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PRELUDE
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
RINGING OF THE BELL
Please rise as you are able
CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Baptized into Christ, let us confess our sin.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Merciful God, you free us to love others, but we neglect our neighbors and follow our own way. You lead us by the Spirit of joy and peace, but we turn away from the abundant life you offer. You surround us with patience, kindness, and generosity, but we grow weary in doing what is right. In your mercy, forgive us. Do not give up on us. Heal us, break our bonds, and show us the path of life. Amen.
You belong to Christ Jesus and you are God’s children through faith. In the cross of Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Clothed with Christ, you are a new creation.
Amen.
GATHERING HYMN “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” Hymn #756
GREETING
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you.
Today’s scripture passages are taken from The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Let us pray. Direct us, O Lord God, in all our doings with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy name; and finally, by your mercy, bring us to ev-erlasting life, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Please be seated.
WORD
REFLECTIONS ON ACTS Rev. Chris Steubing
FIRST READING Acts 27: 1-12
1-2 As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship from Adra-myttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Mace-donian from Thessalonica, went with us.
3 The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.
4-8 Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us, and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra. There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board. We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).
9-10 By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if we put out to sea now.”
11,12 But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable. The centurion set Paul’s warning aside and let the ship captain and the ship owner talk him into trying for the next harbor.
PSALM Psalm 107
REFRAIN
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good, for God’s mercy endures forever.
2Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that God redeemed them
from the hand of the foe,
3gathering them in from the lands; from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
REFRAIN
23Some went down to the sea in ships, plying their trade in deep
waters.
24They beheld the works of the Lord, God’s wonderful works in the deep.
25Then God spoke, and a stormy wind arose, which tossed high the
waves of the sea.
REFRAIN
28Then in their trouble they cried to the Lord, and you delivered them
from their distress.
29You stilled the storm to a whisper and silenced the waves of the sea.
30Then were they glad when it grew calm, when you guided them to the harbor they desired.
31Let them give thanks to you, Lord, for your steadfast love and your
wonderful works for all people.
REFRAIN
SECOND READING Acts 27:13-20
13-15 When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
16-17 We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.
18-20 Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.
Hymn #763 “My Life Flows On in Endless Song” vs. 1-3
THIRD READING Acts 27:21-32
21-22 With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.
23-26 “Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”
27-29 On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet. Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.
30-32 Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pre-tending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.
Hymn #755 “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me”
FOURTH READING Acts 27:33-44
33-34 With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: “This is the fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You’ll need strength for the rescue ahead. You’re going to come out of this without even a scratch!”
35-38 He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.
39-41 At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn’t make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.
42-44 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
Hymn #785 “When Peace like a River” vs. 1
FIFTH READING Acts 28:1-9
1-2 Once everyone was accounted for and we realized we had all made it, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. The natives went out of their way to be friendly to us. The day was rainy and cold and we were al-ready soaked to the bone, but they built a huge bonfire and gathered us around it.
3-6 Paul pitched in and helped. He had gathered up a bundle of sticks, but when he put it on the fire, a venomous snake, roused from its sleepiness by the heat, struck his hand and held on. Seeing the snake hanging from Paul’s hand like that, the natives jumped to the conclusion that he was a murderer getting what he deserved. Paul shook the snake off into the fire like it was nothing. They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!
7-9 The head man in that part of the island was Publius. He took us into his home as his guests, drying us out and putting us up in fine style for the next three days. Publius’s father was sick at the time, down with a high fe-ver and dysentery. Paul went to the old man’s room, and when he laid hands on him and prayed, the man was healed. Word of the healing got around fast, and soon everyone on the island who was sick came and got healed.
Hymn #612 “Healer of Our Every Ill” vs. 1-2
SIXTH READING Acts 28:11-22
10-11 We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey. When an Egyptian ship that had wintered there in the harbor prepared to leave for Italy, we got on board. The ship had a carved Gemini for its figurehead: “the Heavenly Twins.”
