First Presbyterian Church
September 26, 2021
10:00 AM
Order of Worship
CALL
TO WORSHIP
Let us be made confident in the Lord.
Let us dare to speak the
Word with greater boldness and without fear.
Let us proclaim Christ
out of love.
May we be the tool of God’s
deliverance and blessings to our community.
Let us worship the Living God.
*Hymn
of Praise: “Breathe on me, Breath of God”
1.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love what thou
dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.
2.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until with thee I will
one will, to do and to endure.
3.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, till I am wholly thine, till all this earthly
part of me glows with thy fire divine.
4.
Breathe on me, Breath of God, so shall I never die, but live with thee the
perfect life of thine eternity.
Words
by: Edwin Hatch Music by:
Robert Jackson
PRAYER OF CONFESSION (In Unison)
Father in heaven, we come to You this day, opening our hearts to confess
all that we have done and all that we have left undone that encompass our sins
against You and our neighbor and our world.
We come to You in the sure and certain hope of the forgiveness You have
promised through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive us, heal us, cleanse us, lead us to
be ever more worthy servants to Your glorious purpose. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
*SILENT PRAYERS
OF CONFESSION
ASSURANCE OF
PARDON
God lifts the weary, lightens the load of those overly burdened, supports
and strengthens those who have been knocked down. Claim the forgiveness God so
graciously offers. Know the new life Christ has given us. Amen
*THE GLORIA
PATRI
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
INVITATION: “Dear Lord, I
need You, please come into my life today.
Amen”
SCRIPTURAL INTRODUCTION
Philippians 1: 12-23
The
port of Philippi is in northeastern Greece, on the edge of Greece to the south
and Macedonia to north and west.
According to the book of Acts, it was a part of Paul’s second missionary
journey. To follow Paul in the book of
Acts is to follow him through 3 missionary journeys that took him through the
territories between Rome and the Promised Land.
It
seems the letter was written some time after his direct visit to Philippi
because Paul reports that he is in prison.
Because of certain internal references, including to the Imperial Guard
in our passage today, the general assumption is that this was while he was
imprisoned in Rome. Paul was born in the
city of Tarsis, by virtue of which he was a Roman citizen. In Acts 25, under arrest in the Promised
Land, he exercised his right to appear before Caesar and thus, was sent on to
Rome, where it seems he is now. His
ministry, and his life, came to an end in Rome.
In
the letter, he addresses his imprisonment and his hopes for release. He also speaks against dissension happening
in Philippi, as well as against false teachers that have arisen. Part of the letter is also to commend Timothy
(to which he wrote two letters) as Paul’s “eyes and ears” to see what is
happening there, as well as introducing the next generation of leadership.
Paul’s
tone in the letter is pastoral, there is a personal connection between himself
and the church in Philippi. He shares
personal feelings about his faith and ministry as well. This includes his looking forward to the time
when he will be united with Christ, as Paul has written elsewhere, “in a life
like his”. But he is honest as he is of
two minds. On the one hand, there is the
delight of Paradise that awaits him. On
the other, there are those still in the world to whom he can be a teacher, a
supporter, and a helper in Christ.
There
is a ferocity in his faith that comes through in his words. Perhaps this is why the Lord has included
Philippians in the Canon of Scripture.
As God inspired Paul to write these words, God did so using the man, his
mind, his passion, his emotions, his place in life. Thus, Paul’s words spoke not only to the
church in Philippi but continue to speak to us today.
LESSONS: Philippians 1: 12-26
12 I
want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually
helped to spread the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the
whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for
Christ; 14and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made
confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with
greater boldness and without fear.
15 Some
proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. 16These
proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put here for the defense
of the gospel; 17the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not
sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my
imprisonment. 18What does it matter? Just this, that Christ is proclaimed
in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in that I rejoice.
Yes,
and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and
the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my
deliverance. 20It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put
to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be
exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to
me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23I am
hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for
that is far better; 24but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for
you. 25Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and
continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26so that I
may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
SERMON: “When
We Come Into God’s Glory” Rev. Peter Hofstra
There
comes a time in life when we begin to look back. If we are not at that time, we probably have
someone in our family who is, a parent or a grandparent. The cliched expression is someone having more
years behind them than in before them.
