Scripture for October 11

Parable of the Great Banquet by Brunswick Monogrammist (circa 1525),
location: National Museum, Warsaw

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet   Matthew 22: 1-14

22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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Parable of the Great Banquet by Brunswick Monogrammist (circa 1525), location: National Museum, Warsaw

Daily Prayer October 9

You, O Lord, are full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger, and rich in kindness.

Daily Readings for Friday, October 9, 2020

• Morning Psalms 51; 148
• First Reading Hosea 9:10-17
• Second Reading Acts 24:24-25:12
• Gospel Reading Luke 8:1-15
• Evening Psalms 142; 65

God our creator, you made all things in your wisdom, and in your love you save us. We pray for the whole creation. Overthrow evil powers, right what is wrong, feed and satisfy those who thirst for justice, so that all your children may freely enjoy the earth you have made, and joyfully sing your praises. Take all our doubts and uncertainties, O God, and fill us with such faith that we may be confident of your love and loyal in the service of him who died and yet lives for us, Jesus Christ the Lord. Merciful God, you bear the pain of the world. Look with compassion on those who are sick; cheer them by your word, and bring healing as a sign of your grace. God of comfort, stand with those who sorrow; that they may be sure that neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, shall separate them from your love. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

As God's own, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, and patience, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, and crown all these things with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Presbyterian Women BOOK CLUB 2020-2021

Meeting Fourth Wednesday of Month except Dec 9. July and November no meeting. Meetings are virtual until further notice at 9:30AM. (Presenters are in parentheses)  The Pioneers was supposed to have been in April 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19.

Oct 28 Pioneers David McCullough (Mary Beth Powell )

Nov No Meeting 

Dec 09 My Life in France Julia Child (Sharon Cardwell)

Jan 27 The Beekeeper of Aleppo Christy Lefteri (Alice Crippen) 

Feb 24 Caste: The Origins of our Discontents  Isabel Wilkerson (Judy Richardson)

Mar 24 The Book of Lost Friends Lisa Wingate (Shirley Boeker)

Apr 28 Once Upon a River Diane Setterfield (Pat Eisenberg)

May 26 To the Bright Edge of the World Eowyn Ivey (Cay Noble) 

Jun 23 The Dutch House Ann Patchett (Laura AdamsWentling)

July No Meeting 

Aug 25 The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson Nancy Sutch 

Sep 22 Book Selection  

Selling on Ebay to benefit Missions

 

I've been selling left-over items from our ABC Sale for several years.  But with Covid-19, we were unable to have the ABC Sale, so selling on Ebay has been one of our few fundraisers this year for our many local and foreign missions.

If you live locally, I have most of the items "free for local delivery" so local people can purchase items without paying for postage.  I will take the items to church for your to pick up.

I've added "Discoverstmark" to each listing, so if you go on Ebay, and type in "Discoverstmark" you will find some of the items for sale.  Click here for an example.

The Mission Committee had hoped to sell some items from Partners for a Just Trade, but with no in-person worship, I've agreed to add them to Ebay.  You can search "Discoverstmark Missions" to find some of those items.  Or, click here.

If you want Christmas items, search for "Discoverstmark Christmas".  Click here for an example.

You can help by buying items or by donating items for me to sell.  Just remember, I sell unbreakable items that fit in my mailbox and are worth at least $5.  This Ebay/ABC/Peru Mission Sale will be on-going all year.  I will be taking a brief selling break from mid October until early November but welcome donations during that time. 

Thank you-----Jaclyn Morgan

Worship October 4

 October 4, 2020 

WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY

10:00 am Virtual Service 

ORDER OF WORSHIP

CENTERING PRAYER

Creator God, the heavens radiate your glory! You have set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a joyful bridegroom from his wedding canopy. May we emerge from night’s waiting with such rampant joy that we too radiate your glory throughout this day. We pray in the name of the Son of righteousness who has risen with healing in his wings. Amen.

PRELUDE Built on the Rock, The Church Doth Stand Lindeman 

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS 

 

CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 19)

 

The heavens are telling the glory of God, all creation speaks volumes of God’s handiwork.

Each sunrise proclaims God’s faithfulness and the night reveals the Creator’s awe.

Without a word being spoken, all creation bears witness to the goodness of the Lord.

So, too, may we join in witness with all creation. May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be God’s signature in the world.

Come! Let us worship our God together.

