September 14, 2008                 “18th Sunday after Pentecost”                     10:30 am

 

 “We are called to be an authentic and accessible community of God’s love.”

 

We welcome you to the celebration of good news and the fellowship of this congregation.

We hope that you will be both comforted and challenged by the Word of God for us today.

If you are worshipping here for the first time, we hope you will consider making this your church home.

 

We welcome the diversity of all God’s children.

 

 

 

 

 

SILENT MEDITATION

All life ought to be worship; and we know quite well there is no chance it will be worship unless we have times when we have worship and nothing else.  -William Temple

 

GATHERING

 

PRELUDE                         “Prologue from Suite for Organ” (Rogers)                 -Louise Foss

 

GREETING AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

 (Please complete the registration card found in the bulletin and place in the offering.

Prayers and comments may be written on the back of the card.)

 

INTROIT                                           “Sanctuary”                                    -Chancel Choir

 

*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                                             

Leader:         The God of Creation calls us together.

People:        We come into the presence of the One who created us.

Leader:         God has not finished with us. There is more that we can be.

People:        We offer ourselves to the One who takes us from glory into glory.

Leader:         God is doing something new and it is us!

People:        We give up our old ways to walk in the new path of God.

Leader:         Into the glorious future of God’s reign, our Lord Jesus leads us.

People:        We follow the Christ into God’s new world.

 

PRAYER AND PRAISE

*HYMN OF PRAISE       “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing”                     -UMH 57

 

UNISON PRAYER                                                                               

O God who is ever creating: Grant us the grace to offer our lives to you so that daily you may recreate us in your image. Amen.

 

 

PROCLAIMING THE WORD

 

SCRIPTURE LESSON  Romans 14:1-12 (NRSV)                                     -Rev. Don Diegelman        

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.  Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

 

Leader:     This is the Word of the Lord.

People:    Thanks be to God.

 

HYMN OF PREPARATION     “Have Thine Own Way, Lord”                  –UMH 382

  

SCRIPTURE LESSON   Matthew 18:21-35 (The Message)                    -Rev. Don Diegelman

At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly, try seventy times seven. The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt. The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up, Now!’ The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”

Leader:     This is the Word of the Lord.

People:    Thanks be to God.

 

ANTHEM                   “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need ” (Courtney)      -Chancel Choir

 

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE

 

THE MESSAGE                       “Here Comes the Judge”                 -Rev. George Hooper

 

 

RESPONSE TO THE WORD

 

OFFERING OUR TITHES AND GIFTS TO GOD                                          

         

Offertory                                               “Les Petites Cloches” (Purvis)                                    -Louise Foss

 

*Doxology                  “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”                -UMH 94

 

PASTORAL PRAYER

 

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.

 

GOING FORTH

 

*HYMN OF SENDING       “Sing With All The Saints in Glory”                  -UMH 702

 

*BENEDICTION

Flowers on the altar are given by Dakota Koenig

 in memory of her parents Herbert and Dorothy Mattes.

 

   PARTNERS IN MINISTRY

Ministers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Members of the Congregation

Lay Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Corwin/Lynda Mounts

Pastor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. George Hooper

Minister of Music of Fine Arts/Facilities Administrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Frank Hallock

Music Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Mahin

Church Organist  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louise Foss

Family Ministries Co-Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rick Lee/Juna Spitz

Church Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . Paula Amaro

Bookkeeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Murray

Nursery Attendants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cindy Rivera/ Brenda Villalva/Laura Stockdale

Pastors Emeriti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Lanny Arrowsmith/Don Diegelman/Rev. Orlie White

Deaconess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Zelle Hammond

Clergy from our congregation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Bill Gordon (PAC-NW)/Rev. Laura Rockwell (OR-ID)

Seminary graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Jaime Kim   

The Sanctuary is open after services for personal prayer and meditation.

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Christian Copyright Licensing, Inc.

The Sanctuary is open after services for personal prayer and meditation.

                                                                                                             United Methodist Church of Vista
                                                                                                                               490 S. Melrose Dr.
                                                                                                                         Vista, California 92806
                                                                                                     Phone (760) 726-0442     Fax (760) 726-0428
                                                                                                                              Church Secretary
                                                                                                                                     WEB Master