Order of Worship October 26, 2014 PRELUDE 20th Sunday after Pentecost Now Sings My Soul Pachelbel CHIMING OF THE HOUR *PROCESSIONAL HYMN Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee 89 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (adapted from a prayer BY Erik Rees in Only You Can Be You,) *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 TIME Nancy Moseley (Following the Children’s Time, 3K-1st grade children may go to the Sanctuary entrance to be led to Children’s Church on the second floor of the Education Building. If escorted by a parent, children younger than three may be taken to the nursery on the first floor of the Education Building.) Gracious Heavenly Father, help us to be aware of the people around me, especially to those that are in need. Then help me not to be selfish with my time and my abilities when it dawns on me — or they ask of me — I can do something to help. Let me be ready and willing to extend your love and service through my efforts. Remind me throughout the day that the world you have placed me in needs to see you, and that they can see you in me when I allow you to live in me and give through me. I thank you for all the ways you have given to me and blessed me. In turn, show me how to give all I can to others for your Kingdom’s sake and in worship of you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. *HYMN GREETINGS AND CONCERNS OF THE CHURCH OFFERTORY PRAYER *PASSING OF THE PEACE OFFERTORY RECEPTION OF NEW MEMBERS Kevin and Julie Buchanan and their daughter Stella *SCRIPTURE READING Reader: The Word of God for the people of God People: Thanks be to God CONFESSION OF FAITH: NO. 181 PASTORAL PRAYER AND 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. Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing Tender Savior, Trusted Lord (Handbell Choir) *DOXOLOGY Luke 6:32-36 The Apostles’ Creed I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. 400 Wagner 95 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below; Praise God, above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. *SCRIPTURE LESSON Romans 12:9-17 Leader: The Word of God for the people of God People: Thanks be to God SERMON “The Investment of a Lifetime: Serving” *CLOSING HYMN BENEDICTION POSTLUDE “Here, I Am Lord” Blessed Be The Lord Fugue In E Flat (St Ann) SCRIPTURES 70 Luke 6:32-36 32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Romans 12:9-17 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. Matthew 10:42 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Colossians 3:23-24 23 Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, 24 since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. Prayer Concerns Rev. Brown 593 Arr. Bach Judy Cochran Ashley Cobb (Anna Cobb’s daughter-in-law) Bill Cox Art Eberly June Gaillard Georgia Clarke Miles Day Doris Fisher Those In Need Of Prayer Gage Hood Mary Kittles Eric Lockwood Alvin McCall Tom Pizzolato The Homebound Out Of Town Prayers Ann Shock (Helen’s Mom) Parker Gaillard Jim Gibbs Eric & Teri Lockwood Bruce Richmond Ellen Slatton Jim Taylor Dick Young Mary Walker Morris Lois Smith Mildred Thompson Serving Our Country Evan Childers Michael Compton Chad Cunningham Tom Jordan Jeffrey Van Camp, Jr. Kris Welanetz Opportunities and Announcements Church Calendar Sunday, October 26 8:45 am Day by Day Service 10:00 am Sunday School 11:00 am Traditional Service 1:00 pm Greenville Lay Servant Ministries School 5:00 pm Sr Boys (Bizell) Basketball 5:00 pm Fall Festival– No MYF Tuesday, October 28 6:00 pm I-Mites Basketball Practice 7:00 pm Men’s Marital Group 7:30 pm CMA Group Wednesday, October 29 5:45 pm Wonderful Wed. meal 6:15 pm Younger Children’s Choir 6:20 pm Handbells 6:30 pm Bible study- Fellowship Hall 6:35 pm Older Children’s Choir 7:00 pm Adult Choir Practice 7:30 pm Sr Boys (Brown/Anderson) Basketball Practice Thursday, October 30 10:30 am Bible Study 7:15 pm International Folkdance Practice Friday, October 31 7:00 am Men's Breakfast/Bible Study 6:30 pm NA meeting Saturday, November 1 9:00 am Pumpkin Clean-Up 3:30 pm Early Service Setup The flowers on the alter today are from the wedding of Matthew and Julie Swilley to the glory of God and in memory of our loved ones who were unable to be with us on our special day: Bill Swilley, Ed & Virginia Cansler and Elizabeth Rochester Serving This Sunday Children’s Church Assistant Mallory Mitchell Crucifer Evans Easler Acolytes Olivia Dosher & Robbie Dosher Serving This Month Ushers Jay Meredith, Michael Dosher, Laurin Nocks, Michael Burn, and Jimmy Orr Altar Guild Kim Geddie and Carrie Johnson Pew Angels Gay Davis & Helen Graben Have you visited St Matthew’s Facebook Page recently? Don’t forget to “Like” us! Account: http://on.fb.me/1uispkd Serve by being a Communion Steward! Looking for anyone who has 2 hours a year to spare to serve the church. A Communion Steward prepares the altar for communion and cleans up after communion. It takes just a couple of hours (or less) to do it. We’d love to have you on the team! For more information, contact Kristin Brady: Kristinh2@bellsouth.net or call 864-908-7200 St. Matthew United Methodist Church 701 Cleveland Street Greenville, SC 29601 