GOVERNMENT STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Mobile, Alabama Sunday, March 8, 2020 | 11AM SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
Image: The Wind Blows by Hannah Garrity (see p. 5)
GATHERING CHIMING OF THE HOUR
Please silence all cellular WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS devices for the duration of PRELUDE the service. indicates an invitation to stand as you are able. Please let us know you are here today by signing the Welcome Book located in the center of each pew.
Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar FUGUE IN G MAJOR J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
CALL TO WORSHIP
Harris Oswalt, Jr., Liturgist
From where will our help come? Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Who is our keeper? The Lord is our keeper, by day and by night. How long will the Lord protect us? God will keep our going out and our coming in from this time on and forevermore. Let us worship God. HYMN 49
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE
Shaped by its traditional LYONS Jewish tune, this selection PRAYER OF CONFESSION unison of English stanzas Holy God, we are in need of your grace and forgiveness. conveys the essence of the Yigdal, a canticle You call us to trust you completely, but we do not. based on a medieval We are timid and fearful as we follow your lead. Hebrew statement of faith We justify our actions and words, about the nature of God and often used in though we know they are not what you require. synagogue worship, We struggle to understand the new life Christ offers, alternately chanted by preferring old habits to risky change. cantor and congregation.
Silence is kept for silent prayers of confession. Forgive us, we pray. Help us to be born again into the life of Christ, trusting that you have included us by grace in the family of faith. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. ASSURANCE OF PARDON RESPONSE | HYMN 434
RESTORE IN US, O GOD BAYLOR
PROCLAIMING THE WORD PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION FIRST READING Throughout the season of Lent, our church is exploring the theme of "Wilderness." Physical, spiritual, and emotional wildernesses are a part of our journey of faith. In this season of repentance and reflection, we consider how God is present in the wilderness. Today we focus on God's promises to us in times of uncertainty.
GENESIS 12:1-4A Old Testament p. 9
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. CHILDREN’S SERMON MUSICAL REFLECTION SECOND READING
JOHN 3:1-17
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. SERMON
New Testament p. 88
Rev. Rebekah Abel Lamar Promises in the Wilderness
THANKSGIVING HYMN 829
MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
Originally a poem of private reflection, this text AFFIRMATION OF FAITH unison was offered to the In life and in death we belong to God. composer when he asked Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the author if he had written anything that the love of God, could be set to music for a and the communion of the Holy Spirit, new hymn and tune we trust in the one triune God, collection. This was the first tune written for these the Holy One of Israel, words and has proved the whom alone we worship and serve. most enduring. We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God.
OLIVET
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: Confessions and creeds are some of the oldest means of declaring the church’s foundational beliefs. They remind us that we belong to the One who has been raised from the dead and who raises us to new life in the Spirit. For today’s Affirmation of Faith, we use “A Brief Statement of Faith” from the Book of Confessions.
preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. Amen. GLORIA | HYMN 581
GLORY BE TO THE FATHER GLORIA PATRI
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION
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. THE PEACE “Peace be with you” is a The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. greeting Jesus himself And also with you. used with his disciples. The gesture is simple, but OFFERTORY the meaning is profound. GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD When we extend our hand CHORAL ANTHEM John Stainer to another, we identify with Jesus, who extended God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, his very life to make that whoso believeth in Him should not perish, peace with humanity. but have everlasting life. Rooted in Scripture, this gesture embodies our For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; identity as peacemakers, but that the world through Him might be saved. and trains our hearts, PRAISE GOD, FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW hands, and tongues in the DOXOLOGY | HYMN 607 OLD HUNDREDTH ways of peace.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Generous God, we dedicate these gifts and our very lives to you. We are grateful for your call on our lives and your guidance on this journey. Thank you for blessing us so that we may be a blessing to others. Through Christ we pray, Amen.
SENDING HYMN 816
IF THOU BUT TRUST IN GOD TO GUIDE THEE
This hymn is a testimony WER NUR DEN LIEBEN GOTT of experience. The original BENEDICTION seven-stanza German text (based on Psalm 55:22) POSTLUDE PRELUDE & FUGUE IN D MAJOR and its tune were created Bach by the author/composer at the age of twenty in thanksgiving for finding Childcare is available in the nursery for employment many weeks after being left almost infants to three-years-old. penniless following a New members are welcomed by profession of faith, robbery.
