Good Morning! This is the day that the Lord has made! We are so blessed to be with one another in worship today. No matter who you are and where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome hear to join in this community of love, friendship, and fellowship in God’s Spirit. Today we are looking at a wonderful passage in Hebrews giving us glimpse into the values of the earliest Christian Churches. What lessons about community and connection can we take with us? We pray that you might be blessed and moved by the Spirit in this time of worship today. Welcome to worship!
Introit - “Come,Thou Almighty King” [by F. De Giardini] -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
Scripture - Romans 12:4-8
4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
*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 - Peg Ehrlinger
One: We gather together to worship…
All: Knowing that God is already here among us;
One: We trust that there is nothing that separates us
from the presence of our Lord.
All: Wherever we are, wherever we go, God is near.
One: So let’s enter into this service of worship with confidence and hope,
All: knowing that God is already with us, eager to meet us here!
*Opening Hymn - “Gather Us In” #284, v. 1-4
Here in this place, the new light is streaming, shadows of doubt are vanished away.
See in this space our fears and our dreamings, brought here to you in the light of this day.
Gather us in, the lost and forsaken, gather us in; our spirits inflame.
Call to us now, and we shall awaken; we shall arise at the sound of our name.
We are the young--our lives are a mystery, we are the old who yearn for your face.
We have been sung throughout all of history, called to be light to the whole human race.
Gather us in--the rich and the haughty; gather us in--the proud and the strong;
Give us a heart so meek and so lowly; give us the courage to enter the song.
Here we receive new life in the waters; here we receive the bread of new birth
Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth
Give us to drink the wine of compassion, give us to eat the bread that is you;
Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true.
Not just in buildings, small and confining, not in some heaven light years away,
Here in this place the new light is shining; now is God present, and now is the day.
Gather us in and hold us forever; gather us in and make us your own;
Gather us in, all peoples together, fire of love in our flesh and our bone.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Peg Ehrlinger
Offertory “Jesus comes with power to gladden” [by W. J. Kirkpatrick]
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 Peg Ehrlinger
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
Handshake or High Five
Special Music
“Morning Meditation” [by J. S. Dixon & R. W. Thygerson] - Jan Green
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Gratitude for Pastor Len - Oct 21st
Prayers for Shirley -- Ellie Monroe’s daughter
Gordon and Muir Steward
Barb Jackson
Shelly’s husband--Doug
180 kids for Kids Weekend Meals
Neighborhood Bridges
God of Life and Love, thank you for meeting us here. Thank you for love us just as we are. You call us to community in this place. Yes, we are going to be closer to some people than others…but you have brought us together to put our gifts and talents together to be your people in this place in such a time as this. Help us to offer our Christian friendship to one another. To be faithful, kind, forgiving, and generous. Help us to see you in one another.
Help us to love and appreciate our differences and to find joy in our similarities. We do pray for places in the world where deep divisions run between people because of race, religion or past history. Lord, help your people to extend a hand of friendship to those who are different--even rivals--even enemies---for all are your children.
We pray for our communities where different traditions shape different outlooks on things. Lord, help us to listen well to each other that we may learn to live together knowing that though different we are your family in Christ.
We pray for our families here. For the kids and teens who are navigating a world many of us just can’t quite understand. Where growing up is hard, where harsh words spoken in anger are not easily taken back, and hurtful or thoughtless actions endanger relationships. We pray for parents as we try our best to raise our kids with love, not fear. We pray for grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and church family…that we might support and be there for one another. Empower us by your spirit to be patient, slow to anger and wise in our speaking and doing. Help us to lean on one another and remember that we are all bound together in your spirit and presence.
God, each of us have hurts and struggles. Joys and fears. We give them all to you…..
Let us pray together the prayer Jesus taught us:
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, for ever. Amen.
Holy Communion
Meditation - Sally Hoffman
Hymn - “Take our Bread” #413, v.1
[Refrain]
Take our bread, we ask you; take our hearts, we love you.
Take our lives, O Father, we are yours, we are yours.
Yours as we stand at the table you set;
Yours as we eat the bread, our hearts can't forget.
We are the signs of your life with us yet,
we are yours, we are yours. (Refrain)
Prayer - Sandi Kossick
Words of Institution - Sandi Kossick
Music - “Jesus Shed His Blood for Me” [By W.H.Doane] - Sarah Park
Scripture - Hebrews 10:23-25
23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Sermon “Intertwined” - Rev. Chad Delaney
Walking in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park, the Giant Sequoias make their powerful presence known. Thick reddish/orangish trunks that seem to go on and on up to the gnarly branches above. They are typically around 25 feet thick and 275 tall.
As we walked through the grove we came across a fallen tree that looked strange to me.
When looking at these massive trees you would expect them to have really deep roots. The biggest trees in the world also ought to have the deepest roots in the world. But that is not the case. They were quite shallow all things considered. Were they cut off to make a better photo opp along the trail. Were they rotted away? No. Turns out Giant Sequoia have no tap root and their roots only go about 6 feet deep or so…even the big ones. So what in the world keeps them from toppling over when a stiff wind comes?
