First Presbyterian Church
Brookings, SD
18th Sunday after Pentecost
September 22, 2024
PRELUDE Guidance, Lani Smith
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP
In this time set apart for worship, the Holy Spirit invites us:
Draw near to God,
who is steady and sure.
Draw near to God,
who welcomes those often overlooked.
Draw near to God,
who draws us together, threads woven in a shared fabric of faith.
Let us worship the Lord!
*OPENING HYMN #839 (Red) Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine!
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love. [Refrain]
*CALL TO CONFESSION
It is only by the power of God that we are able to stand against evil. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
You told us, O Lord, that whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all. Oh, how we long to be first, O God: to climb every ladder, frame every achievement, get every promotion, and obtain every glory. Oh, how we long to be first, O God, and oh, how we dread being last. Forgive us, O humble Christ, and by your forgiveness, teach us. Teach us to reframe our priorities. Teach us to be servants first, and to let our lives flow from a heart of faith.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Now stand firm in your faith, covered by the saving grace of God and ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Heavenly Father, open our ears and our hearts to hear the message from Your word. Help us to learn from the story of your people, that we might live, honoring you. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen
First Reading Proverbs 31:10-31
10A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. 15She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls. 16She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson. 22She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land. 24She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes. 25Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: 29"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." 30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.
Psalm 1 (read responsively)
1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Second Reading James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
4:1Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
Gospel Mark 9:30-37
30They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."
SERMON The Greatest! Elizabeth Fox, CRE
HYMN #435 (Red) There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven.
There is no place where earth’s failings have such kindly judgment given.
For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind.
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful, we would gladly trust God’s Word,
and our lives reflect thanksgiving for the goodness of our Lord.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to men and women commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering so that it sees the face of Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need. His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its life and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Christ as Lord.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Concerns: Bob F
Our homebound or in care members: Richard and Dolores C, Bob F (Pat caregiver), Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Joyce R, Steve VB, Dee W, Dorothy W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Maxine D, Bill & Ann D, Mary E
Those Who Mourn: the family and friends of Bob Jones
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 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.
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
HYMN #450 (Red) Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heaven-ward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always;
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Wyeth/Payne
Brookings, SD
18th Sunday after Pentecost
September 22, 2024
PRELUDE Guidance, Lani Smith
WELCOME and ANNOUNCEMENTS
- TUESDAY MORNING COFFEE GROUP, 9:30ish AM, Mission Coffee House
- PIECES AND PRAYERS, Tuesdays, 1:30 – 3:30 PM in the FPC Quilting Room
- THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY, 9:30 AM
- SPECIAL OFFERING: Peace and Global Witness donations are being accepted Sept. 8 through Oct. 6
CALL TO WORSHIP
In this time set apart for worship, the Holy Spirit invites us:
Draw near to God,
who is steady and sure.
Draw near to God,
who welcomes those often overlooked.
Draw near to God,
who draws us together, threads woven in a shared fabric of faith.
Let us worship the Lord!
*OPENING HYMN #839 (Red) Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine!
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love. [Refrain]
*CALL TO CONFESSION
It is only by the power of God that we are able to stand against evil. Trusting in God’s grace, let us confess our sin.
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
You told us, O Lord, that whoever wants to be first must be last and servant of all. Oh, how we long to be first, O God: to climb every ladder, frame every achievement, get every promotion, and obtain every glory. Oh, how we long to be first, O God, and oh, how we dread being last. Forgive us, O humble Christ, and by your forgiveness, teach us. Teach us to reframe our priorities. Teach us to be servants first, and to let our lives flow from a heart of faith.
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
Now stand firm in your faith, covered by the saving grace of God and ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Thanks be to God!
*GLORIA PATRI
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Heavenly Father, open our ears and our hearts to hear the message from Your word. Help us to learn from the story of your people, that we might live, honoring you. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen
First Reading Proverbs 31:10-31
10A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. 15She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls. 16She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. 18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson. 22She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land. 24She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes. 25Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her: 29"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all." 30Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates.
Psalm 1 (read responsively)
1Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Second Reading James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
4:1Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
Gospel Mark 9:30-37
30They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."
SERMON The Greatest! Elizabeth Fox, CRE
HYMN #435 (Red) There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice, which is more than liberty.
There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven.
There is no place where earth’s failings have such kindly judgment given.
For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind.
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful, we would gladly trust God’s Word,
and our lives reflect thanksgiving for the goodness of our Lord.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to men and women commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering so that it sees the face of Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need. His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its life and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Christ as Lord.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Concerns: Bob F
Our homebound or in care members: Richard and Dolores C, Bob F (Pat caregiver), Jan J, Darwin L (Jeanne caregiver), Bob O (Nancy caregiver), Rose P, Joyce R, Steve VB, Dee W, Dorothy W (Please reach out and call)
This Week’s Prayer Families: Maxine D, Bill & Ann D, Mary E
Those Who Mourn: the family and friends of Bob Jones
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 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.
OFFERING OF OURSELVES AND OUR RESOURCES
*DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
HYMN #450 (Red) Be Thou My Vision
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heaven-ward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
thou mine inheritance, now and always;
thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Wyeth/Payne