CCLI license #1913561
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Words of Reflection
On whose shoulders are you standing? Where is the next step toward the Promised Land leading?
Prelude
Sing along with Keisha Prime
As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you. You alone are my strength, my shield, To you alone may my spirit yield. You alone are my hearts desire and I long to worship you.
Call to Worship
Before the mountains were born, God brought forth the whole world. From everlasting past to everlasting future, The Lord is God.
In you, O Lord, we are home—we dream, we flourish, we fade, we rejoice.
We dwell in you.
Let us worship the Lord our God
Opening Prayer
Loving God, grant us courage to be so open to others, to let them become so dear to us, that we might share not only your gospel but also our lives, through Christ, who makes room for us all. Amen.
CALL TO CONFESSION
Let us speak the truth about ourselves to our neighbors and to God, acknowledging what we have done and what we have left undone.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Your holiness, O God, commands that we confess:
We have neither loved our neighbors as ourselves nor honored ourselves as your beloved creation. We have judged unjustly, regarded others ungenerously, profited at the losses of those near and distant, borne grudges, desired vengeance, and kept silence in the face of wrongdoing. We long to live in accord with your desire that your way of compassion, kindness, and honesty will govern our hearts and minds, turning us toward lives of peace. Forgive us and lead us. Amen.
DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
You are forgiven. In that promise is the power to love your neighbors and yourselves as the beloved of God who created all that exists.
Thanks be to God.
Music Lord, I Want to Be A Christian
Lord, I want to be a Christian In-a my heart, in-a my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian In-a my heart.
Refrain
In-a my heart, In-a my heart. Lord, I want to be a Christian, In-a my heart.
Lord, I want to be more loving… (Refrain)
Lord, I want to be more holy…(Refrain)
Lord, I want to be like Jesus..(Refrain)
Prayer for Illumination
Come, Holy Spirit, as the Word is proclaimed. Breathe the Spirit of life, into your people gathered here. Stir us to know the vision and dream the dream. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 34: 1—12 NRSV
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain -- that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees -- as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD's command.
He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 22: 34—46 NRSV
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:
"What do you think of the Messiah?1 Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit1 calls him Lord, saying,
'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet" '?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Sermon “Your Old Shall Dream Dreams, Your Young Shall See Visions” Rev. Russell Lehman
MUSIC “God Speaking” Mandisa
Have you ever heard a love song That set your spirit free?
Have you ever watched a sunrise And felt you could not breathe?
What if it’s Him? What if it’s God speaking?
Have you ever cried a tear That you could not explain
Have you ever met a stranger Who already knew your name
What if it’s Him? What if it’s God speaking?
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He’s enough
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever he wants to
To tell us ‘I love you.’
Have you ever lost a loved one Who you thought should still be here?
Do you know what it feels like To be tangled up in fear?
What if He’s somehow involved?
What if He’s speaking through it all?
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He’s enough
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever he wants to
To tell us ‘I love you.’
His ways are higher, His ways are better
Though sometimes strange
What could be stranger than God in a manger?
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He’s enough?
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us?
Get our attention to prove He’s enough?
He’ll do and He’ll use whatever he wants to
To tell us ‘I love you.’
God is speaking, ‘I love you’
Sharing of Joys and Concerns
-those who are struggling with health concerns
-those who are involved in court cases
-those whose lives and livelihoods have been disrupted by fires, floods and winds
-our elected officials
- those who stand in harm's way to protect us
- the citizens of this country, that they will exercise their right to vote
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying,
Hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
Most gracious God, you have gathered us from east and west, north and south, and made us into your people. You shower us with blessings and give us songs of joy. When trouble comes, you hear our cries and lead us to safety.
Hear our prayers for those in trouble, Lord. For your blessed and broken church . . .
Hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For those who are entrusted with power…
Hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For all those who have lost their way . . .
Hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For those who suffer at the hands of others . . .
hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For those who languish in hunger or thirst . . .
hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For all who teach, and those who would learn . . .
hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For those who are sick or dying and those who care for them . . .
hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid.
For those whose needs are known only to you . . .
hear our cries, O Lord; come quickly to our aid. We give you thanks and praise, O God, for you know our needs even before we ask, and your Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. With faith in your merciful kindness we pray; through Jesus Christ, our Lord
Lord’s Prayer (Ecumenical Version)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen
Offering our Gifts
Friends, trusting in God’s providence, we share not only the gospel of Christ but our lives as well. In this time of pandemic and separation, let us remember that we are still the church, Christ’s body at work in the world.
Donations can be mailed to Lakeview Presbyterian Church at 1310 22nd Av S, St Petersburg, FL, 33705 or given online through our website @lakeviewpresbyterianchurch.org
Prayer of Dedication
We pray, Lord God, that you will multiply the gifts we offer as we pour out your love and grace on those who long to hear your word to them, to see your power at work within them, and to feel your comfort beside the, through the generous gifts of your Spirit. Amen.
Charge
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind . . . and your neighbor as yourself.
BLESSING
Blessed are you, O sisters and brothers, for you are God chosen, inheritors of the dream, and heirs of the kingdom. Amen.
Postlude-Lord Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing John Fawcett, 1773
Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing; Fill our hearts with joy and peace;
Let us each Thy love possessing, Triumph in redeeming grace.
O refresh us, O refresh us, Traveling through this wilderness.