The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Presider
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
Preacher
Robin Musher
Reader
The Chautauqua Choir
Joshua Stafford
Director & Organist
Rees Taylor Roberts
Organist
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
We invite you to quietly prepare your hearts for worship during the Prelude.
* Denotes that the congregation is invited to rise in body or spirit. It is our custom to sing the first and last verses of hymns in unison; the interior verses may be sung in parts.
Prelude
Carillon de Westminster, Op. 54, No. 6
Louis Vierne, 1927
Welcome & Announcements
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Sutton
Call to Worship*
Psalm 95:1–7
Come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving
and raise to the Lord a shout with psalms.
For you are a great God;
you are great above all gods.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth,
and the heights of the hills are yours also.
The sea is yours, for you made it,
and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down and bend the knee,
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For you are our God, and we are the people of your pasture and the sheep of your hand.
Oh, that today we would hearken to your voice!
Hymn*
“Holy, holy holy!”
Nicæa, John Bacchus Dykes, 1861
Reginald Heber, 1827, alt.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty;
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea!
Cherubim and seraphim, falling down before thee,
who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea!
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty;
God in three persons, blessed Trinity! Amen.
Canticle: A Song of God's Love
I John 4:7–11
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among you,
That God sent his Son into the world,so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us.
And sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, and God’s love will be perfected in us.
Praise be to our God: Creator, Redeemer and Breath of Life
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.
Words of Forgiveness
Anthem
“If ye love me”
Philip Wilby, 1992
John 14:15–18
If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.
And ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.
Prayers of the People
O God of Sabbath Rest,
We acknowledge and offer thanks for the privilege of being here this week;
to be able to lay aside our daily work,
retreat from our homes (or into them),
absorb the beauty of Creation,
and engage in relaxation.
We acknowledge that first-world culture is not always geared toward rest and balance.
We acknowledge that all creatures need times of play and fun.
For those who are able to travel, we ask for protection along the way.
For those who are with families and friends, we ask for harmony in the house.
For those who have been overworked, we ask for respite and renewal.
For those who’ve been starved for beauty, we ask for a generous serving.
For those who’ve been starved of fun, we ask for times of delight.
May we dunk ourselves in cool lake waters,
Breathe clean air,
Be comforted by dear presences,
Eat good food,
Be nourished by rich lectures and rich conversation,
Play and be childlike,
Sleep plentifully and peacefully.
And may we all emerge from our time at Chautauqua feeling refreshed and alive!
Amen.
The Prayer That Jesus Taught
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 and ever. Amen.
Hymn
“O love of God, how strong and true”
Dunedin, Vernon Griffiths, 1971
Horatius Bonar, 1861
1 O love of God, how strong and true!
Eternal and yet ever new;
Uncomprehended and unbought,
Beyond all knowledge and all thought.
2 O wide embracing, wondrous love,
We read Thee in the sky above,
We read Thee in the earth below,
In seas that swell, and streams that flow.
3 We read Thee best in Him who came
To bear for us the cross of shame;
Sent by the Father from on high,
Our life to live, our death to die.
4 We read Thy power to bless and save,
E’en in the darkness of the grave;
Still more in resurrection light,
We read the fullness of Thy might.
Invitation to the Offering
Offertory Anthem
Greater Love
John Ireland, 1912
Song of Songs 8:7,6; John 15:13; I Peter 2:24;
I Corinthians 6:11; I Peter 2:9; Romans 12:1
Many waters cannot quench Love, neither can the floods drown it.
Love is strong as death.
Greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own Body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.
Ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified, in the Name of the Lord Jesus;
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies,
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Presentation of the Offering
Our Sunday offering supports not only the ministry of Chautauqua Institution’s Department of Religion, but also a tithe of your contribution is directed to organizations that meet the urgent needs of our neighbors in Chautauqua County. We thank you for your generosity! Gifts and offerings may be made by check payable to the Department of Religion, or you may donate online at giving.chq.org/religion.
Doxology
Old 100th
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all creatures here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.
Reading From Scripture
John 6:16–21
Now, therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Matthew 22:34–40
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Sermon
The Most Rev. Michael Curry
“Choose Love”
Hymn
“Love divine, all loves excelling”
Hyfrydol, Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1831
Charles Wesley, 1747
1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion;
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.
2 Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast;
let us all in thee inherit;
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
3 Come, Almighty, to deliver;
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
4 Finish then thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Blessing & Dismissal
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you,
and our neighbors as ourselves.
Amen.
Let us go forth, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God!
Postlude
Toccata en ré majeur
Marcel Lanquetuit, 1927
You are invited to remain seated for the postlude.
Support for this week’s chaplaincy and preaching is provided by The Samuel M. and Mary E. Hazlett Memorial Fund.
HAPPENING TODAY
10:15 a.m. Sunday School (Ages 3–Grade 6) • Children’s School
12:15 p.m. Roman Catholic Mass • Hall of Philosophy
5 p.m. Blessing of the Animals • Miller Park
7 p.m. Palestine Park Tour • Near Miller Bell Tower
Sponsored by The Reverend Noel A. Calhoun, Jr., D.D. Fund
8 p.m. Sacred Song Service: Wonder & Awe • Amphitheater
WEEKDAY MORNING WORSHIP AT 9:15 A.M.