12-14 We put in at Syracuse for three days and then went up the coast to Rhegium. Two days later, with the wind out of the south, we sailed into the Bay of Naples. We found Christian friends there and stayed with them for a week.
14-16 And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; an-other group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.
17-20 Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, “The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We’ve had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I’m on Israel’s side, not against her. I’m a hostage here for hope, not doom.”
21-22 They said, “Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it.”
Hymn #400 “God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind” vs. 1-2
SEVENTH READING Acts 28:23-31
23 They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morn-ing to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.
24-27 Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet: Go to this people and tell them this: “You’re going to listen with your ears, but you won’t hear a word; You’re going to stare with your eyes, but you won’t see a thing. These people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.”
Word of God, word of Life. Thanks be to God.
Hymn #540 “Go, Make Disciples”
Please rise as you are able
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
Together with the whole church, we confess our faith:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.*
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living 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.
THE PRAYERS
. . . God of Grace, Receive our prayer.
THE PEACE
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Let us share the peace with one another.
All share the peace of the Lord
OFFERING
OFFERING MUSIC “ Share Your Story” by Chris Steubing
Please rise as you are able as the offering is brought forward.
OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. Merciful God, accept the fruits of our labor, gathered to give you glory. You have set a table before us, a glimpse of that great day when we will hunger and thirst no more. Nourish us with the body and blood of Jesus, that goodness and mercy may follow us and bless the world you love. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Share the story, Share your story
We are witnesses, called and sent
Hear the story, hear their stories
Every heart and voice is an instrument
Final Chorus
Join the healing proclamation, the song of life forevermore
Welcome to the celebration, you are holy and adored
By the power of the Spirit, God is working to restore
Tag
Share the story, share your story
We are witnesses, called and sent.
©2024 Christopher Dale Steubing and Steubing Music (ASCAP). All Rights Reserved. Used by permission. CCLI#2561118
Share Your Story Lyrics
Share the story, share your story
Every heart and voice is an instrument
Hear the story, hear their stories
Longing to rejoice, echoing lament
Chorus
We’ve received an invitation to believe and be transformed
Join the healing of creation, new life forevermore
By the power of the Spirit God is working to restore
Share the story, share your story
Grace and truth revealed, God’s love made real,
Hear the story, hear their stories
Of justice rising up so the world can heal Chorus
MEAL
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise. . . We praise your name and join their un-ending hymn:
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
With this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s Passover from death to life as we proclaim the mystery of faith;
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray…
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 and ever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
The kingdom of God is set before you. Eat and rejoice.
Communion Distribution---All are welcome to receive Holy Communion at the Lord's table. If you'd like to receive a blessing instead, you may simply come forward and cross your arms over your chest. If you are unable to come forward, please notify an usher and we will bring the sacrament to you. The communion cups contain wine (red) or grape juice (white). Gluten-free wafers are available upon request.
Communion Distribution---All are welcome to receive Holy Communion at the Lord's table. If you'd like to receive a blessing instead, you may simply come forward and cross your arms over your chest. If you are unable to come forward, please notify an usher and we will bring the sacrament to you. The communion cups contain wine (red) or grape juice (white). Gluten-free wafers are available upon request.
Communion Hymns
Hymn #759 “My Faith Looks Up to Thee”
Hymn #483 “Here Is Bread”
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. Mothering God, you gathered us to your table and we drank deeply of your grace. Send us out by your Spirit to love our neighbors as ourselves and proclaim your love in Jesus’ name. Amen.
BENEDICTION
The love of God abound in you; the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ fill your hearts; and the life of the Spirit bless you and give you peace.
SENDING HYMN “God’s Work, Our Hands” Next Page
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Live by the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE.
Our thanks to those who serve as our worship leaders today:
Communion Assistants—John Schlobohm and Marv Dettloff
Our Reader—Wendy Kuenemann
Our Liturgist—Claire Roberts
Organist—Jimmy Cheung
Choir and Hand Bell Director—Wendy Kuenemann
Pastor—Rev. Chris Steubing