† HYMN “In Christ There Is No East or West” Hymnal #318

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

Rescuing God, you brought us out of the land of captivity, out of the house of slavery. Forgive us when we willingly return to captivity, making divine the machine of production, crafting idols from the excess of consumption. Forgive us when we consider ourselves so grand that we do not rest and enjoy your presence, defining ourselves by our ability rather than your love. Forgive us when we esteem ourselves so littler that we dare not rest and sit with ourselves, exposed, without the cloak of productivity. Forgive us when we deem our species so central that we do not rest and halt consumption, decimating Earth, denying her Sabbath and integrity. Forgive us through Christ, who redeems us from the brokenness of slavery that we might enjoy your presence, creation, and community. (Silent Confession)

 

ASSURANCE OF GRACE

 † SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. 

SCRIPTURE Philippians 3:4b-14 

SERMON “Throwing It All Away” Rev. Dr. Dave Burgess 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Westminster Confession of Faith, Shorter Catechism – Question One Q. What is our chief end? A. Our chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy God forever. 

OFFERING SPECIAL MUSIC Lord of the Small Forrest Amy Shelton, vocalist 

† THE DOXOLOGY SACRAMENT OF THE LORD’S SUPPER 

† HYMN      “This Is My Song”      Hymnal #340 

† CHARGE AND BLESSING 

† BENEDICTION RESPONSE    “We Are Marching in the Light of God”    Hymnal #853 

POSTLUDE Kirken Den Er Et Lindeman

 †You are invited to stand, as you are able. 

Scripture for October 4

 Philippians 3:4b-14

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

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Footnotes

1. Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of

Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash

Daily Prayer Oct. 2

 Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Daily Readings for Friday, October 2, 2020

• Morning Psalms 84; 148
• First Reading Hosea 4:11-19
• Second Reading Acts 21:37-22:16
• Gospel Reading Luke 6:12-26
• Evening Psalms 25; 40

God, our creator, you have given us work to do and call us to use our talents for the good of all. Guide us as we work, and teach us to live in the Spirit who made us your sons and daughters, in the love that made us sisters and brothers. Remember, O God, your church. Unite it in the truth of your Word and empower it in ministry to the world. Remember the world of nations. By your Spirit renew the face of the earth; let peace and justice prevail. Remember our family and friends. Bless them and watch over them; be gracious to them and give them peace. Remember the sick and the suffering, the aged and the dying. Encourage them and give them hope. Rejoicing in the communion of saints, we remember with thanksgiving all your faithful servants, whom you have called from this life. We are grateful that for them death is no more, nor is there sorrow, crying, or pain, for the former things have passed away. (Add your prayers.) Amen.

Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

(Opening sentences, prayers, and blessings are from the Book of Common Worship. Readings are from the daily lectionary in Daily Prayer. Both are published by Westminster/John Knox Press.)

Kingdoms in Conflict

by Bill Tucker

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it;
                                                                         seal it for thy courts above.                                                                                                     ("Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", Verse 3)

The kingdom of heaven is nothing like the kingdom of this world, Jesus constantly reminded us. In the kingdom of heaven people are paid for participation, not for length of service, the meek inherit the earth, and the lost take precedence over the "righteous ones who need no repentance." It is a parallel existence with few parallels on earth.

The kingdom of this world lives by a transactional law, the relentless standard that says what you give is what you get.  The kingdom of heaven lives by a transcendent motion, the unconditional love that expects us to forgive an offender "seven times seventy."  When we try to reduce the kingdom of heaven to rational terms, it slips through our fingers like fine sand. There is no common sense in transcendent love.

As someone who has known debt, I understand what it means to be constrained by a creditor.  In the world of transactions, it means that I am never free. I am always obligated to one who holds my debt in hand. Transactional society enslaves debtors without options until the debt is paid.

In contrast, the hymn quoted above refers to the fetter of "goodness," which is how God discharges our debt.  We are not bound by the debt of our misdoings. We are not even bound from the need "to wander."  We know our tendencies, so we pray for grace. "Here's my heart, O take and seal it." We use our weakness as a reminder of our need to remain close to God.

We should understand that the transactional world runs contrary to God's idea of grace, that we are swimming against the current, if we believe we are saved by grace.  The transactional world says you will always pay back, always get what you deserve. Grace says that the cycle of debt and re-payment has been broken by God's love.  Debt no longer rules our lives.

How does this work in the world of bank notes and invoices? We can't refer those debts to God. We have to pay them. The books are kept by the transactional priests of this world.

But the transcendent kingdom affects our regard for those who owe debt to us. "Debt" might mean any obligation: financial, legal, spiritual, emotional.  It is the symbol of our power over a fellow human being.  How do we collect this debt? Ruthlessly, equitably or generously?  How do we use our power over others in the kingdom of heaven?

