Sunday Bulletin | November 8, 2020

GOVERNMENT STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Sunday, November 8, 2020 | 10AM THE TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN PENTECOST STEWARDSHIP COMMITMENT

Wherever you are worshiping today, we pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you through the scripture, prayers, music, and sermon. We are called to worship by the promises of God in whom we place our faith and trust.

GATHERING PRELUDE

Improvisation

CHIMING OF THE HOUR WELCOME

WESTMINSTER

REV. REBEKAH ABEL LAMAR

CALL TO WORSHIP

Rejoice and be glad, for God is our salvation!

Scripture and Hymn settings The Lord is great and greatly to be praised. can be found on pages 5-9 of In hope and trust, let us worship God. the bulletin. We invite you to reflect on the hymn texts as HYMN 305 Come Sing, O Church, in Joy! DARWALL’S 148TH they are sung, and the Scriptures as they are read.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION unison

Hymn 305—This text was the winner in a hymn competition sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Bicentennial Committee for the 1988–1989 observance, which had the theme “Celebrate the Journey.” The late 18thcentury tune (first used with Psalm 148) is appropriately celebratory.

Holy and gracious God, you are our light and our salvation.

You are our strength and our delight.

You give us all we need to live.

We confess that we become distracted, chasing after our own desires rather than trusting your provision.

We are not prepared to serve you as we should and too easily ignore your commands.

Forgive us, Lord, and turn our attention to you.

Overwhelm us with your goodness and cover us with your grace.

In Christ’s name, Amen.

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ASSURANCE OF PARDON RESPONSE | HYMN 581

Glory Be to the Father 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.

In the Prayer for Illumination, we ask the Holy Spirit to be present with us as we hear God’s word read and preached. We seek to better understand God’s will so that we can follow Christ more faithfully.

PROCLAIMING THE WORD PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

CARTER HALE

FIRST READING

Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

CHILDREN’S SERMON

REV. ALEXANDRA HUTSON

SECOND READING

Matthew 25:1-13

SERMON

REV. REBEKAH ABEL LAMAR “I Do Not Know You”

Hymn 697—This hymn of consecration radiates from the THANKSGIVING repeated word “take,” resulting Take My Life vs. 1-4 in a remarkably full survey of a HYMN 697 HENDON person’s attributes and possessions and giving weight AFFIRMATION OF FAITH unison REV. ALEXANDRA HUTSON to the “all” at the end. The I believe in God the Father Almighty, and sitteth on the right hand of composer of the tune was maker of heaven and earth; God the Father Almighty; influential in the renewal of and in Jesus Christ from thence he shall come to judge Reformed hymnody in French. his only Son our Lord; the quick and the dead. who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven,

Confessions define what we as a community believe, affirming our beliefs about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and about humanity, the church and the world. The Apostles’ Creed affirms the OFFERTORY historical nature of Jesus of STEWARDSHIP MINUTE Nazareth as the Christ and confirms the Trinitarian nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.

Amen.

BLAIR DANLEY SCHOENVOGEL

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DOXOLOGY | HYMN 607

Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow OLD HUNDREDTH

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!

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION & THANKSGIVING

THE LORD’S PRAYER unison Our Father, who art in heaven, For thine is the kingdom, hallowed be thy name, and the power, thy kingdom come, and the glory, forever. thy will be done, Amen. 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.

Hymn 717—The text was commissioned in 1987 by Fourth Presbyterian Church in HYMN 717 Chicago, where it has continued to be used each Sunday as the offertory BENEDICTION response. The triune activity of POSTLUDE God as Creator (line 1), Savior (line 2), and Sustainer (line 7) enables and inspires our thanks and praise.

Please remain seated at the postlude. An usher will come by to dismiss your pew.

SENDING For the Life That You Have Given

PLEADING SAVIOR

REV. REBEKAH ABEL LAMAR Improvisation

Pledge Cards and Talent Surveys may be placed in the baskets as you leave the sanctuary.

Celebrating in Worship Sami Anselmo Jacob Mohr

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Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 24 Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac; 14 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.” 19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” 22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the Lord drove 4

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom!

Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

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Copyright© Certificate Hymn settings, scripture, and other materials used by permission.

Government Street Presbyterian Church CCLI# 11115660 Valid thru 10/31/2021 9

Volunteers are needed to assist with these upcoming initiatives by the Urban Ministries Committee.

If you are interesting in volunteering, you may sign up at GSPCMOBILE.ORG/SIGNUP or by contacting Pastor Rebekah or Laurie Shorter.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11 & 18

8 - 9:30 A.M. We will be handing out sack lunches and snacks from the parking lot at Guesnard House.

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The Sanctuary Flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Mabel & Bestor Ward

by Mr. & Mrs. T. Bestor Ward, III 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

ADULT BIBLE STUDY (online) Women’s Bible Study—Tuesdays at 10AM Contact: Laurie Shorter or Mary Elizabeth Perry Sunday Book Study Group Sundays at 1:00 p.m. via Zoom Contact: Laurie Shorter

REV. ALEXANDRA HUTSON Associate Pastor alexandra@gspcmobile.org TOMMY WATTS Director of Music & Organist Communications tommy@gspcmobile.org SAMANTHA ANSELMO Children’s Choir Director

KATY PARTRIDGE Office & Property Manager katy@gspcmobile.org DAWN HEARN Bookkeeper dawn@gspcmobile.org BARBARA WILLIAMS Hostess barbara@gspcmobile.org SHELIA SMITH Director of Food Services MARILYN MILLS Sexton ARTHUR LEWIS Sexton 

@GSPCMOBILE 12