Organ Prelude
Chanson de Matin, Op. 15, No. 2
Edward Elgar, 1889
Call to Worship
Leader: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations;
Circle: you have been our home throughout all the ges.
Leader: You were there before the world was made and will be forever.
Circle: From everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Gathering Hymn
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
tune: Nicaea
(James Bacchus Dykes 1861)
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 shalt 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!
Reginald Heber, c. 1820, altered
Call to Confession
Leader: With sincere and repentant hearts, let us name our sins against God and one another.
Prayer of Confession
All:
Lord, Judge of the nations:
We confess that we have not seen your face
among our neighbors in need.
We have not shared our food with the hungry;
we have not offered clothes to the destitute
or shelter to the homeless.
We have not welcomed the stranger,
nor have we visited prisoners.
We have not paid attention to these, your sisters and brothers, and in our neglect we have failed to serve you.
Lord, forgive us;
open our eyes to recognize your beloved family,
and give us the blessing of sincere repentance
that we may know the joy of eternal life
with you and all the saints
in this world and in the world to come.
Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
Leader: People of God, brothers and sisters of Christ,
God seeks the lost sheep and feeds them with justice.
Forgiven and freed,
turn, then, and live in Christ, our Lord.
All: Amen.
Anthem
O How Amiable
Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1934
O how amiable are thy dwellngs:
thou Lord of hosts!
My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the Lord:
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God
Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young:
even thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:
they will be always praising thee.
The glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us:
prosper thou the work of our hands upon us.
O prosper thou our handywork.
The Congregation stands and joins in singing:
O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
-Psalms 84 and 90, and Isaac Watts
Pastoral Prayer and Intercessions
Good and gracious God…
O God, on this day we offer special intercessions for…
The Prayer 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, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn
Nettleton
Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, 1813
Come, thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above;
praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of God’s unchanging love!
Here I find my greatest treasure;
hither by thy help I’ve come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.
-Robert Robinson, 1758
Invitation to the Offertory
Leader: In giving to God, we grow closer to God.
Let us offer our life and labor to the One who draws near
and freely gives the treasure of eternal life.
In gratitude for the immeasurable gifts from God,
let us bring our tithes and offerings to the Holy One.
Let us pray:
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Leader:
For all that you have given us, we thank you, Gracious God.
Use us, we pray, and use these gifts,
to feed the hungry, clothe the naked,
and honor your presence in all people,
that in their faces, we might recognize You.
Amen.
Anthem
Judge Eternal
Gerre Hancock, 1998
Judge eternal, throned in splendor,
Lord of lords and King of kings,
with thy living fire of judgment
purge this land of bitter things:
solace all its wide dominion
with the healing of thy wings.
Judge eternal, throned in splendor,
Lord of lords and King of kings,
with thy living fire of judgment
purge this land of bitter things:
solace all its wide dominion
with the healing of thy wings.
Still the weary folk are pining
for the hour that brings release,
and the city’s crowded clangor
cries aloud for sin to cease.
And the homesteads and the woodlands
plead in silence for their peace.
Crown, O God, thine own endeavor;
cleave our darkness with thy sword.
Feed all those who do not know thee
with the richness of thy word:
cleanse the body of this nation
through the glory of the Lord.
-Henry Scott Holland, 1902
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise God all creatures here below,
Praise God above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25: 31-46
Reader:
Michael E. Hill
President, Chautauqua Institution
Today's Sermon
“Are We More than a Theme Park?”
Matthew 25: 31-46
Bishop Gene Robinson, Preacher
Closing Hymn
Cwm Rhondda
John Hughes, 1907
God of grace and God of glory,
on thy people pour thy power;
crown thine ancient church’s story;
bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn thy Christ, assail his ways!
From the fears that long have bound us
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.
Cure thy children’s warring madness;
bend our pride to thy control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal,
lest we miss thy kingdom’s goal.
Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore.
Let the gift of thy salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
serving thee whom we adore,
serving thee whom we adore.
-Harry Emerson Fosdick, 1930
Benediction/Blessing
May God who seeks the lost keep you;
may God who brings back the wandering heart uphold you;
may God who binds up the injured heal you;
may God who strengthens the weak empower you.
And may the peace of God which passes all understanding…
Benediction Response
Postlude
Toccata en Ré majeur
Marcel Lanquetuit, 1927
The flowers on the stage are given …
… in gratitude to and for the Chautauqua Board of Trustees and Institution Staff for the successful accomplishment of the 2021 Summer Assembly Season, as well as to and for all those who made online attendance possible via CHQ Assembly.
Special thanks to Mary Lee Talbot for her religion coverage in the Daily, and her daily assistance in worship.
Support for this week’s Worship Services is provided by The Alison and Craig Marthinsen Endowment for the Department of Religion.
We want to thank our backstage Amp crew for all their good work in preparing our stage for worship six days out of seven, and for the joy and pleasure they are to work with!