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Greeting – Greet each other in the name of the Lord
Call to worship:
L: Praise the Lord! It is good to sing praise to our God!
All: It is a pleasure to make beautiful praise!
L: The Lord rebuilds and gathers up the exiles.
All: God heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
L: Our Lord is great and so strong. God blesses the children and establishes peace.
All: The Lord treasures the people who wait for his faithful love. (Psalm 147)
Songs – Stand By Me – UMH 512
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me;
when the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea,
thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me;
in the midst of tribulation, stand by me.
When the host of hell assail, and my strength begins to fail,
thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.
In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me;
in the midst of faults and failures, stand by me.
When I’ve done the best I can and my friends misunderstand,
thou who knowest all about me, stand by me.
In the midst of persecution, stand by me,
in the midst of persecution stand by me,
when my foes in war array undertake to stop my way,
O thou Lily of the Valley, stand by me.
Charles Albert Tindley CCLI# 132300
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
Paul Baloche and Aaron Shust CCLI# 7067212
Prayer:
O gracious and holy God, give us diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you. Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you, eyes to behold you, ears to listen to your Word, a heart to love you, and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture – Genesis 18:1-15:
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” 7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. 9 They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” 13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” 15 But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”
L: The word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God!
Sermon – Rev. Gayle Porias
Offering and signs of reconciliation and love: Our tithes, time, talent, prayer and witness
Song – All I Need Is You – TFWS 2080:
All I need is you, Jesus, all I need is you.
You are the source of all I need. All I need is you.
All I want is you, Jesus, all I want is you.
You are the source of all I need. All I want is you.
My only hope is you, Lord, my only hope is you.
You are the source of all I need. My only hope is you.
Dan Adler CCLI# 488384
Prayer of dedication:
Creator God, we humbly acknowledge that all things come from you and all that we have and all that we are belong to you. And so we give these offerings back to you desiring that they be used to further your kingdom here on earth by helping others to experience your unconditional love and care. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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 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.
Benediction
Song – We Will Follow Worship and Song – 3160
We will follow, we will follow Jesus. We will follow, we will follow him.
We will follow, we will follow Jesus. Wherever he leads us we will follow him. Traditional Zulu
Announcements:
2021 Charge Conference has been set for Sunday, October 24 following worship.
The Finance Committee will be providing a monthly Cokesbury Financial Health report.
For 2021 to date:
Actual Expenditures: $82,564 (church operations and ministries- COM)
Tithes and Offerings received: $68,215
Shortfall: $14,349
The Cokesbury UMC Prayer Group meets weekly at the church on Mondays at 5:30pm in the church Fellowship Hall – all are invited to join and participate!
Please send or share all prayer concerns with Pastor Gayle so we may give each concern prayerful attention.
Messy Church: Information meeting today following worship. Introducing new people to Jesus through hospitality, friendship, story and creativity. Includes a meal, Bible story, arts and crafts, activities, celebration.
Coming Soon: “Questions God Asks Us” by Trevor Hudson- a small group discussion.
Sermon Series: based on Dr. Amy Oden’s book God’s Welcome: Hospitality for a Gospel-Hungry World beginning September 12th.
A.C.T.S is in need of the following items:
Canned Vegetables, especially peas, 15 oz size, Low sodium canned vegetables, Snack items, individually packed, Pop-top canned prepared meals suitable for our homeless clients, Single serve prepared food suitable for our homeless clients, Laundry Detergent, Dish Detergent, Cleaning Supplies in general, Toiletries and Personal Hygiene Items, Size 4T pull-ups, Size 6 diapers.
Cokesbury Worship Update:
The Cokesbury Healthy Church Team met Tuesday evening, 8/31, to review the current plans for upcoming church worship services. Due to a variety of conditions, and through lots of prayer, it was determined that we should continue with Outdoor Worship through September, and hold off moving back to Sanctuary Worship until we can safely do so. The Team will meet again toward the end of September to review conditions and provide the next update to the congregation.
While many of us are anxious to return to Sanctuary Worship and all its inherent benefits, it was discerned that we can not now safely do so due to the continuing risks and conditions created by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Some of the risks and conditions considered, and how they may affect our unique congregation, were: the entire Commonwealth of Virginia is currently in the “High” COVID-19 infection risk level; all surrounding states are also at the “High” level with the exception of two counties in Maryland that are at the “Substantial” risk level; the daily new case infection rate for COVID-19, driven by the Delta Variant, continues its upward trend and now stands well above last summer’s peak rates; only 57% of Virginia’s population has been fully vaccinated and only 64% has received one dose; while the majority of new infection cases of COVID-19 Delta Variant are in unvaccinated individuals, vaccinated people are being infected as well, though with generally less severe symptoms; and church building preparations required including deep cleaning and air conditioning systems. The Healthy Church Team monitors local, state, national conditions for trend changes in the Pandemic with an eye toward safely returning to Sanctuary Worship. Until that becomes possible, we will continue with Outdoor Worship and work to enhance the Worship experience as best we can. If you have recommendations or comments toward that end, please let church leaders know.