September 28, 2024

Dear Beloved St. Paul’s UMC and Wesley Foundation Family,

Grace and peace, church! As we finish our “College Avenue” series this week, we will remember the gifts that both the academy and the church offer to one another. This weekend our local academy celebrates “Homecoming,” a time when alumni and current students gather to celebrate and remember the gift of the university, to “come home.” The church too has often been described as a “home”; in the Wesley Foundation we say we are a “home away from home.” Isn’t it interesting when similar images and metaphors come together?! 

This week we will hear from the gospel of Matthew in a passage found at the end of the Sermon on the Mount; in these words we are reminded of the generosity of God, who, like a parent, wants to give good gifts just as we want to give good gifts to our children. I wonder how these words might help us to imagine the gifts that we see present in both the church and the academy, in the various intersections of our lives? In our worship this week, we will also give the gift of Bibles to our current 3rd graders, inviting them to continue to hear the story of God, to wonder, to ask questions, to give attention and find connection within these stories; I wonder what gifts the Bible has offered for you? Join us tomorrow as we explore together! 

Here is our schedule for tomorrow, September 29th:

9:00 AM: In-person Worship Service with Holy Communion, in the sanctuary

9:00 AM: Sunday School for all ages, in-person

Seekers & Servants Class in-person in Wesley Lounge or on Zoom here (Meeting ID 83292105478 and Passcode 522152).

10:30 AM: Hybrid Worship Service with Children's and Chancel Choirs, in-person in the sanctuary and live-streamed here

*Please remember that since this service is filmed and live-streamed, you or your family members may be on our worship recording, which is streamed and archived on our YouTube channel.

11:45 AM: Hybrid Discussion Group, in-person and on Zoom

Join by clicking here or use Meeting ID 87591478033 and Passcode stpauls.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Sarah

Discussion Questions

(1) The gospel of Matthew is sometimes described as the “gospel of the church.” What do the words in this text from the gospel of Matthew say to you about what it means to be the church? What do you see as the gifts of the church? The academy?

(2) Read/listen to the words of Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” which we heard in both the prelude and postlude. What does this hymn have to say to us about generosity and the mutual gifts present in our lives?

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

(3) Dr. Darrin Thornton invited us to reflect on the words from the benediction, which we hear each week: “Go and meet new people, make real relationships without agenda, and move into new expressions of love and service, as you take the next steps on your pathway.” How do you see the mutual giftedness, of both the academy and the church, helping us to live into this blessing?

Prelude: “Simple Gifts” (J. Wayne Kerr)

Mary Bahnfleth

Greeting and Welcome

Rev. Sarah Coker Voigt

Anthem: “I Was Glad” (traditional, arr. Pat Messick), based on Psalm 122:1 

Children’s Choir

Call to Worship

One: Together let us declare – the world is the Lord’s and all that is in it! 

All: Come, let us go to the house of the Lord. 

One: In the sounds of the world around us, we listen for the voice of the Holy

All: Come let us notice the gift of God’s presence. 

One: That our hearts might leap for joy, that our minds would never forget, that in the very midst of our days, together we would remember –

All: This is God’s wondrous world! Come, let us go to the house of the Lord. 

Opening Hymn: “This Is My Father’s World” (UMH 144)

Presentation of 3rd Grade Bibles

Oscar Connelly, Nora Essick, Leopold Hilse, and Desiree Stamplis 

Passing the Peace

Rev. Sarah Coker Voigt

Children’s Message

Marcia Perdew

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 7:7-20 (NRSV)

Lauren Bonsall

Witness

Dr. Darrin Thornton

Sermon: “A Mutual Giftedness”

Rev. Sarah Coker Voigt

Anthem: “The Perfect Wisdom of Our God” (Keith Getty and Stuart Townend; arr. Molly Ijames)

Chancel Choir

Pastoral Prayer

Rev. Sarah Coker Voigt

Lord’s Prayer

Offering

Closing Hymn: “God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens” (UMH 150) (alt tune 731)

Announcements

Benediction

Postlude: Sortie on “Simple Gifts” (Martin Ellis)

Mary Bahnfleth