November 6, 2016 at Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church
All Saints Sunday
(Submitted by Corise Gambrell)
Steve welcomed everyone to All Saints Sunday. He also noted the proximity to Election Day. At tonight’s Back Porch Session, Matt Hoffman will tell stories about fear. Phil Jamison’s band will be the featured music.
There will be two prayer services at the Christian Church in Black Mountain tomorrow, and the Warren Wilson Chapel will be open for prayer tomorrow night from six to eight.
Just For Fun is this coming Wednesday from five to seven at Highland Farms.
In the Moment for Gratitude and Celebratoin, Mary Fran Spencer talked about Goal Three: Enhancing Faith Development. She said eight years ago when she and Darrell were looking for a church home in Black Mountain, they noticed the Warren Wilson statement about inclusive welcome, and that statement appealed to her mind, heart, and soul. On their first visit to Warren Wilson, Steve asked the congregation to gather after worship to discuss his sermon. The church school class, where members share their thoughts on faith is very important to her. For these reasons, she finds Warren Wilson important for her heart, mind, and soul.
The Hymn of Praise was For All the Saints.
During the Time for the Child, Beth talked about those who will be remembered today. We celebrate their lives. She said that while we might wish for a God who can swoop down and make everything perfect, it is more important to cherish our God from whom nothing – in life or in death – can separate us.
Beth led in the responsive reading from Psalm 46.
The Anthem was Take and Eat. (Joncas).
The Epistle reading was from Second Timothy, and the faith that lives on in Timothy as it did in his mother and grandmother.
In the Message, Steve remembered his childhood church school classes, where he was taught “God has no grandchildren,” and that one had to be born again or doomed for all eternity. This message is not true according to the passage from Timothy. He asked all those whose faith was influenced by their parents or grandparents to raise their hands, and most everyone did. Steve is grateful for all that he learned in church school about the Bible, and he is especially appreciative of all his mother taught him about faith.
During this stressful time before the election, Steve found inspiration in a story Nadia Bolz-Weber told in Accidental Saints. The Sandy Hook school shooting took place just as Advent started. During one service, Bolz-Weber read the passage from Matthew about the slaughter of the innocents. Her associate read the names of all the children and teachers killed, and, at her associate’s urging, they also read the name of the shooter. Steve urged everyone to refrain from hating, even as we observe the hate directed toward those we champion and respect. As a young man in South Dakota, he had many examples of those who hated the Native Americans in the area, but his mother taught him not to hate. He also remembered former Warren Wilson chaplain, Andy Summers, who was an advocate in protesting the School of the Americas at Fort Benning. Andy urged people to fight with joy and not with anger. He closed with a prayer by Guatemalan poet, Julia Esquivel.
The Warren Wilson congregation celebrated the lives of:
- Emmy Lou Capps Ledgerton
- Dr. Frank Clyde Marvin, Jr.
- Dr. Kenneth Bradley Orr
- Dr. Robert Paul Keener
- Ellen Burry Huggins
Others mentioned by members of the congregation included : Fitz’ son-in-law, Clothilde’s nieces, Vicki’s mother, Sandee’s mother, Eloise’s aunt.
The congregation celebrated communion.
The Hymn of Commitment was Give Thanks for Those Whose Faith is Firm.
Coming up at Warren Wilson:
- Back Porch Session tonight
- Nickel a Meal offering received today
- Fair Trade orders taken today and next week
- Pre Election Prayer Services, November 7 at 12:15 and 6:00 PM at First Christian Church, Black Mountain
- Just For Fun – Wednesday, November 9, five to seven, at Highland Farms
- November 10 – Swannanoa Library, Carol Whittemore and Carolyn Cole (members of our choir) will present a program about bats. They are members of the International Bat Conservancy
- November 13 – Dedication Sunday, when we will dedicate our 2017 pledge and commitment forms
- November 16 – Empty Bowls event. Tickets available in the Narthex
- Social Outreach needs shoe boxes. They can be left in the Narthex