August 30, 2020

 

CENTERING

 

GATHERING WORDS

 

Pastor:       The place on which you are standing is holy ground, therefore,

People:     Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.

Pastor:       Holy ground. Therefore,
People:     Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere In

prayer.

Pastor:       Holy ground. Therefore,
People:     Live in harmony with one another.
Pastor:       Holy ground. Therefore,
People:     Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Pastor:       The place on which we are standing is holy ground.

 

OPENING HYMN:                           Holy Ground                        TFWS # 2272

 

 

 

 

GATHERING PRAYER

 

Help us, O God, to recognize holy ground in all of our living. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SHARING

 

 

PRAISING

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

Pastor:       God spoke to Moses from the burning bush.
People:     With Moses we answer, "Here I am!"
Pastor:       God warns us we are standing on holy ground.
People:     his is the place we have set aside to worship the God of

                   history.
Pastor:       This is the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of

                  Jacob.
People:     This is the God who has seen our suffering.
Pastor:       This is our God, our God forever, for all generations.

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Lord, you call to us from the burning pages of our Bible. With all the world's distractions we fear we might walk by. Calm our hearts and beckon to us as we enter this holy ground to worship you fully and praise your mighty name. Amen.

 

CHILDREN’S MOMENTS 

CONFESSING

 

CALL TO CONFESSION

 

Holy places are not far away; they are wherever we meet God. Burning bushes are not only found in stories, but in our homes, our workplaces, and our churches. We are so broken, we cannot see the sacred that surrounds us. Let us confess our sins to God, who desires nothing more than to forgive us.

 

 

 

GENERAL CONFESSION

 

Forgive us, O God, for profaning the holy ground of human relationships when we fail to listen with our hearts to others. Forgive us for desecrating the holy ground of mother earth when we do not take care of our natural resources. Forgive us, God, for dishonoring the holy ground of ourselves when we neglect our mental, physical, and emotional health. Amen.

 

SILENT CONFESSION

WORDS OF ASSURANCE

 

Pastor: God’s love, grace, and life are without limits. Receive freely from God and share freely with others.

 

 

HEARING

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

 

O Lord, open our eyes, our ears, our minds, and our hearts;

That we might behold wondrous things out of your word.

 

FIRST LESSON:            Exodus 3: 1-15

Moses at the Burning Bush

3 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

The Divine Name Revealed

13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[b] the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:

This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.

 

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks Be to God

 

 

PROCLAIMING

 

SERMON:                             “Holy Ground”            Rev. Russel W. Shuluga

 

 

PRAYING

 

JOYS AND CONCERNS

 

PASTORAL PRAYER

 

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, for ever and ever. Amen

 

 

RESPONDING

 

INVITATION TO OFFERING

 

May our morning offering show our solidarity with people all over the world who need our help.

 

THE LORD’S OFFERING

 

OFFERTORY PRAYER

 

Loving and giving God, we ask your blessing over our gifts this morning, and we give them over to your service. In giving of ourselves we understand that we receive the greatest gift, the gift of service. Amen.

 

 

SENDING


BENEDICTION

 

Pastor:       God sends us to serve.
People:     Here I am, ready to serve!
Pastor:       God sends us to love.
People:     Here, I am, ready to love!

Pastor:       God sends us to bless the world.
People:     Here I am, ready to bless the world!

 

Closing Hymn:                      Here I Am, Lord                                  UMH #593    

 

 

Pastor: Rev. Russel W. Shuluga

            Email: [email protected]

            Phone: 412-735-5072

 

Liturgist: Gail Gratton

 

 

                                             

 

Every Sunday Morning at 11:15 AM

https://zoom.us/j/4127312511?pwd=M091MnJ6WjhmbDloTWcxbmFmTFFlQT09

 

 

Meeting ID: 412 731 2511

Password: 123456

From your phone (312) 626-6799

 

*Please note that the information above for ZOOM service is the same for every Sunday Zoom worship service.

 

 

 

 

            August Mission Opportunity

“Home of Hope Outreach Program”

During the month of August, Mifflin Avenue, with our monetary donations, will sponsor two young girls, named Ivy Chimasa and Makamka Gosa in Zimbabwe.  Over one million or one out of every four children is an orphan in Zimbabwe.  Most live with extended family, a friend, or even as “child-led households.”  Education is not free, and without financial support most of these children will not remain in school.

The Home of Hope Outreach program keeps children in school by sponsors who pay $75.00/year to cover school fees and $25.00 to provide a filled backpack. If you would like to contribute to the education of Ivy and Makamka, make your check payable to MAUMC and write “Home of Hope” on the memo line. You may also use PayPal to donate.