.
Thanksgiving Plunge coming up…
Neighborhood Bridges
Recognize our Veterans
15 youth at our Lock-in
Scripture - Psalm 40:6-10 - Rev. Chad Delaney
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.’
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation;
see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
*Response - Weave #495
Weave, weave, weave us together, Weave us together, in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together, weave us together, together in love.
*Call to Worship
ONE: Come! Now is the time!
ALL: To realign ourselves with the Good News of Jesus Christ,
who humbled himself for our elevation.
ONE: Come! Now is the Time!
ALL: To lift up the name of Jesus, remembering his
profound love for us.
ONE: Come, Now is the Time!
ALL: To worship the Living God!
*Opening Hymn “Amazing Grace” #546, vs. 1-4
1 Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
2 'Twas grace first taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
3 Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come;
'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.
4 When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun,
we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Liz Meeker
Offertory - “What a friend We Have in Jesus” [by C. C. Converse] - Sarah Park
Response "Give Thanks” #528
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son. Give Thanks!
Offering Prayer -Liz Meeker
Children’s Moment -Rev. Chad Delaney
Hug, handshake, or high five!
Special Music - “Come and Give Thanks” [by David Paxton and Colin Curtis] - Jan Green
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Gracious God, we thank you for being with us in all times to offer hope and light and comfort. We gather humbly as your people longing to feel your presence. Hear us now as we silently bring our joys and concerns to you….
Lord, this weekend--along with many countries in the world--we are honoring our nation’s veterans. We remember before you those who have served and died in the line of duty. We pray for the families and friends of the fallen as they remember their loved ones, and ask you to fill every grieving heart with peace beyond measure. We also remember and recognize the members of armed forces who have returned or are returning. We pray for those whose re-entry has been difficult. For those who return angry, hurt, disabled, and broken. We thank you for medical facilities, Veteran’s Centers, PTSD Centers, medical personnel, and social service workers who treat, work with, speak to, love, and help heal the wounded in mind, body, and spirit. We also thank you for those who have served and returned who are helping those in distress now. Be with these wounded brothers and sisters, their families, and their friends as they find healing and recovery.
We reach and extend our hands and hearts to each other as we see so much that is broken and longing to be made whole again. We long for deep and lasting peace between and among us. We pray for those
In Palestine and Israel.
In the United States where Jews and Muslims have been targets of hate-crimes.
In Myanmar where fighting has broken out and in Sudan where there have been ethnic killings.
In Ukraine as violence continues.
On the United States border as a growing migrant caravan comes from Central America, South America and Mexico.
We pray for the poor, the downtrodden, and the sick in our world, our community, and congregation this day. By your grace and presence, bring wholeness and strength.
We pray, too, for our church family in this season of stewardship. Lead us by your spirit to consider what we may give cheerfully from our hearts. Help us to be faithful to your beckon and call.
And now Lord, join us together in your Spirit as we pray together the prayer you taught us to pray saying….
Now hear us as we pray the prayer Jesus taught us to pray:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Holy Communion
Meditation - Ally Bozeka
*Hymn - Jesus Loves Me #113, vs. 1-3
1 Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong; they are weak, but he is strong.
[Refrain]
Yes! Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
2 Jesus loves me! This I know, as he loved so long ago,
taking children on the knee, saying, "Let them come to me." [Refrain]
3 Jesus loves me! still today, walking with me on the way,
wanting as a friend to give light and love to all who live. [Refrain]
Prayer - Steve Hurd
Words of Institution - Steve Hurd
Music - “Jesus, My Lord, to Thee I Cry” [ by L. D. Sankey]- Sarah Park
Scripture - Philippians 2:1-13
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Sermon - “FAITHFUL to the Mission” - Rev. Chad Delaney
Imagine with me (as a thought experiment) that in a community nearby an ice cream place opens up and they have an enormous, delicious tub of ice cream. And the sign outside the store says “Free Ice Cream.” You walk in the store and there are a bunch of small sample spoons and everyone is able to take part in the feast. Now disregarding the sanitary concerns here (remember…thought experiment), at the beginning there is a genuine sense of community, invitation, and sharing amongst the people. Everyone takes a reasonable amount and there is plenty for everyone for a long time.
However, one day a person in the community has an idea. Why not come with my own bowl, fill up for the day? Meanwhile, another person has been considering bringing in their own big spoon for a while--would it hurt to take a bit more per bite? So they do.
This of course creates a domino-effect. Others observe this and start doing the same. The big ice-cream tub starts emptying rapidly and there’s a mad panic as everyone rushes the ice cream shop and gets what they can. The tub depletes and many go away with no ice cream at all.
This little thought experiment is an example of what is known as the “Tragedy of the Commons.” The “tragedy of the commons” is a classic concept explored in economics, social sciences, and philosophy. If there is real or perceived scarcity of shared resources…people will often act within their own self-interest and abandon the common good.
