Today's Worship Service - Sunday, July 13, 2025

We are collecting backpacks for kids in our community, if you are interested in helping us, send me a message at revwaltp@gmail.com. 

Worship Service for July 13, 2025

Prelude

Announcements:

Call to Worship

L:      We come here shouting, our voices lifted in praise.

P:      We come here singing, our songs full of joy.

L:      We come here dancing, our hearts rejoicing.

P:      Let the mountains tremble and the seas roar at our worship!

L:      Praise the King of glory who guides our lives.

P:      Praise the Lord of hosts who watches over us.

 

Opening Hymn –        Come, Christians, Join to Sing    #150/225

 

Prayer of Confession

You have called us by name, O Lord, and made us into Your family.  Yet we do not always live as one body in Christ.  We neglect to care for Your creation; we forget that our neighbor is also our brother, our sister; we ignore suffering children in lands far away.  Forgive us, we pray.    Loosen the chains we place on our lives – chains of burden and busyness, chains of ignorance and stress.  Free us to care for Your family, that there might one day be true peace on earth and that we all might dance, sing, and praise Your glorious name.  (Silent prayers are offered)  AMEN.

Assurance of Pardon

L:      We belong to the King of Glory who joyfully sets us free.  In Christ’s healing, we find forgiveness.

P:      In Christ’s healing, we find peace.  Glory be to God!  Amen.

Gloria Patri

Affirmation of Faith/Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.  AMEN

 

Pastoral Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

Lord of the dance of life, You have breathed into us Your creative, joyful Spirit.  You have lifted us from the dust into the swirling joy of Your presence.  We are so grateful for all that You have done for us.  Each day reminds us in many ways of Your mercy and Your love.  Yet there are times in our lives when we have felt lost and alone with little or no peace.  We have been hurt and frightened and wondered where You were.  Remind us again of Your peaceful presence in our lives.  Place Your hands of healing on us.  Comfort us when we become afraid, lost, lonely, and fearful.   Prepare us to serve You faithfully all our days.  (PAUSE)

Gracious God, as the world continues to escalate in hatred and war, we find it difficult to justify reckless shootings here at home, as well.  There is no peace on earth, yet we yearn for it.  We yearn for that same peace in our own very souls.  Sometimes, we are at war within, too, O God.  Bring us that peace that passes all understanding when we are afraid, when we feel lost or alone, when life’s tragedies seem to overwhelm us. 

Holy Lord, hear our cries of humility and heal us.  Help us find a way forward that is absent of violence and hatred against those we do not like, against those with whom we disagree, and frankly against ourselves, You and all of Your creation.  Watch over our thoughts, that we think positively towards one another, carefully measured so that our thoughts don’t lead to hateful words.  Watch over the words that come out of our mouths, that they be respectful of people even when we disagree, so that our words do not lead to bad actions.  Watch over our actions, that they may be in service always to one another, that our swords indeed become plowshares. 

We have lifted the name of dear ones to You who are in need of Your healing love.  We especially pray for…

Lord, allow us a moment to also reflect on our own needs for Your love, joy, and peace in our dedicated service to You in these moments of silence…

The earth burst forth at Your word, O Lord, and we respond to that creative voice, praying... 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.  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.

 

Hymn – Christ is Made the Sure Foundation         #417/403

Scripture Reading(s): 

First Scripture Reading – Isaiah 55

Second Scripture Reading – Matthew 5:9 and Philippians 4:6-7

Sermon –   Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

Fruit of the Spirit – Peace

(based on Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 5:9)

 

         I needed to figure out how to reset all of my streaming apps. like Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, etc…because the algorithm kept suggesting shows that center on personal inner conflict or external political/sociological struggles.   These days I want Netflix to suggest more shows that are sitcoms and old-fashioned mysteries.  I was tired of watching people deal with their inner demons or watch historical political dramas that are too close to what we are witnessing today.  Yes, I was interested in those kinds of shows at one point, but I’ve gotten tired of them and I needed a break.

So, I started to purposely watch some old shows that I used to love – like Sanford and Son, The Golden Girls, Home Improvement, Taxi, Happy Days and detective shows like Columbo, Magnum P.I., some British sitcoms like Keeping Up Appearances and As Time Goes By.  To my surprise, however, the algorithm didn’t change very much.  Yes, it started suggesting some current sitcoms, crime drama, and detective shows as well as old ones that I’d forgotten about, but the algorithm pretty much stayed the same.

         As I began rewatching some of my old favorites, I realized that they all dealt with inner conflict/struggles and external political social issues, too.  They were simply set in a different time and age.  There really is nothing new under the sun; just different people, in a different era, dealing with increasingly complex conflicts - for them.

         What struck me most about the main characters in all of these shows was their strength to deal with life’s most difficult struggles, whether it’s in a sitcom, crime drama, detective show, or a historical period piece.  Where does that kind of strength come from?  In most of the shows, it never answers that question.  They simply have it.

         In my opinion, Martin Luther King, Jr. answers that very question when he once wrote, “Admitting the weighty problems and staggering disappointments, Christianity affirms that God is able to give us the power to meet them.  He is able to give us the inner equilibrium to stand tall amid the trials and burdens of life.  He is able to provide inner peace amid outer storms.  This inner stability of the [person] of faith is Christ’s chief legacy to his disciples.”

         That strength to meet the trials and burdens of life only comes from inner peace.  And it’s only after we have inner peace can we have peace enough to become peacemakers and help the rest of the world achieve that same type of peace.

