30 Jul BULLETIN – SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Music Director
Sunday July 31, 2022
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
GREETING AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS Page 56
ENTRANCE HYMN God of Grace and God of Glory #415
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
KYRIE and HYMN OF PRAISE Pages 57-60
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Benevolent God, you are the source, the guide, and the goal of our lives. Teach us to love what is worth loving, to reject what is offensive to you, and to treasure what is precious in your sight, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
FIRST READING ECCLESIASTES 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind. I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me —and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
PSALM 49:1-12
Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all you who dwell | in the world,
you of high degree and low, rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and my heart shall meditate on understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb and set forth my riddle upon the harp. My mouth shall speak of wisdom.
Why should I be afraid in evil days, when the wickedness of those at my heels surrounds me,
the wickedness of those who put their trust in their own prowess, and boast of their great riches?
One can never redeem another, or give to God the ransom for another’s life;
for the ransom of a life is so great that there would never be enough to pay it,
in order to live forever and ever and never see the grave.
For we see that the wise die also; like the dull and stupid they perish and leave their wealth to those who come after them.
Their graves shall be their homes forever, their dwelling places from generation to generation, though they had named lands after themselves.
Even though honored, they cannot live forever; they are like the beasts that perish. My mouth shall speak of wisdom.
SECOND READING COLOSSIANS 3:1-11
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
GOSPEL LUKE 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to [Jesus,] “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY Praise and Thanksgiving #409
PROFESSION of FAITH/APOSTLE’S CREED Pg65
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
Trusting in God’s extraordinary love, let us come near the Holy One in prayer. A brief silence.
God, you are wholeness and satisfaction. Where there is division or envy among churches, bring reconciliation and healing. Guide the work of all who support the maintenance and building of ministries. Increase our faith in you and our connection to each other. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God, you are wholeness, satisfaction and the source of all life. Where creation cries in distress, bring relief and renewal. Bless trade among farmers, ranchers, distributors, and all who provide food. Nourish the land, its creatures and other inhabitants. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God, you are wholeness, satisfaction, the source of all life, and wisdom. Where nations and communities yearn for peace, bring justice. Strengthen those who toil for the welfare of others, especially military personnel, police, first responders, volunteers and activists. Heal interactions between committees, expressions of government, and nations. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God, you are everything. Where people are overwhelmed with busy-ness to acquire more, bring encouragement to rest and satisfaction in what they already have. For those who truly lack what they need, encourage ambition. Give them opportunities for education and advancement. Accompany all who experience emotional, mental, or physical distress (especially those on our prayer list). Renew us through fellowship with you and each other. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God, you are our treasure. Where scarcity and anxiety pervade, bring security through abundance and vitality. Guide individuals, businesses, investors and governments toward sustainable, renewable products and moral gains that benefit our whole planet. Help us make the best use of what you’ve provided through fossil fuels and nuclear energy. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
God, you are resurrection. We give thanks for all your saints. Inspire us by through examples of faithful living. Set our minds on things above, so we are rich in love toward you and everybody else. Merciful God, receive our prayer.
O God, you hear and receive the prayers of your children with mercy, holding us forever in your steadfast love through Jesus Christ, our holy treasure of ongoing, eternally resurrected life and sacred wisdom. Amen.
PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERTORY Page 75
LORD’S PRAYER
BLESSING
The God of peace, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you, comfort you, and show you the path of life this day and always. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN “Lord of All Hopefulness” #469
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Love your neighbor.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE
Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. Used by permission. Prayers adapted from Sundays and Seasons, copyright © 2019, Augsburg Fortress. Used with permission. Psalm readings from Lutheran Book of Worship, copyright © 1978. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual Subscription #SB160715 Other quotations from Scripture from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of Churches in Christ in the United States of America. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
Altar flowers at Messiah have been presented by Sandy and Dennis Dreibelbis, Thanks be to God!
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
St. Peter (Fetterhoff’s) will hold an ice cream social beginning at 4 PM on Saturday, August 6th, at their outdoor pavilion. Menu will consist of Chicken Corn Soup, Ham & Bean Soup, Barbeque, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream Sundaes, drinks, and music.
Members and friends are invited to take part in this event, as well as other events set for later this year. Willing volunteers and donations of food or supplies are always appreciated.
Want to help? Contact Diane Keister at 717-896-3842, or Audrey Rummel717-896-8659.
BRUNCH IS ON!!!
On August 7th, there’s a lot to look forward to: Recognition of graduates. and celebration of a Baptism and Holy Communion at the 10:00 AM worship service. Please come to church, and stay for brunch.
