The Seed

October 3, 2021
Pastor Stacy Dickson
Worship

Save

Service of Worship

Come, Holy Ghost, Lord God
Marcel Dupre
Used by Permission. ONE LICENSE # M-401420

Opening Prayer
In the beginning God created all things,
and God saw that they were good.

At our beginning, God created us
unique and irreplaceable, loved and wanted by God,
known and treasured by God even before He created us.

In all our new beginnings, God creates something new
so we will seek God in the freshness of this morning,
in the laughter of friends,
in the colors of creation,
and in this beautiful place.

Lord God, King of Creation,
open our eyes to see your presence,
our souls to sense your presence,
and our hearts to love your presence,
ever here in your creation,
and ever beyond it in eternity.
Amen.

Opening Hymn — #152 I Sing the Almighty Power of God

1. I sing the mighty power of God,
that made the mountains rise,
that spread the flowing seas abroad,
and build the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
the sun to rule the day;
the moon shines full at God’s command,
and all the stars obey.

2. I sing the goodness of the Lord,
that filled the earth with food,
he formed the creatures with his word,
and then pronounced them good.
Lord how thy wonders are displayed
where’er I turn my eye,
if I survey the ground I tread,
or gaze upon the sky.

3. There’s not a plant or flower below,
but makes thy glories known,
and clouds arise, and tempests blow,
by order from thy throne;
while all that borrows life from thee
is ever in thy care;
and everywhere that we can be,
thou, God, art present there.

I Sing The Almighty Power Of God (Forest Green)
Isaac Watts | Ralph Vaughan Williams
Public Domain

Scripture Reading — Genesis 2:4-9 (NRSV)

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7 then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Joys and Concerns, Pastoral Prayer

Pastoral Prayer

(Credit: Rev. John Chalmers)

Almighty God known as wisdom before the dawn of creation,
Lord Jesus Christ – perfect love made flesh,
Holy Spirit of God – ever present,
O Hidden Source of Life wrapped up in perfect Trinity,
we meditate upon the great and gracious plan
which you have brought to pass,
that women and men like us should look beyond creation
to worship you the Creator of all things.

In the beginning,
You the uncreated
moved across the face of deep
and brought out space and time
and then material substance:
The atom and the molecule and the crystalline form:
Then the first germ of life
and the long upward striving of all things: that swim and creep and fly:
And then the miracle of intelligence and consciousness;
The beginning of mystery and the building of the first altar;
And then the saying of the first prayer;
O hidden love of God,
forgive us for those times when we have taken this mystery for granted
and forgive us all the more
for the times when we thought that we had unravelled the mystery
and thought that we knew it all –
the how, the where and the why.

Almighty God, let us not harbour anything in our hearts
that might spoil our fellowship with you
or with one another;
work with us and within us:
            Do what you will with us;
            Make of us what you want of us;
            Change us as we need changed
            Use us as your will requires –
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Offering Our Gifts to the Lord
For those who are called and able, gifts and tithes can still be made through online giving, by mailing them in, and by dropping them off to the office through the secure mail slot to the left of the double door entry to the church hallway.

Offertory — Marshall

This Is My Father’s World
Maltbie Davenport Babcock
Public Domain

Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (Old 100th)
Louis Bourgeois | Thomas Ken
Public Domain

Offertory Prayer

God of grace and goodness, your blessings in our lives have been so abundant that when trials come, we become disoriented. Our needs have so often been met that when we’re challenged in life, we wonder what’s wrong. Why isn’t the world perfectly aligned to meet our desires? This morning, we give our tithes and offerings, with hope that we might ground ourselves in gratitude for the blessings that we so easily come to take for granted. We pray for eyes to see clearly the bright mountains and the dark valleys, with grateful hearts for both. In Christ, we pray. Amen.

Sermon – Pastor Stacy Dickson
The Seed

Closing Hymn — #618 Let Us Break Bread Together

1. Let us break bread together on our knees,
let us break bread together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

2. Let us drink wine together on our knees,
let us drink wine together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

3. Let us praise God together on our knees,
let us praise God together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me.

4. Let us praise God together on our knees,
let us praise God together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees
with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy if you please.

Let Us Break Bread Together
William Farley Smith
© 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
Used by Permission. CCLI License # 656051

Communion Blessing and Benediction

In the name of the God of abundant life, I dare to bless you!
Amen!

That in the seasons of plenty you will thrive and grow.
That in the seasons of drought you will consolidate your strength.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will delight in the warm sun of God shining upon you.
That you will delight in the cold rain of God falling on you.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will blossom to the glory of God
and make the world a more fragrant place.
I bless you!
Amen!

That you will give shelter to those who seek refuge from storm or fierce heat.
That you may never forget whose tree you really are and whose life you share.
I bless you!
Amen!

Go with peace, amen.

Postlude – Hani

Allegro Moderato Maestoso
F. Mendelssohn
Public Domain