Welcome to Worship at

Joyful Harvest Church Growing Together for Christ

Rev. Dr. Douglas Liston, Pastor – 847-497-4JOY (4569) 5050 N. Johnsburg Rd, Johnsburg, IL 60051

www.joyfulharvest.org

This week we will be worshipping together outside at Joyful Harvest. In case of inclement weather, we will do “drive-in” church. Please remember to bring your own chair and maintain social distancing.

If you don’t feel comfortable with in-person worship yet, we will still be live-streaming. There will be a link on our website to watch at www.joyfulharvest.org, or you can watch the live-stream on Facebook!

August 23rd, 2020 12th Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering

Welcome/Greeting/Announcements

Call to Worship Give thanks to God with all your hearts. We will hold nothing back from our God. Sing full-throated praises to our God. We will join in the chorus of thanksgiving for God’s abiding love. Glorify God and that Word we know as Jesus Christ. We will worship our God with wonder and joy.

Gathering Songs: ????/???? ????

Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayer of the Day

Word FIRST READING: Isaiah 51:1-6 (NRSV) 1Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. 2Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. 3For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. 4Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. 5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like

gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm: Psalm 138 (NRSV) 1I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything. 3On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. 4All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth. 5They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away. 7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. 8The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

SECOND READING: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 (NRSV) 1I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2aGod has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. 29For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

GOSPEL: Matthew 16:13-20 (NRSV) 13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi…

This is the gospel of the Lord! Thanks be to God! Message

Prayers of Intercession

Meal Offering & Offering Song: ????

Offering

Friends, while our programs and in-person worship are temporarily modified, our responsibilities for our regular bills (mortgage, utilities, payroll, etc.) continue. Please send your gifts to the church office: 5050 N. Johnsburg Rd., Johnsburg, IL 60051 Or you may give online at www.joyfulharvest.org

Call to Reconciliation We know that we have not lived as God hopes. But, however fragmented we become, God longs to hold us together in grace and peace. Let us come with our prayers of confession and need to the One who prepares the way for our words. In these moments, Remembering God, we bring to you all the ways we have not lived as your people: we stand by watching while those in need struggle to survive; we cast our lots with those who worship power and success; we offer insults rather than words of grace to those who care for us; we scoff at your words which call us to a different lifestyle. Forgive us, God of Mercy, for not knowing what we do to you, to others, to ourselves. Speak to us through Jesus Christ, our King and our Savior, who bears words filled with your tender mercy and gracious hope.

Silence is kept… This is the good news: God remembers! Not our sins, not our foolish lives, not our rebellion. God remembers us - and redeems us! God prepares the way for us - the way to grace, to hope, to new life. Joyfully, we offer our thanks to God. Amen.

Lord’s Supper All are welcome to come to communion; if you believe that Christ is truly present here today, we invite you to join us at the Lord’s Table. The communion cups we share today have a wafer sealed under a clear piece of plastic (peel this off first) and grape juice in the lower portion.

Words of Institution and 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, forever and ever. Amen

Communion Song: ????

Sending Sending Song: ????

Sending and Benediction

Go out as God's people, willing to do God's work in the world. Go out as Christ's disciples, ready to serve wherever we have the chance. Go out as the Spirit's hope, eager to proclaim peace to all.

Commissioning At Joyful Harvest Church, our mission is growing together for Christ. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we value: Family Worship, Relying on Prayer, Unity in Christ, Instruction in the Word, Telling Others, and Service to God’s Community. Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!

Songs are reproduced, projected, and streamed with permission under CCLI #1029838. Portions of the liturgy are Copyright © Thom M. Shuman 2017 Portions of the liturgy are copyright © Augsburg Fortress 2020

Portions of the liturgy are copyright © Joyful Harvest Church, ELCA 2020

Announcements Donate to help the ministries of Joyful Harvest! Scan the QR code on the left with your mobile device. You’ll go straight to our online giving page to set up a one-time or recurring gift through your debit/credit card processed through PayPal. Thank you!!

Thanks Amazon Smile! - Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Joyful Harvest whenever you shop at AmazonSmile! Whatever you shop for…books, music, etc., Joyful Harvest will get a portion of the purchase price. To support us, go to our webpage (www.joyfulharvest.org) and click the AmazonSmile link! It all adds up!

Men’s Group: Men’s group is now meeting in the garage on Saturday mornings with the door up, social distancing, and face masks. Join us for our weekly Bible Study! Operation Christmas Child: With the difficulties of the pandemic, we’ve decided to do a financial contribution to OCC this year and not pack shoeboxes. If you’d like to make a contribution to this ministry of spreading the Good News to children in living in other countries, please mark your gift (on the memo line) to be directed to OCC.

August’s Memory Verse

Exodus 20:16

8th Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness

against your neighbor."

