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.
Introit - “O Worship the King all Glorious Above” (Arr. by W. Gardiner) - Sarah Park
Welcome to Mantua Center Christian Church -- a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
- 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
- Thanksgiving Plunge celebration
- Advent Calendar in the pews
- MCCC Christmas Party coming - Dec 9 (childcare)
- MCCC Blue Christmas: Service for the Weary (Dec 21st)
- Children’s Pageant -- Singing led by Carli Calapa and Cheryl Delaney. Practice will be weekly during church until Dec 17
Scripture - Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
*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: We come together to see and hear God through the presence of one another. What shall we return to God for all God’s goodness to us?
All: We shall return the offering of our presence—our gift to the world as God’s people.
One: Let us share at the Lord’s Table and call upon God.
All: We give thanks that God is always near!
One: We give thanks that God is always faithful!
All: We give thanks for the gift of worshiping God as one people!
*Opening Hymn - “Ours the Journey” #458, v. 1-4
1 In the midst of new dimensions, in the face of changing ways,
who will lead the pilgrim peoples wandering their sep’rate ways?
[Refrain]
God of rainbow, fiery pillar, leading where the eagles soar,
we your people, ours the journey now and evermore.
2 Through the flood of starving peoples, warring factions and despair,
who will lift the olive branches? Who will light the flame of care? [Refrain]
3 Though we reach the highest heavens, holding worlds at your command,
we are yet a desert people searching for the promised land. [Refrain]
4 Should the threats of dire predictions cause us to withdraw in pain,
may your blazing phoenix spirit resurrect the church again. [Refrain]
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Becky Tipton
Offertory - “My life, My Love I Give to Thee” (by C. R. Dunbar) 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 - Becky Tipton
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
- 4th for the 4C’s
Special Music
“Full Harvest” (by Carolyn Hamlin) - MCCC Choir
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Gracious and Loving God,
We come before you today with hearts full of gratitude for the abundance of your blessings. As we reflect on the gifts you have bestowed upon us, we are mindful of our responsibility as stewards of your creation. Give us wisdom to use our resources wisely, recognizing that all we have is ultimately a gift from your generous hand.
In the midst of a world that often feels burdened by turmoil and uncertainty, we lift up our collective concerns for peace and justice. We pray for nations in conflict, for leaders facing difficult decisions, and for the countless individuals affected by violence and injustice. May your spirit of reconciliation and compassion guide the hearts of all who hold positions of power, that they may seek solutions that promote harmony and understanding.
Lord, we bring before you the troubles of our everyday lives—the challenges, the sorrows, and the moments of uncertainty. We pray for those among us who are facing health concerns, financial difficulties, or the weight of personal struggles. Wrap them in your comforting embrace, O God, and grant them the strength to endure. May our community be a source of support, understanding, and love for one another here in this place. Remind us that, even in the midst of trials, your grace is sufficient, and your love is unwavering. Empower us to be agents of your peace, shining your light into the darkest corners of our world.
And unite us together as we pray the prayer Jesus taught us saying…
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 - Sandi Kossick
*Hymn - “You Satisfy a Hungry Heart” #429, vs. 1-2 & 4
[Refrain]
You satisfy a hungry heart with gift of finest wheat;
Come give to us, O saving Lord, the bread of life to eat.
With joyful lips we sing to you our praise and gratitude, that you should count us worthy, Lord, to share this heavenly food. [Refrain]
Is not the cup we bless and share the blood of Christ outpoured?
Do not one cup, one loaf, declare our oneness in the Lord? [Refrain]
4. You give yourself to us, O Lord; then selfless let us be,
to serve each other in your name and truth and charity [Refrain]
Prayer - Brian Hurd
Words of Institution - Brian Hurd
Music “Would You be Free From Your Burden of Sin?” (by L. E. Jones) - Sarah Park
Scripture - Psalm 116
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I kept my faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted’; 11 I said in my consternation, ‘Everyone is a liar.’
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving-maid. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
Sermon - “LOVING Offering” - Rev. Chad Delaney
Way back in 1990, Bette Midler released a hit single…
From a distance, the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
God is watching us
God is watching us
God is watching us
From a distance
Beautiful, catchy, and inspiring. Listen again sometime, the lyrics still work for today.
But….it does stand in interesting contrast to say……a popular hymn like In the Garden,
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
So which is it? Is God close or at a distance?
Of course, we understand both points of view. Within the human experience are moments when God feels as CLOSE as the breath on our cheeks and others when we feel as though God was only watching from a distance. You’ll hear these different points of view in hymns and songs. It will be discussed and debated by theologians and philosophers.
But what do we really need to know when life’s storms hit us the hardest?
We don’t know what happened to the author of Psalm 116, but it has been intense for them.
Were they battling an illness? Experiencing the violence of war? Were they in a deep depression? Overwhelmed? They offer a powerful description
3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
Chances are you never thought the “pangs of Sheol” laid ahold of you, but you have had your share of distress. Perhaps you are remembering one right now, accompanying someone who is dealing with one, or maybe you are experiencing it yourself!
So we reach out to God. We cry. We pray. And we hope someone can hear.
The Psalmist cries out,
“Then I called on the name of the Lord:‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’
Honest. Raw. No philosophical platitudes. No well crafted prayers that reflect the inner logical coherency of our belief system. Instead, the Psalmist essentially calls out for Mommy! God, I need you now. Perhaps this is the prayer that resonates most deeply with the human experience.
