Tower Weekly | Sunday, June 24, 2012

Anniversary Sunday
Morning Worship at 11 o’Clock

Tuesday, October 27, 1771:
This day we landed in Philadelphia,
where we were directed to the house
of one Mr. Francis Harris,
who kindly entertained us in the evening,
and brought us to a large church,
where we met with a considerable congregation.
Brother Pilmoor
[founder of Lovely Lane Society in 1772] preached.
The people looked on us with pleasure,
hardly knowing how to show their love sufficiently,
bidding us welcome with fervent affection,
and receiving us as angels of God.
O that we may always walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith we are called!
—Francis Asbury

 

The Church Gathers

 

Organ Prelude: “As Pants the Hart”             19th c. gallery tune

Words of Welcome and Announcements (by the minister)

Choral Introit: “Lead Me, Lord”           Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Lead me, Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness;

make Thy way plain before my face. Amen.

Call to Worship

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us give thanks:

for our ancestors in the faith

who have made this day of gathering

with God’s people a reality,

for our brothers and sisters in the faith who walk beside us

to help find the possibilities of faith today,

for our ancestors in the faith who began telling the story

of God’s extravagant love for us through Jesus Christ,

for our sisters and brothers in the faith who listen to us

tell of the hope and joy we know in Christ who lives among us.

Let us live as stewards of both past and promise,

blessing the ancient story

and celebrating the new day of our life together.

Hymn: No. 545, “The Church’s One Foundation”            Aurelia

The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;

she is his new creation by water and the Word.

From heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride;

with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth;

her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth;

one holy name she blesses, partakes one holy food,

and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder

we see her sore oppressed,

by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed,

yet saints their watch are keeping;

their cry goes up, “How long?”

And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,

she waits the consummation of peace forever more;

till, with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blest,

and the great church victorious

shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One,

and mystic sweet communion with those rest is won.

O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we

like them, the meek and lowly,

on high may dwell with thee.

Morning Prayer

Eternal God, what a joy to be in your presence

and in the company of one another.

We are grateful for this congregation

and the unbroken witness of these many years.

In thankfulness, we remember

those who have joined our congregation,

the memory of those who are gone,

and relationships that deepen through the years.

You have raised us to life in this time and place,

so we continue to follow you

as you challenge and equip us for this day. Amen.

 

To Hear The Word

A Reading from the Hebrew Scriptures: I Samuel 17:32-49

Susan Allenback is the reader.

David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him;

our servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “You are not able

to go against this Philistine to fight with him;

for you are just a boy,

and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

But David said to Saul,

“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father;

and whenever a lion or a bear came,

and took a lamb from the flock,

I went after it and struck it down,

rescuing the lamb from its mouth;

and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw,

strike it down, and kill it.

Your servant has killed both lions and bears;

and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them,

since he has defied the armies of the living God.”

David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion

and from the paw of the bear,

will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”

So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

 

Saul clothed David with his armor;

he put a bronze helmet on his head

and clothed him with a coat of mail.

David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor,

and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them.

Then David said to Saul,

“I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.”

So David removed them.

 

Then he took his staff in his hand,

and chose five smooth stones from the wadi,

and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch;

his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine came on and drew near to David,

with his shield-bearer in front of him.

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him,

for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

The Philistine said to David,

“Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

The Philistine said to David,

“Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air

and to the wild animals of the field.”

But David said to the Philistine,

“You come to me with sword and spear and javelin;

but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,

the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand,

and I will strike you down and cut off your head;

and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army

this very day to the birds of the air

and to the wild animals of the earth,

so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

and that all this assembly may know that the Lord

does not save by sword and spear;

for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”

 

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David,

David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone,

slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead;

the stone sank into his forehead,

and he fell face down on the ground.

An Act of Praise: pp. 758-759, Psalm 27 (with sung response)

Eve Gillison is the acolyte and reader.

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me

to devour my flesh,

my adversaries and foes

shall stumble and fall.

