Order of Worship
September 24th, 2023 ~ 17th Sunday after Pentecost

 

Prelude

 
Welcome, Announcements, and Peace

 
Call to Worship

The first shall be last.
We come to worship as we are.
We come with confidence.
We come with questions.
The last shall be first.
We come burdened by failure.
We come celebrating success.
We come fearful of the future.
The first shall be last
and the last shall be first
and a little child shall lead them.
Amen.
~ written by Katherine Hawker

 

Hymn of Praise

The Gospel Changes Everything

WS #232

Verse 1
The gospel changes ev’rything
The turning point in history
Even now it’s changing me from who I was
The story of my Savior calls
Me to the wonder of the cross
The gospel changes ev’rything
And it is changing me
(REPEAT)
 
Chorus
You saved my soul by Your blood
And I’m undone by Your great love
You made a way so I could come
Just as I am to You my God
 
Verse 2
Jesus changes ev’rything
There is no greater mystery
That God would come to rescue me
From who I was
The kindness of my Savior calls
Me to the wonder of His love
Jesus changes ev’rything
And He is changing me
 
Chorus
You saved my soul by Your blood
And I’m undone by Your great love
You made a way so I could come
Just as I am to You my God
 
Chorus
You saved my soul by Your blood
And I’m undone by Your great love
You made a way so I could come
Just as I am to You my God
 
Ending
You made a way so I could come
Just as I am to You my God
To You my God
Just as I am to You my God
Benji Cowart, Meredith Andrews, Paul Mabury
CCLI Song #6378147
© 2012 Curb Songs; Mesmerized Music; So Essential Tunes; Spirit Nashville Three
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License #3154366
 


Opening Prayer

Come!
Come and worship,
you who woke early and you who slept late;
you who come often, and you who don’t.
Whether we are first or last or somewhere in between,
there is room for all of us in God’s kingdom,
and more than enough grace to go around.
Let’s worship God together!
Amen. 

 

Special Music

Dove Sei from Rodelinda
G. F. Handel

 

Baptism of Harriett Florence Rispoli (Hattie)

 

Scripture Reading

Matthew 20:1-16
New Living Translation

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

 

 Sermon

It’s Not Fair – Precisely
Senior Pastor, The Rev. Dr. Robert de Wetter

 

Pastoral Prayer

 

Prayers of the People

 

Offertory

Alleluja from Exultate Jubilate
W. A. Mozart

 

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heav’nly host
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
Amen

 

CCLI Song # 6115489
Thomas Ken
Public Domain
For use solely with the SongSelect®. Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 3154366

Communion

 

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. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Closing Hymn

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

RH #648

Verse 1
Love divine all loves excelling
Joy of heaven to earth come down
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling
All Thy faithful mercies crown
Jesus Thou art all compassion
Pure unbounded love Thou art
Visit us with Thy salvation
Enter every trembling heart
 
Verse 2
Breathe O breathe Thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast
Let us all in Thee inherit
Let us find Thy promised rest
Take away the love of sinning
Alpha and Omega be
End of faith as its beginning
Set our hearts at liberty
 
Verse 3
Come Almighty to deliver
Let us all Thy grace receive
Suddenly return and never
Never more Thy temples leave
Thee we would be always blessing
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing
Glory in Thy perfect love
 
Verse 4
Finish then Thy new creation
Pure and spotless let us be
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee
Changed from glory into glory
Till in heaven we take our place
Till we cast our crowns before Thee
Lost in wonder love and praise
Andy Green, Charles Wesley, Christopher Norton, John Zundel
CCLI Song #4506966
Words: Public Domain; Music: 2005 Thankyou Music
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License #3154366

 

Closing Prayer

To God be all glory,
the One who visits us in three persons,
the Holy Trinity of hope and love.

For there is no place which is without you, O God,
and no time when you are not there.
For you are the beginning and the end,
the source of all that is
in the wonder of universal life.

And yet, you take us by the hand and lead us,
as the life of Christ walks our human way
and shows us that life is stronger than death.

In the Holy Spirit, we are gifted, again and again,
and are called onwards toward a future
in which we are surrounded with love and grace,

We praise and worship you, O God,
for there is no other God like you.
Amen.

~ from Words for Worship


Blessing

 

Postlude

 


Our love in action now begins…

 

This Sunday’s Special Music is brought to you by
Nikki Boxer & Terry Lee,
Micha Schoepe & Paul Dankers.

Thank you to all of this Sunday’s volunteers!

Altar Setter – Sue de Campo
Greeters – Joan Bemis and Bob Wolfe
9am Scripture Reader and Prayers of the People – Jacqui Horton
10:30am Scripture Reader – Bode McDowell

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Winter sunset in Snowmass Village over Mt. Daly and Capital Peak