Good morning church family! This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! Today marks the second in the series of Sabbatical lessons and I want to share with you the story of my family’s visit to Agate Beach. We will look at a familiar passage in Exodus 3 and hopefully the Spirit will reveal something new for us today to take with us in our everyday lives. If you are visiting for the first time, we hope you feel welcomed and please don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more about how you can get involved in the life of the church. We are blessed with your presence online and we hope you feel blessed by the time of worship this morning. Let’s worship the Lord!
Introit - “There’s one above all earthly friends” [by B. F. Butts] - 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.
Scripture - Mark 1:1-3 - Vince Meier
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” ’,
*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 - Vince Meier
One:This place for us is Holy Ground.
All: The place where we repeat the stories of faith that inspire us to respond to Christ’s love.
One:God called us here,
All: in whispering winds and in burning flames, disarming us of the barriers we have placed around us.
One:Instead God meets us
All:in our vulnerability and our humanity.Let us worship the Lord.
— written by Rev. MaryAnn R. Rennie
*Opening Hymn - Praise to the Lord #25, v.1-3
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, who rules all creation.
O my soul, worship the wellspring of health and salvation.
All ye who hear, now to God's temple draw near. Join me in glad adoration.
2 Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
who, as on wings of an eagle uplifted, sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen? All that is needful hath been granted in what God ordaineth?
3 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work, and defend thee.
Surely God's goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do, who with great love doth befriend thee.
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Vince Meier
Offertory - “When we walk with the Lord”[by W. H. Doane]
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
Children’s Moment
We went on a little adventure
Each one unique
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer
Prayers for: Len Malotte, Eileen Kinter, Liz Meeker with surgeries coming up. What others do we need to lift in prayer this morning?
Lord, listen to your children praying….
Lord, send your spirit in this place
Lord, listen to your children praying,
Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace…
God of Life and All Mystery,
You meet us in unexpected places. The places where silence speaks loudly. The places where being lost is a gift. The places where uncertainty is welcomed. We sometimes find ourselves in the wilderness wondering where you are and what purpose its for…and yet you continue to meet us there and surprise us.
You meet us too in the comfort of familiar places -- home, friendships, sanctuary pews, and walks in the woods. As we go on the adventure of life, where the paths are filled with routine and mystery…we thank you for being with us. Give us courage and determination to seek you wherever we go. Your wisdom and guidance lead us along the way. Be our vision so we might boldly go where we have not gone before.
In this ever-changing world, we lift up the places of hurt and struggle. We pray for the hungry around the world. For those in Somalia, Yemen, Haiti, Zambia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo.We pray for the hungry children right here in our own community, in northern Portage County. Continue to drive our passion for feeding the hungry kids in our midst. We pray for those places plagued by war and violence around the world. The children who wake up to bombs and gunshots.And we pray that as we seek to follow Christ, you might squeeze every ounce of violence out of our own minds, our speech, our actions.
Be with those who are sick in our midst, may we as your hands and feet reach out to comfort, to serve, and to heal so that your wholeness and peace would be made known to all.
We lift up all of our joys and concerns to you in silent prayer…….
Please hear us now 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, for ever. Amen.
Holy Communion
Meditation - Pete Pruszynski
Hymn - We Come as Guests Invited #386, v.1-2
1 We come as guests invited when Jesus bids us dine,
his friends on earth united to share the bread and wine;
the bread of life is broken the wine is freely poured
for us, in solemn token of Christ our dying Lord.
2 We eat and drink, receiving from Christ the grace we need,
and in our hearts believing on him by faith we feed;
with wonder and thanksgiving for love that knows no end,
we find in Jesus living our ever-present friend.
Prayer - Steve Hurd
Words of Institution - Steve Hurd
Music - “I hear the Saviour say” [By J. T. Grape] - Sarah Park
Special Music
Hallelu, Do, Lord [By Jason Krug & Pepper Chopin] -Jan Green
Scripture - Exodus 3:1-6
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ 4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 5Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ 6He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Sermon
Beyond the Wilderness - Rev. Chad Delaney
In California, we had some free space one afternoon after sauntering through the national park and heard about a place called Agate Beach. Afternoon back at the house to relax or look for a new adventure. We decided YOLO and went for it.
Upon our arrival, the beach was a bit of a mystery--we could see it from afar, but not sure what we would find there. Of course, we anticipated agates, but had our doubts. By this time in the day I suspected that the early beachcombers had already harvested the most prized treasures. At the trailhead there were some ominous signs—warnings of lurking mountain lions and dangerous ocean waves--so dangerous you shouldn’t turn your back on them. The trail itself would be an adventure--a long downhill, switchback trail that was pretty steep. We had already spent the morning sauntering through the national park…Do we heed the warnings and turn back or forge ahead into the unknown hoping it would all be worth it?I was questioning our decision.
Many of us have heard the story of Moses many times. By this point in our passage Moses had already been through a lot floating down rivers, killing an Egyptian, and fleeing to a foreign land to meet his wife and start a new life. Now, he was leaving Midian with a flock of sheep to head to Mount Horeb. We see here that there he would find a peculiar bush, learn God’s name, and hear God’s call to “Let my people go.”
