May 22, 2022
Announcements Thursday, 7:00 PM Zoom Bible Study Here is your link: Elisabeth Smith is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Bible Study Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86066732644?pwd=emorNUc2RlJkWEN4UUdrZHJZY0o2Zz09 Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 One tap mobile +19292056099,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (New York) +13017158592,,86066732644#,,,,*762435# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) Meeting ID: 860 6673 2644 Passcode: 762435 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcyTFEtQFq Hymn #715 Rejoice, the Lord is King The Tabernacle Choir https://youtu.be/q3pGwlF6vQg Opening Prayer Almighty God, in a time of great need you raised up your servants John and Charles Wesley, and by your Spirit inspired them to kindle a flame of sacred love which leaped and ran, an inextinguishable blaze. Grant that all those whose hearts have been warmed at these altar fires, being continually refreshed by your grace, may be so devoted to the increase of scriptural holiness throughout the land that in this our time of great need, your will may fully and effectively be done on earth as it is in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Fred D. Gealy) Celebrating the Life and Hymns of Charles Wesley Charles Wesley was born on December 18, 1707, the eighteenth of Samuel and Susanna Wesley’s nineteen children. Only ten of them survived to maturity. Charles was born pre-maturely, and seemed to be dead, because he didn’t cry or open his eyes. His mother wrapped him tightly in wool until his actual due date, when he finally did open his eyes and cry. Samuel Wesley was an Anglican priest, and served as rector of the church in Epworth, England. Although he was very conscientious, he was had firm views on how people should serve God and live their lives. As a result, he was often treated with hostility by some of his parishioners. Samuel had very poor judgment regarding financial matters, and spent time in prison for his unpaid debts. Susanna Wesley was probably the greatest influence on young Charles. She herself was quite well-educated, and knew Greek, Latin, and French. She taught her children for six hours each day. At the age of eight, Charles was sent off to the Westminster School in London. There the only language allowed in public was Latin. After that, Charles entered Oxford University, where he studied for nine years, receiving his Master’s degree. It was at Oxford that Charles met George Whitefield, who would figure prominently in his life a few years later. While at Oxford, Charles became very alarmed at the spread of Deism at the University, so he assembled a small group of students who were determined to take their religion seriously. Charles’ brother, John, joined the group two years later and helped to organize a plan of study and rule of life that stressed prayer, Bible study, self-examination, and frequent attendance at Holy Communion. The students also cared for the sick, the poor, and those in prison. They called themselves the Holy Club, though their fellow students had other names for them, including “Bible Moths” (because they flitted around the Bible so much) and Methodists (because of their methodical lifestyle). It was “Methodists” that stuck. In 1735, following his ordination into the Anglican priesthood, Charles and his brother John sailed to the colony of Georgia. John spent his time there in the city of Savannah. Charles remained at Fort Frederica on St. Simon’s Island. He served as secretary to General James Oglethorpe, chaplain to the garrison and colony, and missionary to the Indians. Charles had a horrible experience. He was shot at, slandered, and shunned. He brought some of this treatment on himself by being so demanding and autocratic. For example, he insisted on baptizing infants by immersing them three times, rather than by sprinkling. One mother became so angry, that she actually fired a gun at him. But Charles did manage to establish a congregation on the island, which is known as Christ Church (Episcopal) today. Back in England, Charles and John began attending meetings of the Moravians, led by a man named Peter Boehler. Boehler encouraged Charles to take a closer look at the condition of his soul, which Charles took seriously. During May of 1738, after having praying and studying scripture, Charles experienced what might be considered a conversion experience. He wrote, “I now found myself at peace with God, and rejoice in hope of loving Christ.” Charles sent word to his mother about this experience, to which she replied, “I rejoice that you have attained to a strong and lively hope in God’s mercy through Christ. Not that I can think that you were totally without saving faith before, but it is one thing to have faith, and another thing to be sensible we have it.” After this conversion experience, Charles’ life changed greatly. He found a new vitality in his preaching, adopting a style that was dynamic and emotional. And he became involved in a ministry at the infamous Newgate Prison, where he allowed himself to be locked up with condemned men on the night before their execution, so that he could offer them comfort and witness to them in their final hours. Charles wrote his famous hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” in 1739, as he approached the anniversary