CALL TO WORSHIP
For our call to worship today, you can assign two parts, leader (in normal typeface) and response (in bold typeface), in your household. Or you can respond with the boldface responses along with Joshua Kaufer using the audio file.
We cultivate the earth—
when we till the ground and lay new seeds.
We cultivate safe space—
when we pay attention to what others need.
We cultivate worship—
when we come together, our hearts on our sleeves.
In this worship, may we be honest and present;
may we be faithful and gracious.
For the God of the soil, who is the God of our hearts, is near.
Let us worship Holy God.
opening hymn
Prayer of Confession
Trusting in the grace of God, offer this prayer aloud confessing the ways we seperate ourselves from God and one another.
How do we approach you, Exalted God, with our confessions? We make you weary with our inability to do justice for the poor and outcast. We gossip about those who are close to us, instead of being their loving friend. We make promises, and then go back on our word.
Forgive us, God of Hope, and bless us with your mercy. By your peace, we can do justice. By your love, we can act kindly. By your grace, we can walk with you as humbly, and hopefully, as did our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are forgiven in Jesus Christ. Sing along with this assurance of forgiveness.
We are forgiven. We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.
We are forgiven. We are forgiven. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to God.
Circle Time
Today’s Circle Time is from “The Wisdom of the Fig Tree: Art, film, & words” by Lisle Gwynn Garrity | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org.
THE WORD
This is the fourth Sunday in our summer series on favorite passages of scripture submitted by people from throughout the congregation.
Micah 6:1-8
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the Lord has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Musical reflection
Joshua Kaufer reflects on Micah 6 through song. Please join in on the chorus:
Let justice roll down, down like a river,
down to the valleys where the helpless cry.
Let righteousness flow through us forever.
Lead us to the stream that will never run dry.
Sermon
Director of Faith Formation Lisa Kaufer is our preacher today.
Solo
Jessie Walker sings “Just One Small Voice.”
Affirmation of Faith
Our affirmation of faith today comes from the Brief Statement of Faith.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit,
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.
In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth,
praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
Welcome & Prayers of the People
Join us at 10:30 a.m. for a a time of gathering. This will include a brief commentary on Micah 6, prayer requests, and fellowship.
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/3577569746
Call-in: (312) 626-6799 and use meeting ID 357 756 9746.
Announcement: After the July 5 (next Sunday) Zoom Communion, please stay on the call for a congregational meeting to elect new officers.
Benediction
The Lord calls us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Responding faithfully to God’s call requires that we do the work, that we share loving kindness every chance we get, and that we act boldly with a willingness to fail forward. May God give us the courage to love beyond our comfort zones. May God’s grace cushion our fall as we try hard things and fail. May we keep learning, may we keep trying, and may God guide us each day in becoming better humans to other humans. We are part of the Great Gardner’s story still-being-written. May God’s peace be with you this day and every day. Amen.
Postlude & Offering
Contributions to the ministry of First Presbyterian Church may be made online by clicking the button below or mailed to First Presbyterian Church, 2910 Central Ave., Middletown, OH 45044.
Suzanne Edwards offers a piece on an alto flute for our postlude.
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