13th Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 15 (Year B)

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Call to Worship

    Come, children of the Light, come to worship your Maker.                                                    Eph. 5
    We were once in darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.
    Light produces the fruits of goodness, justice, and truth.
    May we plant seeds that sprout forth such gifts to the world.
    Come, let us worship God!

Prayer of the Day

    God of Light and Love,
    help us this day to worship you
    with all of our hearts, minds, and bodies.
    Shower us with the grace of your Spirit
    that we might joyfully receive
    the message you have for us today.  Amen.

Call to Confession

    Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
    in order to speak the truth in love,
    we are called to speak the hard truth of our sins.
    Let us together confess our sins.

Confession

    Merciful God,
    you call us to lay aside immaturity and walk in the ways of wisdom.                         Proverbs 9:6
    But too often we revert to our silly and selfish ways;
    focusing on ourselves instead of others,
    fighting over issues that belong in the past,
    and fretting over the future with no sense of trust or imagination.
    Holy God, save us from ourselves
    and free us to embrace the promise you offer us.  Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

    Beloved sisters and brothers in Christ,
    God has heard our plea for forgiveness
    and offers us mercy in abundant supply.
    Our sins have been forgiven!
    Alleluia!  Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

    Holy Spirit,
    you call us to place aside falsehood
    and discern the will of the Lord.                                                                                          Eph. 5:17
    Bless our reading of your Word
    that we might be attentive to its truth.  Amen.

Prayers of the People

    Let us pray to the Lord saying:
    God of Melody, help us sing songs of love.
    
    God who fills our hearts with song,
    we give you thanks for our choir,
    our organist, our minister of music,
    and all the musicians who gift us with music.
    The Psalms implore us to make a joyful noise to the Lord,
    and we are grateful for the musical leaders among us.
    God of Melody, help us sing songs of love.

    God of Songs Old and New,
    we give thank for the songs that have been gifted to us
    by those who have joined the Church Triumphant,
    for the melodies that were taught to us
    by our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents.
    We thank you for their truth and endurance.
    We also give you thanks for new melodies and hymns,
    for new hymnals that expand our repertoire of praise,
    and address an ever-changing world
    with theological language that challenges and compels us.
    God of Melody, help us sing songs of love.

    God of Praise,
    we pray for those who are too comfortable among us,
        who need to hear songs that confront and challenge;
    we pray for those who are sick and weak,
        who need to hear songs that heal and give peace;
    we pray for those who are uncertain or scared,
        who need to hear songs that uplift and empower;
    we pray for those who are grieving,
        who need to hear songs that give voice to their sorrow;
    we pray for those who are happy,
        who need to hear songs that exude unabashed joy;
    we pray silently for those on our hearts this day
        that they may hear and sing whatever song is needed…
    God of Melody, help us sing songs of love.

    Melodious God,
    hear our prayers as we lift them up to you.
    Come to us, as we pray the prayer you taught us to pray, saying:  Our Father…

 

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Stephen Fearing

Stephen was born in 1988 in Cookeville, TN, where his parents met whilst attending Tennessee Tech. Shortly after, they moved to Dalton, Georgia where they put down roots and joined First Presbyterian Church, the faith family that taught Stephen that he was first and foremost a beloved child of God. It was this community that taught Stephen that it was OK to have questions and doubts and that nothing he could do could every possibly separate him from the love of God. In 1995, his sister, Sarah Kate, joined the family and Stephen began his journey as a life-long musician. Since then, he has found a love of music and has found this gift particularly fitting for his call to ministry. Among the instruments that he enjoys are piano, trumpet, guitar, and handbells. Stephen has always had a love of singing and congregation song. An avid member of the marching band, Stephen was the drum major of his high school's marching band. In 2006, Stephen began his tenure at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC where he majored in Religion and minored in History. While attending PC, Stephen continued to explore his love of music by participating in the Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, Jazz Trio, as well as playing in the PC Handbell ensemble and playing mandolin and banjo PC's very own bluegrass/rock group, Hosegrass, of which Stephen was a founding member (Hosegrass even released their own CD!). In 2010, Stephen moved from Clinton to Atlanta to attend Columbia Theological Seminary to pursue God's call on his life to be a pastor in the PC(USA). During this time, Stephen worked at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, Central Presbyterian Church, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. For three years, Stephen served as the Choir Director of Columbia Theological Seminary's choir and also served as the Interim Music Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church. In 2014, Stephen graduated from Columbia with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Arts in Practical Theology with an emphasis in liturgy, music, and worship. In July of 2014, Stephen was installed an ordained as Teaching Elder at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in Shelter Island, NY. Later that year, Stephen married the love of his life, Tricia, and they share their home on Shelter Island with their Golden Doodle, Elsie, and their calico cat, Audrey. In addition to his work with the people who are Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, Stephen currently serves as a commission from Long Island Presbytery to the Synod of the Northeast and, beginning in January of 2016, will moderate the Synod's missions team.