This Sunday’s Worship: October 31
(Sunday, October 31 At 11 AM, Reformation Sunday, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-20 and Exodus 15:19-21
Sermon Preview: "Music for the Movement" by Rev. Mark Harper
“Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom? ‘Cause all I ever had: Redemption songs. Redemption songs.” - Bob Marley
“How could we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” - Psalm 137:4
This Sunday’s Worship: October 24
(Sunday, October 24 At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Mark 3:31-35 and Exodus 1:8-11,15-22
Sermon Preview: "Birthing a Movement" by Rev. Mark Harper
“It’s the heat that drives the light.
It’s the fire it ignites.
It’s not the waking, it’s the rising …
Power has been cried by those stronger than me
Straight into the face that tells you to rattle your chains
If you love bein’ free.”
Hozier, featuring Mavis Staples, “Nina Cried Power”
This Sunday’s Worship: October 17
(Sunday, October 17 At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: James 1:19-25 and Exodus 3:1-12
Hymns: Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah; Goodness Is Stronger than Evil; The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound
Sermon Preview:
Sermon: "Paying Attention" by Rev. Mark Harper
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” — Mary Oliver
This Sunday’s Worship: October 10
(Sunday, October 10 At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: John 1:1-5 and Genesis 1:1-5
Sermon: "Shaped By Story" by Rev. Mark Harper
For the remainder of the church year, I want to try something a little different, at least for me. I will be drawing on foundational passages from both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament to help us try and listen for the ways God introduces the idea of new, alternative life and a Beloved Community into creation as well as into the lives of those who are paying attention (and maybe even some who are not!). The Bible is complicated, but I think I hear an ongoing hum throughout that is inviting a new song and a new way of life in resistance to the death-dealing Powers of our world. I hope that the passages we listen to together will inspire you to think about others that tell the same story and might speak to you even more powerfully.
This Sunday’s Worship: October 3
(Sunday, October 3 At 11 AM, Wold Communion Sunday, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Psalm 102:25-27 and Mark 1:16-20
Sermon: "Here We Are Again" by Rev. Mark Harper
I am delighted and humbled to be leading worship with you as your newly called pastor. How appropriate that on our first Sunday together, our Lord has provided a feast of celebration and nourishment for the journey ahead. May God guide us ever closer to the Beloved Community rooted in Jesus' love and compassion.
Grace and peace,
Mark
This Sunday’s Worship: September 26
(Sunday, September 26 At 11 AM, Hybrid In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
"Compassion, Witness and Service: Reflections on Being a Deacon" (Lisa Kiely, Martha Kiger, Madline Morsha-Taylor and Karen Lange)
This Sunday’s Worship: September 19
(Sunday, September 19 At 11 AM, Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Psalm 145:10-18 and Ephesians 3:16-21
Hymns: Today We are Called to Be Disciples; Called as Partners in Christ’s Service; Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!; Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love
Sermon Preview: “Growth from the Roots” by the Rev. John Molina-Moore, General Presbyter of the National Capital Presbytery
This Sunday’s Worship: September 12
(Sunday, September 12 At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Psalm 133 and Matthew 25:31-40
Hymns: O For a World; Open My Eyes, That I May See; Come Live in the Light
Sermon Preview: Meditations by members of the Committed Racial Mindfulness Ministry
“Every proposed reform, every moral deed, is to be tested by whether and to what extent it contributes to the realization of the Beloved Community…When one cannot find the ‘beloved community,’ she needs to take steps to create it and if there is not evidence of the existence of such a community then the rule to live by is To Act So As To Hasten Its Coming.” - Josiah Royce (founder of the Fellowship of Reconciliation)
This Sunday’s Worship: September 5
(Sunday, September 5 At 10 AM, Communion Worship, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-16 and Luke 22:14-20
Hymns: Spirit of the Living God; Seek Ye First; Eat This Bread; Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ; Take My Life
Sermon Preview: “A Seat at the Table” by Rev. John Seaman
Today’s worship and Holy Communion service is special. It is called a Ceilidh (pronounced “kaylee”) Service and is based on the Scottish/Gaelic tradition of ceilidhs or informal gatherings of people that provide an opportunity to share food, music, and stories. There is an emphasis on simple hospitality, enjoyment of community, and sharing a meal in such a service. People are invited to greet those on Zoom or around them briefly during the sharing of the peace and are encouraged to learn the name of at least one new person.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 29
(Sunday, August 29 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Philippians 1:3-11 and John 14:1-6,18-19,25-27
