Sunday Service at Congregational Church of Plainville (8/25/24)

 PRELUDE            The Gift of Love/Eternal Father              arr. John Carter

 *WORSHIP COVENANT

O God, we covenant to worship you with our true selves, selves created in your divine image and for relationship with you. We place before you our vulnerabilities and humanness. Encompass us with the light of your Grace. We look to your perfect Love, O Beautiful God. Fill our emptiness with your Love as we lift our hearts to you in word, in song, and in truth. Show us your wisdom and compassion. Amen.

 SELAH          (a moment to pause & rest in God’s love, letting go of all that holds us back to full connection with God)

 *HYMN                  Come, Teach Us, Spirit of Our God    NCH #287

 SCRIPTURE READINGS                       John6:60-69

Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?”

 Jesus knew that the disciples were grumbling about this and he said to them, “Does this offend you? What if you were to see the Human One going up where he was before? The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Yet some of you don’t believe.”Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn’t believe and the one who would betray him. He said, “For this reason I said to you that none can come to me unless the Father enables them to do so.” At this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer accompanied him.

Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”

Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.”

 SPECIAL MUSIC It Is Well With My Soul (P. Bliss) Voices of Praise   

PASTOR’S MEDITATION “The Church That Never Dies”

One of my job duties, one that doesn’t get seen by folks, is to be aware of the sociological trends when it comes to the church in our society. In other words, I often ask myself and seek to answer these questions: what is happening in American religious culture and how does what happening effect us as a local body?

We, the Congregational Church of Plainville, don’t exist in a vacuum. I get asked what can we do to make the church grow? Often, the pastor is expected to have some answers in this regard. But sadly, there are no easy answers. No magical remedy in our day and age. Some churches do a lot right and do not grow numerically. Others don’t try all that hard and grow. There are examples of both. As much as church consultants make a living helping churches to grow, no failsafe, secret recipe for church growth has been found. In fact, studies tell us that church consultants may boost growth a bit initially, long term not so much.

The reason this is so seems clear to me – the cultural shift we are now experiencing is unstoppable. Just this week I read a piece in the U.S. Today titled, “Americans are becoming less religious. None more than this group.” The article, by Marc Ramirez, states, “Americans have been disaffiliating from organized religion over the past few decades… About 63% of Americans are Christian, according to the Pew Research Center, down from 90% in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, the share of those who describe themselves as agnostic, atheist, or ‘nothing in particular’ has risen to 28%.”

But maybe the most alarming stat is what the article focuses on. Up to recently, “it had been males, especially young men, leading these shifts.” That’s no longer the case. As the article notes, “Generation Z women, especially those aged 18 to 24, are less likely than young men to identify with a faith or to believe in a higher power.”

As anyone associated with church life can tell you, take away women’s presence from a church, and watch that church fizzle out. If young women especially don’t take the baton from older women in churches, the decline of churches in America will only get more pronounced.

The cultural shifts in America cannot be underestimated. They affect us.

But I’m here to preach hope. I’m here to preach the good news. And here’s the good news.

There is a Church that will never die, and that is the Church herself, the Church Universal. Just as Christ eternally lives, so will Christ’s church eternally live.

This essential truth of our faith, that as Christ eternally lives so does His church, actually gives us the model for true growth.

To the extent we graft ourselves, as a local church body, to Christ, we will grow in Christ. The Church is only eternal because we are connected to Christ, the eternal One. Let go of Christ, and the collective we call the church will die. Yes, the pews might be full. The preacher might draw personal followers. The group might bring in millions. But if a community is not grafted onto Christ, if a community is not connected to Christ in a real and profound way, that community will spiritually fade away and soon become something other than the Church.   

Want to grow? Want to live forever as a local body? Latch onto Christ. If we are in Christ, if we connect ourselves to Christ, we will experience the eternal life of Christ. This is true individually. This is also true collectively. 

I know Communion, also called the Eucharist, a word that literally means “thanksgiving,” is not until next week, and I also know the lectionary readings have focused on Christ as the living bread the last few weeks, but Communion is the heartbeat of the Church for the reasons we’ve been talking about.

In partaking of Christ through the Eucharist, we graft ourselves to Christ. By the means of Communion, we allow Christ to become part of us, and we him. Communion, the Eucharist, connects us as a Community to Christ.

At the same time, the Eucharist reminds us what the Christian life amounts to. We live in the light of Christ’s eternal life and we experience that life and that light through him. Out of this, true, lasting, spiritual growth happens. We grow individually and collectively in Christ, and we will grow in spirit and as a body.

So, forget this concern about numerical growth. Numerical growth is a fringe benefit of the real growth, the spiritual growth nourished by Christ in us.

To close, I’d like to look at what this means for us in our day to day lives?

What’s the most important thing you as a Christian and as a member of the Christian church can do? It’s quite simple. You don’t really have to do a lot. Simply grow in your knowledge of God.