Amphitheater, The Most Rev. Michael Curry
Monday, Aug. 5 • Faith: A Lesson From an African Tree
Tuesday, Aug. 6 • Hope: With God There’s Always Another Possibility
Wednesday, Aug. 7 • Love: The Only Way to Beloved Community
Thursday, Aug. 8 • Faith, Hope and Love: There is a Balm in Gilead
Friday, Aug. 9 • We Are Family
INTERFAITH LECTURES AT 2 P.M.
Hall of Philosophy, The Arts: Expressions from the Soul
Monday, Aug. 5 • Amy Butler
Tuesday, Aug. 6 • Dr. Sunita Puri
Wednesday, Aug. 7 • Rabbi Josh Feigelson
Thursday, Aug. 8 • Ubaydullah Evans
Friday, Aug. 9 • Katherine May
WEDNESDAY ORGAN CONCERT AT 12:15 P.M.
Amphitheater, Joshua Stafford, organist
JOIN THE CHAUTAUQUA CHOIR
Thursday 6:15 p.m. Rehearsal at Smith Wilkes Hall
Friday 6:15 p.m. Rehearsal at Lenna Hall
Saturday 6:15 p.m. Rehearsal at Lenna Hall
We invite you to join us and sing with the Chautauqua Choir this season. This group is open to anyone who has experience singing in choirs and the ability to read music, and requires members to attend at least one out of three weekly rehearsals, though two or more rehearsals are preferred. Our preference is for members to sing both Sunday Morning and Sunday Evening services, though it is possible to sing only one. Questions can be directed to choir@chq.org or by calling the choir library at 716-357-6321. Click here to register ahead of rehearsals.
JOIN THE MOTET CHOIR
The Motet Choir, which leads our weekday worship services, comprises experienced auditioned singers who rehearse and perform a variety of works from the rich heritage of sacred choral music of the past and a diversity of styles from the present. Singers must have a background of choral singing experience with excellent vocal quality and sight-reading ability. Members of the Motet Choir are compensated in the form of a gate pass for the weeks that they sing in the choir. Interested singers should email choir@chq.org or call the choir library at 716-357-6321 to schedule an audition for the 2025 summer season
FLOWER DEDICATIONS
The flowers on the stage are given …
… in loving memory of Samuel M. Hazlett, 8th President of Chautauqua Institution and his wife, Mary Emma Baxter Hazlett, by their descendents.
… by the members of the Episcopal Cottage.
… in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Gerrard and the Reverend and Mrs. Paul T. Gerrard by Wendell and Ruth Gerrard Cole.
… in loving memory of Ann Simpson Rice and Jack Dunlap Rice, Janet Simpson Bernhardy and their cousin, Marian Heilman Haller.
WALKING THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO
May 21–30, 2025, The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Join Bishop Eugene Sutton on an unforgettable week on The Camino de Santiago, a powerful way to reconnect to simple pleasures and reconnect to the joy of journeying. One of the most important Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, the Camino de Santiago (or St. James’ Way) has endured for centuries as a “bucket-list” journey for those seeking a deeper spiritual connection, either religious or personal. Traveling paths traversed by pilgrims for one thousand years provides a shared connection and sense of purpose not often experienced in the modern world. Chautauqua’s senior pastor, Bishop Sutton will provide daily reflections to help enrich your experience. Spain’s mighty Basque region unfurls through picturesque mountains and ancient villages, where nature and history are revered, and local wine and cuisine are cherished.
- Enrich your journey with daily reflections and meditations with Bishop Eugene Sutton, Chautauqua’s senior pastor.
- Explore the storied cities along the Camino, including Pamplona, Logroño, Burgos, León, and Santiago.
- Walk the iconic pilgrimage route, traversing pastoral landscapes and ancient villages, concluding at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the culmination of the Camino, and considered the burial place for the remains of James the Apostle.
- Spend two nights in an eighteenth-century convent that has been reimagined as a four-star hotel, footsteps from the Cathedral de Santiago.
- Indulge in authentic Galician flavors like slow-roasted lamb, fresh-out-of-the-water octopus, and world-renowned locally produced varietals as you dine in family-owned restaurants, drink from the iconic wine fountain, and enjoy recipes and culinary traditions that have been passed from generation to generation
CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
Department of Religion
Melissa Spas
Vice President of Religion
The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Senior Pastor
Rafia Khader
Director of Religion Programs
Joshua Stafford
Director of Sacred Music & The Jared Jacobsen Chair Organist
Rees Taylor Roberts
Organ Scholar
Owen Reyda
Organ Scholar
Carolyn Snider
Administrative Assistant
Annie Leech
Student Minister
ABOUT THE CLSC
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle has been reading together since 1878, when John Heyl Vincent founded the CLSC, four years after he co-founded Chautauqua Institution with Lewis Miller. The original aims of the CLSC were twofold: To promote habits of reading and study in nature, art, science, and in secular and sacred literature and to encourage individual study, to open the college world to persons unable to attend a higher institution of learning. Over 8,400 people enrolled in the CLSC in the first year, and by the turn of the century, over 10,000 “CLSC Reading Circles” had been formed.
