Round Hill Community Church

ORDER OF SERVICEJuly 17, 2016

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

PRELUDE Prelude and Fugue in G Major J.S. Bach Air J.S. Bach

WORDS OF WELCOME INTROIT

CALL TO WORSHIP Leader: God calls us away from the tumult of the world that we may

focus our thoughts on things that are lasting.

All: In God's presence we see our lives more clearly; the broken pieces are put back together.

Leader: God calls us out of loneliness into a life of community.

All: Worshiping together, caring about one another, we find out what it means to be truly human.

Leader: But God will send us back into the world's confusion and busyness, its brokenness and isolation.

All: We will go with confidence and joy, strengthened to be God's servants, the bearers of peace.

*HYMN No. 715 Now Thank We All Our God

*The congregation is invited to stand*OPENING PRAYER

God of wholeness,you have created us bodily,that our work and faith may be one.May we offer our worshipfrom lives of integrity;and maintain the fabric of this worldwith hearts that are set on you,through Jesus Christ. Amen.

*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.

*GLORIA PATRIGlory 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.

SUMMER HYMN SINGChildren may now leave for Church School.

ANTHEM Praise to the Lord Distler

SCRIPTURE LESSON Esther 4: 10-17

Then Esther spoke to Hathach and gave him a message for Mordecai, saying, “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—all alike are to be put to death. Only if the king holds out the golden scepter to someone, may that person live. I myself have not been called to come in to the king for thirty days.” When they told Mordecai what Esther had said, Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” Then Esther said in reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

SERMON Strangers in a Strange Land: For Such a Time as This The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann

HYMN God Be in My Head

OFFERINGInvitation

Anthem Be Thou Faithful Unto Death (St. Paul) MendelssohnNaoki Achiwa, Tenor

*Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above, ye heavenly host:

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.*Hymn O Beautiful for Spacious Skies

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amberwaves of grain, for purple mountain majestiesabove the fruited plain! America! America!

God shed full grace on thee, and crown thy goodwith servanthood from sea to shining sea.

PASTORAL PRAYER

*HYMN No. 687 In Christ There Is No East or West

CHURCH PRAYEROur Heavenly Father, shed forth thy blessed spirit upon all our lives. Make each one of us an instrument in thy hands for good. Purify our hearts, strengthen our minds and bodies, fill us with Christian love. Let no pride, no self-conceit, no rivalry, no ill-will ever spring up among us. Make us earnest and true, wise and prudent, giving no just cause for offense and may thy holy peace rest upon us this day and every day throughout the coming week, sweetening our trials, cheering us in our work, and keeping us faithful to the end, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION and CHORAL RESPONSE

POSTLUDE Psalm XIX Marcello ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH CREED

I believe in God, the one universal Father of all mankind, revealed supremely in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and present with us to guide, comfort and inspire in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Kingdom of God; and in the mission of the Christian Church to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, exalting the worship of the Lord our God, and laboring for the progress of knowledge, the promotion of righteousness, the reign of peace, and the realization of human brotherhood. United in Christian love, we pray and labor for the coming of the Kingdom, the triumph of righteousness and the life everlasting. Amen.

ROUND HILL COMMUNITY CHURCH MISSON STATEMENTWe, the members of the Round Hill Community Church, a self-governing, non-denominational body, seek to foster a community of faith where people of all ages and backgrounds pursue spiritual growth; where God is worshipped in Word and praised in music; where friends are made and hurts are healed. We seek to be a community where individuals commit their time and resources to education, fellowship, and to helping those in need among our Church family and in the broader world. We are a church where faith, hope, justice and love are valued, and above all, Jesus is Lord.

CHURCH NEWS

Thank you to Ginger and Josh Jewett for ushering this morning.

Thank you to Pat and Ray Milo for hosting coffee hour this week. Please join them in the parlor following the service.

Please keep in mind that the office is now operating on Summer Hours and will close at noon on Fridays through Labor Day.

Fellowship

The Meditation Group will resume their sessions on September 1st.

Outreach

Update! Neighbor to Neighbor has identified a pressing need in their food pantry right now for donations of packable lunch items, such as individual fruit cups, juice pouches/boxes, non-perishable milk boxes, granola bars, etc. Please leave donations in the food wagon located in the Narthex.

Annual S.O.S. Beach Day!!

Mark your calendar for our annual S.O.S. (Share our Summer) Beach Day with families from the Little Sisters of the Assumption in East Harlem, NY on Wednesday, July 27 (rain date July 28). Sign-up sheet is in the Parlor; we’ll be grilling this year and are therefore also looking for donations of side salads. If you have any questions, please see the Rev. Dan Haugh (dan@roundhillcommunitychurch.org) or Caroline Lazzara, Outreach Committee Chair (203-353-0003.)

CHILDREN’S CORNER

We live in a world that sometimes makes us think that we aren’t special because we are not popular, pretty, athletic, or as smart and talented as others.  Our value to God isn’t based on any of those things.  God created you and me and He made each of us wonderful and unique. God placed us in this world for a purpose - to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, and we do that whenever we live a life that pleases Him and points others to Him.  When we live that kind of life we will enjoy God and all the blessings that come from Him.

Because God’s purpose is for each of us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, He has given us gifts or talents that we can use to help others see that God exists and wants them to be a part of His family too. Sometimes we know clearly what our gifts/talents are and how God wants to use us in this life.  Other times we may not know what our gift and purpose is in this life, but as each of us prayerfully walk with God in faith day by day, He begins to prepare us for our mission here on earth.

We all influence the lives of others around us and God knows how your life will affect the people around you. Whether it’s your brother/sister, your classmates or a new friend you’ve just met, there is someone who is affected by the way you live your life.  Make sure you have a personal relationship with Jesus and converse with Him through prayer frequently so that you may be filled with the Holy Spirit, enlightened and empowered to use your talents to positively influence and serve others in your life.

A child’s prayer:

Father, I believe there is so much that I can do with my life and with your assistance, anything is possible. Speak to my heart and tell me what I need to hear. I know that you are working through me to fulfill your divine purpose. Amen.

Oftentimes the path to God is like a maze; we must trust and love the Lord in order to grow closer to Him!

REFLECTION

We long for things to be clearer, we feel threatened when there seem to be two or more possible right answers. We would rather check "true" or "false." But Jesus stands with us in the midst of our loose-leaf lives, promising to be present with us as we struggle together for faithful answers in this time of human history. If we can acknowledge that our human understanding is not the same as God's, we may come to believe that the Spirit which dwelt with Jesus will lead us unto truth which has yet to be revealed.      Barbara Lundblad

Cover Art: Esther Denouncing Haman by Ernest Normand

Senior Pastor: The Rev. Dr. Edward G. HorstmannAssociate Pastor: The Rev. Dan Haugh

Minister Emeritus: The Rev. Dr. Ralph AhlbergMinister of Music: Christopher Kabala

Round Hill Community Church395 Round Hill Road, Greenwich, CT 06831

203.869.1091 roundhillcommunitychurch.org