         I want to use Dr. King as one example today, because he is one of few people that wrote a lot about this and a lot has been written about him, as he worked on this Fruit of the Spirit in his own life; regularly building his inner peace, in order to spread an outer sense of peace to the rest of us. 

But how do you build that inner peace with God?  There is no question that the primary rhythm that sustained Dr. King for the long haul of his leadership was the rhythm of prayer and action, action and prayer.  That’s how you build it.  He knew that God and God alone gives us the interior resources to bear the burdens and tribulations of life, especially those that come as we fulfill our call to serve others and to stand for what is right in this world.  It is in this practice of prayer and action, action and prayer, that we gain an inner peace to deal with our outer trials. 

 In a sermon entitled “Our God is Able” Dr. King recounts a very personal story of how an intimate encounter with God sustained him in the darkest hour of his fight for freedom and equality.  He said,

“Almost immediately after the Montgomery bus protest had been undertaken, we began to receive threatening phone calls and letters in our home.  Sporadic in the beginning, they increased day after day.  At first I took them in my stride, feeling they were the work of a few hotheads who would become discouraged after they discovered that we would not fight back.  But as the weeks passed, I realized that many of the threats were in earnest.  I felt myself faltering and growing in fear.

After a particularly strenuous day, I settled in bed at a late hour…and was about to doze off when the telephone rang.  An angry voice said, “Listen, n@*#!, we’ve taken all we want from you. Before next week you’ll be sorry you ever came to Montgomery.” I hung up, but I could not go to sleep.  It seemed all my fears had come down on me at once. I had reached the saturation point.

I got out of bed and began to walk the floor.  Finally, I went to the kitchen and heated a pot of coffee.  I was ready to give up.  I tried to think of a way to move out of the picture without appearing to be a coward.  In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had almost gone, I took my problem to God.  My head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud.  The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory.

“I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right.  But now I am afraid.  The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength, they too will falter.  I am at the end of my powers.  I have nothing left.  I have come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”

At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him.  It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice, saying, “Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth.  God will be at your side forever.”  Almost at once my fears passed from me.  My uncertainty disappeared.  I was ready to face anything.  The outer situation remained the same, but God had given me inner calm.

Three nights later, our home was bombed.  Strangely enough, I accepted the word of the bombing calmly.  My experience with God had given me a new strength and trust.  I knew now that God is able to give us the interior resources to face the storms and problems of life.  Let this be our ringing cry…that there is a great benign Power in the universe whose name is God, and he is able to make a way out of no way, and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.  This is our hope for becoming better [people].  This is our mandate for seeking to make a better world.

Pause

We might not be able to change the circumstances, we can certainly ask God for a specific answer to prayer, but God might have something else in mind.  Some miracle might not come in the form that we want it.  But the strength that is given to us to endure, to face our fears, to rally the strength we need to get through something - will come.

It comes to us when we need it the most.  It comes to us in our darkest hour, it comes to us when our personal resources are all washed up and gone, it comes to us in the very sense of the passage we read this morning from Philippians – a peace that passes all understanding will guard your thoughts and minds.  The world has no idea where that kind of peace comes from because it does indeed pass all understanding.  It’s the sense of peace that overwhelms our spirits.  It’s the sense of peace that, in spite of all odds, in reckless abandon to what might be considered rational, washes over us and makes us calm, clear-headed, and able to face practically anything.

One of my favorite hymns that we didn’t sing this morning, but goes so well with today’s message is It Is Well With My Soul.  We don’t usually sing all six verses of this hymn, but listen carefully to the words this morning.

1.    When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

o   Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

2.    Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

3.    My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

4.    For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

5.    But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

6.    And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Some of you may know the backstory to this hymn.  For those of you who don’t or have forgotten:  Horatio G. Spafford, the author of this hymn, was a successful Chicago lawyer with a comfortable life, a wife, and five children. 

In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed much of his real estate investment.  Around the same time, his young son died from scarlet fever. 

In 1873, Spafford planned a European trip with his family, but due to business matters, he delayed his departure.  His wife and four daughters sailed ahead on the Ville du Havre.  The ship was tragically struck by another vessel and sank quickly, claiming the lives of his daughters.  Spafford's wife, Anna, survived. 

Upon learning of the disaster, Spafford immediately traveled to join his wife in Europe.  During the transatlantic voyage, the captain informed him that they were passing over the site where his daughters had perished.  It was then, amidst the location of his loss, that he found the inspiration to write the hymn, finding comfort in his faith. 

 

         These personal encounters of finding the peace of God leads people to becoming peacemakers.  And it is through their testimony, their life experiences, their calmness and strength of character that the rest of the world can find ways of living with one another peacefully.

         Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 calls us to be peacemakers.  It is a high calling.  But we can only exhibit to the rest of the world what that means if we have peace in our own lives.  And we can only get that peace that passes all understanding through our practice of prayer and action with God.

Thanks be to God.  AMEN

Offertory –

Doxology –

Prayer of Dedication –

         Creator of all things, we give back to You in praise of Your glory.  We do not wish to simply praise You with our song and our words and our hands; we wish to praise You by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Take and use our gifts, that they may serve Your holy kingdom.  AMEN.

Closing Hymn –  O Love That Will Let Me Go        #384/606

Benediction –

         Children of God, go forth in peace – in your heart and spirit and then out into the world, sharing God’s message of love, joy, and peace.  AMEN.

Postlude