If we do not struggle with the overlap of transactional and transcendent demands in this world, then we are not listening to the Spirit or the "better angels" (as Abraham Lincoln called them). Even if we can not escape our worldly debts, we are expected to forgive or loosen the debts owed us. Even if we make transactions of good deeds with the kingdom of heaven, we are compelled to listen to the transcendent voice that could ask for more from us. Even though we attend church, we may not compare favorably with our neighbor who coaches Little League on Sunday morning.

We are debtors to grace. We cannot pretend we have paid our way into the kingdom of heaven. We live in the transcendent world where debt persists, yet is constantly forgiven, where repentance carries more weight than faithful service, where God's love is unconditional and undeserved.  Everything in the transactional world recoils at this arrangement. It offends the world's sense of "the fair." It undermines our security, if security is based on a bank account of good deeds.

"Quid pro quo" is an arrangement that compels a compensating reaction in return for our action. It is the rule of the kingdom of this world, an inflexible demand. It corrupts the freedom and love of the kingdom of heaven, which operates unconditionally and which we call "Amazing Grace."

The wonder of Amazing Grace is that it has no "quid pro quo." It will not bind us, but it will secure us. We have freedom to wander, and we will. We wander into transactional relations and power struggles, which deny unconditional love, the love that will not let us go.  In our wanderings we experience again the love that cannot reject our soul, the love that "seals it for thy courts above."

We can wander, but we must not sell our souls to the world of transactions. Our souls belong to the kingdom of heaven. Best to keep it within hailing distance.

Mission Successes: Virtual and Real-Time!

 Back to School Supplies. . . and Socks/Underwear Donations  have been sorted, boxed and delivered!

This year’s collection benefits three of our mission partners:· Presbyterian Children’s Home and Services, Isaiah 58, Circle of Concern

Virtual ABC Sale

The tally of donations to the Virtual ABC Sale is not yet final. An update will be provided to the congregation in the November Messenger. Thanks to all for your ongoing support.

Lafayette Industries Going Strong!

It remains the leading full-time, long-term employer of adults with developmental disabilities in the State of Missouri. To date, they have remained open continuously during the pandemic with zero known COVID-19 cases! Support them by writing a check to St. Mark Presbyterian Church with “Lafayette Industries” on the memo line or online at https://www.lafayetteindustries.com

Last Blood Drive for 2020 at St. Mark

Sunday, October 25th, 8:30 AM-1:30PM in Gleason Hall. The Red Cross is still testing all donators’ blood for COVID-19 antibodies, providing insight into possible past disease exposure.

Schedule an appointment by going to: http://www.redcrossblood.org/Donate/Blood

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Worship Service September 27

 

September 27, 2020 

10:00 am 

Virtual Service 

ORDER OF WORSHIP

CENTERING PRAYER 

Gracious God, we thank you for always being present with us. We know we are never alone. Your mercies are faithful and rich. Pour out your Spirit upon us, that we might do the work of your will. We pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

PRELUDE           Blessed Assurance           Grichtetchkin 

WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

Praise the Lord who is our provider.

The Lord is our hope. Our trust is in God.

God brought us out of bondage and makes us free.

The Lord is our hope. Our trust is in God.

Glorious are the deeds of our God, and mighty are God’s acts.

The Lord is our hope. Our trust is in God.

† HYMN           “All Creatures of Our God and King”           Hymnal #15

 

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

 

Almighty God, we have wandered the wilderness of sin. We complained in the face of your mercy. We were selfish and conceited in the face of your sacrifice. We do not do your will. Teach us humility. Teach us gratitude. Infuse your spirit into our beings so that we might be reconciled to you and to one another. We continue to pray in Jesus’ name. (Silent Confession)

ASSURANCE OF GRACE 

† SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. 

SCRIPTURE Philippians 2:1-13 

SERMON “Breaking the Fourth Wall” Rev. Dr. Dave Burgess

 

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH – The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen. 

 OFFERING SPECIAL MUSIC        For the Beauty Medley       The Masked Ringers: Joyce Blackwell, Nicole Lesh, Jean Stephenson, Jean Steward 

 

† THE DOXOLOGY PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER

 † HYMN      “O for a World”      Hymnal #372 

† CHARGE AND BLESSING 

† BENEDICTION RESPONSE “     You Shall Go Out with Joy”      Hymnal #80 

POSTLUDE      Postlude Maestoso      Lorenz 

†You are invited to stand, as you are able.