Purple Chalice Month
Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church! God’s Grace and Peace be with you. We are so glad you joined us in this season we are calling “Purple Chalice.” The red chalice is one of the symbols of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and we are adopting a purple chalice as a way of symbolizing the blending of the “red” and “blue” parts of our political culture. While people have strong feelings about politics, we come together in this worship space to give glory to God and come together around the teachings of Jesus Christ. Thank you for being with us and we hope you are warmed and blessed by this service of worship. Welcome!
Prelude - “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!” [J. B. Dykes] - Sarah Park
Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church
We are a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
Greet with your neighbors… Thank you for joining us here in the house and online. Welcome to everyone!
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- No bell practice this week, we will start Monday, 9/23
- The Third Century Building survey will be emailed this week and posted on the website and social media.
Scripture Reading - Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
*Welcoming Song - “Come and Find the Quiet Center” #575, v. 1
Come and find the quiet center in the crowded life we lead,
find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see
all the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be.
*Call to Worship - Linda Idoine
ONE: Let us kneel in the darkness,
ALL: Until we see God’s light emerge.
ONE: Let us wait with hope filled hearts,
ALL: As Christ’s image grows within us and shows us life.
ONE: Let him speak to us and teach us love,
ALL: Until we open our hearts to be his home.
~ written by Christine Sine (2012)
*Opening Hymn - Come, Christians, Join to Sing #90, vs. 1-2
1 Come, Christians, join to sing: Alleluia! Amen!
Loud praise to Christ we bring: Alleluia! Amen!
Let all with heart and voice, before his throne rejoice;
praise we with gracious choice: Alleluia! Amen!
2 Come, lift your hearts on high, Alleluia! Amen!
Let praises fill the sky: Alleluia! Amen!
Christ is our Guide and Friend on whom we can depend;
his love shall never end: Alleluia! Amen!
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Linda Idoine
Offertory
Music: “The Trusting Heart to Jesus Clings” [by W. J. Kirkpatrick] - Sarah Park
*Response #47 -“Praise God from Whom All Blessing Flow”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heavenly host: praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Offering Prayer - Linda Idoine
Children’s Moment - Rev. Chad Delaney
Call to Prayer - “The Way of Peace” [by David Paxton] - Jan Green
Pastoral Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Gracious and Everlasting God,
We come before You today with hearts filled with gratitude, knowing that You are the source of all hope and light. Your Word tells us, "Arise, shine, for your light has come," and so we arise this morning, ready to receive Your light and to reflect it into a world that often feels so dark. We thank You for the hope that Your light brings, a hope that can never be dimmed by the struggles or uncertainties of life.
Lord, as we gather here as Your people, remind us that we are called to shine not as individuals but as one body, united in purpose and hope. Let Your glory rise upon us as a community, as we work together to reflect Your goodness to our neighbors, to our country, and to the world. May Your light within us inspire others, just as a single candle can ignite many flames. Help us be agents of Your hope in every corner of our lives.
We ask, Lord, that as we go through this week, You help us dwell on those things that are true, noble, right, pure, and lovely.In a world that often feels divided, torn by fear and uncertainty, make us ambassadors of hope. Let our unity through hope be a testimony to Your goodness. May our lives reflect the hope of the sunrise, rising above the darkness and bringing light wherever it is needed. Let our thoughts be shaped by what is good and filled with hope. When the noise of the world distracts us, bring us back to Your peace, which surpasses all understanding.
In silent prayer…here are gratitude for the places we see HOPE in the world…
We lift up our community, our nation, and our world, asking for Your healing where there is division, for Your comfort where there is pain, and for Your light where there is darkness. We pray for all those who feel hopeless today—may they experience Your love and presence through us. Help us to carry Your light boldly, always showing the hope we have in You.
Now hear us as we pray the prayer…
Communion
Meditation - Steve Hurd
Communion Hymn #387, vs. 1-2
“Bread of the World, in Mercy Broken”
1 Bread of the world in mercy broken,
wine of the soul in mercy shed,
by whom the words of life were spoken,
and in whose death our sins are dead:
2 Look on the heart by sorrow broken,
look on the tears by sinners shed;
and be thy feast to us the token
that by thy grace our souls are fed.
Prayer - Roger Cram
Words of Institution - Roger Cram
Music: “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?” [by R. E. Hudson] -Sarah Park
Special Music
“Unity and Brotherhood” [by Thomas Chesterton] Jan Green
Scripture - Isaiah 60:1-5, 19-22
1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.
3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.19 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.
21 Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land for ever. They are the shoot that I planted, the work of my hands, so that I might be glorified.
22 The least of them shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the Lord; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.
Sermon - “Unity in Hope” - Rev. Chad Delaney
Last April we had the wonderful treat of the Total Eclipse. In those moments awaiting totality I was amazed that no matter how much the moon would cover the sun, the amount of light around me seemed no different. Even up to those moments when the diamond ring effect happened with that tiny bit of diamond light came through, still very little difference around me. But when totality hit it was more awe-inducing than I anticipated. It was eerie, it was beautiful, it felt mysterious. It felt like everything stopped. It is no wonder that the ancients wondered if something apocalyptic was happening. But the darkness only lasted a few minutes.
