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Worship - Third Sunday in Lent - March 7, 2021

3/8/2021

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Link to a recording of this service
PLUMSTED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
March 7, 2021— Third Sunday in Lent
Call to worship
We worship in the season of Lent, a time to examine our hearts and our lives 
and journey with Christ through the suffering of the world.
Let us listen for the commandments of God and align our lives with God’s vision for peace.
God has marked us as beloved dust and called us together to worship.
Prayer of the Day
Eternal God, your kingdom has broken into our troubled world through the life, death, and resurrection of your Son. Help us to hear your word and obey it, that we may become instruments of your saving love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession and Assurance
In the name of Christ, I urge you: Be reconciled to God. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin. O Christ who chased the money changers from the temple, chase the greed from our lives and our hearts. As you overturned the tables, O Lord, overturn the systems in our world that contribute to cycles of poverty and oppression. Forgive us, O God, of the ways we contribute to the world’s brokenness. Forgive us, O God, and wash us in your mercy. Forgive us, O God, and free us to try again. Amen.
Listen, the time has come at last. Look, now is the day of salvation! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Prayer for illumination
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness, guide us by your Word through these forty days so that we may be reformed, restored, and renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture                   John 2:13-22The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 
The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Sermon
Affirmation of Faith  Adapted from the Confession of 1967
The reconciling work of Jesus was the supreme crisis in the life of humankind. His cross and resurrection become personal crisis and present hope for women and men when the gospel is proclaimed and believed. In this experience, the Spirit brings God’s forgiveness to all, moves people to respond in faith, repentance, and obedience, and initiates the new life in Christ. 
Sharing of joys and concerns
Prayers of Intercession
Offering
Jesus says: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let us offer our lives to the Lord. O God, giver of all good gifts, may the gifts we offer here today bear the fruits of peace, love, and 
Invitation to the Lord’s Table
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
. . .
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with the celestial choirs and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
. . .
Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
The Lord’s Prayer
Breaking of the Bread
Communion
Thanksgiving Prayer 
* Charge and Benediction
Rev. David Bowman, Parish Associate; Rev. Phyllis Zoon, Pastor
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Worship - 1st Sunday in Lent - February 21, 2021

2/21/2021

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Link to online worship
PLUMSTED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
February 21, 2021— 1st Sunday in Lent
Welcome and Announcements
Call to worship
We have entered the season of Lent, 
a time to examine our hearts and our lives 
and journey with Christ through the suffering of the world.
Let us lift up our souls to our merciful God 
and humble ourselves in God’s service.
God has marked us as beloved dust
and called us together to worship.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, your Son fasted forty days in the wilderness, and was tempted as we are but did not sin. Give us grace to direct our lives in obedience to your Spirit, that as you know our weakness, so we may know your power to save; through Jesus Christ our redeemers, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession and Assurance
In the name of Christ, I urge you: Be reconciled to God. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
In the season of Lent, O God, we say lofty words about renewing our spiritual disciplines, journeying with you to the cross, or denying ourselves material wants for the good of the soul.
Forgive us, O God, if our actions are in vain: if we are concerned with the good of the soul rather than the good of your people; if we have twisted this season of penitence into a reason for praise or judgment; if we are so preoccupied with the sins of the world that we cannot recognize and confess the sins of our own lives. Forgive us, O God, and wash us in your mercy. Forgive us, O God, and free us to try again.
Listen, the time has come at last. Look, now is the day of salvation! In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Prayer for illumination
Gracious God, our way in the wilderness, guide us by your Word through these forty days so that we may be reformed, restored, and renewed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture                               Genesis 9:8-17Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Mark 1:9-15In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Sermon
Affirmation of Faith  Adapted from the Confession of 1967
The reconciling work of Jesus was the supreme crisis in the life of humankind. His cross and resurrection become personal crisis and present hope for women and men when the gospel is proclaimed and believed. In this experience, the Spirit brings God’s forgiveness to all, moves people to respond in faith, repentance, and obedience, and initiates the new life in Christ. 
Sharing of joys and concerns
Prayers of Intercession
Holy God, we pray that you would empower us with courage and faithfulness as we embark on this Lenten journey. We seek renewal and restoration during these 40 days. Help us to remember Jesus’ faithfulness in the wilderness, tempted by Satan. Be with us in our temptation. Let your grace follow us and go before us in each step of this journey. Enable us to accept spiritual disciplines for this journey. Let us pray daily and be especially attentive to the needs of others, and to our own needs. 
God of the nations, we pray for peace with justice throughout the world, so that all your children may dwell secure, free of war and injustice. Move the hearts of leaders throughout the world to hear the cries of the poor and hungry, and to ensure a rightful share of the resources needed to sustain life. 
And as we continue to grapple with overwhelming pandemic challenges, we pray that you would grant special measures of strength and endurance to healthcare workers and other essential workers who labor on the frontlines of this struggle. And we pray for all who are now facilitating vaccination and for those who are providing the vaccines. We pray for your comfort for all who are sick and for all who have lost loved ones. Grant us all wisdom and courage for the living of this hour. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father... 
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
Jesus says: Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Let us offer our lives to the Lord.
O God, giver of all good gifts, may the gifts we offer here today bear the fruits of peace, love, and justice in our community and our world. 
* Charge and Benediction
As we journey in Lent, 
let us be empowered to follow in the way of Jesus, 
who, though tempted, was steadfast in love and faithful in the way of justice. 
So, let us lift up the brokenhearted and stand with the oppressed. 
Let us love God with our whole lives and love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen. 
 