of his conversion experience. The original hymn contained eighteen stanzas and was called “For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion.” Our first stanza was originally stanza seven, and was based on the words of Peter Boehler to Charles, “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise [God] with them all.” Hymn #57 O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing Metzger Music https://youtu.be/XFwBJAe0SZM In 1739, Charles and John were persuaded to join the work of George Whitefield. He was an evangelist who was committed to taking the gospel message to the people, wherever they were, instead of trying to get them to come into a church to hear it. He was preaching outside church buildings, out in the fields and market places and near the mines. Great crowds of people came out to hear them preach. Charles recorded in his journal that he preached to gatherings as large as ten thousand people on two occasions and twenty thousand on another. In 1739, Charles composed on of his best-loved hymns, a Christmas carol, “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.” It originally contained ten stanzas, and offers a study on the names of Jesus and the mystery of his incarnation. King, Lord, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Sun of Righteousness, all reflect a facet of Jesus’ character and position. The tune which we sing is an adaptation of a theme from the second movement of “Festgesang” by Felix Mendelssohn, written in 1840 for men’s voices and brass. Hymn #240 Hark! the Herald Angels Sing King’s College Choir https://youtu.be/9Bwn0k0k8xI Charles was a powerful preacher. A man named Joseph Williams heard him preach in Bristol, and wrote, “I found him standing on a table-board, in an erect posture … surrounded by, I guess, more than a thousand people, some of them fashionable persons, but most of the lower rank of mankind. He prayed with uncommon fervency … He then preached about half an hour in such a manner as I have scarce heard any man preach … I think I never heard any man labor so earnestly to convince his hearers they were all by nature in a sinful, lost, undone, damnable state; that notwithstanding, there was a possibility of their salvation, through faith in Christ … All this he backed up with many texts of scripture, which he explained and illustrated, and then by a variety of the most forcible motives, arguments, and expostulation, did he invite, allure, quicken, and labor, if it were possible, to compel all, and every of his hearers, to believe in Christ for salvation.” You can hear the powerful concern that Charles Wesley had for the lost in his hymn, “Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast.” Hymn #616 Come, Sinners, to the Gospel Feast Washington Choral Arts Society https://youtu.be/1POGX3Edycc In late 1739, John and Charles were able to buy the Foundry, a ruin of a building in London, which they used as a base for their work. They also purchased a site in Bristol. Charles continued to travel the country for twenty years in the itinerant preaching ministry. By the 1740s, Charles was regularly preaching to thousands of people in the open air. Early on, these crowds were not always friendly. Opposition was developing, some of which was strongly encouraged by Anglican priests who disapproved of his fiery, evangelistic preaching. Sometimes people threw rocks or stones or other objects at the preachers. John and Charles were even beaten by gangs that had been incited by hostile priests. In July of 1743, Charles wrote, “I had just named my text at St. Ives … when an army of rebels broke in upon us … they began in a most outrageous manner, threatening to murder the people if they did not go out in that moment. They broke the sconces, dashed the windows in pieces, tore away the shutters … and all but the stone walls. I stood silently looking on; but mine eyes were upon the Lord. They swore bitterly I should not preach there again; which I disproved, by immediately telling them Christ died for them all. Several times they lifted up their hands and clubs to strike me; but a stronger arm restrained them. They beat and dragged the women about, particularly one of great age, and trampled on them without mercy. The longer they stayed, and the more they raged, the more power I found from heaven.” Charles composed his hymn “And Are We Yet Alive” in 1749, and you can hear his very real concern that perhaps some of the traveling preachers would not be alive when the next gathering took place. This hymn has become a favorite for the clergy session at many Annual Conference meetings. Hymn #553 And Are We Yet Alive Virtual Choir https://youtu.be/zXzZty67A-Y Throughout his adult life, Charles wrote poetry, mostly hymns for that were used in Methodist meetings. Even when he was riding on horseback as an itinerant evangelist, Charles was composing verse, and he carried a card in his pocket to write down his ideas for hymns. His friend Henry Moore wrote, “Not infrequently he had come to our house in City Road, and, having left the pony in the garden in front, he would enter, crying out, ‘Pen and ink! Pen and ink!’ There being supplied he wrote the hymn he had been composing.” Charles wrote his hymn “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” in 1743. So few of his earlier hymns dealt with the idea of God as love, that this hymn was a welcomed change for Wesleyan hymn singing. It reflects a major emphasis of the preaching of both Charles and John Wesley. The tune was composed for these words in 1870 by John Zundel, who was Henry Ward Beecher’s organist at the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Brooklyn, New York. Hymn #384 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling First-Plymouth Church, Lincoln, NE https://youtu.be/GenHMi5B7L4 In 1747, on a trip to Wales, Charles met a young lady named Sally Gwynne, whom he fell in love with. She was about twenty years younger than Charles, and was the daughter of a wealthy magistrate who had converted to Methodism. Charles wanted to marry her, but he had no way of supporting a family. He decided to publish his hymns and sacred poems, hoping that the royalties would provide him a regular source of income. This seemed to satisfy his future father-in-law. Charles and Sally married on April 8, 1749. He wrote, “Not a cloud was to be seen from morning till night. I rose at four, spent three hours and a half in prayer or singing, with my brother … At eight I led my Sally to the church … It was a most solemn season of love!” Charles and Sally moved into a house in Bristol in September of 1749. After 1754, Charles made no more trips to the distant parts of the country, but mainly just traveled between Bristol and London. Throughout their marriage, the couple remained devoted and in love with each other. They had eight children, only three of whom survived. In 1771, Charles and Sally moved into a home in London, where they remained for the rest of their lives. By the end of his life, Charles had published the words of six thousand hymns and written two thousand more. Along with Isaac Watts, he was a major pioneer in hymn writing. Until the 18th century revivals, congregational singing was largely confined to stilted metrical versions of scripture. Charles anticipated the outburst of lyrical poetry in the early 19th century, interpreting Biblical themes in the language of the heart. The Methodists became known, and were sometimes mocked, for their singing of Charles’ hymns. One contemporary observer wrote, “The song of the Methodists is the most beautiful I ever heard … They sing in a proper way, with devotion, serene mind and charm.” The best-loved hymn of Charles Wesley during his lifetime was “Jesus Lover of My Soul.” In the 19th century, Henry Ward Beecher declared, “I would rather have written that hymn … than to have the fame of all the kings that ever sat on the earth.” Hymn #479 Jesus, Lover of My Soul Fernando Ortega https://youtu.be/NsXcCdWjsmg Charles Wesley dictated his final hymn to his wife from his deathbed when he was too weak to hold a pen. The verses included these words: “In age and feebleness extreme, who shall a helpless worm redeem? Jesus, my only hope Thou art, strength of my failing flesh and heart, Oh, could I catch a smile from Thee and drop into eternity!” Charles Wesley died on March 29, 1788 at the age of 80. He was buried in the churchyard of Marylebone Parish Church at his own request. A plaque on his home in Bristol reads, “His hymns are the possession of the Christian Church.” It is appropriate that we end this tribute to Charles Wesley with his great Easter hymn, first published in 1739 as “Hymn for Easter Day.” It is perhaps his most exuberant anthem. It originally had eleven stanzas; the Alleluias were added later. The tune first appeared in 1708, set to “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” which was a translation of a 14th-century Easter carol. Hymn #302 Christ the Lord is Risen Today Hymns Triumphant Performers https://youtu.be/9khJXoL9QGk Pastoral Prayer Be gracious to us, O God, and bless us; let your face shine upon us. Hear our prayer. We pray for your good creation. Bring healing to the earth and provide a safe home for all creatures. We pray for the nations of the world. Give justice and equity to all, and let your way of peace prevail. We pray for all followers of Jesus. Help us to listen to your voice and live into the promise of our baptism. We pray for all who are suffering. Deliver them from their distress, and strengthen them by your Spirit. Continue to bless us, O God, as we seek to do your will and glorify your holy name; (David Gambrell) We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught his disciples to pray: 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. Offertory You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 *Prayer of Dedication Giver of all gifts, we return to you a portion of all that you have given us. Bless these gifts and use them to your service through your church. We pray in Christ’s name. Amen. Hymn #709 Come, Let Us Join Our Friends Above David Knight, Anna Baker, Angela Wittleton https://youtu.be/zOfZdNo_Ag0 *Benediction Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold on to what is good; return no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak, and help the suffering; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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May 8, 2022