When someone is trying to share that kind of reflection with a younger
person, oftentimes, the response includes something akin to an eye roll. It isn’t simply out of disrespect, but
because unless you are in that contemplative time of life, it is really hard to
be looking back when everything still feels in front of you.
This
is where Paul seems to be in his letter to the Philippians. Our passage this morning, falling after his
greetings to that church, detail his current circumstances and reflection on
life. He is in prison but the work of
Christ goes on. The entire imperial
guard knows about what he believes. He
was first imprisoned in Israel and, in Acts 25, appealed, as a Roman citizen,
to have his case heard before Caesar. So
he is Rome, imprisoned under the jurisdiction of the imperial guard, somewhere
in the Emperor’s complex.
History
has it that he will eventually be martyred in Rome, so this looks to be at the
end of his ministry, a time for reflection and consideration. This is especially strong toward the end of
our passage. Paul is thinking of heaven
and earth, looking forward to the conclusion of a life of service and suffering
with the peace that passes all understanding, but also remaining in the moment
here as those to whom he reaches out need his wisdom and support.
Such
is a time of reflection that I have been privileged to witness with a number of
folks, and I was reminded of it because I had this conversation on more than
one occasion with Lois Edge in our final times together. People ready for what is next, ready for
heaven, life on earth no longer has the joy and wonder that it once had.
Unfortunately,
it is not always a life lived large and in full measure. How many people end up in care facilities,
like they are warehoused, too many forgotten.
The big difference with Paul is that Paul is still active in life and
ministry. Look how he opens our passage. He is commending those who are emboldened to
speak of the gospel because of his imprisonment, and he is complimentary of
those who do not like him and share the faith to spite him. In either case, the work of the Lord is going
forward.
The
question of the end of life is the one that looms large and remains largely
unasked. Who wants to talk about
death? It is certainly not at the top of
my list of topics for dinner conversation.
We recognize its importance in what Jesus did for us. As it says in the creed, Jesus was crucified,
dead, and buried. He descended into
hell. On the third day he arose again
from the dead… In Jesus, death leads to
life.
The
reality that this sacrifice that Jesus has made in our lives is that when we
come to the end of this life, when we die, it opens the door to life
eternal. In Christ, we are called home
to Paradise, where the best and happiest moments of our lives form the least of
the joys that we shall enjoy forever.
It’s a good thing. It’s a very
good thing.
And
it is something that the world of sin tries desperately to have us ignore, to
make us forget, to distract us, to turn our heads and hearts away from the
truth of the matter. How does that
happen? Well, I think one powerful
strategy is the shift in healthcare from a faith-based endeavor to a business
and corporate based endeavor.
For
example, what is the largest Presbyterian institution in New York City? It is not the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian
Church, nor any church for that matter.
It is New York Presbyterian Hospital.
It was founded by one James Lenox, who was a philanthropist who gave to
the hospital, the Presbyterian Church, Princeton College and Seminary. But it is certainly not the only
denominationally aligned hospital. I
have seen Lutheran and Baptist, and just looked up to see that there is an
Episcopal aligned hospital as well (but almost exclusively in name alone). Around here, the only hospital that comes to
my mind as religiously connected is St. Peter’s, and the Roman Catholic
Church-but that is a healthcare facility with religious roots and connection,
not a religious healthcare organization.
Then came, for me, the most blatant shift in thinking in healthcare.
There
was a Goldman Sachs business analysis called “The Genome Revolution”, tying
gene based healthcare to business. Their
thesis question was “Is curing patients a sustainable business model?” It was a consideration of a company that
created a successful therapy to cure Hepatitis C, so successful in healing that
the company went from 12 billion to 4 billion in profits in a short amount of
time, so very unsuccessful in business.
The implication of the analysis is what gets done to the patients in
order to assure the survival of the business.
How
far has the culture gone from considering the questions of life and death that
are at the very basis of our self-awareness as human being? Life and illness become a business
commodity. How many times have we dealt
with the health care system and felt like we were, at best a money-maker and,
at worst, an inconvenience? I have to
tell you, I am not overly fond of conspiracy theories but there is an entire
industry that caters to and profits from lives that are longer and longer that
require more and more care to be sustained.
Its
like someone saying, “We don’t want you to die” while the subtext is “because
you make money for us.”