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Worship - 5th Sunday after Epiphany February 7, 2021

2/7/2021

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Link to video recording
PLUMSTED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
February 7, 2021— 5th Sunday after Epiphany
Welcome and Announcements
Call to worship
Let us worship and sing praises to God, 
for the Lord is gracious and worthy of praise!
God gathers the outcasts and heals the brokenhearted.
God gives the stars their names 
and makes grass grow on the hills.
Let us hope in God’s steadfast love 
and worship God together!
Prayer of the Day
Faithful God, you have appointed us your witnesses, to be light that shines in the world. Let us not hide the bright hope you have given us, but tell everyone your love, revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession and Assurance
Nothing can be hidden from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, whose wisdom is endless, whose mercy is great. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
O God you bring healing to our lives and comfort to our hearts. Forgive us, O Lord, when we contribute to the things that break your heart. You would have us share our gifts with the world, but we keep our resources close and our minds closed. You would have us live in faithful community, but we isolate ourselves and eye our neighbors with mistrust. You would have us see all people as our siblings, but we try to separate ourselves from anyone whose existence challenges our comfort.
Forgive us, O God, by your grace, and free us to be agents of your healing.
Those who trust in God will renew their strength. They will run and not be weary, they will walk and not grow faint. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! 
Thanks be to God.
Prayer for illumination
Saving God, source of our calling, your Word is full of power and glory. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so that we may receive your grace and live as your beloved children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture                               Isaiah 40:1-31Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust. Lebanon would not provide fuel enough, nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol? —A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains. As a gift one chooses mulberry wood—wood that will not rot— then seeks out a skilled artisan to set up an image that will not topple. Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;  who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Sermon
Affirmation of Faith  
In Jesus of Nazareth, true humanity was realized once for all. Jesus, a Palestinian Jew, lived among his own people and shared their needs, temptations, joys, and sorrows. He expressed the love of God in word and deed and became a brother to all kinds of sinful men and women. But his complete obedience led him into conflict with his people. His life and teaching judged their goodness, religious aspirations, and national hopes. Many rejected him and demanded his death. In giving himself freely for them, he took upon himself the judgment under which everyone stands convicted. God raised him from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord. The victim of sin became the victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all.
Sharing of joys and concerns
Prayers of Intercession
For the church, the world, and all in need, let us pray to the Lord, saying: 
God of grace, hear our prayer.
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
God is the giver and source of all that is good. We acknowledge the abundance of gifts that have been showered upon us, and now return a portion of them in the hope that they might serve Christ’s purposes in our community and in our world.
Gracious God, we offer our gifts to you that they may be sanctified and dedicated to ministries of reconciliation and justice in our church, our nation and our world. Receive these gifts as a sign of our commitment to follow Jesus as his disciples. Amen.
* Charge and Benediction
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Worship - 4th Sunday after Epiphany - January 31, 2021

