October 25, 2015 "A MATTER OF PERCEPTION AND PERSPECTIVE

I liked both of the above images so much I used them both as bulletin covers for the healing of Blind Bartimeus.
THE APOSTOLIC CREED FOR THE COMMUNITY Adapted by Rev. Amanda Burr
We believe in God, the all-powerful Sovereign of the Universe, the loving Abba Father,
the creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord, God’s only Son, conceived by The Spirit of God,
and born of Mary.
Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died and was buried.
On the third day God raised Jesus from the dead.
We believe in the risen Christ, ascended into heaven,
and seated at the right hand of God Almighty.
We believe that Jesus shall come again, one day to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the church universal, and the communion of saints.
We believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
Amen.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
O most merciful and loving God, we are blessed indeed with such a sanctuary in which we are free to worship you openly and fully. In this space we share joyfully with each other the awe and wonder of your presence in our lives. Our thoughts turn to you as we seek to focus our minds and hearts in every mysterious moment of the worship experience. As our prayers are offered and placed humbly before you, we set aside fear and doubt, accepting that for you, all things are possible. In the ramped up, rapid hours of each day, we confess that we take little or no time to ponder your presence, or the possibility that your Spirit is at work in us. All to often, we claim credit for our triumphs, and end up chastising you, along with ourselves, when we get tripped up, and fall flat on our faces. Prod us Precious Lord, to take the hand you offer us along every step of life’s way. Help us to make good decisions and better choices, in the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
OFFERING INVITATION
Remember the fitness craze of the 70’s. We all took up jogging or joined a gym and let any Tom, Dick or Sheila calling themselves a “fitness expert” invite us to perform 30 leg lifts and 40 arm crunches on some machine repeating the “no pain, no gain” mantra as we sweat bullets. In similar fashion I have heard the “give ‘til it hurts” mantra, in all sorts of settings. It is attributed to Mother Teresa, however the full quote reads like this: “I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.” Laudable indeed, but I like the words of a girl who wasn’t given the opportunity to live beyond her 16th birthday: “No one has ever become poor by giving.” —Ann Frank
UNISON OFFERTORY PRAYER
Gracious God, pour out your blessing on the gifts we offer with open hearts and hands. We have found our way to this church and pray that “HERE” will always be a place of sanctuary, where the spirit of welcome presides. Show us the better way to care for the sheep of your pasture as we strive to transform ourselves and work to heal our broken world. We pray never to take your church for granted. Remind us that every gift is life-giving. For all that we are and have, wondrous God, we give thanks and praise, in the name of the Christ. Amen.