Mother’s Day Welcome! We’re so glad you have joined us today! Gathering *Call to Worship We have gathered in the presence of God in whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its life and its name. We come, in the prayer that the peace of Christ might dwell in our family relationships. We come, in the prayer that the peace of God might permeate the life of the human family. May the love of Christ fill our hearts, our lives, and our world, to the glory of God. (Ruth C. Duck) Gathering Song A Mother’s Love Gena Hill https://youtu.be/3V4PM1oL7Xs Opening Prayer God our Creator, we give thanks for those who have been mothers for us. Help us inherit from them that which will make us more fully your people. Where they have offered us blessings of love, may we incorporate those gifts into our lives. Where they have hurt us or fallen short of our expectations, may we learn from them, that we might not repeat their mistakes. May the honor we convey toward our mothers reflect the honor that we feel toward you. Amen. (From Worship in Daily Life, Discipleship Resources) Hearing the Word Scripture John 2:1-11 (NIV) On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. Sermon Mother Knows Best If you are of a certain age, you will remember watching a show on TV starring Robert Young called “Father Knows Best.” Young played the part of Jim Anderson, an insurance agent. The cast included Jane Wyatt, playing his wife Margaret; Elinor Dono-hue, playing oldest daughter Betty; Billy Gray, as son Bud; and Lauren Chapin as the youngest child, Kathy. Every week, in just a half hour (really less than that, when you figure in commercial breaks), Jim managed to take care of whatever crisis had arisen in the household, especially those involving one of his three children. With his careful thought and wise advice, he steered them through their problems to positive resolutions. But I always kind of thought that the mother, Margaret, deserved more credit. Her character was often the voice of reason when Jim got flustered or impatient or angry. She managed to stay calm and patient, no matter what was going on around her. And she took care of Jim’s difficulties in working out his children’s problems. Maybe the show should have been called, “Mother Knows Best!” The same label might be attached to the story of the first sign – or miracle – that Jesus performed in the gospel of John. Gary Hansen, a theology professor, calls this “a very important story, set in the midst of ordinariness.” It seems that Jesus had been invited to attend a wedding in the town of Cana, in Galilee, along with his disciples, six of them at that time. Lin Johnson, writing in God’s Word for the Biblically Inept, says, “Jesus wasn’t a stuffy religious leader who didn’t know how to have a good time. Instead, people wanted him at their parties, and he accepted their invitations.” In those days, wedding celebrations typically lasted seven days and there would be many guests in attendance. While the guests helped with some expenses, the host was responsible for providing lodging for the guests and supplying enough wine for the entire week. Running out of wine would be a huge social embarrassment. Normally, the best wine would be served early in the week; later in the week, it was assumed that the taste buds of the guests would have become “dulled from drinking,” as Lin Johnson puts it. At some point during the week-long celebration, Mary came to Jesus and told him that they had no more wine. Warren Wiersbe writes, “[Mary] must have been very close to either the bride or the bridegroom to have such a personal concern for the success of the festivities, or even to know that the supply of wine was depleted. Perhaps Mary was assisting in the preparation and serving of the meal.” It could even be that Mary was related to someone in the wedding party. But in any case, when the wine ran out, she went to Jesus to request his help. She had some idea of the kind of power that he had and she was hoping that he would somehow save the situation. Raquel Lettsome, an elder in the AME Church in New York, writes, “When the wine ran out, Mary went to find Jesus. Mary is in the right place, knows the right person, and thinks it is the right time … She does now know how Jesus will supply the need, what he will require in order to do it, or when he will act. However, the critical issue for Mary is not what, when, where, or how. Her calmness is the result of knowing who … At the very least, she knows her son … She seems confident that he will act on her petition.” At first, Jesus seemed hesitant, or even irritated, by Mary’s request. He wanted to know why she wanted to get him involved and said that his time had not yet come. He wasn’t there to perform miracles on demand, after all! And yet, when it came down to it, Jesus acted to fix the problem. He took care of her request. Hansen writes, “Jesus honors his mother … by doing what she asks of him. He does this despite his disagreement about the relevance of the lack of wine, and despite the inconvenience to his own sense of timing. He simply does what God’s own commandment says to do (Exod. 20:12; Deut. 5:16).” Jesus told the servants to fill 6 stone water jars to the brim with water. Each jar held between twenty and thirty gallons. Then he told them to take some of the water to the master of the banquet. When they did, the water had been turned into wine. Not only that, but the master declared it to be the best wine he had been served. Jesus had just given an overwhelmingly generous gift to the wedding feast; about 120 gallons of wine, or somewhere in the neighborhood of 605 bottles of the best wine. Hansen rather humorously