What if it lasted for 70 years? What if it wasn't eerie or mysterious or beautiful…but heart wrenching and grief-stricken? To feel like the whole world was plunged into darkness.
The Book of Isaiah is a large book written thousands of years ago in a tragic time in the life of God’s people. One of the pivot points in the story of Israel’s ancient and sacred memory is the Exile. Surrounded by expanding empires Israel was conquered by both the Assyrian Empire in 721 BCE and the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. After both of these invasions most of the people, the priests, and leaders were either killed, scattered into surrounding countries, or dragged off into captivity.
Of course, this was physical, emotional, and spiritual terror. Their homes were invaded, the armies desecrated and destroyed the Temple that Solomon had built, and the land was ravaged. Most people believed that God literally dwelled in the Temple and so now they (and God) became Spiritually Homeless. Were the Babylonian gods stronger? Had God abandoned them? What we have held dear and sacred has been seemingly cast aside. A time of darkness indeed.
Has it ever felt to you like “darkness” is covering the earth? A thick darkness covering the people?
In our Wednesday afternoon group we read the passage and while recognizing the extreme nature of what the people of God experienced in this Exilic time…someone brought it to hear and now saying, “Sometimes it feels like there is a thick darkness over our nation.”
In those moments, in my mind I saw…
A thick darkness of division and incivility
A thick darkness of impatience and mercilessness
A thick darkness of racism and prejudice
A thick darkness of anger and indifference.
It took me…and I imagine the thought of thick darkness may have taken you to a heavy place. Sometimes that dark place can become a place of motivation and faithful response, and many times it can lead to a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness.
So while I was starting to really dive deeper into the darkness.
But then wisdom emerged in the group as we talked that was powerful and faith-full:
Sometimes we become so captured by the Darkness of the present moment, that we forget to help toward the brighter future God promises.”
It was the 4th of July, 1952, and a young woman by the name of Florence Chadwick had a chance to act upon a wild idea. She decided that she was going to swim the Catalina Channel off the California Coast. Only two years earlier she swam the English Channel which was about 21 miles across. Got a few jellyfish stings…no big deal. She had been inspired by Gertrude Ederley who had done the English Channel in record time back in 1926. Well, now she was going for the Catalina which was around 26 miles across. And while the English Channel had stinging jellyfish, the Catalina coast had sharks.
So she set off with a safety boat nearby and about 15 hours (yes hours) into her swim a thick fog rolled in and it shook her confidence. Nothing like losing your bearings. She was tired, fearful, and felt lost. She swam a little longer before quitting and getting in the safety boat. To her great irritation while sitting in the boat, a bit of the fog lifted and she could make out the coast. She only had 1 mile to go. In a news conference the next day she told reporters: “Look, I’m not excusing myself. But if I could have seen land, I know I could have made it.”
2 months later she hopped in the water again. And again a thick fog set in. But this time, she said, she kept an image of the land within her and remembered the shoreline was there. She succeeded and made it 2 more times after.
“If I could have seen land, I know I could have made it”
Sometimes the way is foggy. Sometimes the way is dark. Do we forget that God is there? Do we become so captured by the fog that we forget to look for the land? We forget that even at night the sun is still shining just beyond the horizon?
There are many in the world today begging us to unite around anger and fear. To focus on the belief that “the world is going to hell in a hand-basket’. That all is dark and gloomy and that it's a “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to be alive.” Yawn. Every generation says that. It is a crutch for those with no faithful vision and a manipulative tool of the power-hungry. We are a PEOPLE OF HOPE!
Instead of uniting around doom, can we unite around God’s promise of a new day?
1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Every day is an opportunity to join the goodness God is offering in the world despite any fogginess. Every day is a chance to keep hope alive. Where you see it, be a part of it! Where do you see joy and kindness? Where do you see people showing mercy and working for justice? Where do you see the hungry being fed and the stranger welcomed? Join in! Such are the actions of people of faith following the one who Rose on the third day. And as Paul reminded us…..“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable…think on these things. And Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard in Christ…and the God of peace will be with you.” Amen.
*Closing Hymn - Great is Thy Faithfulness #86, vs. 1-3
1 Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
[Refrain]
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love. (Refrain)
3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! (Refrain)
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
- United in Christ, we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
- Sunday Chats are starting back up --- Youth Group is beginning tonight.
- Wednesdays
- The Sanctuary will be open for prayer between 6-7pm…
Irish poet, John O’Donohue writes the following in his book, Anam Cara:
“If you have ever had occasion to be out early in the morning before the dawn breaks, you will have noticed that the darkest time of night is immediately before dawn. The darkness deepens and becomes more anonymous. If you had never been to the world and never known what a day was, you couldn’t possibly imagine how the darkness breaks, how the mystery and color of a new day arrive. Light is incredibly generous, but also gentle. When you attend to the way the dawn comes, you learn how light can coax the dark.”
Together…let’s keeping looking for the brightness of the dawn! Let’s remember God is always present even when its foggy. And May God’s call to be people of hope reverberate in our words and actions this week. May be so. Amen.
Let us sing!
Benediction Response - #433, v. 1
“Blest Be the Tie that Binds”
1 Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
Postlude - “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” [by William G. Tomer ] - Sarah Park