August 13, 2023

Moscow United Methodist Church 126 Church St Moscow, PA Pastor Lori Robinson [email protected] [email protected] (570)842-7251

August 13, 2023 10:00 a.m. Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost GOD’S PEOPLE GATHER Gathering Prelude Carol Hess “Prelude on ‘Hankey’ (I Love to Tell the Story)” Tune by William G. Fischer, arranged by Gordon Young Ringing of the Church Bells Parish Notes Invocation *Call To Worship Leader: We gather today, O Lord of Life, seeking fullness; People: Not the fullness our world offers, but fullness that comes from you. Leader: We often spend much time in life on things that are not of spiritual significance; People: Things that promise much and give little.

Leader: Help us this day, to find fulfillment in your faithful love; People: May we seek and discover all you have to give. All: Carry us O God, to a higher level of living, as we bring ourselves into your holy presence. *Opening Hymn UMH#89 “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away. Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day! All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays, stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain,

call us to rejoice in thee. Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest, wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are thine; teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine. Mortals, join the mighty chorus which the morning stars began; love divine is reigning o'er us, binding all within its span. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife; joyful music leads us sunward, in the triumph song of life. Children’s Chat GOD’S WORD PROCLAIMED Prayer for Illumination: (in unison) Open our hearts to receive the truth of your Word, O God. Help us understand and freely choose the way of your wisdom. Amen.

Gospel Reading Luke 5:17-26 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go

home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Leader: The word of God for the people of God. People: Thanks be to God. Special Music Carol Hess “Here I Am, Lord” by Dan Schutte arranged by John Carter Message Pastor Lori Robinson Always a Way GOD’S PEOPLE RESPOND *Hymn of Response UMH#364 “Because He Lives” God sent His son, they called Him Jesus He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. How sweet to hold a newborn baby, And feel the pride and joy he gives. But greater still the calm assurance, This child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. And then one day I'll cross the river, I'll fight life's final war with pain. And then as death gives way to victory, I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone! Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives!

Circle of Prayer Churches: Town Hill UMC, Shickshinny Grazierville UMC, Tyrone Trinity UMC, New Freedom Good Shepherd Community UMC, Carlisle Dalton UMC, Dalton Summer Hill UMC, Berwick South Williamsport UMC, South Williamsport First UMC, Huntingdon Mount Zion UMC, Harding First UMC, Lewistown Camp Penn Camp & Retreat Center, Waynesboro Kambia, Kambia - Sierra Leone Prayer List: Corona Virus Pandemic, Our United Methodist Denomination, those acted by the natural disasters, Our Country and Leaders, All Military troops, Adm. John C. Aquilino, War in Ukraine, Dawn Biesecker, Alice Roese, Merle Lyon, Cindy Kramer, Shirley Lysak, Ed Sebring, Tom Tanfield, Ted Kreider, Maria Sevitski, Candie Drake, Judy Durkin, Douglas Pierre, Stephanie, Doris Rose, Paul Bowen, Dale Frisbee, Amanda and John Darbenzio, Debbie Hartzell family, Virginia Sohns family, Unspoken Requests, Those Suffering in Silence Sharing In Prayer: Concerns and Joys Silent Prayer Pastoral Prayer The Lord’s Prayer UMH#895

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. Reception of the Tithes and Offerings *Doxology UMH#94 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures here below: Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise God, the source of all our gifts! Praise Jesus Christ, whose power uplifts! Praise the Spirit, Holy Spirit! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

*Offertory Prayer (in unison) Guide us, O God, by your Word, and Holy Spirit, that in your light we may see light, in your truth find freedom, and in your will discover peace. Amen. Celebration of Holy Communion UMH#12 GOD’S PEOPLE ARE SENT FORTH *Hymn of Sending Forth UMH#367 “He Touched Me” Shackled by a heavy burden, Neath a load of guilt and shame, Then the hand of Jesus touched me, And now I am no longer the same. He touched me, O he touched me, And O the joy that floods my soul! Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. Since I met this blessed Savior, Since he cleansed and made me whole, I will never cease to praise him; I’ll shout it while eternity rolls. He touched me,

O he touched me, And O the joy that floods my soul! Something happened, and now I know, He touched me and made me whole. *Benediction *Choral Benediction UMH#665 “Go Now in Peace” Go now in peace, Go now in peace, May the love of God surround everywhere, Everywhere you may go. *Postlude Fanfare by R. Mark Otterstad Immediately after inside worship, everyone is invited outside to the new Prayer Garden (in progress). We will be having a short service of blessing for the burying of Bibles. * Invites the congregation to stand if able. Pastor: Lori Robinson Email: [email protected]