Welcome to Government Street!
reaffirmation of faith, or transfer of membership. Please speak with the minister for further information. —“The Wind Blows”— Inspired by John 3:1-17 Artist’s Statement on Cover Image
I could not see the forest for the trees. My child-bearing years were a time of wilderness for me. Having been a successful student, I looked for measurables to track my failures and successes as a young mother. I read books, talked to friends, compared stories, and mentally tracked what worked and what did not with my little one. I struggled mightily with the fact that my measurable failures significantly outweighed my successes. I have since reimagined how I measure success and failure. Looking back, however, I can see that I was lost in the details. I was mired in measurables while I needed to be open to enjoying the fleeting days of babyhood. I could not enjoy those precious moments of infancy. I just remember babies crying, unable to comfort them. Each subsequent year has presented an onslaught of detail, so many that I have had to restructure my approach to my daily life. This shift has allowed me to move into a realm that is more like this idea that Jesus mentions in John 3:5-8: the idea of being born of the Spirit. It is not a profession of faith that allows one to live like the wind. Plenty of people who believe do not live such a life. Rather, it is a moment-by-moment intention to be aware of God’s presence. It is a minute-by-minute appreciation for the amazing life we have been given. It is a deep breath and a slower-paced walk. It is a freedom unparalleled. It is an ability to see the forest and the trees. This space in the Spirit is deep and wide. It is fleeting and ever-present. Come, live a life born of the Spirit. — Hannah Garrity, Artist
GSPC’s MISSION WE ARE CALLED BY THE SPIRIT TO GLORIFY GOD, SO THAT ALL MAY BECOME JOYFUL DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST.
Those Serving Today: USHER SUNDAY ASSISTANTS WEE WORSHIP NURSERY
BRENT ERICSON DEWEY PARSONS CHARLOTTE CROCKETT SUE KING KATE & DAVID CARVER
Family Promise will be hosted by GSPC March 29—April 5. Please visit gspcmobile.org/ familypromise to volunteer. Contact Lisa Goodloe for more information.
Saturday, March 14 at 8 am All are welcome and encouraged to join in and help.
The Sanctuary Flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Elizabeth Roberts English, in celebration of her birthday, by her Irvine family: George, Sallye, Isobel, Richardson, Phineas, and Sullivan. 300 Government Street Mobile, Alabama 36602 251.432.1749 | gspcmobile.org Member PC(USA)
Staff REV. REBEKAH ABEL LAMAR Pastor & Head of Staff rebekah@gspcmobile.org TOMMY WATTS Director of Music & Organist Communications tommy@gspcmobile.org SAMANTHA ANSELMO Director of Children’s Choirs SALLY ERICSON Interim Children’s Ministry Coordinator sally@gspcmobile.org
KATY PARTRIDGE Office & Property Manager katy@gspcmobile.org DAWN HEARN Bookkeeper bookkeeper@gspcmobile.org BARBARA WILLIAMS Hostess barbara@gspcmobile.org SHELIA SMITH Director of Food Services MARILYN MILLS Sexton ARTHUR LEWIS Sexton
CALENDAR Meals on Wheels | Monday—Friday 11:00a SUNDAY, MARCH 8 9:30a Sunday School (all ages) Children’s Choir Rehearsal 10:15a Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 11:00a Worship Wee Worship MONDAY, MARCH 9 6:00p Circle of Joy | Guesnard House TUESDAY, MARCH 10 7:30a Bible Study | Home of Rudy Nordmann 8:00a Ladies’ Bible Study | Home of Ann Adams 10:00a Bible Study | GSPC Frist Room WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 12:00p Lenten Communion Service 6:00p Men’s Disciple Class Bible Study | Library Handbell Rehearsal 7:00p Choir Rehearsal THURSDAY, MARCH 12 FRIDAY, MARCH 13 SATURDAY, MARCH 14 8AM Baytreat Work Day SUNDAY, MARCH 15 9:30a Sunday School (all ages) Children’s Choir Rehearsal 10:30a Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal 11:00a Worship Wee Worship