1/31/2021

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Link to a video recording of the service
PLUMSTED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
January 31, 2021— 4th Sunday after Epiphany
Welcome and Announcements
Call to worship
Give thanks to the Lord with your whole heart in the company of the congregation.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, ever mindful of the covenant.
The works of God’s hands are faithful and just, established forever and ever.
Holy and awesome is God’s name.
God’s praise endures forever!
Prayer of the Day
Holy God, you confound the world’s wisdom by giving your kingdom to the lowly and pure in heart. Give us such a hunger and thirst for justice and perseverance in striving for peace, that by our words and deeds the world may see the promise of your kingdom, revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession and Assurance
Nothing can be hidden from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, whose wisdom is endless, whose mercy is great. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
You have shown us, O God, what it means to follow you. Forgive us when we fail; open our hearts and minds to your teachings. You modeled compassion in the person of Jesus Christ, but we do not extend kindness to strangers or friends. You challenge systems of injustice through the movement of your spirit, but we keep choosing comfort over justice, the status quo over the Kingdom of God. You create all things good, and your creation sings your praise, but we consider no creatures but ourselves and wound your earth by our sin.
Forgive us, O God. Pour your compassion on us this day, and by your forgiveness, show us how to share it with one another.
Those who trust in God will renew their strength. They will run and not be weary, they will walk and not grow faint. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Prayer for illumination
Saving God, source of our calling, your Word is full of power and glory. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us so that we may receive your grace and live as your beloved children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Scripture
 Deuteronomy 18:15-20
The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lordyour God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.”Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”
Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Sermon
Affirmation of Faith  
In Jesus of Nazareth, true humanity was realized once for all. Jesus, a Palestinian Jew, lived among his own people and shared their needs, temptations, joys, and sorrows. He expressed the love of God in word and deed and became a brother to all kinds of sinful men and women. But his complete obedience led him into conflict with his people. His life and teaching judged their goodness, religious aspirations, and national hopes. Many rejected him and demanded his death. In giving himself freely for them, he took upon himself the judgment under which everyone stands convicted. God raised him from the dead, vindicating him as Messiah and Lord. The victim of sin became the victor, and won the victory over sin and death for all.
Sharing of joys and concerns
Prayers of Intercession
For the church, the world, and all in need, let us pray to the Lord, saying: 
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For your church in every place, that we may worship and serve you faithfully, 
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For leaders and people in every land, that they may know your way and do your will,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For justice throughout the world, that there may be peace and plenty for all, 
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For the earth you have made, that it may flourish in beauty and show your glory,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For all those who hunger and thirst, that they may be filled with good things,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
For those who are ill or close to death, that they may know your loving care,
God of grace, hear our prayer.
Receive all these prayers, O God, in the tenderness of your mighty hand, and strengthen our hands to serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 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
God is the giver and source of all that is good. We acknowledge the abundance of gifts that have been showered upon us, and now return a portion of them in the hope that they might serve Christ’s purposes in our community and in our world.
Gracious God, we offer our gifts to you that they may be sanctified and dedicated to ministries of reconciliation and justice in our church, our nation and our world. Receive these gifts as a sign of our commitment to follow Jesus as his disciples. Amen.
* Charge and Benediction


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Worship - Sunday, December 20, 2020 - 4th Sunday of Advent

