First Presbyterian Church of Weedsport
August 10, 2025
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Rev. Brian Copeland
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Liturgist
PRELUDE
OPENING SENTENCES (Responsive) Liturgist
The Mighty One has delivered our souls from death.
In God our hearts are glad!
The Mighty One has fashioned all our hearts.
In God our hearts are glad!
The Mighty One is our help and shield.
In God our hearts are glad!
Let us worship the one in whom we trust.
Let us worship the one in whom we hope!
HYMN #477 Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim
PRAYER OF THE DAY Liturgist
Steadfast God, we come with faith, with conviction of things not seen, yet we worry we may be getting it all wrong.
And you whisper in our ear, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
You ask us to cease doing evil, to stop our meaningless rituals and turn toward your ways.
And you whisper in our ear, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
We want to do good and seek justice, but we are afraid of failing.
And you whisper in our ear, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
We want to trust that you will bring forth life from the desert places in our lives, but we are scared of being brokenhearted.
And you whisper in our ear, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
Center our hearts in you, that we may find our treasure
and the courage to live into it. Amen.
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
O Lord our God, we give you thanks
for the grace that is at work in us
through the gift of our baptism—
the sign of your threefold name,
the communion of your faithful people,
the promise of your glorious realm.
By the power of your Holy Spirit,
poured out upon us in baptism,
let your grace and peace grow in us,
until we gather at your heavenly throne
to give you thanks and praise forever;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CONFESSION AND PARDON (Responsive) Liturgist
God calls us to walk in faith, but we do not always follow. Trusting in God’s mercy, let us confess our sin.
God of the ages, God of the old, old story, we hear of our ancestors and are astounded by their faith. They trusted you, but we waver. They believed your promise, but we cling to our own ideas. Forgive us and free us from our fear, that we may follow with joy wherever you may lead; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION MAY BE OFFERED
From age to age, from generation to generation, God’s mercy never fails. Hear the good news!
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!
SPECIAL MUSIC
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION (Unison) Liturgist
Faithful God, how blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sanctify us by your Word and Spirit so that we may glorify you in the company of the faithful;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Liturgist
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old-and Sarah herself was barren-because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."
13All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 12:32-40 Rev. Brian Copeland
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SERMON Rev. Brian Copeland
HYMN #429 Lord, You Give the Great Commission (verses 1-4)
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH(Unison) Adapted from the Confession of 1967, 9.32–33
The life, death, resurrection, and promised coming of Jesus Christ has set the pattern for the church’s mission. His human life involves the church in the common life of all people. His service to men and women commits the church to work for every form of human well-being. His suffering makes the church sensitive to all human suffering
so that it sees the face of Christ in the faces of persons in every kind of need.
His crucifixion discloses to the church God’s judgment on the inhumanity that marks human relations, and the awful consequences of the church’s own complicity in injustice. In the power of the risen Christ and the hope of his coming, the church sees the promise of God’s renewal of human life in society and of God’s victory over all wrong. The church follows this pattern in the form of its life and in the method of its action. So to live and serve is to confess Christ as Lord.
JOYS AND CONCERNS
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, we pray for the fulfillment of God’s promise,
saying: In faith, O God, we seek your grace.
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING (Offering plates are not passed. Offering plates are on the front and back tables.)
PRAYER OF DEDICATION (Unison)
Generous God, we give you thanks for all your blessings to us. Use these gifts we offer
as a sign of your great love for the world, so that all may know and share the abundance of your grace; in your holy name we pray. Amen.
HYMN: We are One in the Spirit (Insert)
BLESSING AND CHARGE
POSTLUDE
Reminders:
August 31 – Our Marcellus friends will join us for worship at WFPC
Sept. 4 – Blood Drive, hosted by WFPC at UMC (Let Cyndy know if you are available to help.)