Now…what I had NOT noticed before in the story is a small phrase in verse 1 - “Moses led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.” So Moses is already in unchartered territory, but now he’s even going past that. Venturing BEYOND the wilderness. What does that even mean? Its one thing to “be lost in the wilderness” it's another thing to go deeper in.
This summer, I went on the Great Allegheny Passage, 150-mile bike trip from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD with 8 other guys. The first day we’re in Pittsburgh and you’re basically riding through the city and industrial areas. The first 20 miles is paved and pretty smooth riding. But then you get to the gravel part of the trail and you realize that you are gonna soon be out in the middle of nowhere and start your ascent into the woods. There’s a transition point there.After this you know there is likely no cell-phone reception, no access for emergency vehicles, no bike repair shops…you just hope everyone stays in one piece to the next stop.
Moses’ transition point in the story was obviously a bit more harrowing. I looked it up and it turns out that Mt. Horeb was over 120 miles from Midian. So this wasn’t a familiar stroll to the backcountry of Midian. Moses wasn’t in Kansas anymore. He was alone, no trail, on foot, no luggage service, taking care of a flock of sheep--out BEYOND the wilderness. I wonder about that moment he decided to go from wilderness to beyond. But when he did so…he was opening himself up to something extraordinary.
As you know already, we did make the descent down the trail to Agate Beach wondering what we would come across…we were stunned. This was a place where heaps and heaps of rocks and agates are just thrown onto the beach. Instead of sand, you were walking on rocks almost all the way down the beach. 100 beachcombers could spend the day there and not put a dent in how many rocks were there. Just plop yourself down and spend a few hours sifting and looking even just within your arms’ reach.
It was a great afternoon. I sat on the rocks checking out all the different shapes, sizes, colors, and patterns while also keeping an eye on frigid and dangerous ocean waves just a few feet from us. It occurred to me that in that space was met Power, Danger, and Beauty. We found a little taste of risk, adventure,, uncertainty…and experience that we won’t forget.
Everyday in our lives we do a lot of risk assessment. Cost/Benefit analysis when we decide how deeply into the wildness we’ll go. How far we will stray from the routine or what we are used to. How far we will venture beyond the beaten path. At work it might be taking a promotion or trying a new business strategy. At home it might be something as simple as trying a new recipe or pulling the trigger on that home improvement project. Trying a new medical treatment or to attempt forgiveness instead of holding a grudge. At church it might be saying Yes (or no) to an invitation to serve or being challenged by a different perspective someone has. Opportunities are there all the time in big and small ways for us to go beyond the wilderness.
In church life sometimes congregations are fairly risk-averse. The idea of Intentionally taking an adventure into wilderness, let alone going BEYOND the wilderness, does not usually elicit a lot of excitement and eagerness.One of the reasons we go to church is for stability and familiarity. We like the ritual and rhythm of congregational life…and sometimes we absolutely need that stability. AND…we can also see from our own experiences and from stories in the scripture, that in the wilderness there is a profound opportunity to encounter God. We mustn’t be afraid to go there together when the time comes.
In the wonderful story of Moses, his 120-mile trek ended up being one of the least risky things he did. Ultimately he came face-to-face with God, the Egyptian Pharaoh, the plagues, and a Red Sea. The scripture says Moses was afraid at the burning bush but really he hadn’t seen anything yet. He would experience life in a powerful way. He would experience God in a powerful way.In a way that would change him, his people, and the world as we know it. All because…he went beyond the wilderness.
Maybe even today there is something before us that we are wondering about or fearful of -- in our family, our church, within ourselves. Standing on the precipice of a new adventure -- whether big or small. There we will grapple with the uncertainties: What are the risks? What rewards might we reap? Where does our comfort zone lie, and what awaits us if we dare to stretch its boundaries? Of course, there will be cautionary signs and compelling reasons that counsel against forward motion.
In these moments, may we more deeply trust in God. To trust, that God will accompany us as we go beyond and will even meet us there in ways we would never imagine.May we summon the courage to open our minds, hearts, and arms to a new adventure when the time comes. For in those spaces we can expect some danger, some beauty, and always God’s faithful presence to lead us and love us.
*Closing Hymn - Be Thou My Vision #595
1 Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that thou art
thou my best thought, by day or by night, waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
2 Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my redeemer, my love thou hast won, thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
3 Riches I heed not, nor vain empty praise, thou mine inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only, first in my heart, Great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.
4 Great God of heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
Thank you for joining us online and in the house.
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.
In our journey through life we will often find ourselves in unfamiliar territories, facing challenges that seem insurmountable, may God’s spirit give us courage in these moments:
Courage to go beyond our doubt and fear.
Courage to be open to God’s leading.
Courage to walk beside another so they, too, will know they are not alone.
May we find peace in knowing that God walks with us lighting our way. God’s grace, peace, and light to be with us now and always.Amen.
Postlude - “When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound” [by J.M.Black] - Sarah Park