Church Family! It is such a blessing to be back with you this morning as I return from my Sabbatical Leave. There is so much to share as we begin today with a praise passage in Psalm 19. How open are our eyes and ears to seeing the wonders of the creation around us? What might get in the way? We are so blessed with your presence…thank you for setting this time aside to nurture your relationship with God and your church. May God’s spirit be with you this morning in worship!
Prelude - “Come thou fount of every blessing” - Sarah Park
Introit - “Guide My Feet” Beth Schabel, Pam Auble, Karly & Ryan Lind
Welcome to Mantua Center Christian Church -- a community seeking to have open minds, open hearts, and open arms.
Good morning everybody! Welcome to the Mantua Center Christian Church…..
Since I’m new here…Hi everyone, I’m Chad. Nice to meet all of you.
I am back from my Sabbatical Leave feeling refreshed, renewed and filled with gratitude.
- Through this experience, I have felt your prayers and your presence with us the whole way.
- Very often in extraordinary moments -- Christin and I would often look at each other or even verbalize to each other and the kids. “Thank you Mantua Center Christian Church.” We feel so loved and blessed by this gift of rest and care.
- There is so much to share in both directions and I’m eager to get reconnected. Just so glad to be back with our community.
I want to express appreciation to everyone who filled the pulpit, who has offered their gifts in worship, who did so much up front and behind the scenes to make this happen. For the Sabbatical Team and our hardworking staff for all the extra time, energy, and sacrifice to make it all go. From Christin and I from the kids…thank you for this amazing gift.
Now…..if there are any announcements that people want to make so people like me can find out what’s going on around here that would be great. Come on down.
- In the meantime I want to let you know that I’m eager to meet with people or hear from people about how things are going. If you have something you want to catch up with me on, please reach out to me.
- 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.
As we come together in worship I want to share with you this prayer of blessing that touched me on Sabbatical and I believe will touch you as well…let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship
A prayer from Arianne Lehn…let’s pray….
Creator God, You make everything beautiful in its time. Please open my soul, Awakening One, to the surprising beauty (and timing!) of this season. I need you to draw me in from my distraction. I want to witness your brightness in the greening earth and birds’ song as well as the neighbor walking past or the child’s sidewalk chalk. I want to pause in awe at the burning bushes in my friend’s well-timed email or the stranger’s unexpected kindness…The line in my book that awakens my soul or the masterful frost pattern on my kitchen window. I want to journey through this day with an awareness bringing gratitude and celebration— fresh hope in what you’re creating and new eyes for the treasure buried beneath me. You promise that birth and death, planting and harvest, embrace and solitude all have their place in this world and my life. A beautiful faith allows things to unfold,and grabs onto the grace of daily glimpses. Loving God, I rest in you and your working to make all things beautiful— someday, somehow. You are the One who showed true beauty in human life. Amen.
Vince will now share our opening scripture reading…..
Scripture - Colossians 1:16-17 - Vince Meier
16 for in Christ all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in Christ all things hold together.
*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: Come and see the works of God,
All: God's awesome deeds among us.
One: Come and hear, all who revere God,
All: God's still speaking voice in our weary world.
One: Come and touch the sacred, extraordinary in the ordinary,
All: God's presence in water, bread and wine.
By Katherine Hawker
*Opening Hymn - How Great Thou Art #33
1 O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee; how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee; how great thou art, how great thou art!
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
3 And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin:
4 When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow in humble adoration, and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Invitation to Generosity
Invitation - Vince Meier
Offertory - “All to Jesus, I surrender” [by W.S.Weeden]
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 - Vince Meier
Children’s Moment - Rick Painley
Pastoral Prayer & The Lord’s Prayer - Rev. Chad Delaney
Creator God,
On this day you have made we are grateful to be with one another in your presence. Through this season of renewal you have been our guide and our refuge. You have provided opportunities for each of us to learn and grow and change--to see things from a different perspective. Even now we carry with us the aha-moments, the realizations, the wisdom that you have given to us through one another and your Word which pervades every part of our lives.