But
this is not intended to be a tirade against the healthcare system. Rather, take a moment to reflect how helpless
we, as individuals, feel, against such a huge and integral system to our life
and livelihood? From our Christian point
of view, our presupposition is that God’s sovereignty is more powerful than any
human creation. But in the face of
medical bills, do we really feel that way?
Are we truly as open in our lives as Paul is to the reality that death
means eternal peace in Christ? Or are we
so invested in a system to keep us alive as long as possible, that our faith
perspective slides into the background somewhere?
It
is, pun intended, a diabolical system.
Taking our eyes off Jesus and onto ourselves. It may not be a threat to our salvation or to
eternity in the joy of the Lord, but it can surely make the present life
something miserable. How then shall we
respond?
When
it comes to healthcare, as it does with faith, it is not about the business, it
is about the people. When it comes to
getting older, to reflecting on life, surely the system should not simply be
the arbitrary lengthening of how long we will survive in this mortal coil. Should it not also be about how we will
thrive? How we exist? How dignity is still ours? Paul’s view of the end of his own life was
one that welcomed what was to come, but was still firmly engaged in the work
that went on here.
Such
is the work of our Lord Jesus in our lives.
At the moment of death, we enter fully into the Kingdom of God, but
until then, here, in this time and this place, we have a Kingdom to bring to
the lost. Because there are a lot of
people who are lost and alone out there.
There are a lot of neighbors for whom there may be no love received
unless we are there to provide it.
In so
doing, we work toward a larger purpose, one that is more fulfilling at every
age. It is the work of our Lord Jesus,
bringing the love of heaven to those who need it, in the sure and certain
promise of what is to come. It is the
question of a life well lived, in the love of Jesus. There are people we know who need some of
that love right now. And if they are
okay, there are certainly people close by who could certainly use the hand of
faith. Because until the Lord sees fit
to call us home, we have a calling here.
May
we be blessed and be a blessing to others.
May we be renewed in our faith and stir the faith in others. May we know that each day is a gift of the
Lord, and that the Lord’s gifts are to be shared joyfully to a world in need. May we see through the distractions brought
by the world of sin and keep our eye on what is truly important. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (The Apostle’s 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 from
the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at 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 Spirit, the holy catholic church, the
communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and
the life everlasting. Amen.
PASSING OF THE
PEACE
THE OFFERING OF
OUR TITHES & GIFTS
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
*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.
*PRAYER OF
DEDICATION
Holy God,
these offerings are only a portion of all that you have given us. We gratefully
present these gifts and entrust them to your work in this world. May our gifts
share the Good News of the gospel to those who are in need. May these gifts
help unburden those with the heaviest of loads. Amen.
JOYS
AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Eternal God, we rejoice
today in the gift of life, which we have received by your grace, and the new
life you give in Jesus Christ. In this moment of prayer, we pause to give
thanks for:
The love of our families …
The support of our friends …
Strength and abilities to
serve your purpose …
This community in which we
live …
Opportunities to give as we
have received …
God of grace, we offer our
prayers for the needs of others and commit ourselves to serve them even as we
have been served in Jesus Christ. In this moment of prayer, we pause to
remember:
Those who are overwhelmed by
the burden of leadership …
Those who are exhausted from
navigating uncertainty and change …
Those who are ill and their
caregivers …
Those who are in need of
courage to move forward …
Merciful God, you call us to
journeys where we cannot see the destination, by paths untrodden, through perils
unknown. Give us faith to go out with courage, not knowing where we go, but
only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us. Finally, hear us
now, as we pray the prayer Christ taught us to pray by saying together,
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 debts, as we forgive our
debtors. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory
forever. Amen.
*CLOSING HYMN: “God Be With
You Till We Meet Again”
1. God
be with you till we meet again; by his counsels guide, uphold you, with his
sheep securely fold you; God be with you till we meet again.
2. God
be with you till we meet again; neath his wings securely hide you, daily manna
still provide you; God be with you till we meet again.
3. God
be with you till we meet again; when life's perils thick confound you, put his
arms unfailing round you; God be with you till we meet again.
4. God
be with you till we meet again; keep love's banner floating o'er you, smite
death's threatening wave before you; God be with you till we meet again.
*BENEDICTION
*THREE FOLD AMEN
Elements of Order of Worship Liturgy written by Teri McDowell Ott.
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