12/15/2020

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Plumsted Presbyterian Church
December 20, 2020—4th Sunday of Advent
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting of the Advent Candle: the Candle of Hope
In a world where churches lie empty, doors are shut, and people seem to have no room for religion anymore, God, we call upon you to come. 
In a world where so many claim not to believe anymore, we call upon you, El Shaddai, God Almighty, to come. 
In this season of Advent, we wait for Your Presence to be felt in our lives again. We await the birth of Jesus, the Savior of All, who comes into our lives in a new way. 
Come, Messiah, Come, and Save Us.
Light the fourth (purple) candle 
Dear God, we pray that our faith may be renewed once again, and may we relive the wonder of your love in our lives. In the name of Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen. 
* Call to Worship
We will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, we will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
We declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
You promised Mary that she would bear a child—one who would inaugurate your commonwealth, your realm that will have no end.
You have established your realm for all generations.
* Hymn               16 The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came    
Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
Our Advent hope is in a coming one who establishes peace and justice in our world. Yet we know that we have betrayed that hope by contributing to enmity and injustice. We also know that if we confess our sin we can be restored to a right and just standing before God and others. Let us therefore confess our sin, trusting God’s Advent promise of grace and peace.
O God, we have been created in your image; indeed, you have crowned us with glory and honor. But we have lived self-centered lives, thereby failing to reflect your glory. We have not treated others with dignity and respect. We have violated your good creation. We confess our sin, O God. Renew us and restore us to our rightful place as bearers of your image. Empower us as agents of your love and justice in all that we are and all that we do. Amen.
God’s mercy abounds. God’s Advent grace goes before us, after us, through us—sometimes even unbeknownst to us, restoring us and empowering us for participation in God’s own work in the world. Friends, hear the good news of the gospel: we are forgiven and restored, set on right paths of justice and peace. Thanks be to God!
Prayer for Illumination
O God, send your Advent Spirit to us to open our hearts, so that we may discern your Word in and through the words that we are about to hear Amen.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Scripture
Romans 16:25-27
Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.     
Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 
And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 
The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ 
Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 
The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 
Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.
Sermon
* Affirmation of Faith         from a Declaration of Faith
Jesus, the long-expected Savior, came into the world as a child, descended from David, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of Mary, a virgin. He lived as a Jew among Jews. He announced to his people the coming of God’s kingdom of justice and peace on earth. We affirm that Jesus was born of woman as is every child, yet born of God’s power as was no other child. In the person and work of Jesus, God and a human life are united but not confused, distinguished by not separated. The coming of Jesus was itself the coming of God’s promised rule. Through his birth, life, death, and resurrection, he brings about the relationship between God and humanity that God always intended. Alleluia. Amen.
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of Intercession 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.
Invitation to the Offering and Dedication
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we ponder the gift of incarnation—of God becoming flesh so that we might be restored and given new life in Christ. The Christ child is the resplendent gift of the season—a gift of God’s own self that frees us to respond with gifts in return.
Incarnate God, we offer our gifts to you that they may be used to further the promise of hope, peace, love and justice in our community and in our world. Empower us, O God, to follow these gifts into the world around us so that they, and we, might become bearers of peace, love and justice on the earth. Amen.
* Hymn                                49 Once in Royal David’s City
* Charge and Benediction
 
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Worship - Sunday, December 13, 2020 - 3rd Sunday of Advent

12/8/2020

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Link to a recording of the online service
Plumsted Presbyterian Church
December 14, 2020—3rd Sunday of Advent
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting of the Advent Candle
In a world of despair, where depression rates run high, where there has been so much sadness and loss, God, we call upon you to come. 
In a world where joy is a distant memory, we call upon you, Great God of Joy, to come. 
In this season of Advent, we wait for the coming of Joy into our world. We await the birth of the Anointed One, the Promised Child, who comes into our lives in a new way. 
Come, Messiah, Come, and Save Us 
Light the pink candle 
Dear God, we pray for the joy that is found in Jesus, that those who seek it may truly find it. May we celebrate in the joy found in You. Amen. 
* Call to Worship
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, 
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, 
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
Then it was said among the nations, 
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us, 
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord. 
May those who sow in tears 
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, 
come home with shouts of joy.
* Hymn                           28 Good Christian Friends, Rejoice
Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
Our Advent hope is for the restoration of our world, yet we know that we have contributed to its brokenness. We also know that if we confess our sin we can be restored to a right and just standing before God and others. Let us therefore confess our sin, trusting God’s promised mercy.
O God, you have called us to participate in your salvific work of rebuilding and repairing your creation. Yet we know we have fallen short of that calling. Indeed, we have contributed to the devastation of our world. We confess our sin, O God. Renew us and help us be discerning and ready partners in your cosmic restoration project. Amen.
God’s mercy abounds. God’s Advent grace goes before us, after us, through us—sometimes even unbeknownst to us, restoring us and empowering us for participation in God’s own work in the world. Friends, hear the good news of the gospel: we are forgiven and restored, set on right paths of justice and peace. Thanks be to God!
Prayer for Illumination
O God, send your Spirit to us to open our hearts, so that we may discern your Word in and through the words that we are about to hear Amen.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Scripture
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
61The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.
4They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. 8For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
10I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Luke 1:46-55
46And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
John 1:6-8, 19-28
6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
19This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” 21And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. 24Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” 26John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” 28This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
Sermon
* Affirmation of Faith            A Brief Statement of Faith
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. 
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. 
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of Intercession
Invitation to the Offering and Dedication
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. god has given to us many good gifts and calls us to respond. Let us now give in return.
O God, we offer our gifts to you to further the promise of hope, peace, love and justice in our community and in our world. Empower us, O God, to follow these gifts into the world around us so that they, and we, become bearers of your peace, love and justice on the earth. Amen.
* Hymn                        411 Arise, Your Light Is Come!
* Charge and Benediction
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Worship - December 6, 2020 2nd Sunday of Advent