Lord, I thank you for the space given to breathe. To rest. To seek you in the hidden places. To reflect on what it means to be your servant and to serve your people. To spend time with my family. To see parts of the world I have never seen. All is gift and I’m filled with gratitude for this wonderful community. Bless each of them and may the fruits of their leadership and work continue to blossom in this place.
Give us all strength to carry with us the lessons learned during this time of renewal and allow them to speak to the everyday rhythms of our lives and the Holy work you have called us to as your church in this place in such a time as this. As challenges come…give us wisdom, patience, and grace. As the gifts of your presence come, help us to see them, hear them, and experience them and to shape us in your image. Give us a spirit of strength, determination, and purpose to be the people you have called us to be. Renew our commitments to you, to one another, and the world you have placed us in.
God you know the internal workings of our lives. What troubles us. What haunts us. What gives us pain. Come close by and bring healing. God you know those in need of your presence of peace…come close by here. We lift our deepest concerns and our greatest joys to you now in silent prayer.
Together, hear us pray the prayer you taught us to pray 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 - Beth Schabel
Hymn - Come Share the Lord #408
1 We gather here in Jesus’ Name, His love is burning in our hearts like living flame;
For through the loving Son the Father makes us one:
Come, take the bread, come, drink the wine, come, share the Lord
No one is a stranger here, everyone belongs;
Finding our forgiveness here, we in turn forgive all wrongs
2 He joins us here, he breaks the bread, the Lord who pours the cup is risen from the dead;
the one we love the most is now our gracious host:
Come, take the bread, come, drink the wine, come, share the Lord.
We are now a family of which the Lord is head;
though unseen he meets us here in the breaking of the bread.
3 We'll gather soon where angels sing; we'll see the glory of our Lord and coming King;
now we anticipate the feast for which we wait:
Come, take the bread, come, drink the wine, come, share the Lord.
Prayer - Brian Hurd
Words of Institution - Brian Hurd
Music - “Jesus shed his blood for me” [By W. H. Doane] - Sarah Park
Special Music
“It is Well With My Soul” - Beth Schabel, Pam Auble, Karly & Ryan Lind
Scripture - Psalm 19:1-4 - Rev. Chad Delaney
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
Sermon
One-in-a-Million - Rev. Chad Delaney
Near the beginning of my Sabbatical I read a quote about a mathematician of the mid-1900s named John Edensor Littlewood. This fella had a lot of time on his hands and made a somewhat tongue-in-cheek calculation about how often extraordinary events happen. Making some basic assumptions about the amount of time humans are alert and awake, how many events we experience a day, and how often exceptional events might happen. He figured that it would be about 1-in-a-million times. Littlewood says--based on his probability calculations--that we could expect we would experience one-in-a-million type events about once/mo or about every 35 days. Now whatever you think of his conclusions or methods…it is thought-provoking idea and was an interesting frame to take into my Sabbatical and beyond.
Will today be the day that I experience the 1-in-a-Million event?
Where will it come from? Will it it be something I read?
Something I see on television? Something my kids say?
Something my wife says? Actually everything Christin says is important
Something I witness in nature? In my backyard? In my travel?
Will I miss it?
This summer I saw a long-time friend of mine I met counseling at Camp Christian--Tony Hampton--he told me an interesting story. In retirement he got an unexpected gig as a shuttle driver at Cleveland-Hopkins Airport and started noticing something weird. People would often abandon their car with doors OPEN in the parking lot. They park, grab their belongings, and then just leave the car door WIDE OPEN. Now, Tony, being the kind of guy he is, goes back to the lot and goes around closing doors and taking care of business. Folks so much in a hurry, so twisted up in life’s craziness (especially if they are running late)...who else is leaving proverbial car doors open? When we do we likely are missing something fairly important. The pace we go in our lives…could we zoom right past our 1-in-a-Million event?