Hymns: Faith Begins by Letting Go; My Shepherd Will Supply My Need; God of Our Life
Sermon Preview: “A Word of Thanks and a Prayer” by Pastor Jim Riesner
“The prophetic tasks of the church are to tell the truth in a society that lives in illusion, grieve in a society that practices denial, and express hope in a society that lives in despair.” –Walter Brueggemann
This is the last Sunday that Jim Reisner, our Interim Pastor, will be with us.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 22
(Sunday, August 22 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 and Colossians 1:15-20
Hymns: When Morning Gilds the Skies; To God Be the Glory; How Firm a Foundation
Sermon Preview: “Many Waters” by Pastor Jim Riesner
“I’ve been to the mountaintop … I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” --Martin Luther King, Jr., the night before he was assassinated
This Sunday’s Worship: August 15
(Sunday, August 15 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-11 and Philippians 4:4-13
Hymns: Our God, Our Help in Ages Past; Jesus, Priceless Treasure; If Thou but Trust in God to Guide Thee
Sermon Preview:
“A Future with Hope” by Pastor Jim Riesner
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” — Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most beloved texts in all of scripture. Its context takes us to a deeper meaning that makes this blessing all the more powerful.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 8
(Sunday, August 8 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 and Luke 5:4-6
Hymns: We Are One in the Spirit; I Love to Tell the Story; Gather Us In
Sermon Preview: “We Are One”-- Stories Old and New by TPPC’s Congregation and Community Engagement Ministry
“We are already one. But we imagine we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are.” -- Thomas Merton to an interfaith gathering in Thailand, just before his death.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 1
(Sunday, August 1 At 10 AM, Communion Service, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-24 and Matthew 17:1-8
Hymns: Here, O Our Lord, We see You; Eat This Bread; What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine
Sermon Preview:
“Behind the dim unknown” by Rev. Eugene Eastman
This Sunday’s Worship: July 25
(Sunday, July 18 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: John 6:1-21 and Ephesians 3:1-21
Hymns: Morning Has Broken; In Christ There is No East or West; Light Dawns on a Weary World
Sermon Preview:
“The Mystery of Christ (or, Why Jay Frazier and Charlie Young Could Eat Lunch Together)” by Rev. Mark Harper
“Of all the places we should hope and expect to see the diversity of God’s family, it is not in the shopping malls and bars but in the church. But reconciliation begins on a small scale. It must begin in living rooms and at dinner tables.” - From Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
This Sunday’s Worship: July 18
(Sunday, July 18 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Leviticus 19:9-10 and Matthew 25:31-40
Hymns: Be Thou My Vision; Amazing Grace; Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Sermon Preview:
“Gather the Gleanings of Your Harvest” by Members of the Property Ministry
This Sunday’s Worship: July 11
(Sunday, July 11 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Exodus 35:4-29 and Matthew 25:14-30
Hymns: The Church’s One Foundation; I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me; Let us Build a House
Sermon Preview:
“A Church for All People” by Members of the Property Ministry
“Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.” 1 Chronicles 29:16
This Sunday’s Worship: July 4
(Sunday, July 4 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Deuteronomy 10:17-21 and Matthew 5:43-48
Hymns: This Is My Song; Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory; Lift Every Voice and Sing
Sermon: "Independence Day" by Rev. Carolyn Tilley, Parish Associate
This Sunday’s Worship: June 27
(Sunday, June 27 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person)
Scripture: Numbers 11:24-29 and I Peter 2:2-10
Hymns: Come, Christians, Join to Sing; Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation; What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine
Sermon: “Ministers: All the People of the Church” by Rev. Jim Reisner
The priesthood of all believers was one of the primary principles of the Reformation. Its headwaters are found in our text from I Peter: “Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
This Sunday’s Worship: June 20
(Sunday, June 20 At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship Live-Streamed On Zoom and in-person for those whose last names begin with L through Z)
Scripture: I Peter 4:7-11 and Matthew 11:28-30
Hymns: For the Beauty of the Earth; How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord; Called as Partners in Christ’s Service
Sermon: “Called as Partners in Christ’s Service” by Rev. Jim Reisner
“Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” Indeed, love does just that, and it’s a good thing it does. I Peter acknowledges that we humans are pretty hard to tolerate at times. We screw up. We miss the mark. We fail to see beyond our own noses. We sin. Yet, we are called to come together and be the church together.