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fpchw logo 2016

Worship Service

"You Have Asked a Hard Thing"

THE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
third sunday after pentecost
june 26 2022

  • In Person Sunday, June 26, 11 a.m. (Mask optional for all)  This Sunday, Pastor Matt Lang's sermon is "You Have Asked a Hard Thing"  
  • Worship Live Streaming at 11 a.m. Click here for June 26th streaming of live service.  (If it is NOT blue "refresh" your page.) Complete service bulletin below. 
  •  After  the service, feel free to stay on Zoom for Heavenly Perks until 2:00 p.m., where we can see each other and visit just like we did at our Heavenly Perks coffee time (except you provide your own cuppa  tea/coffee).

  • Perks Enter Image 3976

    gIVE -- electronically
    to contribute (ACTIVE link: a monetary offering) to first presbyterian church of homewood or you may also contribute by mail to:

    First Presbyterian Church of Homewood
    P.O. BOX 1519
    Homewood IL 60430

    Click on this Blue Link to Ask a Question or Leave a Comment

BULLETIN FOR STREAMING SERVICE 

WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HOMEWOOD
MISSION STATEMENT

Through the grace of God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully seek to discern God’s will for this congregation and to reach beyond ourselves to feed the hungry, body and soul. Adopted by Session 7/31/17

PRAYER FOR PEACE
Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

PRELUDE ||| Lord, I Want to Be a Christian ||| Cindy Berry
(American Folk Hymn)

*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP
We gather to worship our God of wonder, and we gather to meditate on God’s works and mighty deeds.
Our God who is great and mighty, with arms stretched out, welcomes us into the fold.
 
*HYMN 308 ||| O God in Whom All Life Begins ||| Noel

CALL TO CONFESSION
Seeking to follow God, shepherd of our flock, and knowing how we have strayed, we humbly confess the ways in which we have sinned, that we might find grace.

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of mercy,
We confess that we too often give in to the yearnings of the flesh. We have impure thoughts. We idolize those who misuse power. We harbor jealousies and are quick to anger. We neglect to care for others and gratify our own desires. Forgive us, O God, and cleanse us of our sin. Lead us to ways of love, joy, and peace. Send your Spirit to engender patience, kindness, and generosity, and lead us to be gentle in our care for all of your people.
(silent prayer)
Amen.

*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
Sisters and brothers, we are all called to freedom.
Amidst thunderous storms and rocky waters,
God reaches out to us in love.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!

*THE GLORIA 581

MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN ||| Rev. Matt Lang

WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS

 
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

FIRST SCRIPTURE READING ||| 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
1Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 6Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

SPECIAL MUSIC ||| Take Up Your Cross ||| Edward Broughton ||| (Early American Hymn Tune)

SECOND SCRIPTURE READING ||| Luke 9:51-62
51When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; 53but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" 55But he turned and rebuked them. 56Then they went on to another village. 57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!

SERMON ||| You Have Asked a Hard Thing ||| Rev. Matt Lang

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

*HYMN 718 ||| Take Up Your Cross, the Savior Said ||| Bourbon

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH ||| The Brief Statement of Faith 1983
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.

*PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS

OFFERTORY ||| Here I Am, Lord ||| Daniel Schutte

*DOXOLOGY ||| 606 Old Hundredth
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
See in our gifts our loyalty to you. We commit ourselves to both show forth and work for your kingdom to come. Amen.

WE GO IN GOD’S NAME

*HYMN 688 ||| Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart ||| Morecambe

BLESSING
The blessing of the one God—
Spirit, Son, and Father—
be with you now and always.
Alleluia!

CHARGE
Lead a life worthy of your calling,
giving glory to God in all things.
Amen.

POSTLUDE ||| "Festal Fanfare" ||| from the Fourth Concerto ||| J.S. Bach

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!