www.stmatthewumc.net Office: 864-242-1966 M-Th 8:30 - 5:00 F Closed Preschool: 864-242-2880 Please join us tonight! Fun for all ages! Hot Dog Supper! Costumes are encouraged but not required. Operation Christmas Child! Please consider filling a shoebox (either a shoebox you have at home or one of the plastic shoeboxes available in the narthex) for Samaritan's Purse. Instruction brochures are available in the narthex and the office! All filled shoeboxes should be returned to the narthex or church office by this Wednesday, October 29th! All Saints’ Sunday – Stewardship Sunday November 2nd...Next Sunday Please make every effort to be in worship at either service on Sunday, November 2, as we celebrate All Saints’ Sunday and Stewardship Sunday. The faithfulness of the past and the faithfulness of the present come together for a special worship experience that Sunday. We are invited to bring our pledge commitment cards to either service and bring them to the altar for dedication and thanksgiving. And, of course, at noon immediately after the 11:00 AM Service, we will be our Stewardship Banquet in the Family Life Center to celebrate this great Sunday. All are invited, so let us celebrate being the church together. Ministers The Congregation Interim Church Office Administrator Rosalee MacIntosh 864-242-1966 officeadmin@stmatthewumc.net Senior Pastor Rev. Steven Brown 864-242-1966 Director of Preschool Christina Via 864-242-1966 preschool@stmatthewumc.net Organist Sam Taylor Day by Day Service earlyservice@stmatthewumc.net Church Custodian Pam Worthy pamelapilgrim4@msn.com Follow us on Twitter to keep up with exciting news and learn about what’s going on at St Matthew UMC! Account: StMattUMC Just type this link and you can follow us: https://twitter.com/StMattUMC Our Mission To continue Christ’s work in the world. Our Vision To be a congregation of disciples that values children, youth and families, and communicates the story of faith to them in creative ways. To build the Christian community by increasing our ministry to all ages through a variety of activities and worship approaches that reach out to others with the lifetransforming message of the gospel. Youth Director Clint Henderson 864-430-0861 Clint2k3@gmail.com Children’s Choir Director Jody Webb 864-640-2832. Jbjwebb@gmail.com Interim Children’s Ministry Director Nancy Moseley 864-384-8451 Lee-111@att.net Facilities Manager Michael Craig God’s Hands & Feet Ministry 864-242-1966 Nursery Valerie Gray Sandra Niven Katelyn Kirkpatrick Jessie Zettler Beverly Hawkins October 26, 2014 20thSunday after Pentecost 26 [Jesus said to His disciples,] “. . . whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26) Most people I know are looking for good advice on investing. My suspicions were confirmed when I recently googled the word “investment” and was confronted with 26,700,000 articles and websites (in .25 seconds I might add). Although I am sure I would have benefited from reading any one of them, I didn’t. However, this did underscore for me the desire people like you and me have to make good investments, the best investment that will help us gain a lot and not lose anything. I have to admit that another reason I did not dive into a pool of 26,700,000 articles is I am more concerned about another, a more important investment. I am talking about the investment of our lives in others. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:3031). These are the two great commandments, the directions to follow for a full and abundant life, the best life. Love God and love those near us. It would seem in God’s economy (lest we forget, He put the world together and knows how things work best) the measure of our success in life will not be decided by our investment portfolio of stocks and bonds but by the success of our investment in our relationships with God and others. In fact, in a statement that would seem to be an investment strategy turned upside down, Jesus says, “Hey, you want greatness. Do you want success? Then, here’s the best investment you could ever make — serve other people! Help them, share with them, and give to them of your time and of yourself.” God is calling us to invest ourselves in the lives of others in the relationships that we have -- be it spouse, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, acquaintances, people who cross our paths or whose paths we cross, and especially those we see in need. It is good to notice that the promises we make when we join St. Matthew help us understand this investment. We say we will give “our prayers, our gifts, our presence, and our service.” This is loving each other. This is investing ourselves in others -- both within the church and outside it, both within our families and beyond them. This is the time of year when we think about stewardship, the management of our life as we live it each day. Let us be wise and generous and good investors -- in our relationships that God has given us and in the lives of others God places around us. If we do this, if we give ourselves and invest our lives for God and others, it will change our lives, now and for a lifetime. This, indeed, is the best investment of a lifetime. With Joy, Steve