12/5/2020

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PLUMSTED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 6, 2020 2nd Sunday of Advent
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting of the Advent Candle
In a world of war, violence and abuse, where families live in shelters and children grow up in fear, God, we call upon you to come. In a world where peace seems to be so far away, we call upon you, Prince of Peace, to come. 
In this season of Advent, we wait for the coming of Peace into our world. We await the birth of Emmanuel, God with us, who comes into our lives in a new way. Come, Messiah, Come, and save Us 
Light the second purple candle 
Dear God, we pray for the peace that only you can bring through your Son, Jesus the Christ. May we walk in the paths of peace. Amen. 
* Call to Worship
Let us hear what the Lord God says, because God speaks peace to the church. God’s salvation is very close to those who honor the Holy One, so that God’s glory can live in our land.
Faithful love and truth have met; righteousness and peace have kissed. Righteousness walks before God, making a road for God’s steps.
* Hymn                           1 Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
We know that we have sinned before God and others, yet we also know that if we confess our sin we can be restored to a right and just standing before God and others. Let us therefore confess our sin, trusting God’s promised mercy.
“Prepare the way of the Lord,” your prophet says to us. Forgive us when we have failed to prepare your way. Forgive us when we have stood in your way, instead: when we let the challenging words of your prophets roll off of lives, rather than let them spark change; when we walk around a neighbor in need, rather than encounter a chance for compassion. Forgive us, O Lord, and grant us assurance that the glory of your coming does not depend upon the righteousness of your followers. Forgive us, O Lord, and free us to try again.  Amen.
Friends, hear the good news of the gospel: God’s grace is stronger than any anger and fear that may hold us in their grip. God’s grace liberates us, freeing us to live in love and compassion. Thanks be to God who in Christ empowers us to live fully and freely. Amen.
Prayer for Illumination
Empower us by your Spirit, O God, to hear your Word amid the words that we read and speak this day. Enable us to discern your light and follow the path you set before us. Amen.
Scripture
Isaiah 40:1-11Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6A voice says, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.
9Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
Mark 1:1-81The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, 
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
3the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Sermon                          
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Lord in your mercy, or Lord, in thanksgiving,
Hear our prayer.
Prayers of Intercession
Invitation to the Offering and Dedication
God has given us resources, talents and life itself. So, let us now respond by offering our gifts, our time, our money and our lives to God as instruments in God’s service.
O God, we offer our gifts to you that they may be used to further the promise of hope, peace, love and justice in our community and in our world. Empower us, O God, to follow these gifts into our community and world so that they, and we, may become bearers of peace, love and justice on the earth. Amen.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion               
The Invitation to the Table
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you! And also with you!
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
. . .
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with the heavenly choirs and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
. . .
With thanks and praise we offer ourselves to you, sharing this holy meal, remembering Christ’s dying and rising, and praying: Come, Lord Jesus!
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
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.
Breaking of the Bread
Communion of the People
Prayer after Communion
God our hope, we give you thanks that you have given us this foretaste of the heavenly realm of justice and peace. Strengthen us with this food from your table as we see to serve you. lead us in lives of purpose and joy as we await the coming again in glory of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
* Hymn                                  9 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
* Blessing and Charge
* Please stand if you’re able
 
 
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Blue Christmas - Sunday, December 20 at 5 p.m.