Volunteering is wonderful. Attending all our events is wonderful. Giving in the ways you can is wonderful. But growing in your knowledge of God, that is the best thing you can do for yourself and for the Church.

How do you get to know God?

Connect, sit and communicate with God, aka pray. Read, study, meditate upon scripture. Notice moments of quiet in your day as God’s gift to you,. If merely for 10 seconds, simply rest in God’s presence, observing the beauty of the present moment. Meditate, contemplate, reflect, practice gratitude. And worship God. Do this individually and collectively. All of these things are examples of you getting to know God.

Growing in your knowledge of God means growing spiritually. When this happens, something kicks in that is quite organic, which shows us why getting to know God is so important for the growth of the church. When you grow spiritually, you naturally, organically share the light you’ve found with others. The spirit is such an overflowing reality in our lives that the spirit flows out of you. You share God’s reality in your life without even trying.

You also naturally want to share it with your community, namely your church community. But it doesn’t stop there.

This kind of spiritual depth and light exuding from you can’t help but to attract others outside the church to you, yes, but also to the community you’re a part of.

This is called organic evangelism. Jesus makes reference to it in Matthew 5:

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone... ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

I close with this – you are part of the church that will never die, the church universal. Yes, local congregations may close their doors. We’ve seen this just down the road with Grace Lutheran Church. But the members at Grace Lutheran, they are still part of the church universal, an eternal movement that will never die.

As a member of the church universal yourself, as well as a member of this local body, the gift you know is infinite in scope. The gift of Christ is a gift you get to know. The gift of the Spirit, you get to know. So get to know God, grow in your knowledge of God, grow in spirit, and true, lasting, and deep growth will be all encompassing.

That’s why we’re here. To grow together in our knowledge of Christ, the one who is the way, the truth, and the life of love.

Amen.

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE    Blessing of Backpacks

Do Your Best

Be Kind

Share About Your Struggles

Pray Always

“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Col. 3:12)

God of Wisdom, we give you thanks for schools and classrooms and for the teachers and students who fill them each day. We thank you for this new beginning, for new books and new ideas. We thank you for sharpened pencils, pointy crayons, and crisp blank pages waiting to be filled. We thank you for the gift of making mistakes and trying again. Help us to remember that asking the right questions is often as important as giving the right answers. Today we give you thanks for these your children, and we ask you to bless them with curiosity, understanding and respect. May their backpacks be a sign to them that they have everything they need to learn and grow this year in school and in Sunday School. May they be guided by your love. All this we ask in the name of Jesus, who as a child in the temple showed his longing to learn about you, and as an adult taught, by story and example, your great love for us. Amen.

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.

 *HYMN                  Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise   NCH #1

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

JOYS, SORROWS OR CONCERNS

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE/PASTORAL PRAYER

O Holy One,
For those needing your healing hand, we pray.
In you all things are possible.
Hold each of our hearts within yours.
Renew us, mind, body, and spirit.

When we are lost, in your grace find us.

Give us the strength to move forward
on the path you've laid out for us.
Guide us towards wholeness.

Mend what is broken, whatever it may be.
Brokenness of body, brokenness of mind,
brokenness of spirit.

And bring us a sense of peace
working from the inside out.

Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in Love’s one mind.
In purer lives, your service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

Drop Your still dew of quiet,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls all strain and stress,
And let our God-guided lives confess
The beauty of Your peace.

Breathe through the heat of our anger
Your coolness and Your balm;
Let worries be mute, wearied bodies retire;
Speak through the wind, water and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

And lastly, O God who is love,
help us, through the thick and the thin,
to live in gratitude.
You give us life.
You also give us the gift of infinite joy,
And together we say thank you.

*HYMN                  Hope of the World        NCH #46

INVITATION TO GIVE                                      

PRAYER OF GRATITUDE (in unison)

Generous and Wise God, you give freely and we receive freely. Sow in us discernment, understanding, and wisdom to be good stewards of the bounty we receive and the resources we have earned. Let us treat them all as gifts to be shared so that none will be in want or need to live full and abundant lives. Amen.

*DOXOLOGY                                                      

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God all Creatures here below.
Praise God above ye heavenly hosts,
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*SELAH  (a moment to pause & affirm you’re divinely loved as you enter the new week) 

*PRAYER FROM PSALM 84

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!

Our souls long, indeed they faint, for sacred places. Our hearts and our bodies sing for joy to you, our living and breathing God.

Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your feet, O LORD of hosts, our sovereign leader and our God.

Happy are those who abide in you, ever singing your praise. We can’t help but to pause in silence

Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to our promised end.

As we go through dark valleys, helps us to make it a place of springs; the early rain covering with pools.

Help us to go from strength to strength; You, the God of gods will be seen there.

O LORD God of hosts, hear our prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob!

We can’t help but to pause in Silence.

Behold the One who shields us and protects us, Our God. Lord, look on the face of your anointed.

For a day in your sacred presence is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickednes.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.

POSTLUDE          Voluntary in A Minor                                  William Boyce