Phone: (570)762-4918 General Information: • Children are welcome during worship, there are Busy Bags in the coat room, and the Nursery is open for childcare after Children’s Chat for children up to age 6. • Restrooms can be found down the hall across the Narthex from the Sanctuary. • For more information, please go to our website, www.moscowumc.com. Schedule This Week: Monday 6:30 p.m. Trustees Meeting Tuesday 4:30 p.m. SPRC Meeting Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Christian Connections Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning Crew Thank you to everyone who made VBS a success! A good time was had by all the Buckaroos and their Crew Leaders, Station Leaders, and Helpers! Please join us after worship for VBS fellowship in the back parking lot for more fun, activities, ranch animals, and mission face pies.

The SPRC is accepting applications for the Church Secretary position. Anyone interested can contact Mark Chmielewski at [email protected] or call the church office at 570-842-7251. As we move through the transition of hiring a new Church Secretary, there will be no set office hours. Pastor Lori will still be keeping her office times. If you need anything, please call for an appointment. Reminder – The Aqua PA pipe work continues on Spring Garden Street and other area streets. Also, construction on our new prayer garden in the courtyard is underway. Please be careful in these areas. We have implemented a no food or drink policy in the Sanctuary. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping God’s house honorable and orderly. We will be updating our Prayer List every month, if you would like someone to remain on our prayer list after 1 month, please let us know so we do not remove them. Please don’t forget to invite your friends to follow our social media pages so we can spread the word of our upcoming events far and wide.

Ushers, Greeters, Scripture Readers: Please sign up to help in these areas. The sign-up sheets are on the table in front of the mailboxes in the coat room. Ministries and Missions / Community Collections: MUMC Community Computer Lab is ready for use. Please spread the word about this new community outreach ministry. Currently, if you need to use the computer lab, please contact Jennie or Pastor Lori for assistance. *** MUMC DONATION STATION *** The MUMC Donation Station is located in the coat room of the church building: starting today through the month of August, we will begin collecting school supplies. A full list of the most needed items will be available by next week. The full list will also be sent out to our church email list. Food Pantry & Dry Goods Pantry – Most Needed Items of the month: Food Pantry – Cereal, Peanut Butter Dry Goods Pantry – Soap, Toothpaste Infant Hat Collection: Thank you to those who continue to donate hats. If you are unable to knit or crochet but would like to contribute, you can donate yarn for others to make the hats. Information on which yarns are best can be found with the hat patterns.

We are collecting plastic bags and other stretchy plastic, which will be turned into an outdoor bench when we reach 500lbs. So far we have reached our goal for our second bench. We continue to collect aluminum tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Scranton. MUMC Power of Prayer Network – If anyone is in need of prayer, please contact Cis Lyon, so your requests can be given to the Power of Prayer Network. The MUMC Learning Tree Preschool: If you or someone you know would like to enroll their child, applications as well as other information can be found on our website under the “Ministries” section. Currently, new applicants will be placed on a wait list. Spiritual Enrichment Opportunities: Most Tuesdays, we have Christian Connections, virtual Bible study. Pastor Lori sends an email every week with the link to participate. Everyone is welcome to join. WELCOME TO PORTICO! https://susumc.org/portico/ Portico is a new Learning Management System (LMS) that will be another resource to support our Conference mission to grow

spiritual transformational leaders, equip vital congregations and create new places for new people, and connect with each other and the world. Persons are free to enroll in any course they wish. The courses which are for credit will be indicated in the course description. New courses are added all the time so check back often to see the latest learning opportunities. Upcoming Activity and Event Information: The Moscow Country Street Fair is this week, July 27th – 29th. The church will host the Cultural Society Art Show in the Social Hall and the Quilt Show in the Sanctuary. We will be selling our homemade, delicious Welsh Cookies, other church activities and events are being planned, and watch for our float in the parade. The Annual National Night Out is Tuesday, August 1st. We will be hosting the community service and leading the candlelight walk through town to the borough building. Looking Ahead – We will be hosting a Paint and Praise Night on Thursday, August 17th. Bring a friend and come out for this enjoyable evening! *CPR/AED Class: If anyone would like to sign up for a future class, please contact Jennie, or add your name to the list on the table in the Narthex.