How many around the world right now are praying the prayer…”O Lord, I pray, save my life!” The innocents in Gaza and Israel. The mom running away from an abuser. The child looking for something to eat. The young man ensnared by a spiral of depression. The busy parent drowning in their own stress and world. “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” Does God hear?
The Psalmist shares their experience of struggle and offers, too, testimony to a simple truth. God hears.
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
The Psalmist joins a chorus of testimony from the scripture that God hears.
In Genesis, after Hagar runs away from Sarah’s abuse, she stops in the wilderness too exhausted to move forward. When the messenger of the Holy finds her there and offers her a divine covenant, she names the place “God sees” and decides to name her child, “God hears”—Ishmael (Gn 16:7-15).
The powerful story of God’s bringing the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt is rooted in this divine act of hearing. Under the growing oppression of the Pharaoh, the people cried out, and the scripture says, “God heard their groaning”
Throughout the Psalms, we hear repeated cries for the Divine to “hear” or “listen” to the voice of the one praying (e.g., 17:1; 27:7; 61:1; etc.) and testimony to God’s abiding presence that transformed and redeemed their lives.
Whatever it might FEEL like sometimes…the Bible teaches us that God is closeby. We know a God who hears. Who sees. Who accompanies. Who speaks through neighbors and friends and enemies and loved ones. Who responds to shouts for Mommy and to quiet whispers in the still of night. God hears. As the great Howard Thurman said, ‘God is the God of history. God does not stand apart as some mighty spectator but is in the process.”
Every human being has held the fear of being alone, being unheard, being unknown. But the Psalmist reminds us that in the hardest times and best of times, God hears. God sees. God knows. And…the Psalmist takes it a step further…This powerful truth doesn’t just move us to celebrate…but to participate. There is extraordinary gratitude, there is joy, there is faith! And…the Psalmist poses a powerful question presented to each one of us
12What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
As a response to this One who is intimately intertwined in our lives, who knows and loves us…What kind of offering can I make?
Will my gratitude to God soften my heart enough to be tender with the struggling person behind the counter?
Will my appreciation open my heart wide enough to write a note of encouragement to that person who needs it?
Will this thanksgiving welling up within me move me to give to a cause I care about? To be more patient and understanding with my spouse and children?
Will God’s loving and listening move me to listen to the cries around me and respond?
12What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?
In this season of Thanksgiving and Stewardship…we each come with our own story. Our joys and struggles. Our times of crying out to God wanting to be heard and known. We have experienced distress and anguish. In faith, keep talking with God, beloved…the Good News is that whether from a distance or right beside us……God is always close enough to hear. And then may we, too, respond with celebration, joy, and gratitude. To recount the ways God has walked with us and saved us. To give thanks for the gift of God’s listening and loving, for the Gift of Jesus Christ--who is our teacher, our friend, and redeemer. And then…to present our whole being as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, a Thanksgiving sacrifice to the Lord. To live out our thanks with an offering of love. May it be so. Amen.
*Closing Hymn - “Take My Life” #609, vs. 1-3, & 6
1 Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
2 Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice, and let me sing; unto God my praise I bring.
Take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee.
6 Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.
Advent Preparation & Benediction
- Thank you for joining us online and in the house.
- Please join us for coffee downstairs
- Wednesday Dwelling in the Word study and evening Life Study
- Advent is here
Today marks the last Sunday in the Church liturgical calendar as we now turn our hearts and spirits toward the Advent Season. Advent is a season of waiting and expectation that God will break into the world in a new way. We will decorate the sanctuary today not just to be festive, but to symbolize God’s presence with us.
- There will be the color purple to signify the sacred and spiritual fulfillment.
- There will be evergreen -- a symbol of God’s unchanging and eternal presence.
- There will be nativities to remember the true meaning of Christmas.
- There will be a tree with Chrismons sharing the symbols of our faith.
- All reminders that even in this weary world, there is reason for Joy!
And…each week we will light candles. The four candles provide us with a visual way to count off four Sundays of this season. The flame of each new candle reminds us that something is happening, but something more is still to come. The three purple candles symbolize the coming of Christ from the royal line of David. The pink candle is lit on the third Sunday of the Advent season. This candle symbolizes joy. Lastly we will light the Christ Candle on Christmas Eve.
The Gospel of John speaks of the Coming of Christ as the true light coming into the world. It is significant that the church has always used that language—the coming of Christ—because it speaks to a deep truth. Christ is coming. Christ is always coming, always entering a troubled world, a wounded world, and our own weary hearts.
We Will Light Candles This Christmas by Howard Thurman
Candles of joy, despite all sadness.
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage for fears ever present.
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days,
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens,
Candles of love to inspire our living,
Candles that will burn all year long.
PRAYER
God of the darkened night,
God of the morning light, come to us again.
Come to us in the preparation of our homes and our hearts.
Come to us in the harmony of song and the sound of silence.
Come in our faithful waiting and hopeful watching.
Come to us in the cry for peace and the smile of forgiveness.
Come to us in the midst of our weariness with a bundle of joy
God of the darkened night, God of the morning light,
come to us; be with us in this coming season. Amen.
As we depart…May God’s Grace and Peace ground you, surround you, and astound you as love and listen and serve in Christ’s Name. Amen.
Postlude - “There's Sunshine in My Soul” (by J. R. Sweney) - Sarah Park