Rev. Matt Lang, Pastor
Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist

Worship Liturgist: Jay Ruklic Usher: Laura Dillman
Web Techs: Laura Dillman, Phil Dillman, Kathie Hazlett, Susan Zorns

SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday we will be reading 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.

PRAYER CHAIN – If you want prayer requests included on the prayer chain, contact Shirley Armistead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Next ...

Calendar of Upcoming Virtual & in Person Meetings in June 2022 ....moving toward July

    • Sunday: Worship with us in person or live streaming, Sunday, June 19, The sermon title is "What Are You Doing Here?".   To begin worship, click here to go to this Sunday's worship service page
    • First Monday: Book Study | Kathleen O'Hanlon & Joyce Anders
      Zoom Link:  7 pm-8:30 July ?, 2022 (TBD) So, where are we in the novel, "Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead? We are continuing our discussion the through the "North Carolina" chapter. You can still catch up in this interesting read very quickly.  It's a powerful book and we have had a lot of heartfelt discussions of the subject.  Suggested: Read through PP. 142. and come on in!! (Click on this link)
      Undeground RailroadUnderground Railroad Book for May
    • Tuesdays: 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday Morning  at a Zoom meeting.  We are thoroughly enjoying the book, "From Daughters To Disciples", Women's  Stories from the New Testament. The author is Lynn Japinga.  Continue reading through pp 44-50 for Tuesday, June 21, Chapter 4, "A Grateful Woman;" Luke 7.  And if you can't help yourself, continue .... Japinga always has new insights...at least to me! (KPH)  Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information (we formerly met at Panera and may meet at Panera again).
    • Tuesdays: | Tuesday Adult Education Class  | 7:00 pm Central Time | Tim VanNasdale
      Zoom Link for meeting:  Tuesdays, 7 pm (next class 06/21/22)    If  you are interested in participating in this book study, please click on the <--blue link or let us know through email: the church office  or phone: 708-798-0490 so we can include you in the weekly email notification with the Zoom link.
    • Zoom link for meeting Tuesday at 7 pm Illinois time. Update from Tim: There are 10 videos that we'll watch and discuss together. The titles for these videos are:
      • In the Footsteps of Abraham
      • The Exodus: From Egypt to Canaan
      • The Israelites Conquer the Promised Land
      • Israel's Rise to Prominence through David and Solomon
      • The Assyrian Invasion
      • The Babylonian Conquest of Judah
      • Investigating the Historical Authenticity of the New Testament
      • The Reliability of Luke and Acts
      • How Archeology Backs Up the New Testament
      • The Trial of Jesus
      The class is led by an author named Stephen Meyer. It focuses on methods for determining text historicity along with using insights from archeology as well. I'll likely be drawing in work from Titus Kennedy and Gleason Archer as we go through the course as well. I'm really looking forward to it.
    • Sundays: | SundayWorship Service  We are now worshiping in the church building at 11 am on Sunday mornings.Access to our Live Streaming Service can be found on the "Worship Page" | Post Sunday Streaming Worship Meet-up (aka Heavenly Perks) is beginning in person on May 22 
    • Healing & Wholeness Service date is: TBD.  We offer access to a Healing & Wholeness Service online  at any time.  This service is a time of reflection, prayer, and meditation.  This service can help us to experience anew God’s healing, peace-giving grace or refuel us for becoming agents of healing and reconciliation.  Taking time for this mimics a pattern for Jesus and his disciples.  They would be out in the thick of a clamoring multitude and then retreat to a quiet place to reconnect, recharge, and clarify their mission.  Our quiet place awaits us in this service online.  (Watch for an announcement for maybe private prayer time on Zoom after this service.) | Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for prayer needs request.

Looking forward | scripture readings for next sunday, July 3 -- 2 Kings 5:1-14 and Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

2 Kings 5:1-14 ||| New Revised Standard Version

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” 8But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”  9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

 

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 ||| New Revised Standard Version

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’  16“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” 17The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

 

 

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