12/4/2020

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Worship November 29, 2020 1st sunday of advent

11/26/2020

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Watch a video recording of the online service
Plumsted Presbyterian Church
November 29, 2020—1st Sunday of Advent
Welcome and Announcements
Lighting of the Advent Candle
In a world of war, famine, and disease, where children grow up as orphans, where families go hungry and entire regions face destruction by illness, God, we call upon you to come. 
In a world where so many have lost hope, we call upon you, Lord of Hope, to come. 
In this season of Advent, we wait for the coming of Hope into our world. We await the birth of the Christ-child, the coming of God into our lives in a new way.
Come, Messiah, Come, and Save Us 
Light the first purple candle. 
Dear God, we pray for the hope that is in Christ to come into our lives in a new way. May we become hope that is alive in our world. Amen.
* Call to Worship
Restore us, God!
Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
Let your hand be with the one on your right side with the one whom you secured as your own.
Then we will not turn away from you!
Revive us so that we can call on your name.
Restore us, God of heavenly forces!
Make your face shine so that we can be saved!
* Hymn                           5 Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness
We know that we have sinned before God and others, yet we also know that if we confess our sin we can be restored to a right and just standing before God and others. Let us therefore confess our sin, trusting God’s promised mercy.
O God, we confess our passivity, our lack of vigilance in discerning the possibilities that you open up for us to participate in your healing, restoring work in our world and in our own lives. we have succumbed to paralyzing fears. We have ignored and even resisted the prodding of you Spirit, nudging us out of self-absorption and inertia. Empower us by your Spirit to be attentive, discerning and ready partners in our cosmic restoration project. Amen.
God’s mercy abounds. God’s grace goes before us, after us, through us—sometimes even unbeknownst to us, restoring us and empowering us for participation in God’s own work in the world. Friends, hear the good news of the gospel: we are forgiven and restored, set on right paths of justice and peace. Thanks be to God!
Prayer for Illumination
O God, send your Spirit to us to open our hearts, so that we may discern your Word in and through the words that we are about to hear Amen.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Scripture
Isaiah 64:1-9
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
Sermon
* Affirmation of Faith              A Brief Statement of Faith
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.
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. 
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. 
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.
With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
Prayers of Intercession
Invitation to the Offering and Dedication
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. god has given to us many good gifts and calls us to respond. Let us now give in return.
O God, we offer our gifts to you that they may be used to further the promise of hope, peace, love and justice in our community and in our world. Empower us, O God, to follow these gifts into our community and world so that they, and we, become bearers of peace, love and justice on the earth. Amen.
* Hymn                             11 O Lord, How Shall I Meet You?
* Charge and Benediction

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Advent series - slaves songs - ain't dat good news?

11/24/2020

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watch a video of Ain't dat good news?

Psalm 25Prayer for Guidance and for DeliveranceOf David.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 
O my God, in you I trust;
   do not let me be put to shame;
   do not let my enemies exult over me. 
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
   let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
   teach me your paths. 
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
   for you are the God of my salvation;
   for you I wait all day long. 
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
   for they have been from of old. 
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
   according to your steadfast love remember me,
   for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! 
Good and upright is the Lord;
   therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 
He leads the humble in what is right,
   and teaches the humble his way. 
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
   for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 
Nehemiah 9:6-15And Ezra said: ‘You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the host of heaven worships you. You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and gave him the name Abraham; and you found his heart faithful before you, and made with him a covenant to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite; and you have fulfilled your promise, for you are righteous.
‘And you saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt and heard their cry at the Red Sea. You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants and all the people of his land, for you knew that they acted insolently against our ancestors. You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they passed through the sea on dry land, but you threw their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. Moreover, you led them by day with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire, to give them light on the way in which they should go. You came down also upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them right ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments, and you made known your holy sabbath to them and gave them commandments and statutes and a law through your servant Moses. For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved,are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober;for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
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