Something else can get us, too. During our trip to California this summer we were in absolute AWE driving down the Avenue of the Giants. It is an alternative scenic highway where ancient, enormous, and breathtaking redwood trees line your path. We were creeping down the road just amazed at what we were seeing--stopping at every stop and taking in every sight. But not all shared our enthusiasm. There were cars that were ZOOMING by us on the side of the road. Cars that were riding my tail and impatient to get around us. Do you NOT see these incredible trees? Likely locals who have been-there-done-that so many times and it all just becomes background--“typical tourists clogging our highway.” So then a question occurred to me, “How long would it take me to go from “Awe to Eh?” To become bored with the extraordinary? To speed down the Avenue of the Giants? More often than I’m willing to admit.
What gets in the way of our seeing or hearing or experiencing the extraordinary, the miraculous, the One-in-a-Millions that happen to us? What can we do?
Anytime you travel out west or to the National Parks you will likely come across the name John Muir. This guy was a Scottish-American naturalist and wanderer. He was so-filled with awe and wonder of the natural beauty of the earth that he made it his life’s work to preserve it and was instrumental in creating the Natural Parks. He can give us some wisdom on the subject.
In 1911, an early Sierra Club member--Albert W. Palmer--wrote a short book called “The Mountain Trail and its Message” and he recounts an interaction he had with John Muir on a mountain trail:
One day as I was resting in the shade Mr. Muir overtook me on the trail and began to chat in that friendly way in which he delights to talk with everyone he meets. I said to him: "Mr. Muir, someone told me you did not approve of the word 'hike.' Is that so?" His blue eyes flashed, and with his Scotch accent he replied: "I don't like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike!
"Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."
Palmer writes, “John Muir lived up to his doctrine. He was usually the last man to reach camp. He never hurried. He stopped to get acquainted with individual trees along the way. He would hail people passing by and make them get down on hands and knees if necessary to see the beauty of some little bed of almost microscopic flowers…How much better to "saunter" along this trail of life, to measure it in terms of beauty and love and friendship! To stop a while and let the beauty of the sunset possess the soul, to listen to what the trees are saying and the songs of the birds, and to gather the fragrant little flowers that bloom all along the trail of life for those who have eyes to see!
I guess what I”m trying to say is…Sabbatical helped me to slow down a bit. To rest. To take in a bit more. To see. To listen. To think. To meditate. To saunter in ordinary and extraordinary places. To look for the 1-in-a-Millions. And…to recognize there is really no reason I can’t continue that now. No reason, that all of us can’t find big and small ways to pause with awe and gratitude. Here I have the blessing of serving a 1-in-a-million church. Here there is beauty to be discovered in our pews and in our community. Along the Headwaters trail. In our backyards. In one another. And why? All of it to strengthen us to do God’s work in the world. To share life together in meaningful ways. To do justice, to love kindness, and to saunter humbly together with God. For God’s light and word are EVERYWHERE if we are paying attention.
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims
God’s handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
In faith, let’s slow down, look, and listen -- all our one-in-a-millions are waiting to be discovered. May it be so. Amen.
*Closing Hymn - Let there be Peace on Earth #677
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth the peace that was meant to be
With God our Creator children all are we
Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me let this be the moment now.
With ev'ry step I take let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me
Benediction - Rev. Chad Delaney
May God, the Creator of all that is, fill our hearts with wonder that has no bounds.
May we keep our eyes open for the 1-in-a-Millions. Our ears attuned to God’s word which flows through the earth. Our hearts receptive to all God’s gifts-- ever mindful of God's invitation to slow down and take in all in.
May we go forth to saunter through the spectacular wonders that await us and extend a sincere invitation for others to join us along the journey. We pray this in the name of the Creator, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“God Be WIth You ‘Til We Meet Again” - Beth Schabel, Pam Auble, Karly & Ryan Lind
Postlude - “The mercy of God is an ocean divine” [by R. K. Carter] - Sarah Park