states, “Because Jesus is present, God is present. Because God is present, let the good times roll.” This is recorded as the first sign or miracle of Jesus in John’s gospel. And yet, only Mary, the servants, and the six disciples knew about it. But John says that it revealed Jesus’ glory and the disciples put their faith in him. Hansen says, “Jesus reveals his glory as he honors ordinary people, quietly, wondrously tending to them. Jesus honors the bridegroom whom he saves from social disgrace. If the wine were allowed to fail, people would notice. He would hear about it at every holiday dinner for the rest of his life. Jesus honors the otherwise easily ignored servants whom he makes the only real witnesses to the miracle.” And Jesus reveals his glory by revealing his divinity; only the divine can work miracles. Hansen states, “The power of the divine Word is clearly shown in the miracle; if ordinary people could turn water into wine, no one would ever get anything done.” While all of these things are true, I see something more. I see something wise about Mary in this story. Mary knew her son. She knew him well enough to know that if he could do something to prevent another person from being humiliated, he would do it. She knew him well enough to suspect that he had the power to do something. And maybe she knew him well enough to believe that the time had come, even if Jesus wasn’t sure that it had. She recognized his authority and she had absolute faith in his ability to take care of the problem. Raquel Lettsome writes, “… at the heart of this story is a mother who believes Jesus will do something.” I don’t know about you, but I had a mother who believed I could do things, sometimes more than I could believe that about myself. She was an encourager, a prodder, and sometimes even a little bit of a nagger. She reminded me of who I really was: an intelligent, capable, well-educated, deeply spiritual woman committed to serving God and others, with gifts and talents that had been given to me to equip me to do what God had called me to do. Sometimes she pushed me to do things that I wasn’t sure I could do. One time I casually mentioned that Circuit Rider magazine, a magazine for Methodist clergy that is no longer published, was sponsoring a sermon contest. She told me that I should enter; I told her that I was sure there were a lot more talented preachers than me out there who would enter, and I had no chance to win. But she just wouldn’t let up, so I finally sent in a sermon. I came in third place in the whole country, and they published my sermon. Okay, so she was right – that time. Maybe Mary was trying to encourage Jesus in the same way. Okay, it’s time to get busy doing what you were sent here to do. You may not feel like it’s time, but maybe you’re just stalling for some reason. Here’s your chance to demonstrate to others who you really are. And Jesus listened to his mother’s request to do something. He turned ordinary water into wine. He saved the day for the wedding host. And he won the faith of the men who had already chosen to follow him. Sometimes Mother really does know best. Song A Mother’s Love Jim Brickman and Mark Masri https://youtu.be/XJ_I5N6QUK8 Praying Together Concerns and Celebrations: Please share any concerns or celebrations you may have with Pastor Elisabeth. Please note if you do not want this shared with this faith community. Pastoral Prayer God of promise, your sheep long to hear your voice. We fear the night, and the wolf, and the path that leads away from life. We need your guidance and protection. We need your light. Speak to us today, that we might follow you. Speak to those who mourn loss and change. Speak words of assurance so that they might hear your voice and follow you to hope. Speak to those who argue and fight. Speak words of reconciliation so that they might hear your voice and follow you to peace. Speak to those who fear people unlike them. Speak words of compassion so that they might hear your voice and follow you to love. Speak to those who hunger and thirst. Speak words of abundance so that they might hear your voice and follow you to contentment. Speak up and speak out. Speak in ways that we can hear and understand. Speak until we listen. Speak until we know your voice and follow you. (David Gambrell) We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, as we pray together the prayer that he taught his disciples: 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 and ever. Amen. Responding Offertory: You may send your offerings to Grantham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Grantham, NH, 03753. Doxology UMH #95 Prayer of Dedication Heavenly Lord, each day we witness untold miracles that are a testament of your love. Some spectacular miracles reverently remind us of Jesus’ healing miracles. Other, everyday miracles are quiet and soft like a gentle mother’s whisper filled with beauty and wonder. We prayerfully ask that these gifts be used to reach those who need to experience the miracle of your love. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen. (David Bell) Song A Mother’s Prayer Celine Dion https://youtu.be/nYGnB28fdDo Benediction Go and obey Christ rather than any human authority. Go and serve the One who made us to be a kingdom of peace. Go out and declare what God has done for us! Amen. |
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