Weekly Calendar Sat. Aug 22 Saturday Worship - Cancelled 6:00 p.m. Sun. Aug 23 Sunday Worship – Outside @ Joyful Harvest and Live-Streaming Worship 9:00 a.m. Tue. Aug 15 Breakfast Club at Dino’s Den - CANCELLED 8:00 a.m. Tue. Aug 15 Food Pantry Service Opportunity 3:00-6:30 p.m. Wed. Aug 16 DiscipleShip Bible Study – on Vacation until September! Thur. Aug 27 Food Pantry Service Opportunity 3:00-6:30 p.m. Sat. Aug 29 Men’s Group – In-Person – In Garage 7:00 a.m. Sat. Aug 29 Blood Drive 8:00-noon Sat. Aug 29 Saturday Worship - Cancelled 6:00 p.m. Sun. Aug 30 Sunday Worship – Outside @ Joyful Harvest and Live-Streaming Worship 9:00 a.m.

Check out our online rummage sale – we’re posting some of the larger items in the basement to Facebook Marketplace so we can keep the pile in the basement manageable! Check it out – there’s probably

something there that you desperately need! Go to Facebook Marketplace and search Theresa Ancona!

Twenty-fifth Anniversary Memories! Since we can’t have a full-blown shindig for our 25th, we’re in the process of collecting memories to put together into a book for everyone to enjoy! You should have received a letter in the mail (real USPS mail, not the

e-mail stuff!) that contained some questions for you to answer about your memories of Joyful Harvest. Please return those as soon as possible so that we can collect them all and get a book printed for everyone. Drop them off at the church, mail them back, or put them in the offering basket on Sunday!

Diakonia Opportunity: Want to learn more about your Christian faith in the Lutheran tradition? Want to be more effective as a servant of Christ to others? If your answer to either of those questions is “Yes!”, the Northern Illinois Synod diakonia™ program may be for you. Diakonia™ is a two-year program of theological education for adults who want to grow in their faith and discover new directions for putting your faith into practice. For 2020-2021, classes will begin online via Zoom platform. New students will have their choice of either Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Even when it is safe to resume in-person classes in some locations, we will continue to offer the program online. Prospective students are invited to “test-drive” diakonia by “sitting in” on a class session or two this fall. For more info, ask Pastor Doug!

AUGUST 23, 2020 TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Disciples do not conform to the world.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS These passages are related to the Lectionary texts for this Sunday.

Sunday Matthew 16:13-20 Peter’s confession of Christ

Monday Isaiah 51:1-6 Blessings for God’s people

Tuesday Romans 12:1-8 Christ brings new life

Wednesday Exodus 1:8–2:10 Israelites are oppressed

Thursday Psalm 124 Thanksgiving for Israel’s deliverance

Friday 1 Peter 1:13-25 A call to holy living

Saturday Psalm 138 Praise God with all your heart

Sunday Matthew 16:21-28 Take up your cross and follow

SCRIPTURE VERSE FOR THIS WEEK Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NRSV)

PRAYERS AND BLESSING A Prayer for the Week: Almighty God, in a world that can divide us from one another, we pray for your rule of mercy and grace that binds us together in faith and love through Christ, the Son of God. Amen.

Mealtime Prayer: Dear God, we thank you for this meal and pray for all to have food to eat through your abundant and fruitful creation. Amen.

A Blessing to Give: May you be transformed by the will of God to know and to do what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

© 2020 Milestones Ministry, LLC. All rights reserved. In addition to Taking Faith Home, celebrate milestones in your daily life

as an effective faith formation tool. Go to:

www.milestonesministry.org

CARING CONVERSATIONS Take a moment to tell or think about a recent mountain high and/or valley low in your life. Discuss in your home, small group, or use for personal reflections:

• What is something you are tempted to do that you know is not helpful or

right?

• What influences a person to do something wrong?

• How is the kingdom of Jesus different from other powers that want to shape your life?

DEVOTIONS Read: Matthew 16:13-20. To be conformed to the world (Romans 12:2) is to be shaped by the powers of domination in an attempt to influence—or even control—people’s thoughts, actions, and loyalties. In Matthew 16 Jesus and his disciples are in Caesarea Philippi, a place where many gods of the ancient world were recognized and worshiped, fickle gods that were seen as ruling human life rather arbitrarily. Jesus as the “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16) will transform lives like the Canaanite woman and her daughter in Matthew 15. Jesus has the power to bind and to loosen lives (16:19) and Jesus intends to loosen lives from death to life, from sickness to health, from despair to hope, from broken relationships to a life of mutual forgiveness, from lives that are judged and condemned to lives that receive mercy. How does Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God free your life to be a servant of mercy to others? Pray: The Lord’s Prayer.

SERVICE In Romans 12:6-8, the Apostle Paul lists a number of gifts that God has given people to support the work of the church like serving, teaching, encouraging, giving generously, leading, and being compassionate. Make a list of gifts you have been given and can use to support the church in the world. The entire faith community (body of Christ) is needed to do God’s work. Take action by using one or more of the gifts you listed to help people in your community or the larger world.

RITUALS AND TRADITIONS Psalm 138 is a song of thanksgiving and praise: “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart” (v. 1a). Draw a heart on a piece of paper. Inside the heart write a list of things you are thankful for. Take the heart and put it in a visible place as a reminder to give thanks and praise for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

5050 N Johnsburg Road Johnsburg, IL 60051 www.joyfulharvest.org (847) 497-4569

Join us for worship: Sundays 9 am!