Today, those who join and graduate from the CLSC continue traditions that embrace a love for literature and lifelong learning. You can join the CLSC online via the Chautauqua Bookstore, or in person at the CLSC Octagon with $10 annual dues, which supports our literary programing and affords you a discount on all books in the Octagon and Bookstore.
THE CLSC CLASS OF 2024
Beth S. Adler
Gwendolyn Alegre
Mitchell Raymond Alegre
Jo Ellen Aleshire
Lisette Alfaro-Berg
Stephen Noel Anderson
Robert Armstrong
Maxine Awner
Dean A. Baker
Diane Baker
Melissa K. Bartok
Marjorie J. Bass
Marion Baumgarten
Katherine Howland Behler
Maisie Bernstein
Ann B. Blake
Virginia Brooke Bobbitt
Rebecca Jane Boorady
Megan Borgstrom
Pamela Lupton-Bowers
Robert Bowers
Lucy Burke
Kimberly Burnett
Linda K. Burnham
Ann Eberly Calvert
Kathleen Campbell
Carol Cedro
Eleni Chappen
Maggie Chappen
Roger Chard
Julia Coale
Angela Coleman
Michaela Coleman
Grace Coleman-Miller
Rev. Rebecca Cole-Turner, Ph.D., CJN
Kristen Karen Conover
Laura P. Coombs
Sally Craig
Ann Curry
Virginia Daly
Stephanie Lauren Dawson
Barbara P. Driscol
Carol Eiber
Christin P. Evans
George Reid Evans
Melinda G. Falkoff
Mary Karen Ferguson
Brad Fisher
Kim Rieck Fisher
Sister Donna Font
Jennifer Freely
Joe Garay
Allison Frances Gersch
Gail Marie Gilliland
Denise Gleason
Mary Daly Gorman
Katherine A. Gortz
David A. Graves
Margaret R. Graves
Maddy Greenstein
Nancy S. Groff
Lynne Gruel
Lauren Guth
Coleen Haas-Smith
Christine A. Harrop-Stein
Stephen E. Hart
Marcia Elaine Hauck
Erica Higbie
Ann S. Hoffman
Edwin L. Hoffman
Quinn Hoffman
Maurita Peterson Holland
Elaine Powell Hooker
Terrance N. Horner, Jr.
Enid D. Horowitz
Mark Horowitz
Jennifer Hudson
Matthew Hudson
Aidan Kathleen Petrie Isaacs
Michelle “MJ” Johnston
Michelle L. Jones
Amy Judd
Rev. Jeff L. Kane
Joanna M. Kaufmann
Sarah F. Kellam
Kirkland Molloy Kelley
Linda B. Kemp
Amy Klodowski
Elizabeth Kolken
Penny Krug
Elizabeth Thebeau Landon
Colleen Kelly Law
Scott Leiber
Debra J. Levin
Maggie Lieber
Linda Liebold
Anita Lin
Janice B. Lovercheck
Kerrie Ellen Lovercheck
Jamie Magovern
Christine Malanga
Christina L. Marsh
Molly! Masich
Sarah Katharine Masters
Thomas McCray-Worrall
Dawn McGriff
John G. McIntosh
Susan McKinley
Betsy W Merchant
Mary Metz
David C. Meyers
Merry Kim Meyers
Annamarie J. Mitchell
E. Marlee Mitchell
Michael Morley
Seth Murray
Ellen Murrett
Jeremy S. Musher
Robin L. Musher
Danielle Marcelle Nebres
Libby Nebres
Michael Pacilio
Judith N. Kirk Parker
Cynthia Pelton
David Pelton
Sheila Penrose
Cheryl Philipps
Pamela C. Planchon
Ruth M. Powell
Sandra H. Quick
Michael J. Randall Jr.
Anna Duke Reach
Leigh Rockey
Mark L. Rose
Nancy W. Saunders
Sophia I. Scalet
Sook Hee Bowers Scheibner
Tobin R. Schermerhorn
Sheryl Schneider
Ingrid Serrell
Marlene Walli Shade
Kathy Foster Singer
Michelle DeLuca Smith
Jennifer Snyder
Robert B. Snyder
Hannah Sobolevitch
Laura Sobolevitch
Stephen Sobolevitch
Melissa Leigh Spas
Kimberly Spillane
Eugene Taylor Sutton
Dr. Mary Kay Szwejbka
John Tarrant
Laura Piper Taylor
Ayana Teter
David P. Thomas
Joy Caroline Trotter
Elisabeth E. Tully
Ann C. Turpin
Roberto Ugoletti
Marguerite Knox Vail
Deborah Ann Walker
Marla J. Wasson
Lydia Elizabeth Wells
Nancy B. Wessinger, Ph.D.
Alicia V. Williams
Monica Hehlen Wilson
Alison Adams Wohler
Elizabeth Wohler
James R. Wohler
Lisa Frew Yaggie
Carolyn Merchant Young