This concept is seen clearly specifically in environmental devastation. There has been rushes on the ocean with over-fishing, deforestation, drinking water, and even our air. Resources held in common and often abused by people and corporations only thinking of their own self-interest. We either work together as stewards of the precious resources or there is a race to the bottom and the common good gets abandoned.
So I got to wondering what this might look like in the church. Together as a congregation we hold many things in common. We have a building we collectively support and maintain. We have chairs and tables. We have toilets and sinks and furnaces. We have cash, bank accounts, and investments. We got a kitchen. Lots of food. We have couches and lamps and carpet squares and art supplies. We have computers and projectors and a sound system. We have pews and hymns and pianos, organ and lots of bibles. We have big chairs and pulpits and crosses and vestments. We have a communion table and communion sets. We have a pastor and staff members.
But…there could be a rush or change within ANY of those…and we would still have a church. What is it that really holds us together? What could sabotage who we are?
At the church in Philippi, they were experiencing some conflict and transition. They were trying to figure out how to be the church in their time and place. Paul was in prison and so there was a vacuum in leadership. The leaders weren’t getting along and everyone was figuring out their roles and how they are to move forward. This is absolutely normal for a bustling, growing, and active community…and they needed help.
So Paul takes time in his letter to help them pan out and see the big picture. Change and transition are inevitable, but it is their common identity in Christ and their love for one another that binds them together. The people with common mission.
Powerfully, Paul reminds them with a hymn. Music has that effect doesn’t it? Some scholars say our scripture today has within it one of the oldest passages of the New Testament because it refers to a hymn that was likely familiar in their community for many years. It would be like if I sang “Jesus Loves Me” “Amazing Grace….” “Christ the Lord….”
5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,
I wonder if the Greek has more rhythm to it. If only we knew the tune! No doubt Sarah could play it.
But we can hear the core message within the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ which the church is to embody. In all things: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.
So I think the Tragedy of the Commons concept in the church is if there is a rush on the core mission of the church. Every person would have their own agenda for the mission and it would be within their own self-interest. You’d have some who’s mission it was to perpetuate the institution. Or Preserve the building. The eternal continuation of a particular ministry. Being a Hostage to History. The Prison of “We’ve always done it this way.” The plague of only looking out for me, myself, and I.
Different agendas and priorities that may or may not have anything to do with the call to which we have been called. If there is division and selfishness, the collective mission of the church dissipates. If we forget to have in us the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. We are just left with a building and a bunch of stuff. As Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
In this season of Stewardship I’m so thankful for our faithfulness to the mission of Christ to love and serve. It is in the DNA, in the building, in our hearts as a church. How else would we be standing here since 1827 and still going strong today? How else would we serve hundreds of children and their families? How else would we keep feeding our community? How else would lives continue to change and transform hearts and minds through the power of the Holy Spirit in this place?
Our greatest resources are people on fire with the Holy Spirit ready to live and love like Jesus.
In other words, keep up the good work church. Are we perfect at it…no! We gather not as perfect people, but people perfectly loved by God journeying together. When we are faithful to the call of Christ, the Kin-dom of God is among us. When we share hope and joy in tangible ways we contribute to the common good. So let’s stay vigilant. How am I participating in our mission to serve others in the likeness of Christ? How might I hear God’s call to look to the interests of others and not only myself? How am I adding my voice, my gifts, my time, my talent to the mission God has called us to in this place in such a time as this? May God bless each of us along that journey.
*Closing Hymn - “We are One in the Spirit” #494, v. 1-3
1 We are One in The Spirit, We are One in The Lord. 2x
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
[Chorus]
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our Love,
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.
2 We will walk with each other, We will walk hand in hand. 2x
And together we'll spread the News that God is in our land. [Chorus]
3 We will work with each other, We will work side by side. 2x
And we'll guard each one’s dignity and save each one’s pride. [Chorus]
Benediction
Thank you for joining us online and in the house.
Please join us downstairs for coffee downstairs
Join us this week on Wednesdays
Here at MCCC we have an aspirational mission. One which we haven’t perfected, but long grow into .
Here we are still striving to have Open Minds, Open Hearts, and Open Arms.
Our Statement of Calling reads:
We are Seekers, Leaders, Followers and Believers, committed to living and proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We believe in open communion – all are welcome!
We are seeking to be faithful servants of God, called to ease the pain, loneliness, and suffering of others in our community and our world.
We seek a joyful experience in following the Gospel by enjoying fun and fellowship with one another.
May we be this mission in the world in the name of the Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit…Amen. Go in Peace.
Postlude - “I am Thine, O Lord” [by W. H. Doane] - Sarah Park