† Stand as you are able
Organ Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Introit “This Is The Day The Lord Hath Made” UMH 658
This is the day the Lord hath made; He calls the hours His own.
Let Heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, and praise surround the throne.
†Call to Worship
Come, all who need courage for the days ahead.
We come, trusting God’s strength.
Come, all who seek a love that outlasts fear.
We come, resting in Christ’s faithfulness.
Let us worship the God who is our refuge and our help.
Amen.
†Opening Hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour” UMH 397
Prayer of Illumination
Holy God, by the power of your Spirit, open our ears to hear your Word, our minds to understand it, and our hearts to receive it. May your truth guide our lives and lead us more faithfully in the way of Christ. Amen.
A Reading from the Old Testament Genesis 21:8-21 NRSV
The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. The word of God, for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Congregational Prayer
God, our refuge, we confess how easily fear shapes our choices—fear of losing, fear of failing, fear of not being enough. Yet you call us to a different way: courage rooted in love. Strengthen us to live faithfully in our homes and in our community. Bless fathers and father-figures, and all who carry responsibilities of care. Heal the wounds of strained relationships, and form us to be a church where love is practiced across generations. Send us to live with steady compassion and bold hope, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Passing of the Peace “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” UMH 334
Sharing Joys and Concerns
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer
Response “Sanctuary” TFSW 2164
†A Reading from the Gospel Matthew 10:24-39 NRSV
“A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. “Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. The Gospel of our Lord. Praise be to you, O Christ.
Sermon John Strawbridge, Lay Leader
Responsive Hymn “Take Up Thy Cross” UMH 415
Invitation to Offering
Offertory “O Lord, This Is My Desire” Mayhew
O Lord, this is my desire: to walk along the path of life that You have appointed for me,
in steadfastness of faith, in lowliness of heart, in gentleness of love. Let not the cares and duties of this life press upon me too heavily, but lighten my burden, that I may follow Your way in quietness, filled with thankfulness for Your mercy
Offering Prayer
God, our help, receive these gifts. Use them to strengthen families, support the vulnerable, and extend your love through this congregation. Amen.
†Closing Hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” UMH 526
†Benediction
Go in peace. Do not be afraid. God is your refuge, Christ is your courage, and the Spirit is your guide. Amen
†Benediction Response “Let Us Now Depart In Thy Peace” UMH 668
Let us now depart in Thy peace, blessed Jesus. Send us to our homes with God’s love in our hearts. Let not the busy world claim all our loyalties. Keep us ever mindful, dear Lord, of Thee. Amen.
Ringing the Bicentennial Bell
Organ Postlude