Though a host encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war rise up against me,

yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

and to inquire in the Lord’s temple.  Response:

The Lord will hide me in his shelter

in the day of trouble;

will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

and will set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up

above my enemies round about me;

and I will offer sacrifices in the Lord’s tent

with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord.  Response:

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,

be gracious to me and answer me!

“Come,” my heart says, “seek the Lord’s face!”

Your face, Lord, do I seek.

Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

you who have been my help.

Cast me not off, forsake me not,

O God of my salvation!

If my father and mother should forsake me,

the Lord will take me up.   Response:

Teach me your way, O Lord;

and lead me on a level path

because of my enemies.

Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

for false witnesses have risen against me,

and they breathe out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the Lord!  Response:

Anthem: “O How Amiable”                     Ralph Vaughan Williams

O how amiable are Thy dwellings, Thou Lord of hosts!

My soul hath a desire and longing

to enter into the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh rejoice in the living God.

Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house,

and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young;

even Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house;

they will be always praising Thee.

The glorious majesty of the Lord our God be upon us.

Prosper Thou the work of our hands upon us.

O prosper Thou our handiwork.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal Home.

A Reading from the Gospels: Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them,

“Let us go across to the other side.

And leaving the crowd behind,

they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.

Other boats were with him.

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat,

so that the boat was already being swamped.

But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion;

and they woke him up and said to him,

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,

“Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased,

and there was dead calm.

He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

And they were filled with great awe and said to one another,

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Sermon: “Standing Fast”                          John Strawbridge, preaching

 

To Respond in Faith

Hymn: No. 589, “The Church in Every Age”    Dickinson College

The church of Christ, in every age,

beset by change but Spirit-led,

must claim and test its heritage

and keep on rising from the dead.

Across the world, across the street,

the victims of injustice cry

for shelter and for bread to eat,

and never live until they die.

Then let the servant church arise,

a caring church that longs to be

a partner in Christ’s sacrifice,

and clothed in Christ’s humanity.

For he alone, whose blood was shed,

can cure the fever in our blood,

and teach us how to share our bread

and feed the starving multitude.

We have no mission but to serve

in full obedience to our Lord,

to care for all, without reserve,

and spread his liberating word.

Affirmation of Our Call:

We come to this place bringing our varied stories,

our unique gifts, and our distinct calls to serve.

We come together in partnership and mission,

knowing that we are called to be the church

to celebrate God’s presence, to serve others,

to seek justice, to offer the hope of the resurrected Christ.

We are called to be the body of Christ –

a community of believers, a household of faith,

a communion of saints, the people of the covenant.

We are called to the one hope of our high calling –

one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God.

As members of the body of Christ,

we build on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, our Lord,

and seek the vision of Christ’s hope for the world.

Prayers of the Congregation with The Lord’s Prayer

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, forever. Amen.

Offertory: “Except the Lord Build the House” Psalm 127

William Scanlan Murphy

Except the Lord build the house,

they labor in vain that build it.

Except the Lord keep the city,

the watchman wakes but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,

to eat the bread of sorrows,

or so He gives his beloved sleep.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man,

so are children of the youth.

Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them;

they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

Presentation of Offerings with the Doxology: No. 95

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.

 

And Scatters to Be the Church in the World

Hymn: No. 733, “Marching to Zion”                             Isaac Watts

Come, we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known;

join in a song with sweet accord,

and thus surround the throne.

Refrain: We’re marching to Zion,

beautiful, beautiful Zion;

we’re marching upward to Zion,

the beautiful City of God.

Let those refuse to sing who never knew our God;

but children of the heavenly King,

may speak their joys abroad.   Refrain:

The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets

before we reach the heavenly fields,

or walk the golden streets.  Refrain:

Then let our songs abound, and every tear be dry;

we’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground,

to fairer worlds on high.  Refrain:

Dismissal with Blessing

Choral Response: “May the Lord Bless and Keep You”

“Fhir a’Bhata,” arr. WSM

May the Lord bless and keep you always,

and keep you safe till we meet again.

Ringing of the Bicentennial Bell

Organ Postlude: “Te Deum Laudamus”                             Crabbe