16th Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 18 (Year B)

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Call to Worship

    Friends, be strong and do not fear, for we are in the presence of God.                        Isa. 35:4-7a
    Waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.
    The burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.
    God brings forth abundance where before there was scarcity.
    There is nothing that is impossible with God.
    We are gathered to share God’s blessings with one another.
    Come, let us worship God.

Prayer of the Day

    God of Good News,
    we are reminded this day
    that our faith is always personal but never private.                        “Reclaiming Jesus” Curriculum
    Bless our worship this day that we might leave this place
    to live out our faith in tangible ways that change lives.
    In all that we do, may we do it for your Gospel.  Amen.

Call to Confession

    Let us gather to lament what is broken in our lives and ask God to forgive us.

Confession

    Your word reminds us that we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.
    But we make far too many distinctions,                                                                        James 2:1-17
    treating one person with more dignity and respect than another.
    We gladly welcome those who look and act like us,
    but give a much less enthusiastic welcome to the stranger.
    Forgive us for the moments when our faith has been empty,
    for the times that our works have not matched our words.
    Help us lean ever more towards your goodness
    and help our lives reflect that goodness in concrete ways.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

    The Psalmist reminds us:
    Happy are those whose help is in God, whose hope is in the Lord.                                   Ps. 146:5
    Friends, God has heard our cry and has forgiven us our sins.
    Alleluia!  Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

    Beautiful Spirit,
    come to this place and bless us with your wisdom
    that we might be guided by the living word
    and molded by its message.  Amen.

Prayers of the People

    Let us pray to God saying:
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    Gracious God, we come before your word this day
    and are reminded of the strong commands of the author of James.
    We are humbled to be reminded that there have been times
    when we’ve given preferential treatment to those for whom it is easier to do so.
    As your people, we have long struggled to give the same love to a stranger
    as to the person who we’ve known for so long.
    Help us, as a congregation, speak and act
    as ones for whom hospitality is the priority.
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    Loving God,
    we give you thanks for the gift of faith
    that is found through Jesus Christ, your son.
    Help us bring that gift to life through our living,
    that we may be missional servants of your Kingdom.
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    Where there are those who are naked, may we clothe them.
    Where there are those without homes, may we house them.
    Where there are those without acceptance, may we welcome them.
    Where there are those without family, may we make them our own.
    In all things, help us to fulfill your commandment to love one another.
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    We pray this day for congregations such as ours
    who are discerning how to be faithful to your calling
    in these tumultuous times.
    We trust that you do not abandon us when the going gets rough.
    Rather, you walk alongside us as a friend
    and hold our hand as a loving parent
    to guide us in the path of faithfulness.
    Thank you, Gracious God, for your steadfast love.
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    Be with those whom we love and those who love them,
    for those who are undergoing health problems…
    for those who are struggling with mental health…
    for those who lack health care…
    for those who have suffered from the plague of gun violence in this country…
    for those who have looked to the Church for comfort and found a closed door…
    for those who live from paycheck to paycheck despite being fully employed.
    Beloved God, awaken our faith and guide our hearts.

    Hear us, Loving God,
    as we pray the prayer you taught us to pray, saying:  Our Father…

 

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.