SUNGLASSES UPDATE
We collected 200 sunglasses!! Thank you all so much. I delivered them to Medical Missionary, Mary Klaus. She is thrilled to have so many sunglasses to distribute. She came back from Gambia, Africa recently. She will be going to Honduras next month. She expresses her gratitude to all. A note for next year if we collect more sunglasses, Mary asked for safety glasses. Thanks again, Sandy D.
“FREE” BACK-to-SCHOOL YARD SALE
Friday, AUGUST 12th (10:00 AM to 7:00 PM) and
Saturday, August 13th (10:00 AM to 2:00 PM)
Location: Halifax High School
Donation of CLEAN, GENTLY USED OR NEW CLOTHING (NO torn or stained clothing please!) for ages kindergarten through 12th grade, school supplies-book bags, crayons, colored pencils, mechanical pencils, cap erasers (to fit on pencils), rulers, vinyl protractor (no compass), tablets, composition books, notebooks, pencil bags or boxes, and tissues will be accepted.
Donation boxes will be at Valleys ECC and Halifax Area High School, Middle School and Elementary School offices.
Helpers are needed to help move clothing, etc., sort clothing from August 8 to 11. Helpers are also needed during the Back-to-School Yard Sale on August 12th and August 13th.
Clothing racks are also needed. Please call the church office if you have a rack to lend for the yard sale. (They are needed from the beginning of August until after the yard sale.)
Monetary donations are also accepted. Please mark any monetary donations “Back to School Program” or you may sponsor a child ($50 donation) for “First Day Fresh Impressions”. If you are interested in helping, please see Ed Dobbin or call the church office at 717-896-3118.
*NOTE: Messiah has a box to place any of the above items listed above. Please place any items in this box by August 7th.
LOWER SUSQUEHANNA SYNOD WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION
The 34th annual convention of the Lower Susquehanna, Synodical Women’s Organization will be held Saturday, August 20, 2022 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church Shippensburg, PA, 8:15 am to 4 pm. Cost for registration is $30.00. There will be a continental breakfast & Lunch will be provided. The Theme for this year is “Let Your Light Shine” (based on Psalm 80:3). Speaker is Rev. Drahas Oslik. Also participating is Rev. Beth Martini, Assistant to the Bishop, and Rev. Pam Illick, Chaplain, Pastor at St. Paul, Enola. Registration forms are in the Narthex of Messiah. Deadline for the registration is to be postmarked by Wednesday, July 20. In addition to the Speaker, there will be an election of officers & board members of the WELCA, Lower Susquehanna Organization. If anyone would like to be nominated for any of the offices or the board, please contact Sandy Dreibelbis, there is a nomination form to be completed. Open offices are President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary & 5 Board Members.
PERSONAL CARE KITS
When natural disasters strike or war drives families from their homes, as we see over and over in the news, our hearts ache with compassion. But what can we do? Making Lutheran World Relief (LWR) kits is a simple, tangible way to offer comfort to those suffering and express love to our neighbors in need.
Messiah ladies are again collecting personal care kits to be shipped to and distributed by Lutheran World Relief. These kits provide the basic needs for personal hygiene.
Each kit includes the following items:
- One light weight bath-size towel (52X27”), dark colors are recommended
- 2 bars of bath-size soap (4-5oz each)
- 1 adult toothbrush in the original packaging, or sealed in a business envelope—no plastic wrap
- 1 study comb
- 1 metal nail clipper
Please consider purchasing the needed items for one or more kits. There are baskets at the front of the church for each item—no need to remove tags or wrappings. Please have your kit items to the church by September 18th. We will be assembling the kits September 25th during the adult Sunday School hour. Thank you for participating in this LWR ministry!
MESSIAH WORSHIP SCHEDULE
Messiah will have worship service on the third Sunday during the summer months outdoors in St Peter Pavilion. This will continue in the months of June, July and August.
MESSIAH SUNDAY SCHOOL ON BREAK
The Messiah Education. Committee has declared August as No-Show Sunday School Month ! ….. (meaning there will be none.) We will take a summer break until September.
We give thanks and feel blessed that you have chosen to worship with us today.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR AUGUST
6 – Ice Cream Social Begins at 4 PM at St. Peter Pavilion
7 – 9th Sunday after Pentecost Holy Communion
8:30 AM St. Peter Pavilion
10 AM Worship Service at Messiah w/recognition of graduates. Brunch immediately following.