The day after Christin and I were married, over 21 years ago now, we moved to Nashville, TN. She was gonna start her new teaching job on Monday and I was getting ready to start seminary. It was going to be the first time either of us were that far away from Northeast Ohio on a semi-permanent basis. No family. Very few connections. It was great for us as we started our marriage depending on each and we’d never been so keenly aware of our isolation. Our network was far away…what was going to keep us from toppling over if a big storm hit?
Think about all the far more vulnerable people in the world today who longing for connections!
Maybe they have moved into a new community and are looking for a way to plug in. Maybe they are single or have lost a spouse. Maybe family or friends have moved or passed away. Maybe they’ve shifted their ideas or beliefs and are no longer welcome in their social network. Maybe they are among those who have felt lonely even in crowded rooms or full households. Maybe they are Browns fans looking for a grief support group.
Many in the world are crying out to be heard and to be connected.
I don’t know if you caught this or not but back in May, Dr. Vivek Murthy--the US Surgeon General--issued an 85-page advisory declaring a new public health epidemic in the United States. Do you know what it was? Loneliness.
He said, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health…Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity and substance use disorders.”
On a podcast with Brene Brown, Dr. Murthy offered a series of questions for the listener to think about:
Do we choose to make time for people?
Do we show up as our true selves?
Do we seek out others with kindness?
Do we recognize the power of service to bring us together?
In these questions, I couldn’t help but have a deep recognition and gratitude for all the church has to offer. Since the time of the early church, there was a tight knit community that rallied around their faith in the one who served others, loved enemies, ate meals with the outcasts, and welcomed the stranger. The description of the early church in Acts says:
44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
AND…in our passage today we hear the importance of meeting together. Gather together, eat together, play together, work together, serve together…WHY? So as to encourage one another and PROVOKE one another to love and good deeds.
Can you find meaning in life all by your lonesome? Sure. Can you find meaning and serve others without the church? Of course.
But…can we not say with gusto that the church can indeed be a place where --together-- we can alleviate the pain and suffering in the world to a powerful measure. Together we can combat the isolation and loneliness that so many experience. Together we can share “means of grace”--the sacraments which orient our lives and draw us nearer to our Creator.
Here there is opportunity and call to serve one another. Here there is accountability and encouragement to keep on keeping on. HERE we are stronger together than we are apart. Here there is koinonia -- communal partnership to live and love in the likeness of Jesus Christ. When bearing the fruits of the Spirit and keeping the teachings of Jesus at the forefront…the church can and will be a force for good in the world. And each one of us matter. Each one’s presence and passions and gifts…matter to the whole. Every connection made, every small kindness offered, every invitation extended…only widens and strengthens are bonds to one another.
The Giant Sequoia trees survive and thrive, not because they have deep roots, but because they spread out wide (sometimes 100-200 feet) and intertwine themselves with their neighbors. Their roots overlapping, connecting, and weaving together to create an incredible web of strength underneath the surface. The whole ecosystem interlocked in a way that nurtures, feeds, and strengthens. A strong foundation to keep them from toppling over when the storms hit.
Thank you for being a part of our interlocking network at MCCC. Each one of us -- from young to old -- present, given gifts, to help build this community. To strengthen the bonds between us. To encourage one another and provoke one another to love and good deeds in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
*Closing Hymn - Called as Partners in Christ’s Service #453, 1-2, 4
Called as partners in Christ's service, called to ministries of grace,
we respond with deep commitment fresh new lines of faith to trace.
May we learn the art of sharing side by side and friend with friend,
equal partners in our caring to fulfill God's chosen end.
Christ's example, Christ's inspiring, Christ's clear call to work and worth,
let us follow never faltering, reconciling folk on earth.
Men and women, richer poorer, all God's people young and old,
blending human skills together gracious gifts from God unfold.
So God grant us for tomorrow ways to order human life
that surrounds each person’s sorrow with a calm that conquers strife.
Make us partners in our living, our compassion to increase,
messengers of faith, thus giving hope and confidence and peace.
Benediction
Thank you for joining us online and in the house.
Please join us downstairs for coffee downstairs
Please join us for our Sunday gatherings led by Jon Secaur, Carol Buzbee, and Nancy Humes. It's a great way to get to know folks and grow deeper in your faith.
Join us this week on Wednesdays
Go in peace, assured that God walks with us…
Remembering that nothing can separate us from the love of God we know in Christ
So…whatever table you find yourself at this week…
whether be it a school desk,
a work bench,
a lunch counter,
a meeting room table,
an office desk,
your own kitchen or dining room table;
every table is God’s altar. A place to meet God and know we are with one another--loved, supported, and intertwined in God’s Spirit
So Go into the world with joy and confidence,
hold fast to hope,
and let’s encourage and provoke one another
to put love into action. Amen.
Postlude - “The Mercy of God is an Ocean Divine” [by R. K. Carter] - Sarah Park