Est. 1908 AD
the Historic Houston Heights in Houston, Texas
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Sunday, September 27, 2020
The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
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Thank you for joining us for this special hour.
The Order of Worship is below.
We hope you will participate in this service by reading the scriptures,
praying sincerely, singing along with the hymns,
and listening for God's word to you today.
Click below for the video:
[ You may also watch this service on Facebook. ]
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Meditate on the image below as you prepare for worship.
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Parable of the Two Sons
Andrei Nikolayevich Mironov (b. 1975), Ryazan, Russia
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Welcome to Worship
Rev. Kelly K. Burkhart, Senior Pastor
Chiming of the Hour
Prelude
Mr. Walter LaForge, Organist
Arioso
("Dank sei dir, Herr")
George Frederick Handel (1685-1759)
Reading of the Old Testament
Psalm 78:1-4 (NRSV)
Mr. Edward Crowell, Director of Music
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD,
and His might, and the wonders that He has done.
This is the Word of the Lord.
"Thanks be to God!"
Opening Hymn of Praise
with Miss Shannon O'Hara, Mezzo-Soprano and Miss Krista Renée Pape, Soprano
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“The world doesn’t need a definition of religion so much as it needs a demonstration.”
Martin Luther, O.S.A (1483-1546)
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Sermon, Part I
Knock Yourself Out
Rev. Kelly K. Burkhart, Senior Pastor
Reading of the Gospel
Matthew 21:23-27 (NRSV)
When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?"
Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell Me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?"
And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet."
So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
Pastoral 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 trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Prayer Response
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Reflection and Stewardship
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"There is no shortage of people who say, believe, or stand for all the right things. There have always been plenty of those in the world. What God is short of are people who will go where God calls them and do what God gives them to do.”
Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor (b. 1951)
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Sermon, Part II
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Reading of the Gospel
Matthew 21:28-32 (NRSV)
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went.
The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go.
Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.
For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
This is the Word of the Lord.
"Thanks be to God!"
Offertory Hymn
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Offertory Prayer
God of our salvation,
we falter before the demands of Your word
and turn away from Your call to life.
Pour out Your mercy on us
as You showed mercy to Your people of old,
that we may turn from our sinfulness
and walk the path of self-emptying love.
Accept our humble gifts,
forgive us when we fail You,
and lead us to repentance
and the acceptance of Your grace,
through the love of Jesus Christ our Lord,
the One whom we praise and adore,
and in whose precious and most holy name we pray,
Amen.
Offertory Statement
We remember that all we have is God's.
It is as an act of worship, with joyful hearts, and out of an abundance of riches
that we return to God a portion of that with which He has blessed us.
Give now as God leads you.
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Three Ways to Give:
text: BAPTISTTEMPLETX to 77977
mail: 230 W. 20th St., Houston, TX 77008
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Offertory Duet
Mr. Walter LaForge, Organist & Ms. Eileen S. Crowell, Pianist
Fairest Lord Jesus
Tune CRUSADERS' HYMN from Schlesische Volkslieder, c. 1842
This arrangement by Tedd Smith (b. 1927) and Don Hustad (1918-2013)
Doxology
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Reflection and Commitment
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“Biblical repentance, then, is not merely a sense of regret that leaves us where it found us. It is a radical reversal that takes us back along the road of our sinful wanderings, creating in us a completely different mind-set. We come to our senses spiritually… This lies on the surface of the New Testament's teaching. Regret there will be, but the heart of repentance is the lifelong moral and spiritual turnaround of our lives as we submit to the Lord.”
Rev. Sinclair B. Ferguson, PhD (b. 1948)
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Sermon, Part III
The Problem with Saying Yes
Hymn of Commitment
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Dismissed to Lives of Grace
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Benediction
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you
and make His face to shine upon you,
and grant you peace.
May the Lord give you the grace to never sell yourself short.
May the Lord give you the grace to risk something big for something good.
May the Lord give you the grace to remember
that this world is now dangerous for anything but truth,
and too small for anything but love.
Now may He take your minds and think through them,
may He take your lips and speak through them,
and may He take your hearts and set them on fire,
in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Postlude
Ms. Eileen S. Crowell, Pianist
All Creatures of Our God and King
Tune LASST UNS ERFREUEN from Geistliche Kirchegesäng, c. 1623
This arrangement by Cindy Berry (b. 1949)
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Important Reminders:
- We will continue offering worship services for the foreseeable future and we will send a Worship Guide by email each Saturday evening. The videos will be available no later than 7:00 p.m. Saturday, and will remain available indefinitely on our website and on Facebook.
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We invite you to join us online for a video of each service by visiting our website: www.baptisttemple.org. Click "Video Services" and select the video of the service. You may also watch on this email through our YouTube channel (link at the top), or on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/baptisttemplechurch)
- All activities in our building are cancelled until further notice.
- We will continue to update you via email, the church's Facebook page, and the church's website on our plans forward.
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Please remember to give your tithes and offerings. If you are able to do so, please give above and beyond your regular tithe, in order that we may be better prepared to meet the challenges ahead. Give online at www.baptisttemple.org, or mail a check to 230 West 20th Street, Houston, Texas 77008.If you do not regularly attend Baptist Temple, but would like to contribute to our church's missions and ministries, we sincerely welcome your gift.
- Stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected, and pray for each other.
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230 West 20th Street, Houston, TX 77008 | 713.862.6655
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Worship Leadership
Rev. Kelly K. Burkhart, Senior Pastor | Mr. Edward Crowell, Director of Music
Mr. Walter LaForge, Church Organist | Ms. Eileen S. Crowell, Guest Pianist
Miss Krista Renée Pape, Soprano | Miss Shannon O'Hara, Mezzo-Soprano
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Artwork used by special permission from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library
Other images are Public Domain or by special permission or property of Baptist Temple
Some prayers by permission of Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, Augsburg Fortress
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Hymn scores from Celebrating Grace Hymnal, Macon, Georgia, 2010 (our adopted hymnal)
Music by permission of CCLI License 3199510 and Streaming License 20754935
Hymn Orchestrations by permission of Celebrating Grace, Inc.
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For the Video
Audio, Video, and Lighting by Lerner Productions, Houston
Today's Technical Director is Andy Helms
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